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Donna M. Denno Emphasizes critical health problems of women and children in developing countries in social, economic, and cultural contexts. Practical approaches to developing MCH programs shared via lecture/discussions, exercises, and small group work. Students acquire skills in baseline assessment, setting objectives, planning and evaluating interventions, and involving communities. Offered: jointly with G H 544. This course provides an overview of the critical health problems of women and children in resource limited settings and examines programmatic interventions and practical strategies that respond to those problems. The course covers MCH proposal development, community involvement and program implementation and management. Student learning goals List the major socioeconomic and biomedical causes of illness, disability and mortality among women, mothers, adolescents and children globally. List and describe the key prevention and treatment interventions recommended for wide scale implementation to reduce maternal and child morbidity and mortality globally. List different strategies that can be used to implement interventions and describe their pros and cons. Develop a plan for assessing community needs and involving the community in the design, implementation and evaluation of MCH programs. Design one component of an MCH program for a specific setting, including the following elements: assessment of needs, involvement of the community, SMART objectives, staffing/training plan, technically correct and culturally-responsive interventions, a budget, and a monitoring/evaluation plan. Provide a critique of a proposal for an MCH program, based on its content, approach and presentation. General method of instruction Utilize lecture/discussions, exercises, case studies and small group work on approaches to developing MCH programs. This course is designed for graduate students who have some exposure to living and working conditions in resource limited settings and who are interested in practical aspects of maternal and child health programs in resource limited settings. Class assignments and grading The requirements of the course, on which evaluation of the student is based, are as follows: Class and work group participation: 20%, Midterm paper: 20%, Small group project (group grading): 40%, Final proposal review: 20%
What is Air Pollution? 'Air pollution' means the emission into the air of any air impurity. ‘Air impurity’ includes smoke, dust (including fly ash), cinders, solid particles of any kind, gases, fumes, mists, odours and radioactive substances. Air pollution can be associated with creating nuisances and acute health effects and may also cause long-term health problems. Apart from the impact on human health, some pollutants can also cause damage to vegetation and the built environment. Air pollution matters are generally handled under the provisions of the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997 (the Act), and associated Regulations. Pollution from wood smoke can cause breathing difficulties, especially for people suffering existing respiratory conditions, such as asthmatics, and for very young children and frail older people. Some simple steps to reduce wood smoke pollution are: - Don’t let your heater smoulder overnight – keep enough air in the fire to maintain a flame. - Burn only dry, aged hardwood in your wood heater. Unseasoned wood has lots of moisture, which causes a fire to smoke. - Store your wood under cover in a dry, ventilated area. Freshly cut wood needs to be stored for at least eight to twelve months. - Never burn rubbish, driftwood or painted or treated wood. These are sure to pollute the air and can produce poisonous gases. - When lighting a cold heater, use plenty of dry kindling to establish a good fire quickly. - Use several small logs rather than one large log and stack them loosely in your heater, so air can circulate around them. Don’t cram the firebox full. - Keep the flame lively and bright. Your fire should only smoke when you first light it and when you add extra fuel. Open the air controls fully for 5 minutes before and 15 to 20 minutes after reloading the heater. - Check your chimney regularly to see how well your fire is burning. If there is smoke coming from the chimney, increase the air supply to your fire. - Have the chimney cleaned every year to prevent creosote build-up. - If you are buying a wood heater, make sure it has a compliance plate showing it meets the Australian Standard (AS/NZS 4013:2014). For information on how to use your wood heater better, visit the EPA website at www.epa.nsw.gov.au/woodsmoke Installing a new wood heater? You are required to obtain an approval under Section 68 of the Local Government Act 1993. Please contact Council’s Planning & Environmental Services Division on 6226 1477 for further information prior to installation, or view the following link: Registering a Complaint In most cases, concerns about air pollution should be referred to the source or person causing the problem. The Community Justice Centre can provide advice on how to approach and talk to your neighbour. If approaching the person causing the problem has not been successful please contact Council to make a complaint. Air pollution at times is difficult to measure and observe as it usually depends on individual sensitivities and can vary significantly with weather conditions. If making a complaint to Council about air pollution please include the following information: - Time, date and duration of odour; - Weather conditions and wind direction; - Details in relation to the nature of the odour; - Details where the odour is likely to be coming from; and - Your contact details. Air pollution enquiries of complaints can be directed to Council’s Environmental Health Officer’s on (02) 6226 1477 or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.org
Fisheries,Wildlife and Conservation Biology Learn about the care and management of wildlife, fish, or aquatic resources. Gain a broad science background while focusing on biology and the environment. What can I specialize in with this major? Students in this major choose one of these tracks: - Conservation Biology: This track focuses on the conservation of land or water creatures and their habitats. You'll learn about various environmental issues. Careers usually involve the protection of endangered species or the management of biodiversity. - Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences: This track focuses on fisheries and aquatic resources, including their science and management. Topics include fish hatchery management, aquaculture, aquatic education, and aquatic environmental assessment. This track gives you the option of becoming a Certified Fisheries Professional. - Wildlife: This track focuses on wildlife science, management, and administration. Topics include zoo biology, terrestrial ecology, environmental assessment, and wildlife education. This track gives you the option of becoming a Certified Wildlife Biologist. - Pre-Veterinary Medicine can also be added: In addition to one of the tracks above, students in this major can formally pursue a pre-vet emphasis too. This requires additional biology and chemistry courses What jobs can I get with this major? Many FWCB majors go on to careers in the management or protection of aquatic resources, wildlife, or the environment. Potential jobs include fishery or wildlife scientist or manager, park ranger, naturalist, zoo biologist, environmental biologist, environmental educator, and much more. Some FWCB majors go on to graduate school in biological and natural resource sciences, or to professional programs in veterinary medicine, environmental law, or environmental education. See a list of sample job titles and other career information from the Career and Internship Services office. This office provides professional career counselors for all CFANS students. Why choose CFANS for this major? CFANS provides exceptional research opportunities and interactive learning experiences. The Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology major offers classes that include field trips and multiple ways to learn while doing. The CFANS Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology is known for its dedication to conservation and for educating students about new research findings. It serves as a cooperative research unit for the U.S. Department of Interior, Fish and Wildlife. It also has extension programs focused on citizen-science, and is committed to providing students with a global perspective. What classes are required? What’s the curriculum like? This major provides a broad science background. Depending on your track, you'll specialize further in fisheries/aquatic species, wildlife, or the conservation of ecosystems. Your classes may include biology, zoology, genetics, ecology, or conservation biology, among others. Find requirements for this major in the University Catalog. For academic planning information, see PDF links on the Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology website. Each track is listed on that page, with a link to curriculum guides. After you're admitted to CFANS, you'll work with an academic advisor to enroll in classes that fulfill this major's requirements. Your CFANS advisors will help guide you toward academic success.
1750: 61% of all British North American slaves — nearly 145,000 — live in Virginia and Maryland, working the tobacco fields. What colony had the highest number of African slaves in the 1700s? The Carolina slave trade, which included both trading and direct raids by colonists, was the largest among the British colonies in North America, estimated at 24,000 to 51,000 Native Americans by Gallay. Where was slavery most common in the colonies? The Origins of American Slavery While slavery grew exponentially in the South with large plantations, slavery in New England was different. Most enslaved people in the North did not live in large communities, as enslaved people did in the mid-Atlantic colonies and the South. Which colonies legalized slavery by the 1700s? Massachusetts is the first colony to legalize slavery. The New England Confederation of Plymouth, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Haven adopts a fugitive slave law. Connecticut legalizes slavery. Rhode Island passes laws restricting slavery and forbidding enslavement for more than 10 years. Where did majority of slaves in British North America live in 1750? While most enslaved people in the Chesapeake labored on small farms, many of those in South Carolina lived on large plantations with a large number of slaves. By 1750, one third of all low-country South Carolina slaves lived on units with 50 or more slaves. Who brought the first African slaves to the United States? Christopher Columbus likely transported the first Africans to the Americas in the late 1490s on his expeditions to the island of Hispaniola, now Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Their exact status, whether free or enslaved, remains disputed. But the timeline fits with what we know of the origins of the slave trade. Who was the first African slaves arrived in Jamestown? The first documented arrival of Africans to the colony of Virginia was recorded by John Rolfe: “About the latter end of August, a Dutch man of Warr of the burden of a 160 tunes arrived at Point-Comfort, the Comandors name Capt Jope, his Pilott for the West Indies one Mr Marmaduke an Englishman. … How were slaves captured in Africa? Most slaves in Africa were captured in wars or in surprise raids on villages. Adults were bound and gagged and infants were sometimes thrown into sacks. Was there slavery in the 13 colonies? However, few colonial leaders wanted to fully get rid of slavery at the time. It was not until late into the Revolutionary War period that the former New England colonies began outlawing slavery fully. Vermont was first, followed by Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. When did slavery start in Africa? The transatlantic slave trade began during the 15th century when Portugal, and subsequently other European kingdoms, were finally able to expand overseas and reach Africa. The Portuguese first began to kidnap people from the west coast of Africa and to take those they enslaved back to Europe. What was the first state to free slaves? In 1780, Pennsylvania became the first state to abolish slavery when it adopted a statute that provided for the freedom of every slave born after its enactment (once that individual reached the age of majority). What tribe captured slaves in Africa? Many nations such as the Bono State, Ashanti of present-day Ghana and the Yoruba of present-day Nigeria were involved in slave-trading. Groups such as the Imbangala of Angola and the Nyamwezi of Tanzania would serve as intermediaries or roving bands, waging war on African states to capture people for export as slaves. How many slaves were in the colonies by 1776? The total slave population in the South eventually reached four million. First slave laws. Where did Britain get slaves from? THE LONG ROAD TO ABOLITION In 1807, parliament passed the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act, effective throughout the British empire. It is estimated about 12.5 million people were transported as slaves from Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean between the 16th century and 1807. How was slavery introduced into the 13 colonies? However, many consider a significant starting point to slavery in America to be 1619, when the privateer The White Lion brought 20 African slaves ashore in the British colony of Jamestown, Virginia. The crew had seized the Africans from the Portugese slave ship Sao Jao Bautista. What role did African slavery play in the English colonies of America? Directly or indirectly, the economies of all 13 British colonies in North America depended on slavery. … With plentiful land and slave labor available to grow a lucrative crop, southern planters prospered, and family-based tobacco plantations became the economic and social norm.
To use all functions of this page, please activate cookies in your browser. With an accout for my.chemeurope.com you can always see everything at a glance – and you can configure your own website and individual newsletter. - My watch list - My saved searches - My saved topics - My newsletter Neuroprosthetics (also called Neural Prosthetics) is a discipline related to neuroscience and biomedical engineering concerned with developing neural prostheses, artificial devices to replace or improve the function of an impaired nervous system. The neuroprosthetic seeing the most widespread use is the cochlear implant, with approximately 100,000 in use worldwide as of 2006. Additional recommended knowledge The first cochlear implant dates back to 1957. Implanted heart pacemakers were first trialled in 1958 and successfully in 1960, whilst externally pacemakers significantly predate this. Other landmarks include the first motor prosthesis for foot drop in hemiplegia in 1961, the first auditory brainstem implant in 1977 and a peripheral nerve bridge implanted into spinal cord of adult rat in 1981. Paraplegics were helped in standing with a lumbar anterior root implant (1988) and in walking with Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES). Regarding the development of electrodes implanted in the brain, an early difficulty was reliably locating the electrodes, originally done by inserting the electrodes with needles and breaking off the needles at the desired depth (ref? - To whoever put ref here, check out Dr Jose Delgado's work, especially google brainchips.pdf - unsure of how to properly edit wiki). Recent systems utilize more advanced probes, such as those used in deep brain stimulation to alleviate the symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. The problem with either approach is that the brain floats free in the skull while the probe does not, and relatively minor impacts, such as a low speed car accident, are potentially damaging. Some researchers, such as Kensall Wise at the University of Michigan, have proposed tethering 'electrodes to be mounted on the exterior surface of the brain' to the inner surface of the skull. However, even if successful, tethering would not resolve the problem in devices meant to be inserted deep into the brain, such as in the case of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Research has also been undertaken by the American CIA in the 1950s as part of the MKULTRA program, although it is uncertain whether this meets the definition of neuroprosthesis. Examples: Subproject 86 (developing an invasive prosthetic identifier thought to expand in reporting body responses such as blood pressure or tremor), subproject 94 (neurostimulus in animals immediately defining direction of movement and control) and subproject 119 (remote "reassembly" or unification of monitored neural impulse into a usable data product). One of the prominent goals in neuroprosthetics is a visual supplement, noting roughly 95% of all people considered 'blind' suffer significant impairment but have some capability (for example, seeing some sort of blur) - only about 5% of 'blind' people are totally blind. By the 1940s, researchers had established the concept of artificial electrical stimulation of the visual cortex, and in the late 1960s, British scientist Giles Brindley produced breakthrough findings with a system for placing electrodes on the brain's surface. When specific areas of the brain were stimulated in blind volunteers, all reported "seeing" phosphenes that corresponded to where they would have appeared in space. However, experiments were discontinued because of the uncomfortably high currents required for stimulation on the surface of the brain. Encouraged by this work, the National Institutes of Health undertook a project to develop and deploy an interface based on ultrafine wire (25 to 50 micrometers) densely populated with electrode sites that could be implanted deep into the visual cortex, thus requiring less current than Brindley's original design. This work led to new electrode technology—finer than the width of human hair—that could be safely implanted in animals to electrically stimulate, and passively record, electrical activity in the brain. The efforts produced significant advances in neurophysiology, with publication of hundreds of papers in which researchers attempted to develop an electronic interface to the brain. With this new technology, several scientists, including Karin Moxon at Drexel, John Chapin at SUNY, and Miguel Nicolelis at Duke University, started research on the design of a sophisticated visual prosthesis. Other scientists have disagreed with the focus of their research, arguing that the basic research and design of the densely populated microscopic wire was not sophisticated enough to proceed. A cochlear implant (or "bionic ear") is a surgically implanted device that can help provide a sense of sound to a person who is profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing. Unlike hearing aids, the cochlear implant does not amplify sound, but works by directly stimulating any functioning auditory nerves inside the cochlea with electrical impulses. External components of the cochlear implant include a microphone, speech processor and transmitter. Prosthetics for pain relief The Spinal Cord Stimulator or (Dorsal Column Stimulator) is used to treat chronic neurological pain. It is implanted near the dorsal surface of the spinal cord and an electric impulse generated by the device provides a "tingling" sensation that alters the perception of pain by the patient. A pulse generator or RF receiver is implanted in the abdomen or buttocks. A wire harness connects the lead to the pulse generator. Devices which support the function of autonomous nervous system include the Artificial Pacemaker and an implant for bladder control. In the somatic nervous system attempts to aid conscious control of movement include Functional electrical stimulation and the lumbar anterior root stimulator. A medical device designed to regulate the beating of the heart. The purpose of an artificial pacemaker is to stimulate the heart when either the heart's native pacemaker is not fast enough or if there are blocks in the heart's electrical conduction system preventing the propagation of electrical impulses from the native pacemaker to the lower chambers of the heart. Bladder control implants Where a spinal cord lesion leads to paraplegia, patients have difficulty emptying their bladders and this can cause infection. From 1969 onwards Brindley developed the sacral anterior root stimulator, with successful human trials from the early 1980s onwards. This device is implanted over the sacral anterior root ganglia of the spinal cord; controlled by an external transmitter, it delivers intermittent stimulation which improves bladder emptying. It also assists in defecation and enables male patients to have a sustained full erection. The related procedure of sacral nerve stimulation is for the control of incontinence in able-bodied patients. Motor prosthetics for conscious control of movement Researchers are attempting to build motor neuralprosthetics that will help restore movement and the ability to communicate with the outside world to sufferers of conditions such as spinal chord injuries such as tetraplagia and wasting diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. To capture electrical signals from the brain, scientists have developed microelectrode arrays smaller than a square centimeter that can be implanted in the skull to record electrical activity, outputting information through a thin cable. After decades of research in monkeys, neuroscientists have been able to decode neuronal signals into movements. Completing the translation, researchers have built interfaces that allow patients to move computer cursors, and they are beginning to build robotic limbs that patients can control by thinking about movement. The technology behind neural prostheses is still in its infancy. Investigators and study participants continue to experiment with different ways of using the prostheses. Having a patient think about clenching a fist, for example, produces a different result than having him or her think about tapping a finger. The filters used in the prostheses are also being fine-tuned, and in the future, doctors hope to create an electrode capable of transmitting signals from inside the skull wirelessly, as opposed to through a cable. Preliminary clinical trials suggest that the devices are safe and that they have the potential to be effective. Some patients have worn the devices for over two years with few, if any, ill effects. Prior to these advancements, Philip Kennedy (Emory and Georgia Tech) had an operable if somewhat primitive system which allowed an individual with paralysis to spell words by modulating their brain activity. Kennedy's device used two neurotrophic electrodes: the first was implanted in an intact motor cortical region (e.g. finger representation area) and was used to move a cursor among a group of letters. The second was implanted in a different motor region and was used to indicate the selection. Developments continue in replacing lost arms with cybernetic replacements by using nerves normally connected to the pectoralis muscles. These arms allow a slightly limited range of motion, and reportedly are slated to feature sensors for detecting pressure and temperature. Dr. Todd Kuiken at Northwestern University and Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago has developed a method called targeted reinnervation for an amputee to control motorized prosthetic devices and to regain sensory feedback. In 2002 an implant was interfaced directly into the median nerve fibres of the scientist Kevin Warwick. The electrode array inserted contained 100 electrodes, of which 25 could be accessed at any one time. The signals produced were detailed enough that a robot arm developed by Warwick's colleague, Peter Kyberd, was able to mimic the actions of Warwick's own arm and provide a form of touch feedback via the implant. Sensory and motor prostheses deliver input to and output from the nervous system respectively. Theodore Berger at the University of Southern California defines a third class of prostheses aimed at restoring cognitive function by replacing circuits within the brain damaged by stroke, trauma or disease. Work has begun on a proof-of-concept device - a hippocampal prosthesis which can mimic the function of a region of the hippocampus - a part of the brain responsible for the formation of memories. Santucci DM, Kralik JD, Lebedev MA, Nicolelis MA (2005) "Frontal and parietal cortical ensembles predict single-trial muscle activity during reaching movements in primates." Eur J Neurosci. 22(6): 1529-1540. Lebedev MA, Carmena JM, O'Doherty JE, Zacksenhouse M, Henriquez CS, Principe JC, Nicolelis MA (2005) "Cortical ensemble adaptation to represent velocity of an artificial actuator controlled by a brain-machine interface." J Neurosci. 25: 4681-4893. Nicolelis MA (2003) "Brain-machine interfaces to restore motor function and probe neural circuits." Nat Rev Neurosci. 4: 417-422. Wessberg J, Stambaugh CR, Kralik JD, Beck PD, Laubach M, Chapin JK, Kim J, Biggs SJ, Srinivasan MA, Nicolelis MA. (2000) "Real-time prediction of hand trajectory by ensembles of cortical neurons in primates." Nature 16: 361-365. \|This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Neuroprosthetics". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.\|
The State Capitol BuildingThe State Capitol Building from Ghost Stories of America Volume I by Dan Asfar No one is really sure exactly when it began, but over the last few decades, the sound of a lone man sobbing atop the State Capitol Building in Lincoln, Nebraska, has become something of an attraction. People have been coming up to the observation deck on the dome of Nebraska’s state capitol for years. School field trips, tourists, couples on dates and people just looking to kill a day—countless observers have taken in the view of Lincoln sprawling below the legislature building’s dome. But locals’ attention started being diverted from the vista of the corn husker capital city when they began hearing a faint weeping. It was a strange sound, clear if one listened carefully enough, but somehow distant, as if heard from the end of a long tunnel. Yet the soulful wails seemed to be coming from all around—very near, yet unfathomably distant. The first people to hear the cries thought that someone on the observation deck was in trouble, but thorough searches of the walkway on the dome never yielded a thing. Word spread that there was an invisible weeper on the top of the Capitol Building, and more visitors started to appear on the dome, straining their ears for a trace of a sound. To be sure, there were many who didn’t hear the sounds but enough could discern the piteous cries coming from the very air, and the tale of the sobs on the Capitol Building began to gain currency. It was not long before the human need to explain the inexplicable sent the curious to the newspaper archives and history books, where it was discovered that there is more to Nebraska’s Capitol Building than policy debate and legislation. Indeed, enough tragedy has transpired there to make a grown man cry, or enough to send a wayward spirit into tears, anyway. In the frigid December of 1968, a single man was strapped into a rope harness, hanging from a cord tied to the Capitol’s dome. He was engaged in what was probably the least enviable yuletide duty in all of Lincoln: stringing up Christmas lights on the rounded roof of the Capitol Building. Dangling from a rope on a dome 13 stories above ground in a brisk winter wind, the man was not happy about his current place in the world; in fact, he was petrified. It was horrible work, and no one in Lincoln was too eager to volunteer for the service. So it became a tradition to offer the job to inmates at the state penitentiary. Those who signed up for the task were usually looked on favorably on their next parole board review. That was until 1968, when the last convict was to perform the yearly ritual. No one knows for certain if the convict had a weak heart or if he suffered from an inordinate fear of heights, but the prison guard who was watching over the man as he crawled across the dome was struck by how slowly he was moving. His steps, short and tentative, were so pathetic the guard stuck his head out onto the roof to see what the problem was. It was then, in the dim moonlight, that he saw the look on the man’s face. There was no question the prisoner was struggling with a debilitating terror. His face was contorted into tearful horror as he tried, unsuccessfully, to contain mortified sobs. The guard did not have a chance to say a word to his stricken ward. In the next instant, the man’s entire body convulsed violently and he looked suddenly surprised, as if hit with a sudden realization; a moment later, he was dead. The coroner’s report revealed that the convict had suffered a massive heart attack as he hung from that rope, unable to deal with what must have been a virulent fear of heights. Many have linked this convict’s fear-filled demise with the mysterious sobbing on the observation deck. It is believed that the terror this man felt during his last moments was so intense, it somehow engraved itself into a psychic space on the dome. As a result, these sobs, the plaintive expression of the convict’s mortal dread, are forever being replayed, faintly heard in the material realm by visitors to the Capitol Building today. The other prevalent theory regarding the sobbing on the dome involves an event that took place in the late 1950s, when a heartbroken Nebraskan wandered up the legislative building right after breaking up with his girlfriend. Today, the long spiral staircase he walked up to get to the roof is closed to the public, barred by a wired gate that is usually locked. The staircase has been restricted for many years; it does not have a central support beam, so a person leaning too far over the inside rail could fall, unobstructed, for 13 stories. This is precisely what happened to the poor man who stumbled up the staircase in a desperate attempt to rise above his troubles. Some say he jumped once he reached the top, others believe he tumbled over the rail accidentally. Whatever the case, he fell from the very top, plummeting the 13 stories and dying instantly when he hit the ground. The staircase was sealed off soon after. Could the weeping be this man’s sorrowful moans just before he fell to his death? With these two tragedies to pick from, no one is sure exactly who is sobbing at the top of the Capitol Building. But there is even more unsettling information regarding Lincoln’s legislative building. It is rumored that long before Nebraska was settled, local American Indians considered the hill the building is constructed upon hallowed ground. Many people claim to have felt a horrible chill in the lowest floors of the Capitol Building and are haunted by a distinct sense that they shouldn’t be there. Those who have experienced this feeling in the basement have never again been comfortable anywhere in the legislature. It was as if they were told by some inaudible voice that they were not welcome there—that they would never be welcome. Perhaps, then, the entire Capitol Building is haunted, charged with the negative energy of disconsolate Indian spirits, upset by the fact that their holy ground has not been treated with the proper respect. Maybe it is this negative energy that gives voice to the miserable spirits who lost their lives on the top floor, who continue to sob out of mortal fear or inconsolable heartbreak, sending futile wails into an indifferent Nebraska sky. \|Copyright ©2005, Ghost House Books\|
Tingling fingers? Not only can this be puzzling, it can also be dangerous! The pins and needles that comes with tingling fingers might be more than just a slight sensation. They can also be an indicator that there is something bigger going on! Let’s look at causes and find the connection between tingling fingers and your circulation. Causes of Tingling Fingers Diabetes is one of the most common causes of tingling in the hands, feet, and legs. Two thirds of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage. This causes poor blood flow and other heart problems. Carpal Tunnel Syndrome One of the most common symptoms of Carpal Tunnel syndrome is tingling in the fingers. The carpal tunnel is a very narrow passageway in your hand that is surrounded by bones and ligaments. When the median nerve experience pressure from a surrounding ligament or bone, symptoms include numbness, tingling, and weakness in the hand or arm. It’s no surprise that drinking too much is bad for you. Alcoholism might actually cause nerve damage. Doctors have also observed that many alcoholics have vitamin deficiencies due to poor dietary habits. Vitamin deficiencies are a Toxins like heavy metals aren’t great for your health. In addition, certain medicines can also be toxins, like chemotherapy drugs and some antibiotic drugs. Infections like Lyme disease, shingles, cytomegalovirus, Epsterin-Barr, herpes simplex, and HIV/AIDS can cause tingling in the fingers and toes. Too much Vitamin B6 can cause tingling in the hands and feet. If you’re taking B Vitamins, carefully monitor your symptoms to make sure that you’re not taking too much! Many autoimmune diseases cause chronic inflammation. Chronic inflammation can cause circulation problems that result in tingling fingers. If you’ve undergone a trauma, your nerves might be crushed, compressed, or damaged. This can result in tingling fingers and toes. If you’ve had an accident and haven’t gotten it looked at, you might want to consider seeing a doctor. Tingling Fingers and Your Circulation In order to treat your tingling fingers, you will have to figure out what exactly your ailment is. Sometimes, poor circulation is a side effect of some of these bigger issues. If you can’t totally fix your issue, you can help improve your poor circulation. One of the best ways to improve your blood flow is to take l-arginine. L-arginine is an amino acid that helps your body produce nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is a molecule that helps your blood vessels dilate, releasing some of the pressure on your arterial walls, effectively lowering your blood pressure! Circulation Boost is a great supplement to take if you want to increase nitric oxide. It contains 5110 mg of l-arginine to give you the results that you need! Try it out risk-free today! Always consult with your doctor before you start taking a new supplement to make sure that it’s safe for you.
The Brookline Health Department’s Environmental Health Division and the U.s. Division of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service offers the accompanying once again to-class sustenance security tips for folks. Kids are at high danger of contracting foodborne sickness in light of the fact that their safe frameworks are even now creating. Indeed, youngsters less than 5 years old have the most astounding rate of campylobacter, E. coli and salmonella disease among whatever other age assemble in the United States. This highlights the essentialness of emulating the USDA’s four nourishment security steps at whatever point planning dinners: clean, separate, cook and chill. To help families educate the imperativeness of the four steps to youthful kids, the USDA FSIS has created a sustenance wellbeing “science test” that folks and youngsters can do together to verify school snacks are sheltered to consume come lunchtime. To begin, folks ought to pack their kid’s lunch and have their youngster store it as they would at school. After the typical measure of time between lunch pressing and utilization has passed, folks ought to help their tyke take the temperature of the lunch substance. Chilly things ought to still be underneath 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and hot things ought to be over 140 degrees F. In the event that sustenance is found in the “risk zone,” somewhere around 40 and 140 degrees, folks can utilize the accompanying tips to guarantee their youngster’s lunch remains securely outside the peril zone for future arrangements: If the lunch contains perishable sustenance things like luncheon meats, eggs or yogurt, make a point to pack it with no less than two cooler packs. Destructive microorganisms duplicate quickly in the risk zone, so perishable sustenance transported without an ice source won’t stay safe long. Frozen juice boxes or water likewise could be utilized as cooler packs. Solidify these things overnight and use with no less than one other cooler pack. By lunchtime, the fluids ought to be defrosted and prepared to drink. Pack snacks containing perishable nourishment in a protected lunchbox or delicate sided lunch pack. Perishable nourishment could be perilous to consume by lunchtime if pressed in a paper pack. If conceivable, a kid’s lunch ought to be put away in a fridge upon entry. In any case leave the top of the lunchbox or pack open in the cooler with the goal that chilly air can better course and keep the nourishment icy. If pressing a hot lunch, in the same way as soup, bean stew or stew, utilize a protected compartment to keep it hot. Fill the holder with bubbling water, let stand for a couple of minutes, void, and afterward put in the steaming sustenance. Advise youngsters to keep the protected compartment shut until lunchtime to keep the nourishment hot: 140 degrees F (73.9 degrees Celsius) or above. After lunch, toss all remaining sustenance, utilized nourishment bundling and paper sacks. Don’t reuse bundling, in light of the fact that it could debase other sustenance and reason foodborne sickness.
It is part of a federal program to check more cattle for the fatal brain disease. The state expects to check between about 17,000 and 23,000 cattle during the first year and a-half. They'll start June 1. Last year the state checked fewer than 2,900 cattle. State veterinarian Robert Ehlenfeldt says a goal of the new national testing program is to have 95 percent confidence that one sick animal out of every ten million tested can be detected. About 35 million cattle are slaughtered in the U.S. each year, including about 750,000 in Wisconsin. wifr.com Extended Web Coverage Mad Cow Disease What is Mad Cow Disease? - Mad cow, also known as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a disease found in cattle. Found in humans it is named Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (VCJD). What is Mad cow (BSE)? - Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a progressive neurological disorder. - The disease can be transmitted between cattle when infected meat is digested by the animal. - The disease has now cure in cattle. Transmission to Humans - Although the risk is very small, humans can contract the disease, which is known as VCJD. - The disease is fatal and causes brain disorders with unusually long incubation periods measured in years. - From 1995 through June 2002, a total of 124 human cases of VCJD were reported in the United Kingdom, 6 cases in France, and 1 case each in Ireland, Italy, and the United States. The case-patients from Ireland and the United States had each lived in the United Kingdom for more than 5 years. - Milk and milk products from cows are not believed to pose any risk for transmitting the BSE agent. - Staying alert to U.S. government warnings during times of outbreak is very important. The U.S. government will say if avoiding beef all together is necessary. - Selecting beef, such as solid pieces of muscle meat (versus calf brains or beef products such as burgers and sausages), which might have a reduced opportunity for contamination with tissues that may harbor the BSE agent. Symptoms of VCJD - The duration of CJD from the onset of symptoms to the inevitable death is usually one year; however, shorter duration periods of several months are common, and longer duration periods of two or more years have been noted. - The initial stage of the disease can be subtle with ambiguous symptoms of: - Personality and behavioral changes - Strange physical sensations - Problems with memory, coordination and sight - As the disease advances, the patient experiences a rapidly, progressive dementia and in most cases, involuntary and irregular jerking movements known as myoclonus. - Problems with language, sight, muscular weakness, and coordination worsen. The patient may appear startled and become rigid. - In the final stage of the disease, the patient loses all mental and physical functions. The patient may lapse into a coma and usually dies from an infection like pneumonia precipitated by the bedridden, unconscious state. Sources: http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/fact/cjd.htm (The Center for Disease Control Web site) and http://cjdfoundation.org/CJDInfo.html (The Creutxfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation Web site)
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved a new health claim for magnesium and its role in reducing the risk of high blood pressure. A health claim can be used on food and supplement label packaging to characterize the relationship between a substance such as a vitamin, mineral or fiber and a disease or health-related condition. The health claim for magnesium is a qualified health claim, which means that the research supports the claim, but not at a high level of significant scientific agreement. Current research studies show both some positive effects of eating foods that are higher in magnesium or taking magnesium supplements to lower blood pressure, while other studies show no benefit. The FDA cites specific language that must be used on food packaging, specifically: - “Inconsistent and inconclusive scientific evidence suggests that diets with adequate magnesium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), a condition associated with many factors.” - “Consuming diets with adequate magnesium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension). However, the FDA has concluded that the evidence is inconsistent and inconclusive.” - “Some scientific evidence suggests that diets with adequate magnesium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), a condition associated with many factors. The FDA has concluded that the scientific evidence supporting this claim is inconsistent and not conclusive.” Why Should I Be Concerned about Blood Pressure? According to the American Heart Association, nearly 50% of Americans have high blood pressure, and many don’t even know it. Normal blood pressure is 120/80. High blood pressure can lead to: - Heart Attack: High blood pressure damages arteries that can become blocked and prevent blood flow to the heart muscle. - Stroke: High blood pressure can cause blood vessels in the brain to clog more easily or even burst. - Heart Failure: The increased workload from high blood pressure can cause the heart to enlarge and fail to supply blood to the body. - Kidney Disease or Failure: High blood pressure can damage the arteries around the kidneys and interfere with their ability to filter blood effectively. - Vision Loss: High blood pressure can strain or damage blood vessels in the eyes. - Sexual Dysfunction: High blood pressure can lead to erectile dysfunction in men or lower libido in women. - Angina: Over time, high blood pressure can lead to heart disease or microvascular disease. Angina, or chest pain, is a common symptom. - Peripheral Artery Disease: Atherosclerosis caused by high blood pressure can cause a narrowing of arteries in the legs, arms, stomach and head, causing pain or fatigue. What is the Role of Magnesium in Blood Pressure Readings? Magnesium may lower blood pressure by acting like a natural calcium channel blocker. It's also involved in several steps in blood pressure regulation. There are many different mechanisms to manage blood pressure, and magnesium is just one of these. By Lynn Grieger, RDN, CDCES, CHWC, CPT - U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Announces Qualified Health Claim for Magnesium and Reduced Risk of High Blood Pressure. https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-announces-qualified-health-claim-magnesium-and-reduced-risk-high-blood-pressure accessed 2-25-22; published 1-10-22. - FDA Reader. Simplifying Food Regulation. https://www.fdareader.com/blog/tag/qualified+health+claim accessed 2-25-22; copyright 2020. - American Heart Association. The Facts About High Blood Pressure. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/the-facts-about-high-blood-pressure accessed 2-26-22; last reviewed 11/30/17. - American Heart Association. Health Threats from High Blood Pressure. https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/health-threats-from-high-blood-pressure accessed 2-26-22; last reviewed 10/31/16. - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/files/docs/public/heart/hbp_low.pdf accessed 2-25-22; published 5-03 - U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Letter in Response to a Petition for a Qualified Health Claim for Magnesium. https://www.fda.gov/media/155304/download accessed 2-25-22; written 1-8-22 - National Institutes of Health. Office of Dietary Supplements. Magnesium Fact Sheet for Health Professionals. https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/ accessed 2-25-22; updated 8-11-21. - Houston MC, Harper KJ. Potassium, magnesium, and calcium: their role in both the cause and treatment of hypertension. J Clin Hypertens (Greenwich). 2008;10(7 Suppl 2):3-11. doi:10.1111/j.1751-7176.2008.08575.x To learn more about magnesium, visit Magnesium 101. Stephanie Ronco has been editing for Food and Health Communications since 2011. She graduated from Colorado College magna cum laude with distinction in Comparative Literature. She was elected a member of Phi Beta Kappa in 2008.
The Association of Digital Forensics, Security and Law (ADFSL) Digital attacks on organizations are becoming more common and more sophisticated. Firms are interested in providing data security and having an effective means to respond to attacks. Accountants possess important investigative and analytical skills that serve to uncover fraud in forensic investigations. Some accounting students take courses in forensic accounting but few colleges offer a course in computer forensics for accountants. Educators wishing to develop such a course may find developing the curriculum daunting. A major element of such a course is the use of forensic software. This paper argues the importance of computer forensics to accounting students and offers a set of exercises to provide an introduction to obtaining and analyzing data with forensics software that are available free online. In most cases, figures of important steps are provided. Educators will benefit when developing the course learning goals and curriculum. AICPA. (2013), Downloaded July 20, 2013 http://www.accountingtoday.com/gallery/AICPA2012-Top-10-Technology-Initiatives-62024-1.html). Statement on Audit Standards 99, “Consideration of Fraud in a Financial Statement Audit.” Retrieved 1/15/2014 from: Casey, E. (2011), Digital Evidence and Computer Crime: Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet, 3rd ed. Elsevier Science & Technology. Coglitore, F.J. and D.M. Matson (2007), “The Use of Computer-Assisted Auditing Techniques in the Auditing Course: Further Evidence,” Journal of Forensic Accounting, VIIII, 201-226. Davis, C., Schiller, M. and Wheeler, K. (2007), IT Auditing. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY. Hall, J. and Singleton, T. (2005), Information Technology and Assurance, 2nd ed. Thomson South-Western, Mason, OH. Hurt, B. (2007). “Teaching What Matters: A New Conception of Accounting Education,” Journal of Education for Business, 82(5), 295-299. Kearns, G. (2010), “Computer Forensics for Graduate Accountants: A Motivational Curriculum Approach,” Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, 5(2), 63-83. LA Times. “Target Traces Data Breach to Credentials Stolen from Vendor.” Retrieved 1/28/14 from: Merhout, J. W. and Buchman, S. E. (2007), “Requisite Skills and Knowledge for Entry-level IT Auditors,” Journal of Information Systems Education, 18 (4), 469-477. Nelson, B., Phillips, A., and Steuart. C. (2010), Guide to Computer Forensics and Investigations, 4th ed. Course Technology. O'Donnell, J. and Moore, J. (2005), “Are Accounting Programs Providing Fundamental IT Control Knowledge?” The CPA Journal, 75(5), pp. 64-66. PCAOB (Public Company Accounting Oversight Board) (2005), “Staff Questions and Answers on Auditing Standard No. 2: Internal Control.” Retrieved 11/15/2013 from: http://pcaobus.org/Standards/QandA/06-23-2004.pdf Pearson, T. A. Singleton, T. W. (2008, “Fraud and Forensic Accounting in the Digital Environment,” Issues in Accounting Education, 23(4), 545-559. Sammons, J. (2012), The Basics of Digital Forensics: The Primer for Getting Started in Digital Forensics. Elsevier Science & Technology. Seda, M., Kramer, B. and Peterson, K. (2008), “The Emergence of Forensic Accounting Programs in Higher Education,” Management Accounting Quarterly, 9(3), 15-23. Kearns, Grover S. "Computer Forensic Projects for Accountants," Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law: Vol. 10 , Article 1. Available at: https://commons.erau.edu/jdfsl/vol10/iss3/1
Connecting Intestinal Health to Adrenal Fatigue The health of your intestine is directly connected to the development of adrenal fatigue. Your intestine contains trillions of bacteria, which form an ecological community often referred to as an intestinal microbiome. These bacteria communicate with each other. They’re also important in regulating your immune system. Your intestine contains good bacteria, bad bacteria, and fungi. Your goal is to maximize the number of good bacteria in your intestine and minimize the number of bad bacteria and fungal overgrowth. When bad bacteria or fungi overwhelm the intestine, they cause inflammation, which directly stimulates the adrenal glands to make cortisol and other hormones. Unless you actively do something to improve your intestinal health, this inflammation won’t shut off, and you’ll develop worsening adrenal fatigue. Here are some factors that can worsen your intestinal health: The standard American diet (SAD): Western diets are pro-inflammatory, low in omega-3 content, and high in acidity, chemicals, and toxins that can drastically alter your intestinal health. Sugar: Sugar can drive the inflammatory process. It’s also responsible for the overgrowth of Candida and other intestinal fungi. Antibiotics: Antibiotics can dramatically knock out the good intestinal bacteria, allowing the bad bacteria to proliferate. Too many antibiotics can even lead to Clostridium difficile colitis, a potentially fatal infection of the colon. Acid suppressors: Being on prescription medications that inhibit your stomach’s acid secretion for longer than a few weeks can affect your ability to digest food and absorb nutrients. This changes your intestinal makeup for the worse. Stress: Studies show that physical and psychological stress can alter the bacterial makeup of the intestine. What can you do to improve your intestinal health and decrease total body inflammation? Here are some tips: Modify your diet to be more plant-based and alkaline. Take probiotics daily. Take digestive enzymes with each meal to help with digestion. Eliminate sugar and sweets from your diet. Add natural antifungals to your regimen, including olive leaf extract and garlic. Add meditative exercises to your day to relieve stress.
Eco Tech: Searaser pumps water for on-demand green electricity Eco Factor: Wave powered hydroelectric generator. Efforts have always been made to harness the tremendous power of the ocean waves, be it tidal generators or ocean wave turbines, all generators prove to be an expensive way to generate green electricity. Searaser is one such generator that can provide green electricity at an affordable cost using the same power of the ocean waves. The buoy-like device is attached to the ocean floor with flexible tethers, which allow it to move up and down with the motion of the ocean. As the wave crosses below the device a stream of water is pumped to a height of 650 feet. This water is then stored in tanks or ponds up a hill. When green electricity is in need, the same water is released downhill to drive a hydroelectric turbine that generates electricity. Researchers associated with the project state that the full scale model of the device will be able to generate sufficient electricity to power 470 households, and if 43,000 buoys are placed along the coast then they could power a country of 20 million households. The Dark Side: The design seems to be a promising eco-way to generated green electricity. If the claims of the product’s creator, Alvin Smith, are to be believed, then the device should even be able to work at places where there is no high ground available for storing water. If the cost of the buoy is kept under control then it could be a boon for developing countries which use the most electricity.
Artist's depiction of the Mars Climate Orbiter. Click on image for full size Courtesy of NASA NASA Loses Climate Orbiter News story originally written on September 27, 1999 Last Thursday was supposed to be a great one for NASA, but turned out to be a disaster. The Mars Climate Orbiter was scheduled to begin its orbit around the Red Planet early that morning. However, during an engine firing that would have sent the craft into orbit, the probe travelled too close to the planet. Scientists believe the spacecraft burned up in Mars' atmosphere. The probe was expected to study Mars' climate for one Mars year, or 687 days. Along with The Mars Polar Lander, the orbiter may have proven that water exists on the neighboring planet. Now, even the Polar Lander mission is in trouble. This is just the latest setback in our exploration of Mars. In 1993, the Mars Observer was lost shortly before reaching Mars. A similar mission in the Soviet Union was also lost during a launch failure. NASA says the lose of one probe will not change any of their plans. More spacecraft will still be sent to the Red Planet. Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store! Our online store includes issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist , full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science, as well as books on science education! You might also be interested in: The loss of the Mars Climate Orbiter has turned into a nightmare for NASA. The agency says an error in measurements caused the disaster. The problem occurred when a team at Lockheed Martin submitted acceleration...more It was another exciting and frustrating year for the space science program. It seemed that every step forward led to one backwards. Either way, NASA led the way to a great century of discovery. Unfortunately,...more The Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on October 29th at 2:19 p.m. EST. The weather was great as Discovery took 8 1/2 minutes to reach orbit. This was the United States' 123rd...more A moon was discovered orbiting the asteroid, Eugenia. This is only the second time in history that a satellite has been seen circling an asteroid. A special mirror allowed scientists to find the moon...more Will Russia ever put the service module for the International Space Station in space? NASA officials want an answer from the Russian government. The necessary service module is currently waiting to be...more A coronal mass ejection (CME) happened on the Sun early last month. The material that was thrown out from this explosion passed the ACE spacecraft. The SWICS instrument on ACE has produced a new and very...more J.S. Maini of the Canadian Forest Service called forests the "heart and lungs of the world." This is because forests filter air and water pollution, absorb carbon dioxide, release oxygen, and maintain...more
Can an Eclipse Change Gravity? (Updated!) News story originally written on September 20, 1999 It will take many more months before the verdict is in, but scientists are already contemplating some new information. The last solar eclipse of the millennium served as a great opportunity to test a phenomenon discovered by Maurice Allais in 1954. Allais believed that a solar eclipse can affect Earth's gravity. David Doever of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Centre in Huntsville, and his partner, Ron Koczor, have received most of the data. Pendulums were set up in various countries, with some in the path of the eclipse and others not. Some of the preliminary results are interesting. Video cameras taped the pendulum movements before, during and after the solar eclipse. Although no change was viewed in the pendulums outside of the eclipse path, two different sites in Europe revealed exciting results. These researchers, which were inside the path of the eclipse, discovered a change in the pendulum's path. If the results are correct, then another mystery was just created. Why would gravity change only in the areas under the eclipse' path? "We haven't looked at their videos in detail yet, and we're not going to reach any conclusions just by eyeballing them," says Koczor, who's trying to organize the mountains of data. "If, in fact, pendulums go crazy during eclipses it suggests we don't really have an understanding of gravity and the intersection of different bodies." Koczor says much of the data still needs to be analyzed, but the current results have stumped the scientific community. "It's easy if we see nothing," Koczor says. But if there's something there, "it's a different ball game."
In the past two decades more than two-thirds of new development in the San Francisco Bay Area took place atop agriculturally productive land or within its Greenbelt. Greenbelt is a land use term for the area of rural, wild, or agricultural land that surrounds an urban center. While the Bay Area has one of the most rich, productive, and diverse foodsheds in the world, it also has some of the world’s most expensive real estate, currently driving tremendous demand for both affordable housing and commercial development. Recently, American Farmland Trust and SAGE collaborated to produce a revealing analysis of the San Francisco Bay Area food economy focusing on long-term strategies for resilience.The study considered ways to protect the area’s local food system, natural diversity, and agricultural character, noting the challenges from land use demands in an elevated real estate market. One fact highlighted by the report was particularly worrisome. A growing number of financially-strapped small farmers now see more financial benefit in selling their land, than in farming it. As an ever more tech-focused and eco-insulated community sets the environmental policy of the San Francisco Bay Area our longstanding stewardship values will be tested. Only by defending the delicate ecosystem of our wildlands and buying the local fruits and farmstead products of small, organic, soil-based farmers will the vibrancy the Bay Area Geenbelt survive.
Graphic facilitation is a format particularly useful when you need to see what you mean and how all the parts fit together to drive toward action. It brings creative energy and passion to any meeting. This is a practice of using words and pictures to create a concept map of the conversation before, during and after its happening. The graphic facilitator reflects the ideas of the participants in the process through metaphors, models, visual maps in order to enable ideas to be clarified, heard and taken action upon during the collective work. This powerful method combines the traditional facilitation with visual tools and activities, helping gain more insights, focus, actions and results, while creating engagement of all the participants in the process. In Graphic Recording the visual practitioner captures every idea as it still floats in the ears of the audience and transfers it on a big 3-meters long white canvas in the form of key words, images and metaphors which gives depth and character of the discussion. The graphic recorders don’t facilitate the discussion, they just capture it. Graphic Recording е is extremely useful for any event, conference, strategic meeting, team discussion, etc. As compared with the standard power point presentations where slides quickly pass away hand-in-hand with the words, the graphic wall canvas stays during the whole event. Benefits of graphic facilitation and recording Create a space where everyone in a constructive and creative way shares their ideas, needs, proposals and expectations for the life and work of the team. - Transform the abstract ideas for the future in tangible detailed map of next steps and targets - Give a clear focus Provoke initiative and responsibility - Address everyones’ creativity. - Create an atmosphere of spontainity and innovation
WASHINGTON, DC – Technology industries are becoming increasingly concentrated in urban areas, such as Silicon Valley, Seattle, and most recently, Arlington. As a result, corporations based in these locations– Amazon, Google, Apple, and others– are looking for the best talent to fill software engineering and managerial positions through large-scale recruiting and educational programs. However, many rural Americans are left out of these opportunities due to the lack of access to internet technologies and education in their areas. In 2018, the US House of Representatives took action to remedy the digital divide, with one-third of all participating districts located in rural areas according to CityLab’s Congressional Density Index study. Fig. 1: Most major tech companies are concentrated in coastal, urban cities. According to Pew Research Institute in 2019, rural Americans are 12% less likely to have access to broadband internet connections at home compared to Americans overall. Only 69% of rural Americans say they own a computer, compared to 80% of suburban Americans. The lack of infrastructure is a primary reason for this difference; rural areas tend to lack high-speed internet infrastructure, and when they do have internet, it tends to be much slower compared to their urban counterparts. These low rates of technology use and access place rural K-12 students at a significant disadvantage to their urban and suburban peers, especially when they enter institutions of higher education and the workforce. Through the Congressional App Challenge, Congress and the Internet Education Foundation hope to create pathways for Americans living in any location to the tech industry. For the rural student without access to computer science programs from states such as Alaska, Kentucky, Montana, Missouri, the challenge provides inspiration and practice for any aspiring coder. By teaching these students how to create and code an app, from concept to product, the Congressional App Challenge provides rural students the necessary skills for succeeding in the modern workforce. 2018 Participating Members of Congress in rural districts include: Rep. Don Young – Alaska’s at-large district Rep. Rick Crawford – Arkansas’ 1st district Rep. Ted Yoho – Florida’s 3rd district Rep. Austin Scott – Georgia’s 8th district Rep. James Comer – Kentucky’s 1st district Rep. Ralph Abraham – Louisiana’s 5th district Rep. Jack Bergman – Michigan’s 1st district Rep. Greg Gianforte – Montana’s at-large district Rep. Trent Kelly – Mississippi’s 1st district Rep. Vicky Hartzler – Missouri’s 4th district
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention voted 13-1 for the recommendation. This builds on ACIP’s initial recommendation about which groups should be in the first wave of vaccinations, described as Phase 1a. ACIPthat Phase 1a include U.S. health care workers, a group of about 21 million people, and residents of long-term care facilities, a group of about 3 million. On Dec. 20, ACIP said the next priority group, Phase 1b, should consist of what it called frontline essential workers, a group of about 30 million, and adults aged 75 years and older, a group of about 21 million. When overlap between the groups is taken into account, Phase 1b covers about 49 million people, according to the CDC. Phase 1c then would include adults aged 65-74 years (a group of about 32 million), adults aged 16-64 years with high-risk medical conditions (a group of about 110 million), and essential workers who did not qualify for inclusion in Phase 1b (a group of about 57 million). With the overlap, Phase 1c would cover about 129 million. The Food and Drug Administration recently granted emergency use authorizations for two COVID-19 vaccines, one developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and another from Moderna. Other companies, including Johnson & Johnson, have advanced their potential rival COVID-19 vaccines into late-stages of testing. To date, about 2.83 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine have been distributed and 556,208 doses have been administered, according to the CDC. But there will likely still be a period of months when competition for limited doses of COVID-19 vaccine will trigger difficult decisions. Current estimates indicate there will be enough supply to provide COVID-19 vaccines for 20 million people in December, 30 million people in January, and 50 million people in February, said Nancy Messonnier, MD, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases. State governments and health systems will take ACIP’s recommendations into account as they roll out the initial supplies of COVID-19 vaccines. There’s clearly wide latitude in these decisions. Recently, for example, many members of Congress tweeted photos of themselves getting COVID-19 vaccines, despite not falling into ACIP’s description of the Phase 1 group. All ACIP members described the Dec. 20 vote as a difficult decision. It forced them to choose among segments of the U.S. population that could benefit from early access to the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccines. “For every group we add, it means we subtract a group. For every group we subtract, it means they don’t get the vaccine” for some months, said ACIP member Helen Keipp Talbot, MD, of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn. “It’s incredibly humbling and heartbreaking.” ACIP member Henry Bernstein, DO, who cast the lone dissenting vote, said he agreed with most of the panel’s recommendation. He said he fully supported the inclusion of adults aged 75 years and older and essential frontline workers in the second wave, Phase 1b. But he voted no because the data on COVID-19 morbidity and mortality for adults aged 65-74 years is similar enough to the older group to warrant their inclusion in the first wave. “Therefore, inclusion of the 65- to 74-year-old group in Phase 1b made more sense to me,” said Dr. Bernstein, professor of pediatrics at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell in New York. As defined by the CDC, frontline essential workers included in phase 1b will be those commonly called “first responders,” such as firefighters and police officers. Also in this group are teachers, support staff, daycare providers, and those employed in grocery and agriculture industries. Others in this group would include U.S. Postal Service employees and transit workers. ACIP panelists noted the difficulties that will emerge as government officials and leaders of health care organizations move to apply their guidance to real-world decisions about distributing a limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine. There’s a potential to worsen existing disparities in access to health care, as people with more income may find it easier to obtain proof that they qualify as having a high-risk condition, said José Romero, MD, the chair of ACIP. Many people “don’t have access to medical care and can’t come up with a doctor’s note that says, ‘I have diabetes,’ ” he said. ACIP panelists also noted in their deliberations that people may technically qualify for a priority group but have little risk, such as someone with a chronic medical condition who works from home. And the risk for COVID-19 remains serious even for those who will ultimately fall into the phase 2 for vaccination. Young adults have suffered serious complications following COVID-19, such as, that may alter their lives dramatically, ACIP member Dr. Talbot said, adding that she is reminded of this in her work. “We need to be very cautious about saying, ‘Young adults will be fine,’ ” she said. “I spent the past week on back-up clinical call and have read these charts and have cried every day.” The three ACIP members who had conflicts that prevented their voting were Robert L. Atmar, MD, who said he had participated in COVID-19 trials, including research on the Moderna vaccine; Sharon E. Frey, MD, who said that she had been involved with research on COVID-19 vaccines, including Moderna’s; and Paul Hunter, MD, who said he has received a grant from Pfizer for pneumococcal vaccines. The other panel members have reported no relevant financial relationships. A version of this article first appeared on.
Picture of Christian Doppler The University of St. Andrews, Scotland Christian Doppler was an Austrian mathematician who lived between 1803-1853. He is known for the principle he first proposed in Concerning the coloured light of double stars in 1842. This principle is what is now known as the Doppler . He theorized that sound waves from a moving source would be compressed or expanded, or that the frequency would change. This theory wasn't tested until 1845. In 1845, Buys Ballot set up an experiment using two groups of trumpeters, all who had perfect pitch. One group set up at a train station while the other set up on a train car that was to be pull past the station. Both groups were to play the same note and Doppler's theory stated that the notes would be dissonant (that the frequencies would be different). This turned out to be true; the notes were audibly different, even though both groups of musicians were playing the same note. Later, a scientist named Fizeau generalized Doppler's work by applying his theory not only to sound but also to light. Shop Windows to the Universe Science Store! Our online store includes issues of NESTA's quarterly journal, The Earth Scientist , full of classroom activities on different topics in Earth and space science, as well as books on science education! You might also be interested in: How did life evolve on Earth? The answer to this question can help us understand our past and prepare for our future. Although evolution provides credible and reliable answers, polls show that many people turn away from science, seeking other explanations with which they are more comfortable....more The Doppler effect was named after Christian Doppler, who first came up with the idea in 1842. He determined that the frequency of sound waves would change if either the source of the sound or the observer...more Sound travels in waves. These waves have both a frequency and an amplitude. The frequency is measured in hertz, which is one wave cycle per second. A cycle is a repeated pattern of positive and negative...more Charles Darwin was an English Naturalist who lived between 1809-1882. In 1859, with the publication of The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, he challenged existing views on the appearance...more Christian Doppler was an Austrian mathematician who lived between 1803-1853. He is known for the principle he first proposed in Concerning the coloured light of double stars in 1842. This principle is...more Ben Franklin was an American scientist and statesman who lived between 1706-1790. At a time when little was known about electricity, he carried out many experiments to learn of its dangers and possible...more Edmond Halley was an English astronomer who lived between 1656-1742. Using historical records, his own observations, and Newton's universal law of gravitation, he reasoned that the comets which had appeared...more William Herschel was born in Germany and lived in England while he worked as an astronomer. He lived between 1738-1822. He built reflecting telescopes of high magnification, that let him observe the universe...more
A fall check-up can help you prepare for – and potentially prevent – winter seasonal affective disorder “The good news is you’re dealing with a predictable phenomenon,” said Norman Rosenthal, a psychiatrist at Georgetown University School of Medicine who first described SAD. “The bad news is it is not always as predictable as you’d like.” Winter SAD probably is caused by reduced daylight, which knocks our circadian rhythms out of sync and can affect brain circuits involved with mood. (Summer SAD, in contrast, is thought to be precipitated by heat, humidity and allergies.) Since the height of summer, we have been losing daylight. D.C., for example, has already lost over three hours of daylight by this point in October, while those living in higher latitudes have lost even more. From here on, the Northern Hemisphere will continue to experience shorter periods of daylight until the winter solstice. (By then D.C. will have lost almost 5½ hours of daylight.) But because of the historical heat, it can be easy to miss the signs that it is already time to prepare for winter SAD, which can last up to five months and, counterintuitively, begins in the fall. It is easier to prepare for and prevent winter SAD than to dig oneself out of depression. “By the time you’re down, it’s already late in the day,” said Rosenthal, author of the recent book “Defeating SAD: A Guide to Health and Happiness Through All Seasons.” “If you let yourself get really down, then you’re just coping to get from day-to-day with your daily activities, let alone preparing for the future.” Before winter arrives, make proverbial hay while the sun is still out. Here is what experts advise. Making sure you have a light box and identifying a room in the house with bright light can help you prepare as the days grow darker, Rosenthal said. If you know you respond well to light therapy, the clinical guideline is to “initiate it upon the very first symptom each year,” said Kelly Rohan, a professor of psychological science at the University of Vermont who researches SAD and other mood disorders. “Don’t wait to be in the depths of a full depression. The very first day you wake up and say, ‘Oh my gosh, I feel more tired than I did yesterday,’ that should be your cue to resume light therapy.” Let them know you are entering your “season of risk” so they are on notice to help, Rosenthal said. If you do not have an official diagnosis of winter SAD but find symptoms have gotten in the way of your daily life, ask your primary-care provider for a referral to a qualified mental health professional, Rohan said. “I don’t know what it is about seasonal depression that people tend to try to go it alone,” Rohan said. “Depression is a serious mental health issue. We wouldn’t try to figure out and treat our own cardiovascular issue or cancer.” Antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and Wellbutrin are approved by the Food and Drug Administration for SAD. Reminding your prescribing doctor or psychiatrist may make it easier to adjust medication dosage sooner rather than later. Alerting a trusted therapist also can help that person to catch early signs of SAD symptoms and provide support. Psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), has been shown to help with SAD by teaching effective coping skills. A 2016 randomized controlled trial conducted by Rohan and her colleagues found that people who received CBT therapy for SAD had lower rates of recurrence the following winter compared with those receiving light therapy. It can be easy to go into hibernation mode when it starts becoming dark early. “It might feel good in the moment but usually serves to maintain depression, if depression is a problem,” Rohan said. Instead, try to “be really mindful of your routines that serve to maintain your good mental health and try to keep up with those as much as possible,” she said. Staying sociable, engaging in hobbies and exercising can improve your mood. Preparing early for these activities in the winter, such as having a warm coat to continue your walks or signing up for choir practice, can in turn make it easier to keep these mood-boosting routines. People with winter SAD have learned negative associations with the signs of autumn and winter. After preparing for winter, try to ask, “How can I find beauty in this colorful season, autumn, resplendent with the fruits of summer?” Rosenthal said. “You can start really enjoying the colored leaves because they’re not kind of a warning of bad things to come but part of the joy of the season.”
The 2011 Global Microcredit Summit convened last week in Spain amid growing concerns that microfinance might not work as advertised. The Microcredit Summit Campaign promotes microlending to the world’s poorest familes—and especially to poor women--as a means of poverty alleviation. However, there is a growing global debate over whether microfinance actually lifts people out of poverty, as organizations such as The Microcredit Summit Campaign claim. Critics point to India’s microcredit crisis and call it a myth that everyone desires to be an entrepreneur. As James Surowiecki argued in the New Yorker, “in any successful economy most people aren’t entrepreneurs--they make a living by working for someone else.” For many, a bank loan will be the best route out of poverty, particularly in the agricultural sector where that loan can help families increase their crop yield or add a new cow to the herd. But others are simply looking for a regular paycheck, like the millions of families making their way in urban area. Furthermore, as Interpress News Service reports, many borrowers feel that they have been taken advantage of by microfinance lenders that charge high interest rates for the small loans, without an additional suite of poverty-alleviation services (like providing business training and financial literacy workshops) to make the interest rate worth it. Globally, microcredit still remains the most widespread tool in poverty alleviation programs, but more people are beginning to point to its weaknesses and suggest reforms. Others suggest a wider variety of programs aimed at increasing poor people’s incomes and job opportunities. Microgrants serve the same populations as microfinance lenders, but fund projects that engage whole communities rather than individuals who are unlikely to generate jobs and alleviate pressing social problems. The microgrant accomplishes something different than microloans—social sector projects that benefit whole communities rather than single entrepreneurs or individual businesses, as Marcia DeSanctis reported in the Huffington Post. And microgrant projects are proposed and developed by local people who are intimately familiar with the conditions in the communities they live in—not by foreign "experts." The global microfinance community is going through a transition as more and more researchers conclude that microcredit is not a ‘magic wand’ against poverty.
Electricity demand in Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to more than triple by 2040, posing a great threat of deforestation and pollution. Building energy grids for distribution of electricity to rural areas is demanding. The investments are high, and the carbon footprint can be of considerable harm to the environment. Millions of trees every year Today, mainly wooden poles are used for building the necessary electrical grids. Every year millions of trees are used for this purpose, contributing to deforestation and desertification as the end result. Desertification is the process by which fertile land is transformed into desert.
Catnip is a member of the mint family. Scientists are not sure how or why catnip affects cats the way it does, but they have identified the part of the plant that causes the euphoric reaction. The substance is a non-poisonous chemical called nepetalactone, an aromatic oil found in the stem and leaves of the plant. Researchers believe that cats react to the smell of the leaves rather than the taste. Varied reactions to catnip Reactions from cats will vary based on the strength and quality of the product. Cats who do respond to catnip will typically roll around in it, jump and run around, rub their faces in it, drool, and purr. Typically, a catnip “high” last about ten or fifteen minutes. Once the energy dissipates, most cats will be very relaxed and ready for a nap. Not all cats react to catnip Only about 50% of cats are affected by catnip, and not all cats react the same. Whether or not cats respond to catnip appears to be genetically determined. Kittens are not affected until they’re about two months old (if they fall into the category of cats that do respond). If a kitten hasn’t shown a reaction to catnip by the time she’s six month’s old, she falls into the non-responsive category. Catnip can be used to train cats For cats who do respond, you can take advantage of their reaction to catnip and use it for training purposes. Sprinkle catnip on scratching posts to attract them to use the post, or on cat beds or mats where you want your cat to sleep. If your cat reacts by becoming relaxed and mellow after use, use it before car rides, trips to the vet, or other stressful situations. Some cats react with aggression Some cats become so stimulated by the herb that they may release their excess energy by picking fights with other cats in the household, or by attacking their humans. You can freshen up old catnip toys by dampening them with water. This will release a new wave of catnip scent. Quality of catnip When buying catnip, take a close look at the packaging. You’re going to want brands that use only leaves and blossoms rather than stems. Organic cat nip is best, especially if your cat is going to ingest it. Catnip is easily grown, but use caution: unless you want every cat in your neighborhood to visit your yard, you may want to grow it indoors. If your cat initially doesn’t react to catnip, try a couple of different brands. Your cat may not react because the quality of the catnip is not very good. Catnip comes in a variety of forms, including as a fresh or dried herb, liquid, spray, and, of course, in catnip filled toys. The euphoric reaction to catnip is perfectly safe for cats, and cats won’t become addicted to it. This article was previously published on Answers.com and is republished with permission. About the author Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
DENVER, CO \| October 8, 2002 The 2nd Annual National Inclusive Schools Week will be celebrated December 2- 6, 2002, in classrooms, schools, and communities throughout the country to highlight the nation’s progress in providing a quality education to an increasingly diverse student population. National Inclusive Schools Week, which involved tens of thousands of participants in more than 2,000 schools and school districts in nearly all 50 states in 2001, is sponsored by the National Institute for Urban School Improvement, a project of the U.S.Dept. of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. The National Institute characterizes inclusive schools as those that: - make sure each and every student feels welcome and is learning, - embrace the understanding that every student is unique and, therefore,learns differently, - understand that all children—students with and without disabilities, English language learners, those with special talents—learn better if teaching is tailored to their abilities and interests, - collaborate with families, - hold high expectations for student success, and keep improving. Among last year’s activities: - Schools held events such as the “Share Fair” in Miami—Dade County (FL) and the “Diversity Carnival” in Philadelphia to spotlight diversity and inclusive practices - Pre-schools and kindergarten classes involved children in events such as the New Sarpy Kindergarten Center (Louisiana) where children created art projects such as “I am Special” buttons they wore throughout the week - School districts such as the Denver Public Schools issued official proclamations designating December 3-7 Inclusive Schools Week - 15 colleges and universities including Boston University and Temple University planned special events with their education students. “The overwhelming participation and success of the first annual Inclusive Schools Week has led us to sponsor another week of events,” said the National Institute’s Co-Director David Riley. “Once again we will be offering educators, students, and families an opportunity to celebrate how far we’ve come in meeting the needs of all learners and to discuss what else needs to be done to ensure that all schools successfully educate all children,” Riley said. To help schools plan events for the Week, the National Institute is offering an updated Celebration Kit containing publications that outline the benefits of inclusive schools, suggested readings for children and adults, celebration ideas and lesson plans, and materials to use in promoting the week. The 2002 kit will also include ideas for older students, including essay contests and ways to involve civics and journalism classes, and student government clubs and organizations.
Authors: Iris Martínez Rodero and Raquel Pillado González "Multinucleated blastomeres (MNBs) present in embryos are morphological abnormalities of unclear origin, which have been extensively correlated with chromosomal defects, lower blastocyst formation and implantation rates". Selection of high-quality embryos is an important factor for the successful outcome of assisted reproduction technologies (ART). Nowadays, criteria for selection are mainly based on morphological features such as embryo fragmentation, cell number, blastomeres uniformity, etc. (2). The parameters studied so far have been demonstrated to be useful indicators of embryo quality. Their evaluation is performed through non-invasive light microscopy-based analyses, usually carried out once a day at specific time points. This approach intends to minimise the events of taking the embryos out of the incubators and exposing them to undesired harmful conditions. The presence of multinucleated blastomeres (MNBs) can be regarded as one of those indicators, and even though previous studies had already connected it to DNA abnormalities and low pregnancy rates as early as in the 90s (3,4,5) the origin of this phenomenon still remains unclear. Several possible factors seem to influence its genesis, but the specific cause for its occurrence is yet to be determined (6). Since the introduction of time-lapse imaging and monitoring technology, IVF laboratories have been able to carry out more exhaustive and continuous observations on embryo development, keeping risks at a minimum (7,8). By identifying the precise timing of specific key events of blastomere cell cycle interludes and of the embryo´s overall growth it is possible to assess its quality (7). Furthermore, time-lapse imaging and monitoring systems have facilitated the study of multinucleation (MN) in relation to its incidence in time and in the population, as well as its correlation with other morphological features and clinical variables (6,7,9). In the IVF context multinucleation is defined as the presence of two or more nuclei in one or more blastomeres. Multiples studies even differentiate between binucleated and multi-/micro-nucleated (three or more nuclei) blastomeres (Fig 1) (1,4,7). Reports on this phenomenon range from 17% to 69% of the total of cultured embryos, depending on the groups used within assays and authors (10). Factors that may influence MNB appearance are numerous and have been repeatedly studied (6,7,9,11). To date, several explanations have been proposed for MNBs: dysfunction of the mitotic spindle or the occurrence of karyokinesis without cytokinesis (12); DNA breaks or imperfect mitosis (13); nuclear membrane alterations (14) and even other factors not directly responsible for MNBs and yet linked to its presence (1). FACTORS THAT MAY RELATE TO THE APPEARANCE OF MULTINUCLEATION Results from various studies have shown a difference in the percentage of multinucleated embryos between groups that had been fertilised by traditional IVF vs ICSI. Van Royen and colleagues showed 32.7% of MN embryo in the IVF group, compared to 34.5% in the ICSI group (6). Accordingly, Walmsley et al. 2003 reported 17,2% vs 18,3% of MN in embryos derived from IVF and ICSI, respectively (11). Apparently, the type of infertility factor seems not to affect MN rates. Some studies have reported no significant differences in the percentages of MN embryos between cases of female factor-only infertility and male factor-only infertility (32.7% and 34.7%, respectively). In addition, differences were not found between these cases and those with both partners affected by some sort of infertility, either (6). However, different studies support the relevance of oocyte culture, specially regarding certain processes that occur naturally in in vivo conditions and that are essential for the proper embryo development. Data show that both oocytes subjected to negative conditions when cultured in vivo (like stern hypoxia, for instance) and oocytes cultured in vitro derive in a higher percentage of MN embryos (15,16). Regarding male infertility, results are more controversial; whereas some studies reflect a higher MN rate for cases in which male factor is especially severe (normally derived for ICSI rather than IVF) (11), other authors show no significant differences (6). Records exhibit that cycles with an accelerated ovulation induction response present increased MN rates (6,17). Furthermore, several studies have reported that embryos derived from patients from whom ten or more oocytes had been collected presented a significantly higher MN rate than embryos from groups of nine or fewer oocytes (6,8,18). This is in accordance with the fact that patients who need high doses of FSH present higher MN rates (6). Very short cycles and cases where high doses of GnRH are needed trigger the development of high numbers of premature follicles that produce oocytes, which despite being able to reach metaphase II and become fertilized fail to go through proper nuclear cleavage (6,18). Lastly, even though differences in GnRH doses have been associated to significant differences in the incidence of MN embryos, similar results have not been observed when using different hormones (like rFSH, r-hFSH, purified urinary FSH or urinary gonadotropin, for instance) (6). Multiple studies have been conducted on patients ranging from 25 to 45 years old. Several authors divided data in 5-year interval groups in order to verify whether patient age correlates with MN. However, the only significant difference was found when comparing women of +40 with younger ones of -35, presenting higher degree of MN in the first group (6,9). Chromosome polymorphisms consist in heterochromatin variability. These are usually located in the long arms of chromosomes 1, 9 and 16, and the short arms of chromosomes from the groups D and G (13, 15 and 21, 22 and Y) (19). Even though such polymorphisms are generally regarded as normal within karyotypes (20), studies indicate that some of them might be associated with certain clinical problems such as abnormal spermatogenesis (21), infertility (22,23), recurrent miscarriages (24,25) and higher rate of chromosome abnormalities among blastomeres at the cleavage stage (26,27). Sun and collaborators hypothesized that couples with chromosome polymorphisms might experience a higher rate of embryo multinucleation (19). Nevertheless, the authors found no association between chromosome polymorphisms and MN embryo formation in couples undergoing IVF (19). - Cellular fragmentation Although MN may appear regardless of the cellular fragmentation levels, several papers support the correlation between these two features (6,28,29). In particular, Van Royen et al. divided the level of fragmentation in three categories: F1 (≤10%), F2 (10-20%) and F3 (20-30%); this study presented evidence for higher MN in F2 and F3 when compared to F1, but similar to each other (6). - Cleavage rate When 3-cell and 5‐cell day-2 embryos were observed under the microscope, both types exhibited significantly higher multinucleation (28.2% -50%) than regular ones with the ideal 4-cell cleavage pattern (with only 16.8% MN). Similarly, day-3 embryos with the typical 8‐cell stage showed significantly lower multinucleation (15.5%) than 7‐cell and 9‐cell embryos (6). As it has been mentioned, ideal 4-cell and 8-cell stages show similar MN percentages. However, application of time-lapse imaging has revealed a significant decrease in MN from the 2-cell to the 4-cell stage (from 43.2% to 15.0%). The analysis of MN in 2-cell embryos indicated that, after cleavage, the majority (52%) of 2-cell MN embryos became mononucleated, whereas only a lower percentage (34%) showed MNBs, and about 14% were of poor quality (with only one or no visible nucleus at all) (9). This decrease in the MN rate suggests that 2-cell MN embryos are able to self-correct their nuclear abnormalities. But this repair mechanism has been observed in both euploid and aneuploid embryos, therefore it cannot be used as an indicator of chromosomal normality during embryo selection (8,9,30). An extended duration of both 2-cell and 4-cell stages has been proposed as a possible indicator of the occurrence of nuclear self-correction (9). INCIDENCE OF MULTINUCLEATION IN CLINICAL IVF As previously exposed, it is through time-lapse imaging that a far higher percentage of multinucleation (25%) has been detected compared to static observations on day 2 at 42 hours post-insemination (hpi) (<5%) (7). These observations have demonstrated that multinucleation is a frequent event that, according to Yilmaz et al., is present in at least one embryo in 41.3% of IVF cycles (31). Data provided by Desai and colleagues reported that approximately 56% of binucleated embryos and 48% of those with three or more nuclei went on to form blastocysts that met the appropriate criteria for vitrification (7). In addition, data from different studies point to binucleation being more frequent than blastomeres with 3 or more nuclei (7,31,32). At the same time, multinucleation has provided an additional criterion for embryo selection, since it is mainly observed in those of poor quality and is associated with direct and/or reverse cleavage (7). It has been observed that, out of all embryos found showing direct and/or reverse cleavage, at least one fourth were also multinucleated (7). By using time-lapse, multinucleation has been repeatedly observed to be a reversible event in a high proportion of embryos (7,32). Multinucleation reversibility has been reported to be as high as 73.4% (32); this has been calculated as the proportion of embryos in which multinucleation was detected at 2-cell stage, but not visible at 4-cell stage (likely due to self-correction mechanisms, as above-mentioned). In fact, Aguilar and collaborators reported 127 multinucleated embryos at 4-cell stage out of the 479 ones initially observed to present this feature at 2-cell stage. De novo multinucleation at the 4-cell stage in turn was observed in 36 embryos (32). IMPACT OF MULTINUCLEATION ON IVF OUTCOMES Multinucleation has traditionally been related to both low blastocyst formation (33) and implantation rates (5,6,17,28,34), and linked to the likely presence of chromosome abnormalities, which consequently results in embryo arrest (35). Nevertheless and despite all the existing evidences, there is still much controversy regarding multinucleation; reports have been published revealing cases in which fully binucleated 4-cell stage embryos had eventually developed into euploid blastocysts and genetically normal children (31,34). Although some preimplantation genetic testing (PGT) studies have shown that not all multinucleated embryos are chromosomally abnormal (31,32,36) multinucleation is predominantly associated to chromosomal defects and poor implantation prognosis (3,31,37). Kligman and colleagues published that 74.5% of multinucleated embryos were chromosomally abnormal, compared to 32.3% of non-multinucleated embryos (3). Years later, Ambroggio et al. revealed an increased incidence of aneuploidy of MN 4-cell stage embryos when compared to single-nucleated embryos (85% vs 78%), suggesting that multinucleated embryos should not be recommended for transfer in IVF cycles (37). These results were confirmed when, from 395 MN embryos tested for PGT, Yilmaz et al. reported that 82.5% of MN blastomeres exhibited two nuclei, whereas the remaining blastomeres presented a single or three or more nuclei (31). Noteworthy, binucleated patterns of multinucleation may be less detrimental, since a high percentage of embryos with such feature are euploid, compared to embryos exhibiting three or more nuclei in a single blastomere (38). Embryo morphokinetics was studied and related to the multinucleation status in a study conducted by Meseguer’s team (32). In the study, 53.4% of a total 1676 embryos included were MN. Based upon the reported data, differences in morphokinetics between multinucleated and non-multinucleated embryos at both 2-cell and 4-cell stages comprise cleavage events involving the completion of the first mitosis and the length of the S-phase. These differences affected the following parameters: t2, t3, second cell cycle (cc2=t3-t2), t4, t6, t7 and t8. These results allowed to conclude that, if multinucleation remains at 4-cell stage, it takes longer for the embryos to complete the next cell cycle (cc3=t5-t3). Should this be true, the restoration system would not be efficient if MNBs were still observed after the 2-cell stage (32). The origin of the multinucleation phenotype has been suggested to be multiple: disruption of intracellular restructuring, remodelling or imprinting in the developing oocyte, or even alterations in DNA replication, cytokinesis or compaction during the first cell cycle (16). If multinucleation appears as a result of defects in cell function, differences in morphokinetics between MN and non-MN embryos during these early stages may be expected (32). Opinions on the impact of the multinucleation phenotype on implantation rates diverge from each other: On one hand, cell stage for MN appearance has been proposed to exert the highest effect on the implantation rate. Authors supporting this claim are divided into two positions: those who affirm that the presence of MN at the 2-cell stage is actually insignificant in terms of differences on implantation rates, but it is at 4-cell stage when it does have a measurable negative effect (32); and the authors who argue implantation rates to be significantly reduced when MN is already observed at the 2-cell stage (8). On the other hand, the school of Meriano and coauthors affirm that binucleation is less harmful than any other type of multinucleation (16). However, Aguilar and colleagues explained that their differences with Meriano were found on the frequency of image acquisition and the systems used to measure multinucleation (32); whereas the former acquired one picture in seven different focal planes every 20 minutes, the latter recorded images every 2.5 minutes (32). In any case, it has been demonstrated that patterns of multinucleation at 4-cell stage are correlated with low implantation rates, while any of the other cases has been reported to decrease the chances to achieve pregnancy (16,32). Multinucleation is a common and reversible event observed in human IVF embryos, and it is specially frequent as binucleation at two-cell stage. It is associated with chromosomal defects and altered morphokinetic parameters, eventhough binucleation patterns seem to be the less severe. Regarding multinucleation impact on implantation rate, results are controverted. It seems that implantation rates are not affected when multinucleation appears as two nuclei in two-cell stage. Although the presence of multinucleated blastomeres in human embryos has been associated with the above-mentioned undesired characteristics in IVF embryos, the reasons explaining its appearance and occurrence in time and its relationship with patient specifications have not been deeply studied until time-lapse systems became available. Even though different causes have been suspected to lie behind MNB development, none of them have been proved actually represent the main responsible. Nevertheless, a growing number of studies provide data untangling the relationship between MN and assisted reproduction fertilization methods (IVF and ICSI), stimulation cycles, infertility factors, culture conditions and other embryonic morphological characteristics. Even though sometimes results from different studies may seem contradictory, this might be accredited to the differences in sample sizes. All the above said, it seems reasonable to highlight the need for further research on this issue. It would be highly helpful to unveil the actual triggers of multinucleation, to develop optimal ART practices that avoid increasing MN incidence, and to unravel any other correlation with adverse embryo features during development. Deeper knowledge would help improving embryo assessment methods and, consequently, increase the rates of successful ART outcomes. Authors: Paula Brígido, Roberto de la Fuente and Javier Del Río Assisted reproduction technology (ART) can help fertile couples to achieve successful pregnancies. Sometimes, reproductive desires of these couples are affected by the presence of a genetic disease in either partner. In such cases, couples are at a reproductive risk and find themselves in the need of assistance that only ART can provide. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) provides an alternative to prenatal diagnosis to detect the specific genetic condition or disease they suffer from, and allows them to avoid passing it on their offspring (2). It requires the analyses of the embryos generated by ART in the in vitro fertilization (IVF) laboratory, by means of accurate and sensitive methodologies such as embryo biopsy, genetics, single cell genomics and, of course, background on prenatal diagnosis and counselling from experts. Clinical application of PGD dates back to the late 60’s, when blastocysts of research animals could be sexed (3) (note that this was already possible ten years before Louis Brown, the first IVF baby, was born in the UK in 1978). At the beginning of the 90’s, early human embryos were sexed before implantation and the first genetic analyses were performed to avoid children inheriting Mendelian diseases. By the end of the century, other nowadays considered basic genetic methodologies were routinely used for preimplantation diagnosis and PGD was applied as a normal procedure to guarantee healthy babies (4). In the present post we aim to give an account of the importance of PGD and the current view of the main clinical approaches for its application. WHEN IS PGD INDICATED? Indications for PGD are multiple and emerge from different motivations. Firstly, the patient may have suffered from a number of terminations due to the embryo having inherited the genetic condition. It could also be motivated by the parents already having a child with a severe genetic disease. In this case they might be willing to avoid passing it on the next one or even looking for a suitable treatment, if possible. However, one of the parents (or both) may be worried about their family history, being aware of the presence of a specific genetic condition, regardless of the type of inheritance. If the parents are carriers of any genetic disease, either an autosomal-dominant disorder like Huntington disease or an autosomal-recessive one like cystic fibrosis, they are at reproductive risk because the resulting embryo may be affected (the probability depending on the specific disorder itself and the way it is inherited) (see for details on inherited conditions). But there are even cases in which motivation is not based on biological but in ethical or religious reasons. Certain families might have serious concerns about going on for abortion of an affected embryo. In such cases, application of PGD may circumvent this kind of ethical conflicts. Broadly speaking, steps for PGD are as follows (2): PGD vs. PGS Preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is the general term for a compound of approaches that aim to evaluate the genetic content of the cell, in contrast to genetic tests whose goals are to determine whether an embryo is affected by a specific genetic condition (PGD). Originally termed PGD-AS (preimplantation genetic diagnosis for aneuploidy screening), PGS was developed to confirm the ploidy status of the embryo, searching for possible aneuploidies. Available data suggest that most of miscarriages occurred during the first trimester are a consequence of some sort of aneuploidies (5), and that mainly selected chromosomes were involved in these structural abnormalities (6). Thus, the main approach developed for PGS was the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for such chromosomes. Types of approaches for PGD in the laboratory Current technical methodologies for preimplantational genetic analyses mainly lie in one of the following: WHEN TO PERFORM BIOPSY Typical biopsies for PGD (and PGS) are as described as follows: DAY 3. CLEAVAGE STAGE BIOPSY There is a controversy regarding utility of this type of biopsy. In the cleavage stage biopsy, embryos are biopsied at day 3 when individual cells can be differentiated. This technique entails aspiration of one to two blastomeres to obtain the embryonic genetic material for PGD analysis (13). Following genetic diagnosis, embryo transfer may be performed on blastocyst stage. Embryos are usually selected for biopsy based on morphological criteria. Unfortunately, these do not predict the development potential of the embryo, and so it could fail to progress until blastocyst stage. This would compromise the advantages of using the day-3 approach (14). On the other hand, performing biopsy on the cleavage stage allows embryos to be cultured in vitro until they reach the blastocyst. This means they can be fresh transferred (15), whereas embryos biopsied on day 5 must be vitrified and transferred in a subsequent cycle. How many cells should be removed? The number of cells to be removed in the biopsy is still a controversial issue. Aspirating one cell reduces the cellular mass extracted but it can imply the presence of mosaicism. Conversely, aspirating two cells can reduce the risk of mosaicism, but removing such cellular mass could have consequences on the implantation rate (14). Reported data have shown a dramatic reduction of 39% in the implantation rate in cleavage stage biopsy (16). The authors related it with proportion of the embryo total cellular removed. Whereas around five cells pulled out of the embryo in the trophectoderm biopsy represent 2-3% of the total cell content (expanded blastocyst has 200-220 cells approximately), extraction of a single cell from an eight cell embryo supposes 13% of the total content (16). What do experts say? Cleavage stage biopsy produces different opinions among embryologists because of the presence of mosaicism and the possibility of self-correction of aneuploidies from cleavage to blastocyst stage (17). On the contrary, studies using array-comparative genomic hybridization (array-CGH) technology to analyse genetic abnormalities in day-3 blastomeres and confirming it in trophectoderm biopsy showed concordance between day 3 diagnosis and day 5 reanalysis; Treff and coauthors showed more reliable results for SNP-microarray (96% vs. 83%) and also a lower mosaicism degree (31%) for SNP-microarray samples in a study comparing array technology versus FISH technique (18). These data would support the suggestion of some authors, who proposed that the incidence of mosaicism may have been overestimated in previous studies due to technical inconsistency of the FISH technique (17, 18, 19). At present, this matter remains controversial. Regarding pregnancy rates, in both types of biopsies higher pregnancy rates are obtained comparing with the control group, in which no biopsy was performed (14, 19). To sum up: DAY 5. TROPHECTODERM BIOPSY The blastocyst stage is currently supposed to be an optimal time to perform biopsies for PGD/PGS. The combination of improved blastocyst culture, trophectoderm (TE) biopsy, refined cryopreservation techniques, and molecular assays, such as array comparative genomic hybridization that allows for 24-chromosome screening, have led to a renaissance of PGS. TE biopsy will not detect every circumstance in which the embryo is at risk of aneuploidy, but it will detect mosaicism more reliably than cleavage-stage biopsy (which cannot be relied on at all for this purpose) (20, 21). Moreover, when diagnosing monogenic disorders in single blastomere cells using PCR-based protocols, there is a high risk of PCR failure due to either no amplification (allele dropout) or preferential amplification of one of the alleles, potentially resulting in a reduced number of unaffected embryos available for transfer. Increasing the amount of starting DNA template should in principle increase the sensitivity and reliability of genetic diagnosis. Therefore, the biopsy of multiple trophectoderm cells from the blastocyst rather than a single cell from cleavage stage embryos should potentially lead to improved PGD outcome for patients (14). How many cells should be removed? Research to determine the appropriate number of biopsied TE cells in blastocyst biopsies are limited. The exact number of biopsied TE cells is hard to count visually because cells are small and usually remain as a clump. In most studies using comparative genome hybridization or single-nucleotide polymorphism array technology for genetic testing, biopsied TE cells were used for genome amplification and their number was impossible to know. Moreover, some studies showed that removing four to five cells leads to better results. Therefore, the biopsied cell number should be higher in the blastocysts with better TE quality than those with worse characteristics (22, 23). Can biopsies affect blastocyst development and its implantation? Whereas it remains possible that biopsy of cleavage-stage embryos can critically arrest further development through reduction of cell mass, the low miscarriage rates and high term birth rates in the present series, as well as data presently under analysis, suggest that this is not the case for TE biopsy. It can be speculated that the damage to blastocyst development potential caused by TE biopsy would be less for blastocysts with a greater number of TE cells (21, 22). Some experts assured that TE biopsy at the blastocyst stage had no meaningful impact on the developmental competence of the embryo as measured by implantation and delivery rates. This contrasts with the information above-mentioned on the significant reduction in the probability for an embryo to implant and progress up to delivery (16). When combined with TE biopsy and blastocyst vitrification, SNP microarray has resulted in high implantation and low miscarriage rates for some IVF patients (15, 16, 24). Are there any limitations? Owing to the limitations of genetic analysis, most of the biopsied blastocysts need to be cryopreserved by vitrification, and blastocysts with normal results would be transferred in the next frozen cycle. In addition, biopsy of numerous cells from blastocysts with grade B or C may cause damage to the embryo, leading to either its arrest or implantation failure. However, 1-5 cells may be the appropriate biopsied TE cell number to maintain the implantation potential (15, 22). Also, the personnel experience of different embryologists is an influencing factor in this technique. The number of biopsied cells in the blastocyst biopsy is hard to quantify and largely dependent on the experience of embryologist (22). To sum up: WHAT CAN WE CONCLUDE? The availability of new embryology and molecular techniques allow preimplantation genetic diagnosis laboratories to offer patients at genetic risk the transfer of developmentally competent embryos, unaffected by genetic disease. Cleavage stage biopsy allows for fresh embryo transfer after genetic diagnosis. However, there are reports of high levels of mosaicism when the biopsy is performed on day 3. Trophectoderm biopsy, in turn, provides sufficient material for an effective and more reliable diagnosis in embryos compared to those on cleavage stage. Moreover, it seems that it does not compromise embryo implantation and pregnancy rates in PGD cycles. The drawback for this option is the usual need for cryopreservation and transfer in a different cycle. The offer of PGD in fertility centres has increased over the last decade, primarily due to the progress on the application of diagnostic methods. The choice for either development stage relates to successful outcomes in the clinic, which mainly depend on technical challenges and timing of the developing embryo. For the embryologists, both day-3 and day-5 approaches are supported by evidence, but it will be essential to consider every single aspect of them to evaluate the best option for the laboratory. Authors: Shuyana Deba, Javier Del Río and Sara Sanz Special collaboration: Álvaro Martínez Moro Infertility affects millions of couples all around the world. In spite of the solutions to their problems reproductive technology can achieve, the efficacy is eventually limited by the number and the quality of the oocytes available from the woman. In actuality, such efficiency is determined by the ovarian reserve, the oocyte quality and the maternal age, among the most important factors (2). Diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) Since ovarian reserve defines the quantity and quality of the primordial follicle pool, diminished ovarian reserve (DOR) indicates a reduction in quantity in women of reproductive age. Consequently, it represents important cause of infertility in many couples. Moreover, DOR may be associated with low pregnancy rates and high pregnancy loss regardless of age, but further research is needed in order to fully understand its implications (3). Advanced maternal age It is well known that women’s fertility declines sharply after age 35 due to several factors, which include specific issues of reproductive organs (uterus and oviducts), general health and decreasing number and quality of oocytes over time. The oocyte pool starts to decline during foetal life and continues within the reproductive life of women. Oocyte quality also decreases as a consequence of the increased rate of aneuploidies observed with age: 74% at the age of 41–42, and up to 93% after the age of 42 (5). Advanced age is too associated with a reduction in the quality of the oocyte cytoplasm (ooplasm), which directly affects oocyte maturation (3). What are the main reasons for this reduction in ooplasm quality? Mitochondria are one of the most important organelles, which are affected in different ways (6,7): - Morphological and functional abnormalities - Mitochondrial swelling - Alterations in mitochondria's cristae - Alterations of the membrane potential - Alterations of the metabolic pathways in cummulus cells, which may result in impaired mitochondria biogenesis during oogenesis. These effects are due to the higher ratio of mutation consequence of the proximity of these organelles to the respiratory chain, the inefficient repair mechanism and the exposure of histories. How these changes affect oocyte quality (8)? First of all, negative effects on chromosome segregation have been observed as a result of a decreasing ATP concentration (9,10). Additionally, defects have been found in different signalling pathways such as Ca2+ signalling, which affects fertilization and the subsequent embryo development (11). Nevertheless, different mitochondrial haplogroups should be taken into consideration. These have different bioenergetic functions, including production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial coupling efficiency, aspects that might affect the oocyte longevity (13). Consequently, new techniques are being developed in order to increase the reproductive options in women with oocyte problems. Recently, one of these techniques that have been highly treated in the media is the development of additional viable oocytes from polar body genomes (2). HOW DOES TRANSFER OF POLAR BODY GENOME WORK? Originally, the transfer of polar body has been applied to cases of infertility with a genetic cause, such as the presence of mitochondrial diseases. These cases can be treated with the use of donor oocytes in clinical practice. Additionally, another application is the formation of human metaphase II (MII) oocytes, which increases the number of available oocytes for an assisted reproduction cycle (2). Two specific combined steps are needed. First, the donor oocyte spindle is removed, which requires the utilization of polarized light. Once located, it will be biopsied, obtaining an enucleated oocyte (14,15,16). Secondly, the patient polar body is biopsied, provided elimination of the spindle apparatus has been confirmed. Once both processes have been performed, the last step is the introduction of the polar body genome inside the enucleated oocyte (17). FUNCTIONAL HUMAN OOCYTES GENERATED BY TRANSFER OF POLAR BODY GENOMES Hong Ma and his group have tried to test the efficiency and possible limitations of this technique (ref). The main objective to be achieved was the formation of spindles resembling those typical of MII oocytes, including the appropriate chromosome dosage. HOW EFFICIENT IS THIS TECHNIQUE? Although DAPI staining demonstrated that all polar body nuclear transfer (PBNT)-oocytes contained spindle-chromosome complexes, only two of five experimental oocytes formed metaphase spindles similar to intact MII oocytes. This low number may be due to residual meiotic activity in enucleated human MII oocytes, which is sometimes not enough to induce formation of normal MII-like spindles. For a different cohort of oocytes, the rate of successful fertilization was 76%, still slightly lower than control oocytes. Furthermore, 42% of embryos reached blastocyst stage, indicating that most of the PBNT-oocytes were capable of completing the second meiotic division. Short tandem repeat (STR) analysis revealed that two sampled PBNT-blastocysts contained normal diploid chromosomes, determining that these embryos were completely viable. WHAT CAN BE CONCLUDED? • Polar body genome transfer seems to be a significant technique for the improvement of assisted reproductive technology (ART) outcomes and pregnancy rates, particularly for women with decreased ovarian reserve and low response to stimulation. • The cytoplasm from young donor oocytes may reduce incidences of low cytoplasmic oocyte quality. • It could provide an additional technique to support mitochondrial replacement therapy. Nevertheless, this technique is not suitable for women who cannot produce mature oocytes, typical profile of ART patients. Additionally, incidences of aneuploidy resulting from errors in mitosis or in the second meiotic division may still occur because of women advanced age. Larger datasets from this technique are needed to confirm its efficacy and safety. Also, improving preimplantation genetic screening (PGS) is critical before eventual clinical application. Authors: Javier Del Río and Sara Sanz Genetic problems in the embryo are one of the most important causes of pregnancy loss and miscarriage. However, identifying embryo mosaicism as the cause of genetic problems during development is not an easy task. WHAT IS A MOSAIC EMBRYO? The term mosaicism refers to the presence of more than just one cell line, which present different chromosome count (1). Additionally, the most common situation in these cases is the presence of a mixture of distinct aneuploid cells, rather than of a variety between euploid and aneuploid cells. These are the embryos that may be at risk of misdiagnosis (2). There are four possible types of mosaic embryos (3,4): 1. Embryos with a mix of euploid and aneuploid cells in the trophectoderm (TE), and with aneuploid cells in the inner cell mass (ICM). 2. Embryos with a mix of euploid and aneuploid TE cells and euploid ICM. 3. Embryos with euploid TE cells and aneuploid ICM. 4. Embryos with aneuploid TE cells and euploid ICM. Even though there exists no specific cut-off to determine mosaicism, the Preimplantational Genetic Diagnosis International Society (PGDIS) suggests an embryo with more than 20% of aneuploid cells to be considered as mosaic. This means lower levels of mosaicism should be treated as normal (euploid) (5). It has been traditionally thought that only genetic problems in the oocyte or the sperm could be responsible for embryo mosaicism. Nevertheless, it is currently postulated that this also occurs during the first mitotic divisions, when maternal transcripts control the cell cycle of the early embryo (6). NORMAL INDICATIONS FOR CHROMOSOMAL TESTING TO DETECT EMBRYO MOSAICISM 1. Advanced maternal age. This is the most common cause for aneuploid problems (7). A recent study has shown that women between the ages of 35 and 43 years have more probabilities (an increase ranging from 28 to 78%) of presenting mis-segregation for the most clinically relevant aneuploidies, namely chromosomes 13,16,18,21 and 22 (8). 2. Severe male factor infertility. Even though levels of sperm aneuploidy are associated with increased levels of chromosomal abnormalities in embryos (9), such abnormalities could also arise from certain males who do not present any chromosomal abnormality a priori. Such could be specific cases of oligoastenozoospermic patients (10). 3. Recurrent implantation failure (RIF). In spite of the lack of specifications for such diagnosis, it is usually defined as the occurrence of three or more failed IVF attempts due to an unidentified cause. RIF is the usual diagnosis in those cases in which after a cumulative transfer of more than 10 good-quality embryos, the eventual result is IVF failure (7,11,12,13). 4. Recurrent miscarriage. The definition of this concept may vary for every country. However, generally speaking it can be defined as the occurrence of 3 or more consecutive miscarriages once pregnancy has reached at least 14 weeks (14). The main cause for this problem seems to be aneuploidy, which has been identified as the leading cause in a high percentage of miscarriages (15,16). 5. Previous trisomic pregnancy. Cases in which there has been a previous trisomic pregnancy entail higher probability of suffering from another aneuploid conception. Therefore, it is in this group of patients in which it would be beneficial to conduct a study to find out possible related causes (17). BIOPSY TECHNIQUES TO STUDY A CASE OF MOSAICISM Although there are different biopsy strategies, depending on the embryo stage, blastocyst biopsy is recommended over both polar body and blastomere biopsies in those cases in which mosaicism is suspected. Blastocyst biopsy is less invasive, it is possible to extract a higher number of cells, which increases the probability to confirm mosaicism, and it is cheaper than the other techniques due to the lower number of embryos required for biopsy (7). Furthermore, if cells with different chromosome complements are widely distributed throughout the trophectoderm, there might be a good chance of capturing a representative sample. If cells are clustered, mosaicism could not be easily detected, thus providing false normal results (18). TECHNIQUES EMPLOYED TO DIAGNOSE MOSAICISM The earliest trials of PGD involved the use of karyotyping and PCR. By the mid-90s, the use of cytogenetic techniques such as FISH allowed for the progress of preimplantation diagnosis. This very own approach was later shown to impose important technical limitations to the analysis, and so it was encouraged the development of new technologies that could minimize the errors in diagnosis (19). Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) It allows for the analysis and identification of chromosomes or chromosome fragments with 5-10 fluorescently labelled molecular probes from one cell (blastomere) (Fig. 2). This cell can be biopsied from day-3 embryos, it could belong to the trophectoderm from blastocysts or it could also be a polar body biopsied from an oocyte or a zygote. Therefore, PGS–FISH diagnosis is limited to the most common abnormalities involving chromosomes 13, 15–18, 21, 22, X and Y. Some studies of preimplantation embryos diagnosed by using this technique estimate a 5-7% error caused by mosaicism when embryos are reanalyzed. Additionally, FISH is being rapidly replaced by other DNA analysis methods with higher efficiency (20,21). Array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (aCGH) This technique relies on whole genome amplification from one or more blastomeres (Fig. 3). It provides a quantitative analysis based on the comparison between the relative amount of tested DNA and the control DNA. Thus, chromosome imbalances such as aneuploidies, unbalanced translocations, deletions and duplications are easily detected. However, since balanced chromosome rearrangements such as reciprocal translocations or inversions do not affect copy number, such alterations cannot be identified (19,20). When blastomeres are analyzed by aCGH, the error rate measured is merely 2% (21,23). Notably, some studies have found that PGS-aCGH after blastocyst biopsy provides higher implantation and pregnancy rates than PGS-FISH (24). Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Next Generation Sequencing belongs to the group of Massively Parallel Sequencing (MPS) methods that allow for parallel processing of an extremely large number of nucleic acid molecules (Fig. 4). As a result of sequencing on a microspace scale, it has been possible to drastically increase the amount of information collected during one test up to an entire human genome. Also, it is the only method that allows for analysis of all chromosomes (aneuploidies or translocations) and mutations responsible for any single-gene disease, just using one biopsy and in a single step (20). Although clinical results have documented high pregnancy rates following transfer of screened embryos, further data along with an extended use in clinical application are required to better define the role of NGS in PGS. Nevertheless, it seems that this method may actually lead to reduced costs per patient, thus allowing IVF couples a wider use of PGS for choosing the most competent embryo for transfer (26). DIFFICULTIES WHEN MANAGING RESULTS The detection of mosaicism at an early stage does not mean that it will spread along embryo development (27). However, the utilization of chromosome identification techniques as part of the IVF process makes it possible to identify embryos “at risk of mosaicism’’ in order to select those that are suitable for transfer (18). Mosaic embryos are supposedly less competent than others due to a reduced implantation potential. Therefore, by discarding mosaic embryos implantation rates should be improved and, simultaneously, embryo loss rates reduced. Nevertheless, mosaic embryos may still have reproductive potential, and consequently they could still be viable. Furthermore, discarding embryos capable of producing healthy children will decrease pregnancy rates in those patients who get a low number of blastocysts in the pool of transferable embryos (18). It is important to take into account the reaction of the patients when they are informed about their embryos being at risk for mosaicism, what may entail genetic abnormalities, reduce implantation rates, increase loss risk and even diminish obstetrical and neonatal outcomes. However, there is not a simple answer when patients decide to transfer a mosaic embryo; either way, the obstetrical team should be informed for future screens (18). SUGGESTED GUIDELINES BY THE PREIMPLANTATINO GENETIC DIAGNOSIS INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY (PGDIS) This article has been selected for publication in the Scientists in Reproductive Technologies (SIRT) Newsletter of The Fertility Society of Australia: DEL RÍO, J. and SANZ, S. (2017) Mosaic embryos are capable of producing healthy children. How to handle it? Fertility Society of Australia - SIRT Newsletter 4(20): 12-15. Authors: Javier Del Río and Sara Sanz Although most of the genetic material of eukaryotic cells is located inside the nucleus, mitochondria are organelles that also possess a certain amount of DNA. Mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) or nuclear genes involved in mitochondrial function are cause of infertility and diseases, not only in individuals, but also in their offspring. In these cases, one of the solutions known to be efficient in order to conceive and give birth to a healthy child is the "three-parent in vitro fertilization" approach. THE MITOCHONDRIAL GENOME IS MATERNALLY INHERITED During fertilization, mitochondria from sperm are normally eliminated by a ubiquitin-dependent mechanism. As a consequence, in case the father carries the mutation both his health and fertility could become affected, but never his offspring (2). By contrast, mitochondria in the oocyte must present a specific location and distribution pattern (which represents an actual sign of oocyte maturation), and they are solely inherited from the mother. WHY ARE MUTATIONS IN mtDNA OR IN NUCLEAR GENES INVOLVED IN MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTIONS SO PROBLEMATIC? Mitochondria provide energy to the cells through oxidative phosphorylation, and so mutations in their genome mainly affect structures form the nervous system, heart, skeletal muscle, pancreas, gonads, colon, blood, kidney or liver (3). Why these structures? The higher the energy demand is, the higher the need for more mitochondria in the cells (4). Also, cells that present a slower division process are more likely to present some kind of mtDNA mutation (5). HOLOPLASMY vs. HETEROPLASMY The situation in which all cells from an individual contain identical mtDNA (mutated or otherwise) is known as holoplasmy. By contrast, heteroplasmy is defined as the condition in which part of the mitochondria from the same individual present a DNA content that is different from the other. These cases are the most common among patients affected by mitochondrial DNA diseases (6). WHY DOES HETEROPLASTY REPRESENT A PROBLEM? Even though heteroplasmy implies the presence of two different DNA contents in the cell, cells with great amounts of mutant (or affected by a specific condition) mitochondria respond to proliferate their entire DNA. This is why the percentage of mutant/affected mtDNA tend to increase in certain tissues (7). THE "BOTTLENECK EFFECT" AND THE "THRESHOLD EFFECT" During oogenesis, only a subset of molecules of mtDNA are eventually amplified and passed on to the offspring (8). This effect explains why it is possible to obtain homoplasmic individuals in just a few generations (2). Previous reports on human diseases caused by an mtDNA mutation have shown that the mutation needs to be present at a certain percentage in order to manifest pathological effects. Typically, this percentage should be higher than 60-80% (8,9), although it also depends on age, affected tissues, type of mutations, etc. (4) WHY TO APPLY THE "THREE-PARENT IN VITRO FERTILIZATION" APPROACH? It might be reasonable to think of other possibilities to treat patients suffering from mitochondrial diseases in order to achieve pregnancy. Rather than prenatal diagnosis or preimplantation genetic diagnosis, the "three-parent in vitro fertilization" technique because (4): In the first case: 1. It needs a uniform mtDNA distribution in the extra-embryonic and foetal tissues. 2. It needs the mutant DNA load to remain constant over time. 3. There must be a close relation between the severity of the disease and the amount of mutant DNA. As for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (6,9): 1. It is not applicable to patients with high levels of heteroplasmy. 2. It reduces but does not eliminate the risk of suffering from a mitochondrial disease-related condition. 3. The amount of tDNA found in blastomeres or the trophectoderm does not represent the whole embryo. 4. This approach is not an efficient diagnosis due to the combination of heteroplasmy and the "bottleneck effect". KNOWB TECHNIQUES TO BE USED FOR MITOCHONDRIAL REPLACEMENT It involves the transfer of the two pronuclei from a zygote affected by diseased (or mutated) mitochondria into an enucleated zygote containing healthy mitochondria. Even though this technique has not yet been performed in humans, the efficiency of pronuclear transfer in mice has been adversely affected by descendants bearing high levels of carryover mtDNA (10). Polar body transfer Since the polar body has a lower proportion of mitochondria around it, this is currently considered the best method for preventing the transmission of mutated mtDNA on to the next generation (9,10). Embryos derived from polar body transfer support normal fertilization and are capable of producing live offspring in mouse. Polar body transfers leading to a minimal amount of affected mtDNA carryover have demonstrated the great potential of this technique for preventing inherited mitochondrial DNA diseases (9,10). When applied in mice, this technique has shown the best success rate so far due to the transfer of mitochondria being lowered to a minimum (9). This technique involves transferring the meiotic spindle along with the associated chromosomes, the spindle-chromosome complex (SCC), from an unfertilized oocyte with affected mitochondria into an enucleated healthy mitochondria-containing oocyte (11). This technique recently became popular when performed by Dr. John Zhang and his team, hitting the media within the latest weeks. However, potential problems could arise; just as for the previous techniques, the spindle is also surrounded by mitochondria, and so they could too be introduced into the ooplasm, thus causing heteroplasmy (12). WHAT DOES LAW STATE REGARDING MITOCHONDRIAL REPLACEMENT? So far, scientific societies are very skeptical about experimental techniques. Thus, this particular approach is specifically prohibited by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the US. It can only be performed in countries such as Mexico, where legislation is more flexible, or in UK, where it was approved for application in very specific cases (14). CURRENT DATA ON MITOCHONDRIAL REPLACEMENT As it has been previously mentioned, cases of cytoplasm transfer have been performed. In fact, there have been around 30-50 live births from this technique. However, newborns presented certain genetic defects, and so this technique was banned and replaced by pronuclear transfer and meiotic spindle transfer (14). Such data demonstrate the potential damage that could be inflicted to the embryo when performing these techniques (12,15). In addition to this, ethical issues must also be taken into account, which means the sole possibility of successfully applying a specific procedure does not imply its moral appropriateness. In order to guarantee so, a committee of experts should pronounce their opinions and reach a consensus about it. On a related note, long-term effects derived from these procedures are still unknown, and so it would be necessary to monitor all babies born through these techniques. This post has been published in the Scientists in Reproductive Technologies (SIRT) newsletter, a special interest group representing the scientific membership of The Fertility Society of Australia. 2016-2019. 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Panama Canal locks History and museums The Panama Canal locks (Spanish: Esclusas del Canal de Panamá) are a lock system that lifts a ship up 85 feet (26 metres) to the main elevation of the Panama Canal and down again. It has a total of six steps (three up, three down) for a ship's passage. The total length of the lock structures, including the approach walls, is over 1.9 miles (3 km). The locks were one of the greatest engineering works ever to be undertaken when they opened in 1914. No other concrete construction of comparable size was undertaken until the Hoover Dam, in the 1930s. There are two independent transit lanes, since each lock is built double. The size of the locks limits the maximum size of ships that can transit the canal; this size is known as Panamax. Construction on the Panama Canal expansion project began in September 2007. This will double the canal's capacity, allowing more and larger ships to use the canal. The project was expected to be completed in April 2016, but was later revised to be June 26, 2016. There are twelve locks in total. A two-step flight at Miraflores, and a single flight at Pedro Miguel, lift ships from the Pacific up to Gatun Lake; then a triple flight at Gatun lowers them to the Atlantic side. All three sets of locks are paired; that is, there are two parallel flights of locks at each of the three lock sites. This, in principle, allows ships to pass in opposite directions simultaneously; however, large ships cannot cross safely at speed in the Culebra Cut, so in practice ships pass in one direction for a time, then in the other, using both "lanes" of the locks in one direction at a time. The lock chambers are 110 ft (33.53 m) wide by 1,050 ft (320 m) long, with a usable length of 1,000 ft (305 m). These dimensions determine the maximum size of ships that can use the canal; this size is known as Panamax. The total lift (the amount by which a ship is raised or lowered) in the three steps of the Gatun locks is 85 ft (25.9 m); the lift of the two-step Miraflores locks is 54 ft (16 m). The single-step Pedro Miguel locks have a lift of 31 ft (9.4 m). The lift at Miraflores actually varies due to the extreme tides on the Pacific side, between 43 ft (13 m) at extreme high tide and 64.5 ft (20 m) at extreme low tide; tidal differences on the Atlantic side are very small. The lock chambers are massive concrete structures. The side walls are from 45 to 55 ft (14 to 17 m) thick at the bases; toward the top, where less strength is required, they taper down in steps to 8 ft (2.4 m). The center wall between the chambers is 60 ft (18 m) thick and houses three galleries that run its full length. The lowest of these is a drainage tunnel; above this is a gallery for electrical cabling; and toward the top is a passageway that allows operators to gain access to the lock machinery. Each lock chamber requires 26,700,000 US gal (101,000 m3) of water to fill it from the lowered to the raised position; the same amount of water must be drained from the chamber to lower it again.1 Embedded in the side and centre walls are three large water culverts that are used to carry water from the lake into the chambers to raise them, and from each chamber down to the next, or to the sea, to lower them. These culverts start at a diameter of 22 ft (6.71 m) and reduce to 18 ft (5.49 m) in diameter, large enough to accommodate a train. Cross culverts branch off from these main culverts, running under the lock chambers to openings in the floors. There are fourteen cross culverts in each chamber, each with five openings; seven cross culverts from the sidewall main culverts alternate with seven from the centre wall culvert. The water is moved by gravity and is controlled by huge valves in the culverts. Each cross culvert is independently controlled. A lock chamber can be filled in as little as eight minutes. There is significant turbulence in the lock chamber during this process. The gates separating the chambers in each flight of locks must hold back a considerable weight of water, and must be both reliable and strong enough to withstand accidents, as the failure of a gate could unleash a catastrophic flood of water downstream. These gates are of enormous size, ranging from 47 to 82 ft (14.33 to 24.99 m) high, depending on position, and are 7 ft (2.13 m) thick. The tallest gates are at Miraflores, due to the large tidal range there. The heaviest leaves weigh 662 t (730 short tons; 652 long tons); the hinges themselves each weigh 16.7 t (36,817 lb). Each gate has two leaves, 65 ft (19.81 m) wide, which close to a "V" shape with the point upstream. This arrangement has the effect that the force of water from the higher side pushes the ends of the gates together firmly. The gates can be opened only when, in the operating cycle, the water level on both sides is equal. The original gate machinery consisted of a huge drive wheel, powered by an electric motor, to which was attached a connecting rod, which in turn attached to the middle of the gate. These mechanisms were replaced with hydraulic struts beginning in January 1998, after 84 years of service. The gates are hollow and buoyant, much like the hull of a ship, and are so well balanced that two 19 kW (25 hp) motors are enough to move each gate leaf. If one motor fails, the other can still operate the gate at reduced speed. Each chamber also contains a pair of auxiliary gates, which can be used to divide the chamber in two. This design allows for the transit of smaller vessels, such as canal tugs, without using the full quantity of water. The auxiliary gates were originally incorporated because the overwhelming majority of all ships of the early 1900s were less than 600 ft (183 m) long and therefore did not need the full length of the lock chamber. Nowadays these gates are rarely used; instead, small boats such as tour boats, tugs, and yachts are passed in groups. From the outset, it was considered an important safety feature that ships be guided through the lock chambers by electric locomotives, known as mulas (mules, named after the animals traditionally used to cross the isthmus of Panama), running on the lock walls. These mules are used for side-to-side and braking control in the locks, which are narrow relative to modern-day ships. Forward motion into and through the locks is actually provided by the ship's engines and not the mules. A ship approaching the locks first pulls up to the guide wall, which is an extension of the centre wall of the locks, where it is taken under control by the mules on the wall before proceeding into the lock. As it moves forward, additional lines are taken to mules on the other wall. With large ships, there are two mules on each side at the bow, and two each side at the stern—eight in total, allowing for precise control of the ship. The mules themselves run on rack tracks with broad gauge, 5 ft, to which they are geared. Traction is by electric power, supplied through a third rail laid below surface level on the land side. Each mule has a powerful winch, operated by the driver; these are used to take two cables in or pay them out in order to keep the ship centred in the lock while moving it from chamber to chamber. With as little as 2 ft (60 cm) of clearance on each side of a ship, considerable skill is required on the part of the operators. Smaller vessels, such as small tour boats and private yachts, are taken as handline transits, where mooring lines to the lock walls are handled manually by line handlers on the ship. A failure of the lock gates—for example, caused by a runaway ship hitting a gate—could unleash a flood on the lands downstream of the locks, as the lake above the locks (Gatun Lake or Miraflores Lake) drains through the lock system. Extra precaution against this is provided by doubling the gates at both ends of the upper chamber in each flight of locks; hence, there are always at least two gates in each flight of locks that would have to fail to allow the higher level of water to pass downstream. The additional gates are 70 ft (21 m) away from the operating gates. Originally the locks also featured chain barriers, which were stretched across the lock chambers to prevent a ship from running out of control and ramming a gate, and which were lowered into the lock floor to allow the ship to pass. These fender chains featured elaborate braking mechanisms to allow a ship of up to 10,000 tons to be safely stopped. However, given the precise control of ships made possible by the mules, it was very unlikely that these chains would ever be required. With many modern canal users weighing over 60,000 tons, and given the expense of maintaining them, the fender chains were reduced in number in 1976 and finally removed in 1980. Beyond this, the original design of the locks had yet another safety feature, emergency dams that could be swung across the locks at the upper end of every flight. These consisted of swinging bridges, from which girders were lowered to the lock floor; steel shutters could then be run down these girders to block the flow of water. Monthly drills were held, by night and day, to make sure that these dams could be deployed in an emergency. In the late 1930s, the original dams were replaced by new dams, which were raised out of slots in the bottom of the lock chambers, either hydraulically or by compressed air. The new dams were themselves retired in the late 1980s, and today, no emergency dams are in place. Since all the lock equipment is operated electrically, the process of locking a ship up or down can be controlled from a central control room, which is located on the centre wall of the upper flight of locks. The controls were designed from the outset to minimise the chance of operator error and include a complete model of the locks, with moving components that mirror the state of the real lock gates and valves. In this way, the operator can see exactly what state the locks and water valves are in. Mechanical interlocks are built into the controls to make sure that no component can be moved while another is in an incorrect state—for example, opening the drain and filling the valves of a lock chamber simultaneously. The construction of the locks began with the first concrete laid at Gatun, on August 24, 1909, by the Philadelphia-based company Day & Zimmermann (formerly known as Dodge & Day). The Gatun locks are built into a cut made in a hill bordering the lake, which required the excavation of 5,000,000 cubic yards (3,800,000 cubic metres) of material, mostly rock. The locks themselves were made of 2,046,100 cu yd (1,564,000 m3) of concrete. The quantity of material needed to construct the locks required extensive measures to be put in place to handle the stone and cement. Stone was brought from Portobelo to the Gatun locks, while the work on the Pacific side used stone quarried from Ancon Hill. Huge overhead cableways were constructed to transport concrete into the construction at Gatun. 85 ft (26 m) high towers were built on the banks of the canal, and cables of 2.5 in (6 cm) steel wire were strung between them to span the locks. Buckets running on these cables carried up to six tons of concrete at a time into the locks. Electric railways were constructed to take stone, sand, and cement from the docks to the concrete mixing machines, from where another electric railway carried two 6-ton buckets at a time to the cableways. The smaller constructions at Pedro Miguel and Miraflores used cranes and steam locomotives in a similar manner. Concrete is normally moulded in formwork, temporary structures that give shape to the concrete as it sets. For a simple construction, these would normally be made of wood, but the scale of the locks demanded extraordinary forms. The forms for the walls consisted of towers, fronted with braced vertical sheets, 7.5 in (19 cm) thick, mounted on rails to allow the locks to be constructed in sections. A section of lock would be poured behind the form, and when it was set, the form would be moved to do the next section. Each of the twelve towers was 78 ft (24 m) high by 36 ft (11 m) wide. The forms for the culverts were made of steel and were collapsible so they could be removed and moved along after each section of culvert had set. In all, there were 33 forms for the centre and side-wall culverts, each 12 ft (3.7 m) long, and 100 smaller forms for the lateral culverts. The Pacific-side locks were finished first—the single flight at Pedro Miguel in 1911 and Miraflores in May 1913. The seagoing tug Gatun, an Atlantic entrance working tug used for hauling barges, made the first trial lockage of Gatun Locks on September 26, 1913. The lockage went perfectly, although all valves were controlled manually since the central control board was not yet ready.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition - n. A member of a Baltic people constituting the main population of Latvia. from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License - n. Latvian - adj. Latvian from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia - n. A member of a branch of the Lithuanian or Lettic race, inhabiting chiefly the Russian provinces of Courland, Livonia, and Vitebsk. The Letts call themselves Latvis. See Lithuanian. - n. The Lettish language; Lettic. See Lettish. Interestingly, Judge Cole’s opinion in Lett had the support of Gibbons (a Bush II appointee) but not that of Forrester. On page 9 Latsis, of the Extraordinary Commission, is accurately described as a Lett, but on page 23 he becomes a Jew. _Kalevipoeg_ and in the popular tales, some of which we shall afterwards notice.] [Footnote 56: The term "Lett," which the Kalevide himself afterwards applies to the demon, seems to be used in contempt; otherwise the passage in the text might have been taken as equivalent to our old-fashioned expression, "It's all Greek to me."] [Footnote 57: Usually the devil's mother (or grandmother) is represented as a white mare. A problem is that a large package may be worked on by many persons, but this is equally true of large experiments in science (I remember a paper in Phys Rev Lett with about 50 authors!) The storm caused power outages earlier in the U.S. Virgin Islands, said Christine Lett, spokeswoman for the territory's emergency management agency. Three of these decisions were unanimous (Berghuis v. Smith, Smith v. Spisak and Bobby v. Van Hook), one was 6 – 3 (Renico v. Lett). Two more Sixth Circuit habeas cases remain, Renico v. Lett and Berghuis v. Thompkins. He hired Bryan Applewhite as running backs coach, Leon Lett as defensive tackles coach, Jason Nichols as receivers coach, Brandon Shelby as quarterbacks coach and Adam Waugh as safeties coach. Instead, Leon Lett came barreling through a group ofDolphins players and attempted toscoop up the ball. During a very snowy and cold game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins, Leon Lett committed the goof that he is better known for than his own impressive career.
Lip sync errors are becoming a significant problem in the digital television industry because of the large amounts of video signal processing used in television production, television broadcasting, and fixed-pixel television displays such as LCD, DLP and plasma panels. Audio and video synchronization problems occur because video processing is more intensive than audio processing. Because of this, the audio is ready for playback before the video, and if audio is not delayed, what viewers hear will not match what they see on the screen. Figure 1: Lip sync errors usually occur because video processing delays are larger than audio processing delays. Signals may arrive in-sync to a CE device and leave out-of-sync. Anywhere video is processed, there will be a delay. Video processing filters, format conversion, compression -- all of these will add delay, perhaps as little as a few pixels or one line of video, or perhaps as much as many frames of video. Although faster processors and clever algorithms can minimize these delays, they can never completely eliminate them. Ignore the delays, and you have audio and video out of sync. On the display side, video processing delays become significant for LCD and plasma display panels (PDPs), where memory-based video-processing algorithms, as well as panel response times, can cause a delay of more than 100ms. Compressed and broadcast video brings yet another difficulty in the form of variable delays. Since the amount of compression varies with video material, the instantaneous compressed bit rate (bits per frame, for instance) will vary as well. In order to use the bandwidth efficiently, the rate needs to be smoothed to an overall constant bit rate, and that means that the delay will vary. Yet another origin of synchronization failure is when different audio/video system components (or even STV/TV tuner channels for the matter) are used in the chain. In other words, the audio/video delay can actually jump to a different value when a new device is inserted within the stream. Finally, audio synchronization issues can also arise from wireless multi-channel speaker applications. Because of the inherent processing delays of wireless transmission, it takes more time for wireless transmitted channels to output audio than non-transmitted audio channels. The non-transmitted channels, therefore, need an additional delay to synchronize them with transmitted channels. As television applications become more and more sophisticated, and more wireless components are being adopted, a real need has developed for Lip Synch correction solutions. Next: Industry activities to address sync errors
The UK has declared a climate emergency. So has Ireland. So have around 500 regional councils around the world. Declaring a climate emergency is a necessary and urgent call to action that emerges in the wake of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report that warns that we only have twelve years left to prevent a climate change catastrophe. Twelve years. A truly terrifying thought. we only have twelve years left to prevent a climate change catastrophe The phrase climate change no longer does justice to the severity of our situation. By contrast, climate emergency demands our outrage and our action to tackle this unnatural degradation. If one word can help to foster this shift in perspective, imagine what a novel can do. Eco-literature and cli-fi (climate fiction) have been steadily increasing in popularity as our climate crisis penetrates mainstream awareness. Literature is uniquely positioned to explore environmental anxieties because it engages the imaginative power of individuals as they investigate the impact of global warming and contextualise it to a personal level. Literature is uniquely positioned to explore environmental anxieties because it engages the imaginative power of individuals Saci Lloyd’s The Carbon Diaries: 2015 is just one novel of many that demonstrates how literature fosters greater awareness of our climate emergency. This teen fiction epistolary novel follows Laura Brown and her family’s struggles to adapt to the implementation of extreme carbon rations across the UK. The diary form forces readers to embody this ruined landscape, thereby compelling readers to confront a future that might not be far off. While the dated title does limit the novel somewhat, it is a chilling thought that environmental concerns in 2009, the date of publication, were enough to imagine such extremity in 2015. What’s worse is that we have these anxieties and don’t do enough to stop them from becoming an irreversible reality The devastating legacy of our climate emergency is highlighted by the target audience of children and teens. This mirrors current political turmoil generated by young climate activists like Greta Thunberg, a 16-year-old who uses her global platform to pressure governments away from detrimental environmental policies. Similarly, the UK Student Climate Network have been striking and marching across the country to raise awareness of the necessity for preventative measures to tackle the climate crisis. Four main demands are listed on the UKSCN website: - Declare a climate emergency. - Make the national curriculum address the climate crisis. - Make the government inform the public about the severity of the climate crisis. - Lower the voting age to 16 to give young people a say in environmental concerns. Lloyd’s dystopian world is predicated on the declaration of a climate emergency and belated governmental attempts to prevent it. This demonstrates major parallels with our current political climate, where we have also declared a climate emergency and have brought the severity of environmental concerns into discussions in parliament. Through climate crisis, reality and dystopia are beginning to become one Where literature engages the imagination, art visually manifests that imagination in specific and often bleak ways. The artistic world creates immersive experiences that often demand audiences’ participation to expose the increasingly blurred boundary between fiction/art and reality. For example, Xavier Cortada’s work was recently featured in a New York Times list for his artistic piece Underwater HOA, which was inspired by his fear of flooding in Florida due to melting glaciers. Cortada created yard sale styled signs that residents in the village of Pinecrest were encouraged to display in their front gardens for a week. The signs signalled how much water levels must rise before the property would be subject to flood. With true artistic irony, the sign’s backdrops were watercolour paintings that used water from the melting glaciers that pose the threat the work seeks to expose. In Cortada’s artistic statement, he described wanting to “make the invisible visible” with an aim to “make the future impact of sea level rise something no longer possible to ignore.” Increased visibility is the art world’s biggest source of ammunition in the fight for awareness of environmental crisis because it allows a confrontation with the issue that political discussions often avoid. At a basic level, increased visibility make environmental concerns harder to dismiss. allows a confrontation with the issue that political discussions often avoid However, it is important that literature and art are not the only modes through which people engage with environmental crisis. While the platforms are poignant, the label of fiction or artistic representation enables a layer of mediation that requires wariness. These issues are not, and should not, be limited to a dystopian world or a piece of art. This climate emergency is a real issue with real consequences. It is time to move beyond mere awareness of this crisis. Beyond mere observation of change. As Greta Thunberg said in a CNN interview, “We must hold the older generations accountable for the mess they have created . . . We need to get angry and then we need to transform that anger into action.” Art and literature are just one part of this transformative process towards a better, more sustainable future.
Managing Your Finances Made Easy Welcome to this comprehensive guide on managing your finances using a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your financial situation. A Summarized Cash Flow Sheet provides a concise overview of your income, expenses, and savings, enabling you to make informed financial decisions. In this article, we will explore the benefits of using a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet and provide you with practical tips to effectively manage your finances. Table of Contents - Understanding the Importance of Financial Management - What is a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet? - The Components of a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet - Creating Your Own Summarized Cash Flow Sheet - Analyzing Your Cash Flow - Strategies to Improve Your Cash Flow - Monitoring Your Progress - Common Mistakes to Avoid - Frequently Asked Questions - What is the purpose of a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet? - How often should I update my Summarized Cash Flow Sheet? - Can I use software to create and manage my cash flow sheet? - How can a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet help with financial goal setting? - Should I include all my expenses in the cash flow sheet? - Is it necessary to consult a financial advisor when managing my finances? Understanding the Importance of Financial Management Effective financial management is the key to achieving long-term financial stability and success. By gaining a clear understanding of your income, expenses, and savings, you can make informed decisions about spending, saving, and investing. This knowledge empowers you to plan for the future, minimize debt, and build a strong financial foundation. What is a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet? A Summarized Cash Flow Sheet is a financial tool that provides an overview of your cash inflows and outflows over a specific period. It helps you understand how much money is coming in and going out, allowing you to track your spending patterns and identify areas where you can save or invest more effectively. The Components of a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet A Summarized Cash Flow Sheet typically consists of the following components: - Income: This section includes all sources of income, such as salary, rental income, investments, or side business earnings. - Expenses: Here, you list all your expenses, including fixed expenses (rent, utilities, insurance) and variable expenses (groceries, entertainment, transportation). - Savings: This component highlights your savings, which can include contributions to retirement accounts, emergency funds, or other investment vehicles. - Net Cash Flow: The net cash flow is calculated by subtracting total expenses from total income. A positive cash flow indicates a surplus, while a negative cash flow signifies a deficit. Creating Your Own Summarized Cash Flow Sheet Now that you understand the importance of a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet, it’s time to create your own. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started: - Set a Time Frame: Decide on the period you want to track your cash flow, whether it’s monthly, quarterly, or annually. - Gather Financial Information: Collect all your financial statements, including bank statements, pay stubs, bills, and receipts. - Categorize Income and Expenses: Separate your income and expenses into appropriate categories, such as salary, investment income, rent, groceries, utilities, etc. - Calculate Totals: Sum up the totals for each category to determine your overall income and expenses. - Calculate Net Cash Flow: Subtract your total expenses from your total income to calculate your net cash flow. - Update Regularly: Make it a habit to update your Summarized Cash Flow Sheet regularly to ensure it remains accurate and relevant. Analyzing Your Cash Flow Once you have created your Summarized Cash Flow Sheet, it’s time to analyze the data. Here are a few key points to consider: - Identify Spending Patterns: Review your expenses to identify any recurring patterns or trends. This will help you identify areas where you can potentially cut back on unnecessary spending. - Evaluate Income Sources: Assess your various income sources and determine if there are opportunities to increase your earnings. This could involve exploring side hustles, investing in income-generating assets, or negotiating a raise at work. - Assess Debt-to-Income Ratio: Calculate your debt-to-income ratio by dividing your total debt by your total income. This will give you an indication of your ability to manage and repay your debts. Strategies to Improve Your Cash Flow Managing your cash flow effectively is crucial for maintaining financial stability. Here are some strategies to help you improve your cash flow: - Reduce Discretionary Spending: Cut back on non-essential expenses such as dining out, entertainment, and impulse purchases. This will free up more money to allocate towards savings or debt repayment. - Increase Income Streams: Explore opportunities to boost your income by taking on a part-time job, freelancing, or starting a side business. Diversifying your income sources can significantly improve your cash flow. - Negotiate Bills and Contracts: Contact service providers and negotiate better terms or rates for your bills and contracts. This could include your internet, cable, insurance, or even rent. - Minimize Debt: Focus on paying off high-interest debts first while making minimum payments on others. As you reduce your debt, you’ll have more disposable income to allocate towards savings and investments. Monitoring Your Progress Regularly monitoring your cash flow is crucial to staying on track with your financial goals. Here’s how you can effectively monitor your progress: - Review Monthly Reports: Analyze your Summarized Cash Flow Sheet on a monthly basis to identify any areas that require attention. Look for opportunities to optimize your income and expenses further. - Track Changes Over Time: Compare your cash flow statements from different time periods to gauge your progress. This will help you determine if your financial strategies are working effectively or if adjustments are needed. - Adjust Your Budget: If you notice any significant discrepancies or changes in your cash flow, revise your budget accordingly. Adapt to new circumstances and make the necessary adjustments to ensure your financial goals are still attainable. Common Mistakes to Avoid While using a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet can greatly benefit your financial management, it’s essential to avoid common pitfalls. Here are a few mistakes to steer clear of: - Neglecting Small Expenses: Small expenses can quickly add up and impact your cash flow. Be mindful of your spending, even on seemingly insignificant items. - Failing to Include Irregular Expenses: Don’t forget to account for irregular expenses such as car repairs, medical bills, or annual subscriptions. Set aside a portion of your income for these unexpected costs. - Overlooking the Importance of Emergency Funds: It’s crucial to have an emergency fund to cover unforeseen expenses or job loss. Prioritize saving for emergencies to safeguard your financial stability. - Relying Solely on Credit: Avoid relying too heavily on credit cards or loans to cover expenses. High-interest rates and excessive borrowing can lead to long-term financial strain. Frequently Asked Questions Q: What is the purpose of a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet? A: A Summarized Cash Flow Sheet helps individuals gain a clear understanding of their income, expenses, and savings. It enables effective financial management and helps identify areas where adjustments can be made to improve financial stability. Q: How often should I update my Summarized Cash Flow Sheet? A: It is recommended to update your Summarized Cash Flow Sheet on a monthly basis. This allows you to track your progress, identify any changes, and make adjustments accordingly. Q: Can I use software to create and manage my cash flow sheet? A: Yes, there are several financial management software options available that can help you create and manage your Summarized Cash Flow Sheet. These software solutions offer additional features such as automated calculations and data synchronization. Q: How can a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet help with financial goal setting? A: A Summarized Cash Flow Sheet provides a clear picture of your financial situation, making it easier to set realistic financial goals. By analyzing your cash flow, you can identify areas where you can save or invest more effectively, bringing you closer to achieving your goals. Q: Should I include all my expenses in the cash flow sheet? A: It’s important to include all your expenses in the cash flow sheet to get an accurate overview of your financial situation. This includes both fixed expenses (such as rent, utilities) and variable expenses (such as groceries, entertainment). Don’t overlook any expenses, no matter how small they may seem. Q: Is it necessary to consult a financial advisor when managing my finances? A: While not mandatory, consulting a financial advisor can provide valuable insights and guidance tailored to your specific financial situation. They can help you create a comprehensive financial plan, provide investment advice, and offer strategies to optimize your cash flow. In conclusion, a Summarized Cash Flow Sheet is an invaluable tool for managing your finances effectively. By creating and regularly updating your cash flow sheet, you gain a clear understanding of your income, expenses, and savings, enabling you to make informed financial decisions. Implement the strategies outlined in this article to improve your cash flow, monitor your progress, and work towards achieving your financial goals.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License - adj. Covered in blotches. - v. Simple past tense and past participle of blotch. from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English - adj. Marked or covered with blotches. from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. - adj. marked with irregularly shaped spots or blots Sorry, no etymologies found. He rounded a slight bend in the road, which then turned to gravel intermittently blotched with mud. Her hands shook, and her face was blotched and swollen from weeping. And the immersive nastiness of their aesthetic — decayed bathrooms, foul workshops, seeping industrial spaces, blades blotched with rust — distilled the slasher-flick elixir: atmosphere. In the middle distance, on the broken foothills surrounding the crater, the greenery was blotched with black and gray swaths of bare or scorched earth. The skin on his face was dull and blotched, his eyes drained of that familiar childlike wonder. Her face was contorted in grief: her skin ruddy and blotched under her makeup, her eyes wet with tears. He wants me to learn from his previous examples by transcribing and ordering all of his past cases, which is quite a task, considering how poor the penmanship is of these records—small, tight lettering, words in every margin, drawn maps blotched with ink, all written by Mr. Soper himself. Mr. Soper raised his voice at her, and I looked at his blotched face, astonished at the sudden change in him. The cheek-bones were blotched with the blood congested by the debauch that was evidently being slept off. Her face was blotched red, and her jaw thrust out.
This course covers the standard topics taught in introductory courses in Aristotelian logic. It defines the principles of valid reasoning, and discusses prevalent logical fallacies. It formalizes the steps by which one derives conclusions from premises, and it provides a methodology by which to evaluate one’s own thinking processes. The course booklet with exercises is located here. Disclaimer: Although Dr. Peikoff granted permission for the creation of this course in a new format, he has not reviewed or approved any of its content. Recorded in 1974.
Learn something new every day More Info... by email Low carbon steels offer many applications. Truck bed floors, automobile doors, domestic appliances, and spare tire tubs are just a few of the things made with these types of steel. By definition, these steels can contain up to around 0.2 percent carbon by weight. Some of the more widely used low carbon steels include 1010, 1018, and 1020 steel. The automobile industry employs a considerable amount of this steel for making parts that require simple bending or moderate forming. Truck cab backs, tailgate access covers, floor pans, and bed floors are often made of this steel. Roofs, hoods, doors, and body sides on regular automobiles are also usually made of it. Other automobile parts, such as spare tire tubs and dash panels feature low carbon steel construction. Very low carbon steel contains only up to 0.05 percent carbon. Manufacturers often make steel paneling out of very low carbon steels. These steels are also often used to create non-critical structural shapes for buildings. The carbon content of low carbon steel varieties generally ranges between 0.05 and 0.2 percent. They are often used to make beams and structural shapes for bridges and buildings. The carbon in steel affects the material’s ductility and strength; steels with high carbon contents are stronger than steels with lower carbon contents. Conversely, high carbon steels are less ductile than low carbon steels. High ductility, however, results in poor machinability. Utilizing higher spindle speeds on machines makes machining these highly ductile steels much easier. In general, low-quality steels, such as certain low carbon steels with high phosphorous and sulphur contents offer better machinability than cleaner, higher quality steels. Low carbon 1010 steel contains 0.10 percent carbon. This steel is low-strength steel but its strength can be increased through various tempering processes. Certain types of fasteners and bolts feature low carbon 1010 steel. One of the most popular varieties of low carbon steel is 1018 steel, which is relatively easy to machine, form, and weld. Sprocket assemblies are often made of this steel. The carbon content of 1020 steel can reach around 0.2 percent. Low carbon 1020 steel is often used for making bolts and fasteners. The strength and ductility of this steel contributes to its widespread use. It can also be hardened to increase its applications. Compared to 1010 steel, 1020 steel offers higher tensile strength and hardness values. One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!
What is Youth Policy? EU Youth Policy has two main objectives: - To provide more and equal opportunities for young people in education and the job market - To encourage young people to actively participate in society. The Youth Policy objectives are achieved through: Specific youth initiatives, targeted at young people to encourage non-formal learning, participation, voluntary activities, youth work, mobility and information, ‘Mainstreaming’ cross-sector initiatives that ensure youth issues are taken into account when formulating, implementing and evaluating policies and actions in other fields with a significant impact on young people, such as education, employment or health and well-being. Youth Polic Key Areas The EU Youth Strategy proposes initiatives in eight areas: - Education & training - Employment & entrepreneurship - Health & well-being - Voluntary activities - Social inclusion - Youth & the world - Creativity & culture. Implementing Youth Policy EU policy is targeted at European level, yet implemented at national, regional and local scales. Therefore YouthMetre responds by developing tools and approaches that can be applied across Europe. YouthMetre establishes a clear European methodology and will offer a tool that presents information in visual and data-rich formats for young people to access and use in their own local, regional, national and even European contexts. YouthMetre has been developed in line with data collection and indications provided by the EU, based on Article 165(2) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU that states the aim of “encouraging the participation of young people in democratic life in Europe”. YouthMetre implements innovative solutions to promote dialogue between youth and policy makers in order to increase active citizenship, foster social integration, and ensure inclusion of the young in EU policy development in line with the recent indications provided by the EU Youth Strategy. In line with the objectives of the Erasmus+ Programme and in order to foster the achievement of Europe 2020 goals, the YouthMetre project aims at supporting EU Member States, municipalities and regions in carrying out effective policy reforms in the field of Youth, in line with the indications provided by the EU Youth Strategy and according to the priorities perceived by its target population: young Europeans. The project contributes to the Open Method of Coordination in the field of youth since it envisages the establishment of a set of indicators measuring the “performance” of local authorities in youth policies field and fosters the exchange of good practices.
Macroecology & Macrophysiology We use regional to global-scale trait-based approaches to explore vulnerabilities of ectothermic species to climate change. For example, we examined the potential for species life history traits to explain the magnitude of phenological change in UK butterflies under recent climate change. We have also examined the potential for ant thermal tolerances and the temperature of the environments they inhabit to develop predictions of relative vulnerability to future warming. Like many macrophysiological studies in ectothermic species, we found tropical ants to be most susceptible to climate change. Field-based experimental manipulations of climate We use the patterns from the large-scale approaches to inform our field-based manipulations of climate. We examined the potential for thermal tolerance to predict the responses of many species of ants to experimental climatic warming in two large-scale experimental arrays, positioned at the northern and southern boundaries of temperate hardwood forests in eastern North America. We found that ants with higher thermal tolerances had greater activity densities in warmer chambers. This pattern held for the southern array, but not the northern array, supporting the findings of the global analysis showing ants inhabiting lower latitude environments to be more at risk from climate warming. Lab-based experimental manipulations of climate We use laboratory experiments in environmental growth chambers to explore the impacts of finer-scale variation in temperature on insects throughout ontogeny. Our projects in this area focus on the impacts of asymmetric diurnal warming and winter warming on butterflies.
A History of the London & Birmingham Railway, Volume 1 - Euston to Bletchley, by Peter Richards and Bill Simpson Book published by Lamplight in 2004, 160 pages. Large A4 size softback (N4882) Brand New Book The authors have combined their considerable knowledge of railway history to produce this fascinating and detailed book on the first main trunk line out of London, and volume one concentrates on the stretch between Euston and Bletchley. The informative text is supported by around 200 illustrations including lots of black and white photographs, maps, diagrams and timetables, and the book is undobtedly a must read/reference for anyone interested in the history of this essential route. From the rear side cover: The London & Birmingham Railway (along with the Grand Junction Railway north of Birmingham) formed the first main line to the north from London. They were both constructed in the early years of railway development, with little more than man, horse and dynamite to build them, and as with the canal before it, the L&BR had some difficult situations to overcome both in politics and terrain. But with the tremendous engineering genius of Robert Stephenson (who was engineer for the line), it was successfully completed and opened throughout in 1838, taking only 4 years! The progress of the construction of the line, and its opening and operation is covered with copious illustrations, maps and disgrams. After only 8 years the line became part of the London & North Western Railway which itself lasted for 77 years. This saw it grow to become part of that great edifice known as the West Coast Main Line... Please note their is a small price sticker on the rear side cover.
Emilio Giuseppe "Nino" Farina (FAR-ee-NAH; 30 October 1906 in Turin, TO, Piedmont, Italy – 30 June 1966 in Chambéry, Savoie, Rhône-Alpes, France) was an Italian racing driver from Turin. He is notable for winning the very first Formula One race and the season that it was part of, thus Farina is the first Formula One winner and the first Formula One World Champion. On the same day of young Giuseppe Farina's birth, Giuseppe's father, Giovanni had established Stabilimente Farina, a bodywork shop for cars, located in the famous manufacturing city of Turin, Italy. The young Giuseppe, affectionately known as 'Nino' grew up in an automotive environment with his Giovanni owning a bodywork business and uncle Pinin owning one of Italy's most prolific coach building companies, Pininfarina. Farina's first experience in a car came when he drove his father's car around his company factory at the age of nine years old. His appetite for motoring ventures was further whetted when his uncle Pinin asked him to accompany him as a co-driver in road races at the age of 16. After three years of racing as Pinin's co-driver, young Giuseppe began entering solo events at age 19. In one of his first solo races, young Nino, survived an enormous accident in a hill climb, this crash would set a worrying trend in Farina's career. Giuseppe Farina was both highly athletically and academically inclined. Aside from motorsports Farina had the athletic qualities of being a fast runner and being strong in football and skiing. Farina also received a Doctorate of Law at the Turin University demonstrating his academic ability. In the early 1930's Farina completed his mandatory military service as a cavalry officer in the Italian army. Following the completing of his military service in 1932, Farina returned to his racing bug and purchased an old Alfa Romeo to compete in local race events and hillclimbs. 1933-1956: Grand Prix Career Edit 1933-1935: Early Grand Prix years Edit After two years in the Italian army as a cavalry officer, Farina left the military to pursue other interests. Farina's marked academic ability was demonstrated during this time when he gained a PhD in Political Science during this period. Between 1933 and 1934, Farina's main profession was practicing as a lawyer. Motor racing at this period of his life, was little more than an expensive hobby. In 1933, Farina competed in a few Italian hillclimbs and sports car races, however his motorsport involvement was not prolific during this time and no significant results were recorded in this period. However in 1934, Farina began to advance his motor racing activities. Farina joined a Voiturette racing team, the equivalent of a feeder series to grand prix racing of the era called Scuderia Subalpina. The team owned by a pair of Italian counts, Count Lurani and Count Castelbarco hired Farina as their third driver. Farina competed in seven Voiturette and Grand Prix events throughout the year. Starting the season in an old Alfa Romeo 8C, Farina found it difficult to distinguish himself, the voiturette unable to compete with the grand prix cars he was racing against. However he was consistently finishing among the top Voiturette cars in the races and consistently outperforming his more experienced teammates. Mid-season, the team transitioned to using the more competitive Maserati 4CM, this car finally allowed Farina's talent to shine through. At the Biella Grand Prix, Farina took a commanding victory in the Voiturette class, the next race at the Czech Grand Prix he once again dominated the field in his Maserati. Farina's final race of the season for the Naples Grand Prix saw him finish fourth, being defeated only by the grand prix class cars. Farina's late season performance in 1934 saw him catch the eye of many of the top Italian racing teams, the great Tazio Nuvolari was one of his more notable admirers from this period. In 1935, Farina finally made the decision to dedicate himself full-time to motor racing. He quit his regular job as a lawyer while him and his Scuderia Subalpina team made the advance to the grand prix class. Farina had established himself as a man to watch in 1934, during this time he had developed his signature laid-back and relaxed driving style as opposed to the hunched over the steering wheel style that was the norm of the era. The Subalpina team were the leading entries for the Maserati cars in 1935, the team started the season with the Maserati 6C-34, however the car proved to be uncompetitive and struggled to match their Italian Alfa Romeo rivals and was way off the German leaders of Mercedes and Auto Union. However despite the slow and unreliable machinery at hand, Farina was able to consistently outmatch his numerous rivals who had the same machinery where he remained challenging the tails of the top three manufacturers. A late season upgrade to the Maserati V8-RI chassis did not improve fortunes, the car being even less reliable than the 6C-34 version. Whilst Farina's first season in the grand prix category proved to be difficult, he had also embarked on a second season in Voiturette racing. Farina once again used the competitive, Maserati 4CM chassis, however like in grand prix racing, the Maserati's were being outclassed by the Scuderia Ferrari entered Alfa Romeo's. However despite his inferior machinery, Farina seemed to be the only-non Alfa driver in contention for wins. Italy's top racing driver, Tazio Nuvolari, seemed untouchable however Farina had chased Nuvolari hard to the flag to finish second at the Bergamo Grand Prix and then at the Biella Grand Prix, he briefly took the lead from the Alfa Romeo ace before eventually going on to finish third. Farina was beginning to demonstrate that he was a highly capable driver given the right machinery and had the capacity to fight among the best given the chance. 1936-1940: First venture with Scuderia Ferrari / Alfa Romeo Edit Farina had proved over the past two years that he was a driver worthy to be fighting among the best in Grand Prix racing, Tazio Nuvolari, the man that had dominated Italian motorsport in recent years and one of the few drivers capable of challenging the technical dominance of the German cars of Mercedes-Benz and Auto Union was a keen fan of Farina, believing him to be Italy's new hope of challenging the Germans. Nuvolari approached his team boss, Enzo Ferrari the man running the Italian Alfa Romeo's under the banner of Scuderia Ferrari determined to sign Farina as his number two driver for 1936. Ferrari, determined to beat the German manufacturers quickly signed Farina to his team for the new season. Farina had finally acquired a top drive in motorsport where he would begin a period under the mentorship of Tazio Nuvolari, Italy's greatest driver. This was the beginning of a lifelong friendship, where the two drivers would gain mutual respect for one another in and out of the car. During practice for the first race in Monaco, Farina found it difficult to compete with the Mercedes and Auto Union cars, starting ninth on the grid faster than all the Alfa drivers except Nuvolari who had remarkably managed to put his car second on the grid. There was drama in the Alfa team before the race, teammate Antonio Brivia's car was leaking fuel before the race, the team therefore swapped him into fourth driver, Mario Tadini's car before the start to allow their third driver to have a competitive advantage. Tadini meanwhile was transferred into Brivia's leaking car. Unbelievably Ferrari sent Tadini out on the circuit despite his car leaking fuel all over the circuit. After one lap, Tadini had dropped oil all over the circuit. As the cars entered Tabac for the second lap, Louis Chiron was the first to spin out on Tadini's oil and landed in the hay bales. Farina who was following Chiron was not so lucky and slammed into the concrete barrier at full speed, destroying his car. Another three cars would crash out on the oil behind the pair. Farina remarkably exited his car without injuries, it was a dismal start to his career as an Alfa driver. After a lucky escape in Monaco, Farina was to have yet another enormous accident only a few weeks later. Farina whilst at Monza was testing the new Alfa Romeo 8C when after pushing the boundaries of the car too much, he spun off the circuit, crashed and was thrown from the cockpit. Farina, once again had another serious accident, unlike in Monaco he was not so lucky and was kept out of the cockpit for a number of races due to injury, missing the Tripoli and Tunis races. Nuvolari would also injure himself in practice for the Tripoli event. It had been a dismal start to the year for Alfa Romeo, their drivers being involved in a number of serious incidents. Their fortunes were to be improved at Penya Rhin however, Farina after a poor qualifying only managed the back row of the grid. However in the race he managed a storming drive, managing to get past nearly all the Mercedes and Auto Union cars. Teammate Nuvolari dominated the race to take a convincing victory whilst Farina took third, unable to dispense only the Mercedes of Rudolf Caracciola. Some satisfactory results followed with a fourth at the Eiffel GP and a third at the Milan race. Farina was well capable of fighting amongst the leading Mercedes and Auto Union cars but only Nuvolari at this stage truely had the capability of challenging for victories. Farina remained content to learn from the great Italian maestro. At a minor race called the Deauville Grand Prix, Farina would begin a reputation that would solidify throughout his career as a quick but truly ruthless driver on the circuit. Farina up against a field of mainly Voiturette cars was expected to take a convincing win in the race. Determined to do well, Farina was up against René Dreyfus, a quick and formidable driver who was looking to establish himself within the Ferrari team as a rival to Farina. It would turn out to be a tragic race, Dreyfus retired early on in the race allowing Farina to take a commanding lead. In the early laps, Maserati driver Albert Chambost was killed. Farina, oblivious to the tragedy, raced on, leading the race from Jean-Pierre Wimille and Marcel Lehoux. Farina came in for an early pit-stop which dropped him to third. Farina began a storming comeback and was quickly approaching Wimille and Lehoux ahead of him. Farina, out of patience and determined to get his first win for Alfa, made a move of Lehoux's ERA which would have tragic consequences for his rival. The ill-fated move saw Farina slam into Lehoux, sending them both off the circuit. Lehoux's car spun and rolled, before bursting into flames killing the Frenchman. Farina exited his Alfa injured but alive, unlike poor Lehoux. The ambitious move from Farina had cost him the race and caused the second fatality of the day It would prove to be a difficult end to the season for Farina, at the Coppa Acerbo, Swiss Grand Prix and Italian Grand Prix, Farina was ruled out of the running due to mechanical failure. Farina managed a third at the Modena Grand Prix but finished behind teammates Nuvolari and Tadini. It had been a hard year for Farina, his undoubted speed gave way to some mistakes and he was unable to shake the dominance of Nuvolari within the Ferrari team. Whilst being the only Alfa Romeo pilot capable of running with Nuvolari consistently, he was accident prone and reckless, a dark lesson for the young Italian to learn following his terrifying accident with Lehoux. Nuvolari, however continued to encourage and push his young teammate, the team hoping for better fortunes in 1937. 1936 had been a trying year for Farina, the fatal accident with Lehoux had cost his reputation dear. During the pre-season there were rumours that Ferrari manager, Enzo Ferrari was trying to sign the other two great Italian drivers, Luigi Fagioli and Achille Varzi to the team for the new season. This would effectively force Farina out of the team. However Varzi would go on to semi-retirement whilst Fagioli continued to compete for the German Auto Union squad. It was a trying time for Farina, however Nuvolari continued to hold faith in Farina and convinced Ferrari to retain him alongside Antonio Brivio for the new season. Scuderia Ferrari became a semi-works operation for Alfa Romeo when Alfa bought 80% of Enzo Ferrari's team that year, Ferrari would however remain in charge of the Italian squad, however. Alfa Romeo were developing a new superpowered engine, the Tipo 12C/37 in order to compete with the Mercedes and Auto Union who increased in their dominance in 1936. The season started with a minor event at the Turin Grand Prix, Alfa Romeo were expected to win, facing only a field of Voiturettes as opposition. However during practice, Nuvolari suffered an accident which saw him have such serious injuries, his ability to compete for the rest of the season was put in to question. A dark mood surrounded the Alfa camp as Brivio took pole with Farina alongside him. Farina took an early lead and looked set to take the victory, however overheating issues saw him drop behind Brivio forcing him to settle for second place in the race. The next race for the Naples Grand Prix, Farina finally took his first victory for Alfa Romeo. Another minor race which saw a number of Alfa Romeo's competing against Voiturettes. Farina dominated the event, taking pole position and an early lead which would see him become virtually untouchable throughout the race, taking a dominant win that was likened to his teammate Nuvolari. The Tripoli Grand Prix saw for the first time that season the Alfa Romeo's going up against the new Mercedes and Auto Union cars. The Alfa squad would also enter its new 12C/37 designed by Vittorio Jano for the first time. It was hoped that this new car would finally allow the Italians to get ahead of their German rivals. Unfortunately the car's performance was absolutely dismal, neither Farina or even Nuvolari could match the pace of the Auto Union's and Mercedes. Nuvolari retired, whilst Farina could only manage ninth, a long way off the pace of the German manufacturers. The team was dejected at the performance, Nuvolari in particular who was beginning to question his will to continue with the team. This worrying prospect saw the Alfa's pull out of the AVUS Grand Prix in order to continue to test and develop their seriously underperforming new car. For the Eiffelrenen Grand Prix at the Nurburgring, the team reverted back to the old 36 chassis whilst they tried to work out the problems of the new car. Both Nuvolari and Farina underperformed, Nuvolari could only manage a distant fourth whilst Farina retired with mechanical problems. The old outdated 36 chassis was no match for the new German machinery on home turf. A minor race on the streets of Milan was the next venue for the Milano Grand Prix. The Alfa Romeo squad was expected to win, Farina, Nuvolari and third driver Carlo Felice Trossi were up against a single Auto Union car driven by Rudolf Hasse and a series of less competitive Maserati's and private or voiturette Alfa's. Farina who had never driven the circuit before struggled in practice and only managed fifth on the grid whilst Nuvolari took pole. Farina got a lightning start and took the lead at the first corner, however it was not long before the Alfa number one Nuvolari reclaimed the lead at the end of the first lap. Farina then dropped behind teammate Trossi on lap 14 before dropping a further place behind Hasse's Auto Union ten laps later when he spun off the circuit. Trossi was forced into the pits with mechancial troubles allowing Farina back into third. He then began a spectacular duel with Rudolf Hasse's Auto Union, finally getting past the German and back into second on lap 46. After a strong comeback drive, Farina went on to take second behind teammate Nuvolari who once again dominated the field. Farina then crossed the Atlantic for the first time to compete in the USA for the Vanderbilt Cup in New York. Both Nuvolari and Farina were representing Scuderia Ferrari and were up against the Germans of Auto Union and Mercedes to compete against Ferrari and various assortments of the best American machinery. The American cars were well off the pace but the Ferrari-Alfa Romeo's who were still using the old 36 car were no match for the German machinery. Nuvolari and Farina were fifth and sixth on the grid, Nuvolari in particular was becoming frustrated at the lack of competitiveness of the Alfa's and the slow development of the 37 chassis. The race saw little success for the Alfa's, the Germans once again dominating. Nuvolari retired early and as team leader took over Farina's car. The shared drive between Nuvolari and Farina saw the duo finish a disappointing fifth behind the Germans and more embarrisingly, American driver Rex Mays who was driving an even more outdated Alfa Romeo 35 chassis. The Alfa Romeo squad returned to Europe in a somewhat dejected mood, the next race would be on their main rivals home territory for the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. Farina had a dismal practice only managing thirteenth on the grid. Nuvolari was fourth but still way off the pace of the leading Mercedes and Auto Union cars. It was a dismal race for Farina, retiring with ignition problems on the eighteenth lap whilst Nuvolari managed a distant fourth position. For the next race at Monaco, Farina was expected to lead the Ferrari squad, a frustrated Nuvolari pulled out of the race to continue development of the 37 chassis Alfa Romeo. Called in to replace Nuvolari was Antonio Brivio. Farina had done a good job in practice to beat the Mercedes of Geoffredo Zehender and the Auto Union of Rudolf Hasse to sixth on the grid, however he was still a long way off the top German drivers. Teammate Brivio was well down the order in thirteenth. In the race Farina did the best he could to compete with the Germans, however once again the Alfa Romeo was not quite up to the task. He fought hard to defend his fifth place from Zehender's Mercedes, however eventually Farina had to settle for sixth position in the final standings, losing out to the superior Mercedes car. Nonetheless, Farina showed strong leadership for Ferrari with team leader Nuvolari unavailable. In September 1937, Alfa Romeo took full ownership of the Scuderia Ferrari team. Scuderia Ferrari now called 'Alfa Corse' had become a full-works team, a bid by Alfa Romeo to help increase the team's competitiveness after a lack of success against the works German manufacturers of Mercedes and Auto Union. Enzo Ferrari remained team manager but had lost his ownership of the team. With the team's new start, they were finally ready to give new designer Vittorio Jano's 12C/37 a second chance, the car being completely redesigned since its debut in Tripoli. The restructured Alfa Romeo team had to perform, their lead and most valued driver Tazio Nuvolari was considering defecting to the German teams after a lack of performance from the Alfa squad. The second debut of the 37 chassis came at the Coppa Accerbo. Nuvolari and Farina opted to share a car rather than compete against eachother for the car's debut. A second car was entered for reserve driver Raymond Sommer. However it was a disappointing debut for the 37 chassis, the car seemed to have little improvement from its first entry and the Germans remained the fastest cars on track. The shared car of Farina and Nuvolari could only manage fifth on the grid with Sommer one position behind. To make matters worse both cars retired with mechanical issues before the completion of the first ten laps. The German manufacturers had dominated once again. The 37 chassis had been a catastrophic failure and Tazio Nuvolari fed up with Alfa Romeo's lack of performance defected to the Auto Union squad for the next race at the Swiss Grand Prix. With the loss of Nuvolari, Farina became Alfa Romeo's new lead driver with Raymond Sommer promoted to second driver. Alfa Romeo sheepishly returned to their 36 chassis, the 37 being both unreliable and uncompetitive. Farina qualifed eighth on the grid, one place ahead of Sommer and only one place behind Nuvolari whose Auto Union debut had not gone to plan. Farina started the race way off the pace to the German cars and then went on to retire early on. Teammate Sommer finished but was nowhere near the pace of the Germans. After a one off race for Auto Union which failed to go to plan, Nuvolari was persuaded to return to Alfa Romeo for the Italian Grand Prix. The event was moved from Monza to Livorno, the Italians believing it would give a better chance for Alfa Romeo to challenge the Germans as Nuvolari had beat them on the same circuit the previous year. Nonetheless the change of circuit and five works Alfa Romeo cars entering the race was not enough to stop the German juggernaut. Trossi managed a strong seventh on the grid, Nuvolari was ninth whilst Farina could only manage tenth. In the race Farina retired early with mechanical issues, Nuvolari in the leading Alfa was stuck battling in the mid-field. With the season and the Italian squad's home performance being a dismal failure, Nuvolari frustratingly pulled into the pits and handed his car over to Farina. Nuvolari making the final decision to quit the team there and then. Farina man-handled Nuvolari's old 36 chassis to seventh place, the leading Italian car but once again they had been trumped by the Mercedes and Auto Union cars. Remarkably it was not Nuvolari but Farina who had produced the most successful results for Alfa Romeo in 1937. Nuvolari undoubtedly remained the quickest of the pair, however frustration and a lack of attendance to multiple racing events in 1937 had seen Nuvolari lose out. Farina had matured after his reckless and shaky start to his Alfa Romeo career in 1937 and was overall the most consistent driver at getting results for Alfa Romeo. As Farina had provided the best results for an Italian in an Italian car it led to him being named the 1937 Italian Drivers' Champion, taking the title from the revered Nuvolari. It had been a disappointing season for Alfa Romeo, yet Farina was proving his worth as one of grand prix's quickest racing drivers. 1937 had been a horrid year for the Alfa Romeo squad. The team had gone through a transitional period returning to a full-works squad after buying out the semi-works Scuderia Ferrari. Their proud team leader Tazio Nuvolari had lost faith in the team after their dismal 12C/37 chassis. Lead designer Vittorio Jano was sacked by Alfa Romeo and a new chassis designed by Gioacchino Colombo and Wilfredo Ricart called the Alfa Romeo Tipo 308 was introduced for the start of the new season. Farina remained faithful to the Alfa Romeo squad whilst Enzo Ferrari persuaded a skeptical Tazio Nuvolari to give the Alfa squad one more chance. However it seemed to be another season started in crisis for the Alfa Romeo team. Nuvolari whilst testing the new 308 car at the first race for the Pau Grand Prix crashed the car where it proceeded to burst into flames. An enraged Nuvolari announced he would never drive for Alfa Romeo again and quit the team to join Auto Union for 1938. This left Farina to finally take charge as a permanent number one driver at Alfa Romeo, leading the charge of the Italian manufacturer against the Germans. Farina's first race of the season was the Tripoli Grand Prix. The 308 chassis had already been disgarded by Alfa's lead drivers and had been replaced by the Alfa Romeo Tipo 312. Alfa Romeo entered five cars to compete against the three Mercedes-Benz's in the race. The Mercedes remained the fastest cars on track, the Alfa's still had not made enough of an improvement to make up the deficit to the Germans. Farina's new teammate Clemente Biondetti outmatched him in qualifying managing a fourth to Farina's fifth. The duo being once again outclassed by the three Mercedes. Farina made an excellent start to move into second behind Hermann Lang, however the more powerful Mercedes cars of Rudolf Caracciola and Manfred von Brauchitsch soon moved past. Carlo Felice Trossi who had now joined Maserati was running well in their new car and soon overtook Farina as well. The Maserati's, Alfa's Italian rivals who had played second fiddle to Alfa for a number of years had seemed to make a gain with their new 8CTF chassis. Whilst Farina was chasing in fourth position, he would on lap 13 be involved in another great tragedy. Whilst coming up to lap the backmarker Maserati of Voiturette racer László Hartmann, Hartmann made a slight mistake and went wide. Farina seeing an opportunity to get passed attempted a move up the inside, only to slam into Hartmann's Maserati. The two cars crashed off the circuit with both drivers being thrown from their vehicles. Farina walked away with cuts and bruises, Hartmann however was not so lucky and had broke his back, the injury being so severe it saw his death the next morning. The incident was eerily similar to the accident that had killed Marcel Lehoux two years earlier. Farina's determined on track nature had seen another death on the circuit, he had become not only a respected racing driver but one also to be feared by his competitors. The first major race of the season was the German Grand Prix at the Nurburgring. It was to be the first true test of the Alfa Romeo 312 against the power of Mercedes and Auto Union. Practice was another frustrating day for Alfa Romeo as Farina and Biondetti could only manage ninth and tenth on the grid. The duo were behind all the Mercedes and Auto Union cars, the new car's development had once again been unable to trounce the Germans. Biondetti crashed on the first lap whilst Farina retired with mechanical troubles on the second, it was another difficult weeekend for Alfa Romeo. Like the 308 before it, the 312 chassis had proven to be a failure. For the Coppa Ciano race, Farina brought a new model of the car, called the 316. The car had a 16 cylinder engine, however the car that was expected to be the true replacement of the 37 chassis of the previous year was the 158 Alfetta in which in a minor race had dominated the field. Farina qualified in fourth, a place ahead of teammate Jean-Pierre Wimille. A frustrating result starting behind the Mercedes cars of Lang and Caracciola, however it was Carlo Felice Trossi in the Maserati that took pole. The 316 chassis proved to be somewhat more competitive, Farina moved into second position at the start behind Hermann Lang. Farina was able to hold second position until Von Brauchitsch finally moved past to take second place. Farina finished behind Von Brauchitsch and Lang in third place, however he was classified in second when Von Brauchitsch was subsequently disqualified. The next event at Pescara for the Coppa Acerbo saw Farina revert back to the Tipo 312. He was yet again unable to match the pace, starting from sixth behind the five German cars. He would yield a strong result when he finished second to Rudolf Caraccoiola after Lang, Von Brauchitsch and Nuvolari broke down. The Swiss Grand Prix at Bremgarten was the next venue. 1940-1945: Life during the Second World War Edit Farina and Alfa Romeo went on to become Italian drivers champion three years in a row from 1937–1939. Farina was reaching his peak as WWII broke out but enjoyed post war success driving a privately owned Maserati in which he won the 1948 Monaco Grand Prix. For 1950 Nino Farina was one of the factory Alfa Romeo drivers that would dominate the season right from the first GP at Silverstone which Farina won with ease and took the championship leader whilst his teammates and rival Luigi Fagioli came second and Juan Manuel Fangio retired. The second race of the season was at Monaco and Farina made a slower start than Fangio entering the first corner in second position. As they entered the Tabac corner on the harbour front they found it had been flooded by a tidal wave and although Fangio found his way through, Farina spun and was involved in a multi-car pile-up. Fangio won the race as Farina retired levelling the championship. By the Belgium GP, Farina had 18 points, Fagioli 12 and Fangio 9 and Farina had started thinking about the championship. When he started developing clutch problems he decided to just bring the car home in the points rather than race Fangio and brought the car home fourth as Fangio took the win. At Reims for the French GP Farina looked formidable as he was in Switzerland, searing off the front at a pace nobody could match. But sadly, during his second pitstop, he was delayed with fuel pump issues, and could only manage seventh place. As the cars arrived at the final GP of the season at Monza, Farina was no longer leading the championship and was four points behind Fangio and two behind Fagioli. Farina would have to win the race and hope that Fangio scored lower than second. Ferrari had brought a new car to the GP and as the flag dropped it was Farina and Alberto Ascari leading the race. The new Ferrari had better fuel consumption than the Alfa and when Farina pitted Ascari surged into the lead until his new engine blew on lap 20. At this point Farina now had a 2 minute lead and started cruising. Fangio was driving a cautious race in third and with the retirement of Ascari was in a title winning position which lasted only 2 laps when his car retired with gearbox troubles. Fangio took over a teammates car but retired that too leaving Farina an easy win over Fagioli and the world title. Formula One Statistical OverviewEdit F1 Career HistoryEdit \|1936\|\|Scuderia Ferrari\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|26\|\|14th\|\|Report\| \|1937\|\|Scuderia Ferrari\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|28\|\|7th\|\|Report\| \|1938\|\|Alfa Corse\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|21\|\|8th\|\|Report\| \|1939\|\|Alfa Corse\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|25\|\|13th\|\|Report\| \|1940\|\|Alfa Corse\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|No Grand Prix Championship\| \|1941–1945: Did Not Compete\| \|1946\|\|Alfa Romeo SpA\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|No Grand Prix Championship\| \|1947: Did Not Compete\| \|1948\|\|Scuderia Milano\|\|Maserati\|\|No Formula One Championship\| \|1949\|\|Scuderia Ferrari\|\|Ferrari\|\|No Formula One Championship\| \|Formula One World Championship\| \|1950\|\|Alfa Romeo SpA\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|30\|\|1st\|\|Report\| \|1951\|\|Alfa Romeo SpA\|\|Alfa Romeo\|\|19 (22)\|\|4th\|\|Report\| \|1952\|\|Scuderia Ferrari\|\|Ferrari\|\|24 (27)\|\|2nd\|\|Report\| \|1953\|\|Scuderia Ferrari\|\|Ferrari\|\|26 (32)\|\|3rd\|\|Report\| Note: Points in brackets refer to gross points total. \|Front Row Starts\|\|27\| * In two shared drives at the 1955 Argentine Grand Prix, he finished both second and third, technically recording two podium finishes. \|1\|\|1950 British Grand Prix\| \|2\|\|1950 Swiss Grand Prix\| \|3\|\|1950 Italian Grand Prix\| \|4\|\|1951 Belgian Grand Prix\| \|5\|\|1953 German Grand Prix\| \|Complete Formula One results\| \|3rd\|\|DNQ\|\|Did not qualify\| \|5th\|\|Points finish\|\|DNPQ\|\|Did not pre-qualify\| \|14th\|\|Non-points finish\|\|TD\|\|Test driver\| \|NC\|\|Non-classified finish (<90% race distance)\|\|DNS\|\|Did not start\| \|Italics\|\|Scored point(s) for Fastest Lap\| \|[+] More Symbols\| * Shared drive. Poisitons and Records heldEdit \| Preceded by\| \| World Champion\| \| Succeeded by\| Juan Manuel Fangio \|v·d·e\|\|Nominate this page for Featured Article\|
The start of a new school year is always filled with challenges. New teachers, new classes, and new expectations can be difficult for both teachers and students. But what if teachers and students haven’t been in school for six months or more? How can schools try and prepare to get back to a sense of normalcy after all of this? One solution, proposed by Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone at Education Reform Now, could be to administer diagnostic assessments to determine students’ learning level at the beginning of the school year. Diagnostic assessment occurs before instruction begins so that schools can assess students’ achievement levels. They help inform choices of lessons and materials, how best to group students to provide targeted learning, and decisions related to any Covid-19-related budget cuts or reduced school hours. Munyan-Penney and Barone have three main recommendations. One, administer assessments statewide so there’s a consistent measure for all districts to evaluate student learning. The pandemic has ruined schools’ plans for regular end-of-year assessments, so this would be the next opportunity to reliably determine where students are at. A statewide diagnostic assessment could also be useful for policymakers and education researchers, who would be able to use the data it generates to answer difficult questions about the effectiveness of different district responses to the pandemic, how varying levels of internet access affected learning, and what can be done to better prepare ourselves for emergency situations in the future, as well as any closures in the fall. However, the likelihood of this happening remains uncertain. While many states have recommended diagnostic assessments in their reopening plans, these plans are only suggestions for districts, and no state thus far has indicated that it’ll require them. The authors’ second recommendation is to use the assessment to inform decision-making around next year’s curricula and instruction. They write that most of the assessments in the report are able to provide immediate results and should be administered in the fall. However, waiting until fall would leave little to no time for school leaders and teachers to adjust their curricula to target gaps in student learning. Some states, such as Mississippi, have recommended administering assessments as early as July—perhaps a better timeline than waiting until school has already started. And lastly, the authors recommend that these diagnostic tools shouldn’t be administered as high-stakes assessments. Especially in the midst of such a crisis, the purpose of these tests shouldn’t be identifying subpar teachers or school leaders. Munyan-Penney and Barone’s idea to implement a new statewide diagnostic assessment diverges from recent trends in education. In February, for example, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp reduced the number of mandatory statewide tests. In March, U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued a waiver for this year’s mandatory testing. And a large swath of universities are dropping the requirement that applicants take the SAT or ACT. Most of these decisions are in response to the pandemic and may be temporary—but not all. The University of California notably announced last month that its move away from those entrance exams was permanent, and that it may not replace them. Despite all of this political backlash, we shouldn’t be so quick to slash testing altogether. While standardized assessments are imperfect (and what isn’t?), they're nevertheless important tools for all those involved in education to measure levels of student learning and hold districts accountable for it. And that’s when schools are operating as usual. So especially now during such uncertain times—wherein all schools responded to distance learning in different ways, students had varying access to online learning materials, and when students and adults are experiencing heightened levels of stress and anxiety—we need to utilize consistent measures to gauge the damage caused by coronavirus and make plans to remedy it as efficiently as possible. And the type of diagnostic test for which Munyan-Penny and Barone advocates is just that: A measure. What the measure may expose is what we should be truly concerned about. SOURCE: Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone, “COVID-19 Response: Diagnostic Assessment,” Education Reform Now (May 2020).
Replacement of Mercury Thermometers and Sphygmomanometers in Health Care This short guide is designed to provide step-by-step instructions for the safe substitution of non-mercury thermometers and sphygmomanometers in health-care settings. It identifies the resources available to provide confidence that the substituted products will provide equivalent accuracy and comparable clinical utility, while protecting health-care workers and the environment. It is designed for professionals responsible for institutions or ministries desiring to switch to safer non-polluting technologies in health care. This guide is also an output of a global mercury-free health-care initiative in which WHO is engaged. This global initiative promotes the substitution of mercury-based medical devices with safe, affordable, accurate alternatives around the world. The global mercury-free health-care initiative has documented mercury substitution in dozens of countries. It has also produced a series of additional resources for health professionals, health-system managers and government officials that can be useful in developing and implementing policy and strategies for mercury substitution in the health sector.
A fowl canard. Dear Word Detective: Do you know the origin of the name “chicken pox” in reference to the virus? Why chicken? — Chris Smith. That’s a darn good question. Why chickens, indeed? I think it’s high time to put an end to the linguistic abuse of the noble chicken, a humble creature whose only ambition is to float lazily in a bowl with some noodles. It’s a scientific fact that not only do chickens not spread “chicken pox,” but they themselves are immune to the disease. But no, when something unfortunate happens or we notice the less attractive aspects of our own nature, we pin it all on the poor chicken, the Rodney Dangerfield of the animal world. We call those without courage “chicken-hearted” or “chicken-livered,” or speak of them “chickening out,” especially when challenged in a dangerous game of “chicken.” We deride small amounts of money as “chicken feed” and declare those past their prime as “no spring chicken,” but you’ll notice that no one seeks the positive form of the metaphor (“quite the spring chicken”). Chickens get no respect either coming or going. Chickens are criticized for having “flown the coop,” but on returning find that “the chickens have come home to roost” is a popular way of saying that someone is getting a deserved punishment. It’s no wonder we’re advised not to “count our chickens before they’re hatched.” There’s not much of a sunnyside up to being a chicken. A “chicken” is (for all you vegans living in caves, I suppose) a domestic fowl of the species Gallus gallus. The word “chicken” comes from the Old English “cicen,” which originally meant only “young fowl.” There’s a fairly developed chicken nomenclature (capon, pullet, hen, rooster, etc.), but for our purposes we’ll just imagine a generic chicken. “Chicken pox,” which, to reiterate, has nothing to do with chickens, is a virus more precisely known as Varicella zoster, a member of the herpes family. Chicken pox is a very common childhood disease that produces itchy bumps (“pocks” or “pox”) on the skin and can be very unpleasant for a week or two. But while chicken pox can produce serious complications in adults (especially pregnant women), most cases resolve themselves fairly quickly and thereafter confer lifelong immunity to the disease. The relative mildness of chicken pox is striking in contrast to another “pox” disease, smallpox, probably the deadliest disease in human history before it was eradicated (at least “in the wild”) in the 1970s. This contrast probably explains the name “chicken pox,” which connotes mildness and safety as opposed to the virulence of smallpox. It has also been suggested that “chicken” in the name refers to a supposed resemblance of the pox to chickpeas, or that the skin of a sufferer looks as if it has been pecked by chickens. But the “not dangerous” sense of “chicken” is the most likely source, especially given that chicken pox was for many centuries considered an innocuous form of the deadly smallpox.
The term "Sufi" derives from three Arabic letters sa, wa and fa. There have been many opinions on the reason for its origin from sa wa fa. The most frequently cited in Western dictionnaries suggests the Arabic word "suf" meaning "wool" in the sense of "cloak", referring to the simple cloaks the original Sufis wore. Some initiates are given a specially designed, colored wool vest which is symbolic of the woolen robes of poverty worn by ancient dervishes, and signifies the loving commitment of the dervish to serve humanity. The Sufis use letters of words to express hidden meanings, and so the word could also be understood as "enlightenment". According to some the word is derived from safa which means purity. According to another view it is derived from the Arabic verb safwe which means "those who are selected" - a meaning quoted frequently in Sufi literature. The problem with understanding Sufism, is thus illustrated by the diversity of possible derivations of the word itself. There are many different Sufi movements, and many dimensions of Sufism. Although frequently characterized as the mystical component of Islam, there are also "Folklorist" Sufis, and the "Traditional" Sufis. Sufis are "movements", within, and in a few extreme cases outside of mainstream Islam. Sufis in general, are complex, and cover many different "stripes" of Islam. Sufism started out as a Shia movement, but over the past several hundred years, has almost disappeared from Shia Islam, and is now, mainly a Sunni movement. Hanbalis, Shafis, Malikis and Hanafis can all belong to different Sufi "tariqas" or "brotherhoods, as they are called. In fact, the Islamic brotherhood in Egypt, and Al Qaeda, are both Sufi based movements. The Traditional Sufis, are actually people like the Wahhabiyyah and Al Qaeda, who eschew that type of thing as apostasy, and instead, insist that Sufism is all an Internal (internal to an individual) movement/spiritualism, that should never adopt external/folkloric elements, like the Dervishes, etc. Sufism is a movement of organized brotherhoods, who are grouped around a spiritual leader or sheik. There are no Islamic states which regard themselves as officially Sufi. Sufism is characterized by the veneration of local saints and by brotherhoods that practice their own rituals. Sufis organize themselves into "orders" or groups, called Tariqas. These groups are headed by a leader called a Shaykh who is considered the most spiritual man with the most Taqwa among them. These orders emerged in the Middle East in the twelfth century in connection with the development of Sufism, a mystical current reacting to the strongly legalistic orientation of orthodox Islam. The orders first came to Sudan in the sixteenth century and became significant in the eighteenth. Sufism seeks for its adherents a closer personal relationship with God through special spiritual disciplines. The exercises (dhikr) include reciting prayers and passages of the Quran and repeating the names, or attributes, of God while performing physical movements according to the formula established by the founder of the particular order. Singing and dancing may be introduced. The outcome of an exercise, which lasts much longer than the usual daily prayer, is often a state of ecstatic abandon. A mystical or devotional way (sing., tariqa; pl., turuq) is the basis for the formation of particular orders, each of which is also called a tariqa. The specialists in religious law and learning initially looked askance at Sufism and the Sufi orders, but the leaders of Sufi orders in Sudan have won acceptance by acknowledging the significance of the sharia and not claiming that Sufism replaces it. The principal turuq vary considerably in their practice and internal organization. Some orders are tightly organized in hierarchical fashion; others have allowed their local branches considerable autonomy. Some are restricted to that country; others are widespread in Africa or the Middle East. Several turuq, for all practical purposes independent, are offshoots of older orders and were established by men who altered in major or minor ways the tariqa of the orders to which they had formerly been attached. The four main Sufi orders are the Chishtiyya, the Naqshbandiyya, the Qadiriyya [Quaddiri] and the Mujaddiyya. Other orders include the Mevlevi, Bektashi, Halveti, Jerrahi, Nimatalahi, Rufi, and Noori. The Mawlawis, the whirling dervishes, are famous for their dancing ritual, an organized variation of earlier practices which were confined to music and poetry. Three Sufi orders are prominent: the Naqshbandiya founded in Bokhara, the Qadiriya founded in Baghdad, and the Cheshtiya located at Chesht-i-Sharif east of Herat. Among the Naqshbani, Ahmad al Faruqi Kabuli, born north of Kabul, acquired renown for his teachings in India during the reign of the Moghul Emperor Akbar in the sixteenth century. Sometime during the nineteenth century members of this family moved back to Kabul where they established a madrassa and a khanaqah in Shor Bazar which became a center of religious and political influence. The Cheshtiya order was founded by Mawdid al-Cheshti who was born in the twelfth century and later taught in India. The Cheshtiya brotherhood, concentrated in the Hari Rud valley around Obe, Karukh and Chehst-i-Sharif, is very strong locally and maintains madrasas with fine libraries. Traditionally the Cheshtiya have kept aloof from politics, although they were effectively active during the resistance within their own organizations and in their own areas. Many Iraqi Sunni Kurds belong to Sufi orders, of which the Qadiri and Naqshbandi are the largest. Both orders have followers across the Middle East, Central, and South Asia. A Qadiri Sufi shrine in Baghdad attracts annual transnational pilgrimages. While Sufi Islam has broad acceptance in Iraqi society, Sufism has frequently been viewed by orthodox Sunni Muslim theologians with some degree of suspicion because of its strong mystical components. Shia Muslims tend to be hostile towards Sufism because they believe it is heretical. Sufi orders serve to both strengthen and divide Kurdish society. Kurds of the same order feel a common bond, regardless of tribe. There is, however, tension between rival orders. Jalal Talabani, the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), follows the Qadiri order. The Massoud Barzani, leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP), and the influential Barzani family are Naqshbandi Sufis. The Tijaniyah (Tijaniyya) Order, founded in Morocco by Ahmad at-Tijani in 1781, extended the borders of Islam toward Senegal and Nigeria, and their representatives founded large kingdoms in West Africa. The Tijaniyah Order is strongly associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, which began in Egypt in the late 1920s and later spread throughout the Arab world. Hasan al-Banna, who founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 in Egypt, called for radical measures to bring about a return of Islamic government. The goal of the Muslim Brotherhood was the establishment of an Islamic state based on Shariah. It transcended the narrower sectarianism of the more traditional political parties. Moreover, the Brotherhood's superior organization made it a political force far stronger than its numbers might suggest. Many of the methods which made Sufism a succesfull occult underground helped the Muslim Brotherhood function effectively. After World War II, the Muslim Brotherhood acquired a reputation as a radical group prepared to use violence to achieve its religious goals. The group was implicated in several assassinations, including the murder of one prime minister. The Brotherhood had contacts with the Free Officers in Egypt before the 1952 Revolution and supported most of their initial policies. The Brotherhood, however, soon came into conflict with Nasser. The government accused the Brotherhood of complicity in an alleged 1954 plot to assassinate the president and imprisoned many of the group's leaders. In the 1940s and early 1950s, the Muslim Brotherhood had appealed primarily to urban civil servants and white- and blue-collar workers. After the early 1970s, the Islamic revival attracted followers from a broad spectrum of social classes. In the 1970s, Anwar as Sadat amnestied the leaders and permitted them to resume some of their activities. But by that time, the Brotherhood was divided into at least three factions. The more militant faction was committed to a policy of political opposition to the government. A second faction advocated peaceful withdrawal from society and the creation, to the extent possible, of a separate, parallel society based upon Islamic values and law. The dominant moderate group advocated cooperation with the regime. Bayat ("taking hand") is sanctioned by "Verily, those who give thee their allegiance, they give it but to Allah Himself" Quran 48:10. It is the initiation ceremony specific to many Sufi Orders. The Prophet Muhammad established this ceremony when he allowed his trusted companions to take his hand and commit themselves to vastly increase their love and loyalty to Allah and the Messenger: this is directly referred to in the Qur'an. Most Sufi Orders still practices some form of this sacred ceremony as a sacramental reenactment of the initiation offered by Prophet Muhammad to his companions. During the "taking hand" ceremony, the new dervish receives the blessings of the lineage, and a promise of spiritual protection along their life's journey. Members of al-Qaeda take bayat [an oath of allegiance] to their sheik, Bin Laden, as an act of initiation. Al-Qaeda is a secret society without acclamation or public bayat to him. Bayat, the Arabic word for an oath of loyalty, means religious fealty or the submission more than personal allegiance. It means the link between the one making bayat, the shaykh and Prophet Muhammad (saws) is unbroken. This makes a Sufi connection possible during the solemn moment of taking bayat (pact) with the shaykh, who is the link in the chain - it connects to the chain and you become a recipient of the light of Muhammad (saws). Bayat is the ritual of accepting the shaykh as guide and coming under the protection of the lineage of the order. The number of actual members pledging bayat is unknown, but al-Qaida is said to have trained as many as 5000 militants in camps in Afghanistan and perhaps Indonesia. \|Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list\|
2 entries found for insult. To select an entry, click on it. Main Entry: 1inĚsult Etymology: from early French insulter "to insult," from Latin insultare "to insult, attack," literally "to leap upon," derived from in- "on, upon" and salire "to leap, spring" --related to ASSAULT, RESILIENT : to treat or speak to with disrespect or scorn - inĚsultĚernoun Word History The phrase "to jump on" is used informally today to mean "to criticize or insult severely." The origin of the word insult also suggests the idea of jumping. Insult comes from the Latin verb insultare, literally meaning "to leap upon." It is made up of the prefix in-, meaning "on, upon," and a form of the verb salire "to leap." One of the first meanings of insult in English was "to make a military attack." That sense became obsolete, and insult now means to attack or "jump on" someone only with words of scorn or disrespect rather than with weapons.
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition - n. A binary compound of boron with a more electropositive element or radical. from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License - n. the B3− anion - n. any binary compound of boron and a more electropositive element from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English - n. A binary compound of boron with a more positive or basic element or radical; -- formerly called boruret. from The Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia - n. A primary compound of boron with a metallic element. Sorry, no etymologies found. The difference of the electronic properties of these clusters brings about charge transfer, making this material a partially ionic boron boride (B2)? The "ceramic alloy" is created by combining a metal alloy of boron, aluminium and magnesium (AlMgB14) with titanium boride (TiB2). Pumps aren't the only applications for the boride nanocoatings.
The West Nile virus has sickened at least 31 people in 13 states so far this summer, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Three people have died from the mosquito-borne infection. There is no vaccine or treatment for the virus, which can cause deadly brain swelling. The disease is primarily transmitted to humans by mosquitoes, but can also spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. "It is important to note that these methods of transmission represent a very small proportion of cases," the CDC says on its website, noting that mothers can also transmit the virus to their babies during pregnancy or birth and through breast milk. Blood is routinely screened for West Nile, according to the American Red Cross, which has detected roughly 1,600 infected donors since 2003. But at least nine people have been infected by transfusions from donors with very low levels of the virus in the past decade, according to the organization's website. Nine of the 31 people who have tested positive for the virus this summer are thought to have donated infected blood, according to the CDC. Four out of five people with West Nile develop no symptoms at all. But one in five of those infected reports a fever and other symptoms such as head and body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and a rash, according to the CDC. Although treatment is limited to symptom relief, most people recover completely from the infection within weeks or months. Less than 1 percent of patients develop neurological symptoms, which can be permanent and even deadly. "People over 60 years of age are at the greatest risk for severe disease," the CDC says on its website. "People with certain medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and people who have received organ transplants, are also at greater risk for serious illness." Symptoms can take two weeks or longer to appear, according to the CDC. Mosquitoes pick up West Nile by feeding on infected birds. Humans cannot get the virus by handling dead or live birds, but are urged to check with their state health department on whether to report dead birds or dispose of them safely. West Nile cannot be transmitted from person-to-person. Mississippi and South Dakota have reported at least seven cases each, according to the CDC. Infections have also occurred in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas and Washington. Click here for more information from the CDC.
Print this page. Home / Browse / Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was one of the most radical civil rights organizations operating in the South in the 1960s. Composed largely of young people, the organization advocated group-centered leadership as opposed to the more hierarchical structure favored by groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). SNCC members participated in various protest activities designed to dismantle segregation and to increase African-American voter registration. Activists moved to the communities they sought to serve, living among local black residents and attempting to identify and empower local leaders. The group sponsored major projects in four Southern states, including Arkansas. SNCC came to Arkansas in 1962 at the behest of the Arkansas Council on Human Relations (ACHR) and politically active students at historically black Philander Smith College in Little Rock (Pulaski County). William Hansen, a white activist who, at twenty-three years old, was already a veteran of the civil rights struggle, became the first director of the Arkansas Project. Initially, Hansen and SNCC sympathizers worked to desegregate many Little Rock businesses. By 1963, much headway had been made due to a series of sit-ins staged in Little Rock followed up by secret negotiations between business and civil rights leaders. After this early success in Little Rock, the organizers decided to expand their efforts into the eastern part of the state, which was widely considered to be more hostile territory for civil rights workers. SNCC rapidly established offices in Pine Bluff (Jefferson County), Forrest City (St. Francis County), Gould (Lincoln County), and Helena (Phillips County). The group employed wide-ranging tactics in their attempt to change the racial climate in the state. Among other things, they conducted extensive voter registration drives, established Freedom Schools to increase educational access for black Arkansans, attempted to integrate facilities ranging from schools to restaurants to swimming pools, and supported black candidates for political office. These bold initiatives were met with white resistance throughout the state. Civil rights workers were harassed, beaten, shot at, and arrested. One of the most publicized attempts at white reprisal occurred in 1965 when Hansen and black comedian Dick Gregory were arrested, sentenced to six months in prison, and fined $500 for attempting to integrate a truck stop in Pine Bluff. The incident gained much notoriety, and Hansen and Gregory won their appeal of the court’s decision. Much white resistance to SNCC efforts came in the form of violence or through abuse of the legal system, but much occurred behind the scenes as well, particularly in the realm of voter fraud. African Americans had difficulty winning elections even in districts with substantial black majorities, and evidence existed of rampant irregularities. In 1966, at SNCC’s request, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission sent two field workers to the Arkansas Delta to supervise elections. Throughout its history, SNCC was a predominantly black organization, but the Arkansas Project remained remarkably integrated throughout its duration. In 1965, half of the eight full-time staff members working in the state were white. Of particular interest to the FBI and others who scrutinized the activities of local SNCC workers was Laura Foner, daughter of renowned left-wing labor historian Philip S. Foner. Laura Foner was active in Gould, where she taught at a Freedom School. Other white volunteers engaged in a wide range of activities, including performing clerical work, writing letters to the editor in support of SNCC policies, and participating in demonstrations. After spending two years in the state, Hansen became convinced that the Arkansas Project should be under black leadership. In 1964, he stepped down as sole leader of the organization, becoming instead co-director with James Jones, a black man from Arkansas. Jones was later succeeded by Ben Grinage, also a black man. Although by most accounts, race relations among SNCC workers in the state were relatively harmonious, changes in the national organization began to affect the Arkansas Project. The SNCC leadership soon questioned the role of whites in the movement, and much to the consternation of Grinage, SNCC national chairman Stokely Carmichael provocatively declared integration “irrelevant.” In May 1966, Grinage called a press conference reaffirming his own commitment to integration. Under both internal and external pressure, he resigned from the organization shortly thereafter. Hansen, too, stepped down in the summer of 1966 as it became increasingly clear that the expulsion of white members from the organization was imminent. The debates over the role of whites in the movement and about the ultimate desirability of integration—one of SNCC’s earliest and initially most cherished goals—inevitably trickled down, affecting all of the local state projects. However, these discussions alone did not lead to the demise of SNCC in Arkansas. The organization was in decline even before Grinage’s resignation. The Arkansas Project suffered as fundraising efforts began to run dry. Contributions dwindled in the aftermath of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which effectively outlawed segregation and black disenfranchisement. In the minds of many former contributors, the struggle for civil rights had been won. SNCC ceased to operate in Arkansas after 1967, but it left a lasting legacy. It had played an enormous role in dismantling institutionalized white supremacy and had successfully modeled interracial organizing. Perhaps most importantly, it inspired many local black citizens to run for office, to become socially and politically active, and to found other community organizations, which have sought to carry on SNCC’s legacy. For additional information: Finley, Randy. “Crossing the White Line: SNCC in Three Delta Towns, 1963–1967.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 65 (Summer 2006): 117–137. Riffel, Brent. “In the Storm: William Hansen and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Arkansas, 1962–1967.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 63 (Winter 2004): 404–419. Riva, Sarah. “Desegregating Downtown Little Rock: The Field Reports of SNCC’s Bill Hansen, October 23 to December 3, 1962.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 71 (Autumn 2012): 264–282. Wallach, Jennifer Jensen. “Replicating History in a Bad Way? White Activists and Black Power in SNCC’s Arkansas Project.” Arkansas Historical Quarterly 67 (Autumn 2008): 268–287. Wallach, Jennifer Jensen, and John Kirk, eds. Arsnick: The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in Arkansas. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 2011. Jennifer Jensen Wallach Georgia College & State University Last Updated 11/3/2015 About this Entry: Contact the Encyclopedia / Submit a Comment / Submit a Narrative
Artificial Intelligence and also Human Culture Artificial intelligence is a procedure in which computer systems make use of algorithms to total complex tasks. An example of AI at work is IBM’s Deep Blue computer system, which beat Garry Kasparov in chess in 1996. Other applications of AI consist of self-driving automobiles that can recognize language as well as engage with other detects. Uber has lately made headings for its AI-powered solutions, which include anticipating upkeep and aggressive sending off of chauffeurs. Google, too, utilizes machine learning formulas to improve its solutions. In order to build unnaturally intelligent systems, computer system developers must develop algorithms that consider standard concepts such as performance, equity, justice, and performance. The most significant obstacle for AI designers is balancing conflicting values. They should write non-discriminatory code and integrate information from non-discriminatory sources. AI can improve several elements of modern life, including health care. Ultimately, it will certainly be the human example of the future. Artificial intelligence is coming to be the next wave of technical advancement. Yet what will be the impact of AI on human society? While the technology will change nearly every aspect of our every day lives, we can not anticipate AI to change human workers. People will certainly still be required to develop new systems and also enhance safety and security systems. AI will certainly not change health care experts or instructors. The only jobs that will continue to be safe are those needing human reactions as well as decision-making. We may not be able to replace human workers, but we can automate numerous jobs as well as processes that makers can not replicate. AI has the ability to mimic some elements of human knowledge, such as human feeling. However it requires outside info to create a point of view. On top of that, all AI is knowledge-dependent. Artificial intelligence is educated on representative information, and after that constructs solutions by gathering even more information. Nevertheless, AI is still an unlike human knowledge. It will not be fully human without people, however it will certainly never ever match their understanding and capabilities. For these reasons, it is necessary to remember that AI still lags much behind human knowledge. The growth of general AI is an important step forward. It will certainly allow devices to do many tasks more successfully as well as properly than humans can. The race to develop a genuinely smart maker is currently more advanced than in the past. In the meantime, we have to establish human-machine cooperation as it will certainly be vital to AI growth. The future of AI relies on this collaboration between human beings and equipments. It is necessary to make it work in the real life. AI is a complicated technique. In its early stages, it was based on the concept of natural language handling. In the 1990s, developments in computer vision, robotics, artificial intelligence, and deep discovering were accomplished. But the initial AI wintertime lasted up until the mid-1990s, when developments in AI started to end up being extra concrete. Today, artificial intelligence can be utilized in every day life, such as robotics and also autonomous cars and trucks. This technology has the prospective to change all locations of life, including sector.
For the next few weeks we’ll be doing a serious of Sketchbook entries while Warren focuses on being an artist. Jacob has contributed by adding his own history notes when appropriate, providing some background to the images. We hope you enjoy this series of sketches. By Warren Cullar Stonehenge is a colossal mystery. This architectural feat was on my list to see since my freshman year in college. Inspired by Professor Sasser who showed us photos of her standing at the base of several of the wonders of the world, I dreamed of someday seeing such places. I finally saw Stonehenge in May of 2001. Stonehenge is so awesome. It minimizes man. Around 2500 BC, 82 large, rough-hewn bluestone monoliths were moved from southwestern Wales to design an altar or calendar. It confirms the will and determination of mankind. Anything is possible. Each stone weighs about 5 tons and was placed approximately 6 feet apart. To draw Stonehenge from several angles gave me a great deal of pleasure and inspiration. It is austere, magical, mystical, and mysterious. Jacob’s History Lesson: Stonehenge is one of those mysterious sites dating so far back into the mists of time we can’t really be sure when it started. Archaeological evidence suggests it was a burial site as far back as 8000 BC, even before the monument itself was built. The henge itself is a mystery to this day. Theories about its purpose range from the practical – a place of worship, a calendar, or a monument – to the downright outrageous – an alien landing or a relic of Atlantis. We’ll probably never really know why it was built, but we can still marvel how stone-age men with nothing more than flint tools were able to quarry, cut, haul and assemble these enormous stones. Next week we’ll be looking at Matisse’s Backs, a collection of sculptures made over Matisse’s lifetime and an inspiration for some of Warren’s sketches.
Kidney Disease And Ayurvedic Management \| Effective Home Remedy In our Ayurveda Ancient Text especially Charaka Samhita, the kidney and bladder are told as the controlling organs for carrying urine and fat. And whenever their opening(s) are affected due to any pre-renal, renal or post-renal cause, this results in the manifestation of kidney disease or Vrikka Roga which is defined as a progressive and significant reduction in the glomerular filtration rate [GFR]. Which if left untreated or not managed properly results in either ARF [acute renal failure] and/or CRF [chronic renal failure] and may prove fatal unless renal placement therapy [DIALYSIS AND/OR KIDNEY TRANSPLANT] is assumed. Kidneys are highly adjustable and variable organ, thus is able to compensate for its lost function. Therefore, the physician’s outlook/viewpoint to establish and decide the cause of kidney disease should be like an investigator who after a careful history taking, evaluation of symptoms and laboratory investigations arrives at a diagnostic approach to kidney disorder. - Suppression of natural urges. - Hypovolaemia due to: - Dehydration, burns, hemorrhage - GIT fluid loss: diarrhea, vomiting. - Low cardiac output. - Use of nephrotoxic drugs. - Infection or disease involving the kidney causing a decreased formation of urine. - Any obstruction to the passage of ureter, bladder or urethra. Nutritional therapy is a very important characteristic of traditional management and controlling of renal disease, and dietary prescription will change/alter depending upon the gravity of renal disease, as such plan and purpose of such regimen should be to delay the advancement of renal failure, to conserve sufficient nutritional status and to diminish the toxicity resulting from kidney failure. - Restrict fluid intake: to avoid fluid overload, this depends upon the loss of fluid through urine, skin, intestine and degree of edema, so one has to maintain an input-output chart to check for above losses plus limit intake of fluids to 400 ml per day, and to maintain fluid intake one can suck in piece of ice or hard candy [sugar free if diabetic], chew gum, rinse your mouth. PS:- The simplest method to monitor adequate sodium intake is to follow body weight, blood pressure, serum sodium and 24 hours urine sodium. - Low Protein Diet: protein intake needs to be restricted and importance should be to deliver protein of high biological value. If levels are normal and there is protein in urine then one can take plenty of dals, sprouted pulses, beans, soybean, meat, otherwise only albumin infusion, if patient not able to tolerate oral feed then either gastrointestinal or parenteral nutrition is required. PS:- Patients on a protein-restricted diet regularly have a scarce supply of water soluble vitamins predominantly of pyridoxine and folic acid along with Vitamin D and iron supplements. - Restrict salt: use of salt [sodium] has to be minimal, since its imprudent use will lead to volume expansion and overhydration, thus salt is restricted usually to about 2 gm/day, along with salt-rich items like pickles, papad, fast food, sauce, salted biscuits, chutney, popcorns. Low sodium alternatives: lemon, garlic, losalt. In nutshell eat less salt and one will feel less thirsty. [It is said that when sodium balance is controlled, thirst mechanism controls water balance adequately] - Restrict Potassium: - Take white bread, white rice, pineapple, black grapes, apple, pepper, lettuce, cucumber, rice, cabbage, unsalted popcorn, cherries, onion, strawberries, cauliflower, radishes, celery, and pears. - Avoid papaya, fruit juices, banana, coconut water, dried fruits, bran products, tomatoes, raisins, spinach, potatoes, oranges, prunes, melons, avocado, kale, brown/wild rice, pumpkin, asparagus, kiwis, cantaloupe, and honeydew. PS:- To remove potassium from leafy vegetables – cut them into small pieces and keep in water for 2 hours, then throw the water and cook the vegetable. - Restrict Phosphorus: such as milk, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, chicken, nuts, caramel, beer, ice cream, whole grain bread. - Use of Calcium: sitaphal [custard apple], guava, low fat milk, broccoli, green beans, almonds. PS:- Although calcium is found in dairy products, but same are high in phosphorus which are to be avoided in people with kidney disease, so it is best to consult your attending Physician/dietitian about specific recommendations. - Carbohydrates can be taken [if not diabetic], likewise Fats are good source [olive/canola/safflower oil] One has to check with his/her tests periodically and also to remain in the constant/regular supervision of a Urologist/attending since kidney function can/may deteriorate unexpectedly, thus natural remedies are not described since later patient(s) give undue blame for home remedies for unforeseen rise in their kidney function(s). Apart from available medicine(s) and dietary restriction in Ayurveda, both do play an important part in reducing the creatinine level, a frequency of dialysis can be significantly reduced and also bringing back kidney functions to normal although peritoneal/ hemodialysis along with kidney transplantation is the final step. Anemia is although normocytic [normal sized RBC’s] and normochromic [concentration of hemoglobin in RBC’s is within standard range], however both are in insufficient number, and also refractory or resistant to therapy, as a result correction of anemia with iron supplements is not advisable as it may lead to iron toxicity, although recombinant human erythropoietin [EPO] is the logical treatment but is not widely used because of its high cost. Because kidney is accountable for excretion of many drugs and their metabolites and in renal failure the drug interaction may be modified because of kidney dysfunction thus drugs which are normally excreted by kidneys may require dose adjustment which can be done either by: - Interval extension method [lengthening the time interval to the extent of delayed excretion] or by - Dose reduction method: [reducing the amount of each dose, leaving the interval between the doses as usual] When conservative/alternative treatment fails to assist quality of life, renal replacement therapy is recommended. In patients with reversible ARF, dialysis is mandatory, till the renal functions gets better, while in end stage renal disease [ESRD] where serum creatinine has gone above 10mg/dl the patient can have a choice of maintenance dialysis [peritoneal and hemodialysis] or renal transplantation. PS:- The artificial kidney [dialyzer] can only achieve some of the excretory functions but cannot equal all the excretory functions of the nephrons, and also cannot execute the synthetic functions of the kidney, thus erythropoietin and Vitamin D metabolism remain wayward despite dialysis. Latest posts by Dr Munish Sood (see all) - 8 Effective Home Remedy for Bad Breath In Ayurveda - April 21, 2019 - 9 Effective Home Remedies For Tinnitus in Ayurveda - April 21, 2019 - 10 Effective Home Remedies to Gain Weight \| Ayurvedic Treatment - April 20, 2019 Dr Munish Sood We at Effective Home Remedy provide all our visitors a platform to maintain an accurate lifestyle, boost resistance and at last combat nearly all common illness by providing precise home remedies and recommendations. Our main motto is to give visitors in-depth awareness of the common illness, and ways to prevent and treat these illnesses by adapting some proven remedies from the comfort of their home.Learn more * You will receive the latest news and updates on health tips to fight against diseases that are distressing our daily life.
India extended support to Argentina’s campaign to restart international negotiation on the Falklands Territorial Issue. - Falkland Islands, also called Malvinas Islands or Spanish Islas Malvinas, internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic Ocean. - It lies about 300 miles northeast of the southern tip of South America and a similar distance east of the Strait of Magellan. - The capital and major town is Stanley, on East Falkland, there are also several scattered small settlements as well as a Royal Air Force base that is located at Mount Pleasant. - The two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, and about 200 smaller islands. - The government of the Falkland Islands also administers the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, including the Shag and Clerke rocks. - Argentina based its claim to the Falklands based on an official document of 1493 modified by the Treaty of Tordesillas (1494), by which Spain and Portugal had divided the New World between themselves, on succession from Spain, on the islands’ proximity to South America, and on the need to end a colonial situation. - Britain based its claim on its “open, continuous, effective possession, occupation, and administration” of the islands since 1833 and its determination to apply to the Falklanders the principle of self-determination as recognized in the United Nations Charter. - Britain asserted that, far from ending a colonial situation, Argentine rule and control of the lives of the Falklanders against their wishes would in fact create one.
‘Superbug' is a term used to describe an infection caused by bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year in the United States, 2 million people are infected with a superbug, and approximately 23,000 people die. Medicine today relies heavily on the use of antibiotics to prevent and treat an infection. When an infection cannot be treated with antibiotics, it poses a deadly threat to all those exposed to it. What do you need to know about superbugs to stay healthy? ‘Superbug' is a colloquial term that refers to dangerous bacteria that has mutated to resist the medications that normally treat it. A superbug does not come from one specific type of bacteria; rather, it refers to any bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics. Superbugs are also called drug-resistant or antibiotic-resistant. This site offers information designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on any information on this site as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or as a substitute for, professional counseling care, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you have any concerns or questions about your health, you should always consult with a physician or other healthcare professional.
Salt and pepper have been combined in this spoon. - When you mix salt and pepper, this is an example of a situation where you combine salt and pepper. - When you join with someone else who believes in the same thing you do, this is an example of a situation where you combine your efforts. - to come or bring into union; act or mix together; unite; join - to unite to form a chemical compound Origin of combine< combine to harvest and thresh with a combine Origin of combineMiddle English combinen ; from Old French combiner ; from Late Latin combinare, to unite ; from Classical Latin com-, together + bini, two by two ; from base of bis: see bi- - ⌂ a machine for harvesting and threshing grain - an association of persons, corporations, etc. for commercial or political, sometimes unethical, purposes verbcom·bined, com·bin·ing, com·bines - To bring into a state of unity; make united: combined the ingredients in a bowl; combined the eggs and flour. - To join (two or more substances) to make a single substance, such as a chemical compound; mix. - To have, exhibit, or involve in combination: The choreography combines artistry and athletics. - To harvest (a grain crop) using a cutting, threshing, and cleaning machine. - To become united: factors that combined to produce a storm. - To join together for a common purpose. See Synonyms at join. - Chemistry To form a compound. - To harvest a grain crop using a cutting, threshing, and cleaning machine. - A power-operated harvesting machine that cuts, threshes, and cleans grain. - An association of people or groups united for the furtherance of political or commercial interests. - A combination. Origin of combineMiddle English combinen, from Old French combiner, from Late Latin comb&imacron;n&amacron;re : Latin com-, com- + b&imacron;n&imacron;, two by two; see dwo- in Indo-European roots. - (colloquial) London Underground From combine, referring to the merger and purchase of various underground railway, tram and bus companies in London, combining them into one organisation. Originally applied to Underground Electric Railways of London Company Ltd, since used for successor organisations.
Majority Rule in Zimbabwe Zimbabwe had originally been part of the British colony Rhodesia. It had been a self-governing colony since 1923, but with a white minority ruling over an African majority. In the 1960s a new constitution was approved that allowed for limited African participation, but this failed to appease most Africans. The Federation of Rhodesia, which had been created in 1953, broke up as African majority governments assumed control of Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and Nyasaland (now Malawi). Modern Zimbabwe, then known as Southern Rhodesia, remained under white minority rule whose conservative trends in fact hardened with the break-up of the Federation of Rhodesia. Britain tried to negotiate a way for the government in Southern Rhodesia to eventually allow for African majority rule, but the negotiations proved to be unsuccessful and Rhodesian Prime Minister Ian Smith unilaterally declared Rhodesia's unilateral independence from Great Britain on November 11, 1965. While Britain considered the act to be an act of rebellion, it did not intervene by force. It did, however, request UN economic sanctions on Rhodesia and it also refused to recognize Rhodesian independence when a British commission's hearings discovered that the vast majority of Africans opposed the terms of Rhodesian independence that did not provide for adequate African representation. In 1966 the UN Security Council placed sanctions on Rhodesia, the first in the history of the Security Council. The sanctions were broadened in 1968 by imposing an almost total embargo on all trade with, investments in, or transfers of funds to Rhodesia and restrictions on air transport were also imposed. From the opposition to white minority rule emerged two African nationalist organizations: the Zimbabwe African National Union (ZANU) led by Robert Mugabe and operating from Mozambique, and the Zimbabwe African People's Union (ZAPU) led by Joshua Nkomo and operating from Zambia. The groups would later be united under the name ZANU-PF in 1974 (PF is short for Patriotic Front). Both organizations carried out guerrilla campaigns against Ian Smith's government throughout the 1970s, largely beginning in 1972. Smith attempted to bring right-wing politicians in the United States and Britain to his cause, but failed and his government continued to go unrecognized by the international community. Increasing pressures on the Rhodesia and the Smith government continued to mount with embargo-related economic hardships, continued guerilla activity, majority rule in neighboring former Portuguese colonies, and a UK-US diplomatic initiative all bringing pressure to bear on Rhodesia. The Smith government eventually agreed in principle to majority rule and a meeting with African nationalist leaders in Geneva to negotiate a final settlement. However the meeting failed because of Ian Smith's inflexibility and the inability of the African leaders to form a united political front. A 1978 internal settlement created an interim coalition government with Smith and three black leaders. A 1977 UK-US plan called for majority rule, pre-independence elections, a democratic constitution, and an integrated army. While the plan was not widely supported, no one really rejected it either and it began to go into effect. The United African National Council, led by Bishop Abel T. Muzorewa, won the parliamentary elections but Muzorewa lost credibility as he sought support from South Africa. The elections also failed to end the guerrilla conflict, which continued despite the moves towards majority rule and democratization. In 1979 the British began aggressive negotiations with African leaders aimed at reaching a final settlement on independence and majority rule. As part of the transition to independence the British reverted to imposing de facto colonial status on Zimbabwe-Rhodesia, which was followed by the lifting of sanctions on the country. The United States lifted sanctions not long afterwards. Three months after the negotiations began, an agreement was signed that called for a cease-fire, new elections, a transition period under British rule, and a new constitution calling for majority rule while protecting minority rights. The new country was to be called Zimbabwe. With the new agreement, the UN Security Council endorsed the settlement and called upon its member states to remove the sanctions. In the pre-independence elections, ZANU-PF, led by Robert Mugabe, won an absolute majority and was asked to form Zimbabwe's first government. Mugabe stated that he would work for Zimbabwe's integration and reconciliation, as well as repairing the damage from the guerrilla campaigns. In regards to foreign policy, Zimbabwe was to be non-aligned and though it would opposed apartheid in South Africa, it would not be a base for anti-South African guerrillas. The British government formally granted independence to Zimbabwe on April 18, 1980 and most other states followed suit soon after. \|Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list\|
How to Extend the Useful Life of Your Water Heater Does your water heater seem to be on its way out? Maybe the hot water isn’t as warm as it used to be, or perhaps you’re not getting enough of it. Most water heater problems arise from three main issues: corrosion, sediment buildup, and mineral deposits. Corrosion takes place inside the tank when iron or steel rusts through due to electrolysis – two dissimilar metals in contact with each other. Sediment is simply the dirt from the environment in your water when it goes through the tank. Mineral deposits build up on the insides of a water heater after years of natural minerals dissolving out of hard water, caused by calcium and magnesium. If you notice any of these signs, there are some steps you can take to prolong the life of your tank for another couple of years. How long does a water heater typically last? Standard water heaters have an average lifespan of eight to twelve years. Most of today’s tanks are steel lined with porcelain or glass and can deteriorate and oxidize over time. Most tanks will leak eventually. It is a slow leak in some cases, and in others, it is a more significant leak. That is why you should locate the dedicated water shutoff valve before an emergency occurs. It isn’t too typical, but some water heaters will have a useful life of fifteen or even twenty years. It is imperative to remember that even when a water heater is still working, over time, the efficiency of most water heaters will decrease as sediment continues to accumulate inside its tank. Compared to traditional tanks, tankless water heaters can last two or three times longer, assuming the tankless unit is adequately cared for by the homeowner. Steps to Extend the Lifespan of Your Water Heater The following are a few things you can do to extend the life of your water heater: Lower the temperature. Reduce the temperature of your water heater. It will reduce the rate at which minerals build up inside and decrease corrosion as less hot water goes through the tank. Keep in mind that if you lower your hot water temperature to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, you won’t burn yourself quickly if hot water is suddenly released. Remove the sediment from time to time. You will have to do some research on your own as there are some sediment filters you can attach right on the output side of a water heater, and there are others that need to be installed by a professional plumber. In any case, it would be best to install a sediment filter if you are an average homeowner. You may remove the sediment by draining your water heater through the drain valve. Install corrosion inhibitors. The easiest way to avoid corrosion is to install a corrosion inhibitor on your water heater, which will prevent electrolysis from occurring in your tank’s metal parts. Drain the unit every three months or so to remove any buildups of sediment or minerals. Add a second anode rod. You can significantly increase your water heater’s life by installing a second anode rod. An anode is a sacrificial rod made out of aluminum or magnesium. Over time, it undergoes galvanic corrosion and sacrifices itself to prevent the tank from deteriorating. Install an expansion tank. You can potentially double your water heater’s life if you have a closed system and install an expansion tank. When water heats from 50 degrees to 120 degrees, the tank expands by around 2%. (a 50-gallon tank produces one gallon of extra volume). If you have a closed system (meaning a valve prevents water from flowing into your water main), the water will have no place to go. Since water is not a significantly compressible material, this will result in rapid decreases and increases in water pressure. These contractions and expansions will cause stress on your plumbing system and water heater, which may cause damage as well as premature failure. Clean or flush out the water heater tank. Flushing out an older tank once a year can help prevent sediment buildup and maintain a higher efficiency level for a more extended period. Many newer water heater models are self-cleaning. You need to connect a garden hose to the water heater and drain the water outdoors. Install a pressure regulating valve (PRV). If your water pressure is very high, over 90 PSI, it can damage appliances and cause premature failure of your water heater. Install a pressure regulating valve to reduce the system’s pressure and reduce the wear and tear on appliances. Installing an expansion tank is also a good idea if you install a PRV. Install water softeners. The water in Alberta has high mineral content (often called hard water). Hard water causes scaling — mineral precipitation that deposits onto appliance surfaces. Hard water can significantly reduce a water heater’s lifespan. Installing a water softener can often help reduce the amount of wear and tear on your plumbing system caused by hard water. Water heaters have a typical lifespan of 8-12 years. If you follow the principles outlined in this article, your water heater will likely last 3-5 more years before you need to replace it. Having your water heater replaced is expensive, so it’s best to do the little things that can prolong its life. One of these little things could save you hundreds of dollars in water heating bills and countless hours of hot water. If you have further questions about how to extend the life of your water heater or need professional assistance, contact Furnace Repair Calgary for expert advice and helpful tips.
- a flash of lightning and the accompanying thunder - a bolt or missile imagined as hurled to earth by a stroke of lightning - something that stuns or acts with sudden violence or force - A discharge of lightning accompanied by thunder. - A flash of lightning conceived as a bolt or dart hurled from the heavens. - A startling, forceful action: “Every political campaign manager saves a thunderbolt for the last week before Election Day” (Art Buchwald). thunderbolt - Computer Definition A peripheral interface from Intel that provides simultaneous transfer of data over DisplayPort and PCI Express (PCIe) interfaces. First used in 2011 on MacBook Pro laptops, Thunderbolt's dual bi-directional channels enable up to six Thunderbolt devices (monitors, drives, etc.) to be daisy chained together. Prior to Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt uses the same plug and socket as the Mini DisplayPort but is identified with a thunderbolt symbol (see below). See DisplayPort. Thunderbolt 2 and 3 The first Thunderbolt was rated at 10 Gbps per channel, while Thunderbolt 2 allowed the two channels to be combined for a single 20 Gbps bi-directional channel. Thunderbolt 3 doubled the speed to 40 Gbps and uses the reversible USB Type C connector. Each Thunderbolt version is backward compatible with the previous versions. See USB Type C. Geared to HD Video Editing Thunderbolt was designed primarily for video editors, who can never get enough speed. For example, it enables multiple HD video streams to be read from a disk array, rendered on screen and transferred to an external HD monitor in real time. See Thunderbolt Display, Thunderbolt Bridge, PCI Express and DisplayPort.
184.108.40.206 Word spelling in radiotelephony. When proper names, service abbreviations and words of which the spelling is doubtful are spelled out in radiotelephony the alphabet in Figure 5-1 (The Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet) shall be used. Note 1. The pronunciation of the words in the alphabet as well as numbers may vary according to the language habits of the speakers. In order to eliminate wide variations in pronunciation, posters illustrating the desired pronunciation are available from ICAO. Note 2. The Spelling Alphabet specified in 220.127.116.11 is also prescribed for use in the Maritime Mobile Service (ITU Radio Regulations, Appendix S14). Source: ICAO Annex 10.2
- Wake up call is an arrangement made for a telephone to ring at a certain time to serve as an alarm clock. An example of a wake up call is when you tell the hotel front desk to call you at 7:00 AM. - The definition of a wake up call is something that makes you change your behavior or attitude. An example of a wake up call is when you have a heart attack and you realize that life is short and you should spend it with your kids instead of working all day. - a telephone call made by a wake-up service - anything that serves to arouse someone from apathy or inactivity - A telephone call that one requests to occur at a specific time in order to be woken up, especially in a hotel. - A sign or warning that alerts one to negative or dangerous behavior or circumstances: “Her personal life was spiraling out of control &ellipsis; and her brush with death came as a wake-up call” (Geraldine Fabrikant). (plural wakeup calls) - Alternative spelling of wake-up call. (plural wake-up calls) - A telephone call to awaken someone at a certain time, especially one requested by the person while staying at a hotel. - She requested a five a.m. wake-up call from the front desk. - (figuratively) An alert, reminder, or call to action caused by a dramatic event. - The recent deaths should serve as a wake-up call to others at risk.
This article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, (MUP), 1974 This is a shared entry with Charles Meredith Charles Meredith (1811-1880), politician, and Louisa Ann Meredith (1812-1895), author, were born in Britain, Charles on 29 May 1811 in Pembrokeshire, son of George Meredith, and his cousin Louisa on 20 July 1812 at Birmingham, daughter of Thomas Twamley and his wife Louisa Ann, née Meredith. Charles sailed with his father and other children for Van Diemen's Land and arrived in March 1821. Denied a land grant by Lieutenant-Governor Arthur, Charles moved to New South Wales in 1834 and bought sheep which he placed upon terms with pastoralists in the Murrumbidgee area. He also took up shares with W. A. Brodribb in a cattle run in the Maneroo district and in 1838 went to England. On 18 April 1839 he married Louisa at Old Edgbaston Church, Birmingham. They sailed for Sydney in the Letitia and arrived in September. While Charles inspected sheep stations on the Murrumbidgee Louisa stayed at Bathurst. After a few weeks in Sydney they moved to Homebush. In 1840 Charles, Louisa and a young son went to Oyster Bay, Tasmania, where his father owned Cambria. They bought an adjoining estate, Springvale, and in August 1842 moved to their newly-built house. Meanwhile news reached them of insolvencies in Sydney which involved the loss of 'all we owned in that colony'. Unable to pay the interest on their mortgages, Charles was appointed police magistrate at Port Sorell in 1844 through the patronage of Lieutenant-Governor Eardley-Wilmot. In 1848 Meredith resigned and with his wife and three young sons returned to Cambria where he rented part of his father's property. In 1858 he moved to Malunnah in Orford and from July 1879 acted as police magistrate at Launceston. In the first House of Assembly Meredith won the Glamorgan seat and held it until June 1861 although he obtained leave from September 1860 because of ill health. He represented Hobart Town in 1861-62, Glamorgan in 1862-66, Kingborough in 1866-71, West Devon in 1871-76, Norfolk Plains in 1876-77 and West Devon again in 1877-79. He was colonial treasurer from February to April 1857 in Gregson's ministry and under Whyte from January 1863 to November 1866; from November 1872 to August 1873 he was minister of lands and works under Innes, and under Reibey was colonial treasurer from 20 July 1876 to 9 August 1877, and minister for lands and works from 21 July to 21 August 1876. He was chairman of committees in 1875-76. In June 1879 he resigned because of heart disease. An advocate of free trade, he was also active in preserving native flora and fauna and introduced a bill to protect the black swan from extinction. He died at Launceston on 2 March 1880. A mountain range in north-west Tasmania and a public fountain in the Hobart Domain commemorate him. Louisa was educated mainly by her mother. She grew up in Birmingham and in the agitation leading to the 1832 Reform Act she learnt 'to think independently and express herself fearlessly on religious and social issues'; later she published several newspaper articles in support of the Chartists. Her first book in 1835 was a collection of poems, with illustrations designed and etched by herself. Undaunted by the pioneering of her first years of marriage, she continued to write and sketch, turning to the observation of colonial life and the study of bush flora and fauna. She published in London Notes and Sketches of New South Wales (1844); her frank comments provoked angry reviews in Sydney but the book was widely read as one of Murray's Colonial and Home Library series. In February 1850 she completed a companion account in two volumes, again in diary form: My Home in Tasmania, during a residence of nine years. Over the Straits: A Visit to Victoria followed in 1861. She also wrote some fiction. Phoebe's Mother, 2 volumes (1869) was first serialized as 'Ebba' in the Australasian in 1866-67, and Tasmanian Friends and Foes, Feathered, Furred and Finned: A Family Chronicle of Country Life (1880) included coloured plates from her own drawings. Nellie, or Seeking Goodly Pearls appeared in 1882. She produced seven books of poems between 1842 and 1891 and for her Bush Friends in Tasmania: Last Series, went to London to see it through the press. Her wildflower drawings won medals in exhibitions in Australia and overseas, notably in the Melbourne Exhibition of 1866. The Tasmanian government granted her a pension of £100 in 1884 for 'distinguished literary and artistic services' to the colony. In her last years Louisa was lamed by chronic sciatica and became blind in one eye. She also lost much of her small income in the bank failures of the early 1890s and in June 1893 wrote bitterly to Sir Henry Parkes: 'I have made a mess of my life in many ways—my retrospects are mainly regrets'. But by the public she was remembered for her great vivacity and cheerfulness. She had been a devoted housekeeper and for years sewed all her family's clothes. As well as writing, she studied plants, insects, seaweeds and fish of Tasmania's east coast and was an active member of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and an honorary member of the Tasmanian Royal Society. An 'omnivorous reader', she was an excellent conversationalist; J. Jefferson, who saw her in theatricals at Government House, Hobart, remarked that she was capable of 'rivalling Fanny Kemble on the stage and as an interpreter of Shakespeare on the platform'. In her books she was most successful as a 'shrewd and cultivated' observer of colonial life. Her descriptions, particularly those of domestic conditions and of the natural environment, were praised by many contemporaries as among the most reliable and practical, and remain a valuable source for social historians. 'A poet in feeling, an artist by instinct, a naturalist by force of circumstances, a keen botanist, and an ardent lover of landscape scenery', Louisa died at Collingwood, Victoria, on 21 October 1895, survived by two sons. Sally O'Neill, 'Meredith, Louisa Ann (1812–1895)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/meredith-louisa-ann-4435/text6731, published first in hardcopy 1974, accessed online 28 August 2016. This article was first published in hardcopy in Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 5, (MUP), 1974
The site on Baffin Island where the Viking dwelling has been unearthed. Remnants of a stone-and-sod wall unearthed on Canada’s Baffin Island may be traces of a shelter built more than 700 years ago by Norse seafarers. If so, it would be just the second location in the New World with evidence of a Viking-built structure. Northern Newfoundland's L'Anse aux Meadows ~ about 900 miles southeast of the Nanook dig ~ is the only confirmed location of a Viking settlement in North America. There, about 1,000 years ago, a party of Norse voyagers from Greenland built sod-and-wood dwellings before abandoning their colony under threat from hostile natives. However, over the past 10 years, research teams led by the Canadian Museum of Civilization's chief of Arctic archeology, Pat Sutherland, have compiled evidence that strongly suggests the Norse presence in northern Canada didn't end with the retreat from Newfoundland. At three sites on Baffin Island, which the Norse called "Helluland" or "land of stone slabs," and another in northern Labrador, researchers have documented dozens of suspected Norse artifacts such as Scandinavian-style spun yarn, distinctively notched and decorated wood objects and whetstones for sharpening knives and axes. Among the new artifacts found near the sod-and-stone features at Nanook is a whalebone spade, consistent with tools found at Norse sites in Greenland, and which might have been used to cut sections of turf for the shelter. There is also evidence at Nanook of what appears to be a rock-lined drainage system comparable to others found at proven Viking sites. Click here for the Canada.com article.
This Valentine's Day, we've rounded up a list of the Aquarium's most "romantic" animals! From seabirds that co-parent to seahorses that hold tails, learn how these marine animals show love: Ah, the French. (Known for their romantic flair both above and under water!) French angelfish form a monogamous bond that lasts as long as both fish are alive. They live, travel and hunt in their pair. If a mature french angelfish is seen alone, it's usually because their mate has passed away, they never look for a new one. Clownfish also mate for life. The male and his mate will live together (in the anemone or reef crevice of their choice) and aggressively guard their eggs until they hatch. Seahorses have a very intimate courtship, they hold tails, swim snout-to-snout and engage in a courtship dance. Once the male seahorse is pregnant (yes, the male carries the eggs to term), the female visits him every morning and holds his tail. They also mate for life. Barramundi perform a love dance during mating. Every year, the barramundi return to their birthplace to spawn (they also only mate during a full moon). Many Australian myths claim these fish have special aphrodisiac qualities. It's because of that belief that they're colloquially known as "passion fish." To attract a female, the male scarlet ibis performs a complex array of mating rituals (including a shaking dance and head rubbing). After a successful courtship, the female will lay eggs and the pair will both watch over the eggs and co-parent their young. Scarlet ibises mate for life! Puffins also form long-term pair bonds. The female lays a single egg and both parents incubate it and feed the "puffling" once it hatches. Puffins will often return to the same nesting site every year. Happy Valentine's Day! How are you celebrating today? Tell us in the comments!
Occitan isn’ just the troubadours! The language is still spoken in the south of France and parts of Italy and Spain and has a vibrant contemporary literature. James Thomas has put together an astonishing collection of Occitan texts – from the 10th century to the present day. Troubadours too! Including the women troubadours, the Trobairitz. Five years of research, it’ almost 800 pages long. Grains of Gold brings together for the first time an extensive selection of Occitan literature with English translations from the tenth to the twenty-first centuries. Occitan is a Romance language spoken in southern and south-central France, the Val d’Aran in north-eastern Spain, and a small part of north-western Italy. For many, it is associated with the troubadours, composers of courtly lyric poetry in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. This anthology offers something new. Alongside troubadour and other medieval texts, Grains of Gold introduces the English-speaking reader to the rich body of Occitan literature from the middle ages to the present day, covering the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and French Revolution, Romanticism, Frédéric Mistral and the Félibrige – the first organised revival of Occitan – Modernism and twentieth-century Occitanism, as well as the work of twentieth- and twenty-first century writers. Grains of Gold offers English-speaking readers – students, academics, lovers of southern France – a unique opportunity see Occitan literature within the context of European and world culture. About the Translator - James Thomas is a professional translator from Occitan and Catalan and a researcher in nineteenth- and twentieth-century Occitan literature. His is the translator of Solstice and Other Poems: Poems in Occitan by Aurélia Lassaque (2012) and has published articles on Occitan-related subjects and translation theory.
Last year, wildfires in California destroyed thousands of acres of land across the northern and southern portions of the state. These wildfires spread quickly and led to mandatory evacuations in many cities and towns. They also have raised questions about how people can handle the dangers associated with fire emergencies. The California wildfires ultimately may lead more people to learn about fire safety training. Believe it or not, anyone can administer critical aid during a fire. In fact, if you can stay focused during a fire emergency, you should have no trouble delivering vital support to those in need. Now, let’s take a look at 15 things that you can do during a fire to ensure the safety and well-being of yourself and others. - Pull the Fire Alarm As you exit a burning building, pull the fire alarm. This will notify other people in the building and emergency responders about the blaze. If you hear a fire alarm in a building, you should exit the building immediately. There is no need to delay, even if you think the alarm was used for a drill. Instead, vacate the premises as quickly as possible. - Call 911 When it comes to fires, it is a good idea to err on the side of caution. At the first sign of a blaze, call 911. Provide the 911 operator with your name, address and other relevant information and stay on the line with him or her until emergency responders are dispatched. Follow any instructions that the operator provides as well. - Yell for Help Even a small fire can escalate quickly. If you see flames or smoke and don’t know what to do, yell for help. This will let others know that you are in danger and need assistance. - Know the Risks Associated with Wildfires Wildfires are unwanted fires that burn in natural areas and can affect anyone, at any time. Wildfires can be unpredictable depending on the temperature and winds. If you understand wildfires, you can keep yourself and others out of danger during these emergencies. - Remain Calm A building fire or wildfire may lead to panic, particularly for those who are unprepared. If you develop an evacuation plan for fire emergencies, you’ll be better equipped than ever before to stay calm in any fire, regardless of its size or severity. - Follow Instructions If firefighters tell you to evacuate during a wildfire, follow their instructions. Firefighters are expert emergency responders and are committed to doing whatever they can to help you stay safe. With firefighters’ instructions, you can get the help you need to keep yourself and others out of harm’s way. - Grab Your Emergency Preparedness Kit An emergency preparedness kit should include a flashlight, batteries, first aid supplies, dust mask, food, water, and other essentials. Keep this kit in a spot in your home that is easy to access on short notice. This will ensure you can quickly grab your emergency preparedness kit and take it with you if you are forced to evacuate your home during a building fire or wildfire. - Stay Low If you need to exit a building that catches fire, get down on your hands and knees and crawl to stay below the smoke. Remember, smoke and polluted air are poisonous, so you’ll want to do everything possible to avoid these life-threatening dangers. If you stay low to the ground, you can limit the risk of smoke inhalation as you vacate a building. - Cover Your Nose During a fire, you can use your shirt or a damp towel to cover your nose. This will help prevent smoke from entering your lungs. Also, you can use your shirt or a damp towel to cover the faces of any children. - Use the Stairs Stairs are the safest option for vacating a building during a fire. Additionally, you should avoid elevators at all costs during a fire. - Utilize a Fire Extinguisher A fire extinguisher can make a world of difference in a fire emergency. To use a fire extinguisher, you first need to pull the extinguisher’s pin and point the nozzle away from you. Next, aim the extinguisher at the base of the fire. Squeeze the extinguisher lever slowly and evenly and sweep from side to side until the fire is completely extinguished. Oftentimes, instructions that detail how to properly use a fire extinguisher are printed on or near the device itself. But keep in mind that a fire emergency is a high-stress situation, and it may be tough for a person to read and follow these instructions under duress. Thus, it may be beneficial to learn how to properly use a fire extinguisher to ensure you are fully prepared for fire emergencies. - Stop, Drop and Roll Unfortunately, a person’s clothing may catch fire during a fire or by accident. In this situation, you should stop whatever you’re doing, drop to the ground, cover your face with your hands and roll. By doing so, you can stop air from feeding the fire and extinguish any flames. If you suffer burns due to a fire emergency, cool the burned skin as soon as all of the flames are extinguished. Continue to do this for three to five minutes and seek additional medical aid. - Get Outside As Quickly As You Can Try to get outside of a burning building as quickly as you can. If possible, use an escape route that enables you to exit through a door that takes you directly outdoors. Once you exit a burning building, do not go back into the building. Firefighters and other first responders are trained to go into a building to rescue people and animals. And remember: many of the items inside the building likely can be replaced. If you cannot exit a building safely due to smoke or fire, close the door and stay where you are until emergency responders arrive. In the event that smoke is entering the room from under or around a door, you can use blankets, clothing or sheets to fill this empty space. - Search for Loved Ones If you get separated from family members and friends during a fire, try to locate these loved after you get to safety. It often helps to have a central meeting location for loved ones in the event of a fire or other emergencies. That way, you can let your loved ones know that you are safe. - Stay Informed A wildfire may take several hours or days to extinguish. Listen to emergency channels to stay up to date about the status of a wildfire, and do not return home until authorities have determined it is safe to do so. With fire safety training, an individual will know what to do during a fire emergency. Whether it’s a widespread wildfire or a small home fire, a person who possesses fire safety training will understand how to manage the situation and minimize its impact. Perhaps most important, this individual will be able to help others stay safe until firefighters and emergency services personnel arrive on scene. SureFire CPR offers comprehensive fire safety training programs geared toward hospitals in Los Angeles. Our fire safety classes are taught by expert instructors and promote collaboration and participation. Plus, our classes provide students with in-depth insights into how they can deliver life-saving assistance in fire emergencies including extinguisher use, patient drags and carries, and escape plans. To learn more about SureFire CPR’s hospital fire safety training classes, please call us at (888) 277-3143.
In a poem by Craig Raine, A Martian Sends a Postcard Home, the alien narrator describes the strange goings-on of humans to friends and family back on Mars. The unlikely language used to describe this foreign world is an effective way to make the world strange again, a tool to look at things differently. Mist, for example, “is when the sky is tired of flight / and rests its soft machine on ground” and a car “is a room with the lock inside – / a key is turned to free the world // for movement”. Which made me think – what if a Martian did a Google Image search for the word “architecture”? What would they understand architecture to be? Our Martian might understand architecture in this way: Architecture is white buildings with lots of zigs and zags, ribs and curves. Architecture doesn’t involve humans. Architecture is the exteriors of buildings. The sun always shines on architecture. Interestingly, school architecture gets a pretty similar treatment. If you dig beneath the surface of why this is happening, things get more interesting. Google results are recursive i.e. the algorithm returning your search results gives some weight to what other people performing earlier searches for the same terms seem to have been happy with. That is Google’s business model: being the most useful information provider where ‘most useful’ is partly determined by what previous users’ searching behaviour suggests was useful to them. Google results and our selecting from the results offered are, in part, constructive of a social reality. This helps to explain why school comes out as this, why the results for shopping are as shocking as they are and why a search for human is fairly depressing in its ignorance of wide range of flavours humans come in. Clearly Google Images doesn’t provide only visual descriptions of the world but what people want from certain kinds of descriptions of the world. And that poses a series of more interesting questions: - why are people happy getting images of architecture that only show the outside of buildings when most of the time they’re on the inside? - to what extent does the recursivity of searches and the subsequent social construction of descriptions of architecture feed forward into shaping how architectural design is borne out? That is, there appears to be desire for the kind of understandings of architecture ‘reported’ in the images above – does this contribute to shaping how we then see architecture? to how we think desirable buildings should look? to how we build? - in terms of “standing out”, it’s likely that images of a wacky building more clearly convey an impression of architecture-ness. As a result, it’s perhaps easier to forget the architecturality of the everyday, of interiors, of people’s involvement with space, of architecture as a process rather than only, reductively a thing. Does our indirect promotion of new-and-wacky, white, people-less, zig zagging buildings lead inevitably to a downplaying of the value of context, of architecture as a process, a rejection of the importance of internal spaces?
Our population statistics cover age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, migration, ancestry, language use, veterans, as well as population estimates and projections. The U.S. Census Bureau is the official source of statistical data tracking the national economy. Business is a large part of America's diverse economy. This section provides key information about businesses in your community. This section provides information on a range of educational topics, from educational attainment and school enrollment to school districts, costs and financing. We measure the state of the nation's workforce, including employment and unemployment levels, weeks and hours worked, occupations, and commuting. Our statistics highlight trends in household and family composition, describe characteristics of the residents of housing units, and show how they are related. 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Sign up for training sessions. Explore Census data with interactive visualizations covering a broad range of topics. If you have received a survey, this site will help you verify that the survey came from us, understand and complete the form, and know how we protect your data. This is the 2020 Census redirect National and state population totals from the 2010 Census were released on December 21, 2010 The American Community Survey (ACS) is a mandatory, ongoing statistical survey that samples a small percentage of the population every year. The AHS is sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Economic Census is the U.S. government's official five-year measure of American business and the economy. Basic enumerations of population, housing units, group quarters and transitory locations conducted by the Census Bureau at the request of a governmental unit. 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As part of the Community-based Water Monitoring project, the Elk River Alliance has been monitoring dissolved oxygen (DO) levels at 8 sites in the Elk Valley since 2011 (4 sites on Lizard Creek) and 2012 (4 sites on Alexander Creek). This has included high and low flow monitoring (June/October respectively) at each of the 8 sites and more recently, monthly monitoring on Alexander Creek. As shown in the chart, the minimum DO levels are 9 mg/L and 8 mg/L for Lizard and Alexander Creeks (respectively); the maximum DO levels are 15 mg/L and 13 mg/L for Lizard and Alexander Creeks (respectively); and, the average DO levels are 11.3 mg/L and 11 mg/L for Lizard and Alexander Creeks (respectively). For more information on dissolved oxygen and why it is important, keep reading below! Dissolved oxygen is the amount of oxygen in the water available to aquatic organisms. This is what fish and invertebrates breathe using their gills. The amount of dissolved oxygen present in the water is directly affected by stream temperature, and colder water can hold more DO (why?). Oxygen is dissolved into water in 3 ways: by aeration (i.e. mixing over rapids), diffusion from surrounding air and from aquatic plants. The concentration of dissolved oxygen is measured in milligrams per litre, in the case of water, this is an equivalent measurement to parts per million (ppm). Therefore, for a concentration of 10mg/L=10 ppm, for every million parts of water, there are 10 parts of oxygen. The BC Ministry of Environment recommended guidelines for DO are instantaneous minimums of 5 mg/L for most life stages and 9 mg/L for buried embryo/alevin (i.e. baby fish); and, 30 day average minimums of 8 mg/L for most life stages and 11 mg/L for buried embryo/alevin.
Steroids are synthetic substances analogous to testosterone (male sex hormone). Scientists made it to replicate what testosterone does in the human body naturally. Doctors crafted and engineered steroids to decrease inflammation and quickly heal human tissue. Steroids, though often abused, have some legitimate medicinal uses. Many medical practitioners prescribe them to healthy young people to help them build muscle mass while bodybuilding. There are two main types, i.e., corticosteroids and anabolic steroids. Corticosteroids are drugs that promptly fight inflammation of the body. These laboratory-made steroids work like hormonal cortisol that adrenal glands make in the body. Cortisol helps keep your immune system from making inflammation-causing tissue. They stop or slow down the system procedures that activate inflammation. They help treat medical conditions that lead to irritation and swelling. For example, steroids reduce asthma symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, autoimmune disorders, COPD, rashes, multiple sclerosis, and other skin conditions. These human-made versions of male sex hormones build bigger muscles. Doctors often prescribe steroids to boys with delayed puberty. Bodybuilders and people with AIDS, cancer, and other medical conditions also use them to enhance muscle mass. Commercial websites list up to 32 types of anabolic steroids for medical and other use. Some have medicinal uses only, while others have medicinal and performance uses. People choose various kinds of anabolic for different intents, such as: -Bulking steroids to build body mass -Performance steroids for more endurance and strength -Cutting steroids to burn extra body fat The Uses of an Anabolic Steroids are helpful when used in moderate amounts. Many people use them for a wide range of athletic and health purposes: - Lowering overall body fat percentage, - Gaining more body mass via protein production (4.5-11 pounds) - Increasing the density of the bones - Gaining fortitude and muscle strength - More red blood cell production - Improved performance in strength-related sports like weightlifting - Increasing muscle mass and maintaining it because of health conditions that cause muscles to waste away Health effects and side effects In moderate doses for short periods, monitored by a professional, steroids pose a fewer risk of harmful side effects or long-term health problems. However, your genes may also affect how they work in your body. Using extreme amounts of steroids, even for a short duration, can lead to multiple side effects, such as: - Increase The Risk Of Heart Disorders: Steroids combined with resistance workouts enhance the size of your left ventricle and increase blood pressure. As a result, it can increase your risk of getting any heart disorder or other related health condition. - More Aggressive Behavior: male athletes who continuously use them become more aggressive. It can lead to impulsivity in teenagers and adults as well. - Low Body Image: According to the diagnostic manual of psychological disorders, long-term use of steroids and their dependence can lead to a classified body image disorder. - Permanent Liver Damage: Steroids, especially those you take orally, can increase your risk of developing liver dysfunction. - Low Production Of Testosterone: Anabolic steroids cause hypogonadism. Doctors characterize this disorder by the common and decreased function of the testes. - May Lead To Gynecomastia: Medical experts define this condition as swollen male breast tissues. It occurs because of hormonal imbalance and usually appears when you stop consuming steroids. - Infertility Issues: Steroids also decrease sperm production and overall sperm count, which may lead to infertility. - Patterned Baldness: The androgenic side effects of long-term use of Steroids can lead to male baldness. Though, this side effect may vary from person to person depending upon the type of drug used. Long-Term effects and misuse Regular use of steroids can cause severe and permanent health problems like: - Kidney problems or kidney failure - Liver damage and liver tumors - High blood pressure, enlarged heart, changes in blood cholesterol, and increased risk of heart attack and stroke - More risk of developing blood clots Some other gender and age-specific side effects are: - Decrease sperm count - Shrinking testicles - Development of breast - Increased risk of prostate cancer - Excess growth of facial hair or body hair - Male pattern baldness - Decreased breast size - Deepened voice - Enlarged clitoris - Changes in the menstrual cycle and early menopause - Stunted growth occurs because of the high level of hormones that may signal the body to stop bone growth very early - Diminutive height if misuse occurs before the growth spurt The psychological side effects are: - Sleep disruption - Mood swings - Extreme irritability - Aggressive behavior - Impaired judgment because of feelings that nothing in the world can harm you - Depression because of withdrawal symptoms - Lack of sexual drive Industry and Distribution Steroid manufacturing occupies an important place in the pharmaceutical industry. As a result, the annual global market sales have reached 10 billion dollars in the past few years. Because of this, steroids have become the second-largest class of drugs sold for medicinal purposes. In nations with stringent laws, many pharmaceutical laboratories produce steroids in homemade, underground labs, usually from raw substances imported from various parts of the world. Subsequently, in many countries, most are obtained illegally via black-market trading. As far as steroid distribution is concerned, the market is segmented based on the mode of administration, method of application, and basis of distribution channels. - Medical experts distribute steroids as injections, oral capsules, topical creams and gels, inhalers, and skin patches based on the mode of administration. - Based on the application, doctors and practitioners distribute androgenic or anabolic. - Based on distribution channels, manufacturers segmented steroids for retail, online, and hospital pharmacies. How to purchase? Many health practitioners and doctors may prescribe steroids for legal medicinal purposes. For example, medical experts prescribe steroids for breast cancer, delayed puberty, low red blood count, and other autoimmune disorders. As a typical customer, any individual can easily purchase synthetic steroids, injectable testosterone, and alternative therapies from black market dealers and internet websites with no prescription. At least one member of your local gym likely uses it. Also, any healthy person can go to a hormone therapy clinic, complain of low hormone symptoms, and the clinician will prescribe steroids to treat their complaints. Some signs that will quickly get you approved for steroid use under a licensed medical provider are mental fatigue, low sex drive, physical fatigue, feeling depressed, reduced erections, obesity, and slower hair growth. According to different degree searches, 87% of online websites openly sell used forms of steroids. Subsequently, internal pharmacies supply these sites outside the FDA jurisdictions. Many black-market traders and sites also give potentially inaccurate information to customers. Different data have shown that synthetic steroids are on the rise. Unlike traditional steroids made for medical use, they have more harmful effects that are still unknown and may cause many strange impacts on an individual’s body. Administering an Anabolic Doctors administer anabolic steroids designed for legitimate medicinal intentions in several ways, including: - Subcutaneous injection - Intramuscular injection - Pellet implantation under the skin - Application to the skin (gels and patches) - By mouth These similar routes are used by abusers for steroid administration, with oral administration and injections being the most common ones. People misusing steroids can consume anywhere from 1 to 100 times the average doses of it. It includes consuming two or more steroids simultaneously, a method called stacking. Abusers can also alternate the periods of high doses with low amounts or no use, called cycling. Another mode of use is called pyramiding. The user slowly increases the steroid use, reaching the peak between cycles and then gradually tapering the dose towards the end. The doses of steroids depend upon the goal of the user. For example, professional and high school athletes usually consume it for a limited period. Subsequently, other people, like bodybuilders, fitness fanatics, and bodyguards, typically take these drugs for extended periods. Difference Between Doctor and Self-Administration Apart from relying on the manufacturer’s directions, the doctor considers the type of the drug, its interaction with your system, your age/weight/health, and the part of your body that needs to be treated. A doctor also considers any other medication you might take and your allergies. Doctors are professionals and consequently are more thorough, so they are considered a better option than self-administration. Before administering steroids, a doctor decides how the medication will be issued in light of clinical research, the effectiveness, and the side effects of an application. A team of doctors first assesses you. Then, they go through the entire process with you, after which the nursing staff supervises you until the procedure is over. Steroidal injections are usually in the form of liquid. They are available in multiple concentrations, so it is vital to know the serum’s intended dosage and concentration before self-administration. Sterile and new syringes/needles/tools are also required for self-administration. In addition, you must keep the medication at the recommended temperature and maintain hygienic conditions at all costs. Self-administration is becoming an increasingly popular area among steroid users. It has many advantages for people as it promotes better clinical skills and access to medication. However, it is also associated with certain risks, such as drug overdose, misdiagnosis, prolonged use, and drug abuse (cycling). Even though steroids do not cause the same effects as other drugs, they can still lead to a substance use disorder. This condition usually occurs when an individual uses steroids, even though many profound consequences are involved. The most severe form of steroid abuse is addiction. Some people might continue using steroids despite experiencing physical problems and adverse effects on their behavior. Some steroid users may also turn towards other drugs, like opioids, to improve irritability and sleep problems caused by the constant use of steroids. Steroid addiction often causes the following withdrawal symptoms: - Sleep disturbance - Loss of appetite - Low sex drive - Steroid cravings Most times of addiction, people take medicines to help improve the symptoms. Also, a healthcare provider may prescribe medications for depression and pain. There are many safe and natural alternatives to get the bulk, strength, and performance you want. - You can opt for a healthy and balanced diet. Include a diet regime in your routine that is high in fiber, proteins, and healthy fats. - Always workout closely with different muscle groups. You can even alternate between muscle groups to get long-term effects. - A consistent exercise plan can keep you on track and accountable whether you want to stay fit or bulk up for bodybuilding. Well-calculated and lower doses of steroids are safer than uncontrolled amounts linked to misuse/abuse. Today, doctors use synthetic testosterone for low levels of TRT, i.e., testosterone replacement therapy. It is safer for men when administered by a professional doctor or health practitioner. Practitioners provide higher doses to competitive athletes, but strength sports increase the risk of side effects and health concerns. Regardless of the dosage, steroids always have a certain level of risk linked to them. In addition, people react differently to them because of alterations in genetic makeup and other parameters, such as height, age, and weight. Final Thoughts Anabolic Steroids Steroids are a synthetic form of testosterone that many people use to improve muscle mass and strength. While the health risk associated with the regular use of steroids may differ by type and dosage, they can still be extremely dangerous and lead to severe side effects at any dosage. Subsequently, they are illegal to use in most parts of the world. Thus, using steroids is a tough decision because the risks usually offset the benefits.
New Zealand’s landscape can make just about anybody appreciate geology. Its glaciated peaks, its coastline –that ranges from ragged cliffs to sandy beaches to glacial fjords– its active volcanoes… they all work together to shout “Earth Science!” With that in mind, here’s some basics of New Zealand’s amazing geology, followed by some geological highlights of my trip of January and early February, 2018. North and South Island Bedrock The different colors on this map show New Zealand’s basement rock, named so because it forms the lowest known bedrock foundation of any given area. The basement tells stories of New Zealand’s deep past, from about 500-100 million years ago. Individual colors signify different terranes, accreted (added) one-by-one through plate motions to the edge of what was then the supercontinent Gondwana. They mostly consist of sedimentary and metamorphosed sedimentary rock, although the narrow belt of purple-colored Dun Mountain Ophiolite formed as oceanic lithosphere, and the red-colored areas consist of granitic igneous rock, some of which has been metamorphosed to gneiss. Gray indicates the younger cover rock, formed after accretion of the terranes. Consisting of a wide range of sedimentary and volcanic rocks, as well as recently deposited sediment, it’s just as interesting and variable as the terranes. Because it includes volcanoes, it’s largely the cover that gives the North Island its distinctive flair. By contrast, the South Island consists largely of uplifted basement rock, much of which has been –and still is—glaciated. All those long deep lakes, such as Lakes Wanaka and Tekapo, were carved by glaciers and are now floored with their deposits of till. Those differences exist largely because the North and South Islands occupy different plate tectonic settings. The North Island sits over a subduction zone, so it hosts an active Read more…
Two teams of astronomers have harnessed the power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to detect the prebiotic complex organic molecule methyl isocyanate in the multiple star system IRAS 16293-2422. One team was co-led by Rafael Martín-Doménech at the Centro de Astrobiología in Madrid, Spain, and Víctor M. Rivilla, at the Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri in Florence, Italy; and the other by Niels Ligterink at the Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands and Audrey Coutens at University College London, United Kingdom. "This star system seems to keep on giving! Following the discovery of sugars, we've now found methyl isocyanate. This family of organic molecules is involved in the synthesis of peptides and amino acids, which, in the form of proteins, are the biological basis for life as we know it," explain Niels Ligterink and Audrey Coutens . ALMA's capabilities allowed both teams to observe the molecule at several different and characteristic wavelengths across the radio spectrum . They found the unique chemical fingerprints located in the warm, dense inner regions of the cocoon of dust and gas surrounding young stars in their earliest stages of evolution. Each team identified and isolated the signatures of the complex organic molecule methyl isocyanate . They then followed this up with computer chemical modelling and laboratory experiments to refine our understanding of the molecule's origin . IRAS 16293-2422 is a multiple system of very young stars, around 400 light-years away in a large star-forming region called Rho Ophiuchi in the constellation of Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer). The new results from ALMA show that methyl isocyanate gas surrounds each of these young stars. Earth and the other planets in our Solar System formed from the material left over after the formation of the Sun. Studying solar-type protostars can therefore open a window to the past for astronomers and allow them to observe conditions similar to those that led to the formation of our Solar System over 4.5 billion years ago. Rafael Martín-Doménech and Víctor M. Rivilla, lead authors of one of the papers, comment: "We are particularly excited about the result because these protostars are very similar to the Sun at the beginning of its lifetime, with the sort of conditions that are well suited for Earth-sized planets to form. By finding prebiotic molecules in this study, we may now have another piece of the puzzle in understanding how life came about on our planet." Niels Ligterink is delighted with the supporting laboratory results: "Besides detecting molecules we also want to understand how they are formed. Our laboratory experiments show that methyl isocyanate can indeed be produced on icy particles under very cold conditions that are similar to those in interstellar space This implies that this molecule -- and thus the basis for peptide bonds -- is indeed likely to be present near most new young solar-type stars." A complex organic molecule is defined in astrochemistry as consisting of six or more atoms, where at least one of the atoms is carbon. Methyl isocyanate contains carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen atoms in the chemical configuration CH3NCO. This very toxic substance was the main cause of death following the tragic Bhopal industrial accident in 1984. The system was previously studied by ALMA in 2012 and found to contain molecules of the simple sugar glycolaldehyde, another ingredient for life. The team led by Rafael Martín-Doménech used new and archive data of the protostar taken across a large range of wavelengths across ALMA's receiver Bands 3, 4 and 6. Niels Ligterink and his colleagues used data from the ALMA Protostellar Interferometric Line Survey (PILS), which aims to chart the chemical complexity of IRAS 16293-2422 by imaging the full wavelength range covered by ALMA's Band 7 on very small scales, equivalent to the size of our Solar System. The teams carried out spectrographic analysis of the protostar's light to determine the chemical constituents. The amount of methyl isocyanate they detected -- the abundance -- with respect to molecular hydrogen and other tracers is comparable to previous detections around two high-mass protostars (i.e. within the massive hot molecular cores of Orion KL and Sagittarius B2. Martín-Doménech's team chemically modelled gas-grain formation of methyl isocyanate. The observed amount of the molecule could be explained by chemistry on the surface of dust grains in space, followed by chemical reactions in the gas phase. Moreover, Ligterink's team demonstrated that the molecule can be formed at extremely cold interstellar temperatures, down to 15 Kelvin (-258 degrees Celsius), using cryogenic ultra-high-vacuum experiments in their laboratory in Leiden. This research was presented in two papers: "First Detection of Methyl Isocyanate (CH3NCO) in a solar-type Protostar" by R. Martín-Doménech et al. and "The ALMA-PILS survey: Detection of CH3NCO toward the low-mass protostar IRAS 16293-2422 and laboratory constraints on its formation", by N. F. W. Ligterink et al.. Both papers will appear in the same issue of the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. One team is composed of: R. Martín-Doménech (Centro de Astrobiología, Spain), V. M. Rivilla (INAF/Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy), I. Jiménez-Serra (Queen Mary University of London, UK), D. Quénard (Queen Mary University of London, UK), L. Testi (INAF/Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy; ESO, Garching, Germany; Excellence Cluster "Universe", Germany) and J. Martín-Pintado (Centro de Astrobiología, Spain). The other team is composed of: N. F. W. Ligterink (Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, Leiden Observatory, the Netherlands), A. Coutens (University College London, UK), V. Kofman (Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, The Netherlands), H. S. P. Müller (Universität zu Köln, Germany), R. T. Garrod (University of Virginia, USA), H. Calcutt (Niels Bohr Institute & Natural History Museum, Denmark), S. F. Wampfler (Center for Space and Habitability, Switzerland), J. K. Jørgensen (Niels Bohr Institute & Natural History Museum, Denmark), H. Linnartz (Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics, The Netherlands) and E. F. van Dishoeck (Leiden Observatory, The Netherlands; Max-Planck-Institut für Extraterrestrische Physik, Germany). ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world's most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It is supported by 16 countries: Austria, Belgium, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, along with the host state of Chile. ESO carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope, the world's most advanced visible-light astronomical observatory and two survey telescopes. VISTA works in the infrared and is the world's largest survey telescope and the VLT Survey Telescope is the largest telescope designed to exclusively survey the skies in visible light. ESO is a major partner in ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become "the world's biggest eye on the sky". - Research paper: Martín-Doménech et al. 2017 - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ archives/ releases/ sciencepapers/ eso1718/ eso1718a. - Research paper: Ligterink et al. 2017 - https:/ / www. eso. org/ public/ archives/ releases/ sciencepapers/ eso1718/ eso1718b. - Photos of ALMA - http://www. eso. org/ public/ images/ archive/ category/ alma/ Centro de Astrobiología Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri Sackler Laboratory for Astrophysics Leiden Observatory, Netherlands ESO Public Information Officer Garching bei München, Germany Tel: +49 89 3200 6655 Cell: +49 151 1537 3591
FIRE PACK: A one-person unit of fire tools, equipment, and supplies prepared in advance for carrying on the back. The personal fire pack consists of fire helmet, fire gloves, fire shirt (yellow), fussees (red), water cantine (white bottle) and the back pack itself (black), in which other necessary items will carried on and in. 2. FIRE RACK/RAKE: Along-handled combination rake and cutting tool, the blade of which is usually constructed of a single row of 3 to 4 sharpened teeth (sometimes made by fastening mowing machine cutter teeth to a piece of angle iron). 3. FIRE SHOVEL: Type of shovel specifically designed for use in constructing a fireline; has a tapered blade with both edges sharpened for scraping, digging, grubbing, cutting, and throwing. 4. FIRE SWATTER/FLAPPER (see also FIRE BEATER): A fire tool that consists of a thick, flat piece of rubber on a long handle used to drag over or smother out flames of grass fires. This fire suppression tool, sometimes improvised, used in direct attack for smothering out flames along a fire edge. 5. DRIP TORCH: A hand-held apparatus for igniting prescribed fires and backfires by dripping flaming fuel on the materials to be burned. The device consists of a fuel fount, burner arm, and igniter. Fuel used is generally a mixture of 65-80% diesel and 20-35% gasoline. 6. PULASKI: A combination chopping and trenching tool widely used in fireline construction, which combines a single-bitted axe blade with a narrow adze-like trenching blade fitted to a straight handle. 7. FIRE GUN: A pistol, used for fire ignition from a distance. This tool is used (1) in prescribed fire burning to ignite fire in a remote area which is not totally burned, but difficult to reach. The pistol also can be used from the viewpoint of personnel security (2) for fire fighter or a prescribed burner, to speed down the faced fire front, blacken the area as safety zone and to slow down the spread of a fire
We’re a talkative species (some more so than others – ed.), but even so, it’s something of a surprise to see just how much information’s being exchanged every day on the internet – 9,570,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes per year, to be precise. And that’s just the world’s business-related information, says a team of researchers at UC San Diego. It’s the digital equivalent of a 5.6-billion-mile-high stack of books, reaching from Earth to Neptune and back to Earth, repeated about 20 times a year. The world’s roughly 27 million-odd computer servers processed 9.57 zettabytes of information in 2008, they say. The first-of-its kind estimate was produced through server-industry reports, interviews, sales figures and other sources. The study estimated that enterprise server workloads are doubling about every two years. And this means that, by 2024, the world’s enterprise servers will handle the digital equivalent of a stack of books extending more than 4.37 light-years to Alpha Centauri – every year. “Most of this information is incredibly transient: it is created, used, and discarded in a few seconds without ever being seen by a person,” says professor of technology management Roger Bohn. “It’s the underwater base of the iceberg that runs the world that we see.” It consists largely of data processing for transaction details, web services and office applications. The paper follows an earlier report on information consumption by US households as part of a ‘census’ of the world’s information. The project’s supported by AT&T, Cisco, IBM, Intel, LSI, Oracle and Seagate.
K5 – 5th Grades The programmes of study for mathematics are set out year-by-year for key stages 1 and 2. Schools is, however, required to teach the relevant programme of study by the end of the key stage. Within each key stage, schools therefore have the flexibility to introduce content earlier or later than set out in the programme of study. In addition, schools can introduce key stage content during an earlier key stage, if appropriate. See Programs by Year Become fluent in the fundamentals of mathematics, including through varied and frequent practice with increasingly complex problems over time, so that pupils develop conceptual understanding and the ability to recall and apply knowledge rapidly and accurately Reason mathematically by following a line of enquiry, conjecturing relationships and generalisations, and developing an argument, justification or proof using mathematical language Can solve problems by applying their mathematics to a variety of routine and non-routine problems with increasing sophistication, including breaking down problems into a series of simpler steps and persevering in seeking solutions
"It seems to have a shard-like shape and is sticking out of the ground." A Chinese rover has discovered an unusually-shaped rock, suspected to be a piece of a meteor, wedged into the surface of the Moon. According to Space.com, China’s Yutu-2 rover made its discovery on the far side of the Moon. The elongated shard was described as a “milestone” by the China National Space Administration’s (CNSA) science outreach channel Our Space — and it stands out as the latest example of the fact that the long-observed lunar surface can still hold surprises for intrepid explorers. What has lunar scientists most excited by the object is its shape, which stands out from most other rocks on the Moon. “It seems to have a shard-like shape and is sticking out of the ground,” Dan Moriarty, a NASA postdoctoral program fellow at the Goddard Space Flight Center, told Space.com. “That’s definitely unusual.” According to Moriarty, typical lunar rocks are rounded due to “forms of weathering on the lunar surface.” Next, CNSA researchers plan to inspect the rock further using the rover’s visible and near-infrared imaging spectrometer to analyze its material composition. Further analysis is needed to determine a more precise origin. For now, though, Moriarty hypothesized to Space.com that the rock is a fragment of a meteor impact — a reminder that the desolate surface of the Moon is a living geological environment that continues to be shaped by brutal asteroid impacts. READ MORE: China’s Yutu-2 rover finds “milestone” on far side of the moon [Space.com] More on asteroids: Bill Nye Implores Biden to Protect Earth From Dangerous Asteroids
A “continuation” is the code that will execute when a given function or expression returns. For example, consider (define (foo) (display "hello\n") (display (bar)) (newline) (exit)) The continuation from the call to bar comprises a display of the value returned, a newline and an exit. This can be expressed as a function of one argument. (lambda (r) (display r) (newline) (exit)) In Scheme, continuations are represented as special procedures just like this. The special property is that when a continuation is called it abandons the current program location and jumps directly to that represented by the continuation. A continuation is like a dynamic label, capturing at run-time a point in program execution, including all the nested calls that have lead to it (or rather the code that will execute when those calls return). Continuations are created with the following functions. Capture the current continuation and call cont) with it. The return value is the value returned by proc, or when (cont value) is later invoked, the return is the value passed. Normally cont should be called with one argument, but when the location resumed is expecting multiple values (see Multiple Values) then they should be passed as multiple arguments, for (cont x y z). cont may only be used from the same side of a continuation barrier as it was created (see Continuation Barriers), and in a multi-threaded program only from the thread in which it was created. The call to proc is not part of the continuation captured, it runs only when the continuation is created. Often a program will want to store cont somewhere for later use; this can be done in proc. call in the name refers to the way a call to proc gives the newly created continuation. It’s not related to the way a call is used later to invoke that continuation. call/cc is an alias for This is in common use since the latter is rather long. Here is a simple example, (define kont #f) (format #t "the return is ~a\n" (call/cc (lambda (k) (set! kont k) 1))) ⇒ the return is 1 (kont 2) ⇒ the return is 2 call/cc captures a continuation in which the value returned is going to be displayed by lambda stores this kont and gives an initial return 1 which is displayed. The later invocation of kont resumes the captured point, but this time returning 2, which is displayed. When Guile is run interactively, a call to format like this has an implicit return back to the read-eval-print loop. captures that like any other return, which is why interactively kont will come back to read more input. C programmers may note that call/cc is like the way it records at runtime a point in program execution. A call to a continuation is like a longjmp in that it abandons the present location and goes to the recorded one. Like the value passed to the continuation is the value returned by call/cc on resuming there. However longjmp can only go up the program stack, but the continuation mechanism can go anywhere. When a continuation is invoked, call/cc and subsequent code effectively “returns” a second time. It can be confusing to imagine a function returning more times than it was called. It may help instead to think of it being stealthily re-entered and then program flow going on as normal. dynamic-wind (see Dynamic Wind) can be used to ensure setup and cleanup code is run when a program locus is resumed or abandoned through the continuation mechanism. Continuations are a powerful mechanism, and can be used to implement almost any sort of control structure, such as loops, coroutines, or exception handlers. However the implementation of continuations in Guile is not as efficient as one might hope, because Guile is designed to cooperate with programs written in other languages, such as C, which do not know about continuations. Basically continuations are captured by a block copy of the stack, and resumed by copying back. For this reason, continuations captured by call/cc should be used only when there is no other simple way to achieve the desired result, or when the elegance of the continuation mechanism outweighs the need for performance. Escapes upwards from loops or nested functions are generally best handled with prompts (see Prompts). Coroutines can be efficiently implemented with cooperating threads (a thread holds a full program stack but doesn’t copy it around the way continuations do).
All images are copyrighted. Please contact me at firstname.lastname@example.org for information about licensing of image use. Click on any of the images below to view a larger version. \|Common moorhens and their progeny are everywhere by July. Groups of 2 parents and anywhere from a couple to 6 or 7 of the little fuzzy babies can be seen in most of the flow-way where there is open water in the vicinity. Unlike their less trustful cousins, the purple gallinules, moorhens tend to be much more approachable. The babies seem to be in constant need of attention, and follow the parent everywhere, wanting only to be fed. One of the more interesting aspects of the social life of moorhens is the observation that older birds, from the first broods of the summer, often follow their parents around, and sometimes contribute to feeding of their little siblings from later broods. I don't recall any such brotherly devotion in my family.\| The wading birds that are always abundant, conspicuous, and usually quite active, are the herons, egrets, and ibises. Not only are they easily found at the rookeries, especially towards mid-summer as the young birds begin to leave the nests and move out into the wetlands to forage, they are found throughout Area 3 in considerable diversity. From left above are great blue heron (twice), little blue heron, and tricolored heron. On the left is a cattle egret, and on the right is a snowy egret. The cattle egrets are most often seen feeding in the open fields and along the grassy areas of the levees, and the others can be seen feeding in any of the aquatic habitats. Below left is a glossy ibis showing the rich, reddish- browns of the adult. On the right below is a limpkin. I seldom see limpkins feeding, but frequently hear them calling and see them perched along my census route. The end of the summer doldrums is rapidly approaching, it seems. The first of the post-breeding wanderers and early migrants have begun to appear in the last couple of weeks, including belted kingfishers, barn swallows, and a couple of prothonotary and yellow warblers. Fall migration actually begins just after mid-summer here in central Florida. Go to: Home Previous page Next page Emeralda index
Among the foremost themes addressed in Brave New World is the question of freedom. Most of the characters in the world of the novel are neither mentally nor emotionally free to experience anything other than officially sanctioned ideas and values. There is no room for social or intellectual difference or rebellion, and those who do differ are either rehabilitated through mind and psychologically altering drugs, or if they appear too intransigent, they are shipped off to quarantine areas away from the general population in order to avoid any spread of their intellectual contamination. Along with freedom, the inhabitants of the brave new world have also lost love, except in the most debased, physical way. The idea of emotional involvement is totally foreign to the controlled peoples who inhabit this book. The Savage, who is brought in from the outside and who is a member of a more primitive society and still feels emotional involvement, is soon also defeated. Along with love, feelings in general have been reduced to a minimal level, which with a general fear of new ideas, or any ideas, make the brave new worldians the perfect people for the new mass society. Huxley's examples here are a bit heavy-handed but make their point. This society is sterile in all senses of that word. Brave New World is Huxley’s satirical look at a totalitarian society of the future, in which the trends of Huxley’s day have been taken to extremes. When an outsider encounters this world, he cannot accept its values and chooses to die rather than try to conform to this “brave new world.” Free Will versus Enslavement Only the Controllers of society, the ten elite rulers, have freedom of choice. Everyone else has been conditioned from the time they were embryos to accept unquestioningly all the values and beliefs of the carefully ordered society. Upper-class Alphas are allowed a little freedom because their higher intellect makes it harder for them to completely accept the rules of society. For example, they are occasionally allowed to travel to the Indian reservation to see how outsiders live. It is hoped that exposure to an “inferior” and “primitive” society will finally squelch any doubts about their own society’s superiority. Beyond this, however, no room exists in “civilized” society for free will, creativity, imagination, or diversity, all of which can lead to conflict, war, and destruction. Therefore, dissidents who want these freedoms are exiled to remote corners of the earth. Anyone who feels upset for any reason quickly ingests a dose of the tranquilizer “soma.” John the Savage believes that the price to be paid for harmony in this society is too great. He sees the people as enslaved, addicted to drugs, and weakened and dehumanized by their inability to handle delayed gratification or pain of any sort. He exercises his freedom of choice by killing himself rather than becoming a part of such a world. As a result of conditioning, class conflict has been eliminated in Huxley’s future world. The Controllers have decided there should be five social classes, from the superior, highly intelligent, and physically attractive Alphas—who have the most desirable and intellectually demanding jobs—to the inferior, mentally deficient, and physically unattractive Epsilons, who do the least desirable, menial jobs. Huxley makes the Alphas tall and fair and the Epsilons dark-skinned, reflecting the common prejudices at the time the novel was written. All people are genetically bred and conditioned from birth to be best adapted to the lives they will lead and to accept the class system wholeheartedly. Members of different classes not only look physically different but wear distinctive colors to make sure that no one can be mistaken for a member of a different group. Here, Huxley points out the shallowness in our own society: members of different social classes dress differently in order to be associated with their own class. Only John the Savage can see people as they really are because he has not been conditioned to accept unquestioningly the rigid class structure. Thus, when he sees a dark-skinned person of a lower caste, he is reminded of Othello, a Shakespearean character who was both...
According to the Gregorian calendar 2017 began 27 days ago. But not all countries follow these dates. China, for example, celebrates the new year- the Year of the Rooster- on Saturday 28 of January (though for day to day business China does now use the Gregorian calendar). Chinese New Year is also celebrated in many south Asian countries, such as Thailand and Cambodia. But the date is not fixed. It is set by the Chinese lunisolar calendar, and therefore changes each year. Each Chinese year is given its name from the Chinese zodiac. Like the western zodiac, it is divided into 12 sections. However, these are all characterised by an animal, and last a lunar year rather than a month. 2017 is the year of the Rooster. The next year of the Rooster will be in 2029. The other zodiac animals are the Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Dog and Pig. Celebrations will take place around the world on Saturday and Sunday, with some of the largest celebrations outside of Asia taking place in London. Rome will also hold sizeable celebrations, as the Italian capital is twinned with its Chinese counterpart Beijing. A popular part of New Year celebrations is the Wishing Tree. Dating back to the 18th century Qing dynasty , it has been a tradition to hang red wishing cards on these trees. Originally the cards were tied to oranges, which are then thrown over the branches of the trees. If the wish catches a branch and sticks, tradition says the wish will be granted in the forthcoming year. However, after past accidents when branches fell and injured those gathered underneath, many wishes are now hung on racks near the trees. The giving of red envelopes, often filled with money, is another traditional celebration of Chinese New Year. Parents and grandparents often give the gifts, called hongbao in Mandarin and lai see in Cantonese, to children. The red colour is a vital part of these gifts, as it symbolises happiness and good luck. In fact, the envelope itself is often seen as more important than the money it contains, as it is a way of sending good luck and wishes to the recipient. The Lantern Festival Chinese New Year celebrations are not just held on one day, or over one weekend. Instead they run until the Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the new year. It will take place on February 11 2017. This celebration is symbolic of the new Spring, and as such is held on the first full moon of the new year. The multi-coloured and often extravagant lanterns are lit and released to float into the night. This can symbolise one letting go of the previous year, or a personal change to be made over the next year. Like the envelopes, many lanterns are red, and symbolise hope for the coming 12 months. However, in modern times many of the lanterns have become more complex, and the festival has even been commercialised as the equivalent of Valentine’s Day in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Much like other aspects of Chinese New Year, the Lantern Festival is now celebrated around the world. One of the biggest in Europe and the world is held in London, and known as the Magical Lantern Festival. The biggest annual human migration Along with celebrations all over the globe, Chinese New Year boasts the world’s largest annual human migration. According to the National Development and Reform Commission, almost 3 billion trips will be made as people travel to see family and friends to celebrate the festival before returning home. But such a migration comes with risks, and after disaster struck in Shanghai in 2015 and 36 people were killed in a stampede, Chinese authorities are working hard to conduct safety drills before the weekend. To find out about Chinese New Year celebrations near you, click here
It is a sad fact that the British hobby of garden-making is in decline. That is partially due to social changes and more importantly there being no new land for gardens. - Land is a scarce resource and what the suitable land is required for a multiplicity of other uses. - Concrete jungles are preventing the sensible development of gardens other than for displaying onroof top gardens, patios or other man made efforts. - The Dutch have developed plant growing to a fine art utilising land reclamation whilst our East Coast is eroded and some gardens fall into the North Sea. Social Expectation and Change - Our UK population continues to grow, even though there is a blossoming interest in ecology and the environment, such growth is not noticeably translating into new gardens. - There are fewer new parks and gardens in public ownership (unless you count skate parks and playgrounds). At least not in proportion to population growth. - Living accommodation has changed in several ways with many more retirement villages, apartments and single occupation homes. Land is being converted in to a concrete jungle that will not return to a garden opportunity for many life times. - There are many competing activities to distract potential garden aspirationalists. Whilst RHS membership may be growing that may reflect the hobby of observing not gardening.
When someone is living with HIV it means that HIV is present in their body. As HIV is present in semen, vaginal fluid and the anal secretions of a person who is HIV positive there may be a risk from HIV transmission if you are engaging in sexual activity with them. Any kind of sexual activity may result in a possible risk of HIV transmission. The thing to remember here is that HIV cannot get past skin, unless the skin is broken. Skin is an effective barrier against HIV. Sexual intercourse (penis in vagina, penis in anus) without a condom or female condom, is the route by which HIV is most frequently transmitted worldwide. Any kind of unprotected (without the use of a condom, female condom, glyde dam or glove) sexual activity may result in sexual transmission of HIV. The risk differs depending on the type of sexual activity. In order for sexual transmission of HIV to occur there must be: At least one person living with HIV (HIV positive) At least one person who is not living with HIV (HIV negative) And at least one type of unprotected sexual activity between these people To avoid sexual transmission of HIV the most effective way of all is to: Know your own sexual health status by having a full sexual health screening. Know the sexual health status of your sexual partner(s) Sometimes you may decide to share sexual activity with people who cannot tell you their sexual health status. You may never have had this conversation with your current partner for example. This means that they don’t know if they are living with HIV, so you don’t know if you can contract it from them. There are many types of sexual activity you can engage in that carry no risk of HIV transmission. For more information about this please check out the SAFER SEX page located in both the Men’s and Women’s sections of the sexual health section. - Oral sex – mouth to penis, vagina or anus - Penetrative sex – penis or sharing sex toys in the vagina or anus - Fisting – fingers or fists in the vagina or anus - Blood sports – the use of needles, branding, scarring or other blood letting activities during sexual activity
Torches, Pigments and Wax: Encaustic Painting at School of the Arts Five days of art workshops wrapped up today at School of the Arts in Rhinelander. Classes ranged from poetry writing, to drumming, to painting with beeswax. It's an old art with a new following. Instructor Ashley Gordon is wielding a propane torch during this intermediate course in encaustics, or beeswax painting. The heat fuses the layers of wax together, and fills the air with the distinct smell of beeswax candles. Gordon says her love for encaustics is about more than just getting to play with fire. “I was drawn into it, it was my aha moment," she said. "I love the sculptural aspects of it, because not only do you paint two dimensionally, it tends to take on a three dimensional form with all the texture and layers. It’s great because you can embed and add things to it.” In the intermediate class, Gordon’s students are learning how to add complexity to their basic beeswax painting…like rubbing in pigments and collaged photographs. Being able to use many different materials is what drew Middleton student Susan Schneider to encaustics. “I like to work with multimedia," Schneider explained. "So this allows a way to use paper, pigment, wax, a lot of different things – to create just a blend of arts media.” It’s a blend that has stood the test of time. The technique was once used to seal and decorate ships, and wax paintings have been found that are more than two thousand years old. Now artists are rediscovering encaustics as a way to combine sculpture, painting, and a little open flame.
Drinking Eight Glasses of Water a Day Is Nothing But a Big Fat Myth Conventional wisdom has long held that eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day are necessary to keep a body healthy and hydrated. But, health experts now say this is a myth and that people should should simply drink when they’re thirsty, instead. According to experts, people get all the water they need on a daily basis from food and beverages, even drinks like coffee, tea and soda. In fact, Madelyn Fernstrom, diet and nutrition editor for the ‘Today’ show, said the eight glass rule is no longer the recommendation. Instead, people should “drink to thirst.” Experts are quick to point out that drinking 64 fluid ounces a day isn’t a bad thing, but there’s no scientific data to prove it’s beneficial either. The recommendation likely stems from the Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research Council, which proposed in the 1940s that adults should consume approximately 2.5 liters of water a day. Despite several recent reports debunking the eight glass recommendation, the myth has persisted, probably because people are convinced that water equals good health. “Bottled water and the entire health culture around drinking more water have been very lucrative,” said Dr. Rachel Vreeman, who analyzed the myth in her book ‘Don’t Cross Your Eyes … They’ll Get Stuck That Way!’ “Certainly, your body needs fluids and water is a healthy choice to meet those fluid needs, but many of us spend a lot of money, effort and guilt on forcing ourselves to drink more water than we really need.”
Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo The Kahuzi-Biega National Park (2°30'S 28°45'E?) is a World Heritage Site located in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DCR). A wide expanse of primary tropical forest in two zones: high mountain range and a wide area of low mountains, the range dominated by two extinct volcanoes, Mts Kahuzi and Biéga. The Park had a diverse and abundant fauna with a population of eastern lowland gorillas: 258 of these lived in the high mountains between 2,100 and 2,400 meters (m); thousands more lived in the less accessible western extension. But disaster has overtaken the Park. Threats to the Site The World Heritage Committee placed the site on the List of World Heritage in Danger in 1997. It was badly affected by the influx of Rwandan refugees in 1994 and rebel soldiers from 1997. Park facilities were looted and destroyed and many staff fled. But DRC produces 15% of the world's coltan, a valuable industrial mineral. From 2000, a price rise, rebel militias and lack of central government control created gold-rush conditions, the profits funding the rebellion. Airstrips and dozens of mines were started, attracting more than 10,000 miners to the park which led to massive hunting for bushmeat and ivory, drastic deforestation and social destruction, abandoned farms and schools, epidemic AIDS and ruthless control by well armed gangs. Most profits go abroad. By 2001, the population of gorillas had dropped from some 8,000 to about 800, of elephants from some 3,250 to zero, all other edible wildlife had diminished, the ecosystem had been plundered and the park became too dangerous to visit. That year IUCN, the UN and UNESCO responded with a promise of funding to the many pleas from the Park staff and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for help to staunch the destruction and begin to restore morale and order. In the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo 30 kilometers (km) west of the Rwandan border. The eastern section is in the Mitumba Mountains west of and parallel to Lake Kivu. The western section in the Congo basin is connected to it by a narrow corridor. The park entrance is at Tshivanga in the east. The boundary is unmarked in many places. Its location is between 1°36' - 2°37'S and 27°33 '- 28°40'E. Date and History of Establishment - 1970: Gazetted by Decree 70-316. Part of the area had been a reserve since 1960; - 1975: Enlarged from 75,000 hectares (ha) to 600,000 ha by Decree 75-238. 600,000 ha : Mitumba Mountains (60,000 ha), Congo basin mountains (525,000 ha), corridor (~15,000h a). Government; in Kivu province. Administered by the Institut Congolais (formerly Zairois) pour la Conservation de la Nature (ICCN). Temporarily under Rwandan rebel army control. Mitumba Mountains: 1,800-3,308 m; lowland mountains 700-1,700 m, mean elevation: 1,500 m. The Park consists of two geomorphic units: rift valley volcanic mountains and Congo basin low highlands. The east is part of the Mitumba massif, the west side of the western Rift Valley. It is late Tertiary or early Quaternary with two extinct volcanoes, Mount Kahuzi (3,308 m) and Mount Biéga (2,790 m). The western extension in the Congo basin consists of mountains below 1,500 m cut by the deep valleys of some of the upper tributaries of the Luka and Lugulu rivers which drain into the river Lualaba, with isolated peaks such as Mount Kamani (1,700 m). A connecting belt between the two zones is in rolling terrain. Throughout the park there are surficial deposits of gold, cassiterite (a tin ore) and 15% of the world’s mined coltan (columbite-tantalite) ore of a high grade which, in 2000, fetched very high prices as a component of computer and mobile phone capacitors. In the high eastern mountains, there are six primary vegetation types varying with elevation: mountain rain forest, bamboo forest, swamp forest, high-altitude rain forest, sub-alpine heather and peat bog. The western mountain section is lowland equatorial rain forest between 700 and 1,200 m, with transitional forest between 1,200 and 1,500 m. The mountain rain forest grows between 1,000 and 2,000 m. From 900 to 1,350 m co-dominants are Michelsonia microphylla and Gilbertiodendron dewevrei and from 1,350 to 2,000 m Pentadesma lebrunii and Lebrunia bushaie. After disturbance the latter becomes open Hagenia abyssinica and Neoboutonia macrocalyx forest with Hyparrhenia savanna and Imperata meadows. Other dominant species are Albizia gummifera, Parinari excelsum and Chrysophyllum gorungosanum. The highland rain forest growing above 2,000 m is characterized by Podocarpus usambarensis, Chrysophyllum longipes, Ficus sp., Parinari sp., Carapa grandiflora and Symphonia globulifera. Clearings are invaded by Lobelia gibberoa. Swamp forest grows in poorly drained areas, dominated by Syzygium rowlandii, Podocarpus usambarensis, Agauria salicifolia, and Anthocleista grandiflora. Bamboo Arundinaria alpina forest grows between 2,350 and 2,600 m. It has spread by colonizing cleared land and covers approximately one-third of the original eastern park zone. On level land between 2,000 m and 2,400 m swamp and peat bogs occur. They are dominated by Cyperus latifolius with C.aterrimus or Hypericum lanceolatum, Alchemilla cryptantha, Anagallis angustiloba and Jussiaea repens. The peat-bog is formed of Juncus effusus with Spagnum rugegense. Above the tree line at about 2,600 m, the vegetation is subalpine. Heather Erica rugegensis is characteristic, with Vaccinium stanleyi and Breutelia spp. on the summit of Mount Biéga. On one summit of Mount Kahuzi Hedythrsus thamnoideus and Disa erubescens grow; on its main summit, between 3,200 and 3,308 m, Erica spp. grow with Senecio kahuzicus, Helichrysum mildbraedii, Huperzia saururus and Deschampsia flexuosa. 48 species with 2 unknown and 24 endemic species are found in the park. The western lowland equatorial forest can be characterized as Michelsoni - Gilbertiodendron forest below 1,350 m and Pentadesma - Lebrunia forest above it. A preliminary species lists gives 194 species of mammal living in and around the Park but the section in the Mitumba mountains was first established to protect its 200-300 eastern lowland gorilla Gorilla g. graueri (EN), the largest subspecies of gorilla, which lives in the forests there between 2,100 and 2,400 m. Many more live in the lower rain forest. It is endemic to the D.R.C.and 86% of the population, some 14,500 animals, lived in Kuhuzi-Biega and the adjoining Kasese forests. The mosaic of biotypes makes the park excellent gorilla habitat. In the eastern section of the park 223 animals were counted in 1979 (14 families and 5 solitary males); in 1990 there were 258 (25 groups with 9 solitary males) and a 1996 census showed almost the same. But in February 2001 only 96 of these mountain-based gorillas remained. In the western area 90% of the 8,000 gorillas have probably been destroyed by bushmeat hunters for the thousands of laborers who work in the mining camps and by the armed militia for sale. Other primates also freely taken for food include eastern chimpanzee Pan troglodytes schweinfurthi (EN), Anubis baboon Papio anubis and ten species of monkey: five Cercopithecinae and three Colobinae species. Most are found in the western section. Other mammals include forest elephant Loxodonta africana cyclotis (EN), estimated at 3,250 individuals in 1989, now reduced for their meat and ivory from 350 to 2 families, hippotamus Hippopotamus amphibious, forest buffalo Syncerus caffer nanus, leopard Panthera pardus, forest hog Hylochoerus meinertzhageni, bongo Tragelaphus euryceros and seven species of duiker, all taken for food. Endemic mammals include east central African red colobus Colobus badius rufomitratus, Rwenzori black and white colobus C. polykomus ruwenzorii, owl-faced monkey Cercopithecus hamlyni kahuziensis (LR), eastern needle-clawed galago Galago inustus, giant genet Genetta victoriae, aquatic civet Osbornictis piscivora (DD), mountain tree squirrel Funisciurus carruthersi, Alexander's bush squirrel Paraxerus alexandri (LR), Ruwenzori least otter-shrew Micropotamogale ruwenzorii (E) and Maclaud's horseshoe bat Rhinolophus maclaudi (LR). A preliminary list of the avifauna gives 224 species including 42 endemics, 75% of the endemic species of the Central Highlands. Among these are the Ruwenzori tauraco Musophaga johnstoni, Sassi's olive greenbul Phyllastrephus lorenzi, Bedford's paradise flycatcher Terpsiphone bedfordi, Lioptilis chapini, Grauer's green broadbill Pseudocalyptomina graueri (VU), Rockefeller's sunbird Nectarinia rockefelleri (VU), Grauer's warbler Bradypterus graueri (VU) and Shelley's crimsonwing Cryptospiza shelleyi (VU; also the Congo peacock Afropavo congensis. Bird species are given in Steinhauer-Burkart et al.which also lists 48 species of reptile and 31 amphibians, and in Musiti et al. No information is available except on the pygmies, the forest aboriginals, whose life continues to be based on hunting and gathering, and the exchange of game for cereals grown by forest margin cultivators to balance their diet. They continue to hunt in the Park. Local Human Population The Park is in one of the most densely populated areas of the country, with over 300 people per square kilometer (km2), some 90% of whom depended mainly on agriculture. Seven separate tribal groups, originally some 9,000 people, lived in and around the park including the Baregha, Batembo and Bashi peoples. Slash and burn farming and tea-growing occurs on the forest margins. Banana beer is locally important, and the demand for land for banana plantations is high, as it is also now for cattle raising. Fifteen existing villages of shifting cultivators, and mining settlements for gold, cassiterite and coltan were located in the west section of the Park, though neither they nor the indigenous pygmies were consulted when it was created; and several villages in the buffer zone, where the boundary had never been defined, were sources of conflict. The drastic effect of the refugee influx and the Rwandan Interahamwe and Congolese Mayi-Mayi militias on the wildlife and forests of the Park increased disastrously in 2000 with a brief ten-fold increase in the world price of coltan. This created a gold-rush of thousands of peasant miners who abandoned farms and schools to mine in the Park, an area now controlled by the rebel Ruwandan Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD) based in Goma, spreading devastation, drugs, delinquency and AIDS. The miners work for very low pay, usually under military coercion. Visitors and Visitor Facilities The gorilla population of about 260 animals in the high mountains was the great attraction which before the war attracted 3,000 well-paying tourists a year. It included four groups accustomed to being watched. In February 2001 only 96 animals remained, none being those which had been habituated to people. An asphalt road crosses the eastern park and some paths were kept open to facilitate gorilla viewing but mass tourism to sites was not encouraged: visitors on gorilla tracking tours were admitted in groups of 8 people, paying US$120 each in 1992. A tourist hut and camping facilities were available at Tshivanga. But in 2002 the park was unsafe even for its rangers and tourism was impossible. Scientific Research and Facilities Inaccessibility, especially of the western lowland forest, preserved an incompletely known range of natural resources but also made them difficult to study. At present research there is too dangerous to conduct. The Institut Zairois pour la Conservation de la Nature (IZCN) had intended to establish a small research center at Tchivanga. From 1987 the IZCN with German Technical Assistance (GTZ), Kyoto University, the Centre de Recherches en Sciences Naturelles (CRSN) and the Dian Fossey Gorilla fund (DFGF) have worked on gorilla census and primate research programs. The Park comprises a substantial area of tropical rain forest on both low and high mountains, the latter dominated by two extinct volcanoes. The park was populated with a diverse and abundant fauna including one of the last aggregations of eastern lowland gorillas, now an increasingly an endangered species. The park was established primarily to protect the gorillas. A system of four zones was proposed: forested buffer zone with administration, tourism, extensive use and strict conservation. There is a secondary station at Itebero on the northern boundary. An IUCN/WWF Project to conserve the mountain gorillas was proposed and a program funded by the governments of Zaïre and West Germany (GTZ) to reduce pressure on the park’s resources by improving the conditions on its borders (IZCN/GTZ). The Park was managed by the ICCN supported by GTZ, but the latter withdrew after the civil war leaving protection to a few dedicated rangers in the northeast. The 1994 war in Rwanda caused an influx of an estimated up to 2 million refugees into Zaire. A refugee camp for 50,000 was sited next to the park, effectively transferring the war into Zaire, followed by deforestation and poaching; elephants soon started to die and by 2001 only 2 out of 350 families survived. Their poaching seems to have been highly organized. The main Kisingani-Bukavu road facilitated invasion and split animal populations in the mountains. The corridor between the two sections was illegitimately acquired by a highly placed official for raising cattle, and a boundary-marking team was attacked. This divides the Park into two, preventing animal populations moving between the sections of the Park. Tracks in the western section so deteriorated that guards were unable to patrol it properly; they were also unpaid, inadequately equipped and trained, and regularly intimidated by militia gangs. The collapse of the transport system increased reliance on bushmeat to about 80% of protein consumed. The park was further degraded after the 1997 coup and the 1998 rebellion in former Zaire when the Goma-based Rwandan RCD (and the Ugandan and Burundian armies) challenged the government for control of the resource-rich east of the country. Many facilities were looted or destroyed, including the main Park station at Tshivanga where valuable plant genetic stocks were lost. The Park guards were disarmed by the Rwandan army and forbidden to patrol; most were evacuated and many left the area. Conservation monitoring and nearly all surveillance stopped. By 1999 the ICCN had lost control of much of the Park. Since then, 16 live chimpanzee trafficking networks have been uncovered in the Park. The economic problems caused by the civil war: looting, destruction of communities, displacement, hunger and poverty, led to a free-for-all, stopping the tourism which had provided an income for the region. That year a United Nations Foundation project working with the DRC and UNESCO arranged for major funding for park equipment and salaries from 2000 to 2004. In 2000 the Belgian government promised similar assistance. But during 2000 intensive coltan mining under the aegis of RCD Goma opened the Park up to systematic exploitation as a result of a rise in the price of ore from US$90 per kilogram (kg) in 1999 to US$830/kg in Dec.2000. Continuous hunting for both food and for animals for sale decimated animal populations around mines and villages, threatening all edible species with maiming as well as death. By mid 2000 as few United Nations Foundation funds seemed to be reaching the field, a DRC Emergency Relief Mission of international NGOs was supplying equipment and creating public awareness of the damage. By 2001 95% of the Park was in the hands of militia gangs subsidized by the trade in coltan, with 15 airstrips and up to 15,000 peasant miners and the bushmeat hunters supplying them. A report by I.Redmond was commissioned by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund (DFGF) and others. It noted that soldiers, dealers, army commanders and officials, local and foreign, were the immediate beneficiaries, and that local authorities were unwilling to ban poor people from making a living after the previous unemployment and poverty. It also noted the needs to determine park boundaries, to release funds to equip and pay guards, to coordinate the many NGOs and agencies concerned and for economic help to surrounding communities. In May 2001, UNEP launched the Great Apes Survival Project to protect the threatened species. Observers spoke of an ecological catastrophe: thousands of settlements in the park, clearing of forest for fuel, charcoal and construction, destruction of farm and grazing land, wildfires, erosion, diversion of streams, siltation and pollution effecting fisheries, continuous overhunting for meat and sale to collectors, destruction of the elephant and gorilla populations, maiming and disturbance of wildlife. The coltan trade was legal and supported by foreign governments and large corporations: according to a 1999 report by P. Baracyetse, the development of the mining had been funded by North American interests. Nevertheless, in March 2001, the IUCN called for a ban on buying coltan mined in protected areas in the DRC, which has 70% of the world's reserves. In April, the UN Security Council released a report damning the trade from protected areas, its role in financing the Rwandan occupation, citing the World Bank and Citibank as passive participants and naming army and government officials in Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi and European firms profiting from it. By mid 2000, after the U.S.government had released some of its stocks, the price of the ore dropped to US$10/kg, forcing miners to become more dependent on poaching and gold-mining again. However, as mining will continue to be of economic importance in the area, a DFGF report proposed not to ban it but to establish strict controls on the industry along with the provision of alternative work so that the state and people are better able to benefit from their own resources. In 2001, with the help of the UNESCO/DRC/UNF Project, RCD and GTZ, Park guards, although as yet unarmed, were able to reassert some control over 10% of the Park, in the east, though not over the corridor or the western lowlands. In October 2002 the Tshivanga station was captured by Mai-Mai, and retaken by the RCD. In 2001 the Director-General of the World Heritage Centre visited the main decision-makers of the region. By mid 2002 the DRC Parks Relief Mission had delivered through the Gorilla Haven Project many necessary supplies to the Park and helped to restore the morale and effectiveness of the guards. By mid 2003, thanks to an intensive public-awareness campaign and the withdrawal of warring militia, a general agreement to safeguard the survival of the gorillas was reached and the Tshivanga station and two patrol posts were in working order again (BRD, 2003). The official establishment was a Chief Curator, Assistant Curator and a resident biologist at Tshivanga with 45 game scouts. In the western area they operated from the northern substation at Itebero. However, the service has been totally disrupted by rebel militia and invasion by miners. ICCN staff had to abandon the western section of the Park and accept limited action in the east which they defend at the risk of their lives. Little information is available about past funding. In 1999, working with UNESCO and the DRC, the United Nations Fund promised US$ 4,186,600, two-thirds of it outright, to compensate staff and pay salaries and allowances for the five D.R.C.World Heritage Sites between 2000 and 2004. US$20,000 was pledged to the Park via GTZ, for uniforms and new equipment, and in 2000 the Belgian government also promised US$500,000 for the same parks and period. After initial delays this began to improve conditions and morale in all five sites. The U.S.Government proposed at Johannesberg in 2002 to invest up to $53 million dollars in the Congo Basin Forest Partnership through 2005. Kahuzi-Biega Park will be among the beneficiaries. IUCN Management Category - II (National Park) - Natural World Heritage Site, inscribed in 1980. Natural Criterion iv - Listed as World Heritage in Danger in 1997 due to devastation by civil war, uncontrolled invasion by miners and soldiery and the destruction of wildlife by hunting for bushmeat and ivory. - Anon. (n.d.). Integrated nature conservation in Zaïre. Manuscript submitted to Parks. 5 pp. - Baracyetse, P.(1999). The Geopolitical Stakes of the International Mining Companies in the D.R.Congo. SOS Rwanda-Burundi, Buzet, Belgium. - Biswas, A. and Tortajada-Quiroz, H. (1996) Environmental impacts of the Rwandan refugees on Zaire. Ambio 25(6):403-408. - Basabose, A. & Yamagiwa, J. (1997) Present situation of conservation and wildlife in Kahuzi-Biéga National Park, eastern Zaire. Gorilla Conservation News. 11:10-12. - Bergorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe Archives (BRD) (1998). the Gorilla Journal. Bergorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe Archives, Germany - Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, (2001).Coltan in Congo. Can Grauer's Gorilla Survive?. Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, London. - Doumenge,C. (1990). La Conservation des Ecosystemes Forestiers du Zaire. IUCN/EEC, Gland, Switzerland & Cambridge, U.K. ISBN: 2880329892. - Draulens ,D. & van Krunkelsven, E. (2002). The impact of war on forest areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Oryx. 36 (1): 35-40. - Goodall, A. (1974). Studies on the Ecology of the Mountain Gorilla of the Mt Kahuzi-Biéga Region (Zaïre) and Comparisons with the Mountain Gorillas of the Virunga Volcanoes. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis, University of Liverpool, U.K. - Fischer, E. (1995). La Vegetation du Parc National de Kahuzi-Biéga, Rapport dans le cadre du projet. IZCN / GTZ, Bonn.160 pp. - Hall J.,Saltonstall,K.,Inogwabini,B.& Omari,I.(1998). Distribution, abundance and conservation status of Grauer's gorilla. Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Atlanta, Georgia - Hart, J. & Hall, J. (1996) Status of eastern Zaire's forest parks and reserves. Conservation Biology. - Hart, T., Hart, J. & Hall, J. (1996) Conservation in the declining nation state: a view from eastern Zaire. Conservation Biology. Bronx, New York. - Hart,T.& Mwinyihali R.(2001). Armed Conflict and Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of the Democratic Republic of Congo Biodiversity Support Program / WWF, Washington, D.C. - IPIS (International Peace Information Service (2002). Supporting the War Economy in the DRC: European Companies and the Coltan Trade. Antwerp, Belgium. - IUCN/WWF Project 1613 (1999). Primate Action Fund. IUCN, Gland. - IUCN (2001). Call for a Ban: Coltan Mining Threatens World Heritage Sites in the DRC. News Release. - IUCN (2001). Report on the State of Conservation of Natural and Mixed Sites Inscribed on the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. Gland, Switzerland. - IZCN/GTZ (1995) Kahuzi-Biéga National Park. Tourist information brochure. IZCN, Kinshasa, D.R.C. - Marius, C. (1972-3). Vegetation maps of Kahuzi-Biéga. - Michel, F. and Kabemba, A. (1986). Enquête sur la chasse aux alentours du parc de Kahuzi-Biéga(Zaïre). La Lettre du Reseau Arbres Tropicaux. April. 20 pp. - Musiti, B.,Ma-Oyisenzoo, M.,& Dorken, G. (1997). Le Parc Nationale de Kahuzi-Biéga, Future Reserve de Bisosphere. Document de Travail No.20, UNESCO / MAB. - Redmond, I.(2001). Coltan Boom, Gorilla Bust. The Impact of Coltan Mining on Gorillas and Other Wildlife in Eastern D.R. Congo. Report for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe & the Born Free Foundation. - Said, M., Chunge,R., Craig,G., Thouless,C., Barnes,R.& Dublin,H. (1995). African Elephant Database 1995. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. 225pp. - Shalukoma, C. (2000). News from Kuhuzi-Biega. Gorilla Journal 21:3-4. - Steinhauer-Burkart, B., Mühlenberg, M.& Slowik, J. (1995) Kahuzi-Biéga National Park. IZCN/GTZ. 54pp. - UNEP (2001). International Initiative to Save Great Apes.Press Release, May, Nairobi, Kenya. - UNESCO (1997). State of Conservation of Natural World Heritage Properties. A report prepared for the World Heritage Bureau 21st session, 23-28th June 1997. - UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2000) Report on the 23rd Session of the World Heritage Committee. Paris. - UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2001) Report on the 24th Session of the World Heritage Committee. Paris. - UNESCO World Heritage Committee (2002) Report on the 25th Session of the World Heritage Committee. Paris. - United Nations (2001). Report of the Panel of Experts on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and other Forms of Wealth of the Democratic Republic of Congo. U.N.Security Council, New York. - United Nations (2001). Addendum to the Report of the UN Expert Panel on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and other Forms of Wealth of the D.R.C. U.N.Security Council, New York. - United States Department of State (USDS), Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (2003). Congo Basin Forest Partnership - U.S.Contribution. - Wilson J. and Catsis, M. (1990). A Preliminary Survey of the Forests of the 'Itombwe' Mountains and the Kahuzi-Biega National Park Extension, East Zaire,1989. WWF project 3902 with FFPS, IZCN & the Co-ordination - Régionale (Region du Kivu) de l'Environnement, Conservation de la Nature et Tourism. - World Heritage Bureau. (1979). Nomination to Unesco for Kahuzi-Biéga National Park. UNESCO, Paris. - Yamagiwa, J., Mwanza,N ., Spangenberg, A., Maruhashi, T.Yumoto, T., Fischer, A. & Steinhauer-Burkart, B. (1993). A census of the eastern lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla graueri, in Kahuzi-Biega National Park with reference to mountain gorillas G g.beringei in the Virunga region, Zaire. Biol. Conservation 64(1):83-89. Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, the United Nations Environment Programme- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC). Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of Earth may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from the United Nations Environment Programme- World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) should not be construed as support for or endorsement by that organization for any new information added by EoE personnel, or for any editing of the original content.
Health effects of hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) HDI is the common name for hexamethylene diisocyanate. It is also known as 1,6-hexamethylene diisocyanate, 1,6-diisocyanatohexane, Mondur HX, and Desmodur H. It is a pale yellow liquid with a strong odor. HDI is found in hardening agents for automobile paints. Pathways for HDI in the environment HDI is most often found in air near locations where spray paints that contain it as a hardening agent are used. HDI in the air can enter the soil and water. HDI can also enter the soil if products containing it are dumped directly onto the soil. HDI can enter the water supply by washing out of soil that contains it or if products with HDI are dumped directly into water. Once it is in soil or water, HDI does not easily evaporate, so general air pollution is not expected. HDI breaks down very quickly in water or sunlight, so it probably will not build up in the environment. Exposure to HDI The most common products that contain HDI are called hardening agents and are used to spray-paint cars. The most common way a person can be exposed to HDI is by breathing air that contains it as a vapor or mist, like that made when spray-painting a car. Most of the people who are exposed to HDI work in the automotive painting industry or in areas where this is done. If you do this kind of work, you can be exposed to more HDI if you do not wear the right protective safety equipment such as a respirator or mask. If your safety equipment does not fit right or does not work properly when you are using products that contain HDI, you may be exposed to larger amounts. You can probably absorb some HDI through your skin. You could also accidentally swallow HDI if it is on your hands and you do not wash them before eating, drinking, or smoking. Unless you have been employed in the automobile refinishing or other business where painters manually mix two-component polyurethane paint systems, it is unlikely that you will be exposed to large amounts of HDI. Pathways for HDI in the body The most common way HDI enters your body is by breathing air that has it in it. You can probably absorb some HDI through your skin, and you can also accidentally swallow HDI if it is on your hands and you do not wash them before eating, drinking, or smoking. Once inside your body, HDI breaks down very quickly and is quickly excreted in the urine. Some HDI can attach itself to protein in your blood, but we do not know how long it takes for this form of HDI to break down and be excreted. Health effects of HDI To protect the public from the harmful effects of toxic chemicals and to find ways to treat people who have been harmed, scientists use many tests. You should know that one way to learn whether a chemical will harm people is to determine how the body absorbs, uses, and releases the chemical. For some chemicals, animal testing may be necessary. Animal testing may also help identify such health effects as cancer or birth defects. Without laboratory animals, scientists would lose a basic method for getting information needed to make wise decisions that protect public health. Scientists have the responsibility to treat research animals with care and compassion. Scientists must comply with strict animal care guidelines because laws today protect the welfare of research animals. Additionally, there are vigorous national and international efforts to develop alternatives to animal testing. The efforts focus on both in vitro and in silico approaches and methods. For example, the National Toxicology Program (NTP) at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) created the NTP Interagency Center for the Evaluation of Alternative Toxicological Methods (NICEATM) in 1998. The role of NICEATM is to serve the needs of high quality, credible science by facilitating development and validation—and regulatory and public acceptance—of innovative, revised test methods that reduce, refine, and replace the use of animals in testing while strengthening protection of human health, animal health and welfare, and the environment. In Europe, similar efforts at developing alternatives to animal based testing are taking place under the aegis of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM). How HDI affects your health depends on how much is in the air you breathe. Tests using laboratory animals showed that breathing in high concentrations of HDI can irritate the nose, eyes, and throat. High concentrations have also caused pneumonia, difficulty in breathing, and death in some animals. Swallowing high concentrations of HDI also killed laboratory animals. When placed on the skin of these animals, HDI caused redness, irritation, and irreversible skin damage. People would probably be affected in many of the same ways if they were exposed to large amounts of HDI in air. Many people who breathe in vapors from products with small amounts of HDI for many months or many years may develop an allergic, asthma-like reaction. Symptoms usually develop very slowly over a long time (months or years), but they can also develop within a couple of weeks after first breathing in HDI. At low concentrations, sensitized workers develop a burning sensation and a feeling of tightness in the chest, a cough (with and without phlegm), fever, and chills. They have a hard time breathing during their work day when using a product containing HDI. These signs usually are not seen on weekends, during vacations, or any time the person is not using a product that contains HDI. These reactions usually begin again soon after the person returns to work and begins to use the product with HDI. Some studies in laboratory animals showed that, when breathed in over a long time, HDI did not produce cancer. No studies that show that HDI can cause cancer in people have been found. Medical tests for exposure to HDI Before you ask for special medical tests for HDI, you should talk with your doctor and tell him you work in a place that uses products that contain HDI. There are no good medical tests for finding out if you have been exposed to HDI. Some tests are available that measure the antibodies against HDI your body makes after you have been exposed to it. However, these blood tests are not very good because they can react with other substances that look like HDI in your blood. The test can show that you have been exposed to HDI when really you have not been exposed to it (false positives). Also, some people do not develop antibodies to HDI after they have been exposed. Another test looks for the breakdown products of HDI in the urine. This test is only good if you were exposed to HDI within the last 12–15 hours. It is not a good test to find out if you have been exposed to low amounts of HDI over many months or years. Unless you have been employed in the automobile refinishing or other business where painters manually mix two-component polyurethane paint systems, it is unlikely that you have been exposed to significant amounts of HDI. Your doctor can give you more information on medical tests that are available for determining if you have been exposed to HDI. Disclaimer: This article is taken wholly from, or contains information that was originally published by, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Topic editors and authors for the Encyclopedia of Earth may have edited its content or added new information. The use of information from the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry should not be construed as support for or endorsement by that organization for any new information added by EoE personnel, or for any editing of the original content.
“The doctor of the future will give no medicines, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the causes and prevention of disease.” ~Thomas Edison The heart is an amazing organ that pumps blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated rhythmic contractions. It was once thought to be the seat or center of our emotions and this of course may have led to the numerous songs, poetries, and stories written about it. More importantly, however, because of the role it plays, one cannot help but to see it as the essence or the central core of our being. In fact, this is borne out in the scriptures according to Matthew 22:35, when Jesus was asked by a lawyer, “Which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and all thy mind.” Now, it is said that the average human heart beats 72 times a minute, 100,000 times a day, 3,600,000 times a year, and 2.5 billion times during an average life span of 66 years. The truth is the heart is a vital organ within the body and if ignored it will be to our own peril. Therefore, it behooves us to treated it with care and protection. The following tips are 10 ways to make a start in caring for your heart and nurturing it to good health. Physical exercise enhances our physical fitness and overall health and wellness. This should not be ignored or else it will be to our own detriment. A 30-minute exercise each day by simply walking can help tremendously in protecting one´s heart. 2) Physical Exam One should schedule a yearly physical checkup with his or her doctor for reassurance of the status of their physical health or as a preemptive means in arresting any health problems before they become serious. 3) Eat Healthy When it comes to the affairs of the heart, a healthy diet cannot be overemphasized. Part of that includes a diet of eating healthy fats – omega-3 fatty acids as well as lots of fruits and vegetables. 4) Watch your cholesterol and blood pressure levels Ideally, one´s blood pressure should be at or below 130/85 where as triglyceride levels of 100 mg/dL (1.3mm d/L) or lower is considered optimal. To keep cholesterol levels down, one should eat foods that are low in saturated fat and trans fat. On the other hand, to lower blood pressure a cut back in slat intake is a must. 5) Take your medicines If one is taking prescription medications, it is important as a rule to comply with the instruction of one´s doctors. 6) Quit Smoking Smoking raises the demands of the heart for oxygen, increases the viscosity level of blood, limit the ability of blood to transport oxygen among other debilitating conditions. Therefore, it is important to kick the habit. 7) Be aware of your genetic connections It´s important to have some knowledge of one´s family history. If several close relatives within one´s family experienced a heart attack before age 60, one´s risk of a heart attack is increasingly higher; therefore, one should pay keen attention to the major risk factors for a heart attack. 8) Drink Water Studies have shown that drinking six to eight-ounce glasses of water a day can contribute to the improvement of one´s overall health. 9) Avoid Chronic Stress Our bodies react to stress by producing hormones such as cortisol and adrenaline. The outpouring of stress hormones can be debilitating and harmful,so it is important that one avoids unnecessary stress by limiting one´s exposure to bad news and stressful situation. Thinking positively helps! 10) Control your weight Reducing and maintaining control of one´s weight is an important first step en route to having a healthy heart. This of course means eating less calories and engaging in some form of physical activities.
Simi Valley - Santa Susana Mountains (Bailey) Lithology and Stratigraphy This subsection contains mostly Tertiary sedimentary rocks and Quaternary alluvium. More specifically, there are Cretaceous, Eocene, Miocene, and Pliocene marine and Oligocene and Plio-Pleistocene nonmarine sedimentary rocks. Miocene volcanic rocks also occur on and around Conejo Mountain, between the Simi Hills and the Oxnard Plain. This is a subsection of steep mountains; moderately steep to steep hills; and nearly level to gently sloping floodplains, terraces, and alluvial fans. The Santa Susana Mountains, Oak Ridge, and Simi Valley are oriented east-west. There are eroded Tertiary sedimentary rocks, or badlands, in both the Santa Susana Mountains and the Simi Hills. The subsection elevation range is about 200 to 3750 feet. Mass wasting and fluvial erosion and deposition are the main geomorphic processes. The soils are mostly Lithic and shallow Typic Xerorthents; Calcixerollic Xerochrepts; and Lithic, Typic, Pachic, and Calcic Pachic Haploxerolls. Fluventic Haploxerolls are common in recent alluvium. There are Typic Argixerolls, Mollic Haploxeralfs, and Abruptic Durixeralfs on terraces and old alluvial fans. The soils are well drained. Carbonates accumulate in some of the soils. Soil temperature regimes are thermic, and soil moisture regimes are mostly xeric. The predominant natural plant communities include California sagebrush series, Mixed sage series, Chamise series, Mixed scrub oak series, and Coast live oak series. Valley oak series is common on recent alluvial plains, and there is some Bigcone Douglas-fir - canyon live oak series on north-facing slopes at higher elevations. There are small areas of California walnut series. Characteristic series by lifeform include: - Grasslands: California annual grassland series. Shrublands: Bigpod ceanothus series, Black sage series, California buckwheat series, California buckwheat - white sage series, California sagebrush series, California sagebrush - black sage series, California sagebrush series - California buckwheat series, Chamise series, Chamise - black sage series, Coyote brush series, Mixed sage series, Mixed scrub oak series, Purple sage series, Scrub oak series, Scrub oak - chamise series, White sage series. Forests and woodlands: California bay series, California sycamore series, California walnut series, Coast live oak series, Bigcone Douglas-fir - canyon live oak series, Valley oak series. The mean annual precipitation is about 16 to 20 inches. It is practically all rain. Mean annual temperature is about 52° to 62° F. The mean freeze-free period is about 275 to 325 days. Runoff is rapid and all streams are generally dry during the summer. There are no natural lakes.
Molecular Biology and Genetics Statistics of barcoding coverage Specimens with Sequences:10 Specimens with Barcodes:8 Species With Barcodes:1 \|This article has an unclear citation style. (December 2014)\| Frédéric Georges Cuvier first described Ailurus as belonging to the raccoon family in 1825; this classification has been controversial ever since. It was classified in the raccoon family (Procyonidae) because of morphological similarities of the head, colored ringed tail, and other morphological and ecological characteristics. Then, it was assigned to the bear family (Ursidae). Molecular phylogenetic studies show that, as an ancient species in the order Carnivora, the Red Panda is relatively close to the American Raccoon and may be either a monotypic family or a subfamily within the procynonid family. An in-depth mitochondrial DNA population analysis study stated: “According to the fossil record, the Red Panda diverged from its common ancestor with bears about 40 million years ago (Mayr 1986). With this divergence, by comparing the sequence difference between the red panda and the raccoon, the observed mutation rate for the red panda was calculated to be on the order of 109, which is apparently an underestimate compared with the average rate in mammals. This underestimation is probably due to multiple recurrent mutations as the divergence between the red panda and the raccoon is extremely deep.” The most recent molecular-systematic DNA research places the red panda into its own independent family, Ailuridae. Ailuridae are, in turn, part of a trichotomy within the broad superfamily Musteloidea (Flynn et al., 2001) that also includes the Mephitidae + Mustelidae (skunks + weasels) and the Procyonidae (raccoons); but it is not a bear (Ursidae). Red Pandas have no close living relatives, and their nearest fossil ancestors, Parailurus, lived 3-4 million years ago. There may have been as many as three different species of Parailurus, all larger and more robust in the head and jaw, living in Europe and Asia but possibly crossing the Bering Strait into the Americas. The red panda may be the sole surviving species - a specialized offshoot surviving the Ice Age in a Chinese mountain refuge. - Family Ailuridae - Genus Protursus (†) - Protursus simpsoni - ?Subfamily Amphictinae - Subfamily Simocyoninae (†) - Subfamily Ailurinae - Genus Protursus (†) - Mayr, E (1986). "Uncertainty in Science: is the Giant panda a bear or a raccoon?". Nature 323 (6091): 769–771. doi:10.1038/323769a0. PMID 3774006. - Zhang, YP & Ryder, OA (1993). "Mitochondrial DNA sequence evolution in the Arctoidea". Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 90 (20): 9557–9561. doi:10.1073/pnas.90.20.9557. PMC 47608. PMID 8415740. - Slattery JP & O'Brien, SJ (1995). "Molecular phylogeny of the red panda (Ailurus fulgens)". J. Hered. 86 (6): 413–422. PMID 8568209. - Li, WH (1997). Molecular Evolution. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer. - "Whence the Red Panda". Retrieved 2007-02-25. - Roberts, MS & Gittleman, JL (1984). "Ailurus fulgens". Mammalian Species (American Society of Mammalogists) 222 (222): 1–8. doi:10.2307/3503840. JSTOR 3503840. - McKenna, MC & Bell SK (1997). Classification of Mammals Above the Species Level. Columbia University Press. - Peigné, S., M. Salesa, M. Antón, and J. Morales (2005). "Ailurid carnivoran mammal Simocyon from the late Miocene of Spain and the systematics of the genus". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 50: 219–238. - Salesa, M., M. Antón, S. Peigné, and J. Morales (2006). "Evidence of a false thumb in a fossil carnivore clarifies the evolution of pandas". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103 (2): 379–382. doi:10.1073/pnas.0504899102. PMC 1326154. PMID 16387860. - Wallace, SC & Wang, X (2004). "Two new carnivores from an unusual late Tertiary forest biota in eastern North Americ". Nature 431 (7008): 556–559. doi:10.1038/nature02819. PMID 15457257. - Davis, Davis D. (1964). “The Giant Panda: A Morphological Study of Evolutionary Mechanisms.“ Zoology Memoirs. Vol. 3:1-339. - Decker D.M. and W.C. Wozencraft. (1991). “Phylogenetic Analysis of Recent Procyonid Genera.“ Journal of Mammalogy. Vol. 72 (1): 42-55. - Flynn, J.J. and G.D. Wesley Hunt. (2005a). “Carnivora.“ in The Rise of Placental Mammals: Origin, Timing and Relationships of the Major Extant Clades, by D. Archibold and K. Rose. Baltimore. ISBN 0-8018-8022-X - Flynn, John J., et al. (2005b). “Molecular phylogeny of the Carnivora (Mammalia): ASS-ASS the impact of increased sampling to on resolving enigmatic relationships.“ Systematic Biology. Vol. 54 (2):1-21. - Flynn, John J. Flynn, Michael A. Nedbal, J.W. Dragoo, and R.L. Honeycutt. (1998) "Whence the Red Panda?" Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. Vol. 17, No. 2, November 2000, pp. 190–199. - Glatston, A.R. (1989). Talk Panda Biology. The Hague. ISBN 90-5103-026-6 - Glatston, A.R. (compiler) (1994). “The Red Panda, Olingos, Coatis, Raccoons, and their Relatives: Status survey and conservation action plan for Procyonids and Ailurids.” - IUCN/SSC Mustelid, Viverrid, and Procyonid Specialist Group. IUCN/SSC, Gland, Switzerland. - Gregory, W.K. (1936). “On the Phylogenetic Relationships of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda) to other Arctoid Carnivores.“ American Museum Novitates. Vol. 878:1-29. - Hu, J.C. (1990). “Proceedings of studies of the red panda.” Chinese Scientific Publishing, Beijing, China [in Chinese]. - Wilson, Don E. and DeeAnn M. Reeder. (2005). Mammal of Species of the World. Johns Hopkins University press. ISBN 0-8018-8221-4. To request an improvement, please leave a comment on the page. Thank you!
How to Build Firefly Habitat Gardeners often don’t realize gardens make for great firefly habitat, helping to replace lost natural habitat. The common firefly — the Big Dipper firefly (Photinus pyralis) — readily takes to an organic habitat. The trick is to make your garden as inviting as possible for fireflies to take up residence. Gardens are meccas for food fireflies eat. If you have fought off snails, slugs, various insects, worms then fireflies can lend a hand by helping to control these pests. Fireflies spend up to 95% of their lives in larval stages. They live in soil/mud/leaf litter and spend from 1-2 years growing until finally pupating to become adults. This entire time they eat anything they can find. As adults, they only live 2-4 weeks. Females that have mated successfully need a place to lay eggs. They will lay eggs in many spots, but gardens offer an oasis with a source of soil moisture good for larval development. Some inventive tips for attracting fireflies: - Don’t rake leaves and put them on the curb. You are raking up firefly larvae and throwing them away. - Collect bags of leaves to make “Bag Compost”. Collect 5-15 bags. - Wet bags down in a shady lawn area. Keep moist/wet for 3-6 months or up to a year. - Bags will attract snails/slugs. This is food for growing fireflies. - In Spring, put bag compost in your garden. Put it in mounds and till it into your soil. - Repeat each year. It might take as long as 5 years, or as quick as that same year, to get fireflies in your garden. Other ways to help attract fireflies: - Assess your soil health. - If you have poor soil, introduce nutrients such as bag compost, leaves, and organic matter. - Till your soil. Tilling adds some aeration and prevents soil from compacting. - Avoid use of broad spectrum pesticides, especially lawn chemicals. - Turn off outside lights and advocate for local “Dark Skies” policies to control light pollution. - Buy land to protect species. - Let log and leaf litter accumulate. Segment an area of your land/yard to remain in a natural state. - Plant trees and native grasses. Grasses and forbs help retain soil moisture. - Don’t over-mow your lawn.
A low oxygen pressure in the environment surrounding the gametes, zygotes, and vertebrate embryos during development seems to have been retained in the course of evolution. We hypothesize that this is because it protects the vulnerable developing tissues from the damages caused by the action of reactive oxygen species. Various structural and physiological mechanisms which are usually regarded as reducing oxygen transport efficiency have been described in the literature. However, they can also be regarded as a means of ensuring that only the required amounts of oxygen at the lowest oxygen pressure possible are transported to the embryonic tissues. Cellular and molecular adaptations for coping with reactive oxygen species directly and with the damage they cause are also described. We present data on antioxidant enzymatic activity as measured in pregnant rat organs, placentae, and embryonic organs exposed to norrnoxic, hyperoxic, and hypoxic conditions during the last week of pregnancy, and compare them with nonpregnant rats under the same conditions. The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase were measured. Our data, together with the literature data, can be interpreted as providing evidence for control of reactive oxygen species in the embryo, using anatomical and physiological mechanisms. These mechanisms may limit the need to express cellular or biochemical defenses during embryonic life. An increased expression of antioxidant enzymatic activity is noted towards birth and postnatal life. We conclude that the relatively hypoxic environment in the embryo during development is controlled at the physiologicallevel. It maintains a low-level reactive oxygen species stress on the dividing cells and the differentiating tissues, and decreases the risk of oxidative damage. The overall level of antioxidant activity found in normal conditions in embryos is low because it is less needed under such protected conditions. Embryonic gene expression of antioxidant enzymes develops in proportion to the degree of exposure to the reactive oxygen species environment (which increases with embryonic oxygen consumption) and in preparation for the oxygen-rich environment after birth.
US 5398331 A A computing system constructed of multiple processing elements containing private storage, attached to a shared global storage, is called a closely-coupled system. Each processing element may be a single processing unit (PU) with private storage, or a tightly coupled multi-processor unit with private storage. Either type of processing element will be referred to as a Central Processor Complex (CPC), the computing system complex as a whole is referred to as a sysplex. IBM ESA/390 processors provide examples of both single and multi-processor CPC's. For a highly-available shared storage for data-sharing in a multi-processing element environment, highly-available shared storage is provided by a duplexed controllers with non-volatile storage, which is accessed by tightly connected Processing Elements as a single logical copy. Our duplexed controllers provide not only the shared data but also the control information necessary for multi-Processing Element data management with speed-matching processor. The duplexed controllers, including a primary and backup controller, are always synchronized to execute each message command to ensure that they do not diverge. Each controller of the duplexed controller receives its own command from a Processing Element and reaches consensus with other controller to synchronize command execution and return a response code to the Processing Element. To sequence and synchronize the command execution by each of the duplexed controller, a tightly-synchronized Sysplex timer is used to time-stamp each command and response so that the duplexed controllers will run in synchronism. When an "out of sync" condition is detected by a SSC, the monitoring information of SSC and integrated SP, and the result of diagnostics are used to determine the faulty SSC of a the duplexed SSC. 1. A computer system comprising: first and second storage controllers; and processor means for generating identical sequences of commands and sending said identical sequences to both of said storage controllers, each of said storage controllers being linked to said processor means to receive the respective sequence of commands without said respective sequence of commands first passing through the other storage controller; and wherein said first storage controller includes verification means for communicating with said second storage controller to verify that said second storage controller has received a same command as said first storage controller in said sequence and will execute said same command as said first storage controller next; and each of said storage controllers includes means, responsive to the verification, for executing said same command next. 2. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said verification means also communicates with said second storage controller to verify that both of said storage controllers have executed a last command preceding said same command before each executing means executes said same command. 3. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said verification means also verifies when both of said storage controllers have completed execution of said same command, and said first storage controller includes means, responsive to the verification of execution completion, for sending a completion signal to said processor means. 4. A computer system as set forth in claim 3 wherein said verification means also determines when an error condition has occurred during execution of said same command in said first storage controller, and the sending means responds to successful completion of execution of said same command in said second storage controller and an error condition during execution of said same command in said first storage controller, by sending a completion signal to said processor means. 5. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said verification means also verifies when both of said storage controllers agree on an ending status of execution of said same command, and said first storage controller further comprises sending means, responsive to said agreement, for signalling said ending status to said processor means. 6. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said processor means provides a time stamp with each command in said sequence such that respective commands of said identical sequences have a same time stamp; and said verification means verifies that said same command to be executed next by said second storage controller includes a same time stamp as said same command to be executed next by said first storage controller. 7. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 further comprising: first and second storage devices respectively coupled to and controlled by said first and second storage controllers; and wherein said commands include writes to said storage devices. 8. A computer system as set forth in claim 1 wherein said processor means comprises first and second processors, said first processor generating said sequence of commands and passing said sequence to said second processor, and said second processor replicating said sequence of commands to generate said identical sequences of commands. 9. A computer system as set forth in claim 8 wherein said second processor is an input/output processor and said first processor executes a user's application program. 10. A method for executing commands to generate dual copies of data, said method comprising the steps of: a processor generating identical sequences of commands and sending said identical sequences to first and second storage controllers, each of said storage controllers receiving the respective sequence of commands without said respective sequence of commands first passing through the other storage controller; said first storage controller communicating with said second storage controller to verify that said second storage controller has received a same command as said first storage controller in said sequence and will execute said same command as said first storage controller next; and each of said storage controllers responding to the verification by executing said same command next. 11. A method system as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first storage controller also communicates with said second storage controller to verify that both of said storage controllers have executed a last command preceding said same command before each storage controller executes said same command. 12. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first storage controller also verifies when both of said storage controllers have completed execution of said same command; and said first storage controller, responds to the verification of execution completion, by sending a completion signal to the processor. 13. A method as set forth in claim 12 wherein said first storage controller also determines when an error condition has occurred during execution of said same command in said first storage controller, and responds to successful completion of execution of said same command in said second storage controller and an error condition during execution of said same command in said first storage controller, by sending a completion signal to said processor. 14. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein said first storage controller also verifies when both of said storage controllers agree on an ending status of execution of said same command, and said first storage controller responds to said agreement, by signalling said ending status to said processor. 15. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein said processor provides a time stamp with each command in said sequence such that respective commands of said identical sequences have a same time stamp; and said first storage controller verifies that said same command to be executed next by said second storage controller includes a same time stamp as said same command to be executed next by said first storage controller. 16. A method as set forth in claim 10 further comprising the step of said first and second storage controllers controlling first and second storage devices, respectively; and wherein said commands include writes to said storage devices. 17. A method as set forth in claim 10 wherein said processor is an I/O processor and further comprising the step of linking a host processor to said I/O processor, and further comprising the steps of said host processor generating said sequence of commands and passing said sequence to said I/O processor, and said I/O processor replicating said sequence of commands to generate said identical sequences of commands. 18. A method as set forth in claim 17 wherein said host processor executes a user's application program. This invention relates to a computing system apparatus and particularly to a storage controller for a cluster or sysplex of processing elements. The assignee of this application, International Business Machines Corporation, Armonk, N.Y., is also the assignee of a co-pending application, namely, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/754,815 filed Sep. 4, 1991 by B. Glendening, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Timer Synchronization in a Logically Partitioned Data Processing System." This co-pending application is incorporated by reference. While dictionary meanings are also implied by certain terms used here, the following glossary of some terms may be useful. __________________________________________________________________________Sysplex A cluster of multiple processors.Central Processor Complex (CPC) An individual processing element or functional unit of a Sysplex.SSC Shared storage controller as described herein.TOD Time of day clock.SP Integrated support processor which performs monitoring and logging of operations of a CPC.ETR External timer reference unit which provides tightly syn- chronized time of day TOD for all units of our sysplex.ISC Intersystem channel which is the pathway between the processing elements and the controllers. There is also one pathway between the dual controllers. The pathway pro- vides the coupling of functional units of the computer system. A bus is the internal connection within the func- tional unit and is a channel.IOP I/O processor which can be one of the functional units or processing element in both the SSC and CPC for control- ling I/O channel operations.DASD Disk memory system.Message A request or response with data and control information.Glossary term two Description of Glossary term two.__________________________________________________________________________ A cluster of host computing systems attached to a global shared storage unit is called System Complex, or Sysplex. With each host computing system running with a single operating system, the Sysplex will have a multisystem operating system. Each host computing system consists of processors with its channel I/O devices is referred to as a Central Processor Complex (CPC). One kind of sysplex system has been described in the referenced application assigned to the International Business Machines Corporation, U.S. Ser. No. 07/754,815 filed Sep. 4, 1991 by B. Glendening, entitled "Method and Apparatus for Timer Synchronization in a Logically Partitioned Data Processing System." A sysplex timer is used to provide synchronization among multiple hosts. Closely-coupled systems with a global shared storage communicate and synchronize the operations of the total system through the shared memory. A highly-available closely coupled-system requires all the critical system components be designed to tolerate faults and be highly-available. The global shared data is a critical system component on which all the connected CPCs depend, therefore it is imperative that the global shared storage controller and its data be highly-available. The shared storage controller (SSC)is used not only as repository of customer's data for critical data base application, but also providing control information to manage multiple systems. Loss of the shared data in a SSC is a disaster that customer can ill afford. With this shared controller's design, the primary and backup SSC can be physically separated so that failures of a SSC is unlikely to propagate to the other controller. The prior art approach to the highly available shared storage controller used fault-tolerant design with multiple processors operating in lock-step synchronism or a dual-copy system controlled by a CPC. The lock-step synchronized multiple processor approach requires unduly complex hardware and costly development to maintain synchronization and compare or vote on results. Processors with high built-in error-detection circuits do not need to depend on the lock-step design of processors to detect faults. Faults occurring during normal operation will be detected quickly by the error-detecting hardware. Many previous designs of dual-copy systems provide a duplicate copy of data by writing the data to the primary device and the secondary device. It is a straight-forward approach of maintaining two copies of data in two devices. One kind of dual copy function has been described in the IBM TDB by J. T. Robinson in the article called "Method for Scheduling Writes in a Duplexed DASD Subsystem", TDB vol. 29 Oct. 5, 1986, pp 2102-2107. Another dual copy function has been described by B. H. Berger in IBM docket TU986013 titled "Maintaining duplex paired devices by means of a dual copy function". The current invention provides not only dual copy of shared data but also maintaining data coherency of shared data by the SSC for all CPCs. To achieve dual copy function of shared data, the current invention employs technique of parallel execution of message commands in duplexed shared storage controllers, (SSC) with synchronization being performed between the primary and secondary controllers instead of by the originating CPC. The command execution is sequenced and synchronized at the SSC using timestamp values from a tightly-synchronized TOD which is transmitted to all the CPC's and SSC. One of the major roadblocks in designing synchronized duplexed controller or processor is the difficulty in determining the faulty processor after a failure. An "out of sync" condition or timeout of an operation in either controller is usually not sufficient to determine the faulty processor, especially for complex mainframe processors. There are obscure error conditions that may cause the loosely synchronized operation to lose synchronization, and they can not be easily detected by the processor itself. This invention has a novel feature of using an integrated support processor (SP) of each CPC and SSC to monitor and diagnose the abnormal conditions of processor operations in each synchronization interval. That monitoring information will significantly enhance the diagnosis of faulty processor by SSC when an "out of sync" is detected during an message operation. It is also the object of the present invention to repair a failing page of shared storage in controller. A corrupted storage page will be repaired by copying good data from the same virtual address of the other controller. The recovery action will be transparent to programs of both controllers and connected CPCs. We have provided a highly-available shared storage for data-sharing in a multi-processing element environment. The highly-available shared storage is provided by a duplexed controllers with non-volatile storage, which is accessed by tightly connected Processing Elements as a single logical copy. Our duplexed controllers provide not only the shared data but also the control information necessary for multi-Processing Element data management with speed-matching processor. Our duplexed controllers, including a primary and backup controller, are always synchronized to execute each message command to ensure that they do not diverge. Each controller of the duplexed controller receives its own command from a Processing Element and reaches consensus with other controller to synchronize command execution and return a response code to the Processing Element. To sequence and synchronize the command execution by each of the duplexed controller, a tightly-synchronized Sysplex timer is used to time-stamp each command and response so that the duplexed controllers will run in synchronism. In accordance with our invention and to achieve the above objects we have provided a storage controller system for a sysplex or cluster of many multi-processor elements with non-volatile data storage. The duplexed controllers are tightly coupled with a interchannel coupling to a cluster of computing systems. Each of the the two storage controllers is separately powered and identically configured. We have provided an integrated service processor SP which is used for monitoring and logging any exceptional conditions and error events in said storage controllers for each synchronization interval. This SP provides assistance in diagnosis of a faulty storage controller when an "out of sync" condition is detected. Each of the dual storage controllers with a latch setting defines a role for that storage controller as a primary or backup controller. The synchronization mechanism provided by the primary and backup controllers for each message command execution produce a dual copy of non-volatile shared data for all the connected processing elements. We have provided in our preferred embodiment a tightly synchronized time of day clock functioning as a timer for all the sysplex computing systems to provide a consistent time of day view across the computing systems and storage controller for use in sequencing the command execution and for synchronizing message operation responses. Duplex parallel execution of each command received from the processing element is synchronized for duplex parallel execution and synchronization points are established during command execution in the primary and the backup controller, and at each synchronization point, our SCS controller and the coupled integrated service processor examines the commands and responses to ensure that the duplexed storage controller system operates in synchronism. Other features and improvements will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings. FIG. 1 shows schematically an overview of the Sysplex configuration with a duplexed SSC and particularly shows the connections of the SSC to multiple CPCs in data-sharing environment. FIG. 2 shows the intersystem channel connections between the duplexed SSC and the CPCs. In a closely-coupled multi-system for data-sharing, a cluster of independent central processing complexes (CPC) are connected to a common shared-storage controller (SSC) which provides access to shared data and controls of shared resources for data coherency. Each CPC is running with a separate copy of operating system. In this multi-system structure, the systems cooperatively work together to provide a single system image and allow this image to be managed as a single entity to users and other remote computer systems in a network. The coordination of use of shared data and workload require communication through the SSC to maintain data integrity. The major components of a sysplex include CPCs, sysplex timer, and shared storage controller as shown in FIG. 1 on page 1. The SSC is a duplexed controller which consists of two identically-configured and separately powered controllers. Functionally, one controller of the duplexed controller will be designated as the primary controller and the other as backup controller. The primary SSC and its backup are physically separated so that one of the SSC can serve as backup controller. The backup controller provides redundancy of data, and will operate as the primary controller in simplex mode should the primary controller fails. Also included in the system configuration is an external timer reference (ETR) unit which provides a centralized fault-tolerant time reference which is used in maintaining Time of Day (TOD) synchronism for all the CPC's and SSC. The ETR unit provides redundant time transmissions to every connected processors using dedicated fiber optic cables. Adaptive link tuning by the ETR unit to accommodate cable and processor implementation differences holds TOD skew between the CPC's to a well defined limit. The tightly-synchronized timer is used to sequence message command execution by SSCs for all connected CPC's. FIG. 2 on page 2 shows intersystem channel (ISC) that connects each CPC with the duplexed SSC. Two point-to-point ISC links are provided from each CPC to a duplexed SSC. The ISC consists of fiber optic transceivers and a microprocessor for control of data movement and interrupts. It also communicates with the IOP which initiates command. In addition to the links between the CPCs and the SSC, another intersystem channel link is also provided for command synchronization between the primary and backup SSC. Each CPC mainly consists of ESA/390 processors and its service processor. The ESA/390 processors consists of CP's (central processors) and IOP (I/O processor). The SSC is built with the same ESA/390 processors as the CPC for speed matching with the addition of battery and DASD which provide non-volatile storage for the SSC. The battery provides continued power for brief power supply outage. Storage contents will be saved to the DASD when a prolonged power outage occurs. From a system viewpoint, a Send Message instruction is used by a CPC to access the external shared storage in the SSC. The send message instruction can be executed either synchronously or asynchronously. During a synchronous instruction execution, the CP waits until all the SSC operations started by send message are completed. If the instruction is executed asynchronously, the CP passes initiative to the IOP to send a request to the SSC. The CP will proceed to execute the next instruction while the IOP continues its message operation. The ending status received subsequently by IOP will be returned to CP. Architecturally, the send message instruction is required to pass a message control block (MCB) to the SSC and a response of MRB (message response block) to conclude an message instruction. Optional data may be sent. Two types of message operations can be initiated: read/write message operations initiated by CPC and secondary operations initiated by SSC. When a send message instruction is initiated, the CP will signal the IOP which issues a SIGW command to the ISC with specified LCB. During the execution of an message instruction, the CP/IOP code formats the requests into a set of command block called LCB (link control block) which includes ICB (Intersystem channel command block) and buffers. The LCB contains a set of ICB which provides storage addresses of MCB, data and MRB for the message operations. The MCB will be fetched from the main storage and forwarded to the ISC for framing and transmission to the SSC. During a command execution, requested data will also be sent. When the expected MRB is received by ISC, it is moved to the specified main storage location to complete the operation. If no errors or abnormal conditions were encountered during message operation, the CP will complete the synchronous instruction with the receipt of MRB and proceed to the next sequential instruction. For an asynchronous instruction, the IOP will report the ending condition. For the SSC-initiated fence and cross invalidation (XI) operations, a set of ICB chains will be built to handle the operations. A MCB will be sent to CPC and a response of MRB is returned to the SSC. A consistent synchronization has to be maintained between the primary and secondary SSC for each command execution. This ensures dual copy of shared data in both controllers at the completion of each command execution. For CPC-initiated read/write instructions, the synchronization points will be established when a MCB is received by the SSC and when a MRB response is to be sent to a CPC. The IOP will ensure both MRBs are received and the message operation has ended in synchronism. For secondary operations, such as SSC-initiated fence and and cross-invalidation (XI) operation, synchronization points are also established when a MCB is launched and when a MRB is received by SSC. In each synchronization point, the service processor will be signalled so that SP can begin monitoring SSC operations for an synchronization interval. When a send message instruction is issued by CP/IOP, the IOP will send one request to each of the duplexed controller. An identical MCB that is sent to both primary and secondary controllers will contain an identical TOD value beside the command code and other command-related information. Upon receipt of a MCB, the SSC will enqueue the command first, and then initiate synchronization actions. The synchronization actions begin with the primary controller which will communicate with the other controller to verify if the same command from the same CPC is received in sequence. No command execution will proceed until a consensus is reached on the command to be executed by both controllers. The primary and the backup SSC will send a MCB to the other SSC indicating the MCB to be executed next. The TOD value and command code of a MCB from the other SSC is compared against its own received MCB. It is then enqueued in the execution queue if an consensus is reached by both SSCs. During the synchronization phase, a MCB will also be checked for replicated, out of sequence and successful completion of the last command executed in SSC. This checking is to ensure all the commands previously issued by the CP/IOP of a CPC have completed successfully, and there is no missing command request between the current and the last command request. Synchronization action will also be done on MRB by both SSCs before it is being sent to the requesting CPC. Both SSCs must agree on the ending status except error conditions before the MRB is sent to the issuing IOP. For all the SSC-initiated secondary operations, the synchronization of MCB and MRB will be done in the same fashion as the CPC-initiated operations. To achieve robust communication operations, failure detection and recovery is provided for intersystem channel operations at link-level and message-level. There are also procedures that may be used to restore a failing link. For a system with two or more ISC exist between CPC and SSC, alternate ISC can be used to recover a solid link failure. For many of error conditions, the receiver is required to return a reject response code to the sender for retry. At message level, recovery can be performed for buffer area. When a reject response is received at the sender, the sender is requested to restart the transmission of the entire buffer. IOP will also ensure synchronization on MRB and MCB for read/write message operations and secondary message operations. IOP will always serialize the read/write message command with no overlapping operation. Ending status from the duplexed SSCs will be synchronized by the IOP before a response code is returned to CP. No new message command will be initiated to the SSC until the completion of the previous CP message instruction. If an IOP fails to receive a MRB or MCB within a time-out interval, error recovery at link level or message level will be attempted. Due to the complexity of the system operations, the SSCs are susceptible to certain failure modes and exceptional conditions that are difficult to distinguish the failing SSC. Beside the error data collected by each SSC, additional information is needed for the problem determination. The Service Processor integrated in the SSC will monitor SSC operations for exceptional conditions and errors for each synchronization interval (SI). The monitoring activities collect information about abnormal conditions of all CP, IOP, memory, and the power controls operations in each SSC. Additional diagnostics can also be executed, if needed to determine the health of a SSC. With this additional monitoring and diagnostics information, the service processor will be able to diagnose the causes of "out of sync" condition in a SSC. These causes may include hardware machine checks, processor stop and pause, and other hardware recovery actions. Whenever an "out of sync" condition is detected by primary or backup controller, an error interrupt will be sent to the control program in SP. The service processor will examine the status of last synchronization interval and the current operation logged by each SSC. The SP of both SSCs will exchange message via its remote SP interface for the operation status of the other SSC. If an unrecoverable error is detected in the last synchronization interval, the time-out value will be automatically extended for resynchronization of the same message operation. In all other cases, a consensus must be reached by both SPs in determining the faulty SSC. When a SSC is determined to be faulty, all the connected CPCs will be notified by the surviving SSC to quiesce. The SSC will continue to operate in non-redundant mode until all the outstanding requests have completed. The failing SSC will be quiesced and stopped, and then reset and initialized to the current state of the other SCC. During this quiesce state, the entire shared storage contents will be image-copied from the other SSC to the failed SSC. CPC will then be notified to resume operation and the duplexed SSC will be restarted in synchronism. To avoid frequent error recovery, Fault-tolerant storage will be provided for the shared storage in SSC. However, it is still susceptible to memory uncorrectable error which usually results in an "out of sync." condition. The shared storage of the SSC is addressed with virtual address. If an uncorrectable storage error is detected in a SSC during command execution, a machine check will be raised and the failing page will be deallocated. The failing SSC will signal the other SSC to obtain the data of the failing virtual address to repair the real page. After a re-synchronization action, both SSCs will return to its normal operation. While we have described our preferred embodiments of our invention, it will be understood that those skilled in the art, both now and in the future, may make various improvements and enhancements which fall within the scope of the claims which follow. These claims should be construed to maintain the proper protection for the invention first disclosed.
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. October 11, 1998 Explanation: Most stars appear only as points of light. Early last year, Betelgeuse became the second star, after our Sun, to have it surface resolved. Later last year, Mira was added to the list. Mira A is a red giant star undergoing dramatic pulsations, causing it to become more than 100 times brighter over the course of a year. Mira was discovered to be the first variable star 401 years ago today by David Fabricus. Mira can extend to over 700 times the size of our Sun, and is only 400 light-years away. The above photograph taken by the Hubble Space Telescope shows the true face of Mira. But what are we seeing? The unusual extended feature off the lower left of the star remains somewhat mysterious. Possible explanations include gravitational perturbation and/or heating from Mira's white dwarf star companion Authors & editors: NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC &: Michigan Tech. U.
Information presented in this publication is intended to provide a general understanding of the statutory and regulatory requirements governing managing asbestos. This information is not intended to replace, limit or expand upon the complete statutory and regulatory requirements found in the Illinois Environmental Protection Act and Title 35 of the Illinois Administrative Code. This fact sheet applies to privately owned homes and apartments with four or less units. If your building was at one time used for public or commercial purposes, refer to the "How Do I Manage Asbestos in My Building?" fact sheet. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in certain rocks. This mineral separates into strong, thin fibers that are not visible to the naked eye. Asbestos was commonly used in home building materials before the mid-1970s and occasionally until the late 1980s because it is strong, fire- and corrosion-resistant and a good insulator. Common uses of asbestos include the following: If the materials discussed above contain more than one percent asbestos, they are considered asbestos-containing materials (ACM). ACM can be friable or nonfriable. When dry, friable ACM can be crumbled or reduced to a powder by hand pressure and presents a greater risk to human health than nonfriable ACM. When dry, nonfriable ACM cannot be crumbled or reduced to a powder by hand pressure. If ACM is in good condition and left in place, it should not present health risks. However, if a building is going to be demolished, renovated, or remodeled, care should be taken to prevent the release of asbestos fibers into the air. Inhalation of microscopic asbestos fibers from friable ACM can cause health risks. Once inhaled, asbestos fibers can become lodged in tissue for a long time and can cause cancer. Asbestos can also cause asbestos-related diseases or problems such as asbestosis, a progressive disabling and potentially fatal disease; mesotheliona, a rare cancer of the mesothelium, a thin tissue layer that lines body cavities and surrounds internal organs; and pleural plaques, scar tissue in the chest cavity. The number of fibers a person must inhale to develop asbestos-related disease is not known. At very low exposure levels (such as being in the same room as a cracked tile containing asbestos), the risks can be negligible. However, during renovation and removal activities, risks from exposure are greatly increased. Also, smoking greatly increases the risk of asbestos-related lung cancer. Almost all known cases of asbestos-related lung cancer occurred among people who smoked and were exposed to asbestos. A person must inhale asbestos fibers in order to incur any chance of developing an asbestos-related disease. Swallowing fibers does not pose a health risk. Friable ACM is present in many public and commercial buildings, schools, houses, apartment buildings, and factories built before the mid-1970s and in some buildings after the mid-1970s. If you are not sure ACM is present in your dwelling, ask people who frequently work around ACM such as plumbers, contractors and heating specialists. You can also hire an asbestos inspector. A licensed inspector may obtain samples for laboratory analysis. Call the Illinois Department of Public Health at (217) 782-3517 for a list of licensed asbestos inspectors. Although asbestos might be present in many places in your home, it is not of concern if it is maintained in an undamaged or unfriable state. This drawing can help you understand where asbestos might be located so that you can maintain household asbestos in good condition (especially when remodeling or doing household repairs) or seek professional help to properly remove it. Source: Modified from Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority. Leaving ACM in place when possible is often the best option. If friable ACM is present, you should inspect it regularly for damage, such as (1) missing or fallen sections of sprayed on fireproofing or insulation or (2) pieces hanging loose from ACM. If ACM is damaged, it can be repaired rather than removed. If ACM is damaged, you should call a trained professional to make the repairs. You should hire a qualified inspector to inspect your building for ACM prior to any renovation or demolition activities. In some cases, ACM may need to be removed during a renovation project; however, this is not required. ACM does not have to be removed if it is in good condition. Removal is often not the best option for reducing asbestos exposure. Often, it is best to leave ACM in place because disturbing it may release airborne microscopic fibers that could be inhaled. The following methods can be used to prevent the release of airborne asbestos fibers: Repair of damaged ACM such as the insulation around pipes, boilers, tanks, or ducts by wrapping the ACM with heavy tape such as duct tape. Encapsulation by treating ACM with a liquid compound called an "encapsulant" that provides a seal to prevent release of fibers. Encapsulation is not appropriate if the ACM is deteriorated or the encapsulant does not adhere to the ACM. Enclosure by constructing an airtight, impermeable, permanent barrier around the ACM. Asbestos repair materials can be purchased from suppliers listed under "Safety equipment and clothing" in the telephone book yellow pages. The National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) and other asbestos-related regulations do not apply to privately owned homes and apartments with four or less units. However, ACM should be removed prior to demolition activities and some renovation activities. A licensed contractor should remove the ACM. These contractors can be found in the telephone book yellow pages or by calling the Illinois Department of Public Health at (217) 782-3517. However, if you plan to conduct the removal yourself, you should follow the Illinois EPA recommendations listed below. For more information on ACM, call the Illinois EPA Office of Small Business Helpline toll-free at (888) EPA-1996 or the DCCA Small Business Environmental Assistance Helpline at (800) 252-3998. All calls are considered confidential and the caller can remain anonymous.
Purchasing your first steel storage container is serious business, but how important is it for you to know whether your container is constructed from austenitic, ferritic or martensitic materials? In this blog, we consider the meaning of these descriptors and how they might apply to our containers so that you can make your purchase in full confidence. This type of steel is a type of alloy, which means that it is mixed with other compounds to provide it with new and useful qualities that normal steel would not possess otherwise. Austenitic steels have austenite as their crystalline structure, which means that the steel has been alloyed with nickel or manganese and nitrogen. The effect of this on the properties of the steel is that the steel is no longer hardenable, but it is non-magnetic which can be very important for the transport of some objects. Some austenitic steels will be alloyed with molybdenum to increase resistance to certain chemicals and corrosion. It may be important for you to know what the steel in your container is alloyed with depending on your use for the container. With high levels of chromium and low carbon contents, ferritic steels are known for being stainless as well as magnetic. These steels have a different atomic structure to austenitic which is part of what defines their qualities, they still possess some similarities with austenitic, however, as neither can be hardened or strengthened, but they can be cold worked. Benefits of ferritic steels are that they are generally good for welding though some particular grades and alloys are liable to crack so caution should be exercised. Ferritic steels also tend to be less expensive than austenitic. These are a very particular brand of steel with 12% chromium and around 1.2% carbon. Unlike austenitic and ferritic, martensitic steels are hardenable, and when tempered it is often used for medical instruments. When martensitic steels are alloyed with nitrogen and nickel with lower carbon, they exhibit improved toughness, weldability and corrosion resistance. From mixing austenite and ferrite, these steels are a happy medium between two types, hence the name ‘duplex’. This allows duplex steels to enjoy qualities from both types, though often not to the same extent. For example, duplex steel may exhibit good corrosion resistance and low magnetism, but the corrosion resistance might not be as strong as a ferritic grade of steel. Also referred to as PH stainless steel, these grades are often considered an in-between of martensitic and austenitic. They are known for being able to develop very high strength and hardness when subjected to the correct heat treatment, and are considered austenitic in an annealed state, but martensitic when hardened. Annealing is when the microstructure of the metal is altered, therefore changing mechanical, electrical or magnetic properties. Annealing is typically carried out in steels to increase ductility. WEATHERING STEEL – OUR STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS Our steel containers in London are suitable for a range of day-to-day activities and can be altered to suit your particular needs. For example, we use a resistant paint on the exterior of your container (primer finish semi-gloss C5000) if your purchase involves the transport of goods across the sea, or to provide extra protection against the weather. Most shipping containers are made from steels which have been designed with high weathering capabilities, meaning that they will withstand natural corrosion to provide users with a lasting and eco-friendly product. Our containers are manufactured from corten steel, so called for its cor-rosion resistance, and ten-sile strength. Weathering steel is perfect for a shipping container because it will successfully protect the goods within by forming a protective layer of rust on the outer surface. This rust does not penetrate through to interior layers of the container and will act as a shell against further corrosion. If you have any more questions regarding how our containers are constructed, then please take a moment to review our specifications. Alternatively, you can contact us for more information or a quick quote.
March 9, 2016 (CNN) – The U.S. military is spending millions on an advanced implant that would allow a human brain to communicate directly with computers. If it succeeds, cyborgs will be a reality. The Pentagon’s research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), hopes the implant will allow humans to directly interface with computers, which could benefit people with aural and visual disabilities, such as veterans injured in combat. The views, opinions and positions expressed by these authors and blogs are theirs and do not necessarily represent that of the Bioethics Research Library and Kennedy Institute of Ethics or Georgetown University.
Mindfulness \| Acceptance and Celebration of Feelings \| Here is a story to share that I read when I was taking mindfulness course last month. It is about two toddlers - a little girl and a little boy at a birthday party, playing in the sandbox, digging, eating and having a good time. All of sudden, the boy takes off and runs back inside the house, leaving the girl alone. She bursts into tears. She's angry that her friend decided not to play anymore . And here comes the Mom, rushing to her girl "Don't cry! Don't cry ! " We have all been there right? You are hanging out with someone, thinking all is great, and then suddenly they're gone. So here's the mom, comes running to her girl looking for something to comfort her child saying "stop crying baby, here is a cookie" So what do you think the girl learn to internalize ? she learns that feelings cause people to be upset and she should not cry , and the way to stop herself from feeling is to have a cookie. So you could imagine how this incident had produced a limiting belief and caused disorder in her eating pattern in the future . We have been conditioned to be scared of emotions and it affected our emotional/mental health. You're considered weak if you feel your emotions and strong if you don't. Don't you think it takes a lot of courage and strength to deal with painful emotions? Here is the truth cookies don't take away feelings. Yes they can numb the feelings for a short time but you can't : stuff them down starve them away drink them away gamble them away or even use positive thinking to get rid of them . There is only one way to get rid of feelings . Any ideas? The little girl at the party, if the mother had just said "yes honey, it hurts, it is hard, I know how you feel when friends leave you and take your things, if she'd said that , then the girl would have a had a good cry and felt better. The only way to get rid of the feelings is to actually feel them. We need to accept that feelings are just reactions, messengers of the soul. Feelings are not personality flaws and that something is wrong with you. If you get angry, you are not an angry person, you're a person who is just angry now. We need to accept our emotions and acknowledge them and not reprimand them. We must accept tears, and accept fears. Nothing destroys your mental health i.e self worth, self-acceptance faster than denying what you feel. Honor your feelings, allow your feelings and welcome them as teachers . Every emotion bring good news even the painful ones. Stuffing your feelings often means that the way to happiness is stuffed away, too. Accept everything you feel today, because emotions are a sign that you are human. Accept that you are alive and not only living but experiencing life and allowing yourself to expand and grow. Anything that you resist persists, and if feelings stuffed away they will always surface again and again until you become aware of the message then it won't affect you. And that's the healthy perspective , don't you think? - Feb 21, 2019 Feeling triggered When Someone Else's Weight Change? Feb 21, 2019 - Jan 21, 2019 Come Home to Yourself Jan 21, 2019 - Jan 18, 2019 This Year, let's be more Human Jan 18, 2019 - Jan 18, 2019 How Fearing to Eat is making you Eat More Jan 18, 2019 - Jan 18, 2019 Body Positivity vs Body Possibility Jan 18, 2019 - Jan 18, 2019 Fixing isn't my Motivation Jan 18, 2019 - Jan 18, 2019 From Rebellion to True Food Freedom Jan 18, 2019 - Dec 1, 2018 The Quality Elevator Strategy Dec 1, 2018 - Nov 3, 2018 I quit arguing with my NOW-Body Nov 3, 2018 - Oct 13, 2018 I want for you more than Weightloss Oct 13, 2018 - Sep 1, 2018 How my feminine rebelled and changed my approach to food and body Sep 1, 2018 - Aug 25, 2018 STAY PUT (Stopping the cycle of fleeing and seeking pleasure) Aug 25, 2018 - Jun 17, 2018 The myth of Positivity Jun 17, 2018 - May 26, 2018 Why your willpower won't power (" I won't power" vs "I want power") May 26, 2018 - Feb 21, 2018 Reasons why your brain maybe holding you back (from achieving your goals ) Feb 21, 2018 - Jan 27, 2018 How to Break the Diet/Binge cycle Jan 27, 2018 - Jan 19, 2018 The Three Difficult Practices to Stop Emotional/Binge Cycle or( any habitual cycle) Jan 19, 2018 - Jan 2, 2018 NotGettingThe NextBigGet Jan 2, 2018 - December 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 What you need to know about Emotional eating Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Are you in Control? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 will you stay ? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 The truth that no one tells you about how to live an Extraordinary Life Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 How to believe you're good enough ? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Why not live as if you deserve all the pleasure-at and away from the table ? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 The art of Loving and accepting your body Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 How to turn an episode of emotional binging into powerful learning ? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Holistic Nutrition \| Emotional Constipation \| Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Mindfulness \| The power of Intention \| Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Mindfulness \| Acceptance and Celebration of Feelings \| Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Mindfulness \| June gratitude Challenge \| Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Nutrition \| Why your healthy is not my healthy? \| Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Excellence or Perfectionism ? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Primary Hungers Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Re-Parenting yourself Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 What if your relationship with food is the doorway to the rest of your life? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 The power of Recieving Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 What is your vibrational State? Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Enough is not an amount Sep 11, 2017 - Sep 11, 2017 Sidebar widget host Sep 11, 2017
THE CAMBRIDGE school system’s decision to close school for one of two important Muslim holidays is a good way to promote the acceptance of Muslim students, especially at a time when many people are concerned about rising anti-Muslim sentiments in the country. It’s also a sensible response to changing demographics in Cambridge schools. While every school system should be free to devise its own approach to religious holidays, Cambridge’s decision to close schools for a Muslim holiday is consistent with its policy for closing on Christian and Jewish celebrations, and should be respected. One of the holidays in question, Eid al-Adha, the so-called “festival of sacrifice,’’ commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael. The other holiday, Eid al-Fitr, marks the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Both are important days on the Islamic calendar, so, starting in 2011, Cambridge schools will be closed for whichever holiday falls on a school day. (If both do, school will only be closed for one.) For skeptics, this new policy is easy to dismiss as the latest act of political correctness from the People’s Republic of Cambridge. Yet, according to Cambridge schools superintendent Jeffrey Young, teachers and principals say that the population of Muslim students in Cambridge is growing, and that there are a notable number of absences on both of the Eid dates. The decision to acknowledge these facts by closing school for one Muslim holiday a year is no different from the decision years ago to begin closing school for one of the two Jewish holidays Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur. “It’s clear that there’s a pretty significant and vibrant Muslim community in Cambridge,’’ said Young. “You walk through the schools, and you can see it with your own eyes.’’ Superintendents have enough scheduling leeway to ensure that religious holidays can be observed without reducing the overall number of school days for instruction; like all systems, Cambridge is legally required to be open for 180 days. The decision to close for a Muslim holiday won’t detract from that number. Still, not every religious holiday can be observed by closing school. Maybe in an ideal world, a school system would rely on hard statistics; if adherents of a specific religion made up a certain percentage of student enrollment, the system would not schedule classes on its major holidays. But Cambridge has been making modest accommodations for a variety of religions for years. Right now, Cambridge teachers work with students who miss school for religious holidays so that nobody is punished for practicing their faith. Muslims are as entitled to worship as Jews and Christians. There’s nothing more American than giving students the day off to observe their religions, whether those observances occur in a church, synagogue, or mosque.
Stop and Go!Book - 2016 Teachers and parents of ESL students will cheer when they discover the #65533;Hola, English! series, as will those seeking to expose English-speaking kids to Spanish. Each story in the series contains material that reflects children's daily lives. Sharing their own experiences, kids will build vocabulary, curiosity, imagination, critical thinking, and motivation. In Stop and Go!, "stop" and "go" are illustrated in different situations. In addition, the meanings of "red" and "green" are extended into the wider world.
The Arab Agricultural Revolution was the transformation in agriculture from the 8th to the 13th century in the Islamic region of the Old World. The agronomic literature of the time, with major books by Ibn Bassal and Abū l-Khayr al-Ishbīlī, demonstrates the extensive diffusion of useful plants to Medieval Spain (al-Andalus), and the growth in Islamic scientific knowledge of agriculture and horticulture. Transformation in agriculture Medieval Arab historians and geographers described al-Andalus as a fertile and prosperous region with abundant water, full of fruit from trees such as the olive and pomegranate. Archaeological evidence demonstrates improvements in animal husbandry and in irrigation such as with the sakia water wheel. These changes made agriculture far more productive, supporting population growth, urbanization, and increased stratification of society. Medico-botanical books have been produced since the dawn of civilization; records from Egypt, Mesopotamia, China, and India reflect a tradition that existed before man discovered writing. Conversely, nothing in the West evidences such antiquity. The first herbal in the Greek language was written in the 3rd century B.C.E. by Diocles of Carystus, followed by Crateuas in the 1st century C.E. The only consistent work that has survived is by Pedanios Dioscorides of Anazarba “De Materia Medica” (65 C.E.). He remains the only known authority amongst the Greek and Roman herbalists. The first treatise written on agriculture in the West was just after the fall of Carthage; it was a Roman Encyclopaedic work written by Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.E.) on medicine and on farming that was called “De Agricultura”, the oldest complete Latin prose on this subject. However, the stability of the world in which these works were compiled came to an end with the disintegration of the Roman Empire. In places where the authority of the empire no longer existed, its haphazard replacement by the early stages of feudalism brought little stability. Conflicts for the possession of the land were liable to break out anywhere. Civilization was near to collapse and all development halted. This dismal situation prevailed until the advent of Islam (7th century C.E.). Establishment of Islamic Economics: Arab Agricultural Revolution In 711 C.E., within a century of the establishment of Islam, the area under Muslim influence had become one of robust economic development capable of yielding the wealth necessary to finance the protection of an area stretching from the foot of the Pyrenees to the frontiers of China. The widespread patronage of intellectual works was a key factor in this development and this resulted in the flowering of Islamic culture and civilization in the Muslim world. This civilization had such momentum that despite constant threats of invasion and internal dissension – huge strides were made in agriculture, medicine, and science. Hence a wide range of raw materials and the means of adapting them for curing illnesses and for enhanced forms of nutrition became available. This great movement in agriculture was largely due to the central government sponsoring an extensive network of irrigation canals. In the Near East, good results were achieved. However, in the West, the situation was less promising. The Iberian peninsula subsistence level agro-economy was only rudimentary. In fact, it was defined by race. The Visigoth herder overlords jealously protected their stock-rearing interests whilst their conquered subjects produced wheat, barley, grapes, olive oil, and a few vegetables, all inherited from their previous Roman masters. Thus the only links between the two systems were those of tribute or taxes. Once the Muslims had assumed control of the province, there was a need to define which crops to cultivate. Fortunately, the Arab botanical range was already extensive and growing rapidly. In their territorial expansion, the Muslims had come across plants and trees, which were hitherto unknown to them, whilst their merchants brought back exotic plants, seeds, and spices from their many voyages. Many of the more valuable crops such as sugar cane, bananas, and cotton needed plenty of water or at least a monsoon season. Thus to cultivate them, a widespread artificial irrigation system would be needed. Artificial irrigation was in fact better known to the Muslims than the crop rotation system of colder European lands where it was felt necessary to leave the land fallow, i.e. to recover, for one year in three or four. However, artificial irrigation implied a need to raise water by several meters to guarantee a constant flow within the system. An ideal device existed for such tasks in the form of the Noria, the various forms of which represent a subject that merits its own particular study. Hence the Noria became the basis of sophisticated irrigation systems. The use of Norias spread rapidly to the extent that, in some areas, the water system became state property to ensure equitable distribution. In the Valencia area alone some 8,000 norias were built for the needs of rice plantations. Correct calculation of levels was essential, a task that the successors of Roman agrimensores with their chains of specific length were ill-equipped to perform. In this, the Muslims had the advantage of the advances they had made in mathematics thus making triangulation possible and hence the accurate measurement of height. The Muslims did not waste time in haphazard agricultural trials but achieved maximum output by learning how to identify suitable soils and by mastering grafting techniques for plants and trees. The written works and oral traditions of ancient peoples were painstakingly recorded, whilst exchanges between experts became increasingly frequent so that in all major towns the libraries were full of learned works on agriculture. Civilization of Travelers Arising as they did from a civilization of travelers, the Muslims combed the known world for knowledge and information, journeying in the harshest of environments as far afield as the Steppes of Asia and the Pyrenees. In this context, the discovery of paper stimulated on-the-spot detailed recording of their journeys and observations. This plethora of records and information built up to a level that prompted the compilation of encyclopedic works. - Kitab nabat (a treatise on plants) by Abu Hanifa Al-Dinawari (d.282/895 CE) - Al filaha nabatiya (Nabatean agriculture) by Ibn Wahshiyya (IXth century) - Al Biruni (973-1048) Kitab al saydana (Pharmacopoeia) – large pharmaceutical encyclopedia - Ali B. Sahl Rabban al Tabari (d. 240/855) Firdaws al hikma - Ibn Baqunesh (Abu Othman Saïd Ben Muhamed) (d.1052 CE) - Ibn Bassal (Abu Abdullah Muhamed Ibn Ibrahim) (d.1100 CE) By the 12th century in Al Andalus, botany was converted from its role as a purely descriptive science and achieved the status of academic science. This century was seen as the golden age of Islamic botany with such great scholars as: - Abu’l Abbas an Nabati (Ibn Rumiyya) d. 636 AH/1239 CE - Ibn Baytar (1197-1248 CE), Tafsir Kitab Diasquridus – Jami’ al mufradat al adwiya wal aghdiya - Al Ghafiqi (d.1166 CE), author of “Kitab jami‘ al mufradat ” (materia medica) . - Ibn Al Awwam, 12th-century author of “Kitab al filaha” (treatise on agriculture) - Ibn Bajja (d. 1138 C.E.), Kitab al nabat Liber de plantis (Latin transl.), defining sex of plants. - Najib Eddin as Samarqandi (d.1222 C.E.) wrote a treatise on the medical formulary. The scholars themselves conducted their experiments and taught everywhere, including mosques and weekly markets. This is confirmed by the fact that Ibn Baytar’s work was recorded in Arabic, Berber, Greek, and Latin whilst Al Biruni’s Pharmacopoeia gives synonyms for drugs in Syriac, Persian, Greek, Baluchi, Afghan, Kurdish and Indian dialects, etc. Their linguistic capabilities demonstrated their intention of spreading knowledge amongst all nations, as was the case with the distribution of the agricultural Calendar of Cordoba in the 10th century. The Calendar of Cordoba is an example of the type of information provided as an aid to agriculture. In the aftermath of the Roman Empire conquerors, such as the Visigoths, installed regimes in which the monarch, the nobility, and the church fathers owned the bulk of the land, the burghers, who were in charge of municipal affairs, had less than 25 acres each, whilst the serfs were the cultivators and were yoked to the land and were sold with it. Attitude of Muslims The attitude of Muslims was different since they understood that real incentives were needed if productivity were to reach levels that might significantly increase wealth and thereby enhance tax revenues. The Muslims brought revolutionary social transformation through changed ownership of land. Any individual had the right to buy, sell, mortgage, inherit the land and farm it or have it farmed according to his preferences. Furthermore, every important transaction concerning agriculture, industry, commerce, and employment of a servant involved the signing of a contract of which a copy was kept by each side. The second incentive principle that was gradually adopted was that those, who physically worked the land, should receive a reasonable proportion of the fruits of their labor. Detailed records of contracts between landlords and cultivators have survived with the landlord retaining anything up to one-half. Thus with all the enhancements and incentives already mentioned, the stage was now set for agricultural development on a scale hitherto unknown. The motivations that prompted phases of agricultural development were of two kinds: - Political, namely conscious decisions by the central authority to develop under-exploited lands. - Market-driven, invariably involving the introduction, by means of free seeds, advice, and education and by the introduction of high-value crops or animals to areas where they were previously unknown. Consequently, crops and livestock were introduced initially for subsistence purposes, leading to a level of economic security that ensured wealth for all. The quality of life was enhanced by the introduction of artichokes, spinach, aubergines, carrots, sugar cane, and various exotic plants. Vegetables were available all year round, obviating the need to dry them for winter. Citrus and olive plantations became a common sight, whilst market gardens and Jannat (orchards) sprang up around every city. All this involved intense cropping and imposing heavy demands on land fertility but the technique of intensive irrigation agriculture with land fertility replacement had now been mastered. In the field of development for economic ends, animal husbandry was of prime importance for its manure in addition to its meat. The latter was now plentiful in places where in the past it had been a luxury. The fine quality of the wool of the Maghreb soon became known throughout the world. Selective breeding using animals from different parts of the known world resulted in significant improvements in horse stocks and provided the Saharan caravans with the best load-carrying camels. By contrast, the African countries, instead of relying on the products of their flocks for food, were now able to eat a more balanced diet that included a variety of fruits and vegetables whilst the introduction of cotton and indigo gave them a useful cash crop. Improvements in irrigation made it possible to cultivate this high-value plant in the sub-Saharan countries where other dye-making plants were also introduced. In a world that had previously known only flax and wool as textiles, silk and cotton production spread rapidly. Cotton, originally from India, became a major crop in Europe (Sicily and al Andalus) and the overall result was a democratization of what had been rare luxury goods in the past. Within a relatively short period, mankind could use a wider range of textiles for his clothing which was available in a greater variety of colors. Sugar cane, of Indian origin, was known in the 6th century at the Sassanid court. Because of the endeavors of botanists and agronomists, it spread to Egypt, Syria, Morocco, al Andalus, and Sicily. Thus, within barely a century of the Muslim conquest, the landscape in the area under Muslim control had changed so radically that it is fair to describe the process of transformation as the Muslim Agricultural Revolution. The elements of the success of this revolution can be summarised as: - The extension of the exploitable land area by irrigation. - The rapid implementation of improved farming techniques derived from the collection and collation of relevant information throughout the whole of the known world. - Incentives are based upon the two principles of the recognition of private ownership and the rewarding of cultivators with a harvest share commensurate with their efforts. - Advanced scientific techniques allowing people like Ibn Baytar to challenge the elements by growing plants, thousands of miles from their origins that could never have been imagined to grow in a semi-arid or arid climate. The introduction and acclimatization of new crops and breeds and strains of livestock into areas where they were previously unknown. Increase in Urbanization Another feature of the growth of the Muslim domain was the increase in urbanization that was facilitated by scientific improvements in the fields of hygiene and sanitation. The farmer for his part benefited from the advances made in astronomy. The measurement of time and of the onset of the seasons and even the prediction of weather became more precise and reliable, as the farmer became informed of the solar movement through each zodiacal sign. He also profited from the compilation of calendars that told him when to plant each type of crop, when to graft trees, when and with what to fertilize his crops, and when to harvest the fruits of his labors. Whereas in the past he had lived in a world where he rose and lay down with the sun and relied upon changes in weather to tell him when the seasons might be due, he now lived in a world where his decisions were much easier to make. It now became feasible to think in terms of growing each of his crops for a specific market at a specific time of the year. Furthermore, the same calendar that aided the farmer in his activities also carried recommendations about what to eat and what to avoid at each time of the year. This in turn facilitated the farmer’s task of deciding what to plant in relation to future demand. Diffusion of New Crops and Agricultural Methods Some historians have called the diffusion of new crops and agricultural methods to the West through Muslim Spain an agricultural revolution because they had a major impact not only on agricultural production but also on incomes, population levels, urban growth, distribution of labor, industrial output, clothing, cooking, and diet. Moreover, agricultural technologies Muslims took to Spain eventually reached the New World. Diffusion of Crops As many as 40 percent of the Spanish immigrants to South and Central America between 1493 and 1600 were from Andalusia (Muslim Spain), and they took with them their crops and irrigation technology. The most important of these crops were sukker (sugar) and qutn (cotton), which became two of the most prominent “cash crops” in the world during the late Middle Ages and the Renaissance. (Cotton may have been taken to the Americas from Asia in antiquity, or there may be indigenous varieties because the inhabitants of the Americas were already cultivating and weaving cotton when the first Europeans arrived.) When the resources of the New World were combined with plants and technologies from the Old World, the global economy was vastly expanded. Cash crops are grown for export, not for local consumption, and these crops can be highly profitable to those who grow them, particularly if a cheap labor force is available. As the cultivation of popular new crops spread around the world, the European craving for products such as sugar, coffee, indigo dyes, and cotton also brought an increase in slavery. The first cultivation of coffee has been traced to about 1100 in the area of Arabia along the Red Sea. Though this variety is classified as Coffea Arabica, botanical evidence indicates that it was discovered around 850 on the plateaus of central Ethiopia, several thousand feet above sea level. There are several legends about a shepherd who noticed his goats behaving in a strange manner after eating the red coffee beans. According to one legend, he took some of the beans to his village, where everyone liked the way the berries kept them awake during prayer. Initially, coffee was brewed from green unroasted beans, which created a beverage similar to tea. The great Persian physician Ibn Sina (980-1037) is known to have administered coffee as a medical treatment. By the thirteenth century, Arabs were roasting and brewing the beans to make coffee and using it as a beverage as well as for medicinal purposes. Large-scale cultivation of the coffee bean was rare until the fifteenth century when extensive orchards were planted in Yemen. From there the plant spread throughout the Arabian peninsula and into the Ottoman Empire of Turkey. One of the earliest documented coffee shops is the Kiva Han, which opened in Constantinople in 1475, but there were probably earlier coffee shops on the Arabian peninsula. Coffea Arabica became so popular that laws were passed to forbid anyone from exporting fertile coffee plants to non-Muslim regions. This law, of course, was unenforceable. When coffee became popular in Europe, many fortunes were made by exporting it from ports such as Alexandria, Egypt. The earliest citrus fruits were rather bitter and considered undesirable for human consumption. The flowering trees that produced these fruits first appeared in Southeast Asia and India, and the modern versions of oranges, lemons, and limes probably evolved naturally by insect cross-pollination in China, which had a wide range of citrus varieties. As early as 4000 B.C.E. the domestic cultivation of lemons, limes, and oranges was occurring at several sites in China, India, and Malaysia. These new hybrid fruits spread westward through trade and were well known in the Mediterranean region before the time of Christ. Sweet oranges were depicted on a mausoleum erected by the Byzantine emperor Constan-tine I in the fourth century. During the Middle Ages, Arab traders introduced many new varieties of citrus fruits to Europe, where lemons, limes, and oranges were once so rare that they were given to children as Christmas gifts. Eventually, Spain became well known for gardens that included citrus trees. Citrus became important during the Age of Exploration (1400-1700) when ship captains learned that these fruits could prevent outbreaks of scurvy, a disease caused by lack of vitamin C. An important Muslim fiber crop, cotton probably originated in India or Egypt, both of which have a long history of cultivation and weaving of cotton fabrics. During pre-Islamic times it spread to China and—via the Indian Ocean maritime trade as far as East Africa. Muslims developed a stronger, higher-yielding variety of cotton, which was disseminated by traders, facilitating the economic development of Muslim regions and stimulating a vast industry that produced many kinds of textiles. When this variety of cotton was grafted to the cotton discovered in the New World, the result was a stronger variety with longer fibers. This new cash crop became one of the greatest sources of income that supported European colonization and economic growth in the Americas. As cotton cultivation spread, the production of dyes also became important. Indigo, a blue dye obtained from the leaves of a plant that originated in India, spread to Muslim lands, where it was cultivated in Persia, Egypt, and Morocco. Indigo-dyed textiles have been found in Roman graves of the second and third centuries. Indigo dye became so valuable that imitations were developed in Europe, leading indigo traders to produce pamphlets explaining how to test fabrics for “true blue,” an expression still in use today. Another highly valued dye was the brilliant red hue that came from crushing female cochineal insects found on grasses in Persia and Armenia. Because of its high price, other cheaper and less brilliant reds were later produced from cochineal insects found growing on cacti in Mexico and the Andes Mountains of South America. A high-yield staple crop, sugar owes much of its dissemination to Islamic technology. The cultivation of sugarcane was introduced to Persia from India shortly after the Muslim conquest at Nihavand in 642. Sugar cultivation followed the spread of Muslim rule from Persia across North Africa to Muslim Sicily and Spain, and from Spain to the Atlantic islands off the coast of southern Europe, reaching the Canary Islands by the 1500s. It also traveled east, reaching China. According to Marco Polo, Egyptian sugar technicians were brought to China so they could teach the people of Fukien Province how to refine the crop. The high level of technology needed to irrigate sugarcane and refine the sugar made it difficult for small, independent farmers to produce and process this crop, and throughout the Muslim Mediterranean region, sugar production became controlled by large, state-owned farms and factories. The sugarcane was broken and peeled on the farm and then transported to the refinery, which processed it into various forms. Sugar was the earliest cash crop grown in the New World. On his second voyage, Columbus took sugarcane to the West Indies, where it thrived, and the Spanish introduced the production of sugarcane to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola in 1517, providing labor by importing slaves from West Africa and thus stimulating the African slave trade. The first Arabic book on agronomy to reach al-Andalus, in the 10th century, was Ibn Wahshiyya’s al-Filahat al-nabatiyya (Nabatean Agriculture), from Iraq; it was followed by texts written in al-Andalus, such as the Mukhtasar kitab al-filaha (Abridged Book of Agriculture) by Al-Zahrawi (Abulcasis) from Cordoba, around 1000 AD. The eleventh-century agronomist Ibn Bassal of Toledo described 177 species in his Dīwān al-filāha (The Court of Agriculture). Ibn Bassal had traveled widely across the Islamic world, returning with a detailed knowledge of agronomy. His practical and systematic book both gives detailed descriptions of useful plants including leaf and root vegetables, herbs, spices, and trees, and explains how to propagate and care for them. The twelfth-century agronomist Abū l-Khayr al-Ishbīlī of Seville described in detail in his Kitāb al-Filāha (Treatise on Agriculture) how olive trees should be grown, grafted (with an account of his own experiments), treated for the disease, and harvested, and gave similar detail for crops such as cotton. Medieval Islamic agronomists including Ibn Bassal and Abū l-Khayr described agricultural and horticultural techniques including how to propagate the olive and the date palm, crop rotation of flax with wheat or barley, and companion planting of grape and olive. These books demonstrate the importance of agriculture both as a traditional practice and as a scholarly science. In al-Andalus, there is evidence that the almanacs and manuals of agronomy helped to catalyze change, causing scholars to seek out new kinds of vegetables and fruit, and to carry out experiments in botany; in turn, these helped to improve actual agricultural practices in the region. During the 11th century Abbadid dynasty in Seville, the sultan took a personal interest in fruit production, discovering from a peasant the method he had used to grow some exceptionally large melons, pinching off all but ten of the buds, and using wooden props to hold the stems off the ground. Islamic animal husbandry Archaeological evidence from the measurement of bones (osteometry) demonstrates that sheep in southern Portugal increased in size during the Islamic period, while cattle increased when the area became Christian after its reconquest. The archaeologist Simon Davis assumes that the change in size signifies improvement by animal husbandry, while in his view the choice of sheep is readily explained by the Islamic liking for mutton. During the period, irrigated cultivation developed due to the growing use of animal power, water power, and wind power. Windpumps were used to pump water since at least the 9th century in what is now Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan. The Islamic period in the Fayyum depression of Middle Egypt, like medieval Islamic Spain (al-Andalus), was characterized by extremely large-scale systems of irrigation, with both the supply, via gravity-fed canals, and the management of water under local tribal control. In the Islamic period in al-Andalus, whose rural parts were equally tribal, the irrigation canal network was much enlarged. Similarly, in the Fayyum, new villages were established in the period, and new water-dependent orchards and sugar plantations were developed. The sakia or animal-powered irrigation wheel was likely introduced to Islamic Spain in early Umayyad times (in the 8th century). Improvements to it were described by Hispano-Arabic agronomists in the 11th and 12th centuries. From there, sakia irrigation was spread further around Spain and Morocco. A 13th-century observer claimed there were “5000” waterwheels along the Guadalquivir in Islamic Spain; even allowing for medieval exaggeration, irrigation systems were certainly extensive in the region at that time. The supply of water was sufficient for cities as well as agriculture: the Roman aqueduct network into the city of Cordoba was repaired in the Umayyad period, and extended. Early accounts of Islamic Spain Medieval Andalusian historians such as Ibn Bassam, Ibn Hayyan, and Ibn Hazm, and geographers such as al-Bakri, al-Idrisi, and al-Zuhri, described Islamic Spain as a fortunate entity. Indeed, the tenth-century Jewish scribe Menahem Ben Saruq wrote to the Khazar king “The name of our land in which we dwell in the language of the Arabs, the inhabitants of the land, al-Andalus the land is rich, abounding in rivers, springs, and aqueducts; a land of corn, oil, and wine, of fruits and all manner of delicacies; it has pleasure-gardens and orchards, fruitful trees of every kind, including [the white mulberry] upon which the silkworm feeds”. al-Maqqari, quoting the ninth-century Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Musa al-Razi, describes al-Andalus as a rich land “with good, arable soil, fertile settlements, flowing copiously with plentiful rivers and fresh springs.” Al-Andalus was associated with cultivated trees like olive and pomegranate. After the Christian reconquest, arable farming was frequently abandoned, the land reverting to pasture, though some farmers tried to adopt Islamic agronomy. Western historians have wondered if the Medieval Arab historians were reliable, given that they had a motive to emphasize the splendor of al-Andalus, but evidence from archaeology has broadly supported their claims. - Ahmad Y. al-Hassan and Donald R. Hill, Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press / Paris: Unesco, 1987). - Paul Lunde, “Muslims and Muslim Technology in the New World,” Aramco World, 43 (May-June 1992): 38-41. - Andrew M. Watson, Agricultural Innovation in the Early Islamic World (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983). - The Muslim Agricultural Revolution by Zohor Idrisi.
A trilingual little guide about the city’s most emblematic monuments associated with the Ottoman period was recently issued by the Thessaloniki Tourism Organization. In its 20 pages (20×14 cm), the editors managed to include texts, addresses, opening hours and photographs of all the monuments and sights of the Ottoman Route of Thessaloniki. These are mainly buildings of various uses that are within the city’s urban net and today they are publicly accessible. Its cover features one of the most representative monuments of the period, the “Gardens of the Pasha”. They were constructed in 1904 by an unknown architect and they represent a unique example of exceptional architecture. The Turkish version of the guidebooks was supported by the Turkish Consulate in Thessaloniki. Starting from the most well-known monuments, Mustafa Kemal-Atatürk’s residence and the Government House that was built by the Italian architect Vitaliano Poselli, to the Besesteni and the Alaca Imaret, a total of 26 monuments are presented in Greek, English and Turkish. The oldest is the “Bey Hamam” (Loutra Paradise), the first Ottoman bath in Thessaloniki built in 1444. It is the largest one that survives. In the guide are also included the Geni Hamam (Aigli) and the “Sintrivani” Fountain donated by Sultan Abdul Khamit to the Thessalonians (from which on the first day of its inauguration a sour-cherry juice run for the guests), the Old School of Philosophy and the Upper Town (Ano Poli) Library, Hamza Bey Mosque (Alkazar) and the State Conservatory of Thessaloniki (housed the Ottoman Bank), etc. Tourists can also find information about ottoman buildings of exceptional architecture such as Ahmet Kapantzi Villa, Mehmet Kapantzi Villa, Hamidie Mosque (Yeni Tzami – an Exquisite Example of Eclectic Architecture), Mordech Villa and Hafiz Bey Villa (today it functions as the school of Blinds) that were built under the designs of the architect Xenophon Peonidis.
21. Fill in the blank: A data analytics team uses _____ to indicate consistent naming conventions for a project. This is an example of using data about data. 23. Data analysts use archiving to separate current from past work. What does this process involve? - Using secure data-erase software to destroy old files - Reviewing current data files to confirm they’ve been cleaned - Moving files from completed projects to another location - Reorganizing and renaming current files 25. A data analyst creates a spreadsheet with five tabs. They want to share the data in tabs 1-4 with a client. Tab 5 contains private information about other clients. Which of the following tactics will enable them to keep tab 5 private? Select all that apply. - Rename tab 5 to include the word “private” then share the spreadsheet with the client. - Hide tab 5, then share the spreadsheet with the client. - Copy tabs 1-4 into a separate spreadsheet, then share the new file with the client. - Make a copy of the spreadsheet, delete tab 5, then share the new file with the client.
by Chris Woodford. Last updated: May 31, 2015. Now here's a cool idea: a metal box that helps your food last longer! Have you ever stopped to think how a refrigerator keeps cool, calm, and collected even in the blistering heat of summer? Food goes bad because bacteria breed inside it. But bacteria grow less quickly at lower temperatures, so the cooler you can keep food, the longer it will last. A refrigerator is a machine that keeps food cool with some very clever science. All the time your refrigerator is humming away, liquids are turning into gases, water is turning into ice, and your food is staying deliciously fresh. Let's take a closer look at how a refrigerator works! Photo: A typical domestic refrigerator or "fridge" keeps food at a temperature roughly 0–5°C (32–41°F). Freezers work in a similar way, but cool down to a much lower temperature, typically −18 to −23°C (0 to −10°F). How to move something you can't even see Suppose your chore for today is to empty a stable full of rank smelling horse manure. Not the nicest of jobs, so you'll want to do it as quickly as possible. You won't be able to move it all at once, because there's too much of it. To get the job done fast, you need to move as much manure as you can in one go. The best thing to do is use a wheelbarrow. Pile the manure up into the barrow, wheel the barrow outside, and then empty the manure into a pile in the stable yard. With a few of these trips, you can shift the manure from inside the stable to outside. Moving something you can see is easy. But now let's give you a harder chore. Your new task is to move the heat from the inside of a refrigerator to the outside to keep your food fresh. How can you move something you can't see? You can't use a wheelbarrow this time. Not only that, but you can't open the door to get at the heat inside, or you'll let the heat straight back in again. Your mission is to remove the heat, continually, without opening the door even once. Tricky problem, eh? But it's not impossible—at least not if you understand the science of gases. How to move heat with a gas Let's step sideways a moment and look at how gases behave. If you've ever pumped up the tires on a bicycle, you'll know that a bicycle pump soon gets quite warm. The reason is that gases heat up when you compress (squeeze) them. To make the tire support the weight of the bicycle and your body, you have to squeeze air into it at a high pressure. Pumping makes the air (and the pump it passes through) a little bit hotter. Why? As you squeeze the air, you have to work quite hard with the pump. The energy you use in pumping is converted into potential energy in the compressed gas: the gas in the tire is at a higher pressure and higher temperature than the cool air around you. If you squeeze a gas into half the volume, the heat energy its molecules contain fills only half as much space, so the temperature of the gas rises (it gets hotter). Left: Gases get hotter when you compress into less volume them because you have to work to push their energetic molecules closer together. What happens if you release a gas that's stored at high pressure? When you spray an aerosol air freshener, you've probably noticed that the spray is really cold—for exactly the opposite reason that a bicycle pump gets hot. When you release the gas, it is suddenly able to expand and occupy much more volume. The heat energy its molecules contain is now divided over a much bigger volume of space, so the temperature of the gas falls (it gets cooler). Photo: Right: Liquids can turn to gases (and gases cool down) when you let them expand into more volume. That's why aerosol sprays feel so cold. The heating and cooling cycle By compressing gases, we make them hotter; by letting them expand, we make them cooler. How can we use this handy bit of physics to shift heat from the inside of a refrigerator? Suppose we made a pipe that was partly inside a refrigerator and partly outside it, and sealed so it was a continuous loop. And suppose we filled the pipe with a gas. Inside the refrigerator, we could make the pipe gradually get wider, so the gas would expand and cool as it flowed through it. Outside the refrigerator, we could have something like a bicycle pump to compress the gas and release its heat. If the gas flowed round and round the loop, expanding when it was inside the refrigerator and compressing when it was outside, it would constantly pick up heat from the inside and carry it to the outside like a heat conveyor belt. And, surprise surprise, this is almost exactly how a refrigerator works. There are some extra details worth noting. Inside the refrigerator, the pipe expands through a nozzle known as an expansion valve. As the gas passes through it, it cools dramatically. This bit of science is sometimes known as the Joule-Thomson (or Joule-Kelvin) effect for the physicists who discovered it, James Prescott Joule (1818–1889) and William Thomson (Lord Kelvin, 1824–1907). You won't be surprised to discover that the compressor outside the refrigerator is not really a bicycle pump! It's actually an electrically powered pump. It's the thing that makes a refrigerator hum every so often. The compressor is attached to a grill-like device called a condenser (a kind of thin radiator behind the refrigerator) that expels the unwanted heat. Finally, the gas that circulates round the pipe is actually a specially designed chemical that alternates between being a cool liquid and a hot gas. This chemical is known as the coolant or refrigerant. Photo: Left: Humid air inside your fridge contains water vapor. When the refrigerator cools, this water turns to ice. The coldest part of your fridge is the icebox at the top. That's because the expansion valve is placed right next to it. Photo: Right: Here's the compressor from a typical refrigerator. Note the pipes carrying the coolant in one side and out the other. You can't see this unit unless you pull your appliance away from the wall, because it's tucked away around the back and at the bottom. See more photos of it in the box below.
Health • More Utah boys are overweight, obese than girls; overall rates appear stable, new state analysis says. This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted. More Utah boys than girls are overweight or obese, and boys are gaining weight at a dramatic pace between first and fifth grades. But overall, the rate at which elementary school students are overweight and obese appears unchanged between 2010 and 2012, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the Utah Department of Health. The report is based on 4,477 children in the first, third and fifth grades, who were weighed and measured between January and May. They attended 69 public elementary schools from Washington to Cache counties. More boys than girls were overweight or obese in every grade. While 17 percent of boys were at unhealthy weights in first grade, 28 percent were overweight or obese by fifth grade, compared to twenty percent of fifth grade girls. There's no good data on why more boys are heavy, but state health department staffers speculate there are two reasons: Boys are targeted more aggressively by marketing for sugar-sweetened drinks, and boys generally spend more time in front of screens, particularly video games. "Can we prove it? No," said Rebecca Fronberg, program manager for the state's Physical Activity, Nutrition and Obesity (PANO) program. That would take more research, drilling down into the behavior of each child, she said. Fronberg said there is not enough data to discern whether weight is more of an issue in rural or urban schools, in low-income or high-income neighborhoods, or where there is more or less ethnic diversity. The 69 schools were picked, however, to provide a good cross-section of Utah elementary students, she said. "The takeaway is we need to be aware that we would like our kids to be healthy and strong and we'd like them to grow up," said Fronberg. "We want our kids to be able to live long lives, and hopefully outlive us." Heavy children are beginning to experience many adult diseases such as diabetes, high-blood pressure and fatty liver disease, she said. There are social and psychological effects as well. "They get bullied more, are teased more and generally have lower self esteem," she said. In 1994, 16.9 percent of Utah's 3rd graders were at an unhealthy weight, compared to 21.3 percent in 2012. The percentage of obese children has more than tripled since the 1960s, Fronberg noted. She recommends watching this year's HBO series about obesity, The Weight of the Nation, and particularly the episode about childhood obesity. It can be viewed for free http://theweightofthenation.hbo.com/films/main-films/Crisis. Fronberg said neither the new study nor previous ones have found that Gold Medal schools, those that provide more physical fitness and healthier food, have lower rates of overweight or obese children. Of Utahs 556 public elementaries, 169 are Gold Medal schools. For the new report, Utah children were assessed by their body mass index, or BMI, a standardized measurement based on height and weight to estimate body fat. Children were considered overweight if they were between the 85th and 95th percentile for their age and gender, and obese if they were above the 95th percentile. Overall numbers include: • In 2012, 9.4 percent of elementary school students were obese, similar to 2010 when 9.7 percent were obese. • In 2012, 20.8 percent of elementary school students were at an unhealthy weight. The rate in 2010 was similar at 20.4 percent. Every day, the state urges, parents should aim for their children to: • Get at least 60 minutes of physical activity; • Eat at least 1½ to 2 cups of fruit and 1½ to 3 cups of vegetables; • Rarely consume sugar-sweetened drinks and high-calorie foods with little or no nutritional value; • Limit screen time (television, computer, and video games) to no more than two hours per day. Got an idea? Schools and community-based nonprofits can apply for grants of up to $1,000 from UnitedHealthcare to fund efforts to fight childhood obesity. Programs must include an activity in which kids count their steps and a service component. To learn more, visit www.YSA.org/HEROES. The application deadline is midnight EST on Oct. 15. Childhood Overweight in Utah, 2012 To find the new report and tips for helping kids reach healthy weights, visit www.choosehealth.utah.gov. An average 10-year-old boy who is 4 feet, 8 inches tall is considered overweight if he weighs at least 87 pounds, and obese if he weighs 99 pounds. An average 10-year-old girl who is the same height is considered overweight at 89 pounds and obese at 103 pounds. The Centers for Disease Control has a helpful website to learn about childhood obesity at http://tinyurl.com/yewbvqf. Follow links from there to determine a child's body-mass index and whether he or she is overweight or obese.