a team of researchers led by the university of colorado boulder has discovered the first prehistoric bronze artifact made from a cast ever found in alaska, a small, buckle - like object found in an ancient eskimo dwelling and which likely originated in east asia. the artifact consists of two parts - - a rectangular bar, connected to an apparently broken circular ring, said cu - boulder research associate john hoffecker, who is leading the excavation project. the object, about 2 inches by 1 inch and less than 1 inch thick, was found in august by a team excavating a roughly 1, 000 - year - old house that had been dug into the side of a beach ridge by early inupiat eskimos at cape espenberg on the seward peninsula, which lies within the bering land bridge national preserve. both sections of the artifact are beveled on one side and concave on the other side, indicating it was manufactured in a mold, said hoffecker, a fellow at cu - boulder ' s institute of arctic and alpine research. a small piece of leather found wrapped around the rectangular bar by the research team yielded a radiocarbon date of roughly a. d. 600, which does not necessarily indicate the age of the object, he said. " i was totally astonished, " said hoffecker. " the object appears to be older than the house we were excavating by at least a few hundred years. " hoffecker and his cu - boulder colleague owen mason said the bronze object resembles a belt buckle and may have been used as part of a harness or horse ornament prior to its arrival in alaska. while they speculated the inupiat eskimos could have used the artifact as a clasp for human clothing or perhaps as part of a shaman ' s regalia, its function on both continents still remains a puzzle, they said. since bronze metallurgy from alaska is unknown, the artifact likely was produced in east asia and reflects long - distance trade from production centers in either korea, china, manchuria or southern siberia, according to mason. it conceivably could have been traded from the steppe region of southern siberia, said hoffecker, where people began casting bronze several thousand years ago. alternatively, some of the earliest inupiat eskimos in northwest alaska - - the direct ancestors of modern eskimos thought to have migrated into alaska from adjacent siberia some 1, 500 years ago - - might have brought the object with them from the other side of the be


through their subsistence activities. " the cape espenberg beach ridges, wave - swept deposits made of sand and sediment running parallel to the shoreline that were deposited over centuries, often are capped by blowing sand to form high dunes. the cape espenberg dwellings were dug into the dunes and shored up with driftwood and occasional whale bones. the team is examining the timing and formation of the beach ridges as well as the contents of peat and pond sediment cores to help them reconstruct the sea - level history and the changing environment faced by cape espenberg ' s settlers. information on past climates also is contained in driftwood tree rings, and the team is working with instaar affiliate scott elias, a university of london professor and expert on beetle fossils, who is helping the team reconstruct past temperatures at cape espenberg. while the hunting of bowhead whales was a way of life for inupiat eskimos at barrow and point hope in northwestern alaska 1, 000 years ago, it is still not clear if the cape espenberg people were whaling, said mason. while whale baleen - - a strong, flexible material found in the mouths of whales that acts as a food filter - - and a variety of whale bones have been found during excavations there, the sea offshore is extremely shallow and some distance from modern whale migration routes. however, there is evidence of fishing and seal and caribou hunting by the group, he said. the inupiat eskimos are believed to have occupied cape espenberg from about a. d. 1000 until the mid - 1800s, said hoffecker. they are part of the indigenous eskimo culture that lives in earth ' s circumpolar regions like alaska, siberia and canada. the cape espenberg site has yielded a treasure trove of several thousand artifacts, including sealing harpoons, fishing spears and lures, a copper needle, slate knives, antler arrow points, a shovel made from a walrus scapula, a beaver incisor pendant, ceramics, and even toy bows and toy harpoons. the bronze artifact unearthed in august is currently under study by prehistoric metallurgical expert and purdue university assistant professor h. kory cooper. explore further : fossil brain teaser : new study reveals patterns of dinosaur brain development


traditionally if scientists wanted to look at something small they would put a sample under a microscope but now researchers have managed to shrink the microscope itself to the size of a single human cell. an interdisciplinary research team, funded by the biotechnology and biological science research council ( bbsrc ) and the engineering and physical sciences research council ( epsrc ) have developed optical biochips no larger than a single cell that could lead to faster development of new drugs and quicker medical tests. the research team moved away from the idea that a microscope is something you have to look through to create optical biochips onto which scientists can place biological samples. special fluorescent chemicals are then used together with tiny light emitting lasers to allow the scientists to analyse the cells or targets within the cells. researchers can use this capability to examine cellular conditions for certain diseases or to develop new treatments by studying the way cells react to a drug. the biochips also raise the possibility of a micro - laboratory, the size of a credit card, which would be able to perform medical diagnostics, improving patient treatment by reducing the number of hospital visits needed for tests. the initial research has led to the creation of a spin - out company, biostatus ltd, supported by a bbsrc small business research initiative grant. biostatus has developed the research to refine the fluorescent probe technology and also to make the analysis of biological samples more sophisticated. professor paul smith, the research group leader, said, " our research and the outcomes from the spin - out company could help to revolutionise how we examine biological samples. our next step will be to develop simple, small diagnostic devices. future generations may be able to use these as the basis for hand - held systems that will be able to perform diagnostic functions in the field that currently require a laboratory test. " professor julia goodfellow, chief executive of bbsrc, said, " the success of the research into biochips and the development of the science through the spin - out company shows how cutting edge research in the biosciences can meet real world challenges. bochips have the potential to make a real difference in medical diagnostics and drug development. " the research is being carried out at the wales college of medicine and involves researchers at cardiff university, university of bangor, the gray cancer institute in london and collaboration with the university of warwick and laboratories in the united states. source : biotechnology and biological sciences research council explore further : allosaurus fed more like a falcon than a crocodile, new study finds


june is cataract awareness month. did you know that cataracts are the leading cause of vision loss among adults 55 and older? in fact, more than half the people over age 65 have some degree of cataract development. a cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye, the part of the eye that focuses light and produces clear images. inside of the eye, the lens is contained in a sealed bag or capsule. as old cells die they become trapped within the capsule. over time, more cells die and accumulate causing the lens to cloud, making images look blurred or fuzzy. ( eye america. org ) cataracts are caused by the breakdown of proteins within the clear lens of the eye that cause it to become cloudy and difficult to see through, effecting vision. some of this protein breakdown is associated with oxidative stress. it is believed that the majority of oxidative stress is generated in the eye via photochemical reactions caused by exposure to sunlight although oxidative stress can be caused by neuronal dysfunction in certain conditions. antioxidants fight free radicals and reactive oxygen species by neutralizing them and thus causing them to lose the ability to cause oxidative stress. antioxidants can be found in many different foods. some examples are blueberries, raspberries and olive oil. the regular intake of these foods can be beneficial to your health and can combat oxidative stress. however, science is finding that more concentrated doses of antioxidants can be even more beneficial in combating eye disease than diet alone. the use of antioxidant supplementation may protect the eye from oxidative - stress induced damage and disease. hydroxytyrosol, a powerful antioxidant derived from olive byproducts, has a chemoprotective effect on retinal cells, the type of cell that is damaged by the progression of macular degeneration and possibly other eye diseases. pinnaclife ’ s supplement olivamine essential, is a blend of antioxidants, and if used in association with a healthy lifestyle can help to reduce the effects eye disease. our supplements are available at most hy - vee locations. start your journey towards good health today!


avian flu, also known as “ bird flu, ” is caused by influenza viruses that occur naturally among wild birds. normally, wild birds across the globe are carriers of a harmless form of these viruses, which don ’ t sicken them. but recently, a new strain of the virus, h5n1 ( named for the proteins on the surface of the virus ), has killed birds of more than 80 wild species and flocks of domestic fowl, in asia, europe, and africa. some human cases, primarily in asia, have developed from contact with these birds, or their saliva or feces. more than half of the human victims have died after suffering fever, cough, muscle aches, and pneumonia. the disease has not appeared in the united states in either humans or birds. at this time, avian flu is not easily transmitted from human to human, although experts are considering whether prolonged and intimate contact with a sick person may indeed make a caregiver vulnerable, since family clusters have been found in indonesia. still, human cases are rare and have been confirmed only in azerbaijan, cambodia, china, djibouti, egypt, indonesia, iraq, thailand, turkey, and vietnam. but because viruses often mutate, it is feared that h5n1 may some day turn into one that will quickly spread from human to human, perhaps around the globe. such a pandemic is expected to be widespread and deadly. medical researchers are working on preparing a vaccine, but because the exact nature and virulence of the virus that may mutate into the human - to - human form isn ’ t known, the effectiveness of a vaccine prepared in advance isn ’ t known either. typically, it takes six months to develop a vaccine, once the pathogen is known. many international agencies, as well as the federal government, local and state governments, businesses, schools, and hospitals are readying plans to deal with the possibility of an avian flu pandemic. the university of pittsburgh and the university of pittsburgh medical center are making plans as well. these plans primarily deal with how to efficiently treat the sick and limit exposure to the well. in this country at this time, the only precautions to take are to observe wildlife from a distance and avoid touching wildlife. if contact occurs, wash hands with soap and water before you rub your eyes, eat, drink, or smoke. although there are no international travel restrictions as a result of avian flu, public health officials urge travelers to higher - risk areas of the world


contact occurs, wash hands with soap and water before you rub your eyes, eat, drink, or smoke. although there are no international travel restrictions as a result of avian flu, public health officials urge travelers to higher - risk areas of the world to avoid contact with live animal markets and poultry farms, and any free - ranging or caged poultry. in addition, visitors to affected areas should not consume under - cooked poultry and egg products. upon their return, travelers should monitor their health for 10 days. if illness is present ( including fever plus cough, sore throat, or trouble breathing ) during the 10 - day period, a doctor should be consulted and informed of symptoms, location of travel, and whether there was direct contact with poultry or close contact with a severely ill person. while health officials are watching the course of avian flu and making plans to deal with it, even though it may not happen, they are also preparing for the yearly occurrence of seasonal flu, usually between december and may. seasonal flu can also cause serious illness and death in the young, the elderly, or those with impaired resistance. but, in contrast to avian flu, vaccines do exist, and are offered at campus sites. seasonal flu is transmitted by coughing and sneezing or other close contact, or from contact with an object contaminated by flu viruses, which can live on surfaces for as long as two hours. health officials are advising that everyone get a flu shot this year and be meticulous about hand - washing.


sequences of numbers can have limits. for example, the sequence 1, 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 1 / 4,... has the limit 0 and the sequence 0, 1 / 2, 2 / 3, 3 / 4, 4 / 5,... has the limit 1. but not all number sequences behave so nicely. for example, the sequence 1 / 2, 1 / 3, 2 / 3, 1 / 4, 3 / 4, 1 / 5, 4 / 5,... keeps jumping up and down, rather than getting closer and closer to one particular number. we can, however, discern some sort of limiting behaviour as we move along the sequence : the numbers never become larger than 1 or smaller than 0. and what ' s more, moving far enough along the sequence, you can find numbers that get as close as you like to both 1 and 0. so both 0 and 1 have some right to be considered limits of the sequence — and indeed they are : 1 is the limit superior and 0 is the limit inferior, so - called for obvious reasons. but can you define these limits superior and inferior for a general sequence, for example the one shown in the picture? here ’ s how to do it for the limit superior. first look at the whole sequence and find its least upper bound : that ’ s the smallest number that ’ s bigger than all the numbers in the sequence. then chop off the first number in the sequence, and again find the least upper bound for the new sequence. this might be smaller than the previous least upper bound ( if that was equal to ), but not bigger. then chop off the first two numbers and again find the least upper bound. keep going, chopping off the first three, four, five, etc numbers, to get a sequence of least upper bounds ( indicated by the red curve in the picture ). in this sequence every number is either equal to or smaller than the number before. the limit superior is defined to be the limit of these least upper bounds. it always exists : since the sequence of least upper bounds is either constant or decreasing, it will either approach minus infinity or some other finite limit. the limit superior could also be equal to plus infinity, if there are numbers in the sequence that get arbitrarily large. the limit inferior is defined in a similar way, only that you look at the sequence of greatest lower bounds and then take the limit of that. you can read more about the limits inferior and superior in


with the use of wind power continuing to grow, it ’ s no surprise that the tri - bladed turbines peppering an increasing swath of the american landscape have become the supermodels of green growth – the sky - swept arms and glistening towers appear tailor made for the camera ’ s lens. but seldom is attention given to the green cutting edge ’ s more hidden inner workings, and the tools and technologies that make it all possible. take the dual wind turbine system recently put online in gloucester, massachusetts just a few months back. for all its outward grace and power – and at roughly 400 feet tall and 4 - megawatts, there are plenty of both – the system wouldn ’ t have been possible without a high - tech data communications system provided by portsmouth ’ s own tvc systems. tvc, which specializes in high - tech information control systems designed to bolster energy efficiency and overall performance, provided what project manager adam sargent calls “ communication architecture, ” or the mechanisms necessary to tie the dual turbine into an electrical grid. “ we were brought on fairly late in the process when it became clear that a key data monitoring component was needed, ” recalls sargent. “ we ’ d recently worked for sustainable new energy on a cogen project and when they came to us with the opportunity to work on our first wind turbine, we jumped at the chance. ” sargent says the new data control system will allow gloucester to monitor turbine performance in real time, while also helping the city keep track of renewable energy credits ( recs ), which track how many megawatts of power emanate from particular entities. “ the system wasn ’ t enormously expensive in terms of up front cost, but it is visible and interesting and will help the town save money in the long runs, ” notes sargent. “ it ’ s new territory for us, but it ’ s exciting territory, too. ” according to representatives from gloucester engineering, the city ’ s principal partner on the project, the system became the first in the state of massachusetts capable of generating the equivalent of the city ’ s municipal electric load solely by way of wind power. the system will henceforth allow the city power all of its buildings – from city hall to the local high school – at a subsidized rate, saving gloucester an estimated $ 500, 000 annually over the next 25 years. about 30 percent of the turbine ’ s $ 8 million cost will be subsidized through a federal program, allowing the company to save about $ 1 million in power costs per year.


estimated $ 500, 000 annually over the next 25 years. about 30 percent of the turbine ’ s $ 8 million cost will be subsidized through a federal program, allowing the company to save about $ 1 million in power costs per year. the city was able to garner public support for the system thanks in part to findings in a 2012 state - sponsored study which concluded that noise from wind turbines doesn ’ t pose near the threat to human health and well - being often posited by critics. support was also bolstered by the unique location of the system – in an industrial park near route 128, but far enough away from residential enclaves to make noise and light flickering non - issues. “ what really helped us was location, location, location. it ’ s properly sited, ” says paul mcgeary, a gloucester city councilor who helped organize public meetings about the turbines over the past year. according to mcgeary, more than 2, 000 local citizens turned out to sign the turbine blades, now spinning upwards of 400 feet in the air. “ it had to make financial sense for the city and clearly it does. ” noted mayor carolyn kirk, who plans to propose using the savings to help fund a new joint police and fire station that could cost between $ 10 and $ 15 million. “ but they also represent our city ’ s desire to protect our natural environment. ” kirk also noted that the project dovetails perfectly with the city ’ s effort to fill up much of its long - vacant harbor - front lots with businesses ranging from ocean researchers and scientists to “ green ” boat - builders. “ we are trying to become a leader in marine biology and marine biotechnology, ” noted mcgeary. “ to do that, you need to have a certain image about being a cutting - edge place, being a place where we ’ re willing to experiment, being a place where new things are tried and implemented and not just talked about. ” taken together, the size and scope of – and support for – the project make it a game - changer in massachusetts, and as clear a sign as any that a steadily improving economy will mean more opportunities for the bay state to expand its green portfolio. but it ’ s also been a coup for tvc systems. while the company has long been at the forefront of efficiency innovation ( they are recognized annually by the epa for their continued spearheading of projects in the field of chp, wherein differing systems can be connected in order to enhance efficiency ), seldom has their work enjoyed a


welcome stephen tremp with an awesome summary of what ' s at stake as we explore further into space... enjoy : | dr carl sagan ( 1934 - 1996 ) | " the surface of the earth is the shore of the cosmic ocean. from it we have learned most of what we know. recently, we have waded a little out to sea, enough to dampen our toes or, at most, wet our ankles. the water seems inviting. the ocean calls. ” — dr. carl sagan space. the final frontier. we remember this line from star trek, set in the 23rd century under the “ united federation of planets. ” the key word here is united. we have to ask, will space offer the possibility of mankind living together peaceably? or is bloodshed inevitable as we explore and colonize our solar system as we did here on earth? currently, there are at least fourteen agencies with a stake in space exploration and possible exploitation. nasa : the national aeronautics and space administration ( nasa ) is the agency of the united states responsible for the nation ' s civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research. mission statement : pioneer the future in space exploration, scientific discovery and aeronautics research. | international space station | esa : the european space agency is europe ’ s gateway to space. its mission : shape the development of europe ’ s space capability and deliver benefits to the citizens of europe and the world. russia and china ( the only other two countries besides the u. s. to independently send men into space ), japan, iran, israel, india, mexico. korea, indoneisia, pakistan, and vietnam all have space agencies with a range of capabilities from astronaut training, to satellite operations, to sounding rockets ( designed to take measurements and perform scientific research during sub - orbital flight ), and recoverable biological sounding rockets. then there is the military, private sector, and educational institutions that have a growing stake in space exploration. with the space shuttle program mothballed, many are calling for a government and private sector partnership in space exploration. the gop candidates have also jumped on this topic. it ’ s already begun : the international space station ( iss ) is an artificial low - earth orbiting satellite and the ninth space station to be inhabited. the iss has hosted a rotating international crew since november 2000. crew members from around the world use the iss as a research laboratory and conduct experiments in biology, physics, astronomy and other fields. it ’ s also used to test spacecraft systems and equipment for future use


has hosted a rotating international crew since november 2000. crew members from around the world use the iss as a research laboratory and conduct experiments in biology, physics, astronomy and other fields. it ’ s also used to test spacecraft systems and equipment for future use to missions to the moon and mars. ready or not, here we go! what ’ s next : human and robotic explorations of the moon, mars, and near earth asteroids. mining asteroids, planetoids, and spent comets could provide raw minerals such as iron, nickel, and titanium to help construct space stations right there in space. pretty cool, huhn? resources like water and oxygen could help sustain life. and water and hydrogen could be extracted for rocket fuel. perhaps, platinum and cobalt could be returned for earth for profit. both governments and private industry will be involved in this potentially lucrative business. question : should we set up residence in space or on planets and moons? will space exploration provide social, intellectual, and economic benefits to everyone, or is this another black hole for our hard - earned tax dollars. thanks hilary for hosting me on my grand opening blog tour. and thanks everyone for stopping by and saying hello! please visit me at my blog for more information on my novels breakthrough and the recently released opening! breakthrough and opening can be downloaded at : kindle for $ 1. 99 smashwords for $ 1. 99 image credits : nasa congratulations stephen on completing the second book of your trilogy - a wonderful achievement ; i highly recommend your first book breakthrough and cannot wait to find out how the good, bad and the ugly develop in this sequel... space is an interesting ' arena ' - and as each year passes we seem to learn more - it is fascinating and i ' m delighted to have some subject matter on my blog - space does inspire people. stephen writes about science, space exploration - his interests, while interspersing with articles about publishing, self - publishing and useful tips and tricks he has found - there ' s a great deal of interaction and knowledge exchange over at his blog : stephen tremp - author... so please visit and join him along his trilogy journey. stephen ' s grand opening tour continues : upcoming dates - february 14 rachna chhabria rachna ’ s scriptorium february 15 melissa bradley melissa ’ s imaginarium february 17 lydia kang the word is my oyster positive letters inspirational stories


as if creaking joints and hardening of the arteries weren ' t bad enough, a research team from the university of delaware and the christiana care health system in newark has now confirmed that even our veins stiffen as we age. " when you are young, your veins are nice and elastic - - like rubber bands, " william farquhar, a cardiovascular physiologist in ud ' s college of health sciences, said. " but as you grow older, we ' ve found that your veins become more like lead pipes. " and that physiological change may be an important factor in the development of high blood pressure, or hypertension, which currently affects an estimated 65 million americans, most of them older adults, according to farquhar. the study, which was conducted over the past two years, was led by farquhar and colin young from the university of delaware and michael stillabower and angela disabatino at christiana care health system. the results are published in the november issue of the journal of applied physiology. young recently completed his bachelor ' s and master ' s degrees at ud, with farquhar as his adviser, and is now pursuing a doctorate in physiology and pharmacology at the university of missouri. stillabower is a cardiologist and director of cardiovascular research at christiana care health system, as well as a clinical associate professor of medicine at jefferson medical college in philadelphia. disabatino is the nurse manager at christiana care ' s cardiovascular research office. while the arterial side of the human circulatory system has been studied extensively, farquhar said much less research has been conducted on the venous system. yet the veins contain approximately 70 percent of your body ' s total blood volume when you are at rest, and the flexibility of these blood vessels is a major factor in how much blood gets returned to your heart during the vital fluid ' s journey through your circulatory system. every minute, the steady beating of that amazing living pump - - your heart - - sends about five quarts of blood through the 60, 000 - mile network of arteries, capillaries and veins in your body. the muscular arteries carry blood away from the heart and out to your organs and limbs. microscopic capillaries connect the arteries to the veins. the veins then transport the blood back to the heart. the veins are equipped with valves to prevent any backflow of blood caused by gravity as blood is returned to the heart from the lower extremities. the walls


the arteries to the veins. the veins then transport the blood back to the heart. the veins are equipped with valves to prevent any backflow of blood caused by gravity as blood is returned to the heart from the lower extremities. the walls of the veins are made of collagen and elastin, two proteins that give the tube - like blood vessels flexibility and help them to maintain your blood pressure. to determine if there are age - related differences in how our veins work, the research team recruited 24 people for their study - - 12 healthy young adults between the ages of 18 and 30, and 12 healthy older adults between 60 and 70 years old. each individual underwent medical screening at christiana hospital, which included a lipid profile, blood pressure monitoring, electrocardiogram and several other tests to ensure overall good health. then each participant was involved in a series of research trials at ud ' s human performance lab on the newark campus. while each subject lay resting on a gurney, various gauges, connected to computers, were placed on their arms and legs. an arterial cuff was attached to an upper arm to monitor blood pressure, and venous cuffs were placed around the upper thigh and upper arm to measure the blood flow to the limbs. as the cuffs were inflated over an eight - minute period, and then slowly deflated to let blood escape from the limbs, the blood volume was measured, recorded, and graphed. the consistently lower blood volume under pressure pointed to the less springy veins of the older participants. graphic courtesy of the american medical association " based on previous research, we suspected that the veins of the older adults would be less flexible than those of the younger adults, " farquhar said. " but we didn ' t know if that might be due to a functional process, such as a chronic constriction of the muscles around the veins, or if this decreased flexibility was due to some change in the structure of the veins themselves. " to find the answer, the researchers monitored the blood flow through each participant ' s veins in different scenarios that might constrict the veins, such as having one foot immersed in cold water, or while squeezing a handgrip. they also administered a nitroglycerin pill under the tongue of each participant to relax the veins. in each case, they found that the tests had no effect on the response of the veins in either age group. " thus, we think that the stiffening of our veins as we age is probably due to structural changes,


to relax the veins. in each case, they found that the tests had no effect on the response of the veins in either age group. " thus, we think that the stiffening of our veins as we age is probably due to structural changes, such as a thickening of the vein walls, " farquhar said. " hardening of the arteries is a good analogy for what is happening in our veins as we grow older. " so can we do anything to keep our veins limber as time marches on? " while there have been no longitudinal studies of this yet, it ' s possible that regular exercise training may blunt age - related increases in vein stiffness, " farquhar notes. in the second phase of the ud study, now under way, the research team wants to find out if the veins of people with high pressure are stiffer than the veins of people with normal blood pressure. two doctoral students, erin delaney and megan wenner, are assisting with this portion of the research, which will examine both young and older adults with high blood pressure. while high blood pressure is all too common among older adults, farquhar said it can be harder to find young adults who already have the disease. however, several individuals already have been identified for the study, and the team hopes to have data to report in the next six months. this research is both literally and figuratively " close to the heart " for farquhar. he said he has always had an interest in cardiology and helping people. before his ud career, he worked with cardiac patients in a rehabilitation setting, where he provided patients with information about the risk factors affecting heart disease and the benefits of exercise. then, during his postdoctoral training at boston ' s beth israel deaconess medical center, he worked with patients who were unable to stand without getting dizzy. and that began his research on veins. today, he ' s busy working to find out what role these less - studied blood vessels may play in high blood pressure. " lots of people have high blood pressure, but we still don ' t know the underlying cause of this disease, " farquhar said. " that ' s why we ' re pushing forward with these studies. " the ud research is supported by a $ 151, 000 grant from the national institute on aging, which is one of 27 institutes and centers that compose the national institutes of health. last reviewed : by john m. grohol, psy. d. on 21 feb 2009 published on psychcentral. com.


1. iron deficiency anemia : prevention, assessment and control — report of a joint who / unicef / unu consultation. geneva, switzerland : world health organization ; 1998. world health organization / united nations children ’ s fund / united nations university. 2. brotanek jm, halterman j, auinger p, flores g, weitzman m. iron deficiency, prolonged bottle - feeding, and racial / ethnic disparities in young children. arch pediatr adolesc med. 2005 ; 159 ( 11 ) : 1038 – 1042. [ pubmed ] 3. grantham - mcgregor s, ani c. a review of studies on the effect of iron deficiency on cognitive development in children. j nutr. 2001 ; 131 ( 2s – 2 ) : 649s – 668s. [ pubmed ] 4. lozoff b, georgieff mk. iron deficiency and brain development. semin pediatr neurol. 2006 ; 13 ( 3 ) : 158 – 165. [ pubmed ] 5. lozoff b, beard j, connor j, barbara f, georgieff m, schallert t. long - lasting neural and behavioral effects of iron deficiency in infancy. nutr rev. 2006 ; 64 ( 5 pt 2 ) : s34 – s43. [ pmc free article ] [ pubmed ] 6. stoltzfus rj, mullany l, black re. iron deficiency anaemia. in : ezzati m, lopez ad, rodgers a, editors. comparative quantification of health risks : global and regional burden of disease attributable to selected major risk factors. geneva, switzerland : world health organization ; 2004. pp. 2141 – 2165. 7. lozoff b, wolf aw, urrutia jj, viteri fe. abnormal behavior and low developmental test scores in iron - deficient anemic infants. j dev behav pediatr. 1985 ; 6 ( 2 ) : 69 – 75. [ pubmed ] 8. lozoff b, de andraca i, castillo m, smith j, walter t, pino p. behavioral and developmental effects of preventing iron - deficiency anemia in healthy full - term infants [ published correction appears in pediatrics. 2004 ; 113 ( 6 ) : 1853 ] pediatrics. 2003 ; 112 ( 4 ) : 846, 854. [ pubmed ] 10. lozoff b, clark km, jing


term infants [ published correction appears in pediatrics. 2004 ; 113 ( 6 ) : 1853 ] pediatrics. 2003 ; 112 ( 4 ) : 846, 854. [ pubmed ] 10. lozoff b, clark km, jing y, armony - sivan r, angelilli ml, jacobson sw. dose - response relationships between iron deficiency with or without anemia and infant social - emotional behavior. j pediatr. 2008 ; 152 ( 5 ) : 696 – 702. [ pmc free article ] [ pubmed ] 11. lozoff b, angelilli m, zatakia j, jacobson sw, calatroni a, beard j. iron status of inner - city african - american infants. am j hematol. 2007 ; 82 ( 2 ) : 112 – 121. [ pmc free article ] [ pubmed ] 12. kuczmarski rj, ogden c, grummer - strawn lm, et al. cdc growth charts : united states. hyattsville, md : us department of health and human services ; 2000. nchs advance data report no. 314. 13. assessment of the iron nutrition status of the us population based on data collected in the second national health and nutrition survey, 1976 – 1980. bethesda, md : federation of american societies for experimental biology ; 1984. life sciences research office. 14. looker ac, dallman p, carroll md, gunter ew, johnson cl. prevalence of iron deficiency in the united states. jama. 1997 ; 277 ( 12 ) : 973 – 976. [ pubmed ] 15. recommendations to prevent and control iron deficiency in the united states. centers for disease control and prevention. mmwr recomm rep. 1998 ; 47 ( 3 ) : 1 – 29. 16. centers for disease control. healthy people 2000 national health promotion and disease prevention objectives, final review. hyattsville, md : department of health and human services ; 2001. 17. fagan jf, singer lt. infant recognition memory as a measure of intelligence. in : lipsitt lp, editor. advances in infancy research. vol 2. nj : ablex ; 1983. pp. 31 – 78. norwood. 18. colombo j, mitchell dw. individual differences in early visual attention : fixation time and information processing. in : colombo j, fagen j, editors. individual differences in infancy : reliability, stability, prediction. hillsdale


. norwood. 18. colombo j, mitchell dw. individual differences in early visual attention : fixation time and information processing. in : colombo j, fagen j, editors. individual differences in infancy : reliability, stability, prediction. hillsdale, nj : lawrence erlbaum ; 1990. pp. 193 – 227. 19. colombo j, mitchell dw, coldren jt, freeseman lj. individual differences in infant visual attention : are short lookers faster processors or feature processors? child dev. 1991 ; 62 ( 6 ) : 1247 – 1257. [ pubmed ] 20. jacobson sw, jacobson jl, o ’ neill jm, padgett rj, frankowski jj, bihun jt. visual expectation and dimensions of infant information processing. child dev. 1992 ; 63 ( 3 ) : 711 – 724. [ pubmed ] 21. diamond a. development of the ability to use recall to guide action, as indicated by infants ’ performance on ab. child dev. 1985 ; 56 ( 4 ) : 868 – 883. [ pubmed ] 22. wachs td. relation of infants ’ performance on piaget scales between twelve and twenty - four months and their stanford - binet performance at thirty - one months. child dev. 1975 ; 46 : 929 – 935. 23. uzgiris c, hunt jm. assessment in infancy : ordinal scales of psychological development. urbana, il : university of illinois press ; 1975. 24. diedrich fj, thelen e, smith lb, corbetta d. motor memory is a factor in infant perseverative errors. dev sci. 2000 ; 3 ( 4 ) : 479 – 494. 25. mccune - nicholic l. toward symbolic functioning : structure of early pretend games and potential parallels with language. child dev. 1981 ; 52 ( 3 ) : 785 – 797. 26. belsky j, garduque l, hrncir e. assessing performance, competence, and executive capacity in infant play : relations to home environment and security of attachment. dev psychol. 1984 ; 20 ( 3 ) : 406 – 417. 27. jacobson jl, jacobson sw, sokol rj, martier ss, ager jw, kaplan - estrin mg. teratogenic effects of alcohol on infant development. alcohol clin exp res. 1993 ; 17 ( 1 ) : 174 –


– 946. [ pubmed ] 39. clogg cc, petkova e, shihadeh es. statistical methods for analyzing collapsibility in regression models. j educ stat. 1992 ; 17 ( 1 ) : 51 – 74. 40. mackinnon dp, lockwood cm, hoffman jm, west sg, sheets v. a comparison of methods to test mediation and other intervening variable effects. psychol methods. 2002 ; 7 ( 1 ) : 83 – 104. [ pmc free article ] [ pubmed ] 41. mcclelland gh, judd cm. statistical difficulties of detecting interactions and moderator effects. psychol bull. 1993 ; 114 ( 2 ) : 376 – 390. [ pubmed ] 42. lozoff b, klein nk, nelson ec, mcclish dk, manuel m, chacon me. behavior of infants with iron - deficiency anemia. child dev. 1998 ; 69 ( 1 ) : 24 – 36. [ pubmed ] 43. coe cl, lubach gr, schneider ml. neuromotor and socio - emotional behavior in the young monkey are presaged by prenatal conditions. in : lewis m, ramsey d, editors. stress and soothing. hillsdale, nj : lawrence erlbaum ; 1999. pp. 19 – 38. 44. golub ms, hogrefe ce, widaman kf, capitanio jp. iron deficiency anemia and affective response in rhesus monkey infants. dev psychobiol. 2009 ; 51 ( 1 ) : 47 – 59. [ pmc free article ] [ pubmed ]


in contrast to animals and lower plants such as mosses and ferns, sperm cells of flowering plants ( angiosperms ) are immobile and require transportation to the female gametes via the vegetative pollen tube cell to achieve double fertilization. the path of the pollen tube towards the female gametophyte ( embryo sac ) has been intensively studied in many intra - and interspecific crossing experiments with the aim of increasing the gene pool of crop plants for greater yield, improved biotic and abiotic stress resistance, and for introducing new agronomic traits. many attempts to hybridize different species or genotypes failed due to the difficulty for the pollen tubes in reaching the female gametophyte. detailed studies showed that these processes are controlled by various self - incompatible ( intraspecific ) and cross - incompatible ( interspecific ) hybridization mechanisms. understanding the molecular mechanisms of crossing barriers is therefore of great interest in plant reproduction, evolution and breeding research. in particular, pre - zygotic hybridization barriers related to pollen tube germination, growth, guidance and sperm delivery, which are considered the major hybridization controls in nature and thus also contribute to species isolation and speciation, have been intensively investigated. despite this general interest, surprisingly little is known about these processes in the most important agronomic plant family, the gramineae, poaceae or grasses. small polymorphic proteins and their receptors, degradation of sterility locus proteins and general compounds such as calcium, γ - aminobutyric acid or nitric oxide have been shown to be involved in progamic pollen germination, adhesion, tube growth and guidance, as well as sperm release. most advances have been made in the brassicaceae, papaveraceae, linderniaceae and solanaceae families including their well - understood self - incompatibility ( si ) systems. grass species evolved similar mechanisms to control the penetration and growth of self - pollen to promote intraspecific outcrossing and to prevent fertilization by alien sperm cells. however, in the poaceae, the underlying molecular mechanisms are still largely unknown. we propose to develop maize ( zea mays ) as a model to investigate the above - described processes to understand the associated intra - and interspecific crossing barriers in grasses. many genetic, cellular and biotechnological tools including the completion of a reference genome ( inbred line b73 ) have been established in the last decade and many more


by : yusuf kaba imhotep, the moundbuilder the concept of what a man is continues to be greatly debated. these days the dominant idea of men are, bread winners, head of household, dogs, enemies, or mates, to name a few. the question oft - times remains, “ what are the qualities that truly define a man? ” our ancient cultures have dealt with this question in rites of passage programs and ceremonies. rites of passage is a system or ceremony that recognizes transition from one stage of life to the next. comprised within this process is the knowledge needed to successfully function at that next level of life. a man was not recognized as such until successful completion of that community ’ s rites of passage. today, the entire world suffers because of the absence of this process. men today remain inadequate or unable to fulfill their proper places because they have not yet accessed the proper tools. the proof is in the results. statistics show that men suffering from a variety of health issues including heart disease, cancer, depression, aids, diabetes, and suicide. these conditions are worst in urban communities and among people of color. it is also clear that the concepts of father and husband are not seen in the best light. there is little respect for fathers and the divorce rate is constantly increasing. men have lost the idea of self - respect. this falls very short of men being, “ the crown of creation. ” there is no question in the mind of rationally thinking people that a rites of passage program is essential right now. we have poorly developed children because of underdeveloped men. we have fractured homes because of broken men. our entire society and world suffers because of the state of our men. a properly constructed rites of passages program develops men into their very best selves. it is a place of repair for the extensive damage done. it both builds and instills the qualities that produce the best examples of fatherhood, husband, and community elder. a rites of passage program provides a place for men to benefit from the wisdom of those who have dealt with challenges men face. men need to learn what to eat, how to eat, and what to store in their homes. men also learn the value of a good woman and how to treat her well. men must learn how to care for and nurture himself. men can benefit from wisdom on how to express themselves in the best way. it is also where men must learn how to mine the buried treasures out of themselves and most importantly, have fun doing it. i


remotes via ip putting it all together so let me summarize the problems with internet transmission of audio and the techniques used to minimize them. first, there is network congestion, or plain lack of bandwidth. that issue is tackled by minimizing the necessary bandwidth, by using a lossy codec ( or in the case of apt, making use of adpcm ) and striking a correct balance between bandwidth and packet size. loss of packets is addressed to the extent practicable by fec. packet jitter is addressed with a jitter buffer. all that said, network security is yet another issue. your lan is likely attached to a router that allows users on your network to access the internet. the connections made through this router originate behind it - on the lan side. the router will allow access to the internet, and in turn it expects a response from the far end. but think about it : if you are in the field, and trying to connect to an ip codec connected to your network, and the router serves as a firewall, the connection will be refused. as far as that router is concerned, an intrusion is being attempted. there are several ways around this. the first is to inform the network administrator that for the new ip codec to work, certain ports need to be open on the firewall, so the ip codec in the field can set up communication between itself and the studio codec. if your network architecture includes a dmz, your network admin may allow you to place the ip codec on that subnet instead. the second way is a bit more complicated ; consider this if your network administer doesn ' t want to play ball with you. a proxy server can be used as an intermediary. this proxy server is located outside the firewall. a session can be initiated by the studio codec to this proxy server ; the proxy records the ip address ( among other things ) of the studio codec and actually maintains the connection thereafter. from the field, you connect to the proxy server, and it redirects the packet data to the studio codec, through the same connection it has kept open. and there is a final way to do this, which may be the easiest way. have an internet connection put into the studio ( like dsl or cable ) and reserve its use for just the ip codec. leave it completely isolated from the lan, so you can forsake those network security issues. one problem with this method is that


internet connection put into the studio ( like dsl or cable ) and reserve its use for just the ip codec. leave it completely isolated from the lan, so you can forsake those network security issues. one problem with this method is that your internet provider may not provide you with a static ip address. either pick one that does, or make sure you know if and when the ip address has changed before you head out into the field. making use of the internet for remotes can be looked at as a double - edged sword ; while one has to take the time to learn about a whole new technology ( and undoubtedly be tripped up a few times along the way ), the universe of locations from which remotes can be done opens up dramatically. i for one believe that good remotes can make for good radio ; and i ' m quite sure that, 5 to 10 years out, the trepidation experienced in going out to do an ip remote for the first time will have long since evaporated. | codec | | connectivity | | size | | audio i / o | | user access | | supported encoding algorithms | | max audio freq. | | variable packet size | | fec | | packet jitter buffer | | mpeg 1 / 2 layer 2 / 3 | | aac | | g. 722 | | linear | | apt - x | | other / | apt worldcast eclipse aptx. com | | ip, isdn, x. 21 / v. 35 | | 1ru | | analog or aes - 3 | | gui | | y | | y | | y | | y | | y | | - | | 24khz | | y | | n | | y | | musicam suprima musicamusa. com | | ip, isdn x. 21 / v. 35 | | 1ru | | analog or aes - 3 | | web browser | | y | | y | | y | | y | | y | | - | | 24khz | | y | | n | | y | | aeq phoenix aeqbroadcast. com | | ip, isdn x. 21 / v. 35 | | 1ru | | analog or aes - 3 | | front panel, usb | | y | | y | | y | | y | | n | | - | | 20khz | | y during setup | | n | | y | | audio tx


analog or aes - 3 | | front panel, usb | | y | | y | | y | | y | | n | | - | | 20khz | | y during setup | | n | | y | | audio tx stl - ip www. audiotx. com | | ip | | 1ru | | analog or aes - 3 | | web browser | | y | | y | | y | | y | | n | | - | | 48khz | | n | | y | | y | | telos iport telos - systems. com | | ip | | 2ru | | analog or aes - 3 | | web browser | | y | | y | | n | | n | | n | | - | | 20khz | | n | | n | | n | | comrex access comrex. com | | ip | | 1ru | | analog or aes - 3 | | web browser | | n | | optional | | n | | n | | n | | bric hq1, hq2 | | 15khz | | y | | y | | y | | tieline ip tieline. com | | ip, optional isdn, x. 21 / v. 35, pots, gsm | | 1ru and 2ru | | analog and aes - 3 | | front panel, usb, web browser, rj - 45 | | layer 2 | | n | | y | | y | | n | | tieline voice, tieline music, tieline music plus, raw audio | | 23khz | | y | | y | | y | irwin is the chief engineer of wktu - fm, new york city. acceptable use policy blog comments powered by disqus [ an error occurred while processing this directive ] today in radio history the history of radio broadcasting extends beyond the work of a few famous inventors. eas information more on eas the feed provides feeds for all us states and territories. need a calendar for your computer desktop? use one of ours. information from manufacturers and associations about industry news, products, technology and business announcements. this high - visibility and high - traffic area got the full acoustic treatment. browse back issues [ an error occurred while processing this directive ] also in the may issue - remote access and site connectivity : wireless - standards of fm allocation and interference - side by side : mic processors - field report :


the brood x bugs, red - eyed cousins of the larger annual black - eyed late - summer " dog day " green cicadas, will begin emerging from their underground holes in western north carolina later this month. they don ' t devour vegetation the way locusts do, and they don ' t bite or sting. but they sure do sing. like many human adolescents, periodical cicadas spend umpteen years in their dirty rooms, indulging in sweet stuff and oblivious to much of the world outside themselves. then, suddenly, as if a hormone switch were flipped, they emerge with a single - minded commitment to find favor with whatever peer they deem sexually appealing. the bug nymphs live all that time on tender hardwood tree roots until they finally get the hots. well, it ' s more like the " warms, " because their signal to go forth and mate is a rise in the soil temperature to 64 degrees fahrenheit. once in heat, millions of them push their way to the surface and climb onto new branch growth on nearby trees and shrubs, according to entomologist stephen bambara, who works with the n. c. state cooperative extension service in raleigh. the males get together in choruses and harmonize in a unique doo - wop that strikes humans as a decidedly un - sexy metallic screeching. but cicada females respond to it with abandon, making clicking sounds and wing flips - - their version of an air kiss and a toss of the hair. after 13 or 17 years of underground obscurity, periodical cicadas emerge to a multi - week mardi gras, a party thrown by nature solely to ensure that what goes around comes around, generation after generation. like most such reveries, it ' s noisy, it ' s not pretty, and many participants meet violent fates from predators. but in this case, it gets the job done, according to bambara, because the weird life cycle itself offers a form of protection for the species. " cicadas go 13 or 17 years between life cycles because it ' s to their advantage, " said bambara. " it throws possible predators off track. seventeen years is a long time to wait between meals if that were your prey. so i think that ' s where they got their niche. a lot of them are consumed and die when they come out. but their sheer numbers also help ensure their survival. even if a lot of them get eaten, a lot of others are still left to


by driving your suv, are you sentencing the planet to environmental devastation? recently, the clinton administration released its national assessment on climate change and america, a catalogue of potential disasters resulting from global warming. with admirable understatement, a headline in the news section of the wall street journal noted that the study, " may overplay dire side ". yeah, just maybe. floods, droughts, disappearing coasts and killer microbes all run wild in the study, which somehow manages to preview possible harm resulting from both too much rain and too little. the report has not been published in a peer - reviewed scientific journal, but it ' s sure to help shame americans into accepting limits on our economic growth. well, before you abandon your jeep cherokee, you might want to learn about another study which did appear in a peer - reviewed scientific journal. and its message is a little different. perhaps the most important - - yet most politically inconvenient - - study in the history of the global warming debate is the one generated by princeton university ' s carbon modeling consortium and published in science magazine in 1998. a team of researchers led by princeton ' s jorge sarmiento identified a " carbon sink " in north america. in other words, the land in north america was absorbing a surprisingly large amount of the carbon dioxide that would otherwise become greenhouse gas in the atmosphere. the technical term is " terrestrial uptake " but the message is clear : increases in greenhouse gases are coming from outside north america. dr. sarmiento told us this week, " according to our results, for the 1988 to 1992 period we analyzed, north america was a net emitter of about 0. " that ' s right, zero. as close as these scientists from princeton, columbia and the government ' s national oceanic and atmospheric administration ( noaa ) can guess, the grass and trees on our continent are consuming all the co2 emitted by our cars and factories. so the north american continent on its own is not increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. all of us industrialized, suv - driving, big house - heating, spoiled americans add up to a wash, in terms of carbon emissions. how is this possible? in 1998, the princeton team offered this explanation : " there are a number of possible mechanisms that could be responsible for the sink. forest regrowth in areas where generations of pioneers leveled trees to create farmland almost certainly plays an important role. millions of acres east of the mississippi have returned to forest. " forest regrowth, and carbon absorption


could be responsible for the sink. forest regrowth in areas where generations of pioneers leveled trees to create farmland almost certainly plays an important role. millions of acres east of the mississippi have returned to forest. " forest regrowth, and carbon absorption, in north america may be enhanced by some side effects of industrialization. nitrogen deposition ( a dilute form of acid rain ) caused by combustion processes in automobiles and power plants can act as a fertilizer, as can the higher concentrations of atmospheric carbon dioxide in the air. global warming can contribute to longer growing seasons, which have been observed in studies of satellite measurements cited by the team. " so, thanks to robust forest growth, all our co2 - munching trees can absorb the greenhouse gases from our energy use. does this mean there isn ' t a potential problem due to global warming? no. but it does mean that the current political solution embodied in the kyoto agreement, in which the united states accepts strict limits on its energy use, while most of the world is free to continue emitting increasing amounts of co2, has no justification in science. the scientific threat has been used as a pretext to cut a political deal, and it ' s a bad one for america - - a redistribution of wealth from the united states to the rest of the world. i understand why this sounds like a great idea in less developed countries, but why anyone in the us would endorse it is beyond me. instead of putting the brakes on our growth, and punishing the one region of the planet that ' s not making a net contribution to greenhouse gases, perhaps other countries should follow our lead in creating a high - tech economy. with all our industry, we manage to live in a carbon sink because we have abundant, growing forests. in other words, we are very efficient in our use of land, so there are plenty of plants and trees to absorb our co2. we favor energy sources that leave a tiny footprint on the land oil and gas - - as opposed to low - tech energy sources that require us to clear more land wood burning, solar panels, windmills and coal. of course, the most land - efficient, non - polluting energy source of all is nuclear power. nuclear plants don ' t emit greenhouse gases and they leave a tiny footprint on the land. until politicians are ready to go nuclear, it ' s hard to take their predictions of doom seriously or to buy into their alleged solutions.


if you visit the royal botanic garden in sydney, take a few minutes to look for a small bridge over a stream near the wollemi pine, ‘ australia ’ s homegrown christmas tree ’, close to the information booth. this is macquarie culvert. the two brick arches were built as part of the construction of mrs macquarie ’ s road, which nicholas delaney and his gang finished on her birthday in june 1816. they had a double purpose : a drain for the creek ’ s water, and a bridge. built from sandstock brick, the culvert is both typical of early 19th - century drain construction and historically significant, the historian anna wong says. but at the end of the 20th century it was in a state of disrepair, with most of the mortar gone and a rare giant fern ’ s roots threatening to damage it further. and the original road was covered with two centuries ’ worth of sediment. “ it is one of the oldest - known sections of road in sydney, but its existence surprised archaeologists and heritage architects from the department of public works and services when they began to dig, ” says the sydney morning herald. a joint team from the department and the rbg set out to conserve and restore macquarie culvert and the surface of the road nicholas and his men laid nearly 200 years ago. then the road was re - covered to preserve it for the future. of course, it ’ s exciting for me as a descendant of nicholas delaney to know that his brick bridge still exists and has been restored, but how important is it as part of australian history? as anna wong points out, “ the age and material used within its historical context makes it a significant item. other culverts and bridges were built during the early nineteenth century, but most have collapsed or were dismantled due to poor construction and inadequate knowledge. “ this brick culvert appears to be the only brick example from this period. ” so – did nicholas build the oldest bridge in australia? but macquarie culvert beats them both. true, it ’ s not so big or so well - known, but at a date of 1816 at the very latest, it is certainly the oldest surviving bridge in australia. not a bad achievement for an illiterate peasant and transported convict. when we were writing our book, a rebel hand : nicholas delaney of 1798, the reconstruction was still to take place and several of nicholas ’ s descendants were lobbying for the preservation of the stretches of his original road that still existed. it exciting to think that this part is safe for


, a rebel hand : nicholas delaney of 1798, the reconstruction was still to take place and several of nicholas ’ s descendants were lobbying for the preservation of the stretches of his original road that still existed. it exciting to think that this part is safe for at least the next 100 years, according to the public works and services department. “ the best thing is that the culvert is not high and dry in a museum, ” the gardens ’ acting curator, ian innes, said at the time. “ this is still working as a culvert. ” i haven ’ t got a picture of macquarie culvert to show you, unfortunately. a few weeks ago i emailed the royal botanic gardens to ask if they would let me use one of their photos but i haven ’ t heard back from them and i haven ’ t found one under creative commons on the net. i found useful information about early nineteenth - century drains in anna wong ’ s paper in australasian historical archaeology, 17, 1999 and about the restoration of macquarie culvert in james woodford ’ s article in the sydney morning herald of june 24, 2002. the aha article also has an old photo of macquarie culvert before restoration. as i can ’ t give a hyperlink to it ( it ’ s a pdf ) here ’ s a screenshot. you can find the article on google.


i am going to compare the two books because although there is overlapping information, each offers readers a different perspective. both books describes the sensory systems and subtypes of sensory processing disorders ( spd ) - which are as follows : · sensory modulation disorder o sensory over - responsivity o sensory under - responsivity o sensory craving · sensory - based motor disorder o postural disorder · sensory discrimination disorderboth books do an excellent job of explaining red flags and symptoms of spd and how the concepts that make up the acronym “ a secret ” are used to problem solve solutions. the elements of a secret are : · a - attention · e - emotional regulation · c - culture, context or current conditions · r - relationships · e - environment · t - tasksensational kids provides very detailed and lengthy case studies of sensational children, their family dynamics and how a child ’ s coping abilities are reflective of his or her specific neurological make - up. case - studies include : · a typically developing first - grader · an over - responsive kindergartner · an under - responsive second grader · a sensory - seeking preschooler · a dyspraxic third - graderreaders of sensational kids learn about basic intervention techniques, special education laws that impact services, the prevalence of spd and co - existing conditions such as attention deficit disorder or autism and what the future holds for these children. now no longer a secret delves further into problem - solving a child ’ s emotional, social and sensorimotor challenges by carefully differentiating the subtypes of spd in order to individualize treatment and avoid cookie cutter “ sensory diets ”. short case - studies are used to illustrate a child ’ s challenged area and then a chart is created with each element of “ a secret ” filled in. for example, one child who had melt downs during soccer games was supported in the areas of · attention - by giving him the job of calling out sports moves · sensation by jumping, wrestling, jumping or doing heavy work before sports · emotional regulation – by listening to positive, uplifting music on the way to the game · culture - being picked up early from school to do some self - esteem boosting before the soccer games. · relationships - parents positive attitude influenced how he felt · environment - visual cues used to help him better judge where he was on field · task - play with smaller group of playersparents might find the information in this book overwhelming, but i think that it will be worthwhile to plug along and rerea


bittacus striatus issiki, 1927 diagnosis : this species has wings with dark shading along gradate series and at the origin of radial sector and branches of cubital vein. the male epiandrial lobes are about the same size as the basistyles and the base of the aedeagus is gradually widened until abruptly constricted to narrow stalk. distribution – geographical : this species is known from kobayashi, rato ( = kobayash = hsiaolin = hsiaolin, jiaxian township, kaohsiung county, 23. 1724°n, 120. 654°e ), 29 july 1923, professor t. shiraki, ( tari ) ; taipin ( = taping city, taichung county, 24°07 ’ 08. 15 ” n, 120°46 ’ 53. 27 ” e ), 23 july 1918, j. sonan, ( tari ). distribution – temporal : the two known collections of this species are from mid - summer in july. ecology : this species is found at relatively low elevations in west - central taiwan. biology : nothing is known of immature stages or life history. notes : this species appears to be quite closely related to bittacus maculatus, but can be separated from that species by the more tapered base of the aedeagus and the elongate band that goes through the first fork of the anterior cubitus ( cua ) of the hindwing of b. striatus. issiki, s. 1927. new and rare species of mecoptera from corea, formosa and japan. insecta matsumurana, 2 : 1 - 12.


support us | visit us | contact us 21 september 2011 researchers used satellite tracking to monitor the movements of the whales to discover that in 2010 they travelled between the atlantic and pacific seas via the famously ice - bound passage. bones found on beaches in the region suggest that the last time the whales occupied this area was around 10, 000 years ago. while bowheads are adept at moving through ice - bound arctic seas, it was previously thought that the sea ice in the northwest passage was too impenetrable even for these arctic specialists. however, the new observations show bowheads travelling through the passage in both directions, suggesting that the rapidly diminishing arctic sea ice has allowed them to pass from one ocean to another. the findings have huge implications for the ecology of marine life in the region, with the authors stating that their findings “ are perhaps an early sign that other marine organisms have begun exchanges between the pacific and the atlantic oceans across the arctic. some of these exchanges may be harder to detect than bowhead whales, but the ecological impacts could be more significant should the ice - free arctic become a dispersion corridor between the two oceans. ” read the full paper for free on the biology letters webpage. learn about our mission to expand the frontiers of knowledge. explore our annual science exhibition the government ’ s spending decisions for the financial year 2015 - 16 provide an important opportunity to strengthen the role of research and innovation as drivers of uk growth and competitiveness, according to the uk ’ s four national academies, including the royal society. a paper published in biology letters today reveals a new species of ichthyosaur ( a dolphin - like marine reptile from the age of dinosaurs ) which revolutionises our understanding of their evolution and extinction. pioneers of the internet, computing, climate modelling and virtual surgery are just some of the experts who have been announced as new fellows of the royal society today ( 3 may 2013 ). for a full archive please see the news pages. latest press releases about our activities. announcements about articles in our journals. there are about 1, 450 fellows and foreign members. we have had 350 years at the heart of scientific progress. contact the society ' s press team.


the third bi - annual asia sanitation and hygiene practitioners ’ workshop, held in dhaka, bangladesh, from 31 january to 2 february 2012, reported notable progress in implementing menstrual hygiene into wash programmes. in 2008, menstrual hygiene management was signalled as a neglected area in wash programmes. in 2010 the workshop participants pushed ahead and discussed necessary provisions for menstrual hygiene management in toilet design ( washing facilities, sufficient space, incinerators ) as well as issues of availability and affordability of menstrual hygiene materials. a major hurdle remains the lack of awareness and lack of recognition that menstrual hygiene is a human right and health issue. in 2012, participants concluded that menstrual hygiene programmes are now usually linked to school wash, but efforts are needed to reach girls who are not in schools. advocacy and hygiene promotion have to improve the awareness of both men and women about menstruation and menstrual hygiene management. progress on menstrual hygiene management since 2008 wateraid is developing a resource guide on menstrual hygiene management. brac has integrated menstrual hygiene management ( mhm ) in their wash programme, especially in schools. menstrual hygiene has been taken up by irsp in pakistan as part of their post - emergency response and conducts hygiene sessions for men and for women on menstrual hygiene management. wickramasinghe ( 2012 ) provides a checklist of necessary inputs, which could form the basis for programming in post - emergency situations. the following menstrual hygiene management ( mhm ) needs have identified : - understanding indigenous mhm practices - capacity building and promotion / awareness raising materials - inclusion of mhm in monitoring frameworks and national educational curricula - approaches for targeting girls who are not in school - innovation in low cost sanitary napkins some more resources : - menstrual hygiene discussed openly in cluster meetings for adolescent girls in bangladesh ( photostory ) - paper on interventions of brac wash relating to menstrual hygiene management - brac presentation from the global forum on sanitation and hygiene held in mumbai in 2011 read the full version of this article on the irc web site at : www. irc. nl / page / 72510


| course | | course title | | credit hours | | cis 235 | | managing and troubleshooting pcs | | ( 3 - 0 ) 3 cr. hrs. | personal computer servicing and support will be covered within the following topics : physical and electrical concepts of motherboards, power supplies, bios and expansion buses ; definitions and uses of microprocessors ( cpus ), memory system resources and input / output devices ; data storage devices and interfaces ; cables, connectors and ports ; basic networking fundamentals ; operating system fundamentals ; and dos. ( a requirement that must be completed before taking this course. ) - windows experience highly recommended. upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to : - explain the physical concepts of a motherboard in a personal computer. - explain the electrical properties found in the motherboard of a personal computer. - examine the electrical properties of the power supply. - explore the computer bios. - explain the types of microprocessors. - explain input / output devices. - explain data storage devices. - explain basic networking fundamentals. - examine operating system fundamentals. note : this course may not be offered every semester. please check the cis section of the current course schedule for availability.


in the case of residential lighting, new types of light bulbs, compact fluorescent lights or cfls, are becoming popular. wikipedia says the following about cfls. a compact fluorescent lamp ( cfl ), also called compact fluorescent light, energy - saving light, and compact fluorescent tube, is a fluorescent lamp designed to replace an incandescent lamp ; some types fit into light fixtures formerly used for incandescent lamps. the lamps use a tube which is curved or folded to fit into the space of an incandescent bulb, and a compact electronic ballast in the base of the lamp. compared to general - service incandescent lamps giving the same amount of visible light, cfls use one - fifth to one - third the electric power, and last eight to fifteen times longer. a cfl has a higher purchase price than an incandescent lamp, but can save over five times its purchase price in electricity costs over the lamp ' s lifetime. like all fluorescent lamps, cfls contain mercury, which complicates their disposal. in many countries, governments have established recycling schemes for cfls and glass generally. cfls radiate a spectral power distribution that is different from that of incandescent lamps. improved phosphor formulations have improved the perceived colour of the light emitted by cfls, such that some sources rate the best " soft white " cfls as subjectively similar in colour to standard incandescent lamps. because cfls consume significantly less power than traditional tungsten bulbs, they are one of the primary devices suggested by government and industry for reducing our dependance on fossil fuels. we have been assured that the amount of mercury in cfl bulbs and the amount of radiation given off by those bulbs is low enough that we can ignore those factors. however, scientists are learning that cfls may be more harmful to us that we suspected. i am listing light bulbs as a disaster, because the use of the bulbs is so widespread over the earth. here are links to scientific research about light bulbs and mercury pollution. in a new analysis of thousands of u. s. women of childbearing age, brown university researchers found that most exceeded the median blood level for two or more of three environmental pollutants that could harm brain development of fetuses and babies : lead, mercury, and polychlorinated biphenyls ( pcbs ). attention - deficit / hyperactivity disorder ( adhd ) affects approximately ten percent of children worldwide, yet its causes are not well understood. now, a study led by


, and polychlorinated biphenyls ( pcbs ). attention - deficit / hyperactivity disorder ( adhd ) affects approximately ten percent of children worldwide, yet its causes are not well understood. now, a study led by susan korrick, md, mph, of brigham and women ' s hospital ( bwh ), and sharon sagiv, phd, mph, of boston university school of public health, and published in the online version of the archives of pediatrics & adolescent medicine on october 8, 2012, links low - level prenatal mercury exposure with a greater risk of adhd - related behaviors. but leds do have a dark side. a study published in late 2010 in the journal environmental science and technology found that leds contain lead, arsenic and a dozen other potentially dangerous substances. leds are touted as the next generation of lighting, ” says oladele ogunseitan, one of the researchers behind the study and chair of the university of california ( uc ) - irvine ’ s department of population health & disease prevention. “ but as we try to find better products that do not deplete energy resources or contribute to global warming, we have to be vigilant [ about ] toxicity hazards …. ” the researchers, led by miriam rafailovich, phd, professor of materials science and engineering and the director of the garcia center for polymers at engineered interfaces at stony brook, conducted similar research to a european study on light sensitivity. stony brook researchers collected cfl bulbs purchased from different locations across suffolk and nassau counties, and then measured the amount of uv emissions and the integrity of each bulb ' s phosphor coatings. results revealed significant levels of uvc and uva, which appeared to originate from cracks in the phosphor coatings, present in all cfl bulbs studied.


rejected in concept by local voters in 2000, measure a would divide the pasadena unified school district into seven so - called sub - districts. its primary purpose is to promote greater minority representation on the board of education although its advocates allege that it will result in greater democracy, more “ local control, ” cheaper elections and more access. actually, its only guaranteed effect will be to significantly reduce the voting rights of all voters and blocs thereof, wherever they live. under the current system of “ at large ” elections, citizens get to vote for ( or against ) all seven board members whenever they are up for election, and to affect the balance of power on the board every two years. under measure a, voters will be limited to voting for one board member only, every four years – a single member from a single sub - district whose boundaries have been drawn in large part based on a committee ’ s perception of its overall racial / ethnic characteristics. such elections will ensure that six of the seven board members will have no political incentive to even pick up the phone when voters from outside their sub - district call whereas members elected at large have to develop a district wide constituency. measure a will result in racially - oriented, ward - based “ what ’ s in it for me ” politics and politicians. the proposed sub - districts each contain about 29, 000 residents. three ( and arguably four ) of them are based almost wholly on perceptions of race / ethnicity despite ever - increasing diversity within each of them. these boundaries will exacerbate racial tensions between blacks and hispanics at a time when they share many of the same neighborhoods, albeit in different proportions. the black population of pasadena and altadena has declined precipitously since the mid 1970 ’ s when there were nearly 11, 000 black students. today, there are fewer than 3, 000. over the same period, the number of hispanic students has grown from around 2, 700 to over 11, 000. however, the black community still has greater numbers of registered voters and hispanics are unlikely to elect one of “ their own ” for many years. the one hispanic currently on the school board – currently elected at large – is not likely to prevail in his prospective sub - district! the margin of victory in at - large pusd elections is typically four to five percent, a margin which enables any group of voters that gets its act together to have a significant impact on every election and board member. measure a ’ s “ one vote every four years for a single member ” requirement will


elections is typically four to five percent, a margin which enables any group of voters that gets its act together to have a significant impact on every election and board member. measure a ’ s “ one vote every four years for a single member ” requirement will disenfranchise whole blocs of voters regardless of race, political persuasion or current “ community of interest ”, the real places where people live. for example, altadena ’ s overall electoral power will be divided by its own characteristics, east and west of lake, and in part diluted by a significant bloc of east pasadena voters. sierra madre ’ s voters now have great influence on district - wide races but it will be out - voted in its sub - district by the much more numerous residents of eastern and southeastern pasadena. measure a ’ s boundaries also fail to reflect the distribution of students and schools. the three “ minority districts ” account for over 70 % of the students. the district ’ s long - standing open enrollment policies further complicate matters of “ representation ”. greater access to local voters? given the geographic expanse of four of the proposed sub - districts, voters are not much more likely to have a board member walk the streets where they live than under the current system. and, it ’ s not that difficult to get a board member ’ s ear ( or scalp ) to affect board decisions. to get elected in an at - large election, potential board members have to develop a broad constituency – before they are elected – to engage voters throughout the district, wherever they live, whatever their census profile. they are, in effect, vetted by the whole community and, therefore, have greater experience, credibility and legitimacy than would single sub - district members. if you doubt this, ask mr. bogaard! however, the city ’ s electoral practices are not a model for the schools. city council members deal primarily with a set of finite matters – police and fire protection, water and power, traffic control, etc. which are of particular concern to particular neighborhoods or residents. school board members rarely deal with issues which are unique to a particular area of the district. their obligations are limited by law to matters of policy and oversight, to ensure that the district ’ s $ 180 million budget is allocated to meet the needs of all students district - wide. currently, each winning at - large board member gets 7, 000 to 8, 000 votes from a broad political base across the district. given historically consistent turnouts of about 13 percent of eligible voters for school board elections


of all students district - wide. currently, each winning at - large board member gets 7, 000 to 8, 000 votes from a broad political base across the district. given historically consistent turnouts of about 13 percent of eligible voters for school board elections, winning sub - district members will prospectively have the support of as few as 1, 000 voters, with nowhere to turn for four years if their choice proves unwise! in fact, four sub - district members with as few as 4, 000 votes between them – fewer than a single losing board member now gets – could take over the district, its budget and its future, to serve ends which though not yet defined are likely to be dominated by ward - level politics. measure a ’ s proponents argue that elections will be less costly. maybe, and maybe not! west pasadena city council member steve madison spent in excess of $ 220, 000 to retain his council seat in the last election, inside a sub - district 20 % smaller than those proposed by measure a. successful at - large candidates for the school board typically have a long history of involvement and experience in the schools and community. it does take money to run – although not nearly as much as measure a ’ s advocates allege – but money doesn ’ t necessarily prevail against well - known candidates with an earned district - wide reputation. make it cheap to run and you may get “ local ” candidates who run merely to win the one real perk enjoyed by the school board members, a comprehensive family health insurance program worth at least $ 20, 000 a year! or, outside political groups could try to “ buy ” a seat on the cheap! measure a represents a significant step backward for pusd and the increasingly diverse communities it serves. forced to integrate its schools as a result of its own intransigence in 1970, now is not the time to force the district to divide itself based largely on race as measure a would have it rendered. now is not the time to reverse 40 plus years of progress. measure a would be irreversible but it is not inevitable. vote no on measure a. bill bibbiani is a former pusd board of education member.


5 questions : time to fall back the time and frequency division of the national institute of standards and technology, which provides official time to the united states, answers questions about the twice - annual time change. q : what is daylight saving time? a : daylight saving time is the period of the year when clocks are moved one hour ahead. in the united states, this has the effect of creating more sunlit hours in the evening during months when the weather is the warmest. the transition from daylight saving time to standard time effectively moves one hour of daylight from the evening to the morning. q : when is daylight saving time? a : daylight saving time begins each year on the second sunday in march at 2 a. m. ( local time ). clocks must be moved ahead one hour when daylight saving time goes into effect. the changeover back to standard time occurs on the first sunday in november at 2 a. m. ( local time ). clocks must be moved back one hour. q : didn ’ t daylight saving time used to end in october, not november? a : yes. the rules for daylight saving time changed in 2007 for the first time in more than 20 years. q : why the change? a : the new changes were enacted by the energy policy act of 2005, which extended the length of daylight saving time in the interest of reducing energy consumption. q : how long does daylight saving time last? a : daylight saving time will now be in effect for 238 days, or about 65 percent of the year, although congress retained the right to revert to the prior law should the change prove unpopular or if energy savings are not significant.


members of the united nations from wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( redirected from member states of the united nations ) other websites [ change ] all notes are based on official list of member states - joined as byelorussia. united nations told of name change on 19 september 1991 - the socialist federal republic of yugoslavia was an original member of the united nations. the charter was signed on its behalf on 26 june 1945 and ratified ( confirmed ) on 19 october 1945. when yugoslvia was dissolved the new countries of bosnia and herzegovina, croatia, slovenia, the former yugoslav republic of macedonia, and the federal republic of yugoslavia were formed. - zaire joined the united nations on 20 september 1960. on 17 may 1997 it changed its name was to the democratic republic of the congo. - the republic of croatia was admitted as a member of the united nations by general assembly resolution a / res / 46 / 238 of 22 may 1992. - the czech and slovak federal republic was an original member of the united nations from 24 october 1945. the czech and slovak federal republic separated on 31 december 1992 and that the czech republic and the slovak republic, as successor states, were thus admitted as member states on 19 january of that year. - egypt and syria were original members of the united nations from 24 october 1945. following a plebiscite ( vote ) on 21 february 1958, egypt and syria joined together as the united arab republic. on 13 october 1961, syria, became an independent country, resumed its separate membership in the united nations. on 2 september 1971, the united arab republic changed its name to the arab republic of egypt. - the federal republic of germany and the german democratic republic were admitted as members on 18 september 1973. the german democratic republic stopped being a member on 3 october 1990, when the two germancountries united to form one sovereign country. - on 20 january 1965, indonesia said it was leaving the united nations “ at this stage and under the present circumstances ”. on 19 september 1966, decided " to resume full cooperation with the united nations and to resume participation ( start joining ) in its activities ". on 28 september 1966, the general assembly invited indonesia to take its seats in the assembly. - by resolution a / res / 47 / 225 of 8 april 1993, " macedonia " became a member of the united nations. in the united nations macedonia is called " the former yugoslav republic of macedonia " because of arguments about its name. - the federation of malaya joined the united nations on 17 september 1957. on 16 september 1963, its


became a member of the united nations. in the united nations macedonia is called " the former yugoslav republic of macedonia " because of arguments about its name. - the federation of malaya joined the united nations on 17 september 1957. on 16 september 1963, its name was changed to malaysia, when the new states of singapore, sabah ( north borneo ) and sarawak joined the union. singapore became an independent country on 9 august 1965 and a member of the united nations on 21 september 1965. - on 4 february 2003, the official name of federal republic of yugoslavia was changed to serbia and montenegro. montenegro held a referendum ( vote ) on 21 may 2006 and declared independence from serbia on 3 june. president of the republic of serbia told the secretary - general that the membership of serbia and montenegro was being continued by the republic of serbia on 28 june 2006 montenegro became a united nations member state by general assembly resolution a / res / 60 / 264. - the union of soviet socialist republics was an original member of the united nations from 24 october 1945. on 24 december 1991, boris yeltsin, the president of the russian federation, told the secretary - general that the soviet union ' s membership in the security council and all other united nations organs was being taken over by the russian federation with the support of the 11 member countries of the commonwealth of independent states. - the federal republic of yugoslavia was admitted as a member of the united nations by general assembly resolution a / res / 55 / 12 of 1 november 2000. on 4 february 2003 the official name of the country was changed to serbia and montenegro. on 3 june 2006, the president of the republic of serbia told the secretary - general that the membership of serbia and montenegro was being continued by the republic of serbia, after montenegro ’ s declaration of independence. - the republic of slovenia was admitted as a member of the united nations by general assembly resolution a / res / 46 / 236 of 22 may 1992. - " u. n. admits south sudan as 193rd member ". foxnews. com. associated press ( fox news network, llc ). 2011 - 07 - 14. http : / / www. foxnews. com / world / 2011 / 07 / 14 / un - admits - south - sudan - as - 13rd - member /. retrieved 2011 - 07 - 14. - tanganyika was a member of the united nations from 14 december 1961 and zanzibar was a member from 16 december 1963. after the ratification on 26 april 1964 of articles of union between tanganyika and zanzibar


for the past five years, colombia ' s abysmal labor rights record has led congressional democrats to freeze the proposed u. s. - colombia trade promotion agreement ( tpa ). and for good reason : the agreement would, in part, benefit large - scale monocropping plantations and other economic projects - - many of whose owners utilize the " security " services of paramilitary groups to intimidate, assassinate, and displace not only trade unionists, but also afro - colombian and indigenous leaders and families viewed as getting in the way of economic operations ’ owners. in april, president obama and colombian president juan manuel santos defrosted the trade agreement, announcing a " labor action plan " that details steps colombia has committed to take in the coming months. based on these promises, the tpa is likely to come up for a vote in the u. s. congress before the end of 2011. but the plan - - according to u. s. and colombian trade unions, human rights groups, afro - colombians, indigenous colombians, and rural farmer associations - - falls short. far from guaranteeing fair and safe conditions for colombian workers, the plan limits their ability to exercise their rights and ignores serious concerns about security, human rights, and afro - colombian and indigenous land rights. in colombia, being a trade unionist can be a death sentence. colombia has the highest number of unionists killed in the world - - more than 1, 000 during the last 10 years. most workers are not unionized. a large number of workers are forced into " associative cooperatives " that then contract with employers ; these not only impede unionization, but they also result in workers not having the labor protections that are afforded to direct employees. in the sugarcane industry in valle del cauca, where this model operates, afro - colombians work in slavery - like conditions. beyond labor rights, the announced plan also ignores the fact that, in colombia, many large - scale " development " projects, including plantations of monoculture crops such as oil palm trees, have been illegally and violently imposed onto land belonging to afro - colombians and indigenous communities. with 5. 2 million internally displaced persons, colombia competes with sudan for the slot of largest internally displaced population in the world. in multiple rulings, colombia ' s own constitutional court has highlighted the connection between large - scale monoculture agriculture, paramilitary violence, and displacement of afro - colombians and indigenous colombians from their homes. the underlying conditions that cause much of the violence - -


rulings, colombia ' s own constitutional court has highlighted the connection between large - scale monoculture agriculture, paramilitary violence, and displacement of afro - colombians and indigenous colombians from their homes. the underlying conditions that cause much of the violence - - the internal armed conflict and paramilitaries that operate with impunity - - are not addressed in the labor action plan agreed to in april. in that plan, colombia commits to long - overdue steps, such as expanding protection programs for trade unionists and hiring 100 labor inspectors this year to address abuses in sugar, oil palms, ports, and mining cooperatives. but these steps do not go far enough. the plan does not require any decrease in violence against trade union members, or any progress toward justice for those already hurt or killed ; it also does not deal with other important labor issues, such as allowing for industry - wide unions. for five years, u. s. and colombia labor movements and human rights organizations, as well as u. s. democrats, have pressured colombia to make these changes, yet little has been done. given colombia ’ s poor track record on other human rights issues, it is unlikely it will fundamentally change its current dismal labor environment by the end of the year. colombia has a long history of undelivered promises with regard to labor and human rights. its constitutional court has issued orders urging colombia to take action to protect ethnic minorities from further harm, but the country has not done so. if colombia ignores directives from its own judicial system to protect the rights of those who would be impacted by the tpa, what reason is there to believe it will guarantee the rights of its own workers with the labor action plan? gimena sanchez - garzoli is a senior associate for the andes at the washington office on latin america.


there is an unfortunate side effect when using gdb to debug multi - threaded programs. if one thread stops for a breakpoint, or for some other reason, and another thread is blocked in a system call, then the system call may return prematurely. this is a consequence of the interaction between multiple threads and the signals that gdb uses to implement breakpoints and other events that stop execution. to handle this problem, your program should check the return value of each system call and react appropriately. this is good programming style anyways. for example, do not write code like this : the call to sleep will return early if a different thread stops at a breakpoint or for some other reason. instead, write this : int unslept = 10 ; while ( unslept > 0 ) unslept = sleep ( unslept ) ; a system call is allowed to return early, so the system is still conforming to its specification. but gdb does cause your multi - threaded program to behave differently than it would without gdb. also, gdb uses internal breakpoints in the thread library to monitor certain events such as thread creation and thread destruction. when such an event happens, a system call in another thread may return prematurely, even though your program does not appear to stop.


astronauts aboard the international space station enjoy holiday meals just as their families do here on earth. although the food is not mom ' s home cooking, it ' s also not the " tubes and cubes " of the first meals in orbit during the apollo years. don ' t expect someone to break out the " good china, " though. on the station, the holiday table is set with bungee cords and velcro. astronauts eat from disposable plastic containers and aluminum pouches. instead of a carving knife, scissors are more important for meal preparation. not fancy, maybe, but man what a view. also, as with holiday meals on earth, it ' s the spirit of peace and good will that warms the hearts of the diners. the challengeswith no refrigerator or freezer aboard the station, food must remain good for long periods at room temperature. freeze - drying is a good option for many foods. others are thermostabilized, just like some foods found in grocery stores that do not require refrigeration. just like on earth, some items are vcanned while others like candy, nuts and cookies, are fine just the way they are. the top station chef is food scientist vickie kloeris. she has worked in space food systems at nasa ' s johnson space center in houston for 18 years. kloeris oversees the area that manages the production and supply of space station and space shuttle food. " station crews have more than 250 food and beverage items they can select from the u. s. and russian food systems, but they have to make their selections as early as a year before their flight, " kloeris said. " the choices range from barbecued beef to baked tofu, with probably the most popular item being shrimp cocktail, " she said. a matter of tastesome people claim that the way a person tastes changes in space. kloeris said although there is no scientific data to verify changes, many astronauts report a preference for spicy and tart foods and drinks. the environment aboard the station is also a factor when considering food choices. crumbly or loose foods can float out and contaminate the station atmosphere, becoming an annoyance or even a hazard to crews and equipment. many entrees and vegetables are packaged in a thick sauce that helps hold them in a bowl while they are eaten. tortillas are favored over sandwich bread, because they create fewer crumbs and are easier to handle in microgravity. they also stay fresh longer than