what is lupus lupus is a chronic, autoimmune disease that can damage any part of the body ( skin, joints, and / or organs inside the body ). chronic means that the signs and symptoms tend to last longer than six weeks and often for many years. in lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs ( " foreign invaders, " like the flu ). normally our immune system produces proteins called antibodies that protect the body from these invaders. autoimmune means your immune system cannot tell the difference between these foreign invaders and your body ’ s healthy tissues ( " auto " means " self " ) and creates autoantibodies that attack and destroy healthy tissue. these autoantibodies cause inflammation, pain, and damage in various parts of the body. - lupus is also a disease of flares ( the symptoms worsen and you feel ill ) and remissions ( the symptoms improve and you feel better ). lupus can range from mild to life - threatening and should always be treated by a doctor. with good medical care, most people with lupus can lead a full life. - lupus is not contagious, not even through sexual contact. you cannot " catch " lupus from someone or " give " lupus to someone. - lupus is not like or related to cancer. cancer is a condition of malignant, abnormal tissues that grow rapidly and spread into surrounding tissues. lupus is an autoimmune disease, as described above. - lupus is not like or related to hiv ( human immune deficiency virus ) or aids ( acquired immune deficiency syndrome ). in hiv or aids the immune system is underactive ; in lupus, the immune system is overactive. - our research estimates that at least 1. 5 million americans have lupus. the actual number may be higher ; however, there have been no large - scale studies to show the actual number of people in the u. s. living with lupus. - it is believed that 5 million people throughout the world have a form of lupus. - lupus strikes mostly women of childbearing age ( 15 - 44 ). however, men, children, and teenagers develop lupus, too. - women of color are 2 - 3 times more likely to develop lupus. - people of all races and ethnic groups can develop lupus. - more than 16, 000 new cases of lupus are


functions in lisp | column tag : | | lisp listener " functions in lisp " by andy cohen, human factors engineering, hughes aircraft, mactutor contributing editor as you may recall from the first installment of the lisp listener, a procedure is a description of an action or computation. a primitive is a predefined or " builtin " procedure ( e. g. " + " ). as in forth, lisp can have procedures which are defined by the programmer. defun, from define function, is used for this purpose. the syntax for defun in experlisp is as follows : ( defun functionname ( symbols ) ( all sorts of computations which may or may not use the values represented by the symbols ) ) the function name is exactly that. whenever the name is used the defined procedure associated with that function name is performed. the symbols are values which may or may not be required by the procedures within the defined function. if required, the values must follow the function name. when given, these values are assigned to the symbol. this is similar to the way values are assigned to a symbol when using setq. it is easier to see how defun works when observed within an example : ; ( defun reciprocal ( n ) ( / 1 n ) ) the word " reciprocal " is the function name and the numbers following are the values for which the reciprocal ( 1 / n ) are found. after the list containing defun is entered and the carriage return is pressed the function and it ' s title are assigned a location in memory. the function name is then printed in the listener window. ; ( defun square ( x ) ( * x x ) ) ; ( defun cubed ( y ) ( * y ( * y y ) ) ; ( defun average ( w x y z ) ( / ( + w x y z ) 4 ) ) ; ( average 2 3 4 5 ) you might recognize " average " from last month ' s lisp listener. one might imagine using defined functions inside other defined functions. if it was possible to have variables which have the same values in each procedure, then the version of lisp used has what is called dynamic scoping. in this context the values of the variable are determined by the lisp environment which is resident when the procedure is called. experlisp, however, is lexically scoped. that means that variable values are local to each procedure. two defined procedures can use the same labels for variables,


by the lisp environment which is resident when the procedure is called. experlisp, however, is lexically scoped. that means that variable values are local to each procedure. two defined procedures can use the same labels for variables, but the values will not be considered as the same. each variable is defined locally. this is in accordance to the common lisp standard. lexical scoping makes it easier to debug someone elses ' ' programs. if you don ' t know what i mean yet, don ' t worry. this subject will come up again in more detail later. if no values are required by the defined function then " nil " or an empty list must follow the function name. ; ( defun line ( ) the empty list obviously contains no atoms ( i ' ll describe the above function, " line " later in the section on bunnies ). it is synonymous to the special term nil, which is considered by lisp as the opposite of t or true. nil is used in many other contexts. ; ( cddr ' ( one two ) ) in the above, the first cdr returns " two ". the second cdr returns nothing, hence " nil ". the values of true and false are returned by procedures called predicates. while nil represents a false condition, anything other then nil, including " t ", is generally considered true. please note that i used lowercase letters in the above. experlisp recognizes both upper and lowercase. i ' ve been using uppercase only to make it clear within the text when i ' m referring to lisp equal is a predicate which checks the equality of two arguments. note the arguments can be integers or symbols. if the two arguments are equal then " t " is returned. if they are not equal then " nil " is returned. ; ( equal try try ) ; ( equal 6732837 6732837 ) ; ( equal 6732837 6732833 ) ; ( equal first second ) atom checks to see if it ' s argument is a list or an atom. remember, the single quote is used to indicate that what follows is a not evaluated as in the case of a list. symbols are evaluated. ; ( atom ( a b c d ) ) in the first of the above ' thing is an atom due to the single quote. in the second, thing is considered a symbol. a symbol is evaluated and contains a value or values as


evaluated. ; ( atom ( a b c d ) ) in the first of the above ' thing is an atom due to the single quote. in the second, thing is considered a symbol. a symbol is evaluated and contains a value or values as a list. in the third, ( a b c d ) is obviously a list. listp checks if it ' s argument is a list. ; ( listp ' ( 23 45 65 12 1 ) ) ; ( setq babble ' ( wd ihc wi kw ) ) one interesting observation is that nil is both an atom and a list, ( ) = nil. therefore atom and listp both return true for nil. when one needs to know if a list is empty, null does the job. ; ( null ( x y z ) ) numberp checks if the argument that follows is or represents a number rather than a string. ; ( setq fifty - six ' ( 56 ) ) now for a real slick one. member tests whether or not an argument is a part of a list. an easy demonstration follows : ; ( member ' bananas ( apples pears bananas ) ) ; ( apples pears bananas ) ; ( member ' grapes ( apples pears bananas ) ) when the argument is a member, then the contents of the list are given. if not then nil is returned. member also checks symbols of lists. ; ( setq fruit ' ( apples grapes pears ) ) ; ( member ' grapes fruit ) ; ( apples grapes pears ) ; ( member ' banana fruit ) evenp tests to see if an integer is even and minusp checks if an integer is negative. oddp and plusp are not needed since they are simply opposite of the first two. ; ( evenp ( - 806 35 ) ) ; ( minusp ( - 34 86 ) ) in the second and fourth examples above the lists contained within are calculated prior to memberp evaluation. ( 806 - 35 = 771 & 34 - 86 = - 52. there ' s a few more simple predicates such as not, <, >, and zerop. i ' ll discuss them along with conditionals next month. now for something completely different. if you ' ve ever learned logo, the concept of bunny graphics should sound familiar. as mentioned last month, the bunny is expertelligence ' s version of the turtle. all one needs to do in order to make a bunny move is to tell it to. forward x initially moves the bunny


concept of bunny graphics should sound familiar. as mentioned last month, the bunny is expertelligence ' s version of the turtle. all one needs to do in order to make a bunny move is to tell it to. forward x initially moves the bunny upwards on the screen for ' x ' display pixels. a negative number initially moves it down. when one enters the following in the listener window, the default graphics window ( i ' ll discuss windows in more detail very soon in future installments ) is then opened and the following is drawn : right x aims the front of the line to the right by x degrees. if one then uses forward again the line moves in a different direction. for example : ; ( ( right 50 ) ( forward 50 ) ) or better yet ( right 50 ) ( forward 50 ) ) after a line is moved, the end of the line remains where it was. if one made the bunny move again the beginning of the new line would begin where the old left off. the original starting point is the graphics window default home position. this position is in the center of each graphics window when the window is first created. in order to return the bunny to the original starting point one must use home. the following produces a much neater triangle : ( defun triangle ( ) ( penup ) ( left 45 ) ( forward 10 ) ( pendown ) ( right 90 ) ( forward 25 ) ( right 90 ) ( forward 50 ) ( right 135 ) ( forward 71 ) ( right 135 ) ( forward 25 ) ) after the above is typed into the edit buffer the " compile all " selection should be chosen from the menu bar. the source code in the edit buffer quickly inverts to white letters on a black background as if the whole file was selected for a moment. the function name " triangle is then printed in the listener window. if the user enters the following in the listener window a different triangle is drawn in the default graphics window : if you look at the in triangle you will see a couple more bunny commands. left does the same as right but in the opposite direction. penup raises the bunny ' s pen so that when the bunny moves no lines are drawn. pendown returns the bunny to the drawing orientation. the first line of code in " triangle " puts the bunny off the home position so that the drawn triangle will be centered on the screen. as mentioned earlier, the orientation of the bunny remains. the last line of code in " triangle left the bunny aimed at about 1 : 00 rather than the


puts the bunny off the home position so that the drawn triangle will be centered on the screen. as mentioned earlier, the orientation of the bunny remains. the last line of code in " triangle left the bunny aimed at about 1 : 00 rather than the initial position, 12 : 00. if we were to make " triangle " execute ten times without eliminating the graphics window the following would result : in getting " triangle " to execute recompilation of the code in the edit buffer is not necessary. to get the above one can type the function name into a list ten times within the listener window. the following however, is easier : ; ( dotimes ( a 10 ) ( triangle ) ) dotimes is very similar to the for... next looping routine in basic. i ' ll discuss it next month in a description of iteration and recursion in experlisp. if we wanted to use a three dimensional bunny then the following would be added before " triangle " in the edit buffer window : ( setq curbun ( new3dbun ) ) ( pitch 30 ) ( yaw 45 ) ( roll 50 ) something like the following is drawn after the source code is recompiled and " ( triangle ) " is entered into the listener window : curbun is a special symbol in experlisp which always refers to the bunny cursor. new3dbun is a special term which always changes curbun. the default bunny is 2 dimensional. if one wanted the spherical bunny then the following would be entered into the beginning of the first version of " triangle " : ( setq curbun ( newspbun ) ) this would then produce what follows : in order to have the above drawn in a different orientation, different bunny direction would be required. windows, two and three dimensional bunny graphics and toolbox graphics use the same x, y coordinate system. home is 0, 0. dual negative coordinates are situated towards the upper left corner. dual positive coordinates are situated towards the lower right corner. the range is + 32767 to - 32768 for each dimension. in experlisp one can sometimes use the third dimension, as in the 3d sample of " triangle ". negative z values are behind home, while positive z values are in front. the following illustrates the coordinate system in experlisp : the experlisp disk contains three essential files ; compiler, lispenv and experlisp. compiler is not actually the entire lisp compiler. it contains the


front. the following illustrates the coordinate system in experlisp : the experlisp disk contains three essential files ; compiler, lispenv and experlisp. compiler is not actually the entire lisp compiler. it contains the information needed in generating all of the higher level lisp syntactics, such as the bunny graphics. lispenv stands for lisp environment and it is simply a duplication of compile. lispenv contains information on how the macintosh memory was organized by the programmer and experlisp during the previous session. it also contains information on the system configuration such as the number of disk drives, the amount of memory, etc. sometimes lispenv can be messed up ( i. e. by changing the variable table ). when this happens one might not be able to start experlisp. in this case lispenv should be removed from the disk. afterward, when experlisp is opened, compiler generates a new lispenv. compiler is not needed on the disk unless the lispenv is ruined. deleting it will provide 100k more space on the disk. before eliminating it from the disk however, be sure you have a backup as it is an essential file. the experlisp file contains the assembly language routines which represent the lower level lisp routines like car and cdr. it also allows access to the macintosh toolbox routines and contains the listener window. one opens the experlisp file in starting a programming session with experlisp. another file on the disk is automatically loaded and activated when experlisp is booted. it is labeled ªlispinit. the contents of this file can be added to so that when one boots up experlisp a program can be automatically executed. it can also do automatic configurations. however the contents of ªlispinit should not be changed since it configures the macintosh memory for exper - lisp. next month i ' ll discuss a few more predicate procedures. i also hope to start discussing iteration, recursion and conditionals. if there is enough room left over i might also begin discussing how to access the toolbox graphics.


- allergies and asthma : they often occur together allergies and asthma? find out how to control both conditions. tests and diagnosis - asthma : steps in testing and diagnosis diagnosing asthma generally includes a medical history, physical exam and lung tests. - nitric oxide test for asthma nitric oxide test — overview covers definition, risks, results of this procedure to evaluate asthma. - peak flow meter peak flow meter — overview covers how to use this simple tool to monitor asthma symptoms. - spirometry spirometry — overview covers definition, risks, results of spirometry testing to evaluate asthma and copd. treatments and drugs - asthma treatment : 3 steps to better asthma control follow this three - step approach to keep asthma symptoms under control and prevent asthma attacks. - asthma medications : know your options asthma medications — which ones prevent asthma attacks, and which ones treat immediate symptoms. - asthma inhalers : which one ' s right for you? asthma inhalers — here ' s a rundown of inhaler types and how they work. - treating asthma in children under 5 asthma in children under 5 : understand symptoms, medications and treatment plans. - treating asthma in children ages 5 to 11 treating asthma in children ages 5 to 11 : maintain control with an asthma action plan. - treating asthma in children ages 12 and older treating asthma in children ages 12 and older : manage treatment with an asthma action plan. lifestyle and home remedies - asthma in adults : creating an asthma action plan here ' s how to create an adult asthma action plan — a tool for managing your asthma. - asthma - friendly products : do they help reduce symptoms? asthma - friendly products : evaluate the claims before you spend your money. - asthma in children : creating an asthma action plan managing childhood asthma can be complicated. take control with a written action plan. - exercise and chronic disease : get the facts exercise and chronic disease — find out what you need to know before starting an exercise routine. - asthma treatment : do complementary and alternative approaches work? alternative asthma treatment : what might work, and what to avoid. - asthma : limit asthma attacks caused by colds or flu asthma, colds and flu — keep your sneeze from turning into a wheeze. - allergy - proof your house allergy - proof your house with these simple changes and find relief for your symptoms. - asthma control test asthma control test : is your asthma under control? find out.


lifestyle and home remediesby mayo clinic staff you ' ll probably need to make lifestyle changes to stop cycles of behavior that worsen your bipolar disorder, and to make sure you get the support you need from people in your life. here are some steps to take : - quit drinking or using illegal drugs. one of the biggest concerns with bipolar disorder is the negative consequences of risk - taking behavior and drug or alcohol abuse. get help if you have trouble quitting on your own. - steer clear of unhealthy relationships. surround yourself with people who are a positive influence and won ' t encourage unhealthy behavior or attitudes that can worsen your bipolar disorder. - get regular exercise. moderate, regular exercise can help steady your mood. working out releases brain chemicals that make you feel good ( endorphins ), can help you sleep and has a number of other benefits. check with your doctor before starting any exercise program, especially if you ' re taking lithium to make sure exercise won ' t interfere with your medication. - get plenty of sleep. sleeping enough is an important part of managing your mood. if you have trouble sleeping, talk to your doctor or mental health provider about what you can do. - bipolar disorder. national institute of mental health. http : / / www. nimh. nih. gov / health / publications / bipolar - disorder / complete - index. shtml. accessed nov. 2, 2011. - bipolar disorders. the merck manuals : the merck manual for healthcare professionals. http : / / www. merckmanuals. com / professional / psychiatric _ disorders / mood _ disorders / bipolar _ disorders. html # v1028598. accessed nov. 2, 2011. - mood disorders. in : diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders dsm - iv - tr. 4th ed. arlington, va. : american psychiatric association ; 2000. http : / / www. psychiatryonline. com. accessed nov. 3, 2011. - practice parameter for the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents with bipolar disorder. washington, d. c. : american academy of child and adolescent psychiatry. http : / / www. aacap. org / cs / root / member _ information / practice _ information / practice _ parameters / practice _ parameters. accessed nov. 2, 2011. - joska ja. mood disorders. in : hales re, et al. the american psychiatric publishing textbook of psychiatry. 5th ed. washington, d. c. : american


_ parameters / practice _ parameters. accessed nov. 2, 2011. - joska ja. mood disorders. in : hales re, et al. the american psychiatric publishing textbook of psychiatry. 5th ed. washington, d. c. : american psychiatric publishing ; 2008. http : / / www. psychiatryonline. com / pracguide / pracguidechaptoc _ 8. aspx. accessed nov. 3, 2011. - martinez m, et al. psychopharmacology. in : hales re, et al. the american psychiatric publishing textbook of psychiatry. 5th ed. washington, d. c. : american psychiatric publishing ; 2008. http : / / www. psychiatryonline. com / content. aspx? aid = 320111. accessed nov. 3, 2011. - post rm. bipolar disorder in adults : maintenance treatment. http : / / www. uptodate. com / home / index. html. accessed nov. 2, 2011. - andreescu c, et al. complementary and alternative medicine in the treatment of bipolar disorder : a review of the evidence. journal of affective disorders. 2008 ; 110 : 16. - sarris j, et al. bipolar disorder and complementary medicine : current evidence, safety issues, and clinical considerations. the journal of alternative and complementary medicine. 2011 ; 17 : 881. - hall - flavin dk ( expert opinion ). mayo clinic, rochester, minn. nov. 8, 2011.


peter s. jensen, m. d., of the department of psychiatry and psychology at mayo clinic, combines use of an adhd rating scale and mayo clinic ' s electronic medical record ( emr ) to track the progress of children diagnosed as having adhd over time and across health care providers. " the adhd rating scale and side effects measures assess key aspects of the child ' s progress when used with consistency. the emr pushes physicians to use the rating scale consistently and allows us to record its results, as completed by teachers and families, to track symptoms and progress over time, " says dr. jensen. the combination of the rating scale and the emr creates a reliable tracking process that is also a safeguard for both patients and physicians. " pediatric patients ' needs change as they age, " says dr. jensen. " the emr, coupled with rating scales, allows us to note when patients are doing well — and when they are not. we can view a patient ' s evolving needs and modify treatment on the basis of a complete record of progress. " the system also provides information that allows health care providers to reassure the family about the need for medications. " across the united states, families go through 11 different health care providers on average before they find one that they fully trust to advise them. if families don ' t trust medications — a huge issue — they don ' t use them. the markers and double - checks in the emr provide information that allows physicians to help reassure the family that they ' re making an informed choice, " says dr. jensen. the rating scale in the emr includes questions that help health care providers rule out abuse and vision problems for patients. " research shows that we can have 95 % diagnostic accuracy if we use this type of system properly, " says dr. jensen. the division of child and adolescent psychiatry and psychology makes an effort to engage families fully in the health care process. " input from the patient, family, and teachers is crucial, " says dr. jensen. " not just parents, but even kids can become experts at recognizing the symptoms, particularly as they grow older. the emr tracking procedures become critical teaching and communication tools in that process. " for pediatricians, family medicine physicians, child psychiatrists, and psychologists ( especially those trained long ago ), incorporation of these kinds of assessment and treatment tools involves a learning process. " in other areas of medicine, physicians learn by hands - on practice. they don ' t learn surgery by viewing slide shows. we are changing the way


model i and model ii regressions which regression : model i or model ii? - for excel®, matlab® and most other commercial programs the inherent line fitting method is the model - i regression. - to determine whether you are using a model - i or a model - ii regression, - first find the slope of y vs x where y is plotted on the vertical axis and x is plotted on the horiziontal axis - - this is the " normal " way of doing things. it is also known as the regression of y - on - x. call this slope m ( y ). - now reverse x and y and fit another line ; call this slope m ( x ) '. - since x and y are reversed, we need to find the inverse of m ( x ) ' to properly compare against m ( y ), so let m ( x ) = 1 / m ( x ) '. - now if m ( x ) = m ( y ) exactly and r is not equal to 1, then you are using a model - ii regression. - if m ( x ) is not equal to m ( y ), then you are using a model - 1 regression. - note that for either model, r ^ 2 = m ( y ) / m ( x ). this is known as the pearson product - moment correlation coefficient. it is a measure of the linearity of the data, not the fit of the line to the data. - to quickly calculate the model - ii geometric mean regression slope, m ( gm ), first determine the model - i regression slope, m ( y ), and the correlation coefficient, r. the geometric mean slope is then calculated as : m ( gm ) = m ( y ) / r. or, you can use the matlab® script file lsqfitgm. - also note that for datasets where r = 1, m ( y ) = m ( x ) = m ( gm ). in those cases, this test will not tell you which method you are using. questions? comments? please contact edward peltzer.


natural areas registry natural areas registry the mississippi natural areas registry is founded on our state ' s strong belief in the rights of private property owners and our pride in mississippi ' s rich natural heritage. it is designed to honor and recognize the owners of outstanding natural areas for the commitment to preservation of our state ' s most unique remaining habitats. since more than two thirds of mississippi is in private ownership, our citizens hold the keys to the future health of these habitats. remnants of prairies, longleaf pine savannahs, pitcher plant bogs, woodland ravines, streamside forests of mixed beech and magnolias are just a few of the special habitats that need to survive into the next century and longer so that our generation won ' t be the last to know these special places. the registry simply encourages the voluntary preservation of important natural lands in private ownership. it works by asking landowners to make non - binding agreements with the museum of natural science that they will manage the land to protect what is special about it. the landowner can cancel the agreement at any time with notice to the registry program. if the landowner wants to go farther than registry and give a binding conservation agreement, such as a tax deductible conservation easement, or a negotiated dedication to public use with ad valorem tax relief, the staff of the natural heritage program can guide this process. how does the mississippi natural areas registry work? who operates the registry? the natural areas registry was created by the legislature in 1976 as part of the mississippi natural heritage program. ours was one of the first three nationally, and was started as a partnership between the nature conservancy and the mississippi park commission ( now the mississippi department of wildlife, fisheries and parks or mdwf & p ). natural heritage programs now exist in all 50 states. our mission is to maintain an inventory of the natural communities of plants, animals, and fishes in the state, including endangered species, geological features and fossil records. employing both printed and electronic records, it acts as a repository for mississippi ' s natural history. the heritage program now is housed in the mississippi museum of natural science which is part of mdwf & p. how does an area qualify for the registry? to qualify as a mississippi natural area eligible for registration, a property must contain one or more of these characteristics : - habitat for rare, threatened, or endangered plants or animals. - plant communities characteristic of the native vegetation of mississippi. - outstanding natural features such as old - growth forests, caves or wetlands. how does inclusion on the registry protect a


these characteristics : - habitat for rare, threatened, or endangered plants or animals. - plant communities characteristic of the native vegetation of mississippi. - outstanding natural features such as old - growth forests, caves or wetlands. how does inclusion on the registry protect a natural area? registration effectively encourages conservation of important natural lands in private or public ownership. by informing landowners of the uniqueness of particular sites, registration reduces the chance that significant natural values may be inadvertently destroyed. the same recognition will discourage others, such as government agencies and utilities from disturbing the area. what say does the landowner have in the registration process? the registration of a natural area is totally up to the landowner. it is a voluntary decision, and will not occur without his or her approval. what recognition does a property owner receive for including his or her land in the registry? in honor of the commitment to protect the land, the owner receives a framed certificate of appreciation from the director of the museum bearing the landowners name and the name of the area, and a subscription to natural newsline, the museum ' s quarterly newsletter with approval from the landowner, his or her participation in the heritage program can be publicized in the newsletter or in mississippi outdoors. the directions to the area are not published. what commitment does the owner make with a registry agreement? - preserve and protect the area to the best of the landowner ' s ability. - notify the museum of natural science natural heritage program of any threats to the area such as pollution, rights of way, changes in drainage. - allow the mississippi commission on wildlife fisheries and parks a first option to purchase the natural area so that if the landowner should ever decide to sell it, a purchase offer can be made if funds are available. is the registry commitment binding on the owner of a registered natural area? no. the commitment is non - binding and may be cancelled by the landowner at any time, with a 30 - day written notice to the natural heritage program. if the landowner fails to protect an area, with the result of destruction or degradation of the important natural features meant to be protected, the area will be removed from the registry and the landowner will receive written notification. there are no penalties for removal of an area from the registry. does the registration of a site permit public access to private property? no. registration of a natural area provides no rights of public access to private property. as with any private land, visitors must receive permission from the landowner before entering the property. is management assistance available to the owner of a registered area? yes. an owner of


registration of a natural area provides no rights of public access to private property. as with any private land, visitors must receive permission from the landowner before entering the property. is management assistance available to the owner of a registered area? yes. an owner of a registered area may receive management advice from the staff of the mississippi museum of natural science or from the nature conservancy. what are the other options for protection of natural areas? there are two binding options by which a landowner can preserve natural areas found on his or her land. 1. the gift of a conservation easement is a binding legal agreement that a natural area will be spared from development in perpetuity. these are filed in the courthouse records, and will bind future purchasers or those who inherit the land. easements are said to " run with the land. " easements are sometimes called deed restrictions, rights of way, or servitudes and are rights less than full ownership that a landowner can sell or donate. the landowner still pays property taxes on lands on which a conservation easement has been granted. the services of an attorney, and a land appraiser are needed to negotiate a conservation easement. income tax features a donated conservation easement, know as a qualified conservation contribution, is a special kind of donation that works as an itemized deduction applied to individual or corporate income tax. section 170 ( h ) of the internal revenue service code contains all the requirements for these specialized tax deductions. they must meet the " conservation purposes test ", must be perpetual, and must go to a qualified holder or charity. the nature conservancy, a mississippi land trust, and various state agencies all qualify as holders. a deduction of up to 30 % of adjusted gross income ( agi ) is allowed. this deduction may be spread over a period of six years. estate tax features a conservation easement under 170 ( h ) can also be used as an estate tax reduction and is one tool that a landowner can use in estate planning to lighten the inheritance tax load on his or her heirs. this gift can occur during the lifetime of the landowner or it can be made shortly after death by the administrator of the landowner ' s estate. 2. dedication of a natural area to the commission on wildlife, fisheries and parks. this is a dedication to public use of some or all of the property ownership interest and exempts a landowner from paying ad valoremtaxes ( county property taxes ) on the part of his or her estate granted away.


wildlife, fisheries and parks. this is a dedication to public use of some or all of the property ownership interest and exempts a landowner from paying ad valoremtaxes ( county property taxes ) on the part of his or her estate granted away. the assessment of taxes is reduced by the amount of the value of the interest in the property which is conveyed to the commission. the landowner and the commission together negotiate the portion of the landowner ' s rights to be transferred to the commission for the people of mississippi. the transfer can be a sale, or a donation and can be made during the landowner ' s lifetime or in a will as a devise or bequest. this option for land preservation is best understood as comparable to the dedication of a public park by a private landowner. except for the dedication of clark creek natural area in wilkinson county, which was a sale, the natural heritage program has not arranged one of these dedications by donation in its 26 year history. it is likely that a conservation easement could accomplish similar preservation goals as a dedication, but the tax relief features are different. for the right landowner, a dedication may be an attractive option. if your interested in participating in the mississippi natural areas registry program please contact the natural heritage program staff at the address listed below. mississippi natural heritage program mississippi museum of natural science miss. department of wildlife, fisheries & parks 2148 riverside drive jackson, mississippi 39202 - 1353 phone ( 601 ) 576 - 6000


bright light at night could up depression risk, mouse study suggests latest depression news wednesday, nov. 14 ( healthday news ) - - a new study suggests that when the sun goes down, you might end up happier and better able to learn new things if you turn down all the lights - - even your computer screen. unfortunately, the research was done just with mice. but because they share the same set of special light - activated cells in their eyes that humans have - - known as iprgcs - - it may be that the comparisons could apply to people. those cells, called intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells, are stimulated by bright light, which affects the brain ' s mood, memory and learning centers, the researchers said. " expose yourself to bright light in the day and avoid it at night, " suggested study co - author samer hattar, an associate professor of biology and neuroscience at johns hopkins university, in baltimore. " that will keep the iprgcs that affect mood from being activated. " the research was published online in the nov. 14 in the journal nature. hattar said the research team was initially interested in whether seasonal affective disorder ( sad ) - - a form of depression people sometimes experience in the lower - light winter months - - applied to mice. they exposed mice to an alternating cycle of 3. 5 hours of light and then 3. 5 hours of darkness. the mice got depressed. how do you know that a mouse is sad? they take less interest in sugar and move less in the cage, and they have trouble learning and remembering, hattar explained. when the mice were given prozac ( fluoxetine ), a commonly prescribed antidepressant, their symptoms went away. to understand the role of the retina ' s neurological circuits in affecting mood, memory and learning, the researchers studied animals that didn ' t have the specialized iprgc cells. without them, the irregular light schedule did not impair mood and cognitive ( thinking ) function, even though their vision and general light detection ability remained intact. this showed that light affects learning and mood directly through these special photosensitive retinal cells, hattar said. the researchers created light - exposure patterns for the mice that allowed the scientists to rule out the possibility that circadian rhythm and sleep disruption were responsible for the changes in mood and learning ability they observed. circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24 - hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an


out the possibility that circadian rhythm and sleep disruption were responsible for the changes in mood and learning ability they observed. circadian rhythms are physical, mental and behavioral changes that follow a roughly 24 - hour cycle, responding primarily to light and darkness in an organism ' s environment, according to the u. s. national institutes of health. one expert questioned whether the mice ' s normal circadian rhythm was indeed maintained. " perhaps even though the overall sleep timing pattern remained intact, the quality of their sleep deteriorated, " suggested tony tang, an adjunct professor in the department of psychology at northwestern university, in evanston, ill. tang also found an important difference between how humans are exposed to light at night in modern life and how the reaction of mice to light was tested during the research. " in the current study, the poor mice ended up having bright lights shining on them while they slept ; but for humans in the past century, we ' ve stayed up while we kept lights on, and then turned the lights off when we sleep, " he said. scientists note that research with animals often fails to provide similar results in humans. study co - author hattar said the study should be replicated in human subjects. " but even if it comes out not as clear as it did in mice, i think there will be some benefit for people to turn down their lights at night. i don ' t think there is any harm in it. " copyright © 2012 healthday. all rights reserved. sources : samer hattar, ph. d., associate professor, biology and neuroscience, johns hopkins university, baltimore ; tony tang, ph. d., adjunct professor, department of psychology, northwestern university, evanston, ill. ; nov. 14, 2012, nature online get the latest health and medical information delivered direct to your inbox free!


what is achiote? in english achiote means annato. it comes from a tropical tree that is native to the americas and is used for industrial and culinary purposes. the name achiote derives from the nahuatl word for the shrub, achiotl. the annato plant has pink flowers and ovular leafs, the seeds or fruit is a capsule covered in short, red prickly, stiff hairs or spines. the achiote fruit capsuls are brown and reddish at maturity and heart shaped. the pods or capsules will split open in half when mature, revealing 50 seeds covered in red pulp. the fruit from the annato tree are not edible, the red orange reddish pericarp or pulp that covers the triangular - shaped seeds is used for its dying properties and to give flavor to dishes. the seeds range in colors from yellow to orange and red to black. the yellow and orange seeds are commonly used as a dye for cheeses and other dairy products. the red seed is used to add flavor to mexican, caribbean and latin american dishes most commonly used in the caribbean, and the oaxacan, and yucatecan regions of mexico. the achiote originates from merida, yucatan and the annato seed was first introduced to the americas by the indigenous people of the maya and aztec tribes. it was used as body paint ; specifically for lipstick giving the annato tree the name of " lipstick tree ", food coloring, clothing dye and for writing scriptures. annato has a sweet and peppery taste and scent, and has been described to have an earthy, bitter flavor. achiote works for your needs in either one of its varieties. traditional recipes where achiote is used include the very famous cochinita pibil ( mexican - slow roasted pork dish ) for color and flavor, chicken in achiote and caldo de olla. to give a reddish color and flavor to any recipes like tamales, meat, fish or rice ( arroz rojo ) dishes, substitute vegetable oil with achiote oil. recado rojo or achiote paste is a thick, earthy flavored, deep - red seasoning that is slightly bitter, made with red annato seeds mixed with other spices and ground into a brick shaped paste. it ' s preferred in the yucatan and oaxacan cuisine because for its distinctive flavor and coloring. achiote is a signature ingredient in every mexican kitchen. you can either rub the achiote paste directly on the meat, pork,


shaped paste. it ' s preferred in the yucatan and oaxacan cuisine because for its distinctive flavor and coloring. achiote is a signature ingredient in every mexican kitchen. you can either rub the achiote paste directly on the meat, pork, fish, shrimp or seafood to which it gives a deep - red color and flavor. these can also be marinated with a sauce created with the paste by dissolving it with either orange juice, vinegar, lime juice or oil. once the meat is marinated or the achiote paste is rubbed on it, you can bake, broil, grill or barbecue. the achiote paste may also be added to a corn base for red tamales or empanadas to give them color and a spicy flavor. when using achiote in the kitchen make sure to wear an apron, because the dye properties in the annato are very strong and therefore can stain your clothes. achiote is used in a variety of ways for example achiote paste, achiote powder, achiote oil, and achiotina. achiote is sold as crushed seeds, whole seeds and / or brick version of the paste. examples of brands that sell achiote ( anatto ) paste are : el mexicano, achiote chef, la perla del mayab, el yucateco. for achiote in its powder version, bijol is a great brand. achiote ( anatto ) is the main ingredient in goya ' s popular spice blend " sazon. " you can find achiote in grocery stores and online wherever mexican, middle eastern and latin american products are sold. mexgrocer. com offers you all of these achiote brands for you to choose from to prepare all your favorite dishes. in mexico and latin america anatto is commonly known as achiote or achote as it is pronounced, although in the philippines it is known as atsuwete or acheute. other names for the seed include annatto, anatta, and annato.


interactive java tutorials refractive index determination oblique illumination is sometimes utilized as an alternative to the becke line test to determine whether the refractive index of a specimen is higher or lower than that of the surrounding medium. this interactive tutorial explores how variations in the refractive index of a specimen and its surrounding medium alter visibility in the microscope when utilizing oblique illumination techniques. the tutorial initializes with a specimen having a refractive index of 1. 15 positioned in a surrounding medium of refractive index 1. 33 ( representing water or lightly buffered aqueous saline solution ), and being illuminated with off - axis light rays originating from the lower left - hand side of the tutorial window. in order to operate the tutorial, translate the specimen ( refractive index value ) slider between values of 1. 0 and 1. 5. as the slider is moved from right to left, the specimen appearance is altered in the eyepiece view window. to change the refractive index of the surrounding medium, move the surround ( refractive index value ) slider to the right or left ( this slider also has a range of refractive indices between 1. 0 and 1. 5 ). translating the surround slider will also affect specimen appearance and visibility, as discussed below. the two sliders are interactive and positioning of one slider will affect the range of motion of the other. in situations where the specimen is mounted in a medium of lower refractive index, shading that results from the anaxial illumination will appear on the side opposite to that from which the light enters the specimen, and vice versa, as illustrated in figure 1. for both diagrams presented in figure 1, two equal sized oblique light rays are depicted entering the specimen through the surrounding medium at the same angle of incidence. at point a on the left - hand diagram, the light is spread over a larger area of the specimen than at point b, so that the area near point a on the specimen appears darker than the area near point b. under these conditions, one side of the specimen will appear shaded or somewhat darker than the other side when viewed through the microscope eyepieces ( represented by points a ' and b ' in the upper left portion of figure 1 ). this is the case when the specimen refractive index is higher than that of the surrounding medium. the opposite effect occurs when the specimen has a lower refractive index than that of the surrounding medium ( see the right - hand side of figure 1 ). in this case, the shaded or darker side


index is higher than that of the surrounding medium. the opposite effect occurs when the specimen has a lower refractive index than that of the surrounding medium ( see the right - hand side of figure 1 ). in this case, the shaded or darker side of the specimen will be on the side that is nearest to the oblique light sector stop. when the specimen and the surrounding medium have identical refractive indices, then the specimen will be transparent ( or invisible ) and will have no refractive effects on the oblique illumination. the sensitivity of this refractive index determination technique is highly dependent on the condenser focal length, the iris diaphragm position, and the geometry of sector stops ( if employed ). in general, the best results are obtained when the condenser is carefully focused and an even field of illumination is achieved. matthew j. parry - hill and michael w. davidson - national high magnetic field laboratory, 1800 east paul dirac dr., the florida state university, tallahassee, florida, 32310. back to oblique illumination questions or comments? send us an email. © 1998 - 2013 by michael w. davidson and the florida state university. all rights reserved. no images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. use of this website means you agree to all of the legal terms and conditions set forth by the owners. last modification : thursday, jun 15, 2006 at 03 : 39 pm access count since july 22, 2002 : 24065 for more information on microscope manufacturers, use the buttons below to navigate to their websites :


the entire physical universe is made up of pure energy and vibration. when you have the insight to see everything as vibration, the nature of the universe is revealed to you. light is vibration. the entire electromagnetic wave spectrum of visible light produces different colors. colors are simply waves vibrating at different frequencies. on one end of the spectrum you have red, on the other end you have violet. red has the longest wavelength and the lowest frequency, violet has the shortest wavelength and the highest frequency. there are two kinds of electrical lighting that you can find when you visit an electronic store. warm light and cool light. warm light contains a greater mixture of lower frequency color waves such as yellow and orange. cool light contains a greater mixture of higher frequency color waves such as green and blue. light is crucial in its environmental effect upon work, play, rest and other life activities. it controls stimulation, relaxation and energy level. since warm light is more relaxing than cool light, you might decide to use it for the ambience it creates. have you ever used only warm lights in a room and thought that you could make the place more relaxing or stimulating simply by increasing or decreasing the light intensity? but it doesn ’ t work that way. increasing the light intensity of warm light does not make it a lot more stimulating. higher energy levels require higher rate of vibration. it is not the magnitude but the frequency of the vibration that determines it ’ s energy level. is it any wonder that blue flame is hotter than yellow flame? health is vibration. cold, damp and dark places with lack of airflow are breeding grounds for bacteria, whereas sunny places with abundance of airflow eliminate unhealthy micro organisms. the second type of environment is healthier than the first because it is high vibration while the other is low vibration. although sunlight is biologically beneficial, too much of it causes heatstroke. the energy turns from being constructive to destructive. the key here is balance. too much of something beyond the rightful amount causes instability. this is what all sickness and disease does. it seeks to weaken or destabilize vibration. the more vibrant and stable a person is, the more alive and constructive he / she are. the more lackluster and unstable he / she is, the less alive and / or the more ( self ) destructive. ever wonder why you have always been told to drink warm water and not to drink cold one when you were sick? when the body is sick, there are things within that are clogging up the system and slowing


the more ( self ) destructive. ever wonder why you have always been told to drink warm water and not to drink cold one when you were sick? when the body is sick, there are things within that are clogging up the system and slowing down some functions. the body needs energy to move the sickness out of the body or to destroy it. that is why your doctor advices you to drink plenty of water. it is the medium that your blood cells use to mobilize their work. more water and oxygen gives your body the much needed resources it needs in getting rid of the sickness. your impulse of coughing out phlegm and blowing out mucus is your bodies act of expelling the bad stuff from your body, which means you are on the road to recovery. warm water is high vibration whereas cold water is low vibration. cold water removes the precious energy needed for recovery, whereas warm water supplies it. one supports your recovery rate while the other sabotages it. sound is vibration. bassy music is low vibration and energetic music is high vibration. we enjoy listening to different types of music because we like to experience different ranges of emotion. the variety of feelings in life makes it fun and meaningful. high energy dance music appeal to younger people because they are highly energetic and expressive. slower and emotional entrancing music is what we desire to hear when we want to be moved in a deep and sensual way. we want time to slow down and come to a standstill the experience to be like an eternal moment. chemical is vibration. alcohol and earl grey tea are opposite in terms of vibration. although stress and anxiety is a form of high vibration, it is undesirable because the vibration is incoherent and disorderly. alcohol lowers vibration. that ’ s why people drink to relax and distress. but drinking consumes more than the natural amount of alcohol that the body is supposed to take. therefore it causes instability as well. drivers who drink have impaired judgment and reaction rate are more susceptible to accidents. people who are above the need of alcohol to relax have chosen more intelligent means of doing so. earl grey tea acts as a stimulant that counters the effects of alcohol to a certain extent to “ sober ” you up. the vibration of our “ bodies ” at every level, physical and non - physical, has a profound influence on our ability to attract positive experiences. the higher your vibration, the more of a “ magnet ” you become as a result of the thoughts you hold in your mind.


bodies ” at every level, physical and non - physical, has a profound influence on our ability to attract positive experiences. the higher your vibration, the more of a “ magnet ” you become as a result of the thoughts you hold in your mind. by holding only thoughts of the “ things ” you wish to manifest into your experience, and keeping your vibrations high in the ways we discussed previously, you will find your wishes will manifest much more quickly. when you learn to see everything as vibration different in terms of rate and stability, you will understand what you need in order to obtain the desired effect in any situation. it is all about balancing vibrations. there are lots more aspects of physical reality than those mentioned here where this principle is applied to. once you are aware of this principle and always think in terms of vibration, you can understand practically everything that happens in the physical world. this is one of the governing dynamics that allows you to make sense of everything. having this awareness is like seeing the world in code, like the matrix. - persistence of will manifests what you desire - affecting probable outcomes with your mind - casting magic spells and intention manifestation - shared reality - cooperative mental creation - actively defend your beliefs against conflict - mentally uniting with your desire by giving thanks for it - speaking your intention gives it more power - letting extremes guide you to balance of mind - purchasing the best things in life for yourself - everything is formed by vibration and geometry


the bar coding of finished products is an effective and widespread tool for managing inventory and distribution, expediting work - in - process and simplifying warranty fulfillment. what has not been practical is the tracing and tracking of individual parts that are internal to finished goods. these are the critical components that determine, after all, whether products perform or fail. there are several reasons why individual parts have not been marked until recently. key among them has been the limitation inherent in traditional marking, specifically the inability to withstand common manufacturing processes such as heat treating, mechanical abrasion and chemical baths. but this didn ' t mean there was not a need for this technology. roger schellhorn, quality coordinator at john deere ( waterloo, iowa ), was looking for a system that would code individual internal parts. " our first priority was to achieve individual parts traceability throughout the production line, " he explains. " we wanted to put a pedigree on parts, and assign quality data to individual items. we ' ve always been able to correlate quality data with a particular group of parts, but before recently, there had been no way to marry quality data with individual parts. " the company considered numerous systems for achieving individual part traceability, including optical character recognition ( ocr ). " our biggest objection, " says mr. schellhorn, " was the miles — literally miles — of wiring that would have been required. it looked to us like an upkeep nightmare. " then he found a new marking technology referred to as bumpy barcoding ( bbc ) by its supplier, mecco marking systems, ( ingomar, pennsylvania ). bbc indents a high - integrity 3d mark into metal, plastic and composite materials. indented bbc marks are expressed by highs and lows in surface height, rather than variations in black and white. indented bbc readers use differences in height, rather than contrast, to distinguish the bars and spaces of the code being read. this allows bumpy bar codes to be read where no contrast is available, ( for example, when a part is exiting a heat treating cycle and the surface is dark. ) the mark, which is permanent, can be made through indent marking, die stamping, or roll marking on virtually any material of less than rockwell 45c. materials do not have to be perfectly flat or smoothmachined ; in fact, only highly reflective materials ( such as polished stainless steel ) are problematic. marks can also be incorporated easily with most casting, forging


of less than rockwell 45c. materials do not have to be perfectly flat or smoothmachined ; in fact, only highly reflective materials ( such as polished stainless steel ) are problematic. marks can also be incorporated easily with most casting, forging or injection molding processes. in all cases, the mark becomes a design feature of the part. bbc marking withstands annealing, heat treating, and abrasive treatments, and is scannable after many coating processes as well. the service life of the mark equals that of the part itself. john deere introduced bumpy barcoding technology at its waterloo engine works. the company ' s first application for mecco ' s bumpy bar code technology was connecting rods. each connecting rod is split into two pieces during machining and must be reformed as a matched set. the system allows absolute verification that each rod and rod cap are a matched set. " now, if we would develop a problem with connecting rods, we could instantly identify the shift when it was produced, the individual machine involved, the specific quality measurement data generated, and the operator who was on duty, " says mr. schellhorn. " we can respond quickly and appropriately to any problem, but more importantly, we can respond proactively as well. the mecco system purchased by john deere includes a mecco sp202 computer controlled marking system and fixed base reader. to accommodate deere ' s requirement for a very fast cycle time, the system was engineered with three stations : two marking heads, and one fixed scanner, which was manufactured by sensis corp. the first station provides human - readable marking, the second indents the bbc marking ; the third station scans and verifies the integrity of the marks. fixturing, which was designed jointly by mr. schellhorn and mecco engineering vice president jim speicher, includes automated parts handling. the bbc is created by a chisel stylus that strikes the material surface and creates a bar about 1 / 8 inch in length. the reader is unique in that it reads both bumpy bar codes and traditional black and white printed bar codes, an advantage for users of both technologies. the reader is also distinctive in its use of a proprietary error detection algorithm, which makes misreading a virtual mathematical impossibility. bbc readers integrate readily with pcs, plcs, robots and other factory data equipment. they also plug into portable data terminals, which transfer data into a computer by saving it in memory for subsequent downloading, or by transmission via


mom ' s depressions alters baby ' s language learning skills sri treatment seems to accelerate a baby ' s attention to their own language, while unmedicated depression seems to delay that attention. tue, oct 09 2012 at 9 : 40 am photo : getty images a mother ' s depression can extend the sensitive period in which babies learn their native tongue, while treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( antidepressants ) for moms or moms - to - be seems to accelerate the process, new research finds. however, scientists aren ' t yet sure how either result influences babies ' ultimate language development. " the findings highlight the importance of environmental factors on infant development and put us in a better position to support not only optimal language development in children but also maternal well - being, " study researcher janet werker, a psychologist at the university of british columbia, said in a statement. werker and her colleagues encouraged moms and moms - to - be with depression to seek treatment. " it is really important that pregnant women discuss all treatment options with their physicians or midwives, " study researcher tim oberlander, a professor of developmental pediatrics at the university of british columbia, said in a statement. babies acquire language ( and other life skills ) in a series of sensitive periods. infants are born able to discriminate sounds from any language, but already preferentially process the noises of their native tongue, the result of hearing it while in utero. by about 10 months, however, the ability to discern sounds not present in the child ' s native tongue begins to vanish. this sensitive period helps explain why people raised bilingual from an early age can sound like a native speaker in both languages, while people who learn a foreign language later will always struggle to lose their accents. [ 9 incredibly brainy baby abilities ] certain medications can influence brain development and plasticity, the ability of the brain to adapt and rewire. according to werker and her colleagues, between 15 percent and 20 percent of women experience depression during pregnancy, and as many as 13 percent of pregnant women are treated for depression with sris, or serotonin reuptake inhibitors ( sris ), a mood - stabilizing medication. to find out if depression or its treatment influence language development, the researchers tested babies on their ability to tell languages apart. they recruited 85 6 - month - old babies, 21 of whom had moms with depression and 32 of whom had moms with depression who had been treated


or its treatment influence language development, the researchers tested babies on their ability to tell languages apart. they recruited 85 6 - month - old babies, 21 of whom had moms with depression and 32 of whom had moms with depression who had been treated during pregnancy with sris. at 6 months and 10 months, the babies heard recordings of the english syllable " da " and the hindi syllable " da. " to a native english speaker, these sounds are virtually indistinguishable, but they are subtly different : hindi speakers make their " da " sound by touching the tongue to their top teeth, while english speakers make their " da " by touching the tongue to the roof of the mouth behind the teeth. in a second experiment, the same babies watched silent videos of people speaking either english or french. normally, babies can tell the languages apart by mouth movements only until about 8 months of age. in both cases, researchers determined if babies could tell the difference between the languages by playing one and then switching to the other. they then measured if the babies looked longer at the new sound or not. if they did, the researchers knew they could tell the difference. if they didn ' t, it was because the new stimulus seemed the same as the old, and thus didn ' t attract the babies ' attention. [ photos : how babies learn ] depression and development the results revealed that kids of healthy, non - medication - taking moms could generally tell the languages apart at 6 months of age, but lost the ability at 10 months of age, as expected. but babies of moms with depression responded differently. when moms had received sri treatment, the babies displayed unusual maturity in their discrimination patterns : they failed to discriminate between different languages at 6 months old. a second experiment that involved playing vowels and consonants for fetuses of 36 weeks gestation found that the early maturation began even then. in fetuses of moms taking sris, recognition of native consonants was advanced. ( researchers measured recognition by tracking each fetus ' s heart rate. ) likewise, babies of depressed moms showed changes from the norm. these babies seemed to have a longer - than - usual sensitive period of language development. they could still differentiate between different languages at 10 months of age. in other words, sri treatment seems to accelerate a baby ' s attention to their own language, while unmedicated depression seems to delay that attention. researchers don ' t yet know whether this effect has any real - world consequences for how babies learn to speak


you might have seen photographers framing photos with their hands before taking a snap. but with the new prototype shooter dubbed ubi - camera, you will be able to use your hands to frame the photo as well as shoot it at the same time. the miniature camera is currently under development at the institute of advanced media arts and sciences. according to the video, “ when you draw a picture or take a photo, you sometimes form a rectangle with your hands to decide the composition. with this camera, you can take a photo using the exact same motion. you attach this device to your index finger, and form a rectangle with your finger like this ( see above ). you take the photo by using the rectangle as the viewfinder …. when you push hard with your thumb, the shutter is pressed ”. the ubi - camera comes equipped with a range sensor, and it detects the distance between the camera and the photographer ’ s face, and determines the framing. “ when you take a photo with your face close to the camera, you get a wide - angle shot …. and if you move it further away, you can take a close up shot ”. its lens has a fixed focal length, and you will be able to zoom in on something on your pc. although you won ’ t get that great feeling of holding a real camera when you are using the ubi - camera ( will also look a bit silly ), there is no need for viewfinders and displays for the new system. so we are expecting it to arrive with a low price tag. but the system is still in the development stage and needs much work to be done on it. “ here, the camera has a wired connection to a pc, but we ’ d like to make a stand - alone camera that can be freely used outside. also, the range sensor currently uses infrared, so it sometimes doesn ’ t detect your face properly, or it can be affected by light from the surroundings. so we ’ d like to use the camera to measure the distance as well, through face recognition. that would enable the system to be used more precisely ”.


radiosurgery, also called stereotactic radiosurgery, is a very precise form of therapeutic radiology. even though it is called surgery, radiosurgery does not involve actual surgery. rather, very focused beams of radiation ( gamma rays, x - rays, or protons ) are used to treat cancerous tissues without a surgical incision or opening. radiosurgery is called " surgery " because it is a one - session radiation therapy treatment that creates a similar result as an actual surgical procedure. radiosurgery works in the same manner as other types of therapeutic radiology : it distorts or destroys the dna of tumor cells, causing them to be unable to reproduce and grow. the tumor will shrink in size over time. for blood vessel lesions such as an arteriovenous malformation ( avm ), the blood vessels eventually close off after treatment. there are three types of radiosurgery. each type uses different equipment and radiation sources. radiosurgery types include : click image to enlarge - cobalt60 systems ( gamma knife ). cobalt60 systems use cobalt as a source for gamma rays. this type of system is commonly referred to as the gamma knife. the gamma knife is not really a knife at all. it uses beams of highly - focused gamma rays to treat small - to medium - size lesions, usually in the brain. many beams of gamma radiation join to focus on the lesion under treatment, providing a very intense dose of radiation in a safe manner. the gamma knife is used primarily to treat small and medium lesions in and around the brain, such as brain tumors, arteriovenous malformations ( abnormal connections between arteries and veins ), as well as functional problems such as trigeminal neuralgia. during gamma knife treatment, the equipment remains stationary ( does not move ). gamma knife treatment generally involves these steps : - head frame placement. in order to keep the head from moving during treatment, a box - shaped frame is attached to the head. pins designed specifically for this purpose fasten the head frame to the skull. the head frame also is a guide to focus the gamma ray beams to the exact location of the lesion being treated. - tumor location imaging. once the head frame is in place, the exact location of the lesion to be treated will be determined using computed tomography ( ct scan ) or magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ). - radiation dose planning. after the ct or mri scan has been completed, the radiation therapy team will determine the treatment plan.


the lesion to be treated will be determined using computed tomography ( ct scan ) or magnetic resonance imaging ( mri ). - radiation dose planning. after the ct or mri scan has been completed, the radiation therapy team will determine the treatment plan. the results of the imaging scan, along with other information, will be used by a medical physicist to determine the best treatment. - radiation treatment. after being positioned for the treatment, a type of helmet with many hundreds of holes in it is placed over the head frame. these holes help to focus the radiation beams on the target. treatment will last a few minutes up to a few hours, depending on the type and location of the area being treated. generally, only one treatment session is required for a lesion. - linear accelerator ( linac ) systems. linear accelerator ( linac ) systems use high - energy x - rays to treat large tumors or other lesions outside of the brain. some common types of linac systems include cyberknife, x - knife, novalis, and peacock. in addition to not using radioactive material to produce the radiation, linac systems also differ from the gamma knife in that the machinery moves around the patient during treatment. for this reason, linac systems are able to treat larger tumors and larger affected areas than the gamma knife. areas other than the brain can be treated with a linac system. linear accelerator systems may also be used for external beam radiation therapy. treatment steps with a linac system are generally the same or similar to the treatment steps used for the gamma knife. - proton beam therapy. proton beam therapy is a type of particle beam radiation therapy. rather than using rays of radiation, such as gamma rays or x - rays, particle beam therapy uses particles such as protons or neutrons. proton beam therapy is the most widely - used type of particle beam therapy. proton beam therapy is useful in treating tumors or lesions that are small and / or have an irregular shape. the radiation dose can be more closely controlled with these systems, because the proton beam can be controlled to allow it to deposit its energy almost completely in the tumor or lesion being treated. other forms of radiation lose energy as they enter body tissues on their way to the tissue under treatment. because the depth of the proton beam can be controlled so precisely, less damage occurs to normal tissues surrounding the area under treatment. proton beam therapy may be used for radiosurgery procedures or for fractionated radiotherapy ( several smaller doses of radiation over a certain period of time ). there are


crystal system : orthorhombic status of occurrence : confirmed occurrence - 1st uk recording distribution : locally abundant chemical composition : manganese silicate chemical formula : mn2sio4 method ( s ) of verification : benallt mine - xrd ( nhm, x2979, x3017, x3019, x3020, x3021, x13061 & x19405 & national museum of wales, nmw x - 1487, 1497 & 1498 ) ; nant mine - xrd ( national museum of wales, nmw x - 1528, 1604, 1607, 1612 & 1615 ) - metamorphic : low - grade - metamorphic : skarn mineralization brown tephroite associated with metallic grey jacobsite. nant mine, rhiw, ll? n, gwynedd. specimen 8. 8 cm long. national museum of wales specimen. photo t. f. cotterell, © national museum of wales. introduction : tephroite belongs to the broad olivine group of minerals and forms a series with the iron - rich olivine fayalite ( fe2sio4 ). it is a typical mineral of iron - manganese ore deposits or their associated skarns, and in metamorphic rocks derived from manganese - rich sediments ( deer at al., 1982 ). it is associated with minerals such as rhodonite, bustamite, manganocalcite, hausmannite and spessartine. occurrence in wales : tephroite is known from just one locality in wales, although this represents the first recording of the mineral in the british isles ( campbell smith et al., 1944b ). - benallt mine, llyn, gwynedd : tephroite was identified from benallt mine where it is intimately associated with alleghanyite, and forms composite, dark, narrow, blade - like crystals up to 20 mm in length and varying in thickness from 2 mm down to microscopic sizes ( campbell smith et al., 1944b ). the crystals are olive - green in thin section and are elongated parallel to the c - axis. tephroite was found ‘ on the footwall side of no. 1 ore - body by no. 1 chute, 50 - 60 feet west of the main shaft, and some 10 - 29 feet above the 130 - foot level ’ ( campbell smith et al., 1944b ). a second


of no. 1 ore - body by no. 1 chute, 50 - 60 feet west of the main shaft, and some 10 - 29 feet above the 130 - foot level ’ ( campbell smith et al., 1944b ). a second locality within the mine was also recorded by these workers, ‘ near the foot - wall of no. 2 ore - body, located 40 to 80 feet west of the court shaft ’. - nant mine, nant - y - gadwen, rhiw, llyn, gwynedd : tephroite is also a major component of massive siliceous manganese ore from the geologically similar nant mine ( cotterell, 2006 ). typical examples are olive - green to chocolate - brown in colour and associated with jacobsite. - campbell smith, w., bannister, f. a. & hey, m. h., 1944b. banalsite, a new barium - feldspar from wales. mineralogical magazine 27, 33 - 47 - cotterell, t. f., 2006. caryopilite and pyroxmangite from nant mine, nant - y - gadwen, llanfaelrhys, pen llyn, gwynedd, wales uk journal of mines and minerals, 27, 51 - 53. - deer, w. a., howie, r. a. & zussman, j., 1986. rock - forming minerals, vol. 1a, orthosilicates, 2nd ed. longman group ltd, 918pp.


how do you picture climate change? aside from the warming part, another problem lies in the future : rising sea levels, which means a higher risk of damaging floods in coastal communities. according to climate central ’ s recent surging seas report, sea levels are rising fast. since 1880, they have increased by about eight inches, and by 2030 they ’ re expected to increase as much as eight more inches. some people are already planning ahead for disaster. the president of kiribati, a country in the south pacific islands, is planning to buy land in fiji for the purpose of relocating the island ’ s entire population. this seems like a worst - case scenario, but it ’ s based on fact — flooding means displacement. kiribati sits about two meters above sea level, and some of its flat coral reefs have already disappeared. the study estimates that 700 million people may become climate refugees by 2050. the countries most likely to be affected are bangladesh, china, vietnam, thailand, and india, all with substantial low - lying coastal areas. the threat of rising seas goes along with the recent findings of a panel of climate scientists, who confirmed that extreme weather disasters are imminent. in particular, parts of mumbai in india could become uninhabitable due to floods and storms. the people most vulnerable to rising seas and extreme weather live in less developed regions of the world. here in the u. s., we won ’ t be spared. the report found that about five million people in the u. s. live in low - lying areas that are likely to be affected by 2050. even land that sits four feet above high tide line will be vulnerable as sea levels rise. and more than people are threatened. buildings, hospitals, military bases, agricultural lands, toxic waste dumps, and even some nuclear power plants sit in these areas that are at risk. florida tops the list of vulnerable states. it has the greatest population living less than four feet above high tide. florida has already felt the effects of rising sea levels. increased flooding has occurred in the southern tip of the state, especially the miami - dade and broward counties. freshwater aquifers serving southeastern florida ( miami - dade, broward, and palm beach counties ) and the florida keys have been contaminated by salt water. climate central has compiled a list of action plans and resources that states and organizations have developed. some suggestions for how we can adapt to rising sea levels include engineered solutions, like seawalls, levees, and dikes, for


a tree - killing invasive insect, the hemlock woolly adelgid ( hwa ), was found for the first time in indiana on a landscape tree in laporte county in mid - april. since its introduction to the eastern united states in the mid - 1920s, the hwa has infested about half the native range of eastern hemlock. in certain areas of the great smoky mountains, as many as 80 percent of the hemlocks have died due to infestation. the finding of the tiny aphid - like insect, which destroys native hemlocks by feeding on the tree sap at the base of the needles, was confirmed by the usda animal plant health inspection service ( aphis ). the insect was identified on a single hemlock as a result of a homeowner ’ s report. the infested tree may have originated from a landscape planting in michigan and been brought into indiana about five years ago. preliminary searches have revealed no other infested trees in the area, but an extensive survey is underway. “ fortunately, this find occurred outside of the native range of hemlock trees in indiana, which greatly increases our chances of preventing spread to them, ” said phil marshall, state entomologist for the dnr. in indiana, forests containing hemlocks are scattered throughout the west central and southern half of the state. evergreen hemlock trees dot the steep slopes along big walnut creek in putnam county, relics of an earlier, cooler climate. the nature conservancy and the dnr division of nature preserves own and manage over 2, 000 acres along this creek to protect the hemlock trees, as well as the rest of the forested land. “ it ’ s hard to imagine losing this species from indiana ’ s forests ”, said chad bladow, director of southern indiana stewardship. “ there are already few places in the state where visitors can see hemlocks, and hwa could eliminate all of them ”. other indiana sites which are well - known for having eastern hemlock include turkey run state park and shades state park in parke county and hemlock cliffs in hoosier national forest in crawford county. the conservancy has acquired lands to help expand each of these sites. hwa is easily spread by wind, movement on birds and mammals such as deer, but most rapidly as a hitchhiker on infested horticultural material. the best way to protect hemlocks in indiana from hwa is to simply not buy or plant hemlocks.


wind, movement on birds and mammals such as deer, but most rapidly as a hitchhiker on infested horticultural material. the best way to protect hemlocks in indiana from hwa is to simply not buy or plant hemlocks. “ purchasing plant materials from areas of known hwa infestation are very likely to provide the source of any potential infestation in indiana, ” said tom swinford, regional ecologist for the dnr, noting that not every tree is inspected to guarantee it is not infected. “ we should do everything we can to protect our unique and beautiful eastern hemlock trees in indiana. a visit to the smoky mountains shows just how sad and devastating this scourge can be. ” " hwa will be very destructive if it reaches our native hemlocks, but the more people who become aware of the dangers of moving plant material and firewood over long distances, the better chance we have at protecting our forests, ” marshall said. the conservancy works to prevent invasive species from taking hold in indiana. “ prevention is the best medicine when it comes to invasive species, ” notes ellen jacquart, director of northern indiana stewardship and coordinator for invasive species issues for the conservancy in indiana. “ don ’ t buy hemlock for landscaping – choose another native tree instead, and help make sure our native hemlock stands survive. ” named for the cottony covering over its body, hwa somewhat resembles a cotton swab attached to the underside of young hemlock twigs. within two years, its feeding causes graying and thinning of needles. highly infested trees will stop putting on new growth, and major branches die, beginning in the lower part of the tree. eventually the whole tree is killed. if you suspect an hwa infestation, call the indiana dnr invasive species hotline at 1 - 866 - no - exotic. the nature conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. the conservancy and its more than 1 million members have protected nearly 120 million acres worldwide. visit the nature conservancy on the web at www. nature. org.


dallas ( nbc33 ) - every hour, one american dies from skin cancer – the number one cancer in the u. s. to help people learn easy ways to combat the disease, the environmental protection agency ( epa ) sunwise program has partnered with the national council on skin cancer prevention to designate the friday before memorial day ( may 27 ) as “ don ’ t fry day. ” epa encourages louisiana residents to learn about and practice sun - safe behaviors this don ’ t fry day to reduce overexposure to ultraviolet ( uv ) radiation – the main cause of skin cancer. “ this is the perfect time of year to remind people to protect themselves and their family members from too much sun by taking simple steps like putting on sunscreen, a hat, sunglasses, and a t - shirt, ” said epa regional administrator al armendariz. " teaching sun safety is crucial because nearly half of all new cancers diagnosed in the united states each year are skin cancers. " each memorial day weekend, millions of americans kick off the summer season and begin enjoying the great outdoors. though skin cancer risks exist all year long, the dangers are even greater during the summer months, when the days are longer, and more people are outside for longer periods of time. for “ don ’ t fry day, ” epa encourages louisiana residents to practice the slip, slop, slap and wrap safety tips, which include : slip on a shirt, preferably with sleeves ; slop on spf 15 + sunscreen generously ; slap on a hat ; and wrap on sunglasses. sunwise also recommends that families seek shade during the sun ’ s peak hours between 10 a. m. and 4 p. m. checking the uv index to plan outdoor activities is also key for identifying times that pose the greatest risk for overexposure to the sun. in the u. s., skin cancer affects more than two million people each year, outnumbering the cases of breast, prostate, lung and colon cancers combined. one in five americans will develop the disease in their lifetime. meanwhile, melanoma — the most serious form of skin cancer — is on the rise. it is the most common cancer among young adults ages 25 to 29. for more on “ don ’ t fry day ” and additional sun safety resources, including a sun safety packing list and new public service announcements created by kids in k - 8, go to : http : / / www. epa. gov / sunwise / dfd. html. epa ’ s sunwise program is


san francisco — a tsunami - producing fault in lake tahoe is overdue for another earthquake, scientists said here tuesday at the annual meeting of the american geophysical union. the west tahoe fault is capable of producing a magnitude - 7. 3 earthquake and tsunamis up to 30 feet ( 10 meters ) high in the clear blue lake, where million - dollar homes line the shore, researchers said. earthquakes strike every 3, 000 to 4, 000 years on the fault, and the most recent shaker was 4, 500 years ago, indicating the fault is overdue for another earthquake, said jillian maloney, a graduate student at the scripps institution of oceanography in san diego. the west tahoe fault defines the west shore of the lake, coming on shore at baldwin beach, passing through the southern third of fallen leaf lake, and then descending into christmas valley near echo summit. science news from nbcnews. com to trace the fault ' s history, maloney and her colleagues examined data from a chirp seismic imaging system, which details underwater sediment layers at very high resolution. ( chirp stands for compressed high intensity radar pulse. ) the researchers correlated landslide deposits, which could be related to past earthquakes, throughout western lake tahoe and in small lakes immediately to the south with radiocarbon dates from the sediments. the west tahoe fault has a complicated history, the analysis reveals. the fault appears to alternate between breaking all at once, in a 31 - mile long ( 50 kilometer ) fracture, and in smaller, shorter segments. the discovery has implications for the tahoe ' s seismic hazard, because the size of an earthquake relates to the length of a fault rupture, maloney said. the biggest earthquakes come from the longest fault fractures. the correlations, while still at an early stage, indicate the last time the fault ' s entire length ruptured was 7, 800 years ago, maloney told ouramazingplanet. more recent quakes occurred on individual segments, she said. because the fault crosses the lake, scientists worry a future earthquake will cause a tsunami in lake tahoe. the monster waves could form in two ways : by the fault displacing ground under the lake, similar to japan ' s tohoku tsunami, or by causing landslides that displace the water. a combination of both could also create an even bigger wave. layers of sediment preserved in and around lake tahoe record evidence of past tsunamis, said graham kent, director of the nevada seismological laboratory


a few days before thanksgiving in a small virginia town called poquoson, frank gornik, 14, was removing storm debris for his uncle ’ s company. the boy, a freshman in high school, fed branches into a wood chipper. he used a shovel to help force the branches and that shovel was grabbed by the machine and — in an instant — swallowed the boy and killed him. each year, 35 - 40 teens die similarly unimaginable deaths in workplace accidents — tractor rollovers, work - related car accidents, drownings in grain silos. here at the national consumers league, we try to monitor these deaths to prevent them from occurring. a decade ago, the number of working teens who died on the job was about double what it is today. the occupational safety and health administration, the national institute of occupational safety and health, federal and state departments of labor, nonprofit organizations and employers worked together to help bring the number of deaths down, but we must keep working to reduce that number even further. sadly, although it was a freak accident, gornik ’ s death was preventable. the boy was much too young to work with such deadly equipment. over the years, state and federal officials have realized that teens lack the judgment and experience to operate some hazardous machinery and require workers to be 18 to use them ( although some exemptions are made for agriculture ). because of their ability to inflict massive and instantaneous damage, wood chippers are among the proscribed machines. under the bush administration, the u. s. department of labor refused to enact niosh - recommended changes to the “ hazardous orders ” regulations that would have improved teen worker safety protections. it is our understanding that under secretary of labor hilda solis ’ leadership, the department is working to update those regulations and close some current exemptions that allow teens to perform dangerous work. although gornik had his share of sadness — according to local newspaper reports, he lost both parents in a two - year stretch between 2005 and 2007 — he was remembered by many fellow students for his ready smile and helpfulness. he was a very popular student who played sports and made the honor roll, and the poquoson community continues to grieve his loss. it ’ s hard to make any sense of an unspeakable tragedy like this, but the lessons learned from the accident that took frank gornik ’ s life might prevent similar deaths. each year, ncl publishes a report — “ the five worst teen jobs ” — about dangerous job for


slavery still a world problem september 8, 1999 despite scant coverage from american journalists, slavery continues to plague the people of a number of countries. it occurs in many forms, including : - bonded child workers in india and pakistan. - indentured servitude for children in lesotho that differs little from outright slavery. - prostitution in thailand. - as a form of religious persecution of christians and animists in southern sudan. sudan is an especially blatant case, in which raiders from the muslim north send raiding parties south to seize people who are later sold for $ 50 a piece. according to one report, they are worked harder, fed less and beaten more than were slaves in the american south. a number of groups, notably christian solidarity international ( cis ), have embarked on an effort to buy slaves in order to set them free. the swiss - based organization has received donations from around the world, including from american churches and high school students. however, some have criticized the program, saying it only encourages more slave taking. cis has run into another problems, observers report. because of their actions against sudan, that government has complained to the united nations. if sudan ' s complaint is recognized, cis could lose its non - governmental organization status, thus its ability to speak at the u. n. should the u. n. side with sudan, one observer notes, it would permit a slave - taking country to stifle an organization that struggles for slave - freeing. source : a. m. rosenthal, " when is it news? " new york times, september 3, 1999, and todd bensman, " cries for freedom, " dallas morning news, may 27, 1999. browse more articles on international issues


furches, david moffatt 21 apr. 1832 – 8 june 1908 david moffatt furches, lawyer, jurist, and chief justice of the north carolina supreme court, was born in davie county, the son of stephen lewis furches, a justice of the peace and farmer, and polly howell furches of rowan county. the furches family was originally from delaware. young furches attended the union academy in davie county before studying law for two years under richmond pearson, the noted chief justice of the north carolina supreme court. admitted to the bar in 1857, furches began his law practice as solicitor for davie county in mocksville, where he remained until 1866 when he moved to statesville in iredell county. when the civil war broke out, furches joined the confederate army for a short time, even though as a county solicitor, he was exempt from military service. however, his three brothers and four brothers - in - law served, and, as furches put it, he " concluded to stay out. " a sturdy whig before the war, furches served as a davie county delegate to the constitutional convention that met in raleigh in october 1865. following the guidelines announced by president andrew johnson, that convention adopted ordinances abolishing slavery, abrogating the secession act, and repudiating the confederate debt. during reconstruction, furches ' s whiggery and unionism led him into the republican party. as a republican, he waged a number of futile campaigns for office. in 1872 he was defeated in a bid for congress, but in 1875 he was appointed judge of the superior court in iredell county and served for three years. in 1880 he made another unsuccessful run for congress. when the north carolina republican party nominated him for associate justice of the state supreme court in 1888, he was again defeated. disillusioned and disheartened by an unending string of defeats since reconstruction, the republican party in north carolina had become badly factionalized by the 1890s. one wing of the party, resenting negro aspirations for local party leadership and fearing the democratic use of the race issue, opposed a statewide ticket and leaned toward cooperation with the newly established populist party. the old guard, however, continued to insist on a full slate of candidates and objected bitterly to any association with the populists. in 1892 furches was the republican candidate for governor, although the lily - white faction of the party had threatened to support the populists. when he lost the election, fur


of candidates and objected bitterly to any association with the populists. in 1892 furches was the republican candidate for governor, although the lily - white faction of the party had threatened to support the populists. when he lost the election, furches charged that the " true theory of republican defeat in north carolina was fraud. " according to him, the democratic registrars had prevented many blacks from voting. furches ' s claims notwithstanding, there is considerable evidence that many republicans defected to the populist cause. in 1894 furches, whom josephus daniels once termed a republican of the " old order, " again supported efforts for a full republican slate and opposed cooperation, or " fusion " as it was known, with the populists. demanding a straight republican ticket, furches argued that the republican party could not be transferred like cattle from one field to another. but the populists shrewdly nominated a nonpartisan judicial ticket that included furches, the republicans accepted the coalition ticket, and the fusionists swept into office. as a result, furches became an associate justice on the state supreme court. furches ' s career on the north carolina supreme court was marked by the same acrimony and controversy that characterized the politics of the period. his elevation to the chief justiceship was not without its share of intrigue. in december 1900 chief justice william t. faircloth died a mere two weeks before the inauguration of democrat charles b. aycock as governor. republican governor daniel l. russell came under intense pressure from various interest groups to resign his office and accept appointment to the chief justiceship from the lieutenant governor who would succeed him. corporate titans such as alexander b. andrews, vice - president of the southern railway company, and benjamin n. duke, the durham tobacco magnate, urged russell to pursue that course. many democrats such as robert furman, editor of the raleigh morning post, and robert b. glenn, future governor, applauded the idea because it was widely believed that russell supported the recently adopted suffrage amendment disfranchising north carolina blacks. russell, however, resisted the pressures and in a surprising move appointed furches chief justice. the governor and the supreme court justice had been feuding since the 1892 election when russell, a leading fusionist, had refused to support furches ' s candidacy for governor. furches barely had assumed the chief justiceship when he was impeached by the democratic - controlled general assembly of 1901. political passions had been inflamed dangerously by the democratic


, had refused to support furches ' s candidacy for governor. furches barely had assumed the chief justiceship when he was impeached by the democratic - controlled general assembly of 1901. political passions had been inflamed dangerously by the democratic white supremacy campaigns of 1898 and 1900 that overturned fusionist rule. eager to regain control of the state courts, zealous democrats in the legislature, urged on by josephus daniels ' s " tocsin - sounding " raleigh news and observer, plotted the impeachment and conviction of republican justices david furches and robert m. douglas. conservative democrats like henry g. connor and thomas j. jarvis, the former governor and senator, were appalled. jarvis wrote connor : " it will be a great mistake in our party to put these judges on trial. it is hard to conceive of a worse political error. " jarvis did not believe that furches and douglas had acted " corruptly, " although they may have made legal mistakes. some democrats, jarvis confided, insisted on impeachment " to save the constitutional amendment. " connor, agreeing with jarvis, led the fight against impeachment in the general assembly. the crux of the impeachment articles against furches and douglas related to the state supreme court ' s ruling that the holder of a public office had a property right in that office. so long as the duties of that office continued, the officeholder could not be deprived of his property during his term of office. furches and douglas were charged with violating the state constitution by issuing a mandamus against the state auditor and state treasurer in 1900 to compel payment of the salary of theophilus white, a shell fish commissioner and a fusionist, whose office had been abolished by the 1899 legislature. the duties of the office had been vested in a seven - member commission. the precedent for office as property had been set in hoke v. henderson ( 1833 ). in 1897 the supreme court had upheld that precedent in the state hospital cases — notably wood v. bellamy and lusk v. sawyer — the effect of which was to continue in office democrats and to prevent fusionists from assuming control of state institutions. the court, though dominated by three republicans and one populist, had voted unanimously in those cases. in later cases arising in 1899, however, justices walter clark, the progressive democrat, and walter montgomery, the populist, had rejected the hoke v. henderson precedent even though the republican majority, consisting of faircloth, fur