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How artificial intelligence will streamline patient care
In Medical Product Design
Consumers are using artificial intelligence every day, even if they don't realize it yet. The same technological advancements that let Siri answer questions on the iPhone will also save lives one day, by contributing to innovative medical products. In a recent speech, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg highlighted the many benefits that advanced AI will bring to people's everyday lives. In particular, he singled out healthcare as an industry that stands to be transformed. Consumers will stand to benefit the most, as this disruption will provide them medical care that is more efficient and better customized to their needs.
Faster diagnoses
Zuckerberg mentioned a breakthrough medical product that can identify skin cancer through smartphone technology. Although he didn't mention it by name, it's likely he was speaking about SkinVision or DermaCompare. Through supervised learning, these apps can diagnose skin cancer by simply viewing a smartphone image of a skin lesion. DermaCompare promises to empower people to "take better care of their own health" through artificial intelligence. A digital design innovation like this can help patients connect with doctors anywhere in the world and receive an accurate diagnosis faster than making an appointment at a clinic.
"Machine learning can help doctors determine the best treatment plans."
Personalized treatments
Patient characteristics can vary wildly, and this can make it challenging when doctors determine treatment plans. Depending on age, lifestyle, medical history and other factors, two ideal treatments for the same type of cancer could be very different for two different patients. When it comes to the treatments themselves, machine learning can help doctors analyze patient data to determine the best possible treatment plan for each patient.
Currently, poring over medical records can be time-consuming for doctors, due to the large amounts of data. However, scientists at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh are leveraging AI to analyze the vast swath of electronic health records, insurance information, prescription drug histories and all other health-related data to develop treatment plans that are customized for each patient
More convenient treatment
When patients are feeling ill, they'll be able to share their symptoms with AI programs. These AI tools can identify speech patterns and access relevant information. An AI with extensive health data will be able to answer questions related to symptoms, and either recommend a treatment, connect the patient remotely with a remote doctor or nurse, or advise the patient to seek medical attention at a local clinic. Most clinics will be located in convenient public places like malls, and will be staffed primarily by nurse practitioners. Patients who actually visit major hospitals will be either be very sick, require surgery or have a very unusual and perplexing ailment requiring special attention.
"Patients will have access to medical care that is more cost effective."
By acting as the gatekeeper and responding to simpler queries, this "virtual clinic" will allow doctors and nurses to focus their attention on patients with more complicated needs. This presents a disruptive innovation, because AI will reduce the need for small, regional hospitals and clinics throughout the country. "In the wired environment, geography won't matter much," said David Ollier Weber in Hospitals & Health Networks. By accessing medical professionals remotely, patients will have access to medical care that is more cost-effective, without sacrificing quality.
While many of us are already using AI in our everyday lives, this is just the first step for digital health. Harnessing machine learning will continue to develop innovative healthcare technology, creating better tools for healthcare professionals and better treatments for patients.
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Webster 1913 Edition
Having, or conforming to, a settled system of administration.
“A political government.”
Of or pertaining to public policy, or to politics; relating to affairs of state or administration;
as, a
“The political state of Europe.”
Of or pertaining to a party, or to parties, in the state;
as, his
relations were with the Whigs
Politic; wise; also, artful.
Political economy
that branch of political science or philosophy which treats of the sources, and methods of production and preservation, of the material wealth and prosperity of nations.
Webster 1828 Edition
[supra.] Pertaining to policy, or to civil government and its administration. Political measures or affairs are measures that respect the government of a nation or state. So we say, political power or authority; political wisdom; a political scheme; political opinions. A good prince is the political father of his people. The founders of a state and wise senators are also called political fathers.
Pertaining to a nation or state, or to nations or states, as distinguished from civil or municipal; as in the phrase, political and civil rights, the former comprehending rights that belong to a nation, or perhaps to a citizen as an individual of a nation; and the latter comprehending the local rights of a corporation or any member of it.
Speaking of the political state of Europe, we are accustomed to say of Sweden, she lost her liberty by the revolution.
Public; derived from office or connection with government; as political character.
Artful; skillful. [See Politic.]
Treating of politics or government; as a political writer.
Political arithmetic, the art of reasoning by figures, or of making arithmetical calculations on matters relating to a nation, its revenues, value of lands and effects, produce of lands or manufactures, population, &c.
Political economy, the administration of the revenues of a nation; or the management and regulation of its resources and productive property and labor. Political economy comprehends all the measures by which the property and labor of citizens are directed in the best manner to the success of individual industry and enterprise, and to the public prosperity. Political economy is now considered as a science.
Definition 2021
Alternative forms
political (comparative more political, superlative most political)
• 1915, George A. Birmingham, chapter I”, in Gossamer (Project Gutenberg; EBook #24394), London: Methuen & Co., published 8 January 2013 (Project Gutenberg version), OCLC 558189256:
• 2012 January 1, Philip E. Mirowski, Harms to Health from the Pursuit of Profits”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 1, page 87:
That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past.
2. Concerning a polity or its administrative components.
5. (of a person) Interested in politics.
Derived terms
Related terms
political (plural politicals)
1. A political agent or officer.
2. A publication focusing on politics.
Most common English words before 1923: etc. · broke · waiting · #773: political · reading · German · seven |
Davis Cup
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Wikipedia.
Davis Cup:
see tennistennis,
game played indoors or outdoors by two players (singles) or four players (doubles) on a level court. Rules and Equipment
..... Click the link for more information.
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the oldest international men's tennis competition, inaugurated in 1900 and credited with drawing world attention to the game. Tennis was then a young sport; the first U.S. national championship games were played in 1881. The competition was fathered by Dwight F. Davis, who was U.S. doubles champion with Harvard teammate Holcombe Ward in 1899-1901. Davis believed international competition would boost the game's popularity and had a 13-inch-high silver bowl crafted by a Boston silversmith; it was to be called the International Lawn Tennis Challenge Trophy but became known as the Davis Cup.
From the first, the championship was open to all nations. The first games, held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, had only two contestants: a British Isles team and the American team (captained by Davis). The Americans won, 3-0. The Brits did better—but still lost—in 1902. In 1903, they won, and it was not until 1913 that the U.S. regained the cup.
There was growing interest in the cup. Four nations competed in 1919, and that number grew to 14 in 1922 and 24 in 1926. From the start, teams have consisted of two singles players and a doubles team. There are five matches—four singles and one doubles. Each match is awarded one point, and the first team to win three points wins the cup. In women's tennis, the Federation Cup, inaugurated in 1963 and played each year in the spring, is considered the equivalent of the Davis Cup.
The United States dominated the Davis Cup in the 1920s, spurred by William T. ("Big Bill") Tilden II, who was a member of the Davis Cup team for 11 years. France won in 1927 and went on to win the next five years up through 1932. Great Britain was a power in the 1930s, and Australia and the United States dominated in the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s; in the late 1970s and the 1980s the winners had a multi-national flavor. In 1980, Czechoslovakia became the first Communist country to win the Davis Cup. The United States won in 1990, but in 1991, playing in Lyons, France, the French team knocked out the champion U.S. team 3-1 and owned the cup for the first time in 59 years. The French team (led by Guy Forget, Henri Leconte, and coach Yannick Noah) kissed, hugged, leapt over the net, lay down on the court, and danced a conga line. Sweden dominated the 1990s, winning in 1994, 1997, and 1998.
International Tennis Federation
Bank Lane
London, SW15 5XZ United Kingdom
44-20-8878-6464; fax: 44-20-8392-4744
The International Tennis Federation
Bank Lane
London, SW15 5XZ United Kingdom
References in periodicals archive ?
'The ITF will continue to monitor the situation in Pakistan and the Davis Cup Committee will re-convene to re-examine the security situation in advance of the tie.'
The conference call was scheduled to discuss the participation of Indian players in the Davis Cup, being held in Pakistan.AITA had written to the ITF to shift the venue of the tournament from Pakistan or postpone the tournament for some time.
"Coaches and players were not paid daily allowances during the Davis Cup tie against South Korea," he alleged.
'The young members of Pakistan Davis Cup team are also keen to give out their best against arch-rivals India.
Meanwhile, the ITF officials also held a meeting with DG PSB Arif Ibrahim and discussed the measures that have to be taken by PSB for holding the Davis Cup tie.
The ITF has scrapped the 'home-and-away' format to turn Davis Cup into a season-ending 18-team affair at a neutral venue.
As far as I'm concerned, I'm not going to play in the Davis Cup anymore.
That is why we have planned for the tour to give out players an edge before the competition," said Kenani.Kenani explained that the government is yet to refund them Sh2.5million used during the Davis Cup Africa Group Three Championships held between June 18-23 this year.
Federer has not played in the competition since 2015 and Switzerland missed out on a wild card for the inaugural finals week of the revamped Davis Cup next November, with Britain and Argentina picked instead.
The last match of the Davis Cup tie was played between Muzzamil Murtaza and Sultanov, Khumoyun, with Murtaza losing the match 6-3, 6-1.
Or at least that's what top Philippine Davis Cup official Martin Misa is hoping for.
From 2003 to 2013, Berdych competed in the Davis Cup for the Czech Republic without interruption.
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Foodies and agricultural preservationists reminisce the vast acres of lush agricultural soils now covered by asphalt, shopping malls, aerospace giants, and warehouses in western Washington’s Kent Valley.
Historic Kent Valley
For generations, the Kent Valley, with its meandering Green River, was home to a robust agricultural community feeding the burgeoning Seattle metropolitan area. What is less remembered or romanticized are the ferocious floods that used to plague the valley. Dave Sprau historian for the White River Valley Museum, writes that floods were expected to overflow the Green River banks “nearly every winter.” These were not just nuisance floods, but significant floods that left two to three feet of water running through living rooms, while the waterway momentarily considered new paths as rivers are wanton to do.
Old Kent Valley Barn
Old Kent Valley Barn
Today, the answer to these devastating floods would be to elevate or relocate an existing home out of the flood’s fury. Any future development would be restricted by strict building codes requiring flood doors to allow water passage beneath an elevated home or to transfer the legal right to develop flood prone property to land more suitable for higher density development, usually in a neighboring city.
Accommodating inundation waters was not a solution for our predecessors, as farmers and landowners were looking to decrease the annual cleanup process from continued flood devastation. As a result beginning in 1926, a new group the Associated Improvement Club of South King County with its subgroup “The Need for Flood Control in our Valley” began to look for solutions to control the river.
Kent Valley Heritage Farm adjacent to suburban development.
Kent Valley Heritage Farm adjacent to suburban development.
The Great Depression and World War II intervened and delayed significant progress on Green River flood solutions. However, by 1955, a location at the base of Eagle Gorge on the Green River and a congressional appropriation accelerated erection of the earthen dam now known as the Howard A. Hansen Dam, named after the man that worked tirelessly to ensure its completion. As construction commenced, the Green River gave one last punch in 1959 with a flood that cost upwards of $35 million in today’s dollars. By 1962, the Green River was officially tamed and what once was a water-logged, soggy, flood-prone farming valley looked highly desirable for urban/suburban, commercial (Southcenter Mall) and industrial (Boeing) development, since it was flat, dry, and easy to access.
American Farmland Trust in its January 2012 publication entitled, Losing Ground: Farmland Protection in the Puget Sound Region states that King County lost 162 square miles of farmland between 1950 and 2007. The lower Green River basin between Auburn and Tukwila, which corresponds to the acreage of the cities of Kirkland, Bellevue, and Redmond combined, is approximately 1/3 of those lost farmland acres.
Recent Flood Threats in the Kent Valley
During the original dam design in 1949, concern was expressed about a 10,000 year old geologic formation that was created when a mountainside slid into the Green River proposed for the right abutment. At the time, confident with 10,000 years of geological solidification, designers thought the failure risk was minimal and developed a dam design that further decreased any threat.
Temporary levee reinforcement on top of existing levee
Temporary levee reinforcement on top of existing levee
Fast forward to 2009, and an inspection of the Howard A. Hansen structure after a significant winter storm revealed seepage through the right river abutment and dam fragility. Local and state governments scrambled to reduce the risk of catastrophic failure, by reducing the water held behind the barrier, developing escape routes and warnings, and temporarily raising levees in the flat former farmlands to mitigate any impacts from a possible deluge. Concurrently, engineers worked fervently developing a solution for dam integrity.
Why was it so compelling that the dam be fixed? What was at risk besides loss of life, limb and property (as if that was not enough), if the structure failed? Why do we work so hard to protect human built features from the potential ravishing destruction that nature or man’s failing could bring? Farm advocates were breathlessly watching to see if this was a rare opportunity to slowly bring the valley back to its agricultural roots.
Kent Valley is Washington’s Economic Engine
What is critical to know is that elected officials, business people, and our state economy could not tolerate a catastrophic dam failure. To evaluate the importance of the Howard A. Hansen Dam, Washington State Department of Commerce in cooperation with King County prepared an April 2010 analysis of the Economic and Revenue Impacts of Potential Flooding in the Green River Valley and found that the Valley’s economic impact on the State’s economy is staggering:
• 1/8 or 12% of Washington’s Gross State Product equaling $107 million per day resides in the valley;
• About 100,000 jobs or approximately 8% of all jobs in King County are found in the inundation area;
• $112 million in annual property tax is collected on real estate worth $10 billion in taxable value; and
• Approximately $100 million in annual Business and Occupation tax (10% of the current legislative biennium shortfall) is paid by valley businesses to the State’s coffers.
Crisis averted. As anticipated, an engineering solution was found and completed by the start of the 2011-2012 winter wet season to stabilize the abutment thereby substantially decreasing the odds of any major flood event in the valley.
Will Kent Valley ever revert to its agricultural roots? Probably not. Will other western Washington valleys be able to maintain their agricultural economies? Maybe or maybe not. Some issues to ensure long-term agricultural production are out of our local control such as national food corporation policies, prices of products from international and domestic markets, and impacts from climate change. These issues we can influence but most likely cannot easily change.
However, there are issues over which we have power to affect our local food economy. To effect that influence, it takes political will and a community dedicated to maintaining a vibrant agriculture economy, by farming food production lands, removing development rights from rural lands, maintaining farm animal veterinarians, feed stores, and other agricultural infrastructure, creating land use regulations kind to growing food, and developing solutions to adapt to climate and market change. We can have western Washington locally grown food provided we continue to work, advocate, and support it.
Kathryn Gardow, P.E., local food advocate, a land use expert and owner of Gardow Consulting, an organization dedicated to providing multidisciplinary solutions to building sustainable communities. Kathryn has expertise in project management, planning, and civil engineering, with an emphasis on creating communities that include food production. Kathryn’s blog will muse on ways to create a more sustainable world. |
1952: Another New US Highway
Between 1951 and 1952, there were a lot of highways that were added to the US Highway system by the AASHO, or American Association of State Highway Officials. The main reason for this was, quite honestly, “tourist roads.” That was the purpose of expanding US 421, mentioned in my last post, from Tennessee to Michigan City. Another addition was US 231, which crosses the state from Owensboro, Kentucky, to Lake County, Indiana.
At the time, the two major US Highways that crossed Indiana, US 31 and US 41, were very busy doing what they do best – moving travelers north and south. Both highways start in northern Michigan, with US 41 beginning in the Upper Peninsula, US 31 starting at Mackinaw City. At the other end, US 31 ends in southern Alabama, US 41 end at Miami. Both highways were essentially “tourist roads.”
Since US 41 connected Chicago and Miami, it was the US highway replacement for the Dixie Highway. And as such, was very busy. AASHO decided that it would be a good idea to create another south bound highway to funnel off traffic from the two major roads crossing Indiana. That road would be US 231.
The Lizton Daily Citizen of 17 September 1952 mentions that the new route markers for the newest US highway in Indiana were in stock and to be replaced over the next month or so. It was also mentioned that the state road numbers that were assigned to route that would become US 231 would still be there after the marking of the US route. “The newly-designated U. S. 231 will travel from Chicago, Ill. to Panama City, Fla. It is to be called a ‘tourist’ highway and is designed to relieve overloaded U. S. 41 of some of its traffic.”
US 231 started life in 1926 with the creation of the US Highway system. At the start, it began at US 90 near Marianna, Florida. Its northern end was at Montgomery, Alabama. The first expansion of the road had it ending in Panama City, Florida.
US 231 crossed into Indiana from Owensboro, Kentucky, on what was then SR 75 (now it is SR 161), then east on SR 66 to Rockport. From there, it would follow SR 45 to near Scotland, SR 157 to Bloomfield, west on SR 54 to SR 57, then north on SR 57 to its junction at SR 67.
From the junction of SR 57 and 67, the new highway would follow SR 67 into Spencer, where it would be joined with SR 43. From here, it would follow (replace) SR 43 north from Spencer to Lafayette.
Now, here is where the description of the highway in the newspaper and the actual route differ. According to the route published in the newspaper, the route would follow SR 43 all the way to Michigan City, ending there. Well, it was already mentioned that it would end in Chicago (which, by the way, it never did), not Michigan City. Also, again, as mentioned in my last blog entry, US 421 took SR 43 into Michigan City.
At Lafayette, US 231 would multiplex with US 52 to Montmorenci, where it would turn north on SR 53. Now, for those of you keeping score with the US highways in the Hoosier state, this is where, from 1934 to 1938, there was another US highway that had been removed for being too much of a duplicate. That highway, US 152, used the US 52 route from Indianapolis to Montmorenci, where it replaced SR 53 (which it was in 1933) all the way to Crown Point. In 1938, with the decommissioning of US 152, the road reverted to SR 53 again.
And in 1952, that designation was once again removed for the placement of US highway markers. This time, US 231. But, the state road number wasn’t removed immediately this time. And US 231 rolled its way along SR 53 until it entered Crown Point. From there, it connected to US 41, the road it was supposed to help relieve traffic, near St. John using what was then SR 8.
For the most part, with the major exception of two places, the US 231 route is the same as it was back then. There may have been some slight moving of the road, especially near Scotland for Interstate 69, but the minor revisions are few and far between. The major relocations are definitely major. A complete reroute in the Lafayette area, which has US 231 bypassing both Lafayette and West Lafayette. It has, in recent years, taken to carrying US 52 around the west side of the area, replacing the much celebrated US 52 bypass along Sagamore Parkway. I will be covering that bypass at a later date. Let’s just say that there was a lot of newspaper coverage of that at the time.
The other major change in the route is near the Ohio River. A new bridge spanning the river was opened in 2002. The new bridge, called the William H. Natcher, is located north of Rockport. The original US 231 route, which followed SR 66 to due north of Owensboro, Kentucky, is now SR 161 between SR 66 and the Ohio River. It should also be noted here that at Patronville, SR 75 (US 231 now SR 161) had a junction with SR 45…the route that the new US highway would follow from northeast of Rockport to Scotland. Now that junction is just with Old State Road 45.
Due to its route across the state, at 297 miles long, US 231 is the longest continuous road in the entire Hoosier State. That may seem wrong, but consider that Rockport is actually south of Evansville…and the route through the state is nowhere near straight.
US Highways: They are actually State Roads
I originally posted the following in the Indiana Transportation History group on 11 Jun 2014. It has been slightly edited to correct some “oopsies” in my original.
For those old enough to remember (and I, unfortunately, am not one of them) before the Interstate system came into being, and US routes were the cross-country method of auto transport, this post is for you.
Somewhere lost in the history of transportation is the true story behind the US Highway system. Believe it or not, the Federal Government was late to the “good roads” party, and really only joined it half-heartedly. Let me explain.
Near the end of the 19th Century, there was a craze sweeping the nation – bicycling. The problem was that most roads at the time were basically dirt paths through the country. Some were graveled, yes. Some were bricked, but mainly only in towns. Those that rode bicycles started clamoring for better roads to reliably and safely use their new-fangled transportation method.
The US Post Office was also involved in this movement, mainly because mail was that important. And delivering the mail in some rural locations was troublesome at best.
With the creation of the automobile boom in the early 20th century, the Good Roads Movement started including the drivers of the horseless carriage. Again, because most roads at the time were dusty at best, and practically impassible at worst.
Clubs started nationwide to encourage auto travel (the Hoosier Motor Club was one). Clubs were also started to encourage the creation of travel routes that were more than dirt roads to the next county seat.
These last clubs led to many named highways throughout the nation. For instance, Indianapolis was served by the (Andrew) Jackson Highway, Dixie Highway, Pikes Peak Ocean-to-Ocean Highway, National Old Trails Road, the Hoosier Highway, Michigan Road, the Range Line Road, the Hills & Lakes Trail, and the Hoosier Dixie.
The most famous of the Road Clubs was the Lincoln Highway Association, which crossed Indiana through the northern tier of counties. On its trip from New York to San Francisco, it passed through Fort Wayne, Ligonier (included because it was the SECOND Ligonier on the route – the other being in Pennsylvania!), Goshen, Elkhart, South Bend, La Porte, and Valparaiso. (As you can guess, it wasn’t exactly a straight line at first!)
In 1926, the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Public Roads finalized a national route system that became the US Highways. This was to combat the numerous named highways that led to some major confusion among the automobile traveling public. The system was discussed starting in 1924, with a preliminary list issued in late 1925.
Named highways painted markers on utility poles most of the time. It, apparently, was not unheard of to have numerous colored markers on one pole. And new named highways were popping up monthly. (They even kept appearing after the numbered highways started appearing.)
A misconception is that a US Highway is a Federal road. US Highways have a distinctive shield with a number. It can also have, legally, a State Road marker. That’s because US highways were really just state roads that shared the same number for its entire distance. So SR 40 in Indiana was also SR 40 in Illinois and Ohio, and so on. (INDOT has even posted SR 421 signage on SR 9 at the entrance ramps to I-74/US 421 in Shelbyville.)
While US highway numbers have come and gone across the state, most of them appeared in one of two phases – 1927 and 1951.
The original US Highways in Indiana were: 12, 20, 24, 27, 30, 31, 31E, 31W, 36, 40, 41, 50, 52, 112, and 150.
The second major phase included US 136, US 231, and US 421.
Between these two phases, the following roads were added:
– US 6 (1928)
– US 33 (1937)
– US 35 (1934) It required changing SR 35 to SR 135.
– US 36 – Yes, it is listed twice. US 36 originally ended at Indianapolis from the west. It was extended east in 1931.
– US 152 – Mostly followed US 52 (Lafayette Road) north from Indianapolis from 1934 to 1938. It never left the state, so it was downgraded to mostly state road 53 (which, strangely, was added BACK into the federal numbering system as US 231).
– US 224 (1933)
– US 460 (1947-1977)
These were added to the system in sections. For instance, US 6 came into Indiana from the east and ended up being routed along what, at the time, was Indiana State Road 6.
There have been many changes in the original US highways. Some have bypassed towns in many places (like US 31). Some have just been removed from the system (like the northern end of US 33). Some were replaced by the interstate system created in 1956 (like US 27 north of Fort Wayne).
The beginning of the end of the major importance of the US Highway system started in 1947, when AASHO deemed it “outmoded.” This led to the creation of the interstate system with a law signed by President Eisenhower in 1956. |
Michal Zalecki
Michal Zalecki
software development, testing, JavaScript,
TypeScript, Node.js, React, and other stuff
How to Set up a Secure SFTP Server
SFTP (SSH File Transfer Protocol) allows for secure file transfer to and from the server. SFTP, despite its name, isn't based on FTP, which, unlike SFTP, doesn't allow for encrypted file transfer. FTPS is an extension of FTP that allows only to encrypt login and password. That's the basics when it comes to the security aspect of the very protocol.
Additional considerations to secure our server are disallowing password authentication and replacing it with SSH key-based authentication. Moreover, the goal is also to limit user ability to uploads in a dedicated directory without any further access to the server's shell.
First of all, you should have a server with sudo-level access. I'm going to use Debian, default VM configuration in Google Compute Engine, although you should be fine following this tutorial on any Debian-based distros, including Ubuntu, whether it's cloud or on-premise installation. Your server is already SFTP-enabled, so you don't have to install any additional software.
Create user and copy SSH key
We start by creating a new testsftp user on the server. You're going to get asked a few questions, but the most important right now is to set a password.
$ sudo adduser testsftp
Locally generate a new SSH key and save it.
You can now try to copy the SSH public key from your local machine to the server.
$ ssh-copy-id -i /path/to/key_rsa [email protected]<SERVER_IP>
If it fails with Permission denied (publickey). not asking for a password, then your server doesn't support password authentication.
To temporarily allow to authenticate with password edit SSH config.
$ sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Find PasswordAuthentication no line and replace it with PasswordAuthentication yes and apply changes by restarting the SSH daemon.
$ sudo systemctl restart sshd
Tray again to copy the SSH key.
Test connection via SSH.
$ ssh -i /path/to/key_rsa [email protected]<SERVER_IP>
Bring back the previous SSH config and disallow to authenticate with a password by replacing PasswordAuthentication yes with PasswordAuthentication no.
Setup safe SFTP space
Currently, the user not only can use SFTP but also access the server's shell. To restrict access to SFTP uploads to a particular directory, follow the next steps.
Create dir dedicated for file upload.
$ sudo mkdir -p /var/sftp/uploads
$ sudo chown root:root /var/sftp
$ sudo chmod 755 /var/sftp
$ sudo chown testsftp:testsftp /var/sftp/uploads
Limit testsftp user to using only SFTP.
$ sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
Add the following configuration at the end of the SSH daemon configuration file.
Match User testsftp
ForceCommand internal-sftp
PasswordAuthentication noChrootDirectory /var/sftp
PermitTunnel no
AllowAgentForwarding no
AllowTcpForwarding no
X11Forwarding no
If you do want to allow for password authentication, you can set PasswordAuthentication yes.
Apply changes by restarting the SSH daemon.
$ sudo systemctl restart sshd
Make sure access via SSH is now disabled.
$ ssh -i ./test_rsa [email protected]<SERVER_IP>
You can now make sure SFTP uploads work using software like FileZilla.
Photo by Gabriel Wasylko on Unsplash. |
Үндсэн товъёог
Цаг: 0:00Нийт үргэлжлэх хугацаа:3:01
Video transcript
we're asked what is the equation of line B and they tell us that line a has an equation y is equal to 2x plus 11 and they say that the line B contains the point 6 negative 7 and they tell us lines a and B are perpendicular perpendicular so that means that slope slope of B must be negative inverse of slope of a slope of a so what we'll do is we'll figure out the slope of a then take the negative inverse of it then we'll know the slope of B then we can use this point right here to fill in the gaps and figure out B's y-intercept so what's the slope of a this is already in slope-intercept form the slope of a is right there it's the two MX plus B so the slope here is equal to 2 so the slope of a is 2 what is the slope of B so what is B's B's slope going to have to be what's perpendicular a so it's going to be the negative inverse of this the inverse of 2 is 1/2 the negative inverse of that is negative 1/2 so B slope is negative 1/2 so we know that bees equation has to be y is equal to its slope M times X plus some y-intercept we still don't we still don't know what the y-intercept of B is but we can use this information to figure it out we know that Y is equal to negative 7 we know that Y is equal to negative 7 when X is equal to 6 when X is equal to 6 negative 1/2 times 6 times 6 plus B all right I'm just I just know that this is on the point so this this point must satisfy the equation of line B so let's work out what B must be so and this what or what the B the y-intercept is the lowercase B not the line B so we have negative 7 negative 7 is equal to what's negative 1/2 times 6 that's not a B there that's a six what's negative 1/2 times 6 it's negative three is equal to negative three plus our y-intercept let's add three to both sides of this equation so if we add 3 to both sides I just want to get rid of this 3 right here what do we get the left-hand side negative 7 plus 3 is negative 4 and that's going to be equal to these guys cancel out that's equal to be our y-intercept so this right here is a negative 4 so the equation of line B is is y is equal to its slope is a negative inverse of this character so negative 1/2 negative 1/2 X and its y-intercept we just figured out is negative 4 minus 4 and we are done |
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Collectively known as Ilocandia, the Ilocos Region is strategically located at the northwestern tip of Luzon. Its coastline runs along the international sea lanes of the South China Sea. It comprise the coastal provinces of La Union, Ilocos Sur and Ilocos Norte.
An impressive region of sharp geographical contrasts, the Ilocandia covers some 17,980 square kilometers of land, almost 17 times bigger than Hong Kong’s and 28 times larger than Singapore’s. This accounts for roughly 5.9% of the total land area of the Philippines. It is a blend of clear blue seas, high mountains, rolling terrain and fertile river plains.
Originally, the Ilocos region had only one province which was among the most thickly populated areas in the country. A burgeoning population necessitated the creation of different provinces – Pangasinan in 1611; Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur in 1846; La Union in 1854; Abra in 1846 and Benguet in 1966.
Prior to the coming of the Spaniards, the coastal plains in the northwestern extremity of Luzon, stretching from Bangui (Ilocos Norte) in the North to Namacpacan (La Union) in the South, were as a whole known as a progressive region rich in gold. This region, hemmed in between the China Sea in the west and Northern Cordillera in the east, was isolated from the rest of Luzon.
The inhabitants built their villages near small bays called looc in the dialect. The coastal inhabitants were referred to as Ylocos, which literally meant “from the lowlands.” The entire region was then called by the ancient name Samtoy, from “sao mi daytoy.” The Spaniards later called the region as Ilocos and its people, Ilocanos.
Ilocandia has a rich culture reminiscent of colonial times. Vigan, the colonial metropolis and considered as the “Intramuros of the North”, still retains the Castillan colonial architecture of the times. Lined along its narrow and cobble-stoned streets are old Spanish-type houses (commonly called Vigan house), most of which have been left abandoned. These stately homes have huge, high-pitched roofs, large and rectangular living rooms with life-sized mirrors, old, wooden furniture and ornate Vienna sets.
The churches of the Ilocos Region are the enduring symbol of the triumphant transformation of the Ilocano from being practitioners of indigenous religions to practitioners of theistic Christianity. Some of its most impressive churches are: the Vigan Cathedral in Ilocos Sur with its massive hand-carved images of the via crucis; that of Magsingal (also in Ilocos Sur) with its centuries-old wooden altar; the St. Augustine Church in Paoay (Ilocos Norte) which takes the form of a baroque-type built with massive buttresses; and Sta. Maria Church (Ilocos Sur), nestled atop a hill with a stone stairway of 80 steps, are both listed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites.
Dances were mainly a reflection of the gracious ways of the Ilocano. The dinaklisan (a dance common to fisher folks), the agabel (a weaver’s dance) and the agdamdamili (a pot dance) illustrate in simple steps the ways of the industrious Ilocano. Other popular dances among the Ilocanos are Tadek, Habanera, Comintan, Saimita, Kinotan, Kinnalogong.
The Land and its People
Historically, the people of the Ilocos Region are resourceful and industrious, their resilience, probably, stemming from their geographical location and extreme weather patterns. Their high inclination to save, misread by non-Ilocanos as characteristic of a typical tightwad, is evident in the high average savings rate of the region throughout the years. Ilocanos have an elaborate network of beliefs and practice which he applies when he deals with the people around him.
Quick Facts
ILOCOS NORTE AND ILOCOS SUR, the twin hearts of Ilocano culture, are rugged and rocky, its narrow plains hemmed in by the mountains and the sea.
Ilocos Norte, its capital being Laoag, is bounded by China Sea in the North; and Luzon Sea in the West. Its population of 482,651 (as of 1995) speak generally in Ilocano and English and has a land area of 3,399 square kilometers.
Ilocos Sur, its capital being Vigan, has a land area of 3,399 square kilometers and is bounded by Ilocos Norte in the North; Benguet, Abra, Mt. Province in the East, La Union in the South and China Sea in the West. Its 545,385 people (as of 1995) speak fluently in Ilocano, English and Filipino.
LA UNION, its capital being San Fernando City, is bounded by Ilocos Sur in the North; Benguet in the East; Pangasinan in the South and China Sea in the West, has a land area of 1,493 square kilometer. It has a population of 597,442 (1995) and people speak in Ilocano, Tagalog and English.
About the Author:
Ben Pacris is a multi-awarded writer/jounalist, radio/tv announcer, lecturer and public servant. He writes a column for the “Ilocandia Today” and “Anaraar”, published in Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur. He is the Information Center Manager of the Philippine Information Agency in Ilocos Norte. |
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Castle Facts for Children and Teachers
Castle Facts for Children and Teachers
Castles are full of history and home to lots of exciting stories, but why were castles built in England and who built them? Read on to learn lots of castle facts.
Who built the first castles in England?
The Normans built the first castles in England after winning the Battle of Hastings. The Normans were Vikings who were originally from Denmark, Norway and Iceland. In the 10th century, the French King, Charles the Simple, gave some land in the North of France to a Viking chief named Rollo. He did this because he hoped it would stop the Vikings from invading France. This bit of land became known as Northmannia, which was shortened to Normandy.
Castles Facts - William the Conqueror
This statue is of William the Conqueror. William is riding the horse and Rollo is one of the statues surrounding the base.
What happened in the Battle of Hastings?
The Battle of Hastings was a battle between the Norman-French army, led by William, the Duke of Normandy and an English army led by Harold Godwinson, the Anglo-Saxon King. The Normans invaded England and met the English army near Hastings on 14th October 1066. Harold was killed and the Normans won this battle.
Castles Facts - The Bayeux Tapestry
This section of the Bayeux Tapestry shows the death of King Harold during the Battle of Hastings.
What is the Bayeux Tapestry?
The Bayeux Tapestry is a sewn record of the Battle of Hastings. It shows the events leading up to the battle, the battle itself and who was involved. This tapestry is 70 metres long, 50 centimetres tall and is over 900 years old. It was sewn with wool yarn using a technique called embroidery.
Teachers: If you want to learn more about the Bayeux Tapestry, check out our castles cross-curricular art lessons.
Castles Facts - Bayeux Tapestry Detail This photo shows the stitching on the Bayeux Tapestry in detail.
Why were the first castles in England built?
The Normans needed to build castles to protect their soldiers. Lots of people living in England were not happy about having a new king, so there were lots of rebellions. As well as making new laws, one of the changes the Normans introduced was a new language. They mixed Anglo-Saxon English with Norman French, this new language became the English we speak today.
Castles Facts - Motte and Bailey Building of a Motte and bailey castle illustrated on the Bayeux Tapestry.
What are motte and bailey castles?
Motte and bailey castles are an enclosure (bailey) that is built on a mound (motte). A keep was built on the top of a mound with steep sides so people couldn’t run up them. At the bottom of the motte there was a wooden enclosure with buildings inside. The buildings included stables, kitchens and homes. The buildings and fences were built using wood.
Why were motte and bailey castles built?
Motte and bailey castles were quick and cheap to build, and easy to defend. It took a few weeks to build one of these castles. They were the first proper castles built in England.
Archaeologists have studied the number of mottes in England and think the Normans built around 500 motte and bailey castles. This would mean they built one every two weeks in the two years after 1066.
Castle Facts - Motte and Bailey CastlesA diagram of a motte and bailey castle, showing a raised earth mound and enclosed courtyard, surrounded by water ditch.
What are stone keep castles?
Stone keep castles were castles built from stone. Once the English stopped rebelling against the Normans quite as much, the Normans were able to improve their castles. Lots of motte and bailey castles had their wooden structures replaced with stone to make them stronger. These castles are also called square keep castles.
Why were stone keep castles built?
Stone keep castles were easy to defend. They were a sign of power and strength. Stone keep castles were bigger than motte and bailey castles so they could protect more people.
Castle Facts - Stone CastleIllustration of a stone castle on mound overlooking a settlement surrounded by stone wall.
What are concentric castles?
Concentric castles were bigger than stone keep castles. They were circular castles that were surrounded by two or more circular stone walls. Concentric castles were mainly built in England and Wales by Edward I.
What are some famous UK castles?
Castle Facts - Windsor CastleWindsor Castle was originally built as a motte-and-bailey castle. It has been gradually modified with stone fortifications.
The White Tower is the tower in the Tower of London. It was built to scare Londoners. What it is used for has changed lots over the years.
Castle Facts - Tower of London The White Tower at the Tower of London is an example of a stone keep.
Rochester Castle was built protect England's south-east coast from invasion.
Castle Facts - Rochester CastleRochester Castle in Kent is an example of a stone keep.
Conway Castle was built by Edward I, during his conquest of Wales. It formed part of a ring of castles in Wales.
Castle Facts - Conwy Castle Conway castle in North Wales is an example of a concentric castle.
Harlech Castle was built by Edward I. It is a World Heritage site as described by UNESCO as one of "the finest examples of late 13th century and early 14th century military architecture in Europe".
Castle Facts - Harlech CastleHarlech castle is an example of a concentric castle.
Teachers: If you're looking for more in-depth learning and facts about castles, check out our Castles Topic lessons for KS1 or our Norman Conquest lessons for LKS2.
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How To Plant Hydrangeas In 3 Easy Steps
How To Plant Hydrangeas
Are you looking for how to plant hydrangeas, so your garden looking beautiful?
Before knowing how to plant hydrangeas in the right way, firstly you know more about the plant hydrangeas.
The botanical name garden hydrangeas is hydrangea macrophylla of Basically hydrangeas considered as a shrub and it is a native of Japan.
Hydrangeas plant is also known as a different name as house hydrangeas, french hydrangeas, or Mopheads in different parts part of the world.
There are around 23 various varieties of hydrangea are found with unique, size, color, and growth of habit which blooms in the summertime.
How to plant hydrangeas Complete Process
How to plant hydrangeas Complete Process
1.Essential Ingredients For plant hydrangeas
a. Morning sun and shade afternoon light.
b. Good drainage system to prevent root rot but avoid overwatering.
c. Rich variety of soil with a good amount of organic compost for better results. Use of fertilizer and compost advisable May and July for hot climate and June and July for winter climate.
d. It is advisable when the plant is transferring from the pot to the garden, do so in early spring and fall.
Also Read: How To Prune Tomato Plants With Best 3 Steps ( Complete Guide)
2. Process for rooting from established plants:
a. Cut a 5-6 “inch stalk from a nonflowering plant.
b. Cut bigger leaves in a half and remove lower leaves.
c. insert the stem in rooting hormone and then rooting stem in moist vermiculite.
d. Situate the plant in where proper sunlight is available but avoid overheating.
e. Make sure the soil moisture is not fade, keep a regular supply of water.
f. Remember roots will appear in 2 to 3 weeks and complete this process in the summertime to ensure the plant is rooted and ready for winter.
g. There is no need or a very few chances that hydrangeas need any pest if you planted the plant in suitable soil and provide proper sunlight and water.
h. Pruning of the hydrangeas plant is recommended before the month of July.
Also Read: How To Plant a Pineapple With 6 Best Easy Steps
How to grow hydrangeas problems & Solutions
How To Plant Hydrangeas
1. Because of overheating by the sun the leaves and flowers of the plant are wilted, so to fix this problem provide shade to the plant, so it prevents overheating from sunlight.
2.Due to improper supply of water or poor drainage system flower of the plant looks dry and wilted. As you know for better thrive of the plant a good amount of water is needed on a regular basis. So make sure water hydrangeas plants twice a day.
3.Sometimes due to heavy winter or cold climate buds can’t bloom into the flowers and remember temperature above 25 degree Fahrenheit is may impact the growth of the plant. To avoid this problem keep your plants covered throughout the winters.
4.There are very little chance that the hydrangea plant is infected by any insect or they require any pest. If they get infected by any insect than use the appropriate insecticide according to its need.
5.If you check out the unhealthy and discolored leaves in the plant, the reason behind is it may be infected by fungicide, so to fix this problem when you put water on the plant, add the water into the base, this helps to keep dry leaves and there is less chance that your plant is affected by fungi.
6. To ensure better bloom regular care and maintenance are required, fertilization twice a year, water two times in a day, and some light shading is required during the time of pruning.
Do you know: You can easily change the color of the flowers of the hydrangea plant by changing the acidity of the soil.
Hydrangea is a beautiful shrub and it increases the beauty of your garden and house, so after going through all the easy steps know you have a good idea how to plant hydrangeas plant in a very healthy manner.
Also Read: How To Plant Watermelon In 5 Easy Steps |
Home / Writing Ideas / GRAPH: U.S. wages by gender
GRAPH: U.S. wages by gender
Calculator and notepad placed over stack of USA dollars
Karolina Grabowska via Pexels
The graph below shows the average wages for salaried and full-time workers in the U.S.
1. Describe the information in the graph. What does it tell you?
2. Why might it be important to have this data? Who might want to know, and how would they use it?
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Favia Coral Care Guide
Favia corals are large polyp stony (LPS) corals. They have an encrusting base but usually grow forming a dome-shape. Favia corals are also known as "brain corals" or "closed brain corals." The corallites of the Favia coral form their own individual walls. You should be able to see the groove in-between the 2 individual walls of a Favia coral. Sometimes this can make it hard to distinguish between a Favia coral and a Favites coral. (They look and are very similar, but Favites corals will have one fused/shared wall instead of the two distinct walls.) We allow some grace in the identification of these corals as it can be very hard to determine in smaller specimens. They both require similar care, so it's okay if you aren't 100% which type you have right away. Favia corals appear in a variety of colors and patterns.
Caring for Favia corals is relatively easy, making them an excellent choice for both beginner and expert Reef Chasers. They require low to moderate lighting combined with moderate water movement. We recommend 100-150 PAR. Bear in mind that many corals can be gradually acclimated to lighting beyond their normal range. Water flow that is too high can damage their fleshy polyps.
Through their symbiotic relationship with a photosynthetic algae, known as zooxanthellae, they receive many of their nutrients. Favia corals benefit from targeted feeding of meaty foods like Mysis shrimp or brine shrimp. To maintain good health, calcium, strontium, and other trace elements should be monitored and added as needed.
When placing your Favia coral, please remember that Favia corals are known to be aggressive. They have long sweeper tentacles that can extend to sting other corals that get too close. Be sure to provide enough personal space for your Favia coral to grow and thrive.
Brain coralCoralCoral care guideFaviaFaviidaeLpsReefReefchaser
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How often to feed goldfish: Get a healthy schedule now!
How often you feed goldfish is hugely important. But possibly not for the reasons you think. The reason that it’s important to know how often to feed goldfish is that you might otherwise feed them too much.
Most people worry that they won’t feed their goldfish enough, but that’s almost never a problem. Goldfish can live for around 14 days without being fed, and potentially much longer if there are food sources like algae to snack on.
When deciding how often to feed a goldfish, the problem you want to avoid is actually over-feeding. Feeding a goldfish too much food can lead to all kinds of life-threatening health problems!
We’ll talk more about over-feeding later in this article, but first, we want to share our rule for how often to feed goldfish:
Factors affecting how often to feed goldfish
In the vast majority of cases, we recommend following our advice to feed adult goldfish once per day. However, there are a few reasons you might want to adjust this:
Let’s look at each of these in turn.
How often to feed goldfish at different ages
As we’ve already mentioned, we recommend feeding younger goldfish (by that, we mean fish that are less than one year old), more often than adult goldfish.
Rather than once per day, we recommend feeding young goldfish at least two, possibly three times per day.
This is because more frequent meals will promote healthy growth.
It’s important to only feed very small amounts though. A small pinch of food is enough.
How water temperature affects goldfish appetite
You might not have guessed it, but the temperature of the water has a big impact when deciding how often to feed goldfish.
In colder water, a goldfish’s metabolism slows down. This means they don’t need as much food and will find it harder to digest the food they do eat.
Goldfish kept in outdoor ponds – where there will be algae and bugs to snack on! – may need to be fed as little as once per month.
How breeding affects when you feed goldfish
You may choose to feed your goldfish more often if you are trying to condition the fish for spawning.
Feeding several large meals daily will help to encourage goldfish to spawn.
The increased food will also increase the egg and milt count.
How often to feed goldfish if your tank is crowded
When your tank is crowded, your fish will produce more waste. This risks polluting your tank water, so you should take extra care not to over-feed.
Having multiple fish in the same tank also means that your fish will compete for food. You’ll need to pay close attention when feeding to make sure every fish gets enough food (and no fish eats too much!)
Both of these factors mean that – if your tank is crowded – you may want to feed smaller, slightly more frequent amounts.
By keeping the amounts small, you lower the risk of polluting your water. And by feeding more regularly, you may be better able to target each fish and ensure they all get their fair share.
Fitting goldfish feeding into your own routine
Finally, as much as your goldfish’s diet should be based around their needs, you also need to take your own routine into account.
For instance, there’s no point planning to feed your fish three times per day if you’re out at work or school all day so won’t be there to feed them!
We think it’s better to get into a regular routine, which your fish will get used to, rather than feeding once per day on some days, and multiple times per day on others.
So, before deciding how often to feed goldfish based on our rules or anything else you may read, think about your schedule and make a choice that works for you.
How much to feed goldfish
We’ve talked about how often to feed goldfish, but what about how much to feed goldfish? As we’ve already said, you need to be very careful not to over-feed your goldfish as many health issues can arise from giving them too much food.
So how much food should you feed to a goldfish?
Here are two common recommendations for helping you to judge the right amount of goldfish food:
1. Give an amount of food equal to the size of the goldfish’s eye
2. Give an amount of food that your goldfish can eat in under two minutes
If that doesn’t sound like much, well… that’s the point! Feeding your goldfish too little is almost never a problem. Whereas over-feeding can be life-threatening.
Why is over-feeding goldfish dangerous?
Common health problems that can happen due to overfeeding include swim bladder problems, constipation, fin rot and dropsy.
Swim bladder issues and constipation are caused by the over-feeding itself, while issues like fin rot and dropsy are caused by the poor water conditions that result from over-feeding.
Fancy types of goldfish are particularly prone to swim bladder problems. Lots of rich food is hard to process and can lead to constipation or food impaction. Their food should contain no fillers, wheat, or wheat gluten.
Slim bodied breeds, such as commons or comet goldfish, aren’t as prone to constipation due to their organ placement. Lower quality foods can cause fatty liver. Fatty liver can be caused by having a diet that is too high in fat.
Fin rot is a bacterium that will eat at the fins of the goldfish. It shows up on the fins as them being cloudy or turning white. It happens due to stress or living in bad water.
Dropsy happens when the fish is living in bad water or is fed an improper diet. It shows up in the fish by them having a large abdomen or their scales poking out. When excess food is allowed to stay in the tank then it messes with the water quality. The food breaking down can increase ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates in the tank.
What are your thoughts on how often to feed goldfish? How often do you feed your goldfish? Please let us know in the comments.
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Labels & Rolls 101
This page is dedicated to label basics, common label terms (many more are defined in our Glossary), and what to know when ordering pressure sensitive labels. A pressure sensitive or self-adhesive label is made up of a few basic parts: a facestock and an adhesive on a liner, produced on a roll.
Anatomy of a label roll
1. Facestock
The part of the label we print on, also the part of the label your customers will see. The most common materials used as a facestock for pressure sensitive labels are paper, film, and foil.
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2. Adhesive
This is of course the sticky part of a pressure sensitive label. The adhesive will remove easily from the liner for easy application to your product or container. There are a few types of adhesives: all temperature, cold temperature, permanent, and removable. These types of labels are called self adhesive or pressure sentive because the adhesive is a part of the label– they do require the addition of glue for application to your container, just like a sticker.
3. Liner / Carrier
Also called the carrier or backing, for pressure sensitive labels it is most commonly a brown kraft color paper, and it has a special coating that allows your labels to be easily removed.
4. Top Coating
The top coating is the final protective layer applied to your labels, if desired. Some top coatings are visible, like glossy or matte coatings, and can be used as another element of your label design. Others are not visible and are purely functional, protecting the facestock from damage.
5. Core
The core is the sturdy cardboard center of a label roll. Just like a roll of paper towels, when you reach the end of your label liner only the core will remain. Depending on the label application equipment you use, the core will be either 1-inch or 3-inches in diameter. Unless you are hand applying your labels with no machine assistance of any kind, we will need to know which core size to use. Different label machines have varying requirements for core size.
How to store label rolls
Understanding "Rewind"
Label basics, rewind direction for label printing on rolls
When your labels are printed they go on a roll. There are 8 possible orientations for the labels related to how they go onto the final roll.
The "Rewind Direction" refers to which way the label printing is "right side up" as you unroll your labels to apply them to your products.
If you are hand applying your labels, rewind #2 or #3 is most common for right handers, and rewind #4 is the favorite for south paws.
Why is this important? Rewind direction is critical for semi-automatic and machine applied labels. The equipment you use will specifiy a rewind direction between 1 and 8, and that's the number your rolls must be produced with to be compatible with your label applicator.
Just like the core size of 1-inch or 3-inches, your equipment will be set up to handle a specific rewind direction.
It is important to note that rewind direction may also your pricing. If you are hand applying your labels we will automatically select the most cost effective rewind direction. However, if you know you will be machine applying your labels in the future, let us know so we can quote your labels with the appropriate machine application rewind requirement. This will allow you to use existing labels on your new equipment as well as provide you with consistent pricing.
Please continue to read about roll size, as this is relevant to machine application as well.
Roll Size Matters!
Don't order a giant label roll if you will be moving it around manually!The size of each label roll is known to as th Outside Diameter, or "O.D.". This can be crucial information for both hand application and machine application.
For hand application, there are two primary considerations. First, will you physically be able to move the roll around? While it's true you can save a little on your order by buying a single roll, make sure it's something you will be able lift, move, and work with.
Second, will you have more than one person applying the labels? Sharing a single roll during hand application will slow you down. Consider breaking your order up across a few smaller rolls or even ordering one for each person applying labels.
For machine application, the O.D. is important because each machine is different and will have a different maximum O.D., as well as core size and necessary rewind direction. Check with your equipment manufacturer for exact specifications.
Additional Resources
Common Label Corner Radius Chart
24 label corner radius' - click for PDF |
As cities around the world fill up with people and commerce, air pollution is becoming an increasingly fatal problem.
A report by the International Energy Agency found that 6.5 million deaths per year can be attributed to air pollution. This is a huge increase from earlier estimates. A 2012 report by the World Health Organization found that 3.7 million deaths could be pinned to air pollution each year. While air pollution has not doubled in severity in the course of a few years, this disparity underscores the magnitude of the problem and how responses need to be more urgent.
With the data in this report, air pollution becomes the fourth-biggest threat to human health after poor diet, smoking and high blood pressure.
As Global Citizen reported last year, “These deaths are caused by mostly cardiovascular diseases, like ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and acute lower respiratory infections in children. As such, air pollution is recognized as the world’s worst environmental carcinogen, and it’s considered more dangerous than second-hand smoke.”
A lot of these deaths occur in cities that have developed rapidly over the past few decades.
India, which has seen explosive growth, is home to 7 of the 15 cities with the worst air pollution. The country has heavily leaned on coal for its energy needs, often resorting to the dirtiest types of coal to keep the engine of development burning. There is also very little regulation of vehicles and street fires to burn garbage are common.
delhi pollution_hero.jpgImage: Flickr: Jean-Etienne Minh-Duy Poirrier
Because of this, major cities are often shrouded in smog. In New Delhi, 6 years are shaved off the average life span because of air pollution.
This is made worse by droughts brought on by climate change that cause more dust particles to rise into the air.
Throughout India, the vicious cycle of air pollution and climate change is causing frightening consequences. For example, the Himalayan Glaciers provide water for up to 700 million people throughout the region, but emissions and rising temperatures are gradually causing them to melt. As they shrink, communities are scrambling to find alternative sources of water and wetlands and rivers are drying up.
The city with the worst air pollution is Zabol, Iran, partly because wetlands are drying and unleashing dust particles into the air.
Zabol, Iran air pollution.jpgImage: Youtube: CCTV
A similar problem is happening in parts of California as the Salton Sea dries up due to the overexploitation of water sources and climate change. What was once a thriving marshland is now mostly desert and a rash of debilitating respiratory problems are on the rise.
In Beijing, a city that has become globally known for its wildly fluctuating air quality, an artist called Brother Nut set out to make the visceral nature of air pollution even more visceral.
He traveled the city with a vacuum cleaner and held the hose out in front of him. After 100 days, he made a brick with the particles the vacuum sucked up and the message was disturbingly clear: each person walking throughout the city could be harboring a similar buildup of pollution in their bodies.
In Beijing, like in all cities, the poor are worst affected by air pollution because they can’t afford expensive purifiers and often work outside where they are exposed to the air.
The good news is that people are getting fed up. In China, for instance, there is a growing environmental movement that protests appalling air quality and the construction of new coal plants and chemical facilities. They’re aware that the future is endangered if the status quo continues. In response, the government is taking actions to make the economy green.
Globally, calls for action are happening as well. The International Energy Agency, a consortium that represents the world’s biggest fossil fuel producers, is pushing for clean energy policies.
Oftentimes, cleaning up the air is as simple as enacting new emissions standards for cars or improving garbage pick-up throughout neighborhoods. New Delhi and New Mexico both recently enacted tougher vehicle controls to deal with the sometimes suffocating smog.
There is also momentum for change from the Paris climate agreement, which is the largest-ever global commitment to combat climate change and pursue a cleaner world.
The International Energy Agency said that an increased investment of 7% each year in clean energy solutions could solve the problem, but, as The Guardian argues, more than this has to be done.
Rather than a gradual shift away from fossil fuels, something more like a break has to happen. Governments around the world have to begin to sharply reduce fossil fuel usage.
This takes on even greater urgency when you consider the expected growth of cities in the future. 70% of humanity will cluster in cities by 2050, and by 2100 the global population could grow by nearly 5 billion.
Too many lives are at stake for climate action to be delayed any longer.
Defend the Planet
Air pollution is killing 6.5 million people each year
By Joe McCarthy |
Can Migraines Be Determined by a Blood Test? Very Possibly!
Up to this point, there has not been a test that can confirm or deny whether people are suffering from migraines. They are diagnosed mainly with symptoms. However, new research is being done that can possibly help doctors find out whether the head pain you are experiencing is actually a migraine or is due to another condition that needs to be looked into further. Before we discuss how this new research may help, let’s look at exactly what a migraine is.
What Are Migraines?
Migraines affect as many as 12 percent of the population in America — about 39 million people. They are defined as repeated attacks of moderate to severe head pain that is pounding or throbbing in nature. In two-thirds of the cases, only one side of the head is affected. People with migraines often feel extremely sensitive to light, sound, and some odors. They may also become nauseous and even vomit.
Migraines are seen three times more often in women than in men. Some people have what is called an aura. This is a neurological symptom that warns of an oncoming migraine. It may be a flashing light, zig-zag lines, or even weakness on one side of the body occurring just an hour or so before the head pain begins. Some people may even lose their vision entirely.
Migraines are often triggered by external forces. These things do not cause a migraine, but they play a role in making one happen. They can include:
• Anxiety
• Stress
• Exposure to bright or flashing light
• Hormonal changes in women
• Lack of enough sleep
• Missing meals causing low blood sugar
• Dehydration
• Loud noises
• Certain foods — aged cheeses, chocolate, red wine
Previously, researchers and doctors thought migraines were linked to the constricting and opening of blood vessels in the head. However, recent studies have revealed they are probably related to genes that control the activity in some brain cells.
How a Blood Test Can Detect Migraines
Current diagnosing of migraines is based entirely on looking at your medical history and considering what symptoms you are experiencing. A study from Johns Hopkins University suggests that a blood test may be able to help doctors find out if you really do have a migraine or if further testing should be done to find out what you are suffering from. This applies particularly to episodic migraines (those that occur less than 15 times during a month’s time).
Dr. B. Lee Peterlin, from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, reports his findings suggest migraines are neurological in origin. He hopes that further research can advance the understanding of migraine pathophysiology and lead to identifying migraine biomarkers in the blood so as to help with caring for those with migraines.
Are Migraines Inherited?
Migraines are extremely disabling, and scientists do not understand what makes them happen. Theories suggest that migraines may be a form of inherited brain disorder. Past studies have indicated migraine sufferers are at a greater risk to develop a stroke and similar disorders linked to the metabolism of fats, including obesity.
Taking this research into consideration, the team of researchers at Johns Hopkins examined one group of lipids — ceramides — to see if they are somehow related to migraines. Ceramides are responsible for regulating inflammation in the brain. They observed 52 women who had episodic migraines and 36 women without migraines. The women’s BMI was measured and then blood was drawn to test for ceramides. This led to some interesting discoveries.
The Results
Those with migraines showed a decreased level of ceramides — 6,000 nanograms per milliliter — compared to those without migraines — 10,500 nanograms per milliliter. Looking further, it was discovered that as ceramides increased, the risk for migraines began to lower.
Another lipid found in the blood — sphingomyelin — also had a connection to migraines. However, the opposite was true with it: increased levels were responsible for a greater risk of migraines.
Researchers were able to blindly look at 14 tests from the group of participants and properly identify which ones had migraines and which ones did not based solely on their lipid count. This can greatly impact the future of those with migraines, leading to a possible way to better care for this debilitating condition.
Finding Natural Migraine Relief
Upper cervical chiropractors have seen great success in caring for migraines in their patients. Dr. Raymond Damadian, the inventor of the MRI and upright MRI, used the MRI machine to help evaluate blood flow in patients with migraines. He noticed people with migraines had a decreased flow of oxygen-rich blood and cerebrospinal fluid to the brain. This was connected to a misalignment in the bones of the upper cervical spine, particularly the C1 and C2 vertebrae, because it acted as a type of blockage to these fluids. This means the proper fluid could not get to the brain and provide the right nutrients and oxygen. It also means the waste products were not leaving the brain in the correct amounts. All of this can lead to migraines.
Numerous studies have been conducted showing upper cervical chiropractic adjustments help those with migraines. One specific study looked at 101 people with migraines and other headache types. They were all found to have a misalignment in their neck. Once corrected, 85 saw their head pain go away completely, while the remaining ones saw a great reduction in severity and frequency.
We use a gentle method that does not require us to pop or crack the spine to get positive results. Our adjustments are given without the need for force and encourage a more natural realignment of the bone. Our patients report seeing similar results to those in the above study.
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Corona viruses are nothing new. They were first identified in the 1960’s and they are so called because of their “crown” shape (“corona” is Latin for “crown”).
This type of virus is also more common that you think: it can be responsible for common colds, sinus infection or upper-respiratory infections and it is not particularly dangerous.
Some types of corona viruses can be very dangerous, however. They are responsible for conditions like SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) that the world has seen a few years ago.
At the beginning of January 2020 we have seen an outbreak of a new strain of corona virus (called Novel Corona virus) in China.
So, what are the symptoms?
In most cases the symptoms are exactly the same as the ones of a common cold and you will not be able to tell the difference:
-runny nose
-sore throat
In most cases, this is all you will get and you won’t even know whether it was corona virus or the usual common cold and that is good! It means that you will recover as usual and no harm done. Sure, you can have blood test done to check what type of virus it was but there is no need, you will just be glad it’s gone.
If the infection reaches your lower respiratory tract, however, (your trachea and your lungs) that’s when things can get dangerous, because that is when you can get pneumonia. In people with an already weak immune system, this unfortunately can and has proved to be fatal.
Please consider that this danger is present in every type of flu or cold that we get every year. The difference in this case, is that this particular strain of virus is new and therefore, there is no vaccine yet.
What can homeopathy do about it then?
The beauty of homeopathy is that it treats the individual’s symtpoms, not the condition. This means that, whatever the name of the virus, we can treat the symptoms and there are already so many remedies that can help with the symtpoms of flu and cold very effectively!
Those of you who are already familiar with homeopathy will know that remedies like Gelsenium, Arsenicum Natrum Muriaticum or Bryonia can be very effective in tackling symptoms like runny nose, cough, muscle pain and headaches.
There is, however, a remedy that is not very commonly used and it is called Justicia Adhatoda Basaka. These are the symptoms that might alert you to this remedy:
-Dry cough from sternal region all over chest.
-Hoarseness, larynx painful.
-PAROXYSMAL COUGH, with suffocative obstruction of respiration. -COUGH WITH SNEEZING.
-Severe dyspnoea with cough.
-Asthmatic attacks, cannot endure a close, warm room.
-Bronchial catarrh, coryza, hoarseness; oversensitive.
Justicia Adhatoda, an Indian Shrub
Categories: Homeopathy |
• Brittany
Thinking Critically with Leah Goldrick
This month I talk with Leah Goldrick, creator of Common Sense Ethics, about logic and critical thinking. See our video chat on the Common Sense Ethics Youtube channel. I hope you enjoy our interview!
Brittany: One of your primary topics at Common Sense Ethics is critical thinking. Could you explain what critical thinking means and why you are interested in it?
Leah: When I say critical thinking, strictly, I'm referring to logic, or the science of how arguments need to be formed in order to be correct. I'm also referring more generally to skills like being slow to form opinions, having standards of evidence, separating truth from falsehood, being able to accurately evaluate other people's arguments, being open-minded, not being afraid to be wrong, changing your mind in light of better information, and thinking with a degree of detachment (rather than from a dogmatic or emotionally driven mindset). I would also add to this a working knowledge of cognitive bias and group dynamics. All these things are helpful for being able to think more clearly.
I suppose that I am interested in critical thinking because I’ve always been a bit of a contrarian. I think that we always need to look at the other side of an argument, and never just accept anything uncritically, no matter who is saying it.
Brittany: You are a big believer in the Socratic method as a means of thinking deeply and critically about issues. In your blog post “How to Get Rid of the Need to be Right,” you define the Socratic method as
a system of cooperative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions (raising doubts) to draw out underlying presumptions. It is a dialectical method, involving a discussion in which one point of view is questioned and one participant may lead another to contradict themselves in some way, thus weakening the defender's original point that they were very certain about before the process began.
Can you tell us more about how the Socratic method can help us engage in dialogue with others and get to the bottom of complex issues?
Leah: The Socratic Method seems complicated but doesn’t have to be. I’ve linked to an article here for people to learn about it more detail. The Socratic Method is simply a way of working together to discover the truth or at least get closer to it.
The Socratic Method helps us get closer to the truth via asking questions (rather than making statements). There are two reasons for this. The first is that this type of dialectical questioning helps to see that what we assumed is true may not be so when counterarguments are given. The second reason is that by asking questions, you are more likely to make someone feel comfortable (and consequently have them consider your arguments) than if you merely disagree with them. People love to give their opinion and by asking questions, you are showing them respect as a person (even if you disagree with their conclusions).
Brittany: You also frequently mention cognitive biases and offer advice on how to overcome them. Could you share some of your thoughts here on cognitive biases?
Leah: There are numerous cognitive biases which can impinge on critical thinking, too many to list here. But two of the more obvious ones are confirmation bias and the Dunning-Kruger Effect.
Confirmation bias results from the fact that we form fairly rigid belief systems or perceptual frameworks out of necessity as we go through life (in order to handle the information continually coming at us). Usually, our perceptual framework serves us quite well. But it can also be a major intellectual handicap when we are confronted with information which undercuts our established belief systems.
We tend to interpret new information in a way that strengthens our preexisting beliefs. When we are confronted with information which conflicts with our beliefs, we will often find ways to discard it. Everybody does this, even scientists. We also tend to search out information which confirms our beliefs rather than looking for more neutral or contradictory information. One way to avoid confirmation bias is to first, remember that we have blind spots, and second, to intentionally teach ourselves to consider whether the opposite side of any proposition has merit.
The Dunning-Kruger effect is another cognitive bias that limits critical thinking. It simply means that people of lower skill or understanding mistakenly feel that their knowledge of something is greater than it really is. Paradoxically, the more mastery one gains, the less one may feel that one knows. Maybe this is why Socrates felt that he knew nothing. One way to counteract the Dunning-Kruger effect is to stay humble and consider that there could be more to learn.
Brittany: In your blog post “38 Life Lessons in 38 Years,” you write:
One of humanity's worst qualities is that we are a programmable species. Add in some cognitive biases, and the fact that we derive a lot of our self worth from other people's approval, and you have a situation where many people just go along to get along. Don't be like that. Dig deeper. Look for the truth even if it is disturbing or it differs from what you have been taught.
How do we learn to dig deeper into situations and escape from groupthink?
Leah: The term groupthink derives from psychologist Irving Janis’ work on group dynamics in the early 1970s. He coined the term after George Orwell’s “newspeak” in 1984. Groupthink is a “non-deliberate suppression of critical thought as a result of internalization of the group’s norms.” As groups gain more internal cohesion, the risk of groupthink increases because people won’t do anything that might jeopardize membership in that group.
You should suspect groupthink is at play if there is any group in which you or others pressure a dissenter to change his or her views. Is there any group in which you automatically agree with all the opinions of the group? Are you in any group which views the “opposing” groups as evil, stupid, or weak? If so, some examination of your beliefs is probably in order. I suggest several ways to dig deeper throughout the course of this interview.
Brittany: One of the themes in your work on critical thinking is nuance. You argue that many issues society is facing today are falsely presented in simplistic terms, when really they are incredibly complex and nuanced. How does the lack of nuance in political and popular discourse harm us? Is there anything we can do to reintroduce nuance into the conversation?
Leah: I’m not exactly sure I have the full answer, but I can speculate about why this might be the case. True understanding requires time, energy, and open-mindedness to sort through nuances. All these prerequisites are at a premium today. People are busy, journalists have tight deadlines, politicians are in a rush to get things done. Most people’s goal isn’t to better understand things.
There is a philosopher named Terrance Hoyt who argues that there should be more philosophers in public service. I’m not totally convinced that would help, since some philosophers are just as partisan and intellectually rigid as the next person, but it might be a start. I do wish, however, that people would stop thinking that the government can or should solve every problem. A lot of times in the haste to fix things with legislation, things are made worse and unintended consequences are created because no one takes the time to sort through the details.
Brittany: You often mention critical thinking skills as an antidote to two big, messy problems confronting us today: partisan politics and the manipulative news media. How does critical thinking help us fight back against the dumbing-down influence of politics and news?
Leah: To think critically about politics, it helps not to take sides. Not taking sides lets you focus on the bigger picture. It’s better to be committed to principles generally than to be partisan. Marcus Aurelius’ mentor, Rusticus, always advised not taking sides politically. He served twice as consul, which was the highest elected position at that time. That would be like a head of state today saying not to take sides politically. Can you imagine that in today's world?
Political parties seem to exist more for consensus forming and other practical reasons, not because they are committed to upholding any sort of virtues. All political parties will violate the same principles which they supposedly hold dear, and it’s easy to see this if you if you can think about it with a degree of detachment. Partisanship also means being subject to groupthink, as least to some extent. Identity politics is problematic as well in that it can induce groupthink and tribalism.
Public trust in traditional media is now at an all-time low. I have done a lot of work on both propaganda and the decline in journalistic ethics, and it just scratches the surface of the problems. I have further articles and videos planned on the subject. But in short, yes, critical thinking can help us deal with the media. I would recommend not taking most of what is said by the media at face value. Assume most reporting is now agenda-driven. Check sources yourself if you can. Consider the opposite perspective.
Brittany: You also describe the need for intellectual humility and curiosity, quoting Socrates: “All wisdom begins in wonder.” Could you say more about how humility and curiosity make us better?
Leah: Critical thinking is fundamentally driven by questions, not answers. If you think you already know something, then you are less likely to seek more information or to question your own beliefs. This results in intellectual stagnation and rigidity.
Humility is necessary because you should always consider the possibility that you could be wrong. Having humility takes a certain amount of maturity. Stoics and Christians alike view this virtue the one of the proper end goals of social and personal development. We are not doing well reaching this goal as a society. If you look around you can see the opposite. Many people so arrogant and so sure that they are right, that they are willing to shout down, cancel and censor people who hold different opinions.
Brittany: Could you describe the relationship between emotions and critical thinking? Do you think Stoicism can help us recognize when emotions are interfering with our thought processes?
Leah: It’s important to be able to separate your ideas and beliefs from your ego. Many people have not learned this skill, so I think Stoicism can help with that. Stoicism helps us control negative emotions like anger, which can stop us from thinking clearly.
Brittany: In general, do you see a relationship between Stoicism and critical thinking?
Leah: The beginnings are there. The modern Stoicism movement concentrates almost exclusively on Stoic ethics and not on logic (or metaphysics). The ancient Stoics would have studied both Aristotelian logic and Stoic logic (as the Stoics had their own system). The closest thing in the modern Stoic movement that might assist critical thinking are the Stoic dictates that we are supposed to question our impressions and not let anger take hold of us. Both practices are helpful for being able to think critically and with more emotional distance. To this I would also recommend a greater exploration of logic, cognitive bias, and the psychology of group dynamics, which I have discussed elsewhere in this interview.
Brittany: You shared some excellent critical thinking books for children and teens on my other website, Apparent Stoic. Do you have suggestions for actively teaching children and teens critical thinking skills?
Leah: We have to be intentional about teaching these skills to our children outside of school unless they are going to a specialized school, like a Classical school, that specifically teaches the trivium (logic, rhetoric, and grammar). Most schools do not teach the trivium, logic, or any of the specific skills I mentioned in my response to the first question above, although they may have critical thinking components rolled into other subjects. This is not enough in my opinion. Critical thinking should be its own area of study. (I, for example, never had any formal logic taught to me until I was in college. I have had to teach myself skills like being slow to form opinions, thinking with a degree of detachment, and about things like cognitive biases and group dynamics.)
In addition to getting some of the books that I recommend in this post you referenced, there are online or homeschool critical thinking courses you can enroll your child in or buy materials for. You can also make freethinking and/or Socratic dialog part of your family culture. True critical thinking begins developmentally speaking at the Logic stage (in Classical education), when a child is roughly age 11-15. Parents can cultivate critical thinking skills in their children and teens by engaging in lively conversation, encouraging their child to inquire and to respectfully dispute. Conversation should focus on finding proper support for arguments, considering alternate possibilities, and not debating issues in an overly emotional or dogmatic way.
Brittany: What resources would you recommend for readers who would like to improve their critical thinking skills?
Leah: There are a lot of free resources and inexpensive study materials for adults available at Trivium Education linked here.
Brittany: Is there anything else you would like to share with Stoics who are interested in thinking more clearly and accurately about the world?
Leah: Stoics may be interested in cultivating a more Socratic temperament generally, which is more or less the character traits and virtues that I have advocated for throughout this interview: having humility, not fearing being wrong or changing your mind, taking joy in learning, and being generally reasonable. You can learn more about the Socratic temperament here.
Many thanks to Leah Goldrick for her insightful comments on critical thinking! You can see more of Leah's philosophy at Common Sense Ethics or her parenting website, Common Sense Mother. |
What Is DHT? – Dihydrotestosterone
DHT, or to give it its full name, Dihydrotestosterone, is a naturally occurring metabolite found in the human body and the most common cause of hair loss in both sexes. It’s a chemical derivative of testosterone produced in the prostate glands and testes of men, and in the adrenal glands and hair follicles of both men and women.
DHT occurs through the metabolism of an androgen with the 5-alpha-reductase enzyme. This may sound worrying, but this is not a disorder and DHT is essential for men in adolescence. However, in later life, it can also be responsible for hair loss, and this is a problem. Luckily, there are ways to combat the effects of DHT on hair loss.
A Natural Occurrence
Testosterone is an essential hormone in both sexes. It is linked to healthy sexual behaviour, helps build protein and supports a range of metabolic activities, such as the production of blood cells, the formation of new bone material, the metabolism of carbohydrate and good liver function.
During maturation, researchers have concluded, that DHT is a crucial element in the development of mature male characteristics. These include the growth of facial hair and thickening body hair. Even in adolescence, however, DHT can have less favourable side effects. It is linked to acne, although it is not the only cause, but its post-puberty effects are the ones that trouble men the most. DHT plays a causative role in androgenic alopecia, better known as Male Pattern Baldness.
How Does DHT Lead to Hair Loss?
DHT doesn’t make your hair fall out, but it can restrict and slow down hair growth to such an extent that the end result is hair loss. All men produce DHT but some aren’t affected by it. Those men who have a genetic tendency towards hair loss, a tendency still being researched worldwide, are highly susceptible to these effects and need to take action against DHT formation in the scalp area if they want to protect against hair loss.
The damaging effects of DHT occur when it attaches to the receptor cells of hair follicles. At this level, DHT interrupts proteins, vitamins, and minerals from nourishing the hair follicles and leads to follicle shrinkage. This reducing of the follicles means a slower reproduction rate, essentially a shortening of the growing phase and a lengthening of the resting stage. The result is hair that becomes finer and thinner with each growth cycle until, ultimately, hair follicles stop producing hair altogether.
How to Combat DHT related Hair Loss
Although the problem is related to nutrition, diet alone cannot remedy DHT related hair loss, as the issue lies at the transmission of the nutrients at the scalp. Adding more of the vitamins and minerals needed for hair growth to your diet doesn’t help as DHT simply blocks them at the scalp level. However, there are two safe and reliable methods of combating this hair loss, by either inhibiting the production of DHT or increasing blood flow to the scalp. These methods can be used successfully alone or combined.
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From search to discovery
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Mark Johns, president of USA-based Littlearth, investigates different ways of searching for information and argues that a 'discovery engine' approach is sometimes best
Searching for information in an online collection of unstructured documents is extremely valuable. Examples of such document collections are patent documents, news articles, legal cases and articles in a medical journal.
For many document collections, searching for relevant documents via keywords is the most common and accepted method. Sifting through the results, reworking the query and collecting and organising the results is a process that most researchers have become familiar with. It is still quite analogous to manually investigating a collection of printed documents. Software just helps to perform that job more efficiently.
The advent of the ‘search engine’ was a cornerstone in the evolution of information research. In its simplest form, a search engine is used to find documents that contain some specific words. Advanced search engines such as Google can yield results that don’t literally match on the keywords. With such search engines usually comes the baggage of ‘page rank’. This can skew the results, which may or may not be desirable. Most database search engines, such as those in Wikipedia and the United States Patent & Trade Office, incorporate the familiar ‘Boolean keyword search’. This approach is very literal, which, of course, has its own distinct value and applicability. However, if a researcher types in too many keywords, they end up with no matches at all. If they type in too few, there are too many and highly varying results. This means that they need to rework the query by adding some complex combination of ‘AND’, ‘OR’, ‘NOT’, use of parentheses and phrases, for example.
So, what is the best way to build the appropriate search criteria? Consider the following scenario: a researcher enters some keywords that yield a set of documents that are not satisfactory. After struggling for a while, the researcher comes upon some document that at least comes close to what they are looking for. They then discover some words in the document itself that would help them develop their search criteria.
If the researcher could somehow use the entirety of that particular document as the criteria for the search, it is extremely likely that many more relevant documents can be found. A pure Boolean keyword search on the body of text would not be likely to yield any other matches. A completely different type of ‘search’ is warranted.
There are several methodologies for solving such a problem. These include extracting limited keywords or utilising metadata from each document and matching only on that data, or clustering, where each document belongs to a single class of documents or a limited number of classes. Another option is to extract internal forward and/or backward hard-coded references for a given document to form document trees. Latent semantic analysis is also a possibility, but it is worth noting that this varies in quality and is often accompanied by an algorithm that approximates the data representing any given document. Full-text comparison that works on relatively small datasets is also sometimes used.
Using the full text to search
In many document collections, the highest quality search criteria is actually the entire text of one of the documents in the database. A real document in the collection (or a new one that a researcher could type in full) contains much more information than what a researcher would typically type as keywords. The natural language of the document and all its inherent properties tend to shine through, if analysed with appropriate algorithms. The effect is that the result of the search criteria is the set of documents that are most similar to or related to the original document.
In ‘complexity theory’, such a phenomenon is known as ‘emergence’. This emergence is the key to a natural stepping-stone in the evolution of information research – a ‘discovery engine’. Such discovery engines can currently be found in one form or another but our existing culture’s awareness and use of the concept is still in its infancy. To be complete, it should be noted that the search for relevant documents may still begin with a small set of keywords but they can really just be treated as a mini document.
At Littlearth, a technology called DocumentDiscovery has recently been developed. It was designed from the ground up to tackle the problem of discovering related documents in a large collection of documents (the technology does not even utilise a commercially-available database management system). The technology is fundamentally designed to work on any language, but English is currently the only one that is fully accommodated.
DocumentDiscovery can be integrated into other systems as a standard web service or it can behave as a document reader and provide its own user interface. Currently, it is being applied to three different document collections, in the form of three different websites that are owned by Littlearth:;; and The company is continuing to develop these websites as well as to take on ventures with organisations that distribute valuable document collections.
DocumentDiscovery distinguishes itself in part or in whole from other methodologies in several ways. Firstly, it confronts the real problem, which requires an extreme amount of computer resources.
For a collection of 10 million documents, the number of pairs of relationships is approximately 50 trillion. Secondly, the tool is extensible. An example of extensibility is that different combinations of text can be used as the search criteria. This might be multiple documents taken as a whole, an existing document that is augmented with some text supplied by the researcher or subsections of documents. The quality of the algorithms is also important. Firstrate algorithms result in a high-quality set of related documents.
PatentSurf incorporates a Boolean keyword search.
Helping match patents
One good example of how a ‘discovery engine’ can offer benefits over a ‘search engine’ is in performing a patent search. For example, a researcher might already have a full description of his own patent.
The description is submitted as the ‘search criteria’ and the top related documents are returned. Some of the results look very relevant so the researcher holds/tags them in order to be able to return to them later. The researcher also tags others to ignore so they don’t show up in any subsequent result sets. One of the top results looks relevant so the researcher clicks ‘Related’ on it in order to see the top related documents for that patent record. From there, they click ‘Related’ on another document, all the while accumulating relevant documents.
The ‘search criteria’ is effectively changing each time on-the-fly. This is very different from having to rework a query manually. In fact, this process is much like the job of an old-time patent analyser.
They would have sorted through paper documents, reviewed each of them, and acquired others that are referenced. They would then have placed good candidates in one pile and placed irrelevant documents in another pile. The major difference with using a discovery engine is that a given electronic document effectively points to all of the related documents and it is never out of date – unlike a paper document which, at best, has some relevant backward document references.
Using a discovery engine requires a different mindset for researching information but it is actually a very intuitive and familiar process. Keyword searching via the traditional search engine will always have its place in research but this relatively unknown type of search, the ‘discovery engine’, will hopefully be seen as having its own merits as well.
For an example of how Littlearth’s technology works on the content of Research Information and our sister publication, Scientific Computing World, visit!RSI |
Linear Regression Introduction
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In Vanguard AI you can also use Linear Regression. A classic statistical problem is to try to determine the relationship between two random variables X and Y such as the closing price of a stock over time. Linear
regression attempts to explain the relationship with a straight line fit to the data.
The linear regression model postulates that Y = a + bX + e
Where the “residual” e is a random variable with mean zero. The coefficients a and b are determined by the condition that the sum of the square residuals is as small as possible. The indicators in this section are based upon this model.
Previous Intercept
Next R-Squared
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Nov. 10, 2013
Something is up with the sun.
Scientists say that solar activity is stranger than in a century or more, with the sun producing barely half the number of sunspots as expected and its magnetic poles oddly out of sync.
The sun generates immense magnetic fields as it spins. Sunspots—often broader in diameter than Earth—mark areas of intense magnetic force that brew disruptive solar storms. These storms may abruptly lash their charged particles across millions of miles of space toward Earth, where they can short-circuit satellites, smother cellular signals or damage electrical systems.
Based on historical records, astronomers say the sun this fall ought to be nearing the explosive climax of its approximate 11-year cycle of activity—the so-called solar maximum. But this peak is “a total punk,” said Jonathan Cirtain, who works at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration as project scientist for the Japanese satellite Hinode, which maps solar magnetic fields.
“I would say it is the weakest in 200 years,” said David Hathaway, head of the solar physics group at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Researchers are puzzled. They can’t tell if the lull is temporary or the onset of a decades-long decline, which might ease global warming a bit by altering the sun’s brightness or the wavelengths of its light.
“There is no scientist alive who has seen a solar cycle as weak as this one,” said Andrés Munoz-Jaramillo, who studies the solar-magnetic cycle at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.
Normally, the sun’s magnetic north and south poles change polarity every 11 years or so. During a magnetic-field reversal, the sun’s polar magnetic fields weaken, drop to zero, and then emerge again with the opposite polarity. As far as scientists know, the magnetic shift is notable only because it signals the peak of the solar maximum, said Douglas Biesecker at NASA’s Space Environment Center.
But in this cycle, the sun’s magnetic poles are out of sync, solar scientists said. The sun’s north magnetic pole reversed polarity more than a year ago, so it has the same polarity as the south pole.
“The delay between the two reversals is unusually long,” said solar physicist Karel Schrijver at the Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif.
Scientists said they are puzzled, but not concerned, by the unusual delay. They expect the sun’s south pole to change polarity next month, based on current satellite measurements of its shifting magnetic fields.
At the same time, scientists can’t explain the scarcity of sunspots. While still turbulent, the sun seems feeble compared with its peak power in previous decades. “It is not just that there are fewer sunspots, but they are less active sunspots,” Dr. Schrijver said.
However, the sun isn’t idle: After months of quiescence, it unleashed vast streams of charged particles into space five times in as many days last month, and flared again last week. Even so, these outbursts exhibited a fraction of the force of previous solar maximums.
The Sun Erupts with Major Flares
A solar flare appeared as the bright flash on the left part of the sun on Oct. 25. NASA/Solar Dynamics Observatory/
By comparison, a Halloween solar storm in 2003, near the peak of the last solar maximum, was the largest of the Space Age. Even though it mostly bypassed Earth, the storm disabled a Japanese satellite, sent astronauts aboard the International Space Station scrambling for radiation shelter, disrupted drilling for oil and gas in Alaska, scrambled GPS navigation and forced the U.S. Defense Department to cancel military maneuvers.
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What is WordPress?
You may have heard of WordPress before, most people have, but not know what it actually is. WordPress was created back in 2003; originally, it was an offshoot of another project called b2/cafelog.
So, what is this WordPress you speak of? WordPress is a simple and straightforward way to create a website. WordPress is the most popular way for business entrepreneurs, bloggers, and many others to create their very own website.
WordPress allows your website to run and work. Think of your car as the website, and WordPress as the engine, without the engine, the car cannot work… same goes for your website and WordPress.
WordPress allows you to edit your content, make new posts and pages, and ensures that your website is displaying correctly on all devices that go to your site. Not to forget, WordPress is what actually allows your website to run.
What is WordPress used for, and who by?
WordPress can be used by anyone wanting to create an online platform, university students, big-time businesses, as well as all of those between.
The popularity of WordPress kind of shows just how good and useful using it to build your website is. Over 37.6% of all of the websites on the world wide web is powered by WordPress.
Advantages of WordPress.org compared to WordPress.com.
You would have thought WordPress.org and WordPress.com would be the same thing, and most people do believe they are.
But, in fact, they most certainly are not the same. To put it bluntly, WordPress.org is what is needed to build a self-hosted website. Self-hosted websites give you a lot more ownership and allow you to have access to all of the various benefits of WordPress.
WordPress.org is what’s known as a self-hosted website; therefore, people often call WordPress.org’ self-hosted WordPress.’ It is free to use and install; you will be able to install the software to your website and start to create a website which is all yours, you are in 100% control of the website.
WordPress.com is still a website creating software, but it is a for-profit service that you have to pay for. Similarly to WordPress.org, WordPress.com is easy to use still, but you lose most of the flexibility and sense of personality to your website.
WordPress is a solution created to help and make the process of creating a website easier and more enjoyable for users.
WordPress.com is a way of creating your own website, but not have all of the work or freedom left to you; instead, someone else would handle it for you. You can still create your own website, but the websites are preinstalled, making it easier for you, but you lose the freedom and flexibility to make it fully how yours. For some people, this works effectively, but if you’re going to create your website from scratch with all of your own ideas and vision, the WordPress.org is for you.
Get the complete guide on how to move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
With WordPress.org, you can customize your website whenever you want, and as much as you want. Whereas with WordPress.com, that isn’t the case.
You can add and gain revenue from ads with WordPress.org without having to share the profits with anyone. You can create an online shop on your WordPress.org website, where you can sell products. You can also create membership sites with WordPress.org and sell memberships to customers.
WordPress.com is rather costly for the lack of freedom that you get over your website. You are unable to use ads on your webpage when using WordPress.com, limiting your ability to make money from your site. As well as many other downfalls with using WordPress.com, they are allowed to delete your site at any time without warning if they feel it violates their rules and terms.
If you are looking to create a website, whether it be to sell items, create memberships, or simply have a website of your own, WordPress.org is the most recommended and popular option to go for. With WordPress.org, you have complete control over your website with the freedom to customize it to exactly what you wish for. As well as use ads to make money from. Whereas WordPress.com limits your personalization to the website, as well not allowing owners to make money from the ads. |
Category: Terrain Effects
Difficulty: Beginner/Intermediate
Author: Stephen Schmitt
World Machine Tutorial #1: Impact Craters
Summary: Beginning with a simple model and then adding progressively more sophisticated touches, you will learn a technique for creating a cratered terrain surface in World Machine.
Whether its the pockmarked barren surface of the moon or a massive terrestrial meteor crater, impact craters can add a very unique twist to the surface of a planet. We'll look at a couple methods of creating craters on the existing terrain of your world, as well as how best to blend the crater into the existing terrain to simulate old or recent meteor activity.
As we step through the creation process, we'll look at exactly what to do in World Machine that would create the features that we need to represent. As a convenience, at the end of the tutorial you can also download the World Machine Terrain File that shows all of the techniques mentioned here.
Method One: Hero Craters
A "Hero" crater is an individually positioned unique crater. This is the kind of crater that might be found on Earth or another planet with an atmosphere and active geological processes that erase impact craters from the landscape over time. Let's take a look at some real life terrestrial craters:
Some points to notice for our modelling attempt about the above images:
Crater Shape: The Craters are remarkably -- but not perfectly -- circular in appearance. The wall profile looks something like a scaled "inverted hemisphere".
Crater Rim: Ringing the crater hole itself is a blast rim of raised land, that is sharp at the edge of the crater and tapers off gradually to the surrounding land.
Erosion: Since these are terrestrial craters, geological processes act to erase the presence of the crater from the landscape over time. You can clearly see gullies and slumping happening on the sides of the crater wall, slowly producing a shallower crater.
Approach to Terrain Modelling
The first thing to realize is that there are many, many ways to create a given effect in World Machine. It may well take several tries using different methods before hitting upon a technique that works well in reproducing the effect you want.
To complicate matters, some of the most useful tools for modelling specific landforms are only available in the Standard Edition and above. In this tutorial I will show how to work around the limitations of the Basic Edition where possible.
The Starting Terrain
Let's create a basic terrain that we'll use to create our meteor impact crater upon. A Perlin Noise device set to "Billowy" and an Erosion device set to the "Flood of Slurry" preset creates the terrain shown below.
The Crater Shape
The basic crater shape will be created by a Radial Gradient device. This device can produce a cone shape. You can position it anywhere in the world that you want it by using the Transformation section of the Dialog. You can also control how large the crater will be with the "Radius" property of the device.
Next we'll use an Inverter device to invert the shape to create your garden-variety hole in the ground.
Your next step will depend on if you are using the Standard or Basic edition of World Machine.
Connect the output of the Inverter to a Curves device, and draw a curve that looks like the one shown here. The curve view shown here essentially is a profile view of what the sides of the crater will look like. It has steeply sloping sides, a noticable rim and then a gentle falloff to the surrounding terrain.
Examing the 3D Preview, you can see that our basic crater shape is now formed; all that remains is to imprint it onto the terrain.
Connect the output of the Inverter to a Height Selector device, and set the device parameters as shown here. Essentially, we are using the selector to pick out the rim of the crater. By using the falloff set to maximum, and falloff mode set to "Exponential", the crater has a slope that is approximately correct.
If you compare the 3D Preview of this crater to the Standard Edition version using a handdrawn curve, you can see that it is quite similar!
Imprinting the Crater onto the Terrain
Our crater and the source terrain are both defined "positively". In other words, the terrain and the crater are both oriented to look like what we envision the final result to be. Thus, to combine them we will need to add or average them together. A different way of creating craters might have the crater defined "negatively", and then we could subtract it out from the terrain. They are simply different ways of producing a similar result.
Here you can see that we have wired both the source terrain and the crater into a Combiner device set to Average mode.
This is getting pretty close to what we want! For a quick crater off in the distance, we could stop here. But for a true "Hero" crater that will be in maximum detail in the foreground, we need to do even better. There are definitely some details that we can improve on.
Improving Crater Realism
STANDARD EDITION ONLY: Removing Underlying Detail from Inside the Crater
Although it is somewhat difficult to see with our choice of basic terrain, our method of cratering does NOT wipe out the original terrain shapes inside of the cratered zone.
This can result in a very strange looking crater, as the impact of the crater should have erased those details from the blast zone. If we want erosion detail from post-impact erosion, we should add that in later, just like Mother Nature does.
To the right you can see our crater applied to a more mountainous terrain.
(As an aside, the only difference between this terrain and the previous one used was that the Erosion device is now set to the "Classic WM + Power" preset. The erosion device is VERY powerful!)
Not good. The mountain landforms are still clearly present inside the blast zone. Luckily, this is something that can be very easy to fix!
The solution is to smooth away the terrain details inside of the blast zone.
We can use the Blur device in the Standard Edition to quickly smooth away the interior of the crater.
The steps to do are:
1. Wire a Blur device to the output of the Combiner used above.
2. Splice a Splitter device into the network between the Inverter and the Curves devices you have already created.
3. From the second output of the Splitter device, add a Height Selector device that is connected to the Mask Input of the Blur device.
Whew! When describing World Machine networks, a picture is usually worth a thousand words.
Here you can see the settings used for the Height Selector:
Notice how the output of the height selector has masked out the area of the inside of the crater. By applying this to the Mask Input of the Blur device, we have contained the blurring effect to happen only inside the crater. The Blur device should be set to a blur radius that matches your artistic preference.
The result:
Other Realism Additions
There are many things you can do to increase the realism of your Hero crater. Many of these are relatively simple additions, and make good exercises in using World Machine. Here's a small, partial list:
1. Blasted Area: If simulating a fresh impact onto the terrain, you might want to add some fine noise to the smooth areas to simulate the rough, blasted rock, or use a texturing mask and have your renderer do so. Alternatively, you may wish to erode the entire landscape again to simulate an aged crater.
2. Irregular Circle: Although craters are very circular, they are rarely perfectly circular like ours. Adding a little bit of "wiggle" to the circular shape of the crater can help with realism quite a bit, especially when the crater impacts otherwise flat areas. You can do this by adding a Simple Displacement device after the Circular Gradient that defines the crater shape.
3. Parameter Tuning: The "correct" settings for the crater shape and the crater combiner amount are going to vary with the source landscape that you are impacting it upon. Like many things in World Machine and Computer Graphics in general, small changes in parameters can cause some quite dramatic changes in the resulting image.
Here's an example of the two terrains we've been working on with the above modifications.
You can download the World Machine datafile for this world here:
Standard EditionCrater2.tmd
Basic EditionCrater2_basic.tmd
Method Two: Many Impact Craters
Sometimes we don't want a single crater -- instead we want an entire field littered with them.
It would be tedious at best to create the dozens or hundreds of craters visible above individually in World Machine!
If we take the device network that we developed above for our hero crater, we could keep everything the same and achieve many craters if we just had a device that could make radial-gradient shapes all across the terrain.
There are a few ways of doing this, but currently one of the best choices is to use some advanced features of the Voronoi Noise device.
The Voronoi device is capable of creating polka-dot patterns that will be ideal for us to base our crater on. For convenience, I have created a macro called Cracks and Dots that can create a polka-dot pattern. You can download the macro directly from here (Cracks and Dots.dev).
Those curious can simply open the macro up and look inside to see how the dots are made. Essentially it is just the F1 noise type of the Voronoi device, clamped appropriately so that the dot features appear.
The output of the Cracks and Dots macro is sent through an Inverter so that we have a field of circular depressions rather than circular lumps. Then the output is sent to the exact same Curves device that we used earlier to create our crater shape. You can see that the result is craters very similar to the Hero Crater we developed earlier -- except there are many of them, automatically generated, stretching out as far as you can see.
Using the network we developed in Part One, and replacing the Radial Gradient with the above, we have the following network:
Which looks like this:
However, we can still do better. If you look at the lunar images from the start of this section, you'll see that there are many different sized impact craters, from large basins to tiny impacts.
To create the same effect, we will:
1. Copy and paste multiple times the part of the device network dealing with crater creation.
2. Set the Cracks and Dots device to a different feature size for each copy.
3. Average together all of the results using Combiner devices.
Here's our final result:
You can download the World Machine datafiles for this world here:
(All Editions)Cracks and Dots.dev (Cracks and Dots Macro)
Standard EditionCrater_Lunar.tmd
Basic EditionCrater_Lunar_basic.tmd |
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City’s cold war has chilling effect
History tells us that the Korean War officially came to an end July 27, 1953, when the United States, China, North Korea and South Korea agreed to an armistice.
Three years after the start of the bloody and frustrating war, a new border was drawn between North and South Korea, a demilitarized zone between the two nations was created and prisoners of war were given the choice to stay where they were or return to their homelands.
Despite this truce, relations between the two Koreas were uneasy. Until April. That is when the leaders of the two countries met for a historic summit and vowed to negotiate a treaty.
Ironically, there was a thawing of tension between the two nations during the winter Olympics in February, when they presented a unified front.
Though their agreement to create a nuclear-weapon-free Korean peninsula still has some details to be worked out, it’s a step in the right direction.
It seems to me that after six decades of confrontation, many Korean citizens may not fully understand the reasons for the ongoing hostility. Odds are there are likely more residents of the two countries born after the truce than those who lived through the battle.
Yet that hatred and simmering anger toward those on the other side of the Demilitarized Zone continued. Why? Because it was always there. And so they took up arms — even if they were just figurative weapons.
I see similar feelings here in Boulder City on a regular basis. There is an unspoken and intense dislike between some residents and city officials, or whoever happens to be on the opposing side of the issue du jour.
During my lifetime I have met several people who never seem to be happy unless they are embroiled in some type of conflict. They can’t find anyone to be agreeable with, so they go to battle — with anyone about anything.
They are like schoolyard bullies, except instead of threatening to take away your lunch money, they threaten to do bodily harm, to get your job taken away or to engage in costly and lengthy legal proceedings. Why? Because they don’t like your opinion; it differs from theirs.
Just in the past few years, several verbal wars have been waged in town. When one issue either is resolved or comes to a stalemate, these people pick another to rally around.
Think about the fate of the old Boulder City Hospital, the plywood covering up several prominent buildings, the proposed Hoover Dam Gateway project, and ethics code and open meeting law violations to name a few.
In essence, a cold war is being waged in town by the continued threats, propaganda and verbal volleys lobbed through social media. Even if the battle is fought by only a few, it has a chilling effect on many.
While there are those on both sides of an issue who make true and valid points, it’s the method of delivering the message that creates problems.
If the leaders of North and South Korea can sit down and rationally discuss working toward a common goal, then the people of Boulder City should be able to as well.
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Who can residents trust about COVID-19 vaccine?
The United States witnessed a grim statistic on Oct. 1: over 700,000 deaths due to the coronavirus. The pandemic, fueled by the delta variant, continues to ravage parts of the country, leading to rationed health care and overwhelmed mortuary services in the worst-hit hot spots in Idaho, Alaska, Texas and other Gulf states.
Authentic voices needed on TV, in movies
“Atypical,” which airs on Netflix, is a not-terribly-new show, considering there are now four seasons, featuring Sam Gardner, a teen on the autism spectrum. The show begins with Sam, played by Keir Gilchrist, in a session with his therapist. She tells him to open himself up to the possibility of having a relationship.
Devoted volunteer will be missed
Don’t take people out of preservation
Frivolous water use has devastating effects
Papers’ role in community recognized
Conservative growth preferred
City leaders need more pride in landscape maintenance
Luxury purchases support many workers
Smart development key to sustainable future
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The Africanized Honey Bee in Oklahoma
The honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) is native to Asia, consists of more than 24 races, and has a historically long association with humans. It is one of the most intriguing insects to study, given its behavioral characteristics, including a defined division of labor known as eusociality.
Humans benefit from honey bee industriousness in the collection of pollen and nectar. In 2008, their pollination activities on more than 100 agricultural crops accounted for $20 billion in the U.S. alone. Without the pollen that bees transport, many plants could not produce fruits, vegetables, and seeds. Some of the crops pollinated by bees include apples, watermelons, citrus, and cantaloupes. Products such as honey, beeswax, bee venom, and royal jelly also have a long history of use by humans.
Approximately one third of our diet depends directly or indirectly on bee pollination.
Division of Labor
Honey bees have a complex society with defined roles for each caste: the queen (Figure 1) mates with drones in a nuptial flight and lays several hundred eggs per day. Her body is considerably more elongated than that of drones or workers, especially during her egg-laying (oviposition) period. The queen cannot feed herself and needs help from the bees that take care of her. Her life span is one and a half to two years, after which a younger queen is produced within the same hive. The new queen takes over the colony and the old queen either dies, is killed, or is forced to leave. Worker honey bees (Figure 2) are also females. They will take care of brood (egg, larvae, and pupae) as young adults and forage for pollen and nectar later in life. Male honey bees or drones, do not collect pollen or nectar, are noticeably larger than workers, and their only known function is to mate with the queen. During late spring and summer, there is one queen, fifty to sixty thousand worker bees, and several hundred drones in a colony.
Honey bee depositing egg into comb.
Figure 1. Honey bee queen depositing egg into comb.
Worker honey bee carrying pollen.
Figure 2. Worker honey bee carrying pollen.
History of the Introduction of the European Honey Bee (EHB) into the U.S. and recent spread of the Africanized Honey Bee (AHB)
In the early 16th century, English and Spanish settlers introduced the European Honey Bee (EHB) into the Americas. Unknown to native Americans before then, they named it “white man’s fly.” In 1957, the Brazilian scientist, Warwick Kerr, imported African honey bees (AHB) (Apis mellifera scutellata) to genetically cross with European honey bees with hopes of increasing honey production. Unfortunately, Africanized honey bees escaped their hives, survived Amazonian tropical conditions, and became widespread throughout South America. They moved through Central America and Mexico and on October 15, 1990, the first natural swarm was captured in the U.S. in Hidalgo, Texas. In 1993, further reports of natural swarms occurred in Arizona and New Mexico. In 1994, AHB was recovered in California and within a year, nearly 8,000 square miles had been colonized by AHB.
Today, several states have reported widespread colonization of AHB including Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California. In Oklahoma, 43 counties had confirmed (by DNA) AHB populations (Figure 3). Figure 4 shows the spread of AHB throughout the U.S. to 2009 (courtesy of USDA ARS).
Updated (2009) Oklahoma sites where Africanized honey bee has been recovered (confirmed by DNA analysis).
Figure 3. Updated (2014) Oklahoma sites where Africanized honey bee has been recovered (confirmed by DNA analysis).
Spread of the Africanized Honey Bees by year (courtesy of USDA).
Figure 4. Spread of the Africanized Honey Bees by year (courtesy of USDA).
Similarities and Differences Between AHB and EHB
Similarities between AHB and EHB include:
• they look alike,
• they sting only once,
• they produce venom in equal amounts,
• they produce honey and wax, and;
• they pollinate flowers.
Differences between the two races include:
• AHB swarms more frequently than EHB. An EHB colony will likely swarm every 12 months, while an AHB colony will swarm approximately every six weeks. Figures 5 and 6 show typical swarms of honey bees in a tree branch and in a pine tree, respectively.
• AHB will not randomly attack victims, but can become highly defensive to protect the colony. The territory of AHB is larger than EHB.
• AHB will occupy smaller spaces than EHB. Those spaces include: water meter boxes, metal utility poles, cement blocks, junk piles, house eaves, overturned flower pots, old tires, mobile home skirts, abandoned structures, holes in the ground, tree limbs, and mail boxes.
• AHB devotes half the time to forage for pollen and store less honey.
• AHB are about 27 percent smaller than EHB. However, size is difficult to recognize. The EHB is more adapted to temperate climate, gentle, less likely to swarm, and stores more honey since less than 25 percent to 30 percent of workers collect pollen.
Honey bees swarming in a branch.
Figure 5. Honey bees swarming in a branch.
Honey bees swarming in a pine tree.
Figure 6. Honey bees swarming in a pine tree.
What You Can Do in Preparation
Bee Proofing Your Home
Look for cracks and holes that could be occupied by a colony. If appropriate measures are taken to screen or caulk holes, or fill cavities with insulation, honey bees will not be able to colonize. Overhangs and eaves in homes are places honey bees are likely to occupy and appropriate measures to cover them should be taken (Figure 7).
Man hanging something on his roof.
Figure 7. Bee proof the overhang in your home.
Getting Professional Help
If a colony is found in your home, call a pest control operator, beekeepers in your area, or other experts in bee removal that can remove the colony. A current list of certified pest control operators is provided by the Oklahoma Department of Food, Agriculture and Forestry ( Do not try to remove colonies yourself, especially if you are not properly equipped.
Clean up debris (tires, pots, junk piles, lumber, etc.) that might provide nesting sites on your property.
Be alert
When involved in outdoor activities, look before disturbing vegetation. If several bees are coming and going from a single spot, this could potentially indicate there is a nest nearby. Do not panic if there are a few bees foraging in the flowers.
What if you are stung?
First, get away, run to the shelter of a car or building, and stay there even if some bees come in with you. Do not jump in water because bees, particularly AHB, will likely stay in the area until you surface. Once safe, remove stings (Figure 8) from your skin. It does not matter how you remove them, as long as you remove them quickly to reduce the amount of venom injected.
Removal of honey bee sting.
Figure 8. Honey bee sting.
Honey Bee Identification Tips
Honey bees can be confused with other bees and wasps from a distance, but there are several morphological differences that can be pointed out easily (Figure 9).
A yellowjacket, paper wasp, honey bee and bumble bee.
Figure 9. Yellowjacket, paper wasp, honey bee and bumble bee (left to right).
Yellowjackets are a short stocky kind of wasp. They have a cross-banded black and yellow abdomen. The abdomen tapers off conically to a sharp point where the stinger is concealed. They attack quickly when their nest is disturbed, and one yellowjacket can sting repeatedly.
Paper wasps have a very thin waist, long legs and reddish-orange to dark brown, or black in color. They have yellowish markings on the abdomen, narrow cylindrical legs, and no pollen baskets. They build their nests out of paper made from plant fiber or wood. They prefer to place their nests in hollow trees, in the ground, or beneath the eaves of houses. Female paper wasps can sting repeatedly.
Honey bees are reddish brown with black bands encircling their abdomen. They have a subtle striped appearance, and short hairs all over their body – even on their eyes. They are smaller than bumble bees and have pollen baskets on their hind legs to carry food. In the hive, they do dances to tell other bees how far to fly for food. As mentioned earlier, they can sting only once.
Bumble bees are relatively large and have a robust body. They are yellow and black and have soft, fine hairs. They have pollen baskets on their hind legs to carry food. They build their nests in or near the ground or occasionally use old bird nests. Females can sting more than once and they do not use dances to communicate with other bees.
Syrphid flies (Figure 10) are black or brown with yellow banded abdomens and superficially resemble bees and wasps. However, they have only two wings which are not held over the back of the body when at rest. Some species are hairy and have a long, thin abdomen. Antennae are short, not elbowed, and the distal segment bears a strong hair (seta). These flower flies are harmless as adults, but serve as aphid predators in the larval stage.
A syrphid fly on a flower.
Figure 10. Syrphid fly.
For additional information on honey bees, refer to:
Entomology and Plant Pathology AHB website at:
ODAFF – Africanized Honey Bees in Oklahoma
EPP-7317 – Honey Bees, Bumble Bees, Carpenter Bees, and Sweat Bees
EPP-7305 – Paper Wasps, Yellowjackets, and Other Stinging Wasps
Cesar D. Solorzano
Post Doctoral Fellow
Entomology and Plant Pathology
Phil Mulder
Professor and Dept Head of Entomology and Plant Pathology
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Fact Sheet
Beginning Honey Beekeeping Equipment and Associated Costs
Bees & Beneficial InsectsInsects, Pests, and Diseases
Fact Sheet
Key to Female Bumble Bees of Oklahoma
Bees & Beneficial InsectsInsects, Pests, and Diseases
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John Lennon and Beatles History for MarchHistory offers
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Bricks of gold.1794--Eli Whitney patents his cotton gin, making it possible to clean 50 pounds of cotton a day, compared to one pound a day.
1900--US currency goes on the gold standard.
1931--The first theater for rear movie projection is built in New York City.
British actress, Rita Tushingham1933--Actor Michael Caine is born Maurice Micklewhite in London. His breakthrough role in the 1960s classic, “Alfie,” lead to a successful career across the pond, including appearances in “Educating Rita” and his Academy Award-winning performance in Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” in 1986.
1933--Quincy Jones (Grammy-winning composer, record producer, and arranger) is born.
1942--British actress, Rita Tushingham, is born. She starred in the 1960s cult classics “The Knack...and How to Get It,” “The Girl with Green Eyes,” and "Smashing Time."
1958--The RIAA (Recording Industry Association of American) is created and certifies the first gold record, Perry Como's Catch A Falling Star.
A sign on a Liverpool, England street points to the Cavern Club, where The Beatles played over 230 performances in the early 1960s.
1963--The Beatles, on the Chris Montez / Tommy Roe tour, perform at the Gaumont Cinema, Wolverhampton, Staffordshire. For the third night in a row, John Lennon, still suffering from a bad cold, is unable to perform.
Three Merseysiders: Cilla Black, Gerry Marsden and Julie Samuel.1963--Gerry Marsden is fined £60 at Uxbridge Magistrates court for attempting to evade customs duty on a guitar bought in Hamburg.
1964--I Want to Hold Your Hand is the #1 single in the US for the 7th straight week.
1965--The Beatles undertake the first day of filming the Austrian scenes for their movie "Help!" Shooting of the (unused) "toboggan hire" sequence, the Beatles falling down together in the snow, and their doubles riding in a horse-drawn sleigh.
The Beatles ride a toboggan in the Swiss Alps in a scene from their move, Help!1968--A promotional film for Lady Madonna is broadcast in black and white on UK television, on the BBC1 program "Top of the Pops." The video portion of the film clip was shot while The Beatles were performing the song Hey Bulldog, but the Lady Madonna audio track was paired with the video for the promo release. It won't be until 1999 that the video is broadcast with its original Hey Bulldog soundtrack.
1974--John Lennon and Harry Nilsson return to the Troubadour to personally apologize to the club’s owner, Doug Weston, for the former night’s fracas.
1981--Roxy Music's tribute single to John Lennon, their recording of his song Jealous Guy, is the #1 single in the UK charts.
1981--Eric Clapton has an attack of bleeding ulcers that leads to the cancellation of his 60-date tour of the US.
1986--US cable TV network Showtime broadcasts an evening of John Lennon material for their "The Lennon Legacy: Two Generations of Music." Included is the world premiere of "John Lennon: Live in New York City." Also shown are "Let It Be," clips from John and Yoko's 1969 Montreal Bed-In, and the "Imagine" motion picture.
1988--UK re-release of The Beatles' single Lady Madonna / The Inner Light (Parlophone). 20th anniversary reissue. Released as a regular vinyl single and also as a picture disc.
For more day-by-day history go to
History Index |
Why Now? 4 of 13 Short Stories. 2½ minute read.
Before World War II supply chains for rubber and oil were mostly under the influence of western democracies. Preparing for war, the German government needed inexpensive substitutes for rubber and oil based products. A plentiful supply of tires, hoses, gaskets and lubricants was essential for the successful roll out of mechanized warfare. So the German government directed chemical giant IG Farben to develop synthetic rubbers and plastics. Out of that effort modern polyurethane chemistry was created. Development continued during the 1940s. Fuelled by plentiful and inexpensive oil after World War II, the first polyurethane foam mattresses were introduced in the 1950s. By the 1960s, flexible polyurethane foam had pushed natural mattress products like latex, wool, horse hair and cotton to the margins. Ever since, flexible polyurethane foam has completely dominated the mattress market.
Who would have thought the soft, squishy foam inside their mattress could be harmful?
Half a century ago, most people trusted big government and big industry to do the right thing on their behalf. Unfortunately, the prevailing wisdom inside those institutions viewed humane concepts like The Precautionary Principle and First, Do No Harm as interference with economic expansion and corporate profits. Human health and environmental decisions taken in that era seem crazy today. Like mixing DDT with oil and spraying it over vast areas of forest and suburban homes; marching soldiers directly into radioactive fallout to observe what would happen to them; testing LSD and Agent Orange on humans without informed consent; widespread use of asbestos in homes, schools and workplaces; prescribing Thalidomide to pregnant women and building new homes over the Love Canal (Hooker Chemical’s dump site), both schemes resulting in birth defects in children; selling PCBs years after the weight of evidence had confirmed PCBs cause cancer and lasting environmental contamination. Most adults smoked, even around children. Gasoline and paint contained lead. Tang, the astronaut’s drink, was preferred over real orange juice; and rather than make apple pie with apples, millions of mothers chose instead to make fake apple pie with Ritz crackers. In that time, “Better Living Through Chemistry” was not an ironic movie title, it was an upbeat advertising slogan promoting a chemical future. Who would have thought the soft, squishy foam inside their mattress could be harmful?
As in our time of rapid Climate Breakdown, with the enormous weight of evidence showing big government and big corporations failing to maintain the basic climatic conditions essential for social stability and continuing human life, many people mistakenly placed their trust in paternalistic, authority figures.
– Len Laycock
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Discipline 1 Essay
Discipline is of the utmost importance in order to ensure the efficiency of the military organization as a whole as well that of the individual units. Efficiency helps to ensure that goals are met and that the highest level of profeesionalism is maintained at all times. The level of discipline directly affects a soldier’s conduct so the two concepts are directly related and of equal importance. Discipline is important in life as well as in the Army. The core values of the British Army are: courage, discipline, respect for others, integrity, loyalty and selfless commitment.
While all these values should be followed individually, discipline is needed to apply the correct application for all of them. If you lack the discipline needed to correctly apply the core values you are not only letting yourself down but all the others around you making yourself an individual; not a team player. Basically discipline is what is needed in order for order and control to be maintained. There will always come a time where you want to do wrong or even do wrong, and with that thought you will be able to make a conscious decision to know what you are doing or done is the right thing.
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It is believed that if you work on something long and hard enough that it will pay off in the end, which is a personal trait that once it is at a level where you feeling comfortable will allow you to face any situation and be able to know the right thing to do. The basic method discipline is to tackle challenges that you can successfully accomplish but which are near your limit. This doesn’t mean trying something and failing at it every day or does it mean staying within your comfort zone. Discipline and respect are important in life as well as in the army. Respect is one of the army’s seven values.
The seven army values are loyalty, respect, duty, honor, selfless service, integrity, and personal courage. While respect is one of the army values, discipline is needed for all of them. You must have discipline in yourself in order to have selfless service, to do your duty, to have personal courage, as well as loyalty, and honor. And it takes a discipline to respect. The definition of discipline is 1. training to act in accordance with rules; drill: military discipline. 2. activity, exercise, or a regimen that develops or improves a skill; training: A daily stint at the typewriter is excellent discipline for a writer. . punishment inflicted by way of correction and training. 4. the rigor or training effect of experience, adversity, etc. : the harsh discipline of poverty. 5. behavior in accord with rules of conduct; behavior and order maintained by training and control: good discipline in an army. 6. a set or system of rules and regulations. 7. Ecclesiastical . the system of government regulating the practice of a church as distinguished from its doctrine. 8. an instrument of punishment, esp. a whip or scourge, used in the practice of self-mortification or as an instrument of chastisement in certain religious communities. 9. branch of instruction or learning: the disciplines of history and economics. Basically discipline is what is needed in order for order and control to be maintained. Ar 600-20 Chapter 4 is about Military Discipline and Conduct including military discipline, obedience to orders, military courtesy, soldier conduct, maintenance of order, exercising military authority, disciplinary powers of the commanding officer, settlement of local accounts on change of station, civil status of members of the reserve component, participation in support of civilian law enforcement agencies, membership campaigns, and extremist organizations and activities. All persons in the military service are required to strictly obey and promptly execute the legal orders of their lawful seniors. ” This is a rule that all individuals must live by wheather they agree or disagree. All individuals in the armed forces will show respect to seniors at all times. This helps to maintain military discipline. Military personnel will also show respect to the National Anthem and the National Colors if they are in uniform or not. Military discipline and effectiveness is built on the foundation of obedience to orders.
Brand new privates are taught to obey, immediately and without question, orders from their superiors, right from day one of boot camp. Almost every soldier can tell you that obedience was drilled into their heads at one point in Basic Training. For example, no talking in the chow line, don’t talk with your hands, head and eyes forward, no smiling, stand a parade rest, and of course the famous “Yes Drill Sergeant / No Drill Sergeant”. Those are just the simple orders you are made to obey in the military. Greater orders mean bigger consequences. Military members who fail to obey the lawful orders of their superiors show lack of discipline.
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Archive for April, 2021
Research Study in Spain Endorses Dr. Enright’s Anti-Bullying Forgiveness Program
A pioneering research study conducted with primary and secondary teachers and students in Spain has support for Dr. Robert Enright’s ideas on anti-bullying, which offers forgiveness education to those who do the bullying. His original Anti-Bullying Forgiveness Program is available on our website.
Two recommendations in the study in Spain are these:
1) That school administrators “incorporate education in forgiveness into bullying prevention programs;” and,
2) That “forgiveness-based education, as an empirically supported approach to reducing anger, may be one of the answers to peace within conflict zones and societies.”
The study, Evaluation of the effectiveness and satisfaction of the “Learning to Forgive” program for the prevention of bullying, was published this month in the Electronic Journal of Research in Educational Psychology. It was conducted by psychologists at the University of Murcia—one of the largest and oldest universities in Spain (established in 1272)—with technical and procedural guidance from Dr. Enright himself.
The “Learning to Forgive” program that was the focal point of the new study, was inspired by The Anti-Bullying Forgiveness Program developed by Dr. Enright in 2012 based on his now more than 35 years of research into forgiveness. Forgiveness education as a way of reducing excessive anger has been tested and used for more than 17 years in schools located in places such as Belfast, Northern Ireland, and more recently in Monrovia, Liberia (West Africa), Iran, and Pakistan.
The purpose of the antibullying forgiveness program is to help students, who bully others, to forgive those who have deeply hurt them. It is based on the understand that bullying behavior does not occur in a vacuum, but instead often results from a deep internal rage that is not originally targeted toward the victims of those who bully. In other words, those who bully oftentimes are displacing their built-up anger onto unsuspecting others.
To help those who bully to forgive is to reduce the excessive anger that can be a direct motivation for hurting others. In this way forgiveness can be a powerful approach to reducing repressed anger and eliminating bullying behavior.
“This program tries to change the typical understanding, often incomplete, that we usually have about forgiveness,” according to the study in Spain. “With a deeper understanding about what forgiveness is, then the students may show less resentment, fewer relationship breaks, and less unpleasant emotions over time. Teaching young people this more complete view of forgiveness might avoid, in the words of Enright himself, many sufferings in adulthood.”
Study participants consisted of 88 primary and secondary school teachers at 11 educational centers and 153 students at 4 educational centers. In Study 1 of the two-part research project, “statistically significant improvements were found in the forgiveness group regarding their knowledge of forgiveness and marginally significant in emotional forgiveness compared to the control group.”
In Study 2 participants noted “high satisfaction with the program and that it had helped them forgive in a remarkable way. In line with other studies, it is recommended to incorporate education in forgiveness into bullying prevention programs.”
According to the study authors, their research as well as other studies indicate that “forgiveness is a protective factor against emotional problems and prevents victims of harassment from now demonstrating bullying behavior toward others.” They also recommended adding in-depth modules for adults who could then provide in-home reinforcement in helping students achieve and maintain their forgiveness-related skills.
“The results of these two pioneering studies in Spain on the ‘Learning to Forgive’ Program inspired by the research of Robert Enright and his team show positive results, both in teachers and students,” the report concludes. “The promotion of interventions based on empathy, compassion, and forgiveness contribute to sowing the path of peaceful coexistence.”
Read the complete English translation of the Spanish bullying-prevention study.
Read the complete Spanish version of the study.
Learn more about The Enright Anti-Bullying Forgiveness Program:
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How are forgiveness, mercy, and love related?
All three are moral virtues. Agape is the over-arching virtue out of which forgiveness emerges. Mercy does not necessarily emerge out of agape because mercy does not always require serving others through one’s own pain, as occurs in agape. The judge who shows mercy to a defendant by reducing a deserved sentence is not necessarily suffering in love for that defendant. Thus, not all aspects of mercy flow from agape. Forgiveness includes a number of virtues such as patience, kindness, and having mercy on others who behave badly. So, forgiveness is a specific part of agape. Forgiveness includes mercy, but mercy is not an over-arching virtue out of which forgiveness emerges. That distinction belongs to agape.
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How is forgiveness related to love?
Forgiveness is being good to those who are not good to you. Love, particularly the most difficult form of love, what the Greeks call agape, is to be good to those who are in need of your services, even when it is difficult to offer this love. Forgiveness is one expression of agape. Forgiveness is a specific form of agape in that forgiving takes place specifically in the context of another person being unjust, even cruel, to the forgiver.
There are other examples of agape that do not include forgiveness. For example, a mother who is up all night with a sick child is showing agape because this is difficult and necessary and she does so out of goodness for her child. Forgiveness can occur exclusively in the human heart as the forgiver sees the hurtful other as possessing inherent worth and commits to the betterment of the other. In agape, there is the action within the human heart and mind, but in addition, there is the action of deliberately assisting people in need.
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How is forgiveness related to mercy?
Forgiveness is being good to those who are not good to you. Mercy is refraining from punishing a person who deserves that punishment because of unjust behavior. Both are moral virtues and so hold that in common. When people forgive, they exercise mercy in that as they forgive they do not give an eye-for-an-eye to the one who hurt you. Instead, the forgiver offers a hand up to the person to come and join you as a person of worth. Mercy as part of forgiveness is a specific expression of mercy in that this mercy is occurring in the context of being treated unjustly by another or others.
There are other examples of mercy that do not include forgiveness. For example, legal pardon is a form of mercy in that a judge may reduce a deserved sentence within a court of law. The judge offering legal pardon never is the one who was treated unjustly by the defendant. Forgiveness, as a personal decision, occurs within the human heart, not in a court of law. Thus, forgiveness includes mercy, but mercy can occur in entirely different contexts than forgiveness. Further, forgiveness does not involve only exercising the moral virtue of mercy. Forgiveness also is an expression of love, particularly agape or the kind of love that is challenging and even costly to the forgiver.
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“Forgiveness Is the Release of Deep Anger:” Is This True?
I recently read an article in which the author started the essay by defining forgiving as the release of deep anger.
In fact, there is a consensus building that forgiveness amounts to getting rid of a negative emotion such as anger and resentment. I did a Google search using only the word “forgiveness.” On the first two pages, I found the following definitions of what the authors reported forgiveness to be:
Forgiveness (supposedly) is:
• letting go of resentment and thoughts of revenge;
• the release of resentment or anger;
• a conscious and deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person who acted unjustly;
• letting go of anger;
• letting go of negative feelings such as vengefulness.
I think you get the idea. The consensus is that forgiveness focuses on getting rid of persistent and deep anger. Synonyms for this are resentment and vengefulness. Readers not deeply familiar with the philosophy of forgiveness may simply accept this as true. Yet, this attempted and consensual definition cannot possibly be true for the following reasons:
1. A person can reduce resentment and still dismiss the other person as not worth one’s time;
2. Reducing resentment itself is not a moral virtue. This might happen because the “forgiver” wants to be happy and so there is no goodness toward the other, which is part of the definition of a moral virtue;
3. There is no specific difference between forgiveness and tolerance. I can get rid of resentment by trying to tolerate the other. My putting up with the other as a person is not a moral virtue;
4. Forgiveness, if we take these definitions seriously, is devoid of love. It is not that one has to resist love. Yet, one can be completely unaware of love as the essence of forgiveness while holding to the consensual definition.
5. A central goal of forgiveness is lost. Off the radar by the consensual definition is the motivation to assist the other to grow as a person. After all, why even bother with the other if I can finally rid myself of annoying resentment.
The statement “forgiveness is ridding the self of resentment or vengefulness” is reductionistic and therefore potentially dangerous. It is dangerous in a philosophical and a psychological sense. The philosophical danger is in never going deeply enough to understand the beauty of forgiveness in its essence as a moral virtue of at least trying to offer love to those who did not love you. The psychological danger is that Forgiveness Therapy will be incomplete as the client keeps the focus on the self, trying to rid the self of negatives. Yet, the paradox of Forgiveness Therapy is the stepping outside of the self, to reach out to the other, and in this giving is psychological healing for the client. It is time to challenge the consensus.
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What is ISO in Photography? Using a camera on manual for the first time can be scary, especially when you don’t know the settings. Your camera settings are controlled by three variables, shutter speed, aperture and ISO.
ISO is your camera’s sensitivity to light, this is essential to understand when shooting on manual.
ISO plays an important role in the exposure triangle. The exposure triangle is used to generate a correctly exposed photograph.
What is ISO in photography?
To begin understanding ISO you need to know that when the camera is put to its lowest sensitivity (commonly known as ISO 100), the sensor is least sensitive to light.
When we move the sensitivity further up the ISO scale to ISO 800 for example, the sensor is increasingly sensitive to light. But more noticeably the low light capability and quality of the sensor have decreased.
Similarly, moving to higher sensitivities will increase the noise in your images, giving them a “noisy” look when shooting in low light. However, for most images, you will have no issue using a range of sensitivities to get the quality and exposure you are after.
Photographers should be aware that the more sensitive a camera sensor is to light, the more challenging it is to record in darker environments.
Here is a guide that I have made to help you understand what ISO is in photography.
How to use ISO
ISO is typically a number between 100 and 1600 (in most cameras) or 6400 for low light conditions.
I usually begin by setting my ISO to 100 and keeping it as low as possible for low light photography as the noise will be less noticeable when photographing in low light at a lower ISO.
Keeping your ISO around 100 and 1600 will barely produce any noise in your photograph.
When photographing concerts or gigs, you will want to make sure you keep your ISO around 800 as you will need to keep any noise to a minimum to make sure your photographs are of high quality.
I personally try to keep my ISO as low as possible when photographing at music venues.
I use ISO 1600 or 3200 only if I have to, depending on the lighting. The noise within the photograph at ISO 1600 is just about tolerable and unnoticeable for most.
While ISO allows images to be brighter, sometimes the better option is to change your shutter speed or aperture in order to let more light in; Doing this avoids ISO ruining the quality of your photographs.
Where possible, in low light conditions such as night time, you can resort to using a tripod and slowing down the shutter speed to ensure the shot stays sharp and avoids being noisy.
Different cameras are capable of reaching different ISO limits, newer models and mirrorless camera’s tend to cope better at a higher ISO, meaning that they can be great at shooting in low light conditions.
What Does Noise Look Like?
Noise is produced when your ISO is raised, this destroys the quality of the photograph. Noise looks like little small dots within the photograph which results in the photograph looking grainy and gritty. For some this aesthetic has become fashionable but this aesthetic is not suited for everyone.
Here is a zoomed in, unedited photograph, from a gig with very little light.
Examples Of ISO Settings
Within my profession, the majority of my time is shooting in low light. As a music photographer, it is always challenging to use the lighting to your advantage. Dealing with consistently changing light means that I can go through many settings and ISO settings through one performance.
For the sake of this article I have not edited these photographs in anyway. What you see is uploaded straight from the camera with no adjustments.
ISO 3200
The photograph above is taken at 3200 ISO. As you can see there is only little noise in this photograph. The noise is only noticeable if you zoom in.
ISO 4000
When zoomed in, you can begin to notice some noise within the photograph.
ISO 8000
To the trained eye the ISO is too high in the photograph and as a result is producing too much noise.
When should you change ISO?
Every camera has a different ISO capability. With high sensitive sensors, you will need to know when to take the shutter speed down when shooting.
DSLR cameras have an option to adjust ISO directly in the menu. Having this provides quick access to the ISO setting.
Most cameras come with a minimum and maximum ISO setting.
The minimum ISO you should shoot at is around 100 (50 for some cameras), and the maximum ISO setting will be around 6400 but some cameras can reach 51200.
If your ISO level is too high, you will struggle to get good images and keep the high quality. You may get some overexposure in dark shadows, and overexposed highlights.
To put it simply, the higher the ISO number the more sensitive your camera is to light; resulting in your photographs being brighter. Raising your ISO to a high number will introduce noise to your photographs. Noise destroys the quality of your images.
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[Parenting] My child is not my child, but I still need discipline.
It is natural for parents to discipline and admonish children when they are acting mischievously. Those who know their child's propensity are parents, and they know what strategies they should take for their children. But what if you are a child of someone other than your child?
Justin Kolson, a parenting specialist, explained that parents are obliged to discipline and discipline other children to take the right actions. Especially if the parents do not act on their own, or if other children are put at risk or hurt by it.
But, like mind, action is not easy to be realized right away. Because they do not know how to properly discipline their children while not disturbing other parents. I introduce technologies that can cope well in this situation.
When disciplining another parent's child
1. Calmly and firmly: Making a loud voice or expressing anger can make a child feel threatened. Rather, children are more likely to act defensively and not to speak at all. The best way to keep a soft tone is to tell your child how to act by saying firmly that your behavior is not right.
2. Identify your own limitations: You should focus on talking to a child who has taken the wrong action. Children should not be pushed for their anger. Also, when you speak, it is not good to say, "You are a bad boy." You should treat them the same as you treat your own child.
3. Taking Action Right: Once you realize that something is happening around you, you have to get into action right away. Otherwise, larger work can result in personal injury or injury.
4. Talk to the parent of the child who is doing the wrong thing: This strategy can be somewhat difficult and awkward, but it is a necessary option. Naturally, the parents may feel uncomfortable listening to their children's stories. Let us talk about the facts without hesitation and calm as possible.
5. Do not be afraid to ask for help: Parents who come together at the time of play should prepare methods and rules for the discipline of their children. Also, the more parents there are to care for a child, the easier it can be.
1. On-site observation: For older children, knowing that there are adults who supervise them will reduce their tendency to misbehave. It is desirable to stand up once and go to the place where the children are playing and observe what they do.
2. Excessive Discipline Exclusion: Parents are different in their parenting styles. In other words, something that is not acceptable to oneself can be sufficiently accommodated by other parents. As long as someone is not injured or injured and is not in danger, excessive intervention is not allowed.
3. Setting expectations: Where many children gather, they will show different attitudes and behaviors. For example, if a child's birthday party is held, children with different personalities can be confused and crowded. As long as you supervise yourself, it is a good idea to let your children know what is acceptable and what is not. The rule is that when you eat food, you have to line up in turn or share the toys together and put them in place after you have finished using them.
4. Record Good Things: If your child is doing something worthy of praise, it is better to give him praise and rewards rather than just giving it away.
Children need discipline, not punishment. Discipline is a good way to lead children to the right places and help them to become better people. The child should not be hurt by discipline. We must accept the character of the child in a kind and respectful manner.
Also, when disciplining other children, you should notify them of what is wrong now, and recognize that they should not do this to others. However, you should not forget the kindness in this process. It should not be overlooked that these children may be growing up in problematic environments.
It is also good to let your child know about what is happening now so that you can establish your child's understanding and values correctly. It is also advisable to let your child know that you will always be next to him, while at the same time fostering your child's independence.
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Cs110b assignment poker hand write a program that reads five cards
CS110B Assignment: Poker Hand Write a program that reads five cards from the user, then analyzes the cards and prints out the category of hand that they represent. Poker hands are categorized according to the following labels: Straight flush, four of a kind, full house, straight, flush, three of a kind, two pairs, pair, high card. To simplify the program we will ignore card suits, and face cards. The values that the user inputs will be integer values from 2 to 9. When your program runs it should start by collecting five integer values from the user. It might look like this (user input is in orange for clarity): Enter five numeric cards, no face cards. Use 2 – 9.
You must write a function for each hand type. Each function should accept an int array as a parameter. You can assume that the array will have five elements. The functions should have the following signatures:
bool containsPair(int hand[])
bool containsTwoPair(int hand[])
bool containsThreeOfaKind(int hand[])
bool containsStraight(int hand[])
bool containsFullHouse(int hand[])
bool containsFourOfaKind(int hand[])
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Recycling, recovery and reprocessing of waste materials for making some new useful products. It is a cyclic process for producing a recycled material. In unwanted waste materials are recycled, and their processing or produce into new products, and the purchase of those products, which may then be recycled. Different type substance is recycled on process they are iron and metal scrap, aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper, wood, and plastics. The materials are reused in recycling assist as replacement for raw materials bought from such increasingly limited herbal assets as petroleum, herbal gas, coal, mineral ores, and trees. Recycling can help to reduce the part of strong waste settled in landfills, which have become increasingly expensive. Recycling also decrease the pollution of air, water, and land ensuing from waste discarding.
Waste-to-energy (WtE) or energy-from-waste (EfW) is the process of generating energy in the form of electricity and/or heat from the primary treatment of waste, or the processing of waste into a fuel source. WtE is a form of energy recovery. Most WtE processes generate electricity and/or heat directly through combustion, or produce a combustible fuel commodity, such as methane, methanol, ethanol or synthetic fuels.
Today we mainly use non-sustainable power sources to warmth and power our homes and fuel our automobiles. It's profitable to use coal, oil, and vaporous oil for meeting our imperativeness needs, anyway we have an obliged supply of these stimulates on the Earth. We're using them fundamentally more rapidly than they are being made. Over the long haul, they will run out. Additionally, because of security concerns and waste exchange issues, the United States will leave a great deal of its nuclear breaking point by 2020. In the interim, the nation's imperativeness needs are required to create by 33% during the accompanying 20 years. Practical power source can help fill the gap. Notwithstanding whether we had an unlimited supply of oil-based commodities, using manageable power source is better for the earth. We often call manageable power source progressions "clean" or "green" since they make hardly any poisons. Devouring oil subsidiaries, in any case, sends nursery gasses into the atmosphere, getting the sun's glow and adding to a risky environmental deviation. Environment specialists all things considered agree that the Earth's typical temperature has risen in the earlier century. If this example continues with, sea levels will rise, and scientists anticipate that floods, warm waves, droughts, and other exceptional atmosphere conditions could happen simply more much of the time.
At home, a noteworthy bit of what you dispose of is paper. Most by far of that paper is the thing that you get through the mail station normal – unwanted and unwelcome advancing mail. How huge? Americans got around 5.4 million tons of advancing mail in 2003 as shown by the U.S. Biological Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Of that aggregate, around 3.65 million tons was disposed of. Squander administration or waste transfer is each one of the activities and exercises required to administer misuse from its introduction to its last exchange. This consolidates not withstanding different things aggregation, transport, treatment and exchange of waste together with watching and control. It also incorporates the legitimate and managerial structure that relates to misuse organization joining course on reusing.
Waste is by and by an overall issue, and one that must be tended to disentangle the world's advantage and essentialness challenges. Plastics are delivered utilizing confined resources, for example, oil, and immense advances are being made in the headway of advances to reuse plastic waste among various resources. Mechanical reusing methodologies to make plastic things and feed stock reusing procedures that use plastic as an unrefined material in the creation business have been comprehensively received, and care has also created starting late of the centrality of Warm reusing as a technique for using plastics as an essentialness source to safeguard oil resources.
Solid waste administration, the social occasion, treating, and disposing of solid material that is discarded considering the way that it has filled its need or isn't any more significant. Uncalled for exchange of common solid waste can make unsanitary conditions, and these conditions in this manner can incite defilement of the earth and to scenes of vector-borne affliction that is, contaminations spread by rodents and frightening little animals. The errands of solid waste management show complex challenges. They moreover speak to a wide grouping of definitive, financial, and social issues that must be administered and unwound. Solid waste management is one among the principal thing organizations gave by metropolitan specialists in the country to keep urban concentrates clean.
A biofuel is a fuel that is produced through contemporary processes from biomass, rather than a fuel produced by the very slow geological processes involved in the formation of fossil fuels, such as oil. Since biomass technically can be used as a fuel directly (e.g. wood logs), some people use the terms biomass and biofuel interchangeably. Often however, the word biomass simply denotes the biological raw material the fuel is made of, or some form of thermally/chemically altered solid product, like torrefied pellets or briquettes. The word biofuel is usually reserved for liquid or gaseous fuels, used for transportation. The EIA (U.S. Energy Information Administration) follow this naming practice. If the biomass used in the production of biofuel can regrow quickly, the fuel is generally considered to be a form of renewable energy.
Electronic waste, or e-squander is a term used to depict any electronic contraption that is out of date, outdated, broken, gave, discarded, or towards the complete of its supportive life. This consolidates cell phones, PCs, compact PCs, PDAs, screens, TVs, printers, scanners, and some other electrical device. One of the genuine troubles is reusing the printed circuit sheets from the electronic misuses. The circuit sheets contain such important metals as gold, silver, platinum, etc and such base metals as copper, press, aluminum, etc.
Nourishment waste or sustenance setback is sustenance that is discarded or lost uneaten. The explanations behind sustenance waste or hardship are different, and occur at the periods of age, taking care of, retailing and usage. Treating the dirt is a technique for nature to reuse all the biodegradable materials
Polymer science or macromolecular science is a subfield of materials science concerned with polymers, primarily synthetic polymers such as plastics and elastomers. The field of polymer science includes researchers in multiple disciplines including chemistry, physics, and engineering
Bioenergy refers to electricity and gas that is generated from organic matter, known as biomass. This can be anything from plants and timber to agricultural and food waste and even sewage. The term bioenergy also covers transport fuels produced from organic matter.
Sustainable energy is a form of energy that meets our today's demand of energy without putting them in danger of getting expired or depleted and can be used over and over again. Sustainable energy should be widely encouraged as it does not cause any harm to the environment and is available widely free of cost
Biopolymers are natural polymers produced by the cells of living organisms. Biopolymers consist of monomeric units that are covalently bonded to form larger molecules
Biomass is plant or animal material used as fuel to produce electricity or heat. Examples are wood, energy crops and waste from forests, yards, or farms. Since biomass technically can be used as a fuel directly some people use the terms biomass and biofuel interchangeably.
Environment means anything that surround us. It can be living (biotic) or non-living (abiotic) things. It includes physical, chemical and other natural forces. Living things live in their environment |
The electrical system in your home and community is as sophisticated as it is fragile. It powers your electronics and appliances alike, keeping things running not unlike the current of a stream.
But sometimes, the flow of electricity gets disrupted, creating a ripple of excess voltage that can damage everything connected to that network. You can’t predict when this will happen. In fact, certain overvoltages happen every day. But with the proper electrical installation, you can protect your home—come what may.
The two main kinds of overvoltage occur outside and inside the home. Let’s go into more detail on what causes these spikes and the kinds of electrical installation you can incorporate to prevent damage.
External Overvoltage
External overvoltage comes from outside the home. It could result from a downed power line or problems with the electrical company, but it’s usually a product of lightning strikes. It could be a direct hit, or voltage could be electromagnetically induced from lightning hit near the power line. It can even be caused by electrostatics from charged clouds or smaller particles in the air.
That isn’t a problem for people in certain parts of the country, but Texas sees a lot of lightning every year. In fact, we led the nation with over 47 million recorded lightning strikes across the state in 2019. If you’re a homeowner somewhere on the West Coast, you don’t have to worry much about this. But lightning preparation is just common sense in Texas.
Internal Overvoltage
Overvoltage does only happen from lightning strikes. In fact, 80% of overvoltage surges come from inside the home. That can be something like a tripped circuit that turns off the power when you plug in too many fans at once. It could be a light that flickers as the dishwasher runs, or it might be such a minor inconsistency that you don’t even notice it.
Even if it’s small, these minor overvoltages can significantly damage your appliances and reduce their overall lifespan. Luckily, the electrical installation of a surge protector can divert excess voltage away from your devices and out of your home.
Receptacle Surge Protectors
Receptacle surge protectors are the most common kind of surge protector, and they usually don’t even require a professional installation. These look like specialized power strips that can arrest a surge and redirect it from several devices into your home’s ground wire. But they don’t absorb a surge the way other protectors can.
Service Entrance Surge Protectors
Service entrance surge protectors are the largest variety of surge protectors, and they should be professionally installed onto the main breaker of your house. With this, power goes from the transformer and passes through the surge protector before your breaker panel.
These protectors are primarily meant to absorb surges large enough to destroy less durable protectors. In that way, it works best when paired with another line of defense.
Whole-Home Surge Protectors
Whole-home surge protectors are similar to a service entrance protector in that they are both installed into the main breaker. But a whole-home surge protector can protect as many circuits as you may need, and they can handle surges of all sizes.
Finding the Best “Electrician Near Me”
SALT Lights & Electric has been a reliable name for almost 40 years for electrical installations in the Austin area. We’re family-owned and -operated with one hand on our faith and the other on the wellbeing of our community. When you work with us for your electrical installation, you’ll get a team that works to cultivate top-tier customer service.
They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice. But at SALT Lights & Electric, your electrical system will be safe no matter where or how the weather hits. |
Top Notch Organic Gardening Ideas To Increase Your Crops!
Make sure to lay the sod properly. Before you lay the sod, the soil has to be prepared. Do some weeding if necessary, then break the soil until it is no longer packed. Compact the soil gently but firmly to be certain that it is indeed flat. Thoroughly moisten the soil. You want the sod laid down in staggered rows, and the joints to be offset from each other. Press the sod down firmly so that the surface is flat and even. If there are gaps remaining, fill them with a bit of soil. Once it is in place, the sod requires frequent watering for at least two weeks. This is usually the amount of time it takes for the sod to grow roots, making it ready to grow seamlessly into place.
TIP! Soak seeds overnight, preferably in a cool, dark place. Place some seeds in your smaller pots and add water almost to the brim.
Learn some tips that can help you grow a much better garden for you, your family, or your business. With a little research, you can learn exactly what you need, which will keep you from spending money on seeds you can’t use, or unnecessary equipment.
TIP! Coffee grounds can be used to amend soils that are high in alkaline. Using coffee grounds is a less expensive way to make your soil more acidic than trying to replace your topsoil.
Properly put down your sod. Prior to laying the sod, prepare your soil. Eradicate any weeds and work the soil until it is very fine. Flatten your soil and make it slightly compact. Make sure you work with a moist soil. Sod must be arranged in staggered rows; each joint should offset one another. After the sod has been flattened to an even surface, you can use soil to fill any remaining gaps. Once it is in place, the sod requires frequent watering for at least two weeks. This is usually the amount of time it takes for the sod to grow roots, making it ready to grow seamlessly into place.
You must protect tender, deciduous shrubs. If the temperature drops below 50 degrees, you should consider protecting them, especially if they do best in warm environments. Tie the tops of the canes together; then take a sheet and cover the wigwam loosely. This is more effective than putting plastic on the plant, it will let the air flow.
TIP! Make sure that you divide your irises! To increase the number that you have, you need to take all your overgrown clumps and split them up. When you see the foliage is definitely dead, lift up the bulbous irises.
An excellent garden shouldn’t begin from plants. They should begin from seeds. When you grow a new garden, start the environmental way, from seeds. The plastic used in nurseries often end up in landfills, that is why it is advised to use seeds or purchase from nurseries that make use of organic materials when packaging their plants.
During winter, you should take your favorite plants inside. Choose the plants that are most likely to survive. Use caution when digging around the roots of your plant. You need to keep the root structure intact for it to thrive after being potted.
Carefully read and follow the instructions that come with your chemicals and tools, especially when you’re just starting to garden. If you fail to follow the directions, you expose yourself to safety hazards or a risk of experiencing adverse reactions. Wear protective gear, and use the products as directed.
Consider growing wheat grass or cat grass near the plants your cat enjoys eating. You may also place something offensively smelly atop the soil, like citrus peel or mothballs.
Believe it or not, pine makes great mulch. Acidic soil is a favorite of garden plants that are high in acidity. If you have some of these plants, then pine needles are an easy way to add acid to their bed. Cover your beds with two inches of needles; acid will be dispersed into the soil as they decompose.
TIP! Improve the value of your home. Landscaping is a cheap way to really increase the value of your property.
All it takes is a little knowledge, a bit of work, and a whole lot of patience. When you see your garden flourish, you will feel a satisfying sense of accomplishment.
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Windows Driver Testing
Windows Driver Testing Basics: Tools, Features, and Examples
This article is aimed at helping you test drivers for Windows. Since there are many
different types of drivers, we cover the specifics of each type and explain how the
Windows device driver testing process differs. We also cover supplementary tools and
– another quite important topic – driver signatures.
Written by:
Denys Rudov
Senior Tester
Driver Testing Team
Dmitriy Yurko
Test Designer
Driver Testing Team
Definition and Types of Windows Drivers
The Main Aspects of Windows Driver Testing
How To Test Windows Drivers
Utilities for Driver Testing and Analysis
Error Localization
Driver Testing Report Sample
Definition and Types of Windows Drivers
A driver is a software component that provides an interface for a physical or virtual
device. A driver interprets high-level requests coming from user software and the
operating system into low-level commands recognized by a device.
Driver Location in Windows
In Windows, drivers are stored as binary files with the .sys extension along with
optional supplementary files with .inf and .cat extensions.
.inf Files
The .inf file is a driver installation file that describes the type of device that a driver is
designed for, the location of driver files, and any dependencies. During driver
installation, data is entered in the system registry from the .inf file. This registry serves
as a database for a driver’s configuration.
.cat Files
A .cat catalogue file contains a list of cryptographic hash sums of all driver files. In
Windows, installed drivers are usually stored in the %SystemRoot%\System32\drivers
system catalogue, but they can also be stored in any other place. After installation, a
driver is loaded in the system and is ready to work. Some driver types require a reboot
after installation.
Driver Types
Drivers can be divided into user-mode and kernel-mode types depending on their mode
of execution.
User-Mode Drivers
User-mode drivers provide an interface between user applications and other operating
system components such as kernel-mode drivers. A printer driver is an example of a
user-mode driver.
Kernel-Mode Drivers
Kernel-mode drivers are executed in the privileged kernel mode. Kernel-mode drivers
are usually in the form of a chain formed during driver execution. The location of each
driver in this chain is defined by its task.
Queries from user applications to a device pass through several drivers. Each of these
drivers processes and filters the query, which is called an IRP packet (I/O request
packet) according to Windows driver terminology. If a driver is loaded in the wrong
place in the chain, then the query will be processed incorrectly and, as a result, the
system may crash.
Figure 1 below represents a simplified model of such a query for disk-based inputoutput (I/O). A user app creates a query to read a file on the disk. This query passes
through a chain of drivers, each of which processes incoming and outgoing packets.
Simplified model of a driver query from a user application
In this article, we’ll focus on kernel-mode drivers.
Kernel-mode drivers can be divided into the following types:
Plug and play device drivers. These drivers ensure access to physical plug and play
(PnP) devices and manage device power.
Non plug- and play drivers. These drivers enhance user application functionality and
provide access to kernel-mode features that are unavailable via standard API calls.
These drivers don’t work with physical devices.
File system drivers. These drivers provide access to the file system. They transform
(reading/recording a sector on a physical disk).
There is a driver development model called the Windows Driver Model (WDM) as well
as a Windows Driver Framework (WDF), which consists of the Kernel-Mode Driver
Framework (KMDF) and User-Mode Driver Framework (UMDF). Both the WDM and
WDF simplify the process of making driver code compatible across Windows versions.
Within the WDM are the following driver types:
Bus drivers. These drivers support a specific PCI, SCSI, USB, or other port, controlling
the connection of new devices to the bus.
Functional drivers. These drivers ensure the functionality of a specific device. They
usually support reading/recording operations and device power management.
Filter drivers. These drivers modify queries to a device. They can be situated either
above or below a functional driver in the chain of drivers.
The Relationship between a Driver and a Device
Each kernel-mode driver works with a specific device, represented in Windows as a
device object. This means that the final destination for an I/O query coming through a
driver is always a physical or virtual device. This applies to both drivers of physical PnP
devices as well as non-PnP software drivers. While testing drivers, it’s important to
understand that more than one driver exists between a user application and a device.
In the chain, each driver can influence the final result of the query to the device.
The Main Aspects of Windows Driver Testing
There are certain tests that are required for Windows driver testing in Linux, and
Windows regardless of driver type. So before covering the nuances of testing different
types of drivers, we’ll consider their common aspects.
Operating Systems
First, you always have to keep in mind that a particular driver can behave differently on
different operating systems. Furthermore, you need to take different kernel versions
into account because they can differ even within the same operating system. For
instance, Windows 7 and Windows 7 sp1 have different kernels. Therefore, you must
test as many systems as possible. It’s worth mentioning that Microsoft supports
Windows versions starting from Windows 7/2008. You also have to take into account
that the most popular Windows versions now are Windows 7 and 10.
It’s necessary to check critical situations for a driver such as shutdown, reboot, and
reset. You should also keep a system’s security systems in mind: firewalls, data
execution prevention (DEP), user account control (UAC), and antivirus software.
Operating system updates can also influence driver functionality. Therefore, it’s crucial
to perform testing with the latest updates. In addition, you also need to test driver
Hardware Dependency
Besides software dependency, there’s also hardware dependency. That’s why you
have to check how a driver works with various processor and kernel configurations with
an enabled and disabled page file. While testing a driver, you have to enable a driver
verifier, which will create an additional load for the driver. During a testing process,
check the correctness of driver installation and uninstallation, system reset, and
How To Test Windows Drivers
Testing a driver using a real machine isn’t always secure since incorrect operation can
lead to serious consequences. That’s why you should test a driver in a virtual machine
until it’s stable.
File System Filter Drivers
As the name suggests, system filter drivers work with file systems. Therefore, while
testing such drivers, you should use file systems such as NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and
To test a Windows driver correctly, you should take into account that various file
managers can be used besides Explorer, such as FAR or Windows Total Commander.
And don’t forget about complex file system changes in addition to simple operations
such as copying, deleting, and renaming.
Complex file system changes include:
Mounting/unmounting new disks:
o ISO images;
o Network disks
o Virtual hard disks
o USB flash drives
Making sector configuration changes (changing drive letter or name)
Actions performed on a disk:
o Formatting sectors
o Shrinking sectors
o Defragmenting sectors
o Checking for errors
o Compressing sectors
o Deleting sectors
o Making a disk dynamic
o Converting a disk in GPT/MBR
o Creating a new sector.
You also have to check:
Various hardware configurations (SSDs and HDDs with different capacities)
Driver behavior when stopping and starting services or installing/uninstalling an
How a driver works with an encrypted disk using Windows tools
Driver compatibility with antivirus software, as such software is also a filter driver.
Virtual Storage Driver
Before testing a Windows driver created for virtual storage, you should understand that
your file system will be stable. For virtual storage drivers, you should check the
following things:
How the driver works with files and folders when
o opening
o creating
o editing
o saving
o copying
o removing
o renaming
o deleting
How the driver works with a search in files and folders.
How the driver works with files that have names containing
o lots of characters
o digits
o special symbols
o spaces
o hieroglyphs
o non-unicode symbols
o cyrillic characters
How the driver works with files of different formats:
o text
o images
o archives
o Microsoft Office files
How the driver works with files with various attributes:
o read-only
o hidden
o system
o archive
How the driver handles changing file permissions and using various NTFS
o compression
o encryption
Whether shortcuts (symlink and hard link) and hidden copies are correct.
How the driver handles files of different sizes:
o very small
o many very small files
How the driver works with folders that contain a large number of subfolders (more
than five).
How the driver handles conflicts, for instance copying a file with the name of a file
that already exists in the destination or cancelling copying or deleting.
How the driver handles saving a file downloaded from the internet or a shared
network disk.
Disk mounting/unmounting in both standard situations and edge cases. For
instance, try unmounting while copying to storage, then check whether the disk
has been successfully mounted after rebooting the system.
The disk’s read/write speed.
USB Device Driver
With USB driver testing, you should try to cover as many USB devices as possible. You
can start with the most popular, such as flash drives, printers, scanners, mice,
keyboards, portable hard drives, smartphones, and card readers. But you should also
test less popular devices such as Bluetooth devices, Ethernet devices, USB hubs,
microphones and headsets, webcams, and CD-ROM drives.
You should take various USB interfaces into account: USB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 3.1. In
addition, don’t forget about unplugging/plugging devices, disabling safe and unsafe
devices, and deleting devices in the device manager. Furthermore, check the device
driver installation and uninstallation.
Utilities for Driver Testing and Analysis
There are numerous tools for testing Windows drivers that allow you to monitor the
status of the driver in the system, verify its functionality, and perform testing.
Built-in Windows utilities are enough to get basic information regarding a driver’s status
(e.g. whether it’s loaded in the system).
Built-in Windows utilities:
Sc Driver Verifier
Sc Driver Verifier is a built-in utility that allows you to verify driver functionality. To
deeply analyze test drivers, you’ll need additional tools available in the Windows Driver
Kit (WDK).
Built-in Windows Utilities
Windows System Information (msinfo32)
Msinfo32 allows you to get a list of all registered drivers in the system, the type of each
driver, its current status (loaded/not loaded), and start mode (System/Manual).
To call the System Information console, call the Run dialog using Win+R and launch
msinfo32. On the left sidebar of the System Information console, choose the following
tabs: Software Environments > System Drivers.
This utility allows you to review and store information about registered drivers. It also
lets you view a list of drivers from a remote computer if you have access to its Windows
Management Instrumentation (WMI). This option is located in View > Remote
Driverquery, a Command Line Utility
Driverquery provides information similar to that found in msinfo32. It can be launched
through cmd using the driverquery command:
Additional parameters allow you to modify the output to the console:
/V is the command for detailed output. It allows you to get driver status information
similar to that shown by msinfo32.
/SI provides information about signed drivers.
/S system allows you to get the information about a driver on a remote system.
The sc Command for Communicating with the Service Control Manager
The sc, command allows you to review a driver’s status and launch or stop the driver.
To see a list of drivers, run the following command:
sc query type= driver
Windows Driver Kit Utilities
The Windows Driver Kit (WDK) provides a wide set of tools for driver testing. WDK is
integrated with MS Visual Studio, but it can also be used as an independent set of
The WDK contains a set of testing modules called Device Fundamentals Tests as well
as other particular utilities that allow you to manage devices and drivers, monitor
resource usage, and has utilities for verification, and so on.
Device Fundamentals Test
A Device Fundamentals Test set consists of the following tests:
Concurrent Hardware and Operating System (CHAOS) test;
Coverage test
CPU stress test
Driver installation test
I/O test
Penetration test
Plug and play test;
Reboot test
Sleep test
To perform testing, WDTF Simple I/O plugins must support your tested device. Follow
this link to learn more about WDTF Simple I/O plugins.
Device Fundamental Tests are organized in the form of dll libraries and are situated in
the %ProgramFiles%\Windows Kits\10\Testing\Tests\Additional Test directory (in
Windows 10). These tests can be launched by the TE.exe utility that’s part of the Text
Authoring and Execution Framework (TAEF), and they have to be installed with the
WDK. You can find TE.exe in the %ProgramFiles%\Windows
Kits\10\Testing\Runtimes\TAEF directory.
Here’s an example of how we might launch a test:
TE.exe Devfund_Device_IO.dll /P:”DQ=DriverBinaryNames=testdriver.sys”
At this stage, we launch a device I/O test with a test driver called testdriver.sys as a
parameter. Device Fundamentals Tests and TAEF are both perfectly suitable for
automated driver testing.
Windows Device Console (devcon.exe)
The Windows Device Console is a command line utility that gives information about
plug and play devices and their system drivers and manage devices and filter drivers
for specific device classes. Using devcon, you can install, remove, connect, disconnect,
and configure devices. Devcon allows you to set a template while searching for a
specific device. An asterisk (*) can replace one or several symbols in queries.
Examples of commands:
devcon.exe hwids * displays a list of names and IDs of all devices
devcon.exe classes displays a list of all device classes
devcon.exe driverfiles * displays a list of driver files for all system devices
devcon.exe classfilter USBDevice upper displays filter drivers for the DiskDrive
device class
devcon.exe /r classfilter DiskDrive upper !OldFilter +NewFilter replaces a filter
driver for the DiskDrive device class
PoolMon (poolmon.exe)
The Memory Pool Monitor displays information about the allocation of downloadable
and non-downloadable core memory. This utility is used for detecting memory leaks
while testing.
The memory allocation statistics for a driver are sorted by tag rather than by driver
name. This tag should be set in the driver code using
the ExAllocatePoolWithTag and ExAllocatePoolWithQuotaTag procedures. If a tag is
not set in the code, then the system sets a None tag. Therefore, localization of memory
issues can be complicated.
Windows Hardware Lab Kit
The Windows Hardware Lab Kit (HLK) is a framework for testing Windows 10-based
devices. For Windows device testing on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1, you
should use Windows HLK’s predecessor, the Windows Hardware Certification Kit
While testing with Windows HLK, you should use an environment consisting of two
components: an HLK test server (controller) and a test system (client). An HLK
controller manages a set of tests, connects them with a test system, and defines an
execution schedule. The controller allows you to manage testing on a set of client
In the client system, devices and drivers are configured for further testing and test
scenarios are performed.
The preparation and testing process can be completed with the following steps:
1. Install the HLK controller on a dedicated machine.
2. Install the agent on one or several test machines.
3. Create a set of test machines that connects one or several machines in a logical
4. Create a controller-based project that defines the elements to be tested.
5. Choose a test target, such as external devices of a test machine or software
components such as filter drivers.
6. Choose and launch tests. You can use playlists to perform a specific set of
7. Review and analyze test results.
The Windows HLK allows you to test many types of devices. You can learn more about
Windows HLK by following this link.
Driver Verifier
The Driver Verifier is a built-in Windows utility created to verify kernel-mode drivers.
The Driver Verifier allows you to detect driver bugs that can damage the operating
The Driver Verifier is most effective with manual or automated testing using WDK tools.
The Driver Verifier is stored as a binary Verifier.exe file in the %WinDir%\system32
This utility can be launched in two modes: via command line and via the Driver Verifier
Manager. To launch the command line version, run the Command Prompt as
administrator and enter the verifier command with minimum one parameter, for
instance help - verifier /?). To open the Driver Verifier Manager, run verifier without
Let’s look at a driver verification procedure using the Driver Verifier Manager as an
1. Run the Driver Verifier Manager: Win + R > verifier
2. Choose a set of standard tests or create custom tests. The manager also can
display and delete current settings as well as display information about verified
3.Choose one or several drivers to verify.
4.Reboot the computer. The driver will be tested according to the chosen settings until
it is removed from the list of verified drivers.
Driver Verifier Standard Settings
Below, we’ll describe the standard settings of the Driver Verifier for Windows 10. The
list of standard and supplementary settings may be different in different Windows
Here are the standard options for the Driver Verifier in Windows 10:
Special Pool
Force IRQ Checking
Pool Tracking
I/O Verification
Deadlock Detection
DMA Verification
Security Checks
Miscellaneous Checks
DDI Compliance Checking
Let’s look into each setting in more detail.
Special Pool
The Special Pool option allows the Driver Verifier to allocate memory for a driver in a
special place that’s monitored for memory damage, in other words access to the
released memory.
Force IRQ Checking
In Windows, a driver cannot access unloaded memory with high IRQL if the spin lock
option is enabled. The Force IRQ Checking option detects such issues.
Pool Tracking
Pool Tracking monitors a driver’s memory allocation. The Driver Verifier checks that the
allocated memory for a driver eventually gets released. This helps detect memory
I/O Verification
The I/O Verification option detects a driver’s incorrect use of input/output procedures. In
Windows 7 and higher, this option also contains an Enhanced I/O Verification function
that performs stress testing for the following elements: PnP IRPs, power IRPs, and
With Deadlock Detection, the Driver Verifier monitors synchronization objects such as
mutexes and spin locks used by a driver. This is how potential deadlocks can be
DMA Verification
Using DMA Verification, the Driver Verifier monitors the use of Direct Memory Access
procedures. The DMA allows devices to work directly with memory without the CPU.
Security Checks
The Driver Verifier detects security issues such as calls of kernel-mode procedures with
user-mode memory addresses or incorrect parameters.
Miscellaneous Checks
With Miscellaneous Checks enabled, a driver is tested for potential errors that can lead
to a driver or system crash – for example, if a driver releases memory that still contains
working driver structures.
DDI Compliance Checking
A driver is checked for potential errors in the communication (Device Driver Interface)
with a kernel interface of the operating system.
To efficiently detect bugs within the Driver Verifier, you should follow the
recommendations below:
1. Don’t verify several drivers at the same time except if that’s precisely your goal.
2. Enable memory dump collection for cases where the operating system crashes
3. If needed, enable debug mode and connect to the test system with a debugger
using the network or COM/USB port.
Digital Driver Signature
In Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, there is no strict requirement for a
package signature in order to install a driver package. Therefore, you can easily install
a driver without a signature. However, if a package isn’t signed, you’ll see this warning:
For a driver to be recognized as coming from a trusted publisher, the driver package
has to be signed with a Windows Hardware Quality Labs (WHQL) signature in Window
XP. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, a driver package has to be signed with a
Trusted Root CA certificate. In Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10 a driver
package signature is required, as you cannot install a driver package without it. It used
to be required to have the certificate encrypted with an SHA-1 algorithm. Now, SHA-1 is
outdated and SHA-2 algorithms are usually applied to certificates. You can learn more
about SHA-2 algorithms by following this link.
Driver .sys File Signature
Before running a driver in kernel mode, Windows checks the digital signature of the
driver’s binary .sys file. It’s worth noting that Windows XP and Windows Vista 32-bit
don’t require a digital driver signature. Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows 7, Windows 8,
and Windows 8.1 require a signature with a certificate containing the Microsoft Code
Verification Root in its root or with another certificate trusted by the kernel. Windows 10
version 1607 and newer requires a driver to be signed with the Windows Hardware
Developer Center Dashboard portal.
To start a Windows driver test, you can temporarily disable the digital driver signature
check. In Windows 10, you can do this the following way:
1. Hold the Shift button and choose the Restart option in the main Windows menu.
2. Select Troubleshoot -> Advanced Options -> Startup Settings -> Restart
3. In Startup Settings, push F7 to choose the Disable driver signature enforcement
To test drivers in Windows with the Secure Boot option enabled, you must ensure that
your drivers have valid signatures.
Error Localization
An existing bug in a driver can lead to a system crash. That’s why, besides defining
specific steps, localizing a bug means understanding whether your driver has caused
the BSOD or not. In order to determine that, you have to review the system memory
dump. This is collected automatically after the BSOD and you can find it in
the C:\Windows\Memory.dmp directory. To review the full kernel dump, you should tell
the system to collect it. The kernel dump also contains necessary information regarding
free memory on the disk. To get this information, you should open Advanced system
settings > Startup and Recovery and click Settings.
Check whether the Complete memory dump or Kernel memory dump option is enabled.
In these settings, you can change the storage directory for the memory dump.
Once you have the full dump, you should analyze it. This is where WinDbg will be
useful. Before using this tool, you have to download the specific Microsoft symbols. You
can read this guide on how to do it.
Open the dump and run the !analyze –v command. Pay attention to the stack and you’ll
see the reason for the BSOD. In some cases, you won’t be able to get the dump file
from the system because it’s continually crashing. In this case, you should use the
Windows advanced startup options. You can then run the system in several special
modes. The simplest and most reliable one is afe mode. In safe mode, your options
within the system will be limited. But the only thing you need to get is the dump file from
the C:\Windows folder, and this mode allows you to get it.
You can also try the Disable automatic restart on system failure option, which may help
prevent continual restarts. In case of a system crash, you should check whether a
driver verifier was involved. This information can be very helpful for developers when
they try to reproduce the bug. Besides a system crash, you can also face other issues
such as those related to functionality or performance.
To localize functionality issues, you should take the following actions:
Try to recreate the same issue in another environment (in a different operating system,
without antivirus software, on another file system, using a real machine, etc.).
You also can try other conditions, such as different types of files and different file sizes.
If the issue is related to your USB device, check other devices of different types.
If the network is a potential cause of an error with a network device driver, check
various network settings (latency, bandwidth, enable or disable the firewall).
When the issue appears solely for users with specific permissions, use different
permissions (administrator or standard) to localize the issue.
If the issue is related to performance, your actions will depend on the element whose
performance you are trying to improve:
If the issue is in the network device driver, emulate network latencies or try
recreating this issue in a high-speed network.
If the issue is related to file operations, then check it using a different number of
files of different sizes.
If the issue is related to the USB camera, check its performance with different
Driver Testing Report Sample
Testing type
Regression testing
DriverFsfilter.sys (file system filter driver)
Windows 10 x64, Windows 8.1 x64, Windows 7 x64
Processing of read/write operations:
o Sectors with the following file systems: NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, ReFS
o Different file sizes (1Kb to 10 Gb).
o On physical mounted and network disks
A stress test with unsafe disk disconnection
Compatibility with Windows 10 updates (from 1607 to 1703)
Driver Verifier: standard settings plus the Randomized low resources simulation option
Periodic BSOD emerging with Randomized low resources simulation enabled in Driver Verifier
With the Randomized low resources simulation option enabled in Driver Verifier, the driver
periodically causes the BSOD in Windows 10 x64.
In other situations, the driver is stable.
Windows 10 x64 Full memory dump attached: MEMORY.dmp
In this article, we have described the main types of drivers and approaches and utilities
for testing them. Windows kernel driver testing differs significantly from testing desktop
apps. If a driver contains a bug, it usually influences the stability of the whole system
and eventually leads to the BSOD.
Detecting, localizing, and eliminating driver errors significantly decreases the risk of
unstable system behavior for end-users. |
Grade: all
Subject: Language
#1735. Catch my Mistake (B)
Language, level: all
Posted Tue Apr 25 21:56:02 PDT 2000 by Thad Schmenk (thadsensei@hotmail.com).
Matsuyama Board of Education, Japan
Materials Required: worksheet
Activity Time: 10 minutes
Concepts Taught: listening and reading skill practice
This activity takes only a little preparation. Before class, type up a short passage in the target language. However, do not type it correctly. Make sure to include some mistakes/typos. For example, you can leave words out, drop an ending, change the tense, etc. Then, photocopy the paragraph so that each student will have his/her own worksheet to correct.
After handing the students the worksheet. Tell them that you are going to read a correct version of the paragraph that they have in front of them. As you read the paragraph, tell them that they are to listen, to follow along, and to correct any typos they encounter. Can they correct all the mistake on the paper correctly? |
Monthly Archives: April 2015
Words Have Power
Words have power. They can hurt…and they can heal.
Our students have been learning about our local history. They’ve studied the lives of the first settlers, learned about the homestead act, and are fascinated by the stories of those who lived here before us. And they’ve taken these stories and invented their own playground game. They call it history. Essentially, they role-play the lives of these early settlers–some playing the adults, others the children. (Our school is a part of that history–one of the early schools of the area)
But at lunch recess today, it all went wrong. Things got rough, and mean words and hurtful actions happened. We got a heads-up from one of the playground monitors, and expected to see tears as we headed out to our students. But things were surprisingly calm…until we started to walk back to the classroom. As the story unfolded, we got a glimpse at both our students’ creativity and imagination…and the escalation of energy, excitement, with some poor choices sprinkled on top of it all. It became clear that this was not a scuffle between two students, it was a result of good intention, poor choices, swelling anger, and overreaction.
So instead of the plan we had in mind for the afternoon, we decided to address this incident with the entire class…to help our classroom community grow and hopefully give students more tools to use to resolve their own problems.
After talking through the pain and frustration and hearing a variety of perspectives, my teaching partner Margit pulled out a book she had bought a few weeks ago…one we were saving for a time when it seemed useful…and she began to read. Grandfather Gandhi by Arun Gandhi and Bethany Hegedus tells the story of Gandhi’s grandson and his feelings of anger…and of not living up to his grandfather’s reputation and expectations. The ultimate message is that anger is a normal emotion that we all experience–it’s how we deal with it that matters. Gandhi explains to his grandson that anger is like electricity. It can split a living tree in two. Or, he explains, it can be channeled and transformed. A switch can be flipped and it can shed light like a lamp. We can all work to use our anger instead of letting anger use us.
We talked about the difference between being a bystander–one who stands by and sees things escalating and chooses to do nothing. Or we can be upstanders, people who make a positive difference and think about how they can help. People who notice when things are escalating and make an effort to change the dynamic. For our young students, that might mean summoning an adult or using kind, calm language to help their classmates remember to pay attention to the choices they are making.
Our students took some time to breathe out the pain of the negative lunch interaction and breathe in some warm light…and turned to a partner to talk about what they learned from Arun Gandhi’s story of his grandfather. One student asked me, before heading out for afternoon recess, if they could still play the history game or if it was now off limits. I responded by reminding that the game itself wasn’t bad…and that I believed they could play the game as long as they remembered what had gone wrong before, and made different choices.
Our students are wonderful. They are inquisitive, imaginative, and caring. And they are kids. They get excited, wound up…and sometimes they make choices that get them into trouble. The words we use as adults are powerful too. We can use them to punish or we can use them teach.
As we sent our students off for spring break today, I could feel the caring and the healing in our community. We all learned today. Words hurt…and words healed…and we all learned.
Weekly Photo Challenge: Light and Shadow
I notice light…the way it washes over images, bringing vibrance to colors and highlighting details. And I notice shadow, spaces between light and color that create texture and definition. I love the interplay of the two…and the challenge of capturing what my eyes see through my camera lens.
I came home today to my tulip plant opening in the light of the late afternoon shining through the window. The yellow blossom seems to bring the spirit of spring right into the house.
Last week when I was back east, I was mesmerized by the shadow of bare tree limbs. Spring wasn’t much in evidence, but the beauty of nature in all its shadow was. I love the way that looking up into the tree branches creates images of lace.
And when I looked up inside the the train station in Baltimore, I noticed light playing with the intricate stained glass ceiling. My photo doesn’t begin to capture the beauty of the glass and the light!
Earlier this week at the San Dieguito Heritage Museum my students and i entered this Native American kiicha made of willow branches and wetland reeds. Looking up I noticed the way the light played with the shadows inside.
And after school today I treated myself to a short walk on the beach–this is the beginning of my spring break–a much needed week off to gather energy and inspiration for the rest of the school year. It was warm today…and spring breakers were out in full force. I noticed the kites flying above the lifeguard tower and the way the sun created silhouettes in the distance.
So, whether you are on spring break or yours is long over, take some time this week to notice light and shadow. What time of day does the light catch your eye? What do the shadows reveal?
So go into the light and explore the shadows in your life. I can’t wait to experience light and shadow through your lens! |
At Acorn we’re very keen on outdoor play and learning, but why is it so important for children to spend time playing outdoors? There are so many reasons, it’s hard to know where to start. Young children are fascinated by screens and gadgets, but children learn best by sensory experiences, and natural environments, outdoors, offer a wealth of opportunities for every aspect of healthy development, not just physical, but also for their emotional and intellectual development.
What’s in a word?
Let’s take a simple example, of the word ‘leaf’. When children learn to read and write they learn that ‘leaf’ becomes ‘leaves’ in the plural, but what image does the word conjure up? And if you ask ‘what colour is a leaf?’ will they answer ‘it depends on what time of year it is?’ A fresh young leaf in spring is a completely different sensory experience to the gorgeously crunchy rainbow of leaves in Autumn, and leaves themselves come in so many different shapes and sizes. Apart from being fun to play with and fascinating to examine closely, they are also a source of puzzlement which is great for stimulating children’s curiosity. You don’t need to be able to explain the wonders of photosynthesis, but learning about the way trees ‘breathe’ and how they help make our world a healthier place to live in can be the start of an understanding of science.
STEM – what’s that got to do with outdoor play?
Science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) are all areas of learning for outdoor activities in the early years. Mud is a wonderful resource for learning about chemistry - what happens when you combine water and soil, and how different temperatures affect its consistency and texture. Mini-beasts, plants and trees offer an introduction to biology, and there is a great deal of physics and engineering involved in creating dens in the woods, building bridges across streams, and using pulleys to transfer buckets of conkers (for example). It’s learning at its most absorbing – challenging, engaging and absorbing, and forest school campfires are the most thrilling way to learn about health and safety! Behaviour is rarely a problem at forest school – there are no arbitrary rules, only rules that everyone can easily understand are there for everyone’s safety.
An answer to nature deficit disorder
Richard Louv’s book, ‘Last Child in the Woods’, is a plea to give children a more free-range childhood. Many children don’t have enough physical exercise in today’s society, and there are many well-researched benefits for children who spend plenty of time outdoors, including better eyesight development and vitamin D absorption. Most parents of children will also recognise the difference in children’s appetites and ability to sleep after a day with lots of outdoor fun and games. First-hand experience of the different seasons and all types of weather is also a valuable learning opportunity. Adults may not like the rain, but muddy puddles are a source of great fun for children, and a muddy bank is the best slide of all (providing they’re wearing appropriate clothing!) Children also have the best opportunity for social interaction outdoors. They can co-operate in games and activities, there are ample open-ended resources for sharing, and there is space to choose where they want to be, and play together or alone.
Milton Keynes – a green city
We’re very fortunate in Milton Keynes, with parks, lakes and green spaces covering 20% of the city. There are over 5,000 acres of parkland, rivers, lakes and woodland, and over 22 million trees! Useful websites to find out more are and but why not just head outside, wrapped up for the weather, and see what you can find in your local area? Just being outside is good for you, and it’s not just good for children, they also LOVE it! |
Ecoagriculture for a sustainable food future.
Ecoagriculture for a sustainable food future. Nicole Chalmer.
Melbourne: CSIRO Publishing, 2021. illustrations, maps, photographs.
Describes the ecological history of food production systems in Australia, showing how Aboriginal food systems collapsed when European farming methods were imposed on bushlands. The industrialised agricultural systems that are now prevalent across the world require constant input of finite resources, and continue to cause destructive environmental change.
This book explores the damage that has arisen from farming systems unsuited to their environment, and presents compelling evidence that producing food is an ecological process that needs to be rethought in order to ensure resilient food production into the future.
Cultural sensitivity
Readers are warned that there may be words, descriptions and terms used in this book that are culturally sensitive, and which might not normally be used in certain public or community contexts. While this information may not reflect current understanding, it is provided by the author in a historical context.
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Sleeping on the Job: Why Chaminade Should Change its Start Time
Ryan Bradley
One of the ubiquitous problems that affects most school communities is the issue of school start times. At Chaminade, our school day officially begins at 7:45 AM. Unfortunately, this early start time almost guarantees that many students will not get the recommended number of hours of sleep each night.
The vast majority of physicians recommend that the average teen gets anywhere from 8.5-9.5 hours of sleep each night. There are many health risks associated with not getting enough sleep on a daily basis. According to a study done by the CDC, high school students who do not get sufficient sleep are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, use tobacco, get poor grades and suffer from obesity. Clearly this is a problem.
To improve student health and academics, it would be in the best interest of school officials to encourage students to get the recommend amount of sleep. Unfortunately, most teachers and administrators simply tell us to go to bed earlier. This won’t work; there is a natural biological tendency for teenagers to stay up at later hours and want to sleep for later hours. There has been an extraordinary amount of research done on this issue. In an article done on school start time by Education Degree, the authors conclude that since sleep deprivation is so harmful and teenagers are biologically prone to stay up late, even the CDC believes that school start times must be after 8:30 in order to optimize learning. In a US Department of Health and Human Services’ article, the author summarizes that sleep deprivation leads to people’s overall performance at work and school. It can be the catalyst for irritability, anxiety, and even problems in your relationships. Usually, these are things that teachers criticize in students. What they don’t consider is how schools can actually help us combat these problems.
A number of other articles support these claims. For example, the US Department of Health and Human services cited a study according to the Center for Disease Control that claimed that insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic. The US Department of Health and Human concludes their article by detailing the danger sleep deprived people can pose both on themselves and others. They claim that being sleep deprived has a large effect on your hand eye coordination and your ability to operate a vehicle. Drowsy driving has been the catalyst for tens of thousands of car crashes every single year.
There has been a large consensus between students, teachers, parents, and physicians that later school start times are a great idea. There have been many surveys taken by these groups of people and the vast majority agree that school should start a little bit later. This would provide the students more time to sleep, become refreshed, and feel prepared to learn. When students feel that they are prepared to take on the day, they will be more eager to learn and focused on the subject material. From my classmates’ experience and mine, it is much easier to score higher on tests and quizzes when we have gotten more sleep due to sporadic late starts. It has been recognized by everyone that later start times would increase health and productivity. So why haven’t we made the switch?
There are many reasons that little to no change has been done to correct this problem. Implementing change can be difficult. It is difficult to convince people and systems to change after they have been running the same way for years. Many people also believe that disrupting the normal flow of things would cause confusion and be expensive. However, there is much evidence to refute these naysayers. In a district in Ohio, the school attendance increased 15% after later school start times were pushed further back. In Los Angles, it is estimated that just an increase of 1% in attendance would net around 40 million. So, setting school start times back can prove to be healthier and save the district money. Change is possible – we just have to make it a priority. |
The low eyelid is sometimes a problem that can be unilateral, sometimes bilateral, often congenital, but also confused during development. It can be understood only in a carefu way, but it confronted in forms that extend from very light dminesions to very specific dimensions that wil prevent the viewer from seeing it. Sometimes when the sun starts to show up itself, when the eyelids are in a better state, the eyelid can be accompanied by muscle fatique over time.
There are variety of methods for correcting the low eyelid. When there are congenital casues and a neurological problem together, swallowing difficulty, double vision and some weakness in facial muscles may accompany eyelid laxity. Very rarely, tumors arising from the periphery of the eye can also cause eyelid collapse. Occasionally, the loss of the eyelid may be due to past accidents and related eye trauma.
A detailed examination and a good story are needed to understand what the problem is. After the measurement of the muscles lifting and running the eyelid is done, the operation technique is decided. Aspirin should not be used for 10 days before surgery to prevent bleeding during and after surgery. If the patient has a significant illnesses and medications tat he or she has used in the past, they should be notified to the doctor.
After the blood tests and necessary preparations are made, the muscles that lift the lid with an incision over the lid are uncovered. The surgery is terminated by a series of operations that connect the muscles of the eyebrows need to be attached to the eyelid, then this procedure is performed with the faecal connective tissue to be removed from the eye.
After the operation, ice is applied to the treatment area and edema is tried to be controlled. Antibiotics and painkillers are used. Softening pomades or drips are used to prevent straying and burning. Bruising and swelling usually begin to decrease after the third day. On the threeth or forth day of postoperative period, around the circumference of the eyelids are removed. If there is a cut on the eyebrows, the stitches on the seventh day have a leg incision and if the tissue removed, the stitches are removed after about two weeks. Drowsiness, stinging, burning can be seen in the first weeks.
Rarely, bleeding can occur. These are dimensions that can be corrected with local care.
The infection is uncommon. The possibility of confrontation with infection as a problem is weak with antibiotic use and wound care.
Wound dissociation is extremely rare. However, in the event of a trauma to the surgical site, diabetes, radiotherapy or use of cortisone, antagonism may occur.
Another problem that may arise after surgery is related to the setting of the lid distance. Sometimes 1-2 mm differences can occur. This difference may require a new intervention in very advanced dimensions.
Surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia with sedation. Rarely may require general anesthesia.
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What are the links between Type 1 diabetes and fatigue?
Fatigue, a scourge of modern-day life, is also a very common symptom of Type 1 diabetes. It’s important to note the difference between acute fatigue, the reasons for which are usually clear, and persistent chronic fatigue, which is sometimes difficult to identify and tackle.
Bouts of fatigue
The most common cause of acute fatigue in people with Type 1 diabetes is hypoglycemia. A symptom of low blood sugar that is sometimes missed, a feeling of sudden tiredness or being drained of all energy should prompt you to check your glucose levels. This is particularly true for people who do not really, or no longer, experience the adrenergic symptoms (caused by the secretion of adrenalin) of hypoglycemia, such as trembling, sweating, feeling sick, “pins and needles”, etc.
But since nothing is ever simple with diabetes, sudden fatigue can also be a symptom of hyperglycemia, especially after a big meal. Again, the best way to know is to check your glucose levels.
Difficult-to-identify chronic fatigue
The term chronic fatigue¹ is used to describe persistent tiredness present for over 6 months. Often blamed on stress, too much work or difficult times in life, chronic fatigue may also be related to poor diabetes management. In the end, sufferers often just accept the fatigue and live with it; as a result, people living with Type 1 diabetes no longer make the link between their diabetes and their fatigue.
Chronic hyperglycemia generates a dire situation for the human body, forcing it to draw on its reserves. Unable to use blood sugar as an energy source, it burns fat instead and runs on energy-saving mode. It is this excessive use of energy reserves that causes the fatigue experienced.
Better glucose control often solves the problem.
Sometimes subtle causes
But diabetes-related fatigue isn’t always a question of glucose control. Although they are more unusual, other causes should be considered.
Type 1 diabetes may be associated with other autoimmune diseases, such as hypothyroidism. Chronic fatigue can also be linked to weight loss, hypothermia or gastrointestinal problems. It is for this reason that regular blood tests are carried out in patients with Type 1 diabetes to measure TSH levels to detect any thyroid issues.
Psychological pressure and burnout
A chronic disease that requires constant management and attention, Type 1 diabetes is a source of stress and psychological pressure for both patients themselves and their families, which can sometimes lead to a phenomenon of “burnout”. People with the condition are also more prone to depression², which may develop after the diabetes is diagnosed or after living with it for several years. In this case, fatigue is a physical manifestation of angst or psychological distress that should not be ignored.
¹Fritschi C, Quinn L. Fatigue in patients with diabetes: a review. J Psychosom Res. 2010;69(1):33-41. doi:10.1016/j.jpsychores.2010.01.021
²Diabetes Complications and Depressive Symptoms: Prospective Results From the Montreal Diabetes Health and Well-Being Study
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The programs that many food processors adopt to manage foreign materials often focus solely on the equipment that they install to detect and remove foreign materials, especially metals.
Foreign material management is and must be much more than that, however. It includes vendor approval and quality programs, good manufacturing practices, employee guidelines and education, cleaning and sanitizing, glass and brittle plastics, preventive maintenance and pest management. One of the reasons that processors should develop, document, implement and maintain such programs is to help keep foreign materials out of the foods being manufactured. There are several reasons to keep foreign materials out of foods. These include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Food safety: Protecting consumers from illness or injury.
2. Prevention of adulteration: If a processor knows or suspects a product contains foreign materials, it is deemed adulterated and cannot be sold or must be recalled.
3. Food quality: Foreign material will compromise food quality.
4. Consumer satisfaction: Consumers expect foods to meet their expectations. Finding a foreign object in a food could result in a lost customer; the wrong way to go in a business that relies on repeat sales.
Keeping foreign materials out of foods is essential since the magnets, metal detectors and X-ray machines that processors rely so much on have certain limitations; limitations that will be discussed in greater detail later. They simply do not detect and remove all foreign materials, so it is imperative to keep certain things out of the foods. These include materials such as insects and insect parts; hair; pieces of cloth; wood; and different kinds of packaging materials such as plastics, jute or cardboard. The focus of this piece will not be these preliminary programs that are aimed at keeping things out, but the metal detectors and X-ray machines used to detect and eliminate materials from foods or ingredients during the process flow.
Defining hazards
In Section 555.425 – Food – Adulteration involving hard or sharp foreign objects, the FDA has defined what a significant food hazard is:
a. The product contains a hard or sharp foreign object that measures 7 mm to 25 mm, in length.
The product is ready-to-eat (RTE), or according to instructions or other guidance or requirements, it requires only minimal preparation steps, e.g., heating, that would not eliminate, invalidate, or neutralize the hazard prior to consumption.
Samples found to contain foreign objects that meet criteria a. and b., above should be considered adulterated within the meaning of 21 U.S.C. 342(a)(1).
This document is what most companies use when defining what and when foreign materials may be defined as a significant hazard. It is also referenced in the Hazards Guide the agency has established for seafood (Chapter 20) and for juice. Of course, if the processor suspects that a product contains foreign materials, even if the contaminants are very small, the product should not be sold as it may be adulterated. And, it is illegal to knowingly distribute products that are adulterated. Metal and glass are the most significant hazards that food processors look to manage.
The role of metal detection
Metal detection has become an integral unit operation in many process operations. The 4th Edition of the Seafood Hazards Guide addresses metal inclusion in Chapter 20 and emphasizes the importance of properly calibrating metal detectors based on the type of product, the state of the product (frozen, fresh, etc.) and the type of package. There are similar recommendations in the FDA’s guidance for the juice HACCP regulation.
When setting up a metal detector, the goal will be to ensure that the unit operates at the greatest sensitivity possible. This is done to ensure the greatest protection against metal contamination. With gate type units, a wide range of products may be tested. This includes almost all kinds of foods, including packaged products in non-metallic systems, unpackaged products, frozen products, fresh foods, dry food and even cased items. The gates or apertures should be as small as possible to ensure greater sensitivity. The equipment manufacturer should help the processor select the best unit for the application and help set up the system, which should include initial validation. For a product such as pasta in a cardboard box, the sensitivities might be 1.0 mm for ferrous metals, 1.5 mm for non-ferrous metals and 2.0 mm for stainless steel whereas a case of frozen omelets might be set up with 4.0 mm for ferrous, 4.5 mm for non-ferrous metals and 5.0 mm for stainless steel.
Metal detectors operate continuously, that is, each and every product on the line will pass through the unit. The processor must establish a program to verify that the system is working. At a minimum, processors should run their test standards through the unit as the start of each production run, in the middle of the run and at the end of the run. In reality, most processors will run the test standards at the beginning and end of each run and at intervals in between ranging from one to two hours.
X Ray setup
A typical X-ray system setup. Chart courtesy of Thermo Fisher Scientific
Processors should understand potential issues with their metal detector and the products that they are manufacturing. As an example, may processors package products in fiberboard cartons (noodles, rice, pasta) that have been manufactured from recycled cardboard. Occasionally the recycled packaging contains metal fragments which will be kicked out by the detector, yet when the processor looks at the product itself, they find nothing. The investigation to find and identify the metal must, therefore, look at the package and product.
According to Eric Confer, market manager, light industrial, Eriez, the following steps help guide clients into the appropriate detection system by taking into account several factors. They are:
a. What are the goals of the detection system at the point of use? Some examples would be, are we protecting downstream equipment or minimizing the potential of product liability with finished packaged goods? The goals of the client’s process are truly the most important.
b. How is the product(s) currently being processed? We try to offer a detector that naturally integrates into their process without causing new problems like bottlenecks or maintenance challenges.
c. Ideally, when we specify a piece of equipment, we test the product(s) on a similar or identical system in our central test lab. This allows us to get a “closer to production” sensitivity validation for the client. We then engage with the client to discuss the performance of the metal detector and what they would expect upon receiving their metal detector.
d. More than anything, we focus on giving the client the confidence and quality information necessary to make such a large purchase. Couple that with service and support after the sale, and we can ensure the client will have a reliable system with the best possible sensitivities for years to come.
X-ray detection
The use of X-ray detection has increased throughout the industry. The driving forces have been improving technology, enhance line speeds and reduced costs. In addition, more processors are interested in being able to detect foreign materials other than metals. X-ray detectors may be used to eliminate glass, stones, hard plastics, and other materials since the technology operates on the basic principle of density differentials. Lastly, X-ray detection technology can be used for metallized packaging such as boil-in-bag products and foil wrapped items. And, X-ray inspection systems have other capabilities. They can be used to conform fill levels, monitor seal integrity, mass analysis and can detect missing product.
It is not, however, a panacea. Products like breakfast bars or candies with large inclusions such as almonds or peanuts require special attention.
“The density of nut inclusions in bars is lower than that of the contaminants that are usually being inspected for, so in general, with the right set of inspection algorithms, nut inclusions can be ignored and a successful inspection made,” says Mike Munnelly, field manager, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “That being said, the application can be challenging because the position of the nuts in the bar is random so comparing with a known good image is not possible. If there is any doubt, then the best way to determine how an X-ray system will perform on a particular application is to work with an inspection equipment vendor to perform a product test using actual production samples with the X-ray system of interest.”
In addition, there are foreign objects that will not be detectable due to lack of density differentials. These include pits from cherries, apricots and pears and un-calcified bone such as may be found in immature chickens or fish fillets. Processors interested in adopting an X-ray detection system should also check on local regulatory or environmental regulations. One California processor installed an X-ray detection system for boil-in-bag products in a foil laminate packaging and was informed by local authorities that it needed a special permit for the “nuclear device.”
Munnelly also notes that large, bulky products can be a challenge for X-ray systems.
“Products that are very large and bulky can be a challenge for X-ray,” says Munnelly. “A large X-ray aperture and a high-powered source would be necessary for inspection, which quickly can become impractical due to cost, size, etc. Metal detectors on the other hand are easier to scale-up in size, and a great fit for large unprocessed foods such as those at the very beginning of the processing line.”
Many buyers are now encouraging their suppliers to adopt X-ray inspection technology. Costco’s guidance for suppliers includes the following statement:
Foreign material detection devices, such as X-ray and metal detectors, are an important final step to ensuring that product which has been manufactured under appropriate controls is free of physical contaminants. If you are considering purchasing a foreign material detection device, Costco would like you to weigh the benefits of X-ray over metal detection for your facility. X-ray can not only pick out metal, but also is able to determine densities of rubber, plastic, bone fragments along with sticks or twigs.
Processors should validate the unit for each product as described for the metal detectors and establish a schedule to verify that the system is working. Test standards for X-ray detectors include metals, glass or silica, bone and hard plastics. Sensitivity depends upon the type of unit.
X-ray systems may also be employed to detect and eliminate potential contamination in finished products. Processors can rent or lease a system or send a suspect lot for X-ray scanning to third parties. One processor with whom I worked found that their filler was missing a gasket at the end of a production run. They assumed it was in the product but could not find it through inspection. They leased an X-ray detection system and ran the suspect product through with the help of the contractor. They discovered all the pieces of the gasket and were able to release the lot.
Enhanced detection
There are companies that utilize both metal detectors and X-ray systems. Running these systems in tandem enhances the ability to detect and eliminate foreign materials. It is also something that processors can show to clients and auditors to demonstrate their commitment to minimizing the potential for physical hazards. In fact, some operators go one step further and have installed plate magnets just upstream of their packing operations. This may seem like overkill, but I have observed that this last intervention is effective, especially when it comes to removing rust particles which are about the size of dust. Processors of various kinds of fruits and vegetables also employ X-ray detectors to protect equipment by placing them upstream of cutters, grinders and choppers. The detectors remove materials such as glass, stones and other materials that might damage the blades. The metal detectors are deployed downstream from the cutters, grinders and choppers.
Most processors focus their Food Safety Management Systems (FSMS) on the biological hazards, but one cannot ignore physical hazards. They can injure persons and/or sour a person on a product.
No likes to find surprises in their food. Remember the old joke: “What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding half a worm.”
Key Definitions
Sensitivity – The diameter of the smallest sphere (test standard) which is always detected.
Validation - Obtaining evidence that the elements of the HACCP plan are effective. Validation data shall be developed for all critical points/process preventive controls to clearly demonstrate that they are effective for controlling the identified hazard.
Key components of metal detectors
There are several basic elements that are included in a metal detector. They are:
1. Conveyor: The food or package to be metal detected must be conveyed into the unit. The most common metal detector is one with a gate or aperture in which the product is conveyed into and through the gate. There are also pipe units in which the product is pumped through the detector.
2. Control Panel: Each detector has a control panel which allows a unit to be programmed for individual products. The supplier’s technician needs to work with the processor to set up the metal detector for the product and package.
3. Reject Mechanism: Each metal detector has a reject device of some sort. With gate type detectors, these may be devices that remove the product from the line or they may simply stop the line. The systems for fluid products will literally spit out the product in which the metal was detected. In most cases, companies establish some kind of device to collect the rejected product so it may be examined. Processors also have the option to include devices to notify the work force when a product is rejected. These include audio such as alarms and/or visual signals. The visual is often a rotating red light. Processors should also develop programs to isolate and identify the metal from product that has been rejected.
4. Electrical Hookup: It is imperative that a metal detector has a well-designed and stable electrical hookup. A single line that is subject to movement can adversely affect the ability of the metal detector to detect and eliminate contaminants.
5. Detector: Metal detectors are designed to detect metal in products through changes in conductance. Metal detectors are equipped with a transmission coil and two receiver coils spaced equally apart and would in opposite directions. The system remains in balance until disrupted by conductive materials within the thresholds for which the unit has been calibrated.
6. Status Lights (Optional): Many units are fitted with status lights to indicate whether the unit is operating. Green lights may indicate that the unit is operational and red that it is turned off. This provides management with an easy tool to ensure proper operation.
Key elements of X-ray detectors
X-ray detectors, like metal detectors, include certain basic components. They are:
1. Conveyor: The food or package to be scanned must be conveyed into the unit. The most common detector is one with a gate or aperture in which the product is conveyed into and through the gate. There are also pipe units in which the product is pumped through the detector. Conveyor speed was an issue with X-ray machines in the past. Throughput was too slow, so the systems were not really applicable with high- speed lines.
2. Control Panel/Display: Each detector has a control panel which allows a unit to be programmed for individual products. Metal detectors also scan and photograph containers as they pass through the system so processors can access the display to defects and rejects almost instantaneously.
3. Reject Mechanism: Each X-ray detector has a reject device of some sort. With gate type detectors, these are devices that remove the product from the line. The systems for fluid products will literally spit out the product in which the metal was detected. The units usually have a built-in system to collect the rejected product. Even though the camera has a picture of the defect, it must be collected so it may be examined and the source of the foreign material determined. Processors also have the option to include devices to notify the work force when a product is rejected. These include audio such as alarms and/or visual signals. The visual is often a rotating red light.
4. Tunnel Covers and Lead Curtains: Food X-ray inspection systems do not use radioactive materials to generate X-rays. The X-rays are generated using X-ray tubes that are run at very high voltage where electrons are accelerated across a gap bombarding a tungsten material to generate images. When the tube is turned off, no X-ray energy is emitted. The X-ray system is encased in a stainless-steel cabinet and there are lead curtains to ensure the X-rays are contained and that workers are safe,
5. X-ray Generation and Sensor: The X-ray generated in the detection chamber penetrate the food product and lose some energy. If they strike a dense object, that is a contaminant, more energy is lost. The X-ray is detected by a sensor which converts the foreign material into an image that is a darker shade of gray. This allows processors to identify the foreign material quickly and easily. Systems may be set up with single or dual beams. The latter enhances detectability of flat glass and rubber.
6. Status Lights/Light Tower: X-ray detectors are fitted with status lights to indicate whether the unit is operating. Green lights may indicate that the unit is operational and red that it is turned off. This provides management with an easy tool to ensure proper operation.
What to consider when purchasing an X-ray system
All processors needs to take a long look at their operations to determine what their needs are when it comes to foreign material management. Do they need metal detectors, X-ray systems, magnets or some other system? One of the tools that should be used during the decision-making process is company history. Take a look at what kind of materials have been found in the past. Hopefully, the quality group and customer service have compiled such records. Part of the equation should also be the market. Are you selling to Costco or others who “suggest” that X-ray detection be considered?
Thermo Fisher Scientific has compiled a list of 10 factors that should be considered when selecting an X-ray system. Some of these same considerations may also be utilized if one is looking at metal detectors.
1. Meets Safety Standards: The systems must be able to operate safely and meet the safety requirements of any government agency in which the units are operating.
2. Maintenance Schedules: Potential users must incorporate the required maintenance programs into their existing Maintenance Management programs. Maintenance for all components of the system including belts, air filters, shielding is necessary and must be scheduled at intervals of between 6 and 12 months. As X-ray systems are part of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS), the HACCP or Food Safety Team should have input into maintenance and calibration.
3. Sufficient X-ray Power and Beam Size: The X-ray detection system that a processor selects must have enough power and sufficient beam width to ensure that all products are fully scanned and the potential for false positives is minimized.
4. Sophisticated, Easy to Use Software: Software must be easy to use and be designed to detect a variety of sizes and shapes. Processors have the option of linking their systems to the manufacturer allowing for remote access and troubleshooting.
5. Positioning Flexibility/Validation: When testing a new item or items in the X-ray system make sure that multiple packages are run with the target standard in different locations within the package. In addition, make sure that the packages are located at different positions on the belt to properly challenge the system.
6. Training: The processor must understand the education and training required to properly set up, operate and maintain the detector. This includes but is not limited to principles of operation, calibration, set up, safe operation and evaluation of rejects.
7. Component Lifetime: X-ray generation systems and detectors have finite lives. Look for systems that provide a warning when these components are nearing the end of their operational life so they can be replaced thus ensuring continued efficient operation.
8. Clear Visuals: Select an X-ray detector with a screen that provides clear visual projections of the product and contaminants. Maintaining these images enhances recordkeeping, future training and education, and system maintenance and fine-tuning.
9. Low Total Cost of Ownership: Examine long-term costs of the X-ray detection system, that is, 5-10 years into the future. This includes not just cost and installation, but maintenance, repairs and replacement parts.
10. Reputable Vendor: Work with reputable vendors. Apply the same rigor as one utilizes when selecting suppliers for packaging, ingredients and raw materials. Look at their experience and history with the technology, the customer service package and availability. If possible, talk with other users of that company’s technology.
Thermo Fisher Scientific – and thermo-scientific-ebook-a-practical-guide-to-metal-detection-and-xray-inspection-of-food_.pdf (
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Crime and punishment
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Crime and punishment: Fyodor Dostoevsky
AUTHOR: Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (1821−1881) is a Russian novelist. Of his eleven novels, his three most famous were written later in life: ’Crime and Punishment’, ’The Idiot’ and ’The Brothers Karamazov’. His books have been translated into over 170 languages, and have sold over 15 million copies.
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The method applied to the images acquired with the PSPT in order to make an instrument calibration of the detector’s answer to uniform lightening, as proposed by Kuhn et al. (1991), allows us to calculate the flat-field image corresponding to a series of simulated images of the Sun with an accuracy higher than 10-4. However, we know that the numerical application of this method requires the images to confirm some hypotheses. That is why the photometric accuracy obtained by applying the method to the various series of acquired images can be lower than the one indicated above.
We have therefore examined the sample of selected images in order to highlight the possible presence of faults due to the application of the method.
In particular, we know that the CCD camera used in the telescope employs four amplifiers for a four-quadrant quick reading of the images. Because of the differences in the answer of the amplifiers, by evenly lightening the detector, we can notice that each quadrant of the image shows a different average intensity.
The presence of these systematic gain differences in the four amplifiers enables us to evaluate the efficiency of our flat-field correction. This evaluation can be made, for instance, by measuring the differences of average intensity in the four quadrants of calibrated images.
We have therefore analyzed the average intensity along thin rings centered upon the solar disk in the sample images, and we have measured the average values of intensity for each quadrant. The position and dimension of the selected rings have been chosen so as to prevent active regions from “falling” into them.
In Figure 8.1 (bottom) we have charted the variations of intensity and the average intensity for each quadrant inside the selected ring, for one of the sample images. In particular, we have compared the values obtained from the original image and from the corresponding calibrated image (corrected for darkness flow and flat-field answer) obtained in the continuous red on November 2, 2001.
The application of calibration procedures reduces differences among average values of relative intensities, due to the usage of the four amplifiers, up to values <0.2% for images in the continuous red, whereas for images acquired in the continuous blue and in the CaII K line, the largest differences are respectively of the order of 0.2% and 0.8%. It should be noticed that the differences of average intensities in the images untouched for flat-field are of the order of 4%; therefore, a correction for flat-field reduces these differences by a factor above 20.
The same analysis has been made on a sample of imagines acquired with the telescope operating in Mauna Loa, and has given wholly comparable results, as summed up in Table 2.
Table 2: Results of the analysis of the largest differences in the values of average intensity (%) measured for each quadrant of the detector.
filter Rome Mauna Loa
CaII K 0.74 ± 0.20 0.75 ± 0.16
B 0.25 ± 0.13 0.26 ± 0.08
R 0.19 ± 0.07 0.17 ± 0.09
FIGURE 8.1: Top: image acquired in the continuous red, uncalibrates for flat-field; values of average intensity of pixels in the image untouched for flat-field inside the selected ring, for each of the four quadrants of the CCD detector (a different symbol is used for each single quadrant); corresponding calibrated image with a superimposed ring inside which average intensities have been measured; values of average intensities in pixels in the corresponding image, corrected for flat-field, inside the same ring. The horizontal superimposed lines indicate average values.
The photometric accuracy of acquired images has been confirmed by the analysis of the level of photometric noise in some images obtained through an holographic diffuser produced by the Physical Optical Corporation. In particular, in the months of October and November 2001, after the end of the daily observing procedures, we have acquired series of 2048×2048 images by placing the diffuser in front of the objective lens (Figure 8.2). These images have been acquired in order to gather useful data for an assessment of the accuracy of alternative calibration methods for flat-field as well as to check the photometric accuracy of acquired data.
FIGURE 8.2: An example of image acquired with the diffuser in the continuous red.
To this aim, we have acquired a total of 15 series of 18 images for the three filters, in the course of five of observating days.
The exposure times for the acquisition of these images are much higher (1000 ms) than those employed for normal observations of the solar disk. We have ascertained that the fluctuations of intensity inside sub-arrays of various dimensions (from 10×10 to 512×512 pixels) are of the order of about +1.4%, with a rms value of about 0.03%, for images in the continuous red, whereas for images in the continuous blue and at the CaII K radiation, these values were respectively of 1.1% and 0.9%, with rms values of 0.02%.
The same analysis was made upon images acquired with the telescope operating in Mauna Loa with the same diffuser in the continuous red (Rast et al. 2001), and gave comparable values (1.5 ± 0.12%). The results thus obtained are summed up in Table 3.
Table 3: Results of the analysis of average intensity values (%) measured in sub-arrays of acquired images with a diffuser. “na” stands for results which are not available.
filter Rome Mauna Loa
CaII K 0.9 ± 0.02 na
B 1.1 ± 0.02 na
R 1.4 ± 0.03 1.5 ± 0.12
Finally, let us sum up the results obtained by an analysis made before acquiring images with the diffuser. In that case, we had estimated the overall level of noise in the calibrated images of the Sun, by measuring the standard deviation of the average intensity of the sky in small areas (10×10 pixels) beyond the solar edge.
The relative fluctuations resulted lower than 0.0015±0.002% of the average intensity at the center of the disk for images in the continuous and 0.04±0.01% for the CaII K images. The standardized deviation in a small quiet region at the center of the disk (10×10 pixels) also resulted generally <0.1%.
These results allow us to say that photometric accuracy for pixels in the analyzed images is of the order of 0.1%. |
Analyzing Protein Aggregation in Biopharmaceuticals
Pharmaceutical Technology, Pharmaceutical Technology-01-02-2015, Volume 39, Issue 1
Understanding and preventing protein aggregation is crucial to ensuring product quality and patient safety.
Biopharmaceutical manufacturers are under increasing pressure from regulators to ensure the safety and quality of their products. Protein aggregation presents a key challenge in the development of biologic formulations as it can have an impact on product quality in terms of efficacy and immunogenicity. Matthew Brown, PhD, product technical specialist, Life Sciences, Malvern Instruments spoke to Pharmaceutical Technology about the causes and risks of protein aggregation and discussed the analytical capabilities available to measure and characterize protein aggregates.
Causes of protein aggregation
PharmTech: What are the causes of protein aggregation in biologic formulations?
Brown: Proteins have a natural propensity to aggregate due to the dynamic nature of their structure, which is held together by a combination of Van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonds, disulfide linkages, and hydrophobic interactions. Disruption of this delicate balance can expose internal hydrophobic regions of the polypeptide chain, which may then interact with areas on other proteins to form larger complexes of misfolded proteins. This aggregation can be ‘native,’ in which the protein structure is maintained and the aggregation is largely reversible, or ‘non-native,’ where denaturation and structural changes mean this effect is largely irreversible. Aggregates may continue to grow and form over a wide size range, including up to and beyond the formation of visible particles, and ultimately this leads to precipitation.
Protein aggregation is a common consequence of many sample treatments and is a major problem facing the biopharmaceutical industry. These treatments include the addition of chemicals, incorrect reconstitution of lyophilized materials, the effect of mechanical stresses encountered during manufacturing, freeze/thaw cycles, and prolonged storage. The presence of contaminating particles is also known to promote aggregation, with materials such as silicone oil, a commonly used lubricant in pre-filled syringes, acting as a nucleation site for aggregation. Other examples of contaminating materials include silicone rubber from container-closure systems, glass particles from vials, and oxidized metal particles from sources such as filling lines. There is the potential for aggregation to occur at almost every stage of a biopharmaceutical process, such as in development, formulation, manufacturing, storage, and at the point of use, and it may have a number of deleterious consequences.
What is fundamentally important is to understand, at an early stage, the pathway of aggregate formation in order to put in place processes that will help to minimize it. The aggregation behavior of two proteins in a similar process may be quite different.
Risk of protein aggregation
PharmTech: In terms of safety and efficacy, what are the risks of protein aggregation?
Brown: While biological molecules can degrade in a number of ways that make their development as therapeutic agents challenging, the presence of aggregates in biopharmaceutical formulations remains one of the major quality and safety concerns. Not all aggregates will lose the functionality of the original protein, but as aggregation proceeds, the activity of the constituent protein molecules may well diminish or be lost from the therapeutic, thereby reducing its efficacy. Of even greater concern is that numerous studies have shown that the presence of protein aggregates in a therapeutic formulation destined for parenteral administration may trigger an unwanted and/or potentially dangerous immune response in the recipient.
Efficacy can be affected in a number of different ways, ranging from no impact through to rendering a drug completely ineffective. For example, large aggregates developing during the formulation process may well be filtered out at the later stages of production, which will also reduce the concentration of active molecule in the final product. While the most serious safety issue is the potential to trigger a life-threatening immune response that leads to anaphylactic shock, less devastating immune responses also have serious consequences. For example, the efficacy of a biopharmaceutical may be compromised if an immune response in the patient leads to elimination of the therapeutic protein, resulting in ineffective treatment perhaps where no other alternative treatments exist. Equally important is the administration of proteins designed to supplement levels of a naturally occurring endogenous protein. The triggering of an immune response here can lead not only to destruction of the therapeutic itself, but may also induce an immune response against the intrinsic protein, potentially leaving the patient with additional clinical complications. The case of Eprex-associated Pure Red Cell Aplasia (PRCA) is a well-documented example of such an effect.
The FDA Guidance for Industry: Immunogenicity Assessment for Therapeutic Protein Products, issued in August 2014 (1), provides useful summary descriptions of the clinical consequences of immune responses to therapeutic proteins. Reduced efficacy and increased immunogenicity of a drug product are both highly undesirable, so understanding and monitoring protein aggregation in drug formulations is crucial.
Measuring and characterizing protein aggregates
PharmTech: Can you describe the challenges in measuring and characterizing protein aggregates? What guidelines have FDA or EMA provided?
Brown: The FDA Guidance for Industry: Immunogenicity Assessment for Therapeutic Protein Products (1) is ‘intended to assist manufacturers and clinical investigators involved in the development of therapeutic protein products for human use.’ It is wide-ranging in its scope and sets out FDA’s current thinking and recommendations, but is not a statutory requirement.
In this guidance, aggregates are defined as any self-associated protein species, with a monomer defined as the smallest naturally occurring and/or functional subunit. The text points to the criticality of minimizing protein aggregation in therapeutic products and the need to develop minimization strategies as early as is feasible in product development. It states that, ‘methods that individually or in combination enhance detection of protein aggregates should be employed to characterize distinct species of aggregates in a product.’ Recommendation is made that the range and levels of subvisible particles (2–10 microns) present in therapeutic protein products, initially and over the course of the shelflife, should be assessed. The guidance goes on to indicate that as more analytical methods become available, there should be a move to characterize particles in smaller (0.1–2 microns) size ranges. Furthermore, there should be risk assessment of the impact of these particles on the clinical performance of the therapeutic protein product, with the development of control and mitigation strategies based on that assessment.
Subvisible particles are usually defined as particles that are not visible to the naked eye and have a size of <100 µm. They can further be defined into micron (1–100 µm) and sub-micron (1 µm) size ranges. The United States Pharmacopeia (USP) chapter <788> relating to particulate matter in injections requires the quantification of subvisible particles that are ≥ 10 µm and ≥ 25 µm in size, usually using light obscuration and flow imaging techniques (2). Meanwhile smaller aggregates (<0.1µm), typically caused by oligomerization, are characterized using size exclusion chromatography (SEC). However, for particles in the 0.1 to 10 µm size range cited in the FDA guidance, very few characterization techniques can provide quantitative sizing details, and there is no single instrument that can cover the full measurement range required for sub-visible particles. Consequently, different analytical approaches must be applied, each with their own distinct sizing range. This poses the challenge of relating results from quite different measurement technologies and raising the need to use truly orthogonal systems that deliver independently achieved data on the same parameter. The use of orthogonal approaches to the characterization of biotherapeutics is strongly encouraged by regulatory authorities. This is to ensure a more detailed and rounded view of the product is obtained, and to prevent reliance on single technologies. Each and every technique used to characterize the complex nature of proteins will have its own limitations; therefore, combining multiple technologies improves understanding of products.
PharmTech: What methods do you use to measure and characterize protein aggregates and how do they compare to each other?
Brown: A variety of techniques is available to characterize protein aggregates, which while helpful individually, collectively can offer even more valuable insight into the behavior of biotherapeutics. A number of widely used technologies are described in the following (see Figure 1).
Figure 1: Techniques to characterize protein aggregates. DLS is dynamic light scattering. AUC is analytical ultracentrifugation. NTA is nanoparticle tracking analysis. RMM is resonant mass measurement. SEC/GPC is size exclusion chromatography/gel permeation chromatography. LO is light obscuration.
Figure 1 is courtesy of Malvern Instruments.
SEC separates proteins on the basis of size as they pass through chromatography columns. Consequently, SEC allows characterization of a protein’s oligomeric state and is normally employed as a quality control (QC) release assay. The addition of multiple detectors (such as in the Viscotek TDAmax triple detection system [Malvern Instruments]) enables more extensive characterization, including the determination of molecular weight. However, large aggregates, typically above 200 nm, will block the column, and hence, will not be detected. Consequently, SEC will only provide a picture of the smallest aggregates present.
Dynamic light scattering (DLS) systems (such as the Zetasizer Nano [Malvern Instruments]) are widely used throughout the lifecycle of biopharmaceuticals to measure the size and size distribution of proteins in solution. DLS is an easy-to-use, rapid and non-invasive method with incredibly high sensitivity to the presence of large particles, allowing the detection of aggregates at the earliest stages of onset. Consequently, DLS is often used as a screening tool and in comparability studies to monitor the oligomeric state of the protein of interest. However, DLS provides qualitative data only, and will not provide particle quantification or concentration.
Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) uses a high-resolution digital camera and specially designed software to track the movement of particles under a microscope, thereby tracking Brownian motion and determining hydrodynamic size. It generates a high-resolution particle size distribution by sizing each particle individually and also measures the concentration of particles present in the sample. Due to the low refractive index of protein, the lower limit of detection in NTA measurement is approximately 30 nm diameter. So while protein monomer units are not measurable by NTA, aggregates comprised of just a few tens of monomers through to many thousands of units can be sized and counted to determine particle concentration.
A recent addition to the toolkit is resonant mass measurement (RMM) in the form of the Archimedes system (Malvern Instruments). It uses RMM to detect and accurately count particles in the critically important size range 50 nm–5 µm, and to reliably measure their buoyant mass, dry mass, and size. Furthermore, it can also distinguish between proteinaceous material and contaminants, such as silicone oil, by means of comparing their relative resonant frequencies and buoyant masses.
Recent advances in analytical technologies
PharmTech: What recent advances have you seen in analytical technologies for measuring and characterizing protein aggregates? And what area is still lacking?
Brown: There is a growing need to be able to quantify aggregates within the sub-micron size range. Some of the latest technology identified in this article now provides the industry with this capability. This ability is becoming more important as companies are required to assess immunogenic risk for parenterals. In addition to detecting and characterizing aggregates, huge importance is now being placed on the identification of particulates and contaminants. Particles detected in a product may not be protein aggregates, but rather contaminants from manufacturing processes and product contact surfaces. New technologies, such as RMM and morphologically-directed Raman spectroscopy (MDRS), are now providing a means by which particulate matter can be distinguished from protein aggregates, thereby greatly facilitating troubleshooting and deviation resolution.
One of the newest analytical systems for protein characterization (Zetasizer Helix [Malvern Instruments]) combines industry-leading DLS technology for high sensitivity aggregate sizing with Raman spectroscopy, which allows monitoring of changes in secondary and tertiary protein structure. The combination of DLS and Raman spectroscopy enables measurement of protein size and structure from a single small-volume sample, providing unique insights into protein folding, unfolding, aggregation, agglomeration, and oligomerization. Ultimately, this can lead to identification of the degradation pathways that result in the formation of aggregates and identification of high-risk processes and parameters. Such detailed information supports both the effective application of quality by design (QbD) and the efficient development of biosimilars.
In conclusion, protein aggregation is a consequence, rather than a cause, of degradation. As discussed at the outset, there is a pressing need to understand aggregation pathways and the risk factors that can induce aggregation right from the start of the drug development process in order to devise mitigation strategies and to align manufacturing processes with QbD principles. Given the importance of aggregates and particles to immunogenicity, it is likely that in the future particle quantification and characterization methods will need to be implemented more readily in GMP-compliant environments and in support of QC activities. Indeed, particle counting is often far more sensitive than methods that measure loss of protein monomer, as the protein mass in sub-visible particles is usually very low, relative to the total protein content. However, this understanding must also extend to the manufacturing process and beyond. Not only is it necessary to identify those processing steps most likely to introduce particles and the types of particles involved, but consideration also has to be given to product handling post release, which includes storage and handling in a clinical setting.
1. FDA, Guidance for Industry: Immunogenicity Assessment for Therapeutic Protein Products (Rockville, MD, August 2014).
2. USP General Chapter <788>, “Particulate Matter in Injections” (US Pharmacopeial Convention, Rockville, MD, 2012).
Matthew Brown, PhD, product technical specialist, Life Sciences, Malvern Instruments, Tel: +44 (0)1684 892456,
Article DetailsPharmaceutical Technology
Vol. 39, Issue 1
Pages: 40–43
Citation: When referring to this article, please cite as A. Siew, “Analyzing Protein Aggregation in Biopharmaceuticals,” Pharmaceutical Technology 39 (1) 2015. |
Definition of Ataxia
Reviewed on 3/29/2021
Ataxia: Poor coordination and unsteadiness due to the brain's failure to regulate the body's posture and regulate the strength and direction of limb movements. Ataxia is usually due to disease in the cerebellum of the brain, which lies beneath the back part of the cerebrum.
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors |
Developing eye drop treatment for diabetic retinopathy
• Grant holder: Professor David Bates, Director of the Centre for Cancer Sciences and Head of Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences
• Organisation: University of Nottingham
• Project dates: 2017- 2020
Project background: why was the research important?
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in the working age population of the UK. Some 750,000 people are believed to have “background diabetic retinopathy” which may eventually progress to total blindness.
Diabetes leads to high blood sugar levels, which causes blood vessels at the back of the eye to leak, become blocked, or grow haphazardly, damaging the retina. Currently, this problem can only be treated by regular injections into the eye. Many patients require monthly injections, and aside from being unpleasant, the treatment carries an accumulating risk of adverse side effects and can also become less effective over time.
It is vitally important that we find new treatments to combat this widespread and life-changing condition.
I am so grateful the charity and all its supporters for the funding this research project.
Thousands of patients could ultimately benefit from this research as new treatments are discovered and brought into mainstream healthcare.
Professor David Bates, University of Nottingham
What was the aim of the project?
In 2017, a successful appeal by Sight Research UK provided funding for a three-year project that allowed Professor David Bates and his team to develop their research into a highly promising new treatment for diabetic retinopathy.
They had already identified chemicals that could prevent blood vessels from leaking, and which could potentially be administered as eye drops, but further research and testing was needed before a drug could be developed for human trials.
The chemicals at the centre of the project work by inhibiting the production of a protein known as Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), which makes blood vessels become leaky and permeable, and also causes new blood vessels to form abnormally in the eye. The properties of the therapeutic chemicals allow them to build up in the outer part of the eye (the sclera), while they are slowly released into the inner layer, where the blood vessels leak as they grow into the back of the eye.
Professor Bates’ team wanted to determine whether these chemicals could prevent fluid leaking in the retinas of animals with diabetes, whether they were effective in targeting a gene called SRPK1, which regulates the production of the VEGF protein, and whether the chemical could prevent abnormal blood vessel growth.
What was the outcome?
Over the course of the project, the team found multiple pieces of evidence to show that blocking the effects of the gene, SRPK1, is a viable treatment for diabetic retinopathy. Targeting this gene with the drug SPHINX31, has been shown to reduce its activity and protect against diabetes-induced problems including leakiness in the eye, increases in eye permeability, and thickening of the retina.
How will this research help to beat sight loss faster?
Establishing drugs that work in the same way as SPHINX31, which can be administered as an eye-drop rather than direct injections into the eye, will deliver huge benefit. Firstly, to patients as the treatment will be more effective and convenient, and secondly to the health and social care system because eye drops are far less costly than injections.
The findings of this study are now the focus of a clinical trial testing the next generation of SRPK1 inhibitor in patients with macular oedema.
Thank you
This research was made possible thanks to the £103,000 given so generously by our community of donors. In particular, we would like to thank the Masonic Charitable Foundation, the Robert McAlpine Foundation, the Bill Brown 1989 Charitable Trust and the Carman Butler Charteris Trust for their very significant contributions. We are also deeply grateful to all our individual supporters, whose donations large and small have contributed to fund the development of this highly promising new treatment.
Further information
You can learn more about the symptoms and current treatments for diabetic retinopathy here.
Your gift can help to find new sight-saving solutions.
If you can, please donate today. Thank you. |
Categories Interesting
FAQ: Definition of coliseum?
What is the definition of Colosseum?
English Language Learners Definition of colosseum: an outdoor arena built in Rome in the first century A.D. chiefly US: a large stadium or building for sports or entertainment.
What’s the difference between a coliseum and a stadium?
What is the difference between a stadium and a coliseum? As nouns the difference between coliseum and stadium is that coliseum is a large theatre, cinema, or stadium: the london coliseum while stadium is a venue where sporting events are held.
What is another word for Coliseum?
In this page you can discover 12 synonyms, antonyms, idiomatic expressions, and related words for coliseum, like: lyceum, barbican, stadium, open-air theater, amphitheater, arena, theater, bowl, hippodrome, amphitheatre and playhouse.
Why is the Colosseum not spelled Coliseum?
The two common spellings are ” Coliseum ” and ” Colosseum,” and technically both are correct. Although there are exceptions, as a general rule think ” Coliseum ” with a capital C for the famous amphitheater in Rome, and coliseum with a lowercase c when referring to amphitheaters in general. So: the Colosseum is a coliseum.
You might be interested: Question: Windsor castle images?
Why is the Colosseum important?
The Colosseum was the emperor’s gift to the Romans. Without doubts it was not only an amphitheatre. It became a symbol of power and majesty of the emperor, Rome and Roman society. Thus many generations enjoyed the spectacles accommodated in Colosseum.
What is a pantheon?
1: a temple dedicated to all the gods. 2: a building serving as the burial place of or containing memorials to the famous dead of a nation Many eminent French citizens have been interred in a pantheon in Paris.
How many people have died in the Coliseum?
The amphitheatre was used for entertainment for 390 years. During this time more than 400,000 people died inside the Colosseum. It’s also estimated that about 1,000,000 animals died in the Colosseum as well. Admission and food was free to the ancient Romans who attended the events held there.
How many people can fit in Colosseum?
How did the Colosseum influence modern stadiums?
For the sports world, aspects of the Colosseum are indisputably present in modern stadiums. Architecturally, those influences are seen in their elliptical shape, along with the use of arches to support the structure, and facilitate the entry and exit of fans.
What is another word for citizen?
citizen civilian. inhabitant. national. resident. settler. voter. commoner. dweller.
Why is it called the Colosseum?
The original name “Flavian Amphitheatre” was changed to the Colosseum due to the great statue of Nero that was located at the entrance of the Domus Aurea, “The Colossus of Nero”. The Domus Aurea was a great palace built under the orders of Nero after the Fire of Rome.
You might be interested: Quick Answer: Why is big ben famous?
What did the Romans call the Colosseum?
Did they fill the Colosseum with water?
And for the grand finale, water poured into the arena basin, submerging the stage for the greatest spectacle of all: staged naval battles. The Romans’ epic, mock maritime encounters, called naumachiae, started during Julius Caesar’s reign in the first century BC, over a hundred years before the Colosseum was built.
Why did the Colosseum stop being used?
What are the Colosseum principles?
Colosseum, giant amphitheater built in Rome under the Flavian emperors. Rhythm, harmony, balance, contrast, movement, proportion, and variety are the principles of art.
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Food Supply Chains
Seed supplies
Manufacturing of fertilizer – either organic or commercial.
Transportation of seeds and fertilizer to the farmer.
Water – either through rain or irrigation.
Pesticides and / or herbicides
Harvesting the crops.
Processing of food into canned goods.
Transportation from manufacturing to warehouses.
Transportation from warehouses to stores or other outlets.
One of the problems that faced people during outbreaks of the plague, was that so many other people died, there was nobody to grow or transport the crops. Unknown numbers of people died due to starvation – which was directly related to the plague killing off the farmers, merchants and the people that transported the food.
With this in mind, the food supply chain of the middle ages seems to be a whole lot simpler then todays.
Todays food supply is driven by 2 major factors – electricity and fuel (diesel, gasoline or propane).
Electricity and fuel is used to make commercial grade fertilizer.
Fuel is used to transport the fertilizer to the market and to the farmer.
Fuel is used to transport the seeds to the market and farmer.
Fuel is used to spread the fertilizer.
Fuel is used the plant the seeds.
Fuel and electricity are used irrigate the fields.
Fuel is used to harvest the seeds.
Fuel is used to transport the food to market.
Fuel is used to drive people from their house to the grocery store.
Without fuel (gasoline or diesel) the food supply chain comes to a grinding halt. Simply put, without fuel, there is no food.
Fuel is just one factor of the to be considered. There is also the “human” factor. Meaning, during times of disaster, people do not go to work.
During times of widespread disaster, such as a plague, we can expect supplies of food to disappear. Panic buying only adds fuel to the fire. If people suspect that a disaster is on the way (such as a hurricane), grocery stores will be cleaned out within hours of the announcement.
Its important to keep not only a supply of food on hand, but also seeds and fertilizer. When the food supply chains break down, it will be up to the survivalist to make sure that their family has plenty to eat. |
Java vs Other Programming Languages
By | October 8, 2021
Java vs Other Programming Languages
Continue reading Java vs. other programming languages to know how the popular object-oriented programming language fares against some of the best programming languages.
In this era of fast-growing technology, we come up with new inventions every day. Similarly, in the case of information technology, there are thousands of programming languages already available that are still enhancing with every passing day. If you are from the IT sector or willing to make a career in the same as a programmer or planning to develop a new IT project, then you must have a clear idea of the type of programming language you may choose.
With an abundance of options available, there are many popular programming languages adopted by developers. Java is one of them. Developers all around the world like to work with Java due to many reasons.
Now, you might want to know that why Java and not some other programming language? What makes JAVA so popular among all other programming languages? Before comparing Java with other popular programming languages, i.e., Java vs. other programming languages, let’s start with an introduction to one of the best programming languages.
About Java
Java is a popular general-purpose programming language. Also, it is the fastest growing and a reliable programming language. Owned by Oracle, over 3 billion devices all over the world leverage the power of Java. This hints that the trend of Java will not end, not in the foreseeable future. Java has a galore of uses that include:
• Making web apps,
• Developing video games,
• Building mobile apps,
• Putting together commercial websites, and so on.
The object-oriented programming language has a broad scope as it can be used in the development of any kind of project.
What Makes Java Different from Other Programming Languages?
Java has some desirable features that make it a great asset to developers. It is platform-independent, which means once you have written Java code, you can run the code on another platform (operating system), and the code will run smoothly with no modification. Java Virtual Machine (JVM) is needed to run any Java Program. JVM executes bytecode, and CPU executes JVM, and all JVMs work the same thus, making it execute similarly.
Java is an object-oriented programming language, which makes it possible to divide complex problems into smaller sets by creating objects. This not only increases code reusability but also makes code maintenance easy. The earlier versions of Java were slow, but with the improvement in JVMs, Java has become faster than other popular programming languages like C++, PHP, and Python.
Another reason due to which Java gets preference among the developers is the availability of many libraries. Hundreds of classes and libraries are available in the ready-to-use Java packages, which is one of the best features of the object-oriented programming language. So, there is no doubt that Java is a strong language and is better than many other programming languages. But as there are two faces of every coin, Java also has a few flaws, which are often overlooked due to the wide features it provides.
There are so many programming languages that are popular these days. Let’s have a look at them and see how they are different from Java. Also, we will also discuss the additional features these programming languages provide.
Java vs. Other Programming Languages
Java vs. C++
C++ is an imperative, general-purpose programming language, which is widely used for competitive programming. It runs on many platforms like macOS, Linux, UNIX, and Windows. Though Java is derived from C++, the two differ in many ways. However, Java and C++ are both object-oriented programming languages.
• Java is platform-independent, which can run on any platform, while C++ is platform-dependent.
• C++ supports multiple inheritance, while Java does not support multiple inheritance. Instead, it relies on the concept of interfaces to implement the same.
• C++ is used for system programming.
• Unlike Java, C++ is an extension of the C language.
• C++ is interactive with hardware, but Java is not.
• Supports for the Goto statement is available in C++ and not in Java.
The important difference between the two popular programming languages is that Java has automatic garbage collection, but C++ does not have this feature. Because of this, all the objects have to be destroyed manually in C++. Also, the standard libraries of these two languages are slightly different. C++ has a simple, standard library, while Java has a standard cross-platform library that is also well-equipped.
Java vs. Python
Python is a powerful high-level programming language. It is an easy-to-use scripting language that supports object-oriented programming the same as Java. However, Python is a dynamically-typed language, which means that there is no requirement of an explicit declaration of the variables before using them. On the contrary, Java is statically-typed.
Also, Python is generally appreciated by the new programmers as the Python code is comparatively simple and short in comparison to Java. In Java, you have to define each variable, but there is no such requirement in Python. It lets you focus on the problem rather than the syntax. Although Python has in-built data types, the popular programming language is not fully equipped for high-level projects as Java.
Java vs. PHP
PHP is used widely as a server-side scripting language. It is ideal for creating web applications. The web scripting language allows developers to create dynamic content that interacts with databases.
Moreover, PHP and Java are very different languages. While PHP is a server-side scripting language, Java is a general-purpose programming language. PHP is a dynamically-typed language (like Python) while Java is statically-typed, where the type is checked at compile time. If a developer uses PHP code, it runs on the server, but in Java, if the client computer does not have Java Runtime Environment (JRE), the code won’t execute. There is no such issue with PHP.
Java vs. Ruby
Ruby is a flexible, pure object-oriented programming language. The syntax of Ruby is far more similar to that of C and Java. Hence, it is easy for a Java developer to learn Ruby. Although both the programming languages are similar, the key difference between them is that Java translates its code into virtual machine code, which runs fast in comparison to the interpreted Ruby code.
Java is faster than Ruby. Nonetheless, Ruby code is shorter and easy to maintain, which attracts many developers to use it. Interestingly, Java and Ruby, when used together, complement each other. Although Ruby and Java are similar to each other, Ruby cannot by any means serve as a replacement for Java.
So, here we conclude our take on Java vs. other programming languages. We compared Java with C++, Python, PHP, and Ruby programming languages, and we clearly get an idea that undoubtedly Java will gain the upper hand. Because Java provides all the features that a software engineer needs, it will be a priority always. With the evolving features among all other languages, there are also chances that developers will shift to new technologies like Python or PHP. However, Java is still a robust option.
Choosing a programming language basically depends on the fact that how efficient and easy to use it is. Selecting the right programming language from the very start is important because once a technology is adopted for a project, and the project is initiated, it’s tough to shift to another language. So, underline all your business requirements first-hand and make the right pick.
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Author: Sujata Gaur
Sujata Gaur is an engineering graduate who is a content writer by profession. Writing and learning are the two thing which is her passion. Looking around new things and writing about it gives another level of peace, this is what she presumes. Giving words to your thoughts is creativity and so she is creative. She has an interest in researching new ideologies and creating its content so as to make it easy and understanding.
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1. Shubham Joshi
Hi Sujata
Your content is very good for jave Lerner and php
Requst to you
Share more thing about java and php…
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Why Is Gold Used In Jewellery? Here are 12 Reasons Why…
why is Gold used in jewellery? Gold jewellery in box
Did you know that around half of all pure gold that is mined today is used to make jewellery? Indeed, jewellery making is the largest single use of gold. But why is gold used in jewellery?
Man has been mining gold for over 5,000 years and gold has been coveted for all that time
Gold was worthy enough to be carried by one of the Three Kings as a gift at the birth of Christ. The death mask of Tutankhamen, a symbol of ancient Egypt, was made in pure gold along as were the gold treasures which surrounded his burial chamber.
From early gold coins that were used as currency to trade with, to the treasure chests full of gold coins and jewels in a Pirates booty. Even modern-day gold medals were awarded in sporting games for the winner of first place (indeed, gold medals used to be made of pure gold up until 1912!). (You can see other Fun Facts About Gold in our article here).
These are just some examples of golds’ place in history since ancient times. Gold has been highly regarded and treasured.
But why is gold used in jewellery making? What makes this precious metal so special, compared to other materials or even other metals.
There are a whole number of reasons gold is often the first choice for making rings, necklaces and bracelets. In this article, we will list just eleven of them:
why is gold used in jewellery? Gold Twist bangle
Gold Twist Bangle
Why Is Gold Used In Jewellery?
1.Gold Has Been Held in The Highest Esteem Throughout History
Because we have always held gold in high esteem, unequalled by any other metal out there, there is no barrier to someone accepting the design of a piece of gold jewellery – you simply know the quality is already present. Therefore, a designer can concentrate on doing all the selling or persuading of a piece of jewellery in his or her design. He is free to push the creative limits with the design as the gold already carries a huge level of admiration and respect.
2.Gold Looks Beautiful
Gold’s Lustre
First and foremost, gold is beautiful to look at. It has a lustre and sheen that is only accentuated with the process of curving, polishing and shaping.
Gold’s Colour
Gold has a rich golden, yellow colour that, early in history, signified the sunlight, the heavens above and the divine.
When yellow gold is alloyed with other metals, different coloured golds can be created. For instance, pure gold mixed with copper will tend towards a rose gold (or red gold); gold mixed with platinum, palladium or silver will be paler and, if also rhodium-plated will produce “white gold”.
three coloured golds
Yellow Gold, Rose Gold, and White Gold
3. Gold Is Relatively Inert
Gold doesn’t react chemically with the everyday atmosphere – air, moisture or heat. This means that it doesn’t rust, tarnish or deteriorate. For this reason, we still see gold coins and gold jewellery in museums all over the world which were made hundreds, even thousands, of years ago.
Despite their age, these pieces of gold jewellery and treasures often have no tarnish and have not drastically deteriorated even when exposed to the environment.
4. Gold is HypoAllergenic
As gold is so inert it hardly ever reacts with the skin chemistry or other chemicals we may be wearing (like perfume, body lotions, etc), therefore it rarely causes irritation. Indeed, many of us go back to wearing a pair of gold earrings to recover our ears if we have worn some lesser-quality earrings which have irritated our skin.
5. Gold Holds or Increases in Value over Time
Gold doesn’t drop in value or, if it does, it’s only after an increase. Over time, gold increases in value. This makes it the best investment material of all time. At times of unrest, gold tends to increase in price.
6. There Is A Large Market For Second-Hand Gold Jewellery
Partly because it holds its value so well, partly because people appreciate traditional jewellery making methods and styles, people love buying second-hand gold jewellery and unique designs, plus they often get a good deal which makes it an ideal investment. Unlike most other items that people wear, gold jewellery is recycled time and time again.
lady holding gold jewellery
Lady with gold jewellery. Credit: DepositPhotos
7. Gold Symbolised The Gods and Royalty
Gold was one of the three gifts presented to Jesus by the Three Kings. This was because they believed pure gold to be worthy enough to be fit for a king on earth. The Ancient Egyptians associated objects made in pure gold with divine leaders. This later became associated with wealth and someone’s prestige in society.
Because of this, they used gold in objects involved in ceremonies which still goes on now – from ancient religious ceremonies to wedding bands and christening bangles.
The association of pure gold with the gods and royalty, meant all aspiring men and women also coveted gold hence it was used to make jewellery.
8. Gold Was Scarce but Found All Over The World
Because gold was discovered in the earth in many parts of the world. but it was so abundant that it was in fairly scarce supply, it meant it was available to almost all countries but never so abundantly that it would not be valued.
9. Gold Was Used As A Currency
Gold became an excellent material to barter with. It held its value fairly well; it didn’t perish, it was able to be divided into smaller portions and people could transport it easily.
All these reasons made it a perfect form of bartering or currency that any tradespeople from all parts of the world could understand. If people needed to flee one area they could take their wealth with them in the form of gold fairly easily (coins as well as jewellery).
The word “Carat” (or Karat, if you spell it the USA way) originated from the carob bean which was used as a stable measurement of weight with which to weigh gold and indicate the fineness of the gold. The earliest coins were made in pure gold. Later these were mixed with other metals, called an alloy, but they still measured the weight of the gold within the coin to determine its value to others. You can read all about this in our article on What is Gold Carat (or Gold Karat)?”
The Gold Standard is a monetary system in use today which fixes the price of a unit of a currency against the price of gold.
10. Alloys Meant More Choice and Different Price Points
If Gold is alloyed with other metals, such as copper, it would be less expensive than a pure or nearly pure gold piece. A piece of 22-carat jewellery would be more expensive than a 9-carat piece.
The higher the level of pure gold, or fineness, used to make jewellery, the richer the yellow colour.
An alloy of gold often made pieces of jewellery more durable. A 9ct wedding band will be harder-wearing than an 22-carat or 18-carat wedding band.
11. Gold is Malleable
Because gold is relatively soft it could be stretched, shaped and hammered into many different shapes and styles. You can make gold wire from gold or hammer it into sheets. Gold sheets can be made into a thin gold plate with which portions of entire buildings could be covered and even cosmonauts spacesuits have a very thin, transparent layer of gold over their visor to reflect the sun and protect their eyes.
Many excellent goldsmiths have enjoyed showing off their skills with this precious metal. As gold is so soft, they mixed it with other metals, such as silver or copper (called alloys) to create a strong and more workable metal.
12. Gold Is Conductive to Heat
Because gold is so conductive it rapidly reaches body temperature when it is placed against the skin – this makes it so tactile to wear.
To Conclude …
Gold is and always has been the most sought-after precious metal with which to make jewellery. It looks beautiful against warm skin tones, holds its value and so is a good investment and very rarely irritates. As different levels of fineness are used in jewellery making, there is something for every budget.
12 Reasons Why Gold Is Used In Jewellery
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12 Reasons Why Gold Is Used In Jewellery
Making jewellery is the single largest use for gold that is mined today. But why is gold used in jewellery? Here are 12 reasons why...
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Inverted Index Scalability
4 06 2009
Search mechanism based on inverted indexes work, because the number of terms in the search space is considerably smaller than the search space itself, otherwise, why would you bother to invert. So most search engines work well on languages. The human brain is quite capable of learning a controlled vocabulary that enables it to communicate concepts with other humans. Like a search engine it would suffer learning a single token to every piece of knowledge that ever existed. Communication would be highly efficient, but rather boring; single words followed by long and contemplative periods of thought.
As we tag content with identifiers that have no meaning other than to represent some metadata about those terms we risk expending the vocabulary by which we communicate that knowledge to an extent where it becomes incommunicable. So a search index, that indexes metadata to enable precise re-location and search will eventually fail as the controlled vocabulary of the terms within the inverted index grows beyond the search space itself. I am certain without careful consideration the index-able content and metadata in a Jackrabbit based system, we stress the scalability of the Lucene based search index, billions of properties all with unique terms ?
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Introduction to Mutual Aid
View / Download (.pdf) | External link
Year: 2020 Published: The Anarchist Library Co-author(s): Andrej Grubacic
Sometimes—not very often—a particularly cogent argument against reigning political common sense presents such a shock to the system that it becomes necessary to create an entire body of theory to refute it. Such interventions are themselves events, in the philosophical sense; that is, they reveal aspects of reality that had been largely invisi- ble but, once revealed, seem so entirely obvious that they can never be unseen. Much of the work of the intellectual Right is identifying, and heading off, such challenges.
Let us offer three examples.
In the 1680s, a Huron-Wendat statesman named Kondiaronk, who had been to Europe and was intimately familiar with French and English settler society, engaged in a series of debates with the French governor of Quebec, and one of his chief aides, a certain Lahontan. In them he presented the argument that punitive law and the whole appa- ratus of the state exist not because of some fundamental flaw in human nature but owing to the existence of another set of institutions—pri- vate property, money—that by their very nature drive people to act in such ways as to make coercive measures necessary. Equality, he argued, is thus the condition for any meaningful freedom. These debates were later turned into a book by Lahontan, which in the first decades of the eighteenth century was wildly successful. It became a play that ran for twenty years in Paris, and seemingly every Enlightenment thinker wrote an imitation. Eventually, these arguments—and the broader in- digenous critique of French society—grew so powerful that defenders of the existing social order such as Turgot and Adam Smith effectively had to invent the notion of social evolution as a direct riposte. Those who first came up with the argument that human societies could be or- ganized according to stages of development, each with their own char- acteristic technologies and forms of organization, were quite explicit that that’s what they were about. “Everyone loves freedom and equali- ty,” noted Turgot; the question is how much of either is consistent with an advanced commercial society based on a sophisticated division of labor. The resulting theories of social evolution dominated the nine- teenth century, and are still very much with us, if in slightly modified form, today.
In the late nineteenth century and early twentieth, the anarchist critique of the liberal state—that the rule of law was ultimately based on arbitrary violence, and ultimately, simply a secularized version of an all-powerful God that could create morality because it stood outside it—was taken so seriously by defenders of the state that right-wing le- gal theorists like Karl Schmitt ultimately came up with the intellectual armature for fascism. Schmitt ends his most famous work, Political Theology, with a rant against Bakunin, whose rejection of “decision- ism”—the arbitrary authority to create a legal order, but therefore also to set it aside—was ultimately, he claimed, every bit as arbitrary as the authority Bakunin claimed to be opposing. Schmitt’s very conception of political theology, foundational for almost all contemporary right- wing thought, was an attempt to answer Bakunin’s God and the State.
The challenge posed by Kropotkin’s Mutual Aid: A Factor in Evolution arguably runs deeper still, since it’s not just about the nature of government, but the nature of nature—that is, reality—itself.
Theories of social evolution, what Turgot first christened “prog- ress,” might have begun as a way of defusing the challenge of the in- digenous critique, but they soon began to take a more virulent form, as hardcore liberals like Herbert Spencer began to represent social evo- lution not just as a matter of increasing complexity, differentiation, and integration, but as a kind of Hobbesian struggle for survival. The phrase “survival of the fittest” was actually coined in 1852 by Spen- cer, to describe human history—and ultimately, one assumes, to justify European genocide and colonialism. It was only taken up by Darwin some ten years later, when, in The Origin of Species, he used it as a way of describing the forms of natural selection he had identified in his famous expedition to the Galapagos Islands. At the time Kropotkin was writing, in the 1880s and ’90s, Darwin’s ideas had been taken up by market liberals, most notoriously his “bulldog” Thomas Huxley, and the English naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, to propound what’s often called a “gladiatorial view” of natural history. Species duke it out like boxers in a ring or bond traders on a market floor; the strong prevail.
Kropotkin’s response—that cooperation is just as decisive a fac- tor in natural selection than competition—was not entirely original. He never pretended that it was. In fact he was not only drawing on the best biological, anthropological, archaeological, and historical knowl- edge available in his day, including his own explorations of Siberia, but also on an alternative Russian school of evolutionary theory which held that the English hypercompetitive school was based, as he put it, “a tissue of absurdities”: men like “Kessler, Severtsov, Menzbir, Brandt— four great Russian zoologists, and a 5th lesser one, Poliakov, and finally myself, a simple traveler.”
Still, we must give Kropotkin credit. He was much more than a simpler traveler. Such men had been successfully ignored by English Darwinians, in the heyday of empire—and, indeed, by almost every- one else. Kropotkin’s shot across the bows was not. In part, this was no doubt because he presented his scientific findings in a larger political context, in a form that made it impossible to deny just how much the reigning version of Darwinian science was itself not just an uncon- scious reflection of taken-for-granted liberal categories. (As Marx so famously put it, “The anatomy of Man is the key to the anatomy of the ape.”) It was an attempt to catapult the views of the commercial classes into universality. Darwinism at that time was still a conscious, militant political intervention to reshape common sense; a centrist insurgency, one might say, or perhaps better, a would-be centrist insurgency, since it was aimed at creating a new center. It was not yet common sense; it was an attempt to create a new universal common sense. If it was not, ultimately, completely successful, it was in a certain measure because of the very power of Kropotkin’s counterargument.
It is not difficult to see what made these liberal intellectuals so uneasy. Consider the famous passage from Mutual Aid, which really deserves to be quoted in full:
It is not love, and not even sympathy (understood in its proper sense) which induces a herd of ruminants or of horses to form a ring in order to resist an attack of wolves; not love which induces wolves to form a pack for hunting; not love which induces kittens or lambs to play, or a dozen of species of young birds to spend their days together in the autumn; and it is neither love nor personal sympathy which induces many thousand fallow-deer scattered over a territory as large as France to form into a score of separate herds, all marching towards a given spot, in order to cross there a river. It is a feeling infinitely wider than love or personal sympathy—an instinct that has been slowly de- veloped among animals and men in the course of an extremely long evolution, and which has taught animals and men alike the force they can borrow from the practice of mutual aid and support, and the joys they can find in social life. It is not love and not even sympathy upon which Society is based in mankind. It is the conscience—be it only at the stage of an instinct—of human solidarity. It is the uncon- scious recognition of the force that is borrowed by each man from the practice of mutual aid; of the close dependence of every one’s happiness upon the happiness of all; and of the sense of justice, or equity which brings the individual to consider the rights of every other individual as equal to his own. Upon this broad and necessary foundation the still higher moral feelings are developed.
One need only consider the virulence of the reaction. At least two fields of study (admittedly, overlapping ones) sociobiology and evolutionary psychology, have since been created specifically to recon- cile Kropotkin’s points about cooperation between animals with the assumption that we are all ultimately driven by, as Dawkins was ulti- mately to put it, our “selfish genes.” When the British biologist J.B.S. Haldane reportedly said that he would be willing to lay down his life to save “two brothers, four half-brothers or eight first cousins,” he was simply parroting the kind of “scientific” calculus that was introduced everywhere to answer Kropotkin, in the same way that progress was invented to check Kondiaronk, or the doctrine of the state of excep- tion, to check Bakunin. The phrase “selfish gene” was not chosen fortuitously. Kropotkin had revealed behavior in the natural world that was exactly the opposite of selfishness: the entire game of Darwinists now is to find some reason, any reason, to continue to insist that even the most playful, loving, whimsical, heroically self-sacrificing, or sociable behavior is really selfish after all.
The efforts of the intellectual right to meet the enormity of the challenge presented by Kropotkin’s theory are understandable. As we have already pointed out, this is precisely what they are supposed to be doing. This is why they are referred to as “reactionaries.” They don’t really believe in political creativity as a value in itself—in fact they find it profoundly dangerous. As a result, right-wing intellectuals are main- ly there to react to ideas put forward by the Left. But what about the intellectual Left?
This is where things get a bit confusing. While the right-wing intellectuals sought to neutralize Kropotkin’s evolutionary holism by developing entire intellectual systems, the Marxist Left pretended that his intervention had never occurred. One might even hazard to say that the Marxist response to Kropotkin’s emphasis on cooperative fed- eralism was to further develop the aspects of Marx’s own theory that pulled most sharply in the other direction: that is, its most productivist and progressivist aspects. Rich insights from Mutual Aid were at best ignored and, at worst, brushed off with a patronizing chuckle. There has been such a persistent tendency in Marxist scholarship, and by extension, left-leaning scholarship in general, of ridiculing Kropotkin’s “lifeboat socialism” and “naive utopianism” that a renowned biologist, Stephen Jay Gould, felt compelled to insist, in a famous essay, that “Kropotkin was no crackpot.”
There are two possible explanations for this strategic dismissal. One is pure sectarianism. As already noted, Kropotkin’s intellectual in- tervention was part of a larger political project. The late nineteenth cen- tury and early twentieth saw the foundations of the welfare state, whose key institutions were, indeed, largely created by mutual aid groups, entirely independently of the state, then gradually coopted by states and political parties. Most right and left intellectuals were perfectly aligned on this one: Bismarck fully admitted he created German social welfare institutions as a “bribe” to the working class so they would not become socialists; socialists insisted that anything from social insurance to public libraries be run not by the neighborhood and syndical groups that had actually created them but by top-down vanguardist parties. In this context both saw writing off Kropotkin’s ethical socialist proposals as tomfoolery as a paramount imperative. It’s also worth remembering that—partly for this very reason—in the period between 1900 and 1917, anarchist and libertarian Marxist ideas were much more popular among the working class themselves than the Marxism of Lenin and Kautsky. It took the victory of Lenin’s branch of the Bolshevik party in Russia (at the time, considered the right wing of the Bolsheviks), and the suppression of the Soviets, Proletkult, and other bottom-up initia- tives in the Soviet Union itself, to finally put these debates to rest.
There’s another possible explanation though, one that has more to do with what might be called the “positionality” of both traditional Marxism and contemporary social theory. What is the role of a radical intellectual? Most intellectuals still do claim to be radicals of some sort or another. In theory they all agree with Marx that it’s not enough to understand the world; the point is to change it. But what does this actually mean in practice?
In one important paragraph of Mutual Aid, Kropotkin offers a suggestion: the role of a radical scholar is to “restore the real pro- portion between conflict and union.” This might sound obscure, but he clarifies. Radical scholars are “bound to enter a minute analysis of the thousands of facts and faint indications accidentally preserved in the relics of the past; to interpret them with the aid of contemporary ethnology; and after having heard so much about what used to divide men, to reconstruct stone by stone the institutions which used to unite them.”
One of the authors still remembers his youthful excitement af- ter reading these lines. How different from the lifeless training received in the nation-centered academy! This recommendation should be read together with that of Karl Marx, whose energy went into understand- ing the organization and development of capitalist commodity production. In Capital, the only real attention to cooperation is an exam- ination of cooperative activities as forms and consequences of factory production, where workers “merely form a particular mode of existence of capital.” It would seem that two projects complement each other very well. Kropotkin aimed to understand precisely what it was that an alienated worker had lost. But to integrate the two would mean to understand how even capitalism is ultimately founded on communism (“mutual aid”), even if it’s a communism it does not acknowledge; how communism is not an abstract, distant ideal, impossible to maintain, but a lived practical reality we all engage in daily, to different degrees, and that even factories could not operate without it—even if much of it operates on the sly, between the cracks, or shifts, or informally, or in what’s not said, or entirely subversively. It’s become fashionable lately to say that capitalism has entered a new phase in which it has become parasitical of forms of creative cooperation, largely on the internet. This is nonsense. It has always been so.
This is a worthy intellectual project. For some reason, almost no one is interested in carrying it out. Instead of examining how the relations of hierarchy and exploitation are reproduced, refused, and entangled with relations of mutual aid, how relations of care become continuous with relations of violence, but nonetheless hold together systems of violence so that they don’t entirely fall apart, both tradition- al Marxism and contemporary social theory have stubbornly dismissed pretty much anything suggestive of generosity, cooperation, or altru- ism as some kind of bourgeois illusion. Conflict and egoistic calcula- tion proved to be more interesting than “union.” (Similarly, it is fairly common for academic leftists to write about Carl Schmidt or Turgot, while is almost impossible to find those who write about Bakunin and Kondiaronk.) As Marx himself complained, under the capitalist mode of production, to exist is to accumulate for the last few decades we have heard little else than relentless exhortations on cynical strategies used to increase our respective (social, cultural, or material) capital. These are framed as critiques. But if all you’re willing to talk about is that which you claim to stand against, if all you can imagine is what you claim to stand against, then in what sense do you actually stand against it? Sometimes it seems as if the academic Left has ended up as a result gradually internalizing and reproducing all the most distressing aspects of the neoliberal economism it claims to oppose, to the point where, reading many such analyses (we’re going to be nice and not mention any names), one finds oneself asking, how different all of this really is from the sociobiological hypothesis that our behavior is governed by “selfish genes!”
Admittedly, this kind of internalization of the enemy reached its heyday in the 1980s and ’90s, when the global Left was in full retreat. Things have moved on. Is Kropotkin relevant again? Well, ob- viously, Kropotkin was always relevant, but this book is being released in the belief that there is a new, radicalized generation, many of whom have never been exposed to these ideas directly, but who show all signs of being able to make a more clear-minded assessment of the glob- al situation than their parents and grandparents, if only because they know that if they don’t, the world in store for them will soon become an absolute hellscape.
It’s already beginning to happen. The political relevance of ideas first espoused in Mutual Aid is being rediscovered by the new generations of social movements across the planet. The ongoing so- cial revolution in Democratic Federation of Northeast Syria (Rojava) has been profoundly influenced by Kropotkin’s writings about social ecology and cooperative federalism, in part via the works of Murray Bookchin, in part by going back to the source, in large part too by drawing on their own Kurdish traditions and revolutionary experience. Kurdish revolutionaries have taken on the task of constructing a new social science antagonistic to knowledge structures of capitalist moder- nity. Those involved in collective projects of sociology of freedom and jineoloji have indeed begun to “reconstruct stone by stone the institu- tions which used to unite” people and struggles. In the Global North, everywhere from various occupy movements to solidarity projects confronting the Covid-19 pandemic, mutual aid has emerged as a key phrase used by activists and mainstream journalists alike. At present, mutual aid is invoked in migrant solidarity mobilizations in Greece and in the organization of Zapatista society in Chiapas. Even scholars are rumored to occasionally use it.
When Mutual Aid was first released in 1902, there were few scientists courageous enough to challenge the idea that capitalism and nationalism were rooted in human nature, or that the authority of states was ultimately inviolable. Most who did were, indeed, written off as crackpots or, if they were too obviously important to be dismissed in this way, like Albert Einstein, as “eccentrics” whose political views had about as much significance as their unusual hairstyles. The rest of the world though is moving along. Will the scientists—even, possibly, the social scientists—eventually follow?
We write this introduction during a wave of global popular re- volt against racism and state violence, as public authorities spew venom against “anarchists” in much the way they did in Kropotkin’s time. It seems a peculiarly fitting moment to raise a glass to that old “despiser of law and private property” who changed the face of science in ways that continue to affect us today. Pyotr Kropotkin’s scholarship was careful and colorful, insightful and revolutionary. It has also aged un- usually well. Kropotkin’s rejection of both capitalism and bureaucratic socialism, his predictions of where the latter might lead, have been vin- dicated time and time again. Looking back at most of the arguments that raged in his day, there’s really no question about who was actually right.
Obviously, there are still those who virulently disagree on this count. Some are clinging to the dream of boarding ships long since passed. Others are well paid to think the things they do. As for the authors of this modest introduction, many decades after first encoun- tering this delightful book, we find ourselves—once again—surprised by just how deeply we agree with its central argument. The only viable alternative to capitalist barbarism is stateless socialism, a product, as the great geographer never ceased to remind us, “of tendencies that are apparent now in the society” and that were “always, in some sense, imminent in the present.”
To create a new world, we can only start by rediscovering what is and his always been right before our eyes. |
The cliché that music is a universal language is a cliché for a reason, because music really connects people while telling the story of a culture. Many Latin American countries use music and dance to keep their traditions alive and the different styles have been recognized around the world. There is salsa, rumba and samba which are heavily influenced by African roots while tango has its roots in Argentine brothels hence its infamous sexually charged nature. These different dance styles are a celebration of the countries and cultures they represent and many have been popularized by artists such as Celia Cruz (salsa), Juan Luis Guerra (merengue) and Carlos Gardel (tango). We’ve compiled some of the most famous LATAM dance styles paired with TikToks with the signature moves.
sinaloaaaaa #folklorico #balletfolklorico #bailefolklorico #mexico #culture #cultura #dancer #dance #baile
♬ Hispanic version – 🌻Ashley Camarena🌻
Video: TikTok / @ matisseazul
Folklorico dates back to the indigenous peoples of Mexico and footwork (zapateado) is the foundation of this style of percussive dance. In 1952, Amalia Hernandez created the Ballet Folklórico de México to dance the Folklorico at the Pan American Games and she was the first to mix it with modern dance and ballet. Folklorico shows the life and spirit of people through its movements and is celebrated throughout Mexico and the United States.
Argentine Tango
Lapiz Tango lesson 💃ðŸ¼ðŸ•º #tango #tangoydanza #tangodance #tangoargentino #dancetutorial
♬ original suono – Emiliano Cavallini Dancer
Video: TikTok / @ emilianocavallini
Argentine tango originated in Buenos Aires in the brothels of working-class communities and is believed to have influences from Cuban habanera and African candombe. In the 1900s, the church actually banned dancing because the music was “immoral.” The most popular Argentine tango dancer would undoubtedly be El Chachafaz, who actually performed in brothels.
@ lucia.baila4
Basic steps of salsa💃 #tutorial #basicsalsasteps #salsatutorial #baila #dance #latinos #lagozadera #fiesta #latina #fyp #foryou #dance #latingirl #happy
La Gozadera (feat. Marc Anthony) (Salsa Version) – Gente de Zona
Video: TikTok/@lucia.baila4
Salsa originated in rural eastern Cuba and quickly became popular in Havana in the 20th century. It started with the guitar and African rhythms, not quite like the salsa we know today with horns and trumpets. The dance has gained popularity around the world thanks to Puerto Ricans in New York and modern singers like Puerto Rican artist Marc Anthony. Of course, the most popular salsa singer of all time is Celia Cruz with Ismael Rivera and Hector Lavoe.
@ julia.hector
Lo conseguist? ♥ ï¸ #bachata #bachatatutorial #dancetutorial #dancing #baile #learn #aprende #parati #foryou #fyp #international #pareja #couplegoals
Carita de Inocente – Prince Royce
Video: TikTok/@julia.hector
Bachata originated in the Dominican Republic in the 1960s and due to its sultry nature and lyrical content, it was banned by dictator Rafael Trujillo. Juan Luis Guerra, famous for merengue, is also credited with the popularization of bachata by winning a Grammy for “Bachata Rosa†in 1992. It has continued to gain popularity thanks to Latin artists like Romeo Santos and Prince Royce. Dancing has also taken over the fitness world with Zumba instructors often choreographing bachata routines known for their footwork and hip movements.
@ dairana94
Don’t give up, it sounds hard but it isn’t💃🻠#Brazil #samba #tutorialsamba #dancing #dance #dancelover #colombian #australia #baile #bailebasico
Magalenha – La Banda Latina
Video: TikTok / @ dairana94
Samba is a Brazilian dance style with African rhythms, created in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro in the late 1920s. This style is very powerful and has become popular in parades and even protest marches around the world. Many samba dancers participate in the annual carnival parade in Brazil: Viviane Araujo, Sabrina Sato and Renata Santos.
Hope you like it 💖✨ #fy #tutorial #freestyle #dance #dc #foryou #viral #reggaeton
original sonido – Jose Rios
Video: TikTok / @ alessandra_xsx
El perreo, aka Sandunguero, is the popular dance style associated with reggaetón music that originated in Panama in the 1970s and eventually made its way to Puerto Rico in the 1990s. Reggaeton music is a mixture of Jamaican sounds / LATAM with hip hop and electro rhythms. The perrero can be danced in a number of ways, including face to face or with a guy behind the girl, but it’s basically like the twerk and is known as a sexually charged dance. The style is generally attributed to DJ Blass in the 1980s after its release. Sandunguero albums. He continues to enjoy worldwide fame thanks to artists such as Bad Bunny, Daddy Yankee and J Balvin.
Respond to @spooksssss Merengue’s request! This dance is very simple, but there is so much you can do #merengue #merenguetutorial #parati #foryourpage
♬ La Duena del Swing – Merengues
Video: TikTok / @ ikellymarcelino
Merengue is native to the Dominican Republic (it is the national dance) and Haiti with its rhythms influenced by different Venezuelan and Afro-Cuban roots. It is based on a repeating five-beat rhythmic pattern called a quintillo with common instruments used alongside dancing being the accordion and drums. Dominican artist Wilfrido Vargas is considered one of the pioneers of modern merengue while that of Elvis Crespo
“Suavemente” is one of the most famous merengue songs in history.
Cha cha cha
@ kristina.androsenko
Dance figures of cha cha cha 💃🕺 #chacha #chachacha #latindance #dancelessons #ballroomdance #dancetutorial #latina
♬ hisoka owns this audio uwu – ✧ ï½¥ ﾟ: * ✧ ï½¥ ﾟ ð™ ð™–ð™§ð™¤ð™¡ð™žð™£ð™–
Video: TikTok/@kristina.androsenko
Cha-cha-cha is a Cuban dance resulting from the kicking of the dancers’ feet. Enrique Jorrin, Cuban composer and violinist, introduced the cha-cha-cha in 1948. The actual choreography of the dance was taken from two other dances – the mambo and the Cuban danzón.
@ dancewitholeg.com
Beginner Rumba – DanceWithOleg.com #rumba #dancetutorial #ballroom
original sound – Oleg Astakhov
Video: TikTok/@dancewitholeg.com
Rumba was born in the 19th century in the slums of eastern Cuba, music historian Maya Roy describes it as “a Spanish heritage Africanized in the Cuban melting pot”. It combines both African and Spanish rhythms and was popular among Afro-Cubans at the time. The word “Rumba” actually means “party”, which is why it is such a lively dance. Over time, various dance styles have been associated with rumba, including predominantly male colombia, yambú, and guaguancó, considered Cuba’s most popular style. |
Beowulf Poem pdf free download,Summary of Beowulf Orignal
Summary of Beowulf Orignal
Beowulf poem pdf free download is one of the most important works of Old English Literature. It has influenced many contemporary fictional works It was originally created by an anonymous Anglo and Saxon poet in the seventh century. It depicts the mixture of Christian values and Pagan traditions. It was written in German and then translated into English later. It is the most translated poem of all times.
The plot of the story starts when King Hrothgar returned from a battle. When his army and people were cheering over the victory in Mead Hall, a monstrous creature, Grendel comes and ate his men. That continued for eight years. All people in the land were terrorized by Grendel. A young great warrior Beowulf came to his aid. Beowulf had a strong grip, the grip that equals to the grip of 30 men. Beowulf called on the beast and without any armour ripped off Grendel’s arms. The beast returned to his home and died. Seeking revenge Grendel’s Mother arrived the next day and killed the advisor of the king and took Grendel’s arm with her. Beowulf went down the lake in search of her and fought with her with his magical sword.
He attacked her head and sliced her head off. Beowulf pdf found Grendel’s body and chopped his head off with his magical sword. He carried his head with him as a trophy and then the blade of his magical sword disappeared. He gave the head of Grendel to King Hrothgar. King gifts him wealth and gifts as a reward and he returned to his land. Beowulf received the crown of the king in his land and rules for fifty years in harmony with other kingdoms. One of the slaves, stole the dragon’s cup and the dragon started tormented his land. Beowulf in spite of getting old, went with his warriors to fight with the Dragon. All his warriors left except Wiglaf. Beowulf and Wiglaf defeated the dragon and killed him. Beowulf became injured. He gave his armour to Wiglaf and told him to rule his land after him. He also told him the funeral ceremony he wanted to have and died. Wiglaf gave punishment to the warriors who flee away in the time of need. And in the end, the funeral of Beowulf was conducted according to his will.
The theme of the Beowulf poem pdf is a heroic code and good versus evil. This folk epic is a masterpiece of English literature. It has a splendid rhythm. The flow of the poem is great but it is not quick to read literature. you can get the ebook pdf download from below: |
Tobacco Use & Your Health
Tobacco is one of the most addictive substances in the world. Its use can be traced as far back as 1400 BC, and it originally began as a ceremonial and social ritual. Over the centuries, its rise in popularity along with research around its use developed, it has been found to be detrimental to our health both as first- and second-hand smokers.
Today around 40 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes regularly. While originally the dangers brought on by smoking were unknown, it has now been linked to cancer and numerous other health conditions. As it is so commonly used, its dangers are far less known to youths who begin smoking at a young age after seeing others do so without impunity. What is perhaps the most staggering fact of all is that it is entirely preventable, though its highly addictive nature makes it difficult for one to stop after becoming hooked.
Impact on Physical Health
It has been established that smoking tobacco causes harm to almost every organ of the body. Some of the known health problems it can lead to include:
• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Stroke
• Diabetes
• Lung disease
• COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• Emphysema, chronic bronchitis
• Tuberculosis
• Vision problems and disease
• Immune disorders
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Erectile dysfunction in males
Despite all of these health risks that have been proven by the medical and scientific community, tobacco continues to be used. The World Health Organization implemented requirements on cigarette packaging in the early 2000s, forcing distributors to label messages about the health consequences that stem tobacco use. Despite this, efforts made to increase awareness around the health risks have been found to have a substantial impact.
The Truth anti-tobacco campaign, aimed at reducing teen tobacco use, was launched in 1998, and has been found to be more effective than other approaches. It’s matter-of-fact messaging and sometimes controversial tactics have proven to gain the attention and awareness of impressionable youths who may have otherwise tried smoking. One notable example of their unorthodox approach was the “Body Bag” commercial from 2000 in which body bags were placed outside Philip Morris headquarters in New York City to symbolize the 1,200 deaths that occur daily from tobacco use.
Tobacco Use & Mental Health
Studies have now found that tobacco also has an impact on a person’s mental and behavioral health in addition to the physical toll it is now infamous for. People with mental disorders, including depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and PTSD, are more likely to be addicted to tobacco. The difficulty that comes from being unable to quit a nicotine addiction can even further a person’s depression if they already struggle with it because it is so difficult to leave behind.
Nicotine also has mood-altering effects and can temporarily mask the negative effects someone who suffers from mental health disorders may be experiencing. This puts them at higher risk for cigarette use and addiction to nicotine. It also only takes 10 seconds for the effects to reach the brain, which makes their availability more dangerous.
Smoking can also interfere with certain medications an individual might be taking for a mental health disorder. It can suppress the effects or heighten them, making it more difficult for their medical provider to know if a medication is working or what amount is needed.
Individuals living with mental health disorders are also more susceptible to stress and living in more stressful living environments. This is largely due to lower income, poor access to healthcare and government assistance, and difficulty in quitting. They do not have the luxury of trying different forms of quitting, such as hypnotism or CBT therapy that individuals with a good insurance provider would have. Furthermore, nicotine addiction is not often recognized as very serious by addiction treatment programs because it is so widely used, and so on campuses and in facilities there is less treatment and education available.
Nicotine: A Gateway Drug?
In recent years, nicotine has also been found to be what’s known as a ‘gateway’ drug. Scientists came to this conclusion after conducting experiments with mice, observing that it makes the brain more susceptible to addiction. Cocaine in particular is closely linked to the instant effects that nicotine provides.
Nicotine itself is the chemical that keeps a person going back for more. Similar to alcohol or cocaine, it increases the release of neurotransmitters in the brain that can affect our behavior and moods. One category of neurotransmitter is dopamine, which is connected to the reward center of the brain and elicits euphoria and pleasure. Similar to other drugs, people also build a tolerance to nicotine, which makes their intake go up as time goes on. More nicotine is needed to achieve the desired effect.
Smoking is a ritualistic habit and becomes very ingrained in a smoker’s daily routine. As it is so widely accepted, it can be done openly and without persecution and is allowed in most professions as a way to step away from work for a break. This can make it especially difficult for people to quit, as it soon becomes as natural to them as brushing their teeth. It is also a social icebreaker, paired with coffee and alcohol, a common accompaniment to driving, and more.
Vaping and Youth Risk
The rise of vaping took the world by storm in recent years, and despite warnings from health officials, it shows no sign of slowing down. Smokers are drawn in by the promise
At the onset of its popularity, vaping seemed like a healthier alternative to cigarettes and didn’t have the same stigma that has been imprinted in our minds for years. The thought of vapor rather than smoke even sounds healthier, but in truth, it is not. Beyond that, it has been considered a way to ‘step down’ from smoking cigarettes, but it is not that either. Modern research is showing that these e-cigarettes, while containing less toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes, still contain many chemicals that produce the aerosol that the smoker inhales. Individuals who modify their vaping apparatus or use black market vape juice are at even further risk because they are impossible to regulate.
Just as it took years for science to catch up with the dangers of traditional cigarettes, the same is unfolding currently for vaping. There simply is not enough research to know exactly what the chemicals they contain have on the human body or the long-term effects. What is known is that the nicotine they contain, just like cigarettes, can cause the same heightened blood pressure, increase risk of heart attack, as well as asthma and lung disease.
The statistics for vaping becoming the cool alternative for the younger generation are also quite troubling. The US Surgeon General reported a 900% increase in high school students using e-cigarettes in 2015, and the numbers have continued to climb. This is largely due to the misconception that vaping is less harmful, and also more easily obtained for longer use than a pack of cigarettes. A vape cartridge costs less per-use comparatively.
Beyond that, the appeal of taste and flavor caters to the youth much more than a traditional cigarette. Flavors such as cotton candy, blue raspberry, even birthday cake are readily available and would be much more appealing to those who are more apprehensive about smoking, but happen to have a sweet tooth. Even more, the strong cigarette smell that stays on clothing and hair for long periods of time from cigarettes is no longer a worry and makes their use easier to conceal.
If the numbers of vaping continue to increase, there will be an estimated 55 million vapers in the US by the end of 2021.
Quitting Tobacco Products
The dangers of smoking are now widely known, and luckily the increased awareness that comes from that may help prevent individuals from picking up the habit in the future or be encouraged to quit sooner rather than later. If the health risks faced are not enough incentive, the cost that goes with the habit very well might. If a person spends $10 per pack and has a pack-a-day habit, that amounts to $3,600 a year, or $36,000 over a decade.
While the idea of quitting might seem impossible, it isn’t. If you or a loved one is struggling with nicotine addiction and want to talk, our Admissions team is available 24/7 to answer any questions you might have. Please give us a call today.
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Protect Teeth While Enjoying Halloween Candy
Should children give up their trick-or-treat candy for the health of their teeth? No! All the avoiding sugary treats is generally a good idea to help prevent plaque buildup and cavities, Halloween candy is perfectly fine as long as proper dental hygiene rules are followed. These tips will help maximize enjoyment of the holiday without compromising your kids’ teeth and oral health.
Do Not Forbid Eating Candy Completely
Have you noticed that the moment you take something away from your kids, they want it more than ever? If you let your kids go trick-or-treating, taking away all the candy would not be fair. They are more likely to eat it in secret and not practice good dental health afterward.
Instead of refusing treats, limit the number of pieces they can eat per day and only allow them at certain times. This still gives them the enjoyment of picking out their favorites for snack or dessert but you can monitor their teeth cleaning afterward.
Stay Away from Very Sticky or Hard Treats
The absolute worst type of candy for teeth includes any that are hard and sticky like lollipops, Jolly Ranchers, or jawbreakers. These types of sweets have three main problems. Their hard structure may chip or crack teeth if your child bites them. The stickiness attaches to the teeth and can either damaged the enamel or cause physical problems. Since hard candy takes a while to dissolve, the sugar and acid stays on the teeth and gums longer and provides more fuel for plaque growth. Gummy candy also has the two latter problems, so be careful when your children eat this type as well.
Enjoy Sweet Treats After a Meal
While snacks and desserts are usually eaten after meals anyway so they do not ruin the appetite for healthy food, this is also a good idea for oral hygiene. Eating lunch or dinner triggers the production of saliva. This can actually help break down sugars in candy so it is metabolized away from the surface of the teeth and gums instead of sticking around longer.
Drink or Swish With Clean Water
Avoid sugary beverages when your children are already consuming a lot of sweet candy. If they are not able to brush and floss their teeth immediately, at least have them swish a few mouthfuls of water to remove some of the residue. This also helps with proper hydration.
Brush and Floss Right Away
By the time they are old enough to trick-or-treat, children should have begun the habit of brushing and flossing their teeth after they eat anything. The youngest may still need help developing good oral hygiene routines. As soon as the candy is finished, make sure they do a thorough cleaning job. This is especially important if they eat a hard, sticky, or gummy candy as mentioned above.
All children should enjoy their sweets as long as you put some ground rules in place. Schedule an appointment at Las Vegas Smile Dental Center to make sure your child’s teeth and gums are the healthiest they can be.
Time for a New Toothbrush
Keeping a consistent routine is a great way to combat most problems that might arise in oral hygiene. Brushing and flossing regularly throughout the day can keep enamel and gums strong and breath smelling fresh! Most people would think that is all they need to worry about but that is not quite true.
Consider the process of flossing – with floss, it is a quick ‘one and done’ deal. Simply throw away the floss after use.
When it comes to a toothbrush, this practice is definitely not just routine. Usually, we do not throw away a toothbrush or even toothbrush head after each use but replacements should be considered after some time.
Toothbrushes and toothbrush heads can fray overtime which inhibits their effectiveness as they will not properly brush or scrub teeth as they should.
What about what we cannot see? Bacteria and germs gradually build up on the tool and make the brush itself counterproductive for oral hygiene. To avoid unneeded contact with germs and bacteria, be sure to replace toothbrushes and toothbrush heads every 90 days or sooner if the bristles begin to fray. Also consider making a change after an illness as whatever germs and viruses that caused the illness will most likely linger on an innocuous toothbrush or toothbrush head.
Maintaining teeth brushing tools can be done easily with the use of reminders for replacements on a calendar or cell phone. Buying in bulk makes switching much easier and quicker than buying individually and can be cheaper too.
Also, see your local dentist at Las Vegas Smile at least twice a year to maintain a healthy smile.
Oral Health Routine
Routines are designed to keep things running smoothly and just like how workout routines help keep the body in shape, oral hygiene routines help keep teeth and gums healthy. Fresh smelling breath is also a plus.
The most highly recommended oral hygiene routine involves brushing with toothpaste, flossing between teeth and using mouthwash. Each step is important and should be done correctly to fully maximize their potential.
The most frequently misused item on our list is floss. Dental floss is commonly used to pull food out from between teeth. Toothbrushes simply cannot get into the tight spaces between teeth which means that problems like plaque can freely grow there with little resistance. Hook floss around a tooth in a ‘C’ shape then move the floss in an up and down motion. This will scrape off plaque and food debris that brushing alone may miss. It is recommended that floss be used at least once a day.
Despite not being able to get in between teeth, toothbrushes are still an important tool! Brushing gets the largest amounts of acid, bacteria, plaque and food debris off of teeth. If all these things sound bad — they are!
• Acid can wear down tooth enamel and expose sensitive parts of the teeth.
• Bacteria can cause either inflammation or infections. Inflammation of the gums can be painful at its best and cause illness at its worst.
• Plaque and food debris can not only cause tooth enamel to wear down but also bad breath and discoloration.
To get the most out of this part of the routine, be sure to brush with toothpaste twice a day. It is most important that one of those times be before bed or after the final snack or meal of the day.
Lastly is the use of mouthwash or mouth rinse. Rinsing is a great way to add another protective layer to teeth as well as wash away any lingering risks to dental health but be sure to talk to a professional about what type of mouthwash to use. Certain mouthwash and toothpaste were created to tackle specific problems so be sure to choose the right one for your specific needs.
Make a positive impact on your overall oral health by keeping a daily, consistent oral hygiene routine. Visit a dentist at Las Vegas Smile twice a year, to keep your smile bright, teeth healthy and to address any potential issues.
How Do Teeth Change with Age?
As anyone who has reached middle-aged or older knows, everything in your body starts to change as time goes by. The same is true for your teeth. Of course, using the best dental hygiene practices can stave off problems for a very long time. However, physiological changes still affect dental health and appearance. Learn how teeth change with age and what you can do about this natural process.
Shifting and Movement of Teeth
The actual structure of your jaw and mouth change over time. Studies show that the dental arch begins to narrow once you hit around 40 years old. Add in the effects of gravity, constant chewing and pressure, and weakening musculature and bone density, and your teeth may shift out of optimum alignment. In most cases, this does not necessitate a return to braces or a retainer. However, it can cause some issues with bite alignment and additional friction can lead to weakened enamel and an increase in cavities.
Worn and Weakened Enamel
A lifetime of chewing and natural teeth movements wear down the enamel that covers every tooth surface. There is no way to avoid this because you cannot give up chewing your food. People who grind their teeth can help prevent this wear with certain dental protecting tools such as mouth guards. When the enamel thins, the chance of cavities and other problems like this can increase. It is extremely important that you maintain a proper dental care regimen no matter what.
Gums Thin and Recede
Periodontal disease, excessively harsh brushing, and the natural progression of the years all cause the gums to get thinner and drawback from the surfaces of your teeth. Lower production of saliva, which is another common issue as we age, can contribute to this problem as well. Make sure to speak with your dental expert to make sure you do not have gingivitis or other serious infections instead of simple age-related gum issues.
Teeth Discoloration
As the decades pass, food, beverages, smoking, and time can yellow or discolor your teeth. Even with the utmost care and avoidance of staining foods, your teeth do naturally get yellower as you age. This is due to the dentin layer showing through the outermost enamel as it thins.
Dental Nerves Weaken
One of the potentially good changes that happen to teeth as you age involves the dental nerve that goes up into the center of each one. These actually gets smaller as time goes on, which means you feel less pain during dental procedures, when biting wrong on something hard, or when eating hot or cold foods or beverages. On the other hand, weakened nerves can also hide serious dental problems as you cannot feel the usual pain associated with them. This is just one reason why it is important to maintain regularly scheduled dental appointments.
No matter how old you are, regular tooth care and visits to your Las Vegas dentist should remain part of your health and well-being schedule. If time or other issues make more serious problems arise, there are options your dentist can help with including implants, partial or full dentures, and more.
Cleaning Teeth Options – From Traditional to Trendy
Cleaning Teeth Options – From Traditional to Trendy
When most people think about teeth cleaning, they imagine a classic toothbrush and a tube of commercial toothpaste or they might remember their last professional cleaning with a dental hygienist. These days, more options exist than ever before. People are setting aside classic toothpaste and choosing more natural, unique, and sometimes startling products to get the bright, healthy smile they love.
Classic Baking Soda or Sea Salt
People have recommended brushing teeth with baking soda or sea salt for decades. They have similar abrasive materials to commercial toothpaste, which makes them a great way to remove food particles and plaque buildup. Many people do not like the taste and add a few drops of peppermint oil to the mixture.
Charcoal Toothpaste
The idea of using black charcoal toothpaste seems counterintuitive, but this trend can help whiten your smile and remove plaque. Activated charcoal can actually attract impurities and soak up plaque from the surface of your teeth. Charcoal generally has a higher abrasion factor then ingredients like baking soda or salt, so dentists recommend care when scrubbing your teeth with it. It may not look good when you scrub the black mixture around your mouth, and many people do not like the taste, but it is quite effective.
Natural Herbal Soap
Some forgo products specific to teeth completely. Instead, they use some type of natural soap with herbal or essential oil ingredients. While this can clean your mouth, it may not remove the stuck-on plaque that can cause problems. Instead of chemical detergents, most prepared dental soaps rely on healthy oils, plant ingredients like aloe vera and essential oils like peppermint or citrus for fresh breath.
Hydrogen Peroxide
This liquid kills most bacteria and can contribute to teeth whitening but may work better with a mouthwash then as a replacement for toothpaste. Of course, there is no abrasion involved. Hydrogen peroxide can also affect moisture levels in the mouth, which may contribute to bad breath or gum damage.
Coconut or Other Oils
The common Ayurvedic practice of oil swishing has become popular around the world in recent years. You may use coconut or other oils to brush your teeth as well. It has antibacterial properties, tastes fine, and can hydrate gums and sensitive tissues in the mouth.
Commercial toothpaste has been around since the 1870s. Over the years, oral health has improved greatly and continuous research leads to other options in dental care. Before you adopt a new product for your everyday regimen, take time to learn about all the benefits and risks.
In the end, as long as you choose a healthy method of cleaning your teeth, you will enjoy an attractive and happy smile for as long as possible. Before chasing trends or trying a new product, speak with your Las Vegas Smile dentist and research the potential benefits and problems. Many teeth cleaning options exist from traditional to trendy, but the best one for you is always the one that protects your teeth from damage while ensuring a healthy and beautiful smile.
Give Teeth the Valentine’s Attention that they Deserve
Valentine’s is almost here! Candy, love letters and maybe even a romantic candle lit dinner with a special someone. However, getting ready for the perfect day is not just about crisp clothes and fine jewelry. A riveting smile can really pull together just about any look.
Teeth are one of our longest lasting relationship and deserve to be treated well this holiday and every day after. Give them a gift that will make them shine! Been considering Invisalign or teeth whitening? Why not? A bi-annual visit to the dentist or a short term goal like Invisalign may be just what those teeth need to feel appreciated and help them be their best!
Sometimes it can be hard to give teeth the attention they deserve. Flossing and brushing can seem just a little too easy to glance over and maybe even a bit tedious. Try turning it into a date! Put on some music and pay extra special attention to dental hygiene for just a few minutes. The music will help keep time while also making the task seem much less tedious.
Be sure to extend that care throughout the day too! Stay hydrated, avoid sugar and try not to use those pearly whites as tools to open things or chew needlessly.
Teeth Friendly Foods
Food naturally sticks to teeth and can affect people in negative ways. Plaque, cavities and bad breath can all be a side effect of the food we eat but some foods can also aid in oral health.
Leafy greens are well known to be good for digestive health and packed full of iron and fiber but they also can reduce the risk of oral cancer. Studies done recently have concluded that smokers, specifically women, have reduced chances of developing oral cancer simply by eating leafy greens.
Another vegetable that helps keep teeth clean is the beloved carrot. Carrots help combat plaque. Plaque is a film that forms over the teeth that eats away at both enamel and gums. Any medium sized carrot or a handful of baby carrots can take care of the job.
Next is fruit! Surprisingly, even fruit, with their sugary taste, are helpful soldiers in the battle for oral health. Strawberries actually house a specific acid, malic acid, that is known to whiten teeth naturally. No need for synthesized chemicals!
Raisins are full of antioxidants, we all know this. However, not everyone knows that these antioxidants help slow or even halt the growth of at least two different types of bacteria that naturally grow in the mouth. Thank the raisins for fresher breath and whiter teeth!
Lastly and most strangely is hard cheese. Dairy products are known to help build strong teeth and bones but hard cheese eaten at the end of a meal will help maintain the pH balance. Just like the pH balance of a pool stops sludge from forming, oral pH balance does the same!
Stress and Oral Dental Health
Stress is a common culprit when it comes to sudden and mysterious health issues. It is commonly known that stress can cause both mental and physical health issues like trouble sleeping and weight gain but stress can also affect oral health. Therefore it is an important to get dental cleanings and examinations at least twice a year.
Sometimes stress can cause a physical reaction that may or may not be intentional. Bruxism or teeth grinding is a common reaction to stress that can cause fractures or loosen teeth until they fall out. This behavior can sometimes happen in the night while the afflicted is asleep, making it possible for them to not even know they’re doing it! Sometimes stress can dissuade people from healthy habits like exercise or proper oral dental health which can lead to problems like gingivitis, plaque and cavities that arise from lack of flossing, brushing and rinsing with mouthwash.
Other times, strange sores and blemishes can appear within or around the mouth. One such blemish is a canker sore. While bruxism can sometimes be connected with them, canker sores tend to appear at will during stressful times. The sores are gray or white, are located within the mouth and are often times painful but are not contagious. Stress can affect the immune system as well, which would allow symptoms of the herpes simplex virus to appear. These appear on the lip as little bumps full of fluid and are in fact contagious.
Stress sometimes can lead to the infamous stress eating of sugar snacks. Be sure to avoid candies and cakes as they not only affect teeth but weight. Keeping calm, cool and collected is the best way to avoid problems that can arise from stress. Also, remember to see your dentist at Las Vegas Smile Center.
Sweets and Teeth
Sweets and Teeth Dentist
We all already know that sweets lead to cavities. Despite this, sugar consumption in America is skyrocketing. Especially around the holidays like Valentine’s Day and Halloween where the consumption of sweets has a propensity to be higher.
In the early 1900’s, Americans only consumed an average of 4 pounds of sugar a year. Currently, we consume a WHOPPING 160 POUNDS of sugar a year. Even in just the past decade, despite public announcements and health trends, sugar consumption is steadily increasing.
In everyone’s mouth is a realm of bacteria. This can also be referred to as oral ecology. Entire colonies of microorganisms live within the mouth, most of which do no harm. Those who brush their teeth have about 1,000 to 100,000 bacteria living on each tooth. Those who do not, well, they can have between 100 million and 1 billion bacteria on each tooth.
When proper hygiene is practiced some of the bacteria are beneficial in preventing disease. However, Streptococcus mutans and Streptococcus sobrinus are the two destructive ones that aid in the formation of cavities. These two species of bacteria feed on the sugar that is eaten, and as a result, form a sticky, colorless film known as plaque. Regular flossing and brushing removes most of the plaque before it causes significant damage.
30% of Americans only brush their teeth once a day. Most dentists concur that twice a day is the bare minimum. Brushing your teeth for one minute is considered not nearly enough, while two minutes is about right.
When this healthy brushing habit breaks, it gives way to the production of tartar. Tartar is what plaque turns into, if left unattended. Tartar is formed from plaque, mixing with minerals in saliva, eventually hardening into a strong bond with discolored deposit that traps stains. These bonds can be removed by a dental hygienist during a dental check-up and cleaning.
In a perfect world, we would reduce the amount of sweets we eat and brush our teeth three times a day, an hour after each main meal and visit our dentist at Las Vegas Smile Center on a routine basis. |
Are Owls Smart : Let’s Understand
Owls are birds-of-prey that specialize in killing and hunting small animals. It’s no wonder that owls are able to spot their prey far away and hear the slightest movement in their surroundings.
Reason why owls don’t seem to be very intelligent. The hunting and killing prey these two things use 75% of an owls brain. This leaves 25% of the brain available for processing all other operations.
In a recent study, owls were also tested using simple string bait experiments. The owl was required to retrieve the remote bait attached to a string. This type of experiment is easy to do without any prior experience. Many birds can complete it in no time. The owls are not so lucky.
Satoshi Kanazawa, a psychologist, found that night owls were more intelligent than the early birds (Morning person). This is how the idea that owls are smart continues to be popular even today.
Ancient Belief About Owls
• An owl was a symbol of wisdom and focus in ancient Greek mythology. In the paintings, you can see the Greek gods holding an Owl in their hands. They didn’t realize how intelligent owls were. Modern behavior science calls the “night owl” a person who stays awake at night.
• If we are talking about owls, the Romans are one of the most fearful. It was considered the symbol of destruction, defeat, and hunger. It was often associated with defeat when an owl flew over Roman soldiers.
• According to historians, the owl warned them when a Roman army was about to be destroyed in the desert of Charrhea (present-day Iraq). Many famous Roman figures, including Augustus, Julius Ceaser and Commodus, died as a result of predictions by owls.
• An owl in the indo subcontinent is a sign of unearned wealth. An owl is used to describe someone who is incapable of earning a lot of wealth. It is also associated with protection in India and other parts of India.
• It is a sign of bad luck and death in Native American culture. On the other hand, the Japanese associate the owl as a symbol of luck, protection, and charm.
Do owls like to be petted by humans?
“Owls don’t like being stroked. He told DW that even with tame birds, this can cause undue stress. “Also stroking amongst a crowd is permitted – which could cause undue stress even for ‘tame owls.
Is it possible that owls are the dumbest of birds?
It turns out that owls are not smarter than many other birds, even though they are excellent hunters. They may actually be worse at problem solving than big-brained birds such as parrots and crows. However, this doesn’t mean that owls can’t think for themselves.
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Ensuring southern Africa is not roasted in Copenhagen
Image: Flickr, United Nations Photo
Image: Flickr, United Nations Photo
This week’s Copenhagen summit on climate change is unlikely to deliver much beyond a broad framework agreement, leaving many details to be worked out in the build-up to the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.
One reason for this is that trade and competitiveness concerns are now moving to centre stage, raising troubling issues that cannot be fudged.
The central concern is “carbon-leakage”. Essentially, developed countries worry that as they implement carbon-reduction measures with teeth, thereby penalising their companies, so those companies will relocate production to developing countries that have not taken on substantial mitigation obligations.
Further , those developing countries generally have less punitive environmental laws, and so it is possible to transfer older, more polluting technologies to them. The net result could be job losses in developed countries while carbon emissions are either not reduced or potentially increased, and the planet “cooks” anyway.
These concerns lead logically to potential trade policy remedies. Three such remedies are under discussion in various forums.
First, in the US Senate so-called “border carbon adjustments” are being proposed. These would impose a tax on imports in “trade-exposed industries”, notably metals processing, from countries that have not adopted a substantial mitigation target.
If the US Congress is to adopt a serious domestic climate change package it will almost certainly include border carbon adjustments in some form. Border carbon adjustments have also been floated by the French and German leaders presidents, and are informally under discussion in the European Union (EU). Needless to say, they are strongly opposed by China, India and other big developing countries that are likely to be targeted.
Second, “production process methods” have long been part of the debate over trade and environment linkages. Production process methods have a broader applicability than the carbon mitigation discussion but are nonetheless relevant.
They have found their way into various standards regimes, for example the private standards established by primarily developed country retailers, and the EU’s voluntary partnership agreements in the forestry sector. They have also found expression in the so-called “air miles” issue; indeed the entire transport system is a major carbon emitter and therefore those countries or regions that depend heavily on it for their commerce are exposed to some risk. Similarly, countries that rely heavily on fossil fuel energy production are exposed.
Third, in the Doha round of World Trade Organisation negotiations, member states continue to haggle over liberalisation of environmental goods and services. The core disagreement is over the extent to which major emerging economies will liberalise environmental goods and services imports; some consider that it might be better to protect certain niches within this sector in order to build their own industrial capacities. This connects to a broader debate in the climate change negotiations, over the terms under which developing countries can access advanced clean energy technologies and how such access will be financed.
Unfortunately the climate change talks fundamentally concern a process of burden sharing, or parcelling out the pain of mitigating carbon emissions. Therefore, what may make sense from an environment policy standpoint can make for bad trade policy, and where this is the case could fuel the rising problem of protectionism.
Thus emerging market countries, particularly those that face a major mitigation challenge, could find themselves caught between the proverbial rock and hard place – if they take the knife to carbon emissions, economic growth and social peace may be compromised; if they keep the knife in its sheath, exports and trade more generally may be compromised.
These dynamics are particularly applicable to SA and through it to southern Africa. SA’s economy is based on resource production and to some extent beneficiation, in turn dependent on cheap energy. This means that “trade exposed industries” are substantially represented in our export basket, which makes us a potential target of border carbon adjustments.
Further , SA is a major carbon emitter owing to our coal endowment. Given our energy needs and consequent coal-fired power station build programme the mitigation problem will get worse before it gets better.
Unfortunately, investment in renewable energies is constrained by the domestic market structure, specifically the fact that Eskom is simultaneously the monopoly supplier and buyer of energy, while the likely deterioration of its balance sheet as its build programme gets under way significantly constrains the extent to which it is willing to subsidise renewable energy producers through the newly minted feed-in-tariff.
These two mutually reinforcing dynamics mean that border carbon adjustments and production process methods may become attractive to some of our developed country trading partners.
This could be minimised if we adopted a relatively liberal stance regarding the environmental goods and services negotiations, particularly one favourable to importing the appropriate technologies at the best possible price whilst removing domestic market distortions in the way of rolling them out. Such an approach would ensure we are exposed to the latest possible technologies and, with appropriately targeted government support to research and development in this sector, some market niches could be established for exploitation in African and other emerging market settings.
For southern Africa the sector of most concern is agriculture, where most of the rural poor make their living. “Climate protectionism” may manifest in new or stringent product standards and labelling for valuable exports such as fruits and vegetables.
Since the region already relies heavily on rain-fed agriculture, which in turn is exposed to potentially unprecedented changes in climate, if this is not sensitively handled attainment of the Millennium Development Goals may be further frustrated.
Mitigation of carbon emissions in the transportation sector is not just good for climate protection; it also protects the population from air and noise pollution. But such measures are an additional source of concern for the region. To the extent they are implemented they would presumably affect all countries, but the effects could be sharpest in the developing world.
Aviation measures, for example, could penalise the tourism trade, which is a significant revenue source for many countries in southern Africa. Further , road transportation is crucial to cross-border trade in the region, so any measures in this sector would have to be closely watched.
Overall, while we all hope for a successful outcome to the Copenhagen negotiations and the climate talks more generally, the implications for the trading system and for southern Africa’s trade in particular require careful consideration. We need to be especially vigilant that policies designed to promote the global public good do not end up unfairly penalising our development.
7 Dec 2009
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Granted I’m no math expert, but from following some of the debates over just why SAT Math is so difficult, it seems to me that there’s a very fundamental difference between that section and Critical Reading — a difference that accounts for a lot of the trouble many people have in raising their CR score as compared to raising their Math score.
From what I gather (and please correct me if I’m wrong), many of the difficulties that people encounter on the Math section stem from the fact that the SAT requires them to deal with relatively familiar concepts in highly unfamiliar ways, and to combine and apply principles in ways that aren’t immediately apparent. The specifics of the test might be different from what they’ve seen in school and can often be very hard, but the general principles behind them aren’t fundamentally new for most people who’ve gone through a couple of years of algebra and geometry. So even they miss a question because they’re used to solving for x instead of (x-y), they’ve still seen plenty of problems in math class that involve variables and parentheses.
The Critical Reading section is different. For a lot of high school students, it’s the verbal equivalent of BC Calculus rather than algebra and geometry. In other words, it tests material of a level and content that they have never actually been exposed to, and it requires them to maneuver with it in ways that they’ve never encountered in school. Even in AP English.
Consider this: in sophomore and junior English class, the average American high school student probably reads a Shakespeare play or two and a handful of classics such as Catcher in the RyeThe Great GatsbyTo Kill a Mockingbird, and maybe some Thoreau, Austen, Dickens, or in an advanced class, Joyce. The point is that pretty much all of it is fictional, and it’s usually set in an English-speaking country sometime in the past. SAT passages, on the other hand, are largely non-fiction and are drawn from contemporary sources — books that were published in the last couple of decades and that include subject matter only the most sophisticated independent high school readers will have even a passing familiarity with: art and media criticism, anthropology, cognitive science, and method acting to name a few. The novels that do appear are just as likely to be written by a nineteenth century Russian author as by a twentieth-century American one, and often the cultural milieux and scenarios are wildly unfamiliar.
The other piece of this is the level at which most of the texts are written — at the risk of sounding reductive, if SAT Math is essentially middle school competition math, as some people have asserted, then Critical Reading is essentially introductory-level college reading. Those texts those passages are taken from are not written specifically to test high school students’ reading ability (even though ETS will often edit them to make them somewhat more digestible) — they’re either written by professional academics for other professional academics, or by specialists in a subject for educated adult readers. And they sound like it.
It seems fair to say that most high school students have simply never been asked to deal with a text that reads like the following: “The question “Why have there been no great women artists?” is simply the top of an iceberg of misinterpretation and misconception; beneath lies a vast dark bulk of shaky ideas about the nature of art and the situation of its making, about the nature of human abilities in general and of human excellence in particular, and the role that the social order plays in all of this…Basic to the question are many naive, distorted, uncritical assumptions about the making of art in general, as well as the making of great art.” (from Linda Nochlin, “Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists?,” featured on the October 2009 SAT.)
The syntax of last part in particular is so unfamiliar that it tends to stop a lot of kids cold: “Basic to question…?” Are you even allowed to start a sentence that way? (Yes, you are.) And that first sentence is really long — isn’t it a run-on? (No, it isn’t, it’s ok to have a sentence that long.) And why does it have to sound so confusing? (Because that’s just how academics write.) The only way you get comfortable dealing with sentences like that is to read lots of them. There’s no shortcut, no trick. If you haven’t been regularly exposed to people who talk and think and write like that, the reality is that you just can’t compensate in a few weeks or even a few months. Most of the major test-prep companies do not even acknowledge the presence of this level/type of passage when they write their own materials, which is part of why people often get shocked by the difficulty of the real test.
The other problem is that most English classes revolve primarily around discussions, which are easily tuned out, and papers, which can be pulled together with minimal effort via a combination of Sparknotes and Wikipedia. The teacher might give a couple of quizzes just to make sure people are doing their reading, but those are easily dealt with.
In terms of rhetoric, figures such as metaphors and personification might be covered, but that’s about it. Rarely if never are students asked to study how the text functions at its most basic level: how form and syntax and diction all work together to create meaning. Rather, the meaning itself is taken as the starting point for discussion (What do you think about that? Do you agree? Disagree? How does it relate to your own life?). The notion that a text is a rhetorical construction designed to elicit a particular reaction from the reader never enters into play. So it’s no wonder that Critical Reading, whose questions tend to revolve around the relationship between form and meaning, comes as a shock. Besides, if you’ve always been asked for your own personal interpretation in English class, the idea that your own personal interpretation is totally and utterly irrelevant on the SAT can be hard to stomach.
Finally, most high school students are never introduced to the notion that different kinds of texts require different kinds of reading. Because they are only exposed to literary fiction in English class, they develop the idea that “real” reading involves carefully underlining and annotating and note-taking and “analyzing” (although a lot of these supposedly careful readers display a remarkably weak grasp of what the passages as well as the questions are actually saying). As a matter of fact, it isn’t uncommon for students to take offense when I ask them to try reading for the main ideas and skimming over everything else; they consider it a betrayal of everything they’ve been taught and take it as further evidence of the stupidity of standardized testing.
And if the test is so stupid, why would you waste your time studying for it anyway? |
Denim Overalls
Denim Overalls
80's Pants Jun 16, 2022
Before it became the garment we know today, denim overalls were originally known as the bib-and-brace. Invented in the 1800s by Grace Howard and Jacob Davis (the founders of the popular clothing company Levi’s), the earliest overalls had two parts: the trousers and the bib.
The trousers are typically loose-fitting and the bib acted as a part that covered the person’s torso. Throughout the years, the bib part of overalls changed. First, it was used as an extension for the legs. Then in the late 1800s, the bib was then sold separately from the trousers, and children mostly wore the bib part.
Denim Overalls
80s Fashion Trend: Denim Overalls
While most overalls were made with denim, they were also made with other materials like corduroy or chino cloth. Overalls were mostly worn by boys and men who worked in factories, however, women started wearing overalls when World War I was happening. From there, denim overalls became a popular article of clothing, especially during the 80s era.
Denim Overalls In The 80s
Denim overalls became a major fashion trend in the 80s. One of the reasons why they were popular in the 80s was because of the feel and style.
Denim overalls are described as being casual and playful, and were perfect for kids growing up during this period. They were also a popular choice among some of the most visible celebrities of the time as well.
Princess Diana Wearing Yellow Denim Overalls
Denim overalls also had a wide appeal. Construction or factory workers weren’t the only people wearing denim overalls. They were also worn by other people from different occupations like the military, activism, athletes, as well as housewives. The design of overalls also influenced other fashion items in the 80s like shorteralls, coveralls, and jeans.
“Coveralls” Are A Fashion Inspired By Denim Overalls That Was Also Popular In The 1980s.
The popularity of denim overalls also came along with popular 70s, 80s, and 90s magazines and celebrity figures. Seventies magazines like Flashback or Vintage Patterns Fandom had models or drawings of characters in overalls.
There were also popular characters from American sitcoms that wore overalls like Will Smith on The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air or Steve Urkel on Family Matters.
Pop Culture And Denim Overalls
The 80s had its fair share of famous figures and magazines that highlighted denim overalls. The fashion was everywhere in pop culture, and a big reason why it was so popular during the 1980s.
TV Shows And Music Videos
In the 1980s denim overalls was a fixture on television. Some of the most iconic tv characters from the 1980s regularly wore denim overalls, further popularizing the fashion.
Steve Urkel (Family Matters, aired on September 22nd, 1989 and ended on July 14th, 1998): One of the most popular sitcoms in the 80s, Family Matters follows Carl Winslow who lives and takes care of his family while also working as a policeman. Their nerdy neighbor, Steve Urkel (played by Jaleel White), often wore suspenders and overalls on the show.
Denim Overalls Often Appeared In “Family Matters” (1989)
Samantha Micelli (Who’s The Boss, aired on September 20th, 1984 and ended on April 25th, 1992): Another hit sitcom in the 1980s, Samantha Micelli (played by Alyssa Milano) was often seen wearing denim overalls, which was a popular fashion choice among teenagers and young adults.
alyssa milano overalls
Alyssa Milano Wearing Denim Overalls In “Who’s The Boss” (1984)
Browse Denim Overalls On Amazon Here
Will Smith (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air, aired on September 10, 1990 and ended on May 20th, 1996): While not an 80s show, Will Smith had a huge impact on the popularity of overalls and extended the popularity of the fashion trend.
Playing himself on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, the show follows Will Smith as he is sent to live with his uncle and aunt. Will Smith, among other characters, wore often seen wearing denim overalls on the show.
will smith overalls
Will Smith Often Wore Overalls In “The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air” (1990)
Denim overalls also appeared in many music videos during the 1980s. MTV first aired in August of 1980, and with that came music videos, and now audiences could mimic the fashion trend they saw of their favorite stars. And many of them wore denim overalls.
For example, Dexy’s Midnight Runners rocked denim overalls in the music video for their 1982 smash hit Come On Eileen.
Dexy’s Midnight Runners Wore Denim Overalls For “Come On Eileen” (1982)
Bananarama also infamously wore denim overalls in their music video for their 1984 mega anthem “Cruel Summer”.
“Cruel Summer” (1984) Featured Denim Overalls
Fashion Magazines
There were many magazines in the 80s that also had models wearing overalls. Their appearance in these made overalls the fashionable thing of the time:
Mademoiselle (First issue published in 1935): Starting in 1935, Mademoiselle is a women’s magazine dedicated to selling women’s clothes. They also featured short stories from authors like Truman Capote, Sylvia Plath, Sue Miller, and William Faulkner. The magazine regularly had models in overalls during the 80s issues of the magazine.
McCall’s Magazine (First issue published in 1873): Another women’s magazine that sells fashion, McCall’s magazine became particularly popular during the 60s, selling well over 8.4 million copies. Many issues of the magazine had models on the front cover who wore overalls.
1980s McCall’s Magazine Featuring Overalls
Are Denim Overalls Still Popular?
Overalls are still in fashion even today. Old and new brands such as Levi’s, OshKosh B’Gosh, Larned, Carter and Co; Jellico Clothing Manufacturer, and Stella McCartney are popular brands that still design and sell overalls.
Overalls are still worn by men, women, and children. Also construction workers still wear overalls as protective clothing while working.
The comfort and affordability of denim overalls will likely make it a popular fashions for many years to come. However we will always remember it as a staple of 1980s fashion, and one that will always make us smile when we think back on.
Browse Denim Overalls On Amazon Here
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Clarity of Concept
Action without thought is a stray bullet. A thought without action is a seed lying dormant in the ground. Thought is the trail on which actions tread the way towards a destination. Thought is a preamble of every Genesis of action. As they say and say very rightly, “Clarity of concept is the key to success”, provided the thought is right. Thought is the building block of concept. Man becomes great by virtue of his concept. If concept is virtuous, little action becomes significant. If concept is not transparent, Wall Street of actions assumes an art of conspiracy and hypocrisy. The real identity of man is what he keeps in mind_____ and what he keeps in mind is a concept. Belief is a concept and disbelief is still another sort of concept.
A conceptual thought is like a beam of light that pierces the darkness of unconsciousness. A simple and humble conceptual work surpasses the mega structures of monuments in history. Tons of actions are destined to go trash, if concepts are not clear and intentions are not transparent. This rule of thumb holds good on individual level as well as on national level.
One, who is not clear in his thoughts, lives his life in slavery. He is a slave of his unnamed fears, prejudices and prides of unknown origin. His perspiring hard work cannot set him free of his bond of slavery. He is doing a bonded labour because he has lost the courage to say “no” to his call of desires.
Conceptual thought creates constructive work. Concrete and collective work is possible only when concepts and conscience both are clear. A conceptual line of few words is like a missile that targets the heart and soul. When soul and heart are focussed, there needs little effort to enchain the body. To capture the physical vessels is a notion of pirates. To win the heart and soul is the idea of saints. Until and unless we set ourselves free of misconceptions, we are an ocean apart from state of peace within. It is the state of peace within that paves the way to peace within a state.
Right within the civilised cities and towns, we are mislead to lead a savage life; we are forced to conceive concepts that lead to jungle law _____ concepts like “struggle for existence”, “survival of the fittest” and “cut-throat competition” are but laws of jungle. Man is facing an intellectual threat. He is being taught what he has never been taught. Teachings of prophets and saints are forgetfully set aside and man’s intellect is subjugated with biological laws that cater animals in the Amazons.
It took centuries for man to gain salvage from the life of a savage. For what good reason, we are bent on undergoing a reverse-evolution. If we devalue ourselves to animal life, it would be devolution of humanity. Man is bound to evolve himself to an ethereal level where he could be in a state of communication and communion with his Creator. One who is in communion with his Creator cannot take revenge, cannot repulse his fellow men and cannot dare to hate the created ones; he can only forgive, accommodate and love.
Here, are few lines that can align the chaotic thoughts and create a cosmos of a CONCEPT within _____ a concept that is man’s collective heritage. Here comes Wasif (reh.) to help us inculcate within us a saint-like CONCEPT and a sage-like INTELLECT.
#drazharwaheed #wasifkhayal #philosophy #wasifaliwasif
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Congrats on writing your first unit test! In the last exercise, you used the expect() assertion function along with the .toEqual() matcher method. Let’s learn about a few more common matcher methods.
Take a look at the file below where we’ve now added a number of new assertions to test the getIngredients() method from the recipes module.
//file: __tests__/recipes.test.js // import the function to test import { getIngredients } from "./recipes.js"; test("Get only the ingredients list for Pesto", () => { //arrange const pestoRecipe = { 'Basil': '2 cups', 'Pine Nuts': '2 tablespoons', 'Garlic': '2 cloves', 'Olive Oil': '0.5 cups', 'Grated Parmesan': '0.5 cups' }; const expectedIngredients = ["Basil", "Pine Nuts", "Garlic", "Olive Oil", "Grated Parmesan"]; //act const actualIngredients = getIngredients(pestoRecipe); //assertions expect(actualIngredients).toBeDefined(); expect(actualIngredients).toEqual(expectedIngredients); expect(actualIngredients.length).toBe(5); expect(actualIngredients[0] === "Basil").toBeTruthy(); expect(actualIngredients).not.toContain("Ice Cream"); });
Let’s go over the matchers used in this example:
1. .toBeDefined() is used to verify that a variable is not undefined. This is often the first thing checked.
2. .toEqual() is used to perform deep equality checks between objects.
3. .toBe() is similar to .toEqual() but is used to compare primitive values.
4. .toBeTruthy() is used to verify whether a value is truthy or not.
5. .not is used before another matcher to verify that the opposite result is true
6. .toContain() is used when we want to verify that an item is in an array. In this case, since the .not matcher is used, we are verifying that "Ice Cream" is NOT in the array.
As mentioned in the previous lesson, there are many different matches. Rather than memorizing all of them, you should consult the complete list in the Jest documentation.
Lets put our new-found knowledge to use and write some more tests for our countryExtractor() function. Based on the provided inputObject, we expect the first value of the actualValue array to be "Argentina".
Inside the test() function, write an assertion to validate that the first value of the actualValue array is "Argentina".
Now, directly under the previous assertion, let’s write a test to verify that the actualValue array contains the string "Belize".
Let’s write another assertion that expects the following statement to return true: actualValue[2] === "Bolivia"
Let’s now write one more final assertion to verify that the actualValue is an array that only contains 3 items, therefore it should NOT have a value at index 3.
Directly under the previously written assertion, write an assertion that verifies that actualValue[3] is NOT defined.
Now that we have set up all of our testing logic we can run the test to verify that everything is running smoothly. Run the test command in the terminal.
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Definition of wide:
1. Far from truth, from propriety, from necessity, or the like.
2. Having a great extent every way; extended; spacious; broad; vast; extensive; as, a wide plain; the wide ocean; a wide difference.
3. Having considerable distance or extent between the sides; spacious across; much extended in a direction at right angles to that of length; not narrow; broad; as, wide cloth; a wide table; a wide highway; a wide bed; a wide hall or entry.
4. Having or showing a wide difference between the highest and lowest price, amount of supply, etc.; as, a wide opening; wide prices, where the prices bid and asked differ by several points.
5. Made, as a vowel, with a less tense, and more open and relaxed, condition of the mouth organs; -- opposed to primary as used by Mr. Bell, and to narrow as used by Mr. Sweet. The effect, as explained by Mr. Bell, is due to the relaxation or tension of the pharynx; as explained by Mr. Sweet and others, it is due to the action of the tongue. The wide of / (/ ve) is / (/ ll); of a ( ate) is / (/ nd), etc. See Guide to Pronunciation, / 13- 15.
6. Of a certain measure between the sides; measuring in a direction at right angles to that of length; as, a table three feet wide.
7. On one side or the other of the mark; too far side- wise from the mark, the wicket, the batsman, etc.
8. Remote; distant; far.
9. So as to be or strike far from, or on one side of, an object or purpose; aside; astray.
10. So as to leave or have a great space between the sides; so as to form a large opening.
11. That which goes wide, or to one side of the mark.
12. That which is wide; wide space; width; extent.
13. To a distance; far; widely; to a great distance or extent; as, his fame was spread wide.
overall, colossal, elongated, approximate, grand, to the max, utmost, extensive, inexact, countywide, general, everything, in breadth, all-or-nothing, full, paper-thin, inaccurate, big, diffuse, across, as soon/quickly/much etc. as possible, large-minded, gigantic, (up) to the hilt, wide-ranging, fanlike, far-reaching, simply, dewy-eyed, to the fullest, as far as possible, universal, coarse, liberal, overspreading, replete, approximately, entire, worldwide, enormous, comfortable, wide-screen, total, in full measure, in width, the sum total, encompassing, widely, unsubtle, imprecise, broad-brush, scattered, wide-eyed, heavy, rangy, broadly, comprehensive, spreading, edited, huge, blow-by-blow, detailed, unspecific, questionable, wrong, beamy, wide of the mark, astray, good, schoolwide, 101, deep, all over the place, immense, separated, childlike, broad-brimmed, fine, statewide, tolerant, broad, abundant, hairline, incorrect, stretching, whole, capacious, complete, all-embracing, massive, generalized, away, thick, fat, countrywide, commodious, spacious, all-encompassing, large-scale, blanket, attenuated, roughly, king-size, considerable, elaborate, tighten, all-inclusive, far-flung, descriptive, simple, widespread, ample, altogether, open, citywide, nationwide, sweeping, opened, bird's-eye, panoptic, round-eyed, vast, far, wholesale, extended, covering, wide-cut, filmy, ubiquitous, overhanging, large, across-the-board, most, roomy, wide-spreading, all, narrow, panoramic.
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You are here: Homepage > Blog > Sunlight exposure makes women more fertile
Sunlight exposure makes women more fertile
There are numerous health benefits of sunlight and one of them is linked to increased fertility.
Sunshine, warm weather and absence of rain lead to a more effective IVF treatment
Sunlight is related with fertility
Sunlight exposure makes women more fertile, boosting their chances to conceive according to a new
Belgian research study. Researchers of University Hospital Ghent’s Centre for Reproductive Medicine, analyzed success rates of 6.000 women who underwent IVF treatment over a time period of about six years. These data were associated with climate conditions of the month that each woman started their fertility treatment.
They found that live birth rates increased from 14%, during less sunny periods, to 19% when the weather in terms of sunlight was improved. Moreover, in periods with at least 4 hours of sunshine per day fertility was increased by one third.
Researchers highlight the fact that women had 35% increased chances of conception following IVF if they were exposed to sunlight a month prior and not during IVF treatment.
Vitamin D appears to have the most critical role in terms of sunlight benefits to female fertility, as it directly affects egg quality and melatonin levels contributing to a normal ovulation cycle.
‘’Sunshine, warm weather and absence of rain lead to a more effective IVF treatment. And even though this study focused on the outcome of women who treated for infertility we believe that weather conditions may positively affect natural conception chances as well’’, said Dr Vandekerckhove who led the study. This study was presented at the annual meeting of European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology in Portugal.
At this point it should also being noted that sun can increase male fertility as well, according to previous studies. It appears that sperm is relatively more effective and capacitated from July to August compared to winter months.
How about planning a trip somewhere warm for increasing your pregnancy chances?
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Stuxnet, Digital Weapons, and Countdown to Zero Day
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Stuxnet is a computer worm that was discovered in 2010 and was used against Iran’s uranium enrichment program.
Kim Zetter’s book “Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the World’s First Digital Weapon” goes deep into the discovery of Stuxnet, how it was used and discovered in the past decade and the future of digital weapons.
Stuxnet was designed not to steal anything or harm computers, but for mere sabotage of physical equipment. While Zetter agrees Stuxnet may have prevented a “kinetic war,” she suggests it also opened the possibility of damage to critical digital infrastructure in the not-too-distant future.
“There’s no going back,” she says.
Read an excerpt from “Countdown to Zero Day” below, and listen to the full interview using the audio player at the top of the page:
The Case of the Centrifuges
It was January 2010 when officials with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations body charged with monitoring Iran’s nuclear program, first began to notice something unusual happening at the uranium enrichment plant outside Natanz in central Iran.
Inside the facility’s large centrifuge hall, buried like a bunker more than fifty feet beneath the desert surface, thousands of gleaming aluminum centrifuges were spinning at supersonic speed, enriching uranium hexafluoride gas as they had been for nearly two years. But over the last weeks, workers at the plant had been removing batches of centrifuges and replacing them with new ones. And they were doing so at a startling rate.
At Natanz each centrifuge, known as an IR-1, has a life expectancy of about ten years. But the devices are fragile and prone to break easily. Even under normal conditions, Iran has to replace up to 10 percent of the centrifuges each year due to material defects, maintenance issues, and worker accidents.
In November 2009, Iran had about 8,700 centrifuges installed at Natanz, so it would have been perfectly normal to see technicians decommission about 800 of them over the course of the year as the devices failed for one reason or another. But as IAEA officials added up the centrifuges removed over several weeks in December 2009 and early January, they realized that Iran was plowing through them at an unusual rate.
Inspectors with the IAEA’s Department of Safeguards visited Natanz an average of twice a month—sometimes by appointment, sometimes unannounced—to track Iran’s enrichment activity and progress. Anytime workers at the plant decommissioned damaged or otherwise unusable centrifuges, they were required to line them up in a control area just inside the door of the centrifuge rooms until IAEA inspectors arrived at their next visit to examine them. The inspectors would run a handheld gamma spectrometer around each centrifuge to ensure that no nuclear material was being smuggled out in them, then approve the centrifuges for removal, making note in reports sent back to IAEA headquarters in Vienna of the number that were decommissioned each time.
IAEA digital surveillance cameras, installed outside the door of each centrifuge room to monitor Iran’s enrichment activity, captured the technicians scurrying about in their white lab coats, blue plastic booties on their feet, as they trotted out the shiny cylinders one by one, each about six feet long and about half a foot in diameter. The workers, by agreement with the IAEA, had to cradle the delicate devices in their arms, wrapped in plastic sleeves or in open boxes, so the cameras could register each item as it was removed from the room.
The surveillance cameras, which weren’t allowed inside the centrifuge rooms, stored the images for later perusal. Each time inspectors visited Natanz, they examined the recorded images to ensure that Iran hadn’t removed additional centrifuges or done anything else prohibited during their absence. But as weeks passed and the inspectors sent their reports back to Vienna, officials there realized that the number of centrifuges being removed far exceeded what was normal.
Officially, the IAEA won’t say how many centrifuges Iran replaced during this period. But news reports quoting European “diplomats” put the number at 900 to 1,000. A former top IAEA official, however, thinks the actual number was much higher. “My educated guess is that 2,000 were damaged,” says Olli Heinonen, who was deputy director of the Safeguards Division until he resigned in October 2010.
Whatever the number, it was clear that something was wrong with the devices. Unfortunately, Iran wasn’t required to tell inspectors why they had replaced them, and, officially, the IAEA inspectors had no right to ask. The agency’s mandate was to monitor what happened to uranium at the enrichment plant, not keep track of failed equipment.
What the inspectors didn’t know was that the answer to their question was right beneath their noses, buried in the bits and memory of the computers in Natanz’s industrial control room. Months earlier, in June 2009, someone had quietly unleashed a destructive digital warhead on computers in Iran, where it had silently slithered its way into critical systems at Natanz, all with a single goal in mind—to sabotage Iran’s uranium enrichment program and prevent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from building a nuclear bomb.
The answer was there at Natanz, but it would be nearly a year before the inspectors would obtain it, and even then it would come only after more than a dozen computer security experts around the world spent months deconstructing what would ultimately become known as one of the most sophisticated viruses ever discovered—a piece of software so unique it would make history as the world’s first digital weapon and the first shot across the bow announcing the age of digital warfare.
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The Mantiqueria range of Brazil's Atlantic Forest.
A local tree planter helps reforest the Mantiqueria Range of Brazil. © Erik Lopes/TNC
Roots for growth: Why protecting and restoring forests is one of the best things any government can do for its people
By Rubens Benini, Restoration Manager, TNC Brazil & Latin America
• Forest loss isn't just an environmental issue—it has social, economic and political impacts as well.
• Protecting and restoring forests can increase water security, bolster rural economies and mitigate climate change.
• A project in Brazil's Serra da Mantiqueira region demonstrates the actions governments can take to unlock these benefits.
Faced with an uncertain future and limited resources, where should governments invest to ensure the well-being of their citizens? Job development for struggling rural economies? Better infrastructure to shore up water security? Improved health services?
The problem is that these are all pressing issues. Wages—and incomes generally—are stagnating for most people. Job satisfaction is down, especially among the young, and increasing numbers of working-age people are unable to participate in the labor force. But at the same time, we face a global environmental breakdown impacting our climate, the ocean and freshwater ecosystems, and every form of life that depends on them.
One recent report from the United Kingdom’s Institute of Public Policy Research suggests that the combination of global warming, soil infertility, pollinator loss, chemical leaching and ocean acidification is creating a “new domain of risk” that is hugely underestimated by policymakers at present—even though it may pose the greatest threat to human society in human history.
In fact, all these economic, political and environmental challenges are deeply interconnected. The deterioration of a natural infrastructure that we’ve historically taken for granted—a predictable climate, freshwater and fertile soils—has a knock-on effect on health, wealth, inequality and migration, which in turn threatens social and political stability.
But the connections between these challenges also point toward a way forward. Stopping deforestation and replanting trees at scale is one of the most effective, scientifically-proven measures that governments can take right now to address multiple challenges.
WATCH NOW: Brazil’s Atlantic Forest is a conservation hot spot — but more than 90% has been lost. See how a municipality is restoring its forests and reaping the benefits.
Video: Planting Nature (5 min) TNC Staff and local policymakers and landowners explain the connections between forest restoration, climate change, water security and rural economies in Brazil.
Brazil showcases some powerful examples of where and how it can work. As one of the world’s biggest exporters of commodities like beef and soy, as well as being home to some of the world’s richest surviving tropical ecosystems and immense biodiversity, it can justifiably be seen as a test case for other countries.
Take the Mantiqueira Atlantic Forest. The Mantiqueira Mountain range is about the size of Portugal (100,000 square kilometers, or 10 million hectares). To the southeast, it is flanked by the largest metropolitan regions in Brazil – Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and Vale do Paraíba, collectively home to some 20 million residents. For many of these residents, the mountains and forests are the natural storage and filtration systems which provide their water.
A forest restoration area in Extrema, Brazil
Extrema, Brazil A forest restoration area in Extrema, Brazil © Greenpoint Innovations/TNC
Since 2005, local institutions in the Mantiqueira have worked in multi-stakeholder partnerships to protect the watersheds that supply water to São Paulo metropolitan region. As an example, the Extrema municipality has built a model using public funding sources to incentivize restoration through payments for environmental services. How can this reforestation success be scaled and grown?
Action One:
Identify the underutilized land that can be offered for restoration in the Mantiqueira Mountains. An evaluation of jurisdictional environmental laws and anticipated opportunity costs can help pinpoint degraded land which can be turned around with the most ease.
Action Two:
Identify viable markets based on restoration systems such as agroforestry, timber, fruits. Restoring native forests can become more financially attractive to landowners than cattle grazing, which is currently the dominant model. Forest restoration which produces increased harvests of timber and fruit will bring a new “restoration economy,” helping kickstart a cycle capable of changing land use across millions of hectares.
A worker prepares a sapling to be planted in a restoration area of Extrema, Brazil
Extrema, Brazil Workers on a hillside plant saplings in a reforestation area in Extrema, Brazil © Felipe Fittipaldi
Action Three:
Create incentives. This is critical where there is marginal or no produce-based economic restoration. To make restoration possible while simultaneously stimulating market demand, governments may need to provide incentives, such as payment for environmental services. This is where supply chain engagement meets consumer demands—which will in turn help to fund further ecosystem restoration.
Action Four:
Seize the economic opportunity. Once a viable market is identified, the supply side also creates economic opportunity for seeds, seedlings, and research and development. Using the land differently may also result in improved soil health using fewer agrochemicals—and once the soil has improved, adding commodities such as coffee creates further jobs and products. Furthermore, the water from the Mantiqueira Mountain range also feeds the Furnas hydropower plant on the Minas Gerais side of the mountains—more reliable flows means more reliable power generation.
Action Five:
Team up. An important part of Extrema’s success lies in the approach to partnership. The local government is leading an effort to replicate its experience in the other 283 municipalities across the Mantiqueira range. The newly formed Conservador da Mantiqueira program is now waiting for an injection of public funds.
A worker plants a sapling in a reforestation area of Extrema, Brazil
Extrema Restoration Area A worker plants a sapling in a reforestation area of Extrema, Brazil © Greenpoint Innovations/TNC
Action Six:
Be the public finance hero. Work to unlock the public funding needed to reach the scale that will generate benefits for the local economy. These benefits include clean water for the local population and the more distant urban centers. Conversion of environmental fines to restoration programs could unlock a significant part of the $5 billion estimated to restore 1.2 million hectares.
Add it all up and you help meet internationally agreed climate pledges. Restoring 1.2 million hectares in the Mantiqueira Mountain range will help Brazil meet 10 percent of its national forest restoration commitment under the Paris Climate Agreement, potentially sequestering 260 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent over the next 30 years.
We know that looking after nature in the long term also benefits people. One of the best things many governments concerned about the health and wealth of its citizens can do is to really invest in the protection and restoration of nature. This will unlock and accelerate its economic potential and, in turn, the potential of the country. |
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N+ Basics Of Computer Networking
This course builds on your existing user-level knowledge and experience with personal computer operating systems and networks to present the fundamental skills and concepts that you will need to use on the job in any type of networking career. Also, if your job duties include network troubleshooting, installation, or maintenance, or if you are preparing for any type of network-related career, it provides the background knowledge and skills you will require to be successful. The Network+ certification program covers the networking technologies most commonly used today. It also introduces the underlying concepts of data networking, such as the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) reference model and the protocols that operate at the various model layers.
N+ Basics Of Computer Networking
Duration of the courses: 120 Hours
There are no official prerequisites for taking the CompTIA Network+ certification exam, but it is helpful for students to have the following knowledge and skills prior to starting the course. In some cases, it may be possible for a student to acquire this knowledge and these skills through additional study during the course. Basic knowledge of PC operation and architecture, such as the topics covered on the CompTIA A+ certification exam, knowledge of the fundamentals of networking technology, experience using one or more of the major commercial operating systems, such as Microsoft Windows, Novell NetWare, or one of the UNIX/Linux variants.
Key Benefits
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From Pit
Jump to: navigation, search
Pit is a curly-brace language; that is, it uses semicolons between statements and curly-braces to group statements.
• Symbols (functions and variables) are prefixed with $
• User-defined types are prefixed with @
• Code labels are prefixed with #
Braces {} group statements and literal values for complex variables.
Brackets [] surround type-expressions, for example around typecasts.
Parens () group math expressions, parameters for functions, and indexes for strings, structs, arrays, and hashes.
Postfix <- means reference, and -> means dereference. |
DS+R: Manhattan Waterfront Adaptive Reuse
Urban Ecology
Diller Scofidio + Renfro
The idea of this project is to be of New York - to understanding the unique qualities of the Hudson River, Pier Infrastructure, and the city itself. The goal is that by combining and harnessing these unique qualities we create an intervention that is efficient in its energy consumption, provides unexpected comforts to its public, and creates a new vibrant urban ecology.
The Hudson River is unique in that it is an estuary river that flows in 2 directions creating strong ebb and flood currents that change the direction the river flows throughout the day for a 150 miles. This pier is unlike traditional piers as it's constructed of 3 huge concrete boxes sitting on the river bed forming a water break. This water break alters the flow of currents underneath the water surface and has the potential to greatly amplify the alternating ebb and flood currents to compress the current and increase the average 3 knots flow to approximately 6 knots.
In this situation the hydro turbines would have the potential to generate more than enough energy for the building operations and would be connected directly to the grid and part of the emerging green power infrastructure turbine arrays in the East River and Long Island Sound. But what is more interesting is With the turbine technology in place we will have a heightened awareness of the river's movement and could monitor that knowledge, like real time traffic movements, transferring it to the building BMS systems and outputting it to public displays. The turbine technology in this location is more publically accessible then the East River or Long Island sound, and can be a public display of emerging power sources of the 21st century, exposed and working with the movements of the local ecology. It's placement at the pier would result in an art program/gallery that is not about the river - but more 'of' the river - moving, changing, exposing the unseen pulse of the Hudson through digital analysis - making it physical in an un-curated way.
The pier structure has two levels in the caissons, the first level was for storage and the second was the concrete ballasts that were flooded to sink the structure to the river bed. Over the last century sediment has built up around the lower ballast cavity and the water is now under twelve feet of sediment. This water inside the ballasts is well insulated under the river bed and maintains a constant temperature year round. This insulated water source can be utilized as a heat sink (thermal battery) for the building mechanical cooling and heating systems similar to a geothermal well. Furthermore, unlike traditional horizontal geothermal systems that effect the local soil or water environment, this thermal heat exchange is contained within the concrete enclosure of the caissons and does not influence the river bed temperatures while exchanging heat with the building operations. This heat exchange will greatly reduce the energy demand of the building operations and be a new benchmark for innovative green technologies incorporated into existing building conditions.
The shoulder seasons are great in New York; the fall colors, festivals, food, and beer are part of the culture of the city. The question for us became how could we do more with the local heat exchanges of the caisson and integrate them with the program to amplify the outdoor experiences to create a place people would socialize longer at the pier, creating an outdoor micro climate. We often overlook the potential of our own waste streams within building operations. If we look at the radiant systems we can utilize the tempered water that is still warm after use within the offices and prior to sending it back to the heat sink caissons run it to the patio spaces to adjust slightly the surface temperatures of those spaces. If we combine this slight warming of the exterior patio walking surface with organic waste, specifically the vegetable cooking oils of the building cafe program, we can create hot spots of comfort through biofuels similar to more traditional gas fired heaters that will draw people outside to enjoy the season. The truth is fall and spring people are dying to be outside, but often it's just a little too brisk to be comfortable - and we can change that with our waste streams.
New York City has one of the oldest water infrastructural network in the country and world. It relies on the use of a combined storm water and sewer overflow system (CSO) that pumps waste into the river when the centralized treatment plants can't process the water load during times of heavy rain or melting snow. We thought, could the pier's unique structure adjacent to these CSOs address these concerns?
What is interesting about the third concrete structure is that it's quite different than the other two sections and is made of an aggregate of concrete chambers networked closely together. These concrete chambers are perfectly sized to insert emerging black water treatment membrane bio-reactor infrastructure similar to the systems installed at Battery Park City. This equipment can be used to facilitate the new program's water reuse initiatives, but more importantly it could absorb CSO overflow at times of excess rain or snow from the site. The CSO mitigation would create a yearly water reservoir of for the landscape, as well as remediate the brackish water around the pier, while the heat created by the microbes from the bioreactors processing the water could contribute to energy recovery for the HVAC systems, adding additional comfort to the interior spaces.
There has been a lot of progress over the last two decades with cleaning up the Hudson River and it has changed from being heavily polluted to nearly swimmable. If the CSO located at pier is redirected into the building's black water re-use infrastructure, it is possible that the shore along pier could be a swimmable beachfront. This infrastructural strategy would expedite the ecological remediation of the local shore line and help to facilitate the habitat renewal of the oyster beds that are part of the existing timberfender infrastructure. The oyster beds will have an integrated monitoring system for harvesting which could also be a communication system that broadcasts in real time the water quality conditions to the public. With this combination, we could create the first beach environment to be placed back into Manhattan - adding to the recreation / health atmosphere of West Side Park and becoming a huge public draw during the hot summer months.
In the end, the pier becomes a destination to work, learn, eat, and enjoy the real potential of integrating social, infrastructural, and ecological systems together in a way that creates mutually beneficial relationships that improve the overall health of the constructed environment and sets a new benchmark for Urban Ecology. |
Unit #3 Discussion Board – due May 6 As you
Unit #3 Discussion Board – due May 6
As you craft your Discussion Board posts, please choose among the following possible questions to answer in your response. Choose to answer 3 of the following questions. You are not being asked to answer all questions. However, you MUST demonstrate that you have an understanding of at least 3 core concepts in Unit # 3 (Chapters 7, 8 & 29) by answering 3 of the below questions. You must also compose a statement that is at least 200 words in length. You are being graded on the basis of word length and your ability to demonstrate an understanding of 3 core concepts. Create one paragraph for each answer.
Chapter 7: Crime, Law, and Deviance
1. Michelle Alexander wrote a book entitled The New Jim Crow, in which she argues that mass incarceration is effectively a new form of racial hierarchy that limits the advancement of people of color. How has racial profiling contributed to this trend? Do you believe policing practices such as “stop and frisk” are more beneficial to social order than harmful to specific populations? Explain your position using at least one specific example to support your discussion.
2. White privilege emerged out of racial consciousness among whites and was later codified into “slave codes” during the 18th century. Does white privilege still exist in the criminal justice system? If so, how do whites and non-whites experience being labeled a criminal differently? Furthermore, why do you believe white privilege persists? Whom does it benefit most, and why?
Chapter 8: Power, Politics, and Identities
1. In what ways do you see the history of exclusionary practices that prohibited the participation of people of color from voting affect voting practices today? What can be done to increase voter participation among historically marginalized populations?
2. On a scale of 1–10, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best, how would you rate Donald Trump’s presidency? Do you believe Donald Trump won the 2016 election because he appealed to specific political interests, or because he pandered to a specific racial group? Or, was there some combination of race, social class, and gender that resulted in his victory? Explain your response using specific examples to support your discussion.
3. Describe the society in which you desire to live. How is power distributed? Do all people have equal access to all resources? Does anyone ever “need” for anything? Would capitalism be present? How would elections be held? Who would hold the most and least power? Which of the three sociological theories used to explain the distribution of power in society would be best to create the type of society you want to live in?
Chapter 9: Sports and the American Dream
1. Do you believe that whites or non-whites are more encouraged to play professional sports by agents of socialization, including their peers, family members, people in their educational experience, and in the media? Are there certain sports that certain races are more encouraged to pursue? If so, why do you think this occurs? Explain your position using at least one example to support your discussion.
2. You watched brief excerpts from the lives and careers of Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali and you learned about the demonstration of Black power politics at the 1968 Olympics and the Palestinian struggle at the 1972 Olympics. Discuss a similar intersection of sports and politics that affected you. How were you impacted by the social or political message that intersected with the sports world? Is sports an appropriate venue for communicating social or political messages?
3. We spent time thinking through the social protests of Colin Kaepernick and the NFL’s resulting denial of future employment. What is your perspective on Kaepernick’s message and the NFL’s reaction?
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Grass Carp : Morphology, distribution, feeding, breeding
Grass Carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)
Taxonomic Classification
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Cypriniformes
Family Cyprinidae
Genus Ctenopharyngodon
Species Ctenopharyngodon idella
Ecological distribution
Grass Carp are present in Vietnam, India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Kampucha, Burma, and Sri Lanka.
The body is moderately compressed and elongated. Head is broad and short, round snout. Lower jaws are smaller than upper jaws. Fish have no barbles. Two rows of comb-like teeth in the throat are present. Moderate size scales are on the body. The color on the above side is a grey and silver-like color on the belly.
Feeding Habit
This species eats vegetables food like weeds, tree leaves, and aquatic plants (Phytoplankton).
Breeding season
The breeding season is April -July. Period of spawning pairing occur.No parental care and fertilization is external. The temperature of breeding is 20-26 centigrade. One kilogram gives 100,000 eggs at a time. Within 12-18 hours eggs hatched.
This fish has a high price in the market. So people cultured him. It is also cultured with polyculture.
Economic points of view
It feeds on herbs, so cannot compete with other fishes for food. It can be cultured in polyculture. It’s the rate of growth is high. It does not breed in stagnant water. This has a high market value.
The fish has a big head. The fish required (need) artificial feeding.
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The unique power of blockchain and cryptocurrency can also be considered their weakness. Crypto users gain unparalleled privacy for financial transactions through a decentralized transactional system. Governments, however, demand transparency in financial transactions for legal concerns. This creates a paradox. People are less inclined to use financial instruments if, in doing so, they expose their money to the world. Conversely, there are a number of regulations requiring financial institutions to counteract terrorism and money laundering — serious concerns for many governments.
The crux of the issue is that most public blockchains require a consensus of all participants to validate transactions. How can both sides — individual users and governments — achieve their conflicting objectives when they’re diametrically opposed?
A potential solution to this problem involves balancing the privacy concerns of users with the centralized oversight necessary for governments to ensure that regulations like Anti-Money Laundering, Know Your Customer and Combating the Financing of Terrorism are observed. Implementing measures for confidential transactions alongside those for governmental surveillance strikes a delicate balance in which cryptocurrency assets remain discreet yet subject to the laws governing finance around the world.
Related: Comparing money laundering with cryptocurrencies and fiat
Countering terrorism and money laundering
The government’s need to monitor cryptocurrency transactions for counterterrorism and AML purposes is critical for public safety, especially since these two areas are interrelated. Money laundering can be used to fund terrorist activities, which — like everything else — require funding, even if it doesn’t involve money laundering. Surveying the money flow between parties on popular cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH) and others can provide invaluable information for preventing these crimes. Regulatory bodies need insight into which parties are paying whom and why, at the very least.
However, cryptocurrency’s very nature makes it easy to mask these and other transactions. Bitcoin may be traceable with modern tools, but some transactions are completely untraceable with other cryptocurrencies. These legitimate concerns partly explain the formation of organizations like the Financial Action Task Force, which exists to counteract money laundering and terrorist financing, and whose efforts would greatly benefit from improved visibility into cryptocurrency transactions.
Related: A minister’s look at what regulators expect from the industry
Privacy matters
The general public’s privacy issues about using cryptocurrencies are, in many ways, opposed to the visibility the government requires for AML and terrorism efforts. People simply want to keep their business as discreet with cryptocurrencies as it is with conventional currency transactions. However, the transaction validation features of public blockchains can potentially expose this information, invading users’ financial privacy.
Related: Blockchain can provide the right to privacy that everyone deserves
The first element of a solution providing consumer privacy in tandem with governmental oversight is to redress this issue. There are confidential transaction features — some of which are used by cryptocurrencies Monero (XMR) or Zcash (ZEC) — that obfuscate the amount and participants of a transaction while still validating it for a blockchain. These cryptocurrencies provide measures to prevent people from knowing the origin, the destination and the amount of a specific transaction. These approaches assuage many of the privacy concerns of cryptocurrency holders.
Related: Dash claims ‘inaccurate categorization’ as ShapeShift delists privacy coins
Cryptocurrency surveillance
By pairing these privacy methods with the following ideas for cryptocurrency surveillance, governments can monitor activity for counter-terrorism and AML purposes. Say, for example, there is a cryptocurrency backed by an organization consisting of a finite number of banks. The first thing users would have to do is onboard with those institutions — much as they would with any other — which provides an initial layer of insight into cryptocurrency behavior while supporting mandates like KYC. Then, after users issue transactions to others enrolled in this organization, they would be obligated to disclose the details to one of the banking members for proof. This obligation can be enforced on the transactor by the use of cryptography so that the validators can ascertain that the disclosure has been correctly made.
Related: The data economy is a dystopian nightmare
Such an approach would enable the government to collectively ask each bank the particulars of a transaction so it can monitor the money flow. The government would therefore have central oversight courtesy of the individual financial institutions’ input. With this paradigm, the banks validate transactions, the government collects all the data for central analysis and surveillance, and consumer privacy is upheld among financial organizations and cryptocurrency users. There are additional cryptographic approaches that, when coupled with blockchain’s cryptographic underpinnings, can support this model for both privacy and regulatory adherence.
Related: You should care about decentralized identity in the wake of COVID-19
Cryptocurrency usage is rapidly evolving. It’s unacceptable for financial institutions to tell national or international regulators that they don’t know whether transactions are legitimate. It’s equally unacceptable to expose the financial prowess of legitimate users to everyone on a blockchain.
Debasish Ray Chawdhuri is the senior principal engineer at Talentica. Debasish is an IIT Delhi alumnus and a researcher who has worked closely with founders of high-growth startups and enabled the adoption of emerging technologies like Blockchain. He has published several research papers on privacy, cryptocurrency, smart contracts and cryptography on prominent platforms like IEEE and Springer. He also authored a renowned book on data structure and algorithms. |
How to Grow a Tabebuia
As members of the trumpet creeper family Bignoniaceae, the 150 species within the Tabebuia genus are most commonly known as trumpet trees. Native to South America and Mexico, these deciduous and semi-deciduous tropical trees grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 9 through 11, with individual species varying in preference.
Tolerant of many different soil types as long as they are well drained, the trees are also drought-tolerant and resistant to most pests and diseases, according to the University of Florida Cooperative Extension. Colorful tabebuia trees often provide shade cover beside decks and patios or are pruned into covering canopy shapes beside streets and sidewalks. You can grow your own Tabebuia from seeds and enjoy a striking tree with yellow flowers each spring.
Choosing Tabebuia Seeds
Tabebuia seeds grow at a moderate pace and are relatively easy to start from seed. If you do not have access to a mature Tabebuia tree from which to collect seeds, you can purchase seeds from a nursery that specializes in exotic trees. Because trumpet trees aren't as popular or well-known as other varieties, bare root trees can be difficult to source locally.
If you can, collect seed pods from mature trees once the pods turn brown and begin to crack open. Remove the seeds from cracked pods only.
Planting Tabebuia Seeds and Seedlings
Plant tabebuia seeds in peat pots filled with potting soil, at a depth of 1/2-inch. Place the pots in a sunny indoor location and keep the soil moist by spritzing it with a spray bottle. Transplant tabebuia seedlings into larger pots once leaves develop. When seedlings reach 18 inches in height, move them outdoors or transplant them into a larger container.
Prepare an outdoor planting spot with full to partial sun and well-drained soil. Amend the soil with organic compost by adding 4 inches of compost over the soil and mixing it to a depth of 6 inches. If planting in a container, choose a well-draining potting medium to prevent root rot.
Dig holes 12 to 20 feet apart that are 2 times as wide as each plant's roots and just as deep, so that the seedlings are planted at their original depth. Place plants into the holes and add back the soil, firming it. Water seedlings immediately.
Caring for a Tabebuia or Trumpet Tree
Water trumpet tree seedlings deeply twice each week for the first two months of growing, and then cut back to once each week. After a year, water the young trees only once every two weeks. After trees become established, they will only need watering during dry spells.
Fertilize trees four to six weeks after planting with 12-6-8 fertilizer or similar formulation. Each year, fertilize trees in the early spring, and then again in the middle of the summer. After three years, taper off fertilizing, as it tends to prevent blooming according to Plant Care Today.
Prune tabebuia trees regularly during the dormant season to keep trees from growing beyond their selected garden areas or to create a desired shape. Additionally, prune away all dead or damaged branches. According to the University of Florida Cooperative Extension, you should always use clean and sanitized pruning equipment to prevent the spread of disease. |
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Characteristics of human - sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) encounters and the resulting human casualties in the Kanha-Pench corridor, Madhya Pradesh, India
Sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) caused the highest number of human deaths between 2001 and 2015 and ranked second compared to other wild animals in causing human casualties in the Kanha-Pench corridor area. We studied the patterns of sloth bear attacks in the region to understand the reasons for conflict. We interviewed 166 victims of sloth bear attacks which occurred between 2004 and 2016 and found that most attacks occurred in forests (81%), with the greatest number of those (42%) occurring during the collection of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP), 15% during the collection of fuelwood and 13% during grazing of livestock. The remainder took place at forest edges or in agricultural fields (19%), most occurring when person(s) were working in fields (7%), defecating (5%), or engaged in construction work (3%). Most victims were between the ages of 31 to 50 (57%) and most (54%) were members of the Gond tribe. The majority of attacks occurred in summer (40%) followed by monsoon (35%) and winter (25%). Forty-four percent of victims were rescued by people, while 43% of the time bears retreated by themselves. In 60% of attacks, a single bear was involved, whereas 25% involved adult females with dependent cubs and the remainder (15%) of the cases involved a pair of bears. We discuss the compensation program for attack victims as well as other governmental programs which can help reduce conflict. Finally, we recommend short-term mitigation measures for forest-dependent communities.
The Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus Shaw, 1791, Carnivora: Ursidae: Ursinae), is one of four bear species found in India. It is omnivorous, feeding on social insects such as termites and ants, as well as on fruits such as Ziziphus mauritiana, Ficus benghalensis, and Aegle marmelos [1, 2]. The sloth bear is the only bear having myrmecophagous adaptations, including the absence of the first maxillary incisors, protrusible mobile lips, raised elongated palate, nearly naked mobile snout, slightly curved front claws, long shaggy coat and nostrils which can be closed voluntarily [3]. The sloth bear is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, having geographical distribution across India, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The species has been extirpated from Bangladesh and is reported to be rare in Bhutan [3].
The sloth bear’s range in India extends from the foothills of the Himalayas to the southern tip of the Western Ghats; however, its distribution is non-continuous and fragmented. The central Indian highlands, Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats are considered to be strongholds of the sloth bear [4, 5]; central India harbors the largest intact habitat and population of bears [6]. The sloth bear is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, is ranked as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, and is listed in Appendix I of Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
There is moderate genetic variation among bears of the Satpuda-Maikal Landscape [7], a part of the central Indian highlands, with corridors between Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves experiencing active movement of sloth bears, the majority of which is not within any protected area. Of all the carnivores existing in this area, the highest encounter rate recorded was for sloth bears [8].
The corridor between Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves encompasses an area of approximately 16,000 sq. km. A total of 442 villages exist in the Kanha Pench Corridor [9]. This corridor is actively used by dispersing tigers (Panthera tigris) [10] and has been identified as a refuge for other mammals including the leopard (Panthera pardus), wild dog (Cuon alpinus), gaur (Bos gaurus), sambar (Rusa unicolour) and chital (Axis axis) [11].
Collection of Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) is one of the common income generation activities in this region, with established markets for a number of products such as tendu leaves (Diospyros melanoxylon), mahua flowers and seeds (Madhuca indica), sal seeds (Shorea robusta) and bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus). In 2012, as many as 1.2 million people collected tendu leaves in Madhya Pradesh [12]. Collection of NTFP requires the person to venture several kilometers into the forests, thereby increasing the chance of encounters with sloth bears. Other activities such as cattle grazing and fuelwood collection also increase the risk of sloth bear encounters.
We assessed factors associated with sloth bear attacks by interviewing the victims in two forest divisions (non-protected areas): Balaghat Circle, Seoni Circle, and one protected area, the buffer zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve. We only included attacks that occurred between January 2004 and May 2016 for this analysis. Information collected included the time of the day, season, activity of the victim and the bear, the level of wounds sustained, defense method, frequency of forest visits by the victim, the socio-economic background of the victim, as well as the compensation mechanism of the Forest Department. Here we discuss sloth bear conflict trends in the Kanha-Pench corridor area and the need for mitigation measures.
Materials and methods
Ethics statement
The authors confirm that the present study was first submitted to The Corbett Foundation’s senior advisory members (TCF advisory committee) for review and approval before being submitted to a funding agency. Advisory members act as a review committee for wildlife-related research projects as well as for projects requiring participation of local communities through surveys and focused group discussions. This study was deemed acceptable with regard to its ethical approach for interaction with the victims. This study proposal was reviewed and approved for submission to a funding agency for further assessment before being awarded a grant. No third parties, including the members of the funding agency or any government officials were involved in the survey or data analysis process. Verbal confirmation of the victims was sought during the survey and was conducted in the presence of at least two family members of the victim. No written consent or victims’ signatures were obtained as most were unable to read and/or write. People who were able to read and write often refrained from signing any documents due to personal reasons, although they agreed to an oral interview. Therefore, we considered verbal permission to suffice, and the victims’ answers were anonymously recorded. Considering the social constraints of the region, advisory members approved our consent procedure by maintaining participant anonymity.
Study area
The Kanha-Pench Corridor lies in the southern portion of the Satpuda range called Maikal hills, between N 21°45’15” E 079°30’05” and N 22°24’20” E 080°32’55”, covering an area of approximately 16,000 sq. km [8]. The corridor largely falls in the districts of Balaghat, Seoni and Mandla of Madhya Pradesh and is characterized by small ridges and hills with steep slopes. The region is dominated by moist peninsular sal forests, southern tropical moist mixed and dry mixed deciduous forests and tropical dry teak forests [13]. The Balaghat district has the greatest forest cover in the state (54%), while the Mandla (49%) and Seoni (47%) districts rank fourth and fifth, respectively [14]. The corridor is interspersed with villages, a network of roadways and railway line.
As per human population census estimates (2011), 36% of the residents of these three districts belonged to tribal communities [15, 16, 17]. The major tribal communities included Gond and Baiga, and both were dependent on forests for basic household needs and for at least a part of their income such as the collection of NTFP. The larger portion of the population was comprised of Pawar, Marar, Lodhi, Aahir, and Yadav communities. These communities were largely agrarian and pastoralists but also engaged in the collection of NTFP.
With respect to wildlife-inflicted casualties in Madhya Pradesh, Seoni Circle, Balaghat Circle and Kanha Tiger Reserve ranked 7th, 10th and 15th, respectively, between 2001 and 2015 [18]. A total of 1,456 incidents of human injury were recorded in these areas by the Forest Department between 2001 and 2015, of which 41% were inflicted by wild pig (Sus scrofa), 24% by sloth bear and 22% by jackal (Canis aureus indicus). The remaining 13% of animal attacks involved tiger, leopard and langur (Semnopithecus entellus). Wildlife-inflicted fatalities numbered 47 in the past 15 years, the majority (n = 16) due to sloth bears, followed (in descending order) by wild pig, tiger, and jackal [18].
We obtained the addresses of attack victims from the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. Victims were visited and one-on-one, in-person interviews were conducted through a structured questionnaire. We conducted interviews from February 2016 to May 2016.
Victim interviews.
We used two standardized questionnaires, one for attacks and another to determine the socio-economic status of the victim. We asked questions that provided information regarding variables associated with sloth bear attacks, such as the date and time of the attack, the activity of the victim during the attack, location of the attack, activity of the bear during the attack, number of bears encountered, the attack pattern of the bear, wounds sustained during the confrontation (an external injury resulting from direct contact with a sloth bear was considered as a wound), as well as the defense method used by the victim (S1 File).
To understand the socio-economic status and the dependency upon forests of the victims, we asked questions pertaining to the average annual income and how that income was derived (e.g., agriculture, manual labor, animal husbandry, NTFP and fuelwood collection). We classified these occupations into a single primary occupation and primary occupation with an alternate source of income (S1 File). Interviewers introduced themselves and informed victims about the current study. Interviews were completely voluntary with the interviewee having the right to terminate the interview at any time. We made an effort to confirm the authenticity of each case during the interview process. Interviews were conducted in Hindi language, in the home of the victim in the presence of two co-authors (AD and PM) and at least two of the victim’s family members.
Demographic details.
We obtained information related to the local population, gender ratio, and caste for villages in the study area through the Government of India’s population census data for the year 2011 [15, 16, 17]. The caste of each victim was classified into a ‘social group’ based on their distinct customs and ways of living (S2 File). District and sub-district demographic information assisted in separating multiple villages with the same name. In certain cases, the victim’s village was considered a satellite of a larger village so the population of the larger village was used.
Data analysis.
Our survey contained ‘yes’ and ‘no’ options for wherever specific quantitative data could not be obtained. Raw data were entered into Microsoft Office Excel and analyzed as needed (S3 File). Qualitative data were recorded as ‘one’ for yes and ‘zero’ for no, and a comparison between data sets was made in terms of percentage. Statistical analyses such as the Pearson chi-square test (χ2) and t-test (t) were undertaken in the R statistical software (R Core Team 2016; Version 1.0.44) and SPSS (IBM; Statistics Version 24). We used Pearson chi-square test (α = 0.05) to test for significant differences in proportions of groups in our survey data, and pair-wise and independent-sample t-test (α = 0.05) to test for significant differences between groups. The data were summarized in terms of mean (M) and percent, and the measures of variability recorded in terms of SD and at confidence interval of 95% (95% CI). Bootstrapping was computed with 50,000 iterations at 95% CI.
Results and discussion
A total of 166 victims (65% of the 255 cases on file) were interviewed from 120 villages in the study area, 77 in the Balaghat district, 37 in the Seoni district, and six in the Mandla district, including the buffer zone of Kanha Tiger Reserve. All 255 interviews could not be conducted because the victim was either unavailable, had moved out of the village, migrated for work or had died from causes unrelated to the attack. Of the total 166 interviews we conducted, 130 were with victims and another 36 with persons accompanying the victim during the attack, or an immediate family member aware of attack details (including parents, spouse and siblings). All villages (Fig 1, S2 File), fell within, or were in close proximity to, the Kanha-Pench corridor area comprising 27% of the total 442 villages identified in the area [9].
Fig 1. Map showing location of victim’s villages (marked in red) in the Kanha-Pench corridor area in India.
Note: (A) Map of India, credited to Anand S, is used with permission to be published under a CC-BY license < >. (B) Forest cover map of Kanha-Pench corridor area (in green) showing victim’s villages (marked in red), created under details provided by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department in public domain <>. Map not to scale and used for representational purpose only. Map created in QGIS 2.0.
Demographic and socio-economic patterns of victims
Age variation.
Victims’ ages ranged from 9 to 70 years (M = 41) at the time of attack. Most victims (29%, n = 48) were 31 to 40 years old; 28% (n = 47) were 41 to 50 years old; 17% (n = 29) were 51 to 60 years old, and 13% (n = 21) were 21 to 30 years old (Fig 2). Pearson chi-square test showed a significant difference in the age groups of the victims, χ2(6, n = 166) = 49.1, p < 0.05.
Fig 2. Age variation of sloth bear attack victims, 2004–2005.
There was no significant difference between mean age of male (M = 41, SD = 11.98) and of female (M = 41.86, SD = 14.85) victims, t(164) = -0.35, p = 0.72, 95% CI for mean difference -5.29 to 3.70. Bootstrapping at 95% CI showed that the mean age of male victims ranged from 38 to 43 years, and for female victims from 37 to 46 years. Mean difference between ages of male and female victims was between 4.2 to 5.7 years.
We suggest that middle-aged people (37–46 years old) were attacked more because they were more likely to be engaged in outdoor occupations such as collection of forest produce or agriculture around the forested areas and livestock-based activities than the younger (11–30 years old) and older (61–70 years old) age groups.
Representation of genders in attack cases.
Of the 166 victims interviewed, 75% (n = 124) were men and 25% (n = 42) were women. There was a significant difference in the proportion of male and female victims, χ2 (1, n = 166) = 20.53, p < 0.05. More than half of the female victims (59%, n = 25 out of 42) were attacked when they were engaged in NTFP collection, whereas the figure was only 35% (n = 44 out of 124) for male victims. For fuelwood collection, 14% (n = 6 out of 42) of female victims were attacked as compared to 15% (n = 19 out of 124) of male, and 7% (n = 3) of female victims were attacked during defecation as compared to 5% (n = 6) for male victims. We found no significant difference between the activities of male (M = 12.4, SD = 12.8) and female (M = 4.2, SD = 7.5) victims, t(18) = 1.75, p = 0.097, 95% CI for mean difference -1.65 to 18.05.
A majority of the cases involving female victims occurred during summer (74%, n = 31) whereas attacks on male victims were more frequent during the monsoon season (44%, n = 54). We found no significant differences between attacks on male (M = 41.33, SD = 11.01) and female (M = 14, SD = 14.8) victims across three seasons, viz. summer, monsoon, and winter, t(4) = 2.56, p = 0.062, 95% CI for mean difference -2.24 to 56.90. Attacks by wild animals in Marwahi Forest Division (Chhattisgarh) have been noted to occur independent of gender [19].
Social groups.
We classified victims by social groups based on their caste. We considered social groups as an important variable because social groups strongly influenced an individual’s lifestyle, livelihood and occupation. We identified social groups (n = 21) through interviews. The Gond, Baiga, Pawar and Marar caste accounted for the majority (82%, n = 136) of attack cases. More than half of the victims belonged to the Gond caste (54%, n = 89) followed by 17% (n = 29) belonging to Baiga caste, seven percent (n = 11) belonged to Pawar caste and four percent (n = 7) to Marar caste. The remainder belonged to 17 communities amounting to 18% (n = 30) of the total cases recorded (Fig 3). We found a significant difference in the distribution of attacks among different castes, χ2(20, n = 166) = 149.74, p < 0.05.
Fig 3. Composition of sloth bear attack victims as per social groups.
The proportion of the tribal population (including Baiga and Gond as major tribal communities) of the three districts (i.e., Balaghat, Seoni, and Mandla) amounted to 36% of the total population, whereas that of the 120 villages to which the victims belonged was 38% [15, 16, 17]. Our study documented that 71% of victims belonged to Baiga and Gond tribes. We found a significant difference in the attack cases involving tribal and non-tribal communities (χ2(1, n = 166) = 11.03, p < 0.05), suggesting that tribal communities represented more in conflict cases than non-tribal communities.
Occupation and income generation.
Agriculture and manual labor represented 13% (n = 21) and 26% (n = 43) of occupations undertaken by the victims, respectively, followed by fishery, carpentry, bamboo harvesting, and business (four percent, n = 7).
On average, individual income generated from agriculture amounted to $223 USD (INR 14,876) per year based on responses from 113 respondents while labor amounted to $143 USD (INR 9,539) per year based on responses from 140 respondents. Income of victims involved in fishery, carpentry, shop-keeping and smithery amounted to $125 USD (INR 8,500) per year.
We performed a one-sample t-test to determine whether the mean annual income per victim was different than the Madhya Pradesh state’s average annual income for a household ($346 USD, INR 23,112.7) [20]. Average annual income of victims (M = 10130, SD = 6125.33) was significantly less than the average per household income for the state, t(6) = -5.607, p = 0.01, 95% CI for mean difference -18646.97 to -7316.99. Average annual income of victims ($149 USD, INR 10,130), was less than the global average income per person per year ($693 USD, INR 47,200) [21].
Seasonality and temporal variations of encounters
Yearly, monthly and seasonal variation.
Of the 255 attacks between 2004 and 2016, 20 were recorded per year (n = 31 in 2006, n = 9 in 2015). Distribution of attacks was not significantly different from expected over the period of 13 years, χ2(12, n = 255) = 18.28, p = 0.1. Most attacks occurred in May (19%, n = 31), followed by March (12%, n = 20) and August (11%, n = 19); however, attack frequency did not vary significantly between months, χ2(11, n = 166) = 14.91, p = 0.18.
Seasonally, 40% (n = 67) of the attacks took place during summer, 35% (n = 58) during monsoon and 25% (n = 41) in winter (Fig 4). We corroborated these data with additional information obtained from the Forest Department for a period of 13 years. The seasonal pattern for 255 cases showed a similar trend of greater attack rates during summer than monsoon followed by winter. We did not find significant differences in seasonal attack patterns for either of the sample in our study (χ2(2, n = 166) = 3.3, p = 0.19) or the cases on file (χ2(2, n = 255) = 4.3, p = 0.11).
Fig 4. Seasonal and monthly variation of attack cases for victims interviewed (n = 166) and cases on file (n = 255) in percent.
We compared the seasons to examine the difference in cases using an independent sample t-test. The test was performed for three combinations (summer-winter, summer-monsoon and winter-monsoon). Attacks in summer (M = 16.75, SD = 11.08) were more frequent than in monsoon (M = 14.5, SD = 3.31) and winter (M = 10.25, SD = 2.06). There was no significant difference between the number of cases within the three combinations (Table 1).
Table 1. Results of t-test for comparison of sloth bear encounters between two seasons.
We found that an increase in attack frequency during the months of March, May and August (Fig 4) was correlated to an increase in forest visits for the collection of NTFP. The month of March is when the collection of mahua flowers begins and May is when tendu leaf collection season begins. Towards the end of July and August, victims were usually engaged in wild mushroom harvest, a product which was consumed directly while the surplus was sold in an open market. Attacks during the remainder of the year, especially in winter, were correlated with frequency of visits to forests for fuelwood collection (24%, n = 10), grazing (22%, n = 9) and NTFP collection (17%, n = 7).
The majority of sloth bears attacks in the neighboring state of Chhattisgarh occurred during the monsoon season [22]. Chhattisgarh is geographically similar to the Kanha-Pench corridor area, albeit with a different social composition. Attacks by Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in Dachigam National Park (Kashmir) were mostly reported during May to November [23], while the encounters with Asiatic black bear and Himalayan brown bear (Ursus arctos isabellinus) in the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (Himachal Pradesh) took place when villagers ventured into forests for fuelwood, fodder, medicinal plants or to graze livestock, irrespective of the season [24]. Attacks by bears during late August to September were recorded in the Sichuan Province in southwestern China where the Asiatic black bears confronted wild mushroom harvesters [25].
Attack timing.
We divided each day into twelve two-hour periods to analyze patterns in timing of attacks. Most cases (27%, n = 45) occurred between 0800 and 1000 hrs., followed by 15% (n = 25) between 1000 and 1200 hrs., 14% (n = 24) between 0600 and 0800 hrs. and 13% (n = 22) between 1600 and 1800 hrs. Four percent (n = 6) of the encounters were recorded during early morning hours (0200–0600) and five percent (n = 8) of the cases were recorded between 2000 and 0000 hrs. (Fig 5). The difference between attack timing was significant, χ2(11, n = 166) = 68.28, p < 0.05. This finding may be related to patterns of forest visitations by the local people in the study area and/or the variation in sloth bear activity.
Fig 5. Conflict cases against a 24-hour timescale in percent.
On comparing our findings with studies from North Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), where most attacks (45%) were reported during the early morning hours (0400–0800 hrs.) [22], we found that most attacks in our study occurred between 0800 and 1000 hrs. (27%, n = 45), whereas 14% (n = 24) occurred between 0600 and 0800 hrs. We recorded that 64% (n = 106) of the victims visited forests during morning and returned by noon, and 36% (n = 60) visited forests during morning as well as early evening hours and returned before sunset. In terms of the duration of visits to the forests, 37% (n = 61) visited for two to three hours, 35% (n = 58) for more than three hours, and 28% (n = 47) for less than two hours.
Spatial variations of the encounters
Victim activity during the attacks.
Most victims (42%, n = 69) were engaged in NTFP collection during attacks while 15% (n = 25) were attacked during fuelwood collection and 13% (n = 21) during livestock grazing in forests. Moving through the forest for an errand accounted for eight percent (n = 14) of attacks, while passing through a village accounted for two percent (n = 4) of attacks. Open-area defecation in agricultural fields adjacent to forests resulted in five percent (n = 9) of the attacks, whereas working in agricultural fields in seven percent (n = 11); construction activity and bamboo harvesting each accounted for three percent (n = 5) of attacks. In two percent (n = 3) of the cases we studied, the sloth bear had reportedly entered a house in search of food (Fig 6).
Fig 6. Activities of the victims during the attack in percent.
The proportion of individuals engaged in certain activities varied significantly from expected values, χ2(9, n = 166) = 67.5, p < 0.05. Attacks during agricultural work, construction activity, defecation, and livestock grazing along the edge of forest areas signified that the sloth bears frequented areas with multiple land uses, especially closer to village edges. In North Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh), the presence of sloth bears close to human habitations was found to indicate the use of degraded habitats by the bears [26].
Attack locations.
We classified attack locations as forests, agricultural fields, or villages. Most encounters took place in forests (81%, n = 134), with 12% (n = 20) and seven percent (n = 12) occurring in agricultural fields, often at the forest’s edge, and within village boundaries, respectively. Most encounters (39%, n = 65) occurred within 1 km of the victim’s home, while 29% (n = 48) and 17% (n = 29) occurred within 3 km and within 5 km, respectively. A majority of the confrontations in the forest occurred within 3 km of the victim’s home (62%, n = 84 out of 134) whereas and 19% (n = 26 out of 134) within 5 km of the victim’s home.
Attacks during forest-based activities.
Of the total attacks that occurred in forests (81%, n = 134), half of the encounters took place during NTFP collection (51%, n = 69), 19% (n = 25) during fuelwood collection, 16% (n = 21) during livestock grazing, and the remaining 14% (n = 19) during bamboo harvest and while passing through the forest. Attack frequency was not significantly different between forest (M = 26.8, SD = 24.78) and in non-forest settings (M = 6.4, SD = 3.43), t(8) = 1.823, p = 0.106, 95% CI for mean difference -5.40 to 46.20.
In case of NTFP collection, 32% (n = 22) attacks occurred during tendu leaf collection followed by 25% (n = 17) during wild mushroom collection, 20% (n = 14) during mahua flowers collection, 19% (n = 13) during maulian leaf (Bauhinia vahlii) collection and four percent (n = 3) during collection of other NTFP such as chhind leaves (Phoenix acaulis), amla fruits (Phyllanthus emblica) and char fruits (Buchanania lanzan). Sloth bear sightings have also been noted during the collection of honey from combs of the giant honey bee (Apis dorsata) however no attacks have been reported. We found that attacks during NTFP collection were more likely because the collectors entered forests in large numbers and engaged in the gathering activity silently and separately, increasing their chances of sudden encounters with sloth bears.
Activity and behavioral patterns during attacks
Number of bears involved.
We grouped the number of bears involved in these attacks into two categories, single and multiple. Most victims 60% (n = 99) were attacked by a single bear and 40% (n = 67) involved two or more bears, although no cases involved multiple bears attacking at the same time.
A group of two or more bears were further categorized into two (unidentified), two (one female with one cub), three (one female with two cubs), and four (one female with three cubs). The number of bears reported by victims, when analyzed by season, showed the following trend: most cases involved a single sloth bear, of which 75% (n = 50 of the total 99 cases) occurred during summer and most cases involving 3 bears occurred during monsoon (57%, n = 24 of the total 42 cases). Attacks involving two bears occurred uniformly throughout the seasons (Fig 7).
Fig 7. Number of bear sightings during summer, monsoon, and winter.
1+1 UNID = two bears of unknown gender and age; F+1C = 1 female with 1 cub; F+2C = 1 Female with 2 cubs; F+3C = 1 Female with 3 cubs.
Bear activity during attacks.
A total of 63% (n = 105) of victims did not see the bear before it attacked, 16% (n = 26) saw the bear walking and observed it cross their path, 13% (n = 21) said the bear was resting in the bush (Lantana camara shrubs) while eight percent (n = 13) saw the bear feeding (two respondents independently said they saw the bear eating mahua flowers and ber fruits (Ziziphus mauritiana)), and one observed the bear come out of a den (Fig 8).
Fig 8. Activity of the sloth bear prior to the attack against a 24-hour timescale.
Method of attack.
We found that in 49% (n = 82) of cases the bear approached the victim from the front and in 43% (n = 72) from behind, while four percent and three percent reported that the bear charged from behind a bush or rocks, respectively. We could not confirm the direction of encounter of three victims who succumbed to the injuries from the bear attack. In 67% (n = 111) of incidents, the bear stood up and in 21% (n = 35) incidents it vocalized after charging towards the victim. On contact, the bear knocked down 36% (n = 59) of the victims whereas the remainder reported that they fell on their own. Once the victim was on the ground, the bear used claws (86%, n = 142) as well as teeth (72%, n = 119) to attack.
Mode of wounds and defense mechanism adopted by victims
Wounds sustained and victim response during the attack.
We classified wounds sustained from confrontations as single, double, or multiple wounds. Majority of victims received a single wound (42%, n = 69), while 31% (n = 52) and 25% (n = 42) sustained double and multiple wounds, respectively. Two percent (n = 3) of the victims died of multiple wounds. Most wounds were received on the legs (32%, n = 102), while 27% (n = 87) also received injuries to the hand, followed by 16% (n = 51) on the head and back each, and eight percent (n = 26) on the stomach. Three victims were also injured on the neck and chest and one received secondary wounds by falling. No fractures were recorded. Instances of wounds to legs and hands were probably relatively great because victims tried to defend themselves after falling. Injuries to stomach and back were reported to have been caused by claws, and those to the neck by teeth. There was no significant difference in the nature of wounds between male (M = 31, SD = 21.9) and female (M = 10.5, SD = 6.4) victims, t(6) = 1.797, p = 0.12, 95% CI for mean difference -7.40 to 48.40.
Victims’ group size.
In most cases (41%, n = 68), victims were alone, but 22% (n = 36) were in a pair, 20% (n = 34) were in a company of three, and 17% (n = 28) were with more than three people. There was a significant difference in victim group size, χ2(3, n = 166) = 12.89, p < 0.05. Female victims were more likely to work in groups of more than three than alone, which was the opposite case for male victims who often worked alone. Of the female victims attacked, 33% (n = 14) were in a group of more than three whereas 11% (n = 14) of male victims were in groups of three or more. In contrast, 26% (n = 11) of female victims were working alone whereas 46% (n = 57) of male victims were working individually during attacks.
We compared victim activity with group size and found that people engaged in a forest-dependent activity, namely NTFP and fuelwood collection, often went in groups of three or more. However, these individuals often split into smaller groups upon reaching the forests, likely increasing their chances of confronting bears alone. Male victims ventured into forests alone or in pairs during the collection of NTFP, which may account for the increased prevalence of attacks on males. When working in fields or at the forest edge (e.g., when defecating or grazing livestock), victims were either alone or in groups of two (Table 2).
Defense method.
We found that 44% (n = 73) of victims were saved by people who came to rescue, yet, in 43% (n = 71) of the attacks, the bear retreated before help arrived. In seven percent (n = 12) of the attacks, animals accompanying the victim(s) (e.g. cattle, dog) intervened. In such cases, the bear often went after the animal, providing the victim an opportunity to escape. In six percent (n = 10) of attacks, the victim used an axe, stone, or stick in self-defense. Victims mostly received single (42%, n = 69) or double (32%, n = 53) wounds in most cases irrespective of method(s) of self-defense.
Expected vs actual compensation
The Government of Madhya Pradesh provides compensation for citizens wounded by wild animals [18]. In this study, we found that the minimum compensation for those who were injured in sloth bear attacks was $3 USD (INR 200) and the maximum $449 USD (INR 30,000) (M = $73 USD, INR 4,862). Compensation for victims who perished ranged from $1,497 USD (INR 1,00,000) to $2,245 USD (INR 1,50,000). The minimum time to receive compensation was the same day and the maximum was 24 months. Forty percent (n = 67) received compensation on the same day, nine percent (n = 15) two months after the attack and six percent (n = 9) one month after the attack. The remainder 17% (n = 28) received compensation anywhere between two days to 24 months and 28% (n = 47) did not disclose the compensation amount.
There was a significant difference in the mean compensation received (M = 5106.7, SD = 16824.2) and expected (M = 18389.2, SD = 18828.1), t(275) = -6.08, p < 0.05, 95% CI for mean difference -17582.51 to -8982.51. Bootstrapping at 95% CI showed that mean compensation received ranged from $38 USD (INR 2,641) to $126 USD (INR 8,591), and expected compensation from $60 USD (INR 4,112) to $395 USD (INR 26,897). Mean difference at 95% CI between received and expected compensation was between $137 USD (INR 8,886.42) and $267 USD (INR 17,331.78).
Most victims (96%, n = 114) received compensation under $224 USD (INR 15,000), of which 86% (n = 98 out of 114) received under $75 USD (INR 5,000) irrespective of wound severity and gender. In terms of medical expenses, 48% (n = 77) of victims received compensation for treatment through the Forest Department whereas 52% (n = 86) bore the cost themselves. The expected compensation was 21% times more than the received compensation. In cases which were immediately forwarded to the Forest Department, the department took the responsibility of taking the victim to the hospital and a certain amount (in this study, $7.5 USD, INR 500) was paid to victims upfront to cover basic medical costs.
Understanding conflict between humans and wild animals is important because it can promote conservation efforts for animal species, especially in the case of large carnivores such as felids, canids, and ursids. Nonetheless, casualties resulting from such interactions undermine conservation efforts and encourage retaliatory killings of wild animals [26, 27, 28]. A lack of understanding can impact landscape-level conservation initiatives which require participation of local communities.
The Kanha-Pench corridor area is a mosaic of land-use patterns including two important Tiger Reserves, Kanha and Pench, reserved forests, farmlands, villages, two major district headquarters of Balaghat and Seoni as well as a network of roads and a railway line. There are several large and small scale mines of Copper, Manganese and Coal [29]. The region also supports relatively great biodiversity and is considered one of the most important refuges for tigers in the central Indian landscape [10]. Even non-protected areas in this region support resident tiger, leopard, gaur, and sloth bear populations [8].
Through this study, we provide a better understanding of temporal and spatial patterns of sloth bear attacks, demography of the vulnerable population, reasons of conflict, and existing mitigation measures. We conclude that most attacks occurred when people ventured into forest tracts for the extraction of NTFP and fuelwood, both crucial livelihood sustaining activities for the people of this region. Furthermore, 71% of the attack victims belonged to tribal communities signifying that tribal communities were attacked more often because a significant portion of their livelihood depended upon the habitat shared with the sloth bears. On average, victims lived well below the poverty level based on their primary occupations which likely intensified their dependency on forest for household purposes (such as procuring fuelwood), and as an alternate livelihood option (such as NTFP collection) for income generation.
We conclude that attacks on males were more frequent than on females because men ventured into forests more often alone than in groups. Both male (35%, n = 44 out of 124) and female (60%, n = 24 out of 42) victims were attacked more while involved in NTFP collection. We found that middle-aged people between 37 and 46 years of age numbered more in terms of encounters with sloth bears because they engaged more in forest-based activities.
Attacks during fuelwood collection ranked second in frequency (15%), although 96% depended on forests for fuelwood collection. Grazing livestock ranked third in terms of activity during attacks (13%), although 77% of victims own large animals and graze livestock in the forest. Attacks during agricultural work and defecation (12%) occurred at the forest edge where these activities typically occur. We conclude that bear attacks of this nature, as well as those which took place while passing through a forest or a village, could have been avoided by using devices which alert the bears of human presence. Use of sounds to avoid sudden confrontations and avoidance of travelling alone during nighttime hours, or by travelling in groups, may reduce conflict.
It is critical to have a mitigation plan in place to minimize future confrontations. In terms of short-term mitigation measures, we propose training and capacity building of the Forest Department staff, as well as the villagers, as to how they can avoid sudden confrontations, what they should do in case of a confrontation, what to do as post-confrontation measures in terms of giving first aid and quick medical services, and educate the community regarding the existing compensation program.
We found that sloth bear attacks were unintentional, unlike most cases involving large mammals such as tigers, leopards, wild pigs, and elephants (Elephas maximus). In most instances, humans venturing into forests for livelihood purposes and surprising a bear was the most common cause of attack. It is important to address issues of conflict with sloth bears without alienating people from their livelihood; however, reducing dependency on forests in a sustainable manner by providing alternate income-generating options will ultimately reduce conflict.
The process of NTFP collection for income generation is managed by government, enabling local communities to legally engage in the activity. In terms of tendu leaf collection, the Forest Department provides insurance to collectors [12] in case of injury or death during collection. Tendu leaf and bamboo harvesters are also provided a bonus, a share of profits, generally paid one or two years later [30]. Similar mechanisms of insurance and bonus payments may be initiated for commercial NTFP products, which will empower local communities to gain access to healthcare without monetary constraints. In addition, because NTFP collection is a legal activity, obligatory training workshops for collectors at the community, village, and district level can be developed to prepare participants in adopting preventive methods aimed to avoid confrontations with sloth bears and other potentially dangerous wild animals.
Government programs such as ‘Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana’ under which people living below the poverty line receive a Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) connection free of charge [31] was launched to reduce health hazards associated with burning biomass. This program could be promoted in this region, thus resulting in a reduction of fuelwood dependency which may also aid in reducing conflict. In India, fuelwood accounts for about 60% of total fuel in rural areas [32]. Programs such as ‘Swachh Bharat Mission’ [33] ensures provision of a toilet for every household in rural India through the Village Council (Gram Panchayat) with an aim to increase hygiene and sanitation in rural areas. This program may also assist in reducing conflict with wildlife by discouraging people from open-area defecation. Grazing of livestock in forests was also a factor that resulted in conflict. Encouragement of stall feeding (i.e. the use of feedlots) through incentives such as providing better yielding variety of livestock and assisting subsistence animal owners in growing fodder crops, will help reduce human and livestock exposure to wild animals. Such actions may also assist in reducing anthropogenic pressure on forest regeneration.
We found that victims unfamiliar with the process of applying for compensation lacked timely care due to insufficient funds. The process of receiving compensation is predetermined and streamlined by the Government of Madhya Pradesh under the Madhya Pradesh Guarantee of Public Service Delivery Act 2010 [34]. Incidents on land managed by the Revenue Department are forwarded to district-level government officials (Tehsildar/ Additional Tehsildar/ Naib Tehsildar) and the typical timeline provided for compensation is 30 days. When an attack occurs on land managed by the Forest Department (Territorial Division and Protected Area), details of the attack are first forwarded to the Range Officer and the timeline for providing compensation is set to seven days for injuries and three days for death caused by wild animals [34]. Generating awareness about the existing compensation program will assist victims in accessing monetary support from the government.
With an increasing human population in India, the pressure on natural ecosystems is increasing [35] and sloth bear habitat is shrinking and becoming more fragmented [3]. In comparison with the outreach of studies on human—wildlife conflict involving large mammals such as tigers, leopards and elephants, focus on human—sloth bear conflict has been considerably less [28], perhaps undermining stronger conservation measures for this species.
Understanding the characteristics of conflict with sloth bears is one way of developing on the ground models which can help to improve conflict mitigation by creating strategies which require the integration and implementation of government programs and active participation of local people, along with the participation of non-governmental and related governmental organizations. This multi-pronged approach of conflict mitigation and reduced anthropogenic pressure on shared habitat is especially crucial for sloth bear conservation because they inhabit human-dominated landscape and exist in relatively large numbers outside protected areas such as the Kanha-Pench corridor.
Supporting information
S1 File. Data collection format for conflict and socio-economic survey.
S2 File. Demographic characteristics of respondents.
S3 File. Descriptive statistics of variables.
We thank the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department, especially Balaghat Circle, Seoni Circle, and the Kanha Tiger Reserve, for providing the details of the human wildlife conflict; and to the chairman of The Corbett Foundation, Mr. Dilip Khatau, for providing the logistical support. We are grateful to DeFries-Bajpai Foundation for providing the grant to undertake this study. We thank Mr. Dharmendra Choudhary, Mr. Anil Dhurvey, Mr. Sukman Dhurvey, and Mr. Tarachand Pancheshwar for assisting in the survey, to Mr. Anand S for permitting to use the map of India and to Ms. Snehal Gole for helping in creating the map of Kanha-Pench corridor area. Our gratitude to Mr. Everett Hanna for copy-editing the manuscript. We also thank Dr. Tom Smith and one anonymous reviewer for providing their insights in improving the manuscript.
Author Contributions
1. Conceptualization: AD HB KG.
2. Data curation: AD HB.
3. Formal analysis: AD HB PM.
4. Funding acquisition: AD KG.
5. Investigation: AD PM.
6. Methodology: AD PM HB.
7. Project administration: AD KG.
8. Resources: KG HB.
9. Software: HB AD.
10. Supervision: HB KG.
11. Validation: HB KG.
12. Visualization: AD PM HB.
13. Writing – original draft: AD.
14. Writing – review & editing: AD HB PM KG.
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Effective Business Communication
The term business communication can refer to a wide variety of fields and specialisations, such as advertising, public relations, corporate communication, community involvement, reputation management, interpersonal communication, employee engagement, and event management. These are just some of the areas that fall under this umbrella term. There is a substantial link that can be drawn between this topic and the fields of professional communication and technical communication.
Communication in the business world always includes the flow of information from one party to another. The delivery of feedback to recipients is one of the most important aspects of efficient business communication. In today's world, businesses are often extremely large and employ a sizable workforce due to the increased complexity of running a business. There may be a large number of various layers of hierarchy present within a particular organisation. The larger the number of hierarchical levels that are present within an organisation, the more difficult it is to effectively manage that organisation. Communication plays a very important role in the process of directing and monitoring the people who are employed by the organisation. This is an area in which there is a need for guidance and supervision. It is feasible to get fast feedback, and any misunderstandings, even if they do happen, may be prevented. It is necessary for there to be open channels of communication not just between superiors and employees of an organisation, but also between the organisation and society as a whole (for example between management and trade unions). It is essential for the growth and success of any organisation in the long run. It is impossible for there to be a shortage of open communication channels in any firm.
The purpose of communication in the business sector is to accomplish one's objectives. People who are part of an organisation as well as those who are not part of the organisation have a responsibility to be knowledgeable about its rules, regulations, and policies. It is essential that this information be communicated in an efficient manner. The guidelines and norms that are in place to manage communication in the corporate world are quite detailed. At first, the only methods of communication that were open to companies were written letters, telephone calls, and so forth. As a result of developments in technology, however, we now have access to things like mobile phones, video conferencing, email, and satellite communication, all of which make it easier for businesses to communicate with one another. When it comes to building a positive reputation for a company, one of the most important skills to possess is excellent business communication.
Business communication is primarily concerned with attaining objectives and, in the event of a publicly traded firm or organisation, raising shareholder dividends. Business communication is a topic that many schools and universities incorporate in their undergraduate and master's degree programmes.
Communication in the business world is held to a higher level than communication in ordinary life. The stakes in situations of informal communication are often lower than those associated with misunderstandings because of this. No of the setting in which a discussion is taking place, the strategies for enhancing communication are always the same. The medium, way, technique, or method via which a message is sent to the individual or group of individuals for whom it was intended is referred to as the communication channel. Oral or spoken communication, written (in either hard copy print or digital forms), electronic and multimedia communication are the primary modes. Business communications may take place in a formal, casual, or unofficial setting within each of these channels. In conclusion, communications may either be abundant or limited. Some example media channels of business communication are Internet, Print media, Radio, Television, Ambient media, Word of mouth, Talk with strangers, etc. Richness is a term that describes the capacity of a channel to concurrently transmit a large amount of information that is both current and accurate. In-person communication has a very high degree of richness due to the fact that it permits the delivery of information together with a speedy response. For instance, the level of depth that can be achieved in a tweet is relatively limited since Twitter only allows for the transmission of 280 characters at a time and does not provide any kind of response. Face-to-face communication, on the other hand, is limited to only one person communicating with a small number of other individuals who are in close proximity to them. Face-to-face communication also takes place in person. On the other hand, a tweet has the ability to reach thousands of followers in locations all over the world.
Business communication is a common topic included in the curricular of Undergraduate and Master's degree programs at many colleges and universities.
Categories of business communication
Brand Management
Customer/public relations
Methods of business communication
Communication conducted over the web is the goto method for most business communicators. People in distant regions are able to participate in interactive meetings because to a technology called video conferencing. Practice making video calls using platforms such as Skype or omegle if you want to build your self-assurance. Reports are essential pieces of documentation for the actions carried out by any department. Presentations are a common form of communication used in many kinds of companies. Presentations often include some kind of audiovisual material, such as copies of reports or content generated using Microsoft PowerPoint or Adobe Flash. Telephone conferences, which facilitate communication across large distances. Discussion boards, often known as forum boards, are online communities that enable users to login and instantaneously share information in a centralised area. In-person interactions, which are more intimate and should be followed up by written correspondence. Suggestion box: mostly used for upward communication due to the fact that certain individuals may be hesitant to contact with management directly. As a result, these individuals are able to provide recommendations by writing one and placing it in the suggestion box. Letters and memos are defined as letters sent to employees or members of an organisation.
Directional business communication
It's likely that most of us are familiar with the term "Directional Communication." It presents a notion that divides communication into three distinct categories: upward communication, downward communication, and lateral communication. It illustrates the need of the business environment having a variety of communication techniques and channels accessible for individuals to use in order to communicate in all directions. What I have not found, but what I have experienced, is that it is not just about facilitating directional communication; rather, it is also important to be aware that the same message may require a different medium and depth when communicating in different directions. This is something that I have not found, but what I have experienced. The secret phrase to remember is "Directional Communication," which, in layman's words, indicates that whenever we communicate in a variety of directions, we need to keep in mind the context of the message as well as the expectations associated with it. First, let us investigate each approach in a little bit more detail, and then we will look at a basic example. It all comes down to the economic principle of "time value of money," which states that the higher you go in any organisation, the time value of money increases, and as a result, senior stakeholders will have less time to understand the message. There are a few reasons why this strategy is effective. First, in most cases, the reason why someone is senior to us is because that person knows much more than we do, so he or she most likely already knows the story. Your message has to be succinct and backed up by an adequate number of data points, and it should make it abundantly clear what you anticipate from the senior stakeholder. The soon you begin telling a narrative, you will immediately begin to lose their attention.
The Association for Business Communication (ABC), which was initially known as the Association of College Teachers of Business Writing and was established in 1936 by Shankar, describes itself as "an international, interdisciplinary organisation committed to advancing business communication research, education, and practise." [Citation needed]
The mission of the IEEE Professional Communication Society (PCS) is to understand and promote effective communication in engineering, scientific, and other environments, including business environments. Specifically, this mission includes the promotion of effective communication in business environments. The PCS academic magazine is widely regarded as one of the most important communication publications in Europe. Engineers, writers, information designers, managers, and others working as academics, educators, and practitioners who share an interest in the efficient transmission of technical and business knowledge are the readers of this magazine.
The Society for Technical Communication is a professional association dedicated to the advancement of the theory and practice of technical communication. With membership of more than 6,000 technical communicators in uk chat, it's the largest organization of its type globally.
The International Business Communication Standards are a set of concrete recommendations for the conceptual and visual design of reports and presentations that are easily understandable.
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Sunday, 30 April 2017
World Economic Forum article claims private banks don’t create money.
The article is entitled “Do banks really create money out of thin air?” though the WEF do not officially endorse the arguments in the article.
The article starts with the hypothetical example of person S who sells a house to person B. “S” is obviously short for “seller” and “B” is obviously short for “buyer”.
The initial assumption is that B does not have any cash, so after the sale, B simply becomes indebted to S for the value of the house. And that, as the article rightly points out, is an arrangement which will not suit the vast majority of house sellers. Among other things, it involves S in collecting regular repayments and interest in respect of the debt from B for 20 years or so.
Next, the article explains that banks can help with the latter problem: a bank can open an account for B, credit the account with an amount of money equal to the value of the house (produced from thin air), which B then pays to S. S is now relieved of the inconvenience of collecting the debt from B, plus S has money with which to buy an alternative house.
But despite the obvious admission referred to in the latter paragraph that a bank has in fact created money from thin air, the article in the final paragraph then says:
“But this is only the prima facie appearance and not the truth of the matter because the outside observer has neglected to acknowledge that the deposit value records the value-for-value exchange conducted through an underlying transaction.”
Well the cognoscenti (which includes me needless to say) have always been aware that commercial bank created money nearly always RESULTS FROM the desire of people and firms to do business. I.e. if B did not have any need for a large amount of money, there’d be no point in B going along to a bank and asking for a loan, would there? But the fact that that money creation results from something or other does not stop that money creation being money creation, unless I’ve missed something.
The second flaw in the latter final paragraph, is that in fact banks will create money even where there is no immediate desire to do business. This is unusual, but if a particularly credit worthy bank customer went along to a bank and said “I have no immediate business deals in mind, but please lend me a million so that when a profitable looking deal comes my way I can pounce on it.”, the bank might well go along with that (and of course charge for the service provided).
Friday, 28 April 2017
Private banks do not charge interest in respect of the money they issue.
There is a popular myth to the effect that the above is the case. The myth is promoted by among others, Positive Money, an organisation I actually support because PM gets many things right. Also Bryan Gould (former member of the UK Labour Party shadow cabinet) seems to lend credence to the myth.
The idea that private banks DO CHARGE interest in respect of the money they issue stems from the “loans create deposits” phenomenon: that is, when a bank makes a loan, it does not need to get the relevant money from depositors or from anywhere else. It can simply open an account for the borrower and credit $X to the account – the money comes from thin air. The bank then charges interest on the loan.
Thus banks do two things there: first, create money, and second, charge interest. Ergo, so it might seem, they charge interest on the money they have created.
The flaw in that argument is that banks either charge for the loan or for the money. They cannot charge for both. I.e. if a bank charges 5% interest, is that for the loan or is it the lucky recipient of the money who is charged?
Take the case of a loan for $X which is granted to Y, who then spends the money, which ends up in the bank account of Z. There is no doubt that Y pays interest to the bank. But Z, the recipient of the money doesn’t.!! If anything, Z charges his or her bank interest (or put another way, Z’s bank will pay interest to Z, particularly if the money is put into a term account.)
Double checking the argument.
By way of double checking the above points, consider an economy where there was no borrowing or lending, but people did (understandably) want a form of money. And let’s say that money is supplied by, or at least supplied almost exclusively by private banks.
Those banks would open their doors for business. Customers would ask to open accounts and would ask for some specific sum of money to be credited to those accounts to enable day to day transactions to be done. Banks would demand collateral as appropriate.
Certainly banks would charge for ADMINISTRATION costs there (e.g. the cost of checking up on the value of collateral). But there would at that stage be no reason to charge INTEREST because no real resources would at that stage have been transferred by banks to customers.
Moreover, even after customers started spending their money, there would still be no very good reason for banks IN THE AGGREGATE to charge customers in the aggregate for interest. Reason is that money leaving one account must arrive in some other account. (To keep things simple, I’ll assume there is no physical cash – a not totally unrealistic assumption, given that it looks like physical cash will disappear in the near future.)
Of course where specific customers ran down their bank balances, and left them in a “run down” state for extended periods, banks would charge interest to those customers. But in that case, real resources would have been transferred to those customers for an extended period. That is, the only way for that “extended run down” to occur is for relevant customers to buy stuff off other customers and leave it at that. I.e. the latter “buyers” would in effect be borrowing from the latter sellers with banks acting as intermediary. Sellers, would understandably want interest, and that interest would be passed on to buyers.
Banks charge interest on loans. They also charge for administration costs when supplying customers with day to day transaction money. But it would not make any sense for banks to charge interest simply for supplying all and sundry with day to day transaction money.
Monday, 24 April 2017
Tuesday, 18 April 2017
Steve Keen and Mish make a fallacy of composition error?
Thursday, 13 April 2017
Wednesday, 12 April 2017
Sunday, 9 April 2017
Saturday, 8 April 2017
Nonsense from the World Economic Forum.
Kenneth Rogoff.
Kenneth Rogoff’s “financial repression” is pure, unadulterated bullshit.
Sunday, 2 April 2017
Bank capital ratios - the incompetent critics of Modigliani Miller.
Independent Commission on Banking Final Report, section 3.45.
Saturday, 1 April 2017
So the economics profession never promoted austerity?
One powerful voice was the OECD. Another was the IMF.
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Feed Your Kids Healthy and They Will Want Healthy
Food for Thought
Feed Your Kids Healthy and They Will Want Healthy
By Leanne Ely, C.N.C
Have you ever traveled to a foreign country and been shocked at the foods that they eat? And how about the children? Have you noticed they eat what their parents eat, not dinosaur-shaped chicken nuggets and other typical, dumbed down kiddie food that we feed our kids. The fact is (and research supports this) whatever a child grows up being offered are most often the foods they will continue to enjoy for a lifetime. I was fond of telling my children there would be no chicken nuggets on the menu when they took their dates to prom.
A good example of this is butter vs. margarine. There are people who have grown up eating margarine and actually think butter tastes funny. Of course on the other side of the fence are those who have only eaten butter and would never consider eating margarine. How did they get like that? It’s just simply what they became accustomed to.
Interestingly, it is also a fact that some people will never like broccoli. There is actually a biological reason for this that you may have learned in science class that has to do with being a “taster” or “not a taster.” To sum it up: some people’s taste buds will recognize something as very bitter, because they are a “taster”, though most people will become accustomed to certain foods–even bitter foods– and like them. That’s why your Asian friend loves dried squid while you cringe at the thought.
Bottom line is there are two reasons why we eat the things we do-
1) we are accustomed to it through exposure growing up
2) biology dictates the way we taste.
The lesson here is exposure will equal preference over time; even as a grown up. You can learn to like broccoli; you just have to exposure yourself to it many, many times over. It may never be a favorite food, but at least your awareness is what’s leading your food choices and not overpickiness.
Remember, you can train yourself (and your children) out of picky–it’s all a matter of exposure!
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Part 1: Data as a new fertilizer
Luc Baardman
May 29, 2020
Now that more than half of the people on our planet live in cities, we are increasingly depending on that place where the rest of us live: the country side. Here we produce the food we eat and trade, and although growing food may seem old-fashioned and straightforward, we will show that there’s more to it than meets the eye. We will also show that this sector is technologically more advanced than one might think.
While agricultural yields have tripled between 1960 and 2015 thanks to Green Revolution technologies, we still live in a world where nearly 800 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Figures from the FAO show that there is plenty of food available, but there are still big gains to win in the efficiency of logistics. Through this blog series, we will take you on a journey from the mountainous fields of Kenya all the way to your kitchen. In using the metaphor of a widely consumed perishable fruit, we will closely follow the journey of an avocado from farm to fork.
Very few avocados come from The Netherlands. Why? Simply because of our weather: it is just not suitable. Handling, heating greenhouses, and mirror climate are expensive; therefore, we choose to import them. One of the countries avocados do come from is Kenya, with a 2017 record-volume of 51,507 tons, making it Africa’s largest exporter of the urban fashionista’s favorite “green gold.” This hasn’t always been the case. In 2010, the EU discontinued the avocado import from Kenya due to poor quality. Since then, small-scale farmers (who make up 70% of the avocado yields in Kenya) have worked hard to improve their output quality. South Africa has taken its spot next to the world- dominating avocado export giants Mexico, Peru, and Colombia.
Still yet, Kenyan avocados do not reach the European continent due to quality restrictions. The big questions for Kenyan farmers now should be how they can increase their output quality.
Avocados are perishable, meaning they have a very short shelf life. In general, fruits decrease in quality on two occasions: on the farm and during transport. What technologies can combat the perishing of the yields?
Agriculture 4.0 technologies can improve the quality of Kenyan avocados on the farm with precision farming, meaning that cameras (possibly mounted on drones) recognize dry spots and diseases on trees and leaves, and mark them so that farmers or machines can resolve the problem. Furthermore, aerial vegetation indexes from satellites show the best time to pick. Once picked, the avocados need to be cooled and stay cold during transport – more on this in our next blog.agtech, agriculture technologies, avocados, kenyan avocados, precision farmingagtech, agriculture technologies, avocados, kenyan avocados, precision farming
To conclude, agriculture 4.0 will have a major impact on attention-heavy crops such as avocados by minimizing human effort in scanning for dry spots and diseases. Technological advances will also give farmers the best advice on when to pick and how to store on premises. However, the avocado journey doesn’t stop at the farm, as the next step in the value chain is transport. |
Difference Between Stroke and Tia
Main Difference
Stroke and TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) are the two types of medical conditions that are caused due to the disruption of cerebral blood flow. Stroke is life-threatening and even when one survives from it, he may suffer from long-term illness and other issues, whereas TIA is the condition of temporary blockage of the blood to the cerebral part due to the blockage of the blood vessels. The TIA is termed as the mini-stroke as it doesn’t last long or has any prolonged disability.
Comparison Chart
The Severe medical condition, which may result in the death of the person.Less severe as the person can recover within 24 hours without any residual damage.
Focus on the rehabilitation and reduction or mortality.Prevent recurrences and reducing the possibility of the stroke attacks.
What is Stroke?
Stroke is the complex medical condition that turns out to be life threatening in most of the cases, those who even survive this condition may go through the long-term disability and health issues. The main reason behind the stroke is the insufficient supply of the blood to the cerebral part of the brain. As we know that brain is the component of the human body, from commanding the body functions to make decisions, the brain is as important as the CPU of the computer. To fulfill the different body functions, the brain requires sufficient amount of blood supply, and if due to some reasons the blood supply gets cut off, the brain cells started dying gradually. Consequently, the person suffering from this medical condition may lead to death or the permanent disability. Mainly, there are two causes of the strokes; one is Ischemic, and the other is Hemorrhagic. In the stroke caused due to Ischemic, the blood supply is hurdled or restrained due to the blood clot in the artery which leads to the blood supply to the brain areas. The ischemic type of stroke is more common as about 85% of the diagnosed cases of stroke are due to such reason. On the other hand, hemorrhagic type of stroke is due to the bursting of the artery, which supplies the blood to the brain. The people with Diabetes and Hypertension have a higher chance of suffering from this medical condition. The survivor of the stroke may have the complete paralysis of the body or the sudden loss of the vision.
What is Tia?
TIA abbreviated as the Transient Ischemic Attack is termed as the mini-stroke as it lasts for a lesser time and doesn’t have any long-lasting effect on the human body. This ischemic attack may last for 30 to 60 minutes, and the person gets recovery within the 24 hours in most of the cases. The TIA is caused due to the blockage of the blood in the vessels. This inadequacy leads to the issues like angina pectoris, which are not much serious if treated at fundamental level properly. Other than the fat deposition, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, lack of exercise and chewing tobacco are few of the prominent factors which may lead to the TIA. There can be various symptoms of such medical condition; most prominent out of them are the slurring of speech and blurring of the vision. In this medical condition, no residual damage remains to that person. Many of the experts’ term TIA as the alarming sign of a stroke and the person is asked to follow various precautions to avoid the follow-up of the stroke, which is a life-threatening medical condition. The blood supply may get hurdled due to the narrowing of the vessels or the cholesterol deposition on it. Even in the normal circumstances one can suffer from the TIA as that is mild in nature and may last for the several minutes just due to the blockage of the blood supply.
Stroke vs. Tia
• Stroke is a complicated medical condition, which may have residual damage for the longest time, whereas TIA is the mini-stroke which just lasts for 30 to 0 minutes or has a recovery time of 24-hours.
• In a stroke, the medical officers mainly focus on the rehabilitation and reduction or mortality of the person suffering from it. Contrary to this, the TIA patients are dealt to prevent recurrences and reducing the possibility of the stroke attacks.
• Stroke is more severe and complex as compared to the Tia.
Janet White
|
In situations where a single driving factor causes variation in energy consumption, we generally expect to see a straight-line relationship on the scatter diagram of energy against the relevant factor. The intercept of the regression line on the vertical axis represents the fixed background consumption in kWh per week month or day, while its slope represents the sensitivity of consumption to variation in the driving-factor quantity. The numerical value of the slope could be kWh per unit of product output, per degree day, per hour of darkness, etc depending on the circumstances.
It is highly unusual for either the intercept or the slope to be zero. What are the exceptions? For the intercept to be zero there would need to be no consumption unrelated to the job the energy is doing. The most common example would be fuel used for a car or van: if it does zero miles in a particular week, you’d expect it to use no fuel. In a building where fuel is used exclusively for space heating (and not for continuous uses like water heating or catering) you’d expect the regression line to go through the origin of the chart. Note, however, that in the latter case the line will only pass through the origin if the degree-day values are computed to the correct base temperature.
For the slope to be zero, consumption would need to be effectively constant and thus totally unrelated to the chosen driving factor. This could signal that we have chosen the wrong driving factor. However, there is one circumstance when I would deliberately do that. When monitoring general electricity consumption in gas-heated buildings I habitually set up a degree-day related model with zero slope because I know there is a risk of people bringing in electric heaters, the effect of which will be to impose a degree-day-related slope on what should be a horizontal regression line. In a similar vein I once did a pre-survey regression analysis of electricity use on a college campus, revealing that it was unexpectedly weather-related. In fact 41% of the consumption appeared to be for heating and the explanation was electric heaters imported by resident students.
The other side of the coin is where you see zero or near-zero slope in a situation where you are certain that you have picked the correct driving factor. I encountered this situation once in a pulp mill where consumption in the log chipper did not vary with throughput when quite obviously, given the energy intensity of the process, there should have been a strong link. It turned out here that material flow was sparse and sporadic: most of the time the chipper was running idle waiting for the next log and the bulk of energy consumption was attributable to idle losses. The solution was to batch the logs for short intensive chipping campaigns and stand the equipment down between batches.
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Posted: June 10th, 2022
What is paragraphs development?
ENGL 5600 Composition Theory/Developing Paragraphs
The student’s task is to use the scenario below to redevelop it into a 3,000-word motivational statement of purpose for entering law school. Students must be intuitive and creative in developing the various paragraphs.
Walking down the streets of West Point one hot afternoon on an official assignment, I saw this woman being badly and unmercifully beaten and battered by a man I presumed was her significant other. What puzzled me most was that there were scores of onlookers and passersby, yet none of them could intervene; some were even making fun of the situation. This pricked my curiosity more. I washed as she begged and pleaded for mercy, all to no avail. I thought to intervene, but a neighbor told me, “my sister, don’t waste your time; that’s normal.” At the moment, I stood helpless with tears running down my cheeks as I watched a fellow woman being brutalized, and there was nothing I could do about it.
Out of empathy, I visited the community the following day, wanting to know what the story made this woman an object for punching.
She told me that she had been married to this man for the past ten years, and this is a part of his daily routine. Beating, rape, starvation, and endless other kinds of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Why has she stayed? Why can’t she put in for divorce and leave?
Her simple answer was, I don’t have money.
Additionally, she has six kids from this marriage which is one of the principal reasons she cannot leave. How can she afford a good lawyer that will help her win the case and even get custody of her children? Therefore, she has decided to stay and take care of her kids and accept whatever comes with it.
This lady’s experience motivates my quest for a law profession. There are thousands of such situations that we may not be aware of, which need intervention. We live in a society where people treat other people with disdain, as though they are not human. Our community is supposed to be a society of law and order. But how come these kinds of inhumane acts occur in the first place and without repercussions?These kindsof cure behaviors have dire health and emotional consequence on the demographic they affect. Some of the effects could be death by suicide, heart attack, physical disability, mental disorder, etc.
Society is under a moral obligation to step in and save those experiencing such situations and go another step further to create an environment that will prevent this from reoccurring. As I develop my purpose statement, so many questions come to mind.
1. How do we create an enabling environment for women in the state to have access to accessible or affordable legal services?
2. How do we legally remove children from such homes and create a safe space to grow up?
3. How can we ensure that abusers, whether male or female, are penalized for their actions?
The legal profession seems to be a dedicated professionthat is integral to addressing the questions raised above, requiring critical attention and consolidated efforts.
I am determined to acquire the knowledge and skills of the legal profession to be well equipped and contribute to the cumbersome tasks of deviant behavior that our nation is faced with. This is the time in history when our country needs more passionate and honest women and men in the legal profession to serve.
As a nation reconstructing from the shackles of long years of civil conflict, the rule of law is a pertinent pilar for its reconstruction.
My involvement with development, young people development, and human rights advocacy work over the years with hands-on experience working in underserved communities within my country and cross-cultural working experience enlarged my horizon and placed me in a comfortable position to pursue the legal discipline. I am of the strongest conviction that I am well placed with over five years of practical experience and an in-depth understanding of human rights work that serves as a springboard for a study in a legal career.
My interest is criminal law, which will prepare me to contribute significantly to improvingthe rule of law in our nation in a sustainable way.
Upon completing my studies, I intend to use the knowledge and skills acquired to contribute to protecting human rights, especially women’s and children’s rights, proactive intervention against deviant behaviors, and overall improvement of the rule of law.
Henceforth, I will use legal education to help my country, continent, and world.
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1. Homepage
3. About Nanoblade
4. Adaptation to blades with nano-groove
Adaptation to blades with nano-groove
Graph and stages od adaptation to blades with a nano-groove
We monitored 3 stages of adaptation during testing and the feelings of hockey players. These are the following stages shown in the graph. We should note that adaptation means the transition from standard blades and sharpening to standard Nanoblade blades with a nano-groove, which are in the extreme compared to standard blades. Extreme nanoblade geometries are intended for skaters experienced with standard Nanoblade geometries, or for very patient and convinced skaters who realize that this change will take a bit longer.
• 1st Stage – this is the shortest stage (it usually lasts a few seconds or minutes, but for some even dozens of minutes) and also the worst. When the skater steps onto the ice for the first time, he will have a false feeling that the blades are dull (as we mentioned before); the blades begin to slide in all directions in a stance perpendicular to the ice, and the skater doesn't trust the edges; he must make sure that the edges will hold him perfectly. It's best to go to a safe zone away from the side boards (e.g. to the centre of the ice rink) and start slowly circling the centre and crossover skating, slowly accelerating to find out that the edge is truly stable. The second feeling is the height of the blade. Many skaters skate on sharpened blades, so they can easily be 4mm or more lower than new regular blades. The standard geometries of Pikatec Nanoblade are about 4 mm higher than conventional new blades, so the difference compared to regular blades can be 8 or more mm! Skaters especially need to get used to this in crossovers.The third feeling, especially for older skaters, is that they are used to having a very curved geometry profile, known as a "cradle". In normal sharpening, this geometry is more agile than the standard geometry from manufacturers, and some skaters have it rounded even more by blade sharpeners. With this geometry, skaters are less stable on the heels and slower, but they get accustomed to it over the years. Pikatec blades have straighter heels for stability in the transverse direction, and skaters need to get used to this.The last feeling that partially blends into stage 2 is a reduced response from the blades on the ice. In other words, the blades glide silently on the ice without "grinding" as you've been used to before. This may bother you at first, but it is one of the main benefits of Pikatec Nanoblade blades. Once you overcome this stage, you can start skating normally and, most importantly, you won't want to go back to conventional blades.This indicates that for some, especially older, skaters with years of experience, there may be many changes overall, and whether they will be able or willing to overcome them mostly depends on their patience.
• 2nd Stage – this is the stage when you get used to skating, learn to skate in bends with bent knees, brake, accelerate, make sharp turns and learn to trust the blades. You will use the agility of the blades in transverse skating, and you will learn to use the tilting of the blade edges for sharper or smoother braking. You will learn to control this as needed. You will take advantage of the speed and other possibilities the blades offer. You will now be at about 80% satisfaction. This stage is a bit longer than stage 1.
• 3rd Stage – this is the last stage of getting accustomed to Nanoblade blades. This stage is the longest for sensitive skaters. By using the blades, you are already subconsciously getting accustomed to all the other properties of the blades. You will skate "quietly" in turns, without the grinding on the ice, and you will enjoy and take advantage of the new possibilities.
As we mentioned before, the process of adapting to the blades varies from one skater to another. For most junior skaters, these stages merge into one short stage. It's pretty normal for them from the start. It was only later that they said they began to perceive skating differently than before, and that they didn't think about the details before.
It's all about your mindset and your willingness to learn new things, and Pikatec wishes you much patience and success.
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Aedes are found throughout the world. Aedes mosquitoes can carry a variety of pathogens that can be transmitted to humans, including: Dengue fever virus, , Chikungunya fever virus, Yellow fever virus, Filarial worms and Eastern equine encephalitis.
The larval habitats of Aedes mosquitoes will vary by species, but can be broken down into two main categories:
Container mosquito species prefer to lay eggs in artificial containers (e.g., waste tires, flowerpots, gutters, trash cans, etc.) or natural containers (leaf axils, tree holes, etc.) that can hold water. Oviposition takes place just above water level. The species Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus are the primary vectors of concern worldwide, with Aedes aegypti preferring more artificial container types, and Aedes albopictus being more opportunistic and inhabiting both artificial and natural containers.
Floodwater mosquitoes lay eggs in wet/moist substrate or waterlogged soil in ground depressions subject to temporary floods. Females differentiate between certain soil types to find the most suitable place for egg laying. Eggs of floodwater mosquitoes remain dormant until they are flooded and conditions are favorable for hatching. Floodwater mosquito populations can even withstand extended dry or cold periods in the egg stage. Select species of floodwater mosquitoes are able to fly long distances to get a blood meal and are aggressive and painful biters.
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In Time of Crisis
Crisis occurs throughout the world from natural disasters such as hurricanes and forest fires but also from man- made disasters such as plane crashes. If we are not experiencing a particular crisis we feel sympathy for those who are and sometimes help through donations or other actions.
However, the COVID-19 worldwide pandemic is affecting everyone; young and old, rich and poor, from large and small nations, from every racial and ethnic group. The magnitude and severe impact socially, economically, politically is staggering and the outcome is unfathomable.
Even those professionals who’s field of knowledge this is are not sure what course of action to follow in bringing this to an end and stabilizing the world community. If the experts do not have a well- designed plan to stop the pandemic and rectify the long- term negative impact what can we do in our families and communities?
We think that all people in every community, society and nation can provide effective action leading to long term solutions. We make these recommendations on coping and thriving
• Stay Positive: While there are terrible and tragic long reaching impacts this will end. Things will be different but we can adjust and move forward together
• Stay connected: Use all means available to stay connected with family and friends, colleagues and neighbors. Make regular times and spontaneous times to reach out and communicate
• Follow reliable news updates: Listen to factual news reports by experts and leaders
at designated times, not constantly. Follow all required directives but do not over -react.
• Maintain regular routines and schedules for yourself and your family: Follow school and work routines to ensure children are meeting learning goals and adults are meeting work expectations. This will provide security and predictability which increases safety.
• Foster spirituality through relaxation and calming activities: When we address our personal spirituality through music, nature, inspirational reading we reconnect with our core values and being
• Be joyful and have fun: When we cultivate fun, humor and joy in our lives we cope with any and all challenges and changes leading to a more peaceful and accepting life.
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Silvestre Revueltas - "Sensemayá"
Silvestre Rivuletas
Silvestre Revueltas
Born: December 31, 1899, Santiago Papasquiaro, Mexico
Died: October 5, 1940, Mexico City, Mexico
Original Instrumentation: Symphony Orchestra
Composed: 1949
Arranged: 1980, by Frank Bencriscutto
Duration: 7 minutes
University of Maryland Wind Orchestra
"Variations on a Revolution"
Saturday, November 5, 2016, 8:00 pm
Elsie & Marvin Dekelboum Concert Hall
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The University of Maryland at College Park
Sensemayá is based on the Afro-Cuban writer Nicolás Guillén’s poem about a ceremony for the sacrifice of a serpent. Revueltas’s thumping ostinato is the musical echo of Guillén’s refrain: “mayombé, bombe, mayombé.” With its thrilling, obsessive rhythmic thrust—it is written throughout in 7/8 or 7/16—and powerfully dissonant harmonies, this extraordinary little score is as original as anything in European music of the time, but it owes nothing to those distant schools or celebrated composers. It represents one of the signal moments when American music unmistakably came into its own.
“All his music seems preceded by something that is not joy and exhilaration, as some believe, or satire and irony, as other believe,” the Mexican poet Octavio Paz wrote of Revueltas’s output. “That element, better and more pure . . . is his deep-felt but also joyful concern for man, animal, and things. It is the profound empathy with his surrounding which makes the works of this man, so naked, so defenseless, so hurt by the heavens and the people, more significant than those of many of his contemporaries.”
- Program note by Phillip Huscher
Sensemayá, Nicolás Guillén:
Canto para matar una culebra
La culebra tiene los ojos de vidrio
la culebra viene y se enreda en un palo
Con sus ojos de vidrio, en un palo
Con sus ojos de vidrio
La culebra camina sin patas
La culebra se esconde en la yerba
Caminando se esconde en la yerba
Caminando sin patas
Additional Resources:
- Silvestre Revuletas on Wikipedia
Silvestre Revueltas, Sensemayá, arr. Frank Bencriscutto
University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Wind Orchestra, Glenn Price, conductor
Silvestre Revueltas, Sensemayá
Orquesta Sinfónica de la Juventud Venezolana Simón Bolívar, Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
#programnotes #umwo #revueltas
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Human Resources (HR): What Is It And What Is It For?
By Lilly Chesser - Nov. 17, 2020
Articles In Guide
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A human resource is one individual of many who helps to form an organization’s team. This could be in any organization (nonprofit, government, etc.), but it typically refers to a corporate workforce.
While some companies may spread human resource duties across different departments in lieu of a dedicated HR team, human resource departments are people-focused and help employees and employers thrive.
This article gives a basic rundown on human resource, what it means, what HR jobs entail, and how HR can help you.
What Is Human Resource?
When someone uses the term “human resource,” they’re referring to the individuals who make up a company’s workforce. Talking about individual people as a resource may seem odd to some, but it can help a company think about how they go about managing the people they employ.
An organization’s human-capital — the knowledge, skills, and labor of its workers — is its most valuable asset. Humans are also, of course, an incredibly unique asset that requires a specialized approach. Thus, devoting time to specifically consider the “human side” of things is necessary for a business to run smoothly.
A human resources department (or HR department) deals with all things involving an organization’s human capital. This department can be called human resource management, human capital management, or even a variant that opts for terms like “people,” “employee,” or “talent.”
HR departments are in charge of creating and managing programs related to employing and training workers, retaining workers, and compensating them for their work. HR manages professional relations as well as the overall company culture.
Key Functions of Human Resources
The primary function of human resources is in managing people, pay, and training. Some of the critical components of this are listed below.
1. Recruitment. This involves outlining staffing policies, finding job candidates, interviewing for positions, and eventually hiring new employees.
2. Onboarding. The process of hiring new employees involves acquainting them with the materials, skills, and know-how required to best serve the organization and do their job.
3. Training. HR departments run training and career development programs to help employees learn new skills, sharpen existing skills, and stay motivated. These programs promote personal and professional growth in employees and help to foster a positive workplace.
4. Developing employment policies. Workplace policies help to advise and inform employees and employers on the rules and guidelines of the office. HR departments develop or revise policies such as discipline policies, employee conduct policies, dress codes, and business plans.
5. Administering compensation and benefits. Human resources ensure that employees’ compensations are fair and make sense in the given industry and position. They also want to ensure that benefits and compensation are competitive within the industry so as not to lose or drive away talent.
6. Organization development. Promoting successful organizational change and performance is a crucial role of HR departments. Organizational structures and processes have a significant effect on human capital and must be managed carefully.
7. Retaining workers. Companies want to ensure that once they’ve invested in a worker, that worker will stick around. High turnaround rates for employees are often a sign of organizational failure, so retention of workers is a vital task for HR.
8. Protecting workers. Everyone deserves to have their safety and rights protected at work, and an HR department doing their job will ensure that this is the case. HR makes sure company policies and behaviors adhere to laws affecting employees and that employees have a line of defense.
9. Maintaining a healthy work environment. Morale and company culture have a considerable effect on workers’ abilities to achieve within their work setting. HR helps resolve employee and employer conflicts, maintains diversity within a workforce, and utilizes employees’ feedback to create the best possible workspace.
Why Does a Company Need to Have Human Resources?
The basic purpose of HR departments is to deal with human-centered company issues with a specialized approach.
Companies need HR to ensure that all of their policies, programs, and other happenings that affect their employees are optimized to create a great work environment and great workers.
HR professionals create recruitment strategies to acquire valuable new employees and retain them. They also help to acclimate new employees into their work environment as quickly as possible.
They address employee concerns and make sure that workers’ voices are heard and taken into account and that the work environment is healthy and happy. They help to settle conflicts between employees or between employees and employers. This is crucial for good company morale.
HR also manages the separation process and makes termination as smooth and painless as possible, as well as negotiating on the terms of an employee leaving.
How Can This Department Help You as an Employee?
HR acts as a line of help and protection to employees. They make sure that your concerns and interests are heard and that all complaints are dealt with appropriately.
If discrimination, harassment, or other illegal conduct is happening to you in the workplace, HR ensures that your concern is taken seriously. Human resources departments are legally required to investigate these claims on your behalf. HR is also required to protect whistleblowers against retaliation by keeping their claims anonymous.
If you have a disability and need accommodations or need to take advantage of federal or state protection such as the Family Medical Leave Act, HR is there to assist you.
As HR is in charge of benefits and payroll, it is also the place to go if you have any questions or concerns about your company’s health insurance, your salary, or any other workplace policy. HR will consider your claims and follow up with you on how they plan to resolve your issue.
Depending on how your company runs its human resource department, you may even be able to use HR to get guidance in your career or develop a long term career plan. It is in their interest to keep you motivated to succeed.
However, remember as a bottom line that HR’s first obligation is to the company. They want to help you as an individual insofar as you are cooperating with and in line with company aims. If, for instance, you’re considering switching careers and looking for guidance, it’s best not to go to your company HR with that information.
What Is the Importance of Human Resource?
Human resource – as it refers to a company’s workforce – is obviously one of the most critical factors in an organization’s success. Without the skill, ideas, and labor of people, nothing gets done. While automation may be quickly changing the landscape of many workplaces, companies will always need human resource in some capacity.
The goal of human resource departments is to both acquire and protect these workers as a company’s most valuable resource. They ensure that companies create the best possible work environment by creating important human-centered policies, developments, and processes.
HR departments also work to bring out the best in employees. By studying individuals’ strengths and weaknesses in a workforce, HR professionals can strategically structure their organization to correctly utilize employees’ skills and build upon necessary skills.
Through workplace policies, programs, and training, HR departments largely shape a company’s culture. A lousy HR department can destroy a company’s reputation as a good, or even safe, workplace. A horrible HR department may even turn a blind eye to ethics and create an environment where toxic behavior runs rampant.
This is why a good, ethical, and well-trained human resources team makes all the difference.
List of Human Resources Jobs
Here is a list of common human resource job positions a company might have:
• Staffing coordinator. In charge of organizing and scheduling employees according to the number and type of employees needed for each shift.
• Recruiter. Finds candidates to fill open positions and negotiates their needs with the needs of the company.
• Staffing manager. In charge of all staffing-related matters, including recruiting, training, and retaining employees.
• HR assistant. Assist HR managers with various HR and administrative duties.
• HR associate. Maintains human resource records, verifies employee backgrounds, and explains HR programs.
• HR intern. Entry-level position assisting with varying HR tasks.
• HR analyst. Evaluate and analyze HR policies and programs to ensure they align with company goals.
• HR generalist. Runs the general day-to-day functions of HR departments.
• HR specialist. Help recruit and hire employees and onboarding duties.
• HR coordinator. Ensures that policies adhere to all regulations and acts as a liaison for employees.
• HR manager. In charge of the administrative functions of a company.
• HR director. Supervise and consult management to ensure company processes are running smoothly and efficiently.
• Talent acquisition. In charge of finding and hiring skilled workers for an organization.
• Talent management. Find and retain skilled employees.
• Chief human resources officer (CHRO). Creates an overall HR strategy and vision in alignment with company goals.
• Benefits administrator. In charge of employee benefits, including medical insurance and worker’s compensation.
• Safety manager. Creates and revises safety regulations for an organization.
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It is now almost three hundred years since Bach composed his six suites BWV 1007 – 1012, and still there are many open questions about them. Especially the problem which instrument to use in order to perform them properly is not really solved. Since their re-discovery in the beginning of the 20th century it was assumed that they were written for the Stradivari-type four string cello that had by then replaced its predecessors. Playing them on this type of cello however results in major technical difficulties already in the 3rd suite: In the Prélude of that particular suite the use of the thumb is necessary, a technique that was not in use yet at Bach’s life time. The most problematic suite however is the 6th which presents extreme difficulties if played on a four string cello because of the frequently requested high registers. Bach composed several other works for solo instruments but they do not show any similar examples of such outstanding technical demands. That is why in the recent past some musicians and historians started to doubt that the Stradivari cello was the instrument Bach wrote the six suites BWV 1007-1012 for. Their position is based on the following facts and conclusions:
- The cello of Bach’s time is defined by historians as an instrument resembling a big viola1 (See pictures 1 and 2.), being held under the chin, across the body or between the knees.2 (See picture 3.) It was originally intended to assist the double bass as an accompanying bass instrument and came in various sizes (from the small da spalla instruments to the big cellos of Andrea Amati) and tunings. Due to the longer strings the player’s left hand could cover a significantly smaller tonal range than it could cover using a violin.
Picture 1: A violoncello da spalla, placed behind a violin. [This picture was taken from the Internet. If there are any copyright issues please contact us.]
Picture 2: A modern replica of a viola da spalla, about the same size as a violoncello da spalla. Both instruments are arm-held. (This picture was taken from the Internet. If there are any copyright issues please contact us.)
Picture3: A violoncello piccolo (posession of the Musashino Instrument Museum; made by A. Gragnani ca. 1785) compared to a 4/4 cello.
Full size + Piccolo
(For more information about the size of a violoncello piccolo see Appendix A.)
– The first five suites for cello, obviously intended for a four string instrument, are somehow untypical in their structures compared to Bach’s usual sophisticated technique of composition: they are much plainer and less intricate than for example the violin partitas and sonatas. The sixth suite however, which calls for the use of a five string instrument is the first one among the cello suites that equals the complexity and beauty of the violin sonatas and partitas. (See Appendix B.)
– Bach owned and occasionally composed for a five string, arm-held instrument, called viola pomposa4, which he himself used to call violoncello piccolo5. It featured the usual low tonal range of a cello but the fifth string gave access to an additional tonal range almost as high as a violin’s. (The ‘modern’ violoncello piccolo used today, for example in some of Bach’s cantatas, is mainly built as a knee-held instrument.)
– The four string Stradivari-type cello in its present size and way of holding established itself at the end of the 18th century6, more than three decades after Bach wrote the cello suites, and in a time when Bach and his work was already almost forgotten.
– It is very unlikely that Bach intended to use two completely different types of instruments, a big Stradivari-type and a small, chin-held viola-cello, for the same cycle. Bach was a cembalist but also a violin and viola player, which means he could play the viola pomposa. There is no mention of him having played the cello. It is very unlikely that he switched within one cycle between instruments he was familiar with and instruments he wasn’t.
– Playing all suites on any four string cello would result in a relatively reasonable increase of technical difficulties proceeding from the 1st to the 5th7 suite,but proceeding to the 6th would present a sudden, grotesque rise to a level of difficulty that the cello repertoire only reached and dealt with more than fifty years later.8 At this point the following conclusion can be drawn:
– Bach started to compose his cello suites for a viola-like four string cello, not for a knee-held, big, four string cello.
– For the 6th suite Bach used a five string, arm-held instrument.9 The style of composition changed dramatically – the piece became as complicated and intricate as the violin sonatas and partitas. After discovering the possibilities of this five string instrument there would have been no reason to return to a four string one.
The obvious questions are why this five string viola-cello did not survive him and why the cello didn’t evolve to become a five string instrument.
Around the time when Bach composed the cello suites the Italian violin makers Stradivari, Montagnana and Gofriller decided the modern cello’s acoustically optimal final shape and size. The big, so-called ‘church cellos’ were mostly cut to that size around that time.
Picture 4: A Stradivari four string cello. (This pictures were taken from the Internet. If there are any copyright issues please contact us.)
It has almost exaclyt the violin’s proportions, enlarged by the factor of two. Like the violin it also had four strings. Since it was much bigger than the viola-cellos it had to be held between the knees. It could produce a bigger sound than all other cellos which is the reason why it slowly displaced its smaller relatives. Its longer strings resulted in a smaller tonal range than a viola-cello’s, but that wasn’t a major problem because of the role of the cello as a mere bass instrument at that time; there was no need to play very high or fast notes.
When this new cello had established itself at the end of the 18th century Bach (1685 – 1750) was dead and his music already was almost forgotten until the beginning of the 19th century and Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy’s (1809-1847) re-discovery of Bach’s works. The problem of playing the suites on a big four string cello never presented itself during Baroque and early Classic: The cello suites had never really been introduced to the public until the beginning of the 20th century. By then the choice of instrument was never even questioned: the ‘cello’ (or cellos) Bach wrote the suites for was, wrongly, understood as the violoncello everyone used by now. The viola pomposa, the violoncello piccolo and other viola-cello models were long forgotten and out of use. Cellists nowadays still mostly think Bach’s cello was of the same size and type as the cello they now use.
Beginning with Haydn and Beethoven, composers started to realize the possibilities of the Stradivari-type cello as a tenor instrument and the technical demands on the cello players started to rise because of the more frequent presence of high notes. The cello’s job of doubling the bass changed and it started to become a rival to the violin; just like Bach seemed to have it planned with ‘his’ cello. The tonal demands expanded and cellists like Salvatore Lanzetti10, the Duport brothers11 and Bernhard Romberg12 searched for ways to deal with this new role and the increasing technical difficulties. (See Appendix C for a ‘students’ tree’ of B. Romberg and J.L. Duport.) They came up with the idea of using the left thumb as a playing finger in high passages. Using the thumb as a playing finger is actually not the way how a cello (or any other string instruments) was intended to be played: If the thumb leaves the neck the fingers lose the necessary counter-pressure needed to push the string down easily and properly. But introducing that rather awkward way of playing the cello seemed to have been preferable to an evolution of the treasured Stradivari-model cello to a five string instrument.
Stradivari must have been aware of his cello’s limited tonal range: A violin player’s left hand can cover the interval of a fifth in low positions, in high positions even more. A cellist’s hand only can cover a fourth, which results in the more frequent need of position changes. The thicker strings of a cello also request the use of more pressure from the left and right hand than is necessary for playing the violin. The cello bow is shorter than a violin’s; proportionally enlarged it should actually be much longer. All these factors result in a greater difficulty to execute fast passages, long slurs and high notes.
But Stradivari probably stuck to the principle of four strings because of the good sound properties and because the role of the cello didn’t require playing high notes yet. Nonetheless, there were some cellists who picked up Bach’s proposition of using a five string instrument. Almost none of those instruments survived but they still can be seen depicted in drawings and oil paintings; some few can be seen in museums. The Musashino Academia Musicae Instrument Museum owns a relatively recently built Stradivari-size five string cello (See picture 5.); a fortunate coincidence, because its existence proves that there was a continuous interest in using such an instrument. It is an Italian instrument, built by Vincenzo Postiglione in 1880. It has basically the same measurements as the Stradivari four string models, only the bridge is slightly wider because of the additional string. It would be very interesting to hear its sound, but it would be too risky to equip this antique instrument with modern strings.
Picture 5: The Postiglione five string cello. 5
Since there are almost no old playable instruments available anymore recently some few cellists in Europe and America started to use new, full-sized, five string master-made cellos for playing Bach’s sixth suite13. However, the number of such cellists still is very small and there is no wide-spread documentation available about construction, sound and usability of their instruments. There are CD recordings featuring five string cellos, but since those are studio recordings they cannot deliver any conclusive data about actual sound properties.
The problems of Bach’s suites and the general difficulty of playing the cello are still being widely ignored. Bach’s 6th suite is now quite often being performed by viola – and violin players using contemporary copies of Bach’s viola-cellos14, but cellists still seem to believe they have to struggle on an instrument the work never was meant for.
A few cellists managed to master the 6th suite somehow on a four string cello. However, the question remains why so few cellists use a five string instrument.
The only reasonable possible objection against the use of a five string cello could be an acoustic disadvantage compared to a four string cello. Because of the presence of an additional fifth string there will be the need for a bigger bridge, a broader fingerboard, a thicker neck and a bigger tailpiece. Those changes will probably cause some loss of vibration of the body and thus lead to some loss of volume. The overtones of the additional string will possibly make up for some of that loss, but it is impossible to tell without trying and comparing.
In Japan it is presently impossible to do such research because there are no five string cellos available that could be compared to a high-class four string cello. The old ones are in museums and are not built to be equipped with modern strings. The new, five string cellos available on the market are either cheap, mass-produced factory instruments or ‘electric’ cellos15, used in Rock- and Pop-music.
• The optimal choice for a proper performance of Bach’s 6th cello suite would be using a viola-like instrument, a choice that is not an option for a cello player.16
• For a cellist a five string cello would be the obvious choice for the performance of Bach’s 6th cello suite17. A five string cello also would greatly facilitate the execution of the Sonatas BWV 1027-1029 on a cello (ultimately rewritten for a 5- or 6 string viola da gamba) and various Baroque- and early Classic concertos and sonatas.
• Further research would concentrate on comparing the sound properties of four- and five string cellos and the possible use of a five string cello for playing compositions of classic and romantic repertoire.
• There are very few high-quality five string cellos available for research in Japan.
These conclusions led us to the project that we hoped to get support for:
Fortunately the project was approved in April 2013 and the following report will show the proceedings during the next three years.
While working on the applying procedures, Doll and Yamazaki had already started talking to the violin maker Yoshio Ueda, who owns the shop ‘Ekoda Strings’ in Nerima/Tokyo, about taking the part of constructing the instrument. He agreed to start working on the project, beginning in April 2013.
1 Johann Mattheson: Das Neu-Eröffnete Orchestre (1714) “ The violoncello, the bass-viola, the viola da spalla are small bass- violins with 5 and 6 strings.”
2 J.G. Kastner; Traité Général D’instrumentation (1834): “VIOLA DA SPALLA (shoulder viola)- There is no information on the way that this instrument was tuned; It was suspended from the right shoulder with a ribbon. It is to be presumed that the viola da spalla was an approximate equivalent to our current violoncello, because one still finds village musicians who suspend the violoncello from the right shoulder with a strap, whereas our artists hold it between the knees
3 Anna Magdalena wrote before the Prélude: ”a cinque cordes” (for five strings) and added the notation C, G, D, a, e’; not specifying any particular instrument:
4 J.G. Kastner; Traité Général D’instrumentation : “VIOLA POMPOSA – This instrument was invented by the famous Johann Sebastian Bach. It was taller and higher than the ordinary viola, but it was held it in the same position as the viola; it had a fifth string in addition to the four strings of the viola, tuned to E […]. As the violoncello was being perfected little by little […] the viola pomposa was […] easily forgotten since it was heavy, and thus, inconvenient to manipulate.”
5 This habit of Bach must have been the reason for all of the later misunderstandings of the title ‘Suiten für Violoncello’: Bach’s actual choice of a violoncello’ for the sixth suite was actually a viola-cello, most likely the viola pomposa, an arm-held big viola, very similar or identical to the violoncello da spalla (Picture 1, and not a small version of a Stradivari-type violoncello.
6 Leopold Mozart; Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule; 1787; “Nowadays the violoncello […] is held between the legs, and one can justly call it […] a leg-fiddle.”
7 In the suites I to V the tonal range does not require the use of any other clef than the bass-clef.
8 In Anna Magdalena’s copy already in measure 9 of the Prélude the high notes make the use of the C-clef necessary; interestingly in its alto version, which usually is used for viola and viola da gamba.
9 Klaus Marx; Die Entwicklung des Violoncells und seiner Spieltechnik bis J.L.Duport. On page 52 Marx states that the sixth suite was written for “a flat instrument, held like a violin and tuned C G d a e’ ”.
10 Salvatore Lanzetti (1710-1780), Italian cello virtuoso and composer; Lanzetti is said to have been one of the first cellists to use the left thumb as a playing finger.
11 Jean-Pierre Duport (1741-1818) and Jean-Louis Duport (1749–1819), French cello virtuosos and composers
12 Bernhard Romberg (1767–1841), German cello virtuoso and composer
13 One of them is the German cellist Joachim Schiefer, who provided us – together with the violin maker Thorsten Theis – with very valuable information about their five string cello. Another one is the German cellist Matthias Beckmann.
14 Mostly the viola da spalla. See D. Badiarov’s documentation.
15 Those instruments have no sounding body- the vibration of the bridge is being transported directly to an electric amplifier.
16 Some violin and viola players have recently started to play the suites on replicas of the violoncello- or viola da spalla, a cello-like, five string instrument that hangs on a strap around the player’s neck. That is not an option available to a cellist.
17 In 1981 the German musicologist Werner Grützbach wrote in his book Stil- und Spielprobleme bei der Interpretation der 6 Suiten für Violoncello von J.S.Bach: “If a normal cello would be equipped with a fifth string an original performance of the 6th suite would be possible. Some cellists already did so successfully.” |
Last month we gave an overview of the building blocks that a country needs before it can put in place an internationally accepted nuclear power programme. In summary, a country will go through three phases in developing its infrastructure (as defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency):
Phase 1: Considerations before a decision to launch a program is taken
Phase 2: Preparatory work for contracting and construction of a nuclear power plant
Phase 3: Implementation
The end of each phase is marked by the achievement of a milestone which essentially describes a state of readiness that the country has achieved. The whole process, from aspiration to commissioning, will take at least 15 years, and so, for countries which have elections, the commitment has to be an enduring one capable of outlasting what may eventually turn out to be several changes in administration. The IAEA also recognises some 19 infrastructure issues, many of which we listed last month, and so this month we will take a look at the first, and possibly most important of those – the nuclear regulator.
Many countries without a commercial nuclear power plant will in any case have some form of nuclear regulator, stemming from the country having a research reactor. That regulator will need to build up its capabilities to deal with the much wider range of issues that come with a civil nuclear programme involving power reactors many hundreds of time bigger.
The most important aspect of a regulator is that it should be “independent” – but what does this mean in reality? Certainly, it can’t be associated with the owner or operator of the nuclear plant. The main aim is to avoid conflicts of interest, or even perceived conflicts. It is generally recognised that it should be part of government, and, depending on the legislation which seeks to create it and give it its remit, will depend upon which government department sponsors it. This can also be contentious, in that the government department which a regulator reports into should not be the same one as the department which is responsible for developing the nuclear program, such as the Ministry of Energy.
One of the criticisms coming out of investigations into the Fukushima accident was that the nuclear regulator (Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency) was indeed ultimately responsible to the same ministry (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI)) which promoted nuclear policy – that has since changed with a new regulator created, the Nuclear Regulation Authority, NRA, now reporting to the Ministry of Economy.
The regulator plays a key part in enabling the nuclear programme to be introduced. It has to establish the relevant laws, regulations and guidance and it must also have the ability to enforce these. It doesn’t do this blind, but can rely on guidance documents from the IAEA and others, and of course, engage the services of specialist consultants and law firms.
In addition to independence, the regulator also requires the necessary financial and human resources. As an organisation, the regulator doesn’t just grow overnight, but has to develop and grow with the programme. Several newcomer countries rely on “importing” the required capability until they can train up and populate their staff tree with their own nationals. This can be expensive, but in relation to the whole cost of the programme, it will be relatively insignificant.
The role of the regulator means that it does not just enforce the legislation. It is also there to help build public trust in itself, acting as their advocate in many respects in challenging the developer. Some countries also have two regulators associated with nuclear, the second one being responsible for environmental matters. The range of matters both should deal with not only covers nuclear safety, including licensing, but also nuclear security and safeguards, and transport.
This has been a brief introduction to the role of the nuclear regulator. Readers may care to look at their own country’s regulatory system and whether they have the following characteristics:
• Are they truly independent? Do they report into a separate government department from the one which is responsible for nuclear policy?
• Do they have adequate resources, both financial and human?
• Are they open and transparent in dealing with the proponent?
• In developing legislation and regulations, do they seek the views of the public as well as the more usual stakeholder?
• Do they seek international peer review, e.g. by the IAEA, on their regulatory capability?
Next month we will take a look at how a nuclear programme may be financed.
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By-the-Wind Sailors Washing Up on US West Coast Beaches
Velella velella
By-the-Wind-Sailors or Velella velella photo from Wikipedia
By-the wind sailors, also known by their scientific name Velella velella, have been washing up by the thousands along the West Coast of the United States. They have been found from Monterey, California all the way up the coast to Oregon.
What are Velella? They are distantly related to jellies as both are cnidarians. Velella are closely related to the Portuguese Man of War. They have a blue elliptical base and a transparent triangular “sail.” An individual is actually a hydroid polyp. A polyp is like the less recognizable stage in a jelly’s life when it is anchored to the sea floor, though Velella polyps are free-floating. In this polyp form, they spend their whole lives at the surface. Velella are at the mercy of the wind to get anywhere. They are found in warm and temperate oceans.
Velella eat by using their tentacles which hang beneath the surface. Like jellies, the tentacles have nematocysts, or stinging cells, to catch their food. These stinging cells are not dangerous to humans, though each person’s tolerance to their venom varies.
There are two forms of Velella. One has a left-to-right orientation of its sail, and the other form has a right-to-left orientation of its sail.
The Velella life cycle (like many “jelly-like” creatures) can be summarized as polyp-medusa-egg-planula-polyp. The polyp stage is the one written about in this post. The medusa is the free-floating stage, like any jelly you can think of. The eggs are microscopic and part of the plankton. Planula are the “free-swimming, flattened, ciliated, bilaterally symmetric larval form of various cnidarian species,” i.e. the fertilized egg.
Next time you are at the beach, look for these By-the-Wind Sailors!
Sources used: Univ. of Michigan animal diversity page
San Francisco Chronicle article “Beached blue wonders”
Wikipedia page on planula |
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Emotion Perception and Gender Factor in Stress
Perceptions of Emotion
The James-Lange theory says that every physical state of a person influences one’s emotions and mood. For instance, if one smiles, he or she is likely to feel happy. Both James and Lange (they developed the same theory together) think that every move, activity, and action has a particular impact on people’s feelings. Our brain receives various signals from different parts of the body (e.g., eyes if we cry, mouth if we smile, and heart if we are surprised) and acts by them (Freberg, 2016). Usually, when people move their facial muscles, they do not realize that their moods change.
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This is why mad personalities are always glum, whereas joyful individuals can hardly stop smiling. Our emotions play a significant role in our careers, relationships with families and friends, and other factors that surround us daily (Freberg, 2016). As a rule, people who are open to new acquaintances, enjoy every moment of their lives, and do not hesitate to express their emotions, are more successful and happier than antisocial individuals (Freberg, 2016). Our colleagues, family members, and friends always want to see cheerful and happy people near them. Therefore, many adults like to entertain themselves by going to restaurants, cinemas, and other facilities to acquire new feelings and gain more vital energy.
The exercise presented in a video format relates to the topic described above by explaining that sometimes people might display fake emotions. This source explains how to differentiate smirks and sincere smiles by spotting the wrinkles that occur below a person’s eyes (Wiseman, 2014). This knowledge is very helpful in everyday life because some individuals show constrained smiles to please their conversation companions. Unfortunately, some people cannot tell the differences between honest and fake emotions and have relationships with personalities who do not care about their lives as a result. Does it mean that a person does not want to have a conversation with one’s friend if he or she expresses fake emotions?
Gender and Stress
It is a well-known fact that women and men react to the same stressful situations differently. This factor is caused by the fact that females’ bodies produce a specific hormone that is called oxytocin (Jackson, 2010). This element helps women to cope with their emotions when they feel drained and stressed. In turn, the hormone of testosterone (produced by males) makes people more expressive and aggressive in their daily lives (Kumsta & Heinrichs, 2013). Therefore, men are less calm than their wives or girlfriends. Moreover, males demonstrate a more hostile response to stress, whereas women display a more nurturing sign (Jackson, 2010).
It would be proper to mention that representatives of the female gender have a large behavioral repertoire due to the hormone mentioned above (Jackson, 2010). Another factor that accounts for the differences in response between the sexes is the social support that individuals acquire from people who surround them. In particular, women are always supported by their friends, husbands, and children (Jackson, 2010). Therefore, they feel safer than men who do not expect anyone to show compassion to them. It is necessary to state that people with the fewest social connections have approximately two and a half times greater chance of dying than those with the most social connections.
Although there are several general theories about differences between genders in coping with stress, some individual factors and reasons imply personal qualities in such situations. For instance, some people take every unfortunate outcome close to heart, and they need to avoid stressful feelings as they might hurt their health (Kumsta & Heinrichs, 2013). However, other individuals are motivated by their failures and mistakes as they acquire additional energy to overcome particular difficulties (Kumsta & Heinrichs, 2013). Although many scientists claim that women’s bodies produce more oxytocin hormones to confront stress, does it mean that they have less stressful situations and disappointments in their lives?
Freberg, L. A. (2016). Discovering behavioral neuroscience: An introduction to biological psychology (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
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Jackson, J. (2010). Gender & stress [Video file]. Web.
Kumsta, R., & Heinrichs, M. (2013). Oxytocin, stress and social behavior: Neurogenetics of the human oxytocin system. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 23(1), 11-16. Web.
Wiseman, R. (2014). Can you spot a fake smile [Video file]? Web.
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Kunde farming in Kenya
Kunde (Cowpea) Vegetable Farming in Kenya
Cowpea farming is popular in Kenya’s arid and semi-arid areas due to its high nutrition value, short harvest period, and hardiness.
The cowpea is also known as the black-eyed pea. In Kenya, it is popularly known as Kunde.
Farmed for its leaves and grains, Kunde leaves are more popular as a vegetable than as a grain. As a farmer, you should consider farming cowpea as a vegetable because of its short harvest period of three to four weeks and its ability to be grown alongside other crops.
The cowpea is rich in Vitamin B complex, calcium, iron, and zinc.
Nutritional benefits of cowpea
The cowpea is packed with nutrients. It is rich in fibre, iron, protein, and potassium. It also has low calories and fat making it a good food when it comes to weight loss and other lifestyle-related conditions.
Helps in fetal development
Cowpeas are rich in vitamin b9 (folic acid) which helps in the development of the foetus during pregnancy. Folic acid deficiency in pregnancy might lead to birth defects.
Prevent anaemia
Cowpeas are rich in iron which helps in the formation of the red blood cells. Iron helps prevent conditions like anaemia
Improved metabolism
Due to the presence of copper and potassium in cowpeas, consuming cowpeas on a daily basis will improve your metabolic health and digestion.
Helps with building strong bones
The presence of calcium, phosphorus, zinc, magnesium, copper, boron, and Vitamin D in cowpeas helps in the formation and maintenance of strong bones.
Assist in mental health
Cowpeas contain tryptophan which is known to help with issues like anxiety and insomnia. It helps in providing good sleep, maintain high levels of energy and appetite.
Healing and repair of muscle tissue
The presence of amino acids in cowpea assist in development and repair of muscle tissue.
Helps in digestion
The fibre content in cowpeas helps in bowel movement, enhancing in the gastrointestinal system.
Helps prevent diabetes
Cowpeas contain good amounts of magnesium which help in the processing of sugars glucose and carbohydrates
Uses of the cowpea
The cowpea leaves are consumed as a vegetable alongside other meals. The cooked cowpea leaves can be mashed together with potatoes to make a meal.
Cowpea grains can be boiled together with maize to make a meal
Traditionally cowpea leaves were used as a balm on burns and skin swellings. The leaves can be chewed to treat toothaches.
Cowpea roots were used to deal with snakebites. Cowpea roots were crushed and mixed with porridge to deal with painful menstruation epilepsy and chest pains.
Cowpea grains were ground and mixed with other items as a cure for the common cold as a dewormer and treatment of bilharzia.
Varieties of cowpeas grown in Kenya
Machakos 66
Machakos 66 also known as M66 is a cowpea variety that is grown for both the greens and the leaves. It is tolerant to yellow mottle virus and scab. M66 can tolerate the damage from aphids and thrips. Machakos 66 is also moderately tolerant to powdery mildew and septoria leaf spot.
Machakos 66 will develop flowers in 60 days after germination. Machakos 66 grows well at altitudes of 1200 to 1500 metres above sea level
Katumani 80
Katumani 80 is another variety of cowpeas that is grown as a vegetable and grain and flowers 60 days after germination. It can withstand aphids, pod borers, and leafhoppers but is prone to cowpea yellow mosaic virus.
KVU 27-1
Kvu 27 is a variety of cowpea that can be grown for both grains and leaves. It is tolerant of leafhoppers, pod borers, thrips, and aphids. KVU 27-1 has demonstrated good resistance to fungal diseases and the cowpea mosaic virus.
The best conditions for growing Kunde
Kunde can grow in a variety of climates. The best zones to grow the cowpea are the ones that are between 80 to 1200 metres above sea level.
Kunde do not require a lot of water but if you’re depending on rainfall you need to have a rainfall of at least 200 mm per season. They do well in hot temperatures of between 20 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius. Colder climates will slow down germination and growth.
Kunde can do well in a variety of soils but the best soils are well-drained sandy loams or sandy soils. The soil should have a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5.
Manure and fertilizer requirements for Kunde.
For optimal production, Kunde require phosphorus and some amount of organic matter in the soil.
Apply a fertilizer rich in phosphorus for example TSP on your farm two weeks before planting cowpeas. The reason for applying phosphorus fertilizer is to enable the roots of the cowpea to develop nodules which will help the plant fixate nitrogen from the air. Apply single or triple superphosphate fertilizer at the rate of 17 to 22 kg per acre.
For organic matter apply well-composted manure at the rate of 2 tonnes per acre. The manure should be broadcasted and mixed well into the soil. This should be done at about 2 weeks before the planting date.
Sowing cowpeas.
Cowpeas are sowed directly into the farm at the rate of 8 to 10 kg per acre. For good results inoculate the seeds using rhizobium bacteria which help improve nitrogen fixation in the roots of the cowpeas.
If depending on rainfall the best time to plant cowpeas is on the early onset of rains. Kunde seeds should be planted 5 centimetres deep in a raised hill. Each Hill should have 3 to 4 seeds which should later be thinned so that you remain with two plants per hill. The thinning should be done two weeks after planting.
The recommended spacing for cowpeas is 60 centimetres between rows and 30 centimetres between plants if you’re planting cowpeas for both vegetables and grain. This gives you a plant population of 22,222 cowpea plants per acre.
If you are farming cowpea purely as a vegetable, the spacing should be 40 centimetres between rows and 10 centimetres between plants this should give you a population of 100,000 to 166,666 plants per acre.
Irrigation and water requirements for Kunde.
Kunde is a hardy crop that can withstand drought. It can grow with minimal rainfall of 200 mm per year. Plants will use the moisture in the soil well. Lack of enough water makes the cowpea plant limit growth by reducing the number of leaves the plant grows.
If you want to grow cowpeas throughout the year it is advisable to use irrigation.
Weeding your Kunde farm
You should remove weeds from your cowpeas farm twice per growing season. The first weeding is done two weeks after the emergence of weeds and the second weeding done as the weeds emerge.
Watch out for a weed called parasitic weed called Striga. It should be removed early enough before it develops and propagates. Adequate manure and fertilizer application helps in reducing the infestation of Striga.
Pests affecting Kunde
Pests can seriously affect your cowpea crop. They reduce the quality and quantity of leaves and grains. For optimal production, you need to have a pest control strategy in order to make your cowpea farming worthwhile.
The major pests that affect cowpeas are aphids, blister beetles, thrips, pod borers, and root-knot nematodes.
Aphids in cowpea
Aphids in cowpeas are tiny insects that suck sap from the leaves and stem of a cowpea plant. They secrete honeydew on the plants. Honeydew from the aphids creates a favourable condition for the growth of sooty mold.
Aphids are also carriers of disease-causing viruses such as the Mosaic virus.
While some cowpea varieties can withstand an onslaught from aphids, it is good to control them so that they don’t adversely affect your harvest. This is because aphids can lead to the death or stunting of your cowpea plants.
To control aphids use cultural methods such as the ladybird beetle that is a natural predator of aphids.
You can also use pesticides, both chemical and organic to control aphids
Blister beetles.
Blister beetles are large beetles that measure between 2 centimetres and 5 centimetres. They are either black and yellow in colour or black and red in colour.
They feed on the cowpea flowers hence affecting the development of the cowpea pod. The pollen from maize plants can attract blister beetles.
To control blister beetles, pick them by hand, and destroy them. Make sure you wear gloves. As a defense mechanism blister beetles secrets a liquid that can burn the skin.
Trips are tiny black insects that lay eggs on the flowers of the cowpea plant. They feed on the cowpea flower which eventually drops or grows out of shape. This affects the development of the seed pod leading to decreased production.
To control thrips on cowpeas plant maize and sorghum and practice field hygiene. Destruction of host plants also helps in the control of thrips in cowpeas.
You can also plant cowpea varieties that are resistant to trips for example K80 and KVU27. Use chemical pesticides can also control thrips.
Pod borers
Pod borers are moths that affect the cowpea plant by feeding on all parts of the plant including the leaves, flowers, stems, and pods. Pod borers will affect your cowpea plants at any stage of development. The adult pod borer will feed on flowers and young cowpea pods as the young pod borer caterpillars feed on the flower and the leaves of the cowpea plant.
Pod borers will cause severe damage to a cowpea farm since by feeding on both the pods and the leaves they will affect the production of cowpea vegetable and cowpea grain.
You can use pesticides both chemical and organic to control pod borers in cowpeas.
Root-knot nematodes
Root-knot nematodes are tiny insects and that feed on the roots of the cowpea plants. Their feeding activity makes the roots develop swellings known as galls. These swellings interfere with the nutrient intake of the plant through the roots.
The galls resulting from root-knot nematodes infestation can be differentiated from the nodules brought by rhizobium bacteria by colour. The beneficial nodules are usually small, round in shape, and have a pink colour inside.
Attack by root-knot nematodes exposes the plant to other diseases such as fusarium wilt. A cowpea plant that has been attacked by root-knot nematodes will look stunted and malnourished. It might eventually fall off.
To control root-knot nematodes in cowpea, practice crop rotation with crops that are resistant to root-knot nematodes. These include cereals and onions. After harvesting, uproot the entire crop and destroy any affected roots by burning.
Diseases affecting cowpeas
The following diseases affect cowpea plants:
• Fusarium wilt
• Powdery mildew
• Cowpea mosaic virus
• Damping-off
• Cercospora leaf spot
Fusarium wilt
Fusarium wilt is a fungal disease that affects the tissue of the cowpea plant that is responsible for transporting water and nutrients. Cowpea plants that are affected by fusarium wilt will develop brown stem tissues and wilting. They will have stunted growth.
To control fusarium wilt in cowpeas, control root-knot nematodes. The damage caused by root-knot nematodes exposes the cowpea plant to the fusarium wilt fungus.
Powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is another fungal disease that affects cowpeas. It affects the leaves and pods. They develop greyish powdery growth. The leaves of the affected cowpea plant will turn yellow and fall off. The application of too much nitrogen fertilizer predisposes the cowpea plant to severe infestations of powdery mildew.
To control powdery mildew you can use cowpea varieties that are tolerant to powdery mildew. An example is Machakos 66. Practice proper field hygiene and do not plant your cowpeas too close.
You can also use chemical methods to control powdery mildew in cowpeas. An example is using fungicides that are based on sulfur.
Cowpea mosaic virus
Cowpea mosaic virus is a viral disease that is spread by aphids. Cowpea mosaic virus will cause cowpea leaves to curl. The infected leaves will be smaller. Cowpea plants infected by the cowpea mosaic virus will have stunted growth. They will not yield as much as other healthy plants.
To control cowpea, rotate with plants that are not from the same family as cowpea. Use disease-free certified seeds and control aphids. You should also remove other plants that can act as carriers of the disease.
Damping-off is a disease caused by a fungus that is characterized by the collapse of young seedlings. It is prevalent in wet and cool conditions.
To control damping-off disease in cowpeas, avoid conditions that might be optimal for the disease. These include waterlogged soils. Practice crop rotation and use fungicides that are targeted to control the damping-off fungus.
Cercospora leaf spot
When your cowpea plant is infected by the Cercospora leaf spot, the leaves will develop yellowish-brown or purple coloured spots. The symptoms will start from the lower leaves. Infected leaves will eventually fall off. This will negatively affect the yield of your cowpea plants.
To control cercospora leaf spot in cowpeas, practice crop rotation with plants that are not in the legume family. Do not weed or cultivate when the leaves are wet. This helps in spreading the disease.
You can also use fungicides to control cercospora leaf spot.
Harvesting Kunde
Kunde leaves will be ready for harvesting three to four weeks after planting. Young and soft leaves are harvested as these are the ones that are preferred in the market.
Some farmers prefer to uproot a whole plant and sell it in the market as it is. The end consumer will remove the leaves for cooking. Other farmers prefer harvesting a few leaves from the plant. This results in the cowpea plant developing more leaves.
Kunde will yield a lot of leaves with shorter harvesting frequency of the leaves. This means you will harvest more leaves, but the plant will not develop substantial grain yields.
Kunde will yield about 2400 kg of leaves per acre.
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Big Power Politics And The Muslim World
Big Power Politics And The Muslim World
By Dr Ghulam Nabi Fai
First of all, let me clarify that not all Muslims rebel, but some do. Not all rebellions are about self-determination, but some are. Civilization and international peace and security will pay a steep price if the only answer to Muslim discontent is bloody fists, not democratic openings. A survey past and present edifies.
Today, most refugees are Muslim, for example Syria, Afghanistan, Myanmar, etc. Most American military bases are hosted by predominantly Muslim countries, for example, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, etc. But refugees are also Hindus, Christians, Buddhists, animists, or otherwise. And American military bases exist in important non-Muslim countries too, for example, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. In other words, turmoil and belligerency crosses religious or ethnic lines.
The same can be said of self-determination and democracy struggles. East Timorese were Christians opposing domination by Indonesia’s Muslim majority. Namibia gained self-determination by defeating South Africa’s apartheid. Muslim Eritrea gained self-determination against Christian Ethiopia. The Mexican, American, and Chinese revolutions were engineered without Muslim faces. In sum, peoples of varying religions, races, and cultures have sought self-determination or democracy. The struggles are not idiomatic with Muslims. In sum, oppressed peoples rebel and seek self-determination irrespective of religious creed.
Some so-called experts ask: Are Islam and democracy compatible? The answer is, yes. Think of Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bosnia, and Kosovo. Islam contains the seeds of democratic practices and habits every bit as much as non-Muslim religions. Islamic scholars cite the principal of Shura or consultative decision-making. Islam also erects no stark hierarchy of religious authority like the Roman Catholic Church. In fashioning the compact of Medina, the Holy Prophet Mohammad employed revelations from God to create a timeless constitution, yet also sought the consent of all who would be affected by its implementation. President Thomas Jefferson thus borrowed from the Holy Prophet in the Declaration of Independence in speaking of government by the consent of the governed.
The credibility of proponents of democracy in the Islamic world is impaired by their historical and contemporary equivocations or hypocrisy. Britain was no tribune for Islamic democracy during its colonial heyday in India, Egypt, Nigeria, Ghana, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq, Oman, Yemen, or the Persian Gulf emirates. France struggled against Muslim self-determination and democracy in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. The Netherlands neglected to celebrate democracy in Indonesia. The United States supports flagrantly anti-democratic regime today in Egypt and elsewhere. In sum, western democracies place self-interest and national security considerations above Islamic democracy when the two clash.
Civil strife and tumult is risked if democracy does not take the Muslim world by storm. By an overwhelming majority, Muslims covet democracy and are willing to make enormous sacrifices towards that end. Indeed, a comprehensive survey published in 2003 by the Pew Global Attitudes Project found that many Muslims polled clamoured more loudly for political freedoms than Eastern Europeans, most notably Bulgarians and Russians. The Pew findings were echoed in 2004 surveys conducted by Pipu Norris of Harvard University and Rob Inglehart of the University of Michigan. Muslims decisively prefer democracy to any other form of government, and many nations in the Muslim world claim a democratic mantle, including Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
Muslims are receiving inconsistent messages from the west. First, they are told that immediate democratization is urgent. Then they are told Islam is incompatible with democracy, and thus free elections are to be feared because risking a reprise of the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and rule by benighted mullahs and Grand Ayatollahs. Algeria employed that excuse to cancel 1992 elections, which were destined to be captured by an Islamic party and Egypt did the same in 2013.
Muslims do not dislike the United States or Great Britain or the West, but they often oppose their foreign policies that pursue national interests over consistency or moral justice. The West rejoiced at jihad to oust the Soviet Union from Afghanistan, but then denounced it against itself. The United States aided Saddam Hussein when he invaded Iran because fearful that the Khomeini revolution might gobble up the Persian Gulf, but then warred twice against Saddam over Kuwait, weapons of mass destruction, and support for terrorism.
Non-democratic regimes in Muslim countries are explained not by religion, but by history, politics, culture, and economic traditions. The United States, like every other country, forges ties with those regimes, which support its interests. Human rights, accountability, and democracy are subordinated. International relations are not exercises in altruism. What might be changed is the United States perception of what are its best interests in the Muslim world. Thus, the United States stumbled in believing that replacing the democrat Mossadegh with the monarchical Shah in Iran would advance its global agenda in the long run. It did not. Dr. Nazir Gilani, President, JKCHR has warned: “Although we hold an undisputable belief that human rights are for all, should know them, demand them and defend them, yet we see this universal faith being savaged under pressures of economic interests.”
At least 750 million Muslims thrive in democratic societies of varying genres. That discredits the effort by some western scholars and ideologues to present Islam as inherently inferior to western liberalism, authoritarian, and anti-democratic. It is a historical fact that Benazir Bhutto was the first female head of the state elected in a Muslim majority country – Pakistan. And America still awaits.
Muslims, like others, cherish self-determination. Self-determination of peoples has been an established human right since World War I and President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 points. The concept played a leading role in the post-war settlement, and a few plebiscites were held in disputed border areas. The United Nations, formed after World War II, celebrates self-determination in Article 1.2 as a major objective. Self-determination has been enshrined in countless international documents and treaties that an enumeration must be forgone as a concession to the shortness of life. However, largely, self-determination was honoured more in the breach than in the observance.
The woolly principle of self-determination, like the principle of nuclear non-proliferation, has been employed according to big power politics, not according to high moral standards or consistency. Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, and Bosnia have been recognized as separate nations out of former Yugoslavia by the United Nations, but Kosovo has not been. Likewise, big powers agreed in 1948 that the people of Kashmir have the right to self-determination but this pledge was never fulfilled until iodate. Dr. Nazir Gilani refers to a historical debate “when United States and Great Britain decided in November 1947 and August 1951 to take the Kashmir issue to ICJ. Over the years, these two countries have been dragging feet on the human rights situation in Kashmir and do not want to disturb Indian market by challenging India under her responsibilities under the Charter, under the limited Instrument of Accession and under the UN template on Kashmir.”
The international community and the United States in particular employ double standards, as is customary in human beings individually in both public and private life. The gist of the double standard is this. The Muslim world is urged to practice democracy, yet told to abandon the practice if likely to lead to the election of parties or candidates feared by the United States. Algeria in 1992, Iran in 1953 and Egypt in 2013 are exemplary.
I am not against the idea of self-determination, if tempered by prudence and practicality. Indeed, I believe self-determination is the answer, not the problem in Kashmir and some other convulsed territories. But the world of politics and international relations do not lend themselves to Euclidean formulas.
In the end, I can say with confidence that people of any religion will turn to violence when peaceful avenues of dissent or opposition are closed. We must listen carefully as well as speak forcefully for all international conflicts, be it Palestine, Myanmar or Kashmir.
Business Management – Beginner to Advanced
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What is A Fire Risk Assessment And Why Is It Needed?
A fire risk assessment is a process that involves evaluating the potential consequences of a fire. The main goal of a fire risk assessment is to identify and mitigate the risks of damage to property, injury to occupants, and loss of life.
What Is A Fire Risk Assessment?
A fire risk assessment is a process that can help identify hazardous materials, which might contribute to an increase in the risks of fires, or be the cause of a fire. There are two types of assessments: process and property. To know more about Fire Risk Assessment services Give us a call today!.
Types Of A Fire Risk Assessment
A fire risk assessment is a document that identifies the potential risks associated with a specific project and determines ways to mitigate them. Fire risk assessments will usually evaluate three types of hazards:
– Combustible materials
– Electrical equipment
– Occupancy
Why Does The Safety Plan Need To Be Updated?
A fire risk assessment is a plan for a building's interior and exterior elements, creating a barrier between the building and an outside source of ignition. The risk assessment is conducted to identify risks within the property and determine appropriate responses. This includes determining whether there are any potentially hazardous materials that require inspection, testing, or modification.
How To Perform A Fire Risk Assessment
The fire risk assessment is a process that helps to identify risks and assess the capacity of buildings, departments, and other entities within a given building. A risk assessment can be performed using multiple methods including interviews, surveys, environmental monitoring equipment, and audits.
A fire risk assessment is a report that is used to assess the safety of a property or an area. It looks at fire risk factors and analyzes them. The result will help the owner make decisions about how to mitigate those risks. |
Web Development Tutorials
Variables are used for storing values, such as a text string “hello” or a numeric value “7”. They form the basis for any PHP code.
Creating a variable and assigning it a value.
Show variable values on the page.
Use variables to add, subtract, and multiply values.
Show a variable when killing a page
Creating a Variable
Creating a variable is as easy as 1, 2, 3, especially if you’re used to working with JavaScript. Simply prefix an alphanumeric word with a $ followed by = 'value';.
$my_variable = 'hello world';
Naming Conventions
• Must be alphanumeric and can contain underscores (a-z A-Z 0-9 _).
• Must start with an underscore or a letter.
• Spaces aren’t allowed in variables
• Variables with more than one word should be separated with underscores such as $my_var
• Another way to separate multiple worded variables is through capitalisation such as $myVar
Assigning a Value
There are a few ways to set variable values within PHP, including two different types of quotation marks.
My recommendation is to use a single quotation mark. 'value' will be treated as a non-executable string. Whereas "value" will check if there’s anything to execute during processing. This will impact speed.
If you want to pass a variable’s value to another variable I recommend the following.
$var_1 = 'Hello';
$var_2 = $var_1 . ' world'; // Fastest method
Numeric Strings
Numeric strings are very easy to understand and to use. They behave in a similar way to double quotation strings and you don't need to do much different. Things to remember -
• BODMAS (brackets, operation, division, multiplication, addition, subtraction)
• + Add
• - Subtract
• * Multiply
• / Divide
• () Brackets
Basic Numeric String
Let’s start with the most basic numeric string we can. We want to add two values together 1 + 2 = 3, although it’s very rare that you’ll use two static numbers like this.
$string = 1 + 2;
echo $string; // 3
Numeric with a variable
Now lets make numeric strings slightly more complicated by using a variable. This is the most practical application of numeric variable calculations.
$i = 5;
$string = $i + 2;
echo $string; // 7
Special Numeric Strings
What about saving time on simple calculations? Well PHP has you covered. For example, you may wish to add 1 every time you go through a loop.
$i = 11; // Define the variable
$i++; // Add 1 to $i
$i--; // Subtract 1 from $i
$i += 2; // Add 2 to $i
$i -= 2; // Subtract 2 from $i
Seeing a Variable
There are a few different ways to display variables on a PHP page. There are two correct ways, and one that may confuse you. The first and most common method using the echo function. The second function you’ll see is the print function.
echo 'hello'; // hello
print 'hello'; // hello
$var = 'hello world';
echo $var; // hello world
print $var; // hello world
What’s the difference between echo and print?
On the face of it echo and print do exactly the same thing, display text. But there is one minor difference. echo returns an empty value, whereas print returns 1.
This becomes a problem when using PHP functions to check on the success of another function. If you use echo the function will think it’s failed, but a success message will be displayed.
Ultimately this is bad practise and you should instead be using the return function in this case. The problem with using return is that it doesn’t display the text, but rather passes it between functions. Don’t worry if this isn’t making much sense yet!
Showing an Error Message
Like many things in PHP there are two ways to kill your script and display an error message. The most common method is using the die function, but you can also use exit.
die 'hello'; // hello
print 'test'; // doesn't run
exit 'hello'; // hello
echo 'test'; //doesn't run
What’s the difference between exit and die?
There is no difference between exit() and die() in PHP.
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Beneficios de la lactancia materna
It is important to know that every child is born with the biological need to learn, and any stimulation that you get during the first 12 months, has a greater impact on their brain growth that at any other stage of life.
Keep in mind that the stimulation is a form of play that challenges the mind of the baby at the same time that it gives you satisfaction to your preferences recently discovered.
The total growth of an individual is carried out by means of the interrelationship of the physical, mental, emotional and social, and the early stimulation will impact on the overall growth of the baby, without pressure or speed up any development process.
Simply, what you are looking for is to optimize the abilities of the child, in all areas. In addition it is worth mentioning that the pacing is very simple to apply and will provide your child with the tools they need for the development of their skills and a better performance in his future pre-school.
To carry out the development of the stimulation needs of the professional, parents and people who are in contact with the baby.
Definition of early stimulation
For a better understanding of what is the early stimulation we cite several concepts that define it:
1. It is a direct approach, simple and satisfying to help the development of the baby, the time that parents experience joy and joy. Its purpose is to optimize the development of the child to achieve the maximum improvement of their potential physical, intellectual, achieving an appropriate balance that allows the integrated development of the personality.
2. Is the application multi-sensory, from birth until the integration of reflex activity, giving rise to a voluntary activity.
3. Is to constantly provide the child since you were born, the opportunities to connect with the world around him, starting with his own family and by the people who permanently or temporarily are in charge of their care.
4. Are the care, games and activities we have to do with the children since they are in gestation, to help them grow and develop healthy, strong, smart, affectionate, self-confident and independent.
5. It is the natural process of development, handled in a playful manner, to put into practice the daily relationship with the baby. It is also addressed to children with both mental and physical disabilities.
6. It is a specialty therapeutic education oriented to children from 0 to 4 years and with a detour of up to 6 years) with disabilities or at-risk bio - psycho-social in the social and cultural context of their family.
7. It is the whole care, games and activities that can help children, from birth, to better develop their physical and mental capabilities.
Read also: the Basics of early stimulation
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