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In the first chapter (17 pages) strong essays: the pearl by john steinbeck essay - the pearl by john steinbeck the pearl by john steinbeck this book. The pearl opens with a short preface—a single paragraph of text stating that the tale of the pearl chapter summaries john steinbeck quiz, and essay save time. Chapter 6 – the pearl jot notes conflict important nots questions jot notes in chapter 1, kino did not interfere with the ants as they. John steinbeck in the town they tell the story of the great pearl- how it was found chapter 1 kino awakened in the near dark. In ways has kino changed by chapter 3 english homework 2nd october 2011 essay title: in what ways has kino changed by the the pearl demonstrates an. Imagery and mood of the pearl essays in the book the pearl in the third chapter steinbeck describes the town as a colonial animal(21.
The pearl: essay q&a, free study guides and book notes including comprehensive chapter analysis, complete summary analysis, author biography information, character. The pearl by john steinbeck summarize what happens in the first chapter again at the end of the chapter, juana wants to throw the pearl away because it is evil. Essays english 10 files audiobook: the pearl by john steinbeck (all parts) the pearl the pearl by john steinbeck audiobook: chapter 1. Chapter 1 context study questions & essay kino’s inner soundtrack highlights the pearl’s original conception as a film project—the audience would. The pearl chapter 1 comprehension/discussion questions1 what are the main character’s names 2 how would you describe their economic status 3.
Starting an essay on john steinbeck’s the pearl organize your thoughts and more at our handy-dandy shmoop writing lab. Use these teaching ideas for the pearl by john steinbeck to educate (persuasive essay) during reading end of chapter 1: lesson plan and use it for the pearl. Chapter 2 of the pearl has many events that set the stage for the story and its future tragedies use the questions in this lesson to set the. Symbolism in the pearl practice essay #1 reading chapter 4 and completing questions 9 (27 june – 1 july) novel study - the pearl last modified by.
The pearl by john steinbeck in the town they tell the story of the great pearl and he looked first at the lightening square which was the door and. The pearl by john steinbeck: unit overview the pearl is a short novella and reading it several times before chapter 1 (pg 3-13) 1 what. The pearl summary and analysis of chapter 1 buy study guide essays for the pearl the pearl literature essays are academic essays for citation.
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The pearl is a novella by american author john steinbeck, first published in 1947 it is the story of a pearl diver, kino, and explores man's nature as well as greed. The pearl chapters 1-5 chapter 1 1 in what ways does steinbeck show the depth of feeling between kino and juana steinbeck shows the depth of feeling. Transcript of the pearl by john steinbeck ( chapter 3 ) the pearl by john steinbeck kino found the pearl of the world the pearl by john steinbeck presented by cindy. The pearl chapter 1 by john steinbeck, audiobook read by education monkey's mike vanemon. | <urn:uuid:3b48b5a2-fb2f-4add-a83f-6136733430dd> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | http://tfhomeworkckyy.newsglobal.us/the-pearl-1st-chapter-essay.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267867493.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20180625053151-20180625073151-00614.warc.gz | en | 0.918199 | 747 | 3.21875 | 3 |
This report gives a compilation of wind velocity measurements on Round Lake and Lake
Harriet taken over the ice in 2004 and 2005. Results, primarily from the 2004 Round Lake
study, are presented and discussed to characterize the wind sheltering effect of tree
canopies on lakes. Wind forcing is important for predicting many physical, chemical and
biological lake processes, and there is a lack of understanding of the spatial and temporal
variation of wind speeds over lakes especially those sheltered by canopies. The objective of
this study was to evaluate, with observations, the spatial evolution of an internal wind
boundary layer as it flows from a rough canopy of trees and shoreline reeds onto an ice
cover of a lake. More specifically, the study sought to determine the streamwise profile of
the shear stress on a lake surface, and to establish a relationship between surface shear
stress and fetch. The data show that reduced wind shear stress extends across
approximately half the diameter of Round Lake (~ 500 m).
Thill, James W..
Wind Velocity Measurements on Two Small Ice-Covered Lakes:.
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory.
Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy,
Content distributed via the University of Minnesota's Digital Conservancy may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor. | <urn:uuid:89af45a6-80e7-4c1e-85c0-822a8a87a442> | CC-MAIN-2016-44 | http://conservancy.umn.edu/handle/11299/117632 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-44/segments/1476988717954.1/warc/CC-MAIN-20161020183837-00075-ip-10-171-6-4.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.879291 | 277 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Natural forests in the humid tropics differ from temperate and plantation forests in several ways: there may be many tree species; many of these may occur infrequently; there may be a large range of tree sizes and shapes present; tree ages may be unknown and indeterminate; and despite the luxuriant appearance some rainforests, growth rates may be relatively low. This has many implications for timber harvesting and yield estimation and means that most of the estimation techniques devised for even-aged single-species forests cannot be used. A timber harvest represents the culmination of many years of growth, even in “fast growing” plantations. Thus, unlike the farmer of annual crops, the forest manager must consider the distribution of the harvest over time. Several “rules-of-thumb” for estimating the annual allowable cut are examined, with special emphasis given to the selection of the cutting cycle, to growth and harvesting models, and to inventory and monitoring systems. Strengths and weaknesses of cutting cycle analysis are discussed, and are contrasted with the more sophisticated yield scheduling systems. Tools, techniques and information sources for estimating timber yields are reviewed. Yield calculations should make full use of existing information, including data from old surveys and casual inspections. Remote sensing and geographic information systems offer several interesting possibilities for yield estimation, particularly for sensitivity testing, but are not without limitations. A check list and extensive references are given.
Topic: sustainability,timbers,tropical forests,production
Series: CIFOR Working Paper no. 11
Publication Year: 1996 | <urn:uuid:ef40648a-0cef-4139-83cb-5f42f2ff7339> | CC-MAIN-2017-34 | http://www.cifor.org/library/71/estimating-sustainable-timber-production-from-tropical-forests/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-34/segments/1502886107744.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20170821080132-20170821100132-00162.warc.gz | en | 0.930045 | 315 | 3.390625 | 3 |
Russian Soyuz-FG rocket with the Soyuz TMA-12M spacecraft and a crew of US astronaut Steven Swanson, Russian cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Oleg Artemyev aboard, blasts off from a launch pad at the Russian-leased Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, early on March 26, 2014. Image: AFP / Getty Images.
A month ago, as tensions escalated between Russia and Ukraine, we wondered about the fallout for the American space program—what would happen if the diplomatic crisis got so bad that Russia refused to fly American astronauts?
Well, things aren't that bad yet, but the Cold War revival is putting a chill on space-based cooperation. NASA associate administrator Michael F. O'Brien issued a statement this morning saying: "Given Russia's ongoing violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, until further notice, the U.S. Government has determined that all NASA contacts with Russian Government representatives are suspended, unless the activity has been specifically excepted."
"Specifically excepted" is the key phrase here. So far, the only thing to qualify is the slate of missions to the International Space Station, since the U.S. currently cannot send or retrieve its people from orbit without Russian spacecraft. | <urn:uuid:18d05ee6-37d6-4ed4-88b4-0fca71d7961a> | CC-MAIN-2015-14 | http://www.popularmechanics.com/space/a10398/the-us-cancels-cost-nasa-agreements-with-russia-over-ukraine-16656532/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-14/segments/1427131303466.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20150323172143-00028-ip-10-168-14-71.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.927175 | 256 | 2.59375 | 3 |
Will microchips in Kenyan rhinos save them from poachers?
Officers of Kenya Wildlife Services attend to a sedated black rhino at the Nairobi national park during an excercise to implant microchips in an effort to stem poaching of the endangered mammal. (AFP photo)
It’s the last resort to save rhinos.
The Kenya Wildlife Service began implanting microchips in every rhino at its Masai Mara Games Reserve in an extensive process that will include sedating hundreds of animals there.
The microchip is less than two inches long and can barely be traced by poachers. The process will take up to four months and will strengthen rhino monitoring and anti-poaching activities in the country.
When it’s done, it will allow for the successful traceability of every live animal within Kenya and all rhino horns in the stockpiles. “The forensic DNA technology will greatly improve the ability of prosecutors to bring to court a case of not only possession of a wildlife trophy, but will also be used to trace back the horn to a poaching incident, thus providing greater evidence hence more punitive penalties,” Isaac Lekolool, a veterinary surgeon with the KWS, said in a statement.
Investigators will then be able to link any poached case to a recovered horn and it will serve as crucial evidence in court.
Kenya has over 630 black rhinos and a total of 1,030 rhinos.
It’s another step to combat killing of rhinos for their horns even as poachers are using sophisticated technology to decimate rhino population.
Rhino horns are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars in South-East Asian countries like Vietnam. Though the weight of rhino horns varies, an individual horn can fetch up to $350,000 and a kilogram of the horn sells for as much as $65,000.
In Vietnam, it is believed that the rhino horn has miraculous healing properties, including a cure for cancer.
In just South Africa, over 800 rhinos have already been killed this year — last year, 668 were killed while only 13 were poached in 2007.
Raveena Aulakh is the Toronto Star’s environment reporter. She is intrigued by climate change and its impact, now and long-term. Follow her on Twitter @raveenaaulakh | <urn:uuid:db6a67c8-a85f-4435-a8f6-6dad798a40bd> | CC-MAIN-2014-10 | http://thestar.blogs.com/worlddaily/2013/12/will-microchips-in-kenyan-rhinos-save-them-from-poachers-.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-10/segments/1393999653644/warc/CC-MAIN-20140305060733-00077-ip-10-183-142-35.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943541 | 488 | 2.828125 | 3 |
Return to Thrush Pictures from CDC | Hardin MD : Thrush
This image shows Candidiasis of the mouth caused by a fungus from the genus Candida. Candidiasis is an infectious condition caused by the opportunistic fungus of the genus Candida, which includes eight species of fungi. Candidiasis is usually limited to the skin and mucous membranes.
Skin and Connective Tissue Diseases, Fungal Diseases, Candidiasis
Picture & text from CDC/PHIL. For more information see Thrush Pictures from CDC | <urn:uuid:48f19437-73f5-49e2-8300-039ad13f7573> | CC-MAIN-2014-52 | http://hardinmd.lib.uiowa.edu/cdc/2925.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-52/segments/1418802771091.111/warc/CC-MAIN-20141217075251-00065-ip-10-231-17-201.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.845162 | 110 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Coral reefs around the world are dying. In fact, some experts estimate that almost 25% of coral reefs are already irreversibly damaged. For many years, vacationers have been able to avoid and ignore this disaster, but not anymore. Many of the most popular family vacation spots are in danger of losing their popular reefs that draw in so many tourists. Below is a list of four popular destinations for families, along with a brief history on their relationship with coral reefs — plus, how you can help prevent further damage.
Hawaii is home to 80% of coral reefs in the United States. Hawaii’s Big Island has the largest coral reef in the state, and scientists have found that its coral reefs are dying at an alarming rate. So they’re doing something about it — the state of Hawaii passed a bill on April 27, 2018 to ban the sale and use of sunscreen with the chemical oxybenzone. Which means that if you’re vacationing in Hawaii, you need to make sure you are using mineral sunscreen — it’s the law.
The Great Barrier Reef is protected as a World Heritage Area, and is home to more than 600 species of coral. Within the last 27 years, it’s experienced 50% loss of coral coverage due to human impact. While Australia may feel far away, the impact of the Great Barrier Reef cannot be understated. Not only is it the largest reef, it is home to more than 1500 species of fish and 400 species of coral.
The beautiful waters of the Caribbean are home to more than 65 species of coral. Researchers found that coral in heavily trafficked beaches is dead or bleached, while less touristy areas still held healthy coral. The lesson of this research is important: the more contact humans have with coral reefs, the less healthy these organisms will be.
Coral reefs in Florida are dying at an alarming rate from disease and bleaching. These reefs not only provide tourism to the area, but also provide hurricane protection and a home to many species of marine life.
So how can you positively impact these beautiful beaches?
There are many causes of coral bleaching, but there is one easy switch that can lessen your impact on your favorite coral reefs. Switching from chemical-filled, traditional sunscreen to mineral sunscreen is not only better for your health, but for your favorite beaches.
Avoid sunscreens that contain oxybenzone — it’s that simple. Even if you don’t live in these areas, don't visit them often, or perhaps have never visited them doesn’t mean you don’t affect their health and vice versa.
Mineral sunscreens are biodegradable and leave no impact on coral reef systems, which make them a great alternative to harmful, chemical-ridden sunblocks. By making the switch to mineral sunscreen, you can protect yourself from harmful rays and protect your favorite family vacation spot from coral damage. | <urn:uuid:d1517f46-beb6-422a-9088-89937d93f45e> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://mexitan.com/blogs/our-blog/is-your-familys-favorite-vacation-spot-in-danger | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590348517506.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20200606155701-20200606185701-00326.warc.gz | en | 0.944779 | 602 | 2.84375 | 3 |
A database is a collection of related data that represents some relevant reality. The database design process consists of four steps: Requirements Collection and Analysis, Conceptual Database Design, Logical Database Design, and Physical Database Design.Recently, knowledge-based computer-aided design tools have been introduced. A list of them can be found in Lo (1994). None is empowered with machine learning to improve its permanent knowledge base or inference abilities. This research applies case-based reasoning to Conceptual Database Design. Section 2 reviews related theories. Section 3 discusses design and implementation of the application. Lastly, section 4 is the conclusion.
Amber Lo, W. and Choobineh, Joobin, "Design Reusability and Learning in CABSYDD (Case-Based System for Database Design)" (1995). AMCIS 1995 Proceedings. 67. | <urn:uuid:9a24a359-c8f3-4637-990a-3f93b15823e2> | CC-MAIN-2018-34 | https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis1995/67/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-34/segments/1534221218122.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20180821112537-20180821132537-00585.warc.gz | en | 0.878798 | 170 | 2.703125 | 3 |
What do trees, rivers, clouds and neurons have in common?
They’re all examples of fractals, or irregularly-shaped objects in which any one component is the same shape as the whole – a tributary of a river, for instance, looks like a miniature river itself.
Electronic chips are not fractals, yet some researchers are trying to restore sight to the blind by attaching such chips to the eye’s neurons. Given that neurons are fractals, wouldn’t it work better to hook them up to other fractal structures? University of Oregon researcher Richard Taylor thinks so, which is why he’s developing metal “nanoflowers.”
Taylor notes that although digital cameras are getting closer to attaining the 127-megapixel resolution of the human eye, only a small percentage of that data could be relayed from implantable chip devices (such as photodiodes inserted behind the eye) to the brain. This is because existing chips simply can’t connect with enough of the neurons – it’s like trying to put 10 pegs into 1,000 holes.
His nanoflowers would be grown on chips, from metal nanoparticles. They would self-assemble, through a process of diffusion limited aggregation, into fractal structures that resembled neurons. Those fractal-structure-bearing chips would then be implanted into the eyes of blind patients, where they would provide an interface between light gathered by the retina and neurons serving the optic nerve. Because the chips would be able to connect with almost every neuron, their efficiency would be close to 100 percent. | <urn:uuid:0095a0ed-dadc-4514-bbfb-29d043e80552> | CC-MAIN-2018-05 | http://www.innovationtoronto.com/2011/05/fractal-nanoflowers-could-restore-sight-to-blind/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-05/segments/1516084890893.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20180121214857-20180121234857-00283.warc.gz | en | 0.950868 | 334 | 3.609375 | 4 |
Chewing our food is the main function of your teeth. They are expertly designed to do just that, our incisors to cut, canines to tear, and our molars to grind and mash our food into bits small enough to swallow. This is common knowledge, but what you may not be aware of is that the action of chewing is also a trigger to the immune system. It will never cease to amaze this Jacksonville, Florida dentist how interconnected the mouth is with the rest of the body.
How Does Chewing Trigger the Immune System?
A recent study published in Immunity detailed studies involving measuring the amount of T helper 17 cells in the mouths of mice with varying diets. Scientists found that when the subjects were fed food the had to chew thoroughly to eat the concentration of Th17 cells was significantly higher than that of mice who were fed softer food they did not need to chew. This experiment proved that these specific cells were produced because of chewing. And, that the body makes these cells to keep the mouth healthy when it is at its most vulnerable.
What Are Th17 Cells?
The immune system is a complex body system made up of tissues, organs, and cells that respond to all sorts of infections. If something foreign and dangerous enters the body the immune system jumps into action and sends the appropriate cells to the right space. Our lymphnodes are one of the man hubs of immune activity in our bodies. Within the lymph nodes a specific type of white blood cell is produced and triggered depending on the appropriate immune response. These are called Lymphocytes and there are three different types of them. Natural killer cells, B cells, and T cells. Natural Killer Cells, otherwise known as NK cells, are part of the innate immune system and can defend the body against tumors and viruses by distinguishing infected, abnormal cells from healthy ones and releasing cytotoxins into those cells. This kills the harmful cells and protects the body. B cells and T cells are part of the adaptive immune system. This immune response assess the threat and then spurs the production of the exact type and amount of cells to eliminate the infection, or pathogen-infected cells. Think of them as the a-la-carte menu of immune responses. B cells originate in bone marrow tissue, and T cells from the thymus.
Th17 cells are a specific type of T cell. When we chew there is a possibility that our gums will be damaged and the bacteria that resides in our mouths will be allowed to infiltrate the sensitive tissue. Our immune system recognizes the harmful bacteria teeming in our mouths and sends signals to the thymus to release these Th17 cells to eradicate the harmful bacteria before it has a chance to cause any damage.
Gum Inflammation and Immune System Response
Gum inflammation is a serious problem for oral and overall health. Inflammation can lead to gum disease and periodontal disease if not taken care of and treated properly. It is amazing to know that our body has an adaptive response to help keep our mouths free of disease, however it is also largely up to us to help our bodies out a bit. The body is an amazing thing, it protects itself and heals itself but it can only do so much. If your gums are in a constant state of inflammation due to poor oral hygiene all the Th17 cells in the world won’t be able to stave off the horrible degenerative periodontal disease.
Taking care of your gums by brushing for two minutes twice each day and flossing correctly once each day will physically remove a remarkable amount of bacteria, sugar, acid, and plaque from your teeth. This small habit gives your immune system an outstanding head start on fighting for your health.
At this Jacksonville, Florida dental practice we believe that the whole body relies on the health of the mouth. It is amazing that our immune systems get right to work protecting our body while we chew our food. If you have questions about how you can best protect your gums and mouth from diseases, and how you can help your immune system fight what you can’t see, schedule an appointment today. Dr. Shields loves educating her patients on how they can promote wellness with a strand of dental floss. | <urn:uuid:00ad2fee-d9dc-4dde-aa7b-536bc1656bf4> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://www.smilesbyshields.com/chewing-and-your-immune-system/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046155458.35/warc/CC-MAIN-20210805063730-20210805093730-00541.warc.gz | en | 0.953437 | 866 | 3.28125 | 3 |
Breathing is one of the most natural aspects of living things.
Yet, are we doing it the right way?
It is normal for most people to breath 4-18 times a minute. However, breathing six times across one minute is a great way to relieve stress.
Quick tips for breathing the right way:
- You should breathe in deeply from your diaphragm.
- When you do this, your stomach should expand outward.
- Your exhale should be long and slow.
- This is key to stimulating the vagus nerve and reaching a state of relaxation.
Deep and Slow Breathing can stimulate the Vagus Nerve
The vagus nerve is the longest nerve in your body. It connects the brain to important organs in the body, including the intestines, stomach, heart, and lungs.
Vagus nerve is part of the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system, which means that it is not under conscious control. It controls several aspects of the body when it is at rest.
Deep and slow breathing is a very good way to stimulate the vagus nerve.
It has been shown to reduce anxiety. It also influences your breathing, digestive function and heart rate- all of which have a huge impact on mental health.
Vagal tone reduces stress
Vagal tone refers to the activity of the vagus nerve.
Increasing the vagal tone in turn activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Higher vagal tone ensures faster relaxation of the body.
Several studies have shown a positive association between high vagal tone, positive emotions, and good physical health.
The genetic link
Studies have even shown that vagal tone is passed on from the mother to her child. Mothers who are depressed, anxious and angry during their pregnancy have lower vagal activity.
This impacts the newborn who also has low vagal activity, low dopamine, and low serotonin levels.
Simple ways to stimulate your vagus nerve
The vagal tone is measured by tracking biological processes like heart rate, breathing rate, and heart rate variability (HRV).
When your heart rate variability (HRV) is high, your vagal tone is also high.
If your vagal tone is low you can increase it by taking small measures to stimulate your vagus nerve.
This will ensure an effective response to emotional and physiological symptoms of the brain and mental illness.
There is even an FDA-approved surgically-implanted device to periodically stimulate the vagus nerve for people with treatment-resistant depression.
Some methods to increase the vagal tone:
- Cold Exposure
- Singing, humming, chanting, and gargling
- Socializing and laughing
Deep Breathing can have anti-inflammatory effects
Proper breathing can increase the levels of adrenaline. Adrenaline has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects.
Enhanced breathing also produces anti-inflammatory cytokines which keeps the immune system in balance.
It is reasonable to expect that people with rheumatic arthritis, atherosclerosis, Crohn’s disease, asthma may stand to benefit from improved breathing.
Deep breathing can act as a natural painkiller
When you take deep breaths, the body releases endorphins.
Endorphins are feel good hormones released by the body after intense exercise, sexual activity, and bouts of physical stress.
Endorphins reduce the pain associated with physical stress. Deep breathing produces endorphins thereby exerting a pain-relieving effect.
Improves blood flow
Deep breathing causes the upward and downward movement of the diaphragm which in-turn promotes better blood flow.
Rhythmic and controlled breathing regulates blood flow by regulating heart beat. This has a positive impact on blood pressure.
Increases energy level
Due to increased blood flow, there is more oxygen in the blood. Increased oxygen results in increased energy levels.
Every cell in the body depends on oxygen to convert the macronutrients to energy.
Improved supply of oxygen enhances this process leading to an overall improvement in energy, reduction in fatigue, and improved mental clarity and cognition.
Detoxification of the body
Carbon dioxide is a natural toxic waste that comes out from the body through breathing.
When the lungs are compromised by shallow breathing the other detoxification system starts working harder to expel this waste. This could make the body weak and lead to illness.
At the cellular level, oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged during respiration. Thus, better oxygen delivery is linked to better clearance of toxic by-products of respiration, leading to better detoxification.
Stimulates lymphatic system
As breathing is what moves the lymph, shallow breathing can lead to a slow lymphatic system which will not detoxify properly.
Deep breathing will help get the lymph flowing properly so that the body can work more efficiently.
Deep breathing provides more oxygen to all the body parts including the digestive system, making it work more efficiently.
The increased blood flow due to deep breathing also encourages intestinal action which further improves the overall digestion.
In addition, deep breathing results in a calmer nervous system, which in turn also enhances optimal digestion.
Breathing relaxes the mind and body
During emotions like anger or fear the muscles get tightened and breathing becomes shallow. At this time the body is not getting sufficient amount of oxygen.
Long, deep breathing reverses this process, allowing the body (and mind) to become calmer. | <urn:uuid:37e3ddad-01eb-4c58-93cc-7b0cdb3a75cc> | CC-MAIN-2022-49 | https://aiwo.com/blogs/blog/deep-breathing-the-key-to-better-health | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-49/segments/1669446710972.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20221204104311-20221204134311-00282.warc.gz | en | 0.915113 | 1,138 | 3.4375 | 3 |
US Reverses, Seeks Global Treaty on Mercury
NAIROBI, Kenya -- The Obama administration reversed years of U.S. policy Monday by calling for a treaty to cut mercury pollution, which it described as the world's gravest chemical problem.
Some 6,000 tons of mercury enter the environment each year, about a third generated by power stations and coal fires. Much settles into the oceans, where it enters the food chain and is concentrated in predatory fish like tuna.
Children and fetuses are particularly vulnerable to poisoning by the toxic metal, which can cause birth defects, brain damage and peeling skin.
Daniel Reifsnyder, the deputy assistant secretary of state for environment and sustainable development, told a global gathering of environmental ministers in Nairobi, Kenya, that the United States wants negotiations on limiting mercury to begin this year and conclude within three.
"We're prepared to help lead in developing a globally legally binding instrument," he said. "It is clear mercury is the most important global chemical issue facing us today that calls for immediate action."
The statement represented a "180-degree turnaround" from policy under the Bush administration, said Michael Bender, co-coordinator of the Zero Mercury Working Group, a global coalition of 75 environmental organizations working to reduce mercury exposure.
"The change is like night and day. The Bush administration opposed any international legal agreements on mercury, and President Obama is in office less than one month and is already supporting a global agreement," he said.
Bender said his group has had more discussions over mercury control in the past two weeks than it has in the last eight years and that the U.S. government included many of his group's ideas in the proposal being presented in Nairobi.
Mercury is also widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining. The toxin can travel thousands of miles through the air or water.
Substitutes exist for almost all industrial processes that require mercury, but more than 50 percent of mercury emissions come from coal-fueled power plants, complicating efforts to regulate it in countries that rely on coal for power.
A proposal drafted by the United States obtained by the Associated Press would form a negotiating committee in conjunction with the U.N. environment program to help countries reduce their mercury use, clean up contaminated sites and find environmentally sound ways to store mercury. The European Union has banned mercury exports starting in 2011. The United States has a similar ban that will be effective in 2013, legislation that was sponsored by Obama when he was a U.S. senator. | <urn:uuid:e18de943-3bac-4d0b-a99c-41fd10299707> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.commondreams.org/news/2009/02/17/us-reverses-seeks-global-treaty-mercury | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931009825.77/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155649-00154-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961112 | 521 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Your diaphragm is a huge muscle that sits beneath your lungs, it looks a bit like a beautiful weeping willow sitting inside the ribcage. When we breathe in, air fills the lungs and flattens the diaphragm downwards. The picture below shows it’s position when we’re breathing out and the air is pushed out of the lungs.
What's it got to do with stress?
There is a direct link between the function of your diaphragm and the nervous system of your body: When we are in a stressful state we are living in our sympathetic nervous system; where our pupils dialate, our heart beats a little faster, adrenaline is released, and the body prepares for action with short shallow breaths. This quick shallow breathing means we only utilise the top of our lungs and we don’t get to use our diaphragm. The sympathetic nervous system should be reserved for life and death situations but stress has become so common and so too has this kind of breathing.
In contrast, when we breathe more deeply using the diaphragm it acts as a sort of tuner for the para-sympathetic nervous system, therefore we can use diaphragmatic breathing as a way of bringing the body back to a restful state. This restful state is not only a much nicer place to live but also a state where the body finds it easier to heal, repair and stay healthy.
Other benefits of better breathing
- Better Oxygen exchange = Less brain fog and more vitality everyday.
- Improved ribcage and thoracic spine mobility = less neck and shoulder tension!
- Better Digesiton = We digest our food much more efficiently when we’re in a restful state.
- Better mind body connection and sense of self embodiment.
- Lower/Stabalize Blood Pressure
- Start lying on your back on sitting upright on a chair or legs crossed:
- Place one hand on your belly and the other on your breastbone.
- Take a breath in through your nose and expand your tummy (like Buddha’s belly), try to keep your breastbone still, and feel the expansion of your ribs and the softness across your shoulders.
- Breathe out through your mouth and feel your abdomen sink and your ribcage funnelling in and down.
- Repeat continuously for two minutes or longer.
- **To progress you can challenge the body by breathing in for a slow count of 4 and breathing out over 5/6 counts.
For a moment just forget about muscles, even your abdominals and pelvic floor (get out of your Pilates brain.) Just feel the breath moving into the depths of your belly, and flooding around your organs before allowing the breath to fall out of the body.
Note: It could take some practice to get your abdomen expanding as described above, remember you're retraining a muscle to contract and relax just like you do with your biceps, glutes or abdominals, so stick with it and enjoy all the benefits that come along with it. And just incase you're wondering, YES it does mean that you shouldn't be walking around holding your tummy in all the time! | <urn:uuid:caa33976-2396-4dfe-886f-a22d8b04c683> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://www.roomformovement.com.au/news-1/2018/8/5/breathe-the-stress-right-out-of-your-body | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027323067.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20190825042326-20190825064326-00146.warc.gz | en | 0.916608 | 662 | 3.078125 | 3 |
Bared teeth are a prominent and eye-catching feature on many historical and archaeological artifacts, and are commonly interpreted as representing death, aggression and the shamanic trance. But a study in the forthcoming issue of Current Anthropology argues that the bared-teeth motif often expresses something a bit less sinister: the smile.
Alice V. M. Samson, Faculty of Archaeology at Leiden University, the Netherlands, and Bridget M. Waller, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, examined the bared-teeth motif (BTM) of the Taíno, who lived in the Greater Antilles (the Caribbean) from AD 1000 to the early decades of European contact (1492-1550). Here the BTM was used on bodily adornments and items associated with healing and shamanic practices, usually as part of decorations depicting human and animal faces.
Interpretations of the BTM by early European observers reflect a western religious and cultural worldview rather than an understanding of indigenous practices. Some of these interpretations stem from eyewitness accounts of the first European observers, who feared the indigenous people and their idols. They described the BTM as “diabolical and associated with ferocity or aggression or the expression of malevolent deities who need to be appeased.” These interpretations have never been challenged and as a consequence, the bared-teeth motif has mostly been interpreted negatively.
However, Samson and Waller argue that the negative interpretation misses the mark. “Exposed and clenched teeth are not common features of the universal facial expression of anger, which is instead characterized by widened eyes, tensed lower eyelids, and lowered, furrowed brows,” they write. “Studies of facial expression in human and non-human primates have shown that the bared-teeth expression is used in social contexts as an unambiguous signal of non-aggression, affiliation and benign intent.”
The Greater Antilles were home to several different societies. Samson and Waller believe that pendants and other adornments that carried the BTM “acted as a sort of Taíno social grammar, allowing the indigenous peoples of the islands to engage with each other and facilitating interactions while retaining their differences.”
Alice V. M. Samson and Bridget M. Waller, “Not Growling but Smiling: New Interpretations of the Bared-Teeth Motif in the Pre-Columbian Caribbean.” Current Anthropology 51:3 (June 2010). For a PDF, email Courtney Cecale at email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:e6822a49-3d7f-42e7-9d2b-c9d329dafde8> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://scienceblog.com/33776/the-joke-is-on-us-a-new-interpretation-of-bared-teeth-in-archaeological-artifacts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296950030.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20230401125552-20230401155552-00666.warc.gz | en | 0.936043 | 533 | 3.15625 | 3 |
Questioning Techniques and Deception Detection
When we talk about the process of interviewing or interrogating persons of interest, we must keep in mind that this requires a blend of artistic and scientific approaches.
From the artistic perspective, this involves continuous creativity. From science, we talk about the careful collection of evidence, facts, documents and research. As an investigator, you must always keep in mind that with every investigation your approach may require more and more creativity, while the search for evidence and facts will sharpen your skills in successful interviews.
Interviewing and interrogation processes differ widely in history from present practices. Centuries ago, persons of interest were guilty as charged and needed to prove their innocence. Today, in most countries around the world, innocence is presumed, and guilt must be proven.
An interview involves meeting people, persons of interest or witnesses face to face, and discussing event, facts, or evidence. It should not be accusatory, but still relatively formal. An interrogation involves the questioning of persons of interest or suspects by law and government agencies officials, where the intention is for a person accused of crime to confess. It is highly formal and often accusatory.
Properly structured questioning is a hallmark of successful investigations. A skilled investigator will combine the golden questions of criminalistics in conjunction with different types of questioning: open, closed, recalling, clarification, precise, narrowing, leading, complementing, multiple, hypothetical, sequencing, topic-based or specialty questions.
As a corporate investigator who conducts investigations or a claims officer who talks over the phone, it is preferable to master a couple of questioning techniques, rather than attempt to use all of them. Hence, we now elaborate on a few strategic questioning techniques that we believe can be mastered for any conversation, regardless of whether it is in person or over the phone.
Training Course Strategic Interviewing – Questioning Techniques and Deception Detection consist of the following topics:
- Investigative scenarios (importance of it, how and when to apply)
- Preparation for interview (environment, timing etc)
- Understanding who to be interviewed (perpetrators, person of interest, type of witness etc)
- Question Drivers
- 10 Golden Questions of Criminalistic and it’s application
- Specialty questions: presumptive, bait, catch-all, follow-up
- How to utilise evidence and type of evidence in interviewing process
- Written and Verbal/Oral Statements (how, who, when and legalities)
- Detecting Deception and Manipulation: formulating and delivering strategic questions
that can elicit the verbal and nonverbal cluster of deceptive behaviours
- 4 Techniques to deal with Deception
- Transitioning from the Strategic Interview to Direct Elicitation (getting the truth): the
psychology of short-term thinking; the transition statement and monologue; handling resistance
This training module cover theoretical approach and as well practical which includes training of how to interview (face to face), how to obtain statement (writing the statement, chronological order and more)
Learning Outcomes: legal requirements on how to conduct corporate investigations, understanding how to interview person of interest, witness and how to utilise MOS) Modus Operandi System in reaching satisfactory outcome of investigations, what type of questioning to be used and when, benefits in using 10 Golden Questions of Criminalistic, how to formulate and deliver specialty questions that will aid in detecting deception, techniques to manage deception, and how to transition from the interview to a monologue that aims to elicit the truth.
As well participant will learn difference between interrogation and investigation and how to successfully complete interview and use statements as an evidence
Participants will understand base of investigation and how time line mapping will assist them in all future investigations. | <urn:uuid:a2be5499-8fe6-4fea-9e69-72225feb0af6> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://insightintelligence.com.au/strategic-interviewing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585371799447.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20200407121105-20200407151605-00106.warc.gz | en | 0.918278 | 762 | 2.578125 | 3 |
The Legacy of Charlene Mitchell: The First Black Woman Presidential CandidateNews at Home
tags: Communism, African American history, elections, political history, womens history
Alyssa Spinosa is a History major at Manhattan College, who researched Charlene Mitchell in Fall 2022 in a course with Adam Arenson, professor of history at Manhattan College.
Charlene Mitchell died last month, on December 14, 2022. The odds are that you haven’t heard of her. She isn’t mentioned in most accounts of the pivotal 1968 presidential campaign, despite being a candidate that year; she isn’t included in the Rutgers Center for American Women and Politics list of notable women candidates for President—despite being the first Black woman to run, and to be nominated by a party.
Charlene Mitchell made history on July 4th, 1968, when she was elected by the Communist Party (CPUSA) as the first Black woman to run for President of the United States.
Running as a Communist in 1968, in the midst of the Cold War, in a United States roiled by conflict over the Vietnam War, Mitchell never had a chance to win. She was only officially on the ballot in two states, and she only received 1,077 out of 73,199,999 total votes cast.
But Mitchell’s campaign was significant nevertheless, and on its own terms. As Ms. Spinosa’s research has discovered, Mitchell constructed a campaign that presented Communism as an economic solution to the racism embedded in America's capitalism. This allowed Americans to perceive Communism in a way that was not a threat to their democracy. Mitchell emphasized what we would now call democratic socialism, in her effort to advocate for Communist values within the U.S. political system in the height of the Cold War.
“The economic system of capitalism and the political institutions which serve it have failed the people,” Mitchell wrote in a pamphlet for her 1968 campaign, “because it is incapable of destroying once and for all the racism that infects this nation.” Mitchell’s use of Communism to fight for black liberation was not an act of defiance against democracy, but a solution to the economic oppression of capitalism.
Many of her critiques would describe our economy even today: “I have a son 17 years of age and I, like every other Black mother in this country, constantly worry about his future,” Mitchell wrote. “While a Black mother slaves to make ends meet for her children on a meager welfare check and a Black worker is told to work harder and faster to produce more and more in less and less time, the number of billionaires increases, and the rich spend more on their dogs and cats than most of us do on our children.”
While Mitchell was unapologetically a Communist, she saw her campaign more as a call for Black liberation and economic equality, regardless of who could achieve it. As she wrote, “Black people must get together if we are to withstand this attack. There must be unity among our people, be they socialists, liberals, conservatives, communists, or independents. We must demand that all discrimination bars that keep us from taking advantage of everything that exists for other people be destroyed at once.”
In a press conference in July 1968, Mitchell was asked how she would measure the success of her campaign. She defined success by “whether or not Communists will be able to present to the American people their views and their platforms in a way that the American people can begin to understand what Communists see as some of the solutions to the problems in our country.”
And, again, Mitchell brought concerns that are still with us: “We must demand power to determine the conditions in our own communities. We must demand control over the police that patrol the community, the schools that educate our children. We—the people affected—should run the welfare commission, the library commission, the draft board, and the public health board.”
She concluded by noting how, “In the country, these demands are for people’s power. In our communities, these demands are for Black power.”
In 1968, Robert F. Kennedy inspired the nation with his campaign for the presidency, cut short by assassination. The country was still grappling with Michael Harrington’s 1962 critique of inequality in The Other America, and Democrats were proudly seeking a war on poverty and the creation of a Great Society. This is the context for Charlene Mitchell’s campaign – making her far more than just a token “first Black woman,” a trivia quiz answer, or a casualty of the nation’s fears of Communism. Mitchell pitched her campaign to the mainstream, in an effort to help shape the debate about racial and economic equality—a debate we are still having. She Americanized her campaign to speak in the nation’s political language—but she was still dismissed, because she was an outsider, a Communist, and a Black woman.
After her run for President, and in the midst of Nixon’s transformation of anticommunism and New Right politics, Mitchell’s writings became more strident: “The current aim of the conspiracy by government is to act as a preventive to mass organizations,” she wrote in 1973. “If Nixon can [succeed] in his plan to make the face of black people a criminal face, he can, on the basis of fighting crime, initiate a law to jail anyone that does not adhere to his policies for the country.”
In 2008, in the face of increasing globalization, Mitchell noted in The Black Scholar that “As the struggle continues we in the global North must join with those who have a strategy to close the gap between the North and the South. It seems to me that this is the way the labor movement here can halt and reverse the onslaught of global capitalism.” She concluded that “At the end of the day, even though 160 years have passed, Karl Marx had it right.”
Mitchell was consistent in her beliefs, despite the cycles of history, from her joining the Communist Party in Chicago in the 1930s, to running the CPUSA branch in Los Angeles, to her 1968 campaign, to her roles in advising labor unions and calling for the creation of a Black Radical Caucus in Congress. As radical approaches to racial and economic equality in the United States came and went from favor, Mitchell was steadfast—though with an ear to what the mainstream might be willing to hear.
In 1972, Shirley Chisholm ran for the Democratic Party’s nomination for the Presidency. Hillary Clinton became the first major-party nominee in 2016, and Kamala Harris the first woman and first person of color to be Vice President in 2020. This is history you do know.
But Charlene Mitchell deserves to be better known – for her decades of activism and labor organizing, alongside Angela Davis and other Black leaders, in and out of the Communist Party. And for her run for President. | <urn:uuid:7aead72a-a787-4f9c-b403-c45904d8f497> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://www.historynewsnetwork.org/article/184717 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100583.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20231206031946-20231206061946-00703.warc.gz | en | 0.972581 | 1,441 | 3.234375 | 3 |
What I found was the Towards Inclusion: Supporting Positive Behaviour in Manitoba Classrooms document. I found our Classroom Management class schedule follows the contents of this document quite closely (go figure huh) so it was an easy read. While I believe that the entire document is important to teachers, I want to focus on Section 6: Positive Reinforcement (pg. 53) and Section 7: Fair & Predictable Consequences (pg.58) specifically because they fit into our project model as well. I was going to talk about both of these in one post before I realized just how long it would be. With that in mind, today's post will summarize Section 6 and tomorrows post will summarize Section 7.
SECTION 6: POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT
The document summarizes that for a reinforcement to be effective and positive it must be age-appropriate, at the student's level of functioning, has administrative and parental support, and is genuine. When I posted on Wednesday about "The Scoreboard" I mentioned that at the beginning of each class with my Grade 10's we would discuss what the reward would be for that day depending on what we were doing. During my time in the classroom our rewards were anything from more time to complete an assignment to the opportunity to go watch the in-school volleyball tournament. I feel that this set-up was age-appropriate because at Grade 10 they enjoyed being able to be a part of the decision process. On that same note, since they were involved in choosing their reinforcement I felt that it was always at the student's level of functioning and they knew that it was genuine. As a student teacher I did not have a lot of contact with parents except at the end of my placement during parent-teacher conferences but I did have the support of my cooperating teacher, faculty supervisor and principal. In general, I feel that my use of this WBT strategy fit in with what was summarized at the first part of Section 6. The document then goes on to explain three important factors of positive reinforcement which are social reinforcement, building anticipation and interdependent group contingencies. Social Reinforcement is vital for many students and it can be as easy as a simple comment or a smile. I feel that WBT definitely encourages social reinforcement in many of it's strategies.
Examples: During "Teach-Ok" teachers are encouraged to walk about the room to gauge student's comprehension of the material; this is the perfect opportunity to provide positive feedback to your students. The "10-Finger Woo" and "It's Cool" reinforce positive behaviours and assist in building a culture of respect in your classroom. "The Scoreboard" provides countless opportunities to provide your student's with positive comments and feedback.
The document states that Building Anticipation assists in building both motivation and excitement (sounds a lot like my scoreboard post already)! What we need to remember is that we need to be clear about what type of behaviour we are looking for, discuss what will happen if we see that type of behaviour, and give positive feedback and a reinforcer immediately following said behaviour. I feel that, again, this fits perfect with my use of WBT strategies. With the use of "The Scoreboard" we would discuss what our goal would be for a specific day based on what we were doing that day. If I had prepared a lesson around the "Teach-Ok" strategy followed by an activity we would discuss that I was expecting full participation (and explain what that looked like). My class knew that if I saw that behaviour they would receive a student-point on the scoreboard and if I didn't I would receive a teacher-point on the scoreboard. If my class had a positive number of points near the end of class they would receive their goal which may have been the opportunity to work on their activity in partners or small groups as opposed to individually.
"Interdependent Group Contingencies require the entire group of students to reach a designated goal in order to receive reinforcement." While the "Teach-Ok" strategy , "10-Finger Woo, and "It's Cool" provide opportunities for individual reinforcement like a positive comment, "The Scoreboard" requires all students to reach a goal as a group. I feel like I have repeated myself quite a few times in regards to "The Scoreboard" already so I will let you look back on it rather than boring you with yet another explanation. What I want to touch on is how this factor encourages cooperation and encouragement among our students because they are all working towards a common goal. I definitely felt that this was the case with my Grade 10 classroom and I think that it is a positive thing in regards to creating a team environment in our class.
After summarizing Section 6 I felt very positive that my use of different Whole Brain Teaching strategies was fitting in with what was laid out in the Towards Inclusion document, which I was very happy about! Tomorrow, in addition to posting some Resources To Start Off Your Week, I will summarize Section 7 of the document.
- To Be Continued - | <urn:uuid:17fd4db9-8637-47a9-a5df-63fd05553560> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://misslwholebrainteaching.blogspot.ca/2012/02/wbt-manitobas-towards-inclusion.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931010590.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155650-00184-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977881 | 1,029 | 3.125 | 3 |
Ecuador had the least nuclear
fallout from bomb testing (1945 to 1958) anywhere on earth.
Public Health Service publication
RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH DATA (Jan. 1960,
near the apex of atmospheric nuclear
bomb testing) compiled comparative
figures on the total daily intake of Stontium 90 by various countries.
The comparative figures are as
United States 15.4 microcuries (mc)
Germany 13.0 mc
United Kingdom 9.8 mc
Vietnam 8.3 mc
Ecuador 1.2 mc.
Norman French from the University of
California published in December
1960 an article on the Amount of
Strontium Radioactivity in Ecuador
published in Ciencia
y Naturaleza, the journal of the
Natural Sciences Institute at
Unversidad Central in Quito.
Atomic Energy Commision (AEC) analyzed 45 samples of soil and 19
samples of beef cattle bone in 1958 and
reported the following figures for
Rainfall and Strontium 90 fallout:
(Coast) 243 millimeters (mm), 1.8 mc
(per square mile)
Esmeraldas (Coast) 822 mm, 1.6 mc
Lorenzo 2797 mm, 1.6 mc
Quevedo 2484 mm, 5.5 mc
Domingo 4015 mm, 2.7 mc
(Plateau) 940 mm, 1.6 mc
1364 mm, 1.4 mc
Calderon 960 mm, 0.6 mc
Guayllabamba 565 mm, 1.4 mc
Otavalo 1029 mm, 2.1 mc, Ibarra 743
m, 1.9 mc
Latacunga 272 mm, 1.4 mc, Ambato 472
mm, 0.7 mc
1249 mm, 0.5 mc
(Amazon, a short distance from Banos
which is in the Andes) 3871 mm, 12.6
east side of the Andes mountains in
the Amazon jungle has the highest levels of
fallout proving that fallout moves
from east to west and that high
mountains block Strontium 90 and
therefore other fallout particles
from being deposited in the soil.
Samples of bone and soil collected
in 1958 show highest values for Sr90
in the tropical region on the east
side of the Andes.
Lowest values are
found in the high central valley,
where samples used in estimating
world-wide distribution of fallout
If the major fallout
deposition occurs in the interior of
the South American continent, such
estimates for these latitudes may be
low by as much as a factor of ten.
Although there has apparently been
greater Sr90 deposition in regions
of greater rainfall, analysis of
data from 16 locations fails to show
a significant correlation between
rainfall and fallout.
Norman R. French
Vol. 131 no.
1958 had the 2nd most (116)
above ground nuclear test
explosions, 2nd only to 1962
At the near apex of atmospheric
nuclear testing the inter-andean
plateau and west coast of
Ecuador had the lowest fallout
of any nation on Earth.
Ecuador is hot and humid and
thus unhealthy in the long run
(nice for short visits).
Germany will shut
down all their nuclear reactors by
Following the March
Germany has permanently shut down
eight of its reactors and pledged to
close the rest by 2022.
The Italian Government put a one-year
moratorium on its plans to revive
nuclear power, following the
2011 Japanese nuclear accidents.
further Italian nuclear power
was held on 13 June 2011, with a
54.79% turnout and 94% of the votes
rejecting the use of Nuclear Power,
leading to cancellation of any
future nuclear power plants planned
during the previous years.
Switzerland and Spain
have banned the construction of new
Japan’s prime minster
has called for a dramatic reduction
in Japan’s reliance on nuclear power.
did the same.
Mexico has sidelined
construction of 10 reactors in favor
of developing natural-gas-fired
considering phasing out its nuclear
plants, perhaps as early as 2015.
Did you know?
In September, 1996 the United Nations
General Assembly voted to adopt the
Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty,
which prohibits all "nuclear weapons
test explosions and all other nuclear
As of September 1998, 150
nations had signed the treaty, and 21
nations had ratified it. Notable
exceptions are India and Pakistan, both
of which conducted nuclear tests in May,
Korea withdrew in 2003 and conducted
6 tests from 2006 to 2017.
The San Onofre nuclear power plant
has been shut down.
On June 7, 2013, Southern California
Edison announced it would "permanently
retire" Unit 2 and Unit 3. | <urn:uuid:fbe8b5db-1625-4d40-9045-358bd270f4aa> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://paradisianpublications.com/Nuclear%20Fallout.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875141653.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20200217030027-20200217060027-00188.warc.gz | en | 0.858387 | 1,064 | 3.015625 | 3 |
On February 8, the government will release data on imports and exports for 2012. This annual release often ignites a misguided debate about trade deficits.
A recent news report perpetuated a popular misstatement about how international trade works:
Net imports suck cash out of the economy, subtracting from gross domestic product.
Because of reports like that, many Americans believe trade deficits harm our economy and destroy jobs.
If that is true, there’s an easy way to reduce the trade deficit: Throw the U.S. economy into a recession. Since 1990, the United States has had three recessions, and every time the U.S. entered a recession, the trade deficit decreased.
This correlation should not be shocking when we think about what occurs during a recession. With a weak economy, people have less money to spend on products, including imports. The reduction in spending tends to reduce the trade deficit.
If legislators really feel the trade deficit is harming our economy and want to reverse it completely, they can go a step further and plunge the U.S. into a depression. As economist Donald Boudreaux pointed out, the U.S. ran a trade surplus for most of the 1930s.
To really understand the health and viability of an economy, policymakers should focus on budget deficits and trade freedom rather than trade deficits.
The 2013 Index of Economic Freedom, published by The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal, shows that countries with higher trade freedom—meaning lower trade barriers—also have higher rates of prosperity, better health care, and greater access to education. These are goals that every American can agree on. There’s no evidence that trade deficits are bad for the U.S. economy, but plenty of evidence that trade barriers make Americans worse off.
Ashlee Smith is currently a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. For more information on interning at Heritage, please visit http://www.heritage.org/about/departments/ylp.cfm. | <urn:uuid:c7e6f84f-940a-4307-8b90-0334d797e534> | CC-MAIN-2016-30 | http://dailysignal.com/2013/02/06/trade-deficits-dont-matter-trade-freedom-does/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2016-30/segments/1469257828010.15/warc/CC-MAIN-20160723071028-00083-ip-10-185-27-174.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941658 | 413 | 2.609375 | 3 |
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal
Saint of the Day for July 4
(1271 – July 4, 1336)
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal’s Story
Elizabeth is usually depicted in royal garb with a dove or an olive branch. At her birth in 1271, her father Pedro III, future king of Aragon, was reconciled with his father James, the reigning monarch. This proved to be a portent of things to come. Under the healthful influences surrounding her early years, she quickly learned self-discipline and acquired a taste for spirituality.
Thus fortunately prepared, Elizabeth was able to meet the challenge when at the age of 12, she was given in marriage to Denis, king of Portugal. She was able to establish for herself a pattern of life conducive to growth in God’s love, not merely through her exercises of piety, including daily Mass, but also through her exercise of charity, by which she was able to befriend and help pilgrims, strangers, the sick, the poor—in a word, all those whose need came to her notice. At the same time she remained devoted to her husband, whose infidelity to her was a scandal to the kingdom.
Denis, too, was the object of many of her peace endeavors. Elizabeth long sought peace for him with God, and was finally rewarded when he gave up his life of sin. She repeatedly sought and effected peace between the king and their rebellious son Alfonso, who thought that he was passed over to favor the king’s illegitimate children. She acted as peacemaker in the struggle between Ferdinand, king of Aragon, and his cousin James, who claimed the crown. And finally from Coimbra, where she had retired as a Franciscan tertiary to the monastery of the Poor Clares after the death of her husband, Elizabeth set out and was able to bring about a lasting peace between her son Alfonso, now king of Portugal, and his son-in-law, the king of Castile.
The work of promoting peace is anything but a calm and quiet endeavor. It takes a clear mind, a steady spirit and a brave soul to intervene between people whose emotions are so aroused that they are ready to destroy one another. This is all the more true of a woman in the early 14th century. But Elizabeth had a deep and sincere love and sympathy for humankind, an almost total lack of concern for herself, and an abiding confidence in God. These were the tools of her success. | <urn:uuid:f6f0a724-7747-45b5-a38f-2903861550f9> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-elizabeth-of-portugal | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439738723.55/warc/CC-MAIN-20200810235513-20200811025513-00075.warc.gz | en | 0.984675 | 508 | 3.359375 | 3 |
Since 1916, the National Park Service has been entrusted with the care of our national parks. National Parks in New York City? Yes! There are 11 parks with a total of 23 different sites you can visit in all five boroughs and parts of New Jersey.
The African Burial Ground has been a part of New York City since its earliest days. In its hundreds of years of existence, it has witnessed New York City change dramatically. When the land first came into use as an African Burial Ground, the area surrounding it was not yet New York City. It was a wilderness on the outskirts of town that bordered a beautiful lake known as the Collect Pond. Since that time, the neighborhood surrounding the sacred area has had many names; The Commons, The Five Points, Little Africa, TriBeCa, Civic Center, and the Lower West Side are just a few.
The history of African-American life in this neighborhood has been extraordinarily rich. It is home to America's first Black newspaper, Freedom's Journal; the first A.M.E. Zion Church, Mother Zion, and numerous underground railroad sites, including Frederick Douglass' first free address. Lost to history due to landfill and development, the grounds were rediscovered in 1991 as a result of the planned construction of a Federal office building.
The discovery highlighted the forgotten history of African slaves in colonial and federal New York City, who were integral to the city's development. By the American Revolutionary War, they constituted nearly a quarter of the population in the city. New York had the second-largest number of slaves in the nation after Charleston, South Carolina. Scholars and African-American civic activists joined together to publicize the importance of the site and lobby for its preservation. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993 and a National Monument in 2006. | <urn:uuid:9e51c375-2367-4012-afdd-5b775012105d> | CC-MAIN-2019-18 | https://www.vamonde.com/posts/african-burial-ground-monument/817 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-18/segments/1555578742415.81/warc/CC-MAIN-20190425213812-20190425235812-00106.warc.gz | en | 0.968479 | 369 | 3.15625 | 3 |
The figure below represents how the basic classes of chemfiles are organized and
how they interact together. Chemfiles is organized around a handful of public
Selection, all of which are presented here.
trajectory is the main entry point of
chemfiles. It reads one or many
frames from a
file on the disk using a specific format. The file type and the format are
automatically determined from the extension.
topology describes the organization of
the particles in the system. It contains a list of
atoms in the system, and information about which atoms are bonded
residue is a group of atoms bonded
together, which may or may not corresponds to molecules. When working with
bio-molecules and specifically proteins from the PDB data bank, the residues
should correspond to amino-acids in the protein.
Atom class contains basic information about
the atoms in the system: the name (if it is available), mass, kind of atom and
so on. Atoms are not limited to plain chemical elements.
UnitCell class describes the boundary
conditions of the system: where are the boundaries, and what is the periodicity
of theses boundaries. An unit cell can be of three types: Infinite,
Orthorhombic or Triclinic. Infinite cells do not have any boundaries.
Orthorhombic cells are defined by three orthogonal vectors, and triclinic cells
are defined by three vectors without any constrain.
Chemfiles also provides a selection language,
implemented in the
Selection class. This
selection language allows the users to select a group of atoms from a
frame using a selection string such as
45 and name O) or name C".
Chemfiles uses the following set of internal units:
lengths (positions and cell lengths) are in Angstroms;
velocities are in Angstroms/picosecond;
angles are in degrees;
When reading from a file, chemfiles tries to to convert from the data stored in the file to these units. Some formats do not document the units of the value stored, in which case the data is read as-is and assumed to follow the units above.
When writing to a file, chemfiles tries to convert from these units to the units expected by the format. If the format does not have a way to specify units and does not define units in its specification, then chemfiles will write its internal data as-is. | <urn:uuid:fa7370fd-9c3e-45d8-9bfc-f1955021dbfd> | CC-MAIN-2023-50 | http://chemfiles.org/chemfiles/latest/overview.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-50/segments/1700679100308.37/warc/CC-MAIN-20231201215122-20231202005122-00713.warc.gz | en | 0.861015 | 527 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Feb. 12, 2019 -- They may be convenient, but eating ultraprocessed foods could increase your risk of early death, a new study warns.
"Ultraprocessed foods are mostly consumed in the form of snacks, desserts, or ready-to-eat or -heat meals," and their consumption "has largely increased during the past several decades," wrote the authors of the study in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, CNNreported.
The study included more than 44,000 adults, 45 and older, in France who were followed for two years.
The researchers found that each 10 percent increase in the amount of ultraprocessed foods consumed was associated with a 14 percent higher risk of early death, CNN reported.
Ultraprocessed foods accounted for more than 14 percent of the weight of total food consumed by the participants, and about 29 percent of their total calories.
Further research is need to confirm the study findings, said the authors, who suggested that additives, packaging (chemicals get into the food during storage) and the processing itself (including high-temperature processing) may be why ultraprocessed foods can harm health, CNN reported.
The "findings make sense, given what we know to date about the deleterious effects of food additives on brain function and health, but the effects observed are very small," Molly Bray, chairwoman of the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, told CNN.
She was not involved in the study.
There are many kinds of ultraprocessed foods and the study could not pinpoint exactly what might make them a threat to health, according to Nurgul Fitzgerald, associate professor, Department of Nutritional Sciences at Rutgers University. She was not involved in the study.
"Some factors may be more harmful or less harmful than others. It's really too complex," Fitzgerald told CNN, and added that we can't "run with" these results. | <urn:uuid:684c3d0c-2e6c-4913-8773-e842954cd72e> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20190212/ultraprocessed-foods-tied-to-higher-death-risk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439737019.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20200806180859-20200806210859-00519.warc.gz | en | 0.973783 | 391 | 3.296875 | 3 |
Smoking is the primary cause of COPD, the third leading cause of death in the United States . This podcast discusses other factors of COPD and encourages those suffering from breathing problems to see their health care providers. Created: 3/1/2012 by MMWR.
Date Released: 3/1/2012. Series Name: A Minute of Health with CDC.
A MINUTE OF HEALTH WITH CDC
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Associated Health-Care Resource Uses — North Carolina, 2007 and 2009
Recorded: February 28, 2012; posted: March 1, 2012
This program is presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Difficulty taking a breath can be a serious and scary situation. One of the most common causes of breathing problems is Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, which is a group of diseases that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. COPD and related respiratory conditions are the third leading cause of death in the United States. Smoking is the primary cause of COPD. Other factors that might contribute include air pollutants in the home and workplace and respiratory infections. If you're having breathing problems, see your health care provider. Early detection is key to managing COPD.
Thank you for joining us on A Minute of Health with CDC.
For the most accurate health information, visit www.cdc.gov or call 1-800-CDC-INFO. | <urn:uuid:6ad93a5f-0973-4637-abe3-a43f4786cc20> | CC-MAIN-2014-41 | http://www2c.cdc.gov/podcasts/player.asp?f=8622956 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-41/segments/1412037663754.0/warc/CC-MAIN-20140930004103-00264-ip-10-234-18-248.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930482 | 295 | 3.1875 | 3 |
Timely intervention can prevent Hepatitis from becoming an epidemic in India
New Delhi: World Hepatitis Day is witnessed every year on 28th July to provide an opportunity to step up national and international efforts to spread awareness about Hepatitis. This year World Hepatitis day is urging all countries and partners to promote the theme ‘Invest in eliminating hepatitis “and policymakers to increase political and financial commitments for the same.
Despite dramatic advances and developments in the treatment of Hepatitis B and C, elimination of both types of the disease remains difficult due to lack of awareness among masses. Globally, around 350 million people are living with chronic hepatitis B and becoming a prime reason for liver failure & cancer. Only 10 to 15% percent of the population are unaware of its causes and remain undiagnosed. Among all countries, India stands fourth which carry almost 50% of the global burden of chronic hepatitis.
Inflammation of the liver (commonly known as hepatitis) can result from viral infection and as all the symptoms are nearly close enough, without a diagnostic test, it is impossible to differentiate. Hepatitis is widespread in India. Lack of regular check-up and diagnosis are the prime reasons for being undetected and sufferings. The other reason includes people who have had tattoos, or injects drugs, food/healthy supplements, anti-tuberculosis therapy etc.
“As the function of the liver is to help in digestion by producing proteins, enzymes and other substances, clear toxins from the body and generate energy from food. Any abnormality in the production of the components is a serious indication of an ailment that the liver is not functioning well. In case suspecting an improper functioning of the liver, liver function test (LFT) and viral markers may be done wherein a sample of blood is taken for analyses. Said Dr. Ramesh Garg, MD, DM , HOD, Gastroenterology, Saroj Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi.
There are 5 types of Hepatitis known as A, B, C, D and E , in which A and E are water borne ad spreads through contaminated food or water, then Hepatitis B, C and D are blood borne and at last Hepatitis D causes infection only along with Hepatitis B. The major concern is being focused for Hepatitis B which can spread unknowingly from a mother who is infected to a new born child. Over 90% of new hepatitis B infections occur through mother–to–child transmission and during the early age of childhood.
So it is mandatory to test a mother for Hepatitis B during pregnancy and take preventions after positive results including immunologic and vaccination. Hepatitis C is now fully treatable disease. We have oral effective medication available cheaply now a days. Hepatitis A & E are limiting and needs supportive treatment.
‘Now the major change has been achieved after introduction of vaccine for Hepatitis B which is a safe, affordable, and well tested too. The improvement area is visible in the case of Hepatitis B infection is among children group which is being reduced from 4.7% (before introduction of vaccine) to 1.3% n 2015 after introduction of vaccine. It is very much important for everyone to get vaccinated against Hepatitis B as it works as armor for you to protect from this killer viral infection added Dr. Ramesh Garg. | <urn:uuid:f6687f8a-b8d8-4d49-8f1c-bdcc2b242424> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://thisweekindia.news/article/timely-intervention-can-prevent-hepatitis-from-becoming-an-epidemic-in-india/20390 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038092961.47/warc/CC-MAIN-20210416221552-20210417011552-00346.warc.gz | en | 0.949275 | 700 | 3.171875 | 3 |
Starting today (Thursday 5th November) from Galway, the Marine Institute research vesselRV Celtic Voyager, begins the task of replacing each of the six original weather buoys, placed around the coast with new and improved systems that will not only provide a wider range of information, but an improved ability to withstand the winds and waves they faithfully record off the Irish coast.
Weather is THE fundamental force at sea. It can turn a sunny day into a swirling death trap in a matter of minutes, send a yacht peacefully on its way or sink it, and mean the difference between a full fishing net and a desperate race for home. It can also play an important part in history, as it did back in 1944, when General Eisenhower decided to commit his forces on June 6th to the D-Day landings based on a weather report from Blacksod Bay in Co. Mayo. No wonder then that after the tragic loss of the trawlers Carrickatine and Scarlet Buccaneer in 1995, one of the key recommendations of the Fishing Vessel Safety Review Group, set up under the then Department of Marine the following year, was for improved capability in weather forecasting and storm warning off the Irish coast.
This recommendation led to a joint venture, between the Department (today funding is provided by the Department of Transport), the Marine Institute, Met Éireann and the UK Met Office to position a network of automatic weather buoys around the coast of Ireland. This project began with the laying of the first offshore weather buoy off the Aran Islands in 2000, which has been followed by one buoy in each of the following six years—off the southwest coast of Cork, off Donegal Bay, Dublin Bay, off the southeast coast and finally some 200 miles out into the Atlantic at position M6.
“Like the original versions they replace,” says Dr Guy Westbrook of the Marine Institute’s Ocean Science Services Team, “each new buoy has a bright yellow body for high visibility, supporting a stainless steel superstructure carrying its satellite communication equipment and meteorological sensors. These sensors include an anemometer, which records hourly the speed of the wind in knots, - and a wind vane which records the average wind direction. They are also fitted with an electronic sensor to measure relative humidity, which is an important factor in measuring the saturation of the air with water vapour and in the prediction of rain and fog.”
As well as measuring conditions in the atmosphere, each buoy also monitors the temperature of the sea below it and the amount of salt it contains (the salinity), with a temperature and conductivity meter. These measurements are vital to the monitoring of ocean currents, to understanding global warming and potential climate change. “Anyone who has seen the film “The Day After Tomorrow” will have seen that the fictional weather disasters which overcame the USA and England were first predicted by a sudden dramatic drop in seawater temperature, as the North Atlantic gyre collapsed due to melting ice from the Arctic,” says Dr Westbrook. “Hopefully, this will never happen in reality”.
The film also depicted a gigantic tidal wave flooding New York. While this was another fictional event depicted by Hollywood, each of the six data buoys around the Irish coast is fitted with a “heave sensor” inside the hull of the buoy to measure significant wave height together with their “frequency”;which gives a measure of the speed of the waves as they move past the buoy. These readings allow meteorologists and oceanographers to predict any “storm surges” – dramatic increases in wave height that can pose a danger to mariners and offshore industries – albeit on a smaller scale than the fictional wave that flooded New York in the film. An example would be the flood that hit the Ringsend area of Dublin in February 2002.
The buoys also measured the highest recorded wave (17.2m) off the west coast during a storm surge in December 2007, which had been predicted by sophisticated computer-generated models allowing warnings to be given in advance, particularly to shore anglers and beach combers along the west coast.
All this information is transmitted to shore via satellite communication. This communication process starts with information from the sensors being collected from each buoy’s onboard Data Acquisition System, then transmitted via the Meteosat satellite to Meteosat Operations Control in Germany. The information is then loaded onto the Global Telecommunications System (GTS) so that meteorologists in different countries can access it for their forecasts.Once the data is on the GTS the UK Met Office download it and pass it to Met Eireann, who in turn upload it onto the Marine Institute website, where accurate positions of the buoys, as well as a host of other information, can be downloaded online from www.marine.ie/databouy ; this information is updated every hour.
The information provided by the buoys is invaluable to the Met Éireann weather forecasters who work out of the Central Analysis and Forecast Office (CAFO) in Glasnevin, Dublin. The hourly reports of pressure, wind speed, wave heights and temperature are used in real-time, 24 hours per day, for analysis of the current weather situation and for verification of the current forecasts and warnings. The buoy observations are plotted, along with weather observations made on land, and with observations from ships, on the hourly synoptic chart of Ireland, to produce the familiar frontal and isobaric charts (where high and low pressure regions are denoted through lines of equal atmospheric pressure) that appear in our television and newspaper forecasts.
Gerald Fleming, newly installed as Head of Forecasting with Met Éireann, noted that ‘there are a variety of weather observations available to our forecasters, some in the form of “remote” observations (such as those from weather satellites and radars) and some in the form of “ground truth” (of which the reports from the weather buoys are an example). Every source of weather information acts to reinforce and complement other sources; with weather observations the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts. The observations from the weather buoys put “flesh” on the skeletons of weather systems sketched out by weather satellite imagery. The buoys also have a very valuable role in helping to verify the predictions of wave height produced by Met Éireann’s own wave models.’
Atmospheric pressure reports from the marine buoys are also extremely important when storms form rapidly off the coast (as they did during the storm of August 1979, which devastated the Fastnet Yacht Race). Such rapid deepening of low pressure systems are very difficult for even the most advanced computer models to predict as not only do they occur over a relatively small area, and in a very short time span, but their direction of movement, once formed can be very erratic.
Real time pressure and wind reports from marine buoys can provide crucial information to a forecaster about the location, movement and “explosive” deepening of these depressions. It is very difficult to provide an accurate representation of conditions at sea through inference from land-based observations; the dynamics of air movement over land and sea are quite different. Without information from the offshore buoys, wind speeds at sea could well be underestimated and gales or storms at sea could be missed or underestimated by the forecasters on shore.
Finally, the buoys’ readings of both air and sea temperature offshore are important indicators of fog. All this information is brought together in the well-known “Sea Area Forecast” that covers coastal waters up to 30 nautical miles offshore, and is issued from Glasnevin four times a day. Observations from the buoys are included at the end of each forecast as published on the web. They are also available on the Weatherdial products from Met Éireann, and are read out during the VHF forecasts as broadcast by the Coast Guard.
In addition, measurements from the weather buoys are available in real time on the website www.marine.ie . This web page incorporates graphic representation of data, so that trends can be easily seen, as well as technical information on the buoys, their accurate positions and the latest detailed readings from each of the sensors. The web page displays also the real-time position of each of the Marine Institute’s two research vessels, Celtic Explorer and Celtic Voyager.
This infrastructure has been funded under the Marine RTDI Measure of the National Development Plan 2000-2006, co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). | <urn:uuid:d89bb6f2-3856-4112-b6e4-d3630200f2dc> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://www.marine.ie/Home/site-area/news-events/press-releases/weather-buoy-network-upgrade-begins?language=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875147116.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20200228073640-20200228103640-00353.warc.gz | en | 0.951937 | 1,762 | 2.890625 | 3 |
It’s February, and Valentine’s Day has come. Everywhere you look, there have been hearts in all shades of pink and red adorning gifts for loved ones and friends — roses, cards, flowers, and chocolate.
Chocolate is a staple of the season, often sold in red satin heart-shaped boxes. Though many might think of chocolate as a treat to be avoided, a little dark chocolate — in moderation — may in fact be good for your heart.
Chocolate is rich in a class of plant nutrients called flavinoids. Flavonoids are plant-derived antioxidants found in other cocoa products as well as in tea, wine, grains, nuts, and berries.
Native to the Americas, the cacao tree likely originated in the foothills of the Andes in the Amazon and Orinoco basins of South America, current-day Venezuela. Chocolate was then introduced to Europe by the Spanish, who also brought the cacao tree to the West Indies, Philippines and Africa. Swedish natural scientist Carl Linnaeus gave the cacao plant its botanical name, Thoebroma (“food of the gods”) cacao.
Flavanol-rich cocoa is thought to have a number of cardiovascular benefits. Hollenberg and his colleagues at the Harvard Medical School studied the effects of cocoa on Panama’s Kuna people, who are heavy consumers of cocoa. These researchers found that the Kuna Indians living on the islands had significantly lower rates of heart disease and cancer as compared to their counterparts on the mainland who did not consume cocoa as on the islands.
It is believed that increased blood flow following the consumption of flavanol-rich cocoa may be responsible for much of these health benefits.
According to a meta-analysis published in the 2007 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, cocoa-rich food products appear to reduce blood pressure. A study reporting on 15-year data for elderly men which appeared in the Archives of Internal Medicine in 2006 documents an astounding 50% reduction in cardiovascular mortality and 47% reduction in all-cause mortality for men regularly consuming the most cocoa, compared to those consuming the least cocoa from all sources.
Beth Klos RD, LDN, an outpatient senior nutritionist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, provides a few tips on incorporating cocoa-containing products into your diet in a healthy way:
- Limit yourself to a small piece of chocolate (one ounce), about one-third of a bar of chocolate. It is important to limit the intake to one ounce per day in children — be sure to watch the amount of sugar and fats.
- Choose dark chocolate (especially if not heavily processed) and new high-flavinoid chocolate or cocoa products rather than milk chocolate or Dutch-processed (alkalinized) chocolate products.
- Try a strawberry or any other piece of fresh fruit dipped in dark chocolate sauce.
Enjoy chocolate the healthy way.
Dr. Brotanek is a pediatrician with Ridgefield Pediatric Associates. | <urn:uuid:040bd711-75a6-4bda-b773-597f5e79b74a> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://www.theridgefieldpress.com/14506/kind-hearts-and-dark-chocolate/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218188550.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212948-00414-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945823 | 619 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Facebook Ditches Plan to Make High Altitude Internet Drones
In 2015, one of the most ambitious Facebook projects was unveiled – building a huge drone network capable of providing a free high-speed internet connection to those areas where infrastructure is not available.
Named Aquila, the high altitude platform station (HAPS) was intended to be powered solely by solar energy, thereby giving it the ability to fly autonomously for months on end.
Two successful full-scale flights were made, including one perfect landing.
When the social media giant began the project back in 2014 – centuries in terms of the pace at which aerial technologies are developed today – there were not many companies innovating in this space.
Today however, Facebook has instead said they will work together with aerospace giant Airbus, who recently announced they will launch their own HAPS system from a remote Western Australian airport.
Since head of the Aquila project, Andrew Cox, announced his departure in May, some suspected that changes to the project would eventuate.
It even became known, through some leaked emails, that a possible redesign for the drones would arrive, with one the size of a Boeing 747.
Instead, Facebook’s Director of Engineering Yael Maguire now says they will concentrate more specifically on components required to make high altitude internet connectivity a reality.
“Going forward, we’ll continue to work with partners like Airbus on HAPS connectivity generally, and on the other technologies needed to make this system work, like flight control computers and high-density batteries,” he writes.
Is bad news for staffers – the social media company has confirmed will close their facilities in Bridgewater, England, and will dismiss the entire team.
Ultimately however, the focus is still on connectivity for the social media giant, who have attracted over 2 billion users to their social networking platform to date.
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Tell us how we can improve this post? | <urn:uuid:e05f8baf-7d8a-4cd1-a552-5df52bc5ba29> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://dronebelow.com/2018/06/27/facebook-ditches-plan-to-make-high-altitude-internet-drones/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320300722.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20220118032342-20220118062342-00447.warc.gz | en | 0.961204 | 412 | 2.625 | 3 |
Walk your way to better health
- Health & Wellbeing
Hippocrates said that “walking is man’s best friend”. Nietzsche claimed that “all truly great thoughts are conceived while walking”. Thomas Jefferson insisted that “walking is the best possible exercise”. Are these just meaningless musings, or were they really on to something? Let’s take a closer look.
Stimulate the circulatory system
Getting in motion has obvious advantages for getting the heart rate up and the blood pumping, but there are also reports that it helps lower cholesterol and control high blood pressure. That’s good news for heart health and stroke risk reduction, but try to make it a brisk walk for at least 30 minutes a day to achieve some real benefits.
Want to help keep diseases like type 2 diabetes, asthma and some cancers at bay? Then take a walk. Experts say that pacing the pegs can have a positive impact on the risk of diabetes. It can also help prevent colon, breast and womb cancers.
Watching your weight
Walking may not be enough in itself to lose masses of weight, but keeping it regular and as vigorous as possible will certainly burn more calories than you may first think. Best of all, it’s so easy to do; no preparation or equipment required. Just put one foot after the other!
Defending against dementia
We all know the prevalence of dementia in our society, especially as we grow older. Studies show that there can be demonstrable reductions in dementia risk from regular activity such as walking.
Build up your bones
Walking obviously puts your body weight onto your lower limbs and in doing so it assists in preventing osteoporosis – a major issue for those of us getting on in years.
The intricate workings of our brain that keep us balanced when we are in motion are stimulated and improved when we walk – particularly on uneven surfaces, such as hiking trails. Train your brain and it will help prevent falls as we get older.
Open your mind
Walking certainly doesn’t take much concentration to execute, which leaves our brains free to think, create and problem-solve. Maybe Nietzsche really was right!
Our western lifestyle doesn’t really embrace the practice of sitting still and meditating all that well, but walking provides a great opportunity to allow your mind time to tune out from the tumult and give it space for serenity.
Any type of exercise is generally difficult for arthritis sufferers to bear, but walking can be a gentle alternative that can provide benefits to assist combating this condition.
Walking can help give you a lift in spirits and make you feel more alive, but it also helps you sleep more soundly. This, in turn can boost your energy levels and help you live life more fully.
Want more inspiration? Let your fingers do the walking here: | <urn:uuid:a1258fb1-7ccd-4928-aa92-09e2a2040c6e> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://www.wyza.com.au/articles/health/exercise/walk-your-way-to-better-health.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514573284.48/warc/CC-MAIN-20190918110932-20190918132932-00071.warc.gz | en | 0.937474 | 592 | 2.609375 | 3 |
The Everglades, rightly called, the “River of Grass”, consists of several interconnected rare ecosystem types like swamps, mangroves, and several islands with rare plants, and is also connected to the marine ecosystem of the Florida Bay. It is one of America’s largest and most threatened ecosystems, and has already been under restoration for almost a decade.
Humans have lived in Everglades, ever since it was an arid landscape and over the years developed into a complex network of ecosystems. Later, when development took over, the water was diverted towards cities. More than 50 % of the Everglades were transformed into cropland, the main crop being sugarcane. Ever since, a battle has been underway between the environment enthusiasts and the development sectors.
Not only is the restoration plan now facing a lack of concern, but also lacks co-ordination and is struggling to receive the committed funds from Congress. Development projects pose major threats. These are the problems faced by most conservation projects worldwide, and thus most of them don’t have a pragmatic impact.
Restoration ecology, is an emerging science, and failure of the largest restoration project in the world would be a disappointment, but more than that the loss of the incredible biodiversity at Everglades would be a dramatic letdown. | <urn:uuid:feed9739-e4b5-414c-8d75-c7eba294065f> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://drprem.com/guide/restoration-efforts-for-america-s-everglades-a-lost-cause/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439736972.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20200806151047-20200806181047-00291.warc.gz | en | 0.97345 | 271 | 3.953125 | 4 |
In 1846 the Donner Party, consisting of 89 men, women and children followed a fork of the Emigrant trail known as the California Trail to the area in order to attempt a crossing of Donner Pass. They arrived in late October but the heavy snows had already begun, making it impossible to continue. Their fascinating story may be learned by visiting the Donner Memorial State Park, west of Truckee on Donner Pass Road, near the east end of Donner Lake or by reading the excellent novel, “Trial by Hunger”.
The name Truckee came from a Paiute Indian guide. “Tro-kay” assisted emigrants coming across the Humboldt Sink. The Indian’s name sounded like “Tro-kay” to the white men, who dubbed him “Truckee.” He became a favorite of the white settlers who found him to be honest and helpful. Chief Truckee fought bravely alongside Col. John C. Fremont in the Mexican War and was the father of Chief Winnemucca.
Gold was discovered in Coloma in 1848 and silver in Virginia City in 1859. The Dutch Flat-Donner Lake Wagon Road was built during this time for commerce. The road ran from Sacramento over Donner Summit and into Nevada. It became the primary route for freight wagons and passenger coaches headed for the mines in Virginia City. Joseph Gray constructed a log station along the wagon road at the intersection of today’s Jibboom and Bridge streets by 1863.
George Schaffer and Joseph Gray built a toll bridge across the Truckee River. Henceforth his log cabin became known as Gray’s Toll Station. The cabin still exists, relocated to Church Street serving as an office building.
S.S. Coburn operated a stage station and public house for teamsters in 1865. Coburn himself was a metal smith. He arrived from Dutch Flat with knowledge of the exact route of the proposed railroad. The Central Pacific railroad did select Coburn’s Station as the advance camp for the railroad construction crews. Workmen filled the area overnight creating a bustling lumber town.
On April 12, 1868, the Nevada City Daily Transcript announced: ” ‘Coburn’s Station’ has been discarded by the people of that town and it is now called ‘Truckee.’ We learn from a correspondent that the post office has been discontinued at Donner Lake and a new one has been established at Truckee.”
By the time the first train chugged through on June 9, 1868, the new town of Truckee encompassed the entire area opposite today’s C.B. White House along both sides of the tracks, including fifty buildings (mostly saloons), a hotel and twenty stores. Inevitably on the morning of July 30, 1868 a fire broke out opposite Campbell’s tavern, destroying 50 buildings most of which were located on the south of the track.
Logging continued as a key industry in Trucke. In 1866, Joseph Gray and George Schaffer, Truckee’s first entrepeneurs built and operated the first lumber mill, which was located on the opposite side of the river. In 1871 Schaffer purchased Gray’s interest and built a larger mill in Martis Valley, three miles south of Truckee. He also constructed a huge millpond in Martis Valley that now forms part of the lake next to the golf course in the Lahontan residential development.
Schaffer’s mill supplied lumber to the mines of Virginia City as well as to the growing cities of Sacramento and San Francisco. Shaffer later moved his mill a third time to a location further south where he built a home for himself and his workers near the bottom of today’s Northstar at Tahoe ski area.
Life in early Truckee was always exciting. Gold was plentiful, saloons and gambling houses attracted desperados of all kinds. Gunfights in the streets occurred almost nightly, many of which were consequential to disputes that occurred along Jibboom Street’s red light district. Numerous accounts of violence were published in the Truckee Republican, many chronicling tales of Jibboom Street’s infamous ladies of the night whose names included “Carrie (Spring Chicken) Smith;” “La Belle Butler” and “Lotta Morton.”
Historian Robert O’Brien wrote In his book, “California Called Them” that, ” Truckee went its own independent way and promptly became a juvenile delinquent among the California mountain towns.”
“It was neither as raucous or as tough as Bodie,” writes O’Brien, “but it was trying hard for the same effect. The lights along Jibboom Street, a few steps from the main drag, were just as red as any that beckoned the swaggering, free-spending Bodie badmen. The nudes of the back bars of the front street saloons were just as lush as those you found in the plush-and-crystal bars along Virginia City’s C Street.
Unfortunately as time passed, the good old days of opium dens, gunplay, tar and featherings, vigilantes gave way to more civilizing influences. The growing success of the lumber mills brought forth new entrepreneurial challenges, while the solid citizens of Truckee went about building schools and churches.
The Trout Creek Ice Company was formed in 1897 and followed by other ice companies which competed in producing ice for rail shipments to the east. The railroad was a major industry for the town of Truckee, however the automobile would ultimately undermine its economic value.
By 1915, Truckee became a favorite area for winter sports, featuring a huge ice palace for ice-skating and dancing, a toboggan slide and ski jump. The Truckee Ski Club was formed and its members participated in many competitions. Special excursion trains brought thousands of visitors to the area to enjoy the fresh air and to frolic in the snow. “The Snowball Express” ran regularly from Sacramento. In 1960 Truckee made its international debut with the 1960 winter Olympics held in Squaw Valley, USA. | <urn:uuid:d786c0b2-0b53-4fea-94ed-057274295371> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | http://www.mattgelsorealestate.com/community/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585209.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20211018190451-20211018220451-00618.warc.gz | en | 0.977907 | 1,321 | 3.375 | 3 |
Chiropractic is concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of issues involving the musculoskeletal system, particularly the spine. It is a hands-on treatment, where chiropractors perform manipulations on soft tissues, joints, and the spine. A chiropractor’s field of expertise may extend into general lifestyle and health counseling.
With that said, chiropractic is a pseudo-science, and its practitioners are not medical doctors. Systemic reviews of studies done on treatments performed by chiropractors have not found any conclusive evidence that it is effective, with a possible exception for treatment of back pain. The positive effects may be the result of the placebo effect.
Not only is there little evidence that chiropractic works, but there is mounting evidence suggesting that it is detrimental to one’s health. For instance, chiropractic may cause headaches, and in extreme cases stroke or even death.
With the possible exception of seeking a chiropractor for treating back pain, we generally do not recommend chiropractic as a treatment for any body pain you are experiencing.
For more information on the facts and myths regarding chiropractic, read the articles below. | <urn:uuid:e6105d49-a432-4d0e-bc60-418487527e67> | CC-MAIN-2021-43 | https://muscledoc.org/alternative-medicine/chiropractic/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-43/segments/1634323585178.60/warc/CC-MAIN-20211017144318-20211017174318-00163.warc.gz | en | 0.925732 | 240 | 2.75 | 3 |
Natural approaches to prevention and treatment of infections of the lower urinary tract.
|Article Type:||Clinical report|
Urinary tract infections
Urinary tract infections (Care and treatment)
Urinary tract infections (Prevention)
Women (Health aspects)
|Author:||Head, Kathleen A.|
|Publication:||Name: Alternative Medicine Review Publisher: Thorne Research Inc. Audience: Academic; Professional Format: Magazine/Journal Subject: Health Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2008 Thorne Research Inc. ISSN: 1089-5159|
|Issue:||Date: Sept, 2008 Source Volume: 13 Source Issue: 3|
|Topic:||Event Code: 310 Science & research|
|Geographic:||Geographic Scope: United States Geographic Code: 1USA United States|
Infections of the lower urinary tract are common occurrences in young women, during pregnancy, and in peri- and postmenopausal women. Because of the chronic nature of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and the potential for antibiotic resistance, a natural approach to prevention and treatment is desirable. Clinical research suggests the best natural options for long-term prevention include cranberry, mannose, and probiotics. Botanicals that can be effective at the first sign of an infection and for short-term prophylaxis include berberine and uva ursi. Estriol cream and vitamins A and C have also been shown to prevent UTIs, while potassium salts can alkalinize the urine and reduce dysuria. (Altern Med Rev 2008;13(3):227-244)
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) account for 8.3 million doctor visits yearly in the United States and are the second-most common site for infection. Infections of the lower urinary tract (urethra and bladder) are common among women--affecting as many as one in five women at some time during their lifetime. Although UTIs are not as common in men, they can indicate an obstruction such as a stone or enlarged prostate; thus, they are uncommon in men under age 50. (1) The term UTI in this article refers to infections of the lower urinary tract--the bladder and urethra.
UTIs can chronically recur--20 percent of women who have one infection will have a recurrence. Of this group, 30 percent will have a third occurrence, and of this group, 80 percent have additional recurrences. In other words, the more infections one has had, the more likely another will occur. (1) Many women with chronic UTIs are on antibiotics more than off, running the risk of developing dysbiosis and antibiotic resistance.
Although UTIs can be asymptomatic, they commonly present with distressing symptoms, including frequent urge to urinate, pain on urination, pressure or pain above the pubic bone in the bladder even when not urinating, difficulty passing urine, and general symptoms of fatigue. In addition to painful urination and pyuria (white blood cells in the urine), men may experience a full sensation in the rectum. Children with UTIs can often be asymptomatic or present with less specific symptoms, such as irritability, incontinence, diarrhea, poor appetite, and fever. Signs include cloudy or milky urine that can be pink or reddish tinged if significant blood is present. A fever, flank pain, nausea, and vomiting are usually signs the infection has reached the kidneys, causing acute pyelonephritis. (1,2)
Risk factors for UTI include female gender, sexual activity, mode of birth control, menopause, diabetes, catheter use, and urinary tract obstruction (stone, tumor, strictures, or enlarged prostate). Voiding before and after intercourse, use of cotton underwear, and avoidance of feminine hygiene deodorants and scented toilet paper may decrease risk.
In college-age women, frequent sexual intercourse is a risk factor. In addition, it is not uncommon for a woman to have a UTI after her first sexual encounter ("honeymoon cystitis"). A case-control study compared 43 college-age women with UTIs to college-age controls--149 women with upper respiratory infections and 227 women receiving routine pelvic exams. Frequency of intercourse and diaphragm use during the previous three weeks were independently associated with increased risk for UTI. (3)
Another study comparing 237 UTI cases in college-age women to 1,404 college-age controls found frequent intercourse, diaphragm/spermicide use, and a new sexual partner increased the risk, while urinating before and after intercourse and vitamin C consumption appeared to decrease the risk. (4) Other studies have also found a strong correlation between sexual activity and diaphragm/spermicide use in both symptomatic (5) and asymptomatic bacteriuric (6) college-age women.
Another study examined college women experiencing a UTI for the first time, comparing 86 cases of UTI with 288 student controls. Intercourse and condom use were associated with increased risk--a single sex act with a condom in the previous two weeks increased the risk by 43 percent. On the other hand, cranberry juice consumption decreased the risk after adjusting for sexual behavior (odds ratio (OR) = 0.48). (7)
It is estimated that eight percent of women experience a UTI during pregnancy; (8) UTIs being the most common bacterial infection in pregnancy. (9) Bacterial vaginosis increases the risk for developing a UTI in both pregnant (10) and nonpregnant (11) women.
A UTI during pregnancy can increase risk of other complications for mother or fetus. A UTI is more likely to spread to the kidneys during pregnancy, due in part to ureteral dilation and resultant hydronephrosis. The ureters dilate in 90 percent of women during pregnancy. (8) In addition, occurrence of a UTI during pregnancy increases the risk for preeclampsia (OR = 1.57). (12) Asymptomatic bacteriuria increases the risk for pre-term labor and low birth-weight babies. (13)
Peri- and Postmenopausal Women/ Diabetes
A cohort of 1,017 menopausal women were followed for two years, during which time 138 urinary tract infections occurred. Significant risk factors included diabetes treated with insulin (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.4) and a history of six or more previous UTIs (HR = 6.9). Borderline risk factors included a history of kidney stones (HR = 1.9) and asymptomatic bacteriuria at baseline (HR = 1.9). Factors that did not affect risk included vaginal dryness, use of cranberry juice, urinary incontinence, sexual activity, post-sex voiding, and vaginal bacterial flora. (14)
The relationship between diabetes and risk for UTI was further examined in a group of postmenopausal women ages 55-75. In this case-control study of 901 women reporting UTIs compared to 913 matched controls, 13.1 percent in the UTI group were diabetic compared to 6.8 percent in the control group. (15) Some of these same researchers followed 218 diabetic women and 799 nondiabetic women (ages 55-75 in both groups) for four years. UTI incidence was 12.2 per 100 person-years in the diabetic group and 6.7 in the non-diabetic group. Incidence of asymptomatic bacteriuria was 6.7 and 3.0 per 100 person-years in diabetics and nondiabetics, respectively. (16)
The Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study examined the effect of hormone replacement on cardiovascular health in 2,763 women ages 44-79 with established heart disease. The effect of hormone replacement on other health risks, including UTIs, was also examined. While hormone replacement had no statistically significant effect on UTI risk, the factors that did impact risk included diabetes (treated with insulin (OR = 1.81) or oral medication (OR = 1.44)), poor health in general (OR = 1.34), childbirth (OR = 1.38), vaginal dryness (OR = 1.30), vaginal itching (OR = 1.63), and urge incontinence (OR = 1.51). The most significant risk factors were previous urinary tract infections in the past year (OR = 7.0) and history of multiple urinary tract infections (OR = 18.51). (17)
Although the urinary tract is normally a sterile environment, bacteria can migrate to the urethra from the rectum or vagina. Normally; 105 organisms per mL of urine from a midstream catch are indicative of an infection. Cases, however, can be symptomatic with lower bacterial counts ([10.sup.2]-[10.sup.4]/mL).
Most infections are bacterial, the most common etiological agent being gram-negative bacilli. Escherichia coli (E. coli) accounts for 80 percent of UTIs, (2) while other gram-negative bacilli, including Klebsiella pneumonia, Proteus mirabilis, and Enterobacter aerogenes contribute somewhat less to incidence. (2) Gram-positive cocci account for fewer UTIs than gram-negative bacilli. Among the organisms involved are Staphylococcus saprophyticus (responsible for 10-15 percent of UTIs in college-age women), Enterococci, and Staphylococcus aureus (most common in individuals with stones or who have been catheterized). (2) Because the majority of UTIs are bacterial in origin, they are most commonly treated conventionally with antibiotics during the acute episode. In addition, it is not uncommon to use antibiotics for long-term prophylaxis for individuals with recurrent infections.
Approximately one-third of women with dysuria and other UTI symptoms have "sterile urine"--with or without pyuria (white blood cells in the urine). In the case of sterile urine and pyuria, the causative agents are often sexually transmitted--Neisseria gonorrhea or Chlamydia trachomatis. Non-bacterial etiological factors include mycoplasma (Ureaplasma urealyticum or Mycoplasma bominis), adenovirus, and Candida albicans (especially in diabetics or catheterized patients).
The female urethra is particularly prone to bacterial infection via migration from the anus or vagina. Normal, nonpathogenic flora of the vagina and urethra include Lactobacilli, Streptococcal sp., Staphylococcal sp., and diphtheroids. The ability of pathogenic bacteria to colonize is associated with altered vaginal and colonic flora, due to other genital infections and use of antibiotics and spermicides. Loss of Lactobacilli, which produce [H.sub.2][O.sub.2], facilitates colonization of E. coli. In addition to Lactobacilli, the urine itself normally prevents infection via antibacterial and flushing mechanisms. (2)
E. coli, the most common pathogen associated with UTIs, has been studied extensively to determine virulence factors. One factor essential to its infective potential is its ability to adhere to epithelial cells of the urinary tract. Both E. coli and Proteus attach to uroepithelial cells by proteinaceous appendages called fimbriae. (2) E. coli adheres to uroepithelial cells via type 1 pili--long, hairy-surface organelles with a mannosebinding FimH, which is a protein component at the fimbrae end that acts as an adhesive. (18) Bacterial attachment results in a cascade of events involving elaboration of interleukin-6 and -8, which influences leukocyte infiltration. (2)
[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]
Botanical Interventions for Lower Urinary Tract Infections
While antibiotics are used to treat and prevent recurrent urinary tract infections, frequent antibiotic use can result in vaginal and intestinal dysbiosis as well as antibiotic resistance. Thus, it is desirable to seek alternative methods of prevention and treatment of simple UTIs. Table 1 summarizes the best-researched botanical interventions.
Vaccinium macrocarpon (Cranberry)
The cranberry (Figure 1) has been used in folk medicine for centuries as a treatment for diseases of the urinary tract. It was once thought to benefit UTIs because hippuric acid in cranberries has the potential to acidify the urine. However, a more complete understanding of the pathogenesis of UTIs has led to a greater understanding of the mechanisms of action of cranberry in prevention and treatment--as an anti-adhesion agent. Cranberries have been found effective in the form of pure juice, sugared cocktail, and capsules and tableted extracts.
Women of All Ages
In a one-year study of 150 sexually active women (ages 21-72), subjects were assigned to one of three groups: organic cranberry juice plus placebo tablets, cranberry tablets plus placebo juice, or placebo tablets and placebo juice. Juice dose was 250 mL three times daily, while tablets were taken twice daily. Both cranberry juice and tablets resulted in a decrease in antibiotic use compared to placebo and a statistically significant 20- and 18-percent decrease, respectively, in number of subjects experiencing at least one UTI during the year. (19)
In another study, 38 elderly individuals (nine men; 29 women) were assigned to drink 15 mL cranberry juice mixed in water or plain water (same amount of total liquid) twice daily for one month and then crossed over to the other treatment regimen for another month. Because of significant dropout, only seven subjects were available for analysis. The participants experienced less incidence of bacteriuria when consuming cranberry juice compared to water. (20)
In a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial (RCT), 153 elderly women (mean age 78.5) were given daily beverages consisting of 300 mL cranberry juice cocktail (Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.; Lakeville, MA) or a placebo beverage with the same look, taste, and vitamin C content but without cranberry. Urine samples were collected at baseline and at monthly intervals for six months and tested for bacteriuria (defined as [10.sup.5] organisms/mL) and pyuria. The women in the cranberry-drink group experienced significantly less bacteriuria with pyuria (OR = 0.42; p = 0.004) than the placebo-drink group. Improvements were not a result of change in urine pH since the placebo group had an average urine pH of 5.5 and the cranberry-juice group had an average pH of 6.0. (21)
Another study examined the effect of daily ingestion of 300 mL cranberry juice cocktail (Light Cranberry Juice Cocktail, Ocean Spray; 10 g sugar per serving, but contains sucralose) or matching placebo beverage on UTI incidence in a group of 376 elderly, hospital in-patients of both genders. Twice as many individuals experienced a UTI in the placebo group (14/189) than the cranberry group (7/187) (RR = 0.51; p = 0.122). Because of the relatively few infections in this large group the result did not reach statistical significance. The effect of cranberry juice consumption was statistically significant, however, when only E. coli infections were considered (13 infections in the placebo group compared to four in the cranberry group; RR = 0.31; p = 0.027). (22)
Patients with Neurogenic Bladder
Biofilm is created by adhesion of bacteria overgrowth to the inner bladder wall. In a pilot study of 15 spinal cord injury patients, who are susceptible to bladder infections due to paralysis and resultant ineffectual bladder emptying and catheterization, one glass of cranberry juice three times daily for seven days significantly reduced the biofilm load. This was associated with a reduction of adhesion of both gram-negative and grampositive bacteria. On the other hand, one glass of water three times daily for seven days was not associated with a decrease in biofilm load. (23)
Cranberry extract in tablet form has also been tested in patients with neurogenic bladder due to spinal cord injury. In a crossover RCT, 21 subjects were assigned to tablets containing 400 mg cranberry extract three times daily or placebo for four weeks. After a one-week washout period, they were switched to the opposite group for an additional four weeks. Urine was checked weekly for bacteria, white blood cells, and pH. No significant difference in any parameter was noted between the cranberry or placebo periods. (24)
In an RCT with crossover design, 15 children receiving frequent catheterization for neurogenic bladder were assigned to cranberry juice or placebo juice for three months, then crossed over for an additional three months. Urine pH and incidence of bacteriuria and symptomatic infection were assessed weekly. Both the placebo and cranberryjuice periods yielded a 75-percent rate of positive cultures (120/160 samples in the cranberry juice group and 114/151 samples in the placebo group). In addition, there was no significant difference in pH between groups (5.5 in the placebo group and 6.0 in the cranberry group). Each group experienced three symptomatic infections. (25)
In another study of pediatric neurogenic bladder, 40 children (21 completed the study) were given 15 mL/kg body weight/day cranberry juice cocktail or water for six months, then switched for another six months. There were no differences between groups in regard to number of infections. (26)
Meta-Analysis of Cranberry Trials
A meta-analysis of 10 trials using the Cochrane criteria for inclusion summarized the cranberry trials. Of the 10 trials, five were crossover and five were parallel group studies. Cranberry juice was used in seven trials, while tablets were used in four (one trial used both). The conclusion reached is that cranberry significantly reduces the incidence of UTIs over a 12-month period. It seems to be most effective in women with recurrent infections than for the elderly (both genders); individuals with neurogenic bladder do not appear to derive much benefit from cranberry juice. (27)
Combination Treatment: Cranberry-Lingonberry Juice or Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG
A combination of cranberry and Vaccinium vitis-idaea (lingonberry) juice was compared to a Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG beverage or no intervention in 150 women with diagnosed E. coli UTIs, recruited from a university health clinic or university hospital staff. The fruit juice group consumed 50 mL cranberry-lingonberry juice (7.5 g cranberry concentrate and 1.7 g lingonberry concentrate; no added sugar) daily for six months, while the other group consumed a 100-mL Lactobacillus drink five days/week; a third group served as a control. The preventive treatment was started after the infection had cleared with antibiotic treatment. During the six months of the trial, there was a 20-percent reduction in UTI incidence in the cranberry group (eight cases; 16%) compared to the Lactobacillus (19 cases; 39%) and control (18 cases; 36%) groups (probiotic prophylaxis is discussed in more detail below). (28)
Mechanism of Action of Cranberry in UTIs
The studies cited above have not found reasonable consumption of cranberry juice or tablets lowers urine pH. Thus, experts no longer adhere solely to the concept of bacteriostatic acids in cranberry providing the mechanism of UTI prevention. (29) Not all studies, however, show no change in pH with cranberry. In a crossover study of eight multiple sclerosis patients, 1,000 mg ascorbic acid and 12 ounces cranberry juice was more effective at lowering urine pH than 1,000 mg ascorbic acid and 12 ounces orange juice. (30)
As early as the 1980s, the concept of cranberry's inhibition of bacterial adherence to the bladder wall was being studied. One investigation examined the effect of cranberry juice on E. coli adherence in vitro, in an animal model, and in a clinical setting. Cranberry juice inhibited adherence of 75 percent of 77 E. coli isolates in vitro. Urine from mice given cranberry juice for 14 days demonstrated 80-percent inhibition of E. coli to uroepithelial cells. In a clinical setting, 15 of 22 subjects given 15 ounces cranberry juice demonstrated significant anti-adherence activity in urine 1-3 hours after juice consumption. (31)
An RCT compared the effects of four beverages on E. coli adhesion in 20 healthy volunteers (10 women and 10 men). Each subject took each beverage in random order with a six-day washout period between test beverages: 750 mL cranberry juice; 250 mL cranberry juice plus 500 mL mineral water; 250 mL placebo plus 500 mL mineral water; and 750 mL placebo. First morning urine was collected and six pathogenic E. coli strains introduced. A dose-dependent anti-adhesion effect was noted in the cranberry juice samples. (32)
Another study examined the anti-adhesion effect of dried cranberries compared to raisins in five women with culture-confirmed E. coli UTIs. Dried cranberries (42.5 g) resulted in 50-percent inhibition of adhesion in one woman, 25 percent in two women, and no effect in two women. None of the control urine samples or samples after ingestion of 42.5 g raisins demonstrated any effect. (33)
The proanthocyanidins in cranberry are suspected of preventing E. coli adhesion, and the fact they contain an A-type linkage is believed to be key to this function. Other plant extracts also contain proanthocyanidins, but contain B-type linkages. An ex vivo/in vitro study compared the anti-adhesion effect of cranberry proanthocyanidins with A-type linkages to green tea, grape juice, apple juice, and dark chocolate--all containing proanthocyanidins with type-B linkages. Cranberry juice demonstrated inhibition of adhesion at a concentration of 60 mcg/mL. Grape juice required a much greater concentration of 1,200 mcg/mL to show inhibition; neither dark chocolate nor green tea afforded any inhibition. (34)
Safety During Pregnancy
A literature review on safety of cranberry juice during pregnancy was conducted by the University of Toronto's School of Pharmacy. Included in the literature review was a survey of 400 pregnant women that disclosed no adverse events associated with consumption of cranberry in any form. Given its safety profile, the authors concluded cranberry is a valuable tool for prevention of UTIs during pregnancy. (35)
Cranberry Effect on Oxalate Production
Cranberries are relatively high in oxalic acid, a substance best avoided by individuals with a tendency to form calcium-oxalate kidney stones. In a study of five healthy volunteers, urine was collected for 24 hours and tested for oxalates, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, citrate, urate, creatinine, and pH. Following seven days of cranberry tablet supplementation (at manufacturer's suggested dosage) urine was collected for another 24 hours. Urinary oxalates were significantly increased by an average of 43.4 percent (p = 0.01). In addition, calcium, phosphate, and sodium ions were increased (other risk factors for stone formation); however, magnesium and potassium, preventive for stone formation, were also increased. (36)
Potential Drug Interactions
Occasional case reports have indicated a possible connection between cranberry juice consumption and enhanced effects of Coumadin (warfarin)--increasing the international normalized ratio (INR); thus increasing bleeding potential. (37) In a study conducted on 12 healthy male volunteers, a single dose of 25 mg warfarin after two weeks of pretreatment with cranberry juice extract (two 500-mg capsules of cranberry concentrate three times daily) significantly increased the INR area under the curve (AUC) by 30 percent, compared to warfarin alone. (38)
Other studies have found no interaction between cranberry and warfarin. A crossover RCT of seven subjects with atrial fibrillation stabilized on warfarin for three months found no significant difference in INR between cranberry juice (250 mL daily) consumption for seven days and baseline or cranberry juice compared to placebo. Each subject was randomly assigned to each regimen for seven days with a seven-day washout period in between. (39)
In a study of healthy volunteers given 200 mL cranberry juice or water three times daily for 10 days, cranberry did not affect the metabolism of drugs given on day 5, including 10 mg warfarin (metabolized by CYP2C9 isoenzyme), 1 mg tizanidine (metabolized by CYP1A2), and 0.5 mg midazolam (metabolized by CYP3A4). Cranberry juice ingestion also did not affect the anticoagulant effect of warfarin. (40) Another study found no effect clinically of cranberry juice consumption on CYP29C isoenzyme activity. (41)
Because of conflicting data on the effect of cranberry consumption on INR in patients on warfarin, close monitoring of patients when initially starting a cranberryjuice regimen may be indicated.
Vaccinium myrtillus (Bilberry; Blueberry)
Although Vaccinium myrtillus extracts have not been subjected to the same extensive study for UTIs as cranberry, evidence indicates constituents of blueberry juice possess some of the same anti-adhesive effects. Unlike guava, mango, orange, grapefruit, or pineapple, bilberry constituents can bind competitively to the same uroepithelial cells as bacteria. (42,43)
A study examined the effect of cranberry, blueberry, mango, melon, peach, plum, or raspberry on the ability of oral bacteria to aggregate and thus colonize. Although cranberry inhibited bacterial aggregation the most strongly, blueberry juice exhibited weak anti-aggregation effects; the other juices showed no effect. (44)
Berberine is a plant alkaloid with a long history of medicinal use in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine. It is present in many plants, including Hydrastis canadensis (goldenseal), Coptis chinensis (Coptis or goldenthread), Berberis acluifolium (Oregon grape; Mahonia aquifolium), Berberis vulgaris (barberry), and Berberis aristata (tree turmeric). Berberine is found in the root, rhizome, and stem bark of the plants. Berberine extracts and decoctions demonstrate significant antimicrobial activity against a variety of organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoans, helminths, and Chlamydia.
Direct Antibacterial Effects of Berberine and other Alkaloids
Berberine demonstrates direct antibacterial effects in vitro. Berberine extracted from Berberis aquifolium demonstrates growth inhibition of several bacteria, including both sensitive and resistant E. coli. Bacteria inhibited in this study in order of inhibition were: Staphylococcus aureus > Pseudomonas aeruginosa (sensitive) > E. coli (sensitive) > Pseudomonas aeruginosa (resistant) > E. coli (resistant) > Bacillus subtilis. (45)
Hydrastis canadensis (70% alcoholic extract) and its isolated alkaloids berberine, canadine, and canadaline demonstrate in vitro bacteriocidal activity against E. coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. (46)
[FIGURE 2 OMITTED]
Berberine and related alkaloids from Coptis chinensis also demonstrate antimicrobial effects against E. coli. The inhibitory effect of these constituents in order of potency is: berberine > coptisine > palmatine. (47)
Development of antibiotic resistance continues to be an ongoing concern. Therefore, research continues on herbal extracts that may provide novel antibacterial approaches. A 2008 study identified a novel protein (FtsZ) involved in the first stage of bacterial cell division that is targeted by berberine. (48)
Berberine Prevents E. coli Adhesion
In urinary tract infections, the anti-infective activity of berberine is believed to be at least in part due to its ability to prevent adhesion to uroepithelial cells. In one ex vivo/in vitro study, a urinary pathogenic strain of E. coli was isolated from infected patients and cultured. Grown in culture for 18 hours, an electron micrograph showed E. coli heavily covered with fimbrial filaments. When E. coli was cultured for 18 hours in the presence of 200 mcg/mL berberine sulfate, fimbrial synthesis was completely inhibited (Figure 2). No other bacterial proteins appeared to be affected. (49) Some of these same researchers found berberine sulfate also inhibits the capacity of Streptococcus pyogenes to adhere to host cells. (50)
Cyclophosphamides are chemotherapeutic agents used in the treatment of cancer and rheumatoid arthritis and to prevent transplant rejection. Hemorrhagic cystitis, a side effect of these drugs, contributes to significant morbidity and even mortality when high doses are used. A single dose of berberine (200 mg/kg body weight) or two doses of 100 mg/kg body weight completely protected rat bladders from hemorrhagic cystitis induced by cyclophosphamides. (51)
Indirect Effects of Berberine on UTIs
Because infection of the urinary tract with E. coli often results from bacterial migration from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, treatment of GI-associated E. coli can indirectly impact UTI potential. In a clinical study, 63 Bangladeshi men with enterotoxic E. coli diarrhea were randomly assigned to one dose of 400 mg berberine sulfate (n = 33) or placebo (n = 30). During the eight hours following treatment, subjects in the berberine group experienced significant decrease in stool volume compared to the placebo group, which persisted throughout the 24-hour observational period (48% decrease; p < 0.05). In addition, significantly more patients in the berberine group stopped having diarrhea within 24 hours of treatment (42% versus 20%; p<0.05). (52) Animal models demonstrate berberine's antisecretory effect on E. coli-induced diarrhea in mice, rabbits, (53) and pigs. (54) Successful treatment of intestinal dysbiosis by the antimicrobial and antisecretory effect of berberine may be preventive for urinary tract infections.
Berberine usage should be avoided in pregnancy due to potential for causing uterine contractions and miscarriage and in jaundiced neonates because of its bilirubin displacement properties.
Arctostaphylos uva ursi (Bearberry)
Biochemistry and Metabolism of Uva ursi
Uva ursi is one of the most commonly used antimicrobial botanicals for UTIs. The antimicrobial constituent is believed to be the aglycone hydroquinone of arbutin, which is released in alkaline urine. (55) For optimum results, the urine pH should be at least 8. Increased urine alkalinity can often be achieved by a high vegetable diet; however, in some cases consumption of 6-8 g sodium bicarbonate in water daily may be necessary. (56)
A study of 16 healthy volunteers found a driedleaf extract of uva ursi resulted in significant urinary arbutin (64.8% of arbutin consumed in tablet form and 66.7% of arbutin in an aqueous solution). (57)
Mechanisms of Action
Uva ursi impacts urinary tract infections by virtue of its antimicrobial effect. Two studies available in German (58) and Polish (59) and discussed by other authors (59,60) examined the urine from patients given extracts of uva ursi or isolated arbutin. Activity was demonstrated against "E. coli, Proteus mirabilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and 70 other urinary tract bacteria." (60) According to Werbach, (61) "Frohne found the crude extract of uva ursi to be of more benefit as an antimicrobial than arbutin."
The antimicrobial effect appears to be in part due to the capacity of aqueous uva ursi extracts to change microbial cell surface characteristics. In a study of 40 E. coli strains extracted from urine of patients with pyelonephritis or calves and pigs with diarrhea, uva ursi or St. John's wort significantly increased the hydrophobicity of the microbial cell surface, decreasing the ability of bacteria to adhere to the host. (62)
Uva ursi also appears to have diuretic and anti-inflammatory effects. An animal study found uva ursi significantly increased urine output without affecting sodium or potassium excretion. (63) In another animal model, uva ursi extracts and arbutin isolate demonstrated inhibition of inflammation, both alone and as an additive effect with prednisolone. (64)
Although uva ursi is commonly used successfully for UTI treatment, no studies have been conducted to confirm its efficacy. However, one clinical study indicates its effectiveness for UTI prevention. In an RCT, 57 women (ages 32-63) with chronic UTIs (at least three infections during the preceding year) were assigned to UVA-E extract (n = 30) or placebo (n = 27) for one month, then followed for one year. UVA-E consists of standardized extracts of uva ursi leaf and dandelion root and leaf (the latter providing diuretic effects). A statistically significant difference in occurrence of infection was noted at the end of one year--5 of 27 in the placebo group compared to 0 of 30 in the uva ursi/ dandelion group. (65) Uva ursi is best used at the first sign of an infection or for short-term prophylaxis. Note in the above study the women took uva ursi for only one month, despite the fact they were followed for one year.
Barosma betulina (buchu) has a long history of use in urinary tract infections. In addition to its diuretic effect, (66) in vitro evidence suggests it has an antimicrobial effect against certain urinary pathogens. (67) It has been used traditionally for catarrhal cystitis and urethritis. (68)
In an in vitro study, essential oil extracted from Salvia officinalis inhibited several urinary pathogens extracted from urine samples provided by individuals with UTIs. Salvia demonstrated 100-percent inhibition of Klebsiella and Enterobacter species, 96-percent inhibition of E. coli, 83-percent inhibition of Proteus mirabilis, and 75-percent inhibition of Morganella morganii. (69)
While not directly impacting urinary tract infections, herbs such as Sabal serrulata (saw palmetto) and Urtica dioica (stinging nettle) can be preventive of UTIs in older men by improving urinary flow and ameliorating other lower urinary tract symptoms associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia. (70)
Many other herbs have been used successfully for treatment of UTIs but lack scientific research. Table 2 lists several of these herbs.
Nutrient Interventions for Lower Urinary Tract Infections
Ascorbic acid was tested for its effect on UTI prevention during pregnancy. In a single-blind trial, 110 pregnant women were divided into two groups (55 in each group): one group received 200 mg ferrous sulfate, 5 mg folic acid, and 100 mg vitamin C daily, while a second group received only 200 mg ferrous sulfate and 5 mg folic acid daily for three months; urine was cultured monthly. Occurrence of UTIs was significantly lower in the group receiving vitamin C (12.7%) than the group without vitamin C (29.1%) (p = 0.03; OR = 0.35). (72)
In an RCT the effectiveness of vitamin A for prevention of UTIs was tested in 24 children, 12 in the vitamin A group and 12 in the placebo group (average age 7.6 years in the treatment group; 8.0 in the placebo group). During a UTI, those in the treatment group received 200,000 IU vitamin A in addition to 10 days of antimicrobial therapy, while the placebo group received just antimicrobial therapy in addition to placebo. Both groups were followed for one year and continued on "antimicrobial prophylaxis." Table 3 illustrates the infection rates in the treatment versus placebo groups. The difference before and after treatment in the vitamin A group was statistically significant. (73)
Potassium or sodium citrate salts can be effective means of alkalinizing the urine. Alkaline urine can provide significant benefit for UTI symptoms, particularly dysuria. In a study of 205 women with UTIs, 48 hours of sodium citrate significantly improved symptoms in 80 percent of women who presented with bacteriuria. Failure to respond can signify significant bacteriuria. (74)
Alkalinizing the urine can also provide a more effective environment for certain botanicals, including uva ursi and berberine, to function.
Citrate salts can also be of benefit for urinary candidiasis, a condition associated with indwelling catheters. In a study of hospitalized patients with catheter-associated urinary Candida infection, 16 of 18 experienced significant increase in urinary pH and disappearance of Candida after oral potassium-sodium-hydrogen-citrate for two days to one month (average seven days). (75)
D-mannose is a simple sugar that prevents adherence of certain bacterial strains to uroepithelial cells of the bladder. In vitro research has identified a mannose-specific lectin on the surface of adherent strains of E. coli. (76) Other in vitro research has elucidated the adherence mechanism. D-mannose is apparently the primary bladder cell receptor site for uropathogenic E. coli. The first step in adhesion involves the mannose-sensitive binding of FimH (adhesin at the tip of type 1 pili of E. coli, for example) to bladder epithelium. (77) One in vitro study found aromatic alpha-glycosides of mannose to be more effective inhibitors of E. coli adherence than alpha-methyl-mannoside. (78)
In a mouse model, alpha-D-mannose not only blocked adhesion of E. coli but also prevented invasion into bladder cells and subsequent formation of biofilm. (18) D-mannose inhibited adherence of 25 of 66 (42%) E. coli strains isolated from vaginal or buccal epithelial cells from women with recurrent UTIs. (79) In a study of urinary tract epithelial cells collected from voided urine from healthy women, a 2.5-percent concentration of D-mannose, D-mannitol, or alpha-methyl-D-mannoside completely inhibited E. coli adherence. The same concentration of D-lyxose, D-arabinose, D-fructose, and D-glyceraldehyde only partially inhibited adherence. Also, only partial inhibition was achieved by lower concentrations (0.1-1.0 percent) of mannose, mannitol, and mannoside. (80)
In a Finnish case-control study, 139 women in a university setting (students or faculty) who presented to the university clinic with acute UTI were compared to 185 controls who had not had a UTI for at least five years. A dietary questionnaire was completed by all participants. Fresh fruit juice consumption resulted in protection from UTIs (OR=0.66 per 2 dL of juice); a preference for berry juice in the Vaccinium family improved the odds even more (OR=0.28). Fermented dairy products containing probiotics were also protective with consumption [greater than or equal to] 3 times weekly compared to <1 time weekly yielding an OR of 0.21. Consumption of coffee, tea, non-fermented milk products, and soft drinks had no significant effect on UTI frequency. (81)
In an epidemiological study at the University of California at Berkeley, urine was cultured from 99 women with acute UTIs. Bacterial drug resistance was determined as well as subjects' dietary habits. Women with E. coli UTI resistant to [greater than or equal to] 2 antibiotics were significantly more likely to have eaten poultry [greater than or equal to] 4 days per week (OR=3.7). Specific antibiotic resistance was also examined. Women with ampicillin-resistant E. coli were 3.5 times as likely to have eaten chicken, while pork consumption [greater than or equal to] 1-3 times weekly was associated with ampicillin- and cephalosporin-resistant E. coli (OR=3.2). Frequent alcohol consumption ([greater than or equal to] 1-3 days/ week) was also associated with UTIs resistant to ampicillin and cephalosporin. The authors speculated on the possibility of meat acting as a reservoir for E. coll. Foods that did not yield an increased risk for an antimicrobial-resistant infection included organic meats, organic produce, fish, raw meat, and alfalfa sprouts. Situations that did not appear to increase risk included location of meals (home, cafeteria, etc.), childcare providers, pet owners, frequency of sexual intercourse, and recent history of diarrhea. (82)
Probiotics for UTI Prevention
A number of probiotics have been studied for effectiveness in prevention of recurrent UTIs. Because E. coli, the primary pathogen involved in UTIs, travels from the intestines and/or vagina to inhabit the normally sterile urinary tract, improving the gut or vaginal flora can impact the urinary tract.
Mechanisms of Action of Probiotics for UTIs
An in vitro study examined 15 Lactobacillus species to determine the ability to inhibit growth and block uropathogenic bacterial adherence to vaginal epithelial cells. Lactobacillus crispatus was the species that demonstrated the strongest capacity to block bacterial adhesion. Of the pathogenic bacteria tested, Klebsiella pneumoniae and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were most susceptible to blockage, while Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis were most resistant. The various Lactobacillus species showed similar inhibitory effects; Pseudomonas was the most readily inhibited, while Enterococcus species E15 was the least inhibited. (83)
Since previous research indicated Lactobacillus crispatus was the species most likely to block bacterial adherence, it was tested for the ability to adhere to vaginal epithelium, a necessary step in the capacity to prevent pathogenic bacterial overgrowth. Vaginal epithelial cells from 51 women with a history of recurrent UTIs and 51 women without UTI history, combined in vitro with L. crispatus, were found to be very adherent to Lactobacillus. Interestingly, the adherence was stronger in women with chronic UTI history (50.5 organisms/cell) than in women without chronic UTIs (39.4 organisms/cell). (84)
Another in vitro study examined the antagonistic effect of five Lactobacillus strains against six pathogenic bacteria, including some uropathogens. While a pyelonephritic E. coli strain was sensitive to Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium lactis Bb12, and Bifidobacterium longus 46, no lower urinary tract cystitis E. coli were affected significantly. (85)
A safety study of Lactobacillus crispatus vaginal suppositories was conducted on macaque monkeys, which are used extensively as a human vaginal physiology model. A one-time application was well tolerated with no changes on colposcopy and resulted in colonization of beneficial flora in three of eight monkeys. (86)
A Lactobacillus species specific to the murine model, Lactobacillus murinus, was able to partially inhibit growth of Proteus mirabilis (a common uropathogen in catheterized individuals) in mouse bladder and kidneys. When used as treatment for already existing infection, it decreased bacterial counts in the bladder but not the kidneys. (87)
Lactobacillus Vaginal Suppositories for Prevention of UTI
Several clinical studies with varying outcomes have examined the effect of probiotic suppositories for prevention of UTIs. In a small pilot study, nine women (mean age 57.2) with recurrent UTIs ([greater than or equal to] 2 in the past year) used a Lactobacillus crispatus vaginal suppository every other night for one year. Infection rates were decreased from 5.0 [+ or -] 1.6 in the year prior to treatment to 1.3 [+ or -] 1.2 during the year of treatment (p = 0.0007). (88)
In a somewhat larger study, 41 women with acute UTIs were treated with antibiotics (norfloxacin or trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole) for three days, although recurrence occurred in 29 and 41 percent of patients in the norfloxacin and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole groups, respectively. Individuals were randomized to Lactobacillus suppositories (L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum B-24) or placebo suppositories (sterilized skim milk) twice weekly for two weeks, then once at the end of each of the next two months. Recurrence was 21 percent in the Lactobacillus group compared to 47 percent in the placebo group. (89) The same group of researchers conducted a follow-up study comparing the effects of suppositories containing the same Lactobacillus species as the previous study with suppositories containing Lactobacillus growth factor (to enhance growth of already existing Lactobacilli). Fifty-five women (mean age 34; [greater than or equal to] 4 UTIs in past 12 months) were randomly selected to Lactobacillus or growth factor suppositories once weekly for 12 months. At the end of 12 months both groups exhibited a 73-percent lower incidence of UTIs than in the 12 months prior to study onset (1.6/patient and 1.3/patient in the Lactobacillus and growth factor groups, respectively). (90)
Not all studies of the use of probiotic suppositories for UTI prevention have yielded positive results. In an RCT, 47 women (mean age 37; [greater than or equal to] 3 UTIs in the previous 12 months) were assigned to Lactobacillus (L. rhamnosus or L. casei (4 cases)) or placebo suppositories--twice weekly for 26 weeks. No significant difference was noted on monthly UTI incidence between treatment and placebo groups (0.21 and 0.15, respectively). (91)
In another RCT, 30 women (ages 18-35) with a median UTI incidence of three in the previous year were randomized to receive L. crispatus suppositories or placebo suppositories once daily for five days and followed for six months. Four women (in one place the authors said two women) in the treatment group and one in the placebo arm reported one or more incidents of cystitis. No severe negative effects were reported, although seven women in the treatment group and none in the placebo group experienced asymptomatic pyuria. The authors reported the study was "not designed or statistically powered to evaluate the effect of L. crispatus CTV-05 on the rate of UTI recurrence." (92)
Oral Probiotics for UTI Prevention
In order for oral probiotic supplementation to benefit UTI risk, the bacteria must be able to colonize the intestinal tract and/or the urovaginal region. In a study of 10 women, L. rhamnosus GR-1 and L. fermentum RC-14 given twice daily for 14 days resulted in bacterial recovery from vaginal tissue within one week of commencing supplementation. (93)
Oral probiotic supplementation has been shown to benefit pediatric populations. In a multi-center RTC in 12 neonatal intensive care units, 585 preterm newborns were randomized to oral Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (n=295) or placebo (n=290) once daily until discharge (average 47.3 and 48.2 days, respectively). Incidence of UTIs in the Lactobacillus group was 3.4 percent compared to 5.8 percent in the placebo group--clinically, but apparently not statistically, significant. (94)
In a case report, a six-year-old girl with no urinary tract anatomical abnormalities experienced three consecutive UTIs--once a month for three months. She was treated with increasingly potent antibiotic regimens and each episode was more serious--the last two spreading to her kidneys. After the third episode and antibiotic treatment, urine was negative for E. coli but feces was positive for a uropathogenic strain of E. coil At that point the patient was given L. acidopbilus DDS-1 twice daily for one month, followed by once daily for five months. After two months, the stool was negative for the pathogenic strain of E. coli. During probiotic treatment the girl had no UTI recurrence. However, probiotics were then discontinued and she experienced a UTI within two weeks--caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae. (95)
Children are particularly susceptible to UTIs caused by bacterial migration from the intestinal tract. In a study of children and teenagers (14 boys, 10 girls; ages 3-16) supplementation of the probiotic yeast Saccharomyces boulardii resulted in a significant decrease in E. coli colonies in the stool. S. boulardii once daily for five days resulted in a decrease from an average of 384,625 colonies (measured in g/mL of stool) prior to treatment to an average of 6,283 after treatment. (96)
Estriol for UTI Prevention
Hormone waning in postmenopausal women results in thinning of the vaginal and urethral mucosa, disruption of the normal vaginal flora, and increased risk for UTIs. In fact, 10-15 percent of women over age 60 suffer from recurrent UTIs. In an RCT, 93 postmenopausal women with recurrent UTIs were randomized to receive intravaginal estriol cream (n=50/36 completed) or placebo cream (n=43/24 completed). The cream (0.5 mg estriol or placebo) was inserted once nightly for two weeks followed by twice weekly for eight months. The incidence of UTI in the estriol group was significantly lower than the placebo group (0.5 episodes per patient year in the estriol group compared to 5.9 episodes in the placebo group). Lactobacilli, which had been absent in all vaginal cultures at the beginning of the trial, reappeared in 61 percent of the estriol group but none of the placebo group. (97)
Simple, uncomplicated infections of the lower urinary tract are common occurrences, particularly in sexually active young women, during pregnancy, and in peri- and postmenopausal women. The conventional approach, after urine dipstick or culture, is to treat with antibiotics at the first sign of an infection. In addition, women with chronically recurring infections are often prescribed long-term antibiotic treatment, contributing to gut and vaginal dysbiosis and antibiotic resistance.
Numerous clinical studies indicate several natural substances may provide effective prophylaxis in the case of recurrent infection. Nutrients and botanicals that have demonstrated the greatest effectiveness include cranberry, berberine, and probiotics. Other interventions with some positive clinical evidence but requiring further study include uva ursi, vitamins C and A, mannose, and estriol cream. In addition, numerous botanicals lacking in clinical research have a long history of successful use in the treatment of UTIs. Table 4 summarizes nutrients and other non-botanical approaches to prevention and treatment of UTIs.
While most clinical research has examined the effect of natural substances for prevention of UTIs, the mechanisms of action (primarily anti-adherence) and clinical experience of health care practitioners demonstrate effectiveness when used acutely, particularly at the first sign of infection. Botanicals and botanical extracts that can be particularly effective for acute use, but not intended for long-term use, include berberine and uva ursi; whereas, cranberry, mannose, probiotics, and estriol are suitable for long-term prevention.
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Kathleen A. Head, ND Technical Advisor, Theme Research, Inc.; editor-in-chief, Alternative Medicine Review.
Correspondence address: Thorne Research, PO Box 25, Dover, ID 83825 E-mail: email@example.com
Table 1. Botanicals for Prevention and Treatment of UTIs Treatment Intervention Dosage Vaccinium Cranberry juice 300 mL daily for six macrocarpon cocktail or placebo months (Cranberry) beverage Low-sugar cranberry 300 mL daily until juice cocktail w/ onset of first UTI aspartame or placebo beverage Juice cocktail or 15 mL/kg (children) placebo beverage Cranberry juice w/ 15 mL twice daily x 4 water or water alone wk, then crossed over Tablets 400 mg three times daily x 4 wk Cranberry- Juice concentrate (no 50 mL (7.5 g Lingonberry added sugar), Lacto- cranberry/1.7 g bacillus rhamnosus, lingonberry) daily x 6 or no intervention mo; or 100 mL Lacto- bacillus drink 5 d/wk Berberine sulfate Oral administration 400 mg (one dose) 200 mg/kg (one dose) 200 mcg/mL for 18 hr Arctostaphylos UVA-E: standardized 3 tablets 3x/d for 1 uva ursi w/ extracts of uva ursi mo; followed 1 yr Taraxacum offici- nalis leaf and dandelion herb and root; oral Strength of Treatment Results/Population Research Vaccinium Prevention of UTIs in elderly RCT (n=153) macrocarpon women (Cranberry) Prevention of UTIs in elderly RCT (n=376) men and women (hx of UTI not a prerequisite) * No effect in children with Small crossover neurogenic bladder study (n=15) Decreased bacteriuria during Small crossover cranberry consumption study (n=38) No improvement in patients RCT crossover with neurogenic bladder (n=21) Cranberry- Prevention of UTI in Case control Lingonberry college-age women (n=150) Berberine sulfate Indirect; men with RCT (n=63) enterotoxic E. coli diarrhea; stopped diarrhea which can indirectly affect migration to urinary tract Prevented Animal study cyclophosphamide-induced hemorrhagic cystitis in rats Direct growth inhibition of in vitro E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa Inhibition of fimbrial in vitro synthesis (anti-adhesion) Arctostaphylos Prevention in women RCT (n=57) uva ursi w/ Taraxacum offici- nalis * Unless otherwise indicated, study populations had a history of recurrent UTIs Table 2. Herbs Used in Traditional Folk Medicine for Treatment of UTIs Herb: Latin name Properties Specific Indications (common name) Agrimonia eupatoria Astringent; (agrimony) diuretic (68) Althea officinalis Mucilaginous Soothe irritated (marshmallow) uroepithelium (56) Apium graveolens Diuretic (56) (celery seed) Arctium lappa Antimicrobial; E. Coli (68) (burdock) diuretic (68) Elymus repens Antimicrobial; Urethritis and cystitis (couchgrass) diuretic (68) with inflammation (68) Hydrangea aborescens Antilithic; Cystitis with stone (hydrangea) diuretic irritation (68) Juniperus communis Diuretic/ (juniper) aquaretic (56) Mentha piperita Antispasmodic (71) (peppermint) Taraxacum officinalis Diuretic (56) (dandelion) leaf Ulmus fulva Mucilaginous Soothe irritated (slippery elm) uroepithelium (56) Zea mays (corn silk) Diuretic/ aquaretic (56) Table 3. Infection Rates: Vitamin A versus Placebo Six months prior First six months to study of study Treatment group 3.58 [+ or -] 0.42 0.75 [+ or -] 0.21 Control group 2.75 [+ or -] 0.27 2.83 [+ or -] 0.42 Second six months of study Treatment group 1.75 [+ or -] 0.30 Control group 2.66 [+ or -] 0.35 Table 4. Nutrients, Probiotics, and Other Natural Approaches to Prevention of UTIs Form/Route of Dosage/Length of Treatment Administration Study Vitamin C Oral ascorbic acid w/ 100 mg ascorbate or w/o ferrous sulfate daily for 3 mo (w/ or & folic acid w/o 200 mg ferrous sulfate & 5 mg folic acid) Vitamin A Antimicrobial therapy One 200,000 IU dose w/ oral vitamin A or vitamin A or placebo placebo during during infection infection D-Mannose Direct bladder inocu- Incubation of E. coli lation via catheteriza- with 5mM HM tion of heptyl-[alpha]-D- mannose (HM) Uroepithelial cells Incubated with 2.5% from healthy women concentration of extracted from D-mannose, voided urine D-mannitol, or [alpha]-methyl- D-mannoside Probiotics Lactobacillus Insertion every other crispatus; vaginal night for 1 yr suppository L. rhamnosus and Insertion twice weekly L. fermentum or for 2 wk; then once at placebo; vaginal the end of each of the suppository next 2 mo L. rhamnosus and Insertion once weekly L. fermentum or for 12 mo Lactobacillus growth factor; vaginal suppository Lactobacillus rhamno- Once daily from birth sus GG or placebo; until discharge oral (average 47.5 days) Saccharomyces Once daily for 5 days boulardii; oral Estriol Estriol or placebo Cream applied once intravaginal cream nightly for 2 wk; then twice weekly for 8 mo Results of Treatment: Strength of Treatment Population Research Vitamin C Prevention of UTIs in Single-blind trial pregnant women (n=110; 55 in each group) Vitamin A Prevention of UTIs in Small RCT (n=24) children D-Mannose Prevention of adherence Animal study of E. coli to mouse bladder epithelium Complete inhibition of ex vivo/ in vitro E. coli adherence to cells from healthy women Probiotics Prevention of UTI (mean Small pilot study age 57.2) (n=9) Prevention of UTIs RCT (n=41) Prevention of UTIs (mean RCT (n=55) age 34) Prevention of UTIs in Multi-center RCT preterm infants (n=585) Decrease of E. coli Small pilot study colonization in stool of (n=24) children (ages 3-16 yr) Estriol Prevention of UTI, RCT (n=93; 60 increase in Lactobacillus completed) in postmenopausal women
|Gale Copyright:||Copyright 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.| | <urn:uuid:519736fc-0822-4f38-a250-a702954f44fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.biomedsearch.com/article/Natural-approaches-to-prevention-treatment/187494439.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386163052641/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204131732-00074-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.880561 | 17,916 | 2.609375 | 3 |
The Island of Yap
Yap is a lush tropical island located just 9 degrees north of the equator. Unlike many South Pacific islands, Yap is an uplifted portion of the Asian Continental Shelf. It is surrounded by a broad shallow lagoon and nearly 90 miles of barrier reef.
Long before Yap became famous in the diving community for it’s Manta Rays, it was known as the Land of Stone Money. The huge disks of stone, some over 12 feet (3.5 meters) in diameter are still used today in major transactions. Our land tours will show you banks of stone money, villages, and Men’s Houses, faluw, constructed in the traditional style.
The dances of Yap tell stories and relate the history of the island. By learning the dances, children learn about the ancient heritage of their people. Dances are performed every week, and Manta Ray Bay Hotel can arrange a tour for you to witness them and see a bit of village life.
Yapese traditions are still taught to all children. The islanders are determined to ensure that their culture does not succumb to westernization. While the island has modern facilities, many Yapese still live an idyllic traditional lifestyle.
Every village has a Men’s House constructed of large logs, bamboo, and thatch where visitors from other villages who have strayed too far to reach home before dark can spend the night. The men meet in the evening to tell stories and educate the village boys in the arts of fishing, sailing and crafts. | <urn:uuid:1acdf5b3-746b-4918-9928-5725b2443cf5> | CC-MAIN-2021-21 | https://www.mantaray.com/the-island/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-21/segments/1620243989856.11/warc/CC-MAIN-20210511184216-20210511214216-00044.warc.gz | en | 0.971485 | 321 | 2.65625 | 3 |
This raw, unprocessed image of Enceladus was taken on April 14, 2012 and received on Earth April 15, 2012. The camera was pointing toward Enceladus at approximately 165996 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the CL1 and CL2 filters. The image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the Planetary Data System in 2013.
The Cassini Solstice Mission is a joint United States and European endeavor. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging team consists of scientists from the US, England, France, and Germany. The imaging operations center and team lead (Dr. C. Porco) are based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. | <urn:uuid:eb20c179-627f-4e7b-8841-816d85af32d9> | CC-MAIN-2014-42 | http://www.ciclops.org/view/7147/Enceladus_Rev_164_Raw_Preview_2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-42/segments/1414637900030.8/warc/CC-MAIN-20141030025820-00013-ip-10-16-133-185.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951205 | 193 | 2.75 | 3 |
Part of A Practical Guide to Complementary Therapies for People Living With HIV
People living with HIV/AIDS (PHAs) have a history of being active in their own health care. Since the HIV epidemic began, PHAs and their supporters have advocated for effective, available treatments. Rooted in the activism of the feminist and gay communities, AIDS activists promoted the idea that individuals living with HIV should not only have access to all potentially effective therapies but also the right to make informed choices about which treatments to use, including complementary therapies. Since Western medical science offered no cure and few treatments for AIDS, PHAs were open to other options, and a tradition of gathering and sharing treatment information began. Complementary therapies were particularly appealing to this community because they emphasize personalized treatment based on individual needs rather than standardized treatment for a specific diagnosis. This focus on individualized decision-making and treatment continues to be a valued part of complementary therapy for many PHAs.
Although we still have no cure, antiretroviral drugs have given many PHAs hope and renewed health. These drugs have also brought a new and daunting range of side effects, and, more and more, PHAs are looking to complementary therapies to cope. The result is that PHAs are increasingly making health decisions that integrate conventional and complementary approaches. Spurred on by the realities of difficult drug treatment schedules and side effects, the HIV movement is similarly increasing its focus on issues concerning quality of life. Many PHAs value treatment options that offer support beyond the physical impact of disease. Complementary therapies often offer a holistic approach. Holistic treatments explicitly connect the physical, mental, spiritual, emotional and sexual dimensions of life and promote the idea that healing must occur on all levels in order to take place on any one level.
These ideas are becoming part of the larger Canadian culture. Health promotion campaigns encourage Canadians to take charge of their own health and treatment decision-making. A resurgence of interest in spirituality has led many Canadians to look at health and well-being holistically and to connect physical health with the spiritual, emotional and mental aspects of life. The attitudes of government, conventional physicians and pharmacists are slowly changing, opening the way for the spread of more information about complementary therapies.
As well, increasing numbers of Canadians born outside of Canada are familiar with medical practices used instead of, or in conjunction with, conventional Western medicine in their country of origin. These immigrant communities have become valuable sources of complementary therapy practitioners for Canadians of all cultural backgrounds. PHAs from within these ethnocultural communities may think of the therapies called "complementary" in this guide as simply the expected norms of medical treatment. They may also draw additional strength from using therapies founded on their own spiritual and cultural traditions.
Here's one simple definition: those medical practices that fall outside conventional Western medicine. Complementary therapies include mind-body therapies, in which the power of the mind or the spirit is harnessed to heal the body. They also encompass touch therapies, which involve massage and other forms of physical manipulation performed by practitioners to promote healing. And they comprise physical agents that are eaten, inhaled or rubbed on the skin.
A specific complementary therapy may contain any or all of these elements. For example, aromatherapists use essential oils, which are inhaled or rubbed on the skin and are often used in massage. The process of heating and inhaling these oils includes a meditative component that many people think of as mind-body therapy.
Some people prefer the term alternative medicine to complementary therapies, and the abbreviation CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) is being used increasingly. Another term is complementary and alternative health care, or CAHC. These terms refer to the same spectrum of medical options. The words used reflect the different attitudes and experiences of the people speaking. For example, people who use the medical practices described in this guide instead of conventional Western medicines would be more likely to use the term alternative. The term complementary therapies implies that these treatments are used with conventional medicine. Still others use the term integrative medicine to strongly state the importance they place on integrating elements of conventional and complementary medicines into a more unified approach.
Knowledge based on individual stories rather than hard data is called anecdotal information. This information can be collected and shared by practitioners or (as often happens with PHAs) the people using the treatments. Anecdotal information is an important component of both complementary and conventional medicine. In conventional medicine, such observation may reveal new uses for existing treatments or identify unforeseen side effects.
In complementary medicine, anecdotal information is often recorded and compiled to form a base of information about the likely outcome of a treatment. Anecdotal information has limitations. It is based on the experience of individuals; how these experiences apply to others is often difficult to judge.
Although much of Western medical practice was developed from anecdotal information, the current standard for a Western medical treatment is a double-blind placebo-controlled trial. In such a study, a group of people with the same medical condition believe they are being given the same treatment. Placebos (fake treatments) are used by some trial participants, but no one knows who is getting the real treatment. The study is called double-blind because even the physicians and researchers who collect the results are not told which participants received placebos. This method is intended to eliminate biases based on the expectations of researchers and participants and to gather statistical evidence about how often we can expect the treatment to work. Some complementary therapies can and are being tested in double-blind placebo-controlled trials. This is particularly true outside of Canada. Unfortunately, various factors often hamper complementary therapies trials:
Practitioners and producers of complementary therapies rarely have the financial resources of a drug company. Even when they do, most complementary medicines can't be patented, so there is less financial incentive to pay for trials.
Western scientists skilled in performing controlled clinical trials are often skeptical about complementary medicines. Due to this skepticism, trials of complementary therapies do not build a researcher's prestige in the same way that a typical drug trial might.
Complementary therapy practitioners and users have not participated in many controlled clinical trials. As well, practitioners schooled in medical systems with established bodies of knowledge (such as traditional Chinese medicine) may see little need to re-examine these therapies to comply with Western medical standards. Western medical researchers, on the other hand, may see little need to study complementary therapies when a Western medical treatment exists.
A controlled trial requires a purified, consistent dose of the treatment. In the case of some complementary therapies, this purified form is not available. In others, practitioners and users believe the therapy is most effective in its natural "unpure" state.
Some solutions to these problems are emerging. Governments are now more willing to dedicate resources to the study of complementary therapies. For example, the federal government of Canada has targeted funding for research on natural health products through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and through the Natural Health Products Directorate. Other research funds are also targeting complementary therapy research. In some cases, trial methods may need to be adapted to study complementary therapies effectively. All of these efforts will require collaboration between Western scientists and complementary therapy practitioners to produce reputable results.
In this guide, we discuss many different therapies and various types of practitioners. Only some of these practitioners are regulated by legislation. Health care, including complementary therapies, is regulated at the provincial level in Canada. That means provincial parliaments pass laws empowering governing bodies to set educational requirements and other standards for practitioners. In some cases, practitioners must be licensed, and only those holding a licence may practise. This is the case for chiropractors in most parts of Canada. Other professions have "protected title" legislation. For example, in Ontario, anyone can give a massage, but only those with specific credentials can call themselves registered massage therapists.
In each section of this guide, we give information about the regulations that apply to practitioners in that discipline.
When applicable, we outline education standards for practitioners, which readers may also use to judge unregulated practitioners. See Bonnie and Craig Harden's excellent book, Alternative Health Care: The Canadian Directory, for more information about the regulations that apply to complementary practitioners and an extensive listing of local and national professional organizations.
In response to growing concerns about the regulatory environment for herbal remedies, Health Canada developed a new regulatory framework for natural health products, which came into effect January 1, 2004.
This framework is the product of extensive consultation with a range of stakeholders. Previously natural health products were sold as either drugs or foods under the Foods and Drugs Act and Regulations. The new Natural Health Products Regulations call for improved labelling, good manufacturing practices, product and site licensing, and provision for a full range of health claims that will be supported by evidence.
The products that fall within the new Regulations include herbal remedies, homeopathic medicines, vitamins, minerals, traditional medicines, probiotics, amino acids and essential fatty acids. All natural health products in Canada require a product licence before being marketed. For site licensing, there is a two year transition period (2004-2005) and for product licensing, a six year transition period (2004-2009) for products who already have drug identification numbers (DIN). This will allow manufacturers, labellers, packagers, importers and distributors time to meet the new requirements.
Obtaining a product license will require detailed information on the product submitted to Health Canada, including medicinal ingredients, source, potency, non-medicinal ingredients and recommended use. Once a product has been assessed by Health Canada, the product label will bear a product licence number preceded by the distinct letters NPN, or, in the case of a homeopathic medicine, by the letters DIN-HM. The product licence number on the label will inform consumers that the product has been reviewed and approved by Health Canada for safety and efficacy.
With improved, standardized labelling, consumers will be able to make more informed decisions about the natural health products they buy. Labels will be required to specify directions for use, the recommended use or purpose (health claim), medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients, and any cautions, contra-indications or known adverse reactions associated with the product.
For further information on the regulatory framework, contact:
Natural Health Products Directorate, Health Canada
This guide is a brief overview of many complementary therapies used by PHAs. Estimates of the numbers of PHAs using these therapies vary widely according to who is studied, the questions they're asked and how the investigators define complementary therapies. For example, a recent study of the HIV Ontario Observational Database reported that 89 per cent of PHAs enrolled in its database used complementary therapies. A 1997 study described a random sample of PHAs living in British Columbia and reported that 39 per cent used some form of complementary therapy. Complementary therapy use appears to be increasing in Canada. At the 1999 Canadian Association for HIV Research conference, B.C. researchers reported that recorded use of complementary therapies among PHAs had effectively doubled in the last four years.
The reasons for complementary therapy use have also changed for PHAs. Before the introduction of combination drug therapies for the management of HIV infection, complementary therapies were mainly used to prevent opportunistic infections and boost immunity. With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) as an effective way to manage HIV infection, complementary therapies are now being used by PHAs to improve general well-being, reduce symptoms and manage the side effects of HAART. (The use of a range conventional and complementary therapies in the management of drug side effects is discussed in the CATIE publication, A Practical Guide to HIV Drug Side Effects for People Living with HIV.)
Recent studies indicate that almost all PHAs using complementary therapies do so in conjunction with conventional drug therapies (HAART). Combining complementary therapies with conventional drugs raises new challenges around the potential for adverse interactions between them. These interactions can lead to increased side effects and/or toxicity. They can also reduce the effectiveness of HAART, possibly leading to drug resistance and treatment failure. It is therefore important to discuss your use of complementary therapies with your doctor and pharmacist, as well as your use of drug therapies with your complementary therapist.
This Practical Guide is part of a series and is meant to be used in conjunction with the other guides. The other titles are:
CATIE's publications are available free.
This article was provided by Canadian AIDS Treatment Information Exchange. Visit CATIE's Web site to find out more about their activities, publications and services. | <urn:uuid:4636700b-1dab-4109-81b6-0bb125efbaca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebody.com/content/art46545.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947492 | 2,553 | 3.109375 | 3 |
[Throughout this Exhibit, click on any thumbnail image, to see a larger image.]
Curator, Playing Card Museum
The U.S. Playing Card Company
The oldest known playing cards, comparable to the modern kind, came from China about 1000 A.D.
The card suits all symbolized aspects of money: Coins, Strings of Coins, Rich Persons. Each Suit had a hierarchy of nine cards. The idea of the card deck traveled ever westward, and it evolved as it adapted to the local cultures. Cards reached the Middle East by 1200. | <urn:uuid:a78d44e5-ae8d-4717-8cde-ceeb49ef9d0d> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://digitalprojects.libraries.uc.edu/napc99/PlayingCardsExhibit/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500825174.42/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021345-00244-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.926347 | 115 | 2.984375 | 3 |
Losing a limb life altering is probably one of the worst things that can happen to anyone of us. It’s not necessarily because we lose a part of us, as it is more the fact that we lose our mobility, the ability to do the things we would normally do on a daily basis. The best solution, in this case, would be a prosthetics, which is meant to replace the missing limb and make a person whole again. But, as we know, prosthetics don’t come with a small price tag and the ones they do are not very practical. The arm prosthetics most people afford, for example, make your body look complete, but they are almost useless, as you can’t use them as you would use your hand.
Robotic hands, however, are a much better choice if one wants to regain the ability to perform chores like having two hands once again. But, this type of prosthetics is in a price range that can hardly be reached by most amputees. Such a prosthetic, with multi-grip properties, can have a starting price of £3,000, which is a considerable amount of money. Luckily, the students of a university in Manchester managed to come up with an incredible prosthetic meant to replace lost arms, which has a more than accessible production price. Created with the help of 3-D printing technology, the prosthetic requires the amount of just £307 to be made, which means that high-end prosthetics will soon be available to anyone that needs them.
Why is this solution so great? Well, just think about the fact that this robotic arm can move like a real arm from all points of view. Each finger and joint of the robotic arm are posable, which means that they can bend in a natural way, performing the movements of an arm with ease. Thus, for instance, it is not an impossible task to make a fist with the help of this prosthetics. Besides this, one can do pretty much any task he or she used to do before losing a limb, which is using a fork and knife when eating, drinking a cup of water, opening a door, and even using the mouse of a computer. Furthermore, with the help of this robotic arm, people can even enjoy the game of rock-paper-scissors. Yes, the prosthetics were made to be useful and practical, helping an amputee lead a normal life.
How does this robotic arm work? It is moved with the help of sensors placed on the amputee’s muscles. The prosthetic can also be paired with a mobile app so that it can be adjusted according to the preference of the user. Still, the signals coming from the arm’s muscles, as they contract and move, make the robotic arm to react as well, so it is extremely simple to be used. This way, playing the chosen strategy in rock-paper-scissors is going to be a piece of cake. | <urn:uuid:963021c1-e7f8-4869-9e44-b4f3a8de9bf6> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://www.wrpsa.com/students-have-invented-the-cheapest-arm-prosthetic-ever-and-it-can-even-play-rock-paper-scissors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560628000575.75/warc/CC-MAIN-20190626214837-20190627000837-00386.warc.gz | en | 0.96722 | 611 | 2.84375 | 3 |
Community resilience, or the sustained ability of a community to withstand and recover from adversity (e.g., economic stress, influenza pandemic, man-made or natural disasters), has become a key policy issue, especially in recent years (HHS, 2009; The White House, 2010; DHS, 2010). This emphasis on resilience is being embraced at federal (Department of Health and Human Services [HHS], Department of Homeland Security [DHS], the White House), state, and local levels. The National Health Security Strategy (NHSS) (HHS, 2009) identifies community resilience as critical to national health security, i.e., ensuring that the nation is prepared for, protected from, and able to respond to and recover from incidents with potentially negative health consequences. Given that resources are limited in the wake of an emergency, it is increasingly recognized that communities may need to be on their own after an emergency before help arrives, and thus need to build resilience before an emergency. Resilience is also considered critical to a community’s ability to reduce long recovery periods after an emergency, which can otherwise require a significant amount of time and resources at the federal, state, and local levels.
While there is general consensus that community resilience is defined as the ability of communities to withstand and mitigate the stress of a disaster, there is less clarity on the precise resilience-building process. In other words, we have limited understanding about the components that can be changed or the “levers” for action that enable communities to recover more quickly. The literature to date has identified factors likely to be correlated with achieving resilience for communities, including reducing pre-disaster vulnerabilities and conducting pre-event prevention activities to minimize the negative consequences of disaster; however, these domains have been rather broad and lack the specificity required for implementation. Further, community resilience in the context of health security represents a unique intersection of preparedness/emergency management, traditional public health, and community development, with its emphasis on preventive care, health promotion, and community capacity-building. Thus, addressing the national goal of building community resilience (as outlined in the NHSS) offers an opportunity for communities to identify and build on the public health activities that local health departments and their partners are already pursuing. Community resilience is a relatively new term for the public health community, but it captures and expands upon many traditional themes in emergency preparedness as well as general health promotion. In the context of today’s resource-limited environment where efficiency is critical, communities can identify and leverage the activities that are already in place to further build resilience.
Although the importance of community resilience to health security is widely recognized, understanding how to leverage existing programs and resources to build community resilience is a significant challenge. Important community tools have been developed to assist communities in enhancing aspects of resilience, and they should be used. They include the Community Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) and the work by the Community and Regional Resilience Institute (CARRI).
However, a roadmap or initial list of activities that communities could implement to bolster community resilience specific to national health security is still needed. Several important assumptions motivate the need for this roadmap. Despite progress in identifying the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of community resilience, a working definition of community resilience in the context of health security has been lacking. Further, we acknowledge that communities have been implementing many strategies to enhance their resilience. However, it is difficult for local health departments and their partners to synthesize the wealth of information from the current body of literature and place it within the context of national health security in a way that will inform local planning. To date, communities have minimal opportunity to share activities for building or enhancing community resilience and to discuss whether and how government and nongovernmental actors should be involved. Further, it is currently unclear how to measure community resilience to assess the level of progress toward achieving greater health security.
This report provides an initial model of options for building community resilience in key areas. Note that in certain circumstances, communities have already undertaken activities similar to those listed herein. This report is intended to be comprehensive, and therefore it provides a menu of options that can be prioritized.
The report is intended principally for community leaders developing a local strategy for building resilience. These leaders include government and nongovernment actors who may be part of local emergency planning committees or related community planning teams. Given the limited evidence base on what activities are most effective for bolstering community resilience, the report is not intended as an implementation guide or “how to” toolkit. Although the goal of the report is to provide information to motivate local planning, it will be incumbent upon communities to critically review the information, assess the activities they are already undertaking, select from newly identified activities with attention to which activities are feasible given resource constraints, develop locally driven plans, test activities, and share lessons learned with other communities.
For this study, we performed three tasks: (1) conducted a substantive literature review, (2) convened six stakeholder focus groups across the United States, and (3) held three meetings with relevant subject matter experts (SMEs). The definition of community resilience and the activities we outline here for achieving resilience were created in consultation with outside experts representing various stakeholder groups in public health, medicine, social services, and emergency management.
Definition of Community Resilience in the Context of National Health Security
Community resilience entails the ongoing and developing capacity of the community to account for its vulnerabilities and develop capabilities that aid that community in (1) preventing, withstanding, and mitigating the stress of a health incident; (2) recovering in a way that restores the community to a state of self-sufficiency and at least the same level of health and social functioning after a health incident; and (3) using knowledge from a past response to strengthen the community’s ability to withstand the next health incident. The definition draws upon both the literature review (Norris, 2008; Chandra et al., 2010; HHS, 2009; HHS, 2010), as well as discussions with focus group participants.
Key components or “building blocks” of community resilience that affect both a community’s pre-event vulnerability to disaster and its adaptive capacity to recover include the physical and psychological health of the population; social and economic well-being; individual, family, and community knowledge and attitudes regarding self-reliance and self-help; effective risk communication; level of social integration of government and nongovernmental organizations in planning, response, and recovery; and the social connectedness of community members. In order to build community resilience, a community must develop capabilities in the following areas: active engagement of community stakeholders in health event planning and personal preparedness, development of social networks, creation of health-promoting opportunities to improve the physical and psychological health of the community (as well as to address disparities in health across subgroups), plans and programs that address and support the functional needs of at-risk individuals (including children), institution of plans to respond effectively to the post-disaster physical and psychological health needs of community members, and rebuilding plans for health and social systems that can be activated immediately.
The definition emphasizes the following concepts, which focus group participants suggested would be evident in a resilient community:
- Engagement at the community level, including a sense of cohesiveness and neighborhood involvement or integration
- Partnership among organizations, including integrated pre-event planning, exercises, and agreements
- Sustained local leadership supported by partnership with state and federal government
- Effective and culturally relevant education about risks
- Optimal community health and access to quality health services
- Integration of preparedness and wellness
- Rapid restoration of services and social networks
- Individual-level preparedness and self-sufficiency
- Targeted strategies that empower and engage vulnerable populations
- Financial resiliency of families and businesses, and efficient leveraging of resources for recovery.
We acknowledge that the definition of “community” can widely vary; it can be a geographic term or can be bounded by membership to a cultural group. Although it will be important for local planning teams to define community boundaries with community stakeholders, for the purpose of this roadmap, we primarily use a geographic definition guided by the catchment area of the local health department (e.g., city/county/parish/municipality).
Levers for Building Community Resilience
To identify key activities for building and strengthening community resilience, we drew on findings from the literature review, focus groups, and SME meetings to define eight “levers” that can be used by communities to strengthen community resilience in the context of the health security. These levers are shown in the rounded boxes in Figure 1.
Levers and Core Components of Community Resilience
The levers are designed to strengthen the five core components (shown in rectangular boxes), which are correlated with community resilience in the specific context of enhancing health security or public health preparedness. The components are the main domains or factors associated with community resilience, such as the health of the population. The levers are the means of reaching the components, such as improving a population’s access to health services. The levers are highlighted in boldface type below:
- Wellness and access contribute to the development of the social and economic well-being of a community and the physical and psychological health of the population.
- Specific to the disaster experience, education can be used to improve effective risk communication, engagement and self-sufficiency are needed to build social connectedness, and partnership helps ensure that government and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are integrated and involved in resilience-building and disaster planning.
- Quality and efficiency are ongoing levers that cut across all levers and core components of community resilience.
Activities for Building Community Resilience
Because activities related to the levers strengthen each of the components of community resilience, a community moves closer to achieving community resilience as it conducts more activities. This process is shown in a circle in Figure 1 because developing resilience is not static but rather is an iterative and ongoing process.
This report describes suggested activities that communities can use or build on to strengthen community resilience in specific areas. The activities presented in the report offer a range of ideas that can be implemented by communities according to their specific needs. It will be important for communities to use the roadmap as a starting point for local community resilience strategy development (see next section). None of these activities has undergone rigorous evaluation. Before a community resilience toolkit can be developed, communities will need to use this roadmap, report on lessons learned, and assess the impact of implementing particular activities.
Implementation and Measurement of Community Resilience–Building Activities
As communities review this roadmap, it is important to determine an approach to implementation, including monitoring and evaluating implementation and determining the effectiveness of particular activities. These implementation questions include the following:
- How will we know if these activities are working?
- What capacities are needed for communities to fully implement community resilience–building activities?
- How long will it take communities to achieve full implementation of community resilience–building activities?
How Will We Know If Community Resilience–Building Activities Are Working?
Measurement of community resilience is essential for the operationalization and implementation of community resilience. Measurement will allow communities, states, and the nation as a whole to assess hypothesized links between inputs into the community resilience process (e.g., community partnerships and education of community members) and outcomes (e.g., greater resilience). Measurement is also critical to track progress in building community resilience at the local level. We suggest some potential areas of measurement for community resilience. Testing of proposed measures will be needed to develop the evidence base, refine the measures, and inform the next generation of measures.
What Capacities Are Needed for Communities to Fully Implement Community Resilience–Building Activities?
Much as in traditional public health practice, implementing community resilience–building activities requires the capacity to build and maintain strong and reliable partnerships (e.g., the partnership lever), mobilize community members (e.g., the engagement lever), and use data and information for evaluation, monitoring, and decisionmaking (e.g., the quality lever). Strong and reliable partnerships involve a diverse array of public, private, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations (e.g., academic institutions, healthcare providers, advocacy groups, media outlets, businesses). In building partnerships, communities will have to consider such questions as who should take the lead in establishing partnerships and how community resilience–building activities might need to be adapted for specific communities. Engagement and self-sufficiency also require the capacity to mobilize partnerships. Models such as the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership (MAPP) have been developed to support community mobilization efforts (Mays, 2010). Finally, state and local health agencies are increasingly utilizing performance standards, measures, monitoring, and quality improvement processes.
How Long Will It Take for Communities to Achieve Full Implementation of Community Resilience–Building Activities?
Implementing community resilience activities takes time. In order to appropriately gauge expectations, a richer understanding of the process of implementation is needed. In addition, implementation planning should acknowledge the activities that communities are already pursuing to enhance resilience. It can be helpful to draw guidance from a model of implementation that outlines the stages that a community must pass through before full implementation is achieved (Simpson, 2002). One such model is the Simpson Transfer Model, in which diffusion happens in four stages: exposure, adoption, implementation, and practice (Simpson, 2002). Communities must first be exposed to community resilience–building and then can build the capacity needed to adopt activities to build resilience. Once organizations have the capacity to implement community resilience–building activities, they begin early implementation, followed by practice of the activities until they become institutionalized. Appropriate monitoring and evaluation can help communities assess what stage of implementation they are in and gauge outcomes accordingly.
Conclusion and Future Research Directions
This roadmap represents an important step forward in identifying the critical elements of community resilience to support national health security and offers a practical list of potential activities for building resilience before a disaster. The report also suggests several areas in which the evidence base for community resilience needs to be strengthened. Clarification in such areas as the following should identify best practices in community resilience-building and measure the overall effect of increasing community resilience:
Wellness and Access: What are the best ways to frame preparedness in the context of wellness messaging? How should communities convey the connection between individual/family and community preparedness?
Education: How do we link better risk communication with improved community resilience?
Engagement: How can we use advanced technologies, including new social media, to inform the public, facilitate the social re-engagement of people after a disaster, and promote social connectedness?
Self-Sufficiency: What are the best means to incentivize individual and community preparedness? What policies, including financial and other incentives, will work?
Partnership: What is the best way to integrate nongovernmental organizations in planning, and what is the most effective way to assess the capacities and capabilities of specific NGO partners?
Quality and Efficiency: What are the best metrics for monitoring and evaluating resilience-building activities? Which baseline data are most critical for assessing key community resilience components and elements?
Chandra A, Acosta J, Meredith LS, Sanches K, Stern S, Uscher-Pines L, Williams M, and Yeung D, Understanding Community Resilience in the Context of National Health Security: A Literature Review, Santa Monica, Calif.: RAND Corporation, WR-737, 2010. As of January 20, 2011:
DHS—See U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
HHS—See U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Mays G, “Understanding the Organization of Public Health Delivery Systems: An Empirical Typology,” Milbank Quarterly, Vol. 88, 2010, pp. 81–111.
Norris FH, Stevens SP, Pfefferbaum B, Wyche KF, and Pfefferbaum RL, “Community Resilience as a Metaphor, Theory, Set of Capacities, and Strategy for Disaster Readiness,” American Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 41, No. 1–2, 2008, pp. 127–150.
Simpson DD, “A Conceptual Framework for Transferring Research to Practice,” Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Vol. 22, 2002, pp. 171–182.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Health Security Strategy of the United States of America, Washington, D.C., 2009. As of January 26, 2011:
———, “Concept of Operations Plans (CONOPS),” 2010. As of February 9, 2011:
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Draft National Disaster Recovery Framework, Washington, D.C., February 5, 2010.
The White House, National Security Strategy, Washington, D.C., May 2010. As of January 26, 2010: | <urn:uuid:08e34bab-a32b-41ea-805f-0590380468b8> | CC-MAIN-2020-34 | https://www.rand.org/pubs/periodicals/health-quarterly/issues/v1/n1/06.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-34/segments/1596439739048.46/warc/CC-MAIN-20200813161908-20200813191908-00231.warc.gz | en | 0.933587 | 3,501 | 3.40625 | 3 |
In Week 7, we look at offering Self Compassion to ourselves by using the 5-minute Self-compassion Break. It was devised by Kirsten Neff and Chris Germer. The Self -Compassion Break is an exercise that we can practice informally thorough out the day (pressing the pause button) for e.g. maybe in moments of feeling under stress, overwhelmed by ‘our to do list’ or anxious about our health or health of a loved one. We can pause for 5 minutes and be with the discomfort or distress and show kindness towards ourselves. It involves treating ourselves with the same kindness and warmth that we would show to a good friend.
The Self Compassion Break
The Self-Compassion Break is broken down into three main elements: Mindfulness, common humanity, and kindness. Three phrases have been created around these elements.
- For the Mindfulness element, we will say silently to ourselves ‘This is a moment of difficulty or ‘This is a moment of suffering’
- For the common humanity element, we will say ‘Difficulties are part of everybody’s life’
- For the kindness element, we will say ‘May I be kind to myself in this moment’. To also help with this, we can place a hand over our hearts or belly region to soothe and comfort ourselves.
Feedback from the 5minute Self-Compassion Break
Doing this Meditation has made me feel a lot better within myself. I notice that a lot of people often think about themselves only after putting everyone else first. Geraldine really helped show me that regardless of the situation you are faced with, it is important to always remember we need to be kind to ourselves. I have noticed that by practicing the Self-Compassion Break meditation, it reminds me to be actively conscious about being compassionate towards myself. This meditation is really fantastic and has made me feel less stressed and even more generous. It really has improved my confidence and personal happiness in my day-to-day life.
If you wish to check out how compassionate you are to yourself, then here is a link to Kirsten Neff’s ‘Test how self-compassionate you are?’ https://self-compassion.org/test-how-self-compassionate-you-are/
In this week’s Mindfulness class, we also do the R.A.I.N. practice which is associated with the Mindfulness Teacher, Tara Brach.
R.A.I.N. stands for
- Recognising (a difficult emotion is present)
- Allowing (this difficulty to be here and give it attention & space)
- Investigating (where we feel this emotion in our bodies)
- Non-identifying (understanding that this emotion is passing through and not permanent)
For me, I use the R.A.I.N. practice when an unpleasant emotion/feeling is with me for a couple of days. I see the unpleasant emotion/feeling like a child wanting attention. By doing the 20-minute RA.I.N. practice, I am giving attention to the emotion. By spending time with it, the emotion then passes on like a cloud in the sky.
Learning about the R.A.I.N practice was very interesting. Understanding each of the different components has really helped the way I look at different situations. It has also has taught me to reflect on the way I treat myself and becoming aware of my negative beliefs about myself.
Geraldine is a kind, patience and understanding teacher. I have really enjoyed learning about R.A.I.N practice meditation. Her sessions have taught me that when negative situations arise you just need a little R.A.I.N to help get through it. Recognition has let me understand what is happening. Sometimes it is best to just Allow the emotion to be here and give it space. By Investigating the emotion with a gentle approach and also feeling where I am holding the emotion has given me some clarity . This has allowed me to move into the last stage of Non-identifying. The emotion no longer feels so big and knowing that like everything in life it is passing through and not permanent. | <urn:uuid:0dbc354b-3d11-4caa-bddb-df99d929e432> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | https://www.me-time-therapy.co.uk/tag/mindfulness-training-east-lothian/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347441088.63/warc/CC-MAIN-20200604125947-20200604155947-00035.warc.gz | en | 0.957659 | 881 | 2.640625 | 3 |
Learn More About Thermostats
What is a thermostat?
A thermostat is a device that allows you to control the temperature inside your home by controlling the functions of a heating and / or cooling system. Today's electronic models are a vast departure from earlier mechanical styles. Microprocessors allow you to program your home temperatures to suit your lifestyle, so you can keep things comfortable while you're home and automatically set back your temperatures to save energy when you're away or sleeping.
How do thermostats work?
A typical thermostat turns on the heating device whenever the temperature falls below a certain temperature and turns it off whenever the temperature rises above another temperature. Those two temperatures are slightly separated so that the heating device doesn't turn on and off too rapidly, and are usually set within a couple degrees from the desired temperature (also called a set point). If, for example, you set your thermostat to 68°F, it does not maintain the temperature precisely at 68°F. The temperature will fluctuate between approximately 67°F - when the thermostat turns your heating device on, and 69°F - when it turns your heater off. More sophisticated models can also control cooling devices - like turning an air conditioner on to cool the room down faster and turning it off when the air reaches the desired temperature.
What are the different kinds of thermostats?
There are three main kinds of thermostats:
In a typical electromechanical thermostat, a coil made of two different metal strips sandwiched together tips a small mercury-filled glass bottle. As the temperature changes, the two metals expand differently and the coil winds or unwinds. As it does, it tips the glass bottle and the mercury rolls from one end of the bottle to the other. When the mercury falls to one end, it allows an electric current to flow between two wires and the furnace turns on. When the mercury falls to the other end of the bottle, the current stops flowing and the furnace turns off. So the winding and unwinding of the coil controls the furnace and the home temperature tends to hover at the point where the bottle of mercury is almost perfectly level.
These are the oldest kind of thermostats. Although newer digital models are quite popular these days, electromechanical thermostats are still widely spread because of their simplicity and cheap cost. Their main setback is that they are less accurate than digital ones and cannot support programming features.
Digital manual thermostats
Digital thermostats work in much the same way as older electromechanical thermostats did, except that the metal coil is replaced with an electronic temperature sensor. The microprocessor inside compares it's readings to the desired temperature you select. Then, it gives start and stop commands to the heating or cooling system to bring the temperature to a level that makes you comfortable.
While digital thermostats are more accurate than electromechanical ones, changes in their temperature settings still have to be done manually. Digital thermostats (both manual and programmable) also contain no mercury, making them more environmentally friendly.
Digital programmable thermostats
Programmable thermostats basically work the same way as the digital manual ones, but they are far more convenient. Once you program the thermostat to customize the system's operation to fit your lifestyle and schedule, all you have to do is relax and let it do all the work. To stay comfortable and save energy all season, you simply program into its memory the temperatures you need, at what time of the day. You only need to program your thermostat once - until the season or your lifestyle changes.
Depending on the model, a thermostat can be programmed in one of four ways:
- 1-day programming: The desired temperature can be set to change throughout the day
- 5-2-days programming: Like above, and you can have separate programs for weekdays and weekends
- 5-1-1-days programming: Like above, and you can have separate programs for weekdays, Saturday and Sunday
- 7-days programming: Like above, and you can have separate programs for each day of the week
What are the benefits of using a thermostat?
- Convenience. Instead of heading towards your furnace every time you need to tweak the temperature up or down, you can place a thermostat at a convenient spot.
- Energy savings. Instead of running your heater or furnace 24-7, a thermostat turns it on only when it is needed to maintain the desired temperature. If you have a programmable thermostat, you can program it to turn the heat down when you do not need it. Programming temperatures around 63°F on cold winter nights, when you're snuggled under blankets, can help you save as much as 30% on your heating costs. You can save even more by programming your system to "setback" the temperature when your family is away at work, at school, or on vacation.
Where should my thermostat be located?
For best results, the thermostat should be located where people spend the most time. It should be about 5 feet off the ground and at least 18 inches away from an outside wall. It is best to keep your thermostat away from any sources of heat other than the air in the room. It should be kept away from heaters, vents, windows, and hot-water pipes and out of direct sunlight. It also works best when not away from stairways or corners, because they can affect the circulation of air.
Installing a thermostat
Some thermostats are simple enough to be installed as a DIY project, while other require professional installation. In many cases, some wiring work may be required. Consider the following guidelines when installing your thermostat:
Go back to:
- Make sure you have the right thermostat for your system. A thermostat meant to be used with a heat pump may not fit any other heating system.
- The thermostat should be located away from the room's cooling or heating vents or device, yet exposed to general airflow from the room to be regulated. If the thermostat is too close to the air vent, the system will tend to "short cycle", with numerous starts and stops that can be annoying and in some cases shorten equipment life.
- Placing the thermostat in open hallway may be most appropriate for a single zone system, where several rooms are operated as a single zone. In this case, the doors to these rooms should be open when the system is in use.
- For a larger area, setting up multiple zones controlled by different thermostats can save considerable energy, allowing different rooms to vary in temperature, and turning the heat and / or cooling off completely where it is not needed. | <urn:uuid:ca53aec4-56ed-4fa6-8379-5b316e603a2e> | CC-MAIN-2015-27 | http://www.todaysconcept.com/thermostats-info.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-27/segments/1435375095273.5/warc/CC-MAIN-20150627031815-00020-ip-10-179-60-89.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.925632 | 1,404 | 3.25 | 3 |
Before The Advent Of Granulated Sugar, Sugar Was Sold To Consumers In?
This is one of those things that, to a modern consumer, seems downright weird and impractical: sugar used to be sold in a “loaf” that you, the consumer, were responsible for smashing up into usable sugar.
When cane sugar was refined into white refined sugar, it was poured into large conical molds after the final boiling. These molds had a hole at the bottom which allowed the syrups and non-crystalline material in the raw sugar to drain down into collection containers. At the end of the process, there would be a conical “loaf” of refined sugar left in the mold and a quantity of molasses syrup in the collection container. This would be followed by drying the loaf in a stove room, trimming to refine the loaf’s shape, and wrapping it in paper.
That’s where the refinement process stopped until granulated and cubed sugar processes were introduced in the late 19th century. Consumers were sold the whole big hunk of sugar and it was up to them to break the sugar apart. There were even specialized tools used for the task. Many homes had “sugar nips” and wooden collection boxes wherein the sugar could be nipped/crushed with the plier-like tool and gathered in the bottom of the box for use.
Given what a hassle such practices would be, we can only imagine that until sliced bread came along, people exclaimed: “This is the best thing since granulated sugar!” Pre-sliced bread, for the curious, wasn’t available to consumers until 1928.
The First Host Of Saturday Night Live Was?
What Were Planes Detected With Before The Invention Of Radar?
In The First Half Of The 20th Century Which Of These Was An Olympic Sport?
Instead Of Amps The Bassist And Lead Singer Of The Band Rush, Geddy Lee, Plays In Front Of ?
The First Cartoon Character To Get A Star On The Walk Of Fame Was?
The Mast Of The Empire State Building Was Originally To Serve As What?
What Is the Best Selling Video Game Console Of All Time?
The First Drinking Straws Were Used For What? | <urn:uuid:ae5ebe0f-9870-44b9-b33e-88efe7e3d905> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://www.mindbounce.com/trivia/before-the-advent-of-granulated-sugar-sugar-was-sold-to-consumers-in/?answer=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703565541.79/warc/CC-MAIN-20210125092143-20210125122143-00533.warc.gz | en | 0.897372 | 470 | 3.234375 | 3 |
About Feldgrau; M43 Heer Feldblusen details and variants
I’ve always liked the differences in the German army field equipment. I will focus on the hard details such as insignia, buttons and cloth. Markings, makers and cut I will address in another article later. Here is a small selection of details that are nice to compare and study. I’ve tried to get all of the exact same details in the same order. Photographing 9 similar Heer Feldblusen of the M42 and M43 pattern. It is nice to study individual pieces but its better to see them next to each other; photographed in the exact same light, colour balance and camera settings. I was asked what was the correct colour of Feldgrau. There isn’t a easy answer. The uniforms studied below are all post 1942 manufacture and where produced in a period with civilians being asked to hand in any spare or damaged clothing for recycling. Studying these wool garments under microscope shows the wool with a insane variety of coloured fabrics that testify for this interesting feature.
Breast eagles or Hoheitsabzeichen des Heeres
Einheitskragenspiegel, Kragenlitzen or collar tabs. These originally signified the branch of troops of the wearer; but around 1938 the Einheitskragenspiegel was introduced in dark green. These where (officially) fased out may 1940 but can rarely still be seen factory applied on M42 tunics. The grey Einheitskragenspiegel come in a large spectrum of light grey and dark grey. They are mostly fully machine sewn with sometimes the far ends folded and finished by hand. I’ve never encountered these fully hand applied and I presume that a good rule of thumb on figuring out wether they are factory sewn depends on two factors. 1. Are they original examples? 2. is there any ghosting of earlier applied insignia? This can be harsee on wool backed collars but with Drillich backed collars it is quite easy to see.
A variety of wool colours used in the production of M43 Field blouses. These are all shot at the same distance, lighting, white balance and camera settings. They are all slightly different. They other show a variety of shades that the Germans classified as Feldgrau.
Secondary buttons used for sleeve cuffs and bandage pockets. Made out of paper, glass, metal or early plastics such as bakelite.
A variety of lining fabric.
Tunic buttons and button holes. Note that the blue buttons are typical for post 1942 garments where they also introduced the blue belt buckles for all branches or Einheitskoppelschloss. The buttons and buttonholes are a important feature to study. | <urn:uuid:83f2b146-5c91-4a52-9b3b-d851e3c75cd7> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://fjm44.com/articles/uniform-details-m43-heer-feldblusen/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618039617701.99/warc/CC-MAIN-20210423101141-20210423131141-00408.warc.gz | en | 0.934431 | 580 | 2.578125 | 3 |
De Capua report on African forests
Africa’s tropical forests face challenges from deforestation, hunting, logging and mining, as well as climate change.
“Climate change is a major issue for much of the world, but for Africa, in particular. And there’s much interest and concern around Africa’s forests, which is the second largest area of tropical forest in the world after the Amazon forest. And yet there’s been very little synthesis of the research that’s there. There’s much less known about both climate and forest and people and there interaction in Africa compared to many other regions of the world,” said Yadvinder Malhi is a professor of ecosystems science at Oxford University and director of Oxford’s Center for Tropical Forests.
He said the conference brought together experts in climate change, ecology, social sciences, economics, anthropology and archeology to discuss Africa’s rainforests.
“They’re important at an international level for many reasons. They hold a large amount of carbon. They seem to be absorbing carbon from the atmosphere, which is slightly slowing down the rate of climate change. In the case of Africa, the recycling of water. So water that falls in the Congo region gets taken up in the roots of trees and evaporated back into the atmosphere where it forms clouds and new rain,” he said.
The clouds that form over the Congo Basin actually have long range effects on water supplies and weather patterns in parts of Asia and even North America.
West and Central Africa
There’s a big difference between the forests of the Congo Basin and West Africa. Malhi says there’s been extensive deforestation in West Africa. Much of the land has been cleared for agriculture over the last 20 to 30 years.
“When we look at the Congo Basin we see a very different situation. That’s an area that is at the moment almost all intact forest and has had relatively low rates of deforestation. And the reasons why those rates have been low are varied from country to country. But in the largest area, the Democratic Republic, it’s been political instability and poor infrastructure linked to that instability that has meant that this large forest reserve has not currently really faced very heavy pressure, at least compared to forests of Asia or the Amazon,” Malhi said.
However, he said that could change with new investment and infrastructure and expansion of industrial scale plantations.
About 3,000 years ago, the Congo forests were affected by natural climate drying. Forests retreated and were replaced by grasslands.
“At the same time, around two and a half thousand years ago, Iron Age humans settled in much of the forest, cleared it with axes, with iron axes. And then they had a population collapse around a thousand years ago and the forest regrew. And this is quite a different history from the history we see in the Amazon rainforest, where there’s been pretty continuous forest over human history and earlier. And also where there was human impact it was not with iron instruments. There was no Iron Age in the Amazon,” he said.
The combination of natural climate drying and the wide scale felling of trees resulted in fewer species of trees compared to other tropical forests. However, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“The species that are left seem to be relatively resilient to a large extent. They can recolonize disturbed areas quite quickly. They can spread quite quickly, regrow quite quickly. So if one area gets deforested, you can still find the species elsewhere,” he said.
Modern day deforestation is often done to make room for agriculture. The U.N. says by 2050 the world population is expected to rise to nine billion. That means a much greater demand for food. But the Oxford professor says there are ways of meeting that demand that do not require widespread deforestation. One of them is making current agricultural land much more productive.
“Much of agriculture in Africa is of very low productivity. Very low inputs of fertilizers and nutrients. You could have the current agricultural output of the Africa tropical forest region in 40 percent of its current agricultural land, leaving 60 percent of the land available for forests if the agriculture was intensified. So, it’s not a simple tradeoff between more food means more land and therefore less forests,” he said.
Malhi says once all the information from the conference is analyzed, recommendations will be made to governments, U.N. agencies and others. They’re expected to include proposals for protecting remaining rainforests, better land management for agriculture and new research into the effects of climate change.
The conference ran from January 4-6. | <urn:uuid:200acc05-3704-43f1-aef4-242229940014> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://www.congoplanet.com/news/1938/african-rainforests-continue-to-face-challenges-congo-basin.jsp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251681625.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20200125222506-20200126012506-00459.warc.gz | en | 0.96183 | 979 | 3.59375 | 4 |
Bottom Line: As the result of a concerted lobbying campaign by the National Rifle Association, more than 40 states have passed broad firearm preemption laws that specifically prohibit local governments from adopting reasonable gun laws tailored to local conditions. These laws prevent local mayors and police chiefs — the officials most familiar with local criminal activity and how to address it — from passing common-sense public safety measures designed to keep their communities safe. State firearm preemption laws:
- Override common sense by limiting cities wracked with gun violence to the identical laws that apply in rural areas where responsible gun ownership is more embedded in daily life;
- Are associated with increased rates of gun trafficking; and
- Lead to dangerous and illogical results, such as allowing a city to keep knives out of parks, rec centers, and city halls, but forcing the same city to allow guns in these sensitive places.
State firearm preemption laws are a relatively recent phenomenon inconsistent with centuries of American history in which cities and rural areas had different gun laws.
From the earliest days of the republic, communities adopted a wide range of gun laws tailored to local conditions, with generally stronger gun laws in densely populated cities that have greater potential for violent crime, and fewer regulations in less crowded, rural areas.
- Cities like Philadelphia, New York, and Boston had extensive laws on gunpowder and gun use dating to the colonial era,Churchill, R. H. (2007). Gun Regulation, the Police Power, and the Right to Keep Arms in Early America: The Legal Context of the Second Amendment. Law and History Review, 25(01), 139–176; Cornell, S., & DeDino, N. (2004). A Well Regulated Right: The Early American Origins of Gun Control. Fordham Law Review. and throughout the 19th century state legislators expressly granted newly incorporated cities the power to enact such laws.Blocher, J. (2013). Firearm Localism. Yale Law Journal.
- As the country expanded, “Wild West” cities like Dodge City, Tombstone, and others adopted strong firearm regulations. Many banned firearms altogether within city limits, requiring visitors from frontier areas — where gun possession and use was widespread — to leave their firearms with law enforcement at the city limits.Dykstra, R. R. (1983). The Cattle Towns (pp. 119–121). University of Nebraska Press; Winkler, A. (2011). Gunfight: The Battle over the Right to Bear Arms in America (pp. 165–173). W. W. Norton.
- Throughout the nation’s history, local communities faced few or no obstacles to enacting locally-tailored gun laws. Indeed, prior to 1980, only a handful of states had any form of firearm preemption laws.
Consistent with the tradition of local gun laws, in 1981, Morton Grove, Illinois adopted an ordinance that prohibited the possession of handguns. This sparked a backlash from the gun lobby, and the NRA launched a concerted effort to persuade state legislators to bar municipalities from enacting gun laws.Zorn, E. (1986, June 15). Morton Grove Gun Ban Quietly Turns 5. The Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from http://trib.in/2ag4jFA.
- The NRA’s campaign succeeded: Today, 42 states have broad firearm preemption laws. Only California, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey and New York generally allow local officials to pass firearms-related public safety laws.Illinois allows localities to regulate possession and transfer of long guns and the transfer of handguns — but it does not allow localities to regulate handgun possession or carry.
The gun lobby’s preemption campaign aims not only to tie the hands of local officials, but to intimidate and punish those who attempt to reduce gun violence through local law.
The most sweeping firearm preemption laws contain onerous, punitive provisions designed to intimidate city officials from even attempting to address gun violence.
- Under Florida’s preemption statute, for example, local officials who adopt any firearm rules or regulations are subject to removal from office and fines up to $5,000; they are also prohibited from using any public funds to defend any local public safety rules.H.B. 80, 198th Gen. Assemb., 2013-2014 Reg. Sess. (Pa. 2014).
- Under a Nevada preemption law passed in 2015, a person who succeeds in challenging a local firearm law is entitled to attorney’s fees and costs — and may be eligible to receive a monetary award of up to three times the actual damages proved in court.Nev. S.B. 175, 2015 S., 78th Sess. (Nev. 2015).
- Under a 2014 Pennsylvania law, which was later declared invalid, if a locality was sued over its gun laws, it was required to pay the legal fees and costs of the law’s challenger — even if it repealed the law before the court issued a ruling.H.B. 80, 198th Gen. Assemb., 2013-2014 Reg. Sess. (Pa. 2014).
The gun lobby has also conducted a litigation campaign to punish local officials.
- The invalidated 2014 Pennsylvania law expressly gave groups like the NRA the ability to sue localities. The legislation was a direct response to courts that had concluded the NRA did not have legal “standing” to sue cities.
- The gun-lobby group Second Amendment Foundation has initiated litigation campaigns against cities it claims have violated preemption laws — suing or threatening to sue hundreds of cities in states from Maryland and Virginia to Oregon and Washington.Levintova, H. (2013, December 11). How a pro-gun group has been bullying small towns since Sandy Hook. Mother Jones. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/1dfrarv.
These relatively new preemption laws are associated with increased rates of gun trafficking: states with broad preemption laws export guns used in crime to other states at a rate more than four times greater than states that allow local control.
States that allow local regulation of firearms export crime guns at a rate of 4.4 guns per 100,000 residents. By contrast, the 42 states with broad preemption laws have an export rate of 18.2 crime guns per 100,000 residents.Mayors Against Illegal Guns. (2010). Trace the Guns: The Link between Gun Laws and Interstate Trafficking. Retrieved from http://maig.us/1uAEZIO.
Preemption laws lead to dangerous and illogical results. For example, some localities can prohibit knives from their buildings, but not guns. And some states can and do prohibit guns from state government buildings, but cities are powerless to do so on their property.
In Pennsylvania, for example, the state legislature has prohibited guns in the state capitolSee Pennsylvania, Visiting the Capitol Complex, at http://bit.ly/1CaqF0e. and on state agency property,49 Pa. Code § 61.3. but it has preempted local governments from regulating firearms — so guns cannot be restricted in municipal buildings, or in any city or town hall.18 Pa. Code. § 6120.
- On August 5, 2013, an armed man entered the municipal building in Ross Township and shot and killed three people and injured at least two others.Mcevoy, C. (2013, August 6). Ross Township, Pa., shooting draws differing opinions on municipal meeting gun bans. The Express-Times. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2aLhgXr. Because of the state preemption law, Ross Township officials are forced to allow people to bring guns into the building.
Florida’s very broad firearms preemption law has also led to dangerous and absurd results.
- Similar to Pennsylvania, guns are not allowed at Florida state legislative meetingsFla. Stat. § 790.06(12)(a)(8) (2015)., but Florida law prohibits cities, towns, and counties from passing locals laws — forcing localities allow guns in their municipal buildings and city halls.Fla. Stat. 790.33 (2015).
- Palm Beach County had to rescind ordinances that kept guns out of government buildings and parks — and a law that prohibited firing guns in densely populated areas.Alvarez, L. (2011, September 10). Florida Forces Cities to Pull Local Laws Restricting Guns. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://nyti.ms/2aysYEh.
- And in Fort Lauderdale, it is illegal to bring a knife to a parade — but guns are allowed.Wyman, S. (2011, October 4). Fort Lauderdale to allow guns – but no other weapons – at parades. Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved from http://bit.ly/2aqsePE.
Some states also prohibit public universities from setting campus firearm policy — despite the dangers of guns where young people and alcohol frequently mix.
In Colorado, Utah and Oregon, the state supreme courts found that state law preempts colleges from setting their own gun policy and forces them to allow guns on campus.Students for Concealed Carry on Campus, LLC v. Regents of the Univ. of Colo., 2012 CO 17 (Co.).
Meanwhile, Utah, and Idaho state laws expressly prohibit colleges from adopting policies that bar guns on campus.Miss. Code Ann. §§ 45-9-101(13), 97-37-7(2); Utah Code Ann. §§ 53-5a-102(4), 53B-3-103.
In Florida, voters recognized that local gun laws should reflect local conditions — even if the state legislature does not.
In 1998, Florida voters amended the state constitution to create an exception to the legislature’s broad firearm preemption law. The amendment expressly allows counties to require background checks for gun sales that occur on property with a public right of access.
The anti-preemption amendment passed with 72% of the vote.Peter Jamison, Gun-show loophole laws on the books in Florida, but ignored, Tampa Bay Times, Apr. 6, 2013.
By preventing cities from tailoring gun laws to local conditions, preemption laws threaten public safety, and defy centuries of tradition in which cities adopted stronger gun laws than rural areas.
Local law enforcement and government officials know best how to keep their communities safe. They should be able to determine local public safety policies, not state legislators following the lead of the gun lobby.
States should repeal laws that prevent local leaders from passing reasonable gun laws. If states do not repeal their preemption laws entirely, they should adopt reasonable exceptions, such as:
- Allowing local communities to require background checks on gun sales, ban the firing of weapons in densely populated areas, and prohibit guns in government buildings and other sensitive places; and
- Allowing larger cities above a given population to adopt gun laws to protect public safety. | <urn:uuid:8fefa6fe-7221-442b-b04f-5294c2d57ad8> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://everytownresearch.org/fact-sheet-preemption-laws/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370500331.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20200331053639-20200331083639-00536.warc.gz | en | 0.920135 | 2,245 | 3.125 | 3 |
Bahrun Valley Viaduct
The Bahrun Valley Viaduct was the longest bridge on the 'Karachi-Kotri Section' and is a viaduct across the Bahrun River. Construction on this bridge by the ‘Scinde Railway ’ was started on 5 March 1859 and completed on 26 January 1861 .
The ‘Scinde Railway ’ was amalgamated in 1870 to form the ‘Scinde, Punjaub & Delhi Railway ’ , and which in 1886 became part of the ‘North Western Railway ‘(NWR) when the line and this bridge became part of the ‘NWR Mainline’.
The route involved construction a large stone viaduct, the heaviest piece of masonry upon the line with a length of 1,728 feet(527 metres), work commenced 1859 and completed in Jan 1861 .
- William Arthur Brunton was responsible for the erection of the thirty-two 45 foot (13.7M) spans of the 'Bahrun Valley Viaduct' .
- "Karachi to Kotri: The First Railways in Pakistan" by Owais Mughal, 2009; Retrieved 7 Apr 2020
- All Things Pakistan “Karachi to Kotri - The first railways in Pakistan” by Owais Mughal, Posted on September 17, 2009; Retrieved on 24 Nov 2020
- Google Books "The Archaeology of an Early Railway System: The Brecon Forest Tramroads" by Stephen Hughes, page 126; Retrieved 7 Apr 2020 | <urn:uuid:25f5b324-2110-4cd6-a2f7-d5b3f1170e5c> | CC-MAIN-2021-04 | https://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Bahrun_Valley_Viaduct&oldid=84634 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-04/segments/1610703509973.34/warc/CC-MAIN-20210117051021-20210117081021-00417.warc.gz | en | 0.934777 | 324 | 2.9375 | 3 |
Article of Advances in Oncology Research
To describe the contributions of the population about prevention practice of dengue
Souza M.O1; Lucena A.K.O.S2, Monteiro M.C.G3, Reis R.P4, Bezerra D.G5, Teixeira V.P.G6
1Estudante do Curso de Psicologia pela Faculdade Estácio, 2Estudante do Curso de Psicologia pela Faculdade Estácio, 3Estudante do Curso de Psicologia pela Faculdade Estácio, 4Estudante do Curso de Enfermagem; 5Docente na Faculdade Estácio e na Universidade Federal de Alagoas - UFAL; 6Bióloga Licenciada, Mestre em Morfologia Humana e Doutora em Biologia Humana e Experimental, Docente na Faculdade Estácio e na Universidade Federal de Alagoas
Dengue is the world's most important arboviral disease in terms of number of people affected ans is transmited by mosquitoes Aedes Aegypti. The main strategy for epidemic prevention and control is population behavior in the prevetion and insecticide fumigation. The following study aims to describe the contributions of the population about prevention practice of dengue. This is a descritive research. Studies of any design published from 2012 to 2016 avaliable in english, portuguese and spanish were included. The survey was conducted in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO). Six articles were found that match the elegible criterias. In accord to them, it was realized that the Brazilian population has a slouch behavior in practice prevention of mosquito outbreaks, providing opportunities that the mosquito prolife, and not getting success in disease control. This may occur because of poor infrastructure conditions in most cities, as well as the lack of preventive actions both private and public initiative. It was clear that the Brazilian population needs to engage in preventive actions related to dengue, but also charge more effective action of public policies to assist them in combating the proliferation of the mosquitoe.
Dengue; Preventive practice; Health education; Disease Control; Community Participation | <urn:uuid:38577446-b2a9-4423-8e7e-36e68f4cdc5d> | CC-MAIN-2021-31 | https://aepub.com/aor-2018-0106/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-31/segments/1627046154158.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20210801030158-20210801060158-00188.warc.gz | en | 0.826227 | 496 | 2.71875 | 3 |
The term “food allergy” is overused. Owners and even some veterinarians will call any adverse reaction to a food an allergy. In some cases, the difference is primarily semantic since the most effective form of treatment is going to be avoiding the offending substance regardless of the underlying physiological reaction. But for the sake of accuracy I thought I’d talk a little about what makes a food allergy a food allergy.
Oftentimes, the more correct term to use is “adverse food reaction.” The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology puts it this way:
“Adverse food reaction” is a broad term indicating a link between an ingestion of a food and an abnormal response.
Reproducible adverse reactions may be caused by: a toxin, a pharmacological effect, an immunological response, or a metabolic disorder.
Food allergy is a term that is used to describe adverse immune responses to foods that are mediated by IgE antibodies that bind to the triggering food protein(s); the term is also used to indicate any adverse immune response toward foods (e.g., including cell mediated reactions).
I explain it to clients this way: When a dog is truly allergic to an ingredient in his food (almost always a protein), his body is misidentifying that protein as being part of an invading microorganism and launching an immune response against it. While the inflammation that results is beneficial in controlling infectious diseases or parasitism, it has only deleterious effects in the case of a food allergy.
In a review of 278 cases of canine food allergy, the following ingredients were most often to blame (some dogs were allergic to more than one substance, which is why the numbers below add up to more than 278):
Beef - 95 cases
Dairy - 55 cases
Wheat - 42 cases
Chicken - 24 cases
Egg - 18 cases
Lamb - 13 cases
Soy - 13 cases
Corn - 7 cases
Pork - 7 cases
Fish - 6 cases
Rice - 5 cases
Most food allergic dogs have one or more of the following symptoms:
- itching, which may be localized to the face or hind end or affect most of the body
- recurrent ear infections
- evidence of gastrointestinal upset such as diarrhea, vomiting, or excessive gassiness
Obviously, none of these clinical signs are specific to food allergies or even adverse food reactions, so a thorough diagnostic work up, including a food trial with an elimination diet (one made from novel protein and carbohydrate sources) or a hydrolyzed diet is in order. If the symptoms resolve on the new diet and return when the old is reintroduced, you know the old food was to blame in some way, but you still can’t be completely sure that an allergic reaction was to blame.
I suspect the misdiagnosis of other types of adverse food reactions as allergies explains why food allergies are often said to have a variable response to steroids, a standard treatment for all sorts of allergic reactions. My guess is that most of the dogs who respond to steroids do have food allergies, and the ones that don’t are suffering from a non-allergic adverse food reaction.
Dr. Jennifer Coates | <urn:uuid:a32ae885-d498-4ee9-94df-c1da4dfd18c6> | CC-MAIN-2018-30 | https://m.petmd.com/blogs/nutritionnuggets/jcoates/2013/dec/food-allergies-are-overdiagnosed-in-dogs-31172 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-30/segments/1531676589404.50/warc/CC-MAIN-20180716154548-20180716174548-00253.warc.gz | en | 0.954369 | 666 | 3.234375 | 3 |
What is Four Quadrant Control?Hardware: Motion Control
What are the four quadrants of operation of a motor drive? How does this apply to my motion control system?
To answer this question, we must understand a little about the purpose of servo motors and their function as an electromechanical conversion device. Servo motors are differentiated from other types of electric motors by the fact that they are typically designed with an emphasis on smooth, accurate position and/or velocity control, rather than ultimate power output. Servo systems are often bi-directional (CW or CCW), whereas many common industrial motor drives for pumps and fans and similar equipment only operate in one direction. Accurate control of acceleration and deceleration of a motor is another characteristic of servo systems, which is not always found in simple motor control systems. Many motors rely on the friction alone to decelerate the load when power is removed.
If we consider both directions of operation (CW and CCW) and both modes (acceleration and deceleration), we arrive at four distinct areas, or quadrants, of operation. This can be visualized by plotting the velocity of the motor on the X axis of a graph and the direction of applied torque on the Y axis as shown below. Quadrants 1 and 3 represent the motor applying torque in the direction of motion, while quadrants 2 and 4 represent applying torque opposite the direction of the motion. In quadrants 1 and 3 the flow of energy is from electrical to mechanical. The servo motor is converting electrical power from the drive into motion in the system. In quadrants 2 and 4, the motor is actually acting as a generator. The motion of the system is being converted into electrical power, which is then absorbed by the drive.
Some motor drives are capable of operating in only quadrant 1, while others will work in quadrants 1 and 3, quadrants 1 and 4, etc. Since most servo drives are designed for accurate control in both directions, many will operate, at least transiently, in all for quadrants. To do this the drive must be able to both source and sink electrical power from the motor.
Servo Motor Basics
Report Date: 10/02/2002
Last Updated: 10/13/2011
Document ID: 2Q1GRI6W | <urn:uuid:dd41ec51-7c5f-41c0-8fcb-075c0a6f4bb1> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://digital.ni.com/public.nsf/allkb/E768FE6E5663940A86256C46007DB743 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1397609532480.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20140416005212-00101-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939515 | 475 | 3.375 | 3 |
Stooke Small Bodies Maps
These maps of small solar system bodies have been prepared by Philip Stooke of the University of Western Ontario. This data set includes 270 map sheets of six asteroids, five planetary satellites, and three comets, all prepared from spacecraft images. This data set was updated in 2015 with the addition of 44 new map sheets.
The link below includes all catalog files and documentation, as well as an html browse facility to access the maps.
|MULTI-SA-MULTI-6-STOOKEMAPS-V3.0||Browse||Download (323 Mb)|
Use the following citation to reference this data set:
"Stooke. P., Stooke Small Bodies Maps
V3.0. MULTI-SA-MULTI-6-STOOKEMAPS-V3.0. NASA Planetary Data System,
Superseded versions of this data set:
|MULTI-SA-MULTI-6-STOOKEMAPS-V2.0||Browse||Download (822 Mb)|
|MULTI-SA-MULTI-6-STOOKEMAPS-V1.0||Browse||Download (247 Mb)|
|EAR-A-3-RDR-STOOKEMAPS-V1.0||Browse||Download (84.4 Mb)| | <urn:uuid:33159215-5db5-4004-ae5e-86a909da6922> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | https://sbn.psi.edu/pds/resource/stookemaps.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376825363.58/warc/CC-MAIN-20181214044833-20181214070333-00310.warc.gz | en | 0.805125 | 290 | 2.515625 | 3 |
||This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (June 2013)|
Often task lighting refers to office lighting, where the task light is used to increase illuminance on the reading area. However, the illuminance level is not the only factor governing visibility. Contrast is also important, and a poorly positioned light source may cause contrast reduction, resulting in loss of visibility. Therefore, it can be argued that the most important purpose of task lighting in the office is not increasing illuminance, but improving contrast.
Different strategies for office task lighting exist. The three main approaches are:
- Localised average lighting, where a lamp supplies both ambient light and task light
- Freely adjustable task light
- Asymmetric task light, where the lamp is placed at the side of the work area
There are also other approaches to office task lighting, for example under-shelf luminaires.
Other instances of task lighting are in machinery, where a specific work area needs illumination, and in workshops, where a task light may illuminate the actual working area. Special instances of task lighting are examination and operation lights for medicine and surgery, as well as the dentist's lamp. The actual task may range from very small up to about as far as you may reach with your hands or available tools. Lighting of larger areas is beyond the scope of task lighting.
Office task lighting
Localised average lighting
Localized lighting consists of a luminaire that provides ambient light as well as task light. Often it is an uplighter with a light source that is directed downward. It is intended to be mounted immediately over the workplace, and it can be either hung from the ceiling, mounted on the desk or a dividing wall, or it can be a free-standing floor lamps.
Freely adjustable task light
The main feature of the freely adjustable task light is evident; one may adjust it freely at any whim or to suit one's needs. The lamp presents few limits to how one may position or orient the light. A freely adjustable lamp may include means for glare control, as a honeycomb or parabolic louvre that restricts the light output angle.
Asymmetric task light
The asymmetric task light is intended to be placed at the side of the actual task. The luminaire directs the light obliquely over the desk, with the highest illuminance typically about 1' to 1½' to the side of the lamp head. It mostly has an arm system that holds the lamp head horizontally irrespectively of the arm movement - a parallel arm. Asymmetric lamps often cause more reflected glare than other lamps. In workplaces where people use different table heights, an asymmetric lamp may cause direct glare due to its absence of means for glare control (ref:1).
Contrast reduction in the office workplace refers to reading objects having decreased contrast compared to an estimated ideal contrast. If a lamp is placed so that printed letters reflect some of the light, their contrast against the paper background will decrease. This happens when a light source is reflected as in a mirror from the print into the eyes of the observer. A poorly placed lamp may render text illegible, regardless of illuminance level.
- The glare free lamp, by Urban Domeij | <urn:uuid:3ca419d4-9b22-4c23-a6bc-b847e91ad7de> | CC-MAIN-2014-35 | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Task_lighting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-35/segments/1408500824562.83/warc/CC-MAIN-20140820021344-00293-ip-10-180-136-8.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.920873 | 678 | 2.921875 | 3 |
For anyone who enjoys reading history, the "what ifs" of history can be just as interesting as what actually happened. What would have happened if the other side had won the battle, or the other party had won the election, or this significant person had died at the wrong moment? Historians have contributed to these speculations, including several collections of essays in the What If? series edited by Robert Cowley. Among the scenarios explored here are what if American had lost the Revolution and what if JFK had lived?
But historians can’t really compete with the imaginations of fiction writers who have created the popular genre of alternate history, found somewhere on the borders of science fiction and fantasy. Alternate histories are almost always dystopian, perhaps because it’s a lot more fun to write about dystopias rather than utopias. Where’s the conflict and possibilities for plot if everyone is happy, holding hands, and singing kumbaya? So when authors look to history for inspiration, they look for pivotal moments when everything could have gone wrong.
No wonder then that Hitler winning World War II is frequently the starting point for novels of alternate history. Classics of this subgenre include Philip K. Dick’s The Man in the High Castle (recently made into a TV series) and Fatherland by Robert Harris. Another key moment is the Spanish Armada in 1588. Harry Turtledove, indefatigable author of dozens of alternate history books with themes as diverse as the South winning the Civil War and the Soviet Union winning the Cold War, goes Elizabethan in Ruled Britannia. The Spanish Armada is victorious and the English resistance movement tasks William Shakespeare with writing a play to foment rebellion.
The most persuasive alternate history novels rest on some kernel of fact, making them more plausible, and more terrifying. This could so easily have happened, we think. The actual historical existence of a group of aristocratic British fascists makes Jo Walton’s brilliant Small Change trilogy all the more powerful. Farthing starts out as seemingly a traditional English country house murder mystery, but with one chilling difference. A Star of David is pinned to the victim’s body. In this alternate 1940’s England, a group of fascist sympathizers known as the Farthing Set gain control of the government and make peace with Hitler. England becomes a fascist state of identity cards, expulsion of foreigners, and persecution of Jews and gays. The two other novels in the series, Ha’Penny and Half a Crown, follow the rise of an underground resistance movement.
Philip Roth’s novel The Plot Against America rests on the historical fact of Charles Lindbergh’s fascist sympathies and involvement with the America First movement. In Roth’s alternate America Lindbergh runs against Franklin Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election. His star status as an aviation hero and sympathy over the kidnapping and murder of his son make him a compelling candidate. He successfully whips up isolationist fears and wins. Roth uses the actual text of Lindbergh’s speech in which he accused the British and the Jews of conspiring to force America into war. The Lindbergh administration makes peace with Hitler and enacts laws limiting freedom of religion, which eventually lead to pogroms. Told from the perspective of an ordinary Jewish family living in New Jersey, the novel is a chilling and all too plausible portrait of an America that might have been.
For more alternate history reading suggestions check out these lists:
A list of over 3,300 novels, stories, and essays | <urn:uuid:ae48b620-b3df-4f35-a08a-1f10d748162d> | CC-MAIN-2017-47 | https://montgomerycountypubliclibraries.blogspot.com/2017/02/alternate-history.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-47/segments/1510934805265.10/warc/CC-MAIN-20171119023719-20171119043719-00683.warc.gz | en | 0.944812 | 731 | 2.546875 | 3 |
OK so we picked a lizard to highlight in this post because it is adorable. This one is the Turnip-Tailed Gecko (Thecadactylus rapicauda) that we spotted in Aruba during our last trip. This was one of the species that we analyzed in new collaborative work!
A question in conservation literature is how to best preserve all dimensions of biodiversity when planning conservation areas. Biodiversity can be described in lots of terms. You can count the number of species (e.g., 1 rabbit species, 2 fox species, 5 rodent species) you can look at how the species function in an ecosystem (e.g., 1 herbivore, 2 predators, 5 pollinators) or you can look at the evolutionary relatedness of species (e.g., 3 taxonomic genera, 4 families, 2 classes). We want to preserve as much biodiversity as possible, but if we focus just on conserving one of those dimensions, does it also conserve the other dimensions of biodiversity? That is, does it act as a surrogate. New collaborative work by iEcoLab tackles this often debated issue and utilizing a novel method finds that just by setting aside land that has the most species, also preserves the other diversity dimensions, at least for vertebrates of the Western Hemisphere. This finding is substantial because it is much easier to count species than to count all of their functions and evolutionary history. Much more work is needed on other taxonomic groups, and the debate will continue on surrogacy, but regardless we need to focus on preserving what we can while it is still here. The paper is here and a blog post on it can be found here. | <urn:uuid:5063a3a0-c74f-4d30-ba4c-fb0f33a5bbc9> | CC-MAIN-2019-39 | https://www.iecolab.org/blog/2019/04/just-count-species-you-will-get-the-rest-of-biodiversity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-39/segments/1568514575674.3/warc/CC-MAIN-20190922201055-20190922223055-00029.warc.gz | en | 0.948682 | 341 | 3.203125 | 3 |
The word Responsibility comes from the two words Response and Ability.
I visualize the lack of responsibility with the image to the left. As if a secret force would lurk in the dark behind someone. That force controls their entire life and is the steady excuse for things to go wrong.
It seems few people seem to know the origins of words such as responsibility.
Separated, the meaning of the word responsibility means:
Response and ability
This shows that we are able to choose our response to something.
Be it a situation, to an email or to a question. But 99% of the time we don’t choose wisely.
Why is that?
My first suggestion is to make yourself acquainted with the power. That you are in the position to change a response.
The next thing is to consider on which set of principles your response is for. If you have no principles you can write some down as a mission statement for example. And the next thing is to set priorities.
If your priorities and principles are in sync your response will show that.
Let´s say your goal is getting better at drawing. Your principle has to be spending at least 10 hours a week on that.
If you have spent your 10 hours on drawing you feel better to say yes to a not so important request.
Simple as that.
The Bottom Line is: Do Important things First!
Quadrant I is for the immediate and important deadlines.
Quadrant II is for long-term strategizing and development.
Quadrant III is for time pressured distractions. They are not really important, but someone wants it now.
Quadrant IV is for those activities that yield little is any value. These are activities that are often used for taking a break from time pressured and important activities. | <urn:uuid:45364be8-5d75-4a25-b297-39e846ae88f3> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | http://blog.artlords.com/2017/09/21/response-ability-and-the-lack-thereof/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267156192.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20180919102700-20180919122700-00498.warc.gz | en | 0.969536 | 371 | 2.6875 | 3 |
In 1892, there was a series of famous strikes in the United States -- a general strike in New Orleans, a copper miners' strike in Idaho and a coal miners' strike in Tennessee -- but none became as famous as the Homestead Strike against Andrew Carnegie's steel empire in Pennsylvania [source: PBS].
Carnegie's plant manager, Henry Frick, wanted to break the steel workers' union by slashing wages, provoking a strike and bringing in scab labor. Things didn't go quite as planned. Not only did the workers go on strike, but they physically occupied the steel plant, shielding it from scab workers. Frick called in hired guns called Pinkerton detectives to crush the rebellion.
On the night of July 5, 1892, barges carrying hundreds of armed Pinkerton detectives floated up the river toward the Homestead plant. The Pinkertons were met with violent resistance. By the end of the 14-hour gunfight, three detectives and nine workers were dead [source: PBS]. Frick called in military support from the governor and trucked in scab labor. The steel worker's union eventually gave in to Frick's demands, which sapped the power from steel unions for decades.
Andrew Carnegie never recovered from the tragic events at Homestead, saying later, "…but the false step was made in trying to run the Homestead Works with new men. It is a test to which workingmen should not be subjected. It is expecting too much of poor men to stand by and see their work taken by others."
Some of the largest and longest strikes in history were eventually undermined by scab labor. In the early 1890s, several of Australia's major unions, including those representing miners, maritime laborers and wool shearers, went on strike for higher wages, fairer treatment and the right to organize [source: Armstrong].
The bosses brought in scab labor -- which was plentiful due to widespread unemployment -- and there were many violent clashes between striking workers and their replacements. The maritime strike broke under the weight of the scab labor, and the shearers' strike escalated to armed confrontations and dragged on for years before finally failing as well.
The Herrin Massacre is one of history's most notorious scab labor tragedies. On June 22, 1922, in the town of Herrin, Ill., striking coal miners surrounded a mine full of nonunion scabs. Armed with rifles and farm implements, the strikers promised that if the scabs surrendered, they would be escorted safely out of town. Instead, the scabs were marched through Herrin and into the woods, where 20 of them were murdered and others seriously injured [source: Encyclopedia Britannica]. A jury acquitted all the strikers of wrongdoing.
In the next two sections, we'll look at the negatives and also the positives of scab labor. | <urn:uuid:f9ac4e04-79af-458a-b4d8-a0ab9a946ca3> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://money.howstuffworks.com/labor-scab2.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794864622.33/warc/CC-MAIN-20180522014949-20180522034949-00475.warc.gz | en | 0.97338 | 576 | 4.09375 | 4 |
A Romanian force of 420,000 men crossed the Carpathians to Transylvania in victory. Lacking in equipment, training, and good leadership, this valiant force was ultimately crushed by German and Austro-Hungarian troops. The country was now isolated, facing 600,000 Austro-German troops supported by the Turks and the Bulgarians. In 1917, with the arrival of German reinforcements from the Eastern Front following the Russian withdrawal from the conflict, Romania ceased resisting and signed an armistice treaty with the Central Powers on December 9. Although its dismemberment was ratified by the Treaty of Bucharest of May 7, 1918, Romania still ended the war in the victors’ camp, its territory intact, thanks to an ultimate declaration of war against the Central Powers on November 9, 1918, two days before the armistice. | <urn:uuid:afff0bbd-930b-4008-9840-809bc814ec5e> | CC-MAIN-2020-10 | https://apocalypseofficiel.com/historical_date/the-romanian-agony/?lang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-10/segments/1581875147154.70/warc/CC-MAIN-20200228104413-20200228134413-00402.warc.gz | en | 0.970374 | 172 | 3.5 | 4 |
any of a breed of small dairy cattle originally from Alderney
northernmost of the Channel Islands: 3 sq mi (8 sq km)
A British island in the English Channel. The northernmost of the larger Channel Islands, it is separated from the French coast by a swift channel, the Race of Alderney.
- Any of a now extinct breed of small dairy cattle from Alderney Island.
- Any of various breeds of small dairy cattle from the Channel Islands, including, until the late 19th century, breeds later known as Guernsey and Jersey.
- The third-largest of the Channel Islands.
- A type of milk cow from Alderney. | <urn:uuid:bfffb946-30f0-4307-8d2e-b1700971e861> | CC-MAIN-2017-13 | http://www.yourdictionary.com/alderney | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-13/segments/1490218188623.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20170322212948-00183-ip-10-233-31-227.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.917197 | 142 | 2.53125 | 3 |
Archaeologists have unearthed a hoard of Late Pictish and Roman silver buried in a field in Aberdeenshire.
The new finds include late Roman coins, pieces of late Roman silver vessels, bracelet and brooch fragments and other objects that would have been highly prized objects.
Dr Gordon Noble, Senior Lecturer, Department of Archaeology, University of Aberdeen who led the fieldwork as part of the University’s Northern Picts project said: “Our work in north-east Scotland is increasingly showing that Pictish communities in this area were part of powerful kingdoms in the early medieval period.
MORE NEWS AND VIEWS: Culture boost for Scotland
This exciting new find is part of a broader phenomenon of hacksilver hoards which stretch across Europe from the 4th to 6th centuries AD, when the Western Roman Empire was in decline.”
Pictish communities…were part of powerful kingdoms in the early medieval period.Dr Gordon Noble, Senior Lecturer, University of Aberdeen
“Silver objects were chopped up into bullion and then used and exchanged as payment, bribes, tribute and reward. People buried their wealth to keep it safe, but many did not return to recover their hoard.”
This latest discovery is the most northern Late Roman hacksilver hoard to be found in Europe. Researchers believe it will enable further investigation into the importance of silver, from the very earliest appearance in Scotland during Roman times, to its use in decorating later high status silver objects.
Elements of the hoard will be on display for the first time at King’s Museum, University of Aberdeen from 20 January to 31 May 2015. | <urn:uuid:34538010-ecd4-4180-98f9-3be5cd7dab81> | CC-MAIN-2021-39 | https://www.scotsmagazine.com/articles/roman-silver-gets-first-time-display/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-39/segments/1631780055684.76/warc/CC-MAIN-20210917151054-20210917181054-00287.warc.gz | en | 0.960545 | 334 | 3.046875 | 3 |
Categories: Business and Industry, Hartford, Invention and Technology, Middletown, Stamford, Work
A Different “Type” of Connecticut Industry
In the middle of the 1800s, the invention of the typewriter revolutionized the way Americans communicated. The new device allowed for the production of correspondence at previously unimaginable speeds. Though this transformation helped foster more detailed and voluminous exchanges of information, early typewriters were cumbersome and bulky pieces of machinery. In 1892, a patent by a Stamford man not only brought portability to typewriter design, it also helped foster the growth of typewriter manufacturing in Connecticut well into the 20th century.
On April 12, 1892, the US government awarded a patent to George Blickensderfer for what many consider to be the country’s first truly portable typewriter. Blickensderfer, who founded the Blickensderfer Manufacturing Company on Garden Street in Stamford just three years earlier, utilized his now patented design to grow his company into one of the world’s largest typewriter manufacturers.
The Blickensderfer Portable Typewriter
The principle of Blickensderfer’s design was a method of revolving type that greatly reduced the number of parts required to produce his machine. His lightweight model became so popular that he began offering customized versions capable of typing in different styles and languages. Blickensderfer died in 1917 and the L.R. Roberts Typewriter Company of Stamford purchased his company just three years later.
By the time of Blickensderfer’s death, however, typewriter manufacturing was a staple of Connecticut industry. In 1913, while home to only seven of the 73 typewriter manufacturers in the country, Connecticut’s operations were so massive that they employed 5,423 of the nation’s 14,963 typewriter workers. By 1927, the state had 29 manufacturers and over seven thousand workers. These manufacturers spread out across the Connecticut landscape, bringing prosperity to their various locales throughout the state.
One of the more innovative manufacturers was the Noiseless Typewriter Company of Middletown, Connecticut. Incorporated in January of 1909, the company sought to combat the discordant clattering found in office spaces with a quieter version of the typewriter. Taking over the factory previously operated by the Eisenhuth Horseless Vehicle Company, the Noiseless Typewriter Company was soon producing up to twelve thousand typewriters per year. In 1927 they merged with Rand Kardex to form the Remington Noiseless Typewriter Corporation—Middletown’s largest employer—but labor strife in 1936 ultimately changed the direction of the company away from typewriter production.
Underwood and Royal in Hartford
Another prominent location for typewriter manufacturing was the city of Hartford—home to, among others, a pair of the most successful companies of the era. In 1901, the Underwood Typewriter company relocated to Hartford. Underwood produced some of the most iconic typewriters of the early 1900s and proved a favorite among authors and reporters alike.
Following less than a decade behind Underwood, the Royal Typewriter Company moved its operations from Brooklyn, New York, to a five-acre manufacturing facility in Hartford. The first Royal typewriter, the Royal Standard, actually differentiated itself from all other models by having a “flatbed” design instead of the traditional “upright” construction.
The company’s success allowed it to move into the portable typewriter market in 1926. As a way to promote the durability of Royal Typewriters, Royal president George Smith bought an airplane in August of 1927 and dropped over eleven thousand of his typewriters to customers by parachute—only damaging ten.
During World War II, Royal ceased typewriter production to make guns, ammunition, and airplane parts, but by February of 1950 the company had entered the emerging electric typewriter market. Like many Connecticut companies, Royal took advantage of new overseas markets to open a factory in Holland in 1953, and the following year the company merged with the McBee office and accounting supply company. The company eventually changed its name to Royal Consumer Information Products, Inc. and moved its headquarters to Somerset, New Jersey.
Like many stories from Connecticut’s industrial past, typewriter manufacturing is often under appreciated for the role it played in shaping the modern world. As was the case with bicycles, clocks, brass, and numerous other manufactures, typewriters kept Connecticut at the forefront of northern industrial development for nearly a century. An examination of its expansion and contraction speaks to the influences of consumerism, urbanization, and globalization on Connecticut’s economy and how these changing forces ultimately transformed the state’s industrial identity. | <urn:uuid:5e757469-5c0c-4dec-a656-27188dbea06f> | CC-MAIN-2015-32 | http://connecticuthistory.org/a-different-type-of-connecticut-industry/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-32/segments/1438042990217.27/warc/CC-MAIN-20150728002310-00197-ip-10-236-191-2.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948225 | 979 | 3.203125 | 3 |
A sacroiliac joint injection is also called a sacroiliac joint block. It is primarily used either to diagnose or treat low back pain and/or sciatica symptoms associated with sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
The sacroiliac joint is an amphiarthrodial joint, formed between the auricular surfaces of the sacrum and the ilium.
Interosseous ligament, the anterior and posterior sacroiliac ligaments. Are the major stabilizers of sacroiliac joints.
Sensory innervation the dorsal side of SI joint comes from the dorsal root ganglions of L4 to S2and the ventral innervation originates from L1 to S2.
Indications of Sacroiliac Joint Injection
Indications for sacroiliac joint injection are –
- Diagnosis of the cause of pain suspected to be of sacroiliac origin
- Treatment of pain diagnosed to be of sacroiliac origin
Often the two are combined into one injection [First the diagnosis, then treatment]
It must be noted that the methodology involved in injection application is similar in both the cases and the difference is only of the material injected.
A diagnostic sacroiliac joint injection is used to confirm a suspected diagnosis of sacroiliac joint dysfunction by anesthetizing the sacroiliac joint with local anesthetic (e.g. lidocaine) under fluoroscopy.
After the injection, the patient is asked to try and reproduce the pain by performing activities which are painful to him.
A relief of 75-80% for the normal duration of the anesthetic suggests a tentative diagnosis of sacroiliac joint dysfunction.
For confirmation, a second injection using a different anesthetic (e.g. Bupivicaine) is used in order to confirm the diagnosis.
If this second injection also results in 75-80% pain relief, then most likely, pain source is sacroiliac joint.
For pain relief, the injection is performed using the same, except that anti-inflammatory medication (corticosteroid) is included in the injection to provide pain relief by reducing inflammation within the joint.
- History of significant allergic reactions to injected solutions
- Local malignancy
- Congestive heart failure
- Uncontrolled diabetes mellitus
- Systemic or local infection at the site of a planned injection
- Bleeding disorder
- Patient on anticoagulants
In cases where patients take anticoagulants, the medications should be held for 7 days prior to the injection and for 24 hours after the injection.
Sacroiliac Joint Injection Procedure
After informed consent has been obtained, the patient lies face down on his or her stomach on the radiography table. A pillow might be placed under the hips for patient comfort.
Anxiolytics may be used in anxious patients.
The skin overlying the sacroiliac joint injection is cleansed using Povidine-Iodine or chlorhexidine solution.
The needle insertion site is often numbed using a local anesthetic.
The insertion of a single needle in the inferior aspect of the joint is preferred. Insert the needle in a medial-to-lateral direction.
The needle is advanced through the skin, capsule, and ligaments of the joint until it is introduced into the joint.
Approximately 1 mL of contrast is injected. It should outline the joint, which can be easily viewed under fluoroscopy
Two types of medications are typically injected:
For the diagnostic purpose, a local anesthetic (lidocaine or bupivacaine) is injected into the joint and pain relief is gauzed.
For treatment, a corticosteroid [admixed with anesthetic for initial pain relief] which may help reduce inflammation within the joint and relieve symptoms for a longer period [Several months to a year].
The patient is monitored for about 30 minutes for adverse/allergic reactions.
In either strategy [diagnosis or treatment], the patient’s pain level is assessed by having the patient perform activities that would usually provoke pain. The percentage of pain relief is documented.
At least 75 percent improvement of the patient’s painful activity-related symptoms. If a second diagnostic injection is positive, then the sacroiliac joint is considered the likely source of the patient’s painful symptoms.
Some authors recommend extra-articular or periarticular corticosteroid which has been found to provide significantly higher in various studies. This is said to be due to nociceptive fibers in The interosseous membrane and the surrounding ligaments.
This is significant if the pain is originating from soft tissues rather than joint itself.
As many as two-thirds of patients may have significant improvement of approximately 9 months duration with steroid injection. The pain may recur, and the injection can be repeated.
Complications of Sacroiliac Joint Injections
Adverse effects seen with sacroiliac joint injection are minimal.
The most commonly reported immediate adverse effect is a vasovagal reaction.
The common adverse effects are
- Temporary increase in pain
- Allergic reaction to a medication
- Bruising and/or soreness at the injection site. | <urn:uuid:c63a1976-6241-419e-b2ad-a9791dc2eb81> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://boneandspine.com/sacroiliac-joint-injection/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593655929376.49/warc/CC-MAIN-20200711095334-20200711125334-00174.warc.gz | en | 0.895824 | 1,097 | 2.5625 | 3 |
Introduction: The Penal Substitutionary Model
A prolific American preacher and peace activist begins his widely read on-line essay on the meaning of the atonement with these words:
“The foundational truth of Christianity is that Christ Jesus died on the cross for our sins (1 Cor 15:3). In this way he fulfilled the old covenant sacrificial system, reconciled us to God, and changed our lives forever. That is the doctrine of the Atonement. Its reality is not in dispute. However, many Christians struggle to understand and live this doctrine better. We know that the Atonement works; but how it works is not as clear.” (Mattison)
In stating that Christ died “for” our sins in fulfilment of the Hebrew sacrificial system, but professing agnosticism as to the precise mechanics, the author presents a picture of the atonement that most Christians would accept. Many would go further, however, and insist on explicating the phrase “died for our sins” to mean “died in our place to suffer the divine punishment for our sins”. This more specific doctrine, known as penal substitution, is not univocally supported by the New Testament but has much to recommend it:
· It can be argued strongly from Scripture (e.g. Ro 3:25);
· It harmonises God’s perfect love and perfect justice;
· It is ruthlessly honest as to the nature and cause of humanity’s predicament;
· It makes sense of the absolute necessity of Christ’s death;
· It tends to inspire vigorous personal and corporate evangelism.
However, it is impossible to ignore the testimony of the many Christians who have reservations about forensic and sacrificial atonement theories. Quite apart from those (e.g. J. D. Crossan) who see Christianity as divorced from the Jesus events, there are many to whom “the language of sacrifice...is either empty because it is unintelligible, or offensive because it is morally primitive.” (Heim, 2001). It is by no means certain, moreover, that forensic atonement honours the spirit of the sacrificial system depicted in the Hebrew Scriptures in quite the way its proponents claim. The Catholic historian Lawrence Boadt writes:
“Sacrifices were well known throughout the ancient world, but in Israel, unlike in some Canaanite cults, the sacrifice was never considered a magical ritual that brought God to act in a certain way. The spirit of adoration and silence and the obedience of the people before Yahweh always stand out. And when the prophets do condemn abuses of sacrifice, they almost always attack that slipping over into a conviction that God must accept this gift and then do what is requested.” (Boadt, 1984, pp.272-3)
The New Testament did not invent vicarious suffering and death, but as Boadt describes the five sacrifices decreed in Leviticus 1-7 (viz. Holocausts, Grain Offerings, Peace Offerings, Sin Offerings, Guilt Offerings), it is evident that the forensic interpretation of the Cross is not a perfect conceptual match for any of them.
My conclusion is that theological models function like parables; however much they have to tell us, their analogies can only be pushed so far. Indeed, different models act as a check on one another, and I am confident that many of the alternatives put forward in good faith over the centuries can provide complementary insights into the richness of God’s saving grace.
I will be using as an organising framework for this review of some alternative models one of the key Reformed texts of modern times, Louis Berkhof’s Systematic Theology (Berkhof, 1958, pp384-391). I do so not out of unreserved concurrence with his opinions, but because he marshals all the most important theories and the key arguments against them in chronological order – an approach that often throws light on the dialectical process that produced them. And unlike Berkhof, I will be looking for helpful insights in these diverse models as well as weaknesses.
Types of Atonement Theory
Theories of the atonement cover a broad spectrum of ideas, and have been more influenced by cultural predispositions than their proponents would admit. However, they can generally be mapped in relation to the following axes:
· Objectivity – humanity’s real situation, including God’s attitude towards us; Christ typically characterised as hero and victim;
· Subjectivity – humanity’s perceptions of reality and its attitude towards God and others; Christ seen primarily as revelator and teacher.
Most commentators distinguish from these a third set of ideas focusing on humanity’s knowledge or understanding of its situation and potential, in which Christ is seen as reconciler and healer. These ideas are present in most theories, however, and the key distinction is whether God’s or man’s attitudes are seen as paramount.
The Ransom Theory
The Ransom model belongs in the first category, the family of objective theories in which Christ is characterised as the conquering hero or sacrificial victim who brings about a difference in humanity’s situation. First proposed by Irenaeus of Lyons in the 2nd century C.E., it was predicated on the rather dualistic belief that human sin had given Satan legitimate rights over humanity. Versions of the theory differ as to just how Christ’s death annulled these rights, but whether by combat, fair payment or trickery God emerged victorious over the powers of darkness.
The scandal of a crucified Messiah and the psychology of a persecuted minority led the early Church Fathers to express these ideas in rather shallow triumphalistic terms, but pictures of Christ as victor over dark forces are clearly biblical (1Co 15:57; Eph 4:8) and as empowering in spiritual warfare today as in their original context. Gustaf Aulén’s influential “Christus Victor” (1930) stressed the authentic note of victory in Irenaeus’ theory over its mythic elements, and this theme of victory in Christ may prove particularly valuable in adapting orthodox Christian soteriology to the needs of growing churches in the Third World where spiritual and socio-economic struggles go hand-in-hand.
The Recapitulation Theory
The Recapitulation Theory, also associated with Irenaeus, held that that Christ recapitulates or replays all the elements of human life inherited from Adam – including those associated with sin. The point of the theory is that the obedience of Christ compensates for Adam’s disobedience and reverses the consequences of the Fall; in the process, he communicates immortality and a real ethical transformation to those who are united to him by faith.
Few atonement theories fit neatly into a single category. Recapitulation is primarily another way for Christ to bring about a difference in the objective human situation, i.e. a cosmos corrupted by the Fall. However, it seems to foreshadow later subjective and mystical theories in which Christ is presented as mediator of a change in humanity itself. In the mystical theory, the divine life is said to have entered the life of humanity in order to lift it to the level of the divine; Christ’s identification with men and women is such that he was able to purify human nature by his life of obedience, and able by his death to eliminate the very principle of depravity that separated humanity from God. It is the resulting progressive transformation in our subconscious nature that really constitutes redemption.
These later mystical theories generally fare better than the original Recapitulation model in explaining the value and necessity of Christ’s death, and why Christians continue to struggle morally. Nevertheless, Irenaeus’ picture of Christ as the second Adam has strong Pauline roots (e.g. Ro 5:12-21) and makes a parallel appeal to the Hebrew scriptures; it evidently helped the early church in its struggles against heresy and persecution, and there is a clear accessibility for both modern and post-modern cultures in its vision of a humanity whose heredity is blessed and cursed with conflicting moral and relational polarities.
The Satisfaction Theory
There is a reverent and sentimental hopefulness about the atonement theories of the early church that makes them easy to warm to, however short on intellectual rigour they may appear in hindsight. In contrast, the Satisfaction Theory of Anselm, which dates from the late 11th century, is of all models one of the hardest to like.
It was based on a sound realisation that the time-honoured Ransom Theory accorded too much status to Satan, and reasoned that if a ransom was paid at all it must have been payable to God himself. This was the first of the family of formal soteriologies that focus attention on the difference Christ’s death makes to God’s attitude vis-à-vis humanity, and it paved the way for the propitiatory language of the Protestant Reformation over 400 years later.
However, Anselm’s conception of satisfaction differed from Luther’s in at least one crucial respect: it regarded sin as an offence not against God’s perfect justice but against his personal honour. Such an offence needed to be vindicated by either punishment or satisfaction, and since God in his mercy rejected punishment the only possible source of the infinite satisfaction required was the death of his Son. Christ’s obedience was actually no more than his duty as a man, but by suffering and dying in a way he was not obligated to do by any sinfulness of his own, he delivered to God the infinite glory needed to cancel out the dishonour of human sin. In doing so he earned a “supererogatory credit” or reward that could be passed on to those who live according to the commandments of the gospel.
The distinction between this and the later theory of penal substitution may seem pedantic to some, but the differences are actually quite profound. Berkhof manages to sound condescending when he says that the concept of supererogatory credit is rather like the Catholic doctrine of penance applied to the work of Christ, but the parallels with discredited penitential practices are not imaginary. Unwittingly perhaps, Anselm brands God with the same medieval human values of status, honour and morality that underpinned duelling – the spilling of blood for the sake of honour – and the indulgence system that would one day provoke Luther to rebellion.
Anselm deserves credit for working out a God-centred objective picture of the atonement that the Reformers would build on to better effect. However, he neglected the revelatory significance of Christ’s living ministry – an omission the Reformers would rectify through a distinction between Christ’s active and passive obedience –and it is perhaps due to this that he fails to provide a credible basis for the transference of Christ’s supererogatory credit to humanity. Ultimately, his theory tends to undermine a proper sense of gratitude to Christ or moral responsibility for his suffering, and it has sometimes been disparagingly called the Commercial Theory.
The Moral Influence Theory
This foundational model of subjective atonement was advocated by Anselm’s near-contemporary Abelard, possibly in shocked reaction to the former’s suggestion that Christ’s suffering and death gave God some kind of grim satisfaction. Depicting Christ principally as Revealer and Educator, the theory holds that his death was no more or less than a revelation of divine love and solidarity in suffering that softens human hearts and leads to the repentance that brings divine forgiveness. It is firmly rooted in a certain strand of biblical theology (notably Luke/Acts and the prophetic tradition), and has attracted massive support since the Enlightenment – in fact it is probably the principal rival to sacrificialism in orthodox Christianity today.
It has been plausibly objected by Berkhof (p.387) and others that “this theory robs the atonement of its objective character, and thereby ceases to be a real theory of the atonement. It is at most only a one-sided theory of reconciliation.” And whether or not this is accepted, there are other objections to Abelard’s theory:
· It predated the scholarship that understands biblical theology as dynamic process. The leading evangelical author of the 20th century comments on Peter’s Pentecost sermon in Acts ch.2, one of the key supporting texts for this theory, “No developed doctrine of the Atonement is yet expressed” (Stott, 1990, p.75);
· It ignores the sheer weight of sacrificial language in the New Testament, along with the many pointers to God’s justice and wrath (e.g. Romans ch. 1), and thereby risks making repentance and divine forgiveness cheap;
· It does not really explain the need for Christ’s death, and is thus held by many to introduced a note of arbitrary cruelty into God’s supposed love.
· It does not explain how salvation reaches those who lived before the Incarnation, children, or others who are incapable of apprehending or responding to Christ’s moral influence.
As a complement to objective models, however, this theory has much to teach us about the role in salvation of human repentance and God’s forgiving heart – themes whose centrality to a proper understanding of the Hebrew sacrificial system has all too often been overlooked (Morris, 1988). Moreover, this theory need not be presented in a way that detracts from the uniqueness of salvation in Christ, and it inhabits a universal episteme that erects few barriers to transculturation. Above all it provides solid theological foundations for a Christianity that is engaged with the practical needs of the world – it is no coincidence that social reformers and campaigners for peace and justice are often deeply committed to Abelard’s picture of the atonement.
The Example Theory
Abelard’s ideas were developed in a more radical direction by the Socinians in the 16th century, in reaction to the penal substitution theory of the Protestant Reformers. This version of subjective atonement is based on a sweeping assumption that there is no principle of retributive justice in God that insists on the punishment of sin. In consequence, said Fausto Sozzini (Socinius), salvation is achievable through humanity’s own God-given moral faculties.
The Socinian theory is based on the lowest of all Christologies; Christ is not understood as divine in any meaningful sense, there is no direct connection between his death and human salvation, and in revealing the way of individual faith and obedience he is scarcely even unique. Berkhof sees this as a “revival and concoction” of several ancient heresies: a Pelagian denial of human depravity, an adoptionist Christology, a Scotist attribution of arbitrariness to God’s will, and a retrograde appeal to the Anselmian ideas that he deems the Reformation to have rendered obsolete.
Berkhof is generally too sweeping in his rejection of alternatives to Reformed orthodoxy, but the crux of the matter here, as he succinctly puts it on p.388, is that “Christ is our Redeemer before He can be our example.” The Christian certainly is called to follow Christ’s example, but imitation alone is an inadequate response to God’s self-revelation. Abelard’s theory is friendly to this principle as its fundamental dynamic is one of heartbreak, repentance and forgiveness. In contrast the Socinian model is an arrogant and divisive construct; it clashes directly with objective atonement theories and thus does nothing to enrich our understanding of God’s grace.
The Governmental Theory
The Governmental Theory, which still has a considerable following in Arminian and Wesleyan circles, was put forward by Huig de Groot (Grotius) in the early 17th century in an attempt to mediate between Reformed and Socinian positions. It creates as many problems as it solves, however. At its heart lies an assumption that the Law is a creation of God’s arbitrary will rather than an expression of his essential character and being. On this most fragile of pretexts, it is argued that God’s justice does not demand that all the Law’s requirements be met. The sinner theoretically deserves death, but God chooses to set the penalty aside for believers. In the final analysis Christ did not die in man’s place to secure forgiveness, but to demonstrate the inviolability of God’s law and so uphold his moral government.
Perhaps we see in this theory an echo of the concurrent struggle of Europe’s nation states to consolidate their own governmental authority. Either way it is fatally compromised on logical as well as theological grounds; it is superficially objective in its focus on God’s sovereignty and Christ’s sacrifice, but it attributes no substantive benefit for humankind by Christ’s life or death since it sees our forgiveness as the result of the Father’s arbitrary will to forgive. There is thus little purpose to Christ’s death beyond demonstrating the inviolability of a Law which God’s own actions have shown to be violable. The one practical value of Christ’s death in this scenario might have been as a deterrent to future infractions of the Law – had not God already shown his willingness to set the penalty aside. Most offensive of all is the suggestion that God might be existentially disintegrated, his essence and his actions mutually at odds. Indeed I am little more sure than with the Example theory that this model is truly Trinitarian.
I have barely scratched the surface, but I have attempted to show by a few case studies how we can enrich our understanding of Christ’s work through a humble but critical consideration of different theological models. I would like to finish by demonstrating with the aid of quotations from three credible theologians that this approach is neither arbitrary nor vague.
Dr. Tom Wright, a highly respected Anglican theologian and former Bishop of Durham, describes the Cross in one characteristic passage as
“the moment when the evil and pain of all the world were heaped up into one place, there to be dealt with once and for all…
“Jesus’ final great act of love draws to a climax all those actions throughout his ministry…in which we see the deeply human…and characteristically God-filled Jesus truly at work.” (Wright, 2000, p.68)
If Wright does not feel a need to identify the precise mechanism by which this great act of love deals with the world’s evil and pain, Dr. Michael Ramsey, another leading Anglican thinker of the 20th century, sees not the human theological construct of atonement but rather the God-given signs of Death and Resurrection as the events that characterise the nature of Christianity. He continues,
“It is a gospel of life through death, of losing life so as to find it . . . the Christian’s act of allegiance to the risen Lord Jesus was, and still is, an act of acceptance of the way of the Cross.” (Ramsey, 1985, p.31).
And finally the influential Catholic liturgist James Empereur, SJ, stresses the importance of reserve in using theological models:
“Tolerance of pluralism is the only solution. No benefit will result from trying to impose any one model as the last word . . . [The theologian] is called to go beyond these images. He/she must use the image in a reflective and critical way . . . The use of models in theology should emphasise for us that at no time do our concepts and symbols actually capture the infinite that lies behind our liturgical experiences. And since all models have their limitations, the task is to work with several models as complementary.” (Empereur, 1987, p.66)
I continue to believe that Christ died in my place for my sins, and I find in forensic theories the most complete and satisfying explanation of his work. However, some of the alternative frameworks I have outlined help to open up the extraordinary richness in God’s mercy in a way that no one intellectual construct ever could.
In consequence, and in spite of Stott’s persuasive argument for “an understanding of [the atonement] which reclaims from misrepresentation the great biblical concepts of ‘substitution’, ‘satisfaction’ and ‘propitiation’” (Stott, 1986, p.10), I find the term “participation” as used by Mattison in some ways more illuminating; it integrates more smoothly with non-sacrificial language, and above all it emphasises our calling to go to the cross with Christ rather than merely letting him occupy it for us. It is in these terms that I can most clearly see Christ’s blood as the seal on a new covenant between God and man, and preach to myself and others an active sacrificial concern for the needs of a suffering world.
AULÉN, G. (1969) Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of the Atonement New York, Macmillan.
BELLINGER, C. (2001) Bibliography on the Doctrine of the Atonement [on-line] Available: http://www.gospelcom.net/regent/regentnew/library/Biblio_atonement.html
BERKHOF, L. (1958) Systematic Theology Edinburgh, Banner of Truth Trust.
BOADT, L. (1984) Reading the Old Testament: An Introduction New York, Paulist Press.
EHRMAN, B. D. (2000) The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings New York, Oxford University Press.
EMPEREUR, J. (1987) Worship: Exploring the Sacred Washington D.C., The Pastoral Press.
HEIM, S. M. (2001) “Why Does Jesus’ Death Matter?” in The Christian Century 7 March 2001, pp.12-17 [online] Available: http://www.religion-online.org/cgi-bin/relsearchd.dll/showarticle?item_id=2138
KÜNG, H. (1993) Credo: The Apostles’ Creed Explained for Today London, SCM Press.
MATTISON, M. M. (undated) “The Meaning of the Atonement” in The Open House Church Articles [online] Available: http://www.auburn.edu/~allenkc/openhse/atonement.html
MCGRATH, A. E. (1998) Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought Oxford, Blackwell Publishing.
MCGRATH, A. E., Ed. (2001a) The Christian Theology Reader, 2nd Ed. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing.
MCGRATH, A. E. (2001b) Christian Theology: An Introduction, 3rd Ed. Oxford, Blackwell Publishing.
MORRIS, L. L. (1988) “Atonement” in Ferguson, S. B. and Wright, D. F., Ed. New Dictionary of Theology Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press.
RAMSEY, M. (1985) The Christian Priest Today London, SPCK
SCHAFF, P. (undated) “The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopaedia of Religious Knowledge” in Christian Classics Ethereal Library [online] Available: http://www.ccel.org/s/schaff/encyc/encyc02/htm/iv.vi.lxv.htm
SIDER, R. J. (1993) Good News and Good Works: A Theology for the Whole Gospel Grand Rapids, MI; Baker Books.
STOTT, J. R. W. (1986) The Cross of Christ Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press.
STOTT, J. R. W. (1990) The Message of Acts Leicester, Inter-Varsity Press.
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The idea was common to both Jewish and Greek thought; it occurs more than once in the deutero-canonical writings and is the central device in Euripides’ drama Alcestis of around 438 B.C.E. (Ehrman, 2000, p.257).
The English mystic Evelyn Underhill, for example, refers to Christ the Teacher, Christ the Healer and Christ the Rescuer (Underhill, 1944).
Perhaps resulting from an over-literal reading of Mk 10:45, which states that Christ died “to give his life as a ransom for many”.
Gregory the Great, for example, saw Christ’s humanity as bait and his divinity as the hook.
Such was the embarrassment of the crucifixion to much of the early church, it was not until the conversion of Constantine that the cross achieved emblematic status (Küng, 1993, p.65).
Indeed, the theory still attracts considerable popular support. I quote from a recent and widely circulated e-mail chain letter (no attribution available): “And what will you do when you get done with [humanity]?” Jesus asked. “Oh, I’ll kill ‘em,” Satan glared proudly. “How much do you want for them?” Jesus asked . . . Satan looked at Jesus and sneered, “All your tears, and all your blood.” Jesus said, “DONE!” Then He paid the price.
Over against Berkhof, it could be argued that reconciliation is at the heart of the atonement – the term itself is thought to have been coined by Tyndale as a translation of the L. reconciliatio. This counter-argument cannot be pushed too far, however, as reconciliatio itself is not a wholly adequate translation of the Gk. katallage, which in Hellenised Jewish culture carried rich overtones of exchange (Gk. vb. katallasso) as well as the interrelated Hebrew concepts of “covering” (kopher) and ritual atonement (kipper).
As Berkhof states in slightly cumbersome syntax on p.387, “The sufferings and death of Christ were a manifestation of God’s love only, if it was the only way to save sinners.”
Although there is an anomalous and rather Anselmian assumption in the Example Theory that Christ passes on to believers some kind of reward received for his own obedience.
As George Bernard Shaw has Don Juan answer a companion in Hell who is complaining that all her good deeds have been wasted: “No: you were fully and clearly warned. For your bad deeds, vicarious atonement, mercy without justice. For your good deeds, justice without mercy. We have many good people here.” (Man and Superman Act III, s.166) | <urn:uuid:e044ccfd-b295-4932-87f0-2ed9a37d3477> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.areopagus.co.uk/2011_05_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560284411.66/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095124-00192-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942063 | 5,763 | 2.515625 | 3 |
A northern California Indian tribe’s sacred land is now back under their ownership, thanks to the help of a conservancy group.The Esselen Tribe, one of the state’s smallest and least well known tribes, inhabited the Santa Lucia Mountains and the Big Sur coast for thousands of years, according to their website. Nearly 250 years ago, their land was taken from then by Spanish explorers, according to the tribe’s history. The tribe remained landless until Monday.
The Esselen Tribe of Monterey County (ETMC) closed escrow on a $4.5 million deal with Western Rivers Conservancy (WRC), an environmental group, to purchase nearly 1,200 acres in Big Sur. The WRC acquires land with the purpose of finding a long-term steward that will conserve the natural habitat. In October the group announced it helped the tribe to be rewarded a grant through the California Natural Resources Agency that covered the purchase of the land.”It is with great honor that our tribe has been called by our Ancestors to become stewards of these sacred indigenous lands once again,” Tom Little Bear Nason, Tribal Chairman of the ETMC, said in a statement in October.”These lands are home to many ancient villages of our people, and directly across the Little Sur River sits Pico Blanco or ‘Pitchi’, which is the most sacred spot on the coast for the Esselen People and the center of our origin story.”
The land, which was known as the Adler Ranch, first came to the attention of WRC in 2015 when the long time owners had being trying to sell the property for years, Sue Doroff, president of WRC, told CNN on Wednesday.
The area piqued the conservation group’s interest because it is known for its giant redwoods, an ideal nesting place for one of the largest flying birds in the world, the California condor.”The old-growth redwoods on this property are genetically adaptive to the warmer dry climate of Big Sur,” Doroff said. “These trees will be important for the future effort to assist in redwood survival.”The Little Sur River runs along one side of the property with a tributary jutting onto the land, which is a spawning ground for the South-Central California Coast Steelhead, said the WRC. Both these species are in dire need of conservation. The condor is listed as endangered and the steelhead as threaten on the Endangered Species Act.Both parties agreed that the land will not be commercially developed on and that conservation efforts will continue, according to Doroff.”We are proud of our involvement here and conserving this landscape,” Doroff said. “We are honored to be a part of rebuilding the Esselen Tribe.”In addition to conservation efforts, the ETMC plans on building a village that other indigenous tribes in the area can utilize. They are also planning to host public educational events to teach others about their culture, according to Doroff.”We are going to conserve it and pass it on to our children and grandchildren and beyond,” Nason told The Mercury News. “Getting this land back gives privacy to do our ceremonies. It gives us space and the ability to continue our culture without further interruption.” | <urn:uuid:2ae4140b-3d56-4d2f-990e-5108c48ca96f> | CC-MAIN-2022-40 | https://batani.org/archives/1422 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-40/segments/1664030335303.67/warc/CC-MAIN-20220929003121-20220929033121-00767.warc.gz | en | 0.961151 | 695 | 2.984375 | 3 |
data visualisation each have their own advantages and disadvantages, as explored in various studies described in detail in Section 2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of scatter plot graphs? Use a Scatter Diagram to investigate the possible relationship between two variables that both relate to the same event. Here's how: Select two columns with numeric data, including column headers. Time is plotted on the horizontal or x axis, while the change you are measuring is plotted on the y or vertical axis. Advantages of Process Mapping. Other charts use lines or bars to show data, while a scatter diagram uses dots. Both line graphs and scatter charts (also named scatter plot, scatter graph) are popular diagrams in analyzing and presenting data. Scatter Plot Advantages ⢠Allows to quickly see relation between x and y variables Disadvantages ⢠Difficult to show association between more than two variables ⢠Overwhelming with large quantity of data . SWOT analysis is effective method for prediction these processes and decision making for organizations that function in a competitive environment. Start studying Advantages and DisAdvantages of Graphs 2. A scatter graph may use a positive correlation or negative correlation, to shows points of the graph in either a dipping or climbing line, and is fairly easy to read the data. It allows you to see the whole situation, to identify the strengths and weaknesses of organization (advantages and disadvantages), as well as opportunities and threats of external environment. Setting this to True will show the grid. The analysis comes in when trying to discern what kind of pattern â if any â is present. And what that pattern means. It can represent both a positive or negative correlation. But, let us go into a little detail and learn about the advantages and disadvantages of Power BI so that you can have some basis to compare it with other tools. Relevance. Letâs have a look at some of the advantages and disadvantages of Plotly: Advantages: It lets you create interactive visualizations built using D3.js without even having to know D3.js. After brainstorming causes and effects using a fishbone diagram. Get your answers by asking now. Scatter plots 1. It showcases all data points. Some of the more obvious problems for each technique can be summarised as follows: SPLOM ⢠Scatter plot matrices require screen area proportional to the square of the number of dimensions. There are multiple layers in the Scatter Matrix graph. Plot a collection of data points on a chart, showing the amount of cost incurred for a given level of activity. Scatter PlotScatter Plot ⢠A scatter plot is a graph of a collection of ordered pairs (x,y). 0 0. Scatter PlotsScatter Plots KEY WORDS: Correlation â two events are related Line of fit â line that closely approximates data Correlation Coefficient â measures how well data is modeled by a linear equation 2. Still have questions? One advantage of the scatter plot is that a number of measurement strategies can be used including frequency counts, duration, or latency recording. Favorite Answer. How to plot a correlation graph in Excel. Disadvantage: Scattered all over/spazzy. Draw a matrix of scatter plots. 3 Christina is doing volunteer work in Uganda and asks several of the local people what their favourite music is. Scatter plot. Matrix Laboratory or Matlab is provided by Mathworks company which is a programming environment used for performing mathematical computation, programming, and visualization. Start studying Advantages & Disadvantages of Dot Plots, Histograms & Box Plots. Scatter charts show a relationship between the trend in the data of variables. This can also be shown visually by plotting two variables on the x and y axis of a scattergram or scatter chart . A line graph has the advantage of showing changes over time. Plot on the scattergraph a regression line that represents the ⦠The basic functions of Matlab are plotting of functions and data, the creation of user interfaces, matrix manipulations. Introduction to Matlab. 2. If the points are coded (color/shape/size), one additional variable can be displayed. Residual scatter plots provide a visual examination of the assumption homoscedasticity between the predicted dependent variable scores and the errors of prediction. Advantages and Disadvantages of Process Mapping. Scatter Plot Advantages Disadvantages . Unfortunately, these methods are not a cure-all solution. A Scatter plot is represented by dots. 1 decade ago. It has been developed by MathWorks. A versatile cross-platform mind mapping tool. This section will explain how to customize the background color, the type and color of the data plots and the axis tick labels of the scatter matrix. It is still possible to have so many points or perfectly aligned points that pile up beyond the opacity range. When trying to identify potential root causes of problems. Amount of transparency applied. figsize (float,float), optional. Disadvantages: - Not visually appealing - Does not easily indicate measures of centrality for large data sets . Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. ax Matplotlib axis object, optional grid bool, optional. Another way to record the data is to indicate low rates of occurrence with one symbol and higher rates of responding with a different code. Advantages and Disadvantages of Plotly. Scatter Diagram. Scatter plots are a way of visualizing the relationship; by plotting the data points you get a scattering of points on a graph. The scattergraph method is a visual technique for separating the fixed and variable elements of a semi-variable expense in order to estimate and budget future costs. The disadvantage is that its p-values are dependent on the number of permutations ... A scatter plot plots the values of the variables on the x- and y-axis for each observation. In this blog post, I will explain the scatter diagram. When To Use: When you have paired numerical data. Has a Line of Best Fit (A.K.A. The horizontal x axis shows the activity level, while the vertical y axis shows the amount of cost incurred. In particular, in full matrix plots, the z-axis color values are not very precise or quantitative, so its difficult to see, for example, small ripples on a trend, or quantitative assessments of rates of change, etc, so there's a significant cost to these. It can help in finding correlations between variables. The scatter plot presents pairs of values from two or three measures. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Answer Save. This article will explain an outline on Matlab and Advantages of Matlab. There are several advantages and disadvantages of process mapping and in the following two sections they have been outlined for both sides. Results are obtained and displayed in LMNE matrix LMNE matrix ⦠This may be confusing, but it is often easier to understand than lines and bars. Matlab or Matrix laboratory is a high-level programming language consisting of interactive environment mainly used for numeric computation, programming, and visualization. As we learned from the previous tutorial on Features of Power BI, itâs a great tool to use for data analysis and discovering important insights. Customizing Scatter Matrix plot. The advantage of a numerical approach is that it is data-driven and makes no assumptions (such as normality) about the data. A scatter plot (also called a scatterplot, scatter graph, scatter chart, scattergram, or scatter diagram) is a type of plot or mathematical diagram using Cartesian coordinates to display values for typically two variables for a set of data. This is useful when you want to show data where each instance has two numbers, for example, the relationship between Sales and Quantity per Customer.In the scatter plot below, ⦠However, care must be taken to use the right type of chart to accurately depict the numbers. In this lesson, we are going to discuss the pros and cons of Power BI. Density Histogram Get from App ⦠3: Density Histogram . A scatter plot, scatter graph, and correlation chart are other names for a scatter ⦠Charts offer an excellent way of quickly organizing and communicating a large amount of information. A tuple (width, height) in inches. When doing correlation in Excel, the best way to get a visual representation of the relations between your data is to draw a scatter plot with a trendline. The primary benefit is that the assumption can be viewed and analyzed with one glance; therefore, any violation can be determined quickly and easily. Advantage: shows trends through concentration/clusters. It is a powerful tool that includes its high-level language and functions for performing math-related tasks faster. 1.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Different Graphs Identify each graph: Line Graph, Bar Graph, Double Bar Graph, Pictograph, Circle Graph . Advantages: - Concise representation of data - Shows range, minimum & maximum, gaps & clusters, and outliers easily - Can handle extremely large data sets . Both plots have advantages and disadvantages. Parameters frame DataFrame alpha float, optional. Advantages and disadvantages: 7 Scatter Plot Matrices Pictures from Patrick Hoffman et al. 1 Answer. Advantages and Disadvantages of Scatter Charts. Forward Scatter, Side scatter, emitted fluorescence. Trend Line) , which is a line that goes through the center of all the data points A scatter plot can have either a negative correlation (high or low) or positive correlation (high or low) Has an independent and dependent variable (x,y) Has multiple The disadvantage of correlation research is that information pulled from data analysis is very limited. It provides compatibility with number of different languages/ tools like R, Python, MATLAB, Perl, Julia, Arduino. This article offers you a guide on how to choose between line graphs. Anonymous. Both methods have advantages and disadvantages, and the combination of the two can also be useful.
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Researchers have identified the neural correlates of team flow, a state where members of a team get into "the zone" to accomplish a task. The finding could be used as a tool to predict and enhance team performance.
The function of the opioid system is connected to eating triggered by external stimuli. The findings could lead to the development of new therapies that target the opioid system to reduce obesity.
Combining neuroimaging data with artificial intelligence technology, researchers have identified a complex network within the brain that comprehends the meaning of spoken sentences.
Shorter sleep duration can increase the risk of children developing depression, anxiety, and cognitive problems. Children who routinely suffered sleep disruptions or shorter sleep durations had reduced brain volume in the orbitofrontal cortex, prefrontal cortex, precuneus, supramarginal gyrus, and temporal cortex.
Neuroimaging helps researchers observe what happens in the brain as a person is rotated. The study, which gives insight into how the brain moves after the head stops moving, also provides critical information for advancing studies of TBI.
Autism diagnosis becomes stable starting at 14 months of age, researchers report. The accurate diagnosis of ASD, four months earlier than previously believed, leads to more opportunities for early interventions.
Non-invasive electrostimulation restores working memory in 70-year-olds, allowing for comparable to cognitive abilities to those of 20-year-olds. The technology increases neural synchronization patterns and information flow between frontotemporal regions of the brain. This results in rapid improvements of working memory in older people, which lasted for more than 50 minutes post stimulation. The findings offer new hope to those suffering age-related memory impairments.
A new neuroimaging study reveals how dogs process words they have been taught to associate with objects. Findings suggest dogs have a rudimentary neural representation of meaning for words they have been taught.
Researchers have identified a neural link between depression and sleep problems. The study reports brain regions associated with short term memory, self and negative emotions are strongly connected in those with depression, and this may lead to bad sleep quality.
A new study reveals professional dancers' brains react more quickly to musical changes than professional musicians. EEG data reveals dancers display stronger synchronization at a lower theta frequency, which is linked to emotional and memory processing. The study backs up previous findings that indicate both the auditory and motor cortices of dancers develop in unique ways. | <urn:uuid:cd03d34b-d25f-4f96-8823-358063c31493> | CC-MAIN-2022-05 | https://neurosciencenews.com/neuroscience-terms/temporal-cortex/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-05/segments/1642320305494.6/warc/CC-MAIN-20220128104113-20220128134113-00191.warc.gz | en | 0.940299 | 489 | 2.734375 | 3 |
A wide range of careers exists within the healthcare system. From medical assistants and Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN) to anesthetists and obstetricians, there are millions of people who work within the healthcare field. Healthcare professionals are the individuals we go to when we need basic common needs met, such as routine check-ups from our primary care physicians, teeth cleanings from our dentists, phlebotomists when we need our blood drawn, or optometrists when we need our eyes checked. Those individuals who work in their respective fields do so with dedication, tenacity, and compassion. Many healthcare professionals experience long and satisfying careers, while others might have careers that become interrupted by what is occurring within their personal lives.
According to USA Today, over 100,000 healthcare professionals abuse or are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol. As patients, we might not even consider this to be a possibility, as we look to our healthcare professionals as being the standard of health and wellbeing. Unfortunately, doctors, nurses, and others working in the healthcare field experience some of the highest rates of addiction in the job market. Many struggle to attend addiction treatment for healthcare professionals for various reasons and try to hide their problem. This, in turn, often leads to major consequences with medical boards and they risk losing their license. Whether you are required to complete an addiction treatment program for work or you want to get help before major consequences arise, our treatment center specializes in all aspects of helping healthcare workers get sober and back to work with a healthy mindset.
Signs and Symptoms of Addiction in Healthcare Professionals
Even though addiction is a disease that can impact anybody regardless of their career stance, healthcare professionals often display symptoms of addiction and abuse that can be uniquely reflected in their job performance. And while not all healthcare professionals show symptoms due to secretive behaviors, many of them will at some point.
Some of the signs and symptoms of addiction in healthcare professionals can include the following:
- Glassy eyes
- Dilated pupils
- Changing jobs often
- Requesting night shifts because there is less supervision
- Having trouble staying awake on the job
- Making repeated paperwork errors
- Taking many bathroom breaks
- Not showing up for work
- Volunteering to administer medications to patients
- Making close friendships with doctors who are responsible for prescribing medications
- Smelling like alcohol or using breath mints at an excessive rate
Depending on the substance or substances being abused, healthcare professionals might begin to experience changes in their behaviors, mood, or in their overall demeanor when addiction is occurring. Physical changes such as weight gain or loss, poor hygiene, and frail appearance can also signal an addiction.
Risk Factors for Abuse and Addiction in Healthcare Professionals
Healthcare professionals face a number of job-specific challenges that can certainly affect their chances of developing an addiction. Consider the following:
- Access – Healthcare professionals of all kinds have some level of access to medications. Some of those medications, depending on one’s job title, may include prescription drugs. One of the most common ways in which healthcare professionals develop an addiction is through access to prescription drugs like fentanyl and other opioids. And, when no one is monitoring this access, the abuse can continue.
- Stress – Jobs in healthcare are often extremely stressful. Many hours are worked back-to-back, cases can be complex, and other factors such as hospital politics and working with others can be a challenge in this field. To better cope with that stress, some healthcare professionals turn to drugs and/or alcohol. Whether they go home after their shifts and drink until they pass out, or take pills during their shifts, those who struggle with these behaviors need professional help such as addiction treatment.
- Pressure – Many healthcare professionals who work higher up in the chain face an enormous amount of pressure to be the top in their field. It is no secret that doctors of all practices are often competitive, which can serve as a large source of pressure. After many years of schooling and residencies, doctors can feel overwhelmed by this pressure and turn to the use of substances as a means of relieving that pressure.
Healthcare professionals also face regular, everyday stressors just like everyone else, such as conflicts, loss, negative living environments and more.
Addiction Treatment for Healthcare Professionals
When healthcare professionals make the decision to obtain treatment, they often want to do so discretely. This is for a number of reasons, but primarily to protect the reputation of the provider. At JourneyPure Center for Professional Excellence, we can provide the level of care all kinds of healthcare professionals need in order to overcome addiction and get back into the workforce better than before.
Through our residential addiction treatment for healthcare professionals, we offer gender-specific care for our male and female clients. Every healthcare professional that walks through our doors will receive a detailed assessment to determine his or her treatment needs. After that, specific therapies will be encouraged, as well as core therapies such as individual, group, and family therapy.
With the overarching goal of helping healthcare professionals determine the causes of their addictions, as well as addressing the effects that their addiction has had on themselves and others, we work tirelessly to provide only the best treatment. Each client receives treatment that is unique to his or her needs, and then provided an aftercare plan at the time of their departure from our facility. Also, alumni services are available for these individuals after they leave.
Our Addiction Treatment for Healthcare Professionals Can Help You Today!
If you are healthcare professional and feel that enough is enough, please contact us right now at 844-259-9926. At JourneyPure Center for Professional Excellence, your new beginning is just a call away. | <urn:uuid:76f00548-7af4-4fd6-9576-cb45e77c1474> | CC-MAIN-2018-47 | https://cpenashville.com/addiction-resources-professionals/addiction-treatment-for-healthcare-professionals/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-47/segments/1542039743960.44/warc/CC-MAIN-20181118011216-20181118033216-00361.warc.gz | en | 0.961295 | 1,161 | 2.671875 | 3 |
Several process heating applications exist in most chemical plants. Fired heaters usually handle high-temperature heating requirements, while steam or hot oil take care of medium- and low-temperature heating needs. Plants designed during low-cost energy periods or those scaled-up from previous designs stand to benefit from alternative process heating methods.
For example, in a paraffin process plant, the raffinate feed was heated from 250°F to 390°F, using about 3,000 lb/hr of 350-psig steam. In this same unit, four fired heaters were in continuous service, releasing stack gases to atmosphere at temperatures ranging between 580°F and 868°F. Space limitations and large-scale structural modifications prevented attempts to install air preheaters. Hence, we recommended installing a raffinate preheating coil just above the convection of one of the heaters, and the idea was accepted immediately. The existing steam-heated raffinate exchanger was left in place for temporary use in the future. Such alternative heating methods utilizing waste heat streams generally have attractive payback periods.
Tuning the burners of fired heaters and boilers provides another opportunity to save energy . When multiple process units are located in the same site, some fired heaters in one plant are well tuned and well maintained, while others operate with very high excess air levels. The first and foremost activity is to tune the burners of a boiler or fired heater and develop the equipment's load versus excess air characteristics. Of the 200+ energy assessments I've completed, I've always found at least one fired heater or boiler that required burner tuning. This is the simplest of all energy savings opportunities that can be implemented without any capital requirement.
Identifying and fixing the root cause of the problem will likely offer additional spin-off benefits. In one of the process units in the same plant, engineers attempted to minimize the flash steam venting from a condensate receiver — or at least recover it for other use. Analysis revealed that medium-pressure steam intentionally was supplied to the condensate receiver to increase the suction head of a condensate pump that failed frequently. Further investigation disclosed the pump discharged into the boiler feed water supply line to the steam generators. The pump's discharge was modified and re-routed to the deaerator inlet line. Once the condensate pump's discharge pressure was reduced, the steam supply to the condensate tank stopped and the flash steam venting reduced significantly. Fixing the root cause of this energy waste problem not only decreased flash steam venting, but also increased the condensate pump's life cycle and performance.
Optimizing energy consumption in steam-powered vacuum systems can also generate savings. In one process plant, three-stage steam jet ejectors, with condensers between stages, provided the desired level of vacuum in the distillation columns. Though steam jet ejectors are more suitable than liquid ring vacuum pumps to maintain near-absolute vacuum, they're comparatively less efficient in the mild vacuum ranges. Because the required vacuum level is always achieved in stages, it's best to design with liquid ring vacuum pumps in the low-vacuum ranges and add steam jet ejectors in tandem for high-vacuum stages. In this plant, all steam jet ejector vacuum systems were modified to a combination vacuum system with water ring vacuum pump and steam jet ejector. This helped achieve energy savings of more than $200,000 annually.
Preheating the cold make-up water to the deaerators or steam boilers can also help save energy. Only some plants utilize this opportunity, mostly by recovering heat from the boiler blowdown water or wasted heat from stack gas. Many engineers consider only heat rejected from processes or stacks as a good preheating source. That isn't necessarily true — low-level heat rejected from equipment like air compressors and chillers can also be used to preheat cold make-up water.
In one chemical plant I visited in western Tennessee, my team suggested preheating the cold make-up water by cooling the plant's air compressors. The cold make-up water quantity and the air-compressor cooling water flow quantities were well-matched. Implementing this suggestion also helped eliminate the plant's air compressor cooling tower, which had posed chronic problems to its maintenance staff.
Energy-saving opportunities are endless, and by trimming down energy losses, plants can gain a lot more.
VEN V. VENKATESAN is Chemical Processing's Energy Columnist. You can e-mail him at VVenkatesan@putman.net | <urn:uuid:27851fc4-6de4-4d20-9ec4-68efeaf2c8ff> | CC-MAIN-2017-04 | http://www.chemicalprocessing.com/articles/2012/optimize-energy-costs-part2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-04/segments/1484560279189.36/warc/CC-MAIN-20170116095119-00289-ip-10-171-10-70.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94995 | 946 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Every business should have fire safety policies as an important part of their management system in order to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
A fire risk assessment is a process involving the systematic evaluation of the factors that determine the hazard from fire, the likelihood that there will be a fire and the consequences if one were to occur. There are both qualitative and quantitative methods of risk assessment that can be used.
As an employer, owner or occupier of premises where you run your business you are responsible for fire safety. In law, they are known as the ‘appropriate person’. All workplaces, commercial premises and other buildings the public have access to must have a fire risk assessment carried out. | <urn:uuid:a375ae58-a385-4743-9047-afe11b109682> | CC-MAIN-2021-25 | https://www.sylviaaconsultancy.co.uk/fire-risk-assessments/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-25/segments/1623488553635.87/warc/CC-MAIN-20210624110458-20210624140458-00589.warc.gz | en | 0.973723 | 144 | 2.640625 | 3 |
STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford researchers are the first in the Bay Area to test an ingestible, pill-sized camera that detects bleeding in the small intestine. The device, developed by Israel-based Given Imaging, Ltd., provides doctors their only glimpse inside this hard-to-view organ without invasive surgery.
Jacques Van Dam, MD, PhD, professor of medicine at the Stanford School of Medicine, recently used the miniature camera on his second medical center patient. The first two patients are part of a multi-center clinical trial of the device-called the M2A capsule-in people who need regular transfusions due to bleeding. In a separate trial, Stanford researchers will test the device in anemic patients who do not yet need transfusions.
Doctors suspect internal bleeding when patients have consistently low levels of hemoglobin (the blood-born protein that carries oxygen). "Usually the bleeding is in the stomach or colon," Van Dam said. "But sometimes we can't find the source." Often these patients must get regular transfusions to make up for the lost blood.
To detect bleeding in the throat, stomach or colon, doctors use an endoscope-a camera on the end of a long, flexible rod. But endoscopy may fail to show the source of bleeding, leading doctors to suspect the small intestine. With no device for viewing inside the deepest portions of the small intestine, however, exploratory surgery is the only way to know for sure-no small feat, given the 20-foot length of the organ. "[The M2A capsule] lets us see what's happening in the small intestine for the first time," Van Dam said.
In preparation for the procedure, a patient fasts for eight hours to prevent food in the small intestine from obscuring trouble spots. The patient then swallows the vitamin-sized capsule, which encases four tiny flashing lights, a color camera, a battery and an antenna. The patient has a receiver taped to his or her abdomen to track the capsule's progress, recording two images per second. The capsule transmits images via radio frequencies to a Walkman-sized device worn on a belt along with a battery pack. Stanford's second patient to test the device, Leland McGraw, 77, swallowed the camera without a hitch. "I didn't feel it," he commented after it went down, adding that the receivers and belt were comfortable.
Two hours after swallowing the M2A capsule, patients can drink clear liquids. At four hours, they can eat solid food. Patients go about their daily business during the eight-hour procedure, careful not to dislodge the receivers or interfere with the battery pack and recorder. Eight hours after swallowing, the patient removes the belt and sensors, and simply forgets about the small plastic camera. "Patients don't have to retrieve the camera," said Van Dam. It simply completes its path through the digestive tract and is passed in stool.
The next day, the patient returns the belt, battery pack and recorder to the doctor, who downloads the video images into a computer. Software lets the doctor view the entire video of the camera's travels and save selected images. Snapping two images per second, the camera doesn't miss much. Doctors may be able to spot tumors, ulcers and bleeding. "More often than not, it's bleeding that we find," said Van Dam. Upon identifying the source, a surgeon can then remove the damaged portion of small intestine.
Although the capsule's components are based on existing technology, nobody has sent a camera through the digestive tract. "The fact that it worked is a big breakthrough," Van Dam said. "There's never been anything like this." Not only does it traverse the highly acidic stomach, but the camera successfully peers through the soupy contents of the small intestine and takes pictures as it tumbles along. "It doesn't matter if you're looking where you're going, or where you've been," said Van Dam, explaining that the tumbling motion isn't a problem.
The M2A capsule is as cost effective as endoscopy, said Van Dam, and could prevent expensive and painful surgery. Each capsule costs $450 and the one-time software purchase runs under $30,000. "It saves money if you consider that these people are bleeding and getting multiple endoscopies and transfusions, or more invasive procedures," Van Dam added.
Stanford University Medical Center integrates research, medical education and patient care at its three institutions - Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital. For more information, please visit the Web site of the medical center's Office of News and Public Affairs at http://mednews.stanford.edu
The above story is based on materials provided by Stanford University Medical Center. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Cite This Page: | <urn:uuid:3701a468-0a8f-4f37-9c43-f2c6834f4631> | CC-MAIN-2015-22 | http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/12/011210072428.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-22/segments/1432207927388.78/warc/CC-MAIN-20150521113207-00037-ip-10-180-206-219.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942835 | 999 | 3.09375 | 3 |
Ongoing transformation and addition to an allotment garden in Copenhagen, Denmark – this house is our own.
The tradition of allotment gardens spread through Europe in the 1780’s. It was originally planned for workers - mainly millitary staff - to have a place to grow vegetables and spend the summer in a countryside setting, while still being close to the city center. The small houses on the plot were built by the owners themselves with help from friends and neighbors.
This particular house was built in 1942 with no insulation as originally it was only used during the summer. To be able to work throughout the year the house had to be fully rebuilt . Nevertheless the perimeter of the house was respected and the humble feeling of a self-built simple black painted wooden box has been kept. The cheapest possible materials were used; plywood boards, asphalt roofing and recycled doors and windows. Floors are epoxy painted chipboards. The exterior plywood is burned, a technique seen in Japan – which is a affordable and natural way to protect wood against damp, insects and mould. The interior is lye- and soap treated plywood, while the bathroom is cladded with burned laquered plywood. A long concrete bench also serves as stairs to the house. | <urn:uuid:f3ab65aa-e0ef-4891-b784-8a2a6023df08> | CC-MAIN-2018-51 | http://marplusask.com/vaeg | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-51/segments/1544376825098.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20181213193633-20181213215133-00407.warc.gz | en | 0.981428 | 256 | 2.78125 | 3 |
א בְּרֵאשִׁית, בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים, אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ.
Transliterated: Bereshit bara Elohim et hashamayim ve’et ha’aretz.
(In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth)
This is the original text from Hebrew of Genesis 1:1.It consists of 7 words and 28 letters which cross references with Mrs Eddy´s mathematical principle of 7, 4.
As she discovered her system more, the Bible became prominent as she discovered the Science and expanded on its idea. No doubt she was searching for Biblical links to her system from the beginning and also noting people were not ready to hear “science”.
It was John Doorly, ex president of the Mother Church, some decades later who noticed that she had written the 7 synonyms in a different order 3 times to explain 3 points and discovered that it matched three periods of Biblical history with the textbook itself representing the 4th period. He then discovered that using her key to the Scriptures, the Bible was a book of spiritual laws written about the demonstration of the 7 synonyms. Thus her system was shown in the mathematical numbers 7 and 4.
The Hebrews recognised the importance of these great numbers, the Torah has the Bereishit. (Genesis 1:1) being 7 words and 28 letters in original Hebrew and regarded as “God”s signature.
In Hebrew, each letter possesses a numerical value, working with this system is called Gematria and is used to explore the relationship between words and ideas. | <urn:uuid:3397581b-9b9f-4259-8cd8-cb90a0897855> | CC-MAIN-2018-22 | https://seosaidh.com/tag/christianity/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-22/segments/1526794867559.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20180526151207-20180526171207-00187.warc.gz | en | 0.960914 | 393 | 2.953125 | 3 |
With few exceptions, incomes in coastal B.C. are lower than the provincial average, while the percentage of low-income residents and unemployment is higher. These indicators suggest large parts of coastal B.C. may be struggling economically, leading to possible negative effects on health and wellbeing.
Authors: Raissa Philibert and Karin Bodtker, Coastal Ocean Research Institute, an Ocean Wise initiative
Reviewer:Kevin Milligan, Professor of Economics, University of British Columbia
Photo Credit: Ocean Wise
Among the coastal regions of B.C., the highest income census divisions, as measured by median household income (Figure 1 under Current Status section) are Greater Vancouver and Kitimat-Stikine. These two areas have median household incomes that are as high or higher than the B.C. average. All other coastal areas have median household incomes that are below the provincial average. Furthermore, most coastal divisions have a higher prevalence of low-income households, lower rates of participation in the labour force, and higher unemployment rates than the B.C. average for each of these indicators.
Why is it important?
Assessing the health of coastal communities and regions involves many factors, but economic wellbeing in terms of livelihoods certainly plays a role. Economic wellbeing means having enough resources to face life’s challenges. Obvious factors include income and employment (see also our discussion of income disparity in the Wellbeing theme). The relationship between happiness and income and unemployment has been the subject of many studies. Given their importance, these factors have been included in several indices of wellbeing such as the Canadian Index of Wellbeing or the OECD Better Life index, alongside other equally important indicators. It is important to remember that economics are just part of the overall picture.
At an individual level, people with higher incomes report higher levels of life satisfaction. A sufficient income allows for a family or household to meet their basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing. Higher income also helps to provide better access to education, extended health care as well as leisure activities. On the other hand, lower incomes may lead to a number of obstacles to wellbeing including social exclusion and marginalization.
The links between employment and wellbeing seem clear cut. In Canadian as well as European studies, people who are employed report being happier than unemployed people, even if they are receiving the same income through other sources. Employment often provides a sense of purpose as well as a source of income. Similarly, high rates of unemployment are associated with a number of negative impacts in addition to a loss of income. For example, a Canada-wide study has found that communities with higher unemployment rates have poorer health and higher mortality rates. Unemployment has repercussions for the economy and society as a whole, even for those who are employed. In general, the unemployed in these studies and as defined by Statistics Canada are those who are actively looking for work. Those who are not working by choice are categorized by Statistics Canada as “not in the labour force” rather than unemployed.
What is the current status?
The median after-tax household income, representative of the resources available to a household, is less than the provincial average in all coastal census divisions, except two (Figure 1).
The median after-tax household income in B.C overall increased by one percent per year between 2005 and 2015. Even in coastal areas with low employment, there has been no decrease in median household income between 2005 and 2015.
The prevalence of low-income status, based on a Statistics Canada indicator, is higher than the provincial rate in most coastal regions (Figure 2). In 2015, if the income available per individual in a household was less than $22,133, all members of that household had a “low-income” status. About five million Canadians or 14.2 percent of the population lived on a low income in 2015. B.C. had the fourth highest prevalence of low-income households among Canadian provinces, with 15.5 percent of its population considered low income. Coastal areas with a high prevalence of low income also reported a low median income (Figures 1 and 2). In the Central Coast, which had the lowest median after-tax household income in 2015, 23 percent of the population lived in low-income households. The unemployment rate (the unemployed portion of the labour force, or those who are actively seeking work) in B.C. (6.5 percent) was lower than that of Canada (7 percent) and was the lowest among the provinces. However, even with significant differences in unemployment rates among B.C. coastal areas, all but two census divisions recorded higher unemployment than the B.C. average (Figure 3).
The mismatch in Kitimat-Stikine, where high median household income ($62,936) was reported despite a high rate of unemployment (13.8 percent), could be due to income being based on 2015 data, whereas unemployment was specific to the week of Sunday, May 1 to Saturday, May 7, 2016. Significant job losses occurred in oil-dependent regions such as northern B.C. in 2015 and 2016 as oil prices declined in 2015. Unemployed people who may have lost their jobs before the census reference week would still report a high income for the previous year and would be considered part of the labour force, explaining the high participation rate of 64.4% in Kitimat-Stikine (Figure 4). Similar patterns were seen in other parts of Canada that are dependent on an oil economy.
What can you do?
Individual and Organization Actions:
- Be aware of unemployment and income inequality issues in your community and support government policy and action to address change and imbalance.
Government Actions and Policy:
- Provide a universal basic income as part of social assistance to reduce income inequality.
- Further extend health and social benefits to low and modest income Canadians, to reduce the impacts of low income.
- Improve the general skills level across all geographies through broader access to high-quality education and training programs.
- Remove obstacles to women’s participation in the labour force. | <urn:uuid:f318948b-89a5-40b7-8221-3a4ada69a392> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | http://oceanwatch.ca/bccoast/development/income-employment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579251788528.85/warc/CC-MAIN-20200129041149-20200129071149-00338.warc.gz | en | 0.965389 | 1,239 | 3.203125 | 3 |
Two separate studies found that the activity of the undersea volcanoes intensified during ice-ages, but it slowed down during the following intermittent warm periods. A boost in underwater volcanic activity resulted in more carbon dioxide gas being released into the atmosphere, thus leading to an acceleration of the natural process of global warming, scientists reported.
Scientists based their findings on the data gathered from long-term analysis of the volcanic valleys and ridges on the ocean floor. Dr. Maya Tolstoy, the lead author of one of the studies said her team was amazed to learn that deep seafloor had so much to tell about “long-term climate cycle”.
Past studies had shown that new oceanic crust is constantly produced by the deep sea volcanic chains called spreading ridges, which are located along the line where tectonic plates meet. The magma spewed by volcanoes solidifies and creates the ridges and new crust. As tectonic plates move farther away, the new crusts sinks and form valleys between the volcanic chains (see image above). These two formations are the most visible features on oceanic floor.
Until now, scientists believed that the process of forming crust was constant throughout the geological ages, but the new findings show that undersea volcanic activity was linked to the pressure of the volume of oceanic water upon the volcanoes. And the volume fluctuated over long periods of time according to the amount of water resulted from the thawing of the planetary glaciers.
Tolstoy’s team analyzed the spreading ridge at the East Pacific Rise off the coast of Mexico. Scientists found that the thicker oceanic crust was formed when the sea level dropped due to a 100,000-year long ice age. A lower sea level triggered more energetic volcanic activity, so the resulting ridges were thicker, researchers explained. But the thinner crust was formed by slower volcanoes during periods of higher sea level caused by a global meltdown, according to the findings.
The results of the study were published this week in ‘Geophysical Research Letters’.
Another study analyzing the spreading ridges located at the Antarctic and Australia tectonic plates revealed the same mechanism: during periods of high sea level, undersea volcanic activity slowed down, but, when glaciers expanded and sea level was lowered, the volcanic activity got a boost. Researchers used a computer model to prove their theory, which was published Feb. 6 in the journal Science.
The computer model also suggested that the water’s weight affects how fast the magma, or molten rock, oozes at the spreading ridges.
Both teams of scientist currently think that the bursts in volcanic activity may accelerate the natural climate change over an ice age due to the large amounts of carbon dioxide gas released in the atmosphere. But more research is required to see how much of this gas can emerge from the ocean and cause a natural global warming.
Image Source: HNGN | <urn:uuid:d6189cc4-48db-4eab-8a86-c45b4e8dc91e> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://www.wallstreetotc.com/undersea-volcanic-activity-may-have-boosted-natural-climate-change/215620/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600401583556.73/warc/CC-MAIN-20200928010415-20200928040415-00058.warc.gz | en | 0.96212 | 596 | 4.1875 | 4 |
Elements consist of only one kind of atom and cannot be decomposed into simpler substances. Our planet is made up of some 90 elements. (Tiny amounts — sometimes only a few atoms — of additional elements have been made in nuclear physics laboratories, but they play no role in our story). Of these 90, only 25 or so are used to build living things. The table shows the 11 most prevalent elements in the lithosphere (the earth's crust) and in the human body.
- uses only a fraction of the elements available to it
- but, as the table shows, the relative proportions of those it does acquire from its surroundings are quite different from the proportions in the environment
- the composition of living things is not simply a reflection of the elements available to them
- For example, hydrogen, carbon, and nitrogen together represent less than 1% of the atoms found in the earth's crust but some 74% of the atoms in living matter.
- one of the properties of life is to take up certain elements that are scarce in the nonliving world and concentrate them within living cells.
Some sea animals accumulate elements like vanadium and iodine within their cells to concentrations a thousand or more times as great as in the surrounding sea water. It has even been proposed that uranium be "mined" from the sea by extracting it from certain algae that can take up uranium from sea water and concentrate it within their cells.
There is still some uncertainty about the exact number of elements required by living things. Some elements, e.g., aluminum, are found in tiny amounts in living tissue, but whether they are playing an essential role or are simply an accidental acquisition (aluminum probably is) is sometimes difficult to determine.
Each element is made up of one kind of atom. We can define an atom as the smallest part of an element that can enter into combination with other elements.
Structure of the atom
Each atom consists of a small, dense, positively-charged nucleus surrounded by much lighter, negatively-charged electrons. The nucleus of the simplest atom, the hydrogen atom (H), consists of a single positively-charged proton. Because of its single proton, the atom of hydrogen is assigned an atomic number of 1 and a single electron. The charge of the electron is the same magnitude as that of the proton, so the atom as a whole is electrically neutral. Its proton accounts for almost all the weight of the atom.
The nucleus of the atom of the element helium (He) has two protons (hence helium has an atomic number of 2) and two neutrons. Neutrons have the same weight as protons but no electrical charge. The helium atom has two electrons so that, once again, the atom as a whole is neutral.
The structure of each of the other kinds of atoms follows the same plan. From Lithium (At. No. = 3) to uranium (At. No. = 92), the atoms of each element can be listed in order of increasing atomic number. There are no gaps in the list. Each element has a unique atomic number and its atoms have one more proton and one more electron than the atoms of the element that precedes it in the list.
|Atomic Number||Element||Energy Levels or "shells"|
Electrons are confined to relatively discrete regions around the nucleus. The two electrons of helium, for example, are confined to a spherical zone surrounding the nucleus called the K shell or K energy level.
Lithium (At. No. = 3) has three electrons, two in the K shell and one located farther from the nucleus in the L shell. Being farther away from the opposite (+) charges of the nucleus, this third electron is held less tightly.
Each of the following elements, in order of increasing atomic number, adds one more electron to the L shell until we reach neon (At. No. = 10) which has eight electrons in the L shell.
Sodium places its eleventh electron in a still higher energy level, the M shell.
From sodium to argon, this shell is gradually filled with electrons until, once again, a maximum of eight is reached.
Note that after the K shell with its maximum of two electrons, the maximum number of electrons in any other outermost shell is eight.
As we shall see, the chemical properties of each element are strongly influenced by the number of electrons in its outermost energy level (shell).
This table shows the electronic structure of the atoms of elements 1 – 36 with those that have been demonstrated to be used by living things shown in red. Four elements of still higher atomic numbers that have been shown to be used by living things are also included.
The electronic structure of an atom plays the major role in its chemistry.
The pattern of electrons in an atom — especially those in the outermost shell — determines
- the valence of the atom; that is, the ratios with which it interacts with other atoms, and to a large degree,
- the electronegativity of the atom; that is, the strength with which it attracts other electrons.
Elements with the same number of electrons in their outermost shell show similar chemical properties.
Example 1: Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine each have 7 electrons in their outermost shell. These so-called halogens are also quite similar in their chemical behavior. When dissolved in water, for example, they all produce germicidal solutions.
Example 2: Those elements with 1, 2, or 3 electrons in their outermost shell are the metals.
Example 3: Those elements with 4, 5, 6, or 7 in their outermost shell are the nonmetals.
Example 4: Helium (with its 2), neon, argon, and krypton (each with 8) have "filled" their outermost shells. They are the so-called inert or "noble" gases. They have no chemistry at all. Under normal conditions they do not interact with other atoms. So, it is the number and arrangement of the electrons in the atoms of an element that establish the chemical behavior of that element.
This is how it works:
The atoms of an element interact with other atoms in such ways and ratios that they can "fill" their outermost shell with 8 electrons (2 for hydrogen). They may do this by
- acquiring more electrons from another atom
- losing electrons to another atom
- sharing electrons with another atom
The number of electrons that an atom must acquire, or lose, or share to reach a stable configuration of 8 (2 for hydrogen) is called its valence.
Hydrogen, lithium, sodium, and potassium atoms all have a single electron in their outermost shell. Fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine atoms all have 7. Any atom of the first group will interact with a single atom of any of the second group forming, HCl, NaCl, KI, etc. The result of all of these interactions is a pair of atoms each with an outermost shell like that of one of the inert gases: 2 for hydrogen, 8 for the others.
The elements with 2 electrons in their outermost shell interact with chlorine and the other halogens to form, e.g., BeCl2, MgCl2, CaCl2. Again, the result is a pair of atoms each with a stable octet of electrons in its outermost shell.
The elements with 3 electrons in their outermost shell will interact with chlorine in a ratio of 1:3, forming BCl3, AlCl3.
Carbon atoms, with their 4 electrons in the L shell interact with chlorine to form CCl4.
Nitrogen, with its 5 outermost electrons, interacts with hydrogen atoms in a ratio of 1:3, forming ammonia (NH3).
Oxygen and sulfur, with their 6 outermost electrons react with hydrogen to form water (H2O) and hydrogen sulfide (H2S).
What determines whether a pair of atoms swap or share electrons?
The answer is their relative electronegativities. If two atoms differ greatly in their affinity for electrons; that is, in their electronegativity, then the strongly electronegative atom will take the electron away from the weakly electronegative one.
Example: Na (weakly electronegative) gives up its single electron to an atom of chlorine (strongly electronegative) to form NaCl. The sodium atom now has only 10 electrons but still 11 protons so there is a net positive charge of one on the atom. Similarly, chlorine now has one more electron than proton so its now has a net negative charge of 1. Electrically charged atoms are called ions. The mutual attraction of opposite electrical charges holds the ions together by ionic bonds.
Example: Carbon and hydrogen are both only weakly electronegative so neither can remove electrons from the other. Instead they achieve a stable configuration by sharing their outermost electrons forming covalent bonds of CH4.
The number of protons in the nucleus of its atoms, which is its atomic number, defines each element. However, the nuclei of a given element may have varying numbers of neutrons. Because neutrons have weight (about the same as that of protons), such atoms differ in the atomic weight.
Atoms of the same element that differ in their atomic weight are called isotopes.
Atomic weights are expressed in terms of a standard atom: the isotope of carbon that has 6 protons and 6 neutrons in its nucleus. This atom is designated carbon-12 or 12C. It is arbitrarily assigned an atomic weight of 12 daltons (named after John Dalton, the pioneer in the study of atomic weights). Thus a dalton is 1/12 the weight of an atom of 12C. Both protons and neutrons have weights very close to 1 dalton each. Carbon-12 is the most common isotope of carbon. Carbon-13 (13C) with 6 protons and 7 neutrons, and carbon-14 (14C) with 6 protons and 8 neutrons are found in much smaller quantities.
Isotopes as "tracers"
One can prepare, for example, a carbon compound used by living things that has many of its normal 12C atoms replaced by 14C atoms. Carbon-14 happens to be radioactive. By tracing the fate of radioactivity within the organism, one can learn the normal pathway of this carbon compound in that organism. Thus 14C serves as an isotopic "label" or "tracer".
The basis of this technique is that the weight of the nucleus of an atom has little or no effect on the chemical properties of that atom. The chemistry of an element and the atoms of which it is made — whatever their atomic weight — is a function of the atomic number of that element. As long as the atom had 6 protons, it is an atom of carbon irrespective of the number of neutrons. Thus while 6 protons and 8 neutrons produce an isotope of carbon, 14C, 7 protons and 7 neutrons produce a totally-different element, nitrogen-14. | <urn:uuid:48e78983-5182-4034-950a-788bf68693e9> | CC-MAIN-2020-05 | https://bio.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Introductory_and_General_Biology/Book%3A_Biology_(Kimball)/Unit_01%3A_The_Chemical_Basis_of_Life/12%3A_Elements_and_Atoms | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-05/segments/1579250613416.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20200123191130-20200123220130-00424.warc.gz | en | 0.901067 | 2,317 | 3.578125 | 4 |
New study suggests viral connection to Alzheimer’s disease
New study suggests viral connection to Alzheimer’s disease
June 21, 2018
June 21, 2018
Of the major illnesses facing humanity, Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains among the most pitiless and confounding. Over a century after its discovery, no effective prevention or treatment exists for this progressive deterioration of brain tissue, memory and identity.
With more people living to older ages, there is a growing need to clarify Alzheimer’s disease risk factors and disease mechanisms and use this information to find new ways in which to treat and prevent this terrible disorder.
In a first-of-its kind study, another culprit in the path to Alzheimer’s disease has been implicated: the presence of viruses in the brain.
In research appearing in the advanced online edition of the journal Neuron, scientists at the Arizona State University-Banner Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center (NDRC) and their colleagues at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai used large data sets from clinically and neuropathologically characterized brain donors and sophisticated “big data” analysis tools to make sense of both the genes that are inherited and those that are preferentially turned on or off in the brains of persons with Alzheimer’s disease. They provide multiple lines of evidence to suggest that certain species of herpesviruses contribute to the development of this disorder.
The new work — partially funded by philanthropic financial support from Katherine Gehl — brings science a step closer to clarifying the mechanisms by which infectious agents may play important roles in the disease. To achieve this, the team capitalized on DNA and RNA sequencing data from 622 brain donors with the clinical and neuropathological features of Alzheimer’s disease and 322 brain donors without the disease—data generated from the NIH-sponsored Accelerated Medicines Partnership for Alzheimer’s Disease (AMP-AD).
The “whole exome” DNA sequencing was used to provide detailed information about each person’s inherited genes. RNA sequencing from several brain regions was used to provide detailed information about the genes that are expressed differently in donors with and without the disease.
Clinical assessments performed before the research participants died provided detailed information about their trajectory of cognitive decline, and neuropathological assessments performed after they died provided relevant neuropathological information, including the severity of amyloid plaques and tangles, the cardinal features of Alzheimer’s disease. Sophisticated computational tools were used to develop a kind of grand unified picture of the viral-AD nexus.
Big challenges, big data
Big data-driven analyses offer a particularly powerful approach for exploring diseases like Alzheimer’s, which involve many interdependent variables acting in concert in profoundly complex systems. In the current study, researchers explore viral presence in 6 key brain regions known to be highly vulnerable to the ravages of AD. (It is now accepted that damaging effects to these areas often precede clinical diagnosis of the disease by several decades.)
The study identifies high levels of human herpesvirus (HHV) 6A and 7 in brain samples showing signs of AD neuropathology, compared with the lower levels found in normal brains. Further, through the careful comparison of large data sets of viral RNA and DNA with networks of human genes associated with AD and signposts of neuropathology, the study offers the first hints of the viral mechanisms that could trigger or exacerbate the disease.
The findings, originally hinted at from samples provided by Translational Genomics (TGen) in Phoenix, were confirmed in the Mount Sinai Brain Bank, and then replicated in samples from the Mayo Clinic Brain Bank, Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center, and the Banner-Sun Health Research Institute’s Brain and Body Donation Program.
According to Ben Readhead, lead author of the new study, the researchers’ general goal was to discover disease mechanisms, including those that could be targeted by repurposed or investigational drug therapies. “We didn’t go looking for viruses, but viruses sort of screamed out at us,” Readhead said.
Although the study found a number of common viruses in normal aging brains, viral abundance of two key viruses—HHV 6A and 7—was greater in brains stricken with Alzheimer’s.
“We were able to use a range of network biology approaches to tease apart how these viruses may be interacting with human genes we know are relevant to Alzheimer’s,” Readhead said.
Readhead is an assistant research professor in the NDRC, housed at ASU’s Biodesign Institute. Much of the research described in the new study was performed in the laboratory of Joel Dudley, associate professor of Genetics and Genomic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, associate research professor in the NDRC, and senior author of the paper in Neuron.
The nature and significance of viruses and other pathogens in the brain are currently hot topics in neuroscience, though the exploration is still in its early stages. One of the primary questions is whether such pathogens play an active, causative role in the disease or enter the brain simply as opportunistic passengers, taking advantage of the neural deterioration characteristic of AD.
“Previous studies of viruses and Alzheimer’s have always been very indirect and correlative. But we were able to perform a more sophisticated computational analysis using multiple levels of genomic information measured directly from affected brain tissue. This analysis allowed us to identify how the viruses are directly interacting with or coregulating known Alzheimer’s genes,” says Dudley. “I don’t think we can answer whether herpesviruses are a primary cause of Alzheimer’s disease. But what’s clear is that they’re perturbing and participating in networks that directly underlie Alzheimer’s pathophysiology.”
The new study uses a network biology approach to holistically incorporate molecular, clinical and neuropathological features of AD with viral activity in the brain. Using techniques in bioinformatics, the study integrates high-throughput data into probabilistic networks that are postulated to account for the associations between herpes viruses and the telltale effects of AD.
The networks described suggest that the hallmarks of AD may arise as collateral damage caused by the brain’s response to viral insult. According to the so-called pathogen hypothesis of AD, the brain reacts to infection by engulfing viruses with the protein amyloid beta (Aβ), sequestering the invaders and preventing them from binding with cell surfaces and inserting their viral genetic payload into healthy cells.
As Readhead explains, “a number of viruses looked interesting. We saw a key virus, HHV 6A, regulating the expression of quite a few AD risk genes and genes known to regulate the processing of amyloid, a key ingredient in AD neuropathology.” (Amyloid concentrations form characteristic plaques in the brain. These plaques, along with neurofibrillary tangles formed by another protein, known as tau, are the microscopic brain abnormalities used to diagnosis Alzheimer’s.)
Both HHV 6A, and 7 are common herpesviruses belonging to the genus Roseolovirus. Most people are exposed to them early in life. The likely route of entry for such viruses is through the nasopharyngeal lining. The higher abundance of these viruses in AD-affected brains may initiate an immune cascade leading to deterioration and cell death or act in other ways to promote AD.
The results from human brain tissue were further supplemented by mouse studies. Here, researchers examined the effect of depleting miR155, a small snippet of RNA (or micro RNA) that is an important regulator of the innate and adaptive immune systems. Results showed increased deposition of amyloid plaques in miR155-depleted mice, coupled with behavioral changes. As the authors note, HHV 6A is known to deplete miR155, lending further weight to a viral contribution to AD.
The new research is the fruitful result of close working relationships among researchers from Arizona State University, Banner, Mount Sinai, and other research organizations, as well as public-private partnerships in AMP-AD.
“This study illustrates the promise of leveraging human brain samples, emerging big data analysis methods, converging findings from experimental models, and intensely collaborative approaches in the scientific understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and the discovery of new treatments,” said study co-author Eric Reiman, Executive Director of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute and University Professor of Neuroscience at Arizona State University. “We are excited about the chance to capitalize on this approach to help in the scientific understanding, treatment and prevention of Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases.”
Enemy with a thousand faces
In the meantime, Alzheimer’s continues its devastating trajectory. Among the many challenges facing researchers is the fact that the earliest effects of the disease on vulnerable brain regions occur 20 or 30 years before memory loss, confusion, mood changes and other clinical symptoms appear. Without a cure or effective treatment, AD is expected to strike a new victim in the United States every 33 seconds by mid-century and costs are projected to exceed $1 trillion annually.
The research study does not suggest that Alzheimer’s disease is contagious. But if viruses or other infections are confirmed to have roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s, it could set the stage for researchers to find novel anti-viral or immune therapies to combat the disease, even before the onset of symptoms.
More info: NIH/National Institute on Aging: https://bit.ly/2HRBzi6
Additional contributors to the study include: Center for NFL Neurological Care, Department of Neurology, New York;
James J. Peters VA Medical Center, New York; Arizona Alzheimer’s Consortium, Phoenix, AZ; Department of Psychiatry, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; Banner Alzheimer's Institute, Phoenix, AZ; Neurogenomics Division, Translational Genomics Research Institute, Phoenix, AZ; Institute for Systems Biology, Seattle, WA.
Postmortem brain tissue was collected through the NIH-designated NeuroBioBank (NBB) System that contributes to support of the Mount Sinai VA/Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Brain Bank (AG005138).
The Dudley Laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has an institutional partnership with Banner-ASU Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center.
Postmortem brain tissue was collected through the NIH-designated NeuroBioBank (NBB) System that contributes to support of the Mount Sinai VA/Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center Brain Bank (AG005138). Dr. Vahram Haroutunian from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine is Director of the NeuroBioBank.
Additional postmortem data collection was supported through funding by NIA grants P50 AG016574, R01 AG032990, U01 AG046139, R01 AG018023, U01 AG006576, U01 AG006786, R01 AG025711, R01 AG017216, R01 AG003949, R01 NS080820, Cure PSP Foundation, and support from Mayo Foundation, U24 NS072026, P30 AG19610, Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research P30AG10161, R01AG15819, R01AG17917, R01AG30146, R01AG36836, U01AG32984, U01AG46152, the Illinois Department of Public Health, and the Translational Genomics Research Institute.
Additional work performed in this study was supported by U01 AG046170, R56AG058469.
About the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University works to improve human health and quality of life through its translational research mission in health care, energy and the environment, global health and national security. Grounded on the premise that scientists can best solve complex problems by emulating nature, Biodesign serves as an innovation hub that fuses previously separate areas of knowledge to serve as a model for 21st century academic research. By fusing bioscience/biotechnology, nanoscale engineering and advanced computing, Biodesign’s research scientists and students take an entrepreneurial team approach to accelerating discoveries to market. They also educate future generations of scientists by providing hands-on laboratory research training in state-of-the-art facilities for ASU students.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest integrated delivery system encompassing seven hospital campuses, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai's vision is to produce the safest care, the highest quality, the highest satisfaction, the best access and the best value of any health system in the nation.
The System includes approximately 7,100 primary and specialty care physicians; 10 joint-venture ambulatory surgery centers; more than 140 ambulatory practices throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and 31 affiliated community health centers. The Icahn School of Medicine is one of 3 medical schools that have earned distinction by multiple indicators: ranked in the top 20 by U.S. News & World Report's "Best Medical Schools", aligned with a U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" Hospital, No. 13 in the nation for National Institutes of Health funding, and among the top 10 most innovative research institutions as ranked by the journal Nature in its Nature Innovation Index. This reflects a special level of excellence in education, clinical practice, and research. The Mount Sinai Hospital is ranked No. 18 on U.S. News & World Report's "Honor Roll" of top U.S. hospitals; it is one of the nation's top 20 hospitals in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Nephrology, and Neurology/Neurosurgery, and in the top 50 in four other specialties in the 2017-2018 "Best Hospitals" issue. Mount Sinai's Kravis Children's Hospital also is ranked in six out of ten pediatric specialties by U.S. News & World Report. The New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked 12th nationally for Ophthalmology and 50th for Ear, Nose, and Throat, while Mount Sinai Beth Israel, Mount Sinai St. Luke's and Mount Sinai West are ranked regionally.
About AMP-AD: The Alzheimer’s disease initiative is a project of the Accelerating Medicines Partnership, a joint venture among the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, 12 biopharmaceutical and life science companies and 13 non-profit organizations, managed by the Foundation for the NIH, to identify and validate promising biological targets of disease. AMP-AD is one of the four initiatives under the AMP umbrella; the other three are focused on type 2 diabetes (AMP-T2D), rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (AMP-RA/SLE) and Parkinson’s disease (AMP-PD). The AMP-AD knowledge portal already has over 1300 total users. To learn more about the AMP-AD Target Discovery and Preclinical Validation Project please visit: https://www.nia.nih.gov/research/amp-ad.
About the National Institute on Aging: The NIA leads the federal government effort conducting and supporting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The NIA is designated as the lead NIH institute for information on Alzheimer's disease. It provides information on age-related cognitive change and neurodegenerative disease, including participation in clinical studies, specifically on its Alzheimer's website.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH): NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Banner-ASU, Neurodegenerative Disease Research Center & Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Managing Editor: Biodesign Institute at ASU
Associate Director of Media Mount Sinai Health System
Office of Communications and Public Liaison
National Institute on Aging
Written by: richard harth | <urn:uuid:37ecbc90-ac93-44f9-9ed4-7f92bcabf1eb> | CC-MAIN-2019-13 | https://biodesign.asu.edu/news/new-study-suggests-viral-connection-alzheimer%E2%80%99s-disease | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-13/segments/1552912203547.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20190325010547-20190325032547-00214.warc.gz | en | 0.918768 | 3,485 | 2.8125 | 3 |
If you’ve learned how to do first aid, you know how you can help someone with a medical need. But do you know how to help someone in mental health need?
Amy Mendenhall, an associate professor of social welfare at the University of Kansas is working on a survey of those who have taken a mental health first aid course.
She said, “It’s a course that teaches people in the general public, not people that are general health professionals already, how to recognize and assist a person that might be dealing with some kind of mental health distress.”
Mendenhall said that while the current mental health first aid course that’s being taught in the US is geared toward adults, it’s good for people to know how to recognize the signs of somebody who might need mental health help.
She went on to say, “Mental health first aid gives you some symptoms, signs that you can look for and be on the look out for for the person who might be experiencing some anxiety so that you can then support them as a professional working with them.”
Mendenhall said the course teaches the everyday person the signs and symptoms of a mental health issue, and allows them to help the person affected with some sort of mental health distress. | <urn:uuid:a39598d1-7ebf-46e7-acd9-84d6b9bd8852> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.wibwnewsnow.com/mental-health-first-aid-survey-shows-help-for-those-in-distress/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931008227.98/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155648-00139-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968501 | 268 | 2.984375 | 3 |
The classroom curricula has six sessions that cover 1) the construction of gender roles, 2) the setting and communicating of boundaries in interpersonal relationships, 3) healthy relationships, 4) the role of bystander as intervener, 5) the consequences of perpetrating, and 6) the State and Federal laws related to dating violence and sexual harassment. The six lessons are flexible with current school schedules and are taught over 6 to 10 weeks.
These six lessons use both concrete/applied materials and abstract thinking components. Two of the activities consist of students measuring their own personal space and creating ‘hot spot’ maps of their school that highlight safe and unsafe spaces in regard to dating violence and sexual harassment. The curriculum includes a fact-based component based on the idea that increased knowledge about facts and consequences of one’s behaviors are appropriate and useful primary prevention tools. Facts and statistics about sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, and the legal definitions of all of these terms are part of this fact-based component. Students explore the concepts of laws and boundaries, consider laws as they apply by gender, plot the shifting nature of personal space, learn how to help a friend in need, and learn about other sources of help. One of the last activities dictates that students sign the Respecting Boundaries Agreement, which is tied to prohibited behaviors in the school rules.
The second component of Shifting Boundaries is a school-level intervention. This intervention affects the entire school building and consists of revising school protocols for identifying and responding to dating violence and sexual harassment, the introduction of temporary school-based restraining orders, and the installation of posters in the school to increase awareness and reporting of dating violence/harassment. The classroom curricula and the schoolwide intervention are linked, as the student ‘hot spot’ maps of unsafe areas in school are used to determine the placement of faculty or school security for greater surveillance of these areas. The building interventions are conducted on the same schedule as the classroom curricula, lasting 6 to 10 weeks.
Session 1: What is a Boundary?
Session 2: Measuring Personal Space
Session 3: Big Deal or No Big Deal?
Session 4: DVD Segment on Shantai/Respecting Boundaries Agreement
Session 5: “Says Who” questionnaire/”What Can I Do?” Tips
Session 6: Mapping Safe and Unsafe Spaces at School | <urn:uuid:47b9fa7f-036d-4652-a9b0-a2471b16bab4> | CC-MAIN-2020-16 | https://www.beaconcentersd.com/copy-of-safe-dates | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-16/segments/1585370496901.28/warc/CC-MAIN-20200330085157-20200330115157-00110.warc.gz | en | 0.933936 | 493 | 3.828125 | 4 |
Researchers have discovered how three fungal diseases have evolved into a lethal threat to the world’s bananas.
The discovery, reported online in PLOS Genetics, better equips researchers to develop hardier, disease-resistant banana plants and more effective disease-prevention treatments.
“The Cavendish banana plants all originated from one plant and so as clones, they all have the same genotype—and that is a recipe for disaster.”
“We have demonstrated that two of the three most serious banana fungal diseases have become more virulent by increasing their ability to manipulate the banana’s metabolic pathways and make use of its nutrients,” says University of California, Davis plant pathologist Ioannis Stergiopoulos, who led the effort to sequence two of the fungal genomes.
“This parallel change in metabolism of the pathogen and the host plant has been overlooked until now and may represent a ‘molecular fingerprint’ of the adaption process,” he says. “It is really a wake-up call to the research community to look at similar mechanisms between pathogens and their plant hosts.”
Bananas have an ‘image problem’
The banana is one of the world’s top five staple foods. About 100 million tons of bananas are produced annually in nearly 120 countries. But the fruit suffers from an “image problem,” giving consumers the appearance that it is and always will be readily available, says Stergiopoulos. It’s an image problem that he fears could prove fatal to the entire banana industry in the very near future.
In reality, the global banana industry could be wiped out in just 5 to 10 years by fast-advancing fungal diseases. And that would prove devastating to millions of small-scale farmers who depend on the fruit for food, fiber, and income. Already, Sigatoka—a three-fungus disease complex—reduces banana yields by 40 percent.
The Sigatoka complex’s three fungal diseases—yellow Sigatoka (Pseudocercospora musae), eumusae leaf spot (Pseudocercospora eumusae), and black Sigatoka (Pseudocercospora figiensis)—emerged as destructive pathogens in just the last century. Eumusae leaf spot and black Sigatoka are now the most devastating, with black Sigatoka posing the greatest constraint to banana production worldwide.
The constant threat of the disease requires farmers to make 50 fungicide applications to their banana crops each year to control the disease.
“Thirty to 35 percent of banana production cost is in fungicide applications,” Stergiopoulos says. “Because many farmers can’t afford the fungicide, they grow bananas of lesser quality, which bring them less income.”
And for those growers who can afford fungicide, the applications pose environmental and human-health risks.
To make matters worse, all commercial “dessert” bananas, those most commonly found in grocery stores, are of the Cavendish variety. And unlike a tomato or green bean, which are grown from seeds, bananas are grown from shoot cuttings.
“The Cavendish banana plants all originated from one plant and so as clones, they all have the same genotype—and that is a recipe for disaster,” Stergiopoulos says, noting that a disease capable of killing one plant could kill them all.
How the fungi attack
Stergiopoulos and colleagues sequenced the genomes of eumusae leaf spot and black Sigatoka, comparing their findings with the previously sequenced yellow Sigatoka genome sequence.
They discovered that this complex of diseases has become lethal to banana plants not just by shutting down the plant’s immune system but also by adapting the metabolism of the fungi to match that of the host plants. As a result, the attacking fungi can produce enzymes that break down the plant’s cell walls. This allows the fungi to feed on the plant’s sugars and other carbohydrates.
“Now, for the first time, we know the genomic basis of virulence in these fungal diseases and the pattern by which these pathogens have evolved,” Stergiopoulos says.
Additional researchers contributed from UC Davis and the CBS-KNAW Fungal Biodiversity Centre of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Financial support for the study came from UC Davis faculty startup funds.
Source: UC Davis | <urn:uuid:a6d49f35-430a-4b1e-bbd6-2f26fab3cfe5> | CC-MAIN-2017-43 | http://exceptionmag.com/18782/fungi-could-wipe-out-bananas-in-5-to-10-years/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2017-43/segments/1508187823067.51/warc/CC-MAIN-20171018180631-20171018200631-00161.warc.gz | en | 0.938202 | 947 | 3.78125 | 4 |
kidzsearch.com > wiki
Martin Van Buren
|Martin Van Buren|
|8th President of the United States|
March 4, 1837 – March 4, 1841
|Vice President||Richard Mentor Johnson|
|Preceded by||Andrew Jackson|
|Succeeded by||William Henry Harrison|
|8th Vice President of the United States|
March 4, 1833 – March 4, 1837
|Preceded by||John C. Calhoun|
|Succeeded by||Richard Mentor Johnson|
|10th United States Secretary of State|
March 28, 1829 – May 23, 1831
|Preceded by||Henry Clay|
|Succeeded by||Edward Livingston|
|Born|| December 5, 1782|
Kinderhook, New York, USA
|Died|| July 24, 1862 (aged 79)|
Kinderhook, New York
|Political party||Democratic-Republican, Democratic, and Free Soil|
|Spouse(s)||Widowed Hannah Hoes Van Buren (daughter-in-law Angelica Van Buren was first lady)|
|Children|| Abraham Van Buren |
John Van Buren
Martin Van Buren (1812–55)
Smith Thompson Van Buren
Martin Van Buren (December 5, 1782 – July 24, 1862) was the eighth President of the United States. He was the first president born after the United States Declaration of Independence, making him the first president who was born as a U.S. citizen.
Van Buren was born in Kinderhook, New York, in 1782. Van Buren studied law by working for Francis Sylvester and later became a lawyer in 1803. In 1821 he was elected as a member of the United States Senate, representing New York. President Andrew Jackson selected him as the Secretary of State in 1827. In 1832, he became Vice-President for Jackson, and in 1836, he became the 8th President of the United States. During most of the time he was president, the economy was in very bad shape, and he was blamed for it. He was the first president to have been born a United States citizen, since all of his predecessors were born British subjects before the American Revolution.
Van Buren lost the next presidential election in 1840 to William Henry Harrison. In 1848, he ran again to be president as a part of the Free Soil Party, but he did not win. Van Buren died on July 24, 1862, of heart failure, on his Lindenwald estate.
Martin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782 in Kinderhook, New York, south of Albany. Van Buren was the third born of five children. His father, Abraham Van Buren, was a farmer and a tavern owner. His mother was Maria Hoes Van Buren, the granddaughter of a Dutch immigrant. Martin Van Buren went to school at the Kinderhook Academy in the village where he lived. At Kinderhook Academy, he excelled in English and Latin. Van Buren left the school when he was 14 years old.
As a lawyer
In 1796, Van Buren started working in the law office of Francis Sylvester, an attorney that worked in Kinderhook. He kept the office clean, copied documents and did other jobs. While he was working there, he learned about law. After six years under Sylvester, he spent a final year of apprenticeship in the New York City office of William P. Van Ness. Van Buren passed the New York State Bar Exam in 1803, and became a lawyer.
Five years later, Van Buren became the surrogate (legal officer) of Columbia County. There was no fixed term of office. That is, Van Buren would be there until the opposition party was able to elect someone else in his place. Van Buren held the office about five years until he was removed on March 19, 1813.
Van Buren represented New York in the United States Senate from 1821 to 1828. He left the Senate to become the governor of New York in 1829. On March 5, 1829 after he became the governor, President Andrew Jackson made Van Buren the Secretary of State, so Van Buren was only the governor for two months.
From 1833 to 1837, he was the Vice President. (Jackson was still President at this time.) Also was leading member of and gained much voting support by Free Soil Party.
Just a few months after Van Buren became president, there was a financial crisis called the Panic of 1837. Van Buren believed in limited government, and did not respond in a way that many people wanted. Many people blamed him for the economy becoming worse, and this made him less popular.
Martin Van Buren developed pneumonia in the fall of 1861. After developing pneumonia, he could not move out of his bed. In July, 1862, Van Buren had a serious asthma attack and began to weaken. Van Buren died on July 24, 1862, at his home in Kinderhook, New York, of heart failure. He was 79 years old.
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- "VAN BUREN, Martin - Biographical Information". bioguide.congress.gov. 2011 [last update]. http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=v000009. Retrieved April 4, 2011.
- "Digital History". digitalhistory.uh.edu. 2011 [last update]. http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=640. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
- Lamb, Brian; C-SPAN (2010). Who's Buried in Grant's Tomb?: A Tour of Presidential Gravesites. PublicAffairs. . http://books.google.com/books?id=_8L1fyP7h5IC&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
- Doak, Robin Santos (2003). Martin Van Buren. Compass Point Books. . http://books.google.com/books?id=A8kj4WyI_9YC&source=gbs_navlinks_s. Retrieved April 3, 2011.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Martin Van Buren| | <urn:uuid:e0e9df75-2335-4ce8-a721-1b4ef3a66a36> | CC-MAIN-2018-39 | https://wiki.kidzsearch.com/wiki/Martin_Van_Buren | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-39/segments/1537267159470.54/warc/CC-MAIN-20180923134314-20180923154714-00149.warc.gz | en | 0.920366 | 1,961 | 3.015625 | 3 |
There are 25 different breeds of cattle in Namibia and, much like rugby teams and car preference; all of them have supporters and naysayers.
The reality is that no two farms are exactly alike, so cattle producers need to know their land to determine which breeds are best suited for their environment.
Indigenous breeds are mostly kept in communal areas, such as the Sanga (related to the South-African Nguni). These animals are well adapted to the harsh local environment, which is characterised by high temperatures, prolonged dry periods, pests and diseases. Moreover, they require minimal management, but are still productive.
Commercial farmers tend to keep exotic breeds, which are “high output” animals. These animals require high management since they are not tolerant to the harsh Namibian environment. The major breeds are the Afrikaner, Bonsmara, Brahman and the Simmentaler.
When you produce oxen, it is advisable to use of crossbreeds. Crossbreeding is necessary to capture the best qualities of the breeds involved. For example, some breeds mature at an early age, but they do not have the necessary conformation and mass, while others may have both conformation and mass, but do not have the fat layer required. Mixing breeds and keeping an eye on genetics helps isolate the best qualities suited to one’s needs.
Brahmans, for example, tend to have the right fat layer but not always the correct mass and conformation.
For example, if you crossbreed a Brahman with a Simmentaler, you tend to have the correct mass at an early age of about 24 months as well.
Crossbreeding may be used to develop animals with characteristics for optimum production in a particular region. This results in a change in the genetic makeup and improves productivity. Animals that are properly cross-bred make better use of extra feed and improved management. This is referred to as the efficiency of the animal.
Characteristics of a Brahman
Brahman cattle are known for their extreme tolerance to heat conditions. They are also more resistant to parasites and disease due to their oily skin, which may help repel insect pests. A Brahman cow is a good mother, offering protection and an abundance of milk for her calves. Brahman calves tend to have high weights at weaning because of the rich milk given by Brahman cows. The Brahman is one of the most popular breeds of cattle intended for meat processing. Brahman cattle live longer than many other breeds, often still producing calves at the age of 15 years and older.
Characteristics of a Bonsmara
The Bonsmara is functional, efficient and is well adapted to the extensive African climate. Bonsmaras are very fertile and breed small calves for easy calving. Bonsmaras are subject to minimum growth standards and produce high quality meat. Bonsmaras have a calm temperament and are handled with ease. Bonsmaras are equally suitable for cross-breeding as well as pure cattle farming.
Characteristics of an Afrikaner
Perhaps one of the most important characteristics of the Afrikaner is its suitability for cross-breeding with exotic beef breeds. Another outstanding characteristic is the Afrikaner's resistance to most of the country's endemic diseases, such as redwater, heartwater and gall sickness. The cattle are well adapted to veld conditions in the warm, arid and extensive grazing areas of the country, and react well to intensive feeding. The short, strong, shiny hair discourages tick attacks. Its meat is of high quality and tender, tasty and succulent.
Characteristics of a Simmentaler
The Simmentaler breed adapts easily to the most varied conditions. Simmentalers are bred all over the world for their high beef yields. The heavy muscling, length and overall size and weight of the animal are combined to produce a well fleshed carcass of solid red meat with a minimum of waste fat. In crossbreeding, the Simmentaler has proved very successful. It provides good growth, a large frame and thus a better beef yield to its crossbred progeny. It improves the quality of the meat with white fat and excellent marbling. It improves the milk yield, resulting in strong development of the calves in suckler herds.
Characteristics of Nguni cattle
Nguni cattle are known for their fertility and resistance to diseases. The cattle are heat tolerant. They have long productive lives and cows will produce 10 or more calves, calving regularly. The cows show great efficiency and often wean calves that weigh 45-50% of their body mass. They develop excellent resistance to ticks and immunity to tickborne diseases. Disease incidence and mortality are low. Nguni fatten well on natural grazing as well as in the feedlot. The historical development of the Nguni has resulted in a breed with good temperament and mothering ability. | <urn:uuid:1da3d3e0-eb6b-4cf6-95ad-34d4141193c4> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://www.meatco.com.na/news/457/Cattle-breeds-and-their-characteristics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496664439.7/warc/CC-MAIN-20191111214811-20191112002811-00446.warc.gz | en | 0.953793 | 1,013 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Hearing professionals have long believed that there's a relationship between hearing loss and the onset or worsening of depression in some of their patients. A recent study from Australia indicates there may be an increased risk of the life-sapping effects of depression among those who have experienced hearing loss, or seen their hearing loss worsen.
"When left untreated, hearing loss often leads to isolation, depression, and other emotional conditions that can affect both mental health and quality of life," says Sergei Kochkin, PhD, executive director of The Better Hearing Institute. "Yet, hearing loss remains one of the most commonly unaddressed health conditions in America today."
It's Lonely in There
Even people with mild hearing loss begin to experience increasing levels of isolation. As the world fades to a muffle, those with more severe degrees of hearing loss experience even greater degrees of isolation according to the Australian report.
Once-engaged individuals withdraw. The stigma of hearing loss and the choice to not use hearing aids prevents these social people from getting out, seeing friends or even enjoying a nice dinner.
Depression and hearing loss often create a downward spiral. Isolation leads to depression which, in turn, leads to more isolation and so on until the depression is debilitating. Severely depressed people live life day to day. They're less focused, less productive, less engaged in the world and, simply, people with severe depression are unable to enjoy all that life has to offer.
Hearing Loss and the Family
|Untreated hearing loss affects not only the individual but the entire family|
The psychological effects of hearing loss aren't limited to the person experiencing loss of hearing. Far from it.
The residual effects of hearing loss spread to all members of the household, to friends, co-workers – the individual's entire "social network." Things just aren't the same when friends have to shout to be heard or have to repeat everything they say. Sometimes twice!
So, many with hearing loss withdraw. They pull back from supportive family members who are "only trying to help." They don't answer the telephone because they can't hear the speaker. Another social outing missed, perhaps.
Hearing loss affects both individuals and their friends and family. It's a stress factor for all, adding strain to even the best, most stable relationships.
Are You Ready For Solutions?
Sure, we all know about hearing aids but not many of us know about hearing aid technology. Today's hearing aids are low-profile (or totally, tricked-out), they're automated, they provide grade-A sound, they're comfortable to wear and, face it, they put you back in the game.
These are NOT your grand-dad's hearing aids. Hearing aids, today, are tuned by a professional on computer software to address specific hearing loss. They're available in wireless so your hearing aids become receivers for all wireless communications and, voila, you're connected by cell phone again. Linkage is always nice.
If, in fact, you have experienced hearing loss (no one knows better than you) and you feel isolated from family, friends and the TV, are you depressed? Do you spend more and more time "inside" yourself and less and less time engaging life – the external world?
10 simple questions:
- Do you avoid talking on the phone? Let the machine get it?
- Have you had trouble hearing in large, open spaces?
- Do you have trouble hearing in loud restaurants? Do you avoid eating out as a result?
- Do others complain about the loudness of the TV?
- Do you have trouble hearing co-workers on the job?
- Do you still enjoy music the way you once did?
- Do you miss the sounds of life, from birds in the trees to a soft whisper from a loved one?
- Do you become more depressed when hearing loss causes a "problem?"
- Do you think there's a stigma associated with wearing hearing aids?
- Are hearing aids associated with your self-image and self-esteem?
If you answered yes to any of these, you can make things better – and soon. But the first step is yours; the ball is in your court.
If you or a loved one live with untreated hearing loss, call a hearing loss professional – an audiologist or hearing aid practitioner – and eliminate a common source of stress and depression. You don't have to live with hearing loss anymore. | <urn:uuid:e73e9d5d-163f-4292-9d20-9597a2b58831> | CC-MAIN-2014-15 | http://www.healthyhearing.com/content/articles/Hearing-aids/Other/47631-hearing-loss-depression-isolation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-15/segments/1398223207046.13/warc/CC-MAIN-20140423032007-00653-ip-10-147-4-33.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965261 | 911 | 3.015625 | 3 |
The impact of COVID-19 on Indigenous Australians
A report led by the University of Western Australia has outlined the impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, revealing that the pandemic has put many Indigenous Australians at risk of severe psychological distress.
A National COVID-19 Pandemic Issues Paper on Mental Health and Wellbeing for Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples summarises the perspectives of a working group of more than 30 Indigenous leaders Australia-wide.
The paper iterates that the Australian Government’s response to COVID-19 must address the existing social inequities that make Indigenous peoples more vulnerable to and heavily impacted by pandemics. To date, government investment in mental health in response to the pandemic has been largely directed to mainstream services that will not meet the specific needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.
To mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the psychological wellbeing of Indigenous people as restrictions ease, five priorities are outlined. These include the right to self-determination; health and mental health of the workforce; social and cultural determinants of health; digital and telehealth inclusion with immediate attention to an Indigenous helpline; and evaluation that includes Indigenous data sovereignty.
Professor Pat Dudgeon from UWA’s School of Indigenous Studies, who led the working group, said Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders were already more than twice as likely as other Australians to die by suicide.
“COVID-19 has put many more Indigenous Australians at risk of severe psychological distress,” Professor Dudgeon said.
“Prior to the pandemic, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people already faced health and mental health disadvantages and inadequate and inequitable access to mental health care.
“Now modelling shows that a severe increase in suicide rates could be expected, and Indigenous people are already over-represented in suicide rates in Australia, especially youth.”
Professor Dudgeon — Director of The Centre of Best Practice in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Suicide Prevention and the Transforming Indigenous Mental Health and Wellbeing project — said it was important for the government to respond to the clear findings in the report with equitable investment to support Indigenous-led initiatives to protect health and wellbeing.
“Culturally safe, trauma-informed, lived-experience solutions that respond to the health and wellbeing needs have been established, but are under-resourced,” she explained.
“The national pandemic response for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and communities must be a priority, led, developed and delivered by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, communities and people.”
The report highlighted that before COVID-19, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples already faced health and mental health disadvantages and inadequate and inequitable access to mental health.
Key recommendations outlined in the report
Self-determination: Support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders and organisations to lead the pandemic mental health responses for their peoples and communities. This calls for direct funding to Indigenous organisations to fund Indigenous-led actions that will best meet the needs of Indigenous peoples, families and communities.
Health and mental health workforce: Improve the accessibility of culturally safe care that meets the needs of families and communities. It is critical to support and appropriately utilise the existing local workforce, and to create and grow a longer-term, place-based, multidisciplinary Indigenous social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) workforce.
Social and cultural determinants: Implement the National Strategic Framework for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ Mental Health and Social and Emotional Wellbeing 2017–2023 to enable culturally safe and sustainable approaches to improved mental health. Social determinants of health must be addressed and SEWB programs that are designed, delivered and culturally informed by Indigenous peoples must be supported.
Digital and telehealth: Provide accessible and affordable internet access and ensure digital and telehealth services to Indigenous communities are culturally safe and trauma-informed. An Indigenous-led helpline to be made available immediately.
Evaluation: Implement a comprehensive quantitative and qualitative national research and evaluation program that covers urban, regional and remote communities, promotes accountability of funding models, and enables Indigenous data sovereignty.
As at the end of June, fewer than 60 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, representing 0.8% of all Australian cases.
Communities have been kept physically safe through a highly successful COVID-19 health response due to the innovation, leadership and management of the Aboriginal community-controlled health sector (ACCHO) led by National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation (NACCHO) and peak organisations. Together these groups were prepared to respond independently and early in the pandemic; united diverse sectors (health, education, land councils, government agencies); protected and prepared communities for lockdown; and developed effective local communication.
These Indigenous-led actions have demonstrated the importance and impact of self-determination in promoting the health and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples in contemporary Australia.
Insteading has created a bumper trove of gardening resources, including those designed...
The PD Warrior program has arrived in Sydney's north-west, with the potential to improve the...
Palliative Care Australia has released a report calling for an overhaul of the palliative care... | <urn:uuid:4ebe31ea-bb25-44d3-af8e-e3c56a836e16> | CC-MAIN-2020-29 | https://www.hospitalhealth.com.au/content/aged-allied-health/article/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-indigenous-australians-1255239363 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-29/segments/1593657134758.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20200712082512-20200712112512-00024.warc.gz | en | 0.938427 | 1,079 | 2.90625 | 3 |
In 1955, after a field trial involving 1.8 million Americans, the world’s first successful polio vaccine was declared “safe, effective and powerful.”
It was arguably the most important biomedical advancement of the last century. Despite the long-term success of the polio vaccine, manufacturers, government leaders, and nonprofits that funded the development of the vaccine Some failures..
Having produced a documentary on field trials of the polio vaccine, we believe it is worth considering the lessons learned in that chapter of the medical history as the competition to develop the COVID-19 vaccine progresses.
Sabin and soak
Today, many competing efforts are underway to create coronavirus vaccines, each adopting different methods to produce the universally required antibody production. Similarly, in the 1950s there were different approaches to making polio vaccines.
The general medical legitimacy led by Dr. Albert Sabin believed that only live viral vaccines, including stimulating antibodies with weakened poliovirus, could work. The theory is based on a study by Dr. Edward Jenner, who determined that milk exposed to the pus of cowpox-infected cows in the 1700s did not catch smallpox. Smallpox was a deadly pandemic of the era, and this discovery led to a vaccine that would eradicate the disease.
Meanwhile, University of Pittsburgh-based doctor and scientist Jonas Salk believed that the killed virus, which completely lost its infectious nature, still tricked the body into producing protective antibodies against poliovirus.
The National Infantile Paralysis Foundation, a non-profit organization, funded and oversaw the quest for polio vaccines. Founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s former legal partner, Basil O Connor, he raised funds for the study and treatment of polio. As part of this fundraiser, Americans were asked to send dimes to the White House, what became known as the Dime March.
O’Connor bet on Salk instead of Sabin.
By 1953, Soak and his team had shown that the experimental vaccine worked. First in the laboratory monkeys, then in the home for children with disabilities in DT Watson, children who developed polio, and then a small group of healthy children in Pittsburgh. One Largest field test in medical history It continued immediately.
It began on April 23, 1954. Approximately 650,000 children received the soak polio vaccine or placebo and the other 1.2 million children did not receive the injection but were monitored as an untreated control group.
Soak’s mentor, Thomas Francis, a virologist at the University of Michigan, independently monitored the study. After months of in-depth data analysis, Francis revealed the results on April 12, 1955 — just ten years after FDR’s death, almost a year after the trial began.
When asked who owns a patent for his vaccine, Jonas Salk famously replied that it belongs to people and patenting it is like “patenting the sun.” I did.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower expressed his belief that all children should be vaccinated without showing how they should be vaccinated. Eisenhower called on Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Obetta Calpe Hobby to work with surgeon General Leonard Sher to discuss the details.
The Democratic Party of Parliament has proposed a plan to make polio vaccine free for everyone, which Hobby said.Backdoor to social medicine.. “
Hobby also argued that private companies should pay attention to the production of soak vaccines and allow six of them to produce them. However, she admitted that the government lacked plans to meet the huge demand for vaccination.
A black market has occurred. Price adjustments have raised the dose of vaccine, which was supposed to be $ 2, to $ 20. As a result, wealthy people have gained special access to publicly funded vaccines.
Practical approaches have changed with the emergence of reports that children vaccinated with Soruku are hospitalized for polio symptoms. In the beginning, the chief surgeon, Scheele, responded to skepticism. He suggested that those children may have been infected prior to vaccination.
However, when the six vaccinated children died, the vaccination was discontinued until more information on their safety was collected. Overall, 10 children who were vaccinated early after being infected with polio died, and about 200 experienced some degree of paralysis.
The government quickly decided that cases of a child getting sick or dying could be traced back to one of the six companies, Cutter Labs. It did not follow Soak’s detailed protocol to produce the vaccine and failed to kill the virus. As a result, the children were mistakenly injected with the live virus.
Vaccinations resumed in mid-June, tightening government regulations and straining the public. In July, Hobby resigned for personal reasons.
After that, Eisenhower 1955 Polio Vaccination Assistance ActSpent $ 30 million to pay for the vaccine. This is enough to fund a wider public distribution. Within a year, 30 million American children were vaccinated, reducing the number of polio cases by almost half.
Listen to the lessons learned
By 1962, there were less than 1,000 cases of polio in the United States, and by 1979 the United States was declared a polio-free country.
A few years after the development of the vaccine, Jonas Salk said he was very happy to meet people who didn’t even know what polio was. But at last year’s event Ups and downs of coronavirus vaccine researchThe history of polio’s defeat proves to be worth remembering.
Nine companies developing coronavirus vaccines We have recently joined forces to jointly promise not to rush to the market until clearly defined standards for safety and efficacy are met and unless we go to the market.
However, if the modern Cutter incident reoccurs with the coronavirus vaccine, the public’s already shaken belief in the vaccine will easily break further, hindering efforts to promptly vaccinate COVID-19 for as many people as possible. There is a possibility.
To end this pandemic, you need more than government approval for one or more effective coronavirus vaccines. Coordinating a wide range of vaccination campaigns also requires logistics, economic and political navigation in a fair approach to the distribution of these new vaccines and the willingness of the vaccinated population.
In addition, this final push requires an often uncertain partnership between the government and the private sector. This is a charity, as it is today with significant donations from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other charities.
Carl Carrlander is a senior lecturer at the University of Pittsburgh. Randy P. Yule was a prestigious service professor at the University of Pittsburgh Pharmacy.
this paper Published with permission to talk.
What Are The Main Benefits Of Comparing Car Insurance Quotes Online
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / June 24, 2020, / Compare-autoinsurance.Org has launched a new blog post that presents the main benefits of comparing multiple car insurance quotes. For more info and free online quotes, please visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/the-advantages-of-comparing-prices-with-car-insurance-quotes-online/ The modern society has numerous technological advantages. One important advantage is the speed at which information is sent and received. With the help of the internet, the shopping habits of many persons have drastically changed. The car insurance industry hasn't remained untouched by these changes. On the internet, drivers can compare insurance prices and find out which sellers have the best offers. View photos The advantages of comparing online car insurance quotes are the following: Online quotes can be obtained from anywhere and at any time. Unlike physical insurance agencies, websites don't have a specific schedule and they are available at any time. Drivers that have busy working schedules, can compare quotes from anywhere and at any time, even at midnight. Multiple choices. Almost all insurance providers, no matter if they are well-known brands or just local insurers, have an online presence. Online quotes will allow policyholders the chance to discover multiple insurance companies and check their prices. Drivers are no longer required to get quotes from just a few known insurance companies. Also, local and regional insurers can provide lower insurance rates for the same services. Accurate insurance estimates. Online quotes can only be accurate if the customers provide accurate and real info about their car models and driving history. Lying about past driving incidents can make the price estimates to be lower, but when dealing with an insurance company lying to them is useless. Usually, insurance companies will do research about a potential customer before granting him coverage. Online quotes can be sorted easily. Although drivers are recommended to not choose a policy just based on its price, drivers can easily sort quotes by insurance price. Using brokerage websites will allow drivers to get quotes from multiple insurers, thus making the comparison faster and easier. For additional info, money-saving tips, and free car insurance quotes, visit https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ Compare-autoinsurance.Org is an online provider of life, home, health, and auto insurance quotes. This website is unique because it does not simply stick to one kind of insurance provider, but brings the clients the best deals from many different online insurance carriers. In this way, clients have access to offers from multiple carriers all in one place: this website. On this site, customers have access to quotes for insurance plans from various agencies, such as local or nationwide agencies, brand names insurance companies, etc. "Online quotes can easily help drivers obtain better car insurance deals. All they have to do is to complete an online form with accurate and real info, then compare prices", said Russell Rabichev, Marketing Director of Internet Marketing Company. CONTACT: Company Name: Internet Marketing CompanyPerson for contact Name: Gurgu CPhone Number: (818) 359-3898Email: [email protected]: https://compare-autoinsurance.Org/ SOURCE: Compare-autoinsurance.Org View source version on accesswire.Com:https://www.Accesswire.Com/595055/What-Are-The-Main-Benefits-Of-Comparing-Car-Insurance-Quotes-Online View photos
to request, modification Contact us at Here or [email protected] | <urn:uuid:1a818a4d-a462-44d1-b477-60df1931b7c1> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://exbulletin.com/world/health/392296/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600400191780.21/warc/CC-MAIN-20200919110805-20200919140805-00648.warc.gz | en | 0.955432 | 2,092 | 3.234375 | 3 |
March 9, 2010 feature
Fiber-wireless (Fi-Wi) to provide ultra-high-speed, short-range communication
This congestion problem was not unanticipated by electrical engineers, who, for the past two decades, have been developing new wireless technologies that use different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Specifically, these wireless technologies are exploiting the large, unused bandwidths of extremely high frequency (EHF) microwaves in the millimeter-wave (mm-wave) frequency region. One particular area of interest is the unlicensed 60 GHz frequency band, which has 5-mm wavelengths. (In contrast, the heavily burdened lower microwave regions have frequencies of 2-4 GHz, corresponding to wavelengths of 7.5-15 cm.)
However, the 60 GHz frequency band is not without challenges, either. Since wireless signals at 60 GHz frequencies have inherently high propagation losses, they are targeted toward short-range, in-building, high-speed applications. To maintain strong incoming wireless signals for buildings, many antenna base stations must be built near customers. These base stations, in turn, would receive broadband signals from a smaller number of distant central offices. The signals between central offices and base stations would be transmitted through long-range optical fibers. Since such a system uses both optical fibers and mm-wave wireless transmission, the technology is called “fiber-wireless” (Fi-Wi).
The advantage of bimodal Fi-Wi systems is that they can enjoy the strengths of both optical and wireless technologies - specifically, the inherently large bandwidth of optical fiber and the large, unused bandwidth in the mm-wave wireless spectrum. For this reason, a hybrid system has the potential to provide very high data transmission rates with minimal time delay.
Recently, a team of electrical engineers working on fiber-wireless technologies has analyzed the progress made in this field over the past two decades. In a paper published in the Journal of Lightwave Technology, Christina Lim, from the University of Melbourne, and her coauthors have presented an overview of the many different techniques proposed to optically transport mm-wave wireless signals and overcome some of the challenges involved.
“Mm-wave frequency allocation around 57-66 GHz can deliver bandwidths in excess of 1 Gb/s compared to few Mb/s offered by current third generation mobile systems or 100 Mb/s offered by Wi-Fi systems,” Lim told PhysOrg.com. “There are even higher mm-wave frequencies which have much larger bandwidths available. However, the technologies for these are not yet matured and over time, the mm-wave band could be exploited to give bandwidths in excess of 10 Gb/s over short-range wireless.
“Due to the short transmission distances associated with mm-wave frequencies, applications in personal area networking would be the most appropriate,” she said. “Providing fast wireless connectivity between your hi-def display screens and video content on a storage device, for example, or connecting a range of devices such as laptops, media storage and displays for entertainment and business interactivity applications, to name a few, will soon require bandwidths in excess of 100 Mb/s connectivity.”
Transportation and integration options
Regarding the basic architecture of a Fi-Wi system, the researchers looked at three possible approaches for transporting mm-wave wireless signals over optical fibers. The simplest scheme, called RF-over-fiber, involves directly transporting the wireless signals, so that no frequency translation is required at the base stations. The second method involves downconverting the mm-wave wireless signals to a lower intermediate frequency (IF) at the central office before optically transmitting the signals to the base station where they are upconverted, which is called IF-over-fiber. The third method, called baseband-over-fiber, involves transporting the wireless signals as very low-frequency baseband signals over optical fibers from the central office to the base station, and then upconverting the information to the mm-wave frequency at the base station.
Ultimately, there is a tradeoff between simplicity and robustness in the three methods: while the RF-over-fiber method is the simplest, the signals are more susceptible to various impairments as they propagate along the optical fiber. Many research teams have been working on a number of strategies to overcome these impairments. The authors of the current study emphasize that these improvements are necessary for achieving good signal quality and overall system performance.
Another requirement is for fiber-wireless systems to be integrated with the existing optical infrastructure. The engineers explain that the rising level of optical fiber infrastructure deployment close to residential premises provides an ideal opportunity to interconnect the wireless with fixed wired networks. This integration would enable fiber-wireless systems to take advantage of current technologies such as wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM), which combines multiple signals on a single optical fiber by using different wavelengths. Previous research has demonstrated that WDM can significantly increase the capacity and success rates of fiber-wireless systems. In addition, research has shown that there are a range of technology options that support such integration cost-effectively without compromising the performance required of these very high-speed networks.
Overall, mm-wave fiber-wireless technology has the potential to open up the wireless spectrum as the use of small, portable communication devices continues to grow. Serving as a short-distance technology, the wireless portion can cover the “last mile” of data transmission to customers, as well as in-building networking, with the potential for faster speeds and lower costs. For these reasons, fiber-wireless systems would make the most sense in densely populated areas, and also for disaster recovery environments where wired communication lines are unavailable. As Lim explained, fiber-wireless could be deployed in the near future.
“We feel that fiber-wireless could be commercially ready in 3-5 years with immediate applications to new base station installations,” she said. “The adoption of Fi-Wi technologies to 3G and 4G wireless will be the most likely market in the immediate term. As the fiber deployment extends to buildings and premises, mm-wave Fi-Wi will take off.”
Copyright 2010 PhysOrg.com.
All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of PhysOrg.com. | <urn:uuid:faa30b10-5742-4277-8493-9d6fe9addf20> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://phys.org/news/2010-03-fiber-wireless-fi-wi-ultra-high-speed-short-range.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627999210.22/warc/CC-MAIN-20190620105329-20190620131329-00173.warc.gz | en | 0.941668 | 1,313 | 3.328125 | 3 |
An Ancient Mariner… the horseshoe crab
Talk about weird and cool at the same time! The horseshoe crab is one of the oldest living species we have in the Gulf of Mexico. Fossils of this animal date back to almost 500 million years… this is before there was such a thing as fish! The separating of Pangea, the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, oh what stories these guys could tell! And they are here today, trudging along in the soft sands of estuaries along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts… but they seem to be on the decline. After all they have been through… they may be slipping away.
Actually, horseshoe crabs are not crabs at all. They belong to the same large group of animals the crabs belong to, Arthropods, but differ from true crabs in that they have fewer jointed legs and no antennae. They are actually more closely related to spiders and scorpions. There are 4 species remaining on Earth. Limulus polyphemus is the local variety with the other three living in Asia. They are tolerant of a wide range of environmental conditions. Huge swings in water temperature and salinity do not bother them. This is not surprising considering all of the environmental changes that have occurred since the species first appeared on the planet. They are scavengers, plowing through the soft bottom of estuaries, they feed on worms, mollusk, and whatever else their crop-gizzard system can breakdown. Their protective shell deters many predators; most horseshoe crabs meet their fate on the beach – where they must go to breed.
Breeding occurs all year in Florida. It typically takes place three days before and after the new or full moon. The smaller males come near shore and patrol for the oncoming females. As the females are intercepted the males will use their “hook” to hold on and the pair ride onto the beach. This usually happens at night (though not always) during the peak of a spring high tide. The female digs a small depression and deposits between 200 and 300 eggs, the male fertilizes them, and the female buries them. They leave the young on their own for a month, at which time the next spring tide arrives and the larva, which resemble trilobites, emerge. Many fall prey to shorebirds and many adults actually become stranded on the beach during nesting and die.
So why the population decline?
Well, they do tolerate large swings in environmental change, so increase temperatures, rainfall, salinities, do not bother them. Studies have shown that they are actually quite tolerant of many of the pollutants, including oil, we discharge into our bays – though mercury is a problem for the developing trilobite larva. Along the Atlantic coast the animals are collected for bait and the biomedical industry. Horseshoe crabs are used in eel traps and there are several medical uses for their blood. Some biomedical industries collect the crabs, remove some of the blood, and return them – but not all survive this. A big problem they are facing, and this would be closer to home, is the loss of nesting habitat. Seawalls, jetties, groins, and coastal development in general have disturbed nesting beaches.
That said, they seem to be making a comeback on Pensacola Beach. There have been sightings at both Big and Little Sabine. We would like to record where they are nesting in the panhandle. If you would like to help – the full moon for the next few months will occur on March 22, April 22, May 21, and June 20. The new moon will occur March 8, April 7, May 6, and June 4. If you do see a horseshoe crab please contact me at (850) 475-5230, or email at firstname.lastname@example.org. | <urn:uuid:4364ca3b-dfce-4ab3-bff8-4fd28f1b3be1> | CC-MAIN-2019-47 | https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/franklinco/2016/03/19/an-ancient-mariner-the-horseshoe-crab/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-47/segments/1573496667177.24/warc/CC-MAIN-20191113090217-20191113114217-00221.warc.gz | en | 0.962854 | 795 | 3.515625 | 4 |
Walking brings multiple benefits to people and society.
Increasing the number of people walking in Scotland is key to tackling our inactivity issue. A third of us in Scotland aren’t currently active enough, which has a huge impact on our health and wellbeing. Walking is the best way for many of us to be more active.
At least 30 minutes, five days a week
A brisk 30 minute walk on five days of the week can prevent illness, improve wellbeing and save lives. By taking a brisk walk, one that makes you breathe a little harder and feel a little warmer, you can achieve the national recommended physical activity guidelines of being active for 30 minutes, five days of the week.
The best part about walking is that it's completely free. No costly visits to a gym, no special equipment or facilities are needed, and it can be incorporated into everyday life. Walking is a low risk and accessible activity that most people can do at any stage in life, whether that's walking to school or staying active and independent in later life.
Walk for physical health
Walking can help to prevent a range of health conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, some cancers and Alzheimer’s. It can help reduce falls in older adults, help you sleep better, help to manage pain and a wide range of long term conditions.
Walk for mental health
It’s been proven to have a positive effect on our mental health too, especially if we get into green spaces to do it. Walking can increase feelings of self-esteem, improve mood, and reduce anxiety and depression.
Walk for social health
Walking is a great way to improve your social health. It's been shown to combat loneliness, increase your connections with other people and help you feel connected in your community. This is especially true if you join a walking group or one of our Health Walks.
Walk for the environment
The personal benefits of walking are clear. But walking more can have a much wider effect on society too. By reducing car use and increasing walking, we can reduce air pollution and traffic congestion, creating huge environmental benefits. Communities where walking is more common have stronger local economies and more walkable environments have been linked to a better quality of life.
Walk every day
You’ll see that the case for walking more really adds up! We're here to support everyone living in Scotland to walk more, everyday, everywhere. | <urn:uuid:c316316f-47e7-4617-9d82-7160c8dbfe7b> | CC-MAIN-2022-21 | https://www.pathsforall.org.uk/walking-for-health/health-walks/why-walk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2022-21/segments/1652662562410.53/warc/CC-MAIN-20220524014636-20220524044636-00745.warc.gz | en | 0.942397 | 499 | 3.046875 | 3 |
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Getting highor at least adequatelevels of choline in meals and snacks may help prevent unhealthful buildup of homocysteine in your blood. High blood homocysteine levels are thought to increase risk of heart attack, stroke, dementia and cancer.
Choline powers our brains, converts fat into energy, and performs other essential biochemical activities.
Scientists at the ARS Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Mass., and their co-investigators examined the relation between choline intake and blood homocysteine levels that were recorded in food questionnaires or blood tests of 1,960 volunteers in the Framingham Offspring Study (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,volume 83, pages 905 to 911).
Important choline sources include eggs, liver and other meats, fish, beans, wheat bran, nuts, dairy products and soy foods.
For details contact: Paul F. Jacques, (617) 556-3322; ARS Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Mass.
Female volunteers who ate a high proportion of "high-glycemic-index" foods over a 10-year period were more than twice as likely to develop an early indicator of age-related macular degeneration. This disease is one of the leading causes of irreversible vision loss among Americans aged 40 or above.
High-glycemic-index foods are rich in the type of carbohydrates that are quickly digested and absorbed, resulting in a rapid rise in blood sugar.
Scientists at the ARS Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Boston, Mass., note that the data do not establish a cause-and-effect interaction, but instead suggest a new direction for further studies that may help prevent or delay macular disease.
Results are based on eye tests and food questionnaires completed by 526 women aged 53 to 73 who did not have a history of the early form of the disease. An article in the April 2006 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (volume 83, pages 880 to 886) tells more.
For details contact: Chung-Jung Chiu, (617) 556-3157; ARS Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, Mass.
African-American teenagers tested in a recent study had a greater incidence of low vitamin D levels than participants in several earlier investigations. University and Agricultural Research Service nutrition experts reported that finding in a recent issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (volume 83, pages 1135 to 1141).
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones. Good sources include vitamin D-fortified milk and juices as well as fatty fish, and sunshinewhich converts a natural chemical in skin into vitamin D.
At sites in 14 American cities, the scientists examined levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in the blood (plasma) of 359 volunteers, predominantly African-American females aged 15 to 19. This form of the vitamin is a good indicator of total vitamin D stores. The researchers found that 87 percent of the volunteersan unexpectedly high numberhad an insufficient amount of 25-hydroxy vitamin D in their plasma.
For details contact: Charles B. Stephensen, (530) 754-9266; USDA-ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, Calif.
Proteins and other molecules that make up our saliva might change in response to what we eat, how and how often we exercise, and what nutritional supplementssuch as multivitamin/mineral tabletswe use. Thats why ARS scientists and their co-investigators are analyzing the composition of saliva from healthy volunteers.
The information theyre gathering may someday serve as a standard or baseline for estimating the health of others, and for assessing an individual's response to a particular food, exercise regimen or supplement. Then, foods eaten or supplements taken could be adjusted accordingly, for optimal health.
The research might also yield findings that food processors and supplement manufacturers could use to develop new and improved products.
For details contact: Neil P. Price, (309) 681-6246; USDA-ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Peoria, Ill.
Bing cherries may help fight the inflammation of arthritis, heart disease and cancer, ARS scientists and their colleagues report in the April 2006 issue of the Journal of Nutrition (volume 136, pages 981 to 986).
Investigators at ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, Calif., led the research, which was based on tests of 18 healthy men and women volunteers, aged 45 to 61, who ate a total of about 45 fresh Bing cherries throughout the day for 28 consecutive days.
Blood samples indicated that levels of three telltale indicators of inflammationnitric oxide, C reactive protein and a marker for T cell activationdropped 18 to 25 percent by the end of the cherry-eating stint.
However, natural chemicals in cherries apparently work selectively, suppressing production of these three inflammation-linked compounds, but not of some three dozen others, the researchers found.
The grower-sponsored California Cherry Advisory Board, Lodi, Calif., helped fund the research.
For details contact: Darshan S. Kelley, (530) 752-5138; USDA-ARS Western Human Nutrition Research Center, Davis, Calif.
Scientists already know that our muscles need zinc, but a study from investigators at the Grand Forks (N.D.) Human Nutrition Research Center provides new details about the key role of a zinc-dependent enzyme called carbonic anhydrase.
Consuming less than the recommended amount of zinc reduces the enzyme's activity and makes the heart work harder, the researchers showed.
Healthy men in their 20s and 30s volunteered for the 9-week, low-zinc regimen and for another 9-week regimen in which they received the recommended amount of this essential nutrient.
Workouts during the low-zinc stint left volunteers panting as their hearts worked harder to carry carbon dioxide to the lungs, where it is exhaled.
That's in contrast to the volunteers' performance during the regimen in which they received the recommended amount of zinc. The study, reported in 2005, provides the first evidence that the carbon-dioxide-removing enzyme won't perform normally in people during exercise if body stores of zinc are too low (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, volume 81, pages 1045 to 1051).
Chicken, eggs, cheese, oysters, beef, beans and peanuts are rich in zinc.
For details contact: Henry C. Lukaski, (701) 795-8429; USDA-ARS Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center, Grand Forks, N.D.
Dill pickles sold in plastic pouches could stay fresh and flavorful longer if packed with turmeric. That spice is already used to add color to some pickles and certain other foods.
Unlike glass jars, gas-permeable plastic pouches allow oxygen to seep through, over time. But turmeric proved to be an effective antioxidant in lab tests that simulated commercial pickle packing processes, ARS and university researchers have shown (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, volume 48, pages 4910 to 4912).
Why pack pickles in plastic instead of glass?
Plastic containers weigh less, dont break and are easier to open.
For details contact: Roger F. Mcfeeters, (919) 515-2990; USDA-ARS Food Science Research Unit, Raleigh, N.C.
Eight of nine retail cuts of pork analyzed by Agricultural Research Service nutrition scientists and their colleagues were leaner than cuts measured a decade agoyet still provided the same amount of protein.
The Revised USDA Nutrient Data Set for Fresh Pork revisits the nutrient content of shoulder blade steak, tenderloin roast, top loin chop, top loin roast, sirloin roast, loin chop, rib chop, country style ribs, and spare ribs. View it on the World Wide Web at: www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=13467.
The data can be used as the basis of nutrition labels for pork products. The National Pork Board, Des Moines, Iowa, helped fund the research.
For details contact: Juliette C. Howe, (301) 504-0643; USDA-ARS Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, Md.
Black Pearl, an edible ornamental pepper from Agricultural Research Service scientists in Beltsville, Md., has been named a 2006 All-America Selection. The award recognizes new flowers and vegetables that demonstrate superior garden performance in trials conducted throughout the country.
Black Pearl was first offered to growers and gardeners in 2005, after years of testing. Its black leaves and dense clusters of round fruits that ripen from black to red make it an especially eye-catching plant. In addition, it is drought-hardy and tolerant to attack by common insect and disease pests.
PanAmerican Seed Company, Elburn, Ill., helped test the plant and entered it in the national competition.
For details contact: John R. Stommel, (301) 504-5583, or Robert J. Griesbach, (301) 504-6574; USDA-ARS Henry A. Wallace Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md.
Five new kinds of pinto beans shrug off attack by three major bean diseases.
Known as BelDakMi-RMR and numbered 19 to 23, the new lines contain a record-setting total of six disease-resistance genesfour to fend off common bean rust, one to foil common mosaic virus, and one to resist common mosaic necrosis virus.
Thats unlike most commercial bean varieties, which typically contain few if any disease-resistance genes. Whats more, the BelDakMi pintos thwart every known strain of these pathogens
The beans get their BelDakMi name from abbreviations of the institutions that collaborated in their developmentARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville (Md.) Agricultural Research Center, and North Dakota State and Michigan State universities.
Pinto beans provide protein, carbs, fiber, iron and folate.
For details contact: Marcial Pastor-Corrales, (301) 504-5745; USDA-ARS Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, Md.
There's good news for fans of muscadine grapes. ARS scientists in Poplarville, Miss., and their University of Florida colleagues are putting the finishing touches on a new, fresh-market muscadine that will offer excellent flavor and high levels of compounds known as phenols, thought to benefit our cardiovascular system.
Muscadines are grown commercially in the southeastern United States, where they are often called scuppernongs and are used primarily in juices, wines, jellies and preserves. They are valued for their high yields8 to 12 tons an acreand for resistance to pests such as phylloxera, nematodes, fungi, and the microbe that causes Pierce's disease.
For details contact: Stephen J. Stringer, (601) 403-8768; USDA-ARS Southern Horticultural Laboratory, Poplarville, Miss.
Already a hit at farmers' markets in central California, a specialty grape called Thomcord may begin showing up in supermarket produce sections across the county within the next few years.
Agricultural Research Service grape breeders in California chose two classic grapes, Thompson Seedless and Concord, as parents of Thomcord. They put the new grape plants through 17 years of testing before making it available in 2003 to nurseries and plant breeders.
Thomcord has the blue-black skin and whitish bloom of the Concord, plus a pleasing Concordlike flavor that's lightened by the sweet, mild taste of its Thompson parent. The fruit is slightly firmer than Concord and is seedless, ripening in late July through mid-August in California.
For details contact: David W. Ramming, (559) 596-2823; USDA-ARS San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center, Parlier, Calif.
Lic. Nut. Miguel Leopoldo Alvarado | <urn:uuid:a9e95d52-2c11-4893-b389-71d074a5c52d> | CC-MAIN-2021-10 | https://nutrimania.blogspot.com/2006/07/informe-de-investigaciones-de-alimentos.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-10/segments/1614178360853.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20210228115201-20210228145201-00323.warc.gz | en | 0.904631 | 2,550 | 2.75 | 3 |
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To add a new line below the current line, press Shift+Enter.
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If no shortcuts are assigned to these actions in the currently selected keymap, you can assign your own shortcuts to the Move Line Up and Move Line Down actions in the Keymap page of the IDE settings Ctrl+Alt+S. | <urn:uuid:0c64ff61-f3b8-46cd-8897-968ce18a1b7b> | CC-MAIN-2023-14 | https://www.jetbrains.com/help/mps/adding-deleting-and-moving-lines.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-14/segments/1679296946584.94/warc/CC-MAIN-20230326235016-20230327025016-00490.warc.gz | en | 0.880314 | 241 | 3.109375 | 3 |
Children who participate in exercise can develop a variety of physical, mental and social skills in fun, playful ways. Children and teenagers need 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day, or most days. This might seem like a lot of time, but it adds up!
Parents can model healthy habits by finding fun ways to be active in their daily routines and making activity a household priority.
Put Action in Your Lifestyle
Regular physical activity is just as important to a healthful lifestyle as smart eating. Apply the same principles of variety, balance and moderation to both your food choices and your physical activities.
- Variety. Enjoy many different activities to move different muscles, such as power walking for your heart and leg muscles, gardening for arm muscles and sit-ups for abdominal muscles.
- Balance. Because different activities have different benefits, balance your physical activity pattern. For overall fitness, choose activities that build cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, bone strength, balance and flexibility.
- Moderation. Move enough to keep fit without overdoing it. At least 30 minutes (60 minutes for children and teens) of moderate physical activity most, and preferably all, days of the week will do.
Here are 10 ways parents and caregivers can encourage active play:
- Balance sedentary play (such as reading together) with an activity that requires movement such as tag, jumping rope or hopscotch.
- When and if children attend a child care center, choose one that makes safe, active play a priority.
- Set aside time each day for active play together, perhaps tossing a ball, having a dance party or taking a walk after a family meal.
- Designate an inside and an outside area that's safe, where your child can freely jump, roll and tumble.
- When possible, join a playgroup.
- Encourage children to try a new physical activity.
- Give children toys that encourage physical activity such as balls, kites, hula hoops, Frisbees and jump ropes.
- Limit TV time and keep the TV out of your child's bedroom.
- Plant a garden. Kids love to water plants, and they'll get excited weeks later when they see their flowers bloom or vegetables grow.
- Instead of catching a movie or watching TV, pick an activity that requires moving together like taking walk.
Don't forget to fuel your activity!
Once you get your family moving, remember to fuel up for activities or sports. Drink plenty of water before, during and after activities. Children need to drink at least six 8-ounce cups of water per day. Add another eight fluid ounces for every half hour of strenuous activity. For longer activities or when children don't drink enough water, diluted 100% fruit juice or sports drinks can increase their fluid intake.
For a snack before or after physical activities, serve crackers and cheese, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, trail mix, containers of cut-up fruit and sliced vegetables with a low-fat dip. | <urn:uuid:37792cf5-7597-4e97-854a-79b4326b91c5> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://www.eatright.org/fitness/exercise/family-activities/make-fitness-fun-for-the-whole-family | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038507477.62/warc/CC-MAIN-20210418163541-20210418193541-00497.warc.gz | en | 0.933715 | 612 | 3.6875 | 4 |
discussed in biographyIn confinement Toller wrote Masse-Mensch (1920; Man and the Masses, 1923), a play that brought him widespread fame. Books of lyrics added to his reputation. In 1933, immediately before the accession of Hitler, he emigrated to the United States. Also in that year he brought out his vivid autobiography, Eine Jugend in Deutschland ( I Was a German, 1934).
German literature...kind of transformation in a young man who turns his horrific war experience into a new awareness of the brotherhood of man; his play Masse-Mensch (1920; Man and the Masses) presents the tragic attempt of a woman worker to effect a mass revolution among her fellow workers and lead them beyond violence toward peaceful coexistence. The dramas...
Man and the Masses
Simply begin typing or use the editing tools above to add to this article.
Once you are finished and click submit, your modifications will be sent to our editors for review. | <urn:uuid:7494423b-6dab-428e-a3e2-7cf76c570518> | CC-MAIN-2015-11 | https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/361080/Man-and-the-Masses | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2015-11/segments/1424936461612.31/warc/CC-MAIN-20150226074101-00289-ip-10-28-5-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939304 | 206 | 3.125 | 3 |
Freedom of press void of its meaning during the Ben Ali regime
Article 8 of the Tunisian Constitution of 1 June 1959 recognised and guaranteed freedom of press, of speech and of publishing. However, draconian laws and administrative practices overruled these constitutional freedoms and emptied them of their substance. The Press Code, promulgated by Act No. 75-32 of 28 April 1975, fits into this logic. Half of its articles have a repressive character.
For several decades, until the 2000s, the state held the monopoly in the audio-visual sector, owning the public television and radio stations. Unlike the print sector that was relatively more diverse, the audio-visual sector was not regulated by any specific legislation.
A new legislative framework since 14 January 2011
The media landscape underwent profound changes following the abolition of all control mechanisms after 14 January 2011 and the fall of the old regime.
In this context of liberation of expression, Tunisia adopted important legal texts:
- Decree Law No. 2011-115 of 2 November 2011 on freedom of the press, printing and publishing.
- Decree Law No. 2011-116 of 2 November 2011, on the freedom of audio-visual communication and the creation of the Independent High Authority for Audio-Visual Communication (HAICA).
These two legal texts were prepared by the transition government before the elections of 23 October 2011.
The new Tunisian Constitution adopted on 26 January 2014 recognized freedom of opinion, of thought, of speech, of press, of publishing and of printing in its Article 31, which prohibits the subjection of these freedoms to any prior control.
The Independent High Authority for Audio-Visual Communication (HAICA) contributed to the regulation of the audio-visual sector through the enactment on March 5, 2014, of four specifications relating to the conditions for obtaining licenses for private and community radio stations and television channels.
A still fragile legal framework
The application of this new legislation depends sometimes on the government in power and the means put in place. Thus, some TV channels whose license has been refused or who are still in the process of clarifying their status continue to broadcast while the government banned others in the name of the fight against terrorism without notifying the regulatory authority.
In addition, the Penal Code (as for example Article 245 on defamation) or the Telecommunications Code are still referred to for offenses by the press, which are however governed by Decree Law 115. The criminal law still contains rather repressive provisions for the press.
Access to information, a remarkable legislative progress
The legal framework in relation to media and transparency was reinforced since January 14, 2011 with Decree Law No. 41 of 26 May 2011 regarding access to administrative documents. Despite the progress this decree law presents, it lacked effectiveness and efficiency in practice given the bureaucratic bottlenecks inherent in the Tunisian public administration, but also because of the wide range of exceptions to the right to access documents that the decree law provided for. It was replaced by Organic Law No 22 of 24 March 2016 on the right of access to information. The new law guarantees the right to access information in contrast to Decree No 41-2011 that provided access to administrative documents of public bodies only. The adoption of this law, which contains limited exceptions in compliance with Article 32 of the Constitution, was considered a victory after a long battle between civil society organizations, the government and Parliament.
Free internet, until when?
In the internet sector, the legislative framework has difficulties to follow the information and communication boom following the end of police control over the Tunisian web after 14 January 2011.
Some measures, such as the creation of a Technical Telecommunication Agency (ATT) in November 2013, are designed to protect the Tunisian cyberspace. But no legislation on the fight against cybercrime has been adopted despite the drafting of several bills regarding the issue, often disapproved by cyber activists and a large part of civil society who reject the draconian measures and invasion of privacy rights.
A press awaiting self-regulation
Like many countries with a democratic tendency, no regulatory authority is foreseen for the print sector. Since the adoption of Decree Law 2011-115, a simple declaration to the District Court is sufficient to publish periodicals, which no longer require prior authorization. The Federation of Newspaper Directors and the Union of Journalists, however, work on the establishment of a self-regulatory body, a "Press Council". This body could be consulted for the distribution of public advertising, or on granting cards for professional journalists or to provide an opinion or serve as an Ombudsman Office in cases of disputes or defamation. | <urn:uuid:8a04ffbc-cd02-44a8-985b-fd4c8b08bcd6> | CC-MAIN-2020-24 | http://tunisia.mom-rsf.org/en/context/law/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-24/segments/1590347389309.17/warc/CC-MAIN-20200525161346-20200525191346-00045.warc.gz | en | 0.949087 | 926 | 2.734375 | 3 |
Last December, Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he didn’t not know whether he would have supported or opposed the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. When pressed, he said he hated the concept of internment camps. Yet his flimsily veiled as well as his openly racist rhetoric encourage an atmosphere of hate and intolerance that can have no good outcome.
Which is why Lonny Kaneko’s recently released poetry collection Coming Home from Camp and Other Poems is so necessary. The camp in the title refers not to childhood summer camp or some other recreational foray in the wilderness. It was a foray into a different kind of wilderness—one in which American ideals were lost to racism, when the American government rounded up more than 100,000 people of Japanese ancestry in this country and incarcerated them behind barbed wire in the euphemistically-termed “war relocation centers.” Lonny Kaneko and his parents were sent to Minidoka in Idaho as were most of the Japanese-Americans from the Seattle area.
Last week, Kaneko read from his collection at Arundel Books in Pioneer Square. One of the poems he read was “Drought,” which Kaneko said was a metaphor for the effects of the camp on him.
The poem describes a child lying face up in the dust under a hot sun, when tendrils of green curl into his ear and around a finger.
This cool twist of green
crucifies him in the Idaho heat.
Innocent yet pronounced guilty,
he is invisible.
The thought of this underserved and inexplicable punishment burrows deep inside of him as he awaits relief.
This is a child sewn
into the earth,
with a dream full of melons and tulips
that needs only a rainy season
in a country of drought.
Kaneko, a genial, soft-spoken man, said he was raised to be a pretty agreeable person, one who keeps his thoughts to himself. His mother though was the kind of person who said what she wanted to anyone she wanted. He read a poem called “Beasts from the Heart” that he said describes his mother. In it, he refers to “a tongue sharp as a row of needles,” and writes that “my mother snarled when she meant to smile.” The beasts in the poem are the fears and humiliations that haunt his family in their prison, the source, it seems, of his mother’s “barbed circle of words.”
A 1944 act encouraged Japanese-Americans to renounce citizenship so that they could be deported to Japan. Some did renounce their citizenship, including Kaneko’s aunt, who had prior to the war been a seamstress who ran her own business in the University District. Unlike Kaneko and his family, she had been sent to the Tule Lake camp in California. Her family had been involved in agriculture in south King County, and Kaneko said many such families were routed to Tule Lake, the largest and most strife-ridden of the camps. Perhaps that’s why the renunciants numbered the highest at Tule Lake. Kaneko said his aunt ended up a woman without a country, returning to Japan no longer an American citizen, but not a citizen of Japan either since she had not been born there.
He has a collection of long letters that she wrote from Japan to his mother. Some of the poems in Coming Home are written in her voice, inspired by those letters. In “Words from Okayama,” the narrator advises her sister,
Your son must say No.
Learn the good word.
There is no way that
he can be a man
without a sense of where
to cut the barbed wire
and cross the fence.
Kaneko has been a creative writing instructor at Highline since 1966. His influence in the literary community has probably been as quiet and unassuming as he is himself, but nevertheless runs deep. His book gathers poems from the first printing of Coming Home from Camp, which had gone out of print, with newer poems, some of them the result of daily poem exchanges with his Highline colleague and award-winning poet Sharon Hashimoto. Over the years, Kaneko has mentored many students, including Sam Green, the first poet laureate of Washington State. Kaneko’s long-time friend, poet Ann Spiers, who also read that evening from her latest chapbook Bunker Trail, helped proofread Coming Home.
Kaneko’s path to poetry and teaching began in a childhood behind barbed wire, an incarceration that was recognized in 1988 legislation signed by Ronald Reagan as “caused by racial prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of political leadership.” Lonny Kaneko’s book is a good reminder of that. | <urn:uuid:801b4141-0eb4-43ce-99b9-f87bb40565f9> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://donnamiscolta.com/2016/03/15/lonny-kaneko-reminds-us-to-say-no-to-racism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499966.43/warc/CC-MAIN-20230209112510-20230209142510-00220.warc.gz | en | 0.984754 | 1,021 | 2.71875 | 3 |
Oriental Zodiac Series
Chinese Astrology is organized according to 12 Animals Signs. One Chinese legend attributes the creation of the animal signs to the semi-mythical Yellow Emperor in 2637 B.C. According to another legend, the Lord Buddha summoned all the animals to come to him before he departed from Earth. Only 12 animals came to bid him farewell. As a reward he named a year after each other one in the order that they arrived. First came the Rat, then the Ox, the Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. Thus we have 12 signs today.
The animal ruling year in which you were born exercises a profound influence on your life. As the Chinese say, "This is the animal that hides in your heart".
Rat ( 1912 - 1924 - 1936 - 1948 - 1960 - 1972 - 1984 )
You are imaginative, charming, and truly generous to the person you love. However, you have a tendency to be quick-tempered and overly critical. You are also inclined to be somewhat of an opportunist. Born under this sign, you should be happy in sales or as a writer, critic, or publicist. Some Rats: Charlotte Bronte, Truman Capote, Catherine I, Mata Hari, Wolfgang Mozart, William Shakespeare, George Washington.
Ox ( 1913 - 1925 - 1937 - 1949 - 1961 - 1973 - 1985 )
A born leader, you inspire confidence from all around you. You are conservative, methodical, and good with your hands. Guard against being chauvinistic and always demanding your own way. The Ox would be successful as a skilled surgeon, general, or hairdresser. Some Oxen: NapoleonBonaparte, Walt Disney, Clark Gable, Richard Nixon, Rosa arks, Sylvia Porter, Vincent Van Gogh.
Tiger ( 1914 - 1926 - 1938 - 1950 - 1962 - 1974 - 1986
You are sensitive, emotional, and capable of great love. However, you have a tendency to get carried away and be stubborn about what you think is right; often seen as a "Hothead" or rebel. Your sign shows you would be excellent as a boss, explorer, race car driver, or matador. Some Tigers: Judy Blume, Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, Isadora Duncan, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Mary Harris (Mother) Jones, Barbara McClintock, Marilyn Monroe, Marco Polo, Beatrix Potter.
1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999
People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise. They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig, and Dog.
Dragon ( 1916 - 1928 - 1940 - 1952 - 1964 - 1976 - 1988 )
Full of vitality and enthusiasm, the Dragon is a popular individual even with the reputation of being foolhardy and a "big mouth" at times. You are intelligent, gifted, and a perfectionist but these qualities make you unduly demanding on others. You would be well-suited to be an artist, priest, or politician. Some Dragons: Louisa May Alcott, SusanB. Anthony, Joan of Arc, Pearl Buck, Sigmund Freud, Theodore Seuss Geisel, John Lennon, Florence Nightingale, Pat Schroeder, Mae West.
Snake ( 1917 - 1929 - 1941 - 1953 - 1965 - 1977 - 1989 )
Rich in wisdom and charm, you are romantic and deep thinking and your intuition guides you strongly. Avoid procrastination and your stingy attitude towards money. Keep your sense of humor about life. The Snake would be most content as a teacher, philosopher, writer, psychiatrist, and fortune teller. Some Snakes: Clara Barton, Liz Claiborne, Charles Darwin, Mary Baker Eddy, Elizabeth I, Fannie Farmer, Anne Frank, Mahatma Gandhi, Ellen Goodman, Carole King, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allen Poe.
Horse ( 1918 - 1930 - 1942 - 1954 - 1966 - 1978 - 1990 )
Your capacity for hard work is amazing. You are your own person-very independent. While, intelligent and friendly, you have a strong guard againstbeing egotistical. Your sign suggests success as an adventurer, scientist, poet, or politician. Some Horses: Louisa May Alcott, Chopin, Davy Crockett,Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Sandra Day O'Connor, Rembrandt, Teddy Roosevelt.
1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003
People born in the Year of Ram are elegant and highly accomplished in the arts. They seem to be, at first glance, better off than those born in the zodiac's other years. But ram year people are often shy, pessimistic, and puzzled about life. They are usually deeply religious, yet timid by nature. Sometimes clumsy in speech, they are always passionate about what they do and what they believe in. Ram people never have to worry about having the best in life for their abilities make money for them, and they are able to enjoy the creature comforts that they like. Ram people are wise, gentle, and compassionate. They are compatible with Rabbits, Pigs, and Horses.
1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004
People born in the Year of the Monkey are the erratic geniuses of the cycle. Clever, skillful, and flexible, they are remarkably inventive and original and can solve the most difficult problems with ease. There are few fields in which Monkey people wouldn't be successful but they have a disconcerting habit of being too agreeable. They want to do things now, and if they cannot get started immediately, they become discouraged and sometimes leave their projects. Although good at making decisions, they tend to look down on others. Having common sense, Monkey people have a deep desire for knowledge and have excellent memories. Monkey people are strong willed but their anger cools quickly. They are most compatible with the Dragon and Rat.
1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005
People born in the Year of the Rooster are deep thinkers, capable, and talented. They like to be busy and are devoted beyond their capabilities and are deeply disappointed if they fail. People born in the Rooster Year are often a bit eccentric, and often have rather difficult relationship with others. They always think they are right and usually are! They frequently are loners and though they give the outward impression of being adventurous, they are timid. Rooster people?|s emotions like their fortunes, swing very high to very low. They can be selfish and too outspoken, but are always interesting and can be extremely brave. They are most compatible with Ox, Snake, and Dragon.
1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people?|s confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.
1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007
People born in the Year of the Pig are chivalrous and gallant. Whatever they do, they do with all their strength. For Boar Year people, there is no left or right and there is no retreat. They have tremendous fortitude and great honesty. They don't make many friends but they make them for life, and anyone having a Boar Year friend is fortunate for they are extremely loyal. They don't talk much but have a great thirst for knowledge. They study a great deal and are generally well informed. Boar people are quick tempered, yet they hate arguments and quarreling. They are kind to their loved ones. No matter how bad problems seem to be, Boar people try to work them out, honestly if sometimes impulsively. They are most compatible with Rabbits and Sheep.
Look at my other coin set here:
1) Chinese Zodiac Animals Silver/Gold Plated Coin Set
2) Chinese Zodiac Animals Gold Plated Coin Set
3) Chinese Zodiac Animals Gold/Silver Plated Coin Set
4) Chinese Zodiac Animals Silver Plated Coin Set | <urn:uuid:e4055863-3c78-4123-8c8a-730c2ae5a0d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-48 | http://www.chinapenking.com/15.coinsr.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-48/segments/1386164035500/warc/CC-MAIN-20131204133355-00098-ip-10-33-133-15.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954992 | 1,880 | 2.546875 | 3 |
Drastic interventions in an ecosystem, like deciding whether to eradicate an unwanted species, can have unforeseen, and sometimes even undesirable, consequences on the rest of the species present in that ecosystem. Just published research shows that, even if there is limited knowledge of these ecosystems, modellers should not wait any longer to start developing ecological forecasts that managers could potentially use to decide whether to implement such interventions.
What happens when you give an interesting Secret Santa maths problem to a group of mathematicians? Here's how it played out at a recent ACEMS Mathscraft workshop - thanks Dr Rheanna Mainzer, from The University of Melbourne, for writing this wonderful story in The Conversation.
ACEMS is excited to welcome three new Partner Investigators as ACEMS Members. They are Dr Juan Ortiz from the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences (AIMS), Dr Petra Kuhnert from CSIRO, and Dr Anders Holmberg from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
ACEMS researchers at QUT have used a combination of virtual reality (VR), aerial thermal-imaging and ground surveys to build a better statistical model for predicting the location of koalas and, ultimately, protecting their habitat.
One of the biggest threats to the Great Barrier Reef is pollution from land making its way downstream by way of the many rivers and streams that flow into coastal waters along the reef. New statistical tools developed by ACEMS researchers could lead to the deployment of more low-cost sensors to monitor what is in those rivers and streams.
Well-known Mathematician Hannah Fry has called for tech and data scientists to make an ethical pledge, as medical doctors do. But the same result might be delivered by simply asking people to mind their bias. ACEMS' Lewis Mitchell and Joshua Ross explain with a story in The Conversation.
A new QUT-led study has developed a statistical toolbox to help avoid seagrass loss which provides shelter, food and oxygen to fish and at-risk species like dugongs and green turtles.
The research has been published in Methods in Ecology and Evolution describing key monitoring and management designs to maximise seagrass resilience to human activities, to better inform seagrass dredging operations and development of coastal areas.
ACEMS Chief Investigator Kate Smith-Miles led the development of a new online tool that stress-tests an algorithm, showing where an algorithm will work well, and more importantly, where it could be unreliable. | <urn:uuid:9e34cca7-bcaf-44cf-b77f-b418125e1654> | CC-MAIN-2021-17 | https://acems.org.au/news?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2021-17/segments/1618038917413.71/warc/CC-MAIN-20210419204416-20210419234416-00148.warc.gz | en | 0.935813 | 497 | 3.015625 | 3 |
Basketmakers are faced with changes and challenges that threaten the existence of their craft. The supply of sweetgrass is becoming more difficult to acquire because the natural habitats of sweetgrass have significantly diminished. Two primary factors have led to this situation. First, the urbanization of the area around Mt. Pleasant has led to the destruction of much of the natural sweetgrass plant communities. Second, the traditional gathering areas on the Barrier Islands off the coast of Charleston, have been developed as beach resorts or private communities with restricted access. Basketmakers now have to travel to Georgia and Florida to find adequate supplies.
Natural habitats of sweetgrass need to be preserved, protected, or relocated if this industry is to continue. The basketmaking community will need help from local governments to continue to sell baskets along the old Ocean Highway (Hwy 17) or relocate the stands to equally visible, safe locations. Alternatively, the ability to cultivate sweetgrass on inland soils in the Mt. Pleasant area would enable the production of readily available raw material. These practices would help to insure that the heritage of basketmaking will continue to flourish into the 21st century.
About 300 families are involved in sweetgrass basketry of which approximately 75% are full-time basketmakers and 25% are part-time (Mary Jackson pers. commun.). Twenty-five years ago, approximately 1,200 families were involved in basketmaking and this represents a 75% decline in the basketmaking community.
Rice was the main cash crop of South Carolina during the colonial period and the base of the State's economy until the 19th century. Slavers were paid premium prices for Africans from the West African Rice Kingdoms of the Windward Coast (Senegal to the Ivory Coast) and the mouth of the Congo River (Gabon, Zaire, and Angola) (Littlefield 1981). A man or women who made baskets was worth more than one who did not, age, strength, and other skills being equal (Chas. Gaz. Adv. 1791). Since colonial South Carolinians knew little of rice culture, the success of the American Rice Kingdom is credited to enslaved Africans (Joyner 1984).
The technique of basketmaking crossed the Atlantic in slave ships and took root in the new land. The art of making sweetgrass baskets is a three-century old African-American tradition that has been "passed-down" over the centuries from parent to offspring. Sweetgrass basketmaking is one of the earliest traditional rafts with a rich documented history from "carryover" from African enslavement and plantation days to the present (McKissick Museum 1988). Although the materials used are different in the United States, the form and function of the African counterparts of sweetgrass baskets are unchanged to this day (Mary Jackson pers. commun.).
Folk history recounts that enslaved men and women weaved African coiled baskets to fan rice in order to separate the grains from the chaff. After the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, former slaves were dedicated to preserve the African traditions of their ancestors. A reaffirmation of this goal has been made by each generation of the descendants of enslaved Africans and sweetgrass basketry is a symbol of this devotion.
Sweetgrass grows in bands about 50 to 75 m from the mean high tide line in undulating sand dunes usually behind the first dune along the ocean from North Carolina to Texas. Occasionally, plants are found growing on well-drained, sandy uplands bordering brackish marshes and in open maritime forests (Pinson and Batson 1971). Sweetgrass grows on many of the barrier islands along South Carolina's coast, such as, Kiawah, Seabrook, Dewees, Bulls, Fripp, and Hilton Head.
The Mt. Pleasant basketmaking community has become known throughout the United States and abroad for their art. Today, the baskets have become a symbol of coastal South Carolina. The downtown area of Charleston has over 2,000 buildings registered with the Historic Society, yet basketmaking is truly the only "live" viable symbol or relic of the extinct plantation days of colonial times. After 300 years, this tradition, as well as historic buildings, are the trademarks of Charleston. Postcards and photographic illustrations commonly depict basketmakers and their art. African coiled basketry are objects of scholarly research and commonly are featured in newspaper and magazine articles in the United States and abroad. Sweetgrass baskets are displayed in art galleries, traveling exhibits, and have been displayed in the Smithsonian, Vatican, and Gibes Art Museum in Charleston and other museums.
In 1988, the Mt. Pleasant Basketmakers' Association was formed. The function of the Association is to organize the basketmakers into a cohesive group and to form a common voice to influence the management of their resources. The Association's purpose is to promote, preserve, and protect the tradition of sweetgrass basketmaking.
The first Sweetgrass Basket Conference was held on March 26, 1988 to discuss the basketmaking tradition, biological assessment and ecology of sweetgrass resources, impact of coastal development and public and private concerns in relation to the basket industry (McKissick Museum 1988). Through the activities of the Conference, many immediate pledges of public and private aid were offered.
In October, 1988, the Town Council of Mt. Pleasant resolved to make preservation of the basket stands a goal of the zoning process. In December, 1991, the Sweetgrass Preservation Society was formed by the Mayor of Charleston to help the basketmakers work on strategies to help protect and preserve their craft and tradition.
The art of sweetgrass basketmaking has evolved from a practical craft, to a curio, to a genuinely valuable artform. The sweetgrass basketmaking tradition is a crucial element of the African cultural tradition. The descendents of enslaved Africans possess an intimate, loyal, and loving bond of their ancestry and heritage in colonial South Carolina and Africa. Sweetgrass basketmaking is the "living" symbol of this passion.
|Fig. 1. Sweetgrass plant and baskets.| | <urn:uuid:37477192-f127-4a6a-b30a-9d0081b05277> | CC-MAIN-2018-26 | https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/V2-442.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2018-26/segments/1529267862248.4/warc/CC-MAIN-20180619095641-20180619115641-00512.warc.gz | en | 0.953668 | 1,222 | 3.203125 | 3 |
The third stop on our renewable energy tour of Germany was the state of North-Rhine Westphalia— the industrial, steelmaking, and coal mining center of the country—where we learned about the economic and social ramifications of Germany’s transition away from coal to renewable energy, and what lessons might be applied to the U.S.
Phasing out coal
While Germany’s decision in April 2011 to accelerate the phase-out of nuclear power by 2022 was widely publicized following the Fukushima crisis in Japan, their plans to phase out coal are less well known. Coal provided 45% of Germany’s electricity in 2010, which was similar to coal’s U.S. market share in that year.
Coal production and employment has been steadily declining for over a half a century due primarily to the availability of cheaper foreign coal and environmental concerns. According to Regional Association Ruhr, coal mining in the region reached its peak annual production of 130 million tons in 1939 during World War II. Coal mining employment peaked at nearly 500,000 in 1957 and has since declined to less than 33,000 (a trend that has also occurred in the U.S.). From 1960 to 2009, the number of coal mines also declined from 125 to 3.
To help mitigate the impacts on the labor market, Germany heavily subsidized the industry and local communities to the tune of 128 billion Euros between 1959 and 2005. In 1996, Germany started to reduce the subsidies to coal, which led to their decision in 2007 to completely phase out black coal mining by 2018.
New economic opportunities
During our trip, we learned about how the region is attempting to diversify its economy to make up for the decline in coal mining and steelmaking. For example, we travelled to Essen to visit Zollverein, one of the largest coal mines and coking plants in the region that was converted into a museum, recreation park, and UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. Today, about 1,000 people work at the facility—about the same number that were once employed by the coking plant. In 2010, Zollverein had an estimated 2 million visitors.
Rolf Fliss, mayor of Essen and member of the German Green Party, gave us a tour of the facilities. He described with great pride how his father had worked in the mines and how important the Zollverein museum has been to local residents to maintain a sense of cultural identity, community, and hope for the future.
In Gelsenkirchen, Dr. Wolfgang Jung gave us a tour of Science Park Gelsenkirchen. In 1995, an 11,000-square-meter facility with offices and research labs was built on a brownfield site that was used for coal mining and steel production from 1850 to 1984. He told us that 25 clean energy and high-tech companies with over 400 employees were currently housed at the site. He also brought us up on the roof of the facility to see their 210-kilowatt solar PV array. Known as “The City of the Thousand Fires” in 1929, Gelsenkirchen is now rebranding itself as “The City of a Thousand Suns.”
We also visited Kenersys, a global wind turbine manufacturer in Münster, and nkt cables in Cologne, a company that manufactures transmission lines and cables for solar farms, onshore and offshore wind farms, and many other applications.
My experience in North-Rhine Westphalia gave me hope and a glimpse of how we might be able to transition away from coal to renewable energy in the U.S. The places I visited reminded me of states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Illinois that have already experienced a significant decline in coal mining and other industries, but have tremendous potential to attract new clean energy businesses. These and other coal mining states like Wyoming and West Virginia also have an excellent potential to create new jobs by generating electricity from wind, solar, and other renewable energy sources.
About the author: Steve Clemmer is the director of energy research and an expert on the economic and environmental benefits of implementing renewable energy technologies and policies at the state and national levels. He holds a master’s degree in energy analysis and policy from the University of Wisconsin. | <urn:uuid:64a373d8-c339-4b1a-ae17-519b1365f7b9> | CC-MAIN-2023-06 | https://world.edu/on-the-road-to-clean-energy-in-germany-lessons-for-the-united-states-part-3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2023-06/segments/1674764499871.68/warc/CC-MAIN-20230131122916-20230131152916-00264.warc.gz | en | 0.963872 | 871 | 3.125 | 3 |
View exercise overview
Class size: Any
Source: Produced by HRAF
Does the exercise compare 2 or more cultures? Yes
Subject selection: Single subject specified by teacher
Subjects/OCMS, if applicable: Hide and leatherwork
Region selection: pre-selected
Region, if applicable: Various
Culture selection: Student chooses from pre-selected list
Cultures/OWCs, if applicable:
Instructions for navigating eHRAF included? No
Assignments for students to complete in groups? No
Assignments for students to complete on their own? Yes
Instructions for Microfiche version? No
Christiane Cunnar, Human Relations Area Files
In the United States and in many other societies leather is an integral part of fashion and household living. So, for example, in North America, most people own shoes or belts made out of leather, and some may even have leather jackets, chairs, or sofas. For most parts, hide working now has become an industrialized process. However, in former times the hide-working process was extremely long and labor-intensive involving several stages such as the removal of hair, soaking, kneading and conditioning with substances. These processes are commonly referred to as hide working, tanning, or skin dressing. The ethnographic record shows that women and girls were often assigned to perform these hard and laborious tasks.
eHRAF User Guide
The eHRAF User Guides contain very helpful tips on how to search in eHRAF. Hint: In the eHRAF World Cultures database the term “hide*” or “work in skins” is represented by an OCM subject and may be used to enhance your search.
If you have questions about searching in the databases, don’t hesitate to contact us at email@example.com, 1-203-764-9401 or 1-800-520-HRAF.
1. Hide Working Processes
1.1 Hide working in North America
Assume that you are excavating a faunal assemblage in the Great Plains areas (e.g., Nebraska, Oklahoma, or Kansas) and you are finding evidence for hide working. You decide to consult the ethnographic literature to learn more about hide working processes. Use the literature in eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu) to compare and contrast the hide working methods employed by three or more Native North American groups. As you read the ethnographies, consider the following questions. Do you see any regional differences? If there is a division of labor for hide working, how is work allocated? How long and how many people does it take to process hides? What tools and materials are used? What are the hides used for? Based on the methods you review for hide working, what evidence would you expect in the archaeological record?
1.2 World-Wide Comparisons
Hide-working is a craft performed throughout the world. Use the literature in eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu) to compare and contrast the hide-working methods world-wide by selecting at least three culture groups from the different major regions. As you perform the searches and read the ethnographies, consider the following questions. In what parts of the world is hide-working predominant? What are the differences or similarities in hide working techniques between regions (e.g., Asia, Africa, or South America)? What animals are used?
2. Materials Used for Processing Leather
The materials used for softening and preserving hides reflect a culture’s access to different natural resources. Cultures located in coastal areas or in proximity to waterways, such as the Yakut of Siberia may use fish products such as fish oil or fish liver as softening agents to process hides. The Tarahumara of Mexico use tree products such as pulverized oak bark for tannins. The Pawnee of the northern Plains (now Nebraska) use elm bark. The brain, an animal by-product, is a common tanning agent as it is readily available and contains chemicals that facilitate the tanning process. The archaeological record can reveal the use of brains in hide working. For example, smashed bison skulls and skulls with holes, found in some Plains and High Plains sites of North America, support the idea that the brains may have been used for food or for tanning agents (Charles Reher, personal communication).
Exercise: In the list below select three (or more) words or terms. Use eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu) to compare and contrast the “hide working agents” for at least three culture groups from different major regions.
List of Hide Working Agents:
1. Brains (from animals)
3. Dyes Used for Hides
Dyeing agents transform leather into different colors. For example, Toivo Immanuel Itkonen (1984) reports that the Saami in Northern Europe made red leather by using alder bark, mixed with ashes and warm water. In an ethnohistorical account of 1882, A.E. Nordenskiold observed that Chuckchee women used pine to produce the red color in leather.
Using eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu) compare and contrast the process of “dyeing hides” for three (or more) culture groups from different major regions. Hints: Please note that “work in skins” and “dyes” are represented by OCM subjects and codes and may used in a Boolean search. See the eHRAF User Guides for help.
4. Animals Used for Hide Working
Using eHRAF World Cultures compare and contrast the different (or similar) cultural uses of specific types of animals. For example, animals that are found in many parts of the world (e.g., cow, deer) are more widely used than regionally-specific animals such as caribou, moose or elk.
Exercise: In the list below select three (or more) words or terms. Use eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu) to compare and contrast the animals used in the hide working process for at least three culture groups from different major regions.
Hint: In Advanced Search use OCM 281 (work in skins) with words (e.g. buffalo* bison* deer* sheep* goat*) to find relevant paragraphs. See also the eHRAF Search Example and Methodology section for help.
List of Animal names:
5. Bison (buffalo)
14. Cougar (panther)
5. Products Made of Leather and Hides
Using eHRAF World Cultures compare and contrast the different (or similar) cultural uses of specific leather products.
Exercise: In the list below select three (or more) words or terms. Use eHRAF World Cultures (http://ehrafworldcultures.yale.edu) to compare and contrast the items produced from for at least three culture groups from different major regions. Hint: In Advanced Search use OCM 282 (leather industry) and OCM 281 (work in skins) with words (e.g. shoe* boot* sandal* moccasin*) to find relevant paragraphs. See also the eHRAF Search Example and Methodology section for help.
List of Leather Products:
3. Pants, trousers
8. Shoes, boots, sandals, moccasins
10. Shelter (house, tent, dwelling)
Itkonen, Toivo Immanuel
1984 The Lapps in Finland up to 1945. Vol. 1. Helsinki: Werner Söderström Osakeyhtiö.
Nordenskiold, A. E.
1882 The voyage of the Vega round Asia and Europe, with a historical review of previous journeys along the north coast of the old world. New York: Macmillan. | <urn:uuid:10ab28fc-2cb4-4e58-8c63-e2741cdc494e> | CC-MAIN-2020-40 | https://hraf.yale.edu/teach-ehraf/hide-working-and-tanning-leather/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2020-40/segments/1600401624636.80/warc/CC-MAIN-20200929025239-20200929055239-00305.warc.gz | en | 0.882221 | 1,708 | 2.921875 | 3 |
Greenpeace activists cleared of damaging UK power plant
The court ruled that, by shutting down the plant, the activists were preventing greater property damage from climate change.
A British court cleared six Greenpeace activists Monday of causing more than $50,000 of criminal damage to a coal-fired power plant. The court ruled that, by shutting down the plant, the activists were preventing greater property damage from climate change.
Five of the activists scaled the 650-foot smokestack at Kingsnorth power station with the intention of painting "Gordon bin it" on it (that would be British English for "Prime Minister Gordon Brown, throw it out"). They got as far as writing "Gordon" before someone climbed up there to serve them a court injunction.
The activists argued that they possessed a "lawful excuse" for trying to shut the plant down, because they were trying to prevent the coal plant from causing greater property damage around the world by way of global warming. An example of lawful excuse, as cited by the prosecution and quoted in a Greenpeace blog, would be breaking a window to rescue a child from a burning car.
The Guardian details the expert testimony marshaled by the activists:
The court had heard from Professor Jim Hansen, one of the world's leading climate scientists, that the 20,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted daily by Kingsnorth could be responsible for the extinction of up to 400 species. Hansen, a Nasa director who advises Al Gore, the former US presidential candidate turned climate change campaigner, told the court that humanity was in "grave peril". "Somebody needs to step forward and say there has to be a moratorium, draw a line in the sand and say no more coal-fired power stations."
It also heard [opposition leader] David Cameron's environment adviser, millionaire environmentalist Zac Goldsmith, and an Inuit leader from Greenland both say climate change was already seriously affecting life around the world. Goldsmith told the court: "By building a coal-power plant in this country, it makes it very much harder [to exert] pressure on countries like China and India" to reduce their burgeoning use of the fossil fuel.
The court was told that some of the property in immediate need of protection included parts of Kent at risk from rising sea levels, the Pacific island state of Tuvalu and areas of Greenland. The defendants also cited the Arctic ice sheet, China's Yellow River region, the Larsen B ice shelf in Antarctica, coastal areas of Bangladesh and the city of New Orleans.
The jury was told that Kingsnorth emitted the same amount of carbon dioxide as the 30 least polluting countries in the world combined – and that there were advanced plans to build a new coal-fired power station next to the existing site on the Hoo peninsula.
The jury – nine men and three women – found the testimony compelling, and found the six activists not guilty.
Greenpeace is delighted at the ruling. "This verdict marks a tipping point for the climate change movement," said Ben Stewart, one of the six defendants, as reported by Reuters:
"If jurors from the heart of Middle England say it's legitimate for a direct action group to shut down a coal-fired power station because of the harm it does to our planet, then where does that leave government energy policy?
"We have the clean technologies at hand to power our economy, it's time we turned to them instead of coal."
She said: "We respect people's right to protest, but what Greenpeace did was hugely irresponsible. It put people's lives at risk and that is clearly completely unacceptable." | <urn:uuid:0ed2e5c0-6ecd-4822-b5f3-29f9e55b983e> | CC-MAIN-2014-49 | http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/Bright-Green/2008/0911/greenpeace-activists-cleared-of-damaging-uk-power-plant/(page)/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2014-49/segments/1416931007720.74/warc/CC-MAIN-20141125155647-00031-ip-10-235-23-156.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969065 | 729 | 2.609375 | 3 |
| Sentences of nomenclature|
n. terminology; system of names used in an art or science
Sharon found Latin word parts useful in translating medical nomenclature.
Sentence in Classic:
It was very little, but enough to make him appear to her a Porson or Bentley, and to put him at his ease with botanical nomenclature.
Pygmalion By George Bernard Shaw Context
It appears that this list was the complete nomenclature of the sections of the fourth arondissement of the Society of the Rights of Man, with the names and dwellings of the chiefs of sections.
Les Misérables (V4) By Victor Hugo Context | <urn:uuid:15b16e6f-1b1e-488a-99c4-2e3355186144> | CC-MAIN-2019-26 | https://www.examword.com/sentence/word?x=nomenclature | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-26/segments/1560627998724.57/warc/CC-MAIN-20190618123355-20190618145355-00017.warc.gz | en | 0.915493 | 147 | 2.90625 | 3 |
We may not mean to, but all too often we set ourselves up for failure or attack. In this case, we’re talking about basic network security. You might be thinking that since your network login is password protected, you’re covered. You might make the assumption that since you’ve had your IT guys put up a decent firewall and closely monitor incoming and outgoing traffic for anomalous patterns, you have nothing to worry about. Sadly, you could not be more mistaken.
Not to say that the steps outlined above aren’t important, they definitely are the basic starting points for a secure system. However, if that’s all you’re doing to secure your systems, then you’re not doing nearly enough. As the internet grows, matures, and changes, so too do our means of accessing and interacting with our technology. Each of these new means of access and interaction open up new avenues of potential attack.
VNC, For Example
Take, for example, remote access software like VNC. This software allows one computer to remotely connect to another computer. Consider the implications of that for just a moment. You may have people who work from home some days. If they need files from their computer, they may use a program like this to access them directly, rather than putting them on a Cloud drive somewhere. That’s potentially dangerous for a number of reasons, but two stand out.
First, the remote machine almost certainly isn’t under your direct control, and probably isn’t protected to the same level that your office machines are. Second, if that machine is hacked and taken over, it would allow a hacker a way into your network that totally bypasses all the security measures you have carefully put in place.
Even worse, these kinds of programs are often two way mirrors, meaning that unless you implement some kind of password protection on your machine when you install the software, then anybody who’s snooping can have a look at what you’re doing on the machine, and even outright take it over.
Worst of all, a significant percentage of people who use this type of software don’t password protect themselves or their own systems. They are leaving themselves wide open to attack, and they’re leaving any other computer that they remote connect to wide open to attack as well.
Just The Starting Point
By itself this is a recipe for disaster. The number of completely wide open, vulnerable systems is staggering, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We’ve been sounding the alarm for months now about the astounding growth of the Internet of Objects, and how virtually all objects on the internet are lacking even the most basic protections to keep them from being hacked.
Absolutely nothing has been done to address this issue so far. Given the rate that new entities are being added to the internet of objects, the percentage of completely vulnerable objects continues to climb. These objects range from sensors that report on the functionality of hundreds of thousands of cars being driven by their owners, to municipal water systems, to power companies, and more. All wide open, all completely vulnerable to attack. It’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when and how much damage will result from a major attack.
Do your part to begin securing the internet before it implodes. Secure your systems now; start with remote access points and move on to objects. This is an excellent project to contact a professional IT company about before it’s too late. | <urn:uuid:2eb8c92e-10df-411a-833c-d61688d1e975> | CC-MAIN-2019-35 | https://www.b4networks.ca/2014/09/09/the-doors-you-leave-open-are-making-you-vulnerable/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2019-35/segments/1566027319155.91/warc/CC-MAIN-20190823235136-20190824021136-00030.warc.gz | en | 0.951151 | 731 | 2.890625 | 3 |
The telescopes detect radio waves from brilliant but distant galaxies that act like fixed stars in the sky. By continually measuring the positions on the sky of bright radio galaxies, the telescopes in the network can determine their own location in space.
John Conway is professor in observational radio astronomy at Chalmers and director of Onsala Space Observatory.
”The sources that the telescopes measure are distant galaxies, each of which has at its centre a supermassive black hole whose surroundings shine brightly when the black hole consumes material. This is applied astronomy at its best” he says.
The Onsala Twin Telescopes are part of a growing international network of similar telescopes. As part of the global project VGOS (VLBI Global Observing System), they have company all over the world. Measurements of this kind have been carried out over the last few decades, and Onsala’s 20-metre telescope has participated in these. But with a dedicated network of telescopes, observations can now be carried out 24 hours a day, all year round, and will be able to able to make measurements ten times as precise as is possible today.
”With the new network we will be able to measure distances between telescopes to millimetre precision, and almost in real time”, says Rüdiger Haas, professor of space geodesy at Chalmers.
Onsala’s history of geodetic measurements is a long one. In 1968, the observatory’s iconic 25-metre radio telescope became the first in Europe to take part in geodetic VLBI (very long baseline interferometry). The observatory’s 20-metre telescope, inaugurated in 1976, boasts geodetic measurements over a longer period than any other telescope in the world.
The new telescopes and their network meet global needs, as expressed in a resolution which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations in February 2015. The resolution, A Global Geodetic Reference Frame for Sustainable Development, recognised for the first time the importance of coordinating geodetic measurements on a global scale. The resolution strengthened exisiting work in the UN initiative Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) and with the Global Geodetic Reference Frame (GGRF).
“Future research on sustainable development and on the Earth as a system will require more reliable, long-term, high-precision measurements. The Onsala Twin Telescopes are a natural continuation of our already long history of such measurements in Onsala”, says Gunnar Elgered, professor of electrical measurements and head of the Department of Earth and Space Science at Chalmers.
Similar telescopes are already in place in the United States, in Hawaii and Maryland, in Wettzell in Germany, in Yebes in Spain, on Santa Maria in the Azores, and on the Arctic Svalbard islands. New telescopes are planned for other locations, among them South Africa and Finland. Operations for the complete network of 16 or more stations are expected to start in 2020.
A reference system with this level of precision is also needed for many applications in Earth Sciences. It will become possible, for example, to measure sea level relative to the centre of the Earth, in order to test models for climate change. Data from the network will also be able to contribute to many other exciting areas of science, for example the movement of Earth’s tectonic plates, the Earth’s changing rotation and axial tilt.
The construction and installation of the Onsala Twin Telescopes has been funded by a generous grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation and Chalmers University of Technology.
Robert Cumming, communicator, Onsala Space Observatory, Chalmers, tel: +46 31-772 5500 or +46 70 493 3114, firstname.lastname@example.org.
Rüdiger Haas, professor of space geodesy, Chalmers, tel: +46 31 772 55 30, email@example.com
Gunnar Elgered, professor of electrical measurements and head of the Department of Earth and Space Science, Chalmers, tel: + 46 31 772 1610 or +46 31 772 5565, firstname.lastname@example.org
1 (top): The Onsala Twin Telescopes will measure the Earth’s movements using distant galaxies. This photo shows the two antennas at with Onsala Space Observatory’s 25-metre telescope, built in 1963, behind them. (Credit: Onsala Space Observatory/R. Hammargren).
2. Onsala Twin Telescopes will become operational during 2017. "First light" for the northern telescope (right) was achieved in early February 2017. (Credit: Onsala Space Observatory/Anna-Lena Lundqvist)
3. Changing the Onsala skyline: the new Twin Telescopes and the 25-metre telescope. (Credit: Onsala Space Observatory/Anna-Lena Lundqvist)
More about the Onsala Twin Telescopes
The Onsala Twin Telescopes are two dish antennas, 13.2 metres in diameter, located 75 metres apart close to the 25-metre telescope at Onsala Space Observatory, in the province of Halland, 45 km south of Gothenburg on Sweden’s west coast. The telescopes have a ring-focus design, the main reflector complemented by a 1.55-metre subreflector. They are designed to be able to observe together in many different modes. Able to move at up to 12 degrees per second in azimuth and 6 per second in elevation, they can slew extremely fast between observations and measure thousands of radio sources every day. The parabolic dishes, accurate to 0.3 mm RMS precision, allow measurements at frequencies up to 40 GHz (wavelength 0.75 cm or more).
Each telescope has its own receiver system with feeds and receivers for radio waves of a common frequency range 3-14 GHz (wavelength 2-10 cm) and two linear polarisations. The northern telescope has a feed with a quadridge design, with four ridges, covering 3–18 GHz (1.7-10 cm) and similar in design to the feed horn Onsala Space Observatory has developed for the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project. The southern telescope is equipped with an Eleven feed, a design developed by Chalmers physicist Per-Simon Kildal (1951-2016), which covers 2–14 GHz (2-15 cm). Like the site’s other instruments, the Twin Telescopes have access to Onsala Space Observatory’s hydrogen maser atomic clock. The telescopes are controlled with the help of digital systems capable of speeds up to 128 gigabit per second, located in the control room next to the 20-metre telescope.
The telescopes will be inaugurated on 18 May 2017 by the County Governor of Halland, Lena Sommestad. Details of the inauguration will be provided later.
23rd Working Meeting of the European VLBI Group for Geodesy and Astrometry (EVGA)
NASA’s article about the telescopes’ sister station in Hawaii, USA:
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