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Klamath County was established on October 17, 1882. It was created from the western part of Lake County and named after a tribe of Indians which white travelers called the Klamath, also spelled Clammite.
Klamath County is situated in south central Oregon. The county is bounded on the south by California, on the east by Lake County, on the north by Deschutes County, and on the west by Jackson and Douglas Counties. The county, Oregon's fourth largest, has 6,135 square miles.
When the Legislative Assembly created Klamath County in 1882, it designated Linkville as the county seat, although it gave the voters the chance to select another site at the 1884 general election. Linkville was renamed Klamath Falls in 1893.
In 1888 the county acquired its first courthouse for $3,500. Previously a school or rented commercial premises housed county offices. By 1912 the need for a new courthouse was pressing. However, for the next thirteen years a dispute raged over its location and which of the two courthouses being built would be accepted. The first courthouse, known as the Hot Springs Courthouse, was designed along Grecian architectural lines, but, due to law suits and recall elections only the exterior was finished. When construction stopped, $112,000 had been spent, with an additional $60,000 needed to complete the project. It was torn down in 1927 to make way for the Klamath Union High School. In 1918 construction began on another courthouse, known as the Main Street Courthouse which was built next to the existing one. In spite of injunctions to halt construction, the work was completed within a year, but the building was not fully occupied until 1923, when all legal questions were settled. The structure cost about $122,000. Earthquakes in 1992 severely damaged the building, and county offices were relocated to temporary quarters. Construction of a new courthouse and administrative center began in 1997.
The government of Klamath County consisted originally of a county judge, two county commissioners, clerk, treasurer, coroner, surveyor, and sheriff. The judge's position was abolished in 1965, and the number of county commissioners increased from two to three.
The 1890 census cited a population of 2,444. Since then the county has experienced steady growth. The 2000 population of 63,775 represented a 10.52% increase from 1990.
Historically, Klamath County's economy has been based on timber and agriculture. Three-fourths of the county is forested; however, over half of it is publicly owned. The large stands of timber have resulted in the development of wood products industries in the county. In spite of the altitude, short growing season, low rainfall, and cold winters, agricultural plays an important role in the local economy. Excellent soil, adequate water for irrigation, extensive sunshine, and the introduction of cash crops such as potatoes and feed barley contribute to the agricultural industry. There is the potential to develop geothermal energy through the exploitation of the geothermal water found in many parts of the county. The many lakes and mountains, including Crater Lake National Park, attract tourists and recreational visitors to the county.
The Klamath Indian Tribe and Reservation add to the county's history. The Klamath Reservation was established in 1864 by treaty and covered about fifty square miles of land east and northeast of Klamath Falls. The federal government's policy of termination and assimilation resulted in the tribe being abolished in 1961. However, in 1975 a fully functioning tribal government was reestablished, and the Klamath Tribe was recognized by the federal government in 1986. The 1990 census showed the tribe to consist of 2,370 members.
Did You Know?
The Collier Logging Museum in Klamath County highlights the colorful history of logging in Oregon with one of the largest collections of antique equipment in the country. Dozens of artifacts help visitors interpret the evolution of the industry from oxen and axes to Caterpillars and chain saws.
For example, the museum describes the effort involved in moving giant old growth logs through the woods in the 1860s. Large teams of oxen pulled the skinned logs over skid roads. The first job for many boys in logging was to swab whale oil on the skids to help the logs slid easier. In this tough and practical environment, an accident prone oxen would sometimes serve as dinner for the crew. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31013000 |
For Immediate Release
November 11, 2009
Canale Communications for Orion Genomics
The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) and Orion Genomics today announced that a consortium co-led by the Advanced Biotechnology and Breeding Centre of MPOB and Orion Genomics has sequenced three oil palm genomes from two oil palm species, an important food and biofuel crop. This genome sequencing effort provides a comprehensive genetic blueprint of E. oleifera and E. guineensis including the pisifera and dura palms. In commercial seed production, the pisifera is frequently used as the paternal line and the dura serves as the maternal palm.
Oil palm plantations on average produce 3.9 tons of oil per hectare per year, nearly ten times more than other productive oil bearing crops. Therefore, it has the potential to meet growing demand for food and renewable fuel. Used in cooking oil, margarine, baked goods and other foods, palm oil is the most consumed edible oil in the world. It feeds more than 3 billion people in 150 countries worldwide, and it is also a common ingredient in soaps and cosmetics. In 2008, Malaysia produced 17.7 million tons of crude palm oil and exported RM65.2 billion (US $17.6 billion) of palm oil products. New technologies are now enabling palm oil to be transformed into biodiesel, a promising renewable fuel.
The oil palm family has two species, the E. guineensis which originates from Africa and the E. oleifera, which is native to South America. Because of its high productivity, the E. guineensis is the commercial variety planted in Malaysia. However, the E. oleifera has many interesting traits such as low height increment, increased resistance to disease and produces higher quantities of unsaturated fats - traits that will add value if incorporated into commercial E. guineensis lines.
"Knowledge of the genomic sequence of these oil palm varieties enables researchers to understand genetic differences between trees that are, for example, higher yielding or more resistant to disease than usual," said Datuk Dr. Mohd Basri Wahid, the Director-General of MPOB. "Our goal in completing the oil palm genome sequence is to dramatically improve oil yields both for the production of food, feed and fuel."
The consortium included St. Louis, Missouri-based Orion Genomics, MOgene LC and The Genome Center at Washington University, South Korea-based Macrogen Inc., and Adelaide, Australia-based GeneWorks Pty Ltd. In addition to sequencing and assembling the genomes of the three oil palm varieties, the consortium sequenced the expressed genes (or transcriptome) from multiple tissue types for all three types of oil palm. Transcriptome sequence will aid oil palm researchers as they seek to understand the genes responsible for yield, disease resistance and resistance to environmental stress. The initiative generated the most comprehensive genetic and transcriptional maps to date of this important crop.
MPOB and Orion, along with MOgene, LC, also unveiled plans to study the epigenetic makeup of oil palm in 2010 in an effort to improve yields.
"Epigenetics is the study of the pattern of chemical groups that influence whether specific genes are turned on or off", said Nathan Lakey, President and Chief Executive Officer of Orion Genomics. "We theorize that by studying oil palm epigenetics, we may be able to help to speed the development of varieties of oil palm that produce more oil, rapidly increasing the per acre efficiency of this crop, which already is the single largest producer of edible oils world-wide."
The Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) was established on May 1, 2000 with the principal objective of promoting, developing and advancing the Malaysian palm oil industry. As the steward of the nation’s palm oil industry, MPOB is responsible for providing the scientific and technological support to the Malaysian palm oil industry. MPOB’s commitment to the industry is not limited to Research and Development (R & D), but also encompasses dissemination of information, technology transfer, commercialization, registration, licensing and enforcement activities.
Orion Genomics, the Second Code Company, develops epigenetic research tools and molecular diagnostic products to fulfill the promise of personalized medicine. Orion's lead product is a simple blood-based test that is being developed to identify people at elevated risk for colorectal cancer. The company has active biomarker discovery programs in cancers of the bladder, breast, lung, ovaries and colon, and the company offers genomics services to the medical, agricultural and bio-fuels research communities. Orion Genomics is located in the Center for Emerging Technologies in St. Louis. For more information, visit the Orion Genomics website at http://www.oriongenomics.com.
Macrogen is a Korean bio-venture company established in 1997. As a leading biotechnology company, Macrogen has provided high-quality DNA sequencing service to more than 10,000 researchers in over 100 countries worldwide with sequencing platforms such as 3730xl, GAIIx, SOLiD3, and GS-FLX. It also has subsidiary laboratories in USA, Japan, and Netherlands for more localized and customized service. Macrogen fully sequenced and annotated the whole genome of a Korean individual, which was published in Nature on 20th August, 2009. NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) and capillary sequencing platforms were combined to accomplish the project. With these accumulated experiences, Macrogen has shown its successful performances in numerous large scale sequencing projects. In addition, Macrogen has also launched 'Asian 100 Genome Project' in June this year to identify Asian specific markers related to diseases. For more information, visit the website of Macrogen Inc. at http://www.macrogen.com. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31019000 |
Keratomalacia can be linked to lower socioeconomic status, poor maternal nutrition, and inadequate breastfeeding, according to a paper in the journal Cornea.
Dr Noopur Gupta et al., Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India, studied the case records of children under 6 months of aged suffering from keratomalacia from June 2007 to April 2010.
Parameters assessed included age, sex, anthropometry, nutritional status, socioeconomic status, antenatal history, maternal nutrition, systemic associations, immunization and dietary history. Comprehensive ocular examination was completed and consisted of ocular adnexa, conjunctiva, cornea and anterior chamber.
Of the children included in the study, 88% had protein energy-associated malnutrition, 94% belonged to poor families and 75% were not sufficiently immunized. In 100% of keratomalacia patients, inadequate breastfeeding was the main cause. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31023000 |
Running is both a competition and a type of training for sports that have running or endurance components. As a sport, it is split into events divided by distance and sometimes includes permutations such as the obstacles in steeplechase and hurdles. Running races are contests to determine which of the competitors is able to run a certain distance in the shortest time. Today, competitive running events make up the core of the sport of athletics. Events are usually grouped into several classes, each requiring substantially different athletic strengths and involving different tactics, training methods, and types of competitors. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31027000 |
Hughes Court (1937-1938)
Hugo L. Black Joined
Date Formed:Thursday, August 19, 1937
Date Disbanded:Monday, January 17, 1938
On March 26 and 27, the Supreme Court heard two landmark same-sex marriage cases. Check out our deep dive on the topic to find out more about the cases and issues the Court will consider. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31032000 |
In Vitro Fertilization for Infertility
During in vitro fertilization (IVF), eggs and sperm are brought together in a laboratory glass dish to allow the sperm to fertilize an egg. With IVF, you can use any combination of your own eggs and sperm and donor eggs and sperm.
See a picture of the Reference female reproductive system Opens New Window Reference Opens New Window.
Ovulation and egg retrieval. To prepare for an assisted reproductive procedure using your own eggs, you will require hormone treatment to control your egg production (ovulation). This is done to prevent unpredictable ovulation, which would make it necessary to cancel that in vitro attempt. This is typically done using one of two similar types of Reference gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogue (GnRH agonist or GnRH antagonist). The following are two examples of how ovulation can be controlled:
- You first receive about 10 days of nasal or injected GnRH agonist that "shuts down" your Reference pituitary Opens New Window. Next, you get daily ovary-stimulating hormone injections and are closely monitored for 2 weeks before egg retrieval. At home, you or your partner injects you with gonadotropin or Reference follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) Opens New Window to make your ovaries produce multiple eggs (Reference superovulation Opens New Window).
- You start treatment with FSH injections and then add the GnRH antagonist injection after about 5 days, which stops the production of Reference luteinizing hormone (LH) Opens New Window within an hour or two.
After the first week, your doctor checks your blood estrogen levels and uses Reference ultrasound Opens New Window to see whether eggs are maturing in the Reference follicles Opens New Window. During the second week, your dosage may change based on test results. And you are monitored frequently with transvaginal ultrasound and blood tests. If follicles fully develop, you are given a human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection to stimulate the follicles to mature. The mature eggs are collected 34 to 36 hours later by needle aspiration guided by ultrasound. You will usually have pain medicine and Reference sedation for this procedure.
Sperm collection. Sperm are collected by means of masturbation or by taking sperm from a Reference testicle Opens New Window through a small incision. This procedure is done when a blockage prevents sperm from being ejaculated or when there is a problem with sperm development. Sperm may have been collected and frozen at an earlier time. Then the sperm are thawed on the day the eggs are collected.
Fertilization and embryo transfer. The eggs and sperm are placed in a glass dish and incubated with careful temperature, atmospheric, and infection control for 48 to 120 hours. About 2 to 5 days after fertilization, the best fertilized eggs are selected. One to three are placed in the uterus using a thin flexible tube (catheter) that is inserted through the cervix. Those remaining may be frozen (cryopreserved) for future attempts.
Pregnancy and birth. Any Reference embryos Opens New Window that implant in the uterus may then result in pregnancy and birth of one or more infants.
What To Expect After Treatment
Overall, in vitro fertilization (IVF)-related injections, monitoring, and procedures are emotionally and physically demanding of the female partner. Superovulation with hormones requires regular blood tests, daily injections (some of which are quite painful), frequent monitoring by your doctor, and harvesting of eggs.
These procedures are done on an outpatient basis and require only a short recovery time. You may have cramping during the procedure. You may be advised to avoid strenuous activities for the remainder of the day or to be on bed rest for a few days, depending on your condition and your doctor's recommendation.
Why It Is Done
In vitro fertilization may be a treatment option if:
- A woman's Reference fallopian tubes Opens New Window are missing or blocked.
- A woman has severe Reference endometriosis Opens New Window.
- A man has low sperm counts.
- Reference Artificial or intrauterine insemination Opens New Window has not been successful.
- Unexplained infertility has continued for a long time. How long a couple chooses to wait is influenced by the female partner's age and other personal factors.
- A couple wants to test for inherited disorders before embryos are transferred.
IVF can be done even if a:
- Woman has had a Reference tubal ligation Opens New Window reversal surgery that was not successful.
- Woman does not have fallopian tubes.
- Woman's fallopian tubes are blocked and can't be repaired.
IVF can be done using donor eggs for women who cannot produce their own eggs due to advanced age or other causes.
How Well It Works
The number of women who have babies after in vitro fertilization varies, depending on many different things. Almost all Reference assisted reproductive technology (ART) Opens New Window procedures are done using IVF.
Age. Birth rates resulting from a single cycle of IVF using women's own eggs are about 30% to 40% for women age 34 and younger, then rates decrease steadily after age 35.Reference 1 The Reference aging of the egg supply has a powerful effect on the chances that an assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedure will result in pregnancy and a healthy baby.
Cause of infertility. Infertility can be caused by problems with the woman's or the man's reproductive system. Some of these causes can include problems with the fallopian tubes, with Reference ovulation Opens New Window, or with the sperm.
Pregnancy history. A woman who has already had a live birth is more likely to have a successful ART procedure than a woman who hasn't given birth before. This "previous birth advantage" gradually narrows as women age from their early 30s to their 40s.
Own eggs versus donor eggs. Birth rates are affected by whether ART procedures use a woman's own eggs or donor eggs. Many women over age 40 choose to use donor eggs, which greatly improves their chances of giving birth to healthy babies. For each cycle of in vitro fertilization:Reference 1
- Using her own eggs, a woman's chances of having a live birth decline from over 40% in her late 20s, to 30% at about age 38, and to 10% by about age 43.
- Live birth rates are about the same among younger and older women using donor eggs. Women in their late 20s through mid-40s average about a 55% birth rate using fresh (not frozen) embryos.
Frozen embryos versus fresh embryos. Donor-frozen IVF embryos from a previous IVF cycle that are thawed and transferred to the uterus are less likely to result in a live birth than are donor-fresh (newly fertilized) IVF embryos.Reference 1 But frozen embryos are less expensive and less invasive for a woman, because superovulation and egg retrieval aren't needed.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) increases the risks of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and multiple pregnancy.
- Reference Superovulation Opens New Window with hormone treatment can cause severe Reference ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome Opens New Window. Your doctor can minimize the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome by closely monitoring your ovaries and hormone levels during treatment.
- The risk of conceiving a multiple pregnancy is directly related to the number of embryos transferred to a woman's uterus. Reference Multiple pregnancies are high-risk for both the mother and the fetuses.
There may be a higher risk of birth defects for babies conceived by certain assisted reproductive techniques, such as IVF. Talk with your doctor about these possible risks.
Embryo transfer success versus the risk of multiple pregnancy
For a woman over age 35 to maximize her chances of conceiving with her own eggs and carrying a healthy pregnancy, she may choose to have more embryos transferred than a younger woman would. But this increases her risk of multiple pregnancy.
Because of the risks to the babies of multiple pregnancy, experts recommend limiting the number of embryos transferred. Your doctor will recommend a certain number of embryos to be transferred based on your age and specific situation.
Women over 40 have a high rate of embryo loss when using their own eggs. As an alternative, older women can choose to use more viable donor eggs. When a woman uses donor eggs, experts recommend using the donor's age to help figure out how many embryos to transfer.Reference 2
What To Think About
Smoking has a damaging effect on fertility and pregnancy. Smoking reduces the chance that IVF will work.Reference 3 Smoking can also affect the health of the fetus.
In vitro fertilization provides diagnostic information about fertilization and embryo development (which is not the case with a Reference GIFT or ZIFT Opens New Window procedure).
Using ultrasound to help collect eggs from the woman's ovaries is less expensive, less risky, and less invasive than egg collection by Reference laparoscopy Opens New Window.
In the United States, a cycle of in vitro fertilization costs approximately $10,000 to $15,000.
If you and your doctor are concerned about passing on a genetic disorder to your child, preimplantation genetic diagnosis might be available. Some genetic disorders can be identified with specialized testing before an embryo is transferred, increasing the chances of conceiving a healthy child.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Society for Assisted Reproductive Technology (2008). 2008 Assisted Reproductive Technology Success Rates: National Summary and Fertility Clinic Reports. Available online: http://www.cdc.gov/art/ART2008/PDF/ART_2008_Full.pdf.
|By:||Reference Healthwise Staff||Last Revised: December 7, 2011|
|Medical Review:||Reference Sarah Marshall, MD - Family Medicine
Reference Femi Olatunbosun, MB, FRCSC - Obstetrics and Gynecology | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31037000 |
California sea otters will start the new year with a vast new range of territory far south of their government-imposed grounds north of Point Conception.
Beginning on Jan. 18, they are free to swim south into waters off Los Angeles, San Diego and Baja - places they frequented before they were forcibly relocated to a remote Channel Island in the 1980s.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decided to lift the "no-otter" zone this month after a thorough review found that the translocation program that started it was essentially a failure.
About 140 sea otters living between the Mexican border and Point Conception, north of Santa Barbara, were gathered up and taken to San Nicolas Island in 1987. The purpose of the move was to establish a colony of otters far enough away from the coast to protect it from oil spills or other catastrophes. As coastal marine mammals, sea otters are particularly susceptible to pollution runoff and other near-shore toxins.
A no-otter zone south of Point Conception was then instituted to keep otters, which are voracious shellfish eaters, from infringing on commercial fishers.
Many of the relocated otters swam back to Central California or to coastal waters, or simply died. Officials realized the relocation program was a failure years ago and stopped enforcing it by the early 1990s.
"It seems really silly to have" a relocation program, said Los Angeles Waterkeeper spokeswoman Liz Crosson. "Sea otters
Sea otters eat the sea urchins that can decimate kelp forests, Crossan explained.
Lifting the no-otter zone will also bring the marine mammals greater legal protection against harm because they are listed as a federally threatened species, Crosson said.
Bernardo Alps, a local marine mammal expert, said he has seen a sea otter this year and hears reports of sightings a few times a year off the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
"Lately they've been seen several times a year down here. There are areas near Santa Barbara where they're a lot more regular," Alps said, adding that they may venture south because "usually young males roam to establish new territories."
There are fewer than 3,000 southern sea otters living off California, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. They were hunted to near extinction for their fur, and only 50 survivors were found off the coast of Big Sur by the 1930s.
Their numbers are growing very slowly because of numerous threats that cause die-offs, including algal toxins, parasites, infectious diseases, bacterial infections, boat strikes, shark bites, starvation and heart disease.
Lilian Carswell, the southern sea otter recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said that lifting the no-otter zone may reinvigorate their population.
"With natural factors like the shark bites and food limitation, there's little we can or should do," Carswell said in a written statement. "But to cope with non-natural factors, the population recovery at the very least will depend on sea otters expanding into new areas that can support sustained populations."
Sea otters, which range from 45 to 65 pounds as adults, do not have blubber, so they must eat about 25 percent of their body weight daily to maintain high metabolisms and stay warm.
When they settle in an area, they decimate its shellfish population and force local fishers to go elsewhere, said David Goldenberg, executive director for the California Sea Urchin Commission. His group, which represents hundreds of independent California urchin divers, supported the no-otter zone.
"When otters go into an area, they close the area for diving because they're endangered," Goldenberg said. "So otters have free roam to eat. As otters move, they're going to be displacing fishermen. You can't be in competition with an endangered species."
As otter populations expand, they will "eat themselves out of house and home," Goldenberg said, leaving areas barren of shellfish.
He said the relocation program could have been a success had it been properly implemented.
"They failed to move the number of animals they said they were going to," Goldenberg said. "When they went back later to see how the population rebounded after they moved animals, they found they hadn't met the criteria."
Goldenberg said the Fish and Wildlife Service should have focused on ways to reduce ocean pollution and toxins that kill otters instead of removing the no-otter zone.
"Rather than addressing the real problem of why these animals haven't replicated, they chose to ignore that because it's a harder issue to address," he said. "It's easier to say: `Let the animals roam and we'll put fishermen out of business."'
Los Angeles Waterkeeper is trying to fill the void left by the loss of otters off the Palos Verdes Peninsula. An overabundance of sea urchins - one of the otters' favorite foods - have created 50 "urchin barrens" in the area, decimating kelp forests that many coastal species need to survive, Crosson said.
To counteract this problem, L.A. Waterkeeper is working to redistribute urchins over a larger area in hopes of expanding a 10-acre kelp forest to a 50-acre forest in future years.
"In our minds, it's very important that we remove any obstacles to help sea otters return," Crosson said. "There are about 800 species that thrive in kelp forests, and we've seen an 80 percent reduction in that in the last 100 years." | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31039000 |
Medicines for HIV and AIDS are used to decrease the amount of HIV in the body and to strengthen the immune system. There are six types of HIV medicines. Commonly three different types of medicines are taken together. This is called combination therapy. It is vital to take them exactly as prescribed to maintain success, and to help to prevent the virus from becoming resistant to the medicines. These medicines are usually taken for life.
What are HIV and AIDs?
HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. This is a virus in the group of viruses called retroviruses. HIV destroys cells in the body called CD4 T cells. CD4 T cells are a type of lymphocyte (a white blood cell). These are important cells that protect the body against various bacteria, viruses and other germs. HIV actually multiplies within CD4 cells. HIV cannot be destroyed by white blood cells, as it keeps on changing its outer coat, so protecting it.
AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. This is a term which covers the range of infections and illnesses which can result from a weakened immune system caused by HIV.
It is important to remember that when you are first infected with HIV you do not have AIDS. There is usually a time lag of several years between first being infected with HIV and subsequently developing infections and other AIDS-related problems. This is because it usually takes several years for the number of CD4 T cells to reduce to a level where your immune system is weakened.
HIV is now a treatable medical condition and most treated people remain fit and well.
This leaflet is a brief overview of medicines that are used to treat HIV and AIDS. For more information see separate leaflet called HIV and AIDS and the information resources listed below.
What are medicines for HIV and AIDS and how do they work?
Medicines for HIV and AIDS are sometimes called antiretroviral medicines. There are six different types of these medicines available to prescribe in the UK; they include:
- Nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors - abacavir, didanosine, emtricitabine, lamivudine, stavudine, and tenofovir.
- Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors - efavirenz, etravirine, and nevirapine.
- Protease inhibitors - atazanavir, darunavir, fosamprenavir, indinavir, lopinavir, nelfinavir, ritonavir, saquinavir, and tipranavir.
- Integrase inhibitors - raltegravir.
- Fusion inhibitors - enfuvirtide.
- CCR5 antagonists - maraviroc.
Antiretroviral medicines work by stopping the HIV from making copies of itself. The amount of virus in your body (viral load) is decreased. This gives your immune system some time to become strong again and allows your body to make more CD4 T cells. The aim of treatment is to reduce the viral load to very low levels for as long as possible, and to increase the number of CD4 T cells to a normal level. This in turn means you are less likely to get infections.
The medicines in each class work in slightly different ways, but all work to stop the HIV from replicating itself. They work best when they are prescribed in combination.
If I have HIV or AIDS when is treatment usually started?
As a general rule, antiretroviral medicines are usually started if:
- Infections or other AIDS-related problems develop; or
- Your CD4 T cells fall below a certain level (around 350 cells per cubic millimetre of blood or less) - even if you do not have symptoms. The exact level when treatment is started depends on various factors which your doctor will discuss with you. These include any symptoms present and the rate of decline of the CD4 T cells.
The treatment of HIV is a rapidly changing area of medicine. Trials are underway to assess whether antiretroviral medicines should be started earlier in people who have no symptoms, even as early as when first infected with HIV. The trials aim to show whether there are benefits from treatment before symptoms develop, which outweigh the risk of side-effects from the medicines.
Which antiretrovirals are usually prescribed?
The choice of medicines is considered and chosen for each individual patient. The treatment for HIV can be complicated, as it involves taking many different medications. A team of healthcare professionals is usually involved in looking after you and giving you your treatment.
As discussed above, these medicines work best in combination. Taking three or more antiretroviral medicines at the same time, each attacking HIV at different points in its cycle of replication, is more effective than one or two medicines alone. Taking a combination of different medicines also reduces the risk that the virus will become resistant to any individual medicine. In 2008, the first one pill a day treatment was launched. Each pill contains three different medicines. This is popular, as it is convenient to take and has few side-effects.
In general, most guidelines recommend that you start with either:
- Two nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors plus a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (this regimen is usually tried first); or
- Two nucleoside or nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors plus a protease inhibitor boosted with low doses of ritonavir. This treatment regimen is usually reserved for people who have resistance to the above regimen, women who want to become pregnant, or anyone with psychiatric illness.
When taking medicines for HIV and AIDS
Some important considerations are:
- Adherence - taking your medicines exactly as prescribed.
- What to do if you miss a dose.
- Dietary restrictions.
- Regular blood tests.
- Taking other medicines.
Adherence - taking your medicines exactly as prescribed
It is vital to take the medication regularly and exactly as prescribed, to maintain success and to help to prevent the virus from becoming resistant to the medicines. Even if you miss one or two doses, the virus can become resistant to treatment.
What to do if you miss a dose
If you forget to take a dose, take your medicines as soon as you remember. However, if you remember just as you are about to take your next dose, do not take two doses at the same time to make up for the missed dose. If in doubt, speak to your pharmacist or doctor.
If you are regularly forgetting to take your medicine, talk to your doctor or pharmacist; there may be other combination medicines that are more suitable for you.
Regular blood tests
You are likely to have regular blood tests to monitor how well these medicines are working. You will usually have a CD4 T-cell count and a viral load blood test before you start treatment. This is called a baseline measurement. After starting treatment, your doctor will usually measure your viral load and CD4 T-cell count after one month later, and then about every three months thereafter. If your treatment is effective then your viral load will decrease and your CD4 T cells will increase.
You may need more blood tests if you feel unwell or develop symptoms such as an infection.
Taking other medicines
Quite a few medicines that you may be prescribed for other conditions or that you can buy from pharmacies or supermarkets can interfere with HIV medicines. This includes herbal medicines. Always ask your pharmacist or doctor before taking any new medicines. For more information see the leaflet that came with your medicine.
What are the possible side-effects?
The side-effects for most HIV medicines are usually mild and often go away after a few weeks. Common side-effects include nausea (feeling sick), vomiting and headache. If these side-effects do not go away, your doctor can prescribe some other medicines to help with these problems. If this does not help, your doctor may change your medicines.
Other less common side-effects include:
- Damage to the liver, kidneys, or pancreas.
- Skin rash.
- Dry skin, nail problems, hair loss.
- Peripheral neuropathy (damage to the nerves).
- Fat loss (lipoatrophy).
- Fat accumulation.
- Increased blood-sugar levels and risk of type 2 diabetes.
See the leaflet that comes with your particular brand for a full list of possible side-effects and cautions.
What is the usual length of treatment?
Once you have started treatment you will need to take these medicines for the rest of your life. This is in order to keep your immune system healthy and to prevent you from getting infections.
How well do medicines for HIV and AIDS work?
Although these medicines do not cure HIV, they slow the progression of HIV to AIDS. They are effective at allowing people with HIV to live their lives as normally as possible. Since the introduction of medicines to treat HIV, the death rates from AIDS has reduced dramatically. Newer medicines are more effective than medicines used in the past.
What happens if I do not take HIV medicines?
If you have HIV and do not take HIV medicines, eventually - typically, over a number of years - your viral load increases and the number of CD4 T cells decreases significantly. Your immune system becomes very weak. This means that you are open to getting infections and your body is unable to fight the infection. These infections can become serious and overwhelming for your body and you are likely to die.
How to use the Yellow Card Scheme
If you think you have had a side-effect to one of your medicines you can report this on the Yellow Card Scheme. You can do this online at the following web address: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard.
The Yellow Card Scheme is used to make pharmacists, doctors and nurses aware of any new side-effects that medicines may have caused. If you wish to report a side-effect, you will need to provide basic information about:
- The side-effect.
- The name of the medicine which you think caused it.
- Information about the person who had the side-effect.
- Your contact details as the reporter of the side-effect.
It is helpful if you have your medication - and/or the leaflet that came with it - with you while you fill out the report.
Further help and information
4th Floor, 57a Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 0BB
Tel: 020 7407 8488 or Treatment phoneline: 0808 800 6013, Mon, Tues, Wed 12-4 pm
HIV i-Base is a treatment activist group, HIV-positive-led and committed to providing timely HIV treatment information to HIV-positive people and to healthcare professionals.
National Aids Trust
New City Cloisters, 196 Old Street, London, EC1V 9FR
Tel: 020 7814 6767 Web: www.nat.org.uk
Promotes a wider understanding of HIV and AIDS, develop and support efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and improve the quality of life of people affected by HIV and AIDS.
Terrence Higgins Trust
314-320 Grays Inn Road, London, WC1X 8DP
Helpline: 0845 1221 200 Web: www.tht.org.uk
A national HIV and sexual health charity. Their helpline offers information and support to anyone living with HIV, affected by HIV indirectly or concerned about their sexual health.
A comprehensive web-based resource on HIV and AIDS-related matters.
Lists several other HIV/AIDS support organisations.
Sexual Health Videos from NHS Choices
Includes videos specifically about HIV and AIDS. For example, a video called 'HIV Real Story' is about Mick who was infected with HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C through contaminated blood products 25 years ago. He describes the effects and side-effects of treatment, how he copes with the infection, and how attitudes towards HIV have changed.
|Original Author: Dr Tim Kenny||Current Version: Mrs Jenny Whitehall||Peer Reviewer: Dr Tim Kenny|
|Last Checked: 16/05/2012||Document ID: 13843 Version: 1||© EMIS|
Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. EMIS has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31040000 |
As one-year olds play, they start to recognize patterns and understand shapes. They begin to sort familiar objects by one characteristic, such as whether they are "hard" or "soft." They may enjoy filling and emptying containers. They notice that night is followed by day, and that socks go on feet before shoes. They know that when an object is hidden, it is still there. Many can also do simple insert puzzles when the puzzle pieces show whole objects.
Between 18-24 months, some children will begin to use a few number words without understanding quantity (e.g., imitates a simple counting rhyme). Some children may also begin to understand the words "one" and "two" (e.g., distinguishes "one" or "two" from many; identifies pairs of items as "two;" identifies three or more items as "many" rather than as "one" or "two;" asks for "one" or "two" of something; knows age; responds appropriately to the request, "Take just one," or "Give me two.").
Between 18-24 months, a few children will begin to nonverbally and mentally determine that one item added to another makes "two," and that one item taken away or subtracted from "two" makes "one."
Between 12 and 18 months, the average child understands that when an object is completely hidden, it is still there ("object permanence"), and can be recovered. (Some children may understand this between 18-24 months.)
During the first half of this year, some children will even be able to recover an object that has been hidden in one place, and then visibly moved to a second position and re-hidden. (The average child will establish such "object permanence" during the second half of this year.) During the first half of this year, the average child will also be able to recover an object that has been covered with one item, and then covered with something else while remaining in the same position
Between 18 and 24 months, some children will informally identify and play with solid objects (e.g., picks out a familiar object by touch when that object is placed in a bag with two other objects).
Between 12-24 months, children are typically able to work simple "insert" puzzles (e.g., completes a three-piece simple puzzle where pieces are whole objects). Also, children can remove a part from a toy (e.g., a wheel) and replace it. Finally, children can build three-dimensional structures using one type of item (e.g., a cube).
Between 12-18 months, children adjust their reach based on the distance and size of an object (e.g., accurately reaches and closes hand around an item instead of missing the object or closing hand before contact). Children also adjust their grasp of an object based on its weight (i.e., no longer grasps all items tightly or allows arm to drop when given heavy items).
Some children at 12-18 months believe that a cracker broken into many pieces is more food than the same type of cracker that is whole. (The average child believes this between 18-24 months.)
Some children during the second half of this year will explore objects by filling and emptying containers (e.g., with sand or water).
During the second half of this year, a few children begin to develop a sense of time through participation in routine daily activities (e.g., knows about when it is time to eat, nap time, etc.). Children's sense of time develops gradually over the next several years.
Between 12-18 months, some children recognize that there is an order to the day (e.g., Mommy comes to get me after storytime). The average child sees daily patterns by the second half of this year. In the second half of the year, some children show a greater understanding of daily time sequence (e.g., time to eat, nap time, etc.).
During the second half of the year, some children notice patterns in the environment (e.g., day follows night, patterns in carpeting or clothing, etc.). They also use the terms, "tomorrow," and "yesterday."
In the second half of this year, some children show interest in patterns or sequence (e.g., attempts to follow patterns with stringing beads, magnetic shapes, peg boards).
Between 18-24 months, some children can classify, label and sort familiar objects by a known group (e.g., hard v. soft, large v. small, heavy v. light).
During the second half of this year, some children can pick up blocks in the order of size. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31044000 |
Light affects nutrients
Sound Consumer | March 2012
So you think you’re getting the most nutritious, best produce by reaching to the back of the produce shelves, or by digging to the bottom of a pile on the dry racks? Think again.
A study by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists suggests consumers may wish to look instead for fruits and vegetables receiving the greatest exposure to light — usually found closest to the front or top of a display.
Researchers found that spinach leaves, for instance, exposed to continuous light during storage were more nutritionally dense than leaves continually in the dark. The researchers say light affects the leaves’ photosynthetic system, resulting in a significant increase in levels of carotenoids and vitamins C, E, K and B9 (folate). | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31046000 |
Patellar Luxation in Dogs
Patellar luxation occurs when the dog's kneecap (patella) is dislocated from its normal anatomic position in the groove of the thigh bone (femur). When the kneecap is dislocated from the groove of the thigh bone, it can only be returned to its normal position once the quadriceps muscles in the hind legs of the animal relax and lengthen. It is for this reason that most dogs with the condition will hold up their hind legs for a few minutes.
A dislocated kneecap is one of the most prevalent knee joint abnormalities in dogs. The condition is most common in toy and miniature dog breeds such as the Yorkshire Terrier, Pomeranian, Pekingese, Chihuahua, and Boston Terrier. Female dogs are 1 1/2 times more likely to acquire the condition.
Patellar luxation is thought to be rare in cats. Nevertheless, if you would like to learn more about how it affects, please visit this page in the PetMD health library.
Symptoms and Types
The specific symptoms of a dislocated kneecap will depend on the severity and persistence of the condition, as well as the amount of degenerative arthritis that is involved. Typically, a dog with a dislocated kneecap will exhibit prolonged abnormal hindlimb movement, occasional skipping or hindlimb lameness, and sudden lameness.
The dog will rarely feel pain or discomfort once the kneecap is out of position, only feeling pain at the moment the kneecap slides out of the thigh bone's ridges.
A dislocated kneecap is usually caused by a genetic malformation or trauma. The clinical signs of the condition will normally start showing approximately four months after birth.
A dislocated kneecap is diagnosed through a variety of means. Top view (craniocaudal) and side view (mediolateral) X-rays of the stifle joint, hip, and hock may be used to detect bending and twisting of the thigh bone and larger bone of the lower leg. Skyline X-rays may reveal a shallow, flattened, or curved groove of the thigh bone. A fluid sample taken from the joint and an analysis of the lubricating fluid in the joint (synovial fluid) will show a small increase in mononuclear cells. It is also necessary for the veterinarian to perform an examination by touch to feel for kneecap freedom.
Medical treatment for kneecap dislocation has very little effectiveness; surgery is the preferred treatment of choice for severe cases. Surgery can correct both the affected structures and the movement of the kneecap itself, and in 90 percent of cases, frees the dog from lameness and dysfunction.
The kneecap may be fastened on the outside of the bone to prevent it from sliding towards the inside. Alternatively, the groove of the thigh bone may be deepened so that it can better hold the kneecap.
Living and Management
Follow-up treatment after successful surgery will include leash walk exercise for one month (avoid jumping) and yearly examinations to check for progress. It is important that pet owners are aware that there is a high possibility of recurrence (48 percent), although the dislocation will be considerably less severe than the original incidence. Because kneecap dislocation is genetically inherited, the breeding of affected dogs is highly discouraged.
There are currently no known preventative measures for this medical condition.
The term for the knee cap
The term for the joint between the femur and tibia (knee cap)
Any growth or organ on an animal that is not normal
Any type of pain or tenderness or lack of soundness in the feet or legs of animals
A medical condition in which the joints become inflamed and causes a great deal of pain.
Term used to refer to an animal in its regular standing position.
The dislocation of a bone from the joint | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31059000 |
Posted by James Briggs on January 19, 2003
In Reply to: The 'v' sign posted by alan on January 19, 2003
: Perhaps the most common British
phrase , even if it is not spoken but indicated by raising two spread fingers
in a similar fashion and meaning two the American 'one finger salute'.
: It is said to have originated during the Napoleonic wars when Napoleon so frustrated with the devastating effect the British archers were having in battle that he promised that any captured British archer would have his two firing fingers chopped off , in defiance the British archers stood on a hill and raised two fingers in the direction of the enemy soldiers and shouted F**k off thus connecting the word and the sign.
Although he certain origin is unknown, a highly likely basis takes us back to the Hundred Years' War between England and France in the 14th and 15th centuries - much earlier than Napoleon, by which time archers were virtually redundant! Captured 'English' archers who, it seems, were actually mainly Welsh, had the first two fingers of their right hand cut off so that they couldn't take part in future battles. As a defiant riposte, after felling a French soldier with an arrow, an archer would raise his two fingers, just to show that he was still in the game. The battle where this first happened was likely to have been Crécy in 1346. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31067000 |
There is no doubt that animals and animal industries are integral to the socio-economic wellbeing of rural and urban Australia. Climate change brings with it a variety of environmental stressors which will have range of negative impacts on animal industries, threatening food safety and security, animal and human health, and local and national economies.
Adaptation of production animals to climate change is the key to minimising impacts. Adaptation relies on better awareness of the effects of climate change on animal productivity and health, and identification of the vulnerabilities and opportunities that climate change presents to animal industries. This knowledge can inspire proactive farm, industry and social changes that will in turn lead to more sustainable, healthy and productive animal industries.
The animal health, production and biosecurity theme aims to build awareness of the climate change threats to animal farming industries and communities. The theme aims to encourage multidisciplinary climate change research in animal sciences that will provide holistic solutions to key climate change issues including:
- land, feed and water availability and usage
- genetics and breeding
- infectious disease control
Ultimately participants in this theme, both academic and non-academic, will provide inspiration and instruction to foster sustainable animal farming in a changing climate.
The theme plans to produce informative climate change adaptation fact sheets for key industries, develop online discussion forums and cutting edge research updates, and visit farming communities over the next two years.
We encourage researchers, farmers, local and national government representatives, and rural and urban communities involved with the animal industries to get involved with this PIARN theme as active members. Member input is valued and encouraged as we work to adapt our animal industries to climate change. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31068000 |
ZOO 102 Primates
3 Credit Hours • 67.5 Contact Hours (Lecture/Lab Combination)
Investigate evolutionary concepts and trends including primate fossil records. Students will examine the taxonomic classification of primates and primate history and participate extensively in behavioral studies that require the acquisition and assemblage of data. Students will gain successful understanding of primate groups, morphology, adaptations, social structures, and conservation issues affecting a multitude of species. Exploring primatology in a thorough study will enable students to compare and contrast learned behaviors from a variety of other animal species as well as adapt techniques from a psychological perspective. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31082000 |
Solar electrical power is the particular conversion of sunshine into electricity, either straight making use of photovoltaics (PV), and / or indirectly utilizing concentrated solar electric power (CSP).
Commercial concentrated solar force vegetation were 1st developed within the 1980s. The actual 354 MW SEGS CSP installing the components is actually the biggest solar electrical power plant throughout the globe, placed within the Mojave Desert of California. Some other big CSP plants include the actual Solnova Solar Power Station (150 MW) plus the Andasol solar electric power station (150 MW), both throughout Spain. The actual 214 MW Gujarat Solar Park inside India, is actually the entire globe s biggest photovoltaic plant.
Solar force typically is the conversion of sunshine into electricity. Sunshine is converted straight into electricity applying photovoltaics (PV), or simply indirectly with concentrated solar force (CSP), that normally concentrates the actual sun's stamina that would boil water that is afterward used to provide energy. Other technologies furthermore exist, for instance Stirling engine dishes which incorporate a Stirling cycle motor to electrical power a generator. Photovoltaics were initially chosen to power little and also medium-sized applications, from the calculator driven by a single solar mobile that would off-grid homes driven by a photovoltaic range.
A parabolic trough consists of the linear parabolic reflector which concentrates light onto a receiver placed over the reflector's focal line. The recipient is a tube positioned right above the entire center associated with the parabolic mirror and also is actually filled with a functioning liquid. The particular reflector is actually built to follow the actual Sun during the entire daylight hours by tracking along a single axis. Parabolic trough systems provide the ideal land-use factor of any solar development. The actual SEGS vegetation within California not to mention Acciona's Nevada Solar One near Boulder City, Nevada are generally representatives of this development. Compact Linear Fresnel Reflectors happen to be CSP-plants which employ countless thin mirror strips instead of parabolic mirrors to be able to focus sunshine onto two tubes alongside working liquid. This particular has the advantage which flat mirrors will likely be chosen that are much cheaper compared to parabolic mirrors, and additionally that more reflectors will be put within the exact same amount of space, permitting more of the available sunshine in order to be chosen. Focusing linear fresnel reflectors can certainly be utilized in either big or even more compact plants. For More Information, Check Out: preturi panouri solare nepresurizate .
The entire Stirling solar dish combines a parabolic concentrating dish with a Stirling motor that usually forces a great electrical generator. The blessings of Stirling solar over photovoltaic cells are generally higher than average effectiveness of converting sunlight into electricity and additionally longer lifetime. Parabolic dish systems grant the greatest efficiency among CSP technologies. The particular 50 kW Big Dish within Canberra, Australia typically is a example of this development. For More Information, Check Out: preturi panouri solare presurizate .
About Ecoplay SRL
Soseaua Odai nr.245B Sector 1,Bucuresti,Romania
Tel: (+40) 731.998.335
Tag Words: None | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31088000 |
When we exercise, our heart rates increase, and when we sleep, they drop. But sometimes, when we're working during the day and minding our business, our heart skips a beat. During any 24-hour period, in fact, one-fifth of adults may experience this phenomenon and not know it. When extra beats happen in quick succession, the heart can enter a chaotic state, leading to a condition known as arrhythmia, which is treated with daily medication or, in more severe cases, electrical pulses that return the heart to normalcy.
Teresa Chay is a biophysicist who suffers from arrhythmia. She developed the condition as a child after rheumatic fever damaged two heart valves. Surgery seven years ago replaced the valves, but she still takes daily medication and occasionally needs to rush to the hospital for electrical pulse treatment.
Since her surgery, Chay has studied arrhythmia. Using supercomputers at the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center, she has developed a mathematical model that explains why arrhythmia begins and why it stops when electric shocks are applied. Her goal, like other researchers in this field, is providing a foundation for developing better drugs to control arrhythmia. Currently, the drugs are not always effective, and in some cases, for reasons not well understood, rather than controlling arrhythmia they can trigger it and kill you.
Researcher: Teresa Chay, University of Pittsburgh.
Hardware: CRAY C90
Software: User developed code
Keywords: arrhythmia, heart, heart rate, electrical pulse treatment, anti-arrhythmic drugs, ion channels, sudden cardiac death, atrial fibrillation, erratic beating, chaotic state, nonlinear dynamics, chaos theory, bifurcation analysis, coexistence theory, reentrant arrhythmia, self beating, quiescent state, sinus node.
Related Material on the Web:
More information about Dr. Chay and her research, from the Community of Science Web Server.
Projects in Scientific Computing, PSC's annual research report.
References, Acknowledgements & Credits | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31100000 |
Some Aspects of Stock Plant Management
For a nursery to have a good stock of mother plants is like having money in the bank. An asset of guaranteed vegetative stock material gives assurance, for on-going production and continuity of supply to customers. A wide range of stock plants gives production a choice of diversity, flexibility, and peace of mind for planning ahead, and also allows the luxury of variety and change.
To yield high quality propagation material however, the mother plants have to be managed correctly to give best results, if mismanaged or neglected the mother plants can quickly become a valueless liability. At Duncan and Davies, depending on genera and species, our mother plants generally can be divided into four basic groups:
- In-ground, longer-term, permanent stock, planted out in stock bed rows.
- In-ground, short-term, nursery row, temporary stock.
- Containerised temporary stock:
- From saleable potted crops where conformation trimming can yield useful cutting material or
ISHS members & pay-per-view
(PDF 171708 bytes)
IPPS membership administration
ISHS membership administration | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31104000 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Carmeyia Gillis
News Releases 2005
NOAA Home Page
NOAA Public Affairs
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced the 2005-2006 U.S. Winter Outlook today for the months December, January and February. NOAA forecasters expect warmer-than-normal temperatures in most of the U.S. The precipitation outlook is less certain, showing equal chances of above, near or below normal precipitation for much of the country.
“Even though the average temperature over the three-month winter season is forecast to be above normal in much of the country, there will still be bouts of winter weather with cold temperatures and frozen precipitation,” said retired Navy Vice Admiral Conrad C. Lautenbacher, Jr., Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
NOAA does not expect La Niña and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) to play a role in this winter’s forecast. Without ENSO forecasters look to other short-term climate factors, like the North Atlantic Oscillation, in determining the overall winter patterns. Under these conditions there tends to be more variability in winter weather patterns across the nation, especially in the Great Lakes region and the northeast U.S.
The 2005-2006 U.S. Winter Outlook calls for warmer-than-normal temperatures across much of the central and western United States, including Alaska and Hawaii. The Midwest, the Southern Californian coast and the East Coast have equal chances of warmer, cooler, or near-normal temperatures this winter.
The precipitation outlook calls for wetter-than-normal conditions across most of Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and northeastern Texas. Drier-than-normal conditions are expected across the Southwest from Arizona to New Mexico.
As winter approaches, nearly 20 percent of the nation is in some level of drought compared to around 30 percent of the country this time last year as defined by the U.S. Drought Monitor. For the sixth year in a row, drought remains a concern for parts of the Northwest and northern Rockies. Wet or dry conditions during the winter typically have a significant impact on drought conditions. Winter-spring snow pack is particularly important in the West, as much of the annual water supply comes from the springtime snow melt. NOAA cautions it would take a number of significant winter snowstorms to end the drought in the Pacific Northwest and northern Rockies.
What Could Drive This Winter’s Weather?
Since early 2005 sea-surface temperatures in the central-equatorial Pacific Ocean have been near normal. Near normal sea-surface temperatures in the central-equatorial Pacific Ocean are expected to continue for the next three to six months. Therefore, it is unlikely that either the El Niño or La Niña phases of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle will be present during the upcoming winter. As a result, one key climate feature that could have a particularly large impact in U.S. winter weather, especially along the East Coast, is the North Atlantic Oscillation or NAO.
The North Atlantic Oscillation often changes its phase from week-to-week. During the positive phase the jet stream shifts to the north of its usual position and the winter weather features relatively warm days over much of the contiguous U.S. In contrast, during the negative phase the jet stream shifts to the south of its usual position. The negative phase of the NAO features more Nor’easters and more frequent cold air outbreaks and snowstorms, especially along the East Coast. Currently, the phase of the NAO is difficult to anticipate more than one to two weeks in advance.
Recognizing the demand to have more precision with seasonal outlooks, NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center has formed a Climate Test Bed. The Climate Test Bed is a collaborative scientific effort among the operational, academic and research communities. The mission of the Climate Test Bed is to accelerate the transfer of atmospheric and oceanic research and development into operational climate forecasts, products and applications. At present the Climate Test Bed is focused on maximizing the use of NOAA’s Climate Forecast System model in combination with other climate forecast tools to improve U.S. seasonal precipitation and temperature outlooks.
NOAA will publish updates to the 2005-2006 U.S. Winter Outlook via the web Oct. 20, and Nov. 17. Meteorological winter begins Dec. 1 while astronomical winter begins Dec. 21.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.
On the Web:
NOAA’s National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov
CLIMATE FACTORS HELPING TO SHAPE WINTER 2005-2006
El Niño Theme page: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/elnino/nino-home.html
CPC’s El Nino page: | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31105000 |
MYTH No. 2: Most college students are supported by their parents and take advantage of a multitude of available loans, scholarships, and savings plans.
REALITY No. 2: Young people who fail to finish college are often going it alone financially. They’re essentially putting themselves through school.
According to one recent analysis, college costs have risen more than 400 percent in the last 25 years, while the median family income has increased less than 150 percent.1 And even though the pressure of having to balance the demands of a job and school is the major reason young people say they drop out of college, it would be misleading to dismiss the role of rising college costs and stagnant family incomes. National statistics show that young people who leave college without a degree are more likely than their peers to come from less privileged backgrounds and to live in more precarious economic circumstances.2 This study revealed that these students often bear the full responsibility of paying for school: Nearly 6 in 10 students in our study who left higher education without graduating say that they had to pay for college costs themselves, rather than being able to count on help from their families. In contrast, more than 6 in 10 of those who completed their degrees say they had help from parents or other relatives to cover the costs of school.
Young people who fail to finish college are also substantially less likely to have received scholarships or financial aid, loans or even good advice about how to get help. About 7 in 10 of those who leave school report that they did not have scholarships or financial aid, compared with about 4 in 10 of those who graduate. The majority of students (62 percent) who told us that they alone were responsible for paying for college (regardless of whether they dropped out) report that their high school guidance counselors did a poor or only fair job of helping them to understand the college application process. Among students who had financial support from their parents, less than half said the same.
Unfortunately, about 3 in 10 of those young people who leave school without getting a diploma report that they have college loans—money that has to be repaid even though they do not have the financial leg up that a college degree affords. In many respects, they have the worst of both worlds—no diploma, but college loans to repay.
T he National Center for Public Policy and Education, “Measuring Up 2008” report; in Viany Orozco and Nancy K. Cauthen, “Work Less, Study More, & Succeed: How Financial Supports Can Improve Postsecondary Success,” Demos, 2009.
“Employment and Earnings Report,” Bureau of Labor Statistics, August 2009. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31106000 |
Guthrie was born in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma in the summer of 1912. His father, a prominent businessman in the area, was involved in the Nelson lynchings in the area the previous year, a topic Guthrie covered three times in song, maintaining that his father later became a member of the Ku Klux Klan. His mother suffered from Huntington's Disease, a degenerative disorder which affects muscle control, and was institutionalised when Woody was 14. His father Charley abandoned the family to work in Texas. Guthrie taught himself to play the harmonica and later the guitar over this period, and eventually made his way to California, where he established himself as a working musician.
Guthrie's work encompassed a range of subjects, but he is perhaps best known for his protest songs, frequently using his work to tell stories of poverty and unemployment, repression and violence, but also tempering this with more hopeful and lightly comic songs like 'The Biggest Thing That Man Has Ever Done'.
Guthrie took his lyrical inspiration from many of his experiences travelling during the Great Depression, but he took a great deal of musical influence from early blues musicians, insights which were passed on through a direct line of descent to Bob Dylan, as evidenced by the following quote. Woody's son, Arlo Guthrie, maintained that he and Dylan were taught by Guthrie's protege, 'Ramblin'' Jack Elliot, since Woody's Huntington's Disease had progressed too far for him to tutor them directly. This account was corroborated by Elliot:
Guthrie was institutionalised, first in hospitals, then in a psychiatric institution, over the final decade of his life. He died from complications relating to his Huntington's Disease on the 3rd of October, 1967, having inherited the condition from his mother. Following her husband's death, Marjorie Guthrie founded the Committee to Combat Huntington's Disease, which later became the Huntington's Disease Society of America.
I was flattered. Dylan learned from me the same way I learned from Woody. Woody didn't teach me. He just said, If you want to learn something, just steal it-that's the way I learned from Lead Belly.
Guthrie's influence on the musical landscape is difficult to gauge, but it is undeniably lasting and significant, particularly in punk rock. Joe Strummer famously insisted on being called 'Woody' for a good chunk of his youth, a period nodded to in the Gaslight Anthem song 'I'da Called You Woody, Joe'. Billy Bragg cites Guthrie as a major influence, and, together with Wilco, collaborated on two albums of original music set to Woody's unused lyrics, Mermaid Avenue Volumes I and II. More recently, the Dropkick Murphys took a disused Guthrie lyric, and crafted it into 'Shippin' Up to Boston', on the 2005 full length The Warrior's Code.
In a subculture based on guitar music and, at it's finest moments, committed to freedom and justice, we owe a tremendous amount to Woody Guthrie. His work has inspired a great many people to a great many things, but has come full circle in the case of one Flaviano Giorgini. Formerly of Squirtgun, now a lecturer in Mammalian Genetics at the University of Leicester, Dr Giorgini's research interests have focused on neurodegenerative disorders. Simply put, following years as a touring musician in a genre which owes so much to Guthrie, Flav and his colleagues work to better understand, and more effectively treat, Huntington's Disease, and disorders like it. We can think of no finer tribute to Woody than that. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31110000 |
Getting Students to Take Responsibility for Their Learning
Wouldn't it be great if our students came to class prepared? Not just having read the assignment, but mentally prepared as well -- alert and ready to debate, challenge, interact, and contribute?
Unfortunately, it often seems that when students walk into our classrooms their brains are set on the lowest possible setting. One reason students may not feel compelled to prepare (or be in the proper mindset for learning) is that they don't mind being shortchanged. In our consumer-driven society, where more is supposedly better, education is the one area where people are content to settle for less. Want to make a class happy? Let them out early.
Are there some things we can do to get our students to read the assignment, come to class ready to participate, and be responsible learners? Absolutely! Not only are there things we could be doing, we should be doing them, according to Marcia Magolda in her article "Helping Students Make Their Way to Adulthood: Good Company for the Journey" (2002). Magolda believes that instructors are in a unique position to help students learn two important lessons: (a) to be less dependent on external authorities, and (b) to take ownership and responsibility for their own lives.
So, whose responsibility is it for learning to occur in the classroom? The responsibility belongs to both the instructor and the students. Responsibility can (and should) shift, depending on the time in the semester and the level of the students. Faculty working with freshmen may take more of the responsibility for learning to occur than faculty working with seniors or graduate students.
Likewise, instructors may take more of the responsibility at the beginning of the semester. As the class progresses, they can slowly relinquish control and prepare their students to take over, so that by the end of the semester, the students are shouldering most of the responsibility.
By teaching responsibility, we not only enhance learning and raise the level of our classrooms, but we help produce responsible citizens and productive members of society.
For ten specific strategies for getting students to take responsibility for their learning, click on "Words of Wisdom" below. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31112000 |
Trends in Amphibian Occupancy in the United States
Michael J. Adams, David A. W. Miller, Erin Muths, Paul Stephen Corn, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Larissa L. Bailey, Gary M. Fellers, Robert N. Fisher, Walter J. Sadinski, Hardin Waddle, Susan C. Walls
Public Library of Science ONE
22 May 2012.
What we found
Based on sampling on protected areas from across the United States, including from the mid-Atlantic and from National Parks and Refuges across the northeast , ARMI has produced the first estimate of how fast we are losing amphibians.
Even though the declines seem small and negligible on the surface, they are not; small numbers build up to dramatic declines with time. For example, a species that disappears from 2.7 % of the places it is found per year will disappear from half of the places it occurs in 26 years if trends continue. More concerning is that even the species we thought were faring well – that is, fairly common and widespread -- are declining, on average. Fowler’s Toad (9 total years of data at 1 area: -0.06% annual trend) and Spring Peepers (26 total years at 5 areas: -0.06%) are examples of IUCN Least Concern Species for which we found a declining trend at the places we monitor. We also found evidence that amphibian declines are even taking place in protected areas like National Parks and National Wildlife Refuges. Check out the full publication here.
What we are doing
The Amphibian Research and Monitoring Initiative (ARMI) brings scientists and resource managers together to make real progress on a difficult problem. The ARMI program is a model for a productive program that links management and cutting edge science – since its inception in 2000, ARMI has produced over 430 publications on amphibian ecology, methodological advances for studying wildlife populations, and information useful to our DOI partners and beyond. We now have the first continental scale amphibian monitoring program at a point where broad-scale analyses can occur. This gives us new ways to study amphibian declines and look for ways to address the problem.
In the northeast, we are working with our resource management partners in NPS and FWS to identify and implement management strategies we think are optimal for maintaining populations - typically involving habitat manipulation. In addition, we will continue to monitor populations, and to develop novel research approaches to better understand what is causing declines, which will help to generate support for management options. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31116000 |
I highly recommend the Golden Spider Silk exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, where the world’s largest piece of cloth, made entirely from spider silk is being exhibited. The exhibition will run from the 25th January to the 5th June. Spider silk is an extremely strong material and on a weight basis is stronger than steel. These spiders are found throughout the tropics, in countries such as Madagascar, and are known as Gold orb weavers because of their gold coloured web. These spiders, large enough to fill the palm of your hand, are in fact blind. Their eyes are only able to vaguely detect changes in light. Instead they rely on a keen sense of touch to feel vibrations on their web and track down the entangled prey. The work of producing golden silk is completely a female endeavour! – the male spider does not produce silk – and it is a completely environmentally friendly process. However, as they are cannibals the spiders cannot be in close proximity to one another.
It took eight years to make the cloth using silk from 1.2 million Madagascar Golden orb spiders (nephila madagascariensis). The exhibition is the result of the work of two men, Briton Simon Peers who has lived in Madagascar since 1989, and his partner Nicholas Godley whose grandmother was born in Madagascar.
For more information visit the Victoria and Albert Museum website.
About our guest blogger: Anita has travelled extensively around the world, she is interested in art and history, and loves discovering new places! | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31127000 |
final results (phase 1,2 and 2b)
The data that is gathered constitutes an important collection of information on the currents that form within the system and between the system and the surrounding areas, and on the chemical and physical characteristics of the column of water. This knowledge provides a reference framework for the interpretation of analytical data regarding the movement of masses of water and the transport of matter and polluting substances inside the network of canals.
The expansion of the system under observation has also made it possible to validate the two-dimensional model of the finite elements for the lagoon – available to Insula – that simulates the propagation of a wave from the inlets at the outer margins of the city (technical report “D2”) and that provides the surrounding conditions for the two-dimensional link-node model of the inner canals.
With the uninterrupted acquisition of time-based series of chemical and physical parameters, the periodicity of some processes was also investigated. In particular, the series of turbidity values made it possible to assess the phenomenon of the re-suspension of sediment from the bottom of the canals over a more extended span of time.
The study highlighted how the primary factor in determining the turbidity of the waters inside the system is the circulation of motor boats and depends on the intensity of the traffic, of the water head and the tide conditions. An estimate of the flow of sedimentation made by placing five traps across a more extended area has made it possible to compare different canal systems. The data relative to the entire monitoring period highlights a distinct differentiation of the flow of sediment, in relation to the different hydrodynamic conditions in the five canals under observation. However, the evolution over time of the flow in the different sites is similar, with relatively low values in winter, followed by a progressive increase in the flow in the springtime.
The results confirm the strict relationship between the hydrodynamic characteristics of each single canal, the quality of the material that collects on the bottom, and the intensity of the metabolic processes. As seen in a preliminary manner during phase 1, the sedimentation traps, jointly with the constant measuring of the turbidity, are an effective system for studying the variations in the phenomena of sediment re-suspension and transport within the network of canals in the historic city centre of Venice.
The investigation makes it possible to explore the mechanisms of sedimentation, an aspect that is particularly interesting to Insula: the objective is to predict the rate of sedimentation of the materials in the canals, and hence to program dredging operations.
The results of the analyses on the water samples taken during the measuring campaigns, confirm the importance of determining the concentration of suspended particles for the evaluation of the transport of solids and heavy metals in the canals of Venice.
The dissolved species of nitrogen and phosphorus, in particular ammonia and orthophosphate, constitute a very precise tracer of the qualitative variations of a column of water, that are introduced as a result of the draining of waste water, or the route of the water and the length of time they stay in the system. These results further highlight the fundamental role of circulation in establishing the behaviour of contaminants from the urban waste inside the system.
At the close of phase 2, on the basis of the results acquired during the study, a methodological protocol (or specification) was drafted, describing appropriate monitoring methodologies for assessing possible variations, over a relatively short span of time, in the quality of the water in the canal networks of the historic city centre (Icaro Project, phases 1 and 2 – results and methodologies, January 2004). | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31128000 |
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What is 3G spectrum? How does it help you?
rediff Business Desk | September 29, 2006
It's boom time for mobile phones in India. And people are looking forward to more information, faster data access and multimedia services through their mobile phones. 3G technology is here to turn this dream into reality. It's a technology anxiously awaited by telecom operations and subscribers in India.
How long do you have to wait?
Not very long! India is all set to launch 3G mobile telephone services by June 2007.
According to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India chairman Nripendra Misra, a total of 32.5 MHz is available for allocation within the next 6-9 months.
Trai has also recommended auctioning 200 MHz for broadband wireless access services like Wimax (worldwide interoperability for microwave access) and has proposed a national frequency management board to oversee spectrum availability and its efficient use.
He hopes that the allocated spectrum would be enough for the next two years and said Trai would recommend freeing up more spectrum for those who lose out in this auction.
So what is 3G spectrum all about? Read on.
What is spectrum?
Radio spectrum refers to a range of radio frequencies. The bandwidth of a radio signal is the difference between the upper and lower frequencies of the signal.
For example, in the case of a voice signal having a minimum frequency of 200 hertz (Hz) and a maximum frequency of 3,000 Hz, the bandwidth is 2,800 Hz (3 KHz). The amount of bandwidth needed for 3G services could be as much as 15-20 Mhz, whereas for 2G services a bandwidth of 30-200 KHz is used. Hence, for 3G huge bandwidth is required.
How is 3G different from 2G and 4G?
While 2G stands for second-generation wireless telephone technology, 1G networks used are analog, 2G networks are digital and 3G (third-generation) technology is used to enhance mobile phone standards.
3G helps to simultaneously transfer both voice data (a telephone call) and non-voice data (such as downloading information, exchanging e-mail, and instant messaging. The highlight of 3G is video telephony. 4G technology stands to be the future standard of wireless devices.
Currently, Japanese company NTT DoCoMo and Samsung are testing 4G communication.
How will 3G services help you?
3G services will enable video broadcast and data-intensive services such as stock transactions, e-learning and telemedicine through wireless communications
All telecom operators are waiting to launch 3G in India to cash in on revenues by providing high-end services to customers, which are voice data and video enabled. India lags behind many Asian countries in introducing 3G services.
What is Trai's recommendation on 3G pricing?
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has recommended auctioning radio frequencies for 3G telecom services at a reserve price of Rs 1,050 crore (Rs 10.50 billion) to companies seeking to offer nationwide high-speed Internet and streaming video.
The base price for spectrum in cities like Mumbai and Delhi and Category A telecom circles is Rs 80 crore (Rs 800 million); in cities like Chennai and Kolkata and Category B circles Rs 40 crore (Rs 400 million); and in all other cities Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million).
What are the frequency bands and quota for CDMA?
Trai has recommended three sets of frequency bands - 450 mhz, 800 mhz and 2.1 ghz. For CDMA players like Reliance and Tata Teleservices 1.25 MHz each is offered. CDMA operators are free to bid both in the 2.1 GHz and the 450 MHz bands, but they will be allocated spectrum only in one. The pricing of these two bands is linked to the auction in the 2.1 GHz band.
CDMA operators will pay the same as the second-highest GSM bidder. And if there is more than one claimant in the 450 MHz band, the reserve price will be half of that arrived at in the 2.1 GHz band. Another rider is that if the highest bid is a quarter more than the lowest, the lowest bidder has to raise its bid to 75 per cent of the winning bid.
But CDMA operators are likely to face problems. Operating 3G services on 450 MHz is a problem because we they do not have dual-band phones that work both in 450 MHz and in 800 MHz (the band in which CDMA operates in India).
What are the issues regarding 3G for providers and users?
3G has successfully been introduced in Europe. But several issues continue to hamper its growth.
High spectrum licensing fees for the 3G services
Huge capital required to build infrastructure for 3G services.
Health impact of electromagnetic waves.
Prices are very high for 3G mobile services.
Will 2G users switch to 3G services.
Takes time to catch up as the service is new.
What are the issues regarding 3G pricing?
Pricing has been a cause of concern. Spectrum auctions ran into billions of euros in Europe. In Europe, spectrum licensing fees were collected years before the 3G service was developed and it required huge investments to build 3G networks, hitting mobile operators' margins.
However, in Japan and South Korea, spectrum licensing fees were not applicable as the focus of these countries were national IT infrastructure development.
Which companies have applied for 3G license?
3G spectrum has been provided to GSM players like BSNL, MTNL, Bharti, and Hutch to carry out an interface check on a non-commercial basis ahead of the start of 3G mobile services.
Trial spectrum has been given for a period of one month. This will be only 1/1000th of the actual 3G spectrum capability. Apart frm PSU majors, spectrum for carrying out 3G trials has been given to all those who have applied under the National Frequency Allocation Plan on the 2.1 GHz band. GSM players operate on 900 MHz and 1,800 MHz, while CDMA players operate on 800 MHz.
What is the pricing issue in India?
While Tatas have welcomed Trai's Rs 1,400-crore (Rs 14 billion) base price for a nationwide rollout of 3G services, the rest of the players find the price too exorbitant.
Bharti-Airtel is disappointed with the pricing as they were expecting it to be Rs 300-400 crore (Rs 3-4 billion). The reserve price is a disincentive for telecom companies in India. Bharti has appealed to lower the prices specially for rural penetration.
The Cellular Operators Association of India and the Association of Unified Service Providers of India are studying TRAI's recommendations and have not given their comments.
However, Trai chairman Nripendra Misra has said that there is no reason to worry as players will not bid exorbitantly and derail the auction. Misra said telecom operators had matured from their experiences and global developments, and would bid sincerely.
Where was 3G spectrum first introduced?
Japan was the first country to introduce 3G on a large commercial scale. In 2005, about 40 per cent of subscribers used only 3G networks. It is expected that during 2006 the subscribers would move from 2G to 3G and upgrade to the next 3.5 G level.
The success of 3G in Japan also shows that video telephony was the killer application for 3G networks. Downloading music was the biggest draw in 3G services.
In how many countries does 3G exist?
There are about 60 3G networks across 25 countries . In Asia, Europe and the USA, telecom firms use WCDMA technology. The WCDMA standard provides seamless global evolution from today's GSM with support of the worlds' largest mobile operators.
WCDMA technology is built on open standards, wide ranging mobile multimedia possibility, and vast potential economies of scale with the support of around 100 terminal designs to operate 3G mobile networks.
3G services were introduced in Europe in 2003. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31138000 |
Afghanistan /æfˈgænɪstæn/, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Pashto: د افغانستان اسلامي جمهوریت, Persian: جمهوری اسلامی افغانستان), is a landlocked country that is located approximately in the center of Asia. It is variously designated as geographically located within Central Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East. It has religious, ethno-linguistic, and geographic links with most of its neighboring states. It is bordered by Pakistan in the south and east, Iran in the west, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan in the north, and China in the far northeast. The name Afghanistan means the "Land of Afghans."
Afghanistan is a culturally mixed nation, a crossroads between the East and the West, and has been an ancient focal point of trade and migration. It has an important geostrategical location, connecting South, Central and Southwest Asia. During its long history, the land has seen various invaders and conquerors, while on the other hand, local entities invaded the surrounding vast regions to form their own empires. Ahmad Shah Durrani created the Durrani Empire in 1747, with its capital at Kandahar. Subsequently, the capital was shifted to Kabul and most of its territories ceded to former neighboring countries. In the late 19th century, Afghanistan became a buffer state in "The Great Game" played between the British Indian Empire and Russian Empire. On August 19, 1919, following the third Anglo-Afghan war, the country regained full independence from the United Kingdom over its foreign affairs.
Since the late 1970s Afghanistan has suffered continuous and brutal civil war, which included foreign interventions in the form of the 1979 Soviet invasion and the recent 2001 U.S.-led invasion that toppled the Taliban government. In late 2001 the United Nations Security Council authorized the creation of an International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). This force is composed of NATO troops that are involved in assisting the government of President Hamid Karzai in establishing the writ of law as well as rebuilding key infrastructures in the nation. In 2005, the United States and Afghanistan signed a strategic partnership agreement committing both nations to a long-term relationship. In the meantime, multi-billion US dollars have also been provided by the international community for the reconstruction of the country.
In this regard the Encyclopædia Iranica states:
It further explains:
The term "Afghanistan," meaning the "Land of Afghans," was mentioned by the sixteenth century Mughal Emperor Babur in his memoirs, referring to the territories south of Kabul that were inhabited by Pashtuns (called "Afghans" by Babur).
Until the 19th century the name was only used for the traditional lands of the Pashtuns, while the kingdom as a whole was known as the Kingdom of Kabul, as mentioned by the British statesman and historian Mountstuart Elphinstone. Other parts of the country were at certain periods recognized as independent kingdoms, such as the Kingdom of Balkh in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
With the expansion and centralization of the country, Afghan authorities adopted and extended the name "Afghanistan" to the entire kingdom, after its English translation, "Afghanland", had already appeared in various treaties between British Raj and Qajarid Persia, referring to the lands that were subject to the Pashtun Barakzai Dynasty of Kabul. "Afghanistan" as the name for the entire kingdom was mentioned in 1857 by Friedrich Engels. It became the official name when the country was recognized by the world community in 1919, after regaining its full independence from the British, and was confirmed as such in the nation's 1923 constitution.
Afghanistan is a landlocked and mountainous country in South-Central Asia, with plains in the north and southwest. The highest point is Nowshak, at 7,485 m (24,557 ft) above sea level. Large parts of the country are dry, and fresh water supplies are limited. The endorheic Sistan Basin is one of the driest regions in the world. Afghanistan has a continental climate with hot summers and cold winters. The country is frequently subject to minor earthquakes, mainly in the northeast of Hindu Kush mountain areas. Some 125 villages were damaged and 4000 people killed by the May 30, 1998 earthquake.
The country's natural resources include gold, silver, copper, zinc and iron ore in southeastern areas; precious and semi-precious stones such as lapis, emerald and azure in the north-east; and potentially significant petroleum and natural gas reserves in the north. The country also has uranium, coal, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, and salt. However, these significant mineral and energy resources remain largely untapped due to the effects of the Soviet invasion and the subsequent civil war. Plans are underway to begin extracting them in the near future.
Afghanistan is a country at a unique nexus point where numerous Indo-European civilizations have interacted and often fought, and was an important site of early historical activity. Through the ages, the region has been home to various people, among them the Aryan (Indo-Iranian) tribes, such as the Kambojas, Bactrians, Persians, Pashtuns, etc. It also has been conquered by a host of people, including the Median and Persian Empires, Alexander the Great, Kushans, Hepthalites, Arabs, Turks, and Mongols. In recent times, invasions from the British, Soviets, and most recently by the United States and their allies have taken place. On the other hand, native entities have invaded surrounding regions in Iranian plateau and Indian subcontinent to form empires of their own.
Between 2000 and 1200 BC, Indo-European-speaking Aryans are thought to have been in the region of northern Afghanistan. It is unlikely that the Aryans themselves originated in Afghanistan although they did migrate from there south towards India and west towards Persia, but they also migrated into Europe via north of the Caspian. These Aryans set up a nation that during the rule of Medes and Achaemenid Persians which became known as Aryānām Xšaθra or Airyānem Vāejah. Original homelands of the Aryans have been proposed as Anatolia, Kurdistan, Central Asia, Iran, or Northern India, with the directions of the historical migration varying accordingly. Later, during the rule of Ashkanian, Sasanian and after, it was called Erānshahr (- Īrānšahr) meaning "Dominion of the Aryans."
It has been speculated that Zoroastrianism might have originated in what is now Afghanistan between 1800 to 800 BC, as Zoroaster lived and died in Balkh. Ancient Eastern Iranian languages, such as Avestan, may have been spoken in this region around the time of the rise of Zoroastrianism. By the middle of the sixth century BC, the Persian Empire of the Achaemenid Persians overthrew the Median Empire and incorporated Afghanistan (known as Arachosia to the Greeks) within its boundaries. Alexander the Great conquered Afghanistan after 330 BCE. Following Alexander's brief occupation, the successor state of the Seleucid Empire controlled the area until 305 BCE, when they gave most of the area to the Mauryan Empire as part of an alliance treaty. During Mauryan rule, Buddhism became the dominant religion in the region. The Mauryans were overthrown by the Sunga Dynasty in 185 BCE, leading to the Hellenistic reconquest of Afghanistan by the Greco-Bactrians by 180 BCE. Much of Afghanistan soon broke away from the Greco-Bactrians and became part of the Indo-Greek Kingdom. The Indo-Greeks were defeated by the Indo-Scythians and expelled from most of Afghanistan by the end of the 2nd century BCE.
During the first century, the Parthian Empire subjugated Afghanistan, but lost it to their Indo-Parthian vassals. In the mid to late 1st century AD the vast Kushan Empire, centered in modern Afghanistan, became great patrons of Buddhist culture. The Kushans were defeated by the Sassanids in the third century. Although various rulers calling themselves Kushanshas (generally known as Indo-Sassanids) continued to rule at least parts of the region, they were probably more or less subject to the Sassanids. The late Kushans were followed by the Kidarite Huns who, in turn, were replaced by the short-lived but powerful Hephthalites, as rulers of the region in the first half of the fifth century. The Hephthalites were defeated by the Sasanian king Khosrau I in AD 557, who re-established Sassanid power in Persia. However, the successors of Kushans and Hepthalites established a small dynasty in Kabulistan called Kushano-Hephthalites or Kabul-Shahan/Shahi, who were later defeated by the Muslim Arab armies and finally conquered by Muslim Turkish armies led by the Ghaznavids.
The region of Afghanistan became the center of various important empires, including that of the Samanids (875–999), Ghaznavids (977–1187), Seljukids (1037–1194), Ghurids (1149–1212), Mongol Empire and Ilkhanate (1225-1335) and Timurids (1370–1506). Among them, the periods of Ghaznavids of Ghazni, and Timurids of Heart are considered as some of the most brilliant eras of Afghanistan's history.
In 1219 the region was overrun by the Mongols under Genghis Khan, who devastated the land. Their rule continued with the Ilkhanate [one of 4 Subordinate Mongolian Khanates], and was extended further following the invasion of Timur Lang ("Tamerlane"), a ruler from Central Asia. In 1504, Babur, a descendant of both Timur Lang and Genghis Khan, established the Mughal Empire with its capital at Kabul. By the early 1700s, Afghanistan was controlled by several ruling groups: Uzbeks to the north, Safavids to the west and the remaining larger area by the Mughals or self-ruled by local Afghan tribes.
By 1751 Ahmad Shah Durrani and his Afghan army conquered the entire present-day Afghanistan, Pakistan, Khorasan and Kohistan provinces of Iran, along with Delhi in India. In October 1772, Ahmad Shah retired to his home in Maruf, Kandahar, where he died peacefully. He was succeeded by his son, Timur Shah Durrani, who transferred the capital from Kandahar to Kabul. Timur died in 1793 and was finally succeeded by his son Zaman Shah Durrani.
During the nineteenth century, following the Anglo-Afghan wars (fought 1839–42, 1878–80, and lastly in 1919) and the ascension of the Barakzai dynasty, Afghanistan saw much of its territory and autonomy ceded to the United Kingdom. The UK exercised a great deal of influence, and it was not until King Amanullah Khan acceded to the throne in 1919 that Afghanistan re-gained complete independence over its foreign affairs (see "The Great Game"). During the period of British intervention in Afghanistan, ethnic Pashtun territories were divided by the Durand Line. This would lead to strained relations between Afghanistan and British India – and later the new state of Pakistan – over what came to be known as the Pashtunistan debate. The longest period of stability in Afghanistan was between 1933 and 1973, when the country was under the rule of King Zahir Shah.
In 1978 a prominent member of the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), Mir Akbar Khyber (or "Kaibar"), was killed by the government. The leaders of PDPA apparently feared that Daoud was planning to exterminate them all, especially since most of them were arrested by the government shortly after. Hafizullah Amin and a number of military wing officers of the PDPA managed to remain at large and organised an uprising.
The PDPA, led by Nur Mohammad Taraki, Babrak Karmal and Amin overthrew the regime of Mohammad Daoud, who was killed along with his family. The uprising was known as the Great Saur Revolution ('Saur' means 'April' in Pushto). On May 1, Taraki became President , Prime Minister and General Secretary of the PDPA. The country was then renamed the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (DRA), and the PDPA regime lasted, in some form or another, until April 1992.
Some are of the opinion that the 1978 Khalq uprising against the government of Daoud Khan was essentially a resurgence by the Ghilzai tribe of the Pashtun against the Durrani (the tribe of Daoud Khan and the previous monarchy).
Once in power, the PDPA moved to permit freedom of religion and carried out an ambitious land reform, waiving farmers' debts countrywide. They also made a number of statements on women’s rights and introduced women to political life. A prominent example was Anahita Ratebzad, who was a major Marxist leader and a member of the Revolutionary Council. Ratebzad wrote the famous New Kabul Times editorial (May 28, 1978) which declared: “Privileges which women, by right, must have are equal education, job security, health services, and free time to rear a healthy generation for building the future of the country .... Educating and enlightening women is now the subject of close government attention.”
The majority of people in the cities including Kabul either welcomed or were ambivalent to these policies. However, the secular nature of the government made it unpopular with religiously conservative Afghans in the villages and the countryside, who favoured traditionalist 'Islamic' restrictions on women's rights and in daily life.
The U.S. saw the situation as a prime opportunity to weaken the Soviet Union. As part of a Cold War strategy, in 1979 the United States government (under President Jimmy Carter and National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski) began to covertly fund and train anti-government Mujahideen forces through the Pakistani secret service known as Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), with the intention of provoking Soviet intervention, (according to Brzezinski). The Mujahideen belonged to various different factions, but all shared, to varying degrees, a similarly conservative 'Islamic' ideology.
In March 1979 Hafizullah Amin took over as prime minister, retaining the position of field marshal and becoming vice-president of the Supreme Defence Council. Taraki remained President and in control of the Army. On September 14, Amin overthrew Taraki, who died or was killed.
The Soviet occupation resulted in the killings of at least 600,000 to 2 million Afghan civilians. Over five million Afghans fled their country to Pakistan, Iran and other parts of the world. Faced with mounting international pressure and great number of casualties on both sides, the Soviets withdrew in 1989.
The Soviet withdrawal from the DRA was seen as an ideological victory in the U.S., which had backed the Mujahideen through three U.S. presidential administrations in order to counter Soviet influence in the vicinity of the oil-rich Persian Gulf.
Following the removal of the Soviet forces, the U.S. and its allies lost interest in Afghanistan and did little to help rebuild the war-ravaged country or influence events there. The USSR continued to support President Najibullah (former head of the Afghan secret service, KHAD) until 1992 when the new Russian government refused to sell oil products to the Najibullah regime.
Because of the fighting, a number of elites and intellectuals fled to take refuge abroad. This led to a leadership imbalance in Afghanistan. Fighting continued among the victorious Mujahideen factions, which gave rise to a state of warlordism. The most serious fighting during this period occurred in 1994, when over 10,000 people were killed in Kabul alone. It was at this time that the Taliban developed as a politico-religious force, eventually seizing Kabul in 1996 and establishing the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. By the end of 2000 the Taliban had captured 95% of the country.
During the Taliban's seven-year rule, much of the population experienced restrictions on their freedom and violations of their human rights. Women were banned from jobs, girls forbidden to attend schools or universities. Communists were systematically eradicated and thieves were punished by amputating one of their hands or feet. The majority of the opium production was eradicated by 2001.
Following the September 11 attacks the United States launched Operation Enduring Freedom, a military campaign to destroy the al-Qaeda terrorist training camps inside Afghanistan. The U.S. military also threatened to overthrow the Taliban government for refusing to hand over Osama bin Laden and several al-Qaida members. The U.S. made a common cause with the former Afghan Mujahideen to achieve its ends, including the Northern Alliance, a militia still recognized by the UN as the Afghan government.
In late 2001, U.S. Special Forces invaded Afghanistan to aid anti-Taliban militias, backed by U.S. air strikes against Taliban and Al Qaeda targets, culminating in the seizure of Kabul by the Northern Alliance and the overthrow of the Taliban, with many local warlords switching allegiance from the Taliban to the Northern Alliance.
In December of the same year, leaders of the former Afghan mujahideen and diaspora met in Germany, and agreed on a plan for the formulation of a new democratic government that resulted in the inauguration of Hamid Karzai, an ethnic Pashtun of the Durrani clan (from which the royal family was drawn) from the southern city of Kandahar, as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority. Karzai was a top adviser to the UNOCAL corporation, which negotiatied with the Taliban to construct a Central Asia Gas (CentGas) pipeline from Turkmenistan through western Afghanistan to Pakistan.
After a nationwide Loya Jirga in 2002, Karzai was chosen by the representatives to assume the title as Interim President of Afghanistan. The country convened a Constitutional Loya Jirga (Council of Elders) in 2003 and a new constitution was ratified in January 2004. Following an election in October 2004, Hamid Karzai won and became the President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Legislative elections were held in September 2005. The National Assembly – the first freely elected legislature in Afghanistan since 1973 – sat in December 2005, and was noteworthy for the inclusion of women as voters, candidates, and elected members.
As the country continues to rebuild and recover, it is still struggling against poverty, poor infrastructure, large concentration of land mines and other unexploded ordnance, as well as a huge illegal poppy cultivation and opium trade. Afghanistan also remains subject to occasionally violent political jockeying. The country continues to grapple with the Taliban insurgency and the threat of attacks from a few remaining al Qaeda.
At the start of 2007 reports of the Taliban's increasing presence in Afghanistan led the U.S. to consider longer tours of duty and even an increase in troop numbers. According to a report filed by Robert Burns of Associated Press on January 16, 2007, "U.S. military officials cited new evidence that the Pakistani military, which has long-standing ties to the Taliban movement, has turned a blind eye to the incursions." Also, "The number of insurgent attacks is up 300 percent since September, 2006, when the Pakistani government put into effect a peace arrangement with tribal leaders in the north Waziristan area, along Afghanistan's eastern border, a U.S. military intelligence officer told reporters."
Afghanistan is currently led by President Hamid Karzai, who was elected in October 2004. The current parliament was elected in 2005. Among the elected officials were former mujahadeen, Taliban members, communists, reformists, and Islamic fundamentalists. 28% of the delegates elected were women, 3 points more than the 25% minimum guaranteed under the constitution. This made Afghanistan, long known under the Taliban for its oppression of women, one of the leading countries in terms of female representation. Construction for a new parliament building began on August 29, 2005.
The Supreme Court of Afghanistan is currently led by Chief Justice Abdul Salam Azimi, a former university professor who had been legal advisor to the president. The previous court, appointed during the time of the interim government, had been dominated by fundamentalist religious figures, including Chief Justice Faisal Ahmad Shinwari. The court had issued numerous questionable rulings, such as banning cable television, seeking to ban a candidate in the 2004 presidential election and limiting the rights of women, as well as overstepping its constitutional authority by issuing rulings on subjects not yet brought before the court. The current court is seen as more moderate and led by more technocrats than the previous court, although it has yet to issue any rulings.
Afghanistan currently has more than 70,000 national police officers, with plans to recruit more so that the total number can reach 80,000. They are being trained by and through the Afghanistan Police Program. Although the police officially are responsible for maintaining civil order, sometimes local and regional military commanders continue to exercise control in the hinterland. Police have been accused of improper treatment and detention of prisoners. In 2003 the mandate of the International Security Assistance Force, now under command of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was extended and expanded beyond the Kabul area. However, in some areas unoccupied by those forces, local militias maintain control. In many areas, crimes have gone uninvestigated because of insufficient police and/or communications. Troops of the Afghan National Army have been sent to quell fighting in some regions lacking police protection.
The Governor of the province is appointed by the Ministry of Interior, and the Prefects for the districts of the province will be appointed by the provincial Governor. The Governor is the representative of the central government of Afghanistan, and is responsible for all administrative and formal issues. The provincial Chief of Police is appointed by the Ministry of Interior, who works together with the Governor on law enforcement for all the cities or districts of that province.
A July 2008 estimate of the total Afghan population is 32,738,376.
The population of Afghanistan is divided into a wide variety of ethnic groups. Because a systematic census has not been held in the country in decades, exact figures about the size and composition of the various ethnic groups are not available. Therefore most figures are approximations only.
An approximate distribution of ethnic groups estimated by the CIA World Factbook is as following:
Based on official census numbers from the 1960s to the 1980s, as well as information found in mainly scholarly sources, the Encyclopædia Iranica gives the following list:
Afghans display pride in their religion, country, ancestry, and above all, their independence. Like other highlanders, Afghans are regarded with mingled apprehension and condescension, for their high regard for personal honor, for their clan loyalty and for their readiness to carry and use arms to settle disputes. As clan warfare and internecine feuding has been one of their chief occupations since time immemorial, this individualistic trait has made it difficult for foreign invaders to hold the region.
Afghanistan has a complex history that has survived either in its current cultures or in the form of various languages and monuments. However, many of the country's historic monuments have been damaged in recent wars. The two famous statues of Buddha in the Bamyan Province were destroyed by the Taliban, who regarded them as idolatrous. Other famous sites include the cities of Kandahar, Heart, Ghazni and Balkh. The Minaret of Jam, in the Hari River valley, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The cloak worn by Muhammad is stored inside the famous Khalka Sharifa in Kandahar City.
Buzkashi is a national sport in Afghanistan. It is similar to polo and played by horsemen in two teams, each trying to grab and hold a goat carcass. Afghan hounds (a type of running dog) also originated in Afghanistan.
Although literacy levels are very low, classic Persian poetry plays a very important role in the Afghan culture. Poetry has always been one of the major educational pillars in Iran and Afghanistan, to the level that it has integrated itself into culture. Persian culture has, and continues to, exert a great influence over Afghan culture. Private poetry competition events known as “musha’era” are quite common even among ordinary people. Almost every homeowner owns one or more poetry collections of some sort, even if they are not read often.
The eastern dialects of the Persian language are popularly known as "Dari". The name itself derives from "Pārsī-e Darbārī", meaning Persian of the royal courts. The ancient term Darī – one of the original names of the Persian language – was revived in the Afghan constitution of 1964, and was intended to signify that Afghans consider their country the cradle of the language. Hence, the name Fārsī, the language of Fārs, is strictly avoided. With this point in mind, we can consider the development of Dari or Persian literature in the political entity known as Afghanistan.
Many of the famous Persian poets of the tenth to fifteenth centuries stem from Khorasan where is now known as Afghanistan. They were mostly also scholars in many disciplines like languages, natural sciences, medicine, religion and astronomy.
Most of these individuals were of Persian (Tājīk) ethnicity who still form the second-largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. Also, some of the contemporary Persian language poets and writers, who are relatively well-known in Persian-speaking world, include Ustad Betab, Qari Abdullah, Khalilullah Khalili, Sufi Ghulam Nabi Ashqari, Sarwar Joya, Qahar Asey, Parwin Pazwak and others. In 2003, Khaled Hosseini published The Kiterunner which though fiction, captured much of the history, politics and culture experienced in Afghanistan from the 1930s to present day.
In addition to poets and authors, numerous Persian scientists were born or worked in the region of present-day Afghanistan. Most notable was Avicenna (Abu Alī Hussein ibn Sīnā) whose father hailed from Balkh. Ibn Sīnā, who travelled to Isfahan later in life to establish a medical school there, is known by some scholars as "the father of modern medicine". George Sarton called ibn Sīnā "the most famous scientist of Islam and one of the most famous of all races, places, and times." His most famous works are The Book of Healing and The Canon of Medicine, also known as the Qanun. Ibn Sīnā's story even found way to the contemporary English literature through Noah Gordon's The Physician, now published in many languages. Moreover, according to Ibn al-Nadim, Al-Farabi, a well-known philosopher and scientist, was from the Faryab Province of Afghanistan.
Before the Taliban gained power, the city of Kabul was home to many musicians who were masters of both traditional and modern Afghan music, especially during the Nauroz-celebration. Kabul in the middle part of the twentieth century has been likened to Vienna during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
The tribal system, which orders the life of most people outside metropolitan areas, is potent in political terms. Men feel a fierce loyalty to their own tribe, such that, if called upon, they would assemble in arms under the tribal chiefs and local clan leaders (Khans). In theory, under Islamic law, every believer has an obligation to bear arms at the ruler's call (Ulul-Amr).
Heathcote considers the tribal system to be the best way of organizing large groups of people in a country that is geographically difficult, and in a society that, from a materialistic point of view, has an uncomplicated lifestyle.
Religiously, Afghans are over 99% Muslims: approximately 74-80% Sunni and 19-25% Shi'a (estimates vary). Up until the mid-1980s, there were about 30,000 to 150,000 Hindus and Sikhs living in different cities, mostly in Jalalabad, Kabul, and Kandahar.
The economically active population in 2002 was about 11 million (out of a total of an estimated 29 million). As of 2005, the official unemployment rate is at 40%. The number of non-skilled young people is estimated at 3 million, which is likely to increase by some 300,000 per annum.
The nation's economy began to improve since 2002 due to the infusion of multi-billion US dollars in international assistance and investments, as well as remittances from expats. It is also due to dramatic improvements in agricultural production and the end of a four-year drought in most of the country.
The real value of non-drug GDP increased by 29% in 2002, 16% in 2003, 8% in 2004 and 14% in 2005. As much as one-third of Afghanistan's GDP comes from growing poppy and illicit drugs including opium and its two derivatives, morphine and heroin, as well as hashish production. Opium production in Afghanistan has soared to a new record in 2007, with an increase on last year of more than a third, the United Nations has said. Some 3.3 million Afghans are now involved in producing opium. In a recent article in the Washington Quarterly, Peter van Ham and Jorrit Kamminga argue that the international community should establish a pilot project and investigate a licensing scheme to start the production of medicines such as morphine and codeine from poppy crops to help it escape the economic dependence on opium:
According to a 2004 report by the Asian Development Bank, the present reconstruction effort is two-pronged: first it focuses on rebuilding critical physical infrastructure, and second, on building modern public sector institutions from the remnants of Soviet style planning to ones that promote market-led development. In 2006, two U.S. companies, Black & Veatch and the Louis Berger Group, have won a US 1.4 billion dollar contract to rebuild roads, power lines and water supply systems of Afghanistan.
One of the main drivers for the current economic recovery is the return of over 4 million refugees from neighbouring countries and the West, who brought with them fresh energy, entrepreneurship and wealth-creating skills as well as much needed funds to start up businesses. What is also helping is the estimated US 2–3 billion dollars in international assistance every year, the partial recovery of the agricultural sector, and the reestablishment of market institutions. Private developments are also beginning to get underway. In 2006, a Dubai-based Afghan family opened a $25 million Coca Cola bottling plant in Afghanistan.
While the country's current account deficit is largely financed with the donor money, only a small portion – about 15% – is provided directly to the government budget. The rest is provided to non-budgetary expenditure and donor-designated projects through the United Nations system and non-governmental organizations. The government had a central budget of only $350 million in 2003 and an estimated $550 million in 2004. The country's foreign exchange reserves totals about $500 million. Revenue is mostly generated through customs, as income and corporate tax bases are negligible.
Inflation had been a major problem until 2002. However, the depreciation of the Afghani in 2002 after the introduction of the new notes (which replaced 1,000 old Afghani by 1 new Afghani) coupled with the relative stability compared to previous periods has helped prices to stabilize and even decrease between December 2002 and February 2003, reflecting the turnaround appreciation of the new Afghani currency. Since then, the index has indicated stability, with a moderate increase toward late 2003.
The Afghan government and international donors seem to remain committed to improving access to basic necessities, infrastructure development, education, housing and economic reform. The central government is also focusing on improved revenue collection and public sector expenditure discipline. The rebuilding of the financial sector seems to have been so far successful. Money can now be transferred in and out of the country via official banking channels. Since 2003, over sixteen new banks have opened in the country, including Afghanistan International Bank, Kabul Bank, Azizi Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, First Micro Finance Bank, and others. A new law on private investment provides three to seven-year tax holidays to eligible companies and a four-year exemption from exports tariffs and duties.
Some private investment projects, backed with national support, are also beginning to pick up steam in Afghanistan. An initial concept design called the City of Light Development, envisioned by Dr. Hisham N. Ashkouri, Principal of ARCADD, Inc. for the development and the implementation of a privately based investment enterprise has been proposed for multi-function commercial, historic and cultural development within the limits of the Old City of Kabul along the Southern side of the Kabul River and along Jade Meywand Avenue, revitalizing some of the most commercial and historic districts in the City of Kabul, which contains numerous historic mosques and shrines as well as viable commercial activities among war damaged buildings. Also incorporated in the design is a new complex for the Afghan National Museum.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey and the Afghan Ministry of Mines and Industry, Afghanistan may be possessing up to of natural gas, of petroleum and up to of natural gas liquids. This could mark the turning point in Afghanistan’s reconstruction efforts. Energy exports could generate the revenue that Afghan officials need to modernize the country’s infrastructure and expand economic opportunities for the beleaguered and fractious population. Other reports show that the country has huge amounts of gold, copper, coal, iron ore and other minerals. The government of Afghanistan is in the process of extracting and exporting its copper reserves, which will be earning $1.2 billion US dollars in royalties and taxes every year for the next 30 years. It will also provide permanent labor to 3,000 of its citizens.
Ariana Afghan Airlines is the national airlines carrier, with domestic flights between Kabul, Kandahar, Heart and Mazar-e Sharif. International flights include to Dubai, Frankfurt, Istanbul and a number of other destinations. There are also limited domestic and international flight services available from Kam Air, Pamir Airways and Safi Airlines.
The country has limited rail service with Turkmenistan. There are two railway projects currently in progress, one is between Herat and the Iranian city Mashad while another is between Kandahar and Quetta in Pakistan. Most people who travel from one city to another use bus services. Automobiles have recently become more widely available, with Toyota, Nissan and Hyundai dealerships in Kabul. A large number of second-hand vehicles are also arriving from the UAE. Nearly all highways and roads are being rebuilt in the country.
Television and radio broadcastings are available in most parts of the country, with local and international channels or stations.
As of 2006 more than four million male and female students were enrolled in schools throughout the country. However, there are still significant obstacles to education in Afghanistan, stemming from lack of funding, unsafe school buildings and cultural norms. A lack of women teachers is an issue that concerns some Afghan parents, especially in more conservative areas. Some parents will not allow their daughters to be taught by men.
Literacy of the entire population is estimated (as of 1999) at 36%, the male literacy rate is 51% and female literacy is 21%. Up to now there are 9,500 schools in the country.
Another aspect of education that is rapidly changing in Afghanistan is the face of higher education. Following the fall of the Taliban, Kabul University was reopened to both male and female students. In 2006, the American University of Afghanistan also opened its doors, with the aim of providing a world-class, English-language, co-educational learning environment in Afghanistan. The university accepts students from Afghanistan and the neighboring countries. Construction work will soon start at the new site selected for University of Balkh in Mazari Sharif. The new building for the university, including the building for the Engineering Department, would be constructed at 600 acres (2.4 km²) of land at the cost of 250 million US dollars.
|a.||Other terms that can be used as demonyms are Afghani and Afghanistani.|
Official government sites
Culture and news
In Ghana, innovative literacy program produces dramatic results: "Enlightening the Hearts" program of the Olinga Foundation encourages local dialects and moral virtues, reaching more than 22,000 students in remote rural schools.(LITERACY)
Oct 01, 2007; [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GONUKROM VILLAGE, Western Region, Ghana -- For years, Owusu Ansah Malik thought his native language was... | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31142000 |
Auschwitz I Appelplatz (Roll Call Square)
The first view is of the corner of a barracks built with prisoner slave labor. As you move to the right you see one of the camp's streets of dirt and stones, and then a row of barracks.
Moving on to the right you see the rear half of the Appelplatz (roll call square) where prisoners stood at attention in ranks in the morning and in the evening. They were forced to stand here with no exceptions for weather [link]. When the prisoner count was short they stood until it was correct, sometimes all night. This, while enduring a conscious program of psychological dehumanization and physical degradation consisting of frequent beatings, insufficient food, primitive sanitary conditions promoting disease, little or no medical attention, and long hours of brutal slave labor with constant harassment and beatings.
Scrolling right you see visitors strolling along a street lined with trees, grown much larger than in the old days of the camp. Moving on you see the front half of the Appelplatz with the chimneys of the camp kitchen beyond. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31143000 |
Photonics: Sensing on the way
Published online 01 August 2012
Hollow optical fibers containing light-emitting liquids hold big promises for biological sensing applications
Schematic illustration of a hollow fiber. The chemiluminescent liquid in the core (yellow) is guided through the fiber, also with help of further hole structures (dark blue).
Processing biological samples on a small substrate the size of a computer chip is becoming a common task for biotechnology applications. Given the small working area, however, probing samples on the substrate with light can be difficult. To address this issue, Xia Yu and co-workers at the A*STAR Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology have now developed an optical fiber system that is able to deliver light to microfluidic chips with high efficiency1.
“Our compact optical fibers are designed for use with high-throughput detection systems,” says Yu. “They are ideal for use in space-restrictive locations.”
A common way of probing biological samples is by light. In this method, the sample is excited by an external light source and the light emitted in response is detected, which provides a unique fingerprint of the substance. Conventional techniques are able to deliver light to samples and probe the response, but they are not very efficient at probing a small sample volume. A solution to this is to use optical fibers that are able to guide light to small spaces. The drawback with this technique, however, has been that it can be difficult to insert the external probe light into the optical fiber with sufficient efficiencies.
Yu and her co-workers have now circumvented this problem by using optical fibers with a hollow core (see image). The empty hollow core can be filled with liquids — in this case, with chemiluminescent solutions. The liquid is important to promote the transport of light through the core. In addition, these solutions consist of two liquids that when brought together initiate a chemical reaction that emits light. If such a solution is placed directly within the hollow core the problem of coupling light into the fiber is circumvented. This not only avoids external light sources but also promotes an established technology.
“The use of chemical luminescence is a common technique for a variety of detection assays in biology,” says Yu. “By incorporating the emission mechanism into optical fibers, we can use it as a light source for sensing applications in microfluidics systems.”
First tests for such sensing applications are already underway, although some challenges remain. For example, there might be losses in the light emitted by the fluid if the emitted light is not perfectly confined within the fiber. Such problems can be solved through improved fiber designs and an appropriate choice of materials, and applications of these fibers for microfluidic systems are promising.
The A*STAR-affiliated researchers contributing to this research are from the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology
- Yu, X. et al. Chemiluminescence detection in liquid-core microstructured optical fibers. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical 160, 800–803 (2011). | article | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31146000 |
CAREER: Propagation systems for generation of chromosomally stable human embryonic stem cells (Virginia Commonwealth University)
Raj Rao and members of his research group at Virginia Commonwealth University have developed a new material free of animal components that produces stable, non-tumor-forming stem cells.
Traditionally, human stem cell growth systems involve the use of animal-derived components. These elements raise the risk of genetic mutations and the spread of disease in new cells. Development of stable, non-tumor-forming, disease-free stem cells will advance stem cell therapies to treat human diseases.
Human stem cells have gained enormous interest as potential sources for regenerative biomedical therapies and model systems for studying early human development. However, the process is labor intensive and can result in nonuniform, unstable human stem cell cultures. In addition, traditional stem cell growth systems lead to a mixture of stem cells. Some of these networks develop into normal tissues and cells, while others form cancers. Stem cell cancers are typically some of the hardest to treat. Rao's findings will enable investigators to use well-defined materials to manufacture stem cells that are disease free, stable and non-tumor forming.
Researchers re-create fish hair cell sensors and musclesResearch Areas: Engineering Locations: Virginia
Research could have a significant impact on bioengineered replacement materialsResearch Areas: Engineering Locations: Virginia | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31147000 |
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Physical Database Design. The Morgan Kaufmann Series in Data Management Systems
Elsevier Science and Technology, June 2007, Pages: 448
The rapidly increasing volume of information contained in relational databases places a strain on databases, performance, and maintainability: DBAs are under greater pressure than ever to optimize database structure for system performance and administration.
Physical Database Design discusses the concept of how physical structures of databases affect performance, including specific examples, guidelines, and best and worst practices for a variety of DBMSs and configurations. Something as simple as improving the table index design has a profound impact on performance. Every form of relational database, such as Online Transaction Processing (OLTP), Enterprise Resource Management (ERP), Data Mining (DM), or Management Resource Planning (MRP), can be improved using the methods provided in the book.
The first complete treatment on physical database design, written by the authors of the seminal, Database Modeling and Design: Logical Design, 4th edition.
Includes an introduction to the major concepts of physical database design as well as detailed examples, using methodologies and tools most popular for relational databases today: Oracle, DB2 (IBM), and SQL Server (Microsoft).
Focuses on physical database design for exploiting B+tree indexing, clustered indexes, multidimensional clustering (MDC), range partitioning, shared nothing partitioning, shared disk data placement, materialized views, bitmap indexes, automated design tools, and more!
1 Introduction to Physical Database Design
2 Basic Indexing Methods
3 Query Optimization and Plan Selection
4 Selecting Indexes
5 Selecting Materialized Views
6 Shared-nothing Partitioning
7 Range Partitioning
8 Multidimensional Clustering
9 The Interdependence Problem
10 Counting and Data Sampling in Physical Design Exploration
11 Query Execution Plans and Physical Design
12 Automated Physical Database Design
13 Down to the Metal: Server Resources and Topology
14 Physical Design for Decision Support, Warehousing, and OLAP
16 Distributed Data Allocation
Appendix A A Simple Performance Model for Databases
Appendix B Technical Comparison of DB2 HADR with Oracle Data Guard for Database Disaster Recovery
Lightstone, Sam S.
Sam Lightstone is a Senior Technical Staff Member and Development Manager with IBM's DB2 product development team. His work includes numerous topics in autonomic computing and relational database management systems. He is cofounder and leader of DB2's autonomic computing R&D effort. He is Chair of the IEEE Data Engineering Workgroup on Self Managing Database Systems and a member of the IEEE Computer Society Task Force on Autonomous and Autonomic Computing. In 2003 he was elected to the Canadian Technical Excellence Council, the Canadian affiliate of the IBM Academy of Technology. He is an IBM Master Inventor with over 25 patents and patents pending; he has published widely on autonomic computing for relational database systems. He has been with IBM since 1991.
Teorey, Toby J.
Toby J. Teorey is a professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Arizona, Tucson, and a Ph.D. in computer sciences from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He was general chair of the 1981 ACM SIGMOD Conference and program chair for the 1991 Entity-Relationship Conference. Professor Teorey's current research focuses on database design and data warehousing, OLAP, advanced database systems, and performance of computer networks. He is a member of the ACM and the IEEE Computer Society.
Tom Nadeau is the founder of Aladdin Software (aladdinsoftware.com) and works in the area of data and text mining. He received his B.S. degree in computer science and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. His technical interests include data warehousing, OLAP, data mining and machine learning. He won the best paper award at the 2001 IBM CASCON Conference. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31148000 |
Analysis of ethnoveterinary treatments for cattle (Bos indicus) diseases referred in Sanrimgyeongje including twelve volumes of literature from the 7th to the 18th century.
ABSTRACT This study aims at a comprehensive analysis of ethnoveterinary treatment in the cattle-raising section of Sanrimgyeongje which covers 12 different volumes of literature including 4 Korean and 8 Chinese literatures from the 7th to the 18th century, with a special attention to the treatments for cattle diseases.
The above mentioned literature was analyzed through several steps: translation of the Chinese text into Korean, identification of diseases, verification of medicinal materials and confirmation of scientific names.
As recorded in the thirteen references, this study shows that there are 143 medicinal materials which have been used as therapies for cattle diseases. Of these, 55 plant species belonging to 52 genera in 29 families had 100 modes of usages, while one species of fungus was used in one way. Likewise, 11 species of animals belonging to 11 genera in 10 families were utilized in 18 different methods. Lastly, 9 kinds of inorganic matters were used in 11 ways with another 4 kinds being useful in 14 different ways. Consequently, each of rinderpests, murrains, and hooves has been treated, respectively with 14, 10 and 3 types of medicinal decoctions made from 35, 18 and 15 kinds of medicinal materials.
This diversified usage of various medicinal materials is incomparable to the modern ethnoveterinary investigation which tends to focus strictly in plants. If additional studies were to be conducted on these treatments and all the medicinal materials used within them, various new treatments and medicines can be developed to supplement the pharmacopoeia of contemporary veterinary medicine. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31149000 |
Vanuatu is definitely one of the South Pacific's best kept secrets! Its 74 inhabited islands form a Y-shaped archipelago almost directly West of Fiji and North-East of New Caledonia. For many years there was joint British and French colonial rule here, an arrangement officially known as The Condominum, but more commonly referred to as The Pandemonium. Joint rule meant joint languages, so that some villages were given education in English while neighboring villages were taught in French!
The ni-Vanuatu people are Melanesian, like the people of Papua New Guinea and Fiji. Melanesians have frizzy afro-style hair and are usually of stocky build, unlike the Polynesians of places like Tonga, Samoa and Hawaii, who are tall and have straight hair. While Polynesians have a single basic language which can be understood by widely separated groups like the Hawaiians, Tahitians and New Zealand Maoris, Melanesians have extraordinarily splintered linguistic groups - the island of Tanna, only 40 kilometers long, has seven completely different languages! The same situation applies throughout Melanesia - Papua New Guinea is said to have over 800 different languages - not just dialects, but completely different languages. The solution to this Babel is Pidgin English, which everyone here speaks. Unfortunately, rather earthy Australians provided the main source of English for this area, so phrases like "buggered up" became words like "bagarap", which is the normal and appropriate way of saying "broken"! If you spend a bit of time in the area, you'll see some amusing Pidgin English signs and hear some interesting spoken language.
Melanesian culture is somewhat different than many third world cultures. Many of the customs are based on the idea of mutual obligation. One consequence of this is that there's no tipping, since a tip would leave the recipient obligated to the giver - so hopefully this is one part of the world where this dirty habit won't spread! Another unusual custom is that everything is sold at a fixed price, without bargaining, even at street markets. Thankfully, the Melanesians here are friendly and very honest like their counterparts in Fiji, unlike those of their race in New Guinea, where violence and theft are common.
The capital city of Port Vila, on the island of Efate, must be one of the prettiest in the Pacific, especially from the air. The low hills above the crescent-shaped harbor allow good views of beautiful blue waters filled with coral reefs and colourful fish. The islands have volcanic origins, something we were reminded of when a small earthquake struck while we were sleeping in our hotel. A trip around the island on the main road quickly changes from a smooth drive on asphalt to an adventurous safari along a sometimes deeply rutted dirt track, however it's worth it in order to see attractions like the Mele-Maat waterfalls, giant banyan trees and the Eton Blue Hole, a small lake connected to the ocean and filled with reef fish. If you want to see the reef and its inhabitants more closely then you should go to Mele Bay, just around the corner from Port Vila. There are numerous places to snorkel or dive, including a wall around small Mele Island, now usually referred to as Hideaway Island.
Efate is very pleasant, but it would be a real shame to spend all of your time there, because there's so much of interest on other islands in the chain. For instance, the island of Pentecost is where bungee jumping was invented! At yam harvest time villagers climb 90 foot bamboo towers, tie vines around their ankles and jump - the idea is to just touch the dug-up earth at the base of the tower with your head, and usually it works! Espiritu Santo has good diving, including a wreck dive on the President Coolidge, an American troop ship sunk when it hit American mines, and Million Dollar Point, where American commanders pushed hundreds of tonnes of surplus war equipment and supplies into the water rather than sell it cheaply to local planters.
I didn't go to these places, instead I opted for the island of Tanna, South of Efate. The attractions are mostly concentrated in the South-West corner of the island. The area is dominated by Mt Yasur, which is a constantly active volcano only 360 metres high, but quite a spectacle at night. Instead of staying in regular accomodation, we stayed at Port Resolution, a native village where the locals have made a concerted effort to provide facilities for tourists. The villagers have also struck up a relationship with a dugong, a close relative of the Caribbean manatee, and they're able to slap the water to bring it to shore. Cook's Pyramid is also here, a rock where the famous British explorer Captain James Cook stopped to take sightings, as well as Shark Bay, where villagers threw transgressors to the namesake sharks. Just around the volcano from Port Resolution is the Sulphur Bay custom village, which follows a "cargo cult" found in some other parts of Melanesia. During World War Two villagers in Papua New Guinea and elsewhere saw people construct airfields where planes landed, disgorging huge amounts of cargo; so they figured that if they also built airfields then planes would come loaded with cargo for them, too! These ideas survived the end of the war, and continue in some places to this day. In the case of Sulphur Bay, villagers believe that a man called Jon Frum will one day arrive with an army and large amounts of goods for the local people. Villagers have their own church where Christianity and their own beliefs are mixed together, and they paint the letters "USA" on their buildings and even on themselves. Funnily enough, this primitive place also has a radio-equipped telephone you can use to call anywhere in the world, just like a regular phone. Even more primitive than Sulphur Bay is the village of Yaohnanen on Tanna's western coast near the airfield. Here the people decided to continue to live according to their ancient customs, even avoiding Western clothing in preference for the traditional "nambas" or penis sheath. But rejecting modern life doesn't mean that the people have isolated themselves from others. You can visit the village, walk around, buy your own nambas or other handicrafts, and watch a surprisingly enthralling yam harvest dance put on by the whole village - men, women and children. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31156000 |
bring a buzz to Milan
Jim Farmer, Southeastern Indiana Beekeepers
Association, pictured right, discusses the benefits of beekeeping
with Anita Chandler and Jean Oelker, left. Chandler, a beekeeper
for three years in Cross Plains, explained that she attended
the seminar for more information on beekeeping. Oelker,
a Master Gardner from Lawrenceburg, wanted to know what
she could do to increase the bee population.
Milan was buzzing with activity on Saturday, February 19 due to
the 2011 Honeybee Fair held at the Milan VFW and sponsored by
the Southeastern Indiana Beekeepers Association.
Those attending the fair had the opportunity to receive first
hand information about beekeeping, landscaping for bees and creating
products that use honey or beeswax from vendors and special speakers
Kathleen Prough, Indiana DNR Chief Apiary Inspector, and Roy Ballard,
Hancock County Purdue University Extension Educator.
The focus of the seminar was gardening to attract honeybees. Kathleen
Prough explained that a large space is not needed for a bee-friendly
garden. Choose a space that gets about six hours of sunlight a
day and start with a few plants then adding a few each year.
When choosing plants for the garden, one should strive for abundance,
sequence, and diversity. Prough explained that plants should be
clumped together so that the bees can visit many flowers in one
Plant for bloom succession so that there are blooms from spring
through fall. Bees need both pollen for protein and nectar for
carbohydrates for energy. Select plants that provide both of these.
And, dont forget, trees and shrubs can provide pollen and
Consider a flower shape and color when choosing a plant for the
bee garden. For example, bees favor yellow, bright white and blue
flowers. According to Prough, bees do not see the color red. Ultraviolet,
seen by bees but not by humans, is used as a nectar guide that
draws a bee to the flower.
The shape of the flower is also important for a bee. Bees prefer
a shallow flower with a platform landing and a single flower top.
Good examples are lavender and coneflowers.
When choosing pesticides, opt for one in liquid form that will
dry on the leaves. According to Prough, dry pesticides, such as
powders and dust, are bad for bees as it sits on the leaves and
sticks to the bees legs and body and is then ingested as
the bee cleans itself.
Prough noted that native plants may attract native bees but may
not attract honeybees. She explained that honeybees are native
to the United States.
Roy Ballard, Hancock County Purdue Extension Educator, explained
how creating a bee pasture in normally waste areas can help improve
production in ones hive. These pastures could be on your
own property or neighboring property within a three mile radius
of your hives.
The pasture can include trees and shrubs, vines, and flowers.
Some good plants for honeybees include alfalfa, clover, black
locust trees, dandelions or honeysuckle. Those blackberry vines
growing in a fence row are also great food sources for honeybees.
It is important to provide a water source for the bees to be used
for bodily functions and to cool the hive. Ballard advises to
provide a water source that will not contribute to bees drowning
and to keep away from pets, swimming pools or pedestrian walkways.
When using pesticides, Ballard advises using only when needed
and the least toxic pesticide possible. Apply the pesticide when
the plant is not in bloom or late in the day when the bees are
As the 2011 Indiana State Bee Association Honey Bee Queen, Lacy
Doolys job is to bring honeybee awareness to as many people
as possible. She visits schools, 4-H clubs and other organizations
across Indiana to give presentations about how bees are important
to humans by pollinating plants and providing honey and beeswax.
Dooly became involved in beekeeping through 4-H and soon her family
became interested in the hobby that has lasted for many years.
Honey is often used in many of the recipes she uses in the family
Below are some interesting facts about bees:
One in three bites of our food is a result of pollination
The average honeybee flies about 15 miles per hour and
visits 50-100 flowers during each foraging trip.
A colony of honeybees collectively flies over 55,000 miles
and visits about two million flowers to produce one pound of honey.
In her lifetime, each individual worker bee produces about
1/12 of one teaspoon of honey. This means one pound of honey (12
fl. oz.) represents the lifes work of 720 bees.
Honeybees have one stinger, two stomachs, three body segments,
four wings, five eyes and six legs.
A queen can lay up to 3,000 eggs per day. A healthy bee
hive can contain a population of 40,000-80,000 bees.
Honeybees communicate by using the waggle dance where a
returning forager uses body movements to indicate to the others
where a food source is located.
The majority of worker bees die in the field after wearing
their wings out, literally working themselves to death.
More information on beekeeping, how to get started or to connect
with fellow beekeepers can be found on the Southeastern Indiana
Beekeepers Association website at http://siba.innersync.com. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31158000 |
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Parents of rising fifth-, sixth- and seventh-graders can get summer fun down to a science when they register their child for the American Museum of Science and Energy’s Science Explorer Camp.
The camps will be June 6-10 and June 13-17 at the historic Freels Bend Cabin site in Oak Ridge. Campers must be at least 10 years old to participate.
The Science Explorer Camp will focus on a variety of science topics that include field explorations, hands-on activities, a tour of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and special presentations by ORNL researchers.
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(ARA) – Serving nutritious meals, ensuring everyone gets enough sleep and physical activity, helping kids navigate the emotional challenges of growing up – parents have a lot to think about when it comes to keeping their kids healthy. Over the past decade, one more concern has emerged, and it’s gaining in importance: teaching children how to live a healthy digital life.
The percentage of American children with access to home computers increased 70 percent between 1984 and 2010, and the percentage with home Internet access rose 35 percent between 1997 and 2010, according to research by the nonprofit Child Trends research center. Eighty-five percent of children have access to computers in their home, the organization says. Nearly 97 percent of American households own at least one TV, according to Nielsen.
Clearly, the digital world has become a big part of life for kids of all ages. With schools back in session and the holidays approaching, many families will spend even more time in the digital world, doing homework, holiday shopping, or replacing outdoor activities with TV when the weather turns cold. Just as parents teach children the value of self-discipline in their eating, exercise and behavior, they need to share lessons of digital discipline as well.
As your family gets into a fall routine, keep these digital do’s and don’ts in mind:
* Limit screen time – The Mayo Clinic reports that too much screen time (whether TV or computer) has been linked to childhood obesity, poor sleep, behavioral problems, poor school performance, and even violence. Many child health advocates recommend limiting the amount of time children watch TV or spend on the computer. When kids aren’t sitting in front of a screen, parents should encourage them to engage in physical activity, creative pursuits or in-person socializing.
* Keep everything in the open – Online activity should only take place with a parent present. Keep the family computer – and all Internet use – in a common area of the home. Be around when children are online. You don’t have to look over their shoulders, but you should be aware of what they are doing while they’re online.
* Take the first look – If your child wants to visit a new website or join a particular social media group, check it out first. If the content seems inappropriate, steer your child away from the site.
* Use helpful tools – Protecting kids online can be a challenge, but tools like SafetyWeb can make it easier. The tool helps parents keep kids safe online by monitoring online activity – both the child’s and what the child is exposed to. An active blog discusses the latest challenges with rearing kids in the digital age.
* Let kids isolate themselves in the digital world – While kids might enjoy a TV show or video game together, computer time is too often alone time for them. Children who spend a lot of time online can become cut off from the real world. Encourage children to engage in healthful face-to-face interaction with their peers, whether it’s as part of a sports team, volunteer group or just hanging out together at a friend’s house.
* Allow digital communication to replace family face-time – Technology has made it easier than ever for families to stay in touch when they’re apart at work or school. Too often, however, family members rely on a quick text or instant message to reach someone in another room of the house. When you’re home together, set aside digital communication and go in search of each other.
* Skip exercise – Families that exercise together tend to be healthier, studies show. Don’t forego physical activity in favor of screen time. Instead of sitting down together to watch a TV show, gather up the family and head to the bowling alley.
* Forget to lead by example – For all that the digital world has expanded the influences to which children are exposed, parents still remain the most influential people in their children’s lives. Modeling digital discipline and healthy behaviors is an important part of teaching those lessons to your children. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31165000 |
Urban coyotes pose little dangerCoyotes adapt well to living in urban areas but generally stay away from people
By: Emily Zimmer, Rosemount Town Pages
It may seem alarming to run across a coyote while on a walk in downtown Rosemount. But the wild canines are in Rosemount and generally pose no danger to residents.
Police chief Gary Kalstabakken said police officers have reported seeing coyotes near the train tracks near downtown.
"You will see them in town," said Kalstabakken. But Kalstabakken said coyotes "are generally not an issue."
According the Minnesota DNR coyotes can be found anywhere in Minnesota including busy urban areas. In the Twin Cities area, coyote populations are rising.
Coyotes are wild members of the dog family. On average they weigh 30 pounds and are 18 inches tall. The DNR says the animals are gray and brown and resemble a small German Shepherd dog.
Coyotes generally are loners except when families are raising pups.
Simply put, coyotes don't like people. According to the DNR there have been no reported attacks on humans in Minnesota. However, attacks have been reported in other states.
The DNR says experts believe attacks by urban coyotes occur after the animals become accustomed to humans or after being fed by humans.
Coyotes primarily eat small mammals including mice and rabbits. However, they have been known to kill small pets including dogs and cats. Also they will raid garbage cans for food.
Kalstabakken warned against feeding any wild animal. He said small animals shouldn't be allowed to roam freely and garbage cans should be secured.
If you encounter a coyote that doesn't immediately run off, Kalstabakken recommended harassing the animal by chasing and shouting at them.
If problems should arise with coyotes they can be killed without a license. Contact the DNR or the city of Rosemount for information on coyote removal. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31168000 |
Chemical technology news from across RSC Publishing.
Nanofactories monitor bacteria communication
03 March 2010
Scientists in the US have developed a microdevice that investigates how bacteria communicate with each other to enhance their resistance to drugs.
Bacteria communicate in a process called quorum sensing, in which they secrete small signalling molecules called autoinducers. When bacteria produce a quorum, their resistance to drugs is enhanced. William Bentley and co-workers from the University of Maryland have developed bio-inspired nanoscale factories that capture bacteria, deliver a drug right on the surface of the bacteria and test their responses.
'The overall goal is to understand how pathogens communicate with each other to make a more formidable team than each individual cell. We're trying to break down what exactly a quorum is and how it works', explains Bentley.
Microdevice could help develop the next generation of antimicrobials
The nanofactories assemble themselves on a chitosan coated electrode within a microfluidic device. They contain multiple modules that each perform a different function, including targeting and capturing bacteria cells, sensing raw materials in the vicinity and converting the raw materials into autoinducer molecules and transporting these back to the bacteria cell surface. Bentley used bacteria cells that were specially constructed to express a fluorescent protein in response to autoinducer signalling, which could be easily seen. The autoinducer molecules made by the nanofactories triggered the quorum sensing response of the bacteria, causing them to express the fluorescent protein.
'We're developing tools that enable rapid, cost-effective assembly of complex biological systems on devices so that the device can interrogate what the biology is doing', Bentley adds.
Michael Shuler, an expert in bioengineering at Cornell University, Ithaca, US, called the concept of nanofactories 'highly intriguing and novel'. He said that while applying the technique to the capture of quorum sensing bacteria was important for controlling some types of bacteria without antibiotics, the most exciting thing for him was the potential of the nanofactories to be integrated with microfluidics or other nanotechnologies.
In the future Bentley hopes that increasingly complex biological systems could be assembled to recreate the environment that bacteria see. He hopes to use the method to study other systems including epithelial and cancer cells.
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Link to journal article
Biological nanofactories facilitate spatially selective capture and manipulation of quorum sensing bacteria in a bioMEMS device
Rohan Fernandes, Xiaolong Luo, Chen-Yu Tsao, Gregory F. Payne, Reza Ghodssi, Gary W. Rubloff and William E. Bentley, Lab Chip, 2010, 10, 1128 | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31172000 |
Vivotif Oral Patient Information including How Should I Take
In this Article
- What is typhoid vaccine (Vivotif Oral)?
- What are the possible side effects of typhoid vaccine (Vivotif Oral)?
- What is the most important information I should know about typhoid vaccine (Vivotif Oral)?
- What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before receiving typhoid vaccine (Vivotif Oral)?
- How is typhoid vaccine given (Vivotif Oral)?
- What happens if I miss a dose (Vivotif Oral)?
- What happens if I overdose (Vivotif Oral)?
- What should I avoid before or after getting typhoid vaccine (Vivotif Oral)?
- What other drugs will affect typhoid vaccine (Vivotif Oral)?
- Where can I get more information?
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before receiving typhoid vaccine (Vivotif Oral)?
Typhoid vaccine should not be used in a person who is a typhoid carrier.
You should not receive this vaccine if you have ever had an allergic reaction to typhoid vaccine in the past, or if you have:
- fever with any type of infection or illness;
- a weak immune system caused by disease such as HIV/AIDS or cancer; or
- a weak immune system caused by using certain medicines such as chemotherapy.
You may not be able to receive this vaccine if you have:
- stomach flu or any illness with vomiting or diarrhea;
- if you are taking an antibiotic, especially a sulfa drug such as sulfasalazine (Azulfidine, Sulfazine), sulfamethoxazole (Bactrim, Cotrim, Septra, SMX-TMP), or sulfisoxazole (Gantrisin); or
- if you plan to start taking an anti-malaria medication within 10 days after receiving a typhoid oral vaccine.
You can still receive a vaccine if you have a minor cold. In the case of a more severe illness with a fever or any type of infection, the doctor may ask you to wait until you get better before you can receive the vaccine.
Vaccines may be harmful to an unborn baby and generally should not be given to a pregnant woman. However, not vaccinating the mother could be more harmful to the baby if the mother becomes infected with a disease that this vaccine could prevent. Your doctor will decide whether you should receive this vaccine, especially if you have a high risk of infection with typhoid.
It is not known whether typhoid vaccine passes into breast milk, or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not receive this vaccine without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
How is typhoid vaccine given (Vivotif Oral)?
Typhoid vaccine is recommended for adults and children in the following situations:
- people who travel to countries where typhoid fever is common;
- people who will have long-term exposure to food or water that may be contaminated with typhoid;
- people who live with someone who is a typhoid carrier; and
- laboratory workers who may come into contact with Salmonella typhi in a work setting.
The typhoid oral vaccine is given in a series of 4 capsules that are taken 1 per day on alternating days (days 1, 3, 5, and 7). On this alternating-day schedule, you will take 1 capsule every 48 hours for 7 days. You must take each capsule according to the recommended schedule for this vaccine to be effective.
You should complete all doses at least 1 week before your scheduled travel or possible exposure to typhoid.
You must keep typhoid vaccine capsules cold when not in use. Once you receive the capsules from your doctor or pharmacy, take them directly home and place them in the refrigerator. Keep each capsule in the foil blister pack in the refrigerator until you are ready to take it. Do not allow the capsules to freeze.
Take the capsule on an empty stomach, at least 1 hour before a meal.
Swallow the capsule as quickly as possible after placing it in your mouth. Take with a full glass of cold or lukewarm water or other beverage. Do not use warm or hot drinks such as coffee, tea, or warm milk. The liquid you use to help swallow the typhoid vaccine capsule should not be warmer than your body temperature (98.6 degrees F).
Do not crush, chew, or break a typhoid vaccine capsule. Swallow the pill whole. The enteric-coated pill has a special coating to release the vaccine slowly into your body. Breaking the pill could damage this coating.
The complete series of 4 vaccine capsules should provide protection against typhoid for up to 5 years. Another series of 4 capsules is then recommended every 5 years during possible exposure to typhoid. Your individual booster schedule may be different from these guidelines. Follow your doctor's instructions or the schedule recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Be sure you receive all recommended doses of this vaccine. If you do not receive the full series of capsules every 5 years during continued exposure, you may not be fully protected against the disease.
Wash your hands often to help prevent typhoid when you are in an area where contamination is possible.
Additional Vivotif Oral Information
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
Find out what women really need. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31179000 |
Filed under: Computers
Often, when people talk about the future of user interaction with computers, the go-to reference is Steven Spielberg’s ‘Minority Report
.’ But those dreams of gesture-based computing find users waving their hands in the air with no tactile feedback at all, and anyone who has typed on both an iPhone and a BlackBerry can tell you a little physical feedback is always welcome. An experimental system being developed at Gifu University in Japan marries that sort of hand gesture-based experience with 3-D displays and haptic feedback
to create an experience that more closely resembles manipulating objects in the real world.
The HIRO III requires that you strap your fingertips into a robot hand, which has fingers that simulate the texture of real surfaces to provide a sense of weight to your on-screen interactions. For example, if you’re running your hand across a jagged surface, the HIRO III will appropriately recreate that feeling. When combined with a 3-D display, the experience should be quite immersive. The system has obvious applications for controlling robot arms, as well as for simulating surgical and diagnostic procedures for medical students. Check out the video of HIRO III in action after the break. [From: Engadget]
Continue reading In HIRO III, Researchers See Scientific Breakthrough, We See Feel-O-Vision
In HIRO III, Researchers See Scientific Breakthrough, We See Feel-O-Vision originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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|Product #: CTP2508_TQ|
Map Skills (Grade 3) (Resource Book Only) eBookGrade 3
Please Note: This ebook is a digital download, NOT a physical product. After purchase, you will be provided a one time link to download ebooks to your computer. Orders paid by PayPal require up to 8 business hours to verify payment and release electronic media. For immediate downloads, payment with credit card is required.
Building Skills by Exploring Maps
Maps hold the promise of an adventure. And children really want to know how to read them. At the same time, they still need a lot of practice with the basic map skills of using latitude and longitude, locating places on a grid, estimating distances using scale, using indexes, and understanding common map symbols. This series uses age-appropriate maps to provide opportunities to practice these skills. Background information at the top of each page provides either more information about a map skill or interesting facts about the subject of the map.
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来源: Current Science
2012年3月23日 | EN
India needs a permanent dengue surveillance system.
United States Department of Agriculture
Population rise, unplanned urbanisation, poor vector control, viral evolution and international travel have turned dengue into a major global infectious disease with 50–100 million cases and 3.6 billion people at risk.
Complications arise from the fact that the number of dengue cases in an affected area may be limited. Few vectors, (Aedes aegypti or A. albopictus) mosquitoes may be found infected with the virus, limiting the scope for epidemiological and transmission studies.
The presence of dengue vectors and antibodies to the virus in a community does not necessarily reflect on re-emergence of dengue in an area. Domestic animals such as cats, rats, dogs, cows, buffaloes and goats may serve as 'hidden reservoirs' for the virus, as also sylvan monkeys.
In such a situation, a 'DengueNet-India ' surveillance system can help track the spread of the virus and provide a better understanding of the interactions between mosquitoes, different strains of the dengue virus, animals and humans.
Existing technologies such as geographical information systems, polymerase chain reaction, rapid antigen tests, genetic sequencing and bioinformatics can be harnessed to provide a holistic approach to suppress dengue resurgence, in collaboration with the WHO's DengueNet.
Databases could be continuously updated and the reporting of dengue cases from India’s existing network of institutions and laboratories standardised, with a view to predicting epidemics and reducing fatality rates. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31198000 |
May 26, 2000 IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Long-term exposure to radon in the home is associated with lung cancer risk and presents a significant environmental health hazard, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Iowa College of Public Health.
The Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study, funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, included investigators from the UI, St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. and the University of Kansas. The results are published in the June 1 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
From 1993 to 1997, the researchers studied 1,027 Iowa women -- 413 who were newly diagnosed with lung cancer and 614 "controls" -- ages 40 to 84 who had lived in their homes for the past 20 years or more. The women studied in both groups included smokers as well as nonsmokers. Women were studied because they typically have less occupational exposures to substances that may cause lung cancer, and historically have spent more time in the home.
The researchers found that close to 60 percent of the basement radon concentrations for both the lung cancer cases (study participants with lung cancer) and the control group (participants without lung cancer) exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency action level for radon of 4 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L). The researchers found that 33 percent of living areas for the lung cancer cases, and 28 percent of the living areas for the control group, exceeded the EPA's action level of 4 pCi/L.
Even at the EPA action level of 4 pCi/L, an approximate 50 percent excess lung cancer risk was found among the women in the study after correcting for the impact of smoking, according to Charles Lynch, UI professor of epidemiology and the study's principal investigator.
"What this indicates is that residential radon exposure is a significant cause of lung cancer," Lynch said.
At least four radon detection devices were placed in different areas in each of the study subjects' homes for one year. The researchers linked these multiple home radon measurements, as well as estimates on radon exposure outside the subjects' homes, with the subjects' past mobility history -- where and how much time they had spent outside or inside their homes or in the workplace, for example. With this information, the researchers were able to determine actual detailed exposure estimates for each study participant.
"This study incorporated the most sophisticated radon exposures analysis ever performed in a residential epidemiologic study," said R. William Field, Ph.D., UI research scientist in epidemiology and lead author of the journal article. "Most previous studies have focused on only one or two radon measurements in a home to determine a person's radon exposure. We linked where the study participants spent their time over the past 20 years with the radon concentrations gathered from inside and outside the home and came up with a more accurate measurement of exposure."
Previous studies have shown that Iowa has the highest average radon concentrations in the United States. Radon -- a naturally occurring odorless, tasteless and colorless radioactive gas -- is produced by the breakdown of radium in soil, rock and water. The high concentrations in Iowa and the upper Midwest are due primarily to glacial deposits that occurred more than 10,000 years ago, Field noted.
"Many homes and other buildings, such as schools and offices, have high radon concentrations," Field said. "Our research provides direct evidence that residential radon exposure is tied to an increased risk for lung cancer."
The best way to reduce overall exposure to radon is to test homes and take steps to reduce elevated indoor radon concentrations. Information on radon testing and mitigation is available toll-free from the EPA by calling (800) SOS-RADON or by visiting the EPA Web site at http://www.epa.gov/iaq/radon/. Additional information about the study is available at the following Web site: http://www.cheec.uiowa.edu/misc/radon.html.
The American Journal of Epidemiology is the premier scientific journal devoted to the publication of empirical research findings and methodologic developments in the field of epidemiologic research.
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June 4, 2005 Autism therapy is bedeviled by unpredictable outcomes. Even with the best behavioral treatments, which are the only ones to have been scientifically demonstrated to work -- says Laura Schreibman, professor of psychology and director of the Autism Research Program at UCSD -- some children improve dramatically, some only somewhat and others not at all.
Many families try one thing after another, losing precious months before hitting on the therapeutic method best suited for their autistic child. Given the importance of early intervention, Schreibman said, "we need to get it right the first time."
A new study coauthored by Schreibman and recent doctoral graduate Michelle Sherer successfully matches autistic children with an appropriate therapy. Published in the June issue of the American Psychological Association's Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, the study is the first to develop and test a predictive profile of children likely to respond to a particular treatment, in this case Pivotal Response Training.
PRT is a child-directed behavioral intervention developed by Schreibman and UC Santa Barbara colleague Robert L. Koegel. Focused on improving a child's motivation and responsiveness, PRT targets language skills, play skills and social behaviors that can be generalized to a natural, non-lab setting.
The researchers began by examining data from 28 children who had participated in previous investigations of PRT. Characteristics of the poorest and most exceptional responders were used to develop the predictive profile. Children expected to do well with PRT were those who showed a moderate to high interest in toys, were tolerant of another person in close proximity, and, relative to those with poor outcomes, had fewer non-verbal stimulatory behaviors (flapping or rocking, for example) and more verbal self-stimulatory behaviors (squeaking or other nonsensical sounds).
A prospective study followed: Six new participants were selected -- three who were predicted to respond to PRT and three who were not. Each prospective responder was matched to a non-responder on IQ, language age and symptom severity. Two boys and girl, the responders ranged in chronological age from 3 years, 0 months to 3 years, 5 months. The non-responders were likewise two boys and a girl, aged chronologically from 3 years, 1 month to 5 years, 10 months.
The children received 90 minutes of one-on-one PRT four to five times a week by trained, advanced psychology students who were blind to the hypothesis of the study.
After five weeks, PRT treatment was stopped for the non-responders because they failed to show any improvement, and it was ethically indefensible to continue. They were referred to other programs. (The non-responders' slightly higher chronological age did not appear to be a factor. In fact, the youngest child of this group was among the poorest performing.)
Responders received a total of six months, or approximately 190 hours, of treatment. As predicted, they made significant gains on several measures. Children "R1" and "R2," for example, began the study with no functional communication. By the second month, both were talking during and outside of treatment sessions.
Skeptics might charge that the profile developed by Sherer and Schreibman merely picks out children who will improve with any and all behavioral treatment. An important insight, however, the authors write, is provided by the non-responders who were discontinued from the study. "NR1," for instance, who did not derive any benefit from PRT, made great gains with another method -- suggesting the profile is specifically predictive for outcomes with PRT. Subsequent research led by Schreibman is confirming this finding.
"This is just a start in the right direction. It is one profile for one therapy," said Schreibman, author of Autism and the forthcoming The Science and Fiction of Autism (Harvard University Press, Nov. 2005). "We in the autism community know there is no one-size-fits-all approach. To reduce outcome variability, we need to continue finding predictor variables and to develop a full inventory of tailored treatments."
Schreibman's lab is currently working on adapting its PRT profile so that it can more easily be used in schools and other real-world environments. The authors urge further research to develop profiles for all other behavioral therapies.
The study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health.
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July 26, 2012 Excitation of neurons depends on the selected influx of certain ions, namely sodium, calcium and potassium through specific channels. Obviously, these channels were crucial for the evolution of nervous systems in animals. How such channels could have evolved their selectivity has been a puzzle until now.
Yehu Moran and Ulrich Technau from the University of Vienna together with Scientists from Tel Aviv University and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (USA) have now revealed that voltage-gated sodium channels, which are responsible for neuronal signaling in the nerves of animals, evolved twice in higher and lower animals.
These results were published in Cell Reports.
The opening and closing of ion channels enable flow of ions that constitute the electrical signaling in all nervous systems. Every thought we have or every move we make is the result of the highly accurate opening and closing of numerous ion channels. Whereas the channels of most lower animals and their unicellular relatives cannot discern between sodium and calcium ions, those of higher animals are highly specific for sodium, a characteristic that is important for fast and accurate signaling in complex nervous system.
Surprising results in sea anemones and jellyfish
However, the researchers found that a group of basal animals with simple nerve nets including sea anemones and jellyfish also possess voltage-gated sodium channels, which differ from those found in higher animals, yet show the same selectivity for sodium. Since cnidarians separated from the rest of the animals more than 600 million years ago, these findings suggest that the channels of both cnidarians and higher animals originated independently twice, from ancient non-selective channels which also transmit calcium.
Since many other processes of internal cell signaling are highly dependent on calcium ions, the use of non-selective ion channels in neurons would accidently trigger various signaling systems inside the cells and will cause damage. The evolution of selectivity for sodium ions is therefore considered as an important step in the evolution of nervous systems with fast transmission. This study shows that different parts of the channel changed in a convergent manner during the evolution of cnidarians and higher animals in order to perform the same task, namely to select for sodium ions.
This demonstrates that important components for the functional nervous systems evolved twice in basal and higher animals, which suggests that more complex nervous systems that rely on such ion-selective channels could have also evolved twice independently.
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Louis Washkansky (1913-67)
Louis Washkansky was a Lithuanian Jew who moved to South Africa in 1922 and became a grocer. Although he participated in sport and led a healthy lifestyle, he was diabetic and suffered from an incurable heart disease, resulting in three heart attacks which led to congestive heart failure.
Washkansky was the recipient of the first successful human heart transplant on 3 December 1967. He received the heart of a young woman, Denise Darvall, who had been critically injured in a car accident. His ground-breaking surgery was performed by Christiaan Barnard, who immediately became famous around the world.
Even though Washkansky died 18 days after he received his transplant, his surgery was considered a success and while many other heart transplant patients died after a short period of time in the early period of transplant surgery, advances in drug therapy and surgical techniques have provided a longer life for recipients. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31204000 |
By John Fleck
Web edition: February 12, 2010 Print edition: February 27, 2010; Vol.177 #5 (p. 30)
Buy this book
Young adults can learn how scientists use tree rings to document climate change.University of New Mexico Press, 2009, 91 p., $21.95.
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Hot Sites and Cool Books
Recommended Web sites:
Information about the 2006 dinosaur dig at the 5E Ranch can be found at www.montanadinosaurdigs.com/sauro.htm (Judith River Dinosaur Institute).
Perkins, Sid. 2006. Bone hunt. Science News 170(Aug. 26):138-140. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20060826/bob10.asp .
Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:
The Fossil Factory: A Kid's Guide to Digging Up Dinosaurs, Exploring Evolution, and Finding Fossils Niles Eldredge
Published by Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., 1989.
If you think that fossils are dinosaur bones, you're partly right. There are fossils of lots of other things, toograins of pollen, sea creatures, even human beings! How can you find fossils on your own? With black-and-white, cartoon-style drawings and a humorous writing style, a world-famous scientist and his teenage sons explain how fossils are formed, where you can find them, and how to take care of them. Along the way, they also offer a few chuckles as well as fascinating information about the history of life on Earth, the way rocks and continents formed, and what Earth was like during the age of the dinosaurs. Twelve activitiesincluding instructions for making a plaster cast of your own footprintare featured, too, along with step-by-step diagrams. At the end, a timeline shows how life forms evolved over millions of years.
Armored, Plated, and Bone-Headed Dinosaurs: The Ankylosaurs, Stegosaurs, and Pachycephalosaurs Thom Holmes
Published by Enslow Publishers, 2002.
What are the origins of these spiny, armor-plated dinosaurs? What were their feeding habits? How did they defend themselves? Explore the anatomy and physiology of these creatures that are now extinct.
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From The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary
and The American Heritage® Children's Science Dictionary
estuary The wide lower end of a river where it flows into the sea. The water in estuaries is a mixture of fresh water and salt water.
fossil The hardened remains of traces of plant or animal that lived long ago. Fossils are often found in sedimentary rocks.
paleontology The scientific study of life in the past, especially through the study of fossils.
sauropod One of the two types of saurichian dinosaurs, widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Sauropods were plant-eaters and often grew to tremendous size, having a stout body with thick legs, long slender necks with a small head, and long tails. Sauropods included the apatosaurus (brontosaurus) and brachiosuarus.
sedimentary rock A rock that is formed when sediment, such as sand or mud, becomes hard. Sedimentary rocks form when sediments are collected in one place by the action of water, wind, glaciers, or other forces, and are then pressed together. Limestone and shale are sedimentary rocks.
stegosaurus or stegosaur Any of several plant-eating dinosaurs of the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods. Stegosaurus had a spiked tail and an arched back with a double row of large, triangular, upright, bony plates. Although stegosaurs grew to 20 feet (6.1 meters) in length, they had tiny heads with brains the size of a walnut
Copyright © 2002, 2003 Houghton-Mifflin Company
. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
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In A.D. 79 Mount Vesuvius erupted, annihilating the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and killing thousands who did not evacuate in time. To avert a similar fate for present-day Naples, which lies six miles west of the still active Vesuvius, as well as for the cities near volatile Mount Etna in Sicily, a novel laser system could soon forecast volcanic eruptions up to months in advance.
Current methods to predict eruptions have downsides. Seismometers can monitor tremors and other ground activity that signal a volcano's awakening, but their readings can prove imprecise or complicated to interpret. Scanning for escaping gases can reveal whether magma is moving inside, but the instruments used to analyze such emissions are often too delicate and bulky for life outside a laboratory. "You have to collect samples from the volcano, bring them to a lab, and often wait through backlogs of weeks to months before analysis," explains Frank Tittel, an applied physicist at Rice University.
A more promising technique for early detection focuses on changes in carbon isotopes in carbon dioxide. The ratio between carbon 12 and carbon 13 is roughly 90 to one in the atmosphere, but it can differ appreciably in volcanic gases. A ratio change by as little as 0.1 part per million could signal an influx of carbon dioxide from magma either building under or rising up through the volcano.
Lasers can help detect this change: carbon 12 and 13 absorb light at slightly different mid-infrared wavelengths. The lasers must continuously tune across these wavelengths. Previously investigators used lead-salt lasers, which require liquid-nitrogen cooling and thus are impractical in the field. Furthermore, they are low-power devices, generating less than millionths of a watt, and can emit frequencies in an unstable manner. Other isotope scanning techniques are similarly lab-bound.
Tittel and other scientists in the U.S. and Britain, in partnership with the Italian government, have devised a volcano-monitoring system around a quantum-cascade laser. Such a semiconductor laser can produce high power across a wide frequency. Moreover, they are rugged and do not require liquid-nitrogen cooling, making them compact enough to fit inside a shoe box.
The researchers first tried out their device on gas emissions from Nicaraguan craters in 2000. The new field tests will check its performance and accuracy in harsh volcanic locales. Dirk Richter, a research engineer at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., says it would prove difficult to design a system "to work in one of the worst and most challenging environments possible on earth," but "if there's one group in the world that dares to do this, that's Frank Tittel's group."
If the instrument works, the plan is to deploy early-warning systems of lasers around volcanoes, with each device transmitting data in real time. False alarms should not occur, because carbon isotope ratios in magma differ significantly from those in the crust. The changes that the laser helps to detect also take place over weeks to months, providing time to compare data from other instruments, as well as ample evacuation notice. "Our system aims at avoiding a catastrophe like the Vesuvius eruption," says team member Damien Weidmann, a physicist at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire, England. Field tests for the prototype are planned for the spring of 2005 in the volcanic Alban Hills region southeast of Rome, near the summer home of Pope John Paul II, as well as for volcanic areas near Los Alamos, N.M.�
This article was originally published with the title Volcanic Sniffing. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31207000 |
If astronomy and outerspace interest you, then this activity set will fascinate you. You'll learn about the planets, stars, sun, moon, and even rockets - all through fun, hands-on experiments. Activities include using balloons and chemically powered rockets to study rocket propulsion, building a telescope and star map to investigate the stars and constellations, assembling a model of the solar system to about the planets that share it,and more. Once you work through all the activities, you will understand how Earth’s axis and revolution around the sun causes the seasons, how the moon’s rotation around Earth gives us the phases of the moon, how meteorites formed the craters on the moon, how meteoroids become falling stars, and so much more. Includes a full-color, 32-page experiment book to guide your space exploration. Ages 8 and up.
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD — Children under 8 yrs. can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required. Keep uninflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once.
- launch three types of rockets
- build a telescope and star map
- model the solar system
- investigate the revolution and rotation of Earth
- swing a moon sling
- find the man in the moon
- recreate lunar and solar eclipses
- learn about falling stars
- discover how the universe is expanding | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31209000 |
- A Prehistoric evergreen that keeps coming back to life!
- Grows in one day! Unconditionally guaranteed to grow!
- Can "sleep" for fifty years and spring back to life in one day!
Take the amazing Dinosaur Plant out of its home for days, months, even years-then give it water, and it will ROAR back to life!
The Amazing Dinosaur Plant is one of the longest-living plants in the world! This plant actually lived when the first dinosaurs emerged. At that time, this plant would grow to over 120 feet, taller than even a Tyrannosaurus Rex!
When the ice age came, the Dinosaur Plant had to mutate and get really small. In order to survive, it learned how to blow onto dry land and sleep, waiting for water. Usually the plant drifted around until it stumbled into a puddle. Then the plant "drank" greedily, and went back sleep until it found the next puddle.
The Dinosaur Plant is very easy to care for. All it needs is a little water and some occasional sleep. Simply place the plant in its bowl with New Mexico lava rock (included), pour some water on the plant and it will spring to life within one day! If you let the Dinosaur Plant dry out, it will shrink back to its sleeping state. It can sleep for up to fifty years and will still rise when you place it in water! A fun project for the entire family to enjoy!
The Amazing Dinosaur Plant includes a live plant, bag of genuine volcanic lava rock, display bowl, and instructions. Appropriate for ages 4+. Dinosuar Plant Instructions | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31211000 |
|Scientology Video Channel||
USING THE TONE SCALE
The simplest thing to know about this scale is that people find it difficult to respond to communication which is too far above where they are stuck on the scale. If you try to help someone in apathy by talking to them in enthusiasm, you will probably not have much success. The gap between such extremes is not easily bridged unless you understand the Tone Scale.
Using knowledge of the Tone Scale, however, you would recognize the emotion one-half to one full tone above the person, communicate in that tone and thus bring him up to higher tones. By moving up the scale gradiently it is possible to help someone overcome fixed conditions and regain a more happy and vital outlook.
The Tone Scale is of enormous value in life and its relationships. Mr. Hubbard thoroughly researched human behavior and the full body of his work in this area furnishes an accurate description of the attitudes and behavior of others. By knowing where a person falls on the scale, one can precisely predict his actions.
Knowledge of the Tone Scale gives one a greater understanding of his fellows than ever before available. It is a true technology of helping others to improve their conditions. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31212000 |
An instrument to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level.Generally, mean sea level is used for the reference level.
Mid-level cloud (bases generally 2000 - 8000m), made up of grey,puffy masses, sometimes appearing in parallel waves or bands. An indicatorof mid-level instability. Altocumulus can take on various forms such as AcLenticularis, Ac Undulatus, Ac Castellanus, Altocumulus 'mackerel sky'.
A middle level cloud with vertical development that forms from altocumulusclouds. It is composed primarily of ice crystals in its higher portions andcharacterised by its turrets, protuberances or crenulated tops.
Mid-level cloud composed of water droplets and ice crystals. Usuallygives the sun a watery or dimly visible appearance.
A local wind that flows up the side of valleys due to increased heating alongthe valley walls. Often the anabatic wind results in cumulus clouds along theridges either side of the valley. See also Katabatic winds.
A device used to measure wind speed.
The departure of an element from its long-term average for the locationconcerned. For example, if the average maximum temperature for
Melbourne in June is 14 degrees and on one particular day the temperature
only reaches 10 degrees, than the anomaly for that day is -4.
A large scale atmospheric circulation system in which the winds rotate anticlockwise in the Southern Hemisphere (clockwise in Northern Hemisphere).Anticyclones are areas of high atmospheric pressure and are generallyassociated with light winds and stable weather conditions. Interchangeablewith High pressure system.
Rotation in the opposite sense as the Earth's rotation, i.e., anticlockwise in | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31217000 |
What Is Graywater?
According to Health and Safety Code Section 17922.12, graywater is “untreated wastewater that has not been contaminated by any toilet discharge, has not been affected by infectious contaminated or unhealthy bodily wastes, and does not present a threat from contamination by unhealthful processing, manufacturing, or operation wastes. ”Graywater” includes but is not limited to wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom washbasins, clothes washing machines, and laundry tubs, but does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks or dishwashers.”
- Download an informational brochure on installation and permitting requirements for graywater systems in Sonoma County
Graywater Systems Standards
On July 30, 2009, the CA Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) Codes and Standards Division and the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) announced the adoption of the state’s new graywater standards. The new standards became effective on August 4, 2009. "These new graywater standards will be a big step toward reducing California’s water consumption by providing cost-effective guidelines that will be beneficial to every home throughout the state,” said Director Lynn L. Jacobs. “HCD and its staff recognize the importance of continually improving the state building codes and standards to help improve our sustainability.”
For more information regarding the Standards and building permits, please contact the County Permit and Resource Development Department (PRMD) at (707) 565-1900 or visit the PRMD website, or view the new Graywater Standards.
Graywater Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is graywater?
Graywater is untreated wastewater that has not been contaminated by any toilet discharge. Graywater includes wastewater from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks, clothes washing machines and laundry sinks. It does not include wastewater from kitchen sinks, dishwashers, photo lab sinks or laundry water from soiled diapers.
2. What is a graywater system?
Graywater systems are onsite wastewater systems that use graywater for subsurface landscape irrigation through the use of mulch basins, disposal trenches or subsurface drip irrigation fields.
3. Are there regulations for the use of graywater?
The regulations for the design, construction and use of graywater systems can be found in Chapter 16A of the California Plumbing Code (CPC). A copy of these regulations can be found on our website at http://www.sonoma-county.org/prmd/divpages/wellsepdiv.htm
4. Who regulates the use of graywater in Sonoma County?
The County of Sonoma Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD) has been delegated the authority to regulate graywater systems in the unincorporated area of Sonoma County by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). PRMD does not regulate graywater systems in the incorporated cities in Sonoma County. These cities can implement a program of their own that meets or exceeds the requirements of the CPC with approval from the RWQCB. Questions regarding graywater systems within an incorporated city should be go directly to that city.
5. Can I allow my graywater to discharge to the ground surface?
Due to the potential for high levels of bacteria and viruses in graywater, graywater must be used in a way that eliminates potential human contact or the creation of nuisances. The regulations for graywater systems allows for subsurface irrigation only, although graywater can be discharged to the ground surface in a mulch basin as long as it remains covered with at least two inches of mulch, rock or soil.
6. Can I use graywater for other purposes such as flushing toilets?
The CPC allows graywater to be used for flushing toilets but the graywater must meet the same regulations in place for the use of recycled water (Title 22) with respect to treatment, permitting, inspection and cross connection control.
7. Do I need a permit to install a graywater system?
The CPC exempts graywater systems that collect graywater from a clothes washer only and where no modifications to the plumbing system are required or pumps are used in the graywater system from construction permits but the system must still meet the design and construction standards found in the regulations. All other graywater systems require a construction permit. Plans for graywater systems must be submitted to PRMD or the authorized permitting agency for review and approval of the graywater design. Once the design is approved, a construction permit must be obtained to install the graywater system and allow for inspection by the permitting agency.
8. Do I need to contact any other agencies for the installation of a graywater system?
You need to contact your local building department to discuss plumbing, venting and electrical requirements as needed for either new construction or the retrofit of an existing structure where a graywater system is proposed. In addition, you need to contact your local water purveyor to discuss the need for the installation of a backflow protection device at the water meter.
9. What kind of plants can I irrigate with graywater?
Graywater can be used to irrigate fruit trees, ornamental trees, shrubs, groundcover and lawns. Graywater should not be used in vegetable gardens where the food is a root crop or touches the ground surface. Be aware that soaps and detergents can contain a variety of chemicals to aid in cleaning that may be harmful to your plants. Please contact your local landscape specialist for more information.
10. Where can I find more information on graywater?
Additional information regarding graywater and onsite wastewater systems is available on the PRMD website at http://www.sonoma-county.org/prmd/divpages/wellsepdiv.htm. PRMD is currently in the process of developing new guidelines for the use of graywater to address the revisions to the CPC and will post these when available. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31218000 |
How to Develop a Wind Farm
The Benefits of Wind Power
Wind powered electricity is relatively new in Ireland even though we have some of the best wind resources in Europe. Global environmental benefits of wind power include reduced greenhouse gas emissions and national benefits include security of supply from a locally sourced energy.
The development of a wind farm can provide opportunities at a local level also. Development can provide landowners with an alternative or supplementary income and can provide jobs locally during the construction and operational phases of the project. Tax receipts are generated as are local authority rates for collection and use within the region of the wind farm. If operated as a community scheme, those within the vicinity of the wind farm can benefit directly from the share dividends.
Is my site suitable?
Not all sites are suitable for wind farms, for either economic or environmental reasons. When assessing the suitability of a site both technical suitability and environmental suitability must be addressed. Key suitability criteria are outlined below:
- Visual aspects
- Proximity to dwellings
- Ecological/archaeological/architectural protection
- Recreational use
- Restricted Areas
- Wind speed
- Grid connection
- Site size
It is important to discuss a proposed development with a Local Planner at an early stage to receive feedback for the plan and to identify the scope of the planning application and, where appropriate, the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) that should accompany the planning application. The development of a wind farm can be a long process and cannot be treated lightly so in order to ensure high quality development, professional services must be employed throughout the process.
Each local authority has developed a map where wind energy projects will be considered, are prohibited or are encouraged. This local authority wind strategy should be one of the first documents to refer to.
The Economics of Wind Farming
Wind farms differ in size and the location and scale of the project can dictate the economics for each site. Typical investment costs are in the region of €1.7 -€2m. The figure represents the total project cost, including the planning/EIS, equipment procurement, civil works, grid connection, commissioning, O&M and decommissioning costs.
Turbines generally account for between 65 and 75% of the total project costs. Financial institutions have in the past been willing to finance up to 85% of a wind farm project costs subject to several assurances. Recent reports suggest that 75% finance is more common in the current economic and banking climate. Local equity available through a shared or community developed wind farm may prove attractive for the project developers.
Financially viable: What the bank looks for
- Verified wind data measured onsite
- Power purchase agreement for energy produced
- Full planning permission
- Professional feasibility study
- Site title
- Experienced development team
- Authorisation to construct a generator from the Regulator
Use Independent Professional support for
- Pre-feasibility study
- Feasibility and basic design
- Wind measurement and assessment
- EIS and Planning application
- Landscape classification
- Lease/Loan/shareholder agreements
- Attaining grid connection
- Power purchase agreements
- EPC agreements
- O&M agreements
Building a Wind Farm
With Planning Permission achieved and a power purchase contract agreed the construction of the wind farm offers two choices:
As owner of the wind farm you can choose to employ the turbine manufacturer (or their agent) to project manage the construction and commissioning of the wind farm. By doing so, they will undertake the design, procurement of equipment, civil works and commissioning plus in most cases deal with future operation and maintenance of the wind farm. The benefit of this arrangement is that one party takes care of the entire construction management of the project - this however at a higher price than using an "Owners Engineer".
You may however choose to employ a professional experienced engineer or firm of engineers to manage the project for you. This way you can achieve the same objectives as outlined for the Turnkey developer but you may also avail of their independent advice when selecting the turbines and of the lower project management costs. Separate O&M contracts from the turbine manufacturer will be available. If choosing this type of development process, it is vital that clear responsibilities are defined and agreed beforehand to avoid possible delay during the construction phase.
The Working Wind Farm
The turbines stand and their blades are busy turning wind energy into electricity but the job is not complete. As owner of the wind farm you also ultimately assume responsibility for its continued operation and any scheduled or unscheduled maintenance necessary to keep it working efficiently.
It is vital that any agreements made in conjunction with the planning permission are adhered to and that O&M contracts and warranty conditions are honoured. Personnel will require continual training and local residents should continue to be informed about the development. Wind farms must be maintained in a fashion reflecting the clean and efficient energy source that we can all be happy to benefit from. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31219000 |
The History of Pressure Measurement
1594 Galileo Galilei, born in Pisa (Italy), obtains the patent
for a machine to pump water from a river for the irrigation of
land. The heart of the pump was a syringe. Galileo Galilei
found that 10 meters was the limit to which the water would
rise in the suction pump, but had no explanation for this
phenomenon. Scientists were then devoted to find the cause for this.
1644 Evangelista Torricelli (rorr). Italian physicist, filled a
tube 1 meter long, hermetically closed at one end, with
mercury and set it vertically with the open end in a basin
of mercury. The column of mercury invariably fell to about
760 mm, leaving an empty space above its level. Torricelli
attributed the cause of the phenomenon to a force on the
surface of the earth, without knowing, where it came from. He also
concluded that the space on top of the tube is empty, that nothing
is in there and called it a "vacuum".
1648 Blaise Pascal, French philosophei physicist and
mathematician, heard about the experiments of Torricelli
and was searching for the reasons of Galileo's and Torricelli's
findings. He came to the conviction that the force, which
keeps the column at 760 mm, is the weight of the air above.
Thus, on a mountain, the force must be reduced by the weight of
the air between the valley and the mountain. He predicted that the
height of the column would decrease which he proved with his
experiments at the mountain Puy de Dome in central France. From
the decrease he could calculate the weight of the air. Pascal also
formulated that this force, he called it "pressure", is acting uniformly
in all directions.
1656 Offo von Guericke, born in Magdeburg/Germany.
Torricellis conclusion of an empty space or "nothingness"
was contrary to the doctrine of an omnipresent God and
was thus attacked by the church. Guericke developed
new air pumps to evacuate larger volumes and staged a
dramatic experiment in Magdeburg by pumping the air out of two
metal hemispheres which had been fitted together with nothing
more than grease. 8 horses at each hemisphere were not strong
enough to separate them.
1661 Robert Boyle. an Anglo-Irish chemist, used "J"-shaped
tubes closed at one end to study the relationship between
the pressure and volume of trapped gas and stated the law
of x V = K (P: Pressure, V: Volume, K: Constant) which
means that if the volume of a gas at a given pressure is
known, the pressure can be calculated if the volume is changed,
provided that neither the temperature nor the amount of gas is changed.
1820 Almost 200 years later, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac.
French physicist and chemist, detects that the pressure
increase of a trapped gas at constant volume is proportional
to the temperature. 20 years later, William Thomson
(Lord Kelvin) defines the absolute temperature
Mechanical Measurement Technologies
1843 Lucien Vidie, French scientist, invented and
built the aneroid barometer, which uses a spring
balance instead of a liquid to measure atmospheric
pressure. The spring extension under pressure is
mechanically amplified on an indicator system.
Employing the indicator method of Vidie, Eugene
Bourdon (founder of the Bourdon Sedeme Company) patented 1849
the Bourdon tube pressure gauge for higher pressures.
Electrical Measurement Technologies
1930 The first pressure transducers were transduction
mechanisms where the movements of diaphragms, springs
or Bourdon tubes are part of an electrical quantity.
Pressure diaphragms are part of a capacitance. the
indicator movement is the tap of a potentiometer.
1938 The bonded strain gauges were independently
developed by E. E. Simmons of the California Institute
of Technology and AC. Ruge of Massachuseffs Institute
of Technology. Simmons was faster to apply for a patent.
1955 The first foil strain gauges came up with an integrated full
resistor bridge, which, if bonded on a diaphragm. see opposite stress
in the center and at the edge.
1965 The bonding connection of the gauges to the diaphragm was
always the cause for hysteresis and instability. In the 1960's,
Statham introduced the first thin-film transducers with good stability
and low hysteresis. Today, the technology is a major player on the
market for high pressure.
1973 William R. Poyle applied for a patent for capacitive
transducers on glass or quartz basis, Bob Bell of Kavlico
on ceramic basis a few years later in 1979. This technology
filled the gap for lower pressure ranges (for which thin
film was not suited) and is today, also with resistors on
ceramic diaphragms, the widest spread technology for
The Sensor Age
1967 Honeywell Research Center, Minneapolis/USA, 1967:
Art R. Zias and John Egan applied for patent for the
edge-constrained silicon diaphragm. 1969. Hans W. Keller
applied for patent for the batch-fabricated silicon sensor.
The technology is profiting from the enormous progresses
A modern sensor typically weighs 0.01 grams. If all non-cristalline
diaphragms have inherent hysteresis, the precision limit of this item
is not detectable by todays means.
2000 The piezoresistive technology is the most universal one. It applies
for pressure ranges from 100 mbar to 1500 bar in the absolute, gauge
and differential pressure mode. The slow spread of the technology in
high volume applications for non-benign media resulted from the inability
of US-companies to develop a decent housing. In 30 years, KELLER has
perfected it at costs comparable to any other technology.
For more information, please contact... KELLER at www.keller-druck.com
For details of Pressure Sensors Suppliers, click here...
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Zooplankton community dynamics
Ballast water transport as a taxonomic and numeric 'filter'
Zooplankton data collected from ballast tanks at the beginning and end of 25 voyages showed an overall decline in total zooplankton abundance during a voyage. Mortality within tanks could be caused by a number of factors, including:
- Lack of settlement substrate
- Exposure to toxic substances
- Physiological stress caused by changes in physical conditions
In addition, the duration of a voyage or the age of the ballast water is also an important factor, as mortality within tanks appears to increase with time.
For example, our data indicated that:
• On short voyages (<10 days) survival of zooplankton is unpredictable, but typically high (both increases and decreases in abundance were recorded) .
• On long voyages (16-22 days) there were large declines in survivorship (>95% decrease in abundance in all cases.
This an important finding because in order to survive, establish, and thus achieve a successful ballast-mediated invasion, an organism must be delivered in adequate densities to increase the chances of encountering a mate and reproducing. This means that shorter coastwise voyages, where survivorship is more variable and the final densities are relatively higher pose a greater 'invasion threat' than do longer voyages.
Though these data bring us closer to identifying predictors of overall zooplankton survivorship, identifying individual taxonomic groups that are more likely to become successful invaders remains elusive. Survivorship varied both between taxonomic groups and within taxonomic groups for different voyages. Thus, we still do not fully understand the extent to which particular taxonomic groups are better able to survive transport in ballast tanks than others.
These data strongly point to the need for rigorous ballast water management policies across the board to effectively handle the release of domestic ballast water, particularly that portion of it which has only been subject to short-term transport. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31229000 |
Jellyfish Sex Position
The Jellyfish is a more difficult adaptation of the Kneeling Missionary. To get into the position, the giver kneels up slightly while the receiver sits into their lap facing them. The receiver wraps their legs around the giver; both wrap their arms around each other for support. This provides a good angle for penetration.
The giver and receiver together set up a rocking (fluid) motion to gain movement during penetration - the visual result providing the name Jellyfish. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31232000 |
Mansfield, until the middle of the eighteenth century, was an isolated Market Town set in Sherwood Forest. Its transformation into an industrial urban area is the result of the effects of five crucial industries. The earliest industry noted is stone quarrying which is documented from about 1227 when King Henry 3 granted a Monday market and fair. During the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries there was a growth in farming activity in the local area following the founding of the great estates known as the Dukeries in Sherwood Forest.
This led to the development of two crucial industries, malting and framework knitting, using wool from the Forest sheep, Mansfield's isolation was eased by the turnpiking of the roads, the first Trust coming in 1760, followed in 1819 by the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway.
Prior to the building of this railway malt was exported on pack-horses who returned with coal required for the malt production from the Erewash valley pits.
The railway was built to carry this coal. By the middle of the eighteenth century there were 36 maltings in the town, the majority being owned by William Broadhurst. The only surviving one, built circa 1740, is now a bar and stands in Midworth Street having ceased production in 1975. Broadhurst died in 1846, the maltster in 1844 being loseph Gilstrap. A significant remnant of the malting industry is Mansfield Brewery. It was founded in 1855 on a site in Littleworth where it has remained and expanded to the present day. Some old buildings can still be seen in the current complex.
After malting the other four crucial industries are coal, cotton, iron and quarrying. Quarrying has been for three varieties of stone.White freestone is found to the south of the town in 50 to 60 foot irregular beds. It was used in 1337 during the building of Southwell Minster. Red sandstone, also in 50 foot beds, was worked in Rock Valley and along Chesterfield Road north of the town centre. The Lower Magnesian Limestone (Dolomite) has been worked in the Mansfield Woodhouse area. Actually a Dolomitic sandstone it was used in the building work at the Houses of Parliament. Charles Lindley, the quarry owner, named that particular quarry Parliament Quarry. Redstone has been used at Belton House, Grantham, and White for Mansfield Town Hall.
Parliament Quarry has now been filled in. In 1967 these quarries were reopened during the building of the M1 motorway producing 20,000 tonnes of roadstone per week. A remaining quarry, Gregory Quarry, was opened prior to 1823 by Charles Lindley, who died in 1861. He was the major quarry owner during this period, also working Chesterfield Road and Rock Valley quarries. In the early years of the twentieth century the Gregory Family took over, followed, in 1953, by the King family. Gregory Quarry has just closed. The other quarrying activity, which still survives, is for building and moulding sand worked from the Bunter Sandstone beds. It was being worked before 1851 as it won a gold medal in the 1851 Great Exhibition for the Mansfield Sand Company Ltd. It is thought to have been worked prior to 1819.
In 1907 the Abraham family formed the Standard Sand Co. Ltd. and commenced working the same material as the Mansfield Standard Sand Co. Ltd. The firm still operates in a major way with three branches - building sand, moulding sand and calcium-silica te brick making.
This local supply of excellent moulding sand inevitably led to the establishment of iron founding in the area. Luke Abbot was ironfounding in 1788, Stanford and Burnside in 1790 and possibly Sherwood Foundry as early as 1759. By the late nineteenth century there were in excess of 10 companies in the town, by the 1940s the number was 5 and currently only 2 still operate, the major firm being James Maude & Co. Ltd., who were probably active in 1753. Certainly in 1775 they were building Foundry Cottages which remained occupied until 1950. Over the years their output has been very varied. The Dolphin lamposts on The Embankment, The Mall, and Regents Park in London were made by them. At one time they had the sole contract for producing pillar boxes for the Post Office. The agents names cast on them are Colin Ching and W.T. Allen. Other items made have been fireplaces, balconies, railway castings and rainwater goods. Since 1945 they have used air setting sands for moulding and currently are making machin e tool castings, 40% of which are exported to the U.S.A.. Stokes Castings, founded in 1862, is the only other firm still active and currently market under pressure castings. Other major late nineteenth and twentieth century firms have ceased production, e xamples being Meadow Foundry who operated 1852-1980 and S.Walker & Son 1847-1987.
Coalmining, arrived towards the end of the nineteenth century and brought with it the large growth in the local population. The earliest deep mines were sunk to the west of the town and the first in the Mansfield area was that at Warsop, sunk in 1890 by the Staveley Coal and lron Company.Thc adjacent housing was built to house the miners. The Ellis family from Hucknall sank Sherwood Colliery in 19O2-3. The Bolsover Colliery Company sank Mansfield (Crown Farm) colliery in 1905-6, and, as for their other collieries, built a village to house the miners and their families.
It consisted of 320 houses in eighteen 200 foot terraces leading off to the east of a main drive and seventeen to the west. This village became Forest Town. The colleries employed about 2000 men each and closed in the 1990s.
The other critical industry in Mansfield's development is textiles. In the seventeenth century it began wilh framework knitting, a basically cottage industry. In 1727 there were 40 framework knitters in the town. By 18OO there about 700 frames rnaking stockings, and cotton and silk gloves. Later on many frames were converted into lace frames. In the late eighteenth century Mansfield was suffering an economic depression and the construction of five water-powered cotton spinning mills along the River Maun were financed by the Duke of Portland to create employment. He also financed the conversion to cotton spinning of the Old Town Mill (now a public house) which had been built circa 1744 as a corn and malt mill. This conversion was completed by 1795.
The furthest west of the five new mills was Hermitage Mill, leased from the Duke of Portland in 1782 and currently occupied by a builders merchants. Reed Mills, in Bleakhills, was operating by 1708 and demolished in 1971.
Little Matlock Mill was another late eighteenlh century mill, and is still extant. Field Mill was also leased in 1788 and was demolished in 1925. Bath Mill was built in 1792 and still survives, albeit in a derelict condition.One other late eighteenth century mill survives, now in mult iple occupancy, and that is Stantons Mill. This was built for Charles Stanton in 1795: he also had Carr Bank House built at about the same time. In the middle of the nineteenth century framework knitting gradually changed to machine hosiery and the cotton spinning mills generally to changed hosiery production. Most are still standing along with other later steam powered works, although most are no longer being used for textiles which have been relocated to more modern buildings.
lndustrial development led to better transport facilities. This is exemplified in two railway viaducts. The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was constructed in 1019 as an ox-hauled railway. In 1849 the line was bought by the Midland Railway Company and up graded to take steam trains. This meant smoothing out some of the sharper curves ol the old line and so isolated the eight-arched Kings Mill Viaduct - an early example of preserved railway architecture. When the railway was extended northwards towards Worksop in 1871 the viaduct that splits the town centre was built. The industrial development of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries saw many inventions and Mansfield is well represented in its fields of activity. For example in 1764 John and William B etts of Mansfield together with John and Thomas Morris of Nottingham invented an improved framework knitting machine, while in 1885 Lorenzo Tindall, a partner in Sherwood Foundry, invented the hand mangle. In the eighteenth century ]ames Murray, working in an old bobbin shop in Rock Valley, is credited with inventing the circular saw. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31249000 |
Learn how you and your school can help save the rainforests with our fantastic, free online programme for primary and secondary schools across the UK and Ireland (pupils aged 8-14).
Choose from 3 fascinating challenge topics: the Food We Eat, Stuff We Buy and Energy We Use and then carry out simple tasks to help your school learn about the rainforest and how to protect the environment.
With brilliant curriculum-based resources, students learn about the rainforest across a range of subject areas including geography, citizenship, science, numeracy and PSHE building valuable life skills including creativity, communication and teamwork.
There are great prizes on offer including the opportunity to win £1,000 (€1,250) for your school and make a short film about the rainforest.
Register today to set up your Challenge Team!
Register your school today and help protect the world’s rainforests!
As you move through the Challenge, your team will accumulate points.
May 22 2013 is International Day for Biological Diversity – a chance for people around the world to come together to help protect the amazing plants and animals that live on our planet.
This year the theme is water – a resource that we sometimes take for granted, but is vital to every living thing on Earth. Rainforests such as the Amazon are particularly important as they provide clean water for human communities. It’s really important that everyone joins together to do their bit in helping to protect them.
By taking part in the Sky Rainforest Rescue Schools Challenge schools across the UK and Ireland can take real action to look after the world’s rainforests. Through an ...
Teams Taking Action
Registration is free and only takes a couple of minutes.
Challenge: Food We Eat
It's our absolute pleasure to announce our new Team of the Month - St. Bride's Foodies from St. Bride's Primary in Cambuslang. The team, led by their teacher Mr Nugent has shown great enthusiasm through their blog and the team members have undertaken some brilliant actions since starting the Challenge in February. Well done to you all and keep up the hard work during the final few weeks of the Challenge. Remember - the competition deadline is 14th June at midnight!
The 2011/12 Grand Prize winners of the Sky Rainforest Rescue Schools Challenge were the students from St Marks C.E Primary School in Wigan. Click below to watch the the rainforest news story they made at the Sky Skills Studio as part of their Grand Prize.
The Challenge is a very effective tool for learning. The way it fits with the curriculum was spot on, and was an enhancement to what we were already doing." | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31253000 |
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Grid computing is the application of several computers to a single problem ...
Grid computing is the application of several computers to a single problem
at the same time.
This Presentation deals with the idea of Grid Computing, its Design
Considerations, How a Grid Works, and some of the existing Grids in the
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Backyard Aquaponics - Home Aquaponics - Commercial Aquaponics
A building designed to collect heat when temperatures are cold also needs to be able to vent heat when temperatures are warm. Air exchange also is critical in providing plants with adequate levels of carbon dioxide and controlling humidity. Because of the concentrated air use by plants, greenhouses require approximately two air exchanges per minute (in contrast to the one-half air exchange per minute recommended for homes).
Thermal storage materials are effective in keeping a greenhouse cool in summer as well as keeping it warm in winter. Since these materials absorb heat during the day, less heat radiates within the greenhouse when the sun is shining. When the sun goes down, heat released from the thermal storage materials can be vented out of the greenhouse.
Removing external shading can also decrease heat build-up within the greenhouse. Shading provided by mature trees is not recommended. Active solar cooling systems include solar air-conditioning units and photovoltaic set up to run standard evaporative cooling pads. Both are more complex and expensive to equip than passive systems.
This information is courtesy of ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31264000 |
In Greek mythology, the Oneiroi were the sons of Hypnos, the god of sleep. They were personifications of dreams—black-winged daemon—and were said to live on the shores of the Ocean in the far West, in a cavern near the border of Hades. The gods sent dreams to mortals from one of two gates located there: true dreams emerged from a gate made of horn, whereas false dreams threaded their way from a gate fashioned of ivory. They are described in the Odyssey, Hesiod's Theogony, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Euripides, their mother was Gaea.The most powerful of the Oneiroi was Morpheus. His brothers Phobetor (also known as Icelus) and Phantasos crafted parts of dreams, while he formed the dream in general. Morpheus shaped human figures, Phobetor animal, while Phantasos shaped inanimate objects.
Oneiroi in Pop Culture
Fates Warning, a progressive metal band, has a side long epic on their 1988 release No Exit titled The Ivory Gate of Dreams which touches on this myth. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31268000 |
Chronic use of alcohol and marijuana during youth is associated with poorer neural structure, function, and metabolism, as well as worsened neurocognitive abilities into later adolescence and adulthood. This may be due to biological and psychosocial transitions occurring during adolescence that impart increased vulnerability to neurotoxic influences. A study of longitudinal changes in fiber tract integrity associated with adolescent alcohol and marijuana use during 1.5 years supports previous findings of reduced white-matter integrity in these youth.
Results will be published in a special online issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
and are currently available at Early View.
"Research has shown differences in the brains of teens who use alcohol and marijuana as compared to teens who do not use these drugs or report only very infrequent, minimal use," said Joanna Jacobus, postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, San Diego as well as corresponding author for the study. "Alcohol and marijuana may have a negative impact by altering important cellular communication in the brain, preventing development of new healthy cells, and/or causing inflammation, which can adversely impact healthy brain development in many ways. For example, the results can lead to changes in brain structure such as volume, and function such as activity."
"The areas of the brain that are composed mostly of connecting axons have been termed 'white matter,' since these areas appear white in color," added Duncan Clark, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "However, prior research has not clearly demonstrated that this white matter disorganization is caused by alcohol or marijuana use.In some studies where adolescents are studied only once, white matter disorganization may have been present prior to alcohol or marijuana use."
"The teen brain is continuing to develop, so many neural systems are not yet fully matured, as compared to adults' brains," said Jacobus. "Brain connections important for inhibiting risky behaviors are still forming
, and some youth are more likely to choose immediate effects, such as alcohol or marijuana use, over long-term benefits."
Clark agreed. "Maturation of the brain during adolescence is thought to be the foundation for self-control,"
he said. "The developing adolescent brain, compared to the fully developed adult brain, is also probably more vulnerable to alcohol neurotoxicity. Adolescents are vulnerable to loss of control and, when this loss of control involves substance use, excessive or risky substance use can have adverse consequences."
For 18 months, the researchers followed 92 adolescents (63 males, 29 females), ages 16 to 20 years, divided into two groups: 41 with extensive alcohol and marijuana use histories by mid-adolescence, and 51 with consistently minimal if any substance use. Participants were part of an ongoing longitudinal study of substance use in adolescence with teens recruited from local schools from 2005 to 2007. Both groups received diffusion tensor imaging and detailed substance use assessments, along with toxicology screening, at baseline and 18-month follow-ups - 182 scans in all - as well as interim substance-use interviews every six months.
"We found evidence for poorer white matter tissue health in teens who engage in heavy alcohol and marijuana use compared to those who abstain," said Jacobus. She noted that white matter, the "information highway of the brain," allows for quick and efficient communication between brain regions. Compromised white matter can mean slower cognitive processing and poorer cognitive performance such as memory, attention, and decision-making.
"As to whether there were differences in these teens before they began using alcohol and marijuana is difficult to determine, but we found that increasing alcohol use over 1.5 years in late adolescence was related to a decline in white matter health 18 months later, supporting a negative effect of alcohol use on the brain despite potential pre-existing differences," Jacobus said.
"White matter organization was particularly compromised in an area called the superior longitudinal fasciculus," added Clark. "This is one of the major connection roadways in the brain. When the connections between brain areas are severely damaged, those areas of the brain cannot properly function. While the more subtle deficit shown here may impair functioning, the degree of deficit involved is not likely to be obvious in day-to day functioning. However, we are concerned that even these subtle deficits in brain microstructure may lead to diminished self-control."
"Our findings underscore that early initiation of alcohol and marijuana use can have negative implications on the brain" said Jacobus. "We hope this information can be communicated to teens to help them understand why drinking during adolescence is discouraged. In the future, biomarkers such as tissue health may help identify teens that are particularly vulnerable for engaging in riskier behaviors such as drinking." | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31269000 |
High energy mystery lurks at the galactic centre
PARTICLE PHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY RESEARCH COUNCIL
Posted: September 22, 2004
A mystery lurking at the centre of our own Milky Way galaxy - an object radiating high-energy gamma rays - has been detected by a team of UK astronomers working with international partners. Their research, published today (September 22nd) in the Journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, was carried out using the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.), an array of four telescopes, in Namibia, South-West Africa.
The Galactic Centre harbours a number of potential gamma-ray sources, including a supermassive black hole, remnants of supernova explosions and possibly an accumulation of exotic 'dark matter' particles, each of which should emit the radiation slightly differently. The radiation observed by the H.E.S.S. team comes from a region very near Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the centre of the galaxy. According to most theories of dark matter, it is too energetic to have been created by the annihilation of dark matter particles. The observed energy spectrum best fits theories of the source being a giant supernova explosion, which should produce a constant stream of radiation.
Dr. Paula Chadwick of the University of Durham said, "We know that a giant supernova exploded in this region 10,000 years ago. Such an explosion could accelerate cosmic gamma rays to the high energies we have seen - a billion times more energy than the radiation used for X-rays in hospitals. But further observations will be needed to determine the exact source."
Professor Ian Halliday, Chief Executive of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) which funds UK involvement in H.E.S.S. said; "Science continues to throw out the unexpected as we push back the frontiers of knowledge." Halliday added "The centre of our Galaxy is a mysterious place, home to exotic phenomena such as a black hole and dark matter. Finding out which of these sources produced the gamma-rays will tell us a lot about the processes taking place in the very heart of the Milky Way."
However, the team's theory doesn't fit with earlier results obtained by the Japanese /Australian CANGAROO instrument or the US Whipple instrument. Both of these have detected high-energy gamma rays from the Galactic Centre in the past (observations from 1995-2002), though not with the same precision as H.E.S.S, and they were unable to pinpoint the exact location as H.E.S.S. has now done, making it harder to deduce the source. These previous results have different characteristics to the H.E.S.S. observations. It is possible that the gamma-ray source at the Galactic Centre varies over the timescale of a year, suggesting that the source is in fact a variable object, such as the central black hole.
The H.E.S.S. team hopes to unravel the mystery with further observations of the Galactic Centre over the next year or two. The full array of four telescopes will be inaugurated on September 29th 2004, see
The H.E.S.S. collaboration
The High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) team consists of scientists from Germany, France, the UK, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Armenia, South Africa and Namibia.
The H.E.S.S. array
Over the last few years, the H.E.S.S. collaboration have been building a system of four telescopes in the Khomas Highland region of Namibia, to study very-high-energy gamma rays from cosmic particle accelerators. The telescopes, known as Cherenkov telescopes, image the light created when high-energy cosmic gamma rays are absorbed in the atmosphere, and have opened a new energy domain for astronomy. The H.E.S.S. telescopes each feature mirrors of area 107 square metres, and are equipped with highly sensitive and very fast 960-pixel light detectors in the focal planes. Construction of the telescope system started in 2001; the fourth telescope was commissioned in December 2003. Observations were being made even while the system was being built, first using a single telescope, then with two and three telescopes. While only the complete four-telescope system provides the full performance, the first H.E.S.S. telescope alone was already superior to any of the instruments operated previously in the southern hemisphere. Among the first targets to be observed with a two-telescope instrument was the Galactic Centre.
Ares 1-X Patch
The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.
This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.
The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores.
The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.
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Home › SparkNotes › Chemistry Study Guides › Review of Gases › Gases Review Test
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Which of the following is a correct interpretation of the ideal gas law?
What is the correct relationship between
An isolated container of gas doubles in pressure and triples in volume. By what factor does T change?
If the volume of a gas is doubled at constant temperature, the factor by which the pressure increases is:
A barometer filled with an unknown liquid has a height of 1 m at 1 atm. During stormy weather, the height
of the column is observed to rise to 1.3 m. What is the atmospheric pressure?
Which of the following are possible units of R?
What are the conditions of STP?
A container contains 32 grams of
gas and 2 grams of
gas. If the total pressure of the vessel
is 16 atm, what is the partial pressure of the
As the average radius of a population of gas molecules increases, how does the factor b of van der Waals
All of the following are properties of an ideal gas except:
The ideal gas law is most valid under these conditions:
For the van der Waals equation:
For the equation
PV = nRT
, the value of T must be expressed in:
Which of the following is not a SI unit
A sample of gas has a volume of 22.4 L at a temperature of 273 K. How many moles are in the sample?
The volume of a sample of gas expands five times at constant pressure. By what factor has the absolute
The following reaction produces
A sample of gas occupies 100 L at STP. If the absolute temperature is halved while all other conditions are
constant, what will be the final volume?
of a sample of
at 300 K.
A closed jar contains 2 moles of
and 3 moles of
. What is the ratio of the partial pressure of
over the total pressure in the jar?
The rate of effusion of gas A is four times that of gas B. What is
The density of a certain gas at STP is 1.43 g/L. What is the identity of the gas?
One end of a mercury manometer is open to the atmosphere (
tm = 760mmHg
). The other end is
connected to a 1 mol sample of
that is at 273 K and occupies 22.4 L. What is the height of the
The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution graph plots:
James the giant has big shoes to fill. His shoes have a total area of
in contact with the ground.
Unfortunately, James' feet are not so big. Barefoot, his weight is spread over
. What is the ratio of
the pressure he exerts on the ground barefoot over the pressure he exerts with his shoes on?
The "air" in airbags is generated via the decomposition of solid
A sample of an ideal gas is compressed at constant temperature. What happens to the average
kinetic energy of the molecules?
A piston compresses a gas at constant temperature. Initially the gas occupied 1 L and was at a pressure of 1
atm. After compression, the gas occupies 0.1 atm. What is the pressure of the compressed gas?
A collaborator from a foreign country reports that the value of
has probably used units of "woozle" for which of the following variables:
Avogadro's number is:
The following Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution plot was measured for two gases A and B at the same
A rigid container holds a mixture of gases. Within this mixture, the partial pressure of
is 400 torr.
If an additional quantity of
gas is injected into the container such that the total pressure of the
container rises by 760 torr, what is the change in the partial pressure of
? Assume that the
temperature of the container's contents stays constant.
If the pressure of a gas doubles and the temperature quadruples, by what factor does the volume change?
Which of the following are possible units for pressure?
The following Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution plot was measured for a gas at two temperatures A and B:
For the following calculation of
, the molar mass (MM) should be expressed in what units?
By what significant numerical value are Boltzmann's constant (k) and the gas constant (R) related?
The pressure of a gas is tripled while the volume is halved. By what factor does the temperature increase?
The gas constant R:
One end of a manometer is sealed off to a vacuum. The other end of the manometer is connected to a
pressurized gas. The height of the liquid column is indicative of:
A sample of
and a sample of
both have a temperature of 330 K. What is the ratio of the
average kinetic energy of the
over that of the
The density of a gas at STP is 0.089 g/L. What is the molar mass of the gas?
The following Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution plot was measured for two gases A and B at temperatures
Gaseous methane (
) burns completely in gaseous oxygen to produce carbon dioxide gas and water
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Taking care of your back at homeDefinition:
Back strain treatment; Back pain - home care; Low back pain - home care; Lumbar pain - home care
A common myth about back pain is that you need to rest and avoid activity for a long time. In fact, bed rest is NOT recommended. If you have no sign of a serious cause for your back pain (such as loss of bowel or bladder control, weakness, weight loss, or fever), you should stay as active as possible. Here are some tips for how to handle back pain and activity early on:
- Stop normal physical activity only for the first few days. This helps calm your symptoms and reduce any swelling (inflammation) in the area of the pain.
- Apply heat or ice to the painful area. One good method is to use ice for the first 48 - 72 hours, then use heat after that.
- Take over-the-counter pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or acetaminophen (Tylenol).
- Sleep in a curled-up, fetal position with a pillow between your legs. If you usually sleep on your back, place a pillow or rolled towel under your knees to relieve pressure.
- Do NOT perform activities that involve heavy lifting or twisting of your back for the first 6 weeks after the pain begins.
- Avoid exercise in the days right after the pain begins. After 2 - 3 weeks, however, slowly begin to exercise again (it's helpful to get advice from a physical therapist). You can start getting back to regular activities after a few days.
EXERCISE AND YOUR BACK PAIN
Exercise is important for preventing future back pain. Through exercise you can:
- Improve your posture
- Strengthen your back and improve flexibility
- Lose weight
- Avoid falls
A complete exercise program should include aerobic activity (such as walking, swimming, or riding a stationary bicycle), as well as stretching and strength training. Always follow the instructions of your doctor or physical therapist.
Begin with light cardiovascular training. Walking, riding a stationary bicycle, and swimming are great examples. Such aerobic activities can help improve blood flow to your back and promote healing. They also strengthen muscles in your stomach and back.
Stretching and strengthening exercises are important in the long run. However, starting these exercises too soon after an injury can make your pain worse. A physical therapist can help you determine when to begin stretching and strengthening exercises and how to do them.
Avoid these exercises during recovery, unless your doctor or physical therapist say it is okay:
- Contact sports
- Racquet sports
- Weight lifting
- Leg lifts when lying on your stomach
PREVENTING YOUR BACK PAIN FROM COMING BACK
To prevent back pain, it is also very important to learn to lift and bend properly. Follow these tips:
- If an object is too heavy or awkward, get help.
- Spread your feet apart to give you a wide base of support.
- Stand as close to the object you are lifting as possible.
- Bend at your knees, not at your waist.
- Tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the object or lower it down.
- Hold the object as close to your body as you can.
- Lift using your leg muscles.
- As you stand up with the object, DO NOT bend forward.
- DO NOT twist while you are bending for the object, lifting it up, or carrying it.
Other measures to prevent back pain include:
- Avoid standing for long periods of time. If you must stand for your work, try using a stool. Alternate resting each foot on it.
- DO NOT wear high heels. Use cushioned soles when walking.
- When sitting for work, especially if using a computer, make sure that your chair has a straight back with an adjustable seat and back, armrests, and a swivel seat.
- Use a stool under your feet while sitting so that your knees are higher than your hips.
- Place a small pillow or rolled towel behind your lower back while sitting or driving for long periods of time.
- If you drive long distance, stop and walk around every hour. Bring your seat as far forward as possible to avoid bending. Don't lift heavy objects just after a ride.
- Quit smoking.
- Lose weight.
- Do exercises to strengthen your abdominal muscles on a regular basis. This will strengthen your core to decrease the risk of further injuries.
Learn to relax. Try methods such as yoga, tai chi, or massage.
Anema JR, Steenstra IA, Bongers PM, de Vet HC, Knol DL, Loisel P, van Mechelen W. Multidisciplinary rehabilitation for subacute low back pain: graded activity or workplace intervention or both? A randomized controlled trial. Spine. 2007;32:291-298.
Chou R, Qaseem, Snow V, Casey D, Cross JT Jr., Shekelle P, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain: a joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:478-491.
Chou R, Loeser JD, Owens DK, Rosenquist RW, et al. American Pain Society Low Back Pain Guideline Panel. Interventional therapies, surgery, and interdisciplinary rehabilitation for low back pain: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline from the American Pain Society. Spine. 2009;34(10):1066-77.
|Review Date: 7/23/2011|
Reviewed By: David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.; and C. Benjamin Ma, MD, Assistant Professor, Chief, Sports Medicine and Shoulder Service, UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-
A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31286000 |
The construction of the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards and therefore the included Utopia Planitia stations at the beginning of the 23rd century was the direct consequence of the faster and faster proceeding exploration of space with the ships of Starfleet. This organization surveyed and colonized dozens of planetary systems in the first 40 years since its foundation, using the out-of-date, fusion-powered ships of the Valiant class, which were still based on the first Earth warp ship, the Phoenix, and the newly-developed Daedalus, Federation and Seleya classes. With the increasing spreading of mankind and its allies in space, the demand for starships rose - starships which should be faster and more reliable than the established classes. First, this lack lead to the institutionalization and centralization of starship construction and the foundation of the Advanced Starship Design Bureaus (ASDB) in the year 2184, which should drive forward the development of new starship technologies and coordinate the building up of Starfleet at many production locations within the Federation, and subsequently to the construction of new yards inside and outside the solar system. Simultaneously with the beginning of the free colonization of Mars and the erection of Mars colony 1, in 2203 the go-ahead was given for the construction of the first extensive, planetary as well as orbital starship construction center of the still young Federation. While all formerly constructed Starfleet yards were exclusively ground or space stations, the ASDB superiors hoped the newly-developed transporter technology would facilitate an easy and quick combined production process: already few years after the completion of the facility the metal ores extracted from the Mars mines should be processed to starship components on the spot, which would be then put together to complete starships in space - without the loss of time of a conventional orbital transport. Together with further breakthroughs in starship construction techniques, which were realized with the Utopia Planitia Yards for the first time, this concept led to production rates which nobody considered to be possible at the end of the 22nd century. Before, however, the work on mankind's largest construction in space at this time proved to be a special challenge for the constructors of the Starfleet Corps of Engineers (SFCE); within all in all fourteen years, at the Utopia planes the Utopia Planitia administration and a construction center for Starfleet equipment and starship components was built, while in a geosynchronous orbit 16626 m above, first of all three dry docks were constructed, which were based on the already thirty year old San Francisco yard in orbit over Earth, as well as two special stations for the easy maintenance of the newly-developed starship classes with a saucer design, which should replace the Daedalus class ships put out of service in 2196, and two smaller starbases, the Utopia Planitia Stations for ASDB planning and observation tasks. Because of the acute lack of (modern) vessels, after the first construction phase had been completed in 2208, the production at Utopia Planitia, only completed by 41% at that time, was started under the command of the ASDB command staff member Admiral Tiron Narsu, the son of the legendary first commander of Starbase 12. One of the first projects was the large-scale production of the Icarus class produced on a small scale since 2201, a pioneering design followed by many other revolutionary developments in the next hundred years which have been planned in the Utopia Planitia Stations and constructed in the Utopia Planitia Fleet Yards.
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Information on the village of Stichill, near Kelso in Scotland.
The earliest records of Nenthorn are when, with Newton, the land was in the keeping of the De Morvilles in the 12th century.
Nenthorn Spittal is recorded as one of the places laid waste by the English in 1542, but its whereabouts are unknown.
The Old Church at Nenthorn was abandoned in 1802, but the graveyard continued in use until about 60 years ago. Little remains of the building, and it would appear that graves have been dug into what was the area covered by the old church. The oldest gravestone seems to be dated 1606.
The old villages of Nenthorn and Newton have disappeared, probably having been demolished because of their proximity to the mansions, Nenthorn House and Newton Don House. This practice was fashionable in the late 18th century, when landowners were intent on extending and upgrading their houses, with landscaping of the grounds being all the rage.
A new church for the parish was built in 1802, with two galleries - one for the laird of Nenthorn and the other for the laird of Newton Don. This building was closed in 1972, after which it was converted into a house.
Back to: Articles about Adjacent Parishes | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31296000 |
Teachable Moment Study
St. Mary’s Home conducted research and produced a report called “The Teachable Moment” that documented the issues of addiction and substance use among pregnant teens in all maternity homes across Ontario in 1990.
This research highlighted the significance of substance use and misuse and paved the way for development of programs to support pregnant youth in having a substance-free pregnancy, greatly improving the health of the infant.
Today much more is known about the devastating effects of alcohol on the unborn child and about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) as a completely preventable tragedy. Programs and services available the Teen Parent/Child Outreach Centre are directed at reducing the incidence of FASD among the children of teen parents.
“The Spiral of Growth” a sequel study completed in 1994, provided guidance to revising the residential program, aimed at supporting clients in decision-making for healthy lifestyle changes. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31297000 |
|The gaging station near Soldiers Summit is one of more than 100 facilities located along streams in Utah. Originally manually read, many stations are now automated and stream flow information is posted on the Internet.|
History is filled with examples of how mankind measures almost everything.
Property is measured by acreage.
Mankind measures money in dollars, pounds, pesos, etc
Time is measured in hours, days, years, decades and centuries.
Mankind also measures water.
As water is piped into a home from a municipal system, a district or city measures consumption by the gallon based on a meter that has been set in the line.
In most cases, the transmission line leading to the meter and the water consumption measuring device belong to the controlling entity. The line from the meter to the residence and inside the structure belong to the individual property owner.
However, the state owns the water. The service district, the city, the county and private residents are basically paying for the system that delivers the water and for the right to use the liquid.
The average home in the United States uses less than 10,000 gallons of water per month, according nationally compiled data. Average residential consumption represents a small factor in the scheme of water matters.
A debate continues to rage in certain circles in the world community as to whether fresh, clean water should be a human right or a commodity that is bought and sold to the highest bidder.
The issue is an age old question, but one with more meaning as the world's population grows by leaps and bounds while fresh water is a finite natural resource.
Official estimates vary, but it is generally accepted that less than2 percent of the world's supply of the natural resource is fresh water. The rest is salt water in the oceans.
Of the 2 percent, more than half is locked up in ice on the two polar caps. A limited amount of fresh water is produced annually, with the evaporation and precipitation cycle being fairly predictable on a global basis.
Water is deceiving. A small space can contain a significant amount of water, yet a large lake or reservoir full to capacity can be depleted quickly by the agricultural and municipal uses.
For example, Lake Superior is considered to be the greatest of the great lakes because of its size and depth. Lake Superior is 350 miles long and 160 miles wide, with a depth of more than 1,300 feet.
Lake Superior has the storage capability to cover the continental United States with one foot of water. The U.S. mainland has 3,608,787 square miles of surface. Multiply the surface by 640 acres per square mile. The total is 2,309,623,680 acre feet of water.
By comparison, Scofield Reservoir can store 73,600 acre feet of water at capacity. According to state water engineer Mark Page, the level at Scofield currently exceeds 25,000 acre feet. Although the water level continues to rise due to spring runoff, Scofield Reservoir is only about one-third full.
"Also, remember that 8,000 acre feet of that water is what is called dead water," noted Page during an iterview on Wednesday. "That is water in the bottom of the reservoir that is lower than the drainage from the reservoir can remove."
According to data compiled by experts, the entire Great Lakes system - Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie and Ontario - contains more than 50 percent of the world's fresh water supply.
Therefore, the other lakes and streams in the United States, the nation has a vast majority of fresh water that is not locked up in ice that exists in the world.
Water, and it's measurement has always been an issue, but in the eastern, southern and much of the upper midwest there has generally always been enough of it to go around. But the west and it's rivers are a different sort of animal.
Water in the west in the form of precipitation falls largely in the mountains, from which streams flow through vast desert areas, turning those little areas around the streams into literal oasises, while the vast majority of the countryside is barren and survives on the little rainfall that does occur.
This means the streams become the life blood of the region and with the intervention of man and his laws about distribution, rights and use, measurement became most important.
Water agreements between various government and private agencies, including those between states such as the Colorado River Compact (CRC), often guarantee certain amounts of water to be delivered to downstream users.
That particular agreement guarantees the lower basin states (Arizona, California and Nevada) 7.5 million acre feet of water per year.
This means that the upper states must make sure (and the lower basin states want it verified) that amount of water is delivered each year.
To do this, a series of "gaging stations" were set up many years ago.
Tied to the large stations directly on the major rivers (such as the one just above Grand Junction, Colo; that can be seen from I-70 by motorists) are a series of smaller stations on other streams farther up the drainage.
Not all of these were put in place for the CRC, but they add to the data that shows how much water is being contributed by various tributaries.
These stations are regulated and monitored by the United States Geological Survey (USGS).
Manual monitoring used to be the norm, but in these days of modern electronics and solar power, even some of the remotest stations can be monitored 24 hours a day.
For instance, at 10:40 on Wednesday morning May 21, the Price River near Heiner was flowing at 77 cubic feet per second (cfs) and was under the 10 percentile for that day in an average year according to the survey's monitoring system.
In contrast, the station on the White River, just off of US 6 between Scofield Junction and Soldiers Summit measured a stream flow of 117 cfs that falls in a 25 to 75 percent category of normal for that day indicated the survey site.
At the same time, the Colorado River, near the Utah-Colorado border measured 119,000 cfs that falls in a 25 to 75 percent category.
"These instruments must be recalibrated periodically," states Page. "For instance, a flood period may change a stream depth or width and the USGS must change the measuring devices to reflect those differences."
In Utah, there are 129 of these stations located on various drainages. Some streams only have one, other streams have multiple locations due to the fact that tributaries flow into them and major users along the streams can change the water flow from one point to another.
As of Wednesday morning, no ranked stream in Utah that is on the USGS website was flowing at all time highs or even above 90 percent of normal.
Most of these streams are in the lower ranges according to the geological survey system, but stream flows have been slow to grow this year because of the cool, wet spring.
Most experts expect the stream flows to pick up considerably over the next week as the warm weather strikes.
But in the drought the state is presently in, it is not so much when the stream flow picks up and reaches higher capacity, but for how long it does that, particularly in those areas where streams feed reservoirs and lakes that supply water to agriculture and culinary purposes for the summer.
Those interested in seeing present stream flows on electronic gaging stations can go to the national Internet website at www.usgs.gov and click on realtime stream flow and then click on Utah on the station map.
Once on the Utah segment, individual stations are listed and can be read. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31303000 |
The plan has been discussed as part of negotiations between the White House and Congress to avoid going over the "Fiscal Cliff".
“Granting any president the sole power over the federal debt limit is clearly not what the Founding Fathers envisioned when they drafted the Constitution. This proposal is an unnecessary distraction from reaching bipartisan solutions to the immediate budget and deficit problems the nation faces today,” Cochran said.
“The President’s request for permanent authority to raise the debt ceiling is a non-starter in Congress,” said Wicker. “A solution to avoid the fiscal cliff will require cooperation from both sides. With 21 days until the end of the year, now is the time to work together rather than spending time posturing.”
The following is text from the Cochran-Wicker news release:
The letter to Obama cites the use of the debt limit by Congresses in the past to craft deficit-reduction agreements since the mid-1980s. The letter also links the debt limit authority to the constitutional “power of the purse” granted to Congress.
The letter states that nearly every significant deficit reduction law of the past 27 years has been linked to a debt limit debate: “For Congress to surrender its control over the debt limit would be to permanently surrender what has long provided the best opportunity to enact bipartisan deficit reduction legislation.”
It goes on to say: “We also believe that Congress’ power over borrowing, like the power of the purse, is firmly rooted in our constitutional tradition. The Founders understood the potential danger of permitting the Executive to unilaterally incur new public debt. Consequently, Article I of the Constitution empowers only Congress ‘to borrow money on the credit of the United States.’ The debt ceiling is the means by which Congress exercises this inherent legislative responsibility.” | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31304000 |
Faced with the limits imposed by global climate change and the de-carbonization of the world’s economy required to address it, continued economic growth in the already affluent world does not offer the solution; it represents the problem. That's the premise of a book published this week by Tim Jackson called Prosperity Without Growth: Economics for a Finite Planet.
"Governments are locked into defending growth in a system where stability depends on growth. Chasing growth makes it incredibly difficult to chase climate goals too," said Jackson, who is Professor of Sustainable Development at the University of Surrey.
"So what we urgently need is an economic system that doesn't rely on growth. Right now the one we have is undermining the ability of governments to function properly. It is undermining wellbeing in the richest nations and failing those in the poorest. It has already led us to the brink of economic collapse and it is driving us rapidly towards catastrophic climate change," he adds.
The book calls for a new vision of prosperity based around providing the capabilities for people to flourish--within the ecological limits of the planet. Key recommendations include the need for:
- a massive uplift in ‘ecological’ investment: renewable energy, energy efficiency, local infrastructure, low-carbon transport, climate adaptation, ecological protection
- support for ‘ecological’ enterprise-resource efficient, community-based activities that offer meaningful employment and deliver low-carbon goods and services
- clear restraints on unbridled consumerism
- the protection of public spaces and a renewed vision of social goods
- investment in the capabilities for people to participate in society in less materialistic ways
- real commitment by the richer nations towards low-carbon development in the poorer nations
In the past few months, a number of leading figures have come out in support of the call to re-think economic growth. President Nicolas Sarkozy has asked world leaders to join a revolution in the measurement of economic progress, and Sir Nicholas Stern has warned “at some point we would have to think about whether we want future growth."
Jonathon Porritt said: "The idea that today’s model of
consumption-driven economic growth will secure sustainable, equitable
and decent lives for 9 billion people between now and 2050 is literally
laughable. The refusal of all the major parties even to acknowledge
this incontrovertible reality, let alone explore its implications, is
Last week, George Soros--backed by distinguished academic economists including Nobel laureate economists--launched the Institute for New Economic Thought, an independent think-tank charged with reinventing economics.
Chapter one of the book can be read at the link below. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31309000 |
Colorectal polyps should be removed because some can develop into cancer. In most cases, the polyps may be removed during a colonoscopy.
People over age 50 should consider having a colonoscopy or other screening test. Regular colonoscopy helps prevent colon cancer because polyps can be removed before they become cancerous. People with a family history of colon cancer or colon polyps may need to be screened at an earlier age.
For people with adenomatous polyps, new polyps can appear in the future. Follow-up colonoscopy is usually recommended 1 to 10 years later, depending on the:
Person's age and general health
Number of polyps
Size and characteristics of the polyps
Rarely, the health care provider may recommend a colectomy (removing part of the colon) if polyps are very likely to become cancerous.
The outlook for people with colorectal polyps is excellent if the polyps are removed. Polyps that are left behind can develop into cancer over time.
Polyps can cause bleeding. Over time, some polyps can develop into cancers.
Calling your health care provider
Call your health care provider if you have:
Blood in a bowel movement
Change in bowel habits
To reduce your risk of developing polyps:
Eat a diet low in fat and high in fruits, vegetables, and fiber
Avoid smoking and heavy alcohol intake
Maintain a normal body weight
Colonoscopy prevents colon cancer by removing polyps before they can become cancer. People over age 50 should consider having a colonoscopy or other screening test. This may reduce the odds of developing colon cancer, or at least help catch it in its most treatable stage. Those with a family history of colon cancer or colon polyps may need to be screened at an earlier age.
Taking aspirin or similar medicines may help reduce your risk for new polpys. However, these medicines can have serious side effects if you take them for a long time. Side effects include bleeding from your stomach or colon and heart disease. Talk with your doctor before taking these medicines.
Burt RW, Barthel JS, Dunn KB, et al. NCCN clinical practice guidelines in oncology. Colorectal cancer screening. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2010 Jan;8(1):8-61.
Cooper K, Squires H, Carroll C, et al. Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer: systematic review and economic evaluation. Health Technol Assess. 2010 Jun;14(32):1-206.
George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc., Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, David R. Eltz, and Stephanie Slon. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31310000 |
As Sweetwater celebrates the festivities of the 54th Annual World’s Largest Rattlesnake Round-up, local snakes will also begin to emerge from winter hibernation. Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital (RPMH) urges the community to know how to respond to snakebites.
Many different types of snakes can be found in Nolan County; some with poisonous venom that can have debilitating or even deadly consequences.
Treatment of snakebites can be extremely costly. According to Dr. Robert Eaker, emergency department medical director at RPMH, each vial of anti-venom costs approximately $5,000. Depending on the severity of the wound and type of snake, eight to 10 vials are needed for treatment. Many times, treatment requires double the number of vials.
Sometimes, snakebites occur so quickly that victims do not know what hit them. Signs and symptoms may vary, but most typically include: a pair of puncture marks at the center of the wound; redness, swelling and severe pain around the bite; nausea, increased sweating, and labored breathing; and numbness or tingling around your face or limbs.
“One of the most important things to do when bitten by a snake is to see and remember the color, shape and/or pattern of the snake,” said Dr. Eaker. “This information can be very helpful to doctors at the hospital so that proper treatment of the snakebite can be administered.”
Dr. Eaker added that seeking immediate medical attention is critical. Until medical aid can be rendered, keeping the victim calm and still can slow the spread of the venom if the snake is poisonous.
“Contrary to many beliefs, you should never apply a tourniquet to snake bites. Likewise, you should also remove jewelry such as rings and other tight clothing such as boots,” explained Dr. Eaker. “Snake venom can cause massive swelling of the affected area and can destroy red blood cells. If you block the blood flow, you are essentially trapping dead blood cells in the affected area or limb which can cause more harm to the victim than the bite itself.”
Other items to avoid doing after being bitten by a snake is to not slash the wound with a knife, suck out the venom, apply ice or immerse the wound in water, and drink alcohol or caffeinated beverages.
Calling 911 or getting to a hospital as quickly as possible can make a huge difference in recovery from a snakebite. Although death from rattlesnakes is rare, the side effects can be unpleasant. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31313000 |
Adjustment Assistance and Compensation
There will always be winners and losers from agricultural trade policy reform. When the losers include the most vulnerable countries and communities, development assistance has an important has an important coherence role to play. At the country level, adverse shocks can arise either because food-importing countries must pay more for their food imports after reform, or because some food-exporting developing countries lose out because the advantages of preferential access to protected markets in developed countries are eroded. Such shocks can arise either in the multilateral context, e.g. the Doha Round, or because of unilateral policy changes, e.g. EU sugar or banana policy reform.
Helping Net Food-Importing Countries
The fear that food-importing developing countries might face short term difficulties in financing normal levels of imports of basic foodstuffs following the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture was addressed in the Decision on Measures Concerning the Possible Negative Effects of the Reform Programme on Least-Developed and Net Food-Importing Developing Countries. This Decision provided guarantees of adequate food aid commitments and greater priority to requests for assistance to improve agricultural productivity and infrastructure. It also established a link with facilities provided by the international financial institutions to help vulnerable countries address short-term financing difficulties when importing food.
However, developing countries have been dissatisfied with the ineffectiveness of this Decisions and it was one of the implementation issues raised in the run-up to the WTO Doha Ministerial Meeting in 2001. In September 2001, the WTO Agriculture Committee reached an agreement, which covered food aid, technical assistance to improve productivity and infrastructure, financing for import, and follow up review. Disciplines on food aid are now being discussed in the export competition pillar of the Doha Round Agricultural negotiations, with the debate around whether an agreement will help to improve the quality of food aid or whether its developmental and humanitarian benefits will be sacrificed to satisfy the concerns of agricultural exporters.
Compensating for Preference Erosion
Preference erosion is one of the key issues in the Doha Round. While the average effect of preference erosion on developing countries is not large, it is important for particular commodities exported by a small number of countries – primarily small island economies dependent on sugar and bananas. In the case of a temporary shock to export revenues, it is sometimes appropriate to provide short-term support to affected industries until revenues recover. Preference erosion, however, is a once-and-for-all change in a country’s external trading environment. The ultimate aim of policies to address the loss of these income transfers must be to encourage public and private sector investment to diversify into new higher-growth industries, and on rationalising existing preferential sectors to improve their international competitiveness.
Existing adjustment initiatives
The IMF operates a Compensatory (and Contingency) Financing Facility as a concessional loan arrangement to help to mitigate balance of payments difficulties caused by a temporary decline in export earnings or a temporary increase in cereal import costs. In 2004, it launched the Trade Integration Mechanism, which enhances access to existing IMF facilities for countries experiencing a balance of payments shortfall resulting from multilateral liberalisation. However, borrowing to finance adjustment is not always an appropriate response where there is a permanent change in a country’s external trade environment, and is not always desirable or indeed feasible for vulnerable countries which are already highly-indebted.
Bilateral initiatives include a number of schemes run by the EU. Under the Cotonou Agreement, for example, the FLEX scheme is a mechanism to provide ‘fast-disbursing’ support to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries with fluctuating export earnings. FLEX is also triggered by government revenue losses arising from a decline in export earnings. The EU has also put in place specific compensation arrangements in connection with the reform of its sugar and banana regimes.
Social Safety Nets
Greater access to agricultural markets in the EU and other developed countries will contribute to increased economic growth in developing countries. In the short run, however, some social groups in developing countries might be negatively affected by higher food prices, or by the increased risks of integration into world food markets, or by the dynamic forces of accumulation set in train by the emergence of profitable export opportunites for food or cash crops.
Identifying the losers from trade reform requires analysis of its effects on different groups stratified by income source and expenditure patterns. In vulnerable economies regularly buffeted by external shocks, some positive, others negative, it may not be easy to follow the chain of causation between, say, an EU policy change and its impact on particular livelihood in poor countries. It may also be questioned why assistance is provided only to mitigate the risks of one type of adverse shock (e.g. EU trade reform), rather than the many other shocks which these countries face.
Generalised social protection arrangements can take many forms, including employment generation schemes, transfers (whether cash or in kind) and microfinance services. Issues in the design of these schemes include whether to attempt targeting, whether to provide assistance in the form of cash or commodities, and how best to ensure transfer efficiency and fiscal sustainability. Project food aid (food-for-work, school feeding, and supplementary feeding) has been one of the traditional mechanisms for delivering social protection, although impact assessments suggest that it has only limited long-term development impacts.
EU Commission DG Development commodities webpage
Provides detatils on EU adjustment assistance to developing country commodity producers
Page, S., Preference erosion: helping countries to adjust (PDF), Briefing paper, ODI, 2004
Makes the case for a WTO compensation fund for preference beneficiaries who would lose from further multilateral liberalisation
FAO, Social Safety Nets Briefing (PDF), 2005
Short paper providing short illustrative examples of social safety nets in operation from the FAO Food Security Service | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31325000 |
Program Evaluation: Reading, Math, Science, and Technology Initiatives
Technology-Based Supplemental Instruction Pilot Program in Rural School Districts (R-TECH)
R-Tech is intended to finance technology-based supplemental instruction to students at the sixth through twelfth grade levels at participating campuses. Additional information about can be found at TEA's R-Tech page.
The Student Success Initiative (SSI)
Created by the 76th Texas Legislature in 1999 and modified by the 81st Texas Legislature in 2009, the purpose of the Student Success Initiative (SSI) is to offer a system of academic support programs to help ensure that every student in Texas performs on grade level in reading and mathematics. Please see TEA's SSI page for more information.
Accelerated Reading/Accelerated Math Instruction (ARI/AMI)
ARI/AMI provided funding to be used by school districts to provide accelerated instruction to students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 who were performing below grade level in reading and math. The funding provided to school districts and charter schools each fiscal year was based on the number of students who did not meet the state standard on the Grade 3 reading TAKS and the Grade 5 math TAKS the previous year. The evaluation of ARI/AMI for the 2006-2007 school year was included in the Student Success Initiative (SSI) Report.
Intensive Reading Instruction/Intensive Math Instruction (IRI/IMI)
IRI and IMI Program funds were designated to serve those schools exhibiting the most difficulty in improving reading and/or math achievement, beginning in 2006-2007 school year. IRI and IMI funding was non-competitive and provided to schools with students enrolled in Grades 4-6 that failed to improve student performance in reading and/or mathematics. This funding was to be used to provide immediate, targeted instruction programs for students who were struggling in these two key areas so they would be able to meet the grade advancement requirements of the Student Success Initiative (SSI) and master grade level curriculum expectations. Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 28.0211, requires districts to provide accelerated (intensive) instruction to a student after he or she has not met the passing standard after the second administration of the reading or math TAKS tests in Grade 5, and the reading TAKS in Grade 3.
Texas Reading First Initiative (TRFI)
TRFI is intended to enable the selected eligible applicants to implement scientifically-based reading programs that help all students achieve reading mastery by the end of Grade 3. TRFI places specific emphasis on the importance of scientifically based reading research – research that applies rigorous, systematic, and objective procedures to obtain valid knowledge relevant to reading development, reading instruction and reading difficulties. The evaluation focuses on activities that occurred primarily during the 2005-2006 school year. For additional information about TRFI please see TEA's Reading First page.
Technology Immersion Pilot (TIP)
The purpose of TIP is to explore the impact of technology immersion on student progress by providing students in grantee campuses with a wireless mobile computing device and other appropriate learning technologies that have been shown to improve student achievement. The primary goal of TIP is to increase the academic progress of participating students by immersing the campus with appropriate innovative technologies including, but not limited to, wireless mobile computing devices, integrating software, online formative assessment tools, and online resources. Evaluation reports were delivered to the agency in December at the conclusion through the 2007-2008 school year. For additional information, please see TEA's TIP page.
Career and Technology Education (CTE) Grant Program
The Texas Legislature established Career and Technology Education goals for all Texas students in secondary schools. Texas Education Code (TEC) Section 29.181 mandates that each public school student shall master the basic skills and knowledge necessary for: 1) managing the dual roles of family member and wage earner; and 2) gaining entry-level employment in a high-skill, high-wage job or continuing the student's education at the postsecondary level. For additional information about CTE in Texas, please see TEA's CTE page.
Page last modified on 2/28/2011. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31326000 |
Athletics events have been a part of the Paralympic program since the first Paralympic Games in Rome, Italy, in 1960. Events include track, throwing, jumping and the marathon.
The rules of Paralympic track and field are almost identical to those of its non-disabled counterpart. Certain allowances are made to accommodate certain disabilities. For example, the blind and more severely visually impaired runners compete with guide runners, who are often attached by the wrist with a tether to the runner. More information on IPC Rules can be found by visiting the IPC Athletics website: http://www.paralympic.org/Athletics/Rules
Paralympic track and field competition is open to male and female athletes with physical disabilities such as dwarfism, amputation/limb loss, blindness/visual impairment, spinal cord injury/wheelchair-users and cerebral palsy/brain injury/stroke.
How Do I Become a Paralympian?
U.S. Paralympics Track and Field 2013 Standards (Men and Women)
Find a local program in your community - visit the Paralympic Resource Network.
High School Track & Field Opportunities for Athletes with Physical Disabilities
A number of states now have inclusion rules which will allow athletes with a physically disability to participate and score points for their team at high school regional and state finals/championships. The states include Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Washington and Wisconsin. Scoring events are offered for certain track events and field events.
For more information, please contact the individual state's high school sports association. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31329000 |
First we see 3D printing enabling consumers to re‐position themselves right at the heart of manufacturing. Second, we see more and more companies engaging across the supply chain.
1. Demand for Online Content is Accelerating
As a response to the growing societal demand to be involved in the development process and a growing demand for personalized production, today we find a plethora of very low cost 3D printing machines for the home and for the educational & maker community. This trend is spurring increasing demand for online ‘iStore’ repositories and libraries where home makers can download and then 3D print an ever increasing array of products. We will also find in the coming years an increasing number of web shops and online web portals where consumers can become co‐creators by engaging directly with their own product designs. The development of home based 3D printing and online data allows consumers to become in effect, mini‐factories, thus compressing the supply chain from the CAD terminal straight to the consumer.
2. Manufacturing is Shifting Back to the Consumer
Until quite late into the industrial revolution people still learned a trade and made products with their own hands. The process was slow, inefficient and relatively unaffordable for the vast majority of people. The industrial revolution brought factories and mass production machines into play to standardize goods and ensure a cheap supply of products to meet the burgeoning demand of European citizens. Today, now that mass produced goods are largely attainable, we see a rebounding trend back to more individually‐designed goods. This trend is a result of the ‘squeeze’ from both the societal move to mass customization and personalization on the one side; and the economic times we now find ourselves in, where the high capital investment required for mass production is prohibitively expensive for many entrepreneurs to set up on their own. One positive response being enabled by 3D printing is the ‘Quirky’ business model – named for the New York‐based firm founded by entrepreneur Ben Kaufman. Quirky’s business model is based on the principle that traditional manufacturing is becoming increasingly above and beyond the reach of everyday designers and entrepreneurs.
In traditional manufacturing plants it can take anywhere between 18 to 24 months of planning and capital investment before a new product actually rolls off the production lines and into shops. This process effectively raises the barrier to entry for people who may have a new innovative idea and who want to turn these ideas into a commercial product within a reasonable time to market.
With an in‐house 3D printer, Quirky is able to shorten and simplify the product development process and enable people with good product ideas to be able to rapidly and efficiently create working prototypes that can be held and tested, thus eliminating a major stumbling block in the way of bringing their product to market. Today Quirky designs and develops a number of new consumer products from scratch every single week. The Quirky model is a natural response to the economic pressures of today’s downturn, the demographic changes that represent new opportunities in both home and foreign markets, and societal changes that are pressuring the way we consume resources.
The implications of the Quirky model for Western national economies may also be significant in the years ahead. If the deepening of the recession continues to hit manufacturing capacity, 3D printing may be able to offset some of the loss by bypassing the traditional capital‐intensive process, enabling the speedy development of a wide range of innovative products. The value & differentiation here in both the ‘iStore’ trend and the Quirky trend is in the content and the development of user communities of designers and innovators who are now able to produce for themselves. In both cases, 3D printing represents the hardware enabler – the consumer value is in the fast and relatively easy realization of a new idea into a working prototype and even real product.
3. More Companies are Engaging Across the Supply Chain
We will increasingly see 3D printing as an enabler for companies to engage across the supply chain. 3D printing will increasingly be used as a distribution solution where parts are made to order, without the need to hold stock near to the consumer. This is having a profound impact already in the small number of application areas using 3D printing on a daily basis such as lamp shades and iPhone covers. With the rise of 3D printing service bureaus, and now even Cloud‐based 3D printing services, making parts on‐demand and nearer to the consumer will continue to make supply chains increasingly lean and efficient in the coming years. The potential benefits of this tool‐less and inventory‐free supply chain include lower material consumption, less waste, lower carbon footprint, reduced capital investment, mitigated risk, and the ability to easily differentiate your product from the rest.
4. Desktop 3D Printers are Proliferating in Office Environments
We can expect an expanding penetration of desktop 3D printers into more offices and smaller offices thanks to the rapidly increasing capabilities of the models available today. While the larger, more complex 3D printers will continue to be a natural part of a centralized prototyping lab in virtually every large manufacturing company, the rise of the desktop 3D printer – imbued with increasingly similar levels of accuracy and producing comparable 3D models to the industrial size machines, will become more and more defused through the many smaller firms and boutique design houses.
Desktop 3D printers are becoming ever‐more affordable and advanced in their accuracy & resolution quality and in their ability to suitably simulate the fit and form of parts and products envisioned by designers and engineers. They also offer today a greater range and versatility of materials than ever before.
The Objet30 desktop 3D printer for example offers a range of 5 different 3D printing materials, including different opaque shades and a polypropylene‐like material for prototyping snap‐fit parts. The plethora of professional‐level desktop 3D printers available for under $50,000 is rapidly expanding, placing fast and professional rapid prototyping capabilities at the service of virtually any design house or small engineering firm.
The resulting rise of the professional desktop machine is a game changer for smaller firms – providing better risk mitigation in an era of scarcer investment capital, faster innovation cycles, better communication within the supply chain and overall lead‐time compression. This will enable companies on one side of the world to respond agilely to the plethora of new demographic and consumer group opportunities on other sides of the world – for example, in the newly emerging markets of Asia and South America. Those companies with their own 3D printing capabilities will be able to develop an edge – enabling them to compete with much large multi‐nationals when it comes to rapidly transforming ideas into working products.
5. High-End 3D Printing Capabilities Will Continue to Exponentially Improve
Today’s high end 3D printers have improved exponentially over the last decade. For an example, Objet’s original Quadra Tempo released in 2000 delivered 20 micron print layers (a game changer in its day), featured 1536 jet nozzles in 4 print heads, based in a single block and the machine printed one material, known in its time as M510. Compare this to the latest Objet260 Connex delivering double the print quality from just half the number of print nozzles, at a significantly higher run speed – and in a machine with half the footprint.
In place of just one material, today’s machine features a choice of 68 different materials with ranging properties from opaque to transparent, rigid to flexible, and standard to engineering plastics. It can also combine up to 14 different material properties and color shades within a single model prototype. So not only are 3D printers becoming more capable, but the range and mechanical properties of 3D printing materials, especially for inkjet based technology, is expanding exponentially.
These developments are working to constantly reduce the price of 3D printed components, compress lead times and expand the range and functionalities of 3D printed parts. The result of all this is that advanced 3D printers are becoming a must‐have fixture within every large product development company from the automotive sector to electronic goods and household appliances. Manufacturers will be able in future to cut out much of their secondary tooling processes such as injection molding, resin tooling and soft tooling. And all of this will go into helping them compress their time to market, reduce their costs and also reduce the burden they place on the environment.
When faced with the rapid pace of change in the years ahead, 3D printing represents a potent device, one that could mitigate many of the structural challenges of our economies and societies, allowing more businesses to compete and take advantage of developing opportunities around the world. The growth of personal manufacturing and online content in itself has the potential to re‐invent whole economies. Bolstered by the emergence of the ‘Quirky’ model, 3D printing may bring a level of self‐sufficiency back in the face of scarcer resources, greater ethical consumerism, more demand for personalization, shifting demographics and new centers of wealth.
3D printing has the potential to help offset the decline in Western manufacturing, replacing the top heavy ‘too big to fail’ model with a lighter, more agile and more evenly spread production base providing higher added value. Such a model puts innovation back into the hands of more citizenry – and could spur a new round of global and technological innovations leading to a new, grassroots prosperity. While perhaps still a shadowy vision, the vision is being rapidly animated by the increasing capabilities of 3D printing itself ‐ lower prices, more advanced prototyping capabilities, smaller machines and a greater range of 3D printing materials than ever before.
With all of the trends taken together, it’s a safe bet to assume that the future of product design and development will look very different a decade hence. But rather than frighten, this knowledge should help to invigorate entrepreneurs and businesses into renewed action. 3D printing will help by becoming an essential component in leveling the product development playing field ‐ enabling every company to leverage the most from the opportunities that are coming to the fore even now, as we speak.
Objet Ltd., is a leading provider of high quality, cost effective inkjet‐based 3D printing systems and materials. A global company, Objet has offices in North America, Europe, Japan, China, Hong Kong, and India. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31334000 |
This week the U.S. Department of Energy released a new roadmap for the development of algal biofuels. DOE researchers had dismissed this type of biofuel as too costly to be commercially successful in the mid-1990s following a nearly two-decade-long research project.
The new roadmap was accompanied by the announcement of $24 million in new DOE funding for algal biofuels research. That money is in addition to $140 million in algae funding from last year’s Recovery Act.
“Biotechnology has come a long way” since the earlier project, says Valerie Sarisky-Reed of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, one of the lead authors of the roadmap. “With a dedicated research and development program, we can bring the economics to a suitable place within a 10-year time frame,” she says. “We chose to invest in it again because we felt we were within striking distance.”
The DOE originally considered algae as a means of making biofuels because some types of algae naturally produce large amounts of oil. The prolific organisms, if grown in ponds or closed bioreactors, could be used to produce more fuel per acre than other biofuels approaches, such as biochemically or thermochemically converting cellulosic biomass into fuel.
But the DOE program, which concluded in 1996, found that growing algae, and then harvesting and processing the oils, would only be cost-effective at high petroleum prices–between $59 and $186 a barrel. About that time, oil prices were less than $20 a barrel. Current estimates of the required price of petroleum for algae to be competitive range widely, from $10 to $100 a barrel, Sarisky-Reed says. Some estimates are even higher. Conventional approaches are only competitive when oil prices are as high as $400 a barrel, says David Berry, a partner at Flagship Ventures, based in Cambridge, MA.
The roadmap lays out a wide-ranging plan to bring the cost of algal biofuel production down. It identifies a broad set of challenges and research goals rather than selecting the most promising approaches. Sarisky-Reed says more research is needed to know whether it’s better, for example, to grow algae in an open pond and then harvest the oil, or to grow algae that’s been genetically engineered to continuously secrete fuels inside closed bioreactors.
The roadmap also details the reasons algal biofuels have proved challenging. For example, growing algae in open ponds is likely the lowest capital cost option, but pilot projects have shown that highly productive strains in these open ponds are quickly crowded out by less productive wild strains from the environment. Sealing algae in bioreactors can help protect them, but can also cause algae to overheat. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31336000 |
Performance Analysis of AODV Routing Protocol in Vehicular Ad-Hoc Network Service Discovery Architecture
VANET is the special type of MANET (Mobile Ad hoc NETworks) where the mobile nodes are vehicles that move on roads at very high speed following traffic rules; they provide communication between Vehicle and Vehicle (V2V) and Vehicle and Road side Infrastructural unit (V 2 I). This paper explores the possibility of using VANET in inter vehicular communication. An attempt has been made earlier to create a new cluster model for efficient communication among the VANET nodes by the author. A new clustering model has been created after taking the simple highway vehicular model concept into consideration. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31337000 |
Sudden crime waves, injuries and other random acts have been blamed on the monthly phenomenon, sometimes by doctors, nurses and the police.
But research by a group of psychologists in Canada has finally debunked the myth, proving that the lunar cycle has no influence on these freak occurrences.
More than 770 hospital patients were studied in the three-year project with those suffering from psychological problems being closely analysed.
Patients suffered problems ranging from panic attacks to suicidal behaviour and often claimed to have mystery chest pains.
No evidence of a lunar link was discovered.
"This may be coincidental or due to factors we did not take into account,” Professor Genevieve Belleville, a psychologist for Canada's Universite Laval told the journal General Hospital Psychiatry.
"But one thing is certain – we observed no full moon or new moon effect on psychological problems.
"The analyses revealed no link between the incidence of psychological problems and the four lunar phases."
The pains were instead attributed to the mental health of the patients and timing found to have no specific pattern – with one exception. Anxiety attacks were 32 per cent less frequent during the last quarter of a lunar cycle than at other times.
The full moon causing odd behaviour is a myth that has been believed for centuries.
Around 80 per cent of nurses and 63 per cent of doctors in the hospitals had been convinced they were seeing more patients for mental problems during a full moon than any other time.
Police forces from Brighton to Ohio have also beefed up their night time presence during the full moon after blaming it for rises in crime, according to reports.
Commentators even claimed the reason George W. Bush unexpectedly won the 2000 US presidential election was as a result of the full moon sending voters crazy. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31346000 |
by Tony Badillo
Importance of tabnit, the ‘plan’
The key to the Temple’s secrets is in the floor plan and layout of its furnishings. The “plan” or “pattern” (Heb., tabnit) of its structure and furniture is mentioned I Chronicles 28:11, 12, 19. Tabnit is also translated as design, structure, figure, form, likeness, and shape. Thus, in Deuteronomy 4:16-18 the Israelites are forbidden making any likeness, form, or figure of a human or beast for worship. In Ezekiel 8:10 the prophet sees repulsive forms or figures of creeping beasts, but in 8:3 he is lifted up by the form or figure of God’s hand or an angel’s (see also 10:8); and in Psalms 144:12 sons and daughters are compared to choice cut stones giving shape or form to a palace (see the Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh).Tabnit generally refers to the form of something. King David received Divine inspiration for the form, i.e., plan or pattern of the Temple; and before him at Sinai Moses heard God’s verbal instructions for the form of the Mishkan (tabernacle). Tabnit is also related to banah, which means to build a structure or house –– or to raise children, since a “house” may also refer to a family. Thus, in Ruth 4:11 Rachel and Leah, the two wives of Jacob (later renamed Israel), are called the “builders” of the House of Israel. This is tabnit’s link to buildings, ordinary houses, human beings, and the human body temple, as shown below.
3. THE ARK of the COVENANT – This is a gold plated chest with a solid gold cover and two small cherubs (small stars).The Ark is his nose; and its poles –when attached to its long sides and drawn forward (I Kings. 8:8) – depict extended nostrils smelling the sweet smoke from the Incense Altar in the Holy Place.
4. STAIRWAY – A short staircase or ramp led from the Holy Place to a slightly elevated (six cubits) Holy of Holies.The stairway is his neck/throat and its top is his mouth. See First Temple vs. Second Temple.
5. INCENSE ALTAR – This small gold plated altar (I Kings 6:22) is national Israel’s heart, and its sweet-smelling smoke is the prayers and spiritual life of national ideal Israel, i.e., Israel as she should be.
6. TABLES OF THE SHOWBREAD – On these gold plated tables (I Kings 7:48) were bread and wine, symbolizing flesh and blood, i.e., the humanity of national Israel.
7. THE LAMP STANDS (I Kings 7:48, 49) – Their total number was 10 stands/msenorahs x 7 stems each = 70 lights, relating to the 70 Israelites of Exodus 1:5 (Jacob’s offspring). This is national Israel as the light to the world, and the world is the 70 nations of Genesis 10. They may also symbolize Shabbat (the Sabbath) multiplied 10 times, implying a messianic age of worldwide rest (meaning peace). For a larger view of them see Secrets of the Holy Place.
8. THE PORCH, Portico or vestibule – This antechamber, the ulam, (I Kings 6:3, II Chronicles 3:4) corresponds to the human pelvis (hips) and, therefore, procreation through the male and female genitalia.
10. TEN LAVERS – Five bronze water lavers were on the north and five on the south side, by the Porch. These signify the ten fingers of the hands. The lavers were for washing the blood off the sacrificial offerings, I Kings 7:38; II Chronicles 4:6.
11. JACHIN, BOAZ – The large bronze pillars by the Porch were named Jachin and Boaz (II Chronicles.3:17) and form Temple Man’s legs. These are two hybrid plants symbolizing Kings David and Solomon, war and peace.
12. SEA OF BRONZE, TWELVE BULLS – This was a huge basin full of water for the priests to wash their hands and feet (II Chronicles 4:2). It depicts the twelve tribes of Israel crossing the Red Sea. Its water symbolizes the God’s spirit and also his seed.13. THE SACRIFICIAL ALTAR – This (II Chronicles. 4:1) forms Temple Man’s feet, while also symbolizing the metallic King Messiah’s feet and footstool, as was the custom of that time, II Chronicles 9:18, Psalms 110:1.
The High Priest’s Garments: White and Gold
Jacob’s Dream and the Temple
Jewish tradition tells us that Jacob (father of the twelve Israelite tribes) saw the Temple in advance in his dream at Luz. After seeing angels ascending and descending on a stairway (‘ladder’), he says in Genesis 28:17, 'This is none other than God’s house ...,” and in v. 19 renames the place Bethel, House of God, which is also a designation for the Temple. Later he changes it again to El Bethel (God house of God) 35:7; and God, in turn, renames him Israel, 35:10. As shown below, Jacob's raised head corresponds to an elevated Holy of Holies and his ‘pillow stone’ (28:11) to the Even Shetiyah or 'Foundation Stone' where Abraham had earlier bound Isaac (22:9 -11). In other words, as he slept – unbeknownst to him – his head and body became a model for the Temple that was eventually built atop Mount Moriah by King Solomon (2 Chronicles 3:1). Today this site is called Haram al-Sharif by the Arabs, and the Temple Mount by the Israelis and others.
Why was Jacob given the dream at this time? Not solely because he was fleeing the wrath of his brother Esau, but also because he was on his way to Mesopotamia to find a wife and create a family, i.e., a “house”. Isaac practically ordered him to leave and start his own family (Genesis. 28: 1, 2), that he might multiply and become an “company of peoples,” v. 3; and later it is said his two wives are the “builders” of the House of Israel, Ruth. 4:11. Jacob, therefore, constructed a human temple, a house of twelve tribes (plus the Levites) and centuries later these twelve, with hired Phoenician craftsmen, raised Solomon’s stone temple, the ‘House of God’. Therefore, the dream concerns the building of two houses, Israel’s (Jacob’s) and God’s.
The Amazing Metallic Messiah
The illustration below at right shows how the metals of the Temple’s interior reveal the Metallic Messiah. But how do we know the interior metals have this secondary meaning?
Because their type and order parallel those of King Nebuchadnezzar’s metal statue below, which itself symbolizes an unholy, secular messianic world ruler.
For the interior gold plating of the Temple’s Holy of Holies, Holy Place and Porch, see I Kgs. 6:20 - 22 and II Chr. 3:4 -10. For the bronze furniture outside see I Kgs. 7:15 - 27, 38 and II Chr. 4:1 -7.This gives the Metallic Messiah a head, torso and pelvis of gold, but hands, legs and feet of bronze. His silver shoulders and arms relate to the silver plated walls ‘houses’ or ‘buildings’ (i.e., priestly cells) of I Chr. 29:4.
However, we remove the western cells – also silver plated inside – that form the turban (as shown at right) because we are viewing a nude man who is the counterpart of another nude man, Nebuchadnezzar’s metallic statue, below. Thus, we compare one nude figure with another, not a clothed one with a nude one. Also excluded is the Sea of Bronze because it is not part of the natural human anatomy.Nebuchadnezzar’s Metal Statue - The account of the huge metal statue that King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon saw in a dream is found in chapter 2:1 - 35 of the Book of Daniel, but our focus is primarily on vv. 31 - 33.
This statue of four metals, v. 31, has a head of gold, arms and chest of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, v. 32, legs of iron, v. 33, and feet of iron fused with baked clay, v. 33. The clay counts as one with the iron so that he is made of fourmetals. However, Temple Man, i.e. the Metallic Messiah, consists of only three metals: gold, silver, and bronze (or copper). These same three were also in the tabernacle of Moses’ time, Exodus 25:3, 31:4; 35:5.
The four metals of Nebuchadnezzar’s statue depict four successive world empires, symbolizing Man’s ungodly earthly rule until the Last Days, Daniel 2: 34, 35. And just as Man’s rule is summed in one man of various metals, so too God’s forthcoming reign is portrayed by a single Metallic Messiah of three metals. See also Solomon’s Cyborg Messiah.
‘Messiah’ is a transliteration of mashiach, which means the anointed or anointed one. Jewish kings were anointed by having olive oil – symbolizing illumination – poured on their heads so that they might know how to rule their nation. Solomon himself was anointed in this manner, I Kings 1:39, and had prayed for an “understanding mind” to know how to rule, 3:9, and it was granted him, 3:12. Jewish kings were seen as sitting on the Divine throne and ruling on God’s behalf according to I Chronicles 29:23: ‘Then Solomon sat on the throne of Yahweh ... ,’ and also 28:5 where King David says that God ‘has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the kingdom of Yahweh,’ and that kingdom was national Israel. But King Messiah – the Metallic Messiah – is or will be anointed with the Divine spirit that he may know how to rule the entire world, not national Israel only.
.No Proof of Silver Walls?
Concerning the information directly above, someone wrote to another website claiming there was no proof that Solomon overlaid any walls with silver, totally ignoring I Chronicles 29:4. Yet all the bible translations I’ve consulted, both Jewish and non-Jewish, include this verse with its silver walls. Let us ask and answer, therefore: Is it likely that the “houses” (i.e., cells) in v. 29:4 above were silver plated? Yes, and here is why.A potent indicator of their existence is that they follow the pattern (Heb., tabnit) of the silver sockets of Moses’ tabernacle, which was constructed at the foot of Mount Sinai centuries before King Solomon’s time.
Keep in mind that everything about the Tabernacle (Fig. A) was portable, including its foundation. So what, then, was the Tabernacle’s ‘foundation’? One hundred (100) sockets (i.e., bases) of silver; and these were placed on only three sides: On the south, 40 sockets, Exodus 36:23, 24, and on the north another 40, vv. 25, 26; but on the west side, v. 27, the short side of the rectangular foundation, only 16 sockets were needed. This totals 96 silver sockets. What about the other four? Ah! now it gets more interesting. They were placed between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place, v. 36. For what purpose? To sustain the poles for the paroket, the ‘veil,’ a very special Dividing Curtain separating the two holy rooms. A description of the curtain is given in Exodus 36:35. Hence, the total number of silver sockets was 100, one socket from each talent of donated silver, (38:27). To complete the rectangular foundation, another five sockets were placed on the eastern side, the entrance, but these were of bronze or copper (36:38), not silver, as shown above (Fig. A).
The Temple had 90 or 993 priestly cells; the Tabernacle had none. But the number of cells or and sockets is not vital. What matters is their arrangement or pattern and that such a pattern is reproduced in the layout of the Temple’s priestly cells (‘houses’) with silver plated walls, I Chronicles 29:4. This also implies that the Tabernacle’s gold plated wooden frame (above at right), Exodus 26:29, relates to the Temple’s gold plated walls. The Tabernacle and Temple had similarities, and the correlation of the silver sockets and silver cells is one of them. The Temple’s foundation was of limestone blocks, not silver.
Finally, I have shown that the Temple wasalso in the hidden form of the Levite High Priest; and by law all priests were of the tribe of Levi. In Malachi 3:3 the Lord rebukes the priesthood saying that he ‘will purify the sons of Levi (of corruption) and refine them as gold and silver’. Since the central portion of the Temple’s interior was gold plated, it is perfectly fitting that its cell walls should be silver plated, symbolizing the priests themselves becoming as ‘gold and silver’ by attaining inward attributes of holiness after being purged of moral corruption.
1 Mitsnepheth (Heb.), the headgear of the High Priest, is often translated as miter, but a more fitting word is turban.Mitsnepheth (from the root sanip) may refer to something that fits around the head, such as a crown or tiara, but also to something that is wound around it, such as bandage or turban ( see First Kings 20:32 in the Tanakh by JPS or the NIV). The common priests wore a migbaah, usually translated as bonnet or cap,from the root term gibaah, meaning a hill or small hill , either of which resembles an inverted bowl. See Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon, etc.
2 This room, a cube of 20 cubits, was the counterpart of the “Holy of Holies”(Heb.kodesh kodashim) of the Mosaic Tabernacle, but the Book of First Kings calls it debir, instead,from the Hebrew root dbr, meaning to speak, according to various Hebrew language references, and which is commonly translated as Shrine, Most Holy Place, Oracle, etc. Debir is a fitting name because from here Temple Man speaks, thus providing further confirmation that this room symbolizes the head, which includes the throat and mouth ( the stairway is the neck-throat, and the mouth is the top of the stairway). Oracle is the closest English equivalent to debir because it may refer to the response of a deity, the place where the deity speaks, or to a prophet or priest who speaks for the deity. And it also implies that Temple Man may symbolize a prophet, or possibly even God himself.
3 Based on Ezekiel 41:6, Jewish bibles prefer 99 cells (3 floors x33 cells each), most others 90 cells (3x30). Apparently the Hebrew text allows either view. It seems, though, that the 100 silver sockets of the Tabernacle symbolize Abraham’s age at Isaac birth, while the Temple’s 90 silver-clad cells symbolize Sarah’s age at that same event (Genesis 17:17, 21:5). Both Tabernacle and Temple were constructed centuries after Abraham and Sarah.
Notice: Verse citations used on this website are from the World English Bible online or some other public domain work. All artwork used on this site and originally created by Tony Badillo is copyrighted, as is public domain artwork from others that has been radically altered. And finally, all explanatory text originally written by Tony Badillo is also copyrighted. Please do not copy. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31349000 |
Sprained ankles are relatively common in tennis players. Roger Federer, Andy Roddick and Andrew Murray have all suffered sprained ankles. The sudden sideways movements that are required during tennis can cause the ankle to twist, particularly if the surface is slippery or the player is fatigued.
A twisted ankle causes damage to ligaments and other soft tissues around the ankle. This is called a Sprained Ankle. The damage causes bleeding within the tissues, which produces a swollen ankle that can be extremely painful.
What can you do to prevent Sprained Ankles?
Applying an ankle brace to the ankle can help to reduce the risk of ankle sprains and it's a strategy that is employed by tennis pros such as Andrew Murray and Roger Federer.
Previous research has shown the injury incidence in people with taped ankles was 4.9 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches, compared with 2.6 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches in students wearing ankle braces. This compared with 32.8 ankle sprains per 1000 participant matches in subjects that had no taping or bracing.
What should you do if you suffer a Sprained Ankle?
In the first few days following an ankle sprain it is important to follow the PRICE protocol - protection, rest, ice, compression and elevation (never apply ice directly to the skin). An Ankle Cryo/Cuff is the most effective method of providing ice therapy and is the professional's choice. A Cryo/Cuff is ideal for home use as it is the safest and most effective method of ice therapy. It can provide continuous ice cold water and compression for 6 hours and significantly reduce ankle pain and swelling. Alternatively if you have to apply ice at home, the use of an Ice Bag is recommended. This is a safe method of ice application to avoid the risk of an ice burn.
Rehabilitation with a Chartered PhysiotherapistA member of the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, signified by the initials MCSP.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>chartered physiotherapist significantly improves the level of ankle function. Wobble board training in the later rehab stage is designed to assist the re-education of the ProprioceptiveRelating to the system by which nerve receptors in skin, muscle, ligament and joint tissue relay information to the brain about body position sense, where this information is quickly processed and movement strategies are formulated and executed using nerve signals to muscles.','',250)" onmouseout=hideddrivetip() ;>proprioceptive system. Previous research has suggested that patients with ankle instability who underwent wobble board training experienced significantly fewer recurrent sprains during a follow-up period than those who did not follow the training programme.
IMPORTANT SAFETY NOTICE The articles on this web site are provided for general information only and should not be used as a basis for diagnosis or treatment. All exercises and information featured on this web site should only be practised under the supervision of a qualified healthcare professional
02-23-2009, 06:13 PM
I noticed Andy Murray hampered by his ankle again today, he did manage to win with a retirement in the final set by his oponent, looks bad for the rest of the week though !
02-26-2009, 12:37 PM
Now reported Andy has a virus and has suffered with it since the Australian Open ! he has pulled out of the quarters in Dubai now, rest a while Andy and get 100% fit again before playing tennis again ! | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31350000 |
All procedures in the Verilog HDL are specified within one of the following four statements:
-- initial construct
-- always construct
The initial and always constructs are enabled at the beginning of a simulation. The initial construct shall execute only once and its activity shall cease when the statement has finished. In contrast, the always construct shall execute repeatedly. Its activity shall cease only when the simulation is terminated. There shall be no implied order of execution between initial and always constructs. The initial constructs need not be scheduled and executed before the always constructs. There shall be no limit to the number of initial and always constructs that can be defined in a module
An initial block consists of a statement or a group of statements enclosed in begin... end or a signle statement , which will be executed only once at simulation time 0. If there is more than one block they execute concurrently and independently. The initial block is normally used for initialisation, monitoring, generating wave forms (eg, clock pulses) and processes which are executed once in a simulation. An example of initialisation and wave generation is given below
clock = 1'b0; // variable initialization
begin // multiple statements have to be grouped
alpha = 0;
#10 alpha = 1; // waveform generation
#20 alpha = 0;
#5 alpha = 1;
#7 alpha = 0;
#10 alpha = 1;
#20 alpha = 0;
An always block is similar to the initial block, but the statements inside an always block will repeated continuously, in a looping fashion, until stopped by $finish or $stop.
NOTE: the $finish command actually terminates the simulation where as $stop. merely pauses it and awaits further instructions. Thus $finish is the preferred command unless you are using an interactive version of the simulator.
One way to simulate a clock pulse is shown in the example below. Note, this is not the best way to simulate a clock. See the section on the forever loop for a better method.
initial clock = 1'b0; // start the clock at 0
always #10 clock = ~clock; // toggle every 10 time units
initial #5000 $finish // end the simulation after 5000 time units
Tasks and functions can bu used to in much the same manner but there are some important differences that must be noted.
A function is unable to enable a task however functions can enable other functions.
A function will carry out its required duty in zero simulation time.
Within a function, no event, delay or timing control statements are permitted.
In the invocation of a function their must be at least one argument to be passed.
Functions will only return a single value and can not use either output or inout statements.
Functions are synthesysable.
Disable statements canot be used.
Function canot have numblocking statements.
module function_calling(a, b,c);
input a, b ;
input a, b;
myfunction = (a+b);
assign c = myfunction (a,b);
Tasks are capable of enabling a function as well as enabling other versions of a Task
Tasks also run with a zero simulation however they can if required be executed in a non zero simulation time.
Tasks are allowed to contain any of these statements.
A task is allowed to use zero or more arguments which are of type output, input or inout.
A Task is unable to return a value but has the facility to pass multiple values via the output and inout statements.
Tasks are not synthesisable.
Disable statements can be used.
reg clock, red, amber, green;
parameter on = 1, off = 0, red_tics = 350,
amber_tics = 30, green_tics = 200;
// initialize colors.
initial red = off;
initial amber = | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31352000 |
Osgood-Schlatter disease is a painful swelling of the bump on the front, upper part of the lower leg bone. This bump is called the anterior tibial tubercle.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:
Osgood-Schlatter disease is thought to be caused by small, usually unnoticed, injuries caused by repeated overuse before growth of the area is complete. The disorder is seen most often in active, athletic adolescents, usually between ages 10 and 15. It is common in adolescents who play soccer, basketball, and volleyball, and who participate in gymnastics. Osgood-Schlatter disease affects more boys than girls.
The main symptom is a painful swelling just below the knee on the front (anterior) surface of the lower leg bone. Symptoms occur on one or both legs.
The person may have leg pain or knee pain , which gets worse with running, jumping, and climbing stairs.
The area is tender to pressure, and swelling ranges from mild to very severe.
Signs and tests:
Your doctor can tell if you have this condition by performing a physical exam.
A bone x-ray may be normal, or it may show swelling or damage to the tibial tubercle. X-rays are rarely used unless the doctor wants to rule out other causes for the pain.
Treatment starts with rest, ice, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen. In many cases, the condition will get better using these methods.
In the rare case where symptoms do not go away, a cast or brace may be used to support the leg until it heals. This typically takes 6 - 8 weeks. Crutches may be used for walking to keep weight off the painful leg.
Rarely, surgery may be needed.
Most cases get better on their own after a few weeks or months. Most cases eventually go away once the child finished growing.
Adolescents should be allowed to play sports if the activity does not cause discomfort. However, the condition will get better faster if such activity is kept to a minimum.
Chronic pain is the most significant complication.
Calling your health care provider:
Call your health care provider if your child has knee or leg pain, or if pain does not get better with treatment.
The small injuries that may cause this disorder are usually unnoticed, so prevention may not be possible. Regular stretching, both before and after exercise and athletics, can help prevent injury.
Patel DR. Musculoskeletal injuries in sports. Prim Care. Jun 2006; 33(2): 545-79.
Cassas KJ. Childhood and adolescent sports-related overuse injuries. Am Fam Physician. Mar 2006; 73(6): 1014-22.
Mercier LR. Osgood-Schlatter disease. Ferri’s Clinical Advisor: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. 9th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Mosby; 2009:593. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31353000 |
60 Minutes: 7th century shipwreck showcasedJune 14th, 2010 - 8:18 pm ICT by Aishwarya Bhatt
New York City, Jun 14 (THAINDIAN NEWS) CBS’s show ’60 Minutes’ has managed to create a trend of sorts with its investigative stories and the thrilling endings with ample twists and turns. Fans of the show were in for a huge surprise, when they showcased the 7th century shipwreck.
The 7th century shipwreck was located between the Aegean and the Mediterranean Sea. The person responsible for discovering it was none other than the person who discovered the Titanic – Robert Ballard. And giving him company was the CBS team. The CBS team comprised of their correspondent Lara Logan and her crew. The whole team along with Robert had gone to Turkey, where the amazing discovery was made.
Another thing that brought cheer to the team, was that the ship appears to be well preserved despite being old by several centuries. The whole team of archaeologists was very excited by the discovery, and they hope that the wreck would shed some light on the maritime history of the 7th century.
Robert Ballad is a living legend in the name of discovery shipwrecks. He is credited with the discovery of Titanic as well. Apart from that he has also discovered Bismarck as well as the famous PT 109, which used to be commanded by John F. Kennedy during the time of the World War II.
- Latest Episode Of CBS' "60 Minutes" Features 7th Century Shipwreck - Jun 14, 2010
- 60 Minutes To Show The Discovery Of A 7th Century Ancient Shipwreck - Jun 14, 2010
- Wreckage of 16th century ship discovered off Brazil - Mar 01, 2012
- Hilt of 18th-century pirate Blackbeard's sword may have been found - Jan 16, 2011
- 188-yr-old 'Two Brothers' ship linked to 'Moby-Dick' discovered - Feb 12, 2011
- Irish archaeologists say Spanish Armada wreck found - Aug 06, 2011
- Ancient shipwrecks unearthed in China - May 29, 2012
- Five Roman-era shipwrecks found underwater off Italy - Jul 27, 2009
- Elisabeth Hasselbeck confronts Bill Maher - Nov 16, 2011
- 400-year-old shipwreck discovered in Stockholm archipelago - Aug 07, 2009
- Archaeologists discover Old Testament-era tablet - Apr 09, 2010
- Titanic expedition captures new images of the wreck - Aug 30, 2010
- Oldest-known Mayan calendar found - May 11, 2012
- CBS correspondent Lara Logan 'sexually assaulted while covering Egypt protests - Feb 16, 2011
- Sexually assaulted CBS reporter Lara Logan could become target for copycat attacks: Ex boss - Feb 18, 2011
Tags: 60 minutes, aegean, archaeologists, ballad, bismarck, cbs team, cheer, correspondent, john f kennedy, lara logan, living legend, maritime history, mediterranean sea, pt 109, robert ballard, shipwreck, titanic robert ballard, twists, who discovered the titanic, world war ii | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31355000 |
(edit – please take note of the addendum at the bottom)
From the Official Groundhog Day Website, Punxsutawney Phil:
(Adapted from “Groundhog Day: 1886 to 1992″ by Bill Anderson)
Groundhog Day, February 2nd, is a popular tradition in the United States. It is also a legend that traverses centuries, its origins clouded in the mists of time with ethnic cultures and animals awakening on specific dates. Myths such as this tie our present to the distant past when nature did, indeed, influence our lives. It is the day that the Groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter sleep to look for his shadow.
If he sees it, he regards it as an omen of six more weeks of bad weather and returns to his hole.
If the day is cloudy and, hence, shadowless, he takes it as a sign of spring and stays above ground.
The groundhog tradition stems from similar beliefs associated with Candlemas Day and the days of early Christians in Europe, and for centuries the custom was to have the clergy bless candles and distribute them to the people. Even then, it marked a milestone in the winter and the weather that day was important.
According to an old English song:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come, Winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas brings clouds and rain,
Go Winter, and come not again.
According to an old Scotch couplet:
If Candlemas Day is bright and clear,
There’ll be twa (two) winters in the year.
Another variation of the Scottish rhyme:
If Candlemas day be dry and fair,
The half o’ winter to come and mair,
If Candlemas day be wet and foul,
The half of winter’s gone at Yule.
The Roman legions, during the conquest of the northern country, supposedly brought this tradition to the Teutons, or Germans, who picked it up and concluded that if the sun made an appearance on Candlemas Day, an animal, the hedgehog, would cast a shadow, thus predicting six more weeks of bad weather, which they interpolated as the length of the “Second Winter.”
Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers were Germans and they found groundhogs to in profusion in many parts of the state. They determined that the groundhog, resembling the European hedgehog, was a most intelligent and sensible animal and therefore decided that if the sun did appear on February 2nd, so wise an animal as the groundhog would see its shadow and hurry back into its underground home for another six weeks of winter.
The Germans recited:
For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day,
So far will the snow swirl until the May.
This passage may be the one most closely represented by the first Punxsutawney Groundhog Day observances because there were references to the length of shadows in early Groundhog Day predictions.
Another February 2nd belief, used by American 19th century farmers, was:
Groundhog Day – Half your hay.
New England farmers knew that we were not close to the end of winter, no matter how cloudy February 2nd was. Indeed, February 2nd is often the heart of winter. If the farmer didn’t have half his hay remaining, there may have been lean times for the cows before spring and fresh grass arrived.
The ancient Candlemas legend and similar belief continue to be recognized annually on February 2nd due to the efforts of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.
From offering support of political events, to rooting for area sports teams, to becoming the star of a Hollywood movie, Punxsutawney Phil has increasingly been in the public eye.
Early observances of Phil’s predictions were conducted privately in the wooded areas that neighbor the town. Today’s celebration sees tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world as revelers await Phil’s appearance as most fans wait to see their favorite rock stars.
The Punxsutawney Spirit newspaper is credited with printing the news of the first observance in 1886 (one year before the first legendary trek to Gobbler’s Knob):
“Today is groundhog day, and up to the time of going to press the beast has not seen his shadow.”
Over the course of Phil’s appearances, Phil has had numerous noteworthy highlights:
During Prohibition Phil threatened to impose 60 weeks of winter on the community if he wasn’t allowed a drink.
In 1958 Phil announced that it was a “United States Chucknik,” rather than a Soviet Sputnik or Muttnik that became the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth.
In 1981 Phil wore a yellow ribbon in honor of the American hostages in Iran.
Phil traveled to Washington DC in 1986 to meet with President Reagan. He was joined by Groundhog Club President Jim Means, Al Anthony and Bill Null.
Phil met Pennsylvania Governor Dick Thornburg in 1987.
In 1993, Columbia Pictures released the movie Groundhog Day starring Bill Murray.
Phil appeared on the Oprah Winfrey show in 1995.
In the years following the release of the movie, record crowds numbering as high as 30,000 have visited Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney!
In 2001, Phil’s prediction was shown live on the JumboTron at Times Square in New York City. Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell attended the ceremonies, making him the first sitting governor ever to do so.
The above website will have a live simulcast for the sunrise festivities. I have been to two of these events. They are quite interesting indeed. The amount of booze consumed overnight by the throng is terrific. It’s a great party and something everyone should see at least once.
The celebration of Groundhog Day began with the Germans, Pennsylvania’s earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states “For as the sun shines on Candlemas day, so far will the snow swirl in May…”. The settlers found that groundhogs were plentiful and were the most intelligent and sensible animal to carry on the legend of Candlemas Day.
Addendum: Happy Birthday Andrew Breitbart! You were an inspiration! | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31360000 |
The Most Remote Places On Earth
Did you know that about 10 percent of the Earth is more than 48 hours away (by way of land travel) from the nearest city? Take that to “Jeopardy.” With roads, airplanes, satellites, and whatever else is out there taking pictures and measurements along the way, the true sense of remoteness is almost nonexistent. Recently, I even posted on an island only accessible by a 30-hour boat ride.
Even remoteness can be subjective, though. Is it inaccessibility, isolation, both? This article, from howstuffworks.com, lists a point in northern China (Eurasian Pole of Inaccessibility) as the farthest from any ocean, at 1,553 miles. And the farther from any land? Point Nemo, found in the South Pacific, is a full 1,553 miles from any mainland surface.
If visiting the most isolated people in the world interests you, head to Tristan da Cunha (the population is only 270 and it’s nearly 3,000 kilometers from South Africa, its closest mainland). It was once an important maritime stop to the Cape of Good Hope. Ships have virtually stopped heading that way because of the Suez Canal, and the only other visitors consist of the occasional fisherman and a pair of U.K. doctors that arrive once a year.
Posted on September 29, 2009 by Jon Wick | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31367000 |
Vietnam War Summary
Written by Tim Nash
History of War - Vietnam War
In a Summary of Vietnam war between communist North Vietnam and capitalist South Vietnam which commenced in 1964 and concluded in 1975. It was fought in southern Vietnam and bordering areas of Cambodia, Laos and in the bombing of North Vietnam. The capitalist South Vietnam forces were assisted by troops from the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korea. At the height of the war in 1969 this force comprised 800,000+ troops.
The communist North Vietnamese forces were assisted by the USSR in providing non combatant military aid and also the national liberation front a communist lead South Vietnamese gorilla’s. Although not as well equipped they were large in number.
This conflict is know as the second Indochina war and was part of a larger conflict involving the neighboring countries of Cambodia and Laos, the Vietnamese know this conflict as the American war ” (Vietnamese Chiến Tranh Chống Mỹ Cứu Nước, which translates into English as "War Against the Americans and to Save the Nation")”
The first Indochina war was fought in the 1950’s between the French government and Ho Chi Minh communist army. This first war was the direct successor leading to the second Indochina war; the Vietnamese people felt that the colonial powers were trying to control their country which they had done for century’s. The French government relinquished their control of Vietnam Cambodia and Laos in 1954.
American, Australian and New Zealand military advisers were sent to the region in the late 50’s and early 60’s to assist the capitalist south Vietnamese government in their war against the communist north. But was realized by 1964 that the South Vietnamese government needed help in winning this battle, combat troops entered the region. The conflict reached its peak in 1969 where some 900,000 Us solders were involved in the conflict.
In a Summery of Vietnam war peace negotiations commenced In the early 1970’s between both sides in an attempt to end the conflict and bring stability to the region. In January 1973 suspension of military action by US and coalition troops was ordered by then US president Nixon. At this time US, Australia, New Zealand, and South Korean troops began withdrawing from the region. The Paris peace accord was signed that year officially ending US and allied involvement in the Vietnam conflict. By 1975 no American, Australian, New Zealand, and south Korean were in the region
Peace did not last long however in early 1975 the communist north Vietnamese invaded south Vietnam, without their allies they were overwhelmed, on July 2nd 1976 the socialist republic of Vietnam was born, people supporting the capitalist south Vietnamese were executed and many were in imprisoned. The South Vietnamese capital Saigon was renamed Ho Chi Min city in honor of Ho Chi Minh. The socialist republic of Vietnam is ruled by the communist part to this day, thus concluding our Summary of Vietnam war. Further Reading: Map of Vietnam War, Vietnam War Facts. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31368000 |
YANGON: Dozens of rare British Spitfire fighter planes buried in Myanmar during World War II are to be dug up under an agreement between the government and an aviation enthusiast.
The iconic single-seat aircraft are believed to have been hidden — unassembled in crates — by the former colonial power to prevent them falling into Japanese hands almost seven decades ago.
There could be as many as 140 of the aircraft buried in the country formerly known as Burma, according to a local geophysicist who has been involved in the search since 1999.
“In the first year, we will dig up 60 aircraft,” Soe Thein told AFP, adding that work to retrieve them would start next month.
“The next year in the second phase, I expect to dig up another 50.”
Based on a survey of hundreds of witnesses, the team plans to dig in various locations including in Yangon, northern Kachin state and central Mandalay.
If successfully excavated, some of the Spitfires are expected to be returned to Britain, which ruled Myanmar until independence in 1948 but was temporarily forced out of much of the country in 1942 by invading Japanese forces.
“We want to strengthen relations between Britain and our country and benefit millions of people in the world who want to see Spitfires,” said local businessman Htoo Htoo Zaw who is involved in the project.
The project is the result of more than a decade of searching former airforce bases in Myanmar by British farmer and aviation aficionado David Cundall using radar technology.
“I’m only a small farmer, I’m not a multi-millionaire and it has been a struggle. It took me more than 15 years but I finally found them,” Cundall told British newspaper The Daily Telegraph earlier this year.
“Spitfires are beautiful aeroplanes and should not be rotting away in a foreign land. They saved our neck in the Battle of Britain and they should be preserved,” he added.
“They were just buried there in transport crates,” Cundall said. “They were waxed, wrapped in greased paper and their joints tarred. They will be in near perfect condition.”
About 20,000 Spitfires were built by Britain from 1938-1948.
The planes captured the public imagination during the Battle of Britain when the Royal Air Force prevented the German Luftwaffe from invading in 1940. Today just a few dozen are still in flying condition.
An agreement on retrieving the historic planes was signed by a transport ministry senior official with Cundall and Htoo Htoo Zaw in the capital Naypyidaw on Tuesday.
The British government welcomed the agreement, which follows the personal intervention of Prime Minister David Cameron, who discussed the Spitfires with President Thein Sein during his visit to Myanmar earlier this year. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31383000 |
Over 8,000 websites created by students around the world who have participated in a ThinkQuest Competition.
Compete | FAQ | Contact Us
Come To Your Senses
Our main objective in designing "Come To Your Senses" was to learn how to develop a Web site that would be useful and interesting for other students our age. We also wanted to learn everything that we could about the senses from a variety of materials so that we could then teach other students what we learned through the use of the Internet.
Another goal was to make learning about the senses more interesting and exciting through the use of technology. For example, we used several visual aids and created links to other interesting Web sites.
We hope to make the students' learning experiences more active and to allow them to have some hands-on activities. We feel that through the use of visual aids, "Sense-sational Activities" and "Sense-sational Facts" students can better understand the information.
19 & under
Health & Safety > Human Anatomy | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31413000 |
Over 8,000 websites created by students around the world who have participated in a ThinkQuest Competition.
Compete | FAQ | Contact Us
A Day That Will Live in Infamy: The Bombing of Pearl Harbor
This site is an interactive, multimedia website created primarily for children and other people interested in learning about the attack on Pearl Harbor. It presents the events leading up to the attack, the losses, and the lessons learned from the tragedy. Also included are interviews with survivors, a virtual reality game, surveys, and examples of what we can do to create a more peaceful world.
19 & under
History & Government > War & Conflicts > World War II | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31414000 |
Over 8,000 websites created by students around the world who have participated in a ThinkQuest Competition.
Compete | FAQ | Contact Us
Here you will learn about System Dynamics and how it impacts the world around us. This field is becoming increasingly important and can have vast influences on how our society works. By knowing and understanding systems, we will be able to make predictions using models of the systems. These models can be an accurate way to predict how the system will act over a long period of time.
2003 Gold Medal
2003 Interactive Learning
19 & under
Computers & the Internet > Programming | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31415000 |
Over 8,000 websites created by students around the world who have participated in a ThinkQuest Competition.
Compete | FAQ | Contact Us
This Thinkquest site is an interdisciplinary unit based on a sixth grade math program whose focus is area and perimeter. To include the math curriculum and to highlight our geographical area (Cape Cod, Massachusetts), our team will research the region and identify the key elements of history, oceanography and horticulture. A park will be designed using area and perimeter as the mathematical basis. Activities will be designed to appeal to a variety of learning styles and abilities.
19 & under
Math > Geometry
History & Government > United States > States | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31416000 |
Animation of Annular Solar Eclipse, January 26, 2009
The following animation shows the annular solar eclipse for January 26, 2009. The icon of the sun can be seen moving across towards the left in the animation. A white, round icon that represents the moon is seen underneath the icon of the sun.
The red part at the center of the moving shadow shows the area where the annular solar eclipse is most visible. The darkest area around it depicts where the eclipse’s visibility is 90 percent or greater. The next surrounding shaded area is where the eclipse’s visibility is 50 percent or more. The outermost area with the lightest shading shows where the eclipse’s visibility is between zero and 50 percent.
Please click on the play button to view the animation. The pause button can also be used to temporarily suspend the animation.
- Moon Calculator – Find times for moonrise, moonset and more
- Moon Phase Calculator – Calculate moon phases for any year
- Sunrise Calculator – Find times for sunrise, sunset and more
- Day and Night World Map – See which parts of the Earth are currently illuminated by the Sun
- Annular Solar Eclipse on January 26, 2009
- General Information on Solar and Lunar Eclipses
- Tips for Eclipse Enthusiasts
- The History of the Solar Eclipse
- Calendar for 2013
- Calendar Generator – Create a calendar for any year
- Duration between two dates – Calculates number of days | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31423000 |
HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST
Humorous Speech is 5 to 7 minutes in length. Humorous speaking, which must be substantially original. Any quoted material must be identified during the presentation. The speech must be a thematic in nature (opening, body, and close) and not be an act or a monologue. It should be "clean" humor; avoid objectionable language, anecdotes, and material. Vocal variety, gestures, and speech content all play a part in a successful humorous speech.
Typically, clubs begin holding their contest in July. Area contests are held in August with the Division Contest in September. The District 58 Contest will be held at the Fall Conference held in October.
JUDGING CRITERIA - HUMOROUS SPEECH CONTEST
- SPEECH DEVELOPMENT is the way the speaker puts ideas together so the audience can understand them. The speech is structured around a purpose, and this structure must include an opening, body, and conclusion. A good speech immediately engages the audience's attention and then moves forward toward a significant conclusion. This development of the speech structure is supported by relevant examples, illustrations, facts, and figures, delivered with such smoothness that they blend into the framework of the speech to present the audience with a unified whole.
- EFFECTIVENESS is measured in part by the audience's reception of the speech, but a large part is your subjective judgement of how the speech came across. You should ask yourself such questions as "Was I able to determine the speaker's purpose?" "Did the speech relate directly to that purpose?" "Was the audience's interest held by the speaker?" "Was this speech subject appropriate for this particular audience?"
- SPEECH VALUE justifies the act of speaking. The speaker has a responsibility to say something meaningful and original to the audience. The listeners should feel the speaker has made a contribution to their thinking. The ideas should be important ones, although this does not preclude a humorous presentation of them.
- AUDIENCE RESPONSE indicates the level to which the speaker has affected the emotions and response of the audience. An increasing level of interest may be indicated by reduced audience movement, greater eye contact and laughter at appropriate cues.
- PHYSICAL presentation of a speech carries part of the responsibility for effective communication. The speaker's appearance should reinforce the speech, whether profound, sad, humorous, or instructional. Body language should support points through gestures, expressions, and body positioning.
- VOICE is the sound that carries the message. It should be flexible, moving from one pitch level to another for emphasis, and should have a variety of rate and volume. A good voice can be clearly heard and the words easily understood.
- MANNER is the indirect revelation of the speaker's real self as the speech is delivered. The speaker should speak with enthusiasm and assurance, showing interest in the audience and confidence in their reactions.
- APPROPRIATENESS of language refers to the choice of words that relate to the speech purpose and to the particular audience hearing the speech. Language should promote clear understanding of thoughts and should fit the occasion precisely.
- CORRECTNESS of language ensures that attention will be directed toward what the speaker says, not how it is said. Proper use of grammar and correct pronunciation will show that the speaker is the master of the words being used. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31434000 |
Find the Right Spot and Dig
The ideal place to dig a snow cave is relatively flat and already has around 5 feet of snow. Forest area is best because tree growth ensures that the spot isn't an avalanche path. According to the Northwest Weather and Avalanche Center, two snow-shoers in the Cascades were killed in 2001 after setting up an emergency camp in an avalanche shoot. The accident could have easily been avoided if they had chosen a more suitable spot.
Forested areas are also a great choice because the trees will create snow drifts that are easier to dig into. Always start by digging a trench first. The trench allows you to get deep enough in the snow to begin tunneling into the wall. Shed layers as you warm up to avoid sweating, but always wear a waterproof layer between you and the snow. Even though the digging will cause you to warm up, the most important goal is to stay dry.
The mouth of the cave should be just small enough to fit through to avoid wind exposure. Tunnel at an upward angle so that the entrance is lowest spot of the cave--this will allow ventilation without sacrificing any warmth your body contributes. Also, be aware of how close you are to the surface. The thicker the walls and ceiling of the snow cave, the more insulation it will offer, and the less likely it will be to collapse in sudden temperature changes.
Dig a Cold Sink
The design of your snow cave will determine the lowest temperatures it will reach. By digging a hole deeper than the area you'll be sleeping in, or by building an elevated platform to sleep on, you allow the coldest air to drop below you. The hole, or cold sink, ideally will double as the entrance to the cave so that oxygen can circulate.
Round Out the Inside
Using your gloves, smooth out any rough edges, especially in the ceiling of the cave. The humidity of your breath and your general body heat will gradually cause melting on this inside of the cave and droplets will collect on any sharp points. As miserable as sleeping in snow sounds, it's even worse getting damp under a constant water drip.
Create a Ventilation Hole
One of the most important parts of building a snow cave is also the easiest to forget. Puncture a hole the size of a baseball in the ceiling all the way to the surface. Snow is incredibly good at insulating warmth, but it holds gasses just as well. Carbon dioxide just from breathing can reach dangerous levels without ventilation. Furthermore, if you light a candle or a portable stove, the carbon monoxide can build up quickly. In August 1999, four snowboarders suffocated in a snow cave in Koscuiszko National Park, Australia, because the mouth of the cave doubled as the ventilation hole and falling snow blocked it throughout the night. If you need to sleep in a snow cave, check periodically that the hole in the ceiling remains open. This is especially important if new snow continues to fall.
Mark the Cave on the Surface
The disadvantage of sleeping in a snow cave is that you are nearly impossible to spot by rescuers above. Trample down as much snow as you can in the surrounding area before hunkering down for the night, and leave skis and poles tied to bright pieces of clothing propped in the snow to flag down anyone searching for you. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31442000 |
Traveling to Lake Titicaca, and at an altitude of over 3,000 m, the train journey across the mountainous terrain of the Puna High Plateau is acknowledged as one of most beautiful railway journeys in Peru.
For 3,500 m, the yellowish-brown grassland of the Wetlands of Puna dominate the landscape of the truly breathtaking high plateau and after several hours, the spectacular journey reaches Lake Titicaca, legendary birthplace of Inca culture.
Located in the centre of the Andes and at an altitude of nearly 4,000 m, Lake Titicaca covers an area of 8,300 square kilometres and has a depth of almost 300 m.
The western area of the lake contains a fascinating artificial island world known as the ‘Floating islands of the ancient people of Uru’. The ‘islands’ are floating mats of dried-out Totora, a reed-like papyrus that grows in the dense areas of the lake’s marshy shallows.
It is no wonder that the Inca people believed that this watery region was a holy lake. In Inca mythology, the ‘Children Of The Sun’, Manco Capac and Mama Ocllo, emerged from the depths of Lake Titicaca to create their glorious and mystical empire.
Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31445000 |
For instance, the period between 1941 and 1945 was the last time the United States had been officially at war. Korea, Vietnam, Iraq (both times), and Afghanistan were merely prolonged cases of "military action" without actually declaring war on anyone.
for military action in Iraq (first gulf war) was Joint Resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces pursuant to United Nations Security Council Resolution 678 on January 14, 1991, "Operation Desert Storm."
for military action in Afghanistan was House Joint Resolution 64 and Senate Joint Resolution 23, Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists
, Public Law 107-40, voted in by the US Congress on September 14, 2001.
for military action in Iraq (second gulf war) was on October 16, 2002, Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Constitution gives Congress the power to authorized war, but doesn't require specific language. The words "declaration of war," do not have to appear on the resolution. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31447000 |
WHARTON, JOHN AUSTIN [1828-65]
WHARTON, JOHN AUSTIN (1828–1865). John Austin Wharton, Confederate major-general, the son of Sarah Ann (Groce) and William Harris Wharton, was born near Nashville, Tennessee, on July 3, 1828. Wharton was brought to Galveston as an infant and spent his early years on a Brazoria County plantation. At the age of eight he was sent to the home of his uncle, Leonard W. Groce, for instruction under a Mr. Deans from Boston, who later founded a school at Galveston which Wharton attended until he was fifteen. From 1846 to 1850 Wharton attended South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina), where he served as a commander in the student cadet corps. In 1848 he married Eliza Penelope Johnson, daughter of David Johnson, the governor of South Carolina. Following college, Wharton returned to Texas and studied law with former United States Senator William Preston, Jack Harris, and Elisha M. Pease, all well-known and successful lawyers. After he was licensed to practice, Wharton established the firm of Wharton and Terry with Clint Terry at Brazoria. In 1860 Wharton served as a Breckinridge presidential elector and later represented Brazoria County at the state Secession Convention, voting for secession. In addition to his career in law and politics, Wharton was also a planter of considerable means. The 1860 tax roll for Brazoria County showed that he owned $167,004 of taxable property, including 135 slaves. When the war began Wharton was elected captain of Company B, Eighth Texas Cavalry, better known as Terry's Texas Rangers. He rose to command the regiment after the deaths of Col. Benjamin F. Terry and Lt. Col. Thomas S. Lubbock. Wharton led his troop with distinction at the battle of Shiloh, where he was wounded. His leadership in the course of Gen. Braxton Bragg's 1862 Kentucky invasion earned him a promotion to the rank of brigadier general on November 18, 1862. His actions at the battle of Chickamauga in the fall of 1863 earned him another promotion, to the rank of major general. In February 1864 the general was transferred to Richard Taylor's Trans-Mississippi Department in Louisiana. Upon his arrival he was assigned to lead the cavalry and took part in the closing scenes of the Red River campaign. On April 6, 1865, while visiting Gen. John B. Magruder's headquarters at the Fannin Hotel in Houston, Wharton was killed by fellow officer George W. Baylor in a personal quarrel that grew out of "an unpleasant misunderstanding over military matters." Even though Wharton was found to have been unarmed, Baylor was acquitted of murder charges in 1868. Wharton was originally buried at Hempstead but was later moved to the State Cemetery in Austin.
Clement Anselm Evans, ed., Confederate Military History (Atlanta: Confederate Publishing, 1899; extended ed., Wilmington, North Carolina: Broadfoot, 1987–89). Patricia L. Faust, ed., Historical Times Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Civil War (New York: Harper and Row, 1986). Leonidas B. Giles, Terry's Texas Rangers (Austin: Von Boeckmann-Jones, 1911). Ezra J. Warner, Generals in Gray (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1959). Marcus J. Wright, comp., and Harold B. Simpson, ed., Texas in the War, 1861–1865 (Hillsboro, Texas: Hill Junior College Press, 1965).
The following, adapted from the Chicago Manual of Style, 15th edition, is the preferred citation for this article.Robert Maberry, Jr., "WHARTON, JOHN AUSTIN [1828-65]," Handbook of Texas Online (http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/fwh04), accessed May 24, 2013. Published by the Texas State Historical Association. | fwe2-CC-MAIN-2013-20-31458000 |
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