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Bringing glory to God by sharing with my voice the thoughts of my mind with the inflection of my heart. - 1. The faculty of expressing thoughts by words or articulate sounds, as in human beings. Speech was given to man by his Creator for the noblest purposes. - 3. A particular language, as distinct from others. Ps. xix. - 6. Formal discourse in public; oration. The members has made his first speech in the legislature. Webster's, 1st ed., 1828 \|This being done, another chieftain spoke to the Indians in the name of all the several chiefs, first to explain what was done, and then to charge them to love the Christians, and particularly to live in peace with Penn and the people under his government. At every sentence of this last speech the whole company shouted and said Amen, in their way, and a firm and advantageous correspondence with them was settled. "They are a careless, merry people," writes Penn, "yet in affairs of property strict in their dealings. In council, they are deliberate, in speech short, grave, and eloquent." George Bancroft, History of the United States, Vol. 1, p. 568 I am able to speak clearly and fluently with one or a thousand. Because I do not attempt to impress, my words are simply tools. They are not a source of stumbling; I can recede into the background and give center-stage to God and His Word. My desire is to communicate, not intimidate. Because I am not attempting to be God, I am not on trial; because it is God Who is on trial, no defense is necessary. I am therefore completely at ease when speaking to any size group. I allow myself to be used by the Spirit, never worrying beforehand what to say. Because God's Kingdom is not tied to any nation, I am transcultural. Wherever I go I can empathize with the culture, appreciating the diverse expressions of the Image of God. I pick up the native languages easily and fluently. These words resonate in my being; my speech is always And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. -- Romans 8:28-29 I have remembered Thy Name, O LORD, in the night, and have kept Thy Law. -- Psalm 119:55 This isn't that New Age "Positive Thinking" stuff, is it??
Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Juan de la Cueva Poet and dramatist, b. of a noble family at Seville, Spain, in 1550, d. in 1607. Little is known of his life save that in his later years, he visited the West Indies and lived for some time in Portugal. It is as a dramatic writer that Cueva merits notice. He was a prolific writer for the stage, yet but few of his plays have been preserved. They were represented in 1579 and the years following, and are important because most of them are historical. He must be given credit also for his dramatic initiative, for he ignored Greek and Latin traditions, and developed his plots, chararacters, incidents, and situations with little regard for "the unities" of the classical model. He was thus one of the first to forsake the Classical for the romantic drama. In addition he reduced the number of jornadas, or acts, from five to four, and introduced a number of metrical forms hitherto unknown upon the stage. Several of the plays are on national subjects, such as "La Libertad de Espana por Bernardo del Carpio" and "Los Siete Infantes de Lara". Among those dealing with ancient history may be mentioned "La Muerta de Ajax", "Telemon sobre las Armas de Aquiles", and "La Muerte de Virginia y Apio Claudio". One of them, "El Saco de Roma y Muerte de Borbon", deals with a great event which was their recent, and describes the Italian triumphs of Charles V. Another, "El Infamador", foreshadows in one of its characters Leucino, the type of libertine which Tirso de Molina afterwards immortalized with his Don Juan. These plays are somewhat crude in structure, and a noticeable fault is that the author makes all the characters, whether of high or low degree, talk in the same lofty vein. Again, he involves his characters in difficulties and situations whence escape seems impossible, and then without regard to plausibility, grasps the first solution that presents itself, such as a murder or some supernatural intervention. Among his non-dramatic works are: a collection of lyric poems and sonnets, published under the title "Obras de Juan de la Cueva" (Seville, 1582); "Coro Febeo de Romances historiales", a collection of one hundred romances (1587), of which A. Duran has reproduced sixty-three cantos in his "Romancero"; and an epic poem in twenty-four cantos, "La Conquista de la Betica" (Seville, 1603), describing the conquest of Seville by the King Saint Ferdinand.
difference of potential he obtained between the earth and an insulated burning match placed nine feet above the ground was from two hundred to four thousand volts. What, then, is the result of permanently connecting by a good conductor the earth and the atmosphere directly above it, a condition that exists in the case of single-wire circuits? Such an arrangement must tend to equalize potential and prevent the accumulation of those charged masses which no doubt form the nucleus of the storm cloud. This equalization will continue to take place in all conditions of weather. But when a storm occurs it is obvious that if struck by lightning the wire carries the current to the point of greatest range—viz., to the instrument and to any one in its vicinity. Therefore, unless the strictest structural precautions be taken, such a wire becomes a source of danger rather than of safety. To obviate this danger, every post or support for overhead wires ought to be fitted with a lightning guard, and every instrument, whether using the earth as a return or not, should be furnished with a lightning arrester. Conditions of Sleep.—Some interesting experiments on sleep have been made by Prof. I. Tarchanoff, of St. Petersburg, upon puppies from three weeks to three months old. The animals at this age have a strong disposition to sleep, and are not awakened even when physiological experiments are made upon them—a few minutes' stroking of the head and back assuring the persistence of their slumbers or their return to sleep if they are aroused. Adult dogs will not sleep under such circumstances, except with the aid of a narcotic. Position of the body exerts a distinct influence on the sleeping. Puppies lightly strapped were placed, some in a horizontal and others in a vertical position, and of the latter some were held with the head downward and others with the tail down. Stroking and caressing failed to induce sleep only when the head was kept down. Other experiments demonstrated that the arterial pressure falls during sleep, and that when the animal wakes it returns to its former height. These facts agree with the statements and observations of Mr. Darben that the brain is anaemic during sleep. Further experiments were made by Prof. Tarchanoff on animals in which the spinal cord had been divided between the dorsal and lumbar regions, and the animals had recovered from the immediate effects of the injury. The result was expressed in the observation that the spinal cord never sleeps. The author thinks, further, that the brain is not during sleep inactive in all its parts, but is a source of depressed action propagating itself to all parts of the cord which are in perfect continuity with the brain. Physiological Influence of Music.—In the investigation of the influence of music on man and animals, Prof. Tarchanoff, of St. Petersburg, used the ergograph of Mosso, and found that, if the fingers were completely fatigued, music had the power of making the fatigue disappear. It appeared that music of a sad and lugubrious character had the opposite effect, and could check or inhibit the contractions. The author is inclined to suppose that the voluntary muscles, being furnished with excito-motor and depressant fibers, act in reference to the music similarly to the heart that is, that joyful music resounds along the excito-motor fibers and sad music along the depressant or inhibitory fibers. Experiments on dogs showed that music was capable of increasing the elimination of carbonic acid by 16·7 per cent, and of increasing the consumption of oxygen by 20·1 per cent. It was also found that music increases the functional activity of the skin. The author claims as the result of his experiments that music may fairly be regarded as a serious therapeutic agent, and that it exercises a genuine and considerable influence over the functions of the body. A timely protest is made in the Pharmaceutische Rundschau against the proposition of some pharmaceutical schools to confer the degree of Doctor of Pharmacy. A forcible objection to the use of the term doctor in this connection was uttered in 18*74 by the Board of the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy, which deprecated the use of that title because the practices of pharmacy and medicine were so closely connected with each other that it would tend to confusion. A dispensing druggist possessing it would be supposed to have the right to prescribe, and danger of conflict
January 18, 1919: The Paris Peace Conference opens. June 28, 1919: The Treaty of Versailles is signed. The world is at peace once more. January 21, 1920: The Conference comes to an end with the inaugural General Assembly of the League of Nations. September 18, 1931: The Imperial Japanese Army begins its invasion of Manchuria. The League of Nations says: January 30, 1933: Adolf Hitler is appointed Chancellor of Germany. March 16, 1935: Hitler reintroduces conscription to Germany, openly flouting the military restrictions of the Versailles Treaty. The League of Nations says: March 27, 1933: The Empire of Japan withdraws from the League of Nations. September 19, 1933: Germany withdraws from the League of Nations. October 3, 1935: Italian armed forces invade Ethiopia. October 7, 1935: The League of Nations says: July 7, 1937: Japan begins a full scale invasion of China. As a final measure, the League offers only its "spiritual support" to the Chinese. December 11, 1937: Italy withdraws from the League of Nations. September 1, 1939: Germany invades Poland. The League of Nations says: World War II begins. The League fails its primary directive: to avoid any future world war. October 24, 1945: The United Nations officially comes into existence. 57 YEARS PASS... March 20, 2003: The United States of America begin their invasion of Iraq. The United Nations clears its throat, about to say: America pushes past, hollering: Kofi Annan gazes grimly over the surface of the East River. His left eyebrow twitches. The capillaries in his eyeballs burst like test tubes overheated. His lips quiver, not out of fear, but in a fit of holy rage. His fingers clench to make a fist, as he brings it down hard upon his desk. Kofi Annan says: Enter the UN Squadron:
Decimal to Fraction calculator Decimal to fraction calculator helps to convert a value in decimal form to fraction form. It is a one-step calculator with many uses. Decimal to Fraction The step-wise result is detailed to the very end. This helps users not only to find the answer but also learn how the answer was calculated. Decimals and fractions are integral parts of mathematics and actually, they are different ways to show the same value, for example, half can be written as ½ as a fraction and 0.5. How to use the decimal to fraction converter? For converting decimals to fractions using this online and free tool; Enter the decimal value in the labelled box. (You can choose a random value by clicking on the loading icon). Press enter or click calculate. Now, let’s learn how to convert decimals into fractions. How to convert a decimal into fractions? There is a three-step process for the conversion of decimals to fractions. These steps are: Place 1 as the denominator and make the decimal values fraction. Count the decimal places, say x, and multiply the numerator and denominator by 10x. Find the GCF and divide both upper and lower values by it. Convert 56.7 into a fraction. Step 1: Make it a fraction. Step 2: Count the decimal places. There are two decimal places. Step 3: Multiply 100 from the numerator and denominator. = 5.62/1 * 100/100 Step 4: Find GCF of 562 and 100. The GCF is 2. Step 5: Divide GCF from numerator and denominator. = (562/2) / (100/2) To escape all this work, use the decimal to fraction converter above. There is a different and more accurate method to convert the repeating decimals. You can use the repeating decimals to the fraction calculator for this purpose. Decimal to fraction Chart
For young children, an early education program is known as kindergarten. This program generally is for 5-year-old kids, but also includes 4 years to 6 years kids. It helps to develop mentally and creates the opportunity to learn academic skills. To build the child’s social and prepare them for next level first grade in school. They are motivated to develop self-activity and emotional skills. There are many different kinds of the curriculum are learned by kids from kindergarten. Sounds and letters learning: Due to this pandemic situation, the kindergarten is started to teach the kids . With the help of classes, the kids are interested to learn something new every day. There are many international kindergartens, educate the kids to write their name, all 26 alphabets letters in both upper and lower cases and to recognize them. The kids will practice writing simple sentences and reading them aloud. Counting and numbers learning: Kindergarten allows exposing the kid’s creativity and talent. Supports the kids to develop their self-confidence, best practices in studies, and they ensure having fun in learning. Parents are searching for the best kindergarten admission where children get benefits. The teacher educates the kids to count, write and recognize the numbers in order up to 30. They help to learn addition and subtraction by showing up images of less than 10 numbers. Colours and shapes learning: The basic common thing to know is learning about the shapes and colours are used daily. The kids should know all the shapes like triangle, square, circle, rectangle, etc. with colours. Teachers explain to the kids using a 2D shape poem by their angles and sides. They make the kid cut the shapes and paint with different colours to identify the colours. So the kids will recognize the shapes along with colours. Time and season learning: When kids learned about numbers, they will start learning about time. They will identify the breakfast time at 7.30 AM and the time of school at 8.00 AM. Then will come to know it will be in the morning session. Even the school end time in evening and dinner time will be at night also they will learn easily. Teachers will explain today, yesterday, tomorrow, morning, noon, and night with the daily routine activities. - Physical development: The kids will be very active by physical activity and playing outside like movements of legs and arms, fingers and hands which develops the large motor skills. Even drawing, painting, doing puzzle activities make the children physically active. - Social development: There are many activities are practiced in the classroom where kids will interact with others, make friends, work cooperatively, resolve problems, and help one another. - Emotional development: Teachers support the children to express their talents, emotions, and feelings. So they can change the children self-regulation and behavior in children. - Language: They mainly focus on communication through talking, writing, reading, and listening in the early stage, so they can easily learn in later grades. - Thinking: By encouraging the kids to think by asking the question. So the kids make observations and can solve problems by thinking. They can discuss with other kids and get ideas to make decisions.
A Healthy Heart February is American Heart Health Month. According to the most recent information from the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. In fact, there is a heart-related death every 36 seconds, making for a toll of approximately 655,000 heart-related deaths each year. To put this in perspective, heart disease is responsible for 1 in 4 deaths, cancer is responsible for 1 in 6 deaths, and covid-19 is responsible for 1 in 1000 deaths. Heart disease is an equal opportunity health problem affecting both men and women of all ages and ethnicities. The good news is that we can reduce our risk of heart disease by adopting heart-healthy habits. First, get plenty of sleep. Sleep deprivation can lead to a host of physical and mental ailments, including atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and heart failure. Smoking cigarettes, even as few as two per day, can affect your circulation. This causes your heart to work harder and your blood pressure to rise. Smoking, even secondhand smoke can cause heart disease and strokes. Monitor your health. Keeping an eye on your cholesterol, weight, and blood pressure can help you make smart decisions. Keep your teeth and gums healthy. Daily flossing and brushing helps to prevent gum disease, which is linked to heart attacks and strokes. There is also a possible correlation to excess plaque on teeth and excess plaque in arteries. Regular visits to the dentist may not seem important to your heart, but they can make a big difference to your overall health. Stay at a healthy weight. Obesity is linked with numerous health conditions including hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes—all affecting heart health. Know the symptoms: Pain, pressure, or an uncomfortable fullness in the middle of your chest. Sharp pain in your shoulders and neck spreading into your arms. A tight feeling in your chest accompanied by dizziness, sweating, difficulty in breathing, and feeling nauseous. Sudden weakness and palpitations without obvious cause. You may need to make lifestyle changes to improve your health. Walking for at least thirty minutes each day and practicing yoga each week, along with healthy diet changes, may be all you need to turn your health outlook around.
Have you guys ever used a vending machine? The ones you see at the airport or in a shopping mall or public places. Remember the time you inserted a currency note, pressed a button and bam you got what you wanted! Ok so what happened here was that you put a currency note and pressed a button. If these two conditions are met: - You put the right currency note - You pressed the right button On successful authentication of these two conditions, an output is triggered which is dispensing the product to you via a chamber. = This example right here is the premise of what smart contracts are and how they are going to change the internet. In this vending machine example, you see, no human was involved. The machine is pre-programmed. What exactly are smart contracts? Simply put, smart contracts are programs that run when some specific conditions are met. There is a certain outcome you expect and there is no human involvement. It is just like any legal contract, except that its execution is automated. For example, if your travel insurance contract were “smart”, it could automatically disburse the insurance amount you’re owed if your flight gets canceled without you having to call or follow up with anybody. I hope you got a basic understanding of what they are. What are real-world applications of smart contracts? Smart contracts have a lot of real-world applications. The most prominent areas that use them are healthcare, finance, and NFT projects with potential in the supply chain too. Smart contracts in finance: The most widespread adoption of smart contracts is in the decentralized finance space. A lot of interesting use cases like lending, borrowing, and staking are possible, thanks to smart contracts. Moreover, as the name suggests, since it’s decentralized, all the above use cases are achieved without the presence of any central authority such as a bank. These smart contracts simply automate the workings of a bank. Here’s a real life example Pancake swap is a decentralized crypto exchange. Firstly, it allows users to stake or loan their tokens, just like a bank would allow you to deposit your cash in a fixed deposit or a savings account. Upon staking their tokens, users earn interest and rewards and also a fee that traders might pay to use the staked tokens. All these transactions are governed by smart contracts. Smart contracts in NFT What the heck are NFTs? NFTs stand for non fungible tokens. They are a form of digital assets that you can buy, sell, own and trade. Owning an NFT comes with its exclusive perks and rewards. Certain projects and companies mint limited NFTs and make sure that each NFT has its own unique utility. NFTs are also revolutionizing the way more mundane things like loyalty programs and identity management work. Smart contracts are the technology that brings NFTs to life. They define all the conditions required to buy, sell, own and trade an NFT. Let me give you a real-life example Opensea is an NFT marketplace that lets you trade NFTs. You can also auction your NFTs. All you have to do is just list your NFT at a selling price. The moment a buyer is interested, the trade goes through and you get the money. All the governance and transactions are enabled by smart contracts. Why are they the hidden treasure in changing the internet? As you saw from the examples above, smart contracts help create a trustless, transparent and decentralized world. - You are no longer dependent on intermediaries like Paypal, banks etc who take increasingly long amounts of time to transfer money or assets due to the manual nature of their underlying processes - You are now in control of own your data and not at the mercy of centralized companies such as Google and Facebook that can change their algorithms whenever they want. - You can now own, buy, sell and trade digital assets on the internet. You can also take advantage of the power of NFTs beyond digital assets. I am very bullish on the potential of smart contracts and the power it shifts from the hands of the central entities like banks and big internet companies to the common people . If you have any idea in this space and want to create a smart contract, head over to accelchain.xyz and get started within minutes. Don’t worry if you don’t have hardcore technical skills. We got you covered!
Ethnic and religious minorities have faced appalling violence from ISIL forces in Iraq and Syria. But another community has suffered at the hands of very similar ideologues for far too long. Decisions at this weekend's Nato conference may help determine their future too. The Hazara are an indigenous people of Afghanistan, with a small community in Quetta, Pakistan, established over 100 years ago by Hazaras fleeing religious persecution. In both countries, the predominantly Shia Hazaras have suffered from the violence inflicted by Sunni extremists on the wider Shia community, as well as other minorities. But in part the Hazara have suffered because their distinctive ethnic identity makes them easily identifiable and targets for prejudice and discrimination. In Afghanistan, thousands of Hazaras were massacred during the civil war and under the Taliban government. The fall of the Taliban brought representation in the political system and support for the Hazaras' long-standing commitment to education for girls and boys, though widespread discrimination persists. There have still been atrocities, notably the killing of more than 60 people, mostly Hazaras, in Ashura in December 2011. The Nato summit occurs as fears rise about what will happen after international troops are withdrawn. Secure and stable government is by no means assured, and the current political stalemate following the elections is hardly encouraging. The security situation is becoming increasingly volatile, and Taliban forces are increasing their control of territory. There has been killing and forced displacement of Hazaras from Khas Uruzgan and killings and disappearances along the roads from Kabul to Bamiyan, Ghazni and Heart. Thirty Hazaras were killed three separate attacks on those highways in July 2014 alone. The Hazaras fear a return to the scale of abuses they experienced under the Taliban regime. It is hardly encouraging that two of the Taliban released by the US in the recent prisoner exchange were Mullah Fazl and Mullah Norullah Noori, who both participated in the massacre of thousands of Hazaras in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That does not show a sensitivity to either history or future dangers. Even as troops are withdrawn, the international community cannot afford to lose interest in what happens in Afghanistan. There must be a clear agenda for its continuing aid and political relationship with the Afghan Government, which should include pressure to address the continuing discrimination and under-representation of Hazaras within the Afghan Government and state, and to assist the Afghan Government in ensuring the protection of ethnic and religious minorities following troop withdrawal. The international community now generally recognises that talks between the Afghan Government and the Taliban are both unavoidable and necessary, but it has to be made clear that such talks cannot be allowed to exclude the protection of minority rights as part of any long-term solution. In Pakistan, the once prosperous community has now been reduced to about 500,000 people living in just four square miles of Quetta. 1,500 people have been killed since 1999 and more than 3,500 injured. Perhaps 55,000 people have fled to Australia or Europe, though of course, not all survived the journey. The community is isolated, with travel restrictions imposed by the Pakistani Government. Just occasionally, the violence in Quetta makes the international news: in June 2012, when a university bus was bombed, killing four and injuring 72; and in early 2013, when two bombings killed 180 Hazaras. Continuing violence has been well documented in the recent Human Rights Watch report "We are the Walking Dead", published in June 2014. Shockingly, in the past 16 years, not one person has been brought successfully to justice. The al-Qaeda-affiliated organisation Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has openly claimed responsibility for the killings, while leading members have been seen associating with public figures and politicians in Pakistan. The Pakistan Government are clearly in breach of their international obligation to protect their people. Last year Prime Minister Sharif and did denounce sectarian killings, but there has to be visible action to investigate those killings and prosecute those responsible. Those such as the political wing of the LEJ which in March this year celebrated killings and pledged to eliminate Hazaras from Balochistan, must be brought under control. Demands for action by the Pakistan state must be consistently reinforced by the international community, by individual Governments, including our own, and by international institutions, including the United Nations and its agencies, and that must be done in every relationship--political, military, in development and human rights. DFID need develop assistance programmes to address the immediate needs of the community in Quetta and ensure that international funds, like those run by the World Bank, are audited to ensure the Hazara are benefitting. UK support for conflict prevention which already operates in other parts of Pakistan could be extended to Balochistan. The UN system, which has strong policies on human rights, preventing genocide and the protection of indigenous peoples, all of which should apply to the Hazara needs to engage actively.
In the early eras of baseball, the home run was not held in the esteem that it is today. Players were encouraged to bunt, steal, and hit and run—techniques considered to require more skill than hitting a ball 400 feet. Often called a forgotten art today, bunting is still an important technical skill in baseball, especially in high school baseball. Every well-coached team employs it frequently. Bunting can be used not only to advance base runners but also to surprise an opponent or to get runners on base against an extremely tough pitcher. Proper instruction in bunting is important because this skill, unlike regular batting, should be executed with little individual deviation in technique. When bunting, players must get their bodies into a position that will allow them both to see the ball well and to place it where they want to on the field. When called on to bunt, players can assume two body positions, or stances: If a bunt is called for, after receiving the sign from the coach, the batter should assume his normal position in the batter’s box. After the pitcher has taken the sign from the catcher and comes to a ready position on the rubber, the batter should immediately shift into the bunting position. The batter moves his front foot back in the batter’s box and moves his rear foot forward, thereby squaring his feet and legs to the pitcher as shown in figure 3.11. If the batter moves the front foot first, he may step on or outside the batter’s box line. Any successful bunt hit from this position would be negated because according to the rules, a batter who hits the ball while a foot is out of the box is out and base runners have to return to the base occupied before the pitch. The batter should move the left foot first to avoid this violation. After the feet are set, the batter bends both knees and bends forward at the waist, leaning slightly toward the plate and putting most of his weight on the foot closer to the plate. The bat should remain about letter high in the batter’s stance so that the batter can easily move it downward (this will be discussed in more detail shortly). The head shifts to a point close to the bat so that the batter can follow the path of the ball better. As in the square-around position discussed earlier, the batter first assumes his stance, but when the pitcher begins his delivery, the batter pivots his body into bunting position without moving his feet. First, the batter pivots on the balls of both feet so that the feet point directly to the pitcher. As he does this, he bends both knees forward in the same direction and leans forward at the waist so that about 80 percent of his weight is on his front foot, as shown in figure 3.12. The hitter also lowers his head to a position that enables him to track the ball to the plate. From the waist up, the body is in the same position in both the square-around method and the pivot method of bunting. Whichever method is used—the square around or the pivot—when the bunt sign is given, the player should move up slightly in the batter’s box. To avoid revealing his intentions, the batter should not make this move too obvious, but being closer to the pitcher will give him a better chance of keeping the bunt in fair territory. Getting the body into a good position to bunt is important, but even more essential is positioning the hands and arms correctly. If the bat is not at the correct angle or the hands do not function properly, the bunt won’t do its intended job of advancing the runner. When preparing to bunt in both the square-around method and the pivot method, the batter must hold the bat the same way. As the feet are moving into position in both methods, the batter’s top hand should slide up the bat so that it is near the brand trademark on wooden bats or, on aluminum bats, near the area where the bat begins to widen. The hand should pinch the bat loosely with the thumb on the top and the fingers on the bottom (see figure 3.13). Care should be taken to keep the fingers away from the side of the bat that will make contact with the ball. Players should bend the fingers at the first knuckle and place the fingernails against the bat rather than grab it as they would a can of soda pop in which they would expose the nails. The bottom hand can remain in the same position as it does in the regular batting stance, but the batter must not grip the bat so tightly that he constricts his muscles, which would make it harder for him to adjust to the location of the pitch. For the square-around and pivot bunts, the batter should hold the bat at a 45-degree angle to the ground with the barrel at the top of the strike zone and the lower hand approximately 1 foot below (see figure 3.14). He should also hold the bat away from the body so that the sweet spot of the bat is in the strike zone area, extended away from the body and in front of the plate. If the batter holds the bat over the top of the plate, he will create a bat angle that minimizes the chances for a successful bunt. This manner of holding the bat serves as a visual reminder to the batter that he should not bunt any pitch that is higher than the top of the barrel. Doing so would mean the bat is moving upwards, increasing the likelihood of the batter hitting the ball in the air. Also, any pitch above a barrel held at the top of the strike zone would be a ball. Batters, when preparing to bunt, should only go for strikes. Deadening and Directing the Ball In a properly executed bunt, the batter moves the bat slightly backward toward the catcher at the point of contact. This technique deadens the ball off the bat so that it will not travel as far into the field as it would if the batter swung the bat at the ball. In a sense, the bunter tries to catch the ball with the bat, much as a fielder would. If a fielder were to stab at a ball without first giving a little with the glove hand, he wouldn’t catch many balls. The ball would bounce off the glove onto the ground. Likewise, if the bunter doesn’t give with the top hand as the ball contacts the bat, the bunt will be hit too hard and it will reach the defense sooner, lessening the chance for a successful sacrifice. The deadening effect, however, is only one part of effective bunting. The other is being able to direct the ball away from oncoming defenders into successful bunt zones on the field (see figure 3.15). The bottom hand determines the direction of the bunt. If the bottom hand never moves the bat left or right, most bunts would travel directly toward the pitcher, who would then be able to make an easy force play, a result that would definitely not be desirable. The bunter applies this directional force simply by moving the bottom hand in much the same way that a person would steer a motorboat by moving the handle of the engine. If the batter needs to bunt the ball down the first-base line (assuming that he is right-handed), he extends his left arm forward so that the hitting area of the bat is aimed toward the first-base side of the field, as shown in figure 3.16. A left-handed batter would pull his right hand closer to his body to accomplish the same thing. When contact occurs, the angle of the bat will direct the ball toward first base. If the bunter needs to hit toward third base, he would pull the left hand closer to the body (if right-handed), again changing the angle of the bat. Note that the bunter does not move the top hand much while steering with the bottom hand. By practicing and perfecting these techniques, batters can put the ball onto the parts of the field that are hardest to cover defensively, as shown in the diagram of bunt zones in figure 3.15, thus greatly increasing the chances of advancing a runner. A common mistake that bunters make is bunting balls thrown outside the strike zone. Bunting poor pitches can considerably lessen the chances of a successful bunt. A pitch well off the inside of the plate is difficult to bunt because of the location of the bunter’s hands and bat. Pitches high in the strike zone would be above the bunter’s top hand, and bunters would find it extremely difficult to get the bat on the top half of the ball on this pitch. When bunters go after a high pitch they usually hit foul pop-ups or foul tips. Remember, the primary purpose of bunting is to advance runners. If the batter makes an out by popping up, runners don’t advance and meaningless outs are charged to the team. Deciding When to Bunt Consider the statistics: A runner on first base with no outs has a 43 percent chance of scoring; a runner on second base with one out, say one who has been advanced there by a sacrifice bunt, has only a 45 percent chance of scoring. So the sacrifice increases the chance by only 2 percent! A runner who successfully steals second base with no outs, however, has a 60 percent chance of scoring a run—decidedly better odds. This being noted, at times you may still want to bunt to advance the runner to the next base. When a game is tied in the late innings and good hitters are coming to the plate, you should probably bunt the runner to second to give your hitters a shot at driving the runner in. Another good time to bunt would be to squeeze a runner home from third with a weak hitter up in a must-score situation. These are just two of the many situations in which you might want to employ the bunt as opposed to the steal. A third option is to attempt a drag bunt instead of a sacrifice bunt to give the batter a better chance of being safe at first base. You should also teach players to look for the bunt sign in late innings of close, low-scoring games because the tighter the game, the more pressure the defense feels. An anxious defender can mishandle a bunt in such situations. The decision to bunt depends wholly on the team’s overall philosophy about advancing runners. The coach should thoroughly discuss this philosophy with players before the season begins so that they can sense the importance of bunting and buy into that way of thinking right away. This is an excerpt from Coaching Baseball Technical and Tactical Skills.
across the North River at about Fort Lee. It only worked a few days when it was dragged out of place by a ship's anchor. The first iron-armored cable was made by S. C. Bishop in 1852, and was used across the North River, above Cold Spring. This cable was of No. 14 copper wire with an insulation the size of No. 0, protected by jute and armored with iron wire about No. 8.}} Submarine telephone cables were used in 1879 by several companies in crossing rivers and bays, notably in Chicago and Milwaukee, and Patterson telephone cables were placed in the Washington Street tunnel crossing under the Chicago River, in 1879, as previously stated. But probably the first telephone cables that formed a part of a regular underground system were laid in Pittsburg in 1881, by Henry Metzger. Three lead-covered cables were laid on Fifth Avenue between the exchange and a distributing pole, about a thousand feet distant. The cables were composed of 50 single conductors of No. 26 copper wire, and were placed in a wooden box, 6x8 inches, made of one-inch plank, that was then filled with asphalt and laid inside the curb below the frost line. No manholes were used, but connecting wires were spliced with a T-joint. In June, 1882, Mr, Metzger laid eight more Patterson cables underground, the longest being 2,200 feet in length, composed of No. 18 B. & S. single copper wires. These cables gave good service for a number of years. That same year, 1882, the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company laid two Patterson 50-pair cables in Boston, for metallic circuit service. The lead-covered cables were drawn in iron pipes laid in cement. One cable was 1,200 feet and the other 1,485 feet in length; both were composed of No. 22 wire, cotton covered. One was laid in Pearl Street in October, the other in Franklin Street in November, 1882. On May 20, 1882, Professor Chas. R. Cross, in considering the various electrical problems involved in the introduction of underground telephone cables wrote: In London and Paris almost all messages are sent from the outlying offices to the central telegraph office oy means of pneumatic tubes, and the telegraphic despatches sent from there. From these facts it will be seen that the absolute number of underground wires in foreign cities is much less than is popularly supposed. Contrast in this respect Boston and suburbs, with 377,000 inhabitants and forty-nine telegraph offices, and Brussels and suburbs with 315,000 inhabitants, and eight or at most ten offices. In April, 1882, thirty-eight sections of a lead-encased telephone cable were laid underground between the two tracks of the Boston & Providence Railroad extending from the depot in Attleboro to West
Creating a video lecture How to use a web cam to create a video recorded lecture, publish it to Youtube, and embed that Youtube video on another website - such as a Learning Management System. - 1 Considerations - 2 Recording a video - 3 Publish the video - As a rule of thumb, keep your lectures short. 5-10 minutes short. If you must take the full hour, break it up into 6 or 12 chapters - Video recorded lectures made available online are a very different format compared to a live lecture given in a theatre. Your audience online is more easily distracted, can stop, pause and replay, and is usually not in a social setting. Many advise that short videos delivering concise information, presented close up, personally, and with an authentic voice will help to maintain interest and engagement. - Video data is relatively expensive to download, therefore keep your videos short, concise and on message. Consider the option of offering audio recording only, and offering your slides to download as well. Audio only is less expensive to download, and gives the added flexibility of listening while doing other things. Recording a video You have 3 options: - Record with a webcam and computer, using software on a website (fastest option) - Record with a webcam and computer, using software on the computer (Requires software installation, but affords better vision quality) - Record with a video camera and computer (Requires more expensive camera, and software installation, but gives best quality in both vision and sound) Webcam and website software - Many popular video sharing websites, such as Youtube, offer the feature of recording video through a webcam using software on their website. This method is certainly the fastest way to get a video online, but the quality is low, and the reliability of the recording is determined by the reliability of your interent connection at during the time of recording. - Step by step instructions: Using webcam to record video on Youtube - Video demonstration: Adoptafeature: Quick Capture Webcam and computer software - Most webcams come with software you can use to record with. If you are recording with such software, make a test recording and find out where the video is being saved. It will be either on your desktop, in your system folder called "videos", or in a folder with a similar name to the software you're using. - Find the software for your webcam. Look for an icon for the webcam software on your desktop or task bar. If you can't find it, try unplugging your webcam and plugging it back in. The option to open the software should appear - depending on your computer. Otherwise, look through the software that is available on the computer. - Record a 10 minute video. The video will save either on your computer's desktop, "Videos" folder, or in a folder with a similar name to the webcam software. - Preview the video. - Upload to You Tube. - Step by step instructions: How to Make Movies on Your Windows XP Computer - Video demonstration: How To Record From Your Webcam Video camera and computer software Publish the video You should aim to upload your video to at least 3 locations. Think of this as a backup. One location should be a popular site where your video is most likely to be found and seen, like Youtube. You're next location should be somewhere it is most likely going to remain available in a public archive, like Archive.org. Finally, you might like your video to be available on a very popular and non commercial education service, like Wikimedia Commons. Upload to Youtube - Go http://youtube.com (type this in your web browser address bar) - Check that you are logged in (see top tight of Youtube. If you see your name you are logged in) - Click “Upload” then click the yellow button “upload video” - Find the file you recorded previously on your computer - Start filling in the details on the form. Name and describe the video to a wide audience. Be sure to use key word tags that link your video to subjects, projects and groups - When video has finished uploading, you will see a message in a green box at the top, with a link the video page. Click that to see the video's page on Youtube. Embeding Youtube videos on your own website In this step, we display a Youtube video on our own website. - On the video's Youtube page, find the "embed" code button and copy that text. - Go to your website, in this case we are using Moodle. - Turn editing on and click HTML view. - Paste the embed code, then save.
Q3 Crack the Code Learning to code is not just for geeks! Coding is a way for you to design, create, and express yourself while solving problems, creating games, and having fun. There are many opportunities in the field of computer science that students can consider when looking at careers. Website design, app creation, business management and many other fields have jobs that require some understanding of computer code. So what are you waiting for? Let’s have some fun and crack the code! Computer program: a sequence of instructions, written in computer code, that performs a specific task on a computer Code: the language of computer programming. There are a number of kinds of computer languages or codes. Coding: Coding is the process of creating a set of instructions that tell a computer how to perform a task. Programming can be done using a variety of computer languages, such as SQL, Java, Python, and C++. Block Based Coding: Block Based Coding is the de facto way to teach kids introductory programming in the United States. Block based coding involves dragging blocks of instructions. I Can Statement - practice basic coding skills using the resources provided 1. Go to the Code.org site. 2. Check with your teacher about whether or not you are going to sign up for an account. At the top of the page are the modules for the Hour of Code. Follow your teacher's directions for which module or modules you are going to work on. 3. Notify your teacher when you complete your task by taking a screen shot of your finished product. 4. Upload or post it as your teacher directs. If you finish early, your teacher may allow you to try another one of the modules from the Hour of Code. Want to learn more? There are 20 hour beginner courses at this site that you can work on to increase your knowledge of coding! Completing this Quest Upload or post your screen shot as directed by your teacher. Check off this Quest on the 21t4s roadmap I want check out some Gold Quests I have completed the Quests as assigned by my teacher. Go to the graduation page for this Thing ISTE and Common Core Standards 4. Innovative Designer a. know and use a deliberate design process for generating ideas, testing theories, creating innovative artifacts or solving authentic problems c. develop, test and refine prototypes as part of a cyclical design process 5. Computational Thinker d. understand how automation works and use algorithmic thinking to develop a sequence of steps to create and test automated solutions
When game-base approaches are applied to market research, researchers can create more engaging research experiences, understand people on an emotional and experiential level, and generate valuable insight. They help us learn not just what people like and don’t like about our products and services today, but they also create the perfect platform for future simulations to understand decisions and behaviours of tomorrow. In a nutshell, game-based approaches to research help business executives make better decisions with real-world impact. Much like game designers, researchers want to engage participants. And much like game players, research participants are tasked with completing both rudimentary and more demanding cognitive tasks. Both the game and the research data collection tool are platforms that make people think. It makes sense, then, that research methods should tap into our psychological processes using the intrinsically engaging strategies of games. For most people taking part in research games, the process goes far beyond merely ‘taking part.’ When people play research-games, that play boosts their problem-solving skills, creativity, and collaborative processes. Play is the ultimate data generator. Play is not simply opposite of being serious. In the research context, play has serious outcomes. Data is the most obvious and desirable serious outcome for researchers. But taken to the next level, data elicited from research play changes lives. Products and services are improved and created. Products that save time and money, make people happier, free up valuable time to spend with their family and friends. Play has important consequences. This type of play, the play that results in life-changing outcomes, results from Serious Games. These games consider not only the immediate enjoyment of the player, but also the needs and desires of stakeholders and end-users. Myriad industries are already using Serious Games to help people learn maths and languages, better understand medical conditions, provide employee training and recruitment, overcome physical or mental setbacks, explore issues of racism, sexism and homophobia, and, of course, to promote products and services. The market research industry is beginning to play the game too. Researchers are starting to engage people in more intrinsically engaging research processes to uncover more human and emotive truths about what people think, feel, and do. We starting to play! Level up with more knowledge! - Interview with +7 intelligence podcast - Betty Adamou wins MRS Best Newcomer award - Betty interviewed with the Emotion Podcast EMAWW - Gamification is Everywhere. It’s time to add it to research. Research Through Gaming helps market researchers, marketers, and brand managers discover more human, actionable insights by immersing people in emotive, engaging ResearchGames. Research Through Gaming Ltd is a GRIT Top 50 Most Innovative Firms (2012,2014), won the NGMR Disruptive Innovation Award (2015), and is recognized globally as the leader in game-based research methods. RTG collaborates with Fortune 500 brands around the world to build online and offline research games that solve a broad range of marketing challenges including ad and concept tests, new product development, pricing tests, usage and attitude studies, and more.
Health warning issued after rabid bat is found in Orange County park Since untreated rabies can be fatal, anyone who has had recent contact with a bat was urged to call the Orange County Health Care Agency Epidemiology Department to be evaluated, the agency said. The phone number is (714) 834-8180. Anyone who is bitten by a bat should wash the wound thoroughly and seek medical treatment. A park employee found the dead bat and turned it in for testing, which was completed Friday afternoon, said Deanne Thompson, a health agency spokesperson. Since the first discovery, officials have learned of multiple dead bats at the park but those others have not been tested, she said. The rabies virus is usually transmitted via saliva from a bite from a rabid animal. Most cases of human rabies in recent years have resulted from bats, according to the health warning. Bat bites might go undetected at first since the creatures have very small teeth. -- Larry Gordon Photo: Bats cause most cases of human rabies. Credit: Associated Press
Sergius and Bacchus FREE Catholic Classes Martyrs, d. in the Diocletian persecution in Coele-Syria about 303. Their martyrdom is well authenticated by the earliest martyrologies and by the early veneration paid them, as well as by such historians as Theodoret. They were officers of troops on the frontier, Sergius being primicerius , and Bacchus secundarius . According to the legend, there were high in esteem of the Caesar Maximianus on account of their bravery, but this favour was turned into hate when they acknowledged their Christian faith. When examined under torture they were beaten so severely with thongs that Bacchus died under the blows. Sergius, though, had much more suffering to endure; among other tortures, as the legend relates, he had to run eighteen miles in shoes which were covered on the soles with sharp-pointed nails that pierced through the foot. He was finally beheaded. The burial-place of Sergius and Bacchus was pointed out in the city of Resaph; in honour of Sergius the Emperor Justinian also built churches in honour of Sergius at Constantinople and Acre; the one at Constantinople, now a mosque, is a great work of Byzantine art. In the East, Sergius and Bacchus were universally honoured. Since the seventh century they have a celebrated church in Rome. Christian art represents the two saints as soldiers in military garb with branches of palm in their hands. Their feast is observed on 7 October. The Church calendar gives the two saints Marcellus and Apuleius on the same day as Sergius and Bacchus. They are said to have been converted to Christianity by the miracles of St. Peter. According to the "Martyrologium Romanum" they suffered martyrdom soon after the deaths of Sts. Peter and Paul and were buried near Rome. Their existing Acts are not genuine and agree to a great extent with those of Sts. Nereus and Achilleus. The veneration of the two saints is very old. A mass is assigned to them in the "Sacramentarium" of Pope Gelasius. Help Now > Join the Movement When you sign up below, you don't just join an email list - you're joining an entire movement for Free world class Catholic education. Copyright 2021 Catholic Online. All materials contained on this site, whether written, audible or visual are the exclusive property of Catholic Online and are protected under U.S. and International copyright laws, © Copyright 2021 Catholic Online. Any unauthorized use, without prior written consent of Catholic Online is strictly forbidden and prohibited. Catholic Online is a Project of Your Catholic Voice Foundation, a Not-for-Profit Corporation. Your Catholic Voice Foundation has been granted a recognition of tax exemption under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Federal Tax Identification Number: 81-0596847. Your gift is tax-deductible as allowed by law.
From Latin rōstrum (“beak, snout”), from rōd(ō) (“gnaw”) + -trum, from Proto-Indo-European reh₁d- + -trom. The pulpit sense is a back-formation from the name of the Roman Rōstra, the platforms in the Forum where politicians made speeches. The Rōstra were decorated with (and named for) the beaks (prows) of ships from naval victories. - A dais, pulpit, or similar platform for a speaker, conductor or other performer. - A platform for a film or television camera. - The projecting prow of a rowed warship, such as a trireme. - (zoology) The beak. - (zoology) The beak-shaped projection on the head of insects such as weevils. - (zoology) The snout of a dolphin. - (anatomy) The oral or nasal region of a human used for anatomical location (i.e. rostral) - bill or beak of a bird - snout or muzzle of an animal - (nautical) prow of a ship - a stage or platform for speaking in the forum
I find it gratifying and delightful that our oldest existing story native to English — the Anglo-Saxon epic poem Beowulf — is unabashedly a monster story. Isn’t that wonderful? It’s generally dated to the eighth century, which means it has stood the test of time to reach us well over a thousand years later; we study it in our schools; our scholars analyze it anew in each generation; it has inspired novels, music, and films. And it’s a monster story. It’s told well, of course. It’s a poem. It uses language that conjures pictures in our heads and brings music to our ears. It has characters we can relate to and it takes us fully into their world; in short, it does everything that good literature is supposed to do. And it’s a monster story! It satisfies the college profs, but it also satisfies the little kid in us who yearns for creatures that pad up to the door of the mead-hall and smash it asunder. What does that tell us about fundamental, archetypal storytelling? All those of us who love a good creature tale can hold our heads high. Our kinds of stories were there at the beginning; they’re still there behind it all. Things go bump in the night, and all we who huddle around the fires want to hear about them — from a safe distance, if possible. The title of this post comes, in part, from a phrase used in Beowulf to describe the monster Grendel. (In John Gardner’s 1971 novel Grendel, told from the monster’s viewpoint, Grendel describes himself as “a shadow-shooter, earth-rim-roamer, walker of the world’s weird wall.” Nice, huh?) The original epic Beowulf emerged at a time when Christianity was spreading among the pagan cultures of Europe, and the poem is a fascinating blend of Christian and pagan elements. [I remember reading another poem from the general era in which Christ was portrayed as a warrior-king, conquering death for His people in the same way that Anglo-Saxon kings conquered enemies. In the poem, Christ leaps up onto the cross, grips it in His brawny arms, and hangs on tight until He has strangled the last breath out of death, thus winning salvation for the thanes He protects. That’s a world different from the pale, suffering Christ depicted in later years, but they’re both aspects of the work He accomplished.] In Beowulf, one manifestation of the Christian element is the poet’s painstaking effort to connect Grendel with the Biblical Old Testament. Grendel is descended from Cain, the first murderer. There is also some association with the fallen angels who warred against God and were cast out of Heaven. Interestingly, there’s a correlation in our own times. Just as the early tellers of Beowulf felt a need to fit the monster into their Christian world-view, I’ve heard of a similar phenomenon going on today in Christian fiction publishing. (I’m talking about books published under the label of “Christian fiction,” not simply books by Christians such as The Hobbit.) A good friend of mine has spoken at length with editors and agents who work in this genre, and apparently the rule in place among many (most?) of them is that any supernatural element a writer uses has to be supportable with Scripture — in other words, if you use a monster, it has to be one from the Bible. Where this comes into particular play is in vampire fiction. Believe it or not, my friend tells me that certain Christian publishers are actively seeking vampire fiction. It’s just that they require it to “have its theology right.” Really, it’s always been my theory that the older vampire stories in the western canon are inseparable from a Christian understanding. Vampires (traditionally) can’t endure crosses and crucifixes, right? They avoid churches. Why would this be, unless we’re acknowledging the power of God and God’s opposition to evil? (When people ask me what Dragonfly‘s category is, I say “dark fantasy, or maybe Christian horror.” Heh, heh!) But, as my friend reports it, you can’t say a vampire is a “vampire” in official Christian fiction and leave it at that, because there are no vampires in the Bible. (Well, actually, there may just be a hint of them, but that’s a whole other posting! We can get into that if anyone’s curious.) So you have to say that vampires are demons masquerading as vampires. My response to that is, why can’t a vampire simply be a kind of demon? That’s the way it’s handled in Buffy: vampires are frequently referred to as “demons.” The soul of the human departs from the body at death, and the body is taken over by an evil, demonic spirit who is wholly other than the departed human, yet with an awareness and command of the residual mind and memories of that human. So it’s that human in a way, but without the most important part — the soul — and with something extra and evil added in — the demon. That, to the best of my observation, is the way it works in the Buffyverse, and that model works fine, theologically, for me! So there you have it: on this point, Buffy has its theology straight. (We won’t get into Willow’s religion. . . .) But back to the creatures that walk in the night (not just vampires) — stories about them have sprung up all across cultures and throughout history. We humans can’t leave them alone. Theories abound as to why. Perhaps these tales grow out of our fear of the dark and the unknown; we give faces and physical forms to our fears, because any monster, no matter how terrible, is somehow easier to deal with than the truly faceless and unknown. Once we know it’s a dragon, we can work on how to defeat it. Or maybe the stories are one way of dealing with the forces we know about but can’t control: storms . . . enemies . . . unexpected violence . . . illness . . . loss . . . death. Give it a face, let it pursue you for a while through a harrowing tale, and then overcome it. Escape. Maybe the monsters somehow represent the mystery, power, and vastness of nature itself. This is a recurrent theme in the stories of Algernon Blackwood, particularly “The Wendigo” and “The Willows.” (Even my mom — my mom, who never went out of her way to read any horror — remembered “The Willows” as “the scariest story [she’d] ever read.”) Or yet again, maybe our monsters are our way of separating out the bad parts of ourselves. The truth is, there’s darkness, greed, and malice inside us — monsters give us scapegoats. They siphon out this badness from inside us, and we can point our fingers at them and drive stakes through their hearts. That certainly may figure into stories of werewolves, which explore the notion that there can be beasts within us that sometimes emerge, terrible and separate from the part of us that is human. That all may be part of it. . . . Or maybe we know that we really do live in a world where lonely things howl in the desolate places, and to tell their stories is as natural as telling our tales of journeys and discoveries, of courage and love and triumph. Isn’t it interesting, though, how many of our monsters have been changing over the years? Vampires were once utterly evil, alien, and repulsive. Remember Nosferatu, with his pointed ears, his bald, bulbous head, his rat-like demeanor, prominent fangs, and the stark, twisted shadows he cast on the wall? Then came Bela Lugosi, who still portrayed an evil vampire, but was also charming and seductive. Ditto with Christopher Lee. Decades went by, and then came the Anne Rice vampire books, beginning with Interview with the Vampire, in which vampires were the main characters — we were inside their heads, sympathizing with them, understanding why they did what they did. We rooted for the good ones and hissed at the bad ones. When Joss Whedon gave us the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, we had vampires who — under certain conditions — could be noble and heroic. And now we have an explosion of vampires in the pop culture, and in many instances the good-aligned vampires aren’t even sorry to be vampires — no one is sorry . . . they altruistically find ways to feed without harming humans, they help people, they’re beautiful and romantic, women and men swoon over them, and they’ve essentially become like Tolkien’s Elves: the species that we’d be if we were a little better — if our limitations and infirmities were taken away. Mary Shelley undoubtedly helped to bring about this shift in the role of the monster. In her 1818 novel Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, the monster, though he behaves monstrously, is the victim; his creator is the true monster, the source of the harm and tragedy. So, too, in the latest retelling of Beowulf — the 2007 film written by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary — the monster is both terrifying and greatly to be pitied; he is not so much ravenous as he is tormented. (And whoever thought back in the eighth century that Grendel’s mother would one day look like that — like Angelina Jolie covered in gold, wearing high-heeled feet?! Oh, the roles of monsters are a-changin’ . . . but perhaps not so much. There have always been sphinxes and lamias and succubi, so I guess even with gold, seductive Grendel’s mother, there’s no new thing under the sun. Or under the wan moon.) Sooooo . . . something wicked this way comes, and if you’d prefer not to talk about it, then don’t. Turn back while you still can! But does anyone care to tell about the earth-rim walkers that particularly chilled and delighted you when you were small? I’ll start us off with a few. First of all, my nextdoor neighbor Chris and I were convinced that there was a Bigfoot-like monster haunting the creek behind our field. (Or if we weren’t absolutely convinced, we worked hard to convince ourselves.) Since every monster needs a name that sounds both innocuously childlike and yet sinister and creepier the more you think about it, we called him “Funnyface.” We knew that he came up through the cornfield at night — we knew, because now and then we’d find a cornstalk that had been knocked down . . . by something obviously big and heavy. Any oddly-shaped depression in the field’s dirt became a partial footprint . . . any strange sound from the woods became his yowl. We found some scratch-marks high in a tree that we declared had been made by his claws. And the clincher — the final proof of his existence — came when we tied a piece of lettuce (was there some ham, too?) by a string from a tree limb — high enough from the ground, in our reasoning, that no small animal could get at it. And when we came back a day later, the lettuce was gone! I won’t embarrass Chris with our other demons here, but I’d love to hear his recollections of them if he can be goaded into telling about them. (If not, I’ll understand!) But also, a group of friends and I had a kind of club that gathered, during recess, under the apple trees at the far edge of the schoolyard. While other boys were playing “Kick That Ball” (that’s what they called it!), we sat under those trees and talked breathlessly in hushed voices about the monsters we had personally seen. And we saw them often! Talk about Sagan’s Demon-Haunted World! In our childhood, monsters were always popping out of hedges and shambling along roadsides, just barely visible in the twilight. I told about Funnyface, of course. He didn’t just stay in the cornfield, either. Sometimes he lurked in the barn and watched Chris and me playing outside. Every now and then, we’d get an eerie feeling that we shouldn’t go into the barn. Those were the times when he was there, so we kept to the yard and peeked at the barn through weeds or over the edges of roofs. I also had an Alien that poked his helmeted head above the multiflora rose bushes in the northwest corner of the yard — and always in the last gleam of twilight. He wore dark shades like sunglasses and had a long, hooked nose and protruding chin. I think his skin was blue. And I had an Old Lady Ghost who is a separate topic unto herself — let’s save her for another time. G. lived in a house where the yard backed against the railroad tracks. So his childhood was always full of the roars and rattles of passing trains, the mournful whistles in the night. His monster was a humanoid thing with long hair sprouting from its shoulders. G. always saw it only from the back (which we thought was just plain creepy!), and in the gathering dusk, the thing would jump up and down in place, away down the tracks. Up and down, up and down, in some bizarre monster ritual or dance, until it got too dark to see it anymore. R. had a Deer Man — a furtive, tawny, human-like figure with big antlers on the top of its head. When R. looked out into his moonlit yard just before he went to bed, the Deer Man would climb over the fence, run lightly across the grass, looking around nervously, and then climb over the opposite fence and vanish into the night. H. told of a giant frog named Old Smiley that inhabited the marshy creek behind his parents’ trailer court. H. would creep down there among the weeds and see Old Smiley sometimes, who was as big as a coffee table. Smiley would look at H. with his enormous round eyes, say “RIVET!” and hop into the water with a tremendous splash. What made this monster truly great was H.’s imitation of him. H. was a gangly kid, all bony elbows and knees, and his mom used to dump so much tonic on his hair that we called him “Syrup Head.” H. would show us how Old Smiley jumped: he’d crouch low against the playground and then uncoil himself, shouting “RIVET!”, and bound into the air. We laughed at how funny it looked. And then we’d look at one another and go “Ooo” in subdued voices, thinking about how it would be no laughing matter down in the weeds and the dark and the mud, with only a few lights from the trailer court off in the distance. Finally, S. had a disembodied eyeball called Big Red who prowled in the bushes behind S.’s house. S. would part the bush-branches at times, gaze into the depths, and Big Red would be staring back at him. Ah, Earth-Rim Walkers! Gotta love ’em! Tell us your stories! Tell us, tell us! Tags: Algernon Blackwood, Anne Rice, Bela Lugosi, Beowulf, Big Red, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Christopher Lee, Deer Man, Dragonfly, Frankenstein, Funnyface, Grendel, Interview with the Vampire, John Gardner, Joss Whedon, Mary Shelley, Neil Gaiman, Nosferatu, Old Smiley, or the Modern Prometheus, Roger Avary, Sylva, The Wendigo, The Willows, Thing on the Tracks
From: Jonathan Robie (firstname.lastname@example.org) Date: Tue Apr 08 1997 - 18:47:24 EDT At 05:54 PM 4/8/97 -0400, Don Wilkins wrote: >Smyth understood the concept of "aspect" as we now define it is clear >from his discussions of the tenses, etc. I found, for example, the term >"stage of action" used to describe the aspect of the infinitive. Indeed, >Smyth would have made a novice blunder had he not described the concept of Certainly, Smyth describes in detail many of the things that modern linguists are describing, but without the theoretical framework. In particular, although he seems to have a feeling for both lexical aspect (the aspect inherent to the word, sometimes known as Aktionsart) and syntactic aspect (the aspect grammaticalized in tense forms), he doesn't clearly distinguish the two or explain how they interact. >Moreover, I personally think "aspect" is just as mistaken as the >old "kind of action" or German _Aktionsart_, at least if you analyze either >term. "Aspect," as a Latin term, signifies the way one "looks at" an >action, which on the writer's end is impossible to determine; i.e. I can't >mind-read the writer and determine whether s/he actually views the action a >certain way. All I know is how the writer chooses to describe the action to The aspect is the viewpoint from which the writer portrays the action. That's all we can know. In the phrases "John wrote a letter ", "John was writing a letter", "John has written a letter", and "John had written a letter", all four phrases describe an action which occurred in the past, but the action of writing is viewed from four different times. >On the other hand, it makes no sense to me to limit aspect to >the reader's view of the action, since the writer is the one determining >its description. In fact, "description" of the action would be a more >accurate term than "aspect", and less confusing. "Aspect" is meaningless to >most students, and has to be defined and clarified before it has any value, >which is soon lost from memory and has to be reinforced repeatedly. Even >Webster's definition is misleading at best, in that "aspect" is said to >indicate the nature of an action. I'm not sure who you have been reading. If aspect is expressed syntactically, then it is present in the writer's portrayal, and does not depend on the reader's view of the action. Incidentally, I agree that there might be a better word than "aspect", especially since most modern students don't know that an "aspect" is a viewpoint or a way of looking at something. That's why I have been using the word "viewpoint". >>I currently think that Fanning and Olsen's interpretation of passages is not >>much different from what Smyth would suggest. >I haven't read Fanning, but Mari's papers indicate that she sees the aorist >indicative as "tenseless" along with other moods of the aorists This is true. She says that the aorist "looks back" on the action from the time of completion, but does not express absolute time as reckoned from the time of the speaker or writer. For Mari, a tense always expresses absolute time; that is precisely her definition of a tense. Now Mari agrees with Smyth that the aorist may sometimes express present or future time. Smyth's explanation is that the aorist is sometimes a primary tense and sometimes a secondary tense. Of course, this is somewhat inconsistent with the view that the augment expresses past time, and that the secondary endings are used for the past time, and I'm not really sure what exactly he means when he says this. Mari's explanation is that the aorist never expresses absolute time - after all, if a form expresses absolute time, why is this absolute time sometimes in the future, sometimes in the present, and sometimes in the past? Of course, the vast majority of uses of the aorist are past referring, and Mari explains that this is only to be expected since most things we "look back" on actually are in the past. Both writers say that (1) the vast majority of aorists have past reference, (2) the aorist may also have present, timeless, or future reference, and (3) when the aorist does have present, timeless, or future reference, it still "looks back" on the action from the time of completion. Their theoretical explanations differ. I find Mari's more consistent, mainly because I'm a little baffled by the idea of a tense sometimes being a primary tense and sometimes being a secondary tense. >and in past conversations she has argued that the augment became meaningless by >the time of the NT (if I am mistaken, Mari, please let us know). Does this bother you more than Smyth's statement that the same morphological forms used in the aorist sometimes make it a primary tense and sometimes make it a secondary tense? Mari isn't really arguing from morphology, and especially not from historical morphology; her thesis focuses on which time indicators in sentences can overrule other time indicaters. My favorite example continues to be this one: John 10:31 RABBI, NUN EZHTOUN SE LIQASAI hOI IOUDAIOI, KAI PALIN hUPAGEIS EKEI; The NUN tries to indicate the present, but it is overruled by the imperfect EZHTOUN, forcing it into the (recent) past: "just now". This is a hint that the imperfect, unlike the aorist, does indicate absolute time in independent clauses in the indicative. In other posts I've argued that NUN+aorist has an effect similar to the perfect, and focuses on the present state resulting from a past action, but the past referent is not always >Mari probably has produced the best literature on the subject from a linguist's >viewpoint, but I disagree with her in this area and I think you'll find >that Smyth does too. What you probably infer is the sense that Smyth's idea >of the contextual meaning seems similar to Fanning and Olsen. This is >different from talking about what the aorist means by nature. I find that Smyth's description of the possible range of meanings for the aorist matches Mari's predictions and that he also foresees many of the contextual interactions which Fanning and Mari spell out in detail. His theoretical framework is different, but if you look at the way he explains a passage, then ask how Mari would explain the same passage, I find resounding In fact, that is the one thing that has helped me understand aspect more than anything else: reading Smyth's descriptions, and reconstructing them with Mari's theory. POET Software, 3207 Gibson Road, Durham, N.C., 27703 Ph: 919.598.5728 Fax: 919.598.6728 email: email@example.com, firstname.lastname@example.org http://www.poet.com <--- shockwave enabled! This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:38:12 EDT
Revolution or Evolution: What is the Future of Agriculture? Agriculture, one of the key focus sectors of The Center for Industrial Development, is of strategic importance to any country: there exists no safe, developed, and independent country with a struggling agricultural sector. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that late last year, Chatham House: The Royal institute of International Affairs organized the next edition of The Sustainable Food Future Summit. Highly informative and fast-paced discussions followed involving the Secretary General of the FAO, José Graziano da Silva, as well as the UK’s Minister of State of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice. The main takeaway from the London discussion was that we can approach the conversation on the future of agriculture from two perspectives: revolutionary and evolutionary. The first approach seems to have a powerful proponent in the Secretary General of FAO, who noticed that it is critical to depart as soon as possible from the current model of agriculture to a new model, which “not only feeds the people, but also feeds the planet.” The major criticism towards modern agriculture – which is rooted in the successes of the Green Revolution spearheaded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Norman Borlaug – are its negative externalities which include soil erosion that washes away synthetic fertilizers into water tables and subsequently oceans. The leader of the FAO is convinced that if we continue doing what we are doing so far, we will only end up with more well-known problems. In other words, we have to change agricultural systems rapidly and profoundly. While it is true that many farmers struggle to appreciate the scale of the above argument, it must be noted that the majority of public opinion does subscribe to José Graziano da Silva’s argument. Such sentiments consequently drive people’s voting decisions, which result in government policies placing more and more pressure on farmers and the agricultural sector at large. This is why awareness of the above dynamic is critical to empower the agricultural sector to unite itself and start sharing the insights of how agriculture works with the wider society. An evolutionary approach towards agriculture was represented in London by the UK’s Minister of State of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, George Eustice. The Minister fully acknowledged the fact that over 800 million people globally are still hungry. However, according to the Minister, that point should not lead us to a premature conclusion that modern agriculture does not work and should be abandoned here and now. As it has been mentioned, the Green Revolution did lift over one billion people out of poverty, and were it not for the the Green Revolution, we would need four times more arable land than is currently being farmed today to feed the world’s current population. Therefore, the Minster argued, the future of agriculture lies in continuous innovation that brings new technologies. He highlighted genetically-based approaches that aim at breeding new varieties of crops and animals which will not only be able to withstand a changing world, but thrive in a warmer and more populous one. Common ground Between the two approaches to agriculture, the revolutionary one had significantly more supporters in London in comparison with the evolutionary approach. However, what united everyone present at the conference is the need for a strategic understanding and approach towards agriculture, keeping in mind its key role in human dignity and national sovereignty. On this point, it was further noticed that food is being used more and more often as a weapon, which not only directly contradicts human dignity, but also the sovereignty of countries. Agriculture’s importance is further emphasized when it starts to feature in the conversation about the healthcare budgets of countries. For example, it is predicted that within the next 15-20 years’ time the world will face an epidemic of type II diabetes. This epidemic has direct ties to agricultural policy and the production of certain foods. The dream of the experts present in London is to see countries’ health policies change in such a way that this epidemic be prevented. Looking at the costs involved in disarming epidemics before they materialize – especially when we do know they are likely to materialize! – are ridiculously small in comparison with the costs of dealing with the actual epidemic through new agricultural policy. Sadly, very few governments are making strategic choices aimed at preventing a problem 20 years from now, as they are thinking and acting in the four-, or five-year election cycle. As a result, healthcare budgets are growing at an unsustainable rate in attempt to solve future health problems, many of which can also be solved through agricultural policy. The importance of transparency One does not have to think about the above for long to arrive at a very simple question: shouldn’t we be more ambitious and quicker in re-thinking agriculture so that the identified inefficiencies are eliminated? José Graziano da Silva deeply believes that since long ago, parents feeding their children have had no certainty of whether what they were feeding them was safe. Of course, they would like to think that they know that what they are feeding their kids is safe, but according to the Secretary General of FAO, that is no longer even a possibility. Therefore, it is argued, greater transparency of food labeling is critical for making our food habits more sustainable for ourselves and the planet. The conundrum of food pricing It was insightful to hear the experts agree that, on average, food prices have been decreasing over the last few years and now food, comparatively speaking, is cheaper than ever. However, it is important to look critically at this trend and the potential problems it creates when it comes to negative externalities as well as decreasing farmers’ income. Perhaps higher food prices are necessary to enable farmers to deliver higher quality food while caring for the environment. At the same time, the experts overthrew the argument that food subsidies exist to make farmers rich. In fact, according to the experts present in London, food subsidies exist to precisely balance the needs of cheap food for the entire population and sustainable income for farmers. This argument for higher prices lead to another fundamental point made at the conference: increasing the price of food does not result in the increase of the number of hungry people in the world. Interestingly enough, this is the case because the majority of 800 million hungry people globally are… farmers! And the majority of those farmers are based in Sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia. Therefore, increasing the price of food means increasing the income level of subsistence farmers, who can get out of poverty if the prices of food rise. It is further argued that food price increases are fully feasible. This is because the cost of wheat in the loaf of bread, for example, does not exceed 9% of its retail price. On this point, farmers present at the London’s conference noticed that the price of bottled water is often higher than the price of the milk they get from a milk processor. “How is that possible?” one farmer asked. Brexit and agriculture No conference taking part in the UK these days is complete without talking about Brexit. It seems that the sentiment on Brexit among participants of this event was positive. Minister Eustice believes that Brexit offers an unprecedented opportunity for re-thinking the agricultural and fisheries policies of the Kingdom. According to the Minister, the two pillars of new agricultural policy should be doubling the country’s efforts on agricultural R&D as well as designing new financial support schemes for farmers. When it comes to the former, the emphasis is placed on developing new crop varieties. As for the latter, the subsidy system of the future will put achievement of environmental goals as a central concern, according to the logic that public money should be for truly public goods. Brexit also means the UK has to face a critical question: which trade block does it want to align itself with in the future? There are two options on the table: the US and the EU system, which are fundamentally different. It is the EU where the quality and environmental standards are the toughest. Moreover, it is the EU where British farmers already export the majority of their crops. Furthermore, the UK already meets all of the requirements of joining the EU block, as it is still a member state. Assuming that the importance of environmental protection will grow in the future and keeping in mind all of the above facts, the question of what was the point of Brexit for agriculture emerges. More and more farmers in the British society are starting to think about this question and are not happy with the answer they arrive at. How to shift through the uncertainty Similarly, to an average British farmer uncertain of the consequences of Brexit, one can be overwhelmed by the complexity of fundamental and perceived forces influencing the agricultural sector and consequently, making, or breaking investments across the agricultural value chain globally. Very few people doubt agriculture is the place to be: we all have to eat three times a day. However, assessing resilient business cases in the sector, connecting with stakeholders through the life-time of the investment, and finally, but definitely not lastly, increasing the value of investments in the sector takes unique skill sets and insights. This is exactly the gap The Center for Industrial Development is delighted to bridge today and in the future. Please contact us today to learn how we can help you invest and succeed in global agriculture. Mateusz Ciasnocha is constantly on a mission to “unleash dormant potential.” He specializes in agriculture, energy, and Africa, and is also passionate about innovation and entrepreneurship. A Hult International Business School graduate, Mateusz currently studies at ESCP Europe Business School and the University of Oxford, where he is receiving a Masters in Energy Management and Philosophy Certificate, respectively. Mateusz is currently in India participating in the prestigious IDEX Fellowship, which enables him to work with Vrutti to support 130,000 smallholder farmers.
Find More Science Experiments Crystals are made when a substance has atoms or molecules that form in a very organized, repeating, 3D pattern. Usually when we think of crystals we think of some well-known gemstones like diamonds or rubies, but there are some very common crystals too. Sugar, ice, snowflakes, salt…all of these are crystals. You can make your own crystals grow. You will need: - Glass Jar - Pencil or Pen - Pipe Cleaner - Measuring Cup - Hot Tap Water - Piece of Yarn or Cotton String, about 6 inches long You can make crystals using Borax – a detergent booster located in the soap section of the grocery store. We made a snowflake shape out of pipecleaners to see if we could make a snowflake crystal. Fill a pitcher with 3 cups hot tap water. (Not so hot that you can’t touch it!) Add 3 tablespoons of Borax for each cup of water (9 tablespoons!). Stir the mixture. If all of the Borax dissolves, add a little more Borax and stir. Add Borax until the water can’t dissolve it anymore – the mixture is saturated. That means the water is holding as much of the Borax as it can. In fact, this solution is supersaturated, that means the water is holding even more Borax than it normally would because the water has been heated. Now pour this supersaturated solution in the glass jar. Make a shape out of the pipe cleaners and tie one end of the string to it. Tie the other end of the string to the middle of the pen. Hang the pipe cleaner shape down in the jar with the pen across the top of the jar to keep it from touching the bottom of the jar. Watch what happens in the jar over the next few weeks. Here is what our crystals looked like after growing on the pipe cleaner snowflake for about 2 weeks. The secret to good crystals is having a supersaturated solution. Science Project Idea: Grow three different borax crystal snowflakes. You need three glass jars that are exactly alike. Fill one with cold tap water and one with hot tap water. Get an adult to help you fill the last jar with boiling water. Now add Borax to each jar until the Borax will not dissolve anymore. The warmer the water, the more Borax will dissolve in the water. That’s because heating the water helps it become supersaturated. Now add the pipecleaner snowflakes and compare the crystals that grow over the next couple of weeks. Which jar has the most crystals? Which jar has the largest crystals? This video shows you how to make rock candy – a cool crystal you an eat. To make rock candy you need to make a supersaturated solution. That means you have to heat up the water on the stove, so get a grown-up to help you with this one. Here are some websites that give you ideas for making crystals. You can grow crystals using salt, sugar, baking soda and many other substances. - San Diego Natural History Museum: All That Glitters – the Splendor & Science of Gems and Minerals - Exploratorium: The Science of Rock Candy - Exploratorium: The Science of Cooking - Science Bob: Make Your Own Rock Candy - Family Fun Crystal Tree - Scholatic: Homemade Rock Crystal Candy - Martha Stewart Crafts: Borax Snowflakes - Baking Soda Stalactites Here is a video that shows you some super fast crystal growing: Here are some books that gave good directions for growing different kinds of crystals: - Science Rocks! Crystal Creation Pipecleaner crystal snowflakes (pages 16-17) - Prize Winning Science Fair Projects for Curious Kids – Crystal Creation (pages 81-82) - Mixtures and Solutions – Solubility Try This! Growing Crystals (page 22-23) Words to Know: Crystal – A solid whose atoms or molecules are arranged in a 3-dimensional repeating pattern. Examples: A snowflake, a sugar crystal, a diamond. Crystallized – The process of crystal growth or crystal formation. Dissolve – To mix two substances together and have the molecules of one substance spread out between the molecules of the other substance. Saturated – When a liquid is holding as much of a solid as it can. It has dissolved all of the solid it can hold. Supersaturated – When a liquid is holding as much of a solid as it can…but then can dissolve a little more because it is heated. Print This Post
Describe and Search by Klaus-Peter Speidel Within the problem solving aspect of innovation there is a paradigm shift on the horizon. The old paradigm is DAT (Define and Try). This refers to the traditional approach of relying on strictly internal research and development solutions, where researchers and engineers quickly define their problem and then try to figure out a solution themselves and with their closer team-members. We think this approach is inherently less efficient than what can be called DAS (Describe and Search). Here’s why: A typical roadblock for problem solving is lack of information. There are two ways to obtain information: producing it or finding it. That you lack a piece of information doesn’t imply that it doesn’t exist and has to be produced. In most cases, a lack of information is in fact a lack of access. In many cases we’ve assimilated this reality, as when we run a web-search to figure out the answer to a question. For challenging Research and Development (R&D) problems, it is more difficult to obtain solution-information. However, the fact that it’s harder to find doesn’t mean that nobody has the relevant solution-information and that it’s best for the problem-owner (the person “having” the problem) to go into a resource-consuming information-production mode in order to solve it, for example by conducting experiments in the lab. Given the likely existence of the solution somewhere, this would be grossly inefficient. And yet, it happens a lot all the same. Systematic patent and publication research is a first step to avoid reinventing the wheel. But the fact that it doesn’t work, doesn’t mean there’s no solution. In many cases, solutions are, what you could call “embodied” in a strong sense: there is no searchable trace of the solution’s existence (no publications or patents), however somebody knows how to get to the solution relatively fast if only you get your problem in front of them. Finding those people has become much easier with growth of the social internet. How do you find the right person to solve your problem? There are listing-and-community-approaches (broadcasting problems to a large enough community or acquiring lists of experts), solver-and-expert-identification technologies, and mixed approaches that combine advanced solver-and-expert-identification technologies with listings and community building like hypios. These services make it much easier to get your problem in front of the right solver, and as the tools progress, Describe-And-Search (DAS) becomes more and more attractive. It’s important to understand that we are not talking about replacing all internal (or closed) problem solving by external (or open) problem solving, but about making it part of the standard procedures for all complex R&D challenges to search for existing solutions (inside and outside) and expert Solvers before going into solving mode yourself. I recently spoke with a rep from a large innovation consulting agency who works a lot with SMEs. He told me that most of the 1500 specialist R&D intensive firms they were working with accepted as a proof of the non-existence of a solution that a large multinational company asks them to develop this solution, i.e. they assume that the large multinational company must have done the solution search before asking them to develop it. But this is wrong. We’ve had several cases where large multinational companies posted problems on hypios and got multiple workable solutions (that had pre-existed) in a matter of months. Why has DAT been predominant (An Error Theory)? So why do many companies still lack a culture of solution search? There are certainly multiple reasons for this. The first reason is that in an environment where research meant closed research, companies didn’t need rigorous ways to distinguish between mildly confidential and non-confidential problems (only what was highly confidential had to be clear). So people are insecure about what problems they can share with potential external solvers (even anonymously). The second reason is probably that finding experts or solutions used to be much more difficult until very recently, especially for non-academic experts, who don’t publish. It’s only recently, that tools like hypios’ have been developed, and make expert-search widely available, quick and efficient. Before deciding to launch the BioMass Challenge, DownEast had worked with different consultants for about two years and had not been able to find a satisfactory solution. For the challenge, hypios’ Solver Surfer technology analyzed several millions of websites, identifying several thousand potential experts, hundreds of which reviewed the problem, which lead to a first round of solutions, ten of which are now under close scrutiny. The little scheme above shows the rationale for DAT goes down as the tools for Solution Search progress, and the companies that are able to integrate these tools in their innovation processes quickly will find faster, and cheaper ways to innovate. This article is related to a far more extensive publication entitled “Overcoming Cognitive and Cultural Resistances in Open Problem-Solving” that is going to be published in A Guide to Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing (edited by Paul Sloane) along with chapters from Braden Kelley and others. Klaus-Peter Speidel is the VP of Communications at hypios, which provides enterprises with open innovation ecosystems.
World Environment Day: Small Island Developing States combat climate change Accordingly, “Raise your voice, not the sea level,” was the United Nations’ chant on the World Environment Day. (Image: Updates Nation) On the occasion of the World Environment Day on June 5, 2014, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) chose as its theme the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and their particular vulnerability to the effects of climate change. Accordingly, the UNDP renewed its call for a concerted approach to environmental protection, which takes into consideration the deep connection between protecting the environment and human development. The latest report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that global economic growth can be pulled down by 0.06% annually with the cost of “ambitious” climate change mitigation. However, it is essential to recognize the benefits of reduced climate change, and act accordingly. “Environmental protection is sometimes seen as an obstacle to economic growth. But economic growth that strips out the planet’s ecosystems is not sustainable. Advancing human development and protecting the planet’s ecosystems must be approached as two sides of the same coin,” said Magdy Martínez-Solimán, Deputy Assistant Administrator of UNDP’s Bureau for Development Policy. Consequently, the UNDP is working with countries to set up climate change risk management systems, including adaptation and mitigation measures that contribute to their development agenda. For example, during 2013 there were over 300 UNDP interventions in SIDS at various stages of project cycles. An additional 700+ projects in SIDS were supported by the GEF Small Grants Programme and implemented by UNDP. The total value of this sizable portfolio includes over $ 621 million in grants from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), Least Developed Country Fund (LDCF), Adaptation Fund (AF), UNDP, and numerous other bilateral and multilateral donors. Those grants are complemented by more than $1.4 billion in co-finance from governments and other partners. Climate change, including rising sea levels and increased intensity of extreme weather events, is spurred on by the negative impact of humans on the environment. Accordingly, “Raise your voice, not the sea level,” was the UN’s chant on the World Environment Day. The UNDP supports a wide range of projects in these vulnerable nations that seek to achieve the “triple win” of sustainable growth, poverty alleviation and environmental protection. Barbados, a small Caribbean island, serves as an excellent representative of countries that are looking forward to fight against climate change. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted that small island nations share a common understanding that our planet need to be set on a sustainable path to development. “This year, I urge everyone to think about the plight of Small Island Developing States and to take inspiration from their efforts to address climate change, strengthen resilience and work for a sustainable future,” the UN chief said. Home to 62.3 million people, these island nations play a crucial role in protecting oceans while contributing little to climate change – emitting less than 1% of global greenhouse gases. But they suffer disproportionately from the effects of climate change owing to their small size, remote locations, and limited economic resilience. Research shows that by 2100, global warming could lead to a sea-level rise of up to 2 meters, making many of these island States, especially in the Pacific region, uninhabitable. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), warned that the very existence of low-lying nations, such as Kiribati, Maldives, Marshall Islands and Tuvalu, is threatened by climate change-induced sea level rise. The main issue to adapting to climate change in island nations is the lack of financial resources: for instance in the Caribbean community countries, the capital cost of sea-level rise is estimated to reach a towering $187 billion by 2080. UN General Assembly President John Ashe appealed for a global call to action for people across the world to support SIDS and low-lying coastal states endangered by rising sea levels, and excessively impacted by climate change, the loss of biodiversity and forests, and overfishing.
view a plan This idea is called “Cave Man Zoo” and involves cave paintings 1, 2, 3 Title – A CAVE MAN ZOO By – Jeanne Wolf Primary Subject – Art Secondary Subjects - Grade Level – 1-3 HISTORY OF ART 001 Children are shown a dozen slides of cave paintings. They are allowed to use a pointer and point out the various animals on the walls of the caves. Some are not obvious so ‘discovery’ is important. How did they paint on the ceilings without a ladder? Next an open conversation about what things were used to make the images. How did the images last so long without fading? Where did they find the different colors? Berries? Charcoal? Soft stones? Next: Roll out plain brown wrapping paper, give each student four colors of chalk/charcoal yellow, white, brown, black. Have them make a picture of the bison, deer etc. they saw on the slides. (NOTE: There were NO dinosaurs.) Hang their pre history zoo in the lunch room or library. E-Mail Jeanne Wolf !
Stand Your Ground laws are under after the George Zimmerman trial despite Zimmerman waiving his right to the Stand Your Ground immunity during a pre-trial hearing. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, Stand Your Ground opponents proposed a Florida orange juice boycott. Recent reports also show that black defendants in Florida appear to successfully invoke the Stand Your Ground law at a slightly higher rate than whites. This is despite Stand Your Ground claims involving blacks only account for about 30 percent of all cases. Attorney General Eric Holder recently commented on Stand Your Ground laws, saying, “There has always been a legal defense for using deadly force if — and the ‘if’ is important — if no safe retreat is available.” The Stand Your Ground laws actually find their place in 17th century English law called the Castle Doctrine, which basically says that if an intruder breaks into an individual’s home, or castle, the individual is not obligated to try to retreat before defending him or herself with force. But Eric Holder also claims Stand Your Ground laws eliminate “the common sense and age-old requirement that people who feel threatened have a duty to retreat, outside their home, if they can do so safely.” The Castle Doctrine of the 1600’s literally told people they must retreat “to the wall at one’s back” with the understanding that the king and his men would do their best to defend their citizens while in public. Reading up on Stand Your Ground law history explains why some feel the laws needed to be updated. Without Stand Your Ground laws, if an American is out in public his or her only legal option is to run away. 17th century laws did not take into account the possibility of running away from gunfire. In some cases, victims who potentially could have retreated are prosecuted, even if the only feasible escape is through a window of their own home. Some states require warning shots to be fired, or at least wait for the attacker to begin the first attack. For example, one California man who didn’t retreat was sued by a burglar who shot him in the jaw first before he returned fire. Another burglar died when breaking into a bar and the family successfully sued for damages. Interestingly enough, there is a rumor that in 1983 a member of Trayvon Martin’s family may have defended himself with logic eerily similar to the Stand Your Grounds laws by claiming “he had no duty to retreat in his own home and that he was entitled to meet force with force.” Led by the NRA, in 2005 Florida became the first state to enact a Stand Your Ground law. Many states quickly followed, although there are variations between the 31 states. The Stand Your Ground laws basically says that any American not engaged in any unlawful activity may “meet force with force,” including the use of deadly force. The Stand Your Ground law does not require a person to retreat if they are in a public place, which is where the law got its name. Studies of the Stand Your Ground law’s impact on states claim “Florida saw an uptick in murders and nonnegligent manslaughters.” But other states have shown declines or no change at all after passing Stand Your Ground laws. Yet another claim says there is a racial bias to Stand Your Ground laws because if the shooter is white and the target is black there is a 354 percent chance of the white shooter being found not guilty. This is compared to the statistic of 250 percent when considering states with no Stand Your Ground laws, although this analysis did not consider the circumstances under which the shootings took place. What do you think about the Stand Your Ground law’s history? Do you think such “shoot first” laws should be repealed or at least updated in consideration of the scenario presented by the George Zimmerman trial and racial bias in general?
In recent years, a significant increase in the number of infants, toddlers and pre-school-aged children are being transported in school buses. Since current school bus designs and federal safety regulations were formulated based on child passengers in grades K through 12, infants, toddlers and pre-school-aged children may be more vulnerable in a crash or sudden driving maneuver. Nevertheless, for many of these children, the school bus is the primary vehicle that provides access to the programs and services. As debate continues over the safety advantages and disadvantages of installing seat belts in school buses for children of all ages, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued findings for transporting pre-school age children dating as far back as 1999. Here are some findings from that report which may be seen in its entirety at http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injury/buses/Guide1999/prekfinal.htm. When pre-school age children are transported in a school bus, NHTSA recommends these guidelines be followed: (1) Each child should be transported in a Child Safety Restraint System (suitable for the child's weight and age) that meets applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs). (2) Each child should be properly secured in the Child Safety Restraint System. (3) The Child Safety Restraint System should be properly secured to the school bus seat, using anchorages that meet FMVSSs. A Child Safety Restraint System is defined as any device (except a passenger system lap seat belt or lap/shoulder seat belt), designed for use in a motor vehicle to restrain, seat, or position a child who weighs less than 50 pounds. A fact sheet (School Transportation Section, Motor Transportation Division, National Safety Council, October 2002) has among its many recommendations that (1) a bus attendant(s) should be on the bus, (2) the Child Safety Restraint Systems should be properly secured by staff trained in proper securement procedures, (3) seat belt cutters should be kept on the bus within reach of the seated driver, and (4) the Restraint Systems should be withdrawn from service and destroyed after a crash or at expiration date. Research from 2007 (www.gilsbus.ca) states that seat belt legislation for some, not necessarity pre-school, children has already taken effect. New York and Florida already have legislation requiring school buses be fitted with seat belts. California, Connecticut, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington (state), and Wisconsin have legislation passed or in the pipeline. However, it is important to remember there is a difference between the legislation requiring the bus to be equipped with seat belts, and legislation that requires seat belt use. ONLY New Jersey makes seat belt use mandatory throughout the state. Would the seat belts be used? Of course, acts of vandalism would occur and constrant maintenance of seat belts would be necessary. Enforcement would not be easy. Under California's Vehicle Code - Section 27316 was added to guarantee that no driver, school official or school organization will be charged if a passenger fails to use the seat belt properly. At least on the surface, that legislation appears fair. The pre-school Child Safety Restraint System is at the heart of the matter. Small children need extra protection everywhere they go. No matter the cost, schools and organizations must take steps to assure their safety. Consider the consequences of ignoring such standards.
\|Queen Elizabeth will meet with Martin McGuinness later this week.\| Queen Elizabeth once met with Idi Amin, the butcher of Africa, who is believed to have been responsible for 300,000 deaths in his native Uganda. She said nary a word at this meeting about the alleged atrocities, stories of which were circulating at the time, in 1971. Contrary to popular revisionism, Nelson Mandela was not leader of a peace loving organization called the ANC when he met Queen Elizabeth. Indeed the ANC had quite a reputation for ruthless violence at its height. Those are just two of the leaders Queen Elizabeth has met who had blood on their hands. Some would argue that Elizabeth herself, both historically and during her reign, had a fair amount of the red stuff spattered on her royal arms as well, given the many nasty colonial fights her country entered into in her name. All of which is to debunk the shrieks of horror and awe in Britain and partly in Ireland now that the Queen will meet Martin McGuinness this week. Even the Guardian that naturally Republican minded newspaper (in the British sense) newspaper had sympathy for the Queen’s plight. The Sunday Times had its usual monarchical nonsense. Their editorial stated “Grit your Teeth Maam” and said that the queen “has to do so many unpalatable things for the good of her subjects”. Don’t you love that word subjects? Not citizens? We in America fought a successful war to escape that designation. The Martin McGuinness quarrel with the Queen was quite naturally that designation and that he and 500,000 other Irish were made unwilling subjects of the Queen by the utterly unjustified partition of Ireland in 1921. That quarrel has been resolved and a fair-minded solution all around found for the present and most likely any future changes will be done peacefully. So quite naturally, as representative of his people freely elected, Martin McGuinness should meet the queen. Both McGuinness and the Queen suffered grievous losses in the years of “The Troubles”. It is a sure sign of the New Ireland that they can now meet as equals, both representing their people, though one is elected and one is not. She should be happy to greet him as a symbol of the New Ireland where peace and equality will reign It is nothing more dramatic or different than that – the British media notwithstanding.
Environmental officials and activists want Indiana residents to go green this Christmas. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management is urging Hoosiers to help farmers, the environment and the economy by buying Indiana-grown Christmas trees this year instead of artificial ones. Indiana tree farms grow a wide variety of trees, though some — such as the popular Fraser fir — don't grow well in the state. Most of those trees are brought in from places like Michigan or North Carolina, where soil conditions and temperatures are more conducive to their growth. That shouldn't prevent people from checking out real trees instead of artificial ones, IDEM spokesman Dan Goldblatt said. "Unlike artificial trees, which are usually made of petroleum-based products and smell the same way a plastic shoe horn smells, a real Christmas tree can fill your home with fresh air and can be recycled," Goldblatt told The Star Pressof Muncie. "Even after you cut the tree down and put it in your house, it continues to absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen as long as it has a fresh water supply to keep it alive." The Nature Conservancy, the Sierra Club and other environmental groups share his view, saying artificial trees, typically made in China of metal and polyvinyl chloride, aren't biodegradable, contain lead, and often wind up in landfills after six to nine years. Real trees can be recycled into mulch or used as habitats for wildlife during the winter. "A lot of people, when they're done with their tree, they put them outdoors on their property," said Bob Beavers of Branch Ranch, a Christmas tree farm in Yorktown. "They're a great home for birds to have a warm place to live in the winter." Artificial trees are popular because they don't drop needles on the floor or leave sap on people's hands. They also appeal to people worried about how cutting down trees affects the environment. The Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association says deforestation isn't a concern because the trees are grown as crops by farmers. One to three new seedlings are planted for every tree that is harvested, the association says. Beavers said that in cases of fire, real trees can even be safer than their fake counterparts because they hold moisture. "It's kind of the opposite of what you would think," he said. "Because of the moisture, it's difficult to get a real tree to burn. More damage is caused by an artificial tree fire because of the petroleum. A plastic tree fire is much more of an intense fire, and the fumes are hazardous." People still on the fence can heed the Sierra Club's advice and avoid a Christmas tree altogether. House plants, an outdoor tree or even a wooden tree made of recycled material can serve as green alternatives.
Few people who visit Key West truly understand the unique history that surrounds the island and the locals who call it home. However, the island did not just spontaneously become the fun-loving, carefree tropical paradise we know it as today, it has been a developing process that has taken place over many generations. A Brief History Most of the earlier inhabitants of Key West were loyalist immigrants from the Bahamas looking for a place to settle that was still governed by the Crown of England following the Revolutionary War. Over the decades, people from the surrounding islands and North American mainland traveled to Key West, eventually calling it home. This in part laid the basis for the culture-rich diversity that is still prevalent today. The term “conch” was adopted in the late 19th century as a distinction for people of Bahamian origin who permanently resided on the island. Over the decades, variations of the term came to pass that are still used to describe residents today; particularly “salt-water conch” and “fresh-water conch”. - Salt-Water Conch – The term used to describe a native: Someone of a permanent resident who was born on the island. - Fresh-Water Conch – A term used to describe non-native residents who have since called Key West home. However, this title is not simply bestowed upon you when you decide to live in Key West, you must earn it! Only after being a resident for seven years will the title be granted. Originating from a non-serious declaration of Key West’s secession from the U.S. on April 23, 1982, the Conch Republic is a term used to refer to the new-found solidarity of the island as a separate entity. Since 1982, the rest of the Florida Keys have been absorbed as part of the Conch Republic. While simply a tongue-in-cheek action, the secession of the island still holds steady as a popular tourist attraction, with the whimsical celebration of independence every year on April 23rd. Life of a Conch So, what is it exactly that gives Key West locals such an accepting, carefree attitude? Well, aside from the fact they live on such a beautiful island, their lifestyle tends to reflect a general admiration for the simpler things in life. Traditionally, conchs live in houseboats or in conch style housing which has been commonplace since the turn of the century. The most evident difference between a conch style house and a modern home is the foundation. Conchs are generally built upon posts or piers to ingeniously allow for air to circulate underneath the floor. Conchs are kept busy by the year-round tourism that frequents the island. They provide various services in the form of charters, fishing excursions and copious tours that both keep the historical aspect of Key West culture alive, as well as introduce visitors to the daily life of a local. So whether you take Ernest Hemingway’s word for it or the words of a previous visitor, there is nothing like the hospitality and acceptance of Key West locals. However, the best way to know for sure is to simply experience Key West: Conch Style for yourself. But try not to get too in-tuned with the local culture, or you may find yourself a fresh-water conch before long.
It is well known that light is capable of acting like a particle as well as a wave. However, these have always been viewed as completely separate forms, not embodying both at once. Quantum mechanics states that light should have both attributes simultaneously, but that phenomenon has never been imaged directly until now. A team of researchers has finally been able to photograph the quantum wave-particle duality of light, and they have described the work in an open access paper published in Nature Communications. This will help researchers better understand the fundamental nature of light, and could even help assist the development of quantum computing and a number of other technologies. The researchers created a standing wave of light after blasting a metal wire with UV light. They then shot electrons at the wave, trying to disturb individual photons. When the two particles interacted, the change in energy made the photon slow down or speed up, depending on how the connection occurred. The interaction was able to be seen with a high-powered microscope. Because the wave is really a succession of distinct particles, the researchers were able to view the standing wave, and the photons that were disturbed were still seen as individuals.. Thus, witnessing light’s wave-particle duality became possible for the first time. Once the photons were disturbed, the researchers were then able to image the quantum change in energy, as can be seen above. “This experiment demonstrates that, for the first time ever, we can film quantum mechanics – and its paradoxical nature – directly,” senior author Fabrizio Carbone from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland said in a press release. “Being able to image and control quantum phenomena at the nanometer scale like this opens up a new route towards quantum computing.” The photoelectric principles that allowed the researchers to finally image the wave-particle duality of light were first proposed by Albert Einstein at the turn of the 20th century, when light was only believed to be a wave. Einstein suggested that the waves were actually composed of a stream of individual particles, which wasn’t very popular initially. However, this work would eventually lead to Einstein receiving the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1921.
An industrial revolution means much more than a technological leapfrog. Breakthrough innovations have to be commoditized for the significant improvement in productivity across industries needed for economic growth. As a global technology leader Korea is well placed for the Fourth, ICT driven revolution, which will accelerate data consumption growth. Demand for specialist commercial property including data centers to store data will keep on growing on the back of this revolution. History of industrial revolutions The first revolution which spanned much of the 18th and 19th centuries began with agricultural and transport revolutions. Mechanization swiftly followed along with mass urbanization. Britain led the way benefitting from an educated workforce, a well-functioning financial system and a captive imperial market. The second wave based on electricity and oil established the mass production method we still use today driven by the so-called Fordism. This consists of the Taylor system, conveyor belt assembly lines, and standardization of manufacturing parts. In this case, the United States blessed with ample natural resources, an entrepreneurial infrastructure and a massive domestic market was the leader. The new production method has saved many from a morass of material deprivation, yet it has also resulted in limited choices within product ranges. Revolution 3.0, the digital revolution, opened up new high-tech sectors through electronics and IT applied to the Fordism model, bringing rapid economic growth opportunities for emerging markets driven by enterprises searching for lower production costs. Why is the fourth wave different? The fourth wave integrates Information and Communication Technologies (“ICT”) into every industry for a quantum jump in productivity. Dwindling population growth and increased needs in a leveraged financial system for high return capital lite structures are powerful drivers of change. Global manufacturers have already become ICT based manufacturing companies as witnessed at a recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. What is really interesting about the application of advanced ICT is its potential for shifting the manufacturing paradigm from mass production with a limited variety to small-batch and mixed production with a vast variety of product. Yet improved productivity also comes with challenges. Growing inequality and unmatched growth between productivity and wages are challenges which need to be addressed through a social consensus on redistribution of the excess wealth. The fourth wave poses a new challenge to emerging markets as it will eventually replace cost efficient labor forces with advanced automated production technologies as witnessed by Adidas bringing its production back to Germany known as SPEEDFACTORY and Japanese reshoring initiatives in electronics and autos. Winning the Race The major drivers for a country to lead this race are a solid manufacturing base, advanced ICT infrastructure, concentration of a highly educated population with strong spending power, government’s active support as a facilitator, and capital to foster industry growth. New entries into manufacturing by ICT players are much more challenging than the other way around due to manufacturers’ hands-on production expertise accumulated for generations and capex heavy infrastructures. Improvements in productivity by integrating ICT absolutely depends on analysis of big data including networks for collection, analysis, transmission and storage. Dense populations with strong spending power accelerate the data accumulation critical for operation of smart cities. Highly educated and creative human capital is the core driver for continuing innovation supported by governments promoting social cohesion. Korea has all these drivers. Competition in its leading industries has been fierce, yet Korea continues to maintain its pre-eminence through constant technological innovations. It has in fact taken a step further to expand into new tech intensive territories including microprocessors, image censors, foundries, mobile network equipment, rechargeable batteries for all kinds of electronics including electronic vehicles, biotechnology, advanced driver assistance system, construction of smart factories, robotics, and high-tech materials. The strong presence in these seemingly new territories have not been achieved overnight as corporates put years if not decades of investments in R&D and market development by leveraging technical expertise and capital accumulated in the leading industries. Outstanding growth across these high tech industries over the past several years definitely provided blueprints for a new growth driver in Korea. Actis opportunities in this changing industrial landscape As long term real estate investors we see attractive opportunities arising from this changing industrial landscape. Again, the fourth wave is essentially integration of ICT into every industry and to make a quantum jump in productivity, creation and deployment of big data for analysis is imperative. More gadgets and devices (“Internet of Things”) around us in our daily lives are getting connected to the web collecting data all the time. The analytical capability is a whole new frontier but from a physical infrastructure perspective two things are critical to make this happen: (1) next generation networks to allow data to transfer much more efficiently than the current technology and (2) sophisticated data centers in strategic areas to store vast amount of data that will keep on piling up. In our two markets in Northeast Asia – Korea and China data center development opportunities are still in relatively early stage compared to mature markets with de-regulated telecom markets, carrier neutral data centers and leading global operators such as Equinix and Digital Realty. Leading Asian markets such as Hong Kong and Singapore have been following the same path, yet much larger economies such as China and Korea have heavily regulated telecom markets and data center markets dominated by few entrenched players. In the early days, telecommunications was a government driven industry (still the case in China) with a national infrastructure dominated by a handful of large players. For instance, two of the top three players in Korea (SK Telecom, LGU+, KT Corporation) still depend on KT’s wired communication networks as KT was a government enterprise that established the networks across the country. Due to this high entry barrier, data centers have been mostly developed by carriers and a few domestic operators for their internal use and colocation businesses. In China, the dominant players are the three large state-owned telecoms, namely China Telecom, China Unicom and China Mobile, which operate across the full spectrum of data center services including development of the asset, leasing white space to operators, operating co-location and managed hosting, and development of value-added cloud services. Most Korean data centers are for corporates’ self-use and public services and the remaining commercial data centers are either directly operated by carriers or a few professional operators that are subsidiaries of Korean conglomerates. These few professional operators have recently been paying attention to the carrier neutrality, driven by large cloud service providers demanding more for high quality services. These facilities were also mostly built in the early days of data center development with inferior specs and hence are unfit for sophisticated demand of both cloud and colocation service providers. As of 2018, there are 30 commercial data centers across Korea of which only 5 can provide IT load greater than 20 MW, which is generally considered a minimum IT load for hosting cloud service providers. Our institutional development model, which we refer to as “build to core” will continue to capitalize on opportunities in these larger Asian markets with a significant demand and supply mismatch of this relatively new asset class with a greater emphasis on partnership with quality operators. In China for instance, we have partnered with an experienced IDC developer/operator to develop the first hyper-scale carrier neutral IDC campus just outside of Beijing. In Korea, securing land title is critical in order to secure anchor tenants before construction begins as they require a greater level of certainty around delivery date. Hence, we partner with a major data center operator from the initial land acquisition stage including analysis of adequacy of data center development (e.g., power usage assessment, fiber optic cable connectivity, availability of substations nearby), building designs and specs and assessing a probability of securing permits and approvals. Once we complete the first stage, we are then able to secure quality colocation and cloud service providers as anchor tenants, which will allow us to quickly stabilize the development asset. Securing land in prime locations will continue to be our challenge, yet with the advent of the 5th Generation (5G) wireless system, future outlook on demand for data centers is bright. China already has the largest internet/mobile network population on the planet, but the penetration rate is still less than 60% indicating an enormous potential for data growth. Korea as a global ICT leader has advanced network infrastructures with nearly 100% internet/mobile network and smartphone penetration rates. At the same time, it is facing an opportunity for a quantum jump in the once mature network infrastructure that will vastly improve everyday life by connecting everything around us.The 5G network infrastructure still needs to be further developed for maximum performance, yet once it does data usage will accelerate further with consequential need for specialist facilities.
We would appreciate your feedback to help with continued improvement of this resource. A/Prof Howard Galloway Date last modified: October 28, 2015 An arthrogram is a diagnostic test which examines the inside of a joint (e.g. shoulder, knee, wrist, ankle) to assess an injury or a symptom you may be experiencing. The test is done by first injecting contrast medium (sometimes referred to as a contrast agent or “dye”) which outlines the soft tissue structures in the joint (e.g. ligaments and cartilage) and makes them clearer to see on the images or pictures that will be taken of the joint. This is usually done using fluoroscopy. Fluoroscopy uses X-rays to transmit moving images onto a screen to guide the placement of the needle containing the contrast medium. This may also be done using computed tomography (CT) or ultrasound for guidance. The exact technique will vary from doctor to doctor and also depend on the joint being injected. This is then followed by a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or CT scan. While an MRI or CT scan without the use of contrast medium can provide information on the soft tissue structures, using contrast medium with MRI or CT may provide more information about what is wrong with the joint. Generally no specific preparation is required. Normally you should have already had at least a plain X-ray of the joint and often an ultrasound, CT scan or MRI to assess any pain or other symptom you may be experiencing. If so you should bring these scans with you to your arthrogram appointment. It may be best to wear comfortable clothing with easy access to the joint being examined. Generally you will be asked to lie down and the skin over the joint being examined will be cleaned with an antiseptic solution. Following this a local anaesthetic may be injected into the skin to numb the area where the contrast medium will be injected. You may feel a slight stinging sensation. Then using X-ray, ultrasound, MRI or CT for guidance, a needle will be placed into the joint and after ensuring the needle is in the right place the contrast medium will be injected into the joint. The injection may be accompanied by a feeling of fullness in the joint but should not be painful. The contrast medium used depends on the exact nature of the arthrogram and the specialist doctor performing the arthrogram. This is generally iodinated contrast medium. If you are having an MRI arthrogram, this will be followed by a very dilute mixture of MRI contrast (gadolinium chelates) together with sterile saline (mildly salty water). If you are having a CT arthrogram, occasionally air is injected either on its own, or with a small amount of X-ray contrast prior to the scan. Following the injections you will be taken to either the MRI suite (for an MRI arthrogram), or the CT suite (for a CT arthrogram), where the scan of the joint will be performed. Many people have a sore joint as the reason for the examination. Most patients feel some mild to moderate increase in soreness in the joint for 24-48 hours following the injection. The joint will then return to feeling the way it was before the examination. The arthrogram itself usually takes about 15 minutes. You may then have to wait a short time before having the scan performed. A subsequent MRI scan may take 30-45 minutes and a CT scan may take 15 minutes, depending on the joint and the number of scans that have to be done. You should allow approximately 2 hours from arrival at the radiology department. Arthrography is a very safe procedure and complications are unusual. The most serious complication is an infection of the joint. This is usually caused by organisms from the patient’s skin being transferred into the joint and for this reason the procedure should not be carried out if there is broken or infected skin overlying the joint. The risk of infection is not precisely known but the best available information suggests that it is in the order of 1 in 40,000 people having the test. Occasionally people may be allergic to the contrast medium that is injected, and this most commonly results in a rash but may be more serious. The risk of minor reaction (e.g. hives) has been reported in 1 in 2,000 having the test. More serious reactions appear to be very rare. Complications of gadolinium contrast medium used in an MRI have not been reported in the very small amounts used in arthrography. The injection of contrast medium into the joint makes the subsequent scan more sensitive in detecting damage to the internal structure of the joint. Some common reasons for an arthrogram in addition to the scan are: There are many other individual situations where your referring doctor may feel that the additional information obtained by an arthrogram may help to determine the best course of treatment. A radiologist (specialist doctor) will perform the arthrogram, injecting the contrast medium into the joint. The radiologist is also responsible for ensuring that the appropriate scans are performed following the injection and for analysing the scans and preparing a formal report of the findings, which is sent to the doctor who referred you for the test. Either a nurse or a radiographer may assist the radiologist in the arthrogram. The radiographer is responsible for taking the pictures in the arthrogram and the subsequent scan under the radiologist’s direction. An arthrogram is performed in the diagnostic imaging department of most public and private hospitals and at private radiology practices. The time that it takes your doctor to receive a written report on the test or procedure you have had will vary, depending on: Please feel free to ask the private practice, clinic, or hospital where you are having your test or procedure when your doctor is likely to have the written report. It is important that you discuss the results with the doctor who referred you, either in person or on the telephone, so that they can explain what the results mean for you.
Did you know that Thanksgiving is the leading day of the year for home fires involving cooking equipment? According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA): - Thanksgiving is the peak day for home cooking fires, followed by Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, and the day before Thanksgiving. - In 2016, U.S. fire departments responded to an estimated 1,570 home cooking fires on Thanksgiving, the peak day for such fires. - Unattended cooking was by far the leading contributing factor in cooking fires and fire deaths. - Cooking equipment was involved in almost half of all reported home fires and home fire injuries, and it is the second leading cause of home fire deaths. As you make Thanksgiving preparations, keep in mind the following safety tips courtesy of the NFPA (also available to download). Some of these might seem overly simple but a safe Thanksgiving is also a happy one. - Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stove top so you can keep an eye on the food. - Stay in the home when cooking your turkey, and check on it frequently. - Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay three feet away. - Make sure kids stay away from hot food and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns. - Keep knives out of the reach of children. - Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child. - Keep matches and utility lighters out of the reach of children — up high in a locked cabinet. - Never leave children alone in room with a lit candle. - Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys, pocketbooks or bags. - Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button. The NFPA strongly discourages the use of turkey fryers. You can see why on the video below. And check out the CDC website for Thanksgiving food safety tips: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/holiday-turkey.html
\|International Vegetarian Union (IVU)\| 6th European Vegetarian Congress Bussolengo, Italy, September 21 - 26, 1997 \| Genetic Engineering: an Extremely Graduate in Natural Sciences. Head of Greenpeace, Italy Good morning, everybody. I would like to thank the organizers of this meeting who have kindly invited me to make this speech on the hot new issue of genetic engineering. This is a technique whereby scientists can interfere and go into nucleus of the cell. In particular they can cut parts of DNA, the line which contains the genes, in which all information on living organisms is to be found. These pieces are taken and just put into another DNA line. This process naturally occurs when two gametes meet and it is called crossover, and through it two similar DNAs can change part of their lines. This is a very important process because this is the basis of the evolutionary system which allows species to continue their life, while staying in the surrounding environment. So what's wrong with genetic engineering? Genetic engineering is wrong simply because scientists are mixing different DNA from different species, from different genes, from different families or orders. They are simply doing what Mother Nature tries to prevent through certain mechanisms, thanks to which the breeding can occur only between similar individuals, that is belonging to the same species. Nowadays genetic engineering can take pieces of bacteria or virus and put them into an animal or plant. Furthermore, they can take genes from an animal or human and put them in a vegetable or other species. In nature we could never find a vegetable with human genes, with bacteria genes or even with fish genes in it. Genetic engineering has developed quickly in a short time, and is widely used in pharmaceutical and medical applications since it can offer some surprising possibilities of treating certain diseases. Just think about diabetes. The production of insulin to counteract diabetes is made through a genetic engineering process: the human gene producing insulin is put in a bacteria culture which can produce it in sufficient quantities to tackle diabetes in humans. What's happening in big multinationals, for example Monsanto, the owner of the PCB patent? They are now heavily involved in biotechnologies, producing new plant species for their own purposes, for their own business. Even green organisations did not at first realise the risks. Greenpeace has been studying involvement in genetic engineering since 1991 but actually last year was the first year in which there were large areas of fields growing genetically engineered plants, especially Monsanto soya. The producers themselves claim that this new technology can save the world from starvation, but we know that to be a complete lie. Actually the GM plants are designed to be resistant to attack from herbicides produced by Monsanto themselves, who hold the patent on a herbicide called "Round-up", patented around 20 years ago. This means that for 20 years Monsanto have made money selling this kind of herbicide all around the world. Once the 20 years were up, any other company in the field would be able to produce the herbicide. Monsanto anticipated this situation, and so created a new plant, the Round-up Ready soya bean, containing some pieces, some genes from bacteria or viruses and another plant. As I said, this new soya bean plant is resistant to attack from Round-up herbicide. So after patenting Round-up soya Monsanto will own the right to use it for the next 20 years. Now Monsanto is selling a kit of soya beans plus Round-up herbicide in order to keep the monopoly on these products. This is the only reason why Monsanto is producing Round-up-resistant plants. Monsanto has also patented tens of other species, from cauliflower to spinach, all resistant to the herbicides they produce themselves. It's very unlikely that by simplistically putting an alien species into a specific environment, we can solve the problems of shortage and war. Everybody agrees that famine is a problem caused not by a lack of available food but by unequal food distribution worldwide. The western world now produces more food than it needs; a great deal of the food produced is destroyed for market reasons. We can say the same, for example, about the GM maize patented by Ciba-Geigy in a joint venture called Novartis. The Novartis maize contains a whole bacterium, botulus, together with parts of various viruses, and has been patented to be resistant to a herbicide produced by Ciba-Geigy called Basta, which is supposed to be resistant to larva attack. The botulus bacterium put into the maize DNA is well known also in organic farming for producing a toxin, a compound toxic for insects. In fact in organic farming it is sprayed on the insects so producing the toxin and killing the insects. It is a natural insecticide. The scientists at Ciba-Geigy thought that if they could take this bacterium and include it in the DNA of the maize, they would have produced a plant able to produce toxins for itself and so kill the larvae as soon as they entered the plant. Experiments of this kind were carried out on cotton two years ago. Considerable quantities of cotton seed, manipulated as I have explained, were extensively used over the USA, but all the plantations were destroyed by larvae. All that happened simply because the botulus bacterium put into the plant didn't produce enough toxins to kill the larvae. The risk they run is not only that of losing crops: what is worse is that if the insect receives too little of the toxins, it can become toxin resistant and the problem will be repeated with future crops. In this case, the botulus can no longer be used in organic farming. What's even worse with the GM maize is that during the first phases of development, the Ciba-Geigy experts cut a piece of DNA from a bacterium in order to give the crop resistance to herbicides, but unfortunately certain genes were put into the plant which made it resistant to a widely used antibiotic. The corn itself doesn't need to be resistant to antibiotics because they are never used for agricultural purposes. This was just an accident: they wanted to cut a piece of DNA from the gene sequence, but they unfortunately took a slightly longer piece, carrying information they did not want, namely resistance to antibiotics. The plant itself doesn't suffer through this, but part of the scientific community strongly believes that there is a real possibility that feeding animals or humans with grain containing genes giving resistance to antibiotics, the intestinal and stomach bacteria can cross over with the bacterium in the grain, thus making the whole body resistant to antibiotics. In such a situation we would no longer be able to use certain antibiotics for veterinary or human health purposes. The people really taking advantage of such events are the multinationals. They are using us as laboratory mice, simply because they have no idea how the human body will react to the ingestion of GMOs. They don't carry out any tests to evaluate the human body's response to food including bacteria or viruses. What they did do at the start was to take some pieces of DNA from the brazil nut and put it in the soya bean. It was discovered that people who could normally tolerate soya beans developed an intolerance to GM soya, so they withdrew the relevant patent. Another setback happened to the GM industry in Japan, who were producing an essential amino acid called tryptophane. By using 5 GM bacteria, they produced large amounts of tryptophane which they put on the market. 39 people died because they were affected by a syndrome which experts later attributed to the action of GM bacteria; and hundreds more survived to suffer long-term damage. This is another example of what can happen despite researchers' assurances that everything is okay and that there are definite guarantees. The national or international organizations entrusted with checking research results just believe the reports submitted by the chemical companies. That is why the market is flooded with chemical compounds that are withdrawn only when there is a clear damage to human beings. This happened with all the chemicals banned or restricted in the last few years: DDT, PCBs, hexachlorobenzine, etc. All compounds taken off the market were used for decades until the damage to life, and especially the human environment, became obvious. Only when industry can no longer deny responsibility for chemical damage, very often only at this stage will the product be withdrawn or its use restricted. The same is happening with GMOs, which are put on the market without scientific evidence to show that they are safe. They can be sprayed on to crops and grown completely unrestricted simply because the producer says that everything is okay, so it is up to us to show the regulators that all this is wrong. So, basically, what we can say is that there are examples, worrying examples, to warn us that genetic engineering can constitute a very serious risk for all of us and the environment we live in. The worst of it is that we cannot quantify the potential dangers: we are left with a big question mark. We will eventually be able to evaluate the damage a couple of decades from now and in the meantime we will be surrounded by GMOs. There is a whole list of patented plants and animals waiting to be put onto the market. In a couple of years' time GM foods might be the only foods available. As if that were not enough, the multinationals are succeeding in getting the patent rights, which means that they will be able to patent gene sequences or heredity or even human teeth. In the US some umbilical items are already patented, and 90% of gene life in India has been patented in the US. All these patenting rights allow multinationals to receive royalties for any use of what they have patented. The last point on this is that the multinationals have in their hands the evolution of the future: they are guiding the evolution of whole species, whole orders of animals and vegetables - they are modifying the development of a scenario which has been going for billions of years. What can we do? Unfortunately, I'm quite sure that we cannot stop genetic engineering at the moment; we must be realistic: last year in Italy we unloaded half a million tonnes of GM soya beans which are now on the market, and nobody worries about what these products contain. It's too late: we just can't stop these products being used. The Scientific Commission of the EU has recently decided that multinationals have the right to patent life, and that maize and soya, along with other specific products, can be extensively grown. The process is unstoppable now: GM foods are on the market, being eaten by us. We will nevertheless have to set up an opposition movement - indeed, inactivity is too risky, and would be of no benefit to the community as a whole. We cannot accept this "new colonization". The US is actually leading the largest colonization movement in the world: they are trying to persuade governments not to ban imports of GMOs, as they are in India, Egypt, in fact wherever there is a government or movement opposed to them. I think that the power now is in the hands of the consumer. By that I mean that the multinationals can produce whatever they want, but they will survive only provided there is a market for their GM products. If we react by saying, "No, thank you, we aren't interested: we don't need to use GM products because we just prefer natural ones," then the multinationals will have a rethink and stop production of GMOs. At the moment this is the only road we can go down in order to stop the growth of such an industry. I believe then that the first thing for us to do is to reject GMOs, and to demand the availability of natural foods, perhaps without use of chemicals. We are, unfortunately, in a very weak position: until last year the environmental movement was totally intent on combatting chemical agriculture, the use of pesticides or herbicides and so on. Now we must fight GMOs first, followed by pesticides and herbicides. Of course the best course of action is to base our diets on organic produce. The biggest organic farmers' association is defending its products from manipulation, but at the same time we should ask for a separation of GMOs from non-modified produce. We should ask importers and producers to get separation of GMOs from non-GMOs, so that the food industry can obtain GMO-free supplies, so guaranteeing the GMO-free option for final consumers. We should all help create a network of consumers who reject GMOs. I'm quite sure that if we as consumers don't succeed in orchestrating a strong reaction which will have a big impact on the food market, then in a couple of years' time we will no longer have GMO-free food available to us. That is why, apart from the major organisations like Greenpeace, which I'm representing here, we need a strong opposition movement among consumers. Greenpeace cannot win this battle either alone or by allying itself with other major green organisations. Individually we can do almost nothing. We can just inform people, we can give the problem our attention, we can even do something spectacular to catch media attention and so help the spread of information. The real power is in the hands of each of us as consumers. Let's hope we can manage to stop this damn market! - translations by Hugh Rees, Milan - commissioned by Associazione Vegetariana Italiana (AVI)
Understanding Methadone Addiction Methadone is a synthetic opioid that is typically used to reduce withdrawal symptoms of other opioids like heroin. Like bupenorphine, it is commonly used in medication-assisted therapy. It can be used in the short term for detox treatment or it can be used in the long term for recovery maintenance. When used in medication-assisted therapy, it blocks the effects of other opioids, and it also doesn’t give the user a feeling of euphoria that makes other opioids so addictive. While methadone can be beneficial when used as directed and used as MAT, there are many negative aspects of being on methadone. For example, in most cases, patients must go to a methadone clinic to receive methadone. These clinics are known to be havens for all sorts of substance abuse, making it difficult for those with drug addiction issues to stay on the right path. Most importantly, though, when a user takes methadone, he or she becomes much more dependent on the medication than even heroin. While the severe withdrawal symptoms for heroin last a few days to a week, severe withdrawal symptoms for methadone can last two to three months, making it extremely difficult to stop taking once it has been started. What is Methadone? In the mid-1900s, methadone was introduced as an alternative to morphine by German scientists. In 1947, Methadone was introduced in America as a pain reliever. It wasn’t used to treat addiction until the 1970s. Methadone has been shown to help those who are addicted to other opioids. However, although it is effective in its reduction of withdrawal symptoms, methadone is incredibly addictive itself, and those who take it can quickly develop a methadone addiction. Users may develop a tolerance to the medication quickly, which may cause them to take larger doses. The medication can be lethal if abused. While methadone treatment for those who are addicted to opioids has been somewhat successful. However, many healthcare professionals and researchers are seeing that the majority of patients who take methadone become addicted to it. Signs of Methadone Use Whether a patient is prescribed methadone by a medical professional or otherwise, the first time they take it, they will feel a sense of dizziness typically. This can often be accompanied by feelings of confusion or nausea. The other common side effects of methadone can include: - Weight gain - Sore tongue - Vision problems - Sexual problems - Problems falling or staying asleep - Weak muscles - Nausea and vomiting - Loss of appetite - Dry mouth - Problems urinating - Missed menstrual periods - Slower reflexes - Trouble concentrating While methadone does not typically produce the same high as other opioids, for some users, it cam produce a sense of light-headiness or sedation, particularly when combined with benzodiazepines. Additionally, methadone can have severe sided effects such as: - Rapid heartbeat - Difficulty breathing - Swelling of the mouth including the tongue and throat - Itching, hives or rash - Difficulty swallowing - Feeling very drowsy Many people wonder if it’s possible to overdose on methadone. Yes, it’s definitely possible, and it’s actually a common issue. Methadone doesn’t cause the rush of euphoria caused by other opiates. However, it is relatively inexpensive so those who are addicted to other drugs may overdose when they are trying to achieve a high. Another common reason for methadone overdose happens when patients begin taking methadone and quickly develop a tolerance to the medication. When they have to take more and more, they may accidentally take too much. It is a particularly dangerous drug because it builds up in the system and patients who take even a prescribed dose can overdose. As many as 4 out of every 10 overdose deaths from prescription painkillers are suspected to involve methadone. Methadone Addiction Treatment While coming off methadone is not as simple as coming off heroin or oxycodone, it can be done. If you are suffering from a methadone addiction, it’s important that you seek methadone treatment. The Recovery Village Ridgefield offers treatment for drug addiction in the form of medical detox, inpatient treatment, partial hospitalization and outpatient treatment. Convenient to Eugene, Oregon; Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington, The Recovery Village Ridgefield is an excellent choice for anyone who wants to begin their recovery journey. Give us a call today, and allow us to help you.
Back to basics When I went to electronics college we learned all about the transistor amplifier. We had a lot of formulas and most of us in class could do calculations with these formulas and come up with the right answers for the test. But the basic concept of how the transistor actually amplified or even worked was missing. Nobody of my class could really explain how it really worked. They taught us the physics side of it with electrons being attracted from one side to another and then a lot of high level formulas where you inserted values in to calculate the various resistors and voltages to be used to achieve some sort of gain. I thought that there had to be a simple explanation as to how it really worked rather than a lot of formulas and discussions about electrons moving around. One day I decided to step a sine wave through the amplifying device to see if I could make some sense of it. What happened to all the voltages as my sine wave went in slow motion into the transistor or vacuum tube? I came up with some simple basics that anyone can follow. Funnily enough I have used these basic rules to debug many circuits over the years and explain basic operation to many kit builders. Very knowledgeable electronics people may scoff at these simple rules but if you are starting from scratch like we all were in electronics college, these simple rules will give you a basic understanding of how the amplifier circuit works. The amplifying device So above we have a generic device which could be either a tube or a transistor, let’s call it a tube and give it the proper pin names. There are basically three pins and this would be considered a TRIODE like a 300B single ended TRIODE. Now let’s start with the CATHODE of the tube, this is the most important point on the tube for debugging. If you have a correct voltage on this tube you can be close to guaranteed that your tube is ready for operation. In other words the tube is now like a horse about to take off down the track. Let’s look at some other things in this picture – we have something called HT or High Tension. This is basically the HIGHEST LEVEL DC voltage that we are going to use to run our tube. This is what the power supply will supply to the tube. It sits at this voltage all the time and does not change. At the bottom of the tube you can see GND – this is ground potential or zero volts. One of the most important facts about this current flow is that the actually current does not change ‘much’ – it’s called a constant current source. If the tube is set up for 2ma to flow through it, then that is a constant – R=V/I, so if the resistance is fixed then the current is fixed. When a tube has been properly BIASED and is working correctly a big current flow will occur from HT to GROUND – think of it as a river flowing in one direction. BIAS means we are going to set up certain voltages and resistors in order that the tube can actually operate, it’s like getting an aquarium ready of a certain size and a certain water temperature such that a fish of a specific size can comfortably live and thrive in that aquarium. Preparing the Tube So how do we start preparing a tube so that it can operate correctly and amplify our signal? Let’s start by adding a resistor in the current flow path. This resistor is called the CATHODE resistor because it sits between the cathode of the tube and GROUND. Most of us know the famous equation R=V/I which stands for Resistance equals Voltage divided by current. I can’t tell you HOW many times I used that formula during electronics college. By using this formula we can calculate how much current we want to have flow through the tube – by putting a resistor in here of a certain value we will control the CURRENT flow in the tube. I have put a 1K resistor (which equals 1000 ohms) which gives me a cathode voltage of 2V which is in the range of our generic tube and a current flow through the tube of 2 ma which is also within spec of our TUBE. Whether it’s a 300B with a cathode voltage of 70V DC or a 6SH7 with a cathode voltage of 1.5V – every tube has a cathode voltage and an associated current flow. By using your voltmeter you can measure the cathode voltage of any tube. If you were to measure a cathode voltage of 0v you would know for a fact that this tube is not conducting any current and is not operating. Now by installing an ANODE resistor we can control the voltage drop from the HT to the ANODE of the tube. Our tube spec manual will say that it likes to see no more than say 150v at the ANODE, therefore we would come up with a resistor that would drop 100V ( from 250 to 150) given the amount of current flowing through the tube. In our case it is 2ma, so R = V/I = 100/2ma = 50000 or 50K. Now we have our two resistors selected along with our HT voltage and cathode resistor and operating current. We are all set – our tube is now operating! I like to use the analogy of a swimming pool with enough water in it, let’s say 6 feet deep such that a swimmer can now comfortably swim across the pool. The specifications for a 5’10” women to swim in this pool is that we have a minimum of 6” of water in the pool and no more that 8’ of water (this is where the pool overflows). Now let’s look at what we do when we input an AC or audio signal of a frequency in the audio spectrum e.g. 1Khz into the tube. Well the voltage at the grid is fixed at our tube – (It would typically be.6v higher than the voltage at the cathode) – So we now input a voltage at the GRID. Now here is the trick to how the whole thing works – think of us ‘wiggling’ the 2V DC at the grid – we wiggle it between 1.8v and 2.2V – so its a little 0.4v wiggle. What is happening here is the little audio signal that is 0.4v peak to peak and looks like a sine wave is ‘wiggling’ the DC voltage at the GRID. NOW the interesting thing about the way a tube or a transistor is constructed is that the voltage at the GRID is directly linked to the voltage at the cathode. So by wiggling the DC voltage at the GRID we are also wiggling DC voltage by the same amount at the CATHODE – so now we see a 0.4v DC voltage swing at the CATHODE which is mirroring the GRID. BUT we are feeding a bigger constant current flow THROUGH the tube path – see next diagram. So basically what happens now is that as we adjust the 2V at the cathode by adding 0.2 volts to it we have increased our current flow slightly – this same current flow is now going across the anode resistor but the large resistor at the anode causes a bigger VOLTAGE drop than the 0.2v The drop across the anode resistor now could be 2v, so this is a 10x increase and this would be considered a 10x gain. So what we have is a mirror action where whatever wiggle occurs at the grid gets mirrored to the cathode and then amplified by the bigger voltage drop across the ANODE resistor. So this gives us an idea of how our sine wave is amplified. So by feeding a constant current across a small resistor (cathode) and a bigger resistor (anode) we are able to reproduce the wiggle we saw at the grid. This wiggle is our audio signal which is actually a very complicated signal made up of many sine waves of all sorts of different amplitudes and frequencies which make up the music we listen to. In an amplifier output stage we actually don’t have an anode resistor but rather the primary or input of a transformer which would have a resistance of say 1K5 – it looks like a resistor to the tube but it is actually a transformer that then transformers the amplified wiggle to the secondary – it’s all quite ingenius. And this is only the very beginning!
Resources produced by GAROP members Articles and publications The Pre-negotiation of UN Human Rights Treaties: the case of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Annie Herro, UNSW, March 2018) The human rights of older persons: the politics and substance of the UN Open-Ended Working Group on Ageing (Annie Herro, UNSW, May 2017) UN and Human Rights Bodies Official Documents and UN Processes The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (available in more than 300 languages and dialects) Human Rights of Older People Source Database: The database was put together by The Academy of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, which is part of the Washington College of Law in The American University in Washington D.C. Funded by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), this project has captured and made available international, regional and national policy frameworks and laws that pertain to the rights of older people. ‘Second Regional Intergovernmental Conference on Ageing in Latin America and the Caribbean: towards a society for all ages and rights-based social protection’, ECLAC UN, Brasilia, Brazil, 4–6 December 2007. Report of the Expert Group Meeting: ‘Rights of Older Persons’: UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Division for Social Policy and Development, Programme on Ageing, Bonn, Germany, 5–7 May 2009 The Toronto Declaration on the Global Prevention of Elder Abuse, WHO/INPEA, 2002
What lessons about normation might we be able to learn from the most recent declaration by the Vatican and the reinstatement of the Catholic Latin Mass? 1. What is written as normative by one religious group does not reflect the religious reality. In this case, the written declaration of the Catholic Church uses language of superiority, describing other forms of Christianity in deviant and "lesser" terms. But the fact is that other forms of Christianity do not consider themselves to be deviant or lesser, nor do all Catholics themselves think along these lines. Because one group describes another group as thus-and-so does not mean that the other group is thus-and-so. 2. Normative posturing in religion is successful because of its appeals to authority, appeals which are meaningful to certain parties, but do not reflect the fact that other parties have their own equally successful appeals. In this case, the appeals from the Vatican come in two ways: Roman successorship of the Pope (Petrine authority), and apostolic succession (our tradition is a continuation of the tradition that has been handed down from the twelve apostles). 3. Normative declarations result in confusion and offense. Need I say more? 4. There is always response to normative posturing (although in the ancient world this may not always be captured in the literature). Typical responses include outrage, anger, insult, defensiveness and questions like why would you say this about me? My religious views are just as good as yours if not better. 5. The group that is norming will then consolidate its position, sometimes adjusting its previous position, sometimes intensifying it.
- Development & Aid - Economy & Trade - Human Rights - Global Governance - Civil Society Thursday, August 25, 2016 What is RSS? RSS (Really Simple Syndication or Rich Site Summary) is a format based on XML, created to easily share web content, and is particularly suitable for news items. You can use it to display headlines on another site or you can use a programme called a “news aggregator” to read the news. These programmes allow you to subscribe to various RSS feeds from different news sites. The programmes automatically go to the web sites to check for updates, so the stories come to you, without you having to check the sites for new stories. You may use the feeds to download or publish IPS titles and headlines, provided you do not re-publish the complete story and you give IPS full credit for them. What does IPS News syndicate in RSS format*? Please contact us if you have questions or problems regarding our RSS feeds.
Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's TechBridgeWorld Group Use Collaborative Robot Technology to Enhance Navigation in Urban Settings BOSTON, Aug. 25, 2015 -- For the world's 285 million people living blind or visually impaired, Rethink Robotics' Baxter Research Robot can provide an avenue to a more accessible future. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's TechBridgeWorld are using Baxter to explore how technology - and specifically, robots - can help the blind and visually impaired more effectively navigate urban environments. For people with sight, the necessary tasks associated with urban living - crossing the street, sorting bus tickets or finding the right storefront - are accomplished without a second thought. Innovations using collaborative robotics can make these tasks just as easy for the blind population. "There are examples of technology causing divides in society, but it also has the potential to build bridges and serve communities, especially people who must alter behaviors due to disabilities," said M. Bernardine Dias, founder and director of the TechBridgeWorld research group in CMU's Robotics Institute. "We're committed to help people overcome physical challenges by using the Baxter Research Robot to explore different real-life scenarios, and we've made great strides in helping the blind achieve greater levels of independence and empowerment." CMU researchers are experimenting with Baxter for several applications, with visions of a smart city future in mind. For example, to assist blind travelers Baxter is being used to provide vocal directions reinforced with physical directional gestures on the traveler's hand. The robot can also help users select the correct bus ticket, a task that can be difficult when tickets to different destinations are physically identical in every way except for text and color. The research team is also making great inroads into multi-robot skill coordination, a scenario in which Baxter communicates with mobile robots to help guide travelers along their journeys. "Collaborative robots like Baxter can effectively interact with humans in factories, but in the unstructured and variable urban environments that are home to millions of blind people, the complexity skyrockets," said Scott Eckert, president and CEO of Rethink Robotics. "Thanks to Baxter's open source platform, human-like form and ability to interact directly with humans, the research team at Carnegie Mellon is helping to drive social change and improve the lives of millions." For more information, please visit www.rethinkrobotics.com.
Philip Nel > Courses > English 545: Literature for Adolescents (Fall 2011) This class is designed to introduce you to a range of literature for adolescents, and to develop your critical skills in reading literary and cultural works. We will study works that feature adolescent characters, depict experiences familiar to adolescents, and are taught to or read by adolescents. We will approach these works from a variety of critical perspectives (including formalist, psychoanalytic, queer theory, feminist, Marxist, historical, postcolonial, ecological) -- perspectives that many high schools want their teachers to know. In summary, this course will be about different kinds of literature read by young adults, approaches to thinking about this literature, and adolescence's relationship to power. As such, the course will be useful both to future teachers and to students fulfilling the General Education requirement. In this class, education will not be a passive experience: I expect discussion, debate, and exchanges of ideas. This requires that you not only be present but that you be an active presence. Requirements: Papers \| Quizzes \| Class Participation and Attendance \| Technology \| Message Board \| Assignments Quizzes: Approximately 12 times during the semester, there will be a quiz. Sometimes the quiz will be announced, and sometimes it won't. But the quiz will always address the reading for that day. Because everyone can have a bad day, I will drop the lowest quiz grade. Message Board: Post comments to the message board every other week (or more frequently, if you wish). An average posting should run one or two paragraphs in length. In other words, your postings do not need to be long, but they must be substantive -- long enough to convey clearly the problem you are taking up and your point of view, connecting your comment to others' comments, as appropriate. I will monitor these discussions and asses a grade (at the end of the semester) based on the thoughtfulness of your comments, their ability to foster discussion among your classmates, and their responsiveness to both our readings and your classmates' comments on the message board. Though extra postings to the message board will not automatically replace participation in class discussions, regular contributions above and beyond your weekly posting can improve your class participation grade. Access the message board via K-State On-Line. Email: My email address is firstname.lastname@example.org. Please use the subject line. Due to the sheer volume of email I receive, messages without clear subject lines will be deleated unread. You can write with questions, send a thesis statement or outline for an essay, make an appointment to meet me in my office, or do anything else that could be handled with a quick exchange of messages. I check email several times daily, but I am not on-line at all times. [W] = Web. [CP] = Class Pack. [R] = On Reserve (at Hale Library). Note: "through" means "to the end of" (not "up to"). Page numbers refer to the editions assigned. Introduction: Some Traditions of Adolescence \|Th 25\|\|Robert Cormier, The Chocolate War (1974), through Ch. 23 (p. 160); Lee A. Talley, "Young Adult" (2011) [CP]\| \|T 30\|\|Cormier, The Chocolate War (1974), to end; Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951), through Ch. 10 (p. 76); Brian McMullen, "A Coming of Age Reading Checklist" (2003) [CP].\| \|September\|\|Th 1\|\|Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye (1951), to end. Peggy McIntosh, "White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming to See Correspondences Through Work in Women's Studies" (1998) [CP].\| Beauty and the Beast: Realism, Fairy Tales, Magical Realism \|T 6\|\|Laurie Halse Anderson, Speak (1999), through "Third Marking Period" (p. 137).\| \|Th 8\|\|Anderson, Speak, to end.\| \|T 13\|\|four versions of "Beauty and the Beast" (18th and 19th centuries) [CP]; Francesca Lia Block, Weetzie Bat (1989).\| \|Th 15\|\|Block, Weetzie Bat; Sara Ryan, Empress of the World (2001), through p. 133.\| \|T 20\|\|Ryan, Empress of the World, to end.\| \|Th 22\|\|M.T. Anderson, Feed (2002), through p. 150.\| \|T 27\|\|Anderson, Feed, to end.\| \|Th 29\|\|Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (2008), through Part I.\| \|October\|\|T 4\|\|Collins, The Hunger Games, through Part II.\| \|Th 6\|\|Collins, The Hunger Games, to end; Larry Siems et al, "Dark Realities: What Can't Be Said in Children's Books" (2004) [CP].\| And Here My Troubles Began: History, Poetry, and the Graphic Novel \|T 11\|\|Karen Hesse, Out of the Dust (1997), through Winter 1935 (p. 149). Slide show: Photos from the 1930s (to be shown in class).\| \|Th 13\|\|Hesse, Out of the Dust, to end; Christopher Paul Curtis, Bud Not Buddy (1999), through Chapter 12.\| \|T 18\|\|Curtis, Bud Not Buddy, to end.\| \|Th 20\|\|Midterm Exam\| \|T 25\|\|Art Spiegelman, Maus I: My Father Bleeds History (1986).\| \|Th 27\|\|Spiegelman, Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began (1991).\| Narrative and Identity \|November\|\|T 1\|\|Gene Luen Yang, American Born Chinese (2006)\| \|Th 3\|\|Walter Dean Myers, Monster (1999), through p. 151.\| \|T 8\|\|Myers, Monster, to end.\| \|Th 10\|\|Marjane Satrapi, Persepolis (2003).\| Coming of Age \|T 15\|\|Robert Lipsyte, One Fat Summer (1977).\| \|Th 17\|\|Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007), through "Thanksgiving" (p. 103).\| \|T 22\|\|University Holiday\| \|T 29\|\|Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007), to end.\| \|December\|\|Th 1\|\|Francisco X. Stork, Marcello in the Real World (2009), through Chapter 10 (p. 103). Paper Due.\| \|T 6\|\|Stork, Marcello in the Real World, through Chapter 21 (p. 215).\| \|Th 8\|\|Stork, Marcello in the Real World, to end. Conclusion and Review.\| \|W 14\|\|Final Exam, 2:00-3:50 p.m.\| \|Literature for Adoescents is often BANNED or CHALLENGED. Here are some RESOURCES on that topic.\|
5960[ANE-2] Ancient Mass Burials - Sep 1, 2007Archaeologists working in Syria have unearthed the remains of dozens of youths thought to have been killed in a fierce confrontation 6,000 years ago. According to Science magazine, the celebrating victors may even have feasted on beef in the aftermath. The findings come from northeastern Syria, near Tell Brak, one of the world's oldest known cities. The full BBC article can be read here: - << Previous post in topic Next post in topic >>
Classrooms are very complex and busy places which accommodate many students and have several activities running almost every day. The physical arrangement of a classroom has many implications for effective classroom management. One of the popular forms of arrangements is the x classroom or the arrow classroom seating arrangement. There are many advantages to such an arrangement: 1. The X-classroom utilizes space in an optimum manner. It reflects a cheerful, inviting and purposeful setting for a classroom and an educational environment. Unlike other forms of seating it is not in clusters and does not restrict the teacher from moving around too much. 2. The seating is quite spread out over the area of the seating and makes the room spacious and airy. This is good because it fosters a good environment and will benefit the students. 3. The arrangement is mentally stimulating and can be used to teach subjects that involve a lot of creative and innovative thinking. 4. Compared to traditional methods of learning a teacher can use new and modern methods in such a setting. 5. It has the least distance and the fewest barriers between the teacher and students. This is said to be the best type of arrangement for a classroom. 6. It allows for maximum access and the teacher can move around freely in the classroom. This makes it easy for the teacher to supervise the students and keep a check on what they are doing without much effort. 7. Unnecessary talking amongst the students is curtailed in an arrow style arrangement. This makes it easy for the teacher to complete the lesson without checking whether the students are paying full attention or not. 8. Serious students will find this arrangement very good since they can focus on what the teacher is saying and not get disturbed by other students. In any other type of arrangement especially in a traditional arrangement there can be a lot of disturbance form students who are sitting in the adjacent seats. 9. In an X-arrangement the teacher is at the center of the classroom which gives very good visibility across the area of the room. In a traditional classroom arrangement the teacher is at the head of the class and more the half the number of students are at a distance which cannot be supervised effectively. There are also some disadvantages with this type of seating: 1. The teacher can face only one group of students at any given time. This will mean that large section of students will not be supervised effectively. 2. Many students may be quite used to the traditional arrangement of seats in classroom and may become disoriented with an arrow arrangement. This may affect their scores in the long run. 3. The arrow design is an unconventional design and many teachers may not be comfortable with this kind of design. Some teachers may not be able to teach lessons properly in this type of an arrangement. 4. The X-classroom arrangement decreases the level of interaction between students. They may not be able to compare notes or engage in a fruitful discussion during times that the teacher is not taking a lesson. Many students learn a lot from each other and this might get affected in the arrow seating arrangement. 5. While the teacher is moving around in this type of classroom arrangement she may find it difficult to see what many students are doing. In a traditional classroom arrangement the teacher can easily glance through the rows and observe what the students are doing.
What Is Bacterial Vaginosis? "The following blog article provides general information and insights on various topics. However, it is important to note that the information presented is not intended as professional advice in any specific field or area. The content of this blog is for general educational and informational purposes only. The content should not be interpreted as endorsement, recommendation, or guarantee of any product, service, or information mentioned. Readers are solely responsible for the decisions and actions they take based on the information provided in this blog. It is essential to exercise individual judgment, critical thinking, and personal responsibility when applying or implementing any information or suggestions discussed in the blog." What is Bacterial Vaginosis? Bacterial Vaginosis is a condition that occurs when the balance of bacteria in the vagina is disrupted. Normally, the vagina is home to a healthy balance of good bacteria (Lactobacillus) and bad bacteria. BV occurs when there is an overgrowth of bad bacteria, which can cause unpleasant symptoms like itching, burning, and discharge. The exact cause of BV is not known, but it has been linked to a number of factors, including sexual activity, douching, and the use of certain types of contraceptives. Causes of Bacterial Vaginosis BV is caused by an overgrowth of certain bacteria in the vagina, particularly Gardnerella vaginalis. The exact cause of the bacterial imbalance is not clear, but it is thought to be related to the following factors: - Douching: Douching disrupts the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, making it more susceptible to BV. - Antibiotics: Antibiotics can kill both good and bad bacteria in the body, including those in the vagina, leading to an overgrowth of harmful bacteria. - Sexual activity: Although BV is not an STI, it is more common in women who are sexually active, particularly those with multiple sexual partners or a new partner - Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes during pregnancy, menstruation, and menopause can also disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina. Symptoms of Bacterial Vaginosis Many women with BV do not experience any symptoms. However, when symptoms do occur, they may include: - Vaginal discharge: A thin, gray or white discharge from the vagina which may resemble cottage cheese - Smell: A strong fishy smell that may become stronger after sex - Itching or irritation: Itching or irritation around the vulva and vagina. - Pain during urination : BV can cause pain or burning during urination. - Pain during sex: BV can also cause pain or discomfort during sexual intercourse. It is important to note that these symptoms can also be a sign of other vaginal infections, such as yeast infections or STIs. Therefore, it is important to seek medical attention if you experience any of these symptoms. Risk Factors of Bacterial Vaginosis - Sexual Activity: Engaging in sexual activity, especially with a new partner, increases the risk of developing bacterial vaginosis. This is because the bacteria from your partner’s genital area can mix with your own vaginal bacteria, leading to an imbalance. Multiple sexual partners and unprotected sex can also increase the risk of BV. Douching: Douching is a common practice among women, but it can actually be harmful to vaginal health. Douching involves flushing the vagina with water or other fluids to clean it. However, this practice can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, making it more susceptible to infections like BV. Experts recommend avoiding douching and letting the vagina clean itself naturally. - Antibiotics: Antibiotics are powerful medications that can be used to treat various bacterial infections. However, they can also disrupt the balance of bacteria in the vagina, making it more susceptible to BV. Women who have recently taken antibiotics may be at increased risk of developing bacterial vaginosis. - Hormonal Changes: Hormonal changes in the body, such as those that occur during pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause, can also increase the risk of developing BV. These changes can alter the pH balance of the vagina, creating an environment that is more conducive to the growth of harmful bacteria. - Diabetes: Diabetes is a chronic condition that affects the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar levels. Women with diabetes are more likely to develop bacterial vaginosis, as high blood sugar levels can promote the growth of harmful bacteria in the vagina. - Personal Hygiene: Maintaining good personal hygiene is important for vaginal health, but certain practices can increase the risk of BV. For example, wearing tight-fitting clothing, using scented hygiene products, and not changing out of wet clothing promptly can all create an environment that is more conducive to the growth of harmful bacteria. Types Of Bacteria That Can Cause Bacterial Vaginosis Gardnerella vaginalis is a type of anaerobic bacteria that is commonly found in the vaginal area of women with BV. This bacteria is typically harmless, but when it overgrows, it can cause an imbalance in the vaginal microbiome, leading to BV symptoms. Atopobium vaginae is another type of bacteria that has been associated with bacterial vaginosis. This bacteria is also a common inhabitant of the vaginal microbiome, but an overgrowth can lead to an increase in pH, which can trigger BV symptoms. Prevotella spp. is a type of bacteria that is typically found in the mouth, but it can also be present in the vaginal area. This bacteria is associated with an increase in vaginal pH, which can contribute to the development of bacterial vaginosis. Peptostreptococcus spp. is a type of anaerobic bacteria that is commonly found in the vaginal microbiome. While this bacteria is typically harmless, an overgrowth can lead to an increase in vaginal pH, which can contribute to BV. Bacteroides spp. is a type of anaerobic bacteria that is commonly found in the intestinal tract, but it can also be present in the vaginal area. This bacteria is associated with an increase in vaginal pH, which can cause bacterial vaginosis symptoms. Ask Allo SexpertAI 24x7 AI backed chatbot for all your sexual health related queries Mobiluncus spp. is a type of bacteria that is typically found in the vaginal microbiome. An overgrowth of this bacteria can lead to the production of a strong odor, which is a common symptom of bacterial vaginosis. Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis BV can be treated with antibiotics. The most commonly prescribed antibiotic for BV is metronidazole, which can be taken orally or applied topically as a cream or gel. Other antibiotics that may be prescribed include clindamycin or tinidazole. In addition to antibiotics, probiotics may also be helpful in treating BV. Probiotics are live bacteria and yeasts that are beneficial to the body. They can be taken as supplements or found in certain foods, such as yogurt. It is important to complete the full course of antibiotics, even if symptoms improve. Failure to complete the full course of antibiotics can lead to a recurrence of BV. Relationship Between Bacterial Vaginosis and Sexual Health BV is not classified as an STI, but it is related to sexual health. The exact relationship between BV and sexual activity is not fully understood, but research suggests that there may be a link. Studies have shown that women who are sexually active are more likely to develop BV than those who are not. This may be because sexual activity can change the pH balance of the vagina, making it easier for bad bacteria to grow. BV is also more common in women who have multiple sex partners or a new sexual partner. This is because exposure to new bacteria can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina. It is important to note that BV is not always caused by sexual activity. Women who are not sexually active can also develop BV, and there are other factors that can contribute to the development of the condition. BV and STIs While BV is not an STI, having BV can increase your risk of getting an STI. This is because the overgrowth of bad bacteria can make it easier for STIs to take hold in the body. Studies have shown that women with BV are more likely to contract HIV, herpes, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. This is because BV can cause inflammation in the vaginal tissue, making it easier for these infections to enter the body. BV can also increase the risk of transmitting an STI to a sexual partner. This is because the overgrowth of bad bacteria can make it easier for STIs to be transmitted during sexual activity. How Can Bacterial Vaginosis Affect Your Sex Life? BV can have a significant impact on your sex life in several ways: Discomfort during sex BV can cause pain or discomfort during sex. The inflammation and irritation caused by the infection can make sex painful or uncomfortable. This can lead to a decrease in sexual desire or even avoidance of sex altogether. BV can reduce natural lubrication in the vagina, making sex uncomfortable or even painful. This can also increase the risk of vaginal tears or irritation, which can lead to further discomfort. The fishy odor associated with BV can be embarrassing, especially during sexual activity. Women may feel self-conscious and avoid sexual contact because of the odor. Risk of transmission BV can increase the risk of transmitting other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like HIV, herpes, and chlamydia. The inflammation and irritation caused by the infection can make it easier for STIs to spread. How To Minimize The Impact of BV On Your Sex Life? Fortunately, there are steps you can take to minimize the impact of BV on your sex life: - Practice good hygiene: Keeping the vaginal area clean and dry can help prevent BV. Avoid using harsh soaps or douching, as these can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina. - Use protection: Using condoms during sex can help reduce the risk of transmitting BV and other STIs. - See a doctor: If you suspect you have BV, see a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. BV can be treated with antibiotics, which can help alleviate symptoms and reduce the risk of transmission. - Avoid sex during treatment: If you are being treated for BV, it is important to avoid sexual contact until the infection has cleared up. This will help prevent the spread of the infection and reduce the risk of complications. What Doctor Do You Go To? If you suspect that you have bacterial vaginosis, you should see a healthcare provider who specializes in women’s health. Here are the types of doctors you can see: - Obstetrician-Gynecologist (OB-GYN): An obstetrician-gynecologist, or OB-GYN, is a doctor who specializes in women’s reproductive health. They are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions related to the female reproductive system, including bacterial vaginosis. OB-GYNs can perform a pelvic exam and order laboratory tests to confirm the diagnosis of BV. They can prescribe antibiotics to treat the infection and provide recommendations for preventing future infections. - Primary Care Physician (PCP): A primary care physician, or PCP, is a doctor who provides general medical care to patients of all ages. They are trained to diagnose and treat a wide range of conditions, including bacterial vaginosis. If you have a good relationship with your PCP, they can diagnose and treat BV or refer you to a specialist if needed. - Nurse Practitioner (NP) or Physician Assistant (PA): A nurse practitioner, or NP, or physician assistant, or PA, are healthcare providers who can diagnose and treat bacterial vaginosis. They are licensed to prescribe medications and perform minor procedures. If you don’t have a primary care physician or gynecologist, you can see an NP or PA for diagnosis and treatment of BV. Prevention of Bacterial Vaginosis There are several steps women can take to reduce their risk of developing BV, including: - Avoid douching: Douching can disrupt the natural balance of bacteria in the vagina, making it more susceptible to BV. - Practice safe sex: Using condoms during sexual activity can reduce the risk of developing BV. - Limit the number of sexual partners: Having multiple sexual partners increases the risk of developing BV. - Avoid using perfumed products: Perfumed soaps, lotions, and other products can irritate the vagina, making it more susceptible to BV. - Wear cotton underwear: Opt for cotton or underwear made from cotton fabric. Bacteria tend to flourish in damp surroundings, but cotton aids in drawing away moisture You Shouldn’t Be Embarrassed About Having Bacterial Vaginosis - It’s common: Bacterial vaginosis is one of the most common vaginal infections in women of reproductive age. Therefore, it’s important to remember that you are not alone in experiencing this infection. - It’s not a reflection of your hygiene: Contrary to popular belief, bacterial vaginosis is not caused by poor hygiene. It is a bacterial imbalance that can occur in any woman, regardless of how clean she is. Therefore, it’s important to not blame yourself or feel ashamed for something that is not within your control. - It’s easily treatable: Bacterial vaginosis is easily treatable with antibiotics. In most cases, a short course of oral or topical antibiotics can clear up the infection within a few days. Therefore, there is no need to suffer in silence or let the infection go untreated out of embarrassment. - It’s important to seek treatment: Left untreated, bacterial vaginosis can lead to complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which can cause infertility. Therefore, it’s important to seek treatment as soon as possible if you suspect that you have BV. - It’s not a reflection of your sexual behavior: As mentioned earlier, bacterial vaginosis is not a sexually transmitted infection. While certain sexual behaviors can increase the risk of developing BV, such as having multiple partners, it’s important to remember that the infection can occur in women who are not sexually active as well. Frequently Asked Questions - What causes bacterial vaginosis (BV)? Bacterial vaginosis is primarily caused by an imbalance in the natural vaginal microbiome, where certain bacteria overgrow, leading to a disruption in the healthy balance. The exact cause is not always clear, but various factors like sexual activity, douching, and antibiotic use can contribute to its development. - What are the common symptoms of BV? The most typical symptoms of bacterial vaginosis include a strong, fishy odor, often accompanied by a grayish-white vaginal discharge. However, some women with BV may experience no noticeable symptoms. It’s essential to consult a healthcare provider for a proper diagnosis and treatment. - Is bacterial vaginosis a sexually transmitted infection (STI)? No, bacterial vaginosis is not classified as a sexually transmitted infection, although sexual activity can increase the risk of developing BV. It is an imbalance of the vaginal microbiome rather than a direct result of sexual transmission. Nevertheless, women with multiple sexual partners or a new sexual partner may be at a higher risk of developing BV. - How is bacterial vaginosis diagnosed? Diagnosis of BV typically involves a healthcare provider performing a pelvic exam and examining a sample of vaginal discharge. In some cases, they may also use pH or amine tests to confirm the diagnosis. Laboratory tests can help differentiate BV from other vaginal infections. - What are the treatment options for bacterial vaginosis? Bacterial vaginosis is usually treated with antibiotics, most commonly metronidazole or clindamycin. Your healthcare provider will determine the appropriate treatment and dosage. It’s crucial to complete the full course of antibiotics to ensure the infection is completely cleared. Additionally, probiotics and lifestyle changes, such as avoiding douching and using condoms during sexual activity, may help prevent recurrent episodes of BV.
\|Scientific Name:\|\|Axis porcinus\| \|Species Authority:\|\|(Zimmermann, 1780)\| \|Taxonomic Notes:\|\|Current research suggests that Hog Deer should be included within the genus Hyelaphus, together with calamianensis and kuhlii (Meijaard and Groves 2004, Pitra et al. 2004); it is also sometimes listed under Cervus porcinus. Two subspecies are generally recognized, the nominate and A. p. annamiticus (type locality in Viet Nam), although there has been no recent re-evaluation, and the relative historical distributions of these subspecies and nature of contact between them, if any, remain unclear (Maxwell et al. 2007). A new taxonomy of ungulates treats A. annamiticus as a species level taxon based on morphology, thus rendering A. porcinus monotypic (Groves and Grubb 2011). Confirmation of this arrangement using genetic markers is desirable before it is widely accepted.South Asian and Myanmar populations appear to be spotted when young, while those in southern Viet Nam and Kratie, Cambodia, appear to lack spotting when young (Peacock 1933, Clark undated, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008 based on WWF Cambodia unpublished data and specimens in the AMNH; see also Maxwell et al. 2007).\| \|Red List Category & Criteria:\|\|Endangered A2bcd ver 3.1\| \|Assessor(s):\|\|Timmins, R., Duckworth , J.W., Samba Kumar, N., Anwarul Islam, M., Sagar Baral, H., Long, B. & Maxwell, A.\| It is still believed that the most appropriate category for Hog Deer is Endangered A2bcd (past reduction of 50% or greater in three generations, taken here as about 21 years). A detailed assessment of the Red List status of Hog Deer in 2008 convincingly showed that the species had been undergoing a serious and overlooked global decline for decades. Those authors provided the following justification which, with few caveats, is considered to still hold true for the 2014 assessment: it is considered Endangered, through a combination of population trends across its range (see below). Reflecting the ever-increasing proportion of the total native population in well secured protected areas such as Kaziranga, despite an ongoing major reduction in occupancy and number of subpopulations, future declines in the total number of animals (A3 and A4) are unlikely to be at rates in the next three generations sufficient for Endangered. However, without concerted action, within the next decade or two Hog Deer is likely to warrant again listing as Endangered through a different criterion, B2ac (c through episodic flood-caused mass mortality), reflecting the loss of all subpopulations except a handful in protected areas with effective cohesive interventions against poaching and the wealth of other, habitat-related, threats facing Hog Deer. Currently the area of occupancy is far too high for listing as Endangered on this criterion, or even, probably, as Vulnerable. During the mid and later decades of the twentieth century, the global population underwent rapid range-wide reductions, with the almost total loss of Hog Deer from Southeast Asia (when it was widespread and numerous in much of Cambodia, southern Viet Nam, lowland Thailand and probably plains Lao PDR) and massive declines in the Terai Arc Landscape subpopulations consequent upon the conquering of malaria and the influx of people to the area with wholesale habitat conversion and heavy hunting. Unquestionably at this time Hog Deer global population declines were at rates consistent with Endangered listing. By the mid 1980s (i.e., the start of the relevant period for a current A2 listing), subpopulations (at least those large enough to influence the overall global decline rate) had gone from Thailand and Bangladesh and, almost certainly, from Lao PDR, Viet Nam and China. It is likely that many Hog Deer remained in Cambodia, where subpopulations two to three decades ago may well have been in the thousands or even into the low tens of thousands, based on general perceptions of large-mammal abundance and relative wealth of suitable habitat (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008), and Myanmar, where Hog Deer was regarded as a widespread and common species of no conservation concern in the mid 1980s (various people per J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2008). In the interim, the Cambodian population has collapsed. Although there is a dearth of information on current status in Myanmar, there is no reason to assume that such a trend is not also in train there, although it may potentially be somewhat behind Cambodia. In sum, the rate of population decline in the last 21 years in the region comprising Cambodia, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Thailand, China and Bangladesh has exceeded 90%, a continuation of such declines from the 1950s onwards. Populations in India and Nepal - and perhaps Pakistan and Bhutan (no recent information traced) - have not declined at anything like such a rate in the last two decades. Declines in India are likely to have been more like 30–40% over the last 21 years, although this may be an underestimate (N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008); even in high-profile protected areas such as Corbett Tiger Reserve, Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary and Dudhwa Tiger Reserve subpopulations are not secure. Declines have been at least 30% for Nepal (H.S. Baral pers. comm. 2008). The trend in the population in Myanmar and its proportionate contribution to the overall global trend over the last three generations is the chief uncertainty. It was surely numerically large enough to have some influence on the global assessment of decline rate, given the abundance of prime habitat. Coupling the continued conversion of habitat to agriculture, the lack of protected areas specifically for the species (in contrast to those for Eld’s Deer), the uneven success of Eld’s Deer protected areas in conserving the species even with prioritised support and international collaboration, and the lack of awareness over the plight of grassland biodiversity in the country, as typified by current locations of protected areas, it is clear that whatever the surviving population of Hog Deer is in Myanmar, this is largely due to chance. In no other range state has chance resulted in the survival of large subpopulations: there has been almost regional extinction in the countries to the east of Myanmar, and a fast retraction to reasonably well-secured protected areas in the countries to the west. The current reality for Myanmar probably lies somewhere between these two, and, thus, subpopulations have probably declined by 40–60% or even more in the last three generations. Combining these inferred regional decline rates, an overall global decline rate in the last 21 years of 50% is tenable. The Thai ‘wild-living’ subpopulation is re-introduced into artificially created habitats, and has not been used to influence the assessment; although it is within the species' native geographic range, it is possible that it is not the native subspecies. The Sri Lankan and Australian subpopulations, outside the native range, has not been used to influence the assessment (but seems to be declining anyway). Hog Deer has not been listed as threatened prior to 2008. This was probably due in large part to a few large, high-density, South Asian subpopulations that give the appearance of ‘abundance’, but these are exceptional to its true status, of extinction across most of its former range and within much of its present range. This is not fully appreciated even at the present time, despite the analysis of Biswas and Mathur (2000) and subsequent work by Biswas across one of the two main range states (India). In the six years since 2008, new subpopulations were found in Cambodia, but are probably not too small to have much influence on global population trends. However effective protection for any Cambodian subpopulations has failed to materialise, and declines in this short window have probably exceeded 90% driven by unprecedented economic development in Cambodia. The situation in Myanmar appears equally bleak, with similar current trends in exploitation of preferred habitats and weak protection measures, together with a lack of focus on the species (see also the 2014 assessment of Eld's Deer). The situation in India and Nepal appears to be similar to that in 2008. A recent assessment on Northeast India, a major stronghold of the species found large local subpopulations still occur in Assam with sizeable numbers in northers West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh (Choudhury 2013). There is a small but secured subpopulation in Manipur and scattered animals in other states of the region. However in Assam sharp declines have been recorded outside the protected areas such as in Lakhimpur and Dhemaji districts (Chodhury 2007). \|Previously published Red List assessments:\| \|Range Description:\|\|Hog Deer historically occurred from Pakistan, throughout northern and northeastern India, including the Himalayan foothill zone, east across non-Sundaic Southeast Asia and, marginally, southern China (southern Yunnan province), but it is now reduced to isolated subpopulations within this range. It is almost extirpated from east of Myanmar. It is extinct in Thailand (where it has, however, been reintroduced) and almost certainly in Viet Nam and Lao PDR (Humphrey and Bain 1990, Duckworth et al. 1999, Tordoff et al. 2005, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008). Very small numbers have been found recently in Bangladesh and in five areas in Cambodia (Khan 2004, Maxwell et al. 2007, Timmings and Sechrest 2010, Brook et al. 2015). A report on the internet in 2007 from China turned out to refer to a young Sambar (B.P.L. Chan pers. comm. 2012). Hog Deer still probably occurs in at least several areas of Myanmar (J.W. Duckworth in litt. 2008, from various sources), and localised subpopulations survive in northern and northeastern India, Nepal, Bhutan (few recent data) and Pakistan (status uncertain; Biswas and Mathur 2000, Biswas 2004). Hog Deer has been introduced (not mapped) into Australia (specifically the coastal regions of south and east Gippsland; Moore and Mayze 1990), the United States (Texas, Florida and Hawaii; Grubb 2005) and it is presumed introduced into Sri Lanka; however there remains some discussion as to whether the species is native or introduced into Sri Lanka (Vishvanath et al. 2014) so the species is retained here as non-native until definitive information is received.\| Native:Bangladesh; Bhutan; Cambodia; India; Nepal; Pakistan Possibly extinct:China; Lao People's Democratic Republic; Myanmar; Viet Nam Introduced:Australia; Sri Lanka; United States \|Range Map:\|\|Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.\| Hog Deer is confined to isolated riverine grasslands along the Indus valley and its upper tributaries, mostly in the Indus River forest reserves of Sind Province, with small subpopulations around the Indus mouth and to the north of Sukkur (Roberts 1977). The species was listed for the protected areas of Chashma Lake Wildlife Sanctuary, Head Islam/Chak Kotora Game Reserve (greatly reduced in number), Lal Suhanra National Park (reintroduced), Taunsa Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary, and possibly Rasool Barrage Wildlife Sanctuary (WCMC 1992), but no information more recent than Whale (1996) has been traced. Hog Deer is found mainly in the Terai grasslands along the Himalayan foothills and the flood-plains of the Rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra, from Punjab in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east (Tandon 1989, Johnsingh et al. 2004, Biswas 2004). Johnsingh et al. (2004), who made extensive surveys of the Terai Arc Landscape of India (for Tiger, Panthera tigris, and various prey species), considered that Dudhwa Tiger Reserve is excellent habitat for Hog Deer; that there was a reasonable subpopulation in Pilhibit Forest Division, particularly the Lagga Bagga forest block (now within a Tiger reserve; B. Long pers. comm. 2008); that Kishanpur Wildife Sanctuary (203 km2), with one of the few remnants of Terai habitat in India, supported considerable numbers, and that Katarniaghat Wildife Division also held Hog Deer. Assessments conducted specifically for Hog Deer by Biswas et al. (2002; see also Biswas 2004) for India surmised that populations remained in 29–34 areas, with significant numbers only in the following: Arunachal Pradesh: 100–200 in D’ering, and 20–50 in Namdapha; Assam: 20–50 in Dibrusaikhowa, over 1,000 in Kaziranga (but see below), over 1,000 in Manas, 20–50 in Nameiri, 200–500 in Orang, 20–50 in Kobuchapori, 20–50 in Burachapori, and 20–50 in Sunai Rupa; Bihar: 100–200 in Valmiki; Uttrakand (= Uttaranchal): 200–500 in Corbett Tiger Reserve (but see below); Uttar Pradesh: 1,000–2,000 in Dudhwa, 20–50 in Katarniaghat, 100–200 in Kishanpur, and 20–50 in North Kheri Forest Division; and West Bengal: 100–200 in Gorumara and a population at Jaldapara. Their estimate for Pilhibit Forest Division was zero, contra Johnsingh et al. (2004). Biswas’s study also considered that Hog Deer had been lost from 35 historically known localities, and suggested it was ‘endangered’, with citations given for alarming decline even prior to the mid 1970s (Biswas 2004). The figures were not derived from rigorous sampling and some will surely need revision. Particularly, it is certain that there are over 10,000 Hog Deer in Kaziranga, with a best estimate of 14,000–16,000, at ecological densities of 38.6 (with SE 3.45) animals per km2 (Karanth and Nicholls 2000, N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008); and in Corbett Tiger Reserve, only about 100 were reported in 2008 by Bivash Pandav (pers. comm. 2008) and while the actual number is unclear, densities are now very low, even in prime habitat (K.M. Chinnappa and Praveen per N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008), and a rapid decline is in place (A. Kumar pers. comm. 2008). Dudhwa Tiger Reserve also faces a suite of conservation problems meaning that population status of Hog Deer there is unlikely to be as healthy as in Kaziranga: poaching is rampant, and the creeper Tiliacora acuminata is proliferating across Hog Deer habitat (Kumar et al. 2002, Johnsingh et al. 2004, N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008). At Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, where Biswas (1999) studied ecology of Hog Deer in the 1990s, sightings, and presumably populations, have now drastically declined (A.J.T. Johnsingh pers. comm. 2008). Hog Deer is now primarily restricted to protected areas (A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2006), but south of Rajaji National Park there are a few isolated groups along the river (perhaps totalling about 100 animals); these are outside protected areas (B. Pandav pers. comm. 2008). All such subpopulations outside protected areas are in very rapid decline (N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008). The presence of this species in Manipur and southern Assam (close to Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura) is based on records in Biswas et al. (2002); its current status there is unknown. All groups in these areas were estimated to be very small, and should not be assumed to persist. The more recent assessment by Choudhury (2013) indicated the following numbers in some key northeastern Indian reserves: Kaziranga (c. 10,000; marginal decline owing to high floods), Manas (c. 1,500; marginal increase since near extirpation in the 1989-1992 period), RG Orang (c. 500; all in Assam); Jaldapara (250+; marginal increase in recent years owing to improved protection, in Arunachal Pradesh); and Keibul Lamjao (c. 100) (in Manipur). Hog Deer has disappeared from the Sundarbans (Salter 1984) and has not been reported from the Sylhet District, in the northeast, since the 1970s (Khan 2004). After a long period with no records, an animal was trapped by local people in 2002 (Khan 2004). Further surveys suggested that a few Hog Deer remained in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of the southeast (Khan 2004, Md Anwarul Islam pers. comm. 2008). Camera trapping and observational surveys during 2010-2011 in Chittagong Hill Tracts did not detect Hog Deer, however the surveys did not cover the low hills and degraded forest areas in which the species would most likely be expected to occur (S. Chakma per.comm. 2014). There is a small captive population derived from native animals (Md Anwarul Islam pers. comm. 2008). Within historic times, Hog Deer was never widespread in the country and pressure was on it from at least the 1970s (Md Anwarul Islam pers. comm. 2008). Hog Deer is locally abundant in the Terai, but is now restricted largely, if not entirely, to protected areas (P. Yonzon pers. comm. 2006, H.S. Baral pers. comm. 2008). Although subpopulations may currently be relatively stable, declines in the past 20–30 years are likely to have exceeded 30% (H.S. Baral pers. comm. 2008). Measured densities range from 0.1 per km2 in riverine forest, to 16.5 per km2 in savanna, and 35 per km2 in grassland flood-plains (Seidensticker 1976, Dhungel and O’Gara 1991). In Bardia National Park, densities of 77.3 animals per km2 in the floodplain association and 5.8 animals per km2 in the riverine association (and zero in Sal forest) were measured (Odden et al. 2005). The species occurs in the following protected areas: Parsa Wildlife Reserve (with a very small subpopulation), Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Bardia National Park, Chitwan National Park, and Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve (Hem Sagar Baral pers. comm. 2008). Each of Suklaphanta, Bardia and Chitwan supports hundreds of Hog Deer. As of 2014, there has been no significant change in the population since 2008 (H.S. Baral pers. comm. 2014). The small Bhutan subpopulation is found mostly along the southern foothills and small plains along the rivers. Animals have been observed in three protected areas along its border with Assam India, these are Phipsoo, Royal Manas and Khaling. The number of individuals in Royal Manas National Park could be greater than 150, with the grassland around the Gabhorukunda river as the main stronghold (A. Choudhury, pers. comm 2014). It has also been recorder from Mochu Wildlife Reserve. Hog Deer historically was recorded in southwest parts of Gengma and Cangyuan counties of Western Yunnan bordering Myanmar, and has recently been stated to be extinct in the country (Ohtaishi and Gao 1990, Smith and Xie Yan 2008). Hog Deer has long been known in Myanmar (e.g., Evans 1902) and occurred throughout the country wherever there were grassy plains (Peacock 1933). For the 2008 assessment detailed information on Hog Deer's current range or population status in Myanmar has not been traced. It was already in major decline by the time Peacock (1933) wrote. It was listed only for three protected areas by WCMC (1992): Pidaung, Kahilu, and Hlawga Wildlife Reserves. Of these, the Hlawga subpopulation of many dozen (in 2007) is a semi-captive, managed herd: the entire area, of several square kilometres, is fenced; however, it may be ‘native’ in that the founders were reputedly from animals captured locally during the 1980s (Saw Htoo Tha Po verbally 2007 to J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2008)., but these have been added to over the years (T. Zaw pers. comm. 2014). As of 2014, there were still small numbers at Hlawga, but they appeared to be decreasing because of new management at the park and possibly hunting (T. Zaw pers. comm. 2014). The Pidaung Wildlife Sanctuary was set aside in 1918 to protect an unusual mix of evergreen forest and savanna-like ecosystems (Milton et al. 1964), and Hog Deer used to be very numerous within it (Peacock 1933); at this time it was the only site in the country where Hog Deer received a measure of protection. Today, the presence of permanent human settlements, roads and railway lines, plantations of sugar cane, military camps and permanent cultivation have completely altered large portions of the sanctuary, and an insignificant area of the original ecosystem remains (Rao et al. 2002). These land-uses are concentrated in the plains parts of the sanctuary, where Hog Deer used to live, and have converted so absolutely these areas that it is not obvious to someone driving along the road when the protected area is entered or exited (J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2008, based on visits in 2005-2006). People and dogs are ubiquitous and it seems implausible that any Hog Deer could survive here (J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2008, based on visits in 2005–2006). However park staff believe that a few animals still persist there (T. Zaw pers. comm. 2014). In 2010 and 2011 Hog Deer was confirmed by camera-trapping from Hukaung Valley in Kachin state (T. Zaw pers. comm. 2014), following on from reports from hunters' and conservation staff between 2005-2007 (J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2008). At the turn of the century suitable habitat was very extensive in the Hukaung Valley, but as of 2014 review of remote imagery suggests that there has been massive loss of riparian grasslands to make way for agriculture and other anthropogenic land uses (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). Hog deer are still present in a fairly large area of floodplain grasslands including areas along the Tanai (Upper Chindwin), Tawan and Mogaung streams. Much of the grasslands where hog deer area known are outside of the Wildlife Sanctuary but as awareness of the species is increasing, it appears they occur further inside the Wildlife Sanctuary than previously thought (R. Tizard pers. comm. 2014). An FFI survey team recorded Hog Deer in the grasslands between the boundary of Indawgyi WS and the forest in 2012 (T. Zaw pers. comm. 2014). Several government staff indicated in 2005-2007 that the species is still locally common in lowland Myanmar (J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2008). Pidaung was seen as a flagship protected area (it was one of the country’s first), and its current status does not augur well for the few other protected areas which contain suitable Hog Deer habitat. Extensive camera-trapping for a Tiger survey found no evidence of the species (Lynam 2003), but this may simply have reflected the focus of the survey on closed evergreen forests (habitats unsuitable for Hog Deer), as various other species known to be common but not using closed evergreen forest were also camera-trapped rarely if at all (T. Zaw et al. 2008). The species was formerly abundant in the Chao Phraya Basin during the early 20th century, but had become extinct there by the mid-1960s (Humphrey and Bain 1990). There was formerly a huge export trade, for example 20,000 skins went out of the Gulf of Siam (it is not stated whether this was from Thailand, Cambodia, or both) in 1930–1931 (Dumas 1944). There was a plea for conservation attention to the species in Thailand in Lekagul and McNeely (1977), but this seems to have come too late. Animals reportedly from Thailand and possibly Myanmar have been used to build up numerous managed herds in captive and semi-wild conditions across the country, although the origins of the managed herds remain uncertain. Such animals were introduced into Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary and Propagation Station in northern Thailand in the early 1990s, at a higher elevation than is typical for the natural range of the species; this herd lives in open grassland around the edge of a reservoir (A. Pattanavibool pers. comm. 2006, R. Steinmetz pers. comm. 2006). There is also an apparently large introduced subpopulation on the island of Ko Chang in the Gulf of Siam. Hog Deer is probably extinct in Lao PDR and its past status is difficult to assess: there are few, if any, specimens held in international collections from the country, and there were no records (except of old trophies) during extensive surveys across the country in the 1990s (Duckworth et al. 1999). However, Osgood (1932) specifically cautioned that it was much under-represented in zoological collections, despite it being locally common in Indochina. The extent to which this statement includes Lao PDR is unknown. All potentially suitable habitat patches are now small in size and are heavily used by local people, hunting pressure in Lao PDR is high, and it is inconceivable in the great majority of areas that any Hog Deer could still persist (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008, 2014). Hog Deer is thought to be extinct in Viet Nam, having previously occurred in some large subpopulations in suitable habitat (e.g. Clark undated) and apparently having been widespread in the south according to reports in Ratajszczak (1991). This reflects the rapidity with which suitable habitat has been lost and the heavy hunting pressure on large mammals throughout much of Viet Nam (Tordoff et al. 2005, Timmins and Duckworth 2000). If the species still occurs in Viet Nam, it is most likely to be along the Kon river in Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserve, the western Srepok river lowlands of Dak Lak Province, the Sa Tay area of Kon Tum and Gia Lai Provinces, the Dong Nai river lowlands and Lam Dong Province (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008). However, there is no recent evidence other than unconfirmed reports, and a trophy which may be of Hog Deer from the Kon Cha Rang NR area. Other evidence, notably high hunting rates of ungulates in general, suggest that even very small numbers are unlikely to survive (Dang Huy Huynh 1986, Tordoff et al. 2005, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2006, 2014). Hog Deer used to be abundant on the vast marshy plains of Cambodia, such as around Sre Ambel, in the province of Kratie, around Kompong Som, and around Kampot; in the drier regions of much of the north it was not common (Dumas 1944). Increased wildlife surveys from 1994 onwards failed to find Hog Deer anywhere in Cambodia until it was re-found in Kratie in 2006, following concerns it might already be extinct (Tordoff et al. 2005, Maxwell et al. 2007). A few animals, probably in the low dozens, remain scattered in small groups in remnant areas of floodplain grasslands and other vegetation in Kratie Province (Maxwell et al. 2007, Bezuijen et al. 2008.). In 2008 the species was detected in grasslands and remained widespread (Timmins and Sechrest 2010). Potential habitat in the southwest was much greater in extent than in the Kratie floodplains suggesting that a much larger subpopulation of deer remained there at least at the turn of the century (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014) and the species was recorded from three additional sites in 2013 during focused surveys for the species (Brook et al. 2015). Since 2008 however there has been no effective protection of any of the known subpopulations or of other areas of habitat with good potential for persistence; and coastal areas have in the intervening six years seen high rates of conversion especially to plantation agriculture and forestry (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). All remaining subpopulations are likely to be small, possibly isolated from each other, and subject to hunting (Brook et al. 2015). Sri Lanka (probably introduced) Hog Deer is restricted to largely cultivated landscapes within a 35 km2 area, between Ambalangoda and Indurawa on the southwest coast, and inland as far as Elpitiya (McCarthy and Dissanayake 1992, 1994). It does not occur in any protected area. Hog Deer is thought to have been introduced to Sri Lanka by the Dutch or the Portuguese in the 16th century, or possibly by a Sinhalese ruler in the pre-colonial period or the British later on; suggestions that it is native are doubted because of the absence of records across central and southern India (Biswas and Mathur 2000). Vishvanath et al. (2014) recommend genetic studies to further clarify the status of Sri Lanka's Hog Deer subpopulation. All extant subpopulations of Hog Deer are on the South Coast of Victoria. There are two managed subpopulations at reserves on Sunday Island and at Blond Bay. Additionally, there are scattered groups on private land between Wilson's Promontory and Orbost. These subpopulations derive from releases made in 1865 (Scroggie et al. 2012). \|Current Population Trend:\|\|Decreasing\| \|Habitat and Ecology:\|\|Hog Deer is usually reported from habitat consisting of wet or moist tall grasslands, often associated with medium- to large-sized rivers (Bhowmik et al. 1999, Biswas and Mathur 2000, Biswas 2004), and appears to reach its highest densities in floodplain grasslands (Seidensticker 1976, Dhungel and O’Gara 1991, Karanth and Nichols 2000, Odden et al. 2005). It avoids closed-canopy forest, but will use coastal grasslands (e.g., Peacock 1933). Johnsingh et al. (2004) considered Hog Deer to be an obligate grassland species in the Terai Arc Landscape of India, and studies in India and Nepal have shown a preference for grasslands dominated by Imperata cylindrica (Biswas 2004 and references therein). Similar alluvial floodplain grassland seems to be used in Thailand and Indochina (Maxwell et al. 2007, Clark undated, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2006). In Bardia National Park, measured densities were much higher in the floodplain association than in the riverine association, and no Hog Deer was found in adjacent Sal Shorea robusta forest at all (Odden et al. 2005). In the hilly areas of northeastern India, it occurs in small grassy areas, light woodland and abandoned juhms with grass (Choudhury 2013, A. Choudhury pers. comm 2014). The highest elevation where it has been recorder was 1,500 m asl in Nagaland (Choudhury 2013). These seem to be marginal habitats supporting only low-density subpopulations (A.U. Choudhury pers. comm. 2006): they may historically have been primarily ‘sink’ subpopulations. The remnant population in Bangladesh is located in grassy, lightly wooded, hill country (Khan 2004). In the southwestern coastal lowlands of Cambodia, where apparently the species was once common (Dumas 1944), the species appears to use an open habitat mosaic including brackish Eleocharis sedge marshes and ‘upland’ tall Imperata cylindrica grasslands, and areas of scrubby open secondary woodland interspersed with ‘dry’ short stature grasslands; cane-grass floodplain grasslands are essentially absent in this region (Timmins and Sechres 2010, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). The reintroduced semi-wild subpopulations in Thailand occupy a variety of habitats for which there is no evidence of use by wild subpopulations in Thailand, Lao PDR, Viet Nam or Cambodia. One of the few detailed historical accounts of an abundant subpopulation in Southeast Asia was from extensive tall floodplain grasslands in the Dong Nai catchment, Viet Nam (Clark undated). Hog Deer is a primarily a grazer of young grasses, particularly Imperata cylindrica and Saccharum spp.; it also takes herbs, flowers, fruits and browse (young leaves and shoots of shrubs; Bhowmik et al. 1999, Dhungel and O’Gara 1991, Bisawas 2004, Wegge et al. 2006). It is much more a grazer and less a browser than is the Sambar Rusa unicolor. Animals occur in scrub and cinnamon gardens in Sri Lanka, where they cause considerable damage to home crops (McCarthy and Dissanayake 1992).\| Where undisturbed, Hog Deer tend to be crepuscular, with significant day-time activity and some at night, especially in the hot and wet seasons (Dhungel and O’Gara 1991). In some areas it seems to have become more nocturnal and solitary (e.g., Cambodia; R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008), presumably through hunting pressure. The main social group is a female and fawn. When more Hog Deer are together, they do not form a strong "unit", fleeing when flushed in different directions rather than as one. In Chitwan, aggregations of up to 20 animals have been observed feeding on new shoots following fire (Dhungel and O’Gara 1991). In Kaziranga, aggregations of 40–80 animals are frequently seen on grazing grounds created by Great Indian Rhinoceros Rhinoceros unicornis and/or short grasslands near large water bodies (N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008, based on observations in 1996). Home ranges vary widely in size, but average about five to 70 ha, depending on how the range is defined (Dhungel and O’Gara 1991, Odden et al. 2005). In Chitwan, Hog Deer is essentially sedentary (Dhungel and O’Gara 1991), but in cultivated landscapes (Sri Lanka) movements are reported to be influenced by agricultural seasons (McCarthy and Dissanayake 1992). Hog Deer moves into higher-lying grasslands in response to monsoon flooding in India, Myanmar and presumably throughout their range (Peacock 1933, Q. Qureshi pers. comm. 1995). The rut is during September–October in Nepal and India and (presumably based on captives) during September–February in China. One to two fawns are born during April–May in Nepal and during April–October in China. Gestation period is 220–230 days (Dhungel and O’Gara 1991, Sheng and Ohtaishi 1993). Fawns wean at six months, reaching sexual maturity at eight to 12 months. The maximum recorded life span is 20 years. \|Generation Length (years):\|\|7\| \|Use and Trade:\|\|Hog Deer is hunted in various parts of its range. It is hunted for its meat (bushmeat trade), traditional medicinal products and for trophy antlers. It is also possible that hunting could be stimulated by demand for captive animals.\| Hog Deer is threatened by hunting and by habitat loss and degradation; much prime Hog Deer habitat had probably been converted well before the 20th century (e.g., Peacock 1933). The balance between these threats and their current severity varies somewhat between ‘South Asia’ (here comprising India, Nepal, presumably Bhutan and perhaps Pakistan) and ‘Southeast Asia’ (here comprising China, Viet Nam, Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand and Bangladesh). In 2008 it was considered that there was insufficient information to judge for Myammar into which group it would fit however as of 2014 it is now clear that trends in habitats clearance, hunting pressure and conservation management in Myanmar are very similar to ‘Southeast Asia’ especially Cambodia. Sri Lanka and Australia are considered outside the native range so not covered in detail here. In the Mekong countries of Lao PDR, Cambodia, Thailand, Viet Nam and also probably China and Bangladesh, hunting has been, and remains, the primary direct threat to the species. In addition to local consumption of meat, the main factor presently driving such hunting is the thriving and probably increasing national, regional and East Asian markets trade in bushmeat, abetted by markets for traditional medicinal products derived from deer species and for trophy antlers (Tordoff et al. 2005, Maxwell et al. 2007). It is also possible that hunting could be stimulated by demand for captive animals, especially from zoos and menageries in Thailand and Cambodia (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008), although as of 2014 this is almost certainly insignificant (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). The species is apparently easy to hunt compared with other sympatric deer (e.g. Peacock 1933, Dumas 1944), and fawns are likely to be very vulnerable to dogs which almost always accompany human parties during excursions, however, brief, outside farm and residential land, even if these are not for hunting (Tordoff et al. 2005, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008). Hunting itself has been greatly augmented by habitat loss: the vast majority of tall floodplain grasslands have been lost in the region due to the suitability of such habitat for human settlement and agriculture, and only very small patches remain. This huge extent of habitat loss probably occurred largely after Hog Deer had been hunted down to negligible numbers (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008). The coastal lowland open habitat mosaic of southwestern Cambodia in contrast remained extensive and relatively little changed even in 2008, however development pressure in the area has increased enormously in the intervening years, with considerable developments of agricultural and agroforestry plantations (Timmins and Sechrest 2010, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). Given these threats, which are ongoing, Hog Deer is one of the most threatened large mammals in Indochina (Timmins and Duckworth 2000, Tordoff et al. 2005, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2008). The most significant challenge to conserving the species there is the uncertainty involved with long term protected area-based conservation management. As of the end of 2014 there are still no specific conservation measures for the species in Cambodia; none of the known subpopulations occur substantially within a protected area and given hunting pressure and trends in habitat loss, these subpopulations are highly likely to be extirpated in the short to medium term (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). Even in South Asia, where many protected areas are effective in conserving populations of large ungulates, Hog Deer declined precipitously in the 20th century through habitat loss and hunting. It is still in decline even within some protected areas (e.g. Bhowmik 2002; see below). In India, habitat loss to cultivation has greatly reduced the area available to Hog Deer, and has continued to do so outside protected areas even in recent decades (N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008). Johnsingh et al. (2004) stated that high levels of malaria had previously discouraged settlement, agriculture, and thus habitat conversion in the Terai Arc Landscape, and that the conquering of malaria has made the Indian side of the Terai Arc Landscape "one of the most densely populated regions of [India, with a] population growing at a much higher rate than the rest of [India]. Most of the fertile Terai plains have been taken over by agriculture". Johnsingh et al. (2004) stated that controlling disturbance to Lagga Bagga forest block in Pilibhit Forest Division (now within a tiger reserve; B. Long pers. comm. 2008) is a huge challenge: many people rely on it for firewood, thatch grass and fodder, and that intensive protection and participatory management with these people are required to restore the area. Such a threat profile is typical of areas supporting Hog Deer. Outside protected areas, some Hog Deer remain in woodland areas where densities are very low, and although animals do appear to breed in such situations, it is unclear in the absence of adjacent high-density river plains populations how viable such woodland populations will be in the long term (A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2006). Protected areas are encroached for cultivation and even more so for livestock grazing, which is surely increasing pressure on Hog Deer along with many other species. As a grazing species, Hog Deer numbers are likely to be severely depressed by competition with domestic livestock (by analogy with other wild ruminants, as detailed by Madhusudan 2004), although no data were traced on this. Domestic stock are ubiquitous in all areas outside the protected area network and even occur in many within it, specifically at least: Chitwan; Orang; Jaldapara; and Gorumara (Johnsingh et al. 2004, R.H. Emslie pers. comm., B.N. Talukdar pers. comm., S.S. Bist pers. comm.). Most subpopulations in India are under severe threat from hunting (N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008), although the largest subpopulation of the species, in Kaziranga, has been secured from this threat for many years. Poaching occurs in protected areas throughout the Indian range, especially in north Bengal, and can be associated with other human uses of protected areas perceived to be more legitimate, such as grazing camps (Biswas 2004). Many old skulls of Hog Deer were found across Arunachal Pradesh and Assam during the survey of Biswas et al. (2002). On average two to three skulls were recorded from most houses in villages randomly visited during the survey in Arunachal Pradesh. Regularly, shots were heard and machans (tree-houses made for poaching) were found during the surveys in Nameri National Park, Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary and Namdapha Tiger Reserve. According to questionnaire, 52% of responses reported high incidence of Hog Deer hunting in neighbouring areas. Hunting was reported as the primary reason for the sudden decline of the Hog Deer population from north Bengal since 1877. Biswas et al. (2002) detailed evidence of Hog Deer hunting during the survey and past records from the district of Cooch Behar (West Bengal) back to the 18th century. Even today, in high-profile areas such a Corbett Tiger Reserve and Rajaji National Park, there are still instances of deer poaching, and poaching has seriously depleted abundance of large mammals in most of the Terai Arc Landscape. Some poaching is driven by a desire to seek adventure, the thrill of shikar and wild meat, some by crushing poverty of daily wage labourers and others, some to take advantage of the business opportunity of supplying a lucrative trade. Poaching is done with dogs, snares, spears and guns (Johnsingh et al. 2004). Outside protected areas in India, enforcement of anti-hunting regulations is patchy and, unless there is effective specific intervention, all Hog Deer subpopulations in such areas will become extirpated in the near future from hunting (A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2006, N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008). Hog Deer avidly eats rice and so in the past was “destroyed ruthlessly on such grounds” (Peacock 1933). It seems unlikely that killing Hog Deer solely for reduction of crop damage is nowadays a reason for population decline, although it may be a convenient excuse to kill deer. Most serious is that the predilection of Hog Deer to eat rice is likely to bring them into closer contact with people and therefore to increase easy opportunities for hunting. In Kratie, Cambodia, Hog Deer occur near, and seasonally forage in, rice fields, especially in the early rainy season. People set traps for wild pigs Sus species, which are more abundant than Hog Deer, and the traps sometimes kill Hog Deer. The local people now are reportedly refraining from using indiscriminate traps in the Hog Deer area, but such cooperation is unlikely to continue forever, because crop predation by pigs is really a problem (A. Maxwell pers. comm. 2008). In today’s highly fragmented subpopulations which have limited dispersal possibility, flooding may take heavy tolls, especially in the Brahmaputra flood plain (Q. Qureshi pers. comm. 1995). In Kaziranga National Park, where the largest subpopulation of this species is found, flooding is likely to be a major threat: in 1998 the flood reduced the subpopulation to less than half its pre-flood number (A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2006). High floods both lead to drowning as animals are washed away also falling victim to road kill (A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2014). The situation is similar in Nepal where Hog Deer appears to be especially vulnerable because of the short-grass habitats it usually uses during flood season, and in protected area like Koshi Tappu, flooding probably causes wide fluctuations in population numbers (H.S. Baral pers. comm. 2008). Hog Deer subpopulations appear to rebound quickly even from heavy losses, but the fragmentation and increasing isolation of subpopulations into small areas, sometimes with no linkage to suitable higher ground, makes periodic losses from flooding a high risk for future site-level extinctions. Flooding is also a danger because, except in areas of effective anti-poaching activity, by marooning Hog Deer on little patches of high ground it makes them more easy to hunt (Peacock 1933). A further threat also reflects the colossal habitat fragmentation in recent centuries. Prime Hog Deer habitats are naturally dynamic, and on a living floodplain new areas of grasslands are constantly created through natural processes to replace those changing through natural succession to woody vegetation; creation occurs through traumatic change of floodplain stream and land layout during spates (Dinerstein 1979, Lehmkuhl 1994, Peet et al. 1999). This is incompatible with farming and other human land-uses, which seek a predictable landscape. Hence, within Hog Deer range, there are very few active natural floodplains in which pre-exploitation processes shape the landscape in this way. Thus, the grasslands which are the prime habitat of Hog Deer generally require active management. In some protected areas grasslands are being lost by succession of wooded habitats, for example Chitwan (A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2006) and Bardia (Odden et al. 2005). By contrast, annual burning in Kaziranga, while maintaining a grass habitat, has rapidly changed the grassland structure and composition and how this change affects Hog Deer subpopulations is not known (S. Deb Roy pers. comm. 1996). In Nepal there is also succession of different grassland types and in particular Imperata cylindrica grasslands, which Hog Deer appears to favour at certain times of the year (Biswas 2004), are being replaced by larger cane grasses (H. S. Baral pers. comm. 2008). Locally, conservation management of grasslands to benefit rhinoceroses, for instance in Jaldapara, might negatively affect Hog Deer (Biswas 2004 and references within). The invasive creeper Mikania sp. threatens Hog Deer’s favoured grasslands both within and outside protected areas, and after flooding and poaching is possibly the next most serious threat to the species in Nepal (H.S. Baral pers. comm. 2008). In combination with invasion by Chromolaena odorata (=Eupatorium odoratum), heavy livestock grazing pressure and invasion of some grasslands by Acacia catechu and Dalbergia sissou, the grassland area in Chitwan has been reduced from 20% to 4.7% of the national park (R.H. Emslie pers. comm.). Mikania sp. are also carpeting large areas of non-forest habitats in the Hukaung Valley, Myanmar (J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2008). Lantana camara is also displacing native plants widely, and in Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, the creeper Tiliacora acuminata is proliferating across Hog Deer habitat (Kumar et al. 2002, Johnsingh et al. 2004, N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008). In Assam an invasive Mimosa sp. threatens the habitat in sites like Kaziranga and Orang National Parks, whereas in Manas National Park an invasive Lea sp. has become a major threat to the grassland habitat of the hog deer (B. Talukdar pers. comm. 2008). Floodplain grasslands are strongly affected in their pace of natural succession by water flows and levels, and seasonal patterns in them. Hydropower development changes these parameters and thus threatens habitat, including a project under consideration across the Mekong which would affect the sole known subpopulation of A. p. annamiticus (that in Cambodia), and another across the Karnali river which would modify habitats in Bardia, Nepal (Odden et al. 2005). There have been proposals to dam the Brahmaputra River in Arunachal Pradesh, and should this happen, this could very negatively affect the habitat quality and Hog Deer carrying capacity of major parks like Kaziranga in future (by preventing or reducing the pulse of nutrients brought in by regular large floods, as well as changes in water levels and flows). In Jaldapara Sanctuary, the River Torsa no longer overflows as a result of massive flood-control structures. As a result the water table in the sanctuary is receding and the natural water-bodies and wallow-pools are slowly drying up (S.S. Bist pers. comm.). Disease epidemics spreading from domestic livestock presumably pose a threat, especially given the close overlap of Hog Deer and domestic livestock in South Asia, the high densities especially of the latter, and the small and localised nature of Hog Deer subpopulations. In Sri Lanka the continued survival of the introduced subpopulations depends on controlling hunting and maintaining traditional agricultural land use practices. The land is too intensively cultivated for the establishment of protected areas within the range of the species. Threats in the rest of the introduced range are not reviewed here. Hog Deer is fully protected in Bangladesh, India, and probably most or all other range states. One subspecies is listed on CITES Appendix I as Axis porcinus annamiticus. Wetlands, especially floodplain grasslands, have traditionally been ignored by the protected area systems and other conservation initiatives of Lao PDR, Viet Nam and Cambodia (Tordoff et al. 2005, R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2006). Most of the area supporting the single known subpopulation in Cambodia has been proposed for protected area status, but the situation is complicated by the inclusion of agricultural lands and traditional use areas of local people, and the high human population immediately nearby (Maxwell et al. 2007, Bezuijen et al. 2008); as of 2014 no protected status has been granted to this area (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). As soon as the subpopulation was found, a small conservation programme with external funding from WWF was started to support a small number of forestry rangers and local guardians to carry out patrolling and community outreach activities, in addition to basic research. These measures ceased due to a combination of factors including lack of funding and motivation in part brought on by the failure to establish the site as as protected area in c. 2008 (R.J. Timmins pers. comm 2014), but may be re-established by WWF with the Forestry Administration (Brook et al. 2015). Probably the bulk of the southwest Cambodian subpopulation lies outside of protected areas, although there was marginal inclusion within one protected area Botum Sakor National Park and the proposed Southwest Elephant Corridor, with confirmed occurrence near to the Dong Peng Multiple Use Area. However, in all of these areas deer are in peripheral areas, while conservation attention, is focused on extensive forest at their heart (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). In 2013 a national action plan was developed for the conservation of Hog Deer in Indochina. The plan recommends securing the Kratie subpopulation and one of the Southwest subpopulations (Andoung Teuk) thourgh establishing anti-poaching patrols, engaging local communities in the conservation oh Hog Deer, stabilizing land-use and formalizing protection for the sites. It also recommends the establishment of a conservation breeding programme for the species from ideally to other known small and isolated subpopulations in the Southwest (Forestry Administration, 2014). The plan has not yet been approved by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. To ensure protection and survival of animals, consideration should be given as to whether it would be useful for part of the areas to be strategically fenced to help deter poaching, agricultural encroachment and predation by dogs; but this would need to consider seasonal movements. There are few areas in Viet Nam where suitable habitat is thought to remain, but if reasonable extents of alluvial grassland survive in the following areas surveys for Hog Deer may be warranted: Cat Tien National Park, the Kon river in the Kon Cha Rang Nature Reserve area, and the Sa Tay area of Kon Tum and Gia Lai Provinces; although given the high hunting pressure in Viet Nam it is becoming very unlikely that any animals could still survive (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). Cat Tien National Park retains significant areas of alluvial grasslands, and could potentially in the future become a site for reintroduction, however park management appears to be to some extent ignorant of the importance of these grasslands with ongoing schemes to re-establish forest and a fire management policy that is probably leading to woody encroachment of grasslands (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014, based on a visit in December 2013). It is not certain what conservation measures are in place (if any) for the rediscovered subpopulation in Bangladesh. There has been no comprehensive assessment of Hog Deer in Myanmar, but it probably exists mostly in unprotected plains grassland areas which, as in the Mekong countries, are conventionally seen as of low conservation value (Peacock 1933, J.W. Duckworth pers. comm. 2006). In 2010 an 11,000 km2 extension of the Hukaung valley was established. Hog Deer were camera-trapped in three localities in the grasslands along the Tawang River; one in the core area and the other two on the edge of the core area and the extension. In the last two years (since 2012) this area has seen the development of human settlements and agricultural expansion (Than Zaw pers. comm.) resulting in considerable loss of grassland habitat (R.J. Timmins pers. comm. 2014). A clarification of the status of Hog Deer in Myanmar is urgent: there may yet remain areas supporting animals which have high conservation potential if they do not disappear before being known to conservation. This lack of conservation profile is the chief challenge to Hog Deer in Myanmar at the moment, as it was in Peacock’s (1933) day: “the butchery of these little deer and the failure to provide more than one small sanctuary for their preservation is certainly one of the weak spots in Myanmar game legislation...the existing legislation is singularly ineffective in preventing their wholesale destruction. Moreover, there are few forest reserves which are suitable for the Hog Deer, and the legislation concerned with such forests is little more than a gesture”. If not met head-on, there are no grounds to assume that Hog Deer national conservation status will not replicate that shown by all range states to the east (major population collapse), if indeed it has not already done so. Most Hog Deer subpopulations remaining in India, Nepal and Bhutan are in protected areas where animals are at least somewhat, and in some cases well, protected from poaching (Biswas et al. 2002, Biswas 2004, Johnsingh et al. 2004, Pralad Yonzon pers. comm. 2006, H. S. Baral pers. comm. 2008, A. Choudhury pers. comm. 2006, N.S. Kumar pers. comm. 2008). Wildlife protection laws in India have also helped in retaining the specialized habitat of Hog Deer, arresting habitat loss and habitat conversion in some protected areas. Johnsingh et al. (2004) found a strong correlation with Hog Deer subpopulations and protected areas in the Terai Arc Landscape of India (similar to that for Barasingha Rucervus duvaucelii), in contrast to other deer which occur relatively widely outside protected areas. Some protected areas are not big enough to allow adequate ranging during heavy flood periods, and thus prevent heavy mortality during such periods, and all suffer from being too small to be allowed unfettered habitat succession, because new grasslands are not now being created by natural processes elsewhere (see Habitat and ecology). In India and Nepal, Hog Deer has benefited from conservation measures taken for Great Indian Rhinoceros and Barasingha in the same wet grassland habitats (Q. Qureshi pers. comm. 1995, Biswas 2004). However, grassland management for rhinoceros may in some cases be deleterious to Hog Deer (Biswas 2004). In South Asia there is an urgent need to update the status review of Biswas and Mathur (2000), even though some large Hog Deer subpopulations inhabit some of the best-secured protected areas in the world. Even assuming that these protected areas continue to receive sufficient material and political support, such a review is necessary because all subpopulations face uncertain futures from a multitude of factors, some of which originate outside protected areas and beyond the zone of influence of protected area managers. The review needs to determine roughly the numbers remaining and the locations of all sizeable or potentially sizeable subpopulations, and especially for each make assessments of current and likely future conservation status and population trends, bearing in mind threats from poaching, agricultural encroachment, livestock grazing, natural habitat succession, perverse habitat management, invasive plant species, the risk of disease epidemics from domestic livestock, changes to water levels and flows (e.g. from upstream dams), further fragmentation of subpopulations and habitats, episodic mortality through flooding and abiotic risks such as insurgency (which can collapse protected area management, although it does not always do so). Confinement of subpopulations to small habitat patches isolated from other such patches raises the intrinsic threat of subpopulation loss significantly when considering the wide gamut of threats facing such subpopulations (Biswas and Singh 2002, Biswas 2004), and in some sites challenges may be so pervasive that long-term retention of Hog Deer subpopulations may be so difficult as to be an inefficient use of resources. An integrated South Asia-wide conservation plan may be the best route to direct resources to a representative set of areas where long-term persistence of large Hog Deer subpopulations can be assured provided sufficient resources are mobilised and deployed in the appropriate way. By contrast, in Southeast Asia, any subpopulation found east of central Thailand (i.e. within the historical range of A. p. annamiticus, the western limit of which is not clear) warrants immediate attention. It is plausible that the recently found small and fragile subpopulation in Cambodia is the last stock of this taxon. The isolated small subpopulations in Bangladesh, although presumably of the nominate race, warrant priority protection in maintaining the ancestral geographic and habitat range of Hog Deer. Species-specific intervention in Myanmar should probably, given the great challenges in the country (and, specifically, the uneven success to date with Eld’s Deer Rucervus eldii conservation), be fitted within larger initiatives such as conservation of the Hukaung Valley, probably the largest floodplain in tropical Asia retaining largely natural ecological processes of stream geography and habitat dynamics. In Sri Lanka, where the species is restricted to privately-owned gardens, its survival depends on the goodwill of the landowners. The conservation value of this introduced subpopulation needs re-evaluation, considering approximate size, recent trend, ecological integrity and any genetic uniqueness, balanced against the likely cost of conservation interventions to secure the subpopulation’s future. Needs of other introduced subpopulations are not considered here. There is a large total of animals in zoos of tropical Asia. Although at least one Mekong animal appeared in a zoo recently (in Cambodia in the mid 1990s, C.M. Poole pers. comm. 1998), so far as is known, all captive herds are derived from subpopulations from Thailand and Myanmar and further west. Reintroduction of animals in the range of the nominate, should it be needed, thus has many options. There is no captive buffer for A. p. annamiticus. \|Citation:\|\|Timmins, R., Duckworth , J.W., Samba Kumar, N., Anwarul Islam, M., Sagar Baral, H., Long, B. & Maxwell, A. 2015. Axis porcinus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2015: e.T41784A22157664.Downloaded on 25 August 2016.\| \|Feedback:\|\|If you see any errors or have any questions or suggestions on what is shown on this page, please provide us with feedback so that we can correct or extend the information provided\|
Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Issues in the Asia-Pacific Region This report aims to fill a need for the latest thinking on climate change adaptation (CCA) in the Asia-Pacific region, thus the members of the Asia Pacific Adaptation Network (APAN)* produced this report titled Emerging Climate Change Adaptation Issues in the Asia-Pacific Region to address pertinent and relevant issues in the region and sub-regions. This report aims to raising awareness and building the capacity of policymakers to deal with CCA. APAN is a regional network for managing and applying adaptation knowledge in the Asia- Pacific region and supports governments and other organisations working on adaptation, with emphases on knowledge management and capacity building. APAN operates through its regional hub in Bangkok and through its sub-regional and thematic nodes located in Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and the Pacific. For the publication, each APAN node identified challenges, gaps and recent trends in CCA in their region. They have highlighted emerging priority issues at the national and sub-regional levels in addition to major developments, the latest policies and strategies, new institutional support frameworks and analysis of key studies within APAN. The nodes have provided practical examples of mainstreaming adaptation into national development in each sub-region. The chapters of this report address aspect of planning climate adaptation projects, seeking and mobilising funds and implementing adaptations APAN sub-region or within climate sensitive sectors. New terminologies and trends in climate change policy and strategy development are described along with the strengths and weaknesses of the institutional frameworks underpinning project implementation. The research undertaken has aimed to keep track of recent concepts and relevant issues in the region and factor in the latest scientific consensus from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Emerging and priority issues in climate adaptation are highlighted at the national and sub-regional levels and across different thematic areas. Each chapter contains examples of good practices and case studies in the use of technologies and tools to deal with CCA. The chapters also provide general recommendations and possible future actions that are relevant to all Asia-Pacific countries. The APAN nodes have gained valuable knowledge in carrying out their work. As CCA will be an essential pillar within the future climate regime and United Nations sustainable development agenda, the lessons drawn from their work offer valuable insight for others. The new agreement (currently being negotiated for adoption in 2015) will shape the approach to adaptation under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change beyond 2020. Within the Copenhagen and Cancun agreements, developed countries pledged $30 billion in climate finance from 2010 through 2012 (the “fast start” period) and agreed to mobilise $100 billion a year in public and private finance for developing countries by 2020. Many opportunities lie ahead for APAN members to strengthen their institutions and play a part in implementing actions in the region.
\|Observation data (J2000.0 [[Epoch (astronomy)Template:!epoch]])\| \|Right ascension\|\|17h 53.9m\| \|Distance\|\|0.8 kly (245 Pc)\| \|Apparent magnitude (V)\|\|3.3\| \|Apparent dimensions (V)\|\|80.0′\| \|Other designations\|\|NGC 6475, Ptolemy Cluster\| \|See also: Open cluster, List of open clusters\| The cluster is easily detectable with the naked eye, close to the "stinger" of Scorpius. It has been known since antiquity; it was first recorded by the 1st century astronomer Ptolemy, who described it as a nebula in 130 AD. Giovanni Batista Hodierna observed it before 1654 and counted 30 stars in it. Charles Messier catalogued the cluster in 1764 and subsequently included it in his list of comet-like objects as 'M7'. Telescopic observations of the cluster reveal about 80 stars within a field of view of 1.3° across. At the cluster's estimated distance of 800-1000 light years this corresponds to an actual diameter of 18-25 light years. The age of the cluster is around 220 million years while the brightest star is of magnitude 5.6. ar:مسييه 7 zh-min-nan:Messier 7 be:Аб'ект Месье M7ca:Cúmul de Ptolemeu cs:Messier 7 co:M7eo:M7 fa:مسیه ۷ fr:M7 (astronomie) ko:프톨레마이오스 성단 hr:Messier 7 it:M7 (astronomia) lt:Mesjė 7 hu:Messier 7 nl:Ptolemaeuscluster ja:M7ru:Скопление Птолемея sk:Hviezdokopa Škorpióní chvost fi:Messier 7 sv:Messier 7 tr:Messier 7zh:托勒密星團
A Chinese family sifts through a Jiangsu landfill (Picture Credit: Sheila) In April 2017, China’s Central Leading Group for Comprehensively Deepening Reforms approved a plan to prohibit the import of garbage. The plan set out a timeline, a detailed account of the steps to take, and identified the ministries responsible for implementation. On the very same day, China issued a notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO), asserting their urgent need to “adjust the imported solid wastes list, and forbid the import of solid wastes that are highly polluted,” for the sake of “China’s environmental interests and people’s health.” The fact that the plan was issued by such a high-level agency is unusual, but it sends a clear message of urgency and resolution from the central government. According to a report by China Daily, China imported about 56% of the world’s solid waste in 2016 to supply the country’s need of productive resources since the 1980s. The proposed reforms set out to change that, replacing solid waste imports with domestic resources by the end of 2019. After years of rising regulations and increasing inspection efforts, this policy is a drastic step forward. But why is China cracking down on these lucrative imports? U.S. industry insiders argue that China’s motives are as much about economics as about domestic environmental issues. By banning waste imports, China is hoping to improve the quality of imported recyclables, which will have the effect of reducing sorting costs while also reducing the amount of waste that ends up in Chinese landfills. Unsurprisingly, the ban has prompted some strong reactions internationally, especially from developed countries that export large quantities of waste to China. Media outlets and industry leaders worldwide have weighed in, many expressing a sense of panic and claiming that the ban will leave exporting countries on the brink of a “waste crisis.” Optimists suggest that this is “a chance to slash waste” and move toward a new recycling era, while China’s news media is simply stating that other countries will “have to adapt,” and begin to take responsibility for disposing of their own waste. This hard talk comes after decades of silence from the Chinese government. The responsibility for waste recycling has long been neglected by the central and local governments, and in the absence of an effective system led by local authorities, migrant laborers and migrant entrepreneurs have picked up the slack. Today, much of the recyclable waste in China’s major cities is sorted, processed, transported, and traded by migrant laborers in an informal waste recycling economy that operates successfully yet with a serious lack of oversight or supporting infrastructure. The work these migrants do is valuable and necessary, but they have long been looked down upon and discriminated against. Until recently, the Chinese government was content to let this system remain the status quo, however, when the recent “low-end population” crisis forced many migrants out of the waste and recycling sectors, a vacuum was created that desperately needed to be filled as rubbish started to pile up near cities. In Beijing alone, migrant-run recycling reduced residential waste by at least 40% based on our fieldwork. Many live in suburban villages and thus were subject to the push-out by the local government following a fire in a migrant community in 2017. Too often, policy makers think of environmental and social problems as independent issues. China’s waste ban exposes an intricate nexus of social, economic, and environmental issues on multiple geographical scales, and yet for optimists, it offers an opportunity for more innovative solutions. As I argued in a previous op-ed for China-US Focus, the “low-end” or “dirty” sectors — the “undesirable” spaces that city planners want to eliminate — are not the culprit in China’s urban, social or environmental challenges. The increasingly affluent and consumerist, yet highly unequal, cities and a lack of effort in promoting public awareness and incentivizing interest in recycling are more culpable. Similarly, the trash ban will help partially relieve the Chinese state from the headaches of mounting trash and environmental concerns temporarily, while also forcing Hong Kong to reconsider its entrepot role in the trash crisis. A long-term solution that benefits China and other countries would have to hinge on an understanding of the city as a potentially fair environment in which all groups can claim their social, economic, and environmental rights. It is imperative that the interests of those whose work has been largely ignored be fully recognized and integrated into China’s future urban plan. And, there are practices elsewhere in the world wherein the integration of informal recycling into a more efficient recycling system, while offering both employment opportunities for the poor and benefits to all, are feasible. As China enters the next urbanization stage, failure to address these social and environmental issues in an integrated manner risks persistent social divides and environmental injustice.
Special thanx to Sytse Wierenga! We have plotted brainwave activity into a knitted pattern. Using a wearable, non-invasive EEG headset, we recorded users’ affective states while listening to Bach’s “Goldberg Variations”, concretely the aria and its first seven variations. The audio was about 10 minutes long and we downsampled each second of the signal coming from the 14 channels of the EEG device. Three main features were measured: relaxation, excitement, and cognitive load. After recording, those features were converted into a knitting pattern. Hence, every stitch of a pattern corresponds to a unique brain state stimulated by the act of listening. It means the user’s affective response to music is captured every second and memorised in the knitted garment pattern. Why have we used music? Because music is one of the most powerful mood inducers, provoking immediate affective reactions that can be deduced by looking at human physiology, as in the case of brain cortical activity. These affective states, that are implicit to every human being, can be measured through EEG technology. By applying this technique, we were able to create unique patterns coming from unique humans traits. It other words, personalized, implicit knitting with context and message. Concerning the selected music, the first case study uses Bach’s Goldberg Variations as a stimuli for the users. After the statement of an aria at the beginning of the piece, there are thirty variations, from which we took the first seven. The variations do not follow the melody of the aria, but rather use its bass line and chord progression. The EEG correlate of relaxation, engagement and cognitive load was recorded while the users were listening to the musical pieces. This information was later sent to the Knitic framework to create a bicolor pattern for knitting. The knitted garments picture the listener’s affective and cognitive states during the experiment. It is a way of making tangible the implicit the states of users and visualizing them in an original way as a large and personal data footprint. Neuro Knitting represents a novel way of personal, generative design and fabrication. An approach that brings together affective computing and digital crafts. And thus, it offers new applications and creative thinking to both areas. More photos about the whole process here>> This project is a collaboration between artist-duo Varvara Guljajeva(http://varvarag.info) and Mar Canet(http://mcanet.info) and MTG researcher Sebastian Mealla (http://mealla.net/). Sebastian Mealla is a PhD candidate whose research focuses on the possible uses of brain and body signals for multimodal interaction. Sebastian Mealla has brought his expertise on physiological computing to this project. Varvara Guljajeva and Mar Canet are the developers a open hardware knitting machine Knitic allowing creative use of digital knitting technology. Together they had brainstorm this art project to demonstrate art and science collaboration. The project is a perfect example for art and science collaboration.
Archive for March, 2012 Storm water is extremely polluted and can carry many harmful products and bacteria. When it rains, pollution from the air is brought down to earth as it catches on to the rain drops as they fall to the ground. Stormwater filters will treat the water so that it is not harmful to people or the environment. Filters are also important so toxins do not run off into our local ponds and rivers. Many residents still like to drink water from the faucet. When rain falls, it lands all over the place including the lake or well that users get their water supply from. Stormwater filters need to be in place and working to ensure homeowners do not get ill or in some cases die from toxins contained in the water. It is imperative that the city has stormwater filters where needed to improve the quality of life of its residents. Another reason why stormwater filters are essential is because heavily contaminated bodies of water will result in death of fish and other valuable food sources. Many farmers use the local lake or large body of water to irrigate their crop. Water that is heavily contaminated will not result in a good harvest. Water is used for virtually everything humans consume and therefore needs to be kept as clean as possible. Storm water that is not soaked up by the environment or avoids the sewers will form runoffs that become more and more polluted as time passes. This contaminated water will eventually evaporate or more than likely enter the sewers. Stormwater filters are necessary to purify the water so it is safe when it finds its way into lakes and homes. Many people die each year from water contamination and the use of stormwater filters all over would bring this number down significantly. It is imperative that cities take the necessary precautions to proper their rivers and streams. The water that falls from the air is contaminated and needs to be taken care of with the help of stormwater filters before it is consumed by humans. Having a clean and healthy water system will keep the people of your town happy. Cities can be held responsible if their water does not meet the standard and a mass amount of people become sick because of it. Filter the storm water to ensure happy residents and safe living conditions.
Zones of Regulation At Altrincham CE Primary School, we recognise the importance of promoting positive mental health and emotional wellbeing to our students and their families. We aim to create an open culture around the discussion of mental health and wellbeing and to empower our children to be able to regulate their emotions. By implementing the Zones of Regulation curriculum we aim to teach our pupils to identify emotions in themselves and others and provide them with bank of strategies to help regulate their emotions and improve their wellbeing. The Zones of Regulation is a range of activities to help your child develop skills in the area of self-regulation. Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self-management and impulse control. It is defined as the best state of alertness of both the body and emotions for the specific situation. For example, when your child plays in a basketball game, it is beneficial to have a higher state of alertness. However, that same state would not be appropriate in the library. The Zones of Regulation is a curriculum based around the use of four colours to help children self-identify how they’re feeling and categorise it based on colour. The curriculum also helps children better understand their emotions, sensory needs and thinking patterns. The children learn different strategies to cope and manage their emotions based on which colour zone they’re in. Additionally, the Zones of Regulation helps children to recognise their own triggers, learn to read facial expressions, develop problem-solving skills, and become more attuned to how their actions affect other people. There is progression across the curriculum with children in Early Years learning to identify different emotions to children in Upper Key Stage 2 discussing how our behaviour can impact upon the feelings of those around us. The Four Zones lease read our guide to the Zones of Regulation at the bottom of the page. If you have any questions, please ask your child's class teacher. Useful resources and information are also available at the bottom of the page. Using the Zones of Regulation At Home Talk through the zones with your child. Ask them how they would feel in each zone? - Discuss what emotion they feel in each zone e.g. in the yellow zone I may feel worried - How they physically feel e.g. in yellow zone I may have butterflies in my stomach or have sweaty palms (if feeling anxious). - Then discuss what might they be doing- what be their actions e.g. in yellow zone would they be pacing around, snapping at others, fidgeting? - Then discuss how to help them move into the Green zone e.g. if I was in the Yellow zone and feeling anxious I might find completing some stretches or breathing techniques helps me get back into the green zone. - Create a list of strategies that work for the child- Remind the child that we are all unique and the strategies that work for one person might not help them so they need to think about what would help them. Remind them that we will experience all zones and there are no good or bad zones- however our success in regulating our emotions depends on us recognising our emotion, understanding it and putting a support strategy in place.
Children who live with both their biological parents have higher “life satisfaction”, and eating an evening meal together as a family is important, a major study has said. The findings come from the Understanding Society study, a major survey which has questioned around 14,000 households. The study found that: “not living with both natural parents has a greater negative impact on a young person’s life satisfaction than their material situation”. The study said “life satisfaction is higher for those living with both their biological parents”. It also reported that, “children who eat an evening meal with their family at least three times a week are substantially more likely to report being completely happy with their family situation than children who never eat with their family, or who eat together less than three times a week”. According to the research, sixty per cent of young people say they are “completely satisfied” with their family situation, but children in lone-parent families were less likely to report themselves “completely happy” with their situation. The study found that, “after controlling for a range of characteristics, cohabiting people are significantly less happy in their relationships than married people”. Noting the importance of sleep, the report said that “married people report the best sleep, while the divorced/separated are most likely to report more problematic sleep”. The Understanding Society study is a major piece of research which, over the coming years, will offer an insight into 40,000 UK households.
The Flowering of Civil Law: Early Italian City Statutes in the Yale Law Library Crasciana (Italy). Statuta, decreta, et ordinameta communis et hominum Crascane (manuscript, Crasciana, 1519-1576). Acquired with the John A. Hoober Fund, May 1946. (View Crasciana on a map.) This manuscript is from Crasciana, a small village outside Lucca in Tuscany, and displays many interesting features. The first half was written by the notary Franco Inporino in 1519, and is followed by additions from at least eight other notaries up to the late 1570s. In some cases these notaries have added or emended statutes, in others they have simply certified that the laws were still in force. The pages presented here were written by “Andrea Paullecti, public notary and citizen of Lucca” in 1527. On the left are two laws pertaining to the keeping of pigs within the commune’s boundaries, and on the right is a statute concerning the penalties assessed for illegally harvesting timber on public land. BENJAMIN YOUSEY-HINDES & MIKE WIDENER “The Flowering of Civil Law: Early Italian City Statutes in the Yale Law Library” is on display October 2008 through February 2009 in the Rare Book Exhibition Gallery, Level L2, Lillian Goldman Law Library, Yale Law School.
What if we empower and embolden our learners to ask the questions they need to ask by improving the way we communicate and assess? Great teachers lead us just far enough down a path so we can challenge for ourselves. They provide us just enough insight so we can work toward a solution that makes us, makes me want to jump up and shout out the solution to the world, makes me want to step to the next higher level. Great teachers somehow make us want to ask the questions that they want us to answer, overcome the challenge that they, because they are our teacher, believe we need to overcome. (Lichtman, 20 pag.) On Monday, April 7, 2014, Jennifer Wilson (@jwilson828) and Jill Gough (@jgough) presented at the National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics Conference in New Orleans. Jill started with a personal story (you’re letting her shoot…) about actionable feedback and then gave the quick 4-minute Ignite talk on the foundational ideas supporting the Leading Learners to Level Up philosophy. Our hope was that many of our 130 participants would help us ideate to craft leveled learning progressions for implementing the Common Core State Standards Mathematical Practices. Jennifer prompted participants to consider how we might building understanding and confidence with I can make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. After giving time for each participant to think, she prompted them to collaborate to describe how to coach learners to reach this target. Jennifer shared our idea of how we might help learners grow in this practice. I can find a second or third solution and describe how the pathways to these solutions relate. I can make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. I can ask questions to clarify the problem, and I can keep working when things aren’t going well and try again. I can show at least one attempt to investigate or solve the task. Participants then went right to work writing an essential learning – Level 3 – I can… statement and the learning progression around this essential learning. Artifacts of this work are captured on the #LL2LU Flickr page. Here are the additional resources we shared: - Learning from Leveling, Self-Assessment, and Formative Assessment This blog post from Jill has the negative exponents Algebra I example with student work. - Unit 7: Right Triangles – Student Reflections This blog post from Jennifer shares a learning progression on right triangles, connections to CCSS Math Practices, and reflections from learners. - Feedback a la positivity – examples This blog post shows three examples of I like…because, I wonder…, and What if… feedback to learners. How might we coach our learners into asking more questions? Not just any question – targeted questions. What if we coach and develop the skill of questioning self-talk? Interrogative self-talk, the researchers say, “may inspire thoughts about autonomous or intrinsically motivated reasons to purse a goal.” As ample research has demonstrated, people are more likely to act, and to perform well, when the motivations come from intrinsic choices rather than from extrinsic pressures. Declarative self-talk risks bypassing one’s motivations. Questioning self-talk elicits the reasons for doing something and reminds people that many of those reasons come from within. (Pink, 103 pag.) [Cross-posted on Easing the Hurry Syndrome] Lichtman, Grant, and Sunzi. The Falconer: What We Wish We Had Learned in School. New York: IUniverse, 2008. Print. Pink, Daniel H. To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth about Moving Others. New York: Riverhead, 2012. Print.
Baby’s Development – 4 Month Old Milestones 13. 4. 2021 4. 10. 2023 This month, the baby is making the biggest progress. Baby gets acquainted with the environment and establishes closer contact with it. Baby shows his needs and desires and people around are beginning to understand the baby better. Go to 5th Month >> Baby’s Motor Skills Develop The Most: - The baby masters the movements of the head well. - When lying on back, baby can turn head on both sides and tilt it and look up. IMPORTANT: Be carefull about head tilts – do not put objects behind the baby’s head, but to the sides. - Lying on stomach, the baby learns to reach for the wanted objects that sees. Baby can already maintain the weight of the head and chest, even if support themself by only one hand. Baby can use the second hand to manipulate and reach for objects to help with strengthening the back and neck muscles. - Between 3rd and 4th months of life, the baby can turn from the back to the side and gradually to the belly. If the child does not want to turn on side, we can help by training the grip of the toy through the center of the body. This means that we transfer the toy from the left side to the right and at the same time hold the baby’s right hand so the more distant toy must take the baby in his left hand. Development Of Sensory Perception Eye coordination – the hands are already developed so the child can manipulate the objects that see, and at the same time baby is already beginning to distinguish between faces and facial expressions. The baby is smiling more and more. The main emotional expression of the child is a happy mood, loud laughter and the beginnings of imitation of speech. Baby hardly cries at all, constantly engaged in something and observes the world around with interest. The baby can distinguish between familiar and unknown people. How To Support The Baby’s Development One of the ways to support the baby‘s development in this month of life is infant swimming. Being in the water reminds children of the environment and safety in their mother’s tummy. Gentle rocking motion evokes a feeling of calm and security. The goal of this early swimming is to cultivate and maintain the baby’s positive attitude towards the aquatic environment. The form of playing in water supports the development of the baby’s motor skills and strengthens his immune system. Water Games With Baby Games in the water can be played with the baby at home in the bath too. However, it is very important to follow certain rules. Let’s check them out: - Fill the bath with fresh water. - We measure the water temperature it should be between 32–34 ° C. - Some children like colder water, it is individual, so it is possible to change the child’s water, if the situation allows. - Between the ages of 3rd and 6th month it is recommended to leave the baby in the water for about 20 to 40 minutes. - We enable the baby to stay undisturbed in the water by leaving the opportunity to focus on the feelings and stimuli that the aquatic environment offers. - A suitable water activity is also the joint swimming of the parent and the baby. - It is absolutely essential that we are always within reach of the baby during the bath. - It is not recommended to use any water preparations (bath oils, foams, etc.). - Also, unless otherwise directed by your doctor, limit the use of soap and care creams. - There is no need to reheat the air in the room. TIP N.1: The environment in which the baby “swims” should be completely calm, without disturbing influences such as bright light, loud sounds, sudden changes in temperature, etc. 3 Tips Developing The Baby’s Motor Skills 1. Tickling babies This activity must be performed gently and carefully. Baby may react very violently and the feet and hands may move feverishly. Excessive stimulation can cause agitation and crying of the baby. 2. Just beyond the reach When baby is lying face down, place favorite toys just out of reach. If baby can already turn from one side to the other, baby will try to reach the toys. 3. Walk talk Walk around the room as you talking. This activitie is suitable when the baby can already sit in a stable position (but never let the baby sit for a long time). The baby may sit with one of the parents while the other is walking around the room talking to the baby. This forces the baby to turn the head, which improves muscle control as well as whole body coordination and balance. Rules And Boundaries In Baby’s 4th month we also start with rules and setting boundaries. You already have to think about what is allowed and what is not. For example: “Do not put small objects in your mouth.” Never completely ensure that small objects do not get to the baby’s mouth. That’s why it’s very important that – when you see that the baby wants to put a small object in mouth – say “no” in a calm but firm voice and take the object from his hands. You need to realize that you will have to repeat this “NO” and many more over and over again, over and over again. In the period between 4. – 6. month baby starts talking. There is an increasing need for babies to “talk” and make sounds. When you feel that you are having a dialogue with your baby. It is necessary to take breaks when talking to with the baby, as if you were talking to an adult. Your child will increasingly “respond” to you during these breaks. Speech (soothing words) and tone of voice have the power to calm the baby. You can talk to your baby about the things you see around you, show him different sounds, read from books – show pictures at the same time. The baby’s vision is constantly improving. In the 4th month of life, baby can observe the movement of objects with one eye. The second eyelet seems to wander – it is a natural phenomenon that gradually adjusts. Toys Suitable For 4th Month Old Baby - plastic fairy folder, - children’s songs, - sound toys, - motivational pads with various pictures, - shapes that make sounds, - wooden blocks, - differently sized containers - fitting into each other (inserts), - bath toys, - household items (wooden spoons, pots), - papers, cardboard, - small soft ball TIP N.2: For all this toys check out these article Toys for the little ones – there you will find specific links where to buy toys suitable for baby‘s development Final Tip: Already 4-Month Milestones? Keep track with Annie Baby Monitor! Congratulations, your baby has reached the amazing 4-month milestone! With the help of the Annie Baby Monitor, you can make sure not to miss any of those special moments. Annie Baby Monitor goes beyond monitoring; it’s a memory keeper. Capture those precious moments and store them in Annie’s baby tracker. Explore our article on how to make the most of Annie Baby Monitor. Don’t miss the chance to create lasting memories. Get your Annie Baby Monitor.
SMTP represents Simple Mail Transfer Protocol. SMTP is widely utilized for e-mail transmissions across Internet Protocol (IP) networks. The SMTP protocol started out purely ASCII text-based, it did not deal well with binary files or characters in many non-English languages. Because of this, standards such as Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions (MIME) were developed to encode binary files for transfer through SMTP. In healthcare, the MIME standard Continuity of Care Document (CCD) The HL7 CCD is the result of a collaborative effort between the Health Level Seven and American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) to “harmonize” the data format between ASTM’s Continuity of Care Record (CCR)... documents can be treated as a MIME package in an SMTP e-mail. To make the SMTP e-mail secure, a secure version of MIME, called S/MIME, can be utilized. S/MIME along with certificates can be combined with SMTP to keep patient health information safe. The The Direct Project was launched by the ONC within Health and Human Services (HHS) on March 1, 2010. It was initially called NHIN Direct. The object of the Direct Project is to replace the use of faxes, phones, and paper transactions with a simple and... provides the specifications for accomplishing this.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt warned that young people will need to change their names to avoid their internet past. Schmidt claims that the personal lives of young people are so thoroughly documented on social networks like Twitter and Facebook that it will be necessary for them to change their names to hide from their online history. Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal that people do not understand the consequences of having everything they do online recorded all the time by internet sites. He also said that he believes that people will be allowed to change their names to avoid embarrassing information and pictures posted on their friends’ social network profiles. [ Side observation: Searchable facial recognition software will make changing your name and identity a moot point, short of changing your physical appearance. Ironically, Google has invested heavily in facial recognition technology as well. ] Schmidt also predicted that at some point Google will know so much about people that the search engine will be able to help users plan their lives. Google will be able to use people’s profiles along with location-based tracking via smart phones and online activities to keep users informed about their surroundings and daily tasks. Google wants to personalize and automate search to the point where it can predict what people need to find out about before they even think to search for it. Schmidt ventured into Aldous Huxley-style Brave New World territory by saying: “I actually think most people don’t want Google to answer their questions. They want Google to tell them what they should be doing next.” Google will know who you are, what your interests are and who your friends are and use this personal data to make suggestions for you. This isn’t the first time Google’s CEO has made controversial statements on amount of personal data it collects on people through the internet. Last year, he stated: “If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place.” Remember, these are only his public comments on the subject and probably represent just the tip of the iceberg of what Google’s future search plans involve. Interesting stuff, indeed. [ Source: Telegraph.co.uk ]
Invasion of the Land by Tetrapods. Crossopterygians - Lobe-Finned Fishes. Crossopterygians first arose in the Lower Devonian (360-408 mya) and became the dominant freshwater predators during the Late Paleozoic. Crossopterygians - Lobe-Finned Fishes • Crossopterygians first arose in the Lower Devonian (360-408 mya) and became the dominant freshwater predators during the Late Paleozoic. • They diversified during the Middle Devonian into several major groups, of which only one group, the Actinistia (coelacanths) survived the great Permian (245-286 mya) extinction. Reconstruction of Eusthenopteron, a Late Devonian relative Coelocanths • The fossil record of the coelacanths extend into the Cretaceous, but a modern survivor, Latimeria chalumnae, was discovered in 1938. Coelacanth(Latimeria sp.) Lungfishes • Lungfishes first appeared about 400 million years ago and quickly underwent a period of rapid evolution during the Devonian often referred to as the "dipnoan renaissance." The Lungfish Neoceratodus forsteri Classification of and Phylogeny of the Sarcopterigii • Traditional classification places the Crossopterygians and lungfishes into two separate subclasses (Crossopterygii and Dipnoi), but some members of the Crossopterygii appear to be more closely related to lungfishes than to other crossopterygians. • If transitional forms were absent from the fossil record, then perhaps evidence could be collected elsewhere Importance of the Devonian Droughts • One conspicuous feature of Late Devonian geology was the prevalence of red sediments in Europe and North America • In 1916, Joseph Barrell argued that these oxidized sediments were evidence of a harsh landscape subject to severe droughts. • He also argued that this severe climate was a major driving force in the evolution of air-breathing vertebrates, including tetrapods. • In the 1950s, Alfred Sherwood Romer proposed that tetrapods evolved from crossopterygian lobe-finned fishes driven onto the land by drought. • As one pool or stream dried out, the fishes ventured onto the parched earth in search of other bodies of water. • Over time, natural selection would, over time, favor those fishes with more efficient terrestrial locomotion (i.e., with more leg-like limbs). • In other words, tetrapods evolved from fish out of water. Ichthyostega • Preliminary reports on the anatomy of Ichthyostegaduring the 1950s reinforced Romer's scenario. • Ichthyostega was a relatively large (1.5 m or 4 ft) early tetrapod with a stout body. • This Late Devonian tetrapod apparently had well-developed limbs similar to those of some Carboniferous amphibians, but it also had a fish-like tail. • It was seen as a fully terrestrial tetrapod, but one almost certainly dependent on water for its aquatic young - perhaps an evolutionary consequence of Romer's drought refugees. More on Ichthyostega • Although it was originally considered to be the transitional form between fishes and Carboniferous amphibians, its skull possesses several Primitive, fish-like features, whereas those of other early tetrapods (i.e., Acanthostega and Ventastega) were generally more derived. • Skeletal differences between Acanthostega and Ichthyostega suggest they had rather different life habits. • While Acanthostega was probably exclusively aquatic, Ichthyostega may have hauled itself onto the shore. • The forelegs may have been weight-bearing, but the forearms were unable to extend fully. • Clack has speculated that Ichthyostega hauled itself onto land by moving its forelegs in parallel while dragging its hindquarters. Acanthostega ("Fishes With Legs") • Perhaps the most important findings to alter our understanding of tetrapods evolution followed the discovery and analysis of Acanthostega in the late 1980s and early 1990s. • A skull roof of this tetrapod was first discovered by Gunar Save-Soederberg and Erik Jarvik in 1933, but the significance of this animal was not realized until after additional material was recovered by Jenny Clack in 1987. • Together with Michael Coates, Clack realized that this animal was clearly a tetrapod, but that it was a poor excuse for a land animal. Acanthostega cont. • Its legs were ill-suited to support its weight and the wrists were absent. • Yet, it sported well developed digits (fingers and toes). • Surprisingly, the forelimbs possessed eight digits rather than the anticipated five digits, while the hindlimbs possessed seven. The radius and ulna, the bones of the forearm are different lengths, and are thinner at the wrist than at the elbow. This means they would have been very poor at supporting the animal on land, and were not adapted to give enough range of movement for a good walking action. The implication of this is that limbs may have first evolved in creatures like Acanthostega, not for locomotion on land, but for use in water. Tetrapods adapted for walking on land need to have hips which are firmly attached to the spine, to support the animal against gravity. The hips of Acanthostega however, show no traces of the attachment of strong ligaments or the fused group of ribs called the sacrum, which give a rigid attachment in terrestrial tetrapods. Acanthostega posesses eight toes on each foot, which caused a sensation because all other tetrapods have five or less, and so it had been assumed that five was the maximum for any tetrapod. Acanthostega cont. • Additional features from the spine, ribs, pelvis and tail corroborated the notion that Acanthostega would not be able to support itself on land. The tail is a powerful swimming organ, flexible along its length for side-to-side movement. In addition, rod shaped bones in the tailfin, could move cross-wise to the tail in sequence, to produce waves along the length of the fin, like a knife-fish. This allowed the fin itself to give propulsion by lengthways movement, independent of the side-to-side movement of the whole tail. The large fin area was well stiffened by bony rays. The powerful nature of the tail for underwater propulsion, suggests that Acanthostega was an aquatic creature. Acanthostega cont. • Since it was essentially contemporaneous with the apparently more terrestrial Ichthyostega, it is possible that Acanthostega may have secondarily lost the skeletal features needed for life on land. • This possibility, however, is undermined by the presence of internal fish-like gills. (Note: It also breathed with its lungs.) Acanthostega possessed fishlike gill bars. These bones inside the rear of the head support the gill filaments of fish. The prescence of gills shows that Acanthostega lived in water, not on land. Fish evolution adapted one pair of the gill bars into a supportive brace for the rear of the skull. This was capable of picking up noise vibration through the water and thus it has a second purpose - an underwater ear. As early tetrapods moved onto the land they adapted this and other gill bones further to pick up sounds through air, and they were metemorphosed over time to become the middle ear bones of mammalian tetrapods like ourselves. In Acanthostega this supportive brace is still an underwater ear, indicating that it had an aquatic lifestyle and again suggesting that its ancestry was purely aquatic. A Time for Re-evaluation? • Acanthostega, with its four limbs, pelvic girdle and assorted other features, was clearly a tetrapod, but its lineage probably never left the water. • The unexpected characteristics of Acanthostega have led to reinterpretations of Ichthyostega by Per Ahlberg, Jennifer Clack and Michael Coates. • They found an animal that was less adept to life on land than the one depicted by Erik Jarvik, but they also found one that was probably less aquatic than Acanthostega. • Ichthyostega's forelimbs were more robust than those of Acanthostega and were probably able to lift the front half of the body. • However, its hindlimbs were relatively small and probably functioned more like paddles than legs. • Like Acanthastega, it had seven digits on its hindlimbs, but it lacked evidence of internal fish-like gills. Information from Additional Fossils • The remains of the other Late Devonian tetrapods are considerably less complete than those of Acanthostega and Ichthyostega. • However, the shoulders of Tulerpeton and Hynerpeton suggest that these two tetrapods were more adept on land than Ichthyostega. Hynerpeton bassetti is the first Late Devonian tetrapod discovered in mainland North America. It is also one of the earliest known tetrapods found anywhere in the world. Information from Additional Fossils cont. • On the other hand, Elginerpeton and Obruchevichthys were probably more fish-.like than Acanthostega. • In fact, their status as tetrapods is uncertain since it's not known whether they had feet or fish-like fins. Painting of what Elginerpeton may have looked like. This is modelled partly on the more complete Devonian tetrapods Ichthyostega and Acanthostega. Summary • Most early tetrapod remains have been recovered from Euramerica (cratonic North America, northern Europe, northern Britain and European Russia) • All of the early tetrapod localities were tropical to sub-tropical. • In addition, with the exception of Tulerpeton, all of the Late Devonian tetrapods and the panderichthids inhabited freshwater habitats. • These freshwaters and their surrounding landscapes had undergone a dramatic transformation. • The harsh, infertile, unstable and unpromising freshwater and terrestrial environments of the Middle Silurian gave way to ones that were profoundly modified by the emergence and evolution of vascular plants. • By the Late Devonian opportunity knocked and tetrapods answered. Other Invasions during the Devonian • Trachaeophytes evolved as early as the middle Ordovician, but their earliest confirmed records come from Middle Silurian rocks in Northern Europe and Upper Silurian rocks from Australia, Bolivia and China. • These early plants consisted of lycophytes (club mosses and their relatives) and plants of unknown affinities; most were small (<10 cm or 4 in.) and they were probably restricted to the water's edge. • The variety of plants increased dramatically in the Early Devonian and the first forests appeared by the late Middle Devonian. • By the Late Devonian, plants were poised to colonize drier land. • Other life forms accompanied vascular plants in the colonization of the land. • Indeed, non-vascular embryophytes (hornworts, liverworts, lichens and mosses), lichens and terrestrial algal may have preceded the trachaeophytes, but they apparently never achieved the trachaeophytes' diversity and abundance. Other Invasions during the Devonian cont. • The first fossil Ascomycetes (mushrooms) have been recovered from Early Devonian rocks in Northern Europe, but they may have been present much earlier. • The evolution of mycorrhizal associations (the symbiosis of soil fungi and plants) probably greatly enhanced the radiation of land plants. • Invertebrates, first recorded from Ludlow (early Late Silurian) rocks in Wales, colonized the land relatively early. Significantly, the Ludlow invertebrates were broadly similar to those found in the Middle Devonian Gilboa and the Late Devonian Red Hill localities. Other Invasions during the Devonian cont. • Although the colonization of the land is an important part of the Devonian Transformation, the impact of terrestrial plant communities on aquatic ecosystems was also profound. • Recall that life before the Middle Silurian was concentrated in the oceans. • By the Middle to Late Silurian (430-415 million years ago), estuaries became more productive and diverse, while freshwater habitats were being colonized by small invertebrates. • Thus began an upstream progression of ecological development that culminated in the Late Devonian and Early Carboniferous. Other Invasions during the Devonian cont. • The expansion of life into estuaries, streams and their adjoining landscapes generated a positive feedback loop in which the environment became less harsh, more stable and thus more hospitable to life. • One of the major aspects of this feedback loop was the enhanced weathering of soils caused by plants and their associated fungi. • This enhanced weathering resulted in the reduction of soil particle sizes and the increased leaching of plant and microbial nutrients. • Moreover, accumulations of plant organic matter, combined with the increased proportion of finer soil particles, increased the soils capacity to store water. • Improved water storage would have reduced erosion and moderated water flows in streams and estuaries. • Flooding becomes less destructive and more beneficial. Other Invasions during the Devonian cont. • The combination of more moderate flows and increasingly dense stands of trachaeophytes would have stabilized the banks of streams and estuaries. Increased bank stability, combined with inputs of fine sediments, would in turn stabilize shallow water habitats and engendered the development of wetlands. • The growth of vascular plants in and adjacent to the shallow waters and wetland habitats along the margins would have provided an important source of organic matter to aquatic animals in streams and estuaries. • Shallow waters and wetlands are commonly the most productive of modern day ecosystems. • Their debut during the Devonian Transformation may have paved the way for the evolution of tetrapods. • Opportunity knocked and the tetrapods answered.
To listen click here San Francisco, July 09 – Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have discovered the most distant active supermassive black hole to date. The black hole is located in the galaxy CEERS 1019. “The galaxy, CEERS 1019, existed just over 570 million years after the big bang, and its black hole is less massive than any other yet identified in the early universe. Not only that, they’ve easily ‘shaken out’ two more black holes that are also on the smaller side, and existed 1 and 1.1 billion years after the big bang,” NASA said. According to the space agency, the black hole within CEERS 1019 is more similar to the black hole at the centre of our Milky Way galaxy, which is 4.6 million times the mass of the Sun. “Looking at this distant object with this telescope is a lot like looking at data from black holes that exist in galaxies near our own,” Rebecca Larson of the University of Texas at Austin, who led this discovery, said in a statement. Moreover, NASA spotted another pair of small black holes — the first, within galaxy CEERS 2782, and the second in galaxy CEERS 746. “Researchers have long known that there must be lower mass black holes in the early universe. Webb is the first observatory that can capture them so clearly,” team member Dale Kocevski of Colby College explained. “Now we think that lower mass black holes might be all over the place, waiting to be discovered,” he added. Moreover, the NASA telescope spotted 11 galaxies that formed when the universe was 470 to 675 million years old, which is significant because researchers predicted Webb would identify fewer galaxies at these distances.
Broad-based Education Incorporating Software and Hardware The computer engineering program blends practical computer science courses in computer organization, databases, operating systems, and networks with traditionally hands on electrical engineering courses in digital circuits, digital system, embedded microprocessor systems, computer programming, and digital signal processing. This combination gives you a broad-based education that ties software to hardware and theory to application. - The program provides an excellent mix of theory and practical laboratory experiences, preparing you to solve real-world problems through the design and application of digital systems. - For your senior year experience, choose from opportunities in cooperative education, industry-based projects or research projects. - Engineering courses begin in your freshman year. - Opportunities exist for you to work with faculty on current undergraduate research projects. - You will study digital electronics, microprocessors, embedded microprocessor systems, assembly language programming, computer architecture, computer programming, digital design tools, digital signal processing, and networking. The path to becoming a computer engineer is challenging but very rewarding. It involves completing a four-year curriculum that is filled with challenging classes in mathematics, computer science, the physical sciences, and, of course, engineering. At LSSU we strive to equip our students and to provide a learning environment that maximizes success in both their studies and future careers. Since a typical LSSU engineering class has about 15 students, you will have the chance to work closely with your instructors, not graduate students, all of whom are full-time teaching faculty members. The small class size also promotes interaction in the lecture and the laboratory with other students and with your instructor. Experiential Learning Opportunities Recognizing that learning comes through doing as well as listening, all LSSU engineering programs are designed to include a significant amount of engineering practice along the way. The core of computer engineering curriculum contains 12 engineering courses of which 9 contain a laboratory component. Additionally, most technical elective courses also contain laboratory components. Many of these laboratory activities include a capstone project. This means that you will have ample opportunity to learn through experience. While the emphasis in the computer engineering curriculum is to provide a solid background in all related areas, it does contain significant computer programming, embedded systems, and digital electronics. Additionally, the computer engineering curriculum has two concentrations that allow students to tailor their study. These are Sustainable Energy and Robotics. Senior Projects - Honing Skills All LSSU engineering students participate in a senior project. Our senior projects span two semesters during the senior year and are usually sponsored by an industrial customer. A typical senior project team is comprised of four or five students having various engineering and engineering technology majors. The team works directly with their customer to complete the project. Skills such as leadership, team work, financial budgeting, project management, technical writing, presentations, and design reviews are just among the many soft skills that are honed through this experience. It truly prepares student for the future in both industry and academia. The Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, degree program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, 111 Market Place, Suite 1050, Baltimore, MD 21202-4012 - telephone: (410) 347-7700. Concentrations are available in the following areas: - Sustainable Energy - Robotics and Automation LSSU engineering alumni are successful and engaged in meaningful careers in both Michigan and internationally. Recent graduates of the computer engineering programs have worked for Camsensor, Yazaki, Honeywell Aerospace, QComp, and Gentex. Others have gone on pursue graduate degrees at institutions such as Michigan Technological University and Michigan State University. - Computer Software - Embedded Systems - Image and Voice Processing and Recognition - Machine Intelligence - Robotics and Automation - Computer Manufacturers - Defense Contractors - Nuclear Power - Power Distribution - Renewable Energy
Wi-Fi is everywhere, but not all Wi-Fi is created equally secure. This page will deal with Wi-Fi in 3 places: - At The Ohio State University - At home - In public places (restaurants, public libraries, car dealerships, etc.). Be sure to keep reading to learn the basics of Wi-Fi encryption and why strong passwords are so imporant. Using Wi-Fi at Ohio State Ohio State provides wireless network services for Ohio State students, faculty, staff and guests. - Osuwireless: Secure Wi-Fi to be used by students, faculty, and staff - WiFi@OSU: open Wi-Fi network for guests and visitors - eduroam: Secure Wi-Fi network that can be used by students and staff at Ohio State when they travel to other participating universities It is important to understand how to set up Wi-Fi for use at home, at school, and in public places. A safe configuration is one where your data will remain private and protected when transmitted wirelessly. Ohio State provides a safe configuration for osuwireless that can be used by all students, faculty and staff. Ohio State users should use the encrypted Wi-Fi, osuwireless, if possible. This network requires users to sign in with their university username and password. Using Public Wi-Fi At your favorite coffee shop (where he/she who controls the pumpkin spice controls the universe), you begin to settle into your hot beverage and homework. Without even thinking, you connect to the shop’s free, open Wi-Fi and begin to study. Suddenly, you remember that you have to pay your utility bill (not a big deal, since these days we can pay for everything online). You mosey over to the bank’s webpage and sign in to check your account’s funds. Then you finally post the payment by entering your debit card into the utility company’s payment process page. You've just made yourself vunerable to an attacker who can now access your banking details, and you suddenly no longer have funds for that utility bill. How “free” is that Wi-Fi now? Public Wi-Fi is a “free wireless” internet connection that is usually advertised by coffee shops, restaurants, airports, hotels and many other places that usually involve travel, hospitality, and food. Public Wi-Fi is either secured or unsecured. Secured public Wi-Fi: - Requires password to use - Encrypted so that outsiders won’t be able to intercept data - Is the better option Unsecured public Wi-Fi: - Does not require a password - Unencrypted so that outsiders may see, or “sniff” data - Susceptible to attacks/may be an elaborate ruse Public Wi-Fi usually does not require a password and offers no protections to their users (seriously, do you ever read those disclaimers?). They are also easy to “clone” and create a rogue Wi-Fi access point. A rogue Wi-Fi access point is Wi-Fi that pretends to be legitimate, but is controlled by someone who wants to steal your data. There is no assurance that your data is private while using a public Wi-Fi. Public Wi-Fi is susceptible to Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) attacks. This is where an attacker can sit between you and the Wi-Fi access point, intercepting all the data that is sent and received. These malicious actors can “sniff” out passwords, account numbers, credit card numbers, etc. In a public space, we don’t recommend users connecting to public Wi-Fi access points unless they are trusted and managed appropriately (such as osuwireless, which is secure and only available to the university community). Instead, please consider using something like a personal cellphone or cellular hotspot. This ensures that your data is protected through your carrier and that there are no third parties intercepting your data. If you have no choice but to use public Wi-Fi, we recommend these mitigating actions when using public Wi-Fi: - Always choose secured public Wi-Fi over unsecured. - Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to protect your privacy - Don’t log into password protected sites (such as banking, social media, school, etc.) - Don’t shop online - Turn off automatic connectivity on your device But the bottom line is in a public space, we don’t recommend users connecting to public Wi-Fi access points unless they are trusted and managed appropriately Using Wi-Fi at Home Setting up secure Wi-Fi at home is easy. The first step is to change the default administrator password, which is usually not very strong. It is also extremely important that you choose a secure encryption protocol. Encryption protocols are what protect your password, keys, data and all other types of information sent over the wireless connection. We strongly recommend using WPA-2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access II) and disabling WPS (Wi-Fi Protected Setup). At home, we recommend that users: - Avoid using a router’s default admin password. - Create a strong, unique password for the Wi-Fi connection. - Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) when working remote. - Disable Wi-Fi Protected Setup (WPS). - Use the best/latest encryption available. - Keep the router’s firmware updated (turn auto-updates if available). Wi-Fi Encryption: Simplified Wi-Fi encryption is what keeps your data safe. Encryption, through algorithms and complicated mathematics, is the method to code plaintext data into unintelligible gibberish (known as cipher text) that is: - Reversible by only the intended recipient and - Completely secure (ideally); almost certainly more secure than unencrypted data. To encrypt literally means to “put into a tomb” (that is designed to prevent intrusion/looting unless your name is Indiana Jones). Encryption keeps people from reading plaintext data and helps ensure that your data is not seen by unauthorized outsiders. Examples of plaintext data include: - Credit Card numbers - Pretty much anything you’d wish to protect Cryptography can be a very complex subject. This example is a very simplified explanation of what cryptography does. Imagine writing a saucy letter to a love interest. You don’t want anybody else to know the content of the letter, so you devise a method to write a secret code in a way that the other person can undo and read intelligibly. This method is not shared with anybody else (think of this as your Wi-Fi Password). The purpose is to be able to communicate without allowing outsiders to decode and understand the details of the letter. When using Wi-Fi, use the strongest encryption available. Currently, WPA2 + AES is the strongest encryption available on most routers, and we recommend using it. The rankings of encryptions based on strength are as follows: - WPA2 + AES (Strongest!) - WPA2 + AES/TKIP (TKIP is used when AES cannot be used) - WPA2 + TKIP (TKIP is used when AES cannot be used) - WPA + TKIP - WEP (WEP is little better than completely unsecured) Wi-Fi passwords are important, too! The Wi-Fi password is a pre-shared key (PSK) that ensures the privacy and protection of your data and internet connection. Your Wi-Fi password is important to ensure that the data flowing to and from your internet connection is secure from outsiders. It also ensures that your internet connection is private; you wouldn’t want a stranger using your internet connection! If your Wi-Fi is not password protected or if your password is weak, a stranger can connect to your Wi-Fi router and use your internet connection, potentially even to conduct illegal activities. If this were to happen the authorities would knock on your door to ask questions. 1. Have a password. This may be hard to believe, but many people still insist on not securing their own Wi-Fi at home. The first step to defending your data and internet connection is to set up any type of defense at all. 2. Have a strong password. Password cracking is literally a science. A password that is difficult to guess (through social engineering and open-source intelligence gathering) and also difficult to brute force (by being long enough and relatively complex) is a strong password. Ohio State recommends: - At least 8 characters long - A mix of CAPITALS, lowercase, numb3r5, and $ymbol$. - To avoid using common dictionary words such as “football” or “password”. Check the most common passwords to avoid. - Cycling passwords every 90-180 days (Ohio State’s standard is to cycle passwords at minimum, in 180-day increments.) Please note: Many routers are shipped with default passwords such as “admin” or “password.” It is important to change these defaults as soon as possible. Manufacturer specifications, including default passwords, are freely available on the internet. We recommend changing both factory passwords and the factory SSID (Service Set Identifier, or the Wi-Fi “name” that pops up when scanning for available Wi-Fi). Also, some new routers are shipping with complex, unique passwords. It is still a good idea to change these as well as the SSID. Consult your user manual or ISP to get directions on how to change your password.
Introduced by Bilal Halabi, Seung Woo Son, Ki Hyun Won and Avery Yip At times, living in Berkeley can feel unsafe. Shootings, violent demonstrations and robberies are just a few among many incidents that have threatened Berkeley students living on campus this year. To address this problem, a team of four UC Berkeley students who have experienced these threats first-hand set out create an app to help make residents in the area safer. The result is the web-app platform, Stayfe, which allows users to visualize and track in real-time where crime is occurring in their neighborhood and beyond. Currently, a medium of this type does not exist in Berkeley. Alerts from Berkeley Police Department or the University of California Police Department can sometimes come hours or days late. But Stayfe uses a customized crawler, parser and crime type classifier to search through news articles in the Bay Area to get the most up to date information on local crime. Additionally, the students created an algorithm for the app that can use this crime data to suggest the safest path for you take to your destination if you’re walking. This feature gives users an alternative to Google Maps, which may lead pedestrians on a quicker, but more dangerous path. Though the creation of the app was challenging, the students say that their passion and belief in their mission helped them to create a successful product and led them to be selected as finalists at the 2017 SCET Collider Cup. Moving forward, the team plans to deploy their web app as a mobile app, so people can use Stayfe’s safety path suggestion feature on the go.
The number of Zika virus cases diagnosed in Spain has increased to 132, up from 124, with 19 of them pregnant women. According to the Ministry of Health, all patients who tested positive for the virus had recently been abroad. Although the symptoms may tend to be mild, including a rash, fever and headaches, in pregnant women it could affect the fetus. Experts suggest that the virus could cause birth defects in babies with one baby recently diagnosed with head-shrinking. The first pregnant woman diagnosed with the virus in Spain was was also the first in Europe. The Zika virus is causing worldwide alarm since the outbreak was first detected in Brazil last year and various media outlets warning tourists of a possible pandemic in southern Europe.
Nanophotonics is an exciting new field of nano-science that deals with the interaction of light with matter on a micro/nanometer size scale. It is a field in which photonics merges with nanoscience and nanotechnology, providing challenges for fundamental research and creating opportunities for new technologies and applications. Nanotechnology has spawned new areas of research for fiber optics, namely fiber optic nanophotonics. When we think of optical fibers, we typically think of optical propagation through waveguides of dimensions greater than or similar to the optical wavelength. Conventionally, little attention need be given to sub-wavelength or nanometer size features. However, when nano-features are intentionally incorporated into optical fibers, many interesting phenomena may arise. For example, with nano-features of sufficient refractive index contrast, a properly designed optical fiber can do more than simply guide light from one point to another. Such features can be used to create different types of waveguiding phenomena as well as enabling capabilities for manipulation of light that go beyond conventional optical transport. This additional functionality offers great potential of fiber-based nanotechnology for applications in communications, computation, sensing, biology and chemistry for both waveguides and waveguide-based devices. Nanotechnology can be exploited in multiple ways. In perhaps the most widely recognized form, nano-features provide an additional mechanism for confinement of light in so-called photonic crystal fiber. The concept of using air-glass structures to guide light was proposed in 1974 as a possible design for low-loss optical fiber. However, the field saw little activity until 1996. A major reason for this was because conventional fibers were so successful commercially that most research efforts were focused on exploiting more conventional fibers. Demonstrations of fibers with photonic crystal cladding, and later photonic band-gaps, in the late 1990s reinvigorated the field and attracted new research interest because air-glass microstructures offer a number of interesting physical effects that do not exist in conventional fibers. Micro- and later nano-structured optical fibers became an extremely active research area while miniaturization pushed toward micro/nanophotonic devices, such as tapers, resonators and interferometer for a wide range of telecommunications and specialty applications. 2 Hollow core fiber One of the more promising avenues for nanotechnology in fibers has been use of photonic band gap effects to confine light in a hollow core fiber. Such designs provide a number of intriguing optical properties, including: ultralow optical nonlinearity, excellent power handling capabilities, low latency, and even the prospect of ultralow loss. These unique properties cannot be achieved in conventional solid optical fiber. Importantly, they point to a host of exciting application opportunities in telecommunications and high optical power delivery, as well as in new areas such gas based linear/nonlinear optics and particle guidance. The initial dream that hollow core fibers might reduce optical attenuation by several orders of magnitude spurred a flurry of research. However, the promise has yet to be realized. Despite continued improvement in several areas, critical limitations have caused progress in optical loss to stagnate. Moreover, it appears that the lower latency offered by transmission through air only becomes significant for fiber lengths approaching 1 km. Because of limited power budgets, this requires improvement in optical attenuation from current levels. As a result, emphasis in communications has shifted to the long-term potential for hollow core fibers to provide breakthrough increases in communications bandwidth due to the lower effective nonlinearity. Key advances are required in understanding optical scattering at air-glass interfaces to reduce loss, while further study is needed to understand the basic mechanisms of light confinement in these complex structures. Furthermore, although several groups have suggested that hollow core fiber may offer a breakthrough in chemical sensing technology or other applications that take advantage of the extremely long path length, such applications have been slow to materialize and current research efforts are not widespread. Perhaps this suggests the lack of a high-value application to drive further study. While the optical physics and fiber fabrication technology is fascinating, it is important to find compelling applications for which hollow core technology is the best solution. In turn, this will spur further fiber advances. At this time, it appears that the primary benefit of hollow core fiber is the great reduction in optical nonlinearity, suggesting that such fiber could become important in applications that require high optical intensity and/or long path length. 3 Photonic crystal fiber In a different design space, adding holes to the cladding of solid-core fibers allows modification of modal properties and offers great flexibility in fiber design. This has been exploited in many directions, such as: (a) to decrease the mode-field size to enhance nonlinear effects, such as for supercontinuum generation, (b) to increase the mode-field size to avoid nonlinear effects for applications such as high power fiber lasers, and (c) to reduce the bend loss of fibers for telecommunications applications, such as in-home wiring. Fibers with air holes have also opened up new possibilities by selectively filling holes with materials such as dyes, liquid crystals or functional polymers. In such cases, the collective composite behavior of the fiber enables an optical mode to experience an equivalent novel material with all-embracing properties. From this, novel material performance and devices are envisaged. Moving even further into the nano domain, when cladding features are on the order of several hundred nanometers, strong wavelength dependence of average index or dispersion occurs. This strong dispersion effect leads to designs of “endlessly” singlemode fibers and enables fibers with extremely low bend loss. However, initial widespread interest and creativity has recently focused on a handful of activities surrounding specific applications. While photonic crystal fibers have been commercialized for fiber laser and supercontinuum generation, and so-called “hole-assisted” fibers are penetrating the communications market, the vast design opportunities afforded by microstructuring of the cladding of optical fibers does not yet seem likely to achieve commercial significance. Simply creating a clever fiber or device is insufficient and the field needs a compelling application that is optimally addressed using microstructure fiber. 4 Micro-scale and nano-scale photonic devices Beyond altering waveguide propagation, nanotechnology has also created a platform for the manipulation of light in devices and novel structures. Perhaps the simplest example is miniaturization of optical fibers, i.e., optical micro- and nanowires. Optical fibers with diameters close to the optical wavelength were proposed in the mid-1980s. However, they attracted little attention until around 2003 when low-loss microfibers and nanofibers with diameters far below the optical wavelength were demonstrated. Such nanowires were fabricated by adiabatically tapering a fiber and preserving the original fiber dimensions at the input and output, thereby allowing ready splicing to standard fibers and fiber components. Tapers allow facile coupling and nanowire manipulation without the expensive instrumentation typical of the nano world. These miniaturized optical fibers have sub-micron or nanometer dimensions with tight optical confinement and can be configured into an array of miniature optical components such as evanescent field couplers, resonators, interferometers and filters. These devices offer potential as sensors, switches, delay lines or miniature optical sources, with the opportunity to use the small scale for high spatial density integration. While interesting and potentially useful devices can be demonstrated with nanostructures, key challenges remain in both robust packaging and integration. A key benefit of nanostructures appears to be the potential for integration into a fabric of devices, such as delay lines and switches for optical computing, but relatively little effort has been devoted to engineering such packaging. Although work has focused on the fascinating physics, it will likely be the applications that will drive further innovation required to reduce the cost of fabricating robust devices or to increase the level of integration necessary for producing arrays of devices. 5 Spatial multiplexing and higher order mode fiber A final nanotechnology application we consider in fiber-based optics is the use of nano-features to excite specific modal properties of novel waveguides. An early example of this is the use of higher order modes to exhibit dispersion properties unattainable using conventional singlemode approaches. Excitation of higher modes is commonly accomplished using resonant coupling in a waveguide, such as in Bragg or long-period gratings, but other mode-selection schemes (i.e., photonic lanterns and patterned waveguides) are used as well. While a vast body of literature on fiber gratings has been established over the several decades since their invention, a radical new trend combines mode selection devices with novel fiber design. In particular, more conventional singlemode and multimode fiber design gives way to few-mode fibers in which the properties of individual modes can be exploited. This offers potential for new optical properties, such as excitation of modes with optical angular momentum. Here, the key attribute to be exploited is the possibility of optical behavior that cannot be achieved in conventional fibers. This field is relatively new and a wide array of opportunities are yet to be explored. Hopefully, this trend will not follow the same path as other novel specialty fibers and devices, i.e., strong initial excitement centered around the novel opportunities in optical physics was followed by a lack of commercial penetration and the resulting stagnation of the technology. The challenge is to consider the drivers and constraints of real-world technology in addition to the exciting physics. We have a final thought. Nanophotonic technology is evolving rapidly and holds great promise as photonics penetrates more and more applications and industries. To maintain a robust research environment, one historical pitfall to avoid is the creation of solutions for which there are no transcending problems. For example, photonic crystal fiber offers a wonderful improvement in nonlinear fiber devices, but there are relatively few applications for nonlinear devices. Similarly, there are few applications that require the low latency of hollow core fiber, and few applications as yet which exploit the high peak power offered by air-clad fiber lasers. In many cases, it appears as though the technology has outpaced the need and perhaps the field has been too successful. Advanced optical sensors based on nanofibers may become far more significant once optical sensors in general become mainstream, though optical sensor technology is quite immature at present. Meanwhile, the many studies which forecast an impending bandwidth exhaust in the communications infrastructure have driven the rapid progress in spatial multiplexing using few-mode or multicore fiber, but it will likely be a number years before such advances will be widely deployed. The vast potential inherent in fiber optic nanophotonics will only be realized when applications are developed to drive the demand. ©2013 by Science Wise Publishing & De Gruyter Berlin Boston
December's promise of the first hefty Sierra snow pack in five years turned to disappointment in January, as water storage dropped from ample to barely average. "January 2004 was the third dry January in a row in Nevada. Though December was an incredible snow producer, January did not continue this trend," the National Weather Service and the Natural Resources Conservation Service said in their monthly report. "Basins in the central Sierra Nevada saw snowpack decline of 30 percent to 40 percent compared to average during January. The exceptional New Year's Day snowpack values in the Sierra Nevada ... declined to near average conditions just one month later." While the Lake Tahoe runoff and the Truckee River drainage were at 106 percent and 117 percent of average, respectively, the Carson and Walker river watershed were at 105 percent and 109 percent - a fraction below last year's levels. Northern Nevada fared better with only small declines in its snowpack. The Upper Humboldt River was at 109 percent of average, the Lower Humboldt at 128 percent and the Owyhee River at 135 percent. A year ago, all were at about two-thirds of normal. All of the major watersheds were slightly below normal precipitation for the water year which began Oct. 1 except the Lower Humboldt and Owyhee runoff areas, which were normal or slightly above. As a result, reservoir storage is grim except along the Truckee River, which stands at 90 percent. Lake Tahoe is at a dismal 12 percent of average. The Carson River, which runs into Lahontan Reservoir, has 78 percent of storage and the Walker River, which supplies irrigation water for Mason Valley and Yerington, is at 59 percent. The Owyhee has 36 percent of its storage. The report forecasts summertime streamflows at 79 percent of normal along the Truckee, 78 percent on the Carson, 90 percent for the Walker, just under 80 percent on the Humboldt and 122 percent for the Owyhee. And forecasters hold out little hope for improvement through late spring. "February precipitation is expected to be near normal," the report said. "The long-range outlook for the months of March through May is for warmer than normal temperatures over the entire region, especially in southern Nevada. Precipitation is expected to be near normal." On the Net: National Weather Service Web site: http://nimbo.wrh.noaa.gov/reno Natural Resources Conservation Service: http://www.nv.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/index.html
University In Today's Society, Functions Of University In The CommunityBy Leah NY, UniversityHerald Reporter The rapid change in the economy is calling out for graduates who are well equipped and accurately trained for the needs that continue to arise. Universities play a big role in preparing the future workforce of every nation for they will serve as the final lap of the education race track for every student. This final lap is very crucial as choosing the right course and university seems like making a big turn after a long drive where there is no turning back. It is at this point that students get to choose their career destiny. There is no argument about how universities are trying their best to cater the needs of every enrollee, assuring the strength of every college degrees they make available to their students. However, the unpredictable and rapid change in the economy seems to make some if not most of these college degrees irrelevant. It is unsafe to predict the future economic demand by measuring the present status of the economy as it will increase the risk of an unexercised college degree; people who graduated with a certain degree yet practicing a different profession. Focusing more on strengthening the broad general education will be a great kick start for every student planning to get a college degree. Through this, they will not just earn the degree they need; they will have their skills honed as well to make them ready for any workforce demand that may arise in the future. As education is a means to empower a citizen to be a vehicle for the transformation of the society, so should universities be. They are to be the platform not just to acquire the degree but to be the providers of pattern, training, and experiences, The UNESCO reported. The role of the university in the society is to develop deep knowledge of the communities' future workforce and to assure that they are equipped with the right amount of capabilities in a workplace context, The Conversation reported. Watch this video for more of the universities' role in the society.
In a surprising find, scientists have discovered a microbe that can efficiently convert direct electrical current into methane. That may be good news for wind and solar power enthusiasts, who have long been faced with the dilemma of how to store energy when the wind isn't blowing and the sun isn't shining. This discovery opens the door for generating methane from those renewable power sources; the energy could then be stored as fuel for later use. But is storing renewable energy in the form of a greenhouse gas like methane a solution, or just another problem? The remarkable microbe, Methanobacterium palustre, is the first to be found which can biochemically synthesize methane using electrons directly from current in combination with hydrogen gas. Most significantly, it appears to transform the energy at 80% efficiency. That's pretty darn good, according to researchers. Before this discovery, the options were limited regarding how to store energy generated from wind or solar sources. Storing it in large capacitors and batteries offered the most practical solution, since converting the energy into a fuel like hydrogen made it difficult to compress and store. But that problem doesn't exist for methane, which is the main component for natural gas. Natural gas is already carried around the world in pipelines, and it's used in conventional engines. Though despite the good news, utilizing this process may overlook some of the bigger reasons for switching to renewable energy. Specifically, if the primary benefit for using wind and solar energy is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, then wouldn't converting that energy into methane miss the point? Yes and no. Methane is a very clean burning fuel, and compared to other hydrocarbons, burning methane produces less carbon dioxide for each unit of heat released. In other words, if the choice is between storing excess wind or solar energy as methane or having to use traditional, dirtier fuels like gas or coal to pick up the leftover energy burden, then converting clean energy into methane- while perhaps not the ideal solution- is still a significant step forward. More research needs to be conducted to determine the exact molecular mechanism of the biochemical process, and practical means for employing the technology have yet to be worked out. But the exciting discovery does shed some creative light on the potential for renewable sources to supply all of our energy needs. Reprinted with permission from Cleantechnica By Bryan Nelson
or (as the rest of us call it) probability. Simply put, complex specified information is information that is both complex and specified, such that it is highly improbable and specific. The complexity of the information associated with event A is related to the number of bits I(A) associated with probability P(A) of a given event occurring such that I(A) = -log2 P(A). The result is the the more complex information is the more improbable it is. I’ve seen this statement enough to know it’s pretty representative of the ID argument. The link to CSI gives an example. There’s some obvious fallacies (and some very subtle effects one must be alert for) to the entire argument whose conclusion is “The result is that information in DNA is so complex and specified that even making the most reasonable assumptions, it is impossible for the information in DNA to come about by chance.” What is information? Information in its most restricted technical sense is a message (utterance or expression) or collection of messages in an orderedsequence that consists of symbols, or it is the meaning that can be interpreted from such a message or collection of messages. Information can be recorded or transmitted. It can be recorded as signs, or conveyed as signals. Information is any kind of event that affects the state of a dynamic system. The concept has numerous other meanings in different contexts. Moreover, the concept of information is closely related to notions of constraint, communication, control, data, form, instruction, knowledge, meaning, mental stimulus, pattern, perception, representation, and especially entropy. So there is A LOT to information. Notice how the definition of CSI does not include what aspect of ‘information’ they are attempting to discuss. Let me give an example of why that is an epic failure on the part of the Intelligent Design movement. Let’s say that you are playing poker, specifically 7-card poker. What are the odds that you would get royal flush (A, K, Q, J, T all in the same suit)? Well, this is highly improbably. In fact the probability is about 0.0032%. That’s pretty improbable. The problem with this line of reasoning is that the odds of getting this hand: A, 2, 4, 7, Q all in the same suit is also 0.0032%. But that hand is worthless to us. There is a fundamental difference between information as meaningful and information as a message. Meaning and the message are two completely different things. You can receive (and you do) millions of messages each day that have no meaning for you. You hear the wind in the trees. You hear a dog barking. You have radiant energy in thousands of wavelengths you can’t sense. All that stuff has no meaning for you. Occasionally, you can extract meaningful data from the message, even if you can’t understand the message. Consider cryptography. Many messages are encoded to hide their meaning to an outside observer. To that observer, modern cryptology renders the meaning totally meaningless… often little more than white noise. But a clever person, with lots of data, may be able to extract meaningful information. For example, if after 5 seconds of white noise at a very specific frequency, a ship changes direction… that’s a clue. If the observer watches carefully and notes that a ship always changes direction after that frequency, then they might have discovered the enemy naval frequency. They can then triangulate that frequency and find the enemy naval base… without knowing a single thing behind the messages. I think that this is what ID proponents wish that they could do. Extract meaning, from otherwise garbled information. Let’s go back to that example on creationwiki. The best example of complex specified information is DNA. The DNA of each organism on Earth is unique, because of mutations and other factors, making it the most specified form of information known. The human genome contain more than 30,000 genes, at an estimated 3,000 base pairs per gene for a minimum of 90,000,000 base pairs or 90,000,000 base 4 bits. This results is 490,000,000 or 1054,185,399 possible combinations, the overwhelming majority of with are not viable. So the odds of hitting any individual’s DNA by chance is P = 10-54,185,399 with I = 179,999,999 bits. So DNA is both incredibly complex and specific. Is true… if that was how DNA was formed. If you mix a bunch of nucleic acids together in a vat and expect to get a fully functioning human genome out (preferably that of Kari Byron) then it would be a massively rare occurrence. Not impossible, but very rare. Of course, there is no competent scientist who would even suggest that is how things happen. A living, functioning human did not come from a vast vat of raw nucleic acids, where the entire genome was assembled nucleic acid by nucleic acid. No. That human had parents, who had parents, who had parents, who had parents… ad infinitum (or nearly so) all the way back to that first replicator that still wasn’t the simplest bit of DNA/RNA that ever existed either. (See my Origins of Life category for lots more about that.) I like to use this analogy to explain it to those that don’t get it. The DNA sequence is not like a poker hand. The DNA sequence is more like a poker game, where only the winning hands keep playing and where what is a winning hand changes depending on what table you are at. Imagine a poker game with 1000 tables. There are 9 players at each table. The dealer passes out one card to every player. The players compare cards and only the highest card and one random player at the table can stay to play. So seven out of 9 players are gone with the first card. Now, here’s where it gets interesting. Get 7 more players at the table (let’s call them ‘offspring’) and every one those players starts with one of the same cards of the players that stayed. A lot of tables will have aces, many will have kings, there will probable even be a few tables with jacks, tens or even lower as the winning card, the other card could be anything. Now the dealer passes out the next card. Again, the player with the highest hand stays and one random player stays. Maybe there is a roulette wheel at each table, but instead of numbers it has requirements for staying in. Things like “two cards both higher than jacks” or “one card an ace and one a 7”. So sometimes you get several players that stay (at this point, it would be easy to get two or more players with the same top pair) and sometimes only one and he may have a crappy hand. Repeat this process for every card. Everyone at every table gets another card. Everyone compares their current hand to either each other (for the winning hand) or to the requirements to stay in the game. People who don’t match those are gone. Fill the table with people who have exactly the same hands as the players who stayed. Now, if you want to get crazy. Get every player 3 6-sided dice. When they first sit down, they roll all three dice. If 3 sixes come up, then they can either swap a card in their hand for any other card at the table (let’s call this ‘crossing over’) or they can request to lose a card and replaced it with one from the deck (let’s call this ‘mutation’). Now, the final bit. After this repeats seven times, all 9000 players now have a 7 card poker hand. But that’s not all… oh no, it gets worse. Now, the game head referee, gets a new unopened deck of cards. Shuffles them according to regulation and deals the first 7 cards. The player that has that exact matching hand is declared the winner. If there is no winner (and there likely isn’t (remember the odds)) then the whole game keeps going… forever. And that is a very simple and straightforward analogy to what has actually happened in the development of life on this planet. The entire idea of complex specified information, in spite of being poorly define and never actually used for anything, is still utterly useless. Information needs to be defined. Meaning is not the only measure of information… it’s not even the best measure for information and it isn’t calculable. There are measurable definitions for information, but they are useless for the discussion of biology because they have to do with the transmission of data over noisy lines. Specified needs to be defined. Who has to ‘specify’? Why? In my example above, the environment specifies the winner and that value changes every round… just like in the real world. Complex needs to be defined. Why is a value of X too improbable and therefore a designer did it? Why that value? Why not X-1? What is the meaning of that value. Is it a firm point. X-1 is NOT designed, but X is? Finally, a point that no one in the ID community even can recognize. There is not a single thing in the entire collection of Intelligent Design literature that requires that the designer be ‘intelligent’. Nothing. They think that it is so, because everything is more complex than their little minds can deal with. Sadly, life is even more complex than they can understand. It still doesn’t mean it was designed. There is nothing in the ID literature that says that the designer couldn’t be random mutation and natural selection. Nothing… except the weak minds of people who can’t deal with reality.
What are some of the political reforms and public policies advocated by socialists and their allies on the road to full socialism? Consider what a top socialist leader advocated in 1922: WE DEMAND THAT THE GOVERNMENT UNDERTAKE THE OBLIGATION ABOVE ALL OF PROVIDING CITIZENS WITH ADEQUATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR EMPLOYMENT AND EARNING A LIVING. THE ACTIVITIES OF THE INDIVIDUAL MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO CLASH WITH THE INTERESTS OF THE COMMUNITY, BUT MUST TAKE PLACE WITHIN ITS CONFINES AND BE FOR THE GOOD OF ALL ... WE DEMAND THE NATIONALIZATION OF ALL BUSINESSES WHICH HAVE BEEN AMALGAMATED (INTO TRUSTS). WE DEMAND THAT THE STATE SHALL SHARE IN THE PFOFITS OF LARGE INDUSTRIES. WE DEMAND THAT PROVISION FOR THE AGED SHALL BE MADE ON A VERY GREATLY INCREASED SCALE. WE DEMAND A LAND-REFORM SUITABLE TO OUR NATIONAL REQUIREMENTS, THE PASSING OF A LAW FOR THE CONFISCATION OF LAND FOR COMMUNAL PURPOSES; THE ABOLITION OF INTEREST ON MORTGAGES, AND PROHIBITION OF ALL SPECULATION IN LAND. WE DEMAND AN AGRARIAN REFORM SUITABLE TO OUR NATIONAL REQUIREMENTS; THE ENACTMENT OF A LAW TO EXPROPRIATE WITHOUT COMPENSATION THE OWNERS OF ANY LAND THAT MAY BE NEEDED FOR NATIONAL PURPOSES; THE ABOLITION OF GROUND RENTS; AND THE PROHIBITION OF ALL SPECULATION IN LAND. ...THE STATE SHALL ORGANIZE THOROUGHLY THE WHOLE CULTURAL SYSTEM OF THE NATION . . . THE CONCEPTION OF THE STATE IDEA (THE SCIENCE OF CITIZENSHIP) SHALL BE TAUGHT IN THE SCHOOLS FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. WE DEMAND THAT SPECIALLY TALENTED CHILDREN OF POOR PARENTS, NO MATTER WHAT THEIR STATION OR OCCUPATION, SHALL BE EDUCATED AT THE COST OF THE STATE. IT IS THE DUTY OF THE STATE TO HELP RAISE THE STANDARD OF THE NATION'S HEALTH BY PROVIDING MATERNITY WELFARE CENTRES, BY PROHIBITING JUVENILE LABOUR, BY INCREASING PHYSICAL FITNESS THROUGH THE INTRODUCTION OF COMPULSORY GAMES AND GYMNASTICS. . . . (WE) COMBAT THE MATERIALISTIC SPIRIT WITHIN AND OUTSIDE US, AND ARE CONVINCED THAT A PERMANENT RECOVERY OF OUR PEOPLE CAN ONLY PROCEED WITHIN ON THE FOUNDATION OF "THE COMMON GOOD BEFORE THE INDIVIDUAL GOOD." -- From the "Twenty-Five Point" Programme of the German National Socialist Workers Party, authored by Adolf Hitler and others on February 24, 1920. (Konrad Heiden's translation in A History of National Socialism) SOCIALIST HEROES AND LUMINARIES Politicians such as Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, the Clintons, and Al Gore were not the first to push for socialistic national health care schemes, political controls on wages and prices, and land grabs in the name of the "national good" or a phony "environmentalism"; far too many want to solve real or imagined problems by using government meddling (up to and including totalitarian tyranny) in peoples' lives and in their businesses. The consequences have been tragic. Anytime you give to government the responsibility and authority to provide government-made jobs, old-age financial security, "free" health care, and "free" education and indoctrination of children, it will control the lives of the people who live under its jurisdiction, and individual liberty and freedom of choice are sacrificed. Sure, security is important -- but anyone can find security from a prison warden. But, despite socialist promises, bureaucratic programs of the poltiical state cannot guarantee security anyway. Instead the socialist state uses its coercive powers to seize the wealth and properties of those who have earned financial security by their own hands. Socialism does not help poor people; rather, socialism makes people poor so that they have to become dependent on the socialist state and therefore beholden to those in charge of the government. Socialism is the ultimate exploitative monopoly. No competitors (market alternatives) are allowed. All major industries, including food, banking, transportation, communication, and insurance are owned and operated as state monopolies. Socialism is a system of authoritarian political control over the individual by bureaucratic central planners -- very similar to fascism or communism. Socialism promises to use the power of the political state to forcibly redistribute resources (peoples' earnings) so that the basic needs of all will be met. To do this, power must be centralized in the hands of the political state. When government has power over the lives and properties of its citizens, the citizens have no freedom -- only the meagre privileges the state programs may dole out to them. In practice, socialism's redistribution of wealth ends up with bureaucrats doling out poverty and dependency on the state. If government could give you everything you want, it must have the power to take everything you've got. This is the real agenda of socialism. It is the confiscation of property in the name of a "fairer" distribution of it. It is the total political institutionalization of violence and exploitation in the name of abolishing exploitation. Sure, there are several different brands of socialism -- at least as many types as there are would-be people-planners who wish to impose their plans to control the moral and economic lives of other people. But are you willing to surrender your precious liberties to a Socialist State which promises "security" for everyone or government-enforced equality? Isn't this what Hitler and other socialists promised the German people in his Nazi (national socialist) platform -- a country in which government guarantees security and "equality" in exchange for giving up individual freedom? Will Americans continue to fall for the same scam? Socialism is an old dream. Some dreams are nightmares when put into practice.
Posted by Aliya on Monday, October 8, 2012 at 9:52pm. I did a chem lab and have to figure out some stuff off of some data I found during the lab Weight of empty crucible and cover: 19.74 g Weight of crucible, cover and hydrated salt: 22.74 g Weight of crucible, cover and hydrated salt after 1st heating: 22.13 g Weight of crucible, cover and hydrated salt after 2nd heating: 22.56 g Weight of crucible, cover and hydrated salt after 3rd heating: 21.54 g Calculate the weight of the hydrated salt. Calculate the weight of the anhydrous salt. - Chem Lab - DrBob222, Monday, October 8, 2012 at 10:07pm 22.74 g = xble, cover, salt -19.74 g = xble, cover ...xxxxxx = weight of the hydrated salt. The rest of it isn't that easy because the data boggles my mind. First weighing ok. Second weighing--I don't see how it could GAIN weight. Third weighing--It went down, which is good, but since it changed so much you should have heated it again. The idea is to heat to constant weight. I would calculate the weight of the anhydrous salt this way; it's the best data you have. 21.54 g xble, cover, anhyd salt -19.74 = xble, cover. xxxxxxx = weight anhydrous salt - Chem Lab - Aliya, Tuesday, October 9, 2012 at 12:57am Calculate the weight of the water lost by heating. These are the other post lab questions Calculate the percentage of water in the hydrate. Calculate the number of moles of H2O lost by heating. Calculate the number of moles of anhydrous salt. Enter the formula of the hydrated salt.(how do i find this) Calculate the theoretical percentage of the water in the hydrate. Calculate the experimental error. Calculate the percentage error. Answer This Question More Related Questions - Chem Lab - I did a chem lab and have to figure out some stuff off of some data I... - Chemistry - Hello, I am having trouble with a question from my chem lab. Here is... - Chemistry - Weight of empty crucible and cover = 23.104 g Weight of crucible, ... - Chemistry Lab - In chemistry we are doing a lab that involves crucibles and Mg ... - Lab in general - I just read my syllabus for lab and I am kind of shocked at ... - Chemistry - A student recorded the following data for copper sulfate ... - chem 121 - We did a lab separating out the components of a mixture. One of the ... - CHEMISTRY - is this right? 5. After heating the crucible is set on the lab bench... - Chemistry - I know how to find a and b on this problem but how do I find c? ... - Chemistry - An unknown hydrate of copper (II) oxalate is to be identified in the...
What are nouns? If you were wondering what are nouns , the standard definition of a noun is that it names a person, place, thing, or idea. A noun can refer to anything that is living or non-living, animate or inanimate. It can also name a place or an abstract idea or concept. A common noun is a more generalized version of a noun, which names a specific living or place, thing or idea. Proper nouns are those nouns that relate to people, titles, places, days of the week and more. Our list of nouns are important to sentence structure because they are the subject of the sentences. Obviously, the sentence can't be complete if it doesn't include a noun. The 1000 most common nouns give you a concrete way to talk about the people, places and things around you. The 1000 most common nouns will help you with expressing yourself. These 1000 most common nouns are some of the main words of the English vocabulary . However, too many English learners focus on memorizing long lists of nouns in the beginning. While you may eventually learn all those nouns , mastering a shorter, more targeted list of 1000 most common nouns examples is a better use of your time. Learn the 1000 most common nouns fast and easy with our flashcard lesson! You will soon observe that you already use some of these 1000 most common nouns and that your English vocabulary 1000 most common nouns There are some general classifications of common nouns : abstract nouns, collective nouns, compound nouns, concrete nouns and non-countable nouns. This is a list of the 1000 most common nouns that includes different types of nouns. Learning to use these 1000 most common nouns is a good starting place for any beginner English learner who wants to build up his English vocabulary . Here are some examples from the 1000 most common nouns - 1. goal = what you want to achieve - 2. order = when you buy sth online - 3. colour = red, blue, yellow, etc. - 4. response = how you reply - 5. career = an occupation one chooses for a significant period of life Master the 1000 most common nouns and proceed to our other lessons. Continue learning English with the Top 1000 English Words course to talk like a native!
There’s no rule that you must be born with math and science skills to pursue a career in engineering; it’s all about persistence, and a deep desire for learning new things and discovering how they work. So, if you’ve ever been curious about the world of engineering or geoscience, now is the time! It’s Engineering and Geoscience Week in Saskatchewan, which is part of National Engineering Month taking place across Canada in March. This time of year, we celebrate the careers and contributions of our professional engineers and geoscientists. We had a chat with a few of our own at SRC to learn more about what drew them to their careers. Here’s what we found out about the type of work they do, and what it’s like to live a life of science. Patty Ogilvie-Evans, Professional Geoscientist, Environmental Remediation Tell us about your work as a professional in your field. I work with the Environmental Remediation team on Project CLEANS (Cleanup of Abandoned Northern Sites) as a geoscientist and senior technical advisor. Most of what I do is with satellite sites—the old, underground and historical legacy mine sites. I go through old files, trying to find, historically, how the underground mine workings are laid out. It’s important to know where they are so we can approach it in a safe manner. We go on site, we know where the openings are. Second, because these sites are around 50 years old, vegetation can cover up these openings making it difficult. We need to make sure that we’re closing all these opening for public safety. We also assess the underground in terms of ground disturbance or thin crown pillars (a layer of rock above a mine stope), which can be dangerous or cause potential problems down the road. What inspired you to make geoscience, specifically environmental remediation, your career? When I applied for the job I had known a little bit about the old mine sites in the Uranium City area. And I knew of Gunnar, so I was really fascinated with these legacy sites. They are often assessed from a surface point of view, but we should also be approaching them from the underground realm. It’s beneficial to know what is underground, what the geologists were going after back in the 1950s or 60s, and which way the underground workings travelled. I knew I could fill that niche where a lot of environmental folks may not think this way—they may not think like a geologist. How were you first drawn to the world of geoscience? I was always fascinated with all the earth processes: everything from volcanoes to earthquakes, to even just the glaciation that we saw here in Saskatchewan. Going out to the mountains, seeing their structure, wondering how they were formed—that really drove my scientific curiosity. Right from an early age, I knew I wanted to be a scientist. It wasn’t until I was more of an adult, a little more mature, that I really dove into it and pursued my four-year Bachelor of Science degree here in Saskatchewan. What is the most rewarding or memorable project you’ve worked on at SRC? On one of the sub-projects I’ve worked on, what I found I really enjoyed was finding historical information. I dabbled a bit when Laurie Schramm, SRC's President and CEO, was writing the book Gunnar Uranium Mine: Canada’s Cold War Ghost Town. We explored the historical more when we were trying to build a model of the Gunnar pit and the underground workings, so I was really drawn into it and the idea that we could share a three-dimensional recreation of the mine’s underground workings and what they look like to community and team members. That was a lot of fun! Working at Nicholson Mine was also very fascinating because it was one of the first sites where uranium was found in Saskatchewan. Being on that site, walking around, seeing the old dilapidated buildings and thinking of the history that drove prospectors and geologists there, I was really drawn to that. In writing a book about Nicholson Mine with Laurie, we found so much information to help the remediation of the satellite sites, which is ultimately our goal: clean them up, put them back and make them as safe as possible. What is the best part about your day-to-day work? Probably the people I work with. Project CLEANS is a relatively small team, about twenty of us. It’s an amazing group. We all have a diverse background, but we’re all working toward the same goal. It’s quite exciting and the best part of my day. It’s a great team. Erica Emery, Professional Engineer, Process Development Tell us about your work here at SRC. I’m a research engineer in the Process Development team, part of SRC's Energy Division in Regina, Saskatchewan. Process development—it’s hard to describe. We typically help oil and gas clients. Our business unit handles thermal enhanced oil recovery—all the down-hole recovery, reservoir modelling, solvent injection kind of stuff. But process development is a bit different. We deal with things that are above ground. We’ve done some oil and gas work in partial upgrading, but we’ve also done some very different work: electro-chemical work, catalyst development, alternative energy…kind of all over. How did you find your way to a career in engineering? I always did well in math and science in high school, and I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I got to university. It was suggested to me and sounded like a good idea. I kind of just fell into it. I found an interest in the process side of things, particularly in chemical engineering. How one thing leads to another is what interests me. What is the most memorable or rewarding project you’ve worked on at SRC? So many of my projects have been so different from each other, which is actually my favourite thing about working here: getting to work on a lot of different things. A lot of the recent work on SRC's Centre for the Demonstration of Emissions Reductions (CeDER) in methane emissions reduction is, I think, very important. I’ve been doing quite a bit of scoping studies on different technology options to help oil and gas producers reduce their methane emissions which is pretty rewarding. You recently published a blog post about alternative recycling methods. Can you tell us about that? The City of Swift Current was looking for options on what to do with recycled cardboard. Right now, they have a residential recycling program, but the cardboard is bailed up, sold and needs to be shipped, so they were concerned about the carbon footprint and whether that was the best use of the resource. SRC did a scoping study on possible options for them. It looked at incineration, composting and lastly, gasification--which stood out as one of the best options. I became involved in the second phase, which was to look more closely at gasification and the economics of the situation. What is the best part of your day-to-day work? Definitely the variety of project I’m involved in, and the people. It’s a very nice group here. It’s small, so we get to know everybody here pretty well and get to work together on a lot of different things. Any words of encouragement for students considering engineering as a career? It’s not as hard as you think! A lot of engineers have a reputation for being extremely intelligent, like it’s something they’re born with. But I find the biggest thing about engineering is persistence. You just have to keep going. Anton Farber, Research Engineer-in-Training, Development Engineering and Manufacturing How would you explain what you do in Development Engineering to someone who is unfamiliar? I guess you could say it’s finding solutions for custom product development. If you have an idea or a problem, our group will come up with a new piece of technology, whether it be a sensor or a specialized piece of mining equipment that doesn’t exist yet. We’ll go through the concept, design, prototyping and fabrication to create a solution. Tell us a bit more about your work at SRC. I started with a team that worked on alternative fuel development and how to apply them to the transportation sector: public transport, personal transport, half-ton pickup trucks and things that size. And I was responsible for the design and testing of a fuelling system that used hydrogen gas in a pickup truck. In conjunction with the hydrogen project we also developed a fuelling station and loading station in Saskatoon to supply fuel to a half-dozen vehicles in the demonstration. From there, we branched into renewable energy projects like the Cowessess Wind-Solar Energy Storage project, which has been a big initiative since around 2012. I’ve been doing project management for it and some technical work. We also have some mining-related projects: mechanical design, mechanical engineering, stress analysis and enclosures for specialized sensors. How were you first introduced to the world of engineering? That goes way back. I always had an interest in creating, building and designing things, even since childhood. And tinkering outside—my dad was a mechanic, kind of a jack-of-all-trades, so I’d spend a lot of time with him fixing stuff outside in the garage, pulling wrenches or building things with wood and stuff. Eventually there was a family friend who said something like “Oh, my brother’s an engineer, and you should think about becoming one with your interests,” and it just stemmed from there. I got interested in learning what engineering really was and pursued that direction. It comes from wanting to know how everything works at the smallest detail, and using that knowledge to create things. As a Professional Engineer-in-Training, what challenges are there for engineers seeking professional designation? Professional engineering is generally a higher level of standards. The designation is a way to build trust that the information you’re giving is of high quality and that you meet the standards of your peers. The biggest challenge is keeping up-to-date. Technology is changing so rapidly that trying to keep at the leading edge at all times can be a big challenge, and you want to make sure you’re providing clients the best information you can. What’s the most rewarding project you’ve worked on at SRC? Well, there’s a lot! The biggest one is the one I’m currently on, which is the Cowessess Renewable Wind-Solar Energy Storage project. It’s seen a lot of positive feedback and publicity. Working with Cowessess First Nation, being able to support them and their technical goals and seeing how engaged and passionate they are about the result, it really shows how much impact SRC has on the province. It was just kind of a satisfying moment to share the success and see how it helps others. What’s the best part of your day-to-day work? Learning something new, fortunately, is a steady process. One thing I realized about research and development, which I would call the best and worst part of it, is that I never know what I’m going to be doing on a day-to-day basis— because that’s research, right? But it’s never monotonous. You’re never doing the same thing over and over again. You’re always learning something new and that’s both stressful and rewarding.
A black hole is a region in space where the pull of gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Its boundary is known as the event horizon. “Once objects fall through the event horizon, they’re lost forever,” said Shep Doeleman from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “It’s an exit door from our universe. You walk through that door, you’re not coming back.” The team examined the black hole at the center of the giant elliptical galaxy M87, which is located about 50 million light-years from Earth. That black hole is 6 billion times more massive than the Sun. It’s surrounded by an accretion disk of gas swirling toward the black hole’s maw. Although the black hole is invisible, the accretion disk is hot enough to glow. “Even though this black hole is far away, it’s so big that its apparent size on the sky is about the same as the black hole at the center of the Milky Way,” said Jonathan Weintroub of the CfA. “That makes it an ideal target for study.” According to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, a black hole’s mass and spin determine how close material can orbit before becoming unstable and falling in toward the event horizon. The team was able to measure this innermost stable orbit and found that it’s only 5.5 times the size of the black hole’s event horizon. This size suggests that the accretion disk is spinning in the same direction as the black hole. The observations were made by linking together radio telescopes in Hawaii, Arizona, and California to create a virtual telescope called the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT). The EHT is capable of seeing details 2,000 times finer than the Hubble Space Telescope. The team plans to expand its telescope array, adding radio dishes in Chile, Europe, Mexico, Greenland, and the South Pole, in order to obtain even more detailed pictures of black holes in the future.
In this blog, we’ll look at the basics of ada, its main features and how it is likely to change the way we think about money. There are countless cryptocurrencies on the market today. It can be difficult to distinguish one from another. There are many similarities between the different currencies but there are also many differences. And these differences can have a profound impact on how we use cryptocurrencies going forward. To set the stage, we’ll look at some of the key issues surrounding digital money that ada was designed to address: – The cost of transactions needs to be low. – Payments need to be fast and secure. – Transactions need to be private and fungible. – Transactions should not require trust between parties. – The currency issued needs to have a stable value in terms of fiat currencies such as USD or EUR. In order to understand how Ada will change the world of money, one must first understand what a crypto currency is. The term crypto currency is literally a currency that is secured by cryptography. Cryptography is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties. When it comes to Blockchain technology and crypto currencies, cryptography provides the highest degree of security possible. The Blockchain technology uses cryptography to keep identities hidden, creating anonymity for users of crypto currencies like Ada. Ada is a decentralized platform that will allow complex programmable transfers of value in a secure and scalable fashion. This new system has the potential to be used by billions of people worldwide because it is permissionless, anybody can use it at any time without approval from any authority or institution. Ada can be used as an investment as well as in everyday transactions, just like regular money, but with cryptographic security using Blockchain technology similar to Bitcoin or Ethereum. Ada also allows people to hold and securely manage their own money without going through a bank or other financial institution. This means that you do not need permission from anyone else in order to use your money any way you choose. You are your own bank when you use Ada! Ada is open-source. This means that anyone, anywhere can see exactly how it works. All of the code is available to the public to view. Ada is also decentralized. This means that there is no single central point of failure and no company in control. Ada can’t be shut down, censored or have fees raised by any one person or organization. In this post we will take a look at the basics of ada, from how it’s made to how it moves around to how people get paid in ada. We will also take a look at its history and future as well as some common questions about ada. Let’s start with the basics: what is ada? Ada is a digital money that runs on a decentralized network of computers around the world. This digital money can be used to buy and sell things just like “real” money. However, unlike “real” money, Ada is not controlled by any government or central bank. Ada is controlled by the people who use it, and the only way to get Ada is to trade it on an exchange for fiat currencies (the US dollar, the Euro, etc.) or other cryptocurrencies (Ethereum, Bitcoin, etc.). The value of Ada fluctuates much like stock prices do on the stock market. Ada is called a cryptocurrency because it uses cryptography to secure transactions and control the creation of new coins. Some people think that Ada will replace traditional currencies in the future because it has many advantages over “real” money. One advantage of Ada over fiat currencies (USD, EUR, etc.) is that Adas are less prone to inflation than fiat currencies are. Inflation happens when governments print more money than there is worth in their economy. When lots of new money floods into an economy it makes the value of each unit go down (just like how if you have five cookies and give two away you now have one-third of a cookie instead of half a cookie For the first time in history, people can control their own money and transact directly without intermediaries. This is the dream of the cypherpunks and Satoshi Nakamoto, the inventor of Bitcoin. However, for all its greatness, Bitcoin has certain limitations that prevent it from reaching its full potential. The limitations of Bitcoin have led to a myriad of other cryptocurrencies being created. While some are clones with slight variations (e.g., Litecoin), others offer more features built on top of Bitcoin (e.g., Ethereum). But none of these projects have seen widespread adoption except for Ripple, which focuses primarily on banks and financial institutions rather than individuals. These projects have not been able to compete with Bitcoin on a large scale because they do not provide enough additional value over Bitcoin to convince people to switch over. Enter Cardano, a cryptocurrency project developed by IOHK in conjunction with the University of Edinburgh and the University of Athens. Cardano is a third generation cryptocurrency that aims to fix many of the problems plaguing first generation cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and second generation cryptocurrencies like Ethereum while also offering some unique features not found anywhere else. In this blog post we will discuss what makes Cardano so special and why it has the potential to become one of the most widely adopted cryptocurrencies In this post I’d like to talk about a new kind of money that is in the process of being invented. It’s called “cryptocurrency,” because it uses cryptography to control the creation and transfer of money. The most famous cryptocurrency is Bitcoin. This post explains what Bitcoin is, why it matters, and what its potential is. It also explains what cryptocurrencies are in general. This is not a technical post, I’m going to explain everything without using any equations or jargon. What do we use money for? Money has three main functions: store of value, unit of account and medium of exchange. We’ll look at each of these in turn: Store of Value Over time you want your money to stay valuable, so you can use it later when you need it. If your money loses value over time (e.g., because of inflation) then you’re worse off than if you didn’t have the money. And if your money gains value over time (e.g., because there’s deflation) then that’s good for you! So an important feature of money is whether it stores value well, i.e., whether it keeps its value stable over time. A good store of value means that $100 today will be worth Nothing is more difficult than to speak in such a way that your speech will be interesting and exciting to everyone, while at the same time fulfilling its purpose. This is the theme of my talk: what it takes to make a good talk. I am assuming you have something important to say. Otherwise, why bother? I am also assuming that you are not going to be arrogant enough to think you can design a speech that will be interesting and effective for all possible audiences. The only way to do that would be to avoid making any real points or saying anything controversial or interesting–so that no one could possibly disagree with you. The best speakers include themselves in their audience: they are shy too. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Bertrand Russell was one of the most famous thinkers in the world. He was also shy and awkward in speaking, especially before large audiences. He once said he had two ways of overcoming this awkwardness: first, by imagining his audience naked; and second, by imagining himself naked. One thing I have learned as a professional speaker is that there is no point trying to imagine your audience naked. There are just some things it is better not to know.
On Sept. 20, NASA launched a sequel to a classic Earth science mission that was a hit with researchers and forecasters of hurricanes and other tropical cyclones. Unlike many Hollywood remakes, this one promises to be a star in its own right. Designed and built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, and lodged on the exterior of the International Space Station, the ISS-RapidScat scatterometer measures surface wind speed and direction over the ocean like its NASA predecessor, QuikScat. For hurricane researchers, the mission will help answer remaining questions about the earliest stages of hurricane and tropical cyclone development. For weather forecasters, ISS-RapidScat's data will add an extra eye and more complete coverage of wind patterns far out to sea that could morph into dangerous storms. QuikScat data were widely used by forecasters from 2001 until the instrument stopped scanning in 2009. Like QuikScat observations, RapidScat's data will be particularly valuable for storms far from the North Atlantic, which is well monitored by NOAA and the U.S. Air Force's Hurricane Hunters. "The aircraft are really useful, but they can only cover so much space," said Mark Bourassa, a hurricane researcher at Florida State University, Tallahassee. "A satellite covers more." Part of the difficulty in predicting a hurricane or typhoon's landfall lies in knowing the forces steering the storm. Bourassa explained, "RapidScat will show the environmental winds around the hurricane, which are useful in forecasting its path." Although ocean-wind speed is measured by other types of instruments as well, only scatterometers show wind direction at all wind speeds. "The other advantage of scatterometers is that they can see through heavy clouds and light rain," Bourassa said. "Other instruments can't do that." Considering that tropical storms consist of clouds and rain, this capability is extremely important. Even though the RapidScat instrument is virtually the same as QuikScat, Bourassa added, researchers will wring higher-resolution views from it because "We process the data smarter now, and the space station is closer to the Earth's surface." Ernesto Rodriguez of JPL, RapidScat's project scientist, noted that the RapidScat project has been in communication with weather forecasting agencies in the United States, Europe and India. "They have all been deeply appreciative of the increase in the frequency of observations that will be provided by RapidScat in concert with ASCAT, which will restore the capability to view almost all the Earth in a single day," Rodriguez said. The European Space Agency's two ASCAT scatterometers on its MetOp spacecraft are currently the only fully operational scatterometers in orbit. When RapidScat joins them, the three instruments will cover 90 percent of Earth's surface each day. Bourassa plans to use RapidScat observations to identify and study tropical disturbances that may be precursors to tropical cyclones. "We use the wind data to forecast when precursors for hurricanes will form," Bourassa explained. "We can look at the rotation of the winds coupled with the cloud cover to identify precursors. On the Eastern Pacific side, we find that approach is quite effective." "We are looking forward to working closely with the RapidScat science and calibration-validation teams, as well as the users of operational data," said Rodriguez. "We want to ensure that RapidScat has the maximum impact for both science and societal applications." To learn more about ISS-RapidScat, see: NASA monitors Earth's vital signs from land, air and space with a fleet of satellites and ambitious airborne and ground-based observation campaigns. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records and computer analysis tools to better see how our planet is changing. The agency shares this unique knowledge with the global community and works with institutions in the United States and around the world that contribute to understanding and protecting our home planet. For more information about NASA's Earth science activities in 2014, visit: News Media ContactAlan Buis Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California Written by Carol Rasmussen NASA Earth Science News Team
ANN ARBOR (WWJ) – A dig is planned in Michigan’s thumb area to unearth the remains of a mastodon that could be 11,000 to 13,000 years old. Ten teachers from Tuscola County will be working with the University of Michigan on the dig which will take place next month, Oct. 8-9 and 15-16. The bones were discovered two years ago, the university said in a release, on property owned by the Fowler Center for Outdoor Learning in Mayville, Michigan. Researchers say they were exposed by natural erosion. The selected teachers will help dig for mastodon bones, wash them, map the excavation site and conduct related activities that “may involve getting wet or muddy, hot or cold, tired, sore, and excited about Michigan’s Ice Age history,” according to the application form sent to schools this month. After they are recovered, the bones will be donated to the U-M paleontology museum for further study. “It’s our hope that these teachers will gain a deeper understanding of how science operates and how our knowledge of the natural world grows,” said U-M paleontologist Daniel Fisher, who will lead the excavation. Fisher, who has conducted research on mastodons, mammoths and elephants for more than 35 years, says the remains of roughly 300 mastodons and 30 mammoths — both extinct relatives of the elephant — have been found in Michigan over the decades.
It would be a great idea to knock our heads together with their curiously-shaped heads to open our eyes to the vulnerability of scalloped hammerhead sharks and other marine beings that inhabit the ocean around Galapagos. The population of scalloped hammerhead sharks has suffered significantly, leading to a huge decrease in numbers, mostly due to human impacts. On the 21 March 2016, the Ecuadorian government announced that the Galapagos Marine Reserve was to be extended, helping to protect this particular marine nomad and other endangered and unique species that inhabit the waters around Galapagos Islands. Galápagos has one of the biggest marine reserves in the world, and inside we can find the largest biomass of sharks in the world. In Galapagos, 97% of the land surface is protected as a national park, but previously only 1% of the marine reserve was formally protected. This percentage has now been extended to 33% of the marine area due to the creation of a new marine sanctuary, to protect the ecosystems and the inhabitants of the area including: penguins, flightless cormorants, sea lions, albatrosses and sharks. It is difficult to realize how wonderful the life is under the water when we look at the big blue water mass! In fact, the researchers highlight over 2,900 species of animals living in the surrounding waters of Galápagos! Of these species, 57 were catalogued as endangered species by the IUCN. The sanctuary is located in the marine area surrounding Darwin and Wolf islands, and it is home to one of the largest biomasses of sharks in the world. Nowadays, 25% of all sharks are in danger of extinction. But… why is this happening? The main threats are overfishing and illegal commerce, especially the sale of shark fins. Here is where research, conservation, protection and education plans help us to raise awareness of the problems that sharks face, to explore how to minimize our negative impacts on the environment, how to protect it and how to change our damaging behaviours. By Bea Mariño. Bea has a Master’s degree in Management of Sustainable Development. - Ecosystem: A collection of living organisms (animals, plants and microbes) and non-living matter (rock, soil, air and water). These components interact with one another as part of a dynamic system. - Endangered: High risk of disappearing in the wild. - Extinction: When a species no longer exists in the world. Extinction is marked when the last individual of a species dies. - IUCN: The IUCN Red List of threatened species is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. For more information, you can visit the IUCN Red List Homepage. - Marine Reserve: A designated area of ocean or sea with restrictions on human activity, such as fishing. This is to protect the marine habitat and wildlife. You can find more useful glossary terms on the Discovering Galapagos Glossary Hub. Learn more about…
When did you first read stories of cow vigilantes? When did Indian Muslims first begin to be killed over this issue and when did we first begin to brutalise Dalits over it? I suspect that like me you did not read of cow vigilantism before this government signalled intent and then state governments like Maharashtra and Haryana began introducing laws in March 2015. This triggered something that began the violence, and Mohammed Akhlaq was murdered in September 2015. So what did the change in laws trigger? Why did you not read of cow vigilantism in India before that, if the cow has always been holy and revered by Hindus? And why are we reading so regularly about it these days that barely a week goes by without incident? I’ll come to that in a bit. Now that we are aware of causality, we should be concerned about the fallout of a new law that the government introduced on Friday, May 26. In brief, the rules allowing how cattle (including buffaloes) may be sold for slaughter have been changed to make it very difficult, if not impossible, to conduct a meat business. Where the sale may happen, who may make the sale, why the sale is happening and what sort of animal may be sold, all of this is being regulated. And it will have to be reported, meaning those dealing with cattle now have to do lots of paperwork. Ostensibly the reason is to control disease and hygiene, but you have to be particularly innocent to believe that. There will, of course, be an economic fallout of this. I am not discussing that here. The fallout that I’d like to focus on is that of the violence that it is guaranteed to bring down on Muslims and Dalits. To turn to the point made at the start. What did the change in laws trigger and why did the gau rakshaks suddenly turn violent and why are they not stopping their violence? To understand that, let us look at a similar country (so similar that it used to once be India). Blasphemy was once a religious crime that produced no violence in Pakistan. From 1927 to 1947 (in all of undivided India) and from 1947 to 1986 (in Pakistan), a total of only seven cases of blasphemy were registered. But in the 25 years after 1986, over 1,000 cases were registered in Pakistan, mostly against minorities. And many of the accused are today lynched by mobs before trial or even arrest. What changed in 1986? The law. What used to be an offence punishable by a jail term of a few years was changed to an offence punishable by death. This change in the law highlighted, emphasised and criminalised the ‘otherness’ of minorities that were already hated and despised. Non-Muslims, who are 4% of Pakistan’s population, are 57% of those charged with blasphemy. The change in law legitimised the violence. The same thing is happening in India under the BJP’s legal and RSS’ cultural gau raksha programme. The Hindutvawadi will be loath to accept the parallel though it is obvious. He may not even understand the causality. Union minister Nitin Gadkari said on May 25 that though he supported gau raksha, he did not support gau rakshaks. In his words: “they’re not our people.” Of course, they’re not. Those made apoplectic by distinctions between good terrorists and bad terrorists now make a distinction between good Hindutvawadis and bad Hindutvawadis. How difficult is it to understand that if you keep pushing gau raksha what you will get is gau rakshaks? This understanding of causality seems to be missing in the BJP. They will rouse a mob of lakhs and then be surprised when it pulls down a monument and 2,000 Indians are killed. A member of Parliament, Paresh Rawal (disclaimer: he is a family friend of 40 years) casually encourages violence against a dissenting writer in a country where rule of law is weak and where there is news of lynchings and mob killings every week. One could well suspect that it is not stupidity or ignorance of causality that is the motivation, but something more cynical and bordering on evil. In March this year, Gujarat announced a change in the sentence for cow slaughter. From seven years in jail, the cow murderer would now get a life term. The conviction rate in India is pretty low and it’s unlikely to be a deterrent. But it will be helpful in encouraging gau rakshaks. In August 2016, the Prime Minister nobly offered that gau rakshaks should kill him instead of Dalits. I was moved to tears. But if he really wants to stop violence he should consider what started it. It is indisputable that gau rakshak violence was triggered by the gau raksha laws. That’s why, in the matter of Hindutva’s continuing cow obsession, I will predict one fallout of the new law of Friday: more animals may or may not be saved but more Indians will certainly be slaughtered.
Washington (Feb. 10) In its report to Congress on human rights in 1980 in 153 countries, the State Department pointed to "virulent anti-Semitic literature" in Argentina and the imprisonment of Jews in the Soviet Union "for teaching Hebrew." "The human rights situation in Argentina improved in 1980 although serious problems remained," the Department said. The most serious, it said, was "the continued application by the security forces of the practices of disappearance, although at a level much lower than occurred in the first two years of the present military regime." Violence began in 1969 and "mounted steadily from the left and then from the right." Noting that the majority of Argentinians are Catholic and the government "publicly condemns religious prejudice," the report made public by Congress yesterday mentioned that the Jewish community numbers between 300,000 and 450,000 and added: "Argentine Jews have well-developed community organizations, exercise their religion without restraints and participate fully in Argentine economic and cultural life. The government maintains correct relations with the Jewish community and there is no evidence of official anti-Semitic policy, although incidents of anti-Semitism occur. CREDIBLE REPORTS OF ANTI-SEMITISM "During the height of the ‘dirty war’ there were credible reports of anti-Semitic behavior by the security forces and persecution of Jewish prisoners. Virulent anti-Semitic literature remains on sale in the country and openly anti-Semitic attitudes have been tolerated in state-controlled television. Several Jewish schools were bombed in July and August and more received anonymous threats. Though the culprits were never found the governments ought to reassure Argentine Jews." The report also mentioned that the Inter-American Human Rights Commission that visited Argentina in 1979 noted that "there is no official policy of anti-Semitism although in some instances Jews have been the subject of discrimination." SOVIET UNION HARSHLY CRITICIZED Discussing the Soviet Union, which was among the most harshly criticized countries in the report, the Department pointed to "continuing restrictions placed on emigration leading to the reduction of Jewish emigration by more than half" in 1980 compared with 1979. It noted "such human rights activists as Ida Nudel and Vladimir Slepak remain in exile" and the "detention" of Moscow monitoring group member Anatoly Shcharansky who is in a Siberian prison camp. Under the heading of "arbitrary arrest and imprisonment," the report referred to Yuri Fedorov, Oleski Mrzehnko and Yosif Mendelevich, and the remaining imprisoned members of the group convicted in Leningrad in 1970 for trying to seize an empty airline on the ground and fly out of the USSR. Noting Soviet law "prohibits religious believers" from providing religious training to children, the report said: "There have been continuing reports of anti-Semitism as reflected in discrimination against Jews in access to higher education and the professions. Officially condoned, published attacks on Zionism, which appear only thinly to veil anti-Semitic feelings, also have aroused concern. Jews have been subjected to imprisonment for teaching Hebrew." The report noted "application procedures for emigration are cumbersome and expensive" although the cost of an emigration passport to a "capitalist country" has been cut from 400 Rubles to 200 (about $310), those going to Israel pay 500 Rubles ($775) down from 800 Rubles in 1976. "A delay is often used against potential emigrants," the report said. "Many Soviet Jews have waited unsuccessfully more than eight years for permission to leave" and "because in most cases those who apply to emigrate lose their jobs, they are exposed to the danger of being prosecuted as ‘parasites’." Noting 21,000 Jews were allowed to emigrate in 1980 compared with 51,000, a record in 1979, the report said: "According to Jewish sources in the Soviet Union, the drop may be explained by the deterioration in East-West relations and Soviet fears of a Jewish ‘braindrain.’ Jewish sources estimate that there are still over 200,000 Jews holding letters of invitations from Israel, which are needed to apply to emigrate." SITUATION IN RUMANIA In its report on Rumania, the State Department said: "Rumania maintains a tight emigration policy and has strict limitations on political expression and religious activities outside of officially designated church buildings." Among recognized religious groups are the "Islamic and Jewish religions" and "people belonging to these recognized religions may attend religious services freely." The report added, "There is no rabbinical seminary and the rabbis must be trained in foreign countries. The Communist Party advocates atheism and as a result, a Party member who attends religious services is unlikely to progress within the Party structure." In another passage, the report said that "The Rumanian government discourages emigration and contends that a Rumanian does not have the right to move permanently from his native land." But the government’s policy allows for family reunification and for the emigration of Jews and ethnic Germans. "Largely due to emigration, the Jewish population of Rumania has declined from approximately 450,000 people at the close of World War II to about 35,000 today, according to records of the Rumanian Jewish community." REPORT ON IRAQ In its report on Iraq, the State Department said "The size of the Jewish community in Iraq is believed to number fewer than 300, composed mainly of older people. The extent of their community’s religious activity is not known." In another context, the report said that the Iraqi government "pursues a policy aimed at assimilating its various ethnic and religious groups, including the Jewish minority." A report on Iran was not included, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said, "because sensitive negotiations for the release of the American hostages from Iran were underway at the time these reports were submitted." It added that the State Department will submit a report on Iran "shortly." With respect to East Germany, the report said "The very small Jewish community receives government financial support for its activities, including the building and maintenance of synagogues and the maintenance of an old aged home. There are no Jewish schools and no resident rabbi."
A land-locked country that has had its territory usurped by its neighbours for centuries, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg has done more than survive. This tiny country was a founder of the European Community and later the EU, and the many centres and agencies of the EU that now reside within the city attest to its diplomatic finesse. Here the statue of Grand Duchess Charlotte is a fitting introduction to such a locality. Charlotte was thrust to the throne following the abdication of her sister Marie-Adélaïde. The abdication came with pressure from her subjects, arising from what was seen as too much cordiality to the German occupiers during the First World War. By abdicating, Marie-Adélaïde saved the monarchy, for with her sister as Duchess, a subsequent national referendum about whether to become a Republic voted in favour of the status quo. The very beautiful Marie-Adélaïde was only eighteen when she came to the throne. Her family lineage of the Dukedom of Nassau was based in Wiesbaden in what is now Hesse, so perhaps her response to the Germans can be somewhat understood. After abdication at the age of twenty-five, she retired first to a convent in Italy, but with poor heath left there to later die of influenza in Bavaria. She was only twenty-nine years old. History was to be re-enacted with another German occupation during World War II. Charlotte took refuge first in France and then in London before seeing out the war in North America. In London, she broadcast to her subjects in Luxembourg and upon return continued as sovereign until she, too, abdicated in favour of her son Jean. In turn, he abdicated after reigning for 36 years in favour of his son, Grand Duke Henri. Luxembourg remains adept as well it must, given its geographic limitations. The drive to Luxembourg whets the appetite for your arrival because the route is flanked with vestiges of past castles and fortresses. As you cross into Luxembourg, there is a mountain sundial clock, perhaps designed for navigators on the River Ours. One of the stops that really entices, is that in the picturesque town Vianden, overlooked by its massive fortress and castle. The Romans had a castle here long before records report that in 1090 the First Count of Vianden was in residence. It is a really lovely place. Sadly, it was the site of a ferocious battle at the close of the Second World War, and the last place in Luxembourg to be liberated from the Germans. There are plaques to those whose lives were lost and who fought here. In summer there is a chair lift that can carry you silently to the castle from the valley below. Victor Hugo was captivated by the beauty of Vianden and wrote about it from his visits in 1862 and 1865, and his longer stay in 1871. His sketches and letters can be seen in the museum located in the house where he stayed, which is next to the bridge over the Our. Victor Hugo spoke of a United States of Europe in 1849 at the International Peace Conference, stating that 'A war between Europeans is a civil war'. Ironic that Luxembourg, a place that captured his imagination, should be a founder of just such a union. The architecture of Luxembourg is strikingly elegant and full of character. Shops and residences cohabit along the streets of Luxembourg. I found the options for a cake for Daddy most eclectic! As you wander, you come upon tiny gardens. Through so many laneways, the spires and towers of Notre Dame Cathedral peep down into Luxembourg. The spires of Notre Dame Cathedral below beautifully frame the statue of Gëlle Fra (The Golden Lady). Well may the Gëlle Fra stand proud, for she stands here in perpetual remembrance to all the Luxembourgish who volunteered for active service with Allied forces during both World Wars and the Korean War. During WWI Luxembourg lost more than 1% of its total population - a higher price than any other combatant country. The golden lady represents 'Nike', the goddess of freedom and she is placing a laurel wreath on the head of the nation. The two statues of soldiers at its base uniquely represent both those who lived and those who died during the conflicts. The sculptor is a native Luxembourger: Claus Cito. During the occupation of Luxembourg by Germany in Word War II, the memorial was dismantled. Pieces of the monument were rescued and hidden away, but the Golden Lady did a long-term disappearing act. Ultimately she was discovered in 1980 hiding underneath the main stand of the National Football Stadium. So: is she a football fan? Perhaps she just did the 'hiding in plain sight' trick. The golden lady has had a more regal trip since then, being chaperoned to take up a temporary post at the Luxembourg Pavilion of Expo 2010 World Fair in Shanghai. Of the three spires of Notre Dame in Luxembourg, the west tower is the belfry. On Good Friday in 1985, fire erupted after work on the Cathedral roof. In the blaze the bells called The Virgin Mary, Willibrord, Peter, and Cunigunde were reputedly destroyed. I cannot find reference to their reinstatement or whether any survived, but who, then, is this, sitting peacefully in the sunshine of Luxembourg beside the cathedral? The cathedral is magnificent but there are many other lovely churches in Luxembourg. In the shadow of the Cathedral stands St Michael's Church. Saint Michael's can claim to the most ancient church site of the city of Luxembourg, as there was a church on its site even in 987. Many churches were erected and destroyed on the same site until this one - a youngster built in 1688, stood firm. Another of the Luxembourg city churches is Trinity Church, known locally as The Protestant Church. It is on a site where there has been a church only since 1313. Trinity was once the garrison church for Prussian protestants. Later, with the ascension to the throne of the Dukes of Nassau, it became the church of Luxembourg's royalty. However, with the marriage of William IV of Luxembourg to the Catholic Infanta Maria Anne of Portugal, change was afoot. Their marriage agreement stated that all progeny who were males should be raised Protestant, and all females should be raised Catholic. Six daughters and no sons later, the ruling house became Catholic. The crypt of Trinity Church was only discovered in 1931, containing the remains of 125 canonnesses buried from the 1600s onwards. The Grand Duke donated the three stained glass windows in 1901. I cannot help but wonder how many of the large Portuguese community of Luxembourg trace their origins in the country back to the arrival of their princess. As I wandered through the streets of Luxembourg I arrived quite by accident in the Theaterplatz, to be utterly beguiled by the statues of Les Saltimbanques (The Acrobats). This delightful grouping of sculptures is a magnet for the child in us all. The sculptor is Bénédicte Weis and one cannot help but wonder if it is inspired by the comic opera of the same name. The opera tells the story of Suzanne and her abandonment as child, adoption by the circus where she is brutally treated by the Circus Owner, captured by soldiers and rescued by one of the same, André. Suzanne and her friends from a small acrobatic troupe and when they are invited to perform at the castle of André's uncle. Suzanne and her friends are recognised by the cruel circus owner who happens to also be there and he has them arrested - saying they owe him money. However, as with all good such tales, Suzanne sings a song she learned as a child and this reveals her to be singing a song the Count composed and nobody knows except his long-lost daughter. Poignantly, now proven to be of noble birth, she can marry André, but has to say goodbye to her friends the acrobats. This little chap was quite happy to wander off under the dancing acrobats of the Theatreplatz. I think Friedrich Nietzsche was right when he said: In every real man a child is hidden that wants to play. Smiling to myself at the whimsy and delight of the Acrobats, it seemed appropriate as I left Theatreplatz, to see a relaxed police presence on the streets of Luxembourg. There is theatre everywhere if one looks.
In the video, Yasuo Okazaki woodturns solid blocks into the head and body using just a few tools. Okazaki’s “Naruko” style of making the dolls. This is similar to the Channapatna lathe turned wooden dolls. Lathe turned crafts were not unlnown to India and Indian artists. We can still see hand-turned wooden game-counters and other highly artistic wooden utensils created in this craftform in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Massive chlorite schist pillars with beautiful rings in the Hoysala temples are proof of lathe turning techniques using elephants. Mysore Maharaja sent artists from Mysore to Japan to learn modern process of wooden turning (As seen in the video) before 1950s. Upgrading their skills, artists returned to Mysore and taught the same to local artisans and set up small units to manufacture. Artist M.J. Shuddodhana was one of the artists who was sent to Japan and later he worked in Channapatna for a few years. At Channapatna, Shuddodhana invited two of his best students - G.L.N. Simha and another person to embellish the products with paintings.
The Buddhist art of Gandhara influenced Indian art and sensibilities and also that of the entire Buddhist world. Read more here . Pakistan is celebrating the Gandhara week that will end on April 1. This special event coincides with the birthday of Lord Buddha who has inspired millions for centuries through his teachings, sacrifice and relentless yet gentle pursuit of nirvana. Taxila, a small town in Pakistan was an ancient seat of learning (5th to 2nd century BC) where world’s first University was established in the Buddhist era. Buddhism however did not stay in this region for long. The resurgent Hindusim and later Islam attracted the local populace to move away from Buddhist beliefs. Two great links to Taxila can be found here and here. I am posting a few representative images of Gandhara art that show what an extraordinary art it is in terms of its beauty and craftsmanship. A sizeable portion of Gandhara art has been vandalised, stolen and smuggled abroad. However a notable treasure is preserved in the magnificent museum of Lahore and its smaller counterpart the Peshawar museum. The dream of Maya The Birth of Buddha Buddha head The Paranirvana of Buddha (below) is the end of the usual finale to the Buddha story in Gandhara relics. It symbolizes the end of a journey and beginning of a new one… Read the related story on Buddha in Indonesia here
Back A mathematical model to help optimize vaccine development A mathematical model to help optimize vaccine development Scientists led by Andreas Meyerhans and Gennady Bocharov use a mathematical model to better understand the immune response to vaccines. When it comes to the design of a novel vaccine against viral infection, vaccine developers have to make several major decisions. One of them is the choice of what type of immune response they wish to induce. In a recent Forum article in Trends in Immunology a group of researchers at UPF and the Marchuk Institute of Numerical Mathematics in Moscow, Russia, led by Andreas Meyerhans and Gennady Bocharov, provides a theoretical paper that might help with this issue. The researchers have used a mathematical model to better understand the immune response to vaccines. This could help improve vaccine design and simplify the associated technical challenges. Viruses are intracellular parasites that need host cells to multiply. Thus, for a virus to infect a human, it has to get access to some of the body's cells that will enable viruses to multiply. Progeny viruses will be assembled within the infected cells and, upon release, will infect other target cells in the surroundings. Without any immune response to counteract the virus, it will continue to spread and may cause organ damage. The researchers have used a mathematical model to better understand the immune response to vaccines. This could help improve vaccine design and simplify the associated technical challenges. Vaccines are the most cost-effective way to provide a host with virus-specific immunity that will then help it to keep an infectious virus below pathogenic levels. To do so, vaccines may induce antibodies that help to neutralize assembled free viruses and virus-specific cytotoxic T cells that will kill infected cells and thus reduce the number of virus-producing cells. While both arms of the immune response are considered of major importance for vaccine efficacy, the question is how do they cooperate? Are their actions simply additive or more than additive? The researchers have now addressed these fundamental questions by examining the contribution of antibodies and cytotoxic T cells using a model based on virus infection dynamics. They show that these two primary control factors of virus infection are cooperating multiplicatively rather than additively. While this relationship might appear rather abstract, it has very practical consequences for vaccine development. For example, f to be efficient a virus vaccine needs to increase the basic immune response by a factor of 10,000, this may be achieved in two ways. Either antibodies or cytotoxic T cells are increased by a factor of 10,000 or each of these responses is increased by only a factor of 100. The latter might be easier to obtain in practical terms and thus provide vaccine developers with different options for their design. Although these considerations are based only on theoretical grounds and require experimental validation, the first data in this direction are emerging. “We hope that our conceptional work will positively help with vaccine design”, says Bocharov. And Meyerhans, the last author of the study, adds that “our considerations may help to simplify the technical challenges for novel vaccines and thus be of some practical use for healthcare”. Bocharov G, Grebennikov D, Argilaguet J, Meyerhans A. Examining the cooperativity mode of antibody and CD8+T cell immune responses for vaccinology. Trends in Immunology, September 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.it.2021.08.003
An audio cassette is a kind of cassette which can store music and sounds. It is used with a "cassette player" or "cassette recorder". Cassettes store the sound on a magnetic tape that is wound around the two reels in the cassette. The standard audio cassette was invented in 1962 by the Philips company. They named it the "Compact Cassette". The first cassettes and cassette recorders were not very good. The quality got better, and during the 1970s the cassette became a popular way to listen to music. During the 1980s, they were even more popular. The Sony Walkman helped this. References[change \| change source] - David Moye (22 October 2011). "Oxford Dictionary Removes 'Cassette Tape,' Gets Sound Lashing From Audiophiles". Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/22/cassette-tapes-removal-from-dictionary_n_932107.html. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
Lit! provides solar lanterns to students in developing countries, replacing the dim, dangerous kerosene lamps used previously. boost children’s literacy and education. Children can study after dark with good reading light. The increased study time also leads to higher pass rates and marks in school. support families’ health. Our lanterns replace kerosene lamps, whose fumes contribute to diseases like asthma, pneumonia, and even lung cancer. Mothers and young children, at home the most, are especially vulnerable. help parents feed their children. Parents freed from costly kerosene purchases spend much of their savings on food, our research shows. aid economic development. Families are empowered to extend their productivity into the evening hours. Better educated children can get better jobs and help raise their families out of poverty. fight climate change. Each kerosene lamp replaced can prevent the release of over a ton of carbon dioxide. Just $10 can give a student a lantern—not only this year, but every year from now on! This is made possible by Lit!’s revolving fund model: some of each family’s kerosene savings goes into a fund this year to purchase lanterns for next year’s incoming students, and so on. Lit!Solar was developed by Ben Hirschfeld as a 15-year old high school freshman. He and his team of local teens, aided by youth volunteers across the United States, actively fundraised through farmers’ markets and music festivals, benefit concerts and read-a-thons. He has continued Lit! into college, engaging student groups in fundraisers at his school, Columbia University.
Hold that pencil just right! Printing practice can be fun for some and a challenge for others. These worksheets have plenty of dashed lines to help your kids practice the lines and curves of printed letters. In a traditional manuscript, these pages are sure to reinforce writing skills and letter identification. Some pages have charming graphics the kids can color in, too – even more small motor skills practice. 186 worksheets for kindergarten and first grade CCSS L.K.1.A, RF.K.1.D & L.1.1.A Go to this page to choose from all the language arts resources on this site. Kindergarten Printing Practice What fun! Kindergarten printing practice pages that will delight you and your kids. These pages include four sets of uppercase and lowercase letters on individual pages as well as one set with the upper and lowercase letters on the same page. All the pages have primary writing lines so your kids can practice their neatest writing possible. Dashed lined letters give kids a chance to trace a few letters, then there’s lots of room for practice. 134 worksheets – 5 sets with 26-28 worksheets each. First Grade Handwriting Practice Here are some handy dandy handwriting practice worksheets. So far, there are some basic letter tracing worksheets that will be a great help for having kids get the formation of the letters down. You can have your kids practice a few letters on a white board first, remembering to write from top to bottom and left to right. Then have them move to these handwriting practice worksheets, writing neatly and carefully. As they say, practice makes perfect!
Yes, you heard that right. Web pages are fluid. They can and should use the entire available browser window space and stretch as needed to fill that space. To quote my Design Philosophy page, “When implemented correctly, web pages are fluid – they may change shape and size to fit the needs and requirements placed upon them.” Don’t think of a web page in the same way you think about an 8½ by 11 sheet of paper. There is no real limit to the size of any web page or how far it might scroll. You are probably reading this because you want to know how to implement a fluid web page or understand how one is made. It’s quite simple really. All you really must do is use percentages with your layouts instead of exact sizes. Oh, and be careful of software programs that allow you to “see” your web sites as you are editing them. If you are allowed to simply click on a table border or div layer edge and drag to resize it, chances are you will be setting an exact size for that tag. Let’s look at a little code: <table width="100%"> <tr><td></td></tr> </table> Now, whether you are using tables for your layouts or not (since this is now considered out-dated in favor of stylesheets), this code example will still help you understand fluid web pages. The width is set to “100%”. The “%” is required. Without the “%”, the browser would see width=”100″ and interpret the 100 as a measurement of pixels, not a percentage. So, that’s basically it. You must explicitly set percentages for your widths. This holds for tables, table rows, table cells, divs, spans, and other container tags, but a one-cell table isn’t the best example. Here’s some more realistic code: <table width="100%"> <tr> <td width="200"></td> <!--Left Navigation--> <td width="100%"></td> <!--Right Content Body--> </tr> </table> Yes, the above code will work just fine, and no I didn’t forget the “%”. I left it out on purpose. The browser will set aside 200 pixels for the cell on the left (the navigation) and then give the remainder to the cell on the right (the content) since the cell on the right AND the table both have widths set to 100%. Pretty cool, eh? Other variations work too. How about this three-column table? <table width="100%"> <tr> <td width="160"></td> <!--Left Navigation--> <td width="100%"></td> <!--Right Content Body--> <td width="160"></td> <!--Right Navigation--> </tr> </table> Or this two-column layout? <table width="100%"> <tr> <td width="50%"></td> <!--Left Content--> <td width="50%"></td> <!--Right Content--> </tr> </table For help with fluid web pages that use stylesheets, visit Little Boxes.
Often at intersections, cyclists will call out “Clear!” or “All clear!” when they’re about to cross. This means they have looked both ways and are confident they can safely cross. But calling out “clear” for someone else can be dangerous! Just because it’s clear for you doesn’t mean it will stay clear for those behind you. “Clear” only means it’s safe for the person calling it, NOT for the people behind her. And since lines of cyclists learn to pass messages back, I have seen “clear” get called back to cyclists who are too far back even to see the intersection! How many accidents have been caused by a car, bike, pedestrian, or animal that suddenly “came out of nowhere?” Do NOT assume it will be safe for you just because it’s clear for the person ahead of you. Always check both ways for yourself. And don’t tell the person behind you that it’s clear for her unless you’re cool with taking responsibility for her life. So, what should you say? Say what you see: “Car left,” “Bike right,” “BIG TRUCK COMING,” etc. Call out anything that might move into the path of a cyclist, even if it’s far enough away for you still to cross safely. If you see something, say something; if you see nothing, say nothing! And if you just can’t shake the habit of saying something, then learn to call out, “Watch for cars!” to let everyone know it is their responsibility to cross safely. Disclaimer: No cyclists were hurt in the making of this photo.
How understanding the difference between Information and Knowledge can drive the industrial revolution in African countries In many African countries the words “information” and “knowledge are used loosely and interchangeably. But if we are to borrow and adapt knowledge intelligently, it is important to make a clean and clear distinction between the two concepts. Knowledge only exists in the human mind. Everything else like information in newspapers, books, radio, videos and databases is information. This means most investments into formal education, media and mobile technology generate information which only becomes knowledge when people integrate it with what they already know. When farmers attend agriculture shows and field days or read newsletters they are just acquiring fragments of information which remains useless unless they make sense of in their minds. Knowledge is applied information and is composed of awareness, understanding, meaning, insight, creativity, ideas, intuition, judgment, and anticipating the outcome of your actions. Why this is important for African countries African countries such as Zimbabwe are in the throes of a new industrial revolution which has to be anchored on diverse source of knowledge. The presence of mighty corporations, numerous NGOs, formerly educated populations and sophisticated institutional frameworks is failing to address poverty, inequality and unemployment in all African countries. While there is some level of awareness on the causes and effects of inequalities in income and technology, inequalities in knowledge are not well understood. Assessing knowledge dynamics in a particular community on the basis of existing formal institutions like schools, colleges and universities completely misses the point because knowledge sources in African communities are not limited to formal education. Development partners and policy makers are yet to understand the cognitive diversity and knowledge patterns in many African communities. As a result, there are assumptions that pushing information to everyone will result in knowledge. This approach ends up blaming ordinary people for failing to capitalize on information that is pushed to them yet such information cannot be translated into useful knowledge. When people face the challenge of getting out of poverty or fixing their local economies, they rely on their wealth of knowledge to create viable solutions. They don’t wait for formal science to provide answers. While it may be easy for African countries to engage with universities, research institutions and development agencies, harnessing knowledge that resides in masses of rural innovators remains an enormous challenge. Since contextual knowledge is now more appropriate, a critical starting point is mapping local knowledge sources and discarding what is not useful. Innovation has to come from within. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can only be effective when supported by Local Direct Investment (LDI) in building a strong cognitive base. Welcome to the Enlightenment phase The revival of industries in African countries like Zimbabwe will not happen without our own equivalent of enlightenment phase which drove England’s industrial revolution in the 18th century. The enlightenment phase is very important in addressing the relationship between knowledge and economic development. Doing away with antiquated machinery and resizing local agricultural industries in line with new farmers’ capacity to produce appropriate volumes of commodities is an important part of the new enlightenment. Borrowing knowledge and equipment from elsewhere should be based on this enlightenment. During the 18th century industrial revolution, innovators realized that some of the impediments to progress included: fragmentation of knowledge, high costs of accessing knowledge, limitations for adopting knowledge and conflicting theories, among other challenges. Developing countries like Zimbabwe seem to be facing the same problem where our cognitive context is still not coordinated enough to ensure organised accumulation of knowledge and accuracy of empirical knowledge. The fragmentation of knowledge sources in all African countries is certainly getting in the way of innovation. While some information and knowledge is held by government departments, some is with NGOs and, on the other hand, local communities such as farmers and traders are also generating their own knowledge. A strong cognitive base in each African country will enable ordinary people and innovators to combine their own knowledge with what is coming from outside. To the extent that fabricators and traders in African informal markets are adapting technology from the East and West to produce local products, they are examples of innovators that are taking advantage of their cognitive environment. These fabricators are observing, understanding and manipulating available resources. In this case, the informal sector has become an authentic cognitive bridge and enabler of innovation. In doing their work, these fabricators identify pieces of missing knowledge and ask questions that need answers. They also assimilate theoretical discoveries and generate new knowledge. People’s capacity to generate new and more effective ways of producing, trading, and managing their resources and their institutions is a key part of innovation. However, the capacity of local communities to filter, combine, adapt and re-create knowledge will depend on a supportive cognitive environment like a market. The main challenge for African countries is no longer about understanding the physical world (chemistry, biology, physics, etc.) but understanding systemic problems like the ecology and the economy. Unless this knowledge gap is closed, creating new institutions and business models will remain a problem. A related change is understanding the overwhelming diversity of information sources as well as the complexity of useful information. There are still enormous barriers to finding and selecting useful knowledge. That is why knowledge catalysts are now very important in mobilizing knowledge. Every African country now requires knowledge catalysts whose knowledge mobilisation roles will shape cognitive habits in local innovation spaces such as industrial parks and informal markets. Unlike developed countries, African countries have no choice but to combine knowledge from the South with knowledge from the North, scientific knowledge with indigenous knowledge, local with global knowledge. All these knowledge forms can no longer be useful as abstract entities. The role of knowledge catalysts, in such a situation include fostering effective dialogue between different knowledge sources while maintaining the diversity of perspectives. Using data to take guessing out of agriculture practices An example of catalysing knowledge is integrating data from diverse sources so that farmers and agriculture value chain actors are able to optimize insights from new and old data. Data can enable deep visibility into the agriculture sector, contributing to meaningful financial debate among agriculture value chain actors. The following narrative does not only show how data becomes information and knowledge but also reveals the importance of knowledge catalysts. Market analysis: Mbare Farmers Market – January to June 2015 The first half of 2015 saw a total of 59 different agricultural commodities being supplied in the farmers’ market as shown in table 1 below. Table 1: produce supplied into the market (January – June 2015) Table 2: Estimated revenue per produce The following table (below) shows estimated revenue per produce in each month. As shown in the table, close to US$10 million is not a trivial figure in any economy. While there is extravagant attention on production, little attention is paid to the people’s market yet, as long as raising income is the main goal of most development interventions, the market is a fundamental component. Chart 1: Estimated revenue share per produce class Table 3: Estimated revenue per Province While data contributes to collective intelligence, many people remain passive consumers of information. It takes time and effort to make sense of filtered information. With capacity building, African agriculture value chain actors like farmers and traders can become knowledge catalysts able to filter, curate, think and take productive action. eMkambo Call Centre: 0771 859000-5/ 0716 331140-5 / 0739 866 343-6
By Rick Rutstein, Professional Design and Drafting “Live in rooms full of light.” This sage piece of advice was given approximately 2000 years ago by Cornelius Celsus, a man considered one of the most important contributors to medicine and scientific thought. Old Cornelius couldn’t have been more right. Living in a space full of light—particularly natural light—is not only good for the environment; it’s good for our health, our happiness, our brain, and our productivity: Natural light saves energy costs: According to the , daylighting—which simply means taking advantage of natural light, via windows and skylights, to brighten up and warm a home's interior—can increase the energy efficiency and reduce the climate impact of your home. The more natural light available, the less we have to rely on energy to run light fixtures. Today there are highly energy-efficient windows and advances in lighting design that reduce the need for artificial lighting during daylight hours without compromising the home’s climate. Natural light also enhances a home's aesthetic feel. Natural light improves our mood: A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information showed that only thirty minutes of exposure to natural bright light improves our mood. An article in the shows how artificial light can trick the body's biological clock into releasing key wakefulness hormones at the wrong times, which can cause seasonal fatigue and depression. Natural light promotes healing: Right here in San Diego, according to the UT San Diego , an increasing number of hospitals are being built by architects who are using architectural elements that promote healing—one of which is natural light. Natural light makes us smarter: New York Times cited a study of 20,000 students that found that standardized test scores among comparable students could be as much as 26 percent higher when they attended classes in buildings illuminated primarily by natural lighting, compared with those who relied mainly on artificial light. Natural light makes us more productive: The same New York Times article cited a study taken at a Colorado software company that found programmers in offices with natural light spent more time at their computers than those in offices without windows. If you’re planning to build your dream home from scratch, add on to your existing home, or do some extensive remodeling, make sure to factor in opportunities to optimize natural lighting. A little natural light will reduce energy costs and doctor visits while increasing laughter and grade point averages. For more information on how we can help you daylight your home, log onto or call us at 858-750-6669.
Video Lectures, Video Courses, Science Animations, Lecture Notes, Online Test, Lecture Presentations. Absolutely FREE. Gluconeogenesis is the process by which glucose is synthesized from smaller simpler molecules such as lactate and pyruvate. While the catabolic linear pathway of glycolysis deals with the breakdown and extraction of energy from glucose, the reverse anabolic process of gluconeogenesis is equally important. The process of gluconeogenesis helps keep blood glucose levels within critical limits.
Democracy Matters In Teaching Welcome to the Wabash Center's blog series: Democracy Matters In Teaching Democracy, the principle of fair and equal treatment of everyone in a state, community, or institution, is the ultimate equity strategy. Democracy is complicated. In this time of competing agendas, crises, societal upheaval, and multiple pandemics, no singular idea of democracy can be taken for granted. The great experiment of democracy is, like liturgy, the “work of the people.” The Wabash Center is opening a discursive lane in our blogosphere for varied voices across the fields to consider the ramifications of democracy in our religion and theology classrooms. In this new series (blog, vlog, artwork), we invite scholars to consider the role of religion in democracy and likewise, the role of democracy in teaching religion and theology. - How do notions, practices, and rituals of democracy shape our pedagogies, teaching practices, and lives as teachers? - What understandings of democracy do students bring into educational institutions, and how does that shape the work of teaching? - What impact do these understandings of democracy have on student formation and the leadership students provide in their communities? - What does it mean to teach democracy when democracy is a blatantly contested ideal in the wider society? We invite bloggers and video-loggers across the fields of religion and theology, as well as interdisciplinarians, to engage the conversation on "Democracy Matters in Teaching." Instructions for blog writers and vlog makers: https://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/resources/blog/instructions-for-blog-writers/. The instructions are focused on written blogs, yet the same principles apply to vlog creation as well. Honorarium: Writers will be provided with a $100 honorarium for each blog or vlog post that is published on the Wabash Center website. Select an item by clicking its checkbox Our only chance to achieve collective happiness comes through extensive conversation punctuated here and there with votes, which will themselves over time, in their imperfections, simply demand of us more talk. ~ Danielle Allen I grew up during the transition from handwritten comments on high school report cards to a pre-populated ... A quilt is an extraordinarily familiar and surprisingly profound item. Owned by many, quilts are remarkable cultural artifacts—a factor not lost on many of our students, who are from a region with a rich history of quilting. In the Fall of 2019, I asked my students to create a community ... As religious and theological educators, one way to encourage democratic formation among our students is to teach about democracy, especially about the historical relationship between religious institutions and democracy. Another way is to provide opportunities for students to practice democracy. In other words, we might consider how our classrooms and ... As a theological educator, I’m used to having to make a case for why studying the history of religious movements in the United States is exciting. It’s very common to hear students say at the beginning of a course that history is boring or tedious or not worth ... In Interfaith Justice and Peacemaking, an integrative core class which explores the history of tolerance, intolerance, and interfaith efforts in the United States, one of the core texts we use is Eboo Patel’s Out of Many Faiths: Religious Diversity and the American Experience (2018). Central to Patel’s argument is ...
Eradicating and preventing the spread of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia in NSW \|Eradicating and preventing the spread of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia in NSW - To investigate patterns of dispersal, recruitment and growth of the invasive alga Caulerpa taxifolia and provide informationon spread within NSW estuaries. - To investigate the vectors that may transfer C. taxifolia to new locations. - To develop environmentally benign ways of removing C. taxifolia which might eventually lead to its elimination from whole sites or regions. To date, Caulerpa taxifolia has been found in 9 estuaries or sheltered embayments in NSW in water depths of 0.5-10metres. C. taxifolia is capable of growing extremely quickly; stolons can extend by up to 13 mm per day. Vegetative growth isthe primary means by which the alga has invaded these NSW waterways, covering a total of 8 km2 by mid 2004. C. taxifolia reproducesthrough a process of fragmentation, dispersal and eventual anchoring of drifting fragments to the seafloor. Underwater surveys revealedlarge numbers of fragments within existing beds of C. taxifolia, and experiments showed that these were readily trapped by seagrassor other structures on the seafloor. Once trapped, even small fragments can attach to the seafloor and grow into new plants. Infestationsof C. taxifolia in NSW range from sparse distributions of scattered runners to dense beds 40 cm thick. A boat-mounted mapping system was developed to record the extent and spread of C. taxifolia in NSW waterways. A procedurewhereby all known infestations are comprehensively mapped twice a year (mid-summer and mid-winter) has now been implemented. Thismapping has accurately documented the continued spread of C. taxifolia in affected NSW estuaries. Large-scale die-offs occurin shallow water (0.5-2 m) in most waterways during winter and this was particularly evident after heavy rainfall. This die-backmay be a consequence of decreased temperature, decreased salinity, increased turbidity or a combination of these. Several natural vectors can aid the fragmentation and translocation of C. taxifolia; storms, and the increased wave action associated with them, were found to be particularly important. Many human leisure activities may also generate, trap and transport fragmentsof C. taxifolia, including swimming, diving, water skiing, anchoring or recreational fishing. Abundances of fragments werehigher in areas of human use, and experiments showed that boat anchors, in particular, were able to remove significant amountsof C. taxifolia. Additional experiments showed that fragments caught this way could survive for 1-2 days out of water in conditionsthat mimicked the anchor well on a small boat, meaning boats might constitute a major risk for transferal to other waterways. Removing C. taxifolia by either hand-picking or using underwater suction devices worked for very small patches at shallowsites with sandy bottoms and good underwater visibility. However, many of the infested waterways in NSW are muddy and often turbid,making the detection of all plants difficult and increasing the risk of accidentally releasing fragments. Experiments with varioustypes of smothering materials, particularly jute matting, were also effective at killing most C. taxifolia in small-scaletrials. Their use for areas larger than a few hundred square metres, however, created more difficulties than they provided solutions. The use of osmotic shock showed the most promise in preliminary trials. The addition of coarse salt directly onto the plants killed themwithin hours. Trials using salt delivered from a specially designed punt were very successful at scales of several hundred square metres,but results of larger scale salting were mixed. Salt rapidly dissolves in seawater and has little residual impact on the marine environment.Although salt may kill other marine organisms that are directly covered by it, experiments showed that Zostera marina (a seagrass)and invertebrate infauna, which often co-occur with C. taxifolia, recover after 6 months if salt is applied at 50 kgm-2. The use ofthis salting technique has now been adopted as a major component of the NSW Caulerpa Control Plan () which also addresses issues of risk assessment and vector management.
Churchill aboard HMS Prince of Wales on his way to meet with US President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the Atlantic Conference in Placentia Bay, Newfoundland. “In all the war I never received a more direct shock.” Prime Minister Churchill on learning HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse had been sunk. Admiral Tom Phillips (right) commanding Force Z. A desk admiral, ignorant of modern naval warfare of the time, Phillips refused to listen to advice from experienced naval combat commanders. Rear Admiral Arthur Palliser (left) deputy of Admiral Sir Tom Phillips (right), commander of Force Z, on the quayside at Singapore naval base, 2 December 1941. Palliser was a nonentity and a man who was ‘bone from the neck up.’ Phillips was a “desk admiral” who had spent 8 or the previous 11 years on staff appointments. Admiral Tom Phillips, commanding what had been designated Force Z, was completely ignorant of the danger enemy aircraft posed to ships. Despite first hand reports of the extreme danger from the air, especially dive bombers and torpedo bombers, Phillips continued to smugly wallow in his preconceptions. Not only was he ignorant, he refused to listen to the younger officers who had been on convoy duty in the English Channel and who had been involved in the Norwegian Campaign. German aircraft had pounded Royal Navy in these battles. In 1940 alone more than 18 destroyers were lost from air attack. As Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Phillips would have been well aware of this. In the Highest Traditions of the Royal Navy, a thoroughly research biography of Captain John Leach, author Matthew B. Wills gives us this sketch of the Admiral commanding Force Z: “Admiral Phillips had no recent sea experience and had never been on a ship that had to defend herself from attack by enemy aircraft.” This was deeply unfortunate.
I am ecstatic about my newest resource, Taking Math on the Road! It is the first, of what I hope will be many, activity folders in my new Do, Learn, & Remember series. As children create an activity folder, they pull math off flat paper and apply concepts—numeration, graphing, measurement, computation, money, estimation, and more— to life experiences. This series was conceived as I answered questions from parents: "How do you teach math?" or "Do you have a template for that activity?" The Taking Math on the Road CD contains instructions and templates for the games we play in our home to learn math. The CD can be purchased at my website and inserted in the CD drive of your computer. Print the pages you need and begin a thematic math adventure. Want to know more? I am posting the introduction to Taking Math on the Road here so you can become more acquainted with the ideas behind the Do, Learn, & Remember series. "The contents of this activity folder are intentionally written to help you teach your child math concepts. Working through this seven day study, your child will create a folder packed with high-interest activities. Unlike worksheets which teach math on a one-dimensional surface, Do, Learn, & Remember actively involves your child. The games are intended to provide stand-alone math instruction but can be easily adapted or incorporated into existing home studies. Do, Learn, & Remember encourages mastery through repetition, an essential element for teaching math concepts. The completed folder’s compact, pocket-design keeps supplies and pieces safely inside and invites your child to carry learning through the day, playing and practicing again and again. This study is not a once-and-done-creation. Do, Learn, & Remember activities offer flexibility. The unit was written for varied developmental stages and educational philosophies. Simply choose appropriate activities from the selections provided. Feel free to shorten, lengthen, substitute, or omit activities to accommodate your child’s learning needs. Web resources (marked with a computer symbol) and book suggestions are included for extended study. It is even possible to use the games and resources without constructing the activity folder. Each lesson includes practical application experiences and related book titles (a library visit enhances study, but is not required) in an effort to make learning relevant to life. Additional supplemental activities and templates are available on this CD. Create, teach, and learn by the means which best encourage learning in your home. Taking Math on the Road was tested in our home. If it didn’t work, I didn’t include it. In fact, only activities which earned a “Dad, look what we did!” made their way into this unit. Most of the activities were completed at multiple levels (ages 4-8) and some were selected as review activities for children who needed extra practice. Generally, we all played together. Our activity folder and the memories we made creating it, are treasured. We hope yours will be, too!" Math concepts taught and reinforced in Taking Math on the Road: - Shape and color recognition - Counting to 100 by twos, fives, and tens - Greater than and less than to 100 - Ordering numbers 1-100 - Ordering numbers 100-1000 - Graphing and tallying - Addition facts and their corresponding subtraction facts (addends 0-6, sums less than 12) - Foundational fraction concepts Content area skills integrated and applied to life skills: - Roman roads - Road construction - Shapes, colors, and meanings of common road signs - History and significance of traffic signals - Inventors who contributed to automotive history - Car manufacturing - Auto mechanics - Drawing vehicles Bonus! activities and templates for Place Value Pasta, Add the Wheels, Traffic Sign Criss-Cross, and Roman Road Dessert.
Tech Geek Fact makes fact-checking straightforward by answering this question: Is a factual assertion about technology true? Fact-checks set the record straight by providing or confirming accurate information. Also, they build a record on the veracity of those who speak or write about technology. Statements chosen for fact-checks are verifiable, substantial, questionable, and are likely to be of interest to tech enthusiasts or the broader public. Fact-check rulings are based on such statements, as quoted by Tech Geek Fact. They use information available at the time of the statements. True: Accurate and essentially complete. Mostly True: Accurate, but lacks clarity or information. Half True: Partially accurate, but lacks important detail or is out-of-context. Mostly False: Inaccurate but contains a bit of truth.
Gas Chromatography Detectors - Classification of Detectors > Page 1 A chromatography detector is a device that locates in the dimensions of space and time, the positions of the components of a mixture that has been subjected to a chromatographic process and thus permits the senses to appreciate the nature of the separation. The definition, by necessity, must be broad, as it needs to encompass all types of detecting systems ranging from elaborate electronic devices to the human eye or even the sense of smell. Tswett in his pioneering chromatographic separation of some plant pigments used the human eye to determine the nature of the separation and, even today, as one of the more common separation techniques is thin layer chromatography, the human eye is still one of the more frequently used detectors. Similarly, essential oil chemists smell the eluent from a gas chromatography (GC) column in organoleptic assessment. The detector, as well as being an essential supporting device for the gas chromatograph has also played a critical role in the development of the technique as a whole. There has been a synergistic interaction between column development and detector development. The need to develop higher column efficiencies has demanded higher detector sensitivities which has provoked the development of more sensitive detectors. In turn, the more sensitive detectors has encouraged the improvement of column performance. In fact, the rapid development of GC in the 1950s was possible because or the swift introduction of high sensitivity linear detectors. Classification of Detectors Detectors can be classified into two types, bulk property detectors and solute property detectors. The bulk property detector measures some bulk physical property of the eluent (such as dielectric constant or refractive index) and the solvent property detector, measures some physical or chemical property that is unique to the solute (such as heat of combustion or fluorescence). Detectors can also be classified as concentration sensitive devices such as the katharometer or mass sensitive devices such as the flame ionization detector (FID). Another method of classification is to define detectors as specific or non-specific. An example of a specific detector would be the nitrogen phosphorous detector (NPD), which as its name implies detects only those substances that contain nitrogen or phosphorous. A non-specific detector would be the katharometer detector which senses all vapors that have specific heats or thermal conductivities different from those of the carrier gas. In general (though not always), non specific detectors have lower sensitivities than the specific detectors, the reasons for which will be discussed in due course. In this treatment of GC detectors the classification of bulk property detector and solute property detectors will be used.
We suggest that you schedule dental cleanings twice a year. If you have a history of periodontal disease, our dental hygienist will most likely recommend more frequent cleanings. During a dental cleaning, our hygienist will start by clearing away plaque and tartar that has built up on the surface of your teeth. It is important to get rid of this buildup because tartar left on your teeth will eventually harden, allowing the acids produced by bacteria to eat away at healthy dental enamel. If these bacteria are not removed from your teeth and around your gum line, you can develop gum disease. Without proper treatment, gum disease can lead to serious oral health problems, including possible tooth loss. It’s more important than ever to avoid gum disease because research has shown that there is a strong connection between the health of our mouth and our physical health. We have a much greater chance of eliminating the dangers of gum disease and associated problems with early detection and regular professional dental cleanings. As part of every dental cleaning, our hygienist will carefully examine your teeth to look for signs of other problems that may be developing. When caught early, we can treat these concerns before they become serious and difficult to treat.
Family planning is a matter of life and death, especially for girls and young women in Africa, ESENAM AMUZU writes on Project Syndicate LABADI, GHANA – Education about sexuality and reproductive health is a serious political issue in many Western countries. Elections are won or lost on topics like abortion and “family” values. But in Ghana, and in many other developing countries, family planning is a matter of life and death, especially for girls and young women. Six years ago, when I was a girl growing up in a slum in southern Ghana, it was normal to hear stories of teenagers having abortions; of 14-year-olds giving birth; and of 18-year-old men beating their prepubescent girlfriends because they refused to wash their partner’s clothes. No one in a position of authority – like parents or teachers – seemed concerned that the victims were unmarried girls, often below the legal age of consent. This was my “normal.” Many classmates dropped out of school after becoming pregnant. Others died as they opted for abortions in unlicensed facilities. If I could see these problems so clearly, why couldn’t the adults in my life do something about them? In the part of Ghana where I grew up, education about sexuality was the limiting factor. Young women and girls lacked access to even the most basic information about reproductive health. The subject was not taught in schools, owing to “cultural sensitivities.” Parents and educators were not much help, either; many believed that talking about sex with children would cause them to be more promiscuous. So, instead of being the first place to turn, family and teachers became a last resort. Many of us turned to one another; others went online, where information is often inaccurate. The lack of sex education has caused severe harm to Ghana’s youth. According to a recent survey by the US-based Guttmacher Institute, 43% of girls, and 27% of boys, engaged in sexual intercourse before their 20th birthday. Even more shocking, 12% of Ghanaian girls under 15 have had sex at least once (compared to 9% of boys). Of those who are sexually active today, only 30% use any form contraceptive, and just 22% use a modern one (like condoms). In a country with high teenage birthrates and staggering levels of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, these percentages are deeply troubling. Birth control can be a lifeline for young women in particular. The United Nations Population Fund, for example, estimates that increased use of contraceptives in developing countries would reduce annual maternal deaths by 70,000, and infant deaths by 500,000. In Ghana, broadening access to modern contraception is a crucial starting point for improving the long-term health of children and expectant mothers. For starters, governments should emphasize young people’s sexual health by offering a comprehensive instruction in reproductive health issues, including topics related to contraceptive methods, how to communicate in relationships, and where to access information and support related to HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Governments must also increase partnerships with civil-society groups. And yet Ghana’s young people cannot rely on adults to do all the work; we must advocate on our own behalf. Earlier this year, I helped launch a youth-led initiative called My Teen Life, to give young people a voice in how we talk about sexuality in rural parts of Ghana. Thanks to the generous support of the Global Changemakers initiative in Switzerland, this project is off to a promising start. It is already educating parents and guardians about how to talk to their children about sexual health; providing skills training to teenage mothers; and working to break the cycle of poverty and early childbirth. To date, My Teen Life has reached more than 100 teenagers and their families, and a first group of teen mothers has been trained to make jewelry and slippers to generate income. We hope to expand these and other outreach efforts to many more Ghanaian and other African teens in the coming months and years. Such initiatives are meant to appeal to girls in ways that government programs do not. Until recently, “family planning” in Ghana was offered only to married couples. Though that has changed somewhat, many women, even those who are married, are still prevented from accessing quality services because of patriarchal family structures. In our small way, My Teen Life is reaching out, effectively, to young people. We are helping them learn and understand what happens as they grow, and how best to make decisions that will set their future course in life. We are empowering every young girl we work with to stay in school, and stressing that if they express their sexuality, they must retain control over what happens to their body. Much more work remains to be done, but my colleagues and I believe that when young people provide solutions to their own problems, lasting change is more likely to follow. Esenam Amuzu is a European Development Days 2017 Young Leader.
Chocolate - The Good and The Bad by Daisy Villa Valentine’s Day gives everyone the opportunity to lavish love on their favorite people through gifts like a romantic dinner, a romantic get-away, jewelry, perfume, flowers, wine, champagne and the ever-popular chocolates in the familiar heart-shaped box. Even people on diets enjoy receiving chocolates on special occasions. From the commercial chocolate bar to the expensive chocolate truffle. But how good is chocolate for your health? The best chocolate to eat is organic dark chocolate. Small daily doses of flavonoid-rich dark chocolate eaten over a two-week period have been found to help the blood vessels to better dilate. Scientists targeted epicatechin, a flavonoid that was absorbed at high levels in the blood. This was particularly beneficial in blood vessel functions. Research has found that elevated levels of epicatechin trigger the release of active substances that increase blood flow through arteries and improve heart health. Flavanoids, chemical compounds with antioxidant properties found in a variety of plants, have been shown to promote a number of cardiovascular benefits, including decreasing bad LDL cholesterol as well as the body’s inflammatory immune responses and inhibiting the accumulation of blood platelets which contribute to blood clots that produce heart attacks and strokes. Even with this good news, chocolate lovers beware. Don’t go shoveling down Snickers and Hershey bars just yet. Chocolate is still a processed food and many chocolates are manufactured in such a way that much of the antioxidants are damaged during standard processing. Most consumers don’t understand that chocolate comes from the cocoa bean, which is a plant. Without adding lots of sugar, people would find the cocoa bean extremely bitter. Most chocolate manufacturers remove flavanoids from chocolate because of their natural bitter taste. This leaves only the sugar, fat and calories. Don’t forget that one ounce of dark chocolate still contains 9 grams of fat and 149 calories. Many people call themselves chocoholics. Being a serious chocoholic is similar to other addicts. Chocoholics can feel guilt, frustration, depression, anxiety and restlessness when exposed to chocolate. All these feelings are felt by people addicted to drugs or alcohol. Of course, that is the extreme of loving chocolate. For many, chocolate has a more subtle meaning beyond the delicious taste of chocolate. It gives fleeting moments of decadent pleasure. Sometimes there is guilt, or eating chocolate can give that elusive bittersweet feeling like an unsuccessful love affair. So is chocolate good or bad? Despite the benefits of flavanoids found in chocolate, there are healthier options like blueberries, apples, grapes, onions, greens and broccoli. According to the USDA, blueberries are the top-rated food as far as antioxidant capacity is concerned. They have anthocyanins that are more powerful than the flavanoids found in cocoa for protecting against free radical damage. Unfortunately, blueberries and other berries have a relatively short growing season. During those months when fresh berries are not available, you can purchase them frozen at your grocery store. Chocolate is the perfect food treat for many special occasions. If you want to eat chocolate, here are three considerations: Use moderation when consuming chocolate. Instead of wolfing down chocolate, savor each bite. If you have constant cravings for sweets, you are likely not eating a correct and balanced diet. If you crave chocolate when you are upset, lonely or bored, you might find that there are underlying emotional issues which needto be resolved. Do not eat chocolate if you have a disease and are struggling with serious health issues. Only eat chocolate if you are healthy. Dark chocolate still contains large quantities of sugar and fat. Eat only organic (the more organic the better) dark chocolate. Dark chocolate has twice as much flavanoids as light or milk chocolate and white chocolate contains no nutrients. I still believe in celebrating life, and chocolate can be the perfect food. Use common sense when eating chocolate. If you still feel that tinge of guilt, a good compromise would be to eat berries dipped in chocolate. Valentine’s Day comes only once a year, so go ahead and enjoy some organic dark chocolate. Wishing you all a Healthy Happy Valentine’s Day!