grades3 - 5, 6 - 8, 9 - 12 brief descriptionstudents determine revenue generated by sample pages from the yellow pages and discuss the value of advertising a business in this venue. keywordstelephone, phone, yellow, directory, advertise, business, revenue, calculate, chart, table, research, data, decision note : this math activity is designed to be done by hand, but you might integrate technology by having students use a computer spreadsheet program to organize and calculate data. open this activity with a brief discussion about the yellow pages section of the local telephone directory. how do the yellow pages differ from other parts of the book? what kinds of people publish phone numbers in the yellow pages? what might be the benefits of publishing phone numbers in the yellow pages? lead the discussion to how businesses use the yellow pages to advertise their products or services with other businesses offering similar services. share with students that yellow pages ads can be very expensive but that many business owners pay the rates because it ' s profitable for them to be listed among businesses that offer competitive products. a small yellow pages ad can cost hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars a year! in large urban areas, the costs of advertising in the yellow pages are likely to be greater than they are in a small, rural area. costs vary by geographic location and by the size of the ad. other variations might include whether the ad includes art or colored inks. in this activity, students will use the local telephone directory and some fictitious ad rates to calculate the amount of revenue that a page in the yellow pages generates. the fictitious ad rates might or might not be close to rates actually paid in your area. you are welcome to substitute true rates for your local area if you can get that information from your yellow pages publisher. ( publishers might not be willing to provide that information ; ad rates are frequently unpublished and often negotiable. ) for this activity, assign each student three pages in the yellow pages section of your local directory, or you might copy a number of pages and give three to each student. have each student create a chart ( or use a teacher - created chart ) and do the math for the three pages he or she is assigned. if you have time, it ' s a good idea to provide students with pages that include ads in a variety of sizes. you might even plan to give more complex pages ( with ads of a wide variety of sizes plus a fair number of individual listings ) to students with strong math abilities ; for


good idea to provide students with pages that include ads in a variety of sizes. you might even plan to give more complex pages ( with ads of a wide variety of sizes plus a fair number of individual listings ) to students with strong math abilities ; for students who are not as strong in math, you might provide simpler pages that will require less calculation. when students have their phone book pages, share with them that the rates advertisers pay for yellow pages ads depend on the size of the ad. ask : what different sizes of ads do you find on the pages you have in front of you? ( students will share that they see full - page ads, ads that take up a half of the page, or ads that take up a quarter, an eighth, or a sixteenth of the page. ) to accommodate students who are visual learners, you might cut 16 squares from a page of the yellow pages ; each square should be the size of an ad that takes up 1 / 16th of a page in the phone directory. have students assist as you paste those squares over a sample page ; students will see clearly that a page can be made up of 16 ads that are 1 / 16 of a page in size. you might also cut squares to show students that a page could include eight 1 / 8th - page ads, four 1 / 4th - page ads, or two 1 / 2 - page ads. at this time, provide a couple of sample pages from the yellow pages section of the phone directory. ( photocopying those pages onto overhead transparencies would be best. ) as a class, count and record the number of ads of different sizes and the number of individual ( 1 - or 2 - line ) ads that appear on each page. record the results in a format similar to the one below : | page no. | | 2 - line | | 1 / 16th page | | 1 / 16th page with art | | 1 / 8th page | | 1 / 8th page with art | | 1 / 4th page | | 1 / 4th page with art | | 1 / 2 page | | 1 / 2 page with art | | full page | | full page with art | hand out to students three pages from the yellow pages. have students create a chart similar to the one above ( or provide the chart for students to fill in ). have students use the chart to record the number of ads of different sizes and the number of individual listings on each page. introduce the ad rate sheet. provide the sheet for students in one of


( or provide the chart for students to fill in ). have students use the chart to record the number of ads of different sizes and the number of individual listings on each page. introduce the ad rate sheet. provide the sheet for students in one of the following formats : the simple ad rate sheet below can be used if you do not have access to an actual ad rate sheet from the publisher of your phone directory. ( notes : for younger students, you might simplify the activity by leaving off the " extra charge for art " column. all rates on this chart are on the low side for most locales. ) next, have students create a chart ( or use a teacher - created chart ) to figure how much revenue the yellow pages publisher took in for three pages of the phone directory. the chart below is a sample of the chart older students might use for each page. ( younger students might have fewer types of ads listed. ) size of ad cost per year extra charge for art 1 or 2 lines $ 120 no art allowed 1 / 16th page $ 390 $ 50 1 / 8th page $ 760 $ 75 1 / 4th page $ 900 $ 100 1 / 2 page $ 1, 420 $ 125 full page $ 2, 170 $ 175 | number of ads | | type and cost of ad | | total cost of ads | | 2 - line ad @ $ 120 | | $ | | 1 / 16th - page ad @ $ 390 | | $ | | 1 / 16th - page ad with art @ $ 440 | | $ | | 18th - page ad @ $ 760 | | $ | | 1 / 8th - page ad with art @ $ 835 | | $ | | 1 / 4th - page ad @ $ 990 | | $ | | 1 / 4th - page ad with art @ $ 1, 090 | | $ | | 1 / 2 - page ad @ $ 1, 420 | | $ | | 1 / 2 - page ad with art @ $ 1, 545 | | $ | | full - page ad @ $ 2, 170 | | $ | | full - page ad with art @ $ 2, 345 | | $ | | total ad dollars | | $ | ask students to record on the chart the number of each type of ad that appears. then they should figure out the total ad dollars generated by each type of ad. finally, they should total the figures for each type of ad to find the amount generated by each page of the yellow pages. have students repeat those steps for all three pages


then they should figure out the total ad dollars generated by each type of ad. finally, they should total the figures for each type of ad to find the amount generated by each page of the yellow pages. have students repeat those steps for all three pages. students answer the following question : if you owned a restaurant, would you publish a business ad in the yellow pages of your phone book? why or why not? lesson plan source language arts : english mathematics : number and operations nl - eng. k - 12. 4 communication skills nl - eng. k - 12. 7 evaluating data nl - eng. k - 12. 12 applying language skills nm - num. 3 - 5. 1 understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems nm - num. 3 - 5. 3 compute fluently and make reasonable estimates nm - num. 6 - 8. 1 understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems nm - num. 6 - 8. 3 compute fluently and make reasonable estimates nm - num. 9 - 12. 1 understand numbers, ways of representing numbers, relationships among numbers, and number systems nm - num. 9 - 12. 3 compute fluently and make reasonable estimates nm - conn. pk - 12. 3 recognize and apply mathematics in contexts outside of mathematics nm - rep. pk - 12. 1 create and use representations to organize, record, and communicate mathematical ideas nss - ec. k - 4. 2 effective decision making nss - ec. k - 4. 9 competition in the marketplace nss - ec. 5 - 8. 2 effective decision making nss - ec. 5 - 8. 9 competition in the marketplace nss - ec. 9 - 12. 2 effective decision making nss - ec. 9 - 12. 9 competition in the marketplace see more fun math lessons in these education world articles :


torque is an important factor in much of the equipment on a factory floor. measuring torque is often something that ' s misunderstood, which can lead to over - under - designing of measurement systems. this article addresses the many techniques and tradeoff of torque measurement techniques. torque can be divided into two major categories, either static or dynamic. the methods used to measure torque can be further divided into two more categories, either reaction or in - line. understanding the type of torque to be measured, as well as the different types of torque sensors that are available, will have a profound impact on the accuracy of the resulting data, as well as the cost of the measurement. in a discussion of static vs. dynamic torque, it is often easiest start with an understanding of the difference between a static and dynamic force. to put it simply, a dynamic force involves acceleration, were a static force does not. the relationship between dynamic force and acceleration is described by newton ’ s second law ; f = ma ( force equals mass times acceleration ). the force required to stop your car with its substantial mass would a dynamic force, as the car must be decelerated. the force exerted by the brake caliper in order to stop that car would be a static force because there is no acceleration of the brake pads involved. torque is just a rotational force, or a force through a distance. from the previous discussion, it is considered static if it has no angular acceleration. the torque exerted by a clock spring would be a static torque, since there is no rotation and hence no angular acceleration. the torque transmitted through a cars drive axle as it cruises down the highway ( at a constant speed ) would be an example of a rotating static torque, because even though there is rotation, at a constant speed there is no acceleration. the torque produced by the cars engine will be both static and dynamic, depending on where it is measured. if the torque is measured in the crankshaft, there will be large dynamic torque fluctuations as each cylinder fires and its piston rotates the crankshaft. if the torque is measured in the drive shaft it will be nearly static because the rotational inertia of the flywheel and transmission will dampen the dynamic torque produced by the engine. the torque required to crank up the windows in a car ( remember those? ) would be an example of a static torque, even though there is a rotational acceleration involved, because both the acceleration and rotational inertia of the crank are very small and the resulting dynamic torque ( torque = rotational inertia


printed wiring board ( pwb ) interconnect inductance can make or break the performance of a power supply. a large interconnect inductance can raise the high - frequency impedance of a gate drive circuit, impacting efficiency, or it can degrade the effectiveness of filter capacitors. in this power tip, we examine some simple formulas for interconnect inductance in free space and over a ground plane. we will find that the ground plane significantly reduces trace inductance and is critical for optimal performance in power supplies. the simplest trace to consider is a rectangular conductor in free space. a formula for its inductance is shown in figure 1. note that the inductance is a strong function of length but has a logarithmic relationship to the width of the conductor. while the recommendation of making a conductor as wide as possible to reduce its inductance is substantiated by the expression, the benefit of wide conductors is diminished by the logarithm. this is clearly shown in the table, which contains some sample conductor widths and calculates the resulting inductance of a one - inch - long conductor. for instance, a 10 mil ( 0. 25 mm ), 2 oz ( 1. 8 mil or 0. 07 mm ) conductor has an inductance of about 24 nh, if it is one - inch ( 25 mm ) long. if its width is increased by 50 times, the inductance only drops by a factor of four due to the logarithm in the expression. click on image to enlarge. figure 1 : inductance of a free space conductor has a logarithmic relationship to width. ground planes in circuit boards are used to ease routing, minimize the ground voltage variation, provide electrical and magnetic shielding, control impedances, and to help cool the components. additionally, they provide the opportunity to reduce the inductance of circuit conductors in the pwb. figure 2 presents a simple formula for the calculation of a conductor over a ground plane. the expression shows linear relationships between inductance, conductor height over the plane and its length. so to a first order, minimizing the separation of the conductor and ground or increasing the conductor width lets you drive the inductance toward zero. the table presents some sample calculations that can be compared with figure 1. for instance, we found that a 0. 10 - inch - wide conductor in free space had an inductance of 14


width lets you drive the inductance toward zero. the table presents some sample calculations that can be compared with figure 1. for instance, we found that a 0. 10 - inch - wide conductor in free space had an inductance of 14 nh per inch. that same conductor placed over a ground plane of a two - sided board ( 0. 06 inches thick ) would have 3 nh per inch. that is a 5 : 1 reduction in interconnect inductance, which translates into faster gate drives, more effective filtering capacitors and reduced circuit losses from proximity effects. the table also shows that with a six - layer board where the dielectric thickness is reduced to 0. 01 inch, the inductance is reduced by another factor of six. clearly, when routing boards, you will want to put your ground layers as close to the board surface as possible to minimize inductance connecting the components on the surface. click on image to enlarge. figure 2 : inductance of conductor over plane can be driven arbitrarily small. to summarize, inductances of conductors on single - layer boards are high due to the lack of a ground - plane layer. this can be mitigated somewhat by routing conductor pairs together. however, ground planes offer the ability to make order of magnitude reductions in this stray inductance, which will result in lower impedance signal paths. this can provide improved efficiency with improved gate drives, better electromagnetic interference ( emi ) performance due to improved filter performance, and lower crosstalk due to lower impedance nodes. please join us next month when we discuss a second look at snubbing the flyback converter. for more information about this and other power solutions, visit : www. ti. com / power - ca about the author is a senior applications manager and distinguished member of technical staff at texas instruments. he has more than 30 years of experience in the power electronics business and has designed magnetics for power electronics ranging from sub - watt to sub - megawatt with operating frequencies into the megahertz range. robert earned a bsee from texas a & m university and an msee from southern methodist university.


dsp tricks : interpolating a bandpass signalthere are many digital communications applications where a real signal is centered at one fourth the sample rate, or fs / 4. this condition makes quadrature downconversion particularly simple. in the event that you ' d like to generate an interpolated ( increased sample rate ) version of the bandpass signal but maintain its fs / 4 center frequency, there ' s an efficient way to do so. suppose we want to interpolate by a factor of two. so the output sample rate is twice the input sample rate, fs - out = 2fs - in. in this case the process is : quadrature downconversion by fs - in / 4, interpolation factor of two, quadrature upconversion by fs - out / 4, and then take only the real part of the complex upconverted sequence. the implementation of this scheme is shown at the top of figure 13 - 36 below. | figure 13 - 36. bandpass signal interpolation scheme, and spectra. | the sequences applied to the first multiplier in the top signal path are the real x ( n ) input and the repeating mixing sequence 1, 0, - 1, 0. that mixing sequence is the real ( or in - phase ) part of the complex exponential needed for quadrature downconversion by fs / 4. likewise, the repeating mixing sequence 0, - 1, 0, 1 applied to the first multiplier in the bottom path is the imaginary ( or quadrature phase ) part of the complex downconversion exponential the 2 symbol means insert one zero - valued sample between each signal at the a nodes. the final subtraction to obtain y ( n ) is how we extract the real part of the complex sequence at node d. that is, we ' re extracting the real part of the product of the complex signal at node c multiplied by the shaded spectra indicate true spectral components, while the white spectra represent spectral replications. of course, the same lowpass filter must be used in both processing paths to maintain the proper time delay and orthogonal phase relationships. there are several additional issues worth considering regarding this interpolation process. if the amplitude loss, inherent in interpolation, of a factor of two is bothersome, we can make the final mixing sequences 2, 0, - 2, 0, and 0, 2, 0, - 2 to compensate for that loss. because there are so many zero


interpolation, of a factor of two is bothersome, we can make the final mixing sequences 2, 0, - 2, 0, and 0, 2, 0, - 2 to compensate for that loss. because there are so many zeros in the sequences at node b ( three - fourths of the samples ), we should consider those efficient polyphase filters for the lowpass filtering. finally, if it ' s sensible in your implementation, consider replacing the final adder with a multiplexer ( because alternate samples of the sequences at node d are zeros ). in this case, the mixing sequence in the bottom path would be changed to 0, - 1, 0, 1. used with the permission of the publisher, prentice hall, this on - going series of articles on embedded. com is based on copyrighted material from " understanding digital signal processing, second edition " by richard g. lyons. the book can be purchased on line. richard lyons is a consulting systems engineer and lecturer with besser associates. as a lecturer with besser and an instructor for the university of california santa cruz extension, lyons has delivered digitasl signal processing seminars and training course at technical conferences as well at companies such as motorola, freescale, lockheed martin, texas instruments, conexant, northrop grumman, lucent, nokia, qualcomm, honeywell, national semiconductor, general dynamics and infinion. currently no items


swollen lymph nodes what are lymph nodes? lymph nodes are small, bean - shaped glands throughout the body. they are part of the lymphatic system, which carries fluid ( lymph fluid ), nutrients, and waste material between the body tissues and the bloodstream. the lymphatic system is an important part of the immune system, the body ' s defense system against disease. the lymph nodes filter lymph fluid as it flows through them, trapping bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances, which are then destroyed by special white blood cells called lymphocytes. lymph nodes may be found singly or in groups. and they may be as small as the head of a pin or as large as an olive. groups of lymph nodes can be felt in the neck, groin, and underarms. lymph nodes generally are not tender or painful. most lymph nodes in the body cannot be felt. what causes swollen lymph nodes? lymph nodes often swell in one location when a problem such as an injury, infection, or tumor develops in or near the lymph node. which lymph nodes are swollen can help identify the problem. common sites for swollen lymph nodes include the neck, groin, and underarms. what does it mean when lymph nodes swell in two or more areas of the body? when lymph nodes swell in two or more areas of the body, it is called generalized lymphadenopathy. this may be caused by : how are swollen lymph nodes treated? treatment for swollen glands focuses on treating the cause. for example, a bacterial infection may be treated with antibiotics, while a viral infection often goes away on its own. if cancer is suspected, a biopsy may be done to confirm the diagnosis. any swollen lymph nodes that don ' t go away or return to normal size over about a month should be checked by your doctor. how long will lymph nodes remain swollen? lymph nodes may remain swollen or firm long after an initial infection is gone. this is especially true in children, whose glands may decrease in size while remaining firm and visible for many weeks. emedicinehealth medical reference from healthwise to learn more visit healthwise. org find out what women really need. most popular topics pill identifier on rxlist - quick, easy, find a local pharmacy - including 24 hour, pharm


biography all music guide all music guide : one of a handful of musicians who can be said to have permanently changed jazz, charlie parker was arguably the greatest saxophonist of all time. he could play remarkably fast lines that, if slowed down to half speed, would reveal that every note made sense. " bird, " along with his contemporaries dizzy gillespie and bud powell, is considered a founder of bebop ; in reality he was an intuitive player who simply was expressing himself. rather than basing his improvisations closely on the melody as was done in swing, he was a master of chordal improvising, creating new melodies that were based on the structure of a song. in fact, bird wrote several future standards ( such as " anthropology, " " ornithology, " " scrapple from the apple, " and " ko ko, " along with such blues numbers as " now ' s the time " and " parker ' s mood " ) that " borrowed " and modernized the chord structures of older tunes. parker ' s remarkable technique, fairly original sound, and ability to come up with harmonically advanced phrases that could be both logical and whimsical were highly influential. by 1950, it was impossible to play " modern jazz " with credibility without closely studying charlie parker. born in kansas city, ks, charlie parker grew up in kansas city, mo. he first played baritone horn before switching to alto. parker was so enamored of the rich kansas city music scene that he dropped out of school when he was 14, even though his musicianship at that point was questionable ( with his ideas coming out faster than his fingers could play them ). after a few humiliations at jam sessions, bird worked hard woodshedding over one summer, building up his technique and mastery of the fundamentals. by 1937, when he first joined jay mcshann ' s orchestra, he was already a long way toward becoming a major player. charlie parker, who was early on influenced by lester young and the sound of buster smith, visited new york for the first time in 1939, working as a dishwasher at one point so he could hear art tatum play on a nightly basis. he made his recording debut with jay mcshann in 1940, creating remarkable solos with a small group from mcshann ' s orchestra on " oh, lady be good " and " honeysuckle rose. " when the mcshann big band arrived in new york in 1941, parker had short solos on a few of their studio blues records, and


mcshann ' s orchestra on " oh, lady be good " and " honeysuckle rose. " when the mcshann big band arrived in new york in 1941, parker had short solos on a few of their studio blues records, and his broadcasts with the orchestra greatly impressed ( and sometimes scared ) other musicians who had never heard his ideas before. parker, who had met and jammed with dizzy gillespie for the first time in 1940, had a short stint with noble sissle ' s band in 1942, played tenor with earl hines ' sadly unrecorded bop band of 1943, and spent a few months in 1944 with billy eckstine ' s orchestra, leaving before that group made their first records. gillespie was also in the hines and eckstine big bands, and the duo became a team starting in late 1944. although charlie parker recorded with tiny grimes ' combo in 1944, it was his collaborations with dizzy gillespie in 1945 that startled the jazz world. to hear the two virtuosos play rapid unisons on such new songs as " groovin ' high, " " dizzy atmosphere, " " shaw ' nuff, " " salt peanuts, " and " hot house, " and then launch into fiery and unpredictable solos could be an upsetting experience for listeners much more familiar with glenn miller and benny goodman. although the new music was evolutionary rather than revolutionary, the recording strike of 1943 - 1944 resulted in bebop arriving fully formed on records, seemingly out of nowhere. unfortunately, charlie parker was a heroin addict ever since he was a teenager, and some other musicians who idolized bird foolishly took up drugs in the hope that it would elevate their playing to his level. when gillespie and parker ( known as " diz and bird " ) traveled to los angeles and were met with a mixture of hostility and indifference ( except by younger musicians who listened closely ), they decided to return to new york. impulsively, parker cashed in his ticket, ended up staying in l. a., and, after some recordings and performances ( including a classic version of " oh, lady be good " with jazz at the philharmonic ), the lack of drugs ( which he combated by drinking an excess of liquor ) resulted in a mental breakdown and six months of confinement at the camarillo state hospital. released in january 1947, parker soon headed back to new york and engaged in some of the most rewarding playing of his career, leading a quintet that included miles davis, duke jordan, tommy potter,


of confinement at the camarillo state hospital. released in january 1947, parker soon headed back to new york and engaged in some of the most rewarding playing of his career, leading a quintet that included miles davis, duke jordan, tommy potter, and max roach. parker, who recorded simultaneously for the savoy and dial labels, was in peak form during the 1947 - 1951 period, visiting europe in 1949 and 1950, and realizing a lifelong dream to record with strings starting in 1949 when he switched to norman granz ' s verve label. but charlie parker, due to his drug addiction and chance - taking personality, enjoyed playing with fire too much. in 1951, his cabaret license was revoked in new york ( making it difficult for him to play in clubs ) and he became increasingly unreliable. although he could still play at his best when he was inspired ( such as at the 1953 massey hall concert with gillespie ), bird was heading downhill. in 1954, he twice attempted suicide before spending time in bellevue. his health, shaken by a very full if brief life of excesses, gradually declined, and when he died in march 1955 at the age of 34, he could have passed for 64. charlie parker, who was a legendary figure during his lifetime, has if anything grown in stature since his death. virtually all of his studio recordings are available on cd along with a countless number of radio broadcasts and club appearances. clint eastwood put together a well - intentioned if simplified movie about aspects of his life ( bird ). parker ' s influence, after the rise of john coltrane, has become more indirect than direct, but jazz would sound a great deal different if charlie parker had not existed. the phrase " bird lives " ( which was scrawled as graffiti after his death ) is still very true.


diamonds are a scientist ' s best friend : research into building better small machines do diamonds really last forever? that ' s the hope of university of wisconsin - madison researchers who are trying to solve the problems associated with building extremely small machines and having them withstand the test of time, wear and tear. the problem is that these machines are so small — microscopic or smaller — that their moving parts cannot be assisted by lubricants ; instead, they have to function in a dry state, like a car with no oil. a really, really small car with no oil. " they no longer behave in the same way as they do at the macro - scale, where materials may be far stronger, have more power to catalyze chemical reactions, be more optically responsive, and more, " says rob carpick, associate professor of engineering physics. " that is why it is very interesting to study the fundamental physics of nanoscale materials and also to try to utilize these unique properties for real applications. " an example of a real application includes the tiny sensors in cars that sense rapid deceleration and deploy airbags. carpick and his colleagues — including collaborators from argonne national laboratories — recently published research that is integral to better understanding the issues facing the engineering of both micro - and nanoelectromechanical systems, called mems and nems. the paper, published in the journal advanced materials, explored a material made by their argonne collaborators, ultrananocrystalline diamond ( uncd ) and, in particular, its structure and surface chemistry. " when you consider fabricating devices with sliding and rotational motion, you need to consider the structure and surface chemistry of the materials at the location of contact, called a tribological interface, " carpick explains. it ' s this issue of tribology — the study of friction, lubrication and wear of moving parts — that ' s particularly interesting when considering mems and nems. just because small machines can be made doesn ' t mean that they can be made to work well and not wear down the researchers say. due to the vast knowledge of its use in microscale fabrication, the material of choice has traditionally been silicon. but because silicon does not respond well to uses that require repetitive sliding or rolling, the machines made from it fail. two solutions to the problem include improving silicon ' s wearability or finding a new material. carpick is putting his money a new material : diamond. the published study reported on data taken exclusively at the sync


rolling, the machines made from it fail. two solutions to the problem include improving silicon ' s wearability or finding a new material. carpick is putting his money a new material : diamond. the published study reported on data taken exclusively at the synchrotron radiation center, an electron storage ring located at uw - madison that uses the light produced by electrons whizzing around a basketball court - sized ring to conduct spectroscopy — a method that uses electrons kicked out of the sample by this light like knocking bricks out of a wall — to analyze the bonding configuration of materials like diamond in detail. " to our surprise, we found that the structure and surface chemistry of the diamond at the tribological interface is worse than the original diamond. we found that at the tribological interface, the surface is more graphitic in nature, " explains carpick. " this would be bad news for a mems device. " the solution offered by carpick and his colleagues is to coat the surface of the diamond by removing the graphite and attaching hydrogen to the remaining pure diamond. this forms a strongly bonded " atomic cap " to the surface. like putting varnish on a wooden table, the diamond surface becomes sealed and the diamond becomes water repellent, a critical feature for a machine that runs without lubrication. " this means, if one wishes to build mems or nems devices from uncd, then we have shown a way to minimize friction and adhesion, and this will help us to develop more reliable, robust ( and ) long lasting mems devices, " carpick notes. the next step for carpick includes a collaborative effort with uw - madison physics professor gelsomina " pupa " de stasio, who has developed world - renowned spectroscopy methods at the synchrotron radiation center. the team has been awarded a $ 480, 000 grant from the united states air force office of scientific research to tackle the issue of wear and tear on these thin diamond films and to answer the question of whether diamonds can truly last forever — or at least a really long time.


mary stuart ( maria stuarda ) synopsis music by gaetano donizetti libretto by giuseppe bardari after schiller first performed : 1835 ( n / a ) scene 1 the palace of westminster it is a day of revelry at the court of the young elizabeth. the courtiers are celebrating in anticipation of the queen ’ s decision to accept the marriage proposal of the king of france. elizabeth arrives and announces her inclination to accept the proposal ; however, she loves leicester, and in private confesses that her freedom to love as an individual conflicts with her public duty as a sovereign. talbot and the courtiers plead for mercy for the imprisoned mary stuart, but elizabeth angrily cuts them short. cecil, who wants mary executed, urges elizabeth to come to a decision about her. the queen declares that should mary pose a threat to her then she would not hesitate to act. when he arrives at court, leicester is ordered by elizabeth to take a ring to the king of france as a token of her provisional acceptance of the marriage proposal. annoyed by his indifference to this news, the queen departs. talbot hands leicester a portrait and a letter from mary in which she asks for his help. leicester ’ s love and sympathy for mary are reawakened. he vows to champion her cause, despite talbot ’ s warnings of the dangers involved. elizabeth returns and confronts leicester, suspecting that he has had a message from mary. he persuades her to meet mary face to face. scene 2 the grounds of fotheringhay castle leicester has contrived that mary be temporarily released from her confinement so that she may ‘ inadvertently ’ meet elizabeth. mary is innocently walking with her companion hannah kennedy in the grounds of the castle, where the beauties of the natural world remind her of her early life in france. the sounds of the royal hunt are heard and mary realizes that elizabeth is close by. leicester arrives to prepare her for her meeting with elizabeth ; he asks her to be submissive before the english queen, but mary is both resentful and afraid. mary rushes off before elizabeth, cecil and the hunting party approach, but is later brought back into elizabeth ’ s presence by talbot. the two queens meet for the first time. elizabeth is infuriated by mary ’ s demeanour and, although mary is humble and pleads for mercy, elizabeth is scornful and haughty, accusing mary of treachery and murder. mary can take no more of these insults and turns on elizabeth, denouncing her as the


and, although mary is humble and pleads for mercy, elizabeth is scornful and haughty, accusing mary of treachery and murder. mary can take no more of these insults and turns on elizabeth, denouncing her as the bastard daughter of anne boleyn. furious, elizabeth summons the guards to return mary to custody and swears to be avenged. ( n / a ) sixteen years have passed scene 1 elizabeth ’ s private chamber cecil tries to persuade elizabeth to sign mary ’ s death warrant. she eventually does so, ignoring leicester ’ s final pleas for mary to be spared. he upbraids elizabeth for her cruelty and jealousy when she refuses to reconsider. elizabeth orders leicester to witness the execution. scene 2 fotheringhay castle cecil delivers the death warrant to mary. left alone with talbot, she becomes distraught, imagining ghosts from her past. talbot, however, urges her to place her trust in god, confess her sins, and prepare to face the inevitable. scene 3 the courtyard of fotheringhay castle a crowd has gathered to witness mary ’ s execution. she enters and asks her faithful companions to join her in praying for forgiveness. a cannon shot is heard and cecil announces that the moment of execution draws near. mary forgives elizabeth. leicester enters in a state of agitation, but is unable to help mary. as a second cannon shot is heard, mary takes her final farewells and prays for the welfare of england. she is led towards her executioner. back to full list already a member? sign in now to access the members only area not a member? join now to receive priority booking, invitations to dress rehearsals and members - only events and much more.


the test of phonological awareness ( topa ) was developed to help identify children who are delayed in their development of phonological awareness. research supports the theory that children with poor phonological awareness are at risk of later reading difficulties. children who score in the bottom quartile of the topa are considered to be at risk for reading difficulties. there are two versions of the topa, one for kindergarten and one for early elementary school. both are made up of two 10 - question subtests with pictures used to represent words. the quality of the items appears to be adequate for screening for awareness of phonemes, and the test appears easy to administer. the topa yields raw scores, percentiles, and standard scores. scores are sensitive to the time of the school year the test is administered for the kindergarten version. the normative sample was carefully selected. norms for the kindergarten topa were made up from responses of 875 children from 10 states, while those for the early elementary version are from 3, 654 children from 38 states. coefficient alpha, based on 100 children at each age level, was 0. 90 for kindergarten and 0. 88 for early elementary, results that support the internal consistency of the topa. overall, the topa has many strengths, including a large and representative normative sample. this does not mean that all school districts will relate to the instrument ' s norms. one suggestion for improvement would be to prepare local norms. another issue of concern is the clarity of pronunciation and dialect of the administrator. the topa - early elementary correlated well with subtests from the woodcock reading mastery test. correlations with other measures designed to measure phonological awareness were moderate for the kindergarten version and moderate to high for the early elementary version. it is concluded that the topa has potential for identifying children at risk for reading difficulties, and due to the ease of administration and the short time required, it can be used as a screening device. ( contains three references. ) ( sld ) paper presented at the education research exchange ( college station, tx, february 7, 1998 ).


lava flows in daedalia planum mars express imaged daedalia planum, a sparsely cratered, untextured plain on the red planet featuring solidified lava flows of varying ages. daedalia planum lies to the south - east of arsia mons, one of the largest volcanoes on mars. it is 350 km in diameter and rises 14 km. the plain is dominated by numerous lava flows of varying ages. it lies at about 21°s / 243°e. the images have a ground resolution of about 17 m / pixel and cover about 150 x 75 km or 11 250 sq km, an area roughly the size of jamaica. the region features numerous solidified lava flows of different ages. these flows originate at the southern flank of arsia mons. the map shows two lava flows : the younger flow ( upper portion visible in nadir images ) exhibits flow structures, pressure ridges as well as the central lava channel ( upper right corner ). an older flow visible in the lower portion has a smoother surface owing to gradual accumulation of sediments. two striking depressions lying almost at right angles to the lava flow are also visible in the upper portion of the imaged region. these structures are related to grabens that existed earlier ( grabens are depressional features formed by faults in the crust ). it is likely that the lava flows invaded the grabens partially or filled them up completely. where a graben was only partially filled, the original dimensions are still recognisable. in the upper left of the nadir image is a portion of this feature that remains unmodified by the younger lava flows. existing impact craters have also been transformed by the lava flows. the two larger craters show different stages of modification ( visible in the 3d image ). the largest crater ( bottom ) was not affected by the lava flow but the ejecta blanket formed during the impact is partially covered in lava. the second largest crater has been flooded almost entirely, although minor portions of the rim are still preserved. it is likely that the lava entered through a breach in the rim, filling it up. fully covered impact craters, whose outlines are still visible, are also known as ghost craters. one such ghost crater is located in the immediate vicinity of the second largest impact crater. the colour scenes have been derived from the three hrsc - colour channels and the nadir channel. the perspective views have been calculated from the digital terrain model derived from the stereo channels. the anaglyph image was calculated from both stereo channels. the black and


the gummy bear romp " the gummy bear romp " levels : low to intermediate applications : review or introduce 1. colours. 2. animals and / or objects vocabulary 3. interrogatives : " do you want...? " " do you have...? " 4. responses : " yes, i do " " no, i don ' t " " i don ' t have... " etc. supplies needed : 1. a bag of gummy bears or two. 2. a good picture dictionary or pictures of animals or other objects. optimum group size : 1 - 30 variations : limited only by your imagination. this particular activity can be adapted to almost any environment. start the activity with a bag of gummy bears. you ' ll probably find that each bag of candy has maybe 4 or 5 different colours. depending on class size, you might want to form several groups. 1. start off by making sure that everyone knows what a bear is and by showing the various colours of candy bears that you have ; ( usually red, yellow, green, white and orange ). begin by asking a student if he / she would like a particular colour of candy bear which you have. ie " do you want a red candy bear? " response will be either, " yes i do " or " no, i want a ( different colour ) candy bear please ". of course, give them what they asked for. continue this process until each student has a candy bear. 2. next, redo the questioning but this time, introduce colours which you don ' t actually have ie " do you want a purple candy bear? " possible responses : " no, i want a red candy bear " or " yes i do " to which you respond " i don ' t have a purple candy bear. what do 3. continue with the questioning and alter as many variables as you wish which will stimulate an ongoing give and take dialogue. possible scenario : teacher : do you want a green elephant candy? student : no, i don ' t. i want a blue octopus candy. teacher : i ' m sorry, i don ' t have a blue octopus candy. what do you want? student : you don ' t have a blue octopus candy? teacher : no, i ' m sorry i don ' t. what do you want? student : i want a pink worm candy. teacher : i ' m sorry, i don ' t have a pink worm candy. what do you want? 4


bethesda, md — as you decide what to get dad for father ' s day, you might want to consider what he gave you when you were conceived. if he smoked, your genes are likely damaged, and your odds for cancers and other diseases throughout your life could be increased. a new research report appearing online in the faseb journal, scientists show for the first time in humans that men who smoke before conception can damage the genetic information of their offspring. these inherited changes in dna could possibly render an offspring in the womb susceptible to later disease such as cancer. this provides evidence showing why men should be urged to stop smoking before trying to conceive in the same way women have been urged to quit. interestingly, a fertile sperm cell takes about three months to fully develop ; therefore men would ultimately need to quit smoking long before conception to avoid causing genetic problems. " that smoking of fathers at the time around conception can lead to genetic changes in their children indicates that the deleterious effects of smoking can be transmitted through the father to the offspring, " said diana anderson, ph. d., a researcher involved in the work from the school of life sciences at the university of bradford, in the united kingdom. " these transmitted genetic changes may raise the risk of developing cancer in childhood, particularly leukemia and other genetic diseases. we hope that this knowledge will urge men to cease smoking before trying to conceive. " to make this discovery, anderson and colleagues used dna biomarkers to measure genetic changes in the paternal blood and semen around conception, as well as maternal and umbilical cord blood at delivery in families from two different european regions in central england and a greek island. information regarding the lifestyle, environmental and occupational exposures of these families was taken from validated questionnaires. the combined analysis of exposures and dna biomarkers was used to evaluate the role of exposures before conception and during pregnancy in the causation of genetic changes in the offspring. these results have strong implications for the prevention of disease. " this report shows that smoking is a germ cell mutagen. if dad uses cigarettes, his kids will be affected even before they are born, " said gerald weissmann, m. d., editor - in - chief of the faseb journal. " as father ' s day approaches, family members may want to give dads and prospective dads the help they need to quit smoking for good. " receive monthly highlights from the faseb journal by e - mail. sign up


##b journal. " as father ' s day approaches, family members may want to give dads and prospective dads the help they need to quit smoking for good. " receive monthly highlights from the faseb journal by e - mail. sign up at http : / / www. faseb. org / fjupdate. aspx. the faseb journal is published by the federation of the american societies for experimental biology ( faseb ) and is the most cited biology journal worldwide according to the institute for scientific information. in 2010, the journal was recognized by the special libraries association as one of the top 100 most influential biomedical journals of the past century. faseb is composed of 26 societies with more than 100, 000 members, making it the largest coalition of biomedical research associations in the united states. celebrating 100 years of advancing the life sciences in 2012, faseb is rededicating its efforts to advance health and well - being by promoting progress and education in biological and biomedical sciences through service to our member societies and collaborative advocacy. details : julian laubenthal, olga zlobinskaya, krzysztof poterlowicz, adolf baumgartner, michal r. gdula, eleni fthenou, maria keramarou, sarah j. hepworth, jos c. s. kleinjans, frederik - jan van schooten, gunnar brunborg, roger w. godschalk, thomas e. schmid, and diana anderson. cigarette smoke - induced transgenerational alterations in genome stability in cord blood of human f1 offspring. faseb j. doi : 10. 1096 / fj. 11 - 201194 ; http : / / www. fasebj. org / content / early / 2012 / 06 / 21 / fj. 11 - 201194. abstract aaas and eurekalert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to eurekalert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the eurekalert! system.


san diego, ca ( october 17, 2012 ) – a sweeping study on the issue of antibiotic - resistant bacteria in hospitals shows that using antimicrobial soap and ointment on all intensive - care patients significantly decreases bloodstream infection. the results, which are being presented for the first time at idweek 2012tm, may suggest a major change in health care practice that could help save lives. the study involved nearly 75, 000 patients in 43 mostly community hospitals in 16 states and involved each hospital ' s own quality improvement team. working with these teams enabled important questions to be answered during routine medical care. as such, the study ' s findings about " universal decolonization " for methicillin - resistant staphylococcus aureus ( mrsa ) may have widespread applicability to hospitals across the country. of the strategies tested, the one that proved to be most effective, was arguably the simplest and most straightforward : rather than screening intensive care unit ( icu ) patients for the bacteria and then focusing on those identified as carriers, all patients were bathed daily with chlorhexidine antiseptic soap for the duration of their icu stay, and all received mupirocin antibiotic ointment applied in the nose for five days. investigators found that the number of patients harboring mrsa — not sick because of it, but at risk for later illness and for spreading it to others — dropped by more than a third. bloodstream infections caused by mrsa and other pathogens decreased by nearly half. " this trial provides strong evidence that removing bacteria from the skin and nose is highly effective at preventing serious infection in high - risk icu patients, " said lead researcher susan huang, md, mph, an associate professor at the university of california, irvine school of medicine and medical director of epidemiology and infection prevention at university of california, irvine healthcare. " a 44 percent reduction in infection is very promising for improving medical care and protecting highly vulnerable patients, " huang said. " it suggests that treating all icu patients with this strategy is beneficial. this approach may make screening for drug - resistant organisms unnecessary. " the study is among the significant work being discussed at the inaugural idweek meeting, taking place through sunday in san diego. with the theme advancing science, improving care, idweek features the latest science and bench - to - bedside approaches in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology of infectious diseases, including hiv, across the lifespan. more than 1, 500 abstracts from scientists


advancing science, improving care, idweek features the latest science and bench - to - bedside approaches in prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and epidemiology of infectious diseases, including hiv, across the lifespan. more than 1, 500 abstracts from scientists in this country and internationally will be highlighted over the conference ' s five days. the trial, which was conducted in 2010 - 2011, was a collaborative effort involving several academic institutions, the hospital corporation of america ( hca ), and research programs at two u. s. department of health and human services ' agencies, the agency for healthcare research and quality ( ahrq ) and the centers for disease control and prevention ( cdc ). the study concept and design was created by investigators in the cdc ' s prevention epicenter program at the university of california, irvine, harvard pilgrim health care institute and harvard medical school, rush university and washington university in st. louis. a total of 74 adult icus in the 43 hca - affiliated hospitals took part. ahrq ' s healthcare associated infections program provided funding to conduct the research as part of the agency ' s developing evidence to inform decisions about effectiveness program. scott fridkin, md, vice - chair of idweek and a cdc senior medical epidemiologist, said the partners planned the study to impact clinical practice at the bedside. " we know that easy - to - use solutions help clinicians protect patients from mrsa and other drug - resistant infections that are known to be deadly for patients in healthcare settings, " he said. " the ultimate goal of this effort is to prevent infections and save patients ' lives. " in icus, many infections are caused by increasingly antibiotic - resistant bacteria that for most people live harmlessly on the skin or, particularly in the case of mrsa, in the nose. these often preventable infections can cause serious complications for patients, prolonging hospital stays, driving up costs and increasing the risk of death. more and more states have mandated mrsa screening by hospitals, but some experts question whether other measures, either targeted or universal, would have greater impact. huang and her colleagues looked at the potential benefit in covering all icu patients. the 43 participating hospitals were randomized and assigned one of three approaches. one group was to continue routine care, screen icu patients for mrsa and isolate those found to be carrying the bacteria. the second group similarly screened and isolated carriers but also provided bathing with chlorhexidine soap and then nasal mupirocin ointment to help remove


, screen icu patients for mrsa and isolate those found to be carrying the bacteria. the second group similarly screened and isolated carriers but also provided bathing with chlorhexidine soap and then nasal mupirocin ointment to help remove ( decolonize ) mrsa from the body. the third group of hospital icus eliminated all screening and instead treated every patient who was admitted with the daily chlorhexidine bath and five days of mupirocin ointment in the nose. the number of icu patients carrying mrsa fell by approximately 35 percent in the universal decolonization group, compared to no change among patients who were screened and isolated. bloodstream infection due to all causes in the universal decolonization intervention group decreased to 3. 6 cases per 1, 000 patient days in the hospital, down from the previous rate of 6. 1. huang cautioned that the results apply only to icus and that widespread use of antimicrobial soap and ointment in patient populations at low risk for infection might increase resistance to these products without providing benefit. in addition, there is concern whether broad adoption within critical - care settings could speed emerging antibiotic resistance. these issues will require further research, huang said. formal cost analyses also will be needed. cdc is in the process of evaluating how the findings should inform its infection prevention guidelines. idweek 2012tm is the first joint annual meeting of idsa, shea, hivma, and pids. the meeting convenes leading researchers and practitioners from around the world to showcase the latest developments in the field. sessions present advances in basic, translational, and clinical research in infectious diseases, including hiv infection, and healthcare epidemiology, and provide state - of - the - art updates on key topics and issues. for more information, visit www. idweek. org, follow us on twitter @ idweek2012 and like us on facebook at idweek. aaas and eurekalert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to eurekalert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the eurekalert! system.


history of the baptist churches in holland a group of english separatists, led by john smyth, came under mennonite influence and formed c. 1608 in amsterdam the first english baptist congregation. smyth baptized first himself, then the others. in 1611 certain members of this congregation returned to london and established a church there. this was the first of the churches afterward known as general baptists, since they held the arminian belief that the atonement of jesus is not limited to the elect only but is general. in 1633 the particular baptists were founded. they were a group whose calvinistic doctrine taught that atonement is particular or individual. immersion was not yet insisted upon in these churches, but in 1644 seven particular baptist churches issued a confession of faith requiring that form of baptism, and baptist was thenceforth the name given to those who practiced it. in 1891, general and particular baptists united into a single body called the baptist union of great britain and ireland. in america it was baptists of the particular type that first gained influence among the puritans and calvinists, when roger williams and his companions in rhode island rejected infant baptism and established a church in 1639 based on the individual profession of faith. baptists were later persecuted in new england for opposing infant baptism, and one group emigrated c. 1684 from maine to charleston, s. c. a group of separate congregationalists from new england under shubael stearns and daniel marshall established ( 1755 ) the separate baptists in sandy creek, n. c. in the southeast the general baptist views found acceptance, but the stricter calvinistic ideas suited the pioneers who settled the southern mountains after the revolution. their opposition to mission work gave them the name anti - mission. they were also called hard shell or primitive baptists. early missionary activity extended the baptist movement to the continent and elsewhere. in the united states the american baptist missionary union ( under a longer title ) was formed in 1814 to support workers in foreign lands. in 1832 the american baptist home mission society was organized. when the question of slavery became a dividing wall, the southern baptist convention was established ( 1845 ). sections in this article : the columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. copyright © 2012, columbia university press. all rights reserved.


good news for sky watchers, bad news for sky travelers : the eruption of a volcano in iceland means that all flights to and from ireland and the u. k. are grounded until 6 a. m. gmt tomorrow morning, and airports have closed in sweden, france, denmark, finland, belgium, and the netherlands. that means a lot of very unhappy people at airports throughout europe. and this is when the classic understatement of the brits comes into its own : " i ' m meant to be going to lanzarote, " said one passenger interviewed at glasgow airport. " we ' ve traveled from oban, leaving at 3 a. m. now we ' ve decided we might as well just go home and do a bit of gardening. " excellent choice, sir, if i might say so. according to robin scagell of the u. k. ' s society for popular astronomy, the cloud of ash drifting over the u. k. is going to make for some stunning sunsets. " be ready to enjoy some dazzling arrays of colors, especially purples and reds looking much stronger than usual. " the effects will not be confined to the skies above europe. when a volcano erupts, the mixture of ash and sulphur compounds create a volcanic aerosol in the stratosphere. the ensuing blue glow, invisible to the eye, reacts with the sun ' s red light when it sets and turns skies violet, crimson and purple. you may even see a blue moon. however, anyone thinking that beautiful sunsets = bikini weather might want to consider having a michael phelps - esque lzr racer tailored for them - - in wolfskin. all that ash in the atmosphere means less sunlight will get through to the earth ' s surface, which will mean a colder summer. when mount tambora erupted in 1815, the resulting changes to the weather the following year included snow in june, and rivers as far south as pennsylvania froze. a professor of geophysics at the university of iceland has, however, warned that eyjafjallajokull could continue belching lava and ash for a couple more months, which doesn ' t bode well for europeans hoping to fly somewhere sunny for their summer holidays. the last time it erupted was in 1821, and the volcanic activity continued, on and off, for a year. " if there is any rule about volcanos, it is : there is no rule, " professor pall einarsson said. the airline bosses will be


under the texas family code ( tex. fam. code ) a “ parent ” is defined as the mother, a man presumed to be the father, a man legally determined to be the father, a man who has been adjudicated to be the father by a court of competent jurisdiction, a man who acknowledged his paternity under applicable law, or an adoptive mother or father. the father - child relationship is established between a man and a child by : - an unrebutted presumption of the man ’ s paternity of the child under section 160. 204 ; - an effective acknowledgment of paternity by the man under subchapter d, unless the acknowledgment has been rescinded or successfully challenged ; - an adjudication of the man ’ s paternity ; - the adoption of the child by the man ; or - the man ’ s consenting to assisted reproduction by his wife under subchapter h, which resulted in the birth of a child. tex. fam. code sec. 160, otherwise known as the uniform parentage act, states that a man is presumed to be the father of a child if : - he is married to the mother of the child and the child is born during the marriage ; - he is married to the mother of the child and the child is born before the 301st day after the date the marriage is terminated by death, annulment, declaration of invalidity, or divorce ; - he married the mother of the child before the birth of the child in apparent compliance with law, even if the attempted marriage is or could be declared invalid, and the child is born during the invalid marriage or before the 301st day after the date the marriage is terminated by death, annulment, declaration of invalidity, or divorce ; - he married the mother of the child after the birth of the child in apparent compliance with law, regardless of whether the marriage is or could be declared invalid, he voluntarily asserted his paternity of the child, and : a ) the assertion is in a record filed with the bureau of vital statistics ; b ) he is voluntarily named as the child ’ s father ; or c ) he promised in a record to support the child as his own ; or - during the first two years of the child ’ s life, he continuously resided in the household in which the child resided and he represented to others that the child was his own. a presumption of paternity


child as his own ; or - during the first two years of the child ’ s life, he continuously resided in the household in which the child resided and he represented to others that the child was his own. a presumption of paternity established under this section may be rebutted only by : - an adjudication under subchapter g ; or - the filing of a valid denial of paternity by a presumed father in conjunction with the filing by another person of a valid acknowledgment of paternity. a presumed father of a child may sign a denial of paternity. however, the denial is valid only if : - an acknowledgment of paternity signed or otherwise authenticated by another man is filed under section 160. 305 of the texas family code ; - the denial is in a record and is signed or otherwise authenticated under penalty of perjury ; and - the presumed father has not previously : a ) acknowledged paternity of the child, unless the previous acknowledgment has been rescinded under section 160. 307 of the texas family code or successfully challenged under section 160. 308 of the texas family code ; or b ) been adjudicated to be the father of the child. the rules for adjudication of paternity are as follows : - the paternity of a child having a presumed, acknowledged, or adjudicated father may be disproved only by admissible results of genetic testing excluding that man as the father of the child or identifying another man as the father of the child. - unless the results of genetic testing are admitted to rebut other results of genetic testing, the man identified as the father of a child under section 160. 505 shall be adjudicated as being the father of the child. - unless the results of genetic testing are admitted to rebut other results of genetic testing, the a man excluded as the father of a child by genetic testing shall be adjudicated as not being the father of the child. - if the court finds that genetic testing under section 160. 505 does not identify or exclude a man as the father of a child, the court may not dismiss the proceeding. in that event, the results of genetic testing and other evidence are admissible to adjudicate the issue of paternity. under tex. fam. code sec. 160. 608, if there is an established relationship between the presumed father and the child, the court may


| | | | by dave dewitt i am constantly asked to explain the exponential growth of interest in chile peppers and the boom in fiery foods products in the u. s. over the past two decades. how did a meat and potatoes america become enamored of hot sauces, salsas, spicy snack food, chili con carne, and hundreds and hundreds of other fiery foods? first, we must look at the historical trends for why cooks add spices to their foods in the first place. there are a number of explanations for why we have added spices such as chile peppers to our foods over the tens or hundreds of thousands of years that we have been cooking. they are : spices make foods taste better. the " eat - to - sweat hypothesis " – eating spicy foods makes us cool down during hot weather. to disguise the taste of spoiled food. spices add nutritional value to food. the antimicrobial hypothesis : spices kill harmful bacteria in food and aid in food preservation. which of these explanations are correct? the first cornell university study in 1998, jennifer billing and paul w. sherman published a study in the quarterly review of biology that examined the reasons why humans might use spices. they studied 4, 578 recipes from 93 cookbooks on traditional, meat - based cuisines of 36 countries ; the temperature and precipitation levels of each country ; the horticultural ranges of 43 spice plants ; and the antibacterial properties of each spice. the first thing they discovered was that many spices were incredibly antibacterial. for example, garlic, onion, allspice, and oregano were the best all - around microbe killers, killing almost everything. next were thyme, cinnamon, tarragon, and cumin, which kill about 80 percent of all bacteria. chile peppers were in the next group, with about a 75 percent kill rate. in the lower ranges of 25 percent were black pepper, ginger, and lime juice. next, they learned that " countries with hotter climates used spices more frequently than countries with cooler climates. indeed, in hot countries nearly every meat - based recipe calls for at least one spice, and most include many spices, especially the potent spices, whereas in cooler counties substantial fractions of dishes are prepared without spices, or with just a few. " thus the estimated fraction of food - spoilage bacteria inhibited by the spices in each recipe is greater in hot than in cold climates, which makes sense since bacteria grow faster and better in warmer areas. the researchers addressed the various theories. first, obviously spices


the estimated fraction of food - spoilage bacteria inhibited by the spices in each recipe is greater in hot than in cold climates, which makes sense since bacteria grow faster and better in warmer areas. the researchers addressed the various theories. first, obviously spices make food taste better, " but why do spices taste good? traits that are beneficial are transmitted both culturally and genetically, and that includes taste receptors in our mouths and our taste for certain flavors. people who enjoyed food with antibacterial spices probably were healthier, especially in hot climates. they lived longer and left more offspring. " billing and sherman discounted the " eat - to - sweat " theory, noting that not all spices make people sweat and that there are easier ways to cool down, like moving into the shade. regarding the theory that spices mask the odor of spoiled food, they noted that it " ignores the health dangers of ingesting spoiled food. " and since spices, except for chiles and citrus, add minimal nutritional value to food, that theory goes nowhere. that leaves just two theories : that spices make foods taste good, and that they kill harmful bacteria – and those two theories are inseparable. " i believe that recipes are a record of the history of the co - evolutionary race between us and our parasites. the microbes are competing with us for the same food, " sherman says. " everything we do with food - - drying, cooking, smoking, salting or adding spices - - is an attempt to keep from being poisoned by our microscopic competitors. they ' re constantly mutating and evolving to stay ahead of us. one way we reduce food - borne illnesses is to add another spice to the recipe. of course that makes the food taste different, and the people who learn to like the new taste are healthier for it. we believe the ultimate reason for using spices is to kill food - borne bacteria and fungi. " the second cornell university study in 2001, paul w. sherman and geoffrey a. hash continued the examination of spices in human diet with a study entitled " why vegetable recipes are not very spicy, " published in evolution and human behavior. they compiled information from 2, 129 vegetable - only recipes from 107 traditional cookbooks of 36 countries. then they examined the history of the spice trade and discovered that for thousands of years spices have been traded all over the world, resulting in their availability in most world cuisines. the most traded spices are black pepper and chile pepper, in that order. many studies have proven the antibacterial


and discovered that for thousands of years spices have been traded all over the world, resulting in their availability in most world cuisines. the most traded spices are black pepper and chile pepper, in that order. many studies have proven the antibacterial properties of spices, the fact that spices are more prevalent in warm climates than cool climates, and that the concentrations of spices in recipes are sufficient to kill bacteria. it is true that cooking eliminates the antimicrobial properties of some spices, such as cumin, but has no effect on others, such as chiles. the researchers compared the vegetable - only recipes to the previous study of meat recipes according to the spices found in the recipes and discovered that vegetable recipes used far fewer spices than meat recipes. they attributed this to the fact that bacteria " do not survive or proliferate as well in vegetables, so adding spices is not as necessary. " interestingly, the four most common spices in both the meat and vegetable recipes were onion, black pepper, garlic, and chile peppers. onion appeared in more than 60 percent of both types of recipes ; black pepper in about 60 percent of the meat recipes and 48 percent of the vegetable recipes ; garlic in 35 percent of the meat recipes and 20 percent of the vegetable recipes ; and chile peppers in 22 percent of the meat recipes and 18 percent of the vegetable recipes. within countries, vegetable - based recipes called for fewer spices than meat recipes in all 36 countries. the countries using the most spices in both vegetable and meat recipes were, in order from the most used : india, vietnam, kenya, morocco, mexico, korea, and the philippines. following were france, israel, and south africa. in their second study, the researchers concluded : " by every measure, vegetable - based recipes were significant less spicy than meat - based recipes. results thus strongly support the antimicrobial hypothesis. " chile peppers take over but in the united states, with refrigerators and freezers almost every home, the antimicrobial hypothesis simply does not explain the rush to embrace chiles and spicy foods over the past two decades. after answering questions verbally for literally dozens of media interviews, i finally decided to keep track of my reasons for why chile peppers have conquered the united states. ethnic diversity. immigration patterns have changed and now feature new citizens with hot and spicy ingredients and cuisines imported from asia, latin america, and the caribbean. the immigrate and open restaurants and markets, making ethnic chiles and spicy foods commonplace. americans are more knowledgeable now


changed and now feature new citizens with hot and spicy ingredients and cuisines imported from asia, latin america, and the caribbean. the immigrate and open restaurants and markets, making ethnic chiles and spicy foods commonplace. americans are more knowledgeable now and realize that most chiles and spicy foods won ' t hurt them. increasing interest in the hobbies of cooking, gardening, and traveling. the large number of ethnic and hot and spicy cookbooks published since 1978 - - literally hundreds of them. the increasing availability of chiles and fiery foods products in mainstream locations such as supermarkets and fast - food outlets. the publicity generated by the constant media attention. the recent national fiery foods show in albuquerque generated more than 5, 000 column inches of coverage in u. s. newspapers. do a web search for terms like " chile peppers, " " spicy, " " hot sauce, " or " habanero " and stand back – you will get thousands and thousands of solid citations. trade and consumer shows and festivals featuring chiles and fiery foods. the enormous increase in manufacturing, with thousands of fiery foods products now on the market. the " addiction syndrome. " chiles are not physically addicting – you don ’ t have withdrawal symptoms when you stop eating them. but they are psychologically addicting because chileheads miss the burn if they don ’ t have any spicy food for a while. i never hear anyone say, " oh, i used to eat spicy food, but now i ’ m back to bland. " once someone starts liking hot and spicy foods, he or she is likely to be a chilehead for life. the rozin theory but perhaps the most fundamental reason for the boom in fiery foods is a major shift in the way many americans are eating. my revelation began in philadelphia while dining with liz rozin, who hosted an incredibly diverse dinner at serrano restaurant during the book and the cook festival. she is a food historian with fascinating insights into the origins of spicy cuisines. " when we look at the broad spectrum of human flavoring practices, we see one curious correlation, " she writes in the primal cheeseburger. " the heavier the dependence on plant or vegetable foods, the more pronounced the seasonings ; the heavier the consumption of animal foods, the less pronounced the seasonings. those cuisines that clearly demonstrate a highly spiced or complex seasoning profile - - southeast asia, india, africa, mexico - - all have long relied on high - plant, low meat diets. " her theory, interestingly


seasonings. those cuisines that clearly demonstrate a highly spiced or complex seasoning profile - - southeast asia, india, africa, mexico - - all have long relied on high - plant, low meat diets. " her theory, interestingly enough, directly contradicts the cornell university studies above! of course, the u. s. was just the opposite : a culture that in its early days relied on beef, pork, and chicken as well as dairy foods. vegetable foods in the u. s. were eaten primarily in the same regions where the cuisine was also the spiciest : the south and the southwest. when rozin turns her attention to chile peppers in high - vegetable, low - meat cultures, she notes : " the pattern of acceptance, the level of enthusiasm with which the pungent chiles were enfolded into certain existing traditions, seems to indicate that the unique stimulation they provide is an important compensation for foods that are somehow less satisfying, less perfect when eaten unseasoned. and on the other hand, the chiles were largely ignored or rejected by cuisines and areas of the world where meat and other animal foods were a significant focus of the diet. " at least three other major food trends have paralleled the move to spicy foods over the past two decades : natural foods, vegetarian foods, and low - fat foods. meat consumption has declined as well, setting the scene for the modern return of liz rozin ' s theory of why ancient, " less satisfying " foods were highly spiced : we need the heat and flavor of chiles and other spices to make up for the lack of the flavors of meat and fat in more spartan cuisines. the new corollary of eating in the 21st century might be : " the healthier you eat, the more you need to spice it up with chile - laden condiments. " to sum up, paul sherman thinks that we added chiles to meat - based recipes to prevent the growth of bacteria, while liz rozin believes we used to chiles to spice - up bland food. perhaps they are both correct. but we do know one thing : chile peppers have conquered america, and they are not going away. top 30 spices with antimicrobial properties 10. lemon grass 11. bay leaf 12. chile peppers 26. pepper ( white / black ) 28. anise seed 29. celery seed ( listed from greatest to least inhibition of food - spoilage bacteria ) source : " antimicrobial functions of spices : why


a meteor streaks through the sky over joshua tree national park in southern california ' s mojave desert. the leonid meteor storm was captured in this 30 - minute time exposure from nov. 17, 1998. / reed saxon, ap will this year ' s leonid meteor shower roar like the lion constellation it ' s named for or meow like a kitty cat as it sometimes does? stargazers who stay up late saturday night or get up early sunday morning can judge for themselves. the annual meteor storm is known for sometimes producing as many as a thousand fireballs per minute, as it did in 1966, but astronomers say this year sky - watchers are likely to see maybe 20 per hour. the peak will begin building late friday night into saturday morning and continue through early sunday morning, says ben burress, an astronomer at chabot space and science center in oakland. the leonid meteors aren ' t really associated with the constellation leo, they just appear to come from the same place in the sky. the leonids are actually tiny pieces of the comet tempel - tuttle, which orbits the sun in a large ellipse. " a comet is a often called a ' dirty snowball, ' as it ' s made up of pieces of rock held together by ice. as a comet orbits the sun, it heats up and some of the ice is vaporized, releasing bits of rock along the orbit, " says rebecca johnson of stardate magazine. tempel - tuttle orbits the sun in an ellipse. each year as the earth moves around the sun, it encounters the trailing tail of debris the comet leaves in its wake. once every 33 years, tempel - tuttle comes close to the earth as it whizzes by in its orbit. in those years, the debris trail earth travels through is especially thick, and the resulting meteor showers can be spectacular. burress says his grandfather saw the 1933 shower. " there were thousands of meteors per hour, " he says. this year ' s leonids aren ' t expected to be that spectacular because the comet last passed close to us in 1999. the expected 10 to 20 meteors per hour isn ' t bad, burress says : " that gives you a good chance of seeing one every five or so minutes. " by comparison, the big perseid meteor shower in august typically rains about 50 meteors an hour down on the earth. this year should be good viewing, because the moon will set around 10 : 30 p. m.


or so minutes. " by comparison, the big perseid meteor shower in august typically rains about 50 meteors an hour down on the earth. this year should be good viewing, because the moon will set around 10 : 30 p. m. saturday in each u. s. time zone. " so sunday morning anywhere from midnight to 3 or 4 a. m. is the prime window, " burress says. with the exception of the southeast coast, most of the usa east of the rockies should have ideal weather for watching the meteor shower friday night and saturday morning, according to accuweather meteorologist kristina pydynowski. however, she says, clouds could prevent anyone from florida to the eastern carolinas from seeing it. for saturday night ' s viewing, though, the clouds will clear for most of the southeast. much of the far west will be poor for leonid - viewing through the weekend, pydynowski says, because of a pair of pacific storm systems that will bring clouds streaming across the west coast and toward the rockies friday and saturday nights. clear skies should make for great viewing in the northeast, midwest, lower mississippi valley and most of the plains states. contributing : doyle rice copyright 2013 usatoday. com read the original story : leonid meteor will put on a show this weekend


published april 26, 2012 anyone who ’ s driven on a busy highway can attest that vehicles moving erratically and braking needlessly breaks up the smooth flow of traffic and leads to congestion. honda has also observed this phenomenon and claims to have pioneered a technology based on this principle that, rather than just helping to avoid traffic jams, aims to prevent them from occurring entirely. the japanese automaker claims that its new technology can detect the potential for a traffic jam and determine whether the driving pattern of a vehicle is likely to create one. working with researchers from the university of tokyo, honda conducted experimental testing of a system utilizing the technology on a primary vehicle and with several secondary vehicles trailing behind it. the test results demonstrated that the system helped increase the average speed of the primary vehicle by approximately 23 percent and improved fuel efficiency of the secondary trailing vehicles by approximately 8 percent. rather than providing information to help the driver avoid existing congestion based on current traffic information, the system monitors the acceleration and deceleration patterns of the vehicle to determine whether the driver ' s driving pattern is likely to create traffic congestion. based on this determination, the system provides the driver with appropriate information, including a color - coded display through the on - board terminal, to encourage smooth driving which will help alleviate the intensity of acceleration and deceleration by trailing vehicles, thereby helping to prevent or minimize the occurrence of vehicle congestion. moreover, the system is said to be even more affective when all the vehicles communicate with each other, which is similar to the sartre ‘ road train ’ initiative being tested in europe though honda ’ s system still requires the driver to make adjustments to their driving pattern rather than rely on an autonomous system like with sartre. with the goal to bring this technology to market, honda will begin the first public - road testing of the technology in italy and indonesia in may and july of this year, respectively, to verify the effectiveness of the technology in minimizing vehicle congestion.


foodborne illness : what consumers need to know what is foodborne illness? foodborne illness is a preventable public health challenge that causes an estimated 48 million illnesses and 3, 000 deaths each year in the united states. it is an illness that comes from eating contaminated food. the onset of symptoms may occur within minutes to weeks and often presents itself as flu - like symptoms, as the ill person may experience symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or fever. because the symptoms are often flu - like, many people may not recognize that the illness is caused by harmful bacteria or other pathogens in food. everyone is at risk for getting a foodborne illness. however, some people are at greater risk for experiencing a more serious illness or even death should they get a foodborne illness. those at greater risk are infants, young children, pregnant women and their unborn babies, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems ( such as those with hiv / aids, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease, and transplant patients. ) some people may become ill after ingesting only a few harmful bacteria ; others may remain symptom free after ingesting thousands. [ top of page ] how do bacteria get in food? microorganisms may be present on food products when you purchase them. for example, plastic - wrapped boneless chicken breasts and ground meat were once part of live chickens or cattle. raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs are not sterile. neither is fresh produce such as lettuce, tomatoes, sprouts, and melons. thousands of types of bacteria are naturally present in our environment. microorganisms that cause disease are called pathogens. when certain pathogens enter the food supply, they can cause foodborne illness. not all bacteria cause disease in humans. for example, some bacteria are used beneficially in making cheese and yogurt. foods, including safely cooked and ready - to - eat foods, can become cross - contaminated with pathogens transferred from raw egg products and raw meat, poultry, and seafood products and their juices, other contaminated products, or from food handlers with poor personal hygiene. most cases of foodborne illness can be prevented with proper cooking or processing of food to destroy pathogens. [ top of page ] the " danger zone " bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 °f and 140 °f. to keep food out of this " danger zone, " keep cold food cold and hot food hot. - store food in the refrigerator ( 40 °f or below ) or


] the " danger zone " bacteria multiply rapidly between 40 °f and 140 °f. to keep food out of this " danger zone, " keep cold food cold and hot food hot. - store food in the refrigerator ( 40 °f or below ) or freezer ( 0 °f or below ). - cook food to a safe minimum internal temperature. - cook all raw beef, pork, lamb and veal steaks, chops, and roasts to a minimum internal temperature of 145 °f as measured with a food thermometer before removing meat from the heat source. for safety and quality, allow meat to rest for at least three minutes before carving or consuming. for reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook meat to higher temperatures. - cook all raw ground beef, pork, lamb, and veal to an internal temperature of 160 °f as measured with a food thermometer. - cook all poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature of 165 °f as measured with a food thermometer. - maintain hot cooked food at 140 °f or above. - when reheating cooked food, reheat to 165 °f. [ top of page ] in case of suspected foodborne illness follow these general guidelines : - preserve the evidence. if a portion of the suspect food is available, wrap it securely, mark " danger " and freeze it. save all the packaging materials, such as cans or cartons. write down the food type, the date, other identifying marks on the package, the time consumed, and when the onset of symptoms occurred. save any identical - seek treatment as necessary. if the victim is in an " at risk " group, seek medical care immediately. likewise, if symptoms persist or are severe ( such as bloody diarrhea, excessive nausea and vomiting, or high temperature ), call your doctor. - call the local health department if the suspect food was served at a large gathering, from a restaurant or other food service facility, or if it is a commercial - call the usda meat and poultry hotline at 1 - 888 - mphotline ( 1 - 888 - 674 - 6854 ) if the suspect food is a usda - inspected product and you have all the packaging. [ top of page ] | | symptoms and potential impact | | contaminated water, raw or unpasteurized milk, and raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or shellfish. | | diarrhea ( sometimes bloody ), cramping, abdominal pain, and fever that appear 2 to 5 days


contaminated water, raw or unpasteurized milk, and raw or undercooked meat, poultry, or shellfish. | | diarrhea ( sometimes bloody ), cramping, abdominal pain, and fever that appear 2 to 5 days after eating ; may last 7 days. may spread to bloodstream and cause a life - threatening infection. | | cook meat and poultry to a safe minimum internal temperature ; do not drink or consume unpasteurized milk or milk products ; wash your hands after coming in contact with feces. | | improperly canned foods, garlic in oil, vacuum - packed and tightly wrapped food. | | bacteria produce a nerve toxin that causes illness, affecting the nervous system. toxin affects the nervous system. symptoms usually appear 18 to 36 hours, but can sometimes appear as few as 6 hours or as many as 10 days after eating ; double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness. if untreated, these symptoms may progress causing muscle paralysis and even death. | | do not use damaged canned foods or canned foods showing signs of swelling, leakage, punctures, holes, fractures, extensive deep rusting, or crushing / denting severe enough to prevent normal stacking. follow safety guidelines when home canning food. boil home canned foods for 10 minutes before eating to ensure safety. ( note : safe home canning guidelines may be obtained from state university or county extension office ). | | meats, meat products and gravy called " the cafeteria germ " because many outbreaks result from food left for long periods in steam tables or at room temperature. | | intense abdominal cramps nausea, and diarrhea may appear 6 to 24 hours after eating ; usually last about 1 day, but for immune comprised individuals, symptoms may last 1 to 2 weeks. complications and / or death can occur only very rarely. | | keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold! once food is cooked, it should be held hot, at an internal temperature of 140 °f or above. use a food thermometer to make sure. discard all perishable foods left at room temperature longer than 2 hours ; 1 hour in temperatures above 90 °f. | | soil, food, water, contaminated surfaces. swallowing contaminated water, including that from recreational sources, ( e. g., a swimming pool or lake ) ; eating uncooked or contaminated food ; placing a contaminated object in the mouth. | | dehydra


, water, contaminated surfaces. swallowing contaminated water, including that from recreational sources, ( e. g., a swimming pool or lake ) ; eating uncooked or contaminated food ; placing a contaminated object in the mouth. | | dehydration, weight loss, stomach cramps or pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting ; respiratory symptoms may also be present. symptoms begin 2 to 10 days after becoming infected, and may last 1 to 2 weeks. immune - comprised individuals may experience a more serious illness. | | wash your hands before and after handling raw meat products, and after changing diapers, going to the bathroom, or touching animals. avoid water that might be contaminated. ( do not drink untreated water from shallow wells, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, and streams. ) | escherichia coli o157 : h7 | | uncooked beef ( especially ground beef ), unpasteurized milk and juices ( e. g., “ fresh ” apple cider ) ; contaminated raw fruits and vegetables, or water. person to person contamination can also occur. | | severe diarrhea ( often bloody diarrhea ), abdominal cramps, and vomiting. usually little or no fever. can begin 2 to 8 days, but usually 3 - 4 days after consumption of contaminated food or water and last about 5 to 7 days depending on severity. children under 5 are at greater risk of developing hemolytic uremic syndrome ( hus ), which causes acute kidney failure. | | cook hamburgers and ground beef to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160°f. drink only pasteurized milk, juice, or cider. rinse fruits and vegetables under running tap water, especially those that will not be cooked. wash your hands with warm water and soap after changing diapers, using the bathroom, handling pets or having any contact with feces. | | ready - to - eat foods such as hot dogs, luncheon meats, cold cuts, fermented or dry sausage, and other deli - style meat and poultry. also, soft cheeses made with unpasteurized milk. smoked seafood and salads made in the store such as ham salad, chicken salad, or seafood salad. | | fever, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. if infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur.


, muscle aches, and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. if infection spreads to the nervous system, symptoms such as headache, stiff neck, confusion, loss of balance, or convulsions can occur. those at risk ( including pregnant women and newborns, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems ) may later develop more serious illness ; death can result from listeria. can cause severe problems with pregnancy, including miscarriage or death in newborns. | | cook raw meat, poultry and seafood to a safe minimum internal temperature ; prevent cross contamination, separating ready to eat foods from raw eggs, and raw meat, poultry, seafood, and their juices ; wash your hands before and after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood and egg products. those with a weakened immune system should avoid eating hot dogs, and deli meats, unless they are reheated to 165 ºf or steaming hot. do not drink raw ( unpasteurized ) milk or foods that have unpasteurized milk in them, ( e. g. soft cheeses ). do not eat deli salads made in store, such as ham, egg, tuna or seafood salad. | salmonella ( over 2300 types ) | | raw or undercooked eggs, poultry, and meat ; unpasteurized milk and juice ; cheese and seafood ; and contaminated fresh fruits and vegetables. | | diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps usually appear 12 to 72 hours after eating ; may last 4 to 7 days. in people with weakened immune system, the infection may be more severe and lead to serious complications, including death. | | cook raw meat, poultry, and egg products to a safe temperature. do not eat raw or undercooked eggs. avoid consuming raw or unpasteurized milk or other dairy products. produce should be thoroughly washed before consuming. | shigella ( over 30 types ) | | person - to - person by fecal - oral route ; fecal contamination of food and water. most outbreaks result from food, especially salads, prepared and handled by workers using poor personal hygiene. | | disease referred to as " shigellosis " or bacillary dysentery. diarrhea ( watery or bloody ), fever, abdominal cramps ; 1 to 2 days from ingestion of bacteria and usually resolves in 5 to 7 days | | hand washing is a very important step to prevent shigellosis. always wash


##hea ( watery or bloody ), fever, abdominal cramps ; 1 to 2 days from ingestion of bacteria and usually resolves in 5 to 7 days | | hand washing is a very important step to prevent shigellosis. always wash your hands with warm water and soap before handling food and after using the bathroom, changing diapers or having contact with an infected person. | | commonly found on the skin and in the noses of up to 25 % of healthy people and animals. person - to - person through food from improper food handling. multiply rapidly at room temperature to produce a toxin that causes illness. contaminated milk and cheeses. | | severe nausea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea occur 30 minutes to 6 hours after eating ; recovery from 1 to 3 days — longer if severe dehydration occurs. | | because the toxins produced by this bacterium are resistant to heat and cannot be destroyed by cooking, preventing the contamination of food before the toxin can be produced is important. keep hot foods hot ( over 140°f ) and cold foods cold ( 40°f or under ) ; wash your hands with warm water and soap and wash kitchen counters with hot water and soap before and after preparing food. | | uncooked or raw seafood ( fish or shellfish ) ; oysters | | in healthy persons symptom include diarrhea, stomach pain, and vomiting may result in a blood infection and death for those with a weakened immune systems particularly with underlying liver disease. | | do not eat raw oysters or other raw shellfish ; cook shellfish ( oysters, clams, mussels ) thoroughly. prevent cross - contamination by separating cooked seafood and other foods from raw seafood and its juices. refrigerate cooked shellfish within two hours after cooking. may 24, 2011


play safely and responsibly 1. health and safety guide warning : read before playing photosensitive seizure warning a very small proportion of people can experience epileptic seizures when exposed to certain light patterns or flashing lights. exposure to these patterns or backgrounds on a computer screen, and often while playing video games, may induce an epileptic seizure in these people. certain conditions can induce previously undetected epileptic symptoms even in people who have no prior history of prior seizures or epilepsy. if you, or anyone in your family, have an epileptic condition, consult your physician prior to playing any funorb games. if you experience any of the following symptoms while playing a video or computer game - dizziness, eye or muscle twitches, altered vision, loss of awareness, disorientation, involuntary movement, or convulsions - stop playing immediately and consult your physician. only when they have given you the all clear should you resume play. repetitive strain injury warning prolonged use of a computer, bad posture and low levels of fitness can all contribute to a condition referred to as repetitive strain injury ( rsi ). to help avoid rsi, please follow these simple steps : when playing funorb games, take a 10 minute break from your computer every hour. get up and walk around, do some stretches. exercise regularly. when using the computer, only maintain a loose grip on the mouse. never rest your wrists on a support whilst typing or using the mouse. for extended periods of mouse - only use, place the mouse directly in front of you, between you and the monitor. make sure the top of the monitor is at eye level and directly in front of you and that your seat is at the right height so that your forearms are at right angles to your upper arms. the picture below illustrates a correct sitting position : if you have any serious pain or discomfort in your arms, neck, shoulders or back while playing funorb games stop playing immediately and consult your physician. only when they have given you the all clear should you resume play. 2. play safely funorb has several multiplayer games, so you are going to meet a lot of new people when playing. please remember, however, that you do not know any of these people in real - life. this is not to say that they are not as nice in real - life as they act in - game - they most likely are - but it ' s important and sensible to keep a safe distance from your fellow funorb players in