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warc | 201704 | Washington, June 29 (ANI): A team of astronomers from the UK, Germany and Spain have observed the remnant of a stellar collision and discovered that its brightness varies in a way not seen before on this rare type of star.
By analyzing the patterns in these brightness variations, astronomers will learn what really happens when stars collide.
Stars like our Sun expand and cool to become red giant stars when the hydrogen that fuels the nuclear fusion in their cores starts to run out.
Many stars are born in binary systems so an expanding red giant star will sometimes collide with an orbiting companion star.
As much as 90 percent of the red giant star's mass can be stripped off in a stellar collision, but the details of this process are not well understood.
Only a few stars that have recently emerged from a stellar collision are known, so it has been difficult to study the connection between stellar collisions and the various exotic stellar systems they produce.
When an eclipsing binary system containing one such star turned up as a by-product of a search for extrasolar planets, Dr. Pierre Maxted and his colleagues decided to use the high-speed camera ULTRACAM to study the eclipses of the star in detail.
These new high-speed brightness measurements show that the remnant of the stripped red giant is a new type of pulsating star.
The discovery is published in the journal Nature. (ANI) | 1,411 | 753 | 0.001338 |
warc | 201704 | If you ask anyone who's met me at a community meetup whether I'm an introvert or extravert, they'll probably say, without hesitation, extravert. If I'm in my element, especially amongst people I already know, I'm outgoing, friendly, and quick to offer my opinion. My history as a theatre major would seem to confirm that: only extraverts want to get up on stage, right? In truth, I get more energy from spending time on my own: working at home with my dog, a solitary train ride, watching Netflix on the couch. If I have to be social too many days in a row, I tend to hibernate at home to recover after. At the end of a networking session with new people, I'm exhausted. On the other hand, at the end of a great discussion with intelligent people, I'm energized and ready to talk to ear off of my half-asleep husband. Am I suffering from a bad case of Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde? No, I'm just an Ambivert.
Myers-Briggs personality testing has been popular in academia and human resources as a way of discovering how different students and employees learn, work, and rest. In regards to attitude, the test sorts people into two categories: extraverts, who derive energy from outward actions, and introverts, who gather energy from inward pursuits. An ambivert is someone who falls in between those two extremes. First used in the 1920s, the term has gained exposure again through Dan Pink's book To Sell is Human. It's not surprising that most people can be classified as ambiverts, but how do your ambivert qualities make you a great community manager?
We Need Other People - Just Not All The Time One of the key indicators of whether you're an introvert or extravert is how you recharge your batteries, so to speak. Do you get your energy from being out and about, around your friends, having a great time? Would you rather have some quiet time at home to rest and decompress? If you're an ambivert, you're likely in between. You really like spending time with your community, but sometimes you have to unplug from it for a little while. You can keep your head down and get your work done, but you absolutely need to reach out and connect with other community managers on TweetChats or Meetups or you don't feel fulfilled. Appeasing both needs means you're much more likely to find a good work/life balance than someone on either end of the spectrum. We Hear and Listen
An April 2013 study found that contrary to popular belief, extraverts don't make great sales people. Their enthusiasm can cause extraverts to overlook the needs of the customer. Ambiverts are able to keep their emotions in check and listen so that they can respond appropriately. This helps community managers, who will often need to use active listening skills with members when trying to solve their problems.
We Take Action, But Think First While extraverts will have an idea and act on it as soon as possible, introverts will often think themselves out of an idea. Ambiverts straddle the distance in between, thinking ideas through, but always focused on how to bring those ideas to action. This serves especially well in conflict resolution: rather than take quick, rash action, ambiverts will reflect on the details of a situation and use that as a basis for action. We Can Speak Your Language Ambiverts are the chameleons of communication. If you're loud and energetic, we can match that and come up to your level. If you want a more chilled conversation, we can dig that, too. This proves invaluable to a community manager, who has to be at ease talking to all the members of their community, as well as reaching out to new contacts, working with all the departments within their company, and reporting to the C-level. We're Jacks of All Trades A diplateevo post on ambiverts cautioned that ambiverts can sometimes have trouble finding one career and sticking to it, as they have a tendency to become jacks of all trades. This actually works in favor of community managers, who often have to juggle multiple roles within their title. A diverse background (a little bit of sales, a little bit of customer service, a little bit of content) is also a plus when beginning a career as a community manager. | 4,183 | 2,053 | 0.000488 |
warc | 201704 | How to Split Fence Rails Out of Logs Splitting Fence Rails
Now here's an old skill!
People have been splitting fence rails out of logs for hundreds of years, and up until the 19th century in the United States it was necessary for farmers to know how to build their own fences from scratch... or from trees, in this case.
Issues such as deforestation, and then improvements like mill-sawn fence rails and barbed wire, made hand-split fence rails a moot point in many regions. But in some regions of the U.S. such as Appalachia the tradition lived on. In some historic areas in New England and Pennsylvania, you can still find fence rails that were split in the 19th century from rot-resistant types of wood like white oak and black locust.
So then, here's the big question: What the heck is the point in knowing how to split fence rails out of logs?
What's the Point?
I happen to have several answers to that question. For one, people are nostalgic, and as a result there happens to be a market for hand-split and homemade fence material. Around my way, hand-split locust fence rails sell for $8.00 each, sometimes more. Theoretically, if I had no other source of income, I could harvest wood from the forest and attempt to make a meager living selling hand-made fence materials.
I also believe that it's important to know how to do things that used to be essential. Connecting with history is important, and I don't think it's good enough to just say, "Things were hard back then." How hard? And were things so hard, really, or were people just tougher? Either way, civilization is great and all but nothing lasts forever. I'm on a mission to accumulate as many "useless" old skills as I can.
Which brings me to my next point. It's nice to know that in the event of a total collapse of civilization, I could, all by myself, build a fence using only the woods around me - a fence that would be tall and strong.
And finally (like with chopping firewood by hand or mowing with a scythe), splitting fence rails out of logs may not be necessary but it's great exercise, it gets you outside, and it's wonderful for some stress relief.
Fence Rail Wood Should Be... A log at least 1-foot in diameter and at least 8-feet in length Rot-resistant Able to be split without great difficulty Selecting Wood for Fence Rails
Logs that will be used to make fence rails should be minimally 8 feet long; 10 to 12 feet long is ideal. And the thicker the log, the more potential fence rails it contains, so the log should be minimally one-foot in width. You can split rails out of logs with a diameter smaller than a foot, but they will be thinner and won't be triangle- or wedge-shaped.
The best wood for fence rails generally isn't much different than the best types wood for firewood, with some exceptions.
The wood should be a rot-resistant type, such as oak, locust, cedar, or walnut. It should be rot-resistant, since fence rails spend all of their time outdoors in the weather.
My top five picks for rail-wood are:
Oak (white oak is better than red) Black Locust Black Walnut Cedar Ash
Elm is also a very rot-resistant wood, and if it was all that I had to pick from I would split rails from it. However, elm is notoriously difficult to split, so if you have other options take them.
Some maples, such as red and sugar, can be good for fence rails. Personally, I would stay away from silver maple as it can be more trouble to split than it's worth. In fact, here are five types of tree I would avoid when selecting wood for fence rails.
Silver Maple Sycamore Poplar Hickory Hemlock
Pine is not out of the question for fence rails, if it is split-able. Long-leaf Yellow Pine was a very popular rail-wood in the southern U.S. before sawn fence material was widely available.
Tools Needed to Split Fence Rails Metal wedges, 3 or 4 (the sharper the better) A splitting maul or sledgehammer A small, sharp hatchet A hammer or small mallet (optional) Let's Get Started!
Splitting fence rails out of logs requires some of the same skills as chopping firewood. If you can chop wood, you can make fence rails - you just need to develop a little finesse.
The idea is to use metal wedges to split the log first in half, then into quarters or smaller (if the log was big enough to begin with). To do this, you will start at the fatter end of the log and drive a wedge into the end-grain. You will then drive another wedge a little farther down the log. As you go, you will be able to remove your first wedge from the log as the split widens. You will use your wedges to direct the split in the log all the way from one end to the other, "leap-frogging" your wedges as your go.
Please Note: Every log is different, so splitting logs for fence rails is a somewhat creative process that will be a little different every time. What I intend to do with this article is give you the basic idea, with instructions that are easy to follow. If you actually decide to try your hand at splitting some fence rails, you'll find this article is a good guide but that it cannot possibly describe splitting every log that there is. This article will, however, give you the information that you need to split a log and you'll be able to adapt that information as needed.
Here's the process in a few easy-to-follow steps.
Step One: Speak to It & Sink the First Wedge
If you read my article on chopping firewood, you might remember the phrase that I use to describe the process of drawing a line in the end-grain of a log with the purpose of encouraging the wood to split down that line. (My end-grain definition: The part of the log where you can see the growth rings; the cut end(s) of the log.)
I call this "speaking to it," and it's a useful little skill that will help you to split the log properly.
To speak to it, simply take a wedge in hand and use your mallet or splitting maul to tap the wedge just into the end-grain of the log. Draw a line that will split the log in half, but that will not direct the split into a knot or a bad twist, if possible.
If the end-grain is already checked (meaning that there is a small, visible split in the wood) and you like the looks of the check, speaking to it is unnecessary.
Now, using your splitting maul, sledge, or mallet, drive the wedge into the end-grain of the log. You should ssee the log starting to split, hopefully in half.
By the way...
The health benefits of splitting rails aren't much different from the health benefits of chopping firewood.
Step Two: Sink Another Wedge
Now that you have one wedge in the end-grain of the log, you should see that the log has started to split.
Examine the way the log is splitting. Is it splitting half? Do you like the direction that the split is headed? If you want the maximum possible number of rails out of every log, it's important to keep checking your progress throughout the process.
Assuming the split looks good and isn't running off in one direction or another, take another wedge in hand. Sink the second wedge into the log, this time against the grain, which means at a right angle to the way the grain runs. You will basically sink this wedge into the bark of the log.
You should select where to place the second wedge based on the split. Don't put the wedge into where the wood is already well opened-up - move a little farther down the log to where you can see something like a hairline crack in the wood, and sink the wedge there.
When you drive the second wedge into the log, the split will widen and you should be able to free your first wedge. Take the first wedge out of the end-grain, as you will probably need it later.
Step Three: Begin to Play Leap-Frog
Here's where it starts to get pretty easy.
I can split a 10-foot log using only two wedges. How? Because each wedge that I sink into the log allows me to free the one that went in before it. That's why I call it leap-frogging, I guess! It's best to have more than two wedges, but it's not totally necessary.
You've already freed your first wedge from the end-grain of the log, right? Examine the split that you're making in the log, and if everything still looks good you should go ahead and sink the wedge into the log. Again, don't waste time and energy sinking the wedge into a wide part of the split. Go a little farther down to where the log is just cracked, and sink the wedge there.
Sinking this wedge should widen the split and allow you to remove the second wedge that you sank. Remove your wedge, and repeat the process until the log is split in half! If your wedge is stuck, that's okay - that's why I recommended three or four wedges. Until you have split a few logs into fence rails, you won't know how far apart to sink your wedges to allow you to always retrieve the wedge that went before.
Step 4: Split the Two Halves in Half
See how my log is split in half in the above photo? Those two halves are okay for fence rails, but both could and should be split in half again. Keep splitting the log down into smaller pieces until you have fence rails that are the size you're looking for.
To split the two halves of your log, follow the same steps as before. The process is repetitive and labor-intensive, but oh so fun!
Want to try splitting fence rails? Rail-Splitting Troubleshooting
Some problems you might encounter, and my suggestions for solutions...
My wedge won't go/stay in the end-grain! Sometimes you just can't sink your wedge directly into the end-grain of the log because you're working at a funny angle. Sometimes the grain is really tight, and your wedge might pop out when you strike it. If this happens, try sinking the wedge into the edge of the end-grain, at a 45-degree angle to the ground. Basically, you'll be driving your wedge into part bark, part end-grain. My split isn't straight, and my log isn't going to split into two equal halves! Twisted logs are hard to split into two equal halves, but you can do it. Speaking to the log isn't enough - you have to fight the twist in the log, which is a result of the way the tree grew. To correct this problem, you'll have to keep sinking wedges into the log where you want it to split, not where it's actually splitting. Stay focused on an imaginary straight line that goes right down the log from one end to the other, and keep sinking your wedges into that line. It is possible to keep pulling a twisted split back to where you want it. I split off part of the log because my split ran off to one side, but it's not split in half! This can happen too, especially if you're not paying attention and you're dealing with twisted or knotty grain. There's nothing you can do about the chunk of log that you've already split off. If it's not long enough to be a fence rail, just cut it up and use if for firewood. Focus on splitting the rest of the log properly, so that you can save the rails that are still in there. See the above instructions for straightening out your split. I've run into a big knot, and the knot won't split! Unfortunately, you can't split through knots - wood just doesn't work that way. The grain is all balled-up and twisted in there, so there's really nothing to split. If you encounter a knot on your way down the log, you will have to carefully split around it. When you re-direct your split to go around the knot, work slowly to help ensure that you won't split the wood where you don't want it split. And next time, try to pick a line that will split the log in half without passing through a knot! I've split the log in half, but it's still attached by thin pieces of wood! This is where the hatchet comes in handy. Simple use your hatchet to cut those stringy pieces of wood away. Some types of wood is more stringy than others, including red oak, locust, and cherry. I followed the instructions for splitting the log, but the split only goes part of the way through the log! Sometimes you'll get into a situation where you've split the log all the way from from end to the other, but it's still not split in half because the side of the log sitting against the ground is still together. The simple solution to this problem is to roll the log over and split the wood where it's still hanging together. | 12,206 | 5,181 | 0.000194 |
warc | 201704 | Utskrift från Malmö högskola - mah.se
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Publication Article, peer reviewed scientific Title Prototyping and infrastructuring in design for social innovation Author(s) Hillgren, Per-Anders ; Seravalli, Anna ; Emilson, Anders Date 2011 English abstract During the past five years design has been recognised as a powerful innovation driver. Design methods and tools have also been applied in new fields. One of them is social innovation, which is aimed at developing new ideas and solutions in response to social needs. While different initiatives have demonstrated how design can be a powerful approach in social innovation, especially when it comes to systemic thinking, prototyping and visualising, some concerns have been raised regarding the limitations of applying design in this field. Through a specific case, this paper will discuss and suggest some approaches and concepts related to design for social innovation. Coming from a participatory design tradition, we focus on the idea of infrastructuring as a way to approach social innovation that differs from project-based design. The activities that are carried out are aimed at building long-term relationships with stakeholders in order to create networks from which design opportunities can emerge. We also discuss the role of prototyping as a way to explore opportunities but we also highlight dilemmas. DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15710882.2011.630474 (link to publisher's fulltext) Link http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15710882.2011.630474 (external link to publication) Publisher Taylor and Francis Host/Issue CoDesign : International Journal of CoCreation in Design and the Arts;3-4 Volume 7 ISSN 1745-3755 Pages 169-183 Language eng (iso) Subject(s) design for social innovation
participatory design
prototyping
infrastructuring
Thing
agonistic space
Humanities/Social Sciences
Research Subject Categories::INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS
Handle http://hdl.handle.net/2043/13516 Permalink to this page | 2,012 | 1,100 | 0.000921 |
warc | 201704 | Insect-vectored diseases cause serious losses in many agricultural crops worldwide, and disease management strategies often focus on managing vector populations to limit pathogen transmission. Improved understanding of the complex interactions among plants, pathogens, and insect vectors will therefore inform the development of more effective and sustainable management strategies. The impact of infection on plant quality and attractiveness to insect vectors is a key issue, and the dependence of pathogens and herbivores on a common host plant creates the potential for both mutualistic and antagonistic interactions. We examined interactions among the ubiquitous, non-persistently transmitted pathogen
Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), two common aphid vectors ( Myzus persicae and Aphis gossypii), and the cultivated squash plant Cucurbita pepo ‘Dixie’. The effects of CMV on host-plant quality for aphids and on plant volatile production were examined in field and greenhouse experiments. Aphid population growth, host-plant preferences, and behavioral responses to plant odors and plant surfaces were assayed. Results/Conclusions
Our results indicate that CMV induces changes in host plants that enhance the initial attraction aphid vectors but lead to rapid dispersal. We found that infection induces increased production of plant volatiles in a composition similar to that of healthy plants. However, experiments examining the growth and reproduction of aphids on healthy and infected plants suggest that infected plants are relatively poor hosts for aphids. Field experiments assessing aphid preference support this result. We found that aphids vectors preferentially arrest on healthy plants over infected plants when they are grown in common plots. These results indicate that CMV induces a volatile profile that is attractive to potential vectors and that infection reduces host quality, favoring the rapid dispersal of vectors after they have acquired the virus. This induced chemical condition has important implications for virus fitness, since non-persistently transmitted viruses such as CMV are transmitted most efficiently when vectors feed on infected plants for short periods of time before dispersing to susceptible hosts. | 2,254 | 1,056 | 0.000953 |
warc | 201704 | While Botswana's economic development has been extraordinary, little is known about how different social groups have adapted to the new economic opportunities. This comprehensive account studies a key group of the new entrepreneurs - the ranchers. It describes their changing lifestyles, their construction of personal and social space, and the way they have adapted to state-initiated political and economic change, showing through a series of case studies how ranching has grown from being the preserve of white settlers to include Botswana and other African farmers as well. The relationship between ranching and communal land tenure, and the effect of Botswana's Tribal Land Grazing Policy are analysed in detail, while the careers of non-elites, the practice of bordermanship, labour relations and the management of multiple enterprises and risks are also covered.
Reviews Will appeal to awide range of readers who want to know more about the country'sachievements and problems. | 986 | 564 | 0.001778 |
warc | 201704 | Are you fed up of bad company during college life or any other problems and trouble now and then, because you hang out with the crooks? It is never too late. You can stop being a part of the bad company right away. Friends can always influence you. When you first get into a group of friends, you cannot make out their real self. But if they tend to be a bad influence on you, watch out. College can introduce students to more independence and responsibility than they may be accustomed to. Since parents are no longer there to guide them, students are left to face risks on their own. For some students, this transition can be difficult. Students start to avoid their studies in such a phase, and when they find out ways of getting the pressure off their minds, they quickly bend towards the wrong company. Smoking, drinking, drugs, eve teasing, etc. is a regular feature of the colleges these days.
As they say,
“If the character is lost, everything is lost,” these things are completely wrong and should be avoided at the right time.
Here are some Tips to avoid bad company during college life Monitor their Behaviour Make an excuse Advice them Monitor their Behaviour
Before you start hanging out with some particular students forming groups in college, do not hesitate to control their behaviour. If they involve in bad mouthing in school, are dependent on drinks, smoke or drugs, make sure you keep a safe distance with them. If you see this clan bullying around your classmates or other college students, be robust enough to turn your backs on them.
Make an Excuse
If at all, under any circumstances, you get in contact with these groups, start giving reasons like parents monitoring you, babysitting, and signing up for school events. The first thing you can do to avoid your bad company is to start refusing their invitations frequently. Make different excuses at different times. Eventually, they will start noticing your change. Even if they laugh it out or laugh at you, let go to a certain extent. This will be very much beneficial if you are falling for the wrong company or even if you plan on quitting on hanging up with them. They will be on your back once, twice or thrice. But, once when they get to know they are avoided, and you don’t want to be a part of them, they will eventually let you go, and you will end up getting rid of them.
Advise Them
No person is perfect, and distractions are all around. Not every individual owns the equal amount of willpower, and so it is advisable to help the ones those who lack it. Being a part of the social world, it is your prime responsibility to make attempts in transforming the society to a better place to be in. If you once belonged to such company, and the group was on your friend’s list, feel free to advise them on giving up on the bad habits. Confront your bad friends, give them advice. If they do not change, stand up for yourself without fear. Resist them if they force you to do things you hate doing. Even if you were never apart, still make an attempt. Every good deed done, gets counted some or the other time. But, also beware you do not push your decisions onto them in a wrong mannerism or pester them a lot.
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How can you help your poor classmate?
Education Bhaskar knows that all tend to make mistakes and fall into bad hands during their teens and college days. But, this can anytime be avoided when you realize the repercussions of the same. | 3,483 | 1,688 | 0.000598 |
warc | 201704 | 102 STAT. 5044
PROCLAMATION 5845—AUG. 9, 1988
gift of a loving God Whose greatest gift is healing. Let us join then, with the psalmist of old: O give thanks to the Lord, call on His name, Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing praises to Him, Tell of all His wonderful works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 24, 1988, as a National Day of Thanksgiving, and I call upon the citizens of this great Nation to gather together in homes and places of worship on that day of thanks to affirm by their prayers and their gratitude the many blessings God has bestowed upon us. IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this fourth day of August, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-eight, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirteenth. RONALD REAGAN
Proclamation 5845 of August 9, 1988
National Neighborhood Crime Watch Day, 1988 By the President of the United States of America A Proclamation Last year, crime left its mark on one in four American homes, a sobering reminder that, despite recent heartening progress against criminals and the causes of crime, particularly drug abuse, much remains to be done to ensure for ourselves and our children the safety of our homes, our neighborhoods, and our communities. It is an unfortunate fact that the scourge of crime continues to occupy the head of the list of national problems crying out for immediate action. Those who have experienced the pain, the loss, the sense of violation and frustration that accompany crime know that defeating it requires more than tougher laws and surer punishments—though tougher and surer they are. Truly effective law enforcement demands our reliance on one of our great historical strengths as a Nation: the willingness of our people to band freely together, in local communities, in defense of lives, homes, and property. Local crime watch committees, in cooperation with law enforcement officers and the appropriate government agencies, can make a real difference in crime rates. As McGruff the anti-crime dog, the familiar national symbol of crime prevention, would put it: They take a bite out of crime. But the benefits of such citizen groups do not stop there: Their work teaches children respect for law, reinforces community values, and encourages the kind of individual responsibility that makes for healthy, creative neighborhoods peopled by safer and happier citizens. The growth of these committees is truly encouraging. Today over 19 million Americans participate in neighborhood watch programs, keep-
� | 2,753 | 1,435 | 0.000703 |
warc | 201704 | ERIC Number:ED208283 Record Type:Non-Journal Publication Date:1980-Dec Pages:63 Abstractor:N/A Reference Count:N/A ISBN:N/A ISSN:N/A
Patterns of Student Stress: A Profile of Teacher Education Students in Their First Year of Tertiary Studies. Report Number 13.
Kaplan, M.
Stress adaptation research suggests that individuals need not only strategies and skills to solve problems, but also supportive environments in which solutions can be accomplished. A general profile of Australian freshmen education majors was drawn to examine their adjustment to and behaviors in the college environment. Results indicated that 80% of the students were satisfied with their courses. A high degree of correlation was found between degree of satisfaction and commitment to teaching. Although 75% of the students estimated spending less than 20 hours a week on studying, they indicated difficulties in studying effectively. More than 37% indicated attitudes of low self-esteem, while 34% felt alienated from college. The findings indicate that culture shock may be a fact of life at college and that college staff should help first-year students become an integral part of the college by providing opportunities for establishing academic status and developing interpersonal skills and social responsibility. (Author/JAC)
Publication Type:Reports - Research Education Level:N/A Audience:N/A Language:English Sponsor:N/A Authoring Institution:Nedlands Coll. of Advanced Education (Australia). Identifiers - Location:Australia | 1,514 | 865 | 0.001161 |
warc | 201704 | ERIC Number:ED347722 Record Type:Non-Journal Publication Date:1992-Feb Pages:4 Abstractor:N/A Reference Count:N/A ISBN:N/A ISSN:N/A
A 54-Point Verbal-Performance IQ Discrepancy on the WISC-R: Cognitive Functioning of a Child from an Alternative School.
Lapierre, D.; And Others
Marked Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children--Revised (WISC-R) verbal-performance discrepancy commonly leads to the assumption that such children have brain pathology or cognitive disorders. Children without brain dysfunction may also exhibit wide discrepancy, but a discrepancy score of 30 is now assumed to occur in only 2% of the population. This investigation presents an 11-year-old child showing a 54-point discrepancy between the Verbal--VIQ and Performance--PIQ scales of the WISC-R. Results of wide ranging testing and other considerations strongly suggested that this child didn't manifest any kind of brain dysfunction. It was concluded that the particular academic environment of the child, an alternative school, exerted a very strong influence on her results on the WISC-R. This conclusion is further supported by the results of a follow-up evaluation, done one year after the child had been transfered to a traditional school, which revealed a WISC-R verbal-performance discrepancy of only 12 points. (Author)
Publication Type:Speeches/Meeting Papers Education Level:N/A Audience:N/A Language:English Sponsor:N/A Authoring Institution:N/A Identifiers - Assessments and Surveys:Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children | 1,519 | 841 | 0.001194 |
warc | 201704 | This is a basic introduction to the issue of small arms/light weapons trafficking and national andinternational efforts to control it. For more information, contact
Matt Schroeder, Manager of the FAS Arms Sales Monitoring Project, at 202-454-4693 or byemail at [email protected].
Introduction
Illicit arms trafficking fuels civil wars, contributes to sky-rocketingcrime rates and feeds the arsenals of the world's worst terrorists. Particularly troubling is the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons (SA/LW).SA/LW account for an estimated 60-90% of the 100,000+ conflict deaths each year (Small Arms Survey 2005) and tens of thousands of additional deaths outside ofwar zones. They are also the weapons of choice for many terrorists. Of the roughly 175 terrorist attacksidentified in last year's State Department report on Stemming the flow of these weapons is incredibly difficult. Unlike weapons of mass destuction, small arms and many light weapons have legitimatemilitary, law enforcement, and/or sporting and recreational uses. These uses preclude the types of outright bans on manufacture, stockpiling and sales imposed- with some success - on landmines and chemical and biological weapons. Instead, governments try to prevent the diversion and misuse of SA/LWwithout unduly infringing upon legitimate use and trade. This is no small feat. Plentiful, easy to conceal, and lethal, SA/LWare a smuggler's dream and a law enforcement nightmare.Hundreds of thousands of small arms in leaky government arsenals are vulnerable totheft, loss and diversion. Once acquired by traffickers, these weapons are smuggled across national borders in every conceivable way. They are hidden under sacks ofvegetables in the back of pick up trucks, packed into household appliances that are then loaded onto cargo ships, even air-dropped out of old Soviet militarytransport planes.In the hands of terrorists and other criminals, these weapons have the capacity to kill dozens, even hundreds, of innocent civilians. A shoulder-fired surface-to-air missile - availableon the black market for as little as a few thousand dollars - can bring down a commercial airliner. Even a couple of $100 assault rifles can inflict horrendous casualties,as evidenced by the November 1997 terrorist attack in Luxor, Egypt, during which 6 terrorists armed only with assault rifles, pistols and knivessystematically slaughtered 58 tourists.For these reasons, small arms trafficking is not a problem you solve; it is a problem you manage. By enacting strong export and border controls, safegaurding(or destroying) stockpiles, dismantling trafficking networks, and addressing the root causes of the civil conflicts and soaring urban crime rates, governments canreduce the supply of, and demand for, these weapons.
Patterns of Global Terrorism,approximately half were committed with small arms or light weapons.
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Terms and Definitions Ammunition: cartridges (rounds) for small arms; shells and missiles for light weapons; mobile containers with missiles or shellsfor single-action anti-aircraft and anti-tank systems; anti-personnel and anti-tank hand grenades;and landmines. Illegal black market transfers (from Small Arms Survey 2001): "In clear violation of national and/or international laws and withoutofficial government consent or control, these transfers may involve corrupt government officials acting on their own for personal gain." Illicit grey market transfers (from Small Arms Survey 2001): "Governments, their agents, or individuals exploiting loopholes or intentionally circumventingnational and/or international laws or policies" Legal Transfers (from Small Arms Survey 2001): "These occur with either the active or passive involvement of governments or their authorized agents, and in accordancewith both national and international law." Light weapons: heavy machine-guns; hand-held under-barrel and mounted grenade launchers; portable anti-aircraft guns; portable anti-tank guns,recoilless rifles; portable launchers of anti-tank missile and rocket systems; portable launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems;mortars of calibers of less than 100 mm. Small arms: revolvers and self-loading pistols;rifles and carbines; sub-machine guns;assault rifles; light machine-guns
Statistics Value of Conventional Arms Transfers in 2004 (Deliveries, Worldwide): $34.75 billion Top Five Arms Exporters (Worldwide, 2004) #1 - United States ($18.55 billion) #2 - Russia ($4.6 billion) #3 - France ($4.4 billion) #4 - United Kingdom ($1.9 billion) back to top Authorized Small Arms Sales (Worldwide, Annual): $4 billion (estimate) Illicit Small Arms Sales (Worldwide, Annual): 10-20% of the total trade in small arms (estimate) Number of Known Small Arms-Producing Countries (Worldwide, 2003): 92 (estimate) Number of Known Small Arms-Producing Companies (Worldwide, 2003): 1,249 (estimate)
Recent Cases The following cases reveal some of the sources, routes, and methods that gun runners use to acquire and deliver small arms and light weapons. back to top The Otterloo incident - In 2001, an Israeli arms dealer operating out of Panama duped the Nicaraguan government into selling him 3000 AK-47s and2.5 million rounds of ammunition. The broker said that he was procuring the weapons on behalf of the Panamanian National Police, a claim ostensibly substantiatedby a Panamanian end-user certificate. It was a lie. The end-user certificate was a forgery and the Panamanians hadno knowledge of the deal. On November 2nd, the weapons were loaded into a Panamanian-registered ship named the Otterloo, which departed from theNicaraguan port of El Bluff the next day. Two days later, it arrived in Colombia where the actual recipients - members of Colombia's vicious paramilitary groups -were waiting to claim their prize. Sources: Small Arms, Terrorism and the OAS Firearms Convention (pages 24-25 & 28-29) The OAS General Secretariat's Report on the incident. Victor "The Devil" Infante: On July 30th, 2003 U.S. law enforcement officials observed an associate of Victor "The Devil" Infante sending a Federal Express package fromLos Angeles to the Philippines. Infante was under investigation at the time for operating a multinational firearms andmethamphetamine distribution ring. Immigrations and Custom Enforcement (ICE) officials interdicted the Fed Ex package and the accompanying airway bill, whichfalsely identified the contents as a $30 camera tripod. Inside the package, agents found parts for M-16 and AR-15 assualt rifles. Source: "Victor "The Devil" Infante Charged with Weapons Exportation and Methamphetamine Distribution--Arrestedin the Philippines" (ICE news release) Victor Bout, Pecos and Liberia: Unhappy with a consignment of assault rifles they had ordered from a Slovak manufacturer, the Ugandan government requested that the Egyptianwho had brokered the original deal return the rifles to the manufacturer. The broker agreed and dispatched an Ilyushin-18 transport plane to pick up the rifles.Unbeknonwst to the Uganda government, the broker had found a new buyer, a Guinean arms brokering company (Pecos) founded by a Slovak broker after criminalinvestigations in Europe forced him to shift his operations elsewhere. Seven tons of the rifles were loaded onto the plane and flown to Monrovia - a clearviolation of a UN arms embargo on Liberian President Charles Taylor's thuggish regime. Three days later, the plane returned to Uganda to pick up the rest of thefirearms. By this time, the Ugandan government had caught wind of the diversion and had impounded the guns. Subsequent investigations uncovered a vastarms trafficking network comprised of front companies operated by the infamous Victor Bout and his associates. Source: Report of the Panel of Experts pursuant to Security Councilresolution 1343 (2001), paragraph 19, concerning Liberia, United Nations Security Council, S/2001/1015, 26 October 2001
The International Response Major International Agreements U.S. Resource: U.S. Report to the Second Biennial Meeting of States (BMS), July 2005. Regional Agreementsback to top
The U.S. Response The United States leads the world in efforts to secure and destroy surplus and obsolete small arms and light weapons and eliminate terrorist access to man-portable airdefense systems. Below are brief descriptions of these and other U.S. SA/LW initiatives: 14 SA/LW Destruction and Stockpile Security - Since 2001, the State Department's Small Arms/Light Weapons Destruction Programhas facilitated the destruction of over 800,000 surplus small and light weapons and 80 million rounds of ammunitionin 23 countries. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency has worked with officials in19 countries to improve the security and management of additional SA/LW stockpiles. Man-portable Air Defense Systems (MANPADS) - Since the late 1990's, the U.S. has led a global campaign to eradicate terrorist acquisition and use ofMANPADS. Their efforts have resulted in several international agreements on the manufacture, transfer, and storage of MANPADS, the destruction of over 13,400 excessmissiles in 13 countries, and national controls on MANPADS exports and end-use monitoring that are among the most rigorous in the world. Hearing Transcript, "The Terrorist Threat from Shoulder-fired Missiles, House InternationalRelations Committee, 30 March 2006. back to top U.S. Report to the Second Biennial Meeting of States (BMS), July 2005. FAS Resources: Publications FAS Public Interest Report Volume 60, No. 1 (Winter 2007) The Small Arms Trade: A Beginner's Guide (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2006) "The Illicit Arms Trade in Africa: A Global Enterprise," African Analyst,Third Quarter 2006. ""Small Arms, Large Problem: The International Threat of Small ArmsProliferation and Misuse," Arms Control Today, June 2006. FAS Public Interest Report, Fall 2005. ""Lord of War:" An Arms Trade Analyst's Perspective" FAS Public Interest Report, Fall 2005. "Connect the Dots: US Gun Laws and the International Arms Trade," on-line interview with PBS, July 2005. "Controlling the Most Dangerous Weapons,"San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 November 2004. Small Arms, Terrorism and the OAS Firearms Convention, FAS Occasional Paper No. 1, March 2004. "MANPADS Proliferation," FAS Issue Brief No. 1, January 2004. "OAS Firearms Convention," FAS Issue Brief No. 2, January 2004. Additional FAS commentary on illicit arms trafficking can be found on theStrategic Security Blog FAS Resources: Data and Documents Other Resources: Government Other Resources: Non-governmental Organizations | 10,614 | 4,804 | 0.000209 |
warc | 201704 | Missionaries… all who follow Christ… are told to count the cost. But what about when something unthinkable happens? How do you prepare for that?
Late at night, on August 24, 2011, we received the following in a letter from our sending organization:
“Following extensive objective assessment and the advice of legal counsel, we are beginning action to dissolve… The organization will be in the process of shutting down over the next week and a half. Funds to continue are not available… final payments of reimbursable expenses will be paid as of August 23rd and health insurance will be paid through September 2011. Thereafter, there will be no disbursement from EBM to anyone other than to protect and complete the above process… On September 2, 2011, the… home office will close its doors… Further, missionaries and sending churches should immediately contact donors and have their donations diverted to the sending church… If help is needed the staff… would be more than happy to assist you with this process until September 2, 2011. On August 31st, [our organization] will be closing its books after which all donations will be returned to the sender.”
Needless to say, we didn’t sleep much that night. We had lots of questions, and no immediate answers…
How in the world are we going to provide for 8 kids and an 18 year old niece… in a foreign land…with no salary? What about school for our children (recognizing that termites ate at least a third of our home schooling curriculum during our last home assignment)? Could we? How would we get home if we had to? What does this mean for now? And in the immediate future? What in the world should we do? How do we explain this to our local colleagues? What exactly is “this”?
I’d really thought I’d heard of and considered all the possible missionary “catastrophe” scenarios: medical emergencies, coup d’états, banditry or break-in, kidnapping and hostage situations, physical violence, in-country massive currency devaluation, drought, necessities unavailable, refugee influx, emergency evacuation… and while I didn’t ever want anything like that to happen to our family, it had, at least at some point, bleeped somewhere on my radar screen that it was a possibility.
The dissolution of our sending organization and as a consequence, of the majority of the infrastructure key to our W. African existence hadn’t… ever… crossed… my mind… Seriously. Not even remotely.
Our home office was closing its doors and from the backside of the desert in W. Africa (otherwise known as the land of frequent power outages, bipolar internet and the lesser known reality that we still cannot direct dial our home area code in the States from this place), we had one week to contact all of our supporters to tell them to stop giving until we could make other arrangements. We needed to find a new organization in the States able and willing to receive and receipt funds, but also one that would be acceptable to our current support team. Any services that our home office had handled before? We now needed to find someone else who could and would assume those responsibilities. And there was the concern that people might just decide to no longer partner with us in this ministry, feeling that our previous organization had been less than transparent… some even felt dishonest.
We understood immediately that our situation wasn’t catastrophic. We were all healthy, together, with a roof over our head and in the midst of an amazing missionary community that literally wrapped its arms tightly around us and cared for us, far above and beyond what we would have asked or could have imagined. On the other hand, it fely like calamity stalking… we were walking a high wire far above ground without any sort of safety net… and it wouldn’t take much to send us plummeting down…
I wish I could say that Tim and I immediately fell on our knees and took our worries before the Lord. Tim might have… I didn’t unless you count those “Oh God… what are we going to do?” type utterances as prayers.
Has anything similar every happened to you? Can you even imagine anything like this happening? What would be your first thoughts and worries?
(Post by: Richelle) | 4,401 | 2,162 | 0.000487 |
warc | 201704 | "How much should I invest/save for retirement?" is a pretty common question (try googling it). This question, like most other, is often asked with the expectation of a nice and comfortable answer. "Be sure to save 10-15% of what you make, for retirement" is an equally common answer. Unfortunately, nice and comforting as it may sound, such answers are often far from the truth.
Retirement planning is complicated because the corpus accumulated is not meant to be spent in one-shot like all other goals. The corpus must not only provide regular income to meet expenses, it must also grow at a rate that at least matchesinflation and must be large enough to outlive the individual. This is a tough ask. Any retirement calculation is subject to several assumptions. If these assumptions are not realistic (for example planning with inflation of 6% and equity return of 15%) then results of the calculation would appear comforting even as reality prepares a bitter pill.
Many people criticize retirement calculators as a 'academic exercise' due to the assumptions involved.Many others think that such calculators are bogus since they output a large monthly investment required for building the retirement corpus. What they fail to understand is that the aim of a retirement calculator is to make people take stock of their money habits.
If the calculator says you need to invest Rs. 30,000 a month to fund your retirement and you can only afford Rs. 15,000, what do you do? Do you say the result is nonsense, invest Rs. 15,000 and do nothing more?Do you adjust the parameters in the calculator (decrease inflation, increase returns before and afterretirement and increase rate at which investments increase each year) until the result is close to Rs. 15,000? Such an attitude is idiotic and suicidal.
A retirement calculator provides an insight into your financial life. If the calculator says you need to invest much more than you can, then the trouble could be (assuming retirement is at least a couple of decades away and other inputs are reasonable: 8-10% inflation, 10-12% equity returns etc.) with your lifestyle. You need to take a good hard look at your expenses and make two lists. One for necessary expenses (food, water, electricity etc.) and one for unnecessary ones. Get rid or reduce the frequency of the unnecessary expenses and be sure to invest the amount saved for your retirement. The primary goal of any retirement calculator is to make you do this exercise.
Getting rid of frequent unnecessary expenses and embracing a frugal lifestyle is
the most important step towards financial peace and security. Everything else, investing in the right instruments, seeking returns etc., is a distant second.
If you insist on a
thumb rule for retirement savings, then here is a reasonably fool proof one: Reduce expenses as much as you can, invest as much as you can, as early as you can. Your investment should roughly match your expenses (meaning they should increase at least the rate of inflation!) Even if retirement calculators indicate you need to invest less, I strongly suggest you try and invest as much as you possibly can.
Why? If you follow this thumb rule religiously then you naturally tend to keep expenses down. More importantly, adhering to the rule gives you a satisfaction that you have done your best - with regard to optimizing the amount you need. That leaves only asset allocation, diversification and rebalancing to worry about!
Do I practice what I preach? Yes. Each month I invest approximately 120% (or more) of my monthly expenses for retirement. The investment is done
before I withdraw money for expenses. This is possible not because I earn a lot (that is relative. In any case an academic earns enough, but never a lot!) but because we (me and my wife) have a frugal lifestyle.
Most people dismiss this saying this is impressive but impractical. Yes I agree that in some cases reducing expenses beyond a point or investing as much as you spend is not possible. However, I am convinced that in a majority of cases it boils down to reducing unnecessary expenses. All one requires is some common sense, a sense of contentment and understand what true happiness is.
Most people misunderstand this attitude. They think this means curbing habits and not enjoying life and counter argue: 'Life is short, let me enjoy NOW!" etc. I completely agree. We should enjoy life and pamper ourselves ... from time to time. Not every month. A frugal lifestyle is one in which you prioritize expenses and have 'fun' now and then
after all higher priorities are accounted for. That is neither unreasonable nor impossible. It is like most things associated with personal finance, simple commonsense.
Here is a retirement calculator that gives the monthly investment needed as a percentage of your
current monthly expenses. Hopefully it might help provide an insight into your money habits. Safe to that the investment required will be much more than 10-15% of your take-home pay, since your expenses are likely to be much more than that!
Here is the direct skydrive link
You can also
download the excel file, like always. Note: the math involved is the same as a standard retirement calculator. Related Resources: I have a set of retirement calculators for investors of all ages. AlsoRead: Retirement Myth busting… Note: This post originally appeared in freefincal on July 15. When I moved the blog, I lost this post and was unable to recover it. So I have re-posted the article. The re-post also allows me to check if email subscribers to the blog have been transferred correctly 🙂
Practical advice + calculators for you to develop personalised investment solutions | 5,727 | 2,657 | 0.000379 |
warc | 201704 | Q. There’s a man in my church (Southern Baptist) who knows when someone is hurting in a particular area of their body. He can announce to the group that someone has a pain in some area of the body and when someone acknowledges that pain and wants prayer for healing he prays for them and the pain goes away right then. He claims to get pain in the same part of his body and that’s how he knows that someone else is hurting too. How do you explain this to the church and where is the scripture to back up what is going on? This man says sometimes God reveals who is hurting to him but not very often. Is this biblical? A. First, we must remember that the Bible encourages believers to come forward for healing prayer, and promises that we can be healed ( James 5:14-15). And it also says that some believers are invested with the gift of healing ( 1 Cor. 12:9). But the power of suggestion and the desire for attention are very strong influences and can make people unwitting accomplices to a sham.
There are several things you can look for as evidence to either support or challenge the person’s claims. 1. Is the prayer offered in the name of Jesus? 2. Does Jesus get all the credit for the healing? 3. Are you able to confirm people really had the pain before the prayer and that they were actually healed because of it? 4. Is the person successful in healing people when he doesn’t know in advance what their problem is? 5. Does this only involve “aches and pains” or are people also healed from more serious diseases? 6. Are there people with the gift of discernment in the congregation who are troubled by this?
These are just examples of things to look for, and any one of them may or may not be conclusive. You’re looking for the weight of evidence as much as a specific proof. You’re not putting this person on trial, but being the leader of the congregation it’s important for you to verify his claims for the good of the body (
1 Thes. 5:21, 1 John 4:1). | 2,014 | 1,038 | 0.000988 |
warc | 201704 | European carbon prices fundamentals in 2005-2007: the effects of energy markets, temperatures and sectorial production
This article aims at characterizing the daily price fundamentals of European Union Allowances (EUAs) traded since 2005 as part of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). First, the presence of two structural changes on April, 2006 following the disclosure of 2005 verified emissions and on October, 2006 following the European Commission announcement of stricter Phase II allocation allow to isolate distinct fundamentals evolving overtime. The results extend previous literature by showing that spot prices react not only to other energy markets and temperatures, but also to economic activity within the main sectors covered by the EU ETS such as proxied by sectoral production indices. Besides, the sub-period decomposition of the pilot phase gives a better grasp of institutional and market events that drive allowance price changes.
Length: 34 pages Date of creation: 2007 Handle: RePEc:drm:wpaper:2007-33 Contact details of provider: Postal: 200 Avenue de la République, Bât. G - 92001 Nanterre Cedex
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References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.: Junsoo Lee & Mark C. Strazicich, 2013." Minimum LM unit root test with one structural break," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 33(4), pages 2483-2492. Junsoo Lee & Mark C. Strazicich, 2004. " Minimum LM Unit Root Test with One Structural Break," Working Papers 04-17, Department of Economics, Appalachian State University. Junsoo Lee & Mark C. Strazicich, 2004. " Derek W. Bunn & Carlo Fezzi, 2007. " Interaction of European Carbon Trading and Energy Prices," Working Papers 2007.63, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. Springer, Urs, 2003." The market for tradable GHG permits under the Kyoto Protocol: a survey of model studies," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 527-551, September. A. C. Christiansen & A. Arvanitakis & K. Tangen & H. Hasselknippe, 2005." Price determinants in the EU emissions trading scheme," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 5(1), pages 15-30, January. Full references(including those not matched with items on IDEAS)
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Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services. | 3,613 | 1,861 | 0.000544 |
warc | 201704 | How committed are bank lines of credit? Experiences in the subprime mortgage crisis
Using the subprime mortgage crisis as a shock, this paper shows that commercial borrowers served by more distressed banks (as measured by recent bank stock returns or the nonperforming loan ratio) took down fewer funds from precommitted, formal lines of credit. The credit constraints affected mainly smaller, riskier (by internal loan ratings), and shorter-relationship borrowers, and depended also on the lenders' size, liquidity condition, capitalization position, and core deposit funding. The evidence suggests that credit lines provided only contingent and partial insurance during the crisis since bank conditions appeared to influence credit line utilization in the short term. It provides a new explanation as to why credit lines are not perfect substitutes for cash holdings for some (e.g. small) firms. Finally, loan level analyses show that more distressed banks charged higher credit spreads on newly negotiated loans but not on funds disbursed from precommitted, formal credit lines. The author's analyses are based on commercial loan flow data from the confidential Survey of Terms of Business Lending (STBL).
Length: Date of creation: 2010 Date of revision: Handle: RePEc:fip:fedpwp:10-25 Contact details of provider: Postal: 10 Independence Mall, Philadelphia, PA 19106-1574
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Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services. | 2,712 | 1,372 | 0.000733 |
warc | 201704 | External technology sources: Embodied or disembodied technology acquisition
This paper analyzes the choice between different innovation activities of a firm. In particular, we study the technology acquisition decision of the firm, i.e. its technology BUY decision as part of the firm's innovation strategy. We take a closer look at the different types of external technology acquisition where we distinguish two broad types of technology buy decisions. On the one hand, the firm can acquire new technology which is embodied in an asset that is acquired such as new personnel or (parts of) other firms or equipment. On the other hand, the firm can obtain new technology disembodied through a licensing agreement or by outsourcing the technology development from an R&D contractor or consulting agency. Through a series of Probit regressions, we discuss variables that might affect external technology acquisition choices of the firm and pay special attention to the firm's abilities to scan the market for technology and to absorb the technology acquired. Furthermore, we analyze the effect of different appropriation regimes on the decision of the firm to source technology.
References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.: Arora, Ashish & Gambardella, Alfonso, 1994." Evaluating technological information and utilizing it : Scientific knowledge, technological capability, and external linkages in biotechnology," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 91-114, June. Oliver Hart & Sanford Grossman, 1985. " The Costs and Benefits of Ownership: A Theory of Vertical and Lateral Integration," Working papers 372, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Economics. Grossman, Sanford J & Hart, Oliver D, 1986." The Costs and Benefits of Ownership: A Theory of Vertical and Lateral Integration," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(4), pages 691-719, August. Grossman, Sanford J. & Hart, Oliver D., 1986. " The Costs and Benefits of Ownership: A Theory of Vertical and Lateral Integration," Scholarly Articles 3450060, Harvard University Department of Economics. Grossman, Sanford J & Hart, Oliver, 1985. " The Cost and Benefits of Ownership: A Theory of Vertical and Lateral Integration," CEPR Discussion Papers 70, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. Grossman, Sanford J & Hart, Oliver D, 1986. " Kenneth Arrow, 1962." Economic Welfare and the Allocation of Resources for Invention," NBER Chapters, in: The Rate and Direction of Inventive Activity: Economic and Social Factors, pages 609-626 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. Veugelers, Reinhilde & Cassiman, Bruno, 1999." Make and buy in innovation strategies: evidence from Belgian manufacturing firms," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 63-80, January. Granstrand, Ove & Sjolander, Soren, 1990." The acquisition of technology and small firms by large firms," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 367-386, June. Spence, Michael, 1984." Cost Reduction, Competition, and Industry Performance," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 52(1), pages 101-21, January. Arora, Ashish & Gambardella, Alfonso, 1990." Complementarity and External Linkages: The Strategies of the Large Firms in Biotechnology," Journal of Industrial Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 361-379, June. Veugelers, Reinhilde, 1997." Internal R & D expenditures and external technology sourcing," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 303-315, October. De Bondt, Raymond & Slaets, Patrick & Cassiman, Bruno, 1992." The degree of spillovers and the number of rivals for maximum effective R &D," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 35-54, March. Utterback, James M & Abernathy, William J, 1975." A dynamic model of process and product innovation," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 3(6), pages 639-656, December. Michael L. Katz & Carl Shapiro, 1986." How to License Intangible Property," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 101(3), pages 567-589. Cohen, Wesley M & Levinthal, Daniel A, 1989." Innovation and Learning: The Two Faces of R&D," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 99(397), pages 569-96, September. Full references(including those not matched with items on IDEAS)
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Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services. | 5,702 | 2,581 | 0.000391 |
warc | 201704 | Do the age profiles of health care expenditure really steepen over time? New evidence from Swiss cantons
The red herring hypothesis contends that the high health care expenditure in old age is caused by proximity to death rather than calendar age. Dissenters point to longitudinal data and claim that health care expenditure age profiles tend to steepen over time. The present paper tests the steepening claim for Swiss health insurance, covering the time period 1997 to 2006 and 25 cantons. It analyzes the cantonal health care expenditure profile of men and women, taking into account differences in the mortality rates. The study covers seven components of health care, including long-term care. By and large, no evidence is found for relevant steepening effects of age profiles for either total, or the components, of health care expenditure.
Length: Date of creation: 2008 Handle: RePEc:zbw:tuddps:0508 Contact details of provider: Postal: 01062 Dresden
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References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.: Florian Buchner & Jürgen Wasem, 2006." “Steeping” of Health Expenditure Profiles," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 31(4), pages 581-599, October. Andreas Werblow & Stefan Felder & Peter Zweifel, 2007." Population ageing and health care expenditure: a school of 'red herrings'?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(10), pages 1109-1126. Full references(including those not matched with items on IDEAS)
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Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services. | 3,082 | 1,566 | 0.000647 |
warc | 201704 | Explore how The Flower-Fed Buffaloes (by Vachel Lindsay) powerfully conveys feelings about human destruction of the natural world.
Humans are constantly ravaging what we hold dearest to us; and Nature is the worst victim.
Vachel Lindsay poignantly conveys her regret and melancholy over the human destruction of the natural world through depicting the waning of the buffaloes of the North American prairies. Her varied use of literary devices and the structure of her poem clearly express her emotions over the loss of Nature.
Through the use of alliteration of the ‘flower-fed’ buffaloes, Lindsay conveys the gentle Nature of these creatures and hence invokes pity and sadness in us for their demise. The natural, flowing, peaceful sound of ‘f’ puts us at ease, as if the buffaloes are gentle and peaceful animals. The connotations of ‘flower-fed’ (for there is a common saying of ‘you are what you eat’) are positive; they portray the buffaloes in a good light. Readers sense the peaceful image of buffaloes peacefully grazing in the prairies, which makes us feel as if it is our duty, our obligation to protect them. The positive imagery associated with the buffaloes conveys how much Lindsay wants to conserve Nature, and makes us sympathize with her cause- it makes us feel guilty and sorrowful for the waning of the buffaloes and the destruction of these peaceful, gentle facets of Nature.
Lindsay also uses personification when illustrating her regret and sadness over the human destruction of the natural world. She writes: ‘ranged where the locomotives sing’, personifying the man-made locomotives, which at first glance may appear to be depicting it in a positive, joyful light. However, Lindsay uses irony and a sense of sarcasm to bring across her message; locomotives aren’t pleasant sounding. In fact, the industrialization and construction of the railroads in 1851 hastened the depletion of buffaloes as people began to shoot at them from the trains. The vast discrepancy between the literal meaning of this and the ironical message of the words emphasizes the fact that there is something amiss, something wrong, making reader feel uneasy. The personification of the locomotives makes it appear a live and joyful, even whilst bringing about the demise of the buffaloes and ruining Nature. Through this, Lindsay conveys a dark aspect of human Nature- we take what we want without care of concern for Nature- we are wallowing in our selfishness. She conveys her sadness and even angst for the loss of Nature.
Structure plays an important part of Lindsay’s poem- although there appears to be no break in stanzas in her poem, it’s roughly divided into two- the first four lines depicting the joy and positive aspects of Nature, and the rest portraying Nature as a victim of industrialization. In the first four lines, the rhyme scheme is ordered (ABAB) and flowing with rhyming couplets, indicating the beautiful perfection of the olden days. It is mesmerizing; it calms us and shows us the tranquility and peace of the olden days. The subsequent lines, however, have a sporadic, abnormal rhyme scheme, depicting the disruption of peace in the wild prairies and Lindsay’s consequent distress and anger at it.
Also, the use of punctuation is critical to conveying Lindsay’s message- her use of an uncommon grammatical conjunction ‘:-‘ makes it feel as if there is something wrong. We feel indignant, as if it shouldn’t be happening, like the situation with the buffaloes. It creates a profound pause, making us think about what we’ve done as a human race; the havoc and destruction we have wreaked on Nature. Also, both types of punctuation (a colon and an hyphen) are used to begin a new phrase, as like a new phase in life- and this shows the transition between the good old days and the introduction of civilization to the Americas resulting in the destruction of wildlife. Lindsay’s brilliant use of punctuation aptly conveys her anger and conflict with the human destruction of the natural world.
The human destruction of nature is clearly | 4,164 | 1,852 | 0.000554 |
warc | 201704 | Nutrition Research Highlights 6|2013
6 | 2 0 1 3
This newsletter is published by the Nutrition & Health Group of the JRC’s Institute for Health and Consumer Protection. Regularly surveying the top nutrition and medical journals, we select the most recent news on nutrition research, relevant to current societal debates or policies. These are then summarized as “News” items or presented as a “View”, comprising an analysis and expert opinion. Enjoy your reading!
NEWS
VIEWS
NEWS NEWS
Social environments can shape our eating behaviour – who is present during the eating occasion may impact on what and how much we eat. Early observations in the 1990s found that people eating in social settings ate substantially more than when eating alone, and that the bigger the party, the more one would eat (1)! It is thought that because meals consumed during social occasions tend to take longer and the atmosphere is relaxing, individuals become less restrictive when it comes to food (2).
However, research shows that we are also influenced by what and how much others eat. A recent review has examined how we mirror the eating behaviour of others and how perceived eating norms* related to food choice and intake can affect what we eat (2). Experiments revealed that eating in the presence of someone who had been instructed to have high snack intake led study participants to consume more snacks, too. In the reversed condition, i.e. where participants ate in the company of low snack consumers, their own snack intake was also low. Two main theories exist to explain what drives us to copy other people's eating behaviours. First, an individual considers the amount consumed by their company to be appropriate quantity at the occasion, and eating more than others would be seen as greedy. This holds especially if the company are slim or of similar body size as the individual. Secondly, people eat the same amount as others in order to be liked or to gain social acceptance, particularly when eating with new friends and acquaintances (2). Perceived eating norms also play an important role in modifying food choice and consumption. People look outwards to the behaviour of others and change their behavioural intentions accordingly to conform to what is considered to be the norm, especially the norm of their peers (2). For example, a study on the habitual intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in teenagers found that, if participants believed their friends drank large quantities of SSB, the likelihood of drinking a lot of SSB themselves also increased (3). On the other hand, if people believe their peers are eating a healthy diet, their own intention to eat a better diet also increases (2). Because perceived norms can work in favour of healthy eating, it is possible to influence people's perception on healthy and unhealthy diets by changing the norm (see our previous story on nudging). Scientists are now thinking of ways to provide more positive eating norm messages to get populations to eat more healthily and be more physically active. So how about doing some scientific investigation yourself? When having a meal with others, have a look around you. Are you being influenced by what and how much others are eating? How about acting as a role model for a day by having some healthier options and seeing if others will follow! (TNM)
* Perceived eating norms: refers to an individual's beliefs about how others around them behave, which in turn, influences how they choose to behave when it comes to making food choices and the amount of food eaten (2).
As nutrients enter our mouth and digestive system, they prompt a myriad of reactions – some define the taste of foods, others prepare the body for digestion and others still will eventually signal satiation. How does the brain sense it is time to end the meal and put the fork down?
This question has been the focus of much attention as it is now believed that overeating is associated with a defect in this sensing mechanism and the communication between the gut and the brain (also known as the gut-brain axis). In particular, high-fat foods activate a food reward mechanism in the brain involving dopamine, an important molecule that regulates pleasure. Paradoxically, prolonged high-fat intake is associated with dopamine deficiency and one can imagine that this dopamine deficiency entices overeating in an attempt to restore the pleasure gained from food intake. A recent study (1) has brought more evidence to support this line of thought and also identified an additional messenger in gut-brain communication. Experiments in mice show that a lipid satiety messenger called oleoyl-ethanolamine (OEA) links excessive fat intake to dopamine deficiency. As expected, mice fed a high-fat diet did not respond with dopamine release in the brain and this deficiency was paralleled by low levels of OEA. Moreover, injecting OEA in mice altered their eating behaviours. Those mice previously on high-fat diets began eating low fat foods and restored dopamine signalling suggesting that OEA enhanced the reward value (pleasure) of low-fat foods. Whether the same messenger will have similar effects in humans remains to be seen. But the potential of OEA to curb overeating and promote lower fat intake while apparently keeping the reward value of foods deserves further investigation! (SC)
In May 2013, after more than a decade's worth of study, the American Psychological Association published the 5th edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). For the first time in the history of the DSM, binge eating disorder (BED) is officially recognised as a mental disorder. The DSM-5 defines BED "… as recurring episodes of eating significantly more food in a short period of time than most people would eat under similar circumstances, with episodes marked by feelings of lack of control" (1). In addition to BED, obesity was considered for inclusion in DSM-5 as a mental disorder, the underlying idea being that overeating and obesity are the result of an addiction* to food.
Eventually, obesity was not included as a mental disorder, but the discussion about food addiction** is far from resolved. Proponents say it shares sufficient neurobiological parallels with drug addiction and it helps to explain at least in part the obesity epidemic happening around the globe (2). In their view, formal recognition of food addiction as a condition would open new treatment avenues and help relieve those affected from the stigma of gluttony. The faction arguing against the concept's usefulness, in turn, considers the scientific evidence for food addiction too preliminary (3). Despite the neurobiological similarities to drug dependence, food addiction is seen as devoid of clinical utility (with respect to diagnosis and treatment). Instead, terms such as "hedonic eating" are used to describe (over)eating in the absence of hunger. The hedonic qualities of a food or meal comprise everything to do with palatability, or in other words, how much we like that food/meal. Considering that obesity affects an ever-growing number of people, understanding the public's perspective seems highly appropriate. Results from a recent online survey among 215 US and 264 Australian citizens (4) give a first idea of how people perceive the concept of food addiction and food taxation as a policy option for its control. The majority of respondents (72%) believed food addiction causes obesity. Likewise, 86% of the participants thought that certain foods are addictive. At the same time, 32% indicated "personal choice" as the primary cause of obesity as compared to 23% for "environment", 15% for "biology", and 12% for "genetics"; 18% indicated some other cause or combination of factors. The survey further revealed that half of the respondents considered the individual responsible for becoming obese, and three-quarters saw the individual as in charge of losing weight. So, despite viewing food addiction as a likely reason for overeating and weight gain, people first and foremost look to themselves as the agent of change. Furthermore, 57% disagreed that a tax on certain foods – as a measure outside one's own control – would lower obesity rates while 49% doubted the benefits of such a tax to society. However, more population-based surveys and research is needed before any conclusion can be drawn. Obviously, establishing food addiction and obesity as mental disorders would have a tremendous impact on the practice of treating eating behaviours linked to excess weight gain. Public health policy makers would do well to endorse a likely increase in the medicalisation of obesity only if the scientific evidence is clearly supportive. Moreover, they need to factor in potential responses by individuals as well as society before implementing specific policy. Until then, behavioural therapy in most cases appears to be the reasonable approach where primary prevention has failed. (SSgB)
* According to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, "[a]ddiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors."
** A universal definition of food addiction does not exist, but the online Psychology Dictionary briefly describes it as an "eating disturbance where a person is preoccupied with weight, body image and food."
1. http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/Eating%20Disorders%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf (accessed 5 December 2013)
VIEWS
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) often attract public and scientific interest because of their potential contribution to obesity and related conditions (1), and we have dealt with this issue in a previous issue of our newsletter. In this article instead we focus on the growing interest in the health benefits associated with increased water intake, which include weight control, dental health, improved motor skills or brain hydration (2-4). Regarding the latter, scientists have looked into the effects of dehydration on brain function in UK adolescents (3). They showed that while the brain appears to be able to compensate for water restriction, at least in the short term, some researchers claim that school performance could be compromised (5). On these grounds, we have decided to address the important issue of adequate hydration* and the development of healthy drinking habits in children.
Hydration in children – recommendations vs intakes
The human body is comprised of between 45-75% water (60% on average). Water is vital for maintaining good health as it is the main component of body fluids,
e.g. blood, saliva and urine. It furthermore supports the regulation of body temperature and offers the basis for all chemical reactions (6, 7). Three major states of hydration can be distinguished: 1) optimal hydration, when all bodily needs for water are met; 2) hypo-hydration, when water balance is insufficient for all body functions to run smoothly; and 3) hyper-hydration, in which over-consumption of water, under certain circumstances, can lead to water intoxication (6, 7).
We can absorb water virtually from all foods. Drinking water and other beverages such as juices or fizzy drinks contributes an average of 80% to our daily consumption whereas solid foods contribute the remaining 20%. In 2010, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (6) issued a scientific opinion on Adequate Intakes* of water. Values are available for specific age groups by gender and physiological state (pregnancy and lactation). It should be noted that individual water requirements are also influenced by physical activity, environmental temperature, dietary factors and some pathophysiological states such as diabetes mellitus and kidney disease (6, 7). The EFSA reference values for total water intake from all sources, including solid foods, range from 1.3 l/day for boys and girls aged 2–3 years old to 2.5 l/day for adolescent (14+ years) and adult males (6).
Studies reporting water intakes of European children and adolescents are scarce (8-10). A pan-European study of adolescents aged 12.5 to 17.5 years showed that while water accounted for the majority of fluid consumed, approximately 65% of male and female adolescents had total water intakes below the levels recommended by EFSA (8, 9). Remarkably, around 12% of adolescents stated that they did not drink plain water at any time during the reporting period. Along the same lines, 15-year trends in water intake in German children and adolescents showed low total water intakes, especially of tap water (10).
It must be stressed that data on beverage intake often are difficult to compare due to differences in assessment methodology and in the categorisation of beverages and liquid products between studies (6). The issue is further complicated by the fact that underreporting of true intakes can undermine substantially the validity of results obtained.
Since water does not contain energy, increased consumption may limit excess weight gain (4). Furthermore, promoting water consumption could serve as a means to support the development of healthy lifestyle habits among youth (11). Stahl and colleagues (12) observed that optimally hydrated children had a better dietary profile than hypo-hydrated children as they consumed significantly less energy-dense foods. The importance of developing healthy hydration practices often is overlooked or lacks emphasis in public health initiatives (2). Critics suggest this may be an opportunity missed thus far to establish and maintain a healthy habit throughout life.
The school environment and new opportunities
Children spend a lot of their time in school or in child care, which makes these settings ideal for interventions that encourage development of healthy behaviours, including good drinking habits, among both children and parents. Water consumption or promotion of healthy drinking behaviour, however, requires an additional step to the usual health promotion and educational intervention models. This step is related to making water constantly available and easily accessible to children during school times; it also requires that water promotion be dealt with and considered by public health professionals and not only as the by-product of other health promotion activities.
Interventions to influence drinking habits, e.g. placement of water coolers in secondary schools, seem feasible (13). Muckelbauer and colleagues (4) suggested that a combined educational and environmental intervention promoting water consumption is effective in preventing overweight in school children, including those from materially deprived urban areas. These findings are based on a randomised trial of 32 elementary schools in socially deprived areas of two German cities where water fountains were installed and teachers gave four classroom lessons to promote water consumption in the intervention schools. At the end of the study, the intervention group showed a one glass per day higher water consumption and markedly less new cases of overweight compared with the control group (4).
To conclude, while there is a wide range of beverage categories to satisfy different tastes and needs, children and adolescents often do not consume enough water. Instead they opt for SSBs and other beverages. Early education of children and their families on how to drink in a healthy way, and provision of easily accessible, safe and palatable drinking water would help reduce and ideally prevent obesity. (TM)
* Adequate Intake (AI): The recommended average daily intake level based on observed or experimentally determined estimates of nutrient intake by a group (or groups) of apparently healthy people that are assumed to be adequate. The AI is used when a Recommended Daily Allowance cannot be determined (14).
Nutrition Research Highlights is a bi-monthly publication prepared by the Nutrition Team of the DG-Joint Research Centre, Institute for Health and Consumer Protection. Sandra Caldeira, Anastasia Livaniou, Tsz Ning Mak, Theodora Mouratidou, Carlos Martin Saborido, Stefan Storcksdieck genannt Bonsmann and Jan Wollgast contributed to this issue.
The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Commission.
ISSN: 1831-9467
LB-AL-13-006-EN-N | 16,584 | 7,228 | 0.000139 |
warc | 201704 | English français Biophysical Regulation of Lymphatic Vessel Function: Flow as a Mediator of Immune Cell and Fluid Transport
Lymphatic capillaries collect interstitial fluid and dendritic cells from the periphery and deliver them to the lymph nodes for immune surveillance and tolerance maintenance. Upon injury and inflammation, lymphatic drainage can increase rapidly, and thus the lymphatic capillaries experience a broad range of fluid stresses and need to respond rapidly to such changes. Our understanding of their functional biology, adaptive ability and response to pathological changes in the biophysical environment is still very limited. This thesis focuses on how the lymphatic capillary endothelium senses and responds to changes of its biophysical environment with respect to its function, including fluid and cell transport, in the context of physiological and pathophysiological conditions. Using in vitro and in vivo models, we demonstrate that lymphatic endothelium is exquisitely sensitive to transmural flow, modulating both fluid and cell transport functions even in the absence of inflammatory cytokines. Flow increased lymphatic permeability and dendritic cell (DC) transmigration, which were coincident with changes in gene and protein expression of factor known to be involved in these, including chemoattractant chemokines, adhesion molecules and junctional proteins. These data provide the first evidence that lymphatic endothelium can regulate its transport functions in response to flow cues. They also show for the first time that transmural flow can, in the absence of inflammatory cues like TNF-a, drive expression of DC adhesion molecules like ICAM-1 and chemokines like CCL21 by lymphatic endothelium. Based on these findings we suggest that lymphatic flow is an important mediator of lymphatic function, particularly with respect to DC recruitment and trafficking to the lymph node. Furthermore, the response of the lymphatic endothelium to flow may be specific to the type of low, as lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) might react differently to luminal shear flow, at physiological and pathophysiological levels, compared to transmural flow. To address this we used laminar shear stress chambers to expose only the apical surface of the lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) to shear stress and demonstrated that lymphatic endothelium is indeed sensitive to luminal flow, fine-tuning its expression of adhesion molecules to modulate DC adhesion according to the shear stress. Specifically, at extremely low shear, adhesion was enhanced, unlike at higher shear, adhesion was downregulated. This is consistent with the notion that DC adhesion to LECs is only needed for entry but not transport in conducting vessels, since only the absorbing capillaries have low shear stresses. The interactions between DCs and LECs were strongly mediated by CCL21 and its receptor CCR7. These findings suggest that luminal shear stress acts as an active mechanosignal in LECs to potentially facilitate the traffic of immune cells inside of the lymphatic vessel to reach the lymph node and trigger an immune response. Additionally, we demonstrated that lymphatic vessels respond differentially to immunogenic and tolerogenic inflammatory stimulus. We used in vitro models to evaluate lymphatic uptake and lymphatic participation in dendritic cell transmigration in the presence of various inflammatory stimuli. We found that lymphatic endothelium exposed to TNF-a or complement activation were more conductive to dendritic cell transmigration, while LPS and TGF-β had opposite effect, affecting DCs to decrease DC transmigration. We further presented some insights in similarities in tumor and dendritic cells intravasation into inflamed lymphatic capillaries. These findings imply that lymphatic activation and participation in immune cells transport is not a universal phenomenon, but is strongly dependent on the nature of the inflammation. In conclusion, this work highlights the critical role of biophysical environment in lymphatic endothelial function, and how exquisitely sensitive the lymphatic capillaries are to their extracellular environment and how they use multiple cues to sense inflammation and danger, modulating their transport functions accordingly to regulate the delivery of antigens and immune cells to the lymph nodes.
Keywords: lymphatic endothelium ; interstitial flow ; shear stress ; inflammation ; dendritic cells ; CCL21 ; CCR7 ; endothélium lymphatique ; flux interstitiel ; forces de cisaillements ; stress ; inflammation ; cellules dendritiques ; CCL21 ; CCR7Thèse École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne EPFL, n° 4666 (2010)
Programme doctoral Biotechnologie et Génie biologique
Faculté des sciences de la vie
Institut interfacultaire de Bioingénierie (SV)
Laboratoire de mécanobiologie et de morphogenèse
Reference
Record created on 2010-02-22, modified on 2016-08-08 | 4,993 | 2,165 | 0.000469 |
warc | 201704 | Lori and Savanna
I met Lori and her daughter Savanna while visiting a rotating shelter in Detroit, Michigan.
I cannot imagine the challenges of raising a child without permanent housing. Yet children are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population.
According to data collected one night in January 2007 – 50% of homeless populations are families and children in a given year. 13% of families are homeless due to domestic violence. 39% of the homeless people are children under 18 (5% are unaccompanied youth)
Researchers estimate that between 4-7% of youth will experience homelessness before their 18th birthday. Homelessness takes a toll on young children. For example, a child who has experienced homelessness experiences post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at twice the rate of returning war veterans. ~taken from EndHomelessness.Change.org
Lori hopes for a better future. One where she can provide for Savanna – she says, “live a good life like everybody else”.
Special thanks to Macomb County Rotating Emergency Shelter
ABC News Detroit story of my visitChildren are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. Click To Tweet | 1,185 | 660 | 0.001553 |
warc | 201704 | Published: 2009-04-06 Last Updated: 2009-04-06 03:49:19 UTC byLenny Zeltser (Version: 1)
As an infosec professional, you rarely have the formal power to simply issue a "Make it so!" mandate to launch a project, introduce significant change, or influence behavior of co-workers. Those of us classified as "middle managers" or "individual contributors" are often requested to advise, implement, control, and oversee without direct control over the people who use the data or manage the IT infrastructure. Even Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) often do not have the staff or the budget to launch significant initiatives without strong support of executive managers and other co-workers.
Have a message that's worth being heard.Don't lose credibility with half-formed ideas. Also, sometimes it's good to speak off the cuff, but being prepared usually makes a huge difference. Consider your thoughts from all perspectives and anticipate possible objections. Ask your friends to critique all aspects of your proposal. Consider concerns and language of the recipient.As Seth Godin put it, we don't like receiving e-mail. We want me-mail! How is your request relevant to the person you're trying to reach? Craft your message using the language of that person. Don't assume that terminology that's second nature to you (SecurID, WEP, DDoS, etc.) is known to him. If communicating with managers or business folks, learn their language (SWOT, CapEx, SaaS, etc.). Speak up! But don't be too loud.If you're introverted by nature, or if you speak in an understated tone, make an effort to speak more loudly, directly, clearly. At the same time, don't become the person who yells "Fire!" every time there's a whiff of smoke--the audience can quickly learn to ignore screaming. In contrast, if you're usually loud, try speaking softly--in some situations, such as presentations, that gets people to pay closer attention. Understand when to say it.If sending email, use tools such as Xobni to determine the hour when the recepient is most likely to answer messages. If submitting printed documents is getting you nowhere, catch the person on the way for a cup of coffee. Is he a morning person? What's his mood today? The whenof the message matters as much as the what. Switch the medium.You've tried instant messenger, you've tried email, and another email, and another. Use the phone. Or a paper letter. Or, stop by the colleague's office in person (bring a snack to share or good coffee). Don't overwhelm with choices.People can be paralyzed into inaction when offered too many choices. If weighing several courses of action, list a few choices, identify the pros and cons of each, and leave the remaining options for an appendix, available upon request. Be brief. No one has time to read long emails. Practice on Twitter to create a succinct message that gets to the point quickly. For more inspiration, see three.sentenc.es. Follow up.The recipient probably receives a message per minute, and very possibly yours got lost. Follow up, if you believe your message is important. (You still need to be tactful, of course.) When following up, consider repeating the gist of your message using different words. Find an ally.If you have a hard to reaching or convincing the ultimate recipient directly, find someone more accessible to you who would speak on your behalf or support your case. Whom you know really can make a difference. Give first, without expecting to receive.If asking for a favor, the person may think (sometimes unconsciously), "What have you done for me lately?" If you are known for helping others, your colleagues will be more predisposed to help you. This is often a problem for security people who've developed a reputation for being Dr. No! (as in "No, you cannot have that firewall port opened!").
If this perspective resonates with you, here are additional thoughts on the non-technical aspects of information security:
SWOT Matrix for Describing Security Posture Elevator Pitch for Explaining Security Risks to Executives When Using Fear to Sell Security Can Backfire Situational Awareness for Information Security Professionals Three Laws of Behavior Dynamics for Information Security
-- Lenny
Lenny Zeltser - Security Consulting | 4,271 | 2,208 | 0.000455 |
warc | 201704 | When I learned that Helen Tartar, editor of Fordham University Press, had died in a tragic car accident, the first thing I thought of was the fact that my school’s (Drew University) annual Transdisciplinary Theological Colloquium was only a matter of weeks away. I go to this conference every year, and I found it impossible for me to imagine the TTC without Helen in the audience, patiently knitting and listening while she sat through the extremely long and intense weekend conversation. I still remember the first time that I attended the TTC, as a new PhD student, in 2009. I saw this elegant woman in the crowd, quite obviously attuned to the intellectual discourse, yet simultaneously knitting this incredible and intricate lace garment. I found it oddly empowering. I was unsurprised to learn, over the course of time, what a subtle, elegant, and intricate critical imagination Helen had—as a thinker, and an editor. In a certain sense—though she was extremely kind, deeply unpretentious, and totally unassuming—you might say that she almost wore this on her sleeve. As an editor, she did so much to broadcast the kind of intellectual work that was being done at Drew. She started a series, to publish the annual proceedings of the TTC, and the kind of feminism that’s emerged from the ecosystem that is Drew University (deeply informed by thinkers like my advisor Catherine Keller, by Virginia Burrus, by Laurel Kearns, as well as former administrators like Maxine Beach and Anne Yardley) came through so well in powerfully simple things like the covers of these books. But over the past couple of days, I’ve been trying to articulate what it was that I found so oddly empowering when I saw Helen knitting in the midst of an academic conference.
On some levels, it’s obvious. I grew up in a family of women who sew. My great grandmother was skilled at making lace crochet. By the time I knew her, she had lost much of her hearing and much of her eyesight. But the home of my grandparents, and my own home, were graced with curtains she’d made decades earlier. The lace was thick, but the patterns she wove were large enough to filter the sun into speckled streams. My mother and I were both a little heartbroken when our crazy beagle, Teddy, chewed off the corner of one of these curtains so that he would have a small porthole to stick his head through, to stare out the window. I think either my mother or I might have cried. But who can really blame a dog for wanting a better view? My grandmother used to make these fantastic dresses for herself, and for her grandaughters. Living in an immigrant family (with seven children), who’d come to the U.S. after living in a displaced persons camp, my grandmother never had much money. But she worked as a seamstress and had enough to buy, periodically, some beautiful silky fabric for an elegant dress. And enough to keep a little bottle of Chanel No.5 on her vanity, for special occasions. She was glamorous, and I was in awe of her. One year, for Christmas, she made my cousins and I these velvety dresses in different shades of red. I felt like we were royalty. My mother went through a period in her hippy youth where she made all of her own clothes. And we still own some of the intricate and embroidered little garments that she made for me as a small child. I used her old sewing machine until I was in college, and I cried when it broke down. I did. I had to call her, thinking that I should ask for permission before I got a new one. She laughed, because it’s just a machine. But for me, there were histories bound up in the machine: ties to my past, to the women of my family who’d passed away and left me with their skills and sensibilities.
It’s weird, I know, for me to write about this at a place like AUFS. Even though I’ve written about things like Barbie before, I kind of feel like this is one of those places where I go to be a little bit more of a dude. But I’ve seen this blog billed as an “anomalous” space. So I’m just going to go ahead and anomalize a bit. Say what I want.
This past weekend, at the TTC, we ended up making a quilt for Helen. We were brainstorming ways to dedicate our thought and attention to her in this space, where she was going to be deeply missed. I thought it would be a good way to evoke her presence, when she wasn’t there. What better way to carry her in our memory than to sit and sew, in the space where she did the same thing? Knitting would have been more difficult. It’s a skill that’s not particularly easy to learn. It takes time and requires patience. But in recent years, I’ve been making these Alabama Chanin style hand sewn cotton garments. Cotton seemed like an easy fabric to work with, and the hand sewn stitches are simple repetitions. Last weekend my mother happened to be visiting, so I dragged her to Mood Fabric, in midtown Manhattan (for those of you who’ve watched “Project Runway”). We picked out some cotton, made some stencils, and painted the fabric in gold. There were about 20 squares to sew, at the conference, and people made them beautiful. Men were sewing. Clayton Crocket actually learned how to sew for the first time, because he’d known Helen, and wanted to contribute.
I’ve written about fabric on academic platforms before. But it’s not an object that I’ve been driven to theorize about. In the late 1980s weaving became, for a time, a metaphor deployed in feminist circles (Judith Plaskow and Carol Christ, for instance, published
Weaving the Visions: New Patterns in Feminist Spirituality.) It was meant to be a metaphor to describe a feminized mode of religious or theological engagement and made reference back to ancient myths, like the myth of Penelope. Unsurprisingly, the metaphor began to face critique as a kind of cultural feminist essentialization of women’s experience. In a 1990s debate in the Journal of Feminist Studies in Religion, Miriam Peskowitz acknowledged that weaving was intended to be a feminist disruption of male intellectual culture, but critiqued the extent to which it roped women back into a cultural framework in which they’re asked to spiritualize aspects of their constrained, domesticated labor.
Yes, I sew. And I do think that it’s actually liberated me from a certain set of capital constraints. I feel a bit less bound by some of the superficial pressures on professional women (at least financially), because I can transform a garment that’s destined for the landfill into something wearable and current. I remember when I taught a friend to sew by altering a dress she’d bought. I told her to just go ahead and cut into it (from the hem to the neck) and she said, “that feels kind of liberating.” It’s a certain kind of creative destruction. But I also acknowledge the history of constraint this skill can be traced back to. I’m inclined to agree with Peskowitz that weaving isn’t a particularly liberatory metaphor. In fact, I don’t think metaphor is what I’m looking for, here.
I think what always inspired me about Helen’s knitting was that it was a performance, after a fashion. She was engaged in a physical activity, transforming some otherwise brute material into a work of art. It was sensual, in the sense that it was tactile. But it wasn’t particularly sexy, and so not subject to a certain kind of capture and neutralization. It was surprising because it disturbed the gendered norms of academic conferences—skewed toward the button-up, blazered professionalism that still pilfers off of an exclusively male academic moment. And what I appreciated was precisely that surprise, the performance of something that subtly created dissonance. What I discovered this year, while sewing, was how soothing it felt. Delightful as it may be to spend days on end with colleagues, talking intensely about ideas, no one can deny that (like the act of writing) it’s physically punishing. Sitting stiffly in chairs for hours on end gets really old. This is one reason why so many people can’t wait for the [wine/open bar] reception at the end of a conference. There was something really meditative about creating these stitches, while I listened. I felt like I was moving, and paying attention to my body in space in a way that I don’t typically, at a conference. I’m grateful that the TTC is a conference that was so ripe to be influenced and transformed by Helen’s art and craft. | 8,610 | 4,036 | 0.000255 |
warc | 201704 | Combining two sorted lists
As another interview question, let’s tackle the idea of sorting two sorted lists. While we’re at it, let’s discuss a few factors outside of the basic question being asked.
The question is: “Given two sorted lists, combine them into one sorted list”
Now, of course, that’s really easy in Java:
private static List naiveListSort(List first, List second) { List combinedList = new ArrayList(first.size() + second.size()); combinedList.addAll(first); combinedList.addAll(second); return Collections.sort(combinedList); }
…but that’s probably not what your interviewer had in mind. They’d like it to be
faster. (This will sort two 20 million item lists in 2.5 seconds, but hey, always room for improvement.)
OK, let’s use Streams:
private static void sortStreams(List first, List second) { Stream random1 = first.stream(); Stream random2 = second.stream(); Stream combined = Stream.concat(random1, random2).sorted(); return combined.collect(Collectors.toList()); }
That returns two 20 million item lists in 2.3 seconds. Still want it faster?
Well, depending on what you’re doing, you can just return a Stream instead of a List, that shaves off a pretty big chunk of time – it’s about 1 millisecond or so, since the sorting is done lazily. Running an operation like
.count() on it works in 1.9 seconds. But that’s probably not what’s meant either. What they really mean is they want you to do it the
hard way – take advantage of the fact that the two lists are already sorted, and use that to eke out a little more speed: List combinedList = new ArrayList(first.size() + second.size()); int i = 0; // first index int j = 0; // second index int firstsize = first.size(); int secondsize = second.size(); while (i = second.get(j)) { combinedList.add(second.get(j++)); if (j >= secondsize) { break; } } combinedList.add(first.get(i)); if (j >= second.size()) { break; } i++; } if (j < second.size()) { // add remaining combinedList.addAll(second.subList(j, secondsize)); } else if (i < first.size()) { combinedList.addAll(first.subList(i+1, firstsize)); }
That delivers results in 1.7 seconds. Total savings over the Stream version, .6 seconds! That's a savings of about 25%!
This is also the best case scenario for the naive functions – the comparison operation can literally fit into a single assembly instruction, and thus executes lightning fast. As the complexity of the comparison goes up, the difference in execution times does too. So, the improvement for other sorts (such as on String alphanumeric order) will be even larger.
But look what you gave up by doing this the fastest way:
It's now more fragile – if you pass it unsorted data, it will pass back even moreunsorted data. A single out of place value causes a severe failure. It's harder to read and maintain, meaning that at some point, it will cost precious manpower if you need to modify it in any way. And it will need to be tested – it's all too easy for a small bug to make it's way in. Also, if you want the result to be a Stream, you have to convert it back (and from what I've seen so far of Streams, their use is going to become extremely common). But that last point is prehaps a bit unfair.
Still, the likelihood of needing the last method is somewhat remote, unless you're writing framework software or a database. The likelihood of needing one of the preceding methods is pretty good. (As a framework developer, I still write more code that looks like the first version than the last. It's all about the critical path.)
So, if you're interviewing a candidate, I'd suggest that the answer you're looking for is probably one of the first ones, rather than the last one. While your candidate should certainly be able to program the last one, they should also have to wisdom to know that it's almost never necessary – and why. Good answers would include such phrases as: "Is this in the critical path?", "What's the user expectation for response time?", and "How robust does this have to be? Can I trust the inputs?"
If you're interested in the complete code (including the surrounding code which tests performance, in a fairly primitive manner), see the gist. | 4,280 | 1,993 | 0.000517 |
warc | 201704 | This thesis treats the application of configurational forces for the evaluation of fracture processes in Antarctic ice shelves. FE simulations are used to analyze the influence of geometric scales, material parameters and boundary conditions on single surface cracks. A break-up event at the Wilkins Ice Shelf that coincided with a major temperature drop motivates the consideration of frost wedging as a mechanism for ice shelf disintegration. An algorithm for the evaluation of the crack propagation direction is used to analyze the horizontal growth of rifts. Using equilibrium considerations for a viscoelastic fluid, a method is introduced to compute viscous volume forces from measured velocity fields as loads for a linear elastic fracture mechanical analysis.
Piezoelectric materials are electro-mechanically coupled materials. In these materials it is possible to produce an electric field by applying a mechanical load. This phenomenon is known as the piezoelectric effect. These materials also exhibit a mechanical deformation in response to an external electric loading, which is known as the inverse piezoelectric effect. By using these smart properties of piezoelectric materials, applications are possible in sensors and actuators. Ferroelectric or piezoelectric materials show switching behavior of the polarization in the material under an external loading. Due to this property, these materials are used to produce random access memory (RAM) for the non-volatile storage of data in computing devices. It is essential to understand the material responses of piezoelectric materials properly in order to use them in the engineering applications in innovative manners. Due to the growing interest in determining the material responses of smart material (e.g., piezoelectric material), computational methods are becoming increasingly important.Many engineering materials possess inhomogeneities on the micro level. These inhomogeneities in the materials cause some difficulties in the determination of the material responses computationally as well as experimentally. But on the other hand, sometimes these inhomogeneities help the materials to render some good physical properties, e.g., glass or carbon fiber reinforced composites are light weight, but show higher strength. Piezoelectric materials also exhibit intense inhomogeneities on the micro level. These inhomogeneities are originating from the presence of domains, domain walls, grains, grain boundaries, micro cracks, etc. in the material. In order to capture the effects of the underlying microstructures on the macro quantities, it is essential to homogenize material parameters and the physical responses. There are several approaches to perform the homogenization. A two-scale classical (first-order) homogenization of electro-mechanically coupled materials using a FE²-approach is discussed in this work. The main objective of this work is to investigate the influences of the underlying micro structures on the macro Eshelby stress tensor and on the macro configurational forces. The configurational forces are determined in certain defect situations. These defect situations include the crack tip of a sharp crack in the macro specimen.A literature review shows that the macro strain tensor is used to determine the micro boundary condition for the FE²-based homogenization in a small strain setting. This approach is capable to determine the consistent homogenized physical quantities (e.g., stress, strain) and the homogenized material quantities (e.g., stiffness tensor). But the application of these type of micro boundaries for the homogenization does not generate physically consistent macro Eshelby stress tensor or the macro configurational forces. Even in the absence of the micro volume configurational forces, this approach of the homogenization of piezoelectric materials produces unphysical volume configurational forces on the macro level. After a thorough investigation of the boundary conditions on the representative volume elements (RVEs), it is found that a displacement gradient driven micro boundary conditions remedy this issue. The use of the displacement gradient driven micro boundary conditions also satisfies the Hill-Mandel condition. The macro Eshelby stress tensor of a pure mechanical problem in a small deformation setting can be determined in two possible ways: by using the homogenized mechanical quantities (displacement gradient and stress tensor), or by homogenizing the Eshelby stress tensor on the micro level by volume averaging. The first approach does not satisfy the Hill-Mandel condition incorporating the Eshelby stress tensor in the energy term, on the other hand, the Hill-Mandel condition is satisfied in the second approach. In the case of homogenized Eshelby stress tensor determined from the homogenized physical quantities, the Hill-Mandel condition gives an additional energy term. A body in a small deformation setting is deformed according to the displacement gradient. If the homogenization is done using strain driven micro boundary conditions, the micro domain is deformed according to the macro strain, but the tiny vicinity around the corresponding Gauß point is deformed according to the macro displacement gradient. This implies that some restrictions are imposed at every Gauß point on the macro level. This situation helps the macro system to produce nonphysical volume configurational forces.A FE²-based computational homogenization technique is also considered for the homogenization of piezoelectric materials. In this technique a representative volume element, which comprises of the micro structural features in the material, is assigned to every Gauß point of the macro domain. The macro displacement gradient and the macro electric field, or the macro stress tensor and the macro electric displacement are passed to the RVEs at every macro Gauß point. After determining boundary conditions on the RVEs, the homogenization process is performed. The homogenized physical quantities and the homogenized material parameters are passed back to macro Gauß points. In this work numerical investigations are carried out for two distinct situations of the microstructures of the piezoelectric materials regarding the evolution on the micro level: a) homogenization by using stationary microstructures, and b) homogenization by using evolving microstructures.For the first case, the domain walls remain at fixed positions through out the simulations for the homogenization of piezoelectric materials. For a considerably large external loading, the real situation is different. But to understand the effects of the underlying microstructures on the macro configurational forces, to some extent it is sufficient to do the homogenization with fixed or stationary microstructures. The homogenization process is carried out for different microstructures and for different loading conditions. If the mechanical load is applied in the direction of the polarization, a smaller crack tip configurational force is observed in comparison to the configurational force determined for a mechanical loading perpendicular to the polarization. If the polarizations in the microstructures are parallel or perpendicular to the applied electric field and the applied displacement, configurational forces parallel to the crack ligament of the macro crack are observed only. In the case of inclined polarizations in the microstructures, configurational forces inclined to the crack ligament are obtained. The simulation results also reveal that an application of an external electric field to the material reduces the value of the nodal configurational forces at the crack tip.In the second case, the interfaces of the micro structures are allowed to move from their initial positions at every step of the applied incremental external loading. Thus, at every step of the application of the external loading, the microstructures are changed when the external loading is larger than the coercive field. The movement of the interfaces is realized through the nodal configurational forces on the micro level. At every step of the application of the external loading, the nodal configurational forces per unit length on the domain walls are determined in the post-processing of the FE-simulation on the micro domain. With the help of the domain wall kinetics, the new positions of the domain walls are determined. Numerical results show that the crack tip region is the most affected area in the macro domain. For that reason a very different distribution of the macro electric displacement is observed comparing the same produced by using fixed microstructures. Due to the movement of the domain walls, the energy is dissipated in the system. As a result, a smaller configurational force appears at the crack tip on the macro level in the case of the homogenization by using evolving microstructures. By using the homogenization technique involving the evolution of the microstructures, it is possible to produce the electric displacement vs. electric field hysteresis loop on the macro level. The shape of the hysteresis loop depends on the value of the rate of application of the external electric loading. A faster deployment of the external electric field widens the hysteresis loop.
The present thesis describes the development and validation of a viscosity adaption method for the numerical simulation of non-Newtonian fluids on the basis of the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM), as well as the development and verification of the related software bundle SAM-Lattice.By now, Lattice Boltzmann Methods are established as an alternative approach to classical computational fluid dynamicsmethods. The LBM has been shown to be an accurate and efficient tool for the numerical simulation of weakly compressible or incompressible fluids. Fields of application reach from turbulent simulations through thermal problems to acoustic calculations among others. The transient nature of the method and the need for a regular grid based, non body conformal discretization makes the LBM ideally suitable for simulations involving complex solids. Such geometries are common, for instance, in the food processing industry, where fluids are mixed by static mixers or agitators. Those fluid flows are often laminar and non-Newtonian.This work is motivated by the immense practical use of the Lattice Boltzmann Method, which is limited due to stability issues. The stability of the method is mainly influenced by the discretization and the viscosity of the fluid. Thus, simulations of non-Newtonian fluids, whose kinematic viscosity depend on the shear rate, are problematic. Several authors have shown that the LBM is capable of simulating those fluids. However, the vast majority of the simulations in the literature are carried out for simple geometries and/or moderate shear rates, where the LBM is still stable. Special care has to be taken for practical non-Newtonian Lattice Boltzmann simulations in order to keep them stable. A straightforward way is to truncate the modeled viscosity range by numerical stability criteria. This is an effective approach, but from the physical point of view the viscosity bounds are chosen arbitrarily. Moreover, these bounds depend on and vary with the grid and time step size and, therefore, with the simulation Mach number, which is freely chosen at the start of the simulation. Consequently, the modeled viscosity range may not fit to the actual range of the physical problem, because the correct simulation Mach number is unknown a priori. A way around is, to perform precursor simulations on a fixed grid to determine a possible time step size and simulation Mach number, respectively. These precursor simulations can be time consuming and expensive, especially for complex cases and a number of operating points. This makes the LBM unattractive for use in practical simulations of non-Newtonian fluids.The essential novelty of the method, developed in the course of this thesis, is that the numerically modeled viscosity range is consistently adapted to the actual physically exhibited viscosity range through change of the simulation time step and the simulation Mach number, respectively, while the simulation is running. The algorithm is robust, independent of the Mach number the simulation was started with, and applicable for stationary flows as well as transient flows. The method for the viscosity adaption will be referred to as the "viscosity adaption method (VAM)" and the combination with LBM leads to the "viscosity adaptive LBM (VALBM)".Besides the introduction of the VALBM, a goal of this thesis is to offer assistance in the spirit of a theory guide to students and assistant researchers concerning the theory of the Lattice Boltzmann Method and its implementation in SAM-Lattice. In Chapter 2, the mathematical foundation of the LBM is given and the route from the BGK approximation of the Boltzmann equation to the Lattice Boltzmann (BGK) equation is delineated in detail.The derivation is restricted to isothermal flows only. Restrictions of the method, such as low Mach number flows are highlighted and the accuracy of the method is discussed.SAM-Lattice is a C++ software bundle developed by the author and his colleague Dipl.-Ing. Andreas Schneider. It is a highly automated package for the simulation of isothermal flows of incompressible or weakly compressible fluids in 3D on the basis of the Lattice Boltzmann Method. By the time of writing of this thesis, SAM-Lattice comprises 5 components. The main components are the highly automated lattice generator SamGenerator and the Lattice Boltzmann solver SamSolver. Postprocessing is done with ParaSam, which is our extension of theopen source visualization software ParaView. Additionally, domain decomposition for MPIparallelism is done by SamDecomposer, which makes use of the graph partitioning library MeTiS. Finally, all mentioned components can be controlled through a user friendly GUI (SamLattice) implemented by the author using QT, including features to visually track output data.In Chapter 3, some fundamental aspects on the implementation of the main components, including the corresponding flow charts will be discussed. Actual details on the implementation are given in the comprehensive programmers guides to SamGenerator and SamSolver.In order to ensure the functionality of the implementation of SamSolver, the solver is verified in Chapter 4 for Stokes's First Problem, the suddenly accelerated plate, and for Stokes's Second Problem, the oscillating plate, both for Newtonian fluids. Non-Newtonian fluids are modeled in SamSolver with the power-law model according to Ostwald de Waele. The implementation for non-Newtonian fluids is verified for the Hagen-Poiseuille channel flow in conjunction with a convergence analysis of the method. At the same time, the local grid refinement as it is implemented in SamSolver, is verified. Finally, the verification of higher order boundary conditions is done for the 3D Hagen-Poiseuille pipe flow for both Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids.In Chapter 5, the theory of the viscosity adaption method is introduced. For the adaption process, a target collision frequency or target simulation Mach number must be chosen and the distributions must be rescaled according to the modified time step size. A convenient choice is one of the stability bounds. The time step size for the adaption step is deduced from the target collision frequency \(\Omega_t\) and the currently minimal or maximal shear rate in the system, while obeying auxiliary conditions for the simulation Mach number. The adaption is done in the collision step of the Lattice Boltzmann algorithm. We use the transformation matrices of the MRT model to map from distribution space to moment space and vice versa. The actual scaling of the distributions is conducted on the back mapping, because we use the transformation matrix on the basis of the new adaption time step size. It follows an additional rescaling of the non-equilibrium part of the distributions, because of the form of the definition for the discrete stress tensor in the LBM context. For that reason it is clear, that the VAM is applicable for the SRT model as well as the MRT model, where there is virtually no extra cost in the latter case. Also, in Chapter 5, the multi level treatment will be discussed.Depending on the target collision frequency and the target Mach number, the VAM can be used to optimally use the viscosity range that can be modeled within the stability bounds or it can be used to drastically accelerate the simulation. This is shown in Chapter 6. The viscosity adaptive LBM is verified in the stationary case for the Hagen-Poiseuille channel flow and in the transient case for the Wormersley flow, i.e., the pulsatile 3D Hagen-Poiseuille pipe flow. Although, the VAM is used here for fluids that can be modeled with the power-law approach, the implementation of the VALBM is straightforward for other non-Newtonian models, e.g., the Carreau-Yasuda or Cross model. In the same chapter, the VALBM is validated for the case of a propeller viscosimeter developed at the chair SAM. To this end, the experimental data of the torque on the impeller of three shear thinning non-Newtonian liquids serve for the validation. The VALBM shows excellent agreement with experimental data for all of the investigated fluids and in every operating point. For reasons of comparison, a series of standard LBM simulations is carried out with different simulation Mach numbers, which partly show errors of several hundred percent. Moreover, in Chapter 7, a sensitivity analysis on the parameters used within the VAM is conducted for the simulation of the propeller viscosimeter.Finally, the accuracy of non-Newtonian Lattice Boltzmann simulations with the SRT and the MRT model is analyzed in detail. Previous work for Newtonian fluids indicate that depending on the numerical value of the collision frequency \(\Omega\), additional artificial viscosity is introduced due to the finite difference scheme, which negatively influences the accuracy. For the non-Newtonian case, an error estimate in the form of a functional is derived on the basis of a series expansion of the Lattice Boltzmann equation. This functional can be solved analytically for the case of the Hagen-Poiseuille channel flow of non-Newtonian fluids. The estimation of the error minimum is excellent in regions where the \(\Omega\) error is the dominant source of error as opposed to the compressibility error.Result of this dissertation is a verified and validated software bundle on the basis of the viscosity adaptive Lattice Boltzmann Method. The work restricts itself on the simulation of isothermal, laminar flows with small Mach numbers. As further research goals, the testing of the VALBM with minimal error estimate and the investigation of the VALBM in the case of turbulent flows is suggested.
Lattice Boltzmann Methods have shown to be promising tools for solving fluid flow problems. This is related to the advantages of these methods, which are among others, the simplicity in handling complex geometries and the high efficiency in calculating transient flows. Lattice Boltzmann Methods are mesoscopic methods, based on discrete particle dynamics. This is in contrast to conventional Computational Fluid Dynamics methods, which are based on the solution of the continuum equations. Calculations of turbulent flows in engineering depend in general on modeling, since resolving of all turbulent scales is and will be in near future far beyond the computational possibilities. One of the most auspicious modeling approaches is the large eddy simulation, in which the large, inhomogeneous turbulence structures are directly computed and the smaller, more homogeneous structures are modeled.In this thesis, a consistent large eddy approach for the Lattice Boltzmann Method is introduced. This large eddy model includes, besides a subgrid scale model, appropriate boundary conditions for wall resolved and wall modeled calculations. It also provides conditions for turbulent domain inlets. For the case of wall modeled simulations, a two layer wall model is derived in the Lattice Boltzmann context. Turbulent inlet conditions are achieved by means of a synthetic turbulence technique within the Lattice Boltzmann Method.The proposed approach is implemented in the Lattice Boltzmann based CFD package SAM-Lattice, which has been created in the course of this work. SAM-Lattice is feasible of the calculation of incompressible or weakly compressible, isothermal flows of engineering interest in complex three dimensional domains. Special design targets of SAM-Lattice are high automatization and high performance.Validation of the suggested large eddy Lattice Boltzmann scheme is performed for pump intake flows, which have not yet been treated by LBM. Even though, this numerical method is very suitable for this kind of vortical flows in complicated domains. In general, applications of LBM to hydrodynamic engineering problems are rare. The results of the pump intake validation cases reveal that the proposed numerical approach is able to represent qualitatively and quantitatively the very complex flows in the intakes. The findings provided in this thesis can serve as the basis for a broader application of LBM in hydrodynamic engineering problems.
An efficient multiscale approach is established in order to compute the macroscopic response of nonlinear composites. The micro problem is rewritten in an integral form of the Lippmann-Schwinger type and solved efficiently by Fast Fourier Transforms. Using realistic microstructure models complex nonlinear effects are reproduced and validated with measured data of fiber reinforced plastics. The micro problem is integrated in a Finite Element framework which is used to solve the macroscale. The scale coupling technique and a consistent numerical algorithm is established. The method provides an efficient way to determine the macroscopic response considering arbitrary microstructures, constitutive behaviors and loading conditions.
This thesis is concerned with the extended finite element method (XFEM) for deformation analysis of three-dimensional heterogeneous materials. Using the "enhanced abs enrichment" the XFEM is able to reproduce kinks in the displacements and therewith jumps in the strains within elements of the underlying tetrahedral finite element mesh. A complex model for the micro structure reconstruction of aluminum matrix composite AMC225xe and the modeling of its macroscopic thermo-mechanical plastic deformation behavior is presented, using the XFEM. Additionally, a novel stabilization algorithm is introduced for the XFEM. This algorithm requires preprocessing only.
The study addresses the effect of multiple jet passes and other parameters namely feedrate, water pressure and standoff distance in waterjet peening of metallicsurfaces. An analysis of surface integrity was used to evaluate the performance ofdifferent parameters in the process. An increase in the number of jet passes andpressure leads to a higher roughness and more erosion and also a higher hardness.In contrast, the feedrate shows a reverse effect on those surface characteristics.There exists a specific value of standoff distance that results in the maximum surfaceroughness, erosion as well as hardness. Analysis of the surface microstructure gavea good insight into the mechanism material removal process involving initial andevolved damage. Also, the waterjet peening process was optimized based on thedesign of experiment approach. The developed empirical models had shownreasonable correlations between the measured and predicted responses. A proper selection of waterjet peening parameters can be formulated to be used in practicalworks.
In the present work, the phase transitions in different Fe/FeC systems were studied by using the molecular dynamics simulation and the Meyer-Entel interaction potential (also the Johnson potential for Fe-C interaction). Fe-bicrystal, thin film, Fe-C bulk and Fe-C nanowire systems were investigated to study the behaviour of the phase transition, where the energetics, dynamics and transformations pathways were analysed.
In this thesis, we develop a granular hydrodynamic model which covers the three principal regimes observed in granular systems, i.e. the dilute flow, the dense flow and the solid-like regime. We start from a kinetic model valid at low density and extend its validity to the granular solid-like behavior. Analytical and numerical results show that this model reproduces a lot of complex phenomena like for instance slow viscoplastic motion, critical states and the pressure dip in sand piles. Finally we formulate a 1D version of the full model and develop a numerical method to solve it. We present two numerical examples, a filling simulation and the flow on an inclined plane where the three regimes are included.
The noise issue in manufacturing system is widely discussed from legal and health aspects. Regarding the existing laws and guidelines, various investigation methods are implemented in industry. The sound pressure level can be measured and reduced by using established approaches in reality. However, a straightforward and low cost approach to study noise issue using existing digital factory models is not found.This thesis attempts to develop a novel concept for sound pressure level investigation in a virtual environment. With this, the factory planners are able to investigate the noise issue during factory design and layout planning phase.Two computer aided tools are used in this approach: acoustic simulation and virtual reality (VR). The former enables the planner to simulate the sound pressure level by given factory layout and facility sound features. And the latter provides a visualization environment to view and explore the simulation results. The combination of these two powerful tools provides the planners a new possibility to analyze the noise in a factory.To validate the simulations, the acoustic measurements are implemented in a real factory. Sound pressure level and sound intensity are determined respectively. Furthermore, a software tool is implemented using the introduced concept and approach. With this software, the simulation results are represented in a Cave Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE).This thesis describes the development of the approach, the measurement of sound features, the design of visualization framework, and the implementation of VR software. Based on this know-how, the industry users are able to design their own method and software for noise investigation and analysis. | 26,833 | 9,393 | 0.000107 |
warc | 201704 | Energy and Buildings vol:42 issue:12 pages:2376-2385
Abstract:
This paper investigates the airtightness of a wood-frame passive house during the consecutive construction stages. Aim is to investigate whether an acceptable airtightness can be achieved by the external wind barrier only. The wind barrier consists of a promising new type of asphalt impregnated fibreboards. To quantify the different leakage paths, the study applies the reductive sealing technique. In total 12 pressurisation tests have been conducted during the construction process. In addition to these field tests on the entire building, the paper discusses the results from laboratory measurements on specimens of the wind barrier including typical joints, in order to verify the influence of different possible types of local air leakage paths.
The results reveal that the external wind barrier has a significant airtightness. Moreover, by sealing only the most critical joints of the outer shell, the overall airtightness of the studied case fulfils the requirements of the passive house standard (less than 0.6 air changes per hour (ACH) at 50 Pa). The results presented in this paper, thus, indicate that the proposed solution may have potential to reduce the labour costs required to reach a sufficient level of airtightness. | 1,305 | 689 | 0.001457 |
warc | 201704 | Today, this year’s Nobel Prize in Medicine was announced and went to three men who devoted themselves to cancer research and understanding immunity. Sadly, Ralph Steinman, who holds half the prize, died three days ago from pancreatic cancer, before hearing the good news. Today, we celebrate the accomplishments of Steinman, Bruce Buetler, and Jules Hoffman with a guest post related to the body’s immune system.
We’d seen Sandra Beasley’s name in the program at the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference, and Anna had read one of her poetry collections and friended Sandra Beasley on Facebook. We’re especially interested in her new book, a memoir about growing up with allergies and about the immune system, a complicated topic that’s interested us for years but that we haven’t covered here at Lofty Ambitions. Last month, Leslie Pietrzyk launched an online literary journal called
Redux, and Sandra and Anna are on the journal’s editorial board. We’ve discovered that Sandra is smart, positive, and energetic. When we contacted her about a doing a guest post about allergies and the immune system, she agreed and also revealed that her grandfather worked for NASA during Project Mercury. She’s woven that all together here.
Sandra Beasley is the author of
Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life (Crown, 2011), as well as two poetry collections: I Was the Jukebox (W. W. Norton, 2010), winner of the Barnard Women Poets Prize, and Theories of Falling (New Issues, 2008), winner of the New Issues Poetry Prize. She lives in Washington, DC. You can find more info at www.SandraBeasley.com and follow her on Twitter at @SandraBeasley.
THE SCIENCE INSIDE US
In the first chapter of my memoir,
Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life, I describe an early influence in understanding my body—and by association the multiple and deadly food allergies that have shaped my life. That influence? Reader’s Digest, specifically the long-running series “I am Joe’s…”/“I am Jane’s…” a column written in the first-person perspective of organs as they suffer critical illness or injury. Here’s an excerpt from my book about reading Reader’s Digest: I adored these columns partially because they satisfied my flair for the dramatic. Who didn’t want Jane’s thyroid, or Joe’s lungs? Their viscera were so much more interesting than mine. Between the ages of eight and twelve I was sure I had experienced bouts with kidney stones, obsessive-compulsive disorder, mammary cysts (which turned out to be…breasts), a heart arrhythmia, lockjaw, retinitis pigmentosa, and (though I was fuzzy on the details) prostate cancer. There must have been days when my family regretted ever introducing me to Joe and Jane. Perhaps they realized that in long run, after my initial hypochondria passed, these articles would teach me the elements of diagnosis: developing internal measures of what was “normal” and what was aberrant, understanding how individual symptoms related to a whole, and knowing when to ask for help. In other words, these articles taught me how to manage allergic reactions.
I would find
Reader’s Digest at the home of my grandfather, a doctor. Not just any doctor: as a captain in the U.S. Navy, Carl E. Pruett served on loan to NASA as a Director of Space Medicine for the astronaut program. During Project Mercury, he had monitored the vital signs of men such as Colonel John H. Glenn, Jr. There is a stretch of wall in his house devoted to NASA memorabilia. As a child I would sit on the bottom stair and gaze at those newspaper clippings, signed photographs, and a scale model of the launch pad at Cape Canaveral.
My grandfather died of Legionnaires’ disease in 1991. There has been any number of moments since when I have missed him: learning to drive, or college graduation, or upon getting my first apartment in the city. But working on
Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl has given me a stronger pang than any other. I wish he were here.
In part, I wish he’d been here to help. In examining the science of allergy, this book required a different skill set from my poetry. I had to research a technical topic, translate into layman’s terms, then read with a journalist’s eye to ensure I’d stayed truthful. All writers need safe audiences—people they can ask, “Is this clear? Is this accurate?” As I wrangled with explaining a MAST cell response and quoting doctors from the AAAAI Conference, I missed his calm expertise. He had anchored our family, particularly in the years when my father was away with the Army and my mother was handling my allergies and asthma on her own.
This book might have opened a dialogue I’d have never had with him otherwise. As children of the military know, getting our parents and grandparents to talk about their accomplishments can be like picking a lock with a wet noodle. But now I’d have had the vocabulary to start a conversation. I know what it’s like to comb through
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, reading between lines of data to see what the doctors really think. I look at the auto-injectors of Demerol the astronauts were given, and I recognize the technology behind the EpiPen I carry in my purse.
My grandfather and his colleagues were charged with patients who, by definition, were adventurers of the greatest extreme. As doctors, they tracked the pulses. They counted the heartbeats. They took the temperatures. They had to constantly push the astronauts toward self-inspection.
How do you feel? Can you continue? It’s a poor approximation, but in my life I so often have to weigh the value of individual experiences against the physical risk of my allergies. How dangerous did it get? How did doctors balance the burden of protecting their patients and furthering their journey?
I wish I could ask him these questions. I wish he’d had longer to share his knowledge in life. Instead, all I can do is direct his lessons outward: I try to channel his compassion, his precision, his curiosity. I might not reach the moon in this body. But I can aim for the stars in my writing. | 6,325 | 3,132 | 0.000332 |
warc | 201704 | It is no surprise to anyone that many employers hire underpaid (or unpaid) student interns to handle mundane tasks at their company — tasks that no mid-career employee would want to waste their time on.
The problem is, while you (the new intern) are looking for an exciting experience that will get you ahead in your career track, a lot of employers just want you to get the dirty jobs done. They only care about their bottom line.
Hiring interns is often the decision of one busy manager who, overwhelmed with a lot of office tasks, decides to hire an intern to help keep the workload manageable. Not every manager is an HR expert. And oftentimes, they might be unintentionally just setting you up for failure. Not all of those engineering or finance managers know how to successfully recruit an intern and make sure the intern can see their tasks through to completion.
Find yourself interning this summer? Here are ways your boss might set you up for failure in your new job. Make sure you keep an eye out for these situations — and avoid them if you can.
You might think that you will be doing everything that listed in the job description, but that is far from the norm. Many unpaid internship positions list alluring job responsibilities and a fancy position title to make up for the fact that you won't be paid a dime for your hard work.
Big and small companies alike do not often let first-time interns play with their sales pitches or make big presentations for their investors. Period.
So make sure you and your employers agree and know what you are going to do during your internship. If you do not act preemptively, you might be just spending your summer watching funny videos on YouTube. Good luck trying to make that sound interesting on your resume.
Orientation is the first thing that you learn in HR 101 if you are an HR major, but it's something that you might miss if this your first or second professional work experience.
It is important that you are introduced to the people in the office and told who does what and who manages whom. You will need that whenever a problem arises.
If we come back again to the hypothesis that you were hired by that one busy manager and you know only that person, they won't help you that much with your problems because they will be busy themselves.
If you don't have an orientation that allows you to meet everyone who works in your organization, you won't be able to get help when you need it from people in the nearby offices.
If you're hired and your boss expects you to instantly know everything that you must be doing, that's a red flag. If you knew everything about your internship, you wouldn't be applying for an internship. You would be applying for an actual money-providing job.
Make sure before you sign the contract that your boss or employer has some kind of training program that will help you learn how to do your job. Or at least make sure that there is someone willing to spend some time and effort to show you how you are supposed to do your work. If you don't raise a finger, your boss will just assume that you know everything. If you don't get the job done in time, the blame is on you. If you don't feel that you're contributing to the company just because you don't know how to do things or work on that super-complicated new software, you are probably not going anywhere and will get frustrated. You're a bright kid and you came to your new company to learn. That's the definition of an internship.
A lot of bosses do hire interns but never really check with them after the first or second week of work. Interns are left to do the "work" with no real direction. It gets to the point where you don't even know what you should be doing and why you're doing this or that. Worse, if no one is aware of what you are actually doing, you are going to start feeling that your hard work is not appreciated. It's the worst feeling ever when you start a new job. Nobody cares about what you do, simply because they simply don't know what you are doing. | 4,049 | 1,873 | 0.000537 |
warc | 201704 | Peters, Amos C and Bristol, Marlon A (2006):
VAT: Is it Suitable for the Caribbean Community? Forthcoming in: Social and Economic Studies
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Abstract
The Caribbean Community is in transition, moving toward a liberalized trade environment with low tariffs. Tax reform is at the forefront of the policy response since traditional sources of tax revenue such as import duties are on the decline. This paper evaluates the suitability of the VAT to countries of the Caribbean Community. We examine theoretical arguments, practical experiences of the Caribbean with the VAT and the economic and tax characteristics of the Caribbean. We conclude by supporting VAT implementation in the Caribbean Community. This paper also reflects a comprehensive survey of tax reform efforts in the Caribbean.
Item Type: MPRA Paper Original Title: VAT: Is it Suitable for the Caribbean Community? Language: English Keywords: Value Added Tax; Caribbean Community Subjects: H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue > H21 - Efficiency ; Optimal Taxation
H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue > H27 - Other Sources of Revenue
H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue > H20 - General
H - Public Economics > H2 - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue
Item ID: 8 Depositing User: Amos Carl Peters Date Deposited: 20 Sep 2006 Last Modified: 10 Nov 2016 13:59 References:
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URI: https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/id/eprint/8 | 8,321 | 3,593 | 0.000294 |
warc | 201704 | December 28, 2009
“Zombie Debt” refers to an old debt, usually a credit card debt, which has gone unpaid for a sufficient period of time that the original creditor has charged it off as a bad debt with the IRS and sold the account to another legal entity: the “Zombie.”
The debt buyer obtains an “assignment of debt” from the original creditor, but in most instances NOT evidence sufficient to win a court case. However, by filing a lawsuit and obtaining a judgment, either by default (when the defendant-consumer does not appear in court when summoned) or by the consent of the consumer, the Zombie converts an invalid debt to a judgment debt. A judgment debt is legally recognized as collectible, by way of garnishment of wages or attachment of bank accounts, to name a couple of remedies.
Typically the Zombie-buyer pays five cents on the dollar for the assignment. So, if the consumer allegedly owed Two Thousand Dollars on the account, the Zombie pays One Hundred Dollars for the right to collect the debt.
The sale of the debt may occur after the original creditor hired a collection agency to attempt to collect the debt. Typically, the original creditor, the collection agency, (if any) and the “Zombie,” all report the debt to the Credit Bureaus, with an outrageous interest rate, late fees, attorney’s fees and the like, thus super-multiplying the appearance of the alleged amount due, to the consumer’s detriment.
After the sale of the debt, the “Zombie” begins collection efforts. Such efforts are usually short-lived, and often a lawsuit quickly follows.
The reason people refer to this type of debt as a “Zombie Debt Collectors” is that these companies seem to never go away and stop stalking and frightening the consumer. “Zombie” may be a reference to the Movie: “The Night of the Living Dead,” because the debts never die.
Some examples of Zombie debt collection practices which violate the law are attempts to collect a debt that: 1) has been discharged in a Bankruptcy proceeding; 2) is shown to be a fraud account, as a result of a theft of the consumer’s identity; 3) has been paid in full; 4) is too old for a lawsuit because the statute of limitations (statutes which limit the number of years a creditor may wait before filing a law suit) have expired.
There are many more examples of these immoral and unethical practices. The Zombie may sue a John Doe, but not the John Doe on the original account!
The companies who buy old defaulted debts are “Collection Agencies” under a federal law know as The Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, or, the “FDCPA” for short.
Unfortunately, many of the law firms pursuing these claims, although themselves subject to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, have long-standing, good reputations in the legal community. These firms file lawsuits because the profits are so great, and because the Courts have not yet fully defined all of the practices which violate the law.
Rather than purchasing the evidence needed for purposes of a trial, what, in fact, the Zombies’ typically have bought from the original creditor is: the alleged debtor’s social security number, last known address, date of birth, last known employer, bank information and the alleged amount due, and an “assignment” document.
What the Zombies’ typically do not possess is evidence that is acceptable and necessary for a court proceeding. More often than not the Collector is not in possession of: the credit card or other loan application; the monthly billing statements; the record of purchases and payments; and proof of any mailings to the individual consumer (defendant) regarding changes in the “terms and conditions,” of the loan. These are some, but not all of the documents needed in Missouri, at trial, to successfully obtain a judgment against the consumer. In fact, in many instances, the original creditor has none of these records of the actual account to sell to the Zombie, because the original lenders do not wish to pay for storage of vast numbers of documents every year, nor personnel to do the work to store them.
When served with a summons to appear in court at the suit of a Zombie debt collector, many, if not most, consumers either allow a default judgment to be taken, or appear in court and consent to a judgment.
Many thousands of Missouri consumers are successfully sued every year.
Millions of Americans nationwide are successfully sued and forced to pay such judgments.
Those consumers who manage to settle the claim for less than the sum demanded, are unaware the debt will appear as a charge-off on their credit reports for seven years, and any amount the consumer does not pay to the Zombie will be reported to the IRS by the Zombie. Thus, the consumer is forced to pay state and federal taxes on the unpaid portion of the alleged debt.
Few consumers know that the Zombie should be counter-sued, under the FDCPA, by a knowledgeable consumer lawyer, in the Missouri Associate Circuit Courts, BEFORE the alleged debtor’s FIRST court date.
Under the FDCPA the consumer can recover $1,000 for violations of the federal statute, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, the consumer’s attorney’s fees.
Attorney’s fees may be many times more than the statutory $1,000 damage amount, but the courts are authorized to and do in many instances award such fees.
Lawyers who are passionate about protecting consumers are struggling to make a living, because many, if not most, of their clients are also struggling in these difficult economic times. However, there are lawyers who will work with their clients to create a stream of income for the lawyer and obtain great results for the clients.
In the end, we will all win, as the predatory lenders who created the current recession, and the Zombie’s who buy their “accounts” are defeated by Missouri consumers and their lawyers.
August 14, 2009
Nancy Quackenbush is an accomplished attorney who has spent over 25 years practicing law in Missouri and Illinois. She is respected for her ability to diagnose a wide range of legal issues, including personal litigation, construction cases, real estate litigation and arbitration matters, equity (injunction) trials and appeals, as well as other contract claims. Ms. Quackenbush sits as an Arbitrator for the Court in St. Clair County, Illinois.
Nancy is known for her friendly demeanor and would be happy to speak with you about your case. Please feel free to contact her.
August 14, 2009
The information and materials contained in this web site have been prepared by Nancy Quackenbush, Attorney at Law, for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Nancy Quackenbush, is licensed to practice law in the states of Missouri and Illinois, and if you are accessing this Web site from outside the State of Missouri or the State of Illinois, in the United States of America, none of the information herein is applicable to you and you should not rely on any information on this Web site as legal advice applicable to your situation. The transmission or receipt of information on this web site, or via any link or e-mail from this web site, is not intended to establish an attorney-client relationship.
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Please be advised that communication by e-mail is not necessarily secure and confidential. We will do our best to respond to e-mail inquiries, but if you need immediate assistance, you should contact us by telephone.
August 14, 2009
The firm of Nancy Quackenbush, Attorney at Law, does not currently collect personally identifiable information at this site except to the extent that your Web browser provides such information to our Web server, such as the site from which you linked, the identity of your Internet Service Provider, or the type of browser you are using, and except to the extent that you provide such information to us, whether in an e-mail message or otherwise. We will use personally identifiable information only for that specific purpose for which you submitted it, except that we may use the information that we obtain from this site in an aggregated form, such as to measure the usefulness and popularity of our site.
A “cookie” is a small text file generated by a Web site’s server and placed on a user’s hard drive. Cookies enable the site and your browser to interact in such a way that the site is able to present you with the most appropriate options and to customize services to your interests, based on your previous use of the Web site. For example, a cookie can be used to store registration information in an area of the site so that you do not need to re-enter it on subsequent visits to that area.
Because the early uses of cookies to track users’ navigational habits were not disclosed to users, their use has raised significant privacy concerns. However, most Web sites now use cookies to improve your navigational experiences. This Web site does not currently use cookies.
Your browser is probably set to accept cookies; however, if you are concerned about cookies, most browsers now recognize when a cookie is offered, and permit you to opt-out of receiving it. The “help” function on most browsers will have information on how to prevent your computer from accepting cookies, how to find out if you have received a cookie, and how to disable them completely, if this is what you want to do. If you choose to have your browser refuse cookies, it is possible that some areas of Web sites that use cookies will not function properly when you view them.
We reserve the right to change this policy at any time by posting a new privacy policy at this location. | 10,173 | 4,329 | 0.000237 |
warc | 201704 | Ladies, we have to have our mammograms but it sure isn’t a pleasant event. I put mine off for a few months this year and I’m sure glad it’s over.
I left the house that morning in good spirits, happy that I was getting this procedure done before the end of the year. When I arrived at the mammogram suite, it wasn’t crowded and I was the next in line. This was great; I could get back to work early.
I don’t know if my tech was in hurry, a bad mood or what but it sure translated to her work.
I admit the procedure is never a walk in the park but on this day it was the worst I’ve ever experienced. The tech pushed, pulled and smashed in an attempt to get me in the right position. I thought I was going to lose my mind and religion. She was about a head shorter than me and I’m wondering if that had an effect on what she was doing. If she would have asked I would have removed my shoes. She looked at the film and gave me the news that we had to do this over again. I was ready to cry.
Why can’t someone develop a more gentle method to do mammograms? In my heart of hearts I know that if a man had to go through this same test, being smashed between two cold plates, with a delicate part of his body it would be changed in a New York minute. Not too long ago I explained the mammogram process to a male friend of mine. I gave him great detail and then a few very graphic examples. He begged me to stop talking about it because he suddenly felt my pain.
Here is what I don’t get. How can all other areas of the body be X-rayed without this pain? What is so unique about the breast that it has to be smashed, pulled, tugged while pushing the shoulder in and pushing your hip out, holding your breath and standing absolutely still?
In the summer a window fell on my thumb. I had to have it X-rayed. Keep in mind my thumb was very sore but the X-ray itself did not hurt. Is there anyone working on a friendlier mammogram procedure? Can’t some of the money that is raised for cancer research go toward updated equipment? Dentists have made improvements on the things that they do, there are laser procedures that are much less painful so why does this test have to be so uncomfortable?
I believe if it was a little more tolerable some ladies wouldn’t shy away from the test and even more lives would be saved.
After the second go round the doctor was able to read my X-rays and I was free to leave. I was so worked up I needed some shopping relief. I almost went into a shopping tailspin. Thank goodness my willpower kicked in and I only bought a box of gourmet cookies, key lime and macadamia nuts. Give them a try. I found them in the “gourmet food” section at Ross.
Once I calmed down I headed to the office. The mammogram was over with and I’m grateful for another year of survival.
(E-mail the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com.) Red Carpet Rundown: 2016 Oscars 22 photosLaunch gallery | 2,969 | 1,531 | 0.000672 |
warc | 201704 | Arthritis is a chronic and painful clinical condition that leads to progressive joint damage and disability. Since here is no cure patients are subjected to various life-long treatment modalities.
Living with a long-term condition can be hard. Understanding what you can do to help yourself can make it easier to cope.
Exercise is crucial for people with arthritis.
It increases strength and flexibility, reduces joint pain, and helps combat fatigue. You must try to do some exercise every day. On days when your joints are swollen or painful you should aim to move the affected joints through as great a range as you can, regularly throughout the day. People with arthritis who exercise regularly have less pain, more energy, improved sleep and better day-to-day function. Starting off slowly with a few low-intensity exercises will help to ensure a safe and successful exercise program.
Strengthening exercises may sometimes give discomfort and lead to muscle ache. Stretching exercises also are necessary to ease joint ache. However, neither of them should give rise to acute pain. If exercise leads to swelling or sharp pain, stop and make sure you are doing the exercise correctly. If discomfort lasts longer than a couple of hours you may be working too hard – slow down or reduce your repetitions.
Here’s how Physiotherapy benefits Arthritics
A physiotherapist can tell you about methods of pain relief that work alongside your medications. They provide advice and education on exercise, pain relief and ways to manage your condition. You can learn ways to improve your joint movement and learn to strengthen your muscles.
Physiotherapy can –
Help you stay active and independent Be stronger, fitter and more flexible Manage your pain
In an assessment, the physiotherapist will examine your posture, muscles, and, if relevant, the way you walk. They will ask about the activities which cause you pain. They will then work on a personalized treatment plan that may include exercise, right posture, massage, therapeutic techniques, pain relief mechanisms etc.
Physio is a form of arthritis treatment where exercises can help relieve both pain and stiffness for the person. It is aimed at improving the symptoms of the disease – pain, swelling and stiffness. You can easily begin to notice a positive difference within a couple or a few physiotherapy sessions.
The goal of physical therapy is to get a person back to the point where he or she can perform normal, everyday activities without difficulty.
Hydrotherapy is beneficial
Some physiotherapists have access to a hydrotherapy pool where you can perform exercises in warm water. It is usually easier to move in water – the warmth is soothing and the water supports your weight so that you can move your joints and muscles without straining them.
The help of a therapist and planning your activities well will let you enjoy your daily activities painlessly. | 2,956 | 1,406 | 0.000721 |
warc | 201704 | Focus group discussants and expert panelists suggested a number of guidelines and solutions to consider in removing barriers to intervention and motivating family members and friends to intervene for safe driving decisions. Common themes emerged from both laypersons and professionals. Their recommendations for solutions and interventions are described below.
However, on a cautionary note, one expert panelist, a geriatric physician who has also conducted research on family involvement with older drivers, believed the current state of research knowledge does not yet permit the development of guidelines, materials and legislation. This expert recommends conducting a series of demonstration project to enhance future success in interventions and social marketing campaigns.
Solutions and Interventions
Offered by Family Members and Friends
Issues and ideas for solution centered on types of interventions at the societal, community, group, and individual levels. It was not always clear who would put the interventions into practice or how one would access them.
Develop a social marketing campaign on a state by state basis to achieve an impact on safe driving similar to MADD.
Identify unsafe driving at any age as a public health risk and position driving as a healthcare and safety issue through a media campaign. Use safety and liability as the motivators to change societal norms to make intervention socially acceptable (e.g., Friends don't let friends drive unsafely).
Target the campaign to the general public (including the older driver, family and friends) and authority figures in healthcare, law enforcement, DMV's, policymakers and legislators, and the courts.
Develop multimedia presentations that specify indicators and consequences of unsafe driving, and specific examples of interventions. Initiate widespread education of healthcare providers, police, care providers, and caregivers focused on understanding older driver behavior and the importance of professionals participating in assisting older drivers transition through the stages of driving cessation. Educate family members that age alone is not a predictor of driving ability. Provide information about the signs of unsafe driving and related functional declines. Be aware of some family members' questionable motivations for intervention.
Develop appeals to and intervention strategies for family and friends to help the small proportion of older drivers who cannot or will not recognize their own functional disabilities. Develop methods for family and friends to intervene more successfully on behalf of the highest risk subpopulations such as older male drivers. Adapt interventions now in use for older couples and family members who are experiencing conflict and relationship difficulties for use in driving cessation issues.
Encourage families and friends to seek official assistance from healthcare professionals and DMV's in reevaluating a driver. Tell family members and friends in each state how to get a reassessment of an older driver. Persuade families, friends, and older drivers who modify unsafe driving on their own volition to look for unsafe driving situations and take refresher courses such as 55 Alive. Encourage the use of alternative transportation prior to the older driver stopping driving completely.
Develop strategies to give the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators and the DMV's an active role in distributing social marketing campaign materials. Involve physicians, eye care specialists, podiatrists, and pharmacists. In partnership with NHTSA, disseminate information such as a family-directed quiz or a set of assessment tools through ophthalmologic, optometric, podiatric, pharmaceutical, and other similar societies, as well as national eyeglass and pharmacy chains. In concert with groups such as AARP, NSC, and NHTSA, produce an array of informational materials that organizations can use to illustrate older driver issues and solutions. Involve churches, synagogues, and senior centers as another source to reach and educate family, friends, and older drivers.
Develop strategies to involve the healthcare community, law enforcement personnel, and the DMV to help them be more responsive to families who need their assistance. Provide them with pamphlets and other reference materials for distribution to family and friends with information about signs of driving impairment, helping older drivers plan for mobility changes, and inform the public about the costs and benefits of driving compared to alternatives to driving.
Position DMV's as the best authority by placing qualified and motivated examiners at licensing sites to conduct appropriate assessments of functional abilities. The examiners should be given sufficient time and budget to effectively test older drivers.
Enforce the laws now on the books. Require testing on a regular basis. Revoke the licenses of people who cannot pass the retest or have too many traffic tickets. Get rid of legal loopholes.
Determine how each jurisdiction now handles problems, including graduated licenses, more frequent testing based on age, handling of inquiries about older drivers, and publicizing of alternatives available to older drivers.
Develop federal and state policies and regulations mandating reporting, retesting, and classes in safe driving. Encourage uniform interest in and responses to older driver issues and solutions among all jurisdictions. Develop standardized older driver program strategies, including nationwide, standardized guidelines and tests for medical reporting with physicianrecommended restrictions, retesting intervals, and denials for various impairments (i.e., vision, diabetes, episodic disorders, dementia, memory loss, motor coordination, psychiatric disorders, cardiovascular disorders, pulmonary disorders, etc.).
Develop nationwide, standardized skillstesting tailored to age groupings, with skillsappropriate tests for firsttime (younger) and experienced (older) drivers that account for differences in driving performance styles. Develop fast, reliable, and scientifically valid tools for DMV examiners to identify, screen, and further test drivers (e.g., paper and pencil, visual cues, and interview tests). Develop scientifically valid and reliable protocols for officebased screening for physicians to predict who may be atrisk of unsafe driving. Develop a quiz with a validated profile form or risk factor index that family members can use to assess their relatives.
Develop Older Driver Evaluation Programs with standardized protocols for national distribution in multiple locations. Involve the physician in the Older Driver Evaluation program. Provide more functional ability testing centers as a first contact or follow-up to DMV skills-testing, a second opinion or appeals center, or as a nonregulatory third party to provide family members with an unbiased evaluation of the older driver's skill level.
Establish state codes which designate insurance companies as gatekeepers. Establish interactive computer linkages to DMV's, permitting insurance renewals if licenses are renewed and licensing if insurance is in place. Discount insurance premiums for older drivers who take driving skills improvement classes.
Develop alternative transportation that meets customers' needs. Develop local partnerships to coordinate local transportation to meet community transportation needs. Develop web-site Care pools made up of lists of people who can offer rides to neighbors on a voluntary basis. Encourage older drivers to pool money into a fund that will support a personal transportation service. Encourage the use of alternatives through information materials distributed locally by physicians, community organizations, and other groups.
Transportation Planning and Counseling
Establish and provide an ongoing source of advice, information, and assurance to assist with continuing independence after an elder stops driving. Counsel older adults and caregivers on issues of independence, mobility, and feelings of incompetence surrounding driving cessation. Involve professionals working with older adults and families to plan early for changes in mobility. Encourage social service agencies to establish support groups for older drivers, families, and friends to deal with mobility changes.
Identify signs and indicators of frailty that would alert family members to potential risk of an elder's unsafe driving. Develop materials that might help caregivers to look for those signs of frailty. Train physicians to counsel patients and families about unsafe driving and alternatives to driving. Pilot test these educational materials and trained physicians in physicians' offices.
Key Factors Associated
with Family and Friends' Involvement for Driving Safety
Family and friends may be in a good position to detect problems and intervene to assist the unsafe older driver to limit or stop driving. Family and friends often look to professionals for help and advice in these matters.
The ability and willingness of concerned family and friends to help older drivers drive more safely or stop driving center on a number of key factors (see Table 1). These include characteristics of older drivers such as their perception of their own driving skills and their readiness to accept intervention; family and friends who are most likely to intervene on behalf of the problem older driver; professionals who may serve as intermediaries and/or advisors; and social norms and policies that must be in place to support these driving modification and cessation efforts.
Table 1: Summary of Findings
Problem Older Drivers Most Likely Modify Unsafe Driving
Unsafe Driving
Problem Older Drivers Least Likely to Modify to Modify
Unsafe Driving Unsafe Driving
Will selfregulate
Will not selfregulate
Recognizes problem driving
Denies problem driving
Female
Male
Not cognitively impaired
Cognitively impaired
Has caregiver/confidant
Has no caregiver/confidant
Has access to alternative transportation
Has no access to alternative transportation
Is ready to change
Is not ready to change
Family Members Most Likely to Help Problem Older
Drivers
Family Members Least Likely to Help
Sociodemographic/Structural Variables
Close family member
Not close family member
Primary/secondary caregiver
Not primary/secondary caregiver
Spouse or daughter
Son/soninlaw
Mother is care recipient
Father is care recipient
Father is still married to mother
Parents are divorced/separated
Lives within one hour's drive from older driver
Lives more than one hour's drive drive from older driver
Frequent contact with older driver
Infrequent contact with older driver
Not employed
Employed
EuroAmerican
AfricanAmerican
Higher income
Lower income
Social/Psychological Variables
Aware of declines
Denies declines
Not stressed
Highly stressed
Helping relationships
Independent relationships
Emotionally close
Emotionally distant
In family unit able to make decisions about elder
In family unit unable to make decisions about elder
Able to provide help and support for elder's change support for elder's change
Unable to provide help and support for elder's change support for elder's change
Professionals Most Likely to Help Concerned Family
Members and Problem Older Drivers
Professionals Least Likely to Help Concerned Family
Understands issues
Does not understand issues
Sympathetic ethical stance
Unsympathetic ethical stance
Not fearful of lawsuit
Fearful of lawsuit
Risk of problem driving outweighs confidentiality
Risk of problem driving does not outweigh confidentiality
Will report to DMV
Will not report to DMV
Able to give patients and family information
Unable to give patients and family information
Social Norms Organized Around Safe Driving by Older
Drivers
Social Norms Not Organized Around Safe Driving by
Older Drivers
Social norms support driving cessation without stigma
Social norms support continued driving as a marker of independence
State regs support input of family/friends and professionals
State regs do not support input of family/friends and professionals
Public policy supports public or other alternative transportation
Public policy does not support public or other alternative transportation
Development
of a Model for Research and Social Marketing
These factors may be categorized and analyzed in a fourpart model:
The model incorporates issues and variables related to unsafe older drivers, their informal networks, family and friends, the formal network of professionals, relevant national, state, and local organizations, as well as the social and cultural milieu. Development of the themes and messages of a social marketing campaign should serve to coordinate components and interventions of each group into an integrated whole.
BACK - TABLE OF CONTENTS - FORWARD | 12,911 | 5,085 | 0.000198 |
warc | 201704 | Takeover Defenses in the Shadow of the Pill: A Critique of the Scientific Evidence John C. Coates, IV
Harvard Law School
Texas Law Review, Vol. 79, No. 2, December 2000
Abstract:
Two decades of research on poison pills and other takeover defenses does not support the belief - common among legal academics - that defenses reduce firm value. Even by their own terms, defense studies produced weak and inconsistent results, and failed to discriminate among information effects of defense adoptions. But prior studies suffer from serious, previously unrecognized design flaws: (1) pill studies assume pill adoption has an effect on takeover vulnerability and fail to recognize that nearly every firm already has a "shadow pill," making pill adoption relatively unimportant; and (2) all studies fail to account for ways defenses interact, such as the way that the shadow pill has made fair price and supermajority vote provisions unimportant. Not only do these flaws help explain the weak results of such studies, but the flaws are consistent with new evidence on bid outcomes, and recognizing them should improve future research on defenses.
Date posted: April 19, 2001 Suggested Citation Contact Information | 1,214 | 685 | 0.001471 |
warc | 201704 | To increase transparency, PeerJ operates a system of 'optional signed reviews and history'. This takes two forms: (1) peer reviewers are encouraged, but not required, to provide their names (if they do so, then their profile page records the articles they have reviewed), and (2) authors are given the option of reproducing their entire peer review history alongside their published article (in which case the complete peer review process is provided, including revisions, rebuttal letters and editor decision letters).
Thanks for your revision and your effort in addressing the comments of the referees. I believe that you have done a good job with your revision, and the new section addressing the assessment planning, discussing criticisms of the approach and planned improvements for the future is particularly appreciated. Overall, I feel that you have addressed the concerns of the referees to my satisfaction with the revision, and I am happy to move it along into production.
I now have 2 reviews back from your submitted manuscript, and while both are encouraging about the value of the submission, both also feel that the presentation could be improved. The referees are split on how serious a revision they would like to see, and I can see both sides myself, but both have a number of what I believe to be good suggestions for you in revising your manuscript. For example, there are a number of comments from both about the missed opportunities with this paper and the relatively soft presentation of the rules of thumb that you may or may not agree with. Regardless, I have to point out that these referees are your intended audience, and each has provided you with honest feedback about their impression of the paper. I have split the middle on the recommendations from the reviewers and request that you revise your manuscript in response to the referee suggestions, which I expect should help you to produce a better final version. I look forward to seeing your revised manuscript.
See comments below - this is not a typical research article, but rather a synthesis
See comments below - this is not a typical research article, but rather a synthesis
See comments below - this is not a typical research article, but rather a synthesis
This paper uses ten applications of the Ocean Health Index to summarize some best practices, namely that core values/characteristics should be agreed upon at the outset and maintained despite data limitations; spatial boundaries should be strategically defined at the smallest scale possible; and information should be shared.
Overall, the paper was well written, but it left me wanting more. While the distillation of best practices is fairly interesting and the recommendations certainly seem like common sense and may be useful for those embarking on their own OHI, there is nothing really novel about them. I expected a “so what” or “here’s where we tried to implement our best practices and this is the results”. I think one missed opportunity of a paper that reviews the efforts done to-date to compile OHIs around the world is providing suggestions to improve fundamental OHI principles, process (e.g., for establishing goals --potential pitfalls/biases), etc. Are there lessons from these ten experiences? Now that we have 10 OHIs at different scales, are there any insights about how well it works across scales? Somewhat by necessity as the authors are also the group who supported most of the OHI exercises reviewed, the reference list is mainly self-citing. Other resources may help reflect on strength/weaknesses of OHI relative to alternative indicators or approaches, see lines 148-160, e.g., Tett, Paul, et al. "Framework for understanding marine ecosystem health." Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser 494 (2013): 1-27. Similarly, are there lessons from other indicator exercises that provide insight? One way that the impact of this paper could be increased would be to discuss how the information was used, and what the policy resonance was. Are there any lessons about how to embed OHI in policy making (other than the generic match the objectives, conduct an open process, etc.), or how to transfer responsibility for doing the OHI over time to public agencies to ensure its longevity? (It would be useful to describe who led the effort (academics, government, etc.) in each case.) Regarding the best practice “spatial boundaries should be strategically defined at the smallest scale possible” – I found the wording a bit misleading. I do not think that you actually advocate using the finest scale – of course your use of the words “strategic” and “possible” are meant to greatly qualify “finest” but what you describe is a much more nuanced and iterative process of defining spatial scales/regions that balances the tension between the scale of available data, scales where you have no/limited data, scales where you can fill zero data, and decision-making scales. I would reword this best practice to reflect that. You might even reference literature on governance scales. While you advocate making everything public, you don’t discuss the benefits of basing the indicator on public, open data or data that you know will continue to be collected over time – it seems both of these are really important for the sustainability of the exercise. Minor comments: p6 137 “resilience actions” – jargon? 278 delete extra “and” 149 missing an “are” Para 299-312 a bit confusing, eg 209-310 you already made the point in the sentence above that it made sense to divide California into 3
This manuscript is a distillation of lessons learned from applying the Ocean Health Index in multiple contexts. As such, it is a useful document, not only for future implementations of OHI (which increasingly may be done independently, hence the value of these published findings), but also for implementation of other integrated assessments – as the authors point out themselves. It is this value beyond just the OHI, and the attention that the authors have paid to documenting and generalizing four key lessons, that make it useful as a published open-access document.
The OHI has face many technical criticisms over the years, many of which have resulted in improvements to the index, and in particular the view expressed in this paper, that multiple implementations in Assessment Areas, that may not be comparable with other ones, may be the most credible/useful way to move forward. This manuscript does not deal with those critiques, which are addressed methodologically in other places – this manuscript presents the overarching lessons that include dealing with these technical issues. In some ways it is quite ‘soft’ in presenting four rules of thumb/lessons learned, but this also makes it very accessible to a broad audience, including the many non-technical leaders for whom implementing an OHI may provide a very useful tool.
As noted above, the paper distils findings from 10 applications of the Ocean Health Index. The design of the paper is appropriate for reporting on these.
The findings are valid, and as noted above, useful for readers who are going to apply the OHI, or another integrated assessment. They are a useful contribution to the general literature assessing assessment approaches.
Some minor editorial items below, by line number
129 – this goes into using ‘region’ and ‘area’ in ways specific to OHI, and to my mind ‘regions’ would be larger than ‘areas’. To minimize confusion, it might be clearer to write “scores for each goal area calculate for MULTIPLE Regions within the OVERALL Assessment Area …” 137 – again, “Resilience actions … only ways …” this is a statement of the philosophy of OHI, rather than a completely factual statement. People can reduce pressures in multiple ways that might not be defined as ‘resilience actions’ by all.Changing the sentence to something like “In the OHI framework, resilience actions are key …” 149 – that ARE often excluded 211 “location” – isn’t it better to be specific to OHI terminology and replace this with Assessment Area 512 – Polsenberg mis-spelled!
All text and materials provided via this peer-review history page are made available under a Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | 8,628 | 3,833 | 0.00027 |
warc | 201704 | Texas A&M University (often referred to as A&M or TAMU) is a coeducational public research university located in College Station, Texas, United States. It is the flagship institution of the Texas A&M University System. The sixth-largest university in the United States, A&M's enrollment for Fall 2011 was over 50,000 for the first time in school history. Texas A&M's designation as a land, sea, and space grant institution reflects a broad range of research with ongoing projects funded by agencies such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Office of Naval Research. The school ranks in the top 20 American research institutes in terms of funding and has made notable contributions to such fields as animal cloning and petroleum engineering.
Tyler Wooten was a freshman engineering student at Texas A&M University when he came up with an idea that could have a lasting impact on students with visual impairments. Eight months later, his idea—a three-dimensional, ...
Phone calls about out-of-control aquatic vegetation are a common midsummer occurrence, said Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service wildlife and fisheries specialist Dr. Billy Higginbotham.
About 350 million tons of dredged sediments are excavated annually in U.S. waters. Nearly all major ports in the world have at some time required dredging.
On March 11, 2011, Japan was rocked by an earthquake and tsunami that caused the shutdown of the Fukushima Daiichi plant's active nuclear reactors, disabled all sources powering core cooling systems and caused three of the ...
Something can be learned from every wheat harvest, but Texas A&M AgriLife Research wheat breeder Dr. Jackie Rudd said it is just "fun" to see the success of this year's bounty.
Oil spills can be catastrophic, impacting health, the ecosystem and the economy. The severity of an oil spill's impact depends on the amount and source of oil, what courses of action responders choose and the physical properties ...
Developing nanosystems that can more easily cross the gastrointestinal tract and blood-brain barriers
A number of drugs—from insulin to cancer chemotherapy—can be delivered only via injections, which are far more difficult for patients than taking a simple tablet or pill. It can also be more expensive, as this type of ...
Brush control has many benefits, including restoration of wildlife habitat and potentially improved livestock grazing, but water supply enhancement should not necessarily be considered one of them.
Forget mousetraps—today's scientists will get the cheese if they manage to build a better battery.
Tree diseases, with oak wilt taking center stage, were the focus of the Tree Disease Identification and Management program held recently at the Urban Ecology Center at Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio. | 2,907 | 1,561 | 0.000648 |
warc | 201704 | Trends in nutrient loads and flow-adjusted concentrations in the major rivers entering Chesapeake Bay were computed on the basis of water-quality data collected between 1985 and 1998 at 29 monitoring stations in the Susquehanna, Potomac, James, Rappahannock, York, Patuxent, and Choptank River Basins. Two computer models?the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Model (WSM) and the U.S. Geological Survey?s 'Spatially Referenced Regressions on Watershed attributes' (SPARROW) Model?were used to help explain the major factors affecting the trends. Results from WSM simulations provided information on temporal changes in contributions from major nutrient sources, and results from SPARROW model simulations provided spatial detail on the distribution of nutrient yields in these basins. Additional data on nutrient sources, basin characteristics, implementation of management practices, and ground-water inputs to surface water were analyzed to help explain the trends. The major factors affecting the trends were changes in nutrient sources and natural variations in streamflow. The dominant source of nitrogen and phosphorus from 1985 to 1998 in six of the seven tributary basins to Chesapeake Bay was determined to be agriculture. Because of the predominance of agricultural inputs, changes in agricultural nutrient sources such as manure and fertilizer, combined with decreases in agricultural acreage and implementation of best management practices (BMPs), had the greatest impact on the trends in flow-adjusted nutrient concentrations. Urban acreage and population, however, were noted to be increasing throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, and as a result, delivered loads of nutrients from urban areas increased during the study period. Overall, agricultural nutrient management, in combination with load decreases from point sources due to facility upgrades and the phosphate detergent ban, led to downward trends in flow-adjusted nutrient concentrations atmany of the monitoring stations in the watershed. The loads of nutrients, however, were not reduced significantly at most of the monitoring stations. This is due primarily to higher streamflow in the latter years of the monitoring period, which led to higher loading in those years.Results of this study indicate a need for more detailed information on BMP effectiveness under a full range of hydrologic conditions and in different areas of the watershed; an internally consistent fertilizer data set; greater consideration of the effects of watershed processes on nutrient transport; a refinement of current modeling efforts; and an expansion of the non-tidal monitoring network in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.
Additional publication details
Publication type:
Report
Publication Subtype:
USGS Numbered Series
Title:
Factors affecting nutrient trends in major rivers of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed
Series title:
Water-Resources Investigations Report
Series number:
2000-4218
Edition:
-
Year Published:
2000
Language:
ENGLISH
Publisher:
U.S. Dept. of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey ;Branch of Information Services [distributor],
Description:
vii, 109 p. :ill. (some col.), maps (some col.) ;28 cm. | 3,185 | 1,442 | 0.000699 |
warc | 201704 | I have some type of hypermobility (sometimes colloquially referred to as “double-jointedness”), which make the osteoarthritis a bit more problematic. Currently I have no diagnosis of what sort of problem this is, aside from the doctor saying that “Yes, you’re hypermobile.” (Well, duh.)
At the risk of sounding odd, I didn’t even realise that I was hypermobile until someone pointed it out to me. I’ve always heard that it’s good to be flexible, and never really had any basis for comparison. But as you can see, I am bendier than the average person. (I also have poor proprioception and bruise easily, hence the dark blodges in the photographs.)
Things like the TMJ (Temporo-mandibular Joint disorder), uterine prolapse, repeated shoulder subluxations, crackly joints, stretchy skin, or even local anesthetic not lasting very long may also be related to hypermobility, but I don’t know that for sure. One of my kids is also rather bendy, so I presume there is a genetic factor to this. See The Hypermobility Syndrome Association (UK) for more information on hypermobility. This link will take you to other posts of mine dealing with hypermobility.
In any regard, here are some pictures so you can better identify possible hypermobility problems. I should note that you don’t necessarily have to be as bendy as I am — ask your doctor; I’m not licensed to practice medicine, nor do I play one on screen.
Natural finger hyperextension;
Finger hyperflexion with light pressure (palm downwards).
My fingers are also bendable sideways, even over the back of my hand.
One radiologist said I might have arachnodactily because I have such long fingers, and can grasp my wrists like so. (My fingers don’t really look that long in the picture because they’re curled, but they’re so long that I have to buy men’s gloves because women’s gloves are too small for me.)
My wrist is also over-mobile; I can bend my thumb to touch my arm (it’s uncomfortable, but not extremely painful); this is one of the Beighton indicators for hypermobility,
So is forward flexion, being able to put one’s hands flat on the floor, even with the knees locked.
Yet another indicator is elbow or knee joints that bend further backwards than normal (my elbow is on the underside in this picture).
Beyond the usual hypermobility indicators, I might have some unusual arm rotation; my palm is down, but the inside of my elbow is facing up.
Likewise, my ankles rotate enough that I can turn the soles of my feet sideways, and even put them together (like praying hands) even when my knees are locked
Then there’s the stretchy skin bit, but I won’t go into much detail on that because it grosses people out. | 2,788 | 1,424 | 0.000734 |
warc | 201704 | If you thought that the lighting for Joe Yaiullo’s 20,000 gallon reef tank is eclectic, just wait until you get a load of the various filtration devices that are employed on this behemoth reef aquarium display. From filtration devices, to protein skimmers to various types of chemical medias, the 20K reef tank at Long Island Aquarium employs the whole gamut of different techniques to keep the water clean and clear, healthy and presentable.
By far the best and largest single device that is in use on the giant reef tank is a huge protein skimmer that Joe built himself, with very simple venturi injection protein skimming principles, same as what you might expect on a skimmer from nearly 20 years ago, except scaled up to humongous proportions. We don’t have exact specs on the multi horsepower pumps in use on this aquarium, or how much air draw this protein skimmer sucks in, but we did take a look at the collection cup and the giant heaping mound of skimmate is all we really need to know about this skimmer’s everyday performance.
Also employed on the largest reef tank, is a nice generous dose of O3 ozone, a technique which works particularly well with venturi injection skimmers. On this tank 1000mg of Ozone is added per hour by a 4-cell Eclipse4 O3 generator – one thing we liked about talking with Joe about his Eclipse 4 is the regular maintenance he performs on the O3 generating cells and how important it is to perform preventative maintenance on equipment like this and other devices to keep them in peak working order. The Ozone really helps to clear the aquarium water, especially with such a heavy fish load and Joe can tell if the ozone is not getting into his skimmer properly as the tank will begin to show a yellow discoloration to the water within three days.
You might be surprised to learn that this is not the end of the 20K reef’s protein-skimmer related filtration duties. As if the homebuilt venturi and the heavy duty ozone administration wasn’t enough, there’s also
another protein skimmer in use, a large dual 6ft ETS downdraft skimmer which is there for redundancy, and also to serve as a more dedicated vodka dosing location. Of course the addition of Vodka to the tank, somewhere around 250ml per day, is experienced throughout the entire aquarium but by using both the super dry skimming of venturi, and the wetter skimming of downdraft skimming, Joe can really suck out the wastes accumulated by bacteria feeding on the liquid carbon from the Vodka ethanol.
The Vodka / liquid carbon dosing regime is only one of the many techniques that Joe uses to combat nutrients in this very big reef tank.The heavy lifting of removing phosphate is performed by generous additions of Lanthanum Chloride, a common chemical additives for use in swimming pools that is excellent at binding and precipitating PO4.
But the use of LaCl can only reduce PO4 levels so far, and this is where phosphate removing medias can get the phosphate levels down even further. In addition to a typical media reactor using copious amounts of Phosban GFO, there is another dedicated media reactor by Deltec, a 6ft tower specially designed for fluidizing media which is currently using a high-capacity phosphate absorbing resin by Blue Life USA.
The final aspect of the ‘filtration’ used in this ginormous reef aquarium mesocosm is a home-built dual-chambver calcium reactor that is powered by two blueline pumps, one for each chamber. The Heavy duty calcium reactor design is mighty useful for keeping up the alkalinity, but Joe also doses
gallons of kalkwasser to the reef tank as well. The kalkwasser is mixed with a little bit of vinegar to add in the calcium dissolution and to buffer the extremely high pH of fully saturated calcium hydroxide. | 3,811 | 1,857 | 0.000546 |
warc | 201704 | Well, it's Earth Week and everyone's conscious of what they do that's Earth-friendly. My husband got cornered by a lady while waiting for me to grab some stuff from the vegitable cooler at Costco, and she explained to him about the cleaning products in front of her. They were part of the Green Works line and, seeing as it's Earth Week and I have a 9-month-old, green, natural products are on my mind.
Most people worry about if it's as effective as their chemical cleaner. Well, the multi-purpose cleaner got put to the test in my kitchen and it's passing with flying colors, and that's saying a lot! It's been able to cut grease, loosen up the stuck-on crud on the stove, and clean my floors. I've been able to use it for everything short of my dishes.
This product is 99.93% natural and is biodegradable. It does not contain bleach or phosphorus, but it does contain a biodegradable preservative. And, for those animal lovers, this product would never be tested on any animals.
Because the product is made wtih plant- and mineral-based ingredients the smell doesn't have that chemical undertone at all. Instead, it has a true lemon scent that doesn't overpower the entire room.
The Costco package included a 2 qt bottle and a 1 qt spray bottle, plenty for around the house for quite some time. | 1,303 | 724 | 0.001388 |
warc | 201704 | April 30, 2013, 6:23 pm
ONE PARADOX OF THE OBAMA PRESIDENCY is how it has retained the support of young people and minorities despite the damage its policies have done to their economic prospects,” wrote the
Wall Street Journal in a February editorial. “In his latest attempt to increase the minority youth jobless rate, President Obama is proposing to raise the minimum wage.”
The
Washington Post came back with an article arguing that for those getting by on a minimum wage, “an increase sounds good.” That’s what supply-siders call “static analysis.” What works for those with jobs works far less well for those without them. The entirely predictable E.J. Dionne claimed that coerced wage increases don’t really hurt the unemployed. Not too much anyway.
My concern is a broader one: Why does the black establishment—the NAACP and the Congressional Black Caucus—promote policies that hurt blacks, poor blacks especially? Many blacks have been persuaded that leftist policies will lift them out of the doldrums. But that’s the last thing they need.
SOME BLACK LEADERS, including those associated with Project 21, a leadership network of black conservatives, know this. First, Deroy Murdock. He is 49 years old, grew up in Los Angeles, and now lives in New York City. In the 9th grade he listened to Ronald Reagan on the radio, liked what he heard, and contacted Mike Deaver and Peter Hannaford’s PR agency, which worked closely with the future president. The firm sent him Reagan’s radio scripts. He volunteered for the Reagan campaign in 1979 and then went to the GOP convention in Detroit. Today he is a Fox News contributor and a nationally syndicated columnist. He told me that he is not “African American,” but a fully American black man.
His top priorities to help blacks are boosting the economy—the unemployment rate for blacks is double that for whites—and improving schools. Half of black children don’t graduate from high school. He recommends a universal 10 percent flat tax with no deductions. “Put the tax code on one piece of paper, the IRS could have about 100 employees and leave it at that,” he said. You’d have “growth galore,” and he says the unemployment rate would fall to 3 percent. “Black folks will do well when the economy improves and do badly when it contracts.”
He’d also like to see universal school vouchers. The framework of a system already exists right now with Pell Grants, he said. College kids essentially use school vouchers, so why not the local equivalent of “Pell Grants for K-12?” Government can pay for college, so why not school? Individuals would decide where to take their vouchers, and the government wouldn’t pick the curriculum or facilities. “They just give you the money and you figure it out.” Food stamps are the same. The government doesn’t tell you where to spend them or dictate grocery lists (but I don’t want to give Michelle Obama ideas).
Murdock thinks that many in the black establishment are sincere in their adherence to leftist big-government orthodoxy:
But a lot of them feel that they can maintain their positions, their power, their influence, and very often their wealth, by advancing victimology. They want to sustain a sense of grievance, and rely less on independence and more on the government. Black leaders themselves act as brokers between their constituents, whom they portray as basically benighted, and the large and ever-growing state that is there to care for their needs, at tremendous expense.
He added: “If you actually had black folks being more self-reliant, who would need Maxine Waters, Al Sharpton, or the others?”
But that’s just a part of it:
The Democrats also do a good job of screaming racism every five minutes, and the GOP does a disastrous job of not responding. They should say, “Look we’re not racist. You are. You’re the ones keeping blacks out of vouchers and schools. You’re the ones carrying water for the teachers unions, even at the expense of little black boys and girls.” The Democrats are happy to do this because they want to keep their pals in the teachers unions happy, so they continue to give them money, show up, and volunteer for their campaigns. That, to me, is disgusting.
He mentioned the recent episode on Capitol Hill, when senators questioned Susan Rice about Benghazi. They were told, “Oh, that’s racism.” Democrat Marcia Fudge from Ohio, the new head of the Congressional Black Caucus, said: “It is a shame that any time something goes wrong, they pick on women and minorities.”
Murdock checked the vote for Rice when she became UN ambassador in 2009. Every Republican voted for her. Why are they bigoted enough to attack Rice today because she’s black, “yet four years earlier they all supported her?” And why didn’t the RNC have this information at its fingertips “and chuck it right back at Marcia Fudge” and the others?
The GOP and the Right need to be as in-your-face as the Democrats and the Left. They come in with crowbars and brass knuckles and baseball bats. And we respond with shrimp forks and feathers, if we are lucky. You don’t win that way.
STACY SWIMP IS ANOTHER BLACK CRITIC of prevailing racial orthodoxies. A spokesman for Project 21 and president of the Frederick Douglass Society, Swimp, 44, lives in Flint, Michigan. At a Tea Party event in Kalamazoo, he was publicly critical of the “socialist policies” of the black establishment and was immediately attacked in a YouTube video titled “A Portrait of Self-Hatred.” It mixes parts of his speech with rap music, images of Uncle Ben’s Rice and Cream of Wheat boxes, and a video of Hitler at a Nazi rally. In other words, hate speech.
“It’s par for the course,” Swimp told me. “When I first got involved with conservative policies and standing for the Constitution, I lost everything I had.” He was working for a nonprofit, Wolverine Human Services, which helps juvenile gang members, when:
Just like that, they terminated any relationship with me because of my politics. I had won the Frederick Douglass Award from a local black organization, but that didn’t make any difference. They maligned me and my life was threatened. This is the cost of being black and refusing to toe the socialist Democrat line.
Two black conservative women I interviewed also have had their lives threatened. One, who lived in D.C., has now moved away but doesn’t want me to say where. She told me:
You can’t imagine the things that people have said to me. I can’t have people showing up at my house. I need to protect my children. My bills and credit cards all go to a business address. Have you heard of swatting? That’s when someone fake-calls 911 and says, ‘I have just killed my wife and I’m at this address.’ Then SWAT and police show up at your house thinking you killed your wife. It has happened to several conservatives I know.
The threats come from “white liberal men,” she says, not blacks.
Like Murdock, Stacy Swimp emphasizes economic policies. He also stressed their harmful effects on family formation. Right off, if given the power, he would “repeal LBJ’s so-called War on Poverty.”
Those policies—and I want you to quote this—did what Jim Crow in the South never did or intended. They decimated urban black families. Look at their impact on dependency. In 1965, about 12 percent of black women were single mothers. Now in the inner cities we are looking at 70 percent. What is the number-one indicator of poverty, my friend? Single mothers. The first thing we want to do is get rid of policies that encourage young people to have children without commitment to each other. It would also restore initiative. Because people would not have the safety net which they know is going to be there whether they earn it or not.
Deroy Murdock agrees that family formation is a huge problem. The number of children born out of wedlock is soaring both for blacks and whites; marriage is unraveling, and liberals say nothing about it.
“Some people say it’s the gay marriage problem,” Murdock said, but he disputes that. “I don’t think that black kids in Oakland are being born out of wedlock because Bob and Steve are married in Pacific Heights.”
I also talked to Deneen Borelli, the director of outreach for FreedomWorks, who lives in New York State. As to family formation, she said, “Sadly, for too many black single mothers, the government is a more dependable financial partner than black men.”
She added that big-government policies harm all Americans, “but especially those in the black community.” For the Black Caucus “it’s all about control.” She mentioned Obama’s “war on fossil fuels, which is a war against hardworking Americans,” and is “driving up the cost of gasoline and people’s utility bills.”
Borelli went on:
The black liberal establishment is doing a significant disservice to blacks, especially when it comes to energy and education. The problem is that they are more beholden to the union leaders than to the needs of the black community.
For Stacy Swimp, another imperative is the repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act. It specifically impacts black people because it “was created for one purpose only: to marginalize black Americans in the building trades,” he said.
After World War I, in the Great Migration, blacks headed north and started to compete for jobs, especially with white-only unions “under-bidding them for construction contracts that were being funded by the federal government.” The unions’ response, in Swimp’s words:
“These Negroes are under-bidding us. Let’s raise the cap on bids. Let’s get them out of here.” That’s essentially what happened in 1931. And today, 82 years later, it still has the same consequence, whether intended or not. So any time you have a big-labor policy or a regulation that marginalizes a minority group like black Americans, we need to repeal it. We need a national repeal of the Davis-Bacon Act.
Another issue, addressed by Cherylyn Harley LeBon, a former senior counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee, is the very high abortion rate among blacks—about four times the white rate. The Black Caucus is “pro-choice,” and has gone out of its way to attack pro-lifers.
LeBon, the national co-chair of Project 21, mentioned Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood and a eugenics supporter. “This is not a good situation for black people,” she said, “and I find it unfortunate that the NAACP doesn’t come out strongly against this alliance.” Since 1973, about 16 million black babies have been aborted.
MURDOCK, SWIMP, AND BORELLI agree on a point that is rarely voiced by the news media or the liberal establishment: Influential members of the Black Caucus consistently subordinate the interests of blacks to those of labor unions. Helping the poor—black or white—will tend to reduce wages. The unions will object, and given that conflict, the Democrat likes of Rep. John Lewis of Georgia and Sen. James Clyburn of South Carolina will side with the unions without acknowledging the conflict. All they do is keep on calling for more income redistribution to achieve equality of outcome (a fantasy), and crying racism whenever it seems plausible—and even sometimes when it is not.
Obama shows no sign of having grasped the issue. He is so convinced that the system is riddled with injustice anyway that the ways in which unions hurt blacks is a minor detail. Besides, the unions pour money into the Democratic Party coffers, don’t they? And year after year, blacks keep voting Democrat. So what’s the problem?
For many blacks, it’s a big problem. | 12,149 | 5,749 | 0.000184 |
warc | 201704 | Please boost your Plan to download papers
The identities shaped by online games - World of Warcraft.
Dissertation
Sociology
Pages 16 (4016 words)
This literature review will examine the concepts of identity and stress as they relate to World of Warcraft play. This literature can help in framing the topic through understanding the identity and the ways in which it is formed so that real world identity creation can be reflected in an understanding of a virtual world identity and vice versa…
Introduction
Watslawik and Born state that “ego psychoanalytical theory places the individual within a more or less nurturing social context, as contrast with the more confrontive view of classical theory wherein the individual is seen more as contesting society”. The nature of human interaction, according to Erikson’s theory, is in finding communities in which nurture is the primary benefit. While an individual seeks a community in which shared values and beliefs are experienced, or in the case of game play, shared goals, eventually it is the sense of nurture that is built that will provide the attraction to a community. Download paper
The following literature review will focus on the identity as it is positioned in an online environment as a created and semi-controlled entity. This will be discussed through the created and controlled aspect, as well as how that control is not complete as the social dynamic and the real life characteristics begin to come through to the online identity.
Avatar as it Becomes Part of the Community
Individual and the Avatar
The nature of identity is the result of a tension between conformity and individuality. In seeking to find an identity, the individual must find a position between these two oppositional forces in order to find both acceptance and individuation. This phenomenon creates an internal conflict within which the individual seeks to find a sense of self and the acceptance of self by the community. ...
Not exactly what you need? | 2,023 | 978 | 0.00104 |
warc | 201704 | While much has been made of President Obama's digital savvy and online dominance in his campaign against Mitt Romney during the 2012 campaign — in which spending on web advertising soared by 251 percent over 2008, a Sunlight analysis suggests that outside Republican spenders were making a concerted effort to compensate for Mitt Romney's relative lack of web presence.
A look at online ad spending by outside spending groups we've been following all year shows that, like the presidential campaigns, they were using digital communications heavily. Super PACs, trade associations and other nonprofit groups that made campaign expenditures spent roughly $46.1 million on web ads. Though the Obama campaign considerably outspent Romney's campaign on web advertising, outside Republican outside spenders ponied up nearly five times more on online advertising than liberal outside groups, according to independent expenditure filings with the FEC.
It's no surprise then, that the groups topping the charts of online expenditures are nearly all conservative outside groups:
American Crossroads came in first, spending almost $7 million on online ads alone. The super PAC's nonprofit sister group, Crossroads GPS, also topped the charts with another $2.3 million in online ad spending. The former focused its online advertising on the presidential campaign, mostly targetting Obama with negative advertising, while the latter took its aim at Democrats in the tighter congressional races. American Future Fund, another heavy hitting conservative group, was the second biggest online spender with almost $5.5 million going towards web ads. The majority of these funds were directed towards the presidential election, and the group funded both positive ads for Romney and negative ones for Obama. The NRA also spent quite a bit online. Channeling money through two separate groups — the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (which spent about $3.3 million) and the National Rifle Association of America Political Victory Fund (which spent about $1.3 million) — the association spent nearly $5 million on web ads attacking Obama and Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla. and Senate candidates Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat and Jeff Flake, a Virginia Republican, to name a few of the NRA's targets. Despite the NRA's opposition, all three won their races.
Liberal outside spenders lagged far behind top Republican spenders. Planned Parenthood Action Fund Inc came closest, spending a little over $500,000 on web ads, while Majority PAC, another Democratic group, spent about $430,000.
With online outreach booming, eyes have been on the FEC as it struggles to regulate a largely unregulated market. In most cases, the commisson has opted to treat online ads similarly to those on television, requiring the ads to include disclaimers stating who paid for the advertisement. Facebook and Google each presented a plea to the FEC to loosen disclosure laws , in strategic bids to draw in political ad buyers. Both requests to waive the required ad disclaimers (which state the name of the group funding the ad) were rejected; However the FEC did loosen restrictions in response to Google's case, announcing that a url to the paying committee's website could substitute for explicit disclosure.
Among the organizations that have most benefited from the expansion of online election advertising, Targeted Victory, an online consulting firm that was also a top consultant for Mitt Romney's presidential campaign, topped the charts with more than $9 million in revenue from super PACs seeking to expand their online outreach. American Crossroads was this organization's biggest client. Google followed Targeted Victory closely, bringing in about $6.3 million — and considerably beating out Facebook, which, with about $1.6 million in online revenue, came in seventh among organizations receiving online ad revenue.
Other groups that brought in revenue from election advertising include OnMessage Inc., which saw $4.6 million in online revenue, and Angler LLC which brought in about $4.5 million. Both groups relied on big conservative spenders the NRA (for OnMessage) and American Future Fund (Angler's primary client).
While the conservative outside groups clearly beat out liberal groups in online spending, there's a good chance that Republican outside spenders were aiming to match the Obama campaign's online efforts — a task which the Romney campaign was unable to achieve on its own.
(Photo credit: The White House via Flickr) | 4,560 | 2,074 | 0.000486 |
warc | 201704 | Neelie Kroes, VP of the European Commission, today announced a new education initiative for Europe with help from Cisco, Nokia, Telefonica, ARM, HP and other tech titans, as well as government and other partners. The aim, she says, is to close what Europe estimates as a 700,000-IT-job gap in the region. One of the first partners, Telefonica, today also announced its own contribution to the effort: an aim to spin out, by 2015, 1,000 new startups through initiatives like its Wayra incubator, as well as training, mentoring, and job placements for thousands of others.
The news came earlier today at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland — and, as befitting a confab of the good and the great discussing Big Ideas, there was no financial terms put on any of these projects. (We have reached out to Telefonica and to Neelie Kroes’ office to ask.)
Although the economic crisis has hit unemployment hard in Europe, IT jobs overall have continued to rise at a rate of 3% annually. But IT education — like education in general — has also suffered at the hands of budget cuts. So the new initiative announced today is a classic mix of private money and public works to try to fill some of that gap. It’s coming at a time when other companies have already invested dollars and years into educational initiatives in Europe. For example, Microsoft’s robotics and coding education initiative in Estonia, where it has extensive R&D operations.
The big threat now is three-fold: not only are there not enough people to fill IT jobs that are currently open, but the worry is that when the economy does begin to bounce back, there won’t be enough people to sustain that, either, and so the jobs will go East to countries where there is skilled labor and for a fraction of the price. “Companies operating in Europe need the right people or they will move operations elsewhere,” the EU noted in a statement.
The third issue is the creation of new businesses: all of what happens on the large enterprise scale will play out in the ecosystem that thrives on new entrants and disruptive innovation that comes from the startup end of the spectrum.
“The digital skills gap is growing, like our unemployment queues. We need joint action between governments and companies to bridge that gap. The ICT sector is the new backbone of Europe’s economy, and together we can prevent a lost generation and an uncompetitive Europe,” said Kroes in a statement. “So I am expecting concrete pledges by companies, everyone I meet will be getting the same request. The Commission will do its bit but we can’t do it alone – companies, social partners and education players – including at national and regional level – have to stand with us.”
The EC is relying on good faith here — it refers to commitments from private companies as “pledges” — to commit to ways of building out opportunities for new jobs, internships, training, funding for new businesses, online education and so on. The first official round of pledges will be announced March 4-5, it says, during a conference around the so-called Grand Coalition for Digital Skills and Jobs.
Telefonica is among those that have gotten their pledges in early: they are using their Wayra incubator program to spearhead their contribution. In addition to 1,000 startups by 2015, it’s sponsoring a massive IT recruitment event called Campus Party Europe — to be held this year in London, and likely to attract over 10,000 hopefuls; promoting a coding/robotics/digital literacy program called the Think Big School by funding enrolment of 50,000 people; as well as committing to 5,000 IT jobs for young people and new graduates within Telefonica itself.
Yes, all of this is Big Idea stuff, and we’ll have to see how effectively businesses put their money where their mouths are, and whether Europe’s population bites with interest. But there has been some good traction so far on how training initiatives have worked. The EC notes that German and Spanish training voucher systems provided jobs for 60-70% of the 20,000 participants. “We should seek to replicate and scale up this idea on a European scale,” Kroes said. | 4,288 | 2,103 | 0.000493 |
warc | 201704 | With the Philippines as a leading source of premium, natural, and ready-to-eat processed food and beverages, the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is bringing 10 homegrown companies with an exciting range of new and nutritious food creations and exotic ingredients to the 26
th Taipei International Food Show set at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center and Taipei World Trade Center on June 22-25, 2016.
Certified by international organizations and exported to many countries around the world, the variety of Philippine products to be showcased at Taiwan’s 5-in-1 expo responds to the demands of the Taiwanese and global market for foods that promote health and wellness, that are fresh and nourishing, and have unique and delightful flavors.
“Philippine SMEs at Food Taipei will present one-of-a-kind food and ingredients, organic and functional foods, and new tastes and textures to spice up meals and reinvigorate snacks. The local companies, up-to-date with global food innovation and trends, and inspired by our rich and diverse culinary tradition, have something special and exciting to offer trade buyers and visitors at the exhibition,” said CITEM Executive Director Rosvi C. Gaetos.
The Philippine participation in FOOD TAIPEI 2016 is a project of CITEM, in partnership with the Export Marketing Bureau (EMB) through the RIPPLES Plus Program, and Philippine Trade and Investment Center – Manila Economic and Cultural Office (PTIC-MECO).
Healthy food from real fruits and vegetables
The Castillejos Agri-Farms, Inc.’s jams, jellies, and marmalades have already proven their quality and international appeal when they were featured in dishes prepared by famed chefs including Asia’s Best Female Chef for 2016 Margarita Fores during the Grand Philippine Exhibition – Archipelago of Exchange in one of France’s top museums for indigenous arts and culture, the prestigious Musee du Quai Branly in 2013. The homemade preserves, along with other Filipino food, were served at a press luncheon which catered to around 100 guests including France’s top media practitioners and museum donors, and a cocktail reception that hosted around 500 guests, one of whom was then French prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault.
Chocovron Global Corporation, known for its creative update of the traditional Philippine snack polvoron (toasted wheat cake), will excite buyers and health-conscious consumers with its two new sugar-free products that highlight the nutritional value and unique tastes of
malunggay (moringa oleifera) and ampalaya or bitter melon (momordica charantia). Malunggay is known for its anti-cancer properties and is highly recommended by doctors to nursing mothers and infants because it combats malnutrition with its high vitamin content (seven times more vitamin C than oranges, four times more calcium than milk, four times more vitamin A than carrots). Ampalaya, on the other hand, with its blood sugar lowering properties, is endorsed by the Philippine Department of Health as an alternative herbal medicine for diabetes.
Drawing from traditional Filipino cuisine, JBM Food Products creates all-natural, homemade beverages using handpicked, ripened fruits from the mountain ranges of Sierra Madre and Cordillera. These high quality, energy-boosting juices pack antioxidants, catechins, and the refreshing flavors of power fruits
bignay (antidesma bunius), guyabano or soursop, and calamansi-malunggay.
Rich in potassium and fiber, Prime Fruits International, Inc.’s healthy and versatile banana chips are sourced from the lush banana plantations of Davao, Philippines. The banana chips, offered in various cuts and sizes, can be eaten on its own, or as a topping on different breakfasts and snacks, complementing the smooth and creamy texture of oatmeal or yogurt with its delicious crunch. It is also good combined with other dried fruits and nuts in a trail mix, or chopped and used as ingredient in energy bars.
Superfood coconut
Two companies – Pasciolco Agri-Ventures and Team Asia Corporation – are bringing a selection of coconut products with different uses, highlighting the nutritional value and versatility of this tropical plant.
Pasciolco Agri-Ventures from Quezon province, which is known for its vast coconut plantations, has perfected the process of making organic virgin coconut oil, jams, sweetener, syrup, vinegar, aminos,
lambanog (coconut arrack) and aromatherapy oil.
Coconut milk powder and coconut sugar are two of Team Asia Corporation’s products. Coconut milk is lactose-free and a recommended cow’s milk substitute for those suffering from lactose intolerance. Coconut sugar, which is made of boiled and dehydrated sap of coconut palm, is quickly becoming a hot commodity among health food consumers as it offers more vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients, as well as a lower glycemic impact compared to common white table sugar.
Sharing well-loved, nutritious Philippine baked goods to the world
Magic Melt Foods, Inc. prides itself in its creation of mango flour made from processed mango seeds. Naturally rich in anti-oxidants, vitamins and minerals, dietary fiber and digestive enzymes, mango flour is the primary ingredient in many of Magic Melt’s new healthy snacks.
The company also makes traditional Philippine biscuits, breads, pastries, and delicacies such as
biscocho, mamon tostado, otap, and rosquillos that are enjoyed not only locally but also abroad in countries such as Australia, Canada, China, U.A.E., Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Qatar, Singapore, and U.S.A.
Muscovado sugar: reinventing drinks and desserts
Family-owned company Raw Brown Sugar Milling from Negros Oriental makes
muscovado, an organic sugar produced by boiling fresh sugarcane juice. The simple process retains the vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, and zinc that is present in sugarcane juice.
A great alternative to brown sugar or conventional refined white sugar,
muscovado sugar lets its users redefine the taste and texture of many sweet beverages, dishes, breads, and snacks with its rich molasses flavor.
Marshmallow treats with a twist
Riverdale Confectionery Industry, Inc. creates a whole array of marshmallows (over 30 kinds) in different shapes, colors, and sizes. A new addition to the company’s line of products are oval marshmallows with four kinds of filling – mango, strawberry,
matcha, and chocolate.
There are many ways to use marshmallows other than just garnish for a mug of hot cocoa drink. Soft and chewy, marshmallows add a different texture to homemade ice cream, brownies and cakes, or placed between cookies to create s’mores. They can be melted and used as substitute to cupcake frosting or fondant icing, while roasted marshmallows are a good topping for milkshakes.
The leading Philippine food brands, accessible around the globe
Philippine Grocers Food Exports is one of the top consolidators of food products in the Philippines, exporting select brands of high quality items to North America, Europe, and the Middle East.
The company is carrying a number of well-known and trusted brands such as Lemon Square, Ligo Sardines, and Regent Snacks, that make nutritious, ready-to-eat food in convenient packaging.
In 2015, Food Taipei featured 1,088 exhibitors, with country pavilions showcasing products from China, Singapore, Japan, USA, Spain, the Netherlands, and Chile, among others, and occupying 35,000 sq. m. of exhibition space, making the four-day trade fair a dynamic and significant event for trade buyers, wholesalers, and retailers from top companies from around the world.
“Joining Food Taipei 2016 creates a great opportunity for Philippine SMEs to present their products and establish connections with thousands of buyers with decision-making authority not only from Taiwan but also from many countries visiting the exhibition,” added Gaetos.
***
The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, is committed to developing, nurturing, and promoting globally-competitive small and medium enterprises (SMEs), exporters, designers, and manufacturers by implementing an integrated approach to export marketing in partnership with other government and private entities.
Rosario Virginia C. Gaetos
Executive Director
Golden Shell Pavilion
Roxas Boulevard corner Sen. Gil Puyat Ave.
Pasay City 1300
Metro Manila Philippines
Tel (+632) 831.2201 to 09
Fax: (+632) 832.3965 /834.0177 to 78
Email: rvgaetos@citem.com.ph
Website: www.citem.gov.ph
For more information, log on to www.citem.gov.ph | 8,748 | 4,180 | 0.000243 |
warc | 201704 | 15. Lack of exercise
You can prevent depression by nearly 20% just by being more active three times a week. Doing nothing while munching on chips all day is just terrible for us physically as well as mentally. Instead, get up and go for a walk once a day if that’s all you have time for or do a quick indoor workout. No matter how small, getting up and moving is all it takes to improve your physical and mental health. | 427 | 293 | 0.003478 |
warc | 201704 | A group of 24 MPs have written to the Financial Services Authority and the Treasury demanding that banks immediately suspend payments on interest rate swaps.
Banks must be forced to offer a moratorium on payments that thousands of small businesses are still being forced to make on interest rate swaps, according to a group of MPs investigating the scandal.
The Financial Services Authority and Treasury have been told they must push banks to offer an immediate freeze on all swap payments, according to a letter signed by 24 MPs.
“There are many businesses who are continuing to enter administration as a direct result of their obligations under their swap contracts,” wrote Guto Bebb, a Conservative MP and chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on swap mis-selling.
Mr Bebb and the other MPs said the existing offer of suspending payments on a case-by-case basis was not sufficient and that more needed to be done to help struggling victims.
More than 40,000 interest rate derivatives are estimated to have been sold to smaller businesses since 2001, but with interest rates at historic lows the cost of servicing these contracts has left many firms facing hundreds of thousands and even millions of pounds in costs they say they were never warned about.
Eleven major banks, including Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) , Lloyds Banking Group (LSE: LLOY.L - news) , HSBC (LSE: HSBA.L - news) , and Royal Bank of Scotland, have signed up to an FSA-designed scheme to compensate customers mis-sold swaps.
In the six months since the deal was announced many businesses have complained they have been forced to continue making payments under swap contracts that have already been identified by the FSA as likely examples of mis-selling.
The FSA is currently reviewing the results of a pilot redress programme for swap victims, which it is expected to announce the results of at the end of January ahead of the full launch of the scheme.
Banks have so far put aside more than £600m to cover the cost of compensating victims, however this figure could rise substantially as more details emerge of the terms of the settlements. Barclays has made the largest provision, setting aside £450m against the cost of swap mis-selling.
The Financial Ombudsman Service recently toughed its stance on the issue, finding in favour of victims and recommending that banks pay out settlements that would see businesses returned all the money they had to fork out to cover their swaps as well as cancelling the break costs.
The costs to the industry if this type of settlement became standard could easily eclipse the more than £12bn set aside to cover PPI compensation and has led to fears that some banks might not be able to meet the bill. | 2,762 | 1,354 | 0.000749 |
warc | 201704 | A saturation excess erosion model Date2013 Author
Tilahun, S. A.
Mukundan, R.
Demisse, B. A.
Engda, T. A.
Guzman, C. D.
Tarakegn, B. C.
Easton, Z. M.
Collick, A. S.
Zegeye, A. D.
Schneiderman, E. M.
Parlange, J. Y.
Steenhuis, T. S.
MetadataShow full item record Abstract
Scaling-up sediment transport has been problematic because most sediment loss models (e.g., the Universal Soil Loss Equation) are developed using data from small plots where runoff is generated by infiltration excess. However, in most watersheds, runoff is produced by saturation excess processes. In this article, we improve an earlier saturation excess erosion model that was only tested on a limited basis, in which runoff and erosion originated from periodically saturated and severely degraded areas, and apply it to five watersheds over a wider geographical area. The erosion model is based on a semi-distributed hydrology model that calculates saturation excess runoff, interflow, and baseflow. In the development of the erosion model, a linear relationship between sediment concentration and velocity in surface runoff is assumed. Baseflow and interflow are sediment free. Initially during the rainy season in Ethiopia, when the fields are being plowed, the sediment concentration in the river is limited by the ability of the surface runoff to move sediment. Later in the season, the sediment concentration becomes limited by the availability of sediment. To show the general applicability of the Saturation Excess Erosion Model (SEEModel), the model was tested for watersheds located 10,000 km apart, in the U. S. and in Ethiopia. In the Ethiopian highlands, we simulated the 1.1 km(2) Anjeni watershed, the 4.8 km(2) Andit Tid watershed, the 4.0 km(2) Enkulal watershed, and the 174,000 km(2) Blue Nile basin. In the Catskill Mountains in New York State, the sediment concentrations were simulated in the 493 km(2) upper Esopus Creek watershed. Discharge and sediment concentration averaged over 1 to 10 days were well simulated over the range of scales with comparable parameter sets. The Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) values for the validation runs for the stream discharge were between 0.77 and 0.92. Sediment concentrations had NSE values ranging from 0.56 to 0.86 using only four calibrated sediment parameters together with the subsurface and surface runoff discharges calculated by the hydrology model. The model results suggest that correctly predicting both surface runoff and subsurface flow is an important step in simulating sediment concentrations. | 2,561 | 1,243 | 0.00081 |
warc | 201704 | This report describes the typical weather at the Williamsbrug-Jamestown Airport (Williamsburg, Virginia, United States) weather station over the course of an average May. It is based on the historical records from 2003 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.
Williamsburg, Virginia has a warm humid temperate climate with hot summers and no dry season. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by
forests (70%), oceans and seas (14%), croplands (7%), lakes and rivers (6%), and built-up areas (3%).
The month of May is characterized by
rising daily high temperatures, with daily highs increasing from 77°F to 85°F over the course of the month, exceeding 92°F or dropping below 67°F only one day in ten.
Over the course of May, the length of the day is
gradually increasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day increases by 47 minutes, implying an average day-over-day increase of 1.5 minutes.
The shortest day of the month is May 1 with 13:45 hours of daylight; the longest day is May 31 with 14:33 hours of daylight.
The
earliest sunrise is at 5:49am on May 30; the latest sunset is at 8:21pm on May 31; the latest sunrise is at 6:12am on May 1; the earliest sunset is at 7:57pm on May 1.
Daylight savings time is observed in 2012 but it neither starts nor ends in May, so the entire month is in
daylight time.
The median cloud cover ranges from 27% (mostly clear) to 33% (mostly clear).
On May 16, a representative day, the sky is
clear or mostly clear 45% of the time, partly cloudy 12% of the time, and mostly cloudy or overcast 29% of the time. There is either very little precipitation at this location in May, or the weather station does not reliably report the conditions. Either snow is exceptionally unlikely to fall at this location in May or this station does not reliably report precipitation types.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 43% (comfortable) to 95% (very humid) over the course of a typical May, rarely dropping below 27% (dry) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).
The air is
driest around May 3, at which time the relative humidity drops below 52% (mildly humid) three days out of four; it is most humid around May 30, rising above 93% (very humid) three days out of four.
Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.
Over the course of a typical May, the dew point typically varies from 48°F (dry) to 68°F (muggy) and is rarely below 36°F (dry) or above 74°F (very muggy).
The time of the month between May 1 and May 24 is the most comfortable, with dew points that are neither too dry nor too muggy.
Over the course of May typical wind speeds vary from 0 mph to 12 mph (calm to gentle breeze), rarely exceeding 17 mph (moderate breeze).
The
highest average wind speed of 6 mph (light breeze) occurs around May 1, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 12 mph (gentle breeze).
The
lowest average wind speed of 5 mph (light breeze) occurs around May 31, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 10 mph (gentle breeze). | 3,402 | 1,473 | 0.000701 |
warc | 201704 | AMA in the trenches: Combating drug overdose while managing patients' pain
One of the most important outcomes from the AMA Interim Meeting in November was a renewed focus on national drug control policies and the responsible prescribing and use of prescription pain medication. This is a hot issue—and a difficult one for all of us.
As a recent study has shown, about 45 Americans die every day from unintentional overdoses involving prescription pain medication. We also know that approximately 70 percent of people who misuse opioid analgesics obtain them from friends or family members, not physicians. Yet for policymakers, it’s often simpler to tighten controls on prescribing—such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s move to reclassify hydrocodone to a Schedule II drug—rather than focusing on a broader public-health-based approach.
As physicians, we don’t always have the support we need from the medical or public health infrastructure. Community-based programs for addicts and at-risk youth are lacking, and mental health networks and pain specialists are nonexistent in many areas. In addition legislative efforts designed to reduce supply or create practice standards can make treating pain patients more difficult for physicians.
But there is hope in some recent developments. In November, a national association of state lawmakers (NCOIL) adopted best practices to curb opioid abuse, misuse and diversion. This new public policy framework was shaped in part by AMA advocacy and testimony.
The AMA’s new policies should drive further movement in the right direction. Among other things, our policies call for:
• Changes to the focus of National Drug Control Policy, including more community-based prevention programs for at-risk youth and increasing accessibility of treatment programs for substance use disorders.
• AMA collaboration with other medical associations to develop and promote best practices for using opioids in pain management.
• More robust data collection by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on unintentional opioid poisonings and deaths so our nation can develop appropriate solutions for prevention.
• Re-evaluation of the Joint Commission’s accreditation standards to improve pain management practices.
The AMA continues to work on multiple fronts to ensure physicians can both adequately treat patients’ pain and prevent abuse, overdose and death from prescription drugs.
A good example is our continuing medical education series on pain management, which provides information to help physicians strike a balance between managing patients’ chronic pain and preventing prescription painkiller abuse. Updated last year, the 12 online modules offer
AMA PRA Category 1 credit™. I encourage you and your colleagues to take advantage of these excellent resources.
Another example is the AMA’s legislative efforts to advance state bills that support the availability and administration of naloxone—a proven opioid antagonist—to help reduce deaths from opiate overdoses. Several states, including California, Colorado, New Jersey and Oklahoma, adopted such legislation in 2013.
As physicians, we need to be equipped to balance our ethical obligation to treat patients with pain alongside the need to identify signs of diversion. However, we also need coordinated, constructive programs that support treatment and prevention. The new AMA policies, along with existing efforts, aim for both. | 3,542 | 1,707 | 0.000604 |
warc | 201704 | food interaction for TYFY alcohol interaction for TYFY pregnancy interaction for TYFY lactation interaction for TYFY medicine interaction for TYFY
Animal studies have shown adverse effects on the foetus, however, there are limited human studies. The benefits from use in pregnant women may be acceptable despite the risk. Please consult your doctor.
SALT INFORMATION FOR TYFY Uses How it works Common side effects SUBSTITUTES FOR TYFY PARASAFE 250MG SYRUP(60 ML syrup in bottle)Strassenburg Pharmaceuticals.LtdRs. 0.71/ML of syrupRs. 42.35pay 12% more per ML of syrup BABYGESIC 250 MG SYRUP(60 ML syrup in bottle)Meyer Organics Pvt LtdRs. 0.63/ML of syrupRs. 38same price MEDOMOL DS SYRUP(60 ML syrup in bottle)Medo PharmaRs. 0.62/ML of syrupRs. 37.50save 1% more per ML of syrup FEBREX DS 250MG SYRUP(60 ML syrup in bottle)Indoco Remedies LtdRs. 0.65/ML of syrupRs. 39.10pay 3% more per ML of syrup PARASUIT 250MG SYRUP(60 ML syrup in bottle)Burnet Pharmaceuticals P LtdRs. 0.68/ML of syrupRs. 40.81pay 8% more per ML of syrup Expert advice FOR TYFY Do not take if you are taking any other products that contain paracetamol, or are allergic to paracetamol or any of the other ingredients. Do not take paracetamol if you drink three or more alcoholic beverages every day. Consult your doctor immediately if you have any skin reaction such as skin reddening, blisters, or rash. Do not take paracetamol without consulting your doctor if you are pregnant or breast feeding. Frequently asked questions FOR TYFY Paracetamol Q. Is paracetamol safe/ banned/ available in India? Paracetamol (also known as acetaminophen, crocin, dolo, calpol, pacimol) is an over-the-counter drug available in India. It is generally safe if used at prescribed doses for the prescribed duration as advised by your doctor Q. Is paracetamol a painkiller/ used for cold? Paracetamol is used to relieve mild to moderate pain associated with cold and flu, as well as fever Q. Does paracetamol make you drowsy / sleepy? Paracetamol does not cause drowsiness. However, paracetamol is available in combination with cough and cold medicines (eg. cetirizine, chlorpheniramine), which may cause drowsiness or sleepiness Q. Is paracetamol an NSAID/ antibiotic? Paracetamol is a anti-pyretic (anti-fever), anti -inflammatory drug, which belongs to the category of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). However, unlike other NSAIDS, paracetamol can relieve only mild to moderate pain. It is not an antibiotic Q. Can I take crocin with cetirizine/ aceclofenac/ amoxicillin/ codeine/ tramadol/ warfarin/ erythromycin/ antibiotics? Yes, paracetamol (available as crocin) can be taken with all of these drugs. Caution is advised when crocin is to be used with warfarin. However, always consult your doctor regarding combined use of crocin with any other drug Q. Can I take crocin with ibuprofen/naproxen/other NSAID? Paracetamol (available as crocin) is available over-the-counter in combination with ibuprofen/naproxen/other NSAID. However, always consult your doctor regarding combined use of crocin with any other drug Q. Does paracetamol cause death? Paracetamol on overdose can severely damage the liver and cause death. No more than 4 grams should be consumed in one day. Always consult your doctor regarding use of paracetamol Q. Can calpol make babies/ toddlers sleep/ help in teething pain? Calpol can relieve pain in infants and children; it does not make them sleep. | 3,445 | 1,492 | 0.000671 |
warc | 201704 | Abuse, Elder Abuse, Elder Alternate Names elder abuse institutional abuse domestic abuse Definition Risks What are the causes and risks of the injury? Caregiver stress.Caring for older, frail people can be time-consuming and very stressful. The stress is greater when the older person is mentally or physically impaired. Cycle of violence.Some families act more violent than others. Violence is a learned behavior passed down from parents to children. In these families, abusive behavior is the normal response to tension or conflict. Spouses are also one of the most common elder abusers. In these cases, the elder abuse is often a continuation of a pattern of spousal abuse started years earlier. Impaired mental or physical health.Elders in poor health are more likely to be abused than those in good health. Abuse tends to occur when an older person's mental or physical health worsens and stress rises. Personal problems of the abuser.Adult children who abuse their parents may suffer from mental disorders, alcohol dependence, drug abuse or addiction, and financial problems. They may have just finished raising their children and now find themselves tied down again taking care of a parent. fear revenge by the abuser feel embarrassed worry about being put into an institution Prevention What can be done to prevent the injury? asking directly about signs of possible abuse supporting the victim and talking to help him or her feel less alone showing concern, so that the person knows there is someone to turn to if he or she wants help Diagnosed How is the injury recognized? Treatments What are the treatments for the injury? respite carefor the caregiver adult day care housing assistance meal programs Side Effects What are the side effects of the treatments? After Treatment What happens after treatment for the injury? Sources
"Abuse of the Elderly" [hyperLink url="http://www.crha-health.ab.ca/hlthconn/items/elder-ab.htm" linkTitle="#xA;www.crha-health.ab.ca/hlthconn/items/elder-ab.htm"] www.crha-health.ab.ca/hlthconn/items/elder-ab.htm[/hyperLink]
"Is this Elder Abuse?" [hyperLink url="http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/elderabuse/" linkTitle="#xA;www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/elderabuse"] www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/elderabuse[/hyperLink]
"Elder Abuse Prevention" [hyperLink url="http://www.aoa.dhhs.gov/factsheets/abuse.html" linkTitle="#xA;www.aoa.dhhs.gov/factsheets/abuse.html"] www.aoa.dhhs.gov/factsheets/abuse.html[/hyperLink]
"What is Elder Abuse?" [hyperLink url="http://www.gwjapan.com/NCEA/basic/index.html" linkTitle="#xA;www.gwjapan.com/NCEA/basic"] www.gwjapan.com/NCEA/basic[/hyperLink]
National Center on Elder Abuse, 1225 I Street, N.W., Suite 725, Washington, D.C. 20005; (202) 898-2586 (voice) | 2,746 | 1,227 | 0.000824 |
warc | 201704 | Highlighting Africa-led innovations that offer sustainable ways to alleviate hunger and poverty, Worldwatch Institute senior researcher Danielle Nierenberg visited her 150th site today as part of a one-year tour through Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Niger, Madagascar, and 17 other countries in sub-Saharan Africa. The research-driven itinerary, part of Worldwatch's Nourishing the Planet project, will culminate in the January 2010 release of the Institute's flagship publication,
State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet.
About 120 kilometers outside Lomé, Togo, Nierenberg reached this exciting benchmark while spending the day visiting conservation projects with a local organization called 'Les Compagnons Ruraux,' which is working with communities living in or near the rain forest to help them practice sustainable agriculture and prevent deforestation. Other projects that Danielle has visited to date include:
School garden and nutrition projects in Senegal and Uganda that produce healthy food for children while instilling pride in local cultivation practices and a taste for indigenous vegetables; Pastoralists in Kenya who are working to keep both their livestock biodiversity and their cultural traditions alive; Women-run co-operatives and value-added projects in Ghana that improve livelihoods, empower women, and help them face challenges together; Farmer-to-farmer trainings in Mozambique that help farmers share their experiences while valuing and investing in their own local knowledge; Zulu sheep and indigenous breed protection projects in South Africa that preserve the pest-tolerant and drought-resistant animals that are being replaced by exotic and foreign species.
'The news media in the West tends to be very negative in its coverage of Africa,' says Nierenberg. 'We often hear stories about conflict, HIV/AIDS, famine, and disease. But there are stories of hope, too. Everywhere I travel on the continent, I see examples of Africa-led innovations that are succeeding in reducing hunger and poverty where past approaches have not worked. Nourishing the Planet seeks to shed light on these solutions.'
Nierenberg is reporting daily from farms, co-ops, and offices in Africa, posting updates on the Worldwatch Institute's Nourishing the Planet blog. In addition, she has co-authored dozens of op-eds throughout her travels-often co-written with African innovators-in media outlets that include
USA Today, The Seattle Times, the Ghana Daily Graphic, and South Africa's Cape Town Argus.
'Nourishing the Planet represents a new research paradigm for Worldwatch,' says Worldwatch Institute President Christopher Flavin. 'The on-the-ground examples featured in
State of the World 2011 will demonstrate the success of sustainability innovations in agriculture to policymakers, consumers, and the donor community worldwide.'
The
State of the World 2011 report will focus on agriculture innovations and will be accompanied by derivative materials including briefing documents, summaries, an innovations database, videos, and podcasts. The project's findings will be disseminated to a wide range of influential agricultural stakeholders, including government ministries, agricultural policymakers, farmer and community networks, and the increasingly influential non-governmental environmental and development communities.
'One of the main goals of the project is to create a roadmap for the funding and donor communities to ensure that the increasing amount of agricultural funding in Africa goes to projects that are effective and long-lasting even without outside support,' says Brian Halweil, co-project director of Nourishing the Planet. 'In addition, a local innovation working in rural Cameroon might be something that could be scaled up or replicated in Zambia. We hope to connect projects in different regions and help to improve knowledge sharing.' | 3,902 | 1,907 | 0.000527 |
warc | 201704 | Format Pages Price 3 $40.00 ADD TO CART Hardcopy ( shipping and handling) 3 $40.00 ADD TO CART Significance and Use
This test method will provide a guide for the choice of metallic materials for applications in high pressure hydrogen gas.
The value of the P
He/P H2 ratio will be a relative indication of the severity of degradation of the mechanical properties to be expected in hydrogen. 1. Scope
1.1 This test method covers the quantitative determination of the susceptibility of metallic materials to hydrogen embrittlement, when exposed to high pressure gaseous hydrogen.
1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. The values given in parentheses are for information only.
1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard. ASTM Standards
E384 Test Method for Knoop and Vickers Hardness of Materials
ICS Code
ICS Number Code 77.040.99 (Other methods of testing metals)
UNSPSC Code
UNSPSC Code 12142101(Hydrogen compound gases)
Link Here Link to Active (This link will always route to the current Active version of the standard.) DOI: 10.1520/F1459-06R12 Citation Format
ASTM F1459-06(2012), Standard Test Method for Determination of the Susceptibility of Metallic Materials to Hydrogen Gas Embrittlement (HGE), ASTM International, West Conshohocken, PA, 2012, www.astm.orgBack to Top | 1,749 | 930 | 0.001095 |
warc | 201704 | March 9, 2010
Fifteen college students in the Northwest gathered in a friend’s apartment to pray for the 10 families in Haiti who would receive the buckets of food they put together. Each five-gallon bucket filled with various food staples has the makings of 100 meals and is meant to feed a Haitian family for a week.
Members of Resonate Church were eager to take a Spring Break trip to Haiti to minister amidst the devastation from the earthquake: however, such a trip was not practically feasible. The Lord made another way, though, for the church to be the hands and feet of Jesus to the poverty-stricken families living in Haiti.
A tangible way for the body of Resonate to serve Haiti was to join with other Southern Baptists across the country to assemble and pray over these Buckets of Hope. Southern Baptist in the Northwest, in Texas and everywhere are unified in their pursuit of missional living.
Baptist Disaster Relief teams have the ability to deliver and distribute these food-filled buckets into the hands of the people in great need of both physical and spiritual nourishment. The story of Jesus will be included in their language, and this story carries with it the transforming power of hope in Christ for those who believe. Pray for the families in Haiti to learn of God’s strong love for them and learn to live in trustful reliance on their Maker, who is their Sustainer.
Twelve Resonate small groups—called Villages—meet in homes weekly to share a meal and fellowship. Villages were encouraged to participate and assemble as many Buckets of Hope as possible. International Village, made up of students from various faiths and backgrounds, rallied around this cause and donated to help make buckets, too.
One girl from China said, “It allows me to be apart of something bigger, and do more than what I could do on my own.” Each week these international students, who do not personally know Jesus, come to cook, eat and hang out. My friends and I read and study the Bible with them and they enjoy asking questions. They knew the buckets would be given in the name of Jesus, and they were excited.
Each bucket requires about $40 to cover the food contents and shipping costs. Predominantly made up of college students, the Resonate body was able to put together around 80 buckets of hope. Students inspired students as they sacrificially and generously gave towards a cause that fulfilled the mandate of Jesus to provide for the poor and care for the afflicted.
Jane Owen is a student missionary correspondent serving with Go Now Missions in the Pacific Northwest.
Care to comment?Send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , our editor. Maximum length for publication is 250 words. | 2,809 | 1,442 | 0.000704 |
warc | 201704 | A more efficient business is a better business
We have installed recycling hubs in all of our UK sites. The hubs include special collection points for paper, mixed recyclable items and non-recyclable waste. We also recycle toner and ink cartridges, cooking oil, electronic equipment and fluorescent tubes.
We are constantly looking at ways to cut emissions and improve the efficiency of our business. Here are some of our most recent projects.
Our head office heating and cooling system has recently undergone major refurbishment. This should cut CO2 emissions by 20% and significantly reduce the energy costs of the building.
We have replaced the fluorescent lighting at our Fusion contact centre in Sunderland with more energy-efficient lighting, reducing CO2 emissions. The contact centre operates seven days a week, so the lights are on for over 4,420 hours a year.
We recently constructed a new office building with energy-saving at the forefront of the design.
We are signed up to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme. The scheme helps large public and private sector organisations to improve their energy efficiency and cut emissions. | 1,145 | 614 | 0.00164 |
warc | 201704 | This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.
Turn to the nation's most objective and informative daily environmental news resource to learn how the United States and key players around the world are responding to the environmental...
Aug. 11 — Previously passed legislation approving the Keystone XL pipeline, expanding access to oil production on federal lands and limiting environmental regulations will be included as part of a “consolidated energy package” that will be considered by the House in September, according to Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).
Those measures are among the 43 House-passed pieces of legislation that Republicans say are lingering in the Senate without a vote. The energy package, expected to pass the House, has little chance of passage in the Senate but could serve as helpful messaging in the upcoming midterm elections.
“House Republicans have sent numerous energy bills to the Senate,” McCarthy wrote in a memorandum to House Republicans. “It is time to hold Harry Reid and his fellow Democrats accountable for their refusal to support lower energy prices and American job creation.”
McCarthy's office wasn't available to comment on which specific measures would be included in the new energy package.
Among the measures likely for inclusion in the package is Rep. Lee Terry's (R-Neb.) Northern Route Approval Act (H.R. 3). That measure, which passed the House on a 241-175 vote in May, would eliminate the need for a presidential permit for the northern segment of the project.
Another potential inclusion in the consolidated bill is the Lowering Gasoline Prices to Fuel an America That Works Act (H.R. 4899). That bill, sponsored by Rep. Doc Hastings (R-Wash.), would expedite permits for drilling on federal lands and expand offshore oil and gas exploration.
The House passed the bill on a largely party-line vote of 229-185 on June 26.
Several bills included on the House Republicans' list of those “stuck” in the Senate aim to ease environmental regulations. One of those, the Energy Consumers Relief Act (H.R. 1582), would prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from issuing final rules estimated to cost more than $1 billion if the Energy Department determines that the rule would cause significant adverse effects to the economy.
That bill passed the House in August 2013.
H.R. 1582 may be an attractive target for Republicans to include in the energy package because its sponsor, Rep. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), faces a competitive race for Louisiana's Senate seat against Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.). Cassidy has tried to highlight his support for less burdensome regulations on the state's oil and gas industries.
One additional subject area not specifically addressed in the memorandum but highlighted in the list of bills “stuck” in the Senate is California's unprecedented drought. McCarthy personally introduced legislation (H.R. 3964) along with two other California Republicans to address the crisis, and it passed the House in February.
The Senate has passed its own version of the legislation and both chambers are attempting to resolve differences in the packages. The House package, criticized by the state's governor and senators, would roll back certain environmental laws while enabling greater quantities of water to flow into the parched San Joaquin Valley in California.
To contact the reporter on this story: Anthony Adragna in Washington at aadragna@bna.com
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Larry Pearl at lpearl@bna.com
Majority Leader McCarthy's memorandum to House Republicans is available at http://op.bna.com/env.nsf/r?Open=aada-9mvpvm.
A list of the 43 House-passed bills highlighted by Republicans as waiting for a vote in the Senate is available at http://www.speaker.gov/jobs.
All Bloomberg BNA treatises are available on standing order, which ensures you will always receive the most current edition of the book or supplement of the title you have ordered from Bloomberg BNA’s book division. As soon as a new supplement or edition is published (usually annually) for a title you’ve previously purchased and requested to be placed on standing order, we’ll ship it to you to review for 30 days without any obligation. During this period, you can either (a) honor the invoice and receive a 5% discount (in addition to any other discounts you may qualify for) off the then-current price of the update, plus shipping and handling or (b) return the book(s), in which case, your invoice will be cancelled upon receipt of the book(s). Call us for a prepaid UPS label for your return. It’s as simple and easy as that. Most importantly, standing orders mean you will never have to worry about the timeliness of the information you’re relying on. And, you may discontinue standing orders at any time by contacting us at 1.800.960.1220 or by sending an email to books@bna.com.
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warc | 201704 | What is Multi variant testing?
Multi variant testing is a process by which any number of components of a webpage may be tested. In simple terms, it allows numerous A/B tests performed on one page at the same time. Multi variant testing can theoretically allow for limitless combinations of tests.
The only limit for the number of combinations – or the number of variables – is the amount of time it will take to get a valid sample of visitors.
What is A/B (Split Testing)?
A/B testing (also know as Split Testing) compares the effectiveness of two versions of a web page – in order to discover which has better response rate, better sales conversion rate, etc.
As an example, the purchase funnel on an e-commerce site is typically a good candidate. Any improvements in drop-off rates can represent additional sales.
Why would I want to do MVT?
Put simply, everyone wants more conversions! There is always a purpose of any website. Whether you’re running a blog and wanting to get more subscriptions for your RSS feed, or you’re running a multi-national worldwide e-commerce website aiming to increase sales – then you’ll need to test your site. Constantly testing different aspects is the only way to stay one step ahead and increase conversions.
Steps to take when thinking about testing your site
Smashing Magazine have some interesting thoughts about Multivariate Testing which still stands true. They break it down into 5 steps.
Identify a Challenge The Hypothesis A/B or Multivariate Testing? Running the Test and Analyzing Results Learn From the Test Results
The important thing to remember is the level of detail you need from your test. Is this a sweeping change – comparing one design for example with another – or is this a more granular test – checking the colour of your “add to basket” button.
Once you’ve done that, determine what influences conversion rate. Do your research. Collect stats. Don’t just “guess”.
Website test results don’t always add up
So, you run a test. You see an uplift of 20% in conversion. You run another, potentially unrelated test. You get a 5% increase in conversion. So, you roll both tests out your customers, and you don’t see a 25% increase in conversion. What went wrong?
There are lots of different reasons this can happen.
The changes may have affected the same group of people – You need to make sure that you run tests in isolation, or if you don’t, make sure that you are aware that multiple tests may conflict with each other Making other changes on the site – A/B tests only affect one page. If you’re making other changes on the site at the same time as you’re running tests, you’re going to have a bad time Merging changes from multiple tests. Imagine doing two tests. Test one, you test a blue background against a white background. Test two, you test a blue button against a white button. Blue wins both times. You wouldn’t add a blue button on a blue background, would you? Did you test tests enough? – When you’re working with a very small number of visitors, the behaviour of even one user can drastically throw off your statistics Your test was wrong – Check your test for bugs. Make sure that however you’re testing, you’ve seen all the variations and there are no problems. As a test, run an A/A test and see if you get the results you expect | 3,473 | 1,623 | 0.000647 |
warc | 201704 | WASHINGTON (AP) A half-century after the advent of the pill, the Obama administration on Monday ushered in a change in women’s health care potentially as transformative: coverage of birth control as prevention, with no copays.Services ranging from breast pumps for new mothers to counseling on domestic violence were also included in the broad expansion of women’s preventive care under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. Since birth control is the most common drug prescribed to women, health plans should make sure it’s readily available, said Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. “Not doing it would be like not covering flu shots,” she said. Officials said the women’s prevention package will be available Jan. 1, 2013, in most cases, resulting in a slight overall increase in premiums. Tens of millions of women are expected to benefit initially, a number that is likely to grow with time. At first, some plans may be exempt due to an arcane provision of the health care law known as the “grandfather” clause. But those plans could face pressure from their members to include the new coverage. Earlier requirements under the health care law improved preventive coverage generally for people of both sexes. Social and religious and religious conservatives objected to the birth control mandate, saying a conscience exception unveiled by the administration is insufficient. Sebelius acted after a near-unanimous recommendation last month from a panel of experts at the prestigious Institute of Medicine, which advises the government. Panel chairwoman Linda Rosenstock, dean of public health at the University of California, Los Angeles, said that prevention of unintended pregnancies is essential for the psychological, emotional and physical health of women. “Over a span of generations from grandmothers to granddaughters, we have come from birth control being a hope and a wish and almost luck to being recognized as a part of health care that improves women’s health,” said Cynthia Pearson of the National Women’s Health Network, an advocacy group supporting the change. Some public health experts predicted the change will promote the use of costlier long-acting contraceptives, such as hormonal implants. More reliable than the pill, they are gaining popularity in other economically advanced countries. President Barack Obama Embraces Kathleen Sebelius and Nancy Pelosi After Signing the Health Insurance Reform Bill. (White House, Public Domain).As recently as the 1990s, many health insurance plans didn’t even cover birth control. Protests, court cases, and new state laws led to dramatic changes. Today, almost all plans cover prescription contraceptives with varying copays. Medicaid, the health care program for low-income people, also covers birth control. A government study last summer found that birth control use is virtually universal in the United States. Still, about half of all pregnancies are unplanned. Many are among women using some form of contraception, and forgetting to take the pill is a major reason. Preventing unwanted pregnancies is only one goal of the new requirement. Contraception can help make a woman’s next pregnancy healthier by spacing births far enough apart, generally 18 months to two years. Research links closely spaced births to a risk of such problems as prematurity, low birth weight, even autism. Other research has shown that even modest copays for medical care can discourage use. In a nod to social and religious conservatives, the rules issued Monday by Sebelius include a provision that would allow religious institutions to opt out of offering birth control coverage. However, many conservatives are supporting legislation by Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, R-Neb., that would codify a range of exceptions to the new health care law on religious and conscience grounds. “It’s a step in the right direction, but it’s not enough,” said Jeanne Monahan, a policy expert for the conservative Family Research Council. As it now stands, the conscience clause offers only a “fig leaf” of protection, she added, because it may not cover all faith-based organizations. Although the new women’s preventive services will be free of any additional charge to patients, somebody will have to pay. The cost will be spread among other people with health insurance, resulting in slightly higher premiums. That may be offset to some degree with savings from diseases prevented, or pregnancies that are planned to minimize any potential ill effects to the mother and baby. The administration did allow insurers some leeway in determining what they will cover. For example, health plans will be able to charge copays for branded drugs in cases where a generic version is just as effective and safe for the patient. The requirement applies to all forms of birth control approved by the Food and Drug Administration. That includes the pill, intrauterine devices, the so-called morning-after pill, and newer forms of long-acting implantable hormonal contraceptives that are becoming widely used in the rest of the industrialized world. Coverage with no copays for the morning-after pill is likely to become the most controversial part of the change. The FDA classifies Plan B and Ella as birth control, but some religious conservatives see the morning-after drugs as abortion drugs. The rules HHS issued Monday do not require coverage of RU-486 and other drugs to chemically induce an abortion. Other preventive services covered include: —At least one “well-woman” preventive care visit annually. —Screening for diabetes during pregnancy. —Screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer for women 30 and older. —Annual HIV counseling and screening for sexually active women. —Screening for and counseling about domestic violence. —Annual counseling on sexually transmitted infections for sexually active women. —Support for breast feeding mothers, including the cost of renting pumps. Aside from the conscience clause, the only other major exemption is for so-called “grandfathered” plans, many of which are offered by large employers. With time, however, many currently grandfathered plans are likely to lose that designation as they make routine changes affecting their benefits. Consumers should check with their health insurance plan administrator. Top legal scholars will be filing the 1st major lawsuit against President Trump's alleged business conflicts on Monday. "Welcome to the movement": Women's March on Washington organizers are working tirelessly to make sure 1st-time marchers stick around ✊ Kellyanne Conway says White House press sec. Sean Spicer didn't lie about crowd size at Trump's inauguration. He gave "alternative facts." The Patriots are heading to the Super Bowl yet again after crushing the Steelers. They'll play the Falcons on Feb. 5 🏈 Report an Issue Drag to highlight one or more parts of the screen. Thanks!
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warc | 201704 | Evaluation of devices to enhance miner self-escape in smoke-filled entries.
Authors
Harteis-SP; Alexander-DW; Chasko-LL; Slaughter-CJ
Source
2011 SME Annual Meeting, February 27 - March 2, Denver, Colorado, Preprint 11-001. Englewood, CO: Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc., Preprint 11-001, 2011 Feb; :1-9
Abstract
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Office of Mine Safety and Health Research (OMSHR), with the assistance of cooperating underground mining operations and state agencies, has conducted research exploring devices and technologies that could be used to assist miners navigating through smoke and dust resulting from a fire or explosion. Recent events in mines confirm that smoke and dust can enter and contaminate mine escapeways creating an atmosphere with severely reduced visibility. This reduced visibility results in substantially increased escape times, possible disorientation or confusion, and increased stress levels, and may prevent evacuation altogether. Tools or devices that assist miners in navigating through smoke-filled areas void of lifelines could make the difference in successful escape from the mine. This paper presents the results of OMSHR research to identify and evaluate tools and devices that could provide meaningful information to evacuating miners in areas with limited visibility and without the benefit of a lifeline.
Keywords
Mining-industry; Underground-mining; Fire-fighting; Explosions; Smoke-control; Dust-control; Emergency-equipment; Emergency-responders; Emergency-response; Rescue-measures; Rescue-workers; Engineering-controls; Control-technology; Mine-escapes; Mine-rescue; Miners; Visual-aids; Eyesight; Escape-systems
Document Type
Conference/Symposia Proceedings
Source Name
2011 SME Annual Meeting, February 27 - March 2, Denver, Colorado, Preprint 11-001 | 1,929 | 1,000 | 0.001007 |
warc | 201704 | Researchers decipher mechanism for memory formation
A research team from Berlin, Munich and Haifa has presented new findings concerning the function of the hippocampus, a region of the brain that is important for memory formation. The researchers investigated cellular mechanisms of high-frequency rhythms, which play a key role in memory processes, and possibly also in various brain disorders, albeit in a different manner.
In the current issue of the Neuron journal the research team of scientists in the NeuroCure Excellence Cluster at Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, the Bernstein Centers in Berlin and Munich, and the University of Haifa, presents new findings concerning mechanisms of hippocampal rhythms. Within the scope of memory formation the hippocampus acts as a kind of intermediate memory for the brain. In rest phases, such as during sleep, information that was previously taken in is consolidated and passed on to other regions of the brain for final storage. This hippocampal function is linked to rhythms, so-called oscillations. These rhythms are very similar to the brain waves measured by a physician using an electroencephalograph. The development of these rhythms depends on organized interaction between a multitude of nerve cells. Research in recent years demonstrated that suppression – or intensification – of brain oscillations can impair or improve learning. In their study the researchers are now concentrating on so-called ripple oscillation, a very fast rhythm at a frequency of 200 Hz, the mechanisms of which are still little understood. They investigated electrical currents in individual hippocampal cells that occur during ripple oscillation. "Our results show directly for the first time how excitatory and inhibitory impulses interact during ripples on a very fast timescale," reports Nikolaus Maier, a neuroscientist at Charité. Understanding these mechanisms is important, not only within the scope of memory research but also because any change in synchronous activity can have fatal consequences. "Disturbance of the hippocampal rhythms can be a potential cause of pathological conditions like epilepsy, schizophrenia or memory impairments in Alzheimer's disease," explains Dietmar Schmitz, coordinator of the NeuroCure Excellence Cluster. That is why the results now published also represent a basis for researching future approaches to clinical treatment. Contact
Sprecher Exzellenzcluster NeuroCure
Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin
t: +49 30 450 539 054
Back to Overview | 2,579 | 1,257 | 0.000812 |
warc | 201704 | If there is a subject more rife with bad science than that of human nutrition, I don't know what it would be. It seems that every year there is another fad diet, based on unproven theory and void of any semblance of scientific evidence. Of course, the reason that these schemes come along is because people want to live long and healthy lives, and my introductory chemistry students have lots of questions related to their own nutrition. "The China Study" is a book that I can recommend to them. It is based on a lifetime of research by Colin Campbell of Cornell University. He was head of an international group of researchers that studied the eating habits of people in different cultures and their health consequences. As the title implies, the largest and most convincing of these was a study of 6500 Chinese persons of both sexes, from 65 "counties" of China. The range of lifestyles was very large, from urban to rural, and their diets also represented a much larger range of foods than is found in American or European populations. Why is it that the incidence of obesity, diabetes, cancer, and heart disease is very high in our population and very low in countries that have far "poorer" diets? The "bottom line" of this thoroughly-documented study is essentially that animal protein is not good for us - even milk, "the perfect food".My students (and me!) may not relish the change to a vegetarian diet, but it is difficult to refute the mass of evidence in "The China Study". | 1,499 | 828 | 0.001219 |
warc | 201704 | Product Description
The rising population of the elderly and the various socio-cultural and economic changes that have taken place in the Luo communities have had an impact on support systems for the elderly. However, there is little knowledge that shows this impact in relation to the functionality of the available support systems for the elderly. this is despite the fact that the elderly still rely on the extended family and other kin to provide them with care and support crucial in old age. the study recommends policy formulations that recognize the central role of the family in care and support for the elderly.
SKU : COC90551 Author Lilian Owoko Language English Binding Paperback Number of Pages 152 Publishing Year 2013-11-02T00:00:00.000 ISBN 9783659179662 Edition 1 st Book Type Ethnic studies Country of Manufacture India Product Brand LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing Product Packaging Info Box In The Box 1 Piece Product First Available On ClickOnCare.com 2015-10-08 00:00:00 | 996 | 601 | 0.001671 |
warc | 201704 | Canonical Theism is a post-Protestant vision for the renewal of both theology and church. The editors call for the retrieval and redeployment of the full range of materials, persons, and practices that make up the canonical heritage of the church, including scripture, doctrine, sacred image, saints, sacraments, and more.
The central thesis of the work is that the good and life-giving Holy Spirit has equipped the church with not only a canon of scripture but also with a rich canonical heritage of materials, persons, and practices. However, much of the latter has been ignored or cast aside. This unplumbed resource of canonical heritage waits for the church to rediscover its wealth. With a bold set of thirty theses, the authors chart and defend that mine of opportunity. They then invite the entire church to explore the benefits of their discoveries.
This ambitious book offers insights to be integrated into the church body, renewing the faith that nourished converts, created saints, and upheld martyrs across the years.
From the Circuit Rider review: "'Canonical theism is both a vision of church renewal for the twenty-first century and a long-haul, intergenerational theological project' (xii).
"With these opening words, William J. Abraham of Southern Methodist University’s Perkins School of Theology introduces a new set of theses and essays on how the church at the dawn of the millennium can constructively engage in theology and ministry. What must take primacy is the canonical heritage of the church—that “great gift of medicinal salvation” mediated through the treasures, persons, bishops, saints, icons, and councils of the church’s life, created, guided, and sustained by the work of the Holy Spirit (xvi, p. 2 – Thesis IX)." (Click here to read the entire review.) | 1,828 | 966 | 0.001058 |
warc | 201704 | This preview shows page 1. Sign up to view the full content. Unformatted text preview: For Today 1. Quiz 7 2. Hand in Worksheet 5 3. Cell Respiration Activity Quiz 1. Take 10 min to discuss your answers on WS 5 2. Hand in WS 5, please make sure your name is on it 3. I will randomly select 5 questions to grade; however, I will not grade the concept map at the end of the WS. Cell Respiration1. Work with 1 or 2 other individuals. These individuals will also be the people you work with to complete the final project (details later) Each individual will pick a different colored marker; this way I can see that each individual contributed. 2. 3. Be as artistic as you wish, but make sure to include the three major steps (Glycolysis, Citric Acid Cycle, and Electron Transport), key regulatory enzymes, and key inputs and outputs. Also, identify where these reactions occurPut your names on the poster. I will collect these and post images of some of them on blackboard. 4. Redox RxnsRedox reactions can be tricky to interpret. It’s not as simple as just looking where the electrons go, but also how they are distributed. This is the simplest example I can think of to demonstrate this Formation of Water: 2H2 + 02 2 H2O Here, we form a covalent bond, so it’s not like electrons were gained or lost by Hydrogen or Oxygen, they were just redistributed. If you recall, Oxygen is more electronegative than Hydrogen, and so the electrons are drawn towards it. In essence, the oxygen has gained more electrons, while the Hydrogen has lost a little. Thus the oxygen reduced and the hydrogen is oxidized Redox RxnsNow, with NADH and FADH2, it’s a bit more obvious. These electron carries donate electrons to the protein complexes in the electron transport chain. These electrons move from one complex to another, so that one complex is oxidized while another is reduced. Where did these protons and electrons come from? The Protons and Electrons gained by NAD to from NADH are eventually given up to the Electron Transport Chain. The electrons pass through the protein complexes while the protons are pumped across the inner membrane of the mitochondrion. This process results in oxidative phosphorylation. Substrate PhosporylationBelow is the series of reactions that make up Glycolysis. Notice that when ATP is created, the phosphate group is coming off another molecule or substrate. In oxidative phosporylation, the phosphate is free floating and not attached to another molecule. This is a key difference between the substrate and oxidative phosphorylation. ... View Full Document Spring '10 Satasivan | 2,615 | 1,303 | 0.000772 |
warc | 201704 | Cybertip.ca plays an instrumental role in Canada’s strategy to protect children from sexual exploitation on the Internet. Beyond providing this important service to Canadians, the tipline has been a catalyst for collaboration between the public, private and non-profit sectors. The following initiatives are examples of the leadership role Cybertip.ca has played over the past number of years:
To combat the growing proliferation of child sexual abuse material Cybertip.ca is witnessing on the Internet, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection developed a new tool called
Project Arachnid. This automated crawler helps reduce the online availability of child sexual abuse material and break the cycle of abuse. Arachnid detects images and videos of child sexual abuse material based on confirmed digital fingerprints of illegal content and sends notices to the provider hosting the content to request its removal. This innovative tool detects content at a speed exponentially faster than current methods. For more information, click here.
Every year, the tipline undertakes public awareness campaigns to raise awareness of Cybertip.ca as Canada’s tipline to report online child sexual exploitation; educate the public that online child sexual exploitation is a crime; encourage Canadians to take action by reporting their concerns to Cybertip.ca; and raise the profile of Cybertip.ca’s website and educational resources to help protect children from online sexual exploitation. For more information, click here.
The Canadian Coalition Against Internet Child Exploitation (CCAICE) is a voluntary multi-sector group of industry, government, non-governmental and law enforcement stakeholders from across the country. Chaired by Cybertip.ca, CCAICE’s mandate is to devise and implement an effective national strategy to help address the problem of online child sexual exploitation. For more information, click here.
Cybertip.ca has received tens of thousands of reports from the public relating to child pornography. As the central clearinghouse for reporting online child exploitation, Cybertip.ca maintains a regularly updated list of Internet addresses (URLs) associated with images of child sexual abuse. This list is provided to the major Internet service providers (ISPs) participating in Cleanfeed Canada. For more information, click here.
Cybertip.ca has one of the most comprehensive databases of information on online child sexual exploitation in Canada. The data collected through the tipline provides insight into child sexual exploitation, its victims and their vulnerabilities, and its perpetrators and their techniques. The information is used to develop educational programs, as well as to train professionals on trends and patterns of child victimization and protection in Canada. For more information, click here.
Cybertip.ca has been a driving force behind the creation of legislation making it mandatory to report child sexual abuse content. When federal legislation requiring all persons who provide an Internet service to report any incident of Internet child pornography came into force in December 2011, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (through our Cybertip.ca program) was named as the designated agency to receive tips regarding websites. For more information, click here. | 3,333 | 1,446 | 0.000698 |
warc | 201704 | With so many financial institutions out there, it is little surprise if you find a bank or credit union that you like better than your current financial institution. From looking for better rates on financial products and services, to avoiding fees, there are a number of reasons that you might decide to switch to a new financial institution. Before you switch, though, you need to make sure you are ready for the move.
Is Your New Bank or Credit Union Really Better?
Before you move your money, you want to make sure that your new financial institution really is a better choice. Do a comparison of the two, and make sure that you really are benefitting by making the move. Consider your goals, and what you want the bank or credit union to accomplish on your behalf. Someone who is just looking for an account to pay bills from will have different goals from someone who wants to access to higher CD rates. Make sure you understand your needs, and ensure that the new bank or credit union will actually meet them.
On top of that, you will need to compare fees, account requirements and yields. Once you know your goals, compare the products and services offered by the institutions on the products and services you want – and be sure to know whether or not you have to get other products and services in order to get what you want. If, after making the comparison, you decide that you really do want to make the move, get ready. Opening a New Account
Find out what is necessary to open a new account. Some financial institutions will allow you to open an account entirely online or over the phone, without ever having to go in and open an account in person. In some cases, you might have to go in personally to complete some paperwork. When you open an account, you will need basic identifying information, including your Social Security Number and address. You might also need to answer questions about your plans for the account. Be prepared with forms of ID, and other documentation as needed.
You will also need to fund your new account in many cases. Online, you can usually submit your current bank account number and the bank’s routing number in order to have the money transferred. You might also need this information if you go to a bank in person, and you are doing a wire transfer, you might still need this information. Before you go in, call the bank or credit union so you know exactly what you need to open an account, from cash to account numbers. Before You Close Your Old Account
Making the transition can be one of the most difficult parts of switching banks or credit unions – especially if you have automatic withdrawals coming out of your account. Changing over requires that your new account has sufficient funds, while ensuring that all your pending debits are covered by the money in your old account.
After you open your new account, you should get the routing number for the bank, along with your new bank account number. Call the companies that debit your account regularly. Ask how much time is needed to change the account the money is taken from. This time period is usually (but not always) between 14 and 30 days. The companies you do business with will need to know that you are switching accounts, and they will need the information about your new bank account. Once you know the timeframe for the company making the switch, check to see when your regularly scheduled debit is coming out. Chances are that you will have some debits coming out after you are making the switch. Make a list of the debits you expect to come out, and when they are taken out. After you have confirmed the switch with companies taking the money, keep track of which debits have cleared. Do not close your account until all debits are cleared. You will also you need to make sure your direct deposits are properly directed. Check with your human resources department to find out what you need to do in order to change the direct deposit. In addition to the new bank or credit union account number and the routing number for the new financial institution, you might also need a canceled check. If this is the case, you might need to wait until you have checks to make the change. Find out what you will need for direct deposits, and make arrangements. Consider, also, other finance related sites that are linked to your old bank or credit union account. You will have to change information in your personal finance web applications, as well as for your third party payment providers like PayPal. If you have your bank account information saved at sites you frequently buy products and services from, you will also have to change that information. After you have made sure that everything is linked to your new bank account, and after it appears that everything is running smoothly, you can withdraw money from your old bank account and close the account if that is what you have decided to do with it. You should get a final statement from the bank, detailing your transaction, and indicating that you have closed the account. If there is still money in the account, and you should also get a check in the mail for what is left. Look for your final check and your final statement (these items are likely to come separately) seven to 14 days after you close your account. If you do not receive them, call the financial institution and find out why. In some cases, you might want to keep the account open at your old bank or financial institution for some reason. If that is the case, make sure you understand account minimum requirements, and be sure to leave enough money in the account so that you aren’t triggering fees for not maintaining a minimum, and continue to check the account statements as they come. Moving your money to a new financial institution takes some time and effort. However, if you are organized and know what you need moved, and how the process works, it should be relatively painless. | 5,952 | 2,396 | 0.000419 |
warc | 201704 | Land banking Land banking (or ‘landbanking) is the practice of buying undeveloped land purely as an investment, with no specific plans for its development.
Owners wait for the value of the land to increase, or obtain planning permission to develop the land, and then sell it at a profit, sometimes having broken it into smaller parcels of land. Land is seen as an attractive investment as it is a finite resource, historically it has increased significantly in value, it requires little looking after and cannot be lost.
Land owners can wait many years before selling the land, during which time it will often remain empty, even if it is a developable site and there is a demand for property in the area. This can create blighted sites in key areas of communities that sit vacant for years, having a negative impact on the area and preventing other developments from taking place.
In cities such as London, the rapid increase in the value of land can make
land banking a lucrative investment, however, by tying up sites, it can also prevent the demand for property from being satisfied, a demand which is the key cause of the increase in value of the investment. Land banking can also refer to sites for which planning permission has been granted, but where no construction work has begun, or where minimal construction has been undertaken to satisfy planning requirements that construction should start within 3 years of permission being granted. However, these may simply be stalled sites, where finances are not available to continue the works.
In August 2013, the Local Government Association (LGA) reported that despite the urgent need for new housing, there were 400,000 homes with planning permission that had not been built (although these figures were disputed by Planning Minister Nick Boles).
The charge of ‘landbanking’ is often directed at property developers. In particular there is a belief that developers regulate the supply of land in order to artificially inflate prices. In 2014, then housing spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats Stephen Knight said, "…developers can get away with digging a hole in the ground weeks before their permission is due to expire in order to keep their planning consent alive, with no intention of actually carrying out full development for years to come."
However, a 2012 report for the Mayor of London, Barriers to housing delivery, what are the market-perceived barriers to residential development in London? found that 45% of housing planning permissions were not built because the owners were not developers at all. Instead, they were owner-occupiers, historic land owners, the government and investment funds. In contrast, property developers generally wanted to build as soon as possible. Similarly, a report published in May 2014 by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), Permissions to land – debunking the land banking myth suggested that only 4% of the land owned by Britain’s larger home builders had an implementable planning permission but had not started on site.
Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman of the Home Builders Federation said, “When you look beyond the rhetoric and the lazy accusations, the facts are quite clear: house builders do not hoard land or landbank unnecessarily.”
Proposals intended to combat
land banking include the introduction of ‘use it or lose it’ powers allowing planning authorities to pressure owners to implement permissions more quickly. Alternatively, an annual land value tax could be introduced on all land other than owner-occupied properties to increase the incentive to put land to use.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) identify
land banking as a potential scam investment scheme, whereby land is purchased, broken up into small plots and then sold to individuals, sometimes from outside the UK, looking to cash in on the property boom. However, plots are often sold at very high prices, with the suggestion that they can be developed and good returns achieved, even though the land in question actually has no possibility of being developed. The FCA state, ‘ Land banking companies divide land into smaller plots to sell it to investors on the basis that once it is available for development it will soar in value. However, the land is often in areas of natural beauty or historical interest, with little chance of it being built on.’
In June 2015, eight men were been convicted for running a £4.3 million
land banking investment scheme, following an investigation by the FCA. [edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki Featured articles and news
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warc | 201704 | The physician assistant program makes extensive use of simulated learning methods for all students. This helps prepare students for the clinical experience of clerkships while on rotation.
Surgery Skills Lab
Des Moines University’s Surgery Skills Lab includes simulation model labs, a computer technology lab and a simulation operating room lab. Basic surgical skills instruction emphasizes the fundamentals of basic aseptic technique theory and suturing. It has a digital overhead camera, station monitors for viewing and recording prodedures and laparoscopic equipment.
Human simulation models
A group of human medical simulators help students learn to care for more critically ill “patients.” These life-like mannequins have heart, lung and bowel sounds which can be programmed to be normal or abnormal. Students can draw “blood” from the simulators, start IVs, catheterize, defibrillate, intubate and perform chest compressions. The obstetrical mannequin delivers babies that are in good health or those that require resuscitation.
Harvey, the cardiac simulator is designed to reproduce abnormal heart sounds to teach students what murmurs, clicks, rubs, etc sound like. The sounds are used in conjunction with lectures on physiology and anatomy to help students learn what causes these abnormal heart sounds to appear. By using Harvey, the students learn how to perform an appropriate cardiac exam, which valves are affected with certain diseases and how to recognize common abnormal heart sounds.
To foster clinical skills, students use Diagnostic Reasoning (DxR) software. DxR provides a computer-based case history; students then work their way through a patient’s history and physical, order appropriate labs and x-rays and use all the information to formulate a diagnosis. A faculty member guides the students through the case studies. | 1,883 | 977 | 0.001045 |
warc | 201704 | EAST VILLAGE — When Alexandra McArthur gets invited to a party at one of the many East Village bars that have a single step at the entrance, she has a difficult choice to make.
McArthur, 25, a former Ms. Wheelchair America who has lived in the East Village for the past two years, cannot navigate over the steps that lead to dozens of the neighborhood's restaurants and shops.
"Do I not go and isolate myself from my friends? Or do I ask my friend to move her party elsewhere just for me?" said McArthur, who suffers from muscular dystrophy, a genetic disease that weakens her muscles and has put her in a wheelchair for the past six years.
"It is disappointing to me that I can't have the full experience of someone living in the East Village because there are one or two steps and no ramp to get into the restaurant or bar," she added.
As McArthur zipped around the East Village recently in her electric wheelchair, which weighs about 600 pounds with her in it, she pointed out many shops and restaurants with stairs, as well as a handful of corners that don't have curb cuts.
“It is tricky to know, to navigate," McArthur said. "You have to know what curb cuts flood, which ones don’t have a drainage program, which ones are more of a step than a curb cut."
The absence of a curb cut, like at the intersection of East Seventh Street and Avenue A, often forces McArthur to take a block-long detour, just so she can cross the street.
"What do you do? I have gone in the street for quite a while, which is very dangerous," she said. "But if you can't get where you are going, I don't know what it is you are supposed to do."
McArthur, who works as an associate consultant for the Taproot Foundation in TriBeCa and advocates for accessibility in her spare time, added that public transportation is also difficult for her to access. Many of the East Village's subway stations lack elevators, including the Second Avenue F stop, the 6 stop at Astor Place, and the L stop at First and Third avenues.
While McArthur can use the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's Access-a-Ride door-to-door van service, she said it's not ideal for those who need to be somewhere on time. The service gives riders a two-hour window for pickup after a passenger requests a ride, which must be booked one to three days in advance, according to McArthur and the MTA's website.
To get to her TriBeCa office, McArthur commutes along the streets in her wheelchair, which takes 30 to 40 minutes each way.
An MTA spokeswoman said 80 subway stations are accessible across the city, and the goal is to add another 20 key stations by 2020, to "provide access to virtually any destination in the city."
The Department of Transportation said more than 90 percent of Manhattan corners now have pedestrian ramps or curb cuts, and the DOT is working to increase that to 100 percent. A DOT spokeswoman encouraged wheelchair users to report curb cuts in disrepair by calling 311.
But even if all of McArthur's transportation problems were solved, she still wouldn't be able to access the many East Village shops and restaurants that have a single step or two at the entrance.
"It doesn't say, 'No wheelchair users allowed,'" she said, "but that is what it looks like to me."
While more than 20 years have passed since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) passed, requiring equal access to "public accommodations" such as stores and restaurants, the law did not set a timeline for businesses to make accessibility changes, said Kleo King, an attorney for the United Spinal Association.
Small business owners are required to make "readily achievable" improvements to accessibility, based on their resources and what they can afford, according to the ADA's website.
King added that if a permanent ramp to a restaurant is out of the question, a portable ramp or food delivery can count as access.
McArthur has had some success in speaking to local business owners and getting them to install a ramp.
When she told workers at burger joint Whitmans, on East Ninth Street at First Avenue, that the single step leading to their restaurant made it impossible for her to eat there, a staff member quickly replied he could make a ramp.
"It took less than an hour," Whitmans manager Nathan Elston said of the makeshift ramp he created. "It is just a couple of pieces of wood, some nails. We essentially just needed to wedge up a plank."
Because of the ramp, McArthur could eat at Whitman's with her family that evening for the first time.
"With a little empathy and creativity, you are able to open doors for people," McArthur said. | 4,655 | 2,246 | 0.000452 |
warc | 201704 | MASS APPEAL™ (Wellness International) Amino Acid & Mineral Workout Supplement Uses: Utilizing natural compounds which mimic the beneficial effects of anabolic steroids, Mass Appeal™ is specifically formulated to enhance athletic performance without the harmful side effects of steroids.
Among Mass Appeal's scientifically researched and proven ingredients is creatine, a naturally occurring substance which functions as a storage molecule for high-energy phosphate - the ultimate source of muscular energy known as adenosine triphosphate, or ATP. More than 95 percent of the body's total amount of creatine is contained within the muscles, with type II muscle fibers (fibers that generate large amounts of force) possessing greater initial levels and higher rates of utilization. Unlike other artificial aids used to enhance performance, creatine monohydrate saturates the muscle cells and causes a muscle "cell volumizing" effect by beneficially forcing water molecules inside the muscle cell. This promotes an increase in muscle growth by helping muscles form new proteins faster while slowing down the destructive breakdown of muscle cells during exercise. Studies show that creatine loading not only improves performance during short-duration, high intensity and intermittent exercises, but it accelerates energy recovery and reduces muscle fatigue by reducing lactic acid build-up as well.
Found in high concentrations within muscle cells and proteins throughout the body, the branched chain amino acids (BCAAs) L-leucine, L-valine and L-isoleucine are also incorporated into Mass Appeal's scientifically engineered formulation. BCAAs increase protein synthesis and can be oxidized inside muscle cells as ATP, a protein-sparing effect which indirectly increases anabolism by reducing the muscle's need to burn its own proteins during bodybuilding or strenuous exercise. When dietary intake of these amino acids is inadequate, muscle protein is broken down into its individual amino acid constituents and utilized in other essential metabolic reactions within the body. Through supplementation, the catabolic breakdown of muscle can be minimized and the muscle tissue preserved.
Alpha-ketoglutaric acid and the amino acid L-glutamine also protect against muscle catabolism by assisting muscle protein synthesis and preserving the body's natural stores of glutamine in the muscle.
Another major contributor to the Mass Appeal™ formulation is the amino acid inosine. By increasing hemoglobin's affinity for binding oxygen within red blood cells, inosine supplementation enables red blood cells to carry more oxygen as they travel from the lungs to the muscles.
Vanadyl sulfate, known for its vasodilator effects, has been shown to markedly increase the blood flow to muscle cells. Researchers also believe that this mineral not only contributes to increased efficiency in the metabolic pathways controlled by the body's insulin, but also triggers certain glucose transporters much in the same way insulin does. This results in increased glucose transport into the muscle tissue, increased glycogen storage, and decreases the breakdown of muscle protein as an energy source.
Directions: Adults (18 years and older) may take a loading dose of 3 packets in the morning and 2 packets in the late afternoon for one week. This dose may be repeated every three months. Following one week of the loading dose, begin the maintenance dose of 1 packet daily two hours after exercise. Needs may vary with each individual.
For individuals desiring enhanced effects, increase the loading dose to 3 to 4 packets, three times per day (morning, afternoon and evening). Following one week of this enhanced loading dose, begin the enhanced maintenance dose of 2 packets in the morning and 2 packets in the late afternoon. It is recommended that one maintain a low-fat, high-protein diet; drink at least eight glasses of water per day; and engage in 30 to 60 minutes of aerobic and anaerobic exercise three to four times per week. For optimal effects, take in conjunction with Phyto-Vite, Pro-Xtreme™ and Sure2Endure™.
Warning: Not for use by children, pregnant women or lactating women. Consult your physician before using this product if you have any medical conditions. Do not take if you have kidney disease, muscle disease or are on a protein-restricted diet. Discontinue immediately if allergic symptoms develop. Keep out of the reach of children. Store in a cool, dry place. Ingredients: Creatine Monohydrate, Inosine (phosphate-bonded), L-leucine, L-valine, L-isoleucine, Alpha-Ketoglutaric acid, KIC (calcium keto-isocaproate), L-glutamine, Vanadyl Sulfate, Dicalcium phosphate, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Stearic Acid, Croscarmellose Sodium, Silica, Magnesium Stearate and film coating (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, polyethylene glycol, titanium dioxide and propylene glycol). How Supplied
One box contains 28 packets, four tablets per packet. | 5,001 | 2,337 | 0.000431 |
warc | 201704 | A common assumption in political economy is that voters are self-regarding maximizers of material goods, choosing their preferred level of social spending accordingly. In contrast, students of American social policy have emphasized the key role of an other-regarding motive that makes support for social transfers conditional on the perceived deservingness of recipients. The two motives often conflict as large portions of the poor (rich) find recipients undeserving (deserving). Under what conditions might one motive trump the other? I argue that material self-interest overruns perceptions of deservingness when the share of income affected by social transfers is high. Using European data, I show that low (high) income individuals are less (more) likely to be driven by considerations of deservingness. This framework has important macro-level implications: the more working-age benefits are evenly spread across income groups, the less likely considerations of deservingness will permeate public debates on welfare state reform.
Subjects:
Social policy preferences Deservingness Self-interest Heuristic Welfare state reform | 1,134 | 603 | 0.001664 |
warc | 201704 | The last couple of years have seen more passionate discussion about the future of education than perhaps any time in history, and the debate is not abating. Join a panel of experts--Mitchell Stevens (Stanford), Michael Horn (Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation), Ben Nelson (Minerva Project), Keith Devlin (Stanford) and Claudia L’Amoreaux (Natoma Group and Learning Conversations)--who are right in the middle of our current “education maelstrom” for a debate of where we're heading and what this will mean for students, parents, educators, administrators, employers, policymakers, and others. Tix go for $20. | 647 | 427 | 0.002405 |
warc | 201704 | Have you ever seen a bug skate across the surface of water? This is made possible by the
cohesion of water molecules on the surface of the water. When we say that water molecules are cohesive, we mean that they stick tightly to one another—so much so that they create surface tension. Because bugs weigh very little, they can rest their weight on the top of the water without breaking the tension—so to them, it is almost as if they’re standing on a solid surface! In this experiment, we’ll take something relatively heavy (a paperclip) and balance it on the surface of the water in order to demonstrate just how powerful surface tension can be. Objective
Make a paperclip float in a bowl of water.
Can you make a paperclip float? Will adding detergent to the water help you? Why or why not? Materials Tap water Scissors Paper towel Paper clip Cotton swab Small bowl Laundry or dish detergent (or both!) Procedure Fill a small bowl ¾ of the way full with water. Use the scissors to cut a small square out of a paper towel. Place the paperclip in the center of the small square. Place the small paper towel square on the surface of the water. When doing this, try to lay the paper towel down as evenly as possible. If the center gets wet first, your paperclip may not float. Use a cotton swab to gently push the paper towel down into the water, away from the paperclip. What happens?Record your observations Repeat the experiment, but before adding your paper towel and paperclip, add ½ a teaspoon of laundry or dish detergent to the water and stir until it is well mixed. What happens?Record your observations. Results
When there is no detergent in the water, you'll achieve a floating paper clip! When detergent is added, the paperclip may still float, but it is far less likely to do so.
Why?
The paperclip will float due to
surface tension. Surface tension is the attraction of like particles to one another on a surface—in our case, a water-air surface. Water molecules on a surface experience cohesion, which is the sticking together of one molecule to another molecule of the same material. The paperclip is less likely to float in the water with detergent because the detergent acts as a surfactant—a material that reduces the surface tension of the liquid it is dissolved in. | 2,332 | 1,062 | 0.000962 |
warc | 201704 | It all begins with relationship. We hear educators say this over and over, but do we really believe it? Do our actions support our words? After an unbelievable, engaging conversation I had with others at ISTE12 SocialedCon, I know that there are many passionate educators ready to go forth and make the changes we so desperately need in education.
Super Session
The session, which I co-facilitated with Jackie Gerstein Ed.D, was about the benefits, both hidden and explicit, of using technology to facilitate social and emotional learning.
Jackie began the session introducing the topic and asking that we tweet with the tag #SELtech. I shared the following statement from UNC Pep lab about the ways we, as humans, can feel inspired, passionate and fired up for the important work that we do.
The conversation gained momentum with remarks about how technology, particularly in social media, is sometimes cited as a place where people demonstrate poor social skills.
Immediately, hands popped up with participants wanting to share about the positive power of technology in breaking down barriers to learning.
Paula Naugle spoke about the power of blogging as an equalizer for less verbally articulate students. Heads nodded as stories were shared, highlighting the celebration of student voice and passions through tools like Kidblog and Edmodo. Through learning how to use images and words to effectively tell a story, students gain an understanding about the concept of audience and the power of storytelling. Comments4kids was also mentioned as a powerful way for teachers to solicit feedback for their students, thanks to William Chamberlain.
Colette Cassinelli talked about the depth of thinking that surprised her as others chimed in about how technology affords every child a voice. Participants highlighted the gains in social status that happened as students shared their strengths through technology. Suddenly a student who is shy or less popular becomes known as an expert.
Edmodo was highlighted as a safe forum for teachers whose administration might be a bit cautious about blogging because it can be as open or closed as desired.
Bringing in experts and joining with partner classes through Skype and Twitter were cited as powerful experiences. Perhaps a student now sees herself as a scientist after that inspiring connection on Skype with a scientist.
Others shared about how students used technology tools to share passions and talents none of their peers knew they had, thus leveling the social playing field for less socially competent students. Both live and virtual participants added to the discussion.
Teachers as Guides
Angela Maiers jumped into the conversation with her usual boundless energy, discussing how students must master the game of show and tell in order to build the skills they will need online. We all need to learn how to be patient, to listen, to work together.
The conversation made a very interesting turn when a high school physics teacher, Riaz Abdulla, from the SF Bay Area shared his experience in teaching, or should I say, facilitating, a powerful learning experience with coding. His statement here led to lots of nodding:
"What I had to do, and it was really, really hard, was shut up. Kids had to struggle."
Riaz talked about the remarkable process of building trust in his classroom when he assured his students that if they hung in there for 20 minutes, through a state of extreme frustration, they would be amazed at how much they could learn. He had to get out of the way, something many of us educators are realizing as the role of the teacher changes into more of a facilitator and not provider of knowledge.
I saw this tweet from him later:
And there the conversation made another turn, into modeling and building an environment where risk-taking and failure are celebrated. Margaret Powers jumped in with a question:
We talked about the power of gaming with a brief reference to Minecraft as a way to harness passion in learning and capitalize on student creativity.
And then, as the hour quickly wrapped up, we were left with a big call to action from George Couros, an administrator from Canada: "Schools right now only teach students to be good at school." George encouraged each one of us to be change-makers in our own school cultures.
And, now, I leave you with a key question: How do you use technology to connect, empower and build social and emotional learning skills in your students? The best way for us to make change is to share our bright spots. Please comment and share your stories with us. | 4,592 | 2,226 | 0.000452 |
warc | 201704 | 2 Answers | Add Yours
"Dusk" is told by an omniscient third-person narrator through Norman Gortsby's point of view. He is sitting on a park bench watching people. This would seem to characterize him as something of a loner, an introvert, an intellectual, a man with some education who considers himself a philosopher. The young man who tells him his hard-luck story sounds like an English gentleman, and he takes Gortsby to belong to his own social class. Both of them have to work for their livings, but they would only consider doing work appropriate to gentlemen, such as trading in stocks and bonds.
One outstanding character trait of Gortsby is that he is skeptical. This is because he is an urbanite. This is hardly the first time he has sat on a park bench watching the passing parade. A man like him who is fairly well dressed and at leisure is sure to be approached regularly by men, and some women, who have different stories to tell but who all want money. He listens to the young man's story of losing his hotel, but his attitude suggests that he has no intention of helping him out with a loan. He even waits until the stranger has finished with the concluding gambit:
"I'm glad, anyhow, that you don't think the story outrageously improbable."
Then:
"Of course," said Gortsby slowly, "the weak point of your story is that you can't produce the soap."
The word "slowly" is significant. It suggests that Gortsby has been listening patiently and evaluating every detail. It also seems to suggest that Gortsby enjoys hearing the different stories people will invent in order to extract money from the gullible; and it further suggests that Gortsby never had any intention of giving the young man any money whether he was telling the truth or not. Gortsby is a little bit cruel, but he has been cheated too often in the past and doesn't mind getting back at one of these tricksters.
Nowadays it is common to hear the telephone ring and to have someone working in a boiler room tell us how they are raising money to help women with breast cancer, or children with leukemia, or perhaps to help wounded veterans. The caller is probably reading a standard pitch off a card, and the funds collected will probably go mostly to those who are raising them. But some of us will listen to the whole pitch, partly for amusement and partly because the caller makes it impossible to get a word in edgewise until he or she is ready to ask for the donation. That is Norman Gortsby. He is a man with a great deal of leisure time, and he is probably lonely, like most unmarried people who live in big cities. He might just as well be listening to this articulate young man as sitting there alone. But he is not a soft touch. He has seen plenty of people like this young stranger get money from one person and then go on to ask for more money from the next likely prospect.
It is only when Gortsby finds the soap that he feels ashamed of himself. The soap convinces him, not only that the stranger was really in trouble, but that he really only wanted to borrow money which he fully intended to pay back as soon as he could locate his original hotel.
Gortsby is not as sophisticated as he would like to think he is. He is still young. He has been conned before and has made up his mind that he is not going to let that happen again. But he is basically what the young stranger took him for, i.e., "a decent chap." He still has some of that "milk of human kindness" that grifters count upon to earn their livings.
Sources:
Norman Gortsby belongs typically to that group of people who just sit around doing nothing but judging people and taking a sarcastic and cynical view of everything. They are not full of wisdom but think they do and take pride on it. They either consider everyone to be inferior to them or a big failure.
We’ve answered 319,200 questions. We can answer yours, too.Ask a question | 3,923 | 1,917 | 0.000526 |
warc | 201704 | Women’s Accomplishments, Contributions, and Influence
Harriet Beecher Stowe is among the best known of the female novelists in nineteenth century America. Although
Uncle Tom’s Cabin: Or, Life Among the Lowly (1852) was her most famous work, she published more than twenty-five novels, essays, and stories, some of them best-sellers, during the nineteenth century. The controversy and protest that surrounded Uncle Tom’s Cabin was related to the book’s subject, not to the fact that Stowe was a woman. A protest against the Fugitive Slave Act, which made it illegal to assist a slave’s escape or to provide sanctuary, the novel quickly became popular in England, where more than a million copies were sold. Stowe believed and practiced the doctrine that, if women lived exemplary Christian lives and practiced benevolence, they could transform American culture as they lived out their traditional roles. When Uncle Tom’s Cabin was published, women from across the world responded to this antislavery novel. Reportedly, a half million women in Europe and the British Isles sent twenty-six folio volumes called “Affectionate and Christian Address” to Stowe.
Several years before the French novelist Émile Zola introduced the “naturalistic” novel, Virginia-born Rebecca Harding Davis wrote a novel of social reform,
Life in the Iron Mills: Or, The Korl Woman (1861). Because the book was published anonymously, whether Davis’ gender would have been an issue in gaining acceptance for her brilliant insights into the socioeconomic woes of factory workers in America cannot be known. Several of the leading writers and critics of the day considered the short novel to be a literary landmark.
Louisa May Alcott, the first woman to register when women were given limited suffrage in 1879, endeared herself to thousands of young women for her character Jo March in the classic book
Little Women (1869). The novel was immediately successful, establishing Alcott as one of America’s most popular writers. She was active in the feminist movement of the nineteenth century, although one does not have to be concerned with Alcott’s feminism to appreciate the contribution of her work to the field of adolescent and young adult fiction.
It has been commented that by the beginning of the twentieth century, everything was permeated by “the woman question.” The fight to gain certain rights associated with the women’s movement was reaching a peak. In keeping with this current, Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s now-classic novella
The Yellow Wallpaper (1892) established Gilman as the leading feminist theorist in the United States during her lifetime. The Yellow Wallpaper, which chronicles the mental deterioration and confinement of a young married woman as the result of her oppressive environment, has been called the bible of the women’s movement and has been translated into seven languages. This story established her reputation in the United States as the leading feminist theorist of her day. Her novel Herland (1915) offers another influential statement about the cause of women. In this utopian work, three men discover a race of women who have lived without men for two millennia.
Novelist Willa Cather declared that
The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896), by her friend Sarah Orne Jewett, belonged among the “enduring novels” in American literature. Two leading poets of the day, John Greenleaf Whittier and James Russell Lowell, also recognized Jewett’s talent, and Bowdoin College granted her an honorary Doctor of Letters degree in 1901.
At the start of the twentieth century, the rapid development of technology saw the beginning of an erosion of traditional ways of life. Typical of that era were female writers such as Ellen Glasgow, whose novels explored Southern society. Once her first work was published, others followed in quick succession, and, in 1942, she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, securing her literary reputation. Another Pulitzer Prize-winning fiction writer of this era was Willa Cather. Cather felt uprooted when she moved with her family from her native, genteel Virginia to the wilderness of Nebraska. Finding immigrant settlers from Sweden,...
(The entire section is 1722 words.) | 4,324 | 2,156 | 0.000478 |
warc | 201704 | Economic growth of East European countries has been remarkable in recent decade period, and it has been fuelled in transportation logistics side with the significantly growing use of road transports. This concerns mostly Poland and three Baltic states. In the face of new environmental and infrastructure payments there exist doubts whether road could still dominate rails and sea transports within transport of general cargo in longer distance (e.g., Tallinn–Warsaw corridor). In the special case of Baltic Sea Region, and particularly peculiarities of sea and rail, it seems that dominance of road will continue. This is caused by additional cost burden covered by these two alternative modes. So, amount of funds gathered through environmental and infrastructure payments increases, but most probably these alone will not change modal shares at all.
Keywords: transport modes, environmental costs, infrastructure costs, Baltic states, Poland, transport logistics, road transport | 989 | 541 | 0.001864 |
warc | 201704 | Put economics at the heart of the policy-making process, to influence and shape the government’s response to some of the key issues of the day
APPLICATIONS CLOSED: Register your interest below.
Duration
3 to 5 years
Salary
£28k−£32k
Location
UK-wide
Being a government economist is not just a question of analysing figures. It is work that sees you closely involved in important current issues and helping shape government policy. We are the UK’s largest recruiter of economists, with over 1,400 professionals across government in more than 30 departments and agencies.
You can also apply for the Diplomatic Service (Economist) scheme provided you meet the requirements for the Diplomatic service.
You'll have the chance to develop your expertise through postings in areas such as macro-economic modelling, competition policy, international financial issues, labour market trends, taxation, housing benefits, local government finance, public health and criminal justice.
You could be working for a wide range of government departments or agencies and sometimes even overseas. There's also the option to join the Diplomatic Service as an economist.
The type of economics used will vary hugely. Wherever a GES Fast Streamer might end up in 10 years, he or she would be leading a team that puts economics at the heart of the policy-making process.
From the blog
Life at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – a great place to build a careerRead our blog here
From the blog
A Cardiff tale – life at the Office for National StatisticsRead our blog here
From the blog
Life at the Office for National Statistics – an assistant economist’s experienceRead our blog here
You’ll be allocated a department for your first posting only for a minimum of 2 years. After that it’s up to you and your manager how often you move, and where to. If we cannot allocate you to one of your preferred departments, we allocate you to your preferred location.
It is also worth remembering that starting your career in a department which is not your first choice can be very rewarding, particularly in terms of broadening your experience and furthering your career.
You may also find it useful to talk to your mentor for more advice. If there is a particular department you are interested in moving to, you may wish to speak to your mentor to see what opportunities are available.
As a government economist, you could work in areas such as macroeconomic modeling; competition policy; international financial issues; labour market trends; taxation; housing benefits; local government finance; public health and criminal justice, to name but a few.
This posting has been a fantastic way of understanding how senior officials and ministers operate and how my daily work feeds into their decision-making.
One of the great advantages of the Fast Stream is being able to try out roles in different areas in order to understand which topics and policy areas best suit you.
Receiving regular requests from high profile institutions like No. 10 makes me feel like I’m able to help influence policy and shape public opinion, whilst being stretched and increasing my competence.
My time at the ONS has been extremely positive both socially and career-wise, and I’m looking forward to grow as an economist within the organisation.
The GES actively encourages continuous professional development. Chief economists have agreed that the guideline for CPD is 100 hours per year. At least 50 hours of this must be spent on economics.
Your development will be closely monitored by your line manager who will provide on-the-job coaching and will discuss with you, and advise on training and broader development. New assistant economists are expected to attend a one-day induction course, a one-day course on economic appraisal and a one-day course on impact assessment.
Up to £55k
If you successfully complete the scheme and are promoted, you'll earn around £45k to £55k.
You’ll have a unique chance to work on issues that really matter, and to gain experience internally and externally. It’s the best foundation for promotion and long-term progression.
Promotion and successful completion of the scheme will see you earn around £45k to £55k, while other benefits include the Civil Service pension scheme, professional qualifications, flexible working, season ticket loans, sports and social activities, childcare assistance and more.
Online tests
Assessment centre
If you pass the online tests, you'll be invited to attend a half-day assessment at one of our assessment centres in either London or Newcastle.
We'll ask you to take part in a series of exercises. This includes a leadership exercise, a group exercise and an analysis exercise.
Final selection
If you are successful at the assessment centre, you’ll be invited to take part in a final selection process.
The specialist assessments will assess your broad capabilities and motivation to be part of the profession you’ve chosen. You’ll be sent detailed guidance before the assessment to explain what is involved.
Applications closed. Get notified when we are recruiting again for our Fast Stream programme.
Careers in International Politics, City University London
18:00 - 20:00
Careers in Technology, City University London
18:00 - 20:00
Presentation slot, University of Newcastle
12:00 - 15:00
We host events at universities throughout the country so you can find out the information you need to apply for a place on the Fast Stream. We want to reach the most talented and diverse group of students nationwide. | 5,694 | 2,551 | 0.000404 |
warc | 201704 | Share Written byFedScoop Daniel Castro is a senior analyst with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and a FedScoop contributor.
Last week, articles from the Guardian and The New York Times revealed the National Security Agency has circumvented or cracked much of the cryptography used to secure online communications. The fact NSA has spent billions of dollars per year to intercept and decrypt secure communications is not surprising — signals intelligence is the bread and butter of the agency.
However, the allegation NSA has covertly weakened the design of cryptographic standards and introduced vulnerabilities in commercial products is a disturbing claim with severe implications Congress should thoroughly investigate.
One of the most troubling aspects of this story is that the United States has already had a public debate about whether national security interests should dictate the cryptographic standards used commercially, and NSA decisively lost this debate. In the mid-’90s, powerful new cryptography threatened the ability of NSA to access private communications. In response, NSA proposed the private sector voluntary adopt the Clipper Chip—a cryptographic system for securing voice communications (and eventually, data communications).
The basic concept of the Clipper Chip was that any communications could be decrypted with a unique private key. The government proposed these private keys would be split, and each half escrowed with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Treasury Department. Only by obtaining a lawful court order would the government be able to decrypt these encrypted communications.
At the time, the Clipper Chip proposal was widely panned for multiple reasons. First, SkipJack, the algorithm used to encrypt communications on the Clipper Chip, was classified. Users did not trust an algorithm that had not been publicly vetted, and many preferred alternative protocols such as RSA. Second, domestic users did not trust the government would not abuse the key escrow policies or that these backdoors would not be exploited by adversaries. Third, foreign users did not trust the government would not access their communications as they would have no Fourth Amendment protections. Fourth, and perhaps most importantly, the private sector understood it could not sell its products overseas if they came with a built-in backdoor for NSA.
In the end, not only did the Clinton administration abandon the Clipper Chip proposal, it also rolled back the export restrictions on strong encryption products when it realized that such restrictions would simply cede market share to foreign tech companies not subject to these restrictions. But now, it appears that rather than respecting the opinion of the American public and its elected officials to foster more secure communications, NSA has been subverting this goal by covertly introducing weaknesses into commercial hardware and software.
The implications of NSA’s spying continue to worsen for the tech industry. The initial revelations about PRISM may encourage foreign customers to turn their backs on U.S. cloud computing providers. As I estimated earlier this summer, the impact of even a small loss of business could cost U.S. providers between $22 and $35 billion over the next three years.
The newer revelations that NSA may have worked to implement backdoors into U.S. hardware and software could have an even greater impact on the U.S. tech industry. Foreign customers will become increasingly distrustful of U.S. technology until NSA comes clean on exactly what it has done. After all, the United States would do the same. Last year, the House intelligence committee issued a report calling for the Chinese technology firms Huawei and ZTE to be blocked from the U.S. market because of concerns over potential espionage and government backdoors in their products. Will foreign companies think twice before buying their employees the next iPhone or U.S.-made router?
More broadly, if NSA has weakened encryption, this may lead to decreased trust in the security of online transactions. As the White House has noted in the past, “Trust is essential to maintaining the social and economic benefits that networked technologies bring to the United States and the rest of the world.” What is a bigger threat to consumer trust than to learn that the cryptography on which the Internet has been built is routinely subverted by the government? And what happens if these weaknesses are exploited by other governments or criminal organizations? As Edward Snowden has shown, even NSA’s secrets are not safe.
These most recent revelations have also had a negative impact on cybersecurity from a policy perspective. First, the cybersecurity legislation Congress has worked on for the past few years has been delayed indefinitely because of the NSA leaks. The issue is simply too toxic for Congress to touch. Second, the NSA scandal has severely impacted the ability of the federal government to successfully lead the development of international security standards in the future. The federal government has a critical role to play in improving cybersecurity, not only by providing capabilities to deter and combat attacks, but also by developing leading standards development and promoting adoption of secure technologies. For example, NIST writes the widely used Federal Information Processing Standards and runs major projects like the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace. The ability of the federal government to pursue these activities has been compromised by NSA’s reckless pursuit of access to communications at any cost. (Already sensing the furious backlash, NIST has reopened public comment on certain security standards.)
While many companies are already working to increase the security of their products in light of this news (for example, Google announced it was accelerating plans to encrypt data sent between its data centers), the private sector cannot be expected to resolve this on its own. If these most recent allegations about NSA are true—if it has systematically introduced vulnerabilities in commercial products for its own ends—then this is a clear perversion of democracy that merits a swift response. Congress should investigate the extent to which these allegations have occurred and provide additional oversight of NSA to prevent it from manipulating technical standards in the future.
In addition, Congress should send a clear message that the policy of the U.S. government is to improve online security, not weaken it, by notifying companies of vulnerabilities it has discovered in this process. The interests of one government agency should not outweigh the economic interests of an entire U.S. industry or the security interests of Internet users worldwide.
Perhaps counterintuitively, taking these steps now will also serve the United States’ long-term strategic national security interests. For all the fear about NSA’s capabilities, the reality is that when implemented correctly, cryptography works. Therefore, NSA’s current strategy is not sustainable in the long term. The sooner NSA admits this, the sooner it can start focusing on how to protect national security in a world where private communications stay private and the better off we all will be. | 7,407 | 3,305 | 0.000306 |
warc | 201704 | TEA-21 - Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century Moving Americans into the 21st Century
TEA-21 Home |
DOT Home |
Previous |
Summary Contents |
Next
Funding Level In a major change to Federal
budget rules, highway (including most highway safety programs) and transit
programs are now guaranteed a minimum level of spending under TEA-21.
Prior to enactment of TEA-21, funding for surface transportation programs
was one item among many on a list of priorities for Federal program
spending in the budget. Under the new budget rules, highway guaranteed
amounts are keyed to actual Highway Trust Fund (HTF) Highway Account
receipts and can only be used to support projects eligible under Federal
highway and highway safety programs. Transit funding is guaranteed at a
selected fixed amount over the TEA-21 period and can be used only to
support projects eligible under transit programs. Guaranteed spending levels. The amount guaranteed for
surface transportation, as explained above, is estimated to be $198
billion. In essence, the guaranteed amount is a floor; it defines the
least amount of the authorizations that may be spent. The full
authorizations for the highway (including highway safety) and transit
programs in TEA-21 total almost $218 billion. In the remainder of the
brochure, as well as in the authorization table on pages 44-49, the
funding levels shown are the authorized amounts, not the guaranteed
amounts. Authorizations and spending.
There are two ways that highway and highway safety spending levels can be increased. First, the guaranteed spending level is adjusted each year. To the extent that the HTF Highway Account receipts projected for the coming fiscal year exceed the estimate for that year stated in TEA-21, the obligation limitation (described on page 4) and the authorizations will automatically increase. The difference between the authorization level and the obligation limitation would remain constant. A downward adjustment of the obligation limitation and authorizations could also occur, but this is improbable given the conservative receipt estimates used to set the guaranteed spending levels in TEA-21. Second, the Congress, through the annual budget process, could choose to raise spending by dedicating a part of the general budget allocation for other Federal programs to highways and highway safety. This action would decrease the difference between authorized amounts and the obligation limitation.
For transit, the spending floor will be based on the guaranteed amount specified in TEA-21. The guaranteed funding level assumes that 80 percent of transit spending will derive from the Transit Account of the HTF and the remaining 20 percent will derive from the General Fund. Congress, through the annual budget process, could choose to raise the floor by dedicating a part of the general budget allocation for other Federal programs to transit.
In addition to defining
the floor for highway spending (described above), TEA-21 specifies how the
highway obligation limitation will operate. The obligation limitation is
the mechanism for limiting highway spending each year. Under TEA-21, the
highway obligation limitation applies to all programs within the overall
Federal-aid highway program except (1) Emergency Relief, (2) a part of the
new Minimum Guarantee program, and (3) remaining balances from the
repealed Minimum Allocation program and demonstration projects authorized
in previous legislation. A portion of each years limitation is
reserved, or set aside, for administrative expenses and certain allocated
programs, with the balance of the limitation being distributed to the
States. Highway obligation limitations.
A new feature in this Act is that the limitation set aside each year for certain programsHigh Priority (demonstration) projects authorized in TEA-21, the Appalachian Development Highway System, the Woodrow Wilson Memorial Bridge, and an additional portion of the Minimum Guarantee programdoes not expire if not used by the end of the fiscal year, but instead is carried over into future years. In addition, limitation set aside for research and technology programs may also be carried over, but only for 3 years.
Highway Funding Equity - Minimum Guarantee
Federal-aid highway funds for individual programs are apportioned by formula using factors relevant to the particular program. After those computations are made, additional funds are distributed to ensure that each State receives an amount based on equity considerations. This provision is called the Minimum Guarantee and ensures that each State will have a guaranteed return on its contributions to the Highway Account of the Highway Trust Fund. An open-ended authorization is provided, ensuring that there will be sufficient funds to meet the objectives of the Guarantee.
For each State, the Act specifies a
certain share of the aggregate funding for the following programs:
Interstate Maintenance (IM), National Highway System (NHS), Bridge,
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement, Surface
Transportation Program (STP), Metropolitan Planning, High Priority
Projects, Appalachian Development Highway System, Recreational Trails, and
the Minimum Guarantee funding itself. The shares specified were pegged to
meet the objective of a 90.5 return (described below) based on the data
available at the time of enactment. Specific share.
Adjustments to the share to guarantee a 90.5 return. The shares described above will be adjusted each year to ensure that each States share of apportionments for the specified programs is at least 90.5 percent of its percentage share of contributions to the Highway Account based on the latest data available at the time of the apportionment. The shares of States falling below that minimum return will be increased and the shares of the remaining States will be decreased. Each State must receive at least $1 million per year under the Minimum Guarantee program.
Of the Minimum Guarantee Funds
made available, $2.8 billion is administered as though it were STP funding
except that the STP provisions requiring setaside of funds for safety and
transportation enhancements and sub-State allocation of funds do not
apply. Within each State, the remainder of the funds (the amount above
$2.8 billion) is divided among certain programsIM, NHS, Bridge,
CMAQ, and STPbased on the share the State received for each program
under the program formula. Administration of funds.
Highway Trust Fund The Highway Trust
Fund is the source of funding for most of the programs in the Act. The HTF
is composed of the Highway Account, which funds highway and intermodal
programs, and the Mass Transit Account. Federal motor fuel taxes are the
major source of income into the HTF. As part of the changing budgetary
treatment of the surface transportation programs, the HTF will no longer
earn interest after September 30, 1998. At that time, any excess (amounts
more than $8 billion) cash balance in the Highway Account will be
transferred to the General Fund. The Transit Account balance will not be
adjusted. Operation of the Highway Trust Fund.
Federal law regulates not only the imposition of the taxes, but also their deposit into and expenditure from the HTF.
TEA-21 extends the highway-user taxes, at the rates that were in place when the legislation was enacted, through September 30, 2005. The truck taxes and all but the permanent 4.3 cents per gallon of the motor fuel tax were scheduled to expire on October 1, 1999. Provisions for full or partial exemption from highway-user taxes were also extended. The partial exemption from the fuel tax for alcohol fuels is extended through September 30, 2007 and the related income tax credit is extended through December 31, 2007. Both the exemption and the credit are phased down slightly beginning in 2001.
Provision for deposit of almost all of the highway-user taxes into the Highway Trust Fund is extended through September 30, 2005. The Transit Account share of the fuel taxes is changed to 2.86 cents (from 2.85 cents) per gallon retroactively to October 1, 1997 to correct an error in previous legislation.
Authority to expend from the Highway Trust Fund for programs under the Act and previous authorization acts is provided through September 30, 2003. After that date, expenditures may be made only to liquidate obligations made before that date.
The highway programs of the
Federal government and most States depend on highway-user tax receipts as
the principal source of funding. The Act continues the Highway Use Tax
Evasion program to halt motor fuel tax evasion. Because of the high rate
of return on investment for compliance efforts, TEA-21 provides both a
separate authorization for these initiatives and allows States to use up
to one-fourth of 1 percent of their STP funds for this purpose. Funds
authorized for this program will be used by the Internal Revenue Service
to develop, operate, and maintain an excise fuel reporting system and may
also be used by State and Federal tax agencies to augment fuel tax
enforcement. Highway tax compliance.
Other Revenue Provisions
The transfer of receipts from boat gasoline and small engine fuel taxes to the Aquatic Resources Trust Fund is extended, as is the authority to expend the funds for boat safety programs. The portion of the boat gasoline tax that is dedicated to the Aquatic Fund is increased to 13 cents per gallon (from 11.5 cents) on October 1, 2001, and to 13.5 cents on October 1, 2003.
The deficit reduction tax on rail diesel is reduced from 5.55 cents per gallon to 4.3 cents, effective October 1, 1998. | 9,695 | 3,831 | 0.000263 |
warc | 201704 | PSYC 320 Lesson 7
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What activities are included in the cognition term?
remembering, classifying, dreaming
The main difference between domain-general changes and domain-specific changes is that:
the former term accounts for transformations across all types of knowledge and the latter accounts for transformations within each type of knowledge
Due to his background, Piaget's theory of cognition has a distinctly ______ flavor.
biological
Piaget held that all individuals:
move through the same sequences of stages
What Piagetian term is most similar to
idea?
scheme
The ability to find objects that have been moved while out of sight (invisible displacement) is achieved in Piaget's:
mental representation stage
Animism is...
attributing the characteristics of living things to objects
The child who believes that the liquid in the taller container is greater in volume than the same liquid poured from the broader container has failed to develop:
conservation
Seriation is defined as:
the ability to arrange items along a quantitative dimension, such as length or weight
The term
mental rotaitons means:
the ability to align one's frame to match another person's in a different orientation
Cognitive maps are defined as:
mental representations of large-scale spaces
______ is a problem-solving strategy in which adolescents begin with a general theory of all possible factors that could affect an outcome in a problem and deduce specific hypotheses, which they test in an orderly fashion.
hypothetico-deductive reasoning
_______ is adolescents' belief that they are the focus of everyone else's attention and concern.
imaginary audience
Vygotsky believed that you could best understand cognition by studying children's:
speech
A Vygotskian classroom promotes...
cooperative learning, peer collaboration, and reciprocal teaching
Piaget and cognition
constructivist approach - biological side of cognitive development
constructivist approach
Piaget viewed children as discovering, or constructing, virtually all knowledge about their world through their own activity
Vygotsky and cognition
- sociocultural theory - viewed human cognition as inherently social and language-based
Piaget's Stages
- stages provide a general theory of development - the stages are inariant; they always occur in the same order, and not one stage can be skipped - stages are universal; apply to every child
schemes
- specific psychological structures - organized ways of making sense of experienec - change with age
adaptation
building schemes through direct interaction with the environment
assimilation
we use our current schemes to interpret the external world
accommodation
we create new schemes or adjust old ones after noticing that our current way of thinking does not capture the environment completely
organization
a process that occurs internally and apart from direct contact with the environment - once children form new schemes, they rearrange them and link them with other schemes
equilibrium
the basic process underlying the human ability to adapt—is the search for balance between self and the world
disequilibrium
not having equilibrium
what conditions cause changes in schemes?
adaptation and organization
sensorimotor stage
- spans the first two years of life - Piaget's belief that infants and toddlers "think" with their eyes, ears, hands and other sensorimotor equipment
circular reaction
a special means of adapting their first schemes - involves stumbling onto a new experience caused by the baby's own motor activity - reaction is "circular" because infant tries to repeat event again and again - chance becomes strengthened into a new scheme
primary circular reactions
simple motor habits centered around the infant's own body - limited anticipation of events - largely motivated by basic needs ex: sucking fist or thumb, open mouth differently for a nipple vs. spoon
secondary circular reactions
actions aimed at repeating interesting effects in the surrounding world - imitation of familiar behaviors ex: hitting
tertiary circular reactions
- exploration of the properties of objects by acting on them in novel ways - imitation of novel behaviors - ability to search in several locations for a hidden object
object permanence
the understanding that objects continue to exist when they are out of sight
deferred imitation
the ability to remember and copy the behavior of models who are not parent
violation-of-expectation method
- used to discover what infants know about hidden objects and other aspects of physical reality - researchers habituate babies to a physical event to familiarize them with a situation - heightened attention to the unexpected even suggests that the even is surprised by a deviation from physical reality - therefore, child is aware of that aspect of the physical world
mental representaition
infants as young as 8 months can recall the locaiton of a hidden object after delays of more than a minute
make-believe play
children act out everyday and imaginary activities 1. play increasingly detaches from real-life conditions associated with it 2. play becomes less self-centered 3. play includes more complex combinations of schemes benefits: emotionally integrative function; results in social competency
preoperational stage
- spans 2 to 7 yrs old - extraordinary increase in mental representation - make believe play - drawings move from scribbles, to representational forms, to realistic drawings - symbol-real world relations - egocentric and animistic thinking - inability to conserve - lack of hierarchical classification
egocentrism
the failure to distinguish others' symbolic viewpoints from one's own
centration
- their understanding is centered - they focus on one aspect of a situation, neglecting other important features
conservation
the idea that certain physical characteristics of objects remain the same, even when their outward appearance changes
reversibility
the ability to go thorugh a series of steps in a problem and then mentally reverse direction, returning to the starting point
magical thinking
the belief in supernatural powers and creatures
categorization
a child's everyday knowledge is organized into nested categories at an early age
appearance vs. reality
preschoolers have difficulty distinguishing between what an object is when it might look like something else ex: a candle that looks like a crayon; a rock that looks like an egg
hierarchal classifications
the organization of objects into classes and subclasses on the basis of similarities and differences
concrete operational stage
- 7 to 11 years old - major turning point in cognitive development - thought becomes more logical, flexible and organized - passes conservation - more aware of classification hierarchies - seriation - spatial reasoning
seriation
the ability to order items along a quantitative dimension, such as length or weight
transitive interference
the concrete operational child can also seriate mentally
mental rotation
aligning the self's frame to match that of a person in a different orientation
cognitive maps
children's mental representations of familiar large-scale spaces
limitations of concrete operational thought
- children have a gradual mastery of logical concepts (continuum of acquisition) - its not universal, depends on environment
the formal operations stage
- 11 yrs + - develop the capacity for abstract, systematic, scientific thinking - hypothetico-deductive reasoning - propositional thought - imaginary audience - personal fable
hypothetico-deductive reasoning
when faced with a problem, adolescence start with a hypothesis from which they deduce logical, testable inferences
propositional thought
adolescents' ability to evaluate the logic of propositions (verbal statements) without referring to real-world circumstances
imaginary audience
adolescents' belief that they are the focus of everyone else's attention and concern
personal fable
because teenagers are sure that others are observing and thinking about them, they develop an inflated opinion of their own importance - a feeling that they are special and unique
Vygotsky's view of the development of thought
- infants are endowed with basic perceptual, attention and memory capacities that they share with other animals - develop in first two years of life through direct contact with environment - rapid language growth leads to profound change in thinking
private speech
children's self-directed speech - children use private speech when tasks are appropriately challenging, after they make errors, when they are confused about how to proceed - used to guide their thinking and behavior
zone of proximal development
a range of tasks too difficult for the child to do alone but possible with the help of adults and more skiled peers
intersubjectivity
the process whereby two participants who begin a task with different understandings arrive at a shared understanding
scaffolding
adjusting the support offered during a teaching session to fit the child's current level of performance
guided participation
a broader concept than scaffolding that refers to shared endeavors between more expert and less expert participants, without specifying the precise features of communication
Vygotsky's view of make-believe play
- a unique, broadly influential zone of proximal development - children advance themselves as they try out a wide variety of challenging skills - the central source of development during preschool years - leads development through learning to act in accord with internal ideas - they realize that thinking is separate from objects and that ideas can be used to guide behavior
reciprocal teaching
a teacher and two to four students form a collaborative group and take turns leading dialogues on the content of a text passage - group members apply cognitive stages: questioning, summarizing, clarifying and predicting
cooperative learning
small groups of classmates work toward common goals
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warc | 201704 | You must register when you go over the threshold, or know that you will. The threshold is based on your VAT taxable turnover - the total of everything sold that isn’t VAT exempt.
Compulsory registration
You must register for VAT if:
your VAT taxable turnover is more than £83,000 (the ‘threshold’) in a 12 month period you expect to go over the threshold in a single 30 day period
You’ll also need to register if you only sell goods or services that are exempt from VAT or ‘out of scope’ but you buy goods for more than £83,000 from EU VAT-registered suppliers to use in your business.
You may have to register for VAT if you take over a business that’s already registered.
Businesses outside the UK
There’s no threshold if neither you nor your business is based in the UK. You must register as soon as you supply any goods and services to the UK (or if you expect to in the next 30 days).
Late registration
You must register within 30 days of your business turnover exceeding the threshold. If you register late, you must pay what you owe from when you should have registered.
You may get a penalty depending on how much you owe and how late your registration is.
Voluntary registration
You can register voluntarily if your business turnover is below £83,000. You must pay HMRC any VAT you owe from the date they register you.
Get an exception
You can apply for a registration ‘exception’ if your taxable turnover goes over the threshold temporarily.
Write to HMRC with evidence showing why you believe your VAT taxable turnover won’t go over the de-registration threshold of £81,000 in the next 12 months.
HMRC will consider your exception and write confirming if you get one. If not, they’ll register you for VAT. | 1,814 | 819 | 0.001291 |
warc | 201704 | Back in October we announced the release of Microsoft Office 2011 for the MAC and today I have a quick tip for the Excel 2011 ultra-geek groovyReaders out there.
For whatever reason, Excel 2011 for the MAC didn’t include the Solver utility. Odd I know but not a huge deal since Frontline Systems as of today has released
Solver for Excel 2011 on their website at www.solver.com/mac/.
The new Solver for Excel 2011 has been enhanced over its predecessor (
for Excel 2008 for MAC). Although mainly targeted at the ultra-geek excel buffs, Frontline Systems also recommends the product for those of us in the real world:
Solvers, or optimizers, are software tools that help users find the best way to
allocate scarce resources. The resources may be raw materials, machine time or people time, money, or anything else in limited supply. The "best" or optimal solution may mean maximizing profits, minimizing costs, or achieving the best possible quality. An almost infinite variety of problems can be tackled this way, but here are some typical examples: Finance and Investment
Working capital managementinvolves allocating cash to different purposes (accounts receivable, inventory, etc.) across multiple time periods, to maximize interest earnings.
Capital budgetinginvolves allocating funds to projects that initially consume cash but later generate cash, to maximize a firm’s return on capital.
Portfolio optimization— creating "efficient portfolios" — involves allocating funds to stocks or bonds to maximize return for a given level of risk, or to minimize risk for a target rate of return. Manufacturing
Job shop schedulinginvolves allocating time for work orders on different types of production equipment, to minimize delivery time or maximize equipment utilization.
Blending(of petroleum products, ores, animal feed, etc.) involves allocating and combining raw materials of different types and grades, to meet demand while minimizing costs.
Cutting stock(for lumber, paper, etc.) involves allocating space on large sheets or timbers to be cut into smaller pieces, to meet demand while minimizing waste. Distribution and Networks
Routing(of goods, natural gas, electricity, digital data, etc.) involves allocating something to different paths through which it can move to various destinations, to minimize costs or maximize throughput.
Loading(of trucks, rail cars, etc.) involves allocating space in vehicles to items of different sizes so as to minimize wasted or unused space.
Schedulingof everything from workers to vehicles and meeting rooms involves allocating capacity to various tasks in order to meet demand while minimizing overall costs.
The download is Free and the site even includes a nice step-by-step so have fun if you need help with the add-on. | 2,808 | 1,365 | 0.000744 |
warc | 201704 | Choose from Two Options $39 for a Wine Sensory Experience with food pairings for two ($60 value) $69 for a Wine Sensory Experience with food pairings for four ($120 value) Wine Aeration: Breathing Out the Bad Whether you swirl it, decant it, or leave it out, wine is changed by interaction with the air around it. Learn how its flavor transforms for the better with Groupon’s guide to aeration.
Drink wine with seasoned oenophiles and you may notice some strange rituals: lots of sniffing, swirling, and slurping usually takes place before they reach the bottom of the glass. They may even uncork the bottle and leave it out for an hour or two, or perhaps pour it into an oddly shaped vessel or through a futuristic-looking spigot. This is called aeration, or simply letting the wine breathe.
The latter description may actually be more precise. Aeration exists not so much to let air in as to let other stuff out—namely, sulfides, sulfites, and tannins. Sulfides are a natural byproduct of the winemaking process, and although wineries strive to keep them out of the finished bottle, they're impossible to avoid completely. Although nearly 100 types of sulfides can be found in wine, there are only 10 that mess with a wine's aroma. Uncork a wine with these compounds and you're liable to smell anything from rotten eggs to burnt rubber. Sulfites, in contrast, are a class of antioxidants added by winemakers to keep products from spoiling, aging unpredictably, or growing up to hang out with wine coolers. Many believe they mask desirable flavors that might otherwise develop over time, or they may simply release a burnt smell upon uncorking.
Tannins, the third sip-spoiling culprit, impart a bitter flavor and an astringent mouthfeel. When you bite into an unripe banana or a raw walnut, tannins are what you taste; plants produce this molecule as defense against being eaten before their seeds are ready to be spread. Tannins come from the grape’s seeds, stem, and skin—which is why red wine is generally more tannic—but also from the wooden barrels the wine is aged in. Tannins help give reds character, but they can also can dominate the palate and overwhelm subtler notes.
Wine aeration seems to help break down these readily vaporized compounds, opening up the bouquet and bringing forth more pleasing flavors. Although the traditional method is simply to open the bottle and leave it out for one to two hours, a bevy of aeration tools helps those who can't wait for that first sip. Wide-bottomed decanters expose the wine to oxygen by increasing its surface area and its motion while also allowing the sediment that clouds many older vintages to settle. Other devices fit on or into the bottle in order to swirl and expand the wine during the pour. In general, the older and more delicate the wine, the less aeration time it will need—leave it out too long and the delightful complexities and inspiration to start speaking French will begin to drift away as well.
Roblar Winery
The oak trees surrounding Roblar Winery never lose their leaves, standing as a pastoral testament to the mild climate of the Santa Ynez Valley. It's this same climate that attracted winemakers Kerry Damskey and Brian Davison. At this bucolic vineyard just 30 minutes from Santa Barbara, they turn varietals including Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Sangiovese, and Grenache into wines praised for both their complexity and drinkability. These wines draw enthusiasts from all over to the lodge-style winery, where a 5,000 square foot tasting room hosts regular showcases of Damesky and Davison's creations. Though it's a commanding space, the tasting room is just one welcoming environ of Roblar's estate; guests can also take a glass on a patio shaded by trellised vines, or decamp to the rentable Barrel Room for banquets, conventions, or private parties. | 3,875 | 1,969 | 0.000513 |
warc | 201704 | Hi all,I just recently bought myself a new digital camera, as my old one waseating batteries. The new one worked fine for about a month or so ofoccasional use, and then when the batteries that shipped with it woreout I replaced them with a pair of Energizer NiMH rechargeables that hadbeen sitting on a charger in my room for about the same amount of time(since I'd moved, anyway) my new camera is saying "battery depleted"now which makes me think maybe old camera is actually OK (I stoppedusing it because it would kill the batteries after only 3-4 pictures)and just my batteries are Tango Uniform. But they are only maybe a yearold, what gives? Are alkalines really my only choice here? they don'tlast very long in a digicam...nate
--replace "fly" with "com" to reply.http://home.comcast.net/~njnagel
I'd try another set of energizer NiMH AA's. I have 2 sets for mydigicam (3-yr old Canon PowerShot, takes 4xAA batts), and it easilygets 200-300 shots per battery charge. I just use the charger thatcame with the batts.There are now several brands that advertise 2500 mAh AA batteries(Energizer, Sony, and other well-known names), and I think ours are2000 or less, so the new ones should theoretically be even better.As far as I know, basically all the decent chargers now are "smart" soyou should be able to leave the batts on without a problem.You might also try contacting the camera manufacturer - my uncle had anolder Kodak camera that went through batteries after just a coupleshots, got it replaced twice, and finally got one that had reasonablebattery life.Good luck,Andy
It seems that all the cameras eat batteries. There is some good detailabout both batteries and chargers in the informative article foundhere:http://www.imaging-resource.com/ACCS/BATTS/BATTS.HTMI hope that helps and I'm sure Google can find similar test results andbattery comparisons.
NiMH can be recharged thousands of times but apparently slowlydischarge at maybe 1% a day. If camera sits around for a couple ofmonths, it is best to recharge batteries before use. As other postersaid, these cameras eat batteries, so NiMH use is still best bet.Frank
And the best thing is that they are standard size batteries. If you everforget to take spares, or use up all the ones you have, you can put in someAAs and keep taking pictures.We recently went to Mazatlan with another couple. He brought his new Nikon.He forgot to bring his charger. He could not find a new battery, nor acharger, and if he did, they would have been $50 each or more.I also use the AAs in my GPS unit. It is nice to have gear that takes allthe same size batteries. One of my chargers works in the car, too.Steve
Looking over my Monster battery literature, they say 1 to 2% loss ofcharge per day and batteries can be recharged over a thousand times.NiCads are different and as someone pointed out, voltage potentialvaries with the electrochemical potential. I don't use rechargables inmy Etrex gps as it is not often used but when I need it, I want it towork.Frank
If your Energizer batteries are made in Japan, it is a quality issue withthat particular source. This is widely known on the digital cameranewsgroups - a place where you can get more focused answers on digicamsthan a newsgroup devoted to home repair.Try a different brand.
I think they all suck, in terms of how they perform, and they all seem tolose charge in storage. Based on recommendations from a group of people whouse them in handheld devices OTHER than cameras, I tried Panasonicrechargables, and they're somewhat less disappointing than others. However,as someone else mentioned, cameras seem to be more demanding than, say, ahandheld VHF radio or GPS toy.
My old rechargeable batteries are just that, old. Theyno longer hold a charge as long as they should. It isjust the way they work.One thing about rechargeable batteryies. The startingvoltage is not as high on the NiMH batteries as theregular alkalines. So they seem to run down a lotfaster.And beyond that I have started using Energizer E2batteries. The set I put in the end of Octoberare still showing above 65% charge and I have beenthrough 2 parades and a fireworks display with them.They have a very good life in cameras.Bill Gill
Some digital cameras do not recommend using alkaline batteries.The reason being that these cameras draw so much current thatthe alkaline's voltage dips below the nominal voltage of the NIMHreference.Some cameras do not recommend Lithium batteries. The Lithium E2battery supplies to much current at a higher voltage than the nominalvoltage of the NIMH reference.Read the manufacturers manual on what batteries can be used and whatto expect from them. Use Eneloop if you can find them.
I gave up on rechargables for cameras. They always seemed to self dischargewhen ever I needed to take a picture. Alkalines can't meet deep currentrequirements a camera has. I finally settled on a pair of Everreadyphotolithiums. approx $10 for 4. They don't self discharge and are alwaysready for that unexpected picture. I still use rechargables when I expect touse the camera but between events the camera is loaded with thephotolithiums so its always ready for that unexpected picture.Note: It is always good practise when charging rechargable batteries to takethem out of the charger as soon as they are charged. Letting them sit in thecharger will cook them and shorten their life.
NiMH chargers are either electronically timed, for a specific capacitybattery(5 hrs. for a 1600 mah, eg.), or as in the case with most newerchargers for sale now, automatic. No need to unplug or remove. Bothstyles have indicator LED's to show if charging is taking place. Thetimer type WILL reset & charge again after a power interruption, so beaware of that.As a youngster, we had a "Federal" 4-bay battery charger that we used tocharge hundreds & hundreds of carbon-zinc batteries over the years( forMotorific cars & Hot Wheels "Superchargers, etc.). Many years later Itook it apart to see how it worked, it was a just a rectifier & aspecial compensating bulb in series with the 120v mains! I'm surprisedwe never burnt down the house or had any acid mishaps the way we used tocook 'em to get a good charge!Rob
Go to any big box store and you can buy the charger and four batteries forabout $15. They have the brand names. They have off brands. Buy the oneswith the highest number capacity, as they last the longest.Main thing is not to leave them on the charger, which I believe you did. Ihave heard of them catching fire when left on a charger for a long time.Bottom line, I have several brand names. I have about twenty batteries,total, and I also have AAA that I use in my walkie talkies. You can buysuch a thing as a "smart charger" and that senses the level of each batteryand charges it accordingly. They are around $40.Rechargeable nimh batteries are good. They will save you money. They dohave to be used properly, though.HTHSteve
That can only happen if the charger is broken. A properly functioning chargerwill shut off when finished and perhaps run a minute trickle afterwards tokeep the batteries from self discharging.
What I've observed over the last three decades is that rechargeables will lastnearly forever as long as they are kept in regular service. Quit using thewalkman/camera/whatever and leave the batteries in a drawer for four monthsand they'll be ruined.
Many chargers are of poor quality. The good ones charge each batteryindependently. Assuming you are using AA batteries and you don't have acharger that indicates when each cell is done, I suggest a new charger.
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warc | 201704 | Experts collaborate for brighter future in electronics A group of leading Australian scientists has come together to develop lower-cost flexible optoelectronic solutions that could transform the Australian consumer electronics industry.
The Transparent Electrodes for Plastic Electronics Research Cluster brings together a team of experts from CSIRO and three Australian universities – The University of Queensland (UQ), the University of Technology Sydney and Flinders University.
With over $3 million in funding contributed to the research cluster by CSIRO Flagship Collaboration Fund and a further $3 million from the partnering universities, the project will run until June 2014.
"Their work may lead to products that are cost-effective for export, and in-demand from a global market including remote area health workers and CBD technophiles," UQ Vice-Chancellor, Professor Debbie Terry, said.
One of the cluster’s key goals is to produce cheap, flexible optoelectronic devices such as displays and lighting based on organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), solar cells, plastic electronics and sensors – technologies for use in products ranging from plastic solar cells to flexible televisions. Dr Calum Drummond, Group Executive of CSIRO Manufacturing, Materials and Minerals, said the research cluster provided a new and very unique combination of skills and technical capability in Australia. "The cluster consists of leading Australian scientists with individual specialist skills in areas such as nanoscience, thin film deposition and characterisation, chemical physics and electrical engineering," he said. "This is a novel partnership and one which is essential to the development of new commercial products such as plastic solar cells, solid-state lighting, flexible TV screens, computer displays and beyond." Cluster Leader Professor Paul Burn, Director of the Centre for Organic Photonics and Electronics at UQ, says organic (plastic) optoelectronics is a fast-growing area that had the potential to lead to a: "multitude of commercialisation pathways". "Australia should play a leading role in plastic optoelectronics to give us the best chance for being a net exporter of technologies, rather than an importer," Professor Burn said. A major challenge will be to find a robust, processable, cost-effective electrode manufacturing material to replace indium tin dioxide, an expensive, inflexible and fragile material that has been widely used previously, but is projected to be in short supply in 20 years. Professor Burn said such collaboration offered a platform for sharing innovations and perspectives, while working towards a single focus. "Collaborations across disciplines can spark new ideas, different approaches to solving a problem and provide the necessary expertise to join the scientific dots," he said. "Such an approach can give rise to faster outcomes and potentially new intellectual property." UQ Vice-Chancellor, Professor Debbie Terry, said the cluster would attract young Australian and international researchers, who might contribute to the rise of a new Australian manufacturing industry. "Their work may lead to products that are cost-effective for export, and in-demand from a global market including remote area health workers and CBD technophiles," Professor Terry said. The cluster was created under the CSIRO Future Manufacturing National Research Flagship, which aims to lead the development of cleaner advanced materials and manufacturing technologies, in building Australia’s future productivity and prosperity. The flagship is a substantial flexible electronics program and is one of the premier research teams in this field in Australia. Have your say... Comment Guidelines
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warc | 201704 | An accrediting agency that in the 1990s was considered a darling for academic conservatives faced not-so-friendly fire Tuesday from a panel that advises the Bush administration on whether accreditors are doing their jobs and carrying out the education secretary’s standards.
Citing serious concerns about the American Academy for Liberal Education’s failure to clearly define "acceptable levels of institutional success with respect to student achievement," based on both quantitative and qualitative external outcomes measures, the panel took the harsh step of essentially recommending a freeze on the AALE’s ability to accredit new institutions until its petition for renewal is revisited at the next meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, in June.
What was missing from the AALE application for renewal was, a department staffer said, a quantifiable rubric for assessing student achievement at an institutional level -- a “bright-line indicator,” if you will.
The advisory committee's staff had criticized the AALE on the accountability front but had recommended that the panel's members extend a standard five-year re-recognition of the agency, with the requirement that it submit an interim report. But the committee, which is being closely watched as higher education officials wonder how far it will go in pushing Secretary Margaret Spellings’ accountability agenda, went even further, originally proposing a much shorter, 18-month re-recognition before deferring the decision altogether.
The accrediting group has 10 days to file an intent to appeal the committee's recommendation that the Education Department refuse to acknowledge any institution newly accredited by AALE until the issue is broached at the June meeting – a move that would render AALE accreditation useless for an institution seeking to obtain access to federal financial aid funds. A similar recommendation passed along by NACIQI in 2005 was later rejected by the assistant secretary for postsecondary education, with the understanding that AALE would go up for renewal of its recognition shortly.
AALE’s focus on the traditional, Western core curriculum was initially embraced by right-leaning academics and policy makers who opposed the movement to enhance multiculturalism in college curriculums, although its president said the organization has never had a political bent and features both prominent Republicans and Democrats among its leaders.
Established in 1992, it is charged with evaluating liberal arts curriculums based on a set of rigorous, classroom-based standards and, as of September, had accredited eight institutions and five programs in the United States, in addition to a handful abroad. Included in its range of members are Thomas Aquinas College, in California, ranked among the Young America's Foundation’s top 10 conservative colleges, St. John’s College in Annapolis, an institution based around a “great books” curriculum, and a distance learning general education program at Anne Arundel Community College, in Maryland.
But AALE has most been in the news of late for its work abroad. A 2005 decision to accredit the American University for Humanities Tbilisi College Campus, in the Republic of Georgia, attracted a frenzy of speculation in the early fall, when some observers questioned the college’s ties to a now-defunct Hawaii university whose academic quality was questioned.
The irony of Tuesday’s proceedings, as Jeffrey D. Wallin, president of AALE, told the committee, is that the accrediting agency was the leader in the accountability movement before the “a-word” became a buzzword.
Back in the late 1990s, the organization had initiated a system for external performance analyses of student work samples at its member institutions, but without the Education Department requiring similar steps of other accreditors, the system was doomed. The external reviews, requiring time and money from members, didn’t fly even with those colleges that had signed up to participate, let alone with potential new members that could choose a different accrediting agency with a less rigorous approach for measuring student learning, Wallin said. "AALE at one time decided to do exactly what the committee wanted it to do. We decided that external standards should be required of all of our members. You know why we were stopped? We were stopped by the Department of Education.”
But there might as well have been a table in the middle of the room that the two sides alternately turned Tuesday, as the committee members pointed the finger right back squarely at the accreditors sitting before them. George A. Pruitt, a NACIQI member and president of Thomas Edison State College, in New Jersey, wondered why the accrediting group insisted that it needed its own third-party process for measuring student achievement, suggesting that it simply needed a mechanism to evaluate institution-level measures.
And Arthur Keiser, a committee member and chair of the Keiser Collegiate System in Florida, said he was flabbergasted by what he characterized as the accrediting group's inability to exhibit the authority entrusted in it by the Department of Education to hold colleges and programs accountable. “For you to sit here and tell us you ‘can’t do it because we’re going to lose our institutions’ truly puts me in a position of questioning your administrative authority,” Kaiser said. “You attempted something that to me seems exceptional and you dropped it because the institutions said it was too hard. Who says accreditation is easy?”
However, Wallin, who asked for the committee’s help in identifying measures for assessing student learning without alienating his members, charged that NACIQI was holding the AALE to a higher standard than it was applying to its peers (a charge that officials at the Western Association of Schools and Colleges had made the day before, and that several committee members, notably Pruitt, flatly denied). “We feel caught,” Wallin said, between a desire for institutional autonomy and the requirements of the committee. “We’re sympathetic to what the committee wants us to do. At the moment, we’re frankly not sure what to do to address the reasonable question the committee has asked again and again in the past few days.”
Wallin also pointed out a procedural irregularity, saying that Education Department staffers had told AALE officials in conversations earlier this year that the group was in compliance in regards to assessing student outcomes. Only during the Thanksgiving holiday did AALE hear otherwise.
Education Department staffers confirmed that to be accurate. Since initially approving the AALE’s actions on its assessment of student achievement earlier in the year, “the national discussions have focused on measurable outcomes,” said Steve Porcelli, a department official, shifting even the department's own perspective on what counts as sufficient and what does not.
Given the confusion, however, Pruitt suggested a motion be put in place to defer making a recommendation on re-recognition of AALE until the advisory committee's June meeting. The motion, advanced by the panel's vice chair, Geri H. Malandra, interim executive vice chancellor for academic affairs for the University of Texas System, called for significant limitations on AALE’s actions in the meantime. It passed unanimously.
Read more by Topics Today’s News from Inside Higher Ed Inside Higher Ed’s Quick Takes What Others Are Reading Viewed Past: Day Week Month Year | 7,742 | 3,563 | 0.000289 |
warc | 201704 | Stop the oversupply and euthansia of healthy pets Goal: 100
We need to create a SIGNIFICANT reduction in the over-supply of companion animals onto the market in New South Wales, Australia. 60,000 healthy, but unwanted cats and dogs are killed in NSW pounds each year. Whilst the work that shelters, rescue groups, volunteers and foster carers do is vital, it is a band-aid. It does not solve the problem. Something must be done about the chronic over-supply into a market that does not have the capacity to provide homes for all. Let\'s fix the problem and stop the over-supply by tackling all the reasons for it. Here\'s 4 great ideas we want to turn into a reality: 1. Restrict the sale of cats and dogs to registered breeders, pounds and animal shelters only 2. Stop all sources of mass production of kittens and puppies for profit i.e. stop puppy farms and backyard breeders 3. Make de-sexing mandatory for all pets at the point of sale 4. Increase the re-homing rate in pounds and shelters via better low-kill policies Please sign this petition so we can tell the people that count. (ie Members of Parliament, Pet Industry Associations, Veterinary Association, Media, Pounds). Thank you for your support. \"Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.\" Albert Schweitzer
Sponsor Links Signatures 5 years agoChris Humphries Australia5 years ago 5 years agoKaren Reynolds Australia5 years ago 8 years agoBill Cassity United States8 years ago 8 years agoTammy Wagner United States8 years ago 8 years agoD. Cook United States8 years ago 8 years agoMaria Leonor Martins Portugal8 years ago 9 years agoIgor Purlantov United States9 years ago 9 years agoSara Raven United Kingdom9 years ago 9 years agoNatanya Bruce Australia9 years ago 9 years agoBill Paterson United States9 years ago 9 years agoKathryn Australia9 years ago | 1,865 | 956 | 0.001052 |
warc | 201704 | Some of the names mentioned above seem not to be established enough while others may require a discussion about their usage patterns. Having this in mind I’ve decided to explore each solution in its own blog post, setting a goal of providing enough information so that people can choose what works best.
This first post explores Maven snapshot and release dependencies. The second post covers artifact and snapshot dependencies provided by TeamCity, and the third and final part will cover artifact and build dependencies provided by the TeamCity Artifactory plugin.
Internal and External Dependencies
Build processes may run in total isolation by checking out the entire code base and building an application from scratch. This is the case for projects where relevant binary dependencies (if there are any) are kept in VCS together with the project sources. However, in many other cases build scripts rely on
internal or external dependencies of some sort. Internal dependencies are satisfied by our own code where we have full control over the project which can be split into multiple modules or sub-projects. External dependencies are satisfied by someone else’s code (on which we have no control) and we consume it or use it as clients. This can be a third-party library such as Spring or a component developed by another team.
This distinction is important since internal and external dependencies are usually accompanied by different release and upgrade cycles: internal dependencies may be modified, rebuilt and updated on an hourly basis while external dependencies’ release cycle is significantly slower with users applying the updates even less frequently, if at all. This is largely driven by the fact that internal dependencies are under our own control and have a narrow-scoped impact, limited by a specific project or module while external dependencies can only be used as-is, their impact is potentially company or world-wide, they are not scoped by any project and can be used anywhere. Naturally, this requires significantly higher standards of release stability, compatibility and maturity, hence slower release and update cycles.
Another aspect of “internal vs. external” dependency characteristics is expressed in how their versions are specified in a build script. Internal dependencies are usually defined using snapshot versions while external dependencies use release versions. The definition of
“snapshot” and “release” versions was coined by Maven, which pioneered the idea of managing dependencies by a build tool. If you’re familiar with automatic dependencies management feel free to skip the following section which provides a quick overview of how it works. Automatic Dependencies Management <dependency> <groupId>org.codehaus.groovy</groupId> <artifactId>groovy-all</artifactId> <version>1.8.6</version> <scope>compile</scope> </dependency> compile "org.codehaus.groovy:groovy-all:1.8.6" compile.with "org.apache.axis2:axis2:jar:1.6.1" libraryDependencies += "org.twitter4j" % "twitter4j-core" % "2.2.5"
Every dependency is identified by its
coordinates and scope. Coordinates unambiguously specify the library and version used, while scope defines its visibility and availability in build tasks such as compilation or tests invocation.
For instance,
would designate a Groovy "compile org.codehaus.groovy:groovy-all:1.8.6" distribution for version
"org.codehaus.groovy:groovy-all"
, used for source compilation and test invocation. Switching the scope to
"1.8.6"
“test”or “runtime”would then narrow down the library visibility to tests-only or runtime-only, respectively.
When a build starts, dependencies are either located in a local artifacts repository managed by a build tool (similar to a browser cache) or downloaded from remote repositories, either public or private, such as Maven Central, Artifactory or Nexus. The build tool then adds the artifacts resolved to the corresponding classpaths according to their scopes. When assembling build artifacts, such as
or "*.war" archives, all required dependencies are correctly handled and packaged as well.
"*.ear"
Though dependencies management seems to be an essential part of almost any build, not all build tools provide a built-in support for it: Ant and MSBuild lack this capability, a gap later addressed by Ivy and NuGet to some extent. However, Ivy’s adoption was slower compared to Maven, while NuGet is a .NET-only tool. Over time, Maven artifact repositories and Maven Central have become a de facto mechanism for distributing and sharing Java artifacts. Being able to resolve and deploy these using Maven repositories has become a “must have” ability for all newer Java build tools.
Release and Snapshot Dependencies
As I mentioned previously, internal dependencies are normally defined using snapshot versions while external dependencies use release versions. Let’s look into release versions first as they are easier to reason about.
Release dependencies are those which have a fixed version number, such as the version of the Groovy distribution. Whatever artifact repository is used by the build and whenever it attempts to locate this dependency, it is always expected to resolve the exact same artifact. This is the main principle of release dependencies: "1.8.6" . Due to this fact, build tools do not check for a release dependency update once it is found and will only re-download the artifact if the local cache was emptied. And this all makes sense, of course, since we never expect to find divergent artifacts of the same library carrying an identical version number! “Same version = same artifact” Snapshot dependencies are different and, as a result, way trickier to deal with. Snapshot dependency versions end with a special keyword, like "-SNAPSHOT" . This keyword signals the build tools to periodically check an artifact with a remote repository for updates; by default, Maven performs this check on a daily basis. The function of snapshot dependencies, then, is to depend on someone else’s work-in-progress (think “nightly builds”): when product development moves from version
"3.2.0-SNAPSHOT"
to version
"X"
its modules are versioned
"X+1"
.
"X+1-SNAPSHOT"
Snapshot Dependencies Uncertainty
If the main principle of release dependencies was
“Same version = same artifact” (after version ‘X’ of library is released, its artifacts are identical all around the world, forever), snapshot dependencies’ principle is . The benefit of this approach is that it enables retrieving frequent updates without the need to produce daily releases which would be highly impractical. The downside of it, however, is uncertainty – using snapshot dependencies in a build script makes it harder to know which version was used in a specific build execution. My “Same version = ever-updating artifact” stores a textual “about” file in every snapshot artifact in order to better identify its origins such as VCS revision and build number; this can be helpful but it only solves half of the problem.
"maven-about-plugin"
Being a moving target by their definition, snapshot dependencies do not allow us to pin down versions on which we depend and therefore build reproducibility becomes harder to achieve. Also, in a series or pipeline of builds (when a finished build triggers an invocation of subsequent ones), an artifact produced by initial pipeline steps is not necessarily consumed by the closing ones as it may be long overridden since then by other build processes running at the same time.
One possible approach in this situation is to lock-down a dependency version in a build script using timestamp so it becomes
rather than "3.2.0-20120119.134529-1" . This effectively makes snapshot dependencies identical to release dependencies and disables an automatic update mechanism, making it impossible to use an up-to-date version even when one is available unless the timestamp is updated.
"3.2.0-SNAPSHOT"
As you see, snapshot dependencies can be used where it makes sense but it should be done with caution and in small doses. If possible, it is best to manage a separate release lifecycle for every reusable component and let its clients use periodically updated release dependencies.
Summary
This article has provided an overview of automatic dependencies management by Java build tools together with an introduction to Maven release and snapshot dependencies. It also explained how snapshot dependencies’ advantages become debatable in the context of build reproducibility and build pipelines.
The following blog posts will explore the TeamCity build chains and Artifactory build isolation which allow to use consistent, reproducible and up-to-date snapshot versions throughout a chain of builds without locking down their timestamps in a build script. More to come! | 9,022 | 3,881 | 0.000265 |
warc | 201704 | scroll to top
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Word Count:850 Pages:1 1/1 Are Australian adolescents meeting the Recommended Dietary Intakes and what could be possible short and long term effects on their health if RDIs are not metDaily the typical Australian youths are certainly not acquiring the right recommended dietary intakes of nutrients that are considered essential for the body and its growth in this stage of life Adolescence is the only time aside from infancy when growth increases rapidly Consequently this means that it is particularly important a higher demand of nutrients needs to be provided by the diet Teens can also be at the risk of dietary excesses and deficiencies which are both commonly found in Australia After analysing my own diet according to the RDIs it follows all requirements apart from calcium There are many short and long term issues faced with poor dietary decisions adolescent boys and girl make Most commonly known in Australia is a dietary excess of all fats sugar and sodium making an increasing rate of obesity and obesity-related health risks Such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease and 249 of children aged 5 17 years being overweight or obese as a result primarily of decreasing physical activity also Its predicted that if this habit continues this path within the next 10 years a third of all children will be overweight or obese Other nutritional related dietary concerns are deficiencies of some of the needed nutrients The typical adolescent diet does not include adequate quantities of fruit and vegetables or whole grains which are significant sources of these important nutrients Is all this todays youth fault though or is they being born into this life style tendency that Australia are rapidly becoming Yes all teenagers have the choice over what they intake but what about the temptations everywhere such as advertising that are influencing people in making these bad decisions when it comes to food This can go both ways though either through supporting eating unhealthy and leading
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warc | 201704 | scroll to top
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Word Count:2,097 Pages:3 1/3 Introduction Since the thought of competition between two individuals came into existence there has been a mentality of attempting to get an edge on the opponent Nations are ever concerned with intelligence and counter-intelligence issues which is essentially political competition Historically in ancient Rome the competitive edge was accomplished by making chariots lighter for greater speed or adding extra leather or iron to the body for protection in the arenas The people with the most money were able to purchase newer and better tools in which they competed with In the mid-eighteenth century specific geographical conditions were found favorable to train Kings armies For example Kings would take troops into the mountains for months before going to battle The Kings found that their troops would fight better after training in such conditions The concept of taking a supplement to enhance a persons natural ability at the time would still be a foreign and futuristic concept only to be discovered in the late nineteenth-early twentieth centuries Now in the twenty-first century its hard to remember a time where contraband drugs in sporting events were not an issue It is very probable that every professional or pro sport athlete in North America at one point of time throughout their sport history has either entertained or seriously contemplated the thought of using a performance enhancing drug Why does this focus on winning drive people to harm themselves by using performance-enhancing drugs What is it about the motivation of athletes that continuously use these drugs What social factors drive people to feel that they are inadequate or do they feel inadequate This paper will try to clarify the psychological motivational and social effects of performance enhancing drugs on athletes and societal responsibilities that follow Method The material that was used in the paper came from strictly peer reviewed or professionally edited sources The online journals available through Ebscohost and Proquest were found to be quite useful Some key descriptors
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warc | 201704 | One Million Backers Share this post
Last week a woman named Rachel Perrie pledged to a film project called
Cargo. At that moment she became the millionth person to have ever backed a Kickstarter project.
Thanks to these million people there are plays, comics, albums, books, video games, urban farms, documentaries, exhibits, performances, and thousands more creative works out in the world. Many couldn’t exist without their support, and all are certainly better for it. It’s a remarkable thing.
We’re really excited about this milestone. A million people is a lot — more than ten Rose Bowls! To celebrate we’d like to take a closer look at Kickstarter’s first million backers.
New Backers by Month Let’s start by defining what we mean by backer. Someone becomes a backer when they pull out a credit card and pledge money to a project. Being a backer is a higher bar than a user (someone who signs up for a site), and different than a pledge (the transaction itself). One million backers means one million different people from around the world have pledged money to a project on Kickstarter. The above graph shows the cumulative path to 1,000,000 backers. The first 200,000 backers took 16 months; the last 200,000 took just three months. Currently about 75,000 new backers pledge to projects each month. Backer Success Rate
While projects successfully reach their goals 44% of the time, 89% of all backers have supported a successful project. Only 11% have never backed a successful project. This ties into data we previously shared showing that 85% of pledges are to successful projects. The overwhelming experience of a Kickstarter backer is
success.
Which backer has been the most successful? We looked at all backers that have pledged to 50 or more projects, and a backer from the UK, Neil Graham, stood out. To date Neil has backed 94 projects, and 83 of 84 have finished successfully (ten pledges are still live). A 98% success rate — well done, Neil!
One-Time Backers vs Repeat Backers
How many backers have supported more than one project? There are 166,823 people who have backed two or more projects, 66,676 who have backed three or more projects, and 23,601 who have backed five or more projects.
Total Backers: 1,013,725 Repeat Backers: 166,823 Dollars Pledged by One-Time Backers vs Repeat Backers One-Time Backer Dollars: ~$68 million Repeat Backer Dollars: ~$32 million
Sixteen percent of backers are repeat backers, but their pledges account for 32% of all dollars. This number is up from our last stats update in July, when repeat backer dollars accounted for 28% of all pledges. The proportion and impact of repeat backers on Kickstarter continues to grow. We couldn’t be more excited about this.
How Backers Pledge
There have been approximately 1.4 million pledges on Kickstarter so far, and the above graph breaks down their increments. Notice how concentrated the pledges are up to $100. Ninety percent of all pledges have been for $100 or less, and 75% have been for $50 or less. Smaller amounts comprise the bulk of Kickstarter activity.
Pledge Statistics Dollars Pledged: $100,729,560 Dollars Collected (successful projects): ~$84 million Dollars Uncollected (unsuccessful projects): ~$12 million Live Dollars: ~$5 million
Last week brought an additional milestone: Kickstarter backers have now pledged more than $100 million to projects. To put this in some context, the 2011 fiscal year budget for the National Endowment for the Arts is $154 million. At the current pace of more than $2 million in pledges each week, Kickstarter backers are pledging more than $100 million a year.
Interestingly the milestones of 1,000,000 backers and $100,000,000 pledged came within 48 hours of one another. This suggests the value of each backer being $100, and that’s about right. The average pledge amount is $71 and the average backer pledges to 1.4 projects.
But of course the real value of a backer is so much more than money. Backers provide encouragement, support, and public validation. Their dollars have already brought more than 13,000 projects to life, with many more to come. We’re sure every creator will join us in saying: thanks to all million of you! | 4,257 | 1,956 | 0.00052 |
warc | 201704 | Personal Statement
Lybrate.com has a number of highly qualified Ayurvedas in India. You will find Ayurvedas with more than 33 years of experience on Lybrate.com. You can find Ayurvedas online in Bangalore and from across India. View the profile of medical specialists and their reviews from other patients to make an informed decision.
Info Location Book Clinic Appointment Consult Online Services Antiageing Treatment Chemical Peels Treatment Chin Reduction Treatment Treatment of Mohs Micrographic Surgery Nail Surgery Procedures Hiv Prophylaxis Post Exposure Restylane Vital Procedure Vampire Face Lift Procedures Acne Treatment Allergy Treatment Asthma Management Program Ayurvedic Massage Treatment Dengue Treatment Gastrointestinal Disorders Hair Restoration Techniques Head And Neck Pain Treatment Hyperthyroid Treatment Hypothyroid Treatment Vaccinations Kerala Massage Treatment Feed I lost my weight in past few months from 55 kgs to 48 kgs. I eat well sleep well but my weight is going continuously down. I do not understand what to do. Post weight loss of 20 kgs in 12 months thighs have got wrinkles. I am healthy 22 year old girl. Will gaining weight reverse it? Will weight training in gym help? If I loose more weight will d condition worsen ? please help. I got a lot of belly and love handles to loose yet but afraid to exercise as saggy skin may worsen if I loose more weight. How to gain weight? I have tried doing all the eating, following the tips provided on internet but nothing works. What should I do? Also I did go to the doctor once. As prescribed by him did the thyroid tests and nothing came up. The doctor was not further interested so please help me out. Hello my name is Sanjeev. I am 20 year old. I want to ask a question about my dads health. My dady is 48 year old. Problem is related to their teeth. Whenever my dady DaDy eat something, he feel kind of jhanjanahat. He consulted a dentist. But he is saying that his teeth are healthy. What do? I am suffering from rashes on skin I tried some home remedies but it turned out to be worse. feel like it is psoriasis as skin also became scaly and dry its also itchy can you just suggest wat to do. Haa good morning sir this is gani I have small problem with my hair falling in the time of head bath my hair heavily filled and please help me how to reduce the hair falling? Thanking you sir.
Metabolic Bone Disease is a term used for various conditions of the bones that can be caused by a number of different disorders. Most of these disorders are developed due to nutritional deficiencies, defects in the bone metabolism procedure or due to hereditary defects in the skeletal structure. Conditions that fall under the category are osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets, Paget's disease, parathyroid conditions, chemotherapy induced bone loss and menopause induced bone loss.
Causes of Metabolic Bone Diseases: Imbalance in the level of calcium: Too much calcium or too little calcium can cause bone diseases. While the overabundance of calcium (hypercalcemia) in the body will lead to calculi formation, which can be harmful for the body, the lack of calcium (hypocalcemia) causes weakness, bone pain and restricted growth. Deficiency of phosphorus: Low phosphorus in blood (hypophosphatemia) leads to softening of the bone tissue and bone loss. Osteomalacia is commonly caused by phosphorus deficiencies. Deficiency of Vitamin D: Vitamin D is essential for the body to absorb calcium. Cells called osteoblasts need vitamin D in order to absorb calcium and secrete the bone tissue proteins. A deficiency of vitamin D can lead to a number of metabolic bone diseases like rickets and osteoporosis. Over or under secretion of the parathyroid hormone:The parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulates the secretion of an enzyme, which converts the inactive circulatory form of vitamin D into its active usable form. The hormone can also increase the circulation of free or ionized calcium (Ca2+), which is not attached to proteins. Both underproduction and overproduction of the hormone causes skeletal problems. Symptoms of Metabolic Bone Diseases:
The symptoms of most of the Metabolic Bone Diseases are similar, such as
A dull, throbbing pain in the bones is the most common symptom. The pain is frequent and lasts for a long amount of time, but unlike muscular pain, the exact region of bone pain cannot be specified. Severe joint pains accompanied by stiffness and swelling of the joints. The patient experience pain during regular physical activities, especially during cold weather conditions. Frequent fractures are caused by most bone diseases because the bone mineral density decreases drastically. Severe bone injury may be caused by mild trauma. Defects in the bones can cause bowed out legs and a bent backbone. A general feeling of exhaustion is often caused by bone diseases. Kidney stones are an associated complication of metabolic bone diseases. He is very thin and he is trying to become little fat how much food he eats. But there is no improvement in his body he stays in hostel what should he do to become fat.
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warc | 201704 | NEW YORK (MainStreet) – Abraham Lincoln may have been our greatest president, but he’s also one of the most prominent Americans to declare bankruptcy, too.
If Honest Abe were around today, he might sagely nod his head over some of the myths associated with bankruptcy and be the first to explain why the process may not be as harrowing as some people think.
The bad news is that bankruptcy is as hot as ever, even as economists say the U.S, economy is finally emerging from recession. The numbers are getting a bit better, as bankruptcy data compiled by the American Bankruptcy Institute show that consumer bankruptcies fell 22% from December 2010 through January 2011, the lowest number since 2009, the ABI said.
“The decline in consumer filings in January represents a promising start to 2011 after years of expanding consumer debt and financial distress," notes ABI executive director Samuel J. Gerdano. "Still, we anticipate that there will be nearly 1.6 million consumer bankruptcy filings by year end, 2011." If you find yourself in a financial jam, big enough that bankruptcy might be a real option for you, don’t fall victim to the following myths and inaccuracies associated with major debt scenarios: Bankruptcy court can actually be your ally. Having to appear in court to face your grim financial situation is probably the last move you want to make, but bankruptcy court can help you handle some important tasks, like stopping creditor phone calls and threatening letters, halting lawsuits, freezing foreclosures, or preventing your car from being repossessed. Treat the courts as a positive first step to stemming the financial tidal wave you’re facing. I’ll be a pariah in my circle of friends. You’re not the only American to file for bankruptcy. In fact, it’s a pretty large club: The ABI says that more than two million Americans have filed for bankruptcy since 2008. And while bankruptcy filings are pubic records, how many neighbors and friends of yours study the public records? The fact is very few people will even know – or likely care – that you’re in bankruptcy (they likely have their own problems). I’m going to the poor house. Actually, you’re not. Yes, bankruptcy courts may arrange to sell some of your assets, but it’s more likely that you’ll be given time to get your financial act together, and getting on a payment plan to satisfy creditors is one of the most common forms of bankruptcy actions. It depends on the state you live in, but in many cases you’re allowed to keep your home and your car when you declare bankruptcy. My credit is shot. Yes, your credit rating will take a hit in bankruptcy, but it won’t last forever. Once you’ve completed bankruptcy proceedings, you come out of the ordeal with a clean financial slate, good, solid financial counseling, and no remaining unsecured debt. Also, banks and credit card issuers do provide credit to bankruptcy survivors, primarily in the form of secured credit cards. Look at such cards as a good chance of redeeming your good financial name. Nobody is advocating bankruptcy as one of the finer experiences in life, but it’s certainly not as bad as you might think. Know the facts, leverage the court system and get back on the road to financial good health. After all, if Honest Abe can manage it, so can you. | 3,403 | 1,664 | 0.00062 |
warc | 201704 | The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy launched the beta site for the Resilience Dialogues, an online forum for collaboration on solutions related to climate change.
The White House worked with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Climate CoLab to build on its idea of collective intelligence to solve climate problems. The Resilience Dialogues will include input from academic, nonprofit, government, and private individuals to decide on the best climate change solutions.
Scientists and other experts worked with five communities across the United States to pilot a set of facilitated online discussions to study how the initial website would work. The communities, which included Coral Gables, Fla., Dubuque, Iowa, Knoxville, Tenn., Minneapolis, and Kansas City, Mo., identified their own climate challenges, mapped out the resources needed, and defined obstacles that would be faced in order to solve these problems.
The beta phase is available to communities affiliated with the California Governor’s Office for Planning and Research, Local Governments for Sustainability, Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact, Community and Regional Resilience Institute (CARRI), and Resilience AmeriCorps. The Resilience Dialogues intend to expand to any communities that wish to participate in the conversations.
“Effective climate-resilience strategies require place-based and sector-specific scientific information on potential risks and opportunities posed by increasing climate variability and change,” said Amy Luers, assistant director for climate resilience and information at the OSTP, and Mike Kuperberg, executive director of the USGCRP, in a blog post. | 1,717 | 907 | 0.001119 |
warc | 201704 | If you’re looking to
lose weight by having surgery, you aren’t alone. Millions of people each year line up to try various weight loss techniques, and hundreds of thousands are looking at weight loss surgeries to help them reach their weight loss goals. Fortunately, the Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass surgery is a reasonably safe and effective surgery for weight-loss patients. In 2008, 200,000 people had this operation, and most have had favorable results with the surgery. How Does Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass Surgery Work? The Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass surgery makes the stomach smaller and makes you able to eat a lot less. Food then passes through the stomach, and it allows food to skip the small intestine – which will get you feel fuller than ever before. It limits the amount of food that you eat and lowers your risk of obesity. The Roux-En-Y isn’t a solve all, but it can work – and has worked – for many people. Who is the Bypass Surgery For? The bypass surgery is for people who are struggling with weight loss, but mainly those who have a BMI of 35-39%. People who cannot walk or participate in daily activity because of their weight can have this surgery although they should be acquainted with the risks involved in taking part in the operation. However, it is a successful surgery and has helped many, many people. What the Gastric Bypass Surgery Doesn’t Do The bypass doesn’t guarantee that you’re always going to be healthy, and it doesn’t say that you’ll always feel fit every day. You’ll have to maintain a healthy lifestyle after you’ve had the gastric bypass, and you’ll have to eat healthily and live healthy as well. The gastric bypass surgery is not a cure-all. What Weight Loss Surgeons Do There are several different options of gastric bypass, and the preferred method, the one discussed here, is where the doctor creates a small pouch in your stomach. The stomach is then stapled, and a little pocket is created for food around a part of your small intestine. Mexico Bariatric Center: Our Bariatric Surgeons What are the risks involved? There are some risks involved just like any other surgery. For example, there is vitamin and mineral deficiency, which is a danger. Dehydration, a bleeding stomach ulcer, intolerance to certain foods (foods that vary by individual), low blood sugar, and gallstones can result as part of this surgery. It’s important the people who’ve had gastric bypass surgery regularly take vitamins, and some people have to have regular B12 shots. Related: Risks of Gastric Bypass Surgery
Overall, the
Roux-EN-Y Gastric Bypass surgery is an unusual surgery and has helped millions of people lose weight. As stated above, 200,000 people had the surgery in 2008. If your weight is severely impacting your life, you are encouraged to get the gastric bypass surgery. First, speak with your doctor to determine if it is right for you, then pick out the most professional gastric bypass surgeon you know. Don’t let excessive weight keep you from living your life; find out more about gastric bypass surgery today. Update 2015: Although, gastric bypass was once the leading choice of bariatric surgery options, gastric sleeve is now the most common weight-loss surgery. This shift in bariatric surgery preference is due to lower complications and similar expected weight loss. | 3,402 | 1,557 | 0.00066 |
warc | 201704 | Have you ever thought about what might happen to you financially if you were temporarily laid off or unable to work because of a sickness or an injury? What about those unexpected costs that can derail your budget, such as car or home repairs?
Establishing an emergency fund can help ease your mind. Your emergency fund should be able to cover three to six months of pay.
But how do you start an emergency fund? Easy. Pay yourself first. Try to set aside a percentage of each paycheck and have it automatically deposited into a secure, but accessible savings plan. Contact Modern Woodmen Bank for more details or questions on how you can start your own savings plan
With a little effort, you’ll be surprised at how quickly an emergency fund begins to grow and how quickly you adjust to your “new” income stream.
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Modern Woodmen Bank’s Dollars and Sense program helps children in grades K-12 develop good saving and spending habits as they earn annual cash rewards. Member FDIC. | 1,649 | 865 | 0.001189 |
warc | 201704 | Clearance Sale
CLEARANCE ITEM. PREVIOUS RETAIL PRICE WAS $24.95. AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!
A quiet revolution is taking place: People across the United States are turning toward local food. Some are doing it because they want more nutritious, less-processed food; some want to preserve the farmland and rural character of their regions; some fear interruptions to the supply of non-local food; some want to support their local economy; and some want safer food with less threat of contamination. But this revolution comes with challenges.
Reclaiming Our Food tells the stories of people across America who are finding new ways to grow, process, and distribute food for their own communities. Their successes offer both inspiration and practical advice.
The projects described in this book are cropping up everywhere, from urban lots to rural communities and everywhere in between. In Portland, Oregon, an organization called Growing Gardens installs home gardens for low-income families and hosts follow-up workshops for the owners. Lynchburg Grows, in Lynchburg, Virginia, bought an abandoned 6.5-acre urban greenhouse business and turned it into an organic farm that offers jobs to people with disabilities and sells its food through a local farmers' market and a CSA. Sunburst Trout Farm, a small family business in rural North Carolina, is showing that it’s possible to raise fish sustainably and sell to a local market. And in Asheville, North Carolina, Growing Minds is finding ways to help bring fresh foods into schools. Author Tanya Denckla Cobb offers behind-the-scenes profiles of more than 50 food projects across the United States, with lessons and advice straight from their founders and staff. Photographic essays of 11 community food projects, by acclaimed photographer Jason Houston, detail the unusual work of these projects, bringing it to life in unforgettable images.
Reclaiming Our Food is a practical guide for building a local food system. Where others have made the case for the local food movement, Reclaiming Our Food shows how communities are actually making it happen. This book offers a wealth of information on how to make local food a practical and affordable part of everyone's daily fare.
Author: Tanya Denckla Cobb
Pages: 320
Format: PBK
Weight: 1.73
Item Number: 5610
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