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Virtual Museum Exhibit Brain cell Color/Pattern association This is a GIF animation. If the pattern does not cycle between a horizontal red bar and a vertical green bar pattern, switch to a browser that supports such things. 1. Stare at the changing pattern above for a few minutes, to "train" your brain. 2. Scroll down to the image below. It is uncolored. See if you can detect traces of color that your brain is placing into the image. More Info: 1. If you don't see any colors you may not have observed the color-changing bars for long enough. 2. This is more than simple retinal fatigue. The effect can last up to a week or more! The brain cells in the visual cortex are actually being programmed as you stare at the color-changing pattern. COPYRIGHT © 2000-2009 Brian Wesley Rich. Updated 28 April 2009 I'm interested in any Feedback you might have. Your suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please help me improve this website by clicking on the ads. No purchase necessary! Thanks!
In a typical English course, my grade is made up of two papers, a test and class participation. The two papers come at midterms and finals, and they can range from five to 15 pages. Here’s the gist of a regular prompt in the English department— “Choose a passage from one of the books we’ve read and use it to create an argument.” Depending on your comfort level, this prompt can be either awesome or terrifying. I’ve found that it’s usually awesome, albeit rather stressful. So here’s the process I use to write one of these free-wielding papers. Hope it’s helpful. 1) Choosing a topic This first step necessitates the actual first step—reading the book. While reading, I always have a pen in hand. Mostly, I underline sentences I find odd. Weirdness is a great measure for a good paper topic—tonal shifts, alien metaphors, words that don’t seem to fit etc. After reading, I go back and find a passage that I didn’t understand. I read that passage over and over and over again. Next, I see if I can get anywhere with it. Usually the answer is no, sometimes it’s yes. 2) Coming up with an argument My best (and perhaps only) piece of real advice is that you should check out the Oxford English Dictionary ( It’s beautiful. It’s so much better than any other dictionary, like MLB to your little league team. If I’m writing about a poem, I’ll look up nearly every word in the OED. This is an awesome way to detect possible puns, which facilitates detecting possible interpretations. What is the word doing, what weight is it carrying, what is it referring to, is it sarcastic or sincere… become obsessed with the language the author is using. English arguments need to come from the language of the piece, not from your intuition or past experience. 3) Organizing. My mind is a total mess, so developing prose that makes any sense whatsoever is a challenge. I start by typing up anything interesting in a word document: words that mean two things, interesting punctuation, symbols, allusions to other pieces of work. I then try to create some sort of order by dragging and dropping my paragraphs into another word document. The second word doc is organized by various themes. I drag and drop again—the third word doc is organized in some sort of argumentative order. This theme kinda proves this point that kinda proves this etc. Then I drag and drop again—the fourth word doc is hopefully my outline. 4) Writing I write anywhere from three to five drafts before the final. I write pretty quickly. When I can’t think of how to phrase something well, I phrase it poorly and move on. Computers are great, because words can be deleted. Don’t worry about sounding like an idiot. If I want to write five good pages, I try to write 10 okay pages, and then I delete the worst half and keep the better half. My “editing” process is pretty much a glorified “deleting” process. I know it’s not much—but after 2 1/2 years at Princeton, this is the best I could come up with. I’ll let you know when I get better, and maybe I can revise this post. Meet Our Bloggers
A visit to the Tellem caves (1964) In these months of armchair-travelling, it is fascinating to see the below documentary of a famous Dutch expedition to the Tellem caves in Bandiagara, Mali. Unfortunately it is in Dutch, yet the views alone are worth a look. This expedition was led by Herman Haan (1914-1996), an architect and amateur archeologist, together with Rogier Bedaux, Gerard Jansen, and Ton Hosemans. Haan had first visited the famous Dogon cliffs in 1960 and saw the potential for exploration. Through his contacts with Dutch television network NCRV, the expedition got weekly coverage on Dutch national television and millions of people would follow the journey (which would take 4 weeks instead of the ten days originally planned). It’s goal was to examine the links between the Dogon people, living at the feet of the cliffs, and the culture they had encountered when they arrived at the location in the 15th century: the Tellem (Dogon for “we found them”). To explore the higher located caves, Haan himself had designed a metal cage that could be lowered down the cliffs. The team did numerous archaeological excavations, finding all kinds of grave gifts, like iron bracelets, quarts lip-plugs, and wooden neck-rests. One cave was used as a graveyard and held about 1,000 skeletons from the 11th and 12th century. The results of the Tellem expedition would result in several scientific publications, and the television series would inspire a whole generation of African art amateurs in The Netherlands.
I am trying to figure out how is it possible to reconcile the reality of exothermic reactions, which means that kinetic energy is transferred to (heats) the surrounding matter, with the principle of conservation of momentum, in particular when the product is a single molecule. I have been exploring the question but found no sufficiently explanatory answer to the question of how the bond energy that is released may create movement (heat). The nearest to an answer that I can imagine is that the reactants enter some transitory combined state of vibration and that further contact with some other molecule results in the separation of each of them in opposite directions with equal but opposite momenta increments thus preserving the overall momentum, while at the same time reducing the vibration and stabilizing the product molecule. If that were the correct answer (at least in some cases), I would like to know a bit more about the details of the process, which I suppose entail some description about how binding energy is transferred to that vibration. In any case, it would be interesting to know whether is it actually possible for a single carbon atom and oxygen molecule to react (if they collide with the necessary energy) and produce carbon dioxyde or not, be it for the reason above or another one, since if they are in isolation, the transfer of vibration energy cannot be realized and thus the reaction could not be completed, and then I suppose that would eventually end with the spontaneous separation of the components. • $\begingroup$ First of all, you are asking several questions at the same time. We generally encourage focusing on one, which also helps to get quality answers. Also, what do oyu mean by " I would like to know a bit more about the details of the process, which I suppose entail some description about how binding energy is transferred to that vibration."? Do you you specific questions about the PES of this system? $\endgroup$ – Greg Sep 14 '20 at 2:13 • $\begingroup$ I agree that formally there are several questions, but in my mind it's a single one, which may be summarized as: how can it be the proccess (in isolation or not) by which bond energy is converted into movement --macroscopically, heat-- in exothermic reactions while conserving momentum? And, sorry, I don't know what PES refers to... $\endgroup$ – scifriend Sep 14 '20 at 3:33 • $\begingroup$ It seems you would benefit from reading about astrochemistry. There are books and presumably websites where similar matters are thoroughly discussed. $\endgroup$ Sep 14 '20 at 4:51 • 3 $\begingroup$ There is no single molecule of C. That being said, the concern is legitimate and quite important, so I'd ask everyone to refrain from the close votes. $\endgroup$ Sep 14 '20 at 5:59 • 2 $\begingroup$ Aha, I found it - The Physics and Chemistry of the Interstellar Medium. Chapter 4, Chemical Processes, contains a wealth of information. $\endgroup$ Sep 14 '20 at 12:28 $\ce{C + O2}$ is awfully complicated, so let's just pretend you've asked this: In a single act of the reaction $\ce{H. + H .-> H2}$, how is momentum conserved? That's a legitimate concern all right. After all, we are taught that this reaction does happen instantly, once given a chance, and that's in fact true. Also, we know that it releases a lot of heat. Now, heat is nothing but the motion of molecules; how does energy convert to the motion of one molecule as a result of one single reaction act? It doesn't. The conservation of momentum forbids that, just as you reasoned. Chemical reactions are collective phenomena. Nobody cares about a single molecule. Now what really happens to a single molecule which has just formed as a result of the mentioned reaction? That's really simple: the molecule is vibrating wildly, ready to break apart. Is has just enough energy to do so. It will do so half of the times, or maybe more often. But that doesn't matter. What matters is that sometimes the vibrating molecule will hit another molecule and sent both of them flying away in opposite directions, thus releasing a part of its energy and becoming more or less stable. An emission of a photon is also an option, but that's another story. So it goes. • $\begingroup$ Thank you very much again! I suppose that one can conclude that in isolation exothermic reactions are essentially unstable if not mostly impossible if the product is a single molecule. I'd also tend to agree that photon emission would be if only marginal, taking as reference black body radiation. Nevertheless, I am still intrigued about the details of the transitory, dynamic process by which the binding energy converts to that excess vibrational energy... maybe I could try some readable description? $\endgroup$ – scifriend Sep 14 '20 at 12:15 • $\begingroup$ @scifriend When the two atoms are colliding and forming a bond the potential energy of the system can be described as a function of the atomic distance, a curve, that has a minimum around bonding distance: demonstrations.wolfram.com/EnergyLevelsOfAMorseOscillator When the bond is formed the energy is coming from this potential energy difference between the minimum and the r -> infinity values. Imagine a sleigh that goes down to the minimum: it would go up again on the other side. Rolling back and force around the minimum is the vibration you are looking for. $\endgroup$ – Greg Sep 14 '20 at 13:38 • 8 $\begingroup$ Not sure exactly about C + O2, but in general the photon emission path is nowhere marginal. This is essentially what happens in upper layers of the atmosphere after the sunset. There are UV-broken molecules that want to recombine. There are few molecules around to "termalize" with. That's why the upper atmosphere slightly glows at night. $\endgroup$ – fraxinus Sep 14 '20 at 15:20 When two isolated atoms collide the total energy and momentum must remain with the two atoms so both are conserved overall. In fact in a reaction such as $\ce{H\cdot + H\cdot <=> H2}$ the hydrogen molecule only lasts for a few femtoseconds. This is because even though the bond is formed the atoms will still approach one another (total energy being constant, potential energy becomes more negative and kinetic energy more positive) and rebound as the atoms become very close. The 'molecule' only lasts for a single vibrational period, i.e. a few femtoseconds. If, however a third body is present, say an inert molecule or atom and this collides with the nascent $\ce{H2}$ molecule then some energy can be taken away from the $\ce{H2}$ and it becomes stabilised. At this point it may radiate away some energy or suffer further collisions and so become thermalised. What happens depends on the relative rate constants for these processes. In the atom-diatomic collision, e.g. $\ce{F + D2<=> D + DF}$, overall, total energy and momenta is again preserved if there are no other species involved. However, in this case the $\ce{D2}$ has translational, rotational and vibrational energy, this is then partitioned among the products depending on the nature of the potential energy surface describing the approach of the reactants and that of the products. Such 'reactive scattering' has been extensively studied in the gas phase under high vacuum conditions and in molecular beams. See Polanyi & Woodall, J. Chem. Phys. 57, 1574, (1972); Polanyi & Schreiber, Faraday Disc. Chem. Soc. 62, 267, (1977) and textbook by Steinfeld, Francisco & Hase, Chapter 9,' Chemical Dynamics & Dynamics'(Prentice Hall 1999);Levine & Bernstein 'Molecular Reaction Dynamics and Chemical Reactivity' (OUP 1987). • $\begingroup$ So does that mean H + H —> H2 won’t happen in the gas phase? As you’d need some kind of solid body to transfer energy to? Or is an excited H2 molecule colliding into another atom in the mixture enough to dissipate its energy? $\endgroup$ Sep 18 '20 at 20:46 • 1 $\begingroup$ Some energy has to be taken away so colliding with another molecule or atom can do this and make a molecule. Collision with a surface will also remove energy. Most likely here though is that reaction occurs by a different mechanism which is atoms diffusing together when on the surface. $\endgroup$ – porphyrin Sep 19 '20 at 6:53 • $\begingroup$ @porphyrin Thank you very much for your illustrative answer and references. However, I am still intrigued about how the chemical energy in, say, the O2 bonds can be released into vibrational energy in the CO2 product, even if the reaction is, as Ivan Neretin said, terribly complicated. Is that type of energy conversion a well described process? Could someone give a summary description or a reference? $\endgroup$ – scifriend Sep 20 '20 at 3:19 • $\begingroup$ Have a look for articles on LEPS potentials, and atom-diatomic reactions or the text books in my answer. The important point is that energy in translation vibration and rotation are not isolated from one another but are 'coupled' so that energy can flow between them. $\endgroup$ – porphyrin Sep 20 '20 at 7:03 • $\begingroup$ @scifriend Carbon and Oxygen are complicated because there are so many effects that make a mess of any single, simple way to explain it. A simple model without explanatory power is not of any use to anyone. Carbon and Oxygen react through intermediary species, with rate determining steps (forbidden transitions), radicals and the product is rarely carbon dioxide, that is the final product of a series of unstable carboxides. You won't find a nice way to track what happens to momentum... I think... $\endgroup$ Dec 2 '20 at 12:11 Your Answer
When do honeybee foragers rely on dances? Like Comment Read the paper The honeybee ‘waggle dance’ is one of the best-known non-human examples of symbolic communication in the animal kingdom. This remarkable behaviour enables a honeybee, upon its return to the hive from an especially desirable flower patch, to transmit the location of this patch to its sisters. These individuals are then able to find the site for themselves. Here’s how it works: during a dance, a forager repeatedly moves across the comb in a particular direction while vigorously shaking her abdomen back and forth. How long each repetition (or ‘waggle run’) lasts and the direction it is performed in translate respectively to the distance and direction of the food source from the hive. By following several waggle runs, uninformed bees can decode these coordinates and successfully locate sites many hundreds of meters away (Figure 1). Yet despite the seemingly obvious benefits of being able to tell others precisely where to go to find the best flowers, studies that have removed bees’ access to this information have repeatedly found little effect on the overall amount of food a colony collects. Could it be, regardless of its rather spectacular nature, that the ability to transmit foraging locations is in fact of little relevance to the bees themselves? Figure 1. A pollen forager produces a waggle run while being followed by several nestmates. Photo credit: Christoph Grüter It has been known for decades that waggle dances are not the only means by which honeybees can inform others about foraging opportunities. Successful foragers frequently offer small nectar samples during trophallaxis (Figure 2), allowing recipients to learn the scent and taste of the food source. Likewise, food-odour information can be obtained simply by antennating returning foragers. Guided by this knowledge, honeybees may then search their environment for flower patches that smell like what they have experienced in the hive. Could these alternative recruitment mechanisms account for why colonies that lack access to spatial information often perform just as well as undisrupted colonies? Answering this question requires some method of establishing whether foragers are responding to dances, food-related olfactory information, or a combination of these. However, this is not a trivial task, given that all these social information sources are typically available simultaneously in the hive. Figure 2. Nectar exchange during trophallaxis. The recipient (with proboscis extended) is on the left and donor on the right. Photo credit: Matthew Hasenjager My co-authors (Prof. Elli Leadbeater and Dr. Will Hoppitt) and I wondered if advances in social network analysis might offer a way forward. We reasoned that if honeybees are guided to a particular foraging site by social information, then the order in which they locate that site should follow a social network that reflects opportunities to acquire that information. If we could gather data on patterns of dance-following, trophallactic contacts, and antennation, and build the corresponding social networks, then it might be possible to use a technique known as network-based diffusion analysis to ask which network (or combination of networks) best explains the order in which bees discover foraging sites. In a paper released last week in Nature Communications, we do just that. First, we needed to control the foraging opportunities available to our bees and the personal information each was privy to. To do this, we worked during late summer when natural food sources were scarce and provided bees with our own food sources instead. Working with one colony at a time, we trained two groups of bees to a pair of scented feeding stations (Figure 3). Importantly, each group only knew the location of one of these stations. Then, by emptying one of the feeders, we created an unemployed workforce that was now motivated to find the other, novel-to-them feeding location that was being advertised in the hive. Simultaneously, we recorded all in-hive interactions between our unemployed and employed cohorts (made possible by specially constructed glass-walled observation hives). We found that the order in which the unemployed foragers discovered the alternative feeding site was predicted solely by patterns of dance-following, indicating that communication of location information played a key role in this context. Olfactory information gained through trophallaxis or antennation alone was not sufficient to lead foragers to this new location. Figure 3. Marked individuals collecting from an artificial scented feeding station. Photo credit: Matthew Hasenjager On any given day, most honeybees do not seek out novel foraging locations, preferring instead to collect from sites they have visited before so long as it remains profitable to do so. One way to stay up to date about a prized foraging site without even having to leave the hive is to gather information from returning foragers. We therefore focused next on bees that already knew the location of the profitable feeder, but had been interrupted in their foraging. Which forms of interaction motivated these individuals to resume their foraging efforts? We found that under such circumstances, all three networks—dance-following, trophallaxis, but especially antennation—simultaneously contributed to reactivating these inactive foragers, alerting them that their familiar food source was once more available. Taken together, our findings emphasize the multifunctional nature of the waggle dance. Following dances was crucial for recruitment to novel locations, but was also important for reactivating foragers to previously visited sites. Dancing can thereby organize a colony’s foraging operation even in situations in which the dance’s spatial information is of little importance. Our study also highlights that in many situations, non-dance interactions are at least as important as dances (if not more so) in guiding bees to food. Spatial communication via the waggle dance may thus be more appropriately viewed not as the centrepiece of honeybee foraging, but as just one component of an integrated, multi-functional information-sharing system. Adopting this perspective may yield new insights into one of behavioural ecology’s most enduring questions: what is the adaptive value of the honeybee waggle dance, a behaviour that has failed to evolve in even a single other social insect lineage? To find out more, read the full paper here: https://rdcu.be/b004o. Matthew Hasenjager Postdoctoral research associate, Royal Holloway, University of London
Impressive waterspout recorded in Euboea (video) The recent autumn-like weather helps such phenomena The autumn-like weather Greece has been recently experiencing with rains, thunderstorms and lower temperatures is conducive for the impressive phenomenon of waterspouts. An amateur videographer recorded the beautiful natural phenomenon in Euboea. A waterspout is an intense columnar vortex (usually appearing as a funnel-shaped cloud) that occurs over a body of water. Some are connected to a cumulus congestus cloud, some to a cumuliform cloud and some to a cumulonimbus cloud. In the common form, it is a non-supercell tornado over water. source of video
How do barcode labels work? A barcode is a small image made up of lines and spaces that is generally attached to objects such as retail items, ID cards and entrance tickets. They have revolutionised the modern world, and are practically ubiquitous: it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing barcode labels! Practically every time a consumer makes a purchase they interact with a barcode, but just exactly how do barcode labels really work? Barcode labels are a way that information can be encoded into a pattern that is readable by a scanning machine. Each of the black and white lines is a representation of a different character that complies to an algorithm that has been decided for that specific type. If the lines are altered in anyway the characters are also changed. A barcode scanner is required to read the algorithm and confirm its authenticity. Types of barcode labels Before deciding that a barcode is right for your products, inventory, or any other purpose, you should ensure that you have chosen the correct barcode for your requirements. There are two major types of barcode, 1D (one-dimensional) and 2D (two-dimensional), and each have different properties. One-dimensional barcodes are a representation of data by applying a variation of black and white lines with different widths and spaces. These are the most common kinds of barcodes and are often used on consumer goods in many countries around the world, from New Zealand and Japan to the UK and the USA. There are different types of 1D barcode, with different characteristics and each can be used for different purposes. Just a few of the most common barcode labels of this kind are: UPC code, CODE 39, ITF, CODE 93 and CODABAR. To find out more about one-dimensional barcodes, get in touch and we can talk you through each in more detail. Two-dimensional barcodes refer to barcodes that represent data with a use of 2D shapes and symbols. This type includes the QR code, which is growing in popularity due its ability to be easily tracked and quickly read by consumers, who can easily access information encrypted using their smartphones. Other forms of 2D barcode labels include Datamatrix code, PDF417 and Aztec. These are the most common of the two-dimensional barcodes, and can also be used for different purposes. If you would like to hear more about these barcode types, contact us and we can arrange a free consultation. At Hague we are experts in all forms of printing solutions, so if you have a question about any of our services we are always happy to speak with you. Don’t hesitate to get in touch!
When you buy a mango you’re paying for fruit juice Posted November 01, 2019 07:48:16 When you eat fruit, your body is trying to convert the sugar in the fruit into energy. This means that the fruit juices you purchase from a fruit juice stand are making use of a lot of sugar, and they’re therefore potentially more energy-dense than the original fruit juice. But a new study has revealed that fruit juice is also more expensive than the fruit itself, and it’s also harder to source. In a new paper published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers analysed data from more than 30,000 fruit juice vending machines across Europe and found that the average price per serving was 2.5 times higher than the retail price of the fruit. This is despite the fact that the fruits themselves have similar sugar content, the researchers say. The team analysed data on how much sugar each juice sold at the end of the day. They also looked at the costs of the beverages. In order to analyse the data, the team analysed the data on sales at two vending machines located in Berlin, Germany. At the two machines, there was a daily average of 4,903,000 servings of fruit juice for the month of December, while the total cost of the beverage was 1,947,000. This means that a single fruit juice sold in Berlin costs about €4,842.88, or just under €2 per serving. This difference between the cost of a serving of fruit and the price of a single serving of juice is the result of the different way in which the two beverages are prepared. The fruit is blended into a mixture of sugar and water, and then placed in a pitcher and poured into a glass to remove the pulp. This process is repeated until the juice has been absorbed into the juice. When the liquid is poured into the glass, it’s then mixed with sugar and placed in the juice to ensure it’s a perfect mixture. However, the fruit juice does not come with any nutritional information on the label, so it can’t be considered a safe beverage. “These beverages are marketed as a ‘natural’ way of consuming fruit,” said the paper’s author, Daniel Pischke, an assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine. “However, in reality, they are more expensive.” Pischke explained that when the sugar is added to the water in a fruit juicer, it can make the juice “firm and heavy” and make it harder to drink. This, in turn, leads to a higher price tag on the fruit, which can lead to people being tempted to buy it instead of the cheaper fruit juice instead. The paper concludes that the “natural’ ingredients in fruit juice should not be confused with the real ingredients in the real fruit juice that is used in fruit bars, juice drinks and fruit cocktails.” A similar research study published in Food Science & Technology, a leading international scientific journal, found that a similar price difference exists between the costs associated with a single bottle of juice. For example, a single 100ml bottle of apple juice costs around €8.70, while a 100ml serving of pineapple juice costs between €6.90 and €9.30. Pischk said that he was surprised by the study’s findings, but believes that it is possible that the high cost of fruit juices can be explained by the fact they are not labeled. “I would like to think that there’s a cost associated with these beverages and that it’s just because they are labeled as a fruit-juice,” he said. “There are many reasons for these price differences. We need to look at the whole context of the price.” The research is published in a recent issue of the Journal. Sponsored Content
Why You Should Manage Your Child’s Screen Time Unplug and Create Quality Family Time The temptation to just click play As a parent, I understand the challenges of trying to keep a young child entertained. I always try to find ways to keep my daughter from becoming bored. We play games, do arts & crafts, and go to the park. While it is convenient to set up a screen and hit “play”, this approach can produce negative such as sleep difficulties and trouble with face-to-face interactions. No screen time before 18 months The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends avoiding screen time in children younger than 18 months, except for video-chatting with family/friends. Between 18 months and age five, if screen time is desired, it is essential to choose high-quality educational programming. The AAP recommends limiting screen time to 1 hour per day. It is also important that parents watch alongside their children to help them understand what they are watching while trying to apply it to the world around them. For example: when watching a video about counting and numbers, the parent can take physical objects around them and encourage the child to count the toys together. Apply these same lessons later when the child is learning addition and subtraction; the parent can use physical aids such as their toys to assist with counting. Embrace the “unplugged” Parents should emphasize “unplugged” playtime and choose interactive games, hands-on learning activities, and physical activities, such as riding a bike or playing at the playground. For those six years and older, screen time limits should be placed, and parents should enforce them consistently. The use of media should not interfere with schoolwork, quality family time, chores, physical activity, etc. Parents should consider “screen-free” times, such as during meals and drives in the car. They may also designate ‘’screen-free” spaces such as in the child’s bedroom. Embrace the precious time you have together with your children. Never let a screen get in the way. Consequences of screen time Excessive screen time has been shown to reduce the amount and quality of sleep. It take the place of crucial physical activity. Screen time can also hinder social development and relationships with others. Online safety is also paramount as parents should monitor internet use and have safeguards in place to prevent children from visiting inappropriate sites such as those of a sexual or violent nature. By: Eric Lesko, FNP.
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there might be some discrepancies.Please refer to the ideal style hands-on or other sources if you have any kind of questions. You are watching: The sac that regulates the temperature of the testes is the Corrections? Updates? Omissions? permit us understand if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Our editors will evaluation what did you do it submitted and also determine even if it is to review the article. Join medtox.org"s Publishing partner Program and our neighborhood of specialists to gain a an international audience for your work! Scrotum, in the masculine reproductive system, a thin external sac the skin the is separated into two compartments; each compartment contains one that the 2 testes, the glands that create sperm, and one the the epididymides, whereby the sperm is stored. The scrotum is a distinct anatomical feature of human beings and specific other varieties of land-dwelling mammals. The is constant with the skin of the lower abdomen and also is located directly behind the penis and also in prior of the anus. The scrotal wall is a thin layer of skin lined through smooth muscle tissue (dartos fascia). The skin contains an ext pigment than that of surrounding areas and has numerous sebaceous (oil-producing) glands and sweat glands, and also some hair. The two compartments of the scrotum are identified externally through a center ridge dubbed the raphe. Internally, the raphe connects to a muscular partition, the septum, which serves to division the scrotum right into its 2 areas. The duty of the scrotum is to defend the testes and to keep them at a temperature numerous degrees listed below the normal body temperature. The scrotum for this reason protrudes from the human body wall: moreover, it contracts from cold, exercise, or sexual stimulation and also expands and also relaxes when warm. As soon as contracted, the conserves heat; while calm it is smooth and elongated, allow the circulation of air that results cooling. The fairly cool temperature that the scrotum is thought to be necessary for the manufacturing of viable sperm. The scrotum is a bag of skin lying below the pubic symphysis and also just in front of the upper parts of the thighs. It contains the testes... The muscle ton of the scrotum i do not care weakened and relaxed in larger men. In animals whose scrotum is constantly tight against the body, together in rats, boars, and stallions, the testes are cooled through the intricate blood system that surrounds them. Failure of the scrotum come cool the testes, i beg your pardon occurs during high fevers or, in some animals, during the warm summer months, causes temporary sterility. See more: Positive Self-Esteem Guarantees Interpersonal Success, Concepts From Chapter 3 Of Interplay Flashcards This short article was many recently revised and also updated through Kara Rogers, senior Editor.
Angelic Close Encounters Gabriel’s appearance in the first chapter of Luke’s gospel was not his first in the terrestrial setting, but rather the climax in a series of several personal encounters spanning half a millennium. The theme of Gabriel’s revelation reinforced impeccable consistency. He had a message revealing a future event that would not only change Mary’s life, but dramatically alter the course of earth’s history. LUKE 1:26, 31-33 Imagine not just the surprising nature of Gabriel’s spontaneous appearance, but the startling message. Daniel’s first close encounter with Gabriel around 551 B.C. was the direct response to the prophet’s prayer to God for wisdom. He had asked God for understanding concerning a vision that revealed the future emergence of four Gentile world empires (Dan. 8). Sometime later, Gabriel made another appearance detailing the familiar calendar of 70 weeks of years consummating God’s plan for Israel that will culminate in the coming of Messiah. With pinpoint accuracy authenticating that he was indeed a divine messenger sent directly from God, the angel Gabriel outlined a specific timeline predicting Messiah’s presentation to Israel, which was fulfilled with His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Dan. 9:20-27; cf. Mt. 21:1-9). More than five centuries after his appearances to Daniel, the temple priest Zacharias had a close encounter with Gabriel. As Zacharias offered incense in the Holy Place, Gabriel suddenly appeared to the right side of the altar. Reassuring a startled and terror-stricken Zacharias, Gabriel self-identified as a high-ranking angel, “who stands in the presence of God” (Lk. 1:11-19). Consistent with his previous messages to Daniel, Gabriel further revealed a vital component in God’s Messianic program. Zacharias was informed that he and his wife Elizabeth would be blessed with a son in their advanced age. More importantly, Gabriel emphasized their son would, “. . . go before Him [Messiah] in the spirit and power of Elijah . . . to make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Lk. 1:17). Jesus Christ Himself later confirmed the fulfillment of Gabriel’s prophecy in the person of John the Baptist (Mt. 11:7-14; 17:10-13). Six months later, a young virgin named Mary living in the town of Nazareth had a close encounter with Gabriel. There were no screams of terror, no panicked attempts to escape and little to suggest a frightening experience in the biblical record. In light of the sudden presence of an angel in close proximity to her, Mary’s uneasiness focuses more on the intent of his greeting: “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women(Lk. 1:28). As in his encounters with Daniel, Gabriel appeared as a man. His message to Mary is also consistent with and inseparably linked to the prophecies he revealed to Daniel and Zacharias. In declaring that Mary would be Messiah’s human mother, Gabriel explained: Gabriel’s prophecy was confirmed on the night of Jesus’ birth when the sky suddenly burst into light and an angel accompanied by the vast heavenly host proclaimed, “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:11). Gabriel’s message was unprecedented and assured the unfolding of God’s Messianic plan. His predictions were confirmed through eye-witness testimony of people who personally experienced life-changing angelic close encounters. When we say Merry Christmas, we’re proclaiming the fulfillment of the message as prophesied by the angel Gabriel! 1) The Annunciation, (c. 1914). (Image used for illustrative purposes) (Photo credit: By John William Waterhouse (1849-1917)/[PD- US, PD-Art]/Wikimedia/Enhancement, MKM Portfolios) 2) Annunciation. (Two images of the same subject used for illustrative purposes) (Photo credit: Pixabay/Enhancement, MKM Portfolios)
Friday mystery object #391 answer Last week I gave you this skull from the Dead Zoo to have a go at identifying: I think it’s quite a distinctive skull, so I didn’t provide a scale and I asked for cryptic clues to avoid spoiling the challenge. The overall skull shape is fairly standard for an Artiodactyl, but while this specimen has no incisors in the upper jaw, there are fairly obviously empty alveoli that show where the teeth used to be. That means it’s not a member of the Ruminantia (the deer, antelope, cattle, giraffes and weird deery-antelopey type critters like chevrotains) since they all lack upper incisors. That leaves the pigs, hippos and camels – and it’s clearly not one of the pigs or hippos. The camel family is a bit odd. There are three wild species, but then an additional four entirely domesticated species. The proportions of this skull are a bit long for a Llama, Guanaco, Alpaca or Vicuña. That leaves the Dromedary, Wild Bactrian or Domesticated Bactrian camel as possibilities. Dromedary skulls tend to have a horizontal nasal region then a steep rise to the braincase immediately behind the orbits, but this specimen has a more gentle slope running from the nose to the top of the braincase, so it’s Bactrian. Unfortunately the Wild Bactrian camel is critically endangered and poorly represented in collections, so it’s hard to find enough comparative material to differentiate the wild and domestic Bactrians. Well done to everyone who figured out that this is one of the double-humped ships of the desert. There were some great clues in the answers! One thought on “Friday mystery object #391 answer 1. Thanks for the detailed explanation and terminology, Mr. V. It really helps explain how and why I chose the correct animal even if I didn’t know how I knew. All helps to differentiate skulls in the future and know what to look for. I will not be getting anywhere near a camel in a zoo after seeing the top teeth they normally have – and reading about one biting its owner’s head off! 🤣 Share your thoughts You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Google photo Twitter picture Facebook photo Connecting to %s
Easy ways to be eco friendly Small changes in every day life make big difference Being environmentally conscious doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. There are a lot of things happening that are bad for the environment that are out of our control. We can’t necessarily stop using gasoline or avoid all plastic, but, we can make small changes in our everyday lives to at least lower our carbon footprint and produce less waste. Even a small change makes a difference. One change you can make is eating less meat. The meat industry releases a lot of harmful gases into the atmosphere and treating meat takes a lot of water. According to Food Tank, a non-profit organization that aims to educate people about the issues in our food system, it takes almost 1,800 gallons to produce a pound of beef while soybeans, a popular plant based option, take about 220 gallons. Eating less meat isn’t going to stop the meat industry but at least you won’t be supporting it as much and it would lower your carbon footprint. Another simple change is being conscious about the transportation you take. All the CKM student IDs have a free bus pass so taking the bus can actually save you money and lower your carbon footprint as well. You can also carpool and walk to nearby places to reduce your emissions and save some gas. Rethinking the food you buy is another way you can help the environment. Going to the local farmer’s market is more environmentally friendly because the food doesn’t have to be shipped in from far away. Sacramento has a great year round market that isn’t expensive. You would also be supporting small farmers. Ecosia is another way you can be more eco friendly. Ecosia is a search engine that uses its revenues to plant trees. They are also powered by reusable energy. Of course, it isn’t as good as Google, which I use for just about everything. I still use Google for all my schoolwork but I like to use Ecosia when I do unimportant things like online shopping. You can download the app and it is really easy to use. A way to easily reduce your waste is by avoiding single use plastic. We use so much plastic in our everyday lives and a lot of it is unnecessary. When you go grocery shopping, you can bring your own bags and reuse them every time instead of getting new plastic ones each time. You can also invest in some reusable produce bags. Instead of putting your lettuce in a plastic bag, you can buy a large set of reusable bags for around $15 on Amazon. They even have the tare weight and the cashiers are happy to take the weight away so you don’t pay for it. You can also invest in reusable snack bags. I like bags from Stasher and Zip It. You do have to wash them and they do cost a bit more but in the end, you reduce the amount of plastic you are throwing away and it’ll eventually save you some money. Another plastic swap is using reusable food wraps instead of plastic wrap. They are also a bit more expensive but they are really useful and good for covering your leftovers. They also last a long time so will help you reduce your waste. There are other easy ways to reduce your waste. For example you can use a reusable water bottle instead of plastic ones and you can also bring a reusable coffee cup when you go out. Of course there are tons of ways to decrease your carbon footprint and be more environmentally friendly but I find these to be some of the easiest and they’re also my favorites. Even though it may not seem like you’re doing much, any little bit makes some sort of difference, especially over time. Climate change is one of the biggest issues of this time and it is important we try to make a difference, no matter how small.
The Many Types of Dementia Jul 12, 2019 \| Signs, Symptoms and Science of Dementia Dementia is a descriptive term that covers impaired memory and the loss of other cognitive abilities which interfere with a person’s functioning in daily life. There are multiple types of dementia, the most common is Alzheimer’s disease. Early diagnosis helps with the treatment of symptoms, and with some types of dementia, early treatment may reverse the diagnosis. Some forms of dementia, however, are manageable, but not reversible, and worsen over time. Treatable Causes of Dementia Medical treatment, as well as lifestyle and diet change, may reverse these causes of dementia: • Alcohol or drug abuse • Tumors • Blood clots of the brain • Normal-pressure hydrocephalus (buildup of fluid in the brain) • Metabolic disorders (including vitamin deficiencies) • Hypothyroidism (low levels of thyroid hormones) • Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) • HIV/AIDS-associated neurocognitive disorders Types of Dementia Let’s look at the various types of dementia that are currently not reversible, starting with the most common, Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s Disease Alzheimer’s affects between 60 and 80 percent of all people with dementia, and approximately 5.5 million people in the United States. In the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, people typically have difficulty remembering recent events such as conversations and names of people. Depression is also a common early-on symptom of Alzheimer’s. Typically, cognitive impairment progresses within 2-4 years of Alzheimer’s onset. Alzheimer’s is not reversible, but some of the early memory symptoms and cognitive changes can be slowed or moderately improved through medication. Vascular Dementia Vascular dementia, one of the most common types of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease, accounts for 5 to 10 percent of all cases of dementia. The cause of vascular dementia is cerebrovascular disease, a condition consisting of damaged blood vessels and brain tissue injury, which deprives brain cells of oxygen and nutrients. This is often related to an event such as a stroke, or a small blood vessel disease, or changes in the brain such as white matter lesions and narrowing of the arteries. Symptoms of vascular dementia include confusion, disorientation, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, and vision loss. Depression commonly co-exists with vascular dementia and can contribute to cognitive symptoms. There are no drugs that specifically treat symptoms of vascular dementia, but some people are modestly helped by drugs that treat Alzheimer’s. The control of risk factors is important in improving the outcome of vascular dementia and may assist with postponing or preventing further decline. Risk factors include smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, uncontrolled blood sugar, as well as poor diet and lack of exercise. Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PD) Age appears to be a common factor in the development of dementia in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Dementia is rare in people with the onset of Parkinson’s before the age of 50 years but is more common with an onset at 70 years and older. Cognitive changes develop about one year following the onset of motor and mobility symptoms (mainly shaking or trembling of the hands, arms, jaw, and face, as well as stiffness of the trunk and limbs), but impairment that is severe enough to diagnose dementia occurs in only 20% of people with Parkinson’s disease, and typically these symptoms progress slowly over a period of 10 to 15 years. There is no cure for Parkinson’s disease dementia, but therapy and supportive medications ease the symptoms. Huntington Disease Dementia (HD) Huntington disease (HD) is genetic in origin, passed on from generation to generation. Huntington disease is a devastating disorder which destroys nerve cells and lowers levels of neurotransmitters, chemicals that carry signals in the brain. HD typically affects people in their 30s and 40s, but symptoms can appear at other ages. Symptoms of HD dementia normally include abnormal movement and emotional behavior, with cognitive symptoms that appear gradually and worsen over time. There is no cure or treatment to slow down the progression of Huntington disease. Treatment focuses on relieving symptoms. Lewy Body Dementia (LBD) This type of dementia isn’t a common household name, but Lewy body dementia (LBD) affects an estimated 1.4 million individuals and their families in the United States. LBD is a disease which gets its name from deposits of a protein called alpha-synuclein in the brain. These deposits are called Lewy bodies. Lewy bodies affect chemicals in the brain which lead to impaired thinking, problems with movement (tremors, stiffness, slowness, difficulty walking), visual hallucinations, sleep disorders, behavioral and mood symptoms, and changes in body functions, such as blood pressure control, temperature regulation, and bladder and bowel function. Currently, there is no cure for Lewy body dementia, however, the symptoms are treatable. Medications that treat other diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s with dementia are typically beneficial for cognitive, movement, and behavioral problems. Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) An extremely rare type of dementia, Creutzfelt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a degenerative, fatal brain disorder, which affects approximately one person in every one million per year worldwide. There are three major categories of Creutzfelt-Jakob disease: • Sporadic CJD appears in a person that has no known risk factors for the disease. This accounts for at least 85 percent of cases. • Hereditary CJD appears in a person that has a family history of the disease and tests positive for genetic mutations associated with the disease. This accounts for 10 to 15 percent of all cases of CJD in the United States. • Acquired CJD is transmitted by exposure to brain or nervous system tissue. Evidence suggests that CJD is not transferred by common contact, but may be acquired through certain medical procedures, or through eating meat from cattle affected by a similar disease called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, commonly called “mad cow” disease. Symptoms of CJD typically include loss of muscle coordination, personality change, and impaired vision. Symptoms progress rapidly and eventually; patients lose the ability to move and speak and enter a coma. Pneumonia and other infections are common in individuals with the disease and can lead to death. There is no cure or specific treatment for Creutzfelt-Jakob disease. Symptoms, such as pain, are typically treated to improve the comfort level of the patient. Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a term that umbrellas a span of uncommon disorders that affect the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. FTD tends to occur at a younger age than other diseases related to dementia, such as Alzheimer’s, generally between the ages of 40 and 45. The frontal and temporal lobes of the brain shrink with frontotemporal dementia. These areas of the brain are associated with personality, behavior, language, and in rarer cases, movement difficulties like those with Parkinson’s disease. The cause of FTD is unknown. The risk may increase if you have a family history of dementia, otherwise, there are no known risk factors. Treatment for frontotemporal dementia focuses on managing some of the symptoms, but currently, there is no treatment that slows down the progression of the disease. Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA), also called Benson’s syndrome, is a disease resulting in gradual and progressive degeneration of the outer layer of the brain located in the back of the head. It is not fully known if PCA is a variant form of Alzheimer’s disease, but the brain shows similar plaques and changes that occur in Alzheimer’s disease. Some brain changes also resemble Lewy body dementia or a form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Most cases of PCA occur between the ages of 50 and 65, as opposed to Alzheimer’s disease which generally occurs in people 65 or older. Symptoms of Posterior cortical atrophy varies from person to person, but the most common symptoms are consistent with damage to the posterior section of the brain, and typically leads to difficulties with visual tasks. Hallucinations are not uncommon. People living with PCA may also have trouble completing mathematical calculations or spelling and may experience anxiety. In the early stages of PCA, most patients do not have reduced memory, but memory can be affected in later stages. The cause of posterior cortical atrophy is unknown, and there are no known cures or treatments specific to the disease. Some people benefit from drugs used to temporarily relieve patients from brain dysfunction in Alzheimer’s disease. Mixed Dementia The diagnosis of mixed dementia is made when brain changes and abnormalities associated with more than one type of dementia occur simultaneously. Symptoms of mixed dementia are related to the type of brain changes that have occurred and which brain regions are affected, so symptoms vary with mixed dementia. There is no cure or specific treatment for mixed dementia. Frequently, people with mixed dementia are diagnosed with a single type of dementia, and physicians base their treatment on that diagnosis. Traumatic Brain Injury Brain injuries often result in symptoms that are commonly seen in dementia, such as confusion, memory loss, changes in speech, vision, and personality. These symptoms may go away, either quickly or slowly, but some may never go away. The difference between brain injury symptoms and those of a disease such as Alzheimer’s is that the symptoms don’t generally worsen over time. Some types of head injuries can raise the risk of Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia later in life. Risk factors increase based on the severity of the brain injury, as well as the age (55 and older) that the injury occurred. Tips for Reducing Dementia Risk Factors You may not be able to totally prevent the onset of all types of dementia, but you can take preventive measures to reduce the risk. Here’s the short list for reducing the risk of dementia, and in many cases, these measures also help to relieve symptoms of some types of dementia: • Avoid tobacco use • Avoid alcohol and drug abuse • Strive for a healthy well-balanced diet • Exercise your body and mind • Maintain blood pressure and cholesterol at healthy levels Talk with your physician to ensure you and your family members are not at an increased risk for any type of dementia. Prevention starting at an early age is key!
Staying Calm Staying Calm A key, but sometimes overlooked skill in any survival situation is staying calm. By staying calm you improve your brain’s ability to process information and therefore make much better decisions. This can ultimately be the difference between surviving or not. Staying calm and stress-free in your everyday life can also have massive positive effects on your health and wellbeing. There are a number of very serious medical conditions that stress can lead to such as heart attacks and strokes. Here are some techniques that can help you keep your cool both in the short term as well as in the future. They will also hopefully allow you to control your mind and stay calm in survival situations. Simple breathing exercises There are a number of breathing techniques in stress management books and online. Each one will be more effective for some people than others. A lot of these techniques involve exhaling for longer than you inhale. By making you’re exhale longer, you activate the vagus nerve which runs from your neck to your diaphragm. This nerve then sends signals to your brain telling it to increase your parasympathetic nervous system (controls your rest and relaxation responses) and to decrease your sympathetic nervous system (controls your fight or flight responses). Breathing Exercise 1 • Sit or stand still in a comfortable position. • Take a breath in while counting to three. • Hold this breath for one second • Exhale while counting to six • Pause for one second • Repeat The length of your inhaling and exhaling can be adapted to suit your breathing style. By stopping and breathing in this way for a few minutes you will be in a much more relaxed state ready to make those important survival decisions. Breathing Exercise 2 If you need to wake yourself up or create a very focused mindset then alternate nostril breathing may work for you. This technique is said to have similar effects to a cup of coffee and can leave you feeling energized ready to complete any challenging task. How to do it • Sit or stand in a comfortable position • Place your right thumb over your right nostril and take a deep breath in through your exposed left nostril • Place your ring finger over your left nostril, release your thumb and exhale deeply through your now exposed right nostril • Repeat this for a few minutes These two simple breathing techniques can help you out in a stressful situation. Their effects can be felt almost immediately when done correctly. However, these effects may also be short-lived and the techniques may need repeating several times to help keep you calm. Meditation can help keep you in a constant calm state. Staying Calm Breathing exercises can help you keep calm and focused on what needs to be achieved in order to survive Concentration Meditation This can be challenging to start with but even if you only manage a couple of minutes of concentration meditation, staying calm will start to become easier. Start for a couple of minutes and then build up to an extended period of time. Concentration meditation is simply focusing your entire mind on one single point. This point could be the flame of a candle, a single word that you repeat over and over again in your mind, or a repeating sound. Your only goal is to focus on this one point; any other thoughts that enter your mind are thrown away – effectively nothing else exists apart from your focus point. Mindfulness Meditation This can also be challenging so, as with concentration meditation, start with a couple of minutes of this and build up your time spent in this mindset. Mindfulness meditation is the opposite of concentration meditation. Rather than focusing on one single point, you allow your mind to wander. You allow any thoughts to enter your mind, however, you do not get involved with or judge these thoughts, you simply make yourself aware that they are there and then move on to the next. Staying Calm If you can master meditation, then staying calm will be much easier for you in any situation By creating a calm and balanced mind you will find that you are able to complete tasks that you think are challenging or scary in a very confident and composed manner. In a survival situation reacting to your environment is a huge part of making it out in one piece. Staying calm can be the difference between survival and panic. Leave a Reply
User Tools Site Tools The Blinking Computer The Blinking Computer is a easy-to-build educational computer. As the name suggests, the idea is that you can write code and see it execute at every level, that means discrete components and lots of LEDs. The design has evolved very many times since my Prof forbid me from canablising the old departmental Strowger switch telephone exchange in the late 1980's. Right now there are 32 words of DRAM and the program memory is a tape loop, just like Colossus. It's not built yet (and it may never be), but this is the plan: • It's an 8 bit processor with only 32 bytes RAM but loads of program memory • There are no registers, only a single bank of data memory (the program memory is completely separate) • All instructions are of the form: • cnd Mi = Mj OP Mk • i, j, k are 6 bit integers • cnd indicates that all instructions are conditionally executed • The bottom 5 bits (M0 to M31) are DRAM • Probably this will based on Homebrew Dynamic RAM but with a single bipolar transistor as the gate. The LEDs are optional, the reference design has them to show the state of everything. DRAM refresh time must be greater than 5 minutes - preferably one hour (i.e. not break during a 1 hour lecture) • The next 4 bits are constants 0 to 15 implemented by wiring the address to the data lines • The next 12 values are interesting constants, probably some will be hard wired, some DIP switch, some toggle switch for program input • M60/M61 are stack pointer SP0, as M62/M63 form SP1. Both are 5 bits wide • Reading/writing M60 or M62 works as any other memory location (execpt the bit width) • Reading/writing M61 or M63 results in the contents of M60/M62 being placed on the address bus, so the memory accessed is in the DRAM range of M0 to M31 • Writing to M32 results in a JUMP to the label specified • Writing to M33 writes to the clock, including a HALT • There is no program counter! Instead the tape loop has labels. • If a JUMP occurs the tape spins until the desired label is read. • Not all instructions have a label so there are more instructions than the data width • This allows for duplicate labels! • One of the 'ALU' ops is to bypass the APU and construct the result from the bits of i and j, so implementing a load immediate instruction. • There's a hack for two ROM registers to enable indirects - this needs clarification when I remember it… • The instruction rate is intentionally slow. 1Hz is maybe typical, everything should be visible. There will be a single step button that is active after HALT so that everything can be as slow as needed. • There will be a six phase clock: • Phase 0: read the instruction from the tape and decode • Phase 1: read Mj to a latch • Phase 2: read Mk to a latch • Phase 3: run the ALU • Phase 4: write Mi • Phase 5: wait for tape to spin - this is the rate limiting step • There exists several status flags: • the carry bit • whether the last ALU result was zero • whether the last ALU result had the top bit set (negative) • The ALU has AND, OR, XOR, ADD, SUB, ASL, i«4\|j (reconstuct a byte from two address nybles) The carry flag is set/cleared on every ALU operation • Conditional execution is one of: never, always, ==0, !=0, <0, ⇐0, >=0, >0 • The construction cost and time are very important. Ideally the bill of materials should come in at under £100 so that schools can buy and build it. • It's not a minimal processor, it should understandable with school level electronics and be able to run complex programs (slowly!) • I expect that laminated A4 will work (print A4, laminate, punch holes, spaghetti wire through holes) • Input is likely to be from a simple scanner. A4 pages are taped into a loop, a motor runs until the label is reached, photodiodes/photoresistors read the instruction. • Output could be a DIY pen plotter, eight marker pens on solonoids/springs, A4 paper, stepper motor. • Some permissive FOSS licence will be adopted (e.g. Apache2/MIT) and experimentation and evolution are encouraged Next is to build in pyRTL and write some code to see if works well enough. SIMPL is a Simple IMPerative Language. It's deliberatly simple, the aim is to show how languages and complilation work in a very easily ingestible way. statements are of the form: `a = function(b c)` where a, b and c are variables. b and/or c can of course be other function calls, so 2x+1 is `add(mul(x 2) 1)` Variables follow : Type size/bytes Syntax Example boolean 1 True\|False True byte 1 \d+[U] 42 short 2 \d+[U]S 65535US long 4 \d+[U]L -2147483647L character 1 '\w' 'a' string 1+ “\w” “Hello World!” float 3 \d+.\d[e[-]\d+] 3.1415926535 Indentation defines a code block so allow us to define functions and implement control flow: def mul2(x) return mul(x 2) and also to implement control flow: if eq(answer 42) print("The Answer is 42") print("The Answer is not 42") a = 0 while lt(a 42) BELOW here is old, I need to rewrite to include the above, link in all the archive stuff below and link in the other old stuff at A really wacky computer built using DIP switches for ROM, a few shift registers, no RAM, running a Forth-like instruction set and having a minimal transistor count. Q: Why DIP switches for ROM? A: So that you can visibly see all of the instructions. There will be one LED per bank of DIP switches so that you can see which one is being read and the instruction bus will also have LEDs on it so that you can see that the values on the switch have made it to the processor. Q: Why shift registers? A: To keep the component count down - registers/RAM and ALU are most of the count for a PISC 16 bit processor. Ideally the shift registers would be physical, needing components only to read or write, more on this below. Q: Why no RAM? A: The idea is that the shift registers have enough storage to run really basic programs. External RAM violates the completeness of the solution and it wouldn't be visible. Q: Why Forth-like instruction set? Because it is compact, I've got to squeeeze in as much as possible here. Q: Why minimal transistor count? A: Partly because of the challange, partly because it is easier for others to replicate and build on this work but mostly because I'm terrible at soldering so unless it's minimial it will never get finished. Rough specs 10 bit instructions in a 9 bit read-only address space built from 512 10-way dip switches (e.g. eBay). 16 shift registers, holding at least 16 bits each, hopefully 32 bits. These form an ascending Forth data stack and a descending Forth address stack (even though addresses are 10 bits). Two 4 bit registers act as the data and address stack pointers. If not physical shift registers but four components per memory cell (may be 5), then 16 registers at 16 bits would be 1024 components (512 transistors). At 32 bits per register that would be 2048 components (1024 transistors). DIP switch ROM The goal is a reasonably inexpensive program storage where it is clear how it operates. A simple (linear) design would take the 9 bit address bus and invert each line to give 18 signals. Any and all addresses can now be decoded using 9 diodes and one transistor per address. Each diode is wired to either the corresponding data line or its inverse, so that current flows in all cases except the required address. This then feeds a transistor whose output is high when the required address is present. A LED can be used as the load so that there is a visual indication of the address used. The output feeds all the top pins of the DIP switches via diodes, with all lower pins connected to the instruction bus. There's a huge number of DIP switches and an enoumous number of diodes… An improved design would first get rid of all of the diodes to the instruction bus, then work on better decoding. Shift Registers I'd really like the registers to be 32 bits as, unusually, with shift registers the component count is independent of the register size, i.e. the register bits come for free (okay, that's assuming no acoustic dissipation and even then the instruction clock does run proportionally slower) I'd also like to see all the bits. This is difficult with most hardware shift registers. One solution might be to take the input and power a scanning laser, the persistance of vision may show all the bits. Also ideally it would have a variable clock rate between one cycle every few seconds (so that you can see exactly how everything works) up to hundreds of kiloHertz (the max switching speed of the transistors). Anyway, here are some options: Acoustic tube A 2m tube length would have to store on bit every that's just over 6cm a bit. Let's assume that's six wavelengths, so one is 0.01m and with the speed of sound at 340m/s that makes 34kHz or thereabouts. This seems just about possible, it's in the range of acoustics I know a little bit about. In order to transport the finished machine, and to hang it on the wall, the maximum dimension has to be 2m. I originally started off with the idea of using 40kHz ultrasonic transducers. However, after playing about a bit I find that they have less than 5kHz bandwidth. In general any piezo transducer has a resonant frequency and so limited bandwidth (ref). Whilst it's great to filter out the low frequency background noise, I need more bandwidth to fit the bits into a 2m tube. Recently I've found that small electret microphones can have a 30kHz frequency response. The idea of building a 32 bit computer is very appealing, so this is where my effort is going at the moment. potential speakers The clock rate is dependent on the tube length, so at 2m length that's only 170 instructions a second! It's almost a shame it's not slower, then we'd be able to see the computer working. I'll probably hack in hardware NOPs to make everything run at about 1Hz and be visible. PAL 64μs delay line TVs used to be analog and use ultrasonic delay lines (YouTube: Inside a PAL Delay Line, Delay line memory, Glass Delay Lines Part 2 ) Let's assume that we could store 32 bits in the 64μs delay (use ~4MHz carrier), then that's a 'instruction' rate of about than 16kHz which is acceptable. A bit-sliced ALU would have to run at 32 times faster than that, or 500kHz, which is pushing my skills. Massive laser A cheap eBay laser pen claims to have a 10 mile range, that's 53μs, about the same time delay as the PAL line. I can't imagine getting 16 of these working with line of sight or mirrors parallel enough to get multiple reflections, but someone else may know how to (Free-space_optical_communication). It seems that 24 core optic fibre comes in at about $240 per km, so if the rest was built in TTL it may work (much faster than acoustic). Radio bounce The start of the ionosphere is 75km up, if the bounce was clean (which it won't be) the Shortwave_radio would give a 0.5ms delay. It would have to be quite broadband, but Spread_spectrum >50MHz is licence free. The real problem is the bounce has no chance of being clean. We can detect lasers on the moon and used to bounce communications off the moon before we had satellites. The round trip is about 2.6s, so the clock speed would be low. It also needs GHz or very high power, which runs into Radio spectrum licencing issues. Cassette tape Cassette tape runs at 4.75 cm/s and can store at 300 or 1200 bps (BBC model B). Say 64 registers at 64 bits each, so need 4096 bits on tape and instruction cycle is about 12s or 4s. Really don't need much tape - only 60cm max. Interesting. Very very slow CPU - if design variable speed read/write then can speed up via driving motor. Push to max speed, 2560 bps and 16 bits in 16 registers - then 10 Hz… Falling water drops A soloniod can release/retain a water drop, the presence of which can be detected (say) 1m below. It turns out that timing water drops is really difficult. Real bubble memory 2m of polycarbonate tube with internal diameter of 7mm may support a 3mm bubble. If we leave about four bubble diameters so they don't merge (just a guess), then we may fit 128 bits into one tube. Very visual - I want visual memory if at all possible, As solonoid valves are used for the air bubbles this tilts in the direction of a relay computer… Phosphorescenct tape loop Phosphorescence using Strontium aluminate. One large circle with (say) 1025+-1 dots of phosphorescent paint (or maybe 32 circles of 33+1 dots so that all registers can be seen). These are read, erased and written using light. A red LED erases, the difference of light levels before and after erasing say whether the dot was charged or not. On the next clock cycle the dot is written again. Green is the strongest, red LED erases. This has the huge advantage that the memory is visible and the clock speed is independent of the memory - phosphorescence can last hours and we only need minutes. If the disk is static and the read/write head rotates then the memory will be visible. Holes can be punched in the disk radially to the dots to give timings, then the clock is derived from the rotor speed. Alternatively use a tape loop, that's a lot like Colossus. Discrete physical options Not well thought out, but a rotating metal drum with magnets in one of two positions might work. The idea is that it would be possible to read and write the position using electromagnets. Discrete electronic options I have a two-transistor memory cell which can drive a LED. It should be possible to store the output on a capacitor and so chain these. The idea is that the capacitor stores the previous output and all the read select lines are pulsed at once, so moving a bit pattern one step down. This may well require an additional resistor so that the capacitors don't change state whilst the memory cells are updating. LED strip lights (WS2812B family or ws2812 alts) are cheating, but at 5p a memory cell and already wired up it's very tempting, especially if a 32 bit or 64 bit processor. The 4-connector options (GND, VCC, CLK, DATA) e.g. APA102 look better than 3 (GND, VCC, DATA) as maybe DATA can be fudged to 0V (black) or VCC (white) on each CLK. However, APA102 are hard to come by, at about 17p/bit. The APA102 replacement, SK9822 is bad as it needs a signal to display the result. Alternatively, use ws2812b/ws2813 and generate two DIN signals, one for 0 and one for 1, then use transistors to switch in the appropriate signal at the start of the shift register - it's still 450Hz not 17kHz of APA102. Making shift registers visible In an ideal world the computer would operate at very low frequencies and all state would be visible. However, many of the options above preclude this, e.g. shift registers from acoustic delay lines. persistance of vision may work well here. The sysmem can be halted between instructions even if delay lines have to keep ciruclating to keep information stored. Lasers wired to output bits and a mirror rotating using a stepper motor should project the internal state onto a display (e.g. wall) and so make everything visible. Instruction set b10 b9 b8-b6 b5-b1 0 0 JSR to 9 bit address ending in 0 0 1 LOAD - 8 bit immediate load 1 0 condition branch relative: -16 to +15 1 1 condition basic instruction (5 bit) If top two bits are clear, then JSR to the remaining address (even addresses only). Thus this is subroutine linked Forth but without the overhead of the JSR instruction. If next bit clear, load immediate the lower 8 bits (possibly sign extended - TBD) Everything else is 3 bit conditional (1, lt0, le0, eq0, ne0, ge0, gt0, 0). Half of the space is for relative branching, of 5 bits (-16 to +15). The remaining is the basic instruction space: • IN input to top of stack • OUT output top of stack • RET return from JSR • NOT bitwise invert top of data stack • INC increment the value at the top of the data stack • DEC decrement the value at the top of the data stack • DROP decrement data pointer • SWAP swap top two items on data stack • AND/OR/XOR/ADD/SUB operate on top two items and leave one • D2R/R2D/R stack manipulation If can keep the basic instructions to 16 then I can rejig the instruction space so that JSR doesn't have to end in zero. But if I use DIP switches to decode the instructions then it would be nice to allow others to add instructions just by setting these switches. Here is full 9 bit JSR addressing: b10 b9 b8-b6 b5 b4-b1 0 JSR to full 9 bit address 1 0 8 bit immediate load 1 1 condition 0 branch relative -8 to +7 1 1 condition 1 basic instruction (4 bit) I find a C like notation very convenient: • P is the program counter, P++ means increment the program counter • D is the data stack, D++ increments the data stack (– decrements) • R is the return stack, R– decrements the return stack (for pushing a value as it's a descending stack) • P/D/R is the value of the data at the program/data/return counter • Z is a flag indicating that the value of the last ALU instruction was zero • N is a flag indicating that the value of the last ALU instruction was negative INSTRUCTION Register movement JSR R– = P ; P = I RET P = R++ LOAD(X) D++ = X Make believe code I've not yet written an emulator, or even fixed the instruction set, so none of this is final. Nevertheless, it's useful to write some code to see what is missing. Flash some lights LOAD(0) :loop INC DUP OUT B(:loop) Learning: DUP is a very common instruction and it may well be worth having a DUP-OUT as well as a DUP instruction. On the other hand, DUP OUT RET is only 3 or 4 words. Is 4x slower and 4x the memory worth it? Maybe it depends on what the microcode decode looks like and how much instruction space there is. AND/OR/XOR/ADD/SUB/D2R are all candicaes for an extra DUP or two (e.g. DUP2ADD which is a non-destructive ADD). Add two numbers Learning: Input has to be buffered, that is the processor should stop if input is not yet available. Perhaps input is done with a 0/1 toggle switch and an add to buffer. Once it's full then the processor can continue. Another add-to-buffer switch which adds 8 copies may well be useful as a 32 bit input is probably all 1s or all 0s in the top bits. It would be nice to have more than one register as output. Maybe an RPi will feed the input and store all output? There is only a few registers and no carry bit, so this is just 32bit by 32bit giving a 32bit result. With no LSB its hard to peel off the low bits and stop when the result is zero, which is a shame as most invocations won't be full width. Simple first pass with LSR - return stack stores accumulator, works best with last arg +ve (can test and switch): def MUL LOAD(0) D2R # set accumulator to zero DUP LOAD(1) AND BZ(:skip) # test low bit and skip hard work if not set D2R DUP ADD R2D # double the first arguement LSR # halve the second argument BNZ(:loop) # loop if not zero DROP DROP # get rid of both arguments R2D # retrive result RET # and exit happy def DUPDUPADD OVER OVER ADD RET # this would be much better with a non-consuming ADD Learning: Really need both LSR and non-destructive ALU operations. What is a good naming convention for ALU operations that implicitly encodes the data stack changes? This is a major challenge as there is no LSR instruction (as this is very hard on a serial ALU).
Figure 1. Composting odor wheel February 21, 2014 \| Composting The Compost Odor Wheel Here are tips for how composting facilities can design their own odor characterization tool. Katrina Mendrey BioCycle February 2014 According To Michael McGinley, Laboratory Director at St. Croix Sensory, Inc., the only bad odor wheel is the odor wheel that isn’t used. “It’s a powerful tool for knowing your facility inside and out,” he notes. “But it’s also a simple tool and doesn’t require a consultant.” Odor wheels were originally developed for the wine industry by researchers at the University of California Davis. The concept of an odor wheel is that smells are organized categorically to help the user move from the broad, e.g., sweet or putrid, to the specific. At composting facilities, odor wheels can help staff identify odors to respond to complaints or identify when there might be an issue with a specific pile or process. “The odor wheel is an important part of getting to know your facility and sources of odors,” says McGinley. “That way over time you get to know if something has gone awry. If you’re getting complaints you can look around your facility and get an impression if things seem different or if people are complaining about different characteristics. You can identify better what might be the source of those smells.” Figure 1. Composting odor wheel Figure 1. Composting odor wheel Source: “Sensory Assessment and Characterization of Odor Nuisance Emissions during the Composting of Wastewater Biosolids,” Water Environment Research, Volume 81, Number 7 Existing odor wheels for composters offer a good starting point for developing a facility specific wheel. St. Croix has a basic wheel of odor descriptors (available at that use broad categories such as “Fishy” or “Earthy” to then describe more specific smells like ammonia or yeast. A compost specific wheel, such as one developed by I.H. (Mel) Suffett, Ph.D. at UCLA (Figure 1), uses compound names as the final descriptor to identify smells. Customizing An Odor Wheel The process for making a customized odor wheel for a composting facility is iterative and inclusive. McGinley suggests beginning in a conference room where staff can brainstorm odors they know they have smelled. Step two is to go out into the facility to identify odors. Taking it a step further, sampling piles using a glass jar or plastic bag, can be a helpful way of isolating odors for better characterization in an odor neutral area. Once odors have been categorized, they can be further characterized by classifying their strength using an agreed upon scale (i.e., 0- 5 or “undetectable to unbearable”) or identifying if there are multiple odors present based on the more specific categories provided by the wheel. “Ultimately your goal for the final product is something that can be used by everyone and that creates a common language for your facility to identify and discuss odors,” explains McGinley. Once the group has identified smells and categorized them into an odor wheel or table, the next step is to use it. “Don’t let the process go stagnant,” he adds. “Update the wheel when new odors are identified and to train new employees on how to use it.” One way he suggests doing this is to incorporate the wheel into daily routines, such as when checking pile temperatures. Odor wheels can also be helpful when paired with other odor measurement devices such as the Nasal Ranger®, a hand-held field olfactometer that measures Dilution-to-Threshold values of ambient odors associated with a facility. The odor wheel will help characterize the odors measured more specifically, notes McGinley. In addition, odor wheels can be helpful tools in community outreach. Providing neighbors with a way of communicating bothersome smells in a language that can be understood by the composters allows for more effective management of odors onsite. This also gives neighbors a sense that they are being heard. McGinley cautions, however, that composters should not give neighbors odor wheels unless they plan on actively engaging them in the odor monitoring process. Sign up
How Does My Culture Affect Your Culture 761 Words4 Pages I took a step back for this assignment of identifying my culture to assess my life as an outsider I found many cultural aspects apply but I’ll touch on just a few. Most of my social norms, values and traditions are pretty typical for my background. I have genealogy tracing back all over Europe and my parents were raised in Nebraska and Ohio. So, as you can imagine their small town social norms, values and traditions followed them into the big city while they raised two daughters. My sister and I grew up with a lutheran mother and a previously catholic father. This entailed a lot of emphasis on being raised like a “lady”. This behavior affected all three of my cultural aspects. I’m not saying it worked because I still put my elbow on the dinner table but I do know some sure did stick. Social norms, behavior and unspoken rules (Lecture 2/5/18), was one of the main cultural …show more content… I have two main values and I recieved them through Operant Conditioning. The first value my family instilled in me would have to be handling responsibility well. Positive punishment was something I observed when the housing market crashed and my members of my family couldn’t pay their bills. Failure to pay resulted in fines to punish payment delinquency. They were inevitably forced to pay more because of the fines and overdraft fees making it harder to get back into control. Fortunately, they got back onto and simultaneously became my prime example of positive reinforcement for my next value, determination to provide for our family. My family worked hard and provided for my sister and I all while cheering us on. We were told we can accomplish anything we set our minds to and try. As a family, we were stronger as a collectivist group compared to individualistic tendencies. We made it through a tough time, showing that our values and hard work make all the Open Document
True or false Yes or No (Oui Non) to tick in multiple choice test format True or false: 2% milk is low in fat. False: An 8 ounce (250 ml) glass of 2% milk contains 5 grams of fat, about the same amount as two slices of bacon. True or False: Soft drinks like Coca-Cola have about the same amount of calories as plain fruit juice with no added sugar. This is true. An 8-ounce (250 ml) glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice has 118 calories, and a glass of the same amount of Coca-Cola has 107 calories. Fruit juice, on the other hand, is much healthier because it provides more nutrients and contains fructose instead of refined sugar. True or false: If you want to lose weight, you should eat as little as possible. False: The human body must be provided with everything it needs. What will happen to a house built with half the number of nails needed? It may look solid at first, but sooner or later problems will arise. An organism on a poor diet is like a poorly built house. At first, nothing will seem abnormal, but over time, problems will appear. The human body does not have large reserves of certain vitamins such as those in the B and C groups, nor of certain minerals such as potassium and iron. It also lacks protein reserves. It is therefore important to avoid running out of these substances during the period of weight loss. As fats are present in large quantities, one should of course avoid unnecessary absorption during the diet, except for essential fatty acids, which are fairly easy to obtain, for example, by eating salmon or tuna regularly. For people who do not eat fish, we recommend taking an omega-3 dietary supplement. True or false: If you are on a diet and feel weak, you should definitely eat more. False: Let’s take the example of a person who has 40 pounds (18 kg) to lose. One pound of adipose tissue constitutes a reserve of 3500 calories. This person therefore has a reserve of 140,000 calories at all times and is not at risk of running out of energy. When you follow a good eating program and do not lack any of the essential elements such as water, minerals, vitamins and proteins, there is no reason to feel weak. On the contrary, people who follow a good weight-loss program will feel more energetic. The feeling of weakness is often due to dehydration or a lack of essential elements. True or false: Dieting slows down the metabolism permanently. False: During a diet, there is indeed a slowing down of the metabolism. However, during the maintenance period, the metabolism returns to its initial speed. Researchers have studied hundreds of people who have lost weight and then gained it back. They did very precise tests on the metabolism of these people and found that they had exactly the same profile before and after their weight loss diet. True or False: Almost all people who are dieting gain weight afterwards, often exceeding their initial weight. False: More than 80% of people who attend monthly follow-up meetings and use the tools of the Slimming Motivation program maintain their weight for three years after the diet. We all have ups and downs. If you are doing well, come to your follow-up visit to maintain your gains. If you’re not doing so well, put your pride aside and come see us. We can help you.
This exercise is to assess your awareness of danger signs, and is from the Survivor to Thriver manual. Here is how I completed the exercise. Write down as many physical, emotional or intuitive signs as you can that tell you that your safety might be in question: 1. Anger or fear; lack of trust 2. Feelings of being ‘sick’ suddenly, without explanation 3. Fight or flight response 4. Feeling uneasy, uncomfortable or having a sense of “unreality” 5. Feeling that something is ‘off’ 6. Being on edge or feeling vulnerable; extreme agitation without provocation 7. Sudden change in appetite, without explanation 8. Sudden change in back and/or shoulder pain; tense muscles 9. Feeling like I might make a scene, or ‘go crazy’ 10. Signs of panic attack or an actual attack, including: • Shortness of breath • Tightness in chest or stomach; ‘pit’ anywhere in body • Speeding heart rate • Upset stomach; nausea or queasiness • Dizziness • White, black, or fuzzy vision • Feeling faint Of course your results will probably be completely different. However, I always find it helpful to look at someone else’s results, so enjoy! Related Resources
Mexico City Cable Car – level 2 10-03-2021 15:00 Mexico City started its first cable car system for people who travel to work and school. The system is nearly nine kilometers long, and it will have five stations. One cabin can carry ten people, and the cable car can carry about 48,000 people every day in each way. The system serves a rocky area which is far from the city center, and it will connect local people to the metro system. Local people are very happy and they say that it will change their lives. The system saves a lot of time and it is friendly to the environment. An Austrian company made the system, and it made cable cars in 80 countries in the world. Difficult words: cable car (a system of cabins which hang on a cable and they move up mountains or hills), serve (to do a task or work for somebody, metro (an underground train). You can watch the original video in the Level 3 section. What do you think about this news? How to improve your English with News in Levels: 1. Do the test at Test Languages. 1. Read two news articles every day. 1. Choose one person from the Skype section.
Why runways should be round Date:30 March 2017 Tags:, , An airport runway that’s rounded instead of a straight line could change the future of aviation. By Andrew Moseman What if a runway were like a racetrack? That’s the basis of an idea called the Endless Runway by Dutch researcher Henk Hesselink and partners at the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) in the Netherlands, who think circular runways could help the future take flight. The traditional runway—a long concrete stripe across the landscape—has some problems. A big one is crosswinds. If the wind blows hard and perpendicular to the direction of the runway, planes face harrowing takeoffs and landings. If the winds are bad enough, airports must close certain runways and reroute air traffic, sending a chain reaction of delays through the system. But if a runway were circular, then a plane theoretically could take off in whatever direction was most favorable. And multiple planes could use the Endless Runway simultaneously. Of course, this is more complicated than putting a big concrete circle on the ground and calling it a day. The rounded runway would need to be banked like a racetrack (that is, it would be built at an angle to keep the plane from skidding off in the corners.) It would be huge: Hesselink’s concept version would have a diameter of 2.2 miles and a circumference of 6.2. Says Fast Company: Source: FastCoDesign Latest Issue : Nov-December 2021
Home health Anxiety What Are Beta Blockers—And Can They Treat Your Anxiety? What Are Beta Blockers—And Can They Treat Your Anxiety? What Are Beta Blockers—And Can They Treat Your Anxiety? Beta-blockers were created to help people with blood pressure and heart issues, but they are now often prescribed to anxiety patients. Beta blockers aren’t intended to “treat” this mental disorder, but they can be very helpful for short-term symptom management. Patients who experience heart palpitations, excessive sweating, and/or lightheadedness while giving public performances are particularly good candidates for occasional beta-blocker therapy. What Are Beta Blockers—And Can They Treat Your Anxiety? How Do Beta Blockers Work? These drugs work by inhibiting the body’s absorption of the stress hormone adrenaline. Because beta-blockers dampen the body’s beta receptors from absorbing adrenaline, these drugs are sometimes classified as “beta-adrenergic blocking agents.” The reduction in adrenaline absorption will reduce your heart rate in a stressful situation. There are two major varieties of beta-blockers: selective and non-selective. Selective beta-blockers are to reduce the activity of beta receptors in a person’s heart. Non-selective beta-blockers, however, affect the entire body’s beta receptors. Most often, doctors prescribe non-selective drugs to mental health patients and selective drugs to patients dealing with blood pressure and/or heart issues. How Effective Are Beta-Blockers? Most of the research and anecdotal evidence on beta-blockers suggests people with a fear of public speaking see the best benefits. Indeed, many classical musicians frequently use beta-blockers to help them keep their cool during live performances. People who have to give presentations, lectures, or perform frequently are best suited for beta-blockers. People who suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, however, most likely won’t benefit from taking a beta blocker. These drugs are intended for people who get extremely stressed by a specific trigger, particularly public speaking. Beta-blockers might also be effective in the treatment of a phobia provided the patient is working with a trained psychotherapist. Warning: Potential Side Effects Like any other prescription medication, beta-blockers can cause side effects. Some of the most common side effects related to beta-blockers include gastrointestinal distress and nausea. Some patients also report side effects such as sudden tiredness, cold hands or feet, and dizziness. Asthmatics need to be particularly careful with beta-blockers because these drugs could trigger an asthma attack. They could also adversely affect blood glucose levels and increase water retention. Incorporate Drug Therapy Into A Comprehensive Treatment Protocol Beta-blockers could be effective in a pinch, but they aren’t magic pills. These drugs should be used only occasionally for special circumstances like giving speeches or performing in front of an audience. Overuse of beta-blockers could lead to heart problems and withdrawal symptoms could be severe. It’s best to incorporate any drug therapy into a larger mental health program. Ideally, anxiety patients should see a registered psychologist for talk therapy sessions to better understand the root causes of their disorder. Other ways patients can reduce their symptoms over time include practicing daily meditation, exercising regularly, avoiding alcohol & cigarettes, and getting a good night’s sleep.
Subclinical Hypothyroidism and the Heart Table of Contents View All Table of Contents In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland fails to produce enough of the thyroid hormone thyroxine (also called T4). Because T4 is critically important in regulating the body's metabolism, digestive function, muscle function, and cardiac function, hypothyroidism is always a serious problem. The thyroid gland itself is regulated by the hormone TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), which is produced in the pituitary gland. If the thyroid gland is not producing enough T4, the TSH levels increase in order to stimulate the thyroid to work harder. In hypothyroidism—in which the thyroid simply cannot make enough T4—the TSH levels are almost always greatly elevated. subclinical thyroidism Verywell / Emily Roberts What Is Subclinical Hypothyroidism? Subclinical hypothyroidism is the condition in which T4 levels remain in the normal range (that is, frank hypothyroidism is not present), but TSH levels are elevated: the high TSH levels are required in order to maintain that normal T4 level. So subclinical hypothyroidism implies that the thyroid gland itself is not functioning entirely normally. It's only by "whipping" the thyroid (with high TSH levels) that adequate T4 levels can be maintained. There is quite a bit of controversy today regarding the true significance of subclinical hypothyroidism. Because the T4 levels are in fact normal in this condition, in theory, subclinical hypothyroidism should not be much of a problem. But evidence suggests that subclinical hypothyroidism does produce clinical problems at least sometimes—and so, at least in some cases, it should be treated. Perhaps the biggest concern with subclinical hypothyroidism is that it may affect the heart if the TSH level goes above 10. This condition is diagnosed with blood tests, specifically, by measuring T4 levels and TSH levels. Subclinical hypothyroidism is present if the T4 levels are in the normal range (4 to 12 ug/dL), and the TSH levels are above the normal range (0.3 to 4 mU/L). However, many experts consider subclinical hypothyroidism to be "significant" only when the TSH levels are substantially elevated: above 10 mU/L. Should You Be Tested? In the old days (a decade or two ago), thyroid function testing was a routine part of a medical evaluation. But in the interest of cost savings, it is often no longer routine. It's reasonable to ask your healthcare provider to get thyroid blood tests if you have symptoms suggestive of hypothyroidism (see above), if you have elevated cholesterol levels, or if you just want to be sure you're doing everything you can to reduce your cardiac risk. It is believed that subclinical hypothyroidism is merely a mild form, or an early form, of the disorders that commonly produce frank hypothyroidism—most typically autoimmune thyroiditis (Hashimoto's thyroiditis). Indeed, over time, as many as half the people with subclinical hypothyroidism will go on to develop frank hypothyroidism, with low T4 levels and all the symptoms that go along with it. So, one reason some healthcare providers treat subclinical hypothyroidism is to prevent the eventual development of the much more serious condition of true hypothyroidism. Thyroid Disease Doctor Discussion Guide Doctor Discussion Guide Woman While this condition apparently doesn't produce symptoms in most people, some will admit to mild symptoms suggestive of hypothyroidism, such as constipation, fatigue, or unexplained weight gain. It's also been suggested that people with subclinical hypothyroidism may have a higher incidence of significant anxiety, depression, or cognitive disorders. How It Affects the Heart Aside from the risk of eventually developing frank hypothyroidism, the chief worry with subclinical hypothyroidism is that it is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular disease. Several studies have now shown an association between high TSH levels (greater than 10 mU/L) and the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). In a pooled analysis of several clinical studies which included more than 25,000 patients, subclinical hypothyroidism was associated with an increased incidence of heart attack, symptomatic CAD, and cardiac death. Another pooled analysis found a significantly increased risk of heart failure in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. And several studies have associated subclinical hypothyroidism with increased cholesterol levels. While an association does not prove cause-and-effect, it is notable that overt hypothyroidism certainly does produce significant cardiac disease. This fact gives credence to the idea that subclinical hypothyroidism may also negatively impact the heart. The increase in cardiac risk seen with subclinical hypothyroidism is indeed the most worrisome feature of this condition. Subclinical hypothyroidism can be treated by giving thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Treatment is guided by carefully monitoring TSH blood levels; sufficient thyroid hormone is given to reduce TSH levels back into the normal range. There is only limited evidence from clinical studies that treating subclinical hypothyroidism improves symptoms. In studies that suggest that it does reduce symptoms, the measurable benefit appears limited to those patients whose initial TSH levels are substantially elevated (that is, greater than 10 mU/L). Similarly, evidence that treating subclinical hypothyroidism reduces the risk of heart disease is also limited. In a study conducted in Great Britain, among younger patients (less than 70 years of age) with subclinical hypothyroidism, the risk of subsequent heart disease was significantly lower in patients who received thyroid hormone therapy. No treatment benefit was seen in older patients with subclinical hypothyroidism. Further, treating subclinical hypothyroidism significantly improves several cardiovascular risk factors, including cholesterol levels, CRP levels, and vascular function. The Bottom Line Most experts recommend treating subclinical hypothyroidism when TSH levels are greater than 10 mU/L, whether or not symptoms are present. The exception to this is women who are pregnant or trying to become prregnant. Whether subclinical hypothyroidism ought to be treated when TSH levels are less than 10 mU/L remains a point of contention. Many healthcare providers recommend treatment even in this lower range if patients have symptoms suggestive of hypothyroidism, or if they have elevated cholesterol levels or other risk factors for cardiac disease. Was this page helpful? 9 Sources 1. Gosi SKY, Garla VV. Subclinical Hypothyroidism. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Updated January 30, 2019. 2. Aversa T, Valenzise M, Corrias A, et al. Subclinical hyperthyroidism when presenting as initial manifestation of juvenile Hashimoto's thyroiditis: first report on its natural history. J Endocrinol Invest. 2014;37(3):303-8. doi:10.1007/s40618-014-0054-0 3. Patil N, Rehman A, Jialal I. Hypothyroidism. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2019 Jan-. Updated September 2, 2019. 4. Gencer B, Collet TH, Virgini V, et al. Subclinical Thyroid Dysfunction and the Risk of Heart Failure Events: An Individual Participant Data Analysis From 6 Prospective CohortsCirculation 2012; 126:1040. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.112.096024 5. Rodondi N, den Elzen WP, Bauer DC, et al. Subclinical Hypothyroidism and the Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and MortalityJAMA 2010; 304:1365. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.1361 6. Duntas LH, Chiovato L. Cardiovascular Risk in Patients with Subclinical Hypothyroidism. Eur Endocrinol. 2014;10(2):157-160. doi:10.17925/EE.2014.10.02.157 7. Abreu IM, Lau E, De Sousa Pinto B, Carvalho D. Subclinical hypothyroidism: to treat or not to treat, that is the question! A systematic review with meta-analysis on lipid profile. Endocr Connect. 2017;6(3):188-199. doi:10.1530/EC-17-0028 8. Razvi S, Weaver JU, Butler TJ, Pearce SH. Levothyroxine Treatment of Subclinical Hypothyroidism, Fatal and Nonfatal Cardiovascular Events, and MortalityArch Intern Med 2012. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2012.1159 9. Stockigt J. Clinical Strategies in the Testing of Thyroid Function. In: Feingold KR, Anawalt B, Boyce A, et al., editors. Endotext [Internet]. South Dartmouth (MA):, Inc.; 2000-. Updated June 1, 2011.
Biology 446 Unsolved Problems Fall 2017 Philosophy of Science that can be useful for researchers: Karl Popper: "The Logic of Scientific Discovery" (Harper) "Conjectures and Refutations" (Harper) also: "The Open Society and Its Enemies" (Harper) " The Poverty of Historicism" (Harper) Popper sees science as progressing by making guesses and then testing these guesses. Considers that the (potential) disprovability of a hypothesis is a virtue (a good theory is one which 'sticks its neck out.') A theory which is insusceptible to disproof (falsifiability) is not scientific. (Popper has also written very effectively against communism and all historical determinism.) Selected quotes from "Conjectures and Refutations": "When should a theory be ranked as scientific? Is there a criterion for the scientific character of status of a theory?" " distinguish between science and pseudo-science, knowing very well that science often errs and that pseudo-science may happen to stumble on the truth." "There is of course the most widely accepted answer to the problem: the empirical method, which is essentially inductive, proceeding from observation to experiment." "On the contrary...the problem is one of distinguishing between a genuinely empirical method and a non-empirical or even a pseudo-empirical method...which...although it appeals to observation and experiment, nevertheless does not come up to the scientific standards. (astrology versus astronomy) "The theories of Marx, Freud and to explain practically everything, whatever happens always confirmed it ....what precisely does it confirm? no more than that a case could be interpreted in the light of the theory. "...precisely this fact -that they always fitted, that they were always confirmed -which in the eyes of their admirers constituted the strongest arguments in favor of these theories. It began to dawn on me that this apparent strength was in fact their weakness. "With Einstein's theory the situation was strikingly different...the impressive thing was the risk involved in the prediction [of the amount by which light should be bent by gravity]. The theory was incompatible with certain possible results of observations -in fact with results which everybody before Einstein would have expected." "Confirmations should count only if they are the result of risky predictions." "Every good scientific theory is a prohibition: it forbids certain things to happen. the more a scientific theory forbids, the better it is." "A theory which is not refutable by any conceivable event is non-scientific." "Every genuine test of a theory is an attempt to falsify it, or to refute it. Testability is falsifyability." "Bold ideas, unjustified expectations and speculations constitute our only means for comprehending nature. Those of us who refuse to expose our own ideas to the risk of refutation are not the real participants in the game of science." "...Bertrand Russell is right when he attributes to epistemology practical consequences for science, ethics and even politics. The idea that there is no such thing as objective truth...and the idea that the truth is the same as usefulness are closely linked with authoritarian and totalitarian ideas...the belief in the possibility of a rule of law, of fundamental rights and a free society can easily survive the recognition that judges are not omniscient...(but) cannot well survive the acceptance of an epistemology which teaches that there are no objective facts." Thomas Kuhn: "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" Univ. of Chicago Press (another interesting book by this same author is "The Essential Tension") Kuhn's writings concern what one can call the sociology of science, how new concepts supplant older ones, specifically how this occurs in practice (perhaps inevitably), rather than how this ought to occur. Two terms with special meanings in Kuhn's writings are "paradigm" and "revolution." By paradigm he means a conceptual framework, such a theory or set of theories, in terms of which the observed facts are interpreted and explained. What he means by a "revolution" is some major change in people's thinking, in which an old paradigm comes to be considered disproven or is otherwise discarded, being replaced by a new paradigm. Among Kuhn's major insights are: (1) People tend to cling to their old paradigm, sometimes a little irrationally; (2) Most science is an attempt (almost always a successful attempt) to fit new facts into the currently accepted paradigm; (and this can usually be done, even when the paradigm is very wrong!) (3) Observations tend to be uninterpretable or otherwise meaningless unless they do fit into the accepted paradigm (however forced and "Procrustean" the fit!); (4) An accepted paradigm is never discarded until a new one has been proposed. (A scientific revolution = paradigm-shift); (5) Historical sections of textbooks tend to ignore or even hide the existence of those paradigms which preceded the currently accepted one, and to pretend that past discoveries had fit right into the current paradigm, or had even been motivated by it. Some quotations from "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" by Thomas Kuhn: "The transition to a new paradigm is a scientific revolution." "Mopping-up operations are what engage most scientists throughout their careers. They constitute what I am here calling normal science." "Normal science does not aim at novelties, and when successful finds none." ".... (a) new theory implies a change in the rules governing the prior practice of normal science. ...a new seldom or never just an increment TO what is already known. Its assimilation requires the reconstruction of prior theory and the re-evaluation of prior fact." "What Lavosier announced in his papers from 1777 on was not so much the discovery of oxygen as (it was) the oxygen theory of combustion. ...a reformulation of chemistry so vast that it is usually called the chemical revolution. ...the impossible suggestion that Priestly first discovered oxygen and Lavosier then invented it has its attractions." ".... once it has achieved the status of a paradigm, a scientific theory is declared invalid only if an alternative candidate is available to take its place. (In contrast to) ...the methodological stereotype of falsification by direct comparison with nature." "Once a first paradigm through which to view nature has been found, there is no such thing as research in the absence of any paradigm. To reject one...without... substituting another is to reject science itself." "The transition from a paradigm in crisis to a new one far from a cumulative process....Rather, it is a reconstruction of the field from new fundamentals. "Almost always the men who achieve these fundamental inventions of a new paradigm have been either very young or very new to the field..." "Political revolutions aim to change political institutions in ways that these institutions themselves prohibit. Their success therefore necessitates the partial relinquishment of one set of institutions in favor of another, and in the interim, society is not fully governed by institutions." "Science textbooks...refer only to that part of the work of past scientists that can easily be viewed as contributions to the statement and solutions of the text's paradigm problem. Partly by selection and partly by distortion, the scientists of earlier ages are implicitly represented as having worked on the same set of fixed problems and in accordance with the same set of fixed canons...(of)...the most recent revolution in science theory and method... No wonder... they have to be re-written after each scientific revolution. (so that science once again seems largely cumulative." Anti-science misinterpretations of Kuhn's ideas. Kuhn's ideas have been hijacked by some sociologists. "Post-Modernists"claim that scientists are like a primitive tribe, whose rituals (journal publication, symposia, experiments) are elaborate fictions that only pretend to be true. They often claim that Kuhn proved this, although Kuhn himself argued strongly against them. A post-modernist journal published at Duke (named "Social Text") fell for a practical joke by a physicist named Alan Sokal, back in the mid-90s. He wrote a parody article, making fun of the kinds of b.s. that they would like to believe, submitted it to their editor as if it were a real article, and they fell for the trick and published it in their journal. Sokal then announced that it was a joke, and proved the fraudulence of their whole field. This was part of what is now called "The Science Wars". back to index page
Wikipedia is Spreading a Terrorist Organization’s Propaganda On July 12, 2010, the politician and regime-critic Alejandro Peña Esclusa was arrested in Venezuela accused of terrorism, an absurd accusation for anyone who cares to look into the facts. March 13, 2007, a biographical article was created about him on Italian Wikipedia, linking him to terrorism by presenting false, misleading, and irrelevant statements. In spite of repeated attempts at removing the libelous claims over the years, they remain there to this day. Mr Peña is a sworn enemy to communism, and accuses the present Venezuelan regime to be an ally to the communists in Cuba, and the marxist FARC terrorist guerilla in Colombia. His biographical article was created by a communist, judging from his user page. By blocking every attempt to fundamentally correct the article, Wikipedia is spreading terrorist propaganda. Wikipedia is a user-edited encyclopedic project. Anybody can edit, but certain users called admins have the power to block other users, or to lock articles from editing. There are Wikipedias in many languages apart from English. Since each project, each language that is, writes its own rules, a small but determined ideological group can turn their local Wikipedia into a propaganda outlet, while lending credibility from the original, English, Wikipedia project. While the English site often is an excellent resource, it is clear that not all is well in wikiworld. What is Propaganda? Before exposing what has happened, it may be useful to alert you to what to look for. Propaganda is an effort to change the behavior and opinions of a large group of people without them realizing that they are being manipulated. Here are some of the principles that characterize it: 1. Effective propaganda should be indirect, not direct (as opposed to promotion). 2. The purpose should not be evident. 3. The originator should not be apparent. 4. The message should appear as being commonly accepted knowledge. A modern word for propaganda is “framing”. Imagine that the message is a painting. Rather than promoting the painting, the propaganda provides a frame into which the target of the message will put the painting, as if it was his idea. This makes it indirect and with a hidden purpose. Obviously the “frame” must not be provided by a “painter”, or else the target will guess the intention and probably be annoyed for being taken for a fool. (This is why framing articles are planted in media through any one of a number of methods.) It is my observation that an often used device for spreading ideas (that you have no support for) is to present the message as incidental information in a dependent clause, or as “additional information”, giving the impression that it is common knowledge. I first noticed the device on FOX News when I followed the channel non-stop for many hours. All of a sudden they started mentioning a fact as if they had just talked about that piece of news and established it as a fact, but they never did present any such story. They just pretended they had (it related to Yassir Arafat). The Wikipedia Article Alejandro Peña Esclusa has been a vocal critic of Hugo Chávez since 1995, accusing him of being allied with the FARC narco-guerilla in Colombia. FARC is considered a terrorist group by the US, EU, and others. Since we now have strong evidence that Mr Peña Esclusa has been right, we can conclude that it is – and has been for 15 years – in FARC’s and Chávez’s interests to discredit him. When Mr Peña was arrested on July 12, 2010, only one Wikipedia site had an article on him, the one in Italian. Internet users all over the world turned to that article for more information after hearing about his arrest. This is what they saw: Alejandro Peña Esclusa (1954) è un politico venezuelano, leader del partito Fuerza Solidaria. Nel 1998 fu candidato alle presidenziali in Venezuela, raccogliendo un totale di 2.424 voti pari allo 0,04%. Membro della setta Tradizione, Famiglia e Proprietà, movimento filo-fascista, che permette l’ingresso solo a coloro che dimostrano di essere di razza ariana pura. La setta sarebbe stata organizzatrice di attentati[1] contro Giovanni Paolo II durante il suo viaggio a Caracas il 13 novembre 1984, e al presidente degli Stati Uniti d’AmericaRonald Reagan, in seguito ai quali la setta è stata dichiarata fuorilegge in VenezuelaFranciaSpagnaArgentina, paesi dove era maggiormente radicata. L’11 aprile 2002, Peña Esclusa partecipa al tentato colpo di stato in Venezuela. Alle ultime elezioni presidenziali venezuelane, svoltesi nel 2006, si è scagliato contro il capo dell’opposizione Manuel Rosales, per aver dichiarato la propria sconfitta nei confronti del presidente Hugo Chavez. Nel suo programma politico attuale propugna oggi il rovesciamento violento dei governi di centro-sinistra latinoamericani e il ritorno di dittature militari. Tra i suoi referenti politici vi sono ambienti neoconservatori statunitensi e il partito di ultradestra di El Salvador, Arena. Ha creato particolare scalpore il suo incontro in Italia con esponenti dell’UDC, tra i quali il segretario nazionale Lorenzo Cesa, avvenuto l’8 marzo 2007Roma. 1. ^ The Terrorism Slander in the Article There is only one source cited, a personal blog of a journalist who is openly hostile to Mr Peña. The paragraph where the reference appears speaks about a religious group called Tradition, Family, and Property, why nothing in that paragraph belongs in this article. Furthermore, the paragraph makes accusations that do not even appear in the TFP article. These are serious errors for an article on Wikipedia, and still it has remained that way for over 3 years, through 73 edits, by 31 different editors. Something is obviously amiss here. But let’s see what it says. Mr Peña is (falsely) accused of being a member of TFP, which is described as a “fascist-friendly sect that allows entry only to those that can demonstrate that they are of pure Aryan race”. History of the Terrorism Slander The article was created March 13, 2007, by user Skyluke (who openly displays a communist star on his user page). The original page was virtually identical to what is shown above. The main difference is that two sentences were added by an anonymous user on May 12, 2007, stating that his political program includes the “violent overthrow of center-left governments in Latin America” by military coups, and that he is ideologically aligned with US neoconservatives and the “extreme right” party Arena in El Salvador, respectively. From May 12, 2007, to July 14, 2010, the article contained these un-sourced libelous claims, in spite of repeated attempts to correct the article text. History of Thwarted Correction Attempts On July 9, 2008, the article text was replaced entirely by a text in Spanish providing a decidedly positive point of view. This was done in violation of Wikipedia rules, and the change was undone quite correctly. However, nobody seems to have picked up the pieces of information present in that version, which they could have, if they really had desired to improve the article. April 26, 2009, another anonymous user removed the claim that TFP is fascist-friendly and Aryan-only, and soon after, all other paragraphs after the first (which was the only one not containing potentially libelous claims). User Guidomac within a minute(!) re-inserted the previous libelous claims, without justification. (This re-insertion was a violation of Wikipedia rules, because you can neither insert nor re-insert potentially libelous and un-sourced claims in a biographical article on a living person without justifying it.) April 8, 2010, a third anonymous user removed the claim that he is a member of TFP (the third paragraph in the text above), with the comment that “it is not true.” Four hours later Skyluke undid the change and reinserted the libelous claim, also without justification. On July 14, 2010 (after his arrest), a forth anonymous user removed both the third and the forth paragraphs (everything dealing with TFP). Within seconds(!!) this change was undone by user Siciliano Edivad, again without justification. On July 15, 2010, I added one reference, and flagged the article as lacking adequate references. On July 17, 2010, at 18:01, I wrote on the talk page that the article “contains potentially libelous claims without source that should be removed immediately”. In the next 4 hours, three different users made four different edits, but nobody did anything to add sources or remove libelous claims. At 22:25, I took action, removed all paragraphs containing un-sourced or inadequately sourced potentially libelous claims, and made a note in the talk page. Five minutes later user L736E reinserted them, again, without justification. This was repeated a second time; see talk page. On July 18, 2010, user Lepido made a series of improvements to the article, although it retained the libelous claims relating to TFP, and it still omitted crucial material. To correct this, I incorporated all the text from the English article, and combined it with the Italian text. Two hours later, at 01:33 July 19, an anonymous user reverted all the changes, naturally without justification. Another user reinserted my longer text, and admin Vituzzu again removed it. On the talk page, I explicitly pointed out that the existing article text was communist propaganda. Thus, when Vituzzu re-inserted the libelous text the last time, he had been warned that it was communist propaganda, and he still posted it. Quite deliberately. Furthermore, he blocked me from Italian Wikipedia to prevent me from raising the matter with those legally responsible for the site. The warning flag for bias that I inserted was taken away by L736E on July 19, claiming that the article was balanced and with adequate sources. That is, however, not true. The article remains libelous and biased today. Who are these users who have contributed to this material support to a terrorist organization? I don’t know. For all we know they may be children, or they may be FARC members posting from the jungle in South America; there is just no way a reader of Wikipedia can find out who wrote the text. The Wikipedia foundation does not have editors, but leaves the editing to the users, without any policing. Thus, the one to hold accountable here is primarily the Wikipedia foundation, since it provides the platform and is in effect the publisher of the libel, as I see it. But Fuerza Solidaria (an NGO that Peña leads) told me in an interview today that they have tried for years to get that libel removed from Italian Wikipedia, without success. Of course it is difficult to raise a libel suit in Italy from Venezuela, but this raises a legal issue that perhaps the European Parliament should deal with. Crooks should not get a free pass by slandering a person on a different continent via the internet. Dissecting the Propaganda Finally a word about motive and the role of this propaganda, the framing. The crucial message in the article on Mr Peña – judging from the edit history – is the sentence that in essence says that “he is a member of FTP, which is a fascist terrorist organization.” Let us examine this message in detail. The statement that he is a member of FTP is false, denied by himself, while the statement characterizing FTP is referenced only partially, and then to an openly biased source. Furthermore, the description of FTP does not belong in this article, but in the FTP article. Note that not a single word in the forth paragraph above has anything at all to do with this article. It is also worth noting that none of these accusations against FTP appear in the actual article about FTP, which strongly suggest that they, too, are false. So why put in irrelevant falsehoods? It is not by chance, that is obvious from the change history: The various clauses have been re-inserted several times after being removed. They must serve a purpose, and we can easily guess which, if we know some things about Mr Peña that are left out from the article. And there is the other part of the propaganda: Critical omissions. Certain facts must be held back, namely those facts that would enable the reader to understand the purpose of the propaganda, or as it were, why the seemingly irrelevant statements are there. In this case, that Mr Peña is a leading critic of Hugo Chávez, considering him a front man for Castro and a collaborator with FARC, and that Peña is advocating for legal, peaceful, and democratic methods to be used. These are the well-sourced facts that I, in vain, tried to get into the article, and for which I was blocked from Italian Wikipedia for, as they wrote, “being biased”. The purpose of this propaganda article in Wikipedia is thus both to undermine his credibility in the public debate so that people don’t listen to his words, and to make the general public think that he is a bad guy who belongs in jail. The conclusion is thus near that Wikipedia has been used as a propaganda channel for preparing the public to accept as believable the manufactured evidence that Mr Peña is a terrorist, and to accept that he belongs in jail in Venezuela, so that this fierce critic of Chávez could be put away without a global PR fiasco. But a PR fiasco it is. Related stories: CNN attacks the scourge of internet anonymity
A new study shows that adults who only drink a few cups of water each day may be raising their chances of becoming diabetic due to high blood sugar levels. The research, conducted by the French national research institute INSERM, found that adults who consumed half a liter of water a day or less were more likely to have blood sugar levels in the “pre-diabetes” range, which doctors use to describe patients who are not diabetic but have high enough blood sugar levels to be considered at great risk for developing the disease. What the study was not able to determine is why there is a link between water intake and blood sugar levels. One possibility: vasopressin, an antidiuretic hormone which maintains the body’s water retention levels can be increased when we are dehydrated. Higher levels of vasopressin may raise blood sugar. Though it is possible that there is a biological connection, there is also the fact that many people who fail to drink adequate amounts of water are overindulging in sugary juices, sodas, sports drinks and alcoholic beverages. The study tracked 3,615 adults between ages 30 and 65 who had normal blood sugar at the start of the research. Over the course of the nine year investigation, 565 participants developed high blood sugar and 202 were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Researchers found that people who drank at least 17 ounces of water each day were 28% less likely to develop high blood sugar than those who drank less. While additional research is obviously needed to determine the connection between water and blood sugar, let this serve as yet another reminder: keep your water intake high and your indulgence in sugary beverages low. around the web Leave a Reply
Research has found that deep relaxation switches off disease-causing cells, while switching on cells that actively protect us from conditions ranging from high blood pressure to pain, infertility and even arthritis. The changes according to research are the result of what is called ‘the deep relaxation effect’, a phenomenon that could be as powerful as any drug – but without the side effects. A group study from Harvard Medical School found that after two months of practising relaxation exercises every day, genes that help fight inflammation, kill off diseased cells and protect the body from cancer and other forms of damage all became active. Plus the benefits increased with regular practice. “This research is very exciting, it shows how our state of mind affects our body on both a physical and energenetic level”, says Annie Moore from Vidatherapy. It also explains how relaxation induced by massage and meditation plays a role in healing and preventing illness. So why is the relaxation effect so powerful? The effects of stress on heart rate, blood pressure, immunity and brain activity are well documented. Under stress, the body’s energy is channelled towards survival, this is known as the fight and flight response – stress hormones are released, heart rate rises and blood pressure shoots up. Our muscles contract and tighten and non-essential functions such as immunity and digestion close down. Unfortunately deep relaxation isn’t the sort of unwinding you do with a cup of tea or lounging on the sofa. What you are looking for is a state of profound relaxation where tension is released from the body on a physical level and your mind switches off completely. There are various techniques we can adopt to encourage deep relaxation and improve better digestion, memory and immunity. The more regularly you practise, the greater the benefits will be. Practice the following for 15 minutes once or twice a day – Breath Focus: Sitting comfortably, become aware of your breath; inhale in and out through your nose. Scan your body while you breath, starting at your head, slowly work down to your arms and feet, observe how you are feeling. Are you tense or anxious? Once you reach your feet, work back up your body, scanning each limb, muscle and organ. Focus on letting go of any tension in your body and be aware of how your breathing pattern changes from short breaths to slow deep breath and then complete stillness. When our body and mind are still we are able to achieve peace and deep relaxation. Annie Moore MCThA, RCCA. For a free consultation call 020 8164 1199, info@vidatherapy.com, www.vidatherapy.com Share this post: Leave a Reply
Characteristics Of Software License Agreement Most software files are covered by one of two categories that have marked differences in how they are considered copyright: To put it simply, a software license agreement is an agreement between your company and your customers for the use of the software over which you have the rights. It allows your customers to use your software and provide accurate details on how they can use it. The software license agreement describes in detail where customers can install it, how and how often it can be installed. In addition, it should answer any questions your customers may have about their ability to copy, modify or redistribute it. The prices and royalties of the software can also be detailed in this agreement. A software license agreement is something you want to have to protect yourself or from copyright infringement. There are four main sections of software licensing agreements and each covers different information that is essential to the performance of the contract, as follows: a software license is a legal instrument (usually in contractual law, with or without printed material) that regulates the use or transmission of software. Under U.S. copyright, all software is copyrighted, both in source code and object code, unless the software has been developed by the U.S. government, in which case it cannot be protected by copyright. [1] Authors of copyrighted software may give their software to the public, in which case it is not copyrighted and therefore cannot be authorized. Some end-user licensing agreements accompany shrunken software, which is sometimes presented to a user on paper or, in general, electronically during the installation process. The user has the choice to accept or refuse the agreement. The installation of the software depends on the user clicking a button called “accept.” See below. For many reasons, companies should exercise caution when introducing public domain software into important projects or applications: a software license agreement is a legal document that defines several important conditions between a software company or developer and a user in order to allow the use of the software. If the software is defined as in the public domain, everyone is free to use and modify the software without any restrictions. This is an “eligible” license that allows you to integrate the code into applications or projects and reuse the software the way you want it to. A licensing agreement is a written contract between two parties, in which one landowner allows another party to use that property under a number of parameters. A licensing agreement or licensing agreement usually involves a licensee and a licensee. The applicability of an AEA depends on several factors, one of which is the court where the case is being tried. Some courts that have considered the validity of The Shrinkwrap Licensing Agreements have invalidated some EULA and have characterized them as liability contracts that are unacceptable and/or unacceptable according to the U.C.C – see z.B. Step-Saver Data Systems, Inc. v. Wyse Technology,[6] Vault Corp. v. Quaid Software Ltd. [7] Other courts have found that the Shrinkwrap licensing agreement is valid and enforceable: cf. ProCD, Inc. v. Zeidenberg,[8] Microsoft v. Harmony Computers,[9] v. Novell Network Trade Center,[10] and Ariz. Cartridge Remanufacturers Ass`n v. Lexmark Int`l, Inc.[11] may also have acidic supports. No court has ruled on the validity of EU A in general; Decisions are limited to certain provisions and conditions. I have a good mantra for you: where there is software, there is data.
If your computer freezes or you are running into an issue where hardware is not detecting properly, you should attempt to power cycle your computer. This tutorial will tell you how to properly power cycle your computer as well as learning a basic understanding of when to power cycle your computer. NOTE: This tutorial may also be applied to most printers and some other devices. Let’s get started! Part 1: How to Power Cycle Example: If your computer is frozen, some hardware is not detecting. Press and hold the power button for 10-20 seconds. You should see that your computer shuts down immediately. Once your computer is off, unplug it from the electrical outlet. Once unplugged press and hold the power button for 30 seconds. Pressing and holding the power button for 30 seconds will do is drain the computer of any remaining electricity that it may be holding onto. Once you’re done draining the computer of electricity, plug it back into the electrical outlet. Turn the computer on. The computer should turn on and run properly. Part 2: When to Power Cycle • When your computer freezes for no known good reason. • If hardware does not detect when you have it plugged in. (This issue can affect Internal and External hardware) Power cycling is an easy method to diagnose and (some of the time) fix the issues your computer might be having. If your problems persist past the power cycle, contact your system administrator for further assistance.
Sacrifice of 9/11 first responders an example of humanity and compassion, UN chief 1 month ago Twenty years to the day since the terror attack that brought down the iconic Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has paid tribute to the first responders who ran into the buildings to save lives. Almost 3,000 people died in the attacks on 11 September 2001, which saw four planes hijacked by members of the Al-Qaeda terror group fly into US targets, including the two skyscrapers in Manhattan’s Financial District. Memorial ceremonies were held across the United States on Saturday, including the three sites of the attacks: a plane was also flown into the Pentagon, the headquarters of the US Military, and another crashed into a field in Pennyslvania, after passengers wrested back control from the hijackers. More than 400 first responders were killed in New York that day, the majority of them firefighters. In a statement, Mr. Guterres honoured those who put themselves in harm’s way when they headed towards the burning Twin Towers, “with many making the ultimate sacrifice, exemplifying the very humanity and compassion that terrorism seeks to erase”. Describing the day as one “seared in the minds of millions of people around the world”, Mr. Guterres recalled that the thousands of victims, and thousands more injured in the “cowardly and heinous" acts of violence came from some 90 countries. Paying tribute to the survivors who, he said, have had to overcome physical and emotional scars to get on with their lives, Mr. Guterres pledged the UN’s continued solidarity with the people of New York City, the United States of America, as well as all victims of terrorism everywhere around the world. Mr. Guterres also recalled the solidarity, unity and resolve expressed 20 years ago by the international community. The then Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, condemned the attacks on the day they happened, stressing that no just cause can be advanced by terror, and the members of the Security Council unanimously called on all countries to work together to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Disproportionate Effects of Food Insecurity on Women In her first official column on Food Insecurity And Gender, Chiamaka Adinnu talks about the role of misogynistic culture, food insecurity on women. The Disproportionate Effects of Food Insecurity on Women Food insecurity and hunger are some of the most significant problems prevalent globally. Worldwide, the effects of food insecurity are being felt, more by women and the impact is grievously disproportionate. Research indicates that women represent 43 percent of the agricultural labor force in developing countries; a figure that indicates a high dependency of most countries on women in terms of rural food production at the subsistence and commercial levels. Yet, another report by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 2014 showed that about 805 million people experienced extreme, chronic malnourishment, with women and girls representing over 60% of this figure. In developing countries in Africa, Asia, and the Pacific, women typically work 12 to 13 hours per week more than men; yet, women’s contributions are often ‘invisible’ and unpaid. Suffice to say that the high percentage of food-insecure women and girls is due to a host of factors relating to the prevailing gender inequalities in our society. Women are often denied their basic human rights such as the right to own property (particularly land), find decent work, have access to quality healthcare services, education, and opportunities. In addition, women face numerous obstacles in terms of access to credits, land, seedlings, extension services, livestock, mechanical equipment, fertilizers, and other farming essentials. Another mitigating factor that increases the susceptibility of women to food insecurity is the heavy burden of responsibilities they face at the home front as primary caregivers, which leaves them with little time to engage actively in food production. In addition, women farmers are not only at risk of hunger but they are more susceptible to crisis-induced food insecurity like the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This is because they have limited access to the market to sell their farm produce. In cases where they serve as farmhands and labourers, there is a glaring pay disparity between men and women for the same farm services rendered. This huge gap in pay goes ahead to affect their nutritional life, especially for women who are the breadwinners of their families. Such low pay influences their choice of foods for their family in terms of quality and quantity. During the crisis and as primary caregivers, women are quick to forfeit their portion of food for the sake of other members of the family. Consequently, they top the chart amongst the vulnerable groups of macro and micro deficiencies, particularly during their reproductive years. Thus, an effective strategy to achieve food security begins with addressing the gender inequalities that are prevalent in the agricultural sector. Some of the measures that can be adopted include; Ensuring that no woman is denied of her basic human rights in terms of education, skills acquisition, employment, right to own land and property, access to water and other resources that could boost the productivity of their agricultural activity, food, and nutrition security. Secondly, policies and legislation can be adopted that will encourage women farmers to venture into the production of cash crops or export crops. However, this will first require efforts being made at empowering women for mechanized farming and giving them access to mechanized equipment, credit, extension services, and other farming essentials. Often, a contributing factor to the low agricultural productivity of women is the huge family responsibility they bear, most of which stem from cultural and social perspectives. Efforts must be made to increase women’s labour productivity by enforcing legislation that makes it culturally and socially acceptable for women to adopt labour-saving technologies in their farms or alternatively giving them access to energy-efficient home and kitchen appliances, as well as provide customized and childcare support that would ease their double workload as farmers and caregivers. Another effective strategy would mean ensuring women’s participation, consultation, and inclusion in the decision-making processes leading to the creation and adoption of gender-sensitive legislation, as women are more likely to know the various mitigating factors affecting them than men are. In the agricultural sector, there is still room for improvement in terms of extensive research, as most researches are male-dominated. Efforts should be made to support and increase participatory gender-inclusive research and technology development programmes, as this will give more opportunity for diverse in-depth research results particularly in the area of women’s needs and concerns. If women farmers have equal access to farm resources as their male counterparts in addition to balanced household responsibilities, then the agricultural yield of a nation could increase by 20-30 percent. This value is estimated high enough to raise total agricultural output in developing countries by 2.5 percent and reduce the number of hungry people in the world by 12 to 17 percent. This equally translates to a significant increment in the GDP of nations and improved resilience of countries to shock, since women are ordinarily more attentive to practices that boost environmental sustainability. As long as agricultural gender inequalities remain strong, the consequences will be far-reaching; transcending beyond food security and nutritional aspect to influence the socio-economic growth of a country. This is because it not only improves the food security, nutrition, education, and health of the family and the nation, it also has an incredibly positive impact on the economic growth of a country by raising the level of human capital in the society and reducing the dependency rates of the working-age population. There are no imaginable limits to the merits of unlocking the productivity potentials of women in the agricultural sector, so efforts must be made to continually address the challenges that they face in this regard. It is only through this way that we can minimize the disproportionate effect of food insecurity on women. Image by Prettysleepy from Pixabay Share This:
The human internet The genius part of the internet is that you don’t actually think about it. When it works as designed, it works completely without your knowing. You interact with your computer and you really have no idea whether you’re looking at something stored on your computer or not. None of this happened by accident The story is familiar by now, I’m sure. The internet started as a loose network of large computers at universities in 1969. Funded by the US government, it was originally designed to make sure that the government’s top minds could communicate after a nuclear attack. Over 30 years later Sir Tim Berners-Lee took the internet from text to graphics, and created the World Wide Web. He created the groundwork that led to the way you understand streaming and surfing. In doing so, he hid a lot of the hard work behind an increasingly attractive facade. By making it possible to communicate without knowing how it was all done, the internet was opened up to regular folks like you and me. The revolution continued Ten years later, “Web 2.0” arrived, driven by graphic display technologies like Flash and Java. All of a sudden the internet was less like a giant book and more like a sprawling, interactive movie. Those technologies may be “dirty words” today — Flash is almost gone along with its inherent security issues, and Java has been gone for years –but back then they were really instrumental in giving us really entertaining content. Then, ten years after that, the combination of apps, fast connections, cloud storage and content delivery networks gave us the world of streaming video we know today. Of course, YouTube had been around since 2005, but it wasn’t until just a few years ago that streaming video became almost indistinguishable from watching TV. And it happens because of copper, fiber, and microwaves We intentionally give no thought to the way information flows over the internet. As I said the internet works that way on purpose. We don’t think about the millions of pounds of copper wire, the millions of miles of fiber, and the microwave links that make the modern internet possible. We don’t think about the massive server farms that give us what we ask for, almost instantly. I happened across one of these data centers not long ago in Richardson, Texas. It was a massive, almost impenetrable fortress nearly devoid of human life. And yet, from the power lines leading to it and the many giant buildings, it was obvious how important it was. We created the computers, and they created us At this point the internet is so bewilderingly complex that no one person truly understands it. There are experts in every field who understand how the computers communicate, the kind of hardware that makes it happen, and the way that all those wires connect. But in order to understand the internet, we almost need a “human internet”… a massively redundant network of experts in all parts of the world, each with enough knowledge to explain just one tiny part. That’s the weird thing. The internet was born from human intelligence. It is not (as far as we know) truly independently intelligent yet. However it follows its own rules and its own programming. The internet couldn’t work if humans had to control every aspect of it. And so, weirdly, the internet has shaped us all into one large internet. widespread and far-flung. We use the rules the computers have fed us in order to get the information we want. It’s a little scary to think what might happen next. About the Author Stuart Sweet
Skip to Content Do Yorkies Change Color? Do Yorkies Change Color? When you bring your Yorkie home, they may have a nice gold and black fur coat that you really like. After comparing to some of the other Yorkies you may have in your home or pictures you see online, you may notice that the coat color is not the same. Do yorkies change color and have different fur colors as they get older? Yorkies will change colors as they age. When you bring the puppy home, their fur is a tan and black color. The exact amount of tan and black will depend on the parents. As the Yorkie gets older, the fur color is likely to change to a blue or grey tint instead. The color change happens slowly over time. This is completed by the time the Yorkie is two years old. Let’s take a closer look at some of the color changes that you may see in the coat of your Yorkie and what to expect in terms of which colors the fur is likely to change to over time. Do Yorkies Change Color? Yorkies do change color as they get older. Most puppies will start out with a nice black and tan coloring as long as they are purebred. This coloring will stay around for the first six months to a year depending on the puppy and how their parents coloring looks. Over time, the coat coloring will start to change and get lighter to an almost grey color instead of the dark black and the tan will get lighter as well. This is completely normal for your Yorkie. As they get older, the pigmentation of their fur will change quite a bit and that is why the fur color will look a little bit differently. The exact change in coloring will depend on their parents and the unique dog as well. Unless the dog is acting funny or has recently been hurt, these fur color changes are considered normal. What Causes Yorkies to Change Color? It is common in many breeds of dogs to see that the coat color changes quite a bit. This is almost like a right of passage because the Yorkie will see the color change when they get to maturity. They often start when they are born with one color and then change to a different one when they get older. There are several reasons why a Yorkie could change color. First, they have a special gene that will reduce the amount of eumelanin pigment that they produce. This pigment is what is responsible for giving the tan and gold coloring that the Yorkie has when they are younger. As they get older, the pigment is not there as much, which changes the color of the fur. Just like humans, the Yorkie may notice some skin and fur color changes when they get older. They will change that dark black color to more of a bluish and grey color. This is due to the pigment that we talked about earlier fading away and not being as pronounced as it was before. As long as your Yorkie eats well and plays normally, this color change in the fur is not something to be worried about. It is also possible that some skin conditions and injuries will cause your Yorkie to have different colored fur. This often makes the fur lighter in color. If there is some damage to the hair follicles though, the melanin pigment could end up rushing to the injured area and making the fur a darker color. When you suspect that there is an injury with your Yorkie, it is a good idea to discuss this with your vet to see if there is anything you can do. It is also possible that changes in hormones in your Yorkie could cause the problem. If the thyroid is under or overactive, then the coat could change colors. This is not a normal reason for the coat to change colors either. You can look for whether there is weight changes, hair loss, or a brittle texture to the hair to see if this is the main cause. Most of the time, the color change that you see in your Yorkie will be completely normal. Adult Yorkies do not have the same color fur as we see with the puppies and that happens to most of the Yorkies that you see. Your vet should be able to give you a good idea of these color changes and what to expect with your Yorkie. When Do Yorkies Change Colors? Most Yorkies are going to be born with a tan and black coat that they keep while they are young. The quantities of black and tan fur will change depending on the puppy. This color of fur is often going to be found all over the puppy, including their paws, neck, ears, and eyebrows to name a few. The Yorkie comes with a unique gene that will change the color of the coat to more of a grey or blue shade when they become adults. This will often happen around the time they turn six months old. The color change does not happen overnight though and you may not even notice it at all. By the time they are around a year old, the permanent coat color will be in and they will be older. What Colors are Acceptable for a Yorkie? As your Yorkie ages, the color of their hair is going to change as well. This is nothing unusual and your vet will often give you a timeline on when to expect that this is going to happen. Depending on the parents of the Yorkie and what color their hair was when they started, there are a few acceptable colors for the Yorkie fur. There are a few different colors that are acceptable by the AKC since each Yorkie is going to be unique in the coloring that they have. These include: • Black and tan • Blue and tan • Blue and gold • Black and gold Keep in mind here that the blue is not going to be an exact blue. It is kind of a bluish-black color that sometimes looks a little blue when put into the light. The same thing happens with the gold. It is going to be more of a shinier shade of tan rather than gold. Do Yorkies Change Color? Cute pet Will the Breed Status Determine the Fur Color of My Yorkie? Each Yorkie is going to be unique. But if you want to know what color their coat is likely to be, then you can look to the parents. A purebred Yorkie puppy who comes from healthy parents is more likely to have tan and black coloring. You can sometimes see these puppies with jet black hair with just a little gold or tan under all of that. The mixed-breed Yorkies are the ones who are more likely to have different colorings in their fur. If you would like more of the black and gold coloring, then you need to take extra care to get your Yorkie from a reputable breeder, preferably one where the parents are registered through the AKC. If you do not get a purebred Yorkie, then there is likely to be more variations with the color of the fur for the Yorkie. Many may not be the tan and black that you would expect depending on the breed that you choose to go with. If the two breeds that were used as parents are very similar to each other, then the coloring may still be what you see with a purebred Yorkie. The exact coloring always depends on the parents though. Can My Yorkie be White? It is very rare that the Yorkie is going to be white. If you see a puppy that looks like a Yorkie but they are white, it is more likely that you are working with a Biewer Yorkshire terrier instead. This dog is mostly white in color but they could be found in blue and white and black and white. The Yorkie is not going to be white in color though. In the same idea, your Yorkie is not going to be pure gold either. Most reputable breeders are attempting to prevent Yorkies that are only one color. Most will be more tan and black rather than one color, whether it is white or gold. You will rarely see a Yorkie that is all one color, especially when it comes to white or gold coloring. The Changing Colors of Your Yorkie It is common for your Yorkie to have different color fur as they get older. This is a natural process of them aging and how the pigmentation in their fur will work. You should notice that a purebred Yorkie will start out with black and tan fur, which may change to more of a grey color as they get older. Each Yorkie is unique though and you may find that your Yorkie will have their own unique coloring too.
<p>In January 1945, the <a href="/narrative/2529">Third Reich</a> stood on the verge of military defeat. As Allied forces approached Nazi camps, the SS organized death marches of concentration camp inmates, in part to keep large numbers of concentration camp prisoners from falling into Allied hands. The term "<a href="/narrative/2931">death march</a>" was probably coined by concentration camp prisoners. It referred to forced marches of concentration camp prisoners over long distances under heavy guard and extremely harsh conditions. During death marches, SS guards brutally mistreated the prisoners and killed many. The largest death marches were launched from <a href="/narrative/3673">Auschwitz</a> and <a href="/narrative/3933">Stutthof</a>.</p> death marches Thank you for supporting our work
Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester \| English Monarchs Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester 1900 – 1974 Prince Henry was born on 31 March 1900, at York Cottage, on the Sandringham Estate. His parents were King George V and Queen Mary, his father was at the time of George's birth, Prince of Wales, son of King Edward VII and his Danish-born wife Queen Alexandra. His mother, who was then Princess of Wales was the daughter of Francis, Duke of Teck, a morganatic scion of the House of Wurttemberg who was of German and Hungarian descent and a distant descendant of Vlad Dracul. Queen Mary's mother, Mary Adelaide, Duchess of Teck, formerly Princess of Cambridge, was a granddaughter of King George III. At the time of his birth, Prince Henry was fifth in the line of succession to the throne. The new arrival was baptised at the private chapel of Windsor Castle on 17 May 1900, he was given the names Henry William Frederick Albert but known in the family as 'Harry'. Prince Henry, Duke of GloucesterPrince Henry, Duke of Gloucester As a child, Henry experienced ill health, suffering similar complaints of his older brother Albert whom he much resembled. He also had knocked knees and had to wear painful leg splints. He was an extremely nervous socially awkward child, and in common with his brother suffered from a speech disorder. Education and Career Henry's father, George ascended to the throne as George V on the death of his father, Edward VII, On 6 May 1910. The new King was persuaded by Henry's tutor, Henry Hansell that it would be good for Henry's character to attend school, where he could interact with boys his age. The King agreed with the suggestion, Henry was sent to St Peter's Court in Broadstairs, where he spent the following three years. Academically, he was not very bright, although he did display ability in mathematics and sport. In September 1913, Henry moved to Eton College and later studied at Cambridge University for a year. On leaving Cambridge the Prince joined the Army. He attended the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, in 1919, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the King's Royal Rifle Corps on 16 July 1919. He was later promoted to lieutenant in the 10th Royal Hussars. George V created him Duke of Gloucester, Earl of Ulster, and Baron Culloden, On 23 June 1936, he was appointed a personal aide-de-camp to his eldest brother, King Edward VIII. Following the abdication of his Edward VIII in 1936, Gloucester suspended his military career to share in royal and support the new king, George VI. He was finally appointed a Field Marshal in 1955 and a Marshal of the Royal Air Force in 1958. Prince Henry proposed to Lady Alice Christabel Montagu Douglas Scott, John Montagu Douglas Scott, Earl of Dalkeith (later Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry), and his wife, the former Lady Margaret Alice "Molly" Bridgeman, daughter of the 4th Earl of Bradford, Alice was a descendant of James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II and a major political figure during the years leading up to the Glorious Revolution. The couple were married on 6 November 1935 at the private chapel at Buckingham Palace. The marriage produced two sons and three grandchildren- (1) Prince William of Gloucester (18 December 1941 – 28 August 1972) died unmarried and without issue, he was killed in an aeroplane crash. (2) Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester (born 26 August 1944), married a Danish commoner, Birgitte van Deurs, on 8 July 1972. The couple later had three children. (i) Alexander Patrick Gregers Richard Windsor, Earl of Ulster (born 24 October 1974); he married Claire Booth in 2002. The couple has two children. (ii) Lady Davina Elizabeth Alice Benedikte Windsor (born 19 November 1977) married Gary Lewis in 2004 and later divorced in 2018. They have two children. (iii) Lady Rose Victoria Birgitte Louise Gilman (born 1 March 1980) married George Gilman in 2008. They have two children. Following his father's death, Henry purchased Barnwell Manor, a country house in Northamptonshire, with his inheritance. Barnwell had belonged to his wife Alice's ancestors. The Duke of Gloucester was appointed Governor-General of Australia in 1944, he was sworn in at Canberra on 30th January. He and his wife, Alice, travelled widely in Australia using his plane during their time in office. The Duke left Australia in March 1947, after two years in office. Prince Henry died on 10 June 1974 at the age of 74. He was the last surviving child of King George V and Queen Mary. He was buried in the Royal Burial Ground at Frogmore. His second son, Prince Richard, inherited the title of Duke of Gloucester. His widow Alice lived on to reach the age of 102 until her death in 2004, to become the longest surviving member of the British royal family in history
ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel Cleaning Your Freshwater Fish Tank Updated on November 19, 2014 What Needs to be Cleaned When cleaning a freshwater fish tank, it is not only important to know how to clean it but what you should and shouldn’t clean. If you happen to have live plants, driftwood, or any number of bacteria habitats you wouldn’t want to clean them for fear of killing off the bacteria and sending your tank into a state of shock. Without the bacteria, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate levels could grow exponentially and kill your fish. Cleaning artificial plants and ornaments is fine as long as you are sure they are not the main bacterial habitat (they usually aren’t unless they have set up shop on the exposed underside of an ornament. Of course the major reason most people clean their fish tanks is to remove algae from the glass. Although having fish to do this is the optimal choice there are several tools that can be used to achieve cleaner aquarium glass. The filter system needs to be cleaned out periodically as well. Over the side filters should have their cartridges changed out every three months and the components cleaned at the same time. How to Clean Aquarium Glass One of the first things that you need to learn when learning how to clean a fish tank is cleaning the glass. The outside of the glass can be wiped down with Windex or any other glass cleaner as long as you spray it on a rag first and not directly on the tank glass. Stray glass cleaner contains several poisons that will kill your fish. Never spray the glass cleaner over an open tank, in fact it is best to spray the rag in the opposite direction of the tank. The interior of the tank is another matter altogether. There are several products available to help clean the inside glass of the aquarium including scrapers, power scrubbers, magnets and various sponges. Although many of the more expensive gadgets, including the battery powered scrubbers, look like they will do the job they actually aren’t as reliable as a cello sponge and some elbow grease. Plastic scrapers work well on tough brown algae and calcium deposits, I use a small kitchen scraper for this. Many aquarists use magnets lined with felt to make easy work of algae. One magnet is placed inside the tank and the other on the outside. Dragging the magnet across the glass effectively scrubs the algae off. It is important to be careful with these magnets because a single stray piece of gravel that gets under the felt and in between the magnets can cause scratching on the inside of the aquarium. Getting these scratches out of a glass aquarium is not easy. The easiest way to clean the interior glass of your fish tank is to purchase a small sponge on a stick. A lot of these come with scrapers on the front (they look like miniature windshield scrapers). They will allow you to reach to the bottom of your tank without having to submerge your whole are. The leverage they give will allow you to remove even the toughest algae without straining yourself. This is definitely the best way how to clean your fish tank glass. How to Clean Aquarium Filter Systems If you are wondering how to clean a fish tank filter first you have to realize that there are three major types of filtration systems that are used in freshwater aquariums; under gravel filters, hanging filters and canister filters. Under gravel filters are the hardest to clean although they need to be cleaned the least often. To clean an under gravel filter you need an aquarium vacuum. These can either be powered or gravity driven. A gravity driven vacuum requires you to get the water flowing by suction (this can leave a bad taste in some people’s mouths). If you use the vacuum once a week it will prevent serious build up that can result in toxic situations for your fish. Many bacterial colonies can inhabit the under gravel filter so cleaning with the vacuum could eradicate them. If you are using an under gravel filter you should have a secondary area for your bacterial colonies. Cleaning an under gravel filter thoroughly requires removing it from the tank – this is usually only done when there has been a catastrophic event that has killed off most or all of the fish in the tank. Hanging filters (or Hang on backs - HOB) are much easier to clean thoroughly. Once every couple of weeks you should remove the filter cartridge and rinse it off in cold water. Use water from an outside hose if possible as tap water contains several potentially hazardous components. If you can’t use an outdoor source use bottle water. If this is not an option after rinsing the filter in the sink soak it in a bucket with a chemical remover like Prime to remove any chlorine or hard minerals that may be present. Changing the filter cartridge every three months is a must as the filter media will clog otherwise, even with the periodic rinsing. When you change the cartridge you should also wipe down the intake column. The plastic intake pipe is one of the only places that algae eaters cannot do their job. The interior of the column will probably be full of algae. Clean this out with a sponge. If the tube is too long to reach into you can rip a small piece of sponge and force it down the inside of the tube. Use a pencil to push it out the other side. This will remove the algae growth and give a crystal clear look to the intake. If the rest of the filter is beginning to look dirty you can wipe it down in the bathtub or kitchen sink at this time as well. Canister filters are far easier. You can remove the entire unit from the tank and take it to a utility room before emptying it. There will be a lot of muck around the foam insert that protects the motor housing. This will rinse away quite easily. The interior of the canister should not be rinsed out! This is where the biological filter media is stored and where the bacterial colonies live. If you clean it you’ll kill off the bacteria. Wipe down the outside of the canister and the protective foam block only. How to Clean a Fish Tank’s Plants and Ornaments The ornaments and plants in a fish tank sometimes need to be cleaned as well. If there is a build up of algae on ornaments they can be cleaned with the sponge on your glass cleaner or you could remove them from the tank and wipe them down with a mixture of 1 part rubbing alcohol to 3 parts water. This will kill off the algae and any possible pathogens on the ornament. Do not use bleach. Even a little left over bleach entering the tank can kill of bacteria, plants and depending on the amount, fish. Plastic plants can be handled the same way. Some people even run ornaments and plants through their dishwasher. This works well with sturdy, well made ornaments but the flimsy ones tend to warp due to the hot water. If you do use the dishwasher don’t use soap, the residue could be harmful to your fish. Live plants are an entirely different story. Cleaning live plants requires the utmost care. Remove the plants from the tank and set them on a damp paper towel. Algae growth on the plants can be removed by wiping it away with a paper towel. Gently rub the algae off the leaves of the plant making sure not to damage it in any way. Again, this is very delicate work and some of your plants will get damaged. Remove the damaged leaves before returning the plant to the tank. Once you’ve learned how to clean a fish tank it is easy to maintain it. Remember, the longer the time between cleanings the harder the cleaning will be. Small maintenance cleanings can be done once a week to make the yearly big clean much easier. This website uses cookies Show Details LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service. AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy) Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy) TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
A phobias is nothing but an irrational fear of something. Explore this article to learn more Read about the most common phobias that affect people. Most Common Phobias Are you petrified at the thought of webbed feet or creepy creatures? Are you frightened of being in solitude? Do you wonder if you are the only person who has such fears? Well, if you think so, here is some consolation. It is a scientifically proven fact that almost 10% of the adult population in the world is affected by an irrational fear of something or the other, which means a fear that you have no actual reason to be afraid of. Phobias are fears that seize people which in turn make them crazy at times. They can happen to anyone at anytime. The main symptom of this mental condition is the unwarranted desire to avoid the actual feared stimulus. These fears can easily be got rid of and people can overcome them without any medication or treatment. However, if the person affected feels distressed greatly, then he or she would require treatment or counseling by a psychologist who would use various treatment methods like cognitive behavioral therapy and at times by prescribing certain anti-depressants. This article deals with some of the most common phobias. Read on to learn more. Most Common Fears The fear for noises is known as acousticophobia. People suffering from ‘acousticophobia’ develop symptoms like sweating, extreme nervousness, etc. Acousticophobia can cause even lead to the disruption of life if the fear intensifies. Acrophobia is the fear of heights. People suffering from this disorder avoid going to higher places and they tend to develop symptoms like nausea, dizziness, sweating, etc. It is an anxiety disorder which is nothing but fear of public and open spaces. The sufferer actually becomes anxious in unfamiliar environments and he or she may have symptoms like nausea, excessive sweating, palpitations, shaking, and inability to speak or even think clearly. This is fear for books. Many people suffering from bibliophobia don’t even know that they have a fear of books. This phobia can cause disruption at school, work and in social relationships. Claustrophobia is a fear of being confined in closed spaces. People suffering from this disorder are anxious about being closed inside and they may first search for exits when they enter any room. They have symptoms like extensive sweating, nausea, hyperventilation, shaking, etc and they also panic if a door is closed behind them. Dentophobia is fear of dental care and dentists. This is also called as ‘odontophobia’. People suffering from disorder should undergo treatment, as untreated dental problems may lead to additional medical complications. Felinophobia is fear for cats, and people suffering from this disorder have symptoms like extensive sweating, dizziness, shaking, etc. This phobia is pretty common and many people don’t even know that they suffer from this phobia. Mysophobia is fear for germs and dirt. People affected by mysophobia keep washing their hands repeatedly. It is also associated with ‘obsessive compulsive disorder’ (OCD). Taphephobia is fear of being buried alive. People affected by this disorder feel that they see ghosts, dead people, spirits, etc. They avoid covering themselves completely with a bed sheet or in the sand at the beach. They also fear being pushed to the ground in a crowd. These people may additionally suffer from ‘thanatophobia’ which is the fear of dying and ‘spectrophobia’, the fear of ghosts. Trypanophobia is fear of injections or hypodermic needles. This fear goes untreated because, like many other phobias, people avoid being in a situation that might trigger the phobia. These patients also suffer from ‘iatrophobia’ which is the fear of doctors. How to Cite More from iloveindia.com
June 28th, 2007 language study tools i recently restarted studying latin, and this time, i am flying solo. i have already downloaded and am using interlex, which is easy to use and awesome, but i know there has to be more tools i can use for latin (and others). basically, i'm wondering if there are utilities, online or otherwise, into which i can input word stems (verbs, nouns, etc) and then have blanks to fill in the verb or case endings. for example, have it set to display "HABL" and then have the standard 2x3 chart to fill in endings (o, as, a, amos, áis, an)... any other ideas are cool, too. (cross-posted to latin) PV=nRT snoopy If and when you who codeswitch (use words from one language when you're speaking another, or even just speak a mishkaboble of two or more languages)...how do you conjugage the words you're borrowing? When I find myself transfering nouns from one language to another, I usually take the plural rule of the language that I'm actually speaking. And when I transfer verbs, sometimes I say "will" before, or tack an "ed" or "ing" on the end of the original infinitive in the other language. Sometimes I conjugate according to the original lanuguage and just used that as is, and at times I've found myself conjugating twice, subjecting the words to the rules of both languages. I haven't found a rule of when I do what, not that either of them are correct or that you should codeswitch at all... Does anyone have similar experiences? Recent Me Native American grammars? I'm looking for online reference grammars for, well, a decent number of Native American / First Nations languages from the northeastern USA, eastern Canada and western Greenland. My primary interest is in materials for Ojibwe/Chippewa, Abenaki, Maliseet, Mahican, Míkmaq, and Innu-aimun (or other Eastern Algonqiuan languages), as well as Mohawk, Wyandot, and Laurentian (or other Lake Iroquoian langs), and anything in the eastern area of Inuktitut including Kalaallisut, Inuttut and their neighbors. Sites giving raw vocab and/or introductory teach-yourself lessons are easy enough to come by that I can get a "feel" for the languages in question, but my project needs declension and conjugation tables, sandhi and liaison charts, critical grammar gotchas, discussions of animacy, activeness, case, pronomial systems, and all the other condensed and explicit stuff you get in a real grammar. Any suggestions? • Current Mood aggravated aggravated conlang atom On Etymologies Related to the Morals of Stories The other day, my wife was asking me about what a talent is. My guess is that most of you would answer to yourselves, "It is a natural gift or ability." But she obviously knows that; she was asking rather about what a "talent" referred to in the Parable of the Talents found in the Gospel of Matthew. I explained that a talent was a unit of currency. I then made a guess that our English term "talent" derived from the common interpretation that the parable was referring to not wasting ones natural abilities. Later on, I looked up the etymology of "talent" and it seems I was correct in my guess. I'm not sure how to word my question, but can anyone think of any other words whose origin is the morals of stories? That is, are there any other words that had one meaning, were used metaphorically in some widely known tale, and finally came to take on the metaphorical meaning so strongly that the original meaning of the word was near forgotten? I'm sure there must be some others, right? x-posted on my own journal Traveler's Haitian Creole? Hey all! My mom's friend is going to Haiti on business and wants to learn some Haitian Creole. He knows I’m interested in language, so he asked me to recommend a book for him to learn some. Unfortunately my limited language knowledge does not extend to Haitian Creole. Can anyone recommend some easy beginner Haitian Creole books? Thanks in advance. • Current Mood complacent complacent New boy Blurb for the community says introductory postings welcomed, so... Native language: English Can read, write, hold a reasonably sophisticated and grammatically correct conversation in: French, Catalan Can read, sort of write (much thumbing of dictionary), communicate in: Spanish, Modern Greek, Occitan Can read reasonably well but not speak: Portuguese, Italian, Old English Can read (much thumbing of dictionary): Old Norse, Modern German, Swedish, Danish, Gothic Struggle a bit with: Latin, Ancient Greek Own books on, know a few words of, etc. Too many to remember. Old Frisian, Middle Egyptian, Farsi, Hittite, Trinidadian French Creole, Sanskrit, Oscan and Umbrian, Etruscan, Germanic Philology, etc.etc. etc. Something like that, anyway. Started learning Old English when I was 13, Gothic and Old Norse by about 15. Recently had an email exchange with my girlfriend concerning the etymology of aubergine. Hoping I've come to the right place... (no subject) Hi, I'm new, just thought I'd introduce myself. I am mad about languages, but particularly about etymology and the linguistic side of things. I currently study latin, ancient greek and spanish for my A levels (and did french to GCSE level), and I find latin and greek give me an excellent background to english etymology, and spanish too. I frequently find myself unable to remember a spanish word so I just think of the latin, and spanify it. One instance was the spanish for "allow", I was completely nonplussed until I thought of the latin " permittere", and then I spanified it to "permitir" which was thankfully the right word. My big discovery today was to do with spanish when I realised the spanish "tener" must come from the latin "tenere" (I think) which means "to hold" and so the word for "to have" (haber from habere I think) is now just an auxiliary for the english auxillary "have". I may be sad if I found that quite cool, but I do! Same for the spanish "ya", from latin "iam" and "ser" from "esse" and "estar" from "stare". Also I love grammar etc and the actual workings of the language. I can reel off declensions and tenses and things, but sadly, my speaking skills in spanish let me down. But I do hope to study ancient languages and etymology and stuff to my university degree. So... that's me! • Current Mood curious curious (no subject) I'm getting a tattoo in Italian [because I am Italian, obviously, lol] but I can't get in touch with anyone I know that speaks fluent Italian. SO! If anyone would be able to translate this for me, it'd be greatly appreciated! "Live for the moment" "Live every day like it's your last" Thanks so much!
Photo citation How do you cite an image? Include information in the following order: 1. author (if available) 2. year produced (if available) 3. title of image (or a description) 4. Format and any details (if applicable) 5. name and place of the sponsor of the source. 6. accessed day month year (the date you viewed/ downloaded the image) What is an image citation? Citing Images Image citations should include the following information at a minimum: Title. Creator name. Repository information (museum, library, or other owning institution) Image source (database, website, book, postcard, vendor, etc.) How do you cite a picture from Google Images? To cite an image found through Google using the image-search function, you must identify the Web site where the image was posted. Then, cite the image like you would if you found it through the original website where it was posted. If the image has no official title, create a short description of your own. How do you in text cite a picture MLA? For images reproduced in the text: 1. Have a figure number, abbreviated as “Fig. … 2. Include artist’s name, title of work (italicized), date of composition, medium of the reproduction and complete publication information of the source, including page, figure or plate numbers. 3. Medium of original work may be included. How do you give credit to a photo? If you’re using it in a blog post or on your website, put the name of the creator and a link to their website or the source of the image beneath it. The format should be something like this: “Photo by [artist name with their website hyperlinked]” or “Image by [artist name] via [website hyperlinked].” You might be interested: Print 2x2 photo at home What are source images? So what is a source image?… Well in short, it’s an image of an area you’re trying to map.… This can be a screen capture from a mapping website…or perhaps an areal photo of the location you’re mapping.… It can even be a hand-drawn map that you have digitized.… How do you cite a meme? Memes! How do you cite them? 1. The title of meme (if it has no official title, student should create a short description) 2. Date the meme was published (if known) 3. Date the meme was accessed/retrieved. 4. Title of the website where the meme was published. 5. The publisher of the site (often found at the very bottom of the homepage) How do you cite pictures APA Style? An APA image citation includes the creator’s name, the year, the image title and format (e.g. painting, photograph, map), and the location where you accessed or viewed the image. or Museum, Location. [Lithograph]. How do you search the Internet with an image? Google’s reverse image search is a breeze on a desktop computer. Go to images.google.com, click the camera icon, and either paste in the URL for an image you’ve seen online, upload an image from your hard drive, or drag an image from another window. Is it illegal to use pictures from Google Images? You cannot download or use images from Google without seeking permission from the copyright holder, unless your use falls within one of the exceptions or the work is distributed under an open licence such as Creative Commons. Do you have to cite Google Images? When writing a research paper, you may want to reference an image that you found on Google images. Regardless of the citation style you’re using, you aren’t going to cite to Google images directly. Rather, you need to click through the image and visit the website where it’s found. You might be interested: History of color photography Do you need to cite an image? How do you cite a picture in text citation? In-text citation. To cite an image you found online, use the image title or a general description in your text, and then cite it using the first element in the works cited entry and date. How do you cite an online picture in MLA? Leave a Reply
Here’s Why the Met is a Treasure “Seeking to assuage the sorrow brought on by the war and to heal the nation’s fractured spirit in its wake, painters turned away from martial and political content. Responding to the assertion of women’s responsibilities after the loss of so many men in combat, artists depicted them in new roles and grappled with issues surrounding their new options. Expressing a longing for prewar innocence and the commemorative atmosphere associated with the nation’s Centennial, many painters portrayed children. And, as the agrarian basis of American life gave way to urbanization and industrialization, artists who lived, studied, worked, and exhibited their paintings in thriving cities looked to the countryside for their subjects. Painters of this era were, however, likely to show rural locales as temporary or nostalgic retreats from urban existence rather than sustainable habitats.” Weinberg and Barratt, Metropolitan Museum of Art Follow this link for more insight into American Scenes of Everyday Life 1840-1910. The online exhibit allows you to notice beautiful details and gain better understanding of the artists and citizens of the day and it’s just plain beautiful! 6 thoughts on “Here’s Why the Met is a Treasure 1. I wonder if we don’t all tend to set up cages for ourselves sometimes. There are those people who seem to thrive in almost any environment. It’s like when they have those reality shows where people live like they did in 1870. There’s nothing real about it. The people complain and do everything wrong and are shocked about every chore or social system, but if you just grew up in that world it would seem perfectly normal. Maybe you would have escaped to the wild west! 1. Well, since the women in the picture commissioned the portrait (or someone in the family di), I guess the artist was just pleasing the sitters. 🙂 Women set high standards for themselves. Leave a Reply You are commenting using your account. Log Out / Change ) Google photo Twitter picture Facebook photo Connecting to %s
Dr. Laurie Hollman is a clinician and author who writes frequently on her concept of “parental intelligence.” Her new book, Unlocking Parental Intelligence: Finding Meaning in Your Child’s Behavior,” is a fantastic resource for parents of infants, children and teenagers who are struggling to understand how their children think. Part One of the book discusses the five steps parents need to take to approach their children’s actions with intelligence. You can learn a lot from these deceptively simple tips. 1. Stepping Back. “Stepping back helps a parent to review what has happened.” Dr. Hollman ably describes a process familiar to all parents. Your child acts out and you react immediately and emotionally to whatever happened. In Dr. Hollman’s view, parents need to step back and disengage in order to understand what happened, why your child acted like she did, and what personal baggage you are bringing to your parent-child interactions.  2. Self-Reflecting. “Self-reflecting encourages parents to revisit the ghosts from the past that influence their own reactions.” This is where Dr. Hollman’s advice stands out from the pack. How can we ever parent our children without understanding how we were raised, and how our experiences shape what we perceive and how we react? This requires some work on our part, to think about how our own parents. The purpose is not to look back on our childhoods with judgment. Instead it is to focus on what actions our parents took to parent us, and how they continue to shape our feelings and attitudes today. 3. Understanding Your Child’s Mind. “Understanding your child’s mind opens windows onto the child’s world with its own particular point of view.” In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it’s hard to focus on what your child may be thinking and feeling because you are so busy thinking about how his actions affect you. Although it’s true you need to get through the day by going to work, school and taking care of the home, it helps to pull back and think about things from your child’s perspective. This will enable you to meet him on his own level.  4. Understanding Your Child’s Development. “Understanding your child’s development clarifies what to expect cognitively and socially from your individual child.” Dr. Holloman’s advice and counsel about the stages of child development will put your mind at ease. Rather than focusing on percentiles and benchmarks, Dr. Holloman discusses what to expect, within the context of your child’s specific physical and psychological characteristics. 5. Problem Solving. “Problem solving will lead to long-lasting solutions to the pressing problems that seem, at first, to have no possible resolution.” This includes discussion of fatherhood and the ways fathers and mothers process the five steps differently. Part Two discusses examples of the five steps above, especially when it comes to problem-solving. You will read about the experiences of other parents and how they navigate the relationships with their kids. Part Two goes through eight case studies from Dr. Holloman’s practice. The case studies include an adopted child’s first two years with her new family, a six-year old identical twin, an eight year old with ADHD, a depressed fifteen year old, and more. You can learn more about applying the five tools by purchasing Dr. Holloman’s book, which is available on Amazon.com.
Role of Mobile Devices in Education Technology has intruded and transformed every sector to an extent that people see and do things easily and simple. Mobile devices are among the technological advancements that have made communication and learning simple. In today’s learning institutions, mobile devices are used by both teachers and pupils to store learning sources that aid in the simple and effective learning of students. Some of these devices even have teaching methodologies to make students grasp concepts easily and effectively. The device to use depends on the level of the learner and the purposes of using the device. These Devices Prepare Students for the Future future students Before the coming of these devices, people used to be given handouts that contain notes and other kind of information. It is during this period that prepared educators to equip students with resources for them to learn by themselves. Currently, the mobile devices that students are using are meant to prepare the learners for the future learning trends that are to come. Eliminates the Boredom of Paperwork and Classwork Before the coming of these devices, students used to read notes all around the clock. Notes were enriching, but not all of them had the capability of teaching students all the concepts in the appropriate way possible. Mobile devices can contain videos, animation videos and graphs to make people understand concepts easily. If you are bored with class paperwork, you can turn to videos, and watch so that you enhance your understanding. There are some lessons which are even recorded as videos to ensure that students listen and understand. Mobile Devices Promote Research research internet Mobile devices are equipped with internet and students can research various topics that they have been taught. This will not only facilitate discovery of more things; it will increase the learning morale of the learners. Most students invent new things through reading extra materials apart from the ones they have been taught by the teacher. Through internet, they will be able to research a lot of things and dig more information. Easy Storage, Easy Access of Materials laptop for student Unlike books that you need to carry only a few of them, these devices contain all kinds of materials. You can store learning materials of from pre-school to university level and still access them within the blink of an eye. Once you search a book, a page or any material, it will be availed to you in the blink of an eye. All you need to do is to ensure that you store the material inside the device. You can make several copies and store in other devices for purposes of security. Besides the above importance, you will realize that mobile devices have up to date information which make learners to always be on the perfect track. They will learn current things and access trending information. You don’t need textbooks or hardcopy materials when have these devices because they can store everything you need to have for your learning. Even your class notes can be added to your device easily.
Skip to main content Transit Saint John The Saint John Transit Commission was established in 1979 to provide scheduled transit service to the city. It is the largest public transit system in New Brunswick in terms of both mileage and passengers. Ridership is about 2.1 million passengers per year—that’s about 50% higher than the average for Canadian cities with a population of between 50,000 and 150,000. Governed by a Commission, Saint John Transit is dedicated to high standards of customer service through innovative programs and commitment to the community. With one bus replacing 40 cars, public transit creates 65 percent fewer Green House Gas emissions than the same travel by automobile. Committed to conservation, Saint John Transit’s goal is to replace older buses with new buses that are low emission and energy efficient.
Supreme Court Weighs Decision on Gerrymandering 3 mins read By Michael McCurry On October 3, the Supreme Court began hearing oral arguments for a case that would control partisan gerrymandering. The case, Gill v. Whitford, challenges the map drawn by the Republican-controlled Wisconsin state legislature, and it is argued it heavily favors their party. The significance of this case is massive, as the plaintiffs are asking the court to establish a standard for the measurement of gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is an often-unknown term to the masses as it is purposely done behind the scenes. The idea is simple: in 42 of the 50 states, whichever party controls the state legislature is tasked with redrawing congressional district borders, often times passing new border legislation with just a simple majority, creating a system where the majority party can pass whatever map they choose to create. This potentially opens the door for some nefarious practices. The core principles in an effective gerrymander are the practices of ‘cracking’ and ‘packing.’ On a small scale, if you had twelve prospective voters, 6 Republican and 6 Democrat, that you wanted to split into four districts, you would use the practice of packing to fill one of those districts with three members of the opposing party. Then with the remaining districts you would use the practice of cracking to distribute the rest of the opposing party into equal slivers, which would grant your party the majority vote in all three. Suddenly instead of having four districts with equal distribution of voters, there would now be three districts in favor of one party and one in favor of the other regardless of the parties receiving equal popular votes. In Gill v. Whitford, the justices are again split down a 4-4 line with the deciding vote being the centrist, Anthony Kennedy, who is the only Republican-appointed justice that could possibly side with the court’s Democrat-appointed members to strike down the partisan Republican map. It is unclear at the moment which way Kennedy will rule as many speculate the veteran justice’s silence during the plaintiff’s testimony may show signals of the Reagan appointee ruling alongside his Democratic colleagues. Marina Mozak (’19) is not so confident. “I can’t imagine the Supreme Court will do anything. Keep in mind these practices have served to great benefits of the people in power.” History major Tyler Salter (’19) believes that gerrymandering itself goes against the American democratic process. “The whole system seems to be against the American tradition of fair elections and having people’s voices heard, it just rigs the system for incumbents or whatever party is in power to have an overwhelming control.” As the court proceedings continue, the question remains. Does this system of partisan map drawing impede democracy? Only time will tell. Leave a Reply Previous Story U.N. Vote Reveals the Persistence of Institutionalized Homophobia Next Story More than 100 Hippos Die In Namibia Latest from Blog %d bloggers like this:
8 Uses of Hedge Shears: When and How to Use? Are you an avid gardener looking for tools that would help you maintain the state of your garden? If so, hedge shears come in handy to maintain and make your garden beautiful. Let us walk you through the different uses of hedge shears to help you improve your garden. 8 Most Common Uses of Hedge Shears Hedge shears are multi-purpose tools used for shaping shrubs and cutting weeds, overgrown grass, bushes, and shrubs. Here, you will find various common uses of hedge shears to help you maintain your garden. 1. Cutting Any Small Branches 2. Creating and Maintaining a Formal Hedge 3. Pruning Branches After Flowering 4. Deadheading 5. Thinning Shrubs 6. Cutting Back Perennials 7. Cutting Lawn Edges 8. Cutting Thin or Soft Trimmings Smaller for Composting Cutting Any Small Branches Pruning tools are invaluable for handling plants and trees in your garden. Hedge shears are pruning tools that help remove long branches or several small branches of a tree simultaneously. Hedge shears have a blade that is edgy and straight at the cutting surface. They are not suitable for cutting thick branches since that could make their blades go dull faster. They can only cut branches that are ½ inches in thickness. These tools work well for cutting soft plants, including lilyturf, hostas, catmint, and various other perennials and ornamental grasslands. Trimming small twigs or branches using a hedge trimmer will provide your garden a neater look, keeping the bushes clutter-free. It also lets you get creative with your plants and create a topiary in the garden. So, with proper usage of hedge shears, you could add aesthetics to your garden. 8 Uses of Hedge Shears Creating and Maintaining a Formal Hedge Hedge shears greatly help create a formal hedge for people who want to give their garden a unique or stylish look. You could impose straight cuts on your plant’s soft growth using hedge shears to create a formal hedge, in which artificial and stylish appearances are preferred. If you already have a formal hedge, proper use of hedge shears would help you maintain it by getting rid of overgrowth and out-of-place branches. So, you could get the desired look for your garden. However, it may cut only specific species of plants this way. The purpose of pruning the shrubs is to get a presentable and natural appearance, which does not require straight cutting. Pruning Branches After Flowering Pruning involves cutting or trimming long branches of trees that could be dangerous otherwise. The unwanted elements you observe in your garden may cause trouble in the future. These elements might hinder the healthy growth of your plants. Thus, pruning becomes necessary. To successfully do it, make sure to remove specific parts of a plant, including branches, buds, or roots. Pruning could help you provide your plant a specific shape. This means you can control the direction in which your plant grows. Usually, gardeners use pruning tools like a hedge shear weekly for trimming and pruning plants. However, there are certain times deemed suitable for using hedge shears. It is best to prune the branches of the trees after flowering takes place. Avoid making pruning cuts during spring as they might grow back or develop a callus. Besides twigs, you should prune new flowers during the early spring or winter. Hedge Shears Deadheading is a simple way of removing dead flowers from the stem of your plants. It not only helps your plants appear cleaner but allows them to grow thicker and healthier. Some people hand-prune their plants, but the deadheading of soft and highly fertile plants that grow rapidly would take quite long. Using hedge shears for deadheading your plants would make the process much easier and convenient for you. They allow you to reach inside a plant and make a precise and neat cut with the least damage to the plant. For instance, vines and non-woody clematis grow so quickly that they conceal unnatural cuts. But with a hedge shear, you could effectively deadhead prolific small-flowering plants like lavender, tickseed, and Santolina. Thinning Shrubs A hedge shear could help you cut the branches and water sprouts back to their origin on the stem. This pruning method will lead to a more open plant without causing unnecessary growth. The thinning shrubs method opens the plant, promoting air circulation that helps reduce diseases and enhances growth. It is mainly used in plants, including lilac, crape myrtle, magnolia, smoke bush, and viburnums. Avoid shearing them continuously as it may lead to thick growth and diseases. It is better to thin boxwood them once in a while. Cutting Back Perennials Some perennials need to be cut back to their heads to protect them from the cold and stimulate growth in the spring. Hedge shears are ideal for cutting soft, dead branch tissues. They can cut soft plants like hostas, catmint, columbine, lilyturf, and other perennial plants. For instance, the foliage of catmint is damaged during the cold winter. Therefore, it is advisable to cut its foliage in the fall to make cleaning the garden easier in the spring. These plants respond well to trimming done for refreshing and cleaning up the foliage throughout the season. However, hedge shears may not work with cane plants that require thinning and semi-woody perennials. Hedge Shears uses Cutting Lawn Edges A lawn with overgrown edges may appear quite unattractive and make your garden look untidy. To improve your garden’s appearance, you must recut your lawn’s edges every spring and trim large grass after mowing. A hedge trimmer could come in handy for cutting huge grassy areas and make the task less cumbersome for you. It allows you to efficiently trim down the grass and help you tidy up your lawn. Ensure the trimming area does not have any obstacles like rocks as they may break the hedge shears. Also, wear safety clothing and tie up your hair while using a hedge trimmer to prevent any kind of inconvenience. It is better to kneel when cutting short grass, keeping the blade parallel to the ground. Be sure not to hit the blade on the ground as it could cause severe damage to the hedge shears. Cutting Thin or Soft Trimmings Smaller for Composting The tree pruning, twigs, branches, and stems you cut using hedge shears are appropriate for composting. The hedge clippings can be used for making compost. Anything less than one inch composts well and can be added directly to the compost heap or bin. However, thicker stems or branches are not suitable for the purpose. Hedge shears are ideal for cutting the branches or prunings into smaller pieces suitable for a compost bin. Types of Hedge Shears There are various designs and versions of hedge trimmers, including manual, electric, gas-powered, and telescopic hedge trimmers. Manual hedge trimmers appear as huge scissors or pruning shears and also come with telescopic handles. They are operated manually; thus, they are quite environment-friendly and affordable. Motorized hedge trimmers work faster and feature safety devices that enable use only when you place both hands on the handles. Gas-powered trimmers are more powerful, heavyweight, and tricky to operate. On the contrary, electric trimmers are lighter, less potent, quieter, and environmentally friendly compared to gas-powered tools. Hopefully, after reading through the different uses of hedge shears, you now know how to effectively use them to trim tree branches and shrubs. It is essential to possess a pruning tool for the proper upkeep of your garden. Hedge shears are one of the best tools for beautifying your garden and enhancing your plants’ growth. Be mindful of the species of your plants and prioritize pruning based on their growth needs. So, add some aesthetic style to your garden using hedge trimmers!
Islam and Safeguarding Human Life in the Modern Context By Shahul Hameed Islam and Safeguarding Human Life in the Modern ContextAccording to Islamic teachings, all living things are partners to humans in life and each species deserves respect. Environmentalists never tire of stressing the importance of water as the “source” of life on earth. In fact, the ever-glorious Qur’an is the only divine book that lays so much stress on how life is so closely linked to water: And have not the ones who disbelieved seen that the heavens and the earth were an integrated (mass), then We [Allah] unseamed them, and of water We have made every living thing? Would they then not believe? (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:30) Almighty Allah also says: And Allah sends down from the skies water; so He gives life therewith to the earth after its death. Surely in that is indeed a sign for a people who listen. (An-Nahl 16:65) Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has taught that any person who plants a crop that feeds another person, animal, or bird, will receive his or her due reward in Paradise, and that denying water to living beings or destroying trees or plants is viewed in Islam as a grievous sin. Modern scientific methodology and technology have their roots in the experimental science propagated by the previous generations of Muslims. What came to be known as Islamic science never was a greedy venture to conquer the forces of nature, but an ethical pursuit of knowledge with a view to decipher the signs of Almighty Allah in nature as well as in the whole universe. While Muslims are proud of their contributions to science and technology as a means of improving the quality of human life, they are happy that they have little to do with the development of such technologies as linked to the destruction of nature, the environment, and of living beings through the wasteful exploitation of God-given resources and through the manufacture and use of weapons of global destruction. In his article “Islam and the Environment,” Arafat El-Ashi, director of the Muslim World League in Canada, observed that “Human life is sacred in the sight of Islam; hence, no one is permitted to take the life of another person except as life-for-life; and in Islam suicide is a crime” (Smith). Islam gives an integrated view of life and reality, and it is unique in that it holds every human activity, whether this-worldly or the other-worldly, under the purview of religion. That is because Islam views life as an organic whole; whose divergent spheres are subject to the same guiding principles. The Islamic Shari`ah is a body of laws meant to govern the whole of human life. The scholars of Islam have underscored five major objectives of the Shari`ah based on the noble Qur’an and the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad — peace and blessings be upon him (Al-Timimi). These objectives are the protection and promotion of the following: 1. Deen — Religion 2. Nafs — Life 3. Nasl — Progeny or family 4. `Aql — Intellect or mind 5. Maal — Property or wealth (Siddiqi) Thus, having irresponsible sexual relations, that often lead to unwanted pregnancy and consequent infanticide, is most heinous from the viewpoint of Islam. One may wonder why the preservation of life is second to the protection of religion. The answer is that everything, including the very idea of protecting life, comes from religion; for Muslims, the very purpose of human life on earth is to worship Almighty Allah alone (Al-Timimi). Our concern here is the protection of life, which is the second objective of the Shari`ah. The sanctity of human life is declared repeatedly and most emphatically in the ever-glorious Qur’an. An example is the Qur’anic verse that reads: If any one slew a person unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land, it would be as if he slew the whole people; and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. (Al-Ma’idah 5:32) To kill just one innocent human is like killing the whole of humanity, and to save just one human amounts to saving the whole of humanity! Can we possibly find a better way of emphasizing the sanctity of human life?! Among the pagan Arabs at old times, there existed the horrible practice of burying alive the newborn girls. Today, however, this practice further developed to kill the babies even before they are born! By this, modern people have made the crime of infanticide a small matter of medical expediency. This practice is strongly condemned in a number of Qur’anic verses. An example occurs in one of the earliest chapters revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in which reference is made to the Day of Judgment and the signs preceding it; two of these verses read: When the female infant buried alive will be asked, for what sin she was slain. (At-Takwir 81:8-9) Indeed, by prescribing death penalty for the murderer, the Shari`ah aims at the protection of life. Yet, no one has the right to take the life of another except under due legal process. Moreover, it is a unique feature of the Shari`ah that it makes a provision for the family of the murdered so as to forgive the murderer. They can do so freely or after receiving some token financial compensation. The third objective of the Shari`ah is the protection of the progeny or family. It is well known that Islam strictly prohibits the free mingling between opposite sexes. While marriage is permitted and encouraged by the Shari`ah, promiscuity is forbidden in no uncertain terms. Islam views the sexual impulse of the humans as something natural and beautiful, not as something dirty. That is why Islam has regulated such impulses and nurtured and satisfied them through marriage. Islam seeks to strengthen the family because outside it, there is no real protection for children, especially in their early stage of growth when the attention and care given to them by their parents are of crucial significance. So, any action that undermines the family is considered a serious crime in Islam; punishments are prescribed proportionate to the seriousness of the criminal act. Thus, having irresponsible sexual relations, that often lead to unwanted pregnancy and consequent infanticide, is most heinous from the viewpoint of Islam, and due punishments are prescribed for such serious violations of Allah’s commands. But in “modern” societies, especially in the West, permissiveness, which means no accountability to anyone, is the norm. This is most abhorrent to Islam, however. In short, safeguarding the institution of the family is essential for the security and stability of any society. Crimes and increasing mental disorders leading to suicides seen in Western societies are often traceable to the dissolution of family. Where families have broken down, children may well develop criminal tendencies ultimately giving rise to social disruption. Therefore, the family is seen as greatly important in maintaining peaceful life at the individual, social, and international levels. • Murad, Khurram. “Shari`ah: The Way of Justice.” Young Muslims. Accessed 29 June 2008. • Siddiqi, Muzammil H. “Ethics of Shari`ah and Our Responsibility.“ July 2005. Accessed 29 June 2008. • Smith, Gar. “Islam and the Environment.” Islam Awareness. Accessed 29 June 2008. • Al-Timimi, Ali. “Islam: The Cure for Societal Ills.” Oct. 1993. Accessed 29 June 2008. Courtesy with slight modifications. Professor Shahul Hameed is a consultant to He was previously the Head of the Department of English, Farook College, Calicut University, and the president of the Kerala Islamic Mission in Calicut, India. He is the author of three books on Islam published in the Malayalam language. His books are on comparative religion, the status of women, and science and human values. Soucre Link Leave a Reply
Understanding IoT Security for IoT Developers The Internet of Things (IoT) and the level of interconnectedness it can provide opens up the door for many new applications and a new level of functionality within the devices we use in our daily lives. Yet, an ever increasing number of networked appliances, and applications that interact with them, also results in a rapidly increasing attack surface that black hats can use to compromise devices and gain a foothold in home and corporate networks. To help minimize the growth of this attack surface, it is critical that developers of IoT devices, and the applications that run on them, make security a top priority and there is no better illustration of this than the recent DDoS attack on the DNS provider Dyn. The attack on Dyn resulted in widespread outages for several large Web sites on the East Coast of the United States and the attack is largely attributed to the Mirai botnet. The Mirai malware is also responsible for the DDoS on the Kreb’s on Security news site, where it generated a DDoS attack that created over 600 Gbps of network traffic. What makes this attack so scary, however, is not the level of sophistication of the malware itself, but actually its lack of sophistication in how it gains control of IoT devices. The source code for the Mirai malware was released and its mechanism for gaining control of IoT devices is very straightforward. It has a list of just over 60 username and default password pairs and hunts out devices for which these credentials have not been changed. Many of the devices it targets use insecure protocols, such as telnet, for establishing remote connectivity. Estimates by the AV vendor Sophos estimate that these 60 passwords are enough to easily compromise hundreds of thousands of public-facing IoT devices. Moreover, Mirai is not the only the IoT-based malware to take control of devices using default credentials and insecure protocols, as the malware behind the Bashlight botnet has been shown to make use of similar techniques. Although consumers can take measures to mitigate such threats by ensuring that default credentials are changed and by configuring firewalls to restrict network connectivity, that does not mean that the security of the IoT devices themselves cannot be improved upon. Network Administrators looking to check their environments for IoT devices with default credentials can consider using a tool such as IoT Crusher to identify such devices for remediation, but it would be far better if device manufacturers took steps to ensure that default credentials did not end up on installed devices in the first place. In that vein of thought, this article will be discussing some techniques that IoT device developers should consider implementing to help protect their devices against threats such as Mirai. 10 Must-have IoT Application Security Controls Because the space constraints of a single article prevent a comprehensive discussion of all possible IoT security controls, this discussion will center around vulnerabilities listed in the OWASP Top IoT Vulnerability list because many of the vulnerabilities on this list are also the vulnerabilities exploited by Mirai and Bashlight. This top 10 vulnerability list will be used to create a list of 10 security controls that any developer involved in the development of IoT software or firmware should be implementing. Vulnerability Rank Vulnerability Name 1 Insecure Web Interface 2 Insufficient Authentication/Authorization 3 Insecure Network Services 4 Lack of Transport Encryption/Integrity Verification 5 Privacy Concerns 6 Insecure Cloud Interface 7 Insecure Mobile Interface 8 Insufficient Security Configurability 9 Insecure Software/Firmware 10 Poor Physical Security Table 1: OWASP Top IoT Vulnerabilities A quick look at Table 1 shows us that, of the top 10 vulnerabilities listed, three of the vulnerability types deal with insecure interfaces. Whether we are dealing with Web, cloud, or mobile interfaces, these types of vulnerabilities are largely centered on having easy-to-guess credentials that can be used by an attacker to gain access to the device. Moreover, as the insufficient authenticationauthorization vulnerability type indicates, devices that allow the use of simple passwords and the transmission of passwords in clear text are also prominent, which can work to further compound the issues seen with insecure interfaces. Insecure network services includes devices that expose unnecessary ports and have vulnerable services listening on those ports. Vulnerabilities concerning lack of transport encryption mainly involve the use of insecure protocols such as HTTP instead of HTTPS, which makes transmitted data much easier to harvest. Privacy concerns deal with IoT devices collecting more data than needed to fulfill their functions and other factors that can potentially lead to the exposure of personally identifying information (PII). Insufficient security configurability deals with users having a lack of options with regards to setting up security features, such as selecting password complexity filter parameters or being to grant different access levels to different accounts. Insecure software/firmware deals with the inevitable vulnerabilities that will be found in an IoT device and the in place mechanisms for updating them. Lastly, physical security vulnerabilities deal with whether or not data at rest is encrypted and whether or not USB and similar ports are accessible and can be used to attack an in-hand device. These vulnerabilities lead us to the need for implementing the following security controls. 1. No default passwords or hardcoded passwords post initial setup: Ideally, devices should not be allowed to go online until after setup is complete and a unique user-generated password is put into place. This helps ensure the security of the device by avoiding compromise due to users not being able to change passwords or forgetting to. For example, many Sierra Wireless devices fell victim to Mirai, because even though they supported custom credentials, many users never bothered to change the defaults. Credential changes should be mandatory at the time of setup to prevent these types of issues. 2. Account Lockouts after 3-5 failed logins: Changing your password is critical, but provides little security if attackers can easily conduct a dictionary attack, brute force attack, or some other credential guessing scheme against the device. After 3-5 failed login attempts, further login attempts should be prevented for a period of at least 30 minutes, because such lockouts will dramatically increase the time required to conduct such attacks. 3. Password complexity filters: Having a custom password is a good thing, and properly configured lockouts can help to really boost the security of interfaces against password attacks, but all the security in the world is not going to keep a device safe if a user is allowed to choose 1234 for their password of choice. Password complexity filters help ensure that passwords meet a required length and use a variety of character types. 4. No unsecured connections: All connections should be required to use a secure protocol, such as SSH, in place of telnet, or HTTPS in place of HTTP. This will make it more difficult for passwords and session information to be captured and used to attack or compromise an IoT device. Moreover, secure connections also help to ensure that the privacy of data is maintained because it will make the viewing of transported data significantly more difficult. 5. No administrative access on internet facing interfaces: Internet-enabled access to device administrative functions should be opt-in only. Devices should be configured to allow only local administrative access to the device or administrative access from the local network. 6. Network level access controls: The device should have the ability to turn off network-enabled features that are not currently in use and should have the ability to restrict communication to a user-defined list of IP addresses. This is especially important when devices are targeted towards the home user market where the budget and/or knowledge may not exist to properly deploy an IoT device behind a firewall. 7. Update Mechanisms: Vulnerabilities are inevitable because bugs will be found in pretty much any non-trivial application, no matter how carefully crafted. IoT vendors need to be sure that there are mechanisms in place for their devices and/or applications to check for updates, ensure the integrity of updates, and to apply those updates. 8. Encryption at rest: IoT devices should ensure that passwords and all data that could be considered sensitive, like PII, is stored in an encrypted format. Potential attackers should not be able to remove an SD card from a device, pop it into a reader, and suddenly have the stored password used to access the device. 9. Differing Account Access Levels: Devices should have the ability to be set up with user-level accounts as well as administrative accounts and these accounts assigned to different interfaces. This allows for further segregation between the accounts used for device administration and for Internet-based access to the device. 10. Privacy by Design Principles: Not really an individual security control, but following privacy by design principles will help ensure that privacy is integrated into the device from day 1 and that the device will not further expose users to the risk of identity theft. More comprehensive coverage of Privacy by Design can be found here. Although far from a comprehensive list of the controls that should be implemented to protect IoT devices from compromise, the preceding 10 are controls that will greatly help mitigate some of the most commonly observed IoT vulnerabilities and are especially relevant given the recent rise of the Mirai and Bashlight malware strains. When developing IoT device software, keep in mind that security needs to be incorporated into the device from day 1 because application security cannot be bolted on later. Use this article as a base to begin thinking about what kinds of vulnerabilities are commonly exploited and what can be done to mitigate these risks. 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Book Therapy Here \| How to Help a Friend with Anxiety how to help a friend with anxietyby Andrea Blundell Your friend is so worked up over something, you worry they are about to have a panic attack. How can you help a friend with anxiety? How to recognise anxiety Stress is a logical response to overwhelm. Your friend or loved one will have a reason for their stress. Their boss has asked them to do someone else’s work as well as their own. Their partner just randomly left. Anxiety, on the other hand, is not about logic. It’s an addictive thought loop driven by illogic thinking that leaves someone in a cloud of fear. It often strikes out of nowhere, or is triggered by something small. If your friend seems far too agitated for the situation, or keeps repeating very exaggerated ideas, and seems afraid? It’s anxiety [Read more in our article, stress vs anxiety]. How to help a friend with anxiety A stressed person responds well to finding solutions. To being to calm down and get practical. But telling an anxious person to calm down and think things through simply leave them feeling anxious about feeling anxious. Helping anxiety is not about finding an ‘answer’ but about helping your friend or loved one’s mind to let go of its thought loop. Try the following tips. 1. Stay calm. Don’t tell them to ‘calm down’, use your own energy to set an example by staying grounded yourself. This can be a challenge if you are watching your friend go through the physical signs of anxiety, which can include feeling they are having a heart attack, as well as: • trouble breathing • heart palpitations and a heavy chest • sweating and trembling • headaches and dizziness • muscle tension. But remember that anxiety eventually passes. It’s like a wave, or a set of stormy clouds. In fact some anxiety sufferers find it helpful to think of anxiety this way. To remind themselves that the waves eventually get smaller, the sky finally clears. You just have to ride it out. 2. Encourage them to breathe and relax. Most people in a state of anxiety are holding their breath. How to help someone through an anxiety attack? Get them to notice this and start taking long, slow breaths into the diaphragm. This counteracts the parasympathetic nervous system which is causing all the symptoms above. And it also means they will be more able to be present and listen to you. A study at the University of Beijing highlighted the ability of sustained diaphragmatic breathing to not only reduce mental and physiological stress, but to improve our ability to think clearly. Also suggest they relax their shoulders and arms, this often releases a lot of pent up tension. 3. Don’t expect them to make sense. Again, anxiety is driven on illogic, fear-based thoughts. The more anxious someone becomes, the more illogic they will seem. Don’t ask them to ‘speak logically’ or ‘explain again in a way I can understand’. Their mind is in an illogic loop, and if they could just get out of it, they wouldn’t have anxiety. 4. Don’t put them down for not making sense. How to comfort someone with anxiety? Not by mocking or belittling them. This not only makes them feel more anxious, it makes them ashamed. Shame makes people shut down. They don’t accept help. 5. But don’t patronise either. At the same time, don’t patronise. This looks like: • poor you • you’ll feel fine soon, go have a cup of tea • you just need to relax • oh, I was anxious once, you’ll be fine. 6. Don’t ask them all about their anxiety. “You are anxious, you are so anxious, are you having an anxiety attack? Are you feeling all the symptoms of anxiety? How often are you anxious?” Again, anxious people can get anxiety about anxiety. So don’t feed the beast. If you know they get anxiety and it’s obvious they are anxious, then just stay practical. If you aren’t sure, ask once, get the confirm, they focus on helping. 7. Instead, listen. Properly. friend with anxietyAsk them what is upsetting them, and then listen. Let them get their illogic thoughts out into the open. Sometimes hearing how illogic things sound out loud can itself start the process of calming down. Listening means putting your attention fully on the other person. If it helps, repeat what they are saying in your mind to keep focus. 8. If they don’t stop talking, then actually interrupt. Usually interrupting is a sign of terrible listening. But remember, anxiety is addictive and a loop. Do let your friend or loved one get their whole thought process out, but if they start to repeat themselves? Or are babbling? It’s important to gently interrupt with something like, ‘let me know when you are finished, ok?’. Or touch their arm and ask permission to speak. ‘Is it okay if I speak?” 9. Then don’t accept what they say. Seriously. Again, belittling their anxious thoughts is the worst thing you can do. So make sure they feel heard. But don’t agree with their illogical thoughts. This is fodder for the fire of anxiety. And it’s not what an anxious person actually wants. They want someone to bring them back down to earth and away from their state of fear. To throw them a life buoy. They need to get out of the thought cycle, to be shown that their thoughts are just assumptions. And then be distracted by positive action. So use a model like: “I hear what you are saying about —-. But is it possible that you are making an assumption? Because on the other hand —. ( Add action step).” “I hear what you are saying about someone possibly breaking into your flat when you are sleeping. But is it possible that is an assumption? Because on the other hand, I don’t know a single person who has ever been broken into and I live in a big city and know a ton of people. And what if we look at the cost of an alarm system together?” They might reject what you say. Just keep up with your tactic. Keep offering other perspectives and action steps. Talk them down from the ledge then show them a path back inland. Help them with positive distractions. Again, an action step, provided it leads away from fear and is a real solution, is helpful. But if a person is in a serious state of anxiety and can’t calm down enough to take in your logic, or is anxious about something way beyond logic (they are convinced their ex thinks they smell bad and is telling everyone, for example) then simply work on a positive distraction that takes them out of their mind and thoughts. Great ideas here are: • anything physical – a walk, a fitness class, dancing around the living room • things that require mindfulness like baking, knitting, cleaning the house, singing, making music • getting into nature – even just the garden • comedy and laughter – a funny movie, for example. Give then a hug. Remember that sympathetic nervous system creating all those physical side effects? A hug triggers its opposite, the parasympathetic nervous system, which slows the heart rate and relaxes muscles. But only if they want a hug, so ask first. An unwanted hug just, well, you guessed it… raises anxiety. Do you yourself have anxiety, and wish you could talk to someone who understood your anxiety this well? We connect you with top London talk therapists in four locations or over the internet. Of find a UK-wide registered therapist or Skype therapist on our booking platform Still have a question about how to help a friend with anxiety? Or want to share your own tip with other readers? Use the comment box below. Andrea BlundellAndrea Blundell is the lead writer and commissioning editor of this site and has suffered severe anxiety since a child. She wishes her friends and family had of known all this and hopes this can help others. find a therapist Related Posts [contact-form-7 id="117624" title="Journalist Form"] Leave a Reply
Posted on Learn more about sewing with an Easy Informative Guide To Sewing Products [2021 Edition] An Informative Guide To Sewing Products Sewing is a very popular pastime, but it is quite technical and can be a bit daunting for beginners. It’s a very therapeutic activity though and is well worth spending some time finding your way around all the different items you might need when completing a sewing project. We don’t have time to do a full A-Z here. But let’s demystify some of the sewing products that are commonly used. What is wadding? Wadding, also known as batting in the US, is often made from polyester fibres and is used as a layer of insulation between fabrics. Polyester wadding is often used in quilt making and helps you to produce a quilt that is soft, comfortable and warm. Quilt wadding may also be made from natural fibres such as bamboo, silk or cotton. These tend to flatten more than made-made fibres such as polyester. Natural fibres are more breathable whereas man-made tend to wash better. Bamboo wadding is becoming more popular as an eco-friendly alternative for quilting. Wadding is sold in different weights, commonly 2oz, 4oz and 6oz and can usually be purchased by the metre or half-metre. It may come scrim-coated which means there is a light net-like covering which holds the fibres together. As well as prevents the wadding from being pulled apart. Wadding without scrim-coating is softer, but not as durable. Marent crafts also offers a Fire-Retardant wadding in 5 different weights. What is interfacing and interlining? The terms interlining and interfacing are often used interchangeably in sewing. The primary function of interfacing is to provide strength, shape and stability around different parts of a garment such as collars, cuffs and buttonholes. Interlining comes in a variety of weights and may be sew-on or fusible (that is they stick to the outer fabric by heating). As these products are non-woven fabric, they will not fray so you can trim them after sewing. This includes bonding if necessary. The trade name in the UK is Vilene/Vliesilene. The weight you require depends on exactly where you are using the interlining in your garment. Bondaweb is another fusible interfacing which is suitable for fancy appliques and repairs. 9 Steps to Becoming a Sewing Master We’ve even been kind enough to create a video which showcase 9 top sewing skills you need to be a master so be sure to check it out below! What is bias binding tape? Bias binding tape, or sometimes known as bias tape or simply bias binding, is used for binding seams, creating piping. For example on the edges of cushions or for finishing raw edges and detail on garments. Such as across pocket tops or around armholes or the neckline. It comes in a variety of colours and is may also be used to create button loops or drawstrings for bags. Bias binding is a highly versatile product and Marent Crafts offers a choice of 10 colours in a 12.5mm width. Bias Binding What is Texacro? You’ve most likely heard of Velcro which is an adhesive product that uses a repositionable hook and loop system to enable you to stick two pieces of fabric together. It’s also used to fasten and undo the Velcro many times over the lifetime of the product. Texacro is also made by Velcro, but is a lower quality, less expensive version which lasts for around 1,000 cycles of put together-pull apart. Compared to the premium Velcro product which lasts up to 10,000 cycles on average. Velcro and Texacro are made from nylon and polyester. They come either black or white and in a range of widths to suit a variety of projects. Velcro is often used instead of zips, buttons or laces. It was made famous by NASA in the 1960s when it was used to fasten down pens and other items during Apollo missions. Here at Marent we offer both Velcro and its less expensive cousin Texacro. So, there are you have it, a quick tour around some commonly used sewing products. We recommend Stitchless TV, a YouTube channel which takes you right from the basics of learning how to sew. Next time, we’ll take a look at the wonderful world of sewing machines and how to create fancy stitches. Make sure to follow us on Social Media for all our latest updates! Here is one of our client reviews.
Skip Navigation Yesterday's article featured Missouri's only "green" winery, Jowler Creek Vineyards & Winery. Here are 16 ways that they've "gone green" at Jowler Creek. 1. Solar Energy Production Monitoring System. The 22 photovoltaic solar panels on the tasting room help reduce the winery’s electric bill and the amount of carbon emitted into the atmosphere. Each year, their array offsets more than 4,000 kilograms of CO2. 2. 5 kW Solar Array. A 5 kW photovoltaic solar array on top of the winery’s roof produce an average of 5,166 kWh per year. 3. Electric Vehicle (EV and Charging Station). Electric Vehicle (EV) drivers can charge their car for the return trip in Jowler Creek’s parking lot. The winery’s own 100% electric-powered Nissan LEAF can drive up to 80 miles on one charge. At 8 cents per kWh, the winery spends just $2.40 per 100 miles driven. 4. Green-Built Winery Facility. When designing their winery, the Gerkes worked to be resource-efficient. Design features such as natural and high-efficiency lighting, spray foam insulation and a high-efficiency HAC system help use less energy and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 5. Green Waste Composting Bin. All skins, stems and seeds from the wine making process are composted and spread between the vines to provide nutrients and organic soil amendments. The compost also helps with erosion control, moisture retention and overall vineyard health. 6. Honeybee Colony. A honeybee colony helps improve the cover crops between the rows and surrounding ecosystems that boost vines via increased biodiversity and improved soil health. The colonies also produce raw honey that is sold in the tasting room. 7. Missouri Stream Team Adopted Access. Jason and Colleen Gerke are members of the Missouri Conservation Stream Team and help keep the local watershed cleaner and safer. They work to keep the creek free of waste and harmful run-off and effectively manage the creek’s natural ecosystem. 8. Automated Drip Irrigation System. The winery’s automated drop irrigation system uses 30% to 50% less water than conventional sprinkler method by providing precise water volume to the vine’s root zone. It helps the Gerkes conserve water by reducing evaporation and erosion. 9. Eco-based Integrated Pest Management. An eco-based integrated pest management (IPM) program with hands-on monitoring helps keep fruit quality high and free from rot and insects while minimizing the use of synthetic controls. 10. Pest-Controlling Bats. Bat houses are strategically placed throughout the vineyard. The bats feed on flying bugs all night long, keeping the insect population in check and maintaining the natural balance of the vineyard. 11. Solar-Powered Wildlife Fence. High-tensile fencing powered by the sun surrounds the vineyard to protect the grapevines from deer and other wildlife that could potentially damage the plants and fruit. 12. Native Plant Butterfly Garden. The Gerkes incorporated a number of native plans and grasses into their landscaping to provide the resources necessary for Monarch butterflies to produce successive generations and sustain their migration. 13. Recycling Collection Center. By partnering with community programs, the Gerkes recycle as much packaging material as possible, keeping it out of local landfills. 14. Rain Collection Barrel. Collecting reclaimed rainwater from their expanded roof-top provides water for native plants and landscaping while reducing demand from the public water supply. It also eliminates potential erosion. 15. Pest Controlling Chickens. A flock of free-range laying hens helps control crawling insects naturally, enabling the Gerkes to reduce or eliminate insecticide use in the vineyard. The chickens also produce free-range eggs that are sold by the dozen in the tasting room. 16. Weed-Controlling Sheep. During the growing season, the Gerkes maintain a small flock of sheep to mow under the Norton vines, helping to eliminate the use of herbicides, minimize soil erosion, decrease dependence on fossil fuels and improve soil health. Don’t Miss any updates or news Get Updates Supporting the future of farming 4-H Logo FFA Logo AFA Logo © 2008-2021 FCS Financial. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy \| Sitemap \| Whistleblower Design and Development by Imagemakers NMLS #: 761836 Equal Housing Lender
What is the ACH Network? What is the ACH Network? Overview of the ACH Network The automated clearinghouse network is also known as ACH. The ACH network is a highly reliable and efficient nationwide batch oriented electronic funds transfer system. ACH is governed by operating rules of NACHA which provide guidance for interbank clearing of electronic payments for participating depository financial institutions. The ACH network has been in service for over 40 years. It is one of the most reliable payment processing systems in the world. ACH payments are used for direct deposit of payroll, Social Security and other government benefits, tax refunds, payment of consumer bills, business-to-business payments, electronic checks, e-commerce payments, and for wide range of applications for electronic funds transfer. Participants in the ACH Network There are four parts of the ACH network. 1. Originator. An originator is an individual corporation or other entity that initiates and trees into the ACH network. 2. Originating Depository Financial Institution (ODFI) that originates an ACH transaction. 3. Receiving Depository Financial Institution (RDFI) that receives ACH entries. 4. Receiver. The receiver is an individual corporation or other entity that has authorized ACH transaction. For more information on ACH processing, contact info@nationalach.com
Barred spiral galaxy NGC1672 [Courtesy NASA] Can computers think? David H. Bailey Updated 2 January 2021 (c) 2021 Are human brains different than computers? Historical background One of the more interesting lines of research in this area is in "artificial intelligence," which is a term used rather broadly to describe advances in computer science that attempt to perform similar functions to the operation of human minds. Such applications of computer technology were proposed by some of the earliest figures in the age of computing. American mathematician John von Neumann, for example, began to conceive of the notion of a computer as a "thinking machine" in the 1940s [Macrae1992]. Similarly, British mathematician Alan Turing, while helping design electronic computers to break German ciphers during World War II, became fascinated with the notion that a machine could simulate "states of mind." Later, in 1950, he proposed what is now known as the "Turing test": if a computer system becomes advanced enough that it can "chat" via text with a human well enough that the human could not determine that a computer was on the other side of the conversation, then we would have to conclude that this computer system had achieved intelligence [Hodges2000, pg. 266, 415]. Early pioneers of computing were convinced that numerous real-world applications of artificial intelligence were just around the corner. In the early 1950s, for instance, it was widely expected that practical computer systems for machine translation would be working within "a year or two." But these early efforts foundered on the reality that emulating functions of the human brain was much more difficult than originally expected. Thus the field of computer science was content to pursue more tractable applications, such as business data processing and scientific computation, areas in which computers have proven to be spectacularly successful. Applications of computer technology were greatly facilitated by the invention of the transistor and integrated circuit in the 1960s. Gordon E. Moore, one of the founders of Intel, observed in 1965 that the number of transistors that could be engraved on a single chip of silicon had roughly doubled each year since 1960, and, as far as he could see, this trend would continue for several more years [Moore1965]. Much to the astonishment of everyone in the field, his prediction, now known as "Moore's Law," has continued unabated for 45 years, and there is still no end in sight. Spurred in part by Moore's Law, within the past 20 years a new generation of researchers in the artificial intelligence field has revisited some of the older applications that proved so troublesome. One breakthrough in this arena was the discovery that schemes based on statistics and probability, technically known as "Bayesian" methods, tend to be significantly more effective in "learning" than the rule-based approaches that had been used for many years. These "Bayesian" methods, by the way, are significantly more akin to the experience-based process by which humans think and learn. As one example of the numerous lines of research and development in this area, some rather good computer translation tools are now available -- try Google's online translation tool at IBM's Deep Blue System This recent wave of progress in artificial intelligence was brought to the public's attention in 1996, when an IBM computer system known as "Deep Blue" defeated Gary Kasparov, the reigning world chess champion, in game one of a six-game match. After the defeat, Kasparov quickly left the stage and was described as "devastated" [Weber1996]. The basic computer program strategy employed by Deep Blue had been known for some time, although IBM's team had made some significant enhancements. However, the principal factor in the Deep Blue achievement was simply the application of enormous computer power -- the specially designed Deep Blue system (a highly parallel supercomputer) analyzed over 100 million potential moves per second, and thus was able to "see" ten or more moves ahead. Kasparov went on to win the 1996 tournament, but in a 1997 rematch Deep Blue won 3.5 games to 2.5 games, decisively establishing computer supremacy in tournament chess [Weber1997]. In spite of its achievement, Deep Blue was a fairly elementary form of artificial intelligence. It most certainly was not attempting to play chess the way in the same intuitive way that a human would. For example, Kasparov typically evaluates roughly three moves per second in tournament play, compared with over 100 million per second for Deep Blue. In addition, the game of chess can be very compactly described. Thus, in the minds of some observers, the Deep Blue achievement did not constitute a major advance of artificial intelligence. IBM's Watson System In 2010, after the IBM team felt that enough progress had been made, IBM executives contacted executives of the Jeopardy! show, and an agreement was reached to stage a tournament, which was conducted 14-16 February 2011. On the first day, Watson opened impressively, but in the end was tied with Rutter for the lead. But on the second day Watson performed extremely well -- it rang in first on 25 of the 30 questions, and was correct on 24 of the 25. It also did very well on the third day, although not as decisively as the second day. Watson's three-day total "winnings" were $77,147, far ahead of Jennings at $24,000 and Rutter at $21,600, and so Watson was declared the victor (IBM's actual winnings of US $1,000,000 were split between two charities). In his memorable inscription conceding defeat to Watson at the end of the Jeopardy! match, Ken Jennings wrote on his screen "I for one welcome our new computer overlords" [Markoff2011a]. Since the 2011 Jeopardy! demonstration, IBM has started a new research initiative in applying its Watson technology to medicine, in particular cancer diagnosis and treatment. While they have achieved some initial success, even its promoters agree that considerable work will be necessary for their system to be accepted in clinical practice [Ross2017]. Deep Mind's AlphaGo and AlphaGo Zero systems Perhaps one of the most remarkable achievements in artificial intelligence is the recent defeat of the world's top Go player by a computer program named AlphaGo, developed by DeepMind, a subsidiary of Alphabet, which is the parent of Google. Until recently the world's leading players of the ancient Asian game of Go have easily defeated computer programs. But in 2016, AlphaGo defeated the Chinese player Ke Jie, regarded by some as the world's top player, and then later beat Lee Sedol, another top master [Greenmeier2017]. In 2017, DeepMind announced even more remarkable results: their researchers had started from scratch, programming a computer with only the rules of Go, together with some sophisticated "deep learning" algorithm, and then had the program play games against itself. Initially, the new "AlphaGo Zero" program flailed badly, but within a few days it had advanced to the point that it defeated the earlier champion-beating AlphaGo program 100 games to zero. After one month, the program's Elo rating was over 5000, compared with Lee Sedol's rating of approximately 3600, meaning that AlphaGo zero was as far above the world champion as the world champion was above a typical amateur [Greenmeier2017]. Future prospects The real significance of the Watson project was IBM's demonstration that a computer system can rather well "understand" and respond to natural language queries, which has long been a major obstacle in real-world applications of artificial intelligence. Note that even Google's spectacularly successful search engine is not yet (as of 2011) able to understand sentences or questions -- all it can do is to return links to some webpages that have a few of the words and phrases entered. Computers have not yet passed the "Turing test," the test mentioned above wherein humans exchange messages with an unseen partner (a computer) and judge it to be human, but they are getting close. Many of these scientists and technologists believe that we are already on the cusp of this transition. Consider for a moment the enormous advances that have occurred just since the year 2000: 1. Five billion mobile phones are now in service around the world, a figure that is approaching one per person on the planet. 2. Many in North America and Eurpoe carry smartphones that are more powerful and capacious than the world's most powerful supercomputers of 20 years ago. What's more, these devices can instantly retrieve (via the Internet) far more information than is available in any local public library, not to mention music, movies and much, much more. 3. Machine translation is now enormously better than it was just a decade ago. For example, Google provides (for free!) an iPhone or Droid translation "app" that enables a person to type or speak one language and immediately see its translation into any of numerous other languages. 4. Social networking has exploded in popularity in the past few years. Nearly 600 million persons (roughly one in ten human beings on the planet) now have Facebook accounts. Twitter and Facebook pervade public and private daily life. 5. Many young people spend over seven hours per day connected to one or more electronic media (often two or more simultaneously) [Kaiser2010]. 6. These powerful waves of change even afflict high-tech companies. Sun Microsystems, a pioneer of the minicomputer era, was recently acquired by Oracle after a prolonged decline, and Silicon Graphics, another technology leader of the 1980s, is now a mere shadow of its former self. Of all the early hardware vendors in the personal computer revolution, only Apple and IBM still flourish. Futurists such as Kurzweil certainly have their skeptics and detractors. Many question Kurzweil's long-term extensions of Moore's Law. Others note that some of the earlier predictions of the Singularity movement have not yet materialized. Still others, such as Bill Joy, acknowledge that many of these predictions will materialize, but are very concerned that humans could be relegated to minor players in the future, or that out-of-control robots or nanotech-produced "grey goo" could destroy life on our fragile planet [Joy2000]. Many others (including the present author) are concerned that these writers are soft-pedaling enormous societal, legal, financial and ethical challenges, some of which we are just beginning to see clearly. One instance of this is the increasingly strident social backlash against technology and science itself, as evidenced in part by the popularity of the creationist and intelligent design movements. Along this line, recently in the San Francisco Bay Area (hardly a bastion of conservatism) a growing backlash has arisen against Pacific Gas and Electric's "smart meters," which send hourly usage data to a central server via wireless cell technology. Objections range to claims that they are "inaccurate" (in spite of several extensive tests that have verified their accuracy) to claims that they are endangering health by sending out a few bytes of data to a central server via wireless networks once an hour (in spite the fact that many of these critics own cell phones, which send and receive thousands of times more data in every telephone conversation and Internet access) [Barringer2011]. Nonetheless, the basic conclusions of the Singularity community appear to be on target: Moore's Law is likely to continue for at least another 20 years or so. Progress in a wide range of other technologies is here to stay (in part because of Moore's Law). Scientific progress is here to stay (again, in part because of Moore's Law-based advances in instrumentation and computer simulation tools). And all this is leading directly and inexorably to real-world artificial intelligence within 20-40 years. Whether "we" merge with "them," or "they" advance along with "us" is an interesting question, but either way, the future is coming. As the mathematician I.J. Good predicted back in 1965 [Grossman2011]: Do these developments spell the end of humanity as we know it? Probably not, any more than any other technological advancement. Instead, we as a world society have adopted these technologies to relieve toil and suffering, advance our standard of living (to the extent possible while reducing our footprint on the earth's environment), and enable larger numbers of people to focus on what is truly human. Indeed, as computer scientist John Seely Brown has explained, machines that are facile at answering questions only serve to obscure what remains fundamentally human: "The essence of being human involves asking questions, not answering them" [Markoff2011b]. Religious implications In the wake of these developments, many have noted that advances in technology are heading directly to a form of "immortality," in two different ways. First of all, medical technology is in the midst of a revolution on several fronts. These developments range from advanced, high-tech prosthetics for the handicapped to some remarkable cancer therapies currently being developed [Kurzweil2005]. Of even greater interest is research into the fundamental causes of aging. For instance, researchers recently found that by genetically engineering mice to "overexpress" a certain gene, they were able to extend the lifespan of these mice by 20 to 30 percent [Kurosu2005]. Other researchers have found that resveratrol, a substance found in Concord grapes, blueberries and red wines, retards the aging process in rodents and is widely believed to be a factor in differences in mortality rates among some human populations [Armour2009]. In general, scientists have identified seven broad categories of molecular and cellular differences between older and younger people, and are working on ways to retard or stop each factor [deGrey2004]. Another line of thinking in this direction follows recent developments in artificial intelligence mentioned above. Some in the Singularity community, for instance, believe that the time will come that one's brain can be scanned with such resolution that the full contents of one's mind can be "uploaded" into a super-powerful computer system, after which the "person" will achieve a sort of immortality [Kurzweil2005]. Physicist Frank Tipler is even more expansive, predicting that every human who has ever lived will ultimately be "resurrected" in an information-theoretic sense [Tipler1994]. Even if one discounts the boundless optimism of such writers, the disagreement is generally not a matter of if, but only when such changes will transpire, and whether mankind can muster the wisdom to carefully control and direct these technologies for good rather than evil. Rational people understand that actions have consequences. A life of crime may help a person in the short term, but in the long run it may get you killed or imprisoned. ... People are more likely to be moral when they understand they will have to face the consequences of their actions in the future. It follows that the further into the future one plans for, the more moral one's behavior should become. In short, although some disagree, the consensus of scientists who have studied mind and consciousness is that there does not appear to be anything fundamental in human intelligence that cannot one day be exhibited in machine intelligence. Those of religious faith who hold out for a fundamental distinction that cannot be bridged -- a cognitive science "proof" of God -- are welcome to hold this view, but from all indications this notion is another instance of a "God of the gaps" theological error, wherein one looks for God in the recesses of what remains unknown in scientific knowledge at one particular point in time. Note that these findings do not refute the religious notion of a "soul," nor do they suggest that humans do not assume responsibility for their actions and decisions, but instead merely that many if not all normal operations of human minds may one day be replicated in machine intelligence. Thus, as with most other aspects of the science-religion discussion, fundamentally there is no basis for conflict, provided that each discipline recognizes its own limitations. For additional discussion, see God of the gaps. [See Bibliography].
• Publications • Influence Human health risks due to heavy metals through consumption of wild mushrooms from Macheke forest, Rail Block forest and Muganyi communal lands in Zimbabwe The levels and sources of toxic heavy metals in Amanita loosii and Cantharellus floridulus mushrooms and their substrates were studied in some parts of Zimbabwe, Rail Block forest, Macheke forest, and Muganyi communal lands and mushrooms were found to be safe for human consumption. Expand
Cookie Consent FAQ Cookie Consent FAQ The whole issue with cookie consent began in the European Union (EU) and had to do with the issue of privacy. This is because cookies are small data files, which just about every website uses to store information in a person's browser. Many websites actually insert more than one cookie, and sometimes that number can even be in the hundreds. Although not all cookies are tracking cookies, many of them are. Tracking cookies are a kind of cookie often used by commercial websites to track user behavior and see things such as specific products a user has viewed, what pages were visited, the name of the website, and even the user's browsing history. Regardless of the type, the user may give up an incredible amount of information to the website placing the cookie. That's why in May 2011, the EU adopted a directive which gave all users the right to refuse cookies. In this cookie consent FAQ we'll go over some of the most common questions you may have regarding the law, consent, notices, and how to ensure that your company is compliant. Which Laws Require Cookie Consent? There are two kinds of consent which are considered acceptable under various laws. These types of consent are "implied" and "active." Implied consent works on an "opt-out" basis. As a website owner that places cookies in a user's browser, this means it's acceptable for you to infer consent as long as the user doesn't actively say otherwise. As of 2020, three laws allow implied consent, and two of them are Canadian. Specifically, these are Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), also from Canada. The third law, which doesn't require active consent, is California's Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA). If you do business in California, this law applies to you. When it comes to cookie consent, you must let users know how you use cookies, and that information must be placed in your Privacy Policy. Other than that, CalOPPA doesn't demand cookie consent. There are two laws, which demand active cookie consent. Both of them originated in, and are governed by, the EU. The EU's ePrivacy Directive The first of these is the EU's ePrivacy Directive, which was enacted before the more robust General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Both remain in force today. According to the ePrivacy Directive, if your website is based in an EU country, you must obtain a user's consent before inserting a cookie on that individual's browser. Basic cookies used for site functionality are exempt. However, note that the ePrivacy Directive also covers the use of cookies, which don't produce or contain personal information. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) The second EU law that demands active cookie consent is the GDPR. As noted above, this law is more robust and more strict than any other cookie consent law currently in existence. It demands that it must be absolutely clear that a user has given active consent before you're allowed to collect or use any personal data, which includes the use of cookies. Under the GDPR, cookies count as personal information if it can combine with other data, which results in personally identifiable information, or if it contains data about a specific, identifiable person. If your site, data processing location, or the user is based in an EU country, then the GDPR applies to your use of cookies. COPPA and Cookies The United States' Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) is the only law outside the EU to flat out ban the use of certain types of cookies if you know the user is under 13 years of age. This law applies to businesses within the U.S. and was enacted in 1998 to help safeguard the online privacy of minors 13 years old and under. According to COPPA, it's forbidden for you to use persistent cookies (cookies that remain on the recipient's computer after a session is finished) or other persistent identifiers if you know that the user is a minor under 13. How Can a Business Acquire Cookie Consent? How you obtain cookie consent depends largely on where you're doing business. With that said, there are browsewrap and clickwrap methods you can use. The Browsewrap Method When you use the browsewrap method, you simply have to place a notice somewhere on your site, which states that users consent to the use of cookies if they continue to use your website. There are a few ways to use this method. For example, you can have: • A statement within a legal agreement or Privacy Policy • A header, which users can scroll past • An overlaid window or popup that the user must actively click to dismiss Bank Australia uses the browsewrap method by placing a cookie statement in its header, as seen below: Bank Australia website header with cookie statement Here's a close-up of the short, to-the-point cookie statement that links to further information: Bank Australia website header with cookie statement with cookies link highlighted The Australian Securities Exchange does it differently by forcing users to click the cookie statement to continue using the website: Australian Securities Exchange cookie consent notice This method is not recommended since it doesn't meet the strict consent requirements of some laws, and is also sometimes not upheld in court as being adequate notice to users of your cookies practices. This next method is what we recommend you use. The Clickwrap Method This method requires the user to provide you with explicit consent. Before the user is able to access your site, that individual must actively demonstrate that they're aware of and either agree to or refuse the use of cookies. With the clickwrap method, you will almost always provide a statement that says your website uses cookies. You'll also give a link to your website's complete Privacy Policy as well as buttons that allow the user to confirm or deny permission. Some clickwrap uses a combination of a confirmation button and a checkbox or toggle button. The UK's Standard Chartered ensures that users cannot continue on to the full website unless they accept all cookies or decide which cookies they will or won't accept: Standard Chartered cookie consent notice It's important to emphasize again that this method is now recommended as a cookie consent standard across the board. Not only is it required by the GDPR, but most countries are moving in the same direction as the EU when it comes to online privacy and the rules that regulate it. As a business owner, whether you do business in the EU or not, a fair question is why not just go ahead and make your online practices compliant with the strictest set of laws? It's forward-thinking and means that you'll likely always be prepared. Should You Make it Mandatory to Consent to Cookies? Not if you want to be compliant with the GDPR. You have to provide users with the ability to make a freely given choice. Although there are sites out there that continue to use cookie walls, which make cookie acceptance mandatory before users can access them, this method of acquiring consent is no longer valid as of 2020. Specifically, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) put out guidance on this issue since there was exceptional criticism to the practice of putting up cookie walls. The new guidance notes that permission to use cookies must be "freely given," as seen in the EDPB response to the letter of 13 July 2020 from News Media Europe and others regarding cookie walls. Use of a cookie wall therefore breaches the GDPR since it doesn't give the user a real choice. What are Necessary Cookies? What are Necessary Cookies? This is an important question, again mostly for companies doing business in the EU. The rules as stipulated by the EU's ePrivacy Directive demand that websites must get explicit consent for cookies unless those cookies are necessary. But, what does that even mean? Essentially, you don't have to get permission to place cookies in someone's browser that are essential for your site to run. This may be for specific tasks that users want to perform, or it might also be for your site's overall general operation. One example might be an ecommerce store which needs to place a cookie in a user's browser so the user is able to keep an item in a virtual shopping basket while they continue shopping. Other examples of necessary, essential cookies include: • Cookies for providing streaming services, such as video or audio. (Cookies that track viewing habits are not essential.) • If your site requires a log-in, then single-session authentication cookies are necessary. • Security cookies • Cookies that balance demand across servers. It's vital to recall that when it comes to a cookie being "necessary" or not has everything to do with providing a function or service, which the user may choose to access. In other words, "necessary" has to do with the user's experience and not with your business interests. For instance, you might think you need analytics, which use cookies so that you can know what things users are doing on your site and thus boost sales. Yet, those cookies don't have a direct bearing on any function a user might request. Therefore under the ePrivacy Directive, they're not considered "necessary." Are Third Party Cookies Acceptable? Are Third Party Cookies Acceptable? Lots of businesses use third party cookies. These kinds of cookies are created by other domains than the one the user is currently visiting. They're used mostly for online advertising and tracking purposes. In light of that fact, it's obvious that they are not strictly necessary. The guiding principle here is that the third party (such as Facebook with its tracking pixel or Google) is also responsible, along with the website owner, for obtaining consent. However, the bottom line is that the business using the third party cookie has far greater control over how a cookie consent request is presented than the cookie's creator. Therefore, the party providing the cookie (like Facebook or Google) will most likely demand a legally binding agreement, which says the website owner in question must abide by all relevant cookie consent laws. How Should Cookie Consent Be Stored? It's important to recall that according to the GDPR, you have to store and secure data. That includes the cookie consent you obtain. You'll want to be able to retrieve this data if the EU's Data Protection Authorities ever audit you. At the very least, these cookie consents ought to include the choices presented to users as a part of your consent mechanism. They should also include the text of the consent and a record of the time and date the user gave consent. By default, your data storage needs to include cookie consents that were declined as well. Finally, according to the law, you must store this information for a minimum of five years. How Long Should Cookies Be Stored? How Long Should Cookies Be Stored? The question's answer largely depends on what the cookie is used for. They're usually broken up into two categories: • Session cookies • Persistent cookies Session cookies are those that are classed as "strictly necessary." They don't require consent, and they expire when the user leaves your website. Persistent cookies are exactly what their name implies. There aren't any hard rules about how long these cookies can last in a user's browser. However, the consensus is that they should only last long enough to fulfill their purpose. In this way, you won't essentially be overstaying your welcome. You do want to make sure that any consent you've gained is still valid. That's a hard sell if the user visited your site a year ago, and you're still tracking them even though they've not returned to your site since. William B. William B. Legal writer.
Gola Forests Year of compilation: 2001 Site description Gola Forest Reserve is the largest area of Upper Guinea rainforest in Sierra Leone. It occupies the south-eastern edge of the country and is divided into four sections: Gola North (45,800 ha), Gola East (22,800 ha) and Gola West (6,200 ha) are Forest Reserves, while Tiwai Island (1,300 ha) is a Game Sanctuary. Tiwai Island is situated in the Moa river, 10 km north-west of Gola West. Gola West and East are contiguous, separated only by the Mahoi river and a road, while Gola North lies about 5 km north-east of Gola East. Gola North is fairly hilly, with most land lying above 300 m and the highest point at 475 m. The main river draining Gola North is the Mogbai, and its catchment spans the centre of the reserve. This river discharges into the Mano river, which runs along the border with the Republic of Liberia. Gola East, Gola West and Tiwai are low-lying with swampy areas and a few hills. Bagra hill (150 m) is the highest point in Gola East. Dominant canopy tree species include Heritiera utilis and Cryptosepalum tetraphyllum with Erythrophleum ivorescens, Lophira alata, Brachystegia leonensis and Didelotia idae occurring in the lower strata. Canopy height is mainly between 30–35 m, with emergents reaching 50–55 m. Key biodiversity See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. To date, 274 species have been recorded, including 14 species of global conservation concern. Six of these have not, so far, been recorded elsewhere in Sierra Leone. The reserve holds the largest number of nesting sites of Picathartes gymnocephalus in the country (36 nesting sites, comprising 204 active nests). Groups of up to 12 Agelastes meleagrides have been recorded. The forest holds nearly 90% of Sierra Leone’s species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome. Non-bird biodiversity: Gola Forest supports significant populations of the following primates: Pan troglodytes verus (EN), Procolobus badius (VU), Colobus polykomus (LR/nt), Cercocebus atys (LR/nt) and Cercopithecus diana (VU). It is also a refuge for other large mammals, including Loxodonta africana cyclotes (EN), Cephalophus zebra (VU), C. jentinki (VU), C. maxwelli (LR/nt), C. niger (LR/nt), Hexoprotodon liberiensis (VU) and Hyemoschus aquaticus (LR/nt). Pressure/threats to key biodiversity Two areas in Gola North and Gola East have been proposed as Strict Nature Reserves. Tiwai Island is to be included in the Gola Forest management plan. Up until the start of the civil war in 1991, commercial logging by timber companies had resulted in the degradation of sections of Gola. Large-scale logging operations stopped, however, during the war. Currently, the indiscriminate use of chain-saws, especially by difficult-to-control, unlicensed private individuals, is probably the most important threat, while logging may restart as the war winds down. Gold and diamond prospecting occur along the streams and riverbanks within the reserve, creating disturbances to, and pollution of, the aquatic ecosystem. Hunting is also prevalent; this activity is one of the major sources of income and protein for many of the inhabitants in the area. Hunting gangs from neighbouring Liberia cross the borders to hunt and smuggle out large quantities of bush-meat. Encroachment from agricultural activities, although limited, needs to be controlled. The extent to which these activities have continued during the civil war is unknown, but it is likely they have been considerably restricted. Recommended citation BirdLife International (2021) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Gola Forests. Downloaded from on 27/10/2021.
The Dangers of Vaping The Dangers of Vaping You might have found out about vaporizing your tobacco and vapour products like the iPhone or Kindle. But you might not be aware that vapour products carry a few of the worst e-health dangers associated with smoking. Actually, the vapour products are just a small area of the problem. It’s estimated that nearly two million Americans die from smoking-related illnesses every year, and the diseases connected with second hand smoke is the number one cause of preventable death in america. As you may already know, you should quit smoking in order to avoid these deadly diseases. vaping health risks One of the primary health risks associated with smoking cigarettes and vapour products is lung cancer. This disease may take many different forms and may be the most deadly when it takes the form of cancerous lungs. The consequences of second hand smoke have become similar to those of regular smoking, so it is extremely important to quit both ways if you need to avoid deadly diseases. You must never, ever use a vaporizer to smoke again. The second biggest risk comes from the toxins, which are found in the cigarette and in the vaporized cigarette. This is also true for the newer electric cigarettes and vapour products. The ingredients used to help make the new products often contain nicotine along with other chemicals which are addictive and very harmful to your health. Unfortunately, even when you’re unable to get cigarettes, you can actually turn to vapor products to assist you stop smoking. So it’s essential to completely remove nicotine from your own system while you are attempting to quit. Tobacco and tar have been found to contain a amount of health risks. Tar can damage the lining of one’s lungs and has been shown to cause vapinger cancers of the mouth, lips and throat. Nicotine and tar have also been shown to cause a amount of problems including diabetes, respiratory problems, stroke, and increased threat of heart attack in all your family members. Electronic cigarettes tend to give out a lesser amount of smoke than that made by smoking a normal cigarette. But because they usually do not produce actual flames or smoke, you cannot tell if there are any fumes released. That is particularly bad news for children and women that are pregnant who may not be in a position to detect any fumes at all. They are able to also put themselves at higher threat of lung cancer. Another threat of using these cigarettes is that lots of teenagers and adults start smoking because they enjoy the cool feeling they get from using them. It’s not uncommon for folks to start smoking at an extremely early age. And even adults feel a feeling of peer pressure when using these products. But when you begin to realize all of the risks, this kind of smoking starts to lose its appeal. Many teenagers and young adults have reported that after quitting smoking for them, the addiction never returned. In some instances, the chemical compounds within nicotine found in cigarettes can irritate your digestive system. Should you have sensitive digestion or suffer from heartburn or acid reflux, this may result in serious health complications. Actually, eczema and other such skin conditions have been reported to possess become worse because of smoking. The long term effect of this chemical on your own health can result in serious health complications. In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration has deemed used smoking to be a highly effective risk factor for cancers resulting in death. Most of all, smoking can affect your emotional well being as well. Emotional problems such as for example depression and anxiety can form over time as a direct result of this addictive habit. Many quitters also note that the social isolation that lots of smokers suffer can result in depression and other mental medical issues. Therefore, if you are a smoker, it is very important avoid cigarettes when you can.
Important points on Buddhism and Gautam Buddha: 1. Gautam Buddha was the founder of Buddhism. 2. Real name of Gautam Buddha was Siddhartha. He was also known as Sakyamuni or Tathagata. 3. Gautam Buddha was born in 563 BC at Lumbini (near Kapilvastu) in Nepal. 4. Gautam Buddha belonged to the Sakya clan of Kshatriya. 5. His father Suddhodana was the king of Kapilvastu. 6. His mother name was Mahamaya. She belong to Kosala dynasty. She died after 7 days of his birth. 7. Gautam Buddha was married to Yasodhara at the age of 16. He had a son named Rahula. 8. Gautam Buddha after seeing the “Four Passing Sights”: an old crippled man, a sick man, a dead man, and a holy man with no home, decided to become a holy man and look for the answer to the problem of birth, old age, sickness and death. 9. Gautam Buddha attained enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in Magadha (Bihar). 10. Gautam Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath, Uttar Pradesh. His first sermon is called Dharmachakrapravartan or Turning of the Wheel of Law. 11. Gautam Buddha preached most of his sermons at Sravasti. 12. Gautam Buddha attained Mahaparinirvana in 483 B.C. at Kushinagar, Uttar Pradesh at the age of 80. 13. Five disciples of Gautam Buddha were Upali, Asvajit, Mogallana, Ananda and Sariputra.
Motivation: A Four Part Series Part 1 – Motivational Building Blocks Take a look around your organization and see if you can identify any common approaches to motivation. There are four typical schools of thought on motivation: behavioral, cognitive, psychodynamic and humanist. Let’s run through them and see if you recognize them in practice. Behavioral Approach: First we have the behavioral approach. Around the turn of the century, leading into the early 1900’s, we had a bunch of guys that established theories about human behavior. The general idea was that the conditions and constraints of a person’s environment can affect their behavior. You’ve probably heard of foundational thinkers like Pavlov and Skinner, Freud, McGregor and Herzberg. All of them supported this theory in one way or another with seminal works that are still used today. This included applying rewards & punishment. Through extensive research and scientific testing an application of rewards and punishment was developed to impact behavior. By changing the conditions and constraints around work being done, you can impact the behavior of those doing the work. The idea was simple, reward the behavior that you want and punish the behavior you don’t want. Sound familiar? Perhaps you have some measures in place at work right now that aim to do just that, reward and punish. In application this did not always work. Over time, and with great frustration, people started looking for other solutions. The behavioral approach just didn’t seem all inclusive, and it wasn’t. That’s when we turned to the cognitive approach. The thinking was that people are a little more complicated than we originally thought. We are not simply a composite of base behavioral actions. There is something else that impacts our behaviors, and that something else is called a “brain.” Cognitive Approach: Cognitive thinking was born. The general idea is that thoughts and ideas can drive decisions and actions. This required a new approach to impact behavior. Now we needed tools to persuade and influence individual thought and perception. This lead to a revolution on the power of the brain with emphasis on things like values, beliefs and attitudes that could be leveraged through things like “vision,” “mission,” or even “goals.” If people didn’t believe in what they were doing, it would be difficult to force them to do it, regardless of the attached reward or punishment. Perhaps you’ve heard of things like affirmations, visualization and rational analysis. They all tie into this thing called, “your mind.” Thoughts lead to beliefs, which influence your actions, which result in ongoing behavior. Change someone’s thoughts, values and belief and you can change their actions. The only problem is that this is a little more complicated in application. Today, theories in cognitive research show up in many facets like educational training and coaching. Being able to teach and coach is not always a pre-requisite to project management or management in general, but it should be. Every manager needs tools to influence the thoughts of their workers. Why couldn’t people be programmed like machines and set to work? In time, the cognitive approach started to show its own limitations in application. Again, people seemed more complex than what the behavioral and cognitive research seemed to suggest. Why? What was going on? Why couldn’t people be programmed like machines and set to work? What seemed to be getting in the way is something we call “feelings.” This led to research on “psychodynamics.” Psychodynamics: We have extensively documented the “emotional” process that we all go through when we lose a loved one or suffer some sort of personal tragedy. In fact, this emotional process is something we experience in almost any circumstance of change to one extent or another. There is a psychological process that we go through when we experience any change. People cannot turn their emotions on and off like a mechanical switch. There is a complicated process involved that is sensitive to many things. People’s perceptions of reality and their emotional response to life, work and day to day activities are real and need to be treated with respect. In addition, an emotional response and the process of dealing with change, requires time. This is difficult to predict and even more difficult to influence or control. Humanist Approach: To add another layer of complexity to the discussion, we must consider something called the humanist approach. The humanist approach takes us one step further and recognizes the person holistically. This brings all three subsequent theories together under one umbrella in combination with some key assumptions. Some of those assumptions are things like the idea that people are innately good, want to learn, care about their work and are interested in growth and development and an environment that allows autonomous behavior. These beliefs have been widely adopted by human resource departments world-wide. With that said, many organizations have adopted a mix of approaches over the years and often find themselves at odds with themselves. Look at your own organization and question whether you have some measures, processes or policies that reflect the behavioral approach at the same time as having some humanist programs within your performance management programs that may actually conflict with the pre-existing behavioral stuff. Take some time to think about this. Then make two lists: List #1: The first list should consist of all the measures, processes and policies that you are aware of. Try to categorize them by one of the four categories listed above: 1. Behavioral, 2. Cognitive, 3. Psychodynamic, and 4. Humanist. List #2: The second list should assess conflicts that may exist between the identified topics on your first list. Identify, describe and assess the conflicts that may exist and then make a first pass attempt at resolving these issues. In the next blog we’ll discuss the impacts of these motivational building blocks on “individual motivation.” Larry Barnard Four Elements that Create a Motivational Environment Download our Management Insights article where author Mimi Banta offers up a “four pillar” solution that addresses the needs of individuals in order to create a more positive and productive team. Type to search Do you mean "" ? Sorry, no results were found for your query. Please check your spelling and try your search again.
How much of Australia’s electricity is from coal? What percentage of our electricity comes from coal? What is U.S. electricity generation by energy source?Energy sourceBillion kWhShare of totalFossil fuels (total)2,58262.6%Natural Gas1,58638.4%Coal96523.4%Ещё 21 строка How does coal produce electricity in Australia? Most of our electricity is produced from burning black and brown coal at large power stations. Natural gas is the third highest energy source in Australia (after oil and coal). … It is a non-renewable source that emits around half the emissions of coal when used to generate electricity. What percentage of Australia’s electricity is produced from renewable resources? In 2019, Australia met its 2020 renewable energy target of 23.5% and 33 terawatt-hours (TWh). Australia produced 378.7 PJ of overall renewable energy (including renewable electricity) in 2018 which accounted for 6.2% of Australia’s total energy use (6,146 PJ). IT IS INTERESTING: Which city is known as coal capital of India? Why is coal the main source of electricity in Australia? Right now, coal is Australia’s primary fuel source for generating electricity at around 73 percent. Electricity generation across Australia. 5.Mongolia98%Japan27%Ещё 10 строк What country has the most coal power plants? Where does most of our electricity come from? Natural gas was the largest source—about 38%—of U.S. electricity generation in 2019. Natural gas is used in steam turbines and gas turbines to generate electricity. Coal was the second-largest energy source for U.S. electricity generation in 2019—about 23%. Why are electricity prices so high in Australia? Will we have electricity forever? So yes, we will run out of electricity if we continue to rely on the burning of fossil fuels to drive transportation, power our personal energy devices, control the temperature of our homes, or run our industries. But that’s not the way our world is. … Second, more of the energy you consume daily is electricity. Is nuclear power banned in Australia? Nuclear energy was banned less than two decades ago in Australia, a decision that has cost the nation significant global investment and scientific collaboration on new nuclear technologies. Nuclear power was prohibited in Australia in 1998, horsetraded for the passage of legislation centralising radiation regulation. IT IS INTERESTING: How many tonnes of coal does Australia export? How much of Australia’s energy is renewable 2020? The new data shows 21 per cent of Australia’s electricity came from renewable energy last year, up from 19 per cent in 2018. The largest increase in renewable generation was in large-scale solar, up 135 per cent, followed by small-scale solar, up 25 per cent, and wind generation up 19 per cent.27 мая 2020 г. What is the best renewable energy source for Australia? Where does Australia rank in renewable energy? In 2019, renewable energy was responsible for 24 per cent of Australia’s total electricity generation, an increase of 2.7 percentage points on 2018. For the first time, wind overtook hydro as Australia’s leading clean energy source, accounting for more than 35 per cent of Australia’s renewable energy generation. How long until Australia runs out of coal? Production and Trade At 2016 production levels, Australia’s current recoverable EDR of black coal is expected to last 125 years. Australia is a major coal producer ranking behind China, United States and India in overall coal production. How long is coal left in Australia? 1,231 years How long will coal last in Australia? around 125 years Coal mine
Beginner’s Guide to 5G 2019 saw the launch of the next generation of mobile connectivity from the four main UK networks, EE, O2, Vodafone and Three. Following on from 4G, launched in the UK in 2012, 5G is expected to be much faster and more reliable, with greater capacity bringing more opportunities across multiple industries to create a newly connected society. 5G has the potential to bring download speeds of up to 1Gbps, in comparison to an average of 32.5Mbps on 4G. How does 5G work? Rather than replacing 4G completely, 5G is designed to work with 4G infrastructure to complement the service. Devices will connect to the 4G network, delivering the control signalling, and the 5G network, offering the fast data connection, enabling the two technologies to work together to provide the best possible service. How 4G and 5G work together 5G uses a range of macro cells, small cells and dedicated in-building systems. Small cells are mini base stations designed for localised coverage, usually from 10 metres to a few hundred metres, providing in-fill for a much larger, macro network. These antennas are often fixed to lampposts and buildings, as depicted in the diagrams, to boost signal in the immediate area and provide faster speeds. How 5G works The networks EE was the first Mobile Network Operator (MNO) in the UK to offer 5G, launching in May 2019. They currently offer 5G connectivity in 41 locations across the UK, including 9 cities. They have also rolled out 5G hotspots in some of the busiest transport locations and tourist traps in the UK, including London Waterloo, Edinburgh’s Royal Mile and Manchester’s Albert Square, home to the Christmas market. The second network to launch 5G in the UK was Vodafone, in July 2019. They currently offer 5G in 31 locations in the UK and a further 63 across Spain and Germany. Vodafone have made an effort to target towns and cities that their competitors have not, including Newbury, Llandudno and Isle of Scilly, in addition to the UK’s major cities. Vodafone were closely followed by Three, who launched in August 2019. Currently, Three only offer 5G connectivity in areas of London, however they plan to launch in a further 24 locations, including Bristol, Brighton and Coventry, among other big cities. The final network to launch 5G was O2, who switched on their network in October 2019. They set a target of reaching 20 towns and cities by the end of the year and plan to continue the rollout throughout 2020 to reach a total of 50 locations. Following the initial launches by the networks, a number of manufacturers have now released 5G-ready devices, containing a 5G modem. Samsung’s latest Galaxy products, the S10 and Note 10, are both optimised for 5G while Huawei, LG and Xiaomi have also launched new devices to connect to the network. Apple introduced the new iPhone 11 and its variants in September, none of which are 5G ready. Surprisingly, the usually forward-thinking tech giant are slightly behind the rest of the industry with a 5G capable iPhone not expected to be launched until September 2020. Use cases Beyond a simple performance increase, 5G is expected to bring a variety of exciting new capabilities through the Internet of Things (IoT), particularly in terms of transport, medicine, manufacturing and even agriculture. Self-driving cars are often seen as a concept of the future, but, with 5G, this future is getting closer to becoming reality with semi-autonomous vehicles expected to hit the roads in 2021. Additionally, 5G hotspots will enrich public transport with reliable connectivity on trains and in airports. The adoption of 5G within the healthcare sector is expected to revolutionise the industry, with potential for faster data transfer and telemedicine set to improve efficiency and real-time bio connectivity, using wearable technology, enabling remote monitoring and treatment. In manufacturing, 5G will increase efficiency, creating interconnected factories. People will be able to communicate with IoT devices and autonomous robots to exchange data to collaborate successfully. 5G will provide these gadgets with wireless access to a low-latency, high-speed, high-capacity network. Meanwhile, in agriculture, a traditionally manual sector, 5G will enable farmers to use drones for fertilisation and monitoring of crops. According to O2, 5GRuralFirst are already applying 5G with the use of robot arms for planting and harvesting crops from a remote location. So now you know more about 5G, you’re probably wondering how you can get involved. With Digital Wholesale Solutions, you can start selling 5G with O2 or Vodafone on a wholesale basis, or partner with us for Network Mobile and you can access O2, Vodafone and EE, meaning your customers can choose the network that best suits them. Speak to our teams today to learn more! Do you have questions related to this article? Get in touch
Who Feeds the Ravens? by Lois Tverberg When ravens come to mind, I think of Jesus’ words about how God feeds them even though they do not plant crops. Human beings spend their entire lives toiling by the “sweat of the brow” to harvest food, how can it be that this bird could still eat even if it doesn’t work? It shows that God is the ultimate source of our sustenance, not just our own hands. In the Judean desert near Qumran, I had all the more awe for God’s care of the ravens. The temperatures soared to almost 120° every afternoon, and the land in the area looked as bleak as the surface of the moon. But yet we saw flocks of ravens soaring overhead, carefree and unworried about the harsh conditions. It would be easy for them to find food nearer to farms and rivers, but instead they built their nests on rocky cliffs in desolate areas. How could God provide for them out here? ravens2When Jesus was telling his parable, I wonder if he was thinking of the story in his scriptures about how the ravens fed the prophet Elijah. During a drought, God supplied food for Elijah by sending ravens who brought bread and meat to him each day. Once again, God was providing for the birds in the harshest conditions, so much so that they could feed the prophet! Or maybe Jesus was thinking of what God said to Job, “Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?” (Job 38:41) From birth, raven chicks have insatiable appetites, crying loudly with beaks open wide for food. Even after they have left the nest and are adult-sized, young ravens follow their mother, crying out for food from her, which she provides for them until they are self-sufficient. What parent wouldn’t feel the anxiety of a mother trying to find food for her hungry children? And yet God provides for helpless birds in the harshest of conditions. How great an assurance that God cares for even the least of the birds, and he does it in barren desert and drought. How can we worry when we have a God who cares as much for us?
How to Study for GMAT Reading Comprehension GMAT Reading Comprehension - image by Magoosh GMAT Reading Comprehension Facts Fact: A typical GMAT Verbal Section will have four GMAT Reading Comprehension passages, among batches of SC & RC. Each Reading Comprehension question has a batch of 3-4 questions with it. Fact: “Short” Reading Comprehension passages on the GMAT are typically 200-250 words long and typically have 3 questions. “Long” RC passages are typically 300-350 words and typically have 4 questions. A GMAT Verbal section usually has 3 Short RC passages and 1 Long RC passage, although in rare instances it could have two of each. Fact: Passages may concern the natural and social science (e.g. from textbooks or journals), the humanities (e.g. from books or academic articles), or the business world (e.g. economics, sales, human resources, etc.). In no case are you expected to have outside knowledge of what’s in the passage. Fact: The primary skills RC tests are (1) the ability to determine the main idea of a passage; (2) the ability to draw connections between facts and concepts; and (3) the ability to extend the pattern, to see where the argument is heading. Fact: The GMAT presents RC on a split screen. On the left side is the passage: it will have a scroll bar if it’s long. On the right side, one question at a time will appear. You will always be able to see the passage in its entirety, but you can only see one question at a time. Fact: Virtually all RC questions fall into one of the following six categories: (a) find the main idea (this is almost ALWAYS one of the questions) (b) supporting ideas/details — why did the author mention such-and-such? (c) inferences — with which new statement would the author agree? (d) analogical — applying information in the passage to a completely new and different situation (e) logical structure — does the author support a new idea? contrast two ideas? shoot down something traditionally accepted? etc. (f) tone — the emotional color with which the author presents the material — is the author enthusiastic? critical? optimistic? etc. GMAT Reading Comprehension Strategies Strategy #1: GMAT Reading Comprehension is not a speed-reading contest! Give yourself 2.5 minutes for short passages and 3.5 minutes for long passages. Every time you read a passage, set a timer for this time so you get used to it: you will find that these times let you read at a relaxed pace that allows for thorough comprehension while still affording a minute per question. Strategy #2: Map, don’t memorize! When you read, your job is to determine (a) the main idea of the passage and (b) the topic/function of each individual paragraph. Create, as it were, a “map” of the passage from which you can locate details if the questions address them. You do not need to memorize the vivid details of, say, Hesseldorf’s new theory of the evolutionary changes in mammalian digestion at the onset of the Pleistocene. You just have to know where the passage goes into detail about that factoid so that, if a detail question arises, you can go back to that place and reread. Your goal is to read the whole passage once, at a relaxed pace, and reread only specific detail passages as necessary. Strategy #3: Take notes! This is one strategy many people fight tooth and nail. When you read RC passages, take notes on scrap paper. Write down the main idea in ten words or fewer (symbols and abbreviations that make sense to you are fine). Write down the topic of each paragraph in ten words or fewer. This seems like it would take more time, but, when you practice this skill and get efficient at it, it actually saves time. On the real GMAT, you will get a erasable packet and dry-erase pens. Many folks find this helpful for calculations on the Quantitative section, and the principal use on the Verbal section is for taking notes on Reading Comprehension questions. Here’s an excellent way to see how good your notes are. Read a passage, taking notes. Then, without even looking at the questions, put that passage aside. The next day, with just your notes, and without rereading the passage, try to answer the questions: you probably won’t be able to answer detail questions, but, if your notes are any good, main idea questions should be easy. Strategy #4: Read the first question first One suggested strategy is: before your read the passage, read the first question —- not the answer choices, good god! — but just the question. That way, you will have it on your radar. In particular, if the first question is a detail question, you will have your antennae up for that detail as you read. Not everyone finds this helpful. Experiment and see what works best for you. Strategy #5: Read! Read every day, especially if RC is not your thing. Read difficult material even outside your GMAT prep. The Economist (Reading for the GMAT—The Economist) is, for a variety of reasons, probably the best weekly journal to read regularly. For science reading, both Scientific American and National Geographic are excellent sources. If you have a friend who majored in a discipline different from yours, ask to borrow a couple textbooks and ask for their recommendations of good chapters to read. After you read it, your friend may even be willing to quiz you on the text. Wikipedia is another virtually inexhaustible source of challenging reading. Pick a famous scientist (e.g. Linus Pauling, Marie Curie, Barbara McClintock, etc.), follow the link to one of their discoveries or theories, and read the article thoroughly. Or pick a famous historical figure whose name you’ve heard but about whom you know nothing (e.g. Cardinal Richelieu, Suleiman the Magnificent, Eleanor of Aquitaine, etc.) and read thoroughly about their role in history. Or pick a discipline about which you know nothing, follow a link to one of the important ideas in that discipline, and read about it thoroughly. There’s no end of cool new stuff to learn!! See also = The most important RC strategy = Strategies for the six RC question types = The “Secret Sauce” of RC success Here’s a practice question to try out: Ready to get an awesome GMAT score? Start here. Most Popular Resources • Mike MᶜGarry
Meaning of lung? pls answer it quickly Lung refers to one of the most important invertebrate organ in the respiratory system. It is either one of two organs people and animals used for air-breathing, or a commonly paired compound saccular thoracic organs that make up the basic respiratory organ of air-breathing vertebrates. Please use this hashtag to support our friends and heroes in the medical field. Every use of this hashtag in your answer is equivalent to a peso donation made byto our medical front liners. Stay home, stay safe, and study with S T A Y S A F E ! What is the meaning of lungs? Gelatin heterogeneous because of smoking #tap this v One of the two organs that humans and animals use to breathe air Do you know the answer? Other questions on the subject: Science Science, 28.10.2019, nelspas422 Science and technology has generated new kno- wledge, such as discoveries of new principles, and has dramatically contributed to the development and progress of people's lives, the...Read More 2 more answers Science, 28.10.2019, meteor13 answer:HydraExplanation:It is the largest of the 88 modern constellations, measuring 1303 square degrees, and also the longest at over 100 degrees. Its southern end abuts Libra and...Read More 3 more answers Science, 28.10.2019, nelspas422 It is important to identify areas which are prone to earthquakes sothat necessary precautions could be done if ever you’re living in oneof those places....Read More 1 more answers
Team Jedi Putter. Credit: Jeff Fitlow/Rice University Putting is arguably the most important skill in golf; in fact, it's been described as a game within a game. Now a team of Rice engineering students has devised a training putter that offers golfers audio, visual and tactile feedback to help them learn a consistent putting stroke. "In the past few years, some work has been done on modeling the physics of putting," said Ray Simar, Rice professor in the practice of electrical and computer engineering who tasked five seniors with designing and creating a putter that provides multisensory feedback. "In particular, how the ball rolls, trajectories on the green and also the sweep path and how that should perform. "I pitched the students on 'What if we build a putter that we could drive from the perspective of the physics?'" Working in Rice's Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen, the students, who call themselves Team Jedi Putter, have finished a prototype and filed for a patent on a putter that has an accelerometer (to provide club speed), a gyrometer (for measuring rotation and to judge if the face of the club is twisting) and a magnetometer (to tell if the club head is up or down) all in the head of the club. "It's the first multisensory, real-time feedback training putter," said Rice senior electrical engineering student Matthew Lopez. "It's geared for beginning to intermediate golfers to help them learn a consistent putting stroke. Our main focus is not aiming on the green but rather getting consistent putts, so once you know where to aim you can hit that spot every time." The team will address improving the golfer's aim in an upcoming prototype. Simar's original idea was for the data from the club to be downloadable after the player's practice session; the students did that and went a step further: They designed the sensors to give real-time feedback via the grip of the putter. If a user's club head moves up or down, doesn't move through a straight path or twists, the sensors in the head signal vibration to the grip. The user practices with the three-dimensional sensors until they have a "clean" stroke at the ball. "The idea is that while you're in the motion of the putt, it will deliver audio, visual and to help you correct your stroke," said Rice senior mechanical engineering student Sid Mullick. "The correct stroke is rooted in basic physics. You want to achieve a straight back-and-front stroke, a linear stroke, and you want to swing at the resonance frequency of the pendulum formed by your arms and the putter. We have all that in our algorithms, and we're able to deliver feedback to the golfer that no other product can deliver right now." The practice putter can also provide data to the user though a Bluetooth-enabled device, such as their smartphone or computer, where players can analyze the data and their stroke. Moving forward, the team plans to introduce a speaker in the head to help a user synchronize their swing to tones – much like a metronome, and they will be adding a laser in the center of the club head to assist with impacting the ball squarely. The team has also produced a "dummy" club that is designed and weighted the same as Jedi Putter but without the electronics, making it useable in real play. Provided by Rice University
How to Calculate Beta Using the Market Return How to Calculate Beta Using the Market Return ••• Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images Beta is a measure of the relationship between an individual stock's return and the performance of the market. A beta value of two implies that the stock would rise or fall twice as much, in percentage terms, as the general market. Beta values below one imply that the stock moves up or down less than the index. High beta stocks are volatile and offer high risk as well as potentially high returns. Lower beta shares, on the other hand, are safer choices and more suited for risk averse investors. Select a date range. The beta value will change depending on the time period over which it is calculated. Keep in mind that the longer the date range is, the more challenging the calculation will be if you are computing the figure manually. A very short horizon, while making the calculation easy, may produce an unreliable result, due to a lack of a sufficiently large sample. As a broad rule, three months is a good time horizon to work with. Calculate daily percentage returns for the stock as well as the market for every day in your selected date range. The market returns are represented by the index. The daily return equals (price level of today - price level of yesterday) * 100/price level of yesterday. Calculate the average return for the stock and the market. The average return is the sum of all daily returns divided by the number of days. If you have 100 days in your sample, add the daily returns for all of these days and divide the result by 100. Perform this procedure for both the market and the individual stock. Calculate the difference between each day's return and the average return for both the stock and the market and multiply these differences. To do so, simply subtract the average daily stock return from the day's stock return; next, subtract the average market return from the daily market return and multiply the two figures. Repeat this procedure for every day and add all the results. Assume, for instance, that the market went up 1 percent per day on average while the stock went up 0.8 percent on average. On May 15, the market and stock went up 1.2 percent and 1.1 percent respectively. The result for the day is (1.2-1) * (1.1-0.8) = 0.06. Calculate the square of the difference between average and daily returns for the market for each day and add up these values. In Step 4, you have already computed the difference between daily values of market return and average market return for each day. Now take the square of each daily figure and add up all these squares. Divide the value calculated in Step 4 by the value calculated in Step 5. The result is the stock's beta value.
Down Syndrome Awareness Month October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Down Syndrome is a genetic disorder caused by having an extra chromosome. Down syndrome causes people to learn at a slower pace and their cognitive skills to not develop at the same time as the kids around them. In America over 400,000 people have Down Syndrome. In the world, 1 out of 700 babies born has Down Syndrome. It is not as rare as everyone thinks and if you pay attention and everyday life you might see a person with Down Syndrome. Cooper Hyde, who has Down Syndrome, is a great example of a kid who does not care about what people think or about what is going on around him. He has been crowned the Prince of Springville and could not be happier about it. None of his friends care about his disability because the disability doesn’t make the person, the person makes their life what they want.
Asphalt concrete material used for paving roads Asphalt concrete is a composite material.[1] It is commonly used to build roads, parking lots, airports, and embankment dams.[2] Asphalt mixtures have been used in making pavements since the beginning of the twentieth century.[3] It is made up of mineral aggregate bound together with asphalt. The process was made by Edward De Smedt.[4] Asphalt concrete Asphalt mixturesEdit Mixing of asphalt and aggregate is done in one of several ways: Hot-mix asphalt concrete (commonly abbreviated as HMA)Edit This is made by heating the asphalt binder to make it less viscous, and drying the aggregate to remove moisture from it before mixing it. Mixing is done at about 300 °F (roughly 150 °C) for virgin asphalt and 330 °F (166 °C) for polymer modified asphalt, and the asphalt cement at 200 °F (95 °C). HMA is used on roads with lots of traffic. Warm-mix asphalt concrete (commonly abbreviated as WMA)Edit This is made by adding either zeolites, waxes, asphalt emulsions, or sometimes even water to the asphalt binder before mixing. It is good for the environment because small amounts of fossil fuels are used to make them. It also releases less carbon dioxide into the air. In 2012, a survey of producers that made asphalt in the US found that nearly 25% of asphalt made was warm mix.[5] Cold-mix asphalt concreteEdit This is made by emulsifying the asphalt in water. It is done with an emulsifying agent before mixing. While it is emulsified, the asphalt is less viscous. The emulsion will break after enough water evaporates from it. Cold mix is commonly used on roads with less traffic. 1. The American Heritage dictionary of the English language (5th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 2011. ISBN 978-0-547-04101-8. OCLC 701330646. 2. "International Water Power and Dam Construction". 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2021-05-09. 3. Polaczyk, Pawel; Huang, Baoshan; Shu, Xiang; Gong, Hongren (2019-09-01). "Investigation into Locking Point of Asphalt Mixtures Utilizing Superpave and Marshall Compactors". Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering. 31 (9): 04019188. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0002839. ISSN 1943-5533. 4. Reid, Carlton (2015). Roads were not built for cars : How cyclists were the first to push for good roads & became the pioneers of motoring. Washington, DC. ISBN 978-1-61091-688-2. OCLC 906025798. 5. "Survey finds growth in recycled materials for asph - CDR - Construction & Demolition Recycling". 2014-02-23. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
Back to top Can You Get Sick From Smelling Rotten Food? You have made the most of the last harvest from your veggie patch. You spent hours chopping and canning your bounty. All your provisions were stored in the optimal conditions as best you knew how, but one day you noticed a smell that should not be there. It can happen to anyone. Can smelling the rotten food while you sort through everything make you sick? Do you need to discard everything? Smelling rotten food cannot make you sick. Scent particles are smaller than sickness-causing microbes. The sense of smell is a neural interpretation of airborne particles that bind to receptors in the mucus lining of your nose. Substances that cause the scent can harm the body. In order to understand the situation better, a little science can help you understand what is happening and how to assess the risk involved. Now don’t worry. You don’t need to be a scientist to get to the bottom of this. I have had a few smelly scares that led me to explore the facts. Be warned, though, it is not a straightforward answer. Here is what I found. Can The Smell Of Rotten Food Make You Sick? Your body processes smell when gaseous molecules travel through your nose and attach to receptor cells located in the olfactory epithelium found in the mucous lining of your nose. Here the gaseous molecules bind to the olfactory receptor cells. (Like a network of millions of click blocks.) This process produces electrical signals. The electrical signals are then sent via specialized nerve cells called glomeruli to other nerve cells called mitral cells in the area of your brain that interprets the smell. All this happens without us thinking about it. Then the magic starts to happen. Your brain processes the smells and forms associations. These can be good or bad based on your previous associations with a smell. The association can even be instinctive of a scent you have never smelled. A smell can cause you to feel nauseous or make your stomach turn to keep you from eating spoiled food. It may also draw an association with a good memory of a good or familiar smell. Gas molecules are much smaller than bacteria or other disease-bearing organisms that can make one sick. So, the smell on its’ own cannot make you sick. The smell is simply the way our brains interpret a scent. Smelling rotten food can warn you not to eat certain foods. A smell can warn you about the presence of contaminants that can cause you to become ill or warn you of the existence of microbes such as molds, yeasts, or bacteria. Sadly, it is not foolproof though. What Causes Food To Smell Bad? The smell of rotting food is most often caused in two different ways. • When microbes (like molds, yeasts, bacteria) start to break down food, gasses build up in the actual decaying matter, or • The gas builds up and is released by the higher volume of microbes themselves. The gasses produced when food goes rotten can have numerous effects on your body. You can present with a wide variety of symptoms depending on the amount and type of gas you inhale. With a gas such as hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs, the effects can range from your nose and throat feeling irritated, eyes watering, headaches, and losing your appetite to much more severe symptoms. Fortunately, the foul smell warns us of the presence of hydrogen sulfide and is enough to ensure that we limit our exposure to this gas as far as it is possible. In the case of hydrogen sulfide and other strong-smelling gasses, we have the smell as a warning that all is not well. However, the breakdown of food does not always smell bad. One such example is a bacterium called pseudomonas fragi which usually causes dairy products to spoil. It produces a rather pleasant smell, almost like strawberries. Decay-causing microbes can produce a wide variety of odors, but more dangerously, some produce no scent at all. Can You Always Smell When Food Is Contaminated? A strong smell can be a way to tell if food has started breaking down due to microbes like yeasts or bacteria. It is not foolproof as a way of telling you that food could make you ill, though. Many microbes that cause food-borne sickness and gastric distress have no associated smell or taste that humans can detect. Microbes in this category include bacteria such as clostridium botulinum, salmonella, and the staphylococcus family of bacteria. One clue that canned or preserved food is infected with an odorless microbe could be a bulging lid. Discarding containers of food that are swollen and distorted will undoubtedly reduce your risk of infection by this sneaky group of microbes. Is All Decaying Food Rotten? Many food decaying microbes are our friends despite the noxious smell they cause. Yeasts and bacteria can work together to decay food in a controlled process we call fermentation. They turn otherwise inedible or indigestible foods into meals that boost our bodies with gut-friendly microbes. For eons, the human race has harnessed the use of such microbes to produce some of our most favored food and beverages. They turn milk into many varieties of: • Yogurt • kefir • cheese Grains are transformed into: • beer or • whiskey Various fruits are transformed into: • wine • brandy • ciders We use our tiny helpers to help preserve meats into items like: • salami • pepperoni and • chorizo They also help us with a multitude of plant-based food items like: • natto • miso • soy sauce • sauerkraut Is A Rotten Smell The Best Way To Tell If Food Is Bad? A rotten smell also does not always indicate that food is spoiled! There are foods in different cultures that smell so bad that there are restrictions on consuming them. They make your stomach turn, and if it were only up to your nose as a guide, they would land up in the compost heap. Foods like Tempeh, Surströmming, and Harzer cheese fall in this category. Can Smell Be A Survival Tool? In a survival situation, the smell of decaying food can warn you to avoid eating a type of food. If a scent did not warn you before ingesting something, your body has a defence system that causes it to eliminate substances that could harm it. Elimination can happen as vomiting, diarrhea, or perspiration. It is most times accompanied by weakness and fever and leads to dehydration. Dehydration is a huge cost to pay when resources are scarce. It may not be foolproof, but your sense of smell is a valuable tool to assist you when foraging. Just as a smell can warn you about the presence of spoilage microbes, it can also help you correctly identify food items. It is crucial to learn to distinguish edible plants from toxic ones. Smell is one of the tools you have at your disposal for this process. Scent can also alert you to the presence of plants or animals in your surroundings. The smell of crushed leaves can confirm or disprove the plant identity and avoid nasty consequences. It can help you find supper or help you avoid sickness or worse. Many animals release an odor. It may be as a warning, or it could be a consequence of their surroundings, but it is still a clue to their presence which can help you avoid an unintended meeting. You cannot get sick from smelling rotten food; however, your sense of smell can warn you about the presence of gasses that could harm you. Smell warns us to avoid these items. Even though smell can alert you to avoid a particular food item due to decay, it is inaccurate as a tool to determine if food is good or bad. Your sense of smell on its own is not always an accurate way of determining food safety, but it is a valuable tool in your survival arsenal. Frank Pearmain As a homesteader, survivalist, and previously a safari guide in Africa, I have extensive bush and wilderness experience. I am passionate about living a self-sufficient, off-grid lifestyle and continuously learn and strive toward that goal! Recent Posts
Change in food habits, with more emphasis on veggies and fruits, can work wonders in checking diabetes in general and completely reversing early-stage diabetes, well-known diabetologist Dr. Sreejith N. Kumar tells Ayurveda and Health Tourism correspondent N. S. Arunkumar. N.S. Arunkumar: Would it be true if we say that Diabetes begins at the kitchen? Dr. Sreejith N. Kumar: Absolutely true! For the simple reason that the main cause of Diabetes is our food habits. Though we might say that food habits of Keralites are related to our tradition, many aspects of what has evolved as our food habits are scientifically wrong. The main component of our ‘staple diet’ is carbohydrate (coming from rice), though there are a few vegetables in the side dishes. If we imagine a plate full of food, and divide it into two halves, ¾ of the one half must be vegetables and ¼ of it must be fruits. And, in the other half, ½ must be protein, and the other ½ only must be grains. In addition to the plate, there can be 10% of milk products also. Plant proteins are better than animal proteins. And, if we can follow this ‘food plate’ we can resist and reverse diabetes. Should this ‘food plate’ be there for all meals? We must stick to this ‘food plate’ for all our three main meals. In short, it means that a major part of our food must comprise of vegetables. Now carbohydrates constitute the major part. That is not healthy. Food grains such as rice, wheat must be reduced, and tubers also must be reduced as they are also rich in carbohydrates. The next point to note is that oil and fat must be reduced to the least possible level. If we change our food habits this way, we will certainly see it reflect in our body. And, not to forget, we must devote at least 30 minutes every day for physical exercises. Is it possible to know in advance whether we are vulnerable to diseases like diabetes? Yes, of course we can. Just remember these numbers always: 70, 80 and 90. This denotes three points. The first point is that among 70% of people, diabetes can be prevented. It may seem unbelievable, but it is true! The next number is 80. It means that for women, the circumference of the body at the belly level must be 80 cm or below it. It can be measured using a tape which can be placed at the navel and winding it around the body. If it is more than 80 cm, then it means that there is excess fat in the body which can make you prone to diabetes. The last number 90 denotes the same in the case of men. Their maximum belly-circumference must be 90 cm or below. These are the ICMR findings. What scientific evidence is there to support your statement that food-control can help avert diabetes? Of course, there are! In 2017, a paper presented at the World Diabetes Conference by Mike Lean and Roy Taylor, two scientists from England, who had conducted study on 300 patients. They divided the 300 patients into two groups and for one group they gave the most modern medicines available for diabetes and to the second group, they gave no medicine, but asked them to control their food habits and reduce body weight. After one year, it was found that in those who had reduced about 15 kg or more of bodyweight, 86% were totally cured of diabetes. Even for those who could not lose weight that much, there was reduction in the severity of diabetes. Still, is it a practical solution, especially in India and Kerala where we consume a lot of grains? Yes! The study conducted at my Diabetes Research Centre, we have found it to be true. Ours was actually a therapeutic programme named ‘SLIM’, which can be expanded as Structured Lifestyle Intervention. We asked our patients to change their food habits to a prescribed plan and, after three months, 72% of the patients who had participated in this study could discontinue taking medicines for diabetes or reduce their dosage. We presented our data at the World Diabetes Conference and it received wide acclaim. So, basically, it means that if we can reduce intake of those food items which lead to the accumulation of fat in the body, we can control a lot of diseases like diabetes, and complications such as heart-attack, stroke, etc. Can you be a little more specific about the way carbohydrates result in increased chances of a person developing diabetes? See, carbohydrates are the main content in food grains like rice and wheat. For every person living in India, it is the main component of the daily food intake. It is carbohydrate that gives us energy to perform various functions. But, all of us do not require the same amount of energy as the nature of work each one of us does differs. Normally, a person who is glued to his chair requires only 20 calories of energy per kg of his/her bodyweight. However, we don’t care about when we eat. The excess quantity of carbohydrates (glucose) that we consume will get converted to fat, which will be deposited in the body. If you have excess fat in your body, it simply means that you are giving excessive stress to your insulin-producing organ. This may gradually make it weak, and that will lead to diabetes. How can we match our energy requirements and the calories that we consume every day? Keep this in mind. If we consume 100 grams of rice, it gives us 180 calories. At the same time, 100 grams of cucumber contains only about 17 calories! Similarly, 1 kg of vegetables contains only 200 calories. Now, look at fruits. About 100 grams fruits contain only 50 calories of energy. But, 1 kg of rice can give 1800 calories. Which simply means that if we don’t reduce the calories that we consume, the excess calories will get converted to fat in the body. Excess fat is unhealthy and can lead to many diseases including cardiac problems other than diabetes and kidney disease. So, if you wish to live healthy, reduce carbohydrate content in the food to the bare minimum and take more vegetables and fruits. Can a person with diabetes take fruits? Of course! Fruits can be there in the diet. Apple, Orange, Pear (Sabarjilly), Guava (Peraykka) are safe for diabetes patients as they are said to be low in ‘glycemic index’ and won’t lead to sudden increase of glucose in the blood. About 100 grams of these fruits contain only 50 calories. But, fruits like banana (nenthrappazham) and mango contain more calories. ‘ What we need to do is to reduce the amount of high energy fruits and increase those with low energy. For example, one apple, one orange, one pear, one small plantain (cherupazham), half of a banana (nenthran), half-a-guava fruit, half mango, one piece of pine apple, one piece of papaya, four plums, and eight grapes can be taken as a mix. Also take care to take more unripe fruits. What would be the ideal mix of fats and proteins in the food we consume? As I have said earlier, a person with normal body activities requires 20 calories of energy per kg of bodyweight. So, normally for a person with 60 kg weight, the energy requirement will be 1200 calories. In this, only less than 50% must be from carbohydrates that means only about 600 calories should be from carbohydrates. Of the remaining 50%, only 30% should be from fats and 20% from proteins. When selecting fat containing food, try to include nuts, oils like olive oil and fish as they contain unsaturated fats which are less harmful. Saturated fats like mutton, beef, butter, etc., must be avoided as they release more energy. What is the best way to eat vegetables, raw or cooked? That is important. We can eat them raw, if it is possible. And some vegetables need to be cooked. However, when cooking, try to bake or grill rather than frying them in oil. It is also important to know that though we consider tubers as vegetables, they are rich in carbohydrates. Their consumption must be reduced. For example, potato, yam (chena) and colocasia (chembu). At the same time, carrot and beetroot can be used in minimum quantities. Some vegetables like tomato, capsicum and cucumber can be eaten raw. If you are taking peas or grams (payar or kadala) try to make them sprout and then consume. This is because germinating peas are low in energy. Will it be possible to ‘reverse diabetes’ by altering one’s food habits? Yes, though it might look trying to ‘make the impossible, possible’. Scientifically, the process is called ‘remission’ of diabetes. Excessive fat accumulation in liver causes increased glucose production. In pancreas, excessive fat causes ‘stress’ on beta-cells which produce insulin. So, if excessive fat can be reduced, it can reverse diabetes. However, this is possible only in early stages of the disease and in obese people. In those people with long-standing diabetes, especially in lean people, reversal cannot be fully accomplished. But of course, dose of diabetes medications can be drastically reduced. I would reiterate, it is all about following a ‘healthy food-plate’ as the picture here shows. Stay healthy! Live longer! Bye! Dr. Sreejith N. Kumar, MBBS, MD [General Medicine] DIP Diabetology, Diabetes Care Centre, K-5 Kochar Road, Sasthamangalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala-695 010 Phone: 7736011360, E-mail: [email protected] Leave a Comment:
COVID-19 vaccines: A mad scramble Inequitable distribution amid acute shortage has derailed the global vaccination drive against COVID-19. We need to act fast to win the race against emerging virus variants By Vibha Varshney Published: Friday 09 July 2021 Illustrations: Ritika BohraWith 177 million people already affected and almost four million dead, the vaccination drive to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is perhaps the most anticipated event of our times. It is, after all, the best chance the world has to curtail the risk of new outbreaks and break the cycle of lockdowns and misery. But for it to work, all countries need to vaccinate their people as fast as possible. Otherwise the constantly mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus, that causes the disease, might develop ways to escape the immunity provided by the vaccines, making the entire exercise futile. This is something that the world leaders knew much before the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the UK in December 2020. The COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access or COVAX was set up in April 2020 to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to vaccines. The alliance, by the World Health Organization (WHO), GAVI and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, hopes to deliver 2 billion doses that would ensure at least 20 per cent of the population in each of its 190 member countries is fully vaccinated by 2021. Yet six months later, shortages and inequitable distribution of doses threatens to derail the largest vaccination campaign the world has ever seen. For one, COVAX has been facing acute shortfall since April 2021 after the major source of its vaccine, Serum Institute of India (SII), slipped on the delivery timeline because of a surge in COVID-19 cases in India. So far, the alliance has received only around 30 per cent of the 252 million doses it had hoped to by June 2021. COVAX can procure only WHO-approved vaccines. The UN agency has given a nod to just six of the 17 vaccines that are being administered in different countries across the world. Of these, Covishield, manufactured by SII, is the cheapest at around US $3 a dose. The other vaccines cost anywhere between $1 and $40, as manufacturers are selling them at different prices to different countries to maximise profits. Sputnik V, developed by Russia, is the only other cheap vaccine selling at almost the same price as Covishield in at least some countries. WHO, however, is delaying its approval even though the manufacturer says it has submitted the necessary paperwork. As a result, COVAX is now being forced to reach out to the expensive WHO-approved manufactures. This is a drain on funds that are already in short supply. Even if the alliance had the money, these manufacturers are not too keen on sharing their doses. WHO gave approval to the vaccine produced by Moderna on March 12, 2021. On June 2, the company, after persuasion by UNICEF, agreed to deliver 34 million doses in the last quarter of 2021. A similar delay can also be seen in the case of Johnson & Johnson, which agreed to provide 200 million vaccines more than two months after receiving WHO approval. Pfizer, which was the first company to get WHO’s nod, has supplied only 15.3 million doses to COVAX so far. While the delays by WHO in authorising new vaccines is leading to shortages, COVAX alone is to be blamed for the way it has so far distributed the vaccines. Of the 2.42 billion vaccine doses that had been administered globally till June 14, 2021, the low-income nations had received a negligible 0.3 per cent. In contrast, high and upper-middle income nations had administered a little over 85 per cent of the vaccines and low-middle income nations accounted for the remaining 14 per cent or so, as per Our World in Data. Monica de Bolle, professor at the Johns Hopkins University, US, has criticised COVAX for allocating vaccines in proportion to population sizes, which is not the best public health metric. As a result, it has short-changed nations in desperate need of vaccines, while providing it to others that have comparatively fewer cases. The alliance also does not consider countries’ capacities to roll out massive immunisation campaigns. COVAX hopes that vaccine donations from developed countries would help it deal with the shortfall. The G7 group, a consortium of seven high-income countries including the US, Japan and the UK, on June 11 announced plans to donate 870 million vaccines to low-income countries; only half of them will be delivered by the end of the year. However, developed countries are reluctant to route their surplus vaccines through COVAX because bilateral transfers allow them to increase their sphere of influence. This approach of circumventing COVAX has further skewed distribution. Countries in East and South Asia have received 55.59 per cent of all pledged donations, despite having just 20.73 per cent of the confirmed cases since November 2020. In contrast, Latin America and Eastern Europe, which continue to suffer high case burdens and have struggled to secure vaccine access outside of COVAX, are receiving far fewer donated doses than necessary, reads the June 4 analysis by Think Global Health, an initiative by think-tank Council on Foreign Relations and the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Make-believe plans UNICEF’s COVID-19 Vaccine Market Dashboard estimates that the world would have 9 billion vaccine doses by the end of 2021. This should be enough to completely inoculate more than 90 per cent of the adult population. The concern is that only 38 per cent of these promised doses will come from the 17 vaccines that are currently in the market (see ‘Outnumbered’). The industry seems to have promised overambitious production numbers without actually setting its house in order. The unavailability of enough raw materials is likely to make matters worse. “We have been issuing warnings since March this year that some crucial raw materials are in short supply,” says Thomas Cueni, director general, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations, which represents big pharmaceutical companies (see column, p34). The shortage of raw materials has already forced the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation and Butantan Institute in Brazil to suspend production of the AstraZeneca and CoronaVac vaccines in May. Need to change To ramp up the production of vaccines and raw materials, the developed countries and pharmaceutical companies have to break their monopolies and allow the vaccine technology to be freely shared with manufacturers around the world. But they are not willing to do so. In October 2020, India and South Africa floated a proposal at the World Trade Organization (WTO) to suspend patents on products needed to control the pandemic, including vaccines. The proposal was on the back burner for almost eight months; finally, in June this year, member nations agreed to move ahead with text-based negotiations (‘What India wants’, p37). If everything goes smoothly, a final call will be taken at the WTO Ministerial Conference in November 2021. COVAX can play an important role here. On May 6, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and Public Citizen demanded that COVAX publish its contracts with vaccine manufacturers. Deliveries via COVAX will protect poor countries that are currently being bullied by vaccine manufacturers for immunity against lawsuits due to adverse effects“Publishing contracts and prices while sharing intellectual property is a good way to start ensuring that vaccines are affordable and available for billions of people who desperately need them,” says Arvind Ganesan, business and human rights director at Human Rights Watch. So far, the alliance has refused to disclose the deal details citing confidentiality obligations. For long-term sustainability, COVAX will also need to align its work with other UN programmes like the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool by WHO that encourages voluntary contribution of intellectual property, technology and data to increase availability of medical products. The alliance can also ensure compensation for people in poor countries who suffer from severe side effects after taking the vaccines. WHO has set up a programme that makes compensation available to individuals in 92 low- and middle-income countries without going to court. This is the first and only global no-fault compensation mechanism and it is funded by a small levy on each COVID-19 vaccine dose supported by the COVAX. Similar systems already exist in developed countries to protect consumers. For example, the UK has a Vaccine Damage Payments Scheme, which authorises one-time tax-free payments of up to £120,000 for individuals who have been disabled due to vaccine side-effects. The US has enacted the Countermeasures Injury Compensation Program to deal with COVID-19 vaccine injuries. Japan too has a long-established compensation scheme set up in 1979 and financed by contributions from pharmaceutical companies. Deliveries via COVAX will also protect poor countries that are currently being bullied by vaccine manufacturers for immunity against lawsuits due to adverse effects. Pfizer is negotiating with the Indian government for such immunity in return of its vaccines. The government has not taken a decision on this as yet. “The discussions lack transparency, the absence of which would be akin to trading away the rights of people who could be affected by serious adverse events and other acts of negligence of the pharmaceutical corporation in the future,” says Amulya Nidhi of civil society group Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, who has written to the Prime Minister advising against such agreements. He says that India also needs to develop its own no-fault compensation mechanism. Nidhi’s concerns are valid because Pfizer is known for its arm-twisting methods. Even before its vaccine was approved, Pfizer had asked Argentina to pass a law which would provide the company protection from lawsuits related to adverse reactions. The country passed a law which absolved Pfizer of adverse reactions but still held the company liable for acts of negligence or malice. Unhappy, the company demanded sovereign assets to be handed over as collateral in return of vaccines. When Argentina rejected this, the company pressured the government to take international insurance to pay for potential future cases against the company. The country has refused to agree to the demands and as a result, it has failed to forge a deal with Pfizer till date. The company has supply agreements with nine countries in Latin America and the Caribbean: Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay. The terms of those deals are unknown. The central reason why private players are getting away with blatant malprac-tices and shady deals, while developed countries remain mute spectators, is because the world lacks a comprehensive vaccination plan, a point highlighted by UN director general Antonio Guterres recently while he criticised the recent G7 announcement. In such a situation, COVAX has a crucial role to play, which goes much beyond vaccine distribution. It is still to be seen if the alliance can work against the industry which indirectly supports it through GAVI. Call for waivers India and South Africa demand relaxations of patents on technologies needed to fight COVID-19 In October 2020, India and South Africa had floated a proposal to suspend the intellectual property rights on products such as medicines, diagnostics and materials needed to control the pandemic, including vaccines. Developed countries initially blocked the proposal and the discussions finally began on May 3, 2021, after it received partial support from the US. The proposal, which now has 63 co-sponsors, limits the period of waiver to three years, after which it can be suspended if the pandemic situation improves. “Legal obstacles, pressure from pharmaceutical corporations and red tape make it too cumbersome, slow and complicated to address pandemic-level challenges,” says Leena Menghaney, regional head (South Asia) at the Access Campaign of Médecins Sans Frontières. The proposed waiver would provide developing countries with an effective and expeditious way to remove key intellectual property rights barriers in advance and ensure domestic production of supply of everything that they need to curb the pandemic. “If granted, the patent waiver with technology transfer may help to harness unutilised capacities for the production of vaccines in India,” says Sudarshan Jain, secretary general, Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, which represents research based pharmaceutical companies. The narrative that the big pharmaceutical companies are now building is that the waiver is not going to help as the developing countries do not have the know-how to use the free technologies. This is not completely true, especially for India, which has been a global vaccine hub for decades. In 1986, Merck and GSK held patents for a type of hepatitis B vaccines which were sold at US $23 per dose. The company refused to share the technology with the poor nations. The technology was then developed by India-based Shantha Biotech and they managed to sell the vaccine at US $1, allowing it to be a part of the global vaccination drive led by UNICEF. Subscribe to Weekly Newsletter :
Hi Guys, New research has proved that your devices can be hacked by a laser from only 110 meters away. The ‘Light Command’ attack uses a laser light beam to hack voice activation systems like Alexa, Siri or any voice command software. No physical interaction is required. Essentially, anyone with a laser, within 110m from the device (approximately the size of a football pitch) or less can send a command to your device. You won’t hear the command, it is completely inaudible, as it is being transferred by light. It is easy and cheap to do, simple laser pointers are easily available online for as little as 14 dollars. An attacker could increase their capabilities by using a telescopic lens to target the device microphone and project the laser. How does it work: Smart devices, particularly ones that recognise voice commands, use a special microphone that converts sound into electrical signals to perform the command. These microphones are called microelectro-mechanical systems (MEMS) and its has been proved that they also react and respond to light too. Example of a Real LIfe Attack: An attacker could use the Light Command attack by standing outside your home/car/office and point a laser at your device to initiate a command. They could request doors to be unlocked on your home or vehicle, remotely start a vehicle, make online purchases, and access anything that Alexa/Siri etc can. Devices Tested: It is most likely that this type of attack is possible on any device with a MEMS microphone. This type of attack/hack was tested and successful on the following devices: Google Assistant Google Pixel 2 Samsung Galaxy S9 Google Nest Cam IQ iPhone XR How to protect your device: The most obvious answer is to ensure your devices are not visible. Move devices and smart home assistants out of view, away from windows or any outside line of sight. When your mobile devices are unattended, leave them somewhere safe, out of sight. Also covering the microphone would stop the laser accessing the device and would qualify as another preventative measure From a technical perspective there are some steps you can take to mitigate your risk of attack. It will depend on the security settings of the device but some offer additional layers of authentication like having to answer random questions after each command. Google, Facebook and the other manufacturers have been questioned about this and don’t have any solid answers other than that they are working on a solution. So in the mean-time, close your curtains!
IELTS Writing Task 2 Sample 497 - Studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career IELTS Writing Task 2/ IELTS Essay: You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Discuss both views and give your opinion. You should write at least 250 words. Sample Answer 1: Graduates of high school often face a dilemma of whether to seek a job or to enrol in universities or colleges to pursue higher education. This essay will analyse both views and will provide an opinion at the end of the essay. The option to start work right after high school is appealing for several reasons. Many young people want to become independent and prefer their own source of income rather than relying on parents or guardian to meet their living expenses. They believe that learning skills while at work is far better than attending a college. For instance, Memon Community in Karachi prefers their children to help them in expanding their family business after school; seeking higher education for them is a waste of money and time. Often youth of middle-class families opt for jobs straight after school to share the burden of family expenses due to ever-growing inflation. On the other hand, many teenagers prefer to seek admission in higher academic institutes like engineering, medical and business schools. They believe that bachelor's degree or diploma will help then attain a perfect job leading to a promising career. They argue that due to rising competition in the job market, seeking higher education is mandatory. Universities help them in enlightening their vision, expand their domain, polish their skills and prepare them to face real world challenges. For instance, Financial Industry in Pakistan favour commerce graduates over high school graduates because of their knowledge and skills which they acquired by studying at business schools and colleges. Moreover, a degree makes you more competitive and helps you earn at a better rate. To conclude, the above provides solid evidence on both views. However, in my opinion, every teenager should opt for higher education rather than work after school right away. Skills and knowledge which students acquire at the university are unmatched and unparalleled. [ by - Tauseef Raza ] Sample Answer 2: Education means imparting knowledge to a person. Better education is the first step to enter into the best career. Some people are on the view that studying at college or university is the best way to a successful career, while others are in another opinion that getting a job after school is better. This essay analyses both these arguments. On the one hand, there are some benefits of getting a job straight after school. Firstly, work means steady earning, so it helps to earn money and thus reduces the financial burden of the family especially among low-class communities. Another important benefit is that doing a particular job creates a feeling of responsibility. As a result, the person becomes more independent and self-reliant at younger age itself. On the other hand, it is fairly easy to understand the advantages of studying at university or college. Firstly, learning always increases our knowledge and widens our educational horizons as well. This helps in the moulding of overall personality and to succeed in his career. Secondly, professional education or higher education at university level is the backbone of one person’s career. To make it more clear, basic education from schools helps to identify our talents and interests of various subjects and courses and college level education is the field where we sow the seeds for better career opportunities. More over it helps to get better job opportunities. This is because proper higher level education improves the qualification and the door to better job places. Also, helps to get good remuneration. In addition, proper and good education always acts as a better deposit for the successful career and it is an asset. To conclude, when we weigh both the view points, it is crystal clear that studying at university or college is the best route to success in career. Getting a job after school has more demerits than merits. The government should take proper steps to give better education to a higher level to all irrespective of financial status, religion, casts etc. [ by - Jayesh Joseph ] 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 Rating 3.56 (8 Votes) Sriza Shrestha It's good.
05 June 2021 12:25 NEEDS ARE ESSENTIAL. had these not been especially to make earning meet and fill in the belly, perhaps all human beings, animals, birds, etc. would not have worked at all. 2. let us imagine that situation, then what would have happened to these living beings,how they would have spent their day and night, how could they could get sleep, even if we imagine like kumbhkaran, he also remained awake for 6 months and 6 months sleep, thus sleep and to remain awake are essential for the living beings, for how much time and from what time to what time, those who are in shifts duties, regulate their sleep accordingly 3. thus need is the forcing and compelling element to oblige a living being to work not only to fill in belly, but also to wear and to have shelter and more and more comforts later on and added needs as the life grows. 4. bare needs for all human beings are the same but it is analysed and conclusions have been reached and experienced, the better and qualitative food we take the longer we live except by accidents, genetic diseases, acquired diseases etc.etc. HENCE STARTS THE NEED TO WORK HARDER, EARN AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE TO EAT THE BEST, wear the best and living in as comfortable house/place as one can afford. 5. limitless needs take to greed, greed brings in unhappiness and endless dissatisfaction, HENCE IT IS ESSENTIAL TO KEEP THE NEEDS IN LIMITS AS PER ONE'S MEANS AND MANAGE ACCORDINGLY if learnt to live like this, one could live a happier life and not otherwise. 6. however age, family, children upbringing, education etc. bring in additional needs, thus it becomes essential that one must make efforts to develop his/her knowlege, experience, manoveuvrability, ingenuity, vision, logic to do the work quicker, better and in simpler manner, those who are able to attain these qualities and/or any of these, are able to meet their additional needs conveniently and those who cannot. indulge in corrupt practices. Also added to this, come in habits, the worst the habits, the more are the needs, and the more one will take to corrupt methods. IN CONCLUSION NEEDS ARE ESSENTIAL TO FEED ONESELF, TO LIVE, LIVE BETTER, ENJOY BETTER COMFORTS, THUS IMPROVING ONE'S MEANS BY WORK AND ATTAINING EXPERTISE BECOME AN ESSENTIAL NECESSITY. THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO MATCH WITH THEIR NEEDS. DO LIVE A BETTER AND HAPPIER LIFE. WHILE OTHERS NOT AND/OR INDULGE IN CORRUPT PRACTICES. written by founder marriage guidance new concept MGNC, cost free marriage bureau NGO.
Skip to main content Egypt's uprising of the poor is a real threat to Sisi Recent protests mark a turning point in the country's political scene, and a step towards retrieving the public sphere from the police state Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is pictured in January 2019 (Reuters) On 20 September, protests erupted across multiple provinces and villages in Egypt against the difficult economic and social conditions in the country. The rallies marked the first anniversary of the protests that self-exiled Egyptian businessman Mohamed Ali had called for in September 2019. Beginning in Giza province, the demonstrations extended to Upper Egypt, including the areas of Asyut, Sohag, Qena, Minya, Beni Suef, Fayoum and Aswan. It is one of the few times that the poor masses have risen up against their economic and social conditions, and did so across a large geographical area Despite the severe repression and authoritarianism that has reigned since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power, the protesters managed to take to the streets and demand Sisi’s departure, with rallies reaching their peak on 25 September in what was known as the "Friday of Anger," called for by Ali. So why did people take to the streets amid the severe atmosphere of political repression in Egypt? There are many reasons, mostly related to the difficult economic and social conditions the protesters are suffering, exacerbated over the past few months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Coronavirus in Egypt has wreaked havoc on the economy; by August, some two and a half million people had lost their jobs, according to a statement from the official Egyptian Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS). The statement also showed that over the past six months, the unemployment rate jumped from 7.7 percent to 9.6 percent, in a population of more than 100 million people. Some say the real unemployment figures are even higher. CAPMAS also indicates that about 26 percent of working people with families lost their jobs due to coronavirus. Most worked in the manufacturing industries, including food, textiles, clothing, agricultural products, building and construction, as well as in the transport and storage sectors. Covid-19 has also had disastrous effects on the tourism sector, which comprises 12 percent of Egypt’s GDP, and generated about $13bn in revenue for Egypt last year. An official study predicted massive losses in the tourism sector as a result of Covid-19, amounting to more than 70 percent. Many employees in the tourism and aviation sector, who number about three million, have been affected by the decline in tourism revenues; most prominently, residents of Giza, whose incomes mainly rely on tourism. It was therefore unsurprising that the demonstrations erupted across Giza province. Poverty rates Looking at the map of poverty in Egypt, there is a strong correlation between poverty rates and the location of protests, particularly in Upper Egypt. According to CAPMAS, the national poverty rate for the year 2017-18 was 32.5 percent, meaning that a third of the Egyptian population lives below the poverty line of about 735 Egyptian pounds ($47) a month. The national poverty rate increased between 2016 and 2018 by 4.7 percent as a result of economic reform policies, Egypt’s planning minister has admitted. That rate will have risen in 2019-20. Many provinces across Egypt have high poverty rates, including Asyut (67 percent), Sohag (60 percent), Luxor (55 percent), Minya (54 percent) and Qena (41 percent). Most villages in Upper Egypt suffer from extreme poverty, which strongly correlated with the spreading of protests. Recent government policies and decisions, especially those related to raising prices and house demolitions, have also played a big role in sparking protests. The government issued a decision to demolish buildings seen as illegal, or to charge fines, which has had a heavily negative impact on many poor and low-income communities. Labourers work at a quarry site near Minya, Egypt, on 7 December (AFP) On this topic, Sisi has spoken in a crude manner and threatened residents with deploying the army to demolish their homes. According to official reports, Egypt registered two million building violations between 2000 and 2017. The government has pledged to demolish these homes unless their owners adjust their status and reconcile the issue by paying fines. Egypt’s latest protests can be described as an uprising of the poor - concentrated among those bearing the brunt of difficult economic and living conditions. It is noteworthy that the middle class did not participate for various reasons, including repression and fear of the regime’s reaction, similar to what took place a year ago when the state arrested thousands of protesters who demanded Sisi’s departure. Other reasons include a general atmosphere of despair and frustration over the failure of the 2011 revolution and the disappointment of many youth who participated. Middle-class absence Despite the mobilisation efforts of Mohamed Ali and the opposition abroad in recent weeks, the lack of middle-class participation might have contributed to the failure of the uprising of the poor and its inability to achieve its key demand: the departure of Sisi. Yet, this uprising marks a turning point in Egypt’s political scene in a number of ways. Firstly, this is the first time that protests calling for Sisi’s departure have taken place in more than one Egyptian province at the same time, especially amid an unprecedented security crackdown and the restriction of the public sphere. Israel's deals with the Gulf are a disaster for Egypt Read More » It is also one of the few times that the poor masses have risen up against their economic and social conditions, and did so across a large geographical area, making it difficult for the regime to suppress them via traditional means. The regime had no option but to repress the protesters: more than 700 people have been arrested among them around 68 children and teenagers who were later released. Two protesters were killed; one in Giza last Friday and the second one, Ewis al-Rawy, who was shot in the head by a police officer in Luxor on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the pro-regime media fiercely attempted to distort the protests, painting them as a foreign conspiracy orchestrated by the Muslim Brotherhood from abroad to overthrow the regime. It is difficult to believe that the Brotherhood was behind these protests for several reasons, most important of which is that the group does not have a significant presence among the working classes. The Brotherhood is also suffering from severe organisational and mobilisation restrictions due to state repression. While members of the group might have participated, it was likely only due to local economic and social conditions. The recent protests represent a new step towards retrieving the public sphere from Egypt’s police state. This may pave the way for further protests, and possibly a revolution that topples Sisi and his regime. Khalil al-Anani
How to Write a Definition Essay How to Write a Definition Essay at What is a Definition Essay? A definition essay is one of the easiest forms of writings. And from the word itself, all you have to do is to define a term, a word, or a phrase. Your definition essay topic can either be general or specific, serious or humorous. You can simply explain the definition of the term, or subjectively analyze it. It’s only up to you which approach you are going to use. However, there are still some basic guidelines to follow. So, make sure to check the following tips on how to write a definition essay. 6 Key Tips to Writing a Definition Essay There are two types of terms you can use in your definition essay. First, it is the material term, such as pen and paper, which has definite and concrete meaning. And second, it is the spiritual term, such as love and hate, which depends more on your own point of view. Tip 2 There are various ways on how you can define a term in your essay. • Analysis You can divide the subject into different parts and describe the parts separately. • Classification Describe the class which the subject belongs to. • Comparison You can compare the subject to something more familiar by showing its similarities or differences. • Details Describe the subject’s physical characteristics, conceptual background, traditional thoughts, internal attributes, and other distinguishing details that will make it easier for the readers to understand. • Examples and Incidents Give examples, especially if the subject is too theoretical for the meaning to be more clear. • Negation To make the subject clearer to the readers, point out what the particular subject is not. • Origins and Causes You can describe the history of your subject or give a background information. • Results, Effects, and Uses Tackle the subject’s consequences and uses. You can also describe the results and effects of your subject in a particular situation to elaborate its definition. Tip 3 Always know the term you are going to define to be able to explain it clearly. Don’t just stick to the definition you find in dictionaries if you don’t want your readers to get bored. Use your own words in defining and put some spice by adding a personal touch. Tip 4 Present the information in such a way that your readers will surely understand it. Make it reader-friendly by showing clear details. Tip 5 Add a personality to your definition paper. You can use anecdotes or even your own personal experience. Tip 6 Enjoy the writing so that your audience will also enjoy the reading. Definition Essay Outline So, you’ve been given an assignment to write a definition essay. The definition essay outline has three main parts: introduction, body and conclusion. However, before you can draft your outline, there are two important steps that you need to make: you need to make sure you have several sources for the definition of your topic or concept and you have to ensure the topic can be disputed. These two steps are vital as they are the foundation of your definitive essay outline. Without these you will not be able to effectively write your first draft. Once you have done these steps, you should follow the below outline to write your essay. Definition essay outline format 1. Introduction This is where you tell your readers about your chosen topic and also where you have to hook them! Whether you start your definition essay with an intriguing question, a thought-provoking anecdote or a very bold statement, this is your chance to get their attention. • To start, you should give a standard definition of your topic or what is called “the dictionary definition”. This is your starting point to explain what your essay is about. • After giving the standard definition, you want to explain a little more about the topic of your definition essay so the reader knows what to expect. • Finally, you outline your thesis definition. This is a combination of the standard definition and your personal thoughts, ideas and experiences. In explaining your thesis definition, you are not only defining the topic but you are also explaining how you plan to explain it in the paragraphs to come. 2. Body This can be separated into the various points you want to bring across during your definition paper or it can be organized in sections to explain different aspects of the topic. In the first scenario, the more points you have to share, the longer the body of your definitive essay. However, regardless of the number of points, the essay format remains the same and the following steps are done for each. • Firstly, you want to use an attention getter definition of your definition essay topic to pique the interest of your reader, making sure it is related to your thesis. There are four ways in which you can define your topic explaining what something does or how it works, explaining how something is organized, defining the topic by what it does not mean and what it isn’t and, finally, comparing it to something similar, making sure to highlight the differences. • Whatever your choice of definition, you should ensure that you have properly analysed your topic and have provided detailed and factual definition examples. On the other hand, if the body of your definition essay outlines different aspects of the topic, you’ll need to cover each separately. For example, you may choose to explain the history or origin of your topic in the first section, the standard definition and its examples in the second and end with your personal definition and experiences. 3. Conclusion If you start with a bang, you have to end with a bang. Your definition essay conclusion must give an assertive account of your thesis, a summary of the main points and it must connect back to the introduction provided. You may also explain how the topic has impacted you, which will help the reader to connect with you. Following these steps will help you to close your essay, and leave your reader satisfied and with a sense of purpose. Get Custom-Made Essay Definition Essay Topics In a definition essay, students must write a thorough account of their interpretation on a given topic, properly emphasized with relevant facts. Below are several examples of definition essays that a student may be asked to write about during tests or coursework. Choose a definition essay topic that excites you, that you are comfortable with and one that you are confident you can write about in detail. Use as many words as you wish to explain your concepts and ideals on the topic and have fun creating your literary art. 80 Creative Definition Paper Topics 1. Is abortion wrong? 2. What does it mean to have a good sense of humour? 3. Define a loving relationship. 4. What is a good job interview? 5. What is emotional abuse? 6. Define psychological abuse. 7. What is the perfect wedding experience? 8. What is success? 9. Define academic cheating. 10. What does “I have a dream” mean to you? 11. What is an ideal or happy marriage? 12. Define brotherly love. 13. What are “irreconcilable differences”? 14. What is a family? 15. Define courage or being courageous. 16. What does it mean to be a feminist? 17. Can a man be a feminist? 18. Define an abusing relationship. 19. What does it mean to be masculine? 20. Can a woman be masculine? 21. Define a leap of faith. 22. What does it mean to have a heart? 23. What does it mean to have charisma and charm? 24. Define power. 25. Who is a team player? 26. What does it mean to act “Christ-like”? 27. Describe your ideal mate. 28. What does it mean to live a healthy lifestyle? 29. Who is a dictator? 30. Define internet privacy. 31. What is good parenting? How do you do it? 32. Does age matter in a relationship? 33. Define a platonic relationship. 34. What is motivation? How do you motivate? 35. Can you love two persons equally? 36. Define brand loyalty. 37. What is whistleblowing in the business/ corporate world? 38. What is good healthcare? Define a good (or the ideal) healthcare system. 39. What is cultural diversity? 40. What is music therapy? 41. Define “retail therapy”. 42. What is “hassle-free shopping”? 43. What is a “simplified life”? 44. Define poverty. 45. What is passion? 46. What is an addiction? 47. Explain how laziness is a state of mind. 48. What is infatuation? 49. What is lust? 50. Explain how technology has made people lazy. 51. What is faith? 52. What does it mean to be passionate? 53. Define pleasure. 54. What does it mean to be charitable? 55. What is the social impact of watching too much television? 56. Define the social impact of social media usage. 57. What is successful branding or marketing? 58. What are the challenges experienced by teachers? 59. Define issues affecting learning in primary schools. 60. What is the impact of using technology in the classroom? 61. How can knowing learning styles affect how you teach? 62. What is charity? 63. Who is a hero? What makes someone a hero? 64. What is true love? 65. Define “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. 66. What is hatred? 67. Define confidentiality. 68. What is art? Is graffiti art? 69. What is self-worth? How do you define your self-worth? 70. What are career goals? 71. What does it mean to have peace of mind? 72. Define sexism. 73. Define self-respect. 74. What is self-esteem? 75. What does it mean to have purpose? 76. Define intelligence. 77. What does it mean to be healthy? How do you do it? 78. What defines whether something is good or bad? 79. What is common sense? 80. What is serendipity? Thinking of writing a definition essay? All you have to do is to identify a specific term to define, present it in a clear and original way, and give examples for the readers to fully understand and comprehend the term you are defining. It is just as easy as one-two-three. You just have to understand the concept before you can fully elaborate the definition. Get your original paper! Place Order Now
How to be autism friendly at school (guest post) Crystal Hart has kindly provided this guest blog for Axcis and our partners at the National Autistic Society. Crystal is currently working for Axcis London in a primary school with SEN/D students. She has worked with these students for around four years now. She studied an undergraduate degree in special educational needs and is currently studying a masters in the same subject. Crystal has been around people who have special needs all her life. This has made her passionate to learn about the subject as much as possible and support children with SEN/D. In her spare time, Crystal really loves to sew and enjoys taking her two dogs on long walks. In this guest blog, she talks about the importance of being autism friendly in school settings. Being autism friendly Working in an autism provision can be very rewarding. No two days are ever the same! Some days will be great, with the children learning well and behaviour is good. Conversely, some days will be noisy and children may struggle to stay on task. But every day is busy. When a child finally achieves something you have both been working on for a while, it is a big YES feeling and so perseverance is a very important skill. It also takes a person with kindness, patience, empathy, and resilience to work with autistic children, as well as a lot of energy! Being able to bounce back quickly from situations that arise is a big must. You will experience situations that are not the ‘norm’ daily as no two children are the same. Having resilience as stated above is key to managing these situations. There are many skills you will need to work with autistic children. Patience is one. Some children learn through repetition and so being patient while they process the information given is important. You may have to wait 10 or even 20 seconds or possibly up to a minute for a child to process what has been said to them and give an answer back. Positivity is also an important skill, you may not think it is, but it is! Sometimes being positive is hard especially when you are having a bad day. However, the children will sense your feelings and feed off them. This is counter productive to their learning, so try to stay positive! Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is needed when supporting autistic children. They will need emotional support as well as learning support each day. Coming to school may be scary for some children – transitioning between classrooms, or even just using the toilet! I once worked with a child who would only use one toilet in school and when lockdown came that toilet was changed. The child was upset and could not understand why he couldn’t use his normal toilet. I took him to the new toilet and just stood outside it with him for 5 minutes each day for 4 days. Then the fifth day we stepped inside. By the tenth day he was sitting on the toilet! So being sensitive to their emotions, even if we do not understand why is important. One size does not fit all A key mistake to avoid is thinking that all autistic children are the same. They are not! Some children are low on the spectrum and so are social partner children, who need extra emotional support to express themselves and teaching support to access the curriculum. And some children are high on the spectrum and may possibly need less educational support and more emotional support for socialising. Each child will have different needs, some have more needs than others. Sensory needs Autistic children may also have different sensory needs. This needs to be remembered when making your space autism friendly. Some children on the spectrum get distracted easily by bright colours and so when making displays, try using muted tones such as light grey and silver. Space may also be an issue. Try to have space between each desk/workstation so the child does not feel ‘closed in’. Visuals can be used for timetables and for talking. This helps the children understand what they are doing during the day, such strategies might include using a now and next board, communication boards and sign language such as Makaton or SignAlong. Creating a means of communication within the school environment is crucial, and this will tie in with any visual work you are doing. Having a quiet area in the provision so that children can go for quiet time if they need it is also helpful in managing potential meltdown situations. Some autistic children like quiet, so ear defenders are also handy to have available. Regulation Station At our school, to make the provision more autism friendly, we also have a ‘Regulation Station’, where children can go if they feel dysregulated. There are ‘Zones of Regulation’ which are essentially little boxes in traffic light colours so the child can place their name in the box they feel shows how they are feeling and can sit for a while to calm and until the are ready to go back to ‘green’ again. This is especially helpful for children who struggle to express themselves verbally, as is so often the case with autism. In summary There are many ways to support autistic children, but the most important thing to remember is that they are all different, so do not assume that one strategy will suit all! Are you seeking SEND work or staff? Leave a Reply
Writing The Best Research Paper Conclusion Research Paper ConclusionResearch paper is one of the most common types of academic papers, and writing a research paper is a long and complex process which includes a number of key stages. Experienced writers recommend starting the work on a research paper from making a preliminary research and choosing the best and the most effective topic for your research paper. When the topic is selected, the author should start the main research work, look for interesting ideas and relevant information to base your research on, look through many reputable sources, and develop your own ideas and perspectives to be presented in your academic paper. Then, it is the time to create an outline and start working on the writing part of your work. It is possible to start with writing the body part, followed by working on introduction and conclusion for research paper, or it can be great to start the writing part with writing an introduction, and then the body and research paper conclusion. The last stages include creating a reference page, and then review and check up your academic paper in order to make sure that it is error free. As it is for any kind of academic paper, the main function of a research paper conclusion is provide your reader with a small summary of the research work, underline its importance and provide the necessary weight to your work. Conclusion is one of the main parts of research paper, and all authors of research papers should pay a proper attention to writing this small part of the paper. The main idea of writing a good and effective conclusion for research paper is keeping it brief, concise, and filled with useful information. At the same time, it should contain the results and the main findings of the research work, so any reader should understand what is the objective of your research paper, what data and evidence you used for your research, what kind of methods and approaches were chosen by you, and what results or findings you managed to achieve, what conclusions you came to after the scientific work. A research paper conclusion should come right after the body of your academic paper and never exceed the size of three paragraphs, possibly even one or two paragraphs. Some conclusions can be put to three-four sentences. Experienced research paper writers recommend starting your conclusion for research paper with re-stating the main thesis statement, the main objective of your research, or the main idea you are trying to prove, to confirm of disconfirm in your scientific work. Then, it should restate the main findings, conclusions, results or ideas the author came up with after doing his or her scientific work. They should be stated briefly and without unnecessary details. Further sentences should underline the meaning and importance of the findings, sketch their possible uses or applications in real life or in modern scientific world, and convince your reader that your work had some serious purpose and objective. Finally, a very interesting approach can be finishing your research paper conclusion with something like a “call for action”, which would inspire the reader make certain practical steps and support the newly developed ideas or approaches. This is a very effective and unique approach, however it is not always possible to use it for the advantage of your conclusion for research paper. When working on your research paper conclusion, try to look at your work with the eyes of your reader. What are the most important points and highlights that your reader should keep in mind after reading your research paper? Use a dry and persuasive tone when writing the conclusion, which would, at the same time, make your communication with your reader friendly, clean and effective. Since the conclusion is the last thing your reader will see in your paper, it should possible impress and impact your reader. However, so not feel stressed out or pressed when working on the conclusion. Hopefully, this small writing helped you find answers to the questions how to write a good an effective conclusion for research paper. If no, there are plenty of related tips and recommendations can be found online . Good luck with your work, and let your efforts pay you back with an excellent grade for your research paper! Both comments and pings are currently closed. Comments are closed.
What area does the Eastern Groundwater Authority represent? The Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Authority represents the area overlying the Eastern San Joaquin groundwater subbasin, as designated by DWR. The area includes portions of San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Calaveras counties. The subbasin is bounded by the San Joaquin River to the west, the Sierra Nevada foothills to the east, Dry Creek to the north, and the Stanislaus River to the south. What is the Authority’s purpose? The Eastern San Joaquin Groundwater Authority was established as a public entity with the mission of providing dynamic, cost-effective, flexible and collegial organization to insure initial and ongoing SGMA compliance within the Basin. Its purpose is to: • Provide coordination among its 17 Groundwater Sustainability Agency members • Carry out SGMA purposes in a cooperative manner • Develop, adopt and implement a legally sufficient Groundwater Sustainability Plan that covers portions of the subbasin within the jurisdictional boundaries • Satisfy SGMA’s requirements for coordination among the Groundwater Sustainability Agencies Who are the members of the Authority? The member of the Authority are 17 Groundwater Sustainability Agencies located in the Eastern San Joaquin Subbasin. Members include: 1. Calaveras County Water District 2. Central Delta Water Agency 3. Central San Joaquin Water Conservation District 4. City of Lathrop 5. City of Lodi 6. City of Manteca 7. City of Stockton 8. Eastside San Joaquin Groundwater Sustainability Agency 9. Linden County Water District 10. Lockeford Community Services District 11. North San Joaquin Water Conservation District 12. Oakdale Irrigation District 13. San Joaquin County 14. South Delta Water Agency 15. South San Joaquin Groundwater Sustainability Agency 16. Stockton East Water District 17. Woodbridge Irrigation District Groundwater Sustainability Agency What is a Groundwater Sustainability Agency? What is SGMA? What is a Groundwater Sustainability Plan? How can I learn more? How can I get involved in the plan development?
I understand the four different type os FIR filters however i don´t understand why do linear-phase FIR filters offer opportunities for efficient realization. Linear phase FIR filters should have some sort of symmetry (even or odd) in their coefficients which will reduce the number of independent multiplications by about two yielding an efficient realization compared to a nonsymmetric FIR filter of the same length. However, linear phase FIR filters are important not because of their computational efficiency but for their linear phase property. Here are two graphics specifically showing the efficiency that Fat32 mentions in his answer by comparing the initial FIR realization from the convolution summation and then showing how the number of coefficient multiplications required is reduced due to the requirement that linear phase filter coefficients be symmetric or asymmetric. We desire Linear Phase filters because they have no group delay distortion (see Why is a linear phase important?) and then it is mighty convenient for us that they are also more efficient to implement (win win!). See below the plots a simple mathematical explanation as to why the coefficients need to be symmetric or asymmetric in order to have linear phase. FIR Filter Linear Phase Filters So we see in the top structure for general FIR filter implementations, $M$ multipliers are required for each of the coefficients $h[0], h[1] ... h[M-1]$ while in the lower structure for linear phase filters, due to the symmetric in the coefficients, only $(M+1)/2$ multipliers are required. Why the symmetry? The Frequency Response, both magnitude and phase is derived directly from the z-transform by restricting z to be the unit circle as in $z = e^{j\omega}$ where $\omega$ is from $0$ to $2\pi$. (So we call the unit circle the frequency axis, just like on the s-plane in continuous time systems, using Laplace, the $j\omega$ axis is the frequency axis). So this is super easy for FIR filters since the z-transform is just the coefficients in increasing inverse powers of $z$ (hence all the $z^{-1}$'s we see for the unit delays in implementation). So to get the phase response, we find the z-transform, replace $z$ with $e^{j\omega}$ and solve for the angle. Consider then the z-transform for a simple symmetric odd length (Type 1) FIR Filter with coefficients as: $$[c_1, c_2, c_3, c_2, c_1]$$ The z-transform would be: $$H(z) = c_1 + c_2z^{-1}+ c_3z^{-2}+ c_2z^{-3}+ c_1z^{-4}$$ And the frequency response would then be: $$H(z= e^{j\omega}) = c_1 + c_2e^{-j\omega}+ c_3e^{-2j\omega}+ c_2e^{-3j\omega}+ c_1e^{-4j\omega}$$ Where $\omega = 0 ...2\pi$ Due to the symmetric (or asymmetric) coefficients, a single exponential can be factored out such that the above expression has conjugate symmetric coefficients - which means that part of the equation can be completely converted to sinusoidal functions using Euler's Identity (which are all real or all imaginary and therefore do not contribute to the phase other than a constant 0 or $\pi/2$)! We can only do this if the coefficients are symmetric or asymmetric. $$H(z= e^{j\omega}) = e^{-2j\omega} \big(c_1e^{2j\omega} + c_2e^{j\omega}+ c_3+ c_2e^{-j\omega}+ c_1e^{-2j\omega}\big)$$ $$= e^{-2j\omega} \bigg(2c_1\frac{(e^{2j\omega} +e^{-2j\omega})}{2} + 2c_2\frac{(e^{j\omega}+ e^{-j\omega})}{2}+ c_3 \bigg)$$ $$= e^{-2j\omega} \bigg(2c_1\cos(2\omega) + 2c_2\cos(\omega) + c_3 \bigg)$$ To then see this clearly consider the phase versus frequency of the two components above; the $e^{-2j\omega}$ and the rest of the equation consising of cosines and a constant. The rest of the equation is real so the phase is always $0$, while the phase of the exponential is linearly increasing in the negative direction versus $\omega$ so will go from $0$ to $-4\pi$ as we go over the full digital spectrum with the normalized angular frequency going from $0$ to $2\pi$ radians/sample. This is the 2 sample delay of the filter ($z^{-2}$) associated with the middle tap. Due to this balance, the delay of all linear phase FIR filters will always be $(N-1)/2$ samples as it was in this case. Your Answer
About The Hydrogen Mini Grid System The Hydrogen Mini Grid System (Hoofmark) is an innovative demonstration project designed to showcase the latest hydrogen technology and to push the boundaries of current thinking. The Hoofmark utilises free wind energy to generate electricity from an onsite 225kW wind turbine. It is estimated that the wind turbine will generate in excess of 500MWh a year - more than enough to provide electrical power to the EETC building. Excess electricity from the wind turbine will be used to generate hydrogen through electrolysis. This hydrogen will be pressurised from 30bar to 200bar and stored on site for later use, either as a transport fuel or to provide electricity, through a fuel cell, during periods of low wind speed. Uniquely, the Hoofmark is configured to enable electricity, from both the wind turbine and the hydrogen fuel cell, to be supplied directly to the local distribution network. PDF Downloads Hoofmark Overview PDF data sheet Hydrogen Generation - Hoofmark fact sheet PDF data sheet
Ielts Task 1 General Writing Sample 18 with 6 Band Want create site? Find Free WordPress Themes and plugins. You should spend about 20 minutes on this task. Write a letter to your neighbour. In your letter • introduce yourself • describe your plans for the party • invite your neighbour to come Write at least 150 words. You do NOT need to write any addresses. This is an answer written by a candidate who achieved a Band 6 score. Here is the examiner’s comment: The letter has a clear purpose and all the information required in the task is provided and well-extended by the writer. The tone is consistently informal and friendly, which suits the situation. The closing expression is over-formal and adds an inappropriate tone, but this is only a minimal lapse in the whole response. The information is generally organised throughout the letter, but while there are one or two examples of good linking, there is a lot of omission, and ‘also’ is used rather repetitively. As a result, sentences are not fluently linked and this limits the rating. Vocabulary is adequate and appropriate for the task although the range is not wide. The level of control is generally good with only a few spelling mistakes. The range of structures is limited and repetitive, however. There are one or two examples of complex structures used well, but overall there are lots of simple clauses that have inaccurate punctuation. This is a weak point of this answer. Dear neighbour, I am your new neighbour, I moved in Last week with my son, I am working as a nurse in the nearby hospital. I am planning to hold a party, I will invite all my friends and relatives, my son also will invite his friends I would like to invite yu too, I will be happy to see you. At the party I will provide all kind of drinks, different type of food, I will prepare intercontinental dishes as well as some Arabic food, in addition I will also get some Indian and Chinese food , I will order them from the restaurant, so we will have planty of food and drinks, we will also listen to some music and I will introduced you to all of my friends, also who ever likes to dance they can. I hope everyone will enjoy the party and have fun including you. If you decided not to come for any reason, please inform me, and I want to be sure that the noise will not disturb you. Looking forward to see you, as this party gives both of us the opportunity to be good friends. yours faithfully, Source: Cambridge IELTS 6 October 13, 2021 0 responses on "Ielts Task 1 General Writing Sample 18 with 6 Band" Leave a Message Skip to toolbar
Emanuele Fara MMRES student at CRG and DCEXS Class 2018-2019 After MMRES: PhD at Eawag and ETH Zurich, Switzerland Engineering Escherichia coli to generate a novel food source for Caenorhabditis elegans Aging is a biological process that happens in many living beings, especially in animals. Both genetic and non-genetic factors influence aging at different levels, i.e. organelle, cell, tissue, organ, organ systems and whole organism. Several breakthroughs in aging at the latter level have been found in model systems such as the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Many genetic mutations in this small worm have been isolated and linked to the main molecular pathways that regulate lifespan (e.g. insulin-like signaling pathway). Caloric restriction is another intervention that has been showed to extend lifespan in worms as well as in other animals. Over the last two decades, a mechanism called RNA interference (RNAi) have been discovered and used for knocking down C. elegans genes of interest when worms are fed bacteria expressing double-stranded RNAs complementary to their genes. This powerful technique has opened up a new way of performing genetic studies in multicellular animals. Here we have begun to adapt the genomically recoded Escherichia coli C321.ΔA with the intention of making this strain competent for RNAi. Hence, we have modified an available CRISPR/Cas9 system to permit genome editing in C321.ΔA and built the guide RNAs required for adding the T7 RNA polymerase transgene and removing RNase III. We are currently optimizing the protocol in order to achieve the expected efficiency of the procedure. Our expectation is that the engineered C321.ΔA enabled with RNAi will reveal new insight about the hostmicrobe interactions, and how they might affect the aging process (either extend or shorten lifespan). Major project supervisor Nicholas Stroustrup Minor project supervisor Marc Güell
When Sweat Takes Over Your Life Sweating can be a serious, even life-altering problem for those that suffer from hyperhidrosis. A person that suffers from hyperhidrosis simply sweats too much and, in bad cases, cannot stop sweating. The International Hyperhidrosis Society estimates that around three percent of the people in the world suffer from some form of excessive or uncontrolled sweating. The condition can affect any part of the body, including the face. Some people with it sweat all over, while others may see it confined to one part of the body. The most common forms of the condition are axillary hyperhidrosis, which affects the underarms, and palmoplantar hyperhidrosis, which soaks the hands and feet with sweat. Axillary hyperhidrosis usually beings when a person is a teenager, while the palmoplantar variety can begin at any age. Hyperhidrosis Can Destroy Lives Even though it sounds trivial, hyperhidrosis can destroy lives. People that suffer from it might not be able to hold a job, go on a date, or wear certain kinds of clothing. Persons with palmoplantar hyperhidrosis might not be able to shake hands or give somebody a high five. Sufferers often have to constantly change their clothing because it gets soaked. Those with axillary hyperhidrosis might have to stop wearing t-shirts or bright clothing. Women with the condition might not be able to wear high heeled shoes because they slip off. Many people with the condition cannot even wear socks, because they get soaked. The social effects of hyperhidrosis can range from the trivial, such as not being able to hold a cell phone, to the catastrophic. One man told the IHS that he was fired from a job he had held for four years because of the condition. What Causes Hyperhidrosis? The prevailing theory in the medical profession is that hyperhidrosis is caused by overactive sweat glands. Unfortunately, doctors do not know why the sweat glands start producing too much sweat. The difference between hyperhidrosis and normal sweat is that normal sweating is usually triggered by heat or physical activity, such as exercise or heavy labor. Hyperhidrosis often occurs with no trigger; a person might start sweating heavily on a cold day or sweat heavily in bed at night. Some cases of hyperhidrosis are caused by other medical conditions, but it can also afflict healthy people. The condition appears to run in some families, which indicates that it could be genetic. Health problems and conditions that can cause hyperhidrosis include: • Damage to the brain and the neurological system, including strokes and spinal cord injuries. • Some mental health problems, including anxiety conditions. • Some forms of cancer. • Drugs, including some medications and street drugs that damage the brain. • Lung disease. • Heart disease. • Menopause • Some infections, including tuberculosis and malaria. • Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which can be caused by events like war, accidents, or violence. • Conditions that affect levels of glucose in the body. These conditions might cause excessive sweating by damaging the mechanisms that control the sweat glands. They might also affect the body’s hormonal balance, which can affect the operation of the glands. How Can You Tell If You Have Hyperhidrosis? Even though its causes are poorly understood, hyperhidrosis is easy to diagnose. You can tell if you have it if you sweat too much for no reason. The most common symptom is excessive wetness, which may require a person to constantly change clothes. Some sufferers will sweat all the time, while others might have occasional attacks. Persons suffering from PTSD might start sweating excessively if they are reminded of a traumatic experience. For example, a war veteran might have a sweat attack if he hears a loud noise that reminds him of gunfire. There are tests that doctors can use to detect excessive sweating, including the starch iodine test and the paper test. Generally, the starch iodine test is used to detect excessive sweating, while the paper test is used to measure the amount of sweat. How Is Hyperhidrosis Treated? There are several treatments for hyperhidrosis, some of which can be effective. Unfortunately, there is no effective cure for the condition despite years of research. The first and most common treatment is the use of antiperspirants. An antiperspirant is a medication that is rubbed directly on sweaty skin. It suppresses sweat with a metal salt, usually aluminum. Over the counter antiperspirants, especially those that contain aluminum chloride, can be effective in mild cases of hyperhidrosis. Something to keep in mind here is that deodorants are not antiperspirants; they only suppress odor. You will need to buy an antiperspirant. These products are widely sold under brand names such as Certain Dri and available at most drug and discount stores. These are usually applied at bedtime but are not very effective in cases of palmoplantar hyperhidrosis. There are prescription strength antiperspirants available that contain a more potent metal salt called aluminum chloride hexahydrate. These will usually be the first treatment that a doctor will prescribe. The most popular prescription antiperspirant is Drysol, which can be a very effective treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis but not palmoplantar hyperhidrosis. Other widely used treatments for hyperhidrosis include: • Botox injections. If you have ever wondered why celebrities like TV announcers, actors, singers, and models do not seem to sweat, it is because many of them get injections of botulinum toxin, or Botox-A. Botox-A has been proven to limit underarm sweating, so it is an effective treatment for axillary hyperhidrosis. The injections are painful, and they can leave scars. • Other prescriptions. Drugs like glycopyrrolate, marketed as Robinul, can reduce sweating by limiting the body’s water productions. Unfortunately, they have side effects like dry mouth and blurred vision. • This unusual but effective treatment requires the use of water to conduct an electric current to the skin a few times week. Doctors are unsure why it works, but they think it blocks the sweat ducts. Regular treatment with a special device is necessary. • In extreme cases, a surgical procedure called a sympathectomy is performed. The procedure involves cutting nerves in an attempt to shut off the sweat glands; it is risky but can be effective. In some cases, patients report that hyperhidrosis returns, usually to another part of the body such as the back. Generally, sympathectomy is only used when treatments fail. People turn to these treatments because it can be a real struggle to live with hyperhidrosis. If you have been diagnosed with the condition, the non-profit International Hyperhidrosis Society can help you locate medical treatment. The IHS also supports research in attempts to develop better treatments or a cure for the condition. Even though it is not fatal, hyperhidrosis can destroy your quality of life. Effective medical treatment can help you reclaim your life from the condition.
October 31, 2018 10 ways humans are just ghastly, according to science Daily Briefing While there's a lot of variation between individuals, there is some scientific evidence that humans may not always be good-natured, Christian Jarrett writes in British Psychological Society’s "Research Digest." Cheat sheet series: Evidence-based medicine 101 He examines 10 psychological research findings that reveal the darker side of human nature. 1. Humans tend to dehumanize minorities and those who are vulnerable Research has shown humans often see people of certain minority groups as being less than human, Jarrett writes. One brain scan study found that participants showed less neural activity "associated with thinking about people" when they looked at pictures of homeless individuals or drug misusers compared with people of a "higher status." Similarly, another study found that people who are either opposed to Arab immigration or in favor of tougher counter-terrorism policy against Muslim extremists tend to view Arabs and Muslims as less evolved. Other research has found that young people tend to dehumanize older people, and that men and women both tend to dehumanize drunk women. The pattern of dehumanization starts early too, Jarrett writes. He cites one study that found children as young as five years old viewed faces of people who live in another city or are another gender as less human than the faces of those within their own group. 2. Schadenfreude starts early There's also "dispiriting" evidence that humans experience schadenfreude—deriving pleasure from another person's suffering—as early as age four, Jarrett writes. Another, more recent study found that children at six years old would rather pay money to watch an antisocial puppet get hit than use the money to buy stickers. 3. Humans tend to think that sufferers deserve their suffering We tend to believe that the world is just, Jarrett writes. He cites a study, similar to now-famous research known as the Milgram study, in which a female was punished with electric shocks whenever she answered a question incorrectly. The researchers found that female participants were more likely to rate the female learner as less likable and admirable when they were told they'd see her be shocked again, especially if they felt they couldn't minimize the woman's suffering. Other research has shown people tend to blame the poor, rape victims, AIDS patients, and others for their fate. 4. People tend to be close-minded People are often dogmatic and hold strong to their beliefs, even when presented with evidence that contradicts them, Jarrett writes. One study published in 1967 found that participants who were strongly in favor of or against the death penalty ignored any facts that contradicted their view, and even doubled-down on their initial opinion. Jarrett writes that humans often see facts that contradict their views as "undermining our sense of identity." Humans also tend to be overconfident about how well we understand things, and if we believe our opinion is better than someone else's, we tend not to seek out additional information, Jarrett writes. 5. People don't want to spend time in their own thoughts For many people, spending time with their own thoughts is so unappealing, they'd rather be electrocuted, one 2014 study found. In the study, researchers discovered that 67% of male participants and 25% of female participants preferred to receive electric shocks rather than spend 15 minutes in contemplation. Another study found people derived more enjoyment from doing an activity alone rather than just thinking. 6. People are overconfident and vain Most people tend to have an inflated view of their attributes and abilities, Jarrett writes, and research has found that the least-skilled are often the most likely to be overly confident. This vanity seems to exhibit itself most strongly in cases of morality, Jarrett writes. Research has even found that prisoners still believe themselves to be more kind, trustworthy, and honest than the average person outside of prison. Other research has shown that people often enjoy giving to charities that share our initials out of "implicit egotism." 7. People are often morally hypocritical Not only are people overconfident about their morality, but they're prone to being morally hypocritical, Jarrett writes. One study found that participants rated the same selfish behavior as less fair when it was done by others than by themselves. Similarly, other research has found that people tend to attribute others' bad behavior as character flaws while blaming our own bad behavior as being situationally influenced. More recent research has found people tend to view the same acts of rudeness more harshly when they're done by strangers rather than by ourselves or our friends. 8. Anyone can become an internet troll "[S]ocial media may be magnifying some of the worst aspects of human nature," Jarrett writes, thanks to the ease of achieving anonymity online as well as a phenomenon called the online disinhibition effect. And when it comes to online trolling, anyone could do it given the right circumstances, a study published last year found. Researchers in the study discovered that if a person is in a bad mood and is exposed to trolling by other people online, the likelihood that the person exposed to the trolling would engage in trolling increased twofold. These situational factors were actually more predictive of trolling than individual traits. 9. Psychopathic traits make for popular leaders People tend to choose leaders who show psychopathic traits, Jarrett writes. For example, one survey of financial leaders in New York found that respondents often scored highly on psychopathic traits but below average on emotional intelligence. Similarly, a meta-analysis published this summer found a modest yet significant link between leadership emergence and psychopathic traits. 10. People are attracted to those with dark personality traits Research has found that both men and women tend to be sexually attracted to people displaying what's referred to as the "dark triad" of traits—narcissism, psychopathy, and Machiavellianism. Another study found that a women's physical attraction to a man increased when his description included being self-interested, manipulative, or insensitive, compared with when those three traits were excluded from his description (Jarrett, "Research Digest," British Psychological Society, 10/12). Cheat sheet series: Evidence-based medicine 101 Get all 6 Cheat Sheets Have a Question?
Why I am not in favor of supplementing with isolated vitamin D During autumn and winter, it is more difficult to get our vitamin D needs met through sunshine. We would have to expose at least our arms and face to 30min of unprotected sunshine every day to cover our basic needs – and that simply is not going to happen during those colder times. So we have to rely on food and/or supplements. Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin contained exclusively in animal fats. Best food sources for vitamin D are fatty fish, liver and butter from pastured animals. However, most people don’t eat enough of those foods either, which explains why a very high percentage of people are deficient, especially in winter. (Note that some vegetable milks are fortified with vitamin D2, but vitamin D2 is not bioavailable and our body cannot easily transform it into D3 either). While for kids vitamin D3 supplements are quite commonly recommended, for adults that is still much less the case, although it is slowly changing. Many people still go undiagnosed, unless they get a blood test done or visit their doctor for health concerns, such as depression, thyroid issues or recurrent infections. While too much vitamin D can also be harmful, I personally believe that most people would be well advised to supplement during winter (please have your blood levels checked prior to starting, they should be ideally between 35-60ng/mL). However, not all supplements are equally good! The most common product people take here in Belgium is D-Cure. Even though there are different formulations and different dosage recommendations on the market, most people take D-cure bottles once every month or every two months. Those bottles provide a high dose (25.000 IU) of isolated vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) per unit. While you might indeed feel a boost of energy the first times you take that product, there are several reasons why I am opposed to supplementing with isolated vitamin D3 in the long run. • Co-factors: In nature, nutrients do not come isolated, but always together with other nutrients and substances, with which they create synergies. This is why in general it is much better to get nutrients from food than from supplements, because it is very hard to reproduce the complexity of nutrition in a pill, taking into account all the interactions between the different nutrients. When it comes to vitamin D3, it needs (at least) vitamin A and vitamin K2 in order to be well assimilated, to avoid toxicity, and to make sure the calcium (that is better absorbed as a consequence of increased vitamin D) is deposited in your bones and not your arteries. Without those nutrients present in abundance, either in the diet, or added to the supplement, taking high doses of isolated vitamin D3 can create new nutrient imbalances and deficiencies, calcium deposits in the wrong place, and potentially even result in toxicity (if vitamin D3 is not well assimilated, it accumulates in your fat tissue). • Biochemical Individuality: Some products combine vitamin D3 with calcium and/or magnesium. The idea behind is that vitamin D3 helps to assimilate calcium and that it depletes magnesium. I do not recommend such products. As already explained, taking vitamin D3 without vitamin K2 and vitamin A can lead to the calcium being deposited in the wrong place (your arteries rather than your bones). In addition to that, not everyone needs additional calcium, and not everyone needs additional magnesium, even if they show symptoms of deficiency. Sometimes people have signs of a calcium deficiency but they actually lack magnesium, which the body needs to make use of the calcium it already has and vice versa. Everybody is different and has unique dietary and nutrient needs. Knowing more about your individual metabolism, i.e. your Metabolic Type, can help determine what your individual needs are. Because nutrients do not exist in isolation, I prefer Real Food and supplements derived from Real Food over isolated nutrients. In the case of vitamin D3, the most natural and most traditional food based supplement is cod liver oil. Cod liver oil is naturally rich in vitamin D3 and vitamin A, which need each other for ideal assimilation and also keep each other in balance, avoiding toxicity. In nature, all foods rich in vitamin D3 are also rich in vitamin A. They also always come with fat, which improves assimilation (both vitamin D3 and vitamin A are fat-soluble), and with cholesterol (it is the cholesterol in our skin that allows us to produce vitamin D3 from sunshine). Pure cod liver oil doesn’t have vitamin K2 though, but remember that one supplement is not meant to provide everything all by itself, but rather to be a complement to a nutrient-dense, whole foods diet that doesn’t exclude whole food groups. Such a diet would contain vitamin K2 in the form of raw dairy (especially hard cheeses and grass-fed butter), egg yolks and poultry liver. Alternatively, one can choose a product combining high-quality cod liver oil with high-vitamin butter oil (see below) or combine two products: a high-quality cod liver oil and another supplement combining vitamin D3 and K2. I personally alternate between the two. Cod Liver Oil has the additional advantage to provide some omega 3 fatty acids, too (not as many as a pure omega 3 fish oil though). I recommend the following products: If you combine the two, take ½ teaspoon or 2 capsules of Cod Liver Oil combined with 3 drops. You can also alternate the products on a daily basis. Leave a Reply Please reload Please Wait
Dorje Shugden Chapel Trode Khangsar – Built By The Dalai Lama If you enjoyed the video, you can download it here. Situated behind the main chapel of Jowo Buddha or the Jokhang Temple, south of the Barkhor area in Lhasa is Trode Khangsar, one of the most famous Dorje Shugden chapels in Tibet and in the world today. Built by the Great 5th Dalai Lama at the end of the 17th Century, this holy chapel was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution and was left abandoned until some time in the 1980s. As a registered national heritage memorial, Trode Khangsar is now under the care of the Chinese government and in 2008, the Chinese government initiated renovation works to restore this chapel to its former glory. Currently managed by Riwo Choling Monastery, this sacred chapel is open to tourists and pilgrims. The tradition of daily pujas by the resident monks still continues to this day. This iconic chapel also serves as a monument to the Great 5th Dalai Lama’s reverence of the protector, although this historic fact has been twisted by the present Dalai Lama’s government in support of an unreasoned ban on Dorje Shugden’s practice. Trode Khangsar Trode Khangsar is an eight-minute walk from the Jokhang Temple. Click to enlarge. Chapel Interior Trode Khangsar was originally a three-storey building with an entrance leading to the main hall. The interior of the hall has eight 10-meter wide pillars with paintings of Dorje Shugden’s previous lives, auspicious symbols and deities such as Indra and Brahma. A mural of Buddha Shakyamuni in Trode Khangsar Below are some of the notable murals in Trode Khangsar featuring Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations which bear witness to the true nature of the deity which is that of a Dharma king: This is the original mural that depicts the incarnation lineage of Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen • Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen, one of Lama Tsongkhapa’s main disciples, telling Nechung to stop interrupting his master’s teachings. • Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen promising Nechung to protect Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings in the future. • A pleased Lama Tsongkhapa offering Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen a skullcup full of nectar. • Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. • Nechung urging Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen to fulfill his promise to arise as a Dharma Protector. Another mural in Trode Khangsar Several Dorje Shugden statues and paintings in Trode Khangsar are uniquely different from the usual iconography as he is depicted holding a club in his right hand instead of a sword. This matches the 5th Dalai Lama’s vision of this Dharma Protector, which is mentioned in the prayer he composed praising Dorje Shugden’s enlightened qualities: Robes of a monk, crown adorned with rhinoceros leather hat, Right hand holds ornate club, left holds a human heart, Riding various mounts such as nagas and garudas, Who subdues the mamos of the charnel grounds, praise to you! ~ His Holiness the 5th Dalai Lama Another notable precious item found in Trode Khangsar is the wood printing blocks for Dorje Shugden Fulfillment Ritual text (chos skyong shugs ldan gyi bskang chog rgyas pa) by Gaden Jangtse Serkong Dorje Chang. At the north is the room where rituals are performed while in the east and west are rooms for monks. The ritual room has a skylight, black walls and paintings of various Dharma Protectors. At the north portion of the room is a Lama Tsongkhapa statue with his two heart sons, Gyaltsab Je and Khedrub Je. The third floor, which used to house Dorje Shugden oracles, was removed during the Cultural Revolution. The Great 5th Dalai Lama (1617 -1682) Born amidst auspicious signs in 1617 to a Nyingma family, Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso was enthroned at Ganden Podrang, Drepung Monastery at the age of six. This accomplished master studied at the feet of many leading Lamas of that era such as Lingme Shapdrung Konchok Chopel, His Holiness the 4th Panchen Lama Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen and Mondro Pandita. His accomplishments were legendary and he continued to be an important lineage holder for the Nyingma School. His Holiness the Great Fifth Dalai Lama Ngawang Lobsang Gyatso In 1638, Lobsang Gyatso received his full ordination vows from the 4th Panchen Lama and Lingme Shapdrung Konchok Chopel. He became the first Dalai Lama to have temporal and spiritual power all over Tibet and was instrumental in unifying Tibet after the Mongol intervention. The Great 5th Dalai Lama had a close relationship with Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen as they shared the same teacher, and both studied and debated together. Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen also received many teachings from the Great 5th himself. Both these great masters were contemporaries with many great accomplishments. But when Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s fame and popularity threatened to eclipse the Dalai Lama’s, Depa Norbu, one of the Dalai Lama’s men, decided to assassinate Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. The Dalai Lama later discovered the truth behind Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s murder by his own men and was deeply disturbed. He immediately composed an apology that was read out at Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s cremation. Later, when rumors arose that Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen had been reincarnated as Dorje Shugden, a perfidious spirit, the Dalai Lama and many other high lamas tried to bind him with various powerful rituals but none of them worked. Many sacred statues can be seen in Trode Khangsar, and one of them is a form of Dorje Shugden that holds a club. Eventually, the 5th Dalai Lama concluded that Dorje Shugden is enlightened and therefore indestructible, as only enlightened beings possess this nature. Realising this, he composed a praise to Dorje Shugden and even made a statue of him with his own hands. The 5th Dalai Lama also built Trode Khangsar as the very first chapel dedicated to Dorje Shugden. In modern times, as part of the Dorje Shugden conflict instigated by the present Dalai Lama, the 5th Dalai Lama’s initial mistaken view of Dorje Shugden as a dark and malicious force is often quoted to validate the Central Tibetan Administration’s (CTA) ban on the worship of this protector. Conveniently omitted is the 5th Dalai Lama’s final realization that Dorje Shugden is in fact enlightened. Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen (1619 – 1656) Recognised by His Holiness the 4th Panchen Lama Lobsang Chokyi Gyeltsen, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen displayed the many signs of an extraordinary being. As a young child, he had clear visions of the enlightened beings and was able to recall his past lives and teachers, play ritual instruments and recite prayers from memory. As a matter of fact, the Panchen Lama regarded Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen to be an emanation of Manjushri. Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen At the age of just seven, he took his novice vows from the 4th Panchen Lama, who also conferred him the empowerments, long life initiations and initiations of Dharma Protectors as Mahakala and Kalarupa. By the time he was nine, he was already giving teachings and writing insightful commentaries. He received his full ordination vows when he was 20 and just like his previous lives, he held his vinaya (monastic) vows purely and he continued to request for many teachings, transmissions and initiations. Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen, who was known for his unlimited thirst for the Dharma, was one of the two main disciples of the 4th Panchen Lama, the other being the Great 5th Dalai Lama. A contemporary of the Great 5th, Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen became highly respected and sought after for his extraordinary skills in disseminating the Dharma, debate and composition. His teachings were perfect and soon his reputation began to overshadow the 5th Dalai Lama’s. As mentioned above, His Holiness’ attendant, Depa Norbu, fearing the loss of power and position, hatched a plot to assassinate this erudite great master. After several unsuccessful attempts, Depa Norbu finally managed to kill Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen by strangling him with a khata (Tibetan ceremonial scarf). Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen then arose as the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden, fulfilling the promise he made lifetimes ago as Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen to safeguard Lama Tsongkhapa’s Middle Way teachings. Recognition from the Chinese Emperor This mural of Manjushri on a lion is in the main prayer hall of Trode Khangsar During the reign of His Holiness the 11th Dalai Lama Khedrup Gyatso, a Chinese Amban (high official) named Che Trungtang wanted to test the authenticity of Dorje Shugden. On behalf of the then Chinese Emperor Daoguang, he wrote a list of important questions to ask Dorje Shugden. He then burnt the paper with the questions in front of a Dorje Shugden image and asked for clear answers and prophecies. The next day during the trance, the oracle of Dorje Shugden not only gave advice that was very clear but his answers also matched the sequence of questions that the Chinese Amban had written earlier. This clearly illustrates the enlightened nature of Dorje Shugden, as fully enlightened beings are known to have perfect clairvoyance. Impressed by Dorje Shugden’s accurate and clear advice, the Qing Emperor Daoguang made an offering of a pandit’s hat and officially recognized Dorje Shugden as a great Dharma protector for Buddhism. The pandit’s hat was then placed over the door of Trode Khangsar in a grand ceremony attended by many important officials and dignitaries including the 11th Dalai Lama, the Chinese Amban, Reting Rinpoche, the Dorje Shugden oracle and many others. The Significance of Trode Khangsar Given the controversy and untruths that surround the Dorje Shugden practice after the 14th Dalai Lama banned this protector practice in 1996, Trode Khangsar’s very existence is pivotal as a solid testament of the Great 5th’s reverence towards this Dharma Protector and an acknowledgement of Dorje Shugden’s true enlightened nature. The fact that the 5th Dalai Lama built a sacred chapel dedicated to Dorje Shugden completely dismantles the foundation of an illogical and undemocratic ban. This is because the basis of the 14th Dalai Lama’s ban is that the 5th Dalai Lama regarded Dorje Shugden as an “Oath breaking spirit born from perverse prayers…” However as we will see, this is far from the truth. Holy Dorje Shugden statue in Trode Khangsar. Salient points to note: [1] During Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen’s cremation, there were strong gusts of wind, earthquakes and hail. Thick dark smoke in the shape of a hand enveloped all of Lhasa, and famine struck the population as crops failed and cattle died. Many thought that these natural calamities were due to Dorje Shugden taking revenge as an evil spirit. But these were actually the signs of the collective heavy negative karma returning to the people for killing a holy being – Tulku Drakpa Gyeltsen. As we have seen, the Great 5th initially did think that Dorje Shugden was a harmful spirit, and tried without success to subdue him with many different powerful rituals. Even Mindrolling Lama, who was renowned for his ability to subdue or destroy the most harmful spirits failed. Each time Mindrolling Lama tried to bind Dorje Shugden in a fire puja, he would see Yamantaka arising in the flames. This was a clear sign that Dorje Shugden could not be destroyed, and the visions of Yamantaka further indicated Dorje Shugden’s true nature, which is in essence, Manjushri. This statue of Dorje Shugden was commissioned by The Great Fifth Dalai Lama. The 5th Dalai Lama soon realized that he had made a mistake as only awakened beings are beyond any karmas and therefore cannot be destroyed. The Great 5th then quickly rectified his error by composing a praise to Dorje Shugden, and by making statues and chapels in his honor. By these acts, the 5th Dalai Lama made it clear that Dorje Shugden is worthy as an object of refuge and veneration. [2] Many have claimed that Dorje Shugden is just a minor practice. However, this false allegation is refuted by the fact that Trode Khangsar is located right in the heart of Lhasa, at a prime location just behind the world famous Jokhang Temple. If Dorje Shugden was indeed a minor practice, why would the 5th Dalai Lama build his chapel in such a prime area of Lhasa? In fact, Trode Khangsar’s very location indicates that His Holiness wanted to encourage the people to engage in Dorje Shugden’s practice by making his temple easily accessible. [3] The Great 5th not only built Trode Khangsar and commissioned its main Dorje Shugden statue but also composed a prayer praising his qualities. It logically follows that His Holiness had full faith in Dorje Shugden and, given his stature in the Tibetan community both spiritual and temporal, influenced the spread of Dorje Shugden’s practice for hundreds of years making it one of the most popular protector practices before the unjust ban. [4] The 5th Dalai Lama’s building of Trode Khangsar effectively marked the start of Dorje Shugden worship in Tibet. The chapel served and continues to serve as a place of worship for many and was a means for the people to get connected to the practice of Dorje Shugden. If Dorje Shugden is indeed a harmful spirit as the CTA claims, then it was none other than the Great 5th who began this “demonic” practice! Clearly, the CTA’s lies are absurd as the Dalai Lamas are emanations of Chenrezig and therefore have perfect wisdom and clairvoyance. It would be ridiculous to believe that Chenrezig would make such an error and cause such harm to sentient beings. A mural of Mahakala located at Trode Khangsar [5] Another false charge against Dorje Shugden is that he seeks to harm the life of the 14th Dalai Lama and that his practice sends his devotees to the lower realms. However, it is also illogical to conclude that the Great 5th Dalai Lama, the emanation of Chenrezig the Omniscient, would build a chapel dedicated to a malicious being that would harm his future incarnation’s life. Why would the Dalai Lama, whose sole purpose is to spread the Dharma, build a temple to venerate an evil spirit that would destroy the Dharma? What’s more, the Dalai Lamas have returned in perfect human form lifetime after lifetime to continue their previous life’s work. The fact that there is a 14th Dalai Lama today is solid proof that people who practice Dorje Shugden do not go to the lower realms and that Dorje Shugden is certainly not a demon. [6] The walls of Trode Khangsar are painted with murals of Dorje Shugden’s previous lives and with scenes depicting the historical account of Dorje Shugden’s origin story from the time he made a promise as Duldzin Drakpa Gyeltsen to protect the precious teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa. If we were to study the murals of Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations in Trode Khangsar, we would also notice that one of Dorje Shugden’s previous lives is none other than Manjushri, the Wisdom Buddha. Once the mind becomes enlightened, it cannot degenerate and revert to an unenlightened state. By virtue of this fact, Dorje Shugden is definitely not a perfidious spirit but a fully awakened being, whose essence is Manjushri. Housed at Trode Khangsar, this is an extremely rare depiction of Dorje Shugden sitting on a throne. [7] The murals of Dorje Shugden’s past lives show that his previous incarnations encompass lamas from different traditions. For example, Sakya Pandita Kunga Gyeltsen was one of the Five Founding Fathers of the Sakya school of Tibetan Buddhism. Another of Dorje Shugden’s previous incarnations is the Shangpa Kagyu founder Khyungpo Neljor. The CTA falsely claims that Dorje Shugden’s practice is sectarian, but why would Dorje Shugden want to destroy schools of Tibetan Buddhism that he had established in his previous lives? Furthermore, Dorje Shugden is not propitiated by the Gelugpas alone but also by the Sakyas and Kagyus. There are also thangkas depicting Dorje Shugden with Sakya lamas and key Nyingma deities, further dismissing claims that Dorje Shugden is sectarian. Based on the above and the fact that Trode Khangsar is still in existence and flourishing today, it is clear that Tibetans recognize the awakened nature of Dorje Shugden and continue to have faith in him. The citizens of the world are not fooled by the CTA’s lies and their attempts at making Dorje Shugden the scapegoat for their own failures to regain Tibet. As they say, there are three things that we cannot hide – the sun, the moon and the truth. Book: The Temples of Lhasa • Hardcover: 336 pages • Publisher: Serindia Publications; illustrated edition (November 15, 2005) • Language: English (From the front flap of the book) The Temples of Lhasa is a comprehensive survey of historic Buddhist sites in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. The study is based on the Tibet Heritage Fund’s official five-year architectural conservation project in Tibet during which the author and his team had unlimited access to the buildings studied. The documented sites span the entire known history of Tibetan Buddhist art and architecture from the 7th to the 21st centuries. The book is divided into thirteen chapters, covering all the major and minor temples in historic Lhasa. These include some of Tibet’s oldest and most revered sites, such as the Lhasa Tsuklakhang and Ramoche, as well as lesser-known but highly important sites such as the Jebumgang Lhakhang, Meru Dratsang, and Meru Nyingpa. It is illustrated with numerous color plates taken over a period of roughly fifteen years from the mid-1980s to today and is augmented with rare photographs and reproductions of Tibetan paintings. This book also provides detailed architectural drawings and maps made by the project. Each site has been completely surveyed, documented and analyzed. The history of each site has been written — often for the first time — based on source texts and survey results, as well as up-to-date technology such as carbon dating, dendrochronology, and satellite data. Tibetan source texts and oral accounts have also been used to reconstruct the original design of the sites. Matthew Akester has contributed translations of Tibetan source texts, including excerpts from the writings of the 5th and Thirteenth Dalai Lamas. This documentation of Tibetan Buddhist temple buildings is the most detailed of its kind, and is the first professional study of some of Tibet’s most significant religious buildings. The comparative analysis of Tibetan Buddhist architecture covers thirteen centuries of architectural history in Tibet. The contents page of The Temples of Lhasa. Trode Khangsar is featured from page 195 to 199. Click to enlarge. Map from The Temples of Lhasa showing the location of Trode Khangsar (number 10). Click to enlarge. The Temples of Lhasa, page 195. Click to enlarge. The Temples of Lhasa, page 196. Click to enlarge. The Temples of Lhasa, page 197. Click to enlarge. The Temples of Lhasa, page 198. Click to enlarge. The Temples of Lhasa, page 199. Click to enlarge. Please support this website by making a donation. Your contribution goes towards supporting our work to spread Dorje Shugden across the world. Related Topics: , , , , , , , , , Share this article 1 comment on this postSubmit yours 1. Trode Khangsar is considered as a significant building special dedicated to Dorje Shugden built by HH 5th Dalai Lama since 400 years ago. Today, Trode Khangsar is open to the public. The tourists or pilgrims and monks can perform daily Dorje Shugden puja. It is very blessed and auspicious to do Dorje Shugden prayers especially in front of this beautiful image of Dorje Shugden in Trode Khangsar. Submit your comment Please enter your name Please enter a valid email address Please enter your message Show More Show More Maximum size is 64MB Contemplate This © 2021 \| All Rights Reserved Total views:10,346,387
cURL in Linux: what you need to know to get started The free software cURL is one of the oldest and most popular open source projects. The program is written in C and is used to transfer data into computer networks. The name cURL stands for “client URL.” Because it has an open license, programmers can use the program for a wide range of purposes. Currently, cURL is being used in countless devices. What is cURL? The cURL software consists of two components. The libcurl software library acts as the backbone for data transfer and supports the following protocols: • DICT • FILE • FTP • FTPS • HTTP • IMAP • LDAP • POP3 • POP3S • RTMP • RTSP • SCP • SFTP • SMB • SMBS • SMTP • TFTP The cURL command-line program, on the other hand, acts as a text-based interface and interacts with libcurl via the command line. This program is an important tool for web development. It allows developers to communicate with servers directly instead of having to go through a browser. Scripts based on cURL commands are used to automate processes, testing, and debugging. How does cURL work? The two components in cURL work in different ways. What is libcurl used for? The libcurl software library provides functions for transferring data in computer networks. There are language bindings for dozens of popular programming languages. These make it easy for libcurl functions to be used in a wide variety of software programs that communicate with servers. What is cURL used for? The cURL command-line program is used for web development. The simplest method is to enter cURL commands into the command line. With the right know-how, it can be used to test and debug servers and APIs. Instead of typing commands into the command line manually, they can be bundled in scripts. This allows complex operations to be standardized and automated. This includes both uploading and downloading of data and programmatically filling out forms and mirroring entire websites. The following is the general syntax of a cURL command: # General syntax of a cURL command curl [options] <url> We will use the following form in the examples below: # Curling the following URL curl [options] "$url" We have turned the actual URL into a variable. This allows the focus to be placed on the options. The options determine how the cURL request works. Practical examples of the cURL command in Linux To use the cURL examples below, you will need the following: 1. A computer with Linux or a Unix-like operating system — including macOS 2. Access to the command-line window or terminal 3. A code editor/plain-text editor for writing commands You should only use a code editor/plain-text editor to write commands. Under no circumstances should you use a word processing program (e.g. Word, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice) to prepare text for the command line. An initial test with cURL First, test whether cURL is installed on your system. To do so, open a command-line window and enter the following command there. You may need to press Enter to execute the code. # Check whether cURL is installed curl --version If you now see text starting with “curl” and a version number, this means cURL is installed. If cURL is not installed, please follow the instructions in “Everything curl” to install the program. Use the command “curl --help” and “curl --manual” to learn more about the cURL command. You should also open a new document in a code editor. You can copy commands to prepare them for use in the command-line window. Once the command is ready, copy it to the command-line window and execute it there. Commands used in the command-line window are quite powerful. In principle, an incorrectly entered command can cripple the entire system. Therefore, you should not just copy commands you find on the internet and execute them in your home command-line window. Instead, you should have a blank document open in a code editor where you can copy the commands first. This intermediate step allows you to check each command and modify it when necessary before executing it. Downloading files with cURL Retrieving data from a server with cURL In principle, you can use cURL to retrieve any URL. In this context, the term “curl” is used as a verb to describe requesting a URL with cURL. Test the following example: # Curling the following website curl "$site" If you execute the code like written, it will output “data salad.” This is because the returned response to the cURL access will be the Google homepage in HTML. The HTML source code will be directly displayed in the command-line window without any formatting. A browser will be required to display it correctly. It is usually more useful to save the file locally. Use the “clear” command in the command-line window to clear the screen. This will get rid of undesired data in the command-line window. Retrieving data with cURL and saving it locally Let us download a logo from the English version of Wikipedia. The “-O” option (upper case o, not a zero) tells cURL to use the name of the file at the end of the URL. When you use this option, cURL will save the downloaded file locally under the same name. # An image from the English version of Wikipedia # Retrieving the image and saving it locally under the same name curl “$file" -O But what if the URL does not contain a file name? Test the following code: # Google homepage # Retrieving the homepage with the -O option curl "$homepage" -O As you can see, an error is displayed because the URL of the Google homepage does not contain a file name. In this case, you need to use the “-o” option (lower case o) to assign the file a name yourself: # Google homepage # Name for the file to be created # Retrieving the homepage and saving it locally under the chosen name curl "$homepage" -o "$name" Resuming a download with cURL if it is interrupted You may have run into this annoying situation before: you are performing a large download which has already taken hours when it is suddenly interrupted forcing you to start all over again. In this instance, cURL can help with the “-C-” option: # A large file (human genome) to be downloaded # Resuming the download if it is interrupted curl -C- -O “$file" Technically, the option is “-C -” with a space after the C, but the similar version “-C-” is easier to read and remember, so we are using that here. You can also manually cancel a download that was initiated with cURL if you need to. This is useful for larger files when, for instance, you have to leave the house and take your laptop with you. You can cancel the current cURL request. To do so, press Ctrl+C. You may need to do this multiple times. Communicating with the server using cURL The download functionality of cURL is similar to the popular command-line tool wget. However, cURL is not specifically designed for performing downloads. It is designed for general communication in networks. cURL can thus do much more. Using cURL to test whether a server is available You can use cURL to test whether a server is available. In this regard, the way cURL works is similar to the ping command. However, cURL is more versatile due to the number of protocols and options available. In addition, ping works on an internet layer while cURL runs on the application layer. This means that ping tests whether the machine is on the network. In contrast, the following cURL command checks whether and how a server responds: # Testing whether a web server is available curl -I "$server" If the status information is displayed after executing the code, this means that the server is available. Outputting a header using cURL In each HTTP request, metadata is exchanged in addition to the actual document. This data is called the HTTP Header and describes both the document and the status of the HTTP request. You have probably already encountered the 404 Not Found error message at one time or another. The error is a type of metadata – the requested document was not found. Take a look at the output of the header for the URL “” To do so, use cURL with the “--head” option: # Outputting the header curl --head "$url" You should see “301 Moved Permanently,” among other information. This is the HTTP status code for a permanent redirect. What you are seeing is a redirect from [] (without the “www”) to []. Instead of using the “--head” option, you can use the equivalent version “-I” (upper case i). It is easy to remember using a mnemonic: you use it to retrieve information for a URL instead of its actual content. Analysing redirect chains using cURL HTTP redirects can be linked together in a sequence. We call this a “redirect chain.” For example, take a website with a homepage that displays the address []. If you try to access the website using the address [], this may result in the following redirects: • [] → [] • [] → [] • [] → [] Chaining redirects results in unnecessarily long load times and should be avoided. Unfortunately, this is not an easy problem to deal with. When the website is loaded into the browser, the redirects occur without a user seeing much of it. In this instance, cURL can help with the “--location” option: this tells cURL to follow the redirects to the last one. Here we are using the “--head” option because we are not interested in the content of the websites. # Checking redirects curl --location --head "$url" Instead of using the “--location” option, you can use the equivalent version “-L” (upper case l). Transferring data to a server with cURL In addition to retrieving data, you can also use cURL to transfer data to a server. This may be practical if you want to automate the process of filling out an online form, for example. cURL supports the POST request method as well as GET. Since transferring data is more complex than retrieving it, we can only provide a rough example here. For more detailed information, read about the HTTP POST method in Everything curl. # Transferring data to a server # Providing the data as key value pairs separated by the “&” symbol # This cURL request transfers the data via POST curl --data "$data" "$url" # Alternatively, tell cURL to transfer the data via GET curl --data "$data" "$url" --get Accessing cookies with cURL HTTP cookies are small pieces of data that are stored locally on your device when you visit most websites. You can view the cookies from websites you visited in your browser and delete them from there. However, this way is usually too tedious for testing purposes. You can also use the cURL option “--cookie-jar” to access the cookies more directly. # Accessing cookies curl --head --cookie-jar "$cookies" "$url" # Displaying cookies with the cat command cat "$cookies" You can also tell cURL to transfer cookies using the “--cookie” option. General options Some of the cURL options available can be combined with the ones we have already gone over. Displaying additional information Sometimes, the information displayed when you execute a cURL command is not quite sufficient. In such a case, you can use the “--verbose” option. When you execute a cURL command with this option, it will provide more information. # Displaying additional information curl --verbose -I "$url" Entering a username and password with cURL Some URLs are protected against unauthorised access with HTTP authentication. But what if you want to access this kind of URL with cURL? If you do not provide a username and password, you will receive the HTTP 401 error message. In this situation, use the following syntax: # Entering a username and password with cURL # Password-protected URL # User # Password curl --user "${user}:${password}" "$url" You can also use cURL to retrieve data from an FTP server. To do so, you will once again use the --user option to enter the username and password. Using a proxy with cURL proxy is an intermediary server. Proxies can be useful for a number of reasons. For example, some security and performance requirements can be more easily met by using a proxy. You need to tell cURL if you are connecting to the internet using a proxy. To do so, use the “--proxy” option: # Using a proxy with cURL curl --proxy "${proxy}:${port}" "$url" If you need to enter a username and password for the proxy server, you can do so by using the “--proxy-user” option as well. If you do, enter the username and password in the following format: “user:password”. Own your online success IONOS takes care of your online challenges
Tales Of Bullying By Laura Modgliani Analysis 308 Words2 Pages Bullying affects many people in the world. People often bully because they are jealous or mad. Do you think it is worse being a bully or a bystander? According to the article “Tales of Bullying” by Laura Modigliani two kids used to be bullies but know they are standing up to bullying. I believe that bullying causes so much more trouble and that kids should stop bulling and be friends. First, I think people bully because they are mad at them or jealous of them. According to the article by Laura Modigliani people only bully because they connect with other kids that have things in common with them. But that’s not right people should find other ways to meet friends, like join a school club, or play sports, or go to game stores. It would Open Document
(Photo courtesy of amenagement_numerique via FlickR) Tethering is the term used for using your smartphone as a broadband modem. It is a convenient way to log on to the internet from a laptop or PC where there is no wireless internet connection. Using your phone’s data plan, your computer gets its internet access through your cell phone carrier’s satellite network, allowing you to effectively have wireless internet without the need for an air card, LAN or other connection. Applications for Tethering Most smartphones use a downloadable application to provide this feature, and the program will vary from one model to the next and from one carrier to the next. Likewise, you will also need to download a version of the same program to your laptop or PC, making sure to download the program that is compatible with your computer’s operating system. You now have a mobile broadband device. Some people use this as their only means of getting online, thereby saving them on monthly utility costs. Improvements and upgrades are an ongoing part of the hardware and software configurations of these phones, allowing for greater efficiency and speed when tethering. Added Security Some like the security aspect of using their phones to connect to the internet. Safer than public wireless hotspots, all your incoming and outgoing data is through your phone only, giving an added measure of privacy and security. There are more ways than one to connect your phone to your computer, but the most efficient way is via USB cable. This is faster than Bluetooth, though it may still be slightly slower than logging onto the internet on your phone directly. If you can endure this minor inconvenience, you can definitely find yourself in a situation where you never have to go without internet again, provided that you are in an area serviced by your cell phone carrier’s network. Some networks do have restrictions on the use of data plans for smartphones, disallowing the use of their phones as modems without an additional pricing plan. So far, these have been the exception to the rule. If you are like most people, you will be able to find multiple places where using your laptop for logging onto the internet is quite necessary. Everywhere including the doctor’s office, train and bus terminals, and restaurants are convenient stopping points throughout your busy day to check your bank information, pay bills, keep up with news and sports scores, and stay caught up on emails. While many such public places are beginning to accommodate guests with free wireless internet, smartphones are a great way to close the gap. Traveling salespeople will find it useful to be able to pull maps or directions up on their laptops in unfamiliar territory, even if they find themselves in rural areas with limited direction. It’s also a convenient way to stay in touch with the home office without sacrificing the comfortable use of a full-sized keyboard. Finding Instructions Instructions for tethering your phone to your laptop or PC may or may not be included with your phone’s user manual, but you can almost always find this information online. Forums dedicated to your phone’s brand generally have the most current information, and instructions should be provided in "read-me" format with any required software download for tethering your phone as a modem. Blake Sanders writes tech at broadband comparison site Broadband Expert and specializes in wireless internet, cell phones, and the latest news and information on internet providers.
The relations between the Greek state and the National Bank in mid-1920s underwent many tensions as to the prospects of the banking system. As Kostas Vergopoulos observes, "The oppositionbetween the state and the National Bank of Greece was an expression of the serious structural changes that were being generated during the interwar period. In essence, during that time the State was being emancipated from the custody of the National Bank and took away successively certain functions that the latter exercised cumulatively until then: a) in 1927 the branch of mortgage credit was taken away and was transferred to the National Mortgage Bank established by the state, b) in 1928 the currency issue and supply and the branch of discounts were taken away and transferred to the Bank of Greece, c) in 1929 the agricultural credit was taken away and transferred to the Agricultural Bank of Greece (Agrotiki Trapeza tis Ellados)." A pressing issue was the agricultural credit, that is the branch dealing with agricultural loans. Equally forceful was the discussion about the covers in gold that allowed the issue of banknotes. Since the foundation of a state issuing bank had been decided, they would have to be transferred from the possession of the National Bank to the responsibility of the Bank of Greece. On February 23, 1928 a contract was signed between the state and the National Bank of Greece concerning the foundation and function of the Agrarian Bank (Georgiki Trapeza). That would be an autonomous not-for-profit organisation, but without being submitted to the Parliament for legislative ratification, on the rationale that the funds transferred to the Bank were not adequate for its function. In relation to the covers of the National Bank, things were even more complicated. Apart from the initial cost of the particular quantities in gold, which the National Bank agreed to return to the state, it withheld the surplus value that had been created during the period that the bank administered the covers. On the other hand, politicians such as Alexandros Papanastasiou had emphatically maintained that the covers of banknotes as well as their surplus value, that had increased inordinately due to the currency stabilisation policy, should be handed over to the state and appropriated for the reinforcement of the Agrarian Bank's funds (speech at the Parliament, 24/4/1928). However, the government and the minister of Finance, G. Kafantaris, acknowledged the claim of the National Bank and the right of keeping the surplus value of the covers by way of compensation, since the bank had been deprived of the issue privilege (law 3483/1928). The partial advocacy of Eleutherios Venizelos to Papanastasiou's position brought about the fall of the Zaimis government. Venizelos had maintained, by a letter addressed to Kafantaris, that the surplus value of the covers in pounds -a surplus value due exclusively to the law on the drachma stabilisation- should be transferred to the state. Therefore, according to Venizelos, 560,000,000 drachmae were owed to the National Bank in place of 1,200,000,000 drachmae that it got. The Venizelos government that was formed after the elections of August 19, 1928 forced the National Bank to accept the new arrangement about the covers that was settled by the contract of June 3, 1929. This contract also included the obligations of the National Bank towards the Agrarian Bank. Lastly, on June 27, 1929 a contract was signed between the state and the National Bank concerning the "foundation and function of the Agricultural Bank".
The ride is called the Oomaka Tokatakiya (Future Generations) Ride and the majority of the riders come from three Lakota (Sioux) reservations: Standing Rock, Cheyenne River, and Pine Ridge. In two weeks they travel across rivers and farms, cross a major interstate, and arrive at Wounded Knee on the anniversary of the massacre that took more than 300 lives in 1890. The Future Generations Ride is an offshoot of the Big Foot Memorial Ride that ran from 1986 to 1990. The original ride started on the 22nd of December and traced the route taken by Big Foot (leader of the Miniconjou Lakota from the Cheyenne River reservation) and his people, as they were chased by the 7th Calvary, from their camp near Bridger to where they were surrounded and killed near Wounded Knee Creek. Today the ride starts at Sitting Bull Camp, near Bull Head, to mark the anniversary of Sitting Bull’s death, and follows the route taken by some of his followers to join Big Foot. The ride then continues the rest of the way along Big Foot’s trail. Photos by Ken Marchionno Along the way, the riders experience some of what their ancestors endured by embodying an intellectual, spiritual, and physical remembrance. Braving the cold—down to –20°F—these kids, some of them barely into puberty, ride as many as 35 miles in a day. The ride starts on December 15th and ends on the December 29th. Responses to "Future Generation Ride: Young Lakota riders brave cold for another year of prayer" 1. Anonymous says: May the Great Spirit and the ancestors be with you on this journey. Write a comment
The most famous love stories in history 5 Essential Online Tools to Use During Online Learning Thursday, 29 April 2021 The majority of students are struggling to keep up with the demands of online learning. If you are a student enrolled this semester, you would know how it can get more and more difficult over time. The change in the mode of learning made you face unprecedented challenges. It is undeniable that learning through zoom and google classroom increased the number of requirements you need to submit. It is the only way for professors to give a reasonable grade to students. However, you have many distractions at home that prohibit you from accomplishing them on time. There are also instances that you just don’t have any idea how to do each task. For you to overcome the semester without feeling burned out, you must rely on technological advancements. In this article, you would be aware of the essential online tools you must use during online learning. This new mode of learning entails managing several electronic documents daily. Your reports, exams, assignments, and other paperwork must be in the form of PDF, Word, Excel, or PPT. You no longer need to print these documents and physically submit them to your professors. However, handling digital files is never easy. So to make it less taxing, you must access GogoPDF. It is an online-based tool that offers high-quality services for free. A lot of students patronize the converter for its ability to transform one file format into another. For instance, it can convert PDF to PDFA to let you access the file in the long run. Aside from this, it also offers over 20 tools designed to solve every PDF-related problems that you may face. It includes a merger, splitter, and page removal tool. Khan Academy There are subjects that you are naturally not good at. You can’t understand the topics even if you have a skilled professor. It is either because of your short attention span or your professor's fast-paced teaching style. When you witness how your classmates can answer questions easily, it builds up pressure within you to keep up. But how can you understand a complex topic all by yourself? Well, it is possible, thanks to Khan Academy. It is an online tool that makes complicated lessons appear simple by providing lecture materials that are easy to understand. It offers articles and videos explaining topics in biology, chemistry, economics, and other fields of study. You will also know your progress by answering the practice problems and exercises at the end of each lecture material. Most of your requirements are now in the form of essays and research. Since they are text-heavy, you must ensure proper use of grammar and punctuations. The majority of professors would include it in their criteria of grading. If you are not confident with your English writing skills, Grammarly is the tool to use. It will scan your essay to determine if you committed any mistakes. Once done, it will show you your grammatical and spelling errors. It will also provide suggestions on how to make it right. You would also know the essay’s level of clarity, correctness, and readability. It is very helpful because these can serve as points for improvement. Professors are strict when it comes to plagiarism. They do not want students to just copy and paste other people’s work and claim them as their own. If they caught you doing such a horrible act, they would make you face its consequences. The most humane punishment is to give you a zero score while the most severe is to report you to the school administration. For sure, you don’t want to experience either of the two options. To avoid committing plagiarism, use DupliChecker at all times. It will scan your essay to identify if there are sentences that would match the content of any existing website. After successfully scanning it, a score will appear on your screen. You would know if you didn’t commit plagiarism if your score in the unique criteria is 100%. Tomato Timer Are you the type of student who exhausts all your time studying and accomplishing requirements? If you are, you might want to change this study habit for a more productive review session. It is not healthy to be studying non-stop because your brain also needs to pause and rest. An efficient study habit includes the use of a Tomato Timer. It is an online tool that you can use as a timer to break down your study sessions into intervals. You can set a break every 25 minutes of studying. In this way, you will not overwhelm your brain with so much information. The online tools mentioned above can significantly reduce the burden you face during online learning. They can be your companions when studying and making requirements in place of your friends or classmates. With these online tools, you no longer have to suffer alone! Next > Copyright 2021 AmO: Life Beauty Without Limits....
Keeping smart cities safe with artificial intelligence Phil Lancaster, senior vice-president for business development at Patriot One Technologies, shares insights into how innovative security solutions can help keep the residents of future smart cities safe. The public are used to seeing CCTV cameras and law enforcement on the streets, but with a rise in crime, the constant danger from terrorism and new, invisible threats compromising the safety of citizens, it is time to explore ways in which security can operate in a smart city. Surveillance cameras have played a large part globally in keeping cities safe until now, but unfortunately, they are only useful during and after events occur. While they can track people who have committed a crime, or be used as evidence to bring offenders to justice, they cannot prevent an incident happening. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic has created a new microbiological threat to people trying to move around the city and resume a normal life after lockdown. Frequent flouting of rules designed to stop the spreading of Covid-19 is hampering efforts to get the virus under control. While many cities have looked into in-person marshals to help advise those not conforming to the rules and remove those deliberately disregarding them, it is difficult to catch everyone. This solution also puts the marshals at risk of infection if someone comes too close to them without wearing appropriate personal protective equipment. AI in smart cities To address these issues, smart cities should implement security systems that work together to detect a threat, alert the right authorities, and address the issue before it turns into an event. Smart security must be deployed in specific places, at specific times, with specific objectives, but without making the public feel uneasy. Strategic deployment can achieve a reduction in crime, especially when determining crime trends and/or crime displacement during large public events. New artificial intelligence (AI) powered technologies can help in this by dramatically improving the effectiveness of today’s security systems, whilst blending in with their surroundings and not infringing on people’s privacy. AI technologies are relatively straightforward to deploy across a city. They broadly fall into two categories: 1) AI with radar and magnetic technologies: Radar and magnetics are used with AI/machine learning to create multi-sensor, covert systems that can detect hidden physical threat objects, likes guns, knives, rifles, and metallic bomb material, on-body or in-bag. 2) AI with video recognition: Computer vision technology can be rolled out onto existing surveillance systems to detect visible threats such as knives, guns or rifles, or invisible threats, such as viruses. This can be deployed city-wide to identify and flag threats or suspicious behaviours immediately. The use of AI removes human bias and error, which in turn addresses any civil liberties concerns. It is important to note that AI looks for the threat, not the individual, thus removing any suggestion of profiling. Highlighting that threat and passing the information to a monitoring station can then leave it up to the authorities to determine the response. Applications for AI-powered security systems Whether it is used to tackle violence, such a fight or use of weapons, or to stop someone who could be risking the spread of Covid-19, AI systems can be easily programmed to spot the risks and, only when a threat is confirmed, reveal the details about the individual posing a risk to safety. For example, in an airport, targeted magnetic sensors can be concealed in everyday objects, such as a decorative planter. As people walk past, the sensors scan the individuals and their bags for specified threats, such as weapons or explosives. Some sensors can even diagnose and track airborne trace explosives and chemical warfare agents. Furthermore, they could screen people for signs of Covid-19, ensuring travellers are healthy before boarding a plane. AI-driven technologies can be integrated into existing systems already installed in cities. The technology is already available and can enable an airport scanning model whereby passengers could pass through transportation hubs more freely. This could see a change to some of the airport security that we’re used to experiencing. Overt metal detectors and surveillance cameras that can feel intrusive and delay passengers could become a thing of the past. As well as site-specific installations, city councils should look at the widespread deployment of a range of security technologies to make public areas as safe as possible. AI-driven technologies can be integrated into existing systems already installed in cities, such as sensor technologies, including radar, magnetic, video and chemical sensors. These smart sensors work together to scan crowds of people and look for threats, without compromising a person’s privacy or civil liberties. Furthermore, smart sensors can be placed in strategic areas to help them blend in with their surroundings across a range of venues, including sports and music stadiums, schools and universities and large manufacturing plants. Most people will pass these smart sensor technologies without even realising, but if they do pose a risk to safety, for example through the presence of a threat item or elevated body temperature, sensors can detect these and alert authorities with an image of the individual, so that appropriate response measures can be deployed to address the threat. Addressing new threats in the age of Covid-19 Real-time AI is now also being deployed to recognise behaviours that may put the wider public at risk. With smart AI, behavioural anomalies can be detected and even categorised. Using video analytic software, traditional video cameras can be adapted to categorise a type of disturbance or to become remote video health screening tools. Example capabilities include identifying elevated body temperature, which could indicate a viral fever, or recognising if someone isn’t wearing a face mask or following social distancing guidelines. AI must only be a tool to help law enforcement agencies; it cannot be there to replace human interaction. Once a potential breach of health and safety compliance has been identified, the individual will be flagged to security personnel who can conduct a secondary screening with a temple thermometer or advise them on safety and social distancing measures. There is still a mammoth amount of work to be done to keep citizens safe and AI must only be a tool to help law enforcement agencies; it cannot be there to replace human interaction. There are still those that are cautious around the use of AI, and civil liberty concerns and racial bias are issues that need to be resolved. That said, AI used in conjunction with other threat detection technologies that are monitored as part of a safe city infrastructure has the potential to help keep the public safe in a non-intrusive way. Phil Lancaster applies his diverse law enforcement and security industry career experience to advise Patriot One Technologies as senior vice-president of business development and government relations. During his extensive career in law enforcement, Phil worked as a British police officer as well as internationally in VIP close protection, and has served in British Overseas Territories. Share this article
Human activity is a serious cause of huge changes in the environment and a constant reason for the emergence of new stress factors. Thus, to survive and reproduce, organisms must constantly implement a program of adaptation to continuously changing conditions. Presented here research are focused on tracking slow changes occurring in Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), that were caused by multigenerational exposure to sub- lethal cadmium doses. The insects received food containing cadmium at concentrations of 5, 11, 22 and 44 µg per g of dry mass of a food. The level of DNA stability was monitored by the Comet assay in subsequent generations, up to 36th generation. In the first three generations, the level of DNA damage was high, especially in the groups receiving higher doses of cadmium in the diet. In the fourth generation, a significant reduction in the level of DNA damage was observed, which could indicate that the desired stability of the genome was achieved. Surprisingly, however, in subsequent generations alternating increase and decrease of DNA stability was observed. The observed cycles of changing DNA stability were lasting longer in insects consuming food with a lower Cd content. Thus, a transient reduction in genome stability can be perceived as an opportunity to increase the number of variants which then undergo the selection. This phenomenon occurs faster if the severity of the stress factor is high, but low enough to allow the population to survive. Professor, PhD, DSc Maria Augustyniak is working in the Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection, University of Silesia in Katowice, Poland. Major scientific interests of professor Maria Augustyniak are: aging theory, stress theory and the theory of natural selection under anthropogenic pressure; ecotoxicology; assessment of DNA stability under the influence of various environmental stress factors, including nanoparticles. Results of her works are published in prestigious journals, including: Carbon, Journal of Hazardous Materials, Fish & Shellfish Immunology, Chemosphere, Environmental Research, Scientific Reports, Environmental Pollution and many others.
Vanished French Impressionists, 10: why are they forgotten? Giuseppe De Nittis (1846–1884), A Lady from Naples (1872/79), other details not known. Wikimedia Commons. Of the thirty artists who took part in the First Impressionist Exhibition, only seven (23%) are now counted among the mainstream or core French Impressionists: • Paul Cézanne, now more usually considered for his Post-Impressionist work, • Edgar Degas, who never considered himself to be an Impressionist, • Claude Monet, • Berthe Morisot, who has only relatively recently attained the recognition she merits, • Camille Pissarro, • Pierre-Auguste Renoir, • Alfred Sisley, who was often omitted and only recently restored to the mainstream group. History has been remarkably selective as to who is honoured, and who gets forgotten. Impressionism beyond painting? Although most of the works exhibited were paintings, five of those who took part were not primarily painters. Two were successful sculptors, Zacharie Astruc and Auguste Ottin. Félix Bracquemond was an established print-maker and designer of porcelain, and it would surely have been more appropriate for his unfortunate wife’s paintings to have been shown. Alfred Meyer was a decorative painter in enamel. Léon Auguste Ottin created stained glass windows. Most of us can articulate what we consider to be Impressionist style in a painting, but few if any of those qualities can be extended to other arts, such as print-making and sculpture. None of those who took part in this exhibition appears to have developed an Impressionist style for another medium. This is unusual for what many would today claim to be the greatest change in art since the Renaissance, which of course had distinctive sculptural style. Ulterior motives Four of the artists were probably welcomed for reasons other than showing their paintings. Astruc was important in his primary role as a writer and critic. Louis Latouche was a (minor) dealer who also became a colour merchant to several of the painters there. Henri Rouart was a major patron and collector; although his paintings are Impressionist, it is likely that they were less attractive to the other artists than his wealth and patronage. Giuseppe de Nittis was successful enough in his own right as an artist to be able to purchase the work of Monet and others, and seems to have been more accepted as a patron and collector than as a fellow artist. Misfits, drifters, and tragedy There were five whose work appears to have been quite out of place. Antoine-Ferdinand Attendu never seems to have been in the least bit impressionist, before or after 1874. Édouard Brandon was an important French Jewish painter whose work never became Impressionist in style. Ludovic-Napoléon Lepic was a marine painter who may again have been seen as a potential patron. Léopold Levert painted in the style of the Barbizon school, and Auguste de Molins was a realist. Three were independent painters before, and remained so despite their showing there. Eugène Boudin was acknowledged as a major influence on Monet and other Impressionists, but retained his unique style. Stanislas Lépine continued to paint in his pre-Impressionist style for the rest of his career. Giuseppe de Nittis was already successful and flourishing, and it was Degas’ hope that his inclusion would show that at least someone involved was not a failure (others have suggested that this was not the reason, but that de Nittis had fallen out with his dealer, Goupil). Édouard Béliard’s political principles seem to have become more important to him than painting, although he had painted in illustrious company, with Pissarro, Cézanne, and Guillaumin in the early 1870s. Three preferred to live and work away from Paris, and thus severed their connections with the movement, much as Cézanne did when he returned to Provence. Gustave-Henri Colin married into, and lived and worked in, the Basque country. Louis Debras probably returned to the Somme, where his records may have been destroyed in the First World War. Émilien Mulot-Durivage could not make a successful career in Paris, and returned to the coast of his native Normandy. A couple had lives which were tragically cut short, despite promising beginnings: Pierre-Isidore Bureau died in 1876, and Giuseppe de Nittis in 1884. There is just one, Léopold Robert, about whom we know next to nothing. Serious omissions Finally there are those who clearly deserve better. Adolphe-Félix Cals painted superb Impressionist landscapes, which became popular. Although neglected by almost every account of Impressionism, the massive book Impressionism (1993/2013), edited by Ingo F Walther (Taschen), claims that “he painted melancholy landscapes with stark contrasts of dark and light, and oppressive genre scenes of poverty, fishing communities and the life of workers.” I do not think that is a fair description of the works of his which I have been able to find, and showed here. Adolphe-Félix Cals (1810–1880), Honfleur Alley (1877), oil on canvas, 43 x 59 cm, Private collection. The Athenaeum. Armand Guillaumin is now starting to achieve better recognition, and inclusion in Impressionist exhibitions. For example, Suzanne Greub’s book and exhibition Monet, Lost in Translation (2015) (reviewed here) features several of his paintings, together with some by Boudin too. Walther’s massive book records that Guillaumin “painted numerous landscapes in the environs of Paris and on the Seine in lively contrasting colours and broad strokes of the paintbrush”, but again he is barely mentioned in most others. Armand Guillaumin (1841-1927), Hollow in the snow (1869), oil on canvas, 66 x 55 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. Wikimedia Commons. Armand Guillaumin (1841-1927), La place Valhubert (date not known), oil on canvas, 64.5 x 81 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris. By Sparkit, via Wikimedia Commons. Armand Guillaumin (1841-1927), Epinay-sur-Orge (c 1884), oil on canvas, 58.4 x 71.1 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons. Giuseppe de Nittis had the disadvantages that he retained independence from Impressionism, and was successful in the Salon at the time. As a result he is often viewed as borrowing from the Impressionists when it suited him, and painting for popularity rather than art. As Walther’s book opines “Nittis’s bright, relaxed landscapes and city scenes, often in small format, and his anecdotal genre pictures of modern life are a successful compromise between Salon and Impressionism.” Inevitably he is excluded from most other accounts. Giuseppe De Nittis (1846–1884), Seascape near Naples (1873), oil on wood, 24.5 x 61 cm, Private collection. Wikimedia Commons. Giuseppe De Nittis (1846–1884), In the Fields around London (date not known), oil on canvas, 45.1 x 54.9 cm, Private collection. Athenaeum. I am obtaining further references on de Nittis, and will be presenting a more balanced and accurate account of his career and work in the future. The First Impressionist Exhibition is often viewed as a watershed in the history of painting. In fact it was a hodge-podge of different styles from artists who were not even part of a coherent group. Many of those who took part did so on the strength of friendships with ‘core’ members of the group, particularly of Pissarro and Degas. Just as the exhibition was a failure with the critics, so it failed to generate Impressionist styles in sculpture, prints, and other media. There is still plenty to learn, and to speculate, about that exhibition, and several great artists to rediscover. The First Impressionist Exhibition (in Italian), containing the exhibition catalogue Rewald J (1973) The History of Impressionism, 4th edn, The Museum of Modern Art, New York. ISBN 0 87070 369 2.
In hist, a histogram is collection of Axis objects and a storage. Based on boost-histogram’s Axis, hist support six types of axis, Regular, Boolean, Variable, Integer, IntCategory and StrCategory with additional names and labels. Axis names Names are pretty useful for some histogramming shortcuts, thus greatly facilitate HEP’s studies. Note that the name is the identifier for an axis in a histogram and must be unique. import hist from hist import Hist axis0 = hist.axis.Regular(10, -5, 5, overflow=False, underflow=False, name="A") axis1 = hist.axis.Boolean(name="B") axis2 = hist.axis.Variable(range(10), name="C") axis3 = hist.axis.Integer(-5, 5, overflow=False, underflow=False, name="D") axis4 = hist.axis.IntCategory(range(10), name="E") axis5 = hist.axis.StrCategory(["T", "F"], name="F") Histogram’s Axis Histogram is consisted with various axes, there are two ways to create a histogram, currently. You can either fill a histogram object with axes or add axes to a histogram object. You cannot add axes to an existing histogram. Note that to distinguish these two method, the second way has different axis type names (abbr.). # fill the axes h = Hist(axis0, axis1, axis2, axis3, axis4, axis5) # add the axes using the shortcut method h = (, -5, 5, overflow=False, underflow=False, name="A") .Var(range(10), name="C") .Int(-5, 5, overflow=False, underflow=False, name="D") .IntCat(range(10), name="E") .StrCat(["T", "F"], name="F") Hist adds a new flow=False shortcut to axes that take underflow and overflow. AxesTuple is a new feature since boost-histogram 0.8.0, which provides you free access to axis properties in a histogram. assert h.axes[0].name == assert h.axes[1].label == # label will be returned as name if not provided assert all(h.axes[2].widths == axis2.widths) assert all(h.axes[3].edges == axis3.edges) assert h.axes[4].metadata == axis4.metadata assert all(h.axes[5].centers == axis5.centers) Axis types There are several axis types to choose from. Regular axis Regular axis illustration hist.axis.Regular(bins, start, stop, name, label, , metadata='', underflow=True, overflow=True, circular=False, growth=False, transform=None) The regular axis can have overflow and/or underflow bins (enabled by default). It can also grow if growth=True is given. In general, you should not mix options, as growing axis will already have the correct flow bin settings. The exception is underflow=False, overflow=False, which is quite useful together to make an axis with no flow bins at all. There are some other useful axis types based on regular axis: Regular axis illustration hist.axis.Regular(..., circular=True) This wraps around, so that out-of-range values map back into the valid range in a circular fashion. Regular axis: Transforms Regular axes support transforms, as well; these are functions that convert from an external, non-regular bin spacing to an internal, regularly spaced one. A transform is made of two functions, a forward function, which converts external to internal (and for which the transform is usually named), and a inverse function, which converts from the internal space back to the external space. If you know the functional form of your spacing, you can get the benefits of a constant performance scaling just like you would with a normal regular axis, rather than falling back to a variable axis and a poorer scaling from the bin edge lookup required there. You can define your own functions for transforms, see usage-transforms. If you use compiled/numba functions, you can keep the high performance you would expect from a Regular axis. There are also several precompiled transforms: hist.axis.Regular(..., transform=hist.axis.transform.sqrt) This is an axis with bins transformed by a sqrt. hist.axis.Regular(..., transform=hist.axis.transform.log) Transformed by log. hist.axis.Regular(..., transform=hist.axis.transform.Power(v)) Transformed by a power (the argument is the power). Variable axis Regular axis illustration hist.axis.Variable([edge1, ..., ]name, label, , metadata="", underflow=True, overflow=True, circular=False, growth=False) You can set the bin edges explicitly with a variable axis. The options are mostly the same as the Regular axis. Integer axis Regular axis illustration This could be mimicked with a regular axis, but is simpler and slightly faster. Bins are whole integers only, so there is no need to specify the number of bins. One common use for an integer axis could be a true/false axis: bool_axis = hist.axis.Integer(0, 2, underflow=False, overflow=False) Another could be for an IntEnum (Python 3 or backport) if the values are contiguous. Category axis Regular axis illustration hist.axis.IntCategory([value1, ..., ]name, label, metadata="", grow=False) You should put integers in a category axis; but unlike an integer axis, the integers do not need to be adjacent. One use for an IntCategory axis is for an IntEnum: import enum class MyEnum(enum.IntEnum): a = 1 b = 5 my_enum_axis = hist.axis.IntEnum(list(MyEnum), underflow=False, overflow=False) You can sort the Categorty axes via .sort() method: h = Hist(axis.IntCategory([3, 1, 2], label="Number"), axis.StrCategory(["Teacher", "Police", "Artist"], label="Profession")) h.sort(0).axes[0] # IntCategory([1, 2, 3], label='Number') h.sort(1, reverse=True).axes[1] # StrCategory(['Teacher', 'Police', 'Artist'], label='Profession') hist.axis.StrCategory([str1, ..., ]name, label, metadata="", grow=False) You can put strings in a category axis as well. The fill method supports lists or arrays of strings to allow this to be filled. Manipulating Axes Axes have a variety of methods and properties that are useful. When inside a histogram, you can also access these directly on the hist.axes object, and they return a tuple of valid results. If the property or method normally returns an array, the axes version returns a broadcasting-ready version in the output tuple.
1. 38 2. 9 I posted this because I saw it floating around on Twitter and HN, but really didn’t understand what the problem was. I thought I’d get some feedback here. I assumed that GPS time was always basically TAI and didn’t do any leap second calculations, but I was wrong. This article lays out the issue in a way that is easier to understand. 1. 1 Global warming should always cause the Earth’s rotation to slow down due to shift of mass from poles to equator. Whatever is causing the speedup, I don’t think it is global warming. 1. 3 I was curious and googled it. I found a Forbes article which links to this research article. I don’t quite comprehend the language in the research article, but Forbes’ dumbed-down version is that as glaciers melt on and near the poles, there’s less weight on the ground, which makes the ground “rebound” and so the earth circularizes. No doubt the effect you describe also exists, mass trapped in the form of polar ice melts and moves towards the equator, but (according to my understanding of Forbes’ explanation of the paper) that effect is smaller than the counteracting effect from the rising ground. EDIT: Here’s a non-Forbes source, although it doesn’t contain an explanation of the mechanism: https://phys.org/news/2021-01-earth-faster.html They [planetary scientists] also have begun wondering if global warming might push the Earth to spin faster as the snow caps and high-altitude snows begin disappearing. 1. 1 In case you’re interested, Hudson Bay is one of the most well-known examples of the “rebound” effect… https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/147405/rebounding-in-hudson-bay. 2. 2 I was also curious about this, as that matches my intuition as well. This article is about the shift in the axis of rotation, not the speed, but it outlines some unintuitive effects of climate change on the Earth’s distribution of mass: To summarize: • The Earth is not round; the poles are flattened, because the weight of the glaciers squishes them down. When they melt, the earth beneath them rise, and the planet becomes more round. • Most of the melting glaciers are in Greenland, which is 45° from the North Pole, so the mass redistribution is not as clear cut as it seems. • The mantle might be doing convection stuff that I cannot begin to understand. Cursory research implies this is a recent theory and maybe not totally accepted or understood. (Certainly not by me. I have no idea here.) Note that the article doesn’t claim any of these affect rotation speed, but they’re interesting factors for my mental model of the changing Earth. Other sources I found cite the first reason (elongating Earth) as the primary driver for the speedup of the Earth’s rotation. Another possible factor I found is that high-altitude snow and ice is melting, distributing mass closer to the center of the Earth (which, you know, angular momentum or something). It seems incredible to me that that would have a measurable effect – and I didn’t look for evidence that it does – but it’s another interesting thing that I would not have guessed. So yeah; it’s complicated. Some aspects might slow the Earth in isolation; some might speed it up. Taken together it seems like the consensus is a net speedup. Obligatory caveat: I probably spent more time writing this comment than actually researching this topic, so this information comes with no warranty express or implied. (I accidentally replied to mort’s sibling comment, which was posted about the same time; I deleted it and re-posted it here as I had not actually read it at the time I wrote this. Perils of composing in a separate editor and pasting it in.) 1. 1 I have to think that moving mass from the poles to the equator is a 6,000-mile journey away from the axis of rotation, which should overwhelm elevation changes and isostatic rebound. Also, the Hudson Bay area is still rebounding slowly from glaciation, maybe a few feet over ten thousand years. The rocks in Greenland haven’t had time to rebound from the last two decades of melting. 3. 1 I’m surprised at how often GPS threatens to break time. Would be nice if the protocols could be updated to use less human time scales like weeks, but updating satellites is a quite brittle thing. 1. 6 The week number was already extended from 10 bits to 13 bits. The first satellites supporting it were launched in 2005 and the new format signal has been broadcast since 2014. For capable receivers, there is no rollover until 2137 (at which point, if GPS is still flying and hasn’t been further upgraded, the 157-year ambiguity will presumably be much easier to resolve than a 19-year one). This is more of a “gpsd (not GPS) tried to be clever and failed” issue. They could have simply had their logic for 10-bit week numbers resolve the ambiguity in such a way that it always returns the first matching time after the build date of the copy of gpsd itself. That would have been 100% reliable for anyone who upgrades their software at least once every two decades. If that’s not good enough then maybe they could think about a ratchet. What they ended up with instead… wasn’t really smart, it just looked that way. 1. 1 Do note that the exact same bug would have happened in 2003 as it is not the week counter rollover that caused it but the fact that there hasn’t been a leap second for 256 weeks which is the modulus to which the week is given for the next leap second date. Who knows how many similar footguns there are, but I’d think it would be best to utilize the fact that we now have better equipment and rework the signals to be harder to misinterpret. 1. 2 Do note that the exact same bug would have happened in 2003 Yes, because it’s bad code. The solution is to have less bad code. Involving leap seconds in this was a mistake. Again, already done. Not in the exact way you’re asking for, but in a way that works just fine in the real world. This is gpsd attempting to do its best with receivers relying on the old format (and fumbling it). 1. 1 A better solution is to make it harder to write bad code. GPS handling code will be written yet again another thousand times. Do we need to keep the possibility of them having the same exact bug yet again? But I do have to agree on the fact that it has been fixed. The week on which the rollover will happen is now specified with the same modulo as the week so such bugs should hopefully no longer occur with new receivers. 1. 1 This statement is nonsense. 2. 1 It’s not just satellites, it’s every receiver deployed in the last 40 years, many in neglected but safety- or life-critical use. 1. 1 It’s possible to add extra signals, it has already been done. Having one with 40 bit seconds counter should definitely be possible without interfering with existing signals, and it would decrease the fragility of GPS time tracking massively. 1. 1 How exactly does that improve the situation of the receivers existing in the wild? 1. 1 It improves the situation of the receivers that will exist in the wild. This exact error happened 17 years ago to some Motorola receivers. The frequency of such occurrences is rare enough for information to be common knowledge even amongst those who implement GPS, but with enough impact that letting such errors repeat is asking for trouble.
"print()" is the (and some other programming languages) version of the "💾 3.5in-floppy-disk-as-document-save-icon" of most software. It's an artifact of older times, when output was, well, printed out. Almost nobody actually prints program output directly out on a physical printer. But it's so deeply ingrained in coding culture, it's taken for granted and rarely questioned. At some point the connection between "print()" and 🖨️ will become almost indecipherable to young techies. Sign in to participate in the conversation Mastodon for Tech Folks
@article {Гегов1981, title = {Наблюдения върху българския и арабския вокализъм.}, journal = {Съпоставително езикознание / Сопоставительное языкознание / Contrastive linguistics}, volume = {VІ}, year = {1981}, pages = {25{\textendash}29}, abstract = {The aim of the present article is to outline the basic differences between the Bulgarian and Arabic vowel systems. A preliminary brief contrastive analysis of the consonant systems is also made. Primary attention is given to the quantitative-qualitative opposition between the Arabic short vowels [i], [{\u a}], [u] and their corresponding long vowels [i], [{\={a}}], [u] which is a characteristic feature of Arabic vocalism and differentiates it from Bulgarian. The Arabic vowels are considered in terms of their distribution. Some departures from the accepted norm, made by Arab students who study Bulgarian, are also pointed out.}, author = {Гегов, Христо} }

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