questions as " what subjects are assessed? " additionally, the naep provides sample questions and sample booklets for use in the classroom. the sample questions are released items from previous years. the portal for naep questions is found here. collegeboard provides online courses in test preparation for the sat, as well as other tests. they also have a free website for test preparation and test taking tips that are appropriate for the sat. to satisfy the requirements for reporting annual progress toward state and federal indicators, school districts and non - public schools in iowa complete an annual progress report ( apr ) due to the iowa department of education by september 15 each year. aprs include information regarding academic proficiency, academic goals, dropouts, graduation rates, attendance rates, and post - secondary data. annual yearly progress ( ayp ) basic education data survey ( beds ) beds collects staffing, student and policy data from all k - 12 public schools in iowa plus accredited nonpublic k - 12 schools. staffing data is also collected from the state ' s area education agencies ( aeas ). data collection occurs twice a year in the fall and spring. data from the beds is used to meet state and federal reporting requirements. in addition data is used to respond to legislative requests for information and support education research. comprehensive school improvement plan ( csip ) iowa schools or school districts use student achievement data to develop school improvement plans. the schools or school districts submit a revised five - year csip by september 15 of the school year following the comprehensive site visit specified in iowa code 256. 11 which incorporates, when appropriate, areas of improvement noted by the school improvement visitation team. school districts and non - public schools are required to revise and re - certify their csips by the september 15th date of the next school year. school districts and non - public schools are encouraged to annually update their csips as ongoing planning documents. presents the data collected by the department of education in various formats. while most of the data are presented in excel spreadsheets that users can download for their own analysis, maps and written reports, including the annual condition of education report, are also included. the ipdm provides districts and buildings with a structure for developing professional development that if focused, collaborative, research - based, data - driven, and directly supports the comprehensive school improvement process goals for student achievement. student reporting in iowa ( formerly easier ) is the iowa department of education ' s initiative involving the transfer of individual student records. the mission of the project is to reduce data burden,


withitness in the classroom what is withitness? a good teacher is usually great at multitasking. their mind is able to process multiple sensory inputs at once — the random sounds in the classroom, the voices of her students, people walking by her classroom door — all while conducting a lesson and focusing on the educational content that needs to be presented. this is a characteristic that educators refer to as withitness. when a teacher has withitness, she seems to have x - ray vision. it ’ s almost as if the teacher knows what ’ s going to happen before it actually does. withitness encompasses multitasking, classroom awareness, alertness, intuition, and confidence — all in a way that projects a powerful image to every student in the classroom. the teacher is in control. she knows, and because she knows, the students know that there is no need to act out. because she knows, she can stop misconduct with a look. her body language and proximity enable her to maintain control effortlessly. in an article entitled “ are you with it?, ” deb wuest presents an excellent summary of withitness and related characteristics that all lead to effective classroom management. do your students think you have “ eyes behind your head ”? can you deal effectively with the demands of several students at the same time? are you effective at maintaining lesson momentum, changing activities when interest is waning or modifying activities to keep students busy? if so, you are using many of the techniques incorporated by kounin into his discipline model. kounin ’ s model focuses on preventive discipline — techniques and strategies designed to prevent the occurrence of discipline problems in the first place. according to kounin, good classroom management depends on effective lesson management. kounin ’ s key ideas include the “ ripple effect, ” “ withitness, ” “ overlapping, ” effective transitions, class management, and satiation. wuest proceeds to describe two of jacob kounin ’ s ( kounin, j. s. discipline and group management in classrooms. holt, reinhardt and winston, 1970. wikied suggests an updated treatment by charles wolfgang. solving discipline and classroom management problems : methods and models for today ’ s teachers. john wiley and sons, 2001 ). key ideas : ripple effect. the “ ripple effect ” occurs when the teacher corrects a misbehavior in one student, and this positively influences the behavior of other nearby students. the ripple effect is influenced by the clarity and firmness


. key ideas : ripple effect. the “ ripple effect ” occurs when the teacher corrects a misbehavior in one student, and this positively influences the behavior of other nearby students. the ripple effect is influenced by the clarity and firmness of the correction. the effect is greater when the teacher clearly names the unacceptable behavior and gives the reasons for the desist. firmness, that is, conveying an “ i mean it ” attitude, enhances the ripple effect. the ripple effect is greatest at the beginning of the year and diminishes as the year progresses. at the high school level, kounin found that respect for the teacher along with high motivation to learn lead to the greatest student involvement and minimum misbehavior by students. withitness. “ withitness ” is a term created by kounin to describe the teacher ’ s awareness of what is going on in all parts of the classroom at all times. we commonly refer to this as “ having eyes in the back of the head. ” to be effective, the students must perceive that the teacher really knows what is going on in the gymnasium. if students are off task and fooling around, the teacher needs to send a clear message that communicates to the students that the teacher sees that they are not working and they need to get started. withitness can be improved with practice, such as learning how to effectively use systematic techniques to scan the class. keeping your “ back to the wall ” as you move throughout the class helps you see the broader picture and be more aware of what is going on. the effectiveness of withitness is increased when the teacher can correctly identify the student who is the instigator of the incident. teachers who target the wrong student for a desist or a reprimand are perceived by the students as not knowing what is really going on ( i. e., not “ withit ” ). when several incidences of misbehavior occur at the same time, it is important that teachers deal with the most serious incidence first. timing is another aspect of withitness. teachers should intervene early and quickly in dealing with misbehavior. failure to do so allows the misbehavior to spread. both the ripple effect and withitness are important ideas. when taken together, they can help you to project an aura that leads students to believe you have x - ray vision. add your own comment today on education. com workbooksmay workbooks are here


the coriolis effect the coriolis force comes from the rotation of earth. earth spins on its axis at a rate of one rotation per 24 hours. at the equator, this is equivalent to approximately 1, 600 km per hour — this is the speed a person standing at the equator experiences. but at the north and south poles, the speed is zero. this differential in speed causes eddies ( swirling patterns ) in the atmosphere. these in turn affect weather patterns. put a few drops of food coloring on a tennis ball, gently lower it into a tub of water, and give it a spin with your fingers. note the patterns of motion that the food coloring makes in the water. hurricanes spin counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere because of the coriolis force. we don ' t notice the spinning of earth directly, because we move at constant velocity ( speed and direction ). a popular myth holds that the water in toilets and sinks demonstrates the coriolis effect ( the observed effect of the coriolis force ) by draining counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the southern hemisphere. however, this actually has to do with the design of the toilet or sink rather than where it is located on earth. nasa scientists must take coriolis effects into consideration when they launch rockets. in fact, space launching facilities, including the johnson space center in houston and cape canaveral in florida, are located in the south to take advantage of the greater speed of earth ' s surface at those latitudes ( distances north or south of the equator, measured by imaginary lines running east to west parallel to the equator ). this activity shows you several ways to demonstrate the coriolis force and its effects. - 2 - l soda bottle - food coloring - metric ruler - merry - go - round or a swivel chair and weights - safety goggles - steel washer, nut, or other small weight - i - m nylon fishing string or line these effects were first described by gaspardgustave de coriolis ( 1792 – 1843 ), a french engineer and mathematician. - fill a 2 - l soda bottle with water. turn it upside down and let the bottle begin to pour out. swirl the bottle clockwise until a miniature cyclone starts. study the cyclone as the water pours out. notice that the swirl will remain powered by gravity even if you hold the bottle still. for a more dramatic effect, first release a drop of food coloring from a height of 10 cm and allow


starts. study the cyclone as the water pours out. notice that the swirl will remain powered by gravity even if you hold the bottle still. for a more dramatic effect, first release a drop of food coloring from a height of 10 cm and allow it to settle into the water. as an extension, you can vary bottle sizes and mouth openings to find out what conditions work best to support this motion. - get on a small merry - go - round and give it a good spin. move toward the center. notice what happens to the rate of rotation. you spin faster because of a principle called the conservation of angular momentum. - put on your safety goggles, and swing a small weight in a circular orbit at the end of a i - m string. let the string wind around your finger as shown. the result is always the same — as the length of the string decreases, the speed of the weight increases. the string may be compared to a nearly massless merry - go - round and the weight to a heavy person. angular momentum is a quantity that is based upon an object ' s mass and rate of rotation. move back to the edge and the spinning slows down. you can demonstrate the same effect in a swivel chair by holding weights in your arms, spinning, and then moving your arms toward and away from your body, or by observing figure skaters as they change their rate of rotation using their arms. in physics terms, the weight has a radial velocity ( speed of rotation in respect to angle ) toward your finger because of the shortening of the string. the radial velocity interacts with the rotational velocity ( the speed and direction the weight turns ) to produce an acceleration that is tangential ( touching but not intersecting ) to the path of the weight and acts to speed up the weight. i as artificial satellites fall toward earth out of their orbit, the radius of their orbit ( the distance to earth ' s center ) decreases and their speed increases, until friction becomes so great that they burn up in the atmosphere. rocket science : 50 flying, floating, flipping, spinning gadgets kids create themselves by jim wiese ( new york : john wiley & sons, 1995 ). the spinning blackboard and other dynamic experiments on force and motion ( exploratorium science snackbook series ) by paul doherty ( new york : john wiley & sons, 1996 ). warning is hereby given that not all project ideas are appropriate for all individuals or in all circumstances. implementation of any science project idea should be undertaken only in appropriate settings


skip to content find us on facebook follow us on twitter pregnancy by week your baby ' s 1st 18 months baby is now about the size of a small lime, about 1. 5 inches ( 35mm ). it is almost fully formed. at 11 weeks pregnant the head and body are actually about equal in size and the skin is so transparent that blood vessels can be seen through it. your baby is kicking, stretching and clenching its fists but you will be unaware of any of this for quite some time yet. the diaphragm is forming and the baby will hiccup regularly while this is happening. the webbing between fingers and toes has disappeared and tiny tooth buds are forming. the senses are rapidly developing and your baby can now feel. bones are beginning to become harder and the sex organs are developing. the intestines are now able to make constricting movements in preparation for later. this is the beginning of quite an active phase for your baby who will be somersaulting in the copious amounts of amniotic fluid. hopefully by 11 weeks pregnant the nausea of the last few weeks is subsiding and you are feeling a little more energetic. the changes occurring in your hormone levels may mean that you experience some constipation and possibly heartburn. these symptoms are perfectly normal so don ’ t worry. weight gain is minimal in the first trimester but try to only eat healthy vitamin – rich food that will nourish both of you. you will soon be entering the second trimester of pregnancy and should take time to concentrate on interacting with your baby. listen to relaxing music and think happy thoughts because your baby can now sense your mood and will react to it. eating in pregnancy share this with your friends, press on one of the links below to email, facebook and even print! the information on the website is for general information and it is not intended as, nor should it be considered as a substitute for seeing your own gp, midwife or health care professional. you are advised to seek professional medical advice if you have any concerns or suspect you have a medical problem. © copyright 2012


when a ton of trash is delivered to a waste - to - energy plant, several things happen : the energy content of the waste is retrieved, metals are recovered and recycled, and electricity is generated. an epa - sponsored lifecycle analysis evaluated a variety of waste management options and their associated environmental and energy impacts, and found that waste - to - energy does the most to reduce greenhouse gas releases into the atmosphere. the epa ’ s municipal solid waste decision support tool has demonstrated that a modern waste - to - energy plant provides for the avoidance of greenhouse gases through three different operations : for every megawatt of electricity generated through the combustion of solid waste, a megawatt of electricity from conventional, e. g., coal or oil - fired, power plants is avoided, creating a net savings of emissions of greenhouse gases, i. e., carbon dioxide. a modern municipal waste - to - energy facility separates ferrous and / or nonferrous metals for recycling. this is more energy efficient than mining virgin materials for the production of new metals such as steel. as a result, there is a significant energy savings and additional avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions. - when a ton of solid waste is delivered to a waste - to - energy facility, the methane that would have been generated if it were sent to a landfill is avoided. while some of this methane could be collected and used to generate electricity, some would not be captured and would be emitted to the atmosphere. methane is a potent greenhouse gas twenty - three times more potent than carbon dioxide. in addition to the analysis using epa ’ s decision support tool, a detailed, project analysis of a facility ’ s contribution to solving the threat of global warming has been completed for a 1500 - ton - per - day waste - to - energy facility in the saugus, massachusetts. researchers used information regarding alternative landfill disposal, plant emissions, trash composition and other plant - specific data and analyzed the information using the epa decision support tool. the study determined that about 270, 000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions are avoided annually because of this one plant ’ s operations. when the greenhouse gas footprint of a waste - to - energy plant is compared to the greenhouse gas releases avoided, you discover that nearly one ton of carbon dioxide equivalents are avoided for every ton of trash handled by a waste - to - energy plant. as you can see, waste - to - energy plants are tremendously valuable contributors in the fight against global warming. the ability of waste - to - energy to prevent greenhouse gas emissions on a


of trash handled by a waste - to - energy plant. as you can see, waste - to - energy plants are tremendously valuable contributors in the fight against global warming. the ability of waste - to - energy to prevent greenhouse gas emissions on a lifecycle basis and mitigate climate change has been recognized in the actions taken by foreign nations trying to comply with kyoto targets. the european union ( council directive 1999 / 31 / ec dated april 26, 1999 ) established a legally binding requirement to reduce landfilling of biodegradable waste. recognizing the methane release from landfills, the european union established this directive to prevent or reduce negative effects on the environment “ including the greenhouse effect ” from landfilling of waste, during the whole life - cycle of the landfill. the intergovernmental panel on climate change ( ipcc ) has also recognized the greenhouse gas mitigation aspect of waste - to - energy. the ipcc acknowledges that “ incineration reduces the mass of waste and can offset fossil - fuel use ; in addition greenhouse gas emissions are avoided, except for the small contribution from fossil carbon. ” this acknowledgement by the ipcc is particularly relevant due to the ipcc being an independent panel of scientific and technical experts that shared the nobel peace prize with al gore. the german ministry of the environment published a report in 2005 entitled “ waste sector ’ s contribution to climate protection, ” which states that “ the disposal paths of waste incineration plants and co - incineration display the greatest potential for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases. ” the german report concluded that the use of waste combustion with energy recovery coupled with the reduction in landfilling of biodegradable waste will assist the european union - 15 to meet its obligations under the kyoto protocol. under the kyoto protocol, the clean development mechanism ( cdm ) is a method of emissions trading that allows the generation of tradable credits ( certified emission reductions [ cers ] ) for greenhouse gas emissions reductions achieved in developing countries, which are then purchased by developed countries and applied toward their reduction targets. cers are also accepted as a compliance tool in the european union emissions trading scheme. waste - to - energy projects can be accorded offset status under the cdm protocol ( am0025 v7 ) by displacing fossil fuel - fired electricity generation and eliminating methane production from landfills. an associated cdm memorandum that set out methodology for including waste - to - energy, among others, in cdm projects. the memorandum, entitled “ avoided emissions from organic waste through alternative waste


- fired electricity generation and eliminating methane production from landfills. an associated cdm memorandum that set out methodology for including waste - to - energy, among others, in cdm projects. the memorandum, entitled “ avoided emissions from organic waste through alternative waste treatment processes, ” stated in part that cdm status could be accorded projects where “ the project activity involves … incineration of fresh waste for energy generation, electricity and / or heat ” where the waste “ would have otherwise been disposed of in a landfill. ” the contribution of waste - to - energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions has been embraced by the u. s. conference of mayors through the u. s. mayors climate protection agreement. signed by more than 1, 050 mayors, the agreement supports a 7 percent reduction in greenhouse gases from 1990 levels by 2012 and recognizes waste - to - energy technology as a means to achieve that goal. in addition, the newly formed global roundtable on climate change ( grocc ) unveiled a joint statement on february 20, 2007 identifying waste - to - energy as a means to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the electric generating sector and methane emissions from landfills. this important recognition from the grocc, which brought together high - level, critical stakeholders from all regions of the world, lends further support that waste - to - energy plays an important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. the breadth of support for the grocc position is evidenced by those that have signed the joint statement, including dr. james hansen of the nasa goddard institute for space studies and david hawkins of the natural resources defense council ’ s climate center, as well as entities as diverse as general electric, florida power and light, covanta energy corporation and environmental defense. better management of municipal solid waste will reduce greenhouse gas emissions ( european environment agency ) waste sector ’ s contribution to climate protection ( german bde [ environment department ] ) using a carbon balance to estimate ghg emissions and mitigation from municipal solid waste ( bahor, weitz, szurgot ) is it better to burn or bury waste for clean electricity generation ( kaplan, decarolis, thorneloe )


the speed of a moth which is faster? a small moth or a songbird? the answer does surprise. a study published in march 2011 in proceedings of the royal society b by researchers at rothamsted research, and the universities of lund ( sweden ), greenwich and york, reports the surprising finding that night - flying moths are able to match their songbird counterparts for travel speed and direction during their annual migrations but they use quite different strategies to do so - information that adds to our understanding of the lifestyle of such insects, which are important for maintaining biodiversity and food security. this new international study of moth migration over the uk, and songbird migration over sweden, funded by the biotechnology and biological sciences research council ( bbsrc ) and the swedish research council, shows that songbirds ( mainly willow warblers ) and moths ( silver y moths ) have very similar migration speeds — between 30 kilometers and 65 kilometers per hour — and both travel approximately northwards in the spring and southwards in the autumn. a moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order lepidoptera. moths form the majority of this order. most species of moth are nocturnal a songbird is a bird belonging to the suborder passeri of the perching birds. this group contains some 4000 species, in which the vocal organ typically is developed in such a way as to produce a diverse and elaborate bird song. dr jason chapman, rothamsted research, one of the lead authors on the paper said " songbirds such as warblers and thrushes are able to fly unassisted about four times faster than migratory moths, which might appear to be largely at the mercy of the winds. so we had assumed that songbirds would travel much faster over the same distance. it was a great surprise when we found out the degree of overlap between the travel speeds - the mean values are almost identical, which is really remarkable. " the discovery gives fresh insight into exactly how moths are able to travel in their billions from summer breeding grounds in the uk and elsewhere in northern europe to their winter quarters in the mediterranean region and sub - saharan africa, thousands of miles away. this is important information in the context of declining moth populations and a critical need for pollinating insects to ensure maximum yields of food crops in the face of a potential food crisis — the more we understand about the life cycle and lifestyle of these insects, the better we can understand and mitigate the challenges they face for survival. the team used specially - designed radars to track the


crops in the face of a potential food crisis — the more we understand about the life cycle and lifestyle of these insects, the better we can understand and mitigate the challenges they face for survival. the team used specially - designed radars to track the travel speeds and directions of many thousands of individual silver y moths and songbirds on their night - time spring and autumn migrations. the similarity in speed results from differing strategies : moths fly only when tailwinds are favorable, so gaining the maximum degree of wind assistance ; whereas birds fly on winds from a variety of directions, and consequently receive less assistance. moths are therefore more efficient in their flight as opposed to the birds who fly when they want to. the findings therefore demonstrate that moths and songbirds have evolved very different behavioral solutions to the challenge of moving great distances in a seasonally - beneficial direction in a short period of time. moths, and particularly their caterpillars, are a major agricultural pest in many parts of the world. examples include corn borers and bollworms. the caterpillar of the gypsy moth causes severe damage to forests in the northeast united states, where it is an invasive species. in temperate climates, the codling moth causes extensive damage, especially to fruit farms. some moths are farmed. the most notable of these is the silkworm, the larva of the domesticated moth bombyx mori. it is farmed for the silk with which it builds its cocoon. knowing how the moth moves about will lead to a better understanding of their world wide ecological role. for further information : http : / / www. eurekalert. org / pub _ releases / 2011 - 03 / babs - mma030811. php


ursi ' s eso garden your competent esoteric guide thursday, 07. january 2010 the real el dorado? satellite technology detects giant mounds over 155 miles, pointing to sophisticated pre - columbian culture. it is the legend that drew legions of explorers and adventurers to their deaths : an ancient empire of citadels and treasure hidden deep in the amazon jungle. spanish conquistadores ventured into the rainforest seeking fortune, followed over the centuries by others convinced they would find a lost civilisation to rival the aztecs and incas. some seekers called it el dorado, others the city of z. but the jungle swallowed them and nothing was found, prompting the rest of the world to call it a myth. the amazon was too inhospitable, said 20th century scholars, to permit large human settlements. now, however, the doomed dreamers have been proved right : there was a great civilisation. new satellite imagery and fly - overs have revealed more than 200 huge geometric earthworks carved in the upper amazon basin near brazil ' s border with bolivia. an aerial picture of traces of earthworks built by a lost amazonian civilisation dating to 200ad. photograph : national geographic spanning 155 miles, the circles, squares and other geometric shapes form a network of avenues, ditches and enclosures built long before christopher columbus set foot in the new world. some date to as early as 200 ad, others to 1283. scientists who have mapped the earthworks believe there may be another 2, 000 structures beneath the jungle canopy, vestiges of vanished societies. the structures, many of which have been revealed by the clearance of forest for agriculture, point to a " sophisticated pre - columbian monument - building society ", says the journal antiquity, which has published the research. ( direct link to the pdf. it has photos of different sites, and a number of maps and diagrams. ) the article adds : " this hitherto unknown people constructed earthworks of precise geometric plan connected by straight orthogonal roads. the ' geoglyph culture ' stretches over a region more than 250km across, and exploits both the floodplains and the uplands … we have so far seen no more than a tenth of it. " the structures were created by a network of trenches about 36ft ( nearly 11 metres ) wide and several feet deep, lined by banks up to 3ft high. some were ringed by low mounds containing ceramics, charcoal and stone tools. it is thought they were used for fortifications, homes and ceremonies, and could have maintained


11 metres ) wide and several feet deep, lined by banks up to 3ft high. some were ringed by low mounds containing ceramics, charcoal and stone tools. it is thought they were used for fortifications, homes and ceremonies, and could have maintained a population of 60, 000 – more people than in many medieval european cities. the discoveries have demolished ideas that soils in the upper amazon were too poor to support extensive agriculture, says denise schaan, a co - author of the study and anthropologist at the federal university of para, in belem, brazil. she told national geographic : " we found this picture is wrong. and there is a lot more to discover in these places, it ' s never - ending. every week we find new structures. " many of the mounds were symmetrical and slanted to the north, prompting theories that they had astronomical significance. aerial photograph and plan of the fazenda colorada site. photograph by sanna saunaluoma. researchers were especially surprised that earthworks in floodplains and uplands were of a similar style, suggesting they were all built by the same culture. " in amazonian archaeology you always have this idea that you find different peoples in different ecosystems, " said schaan. " so it was odd to have a culture that would take advantage of different ecosystems and expand over such a large region. " the first geometric shapes were spotted in 1999 but it is only now, as satellite imagery and felling reveal sites, that the scale of the settlements is becoming clear. some anthropologists say the feat, requiring sophisticated engineering, canals and roads, rivals egypt ' s pyramids. the findings follow separate discoveries further south, in the xingu region, of interconnected villages known as " garden cities ". dating between 800 and 1600, they included houses, moats and palisades. " these revelations are exploding our perceptions of what the americas really looked liked before the arrival of christopher columbus, " said david grann, author of the lost city of z, a book about an attempt in the 1920s to find signs of amazonian civilizations. " the discoveries are challenging long - held assumptions about the amazon as a hobbesian place where only small primitive tribes could ever have existed, and about the limits the environment placed on the rise of early civilisations. " they are also vindicating, said grann, percy fawcett, the explorer who partly inspired conan doyle ' s book the lost world. fawcett led an expedition to find the city of z


rise of early civilisations. " they are also vindicating, said grann, percy fawcett, the explorer who partly inspired conan doyle ' s book the lost world. fawcett led an expedition to find the city of z but the party vanished, bequeathing a mystery. many scientists saw the jungle as too harsh to sustain anything but small nomadic tribes. now it seems the conquistadores who spoke of " cities that glistened in white " were telling the truth. they, however, probably also introduced the diseases that wiped out the native people, leaving the jungle to claim – and hide – all trace of their civilisation. • this article was amended on wednesday 6 january 2010. percy fawcett ' s experiences in the amazon were said to have partly inspired arthur conan doyle ' s book the lost world, but fawcett ' s disappearance did not, contrary to a suggestion in the original article - he vanished after the book was published. this has been corrected. source : amazon explorers uncover signs of a real el dorado by the guardian the scene depicted in this ancient artwork, on display at the gold museum in bogota, colombia, shows the origin of the el dorado myth. legend tells of a muisca king who would cover himself in gold dust during festivals, then dive from a raft into lake guatavita. tales of el dorado, or the " golden man, " reached spanish conquistadors around 1530. as attempts to locate him came up short, the legend blossomed into myths of an entire city made of gold. photograph by mauricio duenas / afp / getty images precolumbian golden boat - famous golden figure based on el dorado rite ( housed in the gold museum at bogota, colombia ) el dorado legend snared sir walter raleigh by national geographic the legend of ' el dorado ' by tairona heritage trust comments temporarily disabled sorry folks - too much spam, the comments are deactivated. stand by and please excuse the inconvenience.


mounted image 181 : iconic, conical licancabur watches over chajnantor this impressive panoramic image depicts the chajnantor plateau — home of the atacama large millimeter / submillimeter array ( alma ) — with the majestic licancabur volcano in the background. watched over by licancabur, a icy forest of penitentes ( spanish for “ penitents ” ) cluster in the foreground. the penitentes are a curious natural phenomenon found in high - altitude regions. they are thin spikes of hardened snow or ice, with sharp edges pointing towards the sun, reaching heights from a few centimetres up to several metres. you can read more about penitentes in a previous picture of the week ( potw1221 ). the licancabur volcano, with an altitude of 5920 metres, is the most iconic volcano in the area of san pedro de atacama, chile. its conical shape makes it easily recognisable even from very far away. it is located on the southernmost part of the border between chile and bolivia. the volcano contains one of the world ’ s highest lakes in its summit crater. this lake has attracted the attention of biologists, who are interested on studying how microscopic organisms can survive in it, despite the very harsh environment of intense ultraviolet radiation, the thin atmosphere, and cold temperatures. the survival strategies of microscopic life in licancabur lake may even give us insights into the possibility of life on ancient mars. alma, an international astronomy facility, is a partnership of europe, north america and east asia in cooperation with the republic of chile. alma construction and operations are led on behalf of europe by eso, on behalf of north america by the national radio astronomy observatory ( nrao ), and on behalf of east asia by the national astronomical observatory of japan ( naoj ). the joint alma observatory ( jao ) provides the unified leadership and management of the construction, commissioning and operation of alma. eso / b. tafreshi ( twanight. org )


fear of falling is likely to lead to future falls among older people, irrespective of their actual fall risk, finds a study published on bmj. com today. this indicates that measures of both actual and perceived fall risk should be included in fall risk assessments to help tailor interventions for preventing falls in older people, say the authors. fear of falling is common in older people and is associated with poor balance, anxiety, depression and falls. but the problem of irrational fear has been neglected in the scientific literature. so a team of researchers from australia and belgium set out to improve their understanding of fear of falling and its impact on the risk of falls. five hundred people, aged 70 to 90 years, living in sydney took part in the study and underwent an extensive medical and neuropsychological assessment. actual and perceived fall risks were then estimated using recognised scoring scales and participants were followed up monthly over a one - year period. the researchers found that both actual fall risk and perceived fall risk independently contribute to a person ' s future fall risk. further analysis was then used to split the sample into four groups based on the disparity between actual and perceived risk. most people had an accurate perception of their fall risk. those in the " vigorous " group ( low actual and low perceived fall risk ) were considered at low risk of future significant falls, while those in the " aware " group ( high actual and high perceived fall risk ) were considered at high risk of future significant falls. however, about one third of elderly people either underestimated or overestimated their risk of falls. for example, the " anxious " group had a low actual but high perceived fall risk, which was related to depressive symptoms, neurotic personality traits and poor physical functioning. in contrast, the " stoic " group had a high actual but low perceived fall risk, which was protective for falling, and related to a positive outlook on life, physical activity, and community participation. overall, it seems that high levels of perceived fall risk are likely to result in future falls, irrespective of the actual risk, and the disparity between actual and perceived fall risk contributes to risk mainly through psychological pathways, say the authors. the findings also suggest that reducing fear of falling is not likely to increase the risk of falls by making older people overly confident, they add. and they conclude that measures of both actual and perceived fall risk should be included in fall risk assessments so as to tailor interventions for preventing falls in older people. aaas and eurekaler


the antidiabetic drug metformin is not prescribed for patients with reduced kidney function because the risk of adverse effects has been regarded as unacceptably high. a study at sahlgrenska academy, university of gothenburg, sweden, has found that the risks have been substantially overrated. as a result, many more patients with diabetes may be able to enjoy the benefits of the medication. type 2 diabetes, a very common condition, is increasingly prevalent around the world. keeping diabetes under control and preventing complications requires not only lifestyle changes, but drug therapy to reduce blood glucose levels. among the most effective and frequently prescribed antidiabetics is metformin, which has been shown in a number of studies to lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. because the drug has been considered causing an increased risk of developing a rare but life - threatening adverse effect known as lactic acidosis, it is not prescribed for patients with reduced kidney function. researchers at sahlgrenska academy, university of gothenburg and uppsala university have conducted a study involving 51, 700 patients with type 2 diabetes from the swedish national diabetes register and found that the risks are exaggerated. the gothenburg study shows that metformin is more effective than other glucose lowering drugs when it comes to reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, serious infection and death in patients with normal kidney function, but also in patients with mild kidney impairment. " furthermore, patients with mild to moderate kidney impairment do not run an elevated risk of adverse effects from metformin, " says nils ekstrom, a researcher at sahlgrenska academy. " thus, the drug can be prescribed for many more patients with diabetes than is currently the case. " according to nils ekstrom, a number of other countries already recommend metformin for patients with mild kidney impairment. " it is important to keep in mind that the results are for patients with mild to moderate kidney impairment, " he says. " metformin still cannot be recommended for patients with severe kidney impairment and should be prescribed with great caution for those patients. during periods of acute illness with dehydration, metformin should never be used " bmj open published the article, " effectiveness and safety of metformin in 51, 675 patients with type 2 diabetes and different levels of renal function : a cohort study from the swedish national diabetes register " in july. nils ekstrom, medical doctor, department of medicine, sahlgrenska university hospital phone + 46 70 289 01 21 soffia gudbjornsdottir


scientist n. person. - one who contributes to a body of knowledge called science. scientists contribute to science by using the scientific method, a system of collecting and interpreting data, of which a fundamental aspect is extreme skepticism. ' scientist ' is the word used to describe anyone who contributes to science, professional or merely an amateur. their data is scrutinized by the scientific community, which is composed of other such scientists, to ensure the veracity of the scientist ' s data, the validity of the scientist ' s interpretation, as well as his or her faithfulness to the scientific method. scientists can be either professional or amateur, but amateur scientists are more commonly called nerds and less commonly geeks ( " geek " is more often used to describe someone who is highly proficient with computers ). the word can be used to describe an occupation : " my father was a scientist before the war. " it can also be used as an ideal : " a scientist does not use such a poor technique. " scientists are considered to have dry personalities, because their skepticism is part of their basic nature. most people find such skepticism and extreme rationalism irritating. examples of scientists include : richard p. feynman, albert einstein, niels bohr, archimedes, leonardo da vinci, galileo galilee, charles darwin, francis crick, and his partner james watson.


the president and congress worked overtime to avoid the “ fiscal cliff ” back at the beginning of the year. the problem is that there still is no budget in place and really no solution in sight. to try to force a budget deal, congress has come up with a proposed five percent reduction to all programs so that lawmakers will work together to keep their pet programs from being affected by the cut. what happens if sequestration becomes a reality and why should we care? from a strictly educational standpoint, the effects could be disastrous ; so bad, in fact, that some school districts have already started to issue pink slips in preparation for sequestration. that is correct. sequestration would have such a huge impact that some teachers are already losing their jobs. public schools nationwide could see an immediate impact on around 10, 000 positions as sequestration would remove around $ 1. 3 billion in funding for disabled and title 1 ( low income ) students. there is also the possibility that some schools would have to shorten the school day or school year to make ends meet. according to a white house report, total education spending cuts would equal around $ 2. 3 billion. sequestration is not solely an education problem but it is a huge concern for the education system. in addition to the cuts to education spending, there are cuts to other programs that will have an impact on the education system as well. programs for women and children, such as wic, will take large hits as well. a negative impact on nutrition programs could lead to a negative impact on academics. the head start program, which provides early education for low income families, will also take a big hit ( around $ 600 million ) and will have to lower enrollment by around 70, 000 children in preschools nationwide. sequestration is not a budget cut to education in the traditional sense but it is still another example of education being used as nothing but a political ploy. education has not been given the importance that it merits in the past and this is just another example that little has change in spite of the lip service given to the contrary. education is the future of our country and our children, not a game piece in a partisan power struggle. unfortunately, washington has grown accustomed to stealing education from our children, like taking candy from a baby, and is ready to do it again. the country avoided the “ fiscal cliff ” but looks prepare to go over the academic cliff and into the era of “ more childs left behind ” ( misspelling intentional ) on march first


offa ( ofˈə ) [ key ], d. 796, king of mercia ( 757 – 96 ). he succeeded æthelbald to the throne, but it was some years before he attained the power of his predecessor. gradually he asserted his overlordship in kent and then sussex, and by 774 his charters styled him rex anglorum [ king of the english ]. he restricted cynewulf, king of wessex, to the area s of the thames and in 794 had ethelbert, king of the east angles, beheaded and thereafter ruled his kingdom. in time the rulers of wessex and northumbria became his sons - in - law. in 786 the pope sent two legates to him, and by 788 offa had set up an independent archbishopric of litchfield, thus wresting control of the churches in mercia from the hostile archbishop of canterbury. he introduced a new coinage in the form of the silver penny, which for centuries was to be the basis of the english currency. offa had sufficient standing in europe to negotiate with charlemagne as an equal ; and, although they quarreled over a proposed marriage of their children, they signed ( 796 ) a commercial treaty, the first recorded in english history. at some time between 784 and 796 the earthwork known as offa ' s dyke was built between wales and mercia. offa ' s laws, now lost, were used by king alfred in his codification. the offa referred to in beowulf and other anglo - saxon heroic poetry was not the king of mercia, but a king of the angles on the continent, probably at the end of the 4th cent. see f. m. stenton, anglo - saxon england ( 3d ed. 1971 ). the columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. copyright © 2012, columbia university press. all rights reserved. more on offa from fact monster : see more encyclopedia articles on : british and irish history : biographies


zebulon baird vance vance, zebulon baird, 1830 – 94, american political leader, confederate governor of north carolina ( 1862 – 65 ) in the civil war, b. buncombe co., n. c. a lawyer and a whig, he served in the state legislature ( 1854 ) and in congress ( 1858 – 61 ). opposed to secession until president lincoln ' s call for troops, he promptly urged support of the confederacy. he distinguished himself in the seven days battles ( june – july, 1862 ) before assuming the governorship. vance was loyal to the southern cause, but for him the interests of north carolina superseded those of the confederate government of richmond. after the war he was arrested but soon released. elected to the u. s. senate in 1870, he was denied his seat. in 1876 he was again elected governor, but resigned in 1878 to enter the senate, where he was an important figure and a popular orator until his death. see biographies by f. r. shirley ( 1963 ) and g. tucker ( 1966 ). the columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. copyright © 2012, columbia university press. all rights reserved. more on zebulon baird vance from fact monster : see more encyclopedia articles on : u. s. history : biographies


heart disease, any of several abnormalities of the heart and its function in maintaining blood circulation. heart disease is the cause of approximately half the deaths in the united states each year. among the most common causes of heart disease are degenerative changes in the coronary blood vessels, infectious diseases, and congenital heart disease. congenital defects result from abnormal development of the fetal heart, commonly in the valves or septa. such defects can be precipitated by environmental conditions in the uterus, such as the presence of the rubella virus, or they can be inherited. infectious diseases acquired after birth, such as rheumatic fever, syphilis, and endocarditis, can also damage the valves of the heart. in addition, the heart muscle itself can be affected : hypertensive heart disease ( see hypertension ) can cause it to enlarge, and it can become inflamed by rheumatic fever. arteriosclerotic depositions in the coronary arteries result in the narrowing of these vessels, causing insufficient blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle, a condition known as coronary artery disease. the characteristic radiating chest pain, angina pectoris, is the most prominent symptom of this condition. coronary arteries already narrowed by arteriosclerosis are made susceptible to blockage by a clot ( coronary thrombosis ), causing the death of the heart muscle supplied by the affected artery, a life - threatening event called a myocardial infarction, or heart attack. hypertensive, coronary, congenital, and other forms of cardiovascular disease, either singly or in combination, can lead to a state in which the heart is unable to expel sufficient blood for the metabolic demands of the body, ultimately resulting in congestive heart failure. disturbances in the normal heartbeat, called arrhythmias, can occur by themselves or in conjunction with other heart problems, for example infarction affecting the area of the heart that controls the heartbeat. the columbia electronic encyclopedia, 6th ed. copyright © 2012, columbia university press. all rights reserved. more on heart disease from fact monster : see more encyclopedia articles on : pathology


january 24, 2013 brain - based online learning design abreena tompkins, instruction specialist at surry community college, has developed a brain - based online course design model based on a meta - analysis of more than 300 articles. in this study, she distilled the following elements of brain - based course design : - low - risk, nonthreatening learning environment - challenging, real - life, authentic assessments - rhythms, patterns, and cycles - appropriate chunking or grouping - learning as orchestration rather than lecture or facilitation - appropriate level of novelty - appropriately timed breaks and learning periods - purposeful assessments - learning that addresses visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners - active processing with mental models - the use of universal examples, analogies, and parallel processing tompkins offers the following succinct definition of brain - based : “ instructional strategies designed for compatibility with the brain ’ s propensities for seeking, processing, and organizing information. ” tompkins ’ model uses the acronym ignite. intervals : tompkins recommends using an interval of intense focus for approximately 15 to 20 minutes followed by a two - to three - minute break. “ physiologically, your neurons are keen and alert for no more than 20 consecutive minutes. at the end of those 20 minutes, your neurons have gone from full - fledged alert to total collapse, and it takes two to three minutes for those neurons to be completely recovered and back to the total alert state. if you break longer than three minutes, you ’ ve redirected your attention, ” tompkins says. shifting from intense focus need not be a radical change. it can be as simple as posting to a discussion board. get articles like this one delivered right to your inbox. sign - up for our free enewsletter and join our growing community — 80, 000 + members strong! start your subscription now » grouping : present information in groups of three or five. “ the brain can process no more than nine items in a sequence, and it actually does this much more efficiently with three or five. odd numbers work better than even numbers. if you ’ re going to give students a list of six things to do, make it one, two, three, whitespace, four, five, six. the brain responds to whitespace because the brain processes things in groups. students will be better able to focus as they look at this group of information. you ’ re providing the same amount of content. it just makes it more learner - friendly, ” tom


responds to whitespace because the brain processes things in groups. students will be better able to focus as they look at this group of information. you ’ re providing the same amount of content. it just makes it more learner - friendly, ” tompkins says. novelty : when students are bored they tend to not pay attention to information that is present. tompkins recommends injecting novelty to prevent boredom. “ if there ’ s no announcement to make, post a good joke for the day. if you ’ ve got a header picture, change it once a week. insert pictures with each unit. do something to get their attention. you want students to go in and say, ‘ what ’ s new today? ’ ” interconnectedness : learning needs to be connected to students ’ reason for taking the course. tompkins recommends making these connections by providing experiences and demonstrations and revisiting those experiences. constant review is essential because people learn through two mechanisms : repetition and connecting to prior knowledge, tompkins says. technology and time : select the appropriate technology to suit the needs of your students. for example, podcasts may be effective for master ’ s - level students, but they are not a good choice for teaching developmental - level students. it ’ s important to provide enough time for students to process what they ’ ve learned. “ don ’ t put so much work in there that there ’ s no time to process what you ’ re asking them to learn. i think sometimes instructors fill their courses with all kinds of things that there ’ s no way students will have time to do everything, ” tompkins says. environment : keep the affective aspects of the online learning environment in mind. welcome student emails. understand your learners ’ needs. this model does not require sophisticated high - tech solutions. “ it can all be done with a very simple course design, ” tompkins says. “ i recommend using visuals all you can because over 90 percent of us are visual learners. ” excerpted from brain - based online learning design, online classroom, ( november 2011 ) : 1, 2.


micro - air vehicles ( mavs ) a new family of micro - air vehicles ( mavs ) that are at least an order of magnitude smaller than current flying systems ( less than 15 cm in any dimension ) will be developed and demonstrated. the capability to accomplish unique military missions as diverse as covert imaging in constrained areas, biological - chemical agent detection and characterization, remote precision mines, and urban battlefield communications enhancement, will be stressed through an examination of a variety of vehicle concepts. the resulting capability should be especially beneficial in the emerging urban warfighting environment, characterized by its complex topologies, confined spaces and areas ( often internal to buildings ), and high civilian concentrations. the mav program will focus on the technologies and components required to enable flight at these small scales, including flight control, propulsion and lightweight power, navigation and communications. these will build upon and exploit numerous darpa technology development efforts, including advanced communications and information systems, high performance computer technology, microelectro - mechanical systems ( mems ), advanced sensors, lightweight, efficient high density power sources, and advanced electronic packaging technologies. fy 2000 activities include development of flight enabling technologies for micro air vehicles, flight demonstration of the hovering micro air vehicle ( mav ) system, and complete fabrication and flight test of the fixed wing mav system. fy 2001 activities include completing advanced micro air vehicle ( mav ) development including system fabrication and flight - testing ; complete military concept of operation evaluation and complete transition of mav systems to services. sources and methods created by john pike maintained by steven aftergood updated saturday, november 27, 1999 1 : 39 : 56 pm


roots to revival there are approximately thirteen million hungarians in central europe — some ten million of them living in hungary, a thousand - year - old country that is slightly smaller than indiana. calling themselves magyars, these people speak a unique language and maintain highly distinctive traditions in music, dance, costume, crafts, gastronomy, and more. the hungarian heritage : roots to revival program at the 2013 smithsonian folklife festival will highlight the vitality of hungary ’ s cultural heritage in these areas. it will bring to the national mall in washington highly skilled masters and apprentices from rural central europe who maintain the traditional knowledge acquired in their native environments. the festival program will also bring musicians, dancers, and artisans from more urban settings who have revived many of these older traditions to make them part of their daily lives. for instance, the dance - hall ( or tanchaz ) movement, which has emerged since the early 1970s, has helped to reinvent the institution of the village dance - hall in urban areas and to disseminate the practice of authentic folk dancing with live musical accompaniment not only in hungary and neighboring countries ( such as romania, serbia, and slovakia ), but also in the united states and canada where large numbers of hungarians reside. similarly, the preservation of traditional handicrafts has helped boost a flourishing crafts movement. the hungarian heritage program will provide a one - of - a - kind opportunity to experience the rich and authentic traditions of magyars, to better understand the significance of the hungarian folk revival movement, and to serve as a meeting place for folk aficionados from around the world. the hungarian heritage program is produced by the smithsonian center for folklife and cultural heritage in partnership with the balassi institute, budapest. watch this video about the ornamental painting and embroidery of kalocsa, which are emblematic symbols of hungarian folk art. produced by the european folklore institute, budapest, hungary, 2004. click to enlarge and view captions


actinopterygii ( ray - finned fishes ) > clupeiformes ( herrings ) > clupeidae ( herrings, shads, sardines, menhadens ) etymology : dorosoma : greek, doris = lance + greek, soma = body ( ref. 45335 ) ; cepedianum : named after the french ichthyologist, lacepede ( ref. 10294 ). environment / climate / range marine ; freshwater ; brackish ; pelagic - neritic ; anadromous ( ref. 51243 ) ; depth range? - 33 m ( ref. 39020 ). subtropical ;? - 32°c ( ref. 12741 ) ; 49°n - 21°n, 100°w - 70°w ( ref. 188 ) length at first maturity / size / weight / age maturity : lm 36. 1 range? -? cm max length : 57. 0 cm fl male / unsexed ; ( ref. 40637 ) ; common length : 35. 0 cm sl male / unsexed ; ( ref. 7251 ) ; max. published weight : 2. 0 kg ( ref. 40637 ) ; max. reported age : 10 years ( ref. 72462 ) soft rays : 25 - 36 ; vertebrae : 47 - 51. body moderately deep ; belly with 17 to 20 - 10 to 14 scutes. mouth small ; lower jaw short. last dorsal fin ray long, about equal to distance from snout tip to mid - pectoral fin or beyond ; anal fin long. scales small, somewhat irregular. a dark spot behind gill opening. gill rakers fine and numerous ( ref. 188 ). branchiostegal rays 6 ( ref. 4639 ). silvery to brassy, with a bluish back. stomach thick - walled, gizzard - like ( ref. 7251 ). northwest atlantic : north america and gulf of mexico drainage ( southeast south dakota and central minnesota, great lakes drainage, i. e. in lake erie, southern parts of lakes huron and michigan, lake ontario basin ; not lake superior ; southernmost new york southward to the mississippi system and to gulf southward to rio panuco, mexico. occur mainly in freshwater in large rivers, reservoirs, lakes, swamps, temporary floodwater pools, etc., but adults also found in brackish or saline water of estuaries or bays, preferring quieter open waters. juveniles are found in great abundance well


mainly in freshwater in large rivers, reservoirs, lakes, swamps, temporary floodwater pools, etc., but adults also found in brackish or saline water of estuaries or bays, preferring quieter open waters. juveniles are found in great abundance well upstream from brackish water ( ref. 39041 ). very young individuals apparently never enter brackish water ( ref. 38947 ). larvae are most abundant in surface waters both day and night ( ref. 4639 ). a herbivorous filter - feeder almost entirely. breed near the surface in freshwater from late winter ( mid - march ) through most of the summer ( at least to about mid - august ). the adhesive eggs sink. used to some extent as fertilizer and cattle food ( ref. 188 ). whitehead, p. j. p., 1985. fao species catalogue. vol. 7. clupeoid fishes of the world ( suborder clupeioidei ). an annotated and illustrated catalogue of the herrings, sardines, pilchards, sprats, shads, anchovies and wolf - herrings. fao fish. synop. 125 ( 7 / 1 ) : 1 - 303. rome : fao. iucn red list status ( ref. 90363 ) threat to humans fisheries : minor commercial ; gamefish : yes ; bait : usually estimates of some properties based on empirical models phylogenetic diversity index ( ref. 82805 = 0. 5312 [ uniqueness, from 0. 5 = low to 2. 0 = high ]. bayesian length - weight : a = 0. 00813 ( - 0. 02050 - 0. 03675 ), b = 3. 07 ( 3. 05 - 3. 09 ), based on lwr estimates for this species ( ref. 93245 trophic level ( ref. 69278 ) : 2. 4 ±0. 21 se ; based on food items. resilience ( ref. 69278 ) : medium, minimum population doubling time 1. 4 - 4. 4 years ( tm = 2 ; tmax = 6 ). vulnerability ( ref. 59153 ) : low to moderate vulnerability ( 30 of 100 ).


three cheers for chocolate the health benefits of chocolate it turns out there ' s even more to love about one of the most decadent, satisfying foods on the planet. we ' re talking about chocolate : heavenly sweet treat, coveted comfort food, and former diet disaster. but now? new studies are proving that chocolate does, in fact, have a place in the health - conscious kitchen. research shows that cocoa and dark chocolate with a high cocoa content contain flavonoids, a naturally occurring phytonutrient found in plant foods like cocoa, tea, wine, nuts, and certain fruits and vegetables. the main flavonoids found in cocoa - - flavan - 3 - ols and procyanidins - - offer a host of cardiovascular benefits, including antioxidant protection and improved blood vessel function. " the flavonoids in chocolate are generally touted for heart health - - they make blood less sticky, keep blood vessels flexible, and there ' s less plaque formation to prevent heart disease, " says dawn jackson blatner, a chicago - based registered dietitian and spokesperson for the american dietetic association. in fact, a 2007 study from the university of nottingham medical school in the united kingdom suggested that this improved blood flow may also benefit the brain in terms of memory and learning ability. flavonoids also help prevent the oxidation of ldl ( bad ) cholesterol and raise hdl ( good ) cholesterol levels in the blood, according to a 2006 study in the journal of the american dietetic association. there is also some evidence that these flavonoids may prevent certain cancers, such as skin cancer. a 2006 study also linked ingestion of flavonoids to increased uv protection, but that doesn ' t make you invincible. slathering on the sunscreen and snacking on a mini - snickers will offer you the best protection. what do you think of this story? leave a comment. save even more! say " yes " to fitness® magazine today and get a second year for half price – 2 full years ( 20 issues ) for just $ 15. you also get our new fitness band and total body express band workout absolutely free! ( u. s. orders only )


prevalence, age, gender & genetics : late onset lactase deficiency is the most common type of lactoe intolerance ( li ). it is estimated to affect around 75 % of the world population. lactose intolerance varies from human group to another one. moreover, onset of lactose intolerance varies from children of a group to another. prevalence of lactose intolerance the prevalence of primary lactose deficiency varies according to race. in a review by gudmand - hoyer e in published on the american journal of clinical nutrition ( 1994 ), it is lowest in scandinavia and northwest europe ( 3 - 8 % ) and close to 100 % in most of southeast asia. in europe the frequency increases in the southern and eastern directions, reaching 70 % in southern italy and turkey. there is also a high prevalence of lactose maldigestion in the people of africa with the exception of cattle - raising nomads. moreover, studies conducted by scrimshaw and murray and sahi review the prevalence of lactose maldigestion globally. the prevalence is above 50 % in south america, africa, and asia, reaching almost 100 % in some asian countries. in the united states, the prevalence is 15 % among whites, 53 % among mexican - americans and 80 % in the black population. in europe it varies from around 2 % in scandinavia to about 70 % in sicily ( see map below ). australia and new zealand have prevalence of 6 % and 9 % respectively. in general, it can be stated that about two thirds of the world adult population is lactase non - persistent. click on map to enlarge image. explanation of map : prevalence of adult - type hypolactasia in different european countries and populations ( small number = prevalence of a population, large number = average prevalence of the country ) and hypothetical isograms for the frequencies of the lactase non - persistence gene. reprinted with permission from sahi. data from niddh the national institute of diabetes and digestive and kidney diseases ( niddk ) of the nih ( usa ) estimates that between 30 and 50 million americans are lactose intolerant. this includes an estimate of lactose intolerance affecting 75 % of african - americans and 90 % of asian and native americans. by the way, the us census estimates the us population at 261, 638, 000 as of january 1, 1996 and is made up of 72 % white ; 13 % african - american ; 11 % hispanic ; 4 % asian


and native americans. by the way, the us census estimates the us population at 261, 638, 000 as of january 1, 1996 and is made up of 72 % white ; 13 % african - american ; 11 % hispanic ; 4 % asian and pacific island ; and 1 % native american, eskimo, and aleutian | human group | | individuals examined | | percent intolerant | | allele frequency | | europeans in australia | | 160 | | 4 % | | 0. 20 | | data obtained ( in part ) from " lactose and lactase ", scientific american, october, 1972, by norman kretchmer | the age at which lactase deficiency presents varies from one race to another. in blacks and asians, hypolactasia usually manifests itself in early childhood ( 1 - 2 years in thai ), whereas in whites, it seems to occur later in childhood or in adolescence ( 10 - 20 in finns ). lactose intolerance is not common in young white children. however, rotavirus infections may be an important cause of secondary lactose maldigestion in children, and, as the infection is cured, lactose maldigestion disappears as well. there might be differences in hydrogen production after ingestion of lactose according to age, but the findings are not entirely consistent. the amount of breath hydrogen was shown to increase with age up to the age of 64 to 70 years and after lactulose challenge in a group of elderly subjects whose mean age was 76 years compared with a group of younger adults with a mean age of 32 years. however, in the study of rao et al., hydrogen excretion was lower in the age group over 70 years than in the group between 60 and 69 years. it is not known whether these variations are due to differences in lactose digestion or in the colonic microflora. hardly any studies have compared lactose tolerance between the genders. according to some studies in a randomly selected population, gender did not have any effect on the prevalence of hypolactasia. in a study by jussila it was reported that, among 504 hospital patients, women experienced gastrointestinal symptoms and nausea after milk ingestion more often than men. in a study by krause et al., women marked higher symptom scores than men despite lower hydrogen excretion. their results respecting differences in hydrogen excretion are not consistent with those of an other study


more often than men. in a study by krause et al., women marked higher symptom scores than men despite lower hydrogen excretion. their results respecting differences in hydrogen excretion are not consistent with those of an other study by saltzberg et al., who found no difference in hydrogen excretion between men and women after lactulose ingestion. based on the results of the above studies, women seem to experience stronger gastrointestinal complaints than men, but it is not possible to draw any conclusion on the possible differences in hydrogen production between the genders. selective adult - type hypolactasia is inherited through a single autosomal recessive gene. both pretranscriptional and posttranscriptional mechanisms seem to be involved in the expression of the low enzyme activity. a finnish group has recently reported assignment of the cld gene. their analyses indicate that one major mutation in a novel gene causes cld in the finnish population. a culture - historical hypothesis has been proposed for lactase persistence : after the beginning of dairy farming, when there were periods of dietary stress, there would have been an advantage for those individuals who had high levels of intestinal lactase. as a result of increased survival, high intestinal lactase activity would have become typical of such a group. lactase persistence is, indeed, more common in the areas with long traditions of dairy farming. however, production of the enzyme does not seem to be induced by lactose consumption. this information is adapted from lactose intolerance, journal of the american college of nutrition, vol. 19, no. 90002, 165s - 175s ( 2000 ) by tuula et al. and from other medical journals.


burma ' s ethnics : score one for the good, er, no - so - bad guys revolutionary movements have lost their luster. their leaders will never be romanticized again as the likes of trotsky and che guevara once were. since the onset of the information age, it ' s impossible to tune out the tendency of revolutionaries to resort to violent excesses that sometimes equal or exceed the forces against which they rebel. near burma ' s eastern border of thailand, the karen ethnic group has long resisted what it calls the three a ' s - - annihilation, absorption, and assimilation - - by burma ' s junta. in fact, over 60 years in duration, it ' s the world ' s longest - running war for independence - - or its most extended exercise in futility. some background from a piece i wrote a couple of years ago : the karens, as well as other ethnic groups, actually arrived in burma before the majority group known as the burmans ( as opposed to the burmese, all the citizens of burma ). but, in the sixteenth century, the burmans conquered most of burma and proceeded to impose their will on the ethnics. but the modern " origins of the ethnic hatred... can be traced back to the anglo - burmese wars, " writes benedict rogers in his 2004 book world without evil : stopping the genocide of burma ' s karen people. the karens assisted the british in their efforts to conquer the burmans. the british, in turn, allowed them a measure of autonomy ( in part, also, because they were too far - flung to rule ). the ethnics ' first taste of freedom was an ironic byproduct of british colonialism. during world war ii, burmese forces joined the invading japanese in mercilessly attacking the karens, who feared they were destined for genocide. but the allies turned the tide on the japanese and the karens helped drive them out. the karens hoped that they would be rewarded with statehood, but during the war mountbatten of burma had authorized a secret deal with the burmans that left the karens out in the cold. once burma was granted its independence, the karens sought to co - exist with the government. but, in 1949, general ne win, later the leader of the coup that installed junta rule, led militias on a rampage of karen territory. in response, the karen national union ( knu ) emerged to fight for the rights of the karens and the establishment of kawthoolei


later the leader of the coup that installed junta rule, led militias on a rampage of karen territory. in response, the karen national union ( knu ) emerged to fight for the rights of the karens and the establishment of kawthoolei, the state around which their dreams revolve. in recent years the disintegration of ceasefire talks has been a pretext for junta offensives against the karens. others include a perceived need on the part of the junta to engage in wholesale destruction of karen villages to make room for large dam - building projects, as well as relocation of the capital from yangon ( rangoon ).... as of today, hundreds of thousands of ethnic minorities have been forcibly relocated by the burmese army, their villages burned to the ground. tens of thousands have fled across the border to thailand. meanwhile, the army not only tortures and executes those villagers suspected of working with the insurgent groups, but forces others to labor as porters. adding insult to injury, the army uses children as soldiers, seeds the karen territory with land mines, and then forces karen people to act as mine - sweepers by traversing the terrain ahead of the army. as in cambodia, citizens missing a leg, or parts of one, are common in the karen regions. but neither is the knla ( the karen national liberation army, the armed wing of the knu ) blameless. it too has been known to lay mines and use child soldiers. also, according to phil thornton in his 2006 book, restless souls : rebels, refugees, medics and misfits on the thai - burma border, one of its officers told him that because it can ' t afford to feed them, the knla often kills prisoners on the spot. that said, it ' s still hard not to root for them, especially since as burmese exile publication mizzima reports thursday, they ' re " strongly supported by local people. " in fact, recently the knla had " in advance received information of junta troop movements in the paikyone area " from their people. as a result... karen rebels in a 15 - member squad equipped with only automatic rifles and the rain [ like that touch? - - rw ] ambushed a government battalion with more than 100 troops on tuesday, killing nine junta soldiers including the force ' s deputy commander and wounding 14 others.... " there was heavy rain and creeks were flooded with torrents of water, " [ a spokesperson said ]. " we


more than 100 troops on tuesday, killing nine junta soldiers including the force ' s deputy commander and wounding 14 others.... " there was heavy rain and creeks were flooded with torrents of water, " [ a spokesperson said ]. " we took position and posted lookouts, then ambushed them. "... the ambush resulted in the second heaviest loss this year for junta forces in their battle against the knu.... in a clash on a highway [ on may 10 ] the junta lost 13 soldiers and 20 were wounded. what keeps the vastly outnumbered knla fighting? would you believe... sylvester stallone? from my piece again : moviegoers were exposed to the plight of the karens last year if they saw the fourth installment of rambo, which was set in burma ( though filmed, in part, in thailand ). sylvester stallone demonstrated just how universal contempt for the junta had become, especially after it obstructed aid to [ cyclone ] nargis survivors. when john rambo killed off 236 of its soldiers, objections were raised to one of the highest body counts of any action movie ever, but not to who was killed. understandably, the film was reported to have boosted the morale of karen freedom fighters who viewed it. whatever the effect of sylvester stallone on the karen insurgency, the point is that the knla and its supporters draw inspiration from not only hollywood attention and coverage by the media but also by new media. in june mizzima reported : footage of clashes between karen rebels and the burmese army posted on you tube has become a hit with the burmese online community. the video was recorded during running battles between government troops... and the karen national liberation army ' s ( knla ) 3rd brigade.... while you tube was banned in burma and internet speeds were still at dial - up - level quality, some people have still managed to download the footage using proxy servers.... thai - burmese border town mae sot based blogger dr. lun swe examined the impact that web 2. 0 and other new media was having on the burmese opposition community and those living in exile. " the role of new media is a playing crucial role in our pro - democracy movement, " he said. " the quickest way to post burma - related news on the internet is on blogs at home and abroad. " use of the new media has increased since the 2007 " saffron revolution ", when monks led nationwide demonstrations, as the web was one of


quickest way to post burma - related news on the internet is on blogs at home and abroad. " use of the new media has increased since the 2007 " saffron revolution ", when monks led nationwide demonstrations, as the web was one of the only sources of unregulated news and information. here ' s the video : for more, insert " myanamar 8888 " into youtube ' s search box. 8888 is an allusion to the day, august 8, 1988, that students protests erupted in burma only to be brutally suppressed by the junta, with thousands killed. myanmar 8888 ' s videos are of a piece with the citizens armed with small video - cameras who filmed the 2007 saffron revolution. their footage was smuggled out of the country and broadcast back into burma via satellite, as seen in the 2009 documentary burma vj ( highly recommended ). we ' re also familiar with this phenomenon from iran ' s green revolution. in 1992 a junta official told benedict rogers, " in 10 years all karens will be dead. if you want to see a karen, you will have to go to a museum in rangoon. " eighteen years later the karen are still fighting to prevent the three " a " s of annihilation, absorption, and assimilation. but absent international pressure on the junta to cease and desist its systematic destruction of the karen and other burma ethnics, they might not be around in 28 years.


imagine there was a tool where we could input our ideas, combine them with other ideas, see some connections and visualize them in real - time. i ’ m not talking about music, but actual ideas like the ones that we have when we ’ re thinking out loud or brainstorming with a group. in the video above you see an application called ableton live, used by many dj ’ s in concerts to create music in real - time. i repeat, not pre - programmed but in real - time! why is this important? it ’ s important because dj ’ s can experiment with different sounds and music in real - time. they ’ ve always had this ability but with this tool, dj ’ s can input the sounds where they want, listen and make the adjustments all in a matter of seconds. again imagine if we could have a tool where we could input our ideas, combine them and see a result in real - time before we release it into the world. what would such a tool look like? we have one … our brain. yes, our brain is the most powerful machine ever invented and although it would be great to have a tool, such as ableton, at our disposal that could enable us to create more in less time ; our brain will ultimately connect the insight that gives us that breakthrough idea. only our brain gives us the ability to imagine how things could be before we ever see them out in the world. i ’ m sure there are people already thinking about a technology that can enable us to make connections faster but in the meantime we can start by flexing our brain muscles and learn to think better. p. s. i ’ m not promoting ableton live, i just saw that video and thought about such a tool for the purpose of innovation. readers what do you think, is such a tool possible? how would it work? how can we start creating one right now?


posted on july 26, 2004 00 : 00 snow quality may affect the canadian lynx ’ s ability to kill its prey, according to new research suggesting climate may be impacting one of the most fascinating ecological systems to intrigue biologists for decades. the university of alberta ’ s dr. stan boutin is part of a research team to study the relationship between the lynx and the snowshoe hare — an interaction that has grave implications on the dynamics of the whole boreal forest. boutin teamed up with other researchers from canada, the united states and norway — including evolutionary ecologist nils stenseth — to study the lynx - hare cycle, and how it related to the overall boreal forest community. stenseth has previously argued that the 10 - year cycle, which means a rise and fall of the hare population followed by a similar pattern of the lynx, differed according to regions of the country and those differences were tied to large - scale climatic patterns. “ the genetics of the lynx are quite different among these canadian regions and we questioned whether there was some sort of barrier that might stop gene flow, ” said boutin, a biologist with the faculty of science. “ we knew there was nothing physical between eastern and central regions, so we started to speculate that there may be something climate - related that would influence the lynx ’ s ability to prey on snow hares and their propensity to move between regions. ” in a paper published today in the proceedings of the national academy of science, part of a series of papers already published, the team demonstrated that different snow conditions may, in fact, affect the dynamics of the canadian lynx. in particular, surface hardness, as determined by the frequency of warm winter spells control how deep the lynx sinks in the snow. for example, when there are few warm spells, the researchers write, the snow remains fluffy and the lynx sinks deep, whereas its main prey, the snowshoe hare does not sink in the snow and will easily escape under such conditions. but with increasing warm spells, the hares are not able to escape as well. boutin has collected rare data on the lynx ’ s ability to kill under different snow conditions for more than 10 years. his team was able to track the type of snow and whether the animal was successful in the kill or not. “ this lynx - hare cycle is an amazing phenomenon and it has proven to be a very robust relationship, ” said boutin. “ if we start to get climate warming and a crusting of the snow without long, deep cold


diabetic nephropathy is one of the main determinants of morbidity and mortality in diabetes mellitus. indeed end - stage renal disease ( esrd ) in europe and the usa is mainly caused by type 2 diabetes mellitus. this epidemiology is changing world wide as historically esrd was relatively uncommon while most patients died of cardiovascular events or other, mostly infectious, complications. the main interventions to minimize diabetic nephropathy are control of the diabetes ( glycemic control controversy noted as best control for microvascular complications is not the same as best control to optimise mortality ), treat associated hypertension and manipulation of the renin - angiotensin system to slow down the progression of renal disease and therefore provide a renal - protective effect. this is with angiotensin - converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin receptor blockers. there is evidence in type 1 diabetes mellitus that tight glucose control reduces its incidence and progression. albuminuria has been known since the 19th century to be associated with diabetes mellitus. more recently it has been shown that it may not only be the consequence of diabetes but may also predict future diabetes. albuminuria is strongly associated with the risks of cardiovascular events, loss of renal function and mortality. in early type 2 diabetes albuminuria is related to both hba1c and systolic blood pressure - type 2 diabetes mellitus renal damage - asian race - type 1 diabetes mellitus renal damage : - kimmestiel - wilson ' s disease ( classic diabetic nephropathy ) - ischaemic nephropathy - shrunken kidneys - little or no proteinuria - primary nephropathy with diabetes as aggravating factor defined by ukpds annual rates of progression - from normo - to - microalbuminuria - 2 % - from micro - to - macroalbuminuria - 3 % - from macroalbuminuria to elevation of serum creatinine - 2 %. - diabetic annual death rate was : - normoalbuminuria - 0. 7 % - microalbuminuria ( < 30 mg / day ) - 2. 0 % - macroalbuminuria - 3. 5 % - eevated serum creatinine - 12. 1 % - ↑ de galan be, perkovic v, ninomiya t, pillai a, patel a, cass a, neal b


, rice mm, steffes m, domanski m, hsia j, gersh bj, arnold jm, rouleau j, braunwald e, pfeffer ma. influence of albuminuria on cardiovascular risk in patients with stable coronary artery disease. circulation. 2007 dec 4 ; 116 ( 23 ) : 2687 - 93. ( link to article – subscription may be required. ) - ↑ ninomiya t, perkovic v, de galan be, zoungas s, pillai a, jardine m, patel a, cass a, neal b, poulter n, mogensen ce, cooper m, marre m, williams b, hamet p, mancia g, woodward m, macmahon s, chalmers j. albuminuria and kidney function independently predict cardiovascular and renal outcomes in diabetes. journal of the american society of nephrology : jasn. 2009 aug ; 20 ( 8 ) : 1813 - 21. ( link to article – subscription may be required. ) - ↑ ritz e, zeng x. diabetic nephropathy - epidemiology in asia and the current state of treatment. indian journal of nephrology. 2011 apr ; 21 ( 2 ) : 75 - 84. ( link to article – subscription may be required. ) - ↑ vieira sm, monteiro mb, marques t, luna am, fortes ma, nery m, queiroz m, dib sa, vendramini mf, azevedo mj, canani lh, parisi mc, pavin ej, giannella - neto d, correa - giannella ml. association of genetic variants in the promoter region of genes encoding p22phox ( cyba ) and glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic subunit ( gclc ) and renal disease in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus. bmc medical genetics. 2011 ; 12 : 129. ( epub ) ( link to article – subscription may be required. ) - ↑ wessman m, forsblom c, kaunisto ma, soderlund j, ilonen j, sallinen r, hiekkalinna t, parkkonen m, maxwell ap, tarnow l, parving hh, hadjadj s, marre m, peltonen l, groop ph. novel susceptibility locus at 22q11 for


western mountains and high plains invite overwintering birds to your yard attract our feathered friends to your yard by locating bird feeders throughout the landscape. a constant supply of food and water will bring birds all year round. place feeders near trees and shrubs to offer birds protection from predators. check indoor plants keep your houseplants healthy and happy by periodically checking them for troublesome insect pests. warm, dry air indoors provides perfect conditions for pests to thrive. inspect the undersides of leaves, plant stems, and leaf axils. early pest detection and control can save your plants from severe damage. apply tree wrap reduce the incidence of sunscald injury to tree trunks by applying a reflective tree wrap. this is especially important for newly planted fruit trees and thin - barked trees, including lindens, locusts, and mountain ash. wraps prevent the bark from damage caused by heating up during the day, then suddenly turning cold at night when temperatures plummet. force bulbs indoors bring an early spring indoors by forcing spring - flowering bulbs. paper white narcissus are among the easiest to start as they don ' t need precooling. just plant the bulbs, and they ' ll be in full bloom in four to six weeks. if you plant tulips, daffodils, and other outdoor types, you ' ll need to provide about ten weeks of chilling treatment in an unheated garage or crawl space so they ' ll root properly. clean garden tools if you haven ' t cleaned your garden equipment and tools, take some time now. remove dirt and rust. dip tools in a bucket of oily sand or use a rag saturated with some motor oil. this will easily remove rust and soil deposits.


gardening articles : care : : soil, water, & fertilizer fertilize with epsom salts by charlie nardozzi spray a solution of epsom salts to quickly boost magnesium levels in leaves after working with home gardeners for more than 10 years, i know that they love to use home remedies on their plants. from setting out beer traps for slugs to hanging bars of soap to repel deer, if the household product seems to work, gardeners try it. that ' s why i was intrigued by the often - mentioned idea of using epsom salts as a fertilizer. gardeners apply it to tomatoes, peppers, and roses, hoping to produce more flowers, greener plants, and higher yields. you can use it to improve magnesium content if you know you have a soil that ' s deficient in that element, but home gardeners are most likely to apply epsom salts to peppers, tomatoes, and roses. i wanted to find out if it really works and learn the best ways to apply it for best growth, so last summer i asked some of our test gardeners ( home gardeners who tested seeds and products for national gardening ) to test epsom salts ' effects on plant growth and vigor by applying it to pepper plants and roses. then i talked to researchers about using the salts as fertilizer. here ' s what i found out. the history and science of epsom salts this natural mineral, discovered in the well water of epsom, england, has been used for hundreds of years, not only to fertilize plants but to treat a range of human and animal ailments. who hasn ' t soaked sore feet in it at least once? chemically, epsom salts is hydrated magnesium sulfate ( about 10 percent magnesium and 13 percent sulfur ). magnesium is critical for seed germination and the production of chlorophyll, fruit, and nuts. magnesium helps strengthen cell walls and improves plants ' uptake of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur. sulfur, a key element in plant growth, is critical to production of vitamins, amino acids ( therefore protein ), and enzymes. it ' s also the compound that gives vegetables such as broccoli and onions their flavors. sulfur is seldom deficient in garden soils in north america because acid rain and commonly used animal manures contain sulfur, as do chemical fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate. the causes and effects of magnesium deficiencies vary. vegetables such as beans, peas, lettuce


garden soils in north america because acid rain and commonly used animal manures contain sulfur, as do chemical fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate. the causes and effects of magnesium deficiencies vary. vegetables such as beans, peas, lettuce, and spinach can grow and produce good yields in soils with low magnesium levels, but plants such as tomatoes, peppers, and roses need high levels of magnesium for optimal growth. however, plants may not show the effects of magnesium deficiency until it ' s severe. some common deficiency symptoms are yellowing of the leaves between the veins, leaf curling, stunted growth, and lack of sweetness in the fruit. magnesium tends to be lacking in old, weathered soils with low ph, notably in the southeast and pacific northwest. soils with a ph above 7 and soils high in calcium and potassium also generally have low magnesium levels. calcium and potassium compete with magnesium for uptake by plant roots, and magnesium often loses. sometimes, a soil test will show adequate magnesium levels in soil, but a plant grown in that soil may still be deficient because of that competition. gardeners add magnesium when they apply dolomitic lime to raise the soil ' s ph. however, this product ( 46 percent calcium carbonate, 38 percent magnesium carbonate ) breaks down slowly, and the calcium can interfere with magnesium uptake. for soils with a ph above 7, many gardeners use sul - po - mag ( 22 percent sulfur, 22 percent potassium, 11 percent magnesium ) to increase magnesium. although dolomitic lime and sul - po - mag are inexpensive ways to add magnesium, epsom salts ' advantage over them is its high solubility. when diluted with water, and especially when applied as a foliar spray, epsom salts can be taken up quickly by plants. epsom salts ' magnesium content, high solubility, and ease of application as a foliar spray are the main reasons for the positive results many gardeners see in their plants.


a typical molecular imaging probe, such as a fluorescently labeled antibody, is introduced into a subject ( animal, patient ) and washed out over time. contrast is achieved by maximizing the amount of signal at the target while minimizing that remaining associated with nonspecific tissue. a host of factors, from uptake, metabolism, and clearance of the probe to interference by endogenous factors ( e. g., autofluorescence ) to sensitivity and selectivity of the probe to timing of the imaging, can impact the achievable signal to noise ratio ( called tumor to background ratio or tbr in oncology ). most currently available probes are “ always on ” — that is, they continuously emit signal ( or in the case of fluorescently labeled probes, they always fluoresce in response to excitation ). the targeting moiety should direct most of it to the organ, cell, or receptor of interest, yet tbr often remains an issue. what if a probe only emitted a signal when associated with its target? asked hisataka kobayashi, m. d., ph. d., chief scientist in the national cancer institute ' s molecular imaging program. dr. kobayashi has been working on “ activatable ” probes that respond to biological processes. in one example, quenched fluorophores are conjugated to tumor - specific antibodies. once bound, the probe is internalized where it can be activated by the acidic environment of the endolysosome. although fluorescent imaging is typically limited to very shallow depths, it can be used to guide open surgery — for example, in the brain — and most parts of the body ( except the heart and brain ) can be reached by using endoscopy as well. “ we can go almost anywhere through the gi or urinary tract, or peritoneal or plural spaces, ” dr. kobayashi pointed out. he also uses different wavelength fluorophores and other different energy probes, to simultaneously query several discrete entities. in addition, mri, nuclear, pet / ct, and optical can also be multiplexed to generate more information from the body, the radiologist added, “ to detect things much better than the single modality. ” dr. gelovani, who also leads the development of molecular imaging agents at the center for advanced biomedical imaging research at the university of texas ' md anderson cancer center, wants to see molecular imaging used more as a means of early detection of cancers, as


. gelovani, who also leads the development of molecular imaging agents at the center for advanced biomedical imaging research at the university of texas ' md anderson cancer center, wants to see molecular imaging used more as a means of early detection of cancers, as well as a way to stratify patients based on unique mutations or genomic or phenotypic abnormalities. take, for example, small - cell lung carcinoma patients whose tumor is dependent on a mutation that locks the tyrosine kinase part of the epidermal growth factor receptor ( egfr ) into a particular dominant active configuration. such patients respond positively to therapy with egfr inhibitors. “ we have explored the chemical space of that configuration and developed a particular molecular imaging agent that would have selectivity for that particular activating mutation and irreversibly bind to that dominant active egfr kinase, ” said dr. gelovani. “ therefore, we can now enable imaging of patients noninvasively using pet / ct to predict the responsiveness or resistance of primary and metastatic tumor lesions in individual patients. we are really getting closer to that notion of individualized therapy. ” molecular imaging can seek out its target wherever it lies, is quantitative, and ( because it ' s noninvasive ) can serially query the same target. a biopsy, on the other hand, only reveals a mutation where it is sought, which because of the tumor heterogeneity often does not represent the rest of the tumor and metastatic tumor lesions. in contrast, molecular imaging can aid the characterization of tumors in the whole body at once. do it my way yet, not all scans — not even all pet scans — are created equal, and this has implications for the interpretation of clinical trials. “ the problem is not so much that the drug is different, but that each center does the scan in its own particular way. their equipment is calibrated in their own way, and radiologists interpret the study in his or her own way, ” observed peter conti, m. d., ph. d., co - chair of the society of nuclear medicine ' s clinical trials network ( ctn ). at the same time, drug companies may be pretty naive as to how to structure the protocols, the university of southern california professor continued. “ so there ' s a tug of war between the right way to do it as per the radiologists and the right way to do it as per the drug company, ” leaving the fda with the problem of