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At its most basic definition, exercise is sustained activity for a period of time. Intensity of the activity also comes into play—you can do a less intense activity for a longer period of time or a high-intensity activity for a short period (that’s where that whole 7-minute workout came from). So in theory, any physical activity you do could be considered exercise, if you do it for a sustained amount of time and with at least a moderate level of intensity.
Luckily, there’s a Compendium of Physical Activities that lists the MET values—one MET, or metabolic equivalent, is defined as one calorie per kilogram of body weight per minute, and is equal to sitting quietly—for pretty much everything. Typically 3 METs is the minimum for moderate exercise, or the value of a leisurely walking pace. Check out this list of 23 activities to see if they indeed count; we did the math to show calorie burn per half hour for a 165-pound man.
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"Basalt is a common gray to black volcanic rock. It is usually fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava on the Earth's surface. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or gray.
"Basalt magmas form by decompression melting of peridotite in the Earth's mantle, a process discussed in the entry for igneous rocks. The crustal portions of oceanic tectonic plates are comprised predominantly of basalt, produced from upwelling peridotite in the mantle below ocean ridges.
"The mineralogy of basalt is characterized by a preponderance of calcic plagioclase feldspar and pyroxene. Olivine (see olivine bomb slice below) can also be a significant constituent. Accessory minerals present in relatively minor amounts include iron oxides and iron-titanium oxides, such as magnetite, ulvospinel, and ilmenite. Because of the presence of such oxide minerals, basalt can acquire strong magnetic signatures as it cools, and paleomagnetic studies have made extensive use of basalt."
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Seeing the world for the trees
An international deal on deforestation makes it ever more important to measure the Earth’s woodlands
PERU'S forests cover 72m hectares of the country (278,000 square miles). That is three times the area of Britain. And Peru intends to hold on to its greenery. In 2000 its deforestation rate was 250,000 hectares a year. By 2005 that figure was down to 150,000. This year, according to Antonio Brack Egg, the country's environment minister, it will be 90,000. In 2021, if all goes well, it will be zero.
To make sure things stay on course, Dr Brack says, the government needs to spend more than $100m a year on high-resolution satellite pictures of its billions of trees. But he hopes that a computing facility developed by the Planetary Skin Institute (PSI), a not-for-profit organisation set up by Cisco Systems, a large computing firm, and America's space agency, NASA, might help cut that budget.
The PSI's Automated Land-change Evaluation, Reporting and Tracking System, ALERTS, is one of several tools being developed to assess the extent and health of forests and other ecosystems. These tools should make the implementation of a deal on reducing deforestation called REDD+, agreed on at the United Nations' climate-change conference in Cancún on December 11th (see article), easier to monitor. The PSI's intention is to apply the world's ever-increasing supply of information to the problem of its ever-dwindling natural resources by merging data of different types. ALERTS, which was launched at Cancún, uses data from NASA's MODIS cameras (of which two are currently in orbit) data-mining algorithms developed at the University of Minnesota and a lot of computing power from Cisco's “cloud” of machines to spot places where land use has changed.
Juan Carlos Castilla-Rubio, a Cisco executive who is also president of the PSI (and, as it happens, is from Peru), says that ALERTS has been tested against the Brazilian space agency's PRODES system, which is a respected way of measuring deforestation using satellite images. The areas singled out by ALERTS as undergoing change closely matched those that PRODES's researchers had assessed as being deforested. ALERTS, unlike PRODES, has a global reach. And its algorithms automatically reassess every spot on the planet every six weeks, cloud (of the meteorological sort) permitting. PRODES cannot manage that. Dr Brack's ministry is now working with the PSI to get a sense of how it can use ALERTS to distinguish those bits of forest it needs to look at in more detail from those that are doing fine as is.
Mr Castilla-Rubio sees ALERTS, and the PSI's other projects, as “global public goods”—resources that everyone with an interest can share. The same phrase is used by Alessandro Baccini, part of a team at the Woods Hole Research Centre, in Massachusetts, who used the opportunity provided by Cancún to talk about a new analysis of how much the world's tropical forests actually weigh—and thus how much carbon they are storing.
To calculate this, the team took data from patches of forest studied on the ground, in which every tree's diameter has been recorded, and combined them with images from MODIS and with data from an instrument called GLAS, which bounced laser beams off the Earth's surface between 2003 and 2009. GLAS's main job was measuring the height of ice sheets, but the data that came back from forested areas contain a lot of information about the height of the canopy and the density of the vegetation there. That allowed the team to turn the two-dimensional images from MODIS into three-dimensional models. From these it is possible to estimate the mass of plant matter (and thus the quantity of carbon stored) in an area.
Dr Baccini's group is not the only one to have used GLAS data in this way. Sassan Saatchi, who works at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and his collaborators have combined such data with the results of other studies on the ground and with a wider range of satellite images. Neither team has yet published its results: one set is about to be submitted to a journal, the other is in review.
What is already known, though, is that for various parts of the world the results do not match. Bad news for short-term applications; good news as a way of focusing in on what needs to be improved. Simon Lewis, a forest ecologist from Leeds University who was in Cancún as part of the delegation from Gabon, a heavily forested country keen on being paid to stay that way, is looking forward to comparing the new models with his own data as soon as they are published. Seeing what is happening on the ground in the mismatched places could lead to more reliable estimates in future, and possibly to some interesting science as well.
Those future estimates will not be able to use new GLAS data. The instrument has died, as orbiting lasers are wont to. But for local and regional estimates lasers can be flown on aircraft. That gives results which are a lot more reliable than the first stabs at doing the whole world from orbit. A recent study of 4.3m hectares of Peru, carried out this way by Greg Asner of the Carnegie Institution, in America, and his colleagues, produced precise estimates of forest loss, forest degradation (thinning out of the trees) and reforestation, while also yielding insights into the way that geographical features and types of soil influence the amount of carbon stored in different places. Dr Asner is now working on a national survey of Colombia.
He has also created software that will help analyse deforestation using a huge archive of satellite images that Google is making available. Google's new “Earth Engine” will offer these data free, along with analytical tools like Dr Asner's and yet more cloud-computing power to help people use them. This may prove complementary to the PSI platform, in that the Earth Engine helps you study a given place, whereas ALERTS helps you choose which places to study. (Another freebie for researchers in Gabon, and the rest of central Africa, is the provision of satellite data for forest work by Astrium, a European aerospace company, in collaboration with the French government.)
These new ways of bringing data together have a lot of promise. Dr Baccini says he is keen to know what the PSI's data-melding power might do with his work. Add a few new instruments in orbit, and the practical and fiduciary interest in the matter spurred by anti-deforestation deals like REDD+, and you can expect far better estimates than are now available of how much carbon is really locked up in forests and other habitats. Not only will they be better, but the way they are arrived at will also be clear and their results comparable and checkable. That will leave less room for obfuscation, or even fraud.
Moreover, as ever-better ways of measuring local carbon-dioxide levels become available, it will be possible to put figures on not just the amount of the gas that deforestation is releasing, but also how much of it photosynthesis is tucking away. The science will move from static estimates of stocks to a sense of the system's dynamic flows. As Peter Drucker, the management guru's management guru, once put it, what gets measured gets managed. If that maxim holds in ecology as well as in business, the future of the world's forests is bright.
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Term paper on eugenics
The definition of eugenics is the study and practice of selective breeding applied to humans, with the aim of improving the species sir francis. Title: essays in eugenics by francis galton (macmillan, 1909) author: francis galton created date: 11/28/2002 3:04:50 pm. Free essay examples, how to write essay on the american eugenics movement example essay, research paper, custom writing write my essay on eugenics american movement. Eugenics (/ j uː ˈ dʒ ɛ n ɪ k s / from greek εὐγενής eugenes 'well-born' from εὖ eu, 'good, well' and γένος genos, 'race, stock, kin') is a set of beliefs and practices that aim at improving the genetic quality of a human population the exact definition of eugenics has been a matter of debate since the term was coined by. ©2009—2018 bioethics research library box 571212 washington dc 20057-1212 2026873885.
Eugenics research papers examine the concept of eugenics that is embraced by an identifiable movement in the medical and scientific fields that sees eugenics as a way to human reproduction term papers examine the reproductive process from how to write a research paper on eugenics. Eugenics is a broad term for policies aimed at the genetic improvement of the human race whereas most people are familiar with the eugenic practices of thread more here. Eugenics describes a movement to improve human heredity by the social control of human breeding, based on the assumption that differences in human intelligence, character and temperament are largely due to differences in heredity which this essay draws. View and download eugenics essays examples also discover topics, titles, outlines, thesis statements, and conclusions for your eugenics essay. The history of eugenics is the study of development and advocacy of ideas related to eugenics around the world clarence gamble of the procter & gamble fortune and garrett hardin, a population control advocate and author of the essay the tragedy of the commons. The word eugenics means good genes eugenicists believe that principles of darwin's theory regarding the survival of the fittest can be used to support the.
History of eugenics katie gauthier ` eugenics was first defined by sir francis galton in the 1880's in britain galton thought that biological inheritance of leadership qualities had determined the social status of britain's ruling classes by improving the genetic quality of american people, eugenicists were hoping to eradicate. Eugenics essays: over 180,000 eugenics essays, eugenics term papers, eugenics research paper, book reports 184 990 essays, term and research papers available for unlimited access. Eugenics this research paper eugenics and other 63,000+ term papers, college essay examples and free essays are available now on reviewessayscom autor: reviewessays • november 19, 2010 • research paper • 1,041 words (5 pages) • 940 views. Eugenics essay examples nature vs nurture in this piece of work i will describe what nature and nurture are and i will discuss the nature vs nurture debate in relation to the individual development.
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Term paper on eugenics
Write a two page paper (appox 400-600 words) explaining eugenics what does the term eugenics mean where and when were eugenic practices used in the united states is the use of eugenics similar or different from hitler's attempt to create a master race explain your answer use proper citations and references in the paper. Sir francis galton was instrumental in the formulation of 'eugenics', which seeks to improve the human stock and prevent the degeneration of genetic potential, and introduced the very word eugenics and the phrase nature versus nature this book consists of a number of lectures delivered by the author during the early part of the. The eugenics movement is one of the most popular assignments among students' documents if you are stuck with writing or missing ideas, scroll down and find inspiration in the best samples eugenics movement is quite a rare and popular topic for writing an essay, but it certainly is in our database.
Eugenics is the ideal that human behaviors are determined by single genes mandi & biology skip to content about eugenics paper eugenics research paper is perfection a reality can we really get a perfect human is is determined by your genes. Galton coined the term eugenics in 1883 (fifteen years after publishing his first proposals), defining it as the science of improving stock--not only by judicious mating. Free essay on a study of eugenics available totally free at echeatcom, the largest free essay community. Collection of essays written by sir francis galton, the founder of eugenics part 1 contains essays i-iii part 2 contains essays iv-vii. Read this essay on eugenics come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays get the knowledge you need in order to pass your classes and more only at termpaperwarehousecom. Preface the following essays are re-printed in the chronological order of their delivery they will, therefore, help to show something of the progress of eugenics during the last.
Online shopping from a great selection at books store. Free eugenics papers, essays, and research papers these results are sorted by most relevant first (ranked search) you may also sort these by color rating or essay length. History: world term papers (paper 17639) on eugenics : since the end of the 19th century, eugenics has had a significant role in the development of western society there have been laws establishe term paper 17639. The purpose of this essay is to discuss the social construction of disability in the eighteenth and nineteenth century i will do this by taking a historical perspective on eugenics and by looking at how disability has been viewed and treated in the past and present.
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Margaret Thatcher was prime minister from 1979 to 1990, during which time her Conservative administration transformed the political landscape of Britain. Science Policy under Thatcher is the first book to examine systematically the interplay of science and government under her leadership.
Thatcher was a working scientist before she became a professional politician, and she maintained a close watch on science matters as prime minister. Scientific knowledge and advice were important to many urgent issues of the 1980s, from late Cold War questions of defence to emerging environmental problems such as acid rain and climate change. Drawing on newly released primary sources, Jon Agar explores how Thatcher worked with and occasionally against the structures of scientific advice, as the scientific aspects of such issues were balanced or conflicted with other demands and values. To what extent, for example, was the freedom of the individual scientist to choose research projects balanced against the desire to secure more commercial applications? What was Thatcher’s stance towards European scientific collaboration and commitments? How did cuts in public expenditure affect the publicly funded research and teaching of universities?
In weaving together numerous topics, including AIDS and bioethics, the nuclear industry and strategic defence, Agar adds to the picture we have of Thatcher and her radically Conservative agenda, and argues that the science policy devised under her leadership, not least in relation to industrial strategy, had a prolonged influence on the culture of British science.
Jon Agar is Professor of Science and Technology Studies at UCL. He has written on the history of radio-astronomy, computing, and mobile phones, and his most recent book, Science in the Twentieth Century and Beyond, surveys the history of science across the twentieth century. He also co-edited Histories of Technology, the Environment and Modern Britain (UCL Press).
2 Who made science policy?
3 The central debates on science and innovation
Coda to Chapter 3: AIDS and bioethics
5 Radioactive privatisation
6 The Strategic Defense Initiative and the politics of research
7 Environment and science
8 Science policy under and after Thatcher
‘Very well documented and persuasive …The earlier chapters
single out specific issues or episodes, such as civil nuclear power, the
environment, and the public debates over AIDS and IVF …The detail is deeply
fascinating for anybody interested in the mechanics of government and
policy-making. I really enjoyed reading it.’
The Enlightened Economist
Format: Open Access HTML
Copyright: © 2019
Publication: June 03, 2019
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Big Data are all over the news. Some fear a new Big Brother, others celebrate new, astonishing possibilities in fields like marketing, epidemiology, city management, and Chris Anderson prophesies a science without theory. Obviously we are on the verge of a revolution. But, by the way, what are we talking about?
ParisTech Review – In the last two or three years, the issue of Big Data has pervaded the public debate, generating enthusiasm and doubts… And yet, we sometimes have a hard time defining what we are exactly talking about. Could you briefly explain?
Henri Verdier – This confusion isn’t surprising, because not only is it a recent theme, but more importantly, there is an ongoing political and economic confrontation around its definition. The term “Big Data” refers to at least three different phenomenon. In a narrow sense, it refers to new information technologies in the field of massive data processing. In a broader sense, it refers to the economic and social transformations induced by these technologies. And last, some analysts present it as an epistemological break: the leap from hypothetic-deductive methods – on which modern science is built – to inductive logics, very different from the former.
Moreover, the boom of Big Data covers enormous interests and this probably adds to the confusion. For example, IBM rebuilt its empire from ashes in this field. Other giants, such as Google and Facebook, are also very heavily involved. It’s an area that draws the attention of consultants and service providers, and all these people tend to exaggerate the impact of the technologies that they are trying to sell.
Does this mean that we are witnessing a mere bubble, a fad?
Definitely not. But precisely because of the significance of this evolution, we must keep a cool head and examine rationally what’s happening before our eyes. First things first: the technologies involved.
The first phenomenon is the deluge of data generated by servers that currently store volumes of information unfathomable only of a few years back (information available in digital format has increased from 193 petabytes in 1996 – the equivalent of all the books printed hitherto by Humanity – to 2.7 zetabytes in 2012, one million times more). This explosion is made possible by technical progress, but it is also fueled by new trends. You and me, everyone, every day, we increasingly produce and exchange messages: tweets, posts, comments, SMS, emails, and so and so. With the popularity of the “quantified self”, which consists in collecting personal data and sharing it, the generating raw data is even a new way of being-in-the-world. But we also produce data we don’t know about, when buying a product in a supermarket, when clicking on a newspaper article, and by allowing our smartphones to geo-localize our position. The Internet of objects will also increasingly produce, or incite us to produce, new amounts of data: noise and speed sensors will transform our bodies’ footprint into raw data – as do today our conversations on Facebook.
The second new feature is the ability to deal with this new data. In a certain way, it is not quantity that defines Big Data, but rather a certain relationship with data, a certain way of playing with it. We learn every day how to manage, measure, interpret better – and at cheaper costs. This “cheap” computer technology already opens the door to new players: no need to be IBM to handle terabytes.
Even today, in the Silicon Valley, one can observe the rise of Big Data hardware technology: some players like Facebook, SAP, IBM and Goldman Sachs have organized and funded programs to learn how to manage massive amounts of data. One of the challenges for them is to deal with Google, of course, who has emerged as the actor par excellence in Big Data processing. One of the programs in question is for example the MapReduce framework, in which Google is also committed. This model handles parallel calculations on large volumes of data. In terms of programming and system architecture, this is the break of a new philosophy: one does not necessarily seek to develop sophisticated algorithms or use very powerful machines, but simply takes advantage of the available computing power, by performing the same operation millions of times by machines set up in parallel. For example, Amazon uses hundreds of servers in its cloud. In terms of software, this isn’t necessarily very impressive, but results speak for themselves.
This technological shift is not only a question of volume. It is often said that they rely on the “three Vs”: variety, velocity and volume. Big Data information technology is renewed every day to deal with large amounts of data, often poorly structured, in lightning-short timeframes (as for example in high-frequency trading).
Performance, therefore, covers the amount of data processed, the diversity of sources and the search for real-time answers. This new available power opens the door to new strategies of data processing. You learn to handle complete distributions, to play with probabilities, to translate problems into automatic decision systems, to build new visualizations for new rules of interaction with data.
A new school of computer science is rising, a new way of programming, partly inspired by the hacker culture. The members of this community focused on the hardware in the 1970s, on software in the 1980-1990s, on contents in the 2000s. And now, they are focusing on data. “Data is the new code”: this paradigm was proclaimed to emphasize that from now on, data is no longer the random variable and that the code should be organized around it…
A new computer science, or better said, a new philosophy of computer science: does that suppose different professional skills?
Indeed, yes. Today, a new profession is emerging: datascientists, who could be defined as follows: they’re basically good mathematicians and more specifically, statisticians; next, they’re good computer engineers and, if possible, excellent hackers, capable for instance of installing three virtual machines on a single server; last, and this is a crucial point, they are able to provide strategic advice, because most organizations today are completely unprepared for Big Data. It is possible that these different functions split apart in the future. But for today, we need all three skills.
To these three basic skills, I might add datavisualisation: to be able to give a shape, a readable shape, to calculations is absolutely crucial if we want Big Data to be usable for something.
Precisely, what does it do? What are the applications of these new skills?
General speaking, producting and capturing data creates value. The question, of course, is to know how and where.
On some subjects, applications already exist: marketing comes into mind, of course, where ad targeting is made possible by the cloud processing of the data generated by each user. Another example is customization, as performed by Amazon, which is capable of suggesting books or movies amazingly close to your personal tastes. In a more distant future, we might be able to see, as in the movie Minority Report, real-time customization of advertising boards that will recognize the categories of people approaching them. After all, Minority Report did nothing else than bring on the screens innovations that were being developed by the MIT Medialab.
But these are just obvious examples. Big Data allows many other things. It can, for example, assist organizations in analyzing complex problems and taking into account the variability of these situations, instead of always thinking in terms of the “average customer”, the “average patient” or the “average voter”…
Real time management, through resynchronization and optimization systems, is another trend. Traffic is good example: the best application I know of is Waze. It’s a mobile navigation app that allows drivers to build and use maps, real-time traffic updates and step-by-step navigation to improve their daily commuting. In a completely different field, high frequency trading is also one possible application of Big Data. It’s not only about multiplying financial transactions, but also an asset for overtaking other operators, by responding quickly to their operations and by replying in more efficient communication channels.
We could also mention the emerging field of feedback economy, based on constant iterations to optimize supply, both in terms of available stocks and in terms of prices. Or personal assistants such as SIRI, that you can train yourself. Or applications such as Dr. Watson, which provide diagnostic support to high-end hospital teams.
Precisely, a site like Dr. Watson poses the problem of the reliability of interpretations made from Big Data.
True. In this case, it is just an aid for diagnostic; it doesn’t replace a doctor’s visit. But we would be wrong to stop at this conclusion. There are situations when you do not have any reliable data. The UN, for example, receives economic data dated several years back, and sometimes even distorted. Epidemiology works with data both expensive and quite long to produce. And yet, one can follow an influenza or dengue epidemic with simple queries on Google. Monitoring an epidemic in real time and with free data is priceless! Information produced by Big Data is often based on imperfect or incomplete sources and is therefore neither absolutely certain, nor guaranteed nor reliable. But oddly enough, because of the law of large numbers, it is often an effective source of information.
But how should we interpret these phenomena? Among the recurring debates around Big Data, there is the idea of a scientific revolution, including the horizon of a “science without theory” as prophesied by Chris Anderson.
Again, we must make some distinctions. There’s definitely something important at work in social sciences, especially in marketing and sociology, which have never had the pretension to unveil universal laws. In these disciplines, Big Data not only leads to a greater ability to process data, but also to a form of liberation in the way we organize this data. For instance, when mapping 30 million blogs, new sociological categories appear which sociologists would never have thought of. In short, sociological categories emerging from pure empirical observation can be far more relevant than previous conventional categories.
This is what led Chris Anderson, the editor of the Wired magazine, to formulate his idea of a “science without theory”, which would use inductive rather than deductive logic. In this model, truth almost spontaneously sprouts from data. And indeed, thanks to “machine learning”, we sometimes end up in situations where we are able to predict, with equations that we don’t really know, results that we can’t really explain! I’m thinking, for example, of a study led by IBM in a Toronto maternity hospital which, based on historical biological parameters of thousands or tens of thousands of infants, can predict, 24 hours before any pediatrician, which babies will develop neonatal infections. In this example, there is a very useful, and even vital, forecasting ability – but no underlying theory. This doesn’t prevent us from making the effort to understand: statisticians emphasize that any serious work on Big Data requires understanding the processes of data generation as well as their evolution. At the same time, data management is always based on causal inferences that should be stated and understood.
Public authorities have often access to large statistical databases: have they taken hold of the subject?
There is a clear interest and some remarkable initiatives. A city like New York, for example, has formed a small team of datascientists and they were able to extract precise information from masses of public data available from the city. For instance, they have identified the areas and streets where fires were more likely to occur. This information provided the right indications for security visits and consequently helped reduce the number of fires. They also developed an algorithm to detect tax frauds. And it works!
The United Nations, with the Global Pulse program, strives to put Big Data at the service of human development: the analysis of social networks and mobile communications can help identify, far more quickly than other conventional indicators, pressures on food prices, the break and progression of epidemics, job market fluctuations, etc.
Hence the “Big Brother” label often associated with Big Data?
The previous examples use statistical – not personal – data. But indeed, the developments of Big Data should be confronted to the contemporary obsession for transparency, often flavored with a certain naïveté. This is disturbing. Douglas Klein (Barnes & Noble) once stated that “privacy is the elephant in the room” suggesting that many U.S. private actors expect an inevitable wave of regulations resulting from citizen revolt.
Personally, I think that we have a number of issues to deal with, far more serious than privacy in the strict sense. Privacy will be protected, one way or another. Following Daniel Kaplan’s observations, I might add that beyond the concern for privacy issues, there is another equally important issue about which there haven’t been so many studies: I’m referring to automatic decision. In a close future, the operations by which an online merchant sets the price of an item or service will no longer be based on an ensemble of average buyers but on the price that you, specifically, are willing to pay. One can well imagine a website able to trace your buyer’s profile and offering you a price according to this profile. Not any price, of course. But the highest price that you are willing to pay. It is quite possible that this type of profiling will soon become the basis for relationships in many environments. And this is certainly matter of concern.
Getting back to public data, it’s not only limited to administrative use. Sometimes, the most interesting developments occur when the public sphere renounces to its monopoly on certain data and organizes the possibility for others to work on it. The GPS, originally developed by the U.S. Army, is a classic example of this strategy.
The open data movement is also a major issue. It works in both directions: the Open Government Summit, organized since 2009, has shown that you can import rules and methods into the public sphere to develop new services, by creating social and economic value; symmetrically, to accelerate the development of these services, it is in the public sector’s interest to provide the public with part of the data in its possession. The City of Paris has understood this very well, as have other cities around the world.
But we can still reach further. One of the most recent developments is known as smart disclosure: a strategy to return data to those who produce it, so that they can make use of it. The best example in my opinion is the Blue Button of American veterans. When using some specific online services, they press the button and the service is personalized and boosts its efficiency. Incidentally, in this example, it is not really “returning” data to the citizen but rather allowing him or her to retransmit it to whomever he or her wants.
There is a potential political agenda here: let’s summarize some of the issues at stake. The first one is the possibilities of using Big Data to quickly measure and improve the effectiveness of public policies. Then, open the most relevant public data or target it to rally private and social actors for the support of public policies. And last, promote smart disclosure in order to offer new services to the citizens.
- Data.gov (the US Government’s website on open government)
- Waze (the world's fastest-growing community-based traffic and navigation app)
- Global Pulse (United Nations)
- The Medialab (MIT)
- MapReduce (Wikipedia)
- Dr. Watson: How IBM’s supercomputer could improve health care (Martin Ford, The Washinton Post, 16 Nov. 2011)
- The End of Theory: The Data Deluge Makes the Scientific Method Obsolete (Chris Anderson, Wired, 23 June 2008)
More on paristech review
On the topic
- The Allure of Big DataBy Jannis Kallinikos on November 16th, 2012
- The economics of the multitudeBy Nicolas Colin & Henri Verdier on June 7th, 2012
- Have new advertising models become too aggressive and intrusive?By Knowledge@Wharton on April 27th, 2012
- Prospects and Promise of Big DataBy ParisTech Review on December 19th, 2011
- Turning the data deluge into competitive advantageBy Knowledge@Wharton on November 25th, 2011
By the author
- Think big: challenges and debates over the Big Dataon November 16th, 2012
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A water engineer with 35 years of experience says California urbanites generally are oblivious to droughts. However, this time is different. The drought will clobber agriculture this spring and summer, resulting in billions in lost income. Food prices will rise nationwide. Cities will feel the pain too. The unending circle of using water to create energy to move water could be disrupted. Not only does California rely on hydropower, traditional forms of energy production like natural gas, coal, and nuclear, need water for cooling.
California needs to rebuild its creaky water system. Let’s hope Sacramento lawmakers present a workable, realistic, non-pork-filled bond measure that voters can approve without feeling slimy. (The past two attempts at water bond measures have been withdrawn because they reeked of special interest favors and did little to help the water situation.)
With many [San Joaquin] valley farmers having already been advised to expect water supplies of 0 to just 10 percent, even if it does start raining, we should expect that well over 500,000 acres of valley farmland, an area as large as the state of Rhode Island, will be fallow in 2014. This will equate to billions of dollars in economic activity and thousands of jobs lost in all sectors of the economy, from farmworkers, to truck drivers, processors, advertisers, marketers and equipment and auto dealers to all types of stores, from local mom-and-pops to big chain retailers without customers. And considering that 14.5 percent of California’s electricity normally comes from hydropower generation, which will be way down in 2014, don’t be surprised if utilities have difficulty keeping the lights on and have to raise electric rates to deal with it.
But if 2014 remains dry, as all data indicates it will, urbanites all up and down the state are going to get a huge dose of the harsh reality that California now faces a perpetual water supply crisis that can only be solved by building new storage facilities and updating our water-delivery systems. So maybe this is one instance where a 2014 drought will have one beneficial aspect to it.
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Robert Tracy McKenzie is chairman of the history department at Wheaton College and the author of “The First Thanksgiving: What the Real Story Tells Us About Loving God and Learning From History.”
When it comes to historical memory, the old saying that you can’t choose your relatives is just plain wrong. Americans have chosen the Pilgrims as honorary ancestors, and we tend to see their story as inseparable from the story of our nation, “land of the Pilgrims’ pride.” We imagine these honorary founders as model immigrants, pacifists and pioneers in the democratic experiment. We have burdened them with values they wouldn’t have recognized and shrouded their story with myth.
1. The Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock.
If you visit Plymouth today, you’ll find a distinctive rock about the size of your living-room sofa embedded in the sandy beach, sheltered by a classical Greek portico and labeled with a sign erected by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts proclaiming, “Plymouth Rock: Landing Place of the Pilgrims.” It’s not hard to picture simple English folk huddled on that rock, envisioning through eyes of faith the great nation that would spring from their humble beginning.
Except that’s probably not what happened.
We “know” the location of the Pilgrims’ landing because in 1741 —121 years after they arrived — a young boy overheard 95-year-old Thomas Faunce relate that his father, who came to Plymouth three years after the Mayflower, told him he’d heard from unnamed persons that the landing occurred there.
Curiously, William Bradford never mentioned Plymouth Rock in his history, “Of Plymouth Plantation,” and if the expedition landed there, he seems not to have noticed.
2. The Pilgrims came to America in search of religious freedom.
It’s fair to say that the Pilgrims left England to find religious freedom, but that wasn’t the primary motive that propelled them to North America.
Remember that the Pilgrims went first to Holland, settling eventually in the city of Leiden. There they encountered a religious tolerance almost unheard of in that day and age. Bradford and Edward Winslow both wrote glowingly of their experience. In Leiden, God had allowed them, in Bradford’s estimation, “to come as near the primitive pattern of the first churches as any other church of these later times.” God had blessed them with “much peace and liberty,” Winslow echoed.
If a longing for religious freedom had compelled them, they probably never would have left. But while they cherished the freedom of conscience they enjoyed in Leiden, the Pilgrims had two major complaints: They found it a hard place to maintain their English identity and an even harder place to make a living. In America, they hoped to live by themselves, enjoy the same degree of religious liberty and earn a “better and easier” living.
3. The Pilgrims’ autumn celebration in 1621 was the first American Thanksgiving.
The Pilgrims were hardly the first people to stop and thank their creator for a bountiful harvest. Native Americans had a long tradition of thanksgiving celebrations. The Algonquian people, for example, participated in regular ceremonies linked to the crop cycle, while the nearby Wampanoag annually celebrated the first harvest of the new season with a “strawberry thanksgiving.”
Europeans who arrived in North America before the Pilgrims also engaged in such observances. There is evidence of a thanksgiving service held in 1564 near present-day Jacksonville, Fla., by French Huguenots. The next year, Spanish documents refer to a thanksgiving Mass celebrated at St. Augustine by conquistadores (who would soon slaughter the Huguenots). Texas historians say Spanish colonists celebrated thanksgiving with the Manso Indians near present-day El Paso in 1598, not early enough to beat out Florida but still a generation before the celebration in Massachusetts. Among English settlers, there is evidence of a thanksgiving celebration in 1607 at a short-lived colony on the coast of Maine, and of two others among Virginia colonists in 1610 and 1619.
More important, the 1621 celebration wasn’t a thanksgiving at all from the Pilgrims’ perspective. As they understood it, a thanksgiving was a solemn observance, a “holy day” devoted to worship in acknowledgment of a specific, extraordinary blessing from the Lord.
4. The Pilgrims were a humorless lot with a fondness for black.
With more wit than historical accuracy, H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as “the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” Modern Americans have bought into the stereotype. We picture the Pilgrims as if they were headed to a funeral, their solemn behavior matched by a somber wardrobe.
When we read Winslow’s description of the 1621 harvest festival, however, we’re transported to a scene of beer and barbecue, shooting and sports. And forget about the ubiquitous black outfits. In fact, the Pilgrims had a taste for a wide range of bright colors. Estate inventories in Plymouth Colony contain abundant references to red, blue, green, yellow and orange garments. Carpenter Will Wright, for example, upon his death left a blue coat and two vests, one white, the other red.Bradford’s estate inventory showed that the long-term governor did, in fact, own a black hat and a dark suit, but he also sported a “colored” hat, a red suit and a violet cloak. Pretty gaudy, actually.
5. The Pilgrims’ Mayflower Compact was an early and noteworthy example of American democracy.
Americans have loaded this document with far more significance than it’s worthy of. We read it selectively, zeroing in on the parts where the signers commit to form a “civil body politic” and agree to formulate “just and equal laws . . . for the general good of the colony.”
But it is no accident that the compact begins with a description of the signatories as “the loyal subjects of our dread sovereign lord, King James.” Having been blown off course en route to America, the Pilgrims were about to settle some 200 miles north of the northernmost jurisdiction of the Virginia Company, which was authorized by King James I to coordinate colonial ventures along the Atlantic seaboard. It was quite possible that they were committing an illegal act in the eyes of the crown. So they made a point of assuring James of their unquestioned loyalty.
They also identify him as their king not by virtue of their consent, but “by the grace of God.” This puts the Mayflower Compact closer to an affirmation of the divine right of kings than the right of self-rule.
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Loimologia or, An historical account of the Plague in London in 1665, to which is added an Essay on the different causes of pestilential diseases by Nathaniel Hodges.
Translated from the Latin by Quincy in 1720, Hodge’s account is one of great personal risk, sharp professional observation and human compassion; set against the ravages and arbitrary cruelty of the Great Plague of London. Remaining within the city, the doctor tirelessly attempts to alleviate the citizens’ sufferings with such unsuccessful cures as dried toads; before observing the far more effective treatments of snakeroot and ginger, which he goes on to administer zealously thereafter.
Nathaniel Hodges MD, translated by John Quincy, 1721. Layton Collection 15077
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- Author: Anne E Schellman
Have you ever seen a tree that looks like it got a bad haircut? Or was just plain unattractive? Chances are this tree was pruned incorrectly using a practice called topping. Topping is the harmful practice of cutting tree branches to stubs, causing the resulting growth to become bushier and more susceptible to breakage during storms.
In winter, the results of tree topping are easier to see. Instead of topping, consider the form of the tree and picture how you want it to look when you are finished. Here are a few things to know before you start:
- Pruning cuts create a new direction for a tree to grow.
- There are three types of pruning cuts—a thinning or reduction cut, a removal cut, and a heading cut. Each is distinctly different and is used to accomplish unique objectives
- If you prune correctly, you can “train” a young tree into an attractive form.
- Pruning to establish a strong and attractive form is best done during the first 3-5 years of a tree's life.
- Reducing the size of a large tree can be done but is usually best done by an ISA certified arborist.
- Incorrectly pruning certain fruit trees can result in trees that don't bear fruit!
Here are some resources that describe the best methods to prune landscape trees and fruit trees.
The California Backyard Orchard website lists fruit trees by species and includes pruning tips for both deciduous and evergreen fruit trees.
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It’s well-known that plants compete with their neighbors for light. They try to grow taller until they reach the top of the canopy to gain a competitive advantage. But how do they know there are other plants in their neighborhood with which to compete?
Let’s first look at the origin of plant life. It’s generally accepted that after the Big Bang about 13.5 billion years ago, the Earth formed about 4.6 billion years ago. Through the study of rocks and fossils, scientists claim that the first photosynthetic bacteria appeared on Earth about 3.4 billion years ago.
Studies of fossils indicate that fungi first appeared on land about 1,300 million years ago, and the first plants or photosynthetic organisms evolved about 700 million years ago. However, the first land plants with vascular systems that could transport water to different parts of their bodies appeared about 0.475 billion years ago. There were plants like ferns, grasses and trees that could grow tall canopies to capture more sunlight. In competing for light, plants try to grow taller than their neighbors until they reach the top of the canopy.
Neither plant leaves nor roots touch each other, so how do they know early on that they have competition and start reacting to it? Many plant physiologists in the U.S., Canada and Europe have tried to understand how plants learn about their neighbors. Research conducted by CL Ballare and co-workers published in 1990 indicated that the far-red radiation reflected from adjacent plants is an early signal of competition in plant canopies.
Light is made up of three major colors: green, blue and red. Red light has two major components: red and far-red. The ratio of red to far-red components lets plants know about neighboring plants.
Shade created by the vegetation canopy is characterized by a reduced ratio of red light to far-red light. Plants detect the competition in part by measuring the relative proportion of red to far-red light in their microenvironment.
Under full sunlight, plants are exposed to relatively equal fluxes of red light and far-red light. However, most red light is absorbed by vegetation, while far-red is reflected. Under persistent far-red rich light conditions, plants initiate a shade avoidance response that includes reduced branching or tillering, enhanced apical dominance, increased plant height, decreased leaf size and early flowering.
This is a brief explanation of how plants learn about their competition and how they respond to beat the competition. Ultimately, the purpose of all plants and other organisms is to produce as many progeny as possible, depending on their environment.
It is obvious how and why early weeds can hurt yield. Crop plants can’t distinguish between other crop plants or weeds. They respond to the light reflected from the chlorophyll of green weeds, too.
It’s so important to control early weeds in order to maximize yields. It’s also important that most seeds are equally spaced within rows and germinate at about the same time. Otherwise, latecomers won’t have much chance to produce progeny!
Nanda is president of Agronomic Crops Consultants LLC. Email him at [email protected] or call 317-910-9876.
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Imagine a 7-year-old and a college student both take a break from their virtual classes to get a drink of water. When they return, the 7-year-old has difficulty restarting the assignment, while the college student resumes working as if the break never occurred. Nelson Cowan, an expert in working memory at the University of Missouri, believes understanding this developmental age difference can help younger children and their parents to better adjust to a virtual learning environment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“By understanding this developmental difference, then we can work to provide a little more structure for younger children in online settings, such as helping them organize their homework,” said Cowan, a Curators Distinguished Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences. “At school, teachers can provide more of that structure, but in a virtual environment, parents may also have to take on more of that responsibility. For parents who have younger children that are somewhat resistant to their actions, this might be difficult to do, however it needs to be made clear to children that their parents are assisting their teacher, rather than being the primary educational figure.”
Kendall Holzum can relate. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 7-year-old girl has been going to school online instead of in person.
“Sometimes it’s hard to remember to go back and do your homework after you get off your Zoom call,” Holzum said. “My parents have to help me a lot to remember to do my assignments. Homework is the hardest to follow directions on because your teacher isn’t there to always help you.”
Cowan, who has been interested in how the human brain works since he was a young child, suggests this insight can be a first step toward helping educators determine how to tailor a child’s individual learning experience to their appropriate developmental level.
“Now, the challenge will be to understand how to adapt educational materials and work materials to be appropriate for each individual’s developmental level in an online setting and perhaps try to teach children to be more proactive in their thinking,” Cowan said. “I’m hoping this is a first step toward that notion and encourages people who do research in the classroom, or now in the virtual classroom, to consider the role of proactive behavior as an overall life skill and how to accommodate various levels of learning to meet that life goal.”
A total of 180 people participated in the study by Cowan and his colleagues. Participants were split among three different age groups—children ages 6-8, ages 10-14 and college students. Each age group was asked to remember a display of colored spots. Then, they were interrupted by a second, unexpected and more urgent task—quickly pressing a button when a signal is heard or seen. Upon completion of the second task, they were asked to return to the first task and decide if a color came from the display. Cowan said more often, the younger children simply forgot to remember the colors they were supposed to recall after working on the second task. He said this study provides a clear example of the limits of working memory in younger children.
“In general, working memory is limited,” Cowan said. “As the amount of things a person is trying to remember at one time increases, less memory is available to help remember a task, or what a person is supposed to be doing. An example of the difference between an adult and a child is when both try to catch a ball while carrying dishes. The child would be more likely to drop the dishes, while the adult remembers to also hold onto the dishes at the same time. Virtual school has created a whole new environment, and this study provides us with a first step in how we must help children adjust as some parts of virtual schooling are very likely to be here for a long time.”
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Need solution for RD Sharma maths class 12 chapter 4 Algebra of Matrices exercise Fill in the blank question 7
B is an n x m matrix.
Use the basic concept of matrix order.
A is an m x n matrix and AB and BA are defined.
Multiplication is possible, if first matrix has same number of columns as number of rows in second matrix.
AB is defined so number of rows in B is n
BA is defined so number of columns in B is m
Hence order of matrix B is
n x m
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https://learn.careers360.com/school/question-need-solution-for-rd-sharma-maths-class-12-chapter-4-algebra-of-matrices-exercise-fill-in-the-blank-question-7/?question_number=7.0
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A year ago, two Polish explorers shocked the world by announcing they found a long-lost Nazi train rumored to contain stolen gold and other valuables. After months of investigation and a ground-penetrating radar image that seemed to confirm the train's existence, scientists eventually warned that the fabled loot train may not exist at all. Finally, a group of excavators is going to put the speculation to rest one way or another.
During WWII, Nazis forced POWs to dig miles of underground tunnels in Poland, many of which collapsed in the years after the war. One of those tunnels, near the town of Walbrzych in southwest Poland, has long been rumored to house a secret Nazi train carrying gold and other loot from the war.
No one has ever dug up the tunnel before, mostly because the tunnel itself is extremely hazardous. There is a buildup of natural gases, which is bad enough on its own. Worse, if there is a train it could contain explosives or booby traps. But it seems that those concerns have finally been addressed and the excavation is set to move forward.
The dig will begin on Tuesday morning, and the search group has said there will be a livestream so people can watch history unfold in real time. The team believes they could find the train in as little as two days. "The train is not a needle in the haystack — if there is one, we will find it," said spokesman Andrzej Gaik in a statement to Agence France-Presse.
By the end of the week, the world may finally know for certain if the fabled Nazi loot train is real or just legend.
Source: Washington Post
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https://www.popularmechanics.com/adventure/a22349/explorers-to-dig-up-long-lost-nazi-loot-train/
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In the uphill battle to save the critically endangered Sumatran rhino, good news is hard to come by. Last year, the species was declared extinct in the wild in Malaysia and conservationists warned that the creatures -- which number less than 100 -- may disappear entirely from the planet before too long.
“With the ongoing poaching crisis, escalating population decline and destruction of suitable habitat, extinction of the Sumatran rhino in the near future is becoming increasingly likely,” Simon Stuart of International Union for the Conservation of Nature told The Guardian in September.
But this week, a rare ray of hope has illuminated the rhino’s struggle for survival, bringing some much-needed optimism to the crisis.
For the first time in 40 years, conservationists have made physical contact with a Sumatran rhino in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo:
According to the WWF, which captured the animal on March 12 for protective purposes, it had been assumed that the Sumatran rhino had gone extinct in Kalimantan until researchers found evidence to the contrary in 2013.
Footprints of the animal and photos captured by camera traps proved the rhino's existence, but none had been seen face-to-face in Kalimantan in four decades.
“This is an exciting discovery and a major conservation success,” Pak Efransjah, CEO of WWF-Indonesia, said in a statement. “We now have proof that a species once thought extinct in Kalimantan still roams the forests, and we will now strengthen our efforts to protect this extraordinary species.”
WWF told The Guardian that the female rhino, believed to be around 4 or 5 years old, will soon be re-homed in a sanctuary about 100 miles from where she was captured. The location of the sanctuary has been kept “really, really vague” to deter poachers, said Stuart.
Sumatran rhinos were once widespread across Asia, from northern India and China to Myanmar, Thailand and the Malay Peninsula. Habitat destruction and poaching, however, decimated populations and by 1965, the species was considered “very rare.”
The IUCN has classified the Sumatran rhino as critically endangered since 1996.
Today, the rhino can only be found in the wild in Indonesia -- in both Kalimantan and the island of Sumatra.
In an attempt to save the Sumatran rhino from complete annihilation, conservationists have been encouraging breeding among the few animals that remain.
Last year, Harapan, the only male Sumatran rhino in the western hemisphere, was transported across almost 10,000 miles from the Cincinnati Zoo to mate with females in a sanctuary in Sumatra.
“We are hoping [a particular rhino named Rosa] and Harapan will hit it off,” Terri Roth, Cincinnati Zoo’s vice president for conservation and science, told National Geographic.
The Sumatran rhino is the smallest living rhinosaurus. Covered with long hair, the species -- also known as “hairy rhinos” -- are “more closely related to the extinct woolly rhinos than any of the other rhino species alive today,” WWF says.
“It’s a fantastic animal. It’s the weirdest of all the rhinos. They meow like a cat,” Stuart told The Guardian last year of the rare creature. “No one is going to get rich on Sumatran rhinos other than those illegally trading in the horn. There are frankly no economic benefits to saving it, it’s just a moral obligation.”
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“Is theatre literature?” is a complicated question– some say yes and others vehemently disagree– but no one denies that theatre requires many of the same skills your English literature classes demand. After all, in many ways, analyzing a script is procedurally indistinguishable from analyzing a novel.
If you are looking to become a stronger actor capable of creating more compelling characters and scenes, you may want to start paying attention in English class.
Here are three key ideas from every literature syllabus that will help you become a better actor.
Key Idea 1: Recognizing Plot Structure, Literary Tropes, Character Archetypes, and Other Storytelling Commonalities
Understanding what nearly every piece of fiction writing in the world has in common is a helpful “step one” for analyzing literature. Recognizing recurring themes, tropes, plotpoints, and archetypes help you instantly understand the kind of story that is being told, and how the author uses these elements to tell their story tells tells you much about what the author wants to say through the text.
These recurring elements do the same in theatre. Not only do they assist your audience in following the events of the show, they also assist the performers in deciding how to present them.
For instance, consider how understanding that a specific scene is the climax of a play’s plot might impact how you choose to perform it. Though this won’t have a universal effect on every climactic scene in theatre, it should definitely inform your choices within that scene.
Alternatively, think about how you might go about constructing a character if you recognize their “type” easily. Are they a spoiled princess? A brave hero? Though no two characters in any literary work are typically exactly the same, being able to quickly “take stock” of your character’s archetype helps you tackle the blanks in characterization that the playwright did not explicitly fill, or help you come up with new, interesting, and subversive takes on the role.
Exercise your ability to spot these commonalities and subversions of them, and you may be able to use them to your advantage in performance.
Key Idea 2: Mastering Reading for Detail
Analyzing a work of literature is often about reading between the lines, but you can’t read between the lines unless you first understand the lines themselves. That’s why it’s important to master the art and science of reading for detail.
In both plays and novels, the text is king. Though you should of course create a more complex characterization than what’s on a page in a script, you must ensure you’ve taken note of all the relevant details to avoid contradicting established information with your characterization. This sort of mistake is easier to make than you might realize. Just think: have you ever started writing an essay for class, only to realize you’d misinterpreted some sentence or paragraph, rendering your whole thesis is nonsense? (Can you tell I’m speaking from personal experience?)
Just as it’s important to ensure you understand what’s happening in the text before you start writing your English essay, it’s important to double-check you understand what’s happening in the script before you start trying to make acting decisions. Mastering an eye for detail so you can get it right on the first handful of reads rather than late in the analytical process is key!
Key Idea 3: Extrapolating from the Text
A crucial skill developed in most literature classes is that of making logical inferences informed by the text. Sometimes the most compelling part of a literary work is not what the words themselves say but what they imply. As readers we are constantly– as previously mentioned– “reading between the lines.”
These skills are commonly assessed. How many essays have you written about how you think a character in a novel feels about the events of a plot? Or about how you think problems in a story might be solved? Flexing these extrapolatory “muscles” is as important to being a good reader as it is to becoming an emotionally intelligent, empathetic person.
Of course this skill is paramount in theatre. Much of the actor’s work is extrapolating from text! Rarely does a script come out and tell you exactly the kind of character you are playing– instead you must make inferences from small details in the text. In fact, if you were to take all the details of the script as universal fact without extrapolating deeper meaning, you’d often be left with contradictions and flat characters.
For example, a character might in the text refer to themself in one way while their behavior implies the opposite. You then must think beyond what is written and decide if the character is lying, or simply unaware that they’re not the person they say they are. Missing out on this very human and interesting character detail because you were too focussed on following only the printed words on the page would be a huge missed opportunity.
Of course, your extrapolations should be informed by the text– you can’t simply make things up if the text tells you otherwise. That’s where learning to read for detail will again come in handy!
These are three key skills shared in studying both theatre and literature. Though you may use them in slightly different ways in these two settings, training them in one setting will undoubtedly assist you in the other. Take advantage of the education you get in the classroom! When you’re finished using it on stage, you might find your schoolwork gets a little easier, too.
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NASA's Curiosity rover sits on Mars with a view that no human has ever beheld in person.
But the cameras that act as its eyes capture the planet's desolate, craggy, red-washed vistas, and relay these scenes back to Earth in a stream of images each day.
But Curiosity's photography skills aren't just a window into another world -- the images, curated by a diligent, little-known team of scientists, deliver crucial information that informs future science.
The rover is larger than you might think---about seven feet tall and the size of a small SUV. If you study the face closely, you'll notice its mismatched eyes.
Both are fixed focal lengths with no zoom capability, in focus starting from about six feet ahead of the rover. The left eye is a 34 mm lens, while the right is a 100 mm telephoto.
The Mastcam, comprised of these two lenses, can capture color images and video, which can be stitched together for Curiosity's iconic selfies and panoramas. In early March, NASA shared a stunning panorama comprised of 1.8 billion pixels' worth of images taken over the Thanksgiving holiday.
It's like a large version of Disney's WALL-E, an endearing explorer sending back postcards to humanity on a daily basis.
The data, carried by radio waves, pings off orbiters around Mars and reaches NASA's Deep Space Network of antennas around the world.
Image processing specialists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are the first people in the world who get access to the photos.
They quickly process them, using the first digital image processing software actually developed by JPL in 1966.
Photoshop doesn't know how to handle the images sent back from Mars -- the photo editing software used by photographers would stitch images together and create a jumbled picture of Mars, completely out of order.
But image processing specialists like Hallie Gengl know exactly what to do.
Each image comes embedded with 100 lines of data, which Gengl and others on her team use to figure out its orientation in the larger mosaic they're assembling. Like individual paint pigments in a portrait, the images are quickly assembled, sent around to the rover team scientists and placed online for the public to view, including raw images, she said.
The images don't receive much editing. The main concern is making sure they're oriented the right way, especially when fitting them together in mosaics.
Without the images collected by Mastcam ---- as well as the black-and-white Navcams for navigation beneath them ---- the rover would sit still on Mars.
This is because Curiosity isn't autonomous. Instead, teams on Earth send commands to the rover. And without images, the drivers wouldn't be able to tell Curiosity where to go. Curiosity doesn't move unless it's safe to proceed.
It's those images that has enabled it to travel more than 13 miles across the surface of Mars since landing in 2012. Currently, it's climbing and investigating a steep hill to learn more about its geologic formation. When Curiosity landed, that same hill was just a blip in the distance.
Curiosity landed in Gale Crater, a vast and dry ancient lake bed with a 16,404-foot mountain at its center. Mount Sharp's peak is taller than the rim of the crater. Streams and lakes likely filled Gale Crater billions of years ago, which is why NASA landed the rover there in 2012.
The image processing team is an unseen element to the rover, but "you can't live without us," Gengl said. "We're getting data and we're sharing it with the world.
"Every day, I feel like I'm vicariously living through robots on Mars. Especially for rovers, because we're exploring a new location we've never been to. Seeing the images coming down, I can't help but think, 'I'm one of the first people to see this data of this location on Mars.' "
Seven years of Mars vistas
Every day for the last seven years, the rover team's scientists have begun their day by waking up to the latest images Curiosity snapped of Mars and analyzing the images for exciting features.
Curiosity's broad science team includes 500 scientists around the world, 40% of which are outside the US. They help make decisions for the science gathered by the rover's ten instruments.
But everything starts with what they see. Each day, depending on the bandwidth of what the rover can capture and send back, they're usually looking at a panorama consisting of a few dozen images.
Then the team of roughly 30 scientists get on a conference call. They talk about areas relating to their particular areas of focus, like geologists wanting to investigate unusual-looking rocks that appear in the images.
When the rover arrives at a new site, it's commanded to capture as much of the area in detail as possible.
"That data set provides our first look at what's really there," said Ashwin Vasavada, the rover's project lead scientist.
Vasavada said it's not unusual to wake up to emails full of exclamation points from a geologist who noticed an interesting crack in a rock -- and was awake at 3 a.m. to watch the image come down to Earth.
"Everyone has different things they're excited about," he said.
The rover takes new images every day, extends its robotic arm to investigate and place instruments strategically every few days and brings out its drill to sample material every few months, Vasavada said.
Every decision is a question of the science that could be returned, by the bandwidth and power used by the rover.
For example, the decision to keep the rover occupied over the Thanksgiving holiday made sense because the rover teams would be on break. Commands sent to the rover told it to sit still and focus on capturing images at the same time each day, which would provide even lighting for a wide panorama of its perspective.
The rover rarely has idle time when it's not investigating specific things, so the timing worked out. And it happened during the winter season on Mars, when there's less dust in the atmosphere. Vasavada said it was clearer on Mars during Thanksgiving than it was in Los Angeles.
After seven years -- and 16 total spent on the mission from concept to landing for Vasavada -- the rover teams are still excited to see what they learn each day.
They've checked off a lot of images and investigations on the wishlist.
But Vasavada and his colleagues want to investigate a transition in the rocks -- from those rich in clay to others more rich in sulfate minerals.
"It may indicate a big climatic change in early Mars, when there was a lot less water around and the rocks became more salty," he said. "This is one aspect of the landing site we've been talking about for years. I'm excited to see it. That's one thing I want to see before the mission ends."
And lessons learned from Curiosity's one megapixel cameras, as well as the stationary InSight lander and previous rovers like Spirit and Opportunity, have informed future missions. The Perseverance rover, which will sport 20-megapixel color zoom-capable cameras, is set to launch in July.
Curiosity requires between 10 and 12 images for a 360-degree panorama. Perseverance will only require five.
With rovers and landers on Mars, and orbiters above, it's safe to say we'll be waking up to new images from the surface of another planet for a long, long time.
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Tanzania secondary school students are required to take government-specified exams every two years. The purpose of these national exams is to provide an objective measure of student performance. They are the Form 2, Form 4, and ...Read More
Boaz offers his insights into how quests have played a crucial role in his mentoring decisions and planning—and how the design of quests supports his ability to track student progress and guide them through quest-related activities ...Read More
Students learn better when their coursework is relevant to their own lives. Quest Forward Learning builds relevance into courses and quests, incorporating active participation in, and connection to, one’s own learning.
OE refers to the Quest Forward Learning curriculum as “skills-forward." In this blog, you can learn more about what that means, how it's applied, and what we hope students gain from this curriculum approach.
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Climate change is the single biggest threat facing the Reef.
Temperatures are rising on our land and in our oceans, caused primarily by an increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Carbon dioxide levels have been rising steadily for more than 100 years due mainly to the burning of fossil fuels, trapping more heat in our atmosphere and contributing to climate change.
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the richest and most complex natural ecosystems on the planet, but climate change is the biggest threat to the future of coral reefs here and around the world. It impacts reefs in a number of ways:
When corals suffer heat stress, they expel the microscopic algae that live inside their tissues, revealing their white skeletons. Bleached corals are not dead, but are more at risk of starvation and disease.
Already marine heatwaves have triggered four mass coral bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef in just seven years, reducing shallow water coral reefs by as much as 50%. Coral reefs can recover from bleaching over time, but only if temperatures drop and conditions return to normal.
The ocean absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making it more acidic. This process is known as ocean acidification. Since the late 18th century, the ocean has absorbed about 30% of the carbon humans have generated, decreasing its pH level.
A more acidic ocean means corals are less able to build skeletons and form coral reefs, which help protect coastlines from storms and provide habitats for thousands of species of marine life.
Severe weather events
Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of severe weather events. Coastal regions like the Great Barrier Reef are particularly exposed to damaging cyclones, flooding and storms.
Between 2004 and 2018, 10 cyclones of category three or more crossed the Great Barrier Reef, causing significant damage to coral reefs.
As water temperatures rise, many marine species are being forced to move south to cooler habitats. This shift creates increased competition for food and shelter in cooler waters, threatening the entire ecosystem.
For Reef communities, the loss of marine life can have a devastating impact on local ecosystems, food sources and other industries such as tourism.
#Tackling climate change
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to turn the tide on coral reef decline, but the window to act is closing.
To protect the Reef from climate change we must:
Insufficient global action on climate change is taking a serious toll on the health of our Great Barrier Reef. Urgent global action to drastically and rapidly reduce greenhouse gas emissions is needed now if we are going to have any chance of saving coral reefs.
We must also strengthen key ecosystems like seagrass meadows, mangroves and wetlands, which help absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. These ecosystems play a key role in combating climate change by storing carbon. The Reef is one of the world’s most powerful blue carbon sites.
Help coral reefs adapt
Emission reduction alone is no longer enough to guarantee the survival of coral reefs. While the world works towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, we must also help coral reefs adapt to the warmer temperatures already caused by climate change.
We are doing this by developing and scaling up interventions that buy time for coral reefs. We’re concentrating on protecting corals from severe bleaching, helping them adapt to warmer temperatures and actively rebuilding resilient reefs where necessary.
#What we're doing
#Plant a Coral and restore the Reef
Make a tax deductible donation and help the Great Barrier Reef.
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This default is usually the category that comes first or last alphabetically.
That may or may not be the best category to use, but fortunately you’re not stuck with the defaults.
So if you do choose, which one should you choose?
The first thing to remember is that ultimately, it doesn’t really matter, as long as you are aware of which category is the reference. You’re going to get the same results no matter what you choose. It’s just that the specific comparisons that the software reports (and gives you p-values for) will differ.
So it’s best to choose a category that makes interpretation of results easier. Here are a few common options for choosing a category.
Remember, the regression coefficients will give you the difference in means (and/or slopes if you’ve included an interaction term) between each other category and the reference category.
Strategy 1: Use the normative category
In many cases, the most logical or important comparisons are to the most normative group. For example, in one data set I analyzed, an important dummy-coded predictor is Poverty Status: In Poverty or Not In Poverty.
Not In Poverty is the norm–most people aren’t in Poverty (at least in this data set–it may not be true in the population you’re studying). The interesting comparison is to see how people in poverty differ from this normative group. So making Not In Poverty the reference group just makes sense.
Likewise, another example is Marital Status: Never Married, Currently Married, Divorced, Separated, or Widowed.
The alphabetical default would make Widowed the reference group. But it’s not as interesting to compare Separated people to Widowed people, as they’re both small groups in the data set, and the most interesting comparisons are with the normative categories of Never Married or Currently Married.
In experiments or randomized control trials the control group is a natural normative category. The only exception I can think of is a study with multiple controls, but only one intervention or treatment group. In that case, it may be more important to measure any differences between the treatment and each control.
Strategy 2: Use the largest category
The other problem with using the Widowed group as the reference is it’s very, very small. When sample sizes are very unequal in the groups, which is very common for naturally occurring groups, it can become problematic to use it as the reference.
Sometimes, if there isn’t a normative group in a logical sense, it makes sense to just use the largest category as the reference.
Strategy 3: Use the category whose mean is in the middle, or conversely, at one of the ends
Sometimes all of these options fail. There is no obvious norm and sample sizes are similar.
In those cases, sometimes the best thing to do is to pick the category with the lowest, the highest, or the middle mean. Let me give you an example.
Let’s say those 5 marital categories have means on Y of
10 Never Married
11 Currently Married
If the overall F test in the ANOVA table is significant for this variable, you already know that the highest and lowest means are significantly different. You just don’t know which of the middle three are significantly different from each of those.
For example, the middle value here is 11, the mean for currently married folks. If you use that as the reference group and discover that it is significantly lower than 15, the mean for separated folks and 19, the mean for widowed, you know that both 9 for Divorced and 10 for Never Married should be too. (Note, this doesn’t always hold if some groups have much smaller sample sizes, but as long as they’re reasonably equal, it should hold).
You won’t know, for example, if there is a significant difference between the means for the Separated and Widowed groups, but if that’s not a theoretically important comparison, you’re done.
This particular strategy doesn’t always work, but you can use it to your advantage when it does.
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The Turkish language is spoken by 77 million people as a native language. Most speakers of Turkish are located in Turkey and Cyprus, with smaller groups located in parts of the Balkans, Eastern and Western Europe and particularly in Germany.
The roots of the Turkish language can be traced to Central Asia, although the variety of Turkish used in administration and literature within the Ottoman Empire, spread widely as the Empire expanded.
At the beginning of the Republic of Turkey, the Ottoman Script was replaced with a phonetic version of the Latin alphabet and more recently, Persian and Arabic loanwords have been replaced by native equivalents with Turkic roots.
As well as being the official language of Turkey, Turkish is also one of the official languages of Cyprus, together with Greek.
We'll always go the extra mile to make sure you get a fast, friendly and competent service and we normally respond to enquiries within 2 hours.
Our translators are selected for their professional qualifications in translation and for their experience working as full-time translators. They specialise in a range of business areas and are experts in their field. If your translation is for publication, you may also want it to be revised by an additional translator. Please let us know if this is the case.
A single translator will normally produce around 2,000 words per day of quality translation. When you get your quote, we'll also give you a delivery deadline based on our translators' availability and the length of your document.
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Bird's nest soup is a delicacy in Chinese cuisine. A few species of
swift, the cave swifts, are renowned for building the saliva nests used
to produce the unique texture of this soup.
The edible bird's nests are among the most expensive animal products
consumed by humans. The nests have been used in Chinese cooking for over
400 years, most often as bird's nest soup.
The most heavily harvested
nests are from the Edible-nest Swiftlet or White-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus
fuciphagus) and the Black-nest Swiftlet (Aerodramus maximus). The white
nests and the "red blood" nests are supposedly rich in nutrients which
are traditionally believed to provide health benefits, such as aiding
digestion, raising libido, improving the voice, alleviating asthma,
improving focus, and an overall benefit to the immune system. The white
nests are commonly treated with a red pigment, but methods have been
developed to determine an adulterated nest.
The nests are built during the breeding season by the male swiftlet over
a period of 35 days. They take the shape of a shallow cup stuck to the
cave wall. The nests are composed of interwoven strands of salivary
laminae cement. Both nests have high levels of calcium, iron, potassium,
Medicinal Benefits and
Usage of Bird's Nest
Bird's Nest from a Clinical Experimental Point of View
The cell division enzymeand hormone of bird's nest can promote
reproduction and rebirth of human cells. The Glycoprotein content
directly stimulates cell growth in human’s immune system. As a result,
body metabolism is enhanced and functional effects are greatly improved.
Effective results of bird's nest are observed when they are consumed by
children, elders, feedle and sick people.
Bird's Nest from Traditional and Modern Chinese Medication's Point of
Bird's Nest is used as restorative and remedial food since the Ching
dynasty. Previous clinical researches have concluded that bird's nest
has a sweet and calm character. Bird's nest contributed medical benefits
to lung, stomach and kidney neural system. Several ancient medicine
books all recorded plenty of detail of bird's nest remedial benefits.
Bird's Nest from a Nutrition Point of View
The main nutrition contents of bird's nest are carbohydrate (30%) and
protein (5%) although its protein content can be compare to that of milk
or eggs. Bird’s nest also contains plenty of calcium and phosphorus, as
well as some iron and iodine. There are still some other untraced
compositions that may have medical benefits. Protein contained in bird's
nest have some bioactive elements which might have nourishing and
replenishing effects on humans body.
The experts found that bird's nest has three main functions:
1.Enhances the rebirth of cells and tissues.
2.Improves the immune system functions of our body
3.Improves the body's tolerance toward the damage done by X-rays or
other radioactive reagents.
Bird's nest is an excellent
restorative food with a sweet and calm character; it is good for any age
Ladies: Frequent consumption result in fairer skin, helps to stay young
and look radiant.
Pregnant Women: Consumption during pregnancy will improve immune
functions of the fetus and the mothers will be able to recover easily
after giving birth.
Elders: Clears phlegm, strengthen lungs and kidneys, improves spleen as
well as enhances appetite.
Children: Enhances immune ability, not inclined to get colds or flu
Men: Improves kidney and strengthens lungs, so not inclined to get weak.
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Muslim perspective of the crusades.
Jerusalem is important to the muslims because in their religious cause it was a sacred place for them because all these important figures in all religions, and that is why they all fought for jerusalem.
The reason of the crusade muslims is because we took it as an offensive war between us muslims and the christians when they attacked the islamic states. According to www.answer wiki.com
"One of the effects that the crusades had on the muslims were that it united them against the crusaders." According to www.answer wiki.com
"the muslim leader spared the lives any of the remaining christians that lived in jerusalem" according to www.answer wiki.com
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In his work The Letters of Rabbani, the great Sunni scholar Imam Rabbani gives two important conditions regarding the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as).
The first of these conditions is that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear one thousand years after our Prophet (saas).
This is revealed on page 1/569 of his Letters of Rabbani:
However, what is anticipated is this; the renewal of this concealed state AFTER ONE THOUSAND YEARS HAVE PASSED. His being given superiority, finding water and increase... The original of such virtues (perfections) will appear and cover its abasement… AND LET HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) who values devotion to might COME. May Allah be pleased with him.
(Letters of Rabbani, 1/569)
We are now in the year 1430 (Islamic calendar). This date shows that 1000 years have passed since our Prophet (saas). It also proves that the first of Imam Rabbani’s conditions necessary for the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come about.
According to his Companions, the Messenger of Allah (saas) said:
"When Abbasi Malik arrives at Khorasan, one of the signs of the coming of the promised Mahdi, A DOUBLE-TOOTHED (1) LIGHT SHEDDING (2) HORN (3) WILL APPEAR IN THE EAST."
"A TAILED STAR (COMET) WILL BE BORN IN THE EAST AND SHED ITS LIGHT."
That comet has been born. But is it that one, or another similar one?
-That this star is called a comet is probably based on the following:
-The course of the constant IS FROM WEST TO EAST (4)...
The situation of this star follows this course. In other words, its head faces east and its tail faces west. The long white part is in its rear. Therefore:
-It is appropriate for it to be described as having a tail.
ITS DAILY PASSAGE, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS FROM EAST TO WEST. (5)...
Allah best knows the truth.
(1) ... double-toothed...:
The fact that the tail of the comet Lulin is forked completely matches the term double-toothed in the hadith.
(2) ... light-shedding...:
The term light-shedding in the hadith refers to the brightness of the comet Lulin, which exceeded that of six stars as it approached the Earth.
(3) ... a horn...:
The main distinguishing feature between Lulin and other comets is that as well as the comet having a tail in the rear of its body, it also has a tail in the front. Examination of photographs of Lulin and its two tails immediately put one in mind of a horn.
(4) The course of the constant is from west to east...:
The hadith goes on to say that “The course of the constant is from west to east...“ This refers to the movement of heavenly bodies, which information is in full agreement with the astronomical findings of the 20th century. Indeed, all heavenly bodies travel from WEST to EAST.
(5) Its daily passage, on the other hand, is from east to west. ...: Here the expression “Its daily passage, on the other hand, ...” indicates that the comet Lulin, as opposed to all other heavenly bodies, travel from east to west.
The reference to a “double-toothed, light shedding” horn, cited in the hadith of our Prophet (saas) as a portent of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) whose coming is anticipated in the End Times, and described in detail by Imam Rabbani, indicated the comet Lulin, which passed closest to the Earth on 24 February, 2009, that is the year 1430 according to Islamic calendar.
Another highly significant feature of this comet is that scientists say that it will next pass by the Earth after at least another 1000 years.
(Web sites confirming that the comet Lulin passes by once every thousand years and that its next passage will be in a thousand years’ time.)
It is narrated from Anas Malik that Rasulullah (saas) said:
THE LIFE SPAN OF THE WORLD IS SEVEN DAYS IN THE DAYS OF THE HEREAFTER. Almighty Allah says: One day in the sight of your Lord is like one thousand of your years.
It is narrated from Anas Ibn Malik that Rasulullah (saas) said:” Whoever meets the needs of his brother in the religion on the path of Allah, Allah WILL GIVE HIM MERIT OF THE SEVEN THOUSAND-YEAR LIFE SPAN OF THIS WORLD, as if he had fasted in the days and spent the nights in prayer.”
(Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 88)
Ahmad Ibn Hanbal relates;
FIVE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED YEARS HAVE PASSED FROM THIS WORLD.
(Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, 89)
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The resource has been added to your collection
Within the Writing Fundamentals program, there is a grammar unit. The lessons presented in this unit are to be taught within the other units in the writing program. Since my district adopted four of the Writing Fundamental units, many of the lessons within the grammar unit were not addressed. The focus of the project for fifth grade was to identify lessons that weren't addressed and place them in units we felt needed them. A second goal was to find supplementary materials to use since many of the grammar skills that needed to be taught were to be spiraled throughout the other units. For sixth grade, the goal was to create a scope and sequence for the grammar unit, as Writing Fundamentals did not create one for any grade above fifth.
This resource has not yet been reviewed.
Not Rated Yet.
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The uses of licorice extend much further than candy, both in the kitchen and in medicine. Discover the healing benefits of licorice root for treating sore throats, ulcers, Addison’s disease and more.
For most of us, the first thing that comes to mind when we hear the word “licorice” likely isn’t the root of the Glycyrrhiza glabra plant, nor its long history of medicinal use and health benefits. Instead, our first thought is probably of candy. So it may come as a surprise that most commercial brands of licorice confections today contain none of this sweet medicinal root. But licorice’s medicinal and culinary history does include candy — the root’s compound glycyrrhizin is 50 times sweeter than sugar and has been used to make confections designed to aid digestion and soothe sore throats. It’s also useful in treating ulcers and other digestive complains. However, there is reason to use caution with this herb. Long-term high levels of consumption have been tied to health conditions, including the raising of blood pressure; a drop in potassium to dangerous levels; and hormonal changes.
Licorice comprises about 20 species of sticky, sometimes hairy perennial herbs with creeping rootstalk. One of the most common types used medicinally is Glycyrrhiza glabra (glykys, the Greek word for “sweet,” rhiza for “root,” and glabra from the Latin for “smooth”). It is native to dry scrubland or damp ditches in the Mediterranean region and southwestern Asia. Three to five feet tall, licorice plants can be identified by their alternate, pinnately compound leaves; pealike flowers in colors ranging from violet to pale blue that bloom in late summer; and fuzzy stems and leaf stalks. Their fruits appear in the form of leathery or prickly oblong seed pods containing two to five seeds each.
Licorice has been used in medicine since antiquity. The ancient Greek philosopher Theophrastus reported on the use of the root to treat respiratory disorders. The Chinese have used the roots of G. glabra and G. uralensis to treat a wide range of illnesses; Chinese herbalists include licorice in many formulations, believing that it reduces the toxicity of certain other ingredients. Native Americans and early European settlers used the native G. lepidota to bring on menstrual periods; expel the placenta following childbirth; and relieve earache, toothache and fever. Licorice has also been used to treat sore throat, urinary tract infections, stomach ulcers, constipation and Addison’s disease — a disorder marked by insufficient secretion of hormones of the adrenal cortex. Externally, licorice has been used to soothe irritated skin.
Research has shown licorice’s potential to relieve inflammation associated with eczema, and to inhibit the growth of bacteria — including drug-resistant strains — and viruses. Some components of licorice have also shown estrogen-like activity. Preliminary research suggests the potential ability of licorice to reduce hot flashes brought on by menopause. One Japanese study showed that a preparation including licorice extract stimulated normal ovulation in women with infrequent menstrual periods. Other potential medicinal uses for licorice include the treatment of peptic ulcers, and the treatment of hepatitis B and C. It is also traditionally used for upper respiratory infections such as coughs, asthma and sore throats, and as a laxative.
Long-term use of whole licorice root can result in sodium retention and potassium loss. Pregnant women, people who have high blood pressure or kidney disease, or those who are taking digitalis medications should not take it. These side effects are caused by the glycyrrhizin in licorice, the component responsible for the root’s sweetness. For long-term use, practitioners recommend taking deglycyrrhizinated licorice (licorice treated to remove the glycyrrhizin), or DGL, which has no known side effects, according to Andrew Weil, M.D. Several studies show that DGL is effective in healing ulcers of the stomach and small intestine. Consult a qualified health practitioner if you are considering taking licorice for long-term health benefits.
Choose a spot in full sun or part shade. Licorice plants thrive in moist, fertile, but well-drained soil. They are easily grown from divisions or root cuttings planted 1 to 1-1/2 feet apart, or you can sow seeds outdoors in spring or fall. Commercial licorice root is harvested after three or four years’ growth. Dig up the roots in the fall after the tops are dry, and compost the tops. New plants will grow from any bits of root left in the soil, which may make it difficult to clear an area of licorice. Dry the roots for several months and then store them in a cool place.
In places where licorice doesn’t overwinter you can try growing it in a greenhouse in deep pots of well-drained sandy loam. Or grow it in the ground outside, but dig the plants in the fall and overwinter them in soil in a cool basement or root cellar.
Original article by Betsy Strauch. Updated by the Mother Earth Living editors.
Sit in on dozens of practical workshops from the leading authorities on natural health, organic gardening, real food and more!LEARN MORE
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In the 80s, the rush to Israel, by high-tech giants and others, continued and local industry continued to grow - despite the banks’ share manipulation affair, the stock market crash, inflation, and the severe economic crisis in which the Israeli economy was mired in the middle of the decade.
Under these circumstances, in 1984, R& D exports still reached $1.6 billion. That same year, the number of engineers and scientists in Israeli industry grew by 460%, and the percentage of sophisticated product industries rose from 6% in 1968 to 24% in 1984. Also that year, exports by the electronics industry reached $895 million.
These figures, which testify to the accelerated development of Israel’s high-tech sector, did not escape the notice of the world’s high-tech corporations, which at the beginning of the 80s had begun to establish R & D centers here. Intel established its R & D center in Haifa, as well as a large assembly plant in Jerusalem, during the decade. In the following years, Intel established a plant in Kiryat Gat.
1981 - “The Bulb That Lit Up All Ramat Gan”. Of all of the successes and inventions that Israel’s scientists have given us, one anecdotal foul-up stands out, which is emblazoned in our collective memory under the headline “The Bulb That Lit Up All Ramat Gan”. On the eve of the 1981 Knesset elections, Finance Minister Yaakov Meridor told the nation of the development of an innovative invention at the Technion that would solve all of Israel’s energy problems, if not the entire world’s. Thanks to this new invention, he gleefully promised, 40 watts alone would provide enough energy to light up all of Ramat Gan.
Even today no one is quite sure why, of all cities, Ramat Gan was chosen as the virtual beta version. In any case, it quickly emerged that the invention was more of a practical joke, brainchild of an anonymous prankster. The Israeli high-tech industry, which since then has actually adopted Ramat Gan as one of its centers, has somehow managed to get along without the mysterious invention.
1981 - Brothers Zohar and Yehuda Zisappel form the RAD group. RAD, which manufactures communications devices for Bynet, has in recent years become one of Israel’s high-tech leaders, under whose auspices many startups have formed, seven of which have been issued on Nasdaq.
1982 - The Ministry of Science and Development is founded.
1983 - The Israel Space Agency is established. It’s purpose: “To promote familiarity with space and its exploitation in Israel as well as the initiation of ties with outside parties, the encouragement of research, with the aim of developing innovative technologies for the space industry, and coordination between the various institutions in Israel that handle space issues.”
1983 – Efrat Future Technologies is founded. Kobi Alexander, an investment banker with American company Shearson Lehman (later to become Smith Barney), and his brother-in-law, Boaz Misholi, founded Efrat, which would develop computerized voice mail. Concurrently, the partners registered Comverse as their American parent company. In 1986, Comverse conducted its first public issue in the U.S., and raised $6.5 million based on a value of $20 million. After Comverse became mired in difficulties, Misholi sold his shares to Alexander and left the company. At the end of the decade, Comverse moved over to developing voice mail systems for large telephone companies, and in the 90s, it began to experience rapid growth that positioned it firmly as a world leader in the market and one of Israel’s largest Nasdaq-listed firms.
1983 - Indigo. Benny Landa’s Indigo began developing the E Print 1000, a digital printer. Ten years later, Indigo has become an international success story, raising $100 million in its Nasdaq issue. Indigo’s rapid growth was dizzying – so much so that the company later crashed into a crisis from which it has been gradually recovering over the past few years.
1984 - The founding meeting of the Israel High-Tech Industries Association is held.
1984 - The cornerstone is laid for National Semiconductor in Migdal Haemek.
1985 - Amdocs is founded. Following the dismantling of AT& T, Southwestern Bell—a “Baby Bell” founded as a result of the split—acquired 50% of Aurec. That same year, Aurec founded Amdocs in order to provide billing services to an American company. In 1998, Amdocs went public for the first time in the U.S. and raised $252 million. One year later, Amdocs issued shares again and raised $774 million, and over the course of a few months raised $500 million more in a private issue. Amdocs has become a world leader in the billing industry, and at its height, was traded at a value of $21 billion.
1985 - The Law for the Encouragement of Industrial Research and
Development is passed. Since the law was passed, the Office of the Chief Scientist at the Ministry of Industry and Trade has helped to fund innovative projects with export potential.
1986 - The cellular phone. Pelephone, Israel’s first cellular operator, was founded in 1986. Owned by Bezeq and Motorola, Pelephone’s founding signaled the beginning of the cellular craze. In 1994, after Cellcom entered the market with particularly low air time rates, the cellular phone went from being a status symbol of the rich to a broad middle-class phenomenon, transforming Israel into the country with the highest per capita use time and one of the leading countries in cellular phone penetration rates. In 1998, Partner entered the cellular market.
1987 - The Lavi is canceled. The Lavi Project commenced at the beginning of the 80s, and at its height, 22,000 employees worked at Israel Aircraft Industries. The Lavi was supposed to be the backbone of the Israeli air force, but the prohibitive cost of the project compared to the price of acquiring American fighter planes, caused the government to reevaluate the project, and its cancellation was announced in 1987. As a result of the cancellation of the Lavi, 6,000 workers left the IAI, leaving it in a crisis from which it recovered only a decade later.
1987 - Davidi Gilo founds DSP. Further down the line, DSP split into two: DSPG and DSPC. Gilo left the company in 1997, and later formed other companies, among them Vyyo, which is traded today on Nasdaq.
1988 - Israelis in space. In 1988, Israel became the eighth country to launch a satellite, with the launching of the Ofek 1. One year later, the Ofek 2 was launched, and in April 1995, the Ofek 3 was launched, bearing unique electro-optic cargo. In May 1996, the communications satellite Amos was launched using the French Arian 4 missile. Israel also took part in the development of the astronomical UV space telescope, TAUVEX . Today, two air force pilots who have undergone a NASA training program are in line to become Israel’s first astronauts.
Published by Israel's Business Arena on 3 May 2001
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Ecitizens of the world
It's a fallacy to think that children are not interested in politics or are unaffected by major world events. I can remember as a child cowering under the table when the 1962 Cuban missile crisis appeared on my parents'
television screen. War, conflict, poverty, homelessness and the environment are just some issues that are important to many children, even those living in comfortable Western societies. You don't need me to tell you that we are living through a turbulent period. September 11, the Afghan War and the conflict in Iraq have all made the world seem a less safe place, so what impact must these be having on children as they are bombarded with images on their TV screens and on the front of newspapers? Children know a lot more about what is happening on a global basis than we often give them credit for. However, they often find it difficult to articulate their thoughts and feelings, especially face-to-face with an adult.
Despite living in an information age of 24-hour news programmes, the internet and teletext, there is still a lot of ignorance about other people's cultures and there is a lack of understanding about how others live. Teachers are reporting increased tension both in the classroom and the playground as a result of the current conflicts. There has been a rise in religious intolerance. There has been an increase in bullying. There has been a growth of racism. It's a truism that much of the mistrust in our world is due to ignorance and lack of understanding. It's also a failure of people to consider alternative points of view. That's why I believe ICT can be a force for good, because it makes it easier to communicate with others across both time and distance.
Of course, with citizenship now being part of the curriculum, a number of schools have already forged links with overseas institutions and that's a good thing. But I'm more interested in people talking to each other and discovering more about each other rather than simply working together on curriculum-based projects. That is why MirandaNet has established the World Ecitizens Fellowship (WE) - a non-profit making organisation that aims to promote understanding of other cultures and customs, especially among younger people. We now have 25 WE chapters in places such as Africa, Australia, Bulgaria, Chile, China, Japan, the USA as well as the UK.
The projects involve communities working together towards conflict resolution. Collaborations focus on joint activities like developing creativity, communication and life and thinking skills. To support these projects MirandaNet Fellows have developed a web-based learning environment. This website provides a place where World Ecitizens can join together to envision a sense of a shared future; create a sense of shared history; and capture and share learning experiences. It is a safe learning space, which we see as a rich and exciting resource for community exchange and international understanding.
Since the WE environment was set up last January, communities and classes of young people have produced posters, video clips and comic strips about citizenship issues of their choice. Some young people have worked with artists and writers in residence. In one project exploring homelessness, children from East London produced a graphic novel and a video highlighting the issues they had researched.
The publishers of cult comic 2000AD worked with schools and homeless charities. Two freelance cartoonists were involved, as were film-makers from Kushti Moving Image. These young artists were keen to lend their skills to help the children communicate effectively, and they were impressed by the children's professional approach.
The George Mitchell School in London examined a variety of citizenship themes such as social exclusion and immigration. Holy Cross Convent School in Kingston upon Thames has established collaborative internet and video-conferencing links with the Ikeda Junior High School in Osaka, Japan, allowing them to share each other's culture through sound and video.
The World Ecitizens website started with UnITy, a project supported by Domex and the Department for Education and Skills, in which UK teachers and students collaborated within schools, across the wider community and internationally to begin building a knowledge base and communication hub with children from the UK, Portugal, Ireland, Bangladesh and China. In these projects, children are getting the opportunity to think about how the world can be made a better place.
It's ironic that in today's so-called global village, the world seems more divided than ever. With ICT we have the opportunity to bridge cultural and political divides; to help bring young people together to share thoughts, ideas, hopes and aspirations. If we can help spread the message that all of us are citizens of the same planet and that we all share a common humanity, then many of the barriers that divide us can be broken down. What could be a better use for ICT?
Christina Preston is the chair of MirandaNet, a fellowship of interested parties in education which includes Microsoft, Toshiba. Promethean and the Institute of Education, University of London. She was was talking to George Cole.
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Biology is a subject of science which deals with the knowledge of living creatures.
This includes the study of both plants and animals in nature.
It starts from the smallest possible forms of microorganisms to highly evolved plants and animal forms.
The branch of biology dealing with plants is termed BOTANY.
And that dealing with animals is called ZOOLOGY.
The branch dealing with especially micro-organisms is called microbiology.
The subject deals in detail about birth, growth, reproduction, physiology, and anatomy, etc.
How to Study Biology
1. Have the diagrams or 3D structures: Biology can be understood better by the use of diagrams or 3D structures of animals or plants. Since there is an explanation about different parts of the anatomy or physiology, it has to be seen first. Seeing them helps us to have a better memory of the part. Also, it helps us understand what the functions of that organ or part are. Further diagrams improve the memory of the subject. So you can see that the memory of that topic is better than that which you have read without the picture.
2. Understand the terminology: The scientific language used in biology seems to be tough. This may be one of the reasons why some of them do not like it. But in fact, the terminology needs to be understood to make it easy.
Many of the scientific words in biology are from Latin or Greek. So if you understand the actual meaning of the word in those languages, it becomes easy to remember and understand.
For example, the word “meta” means “next.” So in the word “metamorphosis,” meta means next. So it is meta+morpho+osis i.e next+physical+condition (state). Similarly, metaphase (a stage in cell division) means again the “next” phase. So if you come across the word “meta,” it always means next.
So try to understand the meaning of words in the terminology. This makes it easy for you to understand and also memorize any terms in the course of study.
Some of the terms which one needs to understand are
amphi = both (amphibians = amphi+bians; means “both+living” ex: frogs, live both on land and water)
apo = Tip
teleo = Tail
artho = many (ex: arthopods = artho = many+ podos= foot).
some = also called “somes” means part.
There are many and try to understand and remember the terms. This will help you learn biology in an easy manner.
3. Use natural comparisons: Also instead of just reading it from books use daily life activities. When you come across some physiology, metabolism, etc. see from everyday experiences. This makes you understand and remember better. For example, the beating of the heart can be heard by self. You can even count the number of beats for a minute. This makes you realize that the actual numbers are the same as those mentioned in the book. This makes you confident and also knowledge more reliable.
So always use real-life examples where possible to study biology.
4. Use laboratory: Using a laboratory for many of the lessons is an excellent way to explore biology. Since it is a science subject, like physics and chemistry, biology needs laboratory demonstrations.
The use of laboratory to study biology helps to enhance your interest and curiosity in the subject. Many experiments are done in the lab. Some of them like staining of plant tissue slices, observation of animal tissues in slides, dissection of earthworms, etc., helps understand the anatomy and physiology better. So it good to never bunk or miss a biology-related lab work.
5. Read and revise: Once a particular chapter is discussed in the classroom, it is better to revise it the same day at home. This helps you understand better and also clarify any doubts from your teacher the next day. Also, it helps you memorize better and will be easy to get better results in exams.
But for this, it is wise to always read from a standard Biology book. Since there are images and flowcharts, having a book helps to memorize better.
Biology can also include biochemistry. Read how to study biochemistry.
How to Study Biology for test
As we discussed before, biology deals with every aspect of living beings. So one has to read it in different points like
1. Anatomy: It describes the structure of the bodies of plants (Leaf anatomy), animals, microbes in a detailed manner.
For this one needs to know the basics of cells, tissue, organs, etc.
Each cell has cell organelles like the nucleus, cell membrane, ribosomes, Golgi bodies, microtubules, mitochondria, etc.
Even one needs to differentiate plant cell and animal cells as they are entirely different.
“The anatomy is the primary factor by which one can differentiate the animals or plants.”
For instance, Aves (birds) have wings and two legs while insects have similar wings but many legs. Heart of reptiles is mostly three-chambered while that of mammals is four-chambered.
In plants, there are simple leaves, i.e., single big leaf and some have compound leaves which means a single leaf is differentiated into many small leaflets.
2. Physiology: This is the next vital factor to distinguish animals and plants. Physiology is the process by which the anatomy of the plant or animal is maintained.
The physiology includes how an animal digests food, gets energy, the method of reproduction, cell division, cell death, etc.
The material like carbohydrates, amino acids, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients are utilized in the process of physiology.
How food is converted to energy, how energy is used up in the body, the role of enzymes, hormones in physiology.
Since 80% of animal and plant anatomy is made up of water. You can see its role in physiology and anatomy. Importance of water.
For example, poikilothermic animals have body temperature varying as per surroundings while that of isotherms has same or fixed temperature in all climates.
3. Taxonomy: Taxonomy is a way by which plants, animals and microbes are categorized for ease of study and description. For example, mammals are a category of animals that breed their siblings with milk.
4. Life cycles: All living creatures have specific life cycles like birth, growth, reproductive phase and death. Some insects have eggs, larva and then insect stages. So the life cycle indicates how animal progresses in its life concerning anatomy and physiology.
5. Morphology: This tells how animals appear externally. Because of morphology, one can easily differentiate fish from tortoise in water.
6. Habits and habitats: Not all animals and plants are present all over the world.
They are present in places most suitable for them. Ex: Kangaroos are found mostly in Australia but not in Asia etc.
Amphibians like to reproduce mostly during the rainy season and this is their habit.
To learn biology, one should
- Have a standard textbook for reference.
- Have class notes written properly
- Draw and practice diagrams with proper labeling of parts.
- Try to memorize the Greek or Latin terms as they seem to be tough to remember.
Try to compare the aspects of physiology, the anatomy of one species or family with another. One needs to know clear demarcation between the plants or animals.
Ex: Monocotyledons and dicotyledons. Monocotyledons have unbreakable seed while dicotyledons have a seed that is breakable into two exact halves.
Whatever branches of biological sciences you take for studies, memorize the diagram, scientific terms and correlate with nature for better study and understanding.
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Rabbits are animals that many enjoy as pets, but others my find them destructive. Wild rabbits can often chew on your flowers, vegetables, fruits and can even cause damage to other items like wooden boards. Although a rabbit population can be hard to control, you can use home remedies to keep them away safely.
Before you implement a home remedy to deter rabbits, prepare by acquiring the items that help. You can try out a few of these materials, or obtain all of them for a stronger defense.
Start by collecting dog and human hair that is sufficient to encircle your plants. If you do not have enough hair of your own, ask a beauty salon if they can give you some clippings. For dog hair, brush your animal and save the remains, otherwise, see if a nearby friend or relative can provide this item.
Next, check your kitchen to see if you have ground hot pepper, black pepper or chili powder. If not, purchase these condiments at a grocery store.
Continue by visiting a garden center to purchase these plants: Garlic, onions and marigolds.
Finally, go to a farm supply and/or hardware store to buy the following materials: Blood meal, crushed limestone, talcum powder and wood ashes. Additionally, look for fake animals that are natural predators to rabbits like snakes, owls and dogs.
Now that you have the necessary materials, go to the areas on your property where you see rabbits and follow these steps.
First, scatter the human and dog hair on the ground, especially around any plants that have been chewed on. The smells emitted from the hair alert the rabbit that a threat is nearby, which keeps them away.
Continue by sprinkling the condiments (for example, black pepper) on the soil and follow this with the wood ashes, blood meal, crushed limestone and talcum powder. Be sure to cover any ground that is regularly visited by the rabbits. These animals hate the taste of all of these materials and are driven away when they encounter them.
Next, plant the garlic, marigolds and onions around the vulnerable areas on your property. Rabbits hate the taste of these plants so they are ideal as a natural hindrance.
Lastly, position fake animals, such as dogs, around your home. Place them in areas that have a high rabbit activity or are especially susceptible to invasion. These natural enemies are enough to scare rabbits away and force them to move on.
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Circulating Cell-free Genome Atlas Study
Mapping the Landscape of Genomic Cancer Signals in the Blood
The Circulating Cell-free Genome Atlas (CCGA) Study is a prospective, observational, longitudinal, study designed to characterize the landscape of genomic cancer signals in the blood of people with and without cancer. The study has enrolled approximately 15,000 participants across 142 sites in the United States and Canada, and includes both people who had cancer at the time of enrollment (newly diagnosed, and not yet received treatment) and people who did not have a known cancer diagnosis. Planned follow-up for all participants is at least five years to collect clinical outcome data.
Current Status: Follow-up
Early Detection Can Increase Survival
The earlier that cancer can be found, the better the chance of successful treatment. GRAIL and its research partners are enrolling participants in CCGA to identify patterns that could be used to detect many types of cancer, and to discover, develop, and validate a blood test for the early detection of cancer.
- Avera Research Institute
- Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason
- Christ Hospital Health Network - The Lindner Cancer Center Research Division
- Cleveland Clinic
- Dana Farber Cancer Institute
- Guardian Research Network
- Hartford HealthCare Cancer Institute
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Lahey Hospital & Medical Center
- Mayo Clinic (Arizona, Florida, and Minnesota)
- Memorial Sloan Kettering
- Oregon Health & Science University Knight Cancer Institute
- Tennessee Oncology
- UHN Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Canada)
- University of Miami Sylvester
- US Oncology Network
The study enrolled participants who either had diagnosis of cancer and have not yet received treatment, or are individuals without a current or prior cancer diagnosis. All participants are 20 years of age or older and provided written informed consent.
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Another day, another surprise for the economic forecasters: a record 6.6 million people filed for unemployment last week. Oxford Economics in an email called it an “incomprehensible jump” that may be “the new normal.” Joe Brusuelas, chief economist for middle market audit and advisory firm RSM, wrote that such “tectonic shifts” imply a “real-time unemployment rate of 10.1% at a minimum.”
There is so much uncertainty in the world right now that economic forecasters are downgrading their predictions almost as fast as they can make them. Within a few weeks, Goldman Sachs downgraded its second quarter GDP estimates from –2% to –24% to –32%.
Predictions are pretty clear that a recession, and maybe a very bad one, is in the offing. But given how quickly the situation is changing, is there a chance the country is heading for a depression?
Fortune discussed the issue with 10 economists and financial market experts. Most at this point consider a recession essentially a given. And a depression? That’s where opinions start to diverge wildly.
After all, out of the 22 recessions since 1900, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research, only one was dire enough to warrant such a title: the Great Depression. There had been four in the preceding 19th century.
Right now there appear to be two camps. Those in the first say economic fundamentals have been essentially sound and that a depression is almost unthinkable. The other group says that a depression is very much a possibility.
What is a depression?
Unlike a recession—two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth—there is no compact universal definition of a depression.
Absent an official definition, economists have a variety of working ones. According to some, “in a depression, you have to have a decline in GDP of two or more years,” said Shahid Hamid, professor of finance and chair of the finance department at Florida International University. “Another is if the GDP decline is greater than 10% [for two years]. A third is if unemployment is more than 10%,” again for two years.
Then there are economists who take a more relative approach. “Some people say it has to be a year [of severe economic contraction],” said Derek Horstmeyer, an associate professor of finance at the George Mason University School of Business. “Some people push it further.”
There is even a question as to whether it must be obvious to everyone at the same time. “It is possible for one sector of a society to be trapped in an economic trough—a depression—while another sector is feeding from the trough and living the high life,” said Michael Merrill, an economist, professor of professional practice, and director of the Labor Education Action Research Network in the Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations. “Traditional Middle America has known exactly such a situation since the mid-1970s, and African-Americans have known it for even longer. The effects are evident in every health, economic, and social welfare statistic one might want to consult.”
Or, as goes the old saying that James Cassel, cofounder and chairman of investment banking firm Cassel Salpeter & Co., mentioned: “When your friend’s out of a job, it’s a recession. When you’re out of a job, it’s a depression.”
As with recessions, depressions are typically diagnosed in retrospect, after the data is in. But that typically comes after events have happened and not as they are occurring, unlike in many other aspects of American life.
“We actually have data for minute-by-minute listeners to major radio shows,” said Usha Haley, W. Frank Barton distinguished chair in international business, professor of management, and director of the Center for International Business Advancement of Wichita State University. “We know who’s going to buy products and what’s going to happen. Here, for the first time, we don’t have [the economic data we need to forecast].” The changes are so swift and large that forecasters can’t build projections from patterns in the recent past.
“This [pandemic] scenario is very new, and economists don’t have a good model to predict how the recovery would be,” Hamid said.
There is also an inherent issue in how economists measure GDP. They usually look at change between quarters and then project that out into an annual growth rate. When a forecast projects that GDP will be –32% in the second quarter, it’s really saying that if the change between the first and second quarter kept up all year, it would be like losing 32% of GDP over that year.
That can get confusing for a lay audience when trying to understand the state of things. “The way the quarter-over-quarter math works, if it goes down a lot in quarter one and it stays at that low level of activity in quarter two, [the rate is] zero,” said Steven Blitz, chief U.S. economist of TS Lombard. Suddenly the rate economists and the media mention is 0%, which sounds far better than –32%, but it means things are still as bad.
Between all these factors, trying to pinpoint whether we’re heading for a depression is extremely difficult.
The optimists, if you can call them that, cite a basically strong economy, the noneconomic nature of the pandemic, and the presumption of pent-up demand once things are back to normal as evidence that as quickly as we fell into this hole, we can pull out of it.
Florida International University’s Hamid is among those who think a depression is “very, very unlikely” given the economy’s performance coming into the crisis. Haley at Wichita State University agreed. “We’re in the center of it all,” she said. “We’re on the battlefield. Once that is over, we will recoup.”
In an email to Fortune, Kundan Kishor, a professor of economics at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, saw a depression as only a “one out of 100 chance.” He sees two potential likely scenarios. One is a large drop in the economy and rapid recovery in the third and fourth quarters. The other is a “double-dip recession” if the pandemic reemerges in the fall.
If an economic fall happens and continues for months, the situation becomes more grave, thinks Sevin Yeltekin, a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business. “But if we can restart, even a staggering restart, we’re not really destroying capital,” she said. “We’re not destroying labor. The ramping up should happen quite quickly,” putting danger at a distance.
“When you recognize that the contraction of economic activity was imposed [as a response to the pandemic] and therefore can be lifted, that makes this very different from your plain-vanilla ordinary recession in which policy missteps turned into a depression,” explained TS Lombard’s Blitz.
And then there is the other view. “Most economic models now point to a 25% to 30% unemployment rate in Q2,” said George Mason’s Horstmeyer, who focuses more on the degree of contraction and not the length. “The numbers we’re seeing trickling in are very bad. This projection is worse than anything we saw in the Great Depression. So we can certainly call this a depression even if it only lasts for a quarter or two.”
Alessandro Rebucci, an associate professor of finance at the Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, also stressed the depth of the collapse that his research shows using current indirect measures of activity, like energy use and traffic patterns. “This [recession] poses formidable challenges and could be more prolonged and more severe, possibly worse than the Great Recession of 2008 to ’09, which lasted six quarters and saw the unemployment rate reaching 10% of the labor force,” he said. “Current estimates put it at two to four times as severe, making it more profound than the Great Depression.”
Rebucci also points to cascading effects that will stretch through the economy. “People will start to lose jobs, which means they will lose houses,” he said. “We’re used to thinking of recession driven by shocks that are short-lived. This is not only a shock that will last a while but will have long-term effects. What is shocking is that institutions continue to forecast moderate output declines, which has to do with the fact that they don’t want to sound the alarm.”
“The odds of a depression are quite high,” says Merrill of Rutgers—in fact he thinks we might already be in one. While the stimulus packages will “slow the decline somewhat,” changing the direction of the economy means addressing the pandemic and bringing it under control, and then restoring confidence afterward. “As long as people remain afraid of getting deathly ill and maybe dying every time they go to a mall, grocery store, or barber shop, the economy will not recover,” he said.
Avoiding the danger
For the U.S. to avoid a depression, says Blitz, three things must occur.
- First, the Federal Reserve must do everything in its power to ensure that “credit contagion doesn’t cascade through the system.” The Fed has taken many extraordinary steps not seen since the 2008 collapse, which hopefully will keep the global financial systems operating. If there are additional liquidity problems, however, the Fed may have reached the end of its options.
- Second, the federal government needs a large enough fiscal response of the right type. The $2 trillion aid package is enormous, but Blitz thinks it may not offer the best approach. “The problem with giving people money to spend [is that] you have to be balancing that against the fact that you have social distancing rules preventing people from spending money,” Blitz said. “I’d rather them front-load a trillion dollars of spending by all the various nondefense government agencies.”
- The biggest question is Blitz’s third point—that the shutdown of activity needs to end quickly. “You need to stop the imposition of social distancing sooner [rather] than later, and government has to realize that the lifting of this can’t be a six- to 12-month process,” he said. “Then they have to encourage people to go out and live their lives. Once government takes this power to shut things down, they’re very reluctant to give it up.”
Although Donald Trump has said that he’d like to end isolation by the end of April at the earliest, the mathematical models the administration is using suggest that social distancing may have to continue through at least May. And that aggravates the problem.
Because while scientists are working to make strides on treatments and vaccines for coronavirus, economists are still searching for their magic bullet: a way to bring an economy out of a depression.
More must-read stories from Fortune:
—Everything you need to know about the coronavirus stimulus checks
—The quickest way to boost the economy isn’t even being considered. Why?
—How does America pay for the coronavirus relief bill? With two shiny coins
—Will the “Great Cessation” be worse than the Great Recession?
—Listen to Leadership Next, a Fortune podcast examining the evolving role of CEO
—WATCH: U.S. tax deadline moved from April 15 to July 15
Subscribe to Fortune’s Bull Sheet for no-nonsense finance news and analysis daily.
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Download our Mobile App
Google Earth, the free Earth mapping service by Google, was re-launched with stunning new features. Calling it a “gift to the world”, the all new re-imagined version is weaved with storytelling and artificial intelligence.
The announcement which came as the world celebrated Earth Day on April 22, would see the all new Google Earth loaded with a lot of stunning features such as 3D maps of specific locations, learn about random places around the world, take guided tours from their Chrome browser or mobile devices and more.
The newly added features-
The new feature called ‘Voyager’ would enable the user to digitally explore the planet and be guided through interactive stories told by experts such as BBC Earth, NASA, Sesame Street and the Jane Goodall Institute. Reportedly, there are more than 50 already available- including a tour of the Tanzanian Gombe National Park led by primate expert Jane Goodall and her team. Video journeys to six different habitats is also available which is produced by BBC Earth.
Enabling the users to use it at their comfort in computers, smartphones and tablets, Google Earth also have added a feature called ‘I’m Feeling Lucky’ button. Once the user clicks on it, they are taken to somewhere unexpected such as an opera house in Italy or hot spring in Japan and displays knowledge card with interesting facts. It would come handy if a user comes across hidden gems and locations and wants to make a suggestion to the software.
That’s not all; the online explorers using mobile version of Earth can capture pictures and send across as digital postcards.
Artificial Intelligence at place-
The all new Google Earth would put artificial intelligence on work in the form of the above mentioned knowledge cards, that would let the user dive deeper into online information about mountains, countries, landmarks or other places being virtually visited.
It would be capable of suggesting other locations that the user might be interested in exploring based on their past searches. Sean Askay, Earth engineering manager noted that it’s the very first time that they have done this deep integration with Google Knowledge Graph. The company is making it sure that everything that Google knows about the world, the user can know about it.
“With the new Earth, we want to open up different lenses for you to see the world and learn a bit about how it all fits together; to open your mind with new stories while giving you a new perspective on the locations and experiences you cherish,” Earth product manager Gopal Shah said in a blog post.
The New Earth has been launched on Google’s Chrome and Android software and soon the versions tailored for Apple devices and other internet browsing software would be made available.
In a nutshell,
- There’s 3D maps
- Interacted stories guided by expert
- The “Voyage” tab can take the user on a virtual tour in say Galapagos islands or other sites of heritage importance
- With “I’m feeling lucky” button, plan your next spontaneous trip
- Find out the lost civilization with Google. Go to Google Earth -> Voyage -> History -> Lost Civilizations from Above to find them.
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Srishti currently works as Associate Editor at Analytics India Magazine. When not covering the analytics news, editing and writing articles, she could be found reading or capturing thoughts into pictures.
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Sarracenia leucophylla Seeds
White-Topped Pitcher Plant Seeds
Ease to Grow: Easy
Native Range: Wet Pocosins of the Gulf Coast from Georgia to the Mississippi Delta.
Zones: 7-9 (6-10).
The White-Topped Pitcher Plant, Sarracenia leucophylla is a tall southern pitcher plant with distinctively red and white colored trumpets. White areoles (windows) dominate the upper portions of the tubes which attract many flying insects, particularly wasps. Sarracenia leucophylla has two trap seasons, producing a few nice traps in the Spring, but a burst of large vigorous traps in the Fall, when it is very showy and other pitcher plants dwindle. It prefers open, sunny, damp conditions, but tolerates semi-dry ones. Trumpets tolerate light frost. The showy flowers are red and mildly fragrant. They generally bloom from April to May before the pitchers fully develop. Appearing white from a distance, these plants are a wonder accent or spectacular group display in the bog garden. This selection comes from seed, and will show some natural variations.
Seed Packs are fresh harvested in Summer, and stored refrigerated. Seed count is approximate, but reliable.
Note: Stratification is required to prepare seeds for germination. All seeds are produced from open pollination within our collection. Some cross pollination may occur, and seed offspring may or may not be true to mother plant. Growing carnivorous plants from seeds is best suited for the experienced and patient grower. See our webpage on Growing CPs from Seeds.
Height: 8" - 28".
Plant Type: Perennial, temperate.
Soil: Upper Bog Mix or General CP Mix.
Light: Bright indoors, full sun to partial sun outdoors.
Use: Grows well in the bog garden, greenhouse and indoors. It is an excellent accent plant.
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FLICKR, BRIAN MCKAYThe canine distemper virus may be infecting the Sumatran tiger, a critically endangered species living in Indonesia, according to BBC News. The virus, which devastated lions in the Serengeti in the 1990s, has become a major threat to wildlife.
“If you wind the clock back about 30 or 40 years, it was a dog disease—it was a canine virus and only affected dogs," John Lewis, director of Wildlife Vets International, told the BBC. "But in the intervening years, the virus has evolved and has changed its pattern of animals it can infect to include marine mammals (such as seals) and big cats."
Researchers believe that dogs must serve as a reservoir for the virus, and that big cats come into contact with the virus through contact with domestic dogs that have not been inoculated against it.
The virus has previously killed Siberian tigers in Russia. Now Lewis suspects it is infecting tigers on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Symptoms of infection include respiratory problems and behavioral changes, including loss of fear for humans.
When Lewis visited Sumatra recently, he talked to local veterinarians who had heard reports of tigers coming into villages and behaving oddly, the BBC said. Lewis considers this a worrisome sign. When he returns to Indonesia in September he’ll start a program to track distemper in Sumatran tiger populations, an effort he hopes will serve as a model for surveillance programs in other tigers subspecies’ ranges.
“A tiger disease surveillance programme has never been tackled,” Lewis said in a Wildlife Vets International statement. “If we get it right, it could help us forestall a major problem, which is the last thing tigers need in their precarious state.”
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Ways to Give Back to Our Planet During The Holidays
Written by: Hanbi Lee & Reya Siby
From September 19-27, a new clock went up on New York City’s Metronome, a building that includes a 62-foot-wide, 15-digit electronic clock that faces Union Square in Manhattan. Created by artists Gan Golan and Andrew Boyd, this clock would count down the time until the effects of climate change on our planet would be irreversible. The hope was that it would encourage people to start taking action before it became too late.
The Climate Clock shows two numbers. The first number is our “deadline,” meaning it’s a timer that counts down how long we have before we’ve burnt through our “carbon budget” at our current rates of emissions. The “carbon budget” is the amount of carbon dioxide that can still be emitted while limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In other words, this is how long we have to take action in order to keep warming below this threshold. The second number represents our “lifeline” and tracks the growing percentage of the world’s energy that is currently supplied from renewable sources. Ideally, we want to see our lifeline increase and reach 100% before our deadline reaches 0.
This deadline isn’t a number two artists arbitrarily estimated to scare the public into action. They have similar exhibitions in other major cities of the world to raise awareness for the pressing concern that is preserving our planet. Their website thoroughly explains the science behind how this number was calculated, but in case you’re in a bit of a time crunch, here’s a quick summary:
The clock is modelled after the carbon clock made by the Mercator Research Institute on Global Commons and Climate Change, whose data is based on the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C. There are a lot of factors that are taken into consideration when making these calculations. While the carbon budget is based on a nearly linear relationship between the cumulative emotions and the increases in temperature, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the earth would be 1.5°C warmer the moment we’ve used up the remaining carbon budget. One of the reasons for this is because there is a time lag between the concentration of emissions in the atmosphere and the impact of these emissions on the temperature. Moreover, the earth’s climate doesn’t warm at a linear rate, and there are thresholds along the way that cause large and possibly irreversible transitions in the climate. In the calculations, it was also assumed that the annual emission rates of future years would be similar to the rates of 2017, but current numbers are showing that emission rates are still on the rise, which means that we actually have even less time than we think.
I know, it all sounds very bleak. But my goal is not to sit here and spew all this information at you and dampen your holiday spirit. If anything, I hope that this will encourage you to start thinking about the ways you can take action. Because even in small ways, there are a lot of ways we can help.
This holiday season let’s all try to be mindful of the ways we impact our environment and consider the ways we can give to our planet so that future generations can continue to enjoy many more holiday seasons. Here are a few ways we can contribute:
1. Be Mindful of Waste:
When buying gifts, try to find eco-friendly items or items with reduced packaging. Also, choose gifts that will last the recipient a long time, rather than something that will be discarded after little use.
When wrapping gifts, recycle wrapping paper and gift bags when possible. You can also try to use a reusable alternative to regular wrapping paper such as: newspapers, comics, posters, maps, fabric, brown paper bags, or cloth gift bags. Your gifts will look unique and also be sustainable.
Lastly, limit buying unnecessary, single-use decorations.You could even try creating your own decorations that you can re-use each year.
2. Send Green Holiday Cards:
A lot of our close relatives or friends might be living far away, and you might want to send them your season’s greetings. You can find a sustainable alternative to the regular holiday cards. For example, Etsy is a great site to find eco-friendly holiday cards. They have many options and they are cheap! How about if you are receiving holiday cards? You can reuse them as decorations for next year or recycle them.
You can also try to make your own home-made holiday cards from house hold items like blank white paper, lined paper, or construction paper instead of buying packs of cards that come with unnecessary plastic packaging. This is a great way to send your love while also creating something fun!
3. Real is Always Better:
Fake Christmas trees are made from toxic plastics like PVCs and dangerous heavy metals. So not only will real Christmas trees get you more into the Christmas spirit with its fresh pine scent, it’s also eco-friendly. After Christmas is over, you can recycle the tree or compost it.
Another thing you can consider is buying candles made from soy or other plant-based waxes instead of paraffin wax, which is from petroleum as a by-product of making gasoline. This way, your candles are made from real, natural, and sustainable materials.
4. Give to Non-profit Organizations That Are Fighting Against Climate Change:
It can be difficult to narrow down which organization to donate to since there is a plethora of them out there. Nevertheless, it’s important to do the research before you donate your hard-earned money! To save you the time and effort, I’ve compiled a short list of the best ranked organizations by Charity Navigator, a reputable and trustworthy non-profit that researches various charities and ranks them based on a variety of factors to ensure that your donations are going to good use. Here are the top non-profit organizations to donate to this holiday season (note: most of these are tax-deductible):
- Environmental Defense Fund
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Friends of the Earth
- Earth Day Network
- Environmental Research and Education Foundation
If none of these tickle your fancy, you can also find more environmental charities here.
5. Raise Awareness:
Probably the easiest thing you can do this holiday season to contribute to protecting the Earth is to raise awareness regarding the effects of climate change and to educate yourself and those around you!
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Explanation of the Hadith: "Allahumma-qsim lana min khashyatika ma tahulu bihi bainana wa baina ma`sika."
Praise be to Allah and peace be upon His Messenger. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone who has no partner and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Servant and Messenger.
Imam At-Tirmidhy reported in his Sunan from the Hadith of Ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) seldom left a gathering without supplicating in these terms: "Allahumma-qsim lana min khashyatika ma tahulu bihi bainana wa baina ma`sika, wa min ta`atika ma tuballighuna bihi jannataka, wa minal-yaqini ma tuhawwinu `alaina masa-'ibad-dunya. Allahumma matti`na biasma`ina, wa absarina, wa quwwatina ma ahyaitana, waj`alhul-waritha minna, waj`al tharana `ala man zalamana, wansurna `ala man `adana, wa la taj`al musibatana fi dinina, wa la taj`alid-dunya akbara hammina, wa la mablagha `ilmina, wa la tusallit `alaina man-la yarhamuna, (O Allah, apportion to us such fear as should serve as a barrier between us and acts of disobedience; and such obedience as will take us to Your Jannah; and such as will make easy for us to bear in the calamities of this world. O Allah! Let us enjoy our hearing, our sight and our power as long as You keep us alive and make our heirs from our own offspring, and make our revenge restricted to those who oppress us, and support us against those who are hostile to us let no misfortune afflict our religion; let not worldly affairs be our principal concern, or the ultimate limit of our knowledge, and let not those rule over us who do not show mercy to us).'' As for the Prophet's saying: "Allahumma-qsim Lana min khashyatika MA tahulu bihi bainana WA baina ma`sika, [i.e. O Allah, apportion to us such fear as should serve as a barrier between us and acts of disobedience]," Allahumma-qsim: "O Allah, apportion to us khashyatika [apportion to us such fear]:" Fear which is based on knowledge. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "It is only those who have knowledge among His slaves that fear Allâh." [Surat Fatir: 28].
The more a person fears Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted), the more he fears Allah and stops violation of the boundaries of Allah. Therefore, the Prophet said: "ma Yahulu baynana wa bayna ma`asik [as should serve as a barrier between us and acts of disobedience]." As for the Prophet's saying: "wa min ta`atika ma tuballighuna bihi jannataka," it means: And apportion for us from Your Obedience what may lead us to Your Paradise because the road to Paradise is obeying Allah (may He be Glorified and Exalted). So, when a person fears Allah, avoids His prohibited matters, and obeys Him; he shall be rescued from Hell and shall enter Paradise by his obedience .
As for the Prophet's saying: "wa minal-yaqini ma tuhawwinu `alayna masa'ibad-dunya," "yaqin" is the highest degrees of faith because it is not mixed with doubt or hesitation. You should ascertain of absent things as you watch to something present in your hand. Ibn Mas`ud said: Certitude is the entire faith, so if a person has a full certainty of what Allah (may He be Exalted) informed us in regard to the unseen matters, the names or attributes of Allah, or about the Hereafter, he shall have full certitude. There are many misfortunes in the world, but if a man has a full certainty that these misfortunes shall expiate his sins and raise his degrees if he observes patience and seeks the reward from Allah, the calamities will be easy, no matter how great they are whether in his body, family, or money. Imam Muslim reported in his Sahih on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said: When the following Ayah was revealed: "whosoever works evil, will have the recompense thereof, and he will not find any protector or helper besides Allâh." [Surat An-Nisa': 123], it affected Muslims greatly, thereupon, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Follow the Right Path of Faith strictly and be steadfast "Be moderate and stand firm in trouble that falls to a Muslim (as that) is an expiation for him; even stumbling on the path or the pricking of a thorn (are an expiation for him)."
As for the Prophet's saying: "Allahumma matti`na biasma`ina, wa absarina, wa quwwatina ma ahyaitana," it means: Make us enjoy and benefit from our hearings, sights, and power as long as we live to use them in obeying You .
Ibn Al Malik said: Enjoying hearing and sight means to make them sound until death, the Prophet (peace be upon him) mentioned hearing and sight because the proofs which lead to the knowledge of Allah and His Oneness come through them. These proofs are taken from the Qur'an through hearing or through the universal signs, or through contemplation in the human body. If a person enjoys these senses, he shall get a great goodness and when he loses them, he misses a great goodness. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Say: It is He Who has created you, and endowed you with hearing (ears) and seeing (eyes), and hearts. Little thanks you give." [Surat Al Mulk: 23].
Some scholars lived more than one hundred years while enjoying their power and mentality. One day, one of those scholars jumped high, then people blamed him for that, thereupon he said: We have preserved these organs from committing sins while we were young, consequentially Allah preserves them for us in old age.
As for the Prophet's saying: "waj`alhul-waritha minna," i.e., make the mentioned hearings, sights, and power sound until death. As for the Prophet's saying: "waj`al tharana `ala man zalamana," i.e., make us victorious over those who have wronged us either by worldly infliction or infliction in the Hereafter. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Allâh does not like that the evil should be uttered in public except by him who has been wronged. And Allâh is Ever All-Hearer, All-Knower." [Surat An-Nisa': 148] .
It was reported in Sahih Al Bukhari and Sahih Muslim from the Hadith of Mu`adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Take refuge against the invocation of an oppressed person because there is no screen between his invocation and Allah."
As for the Prophet's saying: "wansurna `ala man `adana," the numerous enemies, especially the Jews, the Christians, the polytheists, the hypocrites, and others. One of the biggest enemies and more powerful is Satan whom Allah warned us against. Allah says: "Surely, Shaitân (Satan) is an enemy to you, so take (treat) him as an enemy. He only invites his Hizb (followers) that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire." [Surat Fatir: 6] .
Allah (may He be Exalted) says about the infidels: "O you who believe! Take not My enemies and your enemies (i.e., disbelievers and polytheists) as friends." [Surat Al Mumtahanah: 1] .
Allah (may He be Exalted) says about the hypocrites: "They are the enemies, so beware of them. May Allâh curse them! How are they denying (or deviating from) the Right Path?" [Surat Al Munafiqun: 4] .
Allah (may He be Exalted) will provide us victory over them all. Allah (may He be Exalted) says: "Nay, Allâh is your Maulâ (Patron, Lord, Helper, Protector), and He is the Best of helpers." [Surat Al `Imran: 150] .
As for the Prophet's saying: "wa la taj`al musibatana fi dinina," calamities hit money, body, house, or the family of a person, so they get sick or die; and the greatest calamity is that which hits the religion, which is of two types: Either to be afflicted by sins such as earning ill-gotten money and thinking ill of others or is afflicted of what is greater than that such as polytheism, disbelief, hypocrisy, and of the like because this is a destruction like death to the body .
As for the Prophet's saying: "do not make the world our biggest concern nor the end of our knowledge," do not make the pursuit of money and power the biggest of our concern, but make our bigger concern is the Hereafter .
"wa la mablagha `ilmina," do not put us in a place to think only in the worldly matters, but make us ponder over the conditions of the Hereafter. "Mablagha" means the end which a person reaches or reckon himself for. At-Tirmidhy reported in his Sunan from the Hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "As for him whose concern is the Hereafter , Allah grows in his heart an unconcern (for the world ) and brings it together for him and the world comes to him while it is unwanted . But, as for him whose concern is this world , Allah makes poverty his lot and makes him anxious for it and the world does not come to him except what is decreed for him."
As for the Prophet's saying: "wa la tusallit `alaina man-la yarhamuna," do not make us inferior to disbelievers and oppressors, or do not make the wrongdoers our leaders and rulers because an oppressor does not show mercy to his subjects.
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds [i.e., people]. And peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions .
(P. 551 No. 3502) At-Tirmidhy said: This Hadith is Hassan Gharib (a good Hadith that is strange to come from this chain of narration). Al Albany graded it as good in Sahih Sunan At-Tirmidhy (3 /168) No. 2783 .
P. 1039 No. 2574 .
Jami` Al `Ulum Wal Hikam, P. 225 .
Part of the Hadith reported in P. 821, No. 4347, and Sahih Muslim P. 42, No. 19 with the wordings of Muslim .
P. 403 No. 2465 .
Tuhfat Al Ahwazy, (9 /442) No. 3502 .
See the explanation of Riyadh As-Salihin if Ibn `Uthaymain (may Allah bestow mercy on his soul) (4 /361 – 366).
Please write: COMMENT in this box to verify that you are human
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January 4th, 2019, 12:56 Posted By: wraggster
A new report has contested the notion that time spent in front of screens inherently has a 'toxic' effect on young people.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has published the UK's first screen time guidance report to address concerns that too much time playing video games, using smart devices or engaged in other screen-based activities can be harmful.
The institution reports there is "not enough evidence to confirm that screen time is in itself harmful to child health at any age."
As a result, it is "impossible" to recommend age appropriate time limits, instead urging parents to "approach screen time based on the child's development age [and] individual need."
Families are encouraged to monitor whether screen time is displacing socialising, physical exercise and sleep -- and if so, to negotiate it between parent and child.
The report also reminds parents that: "Both video content and games have certification systems, designed to protect children from inappropriate content.
"It is important that parents are aware of these systems, and mindful of them, especially when older siblings may be playing violent or explicit games."
Two more specific recommendations worth noting include avoiding screen time for at least an hour before bed, and to control snacking while engaged in screen-based activities.
In the study on which the report is based, 88% of children said screen time had a negative impact on their sleep, with kids spending an average of 1.5 hours on screens before falling asleep.
Meanwhile, the RCPCH's officer for health promotion Dr Max Davie said watching screens can "distract children from feeling full" so parents need to monitor how much they are eating while in front of a screen.
The study was based on 109 children and young people between 11 and 24 years old, who said they spend an average of 2.5 hours on a computer, laptop or tablet, two hours on their phone, and two hours watching TV per day.
Davie continued: "Technology is an integral part of the lives of children and young people. They use it for communication, entertainment, and increasingly in education.
For more information and downloads, click here!
There are 0 comments - Join In and Discuss Here
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This new concept is a highly efficient pump, charger or motor for gases and fluids with an extremely simple design.
It consists of only a handful of parts and requires neither gears nor micro-precision machining nor complicated manufacturing processes.
A piston is eccentrically rolling on the inner wall of a cylindrical housing. This piston is cylindrical yet smaller in diameter than the housing. An elastic element - internally mounted or as outer layer - may ensure that the piston is constantly touching the inner wall of the housing. Thus, a sickle shaped working room is formed between the housing and the piston. This volume is moved forward in the same rotational direction as the propelling axle. The front and rear of the housing faces are closed with covers (upper cover not shown). They contain the bearings of the axle. A control flap (red) is mounted between the inlet and the outlet opening and touching the rolling piston with its free end. Another flap (blue) is mounted in the opposite direction in the housing wall. It may touch the control flap and serves as a type of reed valve or back flow preventer.
Fluid enters via the inlet duct running the complete length of the housing. The fluid is pushed forward by the rolling piston and exits via the outlet opening. To prevent the fluid from flowing back, flaps are employed. The control flap is pressed against the piston either by the prevailing pressure or by the reedvalve flap or by an elastic element. When the fluid in the working volume has enough pressure the reedvalve flap is lifted off the control flap and the fluid can exit. The opening is automatically controlled by pressure, flow and force on the reed flap. Then the reedvalve flap will return to touch the control flap again either actuated by the pressure or some spring force.
- Extremely simple mechanical design.
- Tightness ensured through parts that are actually touching.
- Operating even at high rotational speeds since closing forces for the flaps are depending on differential pressures, area and weight of the flaps.
- Movement of the flaps versus each other may use a gear-like surface design thus greatly reducing or even eliminating friction and wear.
- Eccentrical movement of the piston results in rather slow speed of piston faces versus housing covers and allows for simple seals.
- Oil-free operation possible.
- Transported volume of the fluid can be determined by the sizes of the housing and piston or the rotational speed.
- Continuous inlet fluid flow when two rolling pistons are employed phased 180°.
Scope of possible usage:
- AC compressor
- mechanical supercharger for charging combustion engines
- small compressors for air or gases
- multi stage compressors for hydrogen, pressurized air, oxygen supply et al.
- vacuum pump
- energy recuperation while lowering from high pressure
- air motor
- air supply, energy recuperation from from exhaust and supplied hydrogen
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This puzzle consists of a random sequence of m black disks and n white disks on an oval-shaped track, with a turnstile capable of flipping (i.e., reversing) three consecutive disks. In Figure 1, there are 8 black disks and 10 white disks on the track. You may spin the turnstile to flip the three disks in it or shift one position clockwise for each of the disks on the track (Figure 1).
The goal of this puzzle is to gather the disks of the same color in adjacent positions using flips and shifts. (Figure 2)
You are to write a program which decides whether a given sequence can reach a goal or not. If a goal is reachable, then write a message "YES"; otherwise, write a message "NO".
The input consists of T test cases. The number of test cases ) (T is given in the first line of the input file. Each of the next T lines gives a test case. A test case consists of an integer, representing the sum of m and n, and a sequence of m+n 0s and 1s, representing an initial sequence. A 0 denotes a white disk and a 1 denotes a black disk. The sum of m and n is at least 10 and does not exceed 30. There is a space between numbers.
The output should print either "YES" or "NO" for each test case, one per line.
18 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
14 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0
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Which Joe gave his name to ‘sloppy joes’? We look at five interesting sandwiches and their lexical origins.
A fruit formed from several carpels derived from the same flower, e.g. a raspberry.
- ‘Strawberry and blackberry are also aggregate fruits with the addition of an edible, enlarged receptacle.’
- ‘Although I well knew, of course, that in technical botanical language, the blackberry is not a berry at all, but an aggregate fruit of numerous drupelets.’
- ‘They do not arise from a single flower as in aggregate fruits like raspberries and blackberries.’
- ‘A blackberry is made up of many tiny, rounded, shiny berries stuck together - an aggregate fruit.’
- ‘Tayberry fruit, like that of the raspberry and blackberry, is an aggregate fruit consisting of a collection of drupelets.’
We take a look at several popular, though confusing, punctuation marks.
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, discover surprising and intriguing language facts from around the globe.
The definitions of ‘buddy’ and ‘bro’ in the OED have recently been revised. We explore their history and increase in popularity.
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Fruits and Flowers of Winter
An exhibition drawn from the collections of
The LuEsther T. Mertz Library
On view November 15-February 16, 2002
Gardener, if you listen, listen well:
Plant for your winter pleasure, when the months dishearten;
Plant to find a fragile note touched from the brittle violin of frost.
Fruits and Flowers of Winter features items drawn from the Mertz Library’s rare books, folios, archival materials, manuscripts, and original artwork, exploring the pageantry of winter’s beauty.
In 1712, Joseph Addison, an English essayist wrote in his a daily paper, The Spectator, an article introducing the concept of the all-green winter garden whose “trees only as never cast their leaves.” Addison contrived a winter garden saying, “there is something unspeakably cheerful in a spot of ground which is cover’d with trees that smile amidst all the rigour of winter, and give us a view of the most gay season . . .”
The exhibition features more than 60 splendid works of botanical illustration that brighten and illuminate the season. Seventeenth-century items illustrate advances in hothouse construction, enabling the growth of fruits and flowers indoors in winter. Exotic plants collected for local and foreign trade during this period of exploration enriched the collections of botanical gardens and private horticulturists. A rare post revolutionary era New York City plantsman’s account ledger provides a glimpse of the number of exotic ornamentals from Europe and Asia, recently brought into the trade, and being kept the winter for a fee.
The Story of Winter Citrus & Orangeries Hothouses&Greenhouses Winter in Early New York City
Contriving A Winter Garden Walking in a Winter Garden Florists and Nurseries
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Neuropsychology Psychology 162, Fall 2008
Use the box below to
Mapping the Receptive Field Laboratory: Week 1
Description of the Laboratory
One of the most important techniques for studying the brain in the past century has been the development of single cell recording. In this method, an extremely think electrode, called a microelectrode, is lowered into the brain until it actually penetrates a neuron, usually an axon is what is recorded from because of the action potentials. The researcher knows that a cell has been penetrated usually by listening to the clicks generated by action potentials over a loudspeaker.
Once a cell has been penetrated, the researcher tries to understand what the cell responds to. In this laboratory, the cells are part of the visual cortex. More particularly, the striate cortex or V1. So the task is to determine what visual stimuli causes the cell to respond the most. In essence, this lab is a simplified version of the research of Hubel and Wiesel that has been discussed in class. In their research, they held on to a cell as long as they could and then presented as many different stimuli to find those features of the world that the cell responded to best.
Goals for the Laboratory
Directions for the Laboratory
Before beginning the laboratory, download and copy the spreadsheet that has been developed for data collection. It will help guide you in your attempts to determine the optimal stimulus for the cells that you are recording from. Bring a copy on a thumb drive to class or use your vault account.
Then open the activity from the link at the bottom of the page. You will be presented with a full screen to run the simulation. The screen is structured as almost exactly as shown below:
On the far left is the menu that will allow you to pick a stimulus to use to stimulate your cell. The choice are a black field (default), a white field, a white dot, a white bar, a black bar, and a moving bar (white). The black area of the screen is the area of the retina that you can stimulate.
Your task is to find and describe the receptive field on the screen. The receptive field will be somewhere on the black region of the screen.
Around and below the receptive field are controls for the stimulus. The sliders to the right and immediately below the receptive field control the position of the stimulus. You can also move the stimulus by clicking or dragging your mouse over the receptive field. You can adjust the width of the bar and the diameter of the dot using the Stimulus Size slider. For the bar stimuli, you can control the tilt or orientation using the Stimulus Orientation slider. Finally, for ease, you can center your stimulus in the receptive field by simply clicking the Center Stimulus button.
Below the stimulus controls is the button you need to press to get a new cell to examine. In front of the New Cell button are buttons you can use to make a map of yoru receptive field. The first two check boxes indicate whether you are mapping excitator areas, those that increase the firing rate, or inhibitory areas, those that decrease the firing rate. You make a mark of the indicated type by right clicking on the receptive field area you wish to mark. If you made a mistake and want to remove a mark, you can use the Remove Last button to remove marks starting with the most recent one place on the screen.
The right side of the screen has a graph of the cells firing rate. The height of the bar indicates the number of action potentials a second. The current value is plotted as part of the x-axis legend.
This screen is your experimental world for this experiment. Your goal is to try and determine the receptive field for 10 different cells. Your lab partner will do the same giving you 20 cells together to have to characterize. You want to create a map of the receptive field and then determine what the stimulus will look like that will create the strongest response (have the greatest number of action potentials).
Issues to consider:
The point of a laboratory report is rhetorical. What I mean by this is that you are writing a document to convince those that read it that you have accurately describe something about reality. You have both made good observations and you have made a meaningful and sound summary of those observations.
So, you are not merely reporting findings. You are trying to convince. Kuffler and Hubel and Wiesel were able to convince their readers that they have made and fundamental set of discoveries about the operation of neurons of the brain and how they respond to visual stimuli. They used almost no statistics and were very descriptive. They used few tables and mostly relied on examples to illustrate their results to summarize their findings. They were very meticulous in how they described their findings because other researchers were able to make the same findings and also build upon those findings.
So in this report, you need to take the 20 cells that you and your partner have and describe what you think you have found. For some context, Hubel and Wiesel's papers usually reported studies that had 100's of cells that they had recorded from. In this report, you will write what is in essence a results section and a discussion. You will report your findings and discuss their importance.
Links to lab simulation and spreadsheet
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Humanism, simply put, is the idea that you can be good without god.
There are many definitions and discussions of what Humanism means. The British Columbia Humanist Association has adopted the Amsterdam Declaration 2002 as our definition:
Humanism is the outcome of a long tradition of free thought that has inspired many of the world’s great thinkers and creative artists and gave rise to science itself.
The fundamentals of modern Humanism are as follows:
- Humanism is ethical. It affirms the worth, dignity and autonomy of the individual and the right of every human being to the greatest possible freedom compatible with the rights of others. Humanists have a duty of care to all of humanity including future generations. Humanists believe that morality is an intrinsic part of human nature based on understanding and a concern for others, needing no external sanction.
- Humanism is rational. It seeks to use science creatively, not destructively. Humanists believe that the solutions to the world’s problems lie in human thought and action rather than divine intervention. Humanism advocates the application of the methods of science and free inquiry to the problems of human welfare. But Humanists also believe that the application of science and technology must be tempered by human values. Science gives us the means but human values must propose the ends.
- Humanism supports democracy and human rights. Humanism aims at the fullest possible development of every human being. It holds that democracy and human development are matters of right. The principles of democracy and human rights can be applied to many human relationships and are not restricted to methods of government.
- Humanism insists that personal liberty must be combined with social responsibility. Humanism ventures to build a world on the idea of the free person responsible to society, and recognizes our dependence on and responsibility for the natural world. Humanism is undogmatic, imposing no creed upon its adherents. It is thus committed to education free from indoctrination.
- Humanism is a response to the widespread demand for an alternative to dogmatic religion. The world’s major religions claim to be based on revelations fixed for all time, and many seek to impose their world-views on all of humanity. Humanism recognizes that reliable knowledge of the world and ourselves arises through a continuing process. of observation, evaluation and revision.
- Humanism values artistic creativity and imagination and recognizes the transforming power of art. Humanism affirms the importance of literature, music, and the visual and performing arts for personal development and fulfillment.
- Humanism is a lifestance aiming at the maximum possible fulfillment through the cultivation of ethical and creative living and offers an ethical and rational means of addressing the challenges of our times. Humanism can be a way of life for everyone everywhere.
Our primary task is to make human beings aware in the simplest terms of what Humanism can mean to them and what it commits them to. By utilising free inquiry, the power of science and creative imagination for the furtherance of peace and in the service of compassion, we have confidence that we have the means to solve the problems that confront us all. We call upon all who share this conviction to associate themselves with us in this endeavour.
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New Year, New Diet: Measure Your Way to a New You
With the perennial resolutions to diet on the horizon, now is the time to start changing the way we think about eating.
Lori Gilhousen, RN, and a Certified Diabetes Educator with Ashtabula County Medical Center, said those serious about losing weight need to start watching food labels and serving sizes.
“You may fill your plate, and have 10 servings on it. That is not healthy,” she said.
Learning to cut back portions and the types of food we eat can be the first step toward a healthier lifestyle.
“Read the food labels, so you know how much each serving stacks up to you food plan a serving size is. Break out the measuring cups and use them. Learn to rate your plate,” Gilhousen said.
She said controlling salt, total carbohydrates, and fat are all important when it comes to weight loss, especially for people with diabetes.
For example, eating a diet rich in potatoes, corn, peas and beans may sound healthy, but they are all high-carb, starchy foods.
Instead, a person’s plate should have more green and multi-colored vegetables and fruits.
Gilhousen said people who load their plate by sight should make about half of it the green, non-starchy vegetables, with a quarter of plate for small starchy vegetable, a quarter of plate for lean meat / protein or small piece of fruit for dessert.
Controlling portions is easier at home, she said, especially when it comes to meat.
Steakhouses usually sell 6 to 24 ounce slices of meat, which are up to several times the recommended serving size of 3 to 4 ounces.
Gilhousen said by eating meals at home a person can limit their meat intake to about four ounces per meal.
Limiting those portions of high-carb and high-fat and high-sugar items can also be done easier at home.
A recent news story about chefs’ and celebrities’ cookbooks reveals that restaurants focus more on taste than the healthiness of a meal. Many of them load items up with salt, sugars, butter or other types of fat to make them taste good.
By staying at home for meals, and limiting pre-processed foods, a person can limit the unhealthy items that go into their food.
Since each person’s nutritional requirements are different (based on age, gender, height and weight) meals can be tailored to the needs of each family member.
The United State Department of Agriculture’s website features a program to help a person calculate the best percentages and servings needed to maintain weight, or to lose it. Visit www.mypyramind.gov for details.
The Registered Dietitians of ACMC’s Nutritional Services Department provide nutrition counseling with a physician referral. Learn more about nutritional counseling at ACMC.
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Short message service (SMS) is a wildly popular feature available on most digital mobile phones. SMS allows users to send short messages to other cell phones. These short messages are called text messages. SMS was invented by a Finnish civil servant named Matti Makkonen. Many people understand what SMS is, but few understand how it actually works.
In SMS, messages are sent with a “store-and-forward” mechanism. The messages are sent to a Short Message Service Center (SMSC), and then relayed to the intended recipient. If the messages do not reach the recipient upon the first attempt, then the SMSC will try again. It is important to understand that SMS delivery is not guaranteed. Many messages cannot be delivered, but the delivery is called “best effort.” The amount of attempts to send a text message varies with the company.
SMS messages are transmitted via SS7 within the standard GSM MAP framework. SMS messages have a certain payload length. The signaling protocol is precisely 140 bytes. In simple terms, SMS messages have very constrained character limits. This is why messages are sent in “txt speak.” Text speak is the practice of shortening words and phrases in order to fit messages into the allowed amount of bandwidth. SMS messages cost different amounts in different countries. In the United States, the average message costs 10 cents.
Text messages do not always have to be sent from mobile phone to mobile phone. AOL Instant Messenger has an option that will send instant messages to a cell phone. Additionally, there is a widget available for Mac OS X Tiger that will allow a user to send text messages to a cell phone from the dashboard. SMS messages can also be utilized to give news alerts. Additionally, SMS messages can be used to give sports updates and statistics. In this way, SMS messages are very versatile.
Technology is constantly evolving. SMS services prove that communication is becoming broader and easier. Technologists predict that SMS service will advance such that the service will be more reliable, and be able to store more data for the purpose of transmission.
About The Author
Joe Macon writes about a variety of technology topics, with a focus on SMS technology. For SMS services he recommends www.clickatell.com.
This article was posted on November 01, 2005
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These Easter chick activities are perfect for your preschool and kindergarten kids! Create an Easter chick art and crafts project, design and build a STEM based chick habitat, bake chick cupcakes and make Easter cards!
Simply head to the dollar shop, stock up some little fluffy chicks and a set of plastic eggs to get started with this project!
- 19 pages of interactive, Easter chick themed learning!
- Plastic egg activity to introduce the project with matching ‘Egg Prediction’ worksheet
- Chicken Habitat activity idea
- Chicken craft activities using paper plates
- Chicken craft basket or decorative paper cup activity
- Inspiration for decorating chicken cupcakes!
- Easter Sensory Tray idea
- Easter Egg Marbled Card idea with matching printables
- ‘Label your chick’ printable with writing OR cut and paste version
- ‘All About My Chick’ printable encouraging students to draw, name and write about their chick
- ‘Needs of Living Things’ printable to encourage discussion about living and non living things
- ‘Chick Journal’ printable for students to record the activities they do with their chick each day
This is a fun little packet of printables for immersive, play-based learning! I remember completing a similar project back when I was at school. It stuck with me as a special memory from my childhood so I just know your little learners will love this project too!
Happy playful learning!
Please note that this is a DIGITAL product and that no physical product will be delivered. You will be able to download the PDF files at any time by logging into your account after purchase.
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CC-MAIN-2021-21
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Celebrating incunabula (books published between 1450 and 1500), eight of Wadham’s treasures went on display during a very special Oxford walking tour.
‘Initial impressions: a trail of 15th century books in Oxford College libraries’ invited visitors to tour seven Oxford colleges and view books published in the first fifty years after the invention of the printing press in the 1450s.
The word incunabula is from the Latin for cradle - books out of the cradle after the birth of printing.
The event was organised by the Oxford-based 15cBOOKTRADE project addressing questions relating to the introduction of printing in the West.
Eight Wadham works were displayed and presented by the library staff with the help of Wadham General Assistant Gintas Venckevicius.
The oldest item, Caesar’s Gallic Wars was published in 1471 and given to Wadham by Richard Warner. The volume has a hand illuminated first leaf, as in a manuscript, but no other illustrations.
Frontinus’ Scriptores rei militaris (published 1495/6) shows a plan for the formation of troops in battle, as represented with great craftsmanship by the printer with individual pieces of type. This book was given to the College in 1720 by Charles Godolphin.
More than 120 people attended the event at Wadham, following a trail map designed and drawn by Wadham Librarian Tim Kirtley.
Following the success of the trail, Library staff are planning to re-exhibit this collection in 2019 – details to come.
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Science Readers: Earth and Space: Investigating Storms (Enhanced eBook) (Reso eBookGrade 4|Grade 5|Grade 6|Grade 7|Grade 8
Please Note: This ebook is a digital download, NOT a physical product. After purchase, you will be provided a one time link to download ebooks to your computer. Orders paid by PayPal require up to 8 business hours to verify payment and release electronic media. For immediate downloads, payment with credit card is required.
There are many causes for different kinds of weather, but the biggest factors are heat, water, and wind. For example, the reason why one type of precipitation falls instead of another is usually because of the air temperature. Today, there are many scientific instruments that help predict the weather. These instruments help people prepare for storms before they happen.
This enhanced eBook gives you the freedom to copy and paste the content of each page into the format that fits your needs. You can post lessons on your class website, make student copies, and more. For more information on enhanced eBooks, Click Here.
Submit a review
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Photograph of ‘May We Each Find the Light’ (c) Rob Goldstein 2014-20120
Imagine you live under a government that says who you are is shameful; you are a crime against nature.
Now imagine the courage it takes to stand up to that government and say, I’m proud of who I am.
In 1955, when the Navy forced Harvey Milk to resign over ‘questions’ about his sexual orientation, being a homosexual was the worst thing a person could be.
Homosexuality ranked with pedophilia as equal in the public mind, and sodomy was a crime in most States.
Coming Out was dangerous and revolutionary.
“If I turned around every time somebody called me a faggot, I’d be walking backward – and I don’t want to walk backward. -Harvey Milk”
Harvey Milk was born May 22, 1930, in Woodmere, New York, to a family of Jewish Lithuanians.
His father served in the U.S. Navy as did his mother, who served as a “Yeomanette” in World War I.
“As a youngster, Milk listened with his family to radio reports about the Warsaw Ghetto and the plight of Jews in Europe. There was anti-semitism closer to home as well — nearby towns on Long Island were strongholds for the Ku Klux Klan and the American Nazi Party.” The Essential Jewishness of Harvey Milk
“Jews know we can’t allow discrimination—if for no other reason than we might be on that list someday.” Harvey Milk
In 1972 Milk moved to San Francisco and ran his first campaign for the Board of Supervisors in 1973; he framed gay liberation as part of a fight for the rights of all people.
According to The Advocate,
“[Milk] molded the gay community into a united voting bloc, and his populist agenda—which attracted straight families, working-class voters, and senior citizens—gave him a powerful base.”
He lost his second campaign in 1975, but he established himself as the leading political spokesman for the gay community with strong political allies and a growing activist base.
“I know you can’t live on hope alone; but without hope, life is not worth living,” Harvey Milk
Milk won his 1977 campaign, and on January 9, 1978, he took his seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Milk was clear about why he ran for office as an openly gay man:
“It’s not my victory; it’s yours and yours and yours. If a gay can win, it means there is hope that the system can work for all minorities if we fight. We’ve given them hope.”
– Harvey Milk, after winning a seat on the Board of Supervisors in 1977.”
Supervisor Milk introduced the Nation’s first bill to outlaw discrimination based on sexual orientation. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the bill on March 22, 1978, and Mayor George Moscone signed it into law on April 11, 1978.
Harvey Milk spoke of the value of persisting in the fight to achieve the American ideal of equality:
“…we will not win our rights by staying quietly in our closets. … We are coming out to fight the lies, the myths, the distortions. We are coming out to tell the truths about gays, for I am tired of the conspiracy of silence, so I’m going to talk about it. And I want you to talk about it. You must come out.” Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk served as a supervisor for almost 11 months.
“I can’t forget the looks on faces of people who’ve lost hope. Be they gay, be they seniors, be they blacks looking for an almost-impossible job, be they Latins trying to explain their problems and aspirations in a tongue that’s foreign to them. I personally will never forget that people are more important than buildings. I use the word “I” because I’m proud. I stand here tonight in front of my gay sisters, brothers, and friends because I’m proud of you.” Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk is an American hero because he used his passion and his rights to break through a wall of institutional homophobia and caused the United States to become a more perfect Union.
In 2009 the Nation thanked him for it when President Barack Obama posthumously awarded Milk with America’s highest civilian medal, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, with the following citation:
“Harvey Bernard Milk dedicated his life to shattering boundaries and challenging assumptions. As one of the first openly gay elected officials in this country, he changed the landscape of opportunity for the Nation’s gay community. Throughout his life, he fought discrimination with visionary courage and conviction. Before his tragic death in 1978, he wisely noted, “Hope will never be silent,” and called upon Americans to stay true to the guiding principles of equality and justice for all. Harvey Milk’s voice will forever echo in the hearts of all those who carry forward his timeless message.”
What you get as a citizen of the United States are the tools you need to petition the government for change. The government may or may not listen to you, and if it doesn’t, you get loud.
Harvey Milk got loud, and his faith in the power of hope is still changing our lives.
Rob Goldstein 2020
Lethal deceptions deployed with precision.
Rob Goldstein 2019
It’s a Blog Party/Meet and Greet to celebrate my Birthday!
Join the fun, grab a brownie and a slice of cake, and share a link to your favorite post in the comments.
Please reblog to spread the fun, and be sure to mingle!
How old am I?
I’m 60 something, and glad to be here.
I’m blessed and grateful.
‘Self Portrait #26’ (c) Rob Goldstein 2019
Below is ‘Self Portrait #30
Animated GIF s found via giphy and are not mine
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One of the most well-known poets and fiction writers of all time, Edgar Allan Poe captivated audiences with his dark mysteries in the early 19th century. His writing, most famously “The Raven,” continues to engage readers today.
But while Poe wrote mysteries, his legacy was becoming one himself. His death came as a surprise in 1849, and no one knows just how the young writer had died.
Found delirious on the streets
On October 3, 1849, Poe was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore by Baltimore Sun compositor Joseph W. Walker. Poe asked for the assistance of his friend, magazine editor Joseph E. Snodgrass. Poe was later taken to the hospital, where he died on Sunday, October 7, at age 40.
How did he die? His medical records, including his death certificate, have been lost for over a century. But the greater question remains: How did he even end up on the streets of Baltimore, alone and wearing someone else’s clothes?
He was fine a week earlier
A week prior to his death, Poe was traveling from Richmond, Virginia, to edit a collection of poems in Philadelphia. He never made it there, nor did he make it back home to New York City. He found himself in Baltimore, delirious and walking around wearing someone else’s clothes. But why?
There are many theories about Poe’s experience in Baltimore before his death, including a beating by street thugs that led to a brain injury, carbon monoxide poisoning, and alcohol. One of the earliest theories is that he was involved in cooping, in which men were kidnapped, disguised and forced to vote for a candidate multiple times.
Other plausible theories include heavy metal poisoning, rabies, murder, and general illness.
So, what’s the answer?
How did Poe die?
For Chris Semtner, curator at the Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia, none of these theories fully explain Poe’s unfortunate demise.
“I believe Poe’s cause of death resulted from a combination of factors,” Semtner said. “Poe was most likely suffering from encephalitis (brain inflammation) or meningitis, either of which might explain his symptoms.”
It seems Poe’s death will always be a mystery. It’s almost like he wrote it himself.
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Seal Pup Stranded on Maine Beach Gets New Lease on Life!The Animal Rescue Site
What should you do when you see an orphaned wild animal? The natural reaction is to try to take care of it, but this isn’t always for the best. Interacting with strange humans can stress the animal out and make it more vulnerable. Experts kept this in mind with a stranded seal pup found on the coast of Maine in July 2016. When a stranded seal pup found its way on to Wells Beach in Maine, a local marine rescue organization knew exactly what to do. They took the lonely pup to Mystic Aquarium’s rehabilitation center, where it would have the chance to grow up strong and healthy. They started feeding it a diet of fish gruel. They gave the youngster antibiotics and supplements to boost its immune system. Although a little skinny, the pup is expected to fully recover. It will be released back into the wild within a few months.
Marine Mammals of Maine are experts in saving stranded sea mammals and always work in accordance with the 1972 guidelines established by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This is really important, because some of the best practices for saving stranded animals are counter-intuitive. For example, seal pups don’t need to be showered with water or wrapped in a blanket if they’re found washed up on a beach. Close human contact can stress out pups, and actually make recovery more challenging.
Lynda Ada Doughty, executive director of the group, advises would-be rescuers to keep at least 150 feet away from beached seals. Seal strandings are on the rise, because seal parents will abandon their offspring if there is too much human activity nearby. One thing would-be rescuers can do to save seals is report stranded pups directly to the experts at Marine Mammals of Maine. Surprisingly enough, humans aren’t the only animals with an interest in stranded seals. A pup found in a muddy field was brought to the attention of a rescue organization via a herd of 30 cows. The pup, now named Celebration, was sighted by human Ian Ellis, who saw both the herd and the seal through his telescope. The cows surrounded the pup, who was subsequently taken to a veterinary hospital by rescue workers.
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Nash took ill in 1918 with the Spanish flu. With his lungs severely compromised, he went out west to Montana and worked for U.S. Forest Service. He returned in better condition to Detroit after a year and went back to school.
Nash journeyed to Santa Fe to check out the art community and work on some of his ideas. He settled there permanently a year later. In 1921, Nash along with Jozef Bakos, Fremont Ellis, Will Shuster and Walter Mruk formed the first Santa Fe modernist art group, “Los Cinco Pintores.” One important detail about Nash that separated him from the rest of his comrades was that he had a patron. He did not have to concern himself with what would sell and had the luxury to experiment and paint for himself. In the 1930’s he received national notice and was regarded by Diego Rivera as one of the six best painters in the United States. Andrew Dasburg, a noted artist living in Santa Fe at the time, was very influential in Nash’s development as a modernist painter. Dasburg studied under the avant-garde artists in Paris and encouraged Nash to make experiments with cubist –based abstraction. The presence of Cezanne and Picasso could be found in many of Nash’s works in the 1920’s.
Divorced and experiencing the worst of the depression, he left Santa Fe in the 30’s and moved to California where he taught art school at the San Francisco Art Institute and later at the Art Center School in Los Angeles. The highlight of this time was his major exhibition in L.A that covered fourteen years of his work. The show was so well attended by the entertainment industry and general public that it was extended.
Nash returned to New Mexico with tuberculosis and died in Albuquerque with the intension of resuming his painting in Santa Fe.
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At the crossroads of Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Eastern Europe, Czech-Jewish cooks shared many of their neighbors' recipes and ingredients.
Poultry-duck and especially goose-were very popular: in addition to the meat that was roasted or smoked, goose necks were stuffed with well-seasoned matzoh meal or flour, then simmered in soup or roasted. And rendered goose fat was invaluable for cooking both sweet and savory dishes.
The long, cold Czech winters made robust fare, like stews and starches, especially appealing. All Central and Eastern European cuisines feature a variety of dumpling recipes, but no one adores their knedliky as much as the Czechs, who prepare them in every season and for every course from soup to dessert.
There are knedliky made from raw, grated or cooked, mashed potatoes; prepared from white bread, challah, or rolls; made primarily of flour or matzoh and others from curd cheese. Knedliky that enclose apricots, plums, or summer berries are a special delicacy.
Knedliky may be savory-flavored with onions, caraway seeds, sauerkraut or sautéed cabbage, or the woodsy mushrooms that flourish in the Czech forests. Or they may be sweet--tossed with buttery bread crumbs, cinnamon sugar, sour cream, and cheese, or served with fruit.
Bohemian and Moravian Jewish bakers have always had a well-deserved reputation for excellent pastries and cakes, from simple fruit kuchens to extravagant nut tortes.
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Where have all the Vultures Gone?
Experts say Nigerian vultures go extinct through use for ritual purposes. But could climate change not be an underlying cause of the problem?
White-backed vulture, Credit:Richard Steyn
Recently, the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) at a seminar to commemorate the World Migratory Bird Day reported that five out of the seven species of vultures found in Nigeria risk extinction. Mohammed Garba Bolyi, Head, (NCF) Northern Region, said the vultures are not seen anywhere and so are ‘critically endangered.’
According to the Guardian in November, the use of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammation drug, dictofenac, for the treatment of cattle, poisons the vultures on a mass level, leading to the risk of their extinction
“Diclofenac, originally developed for human use only, is cheap and effective to farmers,” Temi Bamgbose, an agriculture extension worker, said to the Guardian. “A multidisciplinary team of experts must work together to end this killings before the consequences become obvious.”
Another account say the demand for vulture parts in Nigeria for rituals, as well as urbanization, has caused a nearly 90% decline in the population of vultures in Nigeria.
“Across Africa,” wrote Vivian McCall on National Geographic in 2015, “vultures are electrocuted by power lines or crushed by wind turbines. Their brains are ground to snuff by witch doctors who believe the substance has magical powers. They die after eating pesticide-laced carcasses intended for lions and other predators. As a result, the vulture population is plummeting.”
Poisoned vultures, Credit:Charlie Hamilton
People shouldn’t be surprised about their views. Traditionally, the decline of vulture populations in Nigeria has been explained by large- scale use of vultures for ritual purposes, decreased access to food, various sources of unnatural mortality, especially poisonings, electrocutions, and collisions, or habitat loss that occurs throughout the country. However, the fate of the Cape and Bearded vultures in Lesotho, South Africa, and Kenya forces one to reassess the challenges faced by vultures. Their disappearance seems to be consistent with global warming trends that we see in the extinction of other animals.
Vulture market, Credit: J. Onoja
The two northernmost colonies of Cape vultures in South Africa have become extinct, though the vultures in the southern colonies show expansion. Also, the lowland breeding sites of Cape and Bearded vultures have disappeared first around Lesotho, forcing the species range to move upwards into the highlands, while the equatorial populations of Bearded vultures in Kenya have gone extinct. The events took place when the earth’s temperature rose to record levels.
“Climate change may work in concert with these other factors to change habitats and ultimately reduce prey populations. We suggest tests involving north-facing colonies that can further tease apart the direct negative influences of climate change over poisons, food reduction and habitat loss,” wrote Robert Simmons on Researchgate in 2007 in an article titled Is climate change influencing the decline of Cape Vultures and Bearded Vultures in southern Africa
Events in other parts of the world indicate that climate change may work in concert with other factors to lead either to the disappearance of vultures or a modification of their behavior.
Vultures driven by climate change to invade Pennsylvanian town, Credit: Wikimedia Commons
According to Mail Online, a growth in the population of vultures has occurred in Kentucky, U.S.A., with most of the animals attracted by the warmer winter temperature which they cherish. According to Hugh Powell in 2012 on Cornell Chronicle, black vultures have spread further north, wintering as far as Massachusetts, where the minimum temperatures are similar to their traditional habitat. Unfortunately, the influx of vultures in Kentucky leads to a widespread loss of cattle. Vultures, according to another report, pressured by climate change, have been sighted flying on hot air thermals from the east coast of the United States, all the way south to nearly the southern part of South America.
Meanwhile, due to the pressure of climate change, the African Rupell’s vultures, even though they lack a definite breeding record in Europe, frequently visit southern Europe, and even try to breed with griffon vultures, which are indigenous to Europe.
In other words, having suffered from pressures of climate change in places like Nigeria, the birds take refuge in Europe as a form of behaviour change.
Again, severe winter temperature proves to be the major factor in the northern spread of vultures.
Through satellite tracking, researchers follow the movements of vultures, and they prove invaluable to assess the behavior for instance of the turkey vulture. A study using this method found that climate change resulting in warmer summers increases the sizes of breeding ranges of vultures in north and south America.
Another research shows that climate change may have a negative effect on vultures, especially as warmer winter temperatures become more common.
“There is a problem, because birds are among the most mobile of animals, and yet they took decades to respond to warming,” Frank la Sorta, a post-doctorate researcher at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, told Cornell Chronicle.
They also say that the overall impact of climate change can be more severe when it occurs with other major threats such as habitat loss and the reduction in available food resources.
An indication that African vultures may be modifying their behavior as a result of climate change can be seen in relation to the Egyptian vulture. In June, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported its sighting in England, the only third Egyptian vulture ever seen in the wild in Britain since 1868. There had been two official sightings recorded in the UK - one in Somerset in 1825 and another in Essex in 1868.
Egyptian vulture seen in England, Credit:Will Wagstaff
Prof Stuart Bearhop, an ecologist with the University of Exeter, told the BBC: "If proven to be of wild origin then it would be the first sighting for 150 years, maybe a bit longer. It's an incredibly rare sighting. I think people will travel to see it, people are looking at it as a once-in-a-century bird.”
The Bearded vulture arrived unexpectedly in Derbyshire, according to an article by Chris Baynes in the Independent in July 2020. Many birds are shifting their range northwards because of rapidly warming temperature. Some land on the French coast, not willing to pass over the Channel.
Burak Bir, writing for World, Life in 2019, acknowledged that vultures play an important role in the environment, describing them as the garbage men of the nature, because they eat dead animals and clean the environment.
However, he also wrote, “Bearded vultures, one of the vulture species known to live in the highlands, die due to extreme temperature rise that restrains their habitat.”
African vultures fleeing the effects of the climate change migrate to countries such as Turkey to breed and feed during summer.
To show the effects of climate change, investigators of University of Malaga, identified Juanita, belonging to the Ruppel species, thought to be in danger of extinction due to climate change. Some of the birds come to Europe by following the Griffon vultures that spend the winter months in Africa, with about 8,000 to 9,000 crossing into Europe, with many African vultures integrating with them.
Juanita, Credit: Antonio Tomayo
Tara Osborne also shows how climate change affects African vultures, including the Nigerian white-backed vulture.
“The birds are at odds with the environment for their survival. Chicks are not able to fend for themselves,” she wrote in Gateway in 2019.
“Last year, when we looked at the number of hatching chicks, we noticed huge drops in the numbers with the current environmental conditions, the survival rate are poor,” said Kerri Wolton of the Southern African Vulture Conservation Programmme NGO in the same article.
Climate change can allow similar species that previously did not coexist to begin new interactions. For example, Vultur gryphus and Coragyps atratus did not coexist. But today, possibly as a result of climate change, shifts in behavior have occurred in the distributions of both species, as they have now created areas where they now mingle.
“Through ecological niche modeling, we evaluated the possible effects that future scenarios of climate change and human influence would have on the distribution and sympatry between the two species. Our models predict that the current distribution of V. gryphus will be reduced between 18% and 24% by 2050 and between 21% and 32% by 2070. Additionally, we predict that the distribution of C. atratus will be reduced by 31–52% by the year 2050 and 15–60% by 2070. The two algorithms predict a reduction in the areas of sympatry,” wrote Jimenez, Soto, Torres, Meyer and Sheppard in their research published in Cambridge Core earlier in 2021.
Climate-driven environmental transformation and land-use change impact on vultures, but these interactions have received little scientific attention, according to Santangeli, Spiegel, Bridgeford, and Girardello in their 2018 paper for Pub Med.Gov.
“We show that body condition of white-backed vulture nestlings decreased through the study period and was lowest inside protected areas. For the lappet-faced vulture, nestling condition was improved during harsh years with lower than average vegetation greenness assumed to result in increased ungulate mortality, but only within protected areas,” they wrote in the Pub Med.Gov. article
Furthermore, climate change impacts the ecology and population sizes of vultures in many ways. It does this through altering ranges, interactions, phonologies, having telling effects on the ability of vultures to tolerate temperature and other indices of weather. Experts say climate change will place additional challenges on birds like vultures, since we have refused to moderate climate change in the short term.
“Other species will increase in abundance as conditions become more favourable for them. The rapidity, scale, and impacts of climate change require that conservation biologists adjust the practices used to manage species in light of climate change,” wrote Miller-Rushing, Primack, and Sekercioglu in a research for the University of Utah.
The scavenging lifestyle of vultures gives them a bad reputation, however, nature and society benefits from just this behavior. Though they’re persecuted and overlooked as lowly scavengers, the environment they live understands that they play a crucial role
“Human race has encountered many viruses like COVID-19,” said S. Bharathidasan, founder of Arulagam, in The Hindu in May 2021. “Our rich biodiversity plays a huge role in keeping the germs at check. Of the many organisms, vultures, as carcass feeders, play a significant role. Though there is no direct relationship between vultures and COVID-19, it’s high time we realised their importance and protected them. The scavenger birds hold the key for a natural mechanism of infection control.”
Though these birds’ appearance might seem repulsive, it’s their feeding pattern that creates revulsion. However, their carrion consumption helps humans to rid the environment of carcasses that, otherwise, would provide foul smells and scenery for a much longer period. How have animals become food for vultures? They may have died from disease or other human-related causes. However, the vulture’s digestive system has become highly acidic due to generation of scarvenging on dead animals. So now, it is able to neutralize bacteria and other harmful organisms that are consumed along with decaying flesh.
“Contrast this to coyotes, dogs, rats and a number of other animals that are “facultative scavengers,” a term applied to animals that have scavenging as only part of their diet. These animals have less potent digestive systems, and, as a result, they often end up as carriers of bacteria they ingest instead of killers of it,” wrote Francis Skalicky for the Missouri Department of Conservation
In sum, Nigerian researchers and others worldwide should not assume that climate change isn’t among the major factors that cause either the disappearance or behavioral modification of vultures. Instead, they should seek for initiatives aimed at making the animals survive within conditions of the present situation.
One idea to save vultures is by organising healthcare campaigns offering vaccinations and basic treatment to families. This would hopefully deter people from the practice of eating vulture body parts recommended by dubious healers.
Conservationists could invest their funds in places like Nigeria where vultures face extinction due to climate change.
The Bulgarian scientist emphasizes that only a very small part of the money goes into the birds themselves (for tracking devises, supplementary food etc).
“Practically all the money is invested in people offering environmental education and conservation jobs to locals along the way of the vultures’ migration,” he said.
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The average height for people with Prader-Willi syndrome is 150 cm in women and 155 cm in men.
Prader-Willi syndrome is thought to occur as a result of an abnormality in the chromosome number 15. How this issue causes Prader-Willi is still unclear.
Signs and Complications
- Low birth weight.
- Muscle weakness – the child may not be able to move properly and will sleep a lot.
- Narrow forehead and almond-shaped eyes, small hands and feet.
- In boys, the penis is generally small.
- Behavioural problems - the child may have obsessive behaviour.
- Delayed sexual development.
- Feeding problems - babies will often feed very slowly and drink very little.
- Enormous appetite - by the time the child reaches a pre-school age, they will have developed a very strong appetite. Parents will have to regulate the diet to prevent obesity.
- Delayed motor development - the child will be slow to sit, crawl and walk. The assistance of a physiotherapist is often required.
- Delayed mental development – the child may have learning difficulties and need to go to a special school.
Requires a multi-disciplinary approach to tackle each symptom specifically. Includes using tubes or special bottle nipples to help the infant feed, as well as treatment with growth hormone.
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Daeboreum is i a Korean holiday that celebrates the day of the first full moon of the lunar year.
Korean’s One familiar custom is to crack nuts with one’s teeth. It is believed that this practice will help keep one’s teeth healthy for the year.
Historically, people played the traditional game named geuybulnori at the night before daeboreum. They burned the dry grass on ridges between rice fields while children whirled around cans full of holes, through which charcoal fire blazed. These cans fertilized the fields and got rid of harmful worms that destroyed the new crops.
For breakfast on Daeboreum, a five-”grain” rice consisting of rice, millet, Indian millet, beans, and red beans is served. This is eaten with various dried herbs. One of the special foods of Daeboreum is Yaksik. This treat is kind of seasoned rice made of glutinous rice, chestnuts, pinenuts, honey, sauce, and sesame oil.
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Kolintang-violeta is an erect, unarmed, branched
ornamental shrub, 1 to 3 meters high. Branches are sparingly hairy. Leaves
are oblong to elliptic, 4 to 10 centimeters long, pointed at the tip and somewhat hairy beneath.
Flowers are borne singly or in pairs, and terminal or in the upper axils
of the leaves. Bracteoles are linear. Two outer sepals are green, ovate-lanceolate, nearly 2 centimeters long, persistent, and laciniately toothed. Corolla is 6 to 7 centimeters long, slender-tubed, winged above;
limb is 4 to 5 centimeters in diameter, violet or nearly white, or streaked with
violet and white.
- Widely cultivated ornamental
- Also occurs in India, China, and Malaya.
- In Australia, listed as an environmental weed.
- Phytochemical screening of crude extract of leaves yielded amino acids, carbohydrates, flavonoids, proteins, phenolic groups, saponins steroids, tannins, and terpenoids. (9)
Three phenylethanoid glycosides viz; (desrhamnosylacteoside) (1), (acteoside) (2) and (poliumoside) (3) were isolated and identified from the callus cultures of Barleria cristata. (6)
- Study of bark extracts yielded yielded a new flavonoid compound, 6-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside-3,7,3'-O-trimethylated-8- hydroxyquercetin, together with known flavonoids flavonoids 6- O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside 3-methoxy quercetin, quercetagetin, tamarixetin, gossypetin and quercetin. (See study below) (8)
- Leaf and bark extracts yielded terpenoids, anthraquinones, alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponins. (see study below) (14)
- Study of organic extracts of whole plants of B. cristata isolated 4-hydroxy-trans-cinnamate derivatives (1-3) and a triterpene, namely oleanolic acid (4).
- Study of aerial parts yielded a new iridoid glycoside, barlupulin C methyl ester (1) together with two known phehylethanoid glycosides, poliumoside and decaffeoylacteoside, (2 and 3) and three known phenolic glycosides, protocatechuic acid 4-O-β-glucoside, vanillic acid 4-O-β-glucoside, and leonuriside A (4-6). (see study below) (18)
- Thanolic extract of leaves have yielded secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, steroids, triterpenes, , phenols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, proteins, and amino acids. Major phytoconstituents are phenolic compounds, flavonoids, phenylethanoid and iridoidal glycosides. (19)
- Flowers have yielded ß-sitosterol, quercetin, quercetin 3-ß-D-glucoside, apigene, naringenin, and apigenin-7-glucuronide.
- Trace elements in the leaves included lead, zinc, iron, chromium, copper, nickel and cadmium.
- Ethyl acetate fraction yielded five known compounds: verbascoside (1), isoverbascoside (2), dimethoxyverbascoside (3), phydroxy-benzoic acid (4), and apigenin-7-O-glucoside (5). (see study below)
- Study of leaves yielded two phenolic compounds (p-coumaric acid and α-tocopherol), two flavonoidal compounds (luteoline and 7-methoxy-luteoline), and two iridoidal glycosides (barlerin and schanshiside methyl ester). (25)
- Considered antidotal.
- Studies have suggested
antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic properties.
Roots, leaves, seeds.
- Seeds used as antidote for
- Roots and leaves used to reduce swellings.
- Infusion of roots and leaves used for coughs.
- Used for treatment of cough.
- Elsewhere, used for toothaches, anemia and inflammatory disorders.
- In India, used for the treatment of toothache, anemia, snake bites, diabetes, lung disorders, and inflammatory conditions.
(19) Infusion of roots and leaves applied to boils and sores to reduce swelling. Decoction or paste of whole plant used for tuberculosis. Seeds used as antidote for snake bites. Bitter juice of leaves and roots used for disphoretic and expectorant properties. (26)
- Used for wounds and burns, gingivitis, nocturnal ejaculation, tuberculosis.
- Leaves chewed for relief of toothaches; plant juices for fever and phlegm; paste applied on feet to prevent cracking; root decoction used for anemia and cough; root infusion applied to boils and sores to diminish swelling; dried bark used for whooping cough.
• Anti-Inflammatory / Leaves: Methanol extract of leaves of Barleria cristata was evaluated for anti-inflammatory activity. The effect was compared to the activity of indomethacin and cyproheptadine as reference standard. Results revealed BC possesses significant anti-inflammatory activity. (1)
Study of aqueous extract of BC leaves exhibited anti-inflammatory activity with significant dose-dependent inhibition of carrageenan-induced paw edema, prostaglandin activity, vascular permeability. (2)
• Phytochemicals / Antioxidant Activity: Phytochemical screening yielded alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, phenols and tannins in the ethanol and aqueous extracts of BC. The 50 % ethanol extract of leaves showed significant antioxidant activity probably from the occurrence of secondary metabolites. (3)
• Antioxidant: In the ORAC antioxidant assay, a methanolic extract of Barleria cristata, J. procumbens, and S. auriculara exhibited antioxidant activity with ORAC units of 3.1-3.9. (4)
• Hepatoprotective / Leaves: Study evaluated an ethanolic extract of leaves for hepatoprotective activity in a CCl4-induced liver damage model in male Wistar albino rats. Results showed hepatoprotective activity which was attributed to alkaloids and flavonoids. The extract did not show any mortality up to a dose of 2000 mg/kbw. (5)
• Anti-Diabetic / Seeds: Study evaluated alcoholic extracts of dried seeds of Barleria cristata for hypoglycemic activity in alloxan-induced diabetic Wistar rats. Results showed significant blood glucose reduction. (7)
• Antibacterial / Flavonoids / Bark: Study evaluated various extracts for antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Streptococcus mutans and Escherichia coli. An ethanolic extract exhibited the largest zone of inhibition against the tested bacteria. Study yielded a new flavonoid compound, 6-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside-3,7,3'-O-trimethylated-8- hydroxyquercetin, together with known flavonoids flavonoids 6- O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside 3-methoxy quercetin, quercetagetin, tamarixetin, gossypetin and quercetin. Gossypetin 8-methyl ether showed the highest antibacterial activity. (8)
• Hypoglycemic Effect / Leaves: Study of ethanolic leaf extract revealed the non-toxic nature of B. cristata. A 400 mg/k dose brought an effective hypoglycemic activity in wistar albino rats. (10)
• Anti-Inflammatory / Radical Scavenging Activity: Study of a methanol extract of Barleria cristata leaves exhibited significant anti-inflammatory against carrageenan induced paw edema in rats and prostaglandins inhibitory activity in mice and radical scavenging activity in in vitro methods by DPPH and NO radicals. (11)
• Cytotoxic / Antioxidant / Leaf and Bark: Study investigated various solvent extracts of B. cristata for cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. Leaf and bark extracts yielded terpenoids, anthraquinones, alkaloids, flavonoids, and saponins. Extracts were tested for cytotoxic activity using Brine shrimp lethality assay. The majority of extracts showed dose dependent activity. Methanol extract of both leaf and bark showed highest activity at 94% and 83%, respectively. The methanol leaf and bark extract showed highest nitric oxide radical scavenging activity, with the bark extract showing more potency (>80%). Methanol and acetone extract of both leaf and bark showed significant cytotoxic and antioxidant activities. (14)
• Antihyperglycemic / Leaves: Study investigated the antihyperglycemic and antioxidant effect of ethanolic leaf extracts of B. cristata in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Results showed significant reduction of blood glucose (P<0.05) in diabetic rats. The antidiabetic effect may be through potentiation of pancreatic secretion of insulin or increase of glucose uptake by muscle cells. (16)
• Silver Nanoparticles / Mosquitocidal Potential: Compared to leaf aqueous extract, biosynthesized AgNP showed higher toxicity against An subpictus, Ae. albopictus, and C. tritaeniorhynchus with LC50 values of 12.46, 13.49, and 15.01 µg/mL, respectively. Study showed B. cristata-fabricated AgNPs are a promising and eco-friendly tool against young instar populations of mosquito vectors of medical and veterinary importance. (17)
• Iridoid and Phenylethanoid Glucosides / Aerial Parts: Study of aerial parts yielded a new iridoid glycoside, barlupulin C methyl ester (1) together with two known phenylethanoid glycosides (2 and 3) and three known phenolic glycosides (4-6). (see constituents above) (18)
• Toxicity Studies / Leaves and Roots: Acute toxicity study of leaf extract of B. cristata reported safety up to dose level of 2000 mg/kg p.o. in Wistar albino rats. There was no toxicity or death within 24 hours. A methanolic extract of roots showed no side effects or mortality in mice up to 5 g/kg p.o. during a 24-hr observation period. (19)
• Topical Anti-Inflammatory Activity: Acute evaluated the topical anti-inflammatory activity of various extracts of Barleria cristata and B. prionitis against croton oil-induced edema in female rats. Ibuprofen was used as standard. Maximum effect was noted at dose of 200 mg/ml for all extracts of both species. B. prionitis showed best topical activity with 88.31% inhibition of ear edema. (20)
• Biological Activities / Leaves: Study evaluated a methanol extract of leaves and various partitionates for antioxidant, cytotoxic, thrombolytic, membrane stabilizing and antimicrobial activities. Extractives exhibited weak free radical scavenging activity. A CCl4-soluble fraction exhibited an IC50 of 300.82 µg/,;, with total phenolic content of 89.22 mg of GAE/g of extractives. Brine shrimp lethality bioassay of a hexane soluble fraction yielded an LC50 of1.52 µg/ml. Extractives showed mild thrombolytic activity, with the aqueous soluble fraction exhibiting 45.0 % clot lysis compare to streptokinase and water with 65.66% and 3.79%, respectively. A chloroform solutble fraction showed activity against microbial growth with inhibition range of 7.0 to 26.0 mm. (21)
• Antidiabetic / Antioxidant / Leaves: Study evaluated the in vitro antidiabetic and antioxidant activity of Barleria cristata leaves extracts. An ethanol and petroleum ether leaf extract showed dose-dependent increases in inhibitory activity on α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes and antioxidant activity. (22)
• Carcinogenesis Blockers against Menadione Cytotoxicity: / Phenolics: Study evaluated phenolic compounds isolated from B. cristata var. alba for potential to induce cancer chemopreventive enzyme marker NAD(P)H quinone reductase 1 (NQO1) in murine Hepa-1c1c7 cell model. The EA fraction yielded five known compounds, of which compound 2, isoverbascoside, was shown to potently induce the activity of the enzyme in a dose-dependent manner. It showed strongest activity to protect Hepa-1c1c7 against the toxicity of menadione, a quinone substrate for NQO1. Activity was attributed to the compound's potential to induce both catalytic activity and protein expression of NQO1 as shown by enzyme assay and Western blotting, respectively. (see constituents above) (23)
• Antimicrobial / Saponins / Leaves: A simple HPTLC method evaluated the saponin profile of B. cristata crude leaf extract. The saponin fraction was evaluated for in vivo activity against four bacterial and four fungal species by agar disc diffusion method. The most inhibited organisms were K.lebsiella pneumonia, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Aspergillus parasites. (24)
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For most people, experiments involving a home microwave typically don't go much further than inflating a marshmallow like a balloon or reheating leftovers in plasticware – both with messy results. For metallurgists though, microwaves are sometimes employed to efficiently process metals, which is how researchers at the University of Utah found themselves using a secondhand kitchen appliance in their lab. Their resourcefulness paid off recently, when the team discovered a method for creating solar cell material with just a few basic ingredients and an old microwave.
The material is called CZTS after its components, copper, zinc, tin, and sulfur, and is known to act as a photovoltaic semiconductor, converting the sun's rays into usable electricity. Scientists have only recently begun turning to it for use in commercial-grade solar cells, since its low-cost, environmentally friendly ingredients make it a perfect fit with green energy sources. Unfortunately, CZTS has been difficult to create properly in the past and usually requires more complicated methods involving chemical suspensions.
Pierce film with fork or similarPrashant Sarswat and Michael Free, two metallurgical engineers at the University of Utah, devised a cheaper, faster method using a microwave rescued from a student kitchen. The pair dissolved acetate salts from each metal in a solvent of oleylamine and sent that concoction straight into the microwave (presumably after wiping away the splatter from months-old spaghetti sauce). After just 8 minutes, the nanocrystals needed to form CZTS began to take shape and reached equivalent sizes after 18 minutes, which isn't bad compared to previous methods that required 45 to 90 minutes to prepare.
The resulting CZTS is suspended in an ink-like substance, which can be painted onto most surfaces or combined with other substances to build a functional solar cell. Sarswat and Free even built a small photovoltaic cell to prove their microwave-made CZTS would work. Leaving the CZTS in the microwave for specific times will also form different sizes of nanocrystals, giving the material different properties. Larger crystals absorb heat and convert it to electricity, while smaller crystals can be made to emit light at certain energy levels. The two researchers believe this could lead to LEDs that require less power.
Don't try this at home. ObviouslyWith cheaper, less toxic ingredients than most semiconductors combined with an easier manufacturing process, CZTS is poised to become a widespread material in a number of industries. However, the research team has warned that most people should not try to concoct CZTS in their own microwave at home since, as your mother no doubt warned you, putting metal into a microwave can be dangerous.
Sarswat and Free also learned during the course of their study that a research team at Oregon State University was developing a similar microwaving method, though their process uses different chemicals. The pair of metallurgists are now performing further experiments to improve their process and find more applications for CZTS. Besides solar cells, they've also looked at possibly incorporating the material into biological sensors, hydrogen fuel cells, and electronic circuitry, though it's still too soon to tell when or if any of these ideas will lead to a commercial product.
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It was also used as a lingua franca in the region that extends from present-day Egypt to present-day Pakistan between 600 BCE and 600 AD (Murad 1974, Abdu 1997, Bae 2004). One of the Aramaic dialects is Syriac, the Christian version of Western Aramaic.
Like Arabic and Hebrew, Syriac is a Semitic language that has a consonantal writing system in which consonants are represented but vowels are frequently omitted. Like its Arabic counterpart, Syriac writing is cursive and is written from right to left; however, unlike the Arabic letters, which can have up to three different shapes depending on their positions (initial, medium, final), the Syriac letters, like the Hebrew letters, can have at most two different shapes depending on whether the letter is in final position or not. Like Hebrew, Syriac has 22 consonants; in addition, there are five vowel diacritics which are placed above the consonants and which are divided into two groups, short and long, as can be seen in Table 1 below:
Syriac literature, which was highly affected by Greek influence, burgeoned between the third and eighth centuries AD. In fact, it was through Syriac that Greek learning and thought were passed on to the Islamic world; it was Syriac scholars who translated the late Hellenistic science texts from Syriac into Arabic.
Nevertheless, following the Arab invasion of the Levant in the 7th century AD, Syriac began to decline (Barbi 2000, Wright 2001, Clocksin and Fernando 2003, Sandy 2008). Today Syriac is still spoken in some villages in Syria and Turkey and among some members of the Aramean Syriac Orthodox community in Jerusalem, the Aramean Maronites of Cyprus ( Kur maketis area),Sweden Aramean Syriac community and in other parts of the world. Despite its decline, Aramaic Syriac has been maintained as the sacred language of some Christian communities, such as Aramean Syriac Catholics, Aramean Syriac Orthodox, and Aramean Syriac Maronites
Besides being the sacred language of Maronites and Syriac Orthodox, Aramaic Syriac is also the ancestral language of both communities. This is what makes it more
important to their identity than is, e.g. Greek to Arabic-speaking Greek (Sandy 2008).
Orthodox or Latin to Arabic-speaking non-Uniate Catholics, as the ancestors of these peoples spoke Syriac rather than Greek or Latin.
Aramaic Syriac is still spoken until today in some villages where our Aramean Maronites, Catholics, and Orthodox nation live but we believe that this is not enough and it should be taught to all our children worldwide in all communities in Lebanon, Israel, and the Diaspora such as USA, France, Brazil, etc... This will make our nation alive again and be known to the whole nations.
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Alexander Graham Bell possessed one of the most fertile and brilliant minds in modern history. Though he is famous for inventing the telephone, he also developed or helped develop a photophone (which wirelessly communicated sound on a beam of light), a proto-metal detector, the airplane that made the first manned flight in the British Commonwealth, and a hydrofoil watercraft that set a marine speed record which stood for a decade.
Bell also had some legendarily eccentric work habits. With his shabby tweed clothes and bushy, often unkempt hair and beard, he was every inch the scientist savant. His offices and laboratories were environments of creative chaos, overflowing with enormous stacks of papers, books, and sketches, and strewn with wires, batteries, and research supplies of all kinds. Bell also preferred to work through the night, going to bed as the sun came up, and sometimes driving himself so hard that the effort brought on migraine headaches. In more relaxed moments, he would skinny-dip in the lake by his summer home, floating on his back while puffing on a lit cigar, and the eruption of a thunderstorm might find him dashing outside in swimsuit and rubber boots to immerse himself in the natural spectacle.
While your mileage in adopting these unconventional habits will vary, there was one unique method of Bell’s that might be more universally worth trying: using location-based prompts to prime your mind for certain tasks.
Alexander Graham Bell’s Use of Location-Based Prompts
When Bell was on to some new idea and feeling a surge of inspiration, he could work with obsessive focus. “There is a sort of telephonic undercurrent going on [in my mind] all the while,” the inventor told his wife Mabel, explaining that he had “periods of restlessness when my brain is crowded with ideas tingling to my fingertips when I am excited and cannot stop for anybody.” During such times, Bell went without food or drink, and asked that no one, not even Mabel, disturb him, lest such interruptions burst the gossamer threads of his emerging ideas. “Thoughts,” Bell said, “are like the precious moments that fly past; once gone they can never be caught again.”
However, while Bell’s focus could be laser-like when he was chasing down a eureka moment, much of the time his mind was in fact quite scattered and distracted. While he liked to tinker and dream, he hated getting down to the brass tacks of experimentation; he detested dealing with details, the painstaking effort required to verify intuitions, the tedious process of making minute recalibrations, and then testing and re-resting variables. Unlike his fellow inventor, Thomas Edison, Bell even hated the work of commercializing his inventions — applying for patents and popularizing and improving that which he had already created (while he was proud of developing the telephone, he considered the fuss entailed in protecting its patent and promoting its use an irritating distraction from his other work). He enjoyed intellectual exploration more for its own sake, than any concrete results.
Part of Bell’s difficulty buckling down also simply had to do with his resplendent imagination and wide-ranging curiosity. He was interested in so many different things that he had trouble thinking about a single idea for any span of time. His mind wished to jump from subject to subject and from observation to observation; he enjoyed reading through encyclopedia entries before going to bed, and carried around a pocket notebook to jot down his frequent and varied insights (he had a knack for finding inspiration in any setting).
As Mabel told her husband, “you like to fly around like a butterfly sipping honey, more or less from a flower here or another flower there.”
Bell’s “flightiness” was actually a big part of his genius, which largely rested on his ability to find novel connections between disparate ideas. But his desire to work on many things at once also greatly hindered his progress in moving forward on any one project.
To bring a little organization to his often fragmented thoughts, Bell came up with a method of using what we’ve chosen to dub “location-based prompts.” “Convinced that his physical surroundings induced specific trains of thoughts,” his biographer explains, “he established particular workspaces for particular purposes.”
Although Bell’s primary residence was in Washington D.C., he had also built a home on the headlands of Camp Breton, a remote island in Nova Scotia. At first, his family just spent their summers there, but as Bell got older, he spent more and more of his time living at this picturesque outpost. Dubbed Beinn Bhreagh, the Bell estate included a large house, a laboratory built inside a wooden shed, and a moored houseboat — the Mabel of Beinn Bhreagh.
As Bell’s daughter recalls, her father divided his time between these three different “workstations,” according to the cognitive task at hand:
“In the little office near the laboratory he occupied his mind with problems connected with the experiments; in his study in the house, he thought and worked over his theories of [flight]; while the Mabel of Beinn Bhreagh was the place to think of genetics and heredity.”
When back in D.C., Bell similarly alternated between three different workspaces: Inside his study at home, he concentrated on answering his voluminous correspondence. At the Volta Bureau, which he founded to conduct research related to the deaf, he focused his work on just that (both his wife and mother were deaf, and working with the hearing impaired was the main passion of his life). When he was in the mood to do more abstract thinking, he retreated to a small hut that sat in his son-in-law’s backyard and overlooked Rock Creek.
Using Location-Based Prompts in Your Own Life
There’s actually some neuroscience that shows why Bell’s location-based prompt method can be effective. Every thought and action you take corresponds to a series of neurons in your brain. And these neurons connect to other neurons to make what researchers call neural maps. For instance, when you think of the color red, you don’t just think of the color itself, but also likely an object, say an apple or a fire truck. The color is connected to something concrete in your brain. And it does this for higher-level actions as well. As Caroline Webb notes in How to Have a Good Day, “if you once spent an afternoon cranking out great work while settled into that window seat [at home], your ‘window seat’ neural network might be connected with the one representing ‘extremely productive and focused behavior.’”
Once this connection is established and reinforced, the brain begins creating a well-worn neural pathway: “If I sit down in X location, then I do Y.” These if-then connections between particular locations and particular behaviors/thoughts can help you settle down to work quicker on a task and prime the flow of certain ideas with less effort. Conversely, these prompts can work against doing a different activity in a certain location than the one your mind primarily associates with it. For example, it can be hard to stay motivated to work out at home (outside a dedicated garage gym), because your mind associates the living room with relaxing and snacking, not putting yourself in a state of sweat and pain.
To use location-based prompts to your advantage, first choose different locations for different tasks; see if there are places that feel naturally conducive to working on certain things. We’re not all lucky enough to have as many interesting options as Bell did, but you can use the same technique with locations limited to the four walls of your own home. For example, you might choose to always do budget-related work at the kitchen table, reading in your easy chair, and meditation in your closet.
Then do your tasks in their assigned locations as consistently as you can. At the same time, try not to use the same location for other tasks (as much as possible; you can’t avoid also eating at your kitchen table, of course), as this will create interference with the association you’re trying to create between that environment and the primary activity you use it for. For example, it’s not advisable to watch television or surf your phone while you lie in bed, because you want your bed to be solely connected with sleeping and nothing else. Doing other things in bed besides snoozing weakens the strength of its location-specific prompt and can make it harder to fall asleep.
By using Bell’s method of location-based prompts, and making certain places part of certain rituals, and you may find it easier to buckle down to your tasks. Do what Bell would — experiment and see if it works for you.
Source: Reluctant Genius: Alexander Graham Bell and the Passion for Invention by Charlotte Gray
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Linkage and Distored Mendelian Ratios
Study Questions1. When analyzing a segregation ratio of phenotypes in one populaton, what result suggests that two genes are linked on the same chromosome?
2. Two genes can be coupling or repulsion phase on a parental chromosome. What is the difference between the two?
3. In Drosophila, b+ is the allele for normal body color and at the same gene b is the allele for black body color. A second gene controls wing shape. The shape can be either normal (vg+) or vestigial (vg). A cross is made between a homozygous wild type fly and fly with black body and vestigial wings. The offspring were then mated to black body, vesitigial winged flies. The following segregtion ratio was observed:
Are these two genes linked? How did you come to this conclusion? What calculation would you perform to confirm you conclusion?
4. What is the relationship between recombination frequency and genetic distance?
5. How do you recognize double cross progeny when analyzing the segregation data of three genes in a population?
6. Describe the experiment of Creighton and McClintock that demonstrated that recombination invovled a physical exchange of chromosomal material?
7. How is linkage determined in humans? What information and assumptions are used in calculating linkage in humans.?
Copyright © 1997. Phillip McClean
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Moments after it launched, the Orbital Antares spacecraft exploded, and fire and smoke billowed out from the resupply rocket bound for the International Space Station. The explosion occurred over a year ago, but it's in the news again: Earlier this week, without notice, comment or much explanation, the photos of the exploding Antares spacecraft appeared on NASA's Flickr account, Emre Kelly reports for Florida Today.
The lack of fanfare could have to do with the time that's passed since the October 2014 event, but it could also be explained by the catastrophe that was the Antares launch. Along with the spacecraft, 5,000 pounds of cargo exploded, which caused up to $20 million in damage to the launch pad and NASA facilities.
After a review of the explosion, a NASA team determined one of three "credible root causes" could be to blame and made a number of technical recommendations to prevent similar disasters from happening in the future. Though the crew responded calmly at the time, the explosion of the commercial resupply rocket launched a wave of questions from the public about both NASA's parts supplier (Orbital ATK) and the fate of commercial space missions.
The Antares explosion also marked the beginning of a series of botched, doomed and ill-fated incidents on various launch pads.
In April 2015, a Russian resupply ship headed for the ISS began to spin and eventually crashed into the Pacific Ocean without getting its cargo to cosmonauts. On June 28, disaster struck again when a SpaceX rocket disintegrated in the skies before even leaving Earth's atmosphere.
The low-key release of the photos could be interpreted as an attempt by NASA to play down an incident officials surely wish they—and the public—could soon forget. But a glimpse at the terrifying beauty of the recent disaster also highlights the dangerous realities of space exploration and the agency's stubborn optimism and bravery.
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There has been little improvement in survival rates for mouth cancer compared with other forms of the disease, an expert has said.
Professor Saman Warnakulasuriya, professor of oral medicine at King's College London, has expressed concern at the lack of improvement, despite progress with many other types of cancer.
According to Professor Warnakulasuriya, who made a speech at the launch of November's Mouth Cancer Action Month in the House of Commons, there has been a 41 per cent increase in the number of cases of the disease in the space of just ten years.
'While the treatment of many cancers is leading to an improvement in survival rates, the same cannot be said for mouth cancer,' he revealed. 'The proportion that dies has remained more or less constant.'
The expert believes that late presentation and diagnosis and a lack of clinical trials assessing potential new treatments are probably to blame.
However, he welcomed the fact that dental professionals are becoming more skilled at detecting oral cancer.
Dr Nigel Carter, chief executive of the British Dental Health Foundation, said that everyone should be aware of the signs and symptoms of mouth cancer.
These include: an ulcer that fails to heal within three weeks; red and white patches in the mouth; and unusual lumps or swellings.
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The structure of modern automobile lamps is becoming more and more complicated, at the same time the function is being improved gradually. The development of automobile lamps has experienced four stages.
The first generation of automotive light source is fuels (candles, coal oil or acetylene). These fuels burn to emit lights. Fuels can only satisfy the requirement of early stage automobile lamps due to its low luminous efficiency, weak light intensity, unstable performance, complex operation and etc. shortcomings.
The second generation of automotive light source is incandescent lamp. Incandescent lamp was invented by Edison in 1879. In the year 1913, Americans for the first time apply incandescent lamp in Cadillac cars to act as headlamps. From then on, automobile lamps have undergone a series of revolutionary reformations and the automotive illumination has entered the electric age. Following that, new technologies like reflector, starter, generator and storage battery were invented successively. It was not until the year 1925 that the automobiles adopted incandescent lamps widely. In 1950s, halogen tungsten lamp was invented and quickly become the dominating light bulb for automotive strong light source.
The third generation of automotive light source is HID (high intensity discharge). Be provided with advantages of high luminous efficiency, high brightness and high reliability, HID has replaced incandescent lamp and halogen tungsten lamp to become a new choice for automotive light source.
Now comes the fourth generation of automotive light source —— LED. LED is a kind of semiconductor products with PN junctions. When a positive bias was imposed on the two ends of the PN junctions, the PN junction system was activated, and the carriers will shift from low state of energy into high state of energy. On this condition, unstable carriers in high state of energy will return to low state, thus generates superfluous energy which will be released in the form of photons, according to the conservation of energy principle. That is LED’s illumination principle. Unlike earlier stages light sources, LED doesn’t shine light because of temperature rising caused by heat energy. In LED, the electric energy is switched into light energy directly. The wavelength of the light irradiated by LED is decided by the carriers’ energy difference between low state and high state.
The application of LED in inner automobile light source is becoming wider. It is widely used as accessorial illuminating lamps, backlight of instrument panel and so on in particular.
The five basic components for LED automotive headlamp are: LED array, reflector, lens, radiator, and driving circuit.
The development of LED automotive light source is in direct association with the development of LED products. Only when LED illumination technologies make advancements can LED be more widely used as automotive headlamps. In the near future, with the improvement of LED quality and the reducing of prices, LED products will bring on a new revolution in the illumination domain, which will further influence the transformation of automobile lamps.
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Coal Killed 100,000 in India in 2012
A groundbreaking new report has, for the first time, estimated the human toll from India's dirtiest fuel source. According to the study, 80,000 to 115,000 people died prematurely as a result of emissions from coal-fired power plants in 2012. Those deaths, along with a slew of other health impacts, including millions of cases of asthma, respiratory distress, and heart disease caused by coal emissions, cost the Indian government $3.3 to $4.6 billion. The toll is staggering and it comes at a time when the Indian government seeks to dramatically expand its reliance on this destructive fuel source with a pipeline of coal projects matched only by China.
The study, conducted by Delhi-based research group Urban Emissions (India) and commissioned by Conservation Action Trust in partnership with Greenpeace, reveals the health impacts of some of the weakest air pollution standards in the world (see the comparison of emissions from the International Energy Agency below). Debi Goenka of Conservation Action Trust says of Indian emission standards, "They are either absent or shamefully behind those of even China, let alone the EU or U.S. Does the Ministry of Environment consider Indian lives to be less valuable?"
Even worse, the burden caused by woefully inadequate emissions standards is not borne equally. The study's results show that the burden of death and disease fell hardest on the Delhi-Haryana and Kolkata-West Bengal-Jharkhand regions, as power plant concentrations, wind patterns, and population density combined to cause an estimated 8,800 and 14,900 deaths in 2012, respectively. That means that while coal plants may be far away from India's growing middle class, their pollution is finding its way into the lungs of Delhi residents and their children.
Perhaps more worrying, however, is the direction India is headed. Coal kills 100,000 today, but what if an estimated 588 GW of new coal comes online? That is five to six times the number of existing coal plants (and twice the size of the U.S. coal fleet) -- all being built without modern pollution control equipment. India may be facing an environmental disaster of Chinese proportions.
But that is not the only impact these plants will have. Their construction is causing a social crisis, with local opposition leading to violent repression, death, and arrest. At the same time, economic realities caused by skyrocketing international coal prices and domestic coal shortages have created a wave of subprime coal loans so great that Indian banks worry it poses systemic default risk. On top of it all, the Indian government is pushing to mine what remains of the country's pristine forests to plug the growing shortage of fuel the pipeline requires.
India is paying a far greater price for its coal reliance than even these numbers reveal. But it need not happen. While the U.S. and India are clearly in very different contexts, in many ways this reminds me of what happened in the U.S. just a few short years ago. Between 2001 and 2010, the U.S. almost locked itself into a generation of 180 costly and unneeded coal-fired power plants. Campaigns led by the environmental community, the enacting of state renewable energy standards, and more-abundant competitive sources like energy efficiency, wind, and natural gas, headed off that almost catastrophic coal rush.
Now India faces a similar problem. And just as in the U.S., civil society is waking up to the threat. As Vinuta Gopal of Greenpeace puts it, "This is a wakeup call for our planners; the ongoing coal expansion is irrational and dangerous. Pollution from coal power plants is killing thousands; the coal is mined by sacrificing India's forests, tribal communities, and endangered species. And at the end of it all, coal has failed to deliver energy security. We need a moratorium on new coal plants and ambitious policy incentives to unlock the huge potential India has in efficiency measures, wind and solar."
-- Justin Guay, Sierra Club International
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PDF (Acrobat) Document File
Be sure that you have an application to open this file type before downloading and/or purchasing.
14.92 MB | 42 pages
More cookie sheet activities! This volume is great for teaching consonant blends and digraphs during your small group instruction or for use as an activity in your literacy centers. There are 17 templates for sorting blends and digraphs. The colorful and engaging pictures are a hit with both teachers and students. These templates allow for differentiation as students can sort either two or four sounds. In addition to the sorting templates, you will receive 10 templates where the students are required to place the correct letter cards (digraphs or blends) within the word to correspond to the picture.
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PHILOSOPHY of Physics Scientist noticed a very interesting quality in the philosophers, which has allowed me to develop some deductions. This last concept we train some definitions. For some thinkers deduction is the method that teaches us the correct way to lift us to the more abstract concepts that may exist. Which are called universal, i.e. the more unknown to men. For this reason the more often we observe that some deductions are very far from the experience, which is not to say that they staying away in its entirety from the reality of things. This is the quality of the philosopher: with the passing of the years the philosopher acquires the understanding that allows you to analyze and modify the causes of scientific principles.
These observations have led me to the conclusion that both physics and philosophy are the result of a scientific mind which has been manifested in the same course of history. This is what I will try to demonstrate, so we’ll look at the ancient pre-Socratic thinkers. As we know the first of them was such of Mileto (546 625 BC) the historical testimonies allow us to appreciate the scientific spirit of antiquity. This thinker founded philosophy in Greece. And what several centuries later did some men, as it is the case of predicting an eclipse of the Sun. Wasn’t anything new to the historical framework, since the pages written by humanity were not blank because in them we found evidence of that Tales of Miletus predicted an eclipse of the Sun occurred on 28 May of the year 585 AC: which shows us that it was not an accident caused by the chance and if a live example of knowledge of the scientific causes that the Greeks possessed.
This thinker was a great astronomer, i.e. a man practical, a scientist. Astronomy is a highly worthy science.
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Start learning with our library of video tutorials taught by experts. Get started
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In 3ds Max 2011 Essential Training, author Aaron F. Ross demonstrates how to use this top-tier application for digital content creation, widely used in diverse industries such as architecture, industrial design, motion pictures, games and virtual worlds. This course covers modeling with polygons, curves, and subdivision surfaces, defining surface properties with materials and maps, setting up cameras and lights, animating objects, and final output rendering. Exercise files accompany the course.
Let's go a little bit deeper into the Bevel parameters and play around and see what kind of other shapes we can get. So right now, I've got this 45 degrees straight angle bevel. But I might also want to have curved sides. So I can go over here in the Bevel parameters and enable Curved Sides. Now, I won't see anything until I increase the number of segments here, because if there's only one Segment, then it's going to be a Straight Bevel. So I am going to increase the number of segments. And as I do this, watch what happens. Whoa! Okay, something strange just happened. Okay.
The Curved Sides kind of behaves a little bit strangely. It doesn't really have a lot of sort of intuitive rhyme or reason to it. Just increasing the number of segments there on the Curved Sides has resulted in the text bubbling out and doing kind of really freaky things. The solution to this is I need to adjust the height of this extrude here. So I have got this Level 2 extrusion. It's currently set to 2 feet. This needs to come way way down. So a lower negative number in this case.
So I am down to about 2 inches, and that actually pretty much solved the issue. If I want it to be overall thicker, I can increase the Height values on the other levels as well. So a greater negative number for Level 1, a greater negative number for Level 3. And you will notice that it's kind of got a mind of its own. I'll need to play around with this Height value as well. And they all sort of interact with one another. And so there is no way to actually absolutely define in any kind of certain terms what exactly the thickness is here.
So this is a bit of a trial and error intuitive process here. I can play with that until I kind of get more or less satisfied. Okay, I kind of liked what I had before. But I am going to leave that for now, and we will actually go back to the straight angle one later. So what else can I do here? Well, I can just turn on Capping, for example, if I don't want to have caps. I want to have empty text. But of course, I do want caps. And I have also got Smoothing built-in. So especially if you're doing Curved Sides, you probably do want to have Smoothing turned on. I am going to go ahead and hit F4 to turn off those wires so you can see that we're seeing some weird smoothing artifacts here.
So if you are using Curved Sides then you want to turn on Smooth Across Levels, and as the name indicates, it's going to smooth across these levels here. If I want it to be perfectly smooth all around, I would want to add a Smooth modifier on it. This is good enough for now. So those are just a little bit of the Bevel parameters.
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The History of Blacksmithing
Who has a more personal connection to high-temperature metals processing than the blacksmith?
Do you think blacksmiths no longer exist? Think again. This field is experiencing a bit of a resurgence as people look for a craft with an artistic component that can provide a usable product for those who are looking for something out of the ordinary.
Many of today’s blacksmiths work with the tools and techniques utilized for many centuries. The first evidence of smithing by hammering iron into shape is a dagger found in Egypt dating to 1350 B.C. Although in Egypt, it was likely the product of a Hittite tradesman. The Hittites likely invented forging and tempering, and they kept their ironworking techniques secret. When the Hittites were scattered, their ironworking skills were spread to Greece and the Balkans. This early Iron Age occurred about 800-500 B.C. The smith can also be found in the classical mythology of the Romans, Greeks, Phoenicians and Aztecs.
Early smiths likely heated iron in wood fires. They found that wood converted to charcoal produced a better fire – the intensity of which could be increased with an air blast. The smith began to specialize in the Middle Ages, especially with the onset of the Industrial Revolution. The whitesmith was someone who worked with lead, and the blacksmith was the ironworker. The farrier was a specialist in the making and fitting of horseshoes, while the chainsmiths and nailsmiths had their specialties. The number of folks with the last name of “Smith” demonstrates the prevalence of the vocation. Other surnames such as Miller and Cooper have similar origins.
In the 16th century, cast iron came into greater use. A Frenchman named Jean Tijou introduced the art of decorative blacksmithing in the late 17th century. The flair seen in today’s art is, at least in part, due to the early work of this smith. Most blacksmiths are drawn to the art of the trade versus its utility. The uniqueness of the goods produced by today’s blacksmiths is what attracts buyers.
Some of today’s blacksmiths have more sophisticated equipment, but many have chosen to do it the old-fashioned way. In either case, the forge is heated to temperatures of 2000-3000°F using coke and a blower or bellows to concentrate the air. The steel is usually heated to around 2000°F. The key tools of a smith are still the anvil, tongs and a hammer. A securely mounted leg vise complements the anvil. The anvil can be quite expensive, and every part of it – the face, horn, square and circular holes – serves a unique purpose.
Today’s interest in blacksmithing can be seen in a variety of ways. The Western Maine Blacksmith Association has put together a traveling forge to share this bygone-day art with more people. A quote from the co-president of the organization sums it up: “People’s interest in the association is they are interested in seeing how people did things back in the days when they actually did things.”
In the Adirondacks of New York, blacksmithing is being taught in summer camps as well as schools in the area. The smith responsible for beginning these programs has personally taken blacksmithing classes in Massachusetts, Maine and two classes in New York City. In North Carolina, a blacksmith has begun a course at a local community college. It is fortunate that opportunities exist for people to learn this skill so that one of the longest-established crafts known to civilized man will continue to survive the test of time.
Lest you think that smithing is a skill-less trade, the road to becoming a journeyman smith in the American Blade Association requires a rigorous knife-making test. The knife must be able to slice apart a 1-inch rope, cut through a 2x4 and retain enough sharpness to shave hair from the maker’s arm. In the final test, the knife must withstand being bent in a vice more than 90 degrees without breaking.
Hopefully, this glimpse into the world of the blacksmith – of today and yesteryear – will spark an interest of your own.
For more information on the history of heating and processing metals, visit our sister site, Industrial Heating, for articles on industrial heating from 1000BC to 1930.
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Based on over 100,000 recent U.S. Government tests, on 46 popular fruits and vegetables, The Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non profit consumer watchdog group, came up with the “Dirty Dozen.” This is a grouping of 12 commercially grown fruits and vegetables that have the highest levels of toxic pesticide residue.
By choosing Certified Organic versions of the produce from this list and the processed food made from them (pies, juices, jams, sauces etc…), you will be taking a big step towards better health and limiting your exposure to harmful chemicals by as much as 90%. By limiting the toxic load on your body, you will also be helping yourself to avoid painful, chronic diseases.
The pesticides used in commercial farming are full of toxins that attack your nervous system, reproductive system and immune system, damage your brain and cause cancer. Developing fetuses and young children are especially at risk for being harmed by these chemicals.
EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
Use the following Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce to reduce your exposures as much as possible. This list will help you determine which fruits and vegetables have the most pesticide residues and are the most important to buy organic.
The Dirty Dozen for 2011 – Buy these organic
- Nectarines– imported
- Grapes – imported
- Sweet bell peppers
- Blueberries– domestic
- Kale/collard greens
The Clean 15 – Lowest in Pesticide
- Sweet Corn
- Sweet peas
- Cantaloupe- domestic
- Sweet potatoes
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Italy’s Mount Etna is one of the world’s most famous – and most active – volcanoes. Located on the east coast of Sicily, the mountain’s location and frequent eruptions make it a popular tourist destination. Plumes of ash and gas vent from fissures in the mountainsides and lava flows reshape the steep slopes extending from the summit.
While spectacular, Mount Etna’s eruptions are also dangerous and worrisome. Eruptions have been recorded over the past 3,500 years and the mountain has been erupting continuously since September 2013. The ‘Strombolian activity’ that took place in July this year produced lava flows and ash that affected the terrain and nearby communities, including forcing the temporary closure of nearby airports.
It’s no surprise then that scientists are studying the mountain to improve their ability to anticipate activity and issue warnings and alerts.
Etna’s ease of access and continuing activity make it an important site for scientists seeking to better understand volcanic goings on. The mountain serves as a virtual laboratory – it’s blanketed with sensors that measure different aspects of the volcano’s behaviour, some of which can be precursors to impending activity. The Italian National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV, Sezione di Catania, Osservatorio Etneo) continuously monitors the volcano by terrestrial, remote and satellite technologies. Understanding the spatiotemporal patterns in the monitored data facilitates predicting the behaviour of the volcano and supports efforts to mitigate hazards.
The quantities monitored include surface deformations and spatiotemporal gravity changes. These changes are indicative of magma mobility and pressurisation in the mountain’s ‘internal plumbing system’, which can lead to either unrest or volcanic activity. Simply put, scientists want to know what’s going on inside the mountain. They do this by measuring changes of observables on its surface.
In July 2018, researchers from Slovakia (Peter Vajda, Pavol Zahorec and Juraj PapÄo) and INGV in Catania (Filippo Greco and Massimo Cantarero) teamed up for a one-week campaign of intense observation. Their objective was to test a new approach to modelling the vertical gradient of gravity (VGG) and applying the deformation-induced topographic effects in interpreting gravity changes in order to improve the ability to predict volcanic unrest or eruption. The task required accurate point positioning and production and use of high-resolution, high-accuracy digital terrain models (DTMs).
While real-time GNSS was the team’s first choice to obtain precise positioning in the difficult and sometimes dangerous environments, Mount Etna’s terrain and lack of communications presented obstacles to accuracy and productivity. By using precise point positioning (PPP) with satellite-delivered corrections, the researchers produced accurate, reliable data with less time and effort than ground-based RTK GNSS measurements.
Tracking magma with gravity
Studying Mount Etna is rugged work. In addition to high altitude and steep terrain, research teams face a constant stream of spewing smoke and gases, unstable ground, and explosive eruptions of ash and lava. In spite of the challenges, the Slovak and INGV team view Mount Etna as a research lab in which they can measure and analyse the movement of magma inside the mountain.
The replenishment (or movement) of magma within Mount Etna manifests itself through temporal gravity changes that can be observed on the surface of the volcano. The magma’s motion can also deform the mountain’s topography. To study these effects, scientists combine gravity data with digital elevation models (DEM) developed from aerial imagery. The team measured in-situ vertical gravity gradients (VGG) at multiple locations on the mountain to verify their numerical method of modelling it. The modelled VGG is used in compiling residual gravity changes that are interpreted in order to track magma mobility.
As the team put it: “We needed to demonstrate that we can successfully predict the VGG in volcanic areas of prominent rugged topography based on
modelling the topographic contribution to the VGG using high-resolution high-accuracy DEMs and eventually local improvements using drone-flown photogrammetry”.
For PapÄo, a geodesist at Slovak Technical University in Bratislavia, obtaining precise gravimetry called for high-accuracy GNSS positioning. He was especially interested in obtaining accurate heights (elevation) measurement wherever gravity data was collected. But even in such a thoroughly measured site as Mount Etna, precise GNSS measurement is not straightforward.
While Mount Etna is surrounded by geodetic control points, conducting real-time GNSS observations on the mountain proved challenging. Inconsistent cellular service on the mountain made connection to Italy’s real-time GNSS network difficult and unreliable. Constraints on radio licensing ruled out conventional RTK.
To ensure reliable GNSS performance, PapÄo turned to Trimble’s CenterPoint RTX correction service. CenterPoint RTX uses a global network of GNSS tracking stations and advanced data analysis to enable its subscribers to obtain precise real-time positions nearly anywhere on Earth. With GNSS correction data delivered via communications satellites, CenterPoint RTX users can operate without relying on cellular or radio datalinks.
Real-time GNSS on an active volcano
Working with colleagues from Italy’s National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV), PapÄo conducted initial measurements on 10 existing profile points using a Trimble R10 GNSS receiver and CenterPoint RTX. He then measured multiple sites on the mountain, including a trip to the summit.
“There was a lot of dust, loose rock and gas; it was very, very terrible to breathe,” PapÄo recalled. “In many places it was quite dangerous and scary. In one location where I wanted to go, the people from INGV says “No, no, don’t go there. If something happens there you will completely die.” But in spite of the danger there were interesting aspects of sounds and odours. It was fascinating to see how it works and to experience the smell and the life of the volcano.”
PapÄo used CenterPoint RTX to capture data at 17 locations where gravity data was collected. At each gravity point, he measured additional ground points to provide check data for the elevation models developed from aerial imagery.
“Using RTX corrections was very exciting,” PapÄo says. “On many points, especially on the higher part of the volcano, Internet signals were poor or none at all. Only by using RTX were we were able to collect real-time data.”
The project teams used existing aerial imagery to identify the areas where they wanted to measure VGG. They then used RTX to navigate to the locations before collecting real-time and static data on the points. “We had a very good experience with CenterPoint RTX. It performed well in higher elevations and in difficult conditions,” PapÄo says. “Without RTX, it would have been very difficult and complicated to navigate to the desired points.”
For each profile and gravity point, PapÄo collected real-time positions as well as roughly 25 minutes of static observation. Some gravity points were located inside buildings or under tree canopy. To produce 3D positions on these points, PapÄo set intervisible points with GNSS and then used a Trimble M3 total station to measure into the structure or forest. He processed the static data using Trimble’s Business Center software (TBC) and compared the static results with RTX and previous measurements by INGV.
The data collected using RTX produced vertical accuracy of 4-5cm. “From my point of view, the accuracy was very good,” PapÄo says. He also imported and processed aerial imagery using the UASMaster module in TBC. The ability to process all the aerial imagery, total station measurements and GNSS data in one software provided an added benefit – point classification and transformations into the local coordinate system went smoothly.
A deeper understanding
The work on Mount Etna revealed that precise information on topography and point positioning is essential to accurate VGG predictions for the purposes of volcano geodesy. Using GNSS and PPP provides the needed accuracy and is helping scientists understand how changes in topography reflect gravity changes attributable to the magma redistribution. The approach will give scientists refined tools to better anticipate and characterize volcanic behaviour.
While predicting eruptions of any active volcano remains a challenging science, the work of the multinational Slovak–Italian team provides valuable contributions to understanding volcanoes and anticipating volcanic events. Thanks to their achievements and the work of INGV, the laboratory known as Mount Etna continues to reveal its secrets..
John Stenmark is a writer and consultant working in the geospatial, AEC and associated industries
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Published on October 25th, 2011 | by Rhishja Cota-Larson9
Breaking News: Javan Rhino Declared Extinct in Vietnam
October 25th, 2011 by Rhishja Cota-Larson
WWF and the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) have confirmed the extinction of the Javan rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus) in Vietnam.
On April 29th, 2010, the body of a female Javan rhino was found in Cat Tien National Park.
DNA analyses conducted at Queen’s University, Canada, determined that the dung samples collected during a 2009/2010 WWF survey belonged to one rhino.
It was the worst possible outcome: The samples matched those taken from the dead rhino.
Traditional medicine trade
Vietnam’s “uncontrolled illegal wildlife trade” and “inadequate protection” led to the extinction of the country’s rhinos, according to a new report released by WWF.
The “increasing demand for wildlife in the traditional medicine trade” in Vietnam, China, and other Asian countries has decimated Southeast Asia’s wildlife populations, and is responsible for killing Vietnam’s last rhino.
Rhino horn is a sought-after ingredient for traditional Chinese medicine, despite the fact it has been rigorously analyzed and contains no medicinal properties. Earlier this year, the Register of Chinese Herbal Medicine and TCM educators spoke out against the continued use of rhino horn.
Lack of political will
The Vietnamese government also contributed to the tragedy by demonstrating “insufficient political support” for protecting its critically endangered rhino population and focusing its funding on “infrastructure development”.
Urban development, conversion to agricultural land, park encroachment by settlers, and explosive human population growth proved to be ongoing issues that were never adequately addressed. By 2010, the range of the Javan rhino in Vietnam decreased to just 6,500ha from 75,000ha in 1988.
Additionally, there was “little or no accountability” within Vietnam’s current protected area management system, which includes rangers, their managers, and protected area managers.
Although once thought to be extinct, Vietnam’s Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus was rediscovered in 1988.
The small population was estimated at no more than 15 rhinos. Sufficient habitat was available and it was hoped that these rhinos would make a recovery similar to the Southern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) and the greater one-horned rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis ) – both of which were on the brink of extinction 100 years ago.
However, by 2006, probably only three Javan rhinos remained in Vietnam. Despite years of valid recommendations from conservation groups, implementation and law enforcement were both lacking in Cat Tien National Park.
WWF’s report called the Javan rhino’s extinction in Vietnam “a major conservation failure”.
Three subspecies of Javan rhino once existed. Rhinoceros sondaicus inermis, which formerly occurred in northeastern India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar, is already extinct.
The extinction of Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus leaves just one Javan rhino subspecies (Rhinoceros sondaicus sondiacus), found only in Indonesia’s Ujung Kulon National Park.
There are now less than 50 Javan rhinos remaining on Earth.
Source: Brook, S., Van Coeverden de Groot, P., Mahood, S. “Extinction of the Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus).” 2011. WWF-Vietnam.
Photos provided by & © WWF-Greater Mekong.
Keep up to date with all the most interesting green news on the planet by subscribing to our (free) Planetsave newsletter.
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Climate change is inextricably linked to economic inequality: it is a crisis that is driven by the greenhouse gas emissions of the ‘haves’ that hits the ‘have-nots’ the hardest. While COP21 in Paris will see a deal negotiated between governments on the basis of the total emissions produced in their territories, the real winners and losers will be their citizens. The true test of the deal will be whether it delivers something for the poorest people who are both the least responsible for and the most vulnerable to climate change, wherever they live.
In this briefing Oxfam presents new data analysis that demonstrates the extent of global carbon inequality by estimating and comparing the lifestyle consumption emissions of rich and poor citizens in different countries.
See also the technical briefing on the methodology and data sets.
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Nadav Kander – The Polygon Nuclear Test Site I (after the event), Kazakhstan, 2011
If it were possible to take a picture of the entire earth’s surface, the mosaic of human co-existence would be a sight to behold. Some areas are military grounds, mining cities or tourist destinations while others are education hubs just to mention a few. It is hard to appreciate that in the midst of all that are secrets as deep as the mystery of death. In the Dust series, as created by Nadav Kander’s, images of crows illuminated against the light of the moon in the darkness symbolizes how difficult it is to hide the truth. These images appear in the first three spreads, perhaps to prepare one’s mind to the secrets about to be uncovered.
Nadav Kander – Chongqing I, Chongqing Municipality
Nadav Kander’s trips to China
For his Yangtze photos Nadav Kander came to China several times in 2005 to 2007, visited 186 cities and traveled along the world’s third largest river, from the spring in the Himalaya to the mouth. Humans are usually just portrayed as small figures next to a gigantic setting, either of the river itself or one of the numerous construction projects. The Chinese people shown are often merely victims of the unstoppable change that is flowing through China with an enormous force, comparable to that of the Yangtze River. Old, traditional buildings and housing boats are replaced by gigantic anonymous buildings, reducing the human to the role of a spectator rather than a maker.
What makes the Yangtze River special?
The Yangtze River is widely known for being one of the most interesting and visually distinct rivers in the world. It has different names based on what regions it goes through. It’s named Jinsha, Tongtian, Blue River, Yangzi Jiang, Jing Jiang and even the Sichuan River. Another great Yangtze River fact is that the earliest evidence of human activity found near it was stated to be around 27000 years ago according to researchers.
The Yangtze River basin is known for the fact that this is a grain and rice-producing region. People also produce barley and wheat here, as well as maize, beans and cotton. An interesting Yangtze River fact is that the river first appeared on the European maps under the name Quiansui or Quian, both names being given by Marco Polo. It’s still safe to say that this river is iconic for China and it continues to help the local economy greatly.
How long is the Yangtze River?
The Yangtze River covers most of China and it’s more than 6000 km in length. Out of those, around 2800 are navigable. One of the main Yangtze River facts is that this is the longest river in Asia and the third one in the world in regards to their water debit. The watershed of this river alone is more than 695000 square miles, so it does cover a significant amount of space, which is quite impressive.
Some ocean vessels are able to travel 1000 miles on the river if you have a smaller boat you will be able to travel even further than that when necessary.
Dams & floods
You will also be impressed by the fact that the Yangtze River is home to one of the oldest dam-free irrigation systems named Dujiangyan Irrigation Project at the western side of the Chengdu City. The first Dam created on the Yangtze River was the Gezhouba Dam, but the largest one is the Three Gorges Dam, finished in 1998.
What a lot of people dislike is the fact that the Yangtze River valley floods every summer, however river dikes made it accessible for people to live in the valley.
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Valley Fever is Quickly Spreading
A silent epidemic is spreading throughout the Southwestern United States.
Coccidioidomycosis, or valley fever, is a fungal disease which takes flight with the wind and can be inhaled into the lungs and spread throughout the body. The disease has been known to spread in the bones, skin, eyes or even the brain.
The disease is most commonly spread throughout California and Arizona, but has been found all over the southwest. The disease is named after the San Joaquin Valley, where it is most commonly found. A judge ordered 2,600 inmates to transfer out of the area because it is so high risk.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports that anyone can get this disease if you have traveled throughout California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas.
PBS states that valley fever is not contagious, but symptoms of the disease are common to symptoms of the flu.
- Muscle aches
- Joint pain
If you are showing symptoms of valley fever, contact your local health provider immediately. Anyone can get this disease so be aware of your health, especially if you are traveling or live in the southwest.
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Phaedra married Theseus who has a son, Hippolytus, from a previous marriage to Antiope. The young Hippolytus, however, angered Aphrodite by shunning her worship and devoting himself entirely to Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt. To punish him, Aphrodite compels Phaedra to begin lusting after the young man. At first, she resisted, and sought magic cures for her passions, or at least a noble death. Hippolytus learns of Phaedra's desire for him through Phaedra's nurse and launches into a fierce denunciation of women -- a locus classicus for misogyny.
Out of shame and guilt Phaedra hung herself, but not until she'd left a letter condemning him of trying to rape her. Hipploytus was trapped into silence because he had promised that whatever Phaedra's nurse told him, he would never repeat. Therefore, when confronted by his father he was defenseless. Out of anger Theseus asked Poseidon to punish Hippolytus, which he did. Hippolytus died as Poseidon's bull emerged from the sea frightened his horses. Unfortunately, after it was too late, Artemis revealed the truth to Theseus concerning his son and Phaedra.
In a typical Euripidean deus ex machina, the goddess Artemis is questioned as to why she stood by and allowed her devoted follower to be destroyed. She reminds the chorus that there is an agreement among the gods that the favorites of one divinity can be destroyed by another divinity at will. It is scant consolation that she promises that someday she'll similarly destroy a mortal favorite of Aphrodite in revenge. And so "As flies are to wanton boys, are we to the gods. They kill us for their sport" (Shakespeare, "King Lear").
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Can Tetanus be prevented and are there treatment options?
Proper wound care is essential to preventing tetanus. If wounds are dirty or deep, prompt medical attention is recommended. Unclean wounds should not be covered with bandages as this may enhance the risk of wound infection by tetanus or other bacteria.1 Medical treatment options for serious wounds where the presence of tetanus bacteria may be higher include: thorough wound care to remove any foreign objects, dirt or dead tissue; administration of human tetanus immune globulin (TIG); and vaccination with a tetanus toxoid containing vaccine. While antibiotics are not recommended for use against tetanus, they can be used if a wound appears to be infected.2 A person who has sustained a wound considered to be at high risk for tetanus should receive a single dose of human TIG administered by intramuscular injection as quickly as possible. Human tetanus immune globulin (TIG), however, may only be effective at preventing tetanus if the tetanus toxin has not yet bonded to nerve endings.3
All wounds should be completely rinsed out with water and thoroughly washed with soap. Topical antibiotics can also be applied to the wound to prevent bacterial growth. Wounds can be covered with a bandage to keep out bacteria, however, wounds may heal quicker if they remain exposed to air. Any bandage that is applied should be changed at least one time per day or if it becomes dirty or wet. Medical attention is advised if debris is present or in the event that there are concerns about the wound.4
Any person suspected of having tetanus requires hospitalization and immediate treatment with human tetanus immune globulin (TIG). Additional treatments of tetanus include wound care, antibiotics, and medications to control muscle spasms. Mechanical ventilation and sedation may also be required.5
Vitamin C may also be an effective treatment option to reduce tetanus mortality rates. A 2013 Cochrane review reported on one study from Bangladesh that found a 100 percent reduction in tetanus-related deaths among children between the ages of 1 and 12 years, and a 45 percent reduction in tetanus-related deaths among persons between the ages of 13 and 30 years of age. While study authors cautioned the use of vitamin C based on this study, they did recommend that further research should be conducted on the use of vitamin C as a treatment option for tetanus disease.6
IMPORTANT NOTE: NVIC encourages you to become fully informed about Tetanus and the Tetanus vaccine by reading all sections in the Table of Contents , which contain many links and resources such as the manufacturer product information inserts, and to speak with one or more trusted health care professionals before making a vaccination decision for yourself or your child. This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice.
« Return to Vaccines & Diseases Table of Contents
1 Mayo Clinic Tetanus Feb. 22, 2019
2 CDC Tetanus For Clinicians –Wound Management for Tetanus Prevention Feb. 28, 2019
3 Hinfey PB What is the role of tetanus immune globulin (TIG) in the treatment of tetanus (lockjaw)? Medscape Jan. 18, 2019
4 Mayo Clinic Tetanus Feb. 22, 2019
5 WebMD Understanding Tetanus -- Diagnosis and Treatment Mar. 18, 2017
6 Hemilä H, Koivula T. Vitamin C for preventing and treating tetanus. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2013 Nov 13;(11):CD006665
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Is It Safe To Drink Tap Water In U.S.? Find Out The Facts And Truth About Tap Water
In today’s world, water filters and bottled water are widely available, and many may choose to drink from these sources rather than from the tap in their home for a number of reasons. Some may not trust the quality of their tap water. Others may feel as though their bottled water or filtered water tastes different, choosing to drink that instead. But when it comes to tap water, is there really that much of a risk of contamination? Is it safer to drink filtered water than tap water in the U.S.? Here are the facts and the truth about tap water that you need to know to maintain your overall health and wellness.
Is Tap Water Safe? For the Most Part, Yes
The reality for most Americans is that tap water is safe to drink. In fact, many sources will tell you directly that America has some of the safest drinking water in the world. Tap water is pulled from a variety of sources and distributed through public water systems, which are governed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Public water system owners are required to follow guidelines set forth by the EPA, alert any customers to changes in water quality that could negatively impact their health and quality of life, and provide annual water reports to customers so they know exactly what the state of their tap water is.
Overall, there are plenty of ways in which the United States protects its citizens from contaminated water. But does that mean that tap water quality or the system itself is perfect? It’s the uncertainty that can leave many wondering about their own tap water quality.
Some Americans Are at Greater Risk of Consuming Contaminated Water Than Others
It’s important to reiterate that tap water, for the most part, is safe. However, there are certain demographics in America who may be at greater risk of being contaminated by unsafe drinking water that’s not being properly regulated. Unfortunately, this tends to happen most to those in rural communities.
One study found that between the years 1982 and 2015, at least nine million to 45 million people received water that violated the Safe Drinking Water Act. This might seem like a small number, but it’s still a number that’s quite concerning. Very few can forget the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. While it took a great deal of time to fix, residents are still wary of their water and prefer to use bottled water instead.
It doesn’t help either that detecting contaminated water is nearly impossible using just your sense of taste or smell. Whether it be heavy metals like arsenic, parasites, or some other issue, some are uneasy knowing that they might not be able to detect something wrong with their water until it’s too late. Out of an abundance of caution, you may be looking for ways to navigate this potential development in your area. But where do you begin?
Staying Safe With Your Tap Water
If you’re especially concerned that tap water in your area could become contaminated or already is, there are steps that you can take in order to protect your health. Here are a few tips for navigating your current water situation.
- Purchase Water Filters: Purchasing water filter products for use throughout the home can be an easy way to make sure the water you’re using for drinking, cooking, or bathing is properly filtered before it reaches your body. Just make sure you research what filters are able to remove and what they aren’t able to remove so you don’t miss any potential contaminants. Quality filters also add beneficial minerals that can combat the effects of hard water.
- Get Your Water Tested Regularly: Using professional-level kits or having a professional come out to test your water is a great way to learn more about what’s in your water. You can have your city come out and test it or you could outsource your testing needs to a third party. Getting your water tested regularly is especially important if you rely on your own well system to deliver water.
- Note Any Strange Symptoms That Could Be Caused By Tap Water: Are you concerned that your tap water is impacting your health? Keep an eye out for any potential symptoms that could point to a waterborne illness. Most symptoms will be gastrointestinal in nature. If you have been feeling nauseous and vomiting, experiencing diarrhea, or have been dealing with a fever and headache that can’t be attributed to anything else, test your tap water.
Tap water is largely safe to drink, but there are some Americans who may not trust that their tap water is as clean as their city says it is. If you’re worried about your tap water, use the guide above to learn more about water quality across the U.S. and what you can do to protect your health!
2013 © YourAmazingPlaces.com
Back to Top ↑
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Taking the reader on a journey in time, this book travels through the formation of the solar system and on to explore the Earth's past in detail. It describes the development of land, sea, atmosphere, climate and the origins of life, and features major events/landmarks in the Earth's development.
Starting at the unimaginably hot, dense speck from which the universe originated, this text takes the reader on a journey in time, spanning the history of the Earth. The book travels through the enormity of time to the formation of the solar system and on to explore the Earth's past in detail. It describes the development of land, sea, atmosphere, climate and the origins of life, and features major events and landmarks in the Earth's turbulent development. Covering the process of early life on Earth, to the evolution of modern humans, until it reaches the planet at the end of the 20th century, supporting at least ten million living species
Why buy from World of Books
Our excellent value books literally don't cost the earth
The big bang - birth of the universe; the solar system forms; the solar system - meteorites; early Earth, crust and water; life evolves; life shapes atmosphere; simple to complex cells; life explodes?; atmosphere shapes life; time in the rocks; dating the past; perfectly preserved; the lost ocean; life moves on to land; from fins to four legs; coal forests and carbon cycles; amphibians and reptiles; boom and bust; what causes mass extinctions?; soaring the skies; into bloom; sluggish oceans; dinosaur death; mammals diversify; rising mountains; on the move; freezing and melting; shell thermometer; what are the effects of ice ages?; humans evolve; humans shape the environment; Earth's future; Earth status globes.
From the Beginning by Katie Edwards
Used - Very Good
The Natural History Museum
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in very good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us.
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Write four 4 page paper that addresses the following:
- As a future executive, explain what you think are the most important communication issues you will have to face as you embark upon your career.
- Discuss whether communication will become more complex, or less complex, and why.
- Address what role technology will play in the communication of thoughts and ideas.
- Discuss how the information gap between generations, cultures, income levels, and education can be resolved.
- Include a statement of your personal philosophy on the future of integrated business communication.
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What do you do when your sentences tangle themselves up in knots? It’s a common problem. Writers often discover awkward sentences strewn across their first drafts. That’s one reason good writers make a point of editing their own work. It’s during editing passes that writers can discover and fix any awkward sentences that snuck in during first-draft writing.
The quickest fix
Sometimes all you need to do to untangle an awkward sentence is to ask yourself, “What is it that I am REALLY trying to say here?” Then say the answer, either out loud or inside your head. If it sounds good, write it down.
This works because speech and writing seem to tap into slightly different brain functions. Sometimes, if you are stumped about how to write something clearly, you can solve the problem by accessing the “speech” part of your brain. When this works, it’s an elegant, quick solution. When it doesn’t, you’ll need to try more analytical approaches, as described below.
Check for inconsistencies
Often, inconsistencies can make sentences awkward. Check your messed-up sentences for the following:
– Plural and singular: Make sure your verbs match your nouns – singular verbs with singular nouns, and plural verbs with plural nouns.
– Voice: Make sure you haven’t arbitrarily switched point-of-view, for example, by starting the sentence addressing the reader as “you,” then switching mid-sentence to “we” or “I,” without having a specific reason for doing so.
– Items in a series: When you have items in a series, each item should have the same grammatical structure. For example, if you have a list of nouns, don’t throw in a verb – don’t write “She likes apples, pears, and to swim.” If you have a series consisting of phrases, make sure each one has the same basic structure.
– Dangling modifiers: When detangling awkward sentences, check to see that your modifiers are attached where they should be.
– Vague pronoun references: Is it clear what your pronouns refer to?
Often solving these kinds of mechanical problems can go a long way towards making your sentences less awkward and more elegant.
Use strong verbs
If your sentence seems convoluted and weak, check the main verb. If it’s a form of “to be” or a similar verb that does not convey action, you may be able to dramatically improve your sentence by using a stronger verb.
Ask yourself: what is the action that this sentence describes? Often, when the main verb of a sentence is weak, the real action of the sentence is trapped inside nouns. Rewrite the sentence, using verbs to convey the action.
Good writers know that writing is a two-step process – first you write a draft, and then you go through one or more editing passes. It’s in the editing phase of your work that you can best fix awkward sentences. While writing probably relies to some extent on inborn talent, editing seems to be primarily a learned skill, and the more you do it, the more skillful you become.
“Line by Line: How to Edit Your Own Writing” by Claire Kehrwald Cook. This book will turn you into a champion self-editor.
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We are all human beings. We are all living beings. Our body is approx 70% water. Water is H2O. Our lung is full of air. Air is N2, O2, CO2.. . Bones are mostly calcium(Ca). So our body is made of natural elements as enlisted in the Periodic Table. These natural elements are made of molecules. Molecules are made of atoms. Atoms are made of electron, proton and neutron. Electrons of water are same with electrons of air or bones. So, we can say our body basically is made of electron, proton and neutrons.These electron,proton and neutrons can not move on their own. When we move our hand or any other limbs; so many electron,proton and neutrons will be moved. So, who are we? Are we all these electrons, protons and neutrons or something else which is able to move these particles.
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Help writing poems
From handwriting to personal stories to persuasive writing, learn more about effective teaching strategies and ways to encourage kids to write every day. Developing. Simply, incredibly stunning This feature is not available right now. Please try again later.
The works of Maya Angelou encompass autobiography, plays, poetry, and teleplays. She also had an active directing, acting, and speaking career. Learn how to write a haiku. This tool can help you create your own haiku poems. It's your own haiku generator. Remember the rules: 5 syllables for the. We provide excellent essay writing service 24/7. Enjoy proficient essay writing and custom writing services provided by professional academic writers. Expert Reviewed. How to Write a Poem. Four Parts: Sample Poems Starting the Poem Writing the Poem Polishing the Poem Community Q&A. Writing a poem is all about. Inspirational poems and Christian poems 1998, stories 848, messages 1205, humor 1275. NEW daily, 5361 Inspirational and Christian pages.
Help writing poems
If you are considering writing a Christmas poem or song, you will probably want to use some rhyming words. Below is a list of rhyming Christmas-themed words. © 2008 Northern Nevada Writing Project and WritingFix. Teachers have permission to reprint for classroom use only. This resource is featured in the Northern Nevada. Define writing: the activity or work of writing books, poems, stories, etc. — writing in a sentence. Some feelings just need to be expressed, and writing a love poem is one of the most creative and sincere ways to say what's in your heart. Here's how to do it. Why Oil Traders Are Writing Love Poems to Yahoo End of trusty Messenger system has oil traders in despair; Mr. Barsamian’s poem.
If you are writing a poem because you want to capture a feeling that you experienced, then you don’t need these tips. Just write whatever feels right. Only you. If you want to study at a British (or other English-speaking) university, you will have to write assignments – you can find out how here! Writing for a Purpose. All Types Of Poems. How to write a Limerick, a Sonnet Tutorial and How to write a Haiku. Poems of all different types, genres, form and themes. Examples and Definitions. A fun writing activity that solidifies students' understanding of onomatopoeia. They become more aware of the sounds of words and objects. Spoken sounds are. The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and they provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at.
Some scholars believe that the art of poetry may predate literacy. Others, however, suggest that poetry did not necessarily predate writing. The oldest surviving epic. Famous Poets and Poems is a free poetry site. We have a large collection of poems and quotes from over 550 poets. Read and Enjoy Poetry. After listening to haiku poetry, students use seasonal descriptive words to write their own haiku, following the traditional format. They then publish their poems by.
Friends Poetry and Songs To A Friend. By: Helen H. Moore. Let's arrange. to exchange. love and laughter. now and after. I Like You. By: Matcuhitto. Poetry Daily, the online web anthology and bookstore. A new poem every day, along with poetry news, archives, and more. How to write poetry - a step-by-step guide. Free writing lessons for new authors. Learn creative writing techniques and how to avoid common mistakes. Plus poem. Essay writing can be a piece of cake. Hard to believe? Then try our essay writing service and see yourself. Samedayessay.org writers can master any assignment in any. The Purdue University Online Writing Lab serves writers from around the world and the Purdue University Writing Lab helps writers on Purdue's campus. In pairs, students answer a number of questions about what they think poetry is. Then, at the end of a poetry lesson (either text-based or teacher-created), students.
- Eulogy Speech Writing Guide - EulogySpeech.net - Learn How to Write and Deliver a Memorable Eulogy and Find Free Eulogy Speech Examples and Eulogy Samples, Funeral.
- We work on 17 different forms of poetry and work students step-by-step through the poem writing process.
Portrait Poem #6. Poetry deals with the emotions, just as music. An autobiographical poem is personal—it reveals something about the person writing the poem.
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Penstemon debilis often referred to as, Parachute Penstemon or Parachute beardtongue, is one of the rarest plants in North America, found only 5 places in the world, all of them located on the Roan Plateau in Garfield County, of Western Colorado.
The Denver Botanic Gardens has the Parachute Penstemon on display with other native plants of the Roan Plateau. The name Parachute comes from the small town in Colorado, Parachute, Colorado, close to where the plant can be found.
The plant is small and low to the ground. It has small green leaves and pale light-lavender flowers. It grows in steep slopes on shale, where little vegetation grows. The area is very arid and has sparse vegetation, containing sages, grasses and bushes.
The Parachute Penstemon has been identified to qualify for protection under the Endangered Species Act by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, but has failed to be protected, due to large amounts of natural gas in the area. In 2004, the Center for Native Ecosystems, along with the Colorado Native Plant Society and two independent botanists have formally requested protection.
See Also: standing flower, congratulation flowers, congratulation flower
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|Forsíða | Inngangur | Stafróf og framburður||01 | 02 | 03 | 04|
|Viðaukar: Stórir Bókstafir | Nafnorð | Sagnorð | Óregluleg sagnorð | Lýsingarorð | Atviksorð | Töluorð | Klukkan||Annað: Verkfæri|
Rules about big and small letters are divided into three parts. Capital letters:
- after punctuation marks (greinarmerkjum)
- in nouns (nafnorðum)
- in other groups
It must be noted that due to (mostly) English influences, both foreigners and Icelanders tend to write capital letters where not appropriate and vice versa. The Icelandic rules also tend to be confusing. However, these few (about five hundred) and simple rules and years of practice, should make it all worth while.
It's studying time!
Capital letters after punctuation marksEdit
- Always start with a capital letter at the beginning of each sentence.
Pretty basic, huh?
- Ex.: Ég er svangur. Fáum okkur að borða. – I'm hungry. Let's have something to eat.
- Ex.: Ertu franskur? – Are you French?
- Ex.: Enska er skemmtileg, en ekki eins skemmtileg og íslenska. – English is fun, but not as fun as Icelandic.
- Always write a capital letter after a period (.) or the equivalent of a period (:?!) unless it is followed by a dependent clause (ósjálfstætt orðasamband).
- Ex.: Aðal þema Moby Dicks var: Vertu þú sjálfur. – The main theme of Moby Dick was: Be yourself.
- Ex.: Jæja! Enn og aftur tókst þér að klúðra þessu. – Well! Once again you managed to screw it up.
- Ex.: Er ég ánægður? Ó jæja. – Am I happy? Oh well.
- Ex.: Hann missti allt: manga bækurnar sínar, myndirnar sínar og DS tölvuna sína. – He lost everything: his manga books, his pictures and his DS game computer.
The last example was a dependent clause (ósjálfstætt orðasamband)
- If a direct quote is in a sentence, a lower case letter follows, even if it ends with a question mark (?) or an exclamation mark (!).
- Ex.: "Ertu lítill?" spurði hann. – "Are you small" he asked.
- Ex.: "Ég hata þig!" öskraði hún. – "I hate you!" she yelled.
Rules concerning lowercase and capital letters in nounsEdit
A list of proper nouns (sérnöfn)Edit
- Human names (Geir Hagalín), human pet names (Kalli), god and godesses (Hades, Kristur =Krist) and animal names (Lassý)
- (Örnefni), f.x. the names of the continents (Evrópa =Europe), names of countries (Japan), names of locations (New York), names of regions in countries (Norðurland =Northernland), street names (Kringlumýrarbraut =Kringlumýrar St.), also common nouns which are used as proper nouns e.g. (Tjörnin, which means "the pond" and would be written with a t in that meaning), and shortened names of locations (Fjörðurinn = Hafnarfjörður)
- Name of constitutions (Spítali Íslands), clubs (The Icelandic book club), corporations (Eimskip, Síminn) and political parties (Sjálfstæðisflokkurinn, Samfylkingin)
- Name of books (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy), newspapers (Morgunblaðið, Fréttablaðið) and magazines (Hugur og heilsa)
- Names of musical pieces (Canon in A), poems (Sónettur Shakespears)and essays (Áhrif gróðurhúsaáhrifa)
- Nations (Skoti =Scottish man), residents in specific areas (Texasbúi = a Texan) or continents (Asíu-maður = an Asian)
- Stars (Pólstjarnan) and constellations (Óríon = Orion)
- Note that the names of languages are not written with a capital letter.
(Ísland = Iceland, Íslendingur = an Icelandic person, íslenska = Icelandic.)
Finally, some nouns are written with a lowercase letter if they derive from proper nouns and are then an exception from the rules concerning lowercase letters.
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BreakthroughThe use of a genome-tool to create two monkeys with specific genetic mutations.
Why it mattersThe ability to modify targeted genes in primates is a valuable tool in the study of human diseases.
Key playersYunnan Key Laboratory; Jennifer Doudna, UC Berkeley; Feng Zhang, MIT; George Church, Harvard
By Christina Larson
Until recently, Kunming, capital of China’s southwestern Yunnan province, was known mostly for its palm trees, its blue skies, its laid-back vibe, and a steady stream of foreign backpackers bound for nearby mountains and scenic gorges. But Kunming’s reputation as a provincial backwater is rapidly changing. On a plot of land on the outskirts of the city—wilderness 10 years ago, and today home to a genomic research facility—scientists have performed a provocative experiment. They have created a pair of macaque monkeys with precise genetic mutations.
Last November, the female monkey twins, Mingming and Lingling, were born here on the sprawling research campus of Kunming Biomedical International and its affiliated Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research. The macaques had been conceived via in vitro fertilization. Then scientists used a new method of DNA engineering known as CRISPR to modify the fertilized eggs by editing three different genes, and they were implanted into a surrogate macaque mother. The twins’ healthy birth marked the first time that CRISPR has been used to make targeted genetic modifications in primates—potentially heralding a new era of biomedicine in which complex diseases can be modeled and studied in monkeys.
CRISPR, which was developed by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, Harvard, MIT, and elsewhere over the last several years, is already transforming how scientists think about genetic engineering, because it allows them to make changes to the genome precisely and relatively easily (see “Genome Surgery,” March/April). The goal of the experiment at Kunming is to confirm that the technology can create primates with multiple mutations, explains Weizhi Ji, one of the architects of the experiment.
Ji began his career at the government-affiliated Kunming Institute of Zoology in 1982, focusing on primate reproduction. China was “a very poor country” back then, he recalls. “We did not have enough funding for research. We just did very simple work, such as studying how to improve primate nutrition.” China’s science ambitions have since changed dramatically. The campus in Kunming boasts extensive housing for monkeys: 75 covered homes, sheltering more than 4,000 primates—many of them energetically swinging on hanging ladders and scampering up and down wire mesh walls. Sixty trained animal keepers in blue scrubs tend to them full time.
The lab where the experiment was performed includes microinjection systems, which are microscopes pointed at a petri dish and two precision needles, controlled by levers and dials. These are used both for injecting sperm into eggs and for the gene editing, which uses “guide” RNAs that direct a DNA-cutting enzyme to genes. When I visited, a young lab technician was intently focused on twisting dials to line up sperm with an egg. Injecting each sperm takes only a few seconds. About nine hours later, when an embryo is still in the one-cell stage, a technician will use the same machine to inject it with the CRISPR molecular components; again, the procedure takes just a few seconds.
During my visit in late February, the twin macaques were still only a few months old and lived in incubators, monitored closely by lab staff. Indeed, Ji and his coworkers plan to continue to closely watch the monkeys to detect any consequences of the pioneering genetic modifications.
By Amanda Schaffer
The new genome-editing tool called CRISPR, which researchers in China used to genetically modify monkeys, is a precise and relatively easy way to alter DNA at specific locations on chromosomes. In early 2013, U.S. scientists showed it could be used to genetically engineer any type of animal cells, including human ones, in a petri dish. But the Chinese researchers were the first to demonstrate that this approach can be used in primates to create offspring with specific genetic alterations.
“The idea that we can modify primates easily with this technology is powerful,” says Jennifer Doudna, a professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a developer of CRISPR. The creation of primates with intentional gene alterations could lead to powerful new ways to study complex human diseases. It also poses new ethical dilemmas. From a technical perspective, the Chinese primate research suggests that scientists could probably alter fertilized human eggs with CRISPR; if monkeys are any guide, such eggs could grow to be genetically modified babies. But “whether that would be a good idea is a much harder question,” says Doudna.
The prospect of designer babies remains remote and far from the minds of most researchers developing CRISPR. Far more imminent are the potential opportunities to create animals with mutations linked to human disorders. Experimenting with primates is expensive and can raise concerns about animal welfare, says Doudna. But the demonstration that CRISPR works in monkeys has gotten “a lot of people thinking about cases where primate models may be important.”
At the top of that list is the study of brain disorders. Robert Desimone, director of MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research, says that there is “quite a bit of interest” in using CRISPR to generate monkey models of diseases like autism, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and bipolar disorder. These disorders are difficult to study in mice and other rodents; not only do the affected behaviors differ substantially between these animals and humans, but the neural circuits involved in the disorders can be different. Many experimental psychiatric drugs that appeared to work well in mice have not proved successful in human trials. As a result of such failures, many pharmaceutical companies have scaled back or abandoned their efforts to develop treatments.
Primate models could be especially helpful to researchers trying to make sense of the growing number of mutations that genetic studies have linked to brain disorders. The significance of a specific genetic variant is often unclear; it could be a cause of a disorder, or it could just be indirectly associated with the disease. CRISPR could help researchers tease out the mutations that actually cause the disorders: they would be able to systematically introduce the suspected genetic variants into monkeys and observe the results. CRISPR is also useful because it allows scientists to create animals with different combinations of mutations, in order to assess which ones—or which combinations of them—matter most in causing disease. This complex level of manipulation is nearly impossible with other methods.
Guoping Feng, a professor of neuroscience at MIT, and Feng Zhang, a colleague at the Broad Institute and McGovern Brain Institute who showed that CRISPR could be used to modify the genomes of human cells, are working with Chinese researchers to create macaques with a version of autism. They plan to mutate a gene called SHANK3 in fertilized eggs, producing monkeys that can be used to study the basic science of the disorder and test possible drug treatments. (Only a small percentage of people with autism have the SHANK3 mutation, but it is one of the few genetic variants that lead to a high probability of the disorder.)
The Chinese researchers responsible for the birth of the genetically engineered monkeys are still focusing on developing the technology, says Weizhi Ji, who helped lead the effort at the Yunnan Key Laboratory of Primate Biomedical Research in Kunming. However, his group hopes to create monkeys with Parkinson’s, among other brain disorders. The aim would be to look for early signs of the disease and study the mechanisms that allow it to progress.
The most dramatic possibility raised by the primate work, of course, would be using CRISPR to change the genetic makeup of human embryos during in vitro fertilization. But while such manipulation should be technically possible, most scientists do not seem eager to pursue it.
Indeed, the safety concerns would be daunting. When you think about “messing with a single cell that is potentially going to become a living baby,” even small errors or side effects could turn out to have enormous consequences, says Hank Greely, director of the Center for Law and the Biosciences at Stanford. And why even bother? For most diseases with simple genetic causes, it wouldn’t be worthwhile to use CRISPR; it would make more sense for couples to “choose a different embryo that doesn’t have the disease,” he says. This is already possible as part of in vitro fertilization, using a procedure called preimplantation genetic diagnosis.
It’s possible to speculate that parents might wish to alter multiple genes in order to reduce children’s risk, say, of heart disease or diabetes, which have complex genetic components. But for at least the next five to 10 years, that, says Greely, “just strikes me as borderline crazy, borderline implausible.” Many, if not most, of the traits that future parents might hope to alter in their kids may also be too complex or poorly understood to make reasonable targets for intervention. Scientists don’t understand the genetic basis, for instance, of intelligence or other higher-order brain functions—and that is unlikely to change for a long time.
Ji says creating humans with CRISPR-edited genomes is “very possible,” but he concurs that “considering the safety issue, there would still be a long way to go.” In the meantime, his team hopes to use genetically modified monkeys to “establish very efficient animal models for human diseases, to improve human health in the future.”
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Note: this post was edited 3/2012 to place a missing video (the first one below).
If you want to teach your child to tie her shoes, do you say, "Tie your shoes!"
No. She'd be lost. Where to start, she'd be thinking.
If you want to teach people to prevent panic, do you say, "Don't panic!"?
No, but people do. It doesn't work. It's been tried. And how many people have drowned since then?
If you want to prevent most of Laurie Batter's reported 1592 U.S. drownings of Summer, 2011, you must teach people:
1) how to prevent panic, and 2) how the water works. In that order. When they know these, they know how to swim. After that, you can responsibly teach them strokes.
How do I know? I know from the empiricle research of hearing the stories and working with 4000 adults who were this year's drowning candidates. They did not drown, however: they learned to swim in the truest sense of the word, a word that holds more confusion than the public knows.
These people came to learn to overcome their fear because they knew they'd "lose it" if they found themselves in deep water by surprise... and chances were good that would end their lives.
2012 is the 100-year anniversary, more or less, of the beginning of formalized swimming instruction in the U.S. Other countries learned our system and are now in the same boat we're in.
In 2012, there will be a conference to change the course of swimming instruction to one that works for all, rather than for half: those who are already comfortable in water. That means, a new age of teaching swimming instructors to teach panic-prevention is due. The gears are in motion to make it happen.
June 1-4, 2012, bring yourself and your staff and journalists to the End of Drowning World Conference for Swimming and SCUBA Diving Inst... Learn why and how to teach people the two absolutely-essential-to-safety-things no other swimming instruction agency or school teaches, which are the obvious answer to the vast majority of drowning prevention. Be transformed for good.
Chances are, you'll leave with your age-old teaching questions answered.
A question for you.
Here are 2 of 3 students learning to become comfortable with their faces in water and floating on Friday. This was a Beginning class at 21st Century Swimming Lessons in August in Sarasota, FL.
Here they are on the following Tuesday.
HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?
Could you do teach that?
It happened because these people learned how to prevent panic.
The 2 mm vests are for warmth.
EVERY SINGLE CITIZEN can be taught this, bar none (unless they're particularly disabled). This ease needs to be passed on to every human being in the world, by every swimming instruction organization, bar none. Safety first; strokes second.
Come see it in June!
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Future investment decisions will need to take into account large amounts of government debt and the effect it has upon an economy. In the chart at right, we can observe the world’s most indebted country’s per capita.|The total of these countries’ debts is more than $40 trillion. That is a tremendous amount of money upon which to pay interest every year, and there is no plan to pay back any of the money that is owed. Note that the U.S. GDP is about $14.5 trillion, and our GDP is 30% of world GDP of about $50 trillion.
David Hume (1711-1776) was one of the great thinkers of the Age of Enlightenment. His writings heavily influenced our Founding Fathers in writing the Constitution. A few things he wrote in “Of Public Credit” pertain to our current economic predicament:
• “Abuse of the public treasury, either by welfare or military engagements, are certain and inevitable; poverty, impotence and subjugation to foreign powers.”
• “War is attended with every destructive circumstance; loss of men, increase of taxes, decay of commerce, dissipation (inflation) of money, and devastation of sea and land.”
• “The practice of government contracting debt will almost infallibly be abused, in every government. It would scarcely be more imprudent to give a prodigal son a credit in every banker’s shop in London, than to empower a statesman to indebt the country.”
Hume’s influence provided the impetuses for three clauses in the Constitution:
All debts to be paid in gold and silver;
Any war must be voted on by Congress;
No increases in debt without the authorization of Congress.
Many clauses came out of Hume’s reasoning, but these apply specifically to the future value of our money, our current debt and its effect upon investments.
Those three constitutional provisions, having been followed, would have prohibited the creation of the Federal Reserve System. We would not have had inflation (the dollar’s purchasing power remained stable from the Currency Act of 1789 until the confiscation of gold by the government in 1932). We would not have been able to enter World War I without a federal reserve system to provide the money that would not be provided by Congress. Without the U.S. entering World War I, it would have been just another European confrontation (we were only actively engaged in combat in Europe the last seven months of the war). Without World War I, there would have been no World War II, which was a continuation of World War I. Finally, we would not have the huge central government we have today.
What does this have to do with the stock and bond markets? Understanding how our system was set up to work, and seeing that it is not working, gives us an opportunity to “fix” things and move forward. In the process, we must be mindful of the effect the economy can have on our personal investments.
Because there has never been this volume of debt before in history, it’s not possible to compare our current economy to history and see a way out. To “fix” our economy, we would have to do away with the Federal Reserve System and have real “free market” banking, not manipulated interest rates like we have today that favor the government at the expense of savers. Most unnecessary government departments would need to be closed, saving hundreds of billions of dollars that’s wasted each year.
The 10th Amendment of the Constitution states that “all powers not herein provided for are left to the states, and local governments, respectively.” We need to privatize broken government programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, to name a few. We have to get out of everything our federal government is involved in, which is not provided for constitutionally.
Realistically, this is not going to happen. We have been talking about it for decades; politicians have promised us satisfaction for decades, and the opportunity to “right the ship” during this Congress has been lost. Interest rates are fixed by the Fed at a rate below inflation, just like Japan did 20 years ago. Japan has been mired in an economic mess for more than two decades. Because we have adapted the same solutions, it is likely we will end up the same way: stagnation.
Given the assumption that we are really not going to do anything politically, our next question is how to protect investments from increasing taxes, inflation and stagnant growth. We know that bonds do not pay anything, cash does not pay much, and inflation continues to run at least 3% to 5% annually.
What to do?
Gold and silver are always great hedges, but more than 5% to 10% in a portfolio is too much for most investors. Gold and silver, do, however, protect against inflation and the loss of the purchasing power of the dollar. Bonds, as noted above, are a bad investment because they don’t pay anything, coupled with the fact they are deteriorating in value with inflation. Cash is good if one wants to remain liquid and try to find good investments as they become available in terrible markets like this. The only stock investments that make sense are AAA-rated companies that pay more than 3% in dividends annually, with dividends increasing annually and cash flow significant enough to continue to pay the dividends and weather the storm of increasing taxes and inflation. There is too much risk in owning the vast majority of stocks and bonds available today.
There are two types of assets currently deteriorating in value: real assets (land, buildings and other hard assets), and paper assets such as stocks, bonds and cash. The value of hard assets, particularly real estate, gold, silver and so forth, is that they are not replaceable. Real estate, and a few selected stocks, are likely to provide future economic growth. They are assets that have done well in Japan during the last 20 years of Japan’s economic stagnation. With continuing borrowing and inflation likely to produce some kind of future large currency re-evaluation, hard assets will maintain relative value.
The whole country needs income, and income is going down. What used to be “income” is now being used to pay interest on the country’s debt. There will not be a resolution to this deterioration of our private sector income until the public sector income stops going up.
And this is likely to be highlighted by the stock market continuing to trade in the same range it has for the last few years; up a little bit, down a little bit, but basically going nowhere.
George Rauch, Longboat Key, is chief executive officer of Bradenton-based General Propeller and a former Wall Street investment banker.
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The pandemic has impacted the economy in multiple ways including employment and career reassessment. Not only did the shutdowns lead to many small businesses closing, millions decided not to return to their jobs. The result has been tightened supply chains, rising consumer prices, and job shortages.
What is the Great Resignation?
Americans are rethinking their occupations after COVID-19 disrupted most workplaces. Many companies stayed in business by allowing employees to work at home on their computers. After a year of working remotely, it became common for employees to pursue different work opportunities.
Typical reasons why people are switching careers are they want a higher-paying job with greater flexibility and happiness. Some workers simply don’t feel valued by their employers. The U.S. Labor Department has reported a record 4 million workers quit in April 2021.
Industries with the highest level of resignations are tech and healthcare. Generally, industries with higher demand during the pandemic have seen the most resignations.
New Career Ideals
By the end of July there were 10.9 million job openings in America. Data from Visier of over 9 million employee records reveals the 40-45 age group has experienced the most resignations. Mid-career reassessment appears to be a driving force behind this trend.
Significantly more women than men have left their jobs during the crisis. According to a Gallup survey, the wellbeing of women has declined more while stress has increased compared with men.
Ironically, the era has also ushered in record pay for women in leadership positions. The Gallup survey further found that women are more engaged at work than men and enjoy greater work satisfaction. Employers must understand that many women now seek hybrid schedules to balance their work and family life.
How Employers Must Respond
Employers can retain their best employees and attract new talent first by qualifying their turnover rate. They must figure out what percentage of resignations are voluntary compared with layoffs and terminations. Then they should calculate how resignations are impacting company skillsets.
Once employers figure how what’s causing resignations they can create customized retention programs. They must rethink their advancement policies and workplace diversity.
The great resignation caught many employers unprepared as they’ve found difficulty filling positions. It’s no mystery that Americans in general have rising concerns about the economy and their careers. Workers want higher pay with a more flexible and less stressful work environment that promotes wellness and incentives.
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A new scientific journal article by the African Lion & Environmental Research Trust in collaboration with Dr. Jackie Abell of Lancaster University discusses whether existing conservation efforts alone are capable of saving the African lion from extinction. The authors suggest that lions of captive origin can provide an additional source for reintroduction recognising that this should be undertaken alongside existing conservation efforts. They recognize that reintroducing lions of captive origin has complications.
Estimates of lion populations published at the end of 2012 by a team at the Nicholas School of the Environment suggested that between 32,000 and 35,000 lions remain in Africa and that there is “abundant evidence of widespread decline and local extinctions” even in protected areas. The UK-based charity Lion Aid estimate numbers may be as low 15,000.
Ex situ management for threatened species is common in conservation, yet the use of lions from a captive origin is not currently recognized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) despite the IUCN’s own reintroduction guidelines that state:
“The reality of the current situation is that it will not be possible to ensure the survival of an increasing number of threatened taxa without effectively using a diverse range of complementary conservation approaches and techniques including, for some taxa, increasing the role and practical use of ex situ techniques. If the decision to bring a taxon under ex situ management is left until extinction is imminent, it is frequently too late to effectively implement, thus risking permanent loss of the taxon…Priority should be given to the ex situ management of threatened taxa and threatened populations of economic or social/cultural importance.”
The authors recognize that in situ conservation programs must continue to be the mainstay of efforts to protect habitat for lions to survive. Dr. Abell, lead author of the new report, is concerned with a lack of empirical evidence that current conservation solutions for lions are, or can work, in the long term. Given the speed of decline in lion populations; 80 – 90% since 1975, and the IUCN’s Red List classification assessment that “… the reduction or its causes may not have ceased OR may not be understood OR may not be reversible”, the authors suggest it is necessary to ensure that there is a back-up plan to complement in situ efforts.
The IUCN technical guidelines for ex situ management are based on fulfilment of one or more of the following Red List criteria: “When the taxa/population is prone to effects of human activities or stochastic events or When the taxa/population is likely to become Critically Endangered, Extinct in the Wild, or Extinct in a very short time. Additional criteria may need to be considered in some cases where taxa or populations of cultural importance, and significant economic or scientific importance, are threatened” (IUCN, 2002). The report argues that for the African lion, both of these criteria apply.
However, not everyone is convinced. Critics of the use of captive origin lions in reintroduction programs say that such efforts have yet to present sufficient evidence of the merits of ex situ management for lions, and that claims for the need of these programs portray an overly bleak picture of current lion status and on-going conservation initiatives.
David Youldon, co-author and Chief Operating Officer of the Zambian based African Lion & Environmental Research Trust says “in situ conservation efforts for lions are central to the species’ survival, and our charity is using a responsible development approach that encourages African solutions to these African challenges. ALERT is also investigating how previous problems of using captive origin lions for reintroduction can be addressed. As part of this effort, ALERT, and our conservation partners, released a pride of captive-bred lions into a fenced natural environment in 2010 that are self-sustaining and now have cubs that will be old enough to be considered for release into the wild in 2014. A second pride was released in 2011 that have just given birth to their first cubs. Studies undertaken by ALERT, and by independent researchers, suggests that both the released captive-bred pride and their semi-wild borne cubs are behaving and developing exactly as you would see in a free-ranging lion pride. Our intention is to publish the results to date from this pilot program over the coming year”.
The African Lion & Environmental Research Trust, a registered charity in the UK, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe, works with communities, policy makers, conservation managers, researchers and business leaders to implement locally conceived and relevant solutions that create sustainable motivation to conserve lions. ALERT also works with communities to meet the challenges of living alongside a dangerous predator, whilst conducting research to improve our understanding of the lion’s behaviour in Africa’s ecosystems to better inform decision making.
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Hungarian physician and psychoanalyst
Franz Alexander, in full Franz Gabriel Alexander (born January 22, 1891, Budapest, Hungary—died March 8, 1964, Palm Springs, California, U.S.) physician and psychoanalyst sometimes referred to as the father of psychosomatic medicine because of his leading role in identifying emotional tension as a significant cause of physical illness.
Already a physician when he enrolled as the first student at the Berlin Psychoanalytic Institute (1919), Alexander became an assistant there and delivered a lecture series (1924–25) that grew into his first book, Psychoanalyse der Gesamtpersönlichkeit (1927; The Psychoanalysis of the Total Personality, 1930), a work developing the psychoanalytic theory of the superego and praised by Sigmund Freud. His success in applying psychoanalytic principles to the study and diagnosis of criminal personalities brought him an invitation to the United States (1930), where a professorship in psychoanalysis, the first post of its kind, was created for him at the University of Chicago. A year later, however, he went to Boston to collaborate with William Healy on a psychoanalytic study of delinquency, resulting in their book Roots of Crime (1935).
Alexander returned to Chicago in 1932 to establish the Chicago Institute for Psychoanalysis, which he directed until 1956. Under his leadership, the institute attracted many analysts and students who conducted extensive research on emotional disturbance and psychosomatic disease, identifying various disorders with particular unconscious conflicts. This work is represented in his book Psychosomatic Medicine: Its Principles and Applications (1950).
From 1938 to 1956, Alexander also served on the faculty of the department of psychiatry at the University of Illinois Medical School, Chicago. In 1956 he embarked on a new research program in psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, Los Angeles. His work there, conducted in cooperation with the University of Southern California and the Southern California Psychoanalytic Institute, explored the effect of the therapist’s personality in the treatment process.
A notable authority on Freud, Alexander considered it essential to elaborate Freud’s views. Yet he retained a certain independence from Freud, viewing disturbed human relations, rather than disturbed sexuality, as the main cause of neurotic disorders. One of his important works on Freud is Fundamentals of Psychoanalysis (1948). His The Western Mind in Transition: An Eyewitness Story (1960) is partly an autobiographical work, in combination with an analysis of modern civilization.
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For the past 2 years, ArchaeoSpain and American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR) have worked together at Zorita Castle. For precolegiate projects we are working together, running and developing new programs.
The High School field crew at the Medieval Castle of Zorita will excavate and research a 9th-centuryC fortress built by Moorish that was later (XI-XVIth-centuries) occupied by Christian knights and Jewish.
Field school students will learn surveying, excavation techniques, mapping, photography, keeping a dig diary, and artifact recovery, conservation, and drawing. We will also hold seminars and workshops on Spanish history, architecture, and archaeology.
This program is designed for students 16 to 17 years old. Our main objective is to prepare you as future archaeologists.
Students will experience both theoretical and hands-on archaeology.
In the mornings we will be on site, learning excavation methodology, working with tools and technical instruments, and extracting artifacts. You’ll analyze the clues like a detective, recording everything with photos, sketches, and a fieldwork notebook. You will also learn to draw archaeological maps and take biological samples such as pollen, seeds, and plant remains.
In the afternoons we will wash and classify the pottery, bones, and other artifacts found on site. Some afternoons we will hold seminars on Spanish history, on drawing pottery shards, and on how archaeologists use aerial photography to spot ancient remains.
Other afternoons we will explore the castle that is literally our backyard, or we will go on archaeological surveys to learn how archaeologists decide where to dig and why. Weekends will be spent visiting several Roman and Medieval sites of interest in the area, including a day-trip to World Heritage Site Toledo, famous for its medieval churches, mosques, and synagogues.
Everything will be overseen by project directors Dr. Dionisio Urbina and Catalina Urquijo. The husband-and-wife team have around 45 years of combined archaeological experience, in addition to running a field school in Toledo from 1998 to 2005.
Students are expected to engage in all archaeological activities during the program. While we do not require that participants speak Spanish, they will be immersed in the language daily. Thus we hope that you take advantage of this situation to learn some basics or improve your spoken Spanish. Just imagine, you will leave the program knowing how to say “pass me that trowel” in Spanish.
The work, due to the summer heat and the physical nature of the excavation, will be demanding. Those that wish to join should be in reasonable physical condition and in good health.
PLEASE NOTE: To furder explore the Castillo of Zorita, operations are now being organized by American Foreign Academic Research (AFAR), a non-profit organization aimed at assisting research and site preservation at world heritage sites around the world. Our research will be intensified during the 2016 season and will require increased analysis and site preservation.
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Whether you view them as nuisance farm animals or as a symbol of freedom in the West, wild horses roam among us.
But drought and shrinking resources threaten the survival of these wild horses, especially in Nevada, which holds the largest mustang populations of any state.
The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act passed by Congress in 1971 mandates that the wild horse populations be managed and protected.
The federal agency responsible for managing most of the mustangs, is the very one that has been embattled with state’s rights advocates since the dawn of the century.
The Bureau of Land Management manages more than 34,000 wild horses and burros in the state, which, they say, is almost three times as much as the land can actually support.
Which is why they conduct roundups, adoptions and employ other strategies to try and control population numbers.
These strategies strike a political chord among horse advocates and ranchers, who believe in strikingly different approaches to how the horses should be managed.
The BLM declined to be interviewed for this panel.
To understand what may lie ahead for the horses, Leisl Carr Childers, a historian who specializes in the American West, weighs in on where exactly the horses came from. Some say they originate back into the millenia with ancient species, some date the horses to the second landing of Columbus, while some just see them as escaped farm animals.
“As a historian and not a scientist, I think it’s all those things, Carr Childers said. “All of those populations have sort of co-mingled to form the hers we have today, and I don’t think you can necessarily point to one point of origin.”
While there remains disagreement over the horse’s history, there’s also the issue of classification, as they are not classically livestock, nor are they wildlife.
“The 1971 law designed to protect them, classifies them as a national heritage species, and no other animal that I know of has that particular classification,” Carr Childers explains. “What that means, we’re still unclear on.”
Nonetheless, there exists a particular fascination and affinity in the hearts of Americans toward the wild horse.
“Horses really stand in for a lot of the way we think and feel about open space,” Carr Childers explains. “They need a lot of territory to roam, and seeing them out in the distance with their manes flowing in the wind – this is a very romantic view that we have both of horses and the space they occupy, which is largely the American West.”
This fascination is what leads to much disagreement over how the horses should be managed. Much of the BLM’s wild horse and burro program is focused on roundups, and adoption events to try and control herds interfering with range land and other environmental needs.
“No matter how many horses [the BLM] roundup, it’s not enough for the ranchers who want them all gone, and no matter how much management they try to enact, the wild horse advocates think it’s too much, so they can’t win,” said George Knapp, an investigative reporter with KLAS channel 8.
Knapp has reported on wild horse issues in Nevada for more than two decades.
“As a result, the BLM has locked into one policy and one policy only and that is round them up and get them off the range,” Knapp said. “And that is not what the American people want.”
Laura Leigh, the president of Wild Horse Education, was part of court litigation that, in 2015, resulted in a humane handling policy for roundups.
“Change is possible, it just takes a lot of effort,” Leigh said. “When we talk about issues of forage in the most arid state in the nation, we need to look at the federal grazing program as a whole and recognize that horses are a minor portion of that.”
Leigh tries to educate about horse management policies, including temporary fertility control, which is also controversial among wild horse advocates and the BLM.
The BLM in Nevada, Leigh said, has not used fertility control in the way it is intended.
Nevertheless, the future of the wild horses in the state remains unsteady. With budgetary cuts on the potential horizon under the Trump administration, environmental agencies will have some tough choices to make.
“This is a terrifying time for wild horses,” Leigh said.
Secretary of the Department of the Interior Ryan Zinke supported measures for horse slaughter when he was a Montana Congressman.
“Those of us who live here in the west should be really concerned because basically the policy sounds like it’s going to be ‘drill baby drill,’ ‘mine baby mine’ and I don’t think the wild horses are going to fare all that well,” Knapp said.
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Turbidity currents have historically been described as fast-moving currents that sweep down submarine canyons, carrying sand and mud into the deep sea. But a new paper in Nature Communications shows that, rather than just consisting of sediment-laden seawater flowing over the seafloor, turbidity currents also involve large-scale movements of the seafloor itself. This dramatic discovery, the result of an 18-month-long, multi-institutional study of Monterey Canyon, could help ocean engineers avoid damage to pipelines, communications cables, and other seafloor structures.
Geologists have known about turbidity currents since at least 1929, when a large earthquake triggered a violent current that traveled several hundred kilometers and damaged 12 trans-Atlantic communications cables. Turbidity currents are still a threat today, as people place more and more cables, pipelines, and other structures on the seafloor. Turbidity currents are also important to petroleum geologists because they leave behind layers of sediment that comprise some of the world’s largest oil reserves.
Despite almost a century of research, geologists have struggled to come up with a conceptual model that describes in detail how turbidity currents form and evolve. The Coordinated Canyon Experiment was designed, in part, to resolve this debate. During this 18-month-long study, researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), the U.S. Geological Survey, the University of Hull, the National Oceanography Centre, the University of Southampton, the University of Durham, and the Ocean University of China combined their expertise and equipment to monitor a 50-kilometer-long (31-mile) stretch of Monterey Canyon in unprecedented detail.
During the experiment, researchers placed over 50 different instruments at seven different locations in the canyon and made detailed measurements during 15 different turbidity flows. Almost all of the flows began near the head of the canyon in water less than about 300 meters (1,000 feet) deep. Once initiated, the flows traveled at least several kilometers down the canyon. The three largest flows traveled over 50 kilometers, sweeping past the deepest monitoring station in the canyon at a depth of 1,850 meters (6,000 feet).
This extensive research program showed that turbidity currents in Monterey Canyon involve both movements of water-saturated sediment and of sediment-laden water. As described in the recent Nature Communications paper, the most important part of the process is a dense layer of water-saturated sediment that moves rapidly over the bottom and remobilizes the upper few meters of the preexisting seafloor.
This is very different from previous conceptual models of turbidity currents, which focused on flows of turbid, sediment-laden water traveling above the seafloor. The authors of the recent paper did observe plumes of sediment-laden water during turbidity events, but they suggest that these are secondary features that form when the pulse of saturated sediment mixes into the overlying seawater.
“This whole experiment was an attempt to learn what was going on at the bottom of the canyon,” said Charlie Paull, MBARI marine geologist and first author of the recent paper. “For years we have seen instruments on the bottom move in unexpected ways, and we suspected that the seafloor might be moving. Now we have real data that show when, where, and how this happens.” Among the instruments used in the experiment were current meters mounted on seven moorings distributed along the canyon floor. Analyzing the data from these instruments and measuring the time it took for the flows to travel between the moorings, the researchers were surprised to find that the flows appeared to travel down the canyon at speeds greater than the actual measured water currents.
Although tilting and other movements of the current meters could explain some of these observations, the scientists eventually concluded that their instruments were not simply being moved by currents of turbid water flowing above the seafloor.
The researchers also placed beach-ball-sized sensors called benthic event detectors (BEDs) in the seafloor. The BEDs were designed to be transported by turbidity flows while carrying instruments that recorded their depth, horizontal and vertical movement, and rotation. Other motion sensors were mounted on large, steel frames weighing up to 800 kilograms (1,760 pounds). These were designed to remain stationary while the flows passed around them.
However, both the BEDs and the heavy frames were carried far down the canyon during strong turbidity events. In fact, the heavy, awkwardly-shaped instrument frames often traveled just as fast as the relatively light, streamlined BEDs.
The researchers also noticed large sand waves, up to two meters (6.5 feet) tall, on the floor of the canyon. Repeated bottom surveys showed that these sand waves shifted dramatically during turbidity events, remolding the upper two to three meters of the seafloor. But the researchers still weren’t sure exactly how this remolding occurred.
Data from the BEDs provided an important clue. During many events, the BEDs did not just move down the canyon into deeper water, but traveled as fast or faster than the overlying water. They also moved up and down within the flow as much as three meters at regular intervals.
The researchers concluded that, rather than being “dragged” along the bottom by a strong current, their instruments were being “rafted” by a dense, bottom-hugging layer of water-saturated sediment. They hypothesized that the up-and-down motions of the BEDs occurred as the instruments traveled over individual sand waves. As Paull noted, “The BEDs provided an essential kernel of new data that allowed us to understand the movement of the seafloor for the first time.”
“Textbooks and modelling efforts have traditionally focused on dilute flows of sediment-laden water over the bottom,” Paull added. “But we now know that dilute flows are just part of the equation. It turns out that they are the tail end of the process, which really begins at the seafloor. “
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"One that grabs" The Latin word "raptor" means "one that seizes (grabs)". All birds-of-prey are carnivorous predators. The raptor family includes owls, hawks, kites, falcons, eagles, osprey, and vultures.
TIPS FOR RESCUE
1. An unflighted bird may be captured with a large fishing net, a jacket tossed over it, or a large cardboard box placed over the bird. Baby birds can be returned to their nests (when accessible) without rejection by parents.
2. Wear thick gloves. Raptors use their taloned feet for defense, and most bite hard. Cover the bird's head to block vision for easier handling.
3. House the patient in a large cardboard box with flaps or cover (never a wire cage). Punch air holes in the box before placing the bird inside. Pad the box floor with newpaper, not towels (talons get caught). Store the box in a dark, quiet, climate-controlled room away from pets and family. Never play with a baby bird.
4. Do NOT offer any food or water unless instructed to by a qualified rehabilitator.
5. Contact a rehabilitator immediately. To locate one, phone your veterinarian, local or county police, or state Conservation (Fish & Game) department. Transport the patient in the box, and give a detailed and honest history. See the WORD link below for the rehabber list.
NOTES ON OWLS Great Horned owlets usually leave their nest before they can fly. If you find an owlet on the ground, it may not be an orphan. Parents continue to care for their owlets on the ground. Don't rescue it unless it's in danger of being injured or killed. To keep it from harm, you may strap an apple basket or laundry basket to the nest tree trunk about ten feet from the ground. Place the owlet inside and the parents will locate the owlet when it begs for food. If the owlet is injured, seek help for it immediately.
Tube-feeding a hawk
Baby Great Horned owl
Eggs mean 'active'
TREES ARE BIRD HOUSES
American Kestrels, Screech owls, Barred owls, and Great Horned owls often nest, lay eggs, and raise their young inside hollow trees. We highly recommend that any tree which is home (or has been home in the past) to nesting raptors be left standing for as long as safety allows. If tree trimming or removal must be done for safety reasons (danger of falling, hazard to power lines), do this before or after family season. Owls nest very early (Feb, March), so always check inside a cavity before beginning any cutting activity. Check for large stick nests in branches which may contain eggs or hatchlings of Red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawks, Broadwinged hawks, etc. Federal and state law requires that trees having active nests MUST be left undisturbed - and nests, eggs, or baby birds must not be removed. Most raptor babies leave the nest by late June/early July in Illinois, so removal can usually begin then. Please insist that the tree service you contract survey for active nests BEFORE they begin work. If a tree has fallen, and live babies are discovered in the tree cavity or on the ground, gather them up, follow the rescue instructions offered above. Contact a raptor rehabber immediately. Fallen unhatched eggs must be discarded immediately, and not be kept or incubated.
------------------------------------------- PROTECT SMALL PETS and FARM FOWL
SOAR receives calls from homeowners about hawks threatening or attacking their small pets when they're outdoors. Small kittens, puppies, miniature dog breeds like Chihuahuas, and caged pet birds can be at risk when left unsupervised and unprotected outdoors. Pet owners must realize that raptors are opportunists, just like coyote, foxes, and all other wild predators. It is the pet owner's responsibility to keep their small companion animals safe. During the winter, food becomes very scarce, and many raptors become desperately hungry. Their strong survival instinct forces them to switch from natural prey to any small animals that they can catch, which may include your small pet. In early summer, many newly-fledged birds are unfamiliar with natural prey and have undeveloped hunting skills. They may also see your small pet as an easy meal. Some young birds are simply playful and may execute mock attacks on small pets without doing them harm.
What you can do. 1. When small dogs/kittens are left outdoors unattended, keep them inside a fully-enclosed pen or run. Be sure to use the pen at night to protect them from owls. 2. When sunning pet birds outdoors, keep them inside a roomy cage, wire enclosure, or screened porch. Be sure their cage can't be knocked over, and doors are locked tight. Birds are natural prey for most hawks, falcons, and owls. Provide a hide box for your pet bird inside its enclosure so raptors can't hurt them through cage bars. Or build an outdoor aviary using small mesh wire (hardware cloth). 3. By putting food out for wild birds, squirrels, or rabbits, you attract a variety of wild predators to your yard, including raptors. 4. Stay with your small pet when outdoors. Raptors have a natural fear of humans, and will stay away if they see you near your pet. 5. It is illegal to shoot, poison, or trap a raptor to keep your small pet safe. Besides, if you remove one, another will simply take its place, and your pet continues to be at risk. Choose an effective and permanent solution.
FARM FOWL (CHICKENS, DUCKS, ETC.)
If you keep chickens and allow them to free-range, they WILL become prey for hawks, owls, coyotes, foxes, feral cats, stray dogs, etc. Like your other pets, it's your responsibility to keep them safe. A fully-enclosed wire pen is the safest place for them day and night. A period of free-ranging can be offered during the day under your direct supervision.IT IS ILLEGAL TO SHOOT OR TRAP ANY BIRDS OF PREY.You are subject to federal and state prosection for doing so. If you know anyone who is shooting hawks or owls, report them to authorities.
Pigeon fanciers and racers frequently have problems with Cooper's hawks, Red-tailed hawks, and Great Horned owls (at night) entering their lofts and/or chasing their birds. Pigeons are a natural food source for these particular species. SOAR also maintains a pigeon loft and understands the potential for losses due to predation. We fully-enclose our fight pens to exclude ALL feathered and furred predators - including cats, raccoons, opossoms, rats, etc. which often raid lofts for eggs and unflighted young. (Unfortunately, birds-of-prey are often blamed for loft losses when the culprit is actually a four-legged predator.)IT IS ILLEGAL TO SHOOT BIRDS-OF-PREY.Please call us for nonlethal options before you take aim!
AVOIDABLE HAZARDS TO BIRDS
FISHING EQUIPMENT: Please collect and properly dispose of fishing line, hooks, and lead sinkers.
SPORTS NETTING: Make it part of your equipment pack-up routine to take down game nets after games on fields and at home.
OUTDOOR CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTS: "Rope" lights are far safer to use outdoors. Traditional string lights wrap around legs and wings.
BALLOON RELEASES:The string attached can wrap around legs and wings.
TREE NETTING: Used to protect fruit trees from birds and insects, birds will find their way inside the netting and become trapped or entangled in netting.
HALLOWEEN SPIDER WEB DECOR: Don't hang or drape webbing outdoors.
LEAD AMMUNITION AND FISHING TACKLE: PLEASE avoid using lead in any outdoor sporting activities. It is poisonous to ALL birds of prey when ingested.
Osprey hanging from fishing line
Owl entangled in sports netting
Owl tangled in outdoor Christmas lights
How you can help
SOAR Illinois - Save Our American Raptors815-312-1206 (voice mail)
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Eczema - Dermatologist in Ithaca and Cortland, NY
Atopic eczema is a chronic (long-term) skin condition that runs in families. As many as 1 in 5 children develop itching dry, inflamed patches of skin on cheeks, neck, arms and legs. It can be the first sign that a child may go on to develop allergic rhinitis, asthma or food allergies. With atopic dermatitis, the skin does not act as an effective barrier, allowing moisture to escape, allergens and irritants to activate immune cells within the skin and microbes such as Staphylococcus aureus to colonize the skin. The skin develops inflamed patches that often itch, especially at night. Scratching further damages the skin barrier and sets up a chronic “itch-scratch cycle”.
The chronic itching of atopic dermatitis often disturbs children’s sleep and affects the quality of life for both the child and their family. Consistent use of the following skin care techniques will keep everyone in the family happier:
- Skin Hydration:
- A lukewarm bath for 10-20 minutes is a good way to hydrate the skin. Pat the skin dry, rather than rub, then apply enough non-fragrance cream (Eucerin, Cetaphil) or ointment (Aquaphor, Vaseline) to “Soak and Seal” the skin.
- Controlling Itching:
- Anti-histamines such as cetirizine (Zyrtec) before bed time will help with night-time itching. Topical hydrocortisone or triamcinolone twice daily can be used for up to 2 weeks at a time. Long sleeved pajamas can protect the skin from scratching.
- Controlling Microbes On The Skin:
- Twice a week, add 2-4 ounces of bleach to the bath to bring the chlorine level up to typical swimming pool concentration. This will reduce colonization of pathogens like Staph aureus. Topical anti-biotics such as mupirocin (Bactroban) ointment 2-3 times per day may be applied to crusted or infected patches.Some parents are concerned that bleach baths will damage the skin. By controlling microbes that lead to infection and skin inflammation, eczema patches have a better chance to heal.
- Food and Environmental Allergies:
- Food allergies are often a suspected trigger when eczema does not improve with skin hydration and topical creams or ointments. Eczema that improves while on the same diet is less likely to be caused by a food allergy. With infants, the earlier eczema appears and the more area it covers, the more likely a food allergy is a trigger. But that is not all. Most children with food allergies are also sensititized to environmental allergens. Sensitivity to perennial allergens such as house dust mites often contribute to difficult to control eczema. A thorough history of eczema, allergies and asthma with a detailed physical examination before testing is the best approach.
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The Windows Task Scheduler can run almost any program automatically — at a time and in a way you set.
Task Scheduler is part of Windows’ Administrative Tools, a suite of professional-quality, system-management utilities used to adjust and control many of the operating system’s essential functions and features.
Starting with XP, these tools are either built into Windows or are offered as free add-ons. This guide to using Task Scheduler is the fourth installment in our Windows Administrative Tools series.
Part One of the series explains what the tools are and how to make them easily available from the Windows Start menu.
Part Two discusses Windows’ Performance Monitor, which reports in real time what’s happening within the OS as programs run — or fail to run!
Part Three describes how to use Windows’ Memory Diagnostic tool to thoroughly test your system’s random-access memory.
I’ll focus on the Windows 7 version of Task Scheduler because that’s the OS most Windows Secrets readers are currently running. Windows XP’s and Vista’s Task Schedulers are similar, so many of the instructions given below also apply to those operating systems. I’ll also include links for Vista- and XP-specific information.
The basics of how Task Scheduler works
To understand how Task Scheduler automatically runs defined tasks, you have to understand triggers. In many cases, a trigger is simply a specific time when Task Scheduler should run a task. You set both the time and the task. Time-based triggers can be once-only (such as “at 8 p.m.”) or repeating (“every Tuesday at 8 p.m. for the next 52 weeks”).
There are, however, other kinds of triggers — for example, system events (such as startup, sign-on, sign-off, or shutdown) or just about any kind of error condition.
You can define any number of tasks. For example, you might have Task Scheduler run a cleanup tool at every system shutdown, automatically launch Windows Network Diagnostics when a connection fails, or start a malware scan late at night when your PC is otherwise idle.
Task Scheduler can do much more than merely launch a program. Obviously, once a program is launched, you want it to actually do something — not just idly sit there.
To specify what the program should do once it’s running, you use special commands — technically called command line inputs or arguments — which are really nothing more than plain-text equivalents of the mouse clicks normally used to control a program.
In short, any program that accepts command-line inputs can be controlled via Task Scheduler.
An app’s online support pages will tell you what command-line inputs are allowed — if any — and how to use them. Here are two examples:
Piriform’s CCleaner clean-up tool accepts a few command-line inputs; they’re listed and explained on the app’s advanced usage page. You can, for instance, use Task Scheduler to automatically run CCleaner and then shut down Windows when CCleaner is done.
Searching the Microsoft site, you’ll find that Windows’ Remote Desktop Connection (RDC) accepts command-line inputs. An MS Help & How-to page lists supported command-line options.
Searching a publisher’s support pages will sometimes reveal that there are two versions of an app — one with a normal graphical user interface and another, nongraphical version specifically intended for command-line use. That stripped-down version will work nicely in Task Scheduler. (I’ll give an example below.)
Other ways to discover command-line inputs
Although querying a software publisher’s site is the best and surest way to discover which command-line inputs are allowed, some programs will list the inputs they’ll accept — if you ask them the right way. Here’s how:
From an administrator-level account, open a command window. (Need help? Check out Microsoft’s online Command Prompt FAQ.)
Next, inside quotation marks, type the full path and name of the program you wish to control. After the trailing quotation mark, add a space, forward slash, and question mark.
For example, to see what command line inputs are accepted by Windows’ built-in defragmentation tool, defrag.exe, type:
Press Enter, and defrag will then list all the command-line inputs it can accept.
If the /? option doesn’t work with a given program, try -h (which stands for -help) as an alternative.
For example, to see what command line inputs you can use with the 7-Zip file compression and encryption utility, you type:
“c:\program files\7-zip\7z.exe” -h
Press Enter. 7-Zip will then list all the command-line inputs it can accept.
If a program fails to respond to either the /? or -h options, it’s likely the program does not accept command-line inputs — and thus cannot be controlled via Task Scheduler.
Real-life example: custom antivirus scanning
In the Sept. 20 LangaList Plus item, “A fine-tooth comb process for malware removal,” I mentioned using Task Scheduler “to set up a full, weekly MSE [Microsoft Security Essentials] scan in the middle of the night so … there’s absolutely no impact on my productive use of the PC.”
Many readers wrote, asking for instructions for how to do just that. So I’ll use scheduling automated MSE scans as a simple Task Scheduler example.
If you search the Microsoft site for command-line options for MSE (for example, a Microsoft Community page), you’ll see that MSE is one of those tools that exist in two versions — and both automatically install on your system when you download MSE. The first, msseces.exe, is the version typically seen with the full graphical interface; MpCmdRun.exe is a stripped-down version specifically intended for use with command-line inputs.
The aforementioned Microsoft Community page lists the command-line inputs that MpCmdRun.exe supports, but you also can find them by using the direct-query technique described earlier. In fact, seeing the direct-query syntax can make it easier to set up MSE in Task Scheduler, so let’s take a look.
Assuming you have MSE installed on your system, open an admin-level command window and type:
“C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\MpCmdRun.exe” /?
You’ll see a list of all the command-line inputs that MpCmdRun accepts. Those of immediate interest include the -scan command, which tells MSE to perform a scan; the -scantype option, which defines the type of scan; and the 2 option, which initiates a full scan.
So here’s the complete, plain-text command to tell MSE to launch and perform a full scan:
“C:\Program Files\Microsoft Security Client\MpCmdRun.exe” -scan -scantype 2
With that information in hand, the hard part’s done. Now, all that’s left is to feed that command into Task Scheduler.
It’s easy; here’s how:
- Step 1: Open Task Scheduler. Click Start/Control Panel/System and Security. Under Administrative Tools, click the Schedule tasks link. (Or select it from the Start menu’s Administrative Tools, if you’ve set it up.)
- Step 2: When Task Scheduler opens, click the Create Basic Task option in the right-hand pane, highlighted in Figure 1. (You’ll probably see tasks for other apps in the center Task Scheduler pane, automatically created when the apps were installed.)
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- Step 3: In the Create a Basic Task dialog box, give your new task an obvious name and enter an optional, fuller description, as shown in Figure 2. Click Next when you’re done.
- Step 4: In the Task Trigger window, select the instance or frequency with which you want to run the task. In this case, you’re setting up a weekly scan, so you should choose the Weekly trigger, as you’ll see in Figure 3. Click Next when you’re ready to move on.
- Step 5: If you selected a frequency, the next windows lets you further refine the task’s schedule (see Figure 4). Here, I’ve set the scan to run every Sunday at 3 a.m. Click Next when you’re done.
- Step 6: Now select what should happen when the task is triggered. For our example, you want Task Scheduler to Start a Program — that is, to launch MSE. (Figure 5.) Click the “Start a program” button and then click Next.
- Step 7: Fill in the Start a Program specifics window. Use the command-line information you obtained earlier, as shown in Figure 6. Click Next when you’re done.
- Step 8: Double-check the information in the Summary display, as shown in Figure 7, and click Finish to finalize your new task. Checking Open the Properties dialog for this task when I click Finish (before clicking Finish) will let you make additional tweaks to your task.
- Step 9: The new task’s Properties window includes security options, as shown in Figure 8. For an unattended MSE scan, select Run whether user is logged on or not and Run with highest privileges. Click OK when you’re done. (Because you specified Run with highest privileges, you’ll be asked for your admin password when you click OK.)
- Step 10: You’re almost done! But first, take a moment to check your work. In the center pane of Task Scheduler’s main window, scroll through the Active Tasks list (shown in Figure 9) and find the task you just created. Double-click the new task and double-check its settings.
- Step 11: Controls in the Selected Item pane (lower-right of Task Scheduler windows) let you run, end, disable, and delete the task. In this case, click Run (highlighted in Figure 10) to test the new task. If you need to make changes, use the tabbed area of the central pane to edit the task’s triggers, actions, conditions, and settings until things work the way you want them to.
Note: In this example, you’re running the nongraphical, command-line version of MSE, so you won’t see MSE’s usual display window. The only immediate indication that MSE is working will be the heavy disk activity that’s typical of a full scan.
- Step 12: Once your test scan appears finished, launch MSE’s normal graphical interface and check the Last scan text at the bottom of the main dialog window (see Figure 11). It should show that a full scan was just completed.
Advanced: Use system events as triggers
You may have noticed in Figure 3 that you can use specific system events as task triggers. System events include the starting and stopping of all programs and drivers, all errors, most user-initiated actions, and more. Windows assigns each system event an event ID. If you know an event ID, you can specify it as a task trigger.
There are literally thousands — perhaps tens of thousands — of event IDs, and (alas) there’s no single, central database containing them all.
But here are the best sources for event-ID information that I’ve found:
- MS TechNet’s Events and Errors listing
- MS Support’s “Look up an error message” page.
- MS TechNet blog, “How to find all possible event ID’s for a given event source”
- UltimateWindowsSecurity.com’s listing of Windows Security Log Events
- And this simple, but very complete, event ID lookup page from EventID.net
Digging deeper for Win7, Vista, and XP
There’s plenty more information available online for users of all skill levels and for all current versions of Windows.
Here are some great resources:
- MS support article 308569, “How to schedule tasks in Windows XP”
- MS TechNet article, “Windows Vista Task Scheduler”
- MS Help & How-to article, “Schedule a task” (Vista)
- MS Help & How-to article, “Schedule a task” (Windows 7)
- MSDN Task Scheduler page
- MSDN Task Scheduler 2.0 page
Once you get the hang of it, you can use Task Scheduler to have Windows automatically do just about everything — except make the coffee!
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It's a tough job naming every species in the sea, but somebody's gotta do it. More specifically, the Census of Marine Life. It's an effort to catalog all species of life in the oceans, and has validated 122,500 species names so far, as well as 56,400 aliases that have been applied to the same species over the years.
One species, Halichondria panicea, or the breadcrumb sponge, has been given 56 names in the scientific literature since it was first named in 1766, according to researchers. Poor thing's been in a perpetual state of identity crisis.
The census will provide researchers with a clearer idea of species populations and ultimately, a better understanding for conservation efforts. But with researchers cataloging around 1,400 new marine species each year, experts say it will take more than five centuries to complete the total list. Good luck with that, guys.
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- Sea Turtles Can Get the Bends after Capture in Fishing Gear, Says New Study Posted Tue, November 25, 2014
- Ocean Roundup: Dolphins Use Whistles as Names, Conservationists Call for Removal of Queensland Shark Nets, and More Posted Mon, November 24, 2014
- ICCAT Moves to Properly Manage Bluefin Tuna, but Doesn’t Take Action for Sharks and Swordfish Posted Wed, November 26, 2014
- Oceana in Chile Submits Recommendations for Lowering Common Hake Catch Quotas Posted Mon, November 24, 2014
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Europe's rule-making bureaucracy is moving forward with plans to introduce some earthly order to the unruly heavens, unveiling its latest efforts Wednesday to regulate outer space.
The European Union, which is leading a global initiative to introduce an international code of conduct for spacecraft, presented the newest draft of its extra-terrestrial regulations.
A top concern is the ever-increasing field of space debris that orbits the earth. Spent rocket fuel tanks, disused space probes and a myriad of other man-made objects circle the earth at great speeds, posing a risk to space shuttles and satellites.
"Space is a resource for all countries in the world, and those which do not yet have space activities will have them in the future," the EU said in a statement.
"Therefore, the EU considers (it) necessary to ensure greater security in outer space."
More than 110 representatives from 40 countries gathered in Vienna on Wednesday to discuss the latest draft of the EU's "International Code of Conduct for Outer Space Activities", first launched at the end of 2008.
The initiative is already backed by several space-faring nations, among them the United States, Japan and India.
According to an earlier draft of the text released in 2009, countries signing up to the code would pledge to maintain freedom of access and use of outer space "for peaceful purposes without interference, fully respecting the security, safety and integrity of space objects in orbit."
The EU hopes the code will be implemented next year, though it must be further debated at a broader meeting in New York in October.
The proposed code would be applicable to all outer space activities conducted by countries or non-governmental entities, and would lay down basic rules for visiting space, the EU said in its statement.
Explore further: Tokyo Shortly To Decide On Participation In Russian Kliper Project
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