, hanoverian guineas changed hands, and the white cockade began appearing all over the highlands while hundreds, then thousands, of clansmen marched in support of the stuart cause, as did alan breck, his men of appin, the remainder of king george ' s money, and his kidnapped captive. so it was that after the rejuvenated jacobite army, now consisting of virtually every highland clan not named campbell, crushed clan campbell in open battle, sacked inverarary, and burned inverarary castleto the ground, that alan breck stewart freed his long - suffering captive and kindly bid him a good day and farewell while shaking his hand. so it was duncan forbes accepted the proffered hand of his admittedly - friendly captor and admitted that his highland captor " had grown favorably upon him, despite everything ", and returned to his home in inverness ( minus several thousand pounds formerly belonging to a certain hanoverian monarch, the remainder of which was now in the care and custody of a jacobite prince ). so it was that robert louis stevenson became a renowned author throughout europe in the year of 1886 after the publishing of " kidnapped : a tale of the ' 45 ". and so it was that the duke of cumberland, expecting to face a ragged, worn, starving, miniscule jacobite army, instead looked on in confused horror as 19, 000 highlanders charged his lines at drummossie moor on the fateful day of april 16th, 1746.


by rabbi daniel travis " [ yosef ] sent his brothers away. as they were leaving he told them, ' don ’ t argue on the road. ' " ( bereshith 45 : 24 ) yosef was not worried that they might have a petty argument over some trivial matter ; rather he cautioned them not to become involved in intricate halachic discussions. yet the torah commands us to learn torah whenever we can, especially when we are traveling. why then should yosef have told them not to discuss torah topics on the road? yosef was actually concerned for their safety : torah learning can result in fierce conflicts in the struggle to arrive at a clear understanding of the torah ’ s true intent. because of the superior strength of yosef ’ s brothers, and the dangers of the road that threaten any traveler, yosef was fearful that some tragedy might result if they involved themselves in such disputes ( 1 ). shlomo hamelech tells us that the torah ’ s ways are ways of pleasantness ( 2 ). this being the case, how can learning torah lead to vehement disputes? one of the qualities of a jew is that he does not accept anything that is not absolute truth. indeed, it is forbidden to accept teachings as torah unless one is convinced that they are absolutely true ( 3 ). when two people study torah together, since they are both working towards the same goal – both are battling to arrive at the truth – it is inevitable that when they finally agree upon the truth, pleasantness will reign between them. although two people learning torah may at first be enemies, by the time they together arrive at the truth they will be the closest of friends ( 4 ). rav yochanan and reish lakish shared just such a relationship. every time rav yochanan spoke words of torah, reish lakish would bombard him with questions. nevertheless, rav yochanan loved reish lakish so much that when reish lakish died rav yochanan tore thirteen garments in mourning ( 5 ). for one who avidly seeks the truth, a refutation of his words is much more valuable than a proof to support his viewpoint. so much so that our sages often tried to refute their own opinions ( 6 ). when two people are arguing over matters of torah or halachah, one or the other will often make a mistake in the course of their discussion. can he be considered guilty of falsehood? since both are involved in the


there are different types of microphone and diverse ways of classifying them. here, we will look at the polar patterns and diverse technologies available. microphones are designed with one purpose in mind, converting acoustic energy into electrical energy and as part of the process, they use a diaphragm. now that the common ground has been pointed out, the concentration will be shifted to the differences. basically, there are 5 different types of microphone technologies : - carbon : carbon dust was used by the earliest microphones for the purpose of identifying audio signal. telephones used this type of microphones and still, they can be found in some of the telephones available today. in this case, carbon dust is used for the purpose of running current through and the carbon is compressed as a result of the fluctuating current as sounds waves hit the diaphragm. - crystal : in this type of microphone the crystals used change shape as a result of electrical properties change. a diaphragm is attached to crystal and the crystal creates a signal once the diaphragm gets vibrated by sound. - ribbon : in this type of microphone, a strong magnetic field is used for the purpose of suspending a thin metal wire. current flowing through this is changed as the ribbon is moved by sound waves. this means that rather than this type of microphone responding to air pressure, it responds air velocity. - dynamic : in this case, the diaphragm is designed to move between 2 magnets ( positive and negative ) once hit by sound waves and because of this movement, a small current is created. - condenser : this type of microphone has been around for over a century and it requires external voltage which is also known as phantom power. the backplate and diaphragm create a capacitor. there is a varying capacitance because of the relation between the backplate and the diaphragm. polar pattern is the next category used to differentiate microphones and this refers to uniqueness of the region around the microphone from which audio signal gets picked up. in this case, there are 5 categories as well : - cardoid : directly in front of the microphone there is strong sensitivity and this is coupled with rejection from behind and good sensitivity at the sides. ( as shown in fig ) - supercardoid : same as cardoid with the slight difference of reduced sensitivity around the sides. there is a small area behind the microphone that includes the pickup range ( as shown in fig ) - hypercardoid : it is an ex


the volume of water – 325, 851 gallons – that would cover an acre of ground to a depth of one foot ; roughly a year ’ s supply for two families. the process by which air flows through soil. aeration helps keep soil healthy. in places where the ground has been compacted, aeration is reduced. a professional trained to provide care and maintenance to trees and other woody plants. the underground bed or layer of earth, porous stone or gravel that contains or supplies groundwater. see groundwater. soil used to fill in around the root area of a newly planted tree or shrub. having no soil around the roots of a tree ( for transporting to a planting site ). a wall or mound of dirt that helps hold rainwater within a defined area. best management practice ( bmp ) in a given field, a tool or technique generally recognized as one of the best available. stormwater bmps include cisterns, infiltration basins, swales, strategic tree plantings and other technologies. bio - remediation uses biological processes to repair pollution damage. for example, a grass swale can bio - remediate much of the pollution caused by automobile use by holding heavy metals in the soil at harmless concentrations as well as by the action of soil bacteria, which gradually breaks down hydrocarbon waste. the portion of land area covered by the spread of a tree, including its leaves and branches. the process of removing carbon from the air ; one of the many benefits trees provide. a planting bed that has been specially designed to hold and absorb storm flows from adjacent areas, usually from parking lots. a planning or creative problem - solving activity in which an interdisciplinary group of participants is assigned a complicated design project and asked to complete it within a very short period of time. a tank or recess used to capture and store rain water for later use. ordinary people training to take responsibility to grow and care for the forest in their communities. holes drilled into the ground - sufficiently deep to allow rainwater to quickly flow back into the ground. an area that contains living organisms interacting with each other and the non - living environment. the wearing away of the land by the movement of water, air or ice. the loss of water from the soil both by evaporation and by transpiration from the plants growing on it. a plant which has living leaves or needles year round. any item or substance that is used for filtering impurities. the first rain that happens after a long period of dry weather. in between rainstorms, pollution and grime


growing on it. a plant which has living leaves or needles year round. any item or substance that is used for filtering impurities. the first rain that happens after a long period of dry weather. in between rainstorms, pollution and grime build up on the city ’ s outdoor surfaces. the first - flush rain washes the accumulated grime and pollution off the streets and into the underground storm drain system, where it eventually makes its way to the ocean. technologies that re - create natural functions of a forest ; some examples : mulched swales, french drains, cisterns and rain barrels. a shallow trench lined with a permeable surface collects allows rainwater to seep into the ground. functioning community forest an urban community where local residents and businesspeople have joined together to transform their neighborhood into a sustainable ecosystem that functions like a healthy, natural forest. the documented, historical increase in earth ’ s surface temperature and projected increase predicted for the future. it is closely linked to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions produced by human activity. untreated household waste water which has not come into contact with toilet waste ; includes : used water from bathtubs, showers, bathroom sinks and water from washing machines and laundry tubs ; does not include : waste water from kitchen sinks, dishwashers, toilets or laundry water from soiled diapers green design / sustainable design to significantly reduce or eliminate the negative impact of buildings on the environment and on the building occupants, green building design and construction practices address : sustainable site planning, safeguarding water and water efficiency, energy efficiency, conservation of materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality. ( u. s. green building council definition ) a warming of the earth ’ s surface temperature as a result of “ greenhouse gases ” ( carbon dioxide, ozone, water vapor ) accumulating in the atmosphere and trapping the sun ’ s radiation. biodegradable waste – fallen leaves, branches and hedge clippings, etc. – which is typically removed from yards and parks. water that saturates the soil at some distance below the surface, held in rocks and soil. see aquifer. the process where by rainwater soaks down into the surface to replenish groundwater supplies. any substance used for planting. this is almost always soil. sometimes soil will be substantially amended with additives, fertilizers, and organic material. substantially amended soil is commonly referred to as growing medium. portions of a property covered by buildings, pavement and other hard and impervious


almost always soil. sometimes soil will be substantially amended with additives, fertilizers, and organic material. substantially amended soil is commonly referred to as growing medium. portions of a property covered by buildings, pavement and other hard and impervious materials. heat can slowly build up in an object over time. this is called heat gain. in a building, heat gain is most often the consequence of many hours of sunshine striking and warming the exterior walls and roof. heat island effect the increase in ambient temperature caused by a prevalence of heat - retaining buildings and paved surfaces. according to the u. s. environmental protection agency, on hot summer days urban air temperatures can be up to 10ºf hotter than the surrounding countryside. the absorption of surface water by the soil. also called percolation. an area particularly well suited and / or altered for directing storm water back into the soil. pavement that blocks water from soaking into the ground beneath it. almost all asphalt and concrete pavement is impermeable. leed ( leadership in energy and environmental design ) a rating system established by the u. s. green building council to encourage and accelerate the global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. treepeople ’ s conference center earned a platinum leed rating ( the highest ). an instrument used to measure water that percolates through soil. a ground covering, especially of organic materials, that holds water, slows evaporation and enriches the soil. raking up dropped leaves and branches takes away natural mulch and causes the soil to dry out, harden and become less healthy for the trees and plants in it. one hundred - year storm a probability - based measure of storm magnitude. on average, a 100 - year storm can be expected to occur every 100 years. similarly, a 50 - year storm is expected to occur every 50 years, on average. the absorption of surface water by the soil. also called infiltration. the rate at which water can filter into the soil. some soil types, such as sand, have a very high percolation rate ; other soils types, such as clay, have a very slow percolation rate. permeable pavement is honey - combed with voids, or air - pockets. these voids allow water to migrate down through the pavement into the soil below. water that is fit to drink. a barrel used to store rainwater harvested from rooftops and drains ; the water can be saved


voids, or air - pockets. these voids allow water to migrate down through the pavement into the soil below. water that is fit to drink. a barrel used to store rainwater harvested from rooftops and drains ; the water can be saved for irrigating in dry weather. bringing back the healthy, natural functions of an ecosystem. the reestablishment of a forest by planting or by natural regrowth. a method of sloping your land to create lowered areas that can retain and absorb rainwater. riparian retention and treatment area a retention or recharge area where plants native to rivers or lakes are installed to consume and clean the water therein. stormwater flowing across the surface of the earth. in urban environments, runoff becomes contaminated with pollutants as it flows across impermeable surfaces such as streets, roofs and parking lots. a method of teaching and learning that combines curriculum - based instruction with meaningful service to the community. trees large enough to shade a two - story building. in some climates, shade trees lose their leaves in the winter. some evergreen trees are suitable shade trees, but they may shade the house or street during the winter when people would prefer to have the light and warmth of the sun. sheet flow is stormwater that flows in even sheets across a flat surface, such as a parking lot. soaker hoses are water conserving means of watering shrub beds especially. these hoses contain small perforations that allow water to flow gradually and continually onto the soil. they work particularly well with cisterns as they operate well with the low water pressures typically delivered by cisterns an opening along a road through which runoff flows and then enters an underground system leading to the ocean. rainwater that hits the surface of the earth. stormwater can evaporate, percolate into the ground or flow across the surface to the nearest storm drain inlet, stream, or wetland area. if stormwater does not evaporate or percolate into the ground, it becomes runoff. the soil layer below the " topsoil " layer. below the surface of the ground. the ability for humans to maintain a successful long - term existence by taking measures to ensure that our natural resources are not depleted or irreparably damaged. a natural or sculpted channel that slows runoff. usually vegetated or covered with mulch, it can filter pollutants and increase aquifer recharge. transagency resources for environmental and economic sustainability project. the forest ( trees,


get answers to your gamma knife questions. infratentorial brain tumors ; brainstem glioma symptoms occur very early with posterior fossa tumors and may include : symptoms from posterior fossa tumors also occur when the tumor damages local structures, such as cranial nerves. symptoms of cranial nerve damage include : diagnosis is based on thorough history and physical examination, followed by imaging tests. the best way to look at the posterior fossa is with an mri scan. ct scans are usually not helpful. the following procedures may be used to remove a piece of tissue from the tumor to help with diagnosis : maity a, pruitt aa, judy kd, phillips pc, lustig r. cancer of the central nervous system. in : abeloff md, armitage jo, niederhuber je, kastan mb, mckenna wg, eds. abeloff ’ s clinical oncology. 4th ed. philadelphia, pa : elsevier churchill livingstone ; 2008 : chap 70. wilne s, collier j, kennedy c, koller k, grundy r, walker d. presentation of childhood cns tumours : a systematic review and meta - analysis. lancet oncol. 2007 ; 8 ( 8 ) : 685 - 695. © 2011 university of maryland medical center ( ummc ). all rights reserved. ummc is a member of the university of maryland medical system, 22 s. greene street, baltimore, md 21201. tdd : 1 - 800 - 735 - 2258 or 1. 866. 408. 6885


a day at the roman town aguntum on the last weekend in july, i was invited by a friend ( who volunteers there as part of her archaeological studies ) to visit her at the archaeological park aguntum near lienz ( tyrol ). next to the museum, which shelters a selection of aguntum findings, is also a vast excavation area where archaeologists are busy digging ( one can actually watch them at their work. ) aguntum is a mysterious place indeed, archaeologists are baffled by several findings and haven ` t found an answer to all the questions yet... the oldest document of aguntum, which was the only roman settlement in tyrol, is a passage from the ancient writer " pliny the elder ". he lists aguntum among those settlements in noricum that were promoted to " municipia " by emperor claudius in the middle of the 1st century a. d. one can assume that only settlements of a certain economic range were promoted. aguntum ' s significance was due to its geographic position close to important trade routes. as confirmed by findings dating back to the time before claudius, aguntum certainly was a prospering trade and business center. raw materials from the " tauern " mountains such as copper, gold, wood and resin were highly sought after in the southern countries. only a small fraction of the original roman town has yet been archaeologically examined : the town walls, the " atrium " house, the craftsman quarter, the big thermal baths, a magnificent ( perhaps public ) building ( more parts of it being excavated at the moment ) and the early christian funeral church. today the whole extension of aguntum is not known yet and it will be difficult to determine because the debant brook changed its course and now runs through parts of the town. aguntum had its best period in the peaceful times of the 1st and 2nd centuries a. d. after having been destroyed several times aguntum worked its way up to a final period of prosperity in the 6th century. the last time aguntum was mentioned was on the occasion of the battle between slavs and bavarians in 610 a. d. the slavs were victorious and settled nearby aguntum afterwards. the atrium, a luxurious roman villa with ornamental garden and marble fountain, provides an insight of the wealth that must have been here at ancient times. the atrium ( the only one of it ' s kind in the alps ) is remarkable as it is with it ' s open space completely unsuitable for the harsh winters in the


, provides an insight of the wealth that must have been here at ancient times. the atrium ( the only one of it ' s kind in the alps ) is remarkable as it is with it ' s open space completely unsuitable for the harsh winters in the mountainous region. the city wall is another unique feature of aguntum, as it has windows and doors, and doesnt cover the whole city. in fact the walls go only 600 roman feet ( 190 yards ) left and right of the city gate then it stops. either the remaining parts of the wall haven ` t been found or it had only representing status, sort of to show off that they can if they want... ( it was a peacful corner of the empire when it was built ). another rare find is the retirement documents of publius cornelius crispinus who served in the praetorian guard during antonius pius reign. after his long service he retired and settled afterwards in aguntum. the document states not only his name but his career and what land he received after he retired. a copy of it was archived in rome at the time, as was the custom for legal land rights and passage of citizen status to heirs. the diploma was a highly prized trophy by retired veterans and their heirs and they were often split so each child could have a piece. the aguntum find is a rare and beautifully preserved example of a complete, fully readable piece. all in all i had a wonderful day and my thanks go to monika and hannes ( head of public relations at aguntum ) for their i also took some photos of the area, so check out the photo gallery. did you know? aguntum was not planned in a raster system, but it arose from a former celtic settlement. province of noricum


tallahassee, fla., march 16 ( upi ) - - when it comes to biting, crocodiles are the heavyweight chomp champions of the animal world, florida researchers say. greg erickson of florida state university said he and his colleagues had wondered just how hard alligators and crocodiles can bite. the answer? a bite force value of 3, 700 pounds for a 17 - foot saltwater crocodile, the highest bite force ever recorded, florida state reported thursday. but it ' s nothing compared with the largest extinct crocodilians, erickson said, 35 - to 40 - foot animals that bit at forces as great as 23, 100 pounds. measuring bite force in a living crocodile or alligator is dangerous work, he said. " i have to admit, the first time i placed our meter into the maw of an adult crocodile, i was nervous. it was all over in the blink of an eye. " when it struck, it nearly wrested my grip from the handle. the noise of the jaws coming together was like a gunshot. the power of the animal was astounding, and the violence of the event frightening. " gators and crocs have similar maximal bite - force capacity pound for pound, he said, because they basically all have the same musculoskeletal design, just different snouts and teeth. " it is analogous to putting different attachments on a weed eater - - grass cutter, brush cutter, tree trimmer, they all have the same type of engine, " erickson said. " there are bigger and smaller engines, with higher and lower horsepower, but they have the same attachments. " if there ' s one lesson to be taken from his research, he said, it ' s to keep a good distance between yourself and the nearest crocodile. " if you can bench - press a pickup truck, then you can escape a croc ' s jaws, " erickson warned. " it is a one - way street between the teeth and stomach of a large croc. " | additional science news stories | sanford, fla., may 24 ( upi ) - - pictures and texts from trayvon martin ' s cellphone show a different side of the teenager a florida man is accused of killing unprovoked, defense attorneys say. new york, may 24 ( upi ) - - a new york judge has released amanda bynes on her own recognizance after the actress was arrested for throwing a bong out of her


boating safety topics the boat and water safety course topics include : - introduction to boating : types of power boats ; sailboats ; outboards ; paddle boats ; houseboats ; different uses of boats ; various power boating engines ; jet drives ; family boating basics. - boating law : boat registration ; boating regulation ; hull identification number ; required boat safety equipment ; operating safely and reporting accidents ; protecting the marine environment ; federal boat law ; state boating laws ; personal watercraft requirements. - boat safety equipment : personal flotation devices ( " life jackets " ) ; fire extinguishers ; sound - producing devices ; visual - distress signals ; dock lines and rope ; first aid kit ; anchors and anchor lines ; other boating safety equipment. - safe boating : bow riding ; alcohol and drug abuse ; entering, loading, and trimming a boat ; fueling portable and permanent tanks ; steering with a tiller and a wheel ; docking, undocking and mooring ; knots ; filing a float plan ; checking equipment, fuel, weather and tides ; using charts ; choosing and using an anchor ; safe pwc handling ; general water safety. - navigation : the u. s. aids to navigation system ; types of buoys and beacons ; navigation rules ( sometimes referred to as right - of - way rules ) ; avoiding collisions ; sound signals ; pwc " tunnel vision. " - boating problems : hypothermia ; boating accidents and rescues ; man overboard recovery ; capsizing ; running aground ; river hazards ; strainers : emergency radio calls ; engine problems ; equipment failures ; carbon monoxide ( co ) ; other boating and pwc problems. - trailering, storing and protecting your boat : types of trailers ; trailer brakes, lights, hitches, tires, and bearings ; loading, balancing, and towing ( and backing ) a trailer ; boat launching and retrieving ; boat storage and theft protection ; launching, retrieving and storing a pwc. - hunting and fishing, water - skiing and river boating : carrying hunting gear and weapons in a boat ; fishing from a boat ; water - skiing safety guidelines and hand signals ; water - skiing with a pwc ; navigating rivers, and other boating tips.


you know that dog biscuit shaped like a bone but made mostly of wheat? the fact that your dog is satisfied with it instead of going for a piece of your thigh may be one of the big reasons why its ancestors evolved from wolves to house pets. a team of swedish researchers has compared the genomes of wolves and dogs and found that a big difference between the two is a dog ’ s ability to easily digest starch. on its way from pack - hunting carnivore to fireside companion, dogs learned to love — or at least live on — wheat, rice, barley, corn and potatoes. as it turns out, that ’ s also a change that human beings underwent as they came out of the forest, built permanent settlements and began to grow grain. “ i think it is a striking case of co - evolution, ” said erik axelsson, a geneticist at uppsala university. “ the fact that we shared a similar environment in the last 10, 000 years caused a similar adaptation. and the big change in the environment was the development of agriculture. ” the findings, published wednesday in the journal nature, support the hypothesis that dogs evolved from wolves who found a new food source in refuse on the outskirts of human settlements. eventually they came to tolerate human contact and were brought into the household to be guards, workers and companions. another theory is that dogs were descended from wolves captured by hunter - gatherers, who tamed and bred them. dog evolution is a contentious subject, and the new findings are unlikely to settle the debate. among the uncertainties is when some wolves began to evolve into dogs. human - tolerant — if not fully domesticated — canids may have existed as long as 33, 000 years ago. archaeological remains reveal dogs and human beings sharing the same graves 11, 000 ago. that was at the dawn of agriculture ; the two species appear to have been at least acquaintances by then. “ pretty much everyone without an agenda agrees that we don ’ t really have a good handle about why wolves domesticated into dogs when they did, ” said adam boyko, a geneticist at cornell university who studies dog evolution and was not involved in the new research. “ but it does seem reasonable, and in agreement with the fossil and genetic record, that it could have predated agriculture somewhat. ” the evidence of natural selection in the number and efficiency of key digestive enzymes supports the hypothesis that dogs may have domesticated themselves as a way to exploit the garbage of permanent human settlements. “ humans had nothing to do with


the process of identifying remains and restoring a sense of humanity to people who have vanished and been ignominiously murdered may be one of the most humanitarian acts one can commit. “ to me, the very essence of humanitarianism is a respect for human dignity and human life in the face of forces that seek to strip those rights from the powerless, ” says bioarchaeology phd student, maricarmen vega. having worked with the peruvian forensic anthropology team ( epaf ) since 2006, vega returns a degree of dignity to los desparecidos ( the disappeared ) of peru by identifying the remains of those who went missing during two decades of internal strife. the struggle, between successive governments and a pair of terrorist organizations during the 1980s and 1990s, led to 69, 000 deaths and an estimated 8, 500 - 15, 000 disappearances. the 2003 peruvian truth and reconciliation commission report into these atrocities paints a picture of systematic torture, kidnapping and assassinations by all parties involved, but left many questions unanswered. to this day, families continue to search for justice and closure for the thousands who remain missing. “ i am particularly interested in human rights and want to apply my knowledge of bioarchaeology on behalf of the living, ” vega says. the skills she employs during exhumations and analyses of victims of war crimes and human rights abuses allow epaf to provide evidence for judicial prosecution and to help identify victims so families can recover the remains of loved ones, give them a dignified burial and gain a degree of closure about their deaths. in the process, vega is shedding an important light on a dark period in peru ’ s recent history. over the past five years, she has worked with epaf on a variety of cases, including the notable excavation of a mass grave for 123 people shot in putis by the peruvian army in 1984. vega ’ s expertise in the analysis of children ’ s bones and commingled human remains enabled her to become an expert witness for the prosecution of perpetrators of the largest single massacre of the country ’ s armed conflict. given the far - reaching nature and high number of perpetrators, these cases – including one that led to the prosecution of former president alberto fujimori – require a high degree of courage, professionalism, sensitivity and awareness of potential dangers. vega ’ s background as a forensic anthropologist has also led her to prepare a series of manuals epaf now uses worldwide. “ they are a part of the material epaf shares with justice and human rights organizations around the world to


select a letter to view treatments and services back to document stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the united states after heart disease, cancer, and lower respiratory disease. it is also a leading cause of adult disability. although more strokes occur in the elderly, stroke is also a major cause of disability and death among middle - aged people. strokes occur when something interferes with the normal flow of blood to the central nervous system. ischemic strokes are caused by blood clots or cholesterol plaques that block the flow of blood through arteries. hemorrhages occur when arteries burst inside of, or on, the brain surface. when blood flow is interrupted, the brain doesn ' t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs, and cells begin to die. relatively few brain cells will be affected if the interruption is brief, and the person may recover fully. otherwise, the damage may vary in the degree of severity and can be permanent. the part of the brain that ' s damaged depends on the location of the stroke. areas commonly affected include those that involve sensory perceptions, movement, memory, thought patterns, or behavior, and the ability to talk or understand speech. treatment for stroke victims includes medication, surgery, hospital care, and rehabilitation. if someone with a stroke goes to the hospital early enough, clot dissolving medication - - called a thrombolytic, such as tpa, - - can be given. anyone having a stroke should seek medical attention immediately. these are warning signs : sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body sudden dimness or loss of vision, particularly in only one eye loss of speech or trouble talking or understanding speech sudden, severe headaches with no known cause unexplained dizziness, unsteadiness or sudden falls, especially combined with any other symptom strokes can happen to anyone. you may prevent a stroke by taking the following actions : control your blood pressure. high blood pressure ( over 140 / 90 ) is the biggest risk factor for stroke. don ' t smoke. chemicals in tobacco raise your blood pressure, reduce the amount of oxygen your blood carries to your brain, make blood thicker and stickier, and promote clotting. control your cholesterol. high ldl ( " bad " ) cholesterol levels damage your arteries and promote the formation of plaque. maintain a healthy weight. being overweight increases your risk for high blood pressure. be physically active. getting regular aerobic exercise helps overall cardiovascular health. eat


palace & mosque : islamic art from the v & a this exhibition was made possible by the generous donation funding the redevelopment of the v & a ' s islamic middle east gallery. it was seen by almost 290, 000 people in venues around the world including washington, fort worth, tokyo, and sheffield. most of the objects from palace and mosque were displayed in the new jameel gallery, which opened to the public on 20 july 2006. some of the more than 100 works of islamic art included in the palace and mosque exhibition are shown below. click on the thumbnails for larger images and more information. by the tenth century, the political unity of the first islamic empire had dissolved, but the principles that lay behind it endured. they formed the basis of the islamic states that governed roughly the same territory until the early twentieth century, when secular regimes began to be established. as a result, islamic art was able to flourish for another thousand years. the formation of islamic art owed a great deal to islam as a religion, but it also reflected a sophisticated secular culture. ' islamic art ' is therefore a broad cultural term rather than one based on an exclusively religious definition. it is the art of both palace and mosque. the exhibition was divided into several themes. the widespread use of inscriptions in the arabic script was explored in the written word. by contrast, ornaments that includes human and animal figures was found only in the art made for courts and courtiers. works made for places of worship, both muslim and christian, were examined in mosque, shrine and church. the impact of the region ' s rulers on islamic art was considered in ottoman patronage. finally, the intense interaction between the middle east, china and europe was the subject of artistic exchange. palace and mosque served as testimony to the ability of the v & a ' s collections to communicate the richness and depth of the islamic cultures of the past.


san diego — san diego ( ap ) - you ' ll never look at hummingbirds the same again. the pentagon has poured millions of dollars into the development of tiny drones inspired by biology, each equipped with video and audio equipment that can record sights and sounds. they could be used to spy, but also to locate people inside earthquake - crumpled buildings and detect hazardous chemical leaks. the smaller, the better. besides the hummingbird, engineers in the growing unmanned aircraft industry are working on drones that look like insects and the helicopter - like maple leaf seed. researchers are even exploring ways to implant surveillance and other equipment into an insect as it is undergoing metamorphosis. they want to be able to control the creature. the devices could end up being used by police officers and firefighters. their potential use outside of battle zones, however, is raising questions about privacy and the dangers of the winged creatures buzzing around in the same skies as aircraft. for now, most of these devices are just inspiring awe. with a 6. 5 - inch wing span, the remote - controlled bird weighs less than a aa battery and can fly at speeds of up to 11 mph, propelled only by the flapping of its two wings. a tiny video camera sits in its belly. the bird can climb and descend vertically, fly sideways, forward and backward. it can rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. most of all it can hover and perch on a window ledge while it gathers intelligence, unbeknownst to the enemy. " we were almost laughing out of being scared because we had signed up to do this, " said matt keennon, senior project engineer of california ' s aerovironment, which built the hummingbird. the pentagon asked them to develop a pocket - sized aircraft for surveillance and reconnaissance that mimicked biology. it could be anything, they said, from a dragonfly to a hummingbird. five years and $ 4 million later, the company has developed what it calls the world ' s first hummingbird spy plane. " it was very daunting up front and remained that way for quite some time into the project, " he said, after the drone blew by his head and landed on his hand during a media demonstration. the toughest challenges were building a tiny vehicle that can fly for a prolonged period and be controlled or control itself. aerovironment has a history of developing such aircraft. over the decades, the monrovia, calif. - based company has developed everything from a flying mechanical reptile to a hydrogen - powered


prolonged period and be controlled or control itself. aerovironment has a history of developing such aircraft. over the decades, the monrovia, calif. - based company has developed everything from a flying mechanical reptile to a hydrogen - powered plane capable of flying in the stratosphere and surveying an area larger than afghanistan at one glance. it has become a leader in the hand - launched drone industry. troops fling a four - pound plane, called the raven, into the air. they have come to rely on the real - time video it sends back, using it to locate roadside bombs or get a glimpse of what is happening over the next hill or around a corner. the success of the hummingbird drone, however, " paves the way for a new generation of aircraft with the agility and appearance of small birds, " said todd hylton of the pentagon ' s research arm, defense advanced research projects agency. these drones are not just birds. lockheed martin has developed a fake maple leaf seed, or so - called whirly bird, loaded with navigation equipment and imaging sensors. the spy plane weighs. 07 ounces. on the far end of the research spectrum, darpa is also exploring the possibility of implanting live insects during metamorphosis with video cameras or sensors and controlling them by applying electrical stimulation to their wings. the idea is for the military to be able to send in a swarm of bugs loaded with spy gear. the military is also eyeing other uses. the drones could be sent in to search buildings in urban combat zones. police are interested in using them, among other things, to detect a hazardous chemical leak. firefighters could fling them out over a disaster to get better data, quickly. it is hard to tell what, if anything, will make it out of the lab, but their emergence presents challenges and not just with physics. what are the legal implications, especially with interest among police in using tiny drones for surveillance, and their potential to invade people ' s privacy, asks peter w. singer, author of the book, " wired for war " about robotic warfare. singer said these questions will be increasingly discussed as robotics become a greater part of everyday life. " it ' s the equivalent to the advent of the printing press, the computer, gun powder, " he said. " it ' s that scale of change. "


all about itches all about itches daniel behroozan ( dermatologist ) gives expert video advice on : what is an ' itch '? ; what ' s the connection between histamine and itching? ; when does itching indicate a serious condition? and more... what is an ' itch '? well, an itch is really any stimulus in the skin, and specific to the skin, and that stimulus is transmitted to the brain, and then that causes a reflex reaction in the patient or in the person to scratch the skin, and that ' s what we define an itch as. what ' s the connection between histamine and itching? there ' s a very simple connection between histamine and itching. in the blood there are certain cells that will release histamine when stimulated, that will then activate nerves in your skin, that will transmit a message to your brain that there is an itch, and your brain will then cause you to scratch. when does itching indicate a serious condition? itching can be a very simple condition that is usually caused by a simple vibratory stimulus in the skin, a change in the temperature, a light touch of a feather. when itching progresses and is uncontrollable or does not stop, that can lead to you thinking that it may be a much more serious condition. does itching ever indicate skin cancer? there are certain kinds of skin cancers that can itch. there is one kind of skin cancer that is called contanious t - cell lymphoma. that is a blood cancer that spreads to the skin that can cause diffuse itching all over the body. but the usually skin cancers that we think about such as basal cell carcinoma, spin cell carcinoma, or melanoma usually do not itch. they are usually growths in the skin that often bleed. when is it not ok to scratch an itch? when it ' s not okay to scratch an itch is first of all when you ' re making the itch worse by continually scratching and irritating your skin more or if you ' re breaking down the skin for any reason, causing an ulcer or an infection. that ' s probably not okay to scratch an itch and you should stop. unfortunately, sometimes you can ' t help yourself because it ' s a never ending cycle where you scratch and you itch and you scratch and you itch. so, at that point you need to seek the


surface area : 64 square kilometres what the natives are called : alamedanos or “ lameatos ” outstanding sights : andalusian rural museum, roman baths archaeological site and visitor centre, jose maria ‘ el tempranillo ’ mausoleum and courtyard, la camorra scenic viewpoint, church of la inmaculada concepcion, fountain at la placeta. geographical location : in the northern part of the antequera region, 72 kilometres from malaga and 432 metres above sea level. annual rainfall is about 610 litres per square metre and the average temperature is 16º c. the municipality of alameda lies in the antequera region in the northern part of the province of malaga and stretches over a plain on which only a few low hills interrupt a level landscape abounding with olive groves, as might be expected in a territory so close to the countryside of cordoba and seville. due to its location alameda was, like other neighbouring villages, a crossroads between the provinces of malaga, granada and seville, so the first human settlements date back to the chalcolithic or eneolithic period ( 2, 500 b. c. ), but the most numerous relics from past ages relate to the roman domination. the historian pliny refers to the city of astigi vetus, which would have stood in the same place presently occupied by alameda. here three of the most important roman roads converged, an unmistakable sign of the importance of this locality during that era. from that time, except for the discovery of a " little treasure " from the sixth century ( the visigoth period ), no reliable documents exist exploring the history of alameda until well into the sixteenth century, despite the fact that during the arabic domination the entire region of antequera – all of andalusia, in fact – played a significant part. the village passed into the hands of the marquises of estepa in the sixteenth century, and for a while it belonged to the province of seville. in the late seventeenth century, coinciding with the economic recovery of the entire region, alameda also benefited from greater economic activity and regained a degree of importance. the municipality was finally incorporated into the province of malaga in the nineteenth century under the new administrative regime. the easiest and fastest way to get to this locality from the city of malaga is to take the a - 45 ( n - 331 ) to the outskirts of antequera, and there to connect with the a - 92 and go towards seville. upon arrival at mollina


- 1. amd64 architecture - amd64 program model - 3. porting applications on amd64 the article briefly describes amd64 architecture by amd company and its implementation em64t by intel company. the architecture ' s peculiarities, advantages and disadvantages are described. development of computer - solved tasks demands more and more from the hardware these tasks are being solved on. the requirements to computer systems of personal - computer class have been growing year by year for 20 years already. it happens because people wish to solve on their personal computers more and more complex tasks which have been earlier solved only on high - performance mainframes. what are these requirements to the personal computers for solving complex tasks? of course, these are requirements of main - memory size and processor ' s performance ( don ' t mix up with frequency! ). ia32 architecture ( intel architecture 32 ) dominating during the last decade offers 4gb ( 2 ^ 32 ) of main memory of which only 2gb are usually allocated to an application ; different register blocks and sets of various tricks such as branch predication block, which should increase the system ' s performance without increasing such an abstract parameter as processor ' s frequency. modern tasks for personal computers approach 2gb while processors ' frequency increase cannot help increase performance. newly - developed 64 - bit architectures sparc64 and intel itanium can to some extend serve to solve the problem of modern 32 - bit computers ' limitations. but they are intended for hi - end systems and are not available as cheap solutions. it is amd64 architecture by amd company and its implementation em64t by intel company which are to become really popular. these architectures are twins and programs compiled for one of them can be launched on the other as well. but it is the solution by amd that historically appeared first. em64t is actually only an implementation of amd64 by intel. amd64 architecture is now implemented in processors of all classes : mobiles, work - stations, servers. despite evident advantages of amd64 platform ( which are described in detail in this article ) it doesn ' t introduce anything revolutionary into computing machinery. porting from 32 bits to 64 bits didn ' t lead to quality improvements while previous porting from 16 bits to 32 bits had increased systems ' safety and performance significantly. amd64 architecture is fully described in five documentation volumes provided by amd company. this chapter provides a brief description based on the first volume. pay attention that in official documentation this architecture is defined as amd


increased systems ' safety and performance significantly. amd64 architecture is fully described in five documentation volumes provided by amd company. this chapter provides a brief description based on the first volume. pay attention that in official documentation this architecture is defined as amd x86 - 64 what underlines its backward compatibility. amd x86 - 64 architecture is a simple but powerful backward - compatible extension of the obsolete industrial architecture x86. it adds 64 - bit address space and extends register resources for supporting more performance for recompiled 64 - bit programs providing support of obsolete 16 - bit and 32 - bit code of applications and operational systems without modifying or recompiling them. necessity of 64 - bit x86 architecture is explained by applications which need large address space. these are high - performance servers, data managers, cad - systems and of course games. such applications will gain an advantage due to 64 - bit address space and more registers. few registers available in obsolete x86 architecture limit computing - task performance. more registers provide sufficient performance for most applications. x86 - 64 architecture introduces two new peculiarities : 1. extended registers ( picture 1 ) : - 8 general - purpose registers ; - all 16 general - purpose registers are 64 - bit ; - 8 new 128 - bit xmm registers ; - a new command prefix ( rex ) for access to extended registers. 2. special mode " long mode " which is shown in table 1 : - up to 64 - bit virtual addresses ; - 64 - bit command pointer ( rip ) ; - flat address space. picture 1. set of x86 - 64 registers table 1. processor operating modes. table 2 contains comparison of registers ' and stack ' s resources available to an application in different modes. left columns show resources provided by obsolete x86 architecture which are available only to compatibility. right columns show resources available in 64 - bit mode. the difference between the modes is marked grey. table 2. registers and stack available in different modes as shown in table 2 obsolete x86 architecture ( this mode is called legacy mode in x86 - 64 ) supports 8 general - purpose registers. but actually only 4 registers are usually used : eax, ebx, ecx, edx. registers ebp, esi, edi, esp have a special purpose. x86 - 64 architecture adds 8 general - purpose registers and enlarges the register range from 32 bits to 64 bits. it allows compilers to increase code performance. a 64 - bit compiler can use registers for storing variables more efficiently.


purpose. x86 - 64 architecture adds 8 general - purpose registers and enlarges the register range from 32 bits to 64 bits. it allows compilers to increase code performance. a 64 - bit compiler can use registers for storing variables more efficiently. the compiler also allows you to minimize memory access by locating operation inside general - purpose registers. - x86 - 64 architecture supports the whole set of x86 instructions and adds some new instructions for supporting long - mode. the commands are divided into several subsets : - general - purpose commands. these are main x86 integer commands used in all programs. most of them are intended for loading, saving and processing data located in general - purpose registers or memory. some of these commands manage the command stream providing passage from one program section to another. - 128 - bit media - commands. these are sse and sse2 ( streaming simd extension ) commands intended for loading, saving or processing data located in 128 - bit xmm registers. they perform integer or floating - point operations over vector ( packed ) and scalar data types. as vector commands can perform one operation over a data set independently they are called single - instruction, multiple - data ( simd ) commands. they are used for media - and science applications for processing data blocks. - 64 - bit media - commands. these are multimedia extension ( mmx ) and 3dnow! commands. they save, restore and process data located in 64 - bit mmx registers. like 128 - bit commands described before they perform integer and floating - point operations over vector ( packed ) and scalar data. - x87 commands. they are intended for working with the floating point in obsolete x87 applications. they process data in x87 registers. some of these commands connect two or more subsets of the commands described above. for example, such are commands of data transmission between general - purpose registers and xmm or mmx registers. let ' s consider in detail the operating modes shown in table 1 supported by x86 - 64. in most cases addresses ' and operands ' sizes can be overlayed by a command prefix. let ' s describe long - mode at first. this is an extension of the obsolete protected mode. long - mode consists of two submodes : 64 - bit mode and compatibility mode. 64 - bit mode supports all the new possibilities and register extensions introduced into x86 - 64. compatibility mode supports binary compatibility with existing 16 - bit and 32 - bit code. long - mode doesn ' t support obsolete


- bit mode and compatibility mode. 64 - bit mode supports all the new possibilities and register extensions introduced into x86 - 64. compatibility mode supports binary compatibility with existing 16 - bit and 32 - bit code. long - mode doesn ' t support obsolete real mode or obsolete virtual - 8086 mode and it also doesn ' t support hardware task switching. as 64 - bit mode supports 64 - bit address space you need to use a new 64 - bit operational system for its work. meanwhile, the existing applications can be launched without recompiling in compatibility mode under the os working in 64 - bit mode. for 64 - bit command addressing a 64 - bit register ( rip ) and a new addressing mode with single flat address space for code, stack and data are used. 64 - bit mode implements support of extended registers through a new prefix group of rex commands. in 64 - bit mode addresses ' size is 64 bits on default but implementations of x86 - 64 may have a smaller size. an operand ' s size is 32 bits on default. for most instructions the operand ' s size can be overlaid using a prefix of rex - type commands. 64 - bit mode provides data addressing relative to the 64 - bit register rip. x86 architecture provided addressing relative to ip register only in control transfer commands. rip - relative addressing increases efficiency of position - independent code and code addressing global data. some opcode commands were redefined to support extended registers and 64 - bit addressing. compatibility mode is intended for executing existing 16 - bit and 32 - bit programs in a 64 - bit os. applications are launched in compatibility mode with the use of 32 - or 16 - bit address space and can have access to 4gb of virtual address space. commands ' prefixes can switch 16 - and 32 - bit addresses and operands ' sizes. from the application ' s viewpoint compatibility mode looks like the obsolete protected x86 mode but from the viewpoint of the os ( address translation, processing of interruptions and exceptions ) 64 - bit mechanisms are used. legacy mode provides binary compatibility not only with 16 - and 32 - bit applications but with 16 - and 32 - bit operational systems as well. it includes three modes : - protected mode. 16 - and 32 - bit programs with segmental memory organization, privilege and virtual memory support. address space is 4gb. - virtual - 8086 mode. supports 16 - bit applications launched as tasks in protected mode. address space is 1mb. - real mode. supports 16 - bit programs with simple register addressing of segmented


memory support. address space is 4gb. - virtual - 8086 mode. supports 16 - bit applications launched as tasks in protected mode. address space is 1mb. - real mode. supports 16 - bit programs with simple register addressing of segmented memory. virtual memory and privileges are not supported. 1mb of memory is available. legacy mode is used only when 16 - and 32 - bit os are operating. let ' s outline the main advantages of amd x86 - 64 architecture. - 64 - bit address space. - extended register set. - developer - habitual command set. - possibility of launching obsolete 32 - bit applications in a 64 - bit os. - possibility of using a 32 - bit os. the new architecture amd x86 - 64 hasn ' t introduced crucial disadvantages into 32 - bit architecture. we can point out only a bit increased programs ' memory requirements because of the larger size of addresses and operands. but it won ' t influence however significantly the code size or the requirements to available main memory. but the fact is that amd x86 - 64 hasn ' t introduced anything significantly new. there is no performance gain. on the average, you can expect 5 - 15 % performance gain after recompiling a program. nearly all modern os now have versions for amd64 architecture. thus, microsoft presents windows xp 64 - bit, windows server 2003 64bit, windows vista 64bit. the leading unix system developers also provide 64 - bit versions, such as, for example, linux debian 3. 1 x86 - 64. but it doesn ' t mean that the whole code of such a system is completely 64 - bit. some os code and many applications still can remain 32 - bit as amd64 provides backward compatibility. 64 - bit windows version, for example, uses a special mode wow ( windows - on - windows 64 ) which translates 32 - bit applications ' calls to the resources of a 64 - bit os. let ' s consider in detail amd64 program model available to a programmer in 64 - bit windows [ 3, 4 ] shortly called win64. let ' s begin with address space. although a 64 - bit processor can theoretically address 16 exabyte ( 2 ^ 64 ) win64 now supports 16 terabytes ( 2 ^ 44 ). there are several reasons for this. existing processors can provide access only to 1 terabyte ( 2 ^ 40 ) of actual storage. the architecture ( but not the hardware part ) can extend this space up to 4 petaby


2 ^ 44 ). there are several reasons for this. existing processors can provide access only to 1 terabyte ( 2 ^ 40 ) of actual storage. the architecture ( but not the hardware part ) can extend this space up to 4 petabytes. but anyway we need a great memory size for page tables representing memory. ( see table 3 ). | 32 - bit mode | | 64 - bit mode | | process ' s general address space | | 4gb | | 16tb | | address space available to a 32 - bit process | | 2gb ( 3gb if the system is loaded with / 3gb key ) | | 4gb if the application is compiled with / largeaddressaware key ( 2gb otherwise ) | | address space available to a 64 - bit process | | impossible | | 8tb | | system page table ( pte ) | | 660mb - 900mb | | 128gb | table 3. main memory limitations in windows like in win32 the addressed memory range is divided into user and system addresses. each process receives 8tb and 8tb remain in the system ( unlike 2gb and 2gb in win32 correspondingly ). different windows versions have different limitations shown in table 4. | actual storage and number of processors | | 32 - bit models | | 64 - bit models | | windows xp home | | 4 gb, 1 cpu | | not present | | windows xp professional | | 4 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | 128 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | windows server 2003, standard | | 4 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | 32 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | windows server 2003, enterprise | | 64 gb, 1 - 8 cpu | | 1 tb, 1 - 8 cpu | | windows server 2003, datacenter | | 64 gb, 8 - 32 cpu | | 1 tb, 8 - 64 cpu | | windows server 2008, datacenter | | 64 gb, 2 - 64 cpu | | 2 tb, 2 - 64 cpu | | windows server 2008, enterprise | | 64 gb, 1 - 8 cpu | | 2 tb, 1 - 8 cpu | | windows server 2008, standard | | 4 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | 32 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | windows server 2008, web server | | 4 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | 32 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | vista home basic | | 4 gb, 1 cpu | | 8 gb, 1 cpu |


1 - 4 cpu | | windows server 2008, web server | | 4 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | 32 gb, 1 - 4 cpu | | vista home basic | | 4 gb, 1 cpu | | 8 gb, 1 cpu | | vista home premium | | 4 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | 16 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | vista business | | 4 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | 128 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | vista enterprise | | 4 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | 128 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | vista ultimate | | 4 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | | 128 gb, 1 - 2 cpu | table 4. limitations of different windows versions like in win32 a page ' s size is 4kb. first 4kb of address space are never shown, i. e. the least true address is 0x10000. unlike win32 system dll are loaded exceeding 4gb. all the processors implementing amd64 have support for " cpu no execution " bit which is used by windows for implementing the hardware technology " data execution protection " ( dep ) which forbids execution of user data instead of code. it allows you to increase programs ' safety excluding influence of such errors as execution of the buffer with data as code. the peculiarity of amd64 compilers is that they can most efficiently implement registers for passing parameters into functions instead of using the stack. it allowed win64 architecture developers to get rid off such a notion as calling convention. in win32 you can use different conventions ( ways of passing parameters ) : _ _ stdcall, _ _ cdecl, _ _ fastcall etc. in win64 there is only one calling convention. let ' s consider an example of how four arguments of integer - type are passed in registers : - rcx : first argument - rdx : second argument - r8 : third argument - r9 : fourth argument arguments after the first four integers are passed on the stack. for float arguments xmm0 - xmm3 both the registers and the stack are used. the difference in calling conventions leads to that you cannot use both 64 - bit and 32 - bit code in one program. in other words, if an application is compiled for 64 - bit mode all the used dll libraries must be 64 - bit too. while writing 64 - bit code you can get additional performance gain thanks to special optimization. this question is considered in detail in optimizing instructions. one of


compiled for 64 - bit mode all the used dll libraries must be 64 - bit too. while writing 64 - bit code you can get additional performance gain thanks to special optimization. this question is considered in detail in optimizing instructions. one of the purposes of high - level languages is to reduce as far as possible the binding of program code to the architecture and provide the most possible portability between hardware platforms. for example, c + + programs written correctly are theoretically independent from the hardware platform. and, ideally, to compile the corresponding 32 - bit applications for amd64 platform it is enough only to change the compiler and just recompile the program. but in practice everything is more complicated. software using assembler code for 32 - bit processors still exists. many programs written in high - level languages contain assembler blocks. that ' s why it is often impossible just to recompile a large project. the solution of this problem is clear. firstly, you can refuse porting an application on a new platform. it can be a very reasonable solution because, for example, windows - family os provide good backward compatibility due to wow64 technology. the second variant is to rewrite the program code. moreover, it seems reasonable to rewrite it using high - level languages. by the way, pay attention that visual c + + compiler doesn ' t support compilation of assembler blocks in 64 - bit compilation mode anymore. presence of assembler program code is not the only obstacle we face while mastering 64 - bit systems. while porting programs on 64 - bit systems different errors occur relating to changing of the data model ( type size ). what ' s more, some errors become apparent only while using large memory size which was unavailable in 32 - bit systems. such errors are well described in the article " 20 issues of porting c + + code on the 64 - bit platform ". all said above relates mostly to c / c + + applications. it is better with managed code ( c # ) although we can face some small problems here as well. unfortunately, large program complexes are often built using libraries written in c / c + +. and that ' s why in case of a large c # project it most likely contains c / c + + modules or libraries which can be unsafe and contain vulnerabilities. for testing and checking program code ported on a 64 - bit platform you can use different special methods and tools. for example, such static analyzers as viva64 ( for windows systems ) and pc - lint


unsafe and contain vulnerabilities. for testing and checking program code ported on a 64 - bit platform you can use different special methods and tools. for example, such static analyzers as viva64 ( for windows systems ) and pc - lint ( for unix systems ) can provide good results. to learn more about this toolkit read the article " comparison of analyzers ' diagnostic abilities while testing 64 - bit code ". undoubtedly, amd64 architecture offered by amd company turned out to be needed on market. amd64 ' s advantage is that it allows you to smoothly switch to 64 - bit programs without losing compatibility with obsolete 32 - bit applications. but there is nothing revolutionary in amd64. migration of 32 - bit programs on amd64, as experiments demonstrate, allows you, firstly, to solve tasks which are much more memory - demanding and, secondly, get about 10 % performance gain " just so " without changing code due to optimization of an application by the compiler for the new architecture. we may conclude that amd64 architecture postponed the problem of limited available main - memory size for many years but didn ' t solve the problem of modern personal computers ' performance gain. the future is still with multi - core and multi - processor systems. - intel software developer ' s manual. volume 1 : basic architecture. http : / / www. viva64. com / go. php? url = 212 - amd x86 - 64 architecture programmer ' s manual. volume 1 : application programming. http : / / www. viva64. com / go. php? url = 213 - mike wall. tricks for porting applications to 64 - bit windows on amd64 architecture. http : / / www. viva64. com / go. php? url = 214 - matt pietrek. everything you need to know to start programming 64 - bit windows systems. http : / / www. viva64. com / go. php? url = 215 - software optimization guide for amd athlon 64 and amd opteron processors. http : / / www. viva64. com / go. php? url = 59 - compiler usage guidelines for 64 - bit operating systems on amd64 platforms. http : / / www. viva64. com / go. php? url = 216 - daniel pistelli. moving to windows vista x64. http : / / www. viva64. com / go. php? url = 217 - andrey karp


the top dieting mistake and how to avoid it as millions of dieters resolve to lose weight in the new year, it can be helpful to know what not to do as you start a new diet. according to jill garling, r. n. for the hmr program for weight management at valley view hospital, there is one popular diet strategy that is almost certainly doomed to fail. she explains, “ the idea of eating less in order to lose weight is one of the biggest dieting myths that exist today. ” she adds “ if you follow that advice, chances are you ’ re going to feel deprived and hungry. and when people are hungry, they go for the quickest food they can find, which in most cases will be higher calorie. ” she adds that, “ it may be possible to muscle through being really hungry and stick to your diet, but for every time someone does stare down the cookies, or the chips, pizza, candy, etc., there are countless times when the cookies will win. when you let yourself get hungry, all bets are off, and for that moment, the diet is over. ” the good news is that dieting doesn ’ t have to be that way. jill says the research is clear … instead of simply trying to eat less, you can eat more — a lot more — lower calorie, higher volume foods such as fruits and vegetables that can actually fill you up without the calories adding up. being full makes it a lot easier to resist temptations to eat off the diet, and as a result, you lose more weight. she adds that “ in our hmr weight - loss program we tell our dieters that it ’ s possible to eat a lot of food and still lose weight. ” she says, “ it ’ s much more important to change what you ’ re eating than it is to try to change how much you ’ re allowing yourself to eat. ” she offers the following examples : breakfast : instead of a 3 oz. donut for about 350 calories, have a weight - loss shake with a cup of strawberries blended in. you ’ ll feel more full with almost a half - pound of food, for only 200 calories. lunch : instead of a fast food burger and fries ( 940 calories and about 14 oz. of food ) have a low calorie packaged entree with two cups of vegetables for 20 oz. of food and only 320 calories. for more easy and filling calorie “ wins ” from


sweatshops & plantations across the developing world, hundreds of free trade zones have been created. known as export processing zones ( epzs ), they are industrial areas where, typically, factory owners pay no tax, the minimum wage is suspended and safety is neglected. twelve - hour shifts are the norm and trade unions are often illegal. in many factories, people ' s health is put in jeopardy on a daily basis ; their wages are low, working days are long, living conditions cramped and women are particularly vulnerable to violence and sexual harassment. there is little job security, and no medical services or maternity leave. employment opportunities within epzs are seen as a way out by many in extreme poverty. however, many remain poor even after they have secured employment. workers experience terms and conditions of work that are discriminatory, exploitative and oppressive. they face sexual harassment and physical abuse, job insecurity, abuses around pay and working hours. they are forced to work in unsafe conditions and face discrimination because of their gender, where over 80 % of epz workers are women. war on want does not believe that boycotts of companies involved in this practice is the answer - workers who desperately need an income will lose their livelihoods. instead, war on want works with the following partners to improve working conditions and worker rights.


with the threat of a government shutdown beyond us — for now — attention in washington is turning to the looming debate on raising the federal debt limit. the current legal limit on government borrowing is set at just under $ 14. 3 trillion. treasury secretary timothy f. geithner and other economic officials are warning that the limit must increase by early july or the u. s. government will begin defaulting on loans and other obligations, a move that would likely further destabilize the global economy. ( colleagues lori montgomery and zachary a. goldfarb lay out the stakes in today ’ s post ) republicans say they ’ re unlikely to secure the votes needed to raise the limit unless the white house agrees to more spending cuts ; the white house wants a “ clean vote ” on raising the debt limit with no strings attached. under current estimates, the federal debt limit would have to increase by at least $ 738 billion in order to finance the government for the remainder of fiscal 2011 through the end of september, according to the congressional research service. and what happens if congress and the white house can ’ t reach an agreement by early july? simply put, exceeding the debt limit isn ’ t likely to bring the government to a screeching halt the way a government shutdown would. employees wouldn ’ t be sent packing, and paychecks would still be issued. but hitting the debt limit would likely delay the government ’ s payment of financial obligations and might disrupt the flow of other normal government operations. the treasury department has yet to face a situation in which it was unable to pay its obligations as a result of reaching the debt limit, according to crs. but it has taken “ extraordinary actions ” during previous debt limit debates in order to meet the government ’ s financial obligations. if it gets close to the limit, “ the federal government implicitly would be required to use some sort of decision - making rule about whether to pay obligations in the order they are received, or, alternatively, to prioritize which obligations to pay, while other obligations would go into an unpaid queue, ” crs wrote in a february report. “ in other words, the federal government ’ s inability to borrow or use other means of financing implies that payment of some or all bills or obligations would be delayed. ” treasury officials believe they don ’ t have the legal authority to prioritize which payments to make, meaning the government would have to pay its obligations as they come due, crs said. another possibility : the office of management and budget could reapp


treasury officials believe they don ’ t have the legal authority to prioritize which payments to make, meaning the government would have to pay its obligations as they come due, crs said. another possibility : the office of management and budget could reapportion budget spending to slow spending in some cases. using this approach wouldn ’ t prevent financial obligations from being paid, according to crs. perhaps the most troubling possibility — at least for federal employees and federal beneficiaries — is that the treasury could delay investing in various federal trust funds or take money out of them in order to keep cash flow below the debt limit. federal law prohibits the government from using the social security and medicare trust funds to pay off the debt, but the government may withdraw funds to provide for the payment of benefits and administrative expenses. the treasury also is permitted to delay investment in the thrift savings plan ’ s g - fund and the civil service retirement fund — two accounts used to finance the retirement of some civilian federal employees and u. s. postal service retirees. even if the treasury withheld funds from those accounts, it must make them whole again after a debt limit impasse is over. but tapping them would affect interest payments and payouts to beneficiaries — a scenario the government would hope to avoid. reaching the debt limit wouldn ’ t impact everyday americans in quite the same way a shutdown could, but the potential impact on the global economy — and the pocketbooks of some federal employees — means we ’ ll be keeping close tabs on the ongoing debate in the coming months. leave your thoughts in the comments section below. fy - eye : d. c. mayor, some council members, arrested for protesting federal budget cuts to the city. pakistan wants the cia out.


cdc : breast cancer more deadly in black women breast cancer death rate for black women 41 % higher than white women while breast cancer is still the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer among american women, the number of patients dying from the disease continues to decline. that ' s the good news ; the bad news is that those statistics do not look so good for african - american women. a new report from the centers for disease control and prevention suggests that large gaps between black and white women in terms of mortality and stage of diagnosis continue to persist. black women still have a disproportionately higher breast cancer death rate - 41 percent higher than white women. this finding is based on 2005 to 2009 data, showing that even though african - american women have a lower incidence of breast cancer, they are more likely to die of this disease than women in any other racial or ethnic group. diagnosis of breast cancer at more aggressive stages is also more common among black women than white women. there were nine more deaths among black women for every 100 breast cancers diagnosed compared to white women. the report says that mammography may be less frequently used among black women than white women, based on self - reported data. it ' s also more common for a longer amount of time to pass between mammograms for black women than white women. once a woman receives abnormal mammography results, it takes longer for her to get a diagnosis if she ' s black than if she ' s white, studies have shown. the report also points out that black women more commonly have subtypes of tumors that are harder to treat, especially a kind called triple negative breast cancer. " further research is needed to determine the etiology of biological characteristics of breast cancer in black women to design effective prevention and treatment strategies, " the report said. this report also points out that african - american women still aren ' t receiving the same quality of breast cancer treatment as white women typically do. white women are also more likely to begin treatment within 30 days of diagnosis. if women of both races received the same treatment, death rates could fall by almost 20 percent, dr. marcus plescia, director of the division of cancer prevention and control at cdc, told reporters wednesday. the affordable care act is designed to allow access to health care that wasn ' t possible for some women before, including mammograms, said ileana arias, principal deputy director for the cdc. this report does have some limitations that it acknowledges : the study did not verify cause of death. race and


print this data under the koppen climate classification climate classification, " dry - summer subtropical " climates are often referred to as " mediterranean ". this climate zone has an an average temperature above 10°c ( 50°f ) in their warmest months, and an average in the coldest between 18 to - 3°c ( 64 to 27°f ). summers tend to be dry with less than one - third that of the wettest winter month, and with less than 30mm ( 1. 18 in ) of precipitation in a summer month. smany of the regions with mediterranean climates have relatively mild winters and very warm summers. the koppen climate classification subtype for this climate is " csb ". ( mediterran climate ). the average temperature for the year in springerville is 48. 4°f ( 9. 1°c ). the warmest month, on average, is july with an average temperature of 66. 9°f ( 19. 4°c ). the coolest month on average is january, with an average temperature of 31. 4°f ( - 0. 3°c ). the highest recorded temperature in springerville is 100. 0°f ( 37. 8°c ), which was recorded in june. the lowest recorded temperature in springerville is - 28. 0°f ( - 33. 3°c ), which was recorded in december. the average amount of precipitation for the year in springerville is 11. 9 " ( 302. 3 mm ). the month with the most precipitation on average is august with 3. 0 " ( 76. 2 mm ) of precipitation. the month with the least precipitation on average is april with an average of 0. 4 " ( 10. 2 mm ). there are an average of 64. 0 days of precipitation, with the most precipitation occurring in august with 13. 0 days and the least precipitation occurring in april with 3. 0 days. in springerville, there ' s an average of 18. 6 " of snow ( 47. 2 cm ). the month with the most snow is january, with 4. 4 " of snow ( 11. 2 cm ).


temperatures and precipitation | the weather - history for more than 4700 stations worldwide what was the weather in london on august, 11th 1998. or in sydney? or in lerwick? you can answer these questions now with the new ' history ' - service from weatheronline. simply select a location from the list. then choose the parameter that you want to have being displayed ( e. g. maximum or minimum temperature or precipitation ) from the list at the left input field. please use the other input fields to select the desired time - period ( between 4 and 52 weeks ) and the year and month you want to start from. was it a warm or wet summer? april too cool? have a look at our monthly summaries! you would like to see the curve of the daily maximum temperature in london for the time - period between august 1998 and august 1999. first, select the location ' london ' from the list at the right. the location london is represented by the weather station at london - heathrow. therefore, strictly speaking, the curve you ' ll get is the daily maximum temperature at london - heathrow. as this is the case for many locations the name of the actually reporting weather station will always be shown in graph ' s title. the maximum temperature, a time period of 4 weeks and the present month and year are set by default. therefore you only have to change the time - period to 52 weeks and to select the starting month and year. in this case august 1998. submit your settings with ' go ' and your requested curve will be produced. | the daily maximum temperatures in london for the time - period between october 2, 2000 and october 30, 2000. | | the daily minimum temperatures in london for the same time - period. | | the daily precipitation in london for the same time - period. |


how to create a two - dimensional array? posted by yfpeng ( yfpeng ), 17 september 2002as i promised i will ask you more questions. i guess we can use two - dimensional arrays in perl - i saw some examples but their elements are all hard - coded. i want to create an empty two - dimensional array first, then push elements into this array. the elements are paired, e. g. if i push an t into the first array ( in the two - dimensional array ), then it will push a into the same position of the second array, so the 2 - d array looks like : ttgc... - - the first array aacg... - - the second array it is like a matrix. how to do this in perl. thanks very much. posted by admin ( graham ellis ), 17 september 2002perl uses " lists " rather than arrays - they can do everything an array can go in other languages ( except give you problems when you run off the end ), and lots more things besides... amazingly, you don ' t have to tell perl what ' s a list of lists ( oh - sorry - that ' s what a " 2 dimensional array " should be called ). it works it out for itself from your code, and creates all necessary structure parts on the way. they call that auto - vivification your 2d array looks like a dna sequence, with the first ' row ' being a sequence, and the second row being the reverse complement ( which no doubt you ' ll want to reverse later ). here ' s a sample program that reads in a file containing a single fasta sequence, splits in into a list, makes a second copy in reverse order, and switches as and ts, cs and gs. it then puts it all into a list of lists, as per your question. finally, it lists it out to " prove " that it ' s worked, using 2d array type notation. " more than simple lists and hashes " is a huge topic and i ' ve just started to scrath the surface here... think i may have to refer you to a more substantial set of material that i can possibly write on the board if you want to take it further. by the way... output from my program was with the input file being posted by yfpeng ( yfpeng ), 17 september 2002thanks for your neat and excellent code... by the way, do you


it further. by the way... output from my program was with the input file being posted by yfpeng ( yfpeng ), 17 september 2002thanks for your neat and excellent code... by the way, do you charge for this? fyi, i am a graduate student in bioinformatics. but you still have two predefined arrays ( sequence and reverse sequence ) for your list. i want the list to be empty first, then i will go through the sequence, check if there is an a, if so i push a into the first array and t into the second array of the same column... check for the rest of as and do the same. this procedure will go for c and g too. then i will count how many a t pairs, how many c g pairs in the sequence. your code has given me some ideas, but i am still thinking about how to achieve this? thanks. posted by admin ( graham ellis ), 18 september 2002you ask " do we charge "... no. i ' ve posted some background to what we ' re about onto another of the boards here ( it ' s of more general interest that just the perl crew : the reasoning being this board i ' ll come back to the perl question in an hour or two - i ' m just in the middle of soring out an email server that ' s got into some trouble.... posted by yfpeng ( yfpeng ), 18 september 2002i was just kidding ( for the excellent help you guys provide here ). actually my last message was kind of silly, since we know a pairs t, c pairs g, why bother storing them in a list? what i wanted to do is store a, c, t, g in one row, and their occurrence in the other row, because i need to count the frequency of each one. the list should look like : row # 1 ( nucleotide ) attcgagtct row # 2 ( occurrence ) 1111111111 then count the occurrence of a ( 1 + 1 = 2 ), etc., and sort row # 2 so that i know the one with the most frequency. interesting bioinformatics question, isn ' t it? thanks posted by admin ( graham ellis ), 18 september 2002quote : i know... but many a true word is spoken in jest. folks come on the courses i give in the expectation that they '


isn ' t it? thanks posted by admin ( graham ellis ), 18 september 2002quote : i know... but many a true word is spoken in jest. folks come on the courses i give in the expectation that they ' ll not be able to ask me questions when the course is over - that ' s the way it works on other courses - and just wonder what my motivation is in providing email / board help. thanks for giving me ( even in jest! ) the opportunity to answer that! now... on to the bioinformatics question. separate message, ithink? posted by admin ( graham ellis ), 18 september 2002i might not be understanding the current question properly here - but i think it boils down to " how many each of c a g and t are there in a list of single characters? just dashed that out - so there may be a couple of typos. i ' ve used a hash with the keys being a c g and t to be my table of counters, then i ' ve just stepped through the list in @ dna. note the heavy use of $ _ ( did you know that print with no parameters prints the contents of $ _? ). when perl 6 comes along, $ _ will be even more powerful and important - expect to hear a lot about " topicalkization " posted by yfpeng ( yfpeng ), 18 september 2002i did not phrase the problem clearly. yes, we can use a counter for each character, but then i need to sort a, c, t, g by their occurrence. that is why i was thinking about using a list - the first row is each a, c, t, g ( each one can occur multiple times in the sequence ), the second row is occurrence ( when i find one a in the sequence, i put 1 in the second row of the same column ), then sort the first row in descending order according to the second row ( ocurrence or frequency ). i do not know if we can do this in perl - but i guess it can, since i found can do a lot of " strange " things from a beginner ' s point of view. hopefully the problem is a little more clear. posted by yfpeng ( yfpeng ), 18 september 2002it probably make more sense to use hash in this case, i am trying... posted by admin ( graham ellis ), 19 september 2002i ' m


elevation : 7, 736 feet type : gold, silver discovered on june 2, 1903, by william hill, john a. anderson, and bert ferguson, and patented on august 21, 1935, the marietta mine explores two veins : the marietta vein, which trends slightly northeast, dips east 350 to 400 and is 2 to 2. 5 ft thick, and the metallic vein, which strikes n 450 e, 350 - 500 se and is about 5 ft thick. the same veins or vein systems appear to be explored in the irene, high up, and greenback mines to the northeast. they are lenticular quartz veins, with quartz boudins and free gold, auriferous pyrite, arsenopyrite, galena, sphalerite, chalcopyrite, and stibnite (? ). the mine developed separate ore shoots on the two veins, with strike lengths of 300 to 350 ft, and stopes reaching 200 to 300 ft above the crosscuts and drifts on the veins. the veins were oxidized to a depth of about 300 ft. in 1938, average assays of the ore ranged from $ 9 au per ton to $ 10. 79 au per ton. assays of ore remaining in the mine in 1938 averaged 0. 21 to 0. 34 opt au and 1. 2 to 3. 7 opt ag. the marietta and metallic veins were mined separately. the marietta vein is opened by an east - to southeast - trending crosscut that intersected the vein at the 740 - ft point, and drifts were run on the vein for about 460 ft north and 100 ft south. a stope about 400 ft long and 120 to 160 ft high was mined mainly above the north drift. an inclined winze about 75 ft deep was sunk on the vein near the crosscut entrance, and drifts run 140 ft on the vein at the 70 - ft level. the metallic vein was cut in the marietta crosscut about 160 ft beyond the marietta vein, and drifts were run along it for 720 ft to the northeast and 690 ft to the southwest. the vein was stoped 60 to 80 ft above the northeast drift for a length of about 150 ft, and a raise extended to the surface. a winze was also sunk about 195 ft on the incline near the southwest end of the drift, and levels and stopes extended to both the northwest and the southeast on the vein at the 110 - ft and 195 - ft levels, totaling about


. a winze was also sunk about 195 ft on the incline near the southwest end of the drift, and levels and stopes extended to both the northwest and the southeast on the vein at the 110 - ft and 195 - ft levels, totaling about 300 ft on each level. another winze was sunk about 95 ft beneath the 195 level, but the vein at this level was not developed. the metallic vein also was intersected in an adit that crosscut about 100 ft to the vein. a drift was run along the vein about 270 ft to the northwest, and the vein was stoped to the surface. the total production from the marietta mine is unknown. the mine was a significant producer from 1919 to 1922 and in the 1930s ( figs. 19, 20 ). its last known production was in 1938. from 1935 to 1938, the mine yielded 25, 332 tons of ore valued at more than $ 200, 000. most of this ore came from the stopes on the metallic vein where it is cut in the marietta crosscut, and from the stope to the surface in the metallic adit. the total yield from the mine is probably between $ 400, 000 and $ 500, 000. source : the gold mines of the virginia city mining district, madison county, montana. montana bureau of mines and geology. bulletin 133, 2004


spiders may seem scary, but as far as bug bites in children go, spider bites are pretty uncommon and rarely lethal. in fact, spiders usually like to keep to themselves and only bite if they ’ re frightened ( arachnophobes, rejoice! ). if your child is bitten by a spider, expect a reaction similar to a bee sting ( like redness and swelling ), and make her feel better with this advice for treating spider bites : treating spider bites in children : - keep it clean. wash the area carefully with soap and water several times a day until the bite heals. - head off infection. apply an antibiotic ointment and keep your child ’ s hands as clean as possible. - ease any pain. if your child complains that the bite hurts or seems fussier than usual, an age - appropriate dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen will help ( learn more about safe medicine for toddlers ). - call the doctor if your child develops symptoms of infection ( redness, swelling, pus, a warm feeling around the bite ). most spiders are harmless, but there are two that are poisonous : the brown recluse spider ( which is small, oval, and has a violin - shaped mark on its back ) releases venom that can cause swelling, changes in skin color, and a blister. the black widow spider has a shiny black body and an orange hourglass shape on its underbelly. symptoms of a black widow spider bite include nausea, vomiting, chills, fever, and muscle aches. if your child has any of these symptoms — or you know that she ’ s been bitten — go to the emergency room right away. preventing spider bites in children : - spider bites, just like other bug bites in children, can be avoided by showing extra caution outdoors. your sweetie should wear shoes at all times when outside. does she have a tiny green thumb? make sure she wears gloves while she ’ s playing in the garden ( a spider - friendly place ). - insect repellent prevents most bug bites in children. you can use one containing up to 30 percent deet or 10 percent picaridin ( but don ’ t use either on infants under two months ). limit it to your child ’ s clothing and any exposed skin except his hands and face. if you aren ’ t sure if a particular insect repellent is okay for your child, ask your doctor to recommend a safe one. this should keep mosquito bites and


new website invites public to help identify seafloor life and habitats for immediate release media relations office september 13, 2012 the public is invited to help identify objects they see in images of the seafloor through a new interactive website called “ seafloor explorer. ” the result of a unique collaboration between oceanographers studying seafloor habitats, web programmers and social scientists, seafloor explorer ( www. seafloorexplorer. org ) launches september 13. the team has more than 40 million images, but are launching the site with a preliminary set of 100, 000 – all of them taken by habcam, a habitat mapping underwater vehicle. habcam was developed and built by the habcam group, which comprises marine biologists and engineers from the woods hole oceanographic institution ( whoi ) as well as fishermen and other scientists. the seafloor explorer interactive website was funded by a grant from the alfred p. sloan foundation, and built in collaboration with the habcam group by the citizen science alliance ( csa ), the developers behind interactive sites found on zooniverse. org. public contributors to the website will say whether they see fish, scallops and other organisms in each image, provide basic measurements, and describe whether the seafloor is sand or gravel, and whether they see boulders and other interesting objects in the frame. “ we ’ re really excited about this project, ” says dr. scott gallager, a whoi biologist in the habcam group and principal investigator of the cooperative institute for the north atlantic region national oceanic and atmospheric administration project to develop the next generation habcam imaging system, the first project to use the new annotation tool. “ we ’ ll gain a greater understanding of organisms living on the seafloor and create maps of habitats at a resolution that we would not be able to do without this kind of help – because of the manpower required. ” ultimately contributions by the public will help scientists answer questions about the distribution of scallops and other resources relative to their predators such as starfish and the composition of their habitat. along the way, the contributors have a chance to enjoy working with seafloor imagery that has never been seen before, through a unique web interface. “ there ’ s a lot of technology under the hood to make this a compelling user experience, ” says dr. arfon smith, director of citizen science at the adler planetarium, home of the zooniverse websites. the idea of using the public to provide analysis of


of technology under the hood to make this a compelling user experience, ” says dr. arfon smith, director of citizen science at the adler planetarium, home of the zooniverse websites. the idea of using the public to provide analysis of scientific data is relatively new and is gaining acceptance in scientific circles. over the past several years, csa has developed the statistical context by which data extracted by citizens are interpreted. in that time, the csa has used their technique in 14 projects such as galaxy zoo ( www. galaxyzoo. org ), planet hunters ( www. planethunters. org ), and old weather ( www. oldweather. org ), and the work has resulted in more than 40 peer - reviewed scientific papers. “ the website ’ s primary focus is to deliver on a real science goal that couldn ’ t be delivered in any other way or without significant financial resources, ” says smith. “ with careful analysis of the data collected, the results are at least as good as what one would get from a professional. the method is somewhat radical, but the output is quite traditional. ” the habcam team hopes the seafloor explorer website will add to the growing confidence of this kind of carefully monitored and administered citizen science. “ csa set a precedent and found a way to take crowd - sourced data and produce a valid scientific product, ” says amber york, a habcam researcher in gallager ’ s lab. the habcam imagery used in this project was collected in coastal regions of the northeast, including georges bank, the mid - atlantic bight, and the stellwagen bank national marine sanctuary. to collect imagery, habcam is towed from a ship and “ flies ” approximately 2. 5 m ( 6 - 8 ft. ) above the seafloor, collecting six to 10 images per second. getting help going through the millions of images collected is one of the reasons the habcam group reached out to the citizen science alliance. the team also hopes the seafloor explorer project will help them in efforts to develop automated classification of images. “ we have the right tools now to do automated classification of say, scallops and substrate. but what we need are training sets, ” says york. “ we need images that humans have identified and have said ‘ yes, that ’ s a scallop right there. ’ ” “ then our automated tools can use the human - annotated training sets to identify scallops in images humans haven ’ t looked at yet, ” adds


and have said ‘ yes, that ’ s a scallop right there. ’ ” “ then our automated tools can use the human - annotated training sets to identify scallops in images humans haven ’ t looked at yet, ” adds gallager. seafloor explorer marks the first ocean - based citizen science website created by csa. “ our heritage is in astronomy, ” says smith. “ so it is really exciting to launch this project. science is overwhelmed by the amount of data we ’ re able to collect with advanced technology, and having people help out is great. ” csa ’ s umbrella website, zooniverse, has had approximately 700, 000 volunteers contribute to data analysis, a number that increases by nearly 5, 000 each week. with seafloor explorer, csa says it will reach a new community of people and hopes, after analysis of the results by the scientists involved, to add another 150, 000 images in the next year. “ we ’ re really led by the goals of the science team, ” says smith. “ over the next several months, we will look for the next opportunities. ” media contact for zooniverse. org + 1 312 542 2200 ( office ) + 1 312 694 3243 ( cell ) the csa is a collaboration of scientists, software developers and educators who collectively develop, manage and utilize internet - based citizen science projects in order to further science itself, and the public understanding of both science and of the scientific process. these projects use the time, abilities and energies of a distributed community of citizen scientists who are our collaborators. the woods hole oceanographic institution is a private, non - profit organization on cape cod, mass., dedicated to marine research, engineering, and higher education. established in 1930 on a recommendation from the national academy of sciences, its primary mission is to understand the oceans and their interaction with the earth as a whole, and to communicate a basic understanding of the oceans ' role in the changing global environment. originally published : september 13, 2012