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Write a class named Card, which can be used to represent a card from a deck of cards. The class should be able to stores a cards suit and face value. A cards suit can be one of the following Hearts, Diamonds, clubs, Spades. A cards face vaule can be Ace, King, Queen, or Jack or a value in range in 2 thru 10.
Next write a Deck class. This class constructor should create a list of 52 cards objects, each representing a valid card in the deck. The class should have a shuffle method that randomly shuffles the Card objects in the list. It should also have a deal method that “deals” a card from the deck. It does this by removing the Card object at the beginning of the list and returning a reference to the object.
Next write CardPlayer class. The class should keep a list of Card objects that have been delt to it. This represents a hand of cards. A method named add should accept a reference to a Card object, which is added to the list. A method named showCards displays the card objects in the list.
Demonstrate these classes in an application that creates a Deck object, shuffles the cards it contains, and deals five cards from the Deck to a CardPlayer object. The CardPlayer should then display the 5 cards.
JGRASP Plus commenting | <urn:uuid:9441aa2a-3deb-4bb8-abe4-c7919aa9f44c> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://smartwritings.org/java-help-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499845.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20230131055533-20230131085533-00856.warc.gz | en | 0.929069 | 287 | 3.828125 | 4 |
Mt Nelson semaphore in 1870
(Photo courtesy of State Library of Tasmania)
The signal station at Mt Nelson was the first to be constructed in Tasmania. Built on the order of Governor Macquarie in 1811 as a station to report shipping in and out of the Port of Hobart, it replaced the use of smoke signals at Betsey Island. The station was to play an important role in maritime communications for the next 158 years.
From Flags to Semaphore
Signalling was initially done using flags, however by 1831, a three-armed semaphore (an upright post with arms) was operating which was capable of dealing with 666 code signals.
This was replaced in 1838 by a six-armed semaphore over 24 metres high which could handle over 900 000 separate signals.
Mt Nelson Signal Station flagstaff.
In 1836 the station was linked into the Tasman Peninsula system. Through this network of of semaphore stations, messages could be rapidly relayed from the penal settlement at Port Arthur to Hobart. The Hobart semaphore is located at the Mulgrave Battery in Castray Esplanade in Battery Point.
Semaphore messages were sent by raising and lowering the arms to set positions. A 20 word message could be sent from Hobart and received at Port Arthur in 15 minutes.
Three signal men usually worked and lived on site, often accompanied by their families.
Work was carried out in all weather conditions on watches of three hours from 6am to 9pm.
Views across Storm Bay and beyond from station
The current cafe and restaurant is in a building built for the head signalman in 1897.
The signal station was operated by the military from its inception until 1858, when the newly established Marine Board of Hobart took over control. By 1860, the station had developed into a two-tiered system, with the top six arm semaphore dealing with Port Arthur maritime traffic, while the lower arm dealt with Hobart traffic.
From Semaphore to Telephony
In 1880, a mere four years after the invention of the telephone by Alexander Graham Bell, a telephone line - Tasmania's first
Flags signalling "Welcome to Hobart"
Photographs by Steve Johnson
- was established
between Hobart and Mt Nelson. The arrival of this new technology resulted in the the removal of the semaphore and its replacement with a flagstaff - but not before the semaphore sent one last message (no. 343 which means "forgotten").
In 1958 a base station for ship-to-shore radio-telephone, the second of its kind in Australia, was installed at Mt Nelson. The Mt Nelson Signal Station ceased operations in 1969, ending 158 years of Tasmanian communications history.
Management of the Mt Nelson site was transferred from the Marine Board to the Parks and Wildlife Service in 1979.
Today, the station retains a strong link with the past. Every day, the Tasmanian State flag is flown, and International Marine Signal Flags are used to welcome visiting ships and for other special occasions. | <urn:uuid:2187fbd8-ec30-4914-a432-56112bec9eec> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://www.parks.tas.gov.au/index.aspx?base=22617 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218186774.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212946-00407-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963973 | 629 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Global applications of genomics in healthcare: Germany
Development of anti-malarial drugs
Setting: research institute
Focus of intervention: researchers/community
According to sources, malaria is responsible for 1.5 to 2.7 million deaths per year, with most of the deaths being caused by Plasmodium falciparium. This strain of malaria has recently been gaining more resistance against traditional anti-malarial medicines being used, and there is a need for new drugs that can fight malaria, especially in developing countries. Researchers in Germany are testing new drugs which have the potential for anti-malarial action.
The chemicals being tested as anti-malarial drugs are fosmidomycin, which inhibits DOXP reductoisomerase, and FR-900098, which is derived from the former compound. DOXP reductoisomerase is involved in a pathway in P. falciparium in which the disease manifests itself. Thus, this is a potential target for anti-malarial medicines.
Anti-malarial activity of these compounds has been shown both in vitro and in vivo. These compounds are claimed to have low manufacturing costs and a high stability, which is crucial for developing countries faced with a lack of resources. Positive results are expected as patients tolerated these drugs well in various former studies. | <urn:uuid:b36be590-a056-4aaf-9252-790e0ba46043> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://who.int/genomics/professionals/applications/germany/en/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1409535922087.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20140909054519-00444-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96532 | 268 | 3.140625 | 3 |
|Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)|
|Amount per serving|
|% Daily Value*|
|Total Fat 7g||9%|
|Saturated Fat 2g||10%|
|Total Carbohydrate 9g||3%|
|Dietary Fiber 1g||2%|
|*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.|
When it comes to cooking malawah (aka Somali sweet pancake), there are a couple of methods. In one method, the batter is poured and distributed within the pan by tilting the pan in a circular motion, as you would do when making ordinary pancakes. This is allowed to fry on medium heat for two minutes. The pancake will not require flipping to the other side but will have one golden brown side while the other remains white and spongy.
In the second method, the batter is poured in and then flipped over to brown on the other side. Some people will pour the batter in a circular spiral which will be visibly evident when cooked. Others pour all the batter in the center of the pan and create the spiral by using a spoon.
Gather the ingredients.
Beat or whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Alternatively, mix them together with a hand-held blender.
Heat up a frying pan with enough butter or oil to lightly coat the surface.
Ladle some batter into the pan and swirl such that the batter distributes to make a thin layer which spreads towards the curving sides of the pan
Fry for about a minute or until lightly golden, then flip over and fry another minute or so on the other side.
Serve the malawah by spreading melted butter and honey on top or sprinkling some sugar on top. | <urn:uuid:93e810f5-a9cc-4e90-832c-3e0fa84eac8f> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.thespruceeats.com/malawah-somali-sweet-pancake-39501 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623488262046.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20210621025359-20210621055359-00488.warc.gz | en | 0.84612 | 388 | 2.71875 | 3 |
|Cultural origins||Early 1980s, United Kingdom and United States|
Folk punk (also known as rogue folk) is a combination of folk music and punk rock. It became popular in the early 1980s by The Pogues in Britain, and by Violent Femmes in the United States. Folk punk got some mainstream success in the 1980s. In more recent years, its subgenres Celtic punk and Gypsy punk have gotten some commercial success.
Characteristics[change | change source]
Folk punk includes Celtic punk, gypsy punk, riot folk, anti-folk, alt. country, crusty punk, acoustic punk, gutter punk, indie punk, lo-fi punk and many more. Folk punk is linked with DIY punk scenes, and bands often perform in house venues as well as more traditional areas.
Folk punk musicians may play their own songs in the style of punk rock, but using some folk instruments, such as mandolins, accordions, banjos or violins. Folk punk has a history of progressive and leftist political views. Songs often have topics like race, class, feminism, animal rights, queerness and anarchism.
References[change | change source]
- Humphries, P., Meet on the Ledge, a History of Fairport Convention, 2nd ed. (London: Virgin Publishing Ltd., 1997), pp. 149-50.
- Haas, B.D. (2013). "Performing folk punk: agonistic performances of intersectionality". LSU Doctoral Dissertations. 798. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
- Sweers, B., Electric Folk: The Changing Face of English Traditional Music (Oxford University Press, 2005), pp. 197-8. | <urn:uuid:06d4164e-fc74-450f-afb0-169cffe11395> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_punk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251694908.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20200127051112-20200127081112-00264.warc.gz | en | 0.908687 | 357 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Pycnanthemum muticum - Short-toothed mountain mint or clustered mountain mint
Mountain mints are bee favorites and the foliage has a very pleasant smell. An ornamental mountain mint, widely used in planting. All parts of the plant emit a strong, mint-like aroma when crushed. Clump-forming and less spreading than Pycnanthemum tenuifolium.
"These native mints, close relatives of beebalm, have a strong and very pleasant odor when the foliage is crushed. Many anecdotal reports and long-term observation by Xerces staff assert that these plants are a honey bee favorite... The shallow nectaries of mountain-mint and its seemingly abundant nectar attract an amazing parade of bees, beneficial solitary wasps, flies, beetles and small butterflies such as hairstreaks." - 100 Plants to Feed the Bees
Height: 2-3 ft
Sun: Sun to partial shade
Bloom color: Silvery bracts and pinkish flowers
Bloom time: July, August, September | <urn:uuid:37941f9e-796c-4b58-b1af-5a332bcbd934> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://plants.gowanuscanalconservancy.org/products/pycnanthemum-muticum-short-toothed-mountain-mint-or-clustered-mountain-mint | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964363135.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20211205035505-20211205065505-00215.warc.gz | en | 0.892481 | 217 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Tinnitus is a common problem that affects the inner ear. While many people describe it as a ringing in the ears, for some it may sound like high-pitched hissing, low-pitched roaring, chirping, screeching, buzzing or humming.
These symptoms can be exacerbated during times of stress or fatigue and lead to frustration, irritability and depression. The noise may also cause insomnia.
Tinnitus has been linked to vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiencies.
- Vitamin B12 helps create myelin, which is the insulative and protective cover that surrounds the nerves. Vitamin B12 deficiency can irritate and hamper the function of nerves in the ear.
- Research studies have shown that people with tinnitus experienced improvement in symptoms after undergoing vitamin B12 supplemental therapy.
- Vitamin B12 can be found in foods such as meat, fish and dairy products; it can also be produced in a Lab. It is often taken in combination with other B vitamins.
- Vitamin D deficiency can cause poor bone health, including the internal ear bones.
- Vitamin D is found in dairy, fortified cereals and mushrooms and is mainly synthesized in the skin upon exposure to sunlight.
How can vitamin deficiencies be treated?
Symptoms of vitamin B12 deficiency can be treated with vitamin B12 tablets or injections. There are two types of B12 injections:
- Hydroxocobalamin or vitamin B12a: This is a vitamin found in foods such as meat, fish, eggs and milk and can be used as a dietary supplement.
- Cyanocobalamin: This is a synthetic form of vitamin B12. Like hydroxocobalamin, it can be used to treat nutrient deficiencies in people who have difficulty getting enough vitamin B12 in their regular diets.
Low levels of vitamin B12 may be caused by:
- Pernicious anemia, a condition where a person’s immune system mistakenly reduces their ability to absorb the vitamin.
- Conditions affecting the stomach or intestines that interfere with the absorption of vitamin B12, such as malabsorption syndromes and tropical sprue.
- Poor diet or lack of vitamins in the diet.
- Certain medications, such as metformin used for diabetes.
- Excessive coffee drinking, smoking etc.
Vitamin D can be taken as a capsule every week for three months, or administered intramuscularly.
What are treatment options for tinnitus?
There is no cure for tinnitus. However, treating an underlying cause (such as vitamin B12 deficiency) may help relieve tinnitus symptoms.
Other possible treatment options include:
- Acoustic therapy or sound therapy. Sound therapy involves the use of sounds to help the brain refocus and reduce the emotional distress caused by tinnitus.
- Hearing aids. Even if there is no hearing loss present, hearing aids can be equipped with a tinnitus-masking feature to help block out noise and provide much-needed relief. These can be used in collaboration with hearing loss treatment as well.
- Maskers. An electronic device called a masker may be worn to distract the wearer from the ringing sensation. Maskers fit in the ear similarly to hearing aids and produce low-level sounds. In addition to maskers, bedside sound generators and other devices can help eliminate the perception of ringing.
- Tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT), also known as habituation therapy. This treatment combines sound therapy and counseling with the goal of retraining the brain to perceive tinnitus in a different way. The process alters the brain’s neural signals and weakens the perception of ringing.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy. This type of counseling helps change the body’s emotional reaction to tinnitus by altering negative thought patterns and reducing stress.
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
Understanding Tinnitus -- Diagnosis and Treatment: https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-tinnitus-treatment
Top What Vitamin Deficiency Causes Tinnitus? Related Articles
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Tinnitus is described as a throbbing, ringing, clicking, or buzzing in one or both ears. Tinnitus is caused by trauma to the ear, over exposure to loud noises, medication, and diseases or infections of the ear such as multiple sclerosis, TMJ, autistic neruoma, Meniere's disease, hearing loss, and aging. Treatments include medication, tinnitus masking, retraining therapy, and relief therapy.
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Tinnitus is not a condition in itself, but a symptom of some other condition that causes a high-pitched whine, a ringing, buzzing or clicking in the ears. It can come from any number of problems starting with the eardrum and cochlea – the organs that turn sound waves into electrical signals for the brain to interpret as sound.
Vitamin D DeficiencyVitamin D deficiency has been linked with rickets, cancer, cardiovascular disease, severe asthma in children and cognitive impairment in older adults. Causes include not ingesting enough of the vitamin over time, having limited exposure to sunlight, having dark skin, and obesity. Symptoms include bone pain and muscle weakness. Treatment for vitamin D deficiency involves obtaining more vitamin D through supplements, diet, or exposure to sunlight.
Vitamin D QuizWhat happens to the body when there is a vitamin D deficiency? Take the Vitamin D Quiz to find out what you may be missing.
Is It Better to Take Vitamins in the Morning or Night?Doctors recommend multivitamins for certain vitamin deficiencies. If you're taking a vitamin supplement for any type of vitamin deficiency, you should try to take it at a time when your body can best absorb it.
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What Foods Are Highest in Vitamin D?What are the foods highest in Vitamin D? Learn about the best sources to make sure this vitamin is included in your diet.
What Is the Most Effective Treatment For Tinnitus?Tinnitus is the perception of abnormal sounds in the ears. Tinnitus may sound like ringing, bussing, roaring, clicking, hissing, or humming in one or both ears. Tinnitus is not a disease itself. Tinnitus is usually a manifestation of an underlying condition, such as age-related hearing loss, ear injury, or circulatory system disorder. However, in many cases, there is no identifiable cause.
What Is the Test for Vitamin D?Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that plays a vital role in calcium absorption to give you healthy and strong bones. The test for measuring vitamin D involves measuring the levels of the vitamin in a blood sample drawn from your vein. | <urn:uuid:601779ab-6817-447a-ad4e-e5f8387a5cfa> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.medicinenet.com/what_vitamin_deficiency_causes_tinnitus/article.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224644683.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20230529042138-20230529072138-00575.warc.gz | en | 0.904169 | 1,802 | 3.21875 | 3 |
By Elvis R. Sverko
It’s a new year. So Happy New Year everyone!
Now, how do we make this new year, a better year than last year? Well, one thing that seems to be a hot topic everywhere I look is “Creativity”, and creativity in anything and everything, ( “Use the Kindle Fire as a Creative Device” from December 2011 from Wired.com; “Buff Your Brain” from the January 9, 2012 edition of Newsweek; “How to Lead a Creative Life” from the December 2011 edition of Fast Company.)
To make anything new, you need to be innovative. To be innovative, you need to use your creativity.
Most engineers/designers/architects/etc. know they need to be creative to make new products, or make older products better. They have many tools at their disposal, from pencil and paper, to wood or metal, to CAD. But mostly they use their imagination to come up with the new idea, and then use these tools to bring them to life.
But sometimes, it’s not just about using a tool to make something new and innovative. Sometimes you have to use the tools in a creative way.
CAD is no exception. There are specific functions that CAD can perform, from drawing lines and circles, to making 3D solid models, to performing simulation such as Finite Element Analysis. Some CAD packages include libraries of standard parts that you can use in your model (such as with Autodesk Revit, you have a library of types/shapes/sizes of windows to include in your architectural design). There are also standards that in many cases at many companies that must be met. These standards might be in the styles used for drawings, or industry standards that need to be met.
But in many cases, you can be creative in the way you use CAD.
If you need to make a cylinder, you have different methods of doing so. You can extrude a circle, or rotate a rectangle (as shown using Autodesk Inventor below). Or there may be other ways as well. But both of these methods create identical cylinders. The difference is in their method. Your choice may come down to what information you currently have, or may need to change, or it’s just completely up to you. But the point is, you can be creative in how you model something in CAD.
It doesn’t have to be in the tools you use, that you can be creative. Sometimes it’s simply in how you look at a model. In many 3D solid modeling CAD programs, you can turn the visibility of objects off, change the view style, rotate, or adjust snapping methods to more easily see and select an object in the model. The point is, there isn’t only one way to perform a specific task using CAD. Use your creativity in the process to make it better.
We’ll look at other creative ideas in using CAD, and CAD training in future posts. But until then, use your creativity in not only what you design, but how you design it, to make this new year a better year.
“Creativity is thinking up new things. Innovation is doing new things.” – Theodore Levitt | <urn:uuid:09277b15-99dc-4cab-a41c-4d740c1301ca> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://blogs.rand.com/ascent/2012/01/creativity-using-cad.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257824133.26/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071024-00158-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950811 | 687 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Preventing choking and suffocation in children
Posted: Feb 1 2012
The Canadian Paediatric Society gives permission to print single copies of this document from our website. For permission to reprint or reproduce multiple copies, please see our copyright policy.
C Cyr; Canadian Paediatric Society, Injury Prevention Committee
Abridged version: Paediatr Child Health 2012;17(2):91-2
Choking, suffocation, and strangulation cause serious unintentional injuries in children and are leading causes of unintentional death in infants and toddlers. Nearly all choking, suffocation and strangulation deaths and injuries are preventable. The present statement reviews definitions, epidemiology and effective prevention strategies for these injuries. Recommendations that combine approaches for improving safety, including research, surveillance, legislation and standards, product design and education, are made. Paediatric health care providers should be encouraging parents and other caregivers to learn CPR and choking first aid, as well as offering anticipatory, age-appropriate guidance to prevent these injuries, at regular health visits.
Key Words: Anticipatory guidance; Choking; Injury prevention; Strangulation; Suffocation
Choking, suffocation and strangulation are important causes of unintentional injuries in children and rank as leading causes of unintentional injury deaths in infants and toddlers . Choking and suffocation are responsible for almost 40% of unintentional injuries in infants under the age of one in Canada . For every choking-related death, there are an estimated 110 children treated in hospital emergency departments . The number of children receiving first aid or outpatient assessment for significant choking incidents in the community is unknown. Morbidity associated with these injuries can be significant, including anoxic brain injury and esophageal perforation . Virtually all choking and suffocation deaths and injuries can be prevented.
Deaths due to choking, suffocation, strangulation or entrapment are the result of asphyxia, a lack of oxygen supply to the brain. Asphyxia may also occur in enclosed spaces, such as a toy box, old refrigerator or freezer, a grain silo, or the trunk of a car.
Choking is the interruption of respiration by an internal obstruction of the airway, usually a food item or small object.
Aspiration occurs when this object is inhaled into the respiratory system.
Suffocation is obstruction of the airway by an external object that blocks the nose and mouth, such as a plastic bag, bedding, or mattress.
Strangulation is external constriction of the neck that interferes with respiration, and may be caused by a curtain cord or clothing drawstring.
Entrapment refers to mechanical interference with respiration when the head and neck are caught in a constricting place or position, such as a gap in play equipment, a bunk bed barrier, between balcony rails, or in a car window.
Traumatic (crush) asphyxia occurs when there is mechanical fixation of the chest, by fallen furniture, for example, or closing garage door, or by burial in soil, grain or other materials. Entrapment can result in suffocation, strangulation or asphyxia.
Children younger than three years of age are at highest risk of mechanical airway obstruction because their airway development is still incomplete and eating can be difficult at this developmental age and stage.Young children lack the ability to consistently and effectively chew food into manageable pieces. The swallowing mechanism is still underdeveloped, and they lack the experience to prevent or abort a potential choking episode . Studies of mouthing behaviour show that children younger than three years of age put more things in their mouth—and keep them there for longer—than any other age group, with children under one year of age mouthing the widest variety and number of items. At this age, virtually any item a child comes into contact with is mouthed .
Foreign body ingestion/aspiration is the fourth leading cause of injury hospitalizations and deaths in children younger than four years of age. Incidence peaks at nine to 11 months of age, declining thereafter . The majority of choking and suffocation deaths occur in the first year of life, with the majority of hospitalizations occurring in the first three years and an elevated risk of hospitalization persisting until six years of age . Deaths from choking occur in the home environment in up to 95% of cases . The presence of older siblings in the household increases the risk for choking, possibly because toys and other objects with small parts are more likely to be present and caregiving activities, such as feeding, to be undertaken by older siblings .
Specific patterns of suffocation and choking vary by severity of injury and by age. Studies of asphyxia incidents in children 0 to 14 years of age in Australia documented that fatal events were caused by strangulation in 38% of cases, by entrapment of the head and neck in 31%, by foreign body aspiration in 19%, and by facial occlusion in 12% . Children older than one year of age were typically injured by strangulation, while infants were more at risk for the other three injury types. For nonfatal injuries, 95% of hospitalizations and 87% of emergency department visits were due to aspiration. Food and non-food items were equally represented in hospitalizations, whereas foods (61%) and coins were the most common items implicated in emergency department visits .
Foods and latex balloons are involved in a significant proportion of choking cases -- (Table 1). Most foods implicated are small, round or cylindrical in shape, conforming to the contours of a child’s airway (eg, hot dog rounds, whole grapes, carrot slices, peanuts, seeds and hard candy) (Table 2). Latex balloons are the principal nonfood item causing choking deaths in children, implicated in 29% of nonfood-related choking deaths reported to the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) between 1972 and 1992 . Between 1982 and 1995 at least six children two to nine years of age died due to balloon aspiration in Canada . Death due to choking on examination gloves given to children in clinicians’ offices has also been reported . Coins are the leading nonfood product implicated in nonfatal foreign body ingestion, but they usually do not cause true choking in children -. They become lodged in the esophagus and may need to be removed endoscopically. A swallowed coin is the most common cause of hospitalization for this type of injury.
Choking and suffocation hazards in the home
Round, smooth objects under 4 cm (1.5 in) in diameter are particularly hazardous, as well as conformable items such as balloons*
Pull-cords longer than 20 cm (8 in), or any dangling or loose cords that is attached to a fixed object
Household items that might cover the nose and mouth and obstruct breathing
Places with a poor air supply, a heavy lid or a self-latching door, or spaces measuring between 9-22.9 cm (3.3-9 in) rungs or rails
suspended toys or mobiles in the crib or playpen
In the crib: soft toys, bedding, bumper pads, pets
toy boxes or chests
* Any household item that can be passed through an empty toilet paper roll—which closely approximates the size of the testing cylinder in the small parts standard—is a choking hazard.
Preventing choking when feeding infants and toddlers
Foods to avoid for children under 4 years of age
Foods requiring special preparation
hard candies, cough drops
grapes – slice lengthwise
Source: Reference
Small parts standards have been developed to identify toys and children’s products that present a choking hazard, although children still choke on objects which pass these tests -. Standards determine the warnings seen on toys and other children’s products (eg, “Not suitable for children under age three”). The US federal Hazardous Substances Act specifies a test of object-size using the Small Parts Test Fixture (SPTF), a cylinder with a diameter of 3.17 cm and a depth between 2.54 cm and 5.71 cm. An empty toilet paper roll closely approximates this size and can be used to assess choking hazards in the home; if an item is small enough to pass through the cylinder, it is a choking hazard.
Suffocation and strangulation
Child deaths caused by suffocating in a crib, waterbed, bunk bed or toy box, and by strangling on a drapery or pacifier cord, or on playground equipment, are still being reported in Canada . General patterns in “mechanical suffocation” differ by age. Older children are typically injured by hanging during play . Infants are more often injured in the sleep environment, by becoming wedged (40%), facial occlusion (24%), overlying (8%), entrapment with suspension (7%), and hanging (5%) . Hollow hemispherical or egg-shaped containers that can cover a child’s nose and mouth, creating a seal, are particularly hazardous for young children at play or in their crib (eg, toys, lids, containers) .
The importance of a safe sleep environment is now well established in the literature, especially of having a crib that meets current safety standards, that has a firm, tight-fitting mattress and no soft bedding . Altmann documented that 40% of unintentional asphyxial deaths in children under 15 years of age are related to the child’s own bed or bed accessories, to an inappropriate sleep location (eg, a sofa, adult bed), or to having furniture, cords, or other hazardous objects in the sleep environment . Canada has had strict crib safety regulations in force since 1986, but 12 deaths and seven hospitalizations due to mechanical suffocation in beds, cribs and cradles were reported in Canada in 1990-1992. About two-thirds of these deaths were associated with cribs, either because they did not meet current standards or had damaged mattress supports or crib sides. Other fatal bed injuries implicate bunk beds and toddler beds with guardrails . Nakamura has documented a variety of potentially fatal hazards associated with adult beds, including wedging between the mattress and wall, entrapment between the mattress and bed frame or adjacent furniture, strangulation between bed railings and suffocation on waterbeds . Parents of young children or of a child with special needs may use a toddler beds with rails, or modify a bed to prevent a fall; such devices and modifications can be hazardous, and have been implicated in injury deaths .
In older children, strangulation is the most common cause of fatal asphyxial injury. Window blind cords and drawstrings on clothing are prominent causes for this type of injury, with regulatory implications discussed below. Older children have been strangled while playing with ropes and cords, such as by tying a skipping rope to a play structure or tree branch . Another less common but potentially fatal cause of asphyxia is entrapment: in hide-a-beds , electrically-operated garage doors, and in car windows or trunks .
Between 1991 and 2000, 160 fatal window blind cord strangulations were reported to the US CPSC, including 140 incidents associated with the outer pull-cords and 20 with the inner cords that run through blind slats. Outer pull-cord incidents involved children eight months to six years of age, with babies accessing cords from their crib and toddlers and older children injured by playing with loose cords. Inner cord incidents occurred in children nine to 17 months of age who were in a crib or playpen within reach of blind cords. Through largely voluntary efforts by the window covering industry, window blinds sold since 1995 do not have outer cords that form a loop, and blinds sold since November 2000 have been redesigned so that the inner cord cannot be pulled into a loop -. Current corded window covering product regulations place further restrictions on the formation of cord loops and require warning labels. However, they still do not address certain hazards posed by Roman shades and roll-up blinds. While design modifications have eliminated certain types of blind cord hazards, there is still a significant risk of strangulation. Parents and caregivers need to eliminate loose or dangling cords by cutting them short and by anchoring any remaining.
Drawstrings on children’s clothing can get caught on playground equipment, a bus door, farm machinery, or crib structure, causing strangulation . Between 1985 and 1999 the CPSC received reports of 22 fatal and 48 nonfatal incidents involving drawstrings . Two-thirds of these incidents involved the hood/neck drawstrings of upper outerwear in children between two and eight years of age, typically by getting caught on playground slides. The remaining incidents involved waist-area drawstrings and children between seven and 14 years of age who were caught and dragged or run over when their drawstrings became caught on the school bus door or handrail. In 1996 the CPSC published industry guidelines for drawstrings and closures on children’s outerwear which were then incorporated in a voluntary American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard (1997). Drawstrings are not regulated in Canada, and voluntary compliance with the ASTM standard is inconsistent.
Virtually all deaths and serious injuries from choking, suffocation and strangulation are preventable. Due to the higher burden among younger children, the target age for many prevention efforts is the first four years of life . Prevention strategies addressing suffocation and choking hazards should include regulatory standards for baby and child product design/manufacture, appropriate labelling practices and public education.
The regulation of baby and baby/child products and equipment usually focuses on design and labelling practices. Specific suffocation and choking hazards that are regulated in some jurisdictions include drapery cords, cribs, refrigerators and freezers, drawstrings, and even plastic bags. The Canadian Hazardous Products Act contains a number of requirements that protect children from certain choking and suffocation hazards . For packaging of children’s toys and products, bags that have an opening of 35.6 cm (14 in) or larger must carry a specific suffocation hazard warning and cannot be made of flexible film (eg, a dry cleaning-type bag). Any toy box or play structure large enough for a child to enter that can be closed by a lid or door must have openings on two or more adjacent sides. Cribs, cradles, playpens and baby gates have performance and labelling criteria to prevent mechanical suffocation hazards.
Any toy that is likely to be used by a child younger than three years of age must pass a small parts test. Small hard eyes and noses on dolls and plush toys must withstand a pull of 9 kg (20 lbs) for five min. Rattles and pacifiers have specific requirements to prevent choking and suffocation. Consumer warnings are recommended for balloons and for crib toys that are strung across a crib or playpen; notably, these warnings are voluntary. While bunk beds, children’s clothing with drawstrings and window blind cords are not fully regulated, Health Canada has undertaken efforts to educate manufacturers and consumers regarding these hazards.
In a study from the mid-eighties, Kraus evaluated the effectiveness of three regulatory strategies in reducing suffocation deaths: the Refrigerator Safety Act (1958), US federal crib regulations, and California state legislation requiring plastic bag warnings . A sharp decline in suffocation deaths was documented in the early 1960s, followed by a plateau and gradual decline to the early 1980s. These declines, however, could not be exclusively attributed to legislation, because reduced exposure and increased parental supervision are also possible explanations. In Canada, incidents of asphyxiation in abandoned refrigerators, suffocation by plastic bags and entrapment of a child’s head between crib slats have also declined significantly since federal regulations were introduced. Likewise, Health Canada’s efforts to educate manufacturers and consumers about the dangers of drawstrings have paralleled a decrease in drawstring-related fatalities . However, children’s clothing with drawstrings is still available on the market despite advocacy for product regulation to prohibit their sale . In Ireland, where drawstrings were banned on children’s outerwear in 1976, few garments adhere to the safety standard .
One study examining the wording commonly used for labelling age-appropriate toys has documented that consumers are more likely to avoid purchasing a toy with small parts when the label warns of a specific hazard (choking) rather than specifying an appropriate age group (eg, “For children three years and older”) .
Parental education by physicians has been shown to improve certain safety practices, such as motor vehicle restraint use, installing smoke alarms, and lowering hot water temperature in home faucets . General “childproofing” or “home safety” education, including measures to prevent choking and suffocation, does not seem to be as consistently effective at improving safety practices or reducing injury rates, although individual studies have documented significant changes -. Safety education is thought to be most effective when it is combined with strategies to change behaviour . Targeted, simple, action-oriented messaging is to be encouraged, along with periodic reinforcement.
Home visitation programs have been evaluated for their effectiveness in preventing injuries. A review of 11 randomized controlled trials showed a significant preventive effect on the occurrence of childhood injury . A randomized controlled trial of a home visit combined with providing an injury prevention kit showed that this strategy was effective in reducing hazards in the home, including choking and suffocation hazards . A Canadian multicentre randomized controlled trial of a single home visit with providing safety information, coupons, and home safety counselling resulted in significantly fewer injury visits, but did not result in long-term adoption of home safety measures .
Research and surveillance
Data regarding the circumstances of fatal and near-miss choking and suffocation incidents are essential for identifying new hazards as well as for monitoring the effectiveness of existing or future regulatory and educational strategies. Detailed data, including narrative descriptions of events and products involved, are available only through specialized surveillance programs such as the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program and the proposed National Coroners’ Database. These systems are necessary for future research and surveillance related to product safety.
Legislation and standards
For some existing legislation and standards, data are lacking regarding compliance and effectiveness. For example, while a Canadian standard for play spaces and equipment exists that addresses many potential entrapment risks, the degree of uptake and application by communities and its effectiveness in preventing serious injuries are not known. Standards for play equipment for preschool-aged children are lacking, and should be developed.
- Nationally, the CPS recommends revising the Hazardous Products Act to include known hazards which are not currently regulated but are associated with fatal and near-fatal incidents, such as bunk beds, toddler bed guardrails, children’s clothing with drawstrings, and window covering cords.
- At the provincial level, the CPS recommends that day care regulators integrate safety guidelines, including measures that prevent choking, suffocation and strangulation.
- At the municipal level, the CPS recommends that communities and school boards mandate the use of the (now voluntary) Canadian Standards Association guidelines for play spaces and playground equipment.
Considering that improved product design, labelling and packaging could significantly impact children’s exposure to choking and suffocation hazards, the CPS recommends that manufacturers and designers of baby and children’s products and children’s facilities use guidance documents such as the ISO Guide 50, which summarizes injury risks, including entrapment, suffocation and choking, in their design and production processes . The use of plastic wrap, plastic bags and other choking hazards in the packaging of products for young children should be reduced or eliminated wherever possible. Labelling of children’s toys and products should clearly identify a specific risk, rather than simply making an age recommendation.
During health visits, paediatric health care professionals should be educating parents and other caregivers (child care providers, babysitters, grandparents) about choking/suffocation prevention as appropriate for their child’s age/developmental stage (see Table 3). Community public health programs should distribute choking prevention information to child care providers. Babysitting courses should include instruction on preventing choking and treatment protocols (see below).
Basic preventive choking and suffocation strategies
Newborn to two months
At 4 to 6 months
Continue taking all the preventive measures outlined above, PLUS:
At 6 to 12 months
Continue taking all the preventive measures outlined above, PLUS:
Preschool (1 to 4 years)
Continue taking all the preventive measures outlined above, PLUS:
Parents and caregivers should be encouraged to take CPR and choking first aid (infant/child CPR) courses, offered by local Heart and Stroke Foundation offices (1-888-HSF-INFO), St. John Ambulance or the Red Cross. The infant/child course is geared to child care workers, teachers, babysitters, lifeguards and parents. Paediatric health care providers, particularly prehospital care providers and those serving remote communities, should maintain their advanced paediatric resuscitation knowledge and skills. Basic Rescuer training should be supplemented by Pediatric Advanced Life Support training, with periodic updates and review, as recommended by the American Heart Association .
For more information about injury risks, prevention and life-saving skills, visit the following websites:
- Safe Kids Canada: www.safekidscanada.ca
- Health Canada: www.hc-sc.gc.ca
- Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada: www.heartandstroke.ca
- American Heart Association: www.heart.org
The author wishes to thank a former member of the Injury Prevention Committee, Dr. Bich Nguyen, for her work on earlier drafts of this position statement.
INJURY PREVENTION COMMITTEE
Members: Claude Cyr MD; Brent E Hagel PhD; I Barry Pless MD; Jeffrey W Scott MD; Natalie L Yanchar MD (chair); Mitchell Zelman MD (board representative)
Liaisons: Dominic Allain MD, Paediatric Emergency Medicine Section, Canadian Paediatric Society; Pamela Fuselli, Safe Kids Canada; Gail Salminen, Health Canada, Consumer Product Safety Bureau; Robin Skinner, Public Health Agency of Canada; Anne-Marie Ugnat, Public Health Agency of Canada (2008-2010)
Consultants: Matthew John Bowes MD; Amy Ornstein MD; Lynne J Warda MD
Principal author: Claude Cyr MD
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- Rider G, Wilson CL. Small parts aspiration, ingestion, and choking in small children: Findings of the small parts research project. Risk Anal 1996;16(3):321-30.
- Wyatt JP, Wyatt PW, Squires TJ, Busuttil A. Hanging deaths in children. Am J Forensic Med Pathol 1998;19(4):343-6.
- Drago DA, Dannenberg AL. Infant mechanical suffocation deaths in the United States, 1980-1997. Pediatrics 1999;103(5):e59.
- Nakamura SW, Pollack-Nelson C, Chidekel AS. Suction-type suffocation incidents in infants and toddlers. Pediatrics 2003;111(1):e12-6.
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- Feldman KW, Simms RJ. Strangulation in childhood: Epidemiology and clinical course. Pediatrics 1980;65(6):1079-85.
- Nakamura S, Wind M, Danello MA. Review of hazards associated with children placed in adult beds. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 1999;153(10):1019-23.
- Amanuel B, Byard RW. Accidental asphyxia in bed in severely disabled children. J Paediatr Child Health 2000;36(1):66-8.
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- Byard RW, James RA. Car window entrapment and accidental childhood asphyxia. J Paediatr Child Health 2001;37(2):201-2.
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- Rauchschwalbe R, Mann NC. Pediatric window-cord strangulations in the United States, 1981-1995. JAMA 1997;277(21):1696-8.
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- United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. Guidelines for Drawstrings on Children’s Upper Outerwear. Washington: CPSC, September 1999.
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- Yee WH. Blind to the danger? CMAJ 1998;159(3):217-8.
- Langlois JA, Wallen BA, Teret SP, Bailey LA, Hershey JH, Peeler MO. The impact of specific toy warning labels. JAMA 1991;265(21):2848-50.
- DiGuiseppi C, Roberts IG. Individual-level injury prevention strategies in the clinical setting. Future Child 2000;10(1):53-82.
- Bass JL, Christoffel KK, Widome M, et al. Childhood injury prevention counseling in primary care settings: A critical review of the literature. Pediatrics 1993;92(4):544-50.
- Clamp M, Kendrick D. A randomised controlled trial of general practitioner safety advice for families with children under 5 years. BMJ 1998;316(7144):1576-9.
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Disclaimer: The recommendations in this position statement do not indicate an exclusive course of treatment or procedure to be followed. Variations, taking into account individual circumstances, may be appropriate. Internet addresses are current at time of publication. | <urn:uuid:62d2611c-939b-4ee6-b7dc-b10731891ed0> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://www.cps.ca/en/documents/position/preventing-choking-suffocation-children | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376832559.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20181219151124-20181219173124-00401.warc.gz | en | 0.908621 | 6,649 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Did you know that Saint Patrick was kidnapped and made a slave at age sixteen? While he was a slave, He had an opportunity to learn about God. He later returned to his homeland and told the people about God. I didn't know this until I researched his background for today's post.
How timely, because I had planned to share with you a related topic.
Recently I read about a program designed to help incarcerated moms and dads connect with their children. Granted the men and women committed some crime to put them in their situation, but their children still have needs. This program gives these parents an opportunity to participate in their children's lives. To have a purpose for their own life. To do something good for others.
In an article written for the American Libraries Magazine, http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/12/08/reading-on-the-inside/ A Minnesota librarian, Marcou designed a program called: Read to Me. Incarcerated parents interested in participation in the program were taught how to read a children's book out loud. When ready, the men and women were helped to make an audio recording of their voice reading the book. The recording and the book were then taken to their child/ren.
The Read to Me program won the Marshall Cavendish Excellence in Library Programming award in 2004. I can see why. What an amazing opportunity for parents and children who wouldn't normally have a chance to connect.
"The number of kids with incarcerated parents has increased nearly 80% in the last 20 years, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. More than 2.7 million children have a parent who is incarcerated, and parents of another 10 million children have been incarcerated at some point. The experience can be profoundly difficult for children, increasing their risk of living in poverty and housing instability, as well as causing emotional trauma, pain, and social stigma. But librarian Sarah Ball, who runs the Daddy and Me program for the New York Public Library and the city’s corrections system, says she sees some of that stress melt away when kids are able to come to visit their parent and read their special book together."
As you can see, different locations have different names for the same program idea.
This article (see the link above) also gives tips how to start a program like this in your area. Maybe all that is needed is a voice, like yours, to spark the idea in the mind of someone who could start the program.
This is a program in Iowa:
If you'd like to participate by donating books to an already established project here is a FB link for the Picture Book Pass it On Project: https://www.facebook.com/PBPiO
This post has been brought to you by the one word: Connecting | <urn:uuid:4512d59d-b05c-4e16-b76c-1bcc711c1db0> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.maryvee.com/2015/03/how-can-book-connect-incarcerated.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886117519.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20170823035753-20170823055753-00145.warc.gz | en | 0.979653 | 574 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Digital Evidence Investigative Tools
Digital evidence investigative tools are needed to efficiently and effectively collect digital evidence from crime scenes.
On this page, find:
The Critical Role of First Responders in Collecting Digital Evidence
As technology advances, so have the knowledge and duties required of law enforcement officers at a crime scene. The scope of evidence to be searched for and collected at a crime scene now includes digital evidence such as cell phones and computer networking devices. Some of these devices might be hidden in ceilings or other locations that are not immediately evident. At the same time, forensics experts face an ever-expanding backlog of digital evidence due to the increased use of computers. Training and preparing first responders to perform preliminary investigations could help reduce the digital evidence backlog and help law enforcement make significant headway into solving a range of crimes, including:
- Computer threats
- Missing person cases
- Fraud cases
NIJ supports the development of tools that allow law enforcement officers who are not computer experts to conduct basic analysis of digital evidence at crime scenes. Onsite analysis by first responders would speed up initial investigative tasks, reducing the workload of digital forensics experts and allowing them to focus on more in-depth digital evidence analysis.
Why Traditional Forensics Techniques Are Less Effective With Digital Evidence
In the early days of digital evidence collection and analysis, law enforcement officers would confiscate a computer, and then create an exact duplicate of the original evidentiary media — called an image — onto another device. Analysis of the device's image would then be conducted in a controlled setting.
However, some data cannot be recovered once the device is shut down, so law enforcement has moved away from "grab-and-go" tactics. The emphasis is now on capturing as much data as possible at crime scenes while devices are still running.
When dealing with digital evidence, first responders should still observe general forensic and procedural principles, including:
- Evidence should not be changed while it is being collected, secured and transported.
- Digital evidence should be examined only by those trained specifically for that purpose.
- Everything done during the seizure, transportation and storage of digital evidence should be fully documented, preserved and available for review.
Types of Images Captured by Digital Evidence Investigative Tools
Digital evidence investigative tools capture two types of images:
- Physical images: Images of passwords stored in memory, whole disk encryption keys, information stored by Windows and other user-related information that may not be stored once volatile memory is flushed upon reboot or shutdown. Physical images hold up better in court as evidence.
- Logical images: Information that could be easily viewed by any user, including a list of running processes and programs, screen captures (to document open windows) and graphic files or documents that may be relevant to an open investigation.
NIJ supports several digital evidence investigative tools that:
Date Created: November 5, 2010 | <urn:uuid:d26fc47c-2cc4-400f-98db-31114bb596f0> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/digital/investigative-tools/Pages/welcome.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414119646352.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20141024030046-00286-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927023 | 582 | 2.953125 | 3 |
HIV stands for Human Immunodeficency Virus.
HIV infects a person's immune cells. By interfering with the cells that protect us against infection, HIV leaves the body poorly protected against particular types of diseases which these cells normally can fight off easily.
Initally, a person living with HIV may show no symptoms of HIV infection as their immune system manages to control it. However, in most cases their immune system will eventually need help from antiretroviral drugs to keep the HIV infection under control.
A.I.D.S stands for Acquired Immune Deficency Syndrome.
The term AIDS is now very rarely used. It is more usual to talk of 'late-stage' or 'advanced HIV infection'.
Advanced HIV infection is not a single disease or condition. Instead, it is a term that describes the stage when the virus has done enough damage to the immune system to allow cancers, pnuemonia or other opportunistic infections to develop.
- • HIV can infect anybody
- • In 2013: 39, 169 people in the UK contracted HIV through heterosexual sex
- • In 2013: 42% of people diagnosed with HIV in the UK were diagnosed late, after they should have started treatment
- • There is no vaccine or cure for HIV infection
- • An estimated 26, 100 people living with HIV in the UK have not yet been diagnosed
- • It is far better to know your HIV status
- • It is thought that the majority of new cases of HIV in the UK are spread by people who have recently acquired the infection and do not yet know their diagnosis
- • HIV positive people who are successfully medicated, with a sustained almost undetectable viral load, are highly unlikely to infect others and can expect to live a near normal life expectancy
The main ways that HIV can be transmitted are:
- • Through unprotected sexual intercourse
- • From mother to baby (the risk is dramaticaly reduced with medication)
- • Injecting - drug use
The following carry NO risk of HIV transmission:
- • Caring for a person with HIV
- • Insect bites
- • Sharing cutlery or linen
- • Toilet seats
- • Body massage
- • French kissing | <urn:uuid:c9c114f4-812f-419f-8688-0f25c37f8bd7> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.bodypositivedorset.org/facts.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246636650.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045716-00127-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953624 | 465 | 3.609375 | 4 |
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Pressure is mounting on UK supermarkets to reduce the amount of food they waste each day. The Labour MP (Member of Parliament), Kerry McCarthy, has taken on the fight with the UK Parliament after recently proposing a Food Waste Bill. The bill is designed to draw attention to the growing amount of waste across the food sector as Ms McCarthy believes that around 50% of all edible and healthy food in the EU is actually wasted.
The idea of the bill is to pass legislation that forces supermarkets to redistribute their waste food to charities and people who live below the food poverty line.
The Bill was presented to the House of Commons on Wednesday and received cross party support. It will receive a second reading in parliament, however, it's highly unlikely any new legislation will be passed to support the bill.
Food waste is a growing concern around the world with many food experts and leaders predicting that huge amounts of waste food will lead to problems in the future. There is also research to suggest that by 2015 over half-a-million people in the UK will rely on some sort of food donation.
It's hard to say exactly why so much food is wasted. Some people blame big food chains, some blame chefs and their constant campaigns for fresh food, others, such as the Tory MP Anne Main, blame common sense. She said on Wednesday at the hearing: "I am one of the old school who looks at an apple and if it's not wrinkly and growing a few things out of the top of it, will happily eat it regardless of the date. My children read the top of a yoghurt and say 'Oh mum, that was out of date yesterday' and want to throw it out."
Supermarkets can certainly help reduce the amount through redistribution and many are working hard to reduce their waste but consumers have an equal role to play. Attitudes and education can go a long way in reducing food waste as more people learn how to manage food, understand when it is still healthy to eat and learn recipes for using leftovers foods. Bread is apparently the most wasted food in Britain with around 32% of all bread purchased ending up in the bin. | <urn:uuid:e9519a1a-3be3-410c-a980-fcc8c6d9c0f7> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | https://www.finedininglovers.com/blog/news-trends/food-waste-bill/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464049274324.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524002114-00070-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977187 | 440 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Explosive evolution need not follow mass extinctions
Washington: A new discovery has challenged the widely held assumption that a period of explosive evolution quickly follows for survivors of mass extinctions.
In the absence of competition, the common theory goes, surviving species hurry to adapt, evolving new physical attributes to take advantage of newly opened niches in the ecosystem.
But that’s not what researchers found in graptoloid populations that survived a mass extinction about 445 million years ago.
“What we found is more consistent with a different theory, which says you might expect an evolutionary lag as the ecosystem reforms itself and new interspecies relationships form,” said University at Buffalo geology professor Charles E Mitchell, who led the research.
The research provides insight on how a new mass extinction, possibly one resulting from man-made problems such as deforestation and climate change, might affect life on Earth today.
“How would it affect today’s plankton? How would it affect groups of organisms in general?” asked the paper’s lead author, David W Bapst, a PhD candidate at the University of Chicago, who studied with Mitchell as an undergraduate.
“The general motivation behind this work is understanding how extinction and evolution of form relate to each other, and the fossil record is the only place where we can do these sort of experiments across long spans of time,” Bapst said.
Graptoloids are an extinct zooplankton that lived in colonies. Because the animals evolved quickly and had a wide geographic range, their fossil record is rich — a trove of information on how species diversify.
Bapst, Mitchell and their colleagues examined two different groups of graptoloids in their study: neograptines and diplograptines. Each kind lived during the Ordovician mass extinction that began about 445 million years ago, but only neograptines survived.
Before the extinction event, diplograptine species were dominant, outnumbering neograptine species. Diplograptines also varied more in their morphology, building colonies of many different shapes.
With diplograptines gone after the Ordovician mass extinction, neograptines had a chance to recover in an environment free of competitors.
According to the popular ecological release hypothesis, a popular theory, these circumstances should have led to a burst of adaptive radiation.
But that’s not what the researchers found.
To test the adaptive radiation idea, they analyzed the colony forms of 183 neograptine and diplograptine species that lived before, during or after the Ordovician mass extinction — a total of 9 million years of graptoloid history.
This wealth of data enabled the team to track graptoloid evolution with more precision than past studies could. What the researchers discovered looked nothing like adaptive radiation.
Almost immediately following the Ordovician mass extinction, new neograptine species proliferated, as expected.
But according to the study, these new species displayed only small changes in form or morphology, not the burst of innovation the release hypothesis predicts.
In fact, graptoloids had been evolving new physical traits at a more intensive pace before the extinction event.
Limited morphological innovation among neograptines continued for approximately 2 million years after the extinction, Bapst said.
The lag supports a type of evolution that argues that interactions between co-evolving species help foster diversification.
Because such relationships likely take time to develop in a recovering ecosystem, an evolutionary lag of the kind the graptoloid study detected should occur in the wake of a mass extinction.
Another possible explanation is that newly appeared graptoloid species may have differed in ways outside of physical traits, a phenomenon that biologists refer to as non-adaptive radiations.
A third possibility is that graptoloids may have experienced evolutionary lag due to their complex mode of growth.
Besides investigating how neograptines fared after the extinction event, the team also analyzed whether colony form alone could explain why neograptines survived the mass extinction while diplograptines disappeared.
The scientists concluded that this was unlikely, suggesting a role for other factors such as possible differences in the preferred habitat of the two groups.
The study has been published in the online Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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- India vs England: After Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar gives Piers Morgan cricketing gyan | <urn:uuid:bb28fa00-3b3c-4577-a2b9-927d62670361> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/explosive-evolution-need-not-follow-mass-extinctions_758408.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281332.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00469-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.921655 | 1,149 | 3.609375 | 4 |
You will learn to:
--Differentiate between problem-solution and argumentative essays.
--Identify problem-solution and argumentative by content, not words or concepts.
--Construct an appropriate thesis statement for their research paper.
Answer the following question:
--What is the difference between an argumentative and a problem solution paper?
--What language do we use in those kinds of research papers? Is the language different or the same?
--If language is different, then in what way?
--Can we combine those two types in one paper? How?
Go through this pool of argumentative and problem-solution topics, decide which is which. Then create a table in a Word document, put all the argumentative topics into the left column and all the problem-solution ones into the right one. Discuss the results with your partner. Identify all the specific features of all those two kinds of questions. Can the structure of a question give you a hint about what kind of topic it is? Discuss that with your partner too.
Open this PowerPoint
Have a look at these two papers and then work with this Worksheet.
Sample Research Paper 1
Sample Research Paper 2
You must have thesis approved by the instructor on or before Wednesday, March 13th.
Submit your Summary-Critique this Wednesday at 11:59 PM. | <urn:uuid:19cc3596-31c7-4036-8c67-ea4bf3bb187e> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://esl501sz.blogspot.com/2013/03/day-16-argumentative-vs-problem-solution.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549424247.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20170723042657-20170723062657-00615.warc.gz | en | 0.895915 | 281 | 3.703125 | 4 |
For the first time, a study has tracked the meteorite flux to Earth over the past 500 million years. Contrary to current theories, researchers have determined that major collisions in the asteroid belt have not generally affected the number of impacts with Earth to any great extent.
"The research community previously believed that meteorite flux to Earth was connected to dramatic events in the asteroid belt. The new study, however, shows that the flux has instead been very stable," says Birger Schmitz, professor of geology at Lund University in Sweden and one of the authors of the study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy.
To conduct the study, the researchers dissolved almost ten tons of sedimentary rocks from ancient seabeds in strong acids because the sediment contains residue from the meteorites dating back to when they fell to Earth.
Meteorites contain a small fraction of a mineral, a chromium-oxide, which is very resistant to degradation. The microscopic chromium-oxide grains were sifted out in the laboratory and analyzed.
"The dissolved sediment represents 15 periods over the past 500 million years. In total, we have extracted chromium-oxide from almost 10,000 different meteorites. Chemical analyses then enabled us to determine which types of meteorites the grains represent," says Schmitz.
A couple of thousand meteorites land on the Earth's surface every year, and approximately 63,000 meteorites have been documented. Based on the chemical composition, it is believed that most rocks from space originate from the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Collisions between asteroids send fragments into near-Earth orbit, where they eventuall are captured by Earth's gravity and finally impact on the surface.
The researchers "were very surprised to learn that only one of the 70 largest asteroid collisions that took place over the past 500 million years resulted in an increased flux of meteorites to Earth. For some reason, most of the rocks stay in the asteroid belt."
The study not only upends generally accepted meteorite flux theories; it also provides entirely new perspectives on which types of celestial bodies are at greatest risk of colliding with Earth and where in the solar system they originate.
From a geological time perspective, kilometer-sized celestial bodies collide with the Earth on a regular basis. About 66 million years ago, the Chicxulub asteroid stretching over 10 kilometers in size hit the Yucatán Peninsula, likely contributing to the demise of the dinosaurs. Impacts of a similar size are estimated to happen every 100 million years.
Minor events are more common. The 1908 Tunguska Event, one of the largest explosions ever recorded in history, likely was caused by a 200-meter-wide asteroid burning up in Earth's atmosphere. On August 10, 1972, an asteroid passed within 57 kilometers of Earth, causing a fireball in the sky seen above Utah to Alberta. The latest example is the Chelyabinsk impact, when a small asteroid (approximately 20 meters in diameter) exploded above the Russian town of Chelyabinsk in February 2013. The explosion generated a shock wave injuring about 1,500 people.
"Future impact from even a small asteroid for example in the sea close to a populated area could lead to disastrous outcomes. This study provides important understanding that we can use to prevent this from happening; for example, by attempting to influence the trajectory of rapidly approaching celestial bodies," the study concludes. | <urn:uuid:41fd40f9-fe97-4097-abb2-d527d290dd84> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2021/06/30/study-reconstructs-earths-meteorite-impacts-over-past-500-million-years/?sh=6fc486006781 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780056348.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20210918062845-20210918092845-00538.warc.gz | en | 0.943729 | 690 | 4.34375 | 4 |
In the film, Tim posits that Vermeer used a mirror and lens arrangement, allowing him to compare his color to that of the reflected image; a mechanical system of objective evaluation, which while perhaps valid (the film proved that it worked, after all), doesn’t actually have anything to do with Vermeer. There’s no evidence linking Vermeer’s technique with anything like this, nor is there any evidence linking anyone else from that era (or otherwise) to such a device. The argument, in the film, is that Vermeer’s work contains “absolute tones” which are not present in any other painter’s work. Tim goes even further and argues that the human eye is incapable of seeing these mysterious “tones”, and that in order for Vermeer to have painted them, he must have been aided by some kind of mechanical device.
First of all, what is an “absolute tone”? It’s nothing. This is literally a meaningless term. “Absolute”, in the context of color, is indefinable (color, of course, is made up of hue, value and chroma and is a blanket term for the sum of those three parts). What makes a color “absolute”? Your guess is as good as mine. And “tone” is equally problematic. People often use “tone” in place of “value” to describe the lightness or darkness of a color, but we can’t be certain in this case. (And even if we replace “tone” with “value”, the term is equally meaningless.) The film does not make any effort to define this term, they just point at a part of the painting which looks to me like a very regular color. The whole premise of this investigation relies upon this claim about how there’s no way an artist could have seen these types of things (and therefore could not have painted them). No evidence was provided to support this claim, nor was any further investigation provided.
Instead, Tim went on to describe the human eye. He offered a disclaimer when talking about what the eye can and cannot do by reminding us that he’s not a doctor. Which was a segue to the scene which followed, where a doctor explained the inner workings of the human retina. This did not, however, apply directly to Tim’s claim about “absolute tones”. It was fluff.
Later in the film, he suggests that Vermeer’s “Lady with a Red Hat” would have been the first picture in which this mechanical method was employed. The problem, however, is that this picture was painted several years after “The Music Lesson“, which was the focus of the film (a strange fact which they omitted).
The picture Tim painted looks like Vermeer’s only because of the extreme lengths he went to recreate the actual room; he created a room that looked like a Vermeer painting. And this was a notable achievement. But nothing about his painting technique, nor the mechanical means by which he arrived at the image, had anything to do with Vermeer. At several points in the film Tim links this process to that of a photograph. Film didn’t exist back then, but they were essentially creating hand-painted photographs, through the use of a lens and a mirror. And that’s what he proved – this is perhaps something from history which may have been used by any number of artists. It’s equally possible that Tim invented it outright. Did Vermeer use it? We don’t know. Is there any tangible evidence in favor of that hypothesis? No. It’s all conjecture.
I’m a fan of anything that gets people looking at old paintings. And for that, I applaud the film. But like many documentaries, this one was plagued with bias mascaraing as fact. It’s a shame, but it doesn’t hurt Vermeer any. | <urn:uuid:4dba9fac-f734-47ff-a9cc-9c674cb19894> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://thomaskenneth.com/weblog/?cat=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042988840.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002308-00041-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97814 | 854 | 2.828125 | 3 |
hydrates, El Niņo, and global change:
A case study
December 8, 1997
SAN FRANCISCO, CA On the seafloor off Northern California researchers have found
evidence that deposits of methane hydratethe ice-like, solid form of the greenhouse
gas, methaneare poised in a delicate balance that could shift with even small
increases in ocean temperatures, possibly unleashing a cascade of environmental effects.
Peter Brewer and colleagues from MBARI, the U.S. Geological Survey, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration/Pacific Marine Environmental Lab, and Stanford
University used MBARIs remotely operated vehicle (ROV) last August to investigate a
site about 25 km (15 miles) off shore, where other scientists had earlier documented the
presence of gas hydrate. The MBARI
researchers found the site, located at a depth of 521 meters (1,700 feet) in the Eel River
Basin, populated with vesicomyid clams and bacterial matsall of which depend on
methane and hydrogen sulfide vented from beneath the seafloor. They also saw extensive
slabs of calcium carbonate, formed by bacterial action on methane. However, while the team
observed, via an underwater video camera, a methane seep pumping out about 200 liters of
gas per minute (STP), they found no solid gas hydrate either at the seafloor or in cores
of sediments the ROV extracted at the site.
Temperature readings and other measurements made in the water surrounding the site
indicated that conditions had changed there since the methane hydrate was discovered in
1987. Many gases react with water and convert to solid hydrates, but only at precise
combinations of pressure and temperature. "This year," Brewer said, "with
the northward transport of enormous volumes of warm water due to El Niņo, the water
temperature at the depths where hydrates would occur is about a degree warmer than it was
in 1987." The temperature increase depresses the threshold at which hydrate converts
to gas and vice versa; thus Brewer and his team found bubbling gas at 521 meters, instead
of solid hydrate.
If a short-term increase in water temperature such as an El Niņo episode can lower the
gas-solid boundary and destabilize hydrate deposits at greater depths, triggering the
release of gas, what effects would long-term ocean warming have? "Its an open
question," Brewer said. "We dont yet know the quantities of hydrates at
the seafloor. But we do see the chemical signatures of the twentieth
centurychlorofluorocarbons, radioactive compounds from nuclear explosions, and
suchmixed down to the ocean depths. So we would expect to see the corresponding
increases in global temperatures expressed there as well."
Based on the concentration of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) absorbed by the seawater from
the atmosphere, Brewer and his cohorts calculated the age of the water bathing the gas
seep at the research site to be about 30 years. This "ventilation age," or
number of years since water at that depth was last at the surface, indicates the time lag
between changes in the atmosphere and their manifestation in the deep sea.
Worldwide, methane hydrate deposits are estimated to contain about 20 quadrillion cubic
meters of methane gas, and some fraction of this material is exposed in seafloor
sediments. (Most hydrate reserves lie at the edges of continents, but some are contained
in the arctic permafrost.) A sustained rise in global temperatures could trigger
large-scale melting of hydrates. While the resulting changes would be site-specific, in
the ocean such a breakdown would likely generate a cascade of effects, says Brewer.
"We know that hydrate decomposition has occurred in the past, and it certainly could
occur in the future. Probably some of the methane would rise up to the atmosphere and
contribute to greenhouse warming, but much would be oxidized by bacteria, lowering oxygen
levels in the ocean. The increased carbon-dioxide levels from bacterial oxidation would
lower the oceans capacity to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere."
While the significance of gas hydrate decomposition and its potential to accelerate
global climate change is largely unknown, the results of this work strongly suggest that
short-term climate variability can affect hydrate stability. "We can see that where
gas hydrates are exposed at the seafloor they are poised at their thermodynamic boundary
and thus sensitive to small perturbations," he concluded. The question remains
whether these findings presage more serious, global effects.
Contact: Debbie Meyer, 831-775-1807 | <urn:uuid:dab7be5f-72fb-4988-9968-2ab695f90585> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://www3.mbari.org/news/news_releases/1997/dec08_brewer.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701168998.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193928-00303-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931372 | 1,011 | 3.546875 | 4 |
I first came across this problem in the mid 1990’s when someone gave me a bottle of Slovenian white wine which must have spent a few days on a frozen lorry travelling across Europe to get to the UK. Tiny crystals of Potassium bitartrate had formed in the bottom of the bottle. It didn’t affect the taste it just made the last drop a bit crunchy!
Don’t be offended if you find crystals in a still white or rose wine, it is not a fault per se, and it might even show that the wine was made in a more “natural” way. Crystals also do not impact on the organoleptic qualities of the wine: they are just tartrates.
However, at Rathfinny we are talking about sparkling wine. The presence of crystals in a bottle of sparkling wine is pretty much a disaster.
Combine dissolved CO2 and tartrate crystals and you have a gushing wine fountain, not as spectacular as what one can see at the Formula 1 podium, but sometimes such bottles can lose half of their contents.
[My wife, Sarah, says unless you’re a chemistry bore – stop reading now!]
Tartaric acid is naturally present in grapes. So is Potassium. Both can combine, and while the resulting salt is soluble in grape juice or ‘must’, it becomes insoluble when alcohol is present, and crystals will form at lower temperatures.
What the winemaker will normally do to protect the wine is called “cold stabilization”: different techniques can be used that ensure these crystals will not develop in the wine after it is in the bottle.
The most normal method adopted is to cool the wine down to -4Celcius for a number of days or weeks in order for the crystals to form and drop out of the wine. The wine can then be bottled and is deemed to be “cold stabile”. However, this requires huge amounts of electricity to reduce the temperature of the tanks of wine to the required temperature and keep it at that temperature for the required length of time. Another method, which we are considering is ‘electrodialysis’.
Sounds high tech? A little bit: Electrodialysis is a technique of separation through membranes of positively charged elements (cations) and negatively charged elements (anions) under electric current. Membranes will let through either cations or anions. It will remove principally tartaric acid, charged negatively, and Potassium, charged positively.
The whole process is automatic; there is a simple test that has to be done for each wine to determine how the unit is going to run, since each batch of wine is different and unique in its composition.
Why would one choose electrodialysis over more classic cold stabilization techniques?
Well, each technique has pros and cons. For example, the technique using cold temperatures to bring the wine below freezing temperature, will initiate crystallisation in a tank. The crystals will be sticking to the wall and to the bottom of the tank, then the wine will be gently transferred into another tank, without crystals. Cream of tartar (basically, crystals of potassium bitartrate) can be added to the wine to enhance and speed up crystallisation. And as stated earlier this technique is highly demanding in energy and requires lots of cleaning of tanks!
On the other hand Electrodialysis can run continuously, does not require a lot of energy, is safe, precise, does not affect the wine’s qualities, does not require additives of any sort… it requires some chemicals, and some water. All effluents will go directly into our wastewater treatment plant. | <urn:uuid:0e87a494-1faf-4431-9b01-7810c1b2fcb6> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://rathfinnyestate.com/about/news/crystals-in-your-wine-sir-cold-stabilisation-and-electrodialysis/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178385984.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20210309030723-20210309060723-00501.warc.gz | en | 0.946323 | 761 | 2.625 | 3 |
No matter how confident they may feel in their writing, we encourage all students to take first-year writing on campus to improve their writing abilities and prepare them to write effectively in future classes.
By taking Writing 150, students will learn to:
- Use rhetoric responsibly to compose arguments in a variety of genres for specific audiences and purposes.
- Critically read texts. This includes:
- analyzing how a text functions in a specific situation, community, or public;
- analyzing the nuances of language (diction, figures of speech, tone, etc.);
- identifying and evaluating the elements of an argument claims, reasons, assumptions, and ethical, emotional, and logical appeals.
- Write coherent and unified texts (effective introductions, clear thesis, supporting details, transitions, and strong conclusions) using a flexible and effective writing process, including prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing.
- Use style diction, figurative language, tone, grammar, punctuation, spelling, mechanics genre, conventions, and document design correctly and for rhetorical effect.
- Navigate the library to locate primary and secondary sources, evaluate the appropriateness and credibility of those sources, and effectively incorporate and accurately document outside sources in a research paper.
BYU also offers a course for international students that fulfills the first-year writing requirement. Contact the Department of Linguistics and English Language for more details.
Advanced writing courses are designed to build on skills developed in first-year writing classes by introducing students to the disciplinary nature of academic writing. Emphasis is placed in these courses on the kinds of written and oral communication, reading, and research typical to particular areas of study and provide students opportunities to refine their communication skills for multiple audiences, including specific disciplinary and professional audiences. While reinforcing skills learned in first-year writing, advanced writing courses place greater emphasis on style, oral communication, and library research.
The Advanced Writing GE requirement can be satisfied by completing any one of the six courses below.
- English 311 Writing about the Arts and Humanities
- English 312 Persuasive Writing
- English 313 Expository Writing for Elementary Education Majors
- English 315 Writing for the Social Sciences
- English 316 Technical Writing
The Advanced Writing GE requirement can also be completed by taking classes outside the English Department (and in some cases, particular majors require a certain class). Students should check with their college advisement center or the Undergraduate Catalog to determine which advanced writing course(s) fulfills the requirements for their major. | <urn:uuid:3bb91ee4-0fd4-4880-a8b3-6963857bb699> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://writing.byu.edu/writing-courses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323588398.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20211028162638-20211028192638-00323.warc.gz | en | 0.910901 | 515 | 2.609375 | 3 |
BAPS SHRI SWAMINARAYAN MANDIR TIMELINE
1980s: A small number of BAPS devotees in the Atlanta area met weekly for worship in one another’s homes.
1988: BAPS devotees purchased a skating rink in Clarkson, Georgia and refurbished it as a mandir.
1980s: The number of Indian immigrants in the U.S. grew dramatically.
2000 (February): A twenty-nine acre plot of land was purchased just outside of Atlanta in Lilburn, Georgia to serve as the site for the planned mandir.
2000 (February): Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed a religious ritual (puja) to sanctify the land for the mandir construction.
2004: Pramukh Swami Maharaj arrived in Atlanta for a visit.
2005 (September): Ground was broken for the mandir construction.
2007 (August): The mandir was formally inaugurated.
A major wave of Asian immigration into the United States occurred during the 1980s, and Indian immigrants were a significant component of that immigration (Barringer 1990). In 1960, there were about 12,000 Indian immigrants in the U.S.; that number increased to 51,000 in 1970, 206,000 in 1980, and 450,000 in 1990 (Terrazas and Batog 2010). In 2010, the Indian population in Atlanta surpassed 100,000 by 2010 (Li 2013). Many of these immigrants were at least nominally Hindu.
Originating in India in 1907, one of the most visible Hindu immigrant groups in the U.S. has been the Swaminarayan tradition. As Melton (2011:8) summarizes Swaminarayan tradition’s domestic and international growth: “It has emerged out of Gujarat to become a national movement, initially following the twentieth century dispersion of Gujaratis throughout India while also attracting many non-Gujaratis to its relatively modern, reformist, and communally active outlook. One of the most visible sectarian representations of the Swaminarayan tradition in the U.S. is Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (most commonly, BAPS).
Currently, BAPS is estimated to include worldwide over 1,000,000 devotees, nearly 1,000 sadhus, over 3,000 mandirs and BAPS congregations, thousands of weekly assemblies, and very active humanitarian and charitable activity. BAPS is represented in over forty nations around the world. Fenton (1988) estimates there were a few dozen Swaminarayan families in the Atlanta area by the mid-1980s. By the early 2000s the number of worshipers approached 1,000 with much larger gatherings on feast days. BAPS devotees were included in that set of families.
The BAPS determination to build a mandir began during the 1980s when devotees purchased a skating rink in Clarkson, Georgiaand refurbished it as a mandir in 1988. Until the 1990s, sadhus were not allowed outside of India, but two regional sadhus took up residence adjacent to the new mandir in the early 1990s. As the number of BAPS devotees and their financial resources grew, devotees began to aspire to constructing a new mandir in the Atlanta area. For BAPS devotees, mandirs represent an important form of devotional expression and a means of promoting the survival of Swaminarayan Hinduism. With the support of their spiritual leader, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the BAPS community began to plan for the construction of a carved stone mandir (shikharbaddh) (Kim 2010:367). As Kim observes, BAPS satsangis and leaders are continuously striving to improve their youth groups, publications, and methods of teaching Swaminarayan upasana for its transnational communities. Also, BAPS constantly seeks to improve the appeal and accessibility of its numerous programs and materials for both its followers and broader publics. The new temples have become a focal point for these developments” (Kim 2011:369). One expression of devotion and sacrifice by BAPS devotees is the rapid construction of new mandirs, which often takes place in two years or less and involves extensive volunteer labor.
In the case of the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir just outside of Atlanta, land for the mandir was purchased in 2000, and that samemonth Pramukh Swami Maharaj performed a religious ritual (puja) to sanctify the land for the mandir construction. Pramukh Swami Maharaj returned to Atlanta in 2004 for a week’s visit, and the following year construction began. The temple was completed in less than two years, and in August 2007 the mandir was formally inaugurated.
The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha self identifies as both a civic and religious organization that promotes harmony at the individual, family, and community levels, preserves its cultural heritage and offers humanitarian services. These include (“BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta” n.d.):
Caring for their spiritual, cultural, social, physical, emotional, and educational needs.
Inspiring all towards a pure and peaceful way of life; filled with character, love, tolerance and harmony.
Sustaining the universal values of Hindu culture.
Fostering faith and devotion in God.
In addition to the festivals and celebrations that are held throughout the year, worship rituals (bhakti), such as a morning bath followed by a puja, Ãrti, darshan, and satsang are offered daily.
The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta is an impressive 32,000 square-foot temple. It is constructed out of over 4,500 tons of Italian Carrara marble, 4,300 tons of Turkish limestone, and 3,500 tons of Indian pink sandstone. The stone was quarried in the three respective nations and then shipped to India where carved craftsmen sculpted it into 35,000 separate pieces that were then shipped to Atlanta. The stone pieces from which the mandir is constructed interlock and therefore require no screws, nails or other fasteners. Nearly 1,000 volunteers joined over 1,000 craftsmen, investing over 1,000,000 hours of labor, in assembling the mandir, a process that was completed in less than two years (Grundhauser n.d.). A two-ton keystone was placed in the ceiling of the mandir’s central dome. Once completed the mandir now contains six tall pinnacles, 86 decorative ceilings, 116 archways, and 340 columns (Grundhauser n.d.).
The Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta contains the following murtis:
Bhagwan Swaminarayan and Aksharbrahman Gunatitanand Swami
Shri Ghanshyam Maharaj
Shri Radha-Krishna Dev
Shri Harikrishna Maharaj
Brahmaswarup Bhagatji Maharaj
Brahmaswarup Shastriji Maharaj
Brahmaswarup Yogiji Maharaj
Pragat Brahmaswarup Pramukh Swami Maharaj
Shri Sita-Ram Dev and Shri Hanumanji
Shri Shiva-Parvati Dev and Shri Ganeshji
The Atlanta BAPS shikharabaddha mandir contains a variety of facilities beyond the structures containing the murtis. Kim (2011:371) writes that all shikharabaddha mandirs include:
a large meeting hall, kitchen, residence for sadhu s, classrooms, and sometimes a gymnasium. In the mandir s located in the West, there is also a component known as the “Exhibition.”…In the shikharabaddha mandir s constructed outside of India, the Exhibition is a consciously created space, designed like a museum, with appropriate lighting and labels, and topical sections. The sections introduce visitors to Hinduism and its world contributions, outline the histories of the original Swaminarayan sampradaya and BAPS Swaminarayan bhakti , and provide suggestions on living a life of “moral excellence.”
At the time it was constructed, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta was the third shikharabaddha in the U.S. (preceded by mandirs in Houston and Chicago). It was also the largest Hindu temple outside of India. Since the Atlanta mandir’s construction an even larger BAPS shikharabaddha has been constructed in Los Angeles.
The spiritual leader of the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta is Pramukh Swami Maharaj, who is regarded as the fifth spiritual successor of Swaminarayan. Pramukh Swami Maharaj is understood to have achieved the ultimate level of spiritual development (brahmanized) and in constant communication with God. He is the key spiritual link between BAPS devotees and God.
There has been some controversy over the construction of houses of worship in Lilburn, primarily mosques but also a mandir proposed by the Swaminarayan Satsang Mandir of Atlanta (Esterl 2011; “Gwinnett says no to Hindu Temple” 2006). By contrast, the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir has largely been welcomed. The mayor commented that “Lilburn has become a very diverse community, very international. As community leaders, we’ve embraced that diversity, and so we welcome it and see it as a very positive sign…” (Lohr 2007). The response from visitors has been one of awe: “Once inside the Mandir for the prayer service, we couldn’t help feeling possessed by the karmic field emanating from statued deities, impassioned revelers, glassy stone surfaces, theatrical up-lighting, and soporific music. Standing outside after the ceremony, we couldn’t help but marvel at the building’s unlikely surroundings that render it incongruent and otherworldly” (Sauser and LeFrancoi 2010).
The larger challenges for the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Atlanta are very much like those of other Asian Indian temples in the West, preserving its Indian heritage and fitting into its contemporary diasporic environment. BAPS recognizes the future of its movement depends upon transmitting the tradition, its cultural, linguistic and religious heritage, to future generations (Rudert 2004:2, 9). Rudert (2004:10) cites literature produced by the mandir that explicitly prioritizes this goal:
To nurture and train the children so they grow up to be peaceful and thoughtful citizens . . . The children are exposed to the glories of Indian Culture and Hindu traditions through audio video presentations.
To keep the young from falling victims to the dangerous diseases like aggression, disobedience and intoxication, that destroy character and life, and to preserve the value of Indian Culture for our future generations, our Youth Center plays a vital role.
With respect to accommodation, Kim (2011: 379) states that it is “accommodation without compromise to its central tenets that has allowed BAPS mandir s to be constructed wherever satsangis have settled.” The dual objectives are that The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha hopes to make Hinduism an approachable and appealing religion for all visitors and yet it also seeks to sharpen awareness of its own devotional tradition (Kim 2011:379).
Abney, Kate. 2015. “Explore Georgia’s Unexpected Attractions.” Atlanta Magazine , May 4. Accessed from
http://www.atlantamagazine.com/georgiatravel/explore-georgias-unexpected-attractions/ on 9 June 2015.
“BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta.” n.d. All Hindu Temples. Accessed from
http://allhindutemples.com/city/georgia/hindu_temple/baps-shri-swaminarayan-mandir-atlanta/ on 9 June 2015.
Barringer, Felicity. 1990. “Asian Population in U.S. Grew by 70% in the 80’s.” New York Times, March 2. Accessed from http://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/02/us/asian-population-in-us-grew-by-70-in-the-80-s.html on 9 June 2015.
Esterl, Mike. 2011. “ Mosque Zoning Row Draws Scrutiny: Georgia City’s Opposition to Muslim Center Probed as Justice Department Steps Up Focus on Religious Property Disputes.” Wall Street Journal, August 13. Accessed fromhttp://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424053111904823804576504220337373868 on 20 June 2015.
Grundhauser, Eric. n.d. “ BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Atlanta.” Atlas Obscura. Accessed from http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/baps-shri-swaminarayan-mandir-atlanta-2 on 9 June 2015 .
“Gwinnett S ays N o to Hindu Temple.” 2006. The Atlanta Constitution, June 27. Accessed from http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1658489/posts on 20 June 2015.
Kim, Hanna. 2010. “Public Engagement and Personal Desires: BAPS Swaminarayan Temples and their Contribution to the Discourses on Religion.” International Journal of Hindu Studies 13:357–90.
Li, Ivy. 2013. “The Indian State of Georgia: Hindu Temples in the South Offer Open Places of Worship.” Hyphen Magazine , Spring. Accessed from http://www.hyphenmagazine.com/magazine/issue-26-south-spring-2013/indian-state-georgia on 20 June 2015 .
Lohr, Kathy. 2007. “Gleaming Hindu Temple to Open in Atlanta Suburb.” NPR, August 15. Accessed from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=12753002 on 20 June 2015.
Melton, J. Gordon. 2011. “ New New Religions in North America: The Swaminarayan Family of Religions.” P aper presented at the annual meeting of the Center for Studies of New Religions (CESNUR), Aletheia University, Danshui, Taiwan, June 21-23.
Rudert, Angela. 2004. Inherent Faith and Negotiated Power: Swaminarayan Women in the United States. MA Thesis. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
Sauser, Jeff and Josh LeFrancoi. 2010. “ BAPS Mandir: Politics, Peace, and Harmony in Atlanta’s Suburbs.” BURNAWAY, March 13. Accessed from http://burnaway.org/feature/baps-mandir-politics-peace-and-harmony-in-atlantas-suburbs/ on 20 June 2015.
Terrazas, Aaron and Cristina Batog. 2010. “Indian Immigrants in the United States.” Migration Policy Institute, June 9. Accessed from http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/indian-immigrants-united-states-1 on 9 June 2015.
David G. Bromley
24 June 2015 | <urn:uuid:d108fe65-cf65-48a1-a97c-3b4daad05ebd> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://wrldrels.org/2016/10/08/baps-mandir-atlanta/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578582736.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20190422215211-20190423001211-00434.warc.gz | en | 0.928379 | 3,327 | 2.578125 | 3 |
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Mental health awareness and services are at an all-time high. And yet, according to statistics, many minority demographics have not experienced this uptick in access to mental health provision like majority groups have. For many minority groups, rates of mental illness are much more severe than those affecting majority populations and accessible mental health services are much fewer and farther between.
Though some headway is being made in different parts of the country to change this status quo and equalise mental health care provision, this is slow work. For those in minority groups that experience healthcare disparities, it’s important to take proactive steps towards receiving adequate mental health support and help raise awareness amongst friends and family so that they can do the same.
Advances in mental health for minorities
A number of advocacy groups and public health organisations across the country have worked to raise the standard of care for minority groups over the past decade. Best practice for making mental health resources more available to vulnerable populations and minority groups has slowly gained traction amongst healthcare providers. Additionally, the conversation about how to make services more equitable is becoming more mainstream.
How things still need to change
However, there are significant parts of the healthcare provision system and associated public health frameworks that need to experience widespread, systemic shifts. It will take lots of work to achieve fair, robust, adequate mental health services provision and reach everyone in need (particularly those that belong to minority groups) with mental health care.
One large piece of this equation is awareness. Particularly amongst minority groups (e.g. African American or Black communities), stigmas often remain firmly attached to receiving counseling, therapeutic help, or treatment for mental illness.
A disparity also exists between the average awareness about mental health and mental illness amongst members of minority groups versus that amongst members of majority groups. And a third area of inadequate awareness affects how likely it is that members of minority groups are aware of resources or services available to them as compared to other groups.
This means that even if a community offered appropriate and accessible mental health services to its constituents, its minority group members would often be less likely to know of their existence (or how to receive them) than other members of the community.
Another part of the puzzle that needs to be addressed is accessibility. The cost of mental health services is often not covered by lesser insurance plans. Members of minority groups are less likely to have insurance coverage for mental health treatment than majority group counterparts. This bars many of them from being able to access mental health services.
A third factor that needs attention is the incorporation of mental health services into other publicly funded or communally available frameworks. An example of this is incorporating mental health services into schools or community health work.
More proactive mental health services like mental health screenings and counseling options are being slowly incorporated into school systems around the country. Improving and increasing these services and the budgets to sustain them can give large numbers of children access to services their families would often not be able to afford any other way.
Accessing nental health services and resources for minority individuals
If you are a minority individual that is seeking better mental health awareness or services for yourself or for those you love, a number of worthwhile avenues for exploration can help you seek out these resources:
If you are a child or a parent of children, reach out to your local school to see if they provide mental health services for their students. Often services are available and simply not well publicised. It is worth checking to see if anything is available that you’ve simply not been made aware of.
Local nonprofits and organisations can be searched for online. Reaching out to local or national mental health hotlines can also provide names of local resources, contacts, and programs that are available to you in your area.
National mental health associations and organisations can be another hugely helpful place to turn. Groups such as the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, Black Mental Health Alliance, and more can provide helpful resources on their website. They also often provide contact directories, support groups, and other information that can aid your search.
Government and public health agencies can also provide valuable resources for finding information about mental health services. The Office of Minority Health (OMH), an agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a helpful place to start but there are many more.
Your local hospital or general practitioner can also point you towards resources if you call or visit and ask.
The road to accessing adequate mental health services is not always easy. However, there are resources out there that want to help you in this uphill battle. If you or someone you love needs mental health provision, take the first step and reach out to one of these resources.
Robert Haynes did his degree in psychology at the University of Hertfordshire. He is interested in mental health, wellness, and lifestyle.
Psychreg is mainly for information purposes only; materials on this website are not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. Don’t disregard professional advice or delay in seeking treatment because of what you have read on this website. Read our full disclaimer. | <urn:uuid:7227e0de-2d7b-4b77-a43a-8428403702eb> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://www.psychreg.org/2022-minority-mental-health-resource-guide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710936.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20221203175958-20221203205958-00167.warc.gz | en | 0.960982 | 1,031 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Rosie Revere and Iggy Peck: Engineering Inspiration
Don't miss this rhyming pair of picture books for STEM-focused summer reading. Each offers a charming illustration of engineering spirit. Kids can be engineers, too!Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts offers an exciting story of the engineering process and the importance of working and reworking designs.
If you pick this book up, be prepared to read it out loud. Told in a singsong rhyme, this is the story of Rosie, a little girl who loves to build and tinker. Rosie is always on the lookout for castoff odds and ends that she can add to her "engineer's stash" and then, alone in her attic, she makes things. She makes things she loves... and then she hides them away.
She hides them, it turns out, because when she was younger, a family member laughed at something she made especially for him—something she engineered to solve what she perceived as a problem. She made her uncle, the zookeeper, a clever hat to keep the snakes off his head, a contraption that involved fan parts and spray cheese. Her uncle's reaction, unfortunately, discourages Rosie and causes her to hide her love of gadgets and gizmos and making.
Things change when Great Great Aunt Rose comes to visit. Rose is a boisterous character who, with her red and white polka dot scarf, brings to mind the historical figure of Rosie Riveter. The world-savvy and independent Rose has lots of exciting stories that she regales young Rosie with, but, the one thing she hasn't crossed off her bucket list is her desire to fly. Young Rosie gets inspired to help her aunt fulfill that dream, so inspired that she invents the heli-o-cheese copter. Unfortunately, making a helicopter from spray cheese is pretty challenging, and it doesn't quite work the way Rosie envisioned.
Her aunt, seeing the test of the cheese-copter, laughs, and the laughter is almost Rosie's undoing. But as her Aunt helps Rosie see, while her invention didn't completely work. It did work—for a few seconds. It was a "perfect first try," Rose tells Rosie. The two then go on to work together and keep building and testing and modifying and tinkering and making. When Rosie falls asleep, she does so to dream the "bold dreams of a great engineer."
We get the sense that she will no longer hide her passion for making things. This is engineering in action, and the lesson, of course, is one of persistence—and one of process. First tries don't always work!
Rosie Revere, Engineer is a fun read-aloud choice and a great title for parents wanting to encourage their kids to dream big, to imagine things they can make, and to experiment, design, engineer, and build the things they imagine.
I wish the Aunt hadn't laughed quite so much, but overall, I really, really enjoyed this book and its message for girls and other young engineers. The illustrations are whimsical, colorful, and incorporate a number of supporting details that tie into the story. For example, in the first pages, when Rosie salvages parts from the trashcan at school, readers may notice that she finds and takes a castoff umbrella. Look closely, and you will find that umbrella used later in one of her inventions. Similarly, the illustration of Rosie's workspace in the attic is a feast of engineering-related parts and pieces and tools, all spread behind her as she works on a cool new gizmo in front of her.
Iggy Peck, Architect
Like Rosie Revere, Engineer, Iggy Peck, Architect is also written in rhyme, making it a great choice to read out loud. Kids are sure to be immediately captivated by proof that Iggy has been an architect since age two—a tower made from diapers and glue. Unfortunately, not all of those diapers were clean!
The litany of things Iggy builds is innovative, fun, and sometimes just a bit unexpected or out of place, like a Sphynx made from mud, which clearly has an impact on the neighbors. Iggy makes lots of creations from food, as well, including a replica of the Gateway Arch from pancakes and coconut pie and churches made from fruit.
Iggy is an architect. But when he starts second grade, he is faced with a teacher who doesn't allow discussion of buildings and architecture at all. This is unfortunate for Iggy, who has built a gigantic castle from chalk while his teacher explained her rules.
Second grade gets off to a rough start for poor Iggy, but two weeks into the year, Iggy's class takes a field trip for a picnic. They have to cross a small bridge, and when the bridge collapses, the teacher faints. Luckily, Iggy is an architect. He comes up with a plan, gets his classmates involved, and builds a clever suspension bridge to get them back to the mainland safely. When his teacher wakes back up, the class is waiting for her on the other side, a bridge built from boots, tree roots, strings, fruit roll-ups and things stretching between her and them. After that, things change in the second grade classroom!
Like Rosie Revere, Engineer, Iggy Peck, Architect is a fun read and a wonderful testament to the idea that one is never too young to start pursuing a dream. That Iggy's dream, like Rosie's, is related to science, technology, engineering, and math makes this a great choice to get kids excited about science and engineering and talking about things they can make, build, and explore.
If your kids love the ideas they see unfold in these stories, they may enjoy hands-on activities like these:
- Build a Brushbot (See it in action!)
- Build a Gumdrop Geodesic Dome (See it in action!)
- Bridge Building Bonanza: Which Design Wins? (See it in action!)
- Hovercraft: A Multi-Terrain Vehicle
- Make a Paper Circuit (See it in action!)
- Squishy Circuits: Light Up Your Play Doh® Creations! (See it in action!)
- How Tails Help a Kite to Fly
- Milk Does Your Body and a Boat Good—Design Your Own Milk Carton Boat
- Paper Airplanes: Why Flaps and Folds Matter
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Make a Homemade Fly Trap | <urn:uuid:921db8d5-8463-4304-9756-fc540a9d222c> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.sciencebuddies.org/blog/rosie-revere-and-iggy-peck-engineering-inspiration?from=Blog | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738380.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20200809013812-20200809043812-00075.warc.gz | en | 0.959075 | 1,471 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Genetics of Susceptibility and Risk Research
Rats have been employed in both small-scale and large-scale studies that lead to insights on the genetics of susceptibility, and in assessment of risks to human health. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) manages a Center for Rodent Genomics to meet their goals of effectively using animal model resources to investigate environmental assaults that could lead to unwanted changes in humans. Coordination with the National Toxicology Program (NTP) efforts to apply the tools of modern toxicology and molecular biology to evaluating chemical exposures will provide benefits to the public health, and a great deal of information can be obtained from the NTP studies, which can be mined for useful conclusions on comparative susceptibilities. Another project called ToxCast from the Environmental Protection Agency also explores risks from environmental exposures with both computer modeling and rat in vivo data, and is yielding new understanding of the underlying responses to chemicals. Increasingly the tools of genomics will offer leads for susceptibility, toxicity and prevention, using rodents as a model.
An early model that demonstrated heritability of a predisposition to cancer was the Eker model of renal carcinoma in rats. Insights on the development of prostate cancer have been provided by inbred rat models. Genetic predisposition to hepatocellular carcinoma is being pursued in rodents. Resistance to the development of this cancer can also offer crucial knowledge. These studies are yielding important clues to the mechanisms of this cancer.
Another cancer amenable to research in rat models is that of mammary cancer. Rats susceptible to mammary cancer are widely studied. Various rat models are offering leads on the important pathways in this disease. Comparative genetics in this system will help to tell us more about human cancers, and about the fidelity of the models.
Understanding the responses of models to carcinogenic challenges informs us about many important aspects of risk. Some of these may be exposures such as food contaminants, dietary supplements, chemical or organic pesticides, or other environmental exposures such as arsenic or asbestos. Comparing different types of exposures will also aid in our understanding of environmental risks. | <urn:uuid:bc329eb4-79c8-4ec1-afa7-0d3098515bfb> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://emice.nci.nih.gov/research-uses/rats/genetics-of-susceptibility-and-risk-research | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375097204.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031817-00204-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939926 | 426 | 3 | 3 |
DNA in the nucleus is arranged into nucleosomes to produce an 11nm fibre which then intricately folds into high order assemblies. This nuclear organisation – the 3D arrangement of the genome within the nucleus – is critically linked to nuclear processes. Previously it has only been possible to analyse genome organisation across populations of cells. However, using a new chromosome conformation capture technique, Tim Stevens from the LMB’s Cell Biology Division, in collaboration with Ernest Laue’s group in the University of Cambridge Department of Biochemistry, has calculated the first 3D structures of entire mammalian genomes from single cells that have been selected using a microscope, allowing study of genome folding to a resolution of 100 kb.
David Lando and Srinjan Basu from Ernest’s group isolated and then chemically fixed single cells, to hold their DNA in place. The nuclei were extracted and many cuts made in the DNA strands. The cut ends of the DNA were then joined back together, but in a different way to the original arrangement, such that DNA strands in physical, but not necessarily linear, proximity were now connected. The DNA was then cut up even more and the fragments released. The small bits of DNA that had been linked together were selected and sequenced. By mapping these connections to the known sequence of the genome Tim determined which parts of the genome were close in space, uncovering the 3D arrangement of the chromosomes.
This revealed that whilst there are certain consistencies in nuclear organisation between cells, there is also substantial variation. Transcriptionally active and inactive regions segregate, with particularly active genes clustered, in a consistent way on a genome-wide basis in every cell. In contrast, the arrangement of DNA loops and domains vary markedly from cell to cell. These differences might help to explain how different cells, of notionally the same type, could behave differently as a result of the somewhat stochastic arrangement of chromosomes in their nuclei.
Whole genome structures, such as those pioneered in this study, are likely to become an important resource for developing and testing molecular hypotheses about how the different parts of a genome work together. Understanding how genes within the genome are organised in 3D will allow us to track the 3D changes that occur when cells develop into tissues or acquire diseases, providing clues about which genes are involved in these processes.
This work was funded by the MRC, Wellcome Trust and the European Commission. | <urn:uuid:d11708bb-6226-4a88-9baa-a64aaae5834c> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | http://www2.mrc-lmb.cam.ac.uk/first-complete-3d-genome-structure-individual-mammalian-cells/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221209562.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20180814185903-20180814205903-00471.warc.gz | en | 0.964102 | 491 | 3.46875 | 3 |
I have discussed previously that Jewish law recognizes three kinds of mitzvot, or commandments.The first kind of laws are mishpatim, or ethical rules. These are the ethical guidelines for living that any compassionate person might come up with if they thought about the situation enough. The second kind of laws are the the zakhorim, or tribal (or national) remembrances. These tell the observer to keep in mind the history of the Children of Israel, and help the observer identify with and find his place within the Jewish people as a whole. The most important remembrance is to remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and God brought you out of bondage to make you a free man. The third kind of laws are the chukim, or esoteric rules. These are usually somewhat strange and non-obvious, such as not mixing linen and wool in the same garment. Doing so will not help perpetuate any remembrance, nor will it lead to any ethical action, and yet it is in the Torah, so it falls into the third category. Kabbalists and other Jewish mystics often attach deep significance to the chukim as mystical observances with deep esoteric meaning.
This week's Torah portion is named after the first statistically improbable phrase in the portion. This portion begins, "Now these are the judgments [mishpatim] that thou wilt set before them." [Exodus 21:1]. What follows is a list of 53 ethical rules, that cover a wide range of situations, but all of which are very specific. For example, if an ox gores a human being to death, the ox will be put down, but its owner will not be responsible for the death, unless the ox has a history of aggressive behavior, and has been warned by the community about the ox's behavior, in which case both the ox and its owner will be put to death. [Exodus 21: 28-29].
Some of the rules seem a bit odd today. A male slave is to be freed at the start of the seventh year of servitude, but if the slave wants to remain the property of his master, he will publicly declare that he loves his master and does not wish to go free, upon which his master will bring the slave to a court of law to declare this, and then to the doorpost of his home, and there pierce the slave's ear with an awl against the doorpost.[Exodus 21: 2, 6-7]. Much of this makes sense, except for piercing the slave's ear against the doorpost. It could be that in ancient times, among men only slaves pierced their ears, but that would not explain why it had to be done against the doorpost of his master's house. Jewish law requires a house to have a mezuzah nailed to the doorpost, so maybe, in a sense, the voluntary slave is like a mezuzah, but I admit that's a stretch.
This is one of several places in the Torah where the Lex Talonis appears. Literally, this passage says, "And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life, Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Burning for burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." [Exodus 21: 23-25]. It should be strongly noted that Rabbinic Judaism (pretty much every Jew except the Karaites and Samaritans, who collectively number only around a few thousand on earth) does not take this to mean that an eye requires an eye, or that a tooth requires a tooth. This is important. This has been taken throughout the Jewish world to mean that if a person strikes out the eye of another person, striking out the eye of the culprit is the maximal penalty possible. Similarly, the maximum punishment for knocking out a tooth would be to have one tooth knocked out. Even if a person were to sever the foot of the High Priest or the king, the most severe punishment he could receive would be to have his foot severed off. No death penalty could be exacted no matter who received the injury from whom.
By the time of the redacting of the Talmud, this law was interpreted to require monetary damages rather mutilation as the penalty for these offenses. Jews regard punishment by mutilation as barbaric, and have for at least two thousand years.
There is also a kind of Castle Law in these rules. If someone breaks into your home at night, and you kill him, it is not murder, but justifiable homicide. However, if the killing happens during the day, it is murder. [Exodus 22: 1-2].
If a man has to sell his only clothing off his back to repay his debt to you, you have to provide him with clothing by the end of the day, so that he doesn't freeze that night. [Exodus 22: 25-26].
If you come upon your enemy's ox or donkey going astray, you are required to bring it back to him. If you see the beast of burden of someone you hate collapsing under a heavy load, you are required to make every effort to help the animal in distress, even though you might be inclined to do nothing to help your enemy. [Exodus 23: 4-5].
After declaring the three Pilgrimage Festivals, Passover, Shavuot and Sukkot, the Torah portion ends with a mystical visionary scene that is much commented upon by the Kabbalists. God tells Moses to bring Nadab and Abihu, the two sons of Aaron who will later die in a spiritual technology mishap, along with the seventy tribal leaders, with him to appear before God Himself. Moses alone is permitted to approach God directly. Moses lays the laws before the Children of Israel, who collectively and unanimously give their consent. Then Moses leads the gathered party of 72 to ascend Mount Sinai, there to have a collective vision of God: "And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness." [Exodus 24: 10].
The sapphire footstool is much commented upon in Jewish mystical writings. Ezekiel describes the Throne of Glory as made of sapphire. Sapphire appears in many mystical visions in Jewish literature, often being described as utterly transparent, and only blue because the sky is blue. Sapphires in Jewish tradition are emblematical of the Third Eye, and Jewish mystics have a meditation practice of focusing the mind on a single point, imagining that one looks at the point through a third eye made of sapphire.
The Torah tells us that after seeing God, the party of 72 ate and drank. Most commenters regard this as a blasphemous mistake, some going so far as to say that this is why Nadab and Abihu were struck dead in the book of Leviticus. Others interpret the eating and drinking as allegorical, that the vision fed them better than food or drink could. Still others say that the food and drink were celebratory after their collective vision.
The passage ends with Moses entering the cloud at the summit of Mount Sinai to receive the Tablets of the Law (which some commentators regard as being made of sapphire), and remaining there for forty days and forty nights. As we shall see, in his absence, much mischief occurs.
And bring you peace
6 hours ago | <urn:uuid:1c2459ad-02aa-4d4b-8ddd-1bfc68815bd4> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://cornwineoil.blogspot.com/2012/02/mishpatim-these-are-rules.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794867904.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20180526210057-20180526230057-00627.warc.gz | en | 0.974577 | 1,533 | 3.125 | 3 |
|This FAQ is intended as a reference to address common points of contention over how certain terms are defined in the origins debate. In some cases this FAQ calls out equivocal arguments that are not allowed in the forum. This FAQ should help us avoid rehashing certain arguments ad nauseam. If you have any suggestions/comments, please send me a PM.|
What is evolution? – When the word evolution is used in this forum, it can refer to chemical, cosmic, or biological evolution. By chemical evolution, we mean either the origin of the elements, or abiogenesis (life from non-life). By cosmic evolution we mean the origin of the universe, galaxies, stars, planets, etc. By biological evolution, we mean the origin of species from a common ancestor (all life from a single cell). We do not debate small-scale change and adaptation (termed micro-evolution by evolutionists, which sometimes includes speciation), on this forum since both sides agree it occurs. It is also disingenuous to claim macro-evolution proves evolution since this term now encapsulates speciation, which itself is a loose categorization where organisms can be reclassified as different species merely because of geographic isolation and change in mating habits (see bullet item below on What is Species/Speciation). It is intellectually dishonest to claim that since micro-evolution is true, or that speciation occurs, then large-scale, molecules-to-man evolution must also be true, or the canard that evolution is simply a shift in allele frequencies (even my college Biology book refrains from using this as a global definition of evolution, but instead refers to this as micro-evolution). An example that occurred on this forum was the fallacious claim that "Domesticated animals are a perfectly valid example of evolution at work." Anyone who continues to use such equivocal arguments for evolution after being referred to this FAQ will be banned from the forum. For more on this equivocation, see my article The Evolution Definition Shell Game.
What is information? – The kind of information we should debate on this forum should be of the type that is sufficient to communicate enough data to build some object, such as a car, a computer, or in the case of the origins debate, an organism. To that end, I hereby offer coded information as the type of information to debate on this forum. By coded information I mean any type of information that is a language, as described by symbols, syntax, and semantics. These three components encompass three of the five elements of Gitt information (I submit the other two components of Gitt information, pragmatics and apobetics, are somewhat inherent and natural extensions of the first three; these later two are open to discussion but not required). Examples of coded information include the English language (or any foreign language), Morse code, C++, etc. By requiring our definition of information to be that which is sufficient to build something should rule out anecdotal musings such as tree rings and redshifts. Other types or descriptions of information, such as Shannon information at the lowest level, to Dembski's complex specified information, to Algorithmic information theory, to Gitt information at the highest level, are welcome for discussion provided it is in the spirit of understanding the proposed description/type of information. We encourage however that members use the working definition of coded information given above when debating information and its role in creation or evolution. Arguments deemed unacceptable for this forum include spurious claims such as "tree rings and redshifts prove that information can originate naturalistically", "ripples in the sand represent information", etc. Such arguments do nothing to establish the kind of information required by evolution to produce all life over time from a common ancestor.
What is "Science"? – The word science has it's origins in the Latin word scientia, for knowledge. Webster's first listed definition states: "1 - the state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding". There are many ways to gain knowledge, ranging from forensic science (ie arson investigation, SETI), to historical science (ie geology, paleontology, written records), to operational science (scientific method). Evolutionists have attempted to re-define science to be only operational science, and more specifically that which is naturalistic-only. Thus they can declare by default that they are the only ones using science, and by extension the only legitimate scientists. This non-sequitur is easily exposed by the fact that virtually all of the great scientists of the past, who laid the foundation of all the major branches of science, were creation scientists. The long list includes Galileo, Kepler, Newton, Kelvin, Pasteur, Pascal, Faraday, Von Braun, etc. This naturalistic-only view of science also limits the amount of knowledge obtainable, and therefore subverts the true meaning of science. Consider arson investigation or the SETI project – both have rightly been called scientific, and are used to determine if there is an intelligent source connected to the evidence gathered. It is a double standard to agree this is scientific, yet on the other hand deny that the same principles do not apply to origins and the question of intelligent design. The word science should also not be watered down to such an extent that it embraces speculation. Bottom line: Do not pigeonhole the word science into the naturalistic-only box.
What is Species/Speciation? – It is widely known that the term species is highly controversial and there is no consensus among scientists of what constitutes a species. The term was invented by the famous creationist Carolus Linnaeus, the father of modern taxonomy, as the lowest taxonomic rank in his classification system (Linnaean classification). Up until the early nineteenth century, 'species' and the biblical 'kind' were considered the same. However as biology progressed and variations were noted, the two definitions drifted apart. For example, populations that diverged after geographic isolation and developed different mating habits/traits are often classified as separate species (called allopatric speciation), even though the species may be capable of interbreeding. Creationists agree that this type of speciation, as it is currently defined, occurs. However, the fact certain varieties may not readily interbreed does not mean they are incapable of doing so. For example, it is now fairly well known that Darwin's finches can and do interbreed, yet they remain separate species, probably because the finch is such a darling of evolution that the evolutionists are not compelled to correct the classification. With such a loose interpretation of what constitutes a species, one could argue that different varieties of dog that don't readily interbreed could be classified into separate species (such as the St Bernard and Chihuahua). The muddy waters are further exacerbated by the evidences we've uncovered for rapid speciation, which is counter to Neo-Darwinian style evolution since it is mathematically impossible for random mutation(s) to become fixed in the populations cited in the link in only a few generations. Given that the definition of species has become loose and wide, we believe claims that speciation proves evolution is equivocation and intellectually dishonest. Many evolutionists have also failed to recognize the difference between species and kind (baramin), which has invariably led to the remarkably common strawman argument that "Noah could not have possibly fitted millions of species on the ark" (Noah could have easily fit all the required kinds of animals on the ark to populate the earth after the flood – link). In short, discussion on speciation when debating creation vs. evolution should be used with caution and not in the equivocal or strawman manner previously described. Generally speaking, we encourage debating change at the family taxonomic rank or higher, which more closely fits the Biblical kind (baramin). Debating sympatric speciation is also acceptable.
- Campbell, Reece, Mitchell, Biology 5th Edition, 1999, p. 432 - See Wikipedia article on Species | <urn:uuid:e4c23ab8-6a8a-4680-a517-9cc7dc268210> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://evolutionfairytale.com/forum/index.php?app=custompages&module=view§ion=display&do=show&pageId=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988720153.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183840-00364-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932096 | 1,703 | 2.828125 | 3 |
noun[mass noun] North American
- The fare for travel on a bus, underground train, or similar public transport.More example sentences
- It was fifteen minutes’ walk from the store, and by taking this walk twice a day she saved carfare and the price of luncheon.
- Therefore, he demanded the return of the 50 cents admission, 10 cents carfare, and 30 cents for the time he spent at the ballpark.
- When he arrived in 1894, the story went, Little walked twenty miles to the Aikman ranch to save carfare.
More definitions of carfareDefinition of carfare in:
- The US English dictionary | <urn:uuid:b27278ea-cca8-4cc7-8b8f-5c746227e176> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/carfare | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999674095/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060754-00023-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.889572 | 138 | 2.609375 | 3 |
A double bind is an interpersonal situation in which conflicting messages are communicated or competing demands are imposed, creating a trap that can be a powerful source of distress and frustration. The concept was developed by the innovative social scientist Gregory Bateson and a team of colleagues in the 1950s to explain how dysfunctional family systems and patterns of communication might give rise to schizophrenia in individual family members. The idea that a double bind causes schizophrenia has fallen out of favor as the mental health field has learned more about the condition's neurological origins, but as therapist Paul Gibney has noted, we still observe double binds "in any public or private health setting any day of the week," and it may be that double binds are a sort of systemic coping mechanism in response to dysfunction, not a cause of it.
An illustration may be helpful. Paul Watzlawick was an Austrian psychotherapist who practiced at Palo Alto's Mental Research Institute and taught at Stanford for many years. Much of Watzlawick's work discusses the ways we trap ourselves, particularly in situations where efforts to work our way out only deepen the entrapment, and in 1974 he described an experiment that portrays a vivid double bind:
One early experiment performed at [the Mental Research Institute] was supposed to explore how people get into this kind of “no exit” situation. It involved Dr. [Don] Jackson, an internationally known expert on the psychotherapy of schizophrenia, and we asked him if he was willing to have himself filmed in a first interview with a paranoid patient whose main delusion was [that he was] a clinical psychologist, and Dr. Jackson agreed to this. We then went to the [Veterans Administration hospital] in Menlo Park, where we knew a clinical psychologist who also did therapy with schizophrenics, and we asked him if he was willing to have himself filmed in a first interview with a paranoid patient whose main delusion was that he was a psychiatrist. Then we brought the two learned doctors together in a kind of super-therapy session, in which both promptly began to treat each other. And the more mental health and reason and therapeutic endeavors they injected into the situation, the crazier they appeared to the other, of course.
I'm an executive coach, not a therapist or a psychologist, and my clients are senior leaders facing ordinary dilemmas in their professional lives, not patients wrestling with unusual mental health challenges--so why is this topic of interest to me? Because I believe leaders face double binds constantly, and I see the concept as a common feature of most human systems, not something restricted to dysfunctional families dealing with mental illness. So what do double binds look like in organizational life, and what can leaders do about them?
I recently wrote about two types of organizational double bind in Leadership As a Performing Art:
Contemporary leaders are constantly at risk of being caught in a trap. They must operate within two co-existing yet conflicting frames of reference: our outwardly professed preference for equality and effort, and, alternatively, our often unstated--at times subconscious--preference for hierarchy and innate ability. We say we want egalitarianism, flat organizations, and post-heroic leadership. We also claim to value people whose achievements are the result of striving and hard work over those with inborn talents... And yet research suggests that preferences for hierarchy and innate ability are deeply rooted in our evolutionary psychology.
When leaders respond to our desire for egalitarian management, they violate our preference for clear hierarchical structure. And when leaders strive to improve their effectiveness, they confound our expectation that they possess an innate talent for leadership. Classic double binds. Another such situation faced by leaders in contemporary business culture is posed by the tension between strength and sensitivity: We want resolute leaders who are capable of protecting the organization (and us) from external threats, and we want emotionally intelligent leaders who are comfortable with vulnerability and sensitive to our inner needs. These aren't mutually exclusive qualities, of course, but leaders' formative experiences in their families, education and professional lives tend to emphasize one at the expense of the other. We train leaders to suppress their fear and anxiety and then resent their lack of sensitivity. Or we encourage leaders to be in touch with their emotions and then wish they were more even-tempered.
Another double bind that I see consistently in my practice: We want leaders to identify high performance standards and help hold us (and our colleagues) accountable, and we simultaneously expect leaders to insure that we feel a sense of safety and trust within the organization. Again, these management principles aren't mutually exclusive by any means, but putting them into practice inevitably requires a leader to make difficult tradeoffs. Holding someone accountable may entail the threat of termination, and firing an employee almost always undermines the sense of safety among their colleagues (even if they also believe that the move was justified.) An environment of safety and trust is essential if we are to learn and grow while making mistakes and encountering setbacks, and such cultures also run the risk of avoiding accountability and ignoring underperformance. There are no simple solutions to these competing demands, and we are often reluctant to take responsibility for the difficult decisions they require--and so they become the province of leadership. So what can leaders do? How can they liberate themselves from these double binds? Three suggestions:
Acceptance and Letting Go
A first step is simply accepting that double binds exist and that we must live with the paradoxes they pose. Leaders will constantly hear conflicting messages and face competing demands. Responding to one message or demand will inevitably entail violating another, and this is an unavoidable fact of organizational life. As I wrote recently in discussing the challenges faced by leaders in elite organizations, "They may feel frustrated or upset by the dynamics described above, and they may yearn for things to be different—and yet this state of affairs is both rational and predictable. You want it to be one way, but it’s the other way--and it’s essential to accept this reality." To be clear, I'm not suggesting that leaders ignore or suppress the distress and frustration triggered by a double bind. Instead, I'm proposing that leaders seek to let go of these feelings, which are often the result of an unwillingness to accept reality and a fervent desire to change circumstances that we cannot control. As Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön wrote in 2005,
[W]henever there is pain of any kind--the pain of aggression, grieving, loss, irritation, resentment, jealousy, indigestion, physical pain--if you really look into that, you can find out for yourself that behind the pain there is always something we are attached to. There is always something we're holding on to.
A corollary to accepting that double binds are unavoidable aspects of leadership is avoiding blame. Being trapped in a double bind is stressful and frustrating, and when we feel those emotions we often look for someone else to take responsibility for our experience. We want someone to take the blame, because that will allow us to feel better. Given the nature of organizational double binds, leaders may find it particularly tempting to blame employees, investors, board members, and even customers or clients for sending conflicting messages and imposing competing demands upon them. But as I noted last year, while we don't control our emotional response (which allows them to serve essential functions), we do have agency in the process, and it's important not to shirk responsibility for our feelings and foist it onto others. A useful tool here is the Trium Group's definitions of a "responsible mindset" and a "victim mindset":
I view myself as an integral factor in all situations. Every situation occurs and unfolds as it does in some measure as a direct outcome of my actions, non-actions and interpretations. I believe there is always something I can do to affect the situation.
I view myself as separate and disconnected from situations as they occur. Circumstances and events happen to me. I believe there is nothing I can do to affect the situation.
While double binds are unavoidable in organizational life, and leaders can't control whether or not they will find themselves ensnared in one, it's essential for leaders to acknowledge their own responsibility and agency--starting with the choice to be a leader in the first place.
Finally, highlighting the importance of acceptance and avoiding blame is not to suggest that leaders should wait passively and hope that the distress and frustration caused by a double bind go away. I encourage leaders in my practice to take a number of steps to manage difficult emotions more effectively:
- Commit to a meditation practice or other forms of mindfulness.
- Get regular exercise and sufficient sleep.
- Write about these feelings in a journal or daily note-to-self.
- Talk about them with regularly with empathetic listeners (who can be hard to find.)
- Fully comprehending our feelings, which entails labeling them accurately.
- Reframing the situation, which involves understanding our cognitive biases and seeing things more clearly.
- Finding healthy ways to soothe ourselves, which can start with simply taking slower, deeper breaths, but also includes being able to disclose our emotions as we experience them with those around us, not merely after the fact with third parties.
Photo by Scott Symonds. Yay Flickr and Creative Commons. | <urn:uuid:cf9a8a53-947c-4361-86c7-266515b4ce57> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.edbatista.com/2017/04/leadership-and-the-double-bind.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122621.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00404-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959836 | 1,890 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Germany has an ongoing plan to store their CO2 emissions underground. They used a special drill during tests earlier this year for the carbon capture project in Ketzin. The GFZ geoscience institute says that Germany will inaugurate Europe’s first underground carbon dioxide storage site.
Ketzin is located near Berlin, and the project’s name is CO2SINK. This carbon sequestration project is part of a larger one initiated by several European countries.
60,000 tonnes of the greenhouse gas will be pumped into porous, salt water-filled rock at depths of more than 600 metres (656 yards) over the next two years. The first injection of gas was scheduled to take place later on Monday.
Reinhard Huettl, the science director of the GFZ centre in Potsdam, said that the underground storing of carbon dioxide should slow down global warming and get humanity extra time to develop alternative energy sources.
“The storage of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is an option to win time in the development and introduction of carbon dioxide-reduced energy technology,” he said.
Huettl said that the site will become a “unique worldwide laboratory” to study the success of the world’s main global warming gas.
Some of the environmental groups expressed their pessimism because they’re afraid of toxic leaks that could follow afterwards. | <urn:uuid:e2bd35f6-d23e-4d6d-945f-ab9a23ea5824> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | https://www.greenoptimistic.com/germany-storing-co2-underground-20080702/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107905965.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20201029214439-20201030004439-00255.warc.gz | en | 0.937521 | 285 | 3.234375 | 3 |
The Department of Education (DOE) offers Education Vision Services (EVS), which serves blind and low vision students ages 5 to 21. The program is part of Special Education District 75.
DOE places students in EVS programs by referral only. Students usually come to the program in one of three ways:
- A parent or teacher refers the child to the school Committee on Special Education (CSE). The child is then evaluated by the specialized CSE for the Hearing Handicapped and Visually Impaired (HHVI).
- A parent calls EVS to make inquiries and is referred to HHVI.
- An eye doctor refers a child to the State Commission for the Blind, which in turn asks the parent to contact HHVI.
Students must have a report from an eye doctor to enter the program.
The EVS curriculum is built for the specialized needs of students who are blind or low vision. Students get Resource Room (Supplemental Instruction) Services to help them participate fully in a regular classroom. The EVS curriculum follows the National Agenda for Children and Youth with Visual Impairment.
Jobs for EVS Students
EVS arranges community-based work experiences for students. It places students in the Summer Youth Employment Program and the Training Opportunities Program, gives school-to-work transition plans, and provides ongoing training inside and outside the classroom.
Call 311 for assistance by phone. | <urn:uuid:df8b2ce3-bd96-4241-aa54-e6e693c125a5> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://portal.311.nyc.gov/article/?kanumber=KA-02442 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370493818.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20200329045008-20200329075008-00389.warc.gz | en | 0.926762 | 289 | 2.875 | 3 |
Karat: 1 definition
Karat means something in biology. If you want to know the exact meaning, history, etymology or English translation of this term then check out the descriptions on this page. Add your comment or reference to a book if you want to contribute to this summary article.
Biology (plants and animals)
Karat in India is the name of a plant defined with Sterculia urens in various botanical sources. This page contains potential references in Ayurveda, modern medicine, and other folk traditions or local practices It has the synonym Kavalama urens (Roxb.) Raf. (among others).
Example references for further research on medicinal uses or toxicity (see latin names for full list):
· Journal of Cytology and Genetics (1984)
· Plants of the Coast of Coromandel (1795)
· Sylva Telluriana (1838)
· Journal of Cytology and Genetics (1987)
If you are looking for specific details regarding Karat, for example chemical composition, side effects, pregnancy safety, diet and recipes, extract dosage, health benefits, have a look at these references.
This sections includes definitions from the five kingdoms of living things: Animals, Plants, Fungi, Protists and Monera. It will include both the official binomial nomenclature (scientific names usually in Latin) as well as regional spellings and variants.
See also (Relevant definitions)
Starts with (+48): Karat besi, Karat tree, Karat-bet, Karata, Karatab, Karatabangada, Karatachi, Karatadana, Karataka, Karatala, Karatalabhiksha, Karataladhrita, Karatalagata, Karatalaka, Karatalakshana, Karatalam, Karatalamala, Karatalamalaka, Karatalamalakavat, Karatalamaram.
Ends with: Ekarat, Hakarat, Hikarat, Kamakarat, Sakarat.
Full-text: Karat besi, Karat tree, Karat-bet, Aramkri, Suveda, Janat, Cira, Kri.
Search found 7 books and stories containing Karat; (plurals include: Karats). You can also click to the full overview containing English textual excerpts. Below are direct links for the most relevant articles:
Rig Veda (translation and commentary) (by H. H. Wilson)
Rig Veda 8.91.4 < [Sukta 91]
Rig Veda 6.48.15 < [Sukta 48]
Rig Veda 2.41.12 < [Sukta 41]
The Skanda Purana (by G. V. Tagare)
Chapter 35 - Dvārakā: Eminence of name < [Section 4 - Dvārakā-māhātmya]
Chapter 26 - Worship of Hari on the twelfth day < [Section 4 - Dvārakā-māhātmya]
Chapter 38 - Sitting awake throughout the night at Cakratīrtha on the banks of Gomatī < [Section 4 - Dvārakā-māhātmya]
Folk Tales of Gujarat (and Jhaverchand Meghani) (by Vandana P. Soni)
Doshi Ma Nee Vato < [Part 4 - Dadajee Ni Vato]
Rivers in Ancient India (study) (by Archana Sarma)
1(g). Function of Sarasvatī < [Chapter 2 - The Rivers in the Saṃhitā Literature]
The Religion and Philosophy of Tevaram (Thevaram) (by M. A. Dorai Rangaswamy)
Chapter 38 - Thirukanatumullur or Tirukkanattumullur (Hymn 57) < [Volume 3.4 - Pilgrim’s progress: with Paravai]
Satapatha-brahmana (by Julius Eggeling)
Kāṇḍa VII, adhyāya 5, brāhmaṇa 1 < [Seventh Kāṇḍa] | <urn:uuid:1912695a-8bd3-4bb0-b410-d266d534305b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.wisdomlib.org/definition/karat | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654016.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20230607211505-20230608001505-00175.warc.gz | en | 0.764991 | 928 | 3.015625 | 3 |
There are several places that encourage children to make impulse purchases, but there are steps parents can take to have their children make better buying decisions, according to Learnvest.
One method is to pay for all of your child’s needs, holiday and birthday presents, but leave buying their wants up to them, according to Learnvest, citing the book “The Opposite of Spoiled” by New York Times columnist Ron Lieber.
A tool that enables children to buy their wants while appreciating the true value of money is an allowance. “There is nothing like real dollars in the real world to teach real lessons,” Lieber writes.Comment on this story
When parents know if their children are natural spenders or savers, they can adjust their teaching by either asking them what they are saving for, or showing them the disadvantages of wasteful spending.
For families where an allowance isn’t a possibility, parents can set a limit on what they’ll buy their children, while still letting them make the decision. This causes the child to shop around and really consider what they want to buy.
Sometimes a child will get jealous of what others have. A good way to counteract this feeling is to remind your child of special opportunities they have that others don’t, which can promote a feeling of gratitude. | <urn:uuid:d22f9fea-2d04-4ab7-a9a7-de8e863d0fa5> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865565711/How-to-teach-your-child-to-be-a-smart-spender.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607593.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20170523083809-20170523103809-00505.warc.gz | en | 0.958389 | 274 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Psychology resources on the web and at the VCC Library
APA Dictionary of Psychology
A dictionary with 25,000+ authoritative entries across 90 subfields of psychology
BBC: Human Body and Mind
Excellent site that looks at the brain. Contains psychological tests, interesting articles, and many other activities.
Since 2004, PsyBlog has been covering scientific research into how the mind works
Trusted mental health, depression, bipolar, ADHD & psychology information
Psychology Today magazine makes psychology more accessible to the general public. The magazine focuses on behavior and covers a range of topics including psychology, neuroscience, relationships, sexuality, parenting, health (including from the perspectives of alternative medicine), work, and the psychological aspects of current affairs
KPU’s Guide to Reading Journal Articles
Learn about the parts of a journal article and how to effectively one (PDF)
Lab report writing
Resources to help you learn how to write and improve your lab reports
We respectfully acknowledge that the Learning Centres are located on the traditional and unceded
territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱ wú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh)
peoples who have been stewards of this land from time immemorial. | <urn:uuid:1aa0e65c-1d81-43b3-b4f0-8952a38a181a> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://learningcentre.vcc.ca/learning-centre/resources/by-course--program/academic-upgrading--ut/psychology/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104215805.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20220703073750-20220703103750-00738.warc.gz | en | 0.850643 | 329 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Lives at War is an online virtual reality learning resource designed to support KS3/4 pupils learning about life on the Home Front during World War II.
Lives at War is an immersive learning experience – a virtual street, somewhere on the South coast. Players meet the characters that live there, and perform tasks that enable them to find out about life during wartime.
Lives at War has been created through an inter-generational heritage project using archive film footage that recorded everyday life in the UK during WW2 as a starting point. Year 10 pupils from Longhill High School in Brighton worked alongside a group of older residents to explore life in Brighton and Sussex at the time of WW2. Working with filmmaker Annis Joslin, historians, teachers and archivists, the young people and older people together collected and created stories and memories based on personal experiences and creative responses to the archive films. Virtual reality developer Corporation Pop used these oral histories to create an interactive virtual reality world – Lives At War. | <urn:uuid:f393e8a2-df57-4645-b224-d24bb41bfb42> | CC-MAIN-2018-43 | https://lives-at-war.org.uk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-43/segments/1539583517495.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20181023220444-20181024001944-00245.warc.gz | en | 0.940013 | 202 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Bachelor's Degrees in Computer Science
Computers have applications for every business in every industry in the world. It is rare to see any business today not making use of computers in its day-to-day operations. Our society's reliance on computers has put greater responsibility in the hands of computer science professionals to address business and personal needs. As a result, computer science represents a growing industry teeming with opportunity. So if you'd like to pursue a career in computer science, take a moment now and consider how a bachelor's degree in computer science can jumpstart your career. A bachelor's degree in computer science teaches you the basics of computer software as well as methods of representing, organizing and manipulating information. A bachelor's degree in computer science is a four-year degree that qualifies you for entry-level to mid-level work in computer science or can be used as a steppingstone to a graduate degree in computer science.
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science Success Factors
Earning a bachelor's degree in computer science professionals requires that you are detail-oriented, enjoy problem solving, are proficient in math and science, have strong written and verbal communications skills, and possess perseverance and patience.
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science Skills
When you earn a bachelor's degree in computer science, you build skills in problem solving and gain a strong general knowledge of computer programming topics. By the time you earn a bachelor's degree in computer science, you should be well skilled in the technology and business of computer science.
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science Curriculum
The courses you take when earning a bachelor's degree in computer science include practical programming, modern approaches to systems construction, underlying abstractions and mathematical theory, physics, mathematics, social sciences, humanities, the design of computer languages, the design of compilers that translate programs into machine-executable code, the design of operating systems, and the design of networks for computing over multiple distributed machines.
Computer Science Jobs
A bachelor's degree in computer science is typically the minimum educational requirement for work in the field of computer science. Computer science professionals find jobs in web programming, network management, applications programming, systems programming and analysis, and software development and maintenance. Computer science jobs usually fall into three categories: solving computing problems such as storage, designing and building software, data transmission and security, and devising new and better ways of using computers such as robotics, computer vision, or digital forensics. | <urn:uuid:716aafe4-99d4-43d9-83ea-1dc1e2038ea0> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://www.yourdegree.com/bachelors-degrees-computer-science | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738661775.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173741-00121-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926532 | 498 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Van de Graaff Details
I gather I am limited to 25 lines.
I am seeking information on details of the operation of a Van De Graaf
generator, I posted a Usenet on sci.physics which has more detail.
How does a belt type van de graaff develop the charge anisotrpy it
does? The top winds up + relative to the base. My machine has combs
top and bottom which do not touch the belt. Does the fact that it
stands vertically play a role? (earth's E field) or is this a nit?
If the material constants of the belt all that matter then
if I could get a different material could I reverse the polarity (in principle
It would be nice to have these answers in my back pocket when I run through
some electricity demos for a demanding audience of 5th graders. Thank you
for your time, in advance.
There is a good description of van de Graaf generators in
"The Encyclopedia of Physics" edited by Lerner and Trigg.
The charging is determined by a discharge circuit at the "bottom",
which charges up the belt. Then, when the belt is inside the metal
sphere at the top, it loses its charge to the sphere (through those
combs). The polarity is determined by the discharge circuit
at the "bottom". Gravity does not play any role.
Click here to return to the Physics Archives
Update: June 2012 | <urn:uuid:5c75d009-a2b4-4d62-ae60-10338e5cb2f3> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/phy99/phy99386.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414637900029.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20141030025820-00211-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.879561 | 308 | 3.015625 | 3 |
The sprawling Ogallala Aquifer in the Great Plains provides freshwater for roughly one-fifth of the wheat, corn, cattle and cotton in the United States. But key parts of the underwater aquifer are being depleted faster than they can be recharged by rain (see map).
That raises a question: How long before those areas in decline run out of groundwater for farming?
A recent study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences tried to come up with an answer for the crucial Kansas section of the aquifer. At current rates of use, farming in that area is likely to peak by 2040 or so due to water depletion.
With better conservation techniques, western Kansas could probably stretch things out so that farm production doesn't peak until the 2070s. But avoiding any sort of peak altogether would require drastic measures — beyond anything contemplated today.
The depletion problem
Aquifers have taken on increasing importance in the last few years as U.S. food production has expanded and drought has become a nagging issue. In regions like western Kansas, where farmers haven't been getting enough rain for their crops, they've depended on irrigation, pulling up water from the Ogallala.
As a result, the aquifer is slowly getting depleted, with the water table dropping by as much as two feet per year in some counties. And once they drain, it could take hundreds or thousands of years for those ancient aquifers, which were first formed millions of years ago, to fully recharge with rainfall.
This isn't news to anyone in the region. As Brett Walton reports in great detail here, Kansas has been talking about how to save water for years. Farmers in the northwest part of the state, for instance, have recently agreed to reduce the amount of water they pump from the Ogallala by 20 percent over the next five years. Last year, the state legislature enacted a new system of water rights to provide incentives to conserve.
And it's not just Kansas. Across the Great Plains region, farmers have been experimenting with water conservation practices, such as crop rotation, as well as more-efficient watering techniques like center pivot or drip irrigation. Others are placing their faith in new varieties of drought-resistant crops.
The question is how much good these moves can do.
How much water is left?
That brings us to the latest PNAS study, led by David Steward of Kansas State University. Researchers found that 30 percent of the Kansas portion of the Ogallala Aquifer has already been pumped out, and another 39 percent will get used up in the next half-century at existing rates. Kansas, clearly, is on the fast track to depletion. As a result, agriculture production is likely to peak around 2040 and decline after that.
There's a way to alter that course, however. The study found that if farmers and other users could cut the amount of groundwater pumping by 20 percent immediately — that is, the cuts that farmers in the northwest have proposed — that could extend the life of the aquifer significantly. Farming wouldn't have to peak until the 2070s, and it would fall more gently thereafter.
That looks doable. Water use efficiency is already increasing by 2 percent per year, the study found, thanks to better crop genetics and irrigation techniques. And a separate paper this year from Kansas State University found that immediately cutting groundwater use in the region by 30 percent would be possible with existing technologies. The economic hit would be modest: In many cases, the gains from extending the life of the farmland would outweigh the upfront costs.
But now what if Kansas wanted to farm sustainably and keep its aquifer around forever? That's more daunting. As Steward and his colleagues found, farmers would have to cut their groundwater pumping by 80 percent today — to bring depletions in line with rainwater recharge. This would require a drastic reduction of corn and cattle production.
"That ain’t gonna happen," notes John Fleck, a journalist who has been tracking water issues out West for many years. (And credit to Fleck for calling our attention to the study in the first place.)
The authors of the PNAS study seem to agree that it's unlikely that farmers in the Plains would realistically cut water usage enough to make the aquifer last for all time. "Eventually," they conclude, "the southwest and northwest districts in Kansas will realize the fate emerging in the west central district, where shallower groundwater stores have resulted in decreased well yields, well abandonment, and conversion back to dryland." The key question is how long that day of reckoning can be put off.
-- Brett Walton's coverage of Ogallala water issues for Circle of Blue has been excellent. See here for his story on Kansas depletions.
-- Here's where the world us running out of water, in one map.
-- Farmers are turning to engineered corn to adapt to drought. But will it be enough?
-- By the way, there's also some concern that the Keystone XL pipeline could threaten part of the Ogallala. See this story by Steven Mufson for more. | <urn:uuid:0975de9f-a800-4ace-867e-59495d769c63> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2013/09/12/how-long-before-the-midwest-runs-out-of-water/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440645356369.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827031556-00271-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970012 | 1,043 | 3.90625 | 4 |
|3D Tessellation model|
Another middle school student, was inspired by his little brother’s telescope and built a simple vacuum chamber using a PVC pipe with a microphone and a speaker on both ends to find out how sound travels on Mars! This 8th grader from Granada Islamic School used an oscilloscope his mother found at an auction to measure the sounds. “I poke around and find junk to build my projects. It’s fun.”
Science projects today have become fun for many students as they use more hands on activities to experiment and understand concepts. These two middle school students were among 996 participants at the recent Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship, where RAFT was one of the special judges.
Moenes Iskarous, President, SCVSEFA (Santa Clara Valley Science and Engineering Fair Association) feels, “The most interesting and enjoyable thing we see in the science fair is that the students are energized, motivated by the judges – the subject experts who talk to them and give them ideas …it gives them a big push in excelling in the future years.”
A science fair project is one of the best hands on learning experiences a student can undertake. From selecting a scientific question, doing library and Internet research work to formulate the hypothesis, and conducting the experiment, to writing a report on his/ her learning, the process introduces students to more than just science concepts. A student also learns how to collaborate with teammates, communicate his/her research findings, be creative and inventive, and also gains the most important skill – critical thinking.
These are the 4C’s that are the backbone for 21st century learning and innovation skills and RAFT has been instrumental in creating these 21st century thinkers by empowering educators with hands on products and professional development services.
|RAFT Activity Kit|
Two of Lindon’s students have won prizes at this year’s Synopsys Silicon Valley Science and Technology Championship.
Has RAFT helped you in helping your students prepare for science fairs and competitions? Share your experiences with us – email or comment below. | <urn:uuid:cd83bce8-ca34-45e9-947b-510b3fe91e33> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://raft-hands-on.blogspot.com/2012/03/science-fairs-nurturing-21st-century.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676589618.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20180717070721-20180717090721-00397.warc.gz | en | 0.960791 | 439 | 3.640625 | 4 |
High-density monitors or Retina monitors sold by Apple are generally recognized as having a physical pixel density greater than 200 pixels per inch. This means that they have twice the pixel density of a classic resolution computer monitor.
Display resolution of a computer monitor, tablet, laptop, smartphone or any other display device is the number of distinct pixels in each dimension that can be displayed.
4K monitors for PCs hit the shelves in 2014, and understanding pixel density has become important when choosing products along with screen size and resolution. Pixel density is the specification that defines how detailed a display is. It is expressed in units of PPI (Pixels Per Inch). | <urn:uuid:7f54e6f3-e363-43ef-b1ef-2eebd1f81434> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://theduran.com/author/natew7/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964363216.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20211205191620-20211205221620-00406.warc.gz | en | 0.92044 | 132 | 3.375 | 3 |
The brainiacs at the MIT Media Lab . . . the ones who helped bring you ‘‘Guitar Hero,’’ holograms on credit cards, and the electronic ink used in Amazon’s Kindle . . . are at it again.
Now hot in lab-coat circles are new “bio-devices’’ that could change lives and lifestyles, such as a “Beast” chair that flexes where you need it to, a “Living Wall” that can talk to electronic devices, and a robotic ankle.
‘‘In a hundred years,’’ said Lab researcher Neri Oxman, ‘‘all fabrication will be bio-inspired.
“In the year 3,000, we’ll design with living matter. Buildings may have skins. Our clothes could contain our DNA.’’
The Beast is the chaise lounge of the future. Designed to provide for multiple seating positions, it has a 3-D printed surface that responds to skin pressure measurements. New multijet matrix technology deposits materials in different areas of the chair so it gives where flexibility is needed, and stays stiff where support is required.
It will be “like wearing your acupuncturist to work,’’ Oxman said. One day, biostructures such as the Beast may use ‘‘pain mapping’’ to detect where more or less pressure is needed, as in responsive casts for injuries.
For those tired of hitting switches and pressing buttons to make their gadgets work, Media Lab researcher Leah Buechley offers the Living Wall — wallpaper covered in conductive paint that contains LEDs and Bluetooth, so it can talk to nearby devices. Touch a flower, turn on a lamp!
Researcher Ramesh Raskar plans to improve both rescue operations and colonoscopies by developing cameras that can see around corners, in the world at large or inside the human body, and in near-total darkness. Ultra high-speed femto-photography, which captures light at 1 billion frames per second, will make this possible, he said. Raskar has already developed an affordable cell-phone-based eye test.
Neuroscientist Ed Boyden has developed a powerful new class of tools to reversibly shut down brain activity using different colors of light, that could potentially lead to new treatments for abnormal brain circuitry associated with Parkinson’s, epilepsy and other brain diseases. His work has shown success with mice so far.
Researcher Hugh Herr approached human affliction and ambition in several giant leaps — literally. A double amputee since adolescence, Herr has developed a bio-robotic ankle that allows him to jump up and down. His Biomechantronics research group has already helped the physically challenged: the Variable-Damper Knee Prosthesis has recently been commercialized, and his Active-Ankle Foot Orthosis is getting close. Stroke victims and injured veterans, among others, benefit. | <urn:uuid:a0553a30-fcc4-4d71-bc45-fac866644f86> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://www.bostonherald.com/2010/10/21/mit-brainiacs-put-their-faith-in-the-future/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964361064.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20211202024322-20211202054322-00022.warc.gz | en | 0.946628 | 633 | 2.515625 | 3 |
All societies have historically been dominated by males – particularly in business, especially in aviation, and certainly in drone activity. That influence is reflected in commonly used male-specifying terms like “airman,” “unmanned,” and – can we even note this one without wincing? – “cockpit.” Now a panel advising the Federal Aviation Committee (FAA) wants that to change.
FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee seeks greater inclusion and diversity via unbiased language
The FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) delivered a report Wednesday recommending the adoption of gender-neutral language to replace masculine-heavy terminology in what inclusivity critics might well call the “brone” world. Those changes in an activity where men – and male-specific terms – are considered particularly overrepresented seek to initiate new thinking and attitudes, and stimulate greater diversity among leisure and business drone participants. They’re also intended to be replicated across the broader aviation sector – and, indeed, society.
“Research shows that the utilization of general-neutral language can lead to a more inclusive environment that draws more people to the industry and helps keep them there,” the DAC wrote in its report. “As it grows and matures, the drone industry has an opportunity to use and embrace gender-neutral language that defines it as an industry that is respectful, welcoming, and brings value to the receiver.”
The report refers to several studies demonstrating how the way people speak in collective settings tends to condition over-arching attitudes – with both positive, but often negative results. The DAC thinks cleaning up aviation’s lexicon with greater sensitivity to inclusion and diversity could go a long way toward leveling a pretty unbalanced playing field. Starting with drones.
“To ensure inclusion of all regardless of sex, gender expression, gender identity, and to avoid burdensome language, we recommend using gender-neutral language (e.g., “person”; “they”) rather than gender-binary (e.g., “man or woman”; “he or she”),” the report noted. “Avoiding imprecise and exclusionary language can create a work environment where all workers feel safe sharing their views, thereby improving psychological and operational safety.”
Male-dominated drone world must man up and lose its “-manned” jargon
That means all drone activity members – starting with journalists – will need to update past, biased terminology with neutral alternatives. Out is “airmen” in favor of “aircrew.” “Man-made” steps down for “fabricated” or “machine-built;” “repair man” for “repair technician;” and “unmanned” for “uncrewed.”
Oh, and the seriously way-too-gender-specific you-know-what pit? Call it a “flight deck.”
“On occasion masculine crew members have wielded the term ‘cockpit’ to exclude or undermine femme coworkers,” the report’s list of terminological modifications notes – graciously avoiding all the really disconcerting visuals the habitual reference can conjure up.
Moves to shift to gender-neutral language were already afoot within aeronautics, though perhaps not spreading as quickly as in wider society. Way back in 2006, for example, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration changed its guidelines away from “-manned” formulae. But the sector still has a long, long way to go. Only about 8% of all traditional airplane pilots certified by the FAA are women, with women piloting drones estimated at just 4% of the total.
FTC: DroneDJ is reader supported, we may earn income on affiliate links | <urn:uuid:843ca66c-3957-4cc7-8a87-a726fcee0b88> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://dronedj.com/2021/06/24/out-manned-faa-committee-urges-gender-neutral-drone-terms-to-encourage-greater-diversity/?share=pinterest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057366.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20210922132653-20210922162653-00682.warc.gz | en | 0.931977 | 814 | 2.65625 | 3 |
(Republished from the Energy Guidance Complete blog:
This post is not about the vitamins and minerals in unprocessed foods. It is about the health benefits that occur when the food is prepared. We’ll use the snapping of green beans as our example.
Green beans can be purchased in cans and in bags, ready for cooking, or even already cooked. They do provide nutritional value, but the benefits of preparing them from scratch are lost.
Here’s what happens when a person sorts and snaps fresh green beans:
- The muscles in the hands and arms are exercised.
- The muscles of the hands and eyes are coordinated (as in an exercise for fine motor skills).
- The muscles in the neck are lengthened.
- The muscles in the abdomen are tightened, especially if the work is performed while standing.
- The muscles supporting the spine are exercised.
- The muscles in the shoulder blade area and chest are coordinated.
- The muscles that are used during breathing are relaxed because the action of snapping beans (if the person is not rushed) causes a slowing of the breathing.
- The muscles of the oblique groups of abdominal muscles and the re-absorption of water in the kidneys synchronize to optimize urine production.
- Muscles of the upper and lower torso move syncopatedly, which strengthens and stretches them.
- Muscles in the face rejuvenate when movements are focused on the work. (Talking on a phone while preparing the food cancels this benefit. Singing while preparing the food does not cancel this benefit.).
- Many other muscles and body parts are strengthened and stretched as well.
The list above presents physical benefits from sorting and snapping fresh green beans. Here are benefits to the other components of health:
- Emotional balancing occurs when the work is done with a generous intention.
- Spiritual balancing occurs through connection with whole foods.
- If the work is done with another family member, opportunities can arise for heartfelt conversations.
- The food that will be eaten is personalized; in other words, its role as nutrition provider is elevated.
- The color, texture, and shapes of the green beans at the various stages of preparation affect the senses in favorable ways.
The more a person is involved in creating the meal he or she eats, the more uplifting and balancing the experience of eating.
(This post is dedicated to my friends and family who hadn’t realized the benefits that come from taking the time to prepare meals from scratch. ♥) | <urn:uuid:b2b3c8bb-9482-4d8b-8e11-f80d87ad6c79> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://yumtritiouseating.com/category/food-advice/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247482347.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20190217172628-20190217194628-00309.warc.gz | en | 0.93597 | 521 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Effects on your mouth and digestion
Mouth sores develop as your mouth is host to rapidly dividing cells much like your hair, so chemo drugs can irritate the area.
Blood in your mouth
- Throat pain
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hard or soft stool
- Bloating around your stomach
- Abdominal pain
Can last for varying amounts of time after treatment – if this stops you from eating, it can lead to weight loss.
- Discomfort around your stomach
- May result in vomiting
Effects on your blood
Red Blood Cells and Platelets
Red blood cells are necessary for transporting oxygen and nutrients around your body.
- Fatigue and wanting to sleep more than usual.
Platelets are important for normal blood clotting and when diminished they can affect bruising and cuts.
- Easy bruising
- Cuts taking longer to stop bleeding
- Blood in your vomit or stool
- Heavier-than-normal menstruation in women
In terms of your red blood cells, rest regularly and if you exercise – make sure to do so gently. If you’re a smoker, quitting or heavily cutting down will reduce your fatigue (among many other benefits). For your platelets, be extra vigilant around sharp objects and the corners of surfaces – if you are cut then wash it out thoroughly, limit the blood flow (by applying pressure to the area), and wrap with a bandage as soon as you can.
White Blood Cells
White blood cells come in many different forms and are the first line of defence in your body against infection. A reduction in these will leave you more susceptible to infections. You may find yourself contracting colds more often and taking longer to shake them off.
- Light headedness or dizziness
- Pale skin
- Brain fog/chemo fog (difficulty keeping a train of thought and making decisions)
To combat this, be sure to wash your hands regularly and if possible stay away from dirty areas (such as public toilets), be extra vigilant around friends and family who are ill. Be sure to keep up your intake of vegetables and fruits that are high in vitamins and nutrients to boost your immune system (but not so much that you aggravate your delicate digestive system).
Effects on the Reproductive System
Chemotherapy also has adverse effects on reproductive systems in both men and women, with more symptoms occurring in women.
Symptoms in women:
- Hot flushes
- Irregular periods
- Early onset of menopause
- Drying of genital tissues and therefore higher risk of infection from sores and cuts,
- Possible (temporary or permanent) infertility.
Symptoms in men:
- Lower or damaged sperm count
Make sure to maintain high hygiene standards and delicately (and chemical-free) moisturise. Soft and looser fitting underwear may help prevent further irritation. If this is causing significant discomfort, as always, consult your doctor for remedies.
Despite these symptoms, many patients are still able to live active sex lives.
Effects on the Kidneys and Bladder
These organs filter the treatment chemicals out of your body. However, they can suffer damage through this process and this will result in irritation or inflammation.
- Urinating more or less frequently
- Burning during urination
- Swelling of extremities (hands, feet, ankles etc)
- Orange or red urine (don’t fret – this is normal and will pass)
Drinking plenty of water will help these organs flush your body and help curb these symptoms. Read our previous blog on the importance of staying hydrated.
Effects on your Mental State
The mental effects can be numerous and highly dependent on the individual and treatments given – if you would like to find out what these may be, read our blogs about the signs of depression and anxiety and managing anxiety here (next month we will have a blog about managing the symptoms of depression)
These are some of the most common side effects of chemo. As always please consult your doctor if you are concerned about any of your symptoms, they will be a great source of additional information and can advise you on medications and treatments that can help your individual case.
Join our Facebook group to share your own experiences and ask questions with hundreds of likeminded people. | <urn:uuid:5ee1f8a4-43ed-41ac-a116-acfd75d2d44c> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://contenthub.penguincoldcaps.com/blog/effects-of-chemotherapy-on-the-body | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027317516.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20190822215308-20190823001308-00353.warc.gz | en | 0.920437 | 877 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Implementations may realize the difficult-to-tamper property using one of the following arguments.
- Plausible argument suggests and assumes some computing security mechanism such as mail-box access control.
- Intractable argument depends on mathematically difficult propositions such as one-way functions, digital signature algorithms, or encryption algorithms. Such argument can rely on the existence of tamper-resistant hardware within the system for their implementation design.
- Infeasible argument depends on mathematically infeasible propositions such as solving a system of equations with more variables than equations. An example may be the use of mathematical objects such as Shamir's secret sharing schemes. Such argument can rely on the existence of tamper-resistant hardware within the systems for their implementation design -- such systems may require the use of more than one secret to construct or reconstruct a capability with an automatically implied designation that the system can understand.
Some examples of unforgeable capabilities:
- Designations of objects in the E language. Those who hold these capabilities have the permission to invoke any method supported by the designated object.
- Designations of functions and procedures in Emily. Those who hold these capabilities have the permission to call designated functions or procedures.
Some examples of capabilities that are infeasible to forge:
- Designations of remote objects in E, such as captp://*email@example.com:55189/oa6vn5whhapylswhzesdlqh5ppmjkcrq. Those who hold these capabilities have the permission to invoke any method supported by the designated object.
- Password capabilities These capabilities usually invoke some form of plausible argument.
- Private URLs where having the URL is necessary and sufficient to use the resource. Common examples are:
XXX What exactly do we mean by password capabilities here, such that a captp URL is not one?
XXX improve this section
See What is a Capability, Anyway? for a partisan explanation of what capabilities actually are.
See also Overview: Capability Computation | <urn:uuid:f4e95f32-7be1-4678-91a7-b61b5ca03bfe> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://wiki.erights.org/mediawiki/index.php?title=Capability&oldid=3485 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121121.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00170-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.859893 | 439 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The pediatric population is continually at risk of developing infectious and inflammatory diseases. The treatment for infections, particularly gastrointestinal conditions, focuses on oral or intravenous rehydration, nutritional support and, in certain case, antibiotics. Over the past decade, the probiotics and synbiotics administration for the prevention and treatment of different acute and chronic infectious diseases has dramatically increased. Probiotic microorganisms are primarily used as treatments because they can stimulate changes in the intestinal microbial ecosystem and improve the immunological status of the host. The beneficial impact of probiotics is mediated by different mechanisms. These mechanisms include the probiotics’ capacity to increase the intestinal barrier function, to prevent bacterial transferation and to modulate inflammation through immune receptor cascade signaling, as well as their ability to regulate the expression of selected host intestinal genes. Nevertheless, with respect to pediatric intestinal diseases, information pertaining to these key mechanisms of action is scarce, particularly for immune-mediated mechanisms of action. In the present work, we review the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of action of probiotics and synbiotics that affect the immune system. | <urn:uuid:da79c039-8ab6-471d-b412-27ab51a9a190> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.scienceopen.com/document?vid=93349013-33e2-4ba7-99e1-873c07e4a02b | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610704820894.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20210127024104-20210127054104-00062.warc.gz | en | 0.917671 | 216 | 3.5625 | 4 |
© David Kaplan.
The vertical line of letters in the brackets represents particles of the Standard Model. The d stands for down quark, the e for electron, and the Greek letter (pronounced "nu") for neutrino. Grand unified theories typically group quarks and leptons together into the same grouping of particles. Note that the strong force carrier (the gluon) changes quarks from one color to another. The weak force carrier (here, the W boson) can change an electron to a neutrino. If all of these particles are in the same grouping (technically, "representation" of the symmetry), then there would also be force carriers, X, which change quarks into leptons. (Unit: 2) | <urn:uuid:d2e39e25-6249-4f95-a64a-1bfc1b910230> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.learner.org/courses/physics/visual/visual.html?shortname=5bar | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1430459118064.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20150501054518-00074-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.860208 | 156 | 3.5625 | 4 |
Folic acid, or vitamin B9, is a vital water-soluble vitamin that is involved in a number of important metabolic reactions in the human body. Also, B9 is one of the indispensable elements in the process of DNA formation, is involved in the physiological, that is, correct, development of the fetus.
Studies have shown that a sufficient supply of folic acid is not created in the human body. Even provided that the daily diet consists solely of vegetables, the body cannot independently provide itself with the necessary amount of folic acid. This must be understood and does not rely only on the diet.
In conditions such as pregnancy, sore throat, prolonged use of antibiotics, stress, flu, vitamin B9 reserves are almost completely consumed by the body within two weeks. Using folic acid supplementation in your diet, anyone today can cover or prevent a lack of vitamin B9 with subsequent painful conditions.
Benefits of Folic Acid
So, let’s look at the functions of folic acid in the body
This is a vitamin that is not synthesized either in the liver or in the kidneys, but which must be supplied from the outside every day. A very small amount of vitamin B9 is synthesized by the beneficial intestinal microflora, and this is not enough to cover the costs of the vitamin by the body.
Why is it so important to us:
- he participates in the process of the formation of new cells! It provides the process of DNA replication – it’s doubling. This is the only way to form new cells in the human body.
- Vitamin B9 is important in the formation of new blood cells – namely, in their maturation
Symptoms of a shortage in the initial stages are “common” :
- bad dream
- daytime sleepiness
- insomnia at night
- decreased performance
- susceptibility to seasonal infections
Due to megaloblastic anemia, all organs lack oxygen, which is why a separate pathological process begins in each of them.
Folic Acid During Pregnancy
Let us consider in more detail the significance of folic acid for pregnant women and children.
According to the WHO, the folic acid deficiency is found in more than half of modern women. Moreover, this mainly applies to young women. And since during pregnancy and lactation, the body uses all the beneficial substances intensely, including B9 – with a deficiency of the vitamin, there are corresponding violations in the development of the fetus.
The fact is that in pregnant women part of the folic acid goes to an intensively growing organism – the baby, so the mother does not receive the required amount.
As stated above, vitamin B9 is required for DNA replication processes. It is this process that is most important for the embryo, fetus, and subsequently for the child. Indeed, the correctness of the laying and development of the child’s internal organs, including the heart and brain, depends on the “quality” of cell division.
The process of formation of the neural tube of the fetus, from which subsequently the entire nervous system is formed – from nerve fibers to the cerebral cortex, occurs at the first stages of pregnancy. Therefore, it is especially important to observe the target level of folic acid in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The first symptoms of B9 deficiency in pregnant women are noticeable after a week:
- the pallor of the skin
- emotional lability (constant mood swings from joy to irritation and back)
- having problems with cognitive functions
- including memory
- ability to concentrate decreases
- skin rash may appear in the form of blackheads or age spots
Such symptoms are conceived erroneously attributed to overwork, bad weather, and other causes. But, the reason for the “bad” condition is commonplace – a deficiency of folic acid.
The solution is very simple – as much as possible food rich in vitamin B9, and regular intake of a nutritional supplement containing the natural vitamin. Let’s try to figure out how to choose folic acid.
How to take folic acid
Convenient release forms
- chewable tablets
- liquid form
- candy canes
- vegetable capsules
Dosage 400 or 800
When choosing a dietary supplement, you must take into account the frequency of daily intake. Most often, there are drugs that provide a daily rate in one or two doses.
Folate or Folic Acid?
Vitamin B9 in the form of methyl folate is often found in food additives – this is one of the forms of the vitamin that has the most pronounced activity. The fact is that folic acid itself is not a sufficiently active substance. For example, it is not able to penetrate the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain. In order to pass this barrier, B9 must turn into a more active form of folate. Folate is the common name for B9 substances.
“Activating” B9 is often easy. However, sometimes folic acid metabolism is difficult due to a number of hereditary disorders due to the MTHFR gene. As a result, the bioavailability of vitamin in the amount we need is sharply reduced.
Therefore, the release of an already activated substance, methyl folate, has been established. It is important that methyl folate easily and unhindered enters the vascular bed, after which it is used by the cells of the body. In addition, methyl folate is not toxic, which makes it absolutely safe for a healthy human body.
Vitamin B9 Daily Intake
Folic acid, available as a supplement, has an advantage over that found in food. The bioavailability of the vitamin from the supplement is several times higher.
The need for vitamin depends on a number of criteria, including age, occupation, alcohol consumption (reduces the supply of vitamin B9 in the body), as well as pregnancy.
Here are the doses recommended by the World Health Organization, depending on age:
- Up to 1 year – 50 mcg / day;
- 1-3 years – 70 mcg / day;
- 4-6 years – 100 mcg / day;
- 6-10 years – 150 mcg / day;
- 11 years and older – 200 mcg / day.
A pregnant woman needs an increased amount of B9 – 200 μg / day is added to the age norm. For example, a pregnant woman aged 40 in the first trimester needs to consume 400 mcg/day of vitamin B9. It should be noted that the benefits and necessity of taking folate during pregnancy have been proven by WHO.
During the lactation period – breastfeeding, it is necessary to consume 60-100 mcg/day more than the age norm.
In some cases, pregnant women are advised to consume 800 micrograms of folic acid per day daily. This tactic is used with the initially known deficiency of B9, with frequent acute respiratory diseases, megaloblastic anemia, a number of chronic diseases and other conditions.
Also, a dosage of 800 mcg is used in the treatment of diseases associated with B9 hypovitaminosis, during periods of increased physical and mental activity, stress and for rapid replenishment of folic acid stores.
In addition, large dosages are convenient in that in this form, the supplement can be taken not every day, but every two to three days.
The course of taking a dietary supplement with folic acid.
- A person needs to consume a certain amount of folic acid daily. This is necessary so that the level of folate in the blood does not fall below the normal value of 5-20 μg / L.
- The importance of taking the supplement every day is based on the fact that folates are very quickly excreted from the body – for example, 1% of folate with urine is lost per day, in addition, the part is spent on various metabolic processes.
- Folic acid must be consumed continuously. Depending on your dosage, once or twice a day.
- It is advisable to consume vitamin B9 with food, the sooner the better. Taking vitamin B9 in the evening can stimulate the nervous system and temporarily impair sleep quality. A daily intake, on the contrary, will add vitality and contribute to any activity. | <urn:uuid:6cd93253-49eb-4fcc-94e1-3804b0f8d8bc> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://justadad247.com/folic-acid-or-folate-we-understand-and-choose/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964358966.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20211130080511-20211130110511-00487.warc.gz | en | 0.945836 | 1,741 | 3.40625 | 3 |
A tremor -- or uncontrollable shaking -- which can be triggered by alcohol use, is characterized by fluttering, jerky movements of hands and fingers, and cannot be stopped voluntarily. Tremors can also occur in your arms, head and eyes, and can affect your voice. People who experience tremors associated with alcohol may have a serious problem and should talk to their doctor about treatment options.
Tremors and Alcohol
Alcohol consumption, alcoholism and alcohol withdrawal are among the main causes of tremors. Your doctor will ask you if drinking worsens or improves your tremors, as a means of trying to determine if alcohol is to blame for the involuntary movements. Abruptly quitting drinking after a prolonged period of time, such as stopping after using alcohol most days of the week for several years, is potentially dangerous and can lead to depression, vomiting, diarrhea and even seizures or death; therefore, you shouldn't quit without professional guidance.
If you stop drinking suddenly after long-term, consistent consumption, you are at risk for a dangerous condition called alcohol withdrawal. This condition typically occurs in adults, but can happen in teens who drink regularly and even infants born to alcohol-dependent moms. In a 1998 report about fetal alcohol syndrome, Jennifer Thomas, Ph.D., writes that newborns whose mothers were intoxicated during delivery can exhibit signs of alcohol withdrawal, including tremors and frequent mouth movements. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal can occur within five to 10 hours of your last drink, worsen at 48 to 72 hours and persist for several weeks, reports MedlinePlus. Your tremors will likely be accompanied by anxiety, mood swings, irritability and physical symptoms like clammy skin, dilated pupils, nausea and vomiting.
In 2004, "American Family Physician" reported that "most patients undergoing alcohol withdrawal can be treated safely and effectively as outpatients." Detox involves medications that calm nerves and reduce agitation, prevent seizures, maintain blood pressure and heart rate, and reduce alcohol cravings. Detoxifying your system from alcohol can take about seven to 10 days.
If you're a heavy drinker, getting your drinking under control can prevent the onset of tremors. Once you're having symptoms like tremors, however, it's likely that your body is already dependent on the alcohol. The "New York Times" reports that excessive alcohol use is characterized by consuming more than 15 drinks per week for men and eight drinks per week for women. Drinking more than five drinks a day for men and more than four a day for women is also considered excessive. A sign that you're dependent on drinking might be a daily routine that's affected by or organized around your habitual drinking; for example, consistent tardiness at work because of hangovers. Fighting with your spouse, getting arrested for drinking and driving, and not remembering things you've said and done while drinking is also indicative of alcohol dependence. | <urn:uuid:79c20067-82e8-40ab-9d69-661333042860> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://www.livestrong.com/article/517956-what-does-it-mean-when-you-shake-uncontrollably-after-drinking-alcohol/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818690228.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20170924224054-20170925004054-00367.warc.gz | en | 0.966113 | 583 | 2.921875 | 3 |
the entire directory
only in staylor965/W3C
Computers: Internet: Organizations
- W3C's web content accessibility guidelines checker. Helps ensure that the page is accessible to all regardless of disability.
- Reads an HTML or XHTML document and extracts a list of anchors and links. Checks that all the links are dereferenceable, including the fragments and warns about HTTP redirects, including directory redirects.
W3C HTML Validation Service
- A free service that checks documents like HTML and XHTML for conformance to W3C Recommendations and other standards.
W3C Jigsaw CSS Validator
- Validate your cascading style sheet by URI, with a text area or style sheet source file by upload.
- Evaluation, repair, and transformation tools for web content accessibility.
Web Accessibility Initiative
- An initiative by the World Wide Web Consortium to advise web content authors, user agent authors and authoring tools authors how to create accessible content and applications.
The World Wide Web Consortium
- (W3C) Develops interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the Web to its full potential. A forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding.
- This working draft specifies the XHTML 2.0 Markup Language and a variety of XHTML-conforming modules that support that language.
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Last update: January 2, 2007 at 17:25:57 UTC - | <urn:uuid:3f57b4ae-b453-4ab5-b99f-ade9a6b185dc> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.dmoz.org/Bookmarks/S/staylor965/W3C/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644064019.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025424-00086-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.714484 | 326 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Crowdfunding is a way of raising finance by asking a large number of people each for a small amount of money. Traditionally, financing a business, project or venture involved asking a few people for large sums of money. Crowdfunding switches this idea around, using the internet to talk to thousands – if not millions – of potential funders. Typically, those seeking funds will set up a profile of their project on a website such as those run by our members. They can then use social media, alongside traditional networks of friends, family and work acquaintances, to raise money. Below is a brief description of each of the different type of crowdfunding.
Donation / Reward Crowdfunding
People invest simply because they believe in the cause. Rewards can be offered (often called reward crowdfunding), such as acknowledgements on an album cover, tickets to an event, regular news updates, free gifts and so on. Returns are considered intangible. Donors have a social or personal motivation for putting their money in and expect nothing back, except perhaps to feel good about helping the project.
Investors receive their money back with interest. Also called Peer-to-Peer (p2p) lending, it allows for the lending of money while bypassing traditional banks. Returns are financial, but investors also have the benefit of having contributed to the success of an idea they believe in. In the case of microfinance, where very small sums of money are leant to the very poor, most often in developing countries, no interest is paid on the loan and the lender is rewarded by doing social good.
People invest in an opportunity in exchange for equity. Money is exchanged for a shares, or a small stake in the business, project or venture. As with other types of shares, apart from community shares, if it is successful the value goes up. If not, the value goes down.
A Little Bit Of History
The first online crowdfunded project is thought to have occurred in 1997. Rock band Marillion were unable to afford to tour after the release of their seventh album so American fans used the then fledgling internet to raise $60,000 so they could play in the US. Although the band wasn’t involved in the first round of fundraising, they have since used the same techniques to successfully fund the production of their following three albums. Since then, this marketplace has grown substantially.
So to recap…
- In rewards-based crowdfunding, backers give a small amount of money in exchange for a reward.
- In donation-based crowdfunding, donors donate a small amount of money in exchange for gratitude and the feeling of supporting a cause they believe in.
- In equity crowdfunding, investors invest large amounts of money in a company in exchange for a small piece of equity in the company.
- And in debt crowdfunding, lenders make a loan with the expectation to make back their principal plus interest. | <urn:uuid:6dd9df8a-2ab7-4909-aa6a-d8295f9fba3d> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://vemagnet.com/2017/05/15/crowdfunding-different-types/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583657557.2/warc/CC-MAIN-20190116175238-20190116201238-00334.warc.gz | en | 0.960995 | 586 | 2.953125 | 3 |
The BRICS countries, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, are emerging economies that have shown remarkable growth and development over the past few decades. Together, they represent over 40% of the world’s population and a combined GDP of over $16 trillion. However, despite their impressive economic growth, the BRICS countries remain heavily dependent on the US dollar for international trade and finance.
In recent years, the BRICS nations have been pushing for de-dollarization. In other words, de-dollarization is the process of reducing their dependence on the US dollar and increasing their economic autonomy. This blog post will explore the reasons behind this push, the potential impact on the global economy, the challenges to de-dollarization, and the BRICS nations’ efforts towards the development of a new currency.
What are the BRICS Countries?
The BRICS countries are a group of five emerging economies that have shown significant economic growth and development over the past few decades. The term was first coined in 2001 by economist Jim O’Neill to describe these nations that he believed would become some of the world’s largest economies by the year 2050. Initially, only Brazil, Russia, India, and China were part of it, as “BRIC”, but in 2010 South Africa was added, creating the BRICS known as nowadays.
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa represent a significant portion of the world’s population, resources, and economic potential. These countries are characterised by their large domestic markets, abundant natural resources, and increasing integration into the global economy.
Although the good signs set at the beginning, the most recent economic progress made by the BRICS countries, seems to stray from the original ideals on which the group was established. Out of the five member states, only China has been able to attain consistent and significant expansion since the beginning. While China’s gross domestic product soared from $6 trillion in 2010 to about $18 trillion in 2021, the economies of Brazil, South Africa, and Russia displayed lacklustre growth. Although India’s GDP also increased from $1.7 trillion to $3.1 trillion, it was eclipsed by China’s immense growth.
Why do the BRICS Countries Want to De-Dollarize?
The BRICS countries want to reduce their dependence on the US dollar and increase their economic autonomy for several reasons. First, the US dollar’s dominance in international trade and finance gives the US significant power and influence over the global economy. This has led to concerns that the US could use its position to impose economic sanctions or other measures that could harm the BRICS countries’ economies.
BRICS_Countries_and_The_Push_for_De-Dollarization 1512 words Second, the US dollar’s role as the world’s reserve currency means that the BRICS countries must hold large amounts of US dollars to facilitate international trade and finance. This has led to significant dollar-denominated debt for some of the BRICS nations, which could pose a risk to their economies if the value of the dollar were to decline sharply.
Finally, the BRICS countries believe that reducing their dependence on the US dollar could increase their economic autonomy and strengthen their position in the global economy. By reducing the role of the US dollar in international trade and finance, the BRICS nations could create more opportunities for their own currencies to be used and accepted globally.
How Would De-Dollarization Affect the Global Economy?
The push towards de-dollarization by the BRICS countries could have significant implications for the global economy. One potential impact is the reduced role of the US dollar in international trade and finance. This could lead to a shift towards a more multipolar international monetary system, with multiple currencies playing a larger role in global trade and finance.
Another potential impact is the increased use and acceptance of the BRICS countries’ currencies in international trade and finance. This could lead to a more diversified global economy, with more opportunities for emerging markets to participate in global trade and finance.
However, there could also be challenges associated with de-dollarization. For example, the BRICS countries may face difficulty in developing and promoting their own currencies as viable alternatives to the US dollar or even a new currency. There may also be geopolitical tensions and conflicts between the BRICS countries and the US and other Western countries that could impact their efforts towards economic autonomy.
What are the Challenges to De-Dollarization?
There are several challenges that the BRICS countries must overcome to achieve their goal of de-dollarization. One significant challenge is political and economic instability. Several of the BRICS nations have experienced significant political turmoil and economic instability in recent years, which could impact their efforts towards economic autonomy.
Another challenge is corruption and the unequal distribution of wealth. These issues could hinder the development and promotion of the BRICS countries’ own currencies and limit their potential to participate in global trade and finance.
Finally, there is the challenge of developing a viable alternative to the US dollar. While the BRICS countries have made some progress in this area, like trading in their own currencies, there is still a long way to go before they can create viable alternatives like that of a new currency. This would require significant investment in infrastructure, technology, and financial institutions.
BRICS Nations and the Development of a “New Currency”
One potential solution to the challenges of de-dollarization is the development of a new currency that could serve as an alternative to the US dollar and the BRICS nations are already moving ahead with plans. According to an announcement made by a Russian official last week, this development is yet another indication that the dominance of the US dollar in global trade is diminishing. Alexander Babakov, who serves as the deputy chairman of Russia’s legislative assembly, the State Duma, has stated that the shift towards using national currencies for settlements is just the first step. In recent times, we have already witnessed examples of this approach being employed in oil deals between India and Russia that were settled using currencies other than the US dollar.
The idea behind a new currency is to create an alternative that is not tied to the US dollar or any other existing currency. This could reduce the BRICS nations’ dependence on the US dollar and increase their economic autonomy. reduce costs, promote more significant bilateral trade and facilitate investments.
However, developing a new currency would require significant investment, infrastructure, and institutional support. It remains to be seen whether the BRICS countries will be able to overcome these challenges and successfully develop a new currency or even opt for a digital currency. The summit for the discussion is scheduled for August 2023.
China and Brazil Trades Eliminated the US Dollar
As per the new agreement recently announced, Brazil and China will conduct trade by directly exchanging their currencies, the yuan and reais, respectively, without the need for converting them into US dollars.
This denotes another minor deviation from the prevalent control of the US dollar and is aimed to reduce costs and promote even greater bilateral trade and facilitating investment.
In the past few years, multiple nations have endeavoured to reduce their reliance on the US dollar. Due to the reckless borrowing, expenditure, and monetary creation carried out by the US government, trust in the American currency has been consistently declining. Additionally, America’s deployment of the US dollar as a tool of foreign policy has instilled misgivings among several countries, prompting them to be cautious about relying solely on the dollar.
Creating a New World Bank Model
In 2014, the BRICS countries established the New Development Bank with a seed capital of $50 billion (around €46 billion). The purpose of the bank was to provide an alternative to the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, which many developing and emerging economies had criticised for their structural adjustment programs and austerity measures. Along with the bank, the BRICS nations created the Contingent Reserve Arrangement, a liquidity mechanism designed to provide financial support to members facing payment difficulties.
The establishment of the BRICS bank and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement was a significant development that attracted many countries beyond the BRICS nations. These countries were interested in joining the group as they saw the bank as a viable alternative to the World Bank and the IMF. The bank is open to new members, and in 2021, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay, and Bangladesh took up shares. However, these countries’ investment amounts were significantly lower than the founding members’ $10 billion investment.
The BRICS countries’ push towards de-dollarization is a significant development in the global economy. The shift towards a more multipolar monetary system could have far-reaching implications for global trade and finance. However, there are significant challenges to overcome, including developing a viable alternative to the US dollar and addressing political and economic instability.
Ultimately, the success of the BRICS countries’ efforts towards de-dollarization will depend on their ability to work together and invest in infrastructure, technology, and institutions that can support their economic autonomy. The BRICS nations’ future will be shaped by their ability to adapt to these challenges and harness their economic potential to promote sustainable and inclusive growth. | <urn:uuid:45bee37c-1007-49f1-9fe7-f5445983aff0> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://opendeclaration.com/acw/brics-multipolar-vs-unipolar-world/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947475833.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20240302152131-20240302182131-00250.warc.gz | en | 0.954792 | 1,898 | 3.046875 | 3 |
REDD+ Subnational Initiatives examines how REDD+ projects canbe designed and implemented so that their outcomes are effective, effi cient and equitable and they deliver co-benefi ts.
Although REDD+ is still being negotiated in international arenas, some 200 subnational forest carbon initiatives are already underway around the world.1 These interventions aim to increase forest carbon stocks relative to business-as-usual scenarios (i.e., the scenario if there were no intervention).
How successful are these interventions likely to be? Will their outcomes be effi cient, equitable and effective? Will they deliver co-benefi ts such as improved livelihoods and protection of rights, tenure and biodiversity? What conditions and activities help or hinder these projects in achieving their aims? How can they get the necessary support from local people?
To help answer these questions, we collect and analyze socioeconomic and biophysical baseline data at 23 REDD+ project sites in six countries, encompassing more than 170 villages and nearly 4000 households. To ensure effects are appropriately attributed to the projects, we compare data before and after, and with and without, an intervention.
Topic: climatic change,REDD,deforestation,degradation,mitigation
Series: CIFOR Factsheet
Publisher: Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Bogor, Indonesia
Publication Year: 2013 | <urn:uuid:93930012-947f-4e3b-bd9e-3e7af22a61d4> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.cifor.org/library/4261/redd-subnational-initiatives/?pub=4261 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802768044.102/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075248-00031-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.928011 | 281 | 2.8125 | 3 |
"Dot matrix" bed linen claimed to reduce bedsores
A team of Swiss researchers has developed a new kind of bed linen with the intention of reducing the occurrence of bedsores among bedridden patients. The new "dot matrix" linen is designed to reduce the contact surface against the skin while allowing for greater absorption of problem moisture that can otherwise exacerbate the problem.
Bedsores, or pressure ulcers, can develop when an area of skin, particularly near to a bone, is placed under pressure from the weight of the body, disrupting the blood supply to the skin. Pressure ulcers can develop in relatively short order when the force is great, but can also gradually emerge over longer periods of lesser but sustained pressure.
Pressure ulcers can also develop from the friction of skin sliding against the bed, and this can be made worse by the presence of moisture such as sweat, which can soften the skin making it susceptible to the condition.
The subconscious fidgetings of the healthy grant them near-immunity to the condition, but those that find it difficult or impossible to move are susceptible. The elderly and paraplegia patients are particularly vulnerable. The researchers claim that these groups face a 50 percent higher risk of developing bedsores during a hospital stay compared to others.
Researchers from the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa), Schoeller Medical and the Swiss Paraplegic Centre have joined forces to tackle the problem, immediately identifying bed linen as the focus of their work. "We evaluated marketable synthetic fibers and developed a material with a kind of dot matrix surface," said research leader Siegfried Derler of Empa, who has been studying ulcers since 2006.
The alternative surface results from the very different structure of the material, which is evident when examined under electron microscrope. Here's a conventional cotton bedsheet under the microscope:
And here's the "dot matrix" linen:
An Empa press release claims the advantages of the material are twofold. The first is that it "produces fewer points of contact and less surface contact with the skin;" the second that the material is more absorbent thanks to the microscopic gaps between the so-called dots.
Though the first trait in particular sounds counter-intuitive, the researchers claim that testing carried out over a period of 18 months produced "more than satisfactory" results, with reductions in sweating, improved blood circulation and greater levels of comfort reported by patients.
This is not the only research into alternative bed linens with a beneficial effect on bedsores. A proven material would certainly prove more cost effective than, say, intelligent beds, as a preventative measure.
The bed linen continues to undergo testing at Schoeller Medical ahead of a launch in early 2013. We asked Dr. Derler if clinical trials (which do exist for bed linen, by the way) had been carried out in order to ascertain effectiveness compared to other materials, and received the following response was brief. "Clinical trials were already undertaken (pilot study including 20 paraplegic patients)," he told us. We'll let you know the details if and when we receive them. | <urn:uuid:3b56abf2-97ea-4f5c-a8b2-f92e1ec54448> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://newatlas.com/dot-matrix-bed-linen/25100/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988721415.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183841-00171-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951864 | 641 | 2.9375 | 3 |
|I lost the care instructions for one of the plants I bought, so I don't even know what kind of plant it is, to look up what to do for it!
The tips of the leaves started turning brown, so I gave less water. That seems to hold the browning at bay, but now some leaves are turning yellow... help!!
|It really would help to know what kind of plant it is! However, browning leaf tips on plants usually indicate overly dry indoor air or drafts from a heater or air conditioner. Browning leaves can also be the result of fertilizer burn. You can trim off the brown leaf tips to make the plant look more attractive. Yellowing leaves can indicate overly wet soils and/or lack of sufficient light. Without knowing what plant you are growing I don't know whether it is getting too much or too little light; needs dry or moist soil, etc., but I can suggest you increase the humdity by setting the plant on a plastic saucer in which you've placed a layer of gravel and in which you keep about a half inch of water. As the water evaporates it will increase the humidity around your plant. Hope this helps!| | <urn:uuid:d37289c7-a6fb-4b8b-a8d1-99b8471c18b6> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://garden.org/frogs/view/102292/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125946688.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20180424115900-20180424135900-00161.warc.gz | en | 0.963438 | 244 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Scientists around the world are looking for the best way to treat chronic pain patients. But finding evidence that supports the best practice model isn't always easy. In this article, researchers from the Netherlands ask the question, Are we measuring what we need to measure?
In this article, new ideas and research around the topic of pain are presented. A summary is provided of papers presented at the first Pain, Mind, and Movement conference. This conference was sponsored by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). It was held in Cairns, Australia in 2005.
Chronic pain is an increasing problem in the developed world, however, limited medical resources are causing longer than desirable waiting periods for assessment and treatment for the pain. According to recent statistics, chronic pain affects 15 percent to 29 percent of the general population.
The authors of this article reviewed the access to chronic care treatment and the effects of increasing waiting times.
Pain is an experience that is influenced by many factors. It is not only a physical experience, but is influenced by emotional states such as depression, anxiety, fear, motivation, and previous experience with pain.
M.J.L Sullivan. Toward a biopsychomotor conceptualization of pain: implications for research and intervention. Clin J Pain. 2008. Vol 24, Num 4 Pp.281-289.
Research shows that pain experience has physical, cognitive, motivational, and emotional factors. Research also demonstrates that persons with depression and catastrophizing will often display more pain behavior in response to pain. They are also more likely to avoid activity for fear of increased pain, which then leads to more disability.
M.J.L Sullivan. Toward a biopsychomotor conceptualization of pain: implications for research and intervention. Clin J Pain. 2008.
Pain is a very subjective sensation - people don't all feel pain the same way. We also have a tendency to want to be able to see what is causing the pain. How many times have you heard someone looking at a bad wound say, "oh, that's got to hurt"? If people don't see the injury happen or see the results, it's often not something that they consider as being very painful.
Healthcare professionals tend to use terms like chronic pain and acute pain without realizing that the patients may not understand what we mean and this is a good question.
Acute pain is a pain that is usually of sudden onset and something that you can pinpoint and treat. Examples of acute pain are:
I've been thinking about the latest computer technology. Is it possible to use virtual reality programs to help overcome chronic pain? My son is doing a special science project at school. This might be a good one to pursue.Posted May 20th, 2008 by Matt
Scientists are beginning to examine virtual reality (VR) as a way to address chronic pain. VR allows a user to interact with a computer-simulated environment. It could be real or imagined.
I have chronic muscle pain and what feels like muscle spasms that might be related to fibromyalgia. It's not clear just what's causing my symptoms. Can you explain to me in layman's terms what's going on?Posted May 20th, 2008 by Matt
Scientists aren't sure what is the exact mechanism behind musculoskeletal pain associated with fibromyalgia. It appears that there is a wide range of differences between patients. Pain intensity and duration varies from person to person.
What we do know is that the cramplike, diffuse muscle aching of fibromyalgia occurs when muscle receptors called nociceptors get turned on or turned up. Group III and group IV muscle receptors (nociceptors) are affected.
The author suggests that the notion that pain is purely a sensory phenomenon is flawed. That in fact, patients with pain also differ in how they behave. Persons with pain report higher levels of physical and emotional distress, and suffering. The author proposes that persons in pain also act differently from persons without pain. Facial expressions, moans or sighs, guarding or rubbing the affected body part, altered gait pattern are typical behaviors. | <urn:uuid:c90956ac-befe-4939-a4dd-1d965aa52f52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.spineuniversity.com/pain_management?page=11 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703532372/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112532-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956986 | 848 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Mold is a common issue that can arise in buildings, particularly in areas with high humidity or poor ventilation. While it is usually possible to remediate mold problems, in some cases the extent of the damage may require the building to be demolished. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at mold, what causes it, and when it may require a building to be demolished.
Mold is a type of fungus that can grow on various surfaces, including walls, floors, and ceilings. It thrives in moist environments and can spread quickly if not addressed promptly. Mold is not only unsightly, but it can also be a health hazard, particularly for individuals with allergies or respiratory issues.
There are several causes of mold growth in buildings, including:
Leaks or water damage:
Any type of water damage, including leaks from pipes, roof damage, or flooding, can create the perfect environment for mold to grow.
Poor ventilation, particularly in areas such as bathrooms and kitchens, can lead to high humidity levels and promote mold growth.
Lack of insulation:
Insulation helps to regulate the temperature and moisture levels in a building. A lack of insulation can lead to mold growth, particularly in areas with high humidity.
In most cases, mold can be remediated by cleaning the affected surfaces and fixing the underlying cause of mold growth, such as repairing leaks or improving ventilation. However, in some cases, the extent of mold growth may be so severe that the building needs to be demolished.
There are several factors that can contribute to the need for a building to be demolished due to mold, including:
Mold can weaken building materials, such as wood and drywall, leading to structural damage and making the building unsafe.
Extensive mold growth:
If the mold has spread to multiple areas of the building and is difficult to remove, demolition may be the only option.
In some cases, the mold may be toxic and pose a significant health risk, particularly for individuals with allergies or respiratory issues. In these cases, demolition may be necessary to protect public health.
It’s important to note that demolition is a last resort and should only be considered after all other options have been exhausted. Before demolition, it is important to have the building assessed by a professional to determine the extent of mold growth and to ensure that demolition is the only option.
Mold can be a reason for building demolition, particularly in cases where the mold growth is extensive, has caused structural damage, or poses a significant health risk. To avoid the need for demolition, it’s important to address mold promptly and to take steps to prevent mold growth, such as improving ventilation and fixing leaks.
If you suspect that you have a mold problem in your building, it’s important to seek the advice of a professional at Q Recycling & Construction Service, we will determine the best course of action. Just give us a call at (832) 263-0152. | <urn:uuid:09152f75-8d74-4315-8de8-d003de8a3022> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://www.qrecycling.com/can-mold-result-in-the-demolition-of-a-building/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510208.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20230926111439-20230926141439-00426.warc.gz | en | 0.949068 | 625 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Capital Budgeting Techniques
There are a number of capital budgeting techniques available to an analyst. For our purposes, we will only review net present value and internal rate of return.
Net Present Value
The Net Present Value technique involves discounting net cash flows for a project, then subtracting net investment from the discounted net cash flows. The result is called the Net Present Value(NPV). If the net present value is positive, adopting the project would add to the value of the company. Whether the company chooses to do that will depend on their selection strategies. If they pick all projects that add to the value of the company, they would choose all projects with positive net present values even if that value is just $1. On the other hand, if they have limited resources, they will rank the projects and pick those with the highest NPV's.
The discount rate used most frequently is the company's cost of capital.
What would the net present value for a project with a net investment of $40,000 and the following net cash flows be if the company's cost of capital is 5%? NCFs for year one is $25,000, for year two is $36,000 and for year three is $5000.
|Total Discounted Cash Flows Discounted at 5%||$60,772|
|Less: Net Investment||− $40,000|
|Net Present Value||$20,772|
As discussed in the Time Value of Money Overview, different techniques can be used to determine present value. For this example, we'll use the Present Value Factors Table. | <urn:uuid:7bd45c89-a4d6-4bc9-99d9-91155b753fdb> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.studyfinance.com/lessons/capbudget/?page=09 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414637903439.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20141030025823-00003-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.87965 | 329 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Other than what is mentioned in fast food nation, what is an example of what can happen when important matters of public policy are abandoned by government to the self interests of corporations outside of the fast food industry. Chapter 1 opens with discussion of carl n karcher, one of fast food's pioneers carl was born in 1917 in ohio he quit school after eighth grade and spent long hours farming with his father. Essays - largest database of quality sample essays and research papers on fast food nation rhetorical analysis. English language arts, grade 10: rhetoric 151 unit: rhetoric anchor text fast food nation and chapter 14 from the jungle (sample tasks.
Fast food nation: illegal immigration by courtney martin and jessica orellana logical appeals throughout the film there are many logical appeals that are made concerning illegal immigrants. Metaphors and similes: the author uses these strategies to make comparisons between different conditions in the fast food industry he does this especially when describing the living or working conditions of the animals and employees. Davies 2 circle of context first, the rhetor, the author, eric schlosser who is the writer of fast food nation , a book about the overuse of fast food in america. Fast food nation: the dark side of the all-american meal a book review discussion led by charles hall university of tennessee discussion led during the 2002 wcc-72 meetings in las vegas. Eric schlosser uses specific syntax in certain places to keep the reader interested the headquarters of cke is still located on the property where the heinz family once grew oranges. On the range excerpted from the book fast food nation by eric schlosser perennial books, 2002, paper p134 hank was the first person i met in colorado springs.
In eric schlosser's fast food nation, there are many chapters to chose from to write about rhetoric the contents of chapter eight. Fast food nation: the dark side of the all-american meal rhetorical strategies what is rhetoric logos- schlosser appeals to logos by giving you the facts of what the fast food industry is doing in america today. The theme of fast food nation was born as schlosser discovered the power of corporations to influence government and government everything you don't want to know about fast food that is equally filled with current investigation and historical facts ( rhetoric. Must read books: fast food nation fast food nation: during the past two decades, rhetoric about the free market has cloaked changes in the nation's economy that bear little relation to real competition or freedom of choice.
Unit 1 what is rhetoric english ii course packet: readings unit 1 donn neville high school 2 contents silva rhetoricae online: the forest of rhetoric 3 fast food nation, the most dangerous job by eric. Shlosser uses the rhetorical device, syntax, by making lists to emphasize his points for example in other mass production industries ruled by the assembly line, labor unions have gained workers higher wages, formal grievance procedures, and a voice in how the work is performed labor unions.
The rhetoric of fast food fast food is hot food, such as chips, that one get from certain types of restaurants, and which get served very quickly after a customer's order in 2001 eric schlosser published fast food nation. Fast food nation: the dark side of the all-american meal (2001) is a book by investigative journalist eric schlosser that examines the local and global influence of the united states fast food industry. Need help with introduction in eric schlosser's fast food nation check out our revolutionary side-by-side summary and analysis. I need a rhetorical analysis on eric schlosser's fast food nation details of the writing prompt are included in the attached file. | <urn:uuid:08568fb3-5fd1-4137-bb84-6161bf058897> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://xbtermpapersdyf.ameriquote.us/rhetoric-and-fast-food-nation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267865081.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20180623132619-20180623152619-00621.warc.gz | en | 0.937829 | 769 | 2.703125 | 3 |
By SHANKKAR AIYAR
The frustrating thing about India, the legendary Cambridge economist Joan Robinson once said, is “Whatever you can rightly say about India, the opposite is also true.” As India celebrated the 72nd Independence Day a review of its spectacular successes and many inadequacies validated the profound observation.
In his speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort on Independence Day, the Prime Minister introduced a new pride factor – a manned space mission. India is justifiably proud of ISRO, frugal innovation and the fact that it can deliver a Mars Mission at a cost less than what it cost to produce the movie Gravity. There is no escaping the striking contrasts.
- Indian scientists can perfect a slingshot itinerary for the Mars Orbiter. On the ground, the system flails at delivering potable water or pothole-free roads.
- The Forbes billionaires list features 121 Indians on the list and India ranks second among countries with extreme poverty.
- India’s education system churns out millions of graduates, and half of those enrolling drop out without completing schooling.
There are many popular notions, even hardened beliefs, about the root source of the many failings – ranging from too many people, too much democracy, to a vague allusion to culture. Fact is, democracy cannot be a gloat and a gripe factor. Similarly, demography cannot be a disability and a dividend. Angus Madison’s statistical studies show this very ‘culture’ controlled a 22 percent share of global trade in the 1700s.
To paraphrase Cassius, the Roman nobleman, the fault dear Brutus lies not with democracy or with demography or with culture, but with a peculiar approach where hyper-politics of consequences result in hypo-cognition of causation.
Persistence of Politics of Consequence
Public policy is defined by the decibel level of politics of consequences and the case for addressing the cause is left languishing on the ventilator of governance.
The political class in India’s democracy has secularly missed the cause in the rush to address the froth about the consequence.
Yes, political expediency demands that consequences be addressed and immediately. The United Progressive Alliance government pushed legislation for food security, an employment scheme and the right to education. All the interventions were consequence-facing. Have the causalities been addressed? Pain calls for an analgesic. But equally, pain is also a symptom of a larger malaise and that must be addressed. The history of India’s political economy is replete with instances of paracetamol politics and policy. Consider issues in agriculture, human development, public sector enterprises, law and order, basic infrastructure and urbanisation.
The continued distress in agriculture for decades underlines the persistence of the politics of consequences. The charade of concern dates back several decades. India witnessed many famines in the 1800s and 1900s. Independent India should have inducted technology and invested in agriculture.
The distress of farmers does call for a soothing salve but equally, it demands solutions to long-pending issues.
In the last 25 years there have been sequels and variations of loan waivers – from VP Singh’s waiver of Rs 10,000 crore; to UPA’s 2008 announcement of a Rs 72,000 crore waiver; and since 2017, state-wise waivers estimated at Rs 2.5 lakh crore. Every year, Government of India claims expenditure of over Rs 70,000 crore on fertiliser subsidy, and over Rs 1.5 lakh crore on food subsidy. Add the rhetoric about the minimum support price, an economic measure converted into a slogan.
The optics would suggest that these have flowed to the farmer. The reality is different. Successive regimes have succeeded in building a narrative of the farmer as a ‘free-loader’. Agriculture, which is India’s largest private sector is shackled by the terms of trade.
Farming is a business like any other and needs backward and forward linkages – access to inputs, affordable credit, autonomy to price and market connectivity.
The design of policy suggests that the sector is being treated as a case for political charity whereas the sector calls for liberation – to produce, price and prosper.
‘Addressing the Causation Is Much Arduous’
- India’s expenditure – centre and states – on the social sector has shot up from Rs 1.3 lakh crore at the beginning of the new millennium in 2000-01 to Rs 10.94 lakh crore in 2017-18.
- Within this, the spending on education has increased from Rs 32,370 crore to Rs 4.41 lakh crore and that on health services from Rs 14,135 to Rs 2.25 lakh crore.
- India’s Human Development Index ranking was 128/174 in 2000 and 131/188 in 2016.
- There have been three national policies, each in the education and health sectors.
Poor outcomes stem from the divorce of authority from accountability – every regime waxes about delegation and in practice, further centralisation follows.
Investment fuels growth but investments are stalled by red tape. In 1991, India dismantled the licence raj. The establishment, though, ensured the continuance of permission raj.
- An investor funding a power project must get over 90 clearances from the centre and the state.
- Anyone aspiring to set up a hotel or a residential complex would require between 120 to 140 clearances.
The promise is about ease and therefore the question to be asked is the need for many of the clearances. Why can’t the centre leave it to the states?
This week the President gave assent to the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 that provides for the death penalty for rape of a minor girl. In the last few weeks, there has been a scandalous upsurge in revelations of sexual abuse of children in shelters across states which are government funded but unaudited.
What about prevention? Over 4 lakh police vacancies across states and recruitment have to be prodded by the Supreme Court. Over 1.3 lakh rape cases are pending – every hour four rapes are reported and only 3 percent of rape cases result in a conviction. Deterrence demands enforcement of the rule of law.
Addressing the causation is obviously arduous and it is much more seductive to proffer new laws.
Electrification and water supply are essential for human and economic development. Thousands of schools and hundreds of primary health centres lack electricity and water connection despite a series of plans, missions, and spending. This government had made electrification of villages a focal point of its agenda. So far so good, but it is also a fact that homes and offices are wracked by outages caused by the inability of state electricity boards to pay generating companies. Since 2000, governments have bailed out SEBs three times, directly and through interventions, worth Rs 3 lakh crore. Nearly a fifth of the power produced is lost in transmission and distribution – the euphemism for theft and leakage. Thanks to the fragile fiscal state over Rs 4 lakh crore in power debt is on the brink of turning NPAs.
The solution is a parallel national distribution grid, the introduction of competition to give consumers choice but governments have balked at dismantling the monopoly of politics over the power tariff.
Last week, Indians were aghast to know over 23 percent of Air India’s fleet is lying idle. The national carrier has losses of over Rs 50,000 crore, has defaulted on payments, is unable to pay pilots and staff on time and even the attempt to sell it has found no takers. The mess symbolises the decay of public wealth.
The number of loss-making enterprises has gone up from 54 to 82 in 10 years, the average annual loss is around Rs 22,000 crore and totally, the PSEs have lost Rs 2.22 lakh crore between 2007 and 2017. Ideally, the government must get out of managing businesses and professionalise them. Instead, even the disinvestment process has been converted into an annuity scheme for governments where enterprises are buying other enterprises enabling payoffs to the government to plug deficits.
The popular narrative has stereotyped the phrase Nehruvian economics. Interestingly in his book The Discovery of India, Nehru says “In regard to the agency in state-owned industries it was suggested that as a general rule an autonomous public trust would be suitable.” This “would ensure public ownership and control and at the same time avoid the difficulties and inefficiency which sometimes creep in under direct democratic control.”
Neither Nehru nor the regimes after him followed up on the idea.
A majority of the PSEs came in the post-Nehru period – the number of PSEs has gone up from 68 in 1970, 170 in 1990, to 331 in 2017 – over 150 were set up post-1991.
On Monday, the Housing and Urban Affairs ministry released the ‘Ease of Living Index’. On Tuesday, 14 August, The Economist released its ranking of the world’s most liveable cities. No Indian city figured in the ranking of 140 global metros – not even at the bottom of the rank! In March, another survey of quality of living found India’s best entry, Hyderabad, was at number 142. A recent Boston Consulting Group – Uber study put the economic cost of traffic congestion in four cities, Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Kolkata, at 1.54 lakh crores ($22 billion).
How poor is the state of affairs? The 111 cities which participated in the ease of living survey barely passed muster with an average of 35.6 – Pune ranked number 1 scored 58.11 – out of 100 reflecting the gap between what is, and what should be.
No city can boast of 24×7 water-supplies and no metropolis, barring Mumbai, can assure 24×7 electricity.
Who Will Bell the Cat?
The BJP promised 100 new cities in its 2014 manifesto. In June 2015, Government of India announced the ‘100 smart cities’ initiative which has morphed into a dumb policy without funding and delegation of functions. A quarter of a century after enabling amendments in the Constitution, city governments are dominions of the politics and colonies of state government and no political party wants to bell the cat.
The total spending of governments of India, at the centre and in states together in 2007-08 was Rs 13.15 lakh crore. In 2018, the centre and the states will together spend just over Rs 60 lakh crore. To get a sense of proportion, that is over Rs 16,400 crore per day, and over Rs 685 crore per hour. Much of this goes towards mitigating distress and ensuring development. Where this is spent and how it must be spent needs to be appraised.
Who will bell the cat? The political executive is wedded to the calculus of electoral politics and expedient policies. It is for the legislatures and both the houses in Parliament to raise the bar of discourse to enquire about and ensure outcomes. Earlier this month Akali Dal Member of Parliament Naresh Gujral moved a private member’s bill in the Rajya Sabha to legislate that parliament met for at least 120 days. It may be a good idea to devote a fourth of this towards enabling systemic change.
The question is not whether action or inaction confirms to Benthamian utilitarianism or Kant’s categorical imperative. The quest should be about extending political piety beyond electoral hedonism to enable a sustainable future.
If India is to deliver on its potential and ensure demographic dividend it must migrate from the consequence-based action to cause focussed long-term policy that enables systemic change.
Seventy years back, during the debates of the Constituent Assembly, BR Ambedkar warned: “There is a great danger of things going wrong.” People are moved by new ideologies, they are getting “tired of government by the people. They are prepared to have governments for the people and are indifferent whether it is government of the people and by the people.”
Shankkar Aiyar, political-economy analyst and Visiting Fellow at IDFC Institute, is the author of Aadhaar: A Biometric History of India’s 12-Digit Revolution; and Accidental India.This is an opinion piece and was originally published on BloombergQuint. The views expressed are the author’s own.
Source: The Quint | <urn:uuid:ccdde81d-7e78-41e2-95ce-9cd7a4ba309b> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://www.developmentnews.in/india-71-policy-chasing-consequences-causation-casualty/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320301592.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20220119215632-20220120005632-00657.warc.gz | en | 0.943294 | 2,584 | 2.640625 | 3 |
The American Psychological Association (APA) format for a research paper mainly consists of four sections: the title page, abstract, main body, and references. Most of the time, the researchers are busy writing the main text of the paper, overlooking the importance of choosing effective title and keywords in APA format research paper.
Little importance is given to the title and abstract in a paper while the keywords are almost ignored and written in a hurry at last. This is a dangerous thing to do as these three—the title, abstract, and keywords—are essential for publication success.
Choosing Effective Title and Keywords: Why is it Important?
Choosing effective title and keywords in APA format research paper is extremely crucial in helping someone find your research. Without these, most papers will not be read or found by readers. This is because most search engines, websites or databases use the words found in the title, abstract, and keywords to display the paper when someone searches with a keyword. Thus, the title of the paper, keywords and the abstract decide whether the paper will be found and cited by another researcher or reader.
In most cases, the title and abstract are freely available in the internet. Therefore, the title and abstract determine whether the reader will continue to read the paper and want to buy it.
Choosing an Effective Title
A good title should be around 10-12 words and should only use words and phrases which correctly highlight the content of the research paper. An effective title will help search engines to categorize and rank the paper for better viewership.
While writing the title, it is necessary to search for those keywords that properly describe the paper. The title should be self explanatory, correct and comprehensible. The title in an APA format research paper is center aligned at the top of the page and is not bold, italicized or underlined.
After the title, the author(s) name(s) and institutional affiliation(s) as well as the corresponding author and contact details are presented.
Some Steps Towards Writing an Effective Title in APA Format Research Paper
- Choose vital keywords from the paper.
- Then frame a sentence with those keywords.
- Delete unnecessary words and rephrase if needed to form a meaningful sentence.
Choosing Effective Keywords in APA Format Research Paper
Keywords are written after the abstract in an APA paper in a particular format. Around 5-6 keywords should be listed (the number might vary according to journal specifications). They are written after an indent, as if starting a new paragraph. The word ‘Keywords’ is italicized, followed by a colon mark, and is left aligned. The keywords are written in lower case with a comma separating each key word. There is no full stop after the last keyword.
While writing keywords, you must think what words you could have given while searching for your own paper.
Therefore, for better exposure and publication chances, care must be taken while choosing effective title and keywords in an APA format research paper. | <urn:uuid:88b7c003-197e-472b-8ff0-d34c878f08fc> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://www.manuscriptedit.com/scholar-hangout/author/ruby-nanda/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039743248.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20181117020225-20181117042225-00469.warc.gz | en | 0.905357 | 620 | 3.125 | 3 |
In early 2020, a new virus began generating headlines all over the world because of the unprecedented speed of its transmission.
Its origins have been traced to a food market in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. From there, it’s reached countries as distant as the United States and the Philippines.
The virus (officially named SARS-CoV-2) has been responsible for tens of millions of infections globally, causing over 1.5 million deaths. The United States is the country most affected.
The disease caused by an infection with SARS-CoV-2 is called COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019.
Let’s bust some myths.
Read on to learn:
- how this coronavirus is transmitted
- how it’s similar to and different from other coronaviruses
- how to prevent transmitting this virus to others if you suspect you’ve contracted it
If you looking OPPORTUNITY for money you must go to website at ufa | <urn:uuid:b658a1eb-0751-4652-b657-a968835fee97> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://clubroundbase.com/what-is-the-2019-coronavirus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335276.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20220928180732-20220928210732-00220.warc.gz | en | 0.945405 | 216 | 3.421875 | 3 |
Learn how to grow your own Shallots with this video tutorial from Quickcrop with expert vegetable grower Klaus Laitenberger. Shallots originated in Asia and belong to the genus Alium, which also includes onions and garlic. They are just as easy to grow as other aliums, and can be grown from seed or from sets. Sets are small bulbs, ready to be planted. Shallots grow smaller bulbs than onions and have a fantastic taste that is perfect for cooking with. | <urn:uuid:2d3c9969-2ad7-46d8-9b2c-714f7d39ef29> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://www.quickcrop.ie/learning/video/shallots | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039742978.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20181116045735-20181116071735-00444.warc.gz | en | 0.971135 | 98 | 3.125 | 3 |
The Top Five Unexpected Benefits of Robotics in the Classroom
Check out the original article here By Aaron Maurer.
As teachers, we’re well aware that STEM education is essential in preparing students for today’s world of non-stop innovation.
In my 13 years of teaching I’ve seen many curriculum fads come and go, but the use of robotics in the classroom has proven to be a consistent and surefire way to teach students the STEM skills needed to prepare them for the future job market. I’ve seen firsthand how it teaches students 21st-century skills including coding, engineering and the scientific method in a fun and engaging way.
However, there are so many other incredible things that I’ve watched my students learn in addition to STEM curriculum. Here are the top five unexpected benefits I’ve seen in students who use robotics in the classroom:
1. Robotics can be a launching pad for students to realize their passions.
By going through the process of building a robot in the classroom, students explore many different learning pathways. It’s amazing to watch students’ passions grow in subjects that they never knew they would love.
Some of my students have cultivated an interest in 3D printing and coding, and have even gone as far as to take apart household appliances because they have a new-found interest in mechanics. You can watch these students build their own learning pathways because robotics offers them an open platform where they can decide where to go with their experimentations. For teachers, a robotics curriculum naturally allows us to take an individualized approach to each student’s learning, helping to nurture their passions even further.
2. A strong robotics curriculum can create leaders.
When students interact with robots in the classroom and make them perform various motions and tasks, your students’ different strengths will start to shine.
When assembling robots in teams, some students are great at speaking and can verbally bring ideas to life. On the flipside, there are students who may not be as vocal but they lead behind the scenes: they code, perform technical tasks and/or makes sure the team stays on task. Through the exercise of putting the robot together and making it move, these two types of students—both leaders in their own right—learn to communicate as a team and express their ideas to craft the best end result. The ability to come together as different types of leaders, communicate with each other and utilize their personal strengths will be essential throughout these students’ lives, no matter if they become an artist, a business executive or an engineer.
3. Robotics can teach students how to communicate across different technology platforms.
Social media has become a part of our everyday lives and using it is as innate for students today as using the telephone was when I was a teenager. There are plenty of good things about social media — but also many potential dangers and things that you want your students to avoid.
My classroom has a five-foot robot named Twitch. Twitch has his own Twitter account (@BMS_Theory) that the students update every day with what Twitch is doing or what we’re working on in class. As much as robotics teaches students how to code and flex their math and science muscles, it can also help show them how to navigate sending a tweet, how to write a blog post or respond when a company says, “we want you to test our product.”
Through this extension of robotics, my students are learning how to communicate across different technology platforms, understand the audience of these different platforms and gain experience crafting effective messages for the various audiences—a crucial skill that we all need to be familiar with, no matter what career path we follow.
4. Robotics can lead to community involvement.
I’ve personally seen the numerous benefits of student community involvement, including increased attendance, higher grades, a sense of greater security, fewer behavioral problems and an increase in positive attitudes about school and homework. However, I’ve also witnessed youth struggle to find positive ways to get involved with their communities and don’t know where to look for resources on how to get started.
Teaching robotics in the classroom can create a sense of community within the classroom that expands to the outside community in which you live. I’ve had students go out and present their robots at our local art museum and various technology fairs. It’s their show and their product, so the students naturally take ownership and pride over what is presented.
Through opportunities like these, students begin seeing robotics as more than a project for a grade but rather as a tool that can inspire others. Nine times out of ten, seasoned professionals build the robots they see on TV, and getting started can certainly feel intimidating. But when you have young students teaching others how to build robots, many will think to themselves, “I can do that.” The next thing you know, another mind is interested in STEM!
5. Robotics teaches essential teamwork skills.
The STEM skills that robotics teach are great for inspiring tomorrow’s engineers. However, I realize that not all of my students are going to work for NASA or even work in a science and math-related field. Yet some of the teamwork skills they learn through robotics are ones they will use for the rest of their life.
When students work in groups on a project with a robot they quickly see that technical skills, such as coding, are very important. However, their robot won’t move if they don’t know how to collaborate with others and communicate their ideas. Through robotics in the classroom, students learn how to express themselves and listen and relate to others— honing valuable life skills.
STEM lessons are extremely important for students as they prepare to enter the 21st-century workforce. Through robotics, students can learn more than just how to code. They can learn skills in leadership, community involvement, communicating across different technology platforms, finding their passions, and teamwork, which will position them for success well beyond their school years. As I continue my education journey, I’m excited to see the surprise benefits that teaching robotics in the classroom will uncover next!
Aaron Maurer is an Instructional Coach at Bettendorf Middle School and LEGO Education Ambassador Program (LEAP) teacher. Follow him on Twitter: @coffeechugbooks | <urn:uuid:ce2894ba-cc7d-44a4-90bf-aaa95af55eff> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://adamarobotics.com/the-top-five-unexpected-benefits-of-robotics-in-the-classroom/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623487629632.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20210617072023-20210617102023-00199.warc.gz | en | 0.964556 | 1,300 | 3.3125 | 3 |
How should teachers conduct lesson observations of other teachers?
For 25 years, observing in the classroom has been largely a trial and error process. Sadly, I made many mistakes.
In a paper published by The British Psychological Society, 2010, Neil Mercer poses interesting theories about collecting observational data, especially in working classrooms, and why it requires a systematic and considered approach to what behaviours should be sampled, how these observations should be captured and the practicality of recording what is observed.
The paper describes methods for analysing classroom ‘talk’, comparing strengths and weaknesses. Both quantitative and qualitative methods based on specific theories of social action, research paradigms, and disciplines.
Discourse in the classroom
Studies which are typically observational, non-interventional, and qualitative ask the following type of questions:
- How does classroom discourse enable, or inhibit, the expression of identities?
- How are the languages/language varieties of different cultures recognised and used in schools?
- Is current educational policy sensitive to the linguistic and cultural reality of school life?
Discourse and its impact in the classroom
Studies which research traditions in social and developmental psychology and pedagogical studies, with strong attachments to the work of Vygotsky ask the following types of questions:
- How does dialogue promote learning and the development of understanding?
- What types of talk are associated with the best learning outcomes?
- Does collaborative activity help children to learn, or assist their conceptual development?
The paper continues to argue that both approaches cannot be understood without due attention to the nature and functions of qualitative analysis; that cultural and local norms shape the processes of teaching and learning; and that in the classroom, meanings are continually renegotiated over variable periods of time.
The implication is that one-off, ‘snapshot’ studies of the classroom are unlikely to yield as valid results as those which involve continuous and repeated observations, such as over a series of lessons and both approaches agreed to be critical of classroom research which does not recognise the importance of these principles.
What is Ofsted up to?
Eight years later in June 2018, Ofsted published research which highlighted 6 observation models, unpicking how lesson observations may help with future inspection development – curated to support reliability and validity – as OfSTED seek to strengthen their purpose. Today as I write, Ofsted now consult the world on their inspection framework for September 2019, abandoning ‘teaching and learning’ as a key judgement because past research has proven that it is unreliable to be able to evaluate the complex nature of the classroom in such a short period of time.
One would be forgiven for thinking how Ofsted believe that they can still evaluate a school in just two days if grading a teacher in a snapshot period is so flawed.
In Mercer’s paper, he highlights the combined use of quantitative and qualitative methods has become more common in educational research – today, this is everything schools hope to achieve, but my research suggests it remains a significant challenge.
Mercer concludes arguments that only qualitative research can deal with the human reality of school life, or that only quantitative research amounts to real science, is unconvincing. Instead, researchers should accept that various methods – and methodologies have their distinctive strengths and weaknesses and that by asking ‘What do I need to do to answer my research questions?’ an open-minded researcher may avoid simplistic choices.
Something noteworthy, Mercer writes “We also know that the ways teachers use talk (verbal feedback) in the classroom have a significant effect on students as a tool for their own learning, but if this line of educational research is to have a major impact on educational policy and the training of teachers, we need more large-scale studies.”
My research with UCL may not (yet) be large-scale, but it’s a start to help rescue teachers from observational bias and the marking/workload burden.
As a classroom practitioner, all I want to ask is, what is the impact on pupils and the classroom. Once we’ve worked out what the research suggests, as ever, teachers need to know what that then looks like in the classroom. May this serve as a good reminder to those all unpicking the complex world of the classroom.
The analysis of classroom talk: Methods and methodologies by Neil Mercer, Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge. If you would like a copy of the full paper, leave a comment below. | <urn:uuid:a594424b-981c-4f03-9215-c3afcdf3b906> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2019/03/17/observations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027320734.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20190824105853-20190824131853-00020.warc.gz | en | 0.957204 | 912 | 3.171875 | 3 |
PREPARATORY DOCUMENTS FOR THE
DRAFT AMERICAN DECLARATION OF THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
DOCUMENT 7. IACHR PRESENTATION TO THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF ITS DRAFT AMERICAN DECLARATION OF THE RIGHTS OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES AND BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS (MARCH 1997)
PREPARATION OF A JURIDICAL INSTRUMENT ON INDIGENOUS RIGHTS
SECOND ROUND OF CONSULTATIONS
At its 95th Regular Session, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights approved the proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, pursuant to a recommendation of the General Assembly to that end (AG/RES. 1022 (XIX-0/89). This proposal includes suggestions and comments from the governments, indigenous and intergovernmental organizations, experts, and special meetings of consultation that were held between October of 1995 and February of 1997, based on a draft consultation approved by the IACHR at its 90th Regular Session. It takes also in account the work being done by the United Nations (AG/RES. 1404 (XXVI-O/96).
As specified in Recommendation 8 of Chapter VII in this Annual Report, this proposal is being submitted to the General Assembly and to its Permanent Council, and it is being made public by the Commission so that it can be considered at the next General Assembly and, in detail, by the governments, peoples and interested organizations, so that it can be approved by the member countries at the 1998 General Assembly, in commemoration of the Organization's 50th anniversary.
BACKGROUND OF THE SECOND ROUND OF CONSULTATIONS
In October of 1995, the Commission embarked on a broad round of consultations concerning the questionnaire which it had drawn up and approved at that time, based on previous consultations, national constitutions and legislation, international instruments and statements on this subject. The questionnaire was widely circulated to governments and to hundreds of indigenous organizations, experts and other entities which were asked to present their comments. The text was also disseminated by news media.
A number of different mechanisms were used for the purpose of this consultation: a) direct consultation by correspondence, as noted above; b) presentation and discussion of the questionnaire at specialized technical meetings; c) consultation of indigenous population at a national and multinational level; and d) regional meetings.
The draft was presented and examined at various technical meetings: in Arequipa, Peru, at the "First World Meeting of Indigenous Peoples" which was organized by the World Council of Indigenous Peoples in October of 1955; in Ottawa at the "Widening the Circle" on February 27, 1996, meeting organized by FOCAL, the University of Ottawa and the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, attended by more than 100 delegates from the entire Hemisphere; in Guatemala City, organized by the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights in March of 1996; at the General Kuna Congress in Ogubscun, Panama, in 1996; and at the 1996 Sovereignty Symposium, held in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
NATIONAL AND REGIONAL CONSULTATIONS
For the national and regional consultations, the IACHR acted as coordinator, with assistance from the Inter-American Indian Institute; the Unit for the Promotion of Democracy; the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights; and the Inter-American Fund for the Development of Indigenous Peoples (whose headquarters are in Bolivia) and with cooperation from the Inter-American Development Bank.
The following national consultations were held:
Organization Responsible: ORIANA (The Andean Indigenous Regional Organization of Northern Argentina). Coverage: Nationwide. The participants consisted of fourteen delegates, who represented the country's eighteen indigenous peoples. Held in Buenos Aires, from October 20 through October 23, 1996.
Two parallel consultations took place. I. Organizations Responsible: CIDOB (Organizations of the Lowlands) and SUTCB (Organizations of the Highlands). They were sponsored by the National Secretariat on Ethnic Matters, which published the IACHR Draft Survey in newspapers to ensure the widest possible dissemination. The results of the consultation were endorsed by the National Government. Coverage: Nationwide. Two workshops were held, one in the city of Santa Cruz for the Oriente, Chaco and Amazonia region and the other in Oruro for the Andean region. II. Organization Responsible: the Indigenous Parliament of Bolivia (the Honorable Chamber of Deputies).
Coverage: The consultation was attended by ten indigenous deputies to the National Parliament of Bolivia.
Organization Responsible: CAPOIB (Joint Council of Indigenous Peoples and Organizations in Brazil). Coverage: Nationwide. The participants included directors of the organizations most directly involved in COIAB, COR, UNI, AC and CAPOIB, in addition to the legal counsel of the two last-named. Held in Brasilia in October of 1996.
Organization Responsible: ONIC (National Indigenous Organization of Colombia).
Coverage: Nationwide. Held in Bogota in October of 1996.
Took place in San Jose, on 11-14 December, 1996, organized by the "National Indigenous Round Table" -affiliated with CICA. In the process two regional meetings, two national meetings and some local meetings were completed.
Organization Responsible: The representative of the indigenous peoples of Chile to the Fund. Coverage: Two consultations were held, one among the Aymaras peoples and the other among the Atacameño (in the northern part of Chile).
Organization Responsible: the Secretariat of Ethnic Affairs and a commission, consisting of an equal number of representatives from the indigenous and the Afro-Ecuadorian peoples. Coverage: Nationwide. A three-day national seminar was held in Quito from October 7 through October 9, 1996.
A Workshop Seminar was organized by the "Indigenous Round Table" of El Salvador, with Indian representatives from all the country, in December 1996.
Held in "Ruinas de Copán" on November 9 and 10, 1996 by the Confederation of Auctochtonous Peoples of Honduras CONPAH, with approximately 100 delegates from the Miskito, Garifuna, Pech, Talupanes O-Xroquaz, Incas, Black anglophones, and Chortis.
Direct consultations and a Workshop Seminar in Tuxtepec, Oaxaca, on December 7 and 8, 1996, with 19 delegates of 15 national and regional organizations.
Organization Responsible: COONAPIP (National Coordination Office for the Indigenous Peoples of Panama). Coverage: Nationwide, representing the Ngobe-Bugle, the Kuna of Mandugandi, the Embera Wounan and the Kuna Takarkunyala.
Organizations responsible: Fifteen indigenous organizations of Paraguay. Coverage: Nationwide. The participants were the heads of the 15 organizations. The meeting took place in the city of Benjamin Aceval, on November 15, 1996.
Organizations Responsible: UNCA (Union of Aymara Communities) and CAH (the Aguaruna Huambisa Council). Coverage: Nationwide. Six national agencies were convened (AIDESEP, CONAP, CNA, CCP, COICAP, and the Andean Council of Coca Leaf Producers) along with regional organizations from the whole country. The participants were 26 national-level leaders. The seminar was held in Lima, in November of 1996.
CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES
In addition to the presentation at the various technical meetings cited above, answers were received from centers that represent indigenous rights, and a meeting was sponsored by the Center for Energy Resources Tribes (U.S.A.) and the International Organization of Indigenous Resources Development (IORD) and the Grand Council of the Crees (Canada) was held in Denver, Colorado, at which a revised text was prepared with the help of representatives of 140 indigenous peoples of North America. This version was then approved by acclamation by the Grand Council of the Crees and the Hobemas, and thereafter presented at the Conference on Amerindian peoples organized by UNESCO in Paris, in June of 1996.
Consejo Nacional de Centro América (CICA). Meeting in Guatemala City, on October 18, 1996.
Coordinadora de Pueblos Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA). Held a special meeting on October 1-4, 1996 in Quito, with 11 representatives of CONFENIAE (Ecuador), OPIAC (Colombia), COIAB (Brazil), APA (Guyana), OIS (Suriname) and COICA (Peru).
The regional meetings for South America in Quito, Ecuador; and those for Central America and the Caribbean, in Guatemala City were held in November of 1996. The delegates of the national consultations and other experts and representatives of governments presented the results of their surveys and discussed the preparation procedures.
I. Regional Meeting for Central America and the Caribbean
Site: the Central American Parliament in Guatemala City, November 14-16, 1996. Government sponsor: the Ministry of Culture and Sports. Participants: 67 persons, 28 of whom were representatives of indigenous organizations in Guatemala; 17 were representatives of indigenous organizations in El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Belize and Suriname; 6 represented the Governments of Belize, Canada, Guatemala and Mexico; and 16 were representatives and/or experts from Minugua, Flacso, the UNDP, the I.I.I., the IIDH and the Central American Parliament. Delegates from the IACHR, the I.I.I., the UPD, the Indigenous Fund, and Guatemala's Ministry of Culture and Sports also took part.
II. Regional Meeting of Consultation for South America
Site: Hotel Quito, in Quito, Ecuador. November 21-23, 1996. Government Sponsor: the Secretariat of Ethnic Affairs at the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs. Participants: 165 in number, 77 of whom were indigenous and Afro-Ecuadorean representatives and 20 were indigenous representatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru; 19 were diplomatic and technical representatives accredited to the meeting by the Governments of Argentina, Bolivia (the Undersecretary of Technical Affairs), Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay; and four were executive staff of regional organizations (COICA, the World Council on Indigenous Peoples and the IIDH). Officials from the IACHR, the UPD and the I.I.I. also took part.
In Mexico City in December, the Inter-American Indigenous Institute held the First Indigenous Forum of the Americas, in the presence of eighteen indigenous leaders from the region. The Forum's main objective was to discuss the inter-American instrument on indigenous rights. The Forum supported the initiative and recommended that the range of consultation be broadened.
COMMENTS FROM GOVERNMENTS
Comments were received from the Governments of Argentina, Brazil, Canada, the United States, Honduras, El Salvador, Mexico, and Venezuela. The Government of Bolivia endorsed the observations of the national consultation.
COMMENTS FROM INSTITUTIONS AND EXPERTS
Responses and comments were also received from the International Labor Organization (ILO) and from the United Nations Mission in Guatemala (Minugua). Also from the Indian Law Resource Center (USA); the Inter-American Dialogue, the Child Rights International Research Institute, the International Indian Treaty Council (US), of Hutchins, Soroka, Dionne (Ottawa, Canada). From experts: Augusto Willemsen Díaz (of Guatemala), Aureliano Turpo Choquehuanca (World Council on Indigenous Peoples), Professor Fernand de Varennes (Murdoch University, Australia); Prof. Joe Palacio (UWI, Belice), and Hugo Mondragón (Colombia).
IACHR TECHNICAL REVIEW MEETING
Taking into account all of the responses and conclusions of the meetings, in January of 1997, the IACHR held a Technical Meeting to review the draft text of the questionnaire and to propose a revised version, for consideration by the IACHR at its 95th Regular Session. The participants at the meeting included rapporteur members Dr. Carlos Ayala Corao and Ambassador John Donaldson, and the contract experts Dr. Magdalena Gómez Rivera (Director of Legal Prosecution at the National Indigenous Institute of Mexico); Dr. Patrick Robinson (a former member of the Commission and rapporteur on the topic); and Wilton Littlechild, Q.C. (indigenous lawyer and member of the Canadian Parliament), with the collaboration of IACHR principal specialist lawyer, Dr. Osvaldo Kreimer.
THE COMMISSION'S PROPOSAL
The Commission approved the text which is transcribed as the proposed American Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, to be presented to the General Assembly in response to the recommendation contained in resolution AG/RES. 1022 (XIX-O/89). The IACHR also proposes that the General Assembly, when it considers the Declaration at its June 1997 meeting, conduct the consultations and adopt the measures necessary to approve the declaration at its annual session in 1998, to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Organization.
Published by Inter-American Commission on Human Rights 1996 Annual Report.
This resolution was repeated in subsequent years by resolutions AG/RES. 1044 (XX-O/90); AG/RES. 1169 (XXII-O/92); AG/RES. 1269 (XXII-O/94); and AG/RES. 1331 (XXV-O/95).
A first round of consultations to seek opinions as regarding the topics and approach used in the instrument was carried out by the Commission between 1991 and 1993. The findings were published in the 1992-1993 IACHR Annual Report, pp. 263-310 (281-330 in the Spanish version). | <urn:uuid:b7615441-ffcd-420f-9c35-e8df6d704054> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www1.umn.edu/humanrts/iachr/indig-ch2-doc7.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246660493.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045740-00238-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934636 | 2,886 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Welcome to the homepage of El Libro De Español 1. There is a major wave of CI, TPRS, and other organic methods sweeping the nation of Spanish classes across the land! I am striving to be part of that movement. However, I am a firm believer in "everything in moderation". I believe in a healthy diet of all things good to bring balance to my students. So, in this free online textbook I have married OLD SCHOOL with NEW SCHOOL. In this class we will learn to speak español !! and... we will learn about the linguistics of the language too! "Why do we have to learn grammmmmaaaarrrr???" you ask?...Because, it is an integral, fundamental pillar that not only explains the "why?" but also teaches you many things about your own language. That's right, I'm here to educate you in so many ways :) So, kick back and enjoy the ride! ¡Vamos a divertirnos en la clase de español!
Homepage of each chapter:
That means click the red tab of the chapter in the red bar above.
1- A summary of the vocabulary and grammar.
2- A link to things you already know (cosas que ya sabes). We begin each chapter with a rapid review of things we already know that we will build on in the current chapter.
The drop-down menu of each chapter:
Vocabulary page of each chapter:
1- Vocabulary section 1 (P-V-1) (1-V-1) (2-V-1) ...
2- Vocabulary secion 2 (P-V-2) (1-V-2) (2-V-2) ...
3- Quizlet button for each section.
4- A vocabulary chart for you to print and fill out for your binder
5- An audio bar for you to practice pronunciation
You will have 2 sections of vocabulary. You will have to set up a quizlet account using your google email account. I will provide a link for you to join the class on quizlet. Here you will have online practice exercises where you will compete with the other Spanish 1 students playing various vocabulary games. There may even be extra credit up for grabs! I will explain more about that in class. You will also have posted worksheets on each vocabulary page for every chapter as well as listening exercises and "Movie Talks".
Grammar pages of each chapter:
1- A prezi explains the grammar point step by step
2- Assigned worksheets for homework
(P-2-A) Preliminary chapter - lesson 2 - worksheet A
(1-3-D) Chapter 1 - lesson 3 - worksheet D
(2-2-B) Chapter 2 - lesson 2 - worksheet B
The prezi grammar lessons will have built in practice exercises that we will do together in class as "guided practice". These guided practice exercises are an excellent way for you to test your understanding at home too!
There will be worksheets below the prezi that will be assigned for homework that you will do on your own (consider this as your "workbook"). Most of the time, the quizzes will be formatted much like the practices exercises that you do for homework.
Each grammar page contains a prezi that will explain the grammar point step by step. We will review these prezi's together in class and you will write down the notes to each grammar point. This may seem worthless to you as the notes are available online at all times, but writing is part of the learning process and it keeps the notes available to you in a notebook for easy access to study. Sooo, you must take notes on the grammar prezi's. I even recommend taking the notes in advance so that when I present, you can follow along in your notes and observe, absorb and take extra notes on points you find helpful that may not be in the prezi.
Review page of each chapter:
1- Screen shots of the important pages of each prezi
2- Review practice to prepare for the test | <urn:uuid:57bc4f0f-e909-45b4-8ca0-daf37b8e65f7> | CC-MAIN-2022-27 | https://www.ellibrodeespanol1.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-27/segments/1656104683708.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20220707063442-20220707093442-00098.warc.gz | en | 0.888756 | 921 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The Enlightenment Museum
Life in the 1700s
George Frederick Handel was born in Halle, Germany on February 23, 1685. Some of his famous songs include Messiah and Rinaldo.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was born in Salzburg, Austria on January 27, 1756. Some of his famous songs include Ascanio in Alba and Lucio Silla
Rococo style of art is light, elaborate, and decorative. It emphasized pastel colors sinuous curves, and patterns based on flowers, vines, and shells. Famous paintings are Francois Boucher's The Vulcan Presenting Venus with Arms for Aeneas and William Hogarth's A Rake's Progress. | <urn:uuid:aa054daa-ea81-4215-b5b4-0f28252dcec3> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://www.smore.com/crphs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125945143.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20180421110245-20180421130245-00337.warc.gz | en | 0.971343 | 144 | 2.984375 | 3 |
St Patrick was born in Britain in the 4th century AD. It is believed that as a young man, Patrick was kidnapped and taken into slavery to Ireland. He claimed that his escape from Ireland and his eventual return to Britain was based upon God’s instructions, given to him in a dream. After his return to Britain, he began to study for the Catholic priesthood.
Later in life, as a Catholic bishop, Patrick said that he was called to return to Ireland to win over the Irish who held a belief in many Gods. It is believed that he used the shamrock to illustrate the doctrine of the trinity.
Although originally being associated with the color blue, gradually green became the representative color for St Patrick’s Day. It is believed the color green has been associated with the celebration due to the color of the shamrock and the green vegetation found in Ireland. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Patrick’s_Day
The symbolic use of the color green is not limited to the St Patrick’s Day holiday. In the Bible the color green is often associated with a state of blessing from Almighty God. Psalm 52:8-9 is one example of this usage…
Ps 52:8-9 (KJV)
8But I [am] like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.9I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done [it]: and I will wait on thy name; for [it is] good before thy saints.
In Psalm 52:8-9, we find King David reflecting on his blessed life and the origin of those blessings…
But I [am] like a green olive tree in the house of God:
Here David is recognizing the blessed conditions of his life. He describes being blessed greatly as being “like a green olive tree”. Here, “green” is symbolically describing his flourishing life. As a green tree is filled with health and life; so too, David was thriving having both his physical and, especially, his spiritual needs supplied by His God.
I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
David, as he recounts his many blessings from God, now looks ahead in faith. He realizes that the Lord can be relied upon for his future physical and his spiritual needs, just as He had met David’s past needs.
The bestowing of God’s blessings is based upon His mercy.
We, as fallen creation, are destined for eternal separation from God. This is because sin cannot enter into God’s presence. However, based upon the mercy of God we can receive forgiveness of our sins and live an eternity with Him. How did our God do this? He sent His Son to take the debt of sin and separation from God upon Himself so that we can live an eternity with Him.
This is all a part of how God had shown mercy to David. This is why David said that he would trust God’s mercy forever. It was because of God’s great mercy to Him that his eternity was now secure, knowing that he had been forgiven of his sins. Once he knew his eternity was secure based on the Messiah’s work. allowing him to enjoy the blessings of God in his physical life on earth and his spiritual walk with the Lord.
I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done [it]:
David is dedicated to praise and honor his Lord because of all his Lord had done for Him.
and I will wait on thy name;
David continues by vowing to seek His will and obey his Lord. His Lord was going to sacrifice His Son so that David would receive forgiveness. David is now simply offering to be faithful servant based upon all the Lord has done for him.
for [it is] good before thy saints
Faithfully serving God, affects the lives of the saints. It sets a Godly example and is an encouragement and strength to the saints (throughout the Bible a “saint” is describing anyone who has been forgiven of their sins).
THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION
For those who have trusted in Christ…
As we see the “wearing of the green” on this St Patrick’s Day, let all of us be reminded of our blessed life based upon God’s mercy to us. Once reminded of God’s mercy shown to us, let’s appreciate His workings by taking advantage of the opportunities that He places before us. When we have the opportunity, lets be a good example and encouragement to others who have trusted in Christ. This means being careful, even on St Patricks Day, to set a Godly example of holiness in living as others see our lives of faith.
For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach. Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
For those who have never trusted in Christ…
This St Patrick’s Day, can hold a new greater meaning for our lives. By recognizing our need of His blessings of mercy upon our lives, and then looking to Him in faith; we can experience the greatest of all His blessings, the forgiveness of our sins.
Trusting in Christ is, basically, handing over our life to Him. It is an action that declares that we know we can do nothing to obtain the forgiveness of our sins. Our turning our life over to Him is an act of faith, trusting Him to forgive our sins and make our future secure through Christ’s work on the cross. It is also coming to a realization that He is Lord of our life and, therefore, we will be submitting to His authority and dedicating our life to fulfill His will.”
May the Lord bless you as you seek His salvation and seek His Lordship for your life.
1Pet 2:21-25 (KJV)
For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
To see this lesson taught on video please go to my Video Blog at http://www.youtube.com/settledinheaven
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May the Lord bless your study of His Word. Like God’s Word… may your soul’s salvation and your life’s faithfulness be “Settled in Heaven.” | <urn:uuid:910d0f10-cba9-4f1c-8322-d74744f44844> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | https://settledinheaven.wordpress.com/2011/03/10/st-patricks-day-devotion-the-color-green/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1429246636650.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20150417045716-00273-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97151 | 1,647 | 3.0625 | 3 |
WAYS OF BOOSTING IMMUNE SYSTEM
The immune system is the body’s defense against infectious organisms and other invaders. Through a series of steps called the immune response, the immune system attacks organisms and substances that invade body systems and cause disease.Immune system is highly important system of your body doing remarkable function of defending you against diseases. But at time it fails when it is weak. There is no proof that particular activity or lifestyle change can result into boosting of your immune system. Researchers have found that healthy and strong immune system is possible with healthy living strategies. Following are various factors which may boost your immune system.
- Regular exercise – This is the prime factor affecting persons’ immune system. Those who exercise daily or five days a week for minimum 3-40 minutes have better immune system. Exercise is the important pillar of healthy living. Exercise increases circulation which helps the cells in immune system to move freely and work efficiently in your body.
A study conducted by David Nieman, a professor of public health & director of Human Performance Lab at Appalachian State University found that 30 minutes of brisk walking increased the circulation of natural killer cells, white blood cells and other immune system warriors. However it is also observed that immune boosting effects of exercise are fairly short lived. Therefore regular exercise is crucial for healthy life.
30-60 minutes moderate intensity aerobic exercise – brisk walking, cycling, easy running are best in optimizing immune function. Further it is also felt that during flue or cold “Rest is recommended”. Exercise cannot be used as therapy to overtake flu or cold.
- Sound sleep- Sound sleep of seven or more hours a night is essential for good immune system. There is no single yardstick for everybody, and may defer from person to person. Lack of sleep results in multiple health problems and so never is neglected.
- Healthy Diet – Diet is another important factor contributing to good immune system. Diet is fuel of our body and proper fuel is a must for our immune system as per Dr. Jason Goldsmith, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Immunology. Good and regular nourishment is essential attribute of improving immune system. Many people in US are deficient in certain vitamins and minerals. Particularly vitamin B, C, D and Zinc are important for proper immune system.
- Supplements -Vitamin D is more important as its deficiency is associated with both autoimmune diseases and poorer immune functions. Taking vitamin D supplement could reduce risk for common colds and infections by 10% as shown by research.
- Stress free Life – Mind and Body are closely related. Effect of mind on body appears in the form of difference diseases. Stress is associated with multiple ailments like headache, stomach pain, acidity, diabetes and even heart attacks. So living stress free life is key to developing immune system, which would take care of every organ of your body | <urn:uuid:255349fe-9dbd-4632-a1e5-63438e2b5121> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://healthylifeline.net/boost-your-immune-system/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046151641.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20210725080735-20210725110735-00451.warc.gz | en | 0.947174 | 588 | 3.328125 | 3 |
There has been a long-standing interest in the assessment of the neurobehavioral integrity of the newborn infant. The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) was developed as an assessment for the at-risk infant. These are infants who are at increased risk for poor developmental outcome because of insults during prenatal development, such as substance exposure or prematurity or factors such as poverty, poor nutrition or lack of prenatal care that can have adverse effects on the intrauterine environment and affect the developing fetus. The NNNS assesses the full range of infant neurobehavioral performance including neurological integrity, behavioral functioning, and signs of stress/abstinence. The NNNS is a noninvasive neonatal assessment tool with demonstrated validity as a predictor, not only of medical outcomes such as cerebral palsy diagnosis, neurological abnormalities, and diseases with risks to the brain, but also of developmental outcomes such as mental and motor functioning, behavior problems, school readiness, and IQ. The NNNS can identify infants at high risk for abnormal developmental outcome and is an important clinical tool that enables medical researchers and health practitioners to identify these infants and develop intervention programs to optimize the development of these infants as early as possible. The video shows the NNNS procedures, shows examples of normal and abnormal performance and the various clinical populations in which the exam can be used.
16 Related JoVE Articles!
Non-invasive Optical Measurement of Cerebral Metabolism and Hemodynamics in Infants
Institutions: Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Université de Caen Basse-Normandie, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, ISS, INC..
Perinatal brain injury remains a significant cause of infant mortality and morbidity, but there is not yet an effective bedside tool that can accurately screen for brain injury, monitor injury evolution, or assess response to therapy. The energy used by neurons is derived largely from tissue oxidative metabolism, and neural hyperactivity and cell death are reflected by corresponding changes in cerebral oxygen metabolism (CMRO2
). Thus, measures of CMRO2
are reflective of neuronal viability and provide critical diagnostic information, making CMRO2
an ideal target for bedside measurement of brain health.
Brain-imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) yield measures of cerebral glucose and oxygen metabolism, but these techniques require the administration of radionucleotides, so they are used in only the most acute cases.
Continuous-wave near-infrared spectroscopy (CWNIRS) provides non-invasive and non-ionizing radiation measures of hemoglobin oxygen saturation (SO2
) as a surrogate for cerebral oxygen consumption. However, SO2
is less than ideal as a surrogate for cerebral oxygen metabolism as it is influenced by both oxygen delivery and consumption. Furthermore, measurements of SO2
are not sensitive enough to detect brain injury hours after the insult 1,2
, because oxygen consumption and delivery reach equilibrium after acute transients 3
. We investigated the possibility of using more sophisticated NIRS optical methods to quantify cerebral oxygen metabolism at the bedside in healthy and brain-injured newborns. More specifically, we combined the frequency-domain NIRS (FDNIRS) measure of SO2
with the diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) measure of blood flow index (CBFi
) to yield an index of CMRO2
With the combined FDNIRS/DCS system we are able to quantify cerebral metabolism and hemodynamics. This represents an improvement over CWNIRS for detecting brain health, brain development, and response to therapy in neonates. Moreover, this method adheres to all neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) policies on infection control and institutional policies on laser safety. Future work will seek to integrate the two instruments to reduce acquisition time at the bedside and to implement real-time feedback on data quality to reduce the rate of data rejection.
Medicine, Issue 73, Developmental Biology, Neurobiology, Neuroscience, Biomedical Engineering, Anatomy, Physiology, Near infrared spectroscopy, diffuse correlation spectroscopy, cerebral hemodynamic, cerebral metabolism, brain injury screening, brain health, brain development, newborns, neonates, imaging, clinical techniques
EEG Mu Rhythm in Typical and Atypical Development
Institutions: University of Washington, University of Washington.
Electroencephalography (EEG) is an effective, efficient, and noninvasive method of assessing and recording brain activity. Given the excellent temporal resolution, EEG can be used to examine the neural response related to specific behaviors, states, or external stimuli. An example of this utility is the assessment of the mirror neuron system (MNS) in humans through the examination of the EEG mu rhythm. The EEG mu rhythm, oscillatory activity in the 8-12 Hz frequency range recorded from centrally located electrodes, is suppressed when an individual executes, or simply observes, goal directed actions. As such, it has been proposed to reflect activity of the MNS. It has been theorized that dysfunction in the mirror neuron system (MNS) plays a contributing role in the social deficits of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The MNS can then be noninvasively examined in clinical populations by using EEG mu rhythm attenuation as an index for its activity. The described protocol provides an avenue to examine social cognitive functions theoretically linked to the MNS in individuals with typical and atypical development, such as ASD.
Medicine, Issue 86, Electroencephalography (EEG), mu rhythm, imitation, autism spectrum disorder, social cognition, mirror neuron system
Quantitative Assessment of Cortical Auditory-tactile Processing in Children with Disabilities
Institutions: Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University, Vanderbilt University.
Objective and easy measurement of sensory processing is extremely difficult in nonverbal or vulnerable pediatric patients. We developed a new methodology to quantitatively assess children's cortical processing of light touch, speech sounds and the multisensory processing of the 2 stimuli, without requiring active subject participation or causing children discomfort. To accomplish this we developed a dual channel, time and strength calibrated air puff stimulator that allows both tactile stimulation and sham control. We combined this with the use of event-related potential methodology to allow for high temporal resolution of signals from the primary and secondary somatosensory cortices as well as higher order processing. This methodology also allowed us to measure a multisensory response to auditory-tactile stimulation.
Behavior, Issue 83, somatosensory, event related potential, auditory-tactile, multisensory, cortical response, child
Characterization of Complex Systems Using the Design of Experiments Approach: Transient Protein Expression in Tobacco as a Case Study
Institutions: RWTH Aachen University, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft.
Plants provide multiple benefits for the production of biopharmaceuticals including low costs, scalability, and safety. Transient expression offers the additional advantage of short development and production times, but expression levels can vary significantly between batches thus giving rise to regulatory concerns in the context of good manufacturing practice. We used a design of experiments (DoE) approach to determine the impact of major factors such as regulatory elements in the expression construct, plant growth and development parameters, and the incubation conditions during expression, on the variability of expression between batches. We tested plants expressing a model anti-HIV monoclonal antibody (2G12) and a fluorescent marker protein (DsRed). We discuss the rationale for selecting certain properties of the model and identify its potential limitations. The general approach can easily be transferred to other problems because the principles of the model are broadly applicable: knowledge-based parameter selection, complexity reduction by splitting the initial problem into smaller modules, software-guided setup of optimal experiment combinations and step-wise design augmentation. Therefore, the methodology is not only useful for characterizing protein expression in plants but also for the investigation of other complex systems lacking a mechanistic description. The predictive equations describing the interconnectivity between parameters can be used to establish mechanistic models for other complex systems.
Bioengineering, Issue 83, design of experiments (DoE), transient protein expression, plant-derived biopharmaceuticals, promoter, 5'UTR, fluorescent reporter protein, model building, incubation conditions, monoclonal antibody
Habituation and Prepulse Inhibition of Acoustic Startle in Rodents
Institutions: University of Western Ontario.
The acoustic startle response is a protective response, elicited by a sudden and intense acoustic stimulus. Facial and skeletal muscles are activated within a few milliseconds, leading to a whole body flinch in rodents1
. Although startle responses are reflexive responses that can be reliably elicited, they are not stereotypic. They can be modulated by emotions such as fear (fear potentiated startle) and joy (joy attenuated startle), by non-associative learning processes such as habituation and sensitization, and by other sensory stimuli through sensory gating processes (prepulse inhibition), turning startle responses into an excellent tool for assessing emotions, learning, and sensory gating, for review see 2, 3
. The primary pathway mediating startle responses is very short and well described, qualifying startle also as an excellent model for studying the underlying mechanisms for behavioural plasticity on a cellular/molecular level3
We here describe a method for assessing short-term habituation, long-term habituation and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle responses in rodents. Habituation describes the decrease of the startle response magnitude upon repeated presentation of the same stimulus. Habituation within a testing session is called short-term habituation (STH) and is reversible upon a period of several minutes without stimulation. Habituation between testing sessions is called long-term habituation (LTH)4
. Habituation is stimulus specific5
. Prepulse inhibition is the attenuation of a startle response by a preceding non-startling sensory stimulus6
. The interval between prepulse and startle stimulus can vary from 6 to up to 2000 ms. The prepulse can be any modality, however, acoustic prepulses are the most commonly used.
Habituation is a form of non-associative learning. It can also be viewed as a form of sensory filtering, since it reduces the organisms' response to a non-threatening stimulus. Prepulse inhibition (PPI) was originally developed in human neuropsychiatric research as an operational measure for sensory gating7
. PPI deficits may represent the interface of "psychosis and cognition" as they seem to predict cognitive impairment8-10
. Both habituation and PPI are disrupted in patients suffering from schizophrenia11
, and PPI disruptions have shown to be, at least in some cases, amenable to treatment with mostly atypical antipsychotics12, 13
. However, other mental and neurodegenerative diseases are also accompanied by disruption in habituation and/or PPI, such as autism spectrum disorders (slower habituation), obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette's syndrome, Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's Disease (PPI)11, 14, 15
Dopamine induced PPI deficits are a commonly used animal model for the screening of antipsychotic drugs16
, but PPI deficits can also be induced by many other psychomimetic drugs, environmental modifications and surgical procedures.
Neuroscience, Issue 55, Startle responses, rat, mouse, sensory gating, sensory filtering, short-term habituation, long-term habituation, prepulse inhibition
A Procedure to Observe Context-induced Renewal of Pavlovian-conditioned Alcohol-seeking Behavior in Rats
Institutions: Concordia University.
Environmental contexts in which drugs of abuse are consumed can trigger craving, a subjective Pavlovian-conditioned response that can facilitate drug-seeking behavior and prompt relapse in abstinent drug users. We have developed a procedure to study the behavioral and neural processes that mediate the impact of context on alcohol-seeking behavior in rats. Following acclimation to the taste and pharmacological effects of 15% ethanol in the home cage, male Long-Evans rats receive Pavlovian discrimination training (PDT) in conditioning chambers. In each daily (Mon-Fri) PDT session, 16 trials each of two different 10 sec auditory conditioned stimuli occur. During one stimulus, the CS+, 0.2 ml of 15% ethanol is delivered into a fluid port for oral consumption. The second stimulus, the CS-, is not paired with ethanol. Across sessions, entries into the fluid port during the CS+ increase, whereas entries during the CS- stabilize at a lower level, indicating that a predictive association between the CS+ and ethanol is acquired. During PDT each chamber is equipped with a specific configuration of visual, olfactory and tactile contextual stimuli. Following PDT, extinction training is conducted in the same chamber that is now equipped with a different configuration of contextual stimuli. The CS+ and CS- are presented as before, but ethanol is withheld, which causes a gradual decline in port entries during the CS+. At test, rats are placed back into the PDT context and presented with the CS+ and CS- as before, but without ethanol. This manipulation triggers a robust and selective increase in the number of port entries made during the alcohol predictive CS+, with no change in responding during the CS-. This effect, referred to as context-induced renewal, illustrates the powerful capacity of contexts associated with alcohol consumption to stimulate alcohol-seeking behavior in response to Pavlovian alcohol cues.
Behavior, Issue 91, Behavioral neuroscience, alcoholism, relapse, addiction, Pavlovian conditioning, ethanol, reinstatement, discrimination, conditioned approach
One Dimensional Turing-Like Handshake Test for Motor Intelligence
Institutions: Ben-Gurion University.
In the Turing test, a computer model is deemed to "think intelligently" if it can generate answers that are not distinguishable from those of a human. However, this test is limited to the linguistic aspects of machine intelligence. A salient function of the brain is the control of movement, and the movement of the human hand is a sophisticated demonstration of this function. Therefore, we propose a Turing-like handshake test, for machine motor intelligence. We administer the test through a telerobotic system in which the interrogator is engaged in a task of holding a robotic stylus and interacting with another party (human or artificial). Instead of asking the interrogator whether the other party is a person or a computer program, we employ a two-alternative forced choice method and ask which of two systems is more human-like. We extract a quantitative grade for each model according to its resemblance to the human handshake motion and name it "Model Human-Likeness Grade" (MHLG). We present three methods to estimate the MHLG. (i) By calculating the proportion of subjects' answers that the model is more human-like than the human; (ii) By comparing two weighted sums of human and model handshakes we fit a psychometric curve and extract the point of subjective equality (PSE); (iii) By comparing a given model with a weighted sum of human and random signal, we fit a psychometric curve to the answers of the interrogator and extract the PSE for the weight of the human in the weighted sum. Altogether, we provide a protocol to test computational models of the human handshake. We believe that building a model is a necessary step in understanding any phenomenon and, in this case, in understanding the neural mechanisms responsible for the generation of the human handshake.
Neuroscience, Issue 46, Turing test, Human Machine Interface, Haptics, Teleoperation, Motor Control, Motor Behavior, Diagnostics, Perception, handshake, telepresence
From Voxels to Knowledge: A Practical Guide to the Segmentation of Complex Electron Microscopy 3D-Data
Institutions: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
Modern 3D electron microscopy approaches have recently allowed unprecedented insight into the 3D ultrastructural organization of cells and tissues, enabling the visualization of large macromolecular machines, such as adhesion complexes, as well as higher-order structures, such as the cytoskeleton and cellular organelles in their respective cell and tissue context. Given the inherent complexity of cellular volumes, it is essential to first extract the features of interest in order to allow visualization, quantification, and therefore comprehension of their 3D organization. Each data set is defined by distinct characteristics, e.g.
, signal-to-noise ratio, crispness (sharpness) of the data, heterogeneity of its features, crowdedness of features, presence or absence of characteristic shapes that allow for easy identification, and the percentage of the entire volume that a specific region of interest occupies. All these characteristics need to be considered when deciding on which approach to take for segmentation.
The six different 3D ultrastructural data sets presented were obtained by three different imaging approaches: resin embedded stained electron tomography, focused ion beam- and serial block face- scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM, SBF-SEM) of mildly stained and heavily stained samples, respectively. For these data sets, four different segmentation approaches have been applied: (1) fully manual model building followed solely by visualization of the model, (2) manual tracing segmentation of the data followed by surface rendering, (3) semi-automated approaches followed by surface rendering, or (4) automated custom-designed segmentation algorithms followed by surface rendering and quantitative analysis. Depending on the combination of data set characteristics, it was found that typically one of these four categorical approaches outperforms the others, but depending on the exact sequence of criteria, more than one approach may be successful. Based on these data, we propose a triage scheme that categorizes both objective data set characteristics and subjective personal criteria for the analysis of the different data sets.
Bioengineering, Issue 90, 3D electron microscopy, feature extraction, segmentation, image analysis, reconstruction, manual tracing, thresholding
Perceptual and Category Processing of the Uncanny Valley Hypothesis' Dimension of Human Likeness: Some Methodological Issues
Institutions: University of Zurich.
Mori's Uncanny Valley Hypothesis1,2
proposes that the perception of humanlike characters such as robots and, by extension, avatars (computer-generated characters) can evoke negative or positive affect (valence) depending on the object's degree of visual and behavioral realism along a dimension of human likeness
) (Figure 1
). But studies of affective valence of subjective responses to variously realistic non-human characters have produced inconsistent findings 3, 4, 5, 6
. One of a number of reasons for this is that human likeness is not perceived as the hypothesis assumes. While the DHL can be defined following Mori's description as a smooth linear change in the degree of physical humanlike similarity, subjective perception of objects along the DHL can be understood in terms of the psychological effects of categorical perception (CP) 7
. Further behavioral and neuroimaging investigations of category processing and CP along the DHL and of the potential influence of the dimension's underlying category structure on affective experience are needed. This protocol therefore focuses on the DHL and allows examination of CP. Based on the protocol presented in the video as an example, issues surrounding the methodology in the protocol and the use in "uncanny" research of stimuli drawn from morph continua to represent the DHL are discussed in the article that accompanies the video. The use of neuroimaging and morph stimuli to represent the DHL in order to disentangle brain regions neurally responsive to physical human-like similarity from those responsive to category change and category processing is briefly illustrated.
Behavior, Issue 76, Neuroscience, Neurobiology, Molecular Biology, Psychology, Neuropsychology, uncanny valley, functional magnetic resonance imaging, fMRI, categorical perception, virtual reality, avatar, human likeness, Mori, uncanny valley hypothesis, perception, magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, imaging, clinical techniques
Cortical Source Analysis of High-Density EEG Recordings in Children
Institutions: UCL Institute of Child Health, University College London.
EEG is traditionally described as a neuroimaging technique with high temporal and low spatial resolution. Recent advances in biophysical modelling and signal processing make it possible to exploit information from other imaging modalities like structural MRI that provide high spatial resolution to overcome this constraint1
. This is especially useful for investigations that require high resolution in the temporal as well as spatial domain. In addition, due to the easy application and low cost of EEG recordings, EEG is often the method of choice when working with populations, such as young children, that do not tolerate functional MRI scans well. However, in order to investigate which neural substrates are involved, anatomical information from structural MRI is still needed. Most EEG analysis packages work with standard head models that are based on adult anatomy. The accuracy of these models when used for children is limited2
, because the composition and spatial configuration of head tissues changes dramatically over development3
In the present paper, we provide an overview of our recent work in utilizing head models based on individual structural MRI scans or age specific head models to reconstruct the cortical generators of high density EEG. This article describes how EEG recordings are acquired, processed, and analyzed with pediatric populations at the London Baby Lab, including laboratory setup, task design, EEG preprocessing, MRI processing, and EEG channel level and source analysis.
Behavior, Issue 88, EEG, electroencephalogram, development, source analysis, pediatric, minimum-norm estimation, cognitive neuroscience, event-related potentials
Methods to Explore the Influence of Top-down Visual Processes on Motor Behavior
Institutions: Rutgers University, Rutgers University, Rutgers University, Rutgers University, Rutgers University.
Kinesthetic awareness is important to successfully navigate the environment. When we interact with our daily surroundings, some aspects of movement are deliberately planned, while others spontaneously occur below conscious awareness. The deliberate component of this dichotomy has been studied extensively in several contexts, while the spontaneous component remains largely under-explored. Moreover, how perceptual processes modulate these movement classes is still unclear. In particular, a currently debated issue is whether the visuomotor system is governed by the spatial percept produced by a visual illusion or whether it is not affected by the illusion and is governed instead by the veridical percept. Bistable percepts such as 3D depth inversion illusions (DIIs) provide an excellent context to study such interactions and balance, particularly when used in combination with reach-to-grasp movements. In this study, a methodology is developed that uses a DII to clarify the role of top-down processes on motor action, particularly exploring how reaches toward a target on a DII are affected in both deliberate and spontaneous movement domains.
Behavior, Issue 86, vision for action, vision for perception, motor control, reach, grasp, visuomotor, ventral stream, dorsal stream, illusion, space perception, depth inversion
Preterm EEG: A Multimodal Neurophysiological Protocol
Institutions: University of Helsinki , University of Helsinki , University of Helsinki , University of Helsinki .
Since its introduction in early 1950s, electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used in the neonatal intensive care units (NICU) for assessment and monitoring of brain function in preterm and term babies. Most common indications are the diagnosis of epileptic seizures, assessment of brain maturity, and recovery from hypoxic-ischemic events. EEG recording techniques and the understanding of neonatal EEG signals have dramatically improved, but these advances have been slow to penetrate through the clinical traditions. The aim of this presentation is to bring theory and practice of advanced EEG recording available for neonatal units.
In the theoretical part, we will present animations to illustrate how a preterm brain gives rise to spontaneous and evoked EEG activities, both of which are unique to this developmental phase, as well as crucial for a proper brain maturation. Recent animal work has shown that the structural brain development is clearly reflected in early EEG activity. Most important structures in this regard are the growing long range connections and the transient cortical structure, subplate. Sensory stimuli in a preterm baby will generate responses that are seen at a single trial level, and they have underpinnings in the subplate-cortex interaction. This brings neonatal EEG readily into a multimodal study, where EEG is not only recording cortical function, but it also tests subplate function via different sensory modalities. Finally, introduction of clinically suitable dense array EEG caps, as well as amplifiers capable of recording low frequencies, have disclosed multitude of brain activities that have as yet been overlooked.
In the practical part of this video, we show how a multimodal, dense array EEG study is performed in neonatal intensive care unit from a preterm baby in the incubator. The video demonstrates preparation of the baby and incubator, application of the EEG cap, and performance of the sensory stimulations.
Neuroscience, Issue 60, neurophysiology, preterm baby, neonatal, EEG, evoked response, high density EEG, FbEEG, sensory evoked response, neonatal intensive care unit
A Novel Method for Assessing Proximal and Distal Forelimb Function in the Rat: the Irvine, Beatties and Bresnahan (IBB) Forelimb Scale
Institutions: University of California, San Francisco.
Several experimental models of cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) have been developed recently to assess the consequences of damage to this level of the spinal cord (Pearse et al.
, 2005, Gensel et al.
, 2006, Anderson et al.
, 2009), as the majority of human SCI occur here (Young, 2010; www.sci-info-pages.com). Behavioral deficits include loss of forelimb function due to damage to the white matter affecting both descending motor and ascending sensory systems, and to the gray matter containing the segmental circuitry for processing sensory input and motor output for the forelimb. Additionally, a key priority for human patients with cervical SCI is restoration of hand/arm function (Anderson, 2004). Thus, outcome measures that assess both proximal and distal forelimb function are needed. Although there are several behavioral assays that are sensitive to different aspects of forelimb recovery in experimental models of cervical SCI (Girgis et al.
, 2007, Gensel et al.
, 2006, Ballerman et al.
, 2001, Metz and Whishaw, 2000, Bertelli and Mira, 1993, Montoya et al.
, 1991, Whishaw and Pellis, 1990), few techniques provide detailed information on the recovery of fine motor control and digit movement.
The current measurement technique, the Irvine, Beatties and Bresnahan forelimb scale (IBB), can detect recovery of both proximal and distal forelimb function including digit movements during a naturally occurring behavior that does not require extensive training or deprivation to enhance motivation. The IBB was generated by observing recovery after a unilateral C6 SCI, and involves video recording of animals eating two differently shaped cereals (spherical and doughnut) of a consistent size. These videos were then used to assess features of forelimb use, such as joint position, object support, digit movement and grasping technique.
The IBB, like other forelimb behavioral tasks, shows a consistent pattern of recovery that is sensitive to injury severity. Furthermore, the IBB scale could be used to assess recovery following other types of injury that impact normal forelimb function.
Neuroscience, Issue 46, spinal cord injury, recovery of function, forelimb function, neurological test, cervical injuries
Olfactory Assays for Mouse Models of Neurodegenerative Disease
Institutions: University of Cincinnati, University of Cincinnati, Wright State University.
In many neurodegenerative diseases and particularly in Parkinson’s disease, deficits in olfaction are reported to occur early in the disease process and may be a useful behavioral marker for early detection. Earlier detection in neurodegenerative disease is a major goal in the field because this is when neuroprotective therapies have the best potential to be effective. Therefore, in preclinical studies testing novel neuroprotective strategies in rodent models of neurodegenerative disease, olfactory assessment could be highly useful in determining therapeutic potential of compounds and translation to the clinic. In the present study we describe a battery of olfactory assays that are useful in measuring olfactory function in mice. The tests presented in this study were chosen because they measure olfaction abilities in mice related to food odors, social odors, and non-social odors. These tests have proven useful in characterizing novel genetic mouse models of Parkinson’s disease as well as in testing potential disease-modifying therapies.
Neuroscience, Issue 90,
olfaction, mouse, Parkinson’s disease, detection, discrimination, sniffing
Electrophysiological Measurements and Analysis of Nociception in Human Infants
Institutions: University College London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, University College Hospital, University of Oxford.
Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience. Since infants cannot verbally report their experiences, current methods of pain assessment are based on behavioural and physiological body reactions, such as crying, body movements or changes in facial expression. While these measures demonstrate that infants mount a response following noxious stimulation, they are limited: they are based on activation of subcortical somatic and autonomic motor pathways that may not be reliably linked to central sensory processing in the brain. Knowledge of how the central nervous system responds to noxious events could provide an insight to how nociceptive information and pain is processed in newborns.
The heel lancing procedure used to extract blood from hospitalised infants offers a unique opportunity to study pain in infancy. In this video we describe how electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) time-locked to this procedure can be used to investigate nociceptive activity in the brain and spinal cord.
This integrative approach to the measurement of infant pain has the potential to pave the way for an effective and sensitive clinical measurement tool.
Neuroscience, Issue 58, pain, infant, electrophysiology, human development
A Low Cost Setup for Behavioral Audiometry in Rodents
Institutions: University of Erlangen-Nuremberg.
In auditory animal research it is crucial to have precise information about basic hearing parameters of the animal subjects that are involved in the experiments. Such parameters may be physiological response characteristics of the auditory pathway, e.g.
via brainstem audiometry (BERA). But these methods allow only indirect and uncertain extrapolations about the auditory percept that corresponds to these physiological parameters. To assess the perceptual level of hearing, behavioral methods have to be used. A potential problem with the use of behavioral methods for the description of perception in animal models is the fact that most of these methods involve some kind of learning paradigm before the subjects can be behaviorally tested, e.g.
animals may have to learn to press a lever in response to a sound. As these learning paradigms change perception itself 1,2
they consequently will influence any result about perception obtained with these methods and therefore have to be interpreted with caution. Exceptions are paradigms that make use of reflex responses, because here no learning paradigms have to be carried out prior to perceptual testing. One such reflex response is the acoustic startle response (ASR) that can highly reproducibly be elicited with unexpected loud sounds in naïve animals. This ASR in turn can be influenced by preceding sounds depending on the perceptibility of this preceding stimulus: Sounds well above hearing threshold will completely inhibit the amplitude of the ASR; sounds close to threshold will only slightly inhibit the ASR. This phenomenon is called pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) 3,4
, and the amount of PPI on the ASR gradually depends on the perceptibility of the pre-pulse. PPI of the ASR is therefore well suited to determine behavioral audiograms in naïve, non-trained animals, to determine hearing impairments or even to detect possible subjective tinnitus percepts in these animals. In this paper we demonstrate the use of this method in a rodent model (cf. also ref. 5
), the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), which is a well know model species for startle response research within the normal human hearing range (e.g. 6
Neuroscience, Issue 68, Physiology, Anatomy, Medicine, otolaryngology, behavior, auditory startle response, pre-pulse inhibition, audiogram, tinnitus, hearing loss | <urn:uuid:461106fe-bf72-4451-8ff5-812802be8892> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | https://www.jove.com/visualize/abstract/20161731/the-manual-habituation-discrimination-shapes-preterm-human-infants | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917122621.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031202-00618-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.907727 | 6,853 | 2.71875 | 3 |
If, like many Australians, you’ve been spending more time at home and less time on the road, your car may have remained idle for weeks on end.
If that’s the case, it might make an unpleasant sound when you eventually put it to work again, particularly if you're parking your car outside.
While there are many odd sounds your car can potentially make after a prolonged period without use, the noise we are referring to is a scraping metal sound coming from behind the wheels immediately after pulling away.
An unhappy brake disc - Predominant rust on the hub to the left of the image is not as much of a problem as corrosion on the darker friction surface. There's also signs of oxidisation and excessive heat on the outer edge
You might notice the noise only happens when you’re moving, gets worse with speed, potentially causes the steering wheel to wobble or vibrate slightly, and gets better after a few hundred metres or more.
If this is something you’ve experienced, then you most likely have corroded brake discs... but don’t worry, it sounds a lot worse than it actually is.
What causes brake disc corrosion?
Each time you press the brake pedal in your car, a set of pads are pressed against the smooth metal surface of the brake discs (also called rotors).
This generates friction and turns the kinetic energy of the vehicle’s movement into heat energy, reducing the speed of the car.
VirutaVirtually every passenger car on the road today is fitted with brake discs made from a ferrous metal such as iron or steel.
This means they can rust, but the frequent heating and cleaning effect of the pads contacting the surface prevents the build-up of oxidised metal - otherwise known as rust.
Small spots of corrosion and pitting can be seen on the friction surface. Even after driving, this disc's corrosion has gone too far and the dark colour indicates overheating. This will need to be replaced
When you leave your car idle for a prolonged period - particularly in damp conditions - the corrosion has a chance to build up, and it’s this encrusted rust that makes the unpleasant sound as soon as the wheels start to turn for the first time.
How to fix brake rotor corrosion
The good news is that removing light brake corrosion is as simple as pressing the brake pedal a few times.
If you suspect your car has rusty brake discs after an extended time of immobility, drive at a normal speed on a clear road and lightly apply the brakes a few times, leaving a few seconds in between each application.
As the pads contact the rotating disc, they will cut through the relatively soft layer of corrosion, exposing and cleaning the metal underneath. Think of your brake pads as dish scourers on a dirty plate, and you get the idea.
You don't need to hit the brakes hard - you're only sweeping the top of the rotor surface, and you don't want to startle other road users with heavy brake applications.
As a final diagnosis, you may notice a fine reddish powder on your wheels (not normal black brake dust), which is the removed coating of rust. This will wash off easily.
How to prevent brake disc corrosion
While it’s relatively simple to prevent any other ferrous metal car component from rusting, brake discs present their own unique challenges.
A happy brake disc - fine, even lines on the surface are normal wear and the bright clean friction surface is healthy. Some minor corrosion on the hub area is quite normal and acceptable
Spraying or coating with a rustproof or water dispersing material (as you might find with painted panels and lubricated engine parts) is unsuitable - and indeed dangerous! - as this would prevent the friction that’s necessary to slow the vehicle.
And using a non-ferrous material for the rotors is not as straightforward as it may seem, as there are few substances that offer the same durability, hardness and heat resistance of steel and iron without breaking the bank.
Read next: tips for looking after your car’s battery
Thankfully, there are a number of ways to stop the build-up of oxide on your car’s brake discs and easily the simplest is regular use.
Go for a drive
Even if it’s a run to the end of the street with a couple of brake applications in the process, the heat generated will be sufficient to dry the friction surfaces and prevent rusting.
IMPORTANT - If you still notice noise coming from your brakes after a few kilometres of brake applications, book it in at a service centre for further investigation. If the discs have extensively corroded, brake application will not cure the problem and they will need to be replaced.
Alternatively, the sound might be warning of a completely different problem such as a cracked disc or unrelated to the brakes including wheel bearing problems. If in doubt, get a trusted professional to inspect your car.
Less practical for most drivers but arguably more effective, is garaging or storing your car in a controlled atmosphere. Some modern storage facilities use sealed parking areas for vehicles and constantly dehumidify the circulated air.
This prevents moisture from starting the corrosion process on the brakes. A sophisticated but complex solution which is normally only applicable for very valuable and rare vehicles.
Finally, producing brake discs from materials that don’t rust is another elegant solution - but it's one that comes with a price.
Optional, high-performance carbon-ceramic brake kits typically add about $20,000 to the price of a new car
In all cases, these exotic materials are many times the price of steel and cast iron.
There are a number of products available that can be applied to clean brake discs if you know your car won’t be driven for a while.
The special products are sprayed onto the exposed metal and prevent the moisture and air attacking the surface with a protective film.
However, when the car is driven again, the brake pads will remove the coating as they would any rust, which means the product needs to be applied each time the car is left.
If you know that your car won’t be used for a few weeks in advance and you have access to secure parking, it’s a good idea to avoid using the parking brake.
Like the main vehicle brakes, the handbrake components can become, quite literally, rusted on and you won't be able to move your car.
To prevent this happening to vehicles without more modern electric park brakes (which engage automatically when the vehicle is switched off), don’t apply the park brake, leave the vehicle in gear and chock a wheel to prevent it from moving. If you're parked on an incline, turn the steering wheel towards the gutter for additional peace of mind. | <urn:uuid:0c1fae63-98c8-427e-9885-030241cac249> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://www.whichcar.com.au/car-advice/brake-noise-grinding-scraping | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400219691.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20200924163714-20200924193714-00187.warc.gz | en | 0.938893 | 1,412 | 2.578125 | 3 |
It's time to review the new set of skills people of all ages require to succeed.
After my son told me recently he couldn't find one of his favorite books and that I should, "order another one online," he climbed into my office chair and set his hands on my laptop keyboard as if to suggest he would show me how if I needed his help. The novel part of this exchange was that he had just turned four years old — and he hasn't bought anything (that I know of) online.
If the saying, "It wasn't like this in my day" has become cliché, it still rung true as I began to reflect on the other parts of boy wonder's childhood that will be wildly different from my own... and that perhaps I ought to be learning even more from him.
Children are natural creators, circulators, connectors and collaborators, and now that technology is a part of their lives because it's part of the conversations around them (even if they don't watch TV, play video games or work online) they are becoming participants rather than simple consumers of the complex world they inhabit. At very young ages even, especially in households like mine where computer devices are frequent fixtures, children are developing a new literacy beyond reading and writing, from one of individual expression to social involvement.
The New Media Literacy center at MIT lists the following eleven skills necessary in this new world, and I circle back to those as the über set of skills for all of us, no matter our age.
The new skills include:
1. Play: the capacity to experiment with one's surroundings as a form of problem-solving.
2. Performance: the ability to adopt alternative identities for the purpose of improvisation and discovery.
3. Simulation: the ability to interpret and construct dynamic models of real-world processes.
4. Appropriation: the ability to meaningfully sample and remix media content.
5. Multitasking: the ability to scan one’s environment and shift focus as needed to salient details.
6. Distributed cognition: the ability to interact meaningfully with tools that expand mental capacities.
7. Collective intelligence: the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal.
8. Judgment: the ability to evaluate the reliability and credibility of different information sources.
9. Transmedia navigation: The ability to follow the flow of stories and information across multiple modalities.
10. Networking: the ability to search for, synthesize, and disseminate information.
11. Negotiation: the ability to travel across diverse communities, discerning and respecting multiple perspectives, and grasping and following alternative norms.
Denise Tayloe of online privacy advocacy group, Privo, reminds us that online we're creating a permanent public record of ourselves, and who amongst us wants to re-read (let alone share with others) the notes we passed or diaries we kept when we were young. She suggests there ought to be one more new media skill.
12. Awareness: the capacity to mindfully see one's self in the context of the larger world where people's interests are not always compatible with one's physical and emotional safety.
These new literacies almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking. These skills build on the foundation of traditional literacy, research and technical skills, and critical analysis hopefully addressed in each classroom and every home.
Our goals should be to encourage children and youth to develop the skills, knowledge, ethical frameworks, and self-confidence needed to be full participants in contemporary society.
Why stop there or then, though? These literacies should be addressed when organizations develop new programs for their knowledge workers. They ought to be considered when hiring someone for a job. They must be part of the enterprise social media conversation as a way to look at the gaps our cultures have between current practices and the organizations we need to become.
How would you rate yourself with these skills? How are you helping those around you strengthen their skills?
For more on this theme visit sites like Zoey’s Room, a website to help tween girls find the fun side of science and technology. Check out the blog of Izzy Neis about online communities, entertainment, kid empowerment, and online safety. And by all means, look around you. The opportunities are endless for us to become stronger, more skilled and more literate. | <urn:uuid:f59ba1f6-95da-44dd-a859-daa6a3caa1e2> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.fastcompany.com/1050871/new-media-skills | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375095557.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031815-00256-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958265 | 899 | 3.140625 | 3 |
I think that it is showing us how much free energy is available for distribution in the world.
I am thinking this out as I seek to understand both the graph and its possible implications for us, so please excuse any ignorant or stupid mistakes which I make - but also please comment or email me a correction or suggestion for further reading when you find one, or even if you just plain disagree with my assumptions, observations, arguments or conclusions.
A corporation has assets and uses those assets to convert inputs to outputs.
Assets represent energy captured and embedded semi-permanently within the business.
Inputs are items required in addition to the assets in order to produce outputs.
Outputs are the finished products of the business and can be exchanged for money.
Both assets and inputs cost money.
Money can be obtained in three core ways.
1. By issuing interest bearing debt, also known as corporate bonds.
2. By issuing shares which dilute the ownership of the business.
3. By selling outputs.
Money can also be obtained reasonably directly from certain classes of assets, such as owning shares or bonds, but this is not really the business of a productive corporation although many businesses (if not most) engage in this to some degree - no total extra value can be generated from a given amount of energy in this way.
Assets are capital items. Capital items are either tangible or intangible and are purchased using money.
A tangible capital item is something physical such as a building or a machine.
An intangible capital item may be less obvious such as a trained employee, customer goodwill or the systems and procedures for operating the business.
Both tangible and intangible capital items will degrade if they are not maintained.
Some capital items are fully paid up, for example a building may be owned free of all mortgages, but will still incur maintenance costs such as business rates and mending broken roof tiles or mending a hinge on a door.
Some capital items have large maintenance costs, for example a trained employee must be paid a salary regardless of whether any work can be usefully performed by them - or they may leave and the training capital investment will be lost. An employee may also degrade over time if not maintained in other ways such as using their skills regularly.
Some capital items have very difficult to define maintenance costs such as brand value or customer goodwill. It may be obvious that replacing a broken delivery van engine improves the chances of completing a piece of work, it will almost certainly not be so obvious that changing the company jingle used on the voicemail system has a positive effect on the bottom line (just try holding all other possible factors constant for six months while you make the measurements...)
So the assets of a business require funding when they are first acquired and they will then make a continuous demand for maintenance funds until they are no longer in use. There may also be disposal costs.
Raising money with bonds
Corporate bonds are issued to raise money NOW, and make a fixed claim on future free cash flows within the organisation. Some proportion of that future money will have to be set aside to make the interest payments on all the bonds outstanding. In addition the capital value of the bonds must be repaid when they reach the end of their life.
As such the price of a corporate bond represents :
a. The net present value (NPV) of the future income stream from that bond, as compared with the income stream available from a comparable risk free bond (i.e. a Government bond)
b. A tradeable speculative 'ticket' with a fixed lifetime (the duration of the bond). The price of bonds can go up and down depending on the perceived relative risk and it is possible to trade bonds to try to achieve a profit rather than simply relying on the interest payments income stream.
c. A robust claim on the assets of the company in the event of a liquidation (basically the destruction of the company and selling of the assets on behalf of the creditors) or bankruptcy (bondholders may end up becoming shareholders).
Raising money with shares
Issuing shares also raises money NOW, but make no direct claim on future free cash flows. Investors may well expect dividend payments but cannot demand them in the same way as bond owners. Shares may be sold, but they are a speculative investment to a much larger degree than bonds.
The price of a share represents:
a. The NPV of future free cashflows after all bonds are paid, but according to the degree to which company management decides to allocate the free cash to the shareholders as a dividend.
b. A tradeable speculative ticket with a chance of appreciation with an infinite lifetime.
c. A right to vote in the company management - unless a large proportion is owned (typically more than 5%) then no control is actually obtained.
d. A very weak claim on the assets of the company in the event of liquidation or bankruptcy. Shareholders are typically wiped out immediately in either event, shares losing all their supposed value.
All Corporations - the S&P 500
The S&P500 'price' represents an aggregate of the share prices of 500 of the largest U.S. corporations. As such it is a proxy for the share price of the industrial economy of the world.
The WTI Oil Price
The WTI Oil price is the cost of a barrel (42 U.S. gallons) of oil delivered at the start of the following month to Cushing, Oklahoma.
The Oil price represents:
a. The value of owning that barrel of oil at the date of delivery for use in some industrial process
b. A tradeable short term speculative ticket which expires on the delivery date.
c. A longer term speculative ticket which, provided the oil can be stored and the owner does not need to cash it in, represents the NPV of a barrel of Oil at any point in the future. There will of course be a maintenance cost to this storage.
Peak Oil aside
If you believe in the General (it must happen at some point) or especially the Special (it has happened/will happen very soon) theory of Peak Oil then you may well calculate that the accumulated maintenance cost of storing oil will never exceed the accumulated increase in price due to increasing rarity. In which case you should acquire all the oil you can and plan to store it pretty much forever - this may cause problems !
Of course you may be a major oil producer, in which case leaving it in the ground may be a good strategy.
Oil, Shares and Bonds
Unlike bonds which always generate an income stream, and shares which may do so, oil will never generate an income stream.
In fact there is a maintenance cost for the storage of oil as mentioned above, so in reality physical possession will consume corporate resources. Apart from the peak oil special case it would not normally be sensible to store more oil than is required for production process buffering.
Energy in the business
Energy is embedded in all assets and inputs either directly or indirectly. Although the purchase price of a piece of machinery will not necessarily represent the oil price (proxy of energy price) today, it surely was tied to the price of energy at some point in the past.
Businesses consume energy directly as part of the production process. Energy is embedded in raw materials through discovery, extraction, refining and transportation of those materials, and also in processed inputs such as sub-components or services purchased.
A business is an energy transformation machine made from energy purchased in the past and embedded in: The assets; Energy inputs which must be continually purchased as a maintenance stream; and specific energy directly and indirectly purchased as inputs in order to produce outputs for sale or storage as inventory.
The share price in energy terms is therefore a measure of the ability of the business to operate at all as a energetically favourable process in the future. By this I mean that the value embedded into the outputs must generate sufficient cash to service the energy purchase requirements of asset maintenance and input transformation and also meet the desires of the shareholders.
In a world which expects energy to become increasingly available (supported by measurements and observations) it will be possible to sustain an increasing share price to oil price ratio. The energy available in the future will be more than that available now, and so the business will be able to operate through to a distant date, generating surpluses sufficient for all maintenance costs - including debt service through bonds, and also providing dividends for shareholders.
At some point (general theory of peak oil) there will come a time when energy is actually less available. At some point in time PRIOR to this, i.e. PRIOR TO PEAK OIL, there will come a time when a business will start to find it impossible to pay dividends and reward shareholders, they will however have to continue to service bondholders.
Shares, Bonds and commodities
When that point is reached, and shareholders begin to see a decrease in dividend payouts and perhaps increasing rights issues (diluting shareholdings), we would expect the intelligent investor to choose to purchase bonds instead of shares. After all they are short-term relatively reliable instruments and less liable to fail to pay out.
This will create a self-reinforcing expectation that bonds are preferable to shares. An expected reduction in demand for shares into the distant future because energy is on the critical path of affordability for the business - however slight the effect to start with - will start a process to reduce share prices. This will affect demand for future shares and therefore also negatively affect the medium and long term speculative reasons for purchasing shares (not the short-term providing volatility is high enough).
Of course the absolute share prices can continue to increase forever... but the relative price of shares to oil will fall - and that is what matters. Money is not a substitute for energy and no form of energy provides as much free energy or is as convenient as cheap oil. To reiterate, the actual price of oil is not particularly relevant, your Government might start printing money for example and drive up share prices and oil prices... but once we are on the energy downslope then energy (oil) will tend to increase in price more and decrease less than the wobbling share price.
Corporations less able to raise money (purchase energy) through share issues will turn increasingly to bond issues and handicap their futures more and more by increasing the free energy which MUST be paid out through bond coupons. This in turn will reduce the availability to service shareholders and again make shares less (relatively) attractive.
Of course, commodities are a fantastic place to invest money which might otherwise go into shares, energy commodities especially so. Unfortunately this reduces still further the free energy available in corporates, who will further reduce shareholder payouts and in so doing encourage yet more bias towards bonds.
This vicious circle can of course be easily escaped if expectations of reducing energy supply can be proved false. This is unlikely because almost everyone now believes in and is aware of the general theory of peak oil, and very many market speculators have been discussing it for a long time.
Although there are many, many possible alternatives to oil as a source of energy none are as convenient, energy dense, or perhaps most importantly embedded throughout our entire economy, to the extent that oil is. Consequently business (and people) will need to survive on a smaller ration of free energy.
A great deal of our economies can be made more efficient, but not by the existing companies which have the cost structures of corporate dinosaurs. The businesses of the future, even the near future, will need to function with reducing energy waste each and every year.
The household and the local community can also be modelled as energy processing systems, more on this in a future rant!
The S&P500/WTI Oil price broadly represents how much energy is available now and into the future for sharing with business owners, after covering operating costs (including servicing capital debt, fixed costs and unit costs).
This ratio is the energy available for investment in future capital items and meeting energy income requirements of non-productive elements of the whole economy (i.e. Government spending to generate national and international capital assets such as roads, health systems, state pensions, and personal spending on life and lifestyle).
As the ratio rises more energy is available for an increasingly affluent lifestyle, of course how that affluence is distributed globally and locally is a political issue.
As the ratio falls the pool of activities shrinks such that essentials (driven by political concerns) take an increasing share of the free energy.
The reduction of availability of energy for non-essentials at a national and international level is analagous to the reduction in money available for distribution to shareholders rather than bondholders. | <urn:uuid:a1a4c040-9349-4dac-8247-cebbad44d66c> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | http://mrexcessive.blogspot.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084890795.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20180121155718-20180121175718-00663.warc.gz | en | 0.944567 | 2,604 | 2.859375 | 3 |
The County of Cape May Department of Health is reporting 3 new positive cases among County residents.
Total positive cases of COVID-19 infection in Cape May County is now 1434 including 92 deaths.
Traditional Halloween celebrations often involve crowds, close contact between individuals, and activities in closed spaces. It is important to plan early and identify safer alternatives for celebrating the fall season .Outdoor activities, as opposed to indoor parties and events, are recommended. Those planning celebrations or participating in Halloween activities should keep in mind public health recommendations of social and physical distancing, wearing masks that cover the nose and mouth, and hand hygiene. Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute for cloth or disposable masks. Individuals should minimize interaction and contact with others who are not a part of their household.
As a reminder, no one should participate in these activities if they or a household member have a known exposure to COVID-19, are sick/symptomatic, or have been diagnosed with COVID-19and has not yet met the criteria for discontinuing isolation. This year, as New Jersey continues to respond to ongoing transmission of COVID-19 in our communities, recommendations for adapting traditional celebrations and considerations for ways to celebrate Halloween safely are listed below. Some communities may choose to cancel Halloween activities, so check with local sources before making plans.
1. Outdoor Door to Door Trick or Treating
a. Those who plan to trick-or-treat should limit their groups to current household members, consider staying local, and limit the number of houses on their route. Social distancing should be practiced between all who are not in the same household.
b. For those putting out treats:
i. Good option: Limit interaction or contact with trick-or-treaters, wear a mask when individuals come to the door, and regularly wash hands.
ii. Better option: Leave a treat bowl on a porch or table or in a place where it may be easily accessed while adhering to social distancing requirements.
iii. Best option: Arrange individually packaged candy so that trick or treaters can grab and go without accessing a shared bowl.
c. Consider coordinating with neighbors to develop a system, such as signs or on/off porch lights, for distinguishing houses participating in trick-or-treating from those that do not wish to participate.
d. Wear a face mask to mitigate against COVID-19 exposure. Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute but can be supplemented with a cloth or disposable mask. Children under two should not wear a cloth mask.
e. Candy should be commercially packaged and non-perishable. Consider individual non-food “treats” to avoid sharing of food.
f. Practice hand hygiene (wash hands or use hand sanitizer) before leaving your home, after touching objects such as wrapped candy, and when arriving home.
2. Outdoor Trunk or Treating (when children go car to car instead of house to house)
a. Limit the number of participating cars to ensure adequate space for social distancing and minimize crowds. Ensure outdoor area has sufficient space per car to avoid overcrowding and to allow adequate space for social distancing.
b. Follow the outdoor gatherings limitations in effect at the time.
c. Design event in a long line, rather than a circle to ensure social and physical distancing to discourage crowding.
d. Consider having assigned times or multiple shifts to minimize crowding during event.
e. Wear a face mask. Costume masks are not an acceptable substitute but can be supplemented with a cloth or disposable mask. Children under two should not wear a cloth mask.
f. Candy should be commercially packaged and non-perishable.
g. Practice hand hygiene before the event, after touching objects such as wrapped candy, and after the event.
3. Halloween Parties
a. Avoid large indoor or outdoor parties, which would be subject to the limitations currently in effect on indoor and outdoor gatherings.
b. Keep up to date with the most current restrictions on outdoor and indoor gatherings.
c. Avoid participation in activities that require close contact and/or shared items such as bobbing for apples
4. Haunted houses, hayrides, and corn mazes
a. Wear a cloth or disposable mask while participating in these activities. As noted above, a costume mask does not suffice.
b. Indoor haunted houses should be avoided because of the possibility of congregation and screaming in close quarters. If hosting a haunted house, ensure visitors maintain an appropriate distance by staggering start times and limiting occupancy. A better option would be to host an outdoor haunted house without live performers.
c. Hayrides should limit the number of passengers per ride and keep openings to the same party. Any shared materials should be cleaned and sanitized after each use.
d. Corn mazes should only permit individuals to proceed in one direction, should limit occupancy according to the applicable restrictions in effect at the time, and should avoid use of shared materials.
e. Entities hosting these events are encouraged to take reservations and/or sell tickets in advance.
5. Examples of socially distant Halloween activities that would require minimal or no additional health and safety protocols include.
a. Virtual activities such as online costume parties.
b. Drive through events where individuals remain in their vehicles and drive through an area/neighborhood with Halloween displays.
c. Carving pumpkins with family.
d. Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations.
e. Halloween themed movie nights with family.
Stay up to date on the current situation as it evolve. Some reliable sources are New Jersey Poison Information and Education System Hotline at 211 or 1-800-962-1253, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov, World Health Organization at www.who.int, New Jersey Department of Health at COVID19.nj.gov. For additional information visit Cape May County Department of Health at www.cmchealth.net and also like us on Facebook. | <urn:uuid:faf648c0-9bf1-43d1-869c-79ca9b6c577d> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://capemaycountynj.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=986&ARC=1496 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510924.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20231001173415-20231001203415-00604.warc.gz | en | 0.925584 | 1,240 | 2.75 | 3 |
“…emphasizes the importanceof speaking, reading, and writing in the learning of all students”(The Access Center, 2012, p. 3).
According to Janice Almasi “we teach students, not “Highly motivated readers texts” (Laureate Education Inc, 2010) are self-determining and generate their own reading opportunities”“Students use cognitive (Gambrell, Palmer, Codling, and metacognitive and Mazzoni, 1996, para 2). strategies for thinking”(Tompkins, 2010, p. 12)
Cognitive Assessment Helps measure a students success academically Non-Cognitive Assessments measure a students Examples Include motivation Running Records Spelling Inventory Examples IncludeWord Recognition List Parent/Teacher Survey Reading Inventory Informal Interview Elementary Attitude Survey
My Assessment Student 1:I chose a running records assessment. I wanted to hear how the student’s oralreading skills were, along with his ability for word identification and readingfluency. Student 2:The activity I chose was a reading comprehension activity where I had the studentre-tell what had occurred in the book she was currently reading. Student 3:The activity I chose for the student was the running records assessment. I chose achapter book because it correlated more with the level of reading she should be at.By choosing this book I could test her reading fluency, word identification, herability to use context clues, and her re-telling ability.
Analyzing and Selecting Texts Linguistic Narrative Informational Semiotic
Text Structure Informational Descriptive Cause/Effect According to Visual Problem/Solution Janice Almasi Compare/Contrast Support (Laureate Poetic EducationInc, 2010), seve ral steps need to be Text Length implementedwhen selecting texts such as: Size of Difficulity Considerations print Readability Sentence length Number of syllables Concept density
For each student I chose texts that were appropriate for their age and grade. I focused on texts that would help me determine whether or not findings were accurate.Student 1: is in the first grade and Student 2: is a sixth grade Student 3: is a ninth gradeis a beginning reader. He is “aware fluent reading student. student that falls intoof the alphabetic principle” Through the assessment beginning/emergent/fluent(Tompkins, 2010, p. 119). He is Motivation to Read Profile reading category. Shedeveloping “phonic by struggles with punctuationskills, recognizing high-frequency Gambrell, Palmer, Codling recognition when reading.words, applies reading and Mazzoni (1996), we She can recall events ifstrategies, can write learned that reading is prompted, but cannot seemsentences, spells “kind of easy” for her; she to remember a significantphonetically, identifies punctuation is an “ok reader”; but amount of detail. The unit Iand uses capital letters to begin when reading by herself chose is poetry, and thesentences” (p. 119). she is able to understand theme would beOther books that would aid with “almost everything I read” adolescents.this students beginning reading (p. 521). The genre Ilevel are the Basal books. The chose for her is Sciencebooks contain “authentic literature Fiction. She is interested inselections that celebrate diverse topics such as ghosts, andcultures, and they emphasize an she likes the books by R.L.organized presentation of Stine.
According to Janice Almasi (Laureate Education Inc., 2010), there are five pillars that overlap in order for strategic processing to be implemented: Fluency ComprehensionPhonemic Awareness Phonics Vocabulary
My planEach of the three students I have been working with has strengths and weaknesses. Individual lesson plan formats have been designed with a targeted theme, and strategy. does not likestruggles with reading to read out loud comprehension Sight word identification strategies
Rosenblatt speaks of the efferent and aesthetic “stance” of reading.– During an efferent stance the reader may “be stimulated to remember a related personal experience”.– Whereas during an aesthetic stance a reader may briefly focus on analyzing the techniques interacting in a text” (Gladdys, 1997, p. 2).– She notes that readers switch back and forth between the two stances while reading. Probst (1987), further explains the efferent and aesthetic stances in the article Transaction Theory in the Teaching of Literature.
“Reading from a “Critical critical stance literacyrequires the reader to focuses on analyze and evaluate issues of books, meaningfully power and questioning the origin promotes and purpose” Rosenblatt states reflection, tr that the (Molden, 2007, p.52).“transactional theory ansformatio The aesthetic stance “is where thewhich proposes that reader comes to the text in a less and n,the meaning of a text derives from a action” directive frame of mind, seeking not particular information or thetransaction between (Molden, 20 the text and reader accomplishment of an assigned within a specific 07, para 1). task, but rather the full context” emotional, aesthetic, and intellectual(Glaydds, 1997, p. 3). experience offered by the text”(Probst, 1987, para 9).
References• The Access Center. (2012). The purpose of literacy rich environments. Improving outcomes for all students K-8. American Institute for Research: Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://www.k8accesscenter.org/training_resources/literacy-richenvironments.asp• Gambrell, L. B., Palmer, B. M., Codling, R. M., & Mazzoni, S. A. (1996). Assessing motivation to read. The Reading Teacher, 49(7), 518–533.• Laureate Education Inc., (2010). Analyzing and selecting texts. Dr. Douglas K. Hartman [Webcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2010). Critical perspective. [DVD]. The Beginning Reader, PreK-3. Baltimore, MD: Author• Laureate Education Inc., (2010). Assessing Work Knowledge. Dr. Donald Bear [Webcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.• Laureate Education Inc., (2010). Virtual Field Experiencs. Leigh Ann Hildreth [Webcast]. Baltimore, MD: Author.• Glaydds, W. C. (1997). The Significance of Louise Rosenblatt on the Field of Teaching Literature: efferent and aesthetic stance during reading. Abstract retrieved from Inquiry, Volume 1, Number 1: Virginia Community College System.
• Molden, K. (2007). Critical literacy, the right answer for the reading classroom: Strategies to move beyond comprehension for reading improvement. Reading Improvement, 44(1), 50–56.• Probst, R. E. (1987). Transactional theory in the teaching of literature. Resources in Education, 22(12).• Tompkins, G. E., (2010). Literacy for the 21st century. New York: Macmillan. | <urn:uuid:aeed26ea-8fae-4f02-8dfd-d8c56dfd2fb4> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | http://www.slideshare.net/hhill2012/creating-a-literate-environment-14821384 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860117244.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161517-00165-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.884346 | 1,515 | 3.46875 | 3 |
There are so many of us who inevitably end up associating yoga with its “physical” attributes. In fact, they shy away from it simply thinking that yoga is strictly meant for the physically fit or the athletic ones. A highly erroneous notion. The concept is far from truth-very far! Yes, it’s a physical exercise. No doubt about it. However, one needs to understand that this ancient practice entails much more than just “body”- yogis aim for that perfect realm of stability where the mind, body and spirit work in cohesion. Today, we will be primarily discussing the health benefits of yoga but not before clearly pointing out that you can practice it even if you are not athletic! Here’s what you need to find out about the health benefits of yoga. They are simply fantastic.
It can bolster the function of lungs
Deep purposeful breathing is a part of the yogic experience. Such exercises, as per studies, can actually improve the functioning of lungs. With a better-functioning pair of lungs you can expect to perform a lot of activities better – like running or walking long distances without getting tired.
Exercises bolster the condition of your heart as well
Patients with high blood pressure and cholesterol can benefit a lot from yogic exercises. Studies, for instance, have shown that individuals practicing yoga on a regular basis have lower blood cholesterol levels and reduced risks of blood cholesterol level. What more? The efficaciousness of the breathing exercises is now even harnessed by doctors to address heart ailments. Medical practitioners duly acknowledge the usefulness of the right breathing techniques and exercises when it comes to reversing symptoms of several stress induced diseases or heart ailments.
These exercises help you master the right postures
The importance of sitting, working and walking in the right posture is mostly undermined by us. We often fail to identify the evils of wrong postures. For instance, we just fail to realize that wrong postures can actually give birth to a number of problems including neck pain, shoulder pain and so much more.
Practicing yoga can help you build stronger muscles so that they can support the right postures. Yogic exercises also add flexibility to your body thereby eliminating muscle tension so that you are able to walk and sit with your shoulders straight. You can sit with your stomach tucked in as well.
Yoga can also help you fight depression
Meditation or relaxation exercises can help you get out of depressive thoughts as well. For many depressed people, when every measure fails, yoga turns out to be the answer.
So, what exactly are you waiting for? It doesn’t matter how old you are or how athletic (or not) you are, you can always trust the therapeutic benefits of yoga in a major way. Find a credentialed instructor and get going! Make sure you are exploring more about these exercises and their benefits by reading up about the same. There is no dearth of resources to help you there. Make sure you’re keeping these points in view. | <urn:uuid:31a74600-5f0c-451a-8002-7c8fa27c0fbc> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://rawlast.ga/a-few-fantastic-health-benefits-of-yoga.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805761.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20171119191646-20171119211646-00570.warc.gz | en | 0.953375 | 616 | 2.671875 | 3 |
RBC urine test
The RBC urine test measures the number of red blood cells in a urine sample.
Red blood cells in urine; Hematuria test; Urine - red blood cells
How the Test is Performed
A random sample of urine is collected. Random means that the sample is collected at any time either at the lab or at home. If needed, the health care provider may ask you to collect your urine at home over 24 hours. Your provider will tell you how to do this.
A clean-catch urine sample is needed. The clean-catch method is used to prevent germs from the penis or vagina from getting into a urine sample. To collect your urine, the provider may give you a special clean-catch kit that contains a cleansing solution and sterile wipes. Follow instructions exactly so that the results are accurate.
How to Prepare for the Test
No special preparation is necessary for this test.
How the Test will Feel
The test involves only normal urination. There is no discomfort.
Why the Test is Performed
This test is done as part of a urinalysis test.
A normal result is 4 red blood cells per high power field (RBC/HPF) or less when the sample is examined under a microscope.
The example above is a common measurement for a result of this test. Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Some labs use different measurements or test different samples. Talk to your provider about the meaning of your specific test result.
What Abnormal Results Mean
A higher than normal number of RBCs in the urine may be due to:
- Bladder, kidney, or urinary tract cancer
- Kidney and other urinary tract problems, such as infection, or stones
- Kidney injury
- Prostate problems
There are no risks with this test.
Krishnan A, Levin A. Laboratory assessment of kidney disease: glomerular filtration rate, urinalysis, and proteinuria. In: Yu ASL, Chertow GM, Luyckx VA, Marsden PA, Skorecki K, Taal MW, eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 23.
Lamb EJ, Jones GRD. Kidney function tests. In: Rifai N, ed. Tietz Textbook of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. 6th ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2018:chap 32.
Riley RS, McPherson RA. Basic examination of urine. In: McPherson RA, Pincus MR, eds. Henry's Clinical Diagnosis and Management by Laboratory Methods. 23rd ed. St Louis, MO: Elsevier; 2017:chap 28. | <urn:uuid:3eeb90aa-cbbf-47f5-afc3-353cb6eb3160> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | http://avh.adam.com/content.aspx?productid=117&pid=1&gid=003582 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154175.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20210801092716-20210801122716-00335.warc.gz | en | 0.84456 | 586 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Open Blueprint is IBM's strategic view of the network computing services and the relationship between these services. IBM offers an Open Blueprint home page that includes a picture of the strategy and its layered components.
The Open Blueprint is consistent with and perhaps aware of the X/Open Architectural Framework (XAF), which is a statement of what should be in a comprehensive network computing model.
Built on top of an operating system (and using its core services), according to the Open Blueprint, are these layers and component technologies (our description does not show relationships as well as the figure version does):
Applications and Development Tools
These would include off-the-shelf application programs and customer-developed applications along with the development tools used to build them.
These include interfaces to interactive users and printers. User interfaces include display technology and multimedia.
These services include: a transaction monitor, event services, compound document support, workflow tools such as Lotus, mail, collaborative groupware, computer Telephony, and online reference libraries.
Data Access Services
These include support for relational databases, hierarchical databases, object-oriented databases, persistence, legacy files, and storage management.
These include the three main models of program-to-program communication across a network: conversational, remote procedure call, and messaging and queueing.
Object Management Services
These include: the Object Request Broker, life cycle, and externalization.
These services make it possible to support the distribution of applications and data in a network: directory (what is located where), time (coordinating locations), security, and a transaction manager.
Common Transport Semantics
This component frees the upper layers from having to be concerned about the services used to move information across the network.
Physical Network and Signalling and Control Plane
These components include the detailed hardware mechanisms involved in moving information across the network. | <urn:uuid:236b6913-60fa-421f-80d5-dcb5ab463dc3> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/Open-Blueprint | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610704799741.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20210126104721-20210126134721-00366.warc.gz | en | 0.915311 | 377 | 2.765625 | 3 |
The hazards of lead in paints are regulated by both EPA and OSHA.
Under EPA, Lead-Based Paints (LBPs) are defined as those with lead concentrations of 5,000 parts per million (ppm) or more and related rules are generally intended to protect the public. However, OSHA regulates worker/employee exposure to paints that contain any lead.
LBPs are found in virtually every building constructed before 1978. Lead-containing paints are produced to this day. Given this, a Lead Paint Management Program was developed to avoid exposures and ensure proper waste handling and disposal. This is ensured by training, implementation of standard procedures and work practices, inspections, and exposure monitoring. | <urn:uuid:e9802a0f-76d4-4bc6-9b35-e695b11ea2c4> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://ehs.psu.edu/lead-based-paint/overview | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662534693.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20220520223029-20220521013029-00498.warc.gz | en | 0.966664 | 145 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Turkey Air Defense System.After joining the North Atlantic Alliance in 1952, an intensive renewal of ground-based air defense systems of the Turkish Republic began. As is the case with fighter aviation, anti-aircraft artillery, anti-aircraft missile systems and radars were mainly American-made. From joining NATO until the early 1970s, Turkey received about $ 1 billion worth of US weapons and military equipment.
At the first stage, the United States handed over to the Turkish army a significant number of 12,7-mm machine-gun mounts, 40-mm Bofors L60 machine guns and 40-mm twin M42 Duster self-propelled anti-aircraft guns to protect the Turkish army at the first stage.
To combat air targets in the altitude range from 1,5 to 11 km, 90 mm M2 anti-aircraft guns were intended. Some of them were placed in stationary positions around strategically important objects and on the coast, where they were also used in coastal defense. For the mid-1950s, 90-mm anti-aircraft guns paired with the SCR-268 fire control radar showed good results. The effectiveness of firing at air targets was quite high thanks to the use of automatic projectile feeding with the fuse installer. The ammunition could also include shells with a radio fuse, which had a higher probability of hitting a target. The anti-aircraft battery, in which there were six 90-mm guns, could release more than 150 shells per minute.
90 mm M2 anti-aircraft guns at firing position
The radar detected gaps in the air of anti-aircraft artillery shells, adjusting the fire relative to the target, which was especially important when firing at targets that were not observed visually. The SCR-268 station could see aircraft at ranges up to 36 km, with a range accuracy of 180 m and an azimuth of 1,1 °. The use of a radar in combination with an analog computing device and shells with radio fuses made it possible to conduct fairly accurate anti-aircraft fire on aircraft flying at medium and high altitudes even at night. Also, to improve the anti-aircraft fire could be used more advanced radar SCR-584. This radar station was able to detect targets at a distance of 40 km and to conduct anti-aircraft fire corrections at ranges up to 15 km.
Due to the increase in the speed and height of the flight of jet combat aircraft, 90 mm M2 guns were already considered obsolete by the second half of the 1960s. However, they existed in coastal defense units until the early 1990s.
In the late 1950s, several dozens of American-made M75 Skysweeper automatic 51-mm anti-aircraft guns were delivered to Turkey. This anti-aircraft gun, adopted in 1953, in its caliber had no equal in range, rate of fire and accuracy of firing. At the same time, the complex and expensive hardware required qualified maintenance, was quite sensitive to mechanical influences and meteorological factors. The mobility of the 75 mm automatic guns left much to be desired, and therefore in Turkey they were usually located in stationary positions.
75mm anti-aircraft gun M51 Skysweeper in combat position
The M51 Skysweeper anti-aircraft gun with radar guidance could fire at air targets at ranges up to 13 km, reach in height was 9 km. Combat rate of fire - 45 shots / min. The T-38 radar, coupled with the gun barrel, had a range of about 30 km and was able to accompany a plane flying at a speed of up to 1100 km / h.
The anti-aircraft battery had four guns. Preliminary target designation by telephone line or radio network was issued from the upgraded radar SCR-584, which were subsequently replaced by mobile radars AN / TPS-43. Despite the problems with the reliability of electronic units built on electrovacuum devices, the operation of the M51 Skysweeper anti-aircraft guns in Turkey continued until the early 1970s.
In 1953, the 6th NATO combined tactical aviation command was formed with headquarters in Izmir, which, in addition to other tasks, was also entrusted with the provision of Turkish air defense. In parallel with the deployment of anti-aircraft batteries in Turkey by the end of the 1950s, several stationary radar posts were erected. Initially, these were AN / FPS-8 type survey radars operating at frequencies of 1280-1350 MHz, capable of detecting high-altitude targets at ranges of more than 400 km.
Radar AN / FPS-8
In the early 1960s, the AN / FPS-8 radars were supplemented by more advanced stationary two-coordinate AN / FPS-88 radars operating in the same frequency range, but with antennas covered by radio-transparent domes. AN / FPS-88 radars with a pulse power of 1 MW could see large high-altitude air targets at ranges of more than 400 km. To more accurately determine the range and altitude, radio altimeters AN / FPS-6 and AN / MPS-14 were used.
Radar systems as part of the AN / FPS-88 radar and AN / FPS-6 radio altimeters were used to control airspace, as well as to provide target designation to ground-based air defense systems and to target fighter-interceptors. For greater range, AN / TPS-44 radars located on higher elevations along the coast could work, emitting in the frequency range 1,25 - 1,35 GHz. Currently, AN / FPS-88 and AN / FPS-6 are decommissioned, and very worn-out stations of the AN / TPS-44 type with a passport detection range of more than 400 km are operated in a sparing mode, and therefore their real range does not exceed 270 km.
In 1974, six stationary radar posts operating on the territory of the Republic of Turkey, deployed at an altitude of 1000-2500 m, were included in the structure of the automated ground control system for NATO Air Defense Forces in Europe “Neige”. According to the plan of the NATO command, the "Nage" system was supposed to solve the tasks of continuous monitoring of the air situation, early detection of targets and their identification, collection and analysis of information, the issuance of individual data and an overall picture of the air situation at air defense control centers. It was entrusted with the task of providing control of military means - fighter-interceptors and anti-aircraft missile systems in the conditions of application by the enemy of active radio countermeasures.
Stationary anti-aircraft missile systems
In connection with the adoption of jet bombers by the USSR Air Force, taking into account the strategic position of Turkey and the presence of American military bases on its territory, a more effective air defense system was required than anti-aircraft artillery. In the early 1960s, the deployment of the MIM-3 Nike Ajax anti-aircraft missile systems began in the west of the country. From the very beginning, anti-aircraft missile units were subordinate to the command of the Turkish air forces.
Nike Ajax became the first mass-produced air defense system and the first anti-aircraft missile system, which was adopted by the American army in 1953. For the mid-1950s and early 1960s, the capabilities of air defense systems made it possible to effectively hit any type of jet bombers and cruise missiles that existed then. This stationary single-channel air defense system was designed as a means of object-based air defense to protect large cities and strategic military bases. In its capabilities, the Nike Ajax air defense system built in the late 1950s was close to the characteristics of the much larger Soviet S-75 air defense system, which initially had the opportunity to change positions. Range - about 45 km, height - up to 19 km, target speed - up to 2,3 M. A unique feature of the Nike-Ajax anti-aircraft missile was the presence of three high-explosive fragmentation warheads. The first, weighing 5,44 kg, was located in the nasal section, the second - 81,2 kg - in the middle, and the third - 55,3 kg - in the tail. It was assumed that this will increase the likelihood of hitting a target, due to a longer cloud of fragments. The rocket used a liquid-propellant engine running on toxic fuel and caustic, igniting the combustible substances of the oxidizer. Each battery consisted of two parts: a central station where radars and guidance stations were located - and a sector in which launchers, missile depots, and fuel tanks were located.
SAM position MIM-3 Nike Ajax
For the MIM-3 Nike Ajax in North America, more than 100 capital positions were built. But due to the difficulties in operating liquid rockets and the successful testing of the long-range MIM-14 Nike-Hercules complex with solid-fuel rockets, the Nike Ajax was withdrawn from service in the mid-1960s. Some of the anti-aircraft systems withdrawn from the US Army were not disposed of, but transferred to NATO allies: Greece, Italy, Holland, Germany and Turkey. In the Turkish Air Force, Nike-Ajax systems were used until the early 1970s.
The next step in strengthening the Turkish air defense system was the adoption of the long-range American MIM-14 Nike-Hercules. Unlike its predecessor, Nike-Hercules has an increased combat range - up to 130 km and altitude - up to 30 km, which is achieved through the use of new missiles and more powerful radar stations. However, the concept of the construction and combat operation of the complex remained the same. The new American air defense system was also single-channel, which significantly limited its ability to repulse a massive raid.
The detection and target designation system of the Nike-Hercules air defense system was originally based on a stationary detection radar from the Nike-Ajax air defense system operating in the mode of continuous emission of radio waves. Subsequently, for the modification, known as Hercules Standard A, the mobile radar AN / MPQ-43 was created, which made it possible to change the position if necessary. The upgraded SAM Improved Hercules (MIM-14B) introduced new detection radars, and improved target tracking radars, which increased the noise immunity and the ability to track high-speed targets. In addition, a radar was installed that constantly determined the distance to the target and issued additional corrections for the computer. A part of the electronic units was transferred from electric vacuum devices to a solid-state elemental base.
Although the capabilities of the modernized complex increased, it was still mostly “sharpened” against large and relatively slow and low-maneuverable long-range bombers. The capabilities of even the improved MIM-14В / С air defense systems to combat low-level front-line aircraft were modest. However, this was partially offset by certain capabilities to intercept ballistic missiles.
SAM position MIM-14 Nike-Hercules
The Nike-Hercules battery included all military equipment and two launch pads, each of which had 3-4 launchers with missiles. Batteries are usually placed around the protected object. Each division includes six batteries.
Google Earth satellite image: MIM-14 Nike-Hercules air defense missile defense position 5 km east of Marmaris. Photo taken in 2009
The deployment of the MIM-14V / S air defense system in Turkish territory began in the late 1960s. In total, up to the second half of the 1970s, 12 Nike Hercules batteries were betrayed to Turkey. Although these complexes had the theoretical possibility of relocation, the deployment and folding procedure was quite complicated and time-consuming. In general, the mobility of the American MIM-14C Nike-Hercules air defense system was comparable to that of the Soviet long-range S-200 complex.
By the end of the Cold War, 10 Nike Hercules batteries had been deployed in operational condition in Turkey. All positions were at an altitude of 300 to 1800 m above sea level.
The diagram shows that the long-range anti-aircraft missile systems in the country were located unevenly. The air defense of the eastern regions bordering Armenia and Georgia was supposed to be carried out using fighter-interceptors, anti-aircraft artillery and short-range mobile systems. The stationary positions of long-range air defense systems were located in the western part of the Republic of Turkey. Judging by the locations and the direction in which the launchers of anti-aircraft missiles were oriented, they primarily had to protect ports and sea straits. The highest density of SAM positions was observed in the vicinity of Istanbul.
After the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact Organization and the collapse of the USSR, the number of Nike-Hercules complexes deployed in Turkey gradually decreased. The latest air defense systems in the vicinity of Istanbul were decommissioned in 2007. However, unlike other NATO countries, the air defense systems removed from combat duty were not disposed of, but were sent for storage to the 15th missile base, located north-west of Istanbul.
As of 2009, the Nike-Hercules air defense systems remained only on the coast of the Aegean Sea. Such an arrangement of air defense systems at stationary positions clearly demonstrates against whom they are primarily directed. Although Turkey and Greece are full members of NATO, there are serious contradictions between these countries, which in the past have repeatedly led to armed clashes.
Despite the fact that the Nike-Hercules air defense systems in Turkey are extremely worn out and hopelessly outdated, they are still formally in service.
Google Earth satellite image: position of the MIM-14 Nike-Hercules SAM in the vicinity of Izmir. Of the six launchers, only two are equipped with anti-aircraft missiles
The positions of the MIM-14 Nike-Hercules SAM are still maintained in the vicinity of Izmir, Kojakoy and Karakoy. Satellite images show that part of the launchers is equipped with missiles, which indicates a shortage of air-launched missiles. Three stored batteries are evenly distributed along the coast, control airspace from the side of the Aegean Sea and, at the distance redistribution, overlap the mutual damage zones.
Despite the fact that the MIM-14 Nike-Hercules in Turkey are complexes of late modifications that can be relocated if necessary, in fact, most of them are tied to stationary radar for detecting air targets. By the mid-1980s, long-range Nike-Herkles air defense systems were coupled with powerful stationary radars with a phased antenna array Hughes HR-3000. In this regard, the standard radars AN / FPS-71 and AN / FPS-75 were used as auxiliary.
Mobile anti-aircraft missile systems
In the early 1970s, the Turkish Army's air defense was strengthened by the FIM-43 Redeye man-portable air defense systems. MANPADS were shipped from the United States and from surplus Bundeswehr. The first-generation portable system could hit subsonic aerial targets when firing after it at a range of 4500 m and in a range of heights of 50 - 2700 m.
Although the characteristics of noise immunity and sensitivity of the infrared seeker of this complex were modest, MANPADS "Redeye" was widely used. About 150 launchers and nearly 800 missiles were delivered to Turkey. Currently, the FIM-43 Redeye MANPADS in Turkey are replaced by the FIM-92 Stinger.
In addition to the MIM-14 Nike-Hercules, in the mid-1970s, several batteries of the MIM-23B Improved Hawk mobile air defense systems were delivered to the United States from Turkey in the mids. For its time, the I-Hawk air defense system was quite advanced, and had the following advantages: the ability to intercept high-speed targets at low altitudes, the high noise immunity of the radar exposure and the ability to homing on the interference source, short response time, high mobility.
The Advanced Hawk air defense system could hit supersonic air targets at ranges from 1 to 40 km and in the altitude range of 0,03 - 18 km. The main firing unit of the MIM-23V complex was a two-platoon anti-aircraft battery. The fire platoon had a radar target illumination, three launchers with three anti-aircraft guided missiles on each. In addition, in the first firing platoon there was a target designation radar, a radar range finder, an information processing center and a battery command post, and in the second - a target designation radar and a control post.
The first MIM-23V air defense missile systems launched combat duty in the vicinity of Istanbul, and initially served as an addition to the long-range Nike-Hercules complexes. But subsequently, the bulk of the mobile low-altitude systems were used by the Turkish Air Force command as a reserve, which, if necessary, could be transferred to the most dangerous section. For this reason, in the Turkish territory, the anti-aircraft systems of the Hawk family were deployed very limitedly in permanent positions.
In the late 1990s, part of the Turkish MIM-23B Improved Hawk air defense system was upgraded to Hawk XXI. After the upgrade, the obsolete AN / MPQ-62 surveillance radars were replaced with the modern AN / MPQ-64 three-axis radar. Changes have undergone air defense controls and data exchange equipment. In addition, the modified MIM-23K missiles were equipped with new high-explosive fragmentation warheads and more sensitive radio fuses. This made it possible to increase the likelihood of hitting air targets and give the complex limited missile defense capabilities.
In total, Turkey received 12 Hawk batteries; some of the complexes came from the presence of the US armed forces. It is reported that the last delivery was in 2005. Currently, even the upgraded systems no longer fully comply with modern requirements, and due to physical wear and tear in working condition, several Hawk XXI air defense systems remained in the Turkish Air Force. Which in the near future should be replaced by complexes of Turkish production.
In the late 1970s, the question arose of protecting Turkish military airfields from low-altitude bombing and assault strikes. A significant part of the air bases located in the Republic of Turkey was within the combat radius of the Soviet fighter-bombers Su-7B, Su-17, MiG-23B and front-line bombers Su-24. All Turkish air bases are located within the reach of long-range Tu-16, Tu-22 and Tu-22M bombers.
Google Earth satellite image: Rapier-2000 air defense system position in the vicinity of Incirlik airbase
In this regard, the US Air Force funded the purchase of 14 Rapier short-range air defense systems from the British British Aircraft Corporation. Initially, the complexes that covered the bases in Turkish territory were served by American calculations. The first Rapira air defense systems appeared in the Turkish Air Force in the early 1980s.
The main element of the complex, adopted by the United Kingdom in 1972, is a towed launcher for four missiles, on which a detection and target designation system is also mounted. Three more vehicles are used to transport the guidance post, a crew of five and a reserve ammunition.
Launcher SAMs Rapier
The complex’s surveillance radar, combined with a launcher, is capable of detecting low-altitude targets at a distance of more than 15 km. Guidance missiles is carried out using radio commands, which after capturing the target is fully automated. The operator only keeps the air target in the field of view of the optical device, while the infrared direction finder accompanies the missile launcher along the tracer, and the counting and resolving device generates guidance commands for the anti-aircraft missile. SAM Rapier can be used autonomously. Typically, the complexes are reduced to batteries, each of which includes: battery management, two firing platoons and a repair section. The first serial modification of the complex could hit air targets at ranges from 500 to 7000 m, in a range of heights of 15-3000 m.
In the second half of the 1990s, mass production of the radically improved modification of the Rapier-2000 began. Thanks to the use of more effective missiles Mk.2, with an increased firing range of up to 8000 m, non-contact infrared fuses, and new optoelectronic guidance stations and tracking radars, the characteristics of the complex have increased significantly. In addition, the number of missiles on launchers doubled - up to eight units. The Rapira-2000 complex was equipped with Dagger radar. It is capable of simultaneously detecting and tracking up to 75 targets. A computer coupled to a radar allows you to distribute targets and fire at them depending on the degree of danger. Guidance missiles to the target radar Blindfire-2000. In a difficult jamming environment or with the threat of anti-radar missile defense systems, an optoelectronic station comes into play. It includes a thermal imager and a highly sensitive TV camera. The optoelectronic station accompanies the rocket along the tracer and gives the coordinates to the calculator. Using radar tracking and optical means, simultaneous firing of two air targets is possible.
SAM launcher Rapier-2000
After the Turkish company Roketsan received a license to manufacture the Rapier-2000 air defense systems, 86 complexes were built in Turkey. The Mk.2A missiles and a number of electronic components were supplied by BAE Systems. Radars were provided by Alenia Marconi Systems.
At the moment, the Rapier 2000 air defense system is permanently covered by five large air bases located in the southern and western parts of Turkey. Usually in the vicinity of the air base deployed from 2 to 6 complexes. The Incirlik Air Base is best protected, where American warplanes are permanently located and B61 thermonuclear bombs are stored.
Layout of the positions of the Rapier-2000 air defense system in the vicinity of the Incirlik air base
Currently, the Turkish leadership has embarked on a renewal of the national air defense system. The problem of replacing obsolete radars and anti-aircraft missile systems is solved by purchasing modern models abroad. In addition, Ankara is actively seeking to establish licensed production of advanced radar facilities on its territory, which gives access to technology. At the same time, the creation of their own radar and air defense systems, which have already begun to enter the troops, is ongoing.
The ending should ... | <urn:uuid:8e9a6bf5-72a7-4d8c-acb1-3f84f36a47ee> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://en.topwar.ru/166048-ne-dat-prorvatsja-sovetam-protivovozdushnye-kompleksy-turcii-v-gody-holodnoj-vojny.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655897707.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20200708211828-20200709001828-00395.warc.gz | en | 0.966681 | 4,687 | 2.90625 | 3 |
The ABC posted an article about females using fertility awareness as a contraception instead of other contraception methods, for example the contraception pill. In this article we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the contraception pill and females using fertility awareness as a contraception.
Using oral contraceptive pills has health advantages and disadvantages. Some of the health advantages are reduced endometriosis, reduced premenstrual mood disturbance, reduced period pain and reduced ovarian cancer. There are health disadvantages of the contraception pill, however they are rare. These include migraines, increased liver tumours, increased high blood pressure, increased clotting disorders and increased early breast cancer.
When using hormonal contraceptives there is reduced awareness of the natural menstrual cycle. The natural menstrual cycle, in particular the interval between the first days of menstruation (the cycle length) provide information about a woman’s cycle and body.
When cycle lengths are shorter than 26 days, a woman should see her doctor to be checked for reduced ovarian reserve (reduced number of eggs left in the ovary). If the cycle lengths are longer than 35 days advice should be sought to find out why ovulation is not regular or taking longer than average to occur. Absent cycles (when menstrual bleeding doesn’t occur) without hormonal contraception should also be checked out.
Using hormonal contraception methods have advantages and disadvantages. When fertility awareness is used as a contraception method, a woman is likely to understand her menstrual cycle and understand if there’s anything on which the advice of a doctor should be sought. However, using fertility awareness as a contraception method is not always accurate and unplanned pregnancies can occur. | <urn:uuid:040087be-f34d-4333-a5b6-96e091760006> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://ivf4family.com.au/resources/blog/information/fertility-awareness-as-a-contraception-method | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496669795.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20191118131311-20191118155311-00482.warc.gz | en | 0.926639 | 328 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Particle physicists have combined theoretical and computational physics techniques and used Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s massively parallel 2-petaflop Vulcan supercomputer to devise a new model of dark matter. It identifies it as naturally “stealthy” (i.e. like its namesake aircraft, difficult to detect) today, but would have been easy to see via interactions with ordinary matter in the extremely high-temperature plasma conditions that pervaded the early universe.
Dark matter makes up 83 percent of all matter in the universe and does not interact directly with electromagnetic or strong and weak nuclear forces.
Light does not bounce off of it, and ordinary matter goes through it with only the feeblest of interactions. Essentially invisible, it has been termed dark matter, yet its interactions with gravity produce striking effects on the movement of galaxies and galactic clusters, leaving little doubt of its existence.
“These interactions in the early universe are important because ordinary and dark matter abundances today are strikingly similar in size, suggesting this occurred because of a balancing act performed between the two before the universe cooled,” said Pavlos Vranas of LLNL.
The key to stealth dark matter’s split personality is its compositeness and the miracle of confinement. Like quarks in a neutron, at high temperatures, these electrically charged constituents interact with nearly everything.
But at lower temperatures they bind together to form an electrically neutral composite particle. Unlike a neutron, which is bound by the ordinary strong interaction of quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the stealthy neutron would have to be bound by a new and yet-unobserved strong interaction, a dark form of QCD.
“It is remarkable that a dark matter candidate just several hundred times heavier than the proton could be a composite of electrically charged constituents and yet have evaded direct detection so far,” Vranas said.
Similar to protons, stealth dark matter is stable and does not decay over cosmic times. However, like QCD, it produces a large number of other nuclear particles that decay shortly after their creation.
These particles can have net electric charge but would have decayed away a long time ago. In a particle collider with sufficiently high energy (such as the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland), these particles can be produced again for the first time since the early universe. They could generate unique signatures in the particle detectors because they could be electrically charged.
“Underground direct detection experiments or experiments at the Large Hadron Collider may soon find evidence of (or rule out) this new stealth dark matter theory,” Vranas said.
Thomas Appelquist, Evan Berkowitz, Richard C. Brower, Michael I. Buchoff, George T. Fleming, Xiao-Yong Jin, Joe Kiskis, Graham D. Kribs, Ethan T. Neil, James C. Osborn, Claudio Rebbi, Enrico Rinaldi, David Schaich, Chris Schroeder, Sergey Syritsyn, Pavlos Vranas, Evan Weinberg, Oliver Witzel
Direct Detection of Stealth Dark Matter through Electromagnetic Polarizability
Top Illustration: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory | <urn:uuid:1d882de1-c867-4ed8-9709-778797d3e550> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://sciencebeta.com/stealth-dark-matter/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496671249.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20191122092537-20191122120537-00169.warc.gz | en | 0.912299 | 661 | 3.53125 | 4 |
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa was born in 1831 in a small village called Reenascreena near Rosscarbery, West Cork, a scenic popular are of South West Ireland visited frequently by those on self drive tours. He was the son of a tenant farmer, Denis O'Donovan and his wife Nellie O'Driscoll. While a young boy, the failure of the main food crop of the Irish population which was the potato, in sucessive years between 1845 and 1847 lead to a devastating famine which hit the West Cork area in which he lived, particularly hard. The Great Famine as it became known, caused one million Irish people to lose their lives in these years and another million to emigrate. O'Donovan Rossa's own father died in 1847 of an illness related to severe malnutrition and the teenager moved to Skibbereen to work in his cousin's shop in the town.
The 1848 Young Irelander rebellion and the growing independence/anti-imperialist movements in Europe around this time inspired the young O'Donovan Rossa and in 1856 he formed the "Phoenix National Literary Society" in Skibbereen town. This was essentially a secret society whose aim was Irish independence from Britain. He married the first of his three wives, Nano Eager, a Killarney woman, in 1853. By 1858 he had been sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) known colloquially as the "Fenians", a reference to "Na Fianna" a band of warriors who defended Ireland from invaders in Irish mythology. Following the death of his first wife in 1860 he subsequently married Ellen Buckley from Castlehaven who died in childbirth in 1863.
He was imprisoned in 1865 as a result of his activities as manager of the nationalist newspaper "The Irish People" and served his prison sentence in a variety of prisons in England. His peers planned the rebellion of 1867 which failed after a few brief skirmishes and armed battles in some isolated parts of Ireland, most notably Tallaght outside Dublin. The ringleaders of the rebellion were rounded up by the authorities and also eventually imprisoned in England following trial.
The Fenian prisoners were granted early release from jail in 1871 following a public enquiry into the conditions in which they, including O'Donovan Rossa were held. All the released prisoners were forced to emigrate and O'Donovan Rossa moved to New York City with his now third wife, Mary Irwin from Clonakilty in West Cork, whom he had married in 1864. They were to have thirteen children together. He ran the Chatham Hotel, in Chatham Square in Manhattan in subsequent years in the notorious "Five Points" district which now is in the heart of modern day Chinatown. This was made famous in recent years by being the setting for the Martin Scorcese film, "The Gangs of New York" (2002).
While in New York, O'Donovan Rossa continued his fight against British rule in Ireland and very sucessfully raised money to fund a so called "Skirmishing Fund" - essentially a late nineteenth century terror and bombing campaign. His fame grew further as he ran for office in New York city immediately upon his arrival, against the infamous "Boss" Tweed of Tammany Hall fame. Although ultimately unsuccessful, his public utterances and writings as well as his continued support for the physical force tradition of Irish nationalism kept him in the public eye on both sides of the Atlantic. He was finally released from banishment by the British government in 1891 and travelled to Ireland in 1894 and again in 1904.
Although he lived for a short period of time in Cork City around this time, he returned to live in Staten Island, New York City and died there on 29th June 1915. The leadership of the republican/nationalist movement in Ireland saw an opportunity to use the death of O'Donovan Rossa as a propaganda outlet and requested their comrades in the United States send his remains home for burial in Ireland. He was given a public funeral which attracted a very large attendance from throughout the island of Ireland and the eulogy at his graveside was given by Padraig Pearse who was to come to even greater public prominence nine months later as the leader of the 1916 rebellion in Dublin known as "The Easter Rising". The speech is one of the most famous pieces of Irish oratory and a part of the closing section is quoted below.
"The Defenders of this Realm have worked well in secret and in the open. They think that they have purchased half of us and intimidated the other half. They think that they have foreseen everything, think that they have provided against everything; but the fools, the fools, the fools! — they have left us our Fenian dead, and, while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace."
Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa is buried in Glasnevin cemetery in Dublin. He is commemorated in Ireland by a bridge over the river Liffey named in his honour, a monument in Saint Stephen's Green in Dublin City centre, a park (with statue) named after him in Skibbereen, County Cork and several Gaelic football and hurling teams named in his honour including the Skibbereen G.A.A. Club O'Donovan Rossa. | <urn:uuid:0c27649e-c3a4-491c-983c-b617077159da> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://www.discoveringireland.com/jeremiah-o-donovan-rossa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337490.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20221004085909-20221004115909-00660.warc.gz | en | 0.988018 | 1,106 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Researchers at Brown University have built a robotic bat wing, which they believe can serve as as stepping stone toward some interesting new flying vehicles. Hopefully it won't serve as a stepping stone to some giant bat-like Terminator.
Brown University explains:
The robot, which mimics the wing shape and motion of the lesser dog-faced fruit bat, is designed to flap while attached to a force transducer in a wind tunnel. As the lifelike wing flaps, the force transducer records the aerodynamic forces generated by the moving wing. By measuring the power output of the three servo motors that control the robot’s seven movable joints, researchers can evaluate the energy required to execute wing movements.
Testing showed the robot can match the basic flight parameters of bats, producing enough thrust to overcome drag and enough lift to carry the weight of the model species. | <urn:uuid:3d745dd8-b4d1-4c67-bd97-0f093b670edf> | CC-MAIN-2017-17 | http://www.webpronews.com/this-robot-bat-wing-now-exists-2013-02/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-17/segments/1492917121752.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20170423031201-00166-ip-10-145-167-34.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947082 | 178 | 3.40625 | 3 |
is the Best!
Emergent Literacy Lesson Design
Rational: This lesson focuses on something that is crucial for children to master in the beginning of their reading instruction: letter recognition. Through the various activities, the students will be able to recognize the letter and phoneme "b" and /b/ both in written and spoken language. They also will be able to write upper case and lower case "B's."
Materials: Primary Paper, Pencils, Poster with tongue twister and picture: Beth broke her best buddy's baby doll, Picture page for assessment (pictures of baby, dog, bat, fish, web, lid), book: The Honeybee and the Robber, stickers
1. Begin lesson by telling students that our written language is made up lots of different letters, and we've got to figure out what each one stands for. Today we're going to learn a letter that is going to help us break the "secret code" of our language: b, or the phoneme, /b/. Tell students that we are going to be able to recognize the mouth moves for /b/, and soon we will be able to see b in all kinds of words!
2. I want everyone to put their hand on their chest and listen very, very quietly. Do you hear your heart beating: b-b-b-b-b‰¥ÏThat's the sound b makes! What do you feel your mouth doing when you make that sound? That right, our lips start out pressed together, and we let out a puff of air. One word we hear the letter b in is "bite." Now, stretch out the heartbeat b in "bite." B-b-b-b-bite. Good job!
3. Now we are going to try our tongue twister that's written on this chart. I'll say it once, and then you can say it back to me two times. Ready? It says "Beth broke her best buddy's baby doll." Okay, now we're going to say it again, but this time we're going to stretch out that heartbeat "b" sound. Bbbbeth bbbbroke her bbbbest bbbbuddy's bbbbaby doll. Great job! Now let's see if we can break off the /b/ at the beginning of each word that begins with /b/. /B/eth /b/roke her /b/est /b/uddy's /b/aby doll.
4. Okay, now it's time to write it! I think you're ready! Please take out your pencils and primary paper. First I'll show you how we write the letter b. Model on board and talk through the steps. For the upper case B, we start up at the rooftop and go all the way down to the sidewalk, then around for his big chest and around again for his big tummy. Next, for lower case b, we start up at the rooftop again, and go all the way down to the sidewalk and b-b-bounce up and around. Once I see that you have figured out how to write these letters, I'll give you a sticker on your paper. Then, I want to you write Bb across the line on your paper six more times.
5. Can you hear /b/ in "bumblebee?" Now, I am going to call out some words to you, and if you think you hear a /b/ in them, I want you to flap your bumblebee wings really fast. Let's practice: I'm going to say the words "cab" and "tag," and I want you to flap your wings when I say which one you think has b in it. Okay, cab or tag? Right, I heard that heartbeat /b/ in cab, but not in tag. Let's try some more! Bat or map? Ball or sad? Call or tab?
6. Read The Honeybee and the Robber by Eric Carle. "This is a really great story about a honeybee and a robber! Do you think the robber is going to be able to rob the honeybee? I hope not! Let's read to find out!" After reading, discuss the story's events with the class. Read the story again, and have the students flap their wings when they hear a word with b. Have students write a message about where they would fly if they could fly like a bumblebee.
7. To assess the students' learning, give them the picture page and circle the pictures that begin with b. Then have them write an upper case and lower case b beside each picture.
The Honeybee and the Robber by Eric Carle. Philomel Books. (1991).
Smith, Julie. B B Bee!
Auburn University. Summer 2007.
Return to the Passages index. | <urn:uuid:d3b9d4ba-9a2a-4691-8001-b76d86d9fdac> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://www.auburn.edu/academic/education/reading_genie/passages/peaseel.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394021763647/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305121603-00085-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948408 | 1,011 | 4.21875 | 4 |
Following a study in Liberia, Save the Children has reported finding the exploitation of children by humanitarian workers, peacekeepers and local businessmen to be prolific. The study was conducted in temporary camps for those displaced by the civil war and amongst those recently repatriated to their towns and villages of origin after the end of the war.
Despite commitments made in 2002 by non governmental organizations, the United Nations and peacekeepers to improve the worldwide monitoring of recruitment and staff conduct, vulnerable children are still exchanging sex for basic necessities such as money to attend school or food to feed their families.
During the study in Liberia, children and members of the community consistently reported that a high proportion of girls in their camps were being sexually exploited by adults in positions of power. They reported that adults providing humanitarian assistance, peacekeepers and wealthy individuals regularly buy under-age sex.
While welcoming the new Liberian Government’s commitment to stamp out corruption and rape, Save the Children has urged resident Ellen Johnson- Sirleaf to tackle the high levels of sexual exploitation of children.
Representatives of Government Ministries, International NGOs, UN agencies and UNMIL representatives in Liberia gathered in May 2006 to urgently and collectively address this issue.
In March 2006 a collective of international NGOs, of which Save the Children is a key partner, launched a new set of materials (“Keeping Children Safe”) to enable all NGOs to attain high standards of child protection. | <urn:uuid:827730f7-e1c3-4204-bd0d-d926e845dd27> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | http://www.iteco.be/blog-focus-3/Children-in-Liberia-victims-of | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875145869.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20200224010150-20200224040150-00054.warc.gz | en | 0.958998 | 288 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Learn About Mental Health Problems in Children and Adolescents
Like adults, children and adolescents are not immune to mental health disorders. However, often children experience these disorders differently to adults, and there are also some problems which are unique to children. As such, treatment often needs to be different and children need to be viewed in context and helped in ways that make sense to them.
This course examines different types of mental health problems which can affect children and youth. The focus here is on disorders other than those which are known as pervasive developmental disorders (e.g. autism spectrum disorder), learning disorders (e.g. mathematics disorder) or behavioural disorders (e.g. conduct disorders and ADHD). Instead we are concerned with depression, anxiety, eating disorders, tic disorders and problems associated with brain disease or injury, environmental factors, abuse and neglect.
The course is ideally suited to students of psychology or counselling and people working in similar fields. It is also likely to be of value to teachers and other people who work with children where knowledge of mental health issues is advantageous.
Study the course to learn how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health problems, and develop an understanding of treatment options for these conditions.
The course is an excellent first step to developing an understanding of children's mental health. It covers a range of mental health conditions in children and adolescents including:
- Brain Disorders
- Tic Disorders
- Eating Disorders
Detailed Course Outline
This course is made up of a number of lessons or units. Each of these has self assessment questions, a set task (practical homework) and an assignment which you can upload online.
There are 10 Lessons in this course:
Nature and Scope of Mental Health
- Understanding normal childhood development
- Good mental health
- Understanding Childhood mental issues
- Prevalence of Mental Health issues in Children and Adolescents
- Differences to Adult Mental Health
- The Mental Health Industry
- Types of Depression in Childhood
- Diagnosis of Depression in Children
- Causes of Childhood Depression
- Assessing Risk of Suicide
- Scope and Nature of Anxiety Disorders
- Different types of Anxiety Disorders
- Childhood Anxiety Disorders
- Adolescent Anxiety Disorders
- Other anxiety-related Problems
- Types of Tics
- Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome (Tourette’s Disorder)
- Transient Tic Disorder
- Chronic Tic Disorder
- Tic Disorder (NOS)
Brain Disorders (Injury & Disease)
- Differences to Adults
- Traumatic Brain Injury
- Congenital Malformations
- Genetic Disorders
- Infectious Diseases
- Cerebrovascular Disease
- Environmental Toxins
- Elimination Disorders
- Feeding and Eating Disorders of Childhood
- Reactive Attachment Disorder
- Selective Mutism
- Stereotypic Movement Disorder
- Child Abuse
- Factitious Disorder by Proxy
- The Effects of Abuse
- Attachment Issues
Problems of Adolescence
- Substance Use
- Family Conflict
- Significant Disorders of Adolescence
Holistic and Alternative Approaches to Treatment
- Drug Treatments
- Food and Mental Health
- Alternative Therapies – homeopathy, art therapy, music therapy, counselling/psychotherapy, craniosacral/biodynamic osteopathy, kinesiology, aromatherapy, sensory integration, behavioural optometry, hearing and mental health, movement therapies.
When you have completed the lessons of your Certificate course, you will be given the option of taking the optional exam. It's okay if you don't want the exam, we still issue your Careerline Certificate. For Advanced Certificates however, the exam is compulsory (per module) and are included in the course fee.
Get Free Info Pack
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Dr Nicholas Harris B. Psychology (Hons I), PhD
Nicholas is a social psychologist; he studies and teaches on topics involving group-level and individual-level behavior, as well as examining the effect of the situation. Nicholas has been involved in writing textbooks and research papers in psychology. Nicholas’ teaching experience is vast; he has taught social psychology, indigenous and intercultural psychology, statistics, research methods, psychological measurement and assessment, personality, organizational psychology, counselling skills, and ethics. Nicholas has also completed a number of short courses on counselling and suicide prevention, and has volunteered for a number of years with Lifeline. Nicholas has supervised a number of honours and master’s research theses.
How It Works
1. Learn Online
Get access to your course content anywhere, anytime and study at your own pace.
2. Get Help & Support
Connect with other like-minded students and get help from the teacher whenever you have a question.
3. Receive Certificate
Graduate from your course knowing that you have what it takes to reach your next step.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I pay in installments?
Yes! We offer great payment plans, however full payment up front is the cheapest. You can choose the best payment plan for you from the course page, or call us on 07 55368782 to talk to one of our course consultants for a custom plan.
Can I study from anywhere in the world?
We have many international students. Careerline's range of courses are suitable for any one, anywhere in the world.
Do I get a discount if I enroll in a second course?
Yes. You may claim a 5% fee discount when you enroll in a second course, and a further 10% off a three-course package.
Do I have to sit an Exam?
No. If you are enrolled in a Certificate course (100hrs), the exam is optional. You will be issued with a certificate which proves that you are competent in all units, if you choose not to sit the exam.
Do you have set start dates?
There are no set start dates, you may start at any time. Our courses are all self-paced. As our home page says, ‘Courses for Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime’. ‘Anytime’ includes the start time of your choice. However, we do encourage our students to submit assignments on a regular basis. Wherever possible, we suggest developing a study routine. | <urn:uuid:1abeafdd-c399-493a-a393-fd10283e046b> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | https://www.careerlinecourses.com.au/counselling-psychology/child-and-adolescent-mental-health-online-course/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232259126.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20190526105248-20190526131248-00322.warc.gz | en | 0.922104 | 1,306 | 4.0625 | 4 |
Salvia Growing Guide
Crop Rotation Group
Fertile, well-drained soil.
Full sun to partial shade.
None. Salvias need warm temperatures at all times.
Mix a standard application of a balanced organic fertilizer into the soil prior to planting. In midsummer, drench plants with a liquid plant food to stimulate new growth. In containers, feed salvias every two weeks and do not allow them to dry out completely.
Lemon Verbena. In warm climates, salvias often are used in open shade, where they work well with nicotiana and sprawling petunias. In containers, a single salvia can serve as the upright element, surrounded by mound-forming herbs or trailing flowers.
Single Plants: 11" (30cm) each way (minimum)
Rows: 11" (30cm) with 11" (30cm) row gap (minimum)
Sow and Plant
Sow salvia seeds indoors in moist seed starting mix, and provide warm conditions and very bright light. Most gardeners buy salvia seedlings, which are widely available as bedding plants.
Our Garden Planner can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.
Salvias love warmth but not drought. Provide plenty of water, and be generous with liquid plant food. Red is the most common color, but varieties are available in numerous colors and bicolors. The tubular flowers attract hummingbirds.
Clip off old salvia branches after the flowers fade to insure steady production of new flowering spikes. Salvias make good short-lived cut flowers for garden bouquets.
Whiteflies can be a problem, and are best managed with two or three sprays of insecticidal soap, seven to ten days apart.
Planting and Harvesting Calendar
< Back to All Plants | <urn:uuid:90c941cd-f773-43da-b5df-e1e1adac5a7e> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://gardenplanner.seedmoney.org/plants/us-and-canada/how-to-grow-salvia/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027315558.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20190820180442-20190820202442-00338.warc.gz | en | 0.878088 | 382 | 2.84375 | 3 |
National labs lead the push for operating systems that let applications run at exascale.
A University of Michigan team uses high-performance computing at Oak Ridge to predict how crystals form.
A Princeton-led team uses earthquakes and Oak Ridge’s Titan supercomputer to map the heat engine called Earth.
Data from experiments and advanced codes combine with supercomputing muscle to help explain a half-century-old mystery.
Developing practical fusion energy has been impeded for decades by high heat loss from magnetically confined plasmas. Researchers from MIT, University of California at San Diego and General Atomics captured the dynamics of plasma turbulence linked to heat loss on unprecedented scales. Pictured here is the inside of the Alcator C-Mod tokamak, the inset depicting plasma turbulence simulations that show long wavelength blobs coexisting with short wavelength streamers – small, finger-like structures that comprise the turbulence in the core of the experimental plasmas.View full highlight » | <urn:uuid:8cb33fc0-ba38-4ba7-a00a-e1a3567014c0> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://ascr-discovery.science.doe.gov/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501170708.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104610-00628-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.863122 | 201 | 2.96875 | 3 |
OXFORD – Oxford’s Primary School students had a unique opportunity to learn about bus safety last week. Not only did they review proper conduct and etiquette on one of the district’s school buses, but they were also able to practice what to do in case of an emergency on one specially modified for that purpose.
According to Oxford’s Head Bus Driver Joyce Tefft, the district normally does bus evacuation drills three times a year. In these instances, students exit using the rear and side doors of the bus.
The SAFE bus was designed by the Student Accident Fire Evacuation Committee at the Owego Apalachin Central School District to allow students to safely practice exiting using the emergency windows and roof hatch as well. | <urn:uuid:61a41e0c-1489-4fda-b9e9-3916f82fa5f9> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.evesun.com/news/stories/2008-10-06/5336/Oxford-students-learn-bus-safety-lessons/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802767453.104/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075247-00117-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969544 | 154 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Severe storms drive holocene island evolution and coral reef biodiversity of the Houtman Abrolhos Archipelago, WA
Scheffers, S, Scheffers, A & Kelletat, D 2009, 'Severe storms drive holocene island evolution and coral reef biodiversity of the Houtman Abrolhos Archipelago, WA', IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, vol. 6.
Published version available from:
The unique setting of Houtman Abrolhos island allows for a precise storm chronology and influence on coral communities of Western Australia. All islands display coral rubble ridges caused by extreme disturbances which are one of the most important mechanisms affecting diversity of species. A clarification of this complexity can only be solved by a combination of geomorphology, biology and chronology. The archipelago consists of three main island groups, Wallabi (North), Easter (Centre) and Pelsaert (South) spanning 172 km at 290S. They are situated 2-6 km from the shelf edge (50 m water depth) and consist of a Pleistocene coral rubble pavement. Modern reefs laterally enlarged the Pleistocene pavement. Two destructives wave regimes influence reef and island development: Swell and storm waves from tropical cyclones and strong swell from the southern/ south-eastern “roaring forties” with recurrent southern storm events. Four islands were investigated (Long (North), Serventy (Centre), Post Office, and Pelsaert (South) island), representing a Southward tropical and Northward Antarctic storm gradient. Transects were chosen with oblique aerial photography and satellite images. More than 100 ridges were encountered and mapped. In total 152 coral samples were collected for age dating (14C, U/Th, ESR) and 8 ridges from Long Island (tropical cyclone influence) were sampled (n=8000) for coral species identification to reconstruct coral communities at time of destruction. The orientation of ridges within complexes was parallel due to identical swell direction over longer time. Geomorphology of ridge complexes allowed relative age identification between complexes. Inter ridge-complex relative ages could be identified by the sequence of ridges, state of erosion and weathering. Since sea-level dropped the last 6800 yrs, storm ridge crest height above sea-level in general gradually decreased seawards. Ridges within a complex were variable in absolute height, width, volume, and species composition. Storm ridge dimensions were determined by storm wave (swell) energy, availability of offshore reef material (time in between storms/ regeneration time of coral communities), and availability of onshore reef material (existing ridges mixed with subsequent storm material). Preliminary conclusions are that storm waves were largely constructive to these islands. The produced coral rubble ridges added land to existing structures or formed new islands; however storm waves also partially eroded some existing Pleistocene pavement. The variability in ridge dimension depicts different storm frequencies and intensities over the Holocene. Coral species analyses showed different community composition between ridges either representing different stages in reef succession or a change in dominating species due to change in storm frequency and intensity. | <urn:uuid:137c71f8-0330-441d-aa2a-004eb7890fe2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://epubs.scu.edu.au/esm_pubs/953/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704134547/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113534-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.91334 | 649 | 2.71875 | 3 |
People spend up to 90% of their lives indoors, so it is perhaps not surprising that the quality of the environment created has a significant impact on their health and well-being. What is perhaps even more surprising is that the indoor air quality of some buildings, including modern low energy buildings, has been shown to be poorer than urban outdoor air quality.
Modern energy efficient buildings depend on increased insulation levels and greater air tightness to reduce heat losses or gains. Such buildings are often reliant on mechanical ventilation systems to maintain indoor environmental quality, however when these are not maintained correctly or used inappropriately by occupants, this leads to problems with indoor environmental quality. In recognition of this problem the European Commission has supported a series of research projects developing eco-materials for improved indoor environmental quality.
The ECO-SEE project has developed hygrothermal coatings to passively regulate relative humidity levels, modified bio-based insulation materials to capture VOCs, and developed photocatalytic coatings to remove indoor organic pollutants using visible light sources. In addition, the ECO-SEE project is using these materials to develop external and internal wall panels, and developing improved modelling capacity to support wider uptake of these solutions.
This booklet presents the work of the ECO-SEE project.
The project consortium brings together a multidisciplinary team of world-class researchers from universities (Bath (UK), Aveiro (Portugal), Bangor (UK), IIT Delhi (India)) and research organisations (BRE (UK), Fraunhofer IBP (Germany), Tecnalia (Spain), Wood Technology Institute (Poland)) with a number of large enterprises (Acciona (Spain), BCB (France), Environment Park (Italy), Kronospan (UK) and Skanska Group (UK)), innovative SMEs, (Claytec (Germany) and European Associations (Greenovate! Europe (Belgium)), whose combined expertise and capacity will lead to commercial development and exploitation of the products developed. | <urn:uuid:95c6fb63-bdd2-4a7c-a63a-8fdc41b57b1d> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | http://www.buildup.eu/en/practices/publications/eco-see-project-booklet-breakthrough-eco-building-solutions-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202671.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20190322135230-20190322161230-00037.warc.gz | en | 0.938768 | 402 | 3.03125 | 3 |
The LAL or Limulus test is used for the determination of bacterial endotoxins in a wide variety of samples in both research laboratories and industries. The principle of this test is based on the process of coagulation which occurs in the hemolymph of horseshoe crab (Limulus Polyphemus) in the presence of lipopolysaccharides. In this article, the biological process and the way it was used to develop the test is described.
Discover and quote online our Endotoxin-Specific LAL Reagents HERE
The coagulation of the hemolymph of the horseshoe crab occurs through a series of chain reactions similar to those observed in mammals. For these chain reactions to be activated, the serine protease pro-enzymes present in the hemolymph need to react successively to cause the gelation process. A significant characteristic feature of coagulation reactions occurring in the Limulus crab is that they are activated with very small amounts lipopolysaccharides (LPS); concentrations of bacterial endotoxins coming into contact with the hemolymph at the picogram level are already sufficient for the reactions to occur. These reactions have the function of immobilising pathogenic micro-organisms, which die due to antimicrobial substances secreted in parallel and released into the hemolymph.
The fact that many of the necessary precursors for clots to be formed in the hemolymph of the horseshoe crab are found in the hemolymph in the form of granules, known as amebocytes, was used by researchers to develop a method of analysis of bacterial endotoxins by extracting the hemolymph of the crab. This test is known as the Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL) as the lysate of the granules is precisely performed so that they react to the presence of endotoxins in the test environment and gelation is produced. Gelation is the analytic signal used for both the qualitative and quantitative detection of LPS. To perform the test, an amount of hemolymph of each crab is extracted with a syringe and the animal is left in its environment.
If we go more into the biological process that occurs in the hemolymph of the horseshoe crab in the presence of LPS, we can see a number of separate activation processes from pro-enzymes to proteolytic enzymes: - LPS activates the reaction of pro-enzyme factor C autocatalytically in its transformation to activated factor C; - The factor C, in turn, activates the factor B; - The factor B turns the gel-forming pro-enzyme into an enzyme. The resulting clotting enzyme is responsible for anchoring the two peptide units in the coagulogen, forming an insoluble gel. This molecule is similar to fibrinogen in arthropods.
The coagulation chain described above is also activated by the (1,3) -β-D-glucan, in this case through the activation of factor G, which is another serine protease pro-enzyme and which also leads to the formation of the gel-forming enzyme. Therefore, the β-D-glucan is considered to be an interfering agent in the LAL test for the measurement of endotoxins. Wako researchers studied if the interference of the (1,3) -β-D-glucan is eliminated when curdlan is added into the environment where the endotoxin testing is performed with the LAL method. In the Wako’s LAL Division, carboxymethylated curdlan is added into the mix of lyophilized reagents prepared for tests, as in the case of the ES-F test of Limulus and the Pyrostar PS series, ensuring reliable results for the determination of LPS.
We can confirm that the LAL test is a simple test method which is very sensitive to bacterial endotoxins, and that it is currently used as the most efficient test for the determination of such substances. The original method used to be performed in a qualitative or semi-quantitative manner: the presence of endotoxins was determined by reading the gel clot formation after the incubation of a sample with amebocyte lysate at 37ºC for 1 hour. Currently, highly efficient quantitative methods which allow us to know the exact amount of bacterial endotoxins in a sample have been developed, such as the Limulus Color KY test, which is based on the colorimetric method.
1) Iwanaga S., Curr. Opin. Immunol. 5, 74–82, 1993.
2) Levin J., Bang F.B., Bull. Johns Hopkins Hosp. 115, 265–274, 1964.
3) Iwanaga S., Morita T., Harada T., Niwa M., Takada K., Kimura T., Sakakibara S., Haemostasis 7, 183–188, 1978.
4) J. Kambayashi, et al., Journal of Biochemical and Biophysical Methods, 22, 2, 93-100, 1991. | <urn:uuid:603b0373-8ea3-45d8-bbea-ffcf0849c20f> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://www.wakopyrostar.com/blog/kit-lal/post/principles-on-which-the-limulus-test-for-the-detection-of-bacterial-endotoxins-is-based/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947476442.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20240304101406-20240304131406-00582.warc.gz | en | 0.938397 | 1,058 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Emile Zola Germinal 1885 Part 3 chapter 1.
Scene a pub in a French pit village
“The revolution had had only made things worse (for the working man) the bourgeois had been living off the fat of the land since 1789, greedily taking every thing for themselves and leaving not so much as scraps off their plates.”
“You didn’t get bread on your table by voting for these splendid fellows who then promptly went off and led a life of Riley and spared no more of a thought for the poor than they did for an old pair of boots.”
“No one way or another it was time to put a stop to things, by nicely by agreeing new laws” (seen here as the Karl Marx way) “or else like savages, torching the place and fighting each other to the last man.” (Anarchism).
“There would have to be another revolution before the century was through, A workers revolution this time , a right bust up that would sort society out and rebuilt on a just and proper basis.”
“Things can’t go on like this” Mme Rasseneur repeated insistently. “Quite right!” the three of them cried. “Things cant go on like this!” | <urn:uuid:98c05184-243a-4b09-b7d1-1575e6a068b7> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://aroyjones.com/2015/04/27/twas-ever-thus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400244231.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20200926134026-20200926164026-00554.warc.gz | en | 0.971587 | 280 | 2.78125 | 3 |
To the family researcher, death records can be a gold mine of information. For example, a death certificate often includes the deceased's date and location of birth, along with the name of his or her father and mother and where they were born. In fact, if you are lucky, the death certificate may even include the mother's maiden name. In trying to trace a family, the death certificate may be one of the few places where the mother's maiden name may appear.
In addition to the birth information, a great deal of death information is also included. The date, location and cause of death are listed, along with the doctor's name and the length of time that the doctor had been seeing the patient. The date and location of interment may also be included.
The death certificate includes information about the deceased's life as well. There is often a space for occupation and marital status. Marital status includes married, single and widowed. Even if the deceased's spouse is already dead, his or her name is often listed as spouse.
Death certificates also list an informant, which allows you to assess how accurate the information might be. In the case of people who have long ago immigrated to the United States, the information of family left behind might be somewhat inaccurate. The informant might be an offspring who never even saw his or her grandparents and so the information about their names and birthplaces might be confused. This is why many family researchers try to find several pieces of information to confirm each other.
The name on the certificate may be different from other names used by the person you are searching. Nicknames may be used in later years and eventually evolve into the person's legal name.
If you are not sure that searching for a death record is the next best option for your research, consider using the advice feature of this site. This will help you pick your next best steps in your research. Go to Genealogy Search Advice. | <urn:uuid:cc82e0cd-e3be-46d4-b867-fcd38e050686> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | https://www.genealogy-search-advice.com/search-guides/death_records.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818689779.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20170923213057-20170923233057-00311.warc.gz | en | 0.972324 | 393 | 2.890625 | 3 |
GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite) / Ibuki
GOSAT (nickname Ibuki meaning "breath" or "puff") is a JAXA mission within the GCOM (Global Change Observation Mission) program of Japan. The GOSAT mission goals call for the study of the transport mechanisms of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4).
The emphasis is on atmospheric monitoring to clarify the sources and sinks of CO2 on a sub-continental scale. The overall mission objective is to contribute to environmental administration by estimating the Green House Gases (GHGs) source and sink on a sub-continental scale and to support the Kyoto protocol that was adsorbed at COP3/UNFCCC (3rd session of the conference in the framework of climate change) in 1997. The protocol calls for a reduction of greenhouse gases, in particular CO2; it requires all parties to reduce their emissions by 5% below the level of the year 1990, for the period of 2008-2012. Specific GOSAT objectives are: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11)
• Observation of the CO2 and CH4 column density (CH4 column density during orbital nighttime):
- at a spatial scale of 100-1000 km
- with relative accuracy of 1% for CO2 (4ppmv, 3 month average) and 2% for CH4
- during the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period (2008 to 2012).
• Reduction of CO2 annual flux estimation errors by half (0.54GtC/yr to 0.27GtC/yr) in identifying the greenhouse gas source and sink at subcontinental scale with the data obtained by GOSAT in conjunction with that from the ground-based instruments.
The mission priority is on:
- Short wave infrared observation
- CO2 and CH4 column density (during the orbital day time)
Secondary mission goals are:
- Thermal infrared observation
- CO2 and CH4 altitude profile
- CO2 and CH4 CH4 column density (during orbital night time)
- Observation of other trace gases (O3, etc.)
- Provision of other products (temperature profile, Earth radiation)
GOSAT is a joint project of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and NIES (National Institute of Environmental Studies) with instrument development/funding by Japan's MOE (Ministry of the Environment ). In this arrangement, JAXA is responsible for the satellite and instrument development, launch and operation of the spacecraft (including data acquisition), while NIES is in charge of data analysis (algorithm development) and utilization.
Figure 1: Overview of organizations and function allocation in the GOSAT project (image credit: JAXA)
Figure 2: Artist's rendition of the deployed GOSAT spacecraft in orbit (image credit: JAXA)
The spacecraft bus is three-axis stabilized with a structure size of 2.0 m (length) x 1.8 m width) x 3.7 m height). The structure consists of the mission module in which the mission sensors (payload) are loaded and the bus module containing the bus components. The mission module and the bus module (CFRP cylinder) can be separated so that the assembly is performed easily. The mission module consists of the honeycomb panel reinforced by CFRP on the surface.
• The AOCS (Attitude & Orbit Control Subsystem) is based on a zero-momentum design, attitude is sensed by Earth sensors, star trackers, IRU (Inertial Reference Unit), and a GPS receiver. Actuation is provided by a RWA (Reaction Wheel Assembly) and by MTQ (Magnetic Torquers).
AOCS consists of the AOCE (Attitude and Orbit Control Electronics), the IRU (Inertial Reference Unit), the FSSA (Fine Sun Sensor Assembly), ESA (Earth Sensor Assembly), the GPSR (Global Positioning System Receiver), STT (STar Tracker), the RWA (Reaction Wheel Assembly), the VDE (Valve Drive Electronics), and the MTQE (Magnetic TorQuer Drive Electronics). Figure 3 presents a block diagram of the AOCS. 12)
Figure 3: Block diagram of the GOSAT AOCS (image credit: JAXA, MELCO)
• The EPS (Electrical Power Subsystem) uses a 50 V unregulated bus, the solar panels are of rigid padpole design with 3.8 kW of power (EOL), and 4 pairs of NiCd batteries with energy of 35 Ah for solar eclipse operations (note: the NiCd batteries have flight heritage).
• The PDL (Paddle Subsystem) consists of two paddle wings, deployment mechanisms, paddle drive mechanisms. The solar array paddles are folded and attached at the side panels of the satellite by the hold and deploy mechanisms during the launch phase. The two paddle wings are deployed by the ordnance controller. The length of the paddle wing is about 6 m from the attachment to the tip. One wing generates over 2.0 kW at the end of mission life (EOL) with the condition that the sunlight is normal to the paddle surface. The power needed to drive the bus subsystems is generated by one wing, and partial observation of the mission sensors is possible even if one paddle wing fails.
• The RCS (Reaction Control Subsystem) is a monopropellant hydrazine blowdown system. RCS consists of 2 tanks of 550 mm diameter, four 20 N thrusters ,eight 1 N thrusters, tubes, pressure sensors, filters and valves. If a thruster of the four 1 N thrusters fails, AOCE (Attitude and Orbit Control Electronics) switches the control thrusters to the other four 1 N thrusters automatically.
• MDHS (Mission Data Handling Subsystem). The data from mission sensors is multiplexed by MDHS, recorded in a memory, and send to DT subsystem. The memory size of MDHS is 48 GByte.
• DT (Direct Transmission Subsystem). The data from MDHS is modulated at the X-band modulator, and converted to RF signal. And it is amplified at the XSSPA and transmitted to the ground station.
• TTC Telemetry Tracking and Command Subsystem). TTC consists of TTC-RF and TTC-DH. It receives the command from the ground station, demodulates and distributes to each subsystem. It gathers telemetry data from each subsystem, edits, records and transmits to the ground station. It also has the autonomous function and increase the flexibility of the operation.
• The TCS (Thermal Control Subsystem) maintains the temperature of the satellite at moderate temperature range for the each component. Thermal control is performed passively using heat pipes, MLI and OSR, and performed actively using a heater controlled thermostat.
The overall S/C mass is about 1750 kg with a payload mass of 391 kg. The overall design life is 5 years. The spacecraft is being manufactured by MELCO (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation), Kamakura Works, Japan as the prime contractor of GOSAT. 13) 14) 15)
Table 1: Some spacecraft parameters
Figure 4: Illustration of the deployed GOSAT spacecraft (image credit: JAXA) 16)
Figure 5: Illustration of the GOSAT spacecraft in launch configuration (image credit: JAXA)
Spacecraft environment survey equipment:
Use of CAMs (Monitor Cameras): A total of 8 CAMs are being accommodated at strategic locations on GOSAT with the objective to monitor the spacecraft exterior in orbit. The CAMs are capable of capturing clear images during the eclipse using LED (Light-Emitting Diode) light sources. The images acquired by the CAMs are being used to grasp the satellite status accurately (e.g. deployment status of the solar array paddles, contamination during the rocket fairing separation event); they also play important roles by responding to anomalies promptly. 17)
Figure 6: Illustration of a CAM device (image credit: JAXA)
TEDA (Technical Data Acquisition Equipment). TEDA is onboard space environment measurement system with the objective to monitor the orbital radiation environment. TEDA consists of four LPT1-4 (Light Particle Telescope) assemblies and one HIT (Heavy Ion Telescope) device. LPT discriminates electrons, protons, and alpha particles and analyzes their quantitative energy, while HIT characterizes the fluxes and energy distributions of heavy ions having masses from that of helium (He) to iron (Fe). 18)
Figure 7: Flight models the the TEDA devices (image credit: JAXA)
JAXA experienced unfortunate failures of the solar array paddle and the power system on the Earth observing satellites ADEOS and ADEOS-II in 1997 and 2003, respectively. As GOSAT has been the 'first satellite' that JAXA initiated its development following these setbacks, the policy of 'achieving high reliability' was designated as the 'first priority' for the design and development phases of GOSAT.
To achieve high reliability, the GOSAT project adopted the following policies for its development:
- Maximum utilization of flight-proven components
- Elimination of single-point failure probabilities with the provision of functional redundancy
- Thorough tests of the mission duty cycles.
Figure 8: Allocation of the TEDA devices on GOSAT (image credit: JAXA)
Launch: The launch of GOSAT took place on January 23, 2009 on a JAXA launcher (H-IIA vehicle). The launch site is the Yoshinobu Launch Complex at the Tanegashima Space Center, Kagoshima, Japan (launch provider: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.). The seven secondary payloads on this flight are: 19) 20)
- SDS-1 (Small Demonstration Satellite-1) of JAXA (~100 kg)
- SOHLA-1 (Space Oriented Higashiosaka Leading Association-1), Japan (50 kg)
- SpriteSat (Tohoku University), Japan (microsatellite of ~50 kg)
- PRISM (Picosatellite for Remote‐sensing and Innovative Space Missions) of ISSL of the University of Tokyo, 5 kg
- Kagakaki (SORUNSat-1), Japan, 20 kg
- KKS-1 (Kouku Kosen Satellite-1) of Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Engineering), nanosatellite of 3 kg
- STARS-1 (Space Tethered autonomous Robotic Satellite-1) of Kagawa University, Japan, ~ 10 kg.
Figure 9: Schematic view of the secondary payloads (image credit: JAXA)
Orbit: Sun-synchronous circular orbit, altitude = 666 km, inclination = 98º, revisit cycle of 3 days, LTAN (Local Time at Ascending Node) at 13:00 ± 0.15 hours.
RF communications: The downlink is provided in X-band (8 GHz) with a data rate of 120 Mbit/s. The TT&C data link is not DRTS compatible (2 kbit/s uplink, 30 kbit/s downlink). Science data is received and level-0 processed at JAXA/EOC (Earth Observation Center) in Hatoyama, Japan. Another acquisition station is Svalbard (Spitzbergen, Norway). 21)
A new observable from space: SIF (Solar-Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence)
2014: Remote sensing of terrestrial vegetation fluorescence from space is of great interest because it can potentially provide global coverage of the functional status of vegetation. For example, fluorescence observations may provide a means to detect vegetation stress before chlorophyll reductions take place. Although there have been many measurements of fluorescence from ground- and airborne-based instruments, there has been scant information available from satellites. 22)
Photosynthesis is the conversion by living organisms of light energy into chemical energy and fixation of atmospheric carbon dioxide into sugars; it is the key process mediating 90% of carbon and water fluxes in the coupled biosphere-atmosphere system.
Until about 2010, most of the information that has been acquired by remote sensing of the Earth's surface about vegetation conditions has come from reflected light in the solar domain. There is, however, one additional source of information about vegetation productivity in the optical and near-infrared wavelength range that has not been globally exploited by satellite observations. This source of information is related to the emission of fluorescence from the chlorophyll of assimilating leaves; part of the energy absorbed by chlorophyll cannot be used for carbon fixation and is thus re-emitted as fluorescence at longer wavelengths (lower energy) with respect to the absorption.
The fluorescence signal originates from the core complexes of the photosynthetic machinery where energy conversion of APAR (Absorbed Photosynthetically Active Radiation) occurs. Because the photosynthetic apparatus is an organized structure, the emission spectrum of fluorescence that originates from it is well known; it occurs as a convolution of broadband emission from 650 to 800 nm with two peaks in the VNIR (Visible and Near-Infrared) at 685 and 740 nm, respectively, as shown in Figure .
Figure 10: Simulated solar-induced fluorescence as a function of the emission wavelength with locations of oxygen absorption bands and several solar Fraunhofer lines including the KI line used here (image credit: NASA, NIES)
The measurement of SIF (Solar-Induced chlorophyll Fluorescence) from space is challenging, because its signal (typically 1–5% in NIR) must be differentiated from the much larger reflectance signal. SIF has been detected from ground- and airborne-based instrumentation by exploiting the fact that SIF is a proportionally larger fraction of the total radiance within dark lines and bands of the atmospheric spectrum. These dark features include both very narrow solar Fraunhofer lines and wider telluric absorption features such as the O2-B band at 687 nm and the O2-A band near 760 nm.
The only spaceborne detection of SIF to date was achieved by Guanter et al. (2007) with the MERIS (MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) on Envisat. MERIS has two channels near the O2-A band, one near the peak absorption at 760.6 nm with a 3.75 nm bandwidth, and one used as a reference band in the nearby continuum at 753.8 nm. MERIS makes measurements at a moderate spatial scale for land studies (better than 300 m/pixel in its Full Resolution mode). 23)
The GOSAT research team (Ref. 22) used high-spectral resolution data from the TANSO-FTS instrument on GOSAT near the 770 nm Fraunhofer line to derive chlorophyll fluorescence and related parameters such as the fluorescence yield at that wavelength. TANSO-FTS measures backscattered solar radiation in three bands centered at 0.76, 1.6, and 2.0 µm in two perpendicular polarizations (referred to as P and S). It has a nadir ground footprint of 10.5 km diameter. Chlorophyll fluorescence can be measured within band 1 that extends from approximately 758-775 nm and encompasses the O2-A band. The primary function of the O2-A band for GOSAT is to account for the effects of cloud and aerosol within the CO2 and CH4 bands.
The research team performed monthly mean scaled SIF measurements with TANS-FTS during the growing season of 2009 in July and December on a global scale. The expected seasonal variation is definitively shown, namely, higher Northern Hemisphere terrestrial activity in July versus higher activity in the Southern Hemisphere in December.
There is indeed evidence that high-resolution spectrometers enable new avenues in global carbon cycle research, including the first accurate retrievals of chlorophyll fluorescence from space as an indicator of photosynthetic activity. 24)
During photosynthesis, part of the solar radiation absorbed by chlorophyll is re-emitted at longer wavelengths (fluorescence). Using new, high-resolution spectrometers, this chlorophyll fluorescence from space now be measured, which can, in turn, be used to quantify photosynthetic activity and efficiency globally. Such measurements are important to reduce uncertainties in the global carbon cycle. Indeed, the ability to control the Earth's carbon budget in a warming climate depends critically on knowing where, when, and how CO2 is exchanged between the land and atmosphere. The GPP (Gross Primary Production), that is the gross uptake of atmospheric CO2 through photosynthesis, constitutes the largest flux component in the global carbon budget. However, considerable uncertainties remain in GPP estimates and its seasonality.
The OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) mission of NASA will be launched in July 2014. The spectrometer aboard OCO-2 will make precise measurements of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, recording 24 observations/s versus GOSAT's single observation every four seconds, resulting in almost 100 times more observations of both carbon dioxide and fluorescence than GOSAT. It is expected that the OCO-2's fluorescence data will extend the GOSAT time series and allow the project to observe large-scale changes to photosynthesis in a new way. 25)
• May 14, 2019: EUMETSAT and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) have signed an agreement which will result in the agencies working closely together to monitor greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere. 26)
- Mr Kazuo Tachi, on behalf of the Director General of JAXA's Space Technology Directorate 1 Ryoichi Imai, and EUMETSAT Director-General Alain Ratier signed the agreement at a ceremony at EUMETSAT's Darmstadt headquarters today.
- Japan's GOSAT (Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite) was the world's first satellite mission specifically designed for monitoring greenhouse gases. Instruments on the low-Earth-orbiting satellite measure carbon dioxide and methane for a decade. GOSAT-2 was launched in October 2018 as the successor to GOSAT.
- "This cooperation with EUMETSAT is crucial to promote the satellite data to support improving national greenhouse gases inventories reports as well as precise understanding of the status of global greenhouse gases," Tachi said. "JAXA also would like to enhance GOSAT and GOSAT-2 data utilization in weather forecasting operations through cooperation with EUMETSAT."
- "The agreement between EUMETSAT and JAXA will support the implementation of the international part of the agreed European Roadmap Towards an Operational CO2 Monitoring System, which is essential for deepening understanding of climate change," Ratier said.
Figure 11: Under the agreement signed today, GOSAT and GOSAT-2 measurements will be calibrated against measurements taken by the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer (IASI) on EUMETSAT's three Metop satellites (image credit: EUMETSAT)
• On 23 January 2018, the GOSAT/Ibuki spacecraft was 9 years on orbit, operating nominally. 27)
• October 2017: Mt. Shinmoedake located at the prefectural border of Kagoshima and Miyazaki (Japan) has erupted since October 11, 2017. Figure 12 shows the volcanic smoke observed by TANSO-CAI on October 9 before eruption and at 1:37 pm on October 12 after the eruption with the enlarged figure around the Mt. Shinmoedake. 28)
Figure 12: Before and after the eruption of Shinmoedake. The red mark shows the location of the mountain. The TANSO-CAI image is composed of band2 (674 nm) in red, band3 (870 nm) in green and band1 (380 nm) in blue (image credit: EORC-JAXA)
• October 2016: The Indian government took emergency action to close schools and halt building construction in New Delhi due to air pollution on November 6, 2016. In New Delhi, air pollution by automobile exhaust and construction dust is a serious problem. In addition, controlled burn for cropping in neighboring states from October to November spur air pollution. Figure 13 shows the controlled burn smoke observed by TANSO-CAI. Figure 14 is the enlarged figure around the center of New Delhi marked with a red cross. 29)
- Many farmers in neighboring states cultivate winter wheat in November after harvest of rice crop in September. For this double-cropping, farmers burn the leftover straw to prepare the winter wheat crop quickly.
Figure 13: On October 23, there was no smoke in New Delhi. However, smokes spread gradually after October 26. The TANSO-CAI image was composed of band2 (674 nm) in red, band3 (870 nm) in green and band1 (380 nm) in blue (image credit: EORC-JAXA)
Figure 14: The smoke covered New Delhi on November 4 and 7, 2016 (image credit: EORC-JAXA)
• June 2016: The GOSAT spacecraft and its payload are operational in the summer of 2016. 30)
Figure 15: GOSAT and TANSO status in space (image credit: JAXA) 31)
Three major anomalies of the satellite system affecting TANSO-FTS occurred in the period 2024-2015:
- a failure of one of the two solar paddles in May 2014
- a switch to the secondary pointing system in January 2015
- and most recently a cryocooler shutdown and restart in August 2015. 32)
Figure 16: GOSAT long-term status after 7.5 years of operations (image credit: JAXA)
• May 20, 2016: A recent provisional analysis of GOSAT observational data shows (Figure 17) that the global atmospheric monthly mean CO2 concentration observed vertically through the whole atmosphere exceeded 400 ppm in December 2015 for the first time since GOSAT was launched in 2009. The three Japanese parties, MOE, NIES and JAXA have published the whole-atmospheric monthly mean CO2 concentrations (observations made vertically through the whole atmosphere) analyzed and estimated from GOSAT observations from May 2009 to January 2016, and the trend line of the global CO2 mean (average seasonal cycle removed). 33) 34)
Table 2: Recent data of GOSAT observations
Figure 17: Plot of the monthly mean CO2 atmospheric concentration between May 2009 and January 2016 (image credit: JAXA, NIES, MOE)
Legend to Figure 17: The plot demonstrates the whole-atmosphere monthly mean concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), calculated by using GOSAT data that reflect CO2 levels in all layers of the atmosphere. It is also showing seasonal oscillation and yearly rise over the analyzed period. It is also confirmed that the trend line of the whole-atmosphere CO2 mean (average seasonal cycle removed) increases monotonously. The value and the growth of the trend line are important to discuss global warming issues.
According to a provisional analysis (until January 2016), the monthly mean concentration exceeded 400 ppm for the first time and it recorded 400.2 ppm in December 2015. It also recorded 401.1 ppm in January 2016, and it is observed that the concentration has increased in winter towards spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
Several meteorological agencies such as the WMO (World Meteorological Organization) have already reported that the global monthly mean CO2 concentration based on data obtained at surface-level monitoring sites has exceeded 400 ppm. However, it is the first time that the whole-atmospheric CO2 mean exceeded 400 ppm monitored by GOSAT, which can observe CO2 concentrations from the surface to the top of the atmosphere (about 70 km). It means that CO2 concentrations are increasing not only at the global surface but also in the global atmosphere.
• Nov. 16, 2015: The whole-atmosphere monthly mean concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), calculated by using GOSAT (Ibuki) data that reflect CO2 levels in all layers of the atmosphere, was found to have reached 398.8 ppm in May 2015, while showing seasonal oscillation and yearly rise over the analyzed period. It was also confirmed that the trend line of the whole-atmosphere CO2 mean, derived by removing averaged seasonal fluctuations from the monthly CO2 time series, had reached 398.2 ppm in July 2015. The trend line is expected to exceed 400 ppm within the year 2016, given that the rising trend continues. The GOSAT observation elucidates for the first time that CO2 concentration averaged over all layers of the atmosphere will soon reach the level of 400 ppm, and demonstrates the importance of global greenhouse gas monitoring from space. 35)
- The whole-atmosphere mean CO2 concentration was calculated based on GOSAT measurement. Observational data collected by the satellite over a period exceeding six years, between May 2009 and July 2015, were used for this calculation (Figure 18). Over the analyzed period, the monthly mean CO2 concentration continually rose, with seasonal fluctuations due to photosynthetic activity by plants that intensifies and subsides over a single year in the Northern Hemisphere. The monthly mean reached 398.8 ppm in May 2015.
Figure 18: Plot of the monthly mean CO2 atmospheric concentration between May 2009 and July 2015 (image credit: JAXA, NIES, MOE)
Legend to Figure 18: The error bar on the red circle indicates the uncertainty (one standard deviation) associated with the whole-atmosphere monthly mean.
• March 19, 2015: The MOE (Ministry of the Environment) of Japan, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ), NIES (National Institute for Environmental Studies), and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) have come to an understanding regarding cooperation on the GOSAT (Greenhouse Gases Observation Satellite), the GOSAT-2 (Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite-2) and the OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2) missions. - Mr. Mochizuki, Minister of the Environment, Dr. Okumura, President of JAXA, Dr. Sumi, President of NIES, and Mr. Bolden, Administrator of NASA, signed the MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) on March 17, 2015, in Tokyo. 36)
- GOSAT, its successor GOSAT-2, and OCO-2 are satellite missions that observe the concentration and distribution of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere from outer space for the purpose of studying climate change. In addition, GOSAT/GOSAT-2 contribute to the international effort toward the prevention of warming, including the monitoring greenhouse gas absorption and emissions.
- The calibration and validation of spaceborne greenhouse gas data among different satellite missions has been limited. Cooperation under this MOU will enable the Parties to improve the quality of satellite data through calibration campaigns and the effective use of ground-based observation data. Under the MOU, the parties will cross-calibrate instruments on the 3 CO2 missions, implement common validation, participate in joint mission science teams, and conduct joint presentations in international conferences.
• Dec. 5, 2014: A validation study has shown that the greenhouse gases observation sensor, "TANSO-FTS" onboard GOSAT/Ibuki observes column-averaged CO2 concentrations (hereinafter, "CO2 concentrations") to a precision (random error) of 0.5% (approximately 2 ppm) in comparison to the data acquired from ground-based observations. This study investigated the detectability of enhanced CO2 concentrations due to anthropogenic emissions, by satellite observation. 37)
- CO2 concentrations acquired by Ibuki comprise not only those pertaining to anthropogenic emissions but also encompass photosynthetic uptake and respiration-release by plants; emissions due to forest fires; and sink/source by ocean. These processes should be considered when interpreting the information on anthropogenic CO2 emissions from the CO2 concentrations acquired by Ibuki.
- Initially, the spatiotemporal distribution of CO2 concentrations originating from anthropogenic CO2 emissions are estimated using the data for anthropogenic CO2 emission rates from fossil fuel consumption (emission inventory) - a value based on the data for nighttime lights on the earth's surface as observed by satellite, as well as the information from the database for fossil fuel power plants and an atmospheric tracer transport model. - Subsequently, on the basis of this estimate, the observational data for CO2 concentrations acquired by Ibuki are classified into two categories: data including contamination by anthropogenic CO2 emissions (top panel in Figure 19) and those not including this contamination. The individual observational data sets including anthropogenic contamination are subtracted using averaged values for the data not including contamination, and values for CO2 concentrations from forest fires and plant activities are then subtracted from the data. These calculations produce the figures for anthropogenic CO2 concentrations using observational data from Ibuki (bottom panel in Figure 19).
Figure 19: Top: Observational points of Ibuki where anthropogenic CO2 concentrations are higher than 0.1 ppm for June 2009 and December 2012. Bottom: Distribution of anthropogenic CO2 concentrations estimated from observational data acquired by Ibuki (image credit: JAXA)
Regions with higher CO2 concentrations from anthropogenic activities are shown in the bottom of Figure 19 and summarized in Table 3. The regions in Table 3 can be identified as those with dense populations or industrial zones with fossil fuel power plants and developments of oil and gas fields.
Figure 20: General location of the wildfires in Russia (image credit: NIES)
Figure 21: The smoke of wildfires in Russia captured with TANSO-CAI on Jul. 19, 2014 (left) and on July 22, 2014 (right), image credit: JAXA, NIES, MOE
• June 6, 2014: The TANSO-CAI instrument on GOSAT/Ibuki captured the plume of ash cloud from the Sangeang Api volcano in Indonesia. 39)
Figure 22: The plume of ash cloud from the Sangeang Api volcano, acquired at 4:37 to 4:38 UT on May 31, 2014 (image credit: JAXA, NIES, MOE)
• May 2014: Global distributions of GHGs (Greenhouse Gases) such as CO2 and CH4 has been measured by GOSAT and analyzed with precision less than 1%, however, it should/can be improved further. 40)
- These data are used to estimate regional monthly CO2 and CH4 fluxes, and also used to detect GHG's temporal and spatial changes. These fluxes should be validated and improved.
- GOSAT has been operating more than five years, and now in the extended operation period. It is strongly expected that GOSAT will survive for several more years. Long term GOSAT data will contribute to GHG transport and carbon cycle sciences.
Along with the mission extension, the reprocessing of the L1B products was completed with the v161161 algorithm for all of GOSAT data. To retrieve XCO2 & XCH4 with high accuracy and precision (Ref. 42):
1) The well calibrated and characterized spectra is the key for spaceborne XCO2 and XCH4.
2) The next vicarious calibration will be performed in June 2014 to determine the radiometric degradation.
3) The new method was developed to characterize the non-linear response of Oxygen A-band, and will start the processing for large data sample soon.
• On January 23, 2014, GOSAT/Ibuki was 5 years on orbit. The spacecraft and its payload are operating nominally. With a nominal design life of 5 years and the good health of the spacecraft, the mission life was extended (by JAXA, NIES and MOE) for another 4 years (a contract was signed with the same operations team). 41) 42)
• Sept. 2013: First estimates of the global distribution of CO2 surface fluxes were estimated and published using total column CO2 measurements retrieved by the SRON-KIT RemoTeC algorithm from GOSAT (Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite). The global source–sink estimates of CO2 were from data over a period of eighteen months from 1 June 2009 to 1 December 2010.43)
Figure 23: Monthly Global Map of the CO2 column-averaged volume mixing ratios in 2.5 deg by 2.5 deg mesh August 2013 Ver.02.21 (image credit: NIES, Ref. 47)
• Summer 2013: The GOSAT spacecraft and its payload are operating nominally (four years on orbit as of January 23, 2013). TANSO-FTS, the main instrument of GOSAT, has been continuously measuring CO2 and CH4 distributions globally every three days. The data of the two payloads, TANSO-FTS and TANSO-CAI, are processed by JAXA to Level 1 products. Their higher level products are processed by NIES (National Institute for Environmental Studies) and distributed to researchers and general users through GUIG (GOSAT User Interface Gateway). 44) 45)
• December 2012: The GOSAT data of global CO2 fluxes on a monthly and regional basis for the one-year period between June 2009 and May 2010 is now being distributed publicly. These flux values were estimated from ground-based CO2 monitoring data and improved GOSAT-based CO2 concentration data. 46)
• Fall 2012: The GOSAT spacecraft and its payload are operating nominally.
Figure 24: Monthly Global Map (Aug. 2012) of the CO2 column-averaged volume mixing ratios in 2.5º x 2.5º mesh (image credit: NIES) 47)
• In June 2012, the GOSAT spacecraft and its payload are operating nominally. 48)
The spacecraft is over 3 years on orbit and acquires absorption spectra in the SWIR to TIR regions with the cloud/aerosol imager. Radiometric calibration on orbit in 3 years: 49)
- Vicarious calibration field campaign with in-situ measurements and aircraft under-flight of GOSAT collaborated with NASA ACOS (Atmospheric CO2 Observations from Space) research.
- Intercomparison attempt with other TIR sensors of IASI and AIRS
- Annual degradation monitoring at uniform desert sites.
• June 2012: OCO/GOSAT collaboration.
Figure 25: GOSAT mission schedule (image credit: JAXA) 51)
Figure 26: The CAI instrument image was acquired on Nov. 4, 2011 when Ibuki flew over Thailand and Cambodia (image credit: NIES)
Legend to Figure 26: The water is shown in blue, terrestrial vegetation in red, and clouds in white. The white line is the contour line of mean sea level.
• October 2011: Using observational data from GOSAT and ground-based data, the estimation of monthly regional CO2 sources and sinks (net fluxes) and their uncertainty was carried out. It was demonstrated that the CO2 concentration data retrieved from GOSAT soundings can reduce the uncertainty of fluxes estimated from ground-based data alone.53)
• Using GOSAT data, a research team from JPL, Germany, and Japan has shown that it is possible to pick up this fluorescent glow from space over the entire planet, and thereby infer details about the health and activity of vegetation on the ground. Terrestrial GPP (Gross Primary Production) constitutes the largest flux component in the global carbon budget, however significant uncertainties remain in GPP estimates and its seasonality. 54)
The fluorescence signal can be measured from space using high resolution spectra covering Fraunhofer lines (narrow absorption features in the solar spectrum) in the 660–800 nm range. By measuring the fractional depth of these lines, Fs can be accurately estimated, independent of scattering and albedo effects. For the retrieval of steady‐state solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence, the project used radiance spectra measured in the red spectral range between 756–759 nm and also 770.5–774.5 nm, recorded by the TANSO-FTS instrument. The solar‐ induced fluorescence signal Fs was retrieved using an iterative least squares fitting technique. A unique and critical step in the data processing is the correction of an observed zero‐level offset in acquired GOSAT O2 A-band spectra. Without correction, the offset strongly biases Fs because its impact on Fraunhofer line depth is indistinguishable from fluorescence.
After correction, the annual average of Fs clearly reveals the contrast between highly active vegetation and barren or snow‐covered surfaces (Figure 27 a). Fluorescence maxima appear over tropical evergreen forests as well as the eastern United States followed by Asia and central Europe. Overall, the global map of chlorophyll fluorescence also captures many small‐scale features such as enhanced signal in southeastern Australia or the comparatively low values of the Iberian Peninsula. The temporal evolution of fluorescence is of particular interest because the seasonal variation of atmospheric carbon dioxide is dominated by the seasonality of GPP and respiration. The research team observed a pronounced seasonal cycle in the northern hemisphere as well as seasonal shifts in the location of maximum fluorescence in the tropics (Figure 27 b). The southern hemisphere, conversely, exhibits a far smaller seasonal variability.
Figure 27: (a) Annual average (June 2009 through May 2010) of retrieved chlorophyll‐a fluorescence at 755 nm on a 2° x 2° grid. Only grid‐boxes with more than 15 soundings constituting the average are displayed. (b) Latitudinal monthly averages of chlorophyll fluorescence from June 2009 through end of August 2010 (image credit: JPL, JAXA, Ref. 54)
• The GOSAT mission is operating nominally in the summer of 2011. The overall functions and performances are good and well within design objectives. The radiometric response has been carefully monitored and calibrated. In addition, proper corrections have been applied for the level 1 processing. 55)
Figure 28: Overview of the GOSAT data process flow (image credit: JAXA)
On-orbit operation: Grid observation is a nominal operation mode for TANSO-FTS. In parallel, sun glint over the ocean and target observations such as validation points, mega cities, power plants, are inserted between nominal grid observations. Every day, an observation plan with a series of time and pointing angles is uploaded from the ground.
The operation cycle lasts 12 days with 3 patterns together with grid observations:
- Pattern A, no sun glint and no target observations except for limited validation sites
- Pattern B, sun glint and target observations requested by research announcement users
- Pattern C, sun glint and limited validation sites.
Each pattern continues for 3 days and the order is patterns A, B, C, and B. Once a month, the back side of the solar diffuser plate, the analog circuit electric, and the ILSF (Instrument Line Shape Function) calibrations are being performed.
Figure 29: GOSAT long-term operation schedule and data distribution (image credit: JAXA, Ref. 55)
• The GOSAT/Ibuki mission is operational in 2011 (two years on orbit as of January 23, 2011).
Acquired data are provided to research and public users with applying the Level 1 and 2 processing. The algorithm for Level 1 and 2 are also being updated during this phase, in order to improve the data quality for precise measurement of CO2 and CH4. - After the launch, the on-orbit characterization of performance, calibration, and health monitoring of TANSO has been continuously conducted for the updating of the Level-1 and -2 processing algorithms. - During the over one-year operational period, a few undesirable anomalies were noticed on the measurement data which are: 56) 57)
4) Pointing instability during acquisition:
5) Shift of ZPD (Zero Path Difference) position: The turnaround time is a loss of observation time which has to be minimized. During turnarounds, both FTS and pointing mechanisms are activated at the same time. Micro vibrations caused by the pointing mirror motion affect the laser fringe count. Sometimes the controller misses laser fringes at the turnaround position and ZPD shifts gradually (Ref. 55).
6) Degradation of sampling laser intensity
7) Offset of pointing positions.
Unfortunately, some of these anomalies affect the data qualities. To minimize the degradation of the data quality, counter operation techniques are applied as well as the additional quality assessments (quality flags are set).
• In Feb. 2010, JAXA completed the initial validation of the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) based on the analysis results of observation data in the clear region taken by GOSAT/Ibuki. Accordingly, JAXA started to provide the above results (Level 2 products of CO2 and CH4 column densities) as well as information on cloud covering to the general public on February 18, 2010. 58)
• Oct. 30, 2009: Recently, an initial calibration of Level 1 data products, radiance spectrum and images observed by IBUKI, has been completed and the project will begin to release them to general users.
Note: The greenhouse gases are regularly observed with 286 ground observation stations from 59 countries (Figure 30) and the data is distributed worldwide through World Data Center for Greenhouse Gases (WDCGG) which is operated by JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency) and WMO (World Meteorological Organization). 60)
Figure 30: Distribution of WDCGG observation points (image credit: JAXA)
• In late May 2009, the GOSAT mission is operating in an initial calibration and validation mode. The initial calibration of the mounted sensors, as well as tuning of the computer processing system, is underway at JAXA and at NIES (National Institute for Environmental Studies). 61)
• The TEDA instrument on GOSAT has been sending its observation data since its turn on 31 January 2009. The initial observed data of TEDA shows reasonable agreement with model predictions. GOSAT TEDA is expected to reveal the temporal and spatial structure of space radiation environment in detail in its planned five years mission (Ref.18).
• In April/May 2009, GOSAT/Ibuki is in an initial calibration and validation mode. A preliminary analysis of clear-sky carbon dioxide and methane column averaged dry air mole fraction over land was performed for the period April 20-28, 2009. These carbon dioxide and methane data show a hemispheric gradient, with largest values in the Northern Hemisphere, broadly in agreement with existing ground-based measurements. 62) 63)
• "First light" light of the sensors TANSO-FTS and TANSO-CAI occurred on Feb. 7, 2009 during the course of an initial functional checkup when the instruments were activated and observed some regions over Japan. 64) 65)
Sensor complement: (TANSO-FTS, TANSO-CAI)
TANSO-FTS (Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation - Fourier Transform Spectrometer)
TANSO-FTS features high optical throughput, fine spectral resolution, and a wide spectral coverage (from VIS to TIR in four bands). The reflective radiative energy is covered by the VIS and SWIR (Shortwave Infrared) ranges, while the emissive portion of radiation from Earth's surface and the atmosphere is covered by the MWIR (Midwave Infrared) and TIR (Thermal Infrared) ranges. These spectra include the absorption lines of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4). 66) 67) 68) 69) 70) 71) 72) 73) 74) 75) 76) 77)
Figure 31: Schematic of the SWIR and MWIR/TIR radiative transfer in Earth's atmosphere (image credit: JAXA)
Figure 32 illustrates the spectral coverage and absorption lines of GOSAT observations. From these spectral data, CO2, CH4, and ozone (O3), which are major GHG (Greenhouse Gases), are observed. The column density of CO2 is mainly retrieved from the 1.6 µm region absorption lines, of which intensities are less temperature-dependent and not interfered by other molecules. The oxygen (O2) A band absorption at 0.76 µm is being used to estimate the effective optical path length.
Figure 32: Spectral coverage of TANSO-FTS bands (image credit: JAXA)
The polarization of the scene flux is also acquired by measuring the P and S polarization simultaneously. The path radiance (P) is highly polarized while the surface reflected radiance (S) is less polarized as shown in Figure 33. In addition, as the instrument itself has the polarization sensitivity, the radiative transfer of SWIR is well defined by measuring and characterizing polarization.
Figure 33: SWIR range polarization schematic (image credit: JAXA)
The instrument was built by the ABB Bomem Remote Sensing Group of Quebec City, Canada, a Swiss-Swedish electrical engineering company under contract to NEC Toshiba Space Systems. The TANSO-FTS design employs a nadir-viewing instrument to monitor the greenhouse gases in the troposphere (the troposphere happens to be the main atmospheric layer in which the greenhouse effect is taking place) - and the nadir-viewing monitoring concept is considered the best scheme feasible to measure the radiative flux in the troposphere. The observation geometry is illustrated in Figure 34. The TANSO-FTS instrument has a mass of 250 kg, power consumption of 310 W, size: 1.2 m x 1.1 m x 0.7 m.
Figure 34: Illustration of the observation geometry (image credit: JAXA)
Table 4: Specification of TANSO-FTS (Greenhouse Gases Sensor)
The main TANSO-FTS elements are: scanning/pointing mechanism, relay optics, FTS, and detector arrays in the focal plane. A single FTS configuration was chosen with a beamsplitter capable of covering the required wide spectral range. The instrument employs a dual-pass flexible blade Michelson FTS (Fourier Transform Spectrometer) design as well as a diode laser sampling system to reduce the instrument size and mass. FTS is a double pendulum type interferometer with two corner cube reflectors. The maximum optical path difference of 2.5 cm provides an unapodized spectral resolution of 0.2 cm-1 across a wide spectral range going from 0.75 - 15 µm with a ZnSe beam splitter and a fully redundant 1.31 µm DFB (Distributed Feedback) laser. A photoconductive (PC) HgCdTe sandwich detector (also referred to as MCT) in the MWIR/TIR ranges and a pulse-tube cryocooler provide high linearity and low-noise level performance. The TANSO interferometer accommodates an optical beam of more then 70 mm in diameter to provide the high throughput needed for Earth observation. The scan arm motion is induced by a voice coil actuator driven by a sophisticated control algorithm. The TANSO interferometer design uses well-proven technologies; it benefits from the space heritage of the ACE-FTS instrument operating onboard the Canadian SciSat-1 mission since February 2004.
The overall concept design/performance and operational scenarios of TANSO-FTS were verified with a BBM (Breadboard Model) instrument version, flown in an aircraft demonstration series (completion of test flights in May 2003).
The number of cross-track observation points is variable and can be selected in such a way as to satisfy the SNR and spatial resolution requirements. FTS employs a dichroic filter to be able to observe all spectral bands for all observation points.
Figure 35: Schematic view of the TANSO interferometer (image credit: ABB, JAXA)
Figure 36: Photo of the TANSO interferometer (image credit: ABB, JAXA)
Figure 37: TANSO-FTS instrument (image credit: JAXA)
Figure 38: TANSO-FTS instrument components (image credit: JAXA)
Figure 39: TANSO-FTS optics and polarization (image credit: JAXA)
On the ground, the FTS interferograms are being transformed into spectra (which include the absorption spectra of GHGs) using FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) algorithms. The global GHG source-and-sink characteristics on a sub-continental scale are being retrieved from the global GHG distribution data with a chemical transfer model.
Figure 40: Overall data flow concept of the TANSO-FTS instrument (image credit: JAXA)
TANSO-CAI (Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation - Cloud and Aerosol Imager):
TANSO-CAI is a radiometer in the spectral ranges of ultraviolet (UV), visible, and SWIR to correct cloud and aerosol interference. The imager has continuous spatial coverage, a wider field of view, and higher spatial resolution than the FTS in order to detect the aerosol spatial distribution and cloud coverage. Using the multispectral bands, the spectral characteristics of the aerosol scattering can be retrieved together with optical thickness. In addition, the UV-band range observations provide the aerosol data over land. With the FTS spectra, imager data, and the retrieval algorithm to remove cloud and aerosol contamination, the column density of the gases can be the column density of the gases can be retrieved with an accuracy of 1%.
Table 5: Specification of the TANSO-CAI instrument
TANSO-CAI consists of two units, CAI-OPT (Optical unit) and CAI-EL (Electronics unit). CAI-OPT is a radiometer with collecting optics, linear array detectors, preamps and analog to digital converters. CAI-EL is almost the same as FTS-EL.
Figure 41: Schematic of the TANSO-CAI instrument structure (image credit: JAXA)
TANSO instrument operations:
During the daytime period of the orbit both SWIR and MWIR/TIR of the TANSO-FTS and the TANSO-CAI imager data are acquired. During the nighttime passage, only FTS MWIR/TIR data is acquired. At sunrise, the direct sunlight is introduced into the FTS through the spectralon diffuser plates for SWIR radiance calibration. Two diffusers with different exposure times are being used to correct the long-term diffuser degradation. In addition, the 1.55 µm diode laser light is introduced through the diffuser plate into the FTS to calibrate the instrument function onboard. The pointing mechanism views the deep space and inner blackbody periodically for the zero level and MWIR/TIR radiance calibration. 78)
The TANSO operation on orbit during daytime is illustrated in Figure 42. The FTS normally observes by separate pointings in the cross-track direction with 800 km swath by the pointing mirror. The CAI 3 bands cover the FTS observation swath with 1000 km for cloud detection within the FTS field of view, while only band 4 is slightly narrow. The FTS observations are combined with normal observation of 5 points cross-track with acquisition of on-orbit calibration data, sunglint observation over the ocean, and target observations for calibration and validation sites and tracking of large cities and vicinities. Figure 42 shows the observation pattern during the daytime on 5 June 2010. The red shows the normal grid observation. The continuous green over the ocean shows the sunglint observation to look at strong shining ocean areas. The target observations are operated over China and the U.S. east coast colored in green. 79)
Figure 42: TANSO operation with FTS and CAI. The FTS observations consist of grid observations globally, sunglint observations over the ocean, and target observations over calibration, validation points and large cities (image credit: JAXA)
Lunar calibration is achieved by rotating the spacecraft into the direction of the moon. This provides a stable calibration reference for both instruments. Lunar calibration is considered once per year.
The TANSO-CAI instrument features less on-board calibration than the FTS interferometer. The sensitivity and stability against time and temperature variations were characterized in pre-flight tests. On-board calibration uses a blackbody and nightside observations. The lunar observation will be operated once a year with particular pixels at full moon. 80)
Figure 43: Schematic view TANSO on-orbit observations (image credit: JAXA)
Opportunities for coordinated CO2 observations from GOSAT and OCO
GOSAT of JAXA and OCO (Orbiting Carbon Observatory) of NASA are the first two satellites designed to make global measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) with the precision and sampling needed identify and monitor surface sources and sinks of this important greenhouse gas. Because the operational phases of the OCO and GOSAT missions overlap in time, there are numerous opportunities for comparing and combining the data from these two satellites to improve our understanding of the natural processes and human activities that control the atmospheric CO2 and it variability over time. 81)
Comparisons of GOSAT and OCO measurement approaches: GOSAT retrieves XCO2 from the same CO2 and O2 absorption bands used by OCO, but uses a high resolution Fourier transform spectrometer (TANSO-FTS) rather than a grating spectrometer to make its measurements. An independent Cloud and Aerosol Imager (TANSO-CAI) is used to identify cloudy scenes. The grating and FTS techniques both offer unique advantages for this application. For example, TANSO-FTS provides greater spectral coverage and slightly higher spectral resolution, while the OCO instrument provides greater spatial resolution and slightly higher signal-to-noise ratios in each sounding. Comparisons of XCO2 retrievals from these two measurement techniques could help to identify and correct subtle measurement biases that might otherwise be missed.
Combining the OCO and GOSAT datasets would benefit the carbon cycle science community by increasing the spatial coverage and decreasing the interval between observations by either satellite, alone. To combine these datasets without introducing biases, the OCO and GOSAT measurements must be validated by a common measurement standard. Fortunately, the OCO and GOSAT mission plans are quite synergistic, providing numerous opportunities for cross validation.
Table 6: Overview of some mission parameters of GOSAT and OCO
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17) Toshiyuki Nakamura, Takashi Hamazaki, Masahiro Kasuya, Masakatsu Nakajima and the GOSAT team, "On-orbit Environment Observation Around Satellite Using Monitor Cameras on Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)," Proceedings of the 60th IAC (International Astronautical Congress), Daejeon, Korea, Oct. 12-16, 2009, IAC-09.D1.5.3
18) Yasutomo Sasaki, Haruhisa Matsumoto, Takahiro Obara, "Preliminary result of radiation measurement on GOSAT," Proceedings of the 27th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science) , Tsukuba, Japan, July 5-12, 2009, paper: 2009-r-2-23
20) Yosuke Nakamura, Naomi Murakami, Yuta Horikawa, Hiroshi Tachihara, Hiroshi Horiguchi, Keiichi Hirako, Hidekazu Hashimoto, "Vitalization of Japanese Small Satellite Community through Publicity-offered Piggy-back Launch," Proceedings of the Symposium on Small Satellite Systems and Services (4S), Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, May 31-June 4, 2010
21) Toshiaki Takeshima, "GOSAT Mission Operation System," Nov. 5, 2008, URL: http://www.gosat.nies.go.jp/eng/proposal/download/WS/10_Takeshima.pdf
22) J. Joiner, Y. Yoshida, A. P. Vasilkov, Y. Yoshida, L. A. Corp, E. M. Middleton, "First observations of global and seasonal terrestrial chlorophyll fluorescence from space," Biogeosciences, Volume 8, pp. 637–651, 2011, URL http://www.biogeosciences.net/8/637/2011/bg-8-637-2011.pdf
23) L. Guanter, L. Alonso, L. Gómez-Chova, J. Amorós-López, J. Vila-Francés, J. Moreno, " Estimation of solar-induced vegetation fluorescence from space measurements, Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 34, 2007, L08401, doi:10.1029/2007GL029289, 2007
24) Christian Frankenberg, Joseph Berry, Luis Guanter, Joanna Joiner, "Remote sensing of terrestrial chlorophyll fluorescence from space," Feb. 15, 2013, SPIE News room, DOI: 10.1117/2.1201302.004725, URL: https://spie.org/x92267.xml
25) Laurie J. Schmidt , Alan Buis, "How Does Your Garden Glow? NASA's OCO-2 Seeks Answer," NASA/JPL, May 5, 2014, URL: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-141
26) "EUMETSAT, Japanese space agency to cooperate on greenhouse gas monitoring," EUMETSAT, 14 May 2019, URL: https://www.eumetsat.int/website/home/News/DAT_4393827.html
28) "Eruption of Mount Shinmoedake volcano," EORC-JAXA, October 2017, URL: http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/GOSAT/news/news_201710_2.html
29) "Controlled Burn and Air Pollution in India," EORC-JAXA, December 2016, URL: http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/GOSAT/news/news_201612.html
30) Akihiko Kuze, Kei Shiomi, Hiroshi Suto, "How GOSAT has provided uniform-quality spectra and optimized global sampling patterns for seven years," 12th International Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Measurements from Space (IWGGMS-12)," Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, June7- 9, 2016, URL: https://www.omc.co.jp/iwggms12/pdf/Session_2/5_Akihiko_Kuze.pdf
31) Akihiko Kuze, Hiroshi Suto, Kei Shiomi, Shuji Kawakami, Makoto Tanaka, Yoko Ueda, Akira Deguchi, Jun Yoshida, Yoshifumi Yamamoto, Fumie Kataoka, Thomas E. Taylor, Henry L. Buijs, "Update on GOSAT TANSO-FTS performance, operations, and data products after more than 6 years in space," Atmospheric Measurement Techniques, Vol. 9, 2016, pp: 2445–2461, doi:10.5194/amt-9-2445-2016, URL: http://www.atmos-meas-tech.net/9/2445/2016/amt-9-2445-2016.pdf
32) Current operational status: "2014-2015 Solar Paddle Incident and Pointing Mechanism Switch," JAXA/EORC, URL: http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/GOSAT/currentStatus_1.html
33) "Whole-atmosphere monthly mean CO2 concentration based on GOSAT observations — Recent data," NIES, GOSAT Project, May 20, 2016, URL: http://www.gosat.nies.go.jp/en/recent-global-co2.html
34) "Whole-atmospheric monthly CO2 concentration tops 400 ppm - Preliminary GOSAT monitoring results -," JAXA Press Release, May 20, 2016, URL: http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2016/05/20160520_ibuki.html#pict
35) "Public release of whole-atmosphere monthly mean carbon dioxide concentration based on observations by Greenhouse gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT)," JAXA, NIES, MOE, Press Release, Nov. 16, 2015, URL: http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2015/11/20151116_ibuki.html#ref
36) "JAXA, NIES, MOE and NASA signed a Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation on GOSAT, OCO-2 and GOSAT-2 missions," JAXA, March 19, 2015, URL: http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/activity/int/topics.html#topics4041
37) "IBUKI (GOSAT) Satellite's Historically Unprecedented Observation of Anthropogenic CO2 Emissions of Mega-City Regions from Space," JAXA Press Release, Dec. 5, 2014, URL: http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2014/12/20141205_ibuki.html
38) "GOSAT Ibuki captures the smoke of wildfires in Russia," NIES, August 1, 2014, URL: http://www.gosat.nies.go.jp/eng/related/2014/201408.htm
39) "GOSAT "IBUKI" captures the plume of ash cloud from the Sangeang Api volcano in Indonesia," NIES, June 6, 2014, URL: http://www.gosat.nies.go.jp/eng/related/2014/201406.htm
40) T. Yokota, N. Kikuchi, Y. Yoshida, A. Bril, S. Oshchepkov, M. Inoue, I. Morino, O. Uchino, H.-S. Kim, H. Takagi, M. Saito, S. Maksyutov, A. Yuki, S. Kanekon, F. Kawazoe, M. Ajiro, "Progress of NIES GOSAT Project in 2013 – 2014 and expected outcomes in the extended operation period," Proceedings of the IWGGMS-10 (10th International Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Measurements from Space) ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands, May 5-7, 2014, URL: http://www.congrexprojects.com/2014-events/14c02/programme
41) T. Yokota, "GOSAT Mission Operation Extended after Nominal Lifetime," NIES GOSAT Project Letter, Issue No 30, March 2014, p. 10, URL: http://www.gosat.nies.go.jp/eng/newsletter/newsletter30e.pdf
42) H. Sato, A. Kuze, K. Shiomi. K. Yotsumoto, M. Nakajima, T. Hirabayashi, "Space.based Carbon Monitoring by GOSAT and GOSAT-2," Proceedings of the IWGGMS-10 (10th International Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Measurements from Space) ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands, May 5-7, 2014, URL: http://www.congrexprojects.com/2014-events/14c02/programme
43) S. Basu, S. Guerlet, A. Butz, S. Houweling, O. Hasekamp, I. Aben, P. Krummel, P. Steele, R. Langenfelds, M. Torn, S. Biraud, B. Stephens, A. Andrews, D. Worthy, "Global CO2 fluxes estimated from GOSAT retrievals of total column CO2," Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, Vol. 13, pp. 8695–8717, Sept. 3, 2013, URL: http://www.atmos-chem-phys.net/13/8695/2013/acp-13-8695-2013.pdf
44) Masataka Ajiro, Hiroshi Watanabe, Akira Yuki, Fumie Kawazoe, Sayaka Kanekon and Tatsuya Yokota, "GOSAT higher level products and their distribution status," Proceedings of the 29th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science), Nagoya-Aichi, Japan, June 2-8, 2013, paper: 2013-n-58
45) "NIES GOSAT Project Newsletter," July 2013, Issue No 28, URL: http://www.gosat.nies.go.jp/eng/newsletter/newsletter28e.pdf
46) "On the public release of carbon dioxide flux estimates based on the observational data by the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT)," JAXA, Dec. 5, 2012, URL: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2012/12/20121205_ibuki_e.html
48) Midori Sasaki, "Japanese Satellite Challenge to the Global issues - Update of the GOSAT project," 5th session of COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space), UNOOSA, Vienna, Austria, June 6-15, 2012, URL: http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/pdf/pres/copuos2012/tech-05.pdf
49) K. Shiomi, H. Suto, A. Kuze, S. Kawakami, S. Fukagawa, M. Nakajima, Y. Mitomi, R. Higuchi, N. Sekio, F. Kataoka, T. Hashiguchi, K. Kowata, "GOSAT on-orbit calibration over 3 years," Proceedings of the 8th International Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Measurements from Space (IWGGMS), Pasadena, CA, USA, June 18-20, 2012, URL: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-MSd
50) David Crisp and the ACOS/OCO-2 Science Team, "Retrievals of XCO2 from GOSAT TANSO-FTS Spectra by the ACOS/OCO-2 Team: Progress and Plans," Proceedings of the 8th International Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Measurements from Space (IWGGMS), Pasadena, CA, USA, June 18-20, 2012, URL: https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B-
51) "SHIZUKU and IBUKI Status," GSICS (Global Space-based Inter-Calibration System) Executive Panel Meeting, College Park, MD, USA, May 30-June 1, 2012, URL: http://www.wmo.int/pages/prog/sat/meetings/documents/GSICS-EP-12_Doc_02-07_JAXA-GOSAT-GCOM-W1.pdf
53) "On Estimating Global Monthly Carbon Dioxide Fluxes by Region, utilizing the observational data obtained by the Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite 'IBUKI' (GOSAT)," JAXA, October 28, 2011, URL: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2011/10/20111028_ibuki_e.html
54) Christian Frankenberg, Joshua B. Fisher, John Worden, Grayson Badgley, Sassan S. Saatchi, Jung‐Eun Lee, Geoffrey C. Toon, André Butz, Martin Jung, Akihiko Kuze, Tatsuya Yokota, "New global observations of the terrestrial carbon cycle from GOSAT: Patterns of plant fluorescence with gross primary productivity," Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 38, L17706, doi:10.1029/2011GL048738, 2011
55) Akihiko Kuze, Hiroshi Suto, Kei Shiomi, Masakatsu Nakajima, "GOSAT TANSO Calibration and Characterization of 2 Years on Orbit Operation," Proceedings of the 28th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science), Okinawa, Japan, June 5-12, 2011, paper: 2011-n-29
56) Hiroshi Suto, Akihiko Kuze, Kei Shiomi, Masakatsu Nakajima, "On-orbit Status of TANSO-FTS on GOSAT," Proceedings of the SPIE Remote Sensing Conference, Toulouse, France, Vol. 7826, Sept. 20-23, 2010
57) Kei Shiomi, Masakatsu Nakajima, Akihiko Kuze, Toshiaki Takeshima, Shuji Kawakam, Hiroshi Suto, "One-Year Operation of TANSO-FTS on GOSAT and Follow-on Mission Feasibility," ICSO 2010 (International Conference on Space Optics), Rhodes Island, Greece, Oct. 4-8, 2010, URL: http://congrex.nl/ICSO/Papers/Session%208b/FCXNL-10A02
58) "IBUKI to provide analysis results of observation data (CO2 and methane concentration)," Feb. 16, 2010, URL: http://www.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/gosat/topics_e.html
59) "Public Release of Observation Data (Radiance Spectrum and Images) from "IBUKI" Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT)," October 30, 2009, URL: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/10/20091030_ibuki_e.html
60) Takashi Hamazaki, "Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT) and its initial calibration and validation results," Proceedings of the 60th IAC (International Astronautical Congress), Daejeon, Korea, Oct. 12-16, 2009, IAC-09.B1.2.9
61) "Initial Analysis of Observation Data (Greenhouse Gas Concentrations) from "IBUKI" Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT)," May 28, 2009, JAXA, URL: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/05/20090528_ibuki_e.html
62) Initial Analysis of Observation Data (Greenhouse Gas Concentrations) from "IBUKI" Greenhouse gases Observing SATellite (GOSAT)," May 28, 2009, URL: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/05/20090528_ibuki_e.html#at1
63) Takashi Hamazaki, Masakatsu Nakajima, Akihiko Kuze, Hiroshi Suto, Shuji Kawakami, Kei Shiomi, Haruhisa Shimoda, "Initial in-flight results of TANSO-FTS on GOSAT," ASSFTS14 (International Workshop on Atmospheric Science from Space using Fourier Transform Spectrometry), CNR, Florence, Italy, May 6-8, 2009, URL: http://assfts14.ifac.cnr.it/index.php/assfts14/assfts14/paper/viewFile/8/34
64) IBUKI (GOSAT) "First Light", JAXA, Feb. 10, 2009, URL: http://www.eorc.jaxa.jp/en/imgdata/topics/2009/tp090210.html
65) "Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite "IBUKI" (GOSAT) "First Light" Acquired by Onboard Sensors," Feb. 9, 2009, URL: http://www.jaxa.jp/press/2009/02/20090209_ibuki_e.html
67) K. Kondo, A. Kuze, T. Hamazaki, "Sensor system for Greenhouse Gas Observing Satellite (GOSAT)," Proceedings of SPIE's 49th Annual Meeting `Optical Science and Technology, Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing,' Vol. 5543, edited by Marija Strojnik, Denver CO, USA, Aug. 2-3, 2004
68) T. Hamazaki, Y. Kaneko, A. Kuze, K. Kondo, "Fourier transform spectrometer for Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)," Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 5659 , `Enabling Sensor and Platform Technologies for Spaceborne Remote Sensing,' G. J. Komar, J. Wang, T. Kimura, Editors, Jan. 2005, pp. 73-80, Conference location: Honolulu, HI, USA, Nov. 9, 2004
69) A. Kuze, "GOSAT FTS Design and BBM Test Results," 12th ASSFTS (Atmospheric Science from Space using Fourier Transform Spectrometry) Workshop, May 18-20, 2005, Quebec City, Canada, URL: http://bernath.uwaterloo.ca/ASSFTS/Media/
70) H. Suto, A. Kuze, Y. Kaneko, T. Hamazaki, "Characterization of TANSO-FTS on GOSAT," American Geophysical Union (AGU), Fall Meeting 2006, San Francisco, CA, USA, Dec. 11-15, 2006
71) A. Kuze, T. Urabe, H. Suto, Y. Kaneko, T. Hamazaki, "The instrumentation and the BBM test results of Thermal And Near infrared Sensor for carbon Observation (TANSO) on GOSAT," Proceedings of SPIE Optics Photonics Conference, Vol. 6297, `Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing 2006,' edited by Marija Strojnik, San Diego, CA, USA, Aug. 13-17, 2006
72) F. Chateauneuf, M.-A. Soucy, G. Perron, L. Levesque, J. Tanii, "Reliability enhancement activities for the TANSO interferometer," Proceedings of SPIE Optics Photonics Conference, Vol. 6297, `Infrared Spaceborne Remote Sensing 2006,' edited by Marija Strojnik, San Diego, CA, USA, Aug. 13-17, 2006, doi: 10.1117/12.680062
73) T. Hamazaki, Y. Kaneko, A. Kuze, H. Suto, "Greenhouse Gases Observation from Space with TANSO-FTS on GOSAT," OSA Hyperspectral Imaging and Sounding of the Environment (HISE) Topical Meeting and Tabletop Exhibit, Feb. 15-17,2007, Santa Fe, NM, USA
74) Juro Ishida, Masakatsu Nakajima, "TANSO Proto Flight Test Results," Proceedings of the 26th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science) , Hamamatsu City, Japan, June 1-8, 2008 , 2008-o-4-04v
75) Henry Buijs, "History of Fourier Transform Spectrometer Technology Development," Proceedings of the 26th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science) , Hamamatsu City, Japan, June 1-8, 2008, 2008-o-4-06v
76) Masakatsu Nakajima, Takashi Hamazaki, "Thermal and Near Infrared Sensor for Carbon Observation (TANSO-FTS)," Proceedings of the 26th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science) , Hamamatsu City, Japan, June 1-8, 2008, paper: 2008-o-4-02v
77) Takashi Hamazaki, "Greenhouse Gases Observations from Space - Overview of TANSO on GOSAT," Proceedings of the 7th ICSO (International Conference on Space Optics) 2008, Toulouse, France, Oct. 14-17, 2008
78) K. Shiomi, S. Kawakami, T. Kina, M. Yoshida, N. Sekio, Y. Mitomi, F. Kataoka, "GOSAT Calibration Plan," URL: http://envisat.esa.int/envisatsymposium/proceedings
79) Kei Shiomi, Tomoko Kina, Shuji Kawakami, Toshiaki Takeshima, "Calibration of operational GOSAT Level 1 products," Proceedings of the SPIE Remote Sensing Conference, Toulouse, France, Vol. 7826, Sept. 20-23, 2010, 'Sensors, Systems, and Next-Generation Satellites XIV,' edited by Roland Meynart, Steven P. Neeck, Haruhisa Shimoda, doi: 10.1117/12.865459
80) K. Shiomi, H. Suto, S. Kawakami, A. Kuze, M. Nakajima, "TANSO On-Orbit and Vicarious Calibration Plan," Proceedings of the 26th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science) , Hamamatsu City, Japan, June 1-8, 2008 , paper: 2008-o-4-08v
81) David Crisp and the OCO Team, "Opportunities for Coordinated Observations of CO2 with the Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) and Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite (GOSAT)," Proceedings of the 26th ISTS (International Symposium on Space Technology and Science) , Hamamatsu City, Japan, June 1-8, 2008, paper: 2008-o-4-09v
The information compiled and edited in this article was provided by Herbert J. Kramer from his documentation of: "Observation of the Earth and Its Environment: Survey of Missions and Sensors" (Springer Verlag) as well as many other sources after the publication of the 4th edition in 2002. - Comments and corrections to this article are always welcome for further updates (firstname.lastname@example.org). | <urn:uuid:5526f452-f5ab-49ed-afa3-442d2066f4e5> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://directory.eoportal.org/web/eoportal/satellite-missions/g/gosat | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400221980.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20200925021647-20200925051647-00044.warc.gz | en | 0.874378 | 17,735 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Summary: Five years ago, a wave of discontent swept away the 55-mile-per-hour U.S. speed limit. Nowadays, some physicists are taking a hard look at the 670-million-miles-per-hour speed limit of light in a vacuum, or c.
by Peter Weiss
Five years ago, a wave of discontent swept away the 55-mile-per-hour U.S. speed limit. Nowadays, some physicists are taking a hard look at the 670-million-miles-per-hour speed limit of light in a vacuum, or c.
Albert Einstein posted this limit in his 1905 theory of special relativity. Although popular lore and some physics textbooks still contend that nothing races faster than c, experiments going back decades have repeatedly shown that light can beat that speed under certain conditions.
A few scientists argue that those experiments hint that Einstein was wrong. Two new experiments reveal dramatic additional evidence of superluminal velocity but make no clear case for repealing Einstein's law, scientists say.
In one study, conducted in Italy, scientists propagated superluminal microwaves through air by bouncing them off a mirror. In the other, led by a New Jersey researcher, a laser pulse approaching a gas-filled cell's entry window materialized at the cell's exit glass before even reaching the cell.
Although superluminal phenomena might someday help speed up computers—an avenue being explored by Raymond Y. Chiao of the University of California, Berkeley—the main excitement around these experiments stems from basic physics implications.
At stake is the idea that a cause must precede an effect. If experimenters found that information can go somewhere faster than c, "you would get into nonsensical types of predictions, like going back in time and shooting your grandmother," explains Peter W. Milonni of Los Alamos (N.M.) National Laboratory.
Günter Nimtz of the University of Cologne in Germany contends that information can indeed travel faster than c, casting doubts on both causality and special relativity. In 1995, for example, his research team encoded Mozart's 40th symphony in a microwave beam traveling at 4.7 times c to a receiver.
However, Aephraim M. Steinberg of the University of Toronto argues that aside from Nimtz and a few other "vocal dissenters," mainstream physicists agree that such experiments "do not support any idea of causality violation." One challenge, however, is to exactly define information, or a signal.
Experiments dating back to the early 1990s by Nimtz, Steinberg, Chiao, and others have shown superluminal tunneling of optical photons through mirrors (SN: 7/2/94, p. 6) and of microwaves through so-called forbidden zones of waveguides.
The Italian scientists, led by Anedio Ranfagni of the Italian National Research Council in Florence, devised their experiment so that reflected microwaves in open air overlap and interfere as the waves speed away from the mirror. Constructive interference creates a moving pulse along the axis of the apparatus whose speed varies according to the configuration of the experiment. The researchers report in the May 22 Physical Review Letters that within 1.4 meters of the mirror, they clocked such pulses at up to 125 percent of c. Beyond that distance, the effect dies out.
Because electromagnetic waves radiate through air much as they do in a vacuum, Chiao says, the "spectacular work" by the Italians demonstrates that even in a vacuum, light could outpace c.
In the laser experiment by Lijun Wang of NEC Research Institute in Princeton, N.J., and his colleagues, the superluminal pulse, which was preceded by a "pump" pulse to excite the amplifier, has a negative velocity. That means that it "arrives at a distant point 'earlier' than it even arrives at the input," explains Steinberg, who is acquainted with the unpublished study but is not a coauthor.
This isn't magic, he says. Rather, amplifiers, like the cell in the experiment, respond to certain frequencies by building a replica of the incoming pulse at the output. In this case, the time a pulse with speed c would take to cross the cell, multiplied by 300, is the head start the outgoing pulse gains over the incoming one.
What's more, any rounded pulse contains a central peak and tapering wings extending far out behind and ahead. The wings contain all the information needed to reconstruct the peak, so as soon as the forward wing of the incoming laser pulse arrives, the cell spits out a full-scale version of the peak.
Although Wang declined to discuss the study, which was submitted to Nature, some of its results were described May 30 in The New York Times.
Mugnai, D., A. Ranfagni, and R. Ruggeri. 2000. Observation of superliminal behaviors in wave propagation. Physical Review Letters 84(May 22):4830-4833. Abstract available at http://publish.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v84/p4830.
L. J. Wang, A. Kuzmich, and A. Dogariu. 2000. Gain-assisted superluminal light propagation. Nature 406(July 20):277-279. Abstract.
2000. Faster than a speeding light wave. Physical Review Focus (May 19). Available at http://focus.aps.org/v5/st23.html.
Ball, P. 2000. Physics: Faster than light. Nature Science Update (May 30). Available at http://helix.nature.com/nsu/000601/000601-5.html.
Cowen, R. 1994. Grand illusion: Moving faster than light. Science News 146(Sept. 3):150.
Glanz, J. 2000. Faster than light, maybe, but not back to the future. New York Times (May 30):D1.
Peterson, I. 1994. Faster-than-light time tunnels for photons. Science News 146(July 2):6.
Raymond Y. Chiao
Peter W. Milonni
Aephraim M. Steinberg
From Science News, Vol. 157, No. 24, June 10, 2000, p. 375. | <urn:uuid:450482d9-fca2-46ca-b458-a908133b80bd> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://www.ufoevidence.org/documents/doc1097.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936464809.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074104-00177-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.919429 | 1,319 | 3.328125 | 3 |
Know What Causes A Viral Infection And Protect Yourself
A viral infection is caused by exposure to viruses. Viruses are disease causing organisms that can invade the body and attach themselves to your cells. As they begin to mutate and reproduces themselves, their major function is to stop the cells from functioning properly.
Viruses are smaller than a fungi or bacteria. They first of all attach to a cell, enter the cell and release a DNA inside the cell. The DNA takes control of the cell and forces it to mutate or reproduce the virus. The virus then stops the cell from performing its normal function, thereby causing the cell to die. When it dies, the cell releases new viruses, which also infects other cells. Viruses usually infect one particular type of cell. For example, the
common cold virus
infects only the cells of the upper respiratory tract.
Although the skin acts as a physical barrier against entry of viruses into the body, there are several other ways that they can be transmitted. Viruses can be swallowed, some are inhaled, some are transmitted through body fluids such as blood and semen, and some are spread by the bites of insects and parasites such as mosquitoes and ticks.
For example, the HIV virus is transmitted through body fluids whilst the flu virus is transmitted through the air by inhalation.
Infections can run from the case of the
cold and flu symptoms,
sinus infection, infection of the throat,
viral eye infections,
respiratory infections and the common cold virus can also wreak havoc by bringing on the sniffles.
Probably the most common viral infection is the sinus infection, which produces
Throat infections, ear infections, and respiratory infections are all caused by the cold virus. These infections include sore throat, the common cold and influenza, commonly known as the flu.
Click on this underlined link for treatment for sinusitis.
Ear infection, another form of a virus infection can be contracted when the virus gets into the ears, causing the middle ear area to fill up with fluid called pus. When the pus builds up, the ear pulsates like a beating a drum, the area surrounding the outer ear feels warm and causes and pain and fever in some cases.
Ear infection symptoms
are not contagious, though you might contract a cold when someone sneezes or coughs on you, and the cold can lead to an ear infection. Although some adults can get ear infections, infants and children are more prone to it. Click on this underlined link for ear infection treatment.
Viral Infection Symptoms
A viral infection affects the whole body and sometimes the symptoms are so very much like bacterial infection that it can be hard to tell. Obviously, different infections will depict different symptoms but the following are most common symptoms for virus infections.
Lack of energy
Weakening of the immune system, as in the case of HIV
Natural Remedies For Viral Infections
Viral infections are unresponsive to antibiotics and therefore cannot be treated with antibiotics. Less serious infections are allowed to run their course but some general recommendations such as altering your diet by drinking lots of fluids and avoiding sugar, taking some vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, and zinc, and other herbal remedies can help speed up recovery.
Refer to your specific virus infection in the blue links above for the appropriate natural remedy.
Click here for natural cold remedies.
If you are interested in helping others to diagnose and treat the symptoms of viral infections, consider a healthcare management online degree and get started today.
Return from Viral Infection to Natural Remedies Home Page | <urn:uuid:143ff7fd-f051-4a6e-9914-145e1335daef> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://www.natural-remedies-for-your-good-health.com/viral-infection.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818688966.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20170922130934-20170922150934-00348.warc.gz | en | 0.930087 | 743 | 3.875 | 4 |
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