- - sorry, let me do that the other way - - you could also have an undergraduate simply talk to a normal person. all right, but the good news is you know eventually you get it done, and when you ' re really done you can have the undergraduate be really happy about this, and so she sings to herself. ok it ' s a little silly, but notice what we ' ve just illustrated. and this is where i want to pull it together. with a simple set of classes, and the following abilities, an ability to inherit methods from subclasses, sorry from superclasses, that is having this hierarchy of things. i can create a fairly complex kind of interaction. i can take advantage of the types of the objects to help me decide what to do. and if you think about that, i know it sounds very straightforward, but you would do exactly that if you were writing earlier code to deal with some numerical problem. all right, if the thing is an integer, do this, if it ' s a float, do that, if it ' s a string, do something else. i ' m now giving you exactly the same ability, but the types now can be things that you could create. and what i ' ve also got is now the ability to inherit those methods as they go up the chain. so another way of saying it is, things that you want to come away from here, are, in terms of these classes. we now have this idea of encapsulation. i ' m gathering together data that naturally belongs as a unit, and i ' m gathering together with it methods that apply to that unit. just like we would have done with float or int. ideally, we data hide, we don ' t happen to do it here, which is too bad. basically we ' ve got the idea of encapsulation. the second thing we ' ve got is this idea of inheritance. inheritance both meaning i can inherit attributes or field values. i can inherit methods by moving up the chain. i can also the shadow or override methods, so that i can specialise. and i do all of that with this nice hierarchy of classes. so what hopefully you ' ve seen, between these two lectures, and we ' re going to come back to it in some subsequent lectures, is that this is now a different way of just structuring a computational system. now, you ' ll also get arguments, polite arguments from faculty members or other experts about which is a better


on monday the american library association will announce the winner of its highest award for a picture book, named for the great english illustrator randolph caldecott ( 1846 – 1886 ). why was caldecott so important? here ’ s an answer from maurice sendak, who won the caldecott medal for where the wild things are : “ caldecott ’ s work heralds the beginning of the modern picture book. he devised an ingenious juxtaposition of picture and word, a counterpoint that had never happened before. words are left out – but the picture says it. pictures are left out – but the word says it. in short, it is the invention of the picture book. ” * * * “ my favorite example of caldecott ’ s fearless honesty is the final page of hey diddle diddle. after we read, ‘ and the dish ran away with the spoon, ’ accompanied by a drawing of the happy couple, there is the shock of turning the page and finding a picture of the dish broken into ten pieces – obviously dead – and the spoon being hustled away by her angry parents. there are no words that suggest such an end to the adventure ; it is purely a caldecottian invention. apparently, he could not resist enlarging the dimensions of this jaunty nursery rhyme by adding a last sorrowful touch. ” maurice sendak in caldecott & co. : notes on books & pictures ( farrar, straus and giroux, 1988 ), a collection of sendak ’ s reviews and other writing for adults. the first quote comes from his essay “ randolph caldecott ” and the second from his acceptance speech for the 1964 caldecott medal. sendak is one of the few great picture - book artists who is also a great critic. caldecott & co. has only a dozen pages of pictures but doesn ’ t need more, because sendak makes you see books without them. ( c ) 2008 janice harayda. all rights reserved.


a main character ’ s name often gives you the first clue to what a novel is “ about, ” especially when it ’ s also the title of the book. a good example turns up in olive kitteridge, the collection of linked short stories that won the 2009 pulitzer prize for fiction. a just - picked olive is as bitter — and the color olive is as drab — as the title character of the book appears at first to be. the salt added during curing removes the bitterness just as love, the salt in this book, removes some of olive ’ s. in ireland a kitter is a left - handed person. and olive is at least metaphorically left - handed : she ’ s out of sync with others in her coastal town in maine. a surname database says of kitter : “ this is an olde english or anglo - saxon pre 10th century name which derives from the word ‘ cyta ’ and is a nickname of the medieval period generally given to one of fairly violent attitudes. ” olive ’ s views of life are “ fairly violent, ” especially in the first story, when they are so angry they verge on caricature. may 29, 2009 what ’ s in a character ’ s name? ‘ olive kitteridge ’ leave a comment » no comments yet.


talk : 20. 109 ( f12 ) pre - proposal : engineering viral magnetic nanoparticles for magnetic hyperthermic cancer therapy - this is a brainstorming page. you are very welcome to write any crazy / non - crazy / inventive / conventional / knowledgeable ideas or information you may have about our project. some key words : magnetic nanoparticles ( mnp ), viruses, magnetic hyperthermia, bioengineering what is magnetic hyperthermia? how it works? under an alternating magnetic field, mnp releases heat due to relaxation of magnetic moments ( hysteresis ). this can cause an increase in temperature to the range of 41c to 47c. since tumor cells are more heat sensitive than normal cells, they will be killed by this thermal dissipation. here is an interesting tidbit from a paper i was reading : " in addition to the expected tumor cell death, hyperthermia treatment has also induced unexpected biological responses, such as tumor - specific immune responses as a result of heat - shock protein expression. these results suggest that hyperthermia is able to kill not only local tumors exposed to heat treatment, but also tumors at distant sites, including metastatic cancer cells. " ( kobayashi ) - clinical trials in prostate cancer - shows promising results when coupled with irradiation on breast cancer ( mouse ) current limitations ( this information will help us shape and define the problem. ) ( 1 ) to achieve the necessary rise in temperature with minimal dose of mnp. - in other words, this means : - high specific loss power / specific absorption rate ( slp ) of the mnp. - why is higher applied dosage bad? > leads to unnecessary heat dissipation ( 2 ) lack of knowledge about the metabolism, clearance, and toxicity of mnp. biomedical potentials of mnp - could be used as early detection for the following using mri : - drug delivery - cellular labeling and tissue targeting - purifying and separating cells and dnas - transfection by magnetic nanoparticles - tissue repair - magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ) types of relevant viruses 1. tobacco mosaic virus ( tmv ) - 18nmx300nm, helical - can withstand high temperatures up to 50c for 30mins ( conventional hyperthermia involves heating up to 50c from an external source - safe for human consumption - mann group has active research on it - 2130 molecules of coat protein 2. m13 bacteriophage -


50c for 30mins ( conventional hyperthermia involves heating up to 50c from an external source - safe for human consumption - mann group has active research on it - 2130 molecules of coat protein 2. m13 bacteriophage - 6. 6nmx880nm, helical ( length is too long - pose an issue in targeting cells ) - lots of research done by the belcher group, including attaching mnps to m13 for imaging purposes - we are familiar with the system 3. cowpea chlorotic mottle virus ( ccmv ) - 26nm, icosahedral 4. cowpea mosaic virus ( cpmv ) - 27nm, icosahedral 5. brome mosaic virus ( bmv ) - 28nm, icosahedral 6. turnip yellow mosaic virus ( tymv ) - 30nm, icosahedral current work in viral mnp attachment attachment of mnps to m13 phage for in vivo imaging of prostate cancer what we propose to do see flowchart sketch. - identifying / screening for appropriate virus vehicles and tumor - specific anchoring sequencse - developing / engineering viral mnps - in vivo testing for efficacy of engineered vmnps in mouse tumor cells. we will start with using ferritin ( fe3o4 ) as the mnp. stage 1 : virus hunt - we need to investigate how the selected virus ( likely one of the following : tmv, m13, ccmv, cpmv, bmv or tpmv ) interacts with mammalian cells in vivo. stage 2 : screening for mnp binding site on virus - we will start by using fe3o4 as our mnp of interest. with this, a protein coat screen of the selected virus for a protein coat that can bind with our mnp is necessary. stage 3 : screening for tumor - specific sequence binding site on virus - we need to do a protein coat or rna screen of the virus for a region that can bind with a tumor - specific peptide sequence. if necessary, we might need to screen tumors for unique short sequences on their cell surfaces. stage 4 : virus engineering - we can now engineer wild - type viruses using specific protein coats or rna regions isolated in stage 2 and 3 to produce the viral mnp of interest. stage 5 : in vivo testing - perform an in vivo experiment by injecting the engineered viral mnps into the circulatory system of


specific protein coats or rna regions isolated in stage 2 and 3 to produce the viral mnp of interest. stage 5 : in vivo testing - perform an in vivo experiment by injecting the engineered viral mnps into the circulatory system of mice that have developed tumors. by subjecting these mice to an alternating magnetic field under standard hyperthermia conditions and measuring the change in tumor size, we will be able to quantify the efficacy of using viral mnps in magnetic hyperthermia. - experimenting with double layer mnp to increase response - target other cancerous cells - experiment with other types of viruses quantitative goals ( we can quantify with ic50 value ) - currently, with the aid of 10gy radiation, the hyperthermia treatment successfully accumulated less than 0. 3mg fe / g tissue. dosage : 0. 2mg fe per gram of mouse. say mouse is 25g, so 5mg total dosage injected. so 1 % efficiency with the aid of radiation. ( mnp sizes used : 70nm and 120nm ; murine flank breast tumors were 150mm3 ) from http : / / manalis - lab. mit. edu / publications / grover % 20pnas % 202011. pdf, we estimated that a typical cell has an average density of 1. 1g / ml. since the murine flank breast tumors were 150mm3, and 0. 25mg fe / g of tumor was detected in the tumors, we can calculate that only a total of 0. 0495mg of fe is accumulated in the tumors. this gives a % efficacy of 1 %. - south korean experiment : 75ug of mnps were injected. - from belcher lab ' s paper, what is the % efficacy of using m13? - " the actual rotations of the nanoparticles are disordered because the microviscosity of the local environment in cancer cells is not constant, and effective elasticity depends on the binding conditions between nanoparticles and membranes. " - but this is actually present because when treatment is done with individual mnps, one side of the mnp is always bound to the targeted cell, so direction is never constant! - gupta ak, naregalkar rr, vaidya vd, and gupta m. recent advances on surface engineering of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and their biomedical applications. future medicine. 2007. 2 ( 1 ), 23 - 39. - bakoglidis kd, simeonidis k


##d, and gupta m. recent advances on surface engineering of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and their biomedical applications. future medicine. 2007. 2 ( 1 ), 23 - 39. - bakoglidis kd, simeonidis k, sakellari d, g. stefanou, and angelakeris m. size - dependent mechanisms in ac magnetic hyperthermia response of iron - oxide nanoparticles. ieee transactions on magnetics. 2012. 48 : 1320 - 1323. - great layman ' s way of explaining magnetic hyperthermia http : / / trialx. com / curetalk / 2012 / 11 / cancer - treatment - multifunctional - magnetic - nanoparticles - for - molecular - imaging - and - hyperthermia / - a. j. giustini, a. a. petryk, s. m. cassim, j. a. tate, i. baker, p. j. hoopes. magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia in cancer treatment. nano life 2010 ; 01 : 17. - d. ghosh, y. lee, s. thomas, a. g. kohli, d. s. yun, a. m. belcher, k. a. kelly. m13 - templated magnetic nanoparticles for targeted in vivo imaging of prostate cancer. nat. nanotechnol. 2012 ; 7 ( 10 ) : 677 – 82. - add more references as deem appropriate 11 / 29 from professor angela belcher : - look at nature nano belcher lab paper - need to do very good characterization of materials using tem, elemental analysis, etc.


sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. the time period for which the breathing stops or decreases is usually between 10 and 30 seconds. when these episodes occur repeatedly, sleep apnea can seriously disrupt the quality of sleep. there are three types of respiratory events : - obstructive apnea — caused by a temporary, partial, or complete blockage of the airway - central apnea — caused by a temporary failure to make an effort to breathe - mixed apnea — combination of the first two types these factors increase your chance of developing sleep apnea. tell your doctor if you have any of these risk factors : - sex : male - large neck circumference - age : middle to older age - family history of apnea structural abnormalities of the nose, throat, or other part of the respiratory tract. examples include : - severely enlarged tonsils - deviated nasal septum - medicines : sedatives and sleeping aids - alcohol consumption - fatigue and sleepiness during waking hours - loud snoring - breathing that stops during the night ( noticed by the partner ) - repeated waking at night - unrefreshing sleep - morning headaches - poor concentration or problems with memory - irritability or short temper people with chronic untreated sleep apnea may be at risk for : an overnight sleep study is used to help diagnose sleep apnea. overnight sleep study ( polysomnography ) this test helps detect the presence and severity of sleep apnea. during sleep, it measures your : - eye and muscle movements - brain activity ( electroencephalogram ) - heart rate - breathing ( pattern and depth ) - percent saturation of your red blood cells with oxygen there are a number of treatment options for sleep apnea, including : - lose weight if you are overweight. - avoid using sedatives, sleeping pills, alcohol, and nicotine, which tend to make the condition worse. - try sleeping on your side instead of your back. - place pillows strategically so you are as comfortable as possible. - for daytime sleepiness, practice safety measures, such as avoiding driving or operating potentially hazardous equipment. continuous positive airway pressure ( cpap ) entails wearing a mask over your nose and / or mouth during sleep. an air blower forces enough constant and continuous air through your air passages to prevent the tissues from collapsing and blocking the airway. in some cases, dental appliances that help keep the tongue or jaw in a more forward position may help. in some


. an air blower forces enough constant and continuous air through your air passages to prevent the tissues from collapsing and blocking the airway. in some cases, dental appliances that help keep the tongue or jaw in a more forward position may help. in some cases, surgery may be recommended. it is most often beneficial in pediatric patients. types of surgery that may be done to treat severe cases of sleep apnea include : - uvulopalatopharyngoplasty — the doctor removes excess soft tissue from the nose and / or throat. - maxillomandibular advancement — the jawbone is repositioned forward. - tracheotomy — for life - threatening cases of sleep apnea, an opening is made in the windpipe to allow for normal breathing. bariatric surgery may help with weight loss in some people who are obese. this surgery may reduce many of the complications that are related to obesity, including sleep apnea. only used in central apnea, acetazolamide ( diamox ) may help improve the ability to regulate breathing. overall, there is not a lot of evidence to support the use of medicines to treat sleep apnea. supplemental oxygen may be given if blood levels of oxygen fall too low during sleep, even after opening the airway. you may be able to prevent the onset of sleep apnea by maintaining a healthy weight. avoid alcohol, nicotine, and sedatives, which may contribute to airway obstruction. - reviewer : rimas lukas, md - review date : 09 / 2012 - - update date : 00 / 93 / 2012 -


kristensen, hanne l. and thorup - kristensen, kristian ( 2006 ) roots below one meters depth are important for nitrate uptake by annual crops. [ rødder under 1 meters dybde er vigtige for et - arige afgrøders optagelse af nitrat. ] in : cd - rom " the american society of agronomy - crop science society of america - soil science society of america international annual meetings, november 12 - 16, 2006, indianapolis, usa. no. 205 - 9., cd - rom " the american society of agronomy - crop science society of america - soil science society of america international annual meetings, november 12 - 16, 2006, indianapolis, usa., no. abstract no. 205 - 9.. the root depths of annual crops vary from 0. 2 m to more than 2 m depending on root growth rate and length of growing season. however, studies of root growth and n uptake are often restricted to a depth of 1 m or less, as root biomass is assumed to be negligible below this depth. we have studied the importance of root growth and n uptake to a depth of 2. 5 m in fully grown field vegetables and cover crops by use of minirhizotrons and deep point placement of 15n. deep rooted crucifereous crops were found to have high root densities to a depth of 1. 5 - 2 m and high 15n uptake to this depth. the work shows that knowledge of the interactions between root growth and soil n below a depth of 1 m are important to understand crop n uptake and nitrate leaching from agro - ecosystems. | eprint type : | | conference paper, poster, etc. | | type of presentation : | | paper | | subjects : | | soil > nutrient turnover | crop husbandry > crop combinations and interactions crop husbandry > production systems > vegetables | research affiliation : | | denmark > darcof iii ( 2005 - 2010 ) > vegqure - organic cropping systems for vegetable production | denmark > au - aarhus university > au, djf - faculty of agricultural sciences | deposited by : | | kristensen, ph. d. hanne l. | | deposited on : | | 28 nov 2007 | | last modified : | | 12 apr 2010 07 : 35 | | refereed : | | peer - reviewed and accepted | repository staff only : item control page


we had a running joke in science ed that kids get so overexposed to discrepant events involving density and air pressure that they tend to try to explain anything and everything they don ' t understand with respect to science in terms of those two concepts. why do we have seasons? ummm... air pressure? why did dr. smith use that particular research design? ummm... density? i think we need another catch - all explanation. i suggest index of refraction. to simplify greatly, index of refraction describes the amount of bending a light ray will undergo as it passes from one medium to another ( it ' s also related to the velocity of light in both media, but i do want to keep this simple ). if the two media have significantly different indices, light passing from one to the other at an angle ( not perpendicularly, in which case there is no bending ) will be bent more than if indices of the two are similar. the first four data points are from hyperphysics, the final one from wikipedia... glass has a wide range of compositions and thus indices of refraction. water at 20 c : 1. 33 typical soda - lime glass : close to 1. 5 since glycerine and glass have similar ior, light passing from one to the other isn ' t bent ; as long as both are transparent and similarly colored, each will be effectively " invisible " against the other. so, why does it rain? umm... index of refraction? a bright moon impact 12 hours ago


by justin moyer the washington post — defense secretary leon panetta signed an order thursday allowing women the same opportunities as men to serve in combat, including formerly off - limits assignments on attack submarines and in the navy seals. just two weeks before the announcement, researchers from san diego ' s naval health research center published a study suggesting that some recent mothers deployed on the battlefield may be more prone to depression after seeing action. " women who deploy and report combat - associated exposures after childbirth are significantly more likely to screen positive for maternal depression than are women who did not deploy after childbirth, " concluded the study, titled " is military deployment a risk factor for maternal depression? " and appearing in the journal of women ' s health. " it is also possible, " the report noted, " that giving birth and leaving a young child, in addition to the experience of combat, contribute to postdeployment depression. " the study included eight co - authors, five of them associated with the naval health research center, a research and development laboratory within the department of defense. it was based on surveys of more than 1, 600 women who " gave birth during active duty service. " not all branches of the armed forces showed the same results. " participants who served in the army had an increased risk of maternal depression ; army service members tend to be deployed longer and more frequently than personnel serving in the navy and air force, " the study found. of course, you don ' t have to be a mom to experience depression on the front line. the report points out that " the increased rate of depression is primarily attributed to experiencing combat while deployed, " not just to whether a solider is also a parent.


an introduction to 127. 0. 0. 1 127. 0. 0. 1 is an ip address utilized for a looplock network connection. what does this mean? if a user tries to connect to this ip address, they will be sent back to their computer. the address is also known as a localhost. the localhost is the computer. how the localhost works if the command is relayed to the localhost, you would be hooked up to the system where the commands were sent out. for instance, suppose the computer is called " joker ". if you telnet from the joker computer to the localhost, a message will appear. it will attempt to hook up to the localhost is employed in lieu of the computer hostname to be linked to. this ip address is the most wisely used localhost address. however, you can actually use any ip address provided it starts with 127. this means 127. *. *. * can be used as a localhost. establishing a connection with the loopback address is similar to creating a connection with remote network computers. the only difference is you don ' t have to deal with network for this reason it is widely utilized by software developers. it is also used by system administrators. it is often used for testing programs and apps. if the connection is ipv4, the computer ' s loopback address will be the 127. *. *. *. the subnet mask is typically 255. 0. 0. 0. this ip addresses 127. *. *. *. are defined in rfc 330 as special - use ipv4 addresses. the 127. 0. 0. 0 / 8 block is defined as the net host loopback address. if a higher level protocol sends a datagram anywhere in the block, it will be looped in the host. this is typically implemented with the 127. 0. 0. 1 / 32 for looplock. however, addresses in the block must not be visible anywhere else in the network. there is also a localhost ipv6 version. in rfc 3513, it is defined as internet protocol version 6 ( ipv6 ) addressing architecture : : 1 / 128. more information about the localhost in simple terms, the localhost means the computer. it is the hostname allocated loopback network interface address. the name is likewise a domain name. this will help prevent confusion with the hostname definition. in ipv6, the loopback ip address


municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self - governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which they are located. often, this event is marked by the award or declaration of a municipal charter. with the notable exception of the city of london corporation, the term has fallen out of favour in the united kingdom, but the concept remains central to local government in the united kingdom, as well as former british colonies such as india and canada. municipal charters a city charter or town charter ( generically, municipal charter ) is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. the concept developed in europe during the middle ages and is considered to be a municipal version of a constitution. traditionally the granting of a charter gave a settlement and its inhabitants the right to town privileges under the feudal system. townspeople who lived in chartered towns were burghers, as opposed to serfs who lived in villages. towns were often " free ", in the sense that they were directly protected by the king or emperor, and were not part of a feudal fief. today the process for granting charters is determined by the type of government of the state in question. in monarchies, charters are still often a royal charter given by the crown or the state authorities acting on behalf of the crown. in federations, the granting of charters may be within the jurisdiction of the lower level of government such as a state or province. by country in brazil, municipal corporations are called municipios and are created by means of local legislation at state level, or after passing a referendum vote of the affected population. all municipal corporations must also abide by an organic municipal law which is passed and amended ( when needed ) at municipal level. in canada charters are granted by provincial authorities. in germany, municipal corporations existed since antiquity and through medieval times, until they became out of favour during the absolutism. in order to strengthen the public spirit the city law of prussia dated 19 november 1808 picked up this concept. it is the basis of today ' s municipal law. in india a municipal corporation is a local government body that administers a city of population 10, 00, 000 or more. under the panchayati raj system, it interacts directly with the state government, though it is administratively part of the district it is located in. the largest municipal corporations in india currently are mumbai, followed by delhi, kolkata, bangalore, chennai, hyderabad, ahmedabad, surat and pune. the corporation of chennai is the oldest municipal corporation in the world outside uk. the municipal


is located in. the largest municipal corporations in india currently are mumbai, followed by delhi, kolkata, bangalore, chennai, hyderabad, ahmedabad, surat and pune. the corporation of chennai is the oldest municipal corporation in the world outside uk. the municipal corporation consists of members elected from the wards of the city. the mayor and deputy mayor are elected by the public. a municipal commissioner, who is from the indian administrative service is appointed to head the administrative staff of the municipal corporation, implement the decisions of the corporation and prepare its annual budget. the municipal corporation is responsible for roads, public transportation, water supply, records of births and deaths ( delegated from central government births and deaths registration act ), sanitation that includes waste management, sewage, drainage and flood control, public safety services like fire and ambulance services, gardens and maintenance of buildings. the sources of income of the corporation are property tax, entertainment tax, octroi ( now abolished from many cities ) and usage fees for utilities. republic of ireland in ireland, municipal corporations existed in boroughs since medieval times. the corporation of dublin, officially styled the right honourable the lord mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of the city of dublin had existed since the 13th century. corporations were established under the royal charter establishing the city or borough. the municipal corporations ( ireland ) act 1840 abolished all but ten of the boroughs and their corporations. the local government ( ireland ) act 1898 created two different types of borough, county boroughs had essentially equal status to counties - these comprised dublin, cork, limerick, and waterford ( as well as belfast and derry, which are now in northern ireland ). the other boroughs were non - county boroughs. the local government act 2001 abolished the title of municipal corporation. corporations of county boroughs ( renamed cities ) were renamed city councils. non county boroughs were abolished, but those towns which were previously non - county boroughs were allowed to use the title of borough council. royal charters remain in force for ceremonial and civic purposes only. south africa from the beginning of american colonial rule, philippines cities were formally established through laws enacted by the various national legislatures in the country. the philippine commission gave the city of manila its charter in 1901, while the city of baguio was established by the philippine assembly which was composed by elected members instead of appointed ones. during the commonwealth era, the national assembly established an additional ten cities. since achieving independence from the united states in 1946 the philippine congress has established 124 more cities ( as of september 2007 ), the majority of which required the holding of a pleb


| gallium metal is silver - white and melts at approximately body temperature ( wikipedia image ). | | atomic number : | | 31 | | atomic radius : | | 187 pm ( van der waals ) | | atomic symbol : | | ga | | melting point : | | 29. 76 °c | | atomic weight : | | 69. 72 | | boiling point : | | 2204 °c | | electron configuration : | | [ ar ] 4s23d104p1 | | oxidation states : | | 3 | from the latin word gallia, france ; also from latin, gallus, a translation of " lecoq, " a cock. predicted and described by mendeleev as ekaaluminum, and discovered spectroscopically by lecoq de boisbaudran in 1875, who in the same year obtained the free metal by electrolysis of a solution of the hydroxide in koh. gallium is often found as a trace element in diaspore, sphalerite, germanite, bauxite, and coal. some flue dusts from burning coal have been shown to contain as much 1. 5 percent gallium. it is one of four metals - - mercury, cesium, and rubidium - - which can be liquid near room temperature and, thus, can be used in high - temperature thermometers. it has one of the longest liquid ranges of any metal and has a low vapor pressure even at high temperatures. there is a strong tendency for gallium to supercool below its freezing point. therefore, seeding may be necessary to initiate solidification. ultra - pure gallium has a beautiful, silvery appearance, and the solid metal exhibits a conchoidal fracture similar to glass. the metal expands 3. 1 percent on solidifying ; therefore, it should not be stored in glass or metal containers, because they may break as the metal solidifies. high - purity gallium is attacked only slowly by mineral acids. gallium wets glass or porcelain and forms a brilliant mirror when it is painted on glass. it is widely used in doping semiconductors and producing solid - state devices such as transistors. magnesium gallate containing divalent impurities, such as mn + 2, is finding use in commercial ultraviolet - activated powder phosphors. gallium arsenide is capable of converting electricity directly into coherent light. gallium readily alloys with most metals, and has been used as a component in low - melting alloys.


from oxford university press : there is a broad consensus among scholars that the idea of human rights was a product of the enlightenment but that a self - conscious and broad - based human rights movement focused on international law only began after world war ii. in this narrative, the nineteenth century ' s absence is conspicuous - - few have considered that era seriously, much less written books on it. but as jenny martinez shows in this novel interpretation of the roots of human rights law, the foundation of the movement that we know today was a product of one of the nineteenth century ' s central moral causes : the movement to ban the international slave trade. originating in england in the late eighteenth century, abolitionism achieved remarkable success over the course of the nineteenth century. martinez focuses in particular on the international admiralty courts, which tried the crews of captured slave ships. the courts, which were based in the caribbean, west africa, cape town, and brazil, helped free at least 80, 000 africans from captured slavers between 1807 and 1871. here then, buried in the dusty archives of admiralty courts, ships ' logs, and the british foreign office, are the foundations of contemporary human rights law : international courts targeting states and non - state transnational actors while working on behalf the world ' s most persecuted peoples - - captured west africans bound for the slave plantations of the americas. fueled by a powerful thesis and novel evidence, martinez ' s work will reshape the fields of human rights history and international human rights law. - forces us to fundamentally rethink the origins of human rights activism - filled with fascinating stories of captured slave ship crews brought to trial across the atlantic world in the nineteenth century - shows how the prosecution of the international slave trade was crucial to the development of modern international law


phantom phone calls ospri. net - alleged contact with the dead has occurred universally throughout history, taking various forms ; as dreams, waking visions and auditory hallucinations, either spontaneous or induced through trance. in many cultures, the spirits of the dead have been sought for their wisdom, advice and knowledge of the future. the dead also seem to initiate their own communication, using whatever means seem to be most effective. with the advent of electromagnetic technology, mysterious messages have been communicated by telegraph, wireless, phonographs and radio. a curious phenomenon of modern times is the communication via the telephone. phone calls from the dead seem to be random and occasional occurrences that happen without explanation. the great majority are exchanges between persons who shared a close emotional tie while both were living : spouses, parents and children, siblings, and occasionally friends and other relatives. most communications are " intention " calls, initiated by the deceased to impart a message, such as farewell upon death, a warning of impending danger, or information the living needs to carry out a task. for example, actress ida lupino ' s father, stanley, who died intestate in london during world war ii, called lupino six months after his death to relate information concerning his estate, the location of some unknown but important papers. some calls appear to have no other purpose than to make contact with the living ; many of these occur on emotionally charged " anniversary " days, such as mothers day or fathers day, a birthday or holiday. in a typical ” anniversary ” call, the dead may do nothing more than repeat a phrase over and over, such as " hello, mom, is that you? " persons who have received phone calls from the dead report that the voices are exactly the same as when the deceased was living, furthermore, the voice often uses pet names and words. the telephone usually rings normally, although some recipients say that the ring sounded flat and abnormal. in many cases, the connection is bad, with a great deal of static and line noise, and occasionally the faint voices of the other persons are heard, as though lines have been crossed. in many cases, the voice of the dead one is difficult to hear and grows fainter as the call goes on. sometimes, the voice just fades away but the line remains open, and the recipient hangs up after giving up on further communication. sometimes the call is terminated by the dead and the recipient hers the click of disengagement, other times, the line simply goes dead. the phantom phone calls typically


line remains open, and the recipient hangs up after giving up on further communication. sometimes the call is terminated by the dead and the recipient hers the click of disengagement, other times, the line simply goes dead. the phantom phone calls typically occur when the recipient is in a passive state of mind. if the recipient knows the caller is dead, the shock is great and the phone call very brief, invariably, the caller terminates the call after a few seconds or minutes, or the line goes dead. if the recipient does not know the caller is dead, a lengthy conversation of up to 30 minutes or so may take place, during which the recipient is not aware of anything amiss. in a minority of cases, the call is placed person - to - person, long - distance with the assistance of a mysterious operator. checks with the telephone company later turn up no evidence of a call being places. similar phone calls from the dead are " intention " phone calls occurring between two living persons. such calls are much rarer than calls from the dead. in a typical " intention " call, the caller thinks about making the call but never does, the recipient nevertheless receives a call. in some cases, emergencies precipitate phantom calls, a surgeon is summoned by a nurse to the hospital to perform an emergency operation, a priest is called by a " relative " to give last rites to a dying man and so forth. some persons who claim to have had ufo encounters report receiving harassing phantom phone calls. the calls are received soon after the witness returns home, or within a day or two of the encounter, in many cases, the calls come before the witness has shared the experience with anyone, stranger still, they are often placed to unlisted phone numbers. the unidentified caller warns the witness not to talk and to " forget " what he or she saw. phone calls allegedly may be placed to the dead as well. the caller does not find out until sometime after the call that the person on the other end has been dead. in one such case, a woman dreamed of a female friend she had not seen for several years. in the disturbing dream, she witnessed the friend sliding down into a pool of blood. upon awakening, she worried that the dream was a portent of trouble, and called the friend. she was relieved when the friend answered. the friend explained that she had been in the hospital, had been released and was due to be readmitted in a few days. she demurred when the woman offered to visit


and called the friend. she was relieved when the friend answered. the friend explained that she had been in the hospital, had been released and was due to be readmitted in a few days. she demurred when the woman offered to visit, saying she would call later. the return call never came. the woman called her friend again, to be told by a relative that the friend has been dead for six months at the time the conversation took place. in several cases studied by researchers, the deceased callers make reference to an anonymous ” they ” and caution that there is little time to talk. the remarks imply that communication between the living and the dead is not only difficult, but not necessarily desirable. most phone calls from the dead occur within 24 hours of the death of the caller. most short calls come from those who have been dead seven days or less : most lengthy calls come from those who have been dead several months. one of the longest death - intervals on record is two years. in a small number of cases, the callers are strangers who say they are calling on behalf of a third party, whom the recipient later discovered is dead. several theories exist as to the origin of phantom phone calls. ( 1 ) they are indeed placed by the dead, who somehow manipulate the telephone mechanisms and circuitry : ( 2 ) they are deceptions of elemental - type spirits who enjoy playing tricks on the living : ( 3 ) they are psychokinetic acts caused subconsciously by the recipient, whose intense desire to communicate with the dead creates a type of hallucinatory experience : ( 4 ) they are entirely fantasy created by the recipient. for the most part, phantom phone calls are not seriously regarded by parapsychologists. in the early 20th century, numerous devices were built by investigators in hopes of capturing ghostly voices : many of them were modifications of the telegraph and wireless. thomas alva edison, whose parents were spiritualists, believed that a telephone could be invented that would connect the living to the dead. he verified that he was working on such a device, but apparently it never was completed before his death. " psychic telephone " experiments were conducted in the 1940 ' s in england and america. interest in the phenomenon waned until the 1960 ’ s, following the findings of konstantin raudive that ghostly voices could be captured on electromagnetic tape.


researchers at ut southwestern medical center have found that fluctuations in internal body temperature regulate the body ' s circadian rhythm, the 24 - hour cycle that controls metabolism, sleep and other bodily functions. a light - sensitive portion of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus ( scn ) remains the body ' s " master clock " that coordinates the daily cycle, but it does so indirectly, according to a study published by ut southwestern researchers in the oct. 15 issue of science. the scn responds to light entering the eye, and so is sensitive to cycles of day and night. while light may be the trigger, the ut southwestern researchers determined that the scn transforms that information into neural signals that set the body ' s temperature. these cyclic fluctuations in temperature then set the timing of cells, and ultimately tissues and organs, to be active or inactive, the study showed. scientists have long known that body temperature fluctuates in warm - blooded animals throughout the day on a 24 - hour, or circadian, rhythm, but the new study shows that temperature actually controls body cycles, said dr. joseph takahashi, chairman of neuroscience at ut southwestern and senior author of the study. " small changes in body temperature can send a powerful signal to the clocks in our bodies, " said dr. takahashi, an investigator with the howard hughes medical institute. " it takes only a small change in internal body temperature to synchronize cellular ' clocks ' throughout the body. " daily changes in temperature span only a few degrees and stay within normal healthy ranges. this mechanism has nothing to do with fever or environmental temperature, dr. takahashi said. this system might be a modification of an ancient circadian control system that first developed in other organisms, including cold - blooded animals, whose daily biological cycles are affected by external temperature changes, dr. takahashi said. " circadian rhythms in plants, simple organisms and cold - blooded animals are very sensitive to temperature, so it makes sense that over the course of evolution, this primordial mechanism could have been modified in warm - blooded animals, " he said. in the current study, the researchers focused on cultured mouse cells and tissues, and found that genes related to circadian functions were controlled by temperature fluctuations. scn cells were not temperature - sensitive, however. this finding makes sense, dr. takahashi said, because if the scn, as the master control mechanism, responded to temperature cues, a disruptive feedback loop could result, he said. explore further : now we know why old scizoph


major section : break - rewrite example : ( brr @ : target ) ; the term being rewritten ( brr @ : unify - subst ) ; the unifying substitutionwhere general form : ( brr @ : symbol ) : symbolis one of the following keywords. those marked with * probably require an implementor ' s knowledge of the system to use effectively. they are supported but not well documented. more is said on this topic following the table. : symbol ( brr @ : symbol ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - in general : target the term to be rewritten. this term is an instantiation of the left - hand side of the conclusion of the rewrite - rule being broken. this term is in translated form! thus, if you are expecting ( equal x nil ) - - and your expectation is almost right - - you will see ( equal x ' nil ) ; similarly, instead of ( cadr a ) you will see ( car ( cdr a ) ). in translated forms, all constants are quoted ( even nil, t, strings and numbers ) and all macros are expanded. : unify - subst the substitution that, when applied to : target, produces the left - hand side of the rule being broken. this substitution is an alist pairing variable symbols to translated (! ) terms. : wonp t or nil indicating whether the rune was successfully applied. ( brr @ : wonp ) returns nil if evaluated before : evaling the rule. : rewritten - rhs the result of successfully applying the rule or else nil if ( brr @ : wonp ) is nil. the result of successfully applying the rule is always a translated (! ) term and is never nil. : failure - reason some non - nil lisp object indicating why the rule was not applied or else nil. before the rule is : evaled, ( brr @ : failure - reason ) is nil. after : evaling the rule, ( brr @ : failure - reason ) is nil if ( brr @ : wonp ) is t. rather than document the various non - nil objects returned as the failure reason, we encourage you simply to evaluate ( brr @ : failure - reason ) in the contexts of interest. alternatively, study the acl2 function tilde -


t. rather than document the various non - nil objects returned as the failure reason, we encourage you simply to evaluate ( brr @ : failure - reason ) in the contexts of interest. alternatively, study the acl2 function tilde - @ - failure - reason - phrase. : lemma * the rewrite rule being broken. for example, ( access rewrite - rule ( brr @ : lemma ) : lhs ) will return the left - hand side of the conclusion of the rule. : type - alist * a display of the type - alist governing : target. elements on the displayed list are of the form ( term type ), where term is a term and type describes information about term assumed to hold in the current context. the type - alist may be used to determine the current assumptions, e. g., whether a is a consp. : ancestors * a stack of frames indicating the backchain history of the current context. the theorem prover is in the process of trying to establish each hypothesis in this stack. thus, the negation of each hypothesis can be assumed false. each frame also records the rules on behalf of which this backchaining is being done and the weight ( function symbol count ) of the hypothesis. all three items are involved in the heuristic for preventing infinite backchaining. exception : some frames are ` ` binding hypotheses ' ' ( equal var term ) or ( equiv var ( double - rewrite term ) ) that bind variable var to the result of rewriting term. : gstack * the current goal stack. the gstack is maintained by rewrite and is the data structure printed as the current ` ` path. ' ' thus, any information derivable from the : path brr command is derivable from gstack. for example, from gstack one might determine that the current term is the second hypothesis of a certain rewrite rule. brr @ - expressionsare used in break conditions, the expressions that determine whether interactive breaks occur when monitored runes are applied. see monitor. for example, you might want to break only those attempts in which one particular term is being rewritten or only those attempts in which the binding for the variable ais known to be a consp. such conditions can be expressed using acl2 system functions and the information provided by brr @. unfortunately, digging some of this information out of the internal data structures may be awkward or may, at least


hibiscus rosa - sinensis ' the path ' chinese hibiscus, tropical hibiscus among the showiest flowering plants. plants typically bear funnel - shaped blossoms, often with prominent stamens. the many species offer a wide range of flower colors. probably from tropical asia ; tropical hibiscus has been in cultivation for centuries, and is among the most flamboyant flowering shrubs. it reaches 30 ft. tall and 15 to 20 ft. wide in hawaii, but more typical size on mainland is 8 to 15 ft. tall, 5 to 8 ft. wide. glossy leaves vary somewhat in size and texture depending on variety. growth habit may be dense and dwarfish or loose and open. summer flowers are single or double, 4 to 8 in. wide. colors range from white through pink to red, from yellow and apricot to orange. individual flowers last only a day, but the plant blooms continuously. provide overhead protection where winter lows frequently drop below 30°f / - 1°c. where temperatures go much lower, grow in containers and shelter indoors over winter ; or treat as annual, setting out fresh plants each spring. hibiscus also makes a good houseplant. this shrub requires excellent drainage ; if necessary, improve soil for best drainage or set plants in raised beds or containers. can be used as screen, espalier, or specimen. to develop good branch structure, prune poorly shaped young plants when you set them out in spring. to keep a mature plant growing vigorously, prune out about a third of old wood in early spring. pinching out tips of stems in spring and summer increases flower production. all varieties susceptible to aphids. there are thousands of selections. ' the path ' gorgeous, ruffled, single, buttercup yellow flowers with a bright pink center on a bushy, upright shrub that grows 6 – 8 ft. tall, 4 – 5 ft. wide. large, frilly, single, bright orange flowers with white central eye edged in red. strong - growing, erec... double golden flowers with petals that shade to carmine orange toward base. plant is bushy and upright... this 6 – 8 ft. - tall variety has big, single, soft pink flowers.


outside of the academic environment, a harsh and seemingly ever - growing debate has appeared, concerning how mass media distorts the political agenda. few would argue with the notion that the institutions of the mass media are important to contemporary politics. in the transition to liberal democratic politics in the soviet union and eastern europe the media was a key battleground. in the west, elections increasingly focus around television, with the emphasis on spin and marketing. democratic politics places emphasis on the mass media as a site for democratic demand and the formation of “ public opinion ”. the media are seen to empower citizens, and subject government to restraint and redress. yet the media are not just neutral observers but are political actors themselves. the interaction of mass communication and political actors — politicians, interest groups, strategists, and others who play important roles — in the political process is apparent. under this framework, the american political arena can be characterized as a dynamic environment in which communication, particularly journalism in all its forms, substantially influences and is influenced by it. according to the theory of democracy, people rule. the pluralism of different political parties provides the people with “ alternatives, ” and if and when one party loses their confidence, they can support another. the democratic principle of “ government of the people, by the people, and for the people ” would be nice if it were all so simple. but in a medium - to - large modern state things are not quite like that. today, several elements contribute to the shaping of the public ’ s political discourse, including the goals and success of public relations and advertising strategies used by politically engaged individuals and the rising influence of new media technologies such as the internet. a naive assumption of liberal democracy is that citizens have adequate knowledge of political events. but how do citizens acquire the information and knowledge necessary for them to use their votes other than by blind guesswork? they cannot possibly witness everything that is happening on the national scene, still less at the level of world events. the vast majority are not students of politics. they don ’ t really know what is happening, and even if they did they would need guidance as to how to interpret what they knew. since the early twentieth century this has been fulfilled through the mass media. few today in united states can say that they do not have access to at least one form of the mass media, yet political knowledge is remarkably low. although political information is available through the proliferation of mass media, different critics support that events are shaped and packaged, frames are constructed by politicians and news caste


for many years, unesco and china have collaborated closely in the field of world heritage. among the 35 chinese properties on the world heritage list, there are 25 cultural, 6 natural and 4 mixed sites. china is working with the countries of central asia ( kazakhstan, kyrgyzstan, tajikistan, turkmenistan and uzbekistan ) on a serial world heritage nomination of the silk roads. like the country itself, china ’ s intangible cultural heritage is of extremely vast. the kun qu opera was proclaimed a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity in 2001, and the guqin and its music in 2003. the uyghur muqam of xinjiang and the urtiin duu – traditional folk long song ( the latter was submitted together with mongolia ) were awarded this distinction in 2005. a number of field projects have been devoted to endangered languages. with regard to cultural diversity, the cultural approach to the prevention and treatment of hiv and aids is being studied by officials. crafts that make it possible to maintain traditional techniques - frequently the preserve of women - as well as community economic development are being promoted in some regions. china also collaborates with unesco in the area of dialogue through the programme on intercultural dialogue in central asia. in the framework of this programme, china is a member of the international institute for central asian studies, which was created to encourage intellectual cooperation among the member states of the region.


the bible gives us a clear picture of foolish behavior and its consequences. it ’ s important for us to recognize these traits in others — and in ourselves. dealing appropriately with people who behave foolishly requires prayer and wisdom. but remember, that foolish person is not in your life by accident, and you can by god ’ s grace respond to him or her in a christ - like manner. characteristics of foolish behavior 1. denying, disregarding, or rebelling against god. the fool says in his heart “ there is no god ” ( psalm 14 : 1 ). 2. slandering, lying, deceiving the one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever utters slander is a fool 3. quick - tempered a fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult ( proverbs 12 : 16 ). 4. acts impetuously and without regard for consequences in everything the prudent acts with knowledge, but a fool flaunts his folly. ( proverbs 13 : 16 ). one who is wise is cautious and turns away from evil, but a fool is reckless and careless. 5. talks endlessly, brags, spouts off frequently. a fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion the wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near. ( proverbs 10 : 14 ). a fool ’ s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul. ( proverbs 18 : 7 ). 6. refuses advice, accountability and / or discipline a fool despises his father ’ s instruction, but whoever heeds reproof is prudent a rebuke goes deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred blows into a fool 7. handles money recklessly of what use is money in the hand of a fool, since he has no desire to get wisdom? in the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has ( proverbs 21 : 20 ). 8. quarrels frequently, picks fights, is contentious fools get into constant quarrels ; they are asking for a beating ( proverbs 18 : 6 nlt ). a fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control 9. lazy, lacks focus and ambition foolish people refuse to work and almost starve ( ecclesiastes 4 : 5 ). a wise person thinks much about death


fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control 9. lazy, lacks focus and ambition foolish people refuse to work and almost starve ( ecclesiastes 4 : 5 ). a wise person thinks much about death, while the fool thinks only about having a good time now ( ecclesiastes 7 : 4 ). fools are so exhausted by a little work that they have no strength for even the simplest tasks ( ecclesiastes 10 : 15 ). 10. never learns from past experience as a do returns to his vomit, so a fool repeats his folly ( proverbs 26 : 11 ). you cannot separate fools from their foolishness, even though you grind them like grain with mortar and pestle ( proverbs 27 : 22 ). how are we to respond to foolish behavior? 1. first and most importantly, we pray for them. 2. second, watch your attitude and motivation toward these foolish people : principle # 1 – don ’ t be surprised if they refuse good advice. don ’ t waste your breath on fools, for they will despise the wisest advice ( proverbs 23 : 9 ). principle # 2 – don ’ t give them honor or luxury. it is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury – how much worse for a slave to rule over princes! like snow in summer or rain in harvest, honor is not fitting for a fool ( proverbs 26 : 1 ). principle # 3 – don ’ t argue with foolish people. don ’ t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. and the lord ’ s servant must not quarrel ; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful ( 2 tim. 2 : 23 - 24 ). principle # 4 – protect yourself from the resentment and anger caused by foolish people. a stone is heavy and sand is weighty, but the resentment caused by a fool is heavier than both ( proverbs 27 : 3 ). stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips ( proverbs 14 : 7 ). are you encouraged here? i personally invite you to subscribe and get the latest posts sent to your inbox. also, connect with us on facebook and twitter and get updates that are not posted here on the blog. linking up with : the modest mom, we are now selling lilla rose! ( 30 % discount on soon to be retired items )


each year more than 4 million homeless pets are killed as a result of overpopulation, but families who adopt from animal shelters or rescue groups can help preserve these lives and support the growing trend of socially responsible holiday shopping. best friends animal society encourages families this holiday season to give the precious gift of life by adopting homeless pets rather than buying from breeders, pet stores or online retailers. also, resist the urge to surprise a friend or family member with a living gift. choosing the right pet is an extremely personal decision, one that should be made carefully by the adults who will be caring for the animal for its 15 - to 20 - year lifetime. instead, offer an adoption gift certificate paired with a basket of pet care items or stuffed animal for the holiday itself, and then let the person or family choose the actual pet that feels right to them. once you ’ ve decided to adopt, keep in mind that welcoming a pet into your life is a big decision and requires important preparation. best friends offers tips and advice to help make a smooth transition at home : * determine roles and responsibilities – before bringing home a new pet, discuss what roles and responsibilities each family member will take on. who will be in charge of feeding, walks, changing the litter box and taking your pet for regular visits to the vet? giving each family member a specific task will help everyone feel involved, especially young children. * prep the house – adding a pet to the house means adding new items to your shopping lists. for dogs, the basics are a collar and leash, chew toys, a kennel and dog bed. cats need a litter box and litter, a scratching post and a carrying crate for transportation. also don ’ t forget food and toys. * have your pet spayed / neutered – spaying or neutering is one of the greatest gifts you can provide your pet and community. it not only helps control the overabundance of pets, but can also help prevent medical and behavioral problems from developing. most shelters include this with the adoption package or can recommend a local veterinarian in your area, so check with the staff at the shelter before you leave. * research community rules and resources – do a little research on what identification ( tags, microchips, etc. ) you might need for your pet. scout out the local dog parks and runs for future outdoor fun, and make sure you know where emergency vet clinics or animal hospitals are located. * set limits – having pre - determined rules will create consistency in training and help make the home


taking play seriously by robin marantz henig published : february 17, 2008 on a drizzly tuesday night in late january, 200 people came out to hear a psychiatrist talk rhapsodically about play - - not just the intense, joyous play of children, but play for all people, at all ages, at all times. ( all species too ; the lecture featured touching photos of a polar bear and a husky engaging playfully at a snowy outpost in northern canada. ) stuart brown, president of the national institute for play, was speaking at the new york public library ' s main branch on 42nd street. he created the institute in 1996, after more than 20 years of psychiatric practice and research persuaded him of the dangerous long - term consequences of play deprivation. in a sold - out talk at the library, he and krista tippett, host of the public - radio program ' ' speaking of faith, ' ' discussed the biological and spiritual underpinnings of play. brown called play part of the ' ' developmental sequencing of becoming a human primate. if you look at what produces learning and memory and well - being, play is as fundamental as any other aspect of life, including sleep and dreams. ' ' the message seemed to resonate with audience members, who asked anxious questions about what seemed to be the loss of play in their children ' s lives. their concern came, no doubt, from the recent deluge of eulogies to play. educators fret that school officials are hacking away at recess to make room for an increasingly crammed curriculum. psychologists complain that overscheduled kids have no time left for the real business of childhood : idle, creative, unstructured free play. public health officials link insufficient playtime to a rise in childhood obesity. parents bemoan the fact that kids don ' t play the way they themselves did - - or think they did. and everyone seems to worry that without the chance to play stickball or hopscotch out on the street, to play with dolls on the kitchen floor or climb trees in the woods, today ' s children are missing out on something essential. the success of ' ' the dangerous book for boys ' ' - - which has been on the best - seller list for the last nine months - - and its step - by - step instructions for activities like folding paper airplanes is testament to the generalized longing for play ' s good old days. so were the questions after stuart brown ' s library talk ; one woman asked how her children will learn trust, empathy and


step - by - step instructions for activities like folding paper airplanes is testament to the generalized longing for play ' s good old days. so were the questions after stuart brown ' s library talk ; one woman asked how her children will learn trust, empathy and social skills when their most frequent playing is done online. brown told her that while video games do have some play value, a true sense of ' ' interpersonal nuance ' ' can be achieved only by a child who is engaging all five senses by playing in the three - dimensional world. this is part of a larger conversation americans are having about play. parents bobble between a nostalgia - infused yearning for their children to play and fear that time spent playing is time lost to more practical pursuits. alarming headlines about u. s. students falling behind other countries in science and math, combined with the ever - more - intense competition to get kids into college, make parents rush to sign up their children for piano lessons and test - prep courses instead of just leaving them to improvise on their own ; playtime versus r? m? uilding. discussions about play force us to reckon with our underlying ideas about childhood, sex differences, creativity and success. do boys play differently than girls? are children being damaged by staring at computer screens and video games? are they missing something when fantasy play is populated with characters from hollywood ' s imagination and not their own? most of these issues are too vast to be addressed by a single field of study ( let alone a magazine article ). but the growing science of play does have much to add to the conversation. armed with research grounded in evolutionary biology and experimental neuroscience, some scientists have shown themselves eager - - at times perhaps a little too eager - - to promote a scientific argument for play. they have spent the past few decades learning how and why play evolved in animals, generating insights that can inform our understanding of its evolution in humans too. they are studying, from an evolutionary perspective, to what extent play is a luxury that can be dispensed with when there are too many other competing claims on the growing brain, and to what extent it is central to how that brain grows in the first place. scientists who study play, in animals and humans alike, are developing a consensus view that play is something more than a way for restless kids to work off steam ; more than a way for chubby kids to burn off calories ; more than a frivolous luxury. play, in their view, is a central part of neurological growth and development -


financial accounting - ch 1 & 2 | four principal activities of business firms : | | 1. establishing goals and strategies | | what are the 2 sources financing comes from? | | 1. owners | | investments are made in the following : | | 1. land, buildings, equipment | 2. patents, licenses, contractual rights 3. stock and bonds of other organizations 5. accounts receivable | what are the 4 areas for conducting operations? | | 1. purchasing | | what are the 4 commonly used conventions in financial statements? | | 1. the accounting period | 2. the number of reporting periods 3. the monetary amounts 4. the terminology and level of detail in the financial statements | common financial reporting conventions, accounting period | | the length of time covered by the financial statements. ( the most common interval for external reporting is the fiscal year ). | | common financial reporting conventions, number of reporting periods | | the number of reporting periods included in a given financial statement presentation, both u. s. gaap and ifrs require firms to include results for multiple reporting periods in each report. | | common financial reporting conventions, monetary amounts | | this includes measuring units, like thousands, millions, or billions, and the currency, such as dollars ( $ ), euros ( € ), or swedish kronor ( sek ) | | common financial reporting conventions, terminology and level of detail in the financial statements | | u. s. gaap and ifrs contain broad guidance on what the financial statements must contain, but neither system completely specifies the level of detail or the names of accounts. therefore, some variation occurs. | | characteristics of a balance sheet | | a balance sheet : | 1. is also known as a statement of financial position ; 2. provides information at a point in time ; 3. lists the firm ' s assets, liabilities, and shareholders ' equity and provides totals and subtotals ; and 4. can be represented as the basic accounting equation. assets = liabilities + shareholders ' equity | accounting equation components | | 1. assets | 3. share holder ' s equity | assets | | assets are economic resources with the potential to provide future economic benefits to a firm. | examples : cash, accounts receivable, inventories, buildings, equipment, intangible assets ( like patents ) | liabilities | | liabilities are creditors ' claims for funds, usually because they have provided funds, or goods and services, to the firm. | examples : accounts payable, une


buildings, equipment, intangible assets ( like patents ) | liabilities | | liabilities are creditors ' claims for funds, usually because they have provided funds, or goods and services, to the firm. | examples : accounts payable, unearned income, notes payable, buildings, accrued salaries | shareholders ' equity | | shareholders ' equity shows the amounts of funds owners have provided and, in parallel, their claims on the assets of a firm. | examples : common stock, contributed capital, retained earnings | what are the separate sections on a balance sheet ( balance sheet classification ) | | 1. current assets represent assets that a firm expects to turn into cash, or sell, or consume within approximately one year from the date of the balance sheet ( i. e., accounts receivable and inventory ). | 2. current liabilities represent obligations a firm expects to pay within one year ( i. e., accounts payable and salaries payable ). 3. non - current assets are typically held and used for several years ( i. e., land, buildings, equipment, patents, long - term security investments ). 4. noncurrent liabilities and shareholders ' equity are sources of funds where the supplier of funds does not expect to receive them all back within the next year. | income statement | | 1. sometimes called the statement of profit and loss by firms applying ifrs | 2. provides information on profitability 3. may use the terms net income, earnings, and profit interchangeably 4. reports amounts for a period of time 5. typically one year 6. is represented by the basic income equation : net income = revenues - expenses | revenues | | ( also known as sales, sales revenue, or turnover, a term used by some firms reporting under ifrs ) measure the inflows of assets ( or reductions in liabilities ) from selling goods and providing services to customers. | | expenses | | measure the outflow of assets ( or increases in liabilities ) used in generating revenues. | | relationship between the balance sheet and the income statement | | 1. the income statement links the balance sheet at the beginning of the period with the balance sheet at the end of the period. | 2. retained earnings is increased by net income and decreased by dividends. | statement of cash flows | | the statement of cash flows ( also called the | cash flow statement ) reports information about cash generated from or used by : 2. investing, and 3. financing activities during specified time periods


and decreased by dividends. | statement of cash flows | | the statement of cash flows ( also called the | cash flow statement ) reports information about cash generated from or used by : 2. investing, and 3. financing activities during specified time periods. the statement of cash flows shows where the firm obtains or generates cash and where it spends or uses cash. | classification of cash flows | | 1. operations : | cash from customers less cash paid in carrying out the firm ' s operating activities cash paid to acquire noncurrent assets less amounts from any sale of noncurrent assets cash from issues of long - term debt or new capital less dividends | inflows and outflows of cash | | the relationship of the statement of cash flows to the balance sheet and income statement | | - the statement of cash flows explains the change in cash between the beginning and the end of the period, and separately displays the changes in cash from operating, investing, and financing activities. | - in addition to sources and uses of cash, the statement of cash flows shows the relationship between net income and cash flow from operations. | statement of shareholders ' equity | | this statement displays components of shareholders ' equity, including common shares and retained earnings, and changes in those components. | | other items in annual reports | | financial reports provide additional explanatory material in the schedules and notes to the financial statements. | | who are the 4 main groups of people involved with the financial reporting process | | 1. managers and governing boards of reporting entities. | 2. accounting standard setters and regulatory bodies. 3. independent external auditors. 4. users of financial statements. | what is the securities and exchange commission ( sec )? | | an agency of the federal government, that has the legal authority to set acceptable accounting standards and enforce securities laws. | | what is the financial accounting standards board ( fasb )? | | a private - sector body comprising five voting members, to whom the sec has delegated most tasks of u. s. financial accounting standard - setting. | | gaap | | 1. common terminology includes the pronouncements of the fasb ( and its predecessors ) in the compilation of accounting rules, procedures, and practices known as generally accepted accounting principles ( gaap ). | 2. recently, the fasb launched its codification project which organizes all of u. s gaap by topic ( for example, revenues ), eliminates duplications, and corrects inconsistencies


principles ( gaap ). | 2. recently, the fasb launched its codification project which organizes all of u. s gaap by topic ( for example, revenues ), eliminates duplications, and corrects inconsistencies. | fasb board members make standard - setting decisions guided by a conceptual framework that addresses : | | 1. objectives of financial reporting. | 2. qualitative characteristics of accounting information including the relevance, reliability, and comparability of data. 3. elements of the financial statements. 4. recognition and measurement issues. | sarbanes - oxley act of 2002. | | concerns over the quality of financial reporting have led, and continue to lead, to government initiatives in the united states. | sarbanes - oxley act of 2002 established the public company accounting oversight board ( pcaob ), which is responsible for monitoring the quality of audits of sec registrants. | international financial reporting standards ( ifrs ) | | - the international accounting standards board ( iasb ) is an independent accounting standard - setting entity with 14 voting members from a number of countries. standards set by the iasb are international financial reporting standards ( ifrs ). | - the fasb and iasb boards are working toward converging their standards, based on an agreement reached in 2002 and updated since then. | auditor ' s opinion | | firms whose common stock is publicly traded are required to get an opinion by an independent auditor who : | 1. assesses the effectiveness of the firm ' s internal control system for measuring and reporting business transactions 2. assesses whether the financial statements and notes present fairly a firm ' s financial position, results of operations, and cash flows in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles | basic accounting conventions and concepts | | 1. materiality is the qualitative concept that financial reports need not include items that are so small as to be meaningless to users of the reports. | 2. the accounting period convention refers to the uniform length of accounting reporting periods. 3. interim reports are often prepared for periods shorter than a year. however, preparing interim reports does not eliminate the need to prepare an annual report. | cash vs. accrual accounting | | cash basis | a firm measures performance from selling goods and providing services as it receives cash from customers and makes cash expenditures to providers of goods and services. a firm recognizes revenue when it sells goods or renders services and recognizes expenses in the period when the firm recognizes the revenues that the costs helped produce.


and providing services as it receives cash from customers and makes cash expenditures to providers of goods and services. a firm recognizes revenue when it sells goods or renders services and recognizes expenses in the period when the firm recognizes the revenues that the costs helped produce. | what is an account? how do you name accounts? | | - an account represents an amount on a line of a balance sheet or income statement ( i. e., cash, accounts receivable, etc. ). | - there is not a master list to define these accounts since they are customized to fit each specific business ' s needs. - accountants typically follow a conventional naming system for accounts, which increases communication. | what accounts make up the typical balance sheet? | | current assets and current liabilities ( balance sheet classifications ) | | receipt or payment of assets that the firm expects will occur within one year or one operating cycle. | | noncurrent assets and noncurrent liabilities ( balance sheet classifications ) | | firm expects to collect or pay these more than one year after the balance sheet date. | | duality effects of the balance sheet equation ( assets = liabilites + shareholders ' equity ) | | any single event or transaction will have one of the following four effects or some combination of these effects : | 1. increase an asset and increase either a liability or shareholders ' equity. 2. decrease an asset and decrease either a liability or shareholders ' equity. 3. increase one asset and decrease another asset. 4. increase one liability or shareholders ' equity and decrease another liability or shareholders ' equity. a t - account is a device or convention for organizing and accumulating the accounting entries of transactions that affect an individual account, such as cash, accounts receivable, bonds payable, or additional paid - in capital. | t - account conventions : assets | | t - account conventions : liabilities | | t - account conventions : shareholders ' equity | | debit vs. credit | while t - accounts are useful to help analyze how individual transactions flow and accumulate within various accounts, journal entries formalize the reasoning that supports the transaction. the attached standardized format indicates the accounts and amounts, with debits on the first line and credits ( indented ) on the second line : | revenue or sales : | ( common income statement terms ) | assets received in exchange for goods sold and services rendered. | | cost of goods sold : | ( common income statement terms ) | the cost of products sold. | | selling, general, and


or sales : | ( common income statement terms ) | assets received in exchange for goods sold and services rendered. | | cost of goods sold : | ( common income statement terms ) | the cost of products sold. | | selling, general, and administrative ( sg & a ) : | ( common income statement terms ) | costs incurred to sell products / services as well as costs of administration. | | research and development ( r & d ) expense : | ( common income statement terms ) | costs incurred to create / develop new products, processes, and services. | | interest income : | ( common income statement terms ) | income earned on amounts lent to others or from investments in interest - yielding securities. | | unique relationships exist between the balance sheet and the income statement | | important account differences | | 1. balance sheet accounts are permanent accounts in the sense that they remain open, with nonzero balances, at the end of the reporting period. | 2. in contrast, income statement accounts are temporary accounts in the sense that they start a period with a zero balance, accumulate information during the reporting period, and have a zero balance at the end of the reporting period. | the financial statement relationships can be summarized as : | - after preparing the end - of - period income statement, the accountant transfers the balance in each temporary revenue and expense account to the retained earnings account. - this procedure is called closing the revenue and expense accounts. after transferring to retained earnings, each revenue and expense account is ready to begin the next period with a zero balance. | expense and revenue transactions | | dividend declaration and payment | | issues of capital stock | | posting | | 1. after each transaction is recognized by a journal entry, the information is transferred in the accounting system via an activity known as posting. | 2. the balance sheet ledger accounts ( or permanent accounts ) where these are posted begin each period with a balance equal to the ending balance of the previous period. 3. the income statement ledger accounts ( or temporary accounts ) have zero beginning balances. | adjusting entries | | there are some journal entries that are not triggered by a transaction or exchange. | - rather, journal entries known as adjusting entries, result from the passage of time at the end of an accounting period or are used to correct errors ( more commonly known as correcting entries ). | four basic types of adjusting entries | | 1. unearned revenues | | closing process | | 1. after adjusting and correcting entries are made, the income statement can be


to correct errors ( more commonly known as correcting entries ). | four basic types of adjusting entries | | 1. unearned revenues | | closing process | | 1. after adjusting and correcting entries are made, the income statement can be prepared. | 2. once completed, it is time to transfer the balance in each temporary revenue and expense account to the retained earnings account. this is known as the closing process. 3. each revenue account is reduced to zero by debiting it and each expense account is reduced to zero by crediting it. 4. the offset account — retained earnings — is credited for the amount of total revenues and debited for the amount of total expenses. 5. thus, the balance of ending retained earnings for a period shows the difference between total revenues and total expenses. | preparation of the balance sheet | | 1. after the closing process is completed, the accounts with nonzero balances are all balance sheet accounts. | 2. we can use these accounts to prepare the balance sheet as at the end of the period. 3. the retained earnings account will appear with all other balance sheet accounts and now reflects the cumulative effect of transactions affecting that account. | final step in preparing financial statements : the cash flow statement | | 1. the statement of cash flows describes the sources and uses of cash during a period and classifies them into operating, investing, and financing activities. | 2. it provides a detailed explanation for the change in the balance of the cash account during that period. 3. two approaches can be used to prepare this statement : direct and indirect


intel demonstrated a wireless electric power system that could revolutionize modern life by eliminating chargers, wall outlets and eventually batteries all together by 2050. intel chief technology officer justin rattner demonstrated a wireless energy resonant link at intel ’ s 2008 developer ’ s forum. during the demo electricity was sent wirelessly to a lamp on stage, lighting a 60 watt bulb that uses more power than a typical laptop computer. most importantly, the electricity was transmitted without zapping anything or anyone that got between the sending and receiving units. “ the trick with wireless power is not can you do it ; it ’ s can you do it safely and efficiently, ” according to intel researcher josh smith. “ it turns out the human body is not affected by magnetic fields ; it is affected by elective fields. so what we are doing is transmitting energy using the magnetic field not the electric field. ” examples of potential applications include airports, offices or other buildings that could be rigged to supply power to laptops, mobile telephones or other devices toted into them. the technology could also be built into plugged in computer components, such as monitors, to enable them to broadcast power to devices left on desks or carried into rooms, according to mr. smith. - duracell, energizer, texas instruments and motorola mobility in attendance at the international wireless power summit ( prweb. com ) - british start - up working to bring wireless charging to the racetrack ( wheels. blogs. nytimes. com )


by roger fox i doubt the keystone project is even a real long term goal by transcanada,. certainly in the big picture keystone is only a single chapter in a much larger book. if you read this diary you will risk information overload, you will be offered numerous disparate data points that at first glance may seem unconnected. you will need to digest all the information offered, and then analyze. crude is is classified by the american petroleum institute ( api ) into light, medium, heavy and extra heavy crudes, by api gravity. if its api gravity is greater than 10, it is lighter and floats on water ; if less than 10, it is heavier and sinks. the albert tar sands contain crudes of api 10 or less that is called extra heavy or bitumen. heavy oil is defined as having an api gravity below 22. 3, medium oil is defined as having an api gravity between 22. 3 °api and 31. 1 °api, light crude oil is defined as having an api gravity higher than 31. 1. at a production rate of 3 million barells a day the tar sands can last for 170 years. this would also mean a hole in the ground visible from orbit. the keystone pipeline is only one of a couple of handfuls of pipeline proposals over the last decade in the western us, canada and alaska. alaskan nat gas is largely unexploited, and is used locally on the north slope. its estimated that 70 trillion cubic feet of nat gas can be found in alaska, a lot of it in the north slope area. there are at least 3 major proposals for nat gas pipelines from the north slope area and the adjacent mackenzie river delta in canada. 2 of these projects point right at alberta. transcanada and exxon mobil are partnered in the alaska gas pipeline proposal that will directly link nat gas production in the north slope of alaska thru alberta to the us mid west. this project may be the same as the denali proposal, and was reintroduced to thesenate in feb, of 2011. there also at least 2 variations. additionally there is the dempster lateral. - > next page : follow the routes south


| easton ' s bible dictionary | baalah of the well, ( joshua 19 : 8, probably the same as baal, mentioned in 1 chronicles 4 : 33, a city of simeon. int. standard bible encyclopedia ba ' - a - lath - be ' - er ba ` alath be ' er " lady ( mistress ) of the well " ; ( joshua 19 : 8 ( in 1 chronicles 4 : 33, baal ) ) : in jos this place is designated " ramah of the south, " i. e. of the negeb, while in 1 samuel 30 : 27 it is described as ramoth of the negeb. it must have been a prominent hill ( ramah = " height " ) in the far south of the negeb and near a well be ' er. the site is unknown though conder suggests that the shrine kubbet el baul may retain the old name. baalath - beer ( 2 occurrences ) joshua 19 : 8 and all the villages that were round about these cities to baalath - beer, ramah of the south. this is the inheritance of the tribe of the children of simeon according to their families. ( asv bbe dby jps wbs ylt nas ) 1 chronicles 4 : 33 and all the small places round these towns, as far as baalath - beer, the high place of the south. these were their living - places, and they have lists of their generations. ( bbe )


a risk factor is something that increases your likelihood of getting a disease or condition. it is possible to develop melanoma with or without the risk factors listed below. however, the more risk factors you have, the greater your likelihood of developing melanoma. if you have a number of risk factors, ask your doctor what you can do to reduce your risk. risk factors for melanoma include : the occurrence of melanoma has been linked with exposure to ultraviolet ( uv ) radiation. therefore, exposing your skin to uv rays from the sun or tanning lamps increases your odds of developing melanoma. people who live in sunny climates are exposed to more sunlight. people who live at high altitudes, where the sunlight is strongest, are exposed to more uv radiation. blistering sunburns, even as a child, also increase the risk of developing melanoma. having melanoma once increases your risk of developing it again. having many moles or large moles increases your risk of melanoma. also, irregular moles are more likely to turn into melanoma than normal moles. irregular moles are characterized by : - being larger than normal moles - being variable in color - having irregular borders - any pigmented spot in the nail beds - changing in size and / or shape most melanomas are diagnosed in young adults and older adults. family members of people with melanoma are at greater risk of developing the disease than people with no family history of the disease. people with a disease called xeroderma pigmentosa ( xp ) are at a very increased risk of developing melanoma. this rare disease does not allow patients to repair sun - damaged dna, therefore any sun exposure will result in damage and mutations that become melanomatous. it is not unusual for these people to develop hundreds of melanomas on their skin. similarly, people with hereditary dysplastic nevus syndrome or familial atypical multiple mole melanoma ( fammm ) syndrome are also at increased risk for developing melanoma. caucasians are more likely than black, hispanic and asian people to develop melanoma. most people who develop melanoma tend to burn rather than tan when exposed to sunlight. these people tend to have fair skin, freckles, red or blonde hair, or blue - colored eyes. - reviewer : brian randall, md - review date : 04 / 2013 - - update date : 04 / 08 / 2013 -


w hy is it important for scientists to contribute to science education? our nation has failed to meet important educational challenges, and our children are ill prepared to respond to the demands of today? s world. results of the third international mathematics and science study ( timss ) - - and its successor, timss - r - - show that the relatively strong international performance of u. s. 4th graders successively deteriorates across 8th - and 12th - grade cohorts. related studies indicate that u. s. prek - 12 curricula lack coherence, depth, and continuity and cover too many topics superficially. by high school, unacceptably low numbers of students show motivation or interest in enrolling in physics ( only one - quarter of all students ) or chemistry ( only one - half ). we are rapidly approaching universal participation at the postsecondary level, but we still have critical science, technology, engineering, and mathematics ( stem ) workforce needs and too few teachers who have studied science or mathematics. science and engineering degrees as a percentage of the degrees conferred each year have remained relatively constant at about 5 %. in this group, women and minorities are gravely underrepresented. the consequences of these conditions are serious. the u. s. department of labor estimates that 60 % of the new jobs being created in our economy today will require technological literacy, yet only 22 % of the young people entering the job market now actually possess those skills. by 2010, all jobs will require some form of technological literacy, and 80 % of those jobs haven? t even been created yet. we must prepare our students for a world that we ourselves cannot completely anticipate. this will require the active involvement of scientists and engineers. how is nsf seeking to encourage scientists to work on educational issues? the nsf strategic plan includes two relevant goals : to develop " a diverse, internationally competitive, and globally engaged workforce of scientists, engineers, and well - prepared citizens " and to support " discovery across the frontiers of science and engineering, connected to learning, innovation, and service to society. " to realize both of these goals, our nation? s scientists and engineers must care about the educational implications of their work and explore educational issues as seriously and knowledgeably as they do their research questions. the phrase " integration of research and education " conveys two ideas. first, good research generates an educational asset, and we must effectively use that asset. second, we need to encourage more scientists and engineers to pursue research careers that focus


research questions. the phrase " integration of research and education " conveys two ideas. first, good research generates an educational asset, and we must effectively use that asset. second, we need to encourage more scientists and engineers to pursue research careers that focus on teaching and learning within their own disciplines. all proposals submitted to nsf for funding must address two merit criteria : intellectual merit and broader impacts. in everyday terms, our approach to evaluating the broader impact of proposals is built on the philosophy that scientists and engineers should pay attention to teaching and value it, and that their institutions should recognize, support, and reward faculty, as well as researchers in government and industry, who take their role as educators seriously and approach instruction as a scholarly act. we think of education very broadly, including formal education ( k - graduate and postdoctoral study ) and informal education ( efforts to promote public understanding of science and research outside the traditional educational environment ). what does it mean to take education seriously and explore it knowledgeably? any scholarly approach to education must be intentional, be based on a valid body of knowledge, and be rigorously assessed. that is, our approach to educational questions must be a scholarly act. nsf actively invests in educational reform and models that encourage scientists and engineers to improve curriculum, teaching, and learning in science and mathematics at all levels of the educational system from elementary school to graduate study and postdoctoral work. we recognize that to interest faculty and practicing scientists and engineers in education, we must support research that generates convincing evidence that changing how we approach the teaching of science and mathematics will pay off in better learning and deeper interest in these fields. here are a few of the most recent efforts to stimulate interest in education that might be of interest to next wave readers. ( for more information, go to the nsf education and human resources directorate ' s web site. ) the gk - 12 program supports fellowships and training to enable stem graduate students and advanced undergraduates to serve in k - 12 schools as resources in stem content and applications. outcomes include improved communication and teaching skills for the fellows, increased content knowledge for prek - 12 teachers, enriched prek - 12 student learning, and stronger partnerships between higher education and local schools. the centers for learning and teaching ( clt ) program is a " comprehensive, research - based effort that addresses critical issues and national needs of the stem instructional workforce across the entire spectrum of formal and informal education. " the goal of the clt program is to support the development of new approaches to the assessment of learning, research on learning


- based effort that addresses critical issues and national needs of the stem instructional workforce across the entire spectrum of formal and informal education. " the goal of the clt program is to support the development of new approaches to the assessment of learning, research on learning within the disciplines, the design and development of effective curricular materials, and research - based approaches to instruction - - and through this work to increase the number of people who do research on education in the stem fields. this year ( fy 02 ) we are launching some prototype higher education centers to reform teaching and learning in our nation ' s colleges and universities through a mix of research, faculty development and exploration of instructional practices that can promote learning. like other nsf efforts, the centers incorporate a balanced strategy of attention to people, ideas and tools. we hope to encourage more science and engineering faculty to work on educational issues in both k - 12 and in postsecondary education. if you are interested in these issues and want to pursue graduate or postdoctoral study, or want to develop a research agenda on learning in stem fields, find the location and goals of the currently funded centers and also check later this summer to find out which higher education clt prototypes are funded. the following solicitations all involve the integration of research and education as well as attention to broadening participation in stem careers : the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics talent expansion program ( step ) program seeks to increase the number of students ( u. s. citizens or permanent residents ) pursuing and receiving associate or baccalaureate degrees in established or emerging fields within stem. the faculty early career development ( career ) program recognizes and supports the early career development activities of those teacher - scholars who are most likely to become the academic leaders of the 21st century. the course, curriculum, and laboratory improvement ( ccli ) program seeks to improve the quality of stem education for all students and targets activities affecting learning environments, course content, curricula, and educational practices. ccli offers three tracks : educational materials development, national dissemination, and adaptation and implementation. the integrative graduate education and research training ( igert ) program addresses the challenges of preparing ph. d. scientists and engineers with the multidisciplinary backgrounds and the technical, professional, and personal skills needed for the career demands of the future. the vertical integration of research and education in the mathematical sciences ( vigre ) program supports institutions with ph. d. - granting departments in the mathematical sciences in carrying out innovative educational programs, at all levels, that are integrated with