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January 16, 2016
The Angono Petroglyphs is the oldest known artwork in the Philippines, dating back to 3,000 B.C.. It was discovered by National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco in 1965, and was declared by the National Museum of the Philippines as a National Cultural Treasure in 1973.
When we went to the site early last year, we didn’t get to see the actual petroglyphs as the area was under renovation. It was last month when we finally got to see the engravings of human and animal figures. | <urn:uuid:5b6805ea-b86b-4b91-b03d-cb1467a21bbf> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://couplemeetsworld.com/2016/02/04/national-museum-angono-petroglyphs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610704799741.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20210126104721-20210126134721-00767.warc.gz | en | 0.974306 | 119 | 2.640625 | 3 |
New London county. Lebanon lies 30 miles S.E. from Hartford and 10 N.W. from Norwich. First settled about 1700. Population, in 1830, 2,554. The surface of the town is uneven—moderately hilly. The soil is of a chocolate color;—a rich deep mould, very fertile, and well adapted for grass. Husbandry is the principal business of the inhabitants. The village is on a street more than a mile in length, wide, pleasant and interesting: it was the residence of the Trumbull family, celebrated for their genius and patriotism. On the family tomb, in the village, is the following inscription to the memory of the first governor Trumbull.
"Sacred to the memory of Jonathan Trumbull, Esq. who, unaided by birth or powerful connexions, but blessed with a noble and virtuous mind, arrived to the highest station in government. His patriotism and firmness during 50 years employment in public life, and particularly in the very important part he acted in the American Revolution, as Governor of Connecticut; the faithful page of History will record.
Full of years and honors, rich in benevolence, and firm in the faith and hopes of Christianity, he died August 9th, 1785, Ætatis 75."
This tomb contains the ashes of two governors, one commissary general, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. | <urn:uuid:8a1826e6-4088-4ebd-b33e-f2218f1fdd22> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://newenglandtowns.org/connecticut/lebanon | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218189092.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212949-00641-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959937 | 296 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Upside-down world: Jerry Goldsmith's landmark score for Planet of the Apes (1968)
Fitzgerald, J & Hayward, P 2013, 'Upside-down world: Jerry Goldsmith's landmark score for Planet of the Apes (1968)', Music and the Moving Image, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 32-43.
Planet of the Apes (1968) portrays an "upside-down" world populated by dominant apes and inferior, primitive humans. This article examines ways in which screen composer Jerry Goldsmith draws on a range of twentieth-century classical music techniques to create a landmark orchestral film score that enhances the impact of the strange and confronting narrative. | <urn:uuid:f22d24da-733f-44c1-8891-8b29c9906cbf> | CC-MAIN-2017-39 | http://epubs.scu.edu.au/sass_pubs/1091/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-39/segments/1505818689874.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20170924044206-20170924064206-00282.warc.gz | en | 0.772762 | 148 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Papaver somniferum pods are used to create legal and illegal opiate drugs, including opium, morphine, codeine, narcotine and heroin. The sap inside the seed pods is the source of the opiate, which is a powerful pain reliever and intoxicant. The dried seeds from the Papaver somniferum pods do not contain large amounts of the narcotic and are used in cooking, for animal feed and for their oil.Continue Reading
Papaver somniferum is the scientific name for the opium poppy. Farmers harvest the sap directly from the pods while they are still green by scraping the pod with a knife to remove the sap. Producing specific drugs involves refining the sap and mixing it with other chemicals to create the right strength and form.
When Papaver somniferum pods that have grown to maturity and are allowed to dry and produce poppy seeds, the tiny, lightweight seeds separate easily from the crushed pods. The seeds provide flavor to baked goods and make a flavorful, nutty curry. Fodder made from poppy seed oil adds fat and minerals to the diet of farm animals. Poppy seed oil is an ingredient in some wood finishes and a flavoring in food products.
In folk medicine, dried Papaver somniferum pods form the basis for a tea purported to have a mild sedative effect. This practice is dangerous because the amount of opiate varies among seed pods. All parts of the opium poppy plant are a schedule 2 controlled substance in the United States except for the seeds.Learn more about Health | <urn:uuid:c4625b06-d205-43b1-9c00-b8eb468a7a32> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | https://www.reference.com/health/papaver-somniferum-pods-used-33800848663cceb2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463608954.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20170527133144-20170527153144-00062.warc.gz | en | 0.928517 | 316 | 2.890625 | 3 |
Last week the wise and all-powerful Harvard professor Joe Nye decreed that "China Is Not Imperial Germany." I seldom take issue with Professor Nye, whose works on soft power and international public goods are go-to works for anyone researching related topics. But his China/Germany comparison is so one-dimensional that it misleads. It boils down to side-by-side comparisons between Germany and Great Britain circa 1900 and between China and the United States today. Fin de siècle Germany had overtaken Britain by many industrial and economic measures by the turn of the century. China, by contrast, still trails the United States by most metrics. Nye accepts the Chinese talking point that it will take China thirty years to catch up. Presto! The United States can take a breather while trying to fashion some sort of condominium with the Asian giant.
No one can quarrel with trying to manage relations with China amicably — Washington should, and must, make the attempt — but we should also be clear about the state of the Sino-American competition and its likely future trajectory. China is not Imperial Germany, but it need not overtake the United States outright to be a far tougher competitor than the Reich ever was. And it can do so long before three decades have elapsed. Herewith, three reasons why China is more formidable than the Kaiser's Germany:
More hospitable geostrategic setting. Germany inhabited far more forbidding surroundings than does China. It outmatched any individual European rival following its unification in 1871, but it was still flanked by great powers on all sides. Germany's margin of superiority over France or Russia, furthermore, was far slimmer than the imbalances separating China from its neighbors, particularly countries like Vietnam or the Philippines. Berlin lived in constant fear of an encircling alliance that could overpower the Reich; Beijing frets about containment, but the challenges it confronts pale next to those facing Kaiser Wilhelm and his lieutenants. Plus, Germany's major maritime rival lay across its access to the Atlantic Ocean, virtually foredooming its quest for sea power. For all Beijing's chafing at geographic obstacles that inhibit the PLA Navy's access to the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean, its fleet cannot be cordoned off nearly so easily as the High Seas Fleet was during World War I. It has far more options than did Berlin.
A faraway peer competitor. Matching Great Britain was important for Imperial Germany, which, again, lay just across the North Sea from its great maritime rival. Nearby Britain could bring its power to bear with ease, deploying the Royal Navy athwart German communications with the Atlantic. It would take superior resources, indomitable political resolve, and naval bases in either France or Norway to outflank a British blockade. Admiral Wolfgang Wegener, who served in the High Seas Fleet, implied that Berlin could have overcome Britain but for the German high command's fundamental misunderstanding of the sea. China appears far savvier about nautical endeavors than Germany. More importantly, its chief competitor is not scores but thousands of miles away. Distance is a great equalizer for China, magnifying the costs and logistical challenges to the United States of competing with China in its own backyard. A simple tallying-up of national power obscures how the tyranny of geography attenuates U.S. military strength, and thus potentially blunts Washington's diplomatic clout.
Land-based auxiliaries of sea power. Technological advances since the days of Anglo-German enmity have also amplified the advantage for regional powers defending their home ground. For the Kaiser's Germany, sea power was strictly equivalent to the fleet. To defeat the Royal Navy it had to run and win a symmetrical naval arms race. China, by contrast, is a beneficiary of plentiful, inexpensive, land-based implements of sea power. The Germans could have competed effectively with the British long before overtaking them economically, had Berlin been able to field land-based jet fighters, anti-ship cruise missiles, and anti-ship ballistic missiles. The weak can offset the advantages enjoyed by the strong, deploying artful strategy that imposes high costs on opponents at low cost to themselves. Let's take a more textured approach to historical comparisons. | <urn:uuid:9fb9a85a-8dd6-4280-8ab4-9573f4f0889f> | CC-MAIN-2022-33 | https://thediplomat.com/2013/03/three-reasons-why-china-isnt-imperial-germany-its-tougher/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-33/segments/1659882571232.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20220811012302-20220811042302-00585.warc.gz | en | 0.960479 | 863 | 2.703125 | 3 |
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Carbon Capture and Sequestration: Research, Development, and Demonstration at the U.S. Department of Energy
Specialist in Energy and Natural Resources Policy
On September 20, 2013, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) re-proposed standards for carbon dioxide (CO2) from new fossil-fueled power plants. As re-proposed, the standards would limit emissions of CO2 to no more than 1,100 pounds per megawatt-hour of production from new coal-fired power plants and between 1,000 and 1,100 (depending on size of the plant) for new natural gas-fired plants. EPA proposed the standard under Section 111 of the Clean Air Act. According to EPA, new natural gas-fired stationary power plants should be able to meet the proposed standards without additional cost and the need for add-on control technology. However, new coal-fired plants only would be able to meet the standards by installing carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology. The proposed standard allows a seven-year compliance period for coal-fired plants but would require a more stringent standard for those plants that limit CO2 emissions to an average of 1,000-1,050 pounds per megawatt-hour over the seven-year period.
The EPA had first proposed a standard limiting CO2 emissions from new power plants in April 2012 but received more than 2.5 million comments and never finalized the rule. Both the April 2012 and the September 20, 2013, proposed rule have sparked increased scrutiny of the future of CCS as a viable technology for reducing CO2 emissions from coal-fired power plants. The proposed rule also places a new focus on whether the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) CCS research, development, and demonstration (RD&D) program will achieve its vision of developing an advanced CCS technology portfolio ready by 2020 for large-scale CCS deployment.
Congress appropriated $3.4 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) for CCS RD&D at DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy in addition to annual appropriations for CCS. The large influx of funding for industrial-scale CCS projects may accelerate development and deployment of CCS in the United States. Since enactment of the Recovery Act, DOE has shifted its RD&D emphasis to the demonstration phase of carbon capture technology. However, the future deployment of CCS may take a different course if the major components of the DOE program follow a path similar to DOE’s flagship CCS demonstration project, FutureGen, which has experienced delays and multiple changes of scope and design since its inception in 2003.
To date, there are no commercial ventures in the United States that capture, transport, and inject industrial-scale quantities of CO2 solely for the purposes of carbon sequestration. However, CCS RD&D has embarked on commercial-scale demonstration projects for CO2 capture, injection, and storage. The success of these projects will likely influence the future outlook for widespread deployment of CCS technologies as a strategy for preventing large quantities of CO2 from reaching the atmosphere while U.S. power plants continue to burn fossil fuels, mainly coal. One project, the Kemper County Facility, has received $270 million from DOE under its Clean Coal Power Initiative Round 2 program, and is slated to begin commercial operation in May 2014. The 583 megawatt capacity facility anticipates capturing 65 percent of its CO2 emissions, making it equivalent to a new natural gas-fired combined cycle power plant. Cost overruns at the Kemper Plant, however, have raised questions over the relative value of environmental benefits due to CCS technology compared to construction costs of the facility and its effect on ratepayers.
Given the pending EPA rule, congressional interest in the future of coal as a domestic energy source appears directly linked to the future of CCS. In the short term, congressional support for building new coal-fired power plants could be expressed through legislative action to modify or block the proposed EPA rule.
Alternatively, congressional oversight of the CCS RD&D program could help inform decisions about the level of support for the program and help Congress gauge whether it is on track to meet its goals. A DOE Inspector General Audit report identified several weaknesses in the DOE management of awards made under the Industrial Carbon Capture and Storage (ICCS) program funded by the Recovery Act. The audit report noted that addressing these management issues would be important to future management of the program, given that DOE had only obligated about $623 million of the $1.5 billion appropriated for the ICCS program under the Recovery Act as of February 2013.
Date of Report: September 30, 2013
Number of Pages: 28
Order Number: R42496
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Posted by Penny Hill Press, Inc. at Thursday, October 17, 2013 | <urn:uuid:d6e5ab4b-74f1-4cba-9e59-d626e6d7918a> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://energylegislation.blogspot.com/2013/10/carbon-capture-and-sequestration.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1394011030107/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305091710-00092-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941089 | 1,070 | 2.734375 | 3 |
As companies and homeowners alike look for greener ways to power their homes and businesses, solar panels are becoming an increasingly popular option.
Unfortunately, how much energy a solar panel generates depends on how clean the equipment is, and it’s not always easy—or cheap—to keep the panels spotless. Dust and dirt can block sunlight and reduce the amount of energy yielded.
At Boston University, Research Professor (ECE), Professor (ECE) and Associate Professor (SMG) aim to solve this problem by designing a more self-sufficient panel with a cleaning component that would electrodynamically remove dust.
“Because cleaning solar collectors with water is expensive in desert conditions, solar plants often operate with dusty panels until water is absolutely necessary,” said Mazumder. “Electrodynamic dust removal would not require water and could be operated as frequently as needed at a miniscule cost.”
The BU team is now one step closer toward achieving its goal after the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC) awarded grants to support this research. The DOE will provide $955,340 for solar mirrors for photothermal energy conversion while MassCEC will give another $40,000 that will be used toward developing self-cleaning photovoltaic solar panels.
“The solar energy industry is growing at a rate of 33 percent or better in the U.S., and the renewable energy industry has shown strong growth since 2011,” said Mazumder, the project’s principal investigator. “It is very timely that the DOE and Mass CEC would want to invest in this project so that the solar plants can operate at their highest efficiency.”
Mazumder, Horenstein and Joglekar are now advancing prototypes that use electric fields to lift and move dust particles across the solar collector and ultimately remove them entirely. The BU team will partner with Abengoa Solar, which will assist in developing and testing the prototype devices in the field. Abengoa is currently installing the world’s largest solar plant in Arizona and is a leader in solar energy technology development. Sandia National Laboratories will also help evaluate the new solar collectors.
Mazumder has been working toward developing an electrodynamic screen for solar panels for nearly 12 years. NASA funded his initial project, which centered on developing self-cleaning panels that could be used in missions to Mars and the moon. | <urn:uuid:d7334ff4-2de6-44e1-8110-cbb58a7a56a3> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://www.bu.edu/eng/2012/09/05/designing-a-more-self-sufficient-solar-panel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221215843.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20180820042723-20180820062723-00370.warc.gz | en | 0.949517 | 521 | 3.40625 | 3 |
One of the greatest challenges of modern laboratory diagnosis is the selection of methods for fast, highly sensitive and specific detection of the infective agents. This challenge is present also in molecular diagnosing of causative agents in veterinary medicine. An example of molecular detection, the application of molecular diagnostic methods and procedures in the epizootiology of some viral infections is presented in the paper. The molecular methods play an important role in virus detection and surveillance. Out of a large number of molecular methods most frequently used are classical gel-based PCR (PCR, RT-PCR and nested PCR) and real-time PCR or RT-PCR techniques. Due to highly specificity and sensitivity these methods have been introduced as internationally recognized methods for virus detection in clinical materials. The advantage of the aforementioned molecular methods is that they are very fast and highly sensitive, and able to analyse a high number of samples. The obtained results may be used in molecular epizootiology, possibly for differentiation of filed isolates and vaccine virus strains, and for examining the samples not suitable for virus isolation. Alongside, these methods provide accurate quantification of viral particles in sample material. The detection with high sensitivity and specificity is of utmost importance in detection and typisation of the agents of highly contagious diseases and zoonoses. An example of rapid detection and sensitivity of RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR in detection and characterization of avian influenza virus in clinical material as well as BVD virus in native bull semen is presented. Besides, molecular methods may be used for other purposes. Genome fragments amplified by PCR and RT-PCR, may be sequenced and used for classification, i.e. for virus isolate genotypisation. The results obtained in this way may be used for basic molecular research in epizootiology, that will point on the source of infections, their correlation and the prevalence of the causative agents what can help in finding the answer to the question why the diseases have occurred and what are the perspective for diseases outcome in the future. Also, these examination may help in determining pathogenicity, virulence and the spread of the pathogen agents. These information are of immeasurable importance for all the procedures in disease prevention and control. The possibilities of sequencing, molecular typisation and epizootiology of BVD virus and CSF virus isolated in Vojvodina in the last years are given as an example how this method can be used.
Arhives of Veterinary Medicine is an Open Access Journal. | <urn:uuid:a8ffd694-3189-4529-b5f9-337ae1478823> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://niv.ns.ac.rs/e-avm/index.php/e-avm/article/view/192 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964363418.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20211207201422-20211207231422-00338.warc.gz | en | 0.922733 | 512 | 3.046875 | 3 |
I'm learning HTML at
www.w3schools.com/html/html_urlencode.asp and don't understand this sentence:
host - defines the domain host (default host for http is www)
scheme - defines the type of Internet service (most common is http) host - defines the domain host (default host for http is www) domain - defines the Internet domain name (w3schools.com) port - defines the port number at the host (default for http is 80) path - defines a path at the server (If omitted: the root directory of the site) filename - defines the name of a document or resource
What is the relation between "domain host" and "www"? | <urn:uuid:3ab17847-5d6f-468b-a2a6-6009d249fab4> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://webmasters.stackexchange.com/questions/69477/how-to-understand-scheme-host-domainport-path-filename | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250597458.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20200120052454-20200120080454-00272.warc.gz | en | 0.785082 | 150 | 3.4375 | 3 |
When people think of NASA, what automatically comes to mind are images of planets, stars, space shuttles and outer space. But what of inner space? How do we account for the fact that right here at home, there are depths and expanses wich remain largely unexplored? For some time, this has been a subject of lively speculation, where writers and scientists have ventured that exploration in this century will consist of underwater as well as interplanetary missions.
And it just so happens that this is also the subject of NASA’s NEEMO project – which stands for NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations. Known as an “analogue mission”, it consists of placing people in conditions similar to that of space. Oftentimes, these simulations involve centrifuges and pressure chambers in order to simulate the types of g-forces and pressure conditions of space flight. By contrast, in an analogue mission, crews will spend days working in an extreme environment and communicating with Mission Control in a way that is very similar to working on flying mission.
In any case, NEEMO 16 began yesterday when the trainees submerged to reach the Aquarius Reef Base off the coast of Key Largo, Florida. Owned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and operated by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the Aquarius Base is an 85-ton habitat that supports a crew of up to six “Aquanauts”. The habitat is pressurized to over twice normal atmospheric pressure both to keep the Aquanauts equalized to the water pressure at that depth and to allow for a moon pool where the Aquanauts can enter and leave the habitat without airlocks or hatches.
Communications are maintained with the surface via the LSB, or Life Support Buoy, which also provides the habitat with power generation, air compressors, and other support equipment. And when its all over, the Aquanauts must undergo an almost 16-hour decompression process to bring them safely back to normal atmospheric conditions, since they spend all their time saturated at the pressure of 2.5 atmospheres while underwater.
Is anybody else reminded of the movies The Abyss and Leviathan? I know I am. Damn those films were claustrophobic, another thing inner space and outer space have in common. You know the tagline from Alien: “In space, no one can hear you scream?” Well the same is true underwater. And I imagine decompression and drowning are equally horrible ways to die!
In the meantime, check out this video taken of the underwater habitat the NEEMO 16 team. | <urn:uuid:e0397851-013b-45f7-9e9a-36dc74b9c82a> | CC-MAIN-2016-18 | https://storiesbywilliams.com/2012/06/15/nasas-neemo-mission-gets-underway-in-the-atlantic/?h=t | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-18/segments/1461860118369.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20160428161518-00202-ip-10-239-7-51.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939334 | 539 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Like its neighbor Australia, New Zealand is a land with animals all its own, or, at least, birds of its own.
Originally there were no mammals at all in New Zealand aside from two kinds of bats. There are no land snakes, either. But there are plenty of birds, more than 250 kinds that can be found nowhere but New Zealand.
One of the most unusual of these is the kiwi, which is also known as the aptervx. The kiwi is a brownish bird about the size of a chicken, with a long, slender bill.
The name apteryx means “without wings” in Greek, but the bird actually does have small wings buried in its feathers. The kiwi doesn’t use these wings to fly, because it can’t fly at all, but it can run very quickly.
Believe it or not, the kiwi has its nostrils at the end of its long bill! The kiwi uses this bill the way a blind man uses a cane, poking along the ground as it walks, sniffing for the worms that form its diet.
In relation to its size, the kiwi lays the largest eggs of any bird on earth. Kiwi eggs may be five inches long and three inches wide! | <urn:uuid:e355b141-c1f9-4e30-8b1b-94c5e6e828c6> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://zippyfacts.com/what-kind-of-bird-a-kiwi-and-why-cant-it-fly/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662555558.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20220523041156-20220523071156-00132.warc.gz | en | 0.971506 | 271 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Menopause is a major turning point in the life of a woman directly related to her womanhood. Beginning of menopause marks the end of youth in a woman. It is the stage after which a woman is incapable of bearing a child. Menopause is caused when the production of estrogen hormone in the body is significantly decreased. Menopause is a stage of life not a disease.
EXACT AGE OF MENOPAUSE: The exact age of menopause differs from woman to woman. In normal women, menopause occurs somewhere between 45 to 50 years of age. In specific cases if there are surgical operations in the body like removal of uterus, it may occur earlier. It may also be late in some women due to many reasons. But, delay of menopause after 52 years is an indication of certain irregularities in the body. The ideal age of menopause is 50, affirms Sushruta, the great medical scientist of ancient India: The menstrual blood that is present in the body from the age of twelve comes to exhaustion at fifty after which the body is ruined by old age.
Much before the actual menopause women pass through a transitional period mostly in their 40′s that is known as Perimenopause. There is a decrease of fertility and decrease of frequency of ovulation and the levels of ovarian hormones is erratic.
These internal changes in the organism manifest in many ways. There are reports of irregular uterine bleeding, heavier bleeding than normal menstrual flow and spotting between menses and after intercourse etc.
MENOPAUSAL HEALTH PROBLEMS:
There is every reason to accept that no noticeable health problem was associated with menopause since time immemorial. Because the great medical scientists of ancient India like Charaka, Susruta and others who studied the human physique so minutely and attached serious importance to every small and big problem of the human organism have not given a single reference of any health disorder related to menopause. Relatively newer treatises like Bhava Praksa, Astanga Hridaya and other authentic texts of the Ayurvedic discipline have also not discussed any health problem related to menopause. In fact, the whole Ayurvedic literature may be said to be absolutely silent about menopausal health problems which is a testimony to the fact that menopause was considered as a normal change of stage in a woman’s life without any attendable health irregularity. Only some of the very recent books written by modern writers of the last few decades, have mentioned about menopause and its problems.
Therefore, it may not be wrong to conjecture that the systematic and disciplined lifestyle prevalent earlier and the comparatively high level of tolerance and more positive attitude towards life had left no scope for the development of any health syndrome after menopause.
It may not also be wrong to say that the disorders in menopause noticed now have their genesis in the modern age life style and change of psychological attitude towards life and decrease of adaptability. The modern medical science also does not differ from the view that menopausal health disorders do not have a long history but have a recent advance.
But in spite of its recent occurrence the current study reveals that menopause gives rise to various health problems in the physical, psychological and emotional level. A short study of the various impacts of menopause is as the following:
Menopause causes major physical impacts in a lady.
a) Vasomotor instability: Vasomotor instability is one of the commonest complaints of menopause. In common terminology, it is called hot flush or hot flash. A sudden increase in the flow of blood to the skin increases the body temperature by 1 to 7 degree Celsius. A sudden wave of heat spreads all over the body particularly the upper part and the face. Hot flushes are often associated with drenching diaphoresis commonly termed as night sweats. Because of the flow of heat to the skin and cooling through evaporation, the core body temperature falls and woman feels dullness. Even some women feel the dullness without experiencing the flow of heat. Hot flushes may occur monthly, weekly or even hourly.
b) Urinary complaints: A few urinary problems are noticed in women in the post menopausal period. Frequent urinary tract infection is one of them. There are also complaints of urinary incontinence (involuntary flow of urine), frequency (urinating more frequently), urgency (feeling the urge of urination even when the bladder is not full), nocturia (urinating frequently during night), dysuria (painful urination) and stress incontinence (urine leakage during caughing, laughing, sneezing or lifting a heavy weight).
c) Vaginal problems: Loss of estrogen results in vaginal (pruritus) (itching) and irritation. Vaginal inflammation and petechia (spots due to hemorrhage) are seen on the vaginal wall. Decrease of vaginal fluid results in vaginal dryness and resultant infection.
d) Genital prolapse: Estrogen acts as receptors to all the supports of the uterus and the vagina. Therefore, lack of estrogen results in loss of elasticity, tensile strength and the muscle mass in the supports. As a result, various kinds of genital prolapses like anterior vaginal wall prolapse, posterior vaginal wall prolapse, uterine prolapse and vault prolapse commonly occur after menopause.
e) Skin problems: Decrease in estrogen makes the skin lose its elasticity and glow. Skin is dry and thin. Urticarial rashes are experienced by many women.
f) Musculoskeletal problems: Joint pain, low back ache, and diffused muscular pain in the body are common after menopause. Osteoporosis is yet another serious menopausal consequence resulted in the physique. Less production of estrogen results in thinning of bones which results in a potential threat of fracture of bone especially of the hip and spine. Osteoporosis invariably causes a stooping shoulder and a hunched back. Osteoarthritis is yet another grave problem after menopause.
g) Dental problems: Weakening and loss of teeth is one of the postmenopausal complaints. Gingival inflammation and bleeding (inflammation of the gums and bleeding from the same) are frequent in the period.
h) Hair problems: Loss of hair in the scalp and appearance of hair in the facial region is often observed in the postmenopausal life.
i) Easy fatigue: It is a very common complaint among ladies in their postmenopausal period. Ladies feel tired by lesser exertion than before.
j) Insomnia: Insomnia is not getting required amount of sleep. Many ladies after menopause have the complaint of not having a sound sleep and not feeling sleepy till late night.
k) Weight gain: Deposit of fat mainly in the abdomen area and the thighs is noticed in postmenopausal years.
l) Ocular problems: Various ocular problems are associated with menopause. Swollen and reddened eyelids, blurred vision, tired eyes, increased lacrimation (tearful eyes), sensitivity to light, foreign-body sensation, scratchiness and such other ocular problems are invariably noticed in the postmenopausal life.
m) Increase of cholesterol: Many ladies report increase of cholesterol in this period. Women are prone to threats of cardiovascular disorders.
n) Painful intercourse: After menopause there is a significant decrease in sexual desire in the lady. Intercourse, if at all, is painful due to vaginal dryness.
Psychological problems are more prominent in menopause than the physical ones. A short list of the psychological problems is as follows:
1. Depression: The major complaint in almost all ladies in the postmenopausal life is depression. Feeling sad for non achievement of happiness and desired objects is the great problem in the post menopausal period.
2. Impairment of memory: Capacity of mental retention of facts is greatly lessened in the later life of women which is greatly attributed to menopause.
3. Reduced concentration: Lack of concentration on a subject for a long time is invariably noticed in the postmenopausal period.
4. Irritation and anxiety: Irritation in small or no cause and feeling anxious for no sufficient reasons are also the aftermaths of menopause.
5. Mental lethargy: Mental lethargy is lack of enthusiasm to do anything. Feeling disinterested is a complaint of many women during the period.
Crossing the most attractive part of the life i.e. the youth is not easily accepted by many women. A sense of deprivation and loss prevails in many women mainly in the extrovert ladies. Some feel their husbands are no more interested in them because they are no more attractive. Others feel that children are maintaining distance from them because they no more need their care. Menopause is emotionally most painful for women for whom attractive look is the means to earn public appreciation and fame without which they lose the same.
YOGIC MANAGEMENT OF MENOPAUSAL PROBLEMS:
Yoga offers many practices to successfully manage the problems of menopause and its affects on women. Following are some of the practices which help in countering many problems of menopause:
a) Vaginal problems: Marjari Asana, Simhasana and Vyaghrasana help in toning up the female organ. They help in managing the vaginal problems like petechia, vaginal irritation and the like.
b) Prolapse: Vyaghrasana and Mulabandha help in contracting the vaginal region and hence help in preventing prolapse.
c) Urinary incontinence: Mulabandha is greatly helpful in preventing urinary incontinence.
d) Joint pain and osteoarthritis: Practice of various postures of Pavanamuktasana is a great help in managing joint pain and osteoarthiritis.
e) Stooping shoulder and hunched back: Practice of Ustrasana, Ardhaustrasana, Bhujangasana and Sarpasana are extremely helpful in correcting and preventing the stooping shoulder and hunched back.
f) Reduction of fat: Paschimottanasana, Yogamudra, Sasankasana, Naukasana, Agnisara Kriya, Kapalabhati and Bhastrika are helpful in reducing fats mainly from the abdominal area. Salabhasana is helpful in reducing fat from the thighs. Practice of Suryanamaskar is highly effective in reducing fat deposits from the whole body proportionately.
g) Insomnia: Savasana, Matsyakridasana, Makarasana and Adhvasana relax the muscles of the body and relieve tension from the mind and hence are effective in combating insomnia. Irritation and anxiety are also reduced significantly when the physique is relaxed. Savasana has been described as a practice which relieves tiredness and gives rest to the mind.
h) Ocular problems: Practice of Trataka is extremely helpful in managing the ocular problems. Swami Swatmarama is also of the view that Trataka cures many eye diseases.
i) Lethargy: Trataka is equally helpful in removing lethargy. Trataka has been rightly described as a practice which removes the hurdle of lethargy. Suryanamaskara is an excellent practice for removing lethargy and inducing enthusiasm.
j) Loss of calcium and estrogen: Pranayama is the greatest panacea for hundreds of health problems. It is therefore said : (A flawless practice of Pranayama relieves one of all diseases). Pranayama, in general, works magically in managing the losses the body incurs after menopause. Nadisodhana Pranayama is a practice in which air is inhaled and retained for a particular length of time and then exhaled. It fills the lungs with sufficient oxygen. Air moves to the remotest capillaries which normally do not get sufficient air. This provides more oxygen to the body. Blood is oxygenated more perfectly. This makes up the loss of calcium in the body and prevents osteoporosis. It also balances the endocrinological imbalances in the body. All other Pranayamas are very helpful in rejuvenating the body. It is therefore symbolically said that an old man becomes young by the practice of Pranayama: (The Yogi, by the practice of Pranayama is free from old age problems and becomes like a boy of sixteen years.)
k) Increased cholesterol: Kapalabhati is a Knya in which air is inhaled and exhaled with force. It is greatly helpful in balancing excess of cholestrol. Nadisodhana is beneficial for the management of cardiovascular problems.
1) Impaired memory and concentration: Bhraman Pranayama is a practice which is performed by creating a long and repeated nasal sound which helps in activating the brain and supplying more oxygen to the same. This is helpful in preventing loss and impairment of memory. It also manages the loss of concentration. Trataka, Dharana and Dhyana are also helpful in enhancing concentration.
m) Depression, irritation and anxiety: Asanas like Savasana, Matsyakridasana, Makarasana and Adhvasana are greatly helpful in pacifying irritation and anxiety. Practice of meditation helps in overcoming almost all the psychological problems. Practice of Bhramari Pranayama greatly relieves depression since it generates unmatched happiness in the mind of the practitioner.
Apart from the above a few supportive practices are beneficial in combating the menopausal syndrome which may be listed as the following: Dietary discipline: No Yogic practice is ever fruitful without some dietary disciplines attached to it. Sage Gheranda rightly comments: (A person who practices Yoga without disciplining his diet is prone to various diseases and he is never successful in his yogic endeavour.)
Therefore ladies who wish to counter menopausal problems should adhere to some restrictions in taking food. Abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables rich in calcium and vitamins should be the priority. Avoiding junk food, spicy and fatty eatables is conducive for the purpose. Drinking sufficient water is a good dietary practice which relieves many health problems.
Swadhyaya: Swadhyaya is an important component of Yoga. Swadhyaya has two parts viz. chanting of Mantras and reading spiritual books. Practice of Swadhyaya elevates a person spiritually. It calms down the mind and makes a man tolerant towards the diversities of life.
Iswarapranidhana: Iswara Pranidhana is surrendering all one’s a/ctions to God or being detached to the results thereof. This is a great help in combating the psychological and o emotional problems in menopause.
Other helping measures: Concentrating on some creative activities like writing, painting, gardening etc. greatly helps in distracting the mind and keeping it engrossed. As a result it does not find time to fall a prey to psychological problems like depression. Likewise dedicating some time for some social service for the destitutes and the deprived might serve a great purpose in combating the emotional problems like isolation and deprivation.
The best remedy: The best management of menopausal problems is accepting it with ease. Lord Krisna in Bhagvadgita says Yoga is nothing but equanimity towards the pairs of opposites like happiness and sorrow, loss and victory etc. Accepting the unavoidable is the best way to counter it. Human life is a continuous process of changes and menopause is one of them. Accepting this fact reduces major fraction of the problems since it induces a psychological strength to combat the same. Lord Krisna has very rightly said: (Childhood, youth, old age and death are various stages of life. A learned person is never perturbed when the changes take place.)
Thus a psychological adaptability along with a few yogic practices may be sufficiently helpful for a woman in facing menopause, one of the major turning points of her life.
Related Research News & Articles on the net :
- Yoga eases physical and mental menopause symptoms : Yoga can reduce hot flashes and night sweats among women going through menopause, and also appears to sharpen their mental function, researchers from India report. | <urn:uuid:77d47329-4ea4-4179-aab6-6c835290a274> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://www.naturalhealthcure.org/yoga-and-exercise/yoga-for-menopause-problems.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500829421.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021349-00043-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9332 | 3,408 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Advanced Format Definitions, Abbreviations, and Conventions
- 512 Byte emulation (AF 512e or 512e):
Denotation for sector size on the media as using industry-standard Advanced Format technology/ies (e.g. 4,096 bytes-per-sector) while the data passed through the device interface is formatted to 512 Bytes-per-Sector.
- 512 byte:
Traditional, legacy sector architecture used by the hard disk drive industry for over 30 years until the adoption of Advanced Format technology/ies. Sector size on the media (physical) and the block size of the data passed across the interface (logical) are 512 bytes-per-sector.
Shortened form to typically denote 4,096 bytes-per-sector.
- 4K native (AF 4Kn or 4Kn):
Sector size using Advanced Format (AF) industry standards to denote that the sector size on the media and the data passed across the host interface from the device interface are formatted to 4,096 bytes-per-sector.
- Advanced Format (AF):
Terminology created and ratified by IDEMA committees to refer to the newer sector size and/or block architecture that is expanded from the traditional 512 byte-per-sector and block size formats.
- Advanced Format (AF) technology/ies:
Formal name for Advanced Format (AF).
- AF Aware:
Applications or programs that simply recognize AF 512e HDDs but do not deliver the full available performance from the system.
- AF Logo:
A logo or set of logos created and controlled by IDEMA AF committees that signifies industry-standard AF technology/ies.
- AF 512e Logo:
- AF Optimized:
Computing components that accommodate and are optimized around AF technologies to take full advantage of the available system performance.
Short form of partition alignment.
- Alignment 0:
The term “Alignment 0” indicates there is no offset of the physical sectors of the AF drive relative to the logical sector location used by the host system.
- Alignment 1:
The term “Alignment 1” indicates there is an offset between the physical sectors of the AF drive relative to the logical sector location used by the host system.
- alignment tool or alignment utility:
A piece of software which resides outside the AF HDD and is used to map the geometry on the AF HDD so that the logical sector start of the file system matches the physical sector start on the AF HDD.
- Hard Disk Drive (HDD):
A device which uses rotating media and magnetic recoding systems to process and store digital data.
Condition where the start of the logical sector location used by the host file system and/or software application does not match the start location of the physical sector on an AF HDD. Misalignment may result in a degradation of the performance capabilities of the AF HDD-installed system.
A set of sectors organized to appear as a single logical division of the total available hard disk space.
- partition alignment:
Refers of the starting location of the logical block (LBA) or sector partition created by the operating system.
- sector size:
The number of bytes in a single, physical unit on the media of a hard disk drive. The sector is used to describe a section of the media in which data is stored.
- Read-Modify-Write (RMW):
The real-time operation whereby a legacy, 512-byte logical sector of data is loaded into the buffer (Read) on the AF 512e HDD and is inserted (Modify) to fit into the 4K sector size before being written (Write) to the media of an AF 512e HDD.
Proprietary firmware developed and owned by Seagate which handles alignment at the drive level. SmartAlign is only found on Seagate AF 512e hard drives. | <urn:uuid:ee7fec15-c959-4ebe-82a1-e7980e11efdf> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://idema.org/?page_id=2153 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560283301.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095123-00076-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.84718 | 802 | 2.703125 | 3 |
A school fee is an agreed amount of money that parents pay to schools, aimed at improving the quality of education of learners. School fees may not include registration fees, administration or other fees. The school may not charge further fees for additional subjects chosen by learners from the school programme.
According to SASA all SGBs of public schools must supplement government funding, by charging school fees and doing other reasonable forms of fund-raising. The right not to charge school fees will be limited to the schools that have been declared ‘no fee schools’. The names of the ‘no fee schools’ will be published in a Provincial Gazette and the criteria to determine the ‘no fee schools’ will be based on the economic level of the community around the school.
The school fund is a combination of school fees, the fundraising money and donations. It is the responsibility of the SGBs to ensure that all these funds are kept and managed in one bank account. No public school should have more than one account.
A public school has the right to take legal action against a parent who does not pay school fees, but only after the exemption criteria have been applied and the parent is still liable to pay such fees. The learner must remain in school while the case is on.
A learner cannot be excluded from participation in any official school programmes due to non-payment of school fees by the parent. A school may not retain a learner’s report because the parent cannot afford to pay school fees.
Exemptions from Payment of School Fees
The exemption from payment of school fees is a mechanism government has put in place to assist parents to access quality education for their children, irrespective of their background or financial constraints. Exemptions must be calculated retrospectively from the beginning of the year, if the parent qualifies.
Parents who cannot afford to pay school fees must apply to the SGB for conditional,partial or full exemption from paying school fees. Application forms can be obtained from the SGB through the principal of a school. Public schools must inform parents of the criteria and procedures and assist them in applying for exemption from paying school fees. The SGB must inform the applicant of the outcome of the application in writing within 7 days after assessing the application for exemption.
Schools must not charge school fees for orphans.
If a parent is not satisfied with the SGB decision related to full or partial exemption, he/she may appeal to the Head of Department against the decision of the school within 30 days after receiving the school’s decision. It is the responsibility of every public school to assist the parents in lodging appeals.
Any parent, including those granted any type of exemption, can make voluntary contribution to the school fund. Contributions can be in the form of money, in kind or in the form of any service a parent may render to a school.
Assistance to Parents Applying for Exemptions
Each public school is encouraged to establish a School Fees Committee. The chairperson of this committee must be a member of the SGB. The function of the committee is to administer all issues pertaining to school fees such as collection of school fees, reporting to the SGB on income from school fees and to assist parents apply for school fee exemptions. This committee considers the applications for exemptions and provides the SGB with recommendations.
A parent who, for whatever reason, needs assistance to apply for exemption or lodge an appeal, may request the school fees committee chairperson or any members of the School Fees Committee to assist him or her in making the application.
If no assistance is given to the parent after he or she has requested it, the principal of the school concerned must assist the parent in such an application or appeal if requested to do so by the parent.
No applicant may be disqualified on the ground that his or her application form is either incomplete or incorrectly completed. The School Fees Committee must respond in writing to the parents on the outcome of their application within 14 days of applying.
Appeals for Declined Exemptions
A parent whose application has been declined by the SGB has the right to lodge an appeal with the Head of Department of that province within 30 days after notification of that decision. The principal or School Fees Committee must offer a parent this opportunity and assistance by providing and explaining the appeal form to the parent.
The parent appealing must provide the Head of Department with:
- Reasons for appeal
- All relevant information pertaining to the appeal
The Head of Department shall request the SGB chairperson to forward to him within 14 days:
- A copy of the minutes of the meeting of the SGB at which the application was discussed and a decision taken;
- Any comments the SGB wishes to make with regard to the application; and
- Any other information relevant to the appeal.
The Head of Department will:
- Within 14 days after receipt of the documentation from the parent notify the SGB chairperson of the appeal that has been lodged;
- Inform the SGB that it cannot take any action against the parent until the appeal is heard;
- Within 7 days of deciding on the appeal, inform the SGB and the appellant in writing of his/her decision and the reasons thereof. | <urn:uuid:4ff34eeb-638d-4ea2-bdb3-de9311b22fc4> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://www.education.gov.za/Parents/NoFeeSchools/tabid/408/Default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463612502.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20170529165246-20170529185246-00046.warc.gz | en | 0.959196 | 1,066 | 2.875 | 3 |
On 2 September 1666, a fire broke out in Pudding Lane, which destroyed three quarters of London in only three days. It was the Great Fire of London.
- Monument to the Great Fire of London
Between 1671 and 1677, the architect Sir Christopher Wren built the monument in remembrance of the Great Fire. The Monument is 61.5 metres high – this is exactly the distance between the moument and the place where the fire broke out in 1666.
You can go up a spindal staircase to a platform from where you have a nice view over the City of London. | <urn:uuid:c1ccd962-de6b-4fbd-abd0-3c600a40ed18> | CC-MAIN-2016-50 | https://www.ego4u.com/en/read-on/countries/uk/london/monument | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-50/segments/1480698541220.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20161202170901-00490-ip-10-31-129-80.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941914 | 123 | 3.328125 | 3 |
On this date in 1637, Connecticut colonists formally declared war against the Pequots, the Native American tribe whose territory covered approximately 250 square miles of land in southeastern Connecticut and Rhode Island.
Relations between Connecticut colonists and the Pequots had been tense ever since the first permanent English settlements had been established along the Connecticut River valley only a few years before. Both the Pequots and English believed the other to be encroaching on cherished trade routes. In 1636 — when most English colonial settlements weren’t even two years old — a series of tense standoffs and retaliatory raids culminated in a seven-month siege of the small, palisaded English fort at Old Saybrook by the Pequots. The siege finally ended in early 1637 when Massachusetts sent a regiment of troops to reinforce the Connecticans at Saybrook; the Pequots disbanded, but continued to harass English settlers elsewhere in the region.
Despite the increasingly rapid deterioration of English-Indian relations, the English, wary of being outnumbered by their Native neighbors, were still reluctant to declare outright war against the Pequots. The tipping point came in late April 1637, when a large band of Pequot and Wangunk warriors raided the town of Wethersfield, Connecticut. Nine men and women were killed, and two girls (later rescued by Dutch traders) were captured and taken into Pequot territory.
The deadly Wethersfield attack convinced colonial leaders who had been wary of formally engaging the Pequots that a declaration of war was necessary in order to ensure the survival of English settlers in Connecticut. Just three weeks after colonial leaders declared war, a combined force of nearly 70 Englishmen and 300 native allies launched a surprise attack on a fortified Pequot village near present-day Mystic, Connecticut, killing anywhere from 400 to 700 Pequots. The event, alternately known as the Battle of Mistick Fort or the Mistick Fort Massacre, became the most infamous example of the brutality that characterized the Pequot War. The war continued for sixteen bloody months and, as the tide turned in favor of the English settlers and their Indian allies, resulted in a permanent shift in the balance of power in the territory surrounding Connecticut. On September 21, 1638, representatives from the Pequot and Mohegan tribes met with English colonists to sign the Treaty of Hartford, which marked the end of the Pequot tribe’s longstanding era of dominance over the peoples of southern New England and put an end to the war that first began on this day in Connecticut history.
“The History of the Pequot War,” Battlefields of the Pequot War Project
Kevin McBride and Laurie Pasteryak Lamarre, “Exploring and Uncovering the Pequot War,” Connecticut Explored
Walter Woodward, “Two Controversial Statues Standing… At Least, For Now,” Connecticut Explored | <urn:uuid:f5716c72-2976-4957-90bf-a1c33d9b7656> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://todayincthistory.com/2019/05/01/may-1-pequot-war-begins/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780057303.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20210922011746-20210922041746-00419.warc.gz | en | 0.945828 | 600 | 4.375 | 4 |
In May 2010, an Israeli startup called Eltics wowed YouTube with a video showing a special tiled system that, when tacked on to a vehicle, could render it invisible to infrared (IR) sensorsor, with the push of a button, disguise it as something else. Not to be outdone, the defense giant BAE Systems unveiled its own ADAPTIV solution, which the company said would be production-ready in about two years.
That was in September 2011. Today, ADAPTIV is still years away from being fielded on a tank or ship, and the Israeli solution has stalled at the early prototype stage for the lack of funds. However, experts in camouflage and IR imaging believe that this temperature-based cloaking technology is still doable.
Since their advent in the 1970s, thermal imagerssensors that use the mid- and long-range IR spectrum (3.5 to 5, 7.5 to 14 microns) to cut through night, fog, and smokehave been slowly but inexorably taking over the modern battlefield. One can now find this technology on tactical drones and sniper rifles.
The U.S. military has tried, and continues to try, special dyes and materials in uniforms to shield a soldier's IR signature from these imagers. "But you are running up against the laws of physics," camouflage expert retired Lt. Col. Tim O'Neill says. "The heat must escape somehow, or you will reduce the soldier to a hot, stinky puddle."
Passive IR camouflage also yields ho-hum results, says Peder Sjölund, ADAPTIV project manager at BAE Systems. So by the mid-1990s, the Swedish government began experimenting with active temperature modulation to hide IR signals. These early attempts ran into snags with excessive power requirements and systems that were too fragile for use on the battlefield. Finally, in 2005, Swedish Defence Material Organisation initiated the Steerable and Controllable IR Signature program, which helped fund ADAPTIV.
Designed to blend in with the temperature of its surroundings or mimic the IR signature of something else (for instance, a low-priority Humvee or an enemy tank), ADAPTIV is often shown in the form of 5.5-inch hexagonal tiles. (That's only the land vehicle version of the system. The actual size of the tile depends on the host platform and its normal distance of engagement). Think of the tiles as hot and cold pixels comprising a large thermal picture.
"When the enemy is closer," Sjölund says, "you need higher 'resolution,' so the 'pixels' have to be smaller. You don't want a thermal pattern that doesn't look natural." For example, a vehicle engaged in urban warfare would need hand-size tiles to fool IR imagers at a distance of 200 to 300 meters. But a naval ship, used to combat ranges in the nautical miles, could have a larger tile. Either way, perfection isn't necessary. Even when ADAPTIV cannot fool the human eye, it can frustrate a targeting algorithm.
Although ADAPTIV is a super-secret system, Sjölund has a ready response to most objections to his system. He insists that the 1000 to 2000 tiles required to cloak an infantry fighting vehicle will not slow it down or chew into its fuel reserves (though he won't say how much it weighs). Likewise, a so-called "vehicle interface sheet" prevents IR hotspots from flaring up should a tile be lost in combat.
He does grant that synthetic aperture radar, mounted on an aircraft or drone, could image a ground vehicle using ADAPTIV. But, he says, "the system would passively reduce the radar cross-section of a platform because the tiles have an inherent capability of absorbing radio waves."
Sjölund also won't discuss the technical-readiness level (TRL) of ADAPTIV and when it will be tested in an operational environment. The active thermal camouflage hasn't deployed with any military yet, and even if ordered tomorrow, the system would take years of additional trials and customization before it could be fielded.
"The system will have to be built to customer specifications," he says. "It won't be sitting around in boxes."
Eltics, meanwhile, seems even further behind with its Black Fox solution. When discussing thermal camouflage, former Eltics CEO and current shareholder Ronen Meir focuses on existing and pending patents. "We created a way to make a window thermally invisible, so soldiers can look outside their vehicle and have greater situation awareness," he says. He also says that Eltics has come up with a way for a commander to remotely program the IR disguises of Black Foxshrouded vehicles.
Still, when prodded on details, Meir admits that Black Fox is at TRL 5. This means the prototype has undergone some environmental testing and the basic technology is fairly integrated. But a system usually has to reach TRL 9 before it is ready for prime time.
Without the deep R&D pockets of BAE Systems, Eltics will need outside help to turn Black Fox into an operational system. "We are looking for large investment of $5 million or more from a strategic partner," Meir says.
Disappointments aside, experts believe that active thermal camouflage is still possible. After all, thermal imagers might be able to see through polyethylene as Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev discovered when he was found hiding in a tarp-covered boat. But most other things block them, so it's just a matter of heating and cooling the outer layer of a vehicle to fool an imager.
"Thermal imagers don't tell you if something is actually hot or cold," Fred Colbert, president of Colbert Infrared Services, Inc. "They measure radiance." And radiance can be disguised.
O'Neill agrees that, when possible, using active thermal camouflage is easier than trying to bottle up IR emission. But he adds that such systems require a stealthy way of venting the heat generated by powering them. "Think about when you are running an air conditioner: the air inside your room is cool, but the air being vented outside isn't," he says. | <urn:uuid:93516233-7836-450b-ac89-3476a8c8e7e9> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/research/whatever-happened-to-counter-infrared-camouflage-15648261?src=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657140379.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011220-00301-ip-10-234-18-248.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955291 | 1,306 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Yesterday, on December 16, marked the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party. This historic event that took place in Boston let the King know that they were tired of his tax. In the 1957 movie Johnny Tremain we are introduced to a young man who finds himself taking sides with the Patriots.
When young apprentice Johnny Tremain injures his hand he finds himself out of work as a silversmith. Soon after words he finds a flier advertising from the Sons of Liberty. Joining up with them he finds himself in the beginnings of the American Revolution. However, Johnny knows that taking sides in this war could cost him. Yet, he stays true to what he believes in as a Patriot. One night he dresses up and joins his new friends by dumping tea into the Boston Harbor. Throughout the film, Johnny meets and joins up with Paul Revere with the American Revolution in full motion. As the film ends, the war starts as the Patriots take up arms in the war that will change America’s history.
December 16, 1773 the Boston Tea Party happened. In the 1957 Disney film Johnny Tremain we are reminded of the significance of this historic event. The Boston Tea Party is an event that will be remembered for all time. | <urn:uuid:fee91a51-efcd-4cfd-ab9f-fed37b216007> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | https://jabrushblog.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/johnny-tremain/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125946077.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20180423144933-20180423164933-00571.warc.gz | en | 0.975677 | 251 | 2.71875 | 3 |
While it may be an unfortunate reality that disturbed people will post threats to schools online, there may be hope going forward that their actions won’t mean lockdowns or other disturbances to the school day. Three recent incidents in Florida, Wisconsin, and Utah suggest that the best solution may be the most simple—see something, say something. In each case, a student posted a threat, a fellow student immediately reported it, and authorities promptly responded. Occam’s razor for the win!
Another new reality not so simple for school districts—dealing with digital equity. Contributing editor Tara Smith tackles this subject by surveying educators who insist these issues go beyond just having access to hardware and bandwidth: “Digital equity is about so much more than the device—it’s about how they’re using the tool,” say Jessica Martin and Meredith Stolte, co-founders of Colorado’s Aurora Community School, “While many students and families have access to digital tools for Internet searches and solitary activities, [we need] to help students learn how to use the tools they have in new and collaborative ways.”
Bridging the digital equity gap is the main topic for the Tech & Learning Leadership Summit this month in Denver, CO, where dozens of innovative educators and administrators will share their best practices to address the digital divide. Be sure to look for highlights in the coming months.
— Kevin Hogan
Managing Director, Content | <urn:uuid:35ec1661-1e1a-4c04-91a9-7b1816e19649> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.techlearning.com/resources/editors-note-new-rules-for-schools | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949694.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20230401001704-20230401031704-00175.warc.gz | en | 0.931088 | 312 | 2.75 | 3 |
By GINA KOLATA
Published: February 28, 2013
The psychiatric illnesses seem very different — schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism, major depression and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Yet they share several genetic glitches that can nudge the brain along a path to mental illness, researchers report. Which disease, if any, develops is thought to depend on other genetic or environmental factors.
Their study, published online Wednesday in the Lancet, was based on an examination of genetic data from more than 60,000 people world-wide. Its authors say it is the largest genetic study yet of psychiatric disorders. The findings strengthen an emerging view of mental illness that aims to make diagnoses based on the genetic aberrations underlying diseases instead of on the disease symptoms.
Two of the aberrations discovered in the new study were in genes used in a major signaling system in the brain, giving clues to processes that might go awry and suggestions of how to treat the diseases.
“What we identified here is probably just the tip of an iceberg,” said Dr. Jordan Smoller, lead author of the paper and a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital. “As these studies grow we expect to find additional genes that might overlap.”
The new study does not mean that the genetics of psychiatric disorders are simple. Researchers say there seem to be hundreds of genes involved and the gene variations discovered in the new study only confer a small risk of psychiatric disease.
Steven McCarroll, director of genetics for the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research at the Broad Institute of Harvard and M.I.T., said it was significant that the researchers had found common genetic factors that pointed to a specific signaling system.
“It is very important that these were not just random hits on the dartboard of the genome,” said Dr. McCarroll, who was not involved in the new study.
The work began in 2007 when a large group of researchers began investigating genetic data generated by studies in 19 countries and including 33,332 people with psychiatric illnesses and 27,888 people free of the illnesses for comparison. The researchers studied scans of peoples’ DNA, looking for variations in any of several million places along the long stretch of genetic material containing three billion DNA letters. The question: Did people with psychiatric illnesses tend to have a distinctive DNA pattern in any of those locations?
Researchers had already seen some clues of overlapping genetic effects in identical twins. One twin might have schizophrenia while the other had bipolar disorder. About six years ago, around the time the new study began, researchers had examined the genes of a few rare families in which psychiatric disorders seemed especially prevalent. They found a few unusual disruptions of chromosomes that were linked to psychiatric illnesses. But what surprised them was that while one person with the aberration might get one disorder a relative with the same mutation got a different one.
Jonathan Sebat, chief of the Beyster Center for Molecular Genomics of Neuropsychiatric Diseases at the University of California, San Diego, and one of the discoverers of this effect, said that work on these rare genetic aberrations had opened his eyes. “Two different diagnoses can have the same genetic risk factor,” he said.
In fact, the new paper reports, distinguishing psychiatric diseases by their symptoms has long been difficult. Autism, for example, was once called childhood schizophrenia. It was not until the 1970s that autism was distinguished as a separate disorder.
But, Dr. Sebat, who did not work on the new study, said that until now it was not clear whether the rare families he and others had studied were an exception or whether they were pointing to a rule about multiple disorders arising from a single genetic glitch.
“No one had systematically looked at the common variations,” in DNA, he said. “We didn’t know if this was particularly true for rare mutations or if it would be true for all genetic risk.” The new study, he said, “shows all genetic risk is of this nature.”
The new study found four DNA regions that conferred a small risk of psychiatric disorders. For two of them, it is not clear what genes are involved or what they do, said Dr. Smoller. The other two, though, involve genes that are part of calcium channels, which are used when nerves send signals in the brain.
“The calcium channel findings suggest that perhaps – and this is a big if – treatments to affect calcium channel functioning might have effects across a range of disorders,” Dr. Smoller said.
There are drugs on the market that block calcium channels – they are used to treat high blood pressure – and researchers had already postulated that they might be useful for bipolar disorder even before the current findings.
One investigator, Dr. Roy Perlis of Massachusetts General Hospital, just completed a small study of a calcium channel blocker in 10 people with bipolar disorder and is about to expand it to a large randomized clinical trial. He also wants to study the drug in people with schizophrenia, in light of the new findings. He cautions, though, that people should not rush out to take a calcium channel blocker on their own.
“We need to be sure it is safe and we need to be sure it works,” Dr. Perlis said. | <urn:uuid:241eb62e-2bb7-4559-a917-32e73d901034> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | https://ccampeador.wordpress.com/2013/03/01/same-genetic-basis-is-found-in-5-types-of-mental-illness/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886133449.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20170824101532-20170824121532-00022.warc.gz | en | 0.969508 | 1,093 | 3.359375 | 3 |
A More Flexible Window Into the Brain
Brian Litt Collaborates to Develop Microelectronic Device to Map Brain Activity
A team of researchers co-led by Brian Litt, associate professor of Bioengineering and of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine, has developed and tested a new high-resolution, ultra-thin device capable of recording brain activity from the cortical surface without having to use penetrating electrodes. The device could make possible a whole new generation of brain-computer interfaces for treating neurological and psychiatric illness and research. The work was published in Nature Neuroscience.
"The new technology we have created can conform to the brain's unique geometry, and records and maps activity at resolutions that have not been possible before," says Litt, the study’s senior author. "Using this device, we can explore the brain networks underlying normal function and disease with much more precision, and its likely to change our understanding of memory, vision, hearing and many other normal functions and diseases." For our patients, implantable brain devices could be inserted in less invasive operations and, by mapping circuits involved in epilepsy, paralysis, depression and other 'network brain disorders' in sufficient detail, this could allow us to intervene to make patients better, Litt said.
Composed of 720 silicon nanomembrane transistors in a multiplexed 360-channel array, the newly designed ultrathin, flexible, foldable device can be positioned not only on the brain surface but also inside sulci and fissures or even between the cortical hemispheres, areas that are physically inaccessible to conventional rigid electrode arrays. Current arrays also require separate wires for each individual sensor, meaning that they can sample broad regions of the brain with low resolution or small regions with high resolution, but not both. The multiplexed nanosensors of the new device can cover a much large brain area with high resolution, while using almost ten times fewer wires.
Monitoring and studying the brain’s constant electrical activity, or to alter it when it goes awry, often requires the placement of electrodes deep within specific regions of the brain. These currently used devices can be clumsy and of low resolution, and those used for neuromotor prostheses can cause tissue inflammation and hemorrhages.
In animal models, researchers observed responses to visual stimuli and recorded previously unknown details of sleep patterns and brain activity during epileptic seizures. The array recorded spiral waves during seizure activity that have not been previously recorded in whole brain. These patterns are similar to those seen in the heart during ventricular fibrillation, raising the possibility of fighting epilepsy with some of the same methods used to treat cardiac arrhythmias, like focal destruction or ablation of abnormal circuits.
The observation of spiral wave activity also served to highlight the extreme sensitivity and resolving capacity of this new active array, which was able to easily distinguish normal signal patterns from abnormal waves even in the same frequency ranges. The activity recorded by Litt’s research team has enormous implications not only for controlling seizures but for understanding and treating disorders of other brain processes affecting sleep, memory, and learning, and for the characterizing and treating chronic pain, depression, and other neuropsychological disorders.
Ultimately, the researchers expect that flexible electrode arrays can be perfected for use for various therapeutic and research purposes throughout the body. They could serve as neuroprostheses, pacemakers, ablative devices, or neuromuscular stimulators. Their versatility, sensitivity, and reduced effect on surrounding tissues puts them in the forefront of the next generation of brain-computer interfaces.
Study collaborators include lead author Jonathan Viventi, PhD, an assistant professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York , John Rogers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Dae-Hyeong Kim from Seoul National University. | <urn:uuid:07bba45b-9c0e-4620-9fde-36bc76d7f3a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.seas.upenn.edu/media/feature-litt-11.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163973624/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133253-00033-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925188 | 779 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Lagenorhynchus cruciger (Quoy
& Gaimard, 1824)
English: Hourglass dolphin
Spanish: Delfín cruzado
French: Dauphin sablier
Lagenorhynchus cruciger © Würtz-Artescienza
Hourglass dolphins are rather stocky, with a large, re-curved dorsal
fin. The tail stock is often keeled. Body length ranges from 142
to187 cm, and males and females are of equal size. Body mass reaches
90 - 100 kg (Goodall, 2009). Colouration is mainly black or dark
with two elongated white areas covering the flanks, in some animals
joined with a fine white line, giving it its common name. The forward
patch extends onto the face above the eye (Goodall, 2009).
The hourglass dolphin is the only small delphinid that is commonly
observed south of the Antarctic Convergence. It is probably circumpolar
in pelagic waters of the Subantarctic and Antarctic zones;south
of the Subtropical Convergence; most records fall between 45°S
and 65°S (Rice, 1998).
Distribution of Lagenorhynchus cruciger: cold
waters of the Southern Hemisphere,
predominantly between 45° and 65°S, i.e. fairly near the
pack-ice (Hammond et al. 2008;
© IUCN; Enlarge
In the South Atlantic, there are no sightings southeast
of the Antarctic Peninsula: The largest concentration of sightings
has been in the Drake Passage, an area with considerable ship traffic
in summer. Most sightings of these dolphins were in an area north
and south of the Antarctic Convergence between South America and
Macquarie Island (Goodall, 1997). Single records as far north as
Valparaiso, off the coast of Chile at 33° 40'S, 74° 55'W
and at 36° in the South Atlantic seem to be exceptional (Carwardine,
1995; Goodall, 2009). The southernmost sighting is 67°38'S,
179° 57 'E in the South Pacific (Brownell and Donahue, 1999
and refs. therein; Goodall, 1997).
3. Population size
Kasamatsu and Joyce (1995) combined data gathered in sighting surveys
conducted from 1976/77 to 1987/88 to produce an abundance estimate
of 144,300 for waters south of the Antarctic Convergence. This still
seems to be the best population estimate to date (Goodall, 2009;
Hammond et al. 2008).
4. Biology and Behaviour
Habitat: Normally seen far out to sea, L. cruciger has also
been observed in fairly shallow water near the Antarctic Peninsula
and off southern South America. It occurs within 160 km of the ice
edge in some areas in the southern part of its range (Carwardine,
1995; Jefferson et al. 1993). The species seems to prefer surface
water temperatures between 0.6°-13°C (mean 4.8°C; Goodall,
1997) or even down to -0.3°C (Goodall 2009). Although oceanic,
sightings are often near islands and banks. High observer effort,
i.e. in the Drake Passage, reflected in high sighting rates (Goodall
Behaviour: This is a boisterous swimmer capable of speeds
exceeding 12 knots. It rides bow-waves and stern-waves of fast boats
and ships, swimming with long, low, leaps. From a distance, this
undulating motion makes it look like a swimming penguin. It will
also swim alongside slow vessels. When swimming fast, hourglass
dolphins may travel very close to the surface, without actually
leaving the water, creating a great deal of spray when rising to
breathe (Carwardine, 1995).
Schooling: Groups tend to be small, which is unusual for
a small oceanic delphinid. Although herds of up to 100 have been
seen, groups of 1 to 14 are more common (Brownell and Donahue, 1999
and refs. therein). Hourglass dolphins have been encountered with
several other species of cetaceans, and may associate with fin whales,
sei whales, southern bottlenose shales, Arnoux's beaked whales,
killer whales, long-finned pilot whales, and southern right whale
dolphins (Carwardine, 1995).
Food: Prefers fish (e.g. the myctophid Krefftichtys andersonii),
squid (Onychoteuthidae and Enoploteuthidae) and crustaceans. Feeding
often takes place in large aggregations of sea birds and other cetaceans
and in plankton and krill slicks (Goodall et al. 1997; Goodall,
2009; Reid et al. 2000).
Goodall (1997) reported that in the South American sector of the
Antarctic and Subantarctic there were no sightings from May to September,
probably a reflection of observer effort. From September to February,
480 hourglass dolphins were counted around the Falkland Islands
between September and February, but none were seen in July or August
(White at al. 1999). The range of the species thus probably shifts
north and south with the seasons (Carwardine, 1995).
Direct catch: It is likely that their numbers are at or
near original levels. There has never been any systematic exploitation
(Jefferson et al. 1993). One scientific specimen was collected during
commercial whaling operations, and several other specimens have
been collected during research cruises (Brownell and Donahue, 1999).
Incidental catch: At least one hourglass dolphin was incidentally
caught in an experimental Japanese drift net fishery for squid around
53°13'S, 106°20'W (Brownell and Donahue, 1999). Goodall
et al. (1997) and Goodall (2009) report on 4 known casualties in
net fisheries in the South Pacific.
Tourism: Increased tourist activity from southern South
America to the Antarctic Peninsula should produce increased awareness
and further sightings of this species.
Range states (Hammond et al. 2008):
Antarctica; Argentina; Australia; Chile; Falkland Islands (Malvinas);
French Southern Territories (the) (Crozet Is., Kerguelen); New Zealand;
South Africa (Marion-Prince Edward Is.); South Georgia and the South
IUCN status: "Least concern" (Hammond et al. 2008). Not
listed by CMS. The species is listed in Appendix II of CITES.
This is a poorly known species with a flexible range, which seems
to be influenced in its extent by the seasons. Vagrants off Chile
suggest that L. cruciger may follow cold currents farther
North. More information on abundance, area of higher concentrations,
home range size, the effect of climate on movements and migrations
is needed. For South American populations, see also recommendations
in Hucke-Gaete (2000) in Appendix
· Brownell RL, Donahue MA (1999) Hourglass dolphin - Lagenorhynchus
cruciger (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824) In: Handbook of marine mammals
(Ridgway SH, Harrison SR, eds.) Vol. 6: The second book of dolphins
and porpoises, pp. 121-136.
· Carwardine M (1995) Whales, dolphins and porpoises. Dorling
Kindersley, London, UK, 257 pp.
· Goodall RNP (1997) Review of sightings of the hourglass
dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger, in the South American Sector
of the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic. Rep Int Whal Comm 47: 1001-1014.
· Goodall RNP (2009) Hourglass Dolphin - Lagenorhynchus
cruciger. In: Encyclopedia of marine mammals, 2nd Ed. (Perrin
WF, Würsig B, Thewissen JGM, eds.) Academic Press, Amsterdam,
· Goodall RNP, Baker AN, Best PB, Meyer M, Miyazaki N (1997)
On the biology of the hourglass dolphin, Lagenorhynchus cruciger
(Quoy and Gaimard, 1824). Rep Int Whal Comm 47: 985-999.
· Hammond PS, Bearzi G, Bjørge A, Forney K, Karczmarski
L, Kasuya T, Perrin WF, Scott MD, Wang JY, Wells RS, Wilson B (2008)
Lagenorhynchus cruciger. In: IUCN 2009. IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species. Version 2009.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>.
· Hucke-Gaete R (ed.) (2000) Review on the conservation status
of small cetaceans in southern South America. UNEP/CMS Secretariat,
Bonn, Germany, 24 pp.
· Jefferson TA, Leatherwood S, Webber MA (1993) FAO Species
identification guide. Marine mammals of the world. UNEP/FAO, Rome,
· Kasamatsu F, Joyce GG (1995) Current status of odontocetes
in the Antarctic. Antarctic Sci 7: 365-379.
· Reid K, Brierley AS, Nevitt GA (2000) An initial examination
of relationships between the distribution of whales and Antarctic
krill Euphausia superba at South Georgia. J Cetacean Res
Manage 2: 143-149.
· Rice DW (1998) Marine mammals of the world: systematics
and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy, Spec Publ 4, Lawrence,
· White RW, Reid JB, Black AD; Gillon KW (1999) Seabird and
marine Mammal dispersion in the waters around the Falkland Islands
1998-1999. Joint Nature Conservation Committee, UK.
© Boris Culik (2010) Odontocetes.
The toothed whales: "Lagenorhynchus cruciger".
UNEP/CMS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany.http://www.cms.int/small-cetaceans
© Illustrations by Maurizio Würtz, Artescienza | <urn:uuid:27a422dd-e614-469a-a595-ad454781ef21> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.cms.int/reports/small_cetaceans/data/L_cruciger/L_cruciger.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042991076.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002311-00287-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.808611 | 2,273 | 3.28125 | 3 |
SPRING GROVE CEMETERY
This rural cemetery, established in the 1880's, encompasses 34 acres -- most of which have been used for interments. Recommendations in Behnke's master plan focus on expanding capacity, reducing operating costs, and maintaining Victorian character. In older burial sections, existing roads will become foot paths to reduce pavement maintenance costs. With cremation becoming more common, columbaria and inground cremains sections are expanded. A Scatterings Memorial Garden is recommended, for those who want to place cremains in a setting without permanent monumentation.
The Phase I implementation included a restoration of the Civil War Memorial entry area, with Victorian plant beds utilizing local sandstone, reexcavating an abandoned pond, and adding columbaria.
Construction Cost: $1.8 Million (all phases) | <urn:uuid:06c5e11e-b1a5-48e5-8fa9-0cbd070a29d4> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://behnkela.com/springgrovecemetery | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187825436.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20171022184824-20171022204824-00789.warc.gz | en | 0.88794 | 171 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Yogurt has so many health benefits, the only dairy product that is safe to be taken even by those who are lactose intolerant.
What Is Yogurt?
The word yogurt comes from a Turkish word, meaning “thick” and “dense“. It is a dairy product made from bacterial fermentation of cow’s milk,
goat’s milk or soya milk. Fermented milk (lactose) produces lactic acid, which acts on milk protein to give yogurt its texture and its “tang“.
How Is Yogurt Made?
Yogurt is made by introducing specific bacteria strains into milk, which is then fermented under controlled temperatures for a few hours. The bacteria ingest the natural lactose and release lactic acid as a waste product.
The acidity from lactic acid causes the milk proteins to curdle into the texture that yogurt has. This acidity (pH=4.5) prevents the proliferation of potentially pathogenic bacteria.
What Bacteria Does Yogurt Contain?
The bacteria in yogurt contains healthy bacteria like Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, Streptococcus Thermophilus and Lactobacillus Acidophilus. The L.Acidophilus may be considered a probiotic that inhabits the intestines and vagina, and protect against unhealthy organisms in the gut.
The Health Benefits Of Yogurt
The friendly bacteria from yogurt helps maintain a healthy gut flora and are particularly beneficial to be taken after the use of antibiotics or other drugs, excess alcohol, stress, a serious illness or exposure to toxic substances.
There are so many health benefits from yogurt that many health-conscious people are making it a daily habit to take yogurt. Even people who are lactose-intolerant can safely enjoy yogurt without any ill-effects. Here are only some of the benefits, brought about because of the good bacteria in yogurt:
- Helps in the treatment of a variety of gastrointestinal conditions
- Prevents antibiotic-associated diarrhea
- Boosts a weak immune system and prevents infections
- Reduces vaginal yeast infections
- Provides relief from indigestion that causes wind and flatulence
- Controls the growth of fungus in cases of candidiasis infections
- Treats and recolonizes the gastrointestinal tract after a course of antibiotic therapy
- Binds anti-carcinogenic substances and prevents colon cancer
- Lowers cholesterol level and thus risk for heart diseases
- Easily assimilated calcium reduces risk of osteoporosis and dental diseases
- Beneficial in relieving constipation
- Clears up symptoms of IBS, colitis and bowel diseases
- Fights urinary tract and bladder infections
- Aids the body in the manufacture of the B vitamins
- Helps to stop anal itching
- Reduces estrogen hormones in women
- Reduces inflammatory and hypersensitivity responses
- Reduces symptoms of lactose-intolerance
- And the list goes on …
Yogurt And Babies
While yogurt has many good health benefits, DO NOT feed yogurt to infants, especially those under age one. The proteins in yogurt may trigger diarrhea, sleeplessness and colic. It may also cause skin and breathing allergies later in the child’s life.
Learn To Make Your Own Yogurt
There are many advantages if you make your own yogurt at home. For one, there is no added harmful sugar and preservatives. And, it will be much more economical in the long-run.
You can be creative with your home-made yogurt and add in fresh fruits like banana, mango, papaya, etc. It is also delicious and healthy if you mix with it a tablespoon of flaxseed oil. | <urn:uuid:b67af2d2-e9cf-4547-b7b9-61b6d8cdbc82> | CC-MAIN-2016-22 | http://juicing-for-health.com/yogurt-health-benefits.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-22/segments/1464049281978.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20160524002121-00076-ip-10-185-217-139.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.903666 | 774 | 3.109375 | 3 |
This text is part of:
Table of Contents:
1 φιλόσοφον: etymologically here, as ὡς ἀληθῶς indicates. “Your dog now is your only philosopher,” says Plato, not more seriously than Rabelais (Prologue): “Mais vistes vous oncques chien rencontrant quelque os medullaire: c'est comme dit Platon, lib. ii. de Rep., la beste du monde plus philosophe.” Cf. Huxley, Hume , p. 104: “The dog who barks furiously at a beggar will let a well-dressed man pass him without opposition. Has he not a 'general idea' of rags and dirt associated with the idea of aversion?” Dummler and others assume that Plato is satirizing the Cynics, but who were the Cynics in 380-370 B.C.?
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system. | <urn:uuid:fc09dbbc-de80-430b-92f8-0f208a835c48> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0059.tlg030.perseus-eng1:2.376b | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644065318.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025425-00146-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.831523 | 285 | 2.796875 | 3 |
By Tom Pawlak
Back in the 1980s, Gougeon Brothers was one of the largest producers of wind turbine blades in the US. The blades were built of wood veneer and epoxy, and varied in length from 10′ to 70′. They were built in halves and vacuum laminated in female molds built with WEST SYSTEM® Brand Epoxy. Tolerances were tight, and every aspect of the tooling was critical, from molding to assembly. If something wasn’t right when the two halves were glued together, there wasn’t much you could do to make it right later.
The most difficult tolerances to maintain were span-wise straightness and twist. Early strongbacks for molds and assembly jigs were made of wood and were built like tall and skinny “I” beams. Initially, everything worked well. But as the seasons changed and the wood picked up moisture, and the summer temperatures in the shop went up, we were pushing the limits of the tolerances. The engineers figured it was a combination of forces caused by wood’s volumetric change, with changes in moisture content and difference in coefficient of thermal expansion between the wood strongback and epoxy/fiberglass molds. Our short-term fix was to cut the mold free from the strongback and isolate it with plywood supports ( 3/8″ thick) that were installed perpendicular to the length and located every 16″ to 24″ apart. They ranged from 4″ tall at the root end to 12″ tall at the tip end of the mold. The differences in height were due to the fact that the molds were tapered to mimic the blade half-geometry (thick at the root end and tapered to thin at the tip). The plywood supports were attached to the top of the strongback and to the backside of the mold with thickened epoxy fillets. Separating the mold from the strongback with the thin plywood supports meant slight changes in length between the two did not cause a problem. This is because the supports easily deflected to allow relative movement but had almost no effect on span-wise straightness. Luckily the problem was caught early, but we decided we needed a better strongback design that would be more stable.
The solution was to make a box beam out of plywood and epoxy. This in itself provided significant improvement, but the engineers went one step further. They incorporated steel rebar originally designed for reinforcing concrete into the four corners of the box beam. The rebar, welded to full lengths, was glued into 2″×2″ wood stringers that ran full length along the four corners of the box beam. To make room for the rebar, a slot was cut into the wood stringers that was wide enough and deep enough to accept the steel. Epoxy thickened slightly with 403 Microfibers was used to fill the gaps in the groove surrounding the rebar after it was in position (Figure 1).
On molds up to 20′ in length, we used 3/8″ diameter rebar. On larger molds, we used ½” or 5/8″ diameter. The 70′ long mold strongbacks were reinforced with 6 stringers made of 5/8″ diameter rebar, one in each of the four corners and an extra one in the middle between the corners of the top and bottom.
When the strongbacks were used for blade assembly jigs or for saw jigs, they were anchored to the floor to keep things stable. If the strongbacks were used to support molds, wheels were mounted inside the strongback (on the larger molds) to keep the center of gravity low and to keep the height of the mold reasonable. On smaller molds where the width of the strongback was too narrow for a caster to pivot inside the bow beam, the wheels were mounted on the outside of the structure.
Mounting wheels under molds with strongbacks can present some dilemmas. The wheels tend to get in the way of your feet. If you mount wheels under the mold strongback, you need to shorten the height of the strongback to make up for the wheel height. Otherwise, the mold gets too high for people to work on. Unfortunately, shortening the height makes the strongback less stiff, which can be a problem.
Mounting the wheels inside the strongback works best as long as you allow room for wheels to swivel without interference. Another option is triangular shaped strongbacks. We found this to be the best solution for 20′ to 30′ mold lengths. By positioning one of the three sides horizontally, wheels could be mounted under the mold on angled brackets (Figure 2). This allowed room for the wheels to pivot without getting in the way.
After the blade halves cured, they were pulled from the molds, positioned in saw jigs, and trimmed along the leading and trailing edges. From there, the blade halves were moved to glue jigs where a shear web was installed on the inside of the high-pressure side. Eventually, the two halves were glued together with thickened epoxy. | <urn:uuid:a096f6c2-716d-4c9e-ba7a-057f9686fe3c> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | http://epoxyworks.com/index.php/improved-mold-strongbacks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463608648.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20170526071051-20170526091051-00365.warc.gz | en | 0.975428 | 1,058 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Regard (v.) is to consider or to have an opinion about something:
Picasso is regarded as one of the greatest artists in history.
I don't regard this as a problem; I regard it as an opportunity.
Regards (n.) is a greeting:
Please give my regards to your parents when you see them.
Some people end their letters/emails with the expression Regards, or With best regards,
The phrases regarding and in/with regard to mean "related to / concerning the following topic":
Have you read the report regarding the economic crisis?
Before finalizing the contract, there are a few points I'd like to clarify with regard to the deadlines.
These phrases are more formal, and in everyday spoken English we'd say "about" instead: "Have you read the report about the economic crisis?"
Regardless (adv.) means one thing is not affected by something else:
A champion keeps going, regardless of the difficulties.
The mayor approved the new law regardless of the opposition from the public.
I know we don't have all the information, but we still need to make a decision, regardless.
As you can see from the examples, the action (keep going / approving the law / making a decision) is not affected by the other situation (the difficulties / the opposition / not having all the information).
Don't use the word "irregardless" - it doesn't exist; it is a common error in English.
Use a trigger nozzle hose and or bucket. There are even waterless spray and wipe car wash products, but they tend to be costly.Wash the car less often. Everyday dust and dirt wont harm anything if it collects for a little while.Wash the car at a car wash. Car washes may use less water than you can use at home. Car washes also collect and filter the waste water appropriately. Use environmentally friendly cleansers. This will enable you to reuse waste water from washing to water the lawn or garden. | <urn:uuid:16e2f6d4-4771-4c23-9320-103692d005e1> | CC-MAIN-2020-45 | http://examaxe.com/Confusing-Words/594 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-45/segments/1603107866404.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20201019203523-20201019233523-00463.warc.gz | en | 0.944936 | 415 | 2.890625 | 3 |
In forward modeling the requirements placed on the radiative transfer model are primarily determined by the measurement conditions, such as, especially, the spectral range, measurement geometry, and sensor type. Modeling a spectrum using the forward modeling approach can always only be regarded as an approximation, since many physical effects can merely be described in a simplified way in order to optimize the use of computer time. The main challenge in the ultraviolet and visible spectral range (UV/VIS) is, in particular, modeling multiple scattering as a radiation source. For instruments with high spectral resolution in the microwave and infrared range, by contrast, so-called line-by-line (LbL) radiative transport models are usually essential. Although in this case scatter can usually be ignored, this limits the relevance of the forward model to atmospheres which are almost free of clouds and aerosols.
Besides modeling actual atmospheric radiative transport, the forward model also has to be able to take into account modifications to the spectrum caused by the instrument, especially the sensor’s spectral and spatial influence. In addition, a precondition is complete familiarity with the spectroscopic molecule and aerosol data.
Inversion (or retrieval), in other words ascertaining the desired atmospheric parameters from the remote sensing measurement data, is usually accomplished with the help of numerical optimization methodologies. In practice this is accomplished by comparing the measurement data with simulated data generated by a suitable model of the measurement process (forward model) and an estimated parameter complement. Since the spectrum is usually a nonlinear function of the desired state variables, the analysis usually requires iterative refinement methods (least-squares). Beginning with an assumed atmospheric state vector, a spectrum is simulated with forward calculation and then compared with the measured spectrum. After suitable adjustment of the state vector, this procedure is repeated until the simulated and measured spectra sufficiently agree. Particularly in UV/VIS, differential methods without forward modeling have also become established (DOAS – Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy). Lately, neuronal networks are also being used, such as for processing data from the GOME sensor. Most inversion algorithms have to be supplied with a multitude of parameters. Besides selecting the measurement data (and in some cases also suitable spectral microwindows) and determining the quantities to be derived, this approach also requires the provision of additional parameters for the inversion program and the radiative transport program. And so, in the end, the process already begins when the inversion algorithm is designed, for example when mathematical routines are selected.
Precise dealing with radiative transfer must take into account the scattering of electromagnetic radiation caused by molecules and aerosols in the atmosphere. Looked at physically, it is a question of the interaction of a plane electromagnetic wave with a three-dimensional structure characterized by its geometry as well as by its dielectric properties. A theoretical description of this process must relate the wave’s degrees of freedom before and after the interaction so that measurements relevant for the scatter can be derived. In atmospheric remote sensing the scattering of electromagnetic waves caused by their impact with nonspherical particles is increasingly gaining in importance. Modeling this problem is considerably more complex than is the case of spherical scatter particles with application of the Mie theory. This is due both to the computational effort and to the significantly more complex convergence behavior of the available procedures. Scatter data banks for precisely defined nonspherical particles can be an aid here since they reduce the computational effort as well as free the user of remote sensing data from having to assess the underlying scatter models. | <urn:uuid:59c5383c-7c5d-4ec3-b7b9-fd90d0283957> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://www.dlr.de/eoc/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-5417/9373_read-18061/gallery-1/gallery_read-Image.60.20392/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501170600.29/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104610-00597-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925795 | 719 | 2.5625 | 3 |
The Drakensberg Mountains are Southern Africa’s Alps, rising more than 11,000 feet into the sky. But beneath their shimmering beauty lies an incredibly hostile environment for the creatures that manage to live there. Each spring, drenching rains destroy the grasslands at the base of the mountains, and those who would survive must climb up sheer cliffs of volcanic rock, through gauntlets of storms and snow, to reach the carpets of new grass on the plateau. The baboons that make their home halfway up the heights may have the advantage of agility, but eland, the world’s largest antelope, have long, spindly legs and heavy bodies, which make their climb to the top all but unbelievable. All have babies at their sides. And the vultures circle overhead. Buy the DVD. This film premiered February 8, 2009.
available46411163808273cove4641Drakensberg: Barrier of SpearsIn the Drakensberg Mountains of South Africa, eland make a remarkable journey of survival.2009-02-07 20:00:00publishdisabledshowfalse12341The Sagebrush Sea The Greater Sage-Grouse and other wildlife struggle to survive in a rugged landscape. 2015-05-20 00:00:00http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/files/2015/04/sagebrush_seah_episode_image_11-480x270.jpg2365494065cove12337Fences Create Problems for PronghornAn increasingly fragmented landscape is creating problems for the fleet-footed creature. 2015-05-20 00:00:00http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/files/2015/05/sagebrush-clips.00_01_14_21.Still003-480x270.png2365493941cove
- 0 COMMENTS | <urn:uuid:b68dc182-d2e3-4081-a19d-64f98949cb2d> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/drakensberg-barrier-of-spears-video-full-episode/4641/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042992543.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002312-00192-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.853986 | 396 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Glossary of Common Tax Terms
Below is an A to Z list of definitions for a number of common terms and phrases related to income tax.
Adjusted gross income. Gross income minus allowable reductions.
Adjustment to income. An expense that can be deducted even if the taxpayer does not itemize deductions.
Adoption credit. A nonrefundable credit for qualified adoption expenses.
Advance earned income credit. Prepayments of the earned income credit by an employer to an employee.
Audit. When the IRS examines and verifies your return or any other transaction with tax consequences.
Casualty loss. A loss caused by the complete or partial destruction of property that results from an unexpected event, i.e., floods, storms, fires, etc..
Charitable contribution. Money or property donated to a qualified charity.
Child and dependent care credit. A tax credit in the amount of a percentage of the amount expended on child or dependent care by an employed individual.
Child tax credit. A tax credit available to people with children under the age of seventeen.
Compensation. Wages, commissions, tips, fees, or self-employment income from services rendered.
Credits. Reductions of tax liability allowed by Congress for various purposes.
Deduction. A subtraction from taxable income.
Dependent. A person who meets the five tests of dependency and thereby qualifies to be claimed as a dependent for tax purposes.
Depreciation. Deduction for the wear and tear of an item used for business.
Earned income. Income derived from personal services - wages, tips, bonuses, and any other type of compensation.
Earned income credit. A tax credit allowed to employed individuals whose income and modified gross income is less than a certain amount.
Employment expenses. Ordinary and necessary expenses necessary to perform the duties for which an employee was hired.
Entertainment expenses. Employment expenses that have an element of entertainment that is directly related to conducting business.
Estimated tax. What the taxpayer expects to owe in taxes over the course of the year, generally paid quarterly with vouchers.
Exemption. A reduction of income that would otherwise be taxed.
Foster child. A child other than a natural or adopted child who lived with the taxpayer for the entire year and whom the taxpayer treated as his or her own child.
Head of the household. A filing status used by an unmarried taxpayer who pays over half of the cost of maintaining the home of a qualified individual.
Hobby loss. A nondeductible loss from a hobby.
Home office expense. Expenses arising from operating a business in a qualified manner in your home.
Internal Revenue Service. The Treasury Department division responsible for collecting taxes.
Itemized deductions. Expenditures that the tax code deems appropriate for reducing adjusted gross income.
Married filing jointly. A filing status used by a couple that is married at the end of the tax year and uses one tax return.
Married filing separately. The filing status used by a couple that is married at the end of the year and chooses to file separate tax returns.
Modified adjusted gross income. There are different definitions for different purposes. It is usually the adjusted gross income with various items added back in.
Nontaxable income. Income that is not taxed.
Permanent and total disability. A disability that is expected to last at least a year and keeps an individual from any gainful activity.
Proprietorship. A business that is owned and controlled by one person.
Qualifying widow(er). The filing status used by a qualified person for the two years following a spouse's death.
Schedules. IRS forms that are used to report various kinds of income, deductions, and credits.
Self-employed. A person who individually decides when and where to work and pays his or her own expenses. Self-employed individuals must pay self-employment taxes.
Standard deduction. A predetermined amount of income that is not subject to taxes and is claimed when an individual does not itemize deductions.
Taxable income. Adjusted gross income minus deductions and exemptions.
Unearned income. Income that is not derived from services performed, such as interest, dividends, and royalties.
Worksheet. An IRS document that is provided to the taxpayer to compile information and is not usually filed with the return. | <urn:uuid:43ef11b8-3774-45c8-a203-5e3f3b93e6a1> | CC-MAIN-2015-35 | http://tax.findlaw.com/legal-help-resources/glossary-of-common-tax-terms.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-35/segments/1440644060633.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20150827025420-00247-ip-10-171-96-226.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952227 | 896 | 2.65625 | 3 |
© BioMed Central Ltd 2005
Published: 1 March 2005
The photosensitive molecule rhodopsin and its relatives consist of a protein moiety - an opsin - and a non-protein moiety - the chromophore retinal. Opsins, which are G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), are found in animals, and more than a thousand have been identified so far. Detailed molecular phylogenetic analyses show that the opsin family is divided into seven subfamilies, which correspond well to functional classifications within the family: the vertebrate visual (transducin-coupled) and non-visual opsin subfamily, the encephalopsin/tmt-opsin subfamily, the Gq-coupled opsin/melanopsin subfamily, the Go-coupled opsin subfamily, the neuropsin subfamily, the peropsin subfamily and the retinal photoisomerase subfamily. The subfamilies diversified before the deuterostomes (including vertebrates) split from the protostomes (most invertebrates), suggesting that a common animal ancestor had multiple opsin genes. Opsins have a seven-transmembrane structure similar to that of other GPCRs, but are distinguished by a lysine residue that is a retinal-binding site in the seventh helix. Accumulated evidence suggests that most opsins act as pigments that activate G proteins in a light-dependent manner in both visual and non-visual systems, whereas a few serve as retinal photoisomerases, generating the chromophore used by other opsins, and some opsins have unknown functions.
Opsins are membrane proteins with molecular masses of 30-50 kDa that are related to the protein moiety of the photoreceptive molecule rhodopsin; they typically act as light sensors in animals [1–4]. Photoreceptive proteins similar to the animal opsins in three-dimensional structure but not in amino-acid sequence have been found in archaea, bacteria, fungi, and a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii [5, 6]. These non-animal opsins function as light-driven ion pumps or light sensors but there is no evidence that they are structurally related to animal opsins, so they are not considered further here.
Gene organization and evolutionary history
The visual and non-visual opsin subfamily contains vertebrate visual and non-visual opsins. The visual opsins can be further subdivided into cone opsins and rhodopsin, which have distinct molecular properties arising from differences in the residues at positions 122 and 189 of the amino-acid sequence [11, 12]. The cone opsins can be further divided into four subgroups, which correspond well with their absorption spectra: long-wavelength opsins (LW or red), short-wavelength opsins (SW1 or UV/violet and SW2 or blue), and middle-wavelength opsins (MW or green; see Figure 1) [1, 3, 13]. Note that other nomenclatures are also used to specify these four groups. Most vertebrates, including the lamprey , have four kinds of cone-opsin genes, whereas mammals lack the SW2 and MW genes. Interestingly, humans have regained the green-sensitive opsin by duplication of the LW gene, so the green cone opsins of humans and lower vertebrates belong to different opsin subgroups (LW and MW) [15, 16]. In the human genome, the red and green opsin genes are localized in tandem.
Lower vertebrates, including lampreys, have several non-visual opsin genes that are members of the same subfamily as the vertebrate visual opsins. The first non-visual opsin to be discovered was pinopsin , which is involved in photoreception in the pineal organs of birds [17, 18] and lizards . Parapinopsin was first found in the pineal complex of the catfish , and it has also been found in zebrafish and Xenopus and more recently in the lamprey pineal . 'Vertebrate ancient' opsin (VA-opsin) was first found in the salmon retina ; the lamprey also has an ortholog of VA-opsin, called P-opsin . The ascidian chordate Ciona has an opsin (Ci-opsin1) that is closely related to the vertebrate non-visual opsins .
Within the other six subfamilies of opsins, members of the encephalopsin/tmt-opsin subfamily were first found in mouse and human , and homologs were recently identified in the teleosts and interestingly in invertebrates, the mosquito Anopheles and the marine ragworm Platynereis . Phylogenetic analysis shows that encephalopsin/tmt-opsin subfamily probably clusters most closely with the vertebrate visual and non-visual opsin subfamily (see Figure 1). Melanopsin is an important vertebrate non-visual opsin, but because it is more similar in amino-acid sequence to invertebrate Gq-coupled visual opsins, it is not classified as a member of the vertebrate visual and non-visual opsin subfamily (see Figure 1); melanopsins have been found in many vertebrates, from fish to humans [29, 30]. Members of the Go-coupled opsin subfamily have been found in molluscs and in the chordate amphioxus [10, 31] but not in human, mouse, zebrafish or Drosophila. Neuropsins, recently identified in mouse and human , are phylogenetically distinguishable as a subfamily but little is known about them. Peropsins are known from a range of vertebrates, from fish to human , and an ortholog was recently found in amphioxus . Finally, members of the retinal-photoisomerase subfamily, which includes retinal G-protein-coupled receptor (RGR) and retinochrome, are found in vertebrates and molluscs [34, 35]; an RGR homolog has also been found in an ascidian .
Chromosomal locations and numbers of introns of the nine human opsin genes
Number of introns
Recent genome studies have also provided us with information on the loss of opsin genes during animal evolution. No opsin gene has been found in Caenorhabditis elegans [39, 40]. Drosophila has seven opsin genes, all of which belong to the Gq-coupled opsin/melanopsin subfamily . In comparison, humans have nine opsin genes (Table 1), which are spread over six of the seven subfamilies (Figure 1). A PCR study revealed that amphioxus has at least six opsin genes from four subfamilies (Figure 1); deuterostomes therefore appear to have opsins from more subfamilies than do protostomes.
Characteristic structural features
The crystal structure of bovine rhodopsin has been solved [44–46] (Figure 2c). K296 (in the single-letter amino-acid code) in helix VII binds retinal via a Schiff-base linkage, in which the nitrogen atom of the K296 amino group forms a double bond with the carbon atom at one end of the retinal (Figure 2d). The key residue K296 is important for light absorption and its presence or absence can be used to judge whether or not a newly found rhodopsin-type GPCR is really an opsin. The counterion is another important residue: it is a negatively charged amino acid that helps to stabilize the protonated Schiff base (see below). In the vertebrate visual and non-visual opsin subfamily, the highly conserved residue E113 serves as the counterion [47–49], whereas in other opsins position 113 is occupied by other amino acids (tyrosine, phenylalanine, methionine, or histidine) and the highly conserved E181 serves as the counterion. This difference suggests that counterion replacement has occurred during the molecular evolution of vertebrate visual and non-visual opsins [50, 51].
Localization and function
Functions of the vertebrate visual and non-visual opsins
Two photoreceptor cells are involved in vision in most vertebrates - rod and cone cells - and they are distinguishable by their shapes. The rod and cone cells contain different opsins: rods have rhodopsin, which underlies twilight vision, and cones have cone opsins, which underlie daylight (color) vision . When excited by light in rod and cone cells, rhodopsin and cone pigments drive an enzyme cascade involving G proteins and their effectors: the excited pigments activate the G-protein transducin, which stimulates cGMP phosphodiesterase, resulting in a decrease in intracellular cGMP concentration. This decrease leads to closure of a cGMP-gated cation channel, leading to the hyperpolarization of the visual photoreceptor cell. In general, rods and cones contain distinct sets of phototransduction molecules (transducin, phosphodiesterases and channels) . It should be noted that the visual opsins are also expressed in non-visual photoreceptor cells, including the pineal photoreceptor cells that are found in most non-mammalian vertebrates.
The lower-vertebrate non-visual opsin genes are expressed in photoreceptor cells other than rods and cones. For example, pinopsin is involved in photoreception in the pineal organs of birds [17, 18] and lizards . It is suggested to activate both transducin and the G-protein G11 and therefore to drive two different phototransduction cascades [53, 54]. The parapinopsin recently found in the pineal organ of the lamprey is a UV-sensitive and bistable opsin with stable dark and light-activated states. VA-opsin is found in the salmon retina but in amacrine and horizontal cells (two kinds of neural cell in the retina), not in rod and cone visual cells . A splice valiant of VA-opsin called VAL-opsin is localized to deep parts of the brain and the horizontal cells of the zebrafish .
Functions of other subfamilies
The visual opsins of arthropods and molluscs belong to the Gq-coupled opsin group, which is different from the vertebrate visual opsin group. They are localized to the microvilli of the rhabdomeric photoreceptor cells, which are typical visual cells of arthropods and molluscs and are morphologically different from vertebrate rods and cones. These opsins are coupled to the signal-transduction cascades involving the G protein Gq and phosopholipase C [2, 57–60] and leading to depolarization of the cells in response to light. The different subgroups of insect opsins have distinct absorption spectra; this underlies insect color vision. Vertebrate melanopsins are very similar to the Gq-coupled invertebrate opsins [29, 30]; mouse melanopsin has been reported from knockout studies to be involved in the response of the pupil to light and in the entrainment of circadian rhythm by light . As suggested by their close relationship to the Gq-coupled opsins, melanopsin can be coupled to a Gq/phosopholipase-C cascade, similar to that used by the invertebrate opsins [63–65].
Mouse encephalopsin (also called panopsin) is strongly expressed in the brain and testes and weakly in other tissues , and the teleost homologs are localized to multiple tissues (they are therefore named teleost multiple tissue (tmt) opsins) . The functions of the encephalopsins and tmt-opsins are unknown, but their close but distinct position in the phylogenetic tree relative to the vertebrate visual and non-visual opsins may mean that they are more llikely to have distinct functions.
Some invertebrates have photoreceptor cells - distinct from the rhabdomeric photoreceptors - that are called ciliary photoreceptors because their photoreceptive portions originate from cilia. Interestingly, the scallop (a bivalve mollusc) has both kinds, and in the ciliary photoreceptor cells a novel opsin has been found that is different from the Gq-coupled one . It colocalizes with a large amount of Go-type G protein and is thought to activate Go in vivo; it is therefore named Go-coupled rhodopsin (or Go-coupled opsin). Electrophysiological evidence suggests that scallop Go-coupled rhodopsin elevates the intracellular cGMP concentration through light-dependent activation of Go, which leads to hyperpolarization of the cell .
Neuropsins are localized to the eye, brain, testes and spinal cord, but their functions are unknown. Peropsin was first found in the RPE of the mammalian eye . It binds all-trans-retinal as a chromophore, and light isomerizes it to the 11-cis form (Figure 2b). This photochemical property indicates that peropsin may serve as a retinal photoisomerase, like retinochromes and RGRs [34, 35]. Retinochrome and RGR, the members of the retinal-photoisomerase subfamily, bind all-trans retinal (Figure 2b) as a chromophore [67, 68] and are not coupled to G proteins, unlike the visual opsins, which bind the 11-cis form of retinal. Retinochrome and RGR have been identified in the mollusc and vertebrate retinas, specifically in the inner segments of the visual cells [69, 70] and in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) , respectively. Irradiation of these two pigments causes the isomerization of all-trans retinal to the 11-cis form [67, 68], suggesting that these opsins enzymatically generate the chromophore and supply it to the visual opsins [70, 71].
The function of most opsins except for the photoisomerases can be divided into two parts: light absorption and G-protein activation. Most opsins function through absorption of visible light, but the chromophore retinal itself has an absorption maximum in the UV region, not in the visible region. This potential problem is solved by the opsins as follows. As previously described, retinal binds to K296 in helix VII through the protonated Schiff base (Figure 2d); the protonation, which results in the delocalization of π electrons within the retinal molecule, shifts its absorption spectrum towards visible light. In the protein, the proton on the Schiff base is unstable and a counterion, a negatively charged amino-acid residue, therefore needs to be present in order to stabilize it.
Absorption of light (a photon) by retinal results in its photoisomerization from the 11-cis to the all-trans form (Figure 2b). This is followed by a conformational change of the protein moiety, eventually resulting in activation of the G protein. Photochemical studies have identified some spectroscopically distinguished intermediates that form during bleaching of the vertebrate rhodopsin - 'batho', 'lumi', 'meta I', and 'meta II' - which appear on the picosecond, nanosecond, microsecond and millisecond timescales after light absorption, respectively . Many biochemical and biophysical studies have focused on the question of what conformational changes take place in the protein moiety during the formation of the active state of opsins, especially the meta II intermediate of bovine rhodopsin. The most notable hypothesis is that light triggers the relative outward movement of helices III and VI [72, 73] to form meta II, most likely following flipping-over of the retinal ring . This movement of the helices could expose G-protein-binding sites, such as the cytoplasmic loop between helices V and VI [75, 76]. This loop varies in sequence among the different subfamilies and underlies their selective coupling to different subtypes of G protein [77, 78]. It is believed that a similar helix motion occurs in most members of the rhodopsin superfamily.
There are many unanswered questions concerning the functions of the different opsins. Recently, genetic approaches using knockout and/or transgenic animals have been used to understand the function and/or the expression mechanism of some opsins. Recent progress with RGR knockout mice concluded that RGR serves as the photoisomerase of retinal in vivo , and the function of melanopsin in the circadian clock has been studied with mutant mice lacking photoreception through rods and cones . One interesting approach for investigating why there are so many kinds of opsins is functional replacement of one opsin with another and observing the altered phenotype. The first example of this approach was the experimental replacement of rhodopsin with cone opsin in transgenic Xenopus, by selective stimulation of the cone opsin in a single rod cell that contained both cone opsins and rhodopsins . The 'knock-in' technique could be most useful for this kind of opsin-replacement experiment (H. Imai and Y. Shichida, unpublished observations).
GPCRs are important targets for drug discovery, and the opsin family is currently a good subject for such studies because it is the only family for which the structure of a member has been solved at high resolution. Structural studies of opsins could provide valuable information for understanding how GPCRs in general activate G proteins. Okada et al. have investigated the photochemistry of the rhodopsin crystal, which raises the possibility of solving the structure of an active form of rhodopsin (meta II) at high resolution (2.5 Å). The crystal structure of the meta I photointermediate of rhodopsin has recently been solved to around 5.5 Å resolution . The crystallization of a complex of active rhodopsin (meta II) with a G protein could be one of the breakthroughs that help to elucidate the G-protein-activating mechanism.
The author thanks Yoshinori Shichida of Kyoto University for valuable comments on this manuscript, Mitsumasa Koyanagi of Osaka University for useful discussions and help in preparation of Figure 1, and Hisao Tsukamoto for help in preparing the manuscript. This work was supported by Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture and the Grant for the Biodiversity Research of the 21st Century COE (A14).
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- Saitou N, Nei M: The neighbor-joining method: a new method for reconstructing phylogenetic trees. Mol Biol Evol. 1987, 4: 406-425. The neighbor-joining method for reconstruction of phylogenetic trees.PubMedGoogle Scholar | <urn:uuid:bec4663c-5a16-4fce-a7f8-f108147e3f16> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://genomebiology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/gb-2005-6-3-213 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738660706.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173740-00149-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.788157 | 11,347 | 3.40625 | 3 |
On Friday, the Obama Administration released a multi-sector strategy to cut methane emissions from agriculture, landfills, coal mines, and oil and gas production. This is an important step to reduce the climate risks of natural gas — as long as we get the details right — and to create a more level playing field for cleaner, less risky options like renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Why is this important?
Consider these facts:
- Methane emissions were responsible for 9 percent of total U.S. global warming emissions in 2012, making them the second largest source after carbon dioxide (CO2), according to the EPA.
- Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that traps 34 times more heat than CO2 over a 100-year period, and 86 times more over 20 years, according to the latest science from the IPCC.
- The natural gas industry is the largest industrial source of methane emissions at 23 percent of the total, and emissions are projected to increase as a result of the hydraulic fracturing boom.
- The Obama Administration estimates that the plan could reduce global warming emissions by up to 90 million metric tons, contributing to the president’s goal of reducing total U.S. emissions 17 percent below 2005 levels by 2020.
The emission reductions are likely much greater than this. The EPA is underestimating U.S. methane emissions by more than 60 percent because they are using an outdated 100-year global warming potential (GWP) for methane of 21, which should be updated to the latest IPCC estimate of 34.
In addition, a recent study published in the journal Science found that the EPA may be underestimating methane leakage rates from oil and natural gas production and distribution by 25 to 75 percent.
How would the plan reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas industry?
The plan proposes the following three key actions:
- Solicit expert input on a series of EPA technical white papers assessing the best approaches for reducing methane and other emissions, and use this research to develop and implement new regulations (where appropriate) by the end of 2016.
- Update standards to reduce venting and flaring from oil and gas production on public lands.
- Identify downstream methane reduction opportunities as part of the Quadrennial Energy Review, DOE roundtables, and EPA’s voluntary Natural Gas STAR program.
Is the plan enough?
The president’s plan is an important step for reducing the climate risks of natural gas. However, the devil is in the details. Given past experience, it’s clear that voluntary actions by industry will not be enough. Strong state and federal regulations will be needed to achieve these reductions and address other important environmental, public health, and safety risks from natural gas production and distribution.
And even if we could completely eliminate methane leaks from natural gas, a recent UCS study showed that a transition from a coal- to a natural gas-dominated electricity system would not be sufficient to meet U.S. climate goals.
The recent spikes in natural gas and electricity prices in several parts of the country due to the cold weather and high natural gas demand for electricity and home heating shows that an over-reliance on gas also has important economic risks.
Stronger climate and clean energy policies are needed to reduce these risks and diversify the electricity mix with renewable energy and energy efficiency.
The way forward
All this means that moving forward on the president’s plan makes a lot of sense — and that we have to do it right. The good news is that we know how to do it cost-effectively; we just need the leadership and the will. And continued attention to what science is telling us.
Support from UCS members make work like this possible. Will you join us? Help UCS advance independent science for a healthy environment and a safer world. | <urn:uuid:2118a5e1-b004-4b20-a2f5-49e95de53f30> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://blog.ucsusa.org/president-obamas-plan-to-cut-methane-emissions-will-help-reduce-climate-risks-of-natural-gas-467 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802771374.156/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075251-00068-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93355 | 776 | 3.40625 | 3 |
Now that the use of the term “ICT” is coming under increasing scrutiny in the schools sector, many are making more use of the term “TEL” But “TEL” has similar flaws to “ICT”, as was brought home to me when attending the Online Educa Berlin conference last week.
Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) has for some time been the preferred term for the academic community when referring to the application of technology to the improvement education. It has been the title of various funding streams of the European Commission (such as TeLearn and TELNET. The only slightly different “Technology Supported Learning” appears in the strap-lines of conferences such as Online Educa Berlin (which I attended last week) and Learning Technologies, to be held in London in January.
This post makes the case that the HE “TEL” community has been just as ineffective as the schools-level “ICT” community at delivering real improvements in education—and that some of the key reasons for this failure are embedded in the terminology itself.
The semantic argument
As Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy observed, terminology matters.It is of course perfectly natural to assume that everyone else is having a far more exciting time than you. Human beings, for instance, have a phrase which describes this phenomenon: “The other man’s grass is always greener”. The Shaltenak race of Broupkedron 13 had a similar phrase but since their planet is somewhat eccentric, botanically speaking, the best they could manage was, “The other Shaltenak’s jupelberry shrub is always a more mauvey shade of pinky russet”—and so the expression soon fell into disuse and the Shaltenaks had little option but to become terribly happy and contented with their lot, much to the surprise of everyone else in the galaxy, who had not realised that the best way not to be unhappy is not to have a word for it.
The wrong terminology can make it impossible to say some things while other, unexamined assumptions become hard-wired into the discourse.
I suggest that there are four problems with “TEL” as a term: one for each of the first two words in the acronym and two that are associated with the third word.
In the case of “technology”, the problem lies not in the word but in the context in which it is used. The reference to technology tout court, without any qualifier, suggests a conception of technology as a kind of generic commodity, the sort of thing you might go down to the local supermarket to buy in large jars, like peanut butter. “Could I have some technology on my learning please?”
Technology isn’t like that: it is an abstract, not just a collective noun. Technology would be better thought of as an “opportunity to innovate”, rather than a commodity. Yet the reference to technology, without any qualifier, suggests that any technology will do.
This is not just a semantic argument: it is in just this sense that the “technology” in TEL is thought of. Motivational speeches at Online Educa Berlin tried to persuade attendees that they were living through a revolutionary moment in education by describing the impact of mobile devices on the businesses of taxi companies and hotels. Projects trying to apply technology to our classrooms focus on digital video and internet discussion. And the discussion forums buzz with excitement over the potential impact on education of tablet computers, Second Life, or commercial games. In every case, people are transfixed by generic, off-the-shelf technology, developed by other people for other purposes—and the importance (even the possibility) of education-specific technology is ignored. In the words of Richard Noss, Director of the London Knowledge Lab at the Institute of Education in London, “For too long learning has been subsisting on the crumbs of technologies designed for other purposes”.
The notion that we need education-specific technology does not, of course, mean that we need to bin the generic technologies that we already have and start again. The development of sector-specific technologies is about refining and adapting more generic technologies, about dwarves sitting on the shoulders of giants. When I suggested the need for education-specific technology in the SchoolTech discussion, Theo Kuechel replied:Mmmm…. I haven’t seen an educational version of the most important “real world” technology yet… namely The Internet.
ps Thank Goodness! : )
This misses the point. The purpose of sector-specific technologies is not to duplicate generic technologies but to supplement them by addressing the sector-specific requirements that generic technologies overlook. It would be absurd to suggest that we try to reinvent the internet—but this point of view ignores the nested nature of technological developments (see my previous post Aristotle’s Saddlemaker). What is needed is to refine the internet to serve our sector-specific requirements, to grow some outer branches on our particular (and currently stunted) part of the technology tree—just as Facebook, Google or the Worldwide Web itself extend the Internet in their particular parts of the technology tree.
The problem with “enhanced” is the same as with “ICT”: it confuses the use of technology to improve education and the teaching of technology as an end of education. It would be perfectly reasonable to claim that learning could be enhanced in both senses:
- by using technology to ensure that people learn more quickly and effectively;
- by teaching students a technology-enhanced curriculum.
In practice, “TEL” is generally used in the first of these two senses—but the ambiguity in the terminology is still significant as the distinction between the use and teaching of technology is still widely ignored. We need a terminology which makes this distinction clear.
The ambivalence, noted above, as to what sort of enhancement we are talking about, is partly the responsibility of the word “learning”, which can refer both to the process of acquiring competencies and to the substance of the competencies acquired—as when you might say of someone that “he has much learning”. Both “teaching” and “education”, by contrast, refer unambiguously to processes.
My objections to the third word in the “TEL” acronym take on a more widely revered shibboleth in the educational community: the perception that we should be talking about “learning” rather than “teaching” or “education”. Although learning constitutes part of the objective of teaching or educating, I suggest that there are two reasons why this emphasis on “learning” is unhelpful.
Learning is not necessarily good
Learning is something humans do naturally all the time. But much of our learning is harmful, not beneficial: becoming addicted to hard drugs is a learnt behaviour; habitually beating up your girlfriend is a learnt behaviour; not getting out of bed before mid-day is a learnt behaviour. The job of the educationalist is to lead—educare in the Latin—students to the right sorts of learning and to avoid the wrong sorts of learning. Educationalists who promote “learning” as an intrinsic good ignore this responsibility.
Teaching (not learning) is what we do
However much we want our students to learn what we are teaching them, we (qua teachers) cannot induce them to do so except by teaching them. Isaac Newton denied the possibility that a force could operate at a distance, without any particle, wave or other influence travelling between the affecting and affected objects. He was talking about gravity but education is the same. We cannot induce learning to occur by magic: if we as teachers can have any beneficial effect at all, it will be through the medium of teaching.
Teachers who constantly talk about learning are therefore like motor manufacturers who constantly talk about driving, or advertisers who constantly talk about selling. Learning, driving and selling might be the ultimate objectives of these three different types of expertise—but it is not what they themselves, in respect of their expertise, actually do. Such discussions may reflect aspirations but they will not improve the efficiency of any operations under the control of the agents concerned.
Talk of “learners” rather than “students” or “pupils” is similarly aspirational. By assuming they are learning, ex-officio as it were, we feel less urgency in considering the measures that are needed to ensure that they do learn. The possibility that “the learners are not learning” becomes—by virtue of the poorly chosen words that we use—a contradiction in terms.
Use of the word “teaching” does not imply any particular style. You do not have to stand at the front of the class and use chalk and talk. You can be an ever-so-subtle facilitator of learning, you can create micro-worlds and other creative opportunities, designed to maximise the opportunities for the student to discover particular insights, as if for themselves. What you are doing is still teaching—and the underlying process is still fundamentally transmissive—and rightly so. If we condemned our students to go back to square one and discover for themselves all of human knowledge, it is unlikely that they would ever get much further than the stage of civilization attained by the early hominids, roaming the savannahs of East Africa.
Finally, there are many parts of our teaching practice that do not directly involve learning by the student: designing programmes of study, marking student work, tracking student performance and planning interventions and remediation. All these suggest requirements for teaching technology, which will be entirely missed by a discipline which focuses only on learning technology.
Constructivism: the intellectual hinterland of the doctrine of learning
The two specific problems discussed above need to be supplemented by a discussion of a deeper orthodoxy still that underpins the focus on learning—the theory of constructivism—the observation that learners “construct” their own knowledge. It is this theory that has spawned an approach to child-centred, personalised learning in which the learner becomes responsible both for what and how they learn. Although it sometimes seems hard to find an educationalist who does not subscribe to the doctrine of constructivism, the theory seems to me to be deeply flawed, at least at the fundamental, epistemological level.
Those who assert that learners construct their own knowledge had better start with a clear understanding of what they mean by “knowledge”. Epistemologists define knowledge as “justified, true belief” (this is not the end of the story—but it is a good first step). You cannot claim to “know” something unless:
- you believe it to be true;
- it is true;
- you have a reason for believing it is true.
We may “construct” our own belief, at least in the sense that belief must somehow be encoded in our own brains and most of us would think of our brains as being part of “me”. That itself is a simplification because the overwhelming majority of information encoded in our brains is not only unknown to the conscious “me” but is encoded in our brains without our conscious participation. Belief happens not only without, but sometimes despite the conscious “I”. I might like very much to believe in God or fairies or Father Christmas—but as every vicar who has suffered a crisis of faith has found out, the conscious “I” cannot choose what it wants to believe in.
Even if the ego could construct its own belief, belief is not the same as knowledge. The acquisition of beliefs that are true and justified requires more than construction—it requires belief that has been constructed in the right way. What constitutes such a “right way” cannot be learnt once and applied for ever thereafter. Every discipline, every topic and every individual assertion will have its own criteria against which proper justification must be measured (truth is, in the final analysis, beyond our ability to prove conclusively). In abstract academic disciplines, these “criteria” cannot always be learnt by exploring a microworld. The student can fail to write a poem in iambic pentameter and he does not burn his fingers, fall off his bicycle or have the sky fall in. He needs a teacher to point out the mistake.
So constructivism itself, while it points out some homely pedagogical truths about the need for student engagement in his own learning, is—judged as a grand theory—based on some very dodgy foundations. It should not be taken to provide a justification for continuing to talk about “learning” at the expense of “teaching”.
This is perhaps why Seymour Papert’s invented his own term, “constructionism”, to encapsulate the idea that children learn through creative play, in particular using Microworlds, programming environments and robotics, while avoiding the relativist implications of the theory of “constructivism”.
The empirical argument
You may think that the argument above is a bit pedantic. You might say “Who cares what we call the thing? What really matters is whether it works”.
The answer is that it doesn’t—at least not reliably, sustainably and scalably. A detailed examination of the evidence is for another post but the general conclusion should not surprise anyone. Occasionally, news is heard that TEL has been responsible for a dramatic improvement in results in some remote and probably well-funded project, but firm, statistically significant evidence seems to be as hard to track down as the Abominable Snowman. A presentation at a pre-conference workshop on Wednesday by the European Commission, which has funded a series of large academic research projects into TEL, explicitly recognised that there was a general “absence of evidence” that the projects had achieved lasting impact. A report out last month from the London KnowledgeLab is based on the premise that “evidence of digital technologies producing real transformation in learning and teaching remains elusive”.
Another session during the Online Educa conference discussed Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), with presentations from Gary Matkin of the University of California and Robert Cummings of the University of Mississippi. MOOCs are about the most exciting kid on the block at the moment from the point of view of TEL and many people are speculating on how companies like Coursera, Edx and Udacity are going to revolutionise Higher Education. The New York Times called 2012 “the year of the MOOC”. But the more the speakers evangelised at Online Educa, the more it became clear to me that MOOCs were much more likely to be a bubble than a revolution. Everyone is excited by the fact that they are free—but this does not mean much so long as none of them have yet worked out a sustainable business model. Although they claim to accommodate hundreds of thousands of students, their method of delivery, in the main, “simply involves videotaping lectures and putting them online”. This regressive, transmissive pedagogy, was amply reflected in the Online Educa Exhibition Hall, which was dominated by companies providing online video streaming services. And the most telling statistic of all about MOOCs is that they have a 93% drop-out rate. When I questioned Gary Matkin on this disappointing statistic, he replied that the metric was to blame. High drop-out rates were fine: the 93% of people who did not finish were presumably only interested in Chapter 1 (though no-one appeared to have bothered to establish this by actually asking them).
The key to making the MOOC even halfway successful is in providing a scalable, machine-delivered pedagogy (I say “halfway successful” because my own presumption would be that blended options will always be preferable). In the absence of education-specific technology, this is just what the academic TEL community has failed to do. Donald Clark of the University for Industry, speaking at an earlier session, The Empty Campus, admitted that the delivery of traditional e-learning courses was no cheaper than face-to-face delivery, owing to the requirement for intensive, one-to-one online tutoring. The use of generic digital communications technologies to deliver courses remotely has for many decades proved useful for isolated learners (be they adults in the workplace, excluded pupils, or children living in the Outer Hebrides). But as a way of improving the efficiency of mainstream education, the overcoming isolation does not constitute a sufficient benefit.
I had numerous conversations, with speakers, with the Question Time panel run by Graham Attwell, and with old e-learning campaigners whom I met in different lunch queues, who all agreed that the claim being made by the “TEL” acronym did not really stack up. Many also volunteered or agreed with the view that the TEL community represented an introspective bunch of academics saying the same things, year after year, and responding with intolerance to criticism.
One cause of the confusion lies in what exactly the role of academics should be in this field. No-one seems quite sure whether they are speaking as:
- practitioners, who use TEL in their own courses (which is why conferences like Online Educa are not only given by academics but are predominantly about HE);
- experts, who hold transferable and marketable TEL skills;
- visionaries, who pronounce on how technology could or should change the aims of education and its wider contribution to society.
In practice, the first and last of these three roles tends to predominate. Many speakers come over as opinionated practitioners working with off-the-shelf or home-made technologies, rather than genuine experts working with industry.
The lack of obvious expertise links to the apparent disinterest in new technologies. On one of the exhibition stands I came across a company selling eye-tracking technology. An attachment at the bottom of the screen could monitor where on the screen you were looking, allowing you to play a game of Asteriods just by looking at any threatening rock. Here is a technology which I suspect might have considerable potential for education:
- improving accessibility for students who cannot handle a mouse;
- providing immersive simulations, by which students not only spoke to voice recognition software, but also directed what they were saying to a particular character (perhaps in the context of an intelligent language laboratory);
- enabling rapid fire drills, increasing significantly the speed of student responses (and therefore the intensity of the drill) by cutting out the need for fiddling around with the mouse;
- diagnosing the way students were reacting to a problem on screen, analysing cognitive processes and levels of understanding, and giving contextual hints.
These possibilities might offer genuine opportunities for new education technologies—but were there any sessions giving feedback on research into any of them? Or into the statistical reliability with which competency could be measured? Or the use of automatic sequencing software to aid re-enforcement? You bet there weren’t.
TEL is a poorly conceived acronym. It is used by a community whose discourse is introspective and uninspiring—and after more than ten years of trying, that has not produced any measurable improvements in teaching and learning.
Building a new approach that focuses on education-specific technologies will take time. But the first step should be to get our terminology straight. Just as at school level we should park “ICT” and talk instead about “Computer Science” and “Digital Literacy”, so at HE and theoretical levels, we should leave “TEL” behind and talk instead about “education technology”. Not only is this the preferred term in the US, but it is also superior to TEL because:
- it clearly references the creation and application of technologies that are appropriate to education;
- it clearly addresses education, which is the process that falls within the responsibility of the profession, avoiding the ambivalence and contradictions implied by the discussion of “learning”.
Academics have an important role in the development of education technology—but they will only be effective in that role when:
- they separate out into those who are experts and those who are merely practitioners;
- they stop trying to apply off-the-shelf technology to the complex business of education, but start instead to work with industry (as would any academic engineer, physicist or chemist) on the development and application of education-specific technologies.
The feature picture for this post is Oscar Pistorius, coming off the starting blocks on his running blades. The special techniques required to run with carbon fibre blades (the application of the technology) is doubtless a matter requiring considerable skill, the lessons from which need to be tracked carefully by the manufacturers of the blades themselves (the creators of technology). But no-one will win the Paralympics 100 metres, however good their technique, if their running blades are no good. It is with the application-specific technology that we must start.
Create the technology first and then, in an iterative cycle of application and optimisation, requiring a close relationship between developers and users, you will be able to find out how that technology can be used to best effect.
This conclusion is being reached by the more thoughtful parts of academia itself, which seems to be particularly well represented at the Institute of Education in London. According a recent report from Richard Noss’ London Knowledge Lab:Academic, and practitioner research particularly, is poorly connected and is typically conducted in isolation from the technology developers whose products grace our schools and homes.
So to any academic who claims to be an expert in education technology, the most obvious opening question should be, “Which technology companies are you working with?”
|Scrapping “ICT”, argued that the term “ICT” was no longer useful and should be scrapped. I did not know at the time that the Royal Society had published a report 5 days earlier which came to the same conclusion.|
|Aristotle’s Saddlemaker makes the argument for education-specific software, based on a discussion of the relationship between ends and means found originally in Aristotle’s Nichomachean Ethics.|
|Learning Analytics for better Learning Content explores the preconditions for enabling learning analytics to be used to improve the quality of learning content (one of which is commercial provision of content).|
|Home page, with a full listing of posts on this blog.|
Nevertheless, they do exist: see “Why minimal guidance during instruction does not work” at http://igitur-archive.library.uu.nl/fss/2006-1214-211848/kirschner_06_minimal_guidance.pdf. I should stress that I am not arguing against many practical conclusions of constructivist theory – such as the importance of experiential and contextualised learning – but the elevation of constructivism into a doctrine that mixes up many different positions, many of them with relativist implications, and in the accounts of many educationalists, placing this theory beyond criticism.
Decoding Learning, November 2012, by Rosemary Luckin, Brett Bligh, Andrew Manches, Shaaron Ainsworth, Charles Crook and Richard Noss, http://www.nesta.org.uk/home1/assets/features/decoding_learning_report
Audrey Watters at http://www.hackeducation.com/2012/12/03/top-ed-tech-trends-of-2012-moocs/
Rose Luckin and Richard Noss at http://ioelondonblog.wordpress.com/category/richard-noss/. | <urn:uuid:cf8678ac-d156-4fcf-9728-912b2386ee6e> | CC-MAIN-2019-04 | https://edtechnow.net/2012/12/05/tel/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-04/segments/1547583656577.40/warc/CC-MAIN-20190116011131-20190116033131-00209.warc.gz | en | 0.959968 | 4,950 | 2.6875 | 3 |
1918: Following the Bolshevik Revolution, all church property in Russia was confiscated and all religious instruction in schools abolished.
1987: Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite disappeared in Beirut while attempting to negotiate the release of western hostages. He was freed in November 1991.
2011: Six of eight claims of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic priests in southwestern Nova Scotia that occurred in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s were settled and the Yarmouth diocese agreed to pay out about $1.5 million in total.
1525: The first Anabaptist baptismal service took place in Zurich, Switzerland, when Conrad Grebel re-baptized George Blaurock. Anabaptist converts who were baptized as infants had to be baptized again because of the group’s belief that baptismal candidates must make their own confessions of faith. Mennonites, Amish and Hutterites sprang from this movement.
1549: The British Parliament passed the first of four Acts of Uniformity. The first act required the exclusive use of the Book of Common Prayer, later called the First Prayer Book of Edward VI, in all public services of the Anglican Church.
304: Vincent of Saragossa, one of the most famous martyrs of the early church, was murdered after he refused to sacrifice. According to St. Augustine, his fame extended everywhere in the Roman Empire and “wherever the name of Christ was known.”
1699: Bishop St. Valier established an elementary school at Quebec. It opened in October of that year.
1922: Pope Benedict XV died. He was succeeded by Pius XI.
1999 – Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, aged 10 and six, were burned alive by militant Hindus while sleeping in their car in Eastern India. Staines, who had worked with the country’s poor and leprosy patients since 1965, had been accused of forcefully converting Hindus to Christianity.
638: The Islamic calendar was created and first used. It is a lunar calendar with 12 months in a year of 354 or 355 days, and is used to to determine when to observe Ramadan and Islamic holidays.
1492: The Jewish Pentateuch, or Torah, was first printed. It contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
1656: French religious philosopher Blaise Pascal published the first of his 18 “Provincial Letters,” most of which attacked the Roman Catholic Jesuits.
1831: The Lower Canada Assembly voted to extend legal rights to Jews.
1893: Episcopal minister Phillips Brooks, bishop of Massachusetts and writer of the lyrics to O Little Town of Bethlehem, died.
2009: Pope Benedict praised the benefits of social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace and launched Vatican’s YouTube channel to broaden his audience.
1076: Germany’s Henry IV convened the synod of Worms to secure the deposition of Pope Gregory VII. It charged the pontiff with serious crimes and called upon Rome to depose him. Henry was later excommunicated.
1573: English poet and preacher John Donne, dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, was born. One of the greatest English poets, he is known for such famous lines as “No man is an island,” “… never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee,” and “Death be not proud.”
1986: L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction writer who founded the Church of Scientology in 1954, died at 74.
1989: Barbara Harris became the Church of England’s first female bishop.
2009: Pope Benedict lifted the excommunications of four traditionalist bishops, including Bishop Richard Williamson, a Holocaust denier whose rehabilitation sparked international outrage among Jewish groups. The gesture was an effort to heal a 20-year rift that began when they were thrown out of the church for being ordained by the Society of St. Pius X without the permission of Pope John Paul II.
749: Emperor Leo IV of Byzantium was born. He led the Eastern Christian Church away from iconoclasm and towards a restoration of icons.
1907: U.S. social reformer and author Julia Ward Howe, composer of the Battle Hymn of the Republic, became the first woman elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters.
1959: Pope John XXIII announced he would convoke the Second Vatican Council, the first ecumenical council since 1870, in an effort to reunite the Christian churches separated from the Vatican. It officially opened in Oct. 11, 1962 and closed Dec. 8, 1965.
1965: Pope Paul VI appointed 27 new cardinals, including Archbishop Maurice Roy of Quebec.
1983: Pope John Paul II signed a new Roman Catholic code of canon law. Among other things, it recognized new rights for women and barred clergy involvement in politics.
1564: The Vatican-appointed, counter-reformation Council of Trent, meeting in northern Italy, issued the Tridentinum, which established a distinction between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism.
1776: U.S. Congress ratified the appointment of Eustache Chartier de Lothbiniere, a Canadian priest, as the first chaplain of the U.S. army.
1962: The Catholic diocese in Buffalo, New York banned the dance the twist from its schools, parishes and youth events.
1999: Warning that the devil is alive, the Vatican issued its first updated ritual for exorcism since 1614.
– With files from National Post | <urn:uuid:5459d9a4-cba7-4623-9e4c-c1d4451f9107> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://nationalpost.com/holy-post/this-week-in-religion-history-the-hazards-of-missionary-work/wcm/d5588af6-8b8f-40fb-b330-e4e9cd92588e | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886105326.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20170819070335-20170819090335-00639.warc.gz | en | 0.968598 | 1,159 | 3.28125 | 3 |
By supporting daily care of teeth and gums you help a person to keep their mouth and body healthy.
By encouraging healthy food and drink choices, you can help someone reduce their risk of tooth decay.
Regular check-ups are important not just for any necessary treatment, but also get advice and support to help prevent oral disease.
Take a quick tour of the mouth.
Good oral health means looking after the whole mouth:
This is complicated and includes factors such as age, genetics, lifestyle factors and the social and environmental influences.
Gum disease is the fifth most common health problem in Australia. It can be prevented.
Did you know that tooth decay is Australia’s most common health problem? Did you also know that it’s mostly preventable? | <urn:uuid:5efd0b27-bb40-45e5-a301-2a45b464d4f9> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://everysmile.dhsv.org.au/article/mouth-and-teeth-basics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578733077.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20190425193912-20190425215912-00181.warc.gz | en | 0.967126 | 158 | 3.015625 | 3 |
ChatGPT, Jasper AI, and More
ChatGPT is an ingenious artificial intelligence program that is revolutionizing computer technology. It can generate text responses to questions that range from music lyrics and business slogans, and even software.
ChatGPT is among the first to use generative AI models to be granted recognition from the public and is already drawing a lot of interest. However, before using it, you should be aware of its limitations and capabilities.
What is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a program developed in collaboration with Open AI, has become one of the latest sensations in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). It uses huge model of language acquisition (LLMs) and is able to react to various types of writing – from business tags and essays to songs and research papers and software code.
Its capability to give a response in seconds is remarkable and it’s fast becoming the fastest-growing consumer app of all time. In just five days of its launch it added one million users – much quicker that Netflix, Facebook or Spotify did!
ChatGPT is free to use for mobile and desktop sites but registering an account and using the email address as well as telephone number to get started requires paying a fee. Alternatively, you can upgrade to the pro plan for a lower cost to gain access to even more ChatGPT features.
ChatGPT is able to translate text from one language into another. It’s an excellent source for people who speak multiple languages, or for those who wish to master a new language or to communicate with someone from a different nation.
There are however some serious limitations to the program. It struggles with recognizing the authenticity of articles and can sometimes make false or contradictory assertions.
In light of this, a lot of schools and universities have banned ChatGPT from students’ computers or networks. This isn’t ideal for teachers who want their students to be able to access this application.
Students are using this tool to generate fake content. This poses a major concern for educators, as the moment students start copying their work, it may affect their academic performance.
Fortunately, there are counter-tools to help verify whether an article was created with ChatGPT. One such example is GPTZero which saw over 3000 users in the initial week of launch.
Are you worried regarding the future direction in AI and how it might affect your life? ChatGPT makes up a new breed of AI systems that can interact and converse with humans, providing an insight into the upcoming field.
ChatGPT, developed by OpenAI the San Francisco-based startup that is supported by Microsoft and Elon Musk – is an integral component of their mission. Their goal is to bring AI co-pilots an integral part of all aspects of digital life.
Many are concerned that ChatGPT could take over certain jobs, especially low-skilled and repetitive ones that could be automated. Based on the World Economic Forum, 85 million jobs could be eliminated by AI and robotics in the next decade.
Unfortunately, AI is not capable of replacing human reasoning and thinking. It simply cannot perform higher-quality calculations over a lesser amount of time than humans can require, requiring critical thinking and problem-solving skillsets.
What are the Best Alternatives to ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered tool that allows users to have human-like conversations by simply typing in text prompts. It was designed by OpenAI, a research firm specializing in AI as well as other technologies. The language model used by this program can help solve questions and aids in various tasks such as essay writing, email composition, or code composition.
ChatGPT has grown in popularity However, its servers have become overwhelmed with requests. This has led to many users are no longer able to gain access to the tool. However, there are a number of alternatives that provide the same functionality like ChatGPT.
Replika is one of the top alternatives to ChatGPT that will help users combat social isolation and loneliness. Replika functions as chatbots that chat with you on topics such as love and life just like an actual person would by using a highly sophisticated neural network machine-learning model coupled with scripted dialogue content for conversation that sounds natural.
It can even recognize visual elements and use these to keep the conversation going that’s why it boasts over 10,000 million active users!
Character AI is a delightful platform for users that allows you to interact with characters from various media, such as Sam Altman to Mario. The neural language models and characters have been designed to provide the ultimate in real-time entertainment that make it feel like you’re talking with an old friend.
Although this service is free to use, you must create an account in order to interact with the character. It’s a fantastic option for kids and teens who wish to interact with an AI-powered chatbot.
Jasper Chat is an excellent ChatGPT alternative that provides an array of features and capabilities. It can create factual current content, provide voice commands, design digital artworks, and provide API access.
Jasper Chat does not offer the option of a personality or voice response options as ChatSonic does, however you can still utilize this tool to create content for your blog, website, and other online platforms.
ChatGPT is a competitor to many other tools with similar features and capabilities, yet each has distinct strengths and disadvantages. It is crucial to find the tool that is most suitable for your needs and preferences.
GitHub CoPilot is an ideal alternative in place of ChatGPT for developers. It is a combination of OpenAI’s GPT-3 Language model, with auto-completion and cloud workflows, making it compatible with various Coding platforms, including VS Code or Neovim.
It is trained on 1.56 trillion terms and 137 billion variables to complete the generation and classification tasks. It is one of the most sophisticated NLG chatbots in the marketplace, this can handle a wide range of languages.
It’s the most precise chatbot on the market, offering exact results that are that are based on the latest knowledge and trends. It will assist you with various tasks like creating content, getting ready for tests, and making plans for the future.
Jasper AI is a writing platform that leverages machine learning to assist create captivating copy. With more than 50 copywriting tools at its disposal, Jasper AI will help your content stand out the competition.
Jasper is a great tool for content marketing , and it can generate more leads. In addition, you can also use it to create unique content for videos, blog posts and other platforms as well. In addition, Jasper can help you come up ideas for social media posts that you can direct to your followers!
Marketing via email can also benefit from using creative subject lines to increase open rates and improve conversion rates.
Jasper can produce stunning visuals in addition to its main AI-generated text. It also writes engaging video scripts for popular video platforms such as YouTube as well as TikTok.
Jasper AI platform is accessible for a range in users from blog writers to digital marketers to owners of websites. It can assist you in many ways like creating ideas for topics for blog posts, writing scripts for YouTube videos, and creating powerful Facebook Ad captions.
It also comes with an excellent email writing feature which can generate content for your emails, which can increase open rates on campaigns. This capability is invaluable for anyone who must compose emails regularly.
Another fantastic feature I adore is Jasper’s paragraph generator that is able to create beautiful paragraphs on any subject. All you have to do is supply it with a prompt and keywords to be used, and Jasper will do the remainder.
Jasper AI is an invaluable tool to create SEO-optimized content that will increase your rank on Google. It also assists in other areas, such as creating imaginative captions for Instagram stories and Pinterest title for pins.
Jasper AI offers several pricing plans that you can choose from according to the features you want and how often you plan to use it. In addition, its customer service team is excellent.
Jasper AI offers a free version to test out its features and see the quality of its service to meet your requirements. To gain the full benefit of this service it is necessary that payment information be provided.
Boss mode and its long-form editor give users the opportunity to create long forms of content like case studies, movie scripts. Plus it can be utilized for more complex projects like marketing content for web pages, Facebook Ads, and other platforms.
Jasper AI’s Boss feature allows you to assign multiple users with a common word quota, providing an efficient method for your organization to utilize the same application across multiple users.
Jasper AI’s Boss Mode is the ideal method to create long form content such as cases studies, articles and movie scripts. It also comes equipped with more advanced capabilities like editing keywords and adding images – ideal to create engaging marketing content! | <urn:uuid:a2cb0307-19fc-4c03-bac8-a9b794040774> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | https://traevaine.com/chatgpt-college-essays/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510707.90/warc/CC-MAIN-20230930181852-20230930211852-00164.warc.gz | en | 0.945488 | 1,863 | 2.78125 | 3 |
A significant number of women, especially in developing countries, need protection against more than one sexually transmitted infection (STIs), for instance HIV-1 and HSV-2, and family planning methods to prevent unwanted pregnancies. Dual protection technologies (DPTs; also known as multipurpose technologies) are designed to address two different indications with one product. Examples of DPTs are vaginal products capable of preventing transmission of HIV-1 in women while simultaneously providing contraceptive properties and a vaginal product capable of reducing HIV-1 transmission while preventing transmission of a second STI. DPTs can be categorized into three main approaches: 1) physical barriers, 2) chemical barriers, and 3) a combination of physical and chemical barriers. Examples of physical barriers are male and female condoms, diaphragms and cervical caps. Chemical barriers include use of a single drug with two mechanisms of action (viz., dual-activity compounds with microbicidal and contraceptive properties or activity against HIV-1 and a second STI pathogen such as HSV-2) or a combination of two drugs each targeted against separate mechanisms for achieving contraception and inhibition of HIV-1. Combinations of chemical and physical barriers are based on physical barriers such as a diaphragm along with a microbicide. Examples of each approach and current prototypes (such as vaginal gels and intravaginal rings) under development are described in this paper. Challenges facing development and regulatory approval of DPTs are also reviewed. This article forms part of a special supplement on a presentation covering DPTs, based on the symposium " Trends in Microbicide Formulations" , held on 25 and 26 January 2010, Arlington, VA. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Mendeley saves you time finding and organizing research
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Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them? – Shakespeare
A useful way to approach problems of anger, anxiety and depression is to see them not so much as separate issues, but as different kinds of response to ongoing frustration of the achievement of our goals, and to the sense of threat, stress and pressure that this brings. They are all potentially adaptive responses, as they are based on the evolved fight/flight/freeze system, but of course they can also be maladaptive.
Let’s think about them first from an emotional/behavioural point of view. We will look more closely further down at the cognitive themes which these feelings and behaviours would suggest.
Ongoing frustration of important goals, for instance failure to secure a job despite our best efforts, can first of all make us feel angry, but we don’t necessarily feel very fearful or demotivated yet. The anger we feel can give us energy for the fight, and determination not to be beaten. Of course it may also make us irritable and demanding, which may not help the situation.
Continued efforts without improvement may begin to frighten us – we start to sense that further fight may bring no change in our situation, and we may begin to feel threatened, to feel that our goals are really in danger. This can make us understandably very anxious, especially if these goals are fairly fundamental ones, such as making enough money to live, protecting our children, keeping ourselves healthy, hanging on to an important relationship etc. Again, these feelings can be adaptive, by helping us to be cautious and realistic, or they may just undermine our faith in our ability to cope, especially as we become more and more conscious of the fact that we are anxious. In the anxious state, however, we still feel some hope along with the doubt, feeling at least some of the time that it is worth while trying to re-engage with the struggle. We feel like running away, and may indeed do so some of the time, but we don’t give up completely.
If we lose this thread of hope, feeling that the struggle is no longer worth it, we find ourselves in the depressed state. This is the frozen, numb state, where caring about anything seems futile (as it seems like it cannot be achieved anyway), and any signs of hope, or even of success, are dismissed as illusory. We therefore don’t really try anymore, further reinforcing our lack of goal achievement. This is generally seen as a maladaptive state, and its possible adaptive function is less clear, but it may be
• An evolved mechanism of distress telling us to hibernate, escape or change something
• A signal that our coping system is overwhelmed and that we need time out
As I mentioned above, it is interesting to look at these three states from a cognitive perspective, as Beck does (e.g. Beck, A.T., 1976, Cognitive Therapy and the Emotional Disorders. New York: International Universities Press). The thinking described here may of course be realistic or unrealistic, functional or dysfunctional, to whatever degree.
Cognitively, the angry state reflects themes of perceived offense/transgression, rooting itself in the belief that something is wrong, unjust, unfair, and needs to be put right. Angry thinking and self-talk are characterised by phrases such as “should”, “ought”, “no right to”, “fault”, etc.
In the shift to the anxious state, we still see things as being wrong in some way, but we begin to see some aspect or aspects of the situation as more dangerous/threatening than we did, and our ability to cope with it as being less than we did. There is still a sense of defensiveness, but along with it a greater sense of vulnerability, and therefore our self-talk becomes less like fighting talk, and more safety-oriented: “what if?”, “I’d best not”, “I might fail” etc.
If the angry state is characterised by the view that some bad outcome shouldn’t happen, and the anxious state by the view that it looks as if it might happen despite our best efforts, then the depressed state sees it as having happened, actual loss rather than threatened loss, actual failure rather than possible failure. Furthermore, the depressed person can see no likely change to that situation, so their perspective is also one of futility; effort seems pointless, as there appears to be no real prospect of any significant action being rewarding.
Of course, there are ways out of this state, and they involve the reversal of the path we have just traced.
If efforts are to be made by the depressed person, especially in the important areas of life where they have experienced such disappointment and frustration, then these efforts need to be ones which lead to some feeling of reward (CBT therefore always starts with small, doable yet significant activities, such as getting a little bit of fresh air and exercise).
As a person begins to feel less depressed, and starts to look at their world again as maybe being a place of possibility rather than impossibility, the possibility of things going wrong again looms for them, and it is very common to move from depression back into anxiety. This is so uncomfortable that it can send many people back to depression again, so the therapist needs to make sure the client is ready for this, and help them shift the focus of the therapeutic work to the different themes of this state.
What is less obvious to many people is that if they are to re-engage with the life issues which were causing them so much stress, they may well need to revisit the angry state. This is normal, but it may need to be normalised for some clients. There may be dysfunctional expectations involved in their anger, and these may need to be worked on, along with learning more assertive ways of approaching life challenges. But there is also potentially useful energy in the angry state, and we may need to be reminded that anger is often a valid emotion if we are to step into the sea of troubles once again. | <urn:uuid:3ee17fda-4b59-4893-8d25-4b4ea5be1d8f> | CC-MAIN-2017-09 | http://integrativecbt.blogspot.co.uk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-09/segments/1487501171629.84/warc/CC-MAIN-20170219104611-00481-ip-10-171-10-108.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97086 | 1,292 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Half a century before famed Helen Keller, the “Original Helen Keller,” Laura Dewey Bridgman, became the first deaf and blind person to learn a language. By the time that Keller became famous in the early twentieth century, Bridgman’s story had faded and been forgotten — but like Keller, Bridgman moved souls around the world by triumphing over her multiple disabilities.
Laura Dewey Bridgman was born in the expansion period of the United States on December 21, 1829, just shy of President Andrew Jackson’s message to Congress to relocate the Native American tribes west of the Mississippi River. With her parents, Daniel and Harmony Bridgman, Laura resided in Etna, New Hampshire, just a few miles east of Vermont. Although Native Americans had moved from that area decades earlier, it remained rural.
When she was two, Laura contracted scarlet fever, which eradicated both her hearing and her sight, while seriously damaging her senses of taste and smell. Touch was the only one of the five senses that was not impaired.
Her early means of communication and expression were through imitation by touch. Laura learned to perform tasks by following her mother’s hands; she even learned to sew that way. However, it was Asa Tenny, a local handyman, who taught her to begin communicating using a system of signs. That attracted the interest of a professor at Dartmouth College, nearby in Hanover, New Hampshire, and he wrote a newspaper article about Laura.
Dr. Samuel Howe, head of the Perkins School for the Blind, read it and was eager to try to teach her. Even though educational experts believed that a deaf and blind student could simply not be taught such abstractions as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Howe – the husband of feminist and writer Julia Ward Howe — was a progressive person willing to delve into new challenges.
On October 4, 1837, when she was almost eight years old, Laura left New Hampshire to live at the Perkins School for the Blind in Boston. There she would learn how to read and write using grooved paper. Dr. Howe used an innovative method: he had her feel items – a spoon, for example — and then ran her fingers over a label with raised letters that spelled “spoon” to her touch. Laura did this with various items and words for several weeks, but the association between the item and the written word seemed beyond her comprehension. But one day, Dr. Howe wrote, her face “lighted up with human expression… [as] this truth dawned upon her mind.”
After having lost the most valuable of human senses, Laura Bridgman learned to use the sense of touch to replace her sight and hearing. She first “read” words, and then, in the opposite of the usual approach, went backwards to learn the alphabet and numbers. By age ten, she could write her name. She moved on to keeping a journal, in which she recorded her thoughts and what she had learned that day. To be able to write, as well as read and otherwise communicate with people, was truly miraculous. It was clear that the fever had not destroyed the thinking part of her brain and that this girl was extraordinarily intelligent.
Dr. Howe had European contacts and was enough of a self-promoter to use them on behalf of his school. Laura’s story was published in England, and when novelist Charles Dickens visited American in 1842, one of his main intentions was to meet the then 13-year-old girl. The British author of Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, and other popular works wrote in his travelogue, American Notes (1842):
“I sat down…before a girl, blind, deaf, and dumb; destitute of smell; and nearly so of taste: before a fair young creature with every human faculty, and hope, and power of goodness and affection, enclosed within her delicate frame, and but one outward sense — the sense of touch. There she was, before me; built up, as it were, in a marble cell, impervious to any ray of light, or particle of sound; with her poor white hand peeping through a chink in the wall, beckoning to some good man for help, that an Immortal soul might be awakened.”
The publicity that Dickens’ visit generated turned Laura into something of a tourist attraction, as countless Bostonians and visitors to Boston emulated Dickens. Although arguably inhumane, the Perkins school set up barriers for people to stand behind and watch her, much as though she were an exhibit in a museum. Because she was sightless, this may have not been as exploitive as it appears, and Howe certainly thought that her popularity was good for the school. Her formal education stopped when she turned twenty, however, and her family brought her back home.
That did not work out, though, as she could not adjust to the isolation of rural New Hampshire. Unable to cope with living at home, she returned to Perkins after an absence of three years. Except for summer vacations in New Hampshire, she would remain at the Boston school for the rest of her life. She earned money by making and selling crafts to the tourists who flocked to visit her, especially in the pre-Civil War era. Her days at Perkins were busy with domestic tasks, too, and she even taught sewing to other sightless students.
Bridgman progressed intellectually to the point that she wrote and received letters from many people. She also thought about philosophical issues deeply enough that she decided to be baptized at Hanover, New Hampshire in 1862. Although she never achieved the status that Helen Keller did with her exceptionally devoted teacher, Anne Sullivan, Bridgman’s life was a genuine success story. She died at Perkins, which still is extant, on May 24, 1889 of pneumonia, just a few months short of her 60th birthday. | <urn:uuid:00717c47-3990-43b2-a6fe-1ee8f4a2ac92> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://www.nwhm.org/blog/historical-women-who-rocked-laura-bridgman/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438043058631.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002418-00136-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985066 | 1,218 | 3.6875 | 4 |
Doctors explain the importance of a wish
The Referral Process
The referral process is the first step in a child’s wish. A wish can provide a magical and empowering interlude in a terrible and frightening time. Children are energized by a wish … by imagining it, describing it, planning and anticipating it. Families tell us that a wish can encourage a child to see a future to fight for and then to fight on, often against tremendous odds, when courage and hope are flagging.
If you know a child who needs our help, please complete an online Wish Referral Form, Contact firstname.lastname@example.org or call our office at toll-free at 1-866-277-9474.
Each wish-granting situation is a unique experience for the child, their family and Make-A-Wish BC & Yukon. However, there is a general process by which a child is referred, qualified and granted a wish.
Out of respect for the children and families we serve and out of concern for their privacy, children who may be eligible to receive a wish may be referred by one of three sources:
- Medical professionals treating the child such as doctors, nurses, social workers, or child-life specialists
- A parent or legal guardian of the potential wish child
- The potential wish child themselves
If a relative or friend makes the initial referral, our process is somewhat different. We do not wish to intrude on a family’s privacy and want them to feel comfortable with the process. We ask friends and relatives to speak to the family and encourage them to call us directly.
We require authorization from the child’s doctor and our medical advisor that:
- the child has a life-threatening medical condition which will threaten their existence prior to their 18th year.
- the child is between the ages of 3 and 17 years of age.
- the child has the cognitive ability of a 3 year old and can communicate and comprehend their wish.
Any child aged 3 through and including, 17-years-old with a life-threatening medical condition may be eligible for a wish. The child must be able to identify a wish and cannot have received a prior wish from any wish-granting organization. The child’s treating physician and our Medical Advisor make the final determination as to whether the child is medically eligible and able to participate in the wish.
Referring a child can be a difficult step for some parents to take. It is so important to understand two things:
- Qualification for a wish does not mean that all hope is gone. We grant life-affirming wishes rather than last wishes.
- Qualification for a wish is not based on a family’s financial situation. We know that a catastrophic illness puts a ‘fantasy wish’ beyond the reach of almost every household–whether from financial or emotional devastation. Rich or poor, we believe that every child with a life-threatening medical condition is deserving of a heartfelt wish.
Refer a Child Now | <urn:uuid:b86f175b-5389-4433-86b6-d8d9d2d34b25> | CC-MAIN-2015-14 | http://makeawishbc.ca/wishes/refer-a-child | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-14/segments/1427131299121.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20150323172139-00054-ip-10-168-14-71.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941363 | 625 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Obtaining a Bachelor of Science degree in cybersecurity equips students with the essential knowledge of information technology, computing, and information security principles and tactics.
Due to the rising frequency of cyberattacks, companies require qualified professionals to enhance their information security systems.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the demand for information security analysts is expected to grow by 35% from 2021 to 2031.
What Will I Learn?
Cybersecurity Bachelor’s degree programs offer a comprehensive curriculum that emphasizes the development of fundamental IT and computer skills, with a specific focus on information security, risk mitigation, and data analytics.
Through a blend of technical and analytical instruction, students are equipped with the skills needed to pursue successful careers in the industry.
Cybersecurity programs at the undergraduate level place a significant emphasis on the complexities of operating systems and network security.
The courses provide students with an understanding of network functionality and the ability to detect potential security vulnerabilities.
Furthermore, students learn object-oriented programming to equip them with the skills to address these vulnerabilities in the event of a threat or attack.
Though the courses may differ from one school to another, students should expect to learn things such as:
- The Foundations of Scripting and Programming
- Introduction to Cryptography
- Web Development Foundations and Applications
- Managing Cloud Security
Digital forensics is another common course requirement in cybersecurity programs since it teaches students how to detect and track security threats and unauthorized access attempts that could expose data.
Some programs may also include courses in cyber security law, computer ethics, and telecommunication systems to provide students with foundational knowledge relevant to their studies.
How to Choose a Good Program
Cybercrime is a persistent threat that affects individuals, businesses, and governments worldwide.
As a result, numerous cybersecurity degree programs have emerged these past few years, creating a wealth of career opportunities for skilled specialists.
However, choosing the right one is not always easy; here are a few things to consider:
Curriculum: When choosing your program, the curriculum should be a top consideration.
Look for programs that teach lifelong learning skills in addition to practical skills, as cybersecurity and its threats are always evolving.
A multi-disciplinary program that focuses on leadership and cybersecurity strategy is also recommended.
Collaboration with the cybersecurity community is also important for keeping the curriculum current and relevant for immediate job placement after graduation.
On-campus vs Online: When it comes to finding the right program, don’t limit yourself to local options.
Online degree programs can be just as rigorous and are often more affordable.
Plus, they offer the chance to interact with cybersecurity professionals from around the world and offer flexibility tailored to the needs of working professionals and students with families.
However, if you prefer in-person classes, weigh all the positives and the negatives before making your choice.
Cost & Financial Aid: A degree in cybersecurity can be a life-changing investment, but it can also come with a high price tag.
While the cost of some programs can cost between $20,000 and $40,000, don’t immediately dismiss an expensive program.
Make sure to research the scholarships and grants available at each school, as they can greatly reduce the total cost.
Work/Life Balance: While some programs are entirely online, others offer a hybrid of online and in-person classes.
Moreover, there are programs that require you to be physically present on campus for a certain period.
Hence, it’s important to keep in mind that the degree program you select is as flexible as you need it to be.
Another aspect to keep in mind is the number of courses you must take each semester, and if there are any deadlines for completing the program.
For instance, some programs may have a three-year completion restriction.
How Long Does It Take to Earn a BS in Cybersecurity?
To earn a Bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity, students typically need to complete about 120 credits, which generally takes four years for full-time students.
However, some schools offer accelerated programs that can be completed in as little as 2.5 years.
The completion rate of a program can depend on several factors, such as the availability of classes, transferable college credits, enrollment status (full-time or part-time), and individual commitment level:
- Transferable credits: Students who have already earned transferable credits from previous college programs that can be applied to their cybersecurity program, may be able to shorten their degree completion time.
- Part- or full-time schedules: Some degree programs provide part-time tracks to assist students in balancing their work, life, and academic responsibilities.
Although part-time programs may require less commitment, they could also extend a student’s degree completion time.
How Much Does It Cost to Get a BS in Cybersecurity?
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average tuition for in-state students in 2020 was about $9,375, compared to the $32,825 tuition that out-of-state students were charged.
However, the cost of a cybersecurity BA program varies based on the school.
The cost of obtaining a cybersecurity degree can range from $4,000 to $50,000 per year, depending on the type of college, the program, and whether it is in-person or online.
Aspiring students should consider researching financial aid and grant programs that could potentially reduce or even eliminate the cost of their cybersecurity degree.
Numerous cautionary tales have been circulating among the student population, detailing scenarios where individuals graduate from college with a staggering $200,000 worth of debt that could potentially take an entire lifetime to pay off.
Although some of these stories may be slightly embellished, the gravity of the issue at hand should not be overlooked.
Fortunately, obtaining a cybersecurity degree can be achieved without having to incur exorbitant expenses.
Regardless of whether you attend a prestigious university or not, a degree in this field holds immense value and significance in the current job market.
What Can I Do with a BS in Cybersecurity?
Completing a bachelor’s degree program in cyber security equips you with the necessary skills to explore employment opportunities in the network and security fields.
Additionally, possessing expertise in optimal security procedures can increase your appeal as an ideal candidate for IT-related positions as network security is a primary concern for numerous organizations.
In general, professions in cyber security offer adaptable career paths and well-paid positions, such as:
1. Information Security Analyst
Your job will be to monitor your organization’s network for potential security breaches and conduct investigations in the event of an actual breach.
Information security analysts are tasked with documenting the breach and devising encryption protocols to prevent future breaches.
The average salary for this position is $113,270 per year.
2. Computer and Information Systems Manager
Computer and information system managers have the crucial role of overseeing technology-related endeavors in their organization while setting up and accomplishing objectives for the company.
In this position, you would also be responsible for maintaining communication with a diverse group of personnel within the company, ranging from network technicians, security analysts, and system administrators to top-level executives and other significant decision-makers.
The average annual salary for this job is $162,930.
3. Systems Analyst
As a business grows, its needs are likely to change significantly over time.
The information systems that may have been effective in the past may no longer be capable of keeping up with the increased demands.
So, this is where the systems analyst comes in.
With these changes, it becomes the responsibility of a systems analyst to ensure that the organization’s hardware, software, and network architecture are expanded accordingly.
The systems analyst will also assess the current systems through testing and then propose new modifications for developers and programmers to implement.
The average annual salary for this job is $80,757.
Should I Get a BS in Cybersecurity?
Though not always mandatory for a career in cybersecurity, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree can prove advantageous in developing essential skills, expanding job prospects, and elevating your candidacy during the job search process.
However, before deciding whether pursuing this type of degree is right for you, keep in mind:
- A bachelor’s degree program takes around four to five years of full-time attendance.
- Students are expected to complete at least 120 credits, with approximately 50% dedicated to their core curriculum.
Pursuing a BS in cybersecurity demands a significant investment of your time and finances.
This is why it’s crucial you analyze all angles before making a decision.
For example, if you are raising a family or have added responsibilities that require your constant attention, your best bet might be to pursue an online degree.
Furthermore, while not all cybersecurity job opportunities may not demand a degree, many employers still prefer candidates who hold one.
In general, advanced cybersecurity positions, particularly those in management and executive roles, are more likely to mandate a Bachelor’s degree.
Positions such as cybersecurity engineer, cybersecurity architect, cybersecurity manager, and penetration tester typically require candidates to possess a specified level of education – with a Bachelor’s degree usually being the lowest level required. | <urn:uuid:7c44a37b-5d7d-4388-84f5-937fa3350a2f> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | https://www.becomeopedia.com/cybersecurity-bs/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679511159.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20231211112008-20231211142008-00632.warc.gz | en | 0.944786 | 1,912 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Have a fruity and juicy day ahead with orange juice
You’ve most likely heard since you were a child that oranges are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Oranges are lovely fruit that is healthy, tasty, and cheap to get, they originated around 4000 B.C in southeast Asia. Orange is a fruit of the Citrus, Citrus sinensis. Citrus sinensis is known as sweet orange while Citrus Aurantium is known as bitter orange. Oranges are one of the largest citrus fruit in the world which comprise about 60% of the total citrus production in the world. Everything about orange is useful, its peel can be used in making teas and candies.
Oranges are one of the most popular fruits in the world with over 600 varieties worldwide. They are rich in vitamin C, choline, potassium, and dietary fiber. Vitamin C helps to boost our immune system and also protects the inside and outside of our body cells from damages, one orange provides approximately 92% of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C. The fiber helps in controlling blood sugar levels, reducing Hugh’s cholesterol levels, etc.
Now let’s talk about Orange juice…
Orange juice is considered one of the healthiest beverages because of its health benefits such as detoxifying the body, reducing inflammation, helping to lower cholesterol levels, helping to control blood sugar levels, boosting the immune system, etc.
Making Orange juice is easy, it just depends on the method you decide to use.
- Manual method; Rinse the orange under running water, clean it with a kitchen tissue. Cut the fruit into halves, remove the seeds then squeeze the orange over a glass to extract the juice. This method could be stressful and cannot be used for a large portion of the orange.
- Making use of a juicer; Rinse the orange under running water, clean it with a kitchen tissue. Cut the orange into halves then press the halved orange onto a circulating reamer. Then you have your orange juice.
You see it’s something you can do at home. Don’t forget to get some oranges and treat your family with some natural orange juice.
Happy New Month. | <urn:uuid:4379ca42-e444-40ae-9c0f-9389fc35f96b> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://suntwist.com.ng/orange-juice/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320301863.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20220120130236-20220120160236-00168.warc.gz | en | 0.929021 | 459 | 2.875 | 3 |
Phthalates are chemical compounds that are commonly added to plastics to increase their flexibility, transparency, durability and longevity. Phthalates are used in a wide range of cosmetic and food products — plus, they’re released into the environment. Diet is believed to be the main source of phthalates because fatty foods such as milk, butter and meats are commonly packaged or stored in plastics containing this dangerous toxin.
And a 2018 study gives us even more reason to pay attention to this everyday threat. Researchers at George Washington University compared phthalate levels in people who ate home-cooked meals to those who frequently dined out at restaurants, cafeterias and fast-food outlets. The results? On average, people who are eating food prepared outside of the home have nearly 35 percent higher levels of phthalates circulating in their bodies.
Translation: They’ve got a lot more hormone-disrupting chemicals running through their veins. And these chemicals are linked to a long list of health ills ranging from infertility and trouble losing weight to birth defects in kids and even certain cancers.
And while we’re on the subject of eating fast food on the go, you should know this: One-third of fast-food packaging also contains obesity-promoting, thyroid damaging nonstick chemicals. It’s not just the calories we need to worry about anymore.
Phthalates, colorless, odorless liquids produced by reacting phthalic anhydride with an appropriate alcohol. And according to tests done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, most Americans have metabolites of multiple phthalates in their urine. While diet is believed to be our greatest exposure, these toxins can be absorbed through the air and skin too. Indoor concentrations seem to be significantly higher than outdoor concentrations, and indoor air pollution can be worse than outdoor. Plus, higher temperatures result in higher concentrations of phthalates in the air.
A 2003 study published in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that environmental levels of phthalates are associated with altered DNA integrity in human sperm. The study consisted of 168 males who were recruited from the Massachusetts General Hospital Andrology Laboratory and provided semen and urine samples. The results indicate that monoethyl phthalate found in urine does increase DNA damage in sperm.
A 2005 scientific review published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine evaluated many animal and human studies associated with exposure to phthalates and reproductive development. In experimental animal studies, primarily in rodents, some phthalates induced reproductive tract developmental issues that consisted of epididymal malformations or absence of the epididymis, increased incidence of hypospadias (opening of the urethra in males), decreased distance between the genitals and anus, delayed preputial separation (pubertal milestone), retention of thoracic nipples, and testicular lesions.
Some studies reported associations between pubertal and adult exposure to phthalates and testicular toxicity. There is also research to suggest that phthalates exposure prolongs the cycles of reproductive hormones, suppresses or delays ovulation, leads to smaller pre-ovulatory follicles due to reduced granulosa cell size, and decreases circulating serum oestradiol, which is a reproductive hormone.
Researchers agree that something had to be done about this dangerous chemical toxin. In 2010, the market was still dominated by high-phthalate plasticizers; however, due to current legal provisions and growing environmental awareness and perceptions, producers are increasingly forced to use non-phthalate plasticizers. It’s up to us, the consumers, to search out phthalate-free products and avoid using foods and goods that contain this serious toxin.
Where Are Phthalates?
You may be shocked to find out that phthalates are found in the packaging of many products, including children’s toys, paint, printing inks and coatings, clay, pharmaceuticals, food products, and textiles.
2. Cosmetic Products
What’s the real price of beauty? Phthalates are used in perfumes, eye shadow, moisturizer, deodorant, nail polish, liquid soap, shampoo, conditioner and hair spray.
3. Household Products
Who knew that chemical toxins are in household cleaning products? Phthalates are also in detergents, shower curtains, vinyl upholstery, carpeting, wire coatings, adhesives, floor tiles, food containers and wrappers.
4. Medical and Personal-Care Products
Phthalates are present in the enteric coatings of pharmaceutical pills and nutritional supplements; they’re also in gelling agents, film formers, stabilizers, dispersants, lubricants, binders, emulsifying agents and suspending agents. Adhesives and glues, agricultural adjuvants, building materials, personal-care products, modern electronics, and medical applications such as catheters and blood transfusion devices also contain phthalates. Even most sunscreen is toxic, containing phthalates and more.
A 2004 study done at the Harvard School of Public Health found that enteric coatings used on medications and supplements generally consist of various polymers that contain plasticizers, including triethyl citrate, dibutyl sebacate, and phthalates such as diethyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate. The study consisted of a spot urine sample from a man collected three months after he started taking Asacol, a medication with an enteric coating. The results showed that the concentration of phthalates in his urine was higher than the 95th percentile for males reported in the 1999–2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
5 Ways to Avoid Phthalate Exposure
According to research, 95 percent of Americans have phthalates in their urine. It’s almost impossible to completely avoid phthalate exposure, but there are some small changes you can make to reduce the risk of consuming these toxins.
1. Avoid Foods Stored in Plastic
It’s best to buy food daily and meat that is not stored in plastic bottles, containers or wrappers. Look for milk sold in a glass container, meat wrapped in paper, and yogurt or cheese in “phthalate-free” packages. Also, pesticides can spread phthalates on all foods so it’s important that you buy organic brands whenever possible.
Eat home-cooked meals as much as possible and avoid frequently dining out in restaurants, cafeterias and fast-food spots.
2. Use Homemade Hair and Skin Care Products
Too many beauty or self-care products contain phthalates that go directly onto your skin and into your pores. Many times you have no idea that these toxins are in your hair and skin care products because it isn’t listed in the ingredient label.
The best way to avoid consuming or applying phthalates directly to the skin is to make your own products. Hair products are very easy to make, and the essential oils used to perfume these products have a ton of health benefits to boot. Try my Natural Homemade Shampoo and Homemade Conditioner; store them in “phthalate-free” containers or glass jars if possible.
There are so many self-care products that you can make at home. My Homemade Deodorant, Homemade Frankincense Soap Bar and Homemade Honey Face Wash are all completely safe and toxin-free. They’ll make a world of difference for your skin and your health!
3. Use Glass Containers
Ditch your plastic tupperware of containers — the amount of toxins in these materials cannot be predicted, and chances are they’re high in phthalates. You certainly don’t want to heat your food up in plastic containers, as this only intensifies the toxic exposure. For instance, phthalates are endocrine disruptors that lead to excess estrogen, and we know that excess estrogen leads to hormone imbalance.
Whenever possible, use glass containers. Even when buying bottles or sippy-cups, go with the glass, silicon or stainless steel options.
4. Look for DEP-Free Products
If you buy items that contain plastic, look at the recycling codes to determine whether or not they’re safe. Codes 3 and 7 may contain phthalates, diethyl phthalate (DEP) or BPA, but plastic with recycling codes 1, 2 or 5 don’t contain phthalates. Always opt for the latter, as we know BPA toxic effects are dangerous to our health.
When buying any product, including shampoos, conditioners, body washes and perfumes, be weary of “fragrance” as an ingredient. This most likely means that phthalates are present in the product. Instead, look for products that say “phthalate-free” or “DEP-free.”
5. Cleanse Your Body
Chances are you have high phthalate levels in your body right now, and that’s because these toxins are nearly impossible to avoid. This is why I recommend you detox your liver every once in a while — to clear your body of harmful chemicals and give it a fresh start.
A liver cleanse is important because the liver is one of the hardest-working organs in our body. It works tirelessly to detoxify our blood; produce the bile needed to digest fat; break down hormones; and store essential vitamins, minerals and iron. When the liver is not functioning optimally, we cannot digest our food properly, and this trickles down to every system of the body. To get you started, try my Green Detox Machine Juice Recipe. It will boost your health and begin to repair years of damage and ingested toxins.
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Shopping Guide & | <urn:uuid:acd601a0-60df-4e43-ad7a-73362b224844> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://draxe.com/phthalates/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550249530087.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20190223183059-20190223205059-00107.warc.gz | en | 0.931548 | 2,090 | 3.453125 | 3 |
Architectural rendering is one of the important processes of the building planning process. Architectural rendering helps the builder to see how the proposed building project would look like. In those days, architectural rendering was done by using paper and pencil. The designers would render based on the details given by the building designer. This process takes a lot of time and it was not so effective in explaining the minute details. These are some reasons that 3D rendering became popular these days. As the name says, 3D rendering gives a three dimensional look of an architectural rendering.
These days, 3D renderings are performed with the help of various design software programs. The advantages of 3D rendering are that it can make the rendering look like a real photo. Therefore, the builder can easily attract more buyers easily by using the 3D architectural rendering. With this type of rendering, a designer can bring out even the minute details of the proposed building project. These days, there are various engineering services to offer architectural 3D rendering to various clients.
The 3D architectural rendering is done in a step by step process. There is a popular saying that says a picture speaks a thousand words. If you are into the building construction business, then you would like to pull more buyers for your prospective building project. In such a case, the future buyers always like to know how the building exactly looks in terms of color, finish, etc. With 3D rendering, you can have more buyers for the proposed building. Architectural rendering services are available for both commercial and residential builders.
When you are searching a firm for 3D rendering, you need to take some time to do your research. Before hiring a company, check its previous work. You can find the previous work of the firm by looking into their website. If you do not find the portfolio of the firm, then it is better to avoid them. | <urn:uuid:192a1a32-82aa-4ccf-a493-77c6b7f80ada> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | http://www.easytreegenerator.info/2016/03/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125948126.97/warc/CC-MAIN-20180426105552-20180426125552-00446.warc.gz | en | 0.96652 | 379 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Tropical Cyclone Ita, a Category 5 storm with winds in excess of 215 km/h (130 mph), moved across the Coral Sea, Great Barrier Reef and the northeastern Australian coastline earlier this year. Project Director Richard Vevers recently led a team of researchers back to some of the sites that had been in the path of T.C. Ita to examine how storms can affect coral reefs. It is the first time the Catlin Seaview Survey has had a chance to revisit areas that have been previously surveyed (we'd already visited these sites in 2012 as part of our major Great Barrier Reef & Coral Sea expeditions).
The impact cyclones have on coral reefs is quite unpredicatble and still relatively unknown. By comparing imagery captured in 2012 with our post Ita image data scientists will now begin to make comparisons between the conditions of the reef. The most striking observations that our team made was the huge varience of storm impact and no uniform pattern of damage in the path of the storm.
"We found areas with extensive damage next to perfectly healthy reefs that appeared virtually unaffected by the storm" said Project Director Vevers. "There were differences not just between the sheltered and exposed parts of the reefs, but also differeing levels of damage to areas immediately adjacent to one another". Researchers can now being to investigate how the overall structures of the reefs may have channelled the force of the wave action hitting the reefs, creating this varied pattern of damage.
Also from Vevers, "What's so significant about this work is that we now have the capability, for the first time, to deploy our cutting-edge survey technology quickly and to compare information over time". There is a lot to learn from the data that has just been collected, Mark Newman, Chief Executive of Catlin Group Limited's Asia-Pacific operations said: "Extreme weather increases economic threats such as damage to property, compromising food security and the livlihoods of coastal populations. At the heart of the Catlin Seaview Survey work is the need to determine if tripocal cyclones are causing long-term damage to coral reefs and reducing thier effectivness as protecting barriers for the coastline, its people and thier businesses. Clearly there is a potential risk which we need to understand better". | <urn:uuid:c38a0e7b-8d4f-457f-b73b-0febc5c98d30> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://catlinseaviewsurvey.com/news/20-06-2014/the-gbr-before-and-after-a-category-5-cyclone | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267866932.69/warc/CC-MAIN-20180624102433-20180624122433-00219.warc.gz | en | 0.96535 | 463 | 2.734375 | 3 |
This second edition of Health at a Glance: Europe presents a set of key indicators of health status, determinants of health, health care resources and activities, quality of care, health expenditure and financing in 35 European countries, including the 27 European Union member states, 5 candidate countries and 3 EFTA countries. The selection of indicators is based largely on the European Community Health Indicators (ECHI) shortlist, a set of indicators that has been developed to guide the reporting of health statistics in the European Union. It is complemented by additional indicators on health expenditure and quality of care, building on the OECD expertise in these areas. Each indicator is presented in a user-friendly format, consisting of charts illustrating variations across countries and over time, a brief descriptive analysis highlighting the major findings conveyed by the data, and a methodological box on the definition of the indicator and any limitations in data comparability.
- 16 Nov 2012
Alcohol consumption among adults
The health burden related to excessive alcohol consumption, both in terms of morbidity and mortality, is considerable (Rehm et al., 2009; WHO Europe, 2012a). In Europe, alcohol is the third leading risk factor for disease and mortality after tobacco and high blood pressure. High alcohol intake is associated with increased risk of heart, stroke and vascular diseases, as well as liver cirrhosis and certain cancers. Foetal exposure to alcohol increases the risk of birth defects and intellectual impairments. Alcohol also contributes to death and disability through accidents and injuries, assault, violence, homicide and suicide. It is, however, one of the major avoidable risk factors. | <urn:uuid:de5596da-bc4a-475d-a352-963dca065ce1> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/social-issues-migration-health/health-at-a-glance-europe-2012/alcohol-consumption-among-adults_9789264183896-25-en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560281263.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095121-00065-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927903 | 325 | 3.140625 | 3 |
V404 Cygni has something of an identity crisis. The "V" in its name indicates that it's a variable star, so it gets brighter and fainter. It's also known as a nova, because at least three times in the 20th century it produced bright outbursts. And finally, it's known as a soft X-ray transient because it occasionally emits brief flashes of X-rays.
Together, these identities tell astronomers that V404 Cygni is a binary -- two objects locked in orbit around each other. One of them is an orange star that's a little smaller and cooler than the Sun. The other is a black hole.
They're so close together that the black hole is stealing gas from its companion. But the flow of gas is a bit lumpy, which is why the system sometimes emits bursts of X-rays.
The gas forms a bright, hot disk around the black hole. When enough gas builds up, it produces a dramatic outburst known as a nova. The outburst causes the system to shine hundreds of times brighter than normal.
The first eruption from V404 Cygni was seen in 1938, with the most recent in 1989. And it's likely building toward another eruption even now. The eruptions may occur about every 20 to 30 years. If so, then the next one could come at any time.
The system is in Cygnus, the swan, which is high in the eastern sky at nightfall. It lurks near the line that connects the swan's beak with the center of its body -- a faint star system that may be about ready to get a lot brighter.
Script by Damond Benningfield, Copyright 2011
For more skywatching tips, astronomy news, and much more, read StarDate magazine. | <urn:uuid:1c2c5d37-0971-4b92-95c0-8517dba96a7f> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | http://stardate.org/radio/program/v404-cygni | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936461266.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074101-00106-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965453 | 371 | 3.703125 | 4 |
NASA chief cryospheric scientist H. Jay Zwally told FoxNews.com that the melting has been increasing as the temperatures in Greenland have been increasing.
“Climate in the Arctic has been warming about three to four times more than the global average, and Greenland surface temperatures (observed by satellite and surface instruments) have been increasing about 2 degrees Celsius per decade during about the last 20 years,” he said.
Why did he pick the last 20 years? Because twenty years ago was the coldest period on record in Greenland.
Top scientist Zwally forgot to mention that current temperatures are cooler than the 1930s and that the long term trend since the 1920s is downward.
In 2007 he predicted an ice-free Arctic in 2012 | <urn:uuid:7b9ec630-6b35-4a5f-ac54-b321d8c5e6d1> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://stevengoddard.wordpress.com/2012/07/26/nasas-jay-zwally-does-the-dirty-cherry-picking-deed/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780056900.32/warc/CC-MAIN-20210919190128-20210919220128-00202.warc.gz | en | 0.965591 | 154 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Because the play has so few props, the props that do appear onstage take on an exaggerated significance. As one example, Vladimir
, and Pozzo
all wear hats and at times seem oddly preoccupied with them. Lucky, for instance, needs his hat to think, and stops his long monologue once his hat is knocked off. In act two Estragon and Vladimir exchange their hats and Lucky's hat back and forth, trying different ones on. Given the importance of these hats to their individual owners, this scene can be seen as representing the fluidity and instability of individual identities in the play. As Pozzo and Lucky don't remember having already seen Vladimir and Estragon in act two, Vladimir begins to wonder whether the Pozzo and Lucky of act two are the same as those of act one. Estragon, for one, does not recognize them, and calls Pozzo Abel. Estragon can't even remember his own past, and at one point tells Pozzo that his name is Adam. Moreover, it is not clear whether the young boy
in each act is one boy or two different ones. The boy also calls Vladimir Mr. Albert, which may or may not actually be Vladimir's name. With all of this ambiguity and instability regarding people's identities, the scene of the hat exchange playfully represents an exchange of identities, as Vladimir and Estragon wear different combinations of hats. They ultimately return to wearing their own hats, but it is uncertain whether they (or other characters) are being themselves throughout the play, or if they even have stable selves they can be. | <urn:uuid:e701a8ab-3bd6-4e19-a290-a11422bbf7d4> | CC-MAIN-2017-30 | http://www.litcharts.com/lit/waiting-for-godot/symbols/hats | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-30/segments/1500549423992.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20170722102800-20170722122800-00334.warc.gz | en | 0.970999 | 324 | 2.546875 | 3 |
The Journal of the American Medical Association has published a new study that has claimed that respiratory infections in healthy adults have a direct association with a biological marker's length. Sheldon Cohen, Ph. D. and colleagues at the Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, had conducted the study.
They said that the ones with telomeres shorter in lengths in some cells were at higher risks of getting an upper respiratory infection. Telomere is a structure at the chromosome's end, the report has found in the meantime. These individuals were also administered a cold virus. In comparison to them, the risks were low in the partakers with longer telomeres.
As many as 152 healthy people were recruited and they were given nasal drops containing rhinovirus 39 in their own staying room. Some 69% developed respiratory infections.
It has been informed that telomeres tend to become short in length when cells divide. During cell division, telomeres act as protective caps that stop genomic DNA erosion. But their shortening in the white blood cells
(leukocytes) means weak reaction of antibody to vaccines. Also, the same hints immunocompetece.
However, it is yet to be found if the leukocyte telomeres' length affects healthy younger people with acute disease. "Shorter leukocyte telomere length also is associated with aging-related illness and death from conditions with immune system involvement, including infectious diseases, cancer, and cardiovascular disease", said the team.
- Samsung signs deal with Amazon.in to sell Galaxy K Zoom handset in India
- GE unveils smart LED light bulb – ‘Link’
- Report: iPhone 6 likely to be launched one month earlier than expected
- Huawei officially unveils its new high-end Ascend P7 smartphone
- Samsung launches its ‘Galaxy K zoom’ camera specialized-smartphone | <urn:uuid:481dd3b3-dc6e-4383-b141-08263d0da18b> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://topnews.us/content/253405-researchers-link-biological-marker-length-respiratory-infections | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375097246.96/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031817-00076-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965957 | 381 | 3.109375 | 3 |
I. Highlights, including authors and their institutions
II. Ordering information for science writers and general public
I. Highlights, including authors and their institutions
The following highlights summarize research papers in Geophysical Research Letters (GL). The papers related to these Highlights are printed in the next paper issue of the journal following their electronic publication.
You may read the scientific abstract for any of these papers by going to http://www.agu.org/pubs/search_options.shtml and inserting into the search engine the portion of the doi (digital object identifier) following 10.1029/ (e.g., 2005GL987654). The doi is found at the end of each Highlight, below. To obtain the full text of the research paper, see Part II.
1. Human activity has changed temperature extremes
Evidence suggests that manmade greenhouse gas emissions have warmed Earth over the last 50 years. While many studies have analyzed average temperatures and their dependence on external forces, few have analyzed extreme temperatures in the same manner. To study this, Christidis et al. applied a standard optimal detection approach to patterns of change in temperature extremes. The authors show that since 1950, the warmest nights and coldest days and nights of the year have heated by about 1 Kelvin [one degree Celsius, around two degrees Fahrenheit]. Comparing these observations with other climate model simulations showed that humans exert significant influence on patterns of change seen in extremely warm nights. Human influences also contributed to warming on cold nights, though the change is not as extreme. However, there was no detection of significant human influences on extremely warm days. The researchers add that although this model does not exactly match observations, both the model changes and the observations are significantly different than the model's estimate of variability generated internally within the climate system. Based on this study, the authors expect that extreme temperatures will intensify, possibly by 7 Kelvin [seven degrees Celsius, 10 degrees Fahrenheit] over the next hundred years. This could severely impact human health, they note.
Title: Detection of changes in temperature extremes during the second half of the 20th century
Nikolaos Christidis, Peter A. Stott, Simon Brown, and John Caesar: Met Office, Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, Exeter, UK;
Gabriele C. Hegerl: Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL023885, 2005
2. Predicting catastrophic earthquakes
Quickly estimating the location and magnitude of an earthquake is essential to early warning systems. However, in large earthquakes, where the duration of rupture could range from a few seconds to tens of seconds, the estimation of earthquake magnitude is done before the rupture terminates. Since this estimation uses only a few seconds of wave data, the energy released by large earthquakes is often initially undervalued. Because determining the actual magnitude of an earthquake from initial P-wave [primary wave, the fastest wave and first to arrive] data is difficult, Iwata et al. propose a practical solution: when a small earthquake is detected in a region where a catastrophic one is expected, early warning systems can be modified to determine the probability that this earthquake will grow in magnitude. First, they offer a method to examine the probability of an earthquake growing into a catastrophic one. This method, based on the magnitude-frequency distribution of previous earthquakes in the region, was applied to the Nankai trough region off the coast of Japan. The researchers determined that if the observed earthquake magnitude reaches 6.5, the estimated probability that the final magnitude will reach 7.5 is between 25 and 41 percent.
Title: Probabilistic estimation of earthquake growth to a catastrophic one
Takaki Iwata: The Institute of Statistical Mathemiatics, Tokyo, Japan;
Masajiro Imoto, Sigeki Horiuchi: National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Prevention, Tsukuba, Japan
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL023928, 2005
3. Hurricane intensification may be related to eyewall precipitation
Previous studies have shown that a relationship exists between hurricane wind intensification and tall precipitation cells along the eyewall. Kelley et al. Have better quantified this relationship by studying the frequency of tall precipitation. They used the Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radars along the United States coast. The WSR-88Ds observed many hurricanes at four to six minute intervals when the hurricane eyewall was within a few hundred kilometers [yards] of landfall. To check the accuracy of the WSR-88D height measurements, the authors used very accurate height measurements from the Precipitation Radar on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. The WSR-88D analysis showed that if the frequency of tall precipitation in the eyewall is at least 33 percent (one in three radar volume scans) then there was an 82 percent chance that hurricane winds will intensify. If this threshold was not met, the chance of wind intensification dropped to 17 percent. The authors suggest that this height-frequency threshold could aid forecasters during future hurricane seasons.
Title: Hurricane intensification detected by continuously monitoring tall precipitation in the eyewall
Owen A. Kelley and John Stout: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, and Center for Earth Observing and Space Research, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA;
Jeffrey B. Halverson: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland, USA, and Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL023583, 2005
4. Natural ocean cycles will soon weaken thermohaline circulation
The Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) is a pattern of multi-decadal surface temperature variability centered on the North Atlantic Ocean, seen in analyses of global climate using measurements dating back to the 19th century. Shown to have been linked with Sahel drought, Brazilian rainfall rates, North American climate, and Atlantic hurricane frequency, studies of these 50-100 year fluctuations are hindered by short global climate records and insufficient subsurface ocean data. Thus, it is difficult to conclude whether the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation is genuinely oscillatory. To clarify this, Knight et al. examined a 1,400-year simulation that replicates the observed pattern and amplitude of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation. Their results imply that the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation is a genuine quasi-periodic cycle, related to the variability in the oceanic thermohaline circulation. Using this relationship, they attempted to reconstruct past thermohaline circulation changes and observed an increase in thermohaline circulation strength over the last 25 years. Due to the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation's oscillatory nature, the authors inferred a decreasing thermohaline circulation strength over the next few decades, which would accelerate the anticipated human-caused weakening of the same phenomenon. They suggest that future climate change predictions need to account for natural changes expected from shifts in the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.
Title: A signature of persistent natural thermohaline circulation cycles in observed climate
Jeff R. Knight, Robert J. Allan, Chris K. Folland, and Michael Vellinga: Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research, Met Office, Exeter, Devon U.K.;
Michael E. Mann: Department of Meteorology and Earth and Environmental Systems Institute (ESSI), Pennsylvania State University, Pennsylvania, USA.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL024233, 2005
5. Natural and Manmade Variability in Ocean Heat Content
Simulations of Earths climate system suggest that the ocean's heat content has increased over the last 50 years due to higher levels of manmade greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. However, these models do not simulate the degree to which internal variability of the climate system causes oceanic heat content to fluctuate. To explore this issue, Levitus et al. analyzed yearly data collected on a one degree-square grid spanning the top 700 meters [2,000 feet] of the global ocean. This involved performing Empirical Orthogonal Function analysis on this data, a method that reduces large matrices into fundamental mathematical relationships that reflect variability seen in the original observations. Using this method, the authors determined that aside from the linear trend, heat variability in ocean is associated with both the El Nino phenomenon on interannual time scales and with the Pacific Decadal Oscillation on interdecadal scales. The authors suggest that models must account for the internal variability of the ocean's heat content in order to improve climate simulations.
Title: EOF analysis of the upper ocean heat content, 1956-2003
Sydney Levitus, John Antonov, Tim Boyer, Hernan Garcia, Ricardo Locarnini: National Oceanographic Data Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Silver Springs, Maryland, USA.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL023606, 2005
6. Aurora on Saturn
Based on previous studies and images taken from the Hubble Telescope during the Cassini spacecraft's approach trajectory to Saturn in early 2004, Saturn kilometric radiation (intense radio emissions escaping outward from the Saturn's auroral regions at frequencies above the local electron plasma frequency) has been shown to be associated with Saturn's auroral displays and dependent on solar wind conditions. Mitchell, et al. Have further quantified this correlation by analyzing data taken from the Magentospheric Imaging Instrument Ion and Neutral Camera aboard Cassini. These instruments recorded an abrupt increase in energetic neutral atom flux coming from the vicinity of Saturn's magnetotail, or the area of the magnetosphere on the night side of the planet not compressed by solar wind. These flashes of ion activity in the tail that match enhancements in Saturn's kilomentric radiation were imaged from outside Saturn's magnetosphere, allowing the authors to detect ion acceleration events while simultaneously measuring the magnetic field and plasma velocities in the magnetosheath [region close to the outer limit of the planet's magnetosphere]. Given the similarity between this observed phenomena and magnetic substorms on Earth, the authors conclude that Earth-like substorms and similar auroral processes occur within Saturn's magnetosphere.
Title: Energetic ion acceleration in Saturn's magnetotail: Substorms at Saturn?
D. G. Mitchell, P. C. Brandt, E. C. Roelof, S. M. Krimigis, C. P. Paranicas, B. H. Mauk: Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, Maryland, USA;
J. Dandouras: Centre D'Etude Spatiale des Rayonnements, Toulouse, France;
N. Krupp: Max-Planck-Institut fuer Sonnensystemforschung, Lindau, Germany;
D. C. Hamilton: University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA;
W. S. Kurth: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA;
P. Zarka: Observatory of Paris, Meudon, France;
M. K. Dougherty: Space and Atmospheric Physics, Imperial College, London, UK;
E. J. Bunce: Department of Physics & Astronomy, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK;
D. E. Shemansky: Department of Aerospace Engineering, University of Southern California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL022647, 2005
7. Central European temperatures rising faster than the rest of the Northern Hemisphere
In the Northern Hemisphere, temperatures over land have risen faster than in the ocean since 1980. However, surface temperature analysis of Central Europe show that temperatures there have risen three times faster than the Northern Hemisphere land average. Philipona, et.al. note that while temperatures and humidity across Europe changed uniformly for individual months, in accord with changing large-scale weather patterns, both temperature and humidity strongly increased in value from west to east for all months, an observation that cannot be due to air circulation. Previous measurements showed that solar shortwave radiation was decreasing; thus the rapid temperature increases were not due to solar warming. Instead, thermal longwave radiation from the atmosphere was strongly increasing under cloud-free skies and was highly correlated with increasing temperature. The authors show that 70 percent of the increase in the downward longwave radiation was due to increasing water vapor in the atmosphere, while 30 percent was due to increasing manmade greenhouse gases. These observations combine to suggest that the region is experiencing "positive water vapor feedback," in which carbon dioxide emissions warm the planet, causing more surface water to evaporate. This water vapor, also a greenhouse gas, accumulates in the atmosphere and further increases surface temperatures. [See also AGU press release 05-38: http://www.agu.org/sci_soc/prrl/prrl0538.html]
Title: Anthropogenic greenhouse forcing and strong water vapor feedback increase temperature in Europe
Rolf Philipona: Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos, and World Radiation Center, Davos Dorf, Switzerland;
Bruno Duerr: MeteoSwiss, Zurich, Switzerland;
Atsumu Ohmura and Christian Ruckstuhl: Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) paper 10.1029/2005GL023624, 2005
8. Tsunami warnings using ocean circulation models
The 26 December 2004 tsunami was the first of its magnitude to have occurred since the advent of both digital seismometry and satellite radar altimetry. Though the precise tsunami source and formation mechanisms are still not known, Song et al. note that numerical models that take advantage of the new data sets available can shed light on these issues. After the tsunami, digital seismic data was used to estimate the earthquake's fault parameters, including its slip function. The authors then used these parameters to generate a three-dimensional ocean-general-circulation-model, which is capable of isolating the tsunami waves from ocean circulation signals due to the wind, eddies, and other phenomena. They compared this model to the actual waves' propagation, recorded by satellites, and showed that the model matches the observed phenomenon consistently. This confirmed that the slip function is the most important condition controlling tsunami strength and that the geometry and the rupture velocity of the earthquake determine the spatial characteristics of the tsunami. The authors suggest that ocean-general-circulation-models coupled with fresh earthquake data can provide earlier warning to coastal communities at risk.
Title: The 26 December 2004 tsunami source estimated from satellite radar altimetry and seismic waves
Y. Tony Song, L.L. Fu, and Victor Zlotnicki: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA;
Chen Ji and Vala Hjorleifsdottir: Seismological Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA;
C.K. Shum and Yuchan Yi, Space Geodesy and Remote Sensing, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL023683, 2005
9. Monitoring Mount St. Helens
In September 2004, Mount St. Helens experienced a swarm of shallow earthquakes. In the following weeks, the crater floor deformed, steam and ash erupted, and lava extruded, accompanied by the formation and uplift of a new lava dome. During this period of unrest, Vaughan et al. took images of the volcano, using the NASA MODIS/ASTER (MASTER) airborne simulator paired with range-finding lidar, allowing the authors to match MASTER observations in the thermal infrared range with georeferenced elevation data. In addition, Forward-Looking Infrared cameras were deployed to collect ground- and helicopter-based thermal images. These data allowed the authors to view surface temperatures, calculate radiative cooling rates and corresponding radiative power, and observe structural deformation. Spectral analysis determined that the extruding lava was dacitic [a fine-grained rock], and MASTER and lidar data confirmed that the dome grew in areas that experienced elevated temperatures. The authors comment that airborne platforms not only provide higher spatial resolution than satellites, but that such platforms can be rapidly deployed to an erupting volcano to monitor hazards as they are created. In addition, they suggested that the combination of MASTER, thermal infrared range, and lidar data can lead to improved visualization and interpretation of an evolving volcanic system.
Title: Monitoring eruptive activity at Mount St. Helens with TIR image data
R.G. Vaughan, S.J. Hook, V.J. Realmuto: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, USA
M.S. Ransey: Department of Planetary Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA;
D.J. Schneider: Alaska Volcano Observatory, U.S. Geological Survey, Anchorage, Alaska, USA.
Source: Geophysical Research Letters (GL) paper 10.1029/2005GL024112, 2005
II. Ordering information for science writers and general public
Journalists and public information officers of educational and scientific institutions (only) may receive one or more of the papers cited in the Highlights by sending a message to Jonathan Lifland [firstname.lastname@example.org], indicating which one(s). Include your name, the name of your publication, and your phone number. The papers will be e-mailed as pdf attachments.
Others may purchase a copy of the paper online for nine dollars:
1. Copy the portion of the digital object identifier (doi) of the paper following "10.1029/" (found under "Source" at the end of each Highlight).
2. Paste it into the second-from-left search box at http://www.agu.org/pubs/search_options.shtml and click "Go."
3. This will take you to the citation for the article, with a link marked "Abstract + Article."
4. Clicking on that link will take you to the paper's abstract, with a link to purchase the full text: "Print Version (Nonsubscribers may purchase for $9.00)."
5. On the next screen, click on "To log-in to your AGU member services or personal subscription, click here."
6. On the next screen, click on "Purchase This Article."
7. The next screen will ask for your name, address, and credit card information to complete the purchase.
The Highlights and the papers to which they refer are not under AGU embargo.
Source: Eurekalert & othersLast reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Feb 2009
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
I have not failed 10,000 times. I found 10,000 ways that won't work.
~ Thomas Edison | <urn:uuid:7307063e-710f-4237-bdb6-e74c6ed32024> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://psychcentral.com/news/archives/2005-11/agu-ajh111105.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500815050.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021335-00455-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.876844 | 4,032 | 2.75 | 3 |
Schizophrenia is a life-long condition that needs to be treated. Methods depends on the person and the problems they have. Early, intense treatment often leads to better outcomes. It can also delay or prevent further psychotic episodes. Schizophrenia is better controlled when treatment is ongoing. People with schizophrenia can live a normal life. Treatment for many people can result in remission (period of time without problems), or longer times between psychotic episodes. Others may still have problems even when they are treated.
Psychotic episodes need to be treated right away. This may be done in a hospital if there is a danger to oneself or others.
Treatment include one or more of these:
Treatment may be with:
Holder SD, Wayhs A. Schizophrenia. Am Fam Physician. 2014;90(11):775-782.
Schizophrenia. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115234/Schizophrenia. Updated November 29, 2018. Accessed August 13, 2019.
Schizophrenia. Mental Health America website. Available at: http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/conditions/schizophrenia. Accessed August 13, 2019.
Schizophrenia. National Institute of Mental Health website. Available at: https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/schizophrenia/index.shtml. Updated February 2016. Accessed August 13, 2019.
4/29/2016 DynaMed Systematic Literature Surveillancehttp://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115234/Schizophrenia: Stafford MR, Jackson H, Mayo-Wilson E, Morrison AP, Kendall T. Early interventions to prevent psychosis: systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ. 2013;346:f185.
Last reviewed December 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Adrian Preda, MD Last Updated: 8/13/2019 | <urn:uuid:be34cfca-3b97-4d15-aec2-7a214964a6ef> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | http://healthlibrary.epnet.com/GetContent.aspx?token=97f2bbc2-9a93-4817-8728-2ab9bae889f5&chunkiid=20114 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027315936.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20190821110541-20190821132541-00090.warc.gz | en | 0.864605 | 418 | 3.21875 | 3 |
Ge Vue and Tracey Hall
Purpose to teach middle school students how to become effective writers through web based learning tools. Needing to integrate writing elements, such as making statements, cognitive strategies and affective strategies. Designed a visualisation dashboard to give feedback to students. Qus asked: could students and teachers make sense of the visualisations and which did they find meaningful? How do student and teachers use student information to improve teaching and learning? Enhancing feedback as an instructional strategy to improve knowledge of writing elements, strategies for writing and the quality of the writing. Can we visualise student writing in a way that supports feedback which leads to an improvement?
Built in 3 different spaces for students to practice: (1) a playground to allow students to try out writing different types of activities and writing aspects to focus on, eg writing a claim with supporting reasons. Students could also set the difficulty of the exercise and had access to knowledge cards to support their understanding; (2) ? and (3) progress monitoring – a phased prompt to do a specific short activity targeted at an individual student. The activity gets scored by a teacher and the student gets feedback.
Visualisation needs to have some specific detail in order to be useful. Teachers are getting live view of students writing their assignments and these can be shared and critiqued with other students in the group. Students encouraged to share their work and discuss with other peers. Student log data also collected on student id, the event type that they are engaging with, what actions they took, resources used, actual text written, etc. Use Tableau software to offer back a visualisation of what students were doing. Simple visuals seemed to be preferred. Prompts used to trigger remedial actions and to encourage students to try a number of different strategies until they find one that works for them. A greater focus on the process rather than just the content and how this might impact on students’ actual writing. | <urn:uuid:6935c7ad-ec40-4aa0-b154-f40d44d4745e> | CC-MAIN-2017-22 | https://odlsharonslade.wordpress.com/2015/03/18/lak15-becoming-strategic-writers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-22/segments/1495463607871.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20170524230905-20170525010905-00190.warc.gz | en | 0.955609 | 393 | 3.734375 | 4 |
A Simple Plan For Investigating
November 8, 2022
Leaks Discovery Techniques
Recognizing leaks in a pipeline might call for numerous attempts. One means of doing this is to make use of a water leak indicator. This tool is a small silver wheel or triangular dial that turns when water flows via it. A leakage inside a pipe could create this sign to turn. The even more efforts the leak sensing unit makes, the more precise its results. Water leaks might be hidden, making it challenging to figure out where they’re coming from. To identify the source, check the exposed pipework and also joints. You may see a little stream of liquid or vapor gushing from a leakage. In either situation, it is very important to identify the source quickly. Overpass can likewise be an useful leaks detection approach. They are normally taped utilizing video, and also might even utilize thermal imaging to determine a leakage. Flyovers are best utilized to identify little leaks, however bigger spills may need even more thorough detection approaches. An overpass may additionally expose the place of a release by discovering dead vegetation as well as a “luster” around the area. Nevertheless, this method is not suggested as a main leak discovery approach. Discovering a leak is critical for commercial procedures, including the automotive and clinical markets. Leakages in these markets can compromise the honesty of crucial medical tools, so locating the source of a leakage is essential. Fortunately, there are a variety of leakage discovery devices available out there, and nearly any budget can pay for one. These tools can vary from hand held systems to huge leakage detection tools utilized for long-term upkeep. Identifying leaks is a great way to stop severe damage to your residential property. Water damage is 2 times as costly as break-ins and also fires integrated. A water leakage detection system can assist you catch any kind of leakages prior to they come to be a significant problem. If you’re out of town, the system can send you an alert with your residence net modem. Finding leaks early is vital for the wellness of your family and also neighborhood. If a leak is left unchecked for an extended period of time, it can damage your building and also create serious wellness impacts. If you delay detection, the damage may grow larger and end up being more difficult to clean up. When a leak is spotted early, it can conserve lives and protect against pricey water damages. Leakages discovery is very easy as well as can save you a great deal of money on water bills. By fixing a leak in a timely fashion, you can save as much as 10 percent of your water costs. Even if you’re a do it yourself kind of individual, it’s still beneficial to obtain an expert plumbing to take a look at your plumbing system.
Why No One Talks About Anymore
Discovering The Truth About
Why Aren’t As Bad As You Think
October 27, 2022
Tips to Help You Get a Reliable dumpster rental company
You must do your best to live in a clean environment. Because of this you should mind about the way you dispose your waste. Make sure that you hire a dumpster rental company to help you in disposing your waste. When you do this you will be able to focus on your work. Also, you will be stress free. This is the article that will help in fulfilling your desire of getting a reliable dumpster rental company.
You should not forget to put the reputation into consideration. The reputation of a dumpster rental company can either be good or poor. Since you can get confused as you make your selection, ensure that you do not rush to make the final decision. It is good to learn before deciding on the dumpster rental company to pick so that you avoid the one with a poor reputation. The reviews will help you to learn thus you should visit the websites since this is where you can get them. They are usually so many and helpful. Find time to read them when you are not busy. You can easily identify a well-reputed dumpster rental company through what you will gather.
You should also not fail to consider the certification. A certified dumpster rental company will serve you amazingly. You should know that the idea of getting a properly certified dumpster rental company is the best and will remain to be the best. You should embrace it so that you can be proud of the results. A certified dumpster rental company is committed to providing clients with beneficial services. This is what makes the goals of clients accomplished. The best thing to do at this point is to look for a dumpster rental company with a certificate of authorization. It is also to verify its legitimacy.
You should decide to check the experience of the dumpster rental company. It is crucial to have the idea of looking for the most experienced dumpster rental company in the area in your mind. This idea will do wonders when you take it seriously. Without a hint about the number of years that a specific dumpster rental company has spent in the field, there is no way how you can know about the experience. The number of years has to be many for instance more than 10 so you can believe that such a dumpster rental company can provide quality services.
You should consider the cost. If you want services from any dumpster rental company then you must be ready to pay them. All dumpster rental companys work at a cost. Make sure that your wallet will be comfortable to pay the dumpster rental company you will choose. For this to happen, you require to ask a dumpster rental company about the cost estimates of the work you want. It is good to explain what you want. You have the right to check the cost estimates of various dumpster rental companys to identify the affordable.
Looking On The Bright Side of
Looking On The Bright Side of
Learning The “Secrets” of
May 27, 2022
Throttle Response: The Benefits Of A Throttle Controller
The decision to get a throttle controller is one you can make easily because the device comes with so many pros. If you are considering going for the devices, then reading through this article, should assist you in making the decision.
There are several benefits that come with a throttle controller. And this explains the reason why they are quite popular among people with vehicles.
For one, the devices are of economic benefit because they help a lot when it comes to saving fuel. Today, we are all looking for economical ways to live as we try to make ends meet. This means that a throttle controller would be of great advantage. Therefore, if your car is one of those models that consume lots of fuel, then this device can come to your rescue. The device has a way of ensuring that as you drive, less fuel is being consumed. This will bring about more flexibility as you drive most especially when you are in a place far away from the gas station.
Another benefit is that this device helps in the elimination of throttle delay. Definitely, you wish to improve your throttle and also eliminate any delays that may be there. Throttle delays can be quite annoying and you do not want to struggle with the same. With the device, it becomes easy for you to have an easy time when it comes to getting ahead in instances where you wish to accelerate and even overtake another vehicle in front of you. Even more, a throttle controller helps in improving the ability of your car to move faster even when there is a heavy load. It will therefore add to that acceleration edge even when you are uphill even under a heavy load.
Well, there are other perks or benefits that you will get from a throttle controller. But it will depend on the model or brand. These include anti-theft benefits. It is always good to speak with your supplier about the throttle controller as well as the features that come with each model.
As well, the in the modern world of technology, there are so many changes and modifications that have been made to the devices. This includes being equipped with Bluetooth technology and you can configure the settings through your smartphone. This allows a high degree of convenience for you. And this is the level of convenience we are all looking for.
As you choose any device, remember that it is an essential investment that you are making. It is therefore critical that you do some research regarding the device as well as suppliers of the same. Understand the various models and features that come with the device. As well, check the price ranges in the market. This way, you will have a general idea of what to expect.
Be keen as well, on the supplier that you choose. It is best that you purchase such devices from the best and most reputable sellers. This increases the chances of buying great quality and functional products.
Where To Start with and More
Getting Down To Basics with
The Essentials of – Getting to Point A
February 18, 2022
Just How to Choose Digital Advertising Providers
The most effective means to pick an electronic advertising solution is by thinking about the company’s capabilities. A full-service company will certainly utilize a group of advertising and marketing professionals to create a comprehensive technique for your company. Nevertheless, there are also firms that focus on a particular service. For instance, if you are wanting to improve your conversion price, you don’t necessarily need an entire agency. A team of professionals will be able to make best use of the outcomes for you. An incorporated electronic advertising and marketing approach will certainly coordinate your efforts throughout all the systems to make sure that they reach your target audience. This indicates that if you have a blog site, transforming it right into a video clip will enhance the audience’s direct exposure. The ideal electronic advertising services will utilize different networks to engage your target market. You can even develop a video clip out of your blog post. These benefits can be enormous. And also you’ll locate that a lot of these firms offer a full variety of mini-services. Along with creating a tailored internet marketing technique, you’ll additionally obtain a specialized set of mini-services. For example, a digital advertising firm may give you with business-building suggestions as well as advice. A specialist group can craft a custom service for your needs and target market. And also due to the fact that it is a particular niche industry, it can additionally be a wonderful way to increase your firm’s online reputation. These solutions can assist you stand apart from the competitors and also rise sales. An additional difference in between a search engine optimization project and a PPC project is the time frame. With SEO, your website will show up in search results for targeted search phrases. This enhances the chance that possible consumers will click your internet site. On the various other hand, pay per click projects begin to generate outcomes practically instantly. This is a huge benefit over search engine optimization as it can take months to reveal results. By the time your pay per click advertisements go real-time, you’ll have raised conversions. A digital advertising and marketing solution will certainly provide a diversified range of solutions. They can enhance a post for internet search engine results or transform a video to advertise a single product and services. An electronic advertising solution is an important component of a growing organization, and will offer you the side over your rivals. They can likewise produce a personalized plan for your organization demands. A great digital advertising firm will certainly customize an electronic advertising strategy to fit your demands. Selecting the appropriate electronic advertising service is vital. Tiny startups, B2B business, as well as mid-market organizations will certainly have different requirements. Some agencies are better matched for smaller services, while others are best suited for big companies. Some digital marketing agencies need minimal credentials from their customers, such as annual income as well as marketing spending plan. In addition, some agencies only accept particular kinds of clients, which can aid them find the best fit. If your company is not rewarding in terms of sales, you may require to buy a much more pricey digital advertising solution.
How to Achieve Maximum Success with
The 5 Commandments of And How Learn More | <urn:uuid:3e676b26-c95a-45ab-b6e7-4c31a9f15a03> | CC-MAIN-2023-40 | http://onbusinesswiki.com/category/arts-entertainment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-40/segments/1695233510284.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20230927071345-20230927101345-00396.warc.gz | en | 0.951989 | 2,462 | 2.625 | 3 |
safety first - an important army standard
The first rule of physical fitness is to make sure the programs or exercises in which you are involved are safe. Safety is always a concern when exercising. By following proper instructions, watching out for others, drinking plenty of fluids, and working out with a friend you can eliminate most safety risks. Additional considerations include:
- Always perform the prescribed warm-up and cool-down exercises before and after the training activity.
- Perform only the prescribed number of sets and repetitions on your training program. Proper form is more important than the sloppy execution of more repetitions.
- Perform all the exercises in the order listed for each exercise in your program. If you miss a day of training, pick up with the next day of your training schedule.
- Exercise with a training partner whenever possible.
- Although a little muscle soreness is to be expected when beginning a new physical training program, do not aggravate injuries by continuing to exercise when you are feeling pain or discomfort.
*DO NOT begin a physical exercise program before talking to a physician, and passing a routine physical examination. | <urn:uuid:0b7e28a4-a641-4b36-8a6f-69d2010802ce> | CC-MAIN-2015-48 | http://www.goarmy.com/soldier-life/fitness-and-nutrition/safety-considerations.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-48/segments/1448398450715.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20151124205410-00194-ip-10-71-132-137.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942375 | 227 | 2.875 | 3 |
Only a little more than one-third of investors between the ages of 21 and 50 are confident they will have enough money for retirement, according to a study released Thursday by T. Rowe Price.
Even though they understand the importance of retirement planning, two-thirds of these investors have not developed a detailed plan for their finances in retirement.
“This research underscores the fact that many more young investors need to get started planning for their retirement, even though the date may be decades away,” Christine Fahlund, senior financial planner with T. Rowe Price, said in a statement.
“The study also demonstrates the important financial and psychological benefits of having a detailed savings and investment plan,” Fahlund said. Younger investors who have a detailed plan reported feeling much more confident about their retirement readiness, with 58% believing they will have enough money for retirement.
Harris Interactive conducted the online study on behalf of T. Rowe Price in December among 860 adults, comprising Generation X (ages 35 to 50) and Generation Y (ages 21 to 34), who had at least one investment account.
A detailed retirement plan might include the following components, the study found:
- 77% of those with a plan said it targets an anticipated monthly budget;
- 84% cited having a specific monthly withdrawal strategy;
- 78% said their plan considers life expectancy and how long their savings might need to last.
Generation X and Generation Y investors said they expected to receive retirement income from multiple sources, most commonly:
- 401(k)s or other workplace retirement plans, 74%;
- IRAs, 65%;
- Non-retirement accounts (e.g., checking, savings, stocks, bonds, mutual funds), 64%;
- Social Security, 63%.
“Younger investors’ confidence in the Social Security system was surprisingly positive,” Fahlund said. “Still, it shouldn’t be relied upon too heavily. Investors need to consider it as only one source of retirement income and make sure they are contributing to their retirement through other accounts.”
Study participants said they expected to retire at the mean age of 62, and anticipated living 22 years in retirement. Fahlund said the latter number was a significant underestimate.
“Many people will live well beyond 22 years in retirement,” she said. “To be adequately prepared financially and to ensure they don’t outlive their money, we suggest that investors annually save at least 15% of their salary, including any available employer match, and consider a possible retirement of 30 or more years, to age 95.” | <urn:uuid:efdc39db-fd6e-40b0-94ce-5ff3807cacf0> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.thinkadvisor.com/2012/03/09/gen-x-and-y-investors-worry-retirement-savings-won | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1419447555354.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20141224185915-00068-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963324 | 543 | 2.515625 | 3 |
An Interdisciplinary Approach
Professor Daniel Burrello
By: Janet Lewis
Unit 2 Assignment
Due: May 28, 2013
EDWARD C. RADZIK
What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the term Cold War? "The term Cold War can be defined as the period of political impasse which existed between our country (U.S.A.) and U.S.S.R. from the early 1950's until the fall of Communism in the early 1980's. Words and phrases associated with Cold War include, "race to arms", "race to space", "Bay of Pigs, and "The Berlin Wall"." Did you ever study the Cold War in school? If so, what are some aspects of the Cold War that you remember?
"Having been born in 1952, I lived during the Cold War but never really studied its impact in school. I recall the war of words and verbal sparring between our President JFK and Nikita Khrushchev Premier of the U.S.S.R. At one session of the United Nations in New York, Khrushchev removed one of the shoes and banged it on the table to attract attention and try to get his point across. Although the verbal attacks were intense, they never really escalated into armed conflict. We were distrustful about Russia's armament capabilities and they feared the potential of the U.S.A.'s capability. That explains why there was a standoff." Who were the parties involved in the Cold War?
U.S.A. and its allies on one side, U.S.S.R., Cuba and to some extent, Communist China, on the other side. Can you name any key events that we mainly associate with the Cold War? "The most infamous event was the Bay of Pigs when U.S.S.R. was caught by U.S. Intelligence shipping missiles to Cuba. The U.S. Navy set up a blockade to prevent delivery of the missiles which at approximately 90 miles from Florida posed a serious threat to our security." LAWRENCE R. JACKSON
What words or phrases come to mind when you think of the term Cold War? "Nuclear arms race"
Did you ever study the Cold War in... | <urn:uuid:81d7fec0-1338-43e3-9048-ad48913004bf> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.studymode.com/essays/Conceptions-Of-The-Cold-War-1764322.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1413507442497.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20141017005722-00055-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966963 | 463 | 3.234375 | 3 |
The Bunya Pine (Araucaria bidwillii) is a large tree, growing 30-45 metres in height, with a straight, rough-barked trunk and a very distinctive, symmetrical, dome-shaped crown. It has sharply pointed, lance-shaped leaves, about 2.5cm long, which make it uncomfortable to be around if barefoot, as it drops twigs and leaves frequently. The timber of the Bunya Pine is beautifully grained and is highly valued as a cabinet timber and by woodworkers.
It is an emergent species in rainforest and is confined to Queensland, where it occurs mainly between Nambour and Gympie and west to the Bunya Mountains, with a small occurrence in north Queensland on Mt. Lewis and at Cunnabullen Falls.
The Bunya Pine produces large green cones the size of footballs, each containing 50-100 large nuts, which are encased within a woody shell. The kernel of this nut is a pale beige colour with a firm but waxy texture. The interior of the shell is lined with a fine brown fibre, some of which usually adheres to the nut, but can be eaten with no problems. Cones are to be found during late January and early February in the coastal districts of southern Queensland, and usually about March in the Bunya Mountains. They are not produced every year.
These Bunya Nuts were a rich source of food for the Aborigines of south-east Queensland. During the Bunya season they would temporarily set aside their tribal differences and gather in the mountains for great Bunya Nut Feasts. The aboriginal word for the Bunya Pine was actually bon-yi and the Blackall Range, west of the Sunshine Coast, was known to our local Pine Rivers aborigines as the Bon-yi Mountains. Rollo Petries grandfather, Tom Petrie, was the only free white man to ever attend a bon-yi feast. It was Toms father, Andrew Petrie, who discovered this tree around 1838, and who later gave specimens to Mr. John Bidwill, after whom it was ultimately named.
The Aborigines ate the Bunya Nut raw or roasted, and they also buried them in mud for several months. This was said to greatly improve the flavour and may have been a means of storing them. Certainly, raw nuts in their shells, that have been stored in the bottom of the refrigerator in a sealed container for several months, have a much sweeter taste, and are as fresh as the day they fell from the tree, even though the shells may look a bit mouldy.
I have found many uses for the fruit of the Bunya Pine, both cooked and raw and in savoury and sweet dishes. It is one of the most versatile and useful of all our native foods My family and friends have been mostly willing, but sometimes unwitting guinea pigs, as I researched various recipes for the Go Native - Wild Food Cookbook. So far I have used Bunya Nuts in soups, casseroles, quiches, pies, pastas, vegetables, desserts, cakes, biscuits, bread, damper, scones, pikelets, pastry, lollies and porridge.
The simplest way to prepare Bunya Nuts for eating is to put them in a saucepan of water and boil for about half an hour. Remove from the water and split open while still hot. Remove from the shell and serve with butter (pepper and salt if required). They may be eaten cold, but are better hot. | <urn:uuid:7764abd8-ebb7-47b5-9f20-fa10f44476fa> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://npq.org.au/information-and-publications/bush-tucker-articles/245-bunya-nuts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267862248.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20180619095641-20180619115641-00539.warc.gz | en | 0.97502 | 736 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Pillar slab which had been built into a wall at St Ninian’s Cave, Isle of Whithorn. The front of the stone is carved with three crosses in circles. The top circle encloses an equal-armed cross with a small cross marking the circle. The arms of the two lower crosses are marked by four smaller circles. This design appears repeatedly on St Ninian’s Cave sculpture, and bears similarities both to the encircled cross-of-arcs on 2 and to the heads of the ‘Whithorn School’ crosses. The stones from St Ninian’s Cave had all been moved from their original positions before discovery. The cave was probably an early medieval chapel. This stone, which was designed to stand upright, may have marked a grave or an important location in or around the chapel. On display in Whithorn Priory Museum, Dumfries and Galloway. | <urn:uuid:f26810bb-7af2-46e5-954c-6c51b56e5a55> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://www.historicenvironment.scot/archives-and-research/archives-and-collections/properties-in-care-collections/object/cross-slab-10th-century-11th-century-early-medieval-whithorn-priory-museum-6300 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243990929.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20210512131604-20210512161604-00522.warc.gz | en | 0.968807 | 190 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Just like it’s important for humans to brush their teeth on a daily basis and see their dentist a couple times each year, it’s important for pets to have clean teeth and dental checkups by a vet.
February is National Pet Dental Health Month, which calls attention to the importance of regular checkups for pets, along with preventative dental care.
Fidelco Guide Dog Foundation’s Dr. RuthAnn Solomon, DVM, says preventive dental care can increase your pet’s overall health and potentially decrease future veterinary bills.
Located in Bloomfield, Conn., Fidelco is one of 12 accredited guide dog schools in the U.S. and five schools in the Canadian providences.
“Oral health maintenance is just as important as keeping your pets’ vaccinations up to date,” Solomon said. “Periodontal disease is the most common health problem that veterinarians see in their patients, and it can lead to serious systemic conditions, but it is preventable.
“Great advances have been made in veterinary dentistry and there’s a wide array of options available for pet owners.”
John Bruggeman, DVM from Springfield Veterinary Clinic, (248) 625-4144, says periodontal disease can cause bad breath, gum infection and may spread to other organs.
“Keeping your pets teeth clean and healthy goes along with yearly vaccinations. We check both teeth and gums at least on yearly visits along with every time we have a dog on an examination table,” Bruggeman said.
One way to clean your pet’s teeth is by using a piece of gauze on your finger along with a little baking soda.
“Maintaining your pet’s teeth can be a real value,” Bruggeman said. “Good chew exercises are also important by using natural bones or a product called Nyla Bone.” Pet shops will be able to assist you in what type of products to use.
Solomon offers the following tips for pet owners:
? Have your pet’s teeth examined by your veterinarian during your annual visit – Early detection and correction of dental disease is best. If needed, your vet can perform a thorough dental scaling and polishing to give you a head start on developing healthy dental hygiene for your pet.
? Try to brush your pet’s teeth on a daily or weekly basis – The easiest way to get your pet used to regular at-home brushings is to start when they’re young. Brushing can be gradually introduced to older pets. The American Veterinary Medicine Association offers a video (http://bit.ly/1e3xZzH) providing step-by-step instructions on how to brush your pet’s teeth.
? The ingredients can be toxic to animals. Ask your veterinarian which dental health products are appropriate for pets. Also, dogs can’t rinse and spit like humans, so the best toothpaste for dogs is one with enzymatic action – look for the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) seal of approval. Refer to the VOHC website for a list of approved products.
?Pay attention to signs and symptoms of dental disease – Untreated dental infections can spread to the heart and other organs and quickly become life threatening. Regular dental checkups are essential to help maintain your pet’s dental health. If you notice any of the symptoms below, take your pet into your veterinarian as soon as possible:
*Bad breath—If it’s beyond the usual “doggy breath,” it may be a sign that periodontal disease has already started.
*Frequent pawing or rubbing at the face and/or mouth.
*Reluctance to eat hard foods.
*Red swollen gums and brownish teeth.
? Treats – There are some dental chews on the market that are specifically designed to help control plaque and tartar buildup. Look for dental chews accepted by the Veterinary Oral Health Council (VOHC) and ask your veterinarian if they’re right for your pet.
? If you give your pet dental treats, chews, or toys: Consult with your veterinarian first to ensure they are safe and effective. Avoid toys that are abrasive and can wear down the teeth. If your dog is an aggressive chewer, choose softer toys, rawhide or other chews that soften to avoid possible tooth damage. Always supervise your dog when he is chewing on a toy.
To begin tooth care at home, let your dog smell or taste the paste for a week or so, praising it often.
Next put some paste on a dog toothbrush, slowly introducing it to the dog. Begin cleaning small sections on the outside of the mouth. Hold the lips back as you brush.
And remember, like introducing anything new to your dog; use plenty of praise and treats. Go slowly too, as the dog’s attention span is short.
Julie Unwin, chief operating officer of Fidelco says the foundation breeds its own dogs. “We use only German Shepherd because we believe they make superior guide dogs, have all the qualities for a true working dog like stamina and the desire to work. We’ve bred and used German Shepherds since 1960.
“Dogs that aren’t selected for guide dogs go on to other work like search and rescue, bomb detection, and police work. Some go to law enforcement all over the country. They do their own training,” she said.
Another reason the German Shepherd is preferred is an average working life of ten years.
“We pioneered in community placement that was a European model. Clients don’t come to the school and learn to work with the dog. We think it’s good for both dog and client to be familiarized where the dog will live and work.
“Instead, trainers go to wherever the client is and do the training, following up on a yearly basis. Training takes two to three weeks with clients and goes on seven days a week,” Unwin said. “If any problems arise, trainers are right there to help.”
Twelve trainers place approximately 40 dogs yearly. To become a trainer, candidates must go through a three- year apprenticeship at Fidelco before being certified.
“Some of our trainers have been here more that 20 years,” Unwin said.
For more information visit www.fidelco.org.
Roger Beukema writes a weekly outdoors column for 21st Century Newspapers. Email him email@example.com and read his blog at theoaklandpress.com. | <urn:uuid:3e00a975-64db-4119-9f2e-472a2feec3be> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://www.macombdaily.com/sports/20140222/beukeuma-keeping-your-pets-teeth-clean-an-important-part-of-being-an-owner | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257824146.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071024-00205-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931271 | 1,401 | 2.765625 | 3 |
I got a press release from the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) , an international alliance of the United Nations, the European Union, governmental and non-governmental agencies, announcing its latest annual report on Global Food Crises.
Its main findings:
About 193 million people in 53 countries or territories experienced acute food insecurity at crisis or worse levels than in 2021.
The countries in worst trouble are Ethiopia, southern Madagascar, South Sudan and Yemen; these require urgent action to head off widespread collapse of livelihoods, starvation and death.
Why is this happening? The key drivers:
- Conflict: the Ukraine war
- Weather extremes: climate change
- Economic shocks: the COVID-19 pandemic
What needs to be done?
- Address root causes: structural rural poverty, marginalization, population growth and fragile food systems
- Prioritize smallholder agriculture
- Promote structural changes to the way external financing is distributed,
- Promote more efficient and sustainable ways of providing humanitarian assistance
- Avoid further conflicts
Good luck with that. These are the political challenges of our time. | <urn:uuid:6e65ac15-abf0-466b-a1ff-1d36e06c3b84> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.foodpolitics.com/2022/06/the-latest-on-food-crises-the-news-is-not-good/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296949355.52/warc/CC-MAIN-20230330163823-20230330193823-00522.warc.gz | en | 0.857106 | 228 | 2.953125 | 3 |
Presented by the National Association of Geoscience Teachers
When: April 18, 1 p.m. Pacific | 2 p.m. Mountain | 3 p.m. Central | 4 p.m. Eastern
Presenter: Stroud Center Director of Education Steve Kerlin, Ph.D.
Registration deadline is April 16.
WikiWatershed.org, an initiative of the Stroud Water Research Center, is a web toolkit to support citizens, conservation practitioners, municipal decision-makers, researchers, educators, and students to collaboratively advance knowledge and stewardship of fresh water.
This webinar will demonstrate the WikiWatershed toolkit and describe ways that it can be used to support NGSS-ESS implementation. The toolkit currently includes six tech resources: Model My Watershed, Monitor My Watershed, Runoff Simulation, EnviroDIY stream sensors, Leaf Pack Network, and Water Quality Mobile App. | <urn:uuid:632e46b9-9106-490a-b899-da305a66ff9b> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://stroudcenter.org/event/wikiwatershed-webinar/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178373241.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20210305183324-20210305213324-00115.warc.gz | en | 0.855275 | 192 | 2.796875 | 3 |
After you open and run an infected program or attachment on your pc, you may not notice that you have launched a virus until you notice something is not quite right. It takes a while for Malwarebytes or some other company to grow to be conscious of a virus and write the update to do away with it, so I would replace and run the program every weekend for the subsequent few weeks simply to be safe. However, with the elevated recognition of the Internet most laptop viruses are contracted in the present day by e-mail and by downloading software over the Internet or P2P sharing. Sontag analyses the political implications of AIDS rhetoric while additionally referring to how the metaphors moved into pc talk.
Based on this expertise I have to come back to the conclusion that anti virus software program is not going to necessarily protect the PC if the person clicks to allow the virus. They work at rushing up your laptop begin up slightly bit, however not so much, so they may not be value it if your pc isn’t sluggish or starts up quick already. The basic expectation you should have from an antivirus program is that it’s going to do one factor and one thing solely, defend your computer from dangerous software, and that it’s going to do it nicely. I’ll explain some ways a computer virus can have an effect on you, expanding on the examples above.
Spyware applications can collect varied forms of personal data, reminiscent of Internet surfing habits and sites which have been visited, but also can interfere with person management of the pc in different ways, corresponding to putting in additional software and redirecting Web browser activity. If SysWOW64 is left on your pc as a substitute of removing it, nasty packages like adware, browser hijacker and rogue antivirus program are simple to point out on your computer without asking you. Transient Virus: A Transient virus has a life that depends on the lifetime of its hosts; the virus runs when its hooked up program executes and terminates when its attached program ends.
I am presenting it as a picture file so that nobody studying this text by chance clicks it. Even though it now appears to have been shut down, there’s always the chance you could get a virus from visiting it. If you do not have a anti-malware software, you can download one here It has been to date one of the best free spyware remover that I even have found.…
Getting a computer virus has happened to many customers in some trend or one other. The complete process from the time you’ve logged into your account to start the obtain process to the time McAfee has completed scanning and restarted your computer goes to be lower than 30 minutes. Selecting the option to view your email messages in plain text, not HTML, may also allow you to to avoid a virus. If you are checking the system drive which is C:\ you may must restart your pc.
Discussed above, the unfold of laptop viruses channels, with the assorted anti-virus expertise and people’s understanding of assorted characteristics of the virus, spread via various means of strict control from the virus would change into less intrusive. Picking the right software can make your laptop feel faster as a result of the software program makes use of much less laptop system sources.
July 1996: ‘Laroux’ – the primary virus for Microsoft Excel caught dwell (originally on the similar time in two oil making corporations in Alaska and in southern African Republic). They all do about the same thing, which is to lock you out of your individual computer and/or render recordsdata on your arduous drive inaccessible to you and most of the people on the planet by the way.
McAfee comes normal with all of the options listed above, and possibly a pair other options I could have forgotten about, right out of the gate, whereas free downloads like AVG solely provide partial protection against every thing unless you improve to a premium service. A organic virus is a fraction of DNA inside a protecting jacket and cannot reproduce itself as such. In this article, we’ll tackle several methods to resolve the Proxy BLOCKED potential VIRUS error message. In April 2004, TechRepublic known as MyDoom the worst virus outbreak ever,” and it is no shock why. Formatting the pc is a final resort when all other avenues fail to get Windows unstuck.…
Easy Search is an unwanted search bar that may give you useless search results and plenty of pop ups. It uses little or no system assets and has a full time protection utility with ‘on entry file scanner and e-mail scanner’. I even have been utilizing Malwarebytes for years, and it really works great at protecting my pc from the newest malware with its automatic updates, and scans. It is thru exposure that the virus spreads when the computer systems defenses are down or non existent.
Paid antivirus are additionally good for computer newbies, and individuals who wish to support their favorite antivirus by buying their merchandise. And with a bit bit of investigation I actually have certainly discovered a FREE, and really straightforward means strategy to transfer my pictures and information from one computer to a different, in just a few quite simple steps.
Online laptop crimes and malware are thus turning into expensive to governments, corporations and residential customers alike whereas increasingly getting harder to detect and shield in opposition to by use of only the essential security software program. Also in August the first virus infecting the Java executed files – ‘Java.StangeBrew’ – was born. The different features that come standard with McAfee virus protection from Comcast is Malware detection, spyware detection, e-mail scanning and of course an up to date database for virus safety. Typically you will not want much in the way of instruments relating to eradicating and replacing a computer energy supply.
You might also ask your local laptop vendor or EMR provider to information you on the most acceptable safety program for your follow. But there are some circumstances, when virus replicates itself when the consumer is reading letter. Some viruses make use of polymorphic code in a means that constrains the mutation charge of the virus significantly. Too many individuals enable themselves to be fooled by emails that ask to click on a link that ends up freeing the malware that prompts a virus. There are even occasions an electronic mail virus can unfold by solely previewing it within the mail consumer.…
Y’all posted some unbelievable Hubs when our WTI theme was useful kitchen tools and devices, so I thought we’d play with that basic subject again, however this time give attention to client electronics and personal devices What system cannot you reside with out? Make in your video games room (or bed room) for this celebratory pinball desk which marks 50 years of Mick ‘N’ Keef in action. I saw one at Toys R Us on Black Friday and could not cease pushing the buttons to make it stroll and roar 🙂 If I had the cash, I’d purchase one for myself! There has never been a better time to purchase a brand new TV. Gone are the days when 32-inch TVs weighed 16 tonnes and cost £1,500. By doing so you will be the first to search out out when we add cool new devices to the website.
Sports tools – You may purchase some sports activities equipment for the sport the woman likes to play or do. For example, if they love swimming what about a swimming bag, swimming costume, goggles and so on. Cool holster for drink bottles and cans of as much as zero.5 litres (not larger than 6.6 cm in diameter). Polaroid’s iZone mini Wi-Fi digital digital camera is displayed on the Las Vegas Convention Center on January 6, 2016 in Las Vegas. Something pretty cool are the revolutionary new laser projection digital keyboards they’ve out now for computers.
If you like actually cool things to add to your own home or kitchen, office or in the event you’re simply looking for some new toys so as to add to the collection we have you lined. Ideas embody an organizer for his car, a sticky dashboard mount (which holds tablets, telephones and different units securely on the dashboard), steering wheel or seat covers, a cool keyring or an emergency car package. All the new and funky stuff for geeks are produced in China, so they’ll seem in our on-line geek retailer earlier than they’re available regionally.
If you learn Joby evaluations on buying sites you’ll soon see that these gadgets have consistently been getting good evaluate ratings. All content material of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2016 and/or its affiliates. I am a tomboy and I really desire a skateboard for christmas and a pair of skateboarding shoes known as osiris a knife could be cool to. The Faraday Future FFZERO1 Concept automobile is displayed on the first day of the CES 2016 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This car provides us the impression that Bob is a nice and accepting man and husband.
If you wish to save from pricey plumbing repairs, you should purchase some kitchen and toilet devices that can stop clogged drains. The greatest buy in my view is one of the Wasabi chargers that include a further two batteries, this provides the opportunity to both recharge and report on the identical time, both using a wall socket of a 12v car outlet. There are loads of reasonably-priced gadgets and accessories that might make terrific gifts for music-loving teenagers. This is such a cool toy, it’s truly obtained an internet community of users (which embrace adults and not just children).…
In a brand new desperate attempt to provide renewable power from pure non-emission sources, a group of researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was in a position to produce electricity from the broad leaf Maple timber. Satellite Communication Technology has made earthlings to dwell in a Global Village by way of its ability to beam alerts of all of the gadgets to all corners of the globe. Now, coinciding with the second when technology and pharmaceutical companies are discovering ever more ways to have a direct influence on the human brain, pleasure is changing into the only be-all and finish-all of many lives, particularly among the young. Technology have to be seen as an integral part of the social course of and an offshoot of human creativity. It can fit right into a chip and can be utilized in small wearable gadgets and therefore grew to become essentially the most implausible and superior wearable gadget till present.
Firstly utilizing blue-tooth or related wi-fi technology for pure wireless connection of ALL external hardware, mouse, keyboard, monitor, multifunction printer, network machine, broadband modem, yet have it all ‘simply-work-straight-out-of-the-box’. Jibo and Alpha 2 will in the end fall into one of those three scenarios, and that can decide whether or not we are able to embrace robotics and this form of new tech/AI in the not so distant future. Technology is used by companies to help them create a presence throughout the globe and could be used in similar methods for charitable organisations.
The change that we are witnessing due to the take-over of Technopoly and its transformational conditioning which is persistently galvanizing anomie and enslavement of man by and through Technique, Technology and Technopoly. Besides, in time period of society particularly, media convergence trigger the fragmentation of audiences for information. Presently our personal digital assistants are tethered to particular devices or motionless, however we’ll one day have an precise Siri robot to guide us on a every day to weekly basis. Google plans to work the expertise into clothes first, but the potentialities go method past that.
Now, continues to be really necessary to get a humanoid robots which is not going to solely do work of a human being however will later begin thinking and acting as a human being, drawing conclusions from what has been mentioned and carried out to him to how should he react to these circumstances in future. The full particulars are in The Australian Technology Marketing Blueprint (select the one for Green & FutureTech).…
Flatscreen TVs have been experiencing value cuts all year spherical since LED-backlit LCD TVs were introduced into the market three years in the past. This Room also presents Individual room temperature controls, non-public deck with outdoor hot tub, and Flat Screen HD TV. And what good would an HD TV be without DVD, I-pod docking station, media player with Netflix and Pandora. After connecting the entire cables, you will discover your Macbook display will go all bizarre as will the television display, give it a minute to load up and type it’s self out after which once it’s all achieved. Use a dry, smooth, lint-free material, ideally the micro-fiber cleansing cloth that will have come with your TV or monitor.
At this point, you must have your hardware and software arrange. And for those who have a look at the tutorials above, you will see a few on the best way to get Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon to your new internet TV arrange. But I thought there have been a couple of different things I ought to point out about getting content material. To change between my computer and your TV, I just use either TV button, or the RGB button on my distant management to switch forwards and backwards.
Most folks feel calibrating a UHD TV is an onerous activity and don’t bother to do it. Why anybody would spend a lot money on an Ultra High Definition TV and never make investments a while to discover ways to calibrate it to provide the perfect picture quality. Touchstone Home Products, Inc.’s President Jon Bradlee will give demonstrations of the Whisper Lift II Pro Advanced Swivel TV Lift and Elevate Mission TV Lift Cabinet at InfoComm15 Booth 6758. Pleased to learn how considerably weighty the TV bracket is and the way sturdy these lag screws are – that is very reassuring.
This is the only one I wrote about TV. I still do not have cable, and I nonetheless don’t miss it. I take pleasure in my Roki box (on the rare events I take the time). You can discover the Y-sustain board on the left-hand side of the display screen when looking at it from behind. While Sony has a lot of the decrease enter lag options on the TV market Toshiba has one superb model I thought I’d point out. Two brackets are then fastened to the TV and slide simply over the Cheetah mount, whereupon two small set screws are tightened to maintain in place. He can also put on them for listening to music or TV exhibits without disturbing anybody else.…
In the trendy world of immediately, expertise plays a big part within the media business. But the real pleasure can be when the young women who are harmless and do not know the tips of latest expertise adhere to a number of the tricks to save their self respect, picture and valuable life as properly. Here I am talking about some of the worst phases of the know-how we do have like a violation of your privateness by somebody unknown to you. They will behave in numerous methods contemplating different products and a generic method which seeks to pigeon gap them will result in missed opportunities. Two of the newest cool new applied sciences and inventions for 2016 we love are Balluga: The World’s Smartest Bed, and Bento Lab: A DNA laboratory for everyone!
Researchers with the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture are conducting ongoing evaluations of latest technology that might enhance control of tarnished plant bugs (pictured) and thrips in cotton. Technology has already vastly helped disabled people but many diversifications should be made by those individuals to make use of know-how. All in all I think gadgets are important in teaching as they provide fashionable and simpler ways for everybody to study sooner and extra successfully.
Although researchers have praised the expertise and labored to improve its accuracy , they might only speculate about how MinION had succeeded the place Illumina and others had failed; the construction of the MinION’s pore has remained a trade secret. On the other hand, teenagers could turn out to be utterly hooked on video games and they do not go to work (or college), don’t eat correctly and don’t exercise enough.
Driverless cars are a superb instance of a know-how which is sort of prepared for mass adoption, and which may easily leave many thousands and thousands of individuals all over the world who’re at present working in the transportation sector with no job. In 1998, the Office of Technology Assessment confirmed that many components of the Hoxsey Therapy therapy did indeed contain anti-tumor properties in vitro, although it was by no means formally examined in medical trials.…
If you are a member or a frontrunner of a gaming clan and want to build a website to your clanmates, I counsel utilizing a clan host. New languages are typically designed across the syntax of a previous language with new performance added, (for example C++ provides object-orientation to C, and Java adds reminiscence management and bytecode to C++, but consequently, loses effectivity and the ability for low-degree manipulation). They have to discover that psychological capability by activities that do curiosity them, similar to making games and animations. For instance, the string programming PRAXIS” becomes Programming Praxis” when titlecased. You can get most helpful C++ Tutorials and C++ Interview Questions and Answers here.
Using the following pointers is a possibility to differ from other appliers, since it happens, that programmers usually do not feel very comfy through the interview and do not prepare the communication side of the interview. Following is a list of four of the most effective – and fully free – ways to discover ways to program online, whether you’re an entire newbie or you’d just like so as to add a brand new programming language to your resume.
I do not keep in mind the other youngsters settle for for one boy who would all the time freak out and yell at somebody out of nowhere. In my humble opinion any language claiming to be BASIC which forces the programmer to dot too many i’s and cross too many t’s is just not BASIC, but an imposter. Sadly, there is no such thing as a totally standardized technique for programming totally different manufacturers of industrial robots.
Lear also explored various definitions of library programming and decided that it was a course of by which the informational, academic, and leisure needs of patrons are met by bringing patrons into contact with the human resources greatest capable of meet these wants” (p. xv). The sad reality is that quite a lot of CS college students start with no prior CS knowledge and you begin studying a programming language with out knowing what’s occurring behind the scenes.
It has been made for teaching Python to Computing GCSE students in Year 10, introducing the key programming ideas. At the lowest stage the entire directions run by a computer are communicated to it as crucial commands, however greater stage languages could also be thought of as being placed on a continuum between Imperative and Declarative. Just started oDesk for like 2 months and I even have really useful this web site to my mates who are also searching for for on-line jobs. There are advantages in programming when using GUI (Graphical User Interface) and graphics.…
There are a variety of programming languages obtainable in the market, however java growing prominence among the many programmers refuses to slowdown. I really really feel sorry for the youthful era of kids who weren’t exposed to the ninety’s nick. As a newbie, it can be troublesome discovering the right book or tutorial for learning a programming language. Soon programming began to be censored, shortened for time, and all the basic movies were replaced by movies from the eighty’s to the 2000s, after which to the 2010s. C#: Pronounced C Sharp, this language was created by Microsoft within itsNET framework.
I was shocked to find my co-founder Robin Ward appreciated TIS-one hundred so much that he not solely played the game (presumably to completion) however wrote a TIS-one hundred emulator in C This is seemingly the form of thing he does for fun, in his free time, when he’s not already working full time with us programming Discourse Programmers gotta … program. You’ll additionally discover coverage of a few of Java’s most superior features, including multithreaded programming and generics. The use of arrays and implementing a operate name is determined by what programming language somebody use.
There are numerous books and on-line guides written for newcomers that educate the fundamentals of laptop programming in each the Ruby programming language and in Python. Computer programming is composing/authoring of a process/procedure for doing one thing, the supply code illustration of algorithms – in great element. So, as you’ve got seen, larger-level programming languages present comparable performance and in a form that is closer to the English language. One more necessary thing is to know is the logic improvement in programming may be by using flowcharts or the algorithm itself.
I do really feel, though, that if India’s financial system turns pink sizzling, the jobs will come again to the US, because their standard of living will push their costs again as much as the place they’re not competitive. I didn’t realise I loved programming until the age of around 27. Perhaps more early publicity would’ve helped. For people who don’t mind spending a small amount of cash to get a decent prime quality programming sport, I extremely counsel giving SpaceChem a strive. When you are versatile and may study shortly then you shouldn’t have any issues with jobs. If you simply say Games, I’ve written Tic-tac-toe, Soduku Games that run in back-white console.… | <urn:uuid:02749216-e2d9-4503-a36d-a864df22d7ef> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | http://supportfortechnology.com/2015/11/page/3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805687.20/warc/CC-MAIN-20171119153219-20171119173219-00570.warc.gz | en | 0.946334 | 4,556 | 2.53125 | 3 |
27 nov peach tree bark diseases pictures
The eggs hatch within a week or two, and the larvae chew their way into the heart of the peach tree, making use of any existing cracks in bark and generally staying close to the soil line. Armillaria crown and root rot Armillaria mellea A. solidipes Armillaria bulbosa Armillaria tabescens = Clitocybe tabescens. Asked July 19, 2017, 6:42 PM EDT. Disease-resistant peach trees are easy-care options for growers who prefer a low-spray or no-spray orchard, and — for all peach trees — routine maintenance* can help keep most problems at bay. Your other choice is to apply white tree wrap from December to March. Get to work diagnosing tree diseases with our pictoral summary of 10 common tree diseases. One is to paint the trunk with half white latex paint and half water. there is minor damage to the bark at the trunk, from a lawn mower - ~20-30% of the bark is missing. Other common names for peach canker are perennial canker and Valsa canker. To do this, you have two choices. Beech bark disease is a newer threat affecting beech trees (Fagus grandifolia), and it’s brought about by native nectria fungus pairing up with the invasive European beech scale insect. Protect the bark of your tree from sunscald during the winter. The insects feed on the beech sap by burrowing into the bark, and once inside, the nectria fungus on the beech scale colonize the bark and interior of the tree. 4. 446 tree bark disease fungus stock photos are available royalty-free. Phony disease = phony peach Xylella fastidiosa: Fungal diseases. the photo is from a dead branch i recently removed from the tree. In June a brown and white striped beetle deposits its eggs in the bark of the apple-tree near the ground. *Good maintenance practices include: adequate watering, fertilizing as needed, seasonal pruning, preventive and active spraying, fall cleanup, and winter protection. the fruit from it is very nice. Protect Against Rodents and Insects. the tree is ~12 years old. but no fungus, scale, etc at its base. hi! The fungi that cause this disease enter the plant through wounds. Treat for rodents and insects, so they won’t create wounds in your tree. The apple tree borer is another very formidable pest, often destroying a young tree before its presence is known. what is causing this bark disease on my peach tree? Peach canker is a fungus disease common on apricot, prune, plum, and sweet cherry trees as well as on peach trees. Reset All Filters Poisonous fungus or mold or disease pest of the bark of a tree trunk in a forest. Anthracnose Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Glomerella cingulata [teleomorph] Colletotrichum acutatum. After mating in mid- to late summer, the female peach tree borer lays her red eggs on the bark of the tree. I once found a young tree in a distant part of my place that I could push over with my finger. The disease is common in peach orchards and is a frequent cause of limb dying and death of peach trees. Fungal diseases; Alternaria rot Alternaria alternata Alternaria spp. Comprehensive details about visible damage as well as control measures accompany each image to help you get a handle on what is troubling your tree.
5 Steps To A 5: Ap Calculus Ab Pdf, Rocking Chair Plans For Sale, Liebermann Nitroso Test Is Used For, Bach Fugue In D Minor Analysis, Best French Door Refrigerator Counter Depth, Matthew Chapter 18 Summary, Remote Bass Control Knob, | <urn:uuid:400851bf-de6f-4564-8ee2-c350c40b861b> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | http://usecase.harmis.com.br/7lp44oa/peach-tree-bark-diseases-pictures-a4f73f | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703517559.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20210119011203-20210119041203-00135.warc.gz | en | 0.924565 | 803 | 3.15625 | 3 |
102,992 of 127,809 schools have worse air.
Note: Rankings are based on modeled concentrations and severity of chemicals known or believed to cause cancer. Learn More
Note: Rankings are based on modeled concentrations of chemicals that cause health problems other than cancer. Learn More
Definition: Sulfuric acid is used in the production of fertilizers and explosives, in the purification of petroleum; in the pickling of metal; and in lead-acid batteries. Breathing sulfuric acid can result in tooth erosion and respiratory tract irritation. Exposures to large quantities at work can increase the incidence of cancers of the larynx, though such workers are often exposed to other chemicals, too. The International Agency for Research on Cancer says occupatonal exposure to inorganic acid mists can cause cancer, but pure sulfuric acid has not been classified. Source: IARC
Definition: Hydrochloric acid, known to man for centuries, has many uses: in the production of fertilizers, dyes,and some foodstuffs, and in the steel, oil, textile and rubber industries. It is corrosive to the eyes, skin and mucuous membranes, and in high concentrations, can cause severe burns. EPA has not determined whether it is carcinogenic. Source: EPA
Sources: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, University of Massachusetts at Amherst Political Economy Research Institute
* Chemicals most responsible for the toxicity outside this school may not add up to 100% because only the top chemicals are listed. | <urn:uuid:2f53d5ff-0cf7-475e-9dc4-eaf553f78532> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/school/37076 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700380063/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103300-00066-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941603 | 310 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Letter Postage 250 B.C.
The museum of the Imperial German Post, one of the most remarkable special collections in existence, has just been enriched by the purchase of a remarkable document of the third century B.C. it is the so-called Hibeh papyrus (No. 110) dating from the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus (259-253 B.C.) and relates to the transmission of letters by the Egyptian postal service along the Nile, and is stated in the museum note to be the first evidence found of the existence of a State postal service in Egypt during the Hellenistic period. The papyrus is a sort of postal way-bill, and registers the delivery of letters from hand to hand. The five officials mentioned appear to be postillions and postmasters. The text commences somewhat as follows:
A Postal Way-Bill
“On the sixteenth (N.N.) handed to Alexander six letter-packets. One was a letter-packet for King Ptolemy, another was a letter-packet and two letters thereto attached for Apollonius, Minister of Finance; one letter-packet for the Cretan Antiochus; one letter for Menodorus, and one tied up with the others for Chelios. On the seventeenth Alexander made over the post-bag to Nikodemus (signed Nikodemus). In the first hour of dawn, Phoenix the younger, a son of Heracleitus of Macedon, handed one letter-packet to Aminos. He gave the post-fee to Phanias. Aminos handed the letters to Theo-chrestus.”
So the papyrus goes on. In each case the exact hour of the transfer of the letters is noted, together with details of other letters picked up by the postillion on his route. There is mention of a letter to Throgenes, “president of the office of elephant hunting,” of another to Zoilos, the director of the imperial revenue office in Hermoyolis; to Dionysus, the traffic manager in Arsinoe, etc., etc. The official document is on the back of the papyrus (opistograph), the front having apparently been used for the calculations of a landed proprietor or his bailiff, but the space which the bailiff left is also employed for postal notices, a curious illustration of the necessity, even in the Government service, for saving every bit of the valuable “paper.” The document was only discovered two years ago, and, owing to the high value placed upon it, is protected from the sunlight by a green curtain. - Kuhlow’s | <urn:uuid:eacec2c0-3fb8-40e2-a93e-1fb2d9df65fc> | CC-MAIN-2019-09 | https://www.apfelbauminc.com/letter-postage-250-bc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-09/segments/1550247484020.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20190218013525-20190218035525-00106.warc.gz | en | 0.932306 | 555 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Tableaux and Words
In our context, a word is a sequence of positive integers; concatenation of words is denoted by Given a skew SSYT the corresponding word is obtained by taking the tableau entries from left to right, then bottom to top. For example the following skew SSYT gives
The following are quite easy to verify.
- If is an SSYT, then it can be recovered from .
- We pick the longest weakly increasing sequence starting from the first number; this forms the last row. Repeat with the next number to obtain the second-to-last row, etc. E.g. given (4, 5, 3, 3, 4, 6, 1, 2, 3, 3, 5, 7), we get a three-row SSYT comprising of (1, 2, 3, 3, 5, 7), (3, 3, 4, 6) and (4, 5).
- Not every word occurs as from some SSYT .
- E.g. (1, 2, 1, 2) does not come from an SSYT.
- However, every word occurs as for some skew SSYT. E.g. just place the elements of the sequence diagonally: 1st row and -th square, 2nd row and -th square etc.
- In general, a skew SSYT cannot be uniquely recovered from
- E.g. for (1, 2), we can either take the SSYT (1, 2), or the skew diagram (2,1)/(1) and fill in 1, 2.
Words and Row Insertion
Next we formulate rules such that row-inserting (bumping) an entry into an SSYT is equivalent to concatenation:
Suppose we have a row in the SSYT with added to the end, and assume
so that bumps off and we get . Break this down into a series of steps:
From this we obtain the first rule:
Rule R1. For any consecutive in the word satisfying , we switch
Next, to shift to the beginning of the row, we break it down as follows:
From here, we obtain the second rule:
Rule R2. For any consecutive in the word satisfying , we switch
Suppose we insert . Applying R1 and R2 gives:
Now we wish to revert the inserting process, so we will consider reverse of R1 and R2 as well, denoted by R1′ and R2′ respectively.
Summary of Rules
Given a consecutive triplet in the word, we consider the following distinct cases:
- or : no change;
- : switch to by R1;
- : switch to by R2;
- : switch to by R1′;
- : switch to by R2′.
One checks that these cases are disjoint and cover all possibilities. Two words are said to be Knuth-equivalent, written as if we can obtain one from the other via the above 4 operations.
The following diagram helps us in recalling R1 and R2.
Consequences of Equivalence
From our construction of R1 and R2, we immediately have:
Proposition 1. .
The following result is less trivial.
Proposition 2. If is obtained by sliding an inner corner of skew SSYT then
Clearly, horizontal sliding does not change the word, so we will only consider vertical sliding. By trimming off excess elements in the two rows:
we may assume the two rows have the same length. We will prove that the corresponding words are Knuth-equivalent via induction on p. Write for for etc. First consider the case i.e. we need to show
- Imagine performing row insertion for into Since this bumps out and we transform to
- Inserting into this row then bumps out and we obtain Moving on, we eventually obtain as desired.
Now assume Write and so that and We need to show
Inserting into the row bumps off which gives Thus the LHS is equivalent to By induction hypothesis for this is equivalent to
On the other hand, on the RHS above we insert into the row to give Hence the RHS is equivalent to This completes the proof. ♦
Corollary. Every word is Knuth-equivalent to for some SSYT
Indeed write for some skew SSYT Apply the sliding algorithm to it to obtain an SSYT By proposition 2, ♦
This will later turn out to be unique. 🙂
Finally, the following result is interesting but will not be used.
Lemma. If the skew tableau is cut into and by a horizontal or vertical line (where is respectively left or above), then
In the case of horizontal cut, we in fact have so the result is trivial. Now suppose we have a vertical cut as follows.
Start removing the inner corners from starting from the rightmost column. E.g. in the above diagram, we remove the corner labelled then the one above etc. Note that upon removing the column beneath it gets shifted up one unit. Eventually, we obtain the LHS diagram. By proposition 2, the above two tableaux have equivalent words and the tableau on the right gives ♦ | <urn:uuid:a3f95af0-5297-4e62-b290-7baf0aaee6d0> | CC-MAIN-2023-23 | https://mathstrek.blog/2016/05/18/polynomials-and-representations-xv/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-23/segments/1685224649518.12/warc/CC-MAIN-20230604061300-20230604091300-00474.warc.gz | en | 0.904142 | 1,116 | 3.640625 | 4 |
A circuit breaker is required to perform the following three major duties.
- It must be capable of opening the faulty circuit and breaking the fault current. This is described as breaking capacity of a circuit breaker
- It must be capable of being closed on to a fault. This refers to making capacity of a circuit breaker
- It must be capable of carrying fault current for a short time while another circuit breaker is clearing the fault. This refers to short time capacity of the circuit breaker.
- Rated voltage: the rated maximum voltage of a circuit breaker is the highest rms voltage, above nominal system voltage ,for which circuit breaker is designed and is the upper limit for operation. The rated voltage is expressed in kV rms and refer phase to phase voltage for three phase circuit.
- Rated current: the rated normal current of a circuit breaker is the rms value of the current which the circuit breaker shall be able to carry at rated frequency and at the rated voltage continuously, under specified condition.
- Rated frequency: the rated frequency of a circuit breaker is the frequency at which it is designed to operate.
- Operating Duty: the operating duty of a circuit breaker consist of the prescribed number of unit operations at stated intervals.
Breaking current is the RMS value of current that a circuit breaker is required to break at the instant of contact separation. The symmetrical breaking current is the RMS value of its symmetrical component. If however, at the instant of contact separation, the wave is still asymmetrical it is known as the asymmetrical breaking current.
Making capacity = 1.8 × √2 × Symmetrical breaking capacity.
Short time rating:
This happens in case of momentary fault like bird age on the transmission lines and the fault is automatically cleared and persists only for 1 or 2 seconds. For this reason the circuit breakers are short time rated and they trip only when the fault persists for a duration longer than the specified time limit.
Generally the fault current at various voltage levels expected are standardised while manufacturing a circuit breaker, considering the hike in fault currents in future due to adding of different sources. The voltage level and expected fault current are given below.
The various types of circuit breakers are Bulk oil circuit breakers (BOCB), Minimum oil circuit breakers (MOCB), Air blast circuit breakers (ABCB), Vacuum circuit breakers (VCB), SF6 gas circuit breakers etc.
SF6 CBs and VCBs are superior in performance compared with other types and hence selected for this particular sub station design for 220 & 110 KV side and 11 KV side respectively. | <urn:uuid:b36755f6-29e1-4439-be51-5426a7aed73f> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://studyelectrical.com/2014/06/circuit-breaker-ratings.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153223.30/warc/CC-MAIN-20210727072531-20210727102531-00622.warc.gz | en | 0.925212 | 538 | 3.4375 | 3 |
Univ. of Wisconsin
J.D. Univ. of Wisconsin Law school
Brian was a geometry teacher through the Teach for America program and started the geometry program at his school
There are four triangle congruence shortcuts: SSS, SAS, ASA, and AAS. We have triangle similarity if (1) two pairs of angles are congruent (AA) (2) two pairs of sides are proportional and the included angles are congruent (SAS), or (3) if three pairs of sides are proportional (SSS). Notice that AAA, AAS, and ASA are not listed -- to include them would be redundant since they all have two congruent angles.
If you were to prove that two triangles are similar, we're going to draw a comparison with congruence, something that we talked about previously. We said that there were 4 shortcuts for proving two triangles congruent. And those 4 shortcuts were angle side angle, side angle side, side side side and angle angle side.
So if you knew just three things about those two triangles, if it's one of these shortcuts, then yes you could say these triangles must be congruent. There are two that did not work. And those were angle angle angle and side side angle. So these these two shortcuts did not give you enough information to say that these two triangles must be congruent because using only three angles you could construct two triangles that are not the same size.
We're going to draw a comparison with similarity. Let's start off by looking at a case where all we know about two triangles is that 2 angles are congruent. But the triangle angle sum, if these two angles are congruent, then the third angle in each of these triangles must be congruent. And yes this would be a shortcut for saying that these 2 triangles must be similar. Which means that corresponding angles are congruent and corresponding sides are proportional. So under our similarity shortcuts, I'm going to use a different marker here. That one's running out. We're going to say that angle angle is a shortcut.
Now notice that I did not write angle angle angle. The reason being is if all you know are 2 angles, that's enough information because that third angle which I guess I could write in has to be congruent as well. So angle angle is a shortcut.
Let's look at a second case. Let's say that all you knew were a side an included angle and another side. And you also knew that the corresponding sides are proportional. Well this would be enough information to say that these two triangles are similar. So we're going to include side angle side into our list of similarity shortcuts. And last let's say, if all we knew were that 3 sides of 2 different triangles, that correspond, are proportional. So we could write out this proportion that that is constant between corresponding sides. These 2 triangles would also have to be congruent. So we're going to say that side side side is also a shortcut.
Now if I were to compare these two lists, you're going to notice that I omitted angle side angle. And that I omitted angle angle side. The reason being is that if you know that these two angles are congruent, then that is just using the angle angle shortcut. Same thing goes with the angle angle side shortcut. As long as you know that two angles are congruent, that's all I need to know for similarity.
Now the one that you will notice is not on this list is side side angle. So this is kind of like the odd man out for congruence and similarity. This is not enough information to say that 2 triangles must be similar. So you only have three similarity shortcuts that you need to memorize. Angle angle, side, oh no I kind of erased that there. Angle angle, side angle side and side side side. | <urn:uuid:dab4d61c-b58b-4567-8ef5-04da2a094ce1> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://www.brightstorm.com/math/geometry/similarity/similarity-shortcuts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046153857.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20210729105515-20210729135515-00154.warc.gz | en | 0.966723 | 801 | 3.421875 | 3 |
The announcement yesterday of the discovery of the closest Earth-sized planet found so far that also exists in the habitable zone around its star is certainly exciting (read our previous article for all the details). Gliese 581g is surely a potential habitable planet where liquid water could exist on the planet‘s surface, and many are touting the old adage of where there’s water, there’s life. However, some quotes from one of the scientists involved in the discovery might be feeding some wild speculation about the potential for life on this extrasolar planet and elsewhere. “Personally, given the ubiquity and propensity of life to flourish wherever it can, I would say, my own personal feeling is that the chances of life on this planet are 100 percent,” said discoverer and astronomer Steven Vogt during a press briefing yesterday. “I have almost no doubt about it.”
Yes, that is an exact quote. He really used those words. He also said that it would be pretty hard to imagine that water wouldn’t exist on the planet, given the ubiquity of water in our solar system and beyond, and the habitable region in which this planet orbits.
Also participating in the briefing was Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, which provided funds for the observations at the Keck I telescope, and his comments were more tempered.
“Any discussion of life on at this point is purely speculative,” Butler said. “What we know is that this planet exists at the right distance for liquid water it has the right amount of mass to hold on to its atmosphere and any liquid water on the surface. So any subsequent discussion of life there is purely speculative. That being said, on the Earth anywhere you find liquid water you find life in overwhelming abundance. The question should be, if this planet has liquid water, how can you rule out life doesn’t exist? It is pretty probable that anywhere you find liquid water pooling, that you would find life existing.”
Are Vogt’s claims too extreme, or were they made in exhilaration during an exciting announcement? This has been a topic of debate on Twitter this morning. Some wondered if Vogt had been misquoted, and many expressed that Vogt’s words may fuel off-the-deep-end speculation about the certainty of life on another world.
“Until we know more about this planet and the origin of life itself, any claim of certain habitation is idiotic and does not serve science,” said Dr. Stuart Clark (@DrStuClark), author and astronomy journalist. To clarify, he wanted others to know that he thinks just the claim is idiotic, not the discovery or the people involved.
“As cool as it is, please realize that right now all we really know about it is its orbit and estimated mass. That’s it.” said Lee Billings (@leebillings), editor at Seed Magazine. “In other words, barring observational evidence that may still be a generation away, Gliese 581g is ‘Earth-like’ only in terms of mass/orbit.”
From our pal Phil Plait, the Bad Astronomer (@badastronomer): “I understand what he meant – he thinks it could have life – but it was phrased unfortunately, and the media have jumped on it, of course.”
From David Masten (@dmasten), CEO of the commercial space company Masten Space Systems: “I have an opinion or 3 about life on anything in Gliese 581! And I’d dare say much closer to zero chance. But I’m not an astrobiologist.”
“Claiming a 100% chance of life on Gliese 581g is definitely an overreach,” said astrophysicist Juan Cabanela (@Juan_Kinda_Guy) at Minnesota State University Moorhead, “given we currently have a sample of 1 planet with life.”
“Vogt’s extrapolation was certainly quite a leap. On the other hand, the media might finally get it that some scientists really do think life everywhere is possible – but not bug-eyed aliens” said Robert Cumming, (@maltesk), journalist at the Swedish magazine “Populär Astronomi.“. “Then we can also discuss why there might not be life everywhere after all.”
From astronomer, educator and journalist Nicole Gugliucci (@noisyastronomer): “The public seems to have enough trouble trusting science these days without scientists making bold statements like that.”
“100% is ridiculous,” Tweeted frequent image contributor to Universe Today, Stu Atkinson (@mars_stu). “No possible way anyone could know that, surely?”
Many expressed excitement over the discovery, and Stu articulated perhaps the most colorful, which was re-tweeted several times yesterday: “Ah, a PROPER planet!” Not a great fat bloated sweaty “Who ate all the pies” ‘hot Jupiter’ tearing insanely around its star.”
What are your views?
*all Tweets used by permission.
Here’s an article about abiogenesis, theories about how life got started here on Earth. | <urn:uuid:79daccfa-2e5b-43dc-9df5-f646da3e6e6b> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://www.universetoday.com/74679/could-chance-for-life-on-gliese-581g-actually-be-100/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323587794.19/warc/CC-MAIN-20211026011138-20211026041138-00243.warc.gz | en | 0.951895 | 1,128 | 2.515625 | 3 |
Using SSI Work Incentives to Create Economic Safety Nets and Pathways to Work
This toolkit will help vocational rehabilitation (VR) counselors understandand explain to youth and their families the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program’s range of work incentives that create a pathway toward work and an economic safety net in the event a work attempt is not sustained.
Background on How Earned and Unearned Income Affect the SSI Payment Rate
The maximum monthly SSI payment (or base amount) for 2019 is based on a $771 federal benefit rate (FBR) with an optional State Supplement Payment (SSP). To determine the amount of the monthly SSI payment, any countable unearned and earned income is subtracted from the SSI base rate for your state. All examples in this toolkit use the $771 FBR with no SSP.
A simple example: Carolina is 23 years old and receives $440 in Social Security disability benefits. Here is how Carolina’s monthly SSI payment is calculated.
|General income exclusion||- 20.00||Countable unearned||- 420.00|
|Countable unearned income||$420.00||SSI payment||$351.00|
Generally, the income received in a month is used to determine the SSI payment two months later (i.e., if Carolina received this income in June it would affect her SSI payment in August). Since Carolina receives at least $1 of SSI, she will qualify for automatic Medicaid in most states.
See Print and Go Tip Sheet, “An SSI Beneficiary’s Right to Automatic Medicaid Eligibility in Most States.”
Earned Income Disregards Available to Youth
The $65, $20, Plus 50 Percent of Remaining Earned Income Disregards
All SSI childhood (i.e., up to age 18) and adult recipients are entitled to this exclusion. Starting with monthly gross earned income, the first $65 is excluded ($85 is excluded if there is no unearned income) and subtracted from gross earned income. Then 50 percent of the remaining earned income is excluded. The result is countable earned income which, along with any countable unearned income, is subtracted from the SSI base rate to determine the SSI payment.
Consider Martin, age 17, who drops out of school and takes a part-time job earning $885 gross per month. This is how Martin’s new SSI payment will be calculated:
|Gross earned income||$885.00||SSI-FBR||$771.00|
|General income exclusion||- 20.00||Counted income||- 400.00|
|Earned income exclusion||- 65.00|
|Additional 50 percent exclusion||- 400.00|
|Countable earned income||$400.00|
Martin’s net monthly gain from going to work is $485 (the amount of the earned income exclusions) less any tax withholding. In those 41 states in which Medicaid is automatic for SSI recipients, Martin’s Medicaid will continue. In the remaining nine states Medicaid eligibility will be separately determined.
The VR counselor can tell youth and families: In all cases, when a young person who gets SSI begins earning wages, their net gain will be about half of his or her gross wages.
The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE)
This very powerful work incentive is available to students who are under age 22 and “regularly attending school.” It excludes the first $1,870 of gross earnings per month, up to $7,550 per year in 2019.
Let’s go back to Martin, age 17, from the previous example. Assume he continues to attend high school (or moves on to college) and makes $585 gross monthly working after school and on weekends. The SSI program will exclude the entire $585 each month for a full 12 months, as his total annual earnings of $7,020 (if he worked every month for this amount) remain below the annual $7,550 limit. In this example, Martin’s SSI payment will remain at $771 each month. Even though Martin makes $300 less in the second example, his net gain is more because he is still in school.
The VR counselor can tell youth and families: The Student Earned Income Exclusion rewards youth who stay in school and start working. The SEIE allows the student, in most cases, to keep the full SSI payment and full paycheck.
Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)
IRWEs are the reasonable cost of items and/or services that, because of a disability or medical condition, a person needs and uses in order to work. This includes items such as home health aide services, medical or prosthetic devices, drugs, medical services, residential modifications, and special transportation services.
To be deductible as an IRWE, the expense must meet a three-part test: it must be paid by the worker and not paid or reimbursed by another source; it must relate to the individual’s disability or a condition for which he or she is receiving treatment; and without the item or service, the person must be unable to work.
Lisa is a recent high school graduate, does not attend college or a training program, and earns $885 gross per month at a part-time job. She has cerebral palsy, uses a cane for mobility, and cannot walk well enough to reach a nearby bus stop to take public transportation. She pays a local agency $135 per month to take her to work and back several times per month. Without this transportation she could not work. This will meet SSI’s criteria as an IRWE and her SSI payment will now be calculated as follows:
|General income exclusion||- 20.00||Counted income||- 332.50|
|Earned income exclusion||- 65.00|
|IRWE Deduction||- 135.00|
|Additional 50% exclusion||- 332.50|
|Total counted income||332.50|
Note that Lisa is earning the same amount per month as Martin in the first example above. By using the $135 IRWE deduction, Lisa’s SSI payment is $67.50 higher than Martin’s – half the value of the IRWE.
Blind Work Expenses (BWEs)
Individuals who are “statutorily blind” are allowed many exclusions from income not allowed for any other disability. This is because a BWE does not have to be related to blindness, but need only be a cost related to earning income. Some of the common BWEs include: federal, state, and local income taxes; Social Security and Medicare taxes (FICA); meals consumed during work hours; training to use a disability-related item (e.g., cane travel) or an item attributable to work (e.g., computer training); guide dog expenses (including food, licenses, and veterinary services); medical devices, medical supplies, and therapy).
Vijay is statutorily blind, works and earns $18,420 per year ($1,535 per month). He has the following expenses that meet SSI’s criteria as BWEs:
|Income taxes (federal, state, local)||$57|
*If Vijay’s employer pays for readers as a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act, this will not qualify as a BWE.
Calculation of SSI Payment:
|Gross income exclusion||- 20||Countable income||- 174|
|Earned income exclusion||- 65|
|Additional 50% exclusion||725|
|Blind work expenses||- 551|
Using BWEs, his SSI payment increases by $551 (i.e., by the full amount of his BWEs).
Section 1619(b) - Continued Medicaid for Youth Who Lose the Right to an SSI Payment through Work and Wages
As noted in this and other toolkits, an SSI recipient who works will see his or her SSI payment gradually decrease as they earn more money. If a recipient is paid at the SSI 2019 Federal Benefit Rate of $771 per month, the right to an SSI payment will end when he or she earns $1,627 or more gross per month (assuming there is no unearned income and only the basic earned income exclusions are used).
The good news is that most recipients will be able to keep Medicaid, in these circumstances, because of a special work incentive known as 1619(b). A transition-aged youth should be able to keep Medicaid after losing SSI because of countable wages, if the following key 1619(b) criteria are met: the individual continues to meet the SSI disability or blindness criteria; their unearned income is still within SSI limits; resources are within SSI limits; they received SSI payments, or were 1619(b) eligible, at some time during the last year; they will need Medicaid for foreseen or unforeseen expenses; and they have annual income below a state-specific threshold. Section 1619(b) eligibility thresholds differ greatly from state to state, with about half the state having eligibility thresholds below $35,000 per year and half having eligibility thresholds above that figure.
For much greater detail on the section 1619(b) work incentive, see our Toolkit # 6, “How Earnings Impact Medicaid.” Also see, as part of this Toolkit, the Print and Go Tip Sheet, “An SSI Beneficiary’s Right to Continued Medicaid, through 1619(b), When Losing SSI through Work and Wages.” | <urn:uuid:337f8d15-a7c7-47c8-994e-b50c7c309cc2> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.ssiyouthtoolkit.org/topic/4/home | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618039526421.82/warc/CC-MAIN-20210421065303-20210421095303-00358.warc.gz | en | 0.937719 | 2,048 | 2.640625 | 3 |
|Geographical Range||Eastern Africa|
|Habitat||Dry bush savannahs and deserts|
|Scientific Name||Litocranius walleri walleri|
|Conservation Status||Near threatened|
Gerenuks make their home on the dry savannahs of East Africa. One of the most desert-adapted antelopes, gerenuks are able to survive for long periods without water. The males with their lyre-shaped horns are usually found overseeing small herds of females and their calves. Male gerenuks mark the bushes along the edges of their territories with secretions from the scent glands in front of their eyes.
These antelopes have actually benefitted from environmental changes caused by the overgrazing of domestic livestock. The barren scrubland left in the wake of the destructive cattle is prime habitat for gerenuks.
Did You Know?
Gerenuks often extend their reach by standing upright on their hind legs to browse on low tree branches. | <urn:uuid:db54d4a1-d922-4482-9b45-15a48a438037> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.stlzoo.org/animals/abouttheanimals/mammals/hoofedmammals/gerenuk/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375097546.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031817-00061-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.909978 | 212 | 3.5625 | 4 |
The Birchbark House
by Louise Erdrich
Hyperion Paperbacks, 1999
Middle grade fiction, Age 9 and Up
10: 0786814543/13: 978-078681454
Additional formats: Hardcover, audio
Honors: National Book Award Finalist * Jane Addams Award Honor * WILLA Award * National Cowboy Hall of Fame Western Heritage Winner
The shero in the Birchbark House, set on Madeline Island off Lake Superior in 1847, receives her name from an Ojibwa girl who was recorded as living on the island in nineteenth century. Author Louise Erdrich writes, “Dear Reader, when you speak this name out loud you will be honoring the life of an Ojibwa girl who lived long ago.”
Now, speak her name: Omakayas.
A member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwa, Erdrich (National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize Finalist) wrote The Birchbark House to retrace her family’s history. The story is told from the perspective of seven-year-old Omakayas, or little frog. Young readers will be completely absorbed by the adventures of Omakayas as she works alongside the women and babysits her little brother. As many young children do, she feels jealous of her older sibling and annoyed by her younger ones. Working side-by-side with her mother and grandmother, she experiences an ability to communicate well with animals, the earth, and her elders, all of which guide her in toward the gift of healing.
When a smallpox breakout ravishes the community, Omakayas is the only one not infected. Her talent for listening to the earth and all its creatures soon helps her care for her family, and she must use all of her power to save them.
The story unfolds in four parts—summer, fall, winter, and spring—and the narrative builds inside the rhythms and rituals of Ojibwa life. Its back matter includes an Author’s Note on Ojibwa language and a glossary and punctuation guide of Ojibwa terms, offering opportunity for continued depth and discovery of Omakayas’s world.
Many have contrasted The Birchbark House to Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series. Wilder’s books carry a cultural bias embedded in the white encroachment on native land and culture as America pushed its boundaries west – a contrast worth noting. The Birchbark House testifies to the decimation and destruction that resulted, yet Erdrich most strongly evokes a feeling of connection among all people, with the earth, and to an Ojibwa girl named Omakayas. – Gigi
By Kekla Magoon
Middle Grade, Ages 10 to 14, Grades 5 and up
Simon & Schuster, 2011
additional formats: e-book
NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work for Youth/Teens *ALA Notable Children’s Book Nominee *Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best *Kirkus Best Children’s Book *Maine Student Book Award Master List *Virginia Readers’ Choice Award Master List
Z and Ella are best friends. Since starting sixth grade, though, Z has been cast out by their group of friends because, while a genius, he “just comes across as weird.” When Z starts to withdraw into an imaginary world, Ella stays loyal to him, and because of that devotion the kids at school ostracize Ella, too. She also has a skin condition on her face called vitiligo, which her former friends start to ridicule.
The changes occurring in Z are scary, but Ella sees everyday how hard things are for him since his father left. Z’s mom lost their house, and the two of them are secretly living in the Walmart, where his mom works. Z’s only connection to the world, besides the library, is Ella. She is his protector and defender, and he pretends that he is hers. Ella accepts that staying loyal to Z, even as he descends deeper and deeper into his own troubled imagination, will mean she is tortured by their peers every day. She keeps a change of clothes in her locker for the days when the teasing is brutal and her clothes get ruined in the cafeteria.
While Ella loves her friend Z dearly and becomes his strong advocate, her family has struggled, too. Ella’s father passed away when she was a baby, and Grammie has moved in to help while Ella’s mom works away from home during the week. The granddaughter-grandmother relationship between Ella and Grammie is rich and tender and loving. But even this can’t make up for how badly Ella suffers at school.
Enter Bailey Jones. The new guy. A basketball star. And the only other black kid in the school besides Ella. At first, he knows nothing about the cruel socialscape that Ella and Z are trapped in. Bailey only sees that Ella is cute and funny and headstrong. As it turns out, he does know something of feeling afraid and not good enough. And he knows something of missing his father, too. As a friendship develops between Ella and Bailey, Z begins to self-destruct. Ella has to choose her course: Bailey and the popular crowd or Z, her true friend.
What I love about Camo Girl is how Kekla Magoon portrays the volatile urgency of the sixth grade social scene. The book is set in Nevada, and the harsh desert landscape of extremes is the perfect setting for a story about the extreme swings of middle school friendships. The main character, Ella, confronts big questions and big feelings. Through it all, and with her steady Grammie backing her up, Ella shows courage and willingness to take risks on behalf of her friends, her family, and herself. GA | <urn:uuid:a7dfa65f-2bca-4aee-900c-9837acee9ba7> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://girlsofsummerlist.com/category/uncategorized/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296943695.23/warc/CC-MAIN-20230321095704-20230321125704-00413.warc.gz | en | 0.951954 | 1,272 | 2.75 | 3 |
The C/C++ Development Toolkit (CDT) is a set of Eclipse plug-ins that provide
C and C++ extensions to the Eclipse workbench. For more information about
Eclipse, see Workbench User Guide > Concepts > Workbench.
The CDT provides a C/C++ IDE that simplifies many of the same tools that you can use from the command line. The CDT can also communicate with many external utilities and interpret their responses, for example:
while make, gcc and gdb are the examples used in the documentation, virtually any similar set of tools or utilities could be used.
The CDT opens as the C/C++ perspective of the Eclipse workbench. The
C/C++ perspective consists of an editor and the following
- Project Explorer
- Shows all of the file system's files under your workspace directory.
- Displays your program's output, as well as the output from your build and external tool chain.
- The C/C++ editor view provides specialized features for editing C/C++ related files.
- Make Targets
- Enables you to select the make targets you want to build in your workspace.
- Displays the structure of the file currently open in an editor.
- Problems View
- If you encounter any errors during a build they will be displayed in the Problems view.
- Shows the attributes of the item currently selected in a view or an editor.
- Shows the results of searches for files or text.
- Lists tasks that you want to keep track of, either as a schedule of things to do or a history of things that have been done.
For more information, see Workbench User Guide > Concepts > Perspectives.
The Install/Update wizard provides information about your current Eclipse installation and provides the framework to manage your updates.
For more information, see Workbench User Guide > Tasks > Updating and installing software.
To view a list of the updates available for the toolsets that you
installed, click Help > Check for Updates.
For more information on the Eclipse CDT project,
The place to ask questions about how to use the CDT.
Provides answers to the most common questions about using the CDT.
This is the main source for information around CDT.
The CDT is an open source project and is licensed under the
Eclipse Public License.
Working with existing code | <urn:uuid:3d8f330c-b570-4d39-86b5-6e097f410606> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www.linuxtopia.org/online_books/eclipse_documentation/eclipse_c_c++_guide/topic/org.eclipse.cdt.doc.user/concepts/eclipse_c_c++_guide_cdt_c_over_cdt.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1410657102753.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20140914011142-00328-ip-10-196-40-205.us-west-1.compute.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.852557 | 501 | 2.53125 | 3 |
- In the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- The Bible, is as Martin Luther described, “The manger in which the Word of God is laid.” While Lutherans recognize differences in the way the Bible should be studied and interpreted, it is accepted as the primary and authoritative witness to the church’s faith.
- We cannot in any way earn, or deserve salvation through our own efforts or merits, but rather the grace of God in Christ is so complete that this grace alone transforms our hearts to possess faith.
- The Sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion are a means of God’s grace for us through which we receive new life.
- The Good News proclaimed in the spoken Word shatters our brokenness and harmonizes Christ and his people into a gift of oneness.
- By virtue of Baptism we enter into the priesthood of all believers in which our decision making within the Church is participatory and inclusive.
For more about what Lutherans believe, see http://www.elca.org/en/Faith | <urn:uuid:12df2f24-e19b-400c-8102-f81c95e45b02> | CC-MAIN-2018-17 | http://lcor.org/what-we-believe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-17/segments/1524125947705.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20180425061347-20180425081347-00319.warc.gz | en | 0.944115 | 225 | 2.765625 | 3 |
Duck (wikipedia article)
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia
|Duck (Wikipedia Article)|
A duck according to Wikipedia. We know.
- This article is about the Wikipedia article about ducks, and not about ducks. If you wish to learn about ducks, I suggest looking elsewhere.
Duck (Wikipedia article), also known as [[Wikipedia:Duck]] is the common name for a Wikipedia article that appears to give random information on the grand and beautiful animals known as ducks. Along the left hand side of the page is branded the customary Wikipedia propaganda; to the right appears an insipid and unoriginal infobox, left by a new user eager to play with this exciting toy.
edit Article Introduction
As with most Wikipedia articles, the page begins with mostly useless information regarding the subject's gestation period and craving for cucumber sandwiches. This part of the article does, however, provide the useful definition of "a bird that is not a swan and not a goose," whilst warning against the common error of considering ducks to be a monophyletic group. You'll never make that mistake twice. There is, however, no more "useful" information in the rest of this section, as the rest is merely filler and an obligatory table of contents, as is on most Wikipedia articles.
edit Article Body
Once again breaking wikipedia's objectivity rules, the midriff, chest and upper torso of the duck article sports much supposed information about the "hilarity" of the subject animal and its name. The lines between Wikipedia and Uncyclopedia even begin to blur as misinformation is spread, claiming that "your mom suxx0rz" and apparently debunking the urban legend that a duck's quack will not echo. I, along with everyone else who has never heard a duck's quack echo, will surely note Wikipedia's error. Furthermore, the article blatantly discards any pretense of academic seriousness by directly citing an episode of the popular TV show MythBusters.
Despite Wikipedia's claim to thoroughness and accuracy, the information on how to hunt ducks is woefully inaccurate, consisting of a single paragraph, reproduced here with its original misspellings:
|“||To hunt dux u kerry a burd dogg into teh feeld n wate ntil u c a flok of dux cum ovar n u throw teh dogg at teh burds. U git u sum guud eetin taht way.||”|
Aside from the almost impenetrable spelling, grammar, and faux-regionalisms, this paragraph can be cited as a general indictment of Wikipedia's instructive worth, as throwing a dog at a flock of ducks is unlikely to produce the intended results—unless, of course, your intent was to give a dog a concussion, or kill ducks by entertaining them to death. (Incidentally, a 2008 study by the University of Nebraska concluded that it may be possible to kill ducks with a Wikipedia article—but only if it is printed onto the surface of a bullet, and fired into them.)
Additionally, there is almost no mention of how to serve duck, which is an especially egregious oversight, considering the complex deliciousness of such dishes as Canard à l'Orange, or duck under glass. As if to rub it in, Wikipedia does have an article dedicated to the serving of humans as food—an article of use to almost no one except German cannibals.
As this most particular section of the article draws to a close, the reader discovers the most disturbing sin of omission yet—where is it written that the duck is one of the only types of bird in which the male possesses a penis? Or that a duck's penis is corkscrew-shaped, and may reach 42.5 cm (17 inches) in length, when unfurled? This valuable information both edifies and educates, and yet it is left up to the reader to discover it at an alternate source of information. This scandalous failing (labeled Duckpenisgate by readers and talk page-based commentators everywhere) has led many[who?] to question the value of Wikipedia altogether.
edit Article Buttocks
The tail of the article, with its copious authoritative citations and external links, exists, of course, solely for the purpose of making the article appear legitimate and well-researched. However, when one examines the external links, the encyclopedic value of the article begins to unravel at the edges, like the hem of a garment being nibbled by rabid buffleheads. For example:
- The link to "Duckling", purportedly a link to a page from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, actually leads to a YouTube video of mallards fucking to jaunty Gershwin tunes.
- The next two links actually lead back to Wikipedia's main page.
- The final link is simply a disguised link to an archive of the front page of Duckse.cx
edit Article In Popular Culture
- A popular episode of Seinfeld revolved around the amount of time the Wikipedian duck article took to load on George's computer. This episode popularized the saying "If its an article on ducks, then it’s gonna be slow."
- An Antarctic Military Helicopter crashed on March 15 2001 after the pilot attempted to edit the article. How the helicopter crashed onto the mentioned date remains a mystery.
- J.R.R. Tolkien was accused of plagiarizing the article in his works The Lord of the Ducks. I wonder why.
- The obscure and unpopular 1970's progressive rock band Fuzzy Duck is reputed to have taken their name directly from the Wikipedia article on Ducks, as well as the Wikipedia article on Fuzz, itself being no more than an exhaustive list of things with the word "fuzz" in them. Wikipedia proceeded to fire back, titling its poorly-written Fuzzy Duck (band) article after the band.
- ↑ While theoretically accurate, the fact that she "suxx0rs" is questionably germane to the subject, even if your mother happens to be a duck.
- ↑ see here
- ↑ ABC (Australia) News in Science, "Found! The longest bird penis ever!!!"
- ↑ Especially when you realize the implications. For instance: Donald Duck is capable of dick-slapping his bitches. Put that in your pipe and gag on it. | <urn:uuid:a22214e0-6cb6-486e-a858-c48ab82150e0> | CC-MAIN-2016-07 | http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Duck_(wikipedia_article) | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-07/segments/1454701987329.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20160205195307-00222-ip-10-236-182-209.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.92622 | 1,340 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Further study on this subject: Ancient Traditions–Future Possibilities:
Rhythmic Training Through the Traditions of Africa, Bali and India.
By Matthew Montfort. Ancient Future Music (1985).
ISBN 0-937879-00-2. Book/CD Set: 69.95. SALE! $52.95:
30 Minute Online Lesson.
Custom private lesson via Skype or other service. $36:
In West Africa, societies such as the Yoruba, the Eve, the Akan and the Ibo possess a music rich in rhythmic vitality. It is a music of multiple layers of rhythms. While European classical music has developed complex harmonies of tones, West African music has developed a complex interweaving of contrasting rhythmic patterns. The African musician strives for the occurrence of at least two different rhythms at once, and it is precisely this juxtaposition of opposing rhythms that creates the vital spark of African music.
The book Ancient Traditions–Future Possibilities, by Matthew Montfort, contains exercises that teach these rhythms. Some of these exercises are presented here.
African Rhythm Exercises
Two Against Three
How to Play Two Against Three includes complete instructions, notation, and a MIDI file. A beginning level example from Chapter 1, Exercise III A, pages 18-20.
Eve Bell Pattern
Eve Bell Pattern with Clap includes complete instructions, notation, and a MIDI file. An intermediate level example from Chapter 1, Exercise V B-2, page 33. This rhythm was used as the basis for the fast section of the title track from the Ancient Future album Quiet Fire.
This is an advanced level example of the rhythms of takada, a dance and drumming club developed by the women the Eve people of the island town of Anyako off the coast of Southeastern Ghana. From Chapter 1, Exercise VII B, page 39.
GM Standard MIDI files of West African rhythm exercises from the book are presented here, arranged for General MIDI instruments such as conga and bongo. Use these to practice, or as rhythm tracks for an original composition. To set up playback on a MIDI synthesizer or sampler, see the MIDI map of the drums in the Eve orchestra.
Ancient Rhythms–Future Grooves
Ancient Rhythms–Future Grooves: Audio and MIDI Percussion Groove Tracks from the Traditions of Africa, Bali, and India. Want more audio and MIDI files? Get this complete collection of groove tracks from the book Ancient Traditions–Future Possibilities. For a limited time, get both the book and the enhanced audio CD set with MIDI files for only $52.95 (SALE! Normally $69.95): Add 1 to Cart. Buy 1 Now. | <urn:uuid:9980a3bc-3a16-48c7-b909-ffa38f4d74e9> | CC-MAIN-2016-40 | http://www.ancient-future.com/africa.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-40/segments/1474738660158.72/warc/CC-MAIN-20160924173740-00082-ip-10-143-35-109.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.873602 | 568 | 2.65625 | 3 |
Open Source is a peer created knowledge and information network that powers itself through the use of free license to produce and reproduce materials that are used by a community at large.
Open source has many advantages and as well as disadvantages. One of the many advantages is need based reform and updates. If you were to take some software as an example, a person can add and change to it whatever he or she find necessary and share it with other people who also find these changes necessary while you could not do this to proprietary licensed software. Another major advantage is money. Open Source costs nothing and is completely free. The downside to this is that the community at large would be predisposed to making open source as a hobby rather than apply professionalism to the open source project because they are doing it for free and fun. There is also other issues such as too many cooks spoiling the food. Too many people changing the same software application could possibly ruin it as it could include biases and other incompatible issues. Technical support for open source platforms would also be another major issue because of the lack of professionalism that can be devoted when problem solving when a person is doing it for free rather than his/her job being dependent upon it. | <urn:uuid:67c3c1cb-4334-499f-9e3f-c7835c52a37f> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://vinayanandam.wordpress.com/2013/09/12/open-source/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202872.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20190323141433-20190323163433-00202.warc.gz | en | 0.982409 | 242 | 3.328125 | 3 |
The way in which a note is written on the stave denotes how long the note should be played for.
Durations are expressed as divisions of a whole note, rather than as a number of seconds or whatever. This subject is quite closely linked to time signatures which are covered in a separate tutorial which you may find it helpful to read in conjunction with this.
Let's start by taking a look at the notation for a whole note, also called a semibreve.
The example shown here is of a bar of music in 4/4 time. As 4 quarter notes = 1 whole note, a single semibreve can fill a bar.
A minim lasts for half as long as a semibreve. It is written in a similar way to the semibreve, but with the addition of a vertical line next to the note.
The example shown here is of a bar of music in 4/4 time. As 4 quarter notes = 2 half note, 2 minims fill a bar.
A crotchet lasts for half as long as a minim.
The example shown here is of a bar of music in 4/4 time. Here we are using 4 quarter notes, which fill a single bar of 4/4.
A quaver lasts for half as long as a crotchet.
A quaver, in common with all notes of 1/8 or less, has a small line at the end of the vertical staff of the note. When written as a group of notes of 1/8 or less, these lines are joined together. Take a look at the example below. This example is written in 2/4 time (i.e. 2 quarter note beats to the bar). In the first bar, there are 4 quavers (4 1/8 notes = 2 1/4 notes = a full bar in 2/4 time).
In the example above, and in the examples that follow, don't worry for now about the other symbols shown in the last bar. These are rests and they're needed to fill up the bar (in the last example, just two 1/8 notes can't fill a bar of 2/4). Rests will be covered in a future tutorial.
A semiquaver lasts for half as long as a quaver.
Notice the similarity between the way this note is written compared to a quaver - the only difference is the additional line at the end of the staff of the note.
This example is also written in 2/4 time. By now you should hopefully be able to see how we need a total of 8 1/16 notes to fill a bar of 2/4).
It is possible to divide a semiquaver down even further. A Demi-Semiquaver lasts for half as long as a semiquaver. The notation for writing these is similar to as for a semiquaver, but with a third mark on the vertical staff of the note.
Further subdivisions are possible, but uncommon. For example, something such as a 1/64 note is likely to occur in a passage of very short notes within a piece of music at a relatively slow tempo.
Hopefully this should have given you a basic understanding of the types of notes used in music, and how they relate to the time signature that a piece of music is written in. Take the time to make sure that you understand these concepts, as they are important foundations that can be built on. Also keep an eye open for further tutorials on the website which will cover the rhythm side of music in more detail.
How useful did you find this tutorial? | <urn:uuid:a113f6a8-aec8-4d60-bc11-0a04fbc56432> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://www.cyberflotsam.com/Music_NoteValues1.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257832475.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071032-00156-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958927 | 739 | 3.609375 | 4 |
China's rural population may drop from 720 million to 400 million in 30 years, said Han Jun, a senior official at the State Council Development Research Center, the Beijing Times reported today.
"More of the rural population wants to stay in town and pursue a better life. It will bring an explosive increase in China's urban population," Han said.
China's urban population has increased by 400 million in the past 30 years to reach 600 million. Of that population, 27 percent live in cities but are not permanent residents, according to Han.
"Every one in four resident in cities is actually a member of the rural population. It's rather predictable that the rural population transfer to urban areas will happen in the future," Han said. | <urn:uuid:da572da0-170b-4112-97b4-121abc96eb4e> | CC-MAIN-2015-06 | http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2010-02/24/content_9495820.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-06/segments/1422115861872.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20150124161101-00141-ip-10-180-212-252.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959049 | 148 | 2.546875 | 3 |
You came to the US from India... And you want to have those tropical
plants reminding you of your home country... Or you are just a plant
collector who wants to have these beauties but unable to relocate to
a warmer climate... Is there any way to make your dreams come true?
For rare plants, the general rule is the same as for any rare stuff.
If you collect rare paintings, then you have to provide a proper microclimate,
if you collect rare cars, then you have to buy polishing not in Pepboys,
but in other places where is costs much more. Rare tropical plants also
require some extra care if grown out of their natural habitat. But it
is possible to make them happy in many non-tropical areas if the conditions
Potting culture is one solution. Important factor is whether the particular
plant can be grown in a pot. For potting culture, we will write a special
article. Below are some important tips about growing temperature-tender
plants in the ground in Florida, California and other areas with a mild
Fertilization (especially with Nitrogen) encourages rapid tender
growth that will be killed by cold and this will stress the whole plant.
- First of all, you don't want to try growing it in ground in Michigan.
No way. One customer from Minnesota sent us a claim in spring complaining
that her Orchid tree (Bauhinia)
didn't recover after winter in spite of that she mulched it really
well for winter! She wanted a replacement. No need to explain: tropical
plants won't grow in zone 8 and colder...
- Very common question: can I grow this plant in my area? (of California,
Florida - warm states). The answer is - depending on particular micro-climate.
Some tropical plants survive in North Florida, others can't make it
in Miami. Sometimes it's same species!
- Factors affecting tropical plant survival:
- a) Number ONE: duration of cold period. Compare it with yourself
jumping naked in a snow hill for a second. Shocking but no big
deal. Then imagine yourself sitting on a cold rock for the whole
day in wind-chill. You catch pneumonia and may die. Tropical plants
can't stand long periods of cold. Few days (or just nights) of
cold (about 30-35F) in a row may kill a tropical plant. Few hours
of frost may cause just a leaf drop but the plant will recover.
- b) Minimum temperature - this comes second. Of course, the warmer
the better. But see a) - if it's not long, it's OK.
- c) Exposure. Southern slopes get warm during daytime and stay
- d) Wind-chill can be more dangerous than low temperature
- e) Protection with a house, fence, other larger trees - where
a "pocket" of warm air forms and stays - is beneficial.
- f) Humidity. A lake or river nearby (especially ocean) will
mild the micro-climate.
- g) Particular plant hardiness - some individual plants get adjusted:
they manage to get established before cold catch them. Well-established
plant with developed deep root system has more chances to survive
cold. Do your best to help the plant to get maximum established
during warm season (fertilizing, micro-elements spray, growth
hormone). Large specimens, even ultra-tropical, may survive cooler
winter than they normally have in their natural habitat. The Nature
provided plants with wider hardiness range than it is normally
- h) Healthy plant can withstand lower temperature, so proper
nutrition is important
- i) Gradual temperature drop is less dangerous since it gives
a plant a chance to adjust.
- one sudden freeze by Christmas with prior warm fall is dangerous
- when it starts get cold early in fall, plants stop growing process
(below 65F tropical plants stop any growth process), so the new
tender growth won't get hurt later in winter, the plants were
"expecting" the stress.
- j) Do not fertilize plant during cool months. Not only because
they don't need much food when it's not a growing season, but
also because fertilization (especially with Nitrogen) encourages
rapid tender growth that will be killed by cold and this will
stress the whole plant.
- What to do then? It's cold like hell in winter here!
You don't have to have a fancy greenhouse all year round. Specifically
for Central Florida (zone 9):
We just introduced a new generation natural plant hormone manufactured
SUNSHINE. This environment friendly chemical improves plants
hardiness greatly! Experiments are being done, very successful! Not available anywhere else in the US except
our store. Some
sensitive species did survive last winter after this treatment! We
hope our introduction will help exotic plant lovers.
- Remember that here in South Florida we also have cool winter
nights, although fewer than in Orlando area. So we also have to
protect tender plants from cold. The difference is - we keep them
warm for 2 weeks, and in Central Florida you should probably do
the same for a months or so. We both have to carry the
pots back and forth anyway!
- Static protection: during especially cold nights, leave your sprinklers
running (good thing you're using a canal water rather than city
water, electric bill for your pump is less than a water bill!).
Underground water stays about 60-65F and will warm up the air around.
- Dynamic protection: yep, pick up a pot and move it inside. For
a night or for the whole week. Your house will need extra mopping,
but c'est la vie. One our customer in NY moves his tropical plant
collection in his bedroom for winter and sleeps himself on a couch
in living room. Will you do the same for your lovely pet Cat if
- Covering with plastic will help. Make sure remove at in the morning
sun so plants won't get cooked! White sheet is better than a plastic.
- Temperature pushing: yes, you can place a heater under a tree
overnight! (We did it with our young Jackfruit tree until it got
established and now survives colder winters!). If it's a smaller
plant, cover with plastic (with rod(s) inside, don't let cold plastic
touch the plant!) or white sheet. You may place a candle inside
overnight (please no fire!).
- Greenhouse doesn't have to be expensive. A simply-assembled mobile
carport from Home Depot covered with plastic or white fabric will
cost you $100-200. You can fit a hundred plants or more! It's worth
a headache for a month so you can show off with your exotics during
the rest of the year.
- Don't give up even in Minnesota. Southern exposure windowsill
will work for most of the compact tropicals if you provide a right
care (correct watering, fertilizing and humidity). It's more fun
with blooming plants that reward you with beauty and fragrance than
with popular houseplants like hoya or philodendron.
Remember that some plants will prefer to stay in a pot anyway. Why?
For example, in Florida we have extremely alkaline soil. Most of tropical
plants don't like it, they prefer acid soil. You can provide it only
in a pot, with a good potting mix, rich of
organic matter (peat moss, coconut
fiber) and well-drained (add perlite). We have all this stuff in
store. Keep tender plants in pots. Fancy pots made of clay will
provide good aeration for roots and won't overheat them like black nursery
pots (at least choose a terracotta or other light color if you get a
Rare plants are nice additions to your patio and pool area where you
have social gatherings and can share your rarities with your friends.
BTW, screened enclosure will block chilly winds.
Picture on the right: these tropical plants are protected
from winds between a house wall and a fence | <urn:uuid:427312d4-d12f-4c65-bfdf-14df32c45811> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://toptropicals.com/html/toptropicals/articles/cultivation/zone_pushing.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335190.45/warc/CC-MAIN-20220928082743-20220928112743-00792.warc.gz | en | 0.90928 | 1,761 | 2.796875 | 3 |
Jean Mayer, a renowned nutritionist who championed the expansion of the federal school-lunch and food-stamp programs, died after a heart attack Jan. 1. He was 72.
While serving as a consultant to the 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health, Mr. Mayer argued that human achievement is linked directly to nutrition. The conference recommended that every needy child be provided a free lunch at school each day, leading the Nixon Administration to pledge increased support for the school-lunch program.
The conference also proposed a huge increase in funding for the food-stamp program.
At the time of his death, Mr. Mayer, a former president of Tufts University, was the university's chancellor.
Ricky Ray, the eldest of three brothers with AIDS who successfully fought for the right to attend school in their Florida district, died Dec. 13 at his home in Orlando. He was 15.
Ricky and his brothers, Robert, 14, and Randy, 13, apparently were infected with the AIDS virus during blood transfusions to treat their hemophilia before the nation's blood supply was monitored for the human immunodeficiency virus. In 1986, the DeSoto County school board barred them from attending Memorial Elementary School after learning they were H.I.V.-positive.
The Ray family filed suit and won the right to send the boys to school and received $1.1 million in damages. A separate suit against the pharmaceutical companies responsible for the H.I.V.-tainted medication was settled for $1 million.
Following the verdict against the district, parents marched in protest and withdrew their children from the school. The family also received death threats until their house was firebombed in 1987, and they moved to Sarasota.
Ricky Ray was diagnosed with AIDS in March 1991, more than a year after Robert's diagnosis. Randy, though infected with the virus, has yet to develop symptoms. | <urn:uuid:e24795e9-dfd6-487c-99ca-056a36022214> | CC-MAIN-2017-26 | http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/1993/10/13/16miles.h12.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-26/segments/1498128322870.59/warc/CC-MAIN-20170628050821-20170628070821-00140.warc.gz | en | 0.984796 | 397 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The computer is one of the most brilliant innovations of science. Today people rely on computer to do routine activities. Most offices, shops, factories and industries use computers. Speed, accuracy, reliability, and integrity all these character directly portrays the most intelligent innovation that is computer
Computers have made the world a global village. The internet is yet another gift in the world of information and technology. Computer is the backbone of information technology whose major technology lies in internet. Computers have been dominating technology since 1970s, and have now entered almost all walks of life.
There are various resons why computer has become inseparatble part of our life
Education – Computers have a great contribution in the education field. The internet enabled computers do not only provide important knowledge and information on every subject, but they also connect students across the world. Moreover, the concept of smart classes, ebooks, multimedia learning, etc., has become possible only because of computers.
Internet – With the help of internet on computers we stay connected with our near and dear ones .it also helps in acquiring information and knowledge. We can watch movies, videos, news, go for online shopping etc., on computers with internet.Help us generate money as there are many jobs and businesses that can be done online.
Calculation: it store and process data at office, they are also useful at home for many domestic tasks. For instance, they help us calculate the household budget by storing every day/monthly essential data.
Help Businesses to grow –there are various online methods like email campaign, social media marketing, etc., that help businesses to promote and grow.
Entertainment – Computers are great sources for entertainment. We get to listen to music, watch movies and videos and chat with our friends with the help of computers.
Now a days government has come forward and put special emphasis on computer education . Supreme court is the first to provide e filing of case . but there are some demrits too that because of the growing cyber crime , prograpic material . but however all its flaws gets covers with its merits and proves that it is one of the greatest invention that brings togrther the people and turens the world into global village. | <urn:uuid:8616fc7c-39e9-4b82-ac21-15c6df1209e6> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | http://www.lekhmart.com/one-click-changes-the-world/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400197946.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20200920094130-20200920124130-00407.warc.gz | en | 0.948805 | 451 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Along with The Bombing of Germany, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE has produced several films on World War II. While we did not create a Teacher’s Guide specific to this film, we are confident you will find adequate resources in the Teacher’s Guides of the following related films:
The story of a Russian immigrant and anarchist who is said to have inspired the assassination of President William McKinley.
Legendary bank robber John Dillinger garnered the admiration of many struggling Americans, but FBI took him down with a message: crime doesn't pay.
A biography of the 41st U.S. president, from his service in WWII to his days in the Oval Office. Part of the award-winning Presidents Collection.
Lyndon Johnson pushed progressive programs before the Vietnam War eroded his support. Part of the award-winning Presidents Collection.
American comandante William Morgan went to Cuba to help Fidel Castro return the country to a democracy. Instead, four years later, he was executed.
Ten years after American troops arrived in South Vietnam, communists seized Saigon in an attack that brought the war to a startling conclusion.
Franklin Roosevelt restored hope after the Great Depression and led the nation during World War II. Part of the award-winning Presidents collection.
General Douglas MacArthur led American troops in World Wars I and II before being fired by President Harry Truman during the Korean War. | <urn:uuid:fc387ea5-a795-45dc-a490-4c8959e810b3> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/teachers-resources/bombing-teacher-resource/?flavour=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988720468.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183840-00256-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959146 | 282 | 3.265625 | 3 |
Children study aspects of English every day. It is split into 3 main areas:
Speaking & Listening
If children speak well, with confidence, in a range of situations they will develop strong reading and writing skills. Speaking and listening skills develop from the moment children are born through human interaction. We therefore ensure that children can develop and hone these skills at every opportunity, every day.
If children can read fluently they can develop as independent learners. Hearing children read is important but it is only a small part of the picture. Through guided reading activities, children are taught how to make sense of what they are reading so that reading becomes a skill they can use to support all of their learning, in all subjects.
Children will be able to write well if their speaking & listening and reading skills are fluent. Our cross curricular approach ensures that children are provided with a wealth of writing opportunities – not just during English lessons. Children are taught how to write with an audience in mind, how to use a rich vocabulary to convey thoughts and ideas and how, through using accurate spelling and punctuation, the reader is able to receive the full meaning intended. | <urn:uuid:a5316741-d4eb-4c33-8760-090f4e7e0f06> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://www.putteridgeprimaryschool.co.uk/page/?title=English&pid=93 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590348492427.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20200605014501-20200605044501-00031.warc.gz | en | 0.968568 | 231 | 3.96875 | 4 |
Since the April explosion of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, the ocean and its relationship to human health have gushed into popular consciousness. Certainly, that heightened awareness is a silver lining (or is it an oily sheen?) on a social and ecological disaster that deepens by the day.
But as Stanford marine biologist Stephen Palumbi, PhD, points out in this TED talk - which, for lack of mention, was presumably filmed before oil started flowing in the Gulf - the human impact on ocean health extends far beyond the occasional catastrophe.
Our everyday consumption and usage habits (agriculture being a notable culprit) overload the ocean with heavy metals, dioxin and PCBs, which biomagnify as they move up through the food chain. A few results? Dolphin meat, pedaled as whale meat in Japan, with 200 to 400 times the toxic load allowed by the EPA; Inuit mothers whose diet of seal and whale meat has rendered their breast milk unfit for infants; bacterial and viral blooms that cause infections and disease outbreaks; and beach closings.
As Palumbi puts it, "If the ocean ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." | <urn:uuid:1ce161b1-dd35-4e01-883d-ed7deb81bcae> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2010/07/06/human_ocean_health/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710972.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20221204104311-20221204134311-00003.warc.gz | en | 0.961489 | 237 | 2.671875 | 3 |
What is mold?
Molds are a subset of fungi that produce fluffy or powdery growth on surfaces. Molds are ubiquitous, the most common form of fungus on earth, and may grow at high levels indoors, in a home or building, if the right environmental conditions exist. Toxic molds need moisture and the right nutrients to grow and are most commonly found in areas of high humidity, water/pipe leaks, flooding, damp basements or crawl spaces, many kinds of house plants, cracked or peeling paint, bathroom tiles, blocked gutters and more. Excessive exposure to molds can lead to adverse health issues for humans, ranging from allergic responses to irritation associated with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to neurological damage and more depending on the sensitivity of the individual. There are many routes of exposure to molds including dermal contact, ingestion, and inhalation. In addition, molds gradually break down and destroy the matter they grow on.
How can GCE help you?
GCE provides services from a visual survey and initial sampling of suspect Molds to planning and abatement, with licensed professionals to your every mold related need. | <urn:uuid:dcff68ac-9498-4599-9266-664a81ae9a5e> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | http://gcenvironmental.com/services/environmental-assessments/mold-testing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376829429.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20181218143757-20181218165757-00159.warc.gz | en | 0.940621 | 235 | 3.5 | 4 |
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
One of the more obvious things the law does is show us our sin. When Jesus quotes Deut 6 which tells us to love God with all our heart, we are reminded that we have not done this. The law calls us to confess our sins.
But it important to know how we have sinned, so we can pursue godliness. And this is another purpose of the law: it shows us what God is after; what He wants from us now, and for the rest of our lives, after we confess our sins. The rabbis in Jesus' time challenged each other to summarize the whole law while standing on one foot. In other words, keep it simple, succinct and yet cover the whole law. Jesus meets their challenge right here. God made us to love Him and others. That's what life is about. That's God's will for you.
The law shows us our sin. It shows us how to live. and it shows us our need for a savior. The same one who summarizes the law here, kept the whole law, and bled and died for your breaking of the law. Let us confess to Him. | <urn:uuid:37af4491-4375-462f-a4da-c98062b23efe> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | http://hemmeke.blogspot.com/2011/02/jesus-lays-down-law.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676594675.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20180722233159-20180723013159-00274.warc.gz | en | 0.956692 | 326 | 2.625 | 3 |
Towards the end of the eleventh century there was an increasing desire in many monks to return to the life of the hermit. There was also a desire to emulate the apostles by owning nothing and sharing everything. This was known as the apostolic life. Religious fervour swept through parts of Europe in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and more and more people came to live together in religious communities. They were usually lay people, rather than ordained monks. Frequently their beliefs tended towards the heretical – the Cathars and the Albigensians for example. All their beliefs were based on interpretations of the apostolic life and a desire to embrace poverty as Christ had done.
Founded by St Francis in 1209, the Franciscans were the Grey Friars or Friars Minor. ‘Friar’ is a corruption of the Norman French ‘frere’ which in turn came from the Latin ‘frater’ or ‘brother’. The Franciscans were the least intellectual of the mendicant orders, which may explain why they seemed to be rather prone to heresy. They took a vow of poverty and preached with great emotion about the sufferings of Christ.
Francis wanted to return to the simplicity of the early church. He embraced poverty and aspired to preach in the streets as the apostles had. He lived in caves, begging for food and wearing cast-off clothes.
Francis’ aim was to reform the church from within by example. He did not criticise the church, although its faults were very clear to him. His early followers were members of the aristocracy and the merchant class, who had wealth to give up. The call to poverty did not appeal to those who already had next to nothing.
The Franciscans realised that, if they were to evangelise, which was an important element of their interpretation of the apostolic life, they could not live in monasteries, but would have to be in the world. They had houses, between which individuals moved in small groups as directed by their superiors, but the friars did not have permanent homes.
As people living in towns began more frequently to receive an education and there was greater access to books, occasionally even a New Testament in their own language, they began to realise that their parish priests were not well-educated and knew little more than they did themselves, sometimes less. They became critical of their priests and open to the various heresies that arose when people were able to study the New Testament for themselves. By the time the Franciscans started travelling from town to town, town dwellers were used to seeing laymen preach the gospel. The only difficulty was telling the difference between a preacher approved by the church and a heretic.
The Franciscans first arrived in England in 1224, when they established themselves in Canterbury, London and Oxford.
There were constant arguments in the order about whether or not they should become university-trained theologians, or whether they should have servants, or whether they should own property. Within twenty-five years of Francis’ death the minority who insisted on simplicity and poverty became known as the ‘Spirituals’; their opponents were the ‘Conventuals’. At the end of the thirteenth century the Spirituals were accused of heresy and their leaders were burned to death. They had developed extreme views, believing that St Francis had replaced Jesus. They did not accept the authority of the pope.
Early Franciscans had been lay men and this was a great problem for the medieval church, as they could neither hear confessions nor dispense the sacraments. Not long after Francis’ death control of the order passed from lay brothers to ordained brothers, which made the order more acceptable to the rest of the church.
The Franciscans eventually moved into the universities and the intellectual world of the later Middle Ages was dominated by Franciscans like Alexander of Hales (1185 – 1245), Bonaventure (1221 – 1274), Duns Scotus (c. 1266- 1308) and William of Occam (1285-1349).
The Dominicans were the Black Friars who gave their name to the area of London between the Thames and St Paul’s. They were founded in 1215 by St Dominic. Their full name was the Order of Friars Preachers, which indicates their rôle. They were mendicants who went from place to place preaching against heresy. They were used to combat the heresies that were rife in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, particularly in southern France. By the middle of the thirteenth century most of the members of the recently formed Inquisition were Dominicans. They encouraged leaning and rational theological debate, as they believed this was the most effective way to combat heresy.
The Dominicans were an ordained order from their inception. They were well-educated and dedicated to preaching. Dominic had been involved in preaching against the Cathar heresy in Languedoc. Very quickly they decided to focus their activity around the universities, initially in Paris and Bologna. When they came to England in 1221 they went to Oxford.
The rule they followed was Augustine’s. This was based on an annotated version of St Augustine of Hippo’s letter number 211, which he wrote for his sister when she entered a religious community. It contained instructions for liturgical prayer, poverty, reading and silence. In this rule study was more important than manual labour.
The Dominicans were the first compilers of Biblical concordances, as they were an aid to preaching. They also collected anecdotes from the lives of the saints as examples for their sermons. By the thirteenth century few parish priests were capable of preaching a sermon, and the situation worsened after the Black Death. The friars stepped into the gap.
A friar had to study for three years before he was permitted to preach. There was a teacher of theology in each house, as well as special schools for friars who were going to teach. From these a few would go on to teach at the universities. Some of the greatest minds of the thirteenth century were Dominicans – Thomas Aquinas (1225 – 1274), Albertus Magnus (d. 1280) and Robert Kilwardby (1215 – 1279).
The Order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was founded at Mount Carmel in the early thirteenth century. It was approved by the pope in 1226. These were the White Friars. The order’s early members were hermits in the deserts of the Holy Land. The first Carmelite house in England was founded in Aylesford after 1240 when many monks left the East after the failure of the Crusades. The twelfth century Pilgrim’s Hall at Aylesford is pictured above. Aylesford was on the pilgrim route from London to Canterbury and pilgrims were offered hospitality there. The monks were removed from Aylesford in the Dissolution of the Monasteries, but returned in 1949, and this photograph shows the modern open air shrine area.
The Carmelites were the most contemplative of the mendicant orders. From the middle of the thirteenth century the emphasis of the order changed to the Franciscan model of mendicant preachers.
The Fourteenth Century
Most parish priests were not well-educated and their parishioners flocked to hear the friars preach, particularly the Dominicans. The friars gave the laity a way of living the Christian life whilst living in the world. Ordinary people saw that they did not have to become monks or priests in order to follow Christ fully.
It was easy for people in general to identify with the poverty of the friars, since that was their own lot in life. Monks in wealthy monasteries seemed very remote from their lives and increasingly irrelevant.
By the mid thirteenth century there were many mendicant orders as well as splinter groups, and the Second Council of Lyons abolished the smaller orders in 1274. Only orders created before 1215 were allowed to continue, save where they had received papal authority. This meant that only the Franciscans, the Dominicans, the Carmelites and the Austin Friars survived into the fourteenth century. | <urn:uuid:ddd8d3d3-25e4-4019-828a-ddc40454afd3> | CC-MAIN-2021-49 | https://aprilmunday.wordpress.com/tag/franciscans/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-49/segments/1637964363006.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20211204185021-20211204215021-00530.warc.gz | en | 0.988162 | 1,733 | 3.625 | 4 |
Role of perspective in motion sickness induced by navigating a virtual environment
Some individuals report experiencing motion sickness when navigating virtual environments. While field-of-view may mediate this effect (Bos et al., 2010), perspective may be another relevant factor. With respect to imagery, first-person perspective has been associated with a greater degree of embodiment than a third-person perspective (Madan & Singhal, 2012; Moran et al., 2015). Participants often navigate a virtual environment from a first-person perspective (e.g., building the environment in a first-person shooter, such as Half-Life 2; Legge et al., 2012). Would these individuals still experience motion sickness if a third-person perspective was used?
Third-person perspective is not without its flaws. By having a visible avatar (e.g., from an over-the-shoulder camera), rather than viewing the environment from the avatar's eyes, there is less immersion-- navigating a virtual environment from this perspective is less similar to how one navigates in the real world. Nonetheless, many games that are presented from the first-person perspective switch to a third-person view during certain activities, e.g., driving. Third-person virtual navigation is also more artificial as it unnaturally allows the player to see around corners and other obstacles, though some games use a third-person perspective precisely for this purpose (e.g., Gears of War). Interestingly, a handful of games allow the player to actively switch perspectives (e.g., Fallout 3, Skyrim, The Talos Principle). Investigating if a third-person perspective can attenuate this induced motion sickness would further our understanding of the role of embodiment in virtual navigation. | <urn:uuid:acebe884-de5d-43d2-ac7a-ee0c2cc3617e> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | http://beta.briefideas.org/ideas/84085144a3d792ae526a501e1a899329 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912202450.64/warc/CC-MAIN-20190320170159-20190320192029-00040.warc.gz | en | 0.91513 | 345 | 2.859375 | 3 |
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder; recent estimates suggest that it affects about 9.6% of adults in Asia.1 In Singapore, the number of individuals with symptoms typical of irritable bowel syndrome has risen considerably; a recently published study estimated that 20.9% of adults in the country suffer from IBS.2 The most common symptoms are diarrhoea, constipation, bloating, abdominal pain and other complaints related to bowel movements and the GI tract.*
While the exact causes of this condition are not well understood, diet, stress and the bacteria living in the gut are potential factors that trigger IBS symptoms. Even internal factors such as how the brain and gut communicate, genetics and the level of certain hormones and other chemicals might be involved in IBS. Because both internal and external factors influence IBS, lifestyle and nutrition habits can affect the condition.
So while certain foods or diets can make IBS worse, specific foods may improve this condition. Discomfort can be reduced by keeping track and avoiding foods, or amounts of foods, that trigger IBS symptoms, as well as by consuming adequate dietary fibre.3 Medications may also be helpful, and new research on the benefits of probiotics shows that these may be effective in helping people with IBS as well.4 GI health is a primary area of focus at Nestlé Health Science, and we are committed to finding and providing nutritional therapies to patients suffering from GI conditions such as IBS.
- Sperber AD, Dumitrascu D, Fukudo S, et al. The global prevalence of IBS in adults remains elusive due to the heterogeneity of studies: a Rome Foundation working team literature review. Gut. 2016 Jan 27. [Epub ahead of print]
- Siah KT, Wong RK, Chan YH, Ho KY, G. K. Prevalence of IBS in Singapore and its Association with Dietary, Lifestyle and Environmental Factors. J Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2016 March 8. [Epub ahead of print]
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Eating, Diet, and Nutrition for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Available at: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/irritable-bowel-syndrome/pages/overview.aspx. Accessed: 10 March 2016.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Available at: http://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-topics/digestive-diseases/irritable-bowel-syndrome/pages/treatment.aspx. Accessed: 10 March 2016.
*Listed symptoms are not all-inclusive; actual patient symptoms may vary. | <urn:uuid:81a7db52-c446-4cd9-9589-2f873334774a> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://www.nestlehealthscience.sg/health-management/gastro-intestinal/ibs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039743732.41/warc/CC-MAIN-20181117185331-20181117211331-00319.warc.gz | en | 0.901795 | 597 | 2.75 | 3 |
Increasingly, modern historians have come to regard that bleak November “armistice” as a mere truce in a long, terrible conflict that almost sent civilization into total eclipse and that did not really terminate until the peaceful and democratic reunification of Germany after November 1989. Even that might be an optimistic reading: the post-1918 frontiers of the former Ottoman Empire (one of the four great thrones that did not outlast the “First” World War) are still a suppurating source of violence and embitterment.
That is to say: today’s War on Terror has some of its roots in the guns of August, 1914. Even Hitchens, a youthful Marxist turned Iraq War supporter, can see that the pacifists had it right in the Great War. The debut of American mass interventionism there, in 1917, only made things worse:
If General Pershing’s fresh and plucky troops had not reached the scene in the closing stages of the bloodbath, universal exhaustion would almost certainly have compelled an earlier armistice, on less savage terms. Without President Wilson’s intervention, the incensed and traumatized French would never have been able to impose terms of humiliation on Germany; the very terms that Hitler was to reverse, by such relentless means, a matter of two decades later. In this light, the great American socialist Eugene V. Debs, who publicly opposed the war and was kept in prison by a vindictive Wilson until long after its ending, looks like a prescient hero. Indeed, so do many of the antiwar militants to whose often-buried record Hochschild has done honor.
All indications suggest that Hochschild’s book is not to be missed.
Seventy-five years after Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the anti-nuclear movement is taking big steps toward abolition.
“Prison By Any Other Name” authors Maya Schenwar and Victoria Law caution against quick-fix solutions and spotlight grassroots abolitionist movement building.
As the 19th Amendment turns 100 amid a summer of mass protest, it’s important to remember the decisive role nonviolent direct action played in hastening its ratification. | <urn:uuid:8d7c04b5-9449-4ce4-8cfe-94eee5e7548e> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://wagingnonviolence.org/2011/05/the-war-that-never-ended/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439737289.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20200808051116-20200808081116-00004.warc.gz | en | 0.96194 | 452 | 2.53125 | 3 |
In Ancient Egypt, the Egyptian Vulture was considered a sacred bird.
We are pleased to report that the notorious power line from Port Sudan to the Red Sea coast, which is estimated to have electrocuted hundreds and perhaps thousands of Endangered Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus since its construction in the 1950s, has been switched off.
This decisive action by the Sudanese government and power company officials follows years of work by BSPB (BirdLife in Bulgaria), and BirdLife’s UNDP/GEF Migratory Soaring Birds (MSB) project and its local NGO partner, the Sudanese Wildlife Society (SWS).
The decision to decommission and replace the “killer line” followed a MSB-funded presentation to senior government and power company representatives by SWS President Professor Ibrahim Hashim, in March 2013. By September, work had begun on a new, fully-insulated distribution line running parallel to the existing line.
News that the power line had been turned off came during a visit to the Sudanese Transmission Electricity Co. Ltd by a team from the MSB Project, to introduce the MSB project’s guidance on birds and power lines alone the Rift Valley/Red Sea Flyway.
This was the previous post on August 26th 2013.
“Sudan Government starts insulating the most dangerous power line in Port Sudan”, communicated in person Sudanese Wildlife Society (SWS) President Ibrahim Hashim. He participated in the training workshop in Eastern Rhodopes from 29th July until 3rd August. Sudan Government will insulate a power line in Port Sudan, which is considered one of the most dangerous for the birds. Its length is 30 km.
Back in the distant 1982-1983 the German ornithologist Gerhard Nikolaus (author of Birds of South Sudan) came upon about 55 dead Egyptian Vultures below this power line and during the next visit 21 years later - upon another 5. Cases of about 80 died of electrocution Egyptian vultures were encountered over the years until now. Those cases are for sure rather the tip of the iceberg and, considering the fact that the power line was built back in the 50s, most probably it caused the death of several hundreds, or even more than a thousand Egyptian Vultures. In the past Port Sudan area was the most important place in the country for rest and feeding of the species during the exhausting autumn migration.
Well-known fact is that the Egyptian Vultures often tend to spend the night on electric poles during migration and wintering. The power line, causing the death of so many vultures of the globally endangered species, is located near large attractive for the birds farms, spread over an area of several square kilometers. Moreover, by 2009 it had been the only power line, going far beyond the city limits and thus offering an attractive roosting site for birds. The power line supplies electricity and ensures operation of pumps in the catchment area, which supply water to the nearly 500,000 citizens of the seaport. It is possible that the decades of negative impact of the dangerous power line in the key for the species resting spot are the reason why the Egyptian Vulture population has almost completely vanished. The population traditionally migrates along the western shores of the Red Sea and nests in Eastern Europe and Asia. A joint expedition of BSPB and SWS in 2010 along the dangerous power line route leads to the beginning of the actions on solving the problem with bird mortality caused by the power line in Port Sudan. This expedition confirms the pointed out by Nikolaus evidences of risk, when 17 dead Egyptian Vultures are found below the power line. Not only the Egyptian Vultures are victims of the power line, but also many other species of birds. On one hand the power line is dangerous for the birds by causing electrocution, on the other - because of the chance of collision with the wires. Among the identified by now victims of the power line are not only Egyptian Vultures, but also Lappet-faced Vultures, Steppe Eagles, and during the expedition was registered for the first time for Sudan a Bonelli’s Eagle - dead under the dangerous poles. A risk assessment was done and the results are published in a specialized scientific journal (Angelov et al. 2013, BCI, 23(1): 1-6).
Note: Ivalo Angelov received a conservation award from the African Bird Club in 2010 to investigate the decline of the Egyptian Vultures in Sudan.
Thanks to it and due to an initiative of SWS, the local authorities are starting securing the line, and we hope this key negative factor for the local as well as wintering in Sudan Egyptian vultures will soon be removed. | <urn:uuid:13fd4ae8-756c-431d-916b-a98f925bf4b6> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | http://www.africanbirdclub.org/news/sudan-killer-line-disconnected | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794866276.61/warc/CC-MAIN-20180524112244-20180524132244-00302.warc.gz | en | 0.957596 | 984 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Video: Testimony of Survivor Zvi Kratz
The following video is part of a testimony by Holocaust survivor Zvi Kratz, who was one of the torch lighters in the 2004 central Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) ceremony.
Zvi Kratz was born in 1924 in Chust, Czechoslovakia, into a religious family of six. Following the Nazi invasion in March 1939, all Jewish children were expelled from school, and Zvi worked to help support his family.
Zvi was transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in June of that year. After a three-hour wait in the cattle cars while Jews from the previous transport were being exterminated, Zvi and his father Avraham were separated from his mother and three brothers, who were sent straight to the gas chambers. The next day, Zvi persuaded his father to sign up for work with him. They remained in Auschwitz for a few more days where Zvi found Pnina, his sweetheart. They pledged to meet after the war.
Zvi and his father were sent to work in a labor camp inside the destroyed Warsaw ghetto, tearing down the ruins to reclaim the building materials. In the summer of 1944, after the Polish uprising, the prisoners were evacuated to Dachau — an exhausting 13-day journey in which many prisoners died. Zvi and his father were placed in Kaufering 7 — a secondary camp of Dachau — where the prisoners lived in dugouts and performed hard labor. Two months later, typhus swept through the camp, killing more than half the prisoners. Zvi's father who died in his arms in February 1945, two months before liberation. Zvi also fell ill, but a week later all the prisoners, including the sick, were forced on a three-day march to Allach.
Soon afterwards, the Americans arrived and liberated the camp. Zvi was transferred to a hospital near Munich, where he spent a month recuperating. He then returned to Chust, found Pnina and married her. In 1949 they immigrated with their young son to Israel, and settled in Jerusalem, where their daughter was later born. Today Zvi has eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Zvi’s testimony is presented by Yad Vashem. | <urn:uuid:025870b1-5457-4624-9687-d6970177e0ac> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/154912 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416400379404.25/warc/CC-MAIN-20141119123259-00129-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.992152 | 472 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Hockey is a fast-paced, exciting sport that is fun to watch and even more thrilling. Capturing the action and energy of hockey in an illustration starts with creating an authentic-looking hockey field to set the scene. This drawing tutorial will guide you through simple steps to sketch your hockey field backdrop for hockey-themed art. Whether you want to practice foundational drawing skills or visualize an imaginary hockey match, knowing how to draw a hockey rink is an engaging exercise for budding illustrators and hockey fans.
|Draw the field
|Draw the shooting circle
|Draw 25-yard lines
|Draw the half-way lines
|Draw the goalpost
|Draw the penalty shot
What you will need
- Ruler (optional)
How to draw a hockey field
With these few simple items, you’ll be ready to start this fun hockey field drawing tutorial!
Step 1: Draw the field
To start the hockey rink illustration, lightly sketch two long rectangle shapes near the middle of your paper. Make them wide enough to fill most of the width of the page while leaving some space on the sides. Make the rectangles long enough to represent a professional-sized hockey playing field. They should be about twice as long as wide or longer if you have enough vertical room.
Use a ruler to help draw straight lines if needed. The rectangles together will form the main ice surface that makes up most of a hockey field. Draw the shapes lightly if you need to erase and adjust the sizing. Make sure the two rectangles align properly to form one coherent unit. You will build the rest of the hockey field elements on this foundation.
- Sketch two aligned long rectangle shapes for the main field
- Make it wide enough to fill the page, twice as long as wide
- Keep lines straight using a ruler if desired
Step 2: Draw the shooting circle
Sketch a large semi-circle evenly connecting both sides on the short ends of the two field rectangle shapes. The rounded part of the circles should curve back towards the middle of the field. Make them wide enough to overlap the width of the field rectangles fully. These circular spaces at each end of the hockey rink represent the shooting circles – the curved zone right before each goal.
Hockey players attempt to shoot goals from inside this area, so leave enough clear space for players and pucks by making the circles nice and big. Erase and tweak the shapes if needed so the width and curvature look right. Draw over the field lines if the overlap doesn’t align cleanly. Outline the semi-circles clearly since this is an essential detail for a hockey rink.
- Draw semi-circles on field ends for shooting circles
- Make it wide enough to overlap the field width fully
- Outline shapes clearly and erase/redraw if needed
Step 3: Draw 25-yard lines
With the main field sketched out, lightly divide each of the two rectangles into thirds lengthwise by drawing two vertical lines on each one. Make sure the lines extend top to bottom to segment the field properly. Try using a ruler to keep the lines straight. Space the two lines evenly so you end up with three equal sections.
These lines represent the 25-yard lines on a hockey playing field, like a football field. They can assist the referee and players with positioning. The middle section created on each rectangle represents the neutral zone. Don’t make these dividing lines too dark or prominent yet in case adjustments are needed later when adding other details.
- Lightly sketch vertical lines dividing the field in thirds
- Create 25-yard line segments and neutral zone
- Use a ruler to keep lines straight
Step 4: Draw the half-way line
Sketch one more straight vertical line down the center of the two field rectangles to divide the hockey surface further. Line it up evenly with the space between the existing 25-yard lines you already drew. Ensure it extends fully from the top to the bottom of the fields.
This center line divides the ice in half lengthwise, indicating the halfway point between goals. It is used to determine the offside position and faceoff locations. Don’t make this line too bold yet, either, until the rest of the field is mapped out. Erase and adjust if needed to bisect the whole playing area properly.
- Add a vertical center line dividing the entire field in half
- Line up evenly between existing 25-yard lines
- Extend the line entirely from top to bottom
Step 5: Draw the goalpost
At each end of the hockey rink rectangles, lightly sketch two small equidistant rectangle shapes right up against the end line. Position them so they are partly overlapping the field. Make them tall enough to peek over the top and bottom lines of the main rink. These forms will represent the goal structures that hold up the nets.
Goalposts in hockey typically consist of vertical posts topped with a horizontal crossbar. Make sure to draw matching structures for the opposing goals on both ends. Keep the shapes simple and small in scale compared to the playing surface so they don’t distract from the overall rink. Adjust the sizing, angles, or positions so the goalposts appear natural.
- Sketch small, equal rectangle shapes at both field ends for goals
- Overlap rink lines slightly and make them tall enough to extend over the surface
- Keep shapes simple and small-scale compared to the main field
Step 6: Draw the penalty shot
On the offensive half of the rink, right in front of each goalpost structure, sketch a small circle marking the penalty shot location. Align them evenly with the gap between the goalposts. Make the diameter of the circles large enough to fit a hockey puck inside.
These penalty shot target areas should have the tops tangent to the inner edge of the shooting circles you drew behind them. They indicate the positions from which penalty shots on goal are taken. Contrasting the circle shapes against the straight field lines helps them stand out.
- Add small circles in front of goals for penalty shot spots
- Align evenly with the goalpost gap and top edge of the shooting circle
- Make it big enough to enclose a puck
Step 7: Congratulations! Your hockey field Is Ready.
Congratulations! You’ve completed your illustration of a dynamic hockey field. Take a moment to admire your creation—it’s a testament to your creativity and dedication. If you’d like, you can take your drawing to the next level with some additional steps.
Taking the hockey field to the Next Level
We are done sketching; what’s left is coloring and adding a background to take our drawing to the next level.
Adding a Background
Once the main elements of the hockey rink are sketched out, you can start enhancing your drawing by adding some simple background details. For example, lightly sketch a few curved lines around the edges of the central field to represent the outer skating zone that typically surrounds a hockey-playing surface.
Please don’t make the outer area too busy so it competes with the main rink. You could also add vertical lines and shapes in the background for the boards and walls that usually border a hockey arena. Keep any added elements clean, primary, and secondary to the central field since that is the focus.
A few blurry circles or stick-figure sketches of hockey players can also provide a sense of context. Don’t overcrowd the background, or it will detract from the clarity of your central hockey rink drawing. Frame it effectively to emphasize the main subject.
Applying color to your hockey rink drawing helps it look more lively and finished. Keep the shading basic, using 2-3 tones of blue or grey to portray the ice surface realistically. White can indicate glare from arena lighting. Add some color variation, too, so the playing area doesn’t look flat.
Use reds, blacks, and whites like natural hockey fields for elements like goals and markings. Choose colors that stand out clearly against the muted ice shades. Use an ice blue, slate grey, or vanilla for any background expanse, like walls or audience areas. Don’t over-blend colored pencils or the tones will get muddy. Outline essential contours for definition.
Consider adding details to take your essential hockey arena up a notch. Things like textures such as wood grain on the goals or boards, spotlight glare patterns on the ice, logos in the neutral zones, or pennant flags on the walls will make your drawing more realistic. Just don’t go overboard on embellishments.
To add visual dynamics, you can also depict the rink at an exciting angle rather than the standard straight-on view to sketch some imaginary players wearing team uniforms for added narrative context. Use your creativity to develop the introductory scene into a storytelling piece!
As you can see, illustrating a hockey arena is achievable when you break it down gradually. Starting with the field outline and building up the key markings and features, you can systematically construct an accurate rink depiction. This is a good drawing exercise for proportion, scale, and perspective, and it results in a fun picture with lots of room for creativity.
The finishing touches of coloring, shading, and engaging background elements bring your artwork to life. With a bit of practice, you can use these techniques to immerse viewers right into the action and excitement of hockey!
Thanks for reading & feel free to check out more of our articles! | <urn:uuid:3435c8e6-f390-4c6f-9d7f-d68f77b69b43> | CC-MAIN-2024-10 | https://edits101.com/how-to-draw-a-hockey-field/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2024-10/segments/1707947476399.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20240303210414-20240304000414-00400.warc.gz | en | 0.915464 | 1,948 | 3.484375 | 3 |
An E. N. T. specialist and the son of an Italian opera singer, Prof. Dr. Alfred Tomatis developed an interest in the correlation between the sounds we are able to hear and those we are able to produce, either on an instrument or with our own voice. From his observations came three laws:
1 – There is a direct relation between what is perceived and what can be produced. This means that if a performer has lost the full perception of certain aural frequencies, he or she will not be able to create them.
2 – If we give the damaged ear the opportunity to hear correctly, the singer, actor or instrumentalist will regain those lost or compromised frequencies.
3 – Sufficient stimulation of the ear will provide a lasting improvement of the ability to listen to and produce sounds, either on an instrument or with a voice. And one will notice that, with improved perception, the whole body will respond and radiate more energy, with a decrease in posture-related pain, in the neck and back.
Since the development of his practice, thousands of vocalists and instrumentalists around the world have benefited from the achievements of Dr Tomatis, including those with overall ‘natural’ good ears and voices. Singers like Maria Callas, Luciano Pavarotti and Sting, musicians like violinist Yehuda Menuhin, and actors like Gerard Depardieu have all discovered the Tomatis Effect.
Yet, like other humans these instrumentalists and singers may at some stage be confronted with hearing loss. Not just because of ageing, but for instance because of years of rehearsing in small rooms with unsufficient sound dampening. Or they have been performing in halls where acoustics are inadequate and amplifiers damaged their ears.
At the Joya Centre we provide facilities for musicians and performers to go through a full or short course of Listening Training, For instrumentalist it is preferred if they bring their own instrument, although we can organize some string instruments through our contacts here in Nelson. We have worked with singers and performers (in fields like jazz, musical theatre, and improvisation). | <urn:uuid:aa228407-3d07-4f4b-af4e-6798379b473d> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | http://www.joyacentre.co.nz/listening-for-wellness-tomatis/performing-arts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250592394.9/warc/CC-MAIN-20200118081234-20200118105234-00390.warc.gz | en | 0.955462 | 430 | 2.625 | 3 |
This blog post is part of Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, the New America Foundation, and Slate that explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. On Dec. 9, 2013, Future Tense will host an event on patent reform in Washington, D.C. For more information and to RSVP, visit the New America website.
The West’s infatuation with organic foods and natural ingredients can be found in pharmaceutical and agricultural companies, too. Just as they have since our earliest days, researchers today look to the botanic for the cure to what ails us. (Of course, “natural” and “organic” are somewhat fuzzy labels. Just this year, Naked Juices settled a class action suit for $9 million after their “all natural” juices were found to contain cyanocobalamin, Fibersol®-2, and pyridoxine hydrochloride.) Once a new miracle plant has been found, companies can process and profit. According to a 2012 European Union report, 26 percent of all new approved drugs over the last 30 years are either natural products or have been derived from a natural material, and that number is set to grow. Just think about the ascendency of the acai berry.
But the commercialization of genetic resources found in biologically diverse areas like the Amazon and India comes with a cost. In a practice sometimes called bio-piracy, companies use patents to secure lucrative monopolies on plants, genes, and traditional knowledge in developing countries, often without cutting native people in on the profits. And the United States is apparently attempting to make this practice even easier for American companies.
Bio-piracy was a key grievance of the anti-globalization movement of the 1990s and early 2000s. Activists still call it a form of “colonial pillaging,” particularly because accusations of bio-piracy are most frequently levied against European and American companies scouring the developing world for the next big thing.
The Neem case was one such flashpoint. Foreign companies attempted to patent the use of the kernels of the Neem tree as a nonchemical pesticide, despite it having been used by Indian famers for that purpose for decades. Likewise, the British company Phytopharm claimed in the early 2000s to have discovered that Africa’s Hoodia was a miracle diet drug and very profitably sold it to U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. As it turned out, the Kung bushmen of southern Africa traditionally used the cactus as an appetite-suppressant on hunting trips, although Phytopharm neglected to compensate them for their knowledge. Phytopharm’s CEO even (incorrectly) told the Financial Times that fair repayment was impossible as the tribe was extinct.
Equity is not the only thing at stake. If a company is able to patent and popularize the medical use of a particular plant, its harvesting often becomes environmentally unsustainable, which can make it impossible for locals to use the plant for their traditional—often medicinal—purposes.
Though it rarely gets as much attention as other environmental issues, bio-piracy has been the focus of a number of international treaties, resulting in a growing array of protections that allow countries to benefit from and protect their native resources and ancient knowledge. Their rights have even been written into the 2007 U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which now states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop … the manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora.” Yet even as the European Union is exploring an agreement that would force companies to repay locals in the regions they exploit—based on the so-called Nagoya Protocol—the United States is running in the other direction and trying to take everyone along.
The secret Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiation documents recently published by WikiLeaks show that the United States wants to give companies even more legal cover to patent the resources of other countries. The draft language would "make patents available for inventions for the following: plants and animals" and also allow “diagnostic, therapeutic, and surgical methods for the treatment of humans or animals" to be patented. The language is opposed by a number of countries that intend to eventually ratify TPP, including New Zealand, but the language could still make it into the final treaty—and if it does, it could undermine global efforts to provide proper recompense to developing nations for the use of their natural assets.
So the next time you hear about a new miracle plant that promises to make you instantly thin, remember: Not only have many of these natural cures failed to live up to the hype—but they may also be exploiting native populations without fair compensation. | <urn:uuid:1ada8294-7208-4956-a013-d1ab80d2e7cf> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2013/12/06/tpp_trade_agreement_could_make_bio_piracy_problem_worse.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1419447559763.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20141224185919-00054-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957428 | 991 | 2.65625 | 3 |
If chief scientist Alan Finkel gets his way, battery energy storage will be central to Australia's energy future.
|More Australians are investing in battery |
storage for their homes as the
technology gets cheaper
The move to battery technology is a worldwide trend and three state governments — South Australia, Victoria and Queensland — are already going it alone, commissioning their own battery storage to ensure energy security.
Batteries are used to store energy from renewable sources like solar and wind. Dr Finkel recommends all large scale wind and solar generators in Australia should have energy storage capacity.
The batteries will be particularly helpful on days when the sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow.
"It can be used alongside a solar farm to help smooth the output and make any disruptions less likely and much more manageable," said Kobad Bhavnagri, head of Asia Pacific economics and policy at Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Read the ABC News story - “Battery storage: How it could solve our energy problems” | <urn:uuid:1a044fc0-e4b7-4414-a2b8-6f39b5e3466c> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://beneaththewisteria.blogspot.com/2017/06/battery-storage-how-it-could-solve-our.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267867644.88/warc/CC-MAIN-20180625092128-20180625112128-00468.warc.gz | en | 0.940735 | 208 | 3.0625 | 3 |
Number of results: 561
A study of two groups of children since early childhood: One group of 62 attended preschool. A control group of 61 children from the same area and similar backgrounds did not attend preschool. Over 10 year period as adults, 38 of the preschool sample and 49 of the control ...
April 8, 2013 by Jose
For many children,the development of imagination affects the development of which? empathy,intellect,literacy, or parallel play skills Is the right answer empathy?
November 7, 2007 by Anonymous
Infant and toddler
Keeping in mind that productive play is the pathway to learning for preschool-age children,what interesting materials and experiences might promote cognitive and language growth?( Including activities that promote literacy development)
September 17, 2007 by Anna
early childhood literacy
when a teacher hears a preschool student using incorrect language she should 1. model the correct language 2. correct his mistakes 3. ask him to repeat correctly 4. ask him to think about each word as he says it.
June 5, 2012 by reema
teachers aide curriculum comtent
a sense of what it was like to live in a certain time and place is called? (a)historical literacy (b)historical empathy (my answer) (c)ethnic literacy (d)geographic literacy
August 27, 2011 by susue
Preschool teacher needs your help... thx alot?
I am a preschool teacher and my kids are between the ages of 2-4... what art activity could I give them that connects to the letter E....
October 12, 2009 by Marcia
So i need help on figuring out the steps on making media literacy ad. Can anyone give me a sep by step site/etc., on how to make a media literacy ad
September 12, 2013 by rockr.boi.gurl.luvr14
I need to see an written example of a summary report on a child for preschool that covers the seven domain. 1.Personal and social development 2. Language and Literacy 3. Mathematical Thinking. 4. Scientific Thinking. 5. Social Studies. 6. the Arts. 7.Physical development, ...
August 24, 2013 by Karen
Preschool teacher needs to thx
I am a preschool (3 year olds) teacher and my students I focusing on the letter A. DO you have any art and craft ideas that I could do using the letter A?
September 24, 2009 by Marcia
Preschool teacher needs your help... thx
I am a montessori preschool teacher. My class contains 20 students ages 3-4... I want to teach them the importance of taking a bath... What fun activity could I do with the students to encourage this behavior...?
September 17, 2009 by Marcia
1.For motor development,the greatest importance for the developing infant is. A.tummy time b.sitting c.crawling d.walking my answer is crawling 2. At what stage does the ability to use imagination begin to develop? A.infancy b.toddlerhood c.preschool d.early elementary my ...
March 29, 2010 by vanessa
Early Childhood Literacy
Children with many experiences with stories: A-can accurately sound out words. B-tend to know stories have predicitable segments and features C-can read simple words as was or am by late preschool years. D-realize words are separated in sentences and that sentences end in ...
July 4, 2012 by Lori
Preschool teacher needs your help... thx a mill
I am a preschool teacher and my 3 and 4 year olds are struggling with their numbers and colors.... What fun game could I play with them to teach them their numbers and colors?
November 14, 2009 by Marcia
A study has shown that among people without any preschool education, 32% were employed at age 19. If 100 people without preschool education are selected, find the probability that 40 or fewer are employed.
October 28, 2009 by Sonny
Accounting,business studies,economics and maths literacy
What career to follow wth maths literacy
January 22, 2014 by Bongiwe
Hi, I am a new preschool teacher and would like some ideas on what different types of lesson plans or activities to do or teach on the first week of school... I also would like to know if you have any ideas or activities that I could do with my students that would help me ...
September 1, 2009 by Marcia
(a) translate the argument into symbolic form and (b) determine if the argument is valid or invalid. You may compare the argument to a standard form or use a truth table. If I can get my child to preschool by 9:45AM, then I can take the 9:00AM class. If I can take the 9AM ...
March 1, 2014 by Boo
I have trouble writing out the second and third order of literacy for each song Basically I have trouble grasping musical notation. I have an example of how this should be done here: img262.imageshack.us/img262/7977/img020qa3.jpg Could you help me out and post kiddie songs ...
February 18, 2009 by Danny
1. You want to discover your learning style because: you are curious. it lets you know how you learn best. it makes learning easy. you want to know if you are visual or auditory. it is B 2. Online learning is impossible without: information literacy. media literacy. the use of...
August 19, 2013 by anny
I know the higher the literacy rate the higher the GDP and standard of living in a country. I'm having trouble with a study question though on how can a country increase their literacy rate. Thanks.
March 7, 2013 by Brandi
EARLY CHILDHOOD LITERACY
MR. SANCHEZ READ ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY AND WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE TO HIS CLASS DURING THEIR STUDY OF FEELINGS. MR. SANCHEZ IS USING: a. the project approach b. goal statements c. a literacy-based approach d. webbing
July 26, 2008 by Xaxa
Which would have the greatest negative influence on child literacy? single parenting, minority ethnicity, minimal parental education, or low socioeconomic status I am thinking low socioeconomic status, but I am not real positive. Please give help.
September 24, 2007 by Anonymous
Would you please look at these two questions and my answers to make sure they're correct? If they're wrong let me know! 1.Michael said,"That says Ms. Ramsey." Michael cannot really read or sound out"Ms. Ramsey,"but he has seen it often enough that he recognizes it, Michael is...
September 19, 2007 by Anonymous
im in grade 10 and if i do the osslt literacy practice tests. will someone on here mark my writing tasks? i can mark the multiple choice questions on my own but i just need someone to mark the writing stuff
March 21, 2014 by ann
Bill had homework in social studies literacy and mathematics he's spent one fifth of his time on social studies and one third of his time on literacy bill estimated That he spent one 8 of his time on both social studies and literacy homework
February 26, 2014 by Shakiaya
Sara sets up an experiment with a control group and a experimental group to study how reading to preschool children may improve their first-grade reading achievement scores. In her study, the independent variable will be A first-grade reading achievement scores B reading to ...
December 16, 2008 by ourania
Need your help!!!! Plzzzz (literacy)
I was ask by my literacy professor to find a sample unit plan that focuses on animals that live in the water/oceans/seas. The unit should include what the animals eat? How they survive underwater? How they move underwater? (amoung other things) She also wants the sample unit ...
March 23, 2008 by Ashley
According to Gardner A.different in intelligences are not evident until the primary years. B.differences in intelligences are not evident after the preschool years. C.differences in intelligences are evident in the preschool years and they become more observable in the primary...
August 31, 2012 by Sandra
Can someone proof read my essay
It's supposed to be a subjective essay on the artical "Literacy in a Thousand Words" Thanks. The article, “Literacy in a Thousand Words,” written by Beatriz Pont and Patrick Werquin, addresses the issue of the lack of literacy skills of the U.S. population and how it is in ...
January 15, 2012 by Anonymous
Miss Sue please review Literacy question #2, on Aug 23, 2011 @ 6:04pm. I believed I made a mistake, the correct answer is C not B. 2. The Altas of World Religion is an example of which of the following reference sources? A. Historical atlas B. Subject-specific atlas C. General...
August 24, 2011 by Jen
Early child ed. /literacy question
I posted this question yesterday- and some felt that minimal parental education may have the greatest negative influence on child literacy. Whowever, one person seemed to think that low socioeconomic status has the greatest negative influence on child literacy. Which may have ...
September 25, 2007 by Anonymous
literacy tests worked to deny the right to vote to african americans primarily because a. all white voters had higher literacy rates. b. the tests were only required in southern states. c. african americanse were asked questions that were more difficult than those asked of ...
December 23, 2007 by jere
Preschool Question--Pleae Help!
I asked this question a few days ago- and several tutors said there is no one correct answer. There has to be one answer better,because I can only mark one answer. For many children,the development of their imagination affects the development of: A. empathy B. literacy C. ...
November 12, 2007 by Anonymous
What is the success criteria for the following genres, - A newspaper report - A balanced argument - A biased argument - An explanation Thank you for using the Jiskha Homework Help Forum. This is indeed an interesting question. The rubric could depend upon just WHO is judging ...
April 15, 2007 by laura
Media Literacy-Check Answers-
What is an example of bias in media? a.) a website that presents a controversial opinion as though it were fact b.) a television news program that presents both side of particular issue <--- c.) a podcast expressing an author's opinion d.) a blog about the history of the ...
February 20, 2014 by Alexia
Preschool teacher needs your help... thx soo much
Pre-school teacher NEEDS YOUR HELP!!! thanks sooo much? I am a preschool teacher and the theme for this week is "Land/Air/and water".... My kids are 3 and 4.... what lesson ideas or craft ideas do u have in mind for this theme... I wanted to do a fun activity about the water ...
October 31, 2009 by Marcia
Please help. Literacy tests worked to dany the right to vote to African Americans primarily because a.. all white voters had higher literacy rates. b. the tests were only required in Southern States. c, African Americans were asked questions that were more difficult than those...
January 21, 2007 by Pat
Maths literacy,life science,history,geography
I PASSED MATRIC ND I WAS DOING THESE SUBJECTS..I PASSED WITH DIPLOMA.....THIS WAS HOW I WORKED.....#MATHS LITERACY (LEVEL 3) #GEOGRAPHY(LEVEL 3) #HOME LANGUAGE(LEVEL 7) #ENGLISH(LEVEL6) #LO(LEVEL7) #LIFE SCIENCE(LEVEL3)#....I WANT TO KNW WHAT CAN I STUDY AT TUT OR AT COLLEGE.....
January 25, 2014 by Pfunzo
1- -------.one of the ways that white southerners tried to keep blacks from voting.1st way they did this .This rule said that could only vote if your ancenstor voted in 1860.a.k.a. (MISSISSIPPI Plan). 2---------.as white southerners regained control of their governments they ...
April 15, 2013 by joy
AED / ASAP PLEASE
150 words needed for How can English language arts teachers create a literacy-rich environment in their classrooms? How can these teachers overcome obstacles to literacy or resistance on the part of students? 150 needed for this Language arts contains both receptive (listening...
November 3, 2008 by troyer0269
Preschool teacher needs your help.. thx alot
The theme for this week is animal habitats... Do u have any lesson ideas, connected to this theme, that i could do with my 3 and 4 year olds?
November 29, 2009 by Marcia
Emergent literacy skills are enhanced by a.quantity and quality of print and audio-visual resources b. the family socio-economic status and aspirations c.engaging in literacy event with other persons especially adults d. the educational or professional level of one or both ...
March 26, 2013 by ray
Geography (Ms. Sue)
1). Which countries besides Spain sent settlers to South America? A: ? 2). Which countries in South America have the highest literacy rates? A: Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay have the highest literacy rates in South America. 3). What have been some obstacles to democratic ...
September 27, 2013 by Anonymous
childhood and family development
Suppose that a preschool class has twelve students, among whom nine languages are spoken. If you were the teacher of this class, what would be your plan to help the children communicate with you and their classmates?
May 5, 2011 by tasha
Which of the following is not an appropriate technique for the assessment of preschool children? A. Visual documentation through photos or videotaping B. Play-based assessment C. Written standardized tests D. Child interviews
April 11, 2013 by Anonymous
early childhood education
which of the following toys is the safest for preschool children (a)a puzzle containing small pieces (b)a hardwood wagon (c)a doll with a dress of flammable material (d)a game operated by electricity i choose b am i correct
June 22, 2011 by semone | <urn:uuid:7ebad750-485d-4251-8beb-9c59d2984618> | CC-MAIN-2014-23 | http://www.jiskha.com/search/index.cgi?query=preschool%2FLiteracy | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-23/segments/1405997894689.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20140722025814-00027-ip-10-33-131-23.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943799 | 3,034 | 3.484375 | 3 |
The BWI is a pioneering partnership between the South African wine
industry and the conservation sector. The goals are to minimise the
further loss of threatened natural habitat, and to contribute to
sustainable wine production, through the adoption of biodiversity
guidelines by the South African wine industry.
Cape Floral Kingdom
one of 25 hotspots in the world
click on the images above to go to their websites
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity refers to all the genes, species, ecosystems and processes
that allow life to persist over time. When biodiversity is intact,
species and ecosystems are resilient, enabling them to adapt to
environmental changes. When biodiversity is lost, nature responds
unpredictably, making it difficult for growers to plan production and
protect natural resources.
Why a Biodiversity & Wine Initiative?
The Cape Floral Kingdom (CFK) is the smallest yet richest plant kingdom
on earth, and has earned international recognition as a global
biodiversity hotspot and as South Africa's newest World Heritage Site.
However, the CFK is under increasing threat from agriculture, urban
development and invasive alien species, with only 9% of the unique
renosterveld and lowland fynbos ecosystems remaining, and much of the
succulent karoo also under threat. Since 80% of the CFK is privately
owned, landowner participation in conservation efforts is essential.
The most effective method of reaching landowners is through the
agricultural industries that they supply.
South Africa is the world's eighth largest producer of wine,
contributing 3.5% of the global wine production. Because approximately
90% of wine production occurs within the CFK, concern is mounting that
some of the region's most vulnerable natural habitat might be targeted
for vineyard expansion. Following an initial study by the Botanical
Society of South Africa and Conservation International, the wine
industry and the conservation sector have embarked on a pioneering
partnership to conserve the rich biodiversity of the CFK.
The BWI presents a great opportunity to both the wine and conservation
sectors. The wine industry benefits from leveraging the biodiversity of
the CFK as a competitive marketing advantage, and from using the BWI as
a tool to achieve sustainable natural resource management, as
prioritised in the Wine Industry Strategy Plan. The conservation sector
benefits from pioneering biodiversity best practices in the wine
industry, and from conserving the CFK's most threatened habitats for
The BWI aims to:
Prevent further loss of habitat in critical sites
Increase the total area set aside as natural habitat in contractual protected areas
changes in farming practices that enhance the suitability of vineyards
as habitat for biodiversity, and reduce farming practices that have
negative impacts on biodiversity, both in the vineyards and in
surrounding natural habitat
marketing opportunities for the wine industry by positioning the
biodiversity of the CFK, and the industry's proactive stance on
biodiversity, as a unique selling point to differentiate Brand South
The world’s first biodiversity wine route & eco route
Images courtesy of
the Botanical Society of South Africa
The Green Mountain Eco Route, the world’s first biodiversity wine
route, incorporates the area around the Groenland Mountain with the
villages Bot River (Botrivier), Elgin Valley Grabouw, Houw Hoek and
Villiersdorp in the heart of the Cape Floral Kingdom. Just one hour
from Cape Town, the route is ideally located for weekend getaways and
easily accessible via the N2 past Cape Town International Airport and
Sir Lowry’s Pass. For those travelling further to the Garden Route and
Route 62, the area makes a great first stop in the Overberg, South
Green Mountain Eco Route combines attractions including wine farms,
activities, events, accommodations, restaurants, wedding &
conference venues. It offers scenic beauty, natural diversity of terroir
and a wide range of wine styles. Whether you want to crank uphill on
your mountain bike, hike through acres of fynbos, experience a unique
wine tasting with the winemakers, or enjoy meals made from locally
grown produce, the Green Mountain Eco Route has things to do for
participating on this route include: Beaumont Wines,Eikenhof Farm,
Mofam Trust, Molteno Brothers,Oak Valley Wines & Paul Cluver Wines.
'Variety is in our Nature'
is the slogan used by Wines of South Africa (WOSA), the industry marketing body and is based on the unique biodiversity of the Cape winelands and their
relationship to terroir, as well as the diversity of the people and the
resulting individuality of the wines. It is designed to reflect the care and concerns for the environment by South African wineries, and is supported and re-enforced by the
conservation drive of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative.
What makes this proposition so exciting is that it is based on irrefutable facts, unique to South Africa:
Over 95% of SA wine is produced within the Cape Floral Kingdom,
the smallest and richest in the world, containing over 9 600 plant
species (fynbos, renosterveld and Karoo succulents) which is more than
are found in the entire Northern hemisphere.
The soils are between 400 and 500 million years old, deposited after the Pan African event when the African, South American, Indian and Arctic continents collided.
There are two oceans encircling the winelands, generating cooling winds and fogs.
The 9 600 plant species are all adaptations to hugely varied and
nutritionally poor soils, and unique microclimates caused by the
different aspects, terrain, winds, mists, etc. These same soils and microclimates represent a treasure trove of grapegrowing and winemaking possibilities.
The people have a remarkable ethnic and cultural diversity from KhoiSan, Malaysian, Xhosa and Zulu to German, French, Dutch and more.
The Biodiversity & Wine Initiative represents a new orientation
and philosophy in the South African wine industry as producers embrace a philosophy
of sustainable farming which respects the environment, preserves what
is unique in their heritage, and nurtures respect among all the people
who work on their farms and in their cellars.
This can be seen in the number of producers who have already signed
the WOSA/hannuwa commitment (over 500 representing nearly half our
hectares under cultivation), the amount of land committed to
conservation in the first year of the programme (18 000 hectares) and
the huge interest shown by producers.
Winery support has been phenomenal, giving
this forward thinking inititiave credibility and ensuring that it becomes entrenched throughout the winelands. Most
SA producers have a deep affinity to their lands, and many have been
preserving their biodiversity for years without formal recognition of
their efforts. Now they can see a marketing benefit and tourism
potential and understand how critical their role is.
The South African Wine and Spirit Board has announced that by 2009 wines will not be exported without Integrated Wine Production
certification which includes the protection of biodiversity and rules
for sustainable farming. After all, South African wineries cannot claim biodiversity to the
world if they are not taking active steps to safeguard it.
Wine enthusiasts are interested in the soils and terroir angle of
biodiversity, other communities care about the conservation angle, and
at mass consumer level, the producers are tapping into trends which are
becoming powerful motivators for purchasing in the First World. These consumers are concerned about food scares,
allergies, industrial farming, pollution and congestion, and are
looking for products which are natural and authentic. They care about where products come from, preferring
to purchase ethically and sustainably sourced goods.
In terms of the marketing messaging, biodiversity creates a whole new visual
language, breaking the vice grip of vineyard visuals, while still
communicating authentic provenance, natural bounty and, above all, | <urn:uuid:efb8e607-cc8d-446f-befc-b8e33986c21d> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://boutiquevineyards.net/sustainability/biodiversity.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187826210.56/warc/CC-MAIN-20171023164236-20171023184236-00730.warc.gz | en | 0.911202 | 1,705 | 3.0625 | 3 |
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