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Energy Efficiency:Reduce Energy Intensity (energy demand/$ real GDP) 50 percent by 2035 (2010 as base year).
Goal Leader: Heather Zichal, Deputy Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change, White House Domestic Policy Council
Increasing energy efficiency is one of the least expensive and most cost-effective ways to enhance the nation’s energy security, save money for American households, reduce our dependence on oil, and ensure a clean environment.
Initiatives to reduce energy intensity are often low-cost relative to the alternative of developing additional power generation, and the upfront investments in efficiency programs can pay for themselves in energy savings within a few years.
This Cross-Agency Priority Goal is an effort to gradually reduce the total energy consumed in the United States each year through 2035, from a 2010 base year of 98 Quads (quadrillion BTUs), while the economy, measured by our Gross Domestic Product (GDP), continues to grow at a healthy rate.
Thus, while the population and sectors such as housing, American manufacturing, and high-tech industrial operations continue to expand the level and quality of service provided, the country will consume less energy as a whole due to efficiency gains in our buildings, transportation, industry, and federal operations. | <urn:uuid:857a074f-104a-4bd7-b686-013d36677961> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://goals.performance.gov/node/38504 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931006716.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155646-00057-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939881 | 261 | 3.046875 | 3 |
In MoneyWeek magazine issue 582, James Ferguson, chief strategist at Westhouse Securities, explains why the US dollar is set to rally. A key reason behind this is that, in James’s view, Europe is likely to have to start some form of quantitative easing (QE), while the US is now almost beyond the point where further QE is necessary. But how does QE work exactly? And how does it differ from normal monetary policy?
Broad money supply in developed economies usually grows about 200 basis points (two percentage points) faster than nominal GDP growth. In a fractional banking system, you get broad money supply growth in the following way: central banks increase the size of bank reserves; for every dollar that banks have in reserves, they can lend out several dollars (say, ten). This is known as the ‘money multiplier’.
So broad money supply growth is usually a pure function of bank loan growth.
However, when banks are forced to retrench and repair their balance sheets after a crisis, they stop lending. In fact, they shrink lending. As a result, broad money supply shrinks too.
Central banks, in charge of their own printing presses, are left with a choice: allow a deflationary depression; or monetise the debt and print money to neutralise the deflationary forces.
The Fed chose option (b), and on top of the $3.7trn-odd of government deficit, printed an extra $2.35trn of money to buy long-dated agency and government securities (QE).
The difference between QE (‘unconventional monetary policy’) and setting interest rates (‘conventional monetary policy’) is seemingly innocuous. When the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates (the Fed funds target rate) it does so by buying short-dated Treasury bills and other government securities. Banks use the sale proceeds, which are credited to them at the central bank in bank reserves, to lend back out to the market in order to earn a return.
What is quantitative easing?
Tim Bennett explains what quantitative easing (QE) is.
The Fed knows its counterparties in such trades will be banks, because banks are too highly leveraged to take the duration risk in longer-dated bonds, which is why such central-bank-to-bank transactions are called ‘money market operations’.
The Treasury trades the longer maturities with non-banks (usually pension funds, insurance companies and other investors) in what are called ‘debt market operations’. QE is when the Fed buys long-dated securities rather than short-dated ones.
This however, not only changes the Fed’s counterparty, but also greatly increases the number of transactions the Fed needs to do, because it is no longer benefiting from the money multiplier (because it’s dealing with non-banks rather than banks).
However, from late 2008 onwards, US banks weren’t lending their cash balances in bank reserves back out into the market, no matter how many purchases the Fed made. This is a classic bank crisis signal. Rather than add to the very same risk assets they felt forced to contract, US banks allowed their risk-free cash piles to rise and rise – just as European banks are doing now.
This destruction of money supply was only counteracted by the Fed printing money (QE) via purchases of long-dated securities. The counterparties here, as mentioned already, were not banks but non-banks. The non-banks in turn would deposit their sale proceeds in the bank. Since bank deposit liabilities are the very definition of money supply, these actions directly countered banks’ money destruction and depression was averted – or at least delayed.
However, these supplies of excess dollars were not naturally required by the US economy, because the lack of bank lending meant that the private sector was being forced to save more than it earned. So much of the excess leaked abroad, flooding currency markets and driving emerging markets and commodity prices to new highs.
As a result, much of the ‘benefit’ of the domestic inflationary stimulus from QE came back into the US in the form of higher costs of imported staples, which is actually very deflationary.
In short, the effect of QE can be likened to more normal monetary easing (cutting interest rates). It’s just that because such monetary easing is no longer targeting a specific move in interest rates, it has to be based on the quantity of securities bought (money spent) – hence the term: ‘quantitative easing.’
How do you compare the two? Well, happily the Fed announced at the time of the $600bn of QE2, that the sum had been chosen to replicate the impact of a 75 basis point cut in the Fed funds target rate. This means that we can turn QE into effective policy rate cuts. | <urn:uuid:f8e47c44-88fe-4689-9967-285ccc5b0585> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://moneyweek.com/how-quantitative-easing-works-21300/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988719815.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183839-00524-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961035 | 1,012 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Plastic Free July - Crazy facts to keep you motivated!
It's time to make your zero-waste, eco-friendly, reusable swaps and get involved with Plastic Free July! It can feel like a big challenge but don't give up! Here are some pretty shocking facts that you can arm yourself with in the fight against single-use plastic. We'll also offer up some of our favourite plastic-free, zero-waste, eco-friendly swaps...
'In the UK, 400 million plastic sponges are thrown away every year.'This Plastic Free July, make the swap to our Kitchen None Sponges - the ultimate, reusable, cotton washing up sponge. Made from 100% plastic-free, plant-based materials and are compostable and biodegradable!
'More than 1.2 billion metres of single-use cling film is used by households across Britain every year - that's enough to wrap around the world 30 times!'
'The average person who bleeds uses 240 single use, plastic pads a year
The average person will throw away 10,800 pads in their lifetime. That's enough pads in our lifetime to cover a large football pitch'
'It takes 1000 years for one plastic bag to break down. That means that the first ever plastic bag made in 1959 will still be breaking down now!'
Plastic really does hang around and often ends up in the oceans or in our ecosystems long before it fully decomposes, posing a huge risk to wildlife. Even when it does decompose, it releases toxic micro-plastics into the earth and water which make their way into our eco-systems, food chains, produce and water.
A little happy fact to lighten the mood! The total number of single use plastic bags sold by all UK retailers between 2018-2019 was 1.11 billion, a 37% decrease on the figures reported in 2017 to 2018. So change is happening! Be a part of this change and opt for reusable, zero-waste shopping bags like our Market Bag
'Globally, 1 million single-use plastic bottles are sold every minute'
And where to those all end up? Well, it turns out that only about 36% of them are actually recycled. They are either not disposed of correctly, put in the wrong bins, not cleaned out or simply left as litter in public places. A super easy swap you can make is going for a reusable water bottle.
These facts aren't fun, but don't get disheartened! We have to let these facts inspire us to fight against plastic waste.
We can all be a part of the change | <urn:uuid:796f4432-72f2-4dad-a46a-e316613bb17f> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://www.tabithaeve.co.uk/blogs/news/plastic-free-july-crazy-facts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320302715.38/warc/CC-MAIN-20220121010736-20220121040736-00175.warc.gz | en | 0.948585 | 560 | 2.796875 | 3 |
What Lies Beneath: Scientists Study Seaweed to Understand Gulf Oil Impacts
– June 6, 2012
A floating mass of tangled seaweed might not look inviting, but for marine life in open Gulf waters it is critical for survival. Dr. Frank Hernandez with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL) leads a research team studying these important leafy algal communities to investigate the potential effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on both flora and fauna.
Though often considered unsightly on popular beaches, Sargassum, more commonly known as “Gulf weed,” is a critical habitat for larvae and juveniles of many recreationally important species, including tripletail (“blackfish”), mahi mahi, tunas, billfishes and their fish prey (such as flying fishes and ballyhoo).
Sargassum provides an oasis of habitat in an otherwise featureless open ocean environment and potentially serves as a nursery for young fishes –F. Hernandez
With support from a Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) Bridge Grant, Dr. Hernandez and Co-Principal Investigators Dr. Sean Powers (University of South Alabama) and Dr. Marcus Drymon (DISL) conducted twelve research cruises and seven aerial surveys during the summer of 2011. These researchers and their team of four graduate students, eight undergraduate interns, and ten technicians collected critical time-sensitive data on Sargassum, fishes, and invertebrates. This data collection builds on their pre-spill research as well as post-spill efforts funded by a NSF RAPID award. Hernandez also drew from his experiences with another oil-spill related study funded by a GoMRI Year One Block Grant. Hernandez and his team now have a collection of samples and imagery for use in future research comparing the impact of oil on the function and resiliency of this critical marine habitat.
The oil spill served as a reminder of how critical baseline data are to understanding such impacts. I have led a larval fish survey off the Alabama coast since 2004, and those data are now critical in assessing natural variability before, during, and after the spill as well as potential impacts from the spill itself. –F. Hernandez
A challenge for researchers studying the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is determining whether the variability they see in the marine ecosystem is caused by the oil spill or natural perturbations or some combination of the two. While the 2011 observations showed a decrease of Sargassum, Dr. Hernandez says that additional studies are necessary to understand other potential contributing factors such as riverine discharge and to detect longer-term impacts on the food web.
Video: Abundant marine life that dwell beneath a Sargassum mat.
Dr. Hernandez is a senior marine research scientist and teaching faculty in fisheries oceanography and larval fish ecology at DISL. He received his Ph.D. from Louisiana State University and his M.S from University of North Carolina, Wilmington. His research focuses on the biology and ecology of estuarine and marine fishes, primarily the early life history stages.
Read more about Dr. Hernandez’s GoMRI-funded research:
GoMRI Bridge Grant: Floating Sargassum Communities of the Gulf of Mexico: Data Collection for the Continued Assessment of Associated Faunal Assemblages, Trophic Interactions and Habitat Function in the Wake of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
GoMRI Year One Grant: An Examination of Pre- and Post-Spill Ichthyoplankton Assemblage Dynamics.
This research was made possible by a grant from BP/The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI). The GoMRI is a 10-year, $500 million independent research program established by an agreement between BP and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance to study the effects of the Deepwater Horizon incident and the potential associated impact of this and similar incidents on the environment and public health.
© Copyright 2010- 2017 Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) – All Rights Reserved. Redistribution is encouraged with acknowledgement to the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI). Please credit images and/or videos as done in each article. Questions? Contact web-content editor Nilde “Maggie” Dannreuther, Northern Gulf Institute, Mississippi State University (email@example.com). | <urn:uuid:874d9cd1-d13d-4e85-916b-a60c7948edea> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://gulfresearchinitiative.org/scientists-study-seaweed-to-understand-gulf-oil-impacts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499816.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20230130101912-20230130131912-00760.warc.gz | en | 0.929209 | 907 | 3.03125 | 3 |
Some years ago, researchers gave tests of creativity to a number of young children.
Included were questions such as: “List all the uses you can think of for junk automobiles”; “Think of as many fluids that burn as you can”; and “List as many impossibilities as you can think of in five minutes”.
During the ensuing years, researchers followed the children who came up with the most interesting, creative, and useful items and found as adults, they became entrepreneurs, inventors, authors, physicians, diplomats and computer software developers.
During the 1980s, James Flynn, a professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, studying IQ variations within 20 nations, reported that IQ scores rose from six to 10 points every generation. But while our children’s intelligence scores were rising, creativity scores were falling. From kindergarten to Grade 6, creativity scores among children have dropped. In the fifth grade, the decrease in creativity scores was most significant.
Educators, developmental psychologists, as well as parents are very concerned. In a 2010 IBM poll of 1,500 chief executive officers, these leaders of industry and business identified creativity as the most challenging “leadership competency” of tomorrow.
Why are creativity scores falling? Most people blame children’s obsession with video games, plus those many idle hours, eyeballs glazed over, sitting in front of a TV screen. Research done at the University of Texas suggests that for every hour a child watches television, the child’s overall time spent in more creative activities drops as much as 11 per cent.
Many people, however, focus their concerns on our public schools which, according developmental psychologists, are simply not fostering creativity in our children. There appears to be no concerted effort to nurture the creative process in our schoolchildren, who are instead smothered in “drill and kill” exercises.
The creative process involves a “divergent intellectual style” — generating as many unique ideas as possible — and this process is followed by a more convergent intellectual style — combining the many different ideas into what is thought to be a single useful result.
It must all begin with curiosity, and children are curious. Psychologists report that children ask about 100 questions per day. And parents sharing this rather common experience suffer “inquiry fatigue,” wishing the questioning would stop.
Tragically, the questioning does stop. Somewhere around Grade 6 or 7, children stop asking questions. And at this time, too, students’ academic engagement declines as well as their intellectual drive. Our children don’t stop asking questions because they have lost interest — they have lost interest because they stop asking questions.
While all of this is worrying enough, there is new evidence suggesting that a flexible, pliable imagination may reduce certain risk factors in the emotional lives of our children. Mark Runco, a professor in creativity studies at the University of Georgia’s Center for Childhood Creativity, asked students to list the things that might interfere with graduating from university. He then asked them to select one of these listed obstacles and come up with possible solutions to that problem.
What Runco found was that students could readily come up with what might block their goal of a university education, but many were incapable of finding creative solutions to these problems. He concluded that those students who were unable to generate a variety of solutions to problems were those most likely to become depressed and even develop ideas of suicide.
Surely, such data regarding an atrophy of the imagination has implications for our educational systems as well as implications for our mental health and empathy (imagining the other).
I do admit sharing some of the guilt. I give my students (numbering 400) multiple choice exams — surely the ultimate method for tapping merely a convergent intellectual style — to find that one correct answer. And my more creative students suggest, sometimes vehemently, that there exist many more correct answers than the four choices I have provided.
As has been said, the classic approach to creativity encourages moving from a divergent orientation to a convergent one. It is possible that our educational system can encourage creativity even in the formal classroom situation. All we need to do is encourage a student’s full engagement and encourage cognitive flexibility. That means we as teachers must cultivate our own sense of openness as well as that of our students — an openness to a world full of mystery and challenging problems.
And though it may sound like heresy, that single correct response to deep questions may not exist at all. Or if it does exist, it will come from the child’s own curiosity, wonder and sense of awe. Such answers will come from that child’s creativity, which has been systematically nourished.
Don Morgenson is a professor emeritus in psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University. | <urn:uuid:67ebeae2-ccbe-4052-a479-2803d0790ce8> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/2624503-nourish-don-t-discourage-children-s-creativity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1412037663460.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20140930004103-00371-ip-10-234-18-248.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970573 | 996 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans was full of twists and turns as the Baltimore Ravens edged the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 34-31. One of the most memorable twists to the game happened to be when the power to half of Mercedes-Benz Superdome, including the scoreboard, went dark with 13:22 left in the third quarter. The game was literally stopped as the players, announcers, and fans where all left scratching their heads.
After nearly 35 minutes of head scratching, wondering what had happened to the power, the game resumed. The San Francisco 49ers, who were down 28-6 just before the blackout, staged a monumental comeback, only to fall short in the very end.
The game will be one of the most memorable in years, primarily because of the power outage. What went wrong?
Could Superdome Pests Have Caused Power Outage?
While weather related reasons cause the majority of power complications, it is not uncommon for small animals and other pests to disrupt transformers and fuses; causing temporary loss of power. We also know that pests can infest sports arenas, like Cowboy’s Stadium. What pests could have caused the Super Bowl power outage?
Rodents are notorious for wrecking havoc on power systems. Could a few squirrels have got tangled in the electrical equipment in a Superdome substation? Could a malevolent rat have chewed through a major power cord?
Rodent caused power outages happen more often than you might think. I was on Arizona State University’s campus a year or so back, when the power went out on half the campus. An apparent rat found its way into one of the substations and shorted out the equipment. It can happen!
Could termites be the culprit of the Super Bowl XLVII power outage? Termites may have weakened the structure of the power line poles that were carrying the electricity to the Superdome.
Bees or wasps love to build their hives in well hidden, concealed areas; like that of a circuit breaker box or parts of a substation. If a hive was large enough and the infestation destructive enough, a bee or wasp infestation could have brought the power down at Super Bowl XLVII.
Bird pests, like pigeons, wreak havoc on the structure of buildings. A well placed nest, or a build-up of droppings, can easily cause a circuit to trip; or spark a short in a power feed to the Superdome.
Since hurricane Katrina, snakes have been an increasing pest problem in New Orleans. Tree snakes, which are non-indigenous to New Orleans, frequently cause power outages by crawling on electrical lines.
Crazy Raspberry Ants, are usually only found in some 20 counties in Texas, but were recently discovered in Port Allen, Louisiana. These destructive and malevolent ants are so small; they can easily get through the plastic casing around the electrical wiring. Raspberry ants have caused street lights in Houston, Texas to malfunction.
As a kudeta, these pesky ants may have been looking to take out one of the city’s biggest icons, the Superdome, and to announce their arrival to New Orleans.
Other Theories Behind The Power Outage
The 49ers Were Responsible- Previous to the blackout, the Ravens had just gone ahead of the 49ers by a score of 28-6 with a 108 yard kickoff return. Someone in the 49ers organization knew something had to be done and quick. That’s when they pulled the plug. With their malicious goal achieved, the 49ers rallied to cut the deficit, but eventually fell three points short. The same strategy is extremely effective when you pull the plug on the XBOX when you’re getting blown out in Madden.
Super Bowl Heist- Picture Ocean’s 13, but instead of robbing a Vegas casino, Danny Ocean and his team of professional thieves set their eyes on the Super Bowl box office where the average price of a ticket is about $3,000.
Another Harbaugh Brother- Jay Harbaugh, the often forgotten about Harbaugh brother, was tired of John and Jim getting all the attention. In an attempt to steal some of the limelight away from the two Super Bowl coaches, Jay cut the power to the Superdome.
More Commercials For CBS- Forbes reports that the price for a single advertisement during Super Bowl XLVII was over $4 Million. The extra 35 minutes caused by the delay would have generated hundreds of millions of extra dollars.
Beyonce Did It- Beyonce forgot to unplug her curling iron before she took the stage for her Super Bowl halftime performance. You know that thing had to have been sucking down a lot of juice; getting her hair to look the way it did.
New Orleans Voodoo- New Orleans is well known for the dark arts like voodoo, and the Superdome is built only a few hundred yards away from a cemetery. There are only so many voodoo commercials you can air before New Orleans will strike back.
Buffalo Wild Wings Got Carried Away- We’ve all seen the Buffalo Wild Wings commercial with the football fans wanting an overtime game. They send the signal into Buffalo Wild Wings, and all sorts of mischief happens. Sprinklers mysteriously turn on, preventing an obvious score. Could someone have sent the signal to BWW during the Super Bowl?
Marketing Campaign by Oreo- A few minutes into the blackout, Oreo sent out a tweet that read, “Power out? No problem. You can still dunk in the dark.†This tweet was retweeted over 15,000 times, giving the cookie company even more exposure.
Bane Did It- This has been one of the most frequent conspiracy theories floating around out there. Bane, of The Dark Knight Rises fame, looked to take over Gotham… I mean New Orleans… by interrupting the big game. Bane has publicly denied any involvement in the Super Bowl blackout.
Statement Issued Regarding Power Outage:
The following statement was issued in regards to the Superdome power outage:
“A piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load sensed an abnormality in the system,” the statement said. “Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue. … Entergy and SMG will continue to investigate the root cause of the abnormality.”
Congrats to the Baltimore Ravens
By edging out the San Francisco 49ers, the Baltimore Ravens are your Super Bowl XLVII champions. Congrats on the great season! | <urn:uuid:8aa9b8fb-f8d0-4e41-b53f-a12042b63b6e> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | http://blogpestcontrol.com/2013/02/pests-caused-the-super-bowl-power-outage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125946565.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20180424061343-20180424081343-00181.warc.gz | en | 0.954786 | 1,386 | 2.515625 | 3 |
In Fall 2014, the focus of The Python Project shifted from heart and liver to adipose tissue with the aim of identifying the role of genes that regulate how fatty acids are stored and released from adipose tissue. The Burmese python can eat a meal up to 75% of their body weight, and after feeding, lipids accumulate in the serum at a concentration that would be lethal to a mammal. The source of the lipids is currently unclear. Although it is likely that a significant amount of lipids comes from the meal itself, the increase occurs at a time when the meal is only partially digested, suggested a second source of lipids. Adipose tissue is a likely candidate despite the relatively low amount of stored fat the Burmese python has. To better understand the role of adipose tissue as either a source of serum lipids or destination for dietary lipids, students in Fall 2014 examined expression of a set of genes that regulate fatty acid transport and metabolism in fat bodies harvested from fasted pythons and at several time point after feeding.*
Lipid metabolism is an important mechanism by which organisms break down fatty acids into smaller compounds in order to yield energy for cellular processes. Many different enzymes in the body catalyze this metabolism, and abnormalities in these enzymes cause a buildup of lipids that can ultimately result in metabolic disorders in humans, and damage organs. By examining expression of adipokines, for example, released from adipose tissue at various days post-fed, we should be able to better understand the python’s cell signaling mechanisms that are important in infection, inflammation, and immune response. Adipokines may also help us understand how the python does not become obese or develop metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by insulin resistance, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease, after eating a meal that can be up to 75% the body weight of the animal. Humans who have a high number of circulating triglycerides are usually obese, and either have or will develop some or all of the metabolic syndrome characteristics.*
Students in Fall 2014 measured genes that encode adipokines and enzymes that are involved in both the storage and release of lipids from adipose tissue. They found that genes that mediate the storage of excess lipids after feeding like Diglyceride acyltransferase (DGAT) are decreased, likely to provide energy to organs that are participating in digestion. However, enzymes that participate in the liberation of lipids from adipose tissue like Carnitine Palmitoyl Transferase 1A (CPT1A), and Patatin-like Phospholipase Domain Containing 2 (PNPLA2) lipase were dramatically increased at one day after feeding, whereas those that participate . This was the earliest time point examined and coincides with when the serum lipids are highest in the python. Because digestion takes place between one and six days after feeding it seems likely that at least some of the lipids observed in the serum at one day after feeding originate in the adipose tissue. Interestingly, for the third semester, we were unable to measure cytokines like interleukins and interferon, suggesting that a lack of these proteins could prevent the development of disorders resulting from systemic inflammation when serum lipids are high.
*Adapted from the final research paper of Danielle Krause, student in the Fall 2014 Python Project. | <urn:uuid:9607a56c-ea0a-4700-8f86-0aef320aebe2> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://pythonproject.org/about/fall-2014/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221211664.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20180817025907-20180817045907-00074.warc.gz | en | 0.954125 | 682 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Selecting a design significant is a great method to pursue an occupation in a field that calls for a wide variety of abilities. From comprehending mathematics to identifying complex systems, designers are tasked with creating as well as executing options to a wide range of issues. It’s also a good option for individuals who have an interest in a profession where they can learn brand-new points each day.
Throughout background, design has actually affected human being. Today, designers are involved in the style and construction of devices and also structures. They additionally are in charge of preserving the systems as well as companies they design. In addition, engineering is used to form social structures.
The initial definition of an engineer was a person who created armed forces engines. Later on, the term was increased to consist of those who developed public works.
The first specialist engineering cultures were established in the 18th century. They promoted the exchange of info in arranged meetings.
As the Industrial Transformation started, commercial range production demanded brand-new processes and also materials. To fulfill these demands, the study of mechanical engineering was started. The early engineers were functional musicians who created wonderful gadgets, a number of them making use of a combination of mathematics and imagination.
Having a well-shaped set of usual design skills is a must-have for any person wanting to prosper in the field. Not only is it vital to be able to carry out the technological facets of the work, however your soft abilities are additionally crucial. Having the right collection of abilities can aid you boost your income and upgrade your lifestyle.
A big part of being an engineer is communicating with others. This suggests you should have the ability to talk plainly to others in a clear as well as succinct manner. You have to be able to listen to people too. This is specifically crucial for design projects where you will certainly be dealing with loads and even numerous people.
Occupation courses in design
Whether you are a design major or simply interested in the topic, there are lots of profession paths you can choose from. If you are imaginative and also have a keen eye for detail, a career in design could be for you.
A designer is a designer who makes use of math and also scientific research to fix functional troubles. They are in charge of development in their area. They produce new structures, establish brand-new items, and minimize waste.
They likewise assess styles for quality as well as security. They can locate work in the USA or abroad. They have the possibility to earn high salaries, which can be extremely beneficial.
Resources of design resources
Keeping up with the most up to date developments in design calls for a range of knowledge sources. These can include books, journals, conferences, patents, as well as websites. There are also specialized and also subject-specific databases.
The National Scientific Research Foundation, as an example, invests over $3 billion yearly in research and development in scientific research and engineering. The structure has a website that consists of picked Net sources. It’s a great resource for scientists.
Another good source is The Designer, a subscription-based service that focuses on the effect of brand-new innovations throughout the globe. It additionally has a special edition readily available in the UK.
The Engineer is an important resource as a result of the comprehensive coverage it offers. Its weekly Net Precursor Project publishes an option of new Net sources. The list covers numerous locations, such as aerospace, clinical innovation, robotics, and also nanotechnology. Its content is intended for teachers and scientists.
Challenges of engineering majors
Whether you are a design significant or an engineer seeking to enter a brand-new area, there are some obstacles you should recognize. Thankfully, you can overcome them. With the best approach, you can make a difference. Below are some suggestions to help you via the process.
Among the most vital design challenges to face is preserving a viable profession for the next generation. There is an approximated 2 billion individuals on Earth today, which number is expected to continue to expand over the following two decades.
Among one of the most noticeable difficulties is a lack of certified engineers To battle this, you need to promote more financial investment in research as well as facilities. It is essential to work with your host federal government and organizations that are associated with altruistic aid.
Need for designers.
Historically, need for engineers has actually been intermittent. This is because of the need for framework financial investment. Civil and commercial designers are in high demand during this period. In addition, design tasks are commonly concerning development as well as expense decrease.
Although the demand for engineers has actually never been greater, a shortage of skilled workers could threaten the economic climate. The US Department of Labor approximates that engineering will certainly remain to be in demand in the future. In spite of this, the number of design graduates is below the peak of the economic climate in 2007. As a matter of fact, the supply of engineers is approximated to have shrunk.
Usually, chemical designers operate in making plants or research laboratories. They create the systems and also procedures needed to generate drugs, fuels, food, and many various other items. They also address environmental issues as well as health and wellness worries. rodrigo papers written
Chemical engineering is based upon science and also math. Trainees of chemical design learn to study the partnerships in between procedures, systems, and products. They are educated to recognize as well as understand one of the most impactful changes. They use math skills to version and also predict the habits of systems. They establish effective and also secure production processes, as well as locate options to intricate troubles.
Chemical engineering is a diverse field, with chances to operate in a number of markets. Normal products consist of plastics, pharmaceuticals, pulp as well as paper, and also computer chips. On top of that, it is feasible to concentrate on a details location. | <urn:uuid:0cbdda9e-3b77-4b4e-9277-5d62da38f978> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://maleextrastory.com/why-you-must-pick-an-engineering-major/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510707.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20230930181852-20230930211852-00039.warc.gz | en | 0.974138 | 1,207 | 2.734375 | 3 |
The eyes are not only a window to the soul, they are also a window to your heart health.
The vessel structures in the eye share characteristics of those in the heart. There is a strong connection between cardiovascular risk factors and the occurrence or progression of several eye diseases, particularly those related to aging and chronic conditions such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
The eye is one of the only areas in the body where doctors have an unobstructed view of blood vessels. This means that, through an eye exam, your doctor can view any changes in the vessels and help flag any concerns with your body’s vascular system.
Let’s take a look at some red flags.
Shared Red Flags
For ophthalmologists, retinal vessels provide a view into what might be happening in the heart. A few of these red flags include:
- Changes in Microvasculature: A common side effect of cardiovascular disease in the eye is atherosclerosis or plaque on your heart’s artery walls. However, the small arteries in the retina and optic nerve can have plaque buildup as well. This causes the inside of the artery to narrow.
- Partial Artery Blockage: Another complication due to plaque buildup is emboli and occlusions—or blockages in the artery. These blockages can happen in the central retinal artery. Your eye doctor might see a small blockage, and the retina may appear fairly pale. If left undetected, this can cause complete vision loss. These blockages are caused by cholesterol breaking off in other parts of the vascular system.
- Complete Blood Flow Blockage: A complete block of blood flow may cause an ischemic event in the eye. This can cause sudden, partial or complete blindness.
- Cholesterol Deposits in or Around the Eyes: If you have high cholesterol levels, yellowish lumps can appear around the eyelids. High cholesterol increases your risk of stroke or heart attack.
Risk Factors Affecting Both Heart and Eye
There are several risk factors that can create damage in both the heart and the eye. If you’re having issues with one system, the other may be in harm’s way. It’s important to maintain a healthy lifestyle to avoid these issues.
- Hypertension: The majority of American adults over 60 have hypertension, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Hypertension is associated with several eye diseases, such as damage to your retina (retinopathy), fluid buildup under the retina (choroidopathy) and nerve damage (optic neuropathy). As you can see, hypertension can damage your eyes as well as your heart and vascular system.
- Cigarette smoking: Smoking is known to damage blood vessels and creates inflammation injuries. Damage to vessels affects both the heart and eye. Beyond vascular damage, smoking is associated with dry eye syndrome.
- Obesity: Changes in fatty deposits, lipid metabolism, inflammation, genetic predisposition and inactivity likely contribute to some chronic eye and cardiovascular diseases.
- Diabetes: High levels of sugar in your blood for a long time can harm the tiny blood vessels and larger ones in your eyes and heart.
Just as the eye and heart share similar risk factors, they also share similar preventative measures. A healthy lifestyle not only keeps you heart-healthy but could save your eyesight.
Consider the following suggestions:
- Exercise regularly.
- Don’t smoke.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Limit trans fats.
- Eat foods high in omega-3 and fiber.
- Find healthy ways to manage stress.
- Keep blood pressure in a healthy range.
As you can see, the importance of regular eye exams extends beyond your vision. Through a painless and non-invasive view of the retina, your doctor can examine your eye’s vascular health.
Regular eye exams are not only important for the health of your eyes, but they could help detect some cardiovascular issues as well. | <urn:uuid:9c3167e8-761a-47ec-8c0e-3a1cda30e185> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.visionquesteyecare.com/your-cardiovascular-health-impacts-your-eye-health | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038917413.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20210419204416-20210419234416-00200.warc.gz | en | 0.91909 | 837 | 3.109375 | 3 |
They are all everyday objects that can be connected to the internet and be recognised by other devices and contribute info to a database. The Internet of Things describes Internet V.2, where data is created by things.
It’s only the beginning for the Internet of Things
While some would argue IoT got off to a rocky start with a lower adoption rate than was predicted, most would agree the IoT is growing and will continue to grow in 2017 and beyond. Whether it reaches the lofty predictions of 50 billion connected devices by 2020 remains to be seen, but I strongly believe that businesses who learn to harness the data created by the Internet of Things are the ones who will survive and thrive in the future.
There’s no doubt, the Internet of Things is just getting started. Businesses who start now to develop or expand IoT technology in their products, services and operations are the ones who will realise a competitive advantage.
Of course, as with most new innovations, IoT comes with a drawback; at the moment, most IoT devices are not secured, making them an easy target for hackers. Last year, millions of IoT devices were hacked and used to take down some of the underlying infrastructure of the internet. Going forward, IoT manufacturers would do well to pay more attention to security, and users should take every precaution to secure their devices.
What is clear, however, is that every company, in every industry, big or small, needs to consider the implications of the Internet of Things and what it means for their business strategy today.
Where to go from here
If you would like to know more about , check out my articles on:
Or browse the Robots, Internet Of Things & Smart Devices to find the metrics that matter most to you. | <urn:uuid:2047ee72-aa53-4e88-9280-6e077a8496b4> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://bernardmarr.com/what-is-the-internet-of-things-iot-in-60-seconds/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030337415.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20221003101805-20221003131805-00158.warc.gz | en | 0.960357 | 354 | 2.53125 | 3 |
An objective and enthralling account of the sinking of the Lusitania, which unravels many of the myths and, for the first time, explains the true significance of that terrible disaster. The saga of the Lusitania is one of the most remarkable in the annals of maritime history. State-of-the-art when she went into service and the first express liner to be equipped with steam turbines, she outclassed all her rivals. She triumphantly restored British supremacy on the North Atlantic passenger routes and became an acknowledged commercial success; she was highly popular with her regular passengers. Her sinking in May 1915 by a German U-boat, with heavy loss of life, was at that time the most savage attack on civilians in the course of war, and was widely denounced in allied and neutral countries. From that day her loss has become encrusted with legends (including conspiracy theories), many of them created by German propaganda. In this new book David Ramsay has unraveled those myths and legends and tells a clear and compelling saga of terrible maritime disaster and clashes among three powerful nations. It is a story of potentates and presidents, ambassadors and ministers of state, bankers, shipping magnates, spies, and, not least, Captain William Turner, who had to defend himself against charges of incompetence and fight for his reputation. Based on detailed research, this new book almost certainly contains the most objective account of the history of the liner and the circumstances surrounding her sinking. The sinking of Lusitania, which took a mere eighteen minutes, led to a loss of life comparable with the Titanic disaster, and the ramifications were felt across Europe and America; this masterly telling of the story will intrigue the general reader as much as it does the historian and enthusiast. | <urn:uuid:ed290745-0ed5-49d2-931c-3d2ad7d8c422> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.livrariacultura.com.br/p/ebooks/historia/lusitania-saga-and-myth-17232046 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320362.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624221310-20170625001310-00231.warc.gz | en | 0.978705 | 357 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Archive for category between-language
I have a new paper out that is part of a special issue in the Journal of Communication Disorders. I encourage you to read the whole issue. It is based on an international collaboration where researchers used different methods including interviews, observations, record and policy review to understand current perspectives on bilingualism in children with developmental disabilities. The set of papers is excellent and shows that indeed we as a field have increased and evolved in what we know about bilingualism. Teachers, special educators, parents, and policy makers understand that it is important for children who speak different language at home and at school to be bilingual. There is a growing awareness that bilingualism can be an advantage. This is very good news. For me, I was heartened to know that the message is getting through, that there is a broader awareness, and that there is more attention and effort to putting these ideas into practice.
At the same time, it’s hard to do. We still need to figure out the practicalities of supporting the home and school languages. We need to learn more about what can transfer between languages and how parents and teachers can support and reinforce language learning to best benefit the child. There are many people trying to do what’s best for these kiddos but we need more practical, applicable methods. I talk a little about this and how the knowledge base has increased in my paper. Read it– it’s available through the journal for free till the middle of December, 2016.
We have a new paper looking at the relationship between children’s dual-language exposure and age of English acquisition on production of early- middle- and late-acquired sounds. Previous work by Leah Fabiano-Smith & Brian Goldstein shows that children are most accurate on early developing sounds compared to later developing sounds. Further, bilinguals show the same pattern although they may be a little less accurate as a group compared to monolingual English and monolingual Spanish peers. In the current study, we wanted to explore the influence of children’s experience in Spanish and English and how this experience might influence sound production. We were also interested in how parent and teacher ratings lined up with children’s production accuracy given their level of experience in each language. Read the rest of this entry »
It is well known that different languages have different phonological structures. Some have lots of sounds put together in certain ways, other languages have fewer sounds and these go together perhaps in other ways. Comparing Spanish and English is interesting in the US context because Spanish is the second most common language after English. The majority of English language learners in the US speak Spanish as a first language. Read the rest of this entry »
I don’t think that transfer (between languages) just happens. I think you have to plan for it. So, what kind of things transfer? How can we use what we know about language transfer to maximize transfer between two languages? Last time I talked a little about a study we had recently published in Seminars in Speech and Language s (I encourage you to read the whole issue btw, it’s a very nice set of papers). We saw improvement in both languages in semantics and narratives. Some kids demonstrated gains in morphosyntax but others did not. Read the rest of this entry »
What is the best way to do intervention with bilingual children with LI? It’s not always completely clear. Bilinguals are bilingual because they need both their languages to function in every day activities. With my colleagues, I’ve proposed for a while that in thinking about intervention we need to think about demands that are unique to L1 and L2 and those that are the same. This notion has been illustrated as a Venn diagram to show what overlaps and doesn’t. This figure comes from a chapter in Brian Goldstein’s book (now in it’s 2nd edition) where we postulated the kinds of demands a young child might need to meet in the semantic domain in Spanish vs. English.
Other important questions are what transfers and what doesn’t? We usually want to maximize learning from one language to another. And we often assume that children can and do transfer knowledge from one language to the other. But how does this happen? In particular, how does this happen in children who have language impairment?
I think we can draw on some of the really excellent work that’s been done in bilingual education and in the area of reading. In addition there is emerging work on the topic of intervention with children who have language impairment.
We recently published a new paper in Seminars in Language Disorders, “Dual language intervention for bilinguals at risk for language impairment” by Lugo-Neris, Bedore, and Peña. In this paper 6 bilingual (Spanish-English) children with risk for language impairment participated in an intervention study. Three of the children received intervention in Spanish first for 12 sessions then 12 in English. The other three received intervention in English first, then in Spanish on the same schedule. The interventions focused on semantics, morphosyntax, and story grammar using a book-reading approach.
Testing in both languages was done at baseline and at the end of the study. Results demonstrated that children made gains in both languages on narratives and in Spanish on semantics. Examination of individual changes by first language of intervention shows some interesting patterns. Children who received intervention in Spanish first demonstrated greater gains in both languages in narratives compared to those who received English first intervention. On the other hand, children who received English first demonstrated greater gains in both languages in semantics while those who received Spanish first showed greater gains in Spanish and limited gains in English. So, it seems that the direction of transfer may be mediated by a combination of the target of intervention and the language of intervention. Of course we need to follow up with larger numbers of children to better understand how language of instruction, the child’s language experiences and the language targets together influence the kinds of gains that can be seen. We’re intrigued and excited by these findings and we hope that these will lead to more careful planning of intervention and selecting the language of intervention to maximize between language transfer. | <urn:uuid:576951cc-2cfb-48e9-a3a2-6634daa4ee64> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://2languages2worlds.wordpress.com/category/between-language/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105700.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20170819162833-20170819182833-00136.warc.gz | en | 0.966467 | 1,272 | 2.5625 | 3 |
In Nefesh HaChaim, Rabbi Chaim of Volozhin (1749-1821) (2:17) calls the “chayah” the neshamah of the neshamah. In many sources, “chayah” is paired with “yechidah.” What exactly are the chayah and the yechidah?
In Cheshek Shlomo, Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim traces “chayah” (and “chayim”) to the two-letter root chet-yod, which means life (“chai”). He writes that chet-vav is an extension of this root and also means life. Thus, “chaveh” (Psalms 19:3 and Job 32:17) refers to speech because verbalizing something gives life to an idea that hitherto only existed in thought.
Adam’s wife was named Chava because she was the mother of all human life (Genesis 3:20). A farm is called a chavah (Numbers 32:41) because its products provide life and sustenance.
Rabbi Aharon Marcus [1843-1916] connects “chayah” to “hayah” [was, existed], explaining that living denotes the most complete form of existing.
In Yerios Shlomo, Rabbi Pappenheim traces “chayah” to the monoliteral root represented by the letter chet. He writes that this letter denotes rest, peace, harmony, or lack of strife/contradiction. “Chayah” thus connotes life as a state of equilibrium between all the components of one’s body (as life can only exist under this equilibrium).
Although “yechidah” in the sense of soul does appear anywhere in the Bible, the root chet-dalet, writes Rabbi Pappenheim, means singularity/unification. In the Bible, “yechidah” appears once (Judges 11:34), describing Jephtah’s daughter as an only child.
According to Rabbi Pappenheim, “echad” (the number one) and “yachad” (two sub-units joining as one) are also derived from chet-dalet. Additionally, “chidud” means sharp because the brunt of a sharp force focuses on one point, and “chidah” is a riddle because it requires one to sharpen one’s mind and harness all of one’s mental energies towards the resolution of a single question.
With Rabbi Pappenheim’s explanations in hand, we can better appreciate Chazal’s statements on the chayah and yechidah. The Midrash (Bereishis Rabbah 14:9) says chayah is the transcendental nature of the soul that continues to live when the physical body dies, and yechidah is the uniqueness of the soul (in that it is man’s only limb that has no counterpart).
The Vilna Gaon (1720-1797) in Aderes Eliyahu (to Genesis 2:7) writes that chayah refers to the overall holistic life-force; he also writes that man today does not have a yechidah. He will only have one in the future, in Messianic times.
The Shelah (1555-1630) writes that not everyone can be cognizant of their chayah and yechidah during their lifetimes. Only bnei aliyah (spiritually-elevated people) can connect with their chayah–yechidah.
Rabbi Alexander Sender Shor (1660-1737) maintains that an ordinary person has a nefesh, ruach, and neshamah. A prophet – who attains the pinnacle of spiritual awareness – has the added elements of chayah and yechidah. Meanwhile, a sinner kills a part of himself and thus loses his neshamah. If he continues to sin, he eventually loses his ruach as well, leaving him only with a nefesh, just like an animal.
Rabbi Yaakov Yehoshua Falk (1680-1756) writes that a child receives a nefesh when he is conceived and can start moving around in utero. When he is born, he receives his ruach. Finally, when he begins to nurse, he receives a neshamah.
Not everyone receives a chayah, he says. Upon a person reaching maturity, repeatedly performing mitzvot and allowing one’s good inclination to guide oneself readies one to receive a chayah. As far as the yechidah is concerned, only Moshe was able to receive it during his lifetime. He notes that the perfectly righteous are able to receive a yechidah after their deaths.
Rabbi Yitzchak Karo (1458-1535) – an uncle of the more famous Rabbi Yosef Karo – writes that if one views the five words for the soul as powering different parts of the body, we get: The neshamah powers one’s head and brain (nervous system), the chayah powers one’s respiratory system, the yechidah powers one’s hands (which make man unique amongst the animal kingdom), the ruach powers the heart (circulatory system), and the nefesh powers the legs (ambulatory system).
Rabbi Karo also cites a tradition that the names for the soul correspond to five different stages of life. When a baby is first born, his soul is called neshamah because that’s when he first begins to breathe. When he turns 10, his soul is called ruach because he is now imbued with a yetzer tov that helps him fight off his yetzer hara. When he turns 20, the battle between the yetzer tov and yetzer hara calms down a bit such that his soul is now called nefesh, which is an expression of rest or respite.
From 30 until 40, a soul is called a chayah because the person can be assumed to have performed so many mitzvot that the merits he attained from them serve as the basis of his life-force. By 40, a person yetzer hara can be almost completely subdued, so that from that age until a person’s demise, his soul is called a yechidah as his yetzer tov is there alone without the yetzer hara thwarting its efforts.
(After citing this tradition, Rabbi Karo offers a slightly modified version of it, dividing the five time-periods as spanning from birth to 13, from 13 to 25, from 25 to 40, from 40 to 60, and from 60 until death. Special thanks to Dr. Shaul Regev for sending me the relevant sources from his edition of Rabbi Karo’s homilies.)
Rabbi Reuven Chaim Klein is the author of “Lashon HaKodesh” and the recently-published “G-d Versus Gods: Judaism in the Age of Idolatry.” He currently lives with his family in Beitar Illit, Israel and can be reached at email@example.com. A form of this column also appears on Ohr Somayach’s website. | <urn:uuid:c9ea0389-49b1-4691-a548-bc22ba9ab249> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.jewishpress.com/review/in-print-review/take-a-breather-part-iii/2020/07/15/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439740838.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20200815094903-20200815124903-00328.warc.gz | en | 0.956658 | 1,613 | 2.984375 | 3 |
In 2004, the GoFast Rocket set a world record by breaking the space barrier and rising to an altitude of 72 miles. A new team of enthusiasts is trying to beat it, and they've attached a camera for launch.
When the jet pack took its first flight in the 1960s, it was loud, difficult to pilot, and could stay in the air for about 30 seconds. 50 years later, not much has changed. But visionary engineers are hard at work to make them quieter, safer, and more practical. Will they succeed? See how new approaches with simpler mechanics may allow us to use these futuristic flying machines in ways no one has yet to imagine. Then witness pilot Nick Macomber's attempt to take a jet pack to world record heights, and hopefully make it back down!
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Add username "SmithsonianChan" on Snapchat for fun and fascinating facts. We'll be sharing spontaneous photos and videos as inspiration strikes. | <urn:uuid:f53b88b7-0adb-4c64-8485-4ada31c5594e> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://www.smithsonianchannel.com/videos/ride-into-space-with-this-record-breaking-amateur-rocket/36944 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676589172.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20180716021858-20180716041858-00632.warc.gz | en | 0.929166 | 278 | 2.859375 | 3 |
As you use your computer, you may notice that over time, its performance may degrade. This can be due to a variety of reasons such as hardware that may be outdated, some files may be corrupted, or worse, malware or viruses have invaded your machine. The latter cannot be helped with as many users continue to use the internet and may have accidentally infected their computer while downloading seemingly harmless files.
Signs of an infected computer
The signs that show when a computer is infected can be confusing with one that is simply slower because of hardware issues. These are some of them:
- Program crashing – Some programs which used to work normally whenever you use them may now be not functioning at all. Commonly, these are applications which have access to the internet. This is because some viruses may be targeting the data you store inside your computer and is using these applications to send it back to their database
- Slower computer performance – When almost all of the loading screens of your computer takes double the time it used to have back then without any gradual progress, it is almost assured that your computer is suffering from a virus. This is best seen with bitcoin viruses which convert your computer into a bitcoin manner. To make the online cryptocurrency, the virus uses the RAM of your computer. Other processes of it will then suffer an immense blow in terms of performance. Most often, the only solution left will be to do a full reformat
What are the dangers of having viruses on your computer?
There are a lot of dangers involved with having viruses on your computer. From significantly reducing the performance of your computer up to having your files taken by a third party, all of the possible effects of it on your machine are negative. These include the following:
- Significant decrease in performance – As stated above, viruses can significantly decrease the performance of your computer. This can be seen in a variety of ways including applications having a hard time in terms of processing, your computer opening very slowly, and some applications may even crash while you are using them. If the virus doesn’t intend to make your computer slower, it may do other malicious things to it instead
- Loss of information – Some malicious files are targeted towards your information. Because the computer is naturally stored with usernames, passwords, credit card numbers, and other relevant information, some hackers put software that specifically targets these. Once they have access to this, they can then use steal your credentials for identity theft or credit card theft. This should be addressed immediately as a variety of acts can be done by the hacker if left unnoticed
- Bitcoin mining software – Some of these applications can turn your computer into a literal bitcoin miner. These are currencies which people use to transact online while hiding their identity. Although fully digital, the currency has real-world value and can be used to purchase things. To mine them, one must have several computers continuously processing with their RAM in an act called “mining”. Once your computer is turned into one of these, you may notice a severe decrease in computer speed mainly pointed to its memory
- Damaged files – The computer can also damage the applications that are currently installed in the PC. It can delete and rename specific files within the computer as to confuse its users. It can also open and close the program whenever it wants without the user’s consent. It may even begin typing random words while you are using the computer. In short, it can take away the freedom of the user to control the machine
- Total disable – The computer can also fully be disabled by the virus. The hacker can simply destroy the software of your computer without any reasons. Instead of tampering with your files, it can target its operating system instead and make it unable to be used. In this case, the only thing left to do is to do a full reformat which deletes all of the files inside the computer | <urn:uuid:efa11f24-2cf2-4a53-b778-ea86bbed29b0> | CC-MAIN-2019-51 | https://www.bestreviewguide.com/en/articles/software/antivirus/does-having-a-virus-slow-down-my-computer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-51/segments/1575540507109.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20191208072107-20191208100107-00143.warc.gz | en | 0.957723 | 785 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Explanation, Resources, Guides, & Further Benefits of Getting LEED Certified
LEED is a cooperative wide-ranging program that works with all kinds of projects and helps them become more green and eco-friendly. In our first article about LEED certification we discussed the program definitions, the different types of LEED certifications, and a simple outline of how both businesses and residents can benefit from the sustainable LEED program. In this article we’ll dive a little deeper into the certification point system and how to best make the LEED system work for you.
LEED Home Vs Green Home
A ‘green’, eco-conscious, home may have solar panels installed, low-flush toilets, and other ‘green’ elements while a LEED home includes those aspects and many more, from top to bottom and inside out. A LEED home is all green, managing every aspect of energy, water, air, and materials efficiently. LEED homes even take into account where a project is built in the community, i.e. within walking or biking distance from basic supplies.
The LEED program is strict and strives to recognize leaders in the field. LEED also offers a broad support system to help participants make the right decisions for their projects by giving them the right information for success when it comes to green homebuilding.
LEED projects obtain credits in seven areas of concentration to achieve certification. After receiving a minimum of 40 credits from the USGBC, a building can become certified. The seven areas of concentration are:
- Energy and Atmosphere
- Indoor Environmental Quality
- Innovation in Design Process
- Materials and Resources
- Regional Priority
- Sustainable Sites
- Water Efficiency
LEED Certification Levels
|LEED Certified||40 – 49 points|
|Silver Level||50 – 59 points|
|Gold Level||60 – 79 points|
|Platinum Level||80 + points|
The point distribution in the seven categories are:
|Energy and Atmosphere||35|
|Indoor Environmental Quality||15|
|Innovation in Design||6|
|Materials and Resources||14|
Total Possible Points
On the USGBC’s website, the organization that oversees the LEED program, there is a WEALTH of materials available to help you every step of the way to achieve LEED status. Such as:
- Guidance papers- on building, design, construction, planning, best practices, water metering, etc., etc.
- Calculators- on energy performance, construction materials, weather events, acoustic performance, and many others topics.
- Rating system- for every aspect of a project, for example, “LEED v4.1 Building Design and Construction Rating System – January 2020”.
And the USGBC has made these files and resources available to everyone in the world by offering them in different formats and languages:
- French Italian
BENEFITS OF A LEED RESIDENCE
- LEED homes are green homes, and they are transforming the residential market and people’s lives around the world.
- LEED homes are built to be healthier, safer, and more comfortable.
- LEED homes are built to be energy-efficient, ensuring that they can be comfortably heated and cooled with minimal energy usage.
- They use less energy and water, improve indoor air quality and have a sale, or re-sale, premium.
- The average energy bill for a typical single-family home is more than $2,000 annually. On average, LEED-certified homes use 20-30% less energy with some reporting up to 60% less.
- LEED homes are also required to demonstrate 20% water savings, helping to put money back into owners’ pockets.
- The EPA estimates that indoor air is two to ten times more polluted than outdoor air. LEED-certified homes are designed to improve indoor air quality and minimize exposure to airborne toxins and pollutants connected to asthma, allergies, and other respiratory issues.
- Building green homes can be done for the same cost – and sometimes less – than non-green homes. For those who do see a cost increase, it’s usually about 2.4% upfront and is quickly recouped through energy, water, and maintenance savings.
- Green homes repeatedly sell and rent for higher premiums.
You can do it on your own, but hiring a LEED professional will cut down on the stress of this stringent certification process. These experts are tested to meet industry standards so you can trust their knowledge and experience. LEED Accredited Professionals are educated on the latest strategies for green building design, construction, and operations for all building types making them a great asset for a successful certification.
FUTURE of LEED
Sustainable living and home building is trending and there are enormous opportunities for those who wish to join in the movement. High energy consumption is creating huge environmental problems and everyone is aware that a shift in mindset towards sustainable living needs to happen. Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, Dr. Fatih Birol said, “If we don’t make buildings more efficient, their rising energy use will impact us all, whether it be through access to affordable energy services, poor air quality or higher energy bills.” With over 1 million LEED projects in the U.S. alone, it’s clear that green building is here to stay and will thankfully only continue to grow.
#leed #architecture #greenbuilding #sustainability #ecofriendly #climatechange #gosolar #greenenergy #design #sustainable #usgbc #sustainabledesign #construction #green #sustainablearchitecture #sustainablebuilding #passivehouse #building #offgrid #energy #globalwarming #solar #smarthome #interiordesign #greenhomes #sustainabilitymatters #renewable #sustainableliving #savetheplanet | <urn:uuid:8d396f84-d05d-4b24-ad73-e6a0dda53fbe> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://blog.remoovit.com/2021/10/13/green-building-program-details-on-leed-certification-for-residents-businesses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499646.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20230128153513-20230128183513-00828.warc.gz | en | 0.898808 | 1,318 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Pressure-treated wood has been around for nearly 70 years, yet most of us still know very little about this popular outdoor building material. To start, pressure-treated wood is softwood lumber, typically southern yellow pine, that's been chemically treated to resist rot, decay and termites. The boards are rolled into giant pressurized tanks where chemical preservatives are forced deep into the wood's fibers. The result is an exterior-grade wood that's ideal for building decks, fences, sheds, picnic tables, swing sets, and other outdoor projects.
However, it's important to note that not all treated wood is created equal. The level of rot resistance is directly related to the amount of chemical preservatives in the wood, and the type of chemicals used. Lumber that's stamped "Above Ground Use" should be used only where it won't touch the ground, such as deck railings or fence boards. Lumber designated for "Ground Contact" can be placed directly on or in the ground.
To ensure you're building with the right lumber, check the board's label or stamp for its chemical retention level. This number represents the minimum amount of preservative retained in the wood. It's expressed in pounds of preservative per cubic foot of wood. The higher the number, the more rot-resistant the wood is.
"It sounds simple, but there's a fair amount of confusion about retention levels with pressure treated wood," cautions John Daingerfield, buyer, for Jaeger Lumber, a chain of seven New Jersey building material centers. "It's hard for even the most experienced professionals to keep up with all the changes," he adds.
This confusion began to occur when the industry stopped using chromated copper arsenate (CCA) for residential use. It's a widely used preservative with a track record of decay resistance going back to when it was introduced in the mid-1940s. Health concerns about the chemical led the wood treatment industry to stop using it for residential purposes in 2003, but it's so effective that it's still used for telephone poles, docks, boardwalks, and large-scale commercial projects.
CCA retention levels were .25 for above-ground use and .40 for ground contact. But now retention levels vary depending on the preservative used. For example, a typical wood treatment is micronized copper azole; its retention levels are .06 for above-ground use and .15 for ground contact. "Customers have asked whether the lower retention levels indicate an inferior product," Daingerfield says. "I tell them, no. The new treatment and retention levels provide the same resistance against decay, weather, and insects."
Today, pressure-treated lumber is treated with a range of inorganic chemicals rather than arsenate. Other common chemicals used are Alkaline Copper Quaternary (ACQ), Copper Azole (CA), Sodium Borate (SBX), and Micronized Copper Quaternary (MCQ). These newer types of treated woods may be less toxic, but they also contain higher levels of copper, so they're much more corrosive than the old CCA-treated lumber.
Many pressure-treated lumber manufacturers recommend using only stainless steel or hot-dipped galvanized nails, screws, bolts, anchors, and connectors when working with the material. And because these new wood treatments are especially corrosive to aluminum, it's best to use vinyl or copper flashing, or to wrap the wood in a protective rubberized membrane.
Here are a few extra tips to keep in mind when working with pressure-treated lumber:
•Wear gloves when handling treated wood, and wash up thoroughly before eating or drinking.
•Always wear safety goggles and a dust mask when cutting, drilling, or sanding.
•Cut treated wood outdoors, not in an enclosed space. Never burn treated wood.
•Allow treated wood to dry thoroughly before staining or painting. Test dryness by sprinkling the wood's surface with water. If the water beads up, the wood is too wet and you must wait before applying a finish. If the water soaks into the wood, then it's dry and ready for stain or paint.
•If you choose not to stain or paint, then apply clear wood preservative annually to maintain the wood's water resistance.
•Before driving in a nail or screw, drill a pilot hole to prevent splitting the wood. This is especially important when fastening near the end of a board.
•Over time, most treated lumber will shrink slightly across its width as it dries out. Take this small amount of shrinkage into account when laying decking or fence boards.
•After being outdoors for six to 12 months, treated lumber will develop cracks, called "checks," along the surface of each board. These hairline cracks are a normal part of the drying process. | <urn:uuid:a07cdeb3-c706-471a-b8de-93c1f8663375> | CC-MAIN-2015-18 | http://www.popularmechanics.com/home/outdoor-projects/how-to/a3103/your-guide-to-working-with-pressure-treated-lumber-15655848/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-18/segments/1430456438489.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20150501050038-00021-ip-10-235-10-82.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947827 | 995 | 2.84375 | 3 |
The present structure was erected subsequent to the extinction of the Jacobite rebellion.
Lord Stormont's family was Jacobite in its politics, and his second son James (c. 1690-1728), being apparently mixed up in some of the plots of the time, joined the court of the exiled Stuarts and in 1721 was created earl of Dunbar by James Edward, the Old Pretender.
He was educated at Loretto, Eton and Oriel College, Oxford, and in 1869 was restored by Act of Parliament to the barony of Balfour of Burleigh, to which he was entitled by his descent from the 5th baron, who was attainted after the Jacobite rebellion of 1715.
But the second syllable of the same word shows Syriac siding with Hebrew against Arabic. Again the primitive a of Arabic is in the older (Nestorian) pronunciation of Syriac maintained, while in Jacobite Syriac and in Hebrew it passes into o: thus Ar. | <urn:uuid:93b260a2-e434-4750-b4c2-800867c4243f> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.yourdictionary.com/jacobite | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323588242.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20211027181907-20211027211907-00343.warc.gz | en | 0.9864 | 209 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Unfortunately, not every parent knows how to recognize dehydration, but they should.
A national survey was taken a few years ago to determine how many parents are knowledgeable about dehydration. Unfortunately, the survey found that three out of five parents still need to know more about dehydration. If left untreated, dehydration can lead to hospitalization and many serious complications. Although illnesses that cause diarrhea and vomiting make your child susceptible to dehydration all year, activities that lead to excessive sweating can also cause dehydration, so it’s important to know the signs.
The Signs of Dehydration:
- Mouth is dry or sticky
- Very few (or no) tears when crying
- The fontanelle (soft spot on infant’s head) looks sunken
- Eyes look sunken in
- Skin that is cool and dry
- Dizziness or fatigue
- No or very little urine for a 12 hour period
- Irritability or lethargy
- No or very little urine in infant’s diaper for six to eight hours
When should you call your doctor?
Young children can become mildly or moderately dehydrated fairly easily, especially if the child in question has been vomiting or having diarrhea. Call the doctor if you notice that your child:
- Has dry eyes or mouth
- Has decreased or dark yellow urination
- Is irritable
- Vomits more than just once
- Isn’t eating or drinking enough
- Looks tired
- Is under a year old
When should you call 911?
In cases that are more severe, you cannot wait to get help from your doctor. Call 911 if you notice that your child:
- Has no tears or an extremely dry mouth
- Is lethargic
- Isn’t able to think clearly or isn’t alert
- Passes Out
- Doesn’t urinate for more than 12 hours (for older kids)
- Is too dizzy or weak to stand
At Child’s World Academy, our day care in Newtown is dedicated to helping your kids enjoy a fun, safe and educational summer. Learn tips for preventing dehydration when you stay tuned for our child care expert’s next blog. | <urn:uuid:7658f6b1-d2ef-45ca-8834-ef1a193451a0> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | http://www.childsworldacademy.com/every-parent-needs-to-be-aware-of-the-signs-of-dehydration/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221213286.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20180818040558-20180818060558-00316.warc.gz | en | 0.918008 | 456 | 3.171875 | 3 |
“The Epiphany ceremony has its roots to ancient Greek customs. The ancient Athenians, for example, had a ceremony known as "Wash". During this ceremony the believers procession carried the sacred statue of goddess Athena to the Faliro coast, nearby Athens, where they washed it using salty sea water. They believed that this way they were cleaning it from the dirt and were renewing their sacred forces.
The Baptism of Christ symbolizes the rebirth of man. Its vast importance for the Greek Orthodox Church is the reason why, until the fourth century, Christians celebrated the New Year's day on January 6, along with the Baptism of Christ. The basic ritual of the Epiphany is diving a Christian cross to the sea for the "Blessing of the Water". Although this ritual symbolizes the Baptism of Christ, in Greek ancient ethimologia it has, also, the meaning of purification and elimination of the demons' influences. It is a common folk belief that even the pictures used for Christian worship inside churches lose their original blessing strength through the years. Such a picture will gain its lost characteristics when treated with holy water during the Epiphany ceremony.
This Great Blessing takes place within the church, onto a special platform supporting a container full of holy water. The believers must have fasted, at least one day, to drink the holy water. After the church ceremony completes, follows the dive of the Christian cross to the sea, a nearby river or lake.”
I'm working on this project, since 2008, every year on January 6, in various regions of Crete. | <urn:uuid:ab0066cf-5a33-4032-ac25-48259e43c925> | CC-MAIN-2017-51 | https://www.lensculture.com/projects/34316-epiphany | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-51/segments/1512948616132.89/warc/CC-MAIN-20171218122309-20171218144309-00142.warc.gz | en | 0.959841 | 326 | 2.875 | 3 |
Crosbyton in Crosby County, Texas — The American South (West South Central)
Henry Clay Smith
—High Plains Pioneer —
At start of Civil War, he was miner at Pinos Altos, New Mexico and joined in moves to take gold and silver mines for South. But Indian raids closed mines.
When the Confederate Army withdrew from Arizona and Mexico in 1861, Smith along with others joined the South's cause. Served four years in Texas and spent rest of his life here.
Replica of old rock house he built near here in 1877 is now shown in museum at Crosbyton.
Erected 1965 by State Historical Survey Committee. (Marker Number 2477.)
Location. 33° 39.59′ N, 101° 14.343′ W. Marker is in Crosbyton, Texas, in Crosby County. Marker is at the intersection of West Main Street and South Berkshire Avenue, on the right when traveling east on West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 101 West Main Street, Crosbyton TX 79322, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Crosbyton (within shouting distance of this marker); The Rock House (within shouting distance of this marker); Crosby County Citizens National Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); Lamar Building (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Work Building (about 400 feet away); Crosby County Courthouse (about 500 feet away); J. J. Pierce (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Crosbyton.
Categories. • Notable Persons •
Credits. This page was last revised on July 8, 2017. This page originally submitted on July 8, 2017, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 84 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 8, 2017, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. | <urn:uuid:b8ddb45f-02f6-498f-a481-7eb93f5b5a4a> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=105193 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676590199.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20180718135047-20180718155047-00370.warc.gz | en | 0.942032 | 433 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Commonly known in South Africa, in afrikaans, as Botterblom or in english as the Terracotta gazania
- It is one of the more spectacular species of the Namaqualand wild flowers.
- This herbaceous perennial, with it's orange flowers – flowering from early spring to end of summer - gives a stunning flash of color to any garden.
- They form tufted clumps and are excellent as pioneer plants.
- They grow upto 20cm tall and are very effective as a ground cover.
- They thrive in most environments and the seeds germinate easily after the first rains. | <urn:uuid:a3abac07-1776-4655-b8bd-2d7ff4e2419f> | CC-MAIN-2018-09 | http://finebushpeople.com/content/Gazania-krebsiana | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-09/segments/1518891815843.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20180224152306-20180224172306-00770.warc.gz | en | 0.935253 | 132 | 2.578125 | 3 |
Role of Technology in Education
Today’s era of students are experiencing childhood in a computerized world. Utilizing computerized gadgets is an immense piece of their ordinary experience out of school. Through Google they have admittance to a wide abundance of advanced data, substance and assets.
With the majority of this so natural for their ‘outside school’ encounter, the main test for the teachers is the manner by which to saddle this for learning inside of the classroom and at home. The world of digital technology has much lower requirement for libraries of physical substance for instance, the conventional asset utilized by understudies about a decade ago. Learning styles are changing and educators need to adjust their teaching styles as needs be.
Is technology really helpful in Education?
To explain on the point of this article, I am more than unequivocal that innovation enhances instruction to a large extent and it has now turned into a requirement for upsetting education to improve things.
With technology, teachers, understudies and folks have a huge variety of learning instruments readily available. There are in-numerous cases till date where we can see the positive change in education, once it has grasped innovative technologies.
Here are some ways in which technology enhances education over the time.
Educators can team up to share their thoughts and knowledge online: They can correspond with others across the world in a moment, meet the inadequacies of their work, refine it and furnish their understudies with the best. This methodology doubtlessly upgrades the act of teaching.
Students can create significant examination abilities at a youthful age: Innovation gives understudies prompt access to a plenitude of value data which prompts learning at much faster rates than ever before.
Students and educators have admittance to a field of material: There are a lot of creative, dependable sites accessible on the Web that both instructors and understudies can use. The Web likewise gives a variety of learning and doesn’t constrain understudies to one individual’s conclusion.
Online learning is presently a similarly trustworthy alternative: Face-to-Face connection is immense, particularly in the more youthful years, yet a few understudies work better when they can go at their own particular pace. Online education provides you the opportunity to work in your own way without any hassle. It is currently certified and has changed the way we see education.
Role of Teachers in education when it is mixed with technology: With the change in learning styles, the educator’s part is evolving as well; and additionally being a moderator of lesson material; they likewise assume the part of facilitator/mentor in an inexorably community oriented learning environment.
The key styles of learning; introducing and collaboration; connect directly to a percentage of the diverse sorts of technology utilized in the classroom. Nowadays, when the teacher is at front of the class, all the understudies are included in interactive learning.
For the more customized learning, laptops, netbooks and tablets are progressively pervasive in the classroom. Universally 2% of understudies have a portable figuring gadget supplied by the school, this figure is likely to be increased to 7% by 2016.
The crucial point is that the teacher will still want and need to be in charge of the classroom, they may decide to let students use technology for some parts of a lesson but they will still want to be the centre-point of attention and control. This may be at the front of the classroom or, as is becoming more relevant, to be able to move around the classroom and still remain in control. In these styles of classroom environment clearly the ability of devices to talk to each other ie the seamless connectivity between student tablets and front-of-class display, becomes increasingly key.
The pivotal point is that the instructor will in any case need and should be responsible for the classroom, they may choose to let understudies use innovation for a few sections of a lesson, however, they will still want to be the inside purpose of consideration and control. This may be at the classroom’s front or, as is turning out to be more important, to have the capacity to move around the classroom and still stay in control. In these styles of classroom environment clearly the capacity of gadgets to converse with one another, that is, the consistent availability between student tablets and front-of-class display, turns out to be progressive.
Technology: A boon to modern education system:
Prior, Technology in education was a far debatable point amongst the general public. Everybody had their own perspectives on modernizing teaching and making it innovation aided. There were an immense number of positives and negatives to education technology. In any case, bit by bit as innovation was grasped by the instructive establishments, they understood the significance of innovation in training. Its positives dwarfed the negatives and now, with technology, education has taken an entire new implying leaves us with no doubt that our instructive framework has been changed attributable to the continually propelling innovation. Technology and Education are an incredible mix if utilized together with a right reason and vision. It is, in fact, the most precious boon to the modern education system. | <urn:uuid:598a0fce-896b-40e8-b80f-227c5182c132> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://dlpindia.com/blog/2018/02/08/role-technology-education/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267860557.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20180618125242-20180618145242-00549.warc.gz | en | 0.95623 | 1,050 | 2.8125 | 3 |
What is the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights?
The Charter of Fundamental Rights sets out in a single document the fundamental rights protected in EU law. It brings together the rights found in the EU Court of Justice case law, the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and rights and principles arising from the constitutional traditions of EU Member States and their membership of other international human rights treaties.
The Charter is binding on EU institutions and on Member States when they are acting within the scope of EU law.
If domestic law conflicts with a Charter right, judges are under a duty to “disapply” that law if it cannot be interpreted in a way which complies with the Charter. The Charter also forms part of the devolution settlements. Acts of the Scottish Parliament are invalid if they conflict with EU law, including the Charter. Similarly, Scottish Ministers do not have the power to act contrary to EU law, including the Charter.
How does the EU Charter protect children’s rights?
The Charter includes a dedicated provision on children’s rights which draws upon the UNCRC. This provision (Article 24) sets out:
- The right to care and protection
- The right to express views freely
- The best interests of the child principle
- The right to know both parents
The Charter also enhances and updates rights that already exits in other treaties such as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). This includes the right to education.
Children’s rights under the Charter have been translated into practice through EU legislation, policy and case law. This has included areas as diverse as legislation on child-friendly justice, protecting the best interests of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, and tackling youth unemployment and childhood obesity.
For more information visit the EU Fundamental Rights Agency’s webpage on child rights.
What does Brexit mean for the EU Charter?
The UK Government wants to abandon the Charter after Brexit.
In the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, the general approach is that EU law shall be brought into UK law, but the Bill singles out the Charter as an exception to this.
The UK Government’s position is that removing the Charter shall not result in individuals suffering from lower rights protection. In December 2017 it published a report which attempted to show that every right in the Charter was already protected somewhere else, such as in domestic law or under another international treaty which the UK has ratified.
However, the UK Government’s analysis was criticised in a report by the Joint Committee on Human Rights and a Legal Opinion obtained by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission. Both concluded that the loss of the Charter would result in a reduction in rights, contrary to the UK Government’s claims. For more details see our article on the topic here.
In May 2018, the House of Lords voted in favour of keeping the Charter. However, this may still be rejected by the House of Commons. | <urn:uuid:39639f8f-bfef-43a3-a1f7-da337896d017> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://www.togetherscotland.org.uk/resources-and-networks/brexit/charter-of-fundamental-rights/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039746110.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20181119192035-20181119214035-00163.warc.gz | en | 0.946194 | 596 | 3.96875 | 4 |
Chasmanthera dependens - Plant
Description for Chasmanthera dependens
Water deeply and regularly (mornings are best). Avoid overhead watering. Good air circulation promotes vigorous and healthy growth and helps control foliar diseases. Summer mulch helps retain moisture, keeps roots cool and discourages weeds.
A popular traditional medicine, the plant is often harvested from the wild for local use. It is also often planted in home gardens and is sold in local markets
|Common name||Flower colours||Bloom time||Height||Difficulty|
|Climbing plant,surrounding vegetation||Yellow||May to frost||6.00 to 10.00 feet||easy to grow|
Planting and care
Plant where they will receive a minimum of 5 to 6 hours of full sun per day. Plants grown in weak sun may not die at once, but they weaken gradually. Give them plenty of organic matter when planting and dont crowd them.Wear sturdy gloves to protect your hands from prickly thorns.
|Full sun||well-drained soil||Medium||27 to 28C||Apply any organic fertilizer|
Caring for Chasmanthera dependens
- plant care is not difficult but does require vigilance. The vines need to be trained early when they are young. You may use plant ties or just weave them through trellis sections. Fertilize the plant in spring just before new growth appears.Pinch off the tips of the vines in the second year to promote branching which will fill the trellis with bushy growth.
Typical uses of Chasmanthera dependens
Special features: This climbing rose can be trained to grow on walls, trellises, arbors, fences, arches, pillars, posts or other structures.
Culinary use: na
Ornamental use: The plant is used for ornamental purpose.
Medicinal use: used in medicine for arthritis, joint pain, rhuematotism,. The bark is chewed as a remedy for venereal discharges or as a general tonic for physical or nervous weakness in inflammatory and exhausting diseases.
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There are yet no reviews for this product. | <urn:uuid:399408ad-ef72-4157-815b-c528cfe17b53> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://nurserylive.com/shop/t/anti-dengue-mosquito-insect-medicinal-plants/chasmanthera-dependens-plants-in-india | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125948126.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20180426105552-20180426125552-00302.warc.gz | en | 0.868907 | 473 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Research shows autism spectrum disorders are largely genetic
Studies have found that some families carry very high genetic risks for ASD due to inherited mutations
Screening for rare mutations in families has become a standard of care in many countries and is increasingly being conducted in Ireland. Photograph: Getty Images
Until recently, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were viewed as a relatively rare condition. Increased awareness and recognition has led to increased diagnostic rates and now the prevalence of ASD is thought to be relatively common, affecting about 1/150 people in the population.
Genetic risk factors are well recognised as playing a predominant role in ASD. Early evidence for this was identified in twin studies in the 1970s.
These studies compare the rate of a condition such as ASD in identical twins (who share 100 per cent of their DNA) with non-identical twins (who typically share 50 per cent of their DNA).
A large number of such studies have consistently found that if one of a pair of identical twins is autistic, the chance that the other one will be too is 60-90 per cent, while the concordance rate in non-identical twins is less than 30 per cent.
Family studies have shown that the risk of having ASD is 10-20 per cent if you have an affected first-degree relative.
Modern genetic tools, especially DNA sequencing technologies, now provide the means to investigate the role of genetic factors in a large number of individuals at a much higher resolution than previously.
The costs of these studies have fallen considerably and this has led to several large-scale international studies of autism genetics that have included Irish families.
A major finding to emerge is that many cases of autism are caused by rare genetic mutations, which can be recognised currently in 15-20 per cent of cases and this is likely to increase as more studies are completed.
Some of the time, these mutations are inherited from the parents, but in many cases they are associated with new mutations – ones that arose de novo (afresh) in the generation of sperm or egg cells.
These de novo mutations, which are not carried by the parents, can give rise to sporadic cases of autism, with a genetic cause but no family history. It is now possible to screen for many of these mutations and to advise people about recurrence risks.
This is hugely important to couples with a child with ASD who frequently overestimate their risk of having another child with ASD.
Often couples choose not to have more children but if a child has been affected by a de novo mutation, the risk of another child being affected is no higher than the general population.
It is also clear that some families carry very high genetic risks for ASD, due to inherited mutations.
Screening for rare mutations in families with autism has become a standard of care in many countries and is increasingly being conducted in Ireland.
This has led to the identification of a growing number of specific genetic conditions, which can sometimes cause ASD.
Such mutations do not always specifically lead to autism, however. They can also occur in patients with other symptoms, such as epilepsy, schizophrenia or other neurological or psychiatric conditions, and sometimes occur in a very small number of typically developing people.
Autism is thus one of a range of possible clinical manifestations of mutations that alter brain development or function.
Researchers at Trinity College Dublin, NUI Galway and Autism Speaks are currently holding a consultation regarding the establishment of an autism registry and biobank (iarb.ie). A clinical registry will help establish the scale of autism in Ireland and the needs of the community while a biobank of biological materials, such as blood and saliva, would provide researchers with data to investigate the genetic factors that may contribute to autism.
Research suggests that up to 400 genes may be affected by mutations to increase ASD risk. Many of these mutations impact on biological processes involved in development of the brain and how it is wired, often affecting the connections between nerve cells.
It has been possible to identify convergent effects of many of these mutations on a small number of specific molecular pathways within cells, providing optimism about the development of new treatments to reduce ASD symptoms and improve quality of life.
Some of these pathways have previously been identified in related neurodevelopmental conditions such as Fragile X syndrome or Rett syndrome.
Most exciting is that new therapies have been developed based on increased biological understanding for these syndromes and are now being trialled in ASD.
The finding that ASD can result from mutations in so many different genes reinforces the long-held view that ASD is not a unitary condition, but rather an umbrella term that is used to refer to patients with similar sets of symptoms.
Single genetic cause
For some individuals this syndrome may be due to an identifiable single genetic cause.
For others, the risks are likely to be a combination of multiple genetic and non-genetic factors. Statistical risk of ASD is increased slightly with obstetric complications, pre-term birth, being small for gestational age or delivery by Caesarean section, though it is difficult to distinguish cause from effect in these cases.
Non-genetic factors also influence brain development intrinsically, even between genetically identical individuals, ie by the time identical twins are born, their brains are already highly unique.
Importantly, there is currently little evidence for an important role for environmental factors in causing autism.
Proven treatments for ASD are largely behavioural interventions such as Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) and other parenting interventions, eg the Denver Early Start Model which combines ABA with relationship-focused interventions encouraging highly responsive interactions between parents and children.
Interventions to support developmental delays in speech and language and sensory motor functioning are also beneficial. Early interventions have been shown to limit the extent of the condition and to prevent additional behavioural problems.
Some people with ASD may need treatment for associated conditions such as epilepsy or other mental health problems.
The recent advances in genetics and neuroscience are giving us a much clearer picture of the causes of ASD and providing genetic diagnosis for a small number of cases.
Future work aims to translate these discoveries into the development of new therapies and more personalised care based on a deep understanding of the causes in individual patients.
Prof Louise Gallagher is chair and Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in TCD, and leads a research group investigating genetics, brain function and conditions associated with ASD.
Dr Kevin Mitchell is Associate Professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin . | <urn:uuid:94bffac0-d252-4f31-9ba4-ebcae0b6a2b1> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/research-shows-autism-spectrum-disorders-are-largely-genetic-1.1744967 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218187225.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212947-00420-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962123 | 1,309 | 3.578125 | 4 |
- POW Treatment - German, British and American bomber pilots occasionally fell into the hands of the Irish. These POWs were often interred in Irish camps. Mysteriously, many of the American and British captives somehow managed to escape back to their Flights. On the other hand, German captives were held throughout the war.
- Weather Reports - weather reports from the West Coast of Ireland made their way into Allied hands, a critical part of the planning for Operation Overlord (D-Day). Irish weather reports, indicating bad weather, helped Allied commanders to actually delay the D-Day landing by a day. Had Ireland not made these reports available to the Allies, D-Day might not have been as successful as it was.
- Assistance to Northern Ireland - during the early days of 'The Emergency', Northern Ireland's capital city Belfast was bombed by the Germans in what was the 2nd worst aerial blitz on Allied soil in WWII. While it is often forgotten, this Blitz (occuring in April 1940) destroyed 50 percent of Belfast's housing stock in a massive conflagration. Despite its neutral stance, The Republic responded with fire tenders to help quench these flames of destruction. For its efforts, and when the Germans learned of this so-called treachery, Ireland was repaid by German Luftwaffe bombardments of Dublin City.
Northern Ireland - a Field of War
But if The Republic rendered some assistance to the War Effort, the people of Northern Ireland contributed mighty, and often heroic, resources to the defeat of Nazi Germany:
- Pre-1941 - in the early days of WWII, bomber groups stationed in Northern Ireland including B24s (lent to Britain by the US) and Sunderland Bombers kept the North Atlantic sea lanes open through their sorties against German U-Boats. Their efforts allowed tonnes of materials to make their way to England. Had it not been for this effort, and had the supply lanes been cut, England possibly would not have survived until America's entrance into the War on Dec 7 1941.
- January 1942 and the Staging Post - on January 24th 1942, only weeks following Pearl Harbor, a massive flotilla of US soldiers and materials landed in Northern Ireland. Here, those people - with the assistance of the Northern Irish - geared up to position that Northern province as a critical staging post for the defeat of Nazi Germany. What is interesting is this: despite America's neutrality prior to Pearl Harbor, it is obvious that this was a pre-planned activity, and undoubtedly agreed between Roosevelt and Churchill prior to America's official entrance into WWII.
- Northern Ireland, the Allied Aerodrome - Northern Ireland quickly became a critically important supply and training location that fed the European Theatre of War with vital men and materials. Aircraft from the United States, including B17 and B24 bombers, P47 and P38 Lightning fighters, and similar equipment was flown or transported into the North. There, the aircraft were prepared for European operations. American, British, and Canadian pilots were trained in Northern Ireland. Aircraft manufacturing and ship repair facilities located in Belfast and Derry (Londonderry) helped to supply much needed materials to Allied efforts.
The men and materials transported into the North, and then on into England, helped to assist the US 8th Army Airforce in its daylight bombing efforts against Nazi-occupied Europe. This massive assistance in all probability helped to shorten the war. What is also interesting - and poignant - is the fact that accidents did occur. Today, you can find the graves of American fliers buried in the Province.
- Belfast Harbor as a Staging Post for D-Day - meanwhile, thousands of American military (including Army and Navy personnel and materials) eventually assembled and trained in Northern Ireland. Belfast became a sort of immense Irish USO as they brought an American view to the country: Americans were everywhere in Northern Ireland, and invariably they handed out items that could not be found in the Province. Silk stockings, cigarettes, booze, and chocolates were particularly popular. I've had the privilege of meeting Northern Irish War Brides who married American soldiers. Bob Hope played to American and Northern Irish audiences, as did Glen Miller. For a number of years, love blossomed to the sounds of American Swing. Then, in 1944, a massive fleet began to assemble in Belfast Harbor. Troops were called from their training posts, ordered to board the many vessels that swamped the local waters. General Dwight D Eisenhower visited in mid-June of that year, wishing his troops luck. And a fleet destined for eventual victory sailed from those waters, bound for a remote French coastline, and many would never return.
Churchill, never a fan of Northern Ireland, stated categorically that if it had not been for the sacrifice of the people of Northern Ireland, the war would not have been ended as quickly. Today, no monument stands in Belfast to remember the thousands who died in the 1940 Belfast Blitz. Few remember that the German Battleship Bismark was spotted by an aircraft flown from Northern Ireland that led to its eventual sinking. Few remember that if it were not for Northern Ireland and its efforts to keep open the North Atlantic, Britain might have been defeated by Nazi Germany.
Few remember the courageous contribution that Northern Ireland and her people made to the War Effort. And few discuss the critical roll that Northern Ireland played in the implementation of D-Day, Operation Overlord.
On this 65th Anniversary of D-Day, I hope to remind us all of that sacrifice. And to those who are still alive, or who are the proud off-spring of those who participated so courageously, I would like to state my humble thanks for helping us in the fight for freedom.
June 6th, 2009. | <urn:uuid:9b446828-7e14-4a97-86a6-17077d53783c> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://survivingireland.blogspot.com/2009/06/remembering-northern-irelands.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607245.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20170523005639-20170523025639-00597.warc.gz | en | 0.978862 | 1,173 | 3.734375 | 4 |
One of the most powerful things about the Leap Motion platform is its ability to tie into just about any creative platform. That’s why we’ve launched a Platform Integrations & Libraries showcase where you can discover the latest wrappers, plugins, and integrations.
Whether you started programming at four years old, or yesterday afternoon, there’s nothing like that first time when something you coded springs to life and says “Hello World!” Scratch is a simple programming language that aims to bring that experience to more people than ever, with simple building blocks that make programming fun and accessible for beginners of all ages.
With the new Leap Motion ScratchX extension, students can bring hand data into ScratchX – an experimental space that lets you try extensions in the Scratch programming environment. ScratchX extensions make it easy to program physical devices like Arduino boards, or build simple web apps. On our Developer Gallery, you can find the extension along with two new examples: a simple hand skeleton and a prize wheel game. Yesterday, we caught up with Kreg Hanning, the extension’s creator.
What’s the story behind Scratch?
The people at the Lifelong Kindergarten research group at the MIT Media Lab who developed Scratch probably say it best:
We wanted to develop an approach to programming that would appeal to people who hadn’t previously imagined themselves as programmers. We wanted to make it easy for everyone, of all ages, backgrounds, and interests, to program their own interactive stories, games, animations, and simulations, and share their creations with one another…
As Scratchers program and share interactive projects, they learn important mathematical and computational concepts, as well as how to think creatively, reason systematically, and work collaboratively, all essential skills for the 21st century. Indeed, our primary goal is not to prepare people for careers as professional programmers but to nurture a new generation of creative, systematic thinkers comfortable using programming to express their ideas.
What happens when people are able to start programming at a younger age?
I think getting students to start programming at a younger age takes away some of the mystery surrounding computing. A lot of technology today is designed as a means of consumption. With computer programming, students are able to flip that role and become the creators using technology.
Beyond computer literacy I think teaching kids to program helps them learn the important skill of problem solving. They learn how they can take a larger problem and break it down into smaller pieces that they can then solve.
How can people get started with the Leap Motion Scratch plugin?
Getting started with the extension is easier than ever thanks to the LeapJS library and ScratchX. To get started:
- Install the Leap Motion software
- Navigate to http://scratchx.org/?url=http://khanning.github.io/scratch-leapmotion-extension/leapmotion_extension.js
- Start creating!
For more detailed information on the extension you can see the documentation at http://khanning.github.io/scratch-leapmotion-extension.
What should teachers know about Scratch + Leap Motion?
Scratch + Leap Motion can be a great way to introduce and reinforce the Cartesian coordinate system in your classroom. Instead of plotting points on a piece of paper, they can use their hand to create a Scratch project that demonstrates their understanding of the Cartesian coordinate system.
I’m hoping to build a community of educators that are using the extension in their classrooms. Please reach out to me if you would like to share the work your students have done with Scratch + Leap Motion or if you just need help getting started.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve ever seen built in Scratch?
So many projects come to mind. One of my fourth grade students built a random excuse generator that lead to some surprising results! One of the most surprising projects I have come across is a simple 3D particle system simulation.
What’s next for the plugin? Any new features you’d like to see?
I think the only area I would like to see the plugin expand would be adding more gestures. Gestures work great to trigger events in Scratch and it would be wonderful if the list of recognized gestures was expanded.
The Leap Motion extension for Scratch was created during a partnership between the Kennedy-Longfellow Elementary School in Cambridge, MA and Lesley University.
Are you a teacher or learner working with Scratch in the classroom? We’d love to hear from you! Post about your work in the comments or on our community forums. | <urn:uuid:3f5691a7-fb8f-4856-b9a2-11a64a1e6d17> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | http://blog.leapmotion.com/featured-platform-anyone-can-learn-program-scratch/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578531994.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20190421160020-20190421182020-00441.warc.gz | en | 0.934777 | 968 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Long term planning
We teach on a two year rolling cycle, to ensure that all children are taught the same content over each phase (Y1/2, Y3/4, Y5/6). Each term, we teach either a History or a Geography unit of study. Each half term, we teach either an Art or a DT unit and either a Music or a Computing topic.
As children encounter our units of study in different orders (e.g. half of our children will complete our Romans in Y3 and half in Y4), we use the 'Acquire' and 'Apply' sections of our Concepts and Content Organisers to stretch and challenge children in Y2, Y4 and Y6.
If you would like to find out more about when we teach each unit of study, please see our long term planning documents below. | <urn:uuid:e17e6f2e-ae7e-4350-9f75-38a305e61ea8> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.emmaus.sheffield.sch.uk/page/?title=Long+term+planning&pid=100 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057973.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20210926205414-20210926235414-00166.warc.gz | en | 0.891706 | 174 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Thrush is a common mouth or vaginal infection that approximately three quarters of women suffer from at least once during their lifetime.
It is caused by a yeast-like fungus called Candida, in the majority of cases Candida albicans. Candida is a bacteria that is always present in the vagina however if the natural balance is upset it can cause overgrowth which leads to thrush. As such, thrush is categorised as a yeast infection, not an STI, as it can occur to someone whether or not they have ever had sex.
Whilst it is not a serious infection symptoms are unpleasant and can include itchiness, soreness and swelling in and around the vulva and pain during intercourse. It may also cause a stinging sensation whilst urinating or cause a thick white discharge not dissimilar to cottage cheese.
Severe symptoms can include dryness and cracked skin in and around the vaginal area, and very occasionally vaginal sores.
If you believe you could be suffering from thrush and you haven’t had it before you will need to visit your GP in order to be diagnosed correctly. This is important as symptoms of thrush can echo more serious STIs so those will need to be ruled out by your GP.
If you have suffered from thrush previously and recognise the symptoms then it is fine to simply visit your pharmacist for treatment. Treatment comes in the form of an oral tablet, pessary or cream. Cream is to be applied topically and can usually treat milder symptoms on its own.
For moderate to severe cases take either a tablet orally, or use the pessary to insert in to the vagina. Sometimes this can be combined with using the cream, which will immediately help to alleviate itchiness. Expect the thrush to clear within 2-3 days.
Some women may suffer from recurrent or ‘complicated’ thrush, the definition of which means over four times a year. This may require sustained treatment for up to 6 months in order to completely eradicate the problem.
Vaginal thrush can be experienced by women of all ages although it is mostly occurs in women who menstruate, usually in the twenties and thirties. It can happen spontaneously although either chemical or hormonal changes in the body are usually responsible.
Pregnancy, being on antibiotics, diabetes or a weakened immune system can all trigger the infection. Although it is not a sexually transmitted infection it can also be passed on in this way.
Alcohol, tight or man-made underwear and clothing or perfumed soaps are sometimes attributed as causes of thrush although this has not been clinically proven. It may be a good idea to avoid alcohol whilst suffering or if you think you are susceptible to thrush, wear cotton underwear that is not too tight and also use un-perfumed soaps.
It’s also recommended that you don’t have sex with a partner who is suffering from thrush, or when you are, as this way it may be passed back and forth, triggering multiple episodes.
For more information on symptoms, prevention and treatment, and help if you think you may be suffering from thrush, please contact your GP.
Written by Kat Kraetzer, an experienced blogger working in the health-care industry for many years | <urn:uuid:dfdff5f7-c3c9-4388-8c91-e14d20cf7aef> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://www.prairiesmokepress.com/yeast-infections-in-women-thrush-explained/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882572908.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20220817122626-20220817152626-00270.warc.gz | en | 0.964689 | 674 | 2.71875 | 3 |
In an RC circuit, a combination or R (resistor) and C (capacitor) is used in specific configurations in order to regulate the flow of current, for implementing a desired condition.
One of the main uses of a capacitor is in the form of a coupling unit which allows AC to pass but blocks DC. In almost any practical circuit, you will see a few resistances joined in series with the capacitor.
The resistance restricts the flow of current and causes some delay across the supply voltage fed to the capacitor by causing a charge to build up in the capacitor, proportionate to the fed voltage.
RC Time Constant
The formula for determining the RC time (T) is very straightforward:
T = RC where T = time constant in seconds R = resistance in megohms C = capacitance in microfarads.
(It may be observed that the very same numerical value for T is provided if R is in ohms and C in farads, but in practice megohms and microfarads are often far more easy units.)
In an RC circuit, the RC time constant may be defined as the time taken by the applied voltage across the capacitor to attain 63 % of the applied voltage.
(this 63 % magnitude is actually preferred for ease of calculation). In real life, the voltage across the capacitor may go on accumulating to practically (but never quite) 100 % of the applied voltage, as indicated in the figure below.
The time constant element signifies the length of time in the form of time factor, for example at 1 time factor of the RC network, 63 % total voltage is accumulated, in a period after 2X time constant, 80% total voltage is built up inside the capacitor; and so forth.
After a time constant of 5 almost (but not quite) 100% voltage may build up across the capacitor. The discharge factors of a capacitor occur in the same fundamental manner but in the inverse sequence.
Meaning, after an interval of time equal to the time constant 5, the voltage applied to the capacitor will achieve a drop of 100 - 63 = 37 % of the full voltage and so forth.
Capacitors are Never Fully Charged or Discharged
Theoretically, at the very least, a capacitor may in no way charge up to the full applied voltage level; neither can it be completely discharged.
In reality, full charge, or total discharge, may be regarded as being accomplished within a time period corresponding to 5 time constants.
Therefore, in the circuit as shown below, powering switch 1 will cause a "full" charge on the capacitor in 5 x time constant seconds.
Next, when switch 1 is opened, the capacitor may then be in a situation where it will be storing a voltage equal to the actual applied voltage. And it will hold this charge for an indefinite period of time provided the capacitor has zero internal leakage.
This process of losing charge will be actually extremely sluggish, since in real world no capacitor can be perfect, however for certain significant period of time this stored charge may continue being an effective source of the original "full charge" voltage.
When the capacitor is applied with a high voltage, it can quickly be in a position of delivering an electrical shock in case touched even after the circuit is powered down.
To execute the cycle of charge/discharge as displayed in the second graphical diagram above, when switch 2 is closed, the capacitor begins discharging via the connected resistance, and takes some period of time to accomplish its discharge process.
RC Combination in Relaxation Oscillator
The figure above is a very basic relaxation oscillator circuit operating using the basic charge discharge theory of a capacitor.
It includes a resistor (R) and capacitor (C) wired in series to a dc voltage source. In order to be able to see the working of the circuit physically, a neon lamp is used in parallel with the capacitor.
The lamp behaves virtually like an open circuit until the voltage reaches its threshold voltage limit, when it instantly switches ON and conducts current quite like a conductor and begins glowing. The source of supply voltage for this current hence must be higher than that of the neon triggering voltage.
How it Works
When the circuit is powered ON, the capacitor slowly begins charging as determined by the RC time constant. The lamp begins receiving a rising voltage which is developed across the capacitor.
The moment this charge across the capacitor attains a value which may be equal to the firing voltage of the neon, the neon lamp conducts and begins illuminating.
When this happens the neon creates a discharge path for the capacitor and now the capacitor begins discharging. This in turn causes a drop in the voltage across the neon and when this level goes below the neon's firing voltage, the lamp switches OFF and shuts down.
The process now continues causing the neon to flash ON OFF. The flashing rate or frequency depends on the RC time constant value, which could be adjusted to either enable a slow flashing or fast flashing rate.
If we consider the component values as shown in the diagram, the time constant for the circuit T = 5 (megohms) x 0.1 (microfarads) = 0.5 seconds.
This implies that by changing the RC values, the flashing rate of the neon can be accordingly changed, as per individual preference.
RC Configuration in AC Circuits
When an AC is used in an RC configuration, due to the alternating nature of the current, the one half cycle of the AC charges the capacitor effectively, and likewise it is discharged with the next negative half cycle. This causes the capacitor to alternately charge and discharge in response to the varying polarity of the AC cycle waveform.
Because of this, in effect, AC voltages do not get stored in the capacitor rather is allowed to pass through the capacitor. However, this passage of current is constrained by an existing RC time constant in the path of the circuit.
The RC components decides by how much percentage of the applied voltage the capacitor is charged and discharged. Simultaneously, the capacitor can also provide a slight resistance to the passing of the AC by the way of reactance, even though this reactance basically does not consume any power. Its primary impact is on the frequency response involved in the RC circuit.
RC COUPLING in AC CIRCUITS
Coupling a particular stage of a audio circuit to another stage through a capacitor is a common and widespread implementation. While the capacitance appears to be used independently, it actually may be involved with an integral series resistance symbolized by the term "load" as shown below.
This resistance, aided by the capacitor, gives rise to an RC combination that may be responsible of generating a certain time constant.
It is crucial that this time constant complements the specification of the input AC signal frequency which is being transferred from one stage to another.
If we assume the example of an audio amplifier circuit, the highest range the input frequency could be approximately around 10 kHz. The time period cycle of this sort of frequency will be 1/10,000 = 0.1 milliseconds.
That said, in order to allow this frequency, each cycle implements two charge/discharge characteristics with regards to the coupling capacitor function, which are one positive and one negative.
Therefore the period of time for a solitary charge/ discharge functionality will be 0.05 milliseconds.
The RC time constant required to enable this functioning must satisfy the 0.05 milliseconds value in order to reach the 63 % of the fed ac voltage level, and essentially somewhat less to allow the passage of higher than 63 percent of the applied voltage.
Optimizing RC Time Constant
The above statistics provides us with a idea regarding the the best possible value of the coupling capacitor to be utilized.
To illustrate this, let's say the normal input resistance of a low power transistor can be approximately 1 k. The time constant of a most effective RC coupling might be 0.05 milliseconds (see above), which may be achieved with the following calculations:
0.05 x 10 = 1,000 x C or C = 0.05 x 10-9 farads = 0.50 pF (or possibly slightly lower, since that would allow higher than 63 % voltage to pass through the capacitor).
Practically speaking, a much larger capacitance value could generally be implemented; which can be as large as 1µF or even more. This may typically provide improved results, but on the contrary may cause reduction in the efficiency of the AC coupling conduction.
Also, calculations suggest that capacitive coupling gets more and more inefficient as the AC frequency increases, when real capacitors are implemented in coupling circuits.
Using RC network in FILTER CIRCUITS
A standard RC arrangement implemented as a filter circuit is demonstrated in the below figure.
If we look at the input side, we find a resistor attached in series with a capacitive reactance, causing a voltage drop to develop across the two elements.
In case the capacitor reactance (Xc) happens to be higher than R, almost all of the input voltage builds up across the capacitor and therefore the output voltage attains the level equal to the input voltage.
We know that capacitor reactance is inversely proportional to frequency, This implies, if the AC frequency is increased will cause the reactance to decrease, resulting in the output voltage to increase proportionality (but a significant portion of the input voltage will be dropped by the resistor).
What is Critical Frequency
In order to ensure an efficient coupling of AC signal, we have to consider the factor called critical frequency.
At this frequency, the reactance value element tends to get so badly affected that in such condition the coupling capacitor begins blocking the signal instead of efficiently conducting.
In such a situation, the ratio of volts(out) / volts(in) begins declining rapidly. This is demonstrated below in basic diagrammatic form.
The critical point, called the roll-off point or cut-off frequency (f) is evaluated as:
fc = 1 / 2πRC
where R is in ohms, C is in farads, and π = 3.1416
But from the previous discussion we know that RC = time constant T, therefore the equation becomes:
fc = 1 / 2πT
where T is the time constant in seconds.
The working efficiency of this type of filter is characterized by their cut-off frequency and by the rate through which the volts(in) / volts(out) ratio begins to drop above the cut-off frequency threshold.
The latter is generally represented as (some) dB per octave (for each frequency doubled), as indicated in the following figure which exhibits the relationship between dB and volts(in) /volts(out) ratio, and also provides an accurate frequency response curve.
RC LOW-PASS FILTERS
As the name suggests, low-pass filters are designed to pass ac signals below the cut-off frequency with minimum loss or attenuation of signal strength. For signals that are above the cut-off frequency, low pass filter generates an increased attenuation.
It is possible to calculate exact component values for these filters. As an example, a standard scratch filter normally used in amplifiers could be built to attenuate frequencies over, say, 10 kHz. This specific value signifies the intended cut-off frequency of the filter.
RC HIGH-PASS FILTERS
High-pass filters are designed to operate the other way around. They attenuate frequencies which appear below the cut-off frequency, but allow all frequencies at or above the set cut-off frequency with no attenuation.
To accomplish this high pass filter implementation, the RC components in the circuit are simply swapped with each other as indicated below.
A high pass filter is similar to its low pass counterpart. These are generally employed in amplifiers and audio devices, to get rid of noise or "rumble" generated by the inherent, unwanted low frequencies.
The selected cut-off frequency which is to be eliminated should be low enough so that it doesn't conflict with the "good" bass response. Therefore, the decided magnitude is normally in the range of 15 to 20 Hz.
Calculating RC Cut-off Frequency
Precisely, the same formula is required to calculate this cut-off frequency, thus, with 20 Hz as the cut off threshold we have:
20 = 1 / 2 x 3.14 x RC
RC = 125.
This indicates that as long as the RC network is selected such that their product is 125 will enable the intended high pass cut-off below 20 Hz signals.
In practical circuits, such filters are typically introduced at the preamplifier stage, or in the amplifier immediately before an existing tone control circuit.
For Hi-Fi devices, these cut off filter circuits are usually far more sophisticated than the ones explained here, to enable the cut off points with higher efficiency and pin point accuracy. | <urn:uuid:68772bb0-6d9a-421a-b7f8-c74497fed961> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.homemade-circuits.com/how-rc-circuits-work/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057417.92/warc/CC-MAIN-20210923074537-20210923104537-00090.warc.gz | en | 0.917745 | 2,649 | 4.125 | 4 |
Anandi Gopal Joshi as icon of Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme is a unique scheme of the NDA govt. for the empowerment and education of the girl children in India. And Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi was the first Indian female who got a degree in medicine and started practicing in India. She is considered an icon and the source of motivation for the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme. At the time when the female education was not given any sort of importance in the Indian society, she broke all barriers and got a physician degree from the United States and returned to India for practicing.
Anandi Gopal Joshi- First Indian woman to get degree in medicine
Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi went to United States to get medical degree at times when the women of this nation were dealing with social issues regarding Sati system, dowry system, female infanticide, etc. At that time, there was no place for women education in the Indian society. Women were deprived of education and other basic rights as compared to men. But she broke all stereotypes and went for her dream. She is an icon for every girl student and is a source of inspiration for the young generation of women to focus on education and empowerment.
|Sl. No.||Dr. Anandi Gopal Joshi details||Related information|
|1||Date of Birth||31st March 1865|
|2||State belongs to||Maharashtra|
|3||Year of joining degree in medicine||1883|
|4||Year of completion of degree||1886|
|5||Name of college||Women’s Medical College of Pennsylvania|
Present literacy ratio in India
At present the literacy ratios of our country is not very balanced. The condition of female literacy in our country has become better that before but there is a big gender inequality in terms of male literacy rate and female literacy rate. As per the last census reports, 65.46 % of women are literate in India where as the literacy rate of the males is nearly 74 %. This gap in the literacy rate is a matter of concern and needs to be abolished as soon as possible. Also the save girl initiative is to be promoted in the country, especially in the backward and rural areas.
Focus on the gender critical districts
The central govt. has started to locate the districts where the female education needs to be improved on emergency basics. Most of the backward districts where the female literacy ratio is very poor are being targeted and the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme will be enacted in those districts as soon as possible. So far, 262 districts have been targeted and the work has already been started for improving the education facilities of the girl students.
Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao scheme promises
Under this women education and empowerment scheme, the govt. wants to decrease the rate of school dropouts in the primary and secondary levels for the female candidates. Also the female students belonging to the backward categories and economically poor sections will be provided scholarships and other facilities so that they can continue their study. So Anandi Gopal Joshi is considered as icon for this. | <urn:uuid:7b688cb7-bbfc-41bc-b348-edb21e5f2b74> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www.betibachaobetipadhao.co.in/anandi-gopal-joshi-as-icon/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501172000.93/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104612-00396-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960863 | 665 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Scientists turn discarded plastic bottles into flavored vanilla.
ByShehryar Makhdoom | Published date:
Scientists use genetically engineered microbes to turn plastic trash into vanilla-flavouring plastic bottles, the
the first time a helpful chemical has been manufactured from waste plastics.
The recycling of plastic bottles into profitable materials could make recycling much more attractive and efficient. At present, after a single-use, plastics lose around 95 percent of their value as a material. Therefore, encouraging improved collection and utilization is crucial to addressing the global problem of plastic pollution.
Genetically modified enzymes have already been produced to degrade the polyethylene terephthalate polymer used in beverage bottles into its constituent parts, terephthalic acid and ethylene oxide (TA).
Scientists have now discovered a way to convert TA into vanillin using bugs.
Vanillin is a flavouring agent widely used in the food and cosmetics sectors and a bulk chemical used in the production of medications, cleaning goods, and pesticides.
The global demand for vanilla beans is increasing, reaching 37,000 tonnes in 2018, significantly exceeding the supply of genuine vanilla beans.
A recent estimate is that approximately 85 percent of vanillin is produced through chemical synthesis from fossil fuels.
"This is the first example of employing a biological system to upcycle plastic trash into a valuable industrial chemical and it has exciting implications for the circular economy," said Joanna Sadler of the University of Edinburgh, who led the new research.
The study, reported in the journal Green Chemistry, transformed TA into vanillin using modified E Coli bacteria. Wallace claimed that the team had been warming a microbial broth to 37C for a day under the same conditions as brewing beer.
This transformed 79% of TA into vanillin.
The scientists will then alter the bacteria further to boost the conversion rate. He explained: "We believe we can do it rather quickly."
Here we have an incredible roboticized DNA assembly plant. Additionally, they will aim to scale up the process to convert more significant amounts of plastic.
Other valuable compounds, such as ones used in perfumes, might potentially be brewed from TA. | <urn:uuid:236975a3-b02c-4de1-b640-f4f1dc18bdca> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://bepakistani.pk/other/scientists-turn-discarded-plastic-bottles-into-flavored-vanilla | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224643784.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20230528114832-20230528144832-00639.warc.gz | en | 0.924106 | 440 | 3.4375 | 3 |
The Acts of the Apostles portrays Jesus’ followers from their days with the risen Jesus in Jerusalem to Paul’s mission in Rome. Initial chapters focus on the life of the early community of believers in Jerusalem and the work of the Holy Spirit among them. Called, inspired, and even driven by the Holy Spirit, the apostles spread the gospel throughout northern Mediterranean lands. The story of Paul’s call to spread the news of Jesus is the central emphasis of the second half of Acts. The final verse of Acts summarizes the book’s themes: welcome of all, bold proclamation and teaching about the kingdom of God, and God’s plan as unstoppable. | <urn:uuid:41182822-9973-44fc-983a-e11e5e45f0df> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://www.calvaryhillsboro.org/watch-listen/books/jean-marais-acts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710916.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20221202183117-20221202213117-00613.warc.gz | en | 0.926614 | 135 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Advantages and disadvantages of PNG format [Infographic]
Today PNG is one of the most popular raster formats on the Internet. In 1995 during Usenet conference it was suggested to develop this format as an alternative to the popular GIF format, that requires a license.
The main objective was to create a new format that is more flexible and free from patents. Thus PNG emerged, which unofficially stands for “PNG IS NOT A GIF”.
We have already briefly mentioned this format in this article. Now let`s analyze the pros and cons of the format in more detail.
Advantages and disadvantages
– minimum compression loss. The image quality is not changed by any compression ratio;
– format is suitable for storage of intermediate versions of the image. When you re-save image, quality is not lost;
– PNG supports a large number of colors. PNG-8 (256 colors) and PNG-24 (about 16.7 million. Colors);
– it supports multi level of transparency. Image has the 256 levels of opacity from fully opaque to fully transparent;
– it’s possible to work with layers;
– the ability to add to the file meta-data;
– small size files.
– doesn’t support animation;
– ill-suited for working with full-color images;
– can not store multiple images in one file;
Now It becomes clear what caused the popularity of the PNG format among web designers. This is the only format that allows you to get images with a transparent background.
For example, it is very important for creating logos – it requires the presence of a transparent background.
How to use the PNG
In addition to the logo, this format is used for creating the web pages navigation elements, engravings, lithographs, text, graphics, images with sharp edges. In short, wherever transparency, good compression, details and clear boundaries of the image are necessary.
In future articles, we will discover svg and pdf vector formats . | <urn:uuid:fe260f21-606e-4079-82d0-f27c79cd0c2e> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.logaster.co.uk/blog/png/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585768.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20211023193319-20211023223319-00144.warc.gz | en | 0.878265 | 419 | 2.59375 | 3 |
The Correlative Conjunction
Recognize a correlative conjunction when you see one.
Either ... or, neither ... nor, and not only ... but also are all correlative conjunctions. They connect two equal grammatical items. If, for example, a noun follows either, then a noun will also follow or. Read these examples:
In the fall, Phillip will either start classes at the community college as his mother wishes or join the Navy, his father’s hope.
Neither the potted ivy on the counter nor the dirty dishes in the sink have enjoyed water on their surfaces for the past week.
Professor Wilson not only requires a 3,000-word research essay but also assigns a 500-word reaction paper every single week.
When you use correlative conjunctions, be careful about verb agreement.
Every single evening either the horned owl or the squabbling cats wake Samantha with their racket.
Every single evening either the squabbling cats or the horned owl wakes Samantha with its racket.
When you use correlative conjunctions, be careful about pronoun agreement.
Neither Yolanda nor the cousins expressed their disappointment when blind Aunt Sophie set down the plate of burnt hamburgers.
Neither the cousins nor Yolanda expressed her disappointment when blind Aunt Sophie set down the plate of burnt hamburgers.
When you use correlative conjunctions, be careful about parallel structure.
Either ... or, neither ... nor, and not only ... but also require special attention when you are proofreading for parallelism. Be sure that you have equal grammatical units after both parts of the conjunction.
You can have two main clauses like this:
Not only did Michael grill a steak for Tiffany, but he also prepared a hotdog for Rocket, her dog.
Or you can shorten the sentence with two prepositional phrases:
Michael grilled meat not only for Tiffany but also for Rocket, her dog.
Or you can have two nouns as this version does:
Michael grilled meat for not only Tiffany but also Rocket, her dog.
©1997 - 2014 by Robin L. Simmons*
All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:467db80c-3f81-4ac3-a524-73d8f0d866bd> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.chompchomp.com/terms/correlativeconjunction.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1409535925433.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20140901014525-00213-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926862 | 441 | 2.8125 | 3 |
Cultural considerations in adult literacy education
Series or Serial: Digest
Publisher: Center for Applied Linguistics
Published At: Washington, DC
Date Published: 1991
Distributor: ERIC Clearinghouse on Languages and Linguistics
Source Address: 1118 22nd Street NW
Source City/State/Zip: Washington DC 20037
Material Type: Information Analysis
Intended Audience: Mentor/Teacher/Trainer
Physical Media: Print
Subjects: Intercultural Communication; Adult Literacy
In this digest, the main themes of a broad interpretation of literacy are set forth, and examples of approaches in use and resources available are cited. Although most of the literature is focused on native language literacy, the themes, recommendations, and materials are relevant for adult learning English as a second language as well.
To find out what information OTAN Resources contains on a broad topic, or to learn if a particular title on a topic is available, browse the Document Library by topic.
Documents are added to OTAN's Web site by scanning the document and formatting for presentation on the Internet. The original content is preserved, but the process may result in format changes. Documents posted prior to 1997 may not include tables and other visuals. Some documents are posted in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and their original format is preserved. A source for obtaining a copy of the original document will be given. | <urn:uuid:a42ed269-2888-418d-9bd7-46bfbd372fd8> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://otan.us/resources/otan-library/culture/cultural-considerations-in-adult-literacy-education/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964363135.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20211205035505-20211205065505-00018.warc.gz | en | 0.842185 | 298 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Known also as Saint Christopher and Nevis, the beautiful Caribbean islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis are located in the West Indies. They became home to the first Caribbean British and French colonies in 1620, who used the islands to house captured slaves.
Gaining independence from Britain on this day in 1983, their emancipation from their colonial masters made them the smallest nation in the Western Hemisphere to achieve such a feat.
Tourism is one of the fastest-growing sectors of their economy, as the islands boast of some of the cleanest waters and tourist sites.
To commemorate their independence, Face2face Africa brings you 10 facts you probably didn’t know about Saint Kitts and Nevis: | <urn:uuid:ebea28ec-d138-4114-bc24-d1199ffb2c9b> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://face2faceafrica.com/article/10-interesting-facts-about-the-islands-of-saint-kitts-and-nevis-you-did-not-know | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224654097.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20230608035801-20230608065801-00122.warc.gz | en | 0.965041 | 143 | 3.421875 | 3 |
How to measure nearly anything is a skill that adults often take for granted. Teaching how to measure different household items weight is a simple way to start the fun with kids. This easy science-based activity is what Kids Activities Blog is all about. We love when kids activities sneaks in a lesson amid play – it all just makes it more fun.
Preschool is the perfect age to introduce science concepts to children. There are plenty of ways to achieve this introduction without using complex words (although children at this age will certainly pick up and retain those terms) and experiments.
How to Measure
Recently my son, like many preschoolers, became interested in our scale. He wants to weigh everything from himself to me to his brother to shoes to his trains. You name it. He wants to weigh it.
A few weeks ago I noticed him exploring our salad spinner. He began to put rocks and various other items in the salad spinner and, with great care and curiosity, he began to add and take away objects of different sizes (and weights). He noticed that it “was tough” to push the spinner and make it go around when there was more weight in the spinner. He also noticed how the spinner became full with the lighter objects but it was still easy to push and spin, but only a few rocks made the spinner tough to get going.
At 3 years old, children can not only discover these concepts on their own but they can indirectly introduce far more complex ideas to their developing minds. So that when the time is right their brains will have that foundation to truly take an idea and run with it later in life and learning.
Teaching How to Measure
The cool thing about weight and many things in science is that you can feel the concept. You experience it with your hands, your eyes and often your whole body. So, at the age of three, children have the opportunity to educate their senses to give order to their environment and to better prepare them for the next phases of development and learning. Fascinating, right?
In Montessori, weight is described using the term “baric”. The baric sense is the sense of the ability to feel different weights and pressures.
Direct aims: fine motor skills, baric sense
Indirect aims: math, science and language
Language: heavy, light, fast, slow
Variation: Using a blindfold
More Kids Activities
How to measure and more fun can be found on some of our other kids activities…some even continue our How to Measure lesson. | <urn:uuid:38b5cc53-90a0-4436-92b4-34f8e4d82b68> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | https://web.kidsactivitiesblog.com/19122/how-to-measure | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934803848.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20171117170336-20171117190336-00421.warc.gz | en | 0.973592 | 526 | 3.65625 | 4 |
Hydrogen-related technologies are poised to transform the world's energy infrastructure, and Shin-ichi Orimo's group is leading the charge in this field
Shin-ichi Orimo's eyes light up as he holds out a small tube containing a nondescript white powder. Inside the tiny granules is densely packed matter of the most abundant, and lightest, element in the Universe -- hydrogen. "This powder could offer a lightweight and safe means of storing energy for fuel-cell vehicles," says Orimo at the Advanced Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University.
Orimo has been studying hydrogen for the last three decades, focusing on its potential for storing energy. Most recently, he has been developing hydrogen-containing materials, known as hydrides, which offer a much more compact way of storing hydrogen than bulky gas cylinders. The hydride held between his fingertips had been synthesized in his laboratory at Tohoku University.
Flexible chemical bonds
Hydrogen is a very attractive energy source -- it is safe, highly compatible with electricity generation and storage, and pollution-free. The only waste material it produces is water. But what Orimo finds most fascinating about hydrogen is its simplicity. This simplicity gives it greater flexibility in chemical bonding than larger, more complex elements. "It's incredibly versatile," says Orimo.
This flexibility enables the hydrogen in materials to be readily converted between different forms ― a property that can be exploited to store electrical energy as chemical energy to be released later when needed. "Hydrogen in the form of hydrides could even be used to store energy generated over the summer months for the winter months," Orimo explains. Energy storage is vital for broadening the application of renewable energies such as solar power and wind energy, which generate power intermittently.
Hydrides are a perfect example of the flexibility of hydrogen's bonding states. Metal hydrides are essentially metal alloys with neutral hydrogen atoms occupying the spaces between the metal atoms. In contrast, the hydrogen in complex hydrides are covalently bonded to the metal atoms. And perovskite hydrides are a kind of ceramics containing negative hydrogen ions. Each type of hydride is useful for different applications; for example, metal hydrides are particularly promising for high-volumetric-density storage of hydrogen.
Orimo and his research group synthesize new hydrides that contain lightweight metals and have special crystal structures, and then characterize their properties. Among them, Orimo's team discovered in 2007 that the ionic conductivity of a hydride containing the metals lithium and boron suddenly leaps by a factor of about 1,000 when its temperature exceeds 117 degrees Celsius1. The great significance of this 'superionic conduction' has only recently been appreciated for use in batteries2.
Stuffed with hydrogen
Orimo's research bridges the gap between fundamental science and practical applications of hydrides. More specifically, his team is seeking to improve the energy density and safety of batteries by investigating the use of superionic hydrides as solid-state electrolytes -- work being done in conjunction with Hitachi. In November 2015, they announced the development of a new technology that would improve the charging and discharging performance of all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries, a development that promises to extend the application of these already widely used batteries.
As well as collaborating with major companies such as Hitachi, Mitsubishi Gas Chemical, Toyota Central R&D and Toshiba, Orimo provides a consulting service for other companies. He also chairs a recently established national committee that brings together representatives from academia and industry to improve the functional applications of hydrogen.
A whole industry built on hydrogen is on the verge of emerging, starting with hydrogen-fueled cars, and grand plans for hydrogen-powered houses, offices and even ships. For about US$60,000, Toyota sells a hydrogen-powered car, appropriately named Mirai ― Japanese for 'future'. And in 2015, Toshiba announced a prototype stationary hydrogen-based facility, named H2One, for storing electricity generated from solar power for later use in buildings and homes. The Japanese government is getting on board and will promote hydrogen-based technologies in conjunction with the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
Orimo's group has also been searching for superconductivity in hydrides. This is currently a very hot topic. In August 2015, hydrogen took the superconductor world by storm with the discovery that sulfur hydride exhibits high-temperature (203 kelvin) superconductivity when subjected to high pressures. Orimo's group is trying to explore this area. "We collaborate with researchers who perform computations on various hydrides," says Orimo. "They predict the properties of new hydrides and then we produce them in the lab. This cycle of prediction and synthesis is going very well."
Orimo has high hopes of discovering new high-temperature hydride superconductors since the basic approach resembles that for developing high-density hydrogen-storage materials. "The point is to stuff as much hydrogen into a material as possible, which is basically the same underlying concept as for developing hydrogen-storage materials."
- 1. Matsuo, M. & Orimo, S. Lithium fast-ionic conduction in complex hydrides: Review and prospects.
Advanced Energy Materials 1, 161-172 (2011).
2. Unemoto, A., Matsuo, M. & Orimo, S. Complex hydrides for electrochemical energy storage.
Advanced Functional Materials 24, 2267-2279 (2014).
Advanced Institute for Materials Research (AIMR)
Metals Meritorious Award (The Japanese Institute of Metals) -- 2011
Prize for Science and Technology (MEXT) -- 2012
Science of Hydrogen & Energy Award -- 2015 | <urn:uuid:0fe99740-aad1-4050-b756-4d1c42facfe6> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | http://www.tohoku.ac.jp/en/research/research_highlights/research_highlight_18.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583656897.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20190116052151-20190116074151-00212.warc.gz | en | 0.928144 | 1,208 | 3.75 | 4 |
Our social circus hero!
At Cirkidz we use a the Circus Hand analogy to explain all of the great reasons to do circus. The Circus Hand was created by Reg Bolton who was a circus performer and clown who travelled the world teaching circus to young people. His work was the foundation of social circus, where circus skills and performance are used to build confidence and interpersonal relationships for kids in difficult social or economic situations. In 2004 he completed a PhD, Why Circus Works: how the values and structures of circus make it a significant developmental experience for young people, at Murdoch University in Perth, Western Australia. | <urn:uuid:a45dea5b-a2e7-49b6-96d7-5b28a2c7edbc> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.cirkidz.org.au/why-circus/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057303.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20210922011746-20210922041746-00041.warc.gz | en | 0.938359 | 122 | 2.84375 | 3 |
1.A random sample of 48 days taken at a large hospital shows that an average of 38 patients was treated in the emergency room per day.
The standard deviation of the population is 4.
Find the 99% confidence interval of the mean number of ER patients treated each day at the hospital.
2.Using the same information as in question 1 above, if the director wishes to estimate the mean number of admissions per 24-hour period to within 1 admission with 99% reliability, what size sample should she choose?
3.The amount of soft drink filled by a machine at a bottling company is supposed to have an average of 12 fluid ounces and a standard deviation of 0.5 fluid ounces if the machine is calibrated accurately. The quality control manager has collected data on 250 bottles of soda that have come off a production line on a randomly selected day. He wants to find out if the amount of soft drink filled can be represented by a normal distribution with the average of 12 fluid ounces and the standard deviation of 0.5 fluid ounces.
The results are as follow:
10.5 - under 11.0 4
11.0 - under 11.5 35
11.5 - under 12.0 87
12.0 - under 12.5 93
12.5 - under 13.0 28
13.0 - under 13.5 3
Referring to the table above, what is the expected frequency for the amount of soft drink filled between 11.5 and under 12.0 fluid ounces?
What is the value of the chi-square test statistic?
What are the degrees of freedom?
What's your conclusion at a 5% level of significance?
4.A candy bar manufacturer is interested in trying to estimate how sales are influenced by the price of their product. To do this, the company randomly chooses 6 small cities and offers the candy bar at different prices.
Using candy bar sales as the dependent variable, the company will conduct a simple linear regression on the data below:
City Price ($) Sales
River Falls 1.30 100
Hudson 1.60 90
Ellisworth 1.80 90
Prescott 2.00 40
Rock Elm 2.40 38
Stillwater 2.90 32
Using the table above solve for the following questions:
What is the estimated average change in the sales of the candy bar if price goes up $1.00?
What percent of the total variation in candy bar sales is explained by prices?
5.The linear trend forecasting equation for an annual time series containing 40 observations (from 1963 to 2002) on real net sales (in billions of constant 1995 dollars) is:
Ŷi = 1.2 + 0.5Xi
What is the fitted trend value for this time series on real net sales for the tenth year?© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 4, 2021, 10:01 pm ad1c9bdddf
The solution provides step by step method for the calculation of testing of hypothesis, confidence interval, sample size, normal probability and regression equation. Formula for the calculation and Interpretations of the results are also included. Interactive excel sheet is included. The user can edit the inputs and obtain the complete results for a new set of data. | <urn:uuid:5e8ba649-92f0-467f-88f6-c4f964a2fedc> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://brainmass.com/statistics/regression-analysis/statistics-ci-sample-size-normal-probability-regression-291841 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178375529.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20210306223236-20210307013236-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.904435 | 670 | 2.890625 | 3 |
New research could soon make it easier for people with type-1 diabetes to get a safe night's sleep, says a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist who led the study.
In a large trial conducted in patients' homes in the United States and Canada, scientists demonstrated that they could predict and prevent dangerously low overnight blood sugars in adolescents and adults with type-1 diabetes.
Very low blood-sugar levels can cause seizures or even, in rare cases, death. People with type-1 diabetes often sense warning signs of low blood sugar when they are awake, but not during sleep, explaining why 75 percent of diabetic seizures occur at night.
The new study, which was published online in Diabetes Care, coupled a glucose sensor worn under the skin to an insulin pump that was connected wirelessly to a computer at the bedside. The computer ran an algorithm that calculated when a low blood-sugar level might occur and then temporarily suspended insulin delivery until the sugar level was trending upward. This occurred without waking the patient. The shutoffs reduced the cumulative time patients spent with low blood sugars during sleep by 81 percent, with only a minimal increase in nighttime glucose levels.
"A system like this should dramatically decrease diabetics' risk of having a seizure overnight," said Bruce Buckingham, MD, professor of pediatric endocrinology at Stanford, who led the trial and is a co-author of the study. "Patients and parents will be able to have a better night's sleep, knowing that there is a much lower risk of severe hypoglcyemia at night." Buckingham is also a pediatric endocrinologist at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford.
Diabetics who use insulin pumps usually receive a low dose of insulin throughout the night; it is delivered by the pump through a small catheter inserted under the skin. In the past, researchers have tried other approaches to prevent low blood sugar during sleep, such as having glucose sensors trigger an alarm for a low blood-sugar level. This has only been partly successful because patients sleep through about 70 percent of the alarms. Since a person with diabetes would shut off their insulin pump if they had a low blood glucose, the next approach was to use the sensors' glucose values to suspend insulin delivery when low blood glucose was detected.
The new study involved 45 people, ages 15-45, with type-1 diabetes. Each person participated for about 42 nights, for a total of 1,912 nights. The patients slept in their own homes. Their insulin pumps were wirelessly connected to a laptop computer near their beds.
Each night, the algorithm on the computer was randomly assigned to be active or inactive and participants did not know whether the algorithm was active before they went to sleep. On treatment nights, the computer algorithm predicted whether blood sugar would fall below 80 milligrams per deciliter in the next 30 minutes, a threshold slightly above the 60 mg/dl level at which complications of low blood sugar set in. If the computer predicted lows, the subject's insulin pump was shut off until the subject's blood sugar was increasing.
In addition to the 81 percent reduction in time spent with low blood sugar, there were several other indicators that the treatment was useful. The insulin pumps were shut off at least once during 76 percent of the treatment nights, and the time spent in episodes of low blood sugar that lasted two hours or more was reduced by 74 percent.
In the morning, median blood glucose was slightly higher after treatment nights, but still within a safe range. The blood-glucose sensors recorded similar percentages of nights with high blood-glucose values in both treatment and control conditions. Subjects checked their urine and blood each morning for ketones, an indicator of whether their sugar levels had become too high during the night. Ketone levels were similar after control and treatment nights. These results indicated that the insulin pump shutoffs were not putting subjects at risk from high blood sugars.
The research team is now expanding their investigations to a larger age group, including children ages 3-15. "A lot of parents whose children have diabetes are getting up night after night at midnight and 3 a.m. to check their children's blood-sugar levels," Buckingham said. "We think this type of system is going to make it much easier for them to feel comfortable about letting their child with diabetes sleep through the night with fewer overnight sugar tests. Parents will be able to get a better night's sleep, too." | <urn:uuid:c22df465-572f-43b1-aad2-9f7bdaa54dda> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/276543.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128323908.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20170629103036-20170629123036-00233.warc.gz | en | 0.969575 | 907 | 3.71875 | 4 |
How far can a 2 month old see?
At two months, babies can see objects — and people — from up to 18 inches away. That means you still need to get pretty close, but your baby will be able to see your face pretty well while feeding.
What can babies see at 8 weeks old?
Reading to your eight week old baby
Now your baby’s vision is clearer and they can see primary colours, it’s a great time to introduce simple cloth or board books. No, they won’t understand what you’re saying, but they will love hearing your voice and seeing the pictures.
How far can a baby see at 3 months?
Increased vision: Although your baby still doesn’t have any depth perception (they can‘t judge how far away or how close objects are), they can recognize objects 8 to 15 inches away very clearly. Focus the eyes: Up to this point, it’s been normal for babies to have some trouble focusing their eyes.
How long should tummy time be at 2 months?
In the first month, aim for 10 minutes of tummy time, 20 minutes in the second month and so on until your baby is six months old and can roll over both ways (though you should still place your baby on her stomach to play after that).
Do 2-month-old babies recognize their parents?
Month 2: Your baby will recognize her primary caregivers’ faces.
Can babies watch TV at 2 months?
A: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under the age of two should not watch any television. While many parents have some idea that television viewing is not good, most parents are not aware of the negative effects television can have on young children, especially when heard as background noise.
At what age do babies roll over?
Babies start rolling over as early as 4 months old. They will rock from side to side, a motion that is the foundation for rolling over. They may also roll over from tummy to back. At 6 months old, babies will typically roll over in both directions.
How do you play with a 2 month old?
Other ideas for encouraging your baby to learn and play:
- Gently clap your baby’s hands together or stretch arms (crossed, out wide, or overhead).
- Gently move your baby’s legs as if pedaling a bicycle.
- Use a favorite toy for your baby to focus on and follow, or shake a rattle for your infant to find.
How long is newborn stage?
Babies are considered newborns from birth until about two months of age. At this age, they are not very active or alert, so they might require less mental and physical energy than, say, a five-month-old.
Can a 3 month old see the TV?
40 percent of 3–month–old infants are regularly watching TV, DVDs or videos. A large number of parents are ignoring warnings from the American Academy of Pediatrics and are allowing their very young children to watch television, DVDs or videos so that by 3 months of age 40 percent of infants are regular viewers.
At what age do babies recognize faces?
In the first 3 months your baby will be attracted by faces, bright lights and colours, stripes, dots and patterns, but not understand what they’re seeing. They’ll first recognise that eyes, nose and mouth make a face. Then your baby will begin to recognise particular faces and other things like their teddy.
What Can 3 months baby do?
By 3 months, baby should reach the following milestones: While lying on tummy, pushes up on arms. While lying on tummy, lifts and holds head up. Able to move fists from closed to open.
What happens if you don’t do tummy time?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Infants who spend too much time on their backs have an increased risk of developing a misshapen head along with certain developmental delays, the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) warns in a statement issued this month.
Is it OK if my baby cries during tummy time?
If your baby cries or gets upset during tummy time, try not to automatically pick him up. Instead, comfort him in other ways first, like rubbing his back or singing soothing songs. Aim for about 30 minutes a day total, but you can break these up over the course of the day if your baby’s really resistant.
How long should a 2 month old sleep at night without eating?
Infants under 6 months old can usually sleep anywhere from three to eight hours at night, depending on age and stage. And babies between 4 and 6 months old are developmentally able to sleep through the night without a feeding, but whether they do is another story. | <urn:uuid:9e89a1d7-b6da-44f4-a3f2-8cdd1362068c> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://lisenbyretirement.com/interesting/often-asked-how-far-can-an-8-week-old-baby-see.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446711064.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20221205232822-20221206022822-00131.warc.gz | en | 0.947313 | 1,000 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Do you know which is the fastest animals on earth? No, it is not the Chetah. In fact, it is the Peregrine Falcon. The biggest animal is the blue whale. The three-toed sloths are said to be the slowest. All these animals fall under the same phylum, the Phylum Chordata. Let us learn more about Chordates.
This phylum is probably the most notable phylum, as all human beings and other animals and birds that are known to you, fall under this phylum. The most distinguishing character that all animals belonging to this phylum have is the presence of notochord.
Chordates show four features, at different stages in their life. They are:
- Notochord– It is a longitudinal rod that is made of cartilage and runs between the nerve cord and the digestive tract. Its main function is to support the nerve cord. In Vertebrate animals, the vertebral column replaces the notochord.
- Dorsal Nerve Cord – This is a bundle of nerve fibres which connects the brain to the muscles and other organs.
- Post-anal tail – This is an extension of the body beyond the anus. In some chordates, the tail has skeletal muscles, which help in locomotion.
- Pharyngeal slits–They are the openings which connect the mouth and the throat. These openings allow the entry of water through the mouth, without entering the digestive system.
(Source – Lumen Learning)
It will surprise you but this phylum is a very diverse phylum, with about 43,000 species. Most of these organisms can be found in the subphylum Vertebrata. In the animal kingdom, this is considered as the third largest phylum.
Phylum Chordata is again divided into three subphyla. They are:
The first two phyla have very few species in between them. The major subphylum is Vertebrata, where you come across a variety of fishes, reptiles, birds and animals. Vertebrates have a distinguishing backbone that is made up of bone or cartilage. The brain is enclosed in a skull. There is a proper circulatory system, nervous system and a skeletal system that gives proper shape and support.
Learn more about Phylum Hemichordata here.
Subphylum Vertebrata is further divided into five classes. They are:
Characteristic Features of Phylum Chordata
- They are bilaterally symmetrical and triploblastic.
- Chordates are coelomate and show an organ system level of organisation.
- They have the characteristic notochord, dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits.
- Also, they have a post-anal
- In this phylum, the nervous system is dorsal, hollow and single.
- The heart is ventral, with a closed circulatory system.
- The habitat of these animals is widespread. So we can find them in the marine environment, fresh waters as well as terrestrial environments.
Learn more about Phylum Arthropoda here.
- Ascidia, Salpa, Doliolum – Urochordata
- Branchiostoma – Cephalochordata
- Lizards, fish, frogs, turtles, humans, parrots, elephants, gorillas – Vertebrata
Learn more about Phylum Annelida here.
Solved Examples For You
Q: Can chordates be found in a specific kind of habitat?
Ans: We find Chordates in diverse habitats, including marine, freshwater and terrestrial habitats.
Q: Which subphylum does Branchiostoma belong to?
Q: “All vertebrates are chordates but not all chordates are vertebrates.” Justify
Ans: Vertebrata is a subphylum of Chordata. The vertebrates have a vertebral column, something like the notochord. Vertebrates show all the characteristic features of the phylum Chordata, such as the notochord, dorsal nerve cord, pharyngeal slits and post-anal tail.
But the phylum Chordata also has other two subphyla, called the Urochordata and Cephalaochordata. These are invertebrate animals but show some distinguishing attributes of Chordates, like the presence of notochord. And hence, we can say that all vertebrates are chordates, but not all chordates are vertebrates. | <urn:uuid:6dcf51f8-6690-44e4-aefe-5a5efe926543> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://www.toppr.com/guides/biology/animal-kingdom/phylum-chordata/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027317274.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20190822151657-20190822173657-00394.warc.gz | en | 0.894737 | 953 | 3.671875 | 4 |
Do Women Earn 23% Or 4% Less Than Men?
(Washington, D.C.) President Obama signed to executive orders Tuesday which he says will strengthen existing equal pay laws.
Both actions could make it easier for people who work for federal contractors to see how much their colleagues are making.
The move comes on what is dubbed “Equal Pay Day” and as part of Obama’s push to ensure women earn equal pay for equal work.
The White House says women earn 77% of what men earn.
CBS News however reports the 2012 Bureau of Labor Statistics report showed single women who have never married earned 96% of what men earn.
CBS reporter Major Garrett said, “In an analysis of White House salaries, which nobody here disputes, shows that the median income of female staffers is 88 percent of that of male staffers.”
Garrett says the White House explains the pay gap with its female employees by saying it is due to, ” job experience, education, and hours worked among other factors. This matters because those explanations, according to the Labor Department, explain a good deal of the gender pay gap nationally. The big difference in these stories: When President Obama discusses this issue nationally, he doesn’t mention those other work variables, only the broad figure, that 77 cents for every dollar is what women earn compared to men.”
Those who say the size of the pay gap is closer to 4% agree, saying when numbers are crunched by some groups, it’s an apples to oranges comparison.
Those standing beside claims of inequality however say no matter what a woman may choose, whether to be single, married or have children, they should always earn the ame amount of money as a man. | <urn:uuid:faf42c9e-0c2e-4031-8d36-a2fecfbe4709> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://wreg.com/2014/04/08/pay-gap-for-women-fact-or-myth/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738660882.14/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173740-00109-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966469 | 362 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Born in Guadalajara in 1902, Luis Ramiro Barragán Morfín is regarded as the most prominent figure in modern Mexican architecture. By the time of his death in 1988, his persona and way of working had attained almost mythical status, and the interest in his oeuvre has increased ever since.
Barragán’s upbringing in a family of wealthy landowners was guided by a humanistic education and strict observance of Catholicism. The Mexican Revolution significantly impacted his family’s estate, as large properties were expropriated in the wake of agrarian reforms.
Barragán studied architecture and engineering at Guadalajara’s Escuela Libre de Ingenieros; his education was supplemented by what proved to be a formative trip to Europe in 1925. The European continent continued to be a source of inspiration for Barragán, and he returned multiple times over the course of his life.
The architect’s first commissions were mostly private homes in Guadalajara. After his design for a public park stirred local controversy, Barragán left the provincial milieu of his hometown in 1935 for Mexico City, where he stayed for the rest of his life. In this rapidly expanding metropolis, Barragán had the opportunity to develop his architectural skills and explore innovative urban concepts. Major projects ranged from apartment buildings based on Functionalist principles to urban plans for upscale residential areas. In the early 1940s, he embarked on his own ventures by taking on the role of a real estate investor and developer.
Gaining financial independence granted Barragán the creative freedom to experiment with gardens and domestic spaces, merging natural and man-made environments. His visionary projects included the large urban development Jardines del Pedregal, which offered the emerging bourgeoisie a new way of living that was both Mexican and modern. In the same spirit, he built a residence and studio for himself in the Tacubaya neighbourhood. The Barragán House, which he inhabited for the rest of his life, was both a manifesto of his architectural approach and an experimental space that could be adapted to new insights and needs. In the following years, Barragán expanded his sphere of activity to developments on the Pacific coast of Mexico, public spaces in Mexico City and new settlements, as the capital continued to grow and expand.
By that time Barragán had built a number of pioneering projects, including the residential developments of Las Arboledas and Los Clubes, centred around the equestrian facilities of the Club Hípico Francés, as well as plans for a new satellite town of 100,000 inhabitants conceived in collaboration with architect Juan Sordo Madaleno.
While many of Barragán’s speculative projects during the 1970s remained unrealized, the private commission for the Casa Gilardi in Mexico City provided an opportunity to apply his mastery in the use of water, light and colour to the design of a compact townhouse.
In 1979 Barragán invited Raúl Ferrera, a former collaborator, to become a partner in the newly established office Barragán + Ferrera Asociados. Together they developed large corporate projects and a landmark for the city of Monterrey.
The award of the Pritzker Architecture Prize to Barragán in 1980 brought wide international recognition. Five years later, a retrospective exhibition in his home country was mounted by the Rufino Tamayo Museum, celebrating a lifetime of work.
Since Barragán’s death in 1988, his influence has continued to grow both within and beyond the borders of Mexico. His oeuvre provides new generations of architects with compelling examples of multilayered, sophisticated spatial compositions integrating modernity and tradition. | <urn:uuid:7864ca5c-9dcd-4a66-9e42-cdb396f7a967> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://barragan-foundation.org/luis-barragan/life | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100287.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201120231-20231201150231-00830.warc.gz | en | 0.969839 | 766 | 2.859375 | 3 |
① Corrosion Inhibitor
The corrosion inhibitor with chromate as the main component is commonly used in cooling water system, and chromate ion is a kind of anode (process) inhibitor, and when it is combined with suitable cathode inhibitor, it can obtain a satisfying and economical anticorrosion effect. Chromate-Zinc-polyphosphate: The use of polyphosphate is because it is a clean metal surface of the role of corrosion resistance, polyphosphate can be partially turned to positive phosphates, they can also produce large colloidal cation with calcium, inhibit the cathode process. Chromate-Zinc-phosphonic acid Salt: This method is similar to the previous one with sodium phosphonic acid instead of polyphosphate, and the amino-methyl phosphate can also be used for occasions where the ph value is higher than that prescribed by polyphosphate. Amino-methyl phosphonic acid salts can prevent scaling, even if the ph value of 9 can also control the precipitation of calcium salts. Chromate-Zinc-hydrolyzed polyacrylamide: The dispersion of polyacrylamide, which is hydrolyzed by cationic copolymer, can prevent or inhibit the generation of fouling.
② Electrochemical Protection
Cathodic protection and anode protection are adopted. Cathodic protection is the use of the external DC power supply, so that the metal surface to the cathode to achieve protection, this method of large electricity consumption, high cost. Anode protection is the protection of the heat exchanger connected with the external power of the anode, so that the metal surface to create a passivation film, thereby being protected. | <urn:uuid:cee8868e-c704-4990-9485-7dd467402621> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | http://m.vrcoolertech.com/info/anticorrosion-method-of-heat-exchanger-21545447.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178351374.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20210225153633-20210225183633-00606.warc.gz | en | 0.910445 | 358 | 2.765625 | 3 |
How young indigenous people are faring: key indicators 1996-2006 : a report about the learning and work situation of young Indigenous Australians
- Year: 2009
- Author: Long, Michael G.; Burke, Gerald; North, Sue
- Publisher: Reconciliation Australia and Dusseldorp Skills Forum
- Published Location: Kingston, ACT
- ISBN: 9780980302318
- Country: Australia
This report examines the education and employment rates of young Indigenous people in Australia. Using Census data from 1996, 2001 and 2006, it examines trends in participation, and compares Indigenous, non-Indigenous, gender, and regional differences, for young people aged 15 to 29. Topics include: full-time engagement in study or work, changes in the gap over time, year 12 completion, changes in enrolment for study, school attendance, literacy and numeracy, participation in TAFE, participation in university, full-time employment, unemployment, the Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) scheme, and imprisonment. | <urn:uuid:56016717-1dae-4f40-96a7-d810a43dfd7f> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | http://inform.regionalaustralia.org.au/economy/labour/item/how-young-indigenous-people-are-faring-key-indicators-1996-2006-a-report-about-the-learning-and-work-situation-of-young-indigenous-australians-4?category_id=556 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439735810.18/warc/CC-MAIN-20200803111838-20200803141838-00250.warc.gz | en | 0.845272 | 210 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Focus Group Description
Student Faciliator: Fiona Stefanik, Klarissa Sell (email@example.com)
Supervised by: Maya Smith
“Birth on the Margins” is a focus group intended to bring to light the breadth of reproductive experience, particularly those that receive little or negative attention in political, popular, and medical discourse. While we recognize that any one of the topics we are proposing to look at over the course of a ten-week quarter could easily field its own focus group, our intent is to provide a sweeping view of the landscape of reproduction. However, all of these topics are necessarily bound together, particularly as they pertain to broader goals of social justice. Therefore, we feel that it will be a more pragmatic use of our time to consider a wide range of reproductive experience to unearth how many social justice issues are intimately connected to reproduction.
Our guiding questions for the focus group are:
1. What is reproductive justice and how can a reproductive justice framework shift our understanding of the most pressing social and political issues of our time?
2. How can an understanding of how reproductive ideas emerge, change, get challenged and reinforced be useful in considering the urgent political questions of our times regarding reproductive rights and resources in the United States?
3. Why are certain realities made visible in medical, popular, political discourse and how do these realities shape expectations? Stated differently, why do certain statistics and measurements count and how do these statistics shape social norms?
By the end of the quarter, students should:
1. Have a working, multidimensional definition of reproductive justice
2. Gain an increased awareness of current events and debates pertaining to reproduction occurring in the United States
3. Be able to explain the relevance of a reproductive justice framework within various academic disciplines, social movements, and their own lives
Topics and (Some) Proposed Readings:
1. Reproductive Justice
- Radical Doula (zine) by Miriam Zola Perez
- “What is Reproductive Justice?” by SisterSong (http://sistersong.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=141&I...)
- The Meaning of Reproductive Justice: Simplifying a Complex Concept: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/02/08/communicating-complexity-reproductive-justice/)
2. Doulas and Midwifery
- Su May Lee, Amy and Maggie Kirkman: 2008 Disciplinary Discourses: Rates of Cesarean Section Explained by Medicine, Midwifery, and Feminism. Health Care for Women International 29(5):448-467.
- What Is the Goal of the Doula Movement?: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/04/05/what-is-the-goal-of-the-doula-movement/)
- DONA (Doulas of North America) Mission Statement
3. Miscarriage, Stillbirth, and Abortion
- Supporting Her Journey: A Full-Spectrum Doula’s Look at the Politics of Motherhood: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2011/05/06/supporting-journeyfullspectrum-doula-look-politics-motherhood/
- My Invisible Earthquake: One Woman’s Journey Through Stillbirth: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2011/07/06/invisible-earthquake-woman-journey-through-stillbirth/
- Four Ways to Create Culture Change Around Abortion: http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/05/22/four-ways-create-culture-change-around-abortion/
4. Birth and Cesarean
- Hunter, Lauren P.: 2006 Women Give Birth and Pizzas are Delivered: Language and Western Childbirth Paradigms. Journal of Midwifery & Women’s Health 51(2): 119-123.
- Beckett, Katherine: 2005 Choosing Cesarean: Feminism and the politics of childbirth in the United States. Feminist Theory vol. 6(3): 251-275.
- Breastfeeding's Double (Gold) Standard: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/11/19/the-double-gold-standard/)
- Standford, Acquanda. “Are IBCLCs the new infant forumula?: A look at biopower, global sovereignty and the proliferation of breastfeeding professionals.” (http://acquandastanford.com/ibclcs-new-infant-formula-look-biopower-global-sovereignty-proliferation-breastfeeding-professionals-decolonizebreastfeeding/)
- In All the Debate About Breastfeeding, Where Is the Support For Mothers?: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/05/13/in-all-debate-about-breastfeeding-where-is-support-mothers/)
6. Maternal Mental Health
- Stanford, Acquanda. “Black Breastfeeding and Mental Illness: Struggling with Surviving.”(http://acquandastanford.com/black-breastfeeding-and-mental-illness-strug...)
7. Forced Sterilization and Birth Control Policies
- Smith, Andrea: 2005 “Better Dead than Pregnant:” The Colonization of Native Womens’ Reproductive Health.” Conquest: Sexual Violence and American Indian Genocide.
- Stern, Alexandra Minna: 2011 From Legislation to Lived Experience: Eugenic Sterilization in California and Indiana, 1907-79. In A Century of Eugenics in America: From the Indiana Experiment to the Human Genome Era. Paul Lombardo, ed. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
8. Criminalization of Pregnancy and Birth
- Can Prisons Take Care of Pregnant Women?: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2011/11/13/can-prisons-take-care-of-pregnant-women/)
- Unchain My Heart: The Shackling of Pregnant Women in Prison Needs to Stop: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/05/11/unchain-my-heart-shackling-pregnant-women-in-prison-needs-to-stop/)
9. Trans* and Queer Birth
- Park, Shelley: 2013 Introduction: Mothering Queerly, Queering Motherhood. In Mothering queerly, queering motherhood: resisting monomaternalism in adoptive, lesbian, blended, and polygamous families. Albany : State University of New York Press.
- Park, Shelley: 2013 Querying a Straight Orientation: Becoming a Mother (Twice, Differently). In Mothering queerly, queering motherhood resisting monomaternalism in adoptive, lesbian, blended, and polygamous families. Albany : State University of New York Press.
10. Homeless and Youth Reproductive Experiences
- Teen Motherhood: When "Reality TV" Doesn't Fully Reflect Reality: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2013/01/01/their-reality/)
- Alarmist Approaches to Teen Pregnancy Trumping Efforts to Help Teen Parents Succeed: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2012/10/29/teen-pregnancy-alarmism-disguises-real-issues-at-play-0/)
- When It Comes to Teen Pregnancy, Support Is Prevention: (http://rhrealitycheck.org/article/2014/04/01/comes-teen-pregnancy-support-prevention/)
11. Politics of Maternity Care
- AmnestyUSA Deadly Delivery report
- New Report Says U.S. Health Care Violates U.N. Convention on Racism - COLORLINES: (http://colorlines.com/archives/2014/08/new_report_says_us_health_care_violates_un_convention_on_racism.html) | <urn:uuid:53577353-f7cf-4cfa-bcf3-ebe166926af3> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | https://chid.washington.edu/courses/2015/winter/chid/496/f | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195526210.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20190719095313-20190719121313-00486.warc.gz | en | 0.782084 | 1,729 | 2.578125 | 3 |
We offer Free Pregnancy Testing, because we know how important it is to have your pregnancy confirmed as early as possible. There are many reasons why it is important to know as early as possible.
If your pregnancy test is positive you can start to make preparations for your pregnancy and birth. The earlier you know, the more time you have available to you to make important decisions. An early test means you can get signed up for Pregnancy Medicaid, Food Stamps, WIC and begin pre-natal care.
If you need help with your Medicaid application let us know as we can help. If you have a positive pregnancy test we can write you a letter confirming your pregnancy which Medicaid will accept as your “proof of pregnancy.”
A pregnancy test can let you know, one way or the other, whether or not you are pregnant. Pregnancy tests detect very low levels of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), in a woman’s urine. The woman’s body begins to produce this hormone when the fertilized egg attaches to the wall of her uterus. A pregnancy test can be taken about a week AFTER your missed period for the most accurate results.
Urine pregnancy test are about 99% accurate and are quick and easy to use and can be done right at our office. Occasionally, you can have a false negative result but never a false positive. If your test is negative and you still believe you may be pregnant it is a good idea to repeat the test a week later.
5 signs you may be pregnant
- You’ve Missed Your Period. A missed period doesn’t always mean you’re pregnant. Keep in mind that your period can sometimes be delayed or skipped due to stress, diet, or certain medical conditions.
- You Have Cramps. In early pregnancy cramping is common. You may feel this discomfort and think your period is just around the corner but then it never comes.
- Your Breasts Hurt. During pregnancy a woman’s body produces more and more estrogen and progesterone. These hormones start to make changes in the body to support the baby’s growth. An early sign of pregnancy is breast/nipple tenderness. Breast may feel tender, appear bigger due to increased blood flow, and nipples may even change color.
- You’re Feeling Different. As well as cramps and sore breasts, early pregnancy can produce: nausea, food aversions, exhaustion, frequent urination and other symptoms. No one knows your body like you do, so pay attention to your body. Anything out of the ordinary should prompt you to take a pregnancy test.
- Your Contraception Failed- Birth control pills, condoms, and other types of contraceptive devices don’t provide 100 percent protection from pregnancy. In other words, there’s always a slight chance of pregnancy, no matter how careful you are.
When in Doubt, Test!
Call 321-250-568 for your Free Confidential Pregnancy Test. | <urn:uuid:c0b5c67f-b840-4d6c-b2e8-2e8dad80e1f1> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | http://www.floridaadoptioncenter.com/free-pregnancy-test/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221210133.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20180815141842-20180815161842-00422.warc.gz | en | 0.920571 | 625 | 2.5625 | 3 |
The express end response method is one of several ways to go about ending an incoming http request from a client system. The express end method is used for situations in which the request is to just simply be put to an end without sending any data to the client, or preforming any kinds of other action such as redirection to another path.
It is true that the method can be used to send data in the form of a string or buffer to the client, but another response method should be used such as res.send, or res.json that are also at hand in a response object.
For a basic example of the express end response method here is an example that uses the app.all method to just simply end any request with the end method. When using the end method there is no need to pass any argument to it, data can be passed in the form of a string or buffer, but if the express end method is being used that way it might be better to use the send response method rather than the end method.
The end method is great for just simply ending a response and not sending any data. A response must always be made to a client one way or another, and some times it is necessary to just end the request with the current status code.
The use of the express end method does not do anything to change the http status code of the response. When using the end method to end a request the statusCode property can be used to find out the current http status code, and the status response object method can be used as a way to set the desired http status code. The express end response method can then be used to end the request with the set status code.
Although it might not be a good idea to use the end response method to send data to the client, it can be used to send a string or a buffer. However the send response method should be used to do this. In addition using the end response method to send something like an object will result in an error, use the json response method to do this to send an object as JSON.
So then the express end response method is one of several ways to end an http request from a client that is a good choice when no data needs to be sent to the client. There are a number of other options when it comes to ending a response though some of which might provide a wider range of flexibility. There is the res.send, res.sendFile, and res.redirect methods that come to mind when it comes to the various other options when working with express by itself. There is also using a layout engine of one kind or another and using the res.render method as a way to end a request.
For more expressjs related content on this site be sure to check out the main post on expressjs that will branch off into all kinds of other topics. | <urn:uuid:7bfdc45d-6f6a-4701-b2a1-d03c6bd9a6b5> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://dustinpfister.github.io/2019/04/28/express-end/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710691.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20221129100233-20221129130233-00253.warc.gz | en | 0.917045 | 583 | 3.234375 | 3 |
Measuring Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has become a necessity rather than a nice to have feature. It is essential that building owners and facility managers consider many questions before they select a particular device or sensor to measure the IAQ. Some of the salient questions include cost, easy of use, energy efficiency, IoT compatibility and additional functionality. Keeping these in mind will not only ensure that you are maintaining excellent indoor air quality standards but also align it with your goals of cost and energy efficiency.
The United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) defines indoor air quality (IAQ) as “the air quality within and around buildings and structures, especially as it relates to the health and comfort of building occupants”. In their everyday activities and transactions, commercial property managers often fail sometimes to realize the impact of air quality on the health of occupants. Often than not, occupants of commercial buildings think there is a problem with their air quality only after an issue has been detected from the surrounding air they breathe. This however, is a less than accurate test for air quality. That is why the EPA came up with a standard classification for air quality. The classification table known as the Air Quality Index (AQI) ranks air quality from 0 to 500. Based on the AQI, higher air quality values correspond to an increase in the hazardous nature of the indoor air quality in commercial buildings and every other building.
The table below shows the different types of indoor air quality based on different ranges of air quality values.
Image Source: https://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=aqi_brochure.index
With the World Health Organization reporting 1 in 8 deaths to be caused by air pollution, there is an ever-growing need for commercial building owners and commercial property managers to pay more attention to this health menace.
Advantages of Monitoring Indoor Air Quality by Commercial Buildings
Given that air is absolutely essential for everyday life, it is impossible to overstate the importance of measuring its quality. Below are a few salient points on the advantages of monitoring indoor air quality in commercial buildings.
Apart from financial incentives such as discounts and loyalty deductions; non-financial incentives could go a long way in establishing a commercial property ahead of its competitors in the same industry. One of the ways through which this can be achieved is by demonstrating to occupants of commercial buildings that their health and wellbeing is a priority. Through the installation of indoor air quality monitoring devices in commercial buildings, occupants get to feel more comfortable within such buildings, than in buildings which haven’t got air quality monitoring devices. A happy occupant could just as easily turn into a long term tenant as well as lead to a referral.
2. Reduction in air-related health problems:
Aside from the WHO report of poor air quality being responsible for 1 in every 8 deaths, poor air quality has also been reported to cause significant damages to the mental health. Commercial buildings sometimes host thousands of people alongside machineries. Without a proper air monitoring system, all of this people could be vulnerable to the effects of poor indoor air quality. By installing indoor air quality monitoring devices in commercial buildings, the management of the building will become proactive in taking actions to protect against potential health problems caused by poor quality air.
What Does a Basic Indoor Air Quality Device Measure?
On a basic level, most indoor air quality monitoring devices provide measurement for Particulate Matter (PM) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).
PM: Particulate Matter refers to particles, which can be inhaled. With its standard measurement in Microns, these particles which once inhaled sometimes get directly in to our blood streams could cause significant damage to the human system. Most indoor air quality monitoring devices measure between PM0.5 and PM10. That is particulate matter with size ranging from 0.5 micron to 10 micron. A common example of particulate matter is dust.
VOC: Volatile Organic compounds refer to gasses. They include Carbon dioxide and Carbon monoxide, amongst others. These gases are in themselves very dangerous to the human immune system. When combined with other gases in the atmosphere at high temperatures, the react to form an even more lethal concoction for the human brain and respiratory system.
As the the importance for monitoring indoor air quality grows, indoor air monitoring devices for commercial buildings often measure a combination of temperature, relative humidity, PM0.5, PM2.5, PM10, VOC, CO2, CO, HCHO and O3. Due to new regulations and standards, IAQ monitoring devices are expanding their capabilities.
6 Questions To Ask Before Settling On An Indoor Air Monitoring Device For a Commercial Building
1.What is the cost of an indoor air monitoring device?
Commercial buildings are constructed with the primary purpose of yielding dividends for their shareholders. It is therefore imperative that cost be taken in to consideration at all times before making a decision or taking actions with respect to the commercial property. It will be of no benefit for a commercial building to install an indoor air monitoring system whose initial cost and maintenance cost will leave it bankrupt. Cost is therefore crucial when deciding on whether or not to install an indoor air quality monitor in a commercial building. The average price of home indoor monitoring system ranges between $150 - $250. Taking this baseline in to considerations, commercial buildings could leverage a discount from the manufacturers based on the scale of the commercial building. A decision on whether to go for a high end indoor air monitoring system will have to be based on the current profits being generated by the commercial building as well as what marketing and rents manipulations can be made to keep the building at the profit making end.
The decision on whether or not to get an indoor air monitoring system for a commercial building must not always be financially motivated. It could also be ventured in to as part of the commercial building’s corporate social responsibility.
2. Is the indoor air monitoring sensor energy efficient?
Energy management is key to the operations of any viable commercial property. Commercial buildings are constantly in search of better energy management strategies. Indoor air monitoring devices are energy consuming by nature. Commercial property manages therefore have the task of striking a balance between getting an air monitoring system that is most effective as well as energy efficient. Reaching such a balance is not easy, and they will have to wade through a lot of indoor monitoring devices currently flooding the market.
The scale of a commercial building offers it a unique opportunity to request a custom made indoor air monitoring system from a manufacturer. To ensure that the building gets exactly the kind of indoor air monitoring system it wants at the least possible cost, manufacturers could be called to bid on the project.
The plus side to this is the fact that commercial buildings through their HVAC systems already release a lot of energy. With the proper engineering, the energy given off by the HVAC systems of commercial properties can be harnessed and recycled to power air monitoring devices within the building.
3. Is the indoor air monitoring system IOT compatible?
Most commercial buildings today are moving towards becoming smart. Smart buildings represent the future of commercial buildings. At the forefront of enabling the realization of smart buildings is the Internet of Things (IoT). Any commercial building not already running on an IoT platform will have to begin making provisions on how to incorporate this advanced technology in to their daily operations or risk getting left behind. IoT gives any technological device the ability to connect and communicate with other tech devices while providing real time data or taking critical action.
The idea of having sensors and devices, which can measure the quality of indoor air, is outstanding. But will it not be better if the readings from these air quality monitors could be leveraged to take automated actions? That is exactly the kind of technological advancement IoT brings to the table.
Before buying an indoor air-monitoring device, facility managers will have to consider the possibility of having the device hooked up to an existing or yet to be incorporated IoT platform.
4. Does the indoor air quality device have any additional functionality?
Let’s face it, a doll is good, but a doll, which can sing, is better. The same rational applies to indoor air monitoring devices. Sure, the primary intention is to get an indoor air monitoring device which can provide accurate readings on air quality, but it wouldn’t hurt for it to come with a little extra. Extra could imply the measurement of additional properties, which affect air quality.
For example, on average, most indoor air quality sensors measure particulate matter at 2.5 microns. It will be better to have one, which measures particulate matter not only at 2.5 microns, but also at 0.5 and 10 microns. Furthermore, some sensors only measure some variation of temperature and CO2; it will be better to have one, which also measures several other conditions such as CO, O3, HCHO, and VOC.
5. How easy is it to use the device?
Most commercial buildings already have specialist staff for every department. Add to that the fact that there is always the need to maximize time while keeping costs down, the last thing a commercial building’s operations want to do is hire more staff for a cost center and spend a lot of time in training.
When going for an indoor air monitoring system for a commercial building, the building’s management will have to take in to consideration how easy it is to use the device. Some air monitoring devices come with visual displays and desktop applications. It is necessary that management gauge the ease with which they can incorporate this new functionality in to their routine. Should the building run a Building Management System (BMS), and then management would have to look at a possibility of synchronizing both systems.
6. Does the IAQ sensor meet regulations you are looking to adopt?
As indoor air quality becomes increasingly important, organizations are looking to meet specific standards or compliance including WELL Building Institute standards, ASHRAE, OHSA, LEED and RESET. Standards set forth by each of these organizations require a variety of data, reports and more.
Before settling on an indoor air quality monitoring device, one needs to evaluate the criteria they must meet and whether a device can not only enable them to receive a standard but maintain it. For example, the WELL air quality standards have mutilpe standards that require individual conditions that need to be met with on site performance and verification tests.
It's important to evaluate all aspects of a certification before settling on an indoor air quality device. Some things to evaluate are record keeping, the length of time data must be kept and environmental conditions that must be measured.
In conclusion, measuring Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) has almost become a necessity rather than a nice to have feature. However it is essential that building owners and facility managers consider many questions before they select a particular device or sensor to measure the IAQ. Some of the salient questions include cost, easy of use, energy efficiency, IoT compatibility and additional functionality. Keeping these in mind will not only ensure that you are maintaining excellent indoor air quality standards but also align it with your goals of cost and energy efficiency. | <urn:uuid:a1b6eedd-d0f2-4142-8b79-d6e5e8e6a99a> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://blog.senseware.co/2018/03/30/6-questions-ask-settling-indoor-air-quality-monitoring-device-sensor | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583771929.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20190121090642-20190121112642-00073.warc.gz | en | 0.951677 | 2,284 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Each year, on February 22, girls participate in activities and projects with global themes to honor their sister Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in other countries. World Thinking Day is part of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts Global Action Theme (GAT) based on the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals (MSGs), which aim to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. The overall theme for World Thinking Day 2013 is 'Together We Can Save Children’s Lives.' This year’s theme is based on the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal #4 focused on reducing child mortality rates around the globe. World Thinking Day gives girls a chance to celebrate international friendships and is a reminder that the Girl Scouts of Western New York (GSWNY) is part of a global community — one of 145 countries with Girl Guides and Girl Scouts.
Visitwww.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/global/world_thinking_day/ to learn more. | <urn:uuid:4d807790-b238-4578-ab42-5d34e09f162f> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.gswny.org/news/21/World-Thinking-Day-is-Feb-22.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931008227.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155648-00207-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.890428 | 205 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Mud Fever or Pastern Dermatitis is a dermatological infection, caused by the bacteria Dermatophilus Congolensis, or by some fungal organisms, which attacks the surface layer of the skin, resulting in scabs appearing on the horses lower limbs, and possible swelling, discharge and lameness. Equines most at risk are those constantly standing in wet muddy conditions, Mud Fever has been known to occur when the animals have been standing in wet lush pasture for long periods. Either of these conditions can lead to open sores and raw skin over the heels and pastern area, allowing the infection to take hold which in serious cases could lead to septicaemia
The composition of the soil is thought possibly a contributary factor in causing Mud Fever
Mud Fever can attack all breeds of horses & ponies, those with white socks seem to be particularly prone.
The infection can be spread by contact so it should be regarded as contagious.
Anti-bacterial / anti fungal shampoo’s & ointments have been used as successful treatments, Vaseline has also been used for many years. In severe cases systemic antibiotics and pain relief medications may be needed.
For more information :- www.farmersguardian.com | <urn:uuid:f6b3fd09-dbbb-48ca-8829-06bfa830e93d> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | http://www.shetlandponyscotland.com/useful-info/shetland-pony-health/mud-fever/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247481766.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20190217071448-20190217093448-00261.warc.gz | en | 0.950216 | 253 | 2.890625 | 3 |
“so are you a teacher, a homeschooler or a dedicated parent?”
I answer to all of the above, don’t you? And I love our wonderfully helpful librarians. They share our passion for learning.
Elections 2012 unit study by Amanda Bennett mixes and blends with our current Tapestry of Grace studies of colonial America. How? In the three weeks we’ve enjoyed it, we’ve studied the first five presidents, the constitution and the election process – a wonderful compliment to the era of history we were already entrenched in. While at the same time taking advantage of current events to learn all we can. Because come the next presidential election I’ll have one that will be voting!
How are we doing it? Once again, while the children are still finishing up their lunch, I crack open the laptop. I scan ahead and print a few copies of coloring pages. These coloring pages are perfect for the littlest ones and help keep them at the table a little while longer. I click and we watch the suggested video – usually about three to four minutes long.
“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.” ~ Abraham Lincoln
Elections 2012 is designed with sections for lower level and upper level, so you just enjoy what you need for your children. I tend to pick the video or supplement I believe would appeal most to our age range rather than try to do everything for both levels. Plus, many assignments naturally overlap.
Elections Journals. Earlier that morning I’ve written the day’s verse or quote on the chalkboard overhead for the older ones to write in their Elections journal. (We’ve recycled our journals from our Amanda Bennett Olympics study. We just flipped to the back of the journal and created a new cover.) We discuss the person of the day. What fun discussions we’ve had about presidents! We talk about the vocabulary words and their meanings. Then we move on to another one of our ‘few more things after lunch’ subjects and studies.
- Learning the Do You Know Who Were the First Five Presidents? song (six-year-old was singing it as she came down the steps this morning). Plus Hodgepodgedad and the children made up their own version entitled, Do You Know Who Are the 5 Hodges Children?
- Touring the presidential homes via YouTube: Mt. Vernon, Montpellier, Ash-Lawn Highland, The Hermitage and others.
- Learning and memorizing the preamble to the constitution with Schoolhouse Rock.
I wouldn’t give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn’t have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness and a little looking out for the other fella, too.” ~Jefferson Smith, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
- Watching Mr. Smith Goes to Washington! (an all-time favorite)
- Discussing political parties and the current elections and the candidates’ views.
- Adding to elections journals.
We’ve acted like homeschoolers this week. Had to be flexible with multiple doctor and orthodontic visits: 1. Mama’s late afternoon coffee break following a full day of appointments | 2. Night school – 15-year-old scans her planner to be sure she’s covered all her assignments. We have a weekly meeting on Sunday evenings to be sure everyone knows what we’ll be doing. And even with our Elections study, we’re still reading from our core Tapestry of Grace text. | 3. A favorite way for high schooler to complete her school assignments. Music in her ears, books spread at the school room table. | 4. We read our Five in a Row selection, Angus Lost whenever we pleased. After lunch, late afternoon or before bed.
Then, during afternoon quiet time I might open with a read aloud selection from the mantel (pictured at top). See, by having these books in plain sight, this might happen all on its own… put it in sight, they will read. Otherwise, I encourage each child to take at least one ‘school’ book for reading. Current favorites from each child are:
- (15-year-old) Great Presidential Wit by Bob Dole
- (13-year-old) The U.S. Constitution and You
- (10-year-old and six-year-old) So You Want to Be President?
We’ve made sure to take nature study joy breaks! The fall colors are gorgeous! (How to Frame Your Days with Nature Study). All of the above photos are from the backyard except the gorgeous maple leaf that Lil’ Buddy handed me as we were getting in the car. “A leaf for you!” Littlest Girl also discovered some miniature mushrooms growing in the backyard.
The rest of afternoon quiet time is spent on reading for pure pleasure whatever they’d like to read. Middle Girl is going through a bucket of classic books by Beverly Cleary and the Nancy Rue series (Eldest Girl read these when she was this age).
Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Romans 13:1
Then some evenings we watched an Elections Study selection or the current presidential debate.
It was an art filled week for us as well! 1. We were blessed to have Nana spend part of a day with us. She helped the children make fall art decorations (pictured in number 3) | 2. Free paint with watercolors | 3. pumpkins and leaves with crayons | 4. A Mark Kistler art lesson around the kitchen table thanks to our Harmony Fine Arts Grade 7 plans we enjoy together every week! | 5. Making tertiary color wheels with our new Home Art Studio DVD – Grade 3 we are enjoying all together | 6. Free paint after our color wheels | 7. post color wheels | 8. Finished tertiary color wheels
Plus, today at The Curriculum Choice, Hodgepodgedad is sharing a confession. He no longer carries a Bible to church. See his review of the amazing Glo Bible App. We also have a collection of Elections resources on our Curriculum Choice Elections and Government Pinterest board.
But the biggest news from this week is that Littlest Girl made a profession of faith and will be baptized soon! “…there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” ~ Luke 15:10. That is what it is all about! And we are celebrating.
Many thanks to our Friday hostesses!
- Homeschool Mother’s Journal at iHomeschool Network
- Collage Friday hostess Mary at Home Grown Learners
- iPhone Photo Dump at Passport Academy
- Jamerrill at Holy Spirit-Led Homeschooling
- Weekly Wrap-Up hostess Kris at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers
- No Fear Homeschool High School at The Daisy Head
~ Thanks for visiting! Subscribe to Hodgepodge (it’s free!) Don’t miss a homeschool post.
Do you take a break from the regular to learn about current events? Have you been watching the presidential debates as part of your studies? Click to leave a comment… | <urn:uuid:6ecc1ac4-1f15-43df-8ffa-0311c2ffc5bf> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.hodgepodge.me/2012/10/elections-unit-study-for-multiple-ages/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207928754.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113208-00049-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946498 | 1,557 | 3.484375 | 3 |
Animals have played an integral part in the lives of humans for thousands of years. It’s even thought that cavemen had and care for dogs, the ancient Egyptians and their relationship with cats depicted in hieroglyphics and there are well known tribes who worked with birds of prey and horses for centuries. Even the first zoos came into existence around the 18 century.
Since then much has changed in the way we care for animals. We study our animals to learn more about how they behave. Animal welfare is at the forefront of modern animal care and that’s truer today than ever before. Zoos hire welfare coordinators and behavioural husbandry managers to ensure high welfare standards for their animals and look at how they can continue to improve.
So how can we improve the welfare of the animals we work with?
As zookeepers we are constantly respondin to behaviour at any given time, this is one of the cons to classical conditioning, because it happens all the time. Acknowledging an animal as you pass by can reinforce them hang off a door. Animals discover motivations connected to situations and therefore they start demonstrating behaviours we might not have seen before. It’s up to us to discover where they came from and to make an action plan if we think the behaviour is undesirable or unhealthy for the animal physically or mentally.
A Simple Call Over
Small things can change the world. In many of our articles we talk a lot about foundation behaviours. A simple behaviour like a call over helps animal welfare in so many ways. Training a call over behaviour is not very difficult to do but it comes with many advantages:
- Shifting animals
- Implementing an enrichment program
- Introducing new members
- Veterinarian check
- Mental enrichment
- Building relationships
- Creating opportunistic animals
Just by changing the way we work with animals can drastically improve their welfare. In many collections there are discussions around the amount of time we spend training our animals. Some places see it as an integral part of an animals daily life, other think we should let the animals act how they would in the wild and that close relationships can effect behaviours like breeding or pair bonding. Animal training should be an add on to the life the animal lives. It should not be the main focus in the animals day. Best case scenario we want animals to have a large variety of behavioural diversity within our collections and stereotypic behavior doesn’t fit. But if we don’t know enough about the behavioural diversity we can’t conclude why a stereotypic behaviour happens. On the other hand we know stereotypic behaviour is often a coping mechanism. But what is the animal try to cope with and how can we find out?
Animal Training is Not The Main Topic of Welfare
The reason animal training shouldn’t be their main part of their day, is because the effect constant training has on behavioural diversity. The animals will pay more attention to us than doing their own thing. They will be less social with each other and seek more attention from the trainer, because they’ve learnt training is more fun than doing their own thing, and at this stage training doesn’t create a welfare benefit anymore.
The most common place problems with behaviour diversity like this occur can occur are in the dog world. Recently I got to meet a puppy and its trainer. The trainer explained how she is trying to teach him to do things on his own and why this is important. The most important part for this trainer is that she can leave the animal alone for X amount of time. This has to be taught to an animal, meaning every time the animal plays on his own he will get reinforced. When the animal seeks attention he will be ignored. She is constantly changing the enrichment which gives the dog more challenges and practices problem solving.
Enriching the Environment
We should try and encourage more of this behaviour diversity with the animals in our zoos. This is where species specific enrichment helps us, but if we break it down even further, we should start at enclosure design.
In 1907, Carl Hagenbeck, developed the idea to move away from concrete cages and create a more naturalistic approach to the design of an enclosure. If we are able to change the enrichment frequently we are then able to challenge the animal constantly. In some collections keepers are looking to be able to attach and de-attach objects in an exhibit quickly and easily, which saves time and makes it easier for us to change so much within an exhibit.
Nutrition is Part of Welfare
Nutrition is another aspect of animal care that we have to take a closer look into, especially, when training our animals. The fact that an animal likes a specific food type a lot, shouldn’t be the reason why the animal gets it. We have to look more in-depth into what we feed our animals and also what “healthy” reinforcers we can use for training. I once was told by a trainer that giraffes love bananas and that’s what we train them with. I later discovered that bananas are very bad for giraffe. So although the training might be good for a certain aspect of their welfare the reinforcement is not.
Find a Reason and Reassess
Animal training and enrichment is not just “look how much the animal seems to enjoy it” it is about the reasons why we do it, to improve welfare. Ensuring our animals are healthy and knowing which behaviours they commonly express can give us an indication to whether we are doing a good job. It’s important to ask yourself, does the animal express natural behaviours when we are around, without constantly seeking attention? Do we apply enrichment that elicits the desired behaviours we are looking for? Is the nutrition correct? The enclosure suitable? What behaviour diversity choices are available to our animals? Everything we do should be a welfare benefit to the animals we work with!
Any questions about the topics in this article or about training in general? Send us an email or join our Facebook group. Zoospensefull is an international animal training and behaviour consultancy, for more information or to book Zoospensefull, please contact us at firstname.lastname@example.org or visit our website zoospensefull.com | <urn:uuid:2ce287a5-b288-4194-b984-8208f5d64a1c> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://zoospensefull.com/2020/03/02/everything-we-do-should-be-a-welfare-benefit-to-the-animal/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571198.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20220810161541-20220810191541-00108.warc.gz | en | 0.958983 | 1,284 | 3.3125 | 3 |
SYRIA CITIZENSHIP: Information on the basis for Syrian citizenship laws was not provided.
- BY BIRTH: Birth within the territory of Syria does not automatically confer citizenship.
- BY DESCENT:
- Child born of a Syrian father, regardless of the child’s country of birth.
- Child born of a Syrian mother and an unknown or stateless father.
- BY NATURALIZATION: Naturalized citizenship may only be acquired upon marriage to a Syrian citizen and by living in the country for over 10 years.
SYRIA DUAL CITIZENSHIP: RECOGNIZED. Exception: Though Syrian law recognizes dual citizenship, it also states that a Syrian citizen withdual citizenship is considered a Syrian first.
SYRIA LOSS OF CITIZENSHIP:
- VOLUNTARY: Though voluntary renunciation of Syrian citizenship is permitted by law, the Syrian Information Office stated that it is so complicated that it is best not to attempt the process. In effect, according to that Office, the process is complicated in order to discourage renunciation of Syrian citizenship. Former citizens of Syria probably maintain an unofficial dual citizenship status and would be subject to Syrian law as citizens should they return to Syria.
- Exception: Persons of military service age are not permitted to renounce citizenship.
- INVOLUNTARY: No information was provided.
For more detailed information and advice on citizenship, please Contact DeltaQuest . | <urn:uuid:67ad2d17-97ff-4137-957a-eeffb72e61cf> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.mysecondpassport.com/citizenship-laws/syria-citizenship/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320386.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20170625013851-20170625033851-00359.warc.gz | en | 0.930724 | 304 | 2.828125 | 3 |
We all are well aware of the fact that onions, despite their pungent odor, are very beneficial for our health. They are loaded with properties that protect you from illness. They are antibiotic, antimicrobial, and antiseptic in nature. Their nutritional content and the benefits they provide are something that we all know about, but did you know that the skin of the onion contains more antioxidants than the onion itself?
Yes, you read that right. We peel the onion skin and throw it away in the trash without realizing that these discarded scraps can make your meals go further. Experts suggest that they contain quercetin (a flavanol), which can help control blood pressure and prevent clogging of the arteries. Onion skin is packed with fiber and phenolic compounds that help in preventing coronary disease.
So, the next time you peel an onion and throw the skin away, just stop for a moment and recollect the health benefits of onion skin. A few of them are stated below:
- They help in decreasing LDL cholesterol levels.
- They help in maintaining the optimal levels of blood pressure.
- They help in treating depression.
- They help to fight against allergies.
- They support muscle growth and their functioning.
- They help in reducing inflammation.
Now, you might be thinking that since the skin of the onion is not edible, how can it be beneficial for your body? The answer is very simple – there are many ways in which onion skin can do good to your health, body, and skin. Here are a few ways by which you can make the most out of those peels that you throw in your bins without giving a second thought.
- The quickest and easiest way to incorporate the nutrients present in onion skin is to add a few of them in soups or sauce and let them stew in it until cooked properly. Later, you can take out the skin as most of the nutrients would have steeped in the liquid by the time the cooking is done.
- Another way to use them is to make tea out of them using a tea ball. Let them steep in boiling water for some time.
- Onion skins are also considered to be a great remedy for curing leg cramps. Here is what you can do – oil the skin of onion in water for 15-20 minutes. Now, drain the water using a clean cloth or a strainer and drink this infusion as tea right before going to bed. Repeat it for a week or so, and soon, you will notice that those horrid cramps are gone!
- You can even use onion skins as a dye for wool or woolen clothes.
- Onion skin can help you chop off onions and protect your fingers from getting cuts due to the knife. It will get the job done and keep your hands safe at the same time. All you have to do is instead of peeling off the thick skin, fold the thick parts of the skin and then, using it as a handle, start chopping the onion. This natural handle will keep the onion stable until you reach the ends. So, if your knife skills are rusty or poor, onion skin can turn out to be a lifesaver for you. Here is a pictorial representation of how you can cut onions easily for better understanding:
- Onion skin can also be used as a hair dye. And the best part is it is much cheaper than other hair care product. It works best on blonde hair. To use onion skin as a hair dye, boil 30-50 grams of onion peel in a glass of water for around half an hour. By now, the consistency of water will become thick. Filter the water and then apply this to your hair. Let it settle for some time and then rinse it off with shampoo. It will add a nice golden sheen to your hair.
- Onion skin also promotes hair growth. The reason behind it is that onions are rich in sulfur. This mineral promotes the formation of collagen and thus helps in the maintenance of your hair. You can boil onion skins in water and use it as a rinse to promote hair growth and maintain healthy and shiny hair.
- You can also use dried and ground onion skin in a small percentage as a replacement for wheat flour to increase the antioxidant content in bread.
- If you are suffering from any skin disease, rub onion skin over your skin. This can help you get rid of the irritation. Rub it gently over the infected area and then wash it off with a gentle soap.
NOTE: Make sure you use the skin of organic onions; others contain pesticides that can be harmful to your health. Also, if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not try these methods as it can cause irritation to your skin.
So, that was an insight into the numerous benefits of onion peels. We hope you enjoyed reading the article. Share your views in the comments section below.
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- She Begins Rubbing Turmeric Onto Her Cheeks. When She Rubs It Off, The Results Are Unbelievable! - March 21, 2017 | <urn:uuid:ada38fc4-80cf-4336-a6f9-f4a85aebad71> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://www.stylecraze.com/trending/benefits-of-onion-skin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347413097.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20200531085047-20200531115047-00320.warc.gz | en | 0.950694 | 1,146 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Buying an alpaca
Please note that these guides do not constitute legal advice and any information provided in the guides should not be construed as legal advice or legal interpretation. We do not accept any liability for any loss caused by your reliance on this guide.
Alpacas are members of the camelid family which includes camels and llamas, they were originally bred in Peru by the Incas and prized for their fine luxurious fibre.
Alpacas are herd animals so need to be in the company of other alpacas, you should never buy just one alpaca and no reputable breeder will sell just one alpaca on its own. Being without other alpacas causes high stress levels which can lead to ulcers and general ill health, alpacas are very stoic and often show no signs of illness until it’s too late. Spending time with your alpacas and learning what’s normal will help you know when something wrong.
The Alpaca Association of Ireland, www.alpaca.ie, is a community of Irish alpaca breeders who are always available for advice and it’s recommended that you contact a registered breeder if you are interested in learning about alpacas.
Alpacas eat grass and hay. Pregnant or lactating females and young animals do need a feed designed for camelids. They are very hardy and happy living outdoors all year however they do like to have access to a leanto or a similar structure so they can shelter from heavy rain. Alpacas can live to be 15 – 20 and females have 1 cria (young alpaca) each year. Routine care includes treating for worms and liverfluke, vaccinations, toe nail trimming and annual shearing. Like all livestock they need fresh water available at all times and should be checked at least twice a day. | <urn:uuid:9053d1b3-94f6-48ff-a308-28336ec0c11e> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://hello.donedeal.ie/hc/en-us/articles/205062241-Buying-an-alpaca | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027330233.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20190825130849-20190825152849-00076.warc.gz | en | 0.951662 | 387 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Experts believe that frozen embryos may produce the healthiest IVF babies.
Research presented at the American Society for Reproductive Medicine conference in San Francisco found that babies created from frozen IVF embryos were less likely to be born prematurely or have a low birth weight than those conceived using fresh embryos.
The findings go against conventional wisdom but were repeated by three independent teams of scientists from the US, Australia and Finland using large numbers of study participants.
However, Dr Allan Pacey, a fertility expert at the University of Sheffield, noted that frozen embryo transfers are not as successful as fresh ones in terms of actually achieving a pregnancy.
He commented: 'It may be that we have to balance the health of children against chances of success.'
In the UK, NHS trusts are advised to provide women with three free cycles of IVF, with a single cycle counting as the transfer to the womb of fresh embryos as well as any left over frozen embryos.
© Adfero Ltd | <urn:uuid:508ac2ef-99a6-4f2c-a707-7b5a35800bdd> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/healthy-living/news/a17376/frozen-embryos-best-for-ivf/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267863830.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20180620163310-20180620183310-00508.warc.gz | en | 0.971252 | 196 | 2.796875 | 3 |
In his new book, Solitude: A Singular Life in a Crowded World, journalist Michael Harris argues that solitude has become a limited resource as a result of our constant connection to others through our devices and social media platforms. As a consequence, we miss out on the three elements that make up a rich interior life: fresh ideas, self-knowledge, and, paradoxically, bonding with others.
The Garrison Institute spoke with Harris recently about the benefits of designing healthy media diets, the difference between loneliness and solitude, and strategies for preserving our alone time.
You write that “many of us are desperately in need of isolation.” Why?
Our lives are saturated by connectivity—both the in-person sort and the digital sort. Yet, it’s only in solitude that we develop rich interior lives. I think we’ve reached a point where there’s so much social junk food—and so much toxic connectivity—that we need to talk about designing healthy media diets. These diets might include, say, portion control, disconnection, and solitude.
What’s the difference between loneliness and solitude?
Loneliness is a nervous and negative experience of time alone whereas solitude is a productive and contented experience of time alone.
The history of technology is a history of connectivity. Marshal McLuhan’s concept of a global village springs directly from his realization that technology was constructing a planet-sized nervous system. And we encourage these technological ties in a pretty unthinking way because the human brain is hard-wired to adore social connection in the same way that it’s hard-wired to adore sugar and fat. And, just as fast food hijacked the desire for sugar and fat, leaving us physically obese, our iPhones have hijacked our desire to be connected to the pack, to the clan, leaving us socially obese.
Meanwhile, we often fail to develop that rich interior life that allows one to happily and endure the occasional bout of alone-time. The result is panicky loneliness when we, inevitably, fail to maintain the social high that our devices promise.
Why do some people thrive when alone and other people suffer?
Why do some people play the piano better than others? Why can some people run greater distances? I think the ability to spend time alone in a meaningful way is just as much a learned skill as playing a musical instrument or excelling at a sport. It’s something we practice. It isn’t something that comes easily and its benefits are less quantifiable than the glittering hearts and retweets we get when we connect on our phones.
What’s the relationship between solitude and creativity?
Basically, the idea is that you can’t have an exciting new idea while sitting at a conference table. Artists, and all creative people, do need to learn from other people but, at the end of the day, they must walk off and, to borrow Ezra Pound’s phrase, “make it new.” Kafka, for example, insisted that one could never be alone enough when one writes. He once told his fiancé, “Even night is not night enough.”
How can solitude lead to self-knowledge?
I think this goes to the idea of seeking approval online. We shape our thoughts, our words, when we’re hunting for retweets and likes. Knowing what you like, independent from some crowd-sourced, algorithmic approval system, is crucial to developing that rich interior life. Naturally, we’re never entirely removed from social pressures. But it’s a question of degrees. We have to ask ourselves where the bias of our thinking lies.
How does spending time alone lead to increased closeness with others?
I think we can argue that general solitude does preclude some kinds of connection. Think of the emotional bonds we form while we’re alone and reading a wonderful novel. We are, at once, experiencing solitude and profound intimacy. Proust called reading, “that fruitful miracle of a communication in the midst of solitude.” And then we get other “fruitful miracles” when we’re, say, walking in the woods and thinking about a long-lost love, or when we sit alone at a café in Paris and write a postcard to our parents.
What strategies do you suggest that people use to protect and maintain their experiences of solitude?
In the same way that vegetarians now insist on the food diet they have devised for themselves, I think we all need to begin insisting on healthy media diets. Once we realize that solitude isn’t a luxury good but something essential to human experience, it becomes easier to make room for it in our daily lives. On a more practical note: don’t bring the phone into the bedroom! If you’re using your phone as an alarm, that’s no excuse. Buy a $20 radio clock. Most people who try it tell me that’s the simplest and most profound life hack they’ve discovered in years.
Sam Mowe is the editor of Lineages, a publication of the Garrison Institute. | <urn:uuid:2c0fe67e-dfec-4d7b-9d65-d7eef7ec0f2e> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.garrisoninstitute.org/blog/preserving-solitude/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038064520.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20210411144457-20210411174457-00079.warc.gz | en | 0.936251 | 1,064 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Discussing the weather isn’t just idle chatter for some people. It’s life-altering stuff.
Most of us are probably aware that as the weather gets hotter, outbreaks of hives (urticaria) tend to increase. Heat is among the main triggers of the condition. About one in five people will develop hives at some time in their lives, and summer is the season that seems to bring the most discomfort.
Heat hives is an allergic reaction and is medically known as cholinergic urticaria. It’s basically the condition of being hypersensitive to heat, or to sweating. People with this condition wonder if they are allergic exercise. (Technically, they’re not. It’s the sweating that’s the culprit.)
Most people with this type of hives have no symptoms at all when they are in normal room temperature. But in high temperatures they begin to feel a stinging or itching feeling. This may be randomly spread through the body, or it may begin in an individual area like the wrists, face, chest, legs, or back.
It’s Not Just the Heat
The vast majority of weather-induced hives come from the hotter weather, but there is also something called cold-induced urticaria. It’s relatively rare condition, but it kicks in as the temperatures dip.
The “familial” type of cold hives runs in a family’s genes and emerges in infancy. The more common cold-induced form is “acquired.” It’s not genetic, and cases have occurred in babies as well as senior citizens.
Some unfortunate people are actually afflicted with hives that break out in situations of both heat and cold. Those folks find room temperature comfortable, but venturing outside to experience significant changes (mainly in summer or winter) triggers their hives.
How Do I Fight the Weather?
Well, you don’t. If you find that your hives are triggered by sunlight, atmospheric pressure, cold or heat, the only real “cure” is to avoid that trigger. (No one went to medical school to come up with that remedy.) If sunlight is the problem, sunblock lotions or fabrics that block specific wavelengths of light can be effective.
In the end, awareness is really the best weapon you have in minimizing the severity and duration of your weather-related hives outbreaks.
Diane is a Senior Content Producer at Remedy Health Media, LLC. She writes the Daily Dose for HealthCentral and is the editorial director at HealthCommunities. Her goal is to contribute to a valuable, trustworthy, and informative experience for people who are searching for health information online. | <urn:uuid:6f234d54-ae8f-4d29-a6bd-c1d87c722b12> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | https://www.healthcentral.com/article/how-weather-changes-affect-chronic-hives | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818689775.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20170923175524-20170923195524-00423.warc.gz | en | 0.951859 | 568 | 2.921875 | 3 |
The term "wire wrapping" is used to describe many different styles of jewelry making which use wire (NOT beading/stringing wire). Some work is done with just wire, and some artists add gemstone or glass beads, cabochons (beads without holes), charms, or found objects or items from nature, such as shells. Some kinds of work are highly technical and technique-oriented, such as netting or weaving. Other kinds of wire wrapping are much more intuitive and organic where anything goes and your artists' eye will tell you when you are done. Either approach is fine.
Wire comes in different thicknesses, or gauges. The higher numbers are thinner wire, and are used for fine work. The lower numbers are thicker wire, and are used for frames or armatures, and for larger pieces of jewelry. Wire also comes in different hardnesses; most wire artists use dead soft (the most flexible) or half-hard (a little stiffer). To start getting the feel for working with wire, copper in gauges ranging from 16 to 28 and everything in between will give you a good range of gauges.
After you have a feel for it, you will likely want to graduate from copper to sterling or gold fill, or 14k gold wire. You might also want to try your hand working with SQUARE wire, which is used for many designs because several strands of wire will snuggle up and stay together (secured by a few wraps with round or half-round wire) due to the flat sides.
If you have never worked with wire, try some of the following to get a feel for it:
Put a 4 inch piece of 20 gauge wire between the jaws of your chain nose pliers, and bend it in half. Repeat with 26 gauge wire so you can feel the difference.
Next, put a 4 inch piece of 20 gauge wire between the jaws of your ROUND nose pliers, and bend the ends around to meet each other. Do this at the skinny end, in the middle, and at the fat end so you can see the difference in the sizes of the curves. Repeat with thinner and thicker wires so you can feel the difference in how they move.
Practice coiling a 24 inch length of 28 gauge wire onto a 6 inch straight length of 20 gauge wire.
Get a feel for how the different gauges of wire will behave when wrapping by using a gemstone or polymer clay donut. Practice wrapping the wire around the donut, and try to space your wraps evenly to train your eyes and hands to work together to get the wire to go where you want it to go.
Once you have played with the wire a bit and have a feel for it you will want to actually make something if you haven't done so yet. You are probably ready to explore some beginner to intermediate level tutorials, or to take a class should the opportunity arise.
Look for beginner-level tutorials that include "foundation skills". This includes making open loops, wrapped loops, coiling, and spiraling. Look for tutorials which will help you learn to use your fingers to guide and shape the wire, as well as those which require the use of pliers so you can practice using tools correctly to do the work. | <urn:uuid:faafe7f2-bca8-41e4-bda3-dab8efdcf6df> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.jewelrylessons.com/article/how-begin-wire-wrapping | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1406510273676.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20140728011753-00060-ip-10-146-231-18.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943318 | 666 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Let's say there's a pile of mud that's been accumulating on a continental shelf since the Marx Brothers made A Day at the Races in 1937. Then let's turn off the main source of sediment for that deposit. Will it erode?
This is the deceptively simple question that U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists must answer at the Superfund site on the shelf off the Palos Verdes Peninsula in southern California. The pile of mud is an effluent-affected deposit containing material discharged from the Los Angeles County Sanitation District's outfalls off Whites Point.
In addition to sewage associated with fine sediment, the outfalls once discharged DDT, PCBs, and other pollutants. In 1971, the DDT-manufacturing plant was disconnected from the treatment system, and in the following years the effluent stream and discharged sediment became progressively less contaminated. By 2005, all of the effluent was receiving advanced secondary treatment, and the discharged fluid is now almost devoid of sediment; it has an average solids concentration of 17 mg/L, not all of which sinks.
The sedimentary deposit off the Palos Verdes Peninsula now has two layers: a bottom layer that contains material deposited before 1970 and is contaminated with some of the highest levels of DDT measured in open marine environments (more than 250 ppm), and an overlying, cleaner layer that insulates the bottom layer from the pelagic environment. The main part of the deposit lies along the 60-m isobath and is less than 1 m thick; the relatively clean upper layer is 20 to 30 cm thick. All of this sediment is stiff, gray, silty to sandy mud, and, except for a fluffy layer on top, it is difficult to erode. The question we hope to answer is: Will the cleaner upper layer continue to sequester the pollutants, or will it gradually erode and eventually allow the release of buried DDT and PCBs?
The USGS has been involved in Palos Verdes shelf studies since 1990, when the U.S. Department of Justice, plus the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the other Natural Resource Trustees, asked USGS scientists to determine the fate of the contaminated deposit and enlisted them as experts in a Federal suit against the manufacturers of the DDT. The legal battle led to some excellent science on both sides. The USGS mapped the Palos Verdes shelf in 1992; conducted measurements of waves, currents, and sediment transport; and modeled the evolution of the deposit. Scientists hired by the defendants made ground-breaking measurements of DDT degradation, proving that DDE (a degradation product of DDT and the most common DDT-related component) can lose chlorine during in-place transformation to DDMU in Palos Verdes shelf sediment. (DDMU is another breakdown product that may pose a lesser risk of accumulation in the food chain.) In the end, the plaintiffs won a consent decree in 2000, and a settlement of $136 million was divided among the Trustees and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be put toward a remedy. In the meantime, the Palos Verdes shelf off Whites Point was placed on the Superfund National Priorities List, and the EPA is now responsible for determining whether to try to somehow clean up or cap the deposit, or monitor it and spend remediation money elsewhere.
Although the legal issues were settled, the fundamental question concerning the fate of the DDT was left unanswered. Earlier studies found that bioturbation (mixing of sediment by mollusks, worms, and shrimp) and wave-induced sediment resuspension (lifting of sediment back into the water) were key to the fate of sediment and DDT on the Palos Verdes shelf (see Sound Waves, July 2002, "Contaminated Sediment Off Palos Verdes, CA, the Subject of a Special Issue of Continental Shelf Research"). DDT was being (1) mined from deeper sediments by burrowing fauna, (2) resuspended by strong wave events, (3) desorbed from sediment during resuspension events, (4) transported from the shelf with sediment, and (5) transformed in place. Measurements indicated that waves and currents were uniform over much of the shelf, and erosion and deposition patterns were believed to depend on subtle changes in bed sediment. In particular, we worried that the southeast edge of the deposit was eroding.
The EPA provided funding for fieldwork by Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), the USGS, and others in 2004 to map the geotechnical properties of the deposit, evaluate erodibility and bioturbation, and conduct measurements in the bottom boundary layer (the layer of water just above the sea floor that is particularly important for moving sediment). In addition, USGS scientists Marlene Noble, Jingping Xu, and Kurt Rosenberger analyzed a valuable series of current-meter measurements (now extending to nearly 6 years at 13 sites on the Palos Verdes and San Pedro shelves) made by the Los Angeles County Sanitation Districts. These analyses indicate that internal bores (solitary waves traveling on density interfaces) associated with internal tides cause persistent near-bottom flows that are sometimes strong enough to erode and transport sediment, but our understanding of what controls the timing and distribution of these events is sketchy. The bottom-boundary-layer measurements from the 2004 field program were disappointing: it was a very calm year, and only one tepid sediment-resuspension event occurred while the instruments were in the water.
This past winter (2007-08), the EPA supported a more ambitious program to measure bottom-boundary-layer processes that affect transport of sediment and contaminants on the Palos Verdes shelf. The objectives of this field program were to measure (1) bottom stresses and suspended-sediment concentrations in order to determine thresholds for erosion and the transport rates for sediment along the 60-m isobath (with instrumented tripods that sit on the seabed), (2) internal-wave motions at several alongshore and cross-shelf sites (with moored temperature arrays and current profilers), and (3) temporal changes in sediment erodibility (with erosion-chamber measurements).
The instruments were deployed in early December 2007 from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's research vessel Robert Gordon Sproul. A total of 13 moorings were deployed at six sites, supporting 65 instruments with data loggers recording an uncounted number of individual sensors. The somewhat lengthy saga of recovering all of these instruments began in February 2008 and was completed in early May (see "Palos Verdes Shelf Program: Whatever Can Go Wrong…," this issue).
During the deployment cruise, Professor Pat Wiberg (University of Virginia) made erodibility measurements on the (nearly) pristine tops of cores obtained with Mike Bothner's hydraulically damped gravity corer. Those measurements, which were repeated in February and May, may reveal temporal changes in erodibility.
In addition to all the fancy electronics, we also deployed passive PCB samplers for researchers Robert Burgess (EPA's Atlantic Ecology Division Laboratory in Narragansett, Rhode Island) and Rainer Lohmann (University of Rhode Island). To the untrained eye, the PCB samplers look like little sheets of plastic. They are. But their ability to absorb hydrophobic contaminants like PCBs has been carefully characterized, and attached to various parts of our moorings, they acted as long-term samplers.
Luckily for the experiment, 2007-08 was an eventful winter, as most Californians can attest. Three of the largest wave events we have measured at the seabed off the Palos Verdes Peninsula occurred during the deployment, and preliminary examination of the data shows significant resuspension and transport of sediment. We hope this experiment helps us understand the role of internal waves and provides data that will constrain our sediment-transport models and ultimately help us answer the question: Will the mud move or stay there?
Carmen White is site manager for EPA Region 9 (Pacific Southwest). Principal investigators on the USGS Palos Verdes shelf experiment are Marlene Noble, Jingping Xu, and Kurt Rosenberger of the USGS Western Coastal and Marine Geology Team (WCMG) in Santa Cruz and Menlo Park, California, and Chris Sherwood of the USGS Woods Hole Science Center (WHSC) in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Credit for instrument and cruise preparation and data processing goes to Marinna Martini, Jon Borden, Ellyn Montgomery, Rick Rendigs, and Chris Sabens of WHSC and Joanne Ferreira, Dave Gonzales, Hal Williams, Kevin O'Toole, and Jamie Grover of WCMG. Bénédicte Ferré and Brandy Armstrong (WHSC) helped out on the recovery cruise, and Maarten Buijsman, Eileen Idica, and Sam Wilson (volunteers from University of California, Los Angeles) helped with erodibility measurements in the lab.
in this issue: | <urn:uuid:0057afca-2650-4b74-8935-2adb391418e7> | CC-MAIN-2015-40 | http://soundwaves.usgs.gov/2008/07/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-40/segments/1443737951049.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20151001221911-00010-ip-10-137-6-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936849 | 1,880 | 3.578125 | 4 |
Enables kids to explore popular art movements, themes, and painters at the National Gallery of Art. Also offers guides to help teachers. An entertaining and informative introduction to art and art history. Featuring a variety of art-making tools that encourage exploration and creativity, these computer-based activities are suitable for all ages.
How do you rate this resource? | <urn:uuid:246be4f2-0da0-4f9b-9d6d-4cfdc3fbacf9> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://enews.edalive.com/edalivetopsites/nga-kids-art-zone/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818687642.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20170921044627-20170921064627-00573.warc.gz | en | 0.914334 | 72 | 2.71875 | 3 |
This shadow play is a heady vortex, churning with power projections, spheres of influence, security and commerce
The New Silk Roads, known as the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), will weave and interconnect six major economic corridors. At 12,000 kilometers, the Eurasia Land Bridge Economic Corridor is a rail network from eastern China to western Europe via Kazakhstan, Russia and Belarus.
Then there is the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, while the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor runs from Xinjiang to Istanbul. Nine new road links in the Greater Mekong help make up the China-Indochina Peninsula Economic Corridor.
The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar Corridor, which includes an oil pipeline from the Bay of Bengal to Yunnan province, is also at the heart of the Silk Roads project, as is the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor or CPEC. This spreads out from Xinjiang to Gwadar and includes fiber-optic links, economic zones, new highways and port investment.
Finally, there is the Maritime Silk Road, lapping from the shores of southeast China toward the Indian Ocean and the Horn of Africa before rolling on to Venice in Italy and Rotterdam in The Netherlands. At the heart are ports and logistic infrastructure.
Still, much has been made of the fact that Islamabad has been excluded from the $14 billion CPEC deal to build the Diamer-Bhasha Dam. Media claims at the time suggested that Chinese financing terms were not in Pakistan’s interests. The media there also reported that Beijing’s demand to use the renminbi in the Gwadar Free Zone would compromise the nation’s “economic sovereignty.”
But then, the $57 billion CPEC initiative is actually a many-headed hydra, featuring a long-term plan to build on an initial 2014 program of 33 infrastructure projects by 2030. Of those on the original list, 21 are energy-related, 16 concern power generation and transmission, while eight are related to the development of Gwadar port. Another four involve transport projects.
India has already finalized plans to build a 900km railway from Chabahar to Bamiyan in Afghanistan and is already building a 220km road in Nimruz, which will be extended to Chabahar. That will make Chabahar port an essential economic and strategic corridor, linking India to Afghanistan and Central Asia. As I reported for Asia Times back in 2009, this is all about Balochistan as a key hub in the New Great Game in Eurasia.
Door of perception
The door is open for an India and Iran political, economic, trade and investment partnership, which could evolve into a strategic alliance. India, as we know is part of the part of the BRICS, while Iran eventually expects to become a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, or SCO. Already this could see the BRICS and the SCO converge politically and economically through trade development.
The Chabahar strategy received a big boost last Sunday when Iranian President Rouhani inaugurated a new port extension, which will be served by an international airport. This will link Chabahar not only to the North-South Transport Corridor inside Iran, but to the Transportation Corridor, or INSTC, which stretches from Bandar Abbas in the Persian Gulf to Russia, Central Asia and Eurasia before connecting to Europe.
“In future, if PLA Navy ships operate from Gwadar, it will be a matter of concern. We will have to think of ways to mitigate the challenge,” said Admiral Sunil Lanba, head of the Indian Navy at its annual press conference.
Naturally, the Iranian Navy has a base in Chabahar. But for New Delhi, what matters is Gwadar with the Pakistani Navy buying eight
new submarines from China. So Admiral Lanba went to great lengths to reassure his audience. “We are deployed 24/7 in key areas in the Gulf of Aden to the Strait of Malacca besides the Straits of Sunda and Lombok,” he stressed.
This translates into India pushing out into the Indo-Pacific. And that does not even address the more intractable balance of power issues involving the country and neighbor Pakistan. Problems there include India investing in a missile defense system, which in theory could neutralize Pakistan’s nuclear second-strike deterrent.
It makes this a heady vortex churning with power projections, spheres of influence, security and commerce. In the end, the only certainty is this shadow play involving China, India, Iran and Pakistan, with the US as an active third party, is at the heart of the New Great Game in Eurasia.
Full article: China and India sail into choppy waters in New Great Game (Asia Times) | <urn:uuid:18a34bb3-21af-4b05-99c4-341e7a09b28c> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://glblgeopolitics.wordpress.com/2017/12/13/china-and-india-sail-into-choppy-waters-in-new-great-game/?shared=email&msg=fail | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578721468.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20190425134058-20190425155225-00055.warc.gz | en | 0.927196 | 987 | 2.53125 | 3 |
The Cat in the Hat (Beginner Books(R))
Other Editions of This Title:
Digital Audiobook (6/26/2006)
Hardcover, Hebrew (1/1/1957)
Paperback, Vietnamese (1/1/2016)
Hardcover, Chinese (12/1/1992)
Hardcover, Spanish (4/12/1967)
A dreary day turns into a wild romp when this beloved story introduces readers to the Cat in the Hat and his troublemaking friends, Thing 1 and Thing 2. A favorite among kids, parents and teachers, this story uses simple words and basic ryhme to encourage and delight beginning readers.
Then he said "That is that."
And then he was gone
With a tip of his hat.
Originally created by Dr. Seuss himself, Beginner Books are fun, funny, and easy to read. These unjacketed hardcover early readers encourage children to read all on their own, using simple words and illustrations. Smaller than the classic large format Seuss picture books like The Lorax and Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, these portable packages are perfect for practicing readers ages 3-7, and lucky parents too!
Random House Books for Young Readers, 9780394800011, 72pp.
Publication Date: March 12, 1957 | <urn:uuid:68b87666-b202-4611-932f-e1fa654e1818> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780394800011?aff=LiteraryMamaCom | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243991737.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20210514025740-20210514055740-00627.warc.gz | en | 0.861083 | 284 | 2.96875 | 3 |
Related Video Tags : economic history, history, saudi history
Standard Oil Co California putting the ‘interest of the United States’ forward as the place that needs oil resources for a ‘world that moves on wheels’. How it ‘saved Saudi Arabia from monotony and poverty’ by paying Sheiks to drill there for the vast oil resources. It provided a ‘richer life for the Saudi Arab’ taking him away from his desert oasis and giving him a job, as a joint venture. The search and extraction of oil in Saudi Arabia. | <urn:uuid:3956aadc-6a32-416f-bbe7-2ed85b96306b> | CC-MAIN-2019-22 | http://ftmflix.com/video_listing/oil-for-dollars-saudi-arabia-1948/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-22/segments/1558232259452.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20190526185417-20190526211417-00142.warc.gz | en | 0.950141 | 121 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Recently a reader wrote in wanting to know, “What makes jazz ear training different from just general ear training?” That’s a great question and I definitely had to think to arrive at an answer. They both focus on intervals, chords, root movement and have other common ground, but how are they actually different?
Over the years, I’ve taken quite a few general ear training classes and had both positive and negative experiences. I will say though, no formal ear training class gave me the ear training tools and techniques I truly needed to develop as an improviser.
And really, it’s not their fault. First off, the specific aspects that make jazz ear training different than general ear training are rarely talked about, or even given thought to, so most people teaching ear training typically teach ear training in one general way.
And secondly, ear training isn’t really meant for the classroom. It’s something you do everyday on your own: a daily practice, pushing your ear forward, building upon your current aural knowledge while continually strengthening your fundamentals.
It’s not difficult or magical. It’s simple and repetitive, taking the sounds you want to get familiar with and ingraining them on a deeper and deeper level until they click.
A deeper level than general ear training
In many general ear training choruses, the goal is simply identification. If you can guess the correct interval or chord, then…ding ding ding! We have a winner! That is correct says Chris Farley.
Nothing in ear training should be guesswork.
You shouldn’t have to think…hmmmm It sounds like a major third, but might be a minor third. Um, it’s a major third?
No. You should know without thinking, automatically, that’s a major third. In jazz ear training, this is not a nice-to-have, it’s a requirement because in jazz, knowing this aural knowledge is how you play, how you practice, and how you learn.
The ear training requirements of a jazz musician
A jazz musician has specific ear training requirements because they’re dealing with situations that you simply don’t encounter in other music:
- Improvising over many chords, not just a single chord vamp
- Use of chord voicings, not just root position chords
- Creating melodies over chords in real-time
- Learning tunes from recordings
- Chords may be altered or changed in real-time
- Use of altered and upper structure chord tones
- Transcribing jazz solos and language
- Freedom to apply alterations to chords while soloing
- Creating background riffs on the spot
And the list goes on…
You see, the jazz musician has to get beyond the basics and internalize a wide variety of sounds in order to hear, play, react, and lead in the moment.
Learning tunes from recordings
The best way to learn a tune is straight from the recording. Practitioners of many styles of music may learn songs straight from recordings, but in jazz it’s a necessity. Jazz is a language. And if you learn a language from a book, you’re going to sound like a foreigner.
But, learning tunes from recordings is not easy. The only way to effectively do it is to already have many of the structures that you’re going to hear, built up in your mind.
So, jazz ear training must prepare you for this task. Through the study of intervals, chord tones, voicings, and progressions, one can be ready for the task of learning tunes from recordings.
Transcribing language and jazz solos
One of the primary ways a jazz musician learns the jazz language and gets inspiration to develop their own concepts is through the process of transcribing.
And like learning tunes from records, transcribing language and solos is not an easy task either, especially if you haven’t done the necessary prep work via ear training.
To obtain a level of freedom when you improvise you need to have great ears. No, it doesn’t mean you’re making everything up on the spot.
Is some of it made up and brand new in the moment, even to you? Yes. Is much of it concepts or lines that you have practiced? Yes. Is the stuff that you practiced, however, coming out in a new way, combining, morphing, and developing upon one idea to the next? Yes. Well, that’s the idea.
This creative in-the-moment process can only happen though if your ear can lead you in the right direction.
Clearly, the jazz musician has many situations that he or she may encounter that require a high level ear.
Mastering your intervals
Ok, so I’m sure we’ve all done some interval practice before, but are they actually mastered? To be honest, I’ve worked on my intervals for years, and they could still be better!
That’s the thing. No matter how good you get at this stuff, it can be better.
You can begin to master your intervals in 28 days if you work hard at it, but remember, we’re not looking for Chris Farley to tell us that we’re correct. We’re looking to own the material. We want to be able to hear a bass line and know exactly what the intervals are, or perhaps we hear a phrase in a solo we’re listening to and we can pick out many of the intervals.
If your intervals aren’t at a place of mastery, then you won’t be able to apply the information and actually make use of it.
Getting to know chord tone colors
Most general ear training focuses on identification of intervals, triads, and seventh chords. The idea of what a chord tone sounds like on top of a chord is usually not studied that much.
In all forms of music, this chord tone color concept is very important. Why? Because the way a specific chord tone sounds in a particular context – the chord happening at that time – is what makes the melodic statement sound the way it does.
In other words, disregarding rhythmic aspects, a large part of why a melody sounds the way it does is because of what chord tones are used. Sound obvious? It is, but less obvious is that if you know the sound of each chord tone in the various harmonic situations, then you can create melodies from what you’re hearing; you know when you’re hearing the third of a chord in your mind, versus the 5th, or the b9, or anything else.
And developing a sense for chord tone colors gives the improvisor a huge leg up when they’re listening to or studying music, and want to quickly decipher what it is they’re hearing.
Instead of hunting around for a note on your instrument, you know that the line begins on the 5th of the chord, or the 9th, or anything it might be.
Learning advanced chord tone colors
Jazz improvisers must go even further when it comes to hearing chord tones. Not only do they need to learn to hear the basic chord tones, they need to acquire an aural concept for the upper structure chord tones 9, 11, 13, as well as the many alterations that can happen, things like b9 or #9 on a dominant chord.
These unique sounds are rarely given the attention needed to master them, but if you want to truly understand what’s possible and what you’re hearing on the records of your heroes, these sounds have to be internalized.
Just as with basic chord tones like the 3rd on a major chord, these altered chord tones have a distinct color, too. In jazz ear training, a lot of time should be spent on learning to hear these sounds because they’re so prevalent.
Hearing chord voicings
Another unique-to-jazz ear training concept is chord voicings. A chord voicing is simply how the comping instrument, like piano or guitar, chooses to “voice” a particular chord, which means how they choose to reorder the chord tones over the base note and which harmonic tensions they choose to add.
Listen to Brad Mehldau’s voicings on Prelude to a Kiss.
See how a pianist’s unique voicing decisions can express great beauty?
Really, saying this is unique to jazz is not entirely correct. In general, most music is composed this way, so you still hear the concept of a voicing in other music, but, in jazz, it’s a lot trickier because the comping instrument can make changes to the voicing on-the-fly. And that is what makes it quite unique.
To begin to hear chord voicings, put a tune in Transcribe as you’ll need to slow it down and loop it to really hear what’s going on. Take it one chord at a time. Listen for the bass note and then listen to the piano player. What kind of 3rd does the chord have? Major or minor? What kind of 7th? What other notes are in the voicing? What order are the notes in?
If you take it slow and loop the chord in Transcribe like I suggested, you will be able to pick apart any voicing you hear.
Learning to hear chord voicings is absolutely essential. Without learning to hear chord voicings, you’ll still be in the dark to what’s going on around you while you improvise.
The Ear Training Method
When you’re training your ear as a jazz musician, you’ve got to get beyond the general idea of ear training and work on practical knowledge that you can apply in the real situations that you’re going to find yourself in time and time again.
Of course there’s a ton you could work on, but here are some of the topics to focus on where you’ll see the biggest gains:
- Complete mastery of intervals in both directions
- Instantly knowing sequences of more than one interval
- Knowing every triad and seventh chord inside and out
- Being able to hear common chord voicings of major, minor, dominant, and half diminished chords
- What all chord tones including upper structure and altered chord tones sound like over these chords
Now there’s a ton to know, which is okay, because ear training is a life-long process. But, we wanted an ear training method for ourselves that organized and automated a lot of the aural knowledge that one needs to practice as a jazz improvisor or really any musician aspiring to a higher level for that matter. That’s why we put together something called The Ear Training Method. Yes, very original name I know 🙂
And whether you use The Ear Training Method that we developed, or sit at a piano practicing this stuff until it’s all second nature doesn’t matter. The fact is, in jazz, you have to use your ears at a high level. There’s no way around it.
If you want to improvise or play music in a way where you’re actually hearing what’s going on around you, then you have to study the sounds over and over, everyday. It’s a daily practice.
You have to develop a relationship with intervals, triads, seventh chords, chord voicings, chord tones, upper structure chord tones, altered chord tones…and this relationship must be deeper than you ever imagined.
Milliseconds matter in ear training because jazz is a real-time activity. If you can’t instantly hear it in the practice room with no thought or effort, how do you expect to hear it in live performance? | <urn:uuid:1a5cdddf-ad1c-44a8-8308-154bf70c2244> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://www.jazzadvice.com/jazz-ear-training/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178360293.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20210228054509-20210228084509-00014.warc.gz | en | 0.941033 | 2,465 | 2.578125 | 3 |
A visual look at the planet we call home, Pocket Genius: Earth delves into Earth's geology and geography, examining oceans, mountains, deserts, clouds, and more. From sky-high mountains to deep, dark oceans and densely packed forests, Pocket Genius: Earth profiles more than 180 of Earth's features including volcanoes, rivers, and weather and answers questions like What causes an earthquake? Where is the world's largest glacier?, and Why is climate change happening?
Redesigned in paperback, DK's best-selling Pocket Genius series is now available in an engaging compact and economical format that is ideal for both browsing and quick reference for use in school and at home. Catalog entries packed with facts provide at-a-glance information, while locator icons offer immediately recognizable references to aid navigation and understanding, and fact files round off the book with fun facts such as record breakers and timelines. Each pocket-size encyclopedia is filled with facts on subjects ranging from animals to history, cars to dogs, and Earth to space and combines a child-friendly layout with engaging photography and bite-size chunks of text that will encourage and inform even the most reluctant readers. | <urn:uuid:5994fc90-63fa-493e-a534-d166ff541889> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://www.sophosenlinea.com/libro/pocket-genius-earth_217172 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320263.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624133941-20170624153941-00572.warc.gz | en | 0.917941 | 236 | 2.71875 | 3 |
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/cha ... 45645.html
Chagas, a tropical disease spread by insects, is causing some fresh concern following an editorial—published earlier this week in a medical journal—that called it "the new AIDS of the Americas."
More than 8 million people have been infected by Chagas, most of them in Latin and Central America. But more than 300,000 live in the United States.
The editorial, published by the Public Library of Science's Neglected Tropical Diseases, said the spread of the disease is reminiscent of the early years of HIV.
"There are a number of striking similarities between people living with Chagas disease and people living with HIV/AIDS," the authors wrote, "particularly for those with HIV/AIDS who contracted the disease in the first two decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic."
Both diseases disproportionately affect people living in poverty, both are chronic conditions requiring prolonged, expensive treatment, and as with patients in the first two decades of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, "most patients with Chagas disease do not have access to health care facilities."
Unlike HIV, Chagas is not a sexually-transmitted disease: it's "caused by parasites transmitted to humans by blood-sucking insects," as the New York Times put it.
"It likes to bite you on the face," CNN reported. "It's called the kissing bug. When it ingests your blood, it excretes the parasite at the same time. When you wake up and scratch the itch, the parasite moves into the wound and you're infected."
"Gaaah," Cassie Murdoch wrote on Jezebel.com, summing up the sentiment of everyone who read the journal's report.
Chagas, also known as American trypanosomiasis, kills about 20,000 people per year, the journal said.
And while just 20 percent of those infected with Chagas develop a life-threatening form of the disease, Chagas is "hard or impossible to cure," the Times reports:
The disease can be transmitted from mother to child or by blood transfusion. About a quarter of its victims eventually will develop enlarged hearts or intestines, which can fail or burst, causing sudden death. Treatment involves harsh drugs taken for up to three months and works only if the disease is caught early.
"The problem is once the heart symptoms start, which is the most dreaded complication—the Chagas cardiomyopathy—the medicines no longer work very well," Dr. Peter Hotez, a researcher at Baylor College of Medicine and one of the editorial's authors, told CNN. "Problem No. 2: the medicines are extremely toxic."
And 11 percent of pregnant women in Latin America are infected with Chagas, the journal said. | <urn:uuid:207ba87b-987b-494d-84cd-290e0870083e> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.theblackvault.com/phpBB3/post107529.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414637897717.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20141030025817-00199-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951995 | 586 | 3.4375 | 3 |
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Interactively explore the timeline of the universe.
An activity to do at home to explore the world of circuits. Make two types of dough, one that carries electricity and one that doesn't, to create all sorts of circuits and explore how they work.
There's something for everyone in this assortment of online exhibits.
Explore the milky way in 3D
Explore a map of the night sky and claim a place as your own.
Explore the terrain and features of the Martian landscape
Explore physics the exciting way, by trying out a simple and fun experiments.
This is the National Physical Laboratory education homepage. Very useful for teachers and students.
Explore the implications of particle physics for the first moments of the universe.
Take a virtual tour of a martian base and discover the technology that might be used to set up camp on the red planet
Showing 21 - 30 of 78 | <urn:uuid:7a9d2519-8cba-4c22-b54b-f13c478b5b3c> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://www.physics.org/explore-results-all.asp?currentpage=3&age=0&knowledge=0&q=explore-results-all.asp%3Fq%3Dresults-all.asps | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738662321.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173742-00064-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.885539 | 276 | 2.875 | 3 |
Brain Mechanisms for Making, Breaking, and Changing Rules
- Cite this paper as:
- Levine D.S. (2008) Brain Mechanisms for Making, Breaking, and Changing Rules. In: Huang DS., Wunsch D.C., Levine D.S., Jo KH. (eds) Advanced Intelligent Computing Theories and Applications. With Aspects of Contemporary Intelligent Computing Techniques. ICIC 2008. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 15. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Individuals differ widely, and the same person varies over time, in their tendency to seek maximum information versus their tendency to follow the simplest heuristics. Neuroimaging studies suggest which brain regions might mediate the balance between knowledge maximization and heuristic simplification. The amygdala is more activated in individuals who use primitive heuristics, whereas two areas of the frontal lobes are more activated in individuals with a strong knowledge drive: one area involved in detecting risk or conflict, and another involved in choosing task-appropriate responses. Both of these motivations have engineering uses. There is benefit to understanding a situation at a high enough level to respond in a flexible manner when the context is complex and time allows detailed consideration. Yet simplifying heuristics can yield benefits when the context is routine or when time is limited.
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF. | <urn:uuid:37d624ec-7c96-41e0-97b0-c01fa81b31c1> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-540-85930-7_45 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128323895.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20170629084615-20170629104615-00512.warc.gz | en | 0.846392 | 277 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Filter Your Faucet Water For Pure, Healthy Water Every TimeAnyone that wants to live as long and healthy of a life as possible should put more emphasis on their nutrition. Most people prefer not to pay the higher prices of organic stores, although some organic produce can be found in regular grocery stores.
Thiamin is an important part of a healthy diet. Thiamin works in the body to help you use energy from carbohydrates effectively. It also helps to regulate your appetite. Muscle function, heart and nervous system are all assisted by this vitamin. Thiamin is found in many foods in small amounts, but you won't find it in refined foods.
Iodine is a mineral that should be a part of any healthy diet. Iodine is necessary for thyroid hormones, which control your energy metabolism, to be produced. It also works to prevent goiters. You can get iodine from seafood, dairy products, iodized salt, and bread which has been fortified with iodine.
Many of us enjoy going out to a favorite restaurant to eat. One trick to consuming the best amount of calories and avoid any extras is to skip that appetizer. You can always order a small salad in its' place and it will fill you up just as much without all the extra fat.
A great nutrition tip is to always look very carefully at nutrition labels. A label might claim to be low in fat, but adversely it might be high in sugar. Being able to see the big picture when it comes to looking at nutrition labels is very important.
Processed grains have replaced whole grains because, for many, they taste better. Indeed, white flour might be a better choice for many bakery products. But Learn Even more Here , the whole grain baked goods have a much more complex taste and even help digestion due to their high amounts of fiber.
If you are trying to have a healthy diet, be sure your family eats the same thing as you. Everyone should be eating as healthy as they can. If you make two meals, one for you and one for your family, you wil be more tempted to eat a bit of their meal which could be bad for your weight loss.
Save your used drink bottles, fill them with water and freeze them. Having water available to quench your thirst is imperative to good health. Frozen water bottles will likely stay cool all day and an added wellness benefit, is that they are handy to grab to wet down a wipe and cool yourself off on hot days.
A great nutritional tip is to eat healthier sandwiches. Stick to whole wheat bread and go with lean meats such as tuna, chicken, or turkey. Also try to use light or fat-free condiments. Avoid meats that are high in fat such as pastrami and stay away from unhealthy condiments.
If you have sleep issues, it may be helpful to make some dietary adjustments. You'll find that some foods are great for relaxing, while others give you more energy. You should also not consume any food a couple hours before bedtime so that your body can take a break from breaking down food.
If you are in the kitchen making something that requires microwaving, you are eating something that is not nutritious. Prepackaged dishes that only require a quick nuking are chock full of preservatives that will add to your weight.
One of the easiest ways to make sure that you that you are getting only the most nutritious foods and beverages is to ensure that these healthy items are always on hand. what is collagen for skin can easily be stashed in a purse, glove box, or desk drawer. If tasty and healthy snacks are within your grasp, chances are you will be more likely to reach for these treats rather than leaving your office for a salty snack from the vending machines or through the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant.
While nutrition is great and very important for a healthy lifestyle, don't let it become your identity. You eat healthy because it is the best way to live not because you want to be known as the person who eats correctly. Once you let it become an obsession than you have returned to the same problems as you had before.
When eating a healthy sandwich or sub, avoid mayonnaise. It is very high in fat and even adding a little bit to your sandwich can make it go from being healthy to unhealthy. There are lite versions of regular mayonnaise available most places. You can also try different, healthy condiments, such as mustard or ketchup.
If one talks to a professional nutritionist they can gain insightful information on how they can best maintain their own nutrition. One can schedule an appointment or even find one over the internet to talk to. However one chooses to go about it talking to a nutritionist will give one the knowledge to maintain good nutrition.
collagen benefits ge in the world are under nourished and are suffering from malnutrition. This is not because they make poor choices, but because they don't have the options that we have. We are a very unhealthy country because of the choices that we make. If you follow the advice you read here, you will be among a small number of people, who make the right choices and find the difference that proper nutrition can make in your life. | <urn:uuid:a5de6251-94ea-43ca-95a6-6030bf59e381> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://flaresecond97miriam.blogdon.net/filter-your-faucet-water-for-pure-healthy-water-every-time-3635619 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128323808.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20170629000723-20170629020723-00331.warc.gz | en | 0.967922 | 1,069 | 2.6875 | 3 |
by Helen Sanders, PhD
Design teams and glazing contractors are often called in to help solve problems when building owners find there is too much light and/or heat coming in, making interior spaces practically unusable. This author has encountered examples where the sun’s glare is so unbearable in an office building employees were issued sunglasses, and have even covered windows with cardboard.
Electronically tintable, or electrochromic (EC) glass, is a category of dynamic glazing that allows occupants to control the indoor environment by changing the visible light transmission (VLT) and solar heat gain properties of the glass. EC glass can be controlled automatically in response to an external environmental signal (i.e. light, heat, or occupancy) or through integration into a building management system all with manual override capability. Electronically tintable glass has been increasingly adopted as an efficient all-in-one sun management system that provides a view to the outside.1
Many of the commercial projects where dynamic glass is incorporated are ‘fix-its,’ where the existing glass has been replaced with dynamic glazing to make the space work for its intended use. It is not that the existing glass had poor performance—quite the contrary: in some cases, the glass replaced had excellent solar control coatings. Rather, the issue is really the original design concept did not combine the glazing with other elements to adequately address the sun management challenge the exterior environment presents. Perhaps there was too much glass on east and west orientations that caused over-heating, or insufficient consideration of glare control.
For many applications, dynamic methods for solar control and glare control are needed for optimal energy performance and occupant comfort. Dynamic solar control can be achieved conventionally with mechanical movable louver systems or Venetian blinds integrated into double-skin walls. These systems are commonly used in Europe.
Alternatively, electronically tintable glass (i.e. electrochromic) can be used to provide both automatic glare and variable solar control. EC glass can, at the touch of a button or command from an automated system, modulate its solar heat gain coefficient (SHGC) from 0.41 to 0.09 and visible light transmission (VLT) from 60 to one percent2 over a wide range and stopping at points in between (Figure 1).
By achieving a visible light transmission as low as one percent in the tinted state, EC glass provides the ability to block uncomfortable glare while maintaining the view to the outside, unlike the mechanical alternatives which block or obstruct the view. By dynamically controlling the light and heat flow into the building, significantly more energy savings can be captured than when using a static glazed façade solution. Further, occupant comfort is enhanced while maintaining exterior views.
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
The renowned Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia was designed in 2001 by Raphael Viñoly. It is an architectural icon with a vast barrel-vaulted, fully glazed roof housing multiple concert halls, theatres, and large public spaces. However, the Dorrance H. Hamilton rooftop garden—originally designed as a rentable space for private functions with panoramic views of the arts center and the surrounding city—was almost uninhabitable from May to September with temperatures reaching 48 C (120 F). The center’s management had to turn away over a thousand inquiries annually for renting the space.
In a renovation designed by BLT Architects completed in 2012, the rooftop garden has been enclosed in a glass box structure. The design employs dynamic glass in the roof to maintain the views of the center’s vaulted dome, the city, and public spaces, while maintaining a comfortable year-round temperature (Figure 2).3
Ball State University
Ball State University in Indiana (Figure 3) encountered a similar issue with a skylight. A three-sided courtyard in an honors dormitory had been enclosed to create a multi-purpose interior space. To maintain the open feel of the original courtyard, a fully glazed roof was designed. Even though a high-performance, low-emissivity (low-e) coated glass with a 50 percent frit pattern was used, the university realized within three months of the December installation the space was not working. It was too hot and there was too much glare, even during the winter.
Figuring out how to shade a skylight using mechanical shade or blind systems can be challenging and expensive. In fact, the mechanical solutions investigated were more costly than the automated dynamic glass solution which the university implemented only a year after the initial installation. The result was a comfortable space that was open, yet versatile, allowing movies and presentations to be viewed during daylight hours.
Generally, if the original design has not been well planned in terms of addressing the sun management issue, it is hard to come back retrospectively to ‘fix it’ in an elegant way using mechanical solutions that complement the original design intent. Adding sunshades to an existing fenestration system can be challenging, especially when the existing structure is not specified for the additional load.
Sunshades can be effective if included in the design of a new building when used on the south elevation and of an appropriate depth. Often, sunshades can be cut as part of a value engineering exercise and end up being two shallow, causing little or no shade on the window, or removed completely. Also, it is important to appreciate because of the low-angle sun incident on east and west elevations, sunshades are less effective at providing solar control from shading on those orientations.
The compromise solution is frequently to add interior shades or blinds, but this can be a difficult proposition for overhead or sloped glazing where gravity is working against the designer and can cause ongoing maintenance headaches. While this solution can reduce the glare issues, it may not solve the overall heat gain problem, since the heat is already in the building, and the view to the outside is obscured.Dynamic glazing can also provide the glazing contractor with a retrofit solution to simply solve their customers’ heat and light control problems in any climate. If strict privacy is a concern then additional opaque blinds or shades are commended as dynamic glass, while providing some level of privacy to occupants during the day does not offer strict privacy, especially at night.
Buildings with access to natural daylight and views to the outside are desirable because of the positive impact on the health and well-being of occupants, as well as the ability to save energy by turning off electric lights. The access to natural daylight entrains the body’s circadian rhythms, which are critical for the regulating health, attention, and mood—many studies have shown the link between lack of daylight and illhealth.4 Deborah Burnett, a presenter at a daylight symposium last year stated, “daylight is a drug and nature is the prescribing physician.”5 Sustainable design standards and programs—such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), International Green Construction Code (IgCC), and American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) 189.1, Standard for the Design of High-performance Green Buildings Except Low-rise Residential Buildings—all appreciate both high-energy performance and providing a well-lit space with views to the outside.
However, designing with glass and not considering the negative effects of the sun can result in sub-optimal building environments that cause occupants to be uncomfortable and less productive. Moreover, such buildings can give use of glass in buildings a bad name and perpetuate the view that reducing glass in buildings is an appropriate solution and one to be encouraged in building codes.
This has been illustrated most recently when an addendum that would have reduced the allowable window-to-wall ratio in the prescriptive path from 40 to 30 percent was considered for ASHRAE 189.1. Due to numerous comments from many industry sectors, including the daylighting design community and academia, the proposal was withdrawn. However, the discussion is not yet put to bed. The optimization of energy performance, daylight and view, and providing occupant thermal and visual comfort is one of the most significant challenges for high-performance sustainable buildings. Determining how to codify such solutions in building codes and standards is also a challenge. A focus on addressing the three-way optimization may really only begin once as-built performance of buildings is measured not just for energy consumption, but also occupant comfort.Planning ahead
Glass can be a significant contribution in buildings from both an energy and occupant perspective; however, buildings need to be designed well the first time. From a national perspective, it is strategically important to improve the built environment’s quality.
Part of ‘getting it right the first time’ involves understanding how the envelope will interact with the exterior environment throughout the day and from season to season, along with having the tools and products for use in the façade to deal with the dynamic nature of the environment. Some design strategies work well for more southern climates (such as static overhangs) where the sun is intense and the angle does not change as much during the year. However, these strategies may not work as well in northern climates where access to light in the winter is desired, yet the sun angles are sufficiently low to cause glare issues.
There are design tools available that can help determine if perimeter spaces will work prior to building them. For example, the free software tool, DAYSIM, is a daylight simulation tool designed to model the amount of daylight coming into a perimeter space as a function of time of day over the course of a year. It is based on the Radiance software developed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL).
By using this tool, designers can easily see if there will be too much glare in a space and experiment with methods of eliminating the problem before the building is constructed. The software can handle both mechanical shades and blinds as well as dynamic glazing and can be helpful in determining if designs have a light control problem before construction.
Integrated design for daylighting
Another important part of a successful initial design is using an integrated approach wherein the daylighting, lighting, and interior design are done in conjunction with envelope design. This provides a holistic approach to optimizing use of daylight, offsetting electric lighting to save energy, and controlling for glare and unwanted heat gain. It also prevents the common occurrence of the envelope being specified and built before the daylighting designer is brought in, by which time he or she has lost most degrees of freedom. Further, because the interior and daylighting designers are involved early, it prevents opaque private offices or 1.8-m (6-ft) cube heights being specified around the perimeter—these negate the benefits of an otherwise good perimeter daylighting design.
Electric lighting accounts for approximately 38 percent of total building electricity use. Up to 80 percent of this electrical energy ends up as heat generated by lights, which then has to be removed by the air-conditioning system.6 In fact, the impact of reducing electrical lighting consumption by using daylight in commercial buildings is far bigger than the energy impact of changing the solar heat gain coefficient and U-factor of the fenestration by a few points.
Contrary to popular belief, a building with no windows is actually not the most energy-efficient structure. Glazed buildings employing high-performance fenestration, with appropriate considerations for solar control, good daylighting designs with a dynamic response for glare, and automated dimmable lighting systems can be more energy-efficient because of the saving in electrical lighting energy.7
The benefits to occupants in buildings with natural daylight and views to the outside should not be overlooked. After all, this is the reason windows are installed in the first place. An integrated design approach, employing daylight modeling and high-performance façade solutions can play an important part in ‘getting it right the first time,’ making even highly glazed buildings both energy-efficient and comfortable for occupants. By demonstrating mastery of the high-performance building challenge, the continued use of glass in buildings can be promoted. It helps make the case for not reducing the maximum allowable amount of glazing in the energy codes.
1 For more, see the white paper by D. Malmquist and N. Sbar’s, The Benefits of Dynamic Glazing. Visit sageglass.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/SAGE-benefits_of_dynamic_glazing.pdf. (back to top)
2 Visit sageglass.com/sageglass/sageglass-product. (back to top)
3 Visit pennsylvania.broadwayworld.com/article/Kimmel-Center-Completes-Dorrance-H-Hamilton-Rooftop-Garden-Renovation-20120831. (back to top)
4 For more, see Kathy Velikov and Julie Janiski’s “The Benefits of Glass: A Literature Review on the Qualitative Benefits of Glass on Building Occupants” at na.en.sunguardglass.com/cs/groups/sunguard/documents/native/pro_045179.pdf. (back to top)
5 See Deborah Burnett’s presentation, “Knowledge to practice—Epigenetics design and the built environment,”from the May 2013 Velux Daylighting Symposium in Copenhagen. (back to top)
6 See the 2003 U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Information Administration’s (EIA’s) “Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey.” (back to top)
7 See D. Arasteh, S. Selkowitz, J. Apte, and M. LaFrance’s Zero Energy Windows, Proceedings of the 2006 ACEEE Summer Study on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, August 13 to 18, 2006. LBNL report number 60049. (back to top)
Helen Sanders, PhD, is the vice president of technical business development at Sage Electrochromics. She has 17 years of experience in the glass industry, and more than a decade in dynamic glass technology and manufacturing. She is an active member of ASTM, Insulating Glass Manufacturers Association (IGMA), and Glass Association of North America (GANA). Sanders earned her master’s degree in natural sciences and a PhD in surface science from the University of Cambridge. She can be contacted by e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:b2d5c479-0288-46a7-b6e5-c6793ac19d07> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.constructionspecifier.com/getting-it-right-the-first-time-addressing-heat-and-light-problems-with-glazing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042990112.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002310-00301-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939838 | 2,996 | 2.75 | 3 |
STORY AND PHOTOS BY LOUISE R. SHAW
Clipper Staff Writer
SYRACUSE — Last year and the year before that and the year before that, when first graders walked from the sheep-shearing shed to the baby animal pens at Hamblin Dairy, they walked past a long line of cows.
Some cows would turn their heads, some kids would plug their noses, but each group showed considerable curiosity about the other.
This year those cows were gone.
“We had no choice,” said Lance Hamblin. “We held out as long as we could.”
Hamblin is the third generation to run what has been Davis County’s last dairy farm.
His children, the fourth generation, were excited, willing and ready to take over the farm, he said.
Instead, because the cost of feed is too high and the price of milk too low, their 111 dairy cattle were sold to Bliss Dairy in Delta.
“Everything was paid for,” said Hamblin of the farm he spent his whole life building. “We just had to pay operating costs, but we couldn’t.”
First graders from Davis County schools were still invited to tour the farm, a tradition that has gone on for so many years most can’t remember when it started.
Representatives from Future Farmers of America, Davis County 4-H, the Farm Bureau and the Davis County Conservation District, organized by USU Extension Services of Davis County, taught hundreds of students over two days about the importance of agriculture.
“If we didn’t have farms we wouldn’t have food,” said Becca Ferry, as she explained how seed becomes wheat, wheat becomes flour and flour becomes cereal and Oreo cookies.
She then helped them make living necklaces with seed.
“We can’t depend on food from other countries because we don’t know what pesticides they might use, and a lot of it is not good for you,” said Gary Jacketta. “Here in the U.S. it’s controlled.”
He then demonstrated the water cycle and how it can be negatively impacted by oil or fertilizer residue that runs off from residences.
Students watched a sheep being sheared and learned about how milk is stored and kept bacteria- free. They had a chance to get up close to baby pigs, chicks and a goat, and to pet a friendly llama.
Hamblin has no plans to sell the farm or to have the land developed, as has happened all around him.
His father has planted corn, but the likelihood of a dry year makes the success of that enterprise at risk, said Hamblin.
If he was forced to sell, he said his house would have to go with it because he couldn’t watch while his life’s work was torn down.
As long as his family owns the farm, he said the extension service is welcome to continue to host first graders every spring, for their day at his Utah century farm.
And if they do come, next year and the next, they will get the chance, like first graders before them, to learn about how important farms are. | <urn:uuid:c2139052-5fb9-4e41-b1cf-100269d56ffe> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.davisclipper.com/view/full_story/22541834/article-First-graders-learn-about-farm-life | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128320264.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20170624152159-20170624172159-00707.warc.gz | en | 0.982661 | 685 | 2.5625 | 3 |
The simple truth is that after all of its years of existence, after the rise of the internet and social media spreading trends far and wide, the world remains profoundly diverse. Genetic and cultural influences combine to create differences both visible and hidden in aspects such as skin color, personality, and socioeconomic statuses. This diversity presents many challenges, but overcoming these challenges is important, especially for areas of the world like Africa.
Power distance refers to how accepting those with little authority are over the amount of power those with high authority have over them. High power distance is the greatest challenge in diversity, because it is defined by the notion that certain groups are inferior, and that those inferior groups are destined to remain immobile in the structure of a clear hierarchy. Compared with the United States, Africa is very high in power distance. It must learn to embrace diversity in order to provide opportunities for different types of people to succeed through authority over their own lives and choices.
Another challenge of diversity is the socioeconomic status of both individuals and entire nations. As explained in The Economist, at first glance, Africa’s economy appears to be struggling because of diversity. Diversity drives people of different ethnicities and races to compete with each other over resources. This competition takes its toll financially. The fault actually lies with those in positions of authority, such as politicians and law makers. They perpetuate competition and further the divide, rather than taking the opportunity of the power they have to embrace diversity and eliminate the need for competition.
The fight against diversity persists because of the challenge it presents to natural human psychology. Humans are predisposed to seek comfort in the familiar. Part of the reason some people enjoy change is because of its contrast to constancy, and most seek and depend on that constancy between each change. The problem with this is that without change there is no growth. This is at the core of Africa’s underdevelopment.
It is ironic that in a world where diversity is inevitable, it breeds such conflict. People fear that embracing diversity will heighten the struggle, and the cost of this is weighing heavily on Africa. It is important for places like Nigeria to embrace the challenges of diversity though so we can continue to grow.
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Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. | <urn:uuid:29fcc149-88e5-430d-9177-734ee2d2fd75> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.vunela.com/challenges-of-diversity-and-the-importance-of-africa-embracing-it/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780056892.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20210919160038-20210919190038-00098.warc.gz | en | 0.94668 | 542 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Immunotherapy for cancer
Prof. Dr. Udo Gaipl explains the paradigm shift in radiation research
Thirty years on from the Chernobyl reactor disaster, people are still suffering from the consequences of the radiation that was released. This is one of the reasons why it is important to understand how radiation affects the body locally and which systemic concomitant symptoms it produces. Experts in medicine, biology and physics from across Europe are discussing these topics at the annual conference hosted by the Gesellschaft für Biologische Strahlenforschung (Association for Biological Radiation Research, GBS), which is being held in Erlangen from 26 to 28 September 2016. We spoke to the conference president, Prof. Dr. Udo Gaipl, who is head of the radioimmunology group at the Department of Radiation Oncology, Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, about new findings in radiobiology and their applications in cancer treatment.
What exactly is radiobiology and, in particular, radioimmunology?
Traditional radiobiology is the study of the effects of ionising radiation on living things. The main topic of research is local effects on cells, such as the damage to and repair of DNA. In the area of medicine known as radiology, these effects are used in a targeted manner to kill tumour cells. Radioimmunology involves studying the downstream effects, as the damaged and stressed cells change their surfaces and their surroundings. This is important for producing systemic and immune responses to tumours, as well as metastases.
The worst nuclear reactor accident in human history happened in Chernobyl 30 years ago. What do we know about the consequences today?
In addition to the acute consequences such as radiation sickness, these kinds of accidents can lead to long-term damage, such as cancer, as a result of mutations. We also see long-term changes in the immune status of those affected.
Can this knowledge be applied in radiotherapy?
Absolutely. There has been a paradigm shift in radiology in the last few years: on the one hand, radiotherapy has advanced significantly in terms of technology, meaning that considerably higher doses can be applied today to combat tumours. On the other, there is an increasing focus on the systemic components: radiation does not just have intense effects on our DNA at a local level, it also has many systemic and immunological consequences due to downstream processes. We use these abscopal effects of radiation to our advantage by activating the immune system in a targeted manner or correcting immunosuppression that is induced by the tumour.
What can you achieve by doing this?
The combination of radiotherapy and immunotherapy can induce long-term anti-tumour immune responses, which means that after removing the tumour there is still a degree of protection against the same type of cancer occurring again.
The GBS conference involves experts from medicine, biology and physics. What can this interdisciplinary collaboration contribute to developments in radiology?
Firstly, the physicists are constantly working on improving the technology used in radiology equipment. Without them we would not be able to apply such high doses while ensuring that the surrounding tissue is not damaged. The biologists study the mechanisms of radioimmunology in order to provide clinicians with instructions on how radiotherapy should be combined with immunotherapy, and at what intervals. And, finally, the medical researchers implement preclinical data in clinical trials – ‘from lab to clinic and back’, as we say. Overall this collaboration is very fruitful and benefits patients a great deal.
Prof. Dr. Udo Gaipl
Phone: +49 9131 8544258 | <urn:uuid:ab040d41-8253-4a82-bf67-3bb0728ecfb2> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://www.fau.eu/2016/09/28/news/immunotherapy-for-cancer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153857.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20210729105515-20210729135515-00489.warc.gz | en | 0.94562 | 751 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Importance of Wetlands
The Important Role of Wetlands on Our Landscape
"Wetlands protect water quality by trapping sediments and retaining excess nutrients and other pollutants such as heavy metals. These functions are especially important when a wetland is connected to groundwater or surface water sources (such as rivers and lakes) that are in turn used by humans for drinking, swimming, fishing, or other activities. These same functions are also critical for the fish and other wildlife that inhabit these waters. Wetlands help clean our air and drinking water, recharge ground water supplies and ease the effects of flooding and drought. They are also important habitat for wildlife and offer eco-tourism and recreational opportunities. Despite a growing awareness of their value, wetlands continue to be lost.
Sediments, nutrients, and toxic chemicals enter wetlands primarily by way of "runoff," a term used to describe the rain and storm-water that travels over land surfaces on its way to receiving waters. In urban areas, runoff washes over buildings and streets in industrial, commercial, and residential areas where it picks up pollutants and carries them to receiving waters. In rural areas, agricultural and forest practices can affect runoff. Where the runoff drains a freshly-plowed field or clear-cut area, it may carry too much sediment. Runoff may carry pesticides and fertilizers, if these have been applied to the land.
Sediments, which are particles of soil, settle into the gravel of streambeds and disrupt or prevent fish from spawning, and can smother fish eggs. Other pollutants -- notably heavy metals -- are often attached to sediments and present the potential for further water contamination. Wetlands remove these pollutants by trapping the sediments and holding them. The slow velocity of water in wetlands allows the sediments to settle to the bottom where wetland plants hold the accumulated sediments in place.
Runoff waters often carry nutrients that can cause water quality problems. An example of such an occurrence is an "algae bloom." Besides the aesthetic problems associated with algae blooms (a green, smelly slime) they result in low levels of oxygen in the water. This oxygen depletion can result in the death of fish and other aquatic life. Some algae release toxins that can kill pets and livestock when bloom conditions occur. Wetlands protect surface waters from the problems of nutrient overload by removing the excess nutrients, some of which are taken up and used by wetland plants, and some of which are converted to less harmful chemical forms in the soil.
Toxic chemicals reach surface waters in the same way as nutrients, and can cause disease, death, or other problems upon exposure to plants and animals (including humans). In a function similar to nutrient removal, wetlands trap and bury these chemicals or may even convert some of them to less harmful forms."
A 2010 Ducks Unlimited Canada research study shows 72 per cent of southern Ontario's large inland wetlands have been lost or converted to other land uses over the last 200 years and this loss continues. Extensive loss of wetland habitat throughout the Great Lakes basin has played a significant part in declining water quality in all five lakes. | <urn:uuid:eca772e0-db70-45c9-ae84-cf3f15d547ef> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.haldimandstewardshipcouncil.org/projects/wetland-projects/importance-of-wetlands | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439735885.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20200804220455-20200805010455-00444.warc.gz | en | 0.940147 | 633 | 3.859375 | 4 |
Background: This #DoesItWorkSummary is based on the findings of a Cochrane Systematic Review published in January 2018 . Selenium is an element that is normally taken with food and is essential for healthy metabolism in small amounts (belonging in this way to the group of micronutrients). It is found in a variety of foods from animal and plant origin, with Brazil nuts and seafood being especially rich sources . Although being an important micronutrient, at higher amounts selenium has toxic action , making the dose of intake very important for beneficial health effects (optimally, the intake should be high enough to prevent deficiency, but not so high that it would result in toxicity). There have been some indications that selenium might act as cancer-preventive agent, possibly through antioxidant effects mediated by proteins that need selenium for their functions (selenoproteins) . To get an overview of scientifically documented effectiveness of selenium in preventing cancer, evaluation of the published scientific literature was done.
Findings: Analyzed were 10 randomized controlled trials (representing high-quality evidence) in which people were randomly assigned to receive selenium supplements or placebo, and 70 observational studies (representing low-quality evidence) in which people were followed over time to determine whether their selenium exposure status was associated with changed risk of cancer .
All of the 10 high‐quality randomized trials reported no effect of selenium on reducing cancer risk. Moreover, some of the high-quality trials unexpectedly indicated that selenium may increase risks of high‐grade prostate cancer, dermatitis, hair loss, and diabetes type 2.
The 70 observational studies (low-quality evidence) yielded overall inconsistent results. Nevertheless, when all data were pooled together lower incidence of cancer was observed in the people belonging to the highest category of selenium exposure compared with the lowest (but there was no dose-response relation supporting this observation).
Taken together, the currently existing scientific evidence does not support that selenium supplementation has cancer-preventive effect.
Future research might be needed to specifically explore if selenium may affect the risk of cancer in individuals with specific genetic backgrounds or specific nutritional status, and to evaluate if different chemical forms of selenium may differently affect cancer risk.
1 Vinceti, M., Filippini, T., Del Giovane, C., Dennert, G., Zwahlen, M., Brinkman, M., Zeegers, M.P., Horneber, M., D’Amico, R. and Crespi, C.M. (2018) Selenium for Preventing Cancer. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD005195.pub4.
2 Barclay, M.N.I., MacPherson, A. and Dixon, J. (1995) Selenium Content of a Range of UK Foods. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, Academic Press, 8, 307–318. https://doi.org/10.1006/JFCA.1995.1025.
3 Tinggi, U. (2003) Essentiality and Toxicity of Selenium and Its Status in Australia: A Review. Toxicology Letters, Elsevier, 137, 103–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0378-4274(02)00384-3.
4 Diwadkar-Navsariwala, V. and Diamond, A.M. (2004) The Link between Selenium and Chemoprevention: A Case for Selenoproteins. The Journal of Nutrition, Oxford University Press, 134, 2899–2902. https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/134.11.2899.
Keywords: #DoesItWorkSummary, selenium, systematic review, clinical trials, selenoproteins, prevention of cancer.
The International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce (INPST) maintains up-to-date lists with conferences, grants and funding opportunities, jobs and open positions, and journal special issues with relevance for the area of phytochemistry and food chemistry, pharmacology, pharmacognosy research, and natural product science.
Leave a comment: | <urn:uuid:0f3e4d85-efd0-4376-92e5-4e99043a5543> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | http://inpst.net/doesitworksummary-selenium-for-prevention-of-cancer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627998879.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20190619003600-20190619025600-00260.warc.gz | en | 0.895357 | 907 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Some tropical cyclones in the
eastern North Pacific appear to develop
in close association with tropical waves.
Others, like Hurricane Flossie, are apparently generated in a different,
"monsoon-like" mode of formation in which tropical waves may not
be the primary large-scale forcing.
a. Synoptic History
Hurricane Flossie formed within a large, deep cyclonic
circulation and low pressure area that dominated the weather in the
tropical eastern North Pacific Ocean near the end of the first week
of August. The southern and southeastern part of this area was
defined by a long stretch of west-southwesterly winds and by
cloudiness in the eastern part of the ITCZ, which had pivoted
northward through the Gulf of Tehuantepec (toward
Tropical Storm Gabrielle
in the western Gulf of Mexico).
The large circulation was well-developed by August 7 when
thunderstorm activity began to increase and become focussed a few
hundred miles southwest of Acapulco (perhaps in association with a
tropical wave analyzed in the vicinity). Surface pressures were
already low across the region as implied by a ship report of 1004.0
mb made near Acapulco at 0000 UTC on the 7th. Based primarily on
surface analyses, this system is estimated to have become
Tropical Depression Seven-E at
1200 UTC on the 7th (Table 1
and Fig. 1 [42K GIF]).
The intensity implied by satellite images continued to lag the
estimates derived from surface reports. Satellite analysts at the
NHC and NESDIS
Synoptic Analysis Branch
(SAB) had Dvorak
T-numbers of 2.0 (30 knots) at 0000 UTC on the 9th
(Figs. 2 [24K GIF]
and 3 [25K GIF]).
However, two ships then had pressures in the 996-999 mb range and
observations from ships imply that winds were likely of
tropical storm force.
It is now estimated that the depression became
Tropical Storm Flossie at 1800 UTC on the 8th.
Flossie moved toward the northwest at 5 to 10 knots for most of its
seven-day existence, to the south-southeast of a deep-layer-mean anticyclone.
On this course, the center
remained offshore, but the southwestern coast of Mexico and later the southern Baja
California peninsula were buffeted by gusty winds and locally heavy
A northeasterly vertical wind shear diminished and very cold
cloud tops then developed. Flossie reached hurricane
strength on the 10th and its peak intensity, 70 knots, was maintained for about
24 hours beginning at 1200 UTC that day. An embedded warm spot
appeared in satellite pictures and the center of circulation made
its closest approach to land during that period, when it passed
about 65 n mi to the southwest of the peninsula.
Weakening ensued over cooler waters. Flossie dropped below
hurricane strength on the 12th and turned westward. It was a
depression on the 13th and dissipated on the 14th.
b. Meteorological Statistics
Figures 2 and 3
show the curves of estimated minimum central pressure and maximum one-minute wind speed versus time,
respectively, and the data upon which they were based. The
Air Force Global Weather Central (AFGWC),
the NHC Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB; TSAF in figures), and the
NESDIS Synoptic Analysis Branch (SAB)
supplied the Dvorak classifications. The figures show the early lag between Dvorak technique
intensity estimates derived from satellite pictures and estimates made from
An observation of tropical storm force winds was received from
Cabo San Lucas, Baja California which had 35 knot winds (over 10-minutes)
and a gust to 48 knots at 0300 UTC on the 11th. Nearby
San Jose del Cabo had a gust to 55 knots according to amateur radio
reports. Selected significant ship observations are as follows:
|Lat. (°N)||Lon. (°W)
Some data from the ship LAMF2 are likely unrepresentative.
c. Casualty and Damage Statistics
The El Nuevo Herald newspaper reported five lives lost in
Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan. Amateur radio reports stated that
two people drowned in Cabo San Lucas. No quantitative estimates of
damage have been received.
d. Forecast and Warning Critique
Flossie was of tropical storm or hurricane intensity for only
about four days so there were few forecasts to evaluate. On
average, the NHC track and intensity errors for that period were
comparable to previous averages.
Table 2 lists tropical storm warnings and watches issued by
the Government of Mexico. | <urn:uuid:a3e9ce81-2b0e-4e50-b491-ad2993ac4dd4> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/1995flossie.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657135080.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011215-00026-ip-10-234-18-248.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.922517 | 1,036 | 3.65625 | 4 |
Poor Island Nations like Maldives are most vulnerable to Climate Change with their very existence at stake as rising sea levels threaten to sink them completely in the 21st century itself.The complete lack of progress on climate change and global warming has left these nations in a precarious state.The Alliance of Small Island Nations which comprise of 43 members has brought into focus the duplicity of rich developed nations on their lack of commitment to this problem.The Kyoto Protocol has may imperfections which has allowed the developed nations to escape their responsibility through creative accounting measures.The GFC has led to an economic downturn leading to a large quota of unused carbon credits.This has led to a massive billion dollar windfall for steelmaker Arcelor Mittal highlighting the serious deficiencies in the cap and trade scheme.Note USA is not a participant in this scheme and has not made any commitment to reduce emissions.USA has failed to pass any sort of climate legislation stalling the global warming talks.
The powerful fossil fuel lobbies have funded media attacks on the credibility of the IPCC which has cast doubts in the minds of the common people.With the GFC taking center stage, Global Warming has been put in Cold Storage by the leading nations.Vested interests like Saudi Arabia have even blocked climate change research funding.The poor island nations have little heft or influence in the global power equation and their concerns are going to be met with silence and indifference.The Bonn Talks which are a precursor to the global talks on climate change in Cancun,Mexico has proved to be a non-event just like the December meeting is expected to be.
Rich nations’ emissions reductions pledges fall dramatically short of what is required to limit global warming to two degrees centigrade, a group of 43 small islands said on Tuesday at U.N. climate talks.This week’s 185-nation conference in Bonn is the penultimate step before the next U.N. climate conference in December. Parties are trying to make progress on shaping a successor to the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
However, rifts continue between poorer nations and wealthy countries over who should contribute the most to cutting emissions.Currently, aggregate emissions pledges from developed countries represent a reduction of 12 to 18 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, Al Binger, representing the Alliance of Small Island Nations, said at the talks.But the atmosphere could only see a 1 to 7 percent reduction by 2020 if rich nations exploit “imperfections” in the protocol, he said. | <urn:uuid:d1c65d57-4a59-43f9-b7f0-11bbf322399d> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2010/08/05/poor-island-nations-most-vulnerable-to-climate-change-highlight-rich-nations-duplicity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257826908.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071026-00175-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951742 | 508 | 2.6875 | 3 |
How healthcare builds strong girls
Babies like Isanding can grow up and develop to their full potential
The first years are the most important years of one’s life. It is a critical time for brain development and establishing strong foundations that can last a lifetime.
Did you know? In the first few years of life, more than 1 million new neural connections are formed every second. These are the connections that build brain architecture – the foundation upon which all later learning, behaviour, and health depend. [source]
The brain needs nutrition and health inputs along with care, responsiveness and stimulation in order to grow and develop to its full potential.
Isanding lives with her mum Estelle in Cameroon, where conflict has disrupted farming, leading to food shortage. At 20-month-old, she is recovering from malnutrition. “My baby girl used to be very sick and pale, with a weight of just under 9kg”, says Estelle.
Fortunately, Isanding benefitted from a feeding programme run by Plan International and the World Food Programme. “Thanks to the support and follow-up care that I have received from the feeding programme, today she is very healthy, with a weight of 11kg.”
Girls like Pauline can have their period and not feel ashamed
Some menstrual cramps can be as painful as early labour pains. And yet - to add insult to injury - girls across the world are frequently made to feel dirty or shameful for being on their period.
Did you know? Due to lack of sanitary protection and facilities, girls often have to miss days of school or work when they’re on their periods. Being forced to use improvised menstrual hygiene materials can also lead to infection.
When Pauline got her first period at school three years ago, she had no idea what was happening to her. She’d never heard about menstruation so she was horrified to find her skirt soaked with blood in front of all her classmates.
“The boys started laughing at me and I felt ashamed,” she recalls. In those days it was common for boys at her school in rural, eastern Uganda, to draw pictures of slaughtered hens to mock the girls if they noticed blood on their skirts. “Madam, it’s like this one has been raped,” they would say to their teacher.
“I did not go back to school for two months due to fear of being embarrassed by boys,” said Pauline.
In Uganda – menstruating girls are often perceived as “unclean” and are even believed to have the power to stop crops from growing!
That’s why as part of our Champions of Change programme, we’re tackling period shame and myths head on by teaching young people about menstruation. Both girls and boys are learning how to make reusable sanitary towels which are affordable and of good quality.
And they’re learning that periods are nothing to be ashamed of, too.
Women can choose if and when they have babies
Every year 7.3 million girls become pregnant before they turn 18 and an estimated 2 million girls give birth before their 15th birthday.
Shocked? So are we.
Teenage pregnancy increases when girls are denied the right to make decisions about their sexual health and wellbeing.
Without access to sexual and reproductive health services and sex education, girls are at greater risk of becoming pregnant as teens.
Did you know? Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the second highest cause of death for girls aged 15 to 19.
Nicaragua has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in Latin America. But with the support of our Girl Power project, young people are having some frank and open discussions about the risks of becoming a teen parent - and are learning how to avoid it.
Slilma*, 16, lives in a rural, coastal area of Nicaragua where the teen pregnancy rate is high. She had her daughter at 14 after her boyfriend refused to wear a condom. She hasn’t seen him since she told him she was expecting.
With the help of Plan International, Slilma is able to continue her studies whilst raising her daughter, and is determined to help other girls not fall to the same fate.
“I want to give advice to teenagers and educate them about early pregnancy. Young people shouldn’t do what I did, as being a teenage mother has had a major impact on my life. Now, girls and boys come and talk to me about issues they are facing. I was lucky to have received so much support. I am eager to use my experience positively and help others in my community.”
*Name changed to protect identity.
Women can live through childbirth and be happy, healthy parents
Every day, more than 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 99% of those deaths happened in developing countries. [source]
Most are directly related to complications during delivery that could have been prevented through access to quality essential obstetric care.
In countries with high maternal mortality rates, access to maternal healthcare services can be affected by gender inequality and women’s low social status.
Did you know? In Haiti, for every 100,000 live births, 630 women die – the highest maternal mortality rate in the Americas. [source]
Plan International handed over a fully equipped ambulance to the Haitian National Ambulance Center (CAN) with the aim of saving mother’s and newborn baby’s lives. Nadya, 28, is grateful for this. She experienced a complicated delivery as she was giving birth to her first child. “The ambulance didn’t take long to arrive. It saved my life and my son’s life.”
From October to December 2017, the ambulance was called out 80 times, taking 27 mothers and 4 babies to hospital for life-saving treatment.
Plan International is not responsible for the content of external links. | <urn:uuid:3d16b44a-2c98-468f-b874-43c80911fd5f> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://plan-international.org/how-healthcare-builds-strong-girls | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125937090.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20180420003432-20180420023432-00165.warc.gz | en | 0.972721 | 1,224 | 2.953125 | 3 |
November 9, 2008
On October 2, Governor Sarah Palin made a statement of genuine importance that demands analysis. She said “But even more important is that world view that I share with John McCain. That world view that says that America is a nation of exceptionalism. And we are to be that shining city on a hill, as President Reagan so beautifully said, that we are a beacon of hope and that we are unapologetic here. We are not perfect as a nation. But together, we represent a perfect ideal. And that is democracy and tolerance and freedom and equal rights.”
The conception of America as the “city upon a hill” was not the handiwork of Ronald Reagan. To a small number of Puritans preparing to disembark from the ship Arabella in 1630, John Winthrop, founding governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, first voiced this conviction that God had summoned the people of the New World – or at least those settling in New England – to serve as a model for all humankind.
He announced “The eyes of all people are upon us.”
Should the members of his community fail in their anointed mission, a dire fate awaited them: “we shall be made a story and a by-word through the world.” Winthrop described the core of that mission with great specificity. As Quakers would soon learn, it had little to do with values such as tolerance and equal rights. It had everything to do with forging a covenant with God, who had summoned the Puritans to create a Christian commonwealth. Hear Winthrop’s words:
“We must love one another with a pure heart fervently. We must bear one another’s burdens. We must not look only on our own things, but also on the things of our brethren… We must be willing to abridge ourselves of our su-per-fluities, for the supply of others’ necessities. … We must delight in each other; make others’ conditions our own; rejoice together, mourn together, labor and suffer together, always having before our eyes our commission and community in the work, as members of the same body.”
“Should we neglect the observation of these articles,” Winthrop continued, “and, dissembling with our God, shall fall to embrace this present world and prosecute our carnal intentions, seeking great things for ourselves and our posterity, the Lord will surely break out in wrath against us, and be revenged of such a people, and make us know the price of the breach of such a covenant.”
Andrew Bacevich says of American Exceptionalism that there are three possibilities. The first is that God does not exist. In that case, the concept of American Exceptionalism is simply nonsense – a fairy tale that may once have had a certain utility, but in our own day has become simply pernicious. To persist in this nonsense is to make it impossible either to see ourselves as we really are or to see the world as it actually is. The second is that God exists, but that he has not singled out us out as his Chosen People. God has not spoken directly on the matter. And if that is the case, Winthrop, Reagan, and Palin are remarkably presumptuous in claiming to abrogate to us such a priviledged relationship to God’s purposes and will. The third possibility is that God exists and has indeed singled us out as his New Israel. In that event, John Winthrop’s charge of 1630 demands our urgent attention – not least of all his warning of what will befall us should we be seduced by self seeking, earthly concerns and carnal desires.
Today, without a doubt, the eyes of all people are indeed on the United States – what happens here affects the world. Yet many of those who observe us don’t like what they see. The question for those who embrace the concept of American exceptionalism is this: have we kept the Lord’s covenant? If not, perhaps the time has come to mend our ways before it’s too late. Is that sound you hear even now from Wall Street God’s wrath breaking out against us?
These are the warnings of Joshua! Our Old Testament reading seems quite appropriate for today, it is about the transition of political power. The book of Joshua began with the death of Moses and the transfer of power into Joshua’s hand. Moses had led Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Under Joshua the once oppressed became the new oppressors. His genocidal campaigns “left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed” (Joshua 10:40). Cities were burned, vanquished kings were publicly hanged, wealth was plundered, and peoples were enslaved. “Extermination without mercy” (11:20) was the policy. The book of Joshua ends with his deathbed plea for political sanity as Israel settles in to the new land.
Read Joshua 24:1-3, 14-25
Joshua 24:1-3, 14-25
“Then Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and summoned the elders, the heads, the judges, and the officers of Israel; and they presented themselves before God. And Joshua said to all the people, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Long ago your ancestors—Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and served other gods. Then I took your father Abraham from beyond the River and led him through all the land of Canaan and made his offspring many.
“Now therefore revere the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.
Now if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”
Then the people answered, “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods; for it is the Lord our God who brought us and our ancestors up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight. He protected us along all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed; and the Lord drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the Lord, for he is our God.”
But Joshua said to the people, “You cannot serve the Lord, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.”
And the people said to Joshua, “No, we will serve the Lord!”
Then Joshua said to the people, “You are witnesses against yourselves that you have chosen the Lord, to serve him.”
And they said, “We are witnesses.”
He said, “Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your hearts to the Lord, the God of Israel.”
The people said to Joshua, “The Lord our God we will serve, and him we will obey.”
So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made statutes and ordinances for them at Shechem.
His plea for national sanity fell on deaf ears and instead of the reign of Joshua was followed by catastrophe. With the death of Joshua Israel began its descent into 400 years of anarchy where, in the words of the very last sentence of the book of Judges, “every person did what was right in his own eyes”. Israel’s genocides unleashed the dark forces of its own destruction. In its religious life “the word of the Lord was rare” (1 Samuel 3:1), whereas idolatry was rampant. Debauchery characterized civic morality. Judges chapter 19, for example, records the murder of a nameless woman who was gang raped all night and then dismembered, a crime so heinous that it provoked a civil war within Israel. “Think about it!” exclaims the narrator, “Consider it! Tell us what to do!” (Judges 19:30). On the economic front there were famines.
One of the things accomplished by the wanderings in the wilderness was a dying off of a generation of people who had lived a life of servitude in Egypt. None were old enough to have personal connections with Egypt. Nor could any of this new generation have any personal recall of the land and the gods from which Terah had come. Yet there were those who still worshipped the ancient ancestral gods and evidently the more recent gods of Egypt. It speaks to the sheer power of our heritage. I found that fact interesting during last week’s vote counting. I have to admit that the politics of my grandfathers are still with me.
The Faith of our Fathers’ as well as their political proclivities exercise an awesome power to shape us. And every bit as strong as the connections with our predecessors is how the values present in the context of our own life shape us. Joshua referred to these as the gods of the Amorites, the gods of the land in which Israel was then living. These are the gods served by friends and neighbors, the gods of the culture, the social petri dish, in which we swim. Joshua was clear. The gods to which our ancestors paid homage and those served by the generation of which we are a part separate us, alienate us, from the God of our salvation. Can our attraction to the gods served by our ancestors and the gods served by our culture keep us from inclining our hearts to the Lord?
The people protest that they would serve the Lord. Joshua tells them flatly that they can’t. God is holy. God is jealous. Joshua goes so far as saying that God is unforgiving, unforgiving of transgressions, and will do them harm and consume them if after embracing them as his people they reject him. Even with this warning about the dire consequences of possible, likely, maybe even certain, disloyalty the people proclaimed: “No, we will serve the Lord!”
The idols of the Old Testament and Paul’s Epistles are pretty easy to spot. What I wondered was what idolatry looks like in today’s world? We trivialize the problem with our New Year’s Resolution approach of giving up our personal gods of procrastination, perfectionism and the pursuit of consumables.
I think that in his newest book called The Limits of Power; The End of American Exceptionalism Andrew Bacevich helps us see our real idols. The country is overwhelmingly united in its discouragement and cynicism, but bitterly divided down the middle by partisan ideologies of the left and right. The root of America’s crisis rests in our notion of freedom. For most it means our sacred right to consume. But this misguided, unexamined and sacred tenet has led to “three interlocking crises” — economic and cultural, political, and military. The cultural-economic crisis expresses itself in wholesale profligacy, “a relentless personal quest to acquire, to consume, to indulge, and to shed whatever constraints might interfere with those endeavors.” Our profound addiction to cheap oil, easy personal credit, massive trade imbalances between what we export and import, and the runaway federal debt characterize this profound profligacy. Robert Wuthnow, a sociologist of religion at Princeton, after studying stewardship in the church says that preachers do a pretty good job of promoting stewardship. They study it, think about it, explain it well. But, he says, folks don’t get it. Though many of us are well intentioned, we have invested our lives in consumerism. We have a love affair with “more” — and we will never have enough. Consumerism has become a demonic spiritual force among us, and the theological question facing us is whether the gospel has the power to help us withstand it.
In a previous book, released in 2005 Bacevich, a Vietnam veteran and West Point graduate, who calls himself as a cultural conservative, describes how America’s normalization and even romanticization of war “pervades our national consciousness and perverts our national policies.” The end of the Cold War was to have ushered in a long peace with the United States as sole superpower arrogating to itself the task of reshaping the world in its own image. In reality, in the aftermath of 9/11, our government initiated a long war against global terrorism that Bacevich calls a “permanent condition.” This is a war, he says, with “no exits and no deadlines.” This long war in general, and the Iraq War in particular, have laid bare deep contradictions and dysfunctions in America. In his analysis of our military crisis, Bacevich details our illusions about war mongering and the lessons, real and imagined, that we ought to learn from Afghanistan and Iraq.
In politics he points to the concentration of power in the executive branch, the deterioration of meaningful checks and balances, an ineffectual congress, and appalling bureaucratic incompetence. Aggravating our political crisis is a “national security ideology” which specializes in disinformation and marginalizing dissent.
With true cynicism Bacevich dismisses as “the grandest delusion of all, that we can wipe the slate clean and get our nation back on track ” for that turns a blind eye to decades of national dysfunction. He says such an expectation is like the battered wife who expects that this time her husband will actually keep his oft-repeated vow never again to raise his hand against her. The American people are co-dependent.
I’m not quite so cynical, but I still can’t shake the similarity between the passage we read in Joshua, what we heard from Governor Winthrop and what awaits us in our own presidential transition. In the face of the people’s naïve commitment, as dubious as Joshua was of it, he gave them a covenant with ordinances to follow, a legal document which spelled out the rules for compliance. That didn’t work. Judges documents that fact. If it is not in putting away statues, carved by hand to represent deities thought to reside all around us; if not in statutes, covenants crafted by minds to proscribe aberrant human behavior, where do we turn? That was the question of the narrator of Judges. What do we do when “everyone does what is right in their own eyes”?
What does the Lord expect of us? Many commentators suggest that the call is to serve a living God who demands justice, mercy and righteousness first and foremost. I don’t find that in this text. We avoid the matter when we focus on rules and regulations that even with the best intentions we won’t follow. We compound the problem by constructing new theologies for people to add to their already burdensome box of beliefs. Joshua’s answer was that the people were to put away those things that distract their minds and then consciously incline their hearts to the Lord.
Inclining our hearts to the Lord isn’t symbolic. It isn’t liturgical. It isn’t creedal. But it is a choice, a decision, a commitment on our part as individuals and as a community of faith. Two verses in the Psalms speak of inclining our heart toward God. “Incline my heart to your testimonies…” (Psalm 119:36). “I have inclined my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the very end” (Psalm 119:112). To incline our heart is to cause it to long for (deeply desire) something. His grace, along with our own willingness and cooperation, guides and inclines our hearts toward God. This presumes a relationship of the heart – the seat of our affections. As the Prophets warned, iIt isn’t is practicing the sacrifices of ancient religious beliefs and it isn’t is about trying to abiding by the rules and ordinances designed to keep us from breaking our vows and covenants. This is all external. What ultimately rules our lives is what is within us, the result of having inclined our hearts to the Lord. | <urn:uuid:effc78b9-89a3-4c97-ba32-3fb2d521bb0b> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://spokanefriends.com/2008/11/11/statues-statutes-or/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623488517048.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20210622093910-20210622123910-00273.warc.gz | en | 0.96751 | 3,484 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Throughout history anti-semitism unique manifestation of hatred, intolerance,
persecution says Secretary-General in remarks to headquarters seminar
Following are Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s opening remarks at the Department of Public Information (DPI) Seminar on Anti-Semitism, in New York, 21 June:
Welcome to United Nations Headquarters.
In holding this series of seminars, the United Nations is true to one of the most sacred purposes of the world’s peoples in whose name the Organization was founded: “to practise tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours”.
No Muslim, no Jew, no Christian, no Hindu, no Buddhist -- no one who is true to the principles of any of the world’s faiths, no one who claims a cultural, national or religious identity based on values such as truth, decency and justice -- can be neutral in the fight against intolerance.
Clearly, our success in this struggle depends on the effort we make to educate ourselves and our children. Intolerance can be unlearnt. Tolerance and mutual respect have to be learnt.
Future seminars will deal with other specific groups against whom intolerance is directed in many parts of the world, notably Muslims and migrants -- groups which overlap, but each of which, sadly, encounters prejudice in its own right.
Yet anti-Semitism is certainly a good place to start because, throughout history, it has been a unique manifestation of hatred, intolerance and persecution. Anti-Semitism has flourished even in communities where Jews have never lived, and it has been a harbinger of discrimination against others. The rise of anti-Semitism anywhere is a threat to people everywhere. Thus, in fighting anti-Semitism we fight for the future of all humanity.
The Shoah, or Holocaust, was the epitome of this evil. Germany in the 1930s was a modern society, at the cutting edge of human technical advance and cultural achievement. Yet the Nazi regime that took power set out to exterminate Jews from the face of the earth.
We know -- and yet we still cannot really comprehend -- that six million innocent Jewish men, women and children were murdered, just because they were Jews. That is a crime against humanity which defies imagination.
The name “United Nations” was coined to describe the alliance fighting to end that barbarous regime, and our Organization came into being when the world had just learnt the full horror of the concentration and extermination camps. It is therefore rightly said that the United Nations emerged from the ashes of the Holocaust. And a human rights agenda that fails to address anti-Semitism denies its own history.
Worldwide revulsion at this terrible genocide was the driving force behind the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. As the Preamble to the Declaration says, “disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind”. And it was no coincidence that, on the day before it adopted the Declaration in 1948, the General Assembly had adopted the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
It is hard to believe that, 60 years after the tragedy of the Holocaust, anti-Semitism is once again rearing its head. But it is clear that we are witnessing an alarming resurgence of this phenomenon in new forms and manifestations. This time, the world must not, cannot be silent.
We owe it to ourselves, as well as to our Jewish brothers and sisters, to stand firmly against the particular tide of hatred that anti-Semitism represents. And that means we must be prepared to examine the nature of today’s manifestations of anti-Semitism more closely, which is the purpose of your seminar.
Let us acknowledge that the United Nations’ record on anti-Semitism has at times fallen short of our ideals. The General Assembly resolution of 1975, equating Zionism with racism, was an especially unfortunate decision. I am glad that it has since been rescinded.
But there remains a need for constant vigilance. So let us actively and uncompromisingly refute those who seek to deny the fact of the Holocaust or its uniqueness, or who continue to spread lies and vile stereotypes about Jews and Judaism.
When we seek justice for the Palestinians -- as we must -- let us firmly disavow anyone who tries to use that cause to incite hatred against Jews, in Israel or elsewhere.
The human rights machinery of the United Nations has been mobilized in the battle against anti-Semitism, and this must continue. I urge the special rapporteurs on religious freedom and on contemporary racism, working with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (which has recently strengthened its anti-discrimination unit), to actively explore ways of combating anti-Semitism more effectively in the future. All parts of the Secretariat should be vigilant. And of course -- as always -- we look to our friends in civil society to keep us up to the mark. It is very good to see so many non-governmental organizations represented here today.
My friends, next January it will be 60 years since the first of the death camps were liberated by advancing Soviet forces. There could be no more fitting time for member States to take action on the necessity of combating anti-Semitism in all its forms -- action comparable, perhaps, to the resolutions they adopted on apartheid in the past, or the admirable recent resolution of the Commission on Human Rights, which asked the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism to examine the situation of Muslim and Arab peoples in various parts of the world, with special reference to physical assaults and attacks against their places of worship, cultural centres, businesses and properties. Are not Jews entitled to the same degree of concern and protection?
[Member States could follow the excellent lead of the Berlin Declaration, recently issued by the Chairman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
Let me remind you that the Declaration condemned without reserve all manifestations of anti-Semitism, and all other acts of intolerance, incitement, harassment, or violence against persons or communities based on ethnic origin or religious belief, wherever they occur.
The Declaration also condemned all attacks motivated by anti-Semitism or by any other forms of religious or racial hatred or intolerance, including attacks against synagogues and other religious places, sites and shrines.
And it declared unambiguously that international developments or political issues, including those in Israel or elsewhere in the Middle East, never justify anti-Semitism.
The Berlin Declaration proclaimed those principles, which I hope the broader membership of the United Nations will adopt. Even more important, it must make sure these principles are put into practice, and carefully monitor its own progress in doing so. The fight against anti-Semitism must be our fight. And Jews everywhere must feel that the United Nations is their home too.]*
We must make this vision a reality while we still have survivors of the Holocaust amongst us -- like my dear friend Elie Wiesel, with whom I have the great honour of sharing this platform. We owe them no less.
Let me conclude by quoting something Elie wrote, which could make a wonderful mission statement for this series on “Unlearning Intolerance”:
“There is divine beauty in learning, just as there is human beauty in tolerance. To learn means to accept the postulate that life did not begin at my birth. Others have been here before me, and I walk in their footsteps. The books I have read were composed by generations of fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, teachers and disciples. I am the sum total of their experiences, their quests. And so are you.”
Elie, thank you for that, and for so much else that you have given us. Let me now yield you the floor.
* *** *
* These paragraphs have been modified to reflect what the Secretary-General intended to say. | <urn:uuid:e257aeac-0942-48c5-bb0f-31866631a1eb> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.un.org/press/en/2004/sgsm9375.doc.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105086.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20170818175604-20170818195604-00462.warc.gz | en | 0.956993 | 1,603 | 2.734375 | 3 |
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There’s a deeper reason you eat the food you eat. In some cultures, food is at the center of every household, and all the dishes drip with untold histories that can date back to their forefathers. Some people consume food because of the emotional relationship they have honed with food through time.
It might sound confusing or weird to hear, but so many adults have forgotten how to eat food normally. All children are born as normal eaters who follow the internal cues that their bodies give to them. This means that they eat what they like when they are hungry and stop when they are full.
However, as children grow older, their eating habits can be affected by external influences and pressures. This is when people start associating emotions such as fear, guilt, shame, anxiety, or suspicion to the food they eat, which will adversely affect their otherwise healthy relationship with food.
This can be strengthened even more in adulthood, especially once they are exposed to the abundance of fad diets available online. Add to that the external pressure to look a certain way or to count the calories they consume, and people start losing their healthy emotional connection to food. Over time, this will be replaced with stringent rules about what or when they can and cannot eat.
What Does a Healthy Relationship with Food Look Like?
The term “healthy” is subjective and relative, which means that a healthy relationship with food will vary from person to person. But in essence, the main point of having a healthy relationship with food is to remove the unwanted feelings that you’ve come to associate with your eating behaviors.
For instance, this healthy relationship can manifest when you don’t beat yourself up for overeating or not restricting yourself from eating the food that you want. It can also happen if you eat when you’re hungry and stop when you’re full, even if there is still food left on the plate.
A healthy relationship with food is more of an emotional connection rather than nutritious. Think of it as having a healthy relationship with your partner whom you show love and appreciation. And if things ever become abusive or unpleasant, you either try to solve the problem at hand or leave it altogether.
How Can You Begin to Create a Healthier Relationship with Food?
It can be difficult to move forward when you’ve lived your entire adult life having your eating behaviors affected by external factors, but acknowledging that some change is needed can be a start. This change won’t happen overnight, so you should give yourself enough time to adjust. Here are some ways you can begin your journey to create a healthier relationship with food:
Try Not to Feel Guilt or Shame When Eating Your Comfort Food
There’s a reason why comfort food is given that name. It’s because the food brings a sense of comfort and warmth to the person eating it, so of course, it’s supposed to be good. And most of the time, comfort food is in no way healthy, which is supposed to be okay.
But that can create a sense of guilt among those who restrict their diets and only allow themselves to eat what they want on cheat days. However, what that does is hone a mindset that good and bad food exist, when in reality, there aren’t any. At the end of the day, it all depends on a person’s eating behavior.
So allow yourself to eat your favorite deep-dish pizza guilt-free, but always in moderation. After all, even water can be harmful to your health if you drink too much of it. Stay away from the rules you’ve created around food, and you’ll be well on your way to having a healthier relationship with it.
Listen to Your Body’s Hunger Cues
Children are trained to eat on a schedule for their recess and lunch breaks at a young age. Employees also have to stick to a schedule in the workplace because not doing so is disrespectful toward others. However, what this does is train you to ignore your body’s internal cues in exchange for conformity.
And because you have little time to eat properly in between your responsibilities, it can lead you to inhale your food instead of practicing mindful eating. So not only are you ignoring your body’s cues, but you’re also treating food as nothing more than a means to satiate your hunger.
To address this, you can start by eating when you’re hungry and stopping when you’ve had enough. You can also eat more mindfully by being fully present in the experience without distractions. This may look easy to do, but putting it into practice can be so much harder.
Once you become more aware of your eating habits and behaviors, it can be easier to identify the signs of a bad relationship with food if there are still any. Working toward having a healthy relationship with food will be worth it, especially when you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want without feeling guilty afterward. | <urn:uuid:583d114e-9ab5-4013-8924-98da3e760c6d> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://www.mia-online.org/healthy-relationship-with-food/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224645595.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20230530095645-20230530125645-00504.warc.gz | en | 0.967863 | 1,029 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Author Donald Davidson wrote of the decline of Northern cities committed to progress and the past resistance of Southern cities like Charleston and Savannah to the relentless march of industrial capitalism. But, he observed the ruins all around us, “the ruins of societies no less than the ruins of cities. Over the ruins stream mobs led by creatures no longer really human – creatures who, whether they make shift to pass as educators, planners, editors, commissars, or presidents . . .” lead the way on the path to destruction.
Bernhard Thuersam, Circa1865
Southern Conception of the Good Life
“Continuity of family, of family life, and family position – irrespective of economic status – was in fact a great distinction of Charleston among old American cities; for elsewhere that continuity had been generally broken by one cause or another. With this continuity Charleston had a stability that expressed itself in the pattern of its streets and the conservatism of its architecture. The map of Charleston in 1948 was not substantially different from the map of Charleston two centuries before.
If John Stuart, whom George III in 1763 appointed superintendent of Indian affairs in the South, could have returned in 1948 to seek his home, he would have found it at 106 Tradd Street, just where he built it in 1772 – for a brief occupancy, as it happened, since the Revolution ejected him, as a Tory, rather speedily from his new house.
The secret of Charleston’s stability, if it was any secret, was only the old Southern principle that material considerations, however important, are means not ends, and should always be subdued to the ends they are supposed to serve, should never be allowed to dominate, never be mistaken for ends in themselves.
If they are mistaken for ends, they dominate everything, and then you get instability. You get the average modern city, you get New York and Detroit, you get industrial civilization, world wars, Marxist communism, the New Deal.
Historians, noting that the antebellum South was in a sense materialistic, in that it found ways of prospering from the sale of cotton and tobacco, and relied heavily upon slave labor, have had the problem of explaining why that same South developed a chivalrous, courteous, religious, conservative and stable society quite different from that which obtained in the also materialistic, but more industrialized, rational, idealistic, progressive North.
The planters’ “aristocratic” leadership was the result, not the cause, of a general diffusion of standards of judgment that all the South, even the Negro slaves, accepted a basic principle of life. Mr. Francis Butler Simkins, in his book The South Old and New, has taken securer than the average historian when he notes that the South at the outbreak of the Civil War was almost the only true religious society left in the Western world.
That old, religious South set the good life above any material means to life and consistently preferred the kind of material concerns that would least interfere with and best contribute to the good life. Its preferred occupations were agriculture, law, the church and politics – pursuits which develop the whole man rather than the specialist, the free-willed individual rather than the anonymous unit of the organized mass.
[With] reference to material means of existence, such as money, one could clinch the discourse by pointing out the traditional attitude of the Southern Negro toward work and wages. If you paid the Negro twice the normal wage for a day’s work, you did not get more work from him – that is to say, more devotion to work within a given period, with increased production as the result. Not at all.
The Negro simply and ingeniously worked only half as many days or hours as before – and spent the rest of the time in following his conception of the good life: in hunting, dancing, singing, social conversation, eating, religion, and love. This well-known habit of the Negro’s, disconcerting to employers and statisticians, was absolutely correct according to Southern principles.
The Negro, so far as he had not been corrupted into heresy by modern education, was the most traditional of Southerners, the mirror which faithfully and lovingly reflected the traits that Southerners once all but unanimously professed.
That had been the idea in Charleston too. It was what Mr. Simkins in his book, perhaps being misled by his historical predecessors, had called the “country gentleman” idea. But Charleston, which had always been urban, always a town or a city of counting-houses, warehouses, factors, bankers, financial agents, and the like, was not a city of country gentlemen, exactly.
It had agreed with the country gentleman and with others of every sort, including the Negro, on letting the relationship between work, wages and life be determined by the metaphysical judgment indicated above. That was what made Charleston Charleston and not “The Indigo City” or something of the kind.”
(Still Rebels, Still Yankees, and Other Essays, “Some Day in Old Charleston,” Donald Davidson, LSU Press, 1957, pp. 221-224) | <urn:uuid:9e6abad2-ca81-4cc5-a73d-4186b9133491> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | http://circa1865.org/2014/11/23/260/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027315936.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20190821110541-20190821132541-00182.warc.gz | en | 0.971406 | 1,060 | 2.9375 | 3 |
When Do Bengal Cats Stop Growing: The Growth Stages of Bengals and Factors That Affect Their Development
Bengal cats stop growing between 18 months and two years. They are considered fully grown once they reach this point and will not continue to grow significantly beyond this age. They stop growing after a while because they have reached their full genetic potential for size.
However, it’s worth noting that some Bengal cats may continue to fill out and gain muscle mass even after they stop growing in size. This can make them appear larger and more muscular, even if they are not growing. It is also essential to remember that each cat is an individual, and their growth and development may vary.
Table of Contents
Bengal Cat Growth Stages
Bengal cats go through several growth stages as they develop from kittens to adult cats. These stages include:
- Newborn: Bengal kittens are born blind and deaf and are entirely dependent on their mother for survival. They weigh around 3-5 ounces at birth.
- Neonatal: During the neonatal stage, from birth to weeks of life, Bengal kittens open their eyes and ears and move around more. They will also start to develop teeth and begin to eat solid food.
- Transitional: During the transitional stage, which lasts 2-3 weeks, Bengal kittens will become more active and start exploring their surroundings. They will also begin to develop their coordination and motor skills and will start to play with toys.
- Juvenile: During the juvenile stage, Bengal kittens will continue to grow and develop. They will develop their hunting instincts and engage in playful chasing and pouncing.
- Adult: Once Bengal cats reach 2-3 years of age, they are considered fully grown and have reached their adult size. They will continue to develop and mature but will not grow significantly in size beyond this point.
What Can Affect Your Bengal’s Growth
The genetic background of a Bengal cat can have a significant impact on its growth and development. As a breed, Bengal cats are the result of breeding domestic cats with Asian leopard cats, which gives them their distinctive wild-like appearance.
Bengals are a relatively new breed, and the breeding program that created them has been focused on selecting specific characteristics such as coat pattern, size, and behavior.
This breed is generally more prominent than most domestic cat breeds, with males weighing 10-15 pounds and females weighing 8-10 pounds. However, the size of a Bengal cat can also be affected by its genetic background, with some cats being larger or smaller than others.
Knowing your cat’s genetic history can help you make informed decisions about its health and care. For example, notice a cat with unusual eye color or patterning. It may be possible to trace the cat back to a particular litter to learn more about its parentage and origins. Knowing your Bengal cat’s genetic background can ensure that it receives proper care and has a healthy and long life.
Parasitic infestation can harm the growth and development of Bengal cats. Parasites, such as worms, fleas, and mites, can cause various health problems affecting a cat’s ability to absorb nutrients and grow properly.
The most common parasitic infestation is hookworm, which can cause anemia and other health problems in cats. Lice are also a common parasitic infestation in cats and can cause hair loss and itching. Fleas can also be a problem and can cause your Bengal to become sick or develop diarrhea. Ticks can also cause anemia and other health problems affecting Bengal cats, leading to slow growth and development.
If you suspect your Bengal cat may have a parasitic infestation, it’s essential to take him to a veterinarian for evaluation. Parasitic infestations are often hard to diagnose without professional help, so it’s always best to avoid risks with treatment options and risk of harm.
Diseases can significantly impact the growth and development of Bengal cats. For example, the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) attacks a cat’s immune system, making them more susceptible to other diseases. For example, cats infected with FeLV may have a slower growth rate and may be more prone to infections.
Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) is another virus that attacks a cat’s immune system and can lead to slow growth and development. Cats with FIV may also be more susceptible to infections and other diseases. Meanwhile, Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP) is a viral disease that can cause inflammation in a cat’s body, including the abdomen. This can lead to a loss of appetite, weight loss, and slow growth.
In addition, Feline Distemper, also known as panleukopenia, is caused by a virus that attacks a cat’s immune system and can lead to vomiting, diarrhea, and dehydration. These symptoms can cause a loss of appetite, weight loss, and slow growth in Bengal cats.
It’s important to note that regular veterinary checkups, vaccinations, and parasite control can prevent these diseases. Early detection and treatment of these diseases can help to minimize their impact on a Bengal cat’s growth and development.
Regular exercise is essential for your Bengal cat to stay healthy and live a long and happy life. Exercise helps your cat maintain a healthy weight and reduce the risk of obesity. It also helps promote a healthy appetite and encourages your cat to eat a balanced diet.
In addition to helping your cat stay fit and healthy, exercise also gives your cat something to enjoy besides sleeping in all day. By playing and running around, cats can release some of their energy and help keep them healthy and happy.
Exercise can be as simple as playing with your cat or taking it for a walk. But if you have the time and space, you can also look for cat-friendly activities like cat agility, cat modeling, or feline yoga.
Diet plays a crucial role in the growth and development of Bengal cats. Proper nutrition is essential for a Bengal cat to reach its full potential in size and overall health. For starters, Bengal cats need a diet high in protein to support their growth and development. Good sources of protein include meat, fish, and eggs.
Bengal cats need a diet high in fat to give them the energy they need to grow and develop. Good fat sources include fish oil, chicken fat, and sunflower oil. In addition, Bengal cats do not require a high amount of carbohydrates in their diet, but they do need some to provide them with energy. Good sources of carbohydrates include brown rice, oats, and potatoes.
Bengal cats also need a diet rich in vitamins and minerals to support their growth and development. Good sources of vitamins and minerals include fresh fruits and vegetables, such as carrots and leafy greens. | <urn:uuid:9e4ff58a-8934-4950-b6fe-152a8c5f24d1> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.mymoggy.com/when-do-bengal-cats-stop-growing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296945218.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20230323225049-20230324015049-00474.warc.gz | en | 0.956201 | 1,425 | 3.203125 | 3 |
- Research article
- Open Access
The genome sequence of Pseudoplusia includens single nucleopolyhedrovirus and an analysis of p26 gene evolution in the baculoviruses
BMC Genomics volume 16, Article number: 127 (2015)
Pseudoplusia includens single nucleopolyhedrovirus (PsinSNPV-IE) is a baculovirus recently identified in our laboratory, with high pathogenicity to the soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (Walker, 1858). In Brazil, the C. includens caterpillar is an emerging pest and has caused significant losses in soybean and cotton crops. The PsinSNPV genome was determined and the phylogeny of the p26 gene within the family Baculoviridae was investigated.
The complete genome of PsinSNPV was sequenced (Roche 454 GS FLX – Titanium platform), annotated and compared with other Alphabaculoviruses, displaying a genome apparently different from other baculoviruses so far sequenced. The circular double-stranded DNA genome is 139,132 bp in length, with a GC content of 39.3 % and contains 141 open reading frames (ORFs). PsinSNPV possesses the 37 conserved baculovirus core genes, 102 genes found in other baculoviruses and 2 unique ORFs. Two baculovirus repeat ORFs (bro) homologs, bro-a (Psin33) and bro-b (Psin69), were identified and compared with Chrysodeixis chalcites nucleopolyhedrovirus (ChchNPV) and Trichoplusia ni single nucleopolyhedrovirus (TnSNPV) bro genes and showed high similarity, suggesting that these genes may be derived from an ancestor common to these viruses. The homologous repeats (hrs) are absent from the PsinSNPV genome, which is also the case in ChchNPV and TnSNPV. Two p26 gene homologs (p26a and p26b) were found in the PsinSNPV genome. P26 is thought to be required for optimal virion occlusion in the occlusion bodies (OBs), but its function is not well characterized. The P26 phylogenetic tree suggests that this gene was obtained from three independent acquisition events within the Baculoviridae family. The presence of a signal peptide only in the PsinSNPV p26a/ORF-20 homolog indicates distinct function between the two P26 proteins.
PsinSNPV has a genomic sequence apparently different from other baculoviruses sequenced so far. The complete genome sequence of PsinSNPV will provide a valuable resource, contributing to studies on its molecular biology and functional genomics, and will promote the development of this virus as an effective bioinsecticide.
Baculoviruses are specific pathogens of the insect orders Lepidoptera, Diptera and Hymenoptera and exhibit rod-shaped nucleocapsids embedded in a crystalline protein matrix (occlusion bodies – OBs) composed of polyhedrin in nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) and granulin in granuloviruses (GVs) [1-3]. The replication cycle of the baculoviruses is characterized by production of two viral phenotypes: occlusion derived viruses (ODVs) and budded viruses (BVs). These particles are genotypically identical, but they are morphologically and functionally distinct, with the BVs involved in systemic infection within host larvae (produced in an early phase of infection) and the ODVs involved in the horizontal transmission of the virus in the host population (produced in the late phase of infection) . The Baculoviridae family consists of four genera: Alphabaculovirus (lepidopteran-specific NPV), Betabaculovirus (lepidopteran-specific GV), Gammabaculovirus (hymenopteran-specific NPV) and Deltabaculovirus (dipteran-specific NPV) [2,5,6]. Alphabaculoviruses can be further divided into Groups I and II based on DNA sequence data and differences in BVs, where the envelope fusogenic protein in Group I is GP64 and in Group II is the fusion (F) protein [7-10].
So far, 64 complete baculovirus genomes are present in GenBank, including many of the Alphabaculoviruses (45) followed by 15 Betabaculoviruses, 3 Gammabaculoviruses and the Culex nigripalpus Deltabaculovirus (CuniNPV) (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/GenomesGroup.cgi?taxid=10442). Baculovirus genomes range in size from 81.7 (Neodiprion lecontei nucleopolyhedrovirus, NeleNPV) to 178.7 kbp (Xestia c-nigum granulovirus, XcGV) with GC content below 50% and containing from 89 (NeleNPV) to 183 (Pseudaletia unipuncta granulovirus, PsunGV) predicted ORFs . The gene diversity in baculoviruses has been estimated to be about 900 genes, among which 37 (core genes) may play essential biological functions in the replication cycle . The common genomic features of the Baculoviridae family include large double-stranded circular DNA, bidirectionally oriented open reading frames (ORFs) which are distributed on both DNA strands, 37 genes common to all baculoviruses (core genes), promoters that regulate the temporal cascade of gene expression and viral genome replication in the host cell nucleus .
The soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens (syn., Pseudoplusia includens) (Walker, 1858) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae, Plusiinae) is a lepidopteran pest with restricted distribution in the Western Hemisphere, occurring from the northern United States to southern South America [14,15]. Soybean, cotton, beans, potatoes, tomatoes, tobacco, sunflower, lettuce, cauliflower, cabbage and okra are the most common crops attacked by C. includens [16-21]. However, the polyphagous C. includens was found feeding on 73 plant species from 29 different families in Brazil . Until 2003, Anticarsia gemmatalis was considered one of the most important pests on soybean and the baculovirus Anticarsia gemmatalis MNPV was widely used as a bioinsecticide on approximately two million hectares of soybeans . Recently, C. includens has begun to have an economic impact due to its population growth, causing significant losses in soybean production. Among other factors, this was attributed to a decline in natural enemies, which previously controlled the pest, and to development of resistance due to indiscriminate use of chemical pesticides in soybean fields . Other forms of control are therefore required, and for this, new baculoviruses may be strong candidates for the biocontrol of this emerging pest.
Pseudoplusia includens single nucleopolyhedrovirus (PsinSNPV) is a Group II Alphabaculovirus pathogenic to C. includens . Seven PsinSNPV (IA to IG) isolates collected on cotton and soybean crops from Guatemala and Brazil were reported to cause fatal infections in C. includens larvae . Evidence of significant genetic variations and different degrees of pathogenicity were observed among the isolates analyzed in our previous studies [24,25]. Other PsinNPV isolates, PsinNPV-USA and PsinNPV-GT, have been reported, but little is known about them .
The isolate PsinSNPV-IE was obtained from C. includens larvae collected on Brazilian soybean crops and was found to be one of the most virulent against C. includens among seven isolates analyzed . In this manuscript, we report the complete sequence and organization of the PsinSNPV-IE genome and speculate on the origin of the p26 gene within the Baculoviridae family by potentially distinct acquisition events. The analysis of the PsinSNPV genome will provide important information for a better understanding of its virulence, evolution and molecular biology. These findings may also contribute to the development of a PsinSNPV bioinsecticide for the control of C. includens.
Results and discussion
Nucleotide sequence and gene content of the PsinSNPV genome
The PsinSNPV genome was sequenced using next generation technology (NGS) on the Roche 454 GS-FLX Titanium platform. A total of 38,281 reads were obtained with an average length of 542.10 ± 67.48 bp. Pre-processing yielded 33,596 sequences, with a mean length of 350.86 ± 121.32 bp (Additional file 1). Following assembly, the size of the double-stranded circular DNA PsinSNPV genome [GenBank accession number: KJ631622] was determined to be 139,132 bp (30X coverage) with a GC content of 39.3 %, which is in agreement with the average GC content of Group II Alphabaculoviruses (GC = 41.6%) . In silico restriction digest analysis of the PsinSNPV genome was conducted, corroborating previous physical restriction maps (data not shown). The ORFs were sequentially numbered starting from the polyhedrin gene in a clockwise orientation. A total of 141 putative ORFs, including the 37 core genes present in all baculoviruses and two PsinSNPV unique ORFs (Psin5 and Psin8), were identified, comprising 80 % of the PsinSNPV genome with 69 ORFs in clockwise, and 72 ORFs in counterclockwise orientation (Figure 1).
Comparison of PsinSNPV with others Alphabaculoviruses
The PsinSNPV genome was compared with the Alphabaculoviruses ChchNPV, TnSNPV, MacoNPV-B (Group II) and the reference baculovirus, AcMNPV (Group I). The information is summarized in Table 1 and Additional file 2. As expected, the two viruses most closely related to PsinSNPV are ChchNPV and TnSNPV, sharing similar genome sizes and possessing high nucleotide sequence similarity . However, the PsinSNPV genome is 4,738 bp larger than TnSNPV and 10,490 bp smaller than ChchNPV (Table 1). Global alignment and dot matrix analysis of the PsinSNPV genome compared with ChchNPV, TnSNPV, MacoNPV-B and AcMNPV revealed that PsinSNPV is highly similar and collinear with ChchNPV and TnSNPV (70% overall amino acid identity), but not with MacoNPV-B and AcMNPV (50% overall amino acid identity) (Figure 2, Additional file 3 and Table 1). PsinSNPV shares 82 ORFs with AcMNPV, 110 ORFs with MacoMNPV-B, 134 ORFs with ChchNPV and 122 ORFs with TnSNPV (Additional file 2). The ORFs reported as unique in ChchNPV (Chch-24, −34, −36 and −90) and in TnSNPV (Tn-36 and −62) showed similarity to PsinSNPV ORFs-25, −35, −36, −88 and PsinSNPV ORF-40, −65, respectively (Additional file 2).
Replication, transcription and structural genes
The baculovirus genes are categorized based on their functions during the viral cycle as follows: DNA replication, RNA transcription, ODV and BV structural proteins or oral infectivity proteins . Baculovirus genome replication mechanisms are still not fully understood. Several studies have been developed to try to identify the genes responsible for DNA replication and translation. The essential DNA replication factors late expression factor 1 (lef-1), lef-2, lef-3, DNA polymerase (dnapol), p6.9, 38 k, helicase (hel) and immediate early 1 (ie-1) homologs are all present in the PsinSNPV genome. In addition, the PsinSNPV genome contains genes homologous to proliferating cell nuclear antigen (pcna), major early-transcribed protein 53 (me53), DNA binding protein (dbp), alkaline exonuclease (alkexo) and exon-0/ie-0, which were not identified in all baculoviruses but may influence viral DNA replication [11,27].
The AcMNPV transcription system is activated in two main stages. At first, lef-4, lef-8, lef-9 and p47 are transcribed to encode the 4 subunits of the viral RNA polymerase complex . This complex acts on gene transcription and mRNA processing, including capping and polyadenylation. Then, the transcription enhancers lef-5 and very late factor 1 (vlf-1) are transcribed . All these genes were also found in the PsinSNPV genome. In addition, some supposedly non-essential genes involved in AcMNPV transcription regulation are also present in the PsinSNPV genome: lef-6, lef-11, 39 K, lef-10 and protein kinase 1 (pk1).
The PsinSNPV genome has 28 known baculovirus genes coding for structural proteins. Genes for ODV and BV structural proteins include polyhedrin (polh), orf1629, pk1, occlusion derived virus envelope protein 18 (odv-e18), occlusion derived virus enveloped capsid protein 27 (odv-ec27), p10, viral protein 1054 (vp1054), few polyhedra protein/25 k (fp25k), desmoplakin, 41-kDa glycoprotein (gp41), telokinin-like peptide 20 (tlp20), viral protein 91 (vp91/p95), vp39, p33, odv-e25, p87/vp80, odv-ec43, odv-e66, p13, calyx/polyhedrin enveloped protein (calyx/pep), p24, per os infectivity factor 0 (p74/pif-0), pif-1, pif-2, pif-3, odv-e28/pif-4, odv-e56/pif-5 and fusion (f) protein. The six PIF genes which are components of ODVs and are involved in oral infectivity exhibited high sequence similarity to ChchNPV and TnSNPV PIFs. The genus Alphabaculovirus is divided into Groups I and II based on gene content, and in particular, the BVs fusion protein: GP64 and F protein, respectively. PsinSNPV, a Group II Alphabaculovirus, possesses the expected F protein homolog.
Nucleotide metabolism and DNA repair
Several Group II Alphabaculoviruses and Betabaculoviruses encode genes involved in nucleotide biosynthesis. PsinSNPV possesses the ribonucleotide reductase (RR) large (RR1) and small (RR2) subunits and the dUTPase protein. These RR proteins are enzymes involved in the formation of deoxyribonucleotides from ribonucleotides . The dUTPase protein is responsible for preventing incorporation of mutagenic dUTP into DNA [3,30]. Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) and poly ADP-ribose glycohydrolase (PARG) are enzymes involved in synthesis of ADP riboses that activate and recruit DNA repair enzymes [31-33]. Although it has been reported that all Group II genomes encode PARG homologs , the PsinSNPV genome is notable for its absence.
The CPD photolyase, encoded by the DNA photolyase (phr) gene, acts at cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers to repair ultraviolet (UV) -induced DNA damage. The phr gene was identified in ChchNPV [34,35], TnSNPV , Plusia acuta NPV (PlacNPV) and Thysanoplusia orichalcea NPV-B9 (ThorNPV-B9) . Studies suggest that the phr gene is conserved in Group II Alphabaculoviruses that infect lepidopteran insects in the Plusiinae subfamily of the Noctuidae family . However, the phr gene was also identified in baculoviruses that infect insects of other subfamilies, such as Spodoptera litura GV (SpliGV) (subfamily Hadeninae) , Clanis bilineata NPV (ClbiNPV) (Sphingidae family) , Apocheima cinerarium NPV (ApciNPV) (Geometridae family) and Ampelophaga rubiginosa NPV (AmpeNPV) (Sphingidae family) (unpublished, 2008) .
PsinSNPV belongs to a group where the phr gene is conserved and, as expected, its genome encodes a CPD photolyase protein (Psin68). The complete nucleotide sequence of the PsinSNPV phr gene is of 1,512 bp with GC % = 36.2%. The deduced PHR amino acid sequence of PsinSNPV, ChchNPV- PHR1, −PHR2, and TnSNPV were aligned, revealing that the PsinSNPV photolyase possesses high identity to TnSNPV and ChchNPV- PHR1 (Additional file 4). Previous studies showed that ChchNPV - PHR1 is not active when tested in an Escherichia coli photolyase deficient strain . The active copy (PHR-2) is distinct in its possession of two conserved tryptophan residues, which may be involved in an electron transfer mechanism . In the PsinSNPV photolyase protein, the tryptophan residues are replaced by histidine and tyrosine in positions 368 and 370 aa, respectively (Additional file 4). Therefore, both tryptophans are absent in the PsinSNPV photolyase, suggesting that this protein might not be active. The partial PHR amino acid sequences of PsinNPV –GT1 (EU401912); −GT2 [GenBank: EU682272], PsinNPV - USA [GenBank: EU401913] and PsinSNPV-IA to -IG isolates described in the literature [24,39] were aligned, where PsinNPV-GT1 and PsinNPV – USA isolates showed high similarity to the PsinSNPV-IA to -IG isolates. Interestingly, in contrast to other PsinNPV isolates reported so far, PsinNPV - GT2 possesses a tryptophan residue at position 368, which is thought to be essential for enzyme activity (data not shown). Further studies are needed to confirm and investigate the activity of the PsinSNPV - GT2 photolyase.
The auxiliary genes viral ubiquitin (vubi), viral cathepsin (v-cath), chitinase (chiA), 37-kDa glycoprotein (gp37), conotoxin (ctl), superoxide dismutase 29 (sod29), fibroblast growth factors (fgf), phosphotyrosine phosphatase (ptp), ecdysone glucose transferase (egt), actin rearrangement infectivity factor 1 (arif-1), inhibitor of apoptosis 2 (iap-2), iap-3 and p35/p49 were found in the PsinSNPV genome. The auxiliary genes are non-essential for DNA replication, translation or viral particle formation. However, these genes confer selective advantages to viruses as has been observed in homologs of PsinSNPV auxiliary genes described in the literature. The activity of the v-cath and chiA genes is notable in P. includens larvae infected with PsinSNPV, where the encoded proteins cause degradation and liquefaction of the host cadaver [41,42]. The fgf, ptp and egt genes were reported to be involved in host hyperactive behaviors, increasing larval motility and preventing the molt to extend insect life, respectively . The ptp gene was previously reported to be only present in Group I NPVs [3,43], however this gene is present in the PsinSNPV genome.
Homologous regions (hrs) are absent from the PsinSNPV genome
Homologous regions (hrs) are repeated sequences with an imperfect palindromic core that are distributed in the genome as singletons or arranged in tandem. These repeat sequences are present in baculovirus genomes and other closely related invertebrate viruses . These regions act as enhancers of early gene transcription in NPVs and may serve as origins of replication in NPVs and GVs . Homologous regions are a common feature found in genomes of the four genera of the Baculoviridae family. However, no typical baculoviral hrs were found in the PsinSNPV genome, which is also the case in Buzura supressaria NPV (BusuNPV) , ChchNPV, TnSNPV and Agrotis segetum GV (AgseGV) [35,36,44,45].
PsinSNPV bro genes
The PsinSNPV genome sequence contains two baculovirus repeated ORFs (bro genes), named according to their order in the genome: bro-a (ORF-33) and bro-b (ORF-69). The bro genes commonly occur in Alpha-, Beta- and Gammabaculoviruses, varying in number of copies and length among the viruses [46-50]. These genes were first reported from baculoviruses, but bro gene homologs were subsequently identified in other insect dsDNA viruses, such as entomopoxvirus and entomoiridovirus [51-53]. BRO proteins exhibit a highly conserved N-terminal DNA binding domain (BRO-N) in the first 100–150 aa and a variable C-terminal domain (BRO-C) [48,54]. The functions of BRO proteins are not clear, but were proposed to be involved in host DNA replication and/or transcriptional regulation and as a viral replication enhancer in the late phase [46,48,49,54]. Although a deletion of 425 bp (386–811) (~140 aa) is present in the PsinSNPV bro-b gene compared with the ChchNPV bro-b gene, the genes share 72% identity. The PsinSNPV bro-a gene showed higher similarity to the Lymantria xylina MNPV bro-m gene and the Mamestra brassicae MNPV bro-a gene with 58 and 53% identity, respectively. In contrast to the PsinSNPV BRO-B protein with one BRO-N domain, PsinSNPV BRO-A protein contains two BRO-N domains [Pfam: PF02498] at amino acid position 14 to 118 and 139 to 234. In addition, the PsinSNPV BRO-A protein contains a domain of unknown function DUF3627 [Pfam: PF12299] in amino acid position 334 to 423. Although PsinSNPV, ChchNPV and TnSNPV are closely related, their bro genes do not show high similarity.
ORFs unique to PsinSNPV
Two putative ORFs, Psin5 and Psin8, were found to be unique to the PsinSNPV genome. These ORFs do not show significant similarity to other previously described baculovirus ORFs and exhibit signature sequences that describe domains predicted by InterProScan 5 . Psin5 is predicted to encode a 172 amino acid (aa) protein with molecular weight of 18.73 kDa and shows low homology to a signal transducer and activator of transcription protein in the avian species, Pseudopodoces humilis [GenBank: XP_005533966] (%ID = 80%, cover = 40% and e-value = 3E-12). Psin8 is predicted to encode a 150 aa, 11.9 kDa protein, but shows no significant similarity to any genes in GenBank databases (P > 0.01). The TAAG late promoter motif, combined with a TATA early promoter (TATAAGG motif), was identified about 100 bp upstream of both the Psin5 and Psin8 start codons (5,031 and 7,219 nt, respectively). These promoters are thought to be transcribed both by the host RNA polymerase II and viral RNA polymerases , suggesting that these genes could be expressed both early and late in infection. A search was made for protein families, domains and functional sites found in transmembrane domains in the predicted Psin5 and Psin8 proteins. Using TMHMM Server v 2.0, transmembrane helices from amino acid position 79 to 101 and 148 to 170 in Psin5 and 69 to 91 in Psin8 hypothetical proteins were predicted (Additional file 5).
Two p26 homologs in PsinSNPV
Two p26 (Ac136) gene homologs were identified in the PsinSNPV genome. The function of the p26 gene is not well understood, but studies have shown that deletion of the AcMNPV p26 gene produced no differences in phenotype from wild-type AcMNPV in cells and in larvae [3,57,58]. However, a combined deletion of p26, p10 and p74 genes in AcMNPV resulted in polyhedra containing few or no virions . For this reason, p26 is thought to be required for optimal virion occlusion in the OBs.
One or more copies of the p26 gene are present in all Group I and II Alphabaculoviruses, except Spodoptera littoralis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus, SpliNPV [GenBank: AF325155]. The viruses with more than one p26 copy belong to Group II Alphabaculoviruses (Table 2). However, in Group I Alphabaculovirus genome sequences available at GenBank, Choristoneura fumiferana (Cf) MNPV, Choristoneura occidentalis (Choc) NPV and Choristoneura rosaceana (Chro) NPV contain two p26 homologs (Table 2).
The p26 gene is conserved in position, adjacent to the p10 gene in all the Alphabaculoviruses containing a single copy. The PsinSNPV p26a/ORF-20 and p26b/ORF-62 are positioned adjacent to the p10 gene and adjacent to the iap-2 gene, respectively. The copy adjacent to the iap-2 gene is also positionally conserved in all Group II Alphabaculoviruses containing two p26 copies. However, the second p26 copy in Group I Alphabaculoviruses is positioned adjacent to the ptp1 and ptp2 genes.
The phylogenetic tree obtained by Bayesian Phylogenetic Inference (BPI) using the p26 copies found in all Alphabaculovirus genomes so far sequenced showed four clearly defined clades (IA, IB, IIA and IIB) nested within the larger clades I and II (Figure 3). The clade IA contains p26 copies from Group I Alphabaculoviruses and clade II from Group II Alphabaculoviruses. Clade IB contains p26 copies also from Group II Alphabaculoviruses, except for a monophyletic group with CfMNPV_ORF31, ChocMNPV_ORF143 and ChroNPV_ORF145 from Group I Alphabaculoviruses. Clades I (IA and IB) and II correlate with the position of the genes in the genome, where clade I contains the p26 copies adjacent to the p10 gene (position 1), except for CfMNPV_ORF31, ChocMNPV_ORF143 and ChroNPV_ORF145, which are adjacent to ptp1 and ptp2 (position 3), and clade II contains the p26 copies that are adjacent to iap-2 (position 2). This clustering pattern suggests the occurrence of three independent acquisition events of the p26 gene by baculoviruses. The first acquisition event occurred in position 1 of the common ancestral genome of all baculoviruses containing this gene. The second acquisition event generated the p26 second copy in position 2 of the Group II Alphabaculovirus genome with two p26 homologs. Finally, the third acquisition event occurred in CfMNPV, ChocNPV and ChroNPV (Group I Alphabaculoviruses), inserting the second p26 copy in position 3.
The acquisition of baculovirus genes may be the results of duplication and horizontal gene transfer by transposable element and/or homologous recombination. The second acquisition event probably occurred by horizontal gene transfer. In this case, the gene duplication hypothesis can be refuted, since the similarity between p26 copies in the same virus is low (less than 30% identity). Furthermore, clades I and II are clearly separated, indicating that the p26 copies did not originate from a common, recent ancestor. In the third acquisition event, there is high similarity between the second p26 copy of the Group I Alphabaculoviruses and first p26 copy of the Group II Alphabaculoviruses, grouping these genes in the same clade (clade IB). Therefore, the second p26 copy of the Group I Alphabaculoviruses may have been acquired from a Group II Alphabaculovirus.
The isoelectric point (pI) and molecular weight (MW) of the deduced P26 protein from Alphabaculoviruses with two p26 copies were calculated, and are presented in the context of their genomic positioning (Table 2). P26 protein from position 1 showed an average pI of 6.7 ± 0.76 and average MW of 30,526 ± 2,387; position 2 P26 proteins have an average pI of 8.2 ± 0.71 and average MW of 27,354 ± 1,306; and position 3 P26 proteins have an average pI of 9.5 ± 0.07 and an average MW of 30,113 ± 24. The mean scores were examined using the Student’s t-test and the pI average showed a significant difference (p < 0.05) between the three positions. The isoelectric point difference suggests that the P26 sequence in position 3 exhibits more basic amino acids than in those in positions 1 and 2.
The presence and location of signal peptide cleavage sites in P26A and P26B amino acid sequences from PsinSNPV were analysed using SignalP v.4.1. The P26A protein showed a signal peptide cleavage site at amino acid residues 1 to 21 and the cleavage site (IMS-T) between amino acids 21 and 22 (Additional file 6). However, the signal peptide cleavage site was absent in the P26B protein. Signal peptides direct the proteins to their proper cellular and extracellular locations. The export of proteins occurs via the secretory pathway, where proteins labeled by an N-terminal signal sequence are translocated across the cytoplasmic membrane, whereafter the N-terminal signal peptide is usually cleaved by an extracellular signal peptidase.
The signal peptide cleavage sites were predicted for other P26 proteins of Alphabaculoviruses with complete sequenced genomes and the results are shown in Table 2. The presence or absence of signal peptides in P26 proteins correlates with the clustering obtained in the phylogenetic analysis, where only P26 proteins from clade IB possess signal peptides. However, four sequences belonging to this clade, LeseNPV_ORF20, EcobNPV_ORF18, OrleNPV_ORF20 and ChchNPV_ORF19, do not possess a signal peptide. The presence or absence of the signal peptide may have led to the differential results found in predicted molecular weight and isoelectric points between the P26 proteins analyzed. The presence of a signal peptide in the first p26 copy of Group II Alphabaculoviruses and in the second p26 copy of Group I Alphabaculoviruses suggests that this domain was acquired from a common ancestor of these viruses. Although the function of P26 is not well understood, the signal peptide may lead to differences in activity of the clade IB proteins compared to the P26 from other clades, which warrants further investigation.
In summary, the complete PsinSNPV-IE genome sequence is apparently different from other baculoviruses sequenced so far. The genome does not contain the typical baculovirus hrs and contains two ORFs with predicted transmembrane domains that are unique to PsinSNPV. The PsinSNPV genome, however, exhibits high sequence similarities and co-linearity to the closely related ChchNPV and TnSNPV. The PsinSNPV genome contains two p26 copies and a phylogenetic analysis of P26 sequences of Alphabaculoviruses showed three potential acquisition events of these genes within the Baculoviridae family. One of the clades comprises P26 protein with a signal peptide, indicating a possible distinct function from other classes of P26 protein. However, further investigations are needed for a better understanding of this protein in baculoviruses. This research reports the first completely sequenced genome of a strain of PsinSNPV, a currently little known baculovirus. It is anticipated that this data will both promote advances in investigations of its molecular biology and gene function and accelerate its development as a biocontrol agent.
Virus and viral DNA extraction
The Pseudoplusia includens SNPV – IE isolate, donated by Dr. Flávio Moscardi, Embrapa Soja (Londrina-PR), was obtained from an infected C. includens larva collected on soybean from a farm in Iguaraçu - PR-Brazil in 2007, and has been deposited in the Invertebrate Virus Collection at Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology. This isolate is listed in the Brazilian AleloMicro Information System under accession code BRM 005106. Viral OBs from C. includens larval cadavers were purified by differential centrifugation according to procedures described by Maruniak . DNA was extracted from ODVs as described previously [24,25]. The quality of the extracted DNA was determined by 0.5% agarose gel electrophoresis and quantified using a Qubit v. 2.0 Fluorometer (Invitrogen) according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
DNA sequence determination
The genome DNAs of seven PsinSNPV isolates (IA to IG), which have been investigated in our laboratory [24,25], were sequenced using the shotgun approach and were performed using the 454 Roche GS FLX – Titanium instrument at the Federal District (DF, Brazil) High-Performance Genome Center. Raw reads were processed using Newbler v. 2.8 (Roche Applied Science) and Biopieces scripts were used to create the fastq files. FastQC was used for quality assessment and Coral v. 1.4 was used to correct sequencing errors. PrinSeq v. 0.20.3 (Preprocessing and Information of Sequences) was applied to trim low quality reads (Phred ≤ 20) and to remove short sequences (length ≤ 50 bp). An error probability of 0.1% was allowed and 0.27% of the overall reads allowed to contain the ambiguous base ‘N’. The Phred score was measured and the mean sequence quality >30 was estimated, exhibiting an accuracy of 99.9% (Additional file 1). De novo assembly of reads from all isolates were carried out together using the MIRA assembler v. 220.127.116.11 resulting in a single contig of 148,729 bp. This scaffold was used to map the trimmed reads from the isolate PsinSNPV-IE, resulting in a final assembly for this single isolate, with a minimum coverage of 30X, representing its complete genomic sequence. SNPS and indels present in the assembled sequence were observed, since the sequenced isolate was not plaque purified, representing natural genotypic variation within PsinSNPV-IE . The final sequence was the 50% majority rule consensus of the PsinSNPV-IE reads. The polyhedrin gene was identified and the PsinSNPV circular nucleotide sequence was determined. An in silico BamHI, EcoRI, HindIII and PstI endonuclease restriction map was constructed using Geneious R6 v. 6.0.5 (Biomatters, Auckland, New Zealand) and was compared with DNA restriction profiles of PsinSNPV-IE determined previously .
Sequence data bioinformatics analysis
ORF prediction was carried out with ORF Finder (National Center for Biotechnology Information -NCBI) and Geneious (v. 6.0.5.). ATG-initiated ORFs encoding more than 50 amino acids with minimal overlaps were selected. Relevant ORFs were aligned against ChchNPV and TnSNPV genomes, and PsinSNPV-IE gene models confirmed using Artemis software . The BLASTx algorithm was used to annotate the predicted ORFs. Percentage identities between homologous genes were obtained by alignment of the proteins from whole genomes using the tBLASTn program . Global alignment of the PsinSNPV genome against other baculovirus genomes was performed and the syntenic map constructed using Mauve alignment v. 2.0 implemented in the Geneious v. 6.0.3 package [65,66]. A dot-plot analysis was applied to compare the PsinSNPV genome against ChchNPV, TnSNPV, Mamestra configurata (Maco) NPV-B and Autographa californica (Ac) MNPV using LBDotView v. 1.0 software .
Deduced protein sequences were also analysed using SignalP 4.1 Server (http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/services/SignalP/) and TMHMM (TransMembrane prediction using Hidden Markov Models) Server v. 2.0 [69,70] for prediction of signal peptide cleavage sites and Transmembrane (TM) helices, respectively.
P26 phylogenetic analysis
PsinSNPV P26a and P26b amino acid sequences were aligned using MUSCLE v. 3.5 software against the corresponding amino acid sequences from other baculoviruses with sequenced genome (Table 2). A statistical model-fitting approach was conducted using ProtTest and the LG model was selected as best-fit model for the P26 alignment. Bayesian phylogenetic inference (BPI) was conducted using MrBayes v. 3.0b4 . Because MrBayes does not support the LG model of evolution, likelihood settings were set to aamodel = mixed rates = invgamma, which allowed the best model of substitution to be selected as a parameter of the analysis . Five Markov chains were run for 600,000 generations (p < 0.01), sampling every 100 generations. The first 25% of the trees obtained in the analysis were discarded as burn-in before computing the consensus tree.
Availability of supporting data
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The authors would like to thank Orzenil Bonfim da Silva Jr for initial advise regarding genome assembly and Debora P. Paula for valuable discussions of results and suggestions. This work was supported by the following Brazilian Agencies: EMBRAPA (Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária), FAPDF/CNPq (Fundação de Apoio à Pesquisa do Distrito Federal/Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) and CAPES (Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior).
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Conceived the project and experimental design and drafted the manuscript: MEBC SRC. Performed the experiments and generated data: SRC FLM PG RCT PWI MEBC ZMAR. Participated in the analyses of bioinformatics data and results: SRC MEBC PG PWI RCT FLM. Research supervision: MEBC. Participated in the critical revision of the manuscript: SRC MEBC PG PWI RCT FLM BMR SNB. Contributed laboratory supplies and analysis tools: MEBC SNB BMR. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Results of the read-quality check. (A) Basic statistics of the raw and trimmed data. (B) Phred quality score distribution in trimmed reads.
PsinSNPV genome features and comparison of 141 putative ORFs with homologs in Alphabaculoviruses. Gray lines indicate the core genes.
Multiple genome alignment of PsinSNPV with other Alphabaculoviruses. (A) PsinSNPV genome was aligned with (B) ChchNPV, (C) TnSNPV, (D) MacoNPV-B and (E) AcMNPV using Mauve software. Local collinear blocks (LCB) are shown by boxes with identical colors and represent the homologous regions shared by two or more genomes. LCBs below the horizontal black line represent the reverse complement of the PsinSNPV LCB.
Hydrophobicity plot of the photolyase amino acid sequence of PsinSNPV. Alignment of PsinSNPV-IE, TnSNPV, ChchNPV - PHR1, −PHR2 and Drosophila melanogaster photolyase protein sequences was performed using MUSCLE v. 3.5 software. The most hydrophobic residues are colored in red and the most hydrophilic in blue. Conserved tryptophans (W) are indicated by a blue box and non-conserved by a red box.
Predicted transmembrane helices from the deduced amino acid sequences of the ORFs unique to PsinSNPV. The predicted transmembrane helices from predicted protein sequence of the PsinSNPV (A) ORF-5 and (B) ORF-8 using TMHMM Server v. 2.0 program are shown in red in Psin5 between the 79 to101 and 148 to 170 amino acids and in Psin8 within the 69 to 91 amino acids.
P26 signal peptide predicted using SignalP v. 4.1. The green line indicates the motif with high probability of comprising the signal peptide (position 1–21, mean S-score = 0.791). The cleavage site was predicted to be between Ser21 and Thy22 (IMS-TQ ; D score = 0.629).
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Craveiro, S.R., Inglis, P.W., Togawa, R.C. et al. The genome sequence of Pseudoplusia includens single nucleopolyhedrovirus and an analysis of p26 gene evolution in the baculoviruses. BMC Genomics 16, 127 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12864-015-1323-9
- Acquisition Event
- Signal Peptide Cleavage Site
- Polyhedrin Gene
- Baculovirus Genome
- Baculovirus Gene | <urn:uuid:904f93dc-996c-4d45-b805-9aff4f91898f> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://bmcgenomics.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12864-015-1323-9 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178378043.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20210307170119-20210307200119-00005.warc.gz | en | 0.852803 | 13,992 | 2.6875 | 3 |
Energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it can only change form. The source of earth's energy is the Sun. 71% of planet earth is water, which stores the Sun's energy. Water changes it's state into gas when hot and into a solid when cold. Water in the oceans vaporizes and evaporates on sunny days. Wind blows the vapors inland and rises up when it reaches land. This causes condensation, and this moisture turns into clouds. Precipitation occurs and the moisture falls as rain. Water runoff causes rivers to flow back to the oceans with minerals. Infiltration makes underground rivers flow to the ocean as well. Plankton and other plants start growing in the ocean. As well as plants grow on land. And the oceans and land evolve and fill with life. Bacteria evolved cleaning the ocean & keeping the balance. This balanced model is what we mimic with smart aquaponics
We start the model using a fish tank. In the tank, water and fish mimic the ocean. A gravel filled bed mimics the land. Recirculating water between the tank and grow-bed recreates the watercycle. Flora grows on gravel in the grow-bed. Bacteria colonizes the gravel, composting & filtering waste. Balance & sustainability is attained … until ...…Humans come into the picture. Humans farmed the land to create food . Nutrient runoff from human farms break the ocean's ecosytem. Similarly, our models break as soon as we add human elements to it. Smart aquaponics turn physical gardens into data... Mitigating many issues.
A functional overview of a smart aquaponics systems is shown below:
the micro controller part in this project is a standalone arduino compatible board using the atmega328. the function of this is to read sensors and drive actuators. it handles sensor logic and reports the status of the connected sensor through a json. string object in the serial line uart0. ie. turn on lights command is issued, light sensors reports lights are on.,
the linux computer sees the atmega part as a serial device, similar to a printer or keyboard connected to it. the linux micro uses the 'serial to network' ser2net utility to convert the atmega serial device into a network socket. so the sensors and relays on the atmega board can easily be accessed in linux using regular tcp/ip tools or as a device file /dev/ath0.
the data is then sent to a remote database application for data logging, monitoring, visualization, alerting, sharing and remote control.
Smart Controller Functional Overview
functional parts of the smart controller overview and some data flow is shown above. the two pcb boards show above are the atmega based smart controller board and the linux microcomputer board. the following stages will dig deeper into each individual block.
The Atemga Microcontroller Functional Block
there are three main functional blocks, the atmega328 standalone brains, the input section consisting of pullup/pulldown resistors chains and an open collector output stage. there is also a uart section for connecting with the linux microcomputer and a power indicator section.
The following are the electronic components used to build the smart controller boards.
a larger list is shown below.
The Atmega Code
An overview flowchart for reading sensors and...Read more » | <urn:uuid:903a8cdc-edcb-42f4-9d79-ffe3510a3659> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | https://hackaday.io/project/1877-smart-aquaponics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463609409.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20170528024152-20170528044152-00499.warc.gz | en | 0.879073 | 687 | 3.15625 | 3 |
By Cassandra Rustvold, LMSW, MEd, Trauma Therapist at Gentle Path at the Meadows
Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has the potential to transform the trajectory of one’s life in a multitude of ways. While the effects of childhood sexual abuse are largely individualized and can manifest at different points throughout the lifespan, commonly reported symptoms and long-term effects include dissociation, depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-harm, relationship difficulties, and addictive or compulsive patterns of behavior (Aaron, 2012).
The sexual functioning and sexual identity in adolescence and adulthood is a particularly vulnerable factor in survivors. When a child suffers sexual abuse, sexual arousal becomes activated prematurely and can largely impact the survivor’s sense of autonomy over their body and sexual sense of self (Roller, Martsolf, Draucker & Ross, 2009).
It can also draw early connections in the neural networks of the child’s brain that associates sex with power, fear, shame, confusion, secrecy and/or pain. It is not difficult to imagine why those whose sexuality has been impacted are more vulnerable to struggles with intimate relationships and sexuality.
When attempting to reconcile one’s abuse, a particularly confusing component for survivors of CSA is the experience of pleasurable physiological responses to their abuse, in conjunction with their emotional and psychological distress. Children who have experienced these positive and pleasurable feelings often report feelings of shame and responsibility tied to their abuse and sexuality, and may experience an overall distrust of their bodily reactions (such as arousal) or physical dissociation (Hunter, 1990 & Long, Burnett & Thomas, 2006).
This fusion of shame, secrecy and pleasure has the potential to predispose one to sexual aversion, sexual anorexia, dysfunction, or compulsion; thereby deterring them from developing healthy sexual scripts in adulthood.
Three commonly experienced symptoms of childhood sexual abuse are also cornerstones of sexual addiction: compulsivity (the inability to control one’s behavior), shame, and despair.
In sex addiction, shame and despair act as a precursor to the beginning of future cycles, where the need to keep emotional pain at bay leads to mental preoccupation as an escape. The result of this addictive cycle often includes isolation, anxiety, alienation from loved ones, a breaking of one’s own value system, and secrecy; all things that often increase feelings of despair and a yearning to escape and repeat the cycle.
When an individual is struggling with intrusive thoughts of their sexual abuse or insidious negative self-talk as a result of their abuse, the lure of escape through addictive patterns of behavior is not only compelling but sometimes a means of psychological preservation.
In Dr. Patrick Carnes’ book The Betrayal Bond, eight trauma responses common among individuals who meet the criteria for sexual addiction are identified: trauma reactions, trauma pleasure, trauma blocking, trauma splitting, trauma abstinence, trauma shame, trauma repetition, and trauma bonding.
These patterns of behaviors are often unconscious attempts to reconcile, reframe, or repair the abuse that happened in youth. Unfortunately, they do not always accomplish this task and can result in perpetuated psychological and emotional damage.
Gender differences also appear to play a role in how these difficulties manifest in adulthood and whether or not someone will seek out help.
Even in 2016, boys and men are still provided with narrow cultural and familial messages about what it means to be a masculine. This narrative includes such things as devaluing emotional expression and vulnerability, while prioritizing promiscuity and maintaining control.
Research has found that male survivors are less likely to report or discuss their trauma and more likely to externalize their responses to childhood sexual abuse by engaging in compulsive sexual behaviors (Aaron, 2012). For a male survivor of childhood sexual abuse, these expectations are in large conflict with the need to shatter the secrecy of their trauma and/or obtain and maintain healthy sexual relationships; both of which require an open and honest dialogue.
For men struggling with childhood sexual abuse and sexual addiction, learning to abstain from problematic sexual behaviors that reinforce abusive sexual scripts is just as important as learning how to develop healthy intimate bonds and create a sexual identity that is affirming.
For someone attempting to face these complex issues the importance of having acceptance and unconditional, non-judgmental support cannot be understated. It is the abusive and negative interpersonal interactions that created the pain and it is the supportive and affirming ones that have the power to lift it.
At Gentle Path at The Meadows, we specialize in creating this space while offering a host of trauma-based services that are informed by the most current understanding of the nature of trauma and its impact on the person as a whole. Additionally, the therapeutic focus at Gentle Path includes not only learning to identify which components of one’s sexuality are subtracting from the quality of their life but also identifying or creating ones to enrich it.
Give us a call today at 800-244-4949.
Aaron, M. (2012). The pathways of problematic sexual behavior: a literature review of factors affecting adult sexual behavior in survivors of childhood sexual abuse. Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity, 19(3), p. 199-218.
Carnes, P. (1997). The Betrayal Bond. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.
Hunter, M. (1990). Abused Boys: The Neglected Victims of Sexual Abuse. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.
Long, L. L., Burnett, J. A., & Thomas, R. V. (2006). Sexuality counseling: An integrative approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall.
Roller, Martsolf, Draucker & Ross (2009). The sexuality of childhood sexual abuse survivors. International Journal of Sexual Health, 21, p. 49-60. | <urn:uuid:ea941cab-b485-4450-a33e-7597b5269452> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | https://www.themeadows.com/blog/itemlist/tag/sex%20abuse | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267164750.95/warc/CC-MAIN-20180926101408-20180926121808-00253.warc.gz | en | 0.922077 | 1,205 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection affects over 350 million people worldwide and over 1 million die annually of HBV-related chronic liver disease. Although many individuals eventually achieve a state of nonreplicative infection, the prolonged immunologic response to infection leads to the development of cirrhosis, liver failure, or hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in up to 40% of patients. In endemic areas, where carrier rates are >5%, most individuals are infected perinatally, by vertical transmission, or in early childhood. In the United States, where prevalence is low except in particular areas and populations (e.g., Alaskan natives, immigrants from highly endemic areas), transmission is generally horizontal, percutaneous, or via sexual contact in adulthood. A variety of host (age at infection, gender, immune status); viral (viral load, genotype, mutation); and external (concurrent viral infections, alcohol consumption, chemotherapy) factors influence disease progression. Several variables (age at infection, gender, ethnicity, immune status) also influence the risk of chronic infection. Perinatal transmission, the most common mode of infection worldwide, can be reduced by appropriate prophylaxis (vaccination of the infant at birth together with hepatitis B immune globulin); anti-viral therapy in late pregnancy may also be beneficial. Five drugs are now FDA-approved for the treatment of HBV (interferon, lamivudine, adefovir, entecavir, and peginterferon alfa-2a), and suppressive anti-viral therapy improves the natural history of HBV. Patients with decompensated cirrhosis or HCC are highly likely to die unless they successfully undergo liver transplantation. While novel anti-viral drugs have improved the management of cirrhosis, strategies to prevent and treat HCC remain inadequate. | <urn:uuid:ba06cfe7-5616-4498-8177-85cf4d0bf52e> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16448446/?dopt=Abstract | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964358118.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20211127043716-20211127073716-00601.warc.gz | en | 0.889971 | 385 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Year 3 Music
Music lessons in year 3...
By the end of Year 3 will
Listen and Appraise: Appreciate and understand a variety of musical styles from different times and traditions.
They will continue to recognise the sound of musical instruments and basic features of key musical styles.
2. Musical Activities: Learn to sing and use their voices to create and compose music on their own and with others.
Have the opportunity to learn a musical instrument.
Listen with concentration and understanding to a range of high-quality live and recorded music.
3. Perform and share: Use their voices expressively by singing songs and speaking chants and rhymes.
Play tuned and un-tuned instruments musically.
Autumn 1 - Ballads
To sing a ballad and explain what it is.
To be able to perform a ballad with an understanding of style.
To understand that a ballad tells a story.
To be able to write lyrics for a ballad.
Autumn 2 - To combine and perform different versions of a musical motif. To take part in a group performance. Creating compositions (Mountains)
To tell a story from a piece of music through movement.
To create a soundscrape using percussion instruments.
To create a range of sounds to accompany a story.
To compose and perform a rhythm to accompany a story.
Spring 1 - Pentatonic melodies
To learn about the music used to celebrate Chinese New Year.
To play a pentatonic melody.
To write and perform a pentatonic melody.
To perform a group composition.
To perform a piece of music as part of a group.
Spring 2 - Jazz
To sing and clap a syncopated rhythm for a ragtime style song.
To improvise a call and response.
To be able to scat sing using the call and response format.
To create a jazz motif.
Summer 1- Adapting and transposing motifs (Romans)
To sing in tune and in time.
To understand what a musical motif is.
To compose and notate a motif.
Summer 2 - Traditional instruments and improvisation (India)
To explain an opinion of Indian music.
To be able to improvise using given notes.
To create a piece of music using a drone, rag and tal.
To perform a piece of music using musical notatio | <urn:uuid:b0caa8c4-f5e6-4639-9f71-a46413836df6> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://curriculum.parkfieldprimary.com/music/year-3-music | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947476442.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20240304101406-20240304131406-00744.warc.gz | en | 0.840072 | 496 | 3.96875 | 4 |
Guy de Maupassant revolutionized the short story over the brief span of his literary career, which barely surmounted a decade. In addition to masterworks like “Boule de Suif,” Maupassant achieved renown as the witty creator of stories like “The Necklace,” which relies upon a surprise twist for its impact. Despite the gimmick that underlies its construction, “The Necklace” reveals much about Maupassant’s insights into life and art.
The Class System
Maupassant, whose career paralleled the 19th-century rise of socialism in France, was a writer deeply engaged with the problem of class conflict. In “The Necklace,” Maupassant investigates the problem of material desire in a consumer culture. Mathilde suffers in the want for the luxury she observes in upper-class dinners and balls. Her attempt to mimic this lifestyle results in the story’s climax and denouement, when a piece of costume jewelry leads to her ruin and ironically reduces her to the impoverished state she sought to overcome.
Culture of Materialism
Maupassant wrote during a period known as the “Belle Epoque,” a time known for its sensuality and materialism. Predating the horrors of World War I and the Great Depression, the Belle Epoque was a period of ease and enjoyment for the intellectual class that Maupassant belonged to. Maupassant, in addition to writers like Emile Zola and Joris-Karl Huysmans, reflected upon the inherent vanity of materialism in their short stories and novels. “The Necklace” communicates a cynical opinion on the merits of wealth in its critical portrayal of Mathilde’s pursuit of luxury, which leads to her eventual ruin.
The Literary Turn
Maupassant makes use of an ironic reveal at the end of “The Necklace” in a manner similar to that of the short stories of O. Henry and the surprises contained in the works of Charles Dickens. Unbeknownst to the reader, characters persist in modes of action antithetical to their aims. In “The Necklace,” Mathilde sells herself as a domestic for years in order to repay the value of a piece of jewelry she finally learns is a fake. Maupassant here displays the ultimate inscrutability of fate and the inability of people to predict the circumstances of their destiny.
The sheer volume of Maupassant’s output often obscures the achievement of his artistry in stories like “The Necklace.” The economy of his writing had a discernible impact upon Ernest Hemingway, who incorporated Maupassant’s use of irony into short stories like “Hills Like White Elephants.” As one of his most famous stories, “The Necklace” also links Maupassant to other writers enamored of the surprise ending, such as Saki, who makes use of the device in stories like “Cousin Theresa.” | <urn:uuid:28fede94-8572-47d9-811f-14224381b594> | CC-MAIN-2019-30 | https://penandthepad.com/literary-analysis-theme-the-necklace-maupassant-21949.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-30/segments/1563195525374.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20190717181736-20190717203736-00543.warc.gz | en | 0.95315 | 636 | 2.859375 | 3 |
California governor and presidential hopeful Gavin Newsom recently reached an agreement with state legislators on yet another round of cheques to be mailed to households around the state (Luna 2022). Households will receive up to $1,050 in cash from the state government, in a manoeuvre estimated to cost almost $10 billion. This follows two previous rounds of so-called Golden State Stimulus payments to California residents in 2021.
It all constitutes quite the change of tune from May 2020, when Newsom proposed significant spending cuts in response to the downturn triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic (Office of Governor Gavin Newsom 2020). What happened?
In the early months of the pandemic, analysts and policymakers alike expressed significant concern about the impact the initial downturn and widespread lockdowns would have on state and local budgets (Bartik 2020, McNichol et al. 2020). As state and local governments in the US are generally bound by balanced-budget requirements, reduced revenues can trigger sudden disruptions of service provision and curtail the employment of state and local government employees (Clemens and Miran 2012, Shoag et al. 2019). To avoid such turmoil, the federal government has assumed responsibility for the stabilisation of state and local budgets.
And assume responsibility it did. Across four major Covid-19 relief bills, the federal government allocated about $900 billion in funds to state and local governments. This was in line with the most pessimistic estimates of revenue from early in the pandemic (e.g. Bartik 2020). Those estimates, however, ended up dramatically overestimating the impact the pandemic would ultimately have on state and local budgets. In fact, state tax revenues since early 2020 have exceeded pre-pandemic forecasts (Dougherty and de Biase 2021, National Association of State Budget Officers 2021).
There are two main reasons why early forecasts of revenue losses missed the mark (Clemens and Veuger 2020, forthcoming). First, they did not account for the other components of the policy response to the downturn, which included unprecedented amounts of support for households and firms as well as the rapid development and deployment of vaccines. These policies indirectly supported state and local governments’ tax bases, making direct assistance to state and local government less necessary. Second, they frequently relied on historical relationships between macroeconomic indicators and revenue that were quite different during the Covid-19 crisis.
We assess the consequences of the perhaps overly generous federal fiscal assistance to state and local governments in Clemens et al. (2022a, 2022b). In both papers, we exploit the fact that allocations of federal aid were far more generous to the residents of states that are more favourably represented in Congress than to the residents of states that are less favourably represented. Representation does not scale proportionately with population, in large part because each state elects precisely two Senators regardless of its population, and in part because each state gets at least one member of the House of Representatives. The resulting over-representation of low-population states (or ‘small’ states) strongly predicts their aid allocations. This leads us to use a measure of states’ per-resident congressional representation as an instrumental variable. As Figure 1 (from Clemens and Veuger 2021) illustrates, this ‘small-state bias’ led to significant differences in the amount of Covid-19 relief funding per resident received by the public sector in small states relative to large states.
Figure 1 Aid per resident by level of congressional representation
The differences in federal funds flowing to different states predicted by differences in congressional representation cannot be explained by other factors, such as prognosticated revenue shortfalls, severity of the threat to public health, or other proxies for funding needs. As a result, they allow us to avoid a standard source of bias, namely that aid tends to flow most generously to states in greatest need, as we estimate the impact of fiscal assistance on macroeconomic outcomes.
The first and main outcome of interest we analyse in Clemens et al. (2022b) is state and local government employment. Preserving state and local government employment is important both in and of itself, to ensure continued service provision, and for its role in stabilising the broader macroeconomy.
Figure 2 shows the local-projection impulse response of state and local government employment to fiscal assistance. It indicates that each $1 million in aid preserved modestly less than 18 public sector job-months across the 18 months of our sample, or to put this in more familiar terms, fiscal assistance of $855,000 was allocated for each state or local government job-year preserved. This number is quite high relative to comparable estimates from past downturns. Research on the effects of components of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, for example, has estimated costs per job-year ranging from $26,000 to $202,000 (Chodorow-Reich et al. 2012, Wilson 2012, Conley and Dupor 2013). In the pandemic context, the Paycheck Protection Program has been estimated to cost between $169,000 and $258,000 per job-year (Autor et al. 2022a, 2022b).
Figure 2 Effects of federal aid per resident on state and local government employment
Figure 3, from the same paper, shows that the impact on the broader economy was (even) more modest (see also Auerbach et al. 2021). Federal assistance to states and localities does not appear to have had a statistically significantly effect on private-sector employment, wages, income, or output. This too can be contrasted with past work on the multiplier effects of federal spending (e.g. Inoue et al. 2022). Estimates from historical downturns from the Great Depression through the Great Recession have tended to produce multiplier estimates that range between 0.5 and 2 (Ramey 2019, Chodorow-Reich 2020).
Figure 3 Effects of federal aid per resident on macro outcomes
In Clemens et al. (2022a), we and John Kearns report some more positive findings. Federal assistance appears to have helped states roll out more effective testing operations. As shown in the figure below, the testing advantage of states that received more federal funds has grown steadily since the summer of 2020.
Figure 4 Effects of federal aid per resident on total Covid-19 tests administered per 100,000
In our analysis of states’ vaccination campaigns, we find that states that received more federal funds per resident did not outperform their peers by having higher vaccination rates. It does appear that greater federal funds have led to more equitable vaccination patterns: states that received more federal money saw smaller gaps arise between the vaccination rates of residents with a college education relative to those with a high school education.
The overall picture painted by the work summarised here suggests that federal assistance to state and local governments was only modestly effective, if that, as a macroeconomic stimulus. In addition to the overly generous support allocated to state and local governments, two factors are likely key in explaining this. First, for much of the past two years, the public health situation led governments to impose restrictions on, and households and firms to voluntarily refrain from, a wide range of economic activity. These restrictions and voluntary pullbacks on economic activity may have shut down a key mechanism through which fiscal stimulus traditionally operates. Second, well before state and local governments made use of the full amount of funds they were allocated, the economy had entered a period of significant inflationary pressure. This sets the recent macroeconomic context apart from, for example, the period after the global crisis, when aggregate demand shortfalls were rampant.
The extent to which federal funds have advanced other goals of interest remains to be seen. Our analysis of states’ testing and vaccination campaigns suggests that federal funds have advanced at least some objectives of interest. The effects of federal funds on education, law enforcement, and other local public services will need to be assessed in future research.
Auerbach, A, Y Gorodnichenko, P B McCrory and D Murphy (2021), “What Covid-19 Teaches Us About Fiscal Multipliers”, VoxEU.org, 23 December.
Autor, D, D Cho, L D Crane, M Goldar, B Lutz, J K Montes, W B Peterman, D D Ratner, D Villar Vallenas and A Yildirmaz (2022a), “An Evaluation of the Paycheck Protection Program Using Administrative Payroll Microdata”, NBER Working Paper 29972.
Autor, D, D Cho, L D Crane, M Goldar, B Lutz, J K Montes, W B Peterman, D D Ratner, D Villar Vallenas and A Yildirmaz (2022b), “The $800 Billion Paycheck Protection Program: Where Did the Money Go and Why Did it Go There?”, Journal of Economic Perspectives 36(2): 55-80.
Bartik, T J (2020), “An Updated Proposal for Timely, Responsive Federal Aid to State and Local Governments During the Pandemic Recession”, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, 22 May.
Chodorow-Reich, G (2020), “Regional Data in Macroeconomics: Some Advice for Practitioners”, Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control 115: 103875.
Chodorow-Reich, G, L Feiveson, Z Liscow and W G Woolston (2012), “Does State Fiscal Relief during Recessions Increase Employment? Evidence from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 4(3): 118-45.
Clemens, J, P Hoxie, J Kearns and S Veuger (2022a), “How Did Federal Aid to States and Localities Affect Testing and Vaccine Delivery?”, NBER Working Paper 30206.
Clemens, J, P Hoxie and S Veuger (2022b), “Was Pandemic Fiscal Relief Effective Fiscal Stimulus? Evidence from Aid to State and Local Governments”, NBER Working Paper 30168.
Clemens, J and S Miran (2012), “Fiscal Policy Multipliers on Subnational Government Spending”, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 4(2): 46-68.
Clemens, J and S Veuger (2020), “Fiscal Federalism and the COVID-19 Shock in the US”, VoxEU.org, 28 September.
Clemens, J and S Veuger (2021), “Politics and the Distribution of Federal Funds: Evidence from Federal Legislation in Response to COVID-19”, Journal of Public Economics 204: 104554.
Clemens, J and S Veuger (Forthcoming), “Lessons from COVID-19 Aid to State and Local Governments for the Design of Federal Automatic Stabilizers”, Aspen Economic Strategy Group.
Conley, T G and B Dupor (2013), “The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Solely a Government Jobs Program?”, Journal of Monetary Economics 60(5): 535-549.
Dougherty, S and P de Biase (2021), “State and Local Government Finances in the Time of COVID-19”, VoxEU.org, 26 October.
Inoue, A, B Rossi and Y Wang (2022), “Why Fiscal Multipliers Estimates Change over Time and What Determines Their Magnitude”, VoxEU.org, 14 April.
Luna, T (2022), “Deal Reached on Plan for More than $9 Billion in Gas Refunds to California Drivers”, Los Angeles Times, 24 June.
McNichol, E, M Leachmen and J Marshall (2020), “States Need Significantly More Fiscal Relief to Slow the Emerging Deep Recession”, April 14, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
National Association of State Budget Officers (2021), “The Fiscal Survey of the States: Fall 2021. An Update of State Fiscal Conditions”.
Office of Governor Gavin Newsom (2020), “Governor Newsom Submits May Revision Budget Proposal to Legislature 5.14.20”, 14 May.
Ramey, V (2016), “Macroeconomic Shocks and Their Propagation”, in J B Taylor and H Uhlig (eds.), Handbook of Macroeconomics 2: 71-162.
Ramey, V (2019), “Ten Years After the Financial Crisis: What Have We Learned from the Renaissance in Fiscal Research?”, Journal of Economic Perspectives 33(2): 89-114.
Shoag, D, C Tuttle and S Veuger (2019), “Rules Versus Home Rule: Local Government Responses to Negative Revenue Shocks”, National Tax Journal 72(3): 543-574.
Wilson, D J (2012), “Fiscal Spending Jobs Multipliers: Evidence from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act”, American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 4(3): 251-282. | <urn:uuid:f82ad7d3-cf3a-4d0a-9639-39d3652754d6> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://cepr.org/voxeu/columns/covid-19-federal-assistance-state-and-local-governments-and-its-consequences | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510326.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20230927203115-20230927233115-00345.warc.gz | en | 0.914661 | 2,768 | 2.5625 | 3 |
By Dr. Mercola
With flu season just around the corner, health agencies are telling Americans to just "get your flu shot," assuring everyone that it's safe and effective. Many, like MedicineNet.com,1 chalk up any and all safety concerns as "myths."
"It's the time of year when you should be thinking about flu vaccinations for yourself and your family," they write. "Some people, however, decide not to get the flu vaccine and put themselves and others at risk of getting sick just because they believe long-held myths about the vaccine."
Myths? I think not.
Vaccine Claims are Not Based on Science-Backed Medicine
The only myth here is the unscientific claim that the flu vaccine is safe and effective and "the best way" to protect yourself against the flu. Nothing could be further from the truth. Numerous studies have shown that the flu vaccine is NOT an effective way to prevent influenza and the real-life experiences of vaccine victims offer a window into the indisputable reality that flu vaccines are NOT without serious risks.
Most recently, a University Of Minnesota study2 published in January found that flu vaccines may not offer as much protection as previously thought. The elderly, in particular, do not appear to receive measureable value from the flu shot, which is the same conclusion reached by several previous studies. Trivalent inactivated influenza vaccines also didn't offer much protection to children over the age of seven.
The study differs from other meta-analyses in that it assessed efficacy and effectiveness of licensed influenza vaccines in the US by including only those studies that used sensitive and highly specific diagnostic tests to confirm cases of influenza. Eligible articles were published between Jan 1, 1967, and Feb 15, 2011, and used RT-PCR or culture for confirmation of influenza. According to the authors:
"Influenza vaccines can provide moderate protection against virologically confirmed influenza, but such protection is greatly reduced or absent in some seasons. Evidence for protection in adults aged 65 years or older is lacking."
In essence, if you're a senior, you're taking a health risk for a theoretical health benefit that can't be confirmed and, if you're a healthy adult, it's a shot in the dark. According to this analysis, at best you'll have up to 59 percent protection IF the selected type A and B influenza strains included in the vaccine are exactly those you happen to be exposed to. If not, you'll have no protection at all. So, again, you're taking a health risk for little or no benefit. Lead researcher Osterholm told WFMY News 2:3
"We found that current influenza vaccine protection is substantially lower than for most routine recommended vaccines and is suboptimal."
Even the director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, Michael T. Osterholm, is questioning the effectiveness of the vaccine. "We have overpromoted and overhyped this vaccine, it does not protect as promoted. It's all a sales job: it's all public relations" said Osterholm.
Powerful Profile of a Vaccine Victim
While the efficacy of flu vaccines may be "suboptimal" or missing altogether, the same cannot be said about the potential health risks, so a calm, level-headed risk versus benefit analysis is crucial before you decide to get vaccinated.
I urge you to watch the profile of a flu vaccine victim below, and weigh the potential of such an outcome against the potential of having to spend a week in bed with the flu... Remember most deaths attributed to the flu are actually due to bacterial pneumonia. But these days, bacterial pneumonia can be effectively treated with advanced medical care and therapies, like ICUs, respirators and parenteral antibiotics.
While infants and young children are at greatest risk, NO ONE is exempt from the potential serious complications of vaccination, one of which is Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS). In the video above, Barbara Loe Fisher, co-founder and president of the non-profit National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), interviews a Connecticut artist and her mother, a former professor of nursing, who developed GBS after getting a seasonal flu shot in 2008 and today is permanently disabled with total body paralysis.
This family has chosen to share their heartbreaking story to help those who have had the same experience feel less alone, and to educate others about what it means to be vaccine injured. What happened to this family is a potent reminder of just how important it is to make well-informed decisions about vaccinations.
The inactivated influenza vaccine has been associated with development of GBS since 1976, when an inactivated "swine flu" shot given to millions of healthy Americans caused GBS in several hundred previously healthy Americans and there were 30 deaths.4
Early symptoms of GBS include sudden muscle weakness, fatigue and tingling sensations in the legs that can take days or weeks to spread to the arms and upper body and can become painful, eventually ending with either partial or total paralysis. When there is total paralysis, GBS becomes life-threatening because it can impair breathing and interfere with the heart rate and cause high or low blood pressure that can lead to serious complications, such as heart attack and stroke. It is important to recognize the early symptoms of GBS, whether you have been vaccinated or not, and seek immediate medical care.
All Vaccines Cause Inflammation, Can Alter Immune Response
You also need to understand that vaccines can be immune suppressive – that is, they can suppress your immune system, which may not return to normal for weeks to months. Here are just some of the other ways vaccines can impair and alter your immune response:
- Some components in vaccines are neurotoxic and may cause brain and immune dysfunction, including heavy metals such as mercury preservatives and aluminum adjuvants.
- The lab altered bacteria and viruses in vaccines may also affect your immune response in a negative way.
- Vaccines may alter your t-cell function and lead to chronic illness.
- Vaccines can trigger allergies, autoimmune or neurological disorders, particularly in individuals genetically predisposed to being unable to resolve inflammation. Vaccines introduce large foreign protein molecules into your body and induce an inflammatory response to stimulate antibodies. However, if your body responds to these foreign particles in a way that causes a type of inflammatory response that does not resolve, you can develop severe allergies, autoimmunity or brain dysfunction. In 2011, the Institute of Medicine acknowledged there is individual susceptibility to adverse responses to vaccination involving unidentified genetic, biological and environmental factors. So check your family history for evidence of allergy, autoimmunity and neurological disorders and carefully evaluate the potential individual risks of vaccination for you and your family.
The flu vaccine may also pose an immediate risk to your cardiovascular system due to the fact that vaccination elicits an inflammatory response. One 2007 study published in the Annals of Medicine5 concluded that:
"Abnormalities in arterial function and LDL oxidation may persist for at least two weeks after a slight inflammatory reaction induced by influenza vaccination. These could explain in part the earlier reported increase in cardiovascular risk during the first weeks after an acute inflammatory disorder."
Novartis Flu Vaccine Now Banned in Several Countries Following Particle Contamination
It all began on October 17, when vaccine maker Crucell, a unit of U.S. drugmaker Johnson & Johnson, suspended delivery of 2.36 million doses of their seasonal flu vaccine, Inflexal V, destined for Italy and other European countries, after discovering "problems" with two of the 32 lots.6
A week later, on October 24, Italy banned the sale and use of four flu vaccines manufactured by Novartis.7 The Italian Health Ministry issued an advisory stating that use of Agrippal, Fluad, Influpozzi and adjuvanted Influpozzi was suspended until further notice, following the discovery of white particles in the vaccines. The following day, the ban on Novartis' flu vaccines spread to a number of other countries:
On October 27, Canada also suspended sale and use of Novartis' flu vaccines sold under the names of Fluad and Agriflu, both of which are manufactured in Italy.11
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal:12
"Problems with its flu vaccines represent a new blow for the Swiss drug maker [Novartis], which has struggled with a series of manufacturing problems recently. The Basel-based company is still trying to resume production at its troubled facility in Lincoln, Nebraska, which was shut down in December because of manufacturing flaws, and recently had to recall a birth-control pill because of a packaging error.
Novartis Chief Executive Joe Jimenez in a call with journalists sought to reassure that its flu shots are safe, adding that the company is cooperating with health authorities. 'We are confident that the safety of the vaccines is assured. The lot in question had a deviation, it has been identified and put on hold and has not been released to the market,' he said. 'The manufacturing of vaccines is a complex procedure. Italian authorities are free to continue investigating,' but there is evidence that such deviations wouldn't affect safety or efficacy, Mr. Jimenez said."
Flu Vaccine for Pregnant Women Called into Question
In the U.S., trivalent influenza vaccination is universally recommended for all pregnant women, but a study13 published last year calls this practice into question. If you're pregnant, you'd be wise to consider the potential risks involved and resist being bullied into taking the flu vaccine unless you really feel it's worth the gamble.
The study examined "the magnitude, time course, and variance in inflammatory responses following seasonal influenza virus vaccination among pregnant women." The women were assessed prior to, and at one day, two days, and one week following vaccination. The analysis showed significant increases in C-reactive protein (CRP) and other markers of inflammation following the vaccinations. According to the authors:
"Trivalent influenza virus vaccination elicits a measurable inflammatory response among pregnant women... There was considerable variability in magnitude of response; coefficients of variation for change at two days post-vaccination ranged from 122 percent to 728 percent, with the greatest variability in IL-6 [cytokine interleukin-6] responses at this timepoint.
...As adverse perinatal health outcomes including preeclampsia and preterm birth have an inflammatory component, a tendency toward greater inflammatory responding to immune triggers may predict risk of adverse outcomes, providing insight into biological mechanisms underlying risk... further research is needed to confirm that the mild inflammatory response elicited by vaccination is benign in pregnancy."
There are serious questions about the safety of giving flu shots to pregnant women because stimulating a woman's immune system during midterm and later term pregnancy may significantly increase the risk that her baby will develop autism during childhood and schizophrenia sometime during the teenage years and afterward.14 This risk is not minor. According to Dr. Blaylock, it's a well-accepted fact within neuroscience that eliciting an immune response during pregnancy increases the risk of autism and schizophrenia in her offspring seven- to 14-fold!
As stated by the authors of one 2007 study in the Journal of Neuroscience:15
"Schizophrenia and autism are thought to result from the interaction between a susceptibility genotype and environmental risk factors. The offspring of women who experience infection while pregnant have an increased risk for these disorders. Maternal immune activation (MIA) in pregnant rodents produces offspring with abnormalities in behavior, histology, and gene expression that are reminiscent of schizophrenia and autism, making MIA a useful model of the disorders.
...Here we show that the cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) is critical for mediating the behavioral and transcriptional changes in the offspring. A single maternal injection of IL-6 on day 12.5 of mouse pregnancy causes prepulse inhibition (PPI) and latent inhibition (LI) deficits in the adult offspring."
More Craziness, ACIP Recommends Tdap Vaccine During Each Pregnancy
In light of the uncertainty around the safety of vaccines during pregnancy, the recent decision by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) to recommend that a tetanus-diphtheria-acellular pertussis (Tdap) booster vaccine be given to pregnant women during each pregnancy is truly mindboggling. The previous recommendation was that pregnant women only receive the Tdap vaccine if they had never previously received it.
Not only do we lack safety information about the use of vaccinations in general during pregnancy, we also do not have any information about the safety of multiple or consecutive Tdap vaccinations. Infectious Diseases in Children reported on October 24:16
"A lack of safety data about multiple Tdap vaccinations caused some hesitancy among the committee, especially when considering women who have short intervals between pregnancies. There are no data available that address this specific issue, but available data suggest that there is no excess risk of adverse events, Liang said, adding that the CDC working group supports the need for a prospective study to determine the adverse event risk in women with multiple pregnancies.
She said data indicate that the average woman has two children, and most have an interval of at least 13 months between pregnancies, meaning that most women would not receive more than two doses of the vaccine."
This is ludicrous. Since when is it wise to make widespread recommendations without ANY scientific evidence that it is safe to do so? Yet this is exactly what is happening with vaccine recommendations. We've seen this blasé attitude against safety again and again. The HPV vaccine is another excellent example of what can happen when you jump the gun and start mandating a vaccine for everyone without proper long-term safety and efficacy studies to back up your recommendation.
How to Protect Yourself During the Flu Season
Fortunately, avoiding a serious case of the flu doesn't require a flu vaccination. By following these simple guidelines, you can help keep your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far less likely to acquire the infection to begin with or, if you do get sick with the flu, you are better prepared to move through it without complications and soon return to good health.
- Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency may actually be the true culprit behind the seasonality of the flu – not the flu virus itself. This is probably the single most important and least expensive action you can take. Regularly monitor your vitamin D levels to confirm your levels are within the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml.
Ideally, you'll want to get all your vitamin D from sun exposure or a safe tanning bed, but as a last resort you can take an oral vitamin D3 supplement. According to the latest review by Carole Baggerly (Grassrootshealth.org), adults need about 8,000 IU's a day.
- Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar impairs the function of your immune system almost immediately, and as you likely know, a healthy immune system is one of the most important keys to fighting off viruses and other illness. Be aware that sugar (typically in the form of high fructose corn syrup) is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup and fruit juice.
- Optimize Your Gut Flora. The best way to do this is avoid apply the step above by avoiding sugars, processed foods and most grains, and replacing them with healthy fats and taking regular amounts of fermented foods which can radically improve the function of your immune system
- Get Enough Rest. Just like it becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my article Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to help you get quality rest.
- Have Effective Tools to Address Stress. We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off the flu and other illness. If you feel that stress is taking a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology tool such as the Emotional Freedom Technique, which is remarkably effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of events, from work to family to trauma.
- Get Regular Exercise. When you exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood flow throughout your body. The components of your immune system are also better circulated, which means your immune system has a better chance of finding an illness before it spreads. Be sure to stay hydrated – drink plenty of fluids, especially water.
- Take a Good Source of Animal-Based Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune response.
- Wash Your Hands. Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this – antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple non-toxic soap that you can switch your family to.
- Tried and True Hygiene Measures. In addition to washing your hands regularly, cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze. If possible, avoid close contact with those, who are sick and, if you are sick, avoid close contact with those who are well.
- Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples include oil of oregano and garlic. These work like broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.
- Avoid Hospitals. I'd recommend you stay away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency and need expert medical care, as hospitals are prime breeding grounds for infections of all kinds. The best place to get plenty of rest and recover from illness that is not life-threatening is usually in the comfort of your own home.
Protect Your Right to Informed Consent and Vaccine Exemptions
With all the uncertainty surrounding the safety and efficacy of vaccines, it's critical to protect your right to informed consent to vaccination and fight to protect and expand vaccine exemptions in state public health laws. The best way to do this is to get personally involved with your state legislators and the leaders in your community.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.
Mass vaccination policies are made at the federal level but vaccine laws are made at the state level. It is at the state level where your action to protect your vaccine choice rights can have the greatest impact. It is critical for EVERYONE to get involved now in standing up for the legal right to make vaccine choices in America because those choices are being threatened by lobbyists representing drug companies, medical trade associations and public health officials, who are trying to persuade legislators to strip all vaccine exemptions from public health laws.
Signing up for NVIC's free Advocacy Portal at www.NVICAdvocacy.org gives you immediate, easy access to your own state legislators on your Smart Phone or computer so you can make your voice heard. You will be kept up-to-date on the latest state bills threatening your vaccine choices and get practical, useful information to help you become an effective vaccine choice advocate in your own community. Also, when national vaccine issues come up, you will have the up-to-date information and call to action items you need at your fingertips..
So please, as your first step, sign up for the NVIC Advocacy Portal.
Share Your Story with the Media and People You Know
If you or a family member has suffered a serious vaccine reaction, injury or death, please talk about it. If we don't share information and experiences with each other, everybody feels alone and afraid to speak up. Write a letter to the editor if you have a different perspective on a vaccine story that appears in your local newspaper. Make a call in to a radio talk show that is only presenting one side of the vaccine story.
I must be frank with you; you have to be brave because you might be strongly criticized for daring to talk about the "other side" of the vaccine story. Be prepared for it and have the courage to not back down. Only by sharing our perspective and what we know to be true about vaccination will the public conversation about vaccination open up so people are not afraid to talk about it.
We cannot allow the drug companies and medical trade associations funded by drug companies or public health officials promoting forced use of a growing list of vaccines to dominate the conversation about vaccination. The vaccine injured cannot be swept under the carpet and treated like nothing more than "statistically acceptable collateral damage" of national one-size-fits-all mandatory vaccination policies that put way too many people at risk for injury and death. We shouldn't be treating people like guinea pigs instead of human beings.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
I encourage you to visit the following web pages on the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) website at www.NVIC.org:
- NVIC Memorial for Vaccine Victims: View descriptions and photos of children and adults, who have suffered vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths. If you or your child experiences an adverse vaccine event, please consider posting and sharing your story here.
- If You Vaccinate, Ask 8 Questions: Learn how to recognize vaccine reaction symptoms and prevent vaccine injuries.
- Vaccine Freedom Wall: View or post descriptions of harassment and sanctions by doctors, employers, school and health officials for making independent vaccine choices.
Connect with Your Doctor or Find a New One that Will Listen and Care
If your pediatrician or doctor refuses to provide medical care to you or your child unless you agree to get vaccines you don't want, I strongly encourage you to have the courage to find another doctor. Harassment, intimidation, and refusal of medical care is becoming the modus operandi of the medical establishment in an effort to stop the change in attitude of many parents about vaccinations after they become truly educated about health and vaccination.
However, there is hope.
At least 15 percent of young doctors recently polled admit that they're starting to adopt a more individualized approach to vaccinations in direct response to the vaccine safety concerns of parents. It is good news that there is a growing number of smart young doctors, who prefer to work as partners with parents in making personalized vaccine decisions for children, including delaying vaccinations or giving children fewer vaccines on the same day or continuing to provide medical care for those families, who decline use of one or more vaccines.
So take the time to locate a doctor, who treats you with compassion and respect and is willing to work with you to do what is right for your child. | <urn:uuid:240e9955-e600-4b3c-a05f-fec92148d19f> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/06/flu-vaccine-efficacy.aspx?e_cid=20121106_DNL_art_17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464049276780.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524002116-00020-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950169 | 4,736 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Provide superior oral and dental care to children of all ages! Pediatric Dentistry: Infancy through Adolescence Expert Consult, 6th Edition provides comprehensive coverage of oral care for infants, children, teenagers, and medically compromised pediatric patients. Organized by age group, the text covers examination, diagnosis, and treatment planning, as well as topics such as the prevention of dental disease, traumatic injuries, orthodontics, and restorative dentistry. From a team of accomplished authors and contributors led by Arthur J. Nowak, this edition includes a new Expert Consult website featuring case studies and procedural videos along with a fully searchable version of the text.
Contents: فهرست فصول
Part 1: Fundamentals of Pediatric Dentistry1. The Importance of Pediatric Dentistry2. Differential Diagnosis of Oral Lesions and Developmental Anomalies3. Anomalies of the Developing Dentition4. Oral and Dental Care of Local and Systemic Diseases5. Cleft Lip and Palate NEW!6. Fundamental Principles of Pediatric Physiology and Anatomy7. Assessment and Management of Pain in the Pediatric Patient NEW! (combines old chapters 6 and 7)8. Pain Reaction Control: Sedation9. Antimicrobials in Pediatric Dentistry10. Medical Emergencies11. Dental Public Health Issues in Pediatric Dentistry12. Dental CariesPart 2: Conception to Age Three13. The Dynamics of Change14. Examination, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning of the Infant and Toddler15. Prevention of Dental Disease16. Introduction to Dental Trauma: Managing Traumatic Injuries in the Primary Dentition17. Congenital Genetic Disorders and SyndromesPart 3: The Primary Dentition Years: Three to Six Years18. The Dynamics of Change19. Examination, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning20. Prevention of Dental Disease21. Dental Materials22. Restorative Dentistry for the Primary Dentition23. Pulp Therapy for the Primary Dentition24. Behavior Guidance of the Pediatric Dental Patient25. Periodontal Problems in Children and Adolescents26. Space Maintenance in the Primary Dentition27. Oral Habits28. Orthodontic Treatment in the Primary Dentition29. Oral Surgery in ChildrenPart 4: The Transitional Years: Six to Twelve Years30. The Dynamics of Change31. Examination, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning32. Prevention of Dental Disease33. Pit and Fissure Sealants: Scientific and Clinical Rationale34. Pulp Therapy for the Young Permanent Dentition35. Managing Traumatic Injuries in the Young Permanent Dentition36. Treatment Planning and Management of Orthodontic ProblemsPart 5: Adolescence37. The Dynamics of Change38. Examination, Diagnosis, and Treatment Planning for General and Orthodontic Problems39. Prevention of Dental Disease40. Restorative Dentistry for the Adolescent41. Sports Dentistry and Mouth ProtectionIndex | <urn:uuid:aaae8e3a-3b80-4b92-bd3a-448374f62846> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://refmedical.ir/component/jshopping/dental-refrence/pediatric-dentistry-infancy-through-adolescence-6?Itemid=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764500837.65/warc/CC-MAIN-20230208155417-20230208185417-00520.warc.gz | en | 0.795677 | 664 | 2.78125 | 3 |
Solar System Tour: Venus
Venus is the second planet out from the sun, and is just slightly smaller than Earth. It is 12,102 km across, which is about 95% the size of earth. You can see Venus in the sky in the morning or evening as a very bright “star”. In fact, for a long time it was called the “morning star” or “evenstar”. It is always pretty close to the sun in the sky because it is close to the sun in the solar system. You might think, since it’s about the same size as earth, but is closer to the sun, Venus would be a nice place to live. It would be nice and warm, maybe the whole planet’s a tropical paradise! Let’s go!
You might want to reconsider. Here’s why. About the only thing Venus and the earth have in common is their size. Venus is a really awful place. Try to think of the most unpleasant place imaginable, and I bet Venus is still worse. There’s no water on Venus, but it has a very thick atmosphere. At the surface, the pressure is 92 times the pressure here on earth. The whole planet is covered in clouds (that’s why is shines so brightly in the sky, clouds are pretty reflective). Not just any clouds though. The clouds on venus are made mostly of sulfuric acid. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Venus is the hottest planet in the solar system. That’s right, even hotter than Mercury! The reason for this is the greenhouse effect. The atmosphere on venus is almost all carbon dioxide, the same gas that is causing climate change on earth. What happens in the greenhouse effect is, energy from the sun comes in and then gets trapped by the atmosphere and can’t leave. On venus, the surface temperature is 482 degrees C (900 degrees F!). Unlike mercury, it doesn’t cool down much at night thanks to the blanket of clouds.
For a long time, nobody knew what the surface of venus looked like because all those clouds were in the way. Luckily, radar came to the rescue. Radio waves can go through the clouds easily. Radar works by sending out a bunch of radio waves, and then measuring how much gets reflected back. Several probes have been to Venus, and almost the whole surface has been mapped using radar. Here’s what it looks like underneath the clouds.
Venus has a structure similar to earth. It has an atmosphere, and a thin crust. Unlike earth, venus’ crust is probably all in one piece rather than broken into separate plates. Below the crust is a rocky mantle, and a metallic core. Scientists aren’t sure whether the core on venus is solid or not, but it is probably about the same size as earth’s core, about 6000 km across.
You might notice that, compared to mercury, venus has hardly any craters. Part of this is because of the very thick atmosphere. Stuff just burns up before it hits the ground. That’s not enough though. The lack of craters means that venus is geologically active, so its surface is pretty young. Venus has a lot of volcanic activity, 85% of its surface is covered with volcanic rock. There are huge lava flows hundreds of miles long and large plains created when lava filled low-lying areas. There are more than 100,000 small volcanoes and hundreds of large ones. The radar image below is of Sapas Mons, which is a very big volcano (250 miles across and a mile high). You can see lots of lava flows coming out from the center. They look bright because rough surfaces scatter radar waves better than smooth surfaces.
Here’s an example of some of the thousands of smaller volcanoes. Each little bump in the picture is a volcano.
Here are four “pancake” volcanoes. They form when thick lava oozes up from below onto level ground, and just expands in all directions.
You might think that, being such a nasty place, there’s no way we could ever land anything on venus. Believe it or not, the Russian space program put 10 landers on the planet between 1975 and 1982. They were called the Venera landers. Venera 13 lasted the longest: 2 hours, 7 minutes. It managed to take 14 pictures. Here’s what the surface of Venus looks like:
The pictures look distorted because of the type of lens used by the lander’s camera. The upper left and right corners show little patches of the sky. You can see part of the lander at the bottom, and the thing on the ground in the left picture is the camera’s lens cap. The rocks look like basalt, a volcanic rock found on earth.
All in all, venus is not a nice place to be. It looks nice enough shining in the morning sky, but it just stands as another reminder that looks can be deceiving. In the future we will send more probes, but the chances are very slim that people will ever walk on its deadly surface.
Check out the previous posts in the Solar System Tour:Solar System Tour, Venus | <urn:uuid:b6907947-8405-4885-b0a3-69723c57f283> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | https://martianchronicles.wordpress.com/2010/06/04/solar-system-tour-venu/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701159376.39/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205193919-00069-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9519 | 1,098 | 3.90625 | 4 |
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