it ' s almost impossible to perform such a partition without a major investment on the system architecture design. unfortunately, most applications do not separate the two domains and let one engineer handle all of them, who is already overwhelmed by the concurrency choreography. the software manager usually does not understand the importance of such a design, or they don ' t have the time to spend on infrastructure building, and just want to see something is beginning to work. the result is that more time will be wasted during debugging and the feature enhancement period. - the fragile concurrency architecture is hard to understand. it is almost impossible for new engineers to take over the design, except to abandon the old one, and then propose a " better architecture " which usually goes through the same design cycle and delays the schedule. the software manager usually is not aware of the engineer ' s redesign approach except to accept it, since both the engineer and manager have no choice to improve the old architecture. - the manager and software engineer mistakenly think that object oriented analysis of the concurrent hardware modules will guarantee a good concurrent software design which delivers a flexible concurrent software architecture. most ooa just help engineers to identify objects in a system without concurrency analysis, and engineers have to use a synchronization object in the operating system to address concurrency. if this approach is used, it will not help achieve the concurrent system design goals listed above. unfortunately, most systems are designed with such approach. - engineers begin to experience an unexplained hang, and begin to put a sleep function somewhere to solve weird timing problems, simply because the understanding of system resource concurrency is not complete at the beginning, and the design can not adapt to a different running environment. when switching to different platforms, such as a faster machine, software needs major retest, or a possible overhaul. and the engineer and the manager begin to hide facts from the upper manager. the development cost goes up, and the software always needs major " improvements " to adapt to a new hardware with a newly tuned concurrency, which should not happen if it is well designed at the beginning. - typically, the design of a system concurrency is architected by a senior person in a team, and it is very hard for other people to challenge the delicate design. system maintenance and enhancement for the concurrency part is a major issue with such a design approach. how to address those issues the cost of making a complex concurrent system flexible and reliable is extremely high for average engineers who simply use the operating system ' s critical section, semaphore, event, and


a major issue with such a design approach. how to address those issues the cost of making a complex concurrent system flexible and reliable is extremely high for average engineers who simply use the operating system ' s critical section, semaphore, event, and thread. to address the above problems, we need to develop a platform to help engineers in modeling a concurrent system with an easily understood object model, communicating the design by a user friendly graphical user interface, and verifying the internal concurrency of the design quickly by simulation. - a simple concurrent object model is needed. an object oriented analysis method based on the model should be easy to perform. - an inter - task communication mechanism is provided based on the object model to allow task synchronization. - a design development toolkit is needed to support the object oriented analysis, and helps software engineers to spend more time on understanding the system concurrency, and system resource controlling during implementation, instead of struggling with multithreaded code that is implemented with operating system synchronization objects such as critical sections, semaphores, and events. - the design platform provides a graphic presentation of the system concurrent execution status that helps software engineers to present and to validate a design effectively. eventually, it will help the whole team, even different groups, to understand the system concurrency internals. - the object model and its development toolkit allow separation of the code performing system resource concurrency and the code performing system resource control. in figure 1, the code controlling resource 1 is a resource control domain. the code controlling independent resources 1 and 2 to operate in parallel is a system resource concurrency domain. this architecture helps the manager to partition the concurrent system design work into two domains so that it can be assigned to different engineers to improve team productivity and product reliability. usually, a manager will not offer a resource to implement above the environment to help the design long term, since it is very time consuming and no immediate results can be seen. jek platform is designed to address these issues with the above concurrent system design goals, and makes concurrent problems easier to model for software engineers. jek sdk automatically turns a modeled application job into a concurrent execution engine. the object model also separates the resource synchronization code and the resource control code, so that the engineer can spend more time understanding system concurrency, instead of dealing with operating system synchronization objects, which is used by most software engineers. it will also help the engineer to spend more time communicating their understanding of the system concurrency within a team, or with other


more time understanding system concurrency, instead of dealing with operating system synchronization objects, which is used by most software engineers. it will also help the engineer to spend more time communicating their understanding of the system concurrency within a team, or with other teams. here, two samples are presented ( please go to www. jekplatform. com / codeprojectsamples. htm to get the source code ) to demonstrate how the jek platform works : - sample 1 : philosophers dining problem. - sample 2 : automated coffee machine. sample 1. philosophers dining problem the philosophers dining problem is five philosophers sitting around a table doing what they do best : thinking and eating. in the middle of the table is a plate of food, and in between each philosopher is a fork. the philosophers spend most of their time thinking, but when they get hungry, they reach for the two forks next to them and start eating. a philosopher cannot begin eating until he has both forks. when he is done eating, he puts the sticks down and continues thinking. to solve the problem with jek platform, five routes are defined to represent the actions of five philosophers. each route has two tasks : eat and think. obviously, eat task of each philosopher ' s route can not be active at the same time because of resource constraints. a mutex synchronization resource is used to restrict the eat task of each philosopher. the resource allocation scheduling algorithm in the jek kernel has an important feature to avoid a deadlock in this sample : if one philosopher gets a fork and finds another is already taken, it will release the one and notify other tasks in other routes so that other philosopher can continue to eat. the following diagram, figure 2, illustrates the philosopher dining job execution engine ' s timing diagram. the application code is pretty simply since it does not need to handle threads and thread synchronization that is handled in the jek sdk, but simply describes the resources ( forks ) and tasks ( philosophers ' actions ). figure 2. jek studio monitors the philosophers dining job execution in figure 2, jek studio gui has four components illustrated by four yellow bubbles : - the task matrix presents the application engine internal structure and the real - time execution activity status. - the task timing diagram presents a more detailed real - time execution status for tasks, which helps developers to understand and to validate concurrent system behavior quickly. - the activity resource matrix presents real - time task activity resource status. - the synchronization resource matrix presents real


presents a more detailed real - time execution status for tasks, which helps developers to understand and to validate concurrent system behavior quickly. - the activity resource matrix presents real - time task activity resource status. - the synchronization resource matrix presents real - time task occupy status. - the task trace window displays log status, which is also saved in a log file. in jek studio, five routes are shown in the task matrix. its execution is shown in the task execution timing diagram. the four blue bubbles are explained as follows : - blue bubble 1. job execution engine starts to execute job. philosophers 1 and 4 start to eat. - blue bubble 2. philosophers 3 and 5 start to eat at the same time. philosophers 1 and 4 start to rest at the same time. the reason that philosopher 3 and 5 can start to eat at the same time is because the application code is configured so that the eat time for all philosophers are the same. the rest times are also the same for all philosophers. - blue bubble 3. it ' s interesting to observe the job execution status after a few loops. philosophers 1, 2, 4 are resting. philosophers 3 and 5 are eating. if observed carefully, philosophers 3 and 5 are not starting to eat at the exact same time. philosophers 1, 2, 4 do not rest at the same time. - blue bubble 4. this is another interesting job execution status. only one philosopher, # 2, is eating at this moment. philosophers 1, 3, 4, 5 are all resting. the reason, the resting times of all philosophers are longer than eating times. - another observation is that fairness is not guaranteed for each route. it ' s unpredictable which philosopher will get a chance to eat next time based on the scheduler used. - route starvation is possible. in other words, some philosophers might never get a chance to eat. this is not demonstrated in the graph since the result is random. you can try to start the engine a few times and the results could be different each time. if not using simulation, it is very hard for a software engineer to answer : if scenarios marked by the blue bubbles 3 and 4 are possible. sample 2. automated coffee machine an automated coffee machine mixes milk, sugar, and coffee into a cup, and serves the cup to customer when it is done. figure 3. coffee machine model analysis the coffee machine has five robots : - platform robot. it holds the coffee cup, so that milk, sugar, and coffee can be poured into it and gets mixed


serves the cup to customer when it is done. figure 3. coffee machine model analysis the coffee machine has five robots : - platform robot. it holds the coffee cup, so that milk, sugar, and coffee can be poured into it and gets mixed. after the coffee is mixed, it moves the cup with the mixed coffee to a customer. - cup robot. it puts an empty cup onto the platform robot. - milk robot. it pours milk into the coffee cup on the platform robot. - sugar robot. it pours sugar into the coffee cup on the platform robot. - coffee robot. it pours coffee into the coffee cup on the platform robot. coffee machine operating procedure : - all robots are in initial positions. - cup robot puts an empty cup onto the platform cup. - milk robot pours milk into cup. - sugar robot pours sugar into cup. - step 3 and step 4 can be parallel. - coffee robot pours coffee into cup. - platform robot moves mixed coffee to customer. important operating requirements of the coffee machine are as follows : - above operating procedures have to be followed. otherwise, the robot ' s positions might be in wrong places, and results in robot damages. - milk and sugar need to be poured into the cup before coffee, so that the coffee can be mixed properly without requiring adding a coffee stir robot that increases the complexity of the machine. to solve the problem with jek platform, two routes are defined. one route is designed to control the cup robot and the platform robots. another route is designed to control milk, sugar, and coffee robots. the reason to define these routes is that the task steps inside each route are sequential. the synchronization resource between routes is the platform robot. for detailed analysis and code, please go to http : / / www. jekplatform. com / codeprojectsamples. htm to download the complete jek platform and to look for sample section 7 : machine control. figure 4 is the coffee machine execution timing diagram implemented with the jek sdk and presented with the jek studio. x axis is time. y axis is tasks. a bar is the execution time for a task. tasks within one route are displayed with one color. different tasks in one route are displayed with different y axis values. multiple bars in the same y axis represent the same task executed at different times. route 1 controlling milk, sugar, and coffee robot ( orange color ) has three tasks from bottom to top : - task1 _ 1


displayed with different y axis values. multiple bars in the same y axis represent the same task executed at different times. route 1 controlling milk, sugar, and coffee robot ( orange color ) has three tasks from bottom to top : - task1 _ 1 : control milk robot to pour milk. - task1 _ 2 : control sugar robot to pour sugar. - task1 _ 3 : control coffee robot to pour coffee. route 2 controlling cup robot ( blue ) has two tasks from bottom to top : - task2 _ 1 : control cup robot to put cup onto platform robot. - task2 _ 2 : control platform robot to serve mixed coffee to customer. the six blue bubbles in figure 4 are explained as follows : - blue bubble 1. task2 _ 1 puts a cup onto the platform robot. - blue bubble 2. task1 _ 1 and task1 _ 2 pour milk and sugar into an empty cup at the same time. - blue bubble 3. task1 _ 2 finishes pouring sugar and task1 _ 1 is still pouring milk. - blue bubble 4. task1 _ 3 starts pouring coffee. - blue bubble 5. task2 _ 2 controls the platform robot to serve mixed coffee. - blue bubble 6. repeat the same process. figure 4. coffee machine execution status of solution 1 this robot is not very efficient. route 1 is idle after blue bubble 5. to increase the throughput, another independent platform robot is added to make route 1 as busy as possible. the position of platform robot 1 is different from that of platform robot 2. therefore, the control code for pouring milk, sugar, and coffee is different in context, but have the same structure. figure 5 is a new robot diagram. figure 5. platform 2 robot is added route 3 ( burgundy red color ) is added to serve second cup, which is presented as red in figure 6. it has identical tasks as defined in route 2. since a new platform robot is added, route 2 and 3 are redefined as follows : route 2 controlling cup robot ( blue ) has two tasks : - task2 _ 1 : control cup robot to put cup onto platform robot 1. - task2 _ 2 : control platform robot 1 to serve mixed coffee to customer 1. route 3 controlling cup robot ( burgundy red ) has two tasks : - task3 _ 1 : control cup robot to put cup onto platform robot 2. - task3 _ 2 : control platform robot 2 to serve mixed coffee to customer 2. figure 6. solution 2 coffee machine has two platform robots the five


tasks : - task3 _ 1 : control cup robot to put cup onto platform robot 2. - task3 _ 2 : control platform robot 2 to serve mixed coffee to customer 2. figure 6. solution 2 coffee machine has two platform robots the five blue bubbles in figure 6 are explained as follows. - blue bubble 1. task3 _ 1 puts the cup onto platform robot 2. both routes 2 and 3 are started at the same time, but only one route can use the cup robot. it is random that route 2 gets the cup robot. - blue bubble 2. task1 _ 1 and task1 _ 2 pour milk and sugar into an empty cup at the same time after a cup is put on platform robot 2. note : the execution context of route 2 is platform robot 1 since it has a different location than platform robot 2. in other words, the control code is different when the context is different. - blue bubble 3. task2 _ 1 starts to put a cup on platform robot 1. coffee robot uses task1 _ 3 to pour coffee into the cup on platform robot 1. both tasks are started at the same time. - blue bubble 4. platform robot 2 uses task3 _ 2 to serve mixed coffee to customer 2. task1 _ 1 and task1 _ 2 pour milk and sugar into an empty cup on platform robot 1. the route 1 execution context ( pouring milk, sugar, and coffee into which platform robot ) is not visible from the timing diagram. it is only visible from the trace window or log file. - blue bubble 5. task1 _ 3 pours coffee into platform robot 1. comparing figures 4 and 6, route 1 is almost busy all the time. therefore, the throughput of the coffee machine with two platform robots is increased. but, if looking carefully, the machine with two platform robots can be even faster. the reason is that the coffee robot can serve another platform robot while milk and sugar robots are serving one platform robot, if the time of putting one cup on the platform is shorter than the time of pouring coffee by the coffee robot. to increase the speed of the coffee machine, an engine design with different route configuration is used. route 1 represents the actions of serving sugar, milk, and coffee to platform robot 1. route 2 represents the actions of serving sugar, milk, and coffee to platform robot 2. the design of route 3 and 4 are the same as before. figure 7 is the timing diagram of a new coffee machine. figure 7. new concurrency of higher system throughput


the actions of serving sugar, milk, and coffee to platform robot 2. the design of route 3 and 4 are the same as before. figure 7 is the timing diagram of a new coffee machine. figure 7. new concurrency of higher system throughput for the coffee machine with 2 platform robots the five blue bubbles in figure 7 are explained as follows : - blue bubble 1. task4 _ 1 puts cup onto platform robot 1. - blue bubble 2. task1 _ 1 and task1 _ 2 pour milk and sugar into empty cup at the same time to the cup platform robot 1. the cut robot starts to put a cup on platform 2 since it is free at this time. - blue bubble 3. task2 _ 2 starts to add sugar into cup 2 on platform robot 2. the reason that this action can happen is that the sugar robot just finishes adding sugar for cup 1 on platform robot 1. it is also clear that the milk robot is still busy pouring milk into cup 1. therefore, cup 2 only has sugar for now. - blue bubble 4. task2 _ 1 starts to pour milk into cup 2 since it just finishes pouring milk for cup 1 on platform robot 1. coffee robot begins to add coffee into cup 1 on platform robot 1. - blue bubble 5. cup robot begins to serve cup 1 to customer since coffee is done for cup 1. it is obvious that the choreography of this new coffee machine is different from that of the previous coffee machine. it appears to a user that its robots are smarter and works more intelligently since it starts to do the next job more promptly. the above three samples demonstrate the following : - it is easy to model and to analyze the concurrency of machine control with the jek platform. - to adapt to a new hardware configuration, the jek sdk helps achieve new system concurrency with minimum code changes. - jek studio can visually identify system throughput potential quickly so that better throughput can be achieved. - the samples demonstrated in these solutions have a pretty simple architecture ( see downloaded code ). if not using the jek platform, can we solve the problem quickly? a few questions are raised here. - if several teams, such as marketing, hardware, and software, are working on the product, they might stop when solution 2 is working. do they know that solution 3 is the best solution? can they figure it out quickly? - team members might be satisfied when they see that robots are working in parallel. if it is found that improvements can be made, how much code change


this multimedia lesson for grades 7 - 10 explores the physical forces that act in concert to create snowflakes. students build an apparatus that creates conditions similar to a winter cloud and produce their own snow crystals indoors. by watching the snow crystals grow, they learn about how snowflake size and shape is determined by the forces that act on water molecules at the atomic and molecular levels. digital models and snowflake photo galleries bring together a cohesive package to help kids visualize what ' s happening at the molecular scale. editor ' s note : this lab activity calls for dry ice. see related materials for a link to the noaa ' s " dry ice safety " guidelines, and for a link to snow crystal images produced by an electron microscope. lewis structures, vsepr, condensation, covalent bond, crystals, electron sharing, ice, physics of snowflakes, snow formation, valence electrons, valence shell metadata instance created january 2, 2013 by caroline hall january 2, 2013 by caroline hall aaas benchmark alignments ( 2008 version ) 4. the physical setting 4b. the earth 6 - 8 : 4b / m15. the atmosphere is a mixture of nitrogen, oxygen, and trace amounts of water vapor, carbon dioxide, and other gases. 4d. the structure of matter 6 - 8 : 4d / m1a. all matter is made up of atoms, which are far too small to see directly through a microscope. 6 - 8 : 4d / m1cd. atoms may link together in well - defined molecules, or may be packed together in crystal patterns. different arrangements of atoms into groups compose all substances and determine the characteristic properties of substances. 6 - 8 : 4d / m3cd. in solids, the atoms or molecules are closely locked in position and can only vibrate. in liquids, they have higher energy, are more loosely connected, and can slide past one another ; some molecules may get enough energy to escape into a gas. in gases, the atoms or molecules have still more energy and are free of one another except during occasional collisions. 9 - 12 : 4d / h2. the number of protons in the nucleus determines what an atom ' s electron configuration can be and so defines the element. an atom ' s electron configuration, particularly the outermost electrons, determines how the atom can interact with other atoms. atoms form bonds to other atoms by transferring or sharing electrons. 9 - 12 : 4d / h7a. atoms often join with one another in various


electron configuration, particularly the outermost electrons, determines how the atom can interact with other atoms. atoms form bonds to other atoms by transferring or sharing electrons. 9 - 12 : 4d / h7a. atoms often join with one another in various combinations in distinct molecules or in repeating three - dimensional crystal patterns. 12. habits of mind 12c. manipulation and observation 6 - 8 : 12c / m3. make accurate measurements of length, volume, weight, elapsed time, rates, and temperature by using appropriate devices. < a href = " http : / / www. compadre. org / precollege / items / detail. cfm? id = 12568 " > wgbh educational foundation. teachers ' domain : why do snowflakes come in so many shapes and sizes?. boston : wgbh educational foundation, 2010. < / a > teachers ' domain : why do snowflakes come in so many shapes and sizes? ( wgbh educational foundation, boston, 2010 ), www document, ( http : / / www. teachersdomain. org / resource / lsps07. sci. phys. matter. lpsnowflakes / ). teachers ' domain : why do snowflakes come in so many shapes and sizes?. ( 2010 ). retrieved may 21, 2013, from wgbh educational foundation : http : / / www. teachersdomain. org / resource / lsps07. sci. phys. matter. lpsnowflakes / wgbh educational foundation. teachers ' domain : why do snowflakes come in so many shapes and sizes?. boston : wgbh educational foundation, 2010. http : / / www. teachersdomain. org / resource / lsps07. sci. phys. matter. lpsnowflakes / ( accessed 21 may 2013 ). teachers ' domain : why do snowflakes come in so many shapes and sizes?. boston : wgbh educational foundation, 2010. 21 may 2013 < http : / / www. teachersdomain. org / resource / lsps07. sci. phys. matter. lpsnowflakes / >. % t teachers ' domain : why do snowflakes come in so many shapes and sizes? % d 2010 % i wgbh educational foundation % c boston % u http : / / www. teachersdomain. org / resource / lsps07.


the irian jaya training rap was made possible with funding from the smart family foundation, the macarthur foundation, and usaid. special thanks to ci ' s irian jaya and indonesia programs, the university of cenderawasih, the irian jaya environmental foundation, and dewan adat mamberamo raya. irian jaya training rapid assessment program ( rap ) the biological diversity of irian jaya is extremely high and unique, but virtually unstudied. to collect biodiversity data to fill this knowledge gap and contribute to conservation planning, ci ' s rap program is conducting its second expedition to irian jaya. on this expedition they will also conduct a training course for local scientists. expert biologists will train indonesian participants in rapid biodiversity assessment methods for six taxonomic groups. the hands - on training course will lead to an actual scientific survey of birds, insects, freshwater fish, mammals, herpetofauna and vegetation. yongsu and the mamberamo river basin, irian jaya, indonesia located in the western portion of the world ' s highest and largest tropical island, irian jaya is considered the last great rainforest wilderness in indonesia. the province ' s range of altitudes ( from sea level to the highest mountains in the asia - pacific region ) helps to create an extraordinary array of ecosystems, biodiversity, and endemic species ( those species found nowhere else in the world ). this island treasure is at risk, however, from land conversion, which is ascribed to logging, transmigration, plantation agriculture, mining, oil and gas operations, the introduction of alien ( non - native ) species, and infrastructure projects such as dams and roads. august 19 - september 15, 2000 from august 19 to august 30, more than 20 participants will take part in the training course. then six participants will join the expert biologists in the mamberamo river basin to conduct a rapid biodiversity assessment from september 1 - 15. august 19 - 30, 2000 : yongsu research camp august 31, 2000 : jayapura september 1 - 7, 2000 : furu river site in the mamberamo river basin september 8 - 15, 2000 : tiri river site in the mamberamo river basin september 16 - 18, 2000 : sentani international team of scientists and indonesian participants conservation biologists from indonesia, papua new guinea, australia, the netherlands, and the united states will teach participants from indonesian universities, non - government organizations ( ngos ), and government organizations. meet the team > > objectives of the biological rap training in irian jaya - to build capacity


jordan table of contents figure 5. population of the east bank by age and sex, 1987 source : based on information from jordan, department of statistics, statistical yearbook, 1987, amman, 1988, 18. figure 6. united nations relief and works agency camps in jordan, 1989 source : based on information from united nations relief and works agency for palestine refugees in the near east, jordan. official jordanian statistics gave a 1987 population figure of 2, 896, 800 for the east bank. a 1982 population of 2, 399, 300 thus indicated an annual growth rate of between 3. 6 and 4 percent. united nations statistics projected a peak in the annual growth rate at 4. 11 percent in the period from 1990 to 1995, followed by a steady decline to 2. 88 percent in 2020. rapid development in the provision of health care services during the 1970s and 1980s led to a decline in the crude death rate from 17 per 1, 000 population in 1965 to 7 per 1, 000 population by 1986 ( see health and welfare, this ch. ). during the same period, the infant mortality rate, a major indicator of a country ' s development and health status, dropped from 115 to 46 per 1, 000 live births. in 1986 life expectancy at birth was sixty - five years ( sixty - three for males and sixty - seven for females ). the lowered death rate, a high birth rate, and lowered infant mortality rate combined to generate a major demographic problem in the late 1980s. at the end of the decade, more than half jordan ' s population was below fifteen years of age ( see fig. 5 ). this situation strained the country ' s already limited resources, and employment for the burgeoning group of young people became increasingly difficult to provide. accurate demographic figures were difficult to compile because of the substantial number of jordanians residing and working abroad and the continuous flow of west bank palestinians with jordanian passports back and forth between the east and west banks. according to the united nations relief and works agency ( unrwa ) for palestine refugees in the near east, about 224, 000 people were admitted to unrwa refugee camps in the east bank immediately after the june 1967 war. in 1986 unrwa cited 826, 128 registered refugees living on the east bank, of whom about 205, 000 were living in refugee camps. the exact number of palestinians living on the east bank was unknown. estimates usually ranged from 60 to 70 percent of the total population. official government statistics did not distinguish between east bank and west bank jordanians (


205, 000 were living in refugee camps. the exact number of palestinians living on the east bank was unknown. estimates usually ranged from 60 to 70 percent of the total population. official government statistics did not distinguish between east bank and west bank jordanians ( see palestinians, this ch. ). the government did not have an officially articulated population policy or birth control program. rather, in 1979 it adopted a " child spacing program " that was designed to improve the health of mother and child, and not specifically to lower the fertility rate. this noninterventionist approach considered family planning to be one component of an integrated maternal - child health and primary health care program. government clinics and private medical services delivered family planning services upon request and contraceptives were widely available at low cost. in 1987 there were 116 maternal - child health care centers - - up from 93 in 1983 - - providing prenatal and postnatal care and a wide range of birth control information. jordan ' s high population growth can be attributed primarily to high fertility rates. in 1986 the world bank ( see glossary ) calculated this rate as 6. 0 births for each woman over the span of her reproductive years, one of the highest fertility rates in the region. this rate was projected to decline to 4. 2 births by the year 2000. the fertility rate varied, however, between women residing in rural and urban areas and according to educational attainment. educated women tended to marry at a slightly older age than uneducated women, and this delay contributed to a lower fertility rate. urban women achieved lower fertility rates through modern methods of contraception, particularly the pill. fertility rates were lowest in amman, higher in smaller urban areas such as irbid and az zarqa, and highest in rural areas. in rural areas modern contraceptive usage was lower, although breast - feeding, which serves to delay the return of fertility, was extended for a longer period than in the cities. world bank data indicated that 27 percent of married women of child - bearing age were using contraception in the 1980s. a woman was expected to have to bear five children, including at least two sons, in fairly rapid succession. women gained status and security in their marital household by bearing children. according to a study conducted in the early 1980s by jordanian anthropologists seteney shami and lucine taminian in a poor, squatter area in amman, reproductive behavior was subject to several factors. if a woman had given birth to two or more sons, she might begin to space her pre


jordanian anthropologists seteney shami and lucine taminian in a poor, squatter area in amman, reproductive behavior was subject to several factors. if a woman had given birth to two or more sons, she might begin to space her pregnancies or stop bearing children for a while. household structure - - nuclear, extended, or multiple family - - also appeared to be a crucial factor in determining fertility. the presence of other women in a household encouraged women to bear more children to improve their relative position in the household. the overall population density for the east bank in 1987 was established at about thirty persons per square kilometer. there was wide regional variation and the rate of urbanization was high. east of al mafraq, in an area encompassing almost two - thirds of the country, no towns had a population of more than 10, 000. the bulk of jordan ' s population was centered in the governorate of amman and the smaller urban areas of irbid, as salt, and az zarqa. the 1987 population totals of the eight governorates ranged from 1, 203, 000 in amman to 101, 000 in the maan governorate. according to world bank figures, about 70 percent of the population lived in urban areas. the nation ' s capital, amman, accounted for more than one - third of the total population. rapid urbanization appeared to be the result of a high fertility rate and rural - urban migration. if urbanization continued at the high annual rate of 4 to 5 percent, it was estimated that by the year 2000, nearly three - fourths of the population could be living in amman, az zarqa, irbid, as salt, and ar ramtha. the remainder of the population resided in villages scattered in an uneven pattern throughout jordan. the nomadic and seminomadic population was very small, at most 2 to 3 percent of the population. the clearest concentrations of villages were in the fertile northwest corner and the jordan valley. village size varied markedly from region to region. at one time, size related to the productive capacity of the surrounding farmland. larger villages were located in the more fertile, generally irrigated regions where family members could reach their fields with relative ease. while village populations continued to grow, rural - urban migration drained off a steady stream of young men and sometimes whole families. villages provided little employment for their residents, and agriculture as a way of life had declined precipitously since the 1950s. camps of nomadic and seminomadic beduins still existed in the late 1980s


of young men and sometimes whole families. villages provided little employment for their residents, and agriculture as a way of life had declined precipitously since the 1950s. camps of nomadic and seminomadic beduins still existed in the late 1980s. nomadic tribes were found mainly in the desert area east of a line from al mafraq to maan. the area, about 400 kilometers long and 250 kilometers wide, is known as the badiya ( pl., bawaadi, meaning desert or semidesert ). seminomadic beduins were located in the al ghawr and near irbid. these seminomads descended to the jordan valley in the winter because of its warm climate and grazing ground for their herds. traditionally, many of these seminomads also farmed plots of land in the valley. in the summer, they moved their herds up into the hills to avoid the intense heat. the native inhabitants of the jordan valley are known as al ghawarna, or people of al ghawr. prior to the june 1967 war, the valley was home to about 60, 000 people engaged in agriculture and pastoralism. in 1971 the population had declined to 5, 000 as a result of the june 1967 war and the 1970 - 71 conflict between the palestinian guerrillas and the jordanian armed forces ( see the guerrilla crisis, ch. 1 ). by 1979, however, the population had reached 85, 000 as a result of government development efforts designed to attract people to settle in this area. refugee camps emerged in the wake of the arab - israeli war of 1948. the original refugee settlements were tent camps, but in most places tents were replaced by rows of galvanized steel, aluminum, and asbestos shelters. there were initially five refugee camps - - irbid, az zarqa, amman new ( al wahdat ), al karamah ( later dismantled ), and jabal al hussein - - but six additional emergency camps were established for refugees from the june 1967 war - - al hisn, suf, jarash, baqah, talbiyah, and marka. most of the camps were located near major cities in the northwest ( see fig. 6 ). data as of december 1989 jordan table of contents


discover our shared heritage travel itinerary places reflecting america ' s diverse cultures explore their stories in the national park system walnut canyon national monument the rugged terrain in the flagstaff, arizona area was home to the ancestral puebloans from whom the present day hopi are descended. known by their descendants as hisatsinom, meaning people of long ago, the hopi ancestors lived in this region for more than 800 years. although they were not the first to inhabit the flagstaff area, the hopi ancestors were the first residents to establish permanent dwellings in a 20 - miles long, 400 - feet deep, and ¼ - mile wide canyon. walnut canyon national monument preserves these cliffside homes, which tell the story of the ancestral puebloans of flagstaff and their influence on hopi culture today. believed to have lived in the flagstaff area from 600 until 1400 ad, the hopi ancestors were an innovative people who managed to sustain their community in an arid region. archeologists named this group of ancestral puebloans the sinagua, meaning without water, to embody their lifestyle and stand as a testament to the culture ’ s exemplary agricultural skills. like many pueblo communities of the american southwest, the sinagua employed dry - farming techniques to harvest corn, squash, and beans in volcanic terrain. otherwise known as the “ three sisters, ” these crops were drought - resistant and ideal for dry farming, since corn can tolerate the sun and shade its lower growing sister crops, squash and beans, which do not require direct sunlight in order to thrive. to irrigate these crops in the semi - arid climate, the sinagua built terraces and small rock check dams that allowed them to conserve rainwater. they also collected water from walnut creek, but this source of water was not reliable since the creek did not flow all year. although the crops grown on the canyon rims provided most of their food, the sinagua also took advantage of the region ’ s wild life and natural resources. to add protein to their diet, the sinagua hunted deer, bighorn sheep, and several smaller animals that lived within and around walnut canyon. they also ate wild grapes, berries, yucca, and the arizona black walnut. other plants used for food and medicinal purposes grew on the canyon rims, where they cultivated their crops and established the first sinagua homes. when the ancestral puebloans first settled the region in about 600 ad, the sinagua people around flagstaff lived in pithouses and freestanding pueblos scattered along the canyon


, where they cultivated their crops and established the first sinagua homes. when the ancestral puebloans first settled the region in about 600 ad, the sinagua people around flagstaff lived in pithouses and freestanding pueblos scattered along the canyon rims. eventually, as the community expanded, sinagua pithouse architecture changed. by the 1100s, the sinagua were living in alcoves below the canyon rim, where the women constructed unique cliff dwellings still visible throughout the canyon today. using limestone rocks cemented with golden colored clay, the women formed walls around the eroded limestone caves and reinforced their doorways with wooden beams. traditionally, they located most of their dwellings in the southern and eastern parts of walnut canyon to take advantage of the sunlight, but some were also on the north and west sides for use during warmer periods. although the sinagua only lived in these alcoves for approximately 125 years, the walnut canyon cliff dwellings are the most visible ruins of the national monument ’ s 232 prehistoric sites. when the sinagua moved to nearby villages in 1250, they left behind over 80 dwellings with three to four rooms each. together, the six meters long by three - meter deep enclosures house up to 300 rooms, but only 25 of these cliff dwellings are visible to tourists traveling along the canyon footpaths, since pothunters in the 1880s dynamited the cliff dwellings in search of sinagua possessions. this resulted in the loss of some sinagua artifacts, but the surviving cliff dwellings, pithouses, and finds from archeological excavations throughout flagstaff offer great insight into the sinagua farming community ’ s life in walnut canyon. visitors may begin their tour of walnut canyon national monument at the visitor center, where native artifacts and museum exhibits are on display. the bookstore is also at the visitor center, and in the lobby, visitors can enjoy the panoramic views of the canyon and distant mountains. to tour the canyon, visitors can follow the island and rim trails, two paved footpaths that begin at the visitor center. the island trail is a mile long loop to the sinagua cliff dwellings, and the rim trail is a self - guided tour that takes visitors on a half hour trip along the canyon ’ s perimeter and through the ponderosa forest. on the rim trail, visitors will also see two canyon overlooks, a pithouse, and other pueblo ruins. walnut canyon national monument also offers two ranger - guided hikes, which require reservations. the ledge hike lasts four hours, and


modern programming languages have little support for writing secure software, making it all too easy to write programs with exploitable vulnerabilities. in these lectures, we explore a general technique based on type qualifiers that allows programmers to write down, in their souce code, their intentions with respect to security. we will describe how to mechanically verify that annotated code adheres to the policy. we will discuss the theoretical foundations and practical implementation issues. as a particular example, we show how to use type qualifiers to find format - string vulnerabilities in widely - deployed c programs and to find other security vulnerabilites in the linux kernel. we will also look at alias analysis, another important program analysis problem, and show how a must - alias analysis system corresponds to a system for statically checking access control. this series of lectures will discuss the requirements, protocols, and components of network security software on the internet. topics will include secure tunnels, security for web services, privacy constraints, design features that create or address dos threats, and the use of programmable security tokens in network protocols. the primary emphasis will be the relationship between models and design, including topics like the quantification of dos threats, models for code security in programmable tokens, strategies for composition and interoperation, and practical strategies for formal analysis of network protocol designs and software. in these lectures, we will analyze the security infrastructure in current, main - stream programming systems and platforms such as the java virtual machine and common language runtime. we will explain how byte code verification collaborates with the class loader and security manager to provide a secure run - time environment. we will also use theoretical tools to determine what properties current security systems based on stack inspection have and provide concrete proposals for improving the infrastructure for next - generation programming languages and systems.


cancer patients often eat less food than they did before getting sick as a result of the effects of the disease and the treatments used to fight it. not surprisingly, though, according to experts at cancer treatment centers of america® ( ctca ) cancer - associated malnutrition not only has a negative impact on quality of life, but it also negatively impacts a patients ’ response to therapy, increasing the risk of complications and shortening survival time. many cancer patients – especially those battling lung, pancreatic, gastric, colon, or head and neck cancer – are susceptible to this significant weight loss as a result of tumor burden causing malnutrition. and the consequences can be serious. known medically as cancer cachexia, this severe form of malnutrition is characterized by progressive, involuntary weight loss depleting lean body mass and muscle tissue. left untreated, patients will eventually waste away. “ quite simply, the bodies of cancer patients suffering from cachexia are using up calories faster than they are able to take them in, ” said danielle bach, registered dietician at the cancer treatment centers of america western regional medical center. some patients might have fluid building up around the stomach suppressing hunger. their stomachs feel full sooner, so they stop taking in the amount of food their body really needs. for other patients, taste changes due to medication result in a decreased desire to eat. “ the implications of reduced food intake can have a direct impact on the patients ’ overall treatment program, ” said bach. according to several research studies, losing as little as five percent of a patients ’ weight within a one - month period could be a risk to the patients ’ ability to tolerate treatment and, therefore, the treatment program should be delayed. other studies have shown that losing 10 percent of a patients ’ overall weight from the date of diagnosis through treatment can also put the patient at risk. weight gain isn ’ t always the goal, however. in hormone sensitive cancers, for instance, like prostate cancer and most types of breast cancer, weight loss helps in the prevention of recurrence. “ weight loss and weight gain goals are specific for each cancer patient ’ s case, so weight gain isn ’ t necessarily recommended for everyone with cancer, ” said bach. ctca has several tips to help patients maintain their weight without stuffing themselves full of sugary cookies or decadent holiday chocolates. • eating smaller meals more frequently. as long as patients are getting the recommended calories per day, it doesn ’ t matter how many meals


tips to help patients maintain their weight without stuffing themselves full of sugary cookies or decadent holiday chocolates. • eating smaller meals more frequently. as long as patients are getting the recommended calories per day, it doesn ’ t matter how many meals they eat. • consider smoothies or nutrition supplement drinks to get the recommended daily calories. most people don ’ t feel full as quickly when they are drinking calories versus eating them. nutrition supplement drinks can also be used as the milk base in smoothies to provide more variety for those experiencing taste fatigue. • add nuts, seeds, and dried fruits to desserts, salads, or breads. • nut butters or avocado are great to add to smoothies or spread on bread. • gravies and sauces can add calories, as well as protein powders, granola, olive oil and vegetable oils. • drink water in between meals so that less volume in the stomach is taken up during mealtime, leaving more room for food to be eaten. “ last but certainly not least, never underestimate the power of exercise, ” said bach. “ for any cancer patients that get hungry quickly, i always recommend walking 30 minutes prior to eating a meal as the exercise can help increase their hunger. ” additional healthy eating tips from bach and ctca include the following. in addition to providing patients with supportive care that includes nutrition guidance, ctca also provides state - of - the - art technologies and treatment options, naturopathic consultation, acupuncture, massage, physical therapy, occupational therapy and more.


amherst – what was once a sure thing is now not so sure. with a week to go before christmas, it ’ s still too early to tell if the area will have a white or green christmas. “ the long - term forecast looks warmer than normal, ” environment canada senior climatologist david phillips said. “ when it comes down to it it ’ s going to be touch and go. there ’ s not anything obvious. “ it ’ s hard to make a call. flipping a coin is just as accurate as reading the models on this one. ” even if some snow falls this week across the central maritimes, phillips said there ’ s no guarantee it ’ s going to remain until christmas morning. he said milder weather and rain is forecast for later in the week. a white christmas is defined as having two centimetres or more on the ground on dec. 25. last year, phillips said there were two centimetres of snow on the ground on christmas, while in 2010 there were eight centimetres. historically, he said, the chances of a white christmas are becoming less. “ there ’ s something about our winters. they ’ re not as wintery as they used to be, ” he said. “ thirty years ago there was normally about an 80 per cent chance of a white christmas. now, it ’ s more like 65 per cent. ” phillips said snow depth at christmas has really dropped. just 20 years ago, he said, the average depth was 20 cm on christmas morning. today, the average is 10 cm. “ what we ’ re seeing is less snow and more rain. we ’ re seeing warmer temperatures and winters are just not like they used to be, ” phillips said. “ that means a reduced chance of having a white christmas. ” the loss of a white christmas, he said, resonates more with canadians than skinny polar bears and the shrinking ice cap in the north. climate change is guiding this, he said. “ even people who hate snow sort of like to have some on christmas morning. that ’ s why we should appreciate white christmases more when we get them because the time is going to come when they become fewer than more, ” he said. “ we should enjoy it when we get one. ”


( bpt ) - the start of the school year is a time of great anticipation for parents and kids alike. new teachers. new classes. new and old friends. it ' s a time for fun and learning. parents expect schools to be safe havens, but the reality is that children face a host of dangers all day long. bullying, taunting and teasing are only some of the hazards that kids must deal with it every day at even the best schools in america. about 30 percent of middle and high school students say they ' ve been bullied. among high school students, one out of nine teens reported they had been pushed, shoved, tripped or spit upon during the last school year, according to a national institute of child health and human development research study. findlaw. com, the nation ' s leading website for free legal information, offers the following tips on how to keep your children safe at school : * talk to your kids about school safety. talk about bullying and make sure your child understands what is and is not acceptable behavior. also discuss when and how to report bullying. * go to the bus stop. if your schedule allows, go to the bus stop with your child and get to know the other kids and parents, along with the bus driver. * get to know your kids ' teachers. send your child ' s teacher an email to introduce yourself and regularly check in on your child ' s academic and social progress. learn how his or her teacher approaches bullying and other issues that may distract from the school ' s learning environment, such as the use of cell phones and ipods. * read the school ' s policy on bullying. become familiar with school policies about bullying - particularly the protocols for identifying and reporting bullying behavior. pay careful attention to policies regarding cyberbullying, which can take place outside of school. * watch and listen for the cues. many kids don ' t want to reveal to their parents that they ' re being bullied, taunted or teased by other kids. if your child is withdrawn, not doing homework, sick more often than normal or demonstrating other out - of - the - ordinary behavior, talk about what seems to be bothering him or her. * know where your kids are at. sometimes bullying and other unsafe situations take place outside of school grounds, such as at other students ' houses. telling your kids that you want to know where they are and that they need permission to visit a friend ' s house shows them you care. it also reassures them that they can contact you if they need


, such as at other students ' houses. telling your kids that you want to know where they are and that they need permission to visit a friend ' s house shows them you care. it also reassures them that they can contact you if they need help. * monitor internet use and texting. put the home computer in a public place and don ' t allow your kids to use a computer in their bedroom by themselves. * talk to other parents. you may learn that their children also have been bullied or have been involved in activities on and off school grounds that you should be concerned about. you stand a much better chance of obtaining changes and creating a safer environment for your student by acting together rather than alone. * put it in writing. if you suspect your child is being bullied or sexually harassed by another student ( or a teacher or staff member ), ask for a face - to - face meeting with the school ' s principal. if the principal does not act, hire an attorney and escalate your complaint to the superintendent and school board. putting your complaint in writing about the specific types of negative behavior affecting your child is necessary if you need to litigate the complaint in court. * take appropriate action when bullying becomes assault. if your child is physically assaulted on the bus, in school or on school grounds, contact the local police department, particularly if there is a school liaison officer assigned to the school, about whether a police report or assault charges should be filed. do not wait to let the school handle the situation. for more information about how to keep your kids safe at school, visit findlaw. com.


invasive species are a natural disaster waiting to happen. in some cases, there is a very real danger to humans, such as the burmese python in south florida. in many cases, the threat to humans is indirect, yet no less important, such as saltcedar ' s ability to drain waterways. in all cases, the biggest risk is to wildlife habitats, as invasive species are experts in pushing out native plants and animals. especially in the last couple of decades, many invasive species have made headlines, warning the public to watch for and help prevent their spread, from the emerald ash borer to the zebra mussel to the asian carp. all the while, another species has been stealthily avoiding this radar, spreading to all but three of the mainland states, and keeping mostly out of sight until their local populations grow larger than the available food sources. feral hogs are the cockroach of the wilderness, multiplying quickly, highly destructive, disease - carrying, and resilient to control efforts. conservation and agricultural experts alike are calling for more attention to this mostly silent invader of the nation ' s woodlands, including those in parts of south dakota and nebraska. " there are only three states that list these things [ wild or feral hogs ] as game animals, " said john mayer, environmental services manager at the u. s., department of energy ' s savannah river national laboratory in aiken, s. c., and the nation ' s leading expert in feral hogs. " typically, these things are listed as an invasive species. " when people think of feral hogs, what comes to mind is the wild hog - usually the eurasian wild boar - which is common in the southern united states, but the feral hogs that are more likely to cause problems here are domesticated pigs that either escaped or were released into the wild and have adapted to living without human influence. wild boar and feral pigs also readily breed, creating hybrids that grow larger than the typical wild boar but with the same notorious mean streak. in south dakota, there have been reports of a feral pot - bellied pig population at big stone lake on the minnesota border. usually kept as a pet, pot - bellied pigs can grow as large as 300 pounds and the males will grow tusks. there is also an incident of a lone feral pig shot near madison. in nebraska, both wild - hybrid and feral hogs have been a problem in various central and southern counties. according to the university of georgia ' s national feral swine mapping system,


is also an incident of a lone feral pig shot near madison. in nebraska, both wild - hybrid and feral hogs have been a problem in various central and southern counties. according to the university of georgia ' s national feral swine mapping system, the largest populations of wild or feral hogs are in texas, california, florida, oregon, arkansas, louisiana, alabama, georgia, missouri, tennessee, south carolina, and kansas. but wild or feral hogs have been spotted in all of the mainland states except delaware, rhode island, and oddly wyoming. wyoming is particularly concerned about feral hogs migrating into the state from the platte river, but nebraska game and parks commission ' s control efforts have so far been adequate. thirty - six states have verified breeding populations. " they are so adaptable to environments, from cold canada to the hot, humid southern forests to downtown cities like fort worth [ texas ], " mayer said. wild hogs were first introduced to the united states by european settlers, but the rapid spread occurred in the 20th century when zoo stock was sold to wild game ranches in arkansas, missouri, and oklahoma. ranches in michigan imported stock from canada in the 1980s and 1990s. according to mayer, wild boar is among the most popular big game species in the united states, second only to whitetail deer. " as we all know, wild boar is hard to hold and these ranches were all leaking wild boar through the fences, " mayer said, adding that by 1990, there were 2 million wild hogs nationwide. " basically, they ' re taking over the country. " feral hogs can quickly get out of hand once they become established in an area. they are gregarious, living in small family groups although groups of 100 - plus hogs have been reported if there is easy access to food ; aggressive, able to inflict injury or even kill animals and humans in their four - square - mile home range ; and opportunistic omnivores, meaning that they eat mostly plants but, at times, animals. " basically, if they can get their mouth around it, they will eat it, " mayer said. " they have been known to kill lambs, rummage through garbage cans, and eat sticks. all kinds of objects have been found in their stomachs. " feral and wild hogs are also prolific breeders, raising two litters of six to 12 piglets a year. they are able to get pregnant as young as three months of age, and to breed again


when a major earthquake strikes, seconds count. in the devastating 2011 japan earthquake, a sensor embedded in the ground detected the first signs of movement and immediately sent out an alert at the speed of light. within seconds, text messages warning of impending shaking went out to roughly 50 million people. many people in tokyo, 200 miles away from the epicenter, knew the quake was coming before they felt the shaking about 30 seconds later. trains were able to slow down or stop, and not a single car derailed. for the record : earthquake warning system : an article in the jan. 29 section a about a proposal to create an earthquake early warning system in california said that a study published in january was the latest to predict a catastrophic quake on the san andreas fault. the study did not make that prediction, but it did raise the possibility that a quake along that fault line could be large enough to be felt across the entire state. join our live video discussion here at 3 p. m. pt on monday, a group of california ' s top geophysicists and seismologists announced an $ 80 - million plan to create a similar earthquake early warning system in california. it would be the first such network in the united states and marks an ambitious new safety initiative by some of california ' s top state and federal earthquake experts. the u. s. is behind japan as well as mexico, taiwan, turkey and even romania in creating early alert systems. last year, residents in mexico city were warned shortly before the shaking from a 7. 4 quake that began near acapulco arrived. state sen. alex padilla ( d - pacoima ) is proposing legislation to create the statewide network. california already has hundreds of ground sensors measuring earth movement, but experts said another $ 80 million is needed to expand and upgrade the monitors. they said the system could be up and running in two years if funding is found. an early warning system could be particularly beneficial in southern california, which is at risk of a major temblor on the san andreas fault. the san andreas is located far enough away from metropolitan los angeles that officials believe residents would have a one - minute warning of the huge quake. if a temblor erupted near the salton sea, for instance, underground sensors along the san andreas would send off an alert to points north and west, covering population centers in los angeles and san diego. experts said this would give time to shut off utilities, prepare emergency response personnel and slow trains. a study released in january was the latest of many to


send off an alert to points north and west, covering population centers in los angeles and san diego. experts said this would give time to shut off utilities, prepare emergency response personnel and slow trains. a study released in january was the latest of many to predict a catastrophic quake on the san andreas. this report, for the first time, raised the possibility of a mega quake across the entire fault line that would be felt from san francisco to san diego. padilla said it ' s time for california to build its own system, adding that $ 80 million is a bargain compared with the billions of dollars in damage the system could prevent. " think of the lives we could save. the injuries we can reduce. and the billions upon billions of damage.... if we can just reduce that by a small percentage, or a fraction, the system would more than pay for itself, " padilla said. at a demonstration monday at caltech, seismologists showed how the system would work. the simulation recreated the 1933 long beach quake off the coast of huntington beach. a person in pasadena, 40 miles away, would have about 18 seconds to prepare if an alert was issued. in the demonstration, scientists showed the earthquake waves moving toward pasadena from orange county as an alarm sounded with a computerized voice repeating : " earthquake! earthquake! earthquake! " officials said the idea would be for people to install a quake warning program on their computers and mobile devices. if a large earthquake occurred, the warning would take over the screen. alerts would also be tied to automatic systems that could tell elevators to stop, open firehouse doors and flash notifications on freeways. the early warning system would build upon the existing california integrated seismic network that produces online maps after quakes showing their epicenter. officials said california already has almost 1, 000 earthquake sensors across the state, but the network needs an additional 200 machines and upgrades to 400 stations for the system to work.


a study led by researchers at the university of colorado has determined that the pace of planet warming in the first decade of this century was slowed by volcanic activity, and not by industrial activity in asia, as was previously believed. previous research in 2009 had suggested that an increase in stratospheric aerosols tied to a 60 percent increase in sulfur dioxide emissions over china and india had negated about 25 percent of the global warming that scientists attribute to greenhouse gas emissions. that cooling effect occurs when sulfur dioxide emissions rise 12 to 20 miles to the stratospheric aerosol layer of the atmosphere. there, chemical reactions create sulfuric acid and water particles that reflect sunlight back into space. now, research led by study author ryan neely, conducted as part of his doctoral thesis at cu, has shown that global warming from 2000 to 2010 was tamped down by sulfur dioxide from volcanic eruptions, not industrial emissions in china and india, where such activity has greatly increased in recent years. " it ' s good to know this is coming from volcanoes ; its a natural thing, and it ' s not something we ' re doing as a planet, " said neely, who is now a post - doctoral fellow in the advanced study program at the national center for atmospheric research. the 10 - year window addressed by the study did not see massive activity on the scale of mount pinatubo in the philippines, which erupted in 1991 in the second - largest volcanic event of the 20th century. still, there was sufficient volcanic activity in the 2000s from the tropics to alaska that made an impact in the stratosphere. the new research piggybacks on a 2011 study led by susan solomon, a former scientist at the national oceanic and atmospheric administration who is now at the massachusetts institute of technology, which showed that stratospheric aerosols - - without isolating their source - - offset about one - quarter of the greenhouse - effect warming of earth in the past 10 years. to determine what was contributing to that, neely said he realized, " you couldn ' t do it from observations alone. it ' s all intermingled, and you can ' t separate the two sources easily. it was going to take a very specialized model that no one has done before. " cu ' s janus supercomputer was pressed into service to conduct seven computer runs, each of them simulating 10 years of atmospheric activity linked to both coal - burning activities in asia and to volcanic emissions around the world. each run required about a


' s janus supercomputer was pressed into service to conduct seven computer runs, each of them simulating 10 years of atmospheric activity linked to both coal - burning activities in asia and to volcanic emissions around the world. each run required about a week of computer time, utilizing 192 processors, enabling the team to isolate coal - burning pollution in asia from aerosol contributions tied to volcanic eruptions. neely said the work would have taken a single computer about 25 years to complete. the fact that the emissions from industrial activity on the other side of the planet is not affecting temperature fluctuations tied to particulates in the stratosphere, neely said, does not mean that all those human - caused emissions are good for the environment. " a lot of people would take it that way, " he said, " but it ' s bad for other reasons - - for acid rain reasons, and just for putting pollution into the atmosphere, and not to mention all the carbon dioxide they ' re emitting, when they burn all the coal, " he said. in a news release, study co - author and cu professor brian toon said, " the biggest implication here is that scientists need to pay more attention to small and moderate volcanic eruptions, when trying to understand changes in earth ' s climate. " but overall, these eruptions are not going to counter the greenhouse effect. emissions of volcanic gases go up and down, helping to cool or heat the planet, while greenhouse gas emissions from human activity just continue to go up. " contact camera staff writer charlie brennan at 303 - 473 - 1327 or email @ example. com.


landsat, the 40 - year - old earth - observing satellite program jointly managed by the u. s. geological survey and nasa, saw its eighth mission launch monday morning from vandenberg air force base in california. the landsat data continuity mission was launched atop an atlas v rocket, built by centennial - based united launch alliance, and includes two scientific instruments, one of which is the operational land imager instrument that was designed and built by ball aerospace & technologies of boulder. since 1972, the landsat missions have provided a continuous picture of earth and its natural resources using multispectral imagery that can be used for agricultural, water management, disaster response, scientific and national security purposes. the oli will use visible, near infrared and short wave infrared wavelengths to take images of the earth every 16 days. landsat images were recently used by usgs in the colorado wildfires in the summer of 2012. the previous mission in the program, landsat 7, was launched in 1999 and is still in orbit. the 2013 mission — scheduled to observe the earth from about 400 miles above the ground for five years — is the first time ball has participated in a landsat mission. kristen leigh painter : 303 - 954 - 1638, email @ example. com or twitter. com / kristenpainter


asian american and pacific islander heritage month 2013 our country ’ s cultural richness stems from the many immigrant and native legacies which bind us as one nation from many peoples. our strength as a nation resides in the hearts and minds and spirit of our people, united in preserving freedom and justice, and in our willingness to work hard to earn our own way. asian and pacific islander americans have contributed enormously through language, the arts, music, literature, science, and medicine, adding their own hopes and dreams, to the countless threads that give color and resilience to the fabric that is america. asian and pacific islander american heritage month commemorates both the arrival of the first immigrant japanese to the united states on may 7, 1843, and the completion of the transcontinental railroad on may 10, 1869, linking our nation ’ s east and west coasts. so many chinese immigrants were instrumental to this uniting of the continent. and so many asian and pacific islander americans since have likewise served and sacrificed for our country. more than 292, 000 of them have defended this nation. over 67, 000 men and women of asian and pacific islander descent currently serve on duty in our armed forces around the world. america is safer, and our democracy is stronger, because of their service in uniform. these asian and pacific islander americans, from the first brave immigrants to today ’ s generation of vibrant americans, have made positive and lasting contributions to the greater good of our society. their impact has been truly significant — from operating small businesses to leading multinational corporations ; from teaching in our most rural classrooms to lecturing in our greatest universities ; from volunteering to care for the sick and homeless to commanding the formations which defend us, preserving peace in a dangerous world. asian and pacific islander americans are fully interwoven into every aspect of american life, bringing with them the hopes and dreams to build an ever - greater america. on behalf of the department of veterans affairs, it is a privilege to celebrate the rich histories of all asian and pacific islander americans, including over 22, 000 of our co - workers, during this month which honors their heritage. eric k. shinseki


thai national marine parks an overview for thailand diving there are presently a total of 26 marine national parks in thailand, of which 21 are formally legislated, while 5 are in different stages of the process of legislation. the 21 legally - recognised parks cover area about 5, 810 km². 4 national parks are proposed for world heritage status ; they are mu koh tarutao, mu koh surin, mu koh similan, all 3 of which are popular thailand scuba diving destinations, and phang nga bay. all thee parks are located in the andaman sea. a part of mu koh phayam has been declared a biosphere reserve. park management and legislation the overall responsibility for national marine parks in thailand lies with the royal forest department ( rfd ). previously, the national park division administered the terrestrial and marine parks. however, following a reorganisation within the royal forestry department ( rfd ) in 1993 a separate marine national park division ( mnpd ) became responsible for protection, management and operation of the marine national parks. the major responsibilities of the mnpd are : - implementation of the thai national park act ( 1961 ), the national forest reserve act ( 1964 ), the wildlife reservation act ( 1992 ), forest act ( 1941 ), fishery act ( 1994 ) and other relevant laws ; - application of the principles of marine management in promotion and development of guidelines for conservation of natural resources and rehabilitation of ecosystems and environment ; - prevention, protection and recommendations regarding natural resources to gain the greatest possible benefits and achieve sustainability according to the principles of national marine park management and government policy ; and - research of natural resources in the marine national parks and information dissemination to the public, especially children to promote understanding and awareness of the need for protection of natural resources. while the natural resources conservation office develops the general policies for the marine national parks, it is the marine national parks themselves that are directly responsible for the administration of parks. at the local park level, the park superintendent, supported by 2 assistants, administer the parks. ranger teams composed of 1 ranger and 11 temporary workers carry out the day - to - day work. the superintendent reports directly to the director of the mnpd. in accordance to the national park act, national park management is supervised by a committee at national level, called the national park committee. the protection and management of the marine national parks requires legislation for implementation and enforcement. the national park act is the major legislation regulating the marine national parks. the act covers all land, which has been determined as national parks. it


the national park committee. the protection and management of the marine national parks requires legislation for implementation and enforcement. the national park act is the major legislation regulating the marine national parks. the act covers all land, which has been determined as national parks. it covers areas such as mountains, creeks, swamps, canals, marshes, basins, waterways, lakes, islands and seashore. the law describes the protection of the parks. according to the law, the park flora and fauna is protected, and any trade or transport of species out of the park is not allowed. the act also provides the legislative means to establish a national park. a national park may be declared over any public land where there are natural features or scenic areas that are of interest, to preserve it for the benefit of research, public education and pleasure. the rfd has a set of criteria for the declaration of a national park area in thailand : - the coverage area of park should be not less than 10 km², which is large enough to preserve the ecological process within the area. however, it is also flexible for areas containing valuable or unique resources ; - those areas that contain high biodiversity or threatened species, scenic areas, geological phenomenon or of historical value ; - those areas that contain educational value which can provide nature educational opportunities for the public ; - those areas that are suitable for recreation and ecotourism development. normally, the process of establishment of national parks takes at least 2 years and many parks took more than 5 years to establish. the management of conservation areas is crucial and significant for the national environment and ecological systems. the objectives are to preserve existing flora and fauna for research and educational purposes, recreational purposes such a scuba diving, snorkeling and sailing, and for improved living conditions of the people, since natural resources also help people to generate an income. the national park management plan is to : - be a tool for operation, control and supervision, and be a framework for officials, related agencies such as ngos, local agencies, and governmental organisations to follow ; - help develop the efficiency and continuity of management and implementation ; - be a standard for decision making in problem solving processes and management processes in the national parks ; - help to develop an educational system, in terms of nature conservation knowledge and awareness for the public ; - be a framework and directional instrument for natural resource research and study. revenues are generated by the parks through the collection of entrance fees, user fees such as for diving, accommodation, fines, fees on tourist vessels anchoring or staying overnight, concession from any private tourist service activities


directional instrument for natural resource research and study. revenues are generated by the parks through the collection of entrance fees, user fees such as for diving, accommodation, fines, fees on tourist vessels anchoring or staying overnight, concession from any private tourist service activities such as food shops, souvenir shops, canoe services etc. income is transferred into a fund handled by the revenue national park committee in rfd, chaired by the general director. the committee disburses funds to terrestrial and marine parks. there is a separate budget for the marine national parks. the funds provided by the committee are disbursed to finance park project proposals. these proposals comprise activities in the fields of nature conservation and protection, technical research, and park service provision. only legally established parks are able to collect fees from any activities within the parks. in the last decade, the amount of parks revenue has risen to approximately 0. 35 million us dollars a year. benefits of the marine national parks the marine national park system provides both direct and indirect benefits to the thai society. these protected areas contain diverse and important ecosystems and biological resources. such habitat as mangrove forests, coral reefs, sea grass beds, soft sediment communities and beaches not only provide a home for many important marine species such as turtles and dugongs, but also form the basis for several subsistence benefits to the local people and contribute to the valuable thailand dive and tourism industries, research and education. over 50 percent of all coral reefs in thailand are included in existing marine national parks. according to many studies, notably by phuket marine biological research centre, the parks ' coral reefs are in better condition than those in other areas, although they are not as healthy as they were 10 - 15 years ago. such parks, as mu koh surin ( which contains the surin islands and richelieu rock ), mu koh similan ( which contains the similan islands, koh bon island and koh tachai ), mu koh lanta ( which contains hin daeng and hin muang ) and mu koh chang in the gulf of thailand, contain some of the finest coral reefs in the country in term of size, species diversity and condition and these sites are of international significance. coral reef areas in marine parks play an important role in the economic development of thai society. not only do they offer critical habitat to numerous marine species, which support fisheries activities and provide a significant food source for people, they also generate huge incomes for the country in term of tourism activities. about 70 % of


the economic development of thai society. not only do they offer critical habitat to numerous marine species, which support fisheries activities and provide a significant food source for people, they also generate huge incomes for the country in term of tourism activities. about 70 % of total incomes from tourism are generated by marine tourism activities. several coastal and marine parks of thailand were established in order to protect the mangrove habitat which has been declining at an alarming rate throughout thailand ' s coastal zone. only one - 6th of about 160, 000 hectares of mangrove forests are included in coastal parks. similar to coral reefs, mangrove forest offer critical habitat to an abundance and variety of marine life, which in turn support fisheries and other traditional activities. the mangrove forest in ao phang - nga, tarutao, and newly established parks such as mu koh chumphon and kraburi, have better habitat conditions than the rest. mangrove forest is also becoming popular with ecotourism for both domestic and international tourists. seagrass habitat, another significant coastal habitat for marine life, provides great benefits for people, especially local communities along the coastline. the largest seagrass beds are found in coastal protected areas, particularly along the andaman sea coast. dugong and many other marine species use these areas for feeding. other marine resources most coastal and marine parks in thailand are either permanent or seasonal habitats for several important marine flora and fauna. the most common species of flora found in park are algae and phytoplankton. many species of fish mollusks, sponges, worms, crustaceans and echinoderms can be found abundantly in most parks. some notable species such as dugongs, dolphins and whale sharks appear frequently in some of the parks where their habitats is less disturbed. at least 4 species of sea turtle come to the parks beaches for their annual egg laying. these are important drawcards for divers, and generate large amounts of income for the economy. because the coastal area of thailand is influenced by high intensity monsoon rainfall, most coastal areas and many islands established as marine national parks are carpeted in lush evergreen forest. the forests contain both high diversity and endemic species of flora and fauna. scenery and beaches many of the country ' s most spectacular coastal scenery and beaches, such as ang thong and mu koh phi phi, occur within the boundaries of the coastal and marine national park system. as such, marine national parks serve as prime destinations for millions of domestic and international tourism visitors annually. decreasing of illegal fishing fishing within the marine parks is an important issue


expansion. current issues and challenges at present, the mnpd faces a number of management challenges. fishery activities are considered a central problem in many of the marine national parks, especially for the coastal parks. the conflict between parks and people on marine resource utilisation is increasing. fishing within the park boundaries is prohibited. it is noted that when it comes to enforcement, this aspect is treated in a flexible way, with some marine national parks even allowing fishing. however, local fishermen in general feel that marine parks put unnecessary constraints on local fishing activities. the use of illegal and inappropriate fishing gear has negatively impacted the marine national parks environment. thailand ' s coast is especially rich in seagrass species with as many as 12 species found. the use of inappropriate fishing gear, including finely woven fishing nets, is very damaging to the seagrass. in this way the habitat for numerous marine animals is destroyed. moreover, destructive fishing practices can be very damaging to the coral reefs. it is especially the use of explosives and use of fine nets which have negatively impacted upon the coral reefs. trawling has also had a very negative impact on marine resources both in the andaman sea and the gulf of thailand. in particular, the use of push nets and explosives along the shallow coast of thailand has resulted in the severe decline in fish resources. the number of tourists coming to thailand is rapidly growing and this increases the pressure on the marine national parks. 8 of the existing parks have attendances exceeding 100, 000 visitors per year. during visitation in parks, tourists will rely on various services and infrastructure provided at the parks, including overnight accommodation, guided boat tours, and other nature interpretation services. tourism demand for coastal and marine parks is quite high for both the natural resources being used and the tourism infrastructure of the park. both physical and environmental carrying capacity is being exceeded at several locations, thereby leading to congestion, the deterioration of the nature - oriented recreational experience and resource degradation. at present, the park management is in a weak position to control the entry of tourists to the marine parks, especially the island parks such as mu koh samet, mu koh chang, and mu koh phi phi. consequently, a large number of tourists do not pay entry fees and are unregistered. the tourism problem also relates to the control of tourist activities within the park. the marine national parks base a zoning system mainly on the terrestrial park model and marine areas of park are not properly zoned. the pressure from tourists is therefore localised to certain sites in the parks, especially coral reefs


of tourist activities within the park. the marine national parks base a zoning system mainly on the terrestrial park model and marine areas of park are not properly zoned. the pressure from tourists is therefore localised to certain sites in the parks, especially coral reefs. this has also resulted in the mnpd having to close reefs that were frequently visited by thai divers in mu koh similan, such as east of eden. the quality of recreational and educational experiences at the marine national parks is not reaching its potential. several parks are destination for visitors from around the world such as mu koh surin, mu koh similan, khao leam ya, mu koh samet and mu koh chang. but not many park officials are trained in coastal and marine environmental education. the expansion of coastal and offshore island resorts, the extension of cruise ship services to new locations, improved transportation to former remote locations are all expected to have considerable influence on coastal and marine parks and impact on the environment. low quality tourist vessels also create an environmental impact on natural habitat, especially coral reefs. almost all thai tourist vessels do not have proper storage system for waste water, and sewage is therefore flushed directly into the sea. oil is commonly released from the tourist boat engines, particularly the boats that are converted from fishing boats. this is polluting the marine environment and thereby threatening the reef. marine parks also face problems as a result of land encroachment. the parks have in particular faced problems because people involved in shrimp farming have encroached into the marine protected areas and destroyed mangrove forests and occupied the land. shrimp farming constitutes a serious problem, threatening the ao phang - nga national park. ( however, in this park the current problem mostly relates to pollution from shrimp farms located in areas neighbouring the park ). several parks, including hat nopparat thara - mu koh phi phi, khao leam ya and mu koh samet, face serious difficulties because of encroachment and land disputes. the conflicts are ever more complicated due to the high benefits gained from the tourism business in the parks. the thai national park act is outdated and the law was not developed specifically for marine parks. a key issue is the unresolved problem concerning the open seas. there are still uncertainties about how sea water can be designated as a part of a park. attempts have been made to interpret ' land ' to include the sea bordering islands and seashore. these unresolved legal issues put severe constraints on the national parks ' ability


uncertainties about how sea water can be designated as a part of a park. attempts have been made to interpret ' land ' to include the sea bordering islands and seashore. these unresolved legal issues put severe constraints on the national parks ' ability to regulate economical and recreational activities in sea areas. the parks have, for example, been unable to properly zone the aquatic areas of the parks. moreover, neither the national park act nor other relevant acts under rfd, including the national forest reserve act or wildlife reserves act, give the parks any legal authority to create buffer zones surrounding the protected areas. the parks are therefore unable to regulate environmentally unfriendly activities taking place in areas neighbouring the parks, including shrimp farms and resort construction. management and capacity gaps besides the legal constraints, there are several other factors that significantly constrain the mnpd to effectively operate and manage its marine national parks. some of these factors relate directly to capacity constraints within rfd and the mnpd. there are certain financial limitations on park management in thailand which severely constrain the parks in developing pragmatic annual financial proposals. the parks face capacity problems with regards to staff skills. the park superintendents and chief assistants all have forestry backgrounds, and they receive only sporadic training related to marine park management. there is a lack of technical and professional skills in areas such as environmental education and interpretation, social science and marine science. moreover, most park guards are low paid temporary employees. they have no job security and incentives. the performance of the temporary staff is therefore relatively poor. there are also important challenges concerning data collection and general management of data relating to the natural environments of the parks. currently the parks lack baseline data and have not developed a uniform system for habitat and biodiversity monitoring. back to reefs and parks index


more in outdoors careful soil preparation can make the difference between a green, healthy lawn and a poorly grown one. timing is key — start several weeks before you intend to lay turf or sow seed to give the soil enough time to settle. gardening fork or spade preparation for laying a lawn or sowing grass seed should begin a few weeks before you plan to sow seed or lay turf. use a fork or spade to turn over the soil to a depth of 12 inches. remove any weeds or stones. leveling is important on small lawn areas, but you may want to leave gentle undulations on large, informal sites because natural contours can look attractive. once the soil has been leveled, it should be lightly firmed down to knock out large air pockets and prevent the soil level from dropping too much later. do this by treading on it with your feet or by using a light roller. simple steps to success : lawns and groundcover © 2012 dorling kindersley limited all fields are required. remember me on this computer please enter your email address and we will send your password your password has been sent and should arrive in your mailbox very soon. sign up with diy network to share tips with other do - it - yourselfers and comment and ask questions on projects. it ' s free and easy.


- blood sugar - clinical studies - complementary medicine - diabetes and men - erectile dysfunction - food and nutrition - insulin pumps - meters and test strips - product recalls - type 1 - type 2 - weight loss surgery archive - 12 - 2009 december 30, 2009 ( newswise ) - need a little extra incentive to kick the habit? just in time for new years resolutions, a ucla study finds that even after age 80, smoking continues to increase ones risk for age - related macular degeneration ( amd ), the leading cause of blindness in americans over 65. the american journal of ophthalmology publishes the findings in its january edition. the take - home message is that its never too late to quit smoking, said lead author dr. anne coleman, professor of ophthalmology at the jules stein eye institute at ucla. we found that even older peoples eyes will benefit from kicking the habit. amd causes progressive damage to the macula, the center of the retina that allows us to see fine details. when the macula degenerates, people experience darkness or blurring in their central vision, preventing them from being able to read, drive and recognize faces. after age, smoking is the second most common risk factor for amd. this study sought to determine whether age influences the effects of smoking on amd risk. coleman and her colleagues followed a group of 1, 958 women who underwent retinal photographs at five - year intervals, starting with a baseline exam at age 78. four percent, or 75 of the women, smoked. the researchers compared the retinal images at ages 78 and 83 to check for the appearance of amd, and evaluate whether smoking affected the womens likelihood of developing the disease. age is the strongest predictor for amd, yet most of the research in this field has been conducted in people younger than 75, explained coleman. our population was considerably older than those previously studied. this research provides the first accurate snapshot of how smoking affects amd risk later in life. overall, women who smoked had 11 percent higher rates of amd than other women their same age. in women over 80, however, those who smoked were 5. 5 times more likely to develop amd than women their age who did not smoke. we saw a slightly higher rate of amd in women after age 80, but the rate was dramatically higher in older women who smoked, said coleman. the bottom line is that amd risk increases with age. and if you smoke, your risk of developing


saw a slightly higher rate of amd in women after age 80, but the rate was dramatically higher in older women who smoked, said coleman. the bottom line is that amd risk increases with age. and if you smoke, your risk of developing the disease rises even more. cigarette smoking has been hypothesized to increase amd risk by reducing serum antioxidant levels, altering blood flow to the eyes and decreasing retinal pigments. this study provides yet another compelling reason to stop smoking and suggests that it is never too late to quit, said dr. paul sieving, director of the national eye institute. the national eye institute and national institute on aging funded the research. about 1. 75 million u. s. residents suffer from advanced amd with vision loss ; the number is expected to grow to almost 3 million by 2020. colemans coauthors included carol mangione, robin seitzman and fei yu of ucla ; steven cummings and katie stone of the california pacific medical center research institute ; jane cauley from the university of pittsburgh ; kristine ensrud from the university of minnesota ; marc hochberg from the university of maryland ; kathryn pedula from the kaiser permanente center for health research ; and edgar thomas from the retina vitreous associates medical group. december 29, 2009 ( ub ) - the role of pharmacists hasn ' t received much attention in the debate on the cost of health care. but national and regional studies show that when pharmacists directly participate in patient care, they significantly reduce treatment costs and improve outcomes. a study on diabetic patients by the university at buffalo school of pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences identified cost savings with improvements in a key indicator of glucose control in diabetes patients, the hemoglobin a1c measurement. the a1c provides a three - month average of the amount of excess glucose in the blood. higher a1cs indicate that a patient is at higher risk for developing long - term complications associated with diabetes, such as kidney disease or vision problems. published last spring in the journal of the american pharmacists association, the ub study of 50 patients with type 2 diabetes demonstrated that in just six months clinical pharmacists, in collaboration with primary care providers, were able to significantly reduce patients ' a1c levels. in the ub study, patients ' a1c levels were reduced by an average of 1. 1 percent, from an average of 8. 5 percent to 7. 4 percent, one year after


were able to significantly reduce patients ' a1c levels. in the ub study, patients ' a1c levels were reduced by an average of 1. 1 percent, from an average of 8. 5 percent to 7. 4 percent, one year after being enrolled in the program, while also improving the overall metabolic profile. " our results show that enhancing the patient ' s access to care through collaborative physician - pharmacist relationships can yield lower blood glucose levels, improve the overall metabolic profile and reduce costs to the payer, " says erin slazak, pharmd, ub clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice and board certified pharmacotherapy specialist. these clinical improvements occurred while monthly costs per patient went down by approximately $ 212, around $ 2, 500 per year, even though there were nominal increases in the cost of medications prescribed. the key to success? " patients had unlimited access to pharmacists throughout the year, " says slazak. patients referred to the ub program had been identified by their primary care providers as having difficulty controlling their blood sugar. slazak notes that it was not uncommon to see patients with glucose levels as high as 400 mg / dl ( normal levels are below 100 mg / dl ). the ub pharmacists spent an initial one - hour appointment with each patient, where they worked up detailed health records covering dietary information and all medications and disease conditions, and then reviewed them with each patient. after that, patients could call or make appointments with pharmacists at will. " we did extensive education with patients about how to manage their conditions, " says slazak. " in many cases, we were instrumental in getting them to start insulin. there is a lot of resistance to that, and not just because it ' s an injection. " for patients in the initial stages of administering insulin, she says it was common to be contacted once every few days. the pharmacists then made suggestions to physicians about changes in medications, dosages or lifestyle that might be beneficial to their patients. that kind of individualized attention is far from the norm for diabetic patients. " nationwide, the standard of care is that the primary care provider manages diabetes alone, " says slazak. " pharmacists typically do not have direct involvement. " that is partly because some states, including new york, have not yet approved collaborative practice agreements between physicians and pharmacists. in the buffalo study, for example, physicians were required to review pharmac