new jersey superior court, law division, considered the consolidated appeals of four defendants whose convictions involved breathalyzer tests. although noting that the new jersey superior court had essentially taken judicial notice that the breathalyzer models " 900 and 900a are scientifically reliable, " the court nevertheless felt free to consider new scientific evidence not previously available — evidence based in large part on the work of dr. kurt dubowski : the scientific evidence upon which the defendants rely shows the following : - the breathalyzer is designed to test persons having a 2100 / 1 blood - breath ratio. such ratios in fact vary from 1100 / 1 to 3200 / 1 and the variance can produce erroneous test results. high readings are produced in 14 % of the population. - the temperature of the machine itself varies, affecting test results. - body temperatures vary, affecting test results. - hematocrit ( the solid particles in whole blood ) levels vary, particularly between males and females, affecting test results. these sources of error make breathalyzer test results suspect and, to insure reliability, require the substantial reduction of blood - alcohol percentages based on a translation of those results. the leading expert in the field, recognized as such by both state and defense, is of the opinion that the reduction should be. 055. [ 1350 a. 2d at 1306. ] dr. dubowski has long advocated strict procedures for minimizing the many sources of error in breath testing. in a recent article entitled quality assurance in breath - alcohol analysis, 18 journals of analytical toxicology 306 ( october 1994 ), he identified four “ necessary safeguards ” for breath testing : - a pre - test deprivation - observation period of ’ at least 15 minutes ( set the discussion of mouth alcohol in 8. 1. 4 ) ; - blank tests immediately preceding each breath specimen collection step ; - analysis of at least two separate consecutive breath specimens, taken two to ten minutes apart ( different results from duplicate analysis may indicate such problems as ratio frequency interference ; see 8. 1. 9 ) ; - an appropriate control test accompanying every subject test ( see 8. 1. 9 for a discussion of calibration using a simulator ). due largely to the inherent unreliability of breath analysis, the national safety council committee on alcohol and other drugs has recommended that at least two separate breath samples be collected and analyzed individually. as reported in a letter from dr. dubowski published in 9 american journal of forensic medical pathology 272 ( 1988 ), the committee further recommended that the breath


alcohol and other drugs has recommended that at least two separate breath samples be collected and analyzed individually. as reported in a letter from dr. dubowski published in 9 american journal of forensic medical pathology 272 ( 1988 ), the committee further recommended that the breath samples be collected at intervals of at least two and not more than ten minutes. this process of duplicate analysis has been widely advocated by experts in the past, most notably ( and vociferously ) by dr. richard jensen. whether acceptably accurate or not, breath analysis is the most convenient and economical method for the police, and the most convenient and least embarrassing or painful for the arrestee. as a result, counsel will probably encounter some sort of breath analyzing instrument in 70 to 80 percent of his drunk driving cases. there are a number of different breath analyzing machines in use today. the most commonly encountered of these is the intoxilyzer model 5000, of which there are now a number of different versions ( see 8. 2. 1 ), the second most popular of the machines is the intoximeter 3000 ( see 8. 2. 2 ), followed by the older version of the 5000, the intoxilyzer 4011 ( and its various permutations ), the bac datamaster / verifier ( see 8. 2. 3 ) is now universally used in washington, south carolina, and vermont, and is found sporadically in other states as well. finally, the old 900 / 900a series of breathalyzers are still found in a few jurisdictions. each of these machines utilizes its own mechanism for analyzing the alcoholic content of exhaled vapor. with the exception of the breathalyzer, however, all use a common method : infrared spectroscopic analysis ( the breathalyer employs the “ wet chemical ” technique ). these machines operate on the principal that alcohol vapor captured in a chamber will absorb light waves of a certain frequency when beamed through it. the more alcohol present in the chamber ( i. e,, the higher the percentage of alcohol in the breath sample ), the more light is absorbed. in theory, then, determining the alcohol concentration of the sample is simply a matter of measuring the amount of light that reaches a receptor at the other end of the chamber ; the more light, the lower the alcohol content in the breath. a computer then translates the figure into blood - alcohol concentration, using the blood - breath partition ratio ( see 8. 1. 1 ). in approaching a case involving a breath analysis, counsel should be aware that there


it is often desirable to be able to predict the spread and path of diseases through a given population. such knowledge can then be used to help public health officials decide on appropriate response procedures. other information about the disease may be useful as well, such as the total length in time of the epidemic, the rate of recurrence, the equilibrium state of infectivity, or the effect of the initial infectant on further propagation. in such situations, mathematical modeling can be a useful tool. there are two basically different types of models for epidemiology, deterministic models and stochastic models. deterministic models assume all contact rates between each infectious and susceptible person are equal, and that a new infection will result from each of these contacts at some given rate. stochastic models, on the other hand, make use of probabilistic factors to determine the rate of infection. which of these types of models is best suited to a given situation depends largely on the size of the population, as well as its desired degree of precision. as one might expect from their relative straightforwardness, deterministic models have the longer history of the two groups. they have been in use from the 19th century onwards. an important advance in the development of deterministic models came from kermack and mckendrick ’ s study of mouse epidemics. their work in this field led to the establishment of the threshold theorem, which states that “ the introduction of infectious cases into a community of susceptibles would not give rise to an epidemic outbreak if the density of the susceptibles were below a certain critical value. ” ( ref 1 ) these are the types of models that we will be focusing on. for a large population, or when little precision is necessary, the difference between the performance of a deterministic and a stochastic model is insignificant. a deterministic model is therefore probably preferable, due to its relative simplicity. stochastic models are the younger of the groups. mckendrick came up with the first epidemiological stochastic model in 1926. they did not come into use for another 20 years, however. in terms of application, stochastic models become preferable at small populations, particularly as small as a household, when enough precision is required to outweigh the added complexity of the model. one of the simplest disease models that one can study to some depth is a childhood disease like chicken pox. with a disease like chicken pox, all recovered people become immune to the disease


required to outweigh the added complexity of the model. one of the simplest disease models that one can study to some depth is a childhood disease like chicken pox. with a disease like chicken pox, all recovered people become immune to the disease ( with insignificant exceptions ). also, the latency between being infected and showing symptoms is very small. one can therefore assume that all people who recover are effectively removed from the population, and that there is no exposed group ( which is present in most other disease models ), who have been infected but have not yet become infectious. the other assumptions made for this model are that all susceptibles are equally susceptible, all infectious people are equally infectious, and that the population remains fixed ( by balancing birth with death and emigration ). the total population ( n ) is divided into three groups : susceptibles ( s ), infectious ( i ), and recovered ( r ), each of which is a fraction of the total population, such that at all times, let rb be the average birth rate ( and thefore the average death / emigration rate ), and bc the contact rate, which is the average fraction of susceptibles to contract the disease from a single infective. then the rate of change of the number of susceptibles in the population is given by that is the birth rate minus the number of susceptibles who leave the population by death or emigration minus the number of susceptibles who become infected. now, let cr be the recovery rate, the average number of infected people to recover per unit time, or 1 / c is the mean infectious period. the rate of change of the number of infected people is then the number of people who become infected minus the number who leave due to death or emigration minus the number who recover. finally, the recovered populations rate of change is given by the number of people who recover from infection minus the number who leave the population due to death or emigration. since the equations for s and i are independent of r, the system of equations can be simplified to not include r explicitly, since it can be expressed in terms of s and i : furthermore, the solutions for these two equations must be nonlinear, due to the presence of the product si. finding exact solutions to nonlinear differential equations is particularly difficult. this can be accomplished in two different ways. the first is to use a numerical method, such as runge - kutta to approximate the solution. otherwise, we can linearize the system of equations and find the solutions around the critical points to find an approximate solution


accomplished in two different ways. the first is to use a numerical method, such as runge - kutta to approximate the solution. otherwise, we can linearize the system of equations and find the solutions around the critical points to find an approximate solution. one way to do this is by the nullcline approach. we set s ’ and i ’ to zero, and solve the resulting system, obtaining this is then the critical point where the equilibrium is defined. when shown in the si - plane, this point gives the solution to the linear portion of the system around which the nonlinear portion oscillates. since the system is stable, it should converge to this point as this value of s is also the threshold defined by the threshold theorem. in order for i to be positive ( nonzero ) at equilibrium, this value must be less than one. if i is not positive, then there are no infected people at equilibrium and there is no epidemic. then, for a small enough ratio of r to c, decreasing the contact rate can have a significant effect, and the severity of the epidemic can be reduced or even eliminated by the implementation of public health measures such as isolation of infectives or vaccination of susceptibles. this solution suggests that there should be recurring outbreaks of diminishing severity after the initial outbreak. this pattern is not quite what is observed, though. in fact, it is found that the severity of epidemics can depend on a number of other factors, including seasonal changes. the model can then be refined by making b a function of time rather than a constant, to portray a higher susceptibility during winter months than during the summer. by adding this seasonality function, apparently random fluctuations that look chaotic are observed. ( ref 2 ) the system, though perhaps aperiodic, is stable though, so not actually chaotic.


common core spotlight an argument - writing activity hits three key standards we know that during test - prep season it ’ s important to find engaging activities that will reinforce multiple skills. that ’ s why we ’ re so excited about this issue ’ s readers theater play, the secret soldier. it ’ s based on the incredible true story of deborah sampson, who disguised herself as a man so she could fight in the american revolution. after students read the play, they ’ ll tackle our one - page debate, “ should women be allowed to fight in wars? ”, which presents arguments for and against women in combat today. your students will then trace each author ’ s argument, using our handy activity sheet. as a culminating activity, students will write their own argument essays about women in combat — but from deborah ’ s point of view. here ’ s why we love this activity : it combines several skills demanded by the common core : building strong arguments ( w1 ), writing to task, purpose, and audience ( w4 ), and acquiring domain - specific vocabulary ( l6 ) — the debate is packed with military terms. the activity is challenging but short enough to do in one period ( perfect for this busy test - prep season! ). and the topic is sure to foster some very interesting and topical discussions in your classroom. your students will : - read aloud this issue ’ s historical - fiction play, the secret soldier, and the debate on page 19 - consult our military terms glossary to interpret the challenging domain - specific vocabulary in the debate - analyze the debate with our activity sheet on identifying persuasive strategies, “ building an argument ” - use the persuasive strategies identified in the debate and text evidence from the play to respond to the writing prompt on page 19, which asks them to write an argument essay common core ela anchor standards this activity supports : r1, r2, r3, r4, r5, r6, r8, r9, w1, w4, w9, sl1, sl4, l1, l2, l4, l6 find additional activity sheets supporting the paired texts on our quizzes and activities page. more common core resources : to learn how the rest of the march 11, 2013, issue supports the common core state standards, see pages t2 – t3 of your teacher ’ s edition, or click here. to learn more about how scope aligns with the common core and to explore our awesome collection of common core resources, click here.


tydskrif vir letterkunde version impresa issn 0041 - 476x dederen, jean - marie. between women : the subtle voice of femininity in children ' s stories. tydskr. letterkd. [ online ]. 2012, vol. 49, n. 2, pp. 72 - 88. issn 0041 - 476x. the purpose of this essay is to illustrate and explore the representation of women in a selection of eight african children ' s stories from vhembe, in the limpopo province. the discussion is shaped primarily by the shared knowledge of the female elders who provided the narratives and participated in their analysis. the argument put forward is plain and simple : storytelling is one of many stratagems by means of which rural women - far from being passive spectators, nor willing consumers of a patriarchal world view - have created an autonomous physical and symbolic space for themselves, in opposition to the " stronger sex ". by combining anthropological analysis with indigenous exegesis, it was established that some of the selected narratives reveal the voices of women ' s " protest ", the nature of which is subtle and understated rather than rebellious or subversive. palabras llave : children ' s stories ; feminine discourse ; rural women ' s narratives ; vhembe region ; women ' s protest.


mar. 3, 2004 a tiny electric wire deep in carlene morehead ’ s brain constantly sends signals that tame overactive neurons, restoring her ability to walk, talk and enjoy time with her family. mrs. morehead, 67, has had parkinson ’ s disease for 20 years. little more than a year ago, her motor skills rapidly declined after her response to medications began to change, causing her to oscillate between having too little mobility and having excessive, uncontrolled movements. she opted to undergo a surgical procedure called deep brain stimulation. dr. cole giller, associate professor of neurological surgery and radiology at ut southwestern medical center at dallas and one of only three surgeons in dallas who performs the operation, placed two tiny electrodes in the subthalamic nuclei on either side of mrs. morehead ’ s brain and wired them to pacemakers implanted in the chest wall just below her collarbones. the electrodes deliver continuous, high - frequency electrical stimulation to cells in areas of the brain that control movement. the treatment results in marked improvement in stiffness, slowness, tremors, weakness and other disabling symptoms. “ the goal of this is to trade electricity for medication, because the electricity can be delivered at a steady rate that can be adjusted in small steps to produce the greatest benefits and the least side - effects, ” dr. giller said. “ the pacemaker is actually turned on by the same doctor who has been managing the drug therapy of the parkinson ’ s patient. ” after her recovery from surgery, mrs. morehead ’ s neurologist, dr. padraig o ’ suilleabhain, assistant professor of neurology at ut southwestern, activated the pacemakers and made a series of adjustments in the following weeks. during this time, with adjustment of medication and stimulation, she recovered the ability to function without limitation and without the up and down response she had been experiencing. mrs. morehead now visits the clinic once every few months for adjustments. “ i ’ ll come in, and i ’ ll be having trouble with my speech, and he ’ ll tweak it a little bit, and i ’ ll start speaking more clearly, ” she said. dr. o ’ suilleabhain said the surgery has significantly improved the quality of life for 80 percent of his patients who opted to have it, with dramatic improvements in some. “ some of the effects of stimulation occur in the first minute after adjustment. a severe tremor can disappear right before your


the surgery has significantly improved the quality of life for 80 percent of his patients who opted to have it, with dramatic improvements in some. “ some of the effects of stimulation occur in the first minute after adjustment. a severe tremor can disappear right before your eyes, ” dr. o ’ suilleabhain said. deep brain stimulation was originally approved for use in the early 1990s to provide electrical stimulation of the thalamus in patients with disabling tremors. in the last few years, neurological surgeons have found that placement of the electrodes just under the thalamus – in the subthalamic nucleus – not only improves tremors, but is effective in managing the slowness and stiffness and involuntary movements seen in parkinson ’ s disease. researchers have found that the electrical stimulation continues to provide significant improvements in quality of life for at least five years after implantation. balance and mental abilities, which can be impaired by parkinson ’ s disease in some people, are usually not helped by the stimulation. the surgery is not a cure for parkinson ’ s disease. the gradual loss of nerve cells in the affected part of the brain continues despite the functional improvements. deep brain stimulation is replacing surgical procedures known as pallidotomy and thalamotomy, in which the surgeon actually creates holes in specific areas of the brain. unlike the older procedures, deep brain stimulation is reversible, adjustable and poses less risk. dr. giller has developed a unique method of pinpointing the location of the structure in the brain targeted for electrode implantation. he inserts a wire with a tiny flashlight on the tip to illuminate the area of the brain and then analyze its optical properties. dr. giller has used the optical probe to guide his placement of the electrode in 130 deep brain stimulation procedures, including mrs. morehead ’ s. “ we can distinguish gray matter from white matter very elegantly, ” dr. giller said. “ it is very easy, very quick, and we are the only ones in the world to use optical technology to do this. ” eleven months after mrs. morehead ’ s surgery, she and her husband, randall, had a glimpse of what life might have been without it. two days before christmas, a magnetic device in a department store shut off one of the pacemakers in her chest. within hours, she could not walk or talk. “ by dinner time that night, i was crawling, ” she said. “ my husband had to carry me into the doctor ’ s office, ”


dec. 8, 2009 nanoscale machines expected to have wide application in industry, energy, medicine and other fields may someday operate far more efficiently thanks to important theoretical discoveries concerning the manipulation of famous casimir forces that took place at the u. s. department of energy ' s ames laboratory. the groundbreaking research, conducted through mathematical simulations, revealed the possibility of a new class of materials able to exert a repulsive force when they are placed in extremely close proximity to each other. the repulsive force, which harnesses a quantum phenomenon known as the casimir effect, may someday allow nanoscale machines to overcome mechanical friction. though the frictional forces in nanoscale environments are small, they significantly inhibit the function of the tiny devices designed to operate in that realm, explained costas soukoulis, a senior physicist at the ames lab and distinguished professor of physics at iowa state university, who led the research effort. soukoulis and his teammates, including ames laboratory assistant scientist thomas koschny, were the first to study the use of exotic materials known as chiral metamaterials as a way to harness the casimir effect. their efforts have demonstrated that it is indeed possible to manipulate the casimir force. the findings were published in the sept. 4, 2009 issue of physical review letters. understanding the importance of their discovery requires a basic understanding of both the casimir effect and the unique nature of chiral metamaterials. the casimir effect was named after dutch physicist hendrik casimir, who postulated its existence in 1948. using quantum theory, casimir predicted that energy should exist even in a vacuum, which can give rise to forces acting on the bodies brought into close proximity of each other. for the simple case of two parallel plates, he postulated that the energy density inside the gap should decrease as the size of the gap decreases, also meaning work must be done to pull the plates apart. alternatively, an attractive force that pushes the plates closer together can be said to exist. casimir forces observed experimentally in nature have almost always been attractive and have rendered nanoscale and microscale machines inoperable by causing their moving parts to permanently stick together. this has been a long - standing problem that scientists working on such devices have struggled to overcome. remarkably, this new discovery demonstrates that a repulsive casimir effect is possible using chiral metamaterials. chiral materials share an interesting characteristic : their molecular structure prevents them from being superimposed over a reverse copy of themselves, in the same way a human hand cannot fit perfectly


a repulsive casimir effect is possible using chiral metamaterials. chiral materials share an interesting characteristic : their molecular structure prevents them from being superimposed over a reverse copy of themselves, in the same way a human hand cannot fit perfectly atop a reverse image of itself. chiral materials are fairly common in nature. the sugar molecule ( sucrose ) is one example. however, natural chiral materials are incapable of producing a repulsive casimir effect that is strong enough to be of practical use. for that reason, the group turned its attention to chiral metamaterials, so named because they do not exist in nature and must instead be made in the lab. the fact that they are artificial gives them a unique advantage, commented koschny. " with natural materials you have to take what nature gives you ; with metamaterials, you can create a material to exactly meet your requirements, " he said. the chiral metamaterials the researchers focused on have a unique geometric structure that enabled them to change the nature of energy waves, such as those located in the gap between the two closely positioned plates, causing those waves to exert a repulsive casimir force. the present study was carried out using mathematical simulations because of the difficulties involved in fabricating these materials with semiconductor lithographic techniques. while more work needs to be done to determine if chiral materials can induce a repulsive casimir force strong enough to overcome friction in nanoscale devices, practical applications of the casimir effect are already under close study at other doe facilities, including los alamos and sandia national laboratories. both have expressed considerable interest in using the chiral metamaterials designed at ames laboratory to fabricate new structures and reduce the attractive casimir force, and possibly to obtain a repulsive casimir force. funding for this research was provided by the doe office of science. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. - zhao et al. repulsive casimir force in chiral metamaterials. physical review letters, 2009 ; 103 ( 10 ) : 103602 doi : 10. 1103 / physrevlett. 103. 103602 note : if no author is given, the source is cited instead.


aug. 13, 2010 isolating cells from a patient ' s blood or bone marrow that nourish blood vessels may be a safer and less arduous route to treatment of cardiovascular disease than obtaining rare stem cells, according to research from emory university school of medicine. in recent clinical trials, doctors in several countries have tested the ability of a patient ' s bone marrow cells to repair damage, such as heart attacks and peripheral artery disease, created by problems of blood flow. " the focus has been on stem cells, but it looks like the main beneficial effects come from transplanted cells ' ability to support the growth of nearby blood vessels, " says senior author young - sup yoon, md, phd, associate professor of medicine ( cardiology ) at emory university school of medicine. " based on this idea, we wanted to identify a population of cells enriched with the capacity to regenerate blood vessels. " the blood vessel - repairing properties of selected cells from human blood were described in the aug. 10 issue of the journal of the american college of cardiology, with a related paper on cells derived from mouse bone marrow published online july 15 by the journal circulation research. the first author of the jacc paper is postdoctoral fellow sung - whan kim, phd. the first author of the circulation research paper is hyongbum kim, md, phd, now an assistant professor in korea. yoon ' s team focused on the molecule cd31, also known as platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule - 1 or pecam - 1, because of its presence on endothelial cells - - the cells that form the inner lining of blood vessels. in experiments with donated blood from human volunteers or mouse bone marrow cells, the researchers showed that cells with cd31 on their surfaces secrete hormones that support the growth of blood vessels. about a third of the cells in the blood or bone marrow have cd31 on their surfaces, including some differentiated immune cells. in culture, sorted cells displaying cd31 can form tubular structures mimicking the growth of blood vessels in the body. " we can show that after transplantation, some cd31 positive cells do become endothelial cells, but their main effect is more to support other cells than to become the building blocks, " yoon says. the researchers used antibodies against cd31 to sort human blood or mouse bone marrow cells into two groups : cells with cd31 and those without. they then tested these cells ' ability to spur blood vessel regrowth in mice whose hind legs had a blocked blood supply.


antibodies against cd31 to sort human blood or mouse bone marrow cells into two groups : cells with cd31 and those without. they then tested these cells ' ability to spur blood vessel regrowth in mice whose hind legs had a blocked blood supply. in the project described in circulation research, after two weeks more than 80 percent of the mouse hind legs transplanted with cd31 positive bone marrow cells survived, while less than 15 percent of the legs transplanted with cd31 negative cells survived. in laser doppler images, the mice with cd31 positive cells injected into their legs had greatly enhanced blood flow and an increased number of capillaries. yoon says harvesting cd31 positive cells may have several advantages compared to previous methods of treating cardiovascular disease. the cells can be prepared without the need to grow them in a dish for several days, and it may not be necessary to take large volumes of blood or bone marrow from the patient - - an advantage with respect to safety. in addition, cells from mice used to simulate atherosclerosis ( mutant for a gene that helps clear fat from the blood and given a high - fat diet ) do not seem to lose their repair potential. " based on the insights gained from preclinical and clinical studies from several investigators, we view the use of cd31 positive cells as a second - generation cardiovascular cell therapy that could be a novel option for the treatment of peripheral artery disease, " yoon says. he adds that cd31 positive cells may have potential for treating other conditions, including heart attack, heart failure and diabetic neuropathy, which his team is investigating in animal models. the research was supported by the national institutes of health, the department of defense and the korean ministry of education, science and technology. other social bookmarking and sharing tools : note : materials may be edited for content and length. for further information, please contact the source cited above. - s. w. kim, h. kim, h. j. cho, j. u. lee, r. levit, and y. yoon. human peripheral blood - derived cd31 cells have robust angiogenic and vasculogenic properties and are effective for treating ischemic vascular disease. journal of the american college of cardiology, 2010 ; 56 ( 7 ) : 593 doi : 10. 1016 / j. jacc. 2010. 01. 070 - h. kim, h. - j. cho, s. - w. kim, b. liu, y. j.


framework for economic development in scotland part 1 the framework 1. 1 the vision and objectives of the framework the first framework for economic development in scotland1 had a clear vision : to raise the quality of life of the scottish people through increasing the economic opportunities for all on a socially and environmentally sustainable basis. this remains the vision of the executive. it reflects the kind of society that we would like to see in 5 - 10 years time and the nature of the economy that we believe is necessary in order to achieve this goal. it is reflected in the executive ' s partnership agreement for a better scotland2, which sets out the principles underpinning this administration. it notes succinctly that : " growing the economy is our top priority. a successful economy is key to our future prosperity and a pre - requisite for building first class public services, social justice and a scotland of opportunity. " the primary challenge in the scottish economy is, therefore, to establish an accelerated and sustainable rate of economic growth. the executive ' s economic objectives are on two levels : at the top level, there are the principal outcome objectives, which are underpinned by the enabling objectives that support the achievement of these outcomes. the principal outcome objectives. feds is focussed on achieving four key outcomes that are fundamental to executive policy : - economic growth - with growth accelerated and sustained through greater competitiveness in the global economy ; - regional development - with economic growth a pre - requisite for all regions to enjoy the same economic opportunities, and with regional development itself contributing to national economic prosperity ; - closing the opportunity gap - with economic growth a pre - requisite for all in society to enjoy enhanced economic opportunities, and with social development in turn contributing to national economic prosperity ; and - sustainable development - in economic, social and environmental terms. the framework for economic development in scotland the enabling objectives. the achievement of these desired outcomes depends upon a complex array of economic drivers. establishing the underlying conditions and context for economic growth to flourish is, therefore, a critical step. there are four key enabling objectives : - a stable and supportive macroeconomic environment ; - a facilitating national economic context : encompassing the physical, human and electronic infrastructure ; - dynamic competitiveness in scottish enterprises ; and - economic policies and programmes to secure the social, regional and environmental objectives. the first objective here is widely acknowledged as being a pre - requisite for economic growth and stability. it is clearly the primary responsibility of the uk government - although the executive bears responsibility for supporting and contributing to this objective - while the other three enabling


. the first objective here is widely acknowledged as being a pre - requisite for economic growth and stability. it is clearly the primary responsibility of the uk government - although the executive bears responsibility for supporting and contributing to this objective - while the other three enabling objectives form the focus of the executive ' s approach. it is in these respects that the public sector has potentially the greatest contribution to make to the success of private sector entrepreneurial activity and to the overall growth performance of the scottish economy. 1. 2 the strategic approach fulfilling the vision set out in feds requires a well - articulated strategic approach to address the executive ' s economic growth, social justice and sustainability objectives, while acknowledging their clear interdependence. feds is designed to be a comprehensive framework for growth. the productivity of enterprises and of the public sector increasing our economic growth rate will be secured through sustained increases in our competitiveness in international and domestic markets. this competitive edge will itself fundamentally depend on raising the underlying productivity of both our enterprises and of our public sector. the principal focus of the framework is therefore upon securing a more dynamic economy in which enterprises and individuals are able to respond rapidly and effectively to the continuous change and intense pressures of the global economy. it must be a long - term strategy that secures fundamental change and sustainability, and one that is a partnership between the private and public sectors. the productivity and associated dynamic competitiveness of our enterprises remains the fundamental driver of our economic performance. it is equally the key challenge. productivity is driven by a range of factors upon which the devolved scottish government will continue to focus its energies. these are, in part, integral to the operation and management of enterprises themselves and, in part, constitute the wider economic environment in which enterprises need to operate. the most important factors are : - the basic education and skills of our key resource - our people - and their capacity to renew and enhance these skills on a continuing basis. a skills and learning strategy must embrace the full range of skills, including basic skills of literacy and numeracy for all ; the skills required of employees, managers and entrepreneurs ; and the skills of our research and academic community. we must improve the skills of the whole population through further support for the basic education system, by strengthening lifelong learning, and by nurturing higher and further education. this must include a concern for raising our manual and vocational skills. better skills are the key to improving individual life chances, increasing the flexibility of the labour force and maintaining competitiveness. scotland has to embrace the knowledge economy and the reality of


further education. this must include a concern for raising our manual and vocational skills. better skills are the key to improving individual life chances, increasing the flexibility of the labour force and maintaining competitiveness. scotland has to embrace the knowledge economy and the reality of continual learning if it is to compete in the global marketplace. - the generation of knowledge is a key element in the growth of the scottish economy. competition in the knowledge - intensive global markets will be as acute as in the labour - intensive markets in which scotland once prospered. - the physical infrastructure underpins the competitiveness of enterprises, whether it be transportation systems or the electronic infrastructure. high - quality infrastructure is a pre - requisite for thriving and successful enterprise in scotland as well as delivering an adequate supply of housing. planning and development structures are also important. with the new national planning framework, steps have been taken to ensure that, while competing and sometimes conflicting objectives must be addressed, the contribution of the planning system to economic development is explicitly recognised and is taken into account. it is clear that the planning system needs to be reformed to make it more efficient, more rapid in its processes and more attuned to the needs of business and housing requirements. transport will continue to be a high priority, with a clear focus on improved strategic planning, infrastructure investment, reducing road congestion and improving public transport. - the basic entrepreneurial drive and competitiveness of enterprises remain critical elements and are the foundations on which any strategy for growth must build. entrepreneurial drive continues to be determined by a complex set of factors, ranging from the skills and knowledge of potential entrepreneurs and business people to the confidence they have in the opportunities that scotland offers. - without the confidence that scotland is a buoyant and profitable place to conduct business, entrepreneurs will be cautious and risk averse. attitudes to business - from primary school through to higher and further education - need to be positive and supportive. the executive will continue its efforts to promote the enthusiasm and confidence in the scottish economy that will help create a climate in which enterprise can flourish ; - innovative behaviour of entrepreneurs and managers is a necessary condition for a dynamic economy. the application of the large body of knowledge that is already available - and now more accessible from all over the world - and the cutting - edge knowledge that is generated within the scottish research community itself is of great importance. competitiveness rests on innovation leading to a continual process of business development, where the production and marketing of new and refined products is essential ; - the levels of research and development in scottish business remain very low relative


scottish research community itself is of great importance. competitiveness rests on innovation leading to a continual process of business development, where the production and marketing of new and refined products is essential ; - the levels of research and development in scottish business remain very low relative to our major competitors. when the key to securing a continuing productivity advantage lies to a large extent in the ability to access innovative and new methods of working and producing goods and services, this is a crucial challenge ; - an outward focus is equally critical. while the importance of securing new export markets in fast - growing economies and in rapidly growing sectors is familiar, analysis of the strategies of successful businesses suggests a need to encourage companies to be bolder in seeking opportunities beyond exporting. the global connections strategy reflects a shift from focussing on traditional manufacturing - based inward investment and exporting to a new range of business partnerships built on the exchange of knowledge, technology, ideas, skills and people. the executive campaign to promote scotland ' s international image will also help build overseas business by demonstrating scotland ' s cultural, academic and economic strengths. in addition, the executive will focus on the continual improvement of public sector productivity through its management of the public finances. as a major element in the scottish economy in its own right, the scottish public sector has a crucial role to play. the executive ' s expenditure decisions impact both directly and indirectly on economic activity, and the effectiveness and efficiency with which these expenditure programmes are undertaken therefore affect our economic performance. high standards of appraisal and evaluation will be maintained, and there will be a continual drive to identify more innovative and effective mechanisms for delivering and supporting public services. in addition, the strategic approach to raising our own resources through personal and business taxation will play an important role in feds in view of their importance for business and personal incentives and behaviour. we will, where appropriate, take the opportunity to provide incentives for growth, through, for example, the small business rates relief scheme. specifically, the executive ' s strategy has been to set the maximum annual increase in the poundage rate equal to the growth in the retail price index, while it will not make use of the powers to vary the basic rate of income tax at this time. the underlying principles the framework for economic development in scotland is based on several underlying principles : long - term approach. feds requires a long - term strategic approach that focuses on the key determinants of economic development. many of these need, by their very nature, to be addressed through consistent and sustained policy implementation over many years. some have very


term approach. feds requires a long - term strategic approach that focuses on the key determinants of economic development. many of these need, by their very nature, to be addressed through consistent and sustained policy implementation over many years. some have very long lead times - for example, the investment in the early years of children ' s education to provide eventual but long - lasting economic and social returns. others relate to the economic behaviour of individuals - and, especially the basic attitudes, risk taking and decision making of individual entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs - where the necessary culture change may take many years of sustained effort. complementarity of the public and private sectors. economic growth is primarily determined by the success of enterprises in developing products that can compete effectively both domestically and throughout the world. while government can make a contribution, it is the dynamism of the private sector on which future prosperity depends. the executive can help to encourage increased productivity and the competitiveness of scottish enterprises in a number of ways. it can seek to respond to market failure in the exploitation by business of science and research ; it can ensure that scotland has a physical and electronic infrastructure that supports growth ; and it can provide through the education system at all levels for the skills which the competitive economy of the future will require. and it can work in partnership with the private sector to anticipate and respond to the global challenges from which no open economy can be immune. the prevailing set of economic powers. feds takes the present constitutional settlement, and notably the definition of powers and responsibilities as set out in the scotland act ( 1998 ), as its basis. consequently, while the devolved scottish government has control over a very significant array of key economic development powers and policy instruments, it does not have powers over the policy areas reserved to the uk level. these include uk macroeconomic and microeconomic policies relating notably to tax and welfare, programmes to provide work incentives, competition, and some regulatory policy. the strategic approach in feds is based on the assumption that the present distribution of powers remains unchanged. importance of sustainability. feds takes seriously the responsibility of preserving for future generations the economic opportunities and environmental resources that we enjoy today. the economic linkages between different sectors of the economy continue to be important. for example, the flows of knowledge and research into the enterprise sector are of paramount importance, as is the understanding within the worlds of education and training of individuals ' needs for education and lifelong learning in an ever - changing economic environment. similarly, the economic importance of the physical infrastructure and the planning framework is


the enterprise sector are of paramount importance, as is the understanding within the worlds of education and training of individuals ' needs for education and lifelong learning in an ever - changing economic environment. similarly, the economic importance of the physical infrastructure and the planning framework is immense, both factors bearing heavily on the decision - making process within enterprises. economic growth is a national priority. it is not the sole responsibility of one area of government, or dependent on one sector. economic prosperity is only secured through the efforts and contributions of a wide range of individuals and bodies, working in an integrated and collaborative manner. this means that all the departments within the executive play a part in determining - and contributing to - scottish economic development. balancing other objectives with these economic objectives will be challenging, especially as regards the identification of sustainable economic policies and the enhancing of regional and social opportunities. the devolved scottish government ' s vision clearly demands the delivery of the key outcomes for both the present and future benefit of scottish society as a whole. importantly, however, feds is predicated on the understanding that achieving our equity and sustainability objectives is closely tied to achieving our economic objectives. while the fundamental economic analysis and the strategic direction of recent years remain valid, there are issues that have progressively increased in importance in the years since the first directions were set out in the original edition of feds. these are accorded a greater emphasis here as integral elements of the executive ' s economic strategy. each is discussed in greater detail below, but, in summary, they include : - managing public finances, so that we are efficient and effective in procuring and providing public services and investment, upholding the highest standards of financial and economic management ; - raising the environmental sustainability of economic development to safeguard the interests of future generations ; - demographic change in scotland, which poses a set of challenges that we have to meet to guarantee the long - run sustainability of the economy ; and - the planning system, since it can facilitate or constrain enterprise and business development, and the quality of life. within this framework, the devolved scottish government has identified five key drivers of economic development that are especially important and to which it will give priority. these are key elements in promoting both private sector and public sector productivity : - basic education and skills : crucial to any strategy for economic growth and the bedrock for the foundation of a competitive economy ; - research & development and innovation : the foundations for improvements in productivity and for sustainable global competitiveness ; - entrepreneurial dynamism : the creation of new enterprise and a positive, risk -


growth and the bedrock for the foundation of a competitive economy ; - research & development and innovation : the foundations for improvements in productivity and for sustainable global competitiveness ; - entrepreneurial dynamism : the creation of new enterprise and a positive, risk - taking attitude to enterprise are central to the establishment of a dynamic economy ; - the electronic and physical infrastructure : joining business to business, consumer to business, and ensuring the efficient movement of goods, people, and ideas to the right places at the right times ; and - managing public sector resources more effectively : improving the efficiency and effectiveness with which resources are deployed in the provision of public services. 1. 3 the scale of the challenge the scale of the challenge is evident from the present size of the productivity gap between scotland and many of the advanced economies of the world. while there are various definitions of productivity and there are familiar difficulties in measurement, the data all tell a similar story : namely, that the uk lags behind its major competitors and scotland lags behind the uk. the table below demonstrates the magnitude of the challenge on the basis of one critical measure, gdp per hour worked. the gap in scottish productivity is long - standing and it is clear that it has widened over the period from 1996 to 2002. gdp per hour3worked 1996 - 2002 ( uk = 100 )


[ skip top navbar ] andrew gregory ' s web pages i have been aware of the general consensus of needing between 250 and 300 pixels - per - inch when printing photos to get a good quality print. what i ' d never bothered figuring out was why? this page describes my investigations and turns them into a few simple formulas that help indicate what resolutions, in relation to printing and capture ( camera ), are needed in various circumstances. i ' ve been pleasantly surprised by how close the formulas match the general newsgroup recommendations. i hope this information is found to be useful. how much resolution is enough? this is a common question in newsgroups. the answer is simple. it depends! it depends on several things : according to the 15th edition of the encyclopædia britannica ( 1977 ) : the power of distinguishing detail is essentially the power to resolve two stimuli separated in space, so that, if a grating of black lines on a white background is moved farther and farther away from an observer, a point is reached when he will be unable to distinguish this stimulus pattern from a uniformly gray sheet of paper. the angle subtended at the eye by the spacing between the lines at the point where they are just resolvable is called the resolving power of the eye ; the reciprocal of the angle, in minutes of arc, is called the visual acuity. thus, a visual acuity of unity indicates a power of resolving detail subtending one minute of arc at the eye ; a visual acuity of two indicates a resolution of one - half minute, or 30 seconds of arc. the visual acuity depends strongly on the illumination of the test target,... thus, with a brightly illuminated target, with the surroundings equally brightly illuminated ( the ideal condition ), the visual acuity may be as high as two. when the illumination is reduced, the acuity falls so that, under ordinary conditions of daylight viewing, visual acuity is not much better than unity. - macropædia, volume 7, page 104. the article goes on to relate the 30 seconds of arc to the diameter of the light - sensing cones and rods on the retina, establishing 30 seconds of arc ( a visual acuity of 2 ) to be the absolute maximum resolution possible in the human visual system. clearly, as you view subjects from greater and greater distances, the level of detail you can see diminishes. the distance between the details is best measured by the angle between them as you view them.


resolution possible in the human visual system. clearly, as you view subjects from greater and greater distances, the level of detail you can see diminishes. the distance between the details is best measured by the angle between them as you view them. as they move further away, the angle diminishes, and thus the detail also diminishes. the minimum angle between the details was established above, under visual acuity, as 30 seconds of arc under ideal conditions and one minute of arc under ordinary conditions. the relationship between angle, distance and detail separation is given by the formula ( see math forum : ask dr. math faq : circle formulas ) : c = 2 × d × tan ( θ ÷ 2 ) where c ( the chord length ) is the detail separation distance, d ( the distance to the chord midpoint ) is the viewing distance, and θ ( the angle in radians ) is the visual acuity angle. to aid the maths, the angles given above in degrees have been converted to radians ( see dr. math item ) : | angle | |... in radians | | 30 seconds of arc | | 0. 000145444 | | 1 minute of arc | | 0. 000290888 | to show how this works in practice, consider a standard 6 by 4 inch print. it depends on the person, but these might typically be viewed at a distance of 15 inches. basing the calculation on ordinary ( typical ) viewing conditions where the visual acuity angle is 0. 000290888 radians ( θ ), the distance ( d ) between two details such that they are just distinguishable when viewed from a distance of 15 inches ( v ) is : d = 2 × v × tan ( θ ÷ 2 ) d = 2 × 15 × tan ( 0. 000290888 ÷ 2 ) d = 0. 004363323 the reciprocal of that is the " details per inch " = 229. this would be the minimum " pixels per inch " required for printed details to be at the limit of visual resolution under ordinary conditions. a larger print, intended to be viewed at a distance of, say 30 inches, would require a minimum ppi of 115. a quick way to determine the minimum ppi resolution to print your photos is to divide 3438 by the intended viewing distance in inches. this is for ordinary conditions ; double the number for ideal conditions. where did " 3438 " come from


115. a quick way to determine the minimum ppi resolution to print your photos is to divide 3438 by the intended viewing distance in inches. this is for ordinary conditions ; double the number for ideal conditions. where did " 3438 " come from? given the visual acuity angle for ordinary viewing, the equation can be written as : 1 ÷ ppi = 2 × v × tan ( 0. 000290888 ÷ 2 ) 1 ÷ ppi = v × 0. 000290888 ppi = 3437. 746747 ÷ v pixels in your photo image are not the same as dots printed on your photo paper. each pixel on your screen can be one of 16 million different colours. printers have a much more limited range of colours per dot. at minimum it is the number of different colour ink tanks installed in the printer, plus one ( for white - the blank paper ). some printers are capable of overprinting their colours, giving their printed dots a wider range of colours. for example, my hp officejet g95 uses the hp photoret iii " colour layering technology ". the printer has four inks - black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. according to hp technical documentation, the photoret iii technology can produce over 3500 different colours per dot. different printers with more ink tanks ( the additional colours usually being light cyan, light magenta, and light black ) will be able to produce more colours per dot. in any case, no matter the technology or the number of ink colours, printers simply cannot come anywhere near the 16 million different colours per pixel your images are capable of. printers address this problem by printing smaller dots and more of them. the same principle that causes a fine weave of black and white threads to appear gray from a distance is used to make the small number of colours available to a printer appear to be a much wider range of colours when viewed from a distance, even if that distance is only a few inches. there is no simple method to determine the dpi to print a photo at. clearly, it ' s related to the viewing distance and, by extension, the ppi. the dpi value must exceed the ppi value by a significant amount in order for the colours of the printed dots to blend imperceptibly. the amount by which the dpi must exceed the ppi depends on how the printer makes up the extra colours. the fewer colours the printer is able to produce per dot, the more dots


of the printed dots to blend imperceptibly. the amount by which the dpi must exceed the ppi depends on how the printer makes up the extra colours. the fewer colours the printer is able to produce per dot, the more dots are required to spread the average colour around. the short answer is, print at the highest dpi your printer allows. for printers that allow a trade - off between resolution and colours - per - dot ( like my officejet ), the only way to determine which is best is to try the different configurations and see for yourself which is better. i can ' t tell the difference in quality, but the " lower - resolution - with - more - colours - per - dot " configuration prints faster for me. if the assumption was made that digital cameras can record the full 16 million different colours per pixel, the calculation to determine the required resolution would be simple. take your required print size in inches and the ppi you calculated for the required viewing distance and multiply them togther. for example, a 6 by 4 inch print to be viewed at 15 inches would require a minimum ( 6 × 229 ) × ( 4 × 229 ) = 1374 × 916 = 1258584 pixels = 1. 2 megapixels. however, digital cameras are not capable of capturing 16 million different colours per pixel. instead they use a colour filter ( called a bayer filter ) made up of red, green, and blue and measure 256 different shades of each. my inside my qv - 3000 web page has close - up photos of a ccd where you can see the filter. how stuff works has a page describing the process. ( note that recent innovations, in particular the foveon x3, are expected to remove this limitation and result in cameras capable of measuring the full 16 million colours at each pixel. ) the process to convert these separate colours reduces the effective resolution of the camera by at least half. therefore, the required megapixels calculated above should be doubled to 2. 4 megapixels. rearranging the maths will result in a simpler formula. all dimensions in inches or square inches as appropriate. megapixels ( mp ) = ( bayer filter correction ) × ( print width × ppi × print height × ppi ) ÷ 1000000 mp = 2 × ( print area × ppi² ) ÷ 1000000 ppi = ( 3437. 746747 ÷ viewing distance ( v ) ) ppi² = ( 118


print height × ppi ) ÷ 1000000 mp = 2 × ( print area × ppi² ) ÷ 1000000 ppi = ( 3437. 746747 ÷ viewing distance ( v ) ) ppi² = ( 11818102. 69 ÷ v² ) mp = 2 × ( print area × 11818102. 69 ÷ v² ) ÷ 1000000 mp = ( print area × 23. 63620539 ÷ v² ) using the previous example, the 6 by 4 inch print has an area of 24in². the square of the viewing distance is 225. the required megapixels are ( 24 × 23. 6 ) ÷ 225 = 2. 5. what these formulas are calculating is the resolution beyond which any higher resolution is pointless. your personal preferences may allow the resolution to be lower. note also that where your printers dpi does not greatly exceed the ppi of your prints, the quality will be poorer and will need to be viewed at distances greater than those indicated here. these numbers are for high quality under ' ordinary ' conditions. double the ppi and quadruple the mp for ' ideal ' conditions. for highest quality prints, scale your photos so that the ppi is no smaller than the value indicated by the formula : ppi = 3438 ÷ ( viewing distance in inches ) print your photos at the highest dots - per - inch ( dpi ) your printer allows. preferably, the printer dpi should triple ( or more ) the image ppi. when performing the rescaling in your photo editor, do not select the resample option. you will either have more pixels than is strictly required, in which case the printer driver will happily ' down - sample ' your photo automatically. the extra pixels may even help it produce a slightly better print. if you don ' t have enough pixels than the maths would indicate, then there isn ' t anything you can do about it. pixels cannot be invented and you ' ll have to make the best of those you have. for example, if you ' re printing a photo intended for viewing at a distance of 15 inches, the minimum ppi to aim for is 3438 ÷ 15 = 229, and your printer dpi should exceed 687. to determine the required megapixel resolution of the digital camera, use this formula : mp = ( print area in square inches ) × 23. 6 ÷ ( viewing distance in inches ) ² for example, a 6 by 4 inch print


seas information security tips you may feel like " nothing i have on my computer is worth protecting, and they wouldn ' t bother with me anyway. " but the truth is that a vulnerable computer can be the starting point for other attacks on our network. a hacker may not be interested in your computer specifically but rather may hijack your computer for use in remote proxy attacks such as a distributed denial of service ( ddos ), thereby becoming a threat to someone else ' s computer. most attacks come from automated cracking programs which simply try to break into every machine on the internet. when they break into one computer, they copy themselves to that machine so that it can try to break into yet more machines. so no one is choosing to break into your machine specifically, but your machine needs to be secure for the welfare of other computers on the network. below are some basic concepts and practices that will not only protect you and your data, but the whole penn computing community. as an eniac user, you are required to keep your account secure to protect the entire system. 1. don ' t open email attachments, unless you are expecting them. don ' t send email attachments using any of the extensions listed in the answers article on prohibited attachments, they will be interpreted as viruses and blocked. email containing these types of attachments is automatically deleted and there is no way to recover it. 2. lock your computer when you are away from your desk in the office, lab, or college house, even just for a minute. to lock a windows machine, press ctrl - alt - delete and click the " lock computer " button. 3. don ' t share your password with anyone. if you have a shared account, use a different password for it. also, don ' t use the same password on different sites. for example, don ' t use the same password for your bank account and for your email. don ' t write your passwords down. the best place to keep your passwords is in your head. 4. install and run antivirus software and keep it up - to - date. penn provides site - licensed copies of symantec antivirus to penn users at no cost. visit http : / / www. upenn. edu / computing / virus / to download a copy. once it ' s installed, be sure to run " liveupdate " to get the latest virus signature files on a regular basis. you can set up liveupdate to automatically go out and get updates ( see directions


/ to download a copy. once it ' s installed, be sure to run " liveupdate " to get the latest virus signature files on a regular basis. you can set up liveupdate to automatically go out and get updates ( see directions below ) to automate symantec liveupdates : right - click on the symantec shield icon in the lower right corner of the display and select " open symantec antivirus ". select schedule updates from the file pull - down menu. put a check in the box next to " enable scheduled automatic updates ". click the schedule button. under frequency, click the button next to daily. select a convenient time for the updates to take place. click ok. 5. keep your operating system patches up - to - date. it ' s recommended to run windows update regularly. 6. don ' t let anyone modify your account or your computer, unless you trust them. 7. make sure your system security settings are correct. download and run microsoft baseline security analyzer. microsoft released this as a response to the code red and nimda worms a few years ago. it ' s designed to identify common security misconfigurations. 8. remove bad software - don ' t install spyware, peer - to - peer software, or " toolbars ". run spybot search and destroy daily to detect and remove spyware. update it weekly. ( http : / / download. com. com / 3000 - 8022 - 10122137. html ) 9. if someone gets a message with your address in the " from " line, this doesn ' t mean your account was broken into. similarly, just because you get a bounced message from a message you never sent, doesn ' t mean your account was broken into. delete these messages, they are spam. 10. run the " shields up " scan, an internet security vulnerability profiling free service. this scan will identify exposed areas on your computer that intruders could use to probe and hack into. open ports make it easy for intruders to steal your personal information, credit card numbers, and so forth through your computer ' s insecure connection to the internet. do what you can to fix the security problems the " shields up " scan reports. there is a lot of helpful information on the site. go to " shields up " scan 11. install a firewall on your computer. cets technicians will install and set up a firewall on seas staff and faculty computers located in seas offices


, securityfocus 2008 - 09 - 30 what ' s the harm in clicking on a button? that ' s the central question being discussed by security professionals following the cancellation of a presentation on user - interface overlays - - or " clickjacking " as some have dubbed the threat - - at last week ' s open web application security project ( owasp ) appsec conference in new york city. on friday, the u. s. computer emergency readiness team ( us - cert ) warned network administrators to beware of the technique. " clickjacking gives an attacker the ability to trick a user into clicking on something only barely or momentarily noticeable, " the group stated. " therefore, if a user clicks on a web page, they may actually be clicking on content from another page. " two researchers, robert hansen and jeremiah grossman, planned at appsec to discuss the threat of using web graphics to persuade a victim to click where an attacker wants on a page. the technique, which is also known as well as user - interface ( ui ) redressing and iframe overlay, can be used by an attacker to hide a button or link on a legitimate page, such as a bank ' s account page or web mail application, using other web content to mask the page ' s context. a web user might think, for example, that they are clicking on a button to close a dialog box, when the button press in reality deletes all their e - mail messages in gmail. or, a user might believe they are clicking on a button to decline to take a survey, when they are actually transferring money from their bank. the technique could be used to raise an article ' s digg score or get paid for a pay - for - click advertisement, said grossman, the chief technology officer for web security firm white hat security. " the list is virtually endless and these are the more relatively harmless examples, " he told securityfocus in an e - mail interview. " next consider that an attack can invisibly hover these buttons below the users mouse, so that when the clicks on something the visually see, they actually are clicking on something the attacker wants them to. now, what could the bad guy potentially do with that ability? the more we researched, the worse the exploits become. " hansen and grossman canceled their presentation after demonstrating to software maker adobe that one of its products could be affected by the attack. " while they saw this issue as primarily a web browser issue


a decade back, i had the chance to wander a mile into a sequoia grove, and it took my breath away. they ' re beautiful, massive trees, and almost completely block out direct sunlight to the forest floor. walking among them, it feels like you ' re stepping into another world. but it ' s that complete lack of sunlight ( at lower quarters ) that ' s raised a question in my mind... and despite some research, i can ' t find the answer. here it is : for giant trees like these, i would imagine that the treetop photosynthesis is pretty critical. packed ( comparatively ) close together, these giants must compete with one another for sunlight as they reach heights of over 300 feet. and since the average sequoia grove allows very light sunlight toward a tree ' s base, any extra photosynthesis that the tree can squeeze in must be invaluable.. but let ' s suppose that, halfway up a sequoia, a patch of sunlight consistently hits the tree ' s trunk for 20 years. no sunlight hits the trunk above or below that spot for 50 feet... but right here... in this one spot... through some accident of placement... sunlight strikes. does a tree have a trigger response to that sunlight, such that it will branch out in response? or is tree branching completely dictated by a set of fixed, geometric rules... and is unwavering? keep in mind, i ' m not talking about a branch bending or leafing toward the light once it ' s already started growing : i ' m talking about the tree creating a new branch in reaction to light ' s presence. the sign of a good education is the ability to research fields unknown to you. but in this case, my literature / art / propaganda background is failing me miserably. is there an aboriculturalist or arborist in the house? i ' d love to share the answer with everyone, if you ' d like to e - mail me or post in the sheldon forum.


q : “ how come some people can function fine with so little sleep, when others can get a solid eight hours a night and still be tired? ” ~ danielle, calgary, ab. here is the answer from dr. robyn stremler, rn, bsc ( hons ), msc ( a ), phd, a nursing research associate at the centre for nursing at the hospital for sick children. a : “ most adults need seven - and - a - half to eight hours of sleep per night, but there are many people who need more or less than that amount to feel well - rested. there is probably a genetic component to how much sleep each person needs. the 24 - hour a day demands of society, including work, school, time with family and friends, texting, twitter and facebook, has a big influence on how late we stay up and how much sleep we actually get! the best way to know you are getting enough sleep is how you feel the next day. the amount of sleep that allows you to wake up ( maybe even a few minutes before your alarm clock goes off ) with energy for the whole day is the right amount for you. although there is variation in how much sleep adults need, we know that people who consistently sleep less than six hours at night are more likely to be sleepy during the day, have a more depressed mood and make mistakes with complex tasks such as driving a car. people who say they need only a few hours of sleep each night may have gotten used to the feeling of being tired and may underestimate the amount of sleep they actually need. someone who is sleeping eight hours or more a night but still feels tired may have problems with sleep such as difficulty breathing properly during sleep and should talk to a health - care professional. also, the best sleep is achieved when you go to bed and wake up at approximately the same time each day. so, if you are sleeping eight or more hours a day, but you go to bed and get up at very different times each day, this does not allow you to have a consistent daily rhythm ( also called a circadian rhythm ) and may leave you feeling tired or groggy. ” the scientists at sickkids are experts in most areas of health and life science. they spend their days asking tough questions and searching out the answers. now it is your turn to ask them the tough questions. have you ever had a burning question about your body or about your health and didn ’ t know how to find the answer? this might just be the


tough questions and searching out the answers. now it is your turn to ask them the tough questions. have you ever had a burning question about your body or about your health and didn ’ t know how to find the answer? this might just be the opportunity to get to the bottom of it! you have the chance to submit your question and it will be answered by a scientist who specializes in that area. the best questions and answers will be featured on the research institute website : http : / / www. sickkids. ca / research. check the website often to see if your question gets posted. you can learn about what others want to know and if you read enough answers, you may even become a health expert yourself! believed to be the single largest private gift to paediatric cancer in north america, a $ 30 - million gift to the hospital for sick children was inspired by one boy ’ s journey with cancer. michael garron ’ s illness went undetected for months. it took the form of a small lump on his hand looking more like a cyst than a deadly disease. when the lump grew larger, michael saw a specialist in montego bay, jamaica, where his father was stationed with the bank of nova scotia. test results were grim. michael ’ s specialist recommended the garrons return home to ontario, canada, to seek the advice of john hall, a specialist at sickkids. dr. hall diagnosed michael with a rare soft tissue cancer, synovial sarcoma. just shy of his sixth birthday, michael had his middle finger removed to stop the spread of cancer. his lower arm came next and michael began to withdraw from his friends and family. his parent sought the help of sol goldstein, a psychiatrist at sickkids. dr. goldstein worked with michael to help guide him through the next few years of his life. sadly, michael lost his battle with cancer at the age of 13. myron and berna garron know first - hand the struggle parents must face when their child is stricken with cancer. that ’ s why on october 25, 2010, at a celebration at sickkids, they announced a transformative gift of $ 30 million to establish the garron family cancer centre. they hope their gift will allow the hospital to help more children survive their cancer diagnosis. michael ’ s psychiatrist, dr. goldstein, went on to write a book in 1986 on michael ’ s journey with cancer. he named it michael ’ s ship : the true story of a young boy


hospital to help more children survive their cancer diagnosis. michael ’ s psychiatrist, dr. goldstein, went on to write a book in 1986 on michael ’ s journey with cancer. he named it michael ’ s ship : the true story of a young boy ’ s struggle to live. an excerpt from dr. goldstein ’ s book reads : “ our memories of michael exist not to haunt us, but to help us – to show the true value of life and how it should be lived. ” learn more about the transformational gift from the garron family. as part of national pizza month, pizza pizza will be putting smiles on faces across canada with its annual slices for smiles campaign. during the week of october 18 - 24, visit your closest pizza pizza location and purchase a medium cheese or pepperoni pizza to help your local children ’ s miracle network hospital. proceeds from pizza pizza restaurants located in south - central ontario will be directed to sickkids! since its inception in 2007, slices for smiles has raised more than half a million dollars for children ’ s causes. proceeds raised from this event help fund leading - edge patient care, groundbreaking research and critical medical learning at local children ’ s hospitals like the hospital for sick children. this year, pizza pizza wants to raise $ 100, 000! give them a hand by visiting your nearest pizza pizza location during the slices for smiles campaign. be sure to follow the pizza pizza facebook and twitter pages for your chance at winning some giveaways or one of two grand prizes!


say goodbye to your spider veins spider veins appear right beneath the skin ’ s surface and are often red, blue or purple in color. spider veins usually appear as small, thin, jagged lines that sometimes resemble tree branches or spider webs. they are usually present on the face or the legs. the main difference between spider veins and varicose veins is size — spider veins are smaller than varicose veins. they both occur as a result of pooling of blood in the veins, which is caused by weak or damaged vein valves. veins direct blood back to the heart from the rest of the body. as leg muscles contract, blood is pushed back to the heart against the flow of gravity. leg veins have valves that prevent the blood from coming back down, but if a valve is weak or damaged, blood can get through and accumulate. this pooling of blood creates both spider and varicose veins. there are a number of factors that contribute to a person ’ s chances of getting spider veins : - hormonal changes, especially during pregnancy - standing occupation - sclerotherapy is one of the most effective treatments available for spider veins. it involves injection of sclerosants into the vein, which cause the vein to collapse. it is normally used to treat leg veins, but can also be used for facial veins. most experts find sclerotherapy to be more effective and less painful than laser treatment of spider veins of the leg. - pulsed light rejuvenation with advanced fotofacial involves the use of pulses of visible light, primarily to treat spider veins in the face. most experts prefer laser / light treatment for spider veins of the face. interested in learning if you are a candidate? contact us today to schedule a personal consultation.


floppy disk based systems organise data on the media in different ways. some examples of possible variations are : - physical encoding - number of blocks - data / value representation - header information ( current track number, head number, data size, etc. ) - location and method of integrity information - location and value of the sync ( aka mark ) - location, value and size of gap - location and size of actual data part you can see how these combinations are combined to form the structure of the amigados format as described in our disk structure description language in the july 2002 wip. this is simply just layout ( aka geometry ) information. computer designers would either create their own format, or they would use an existing one depending on what hardware they had in their system. if they used a fully - fledged fdc ( floppy disk controller ), the format had to conform to perdefined rules of geometry as allowed by that hardware. the systems that did not have a fully - fledged fdc ( like the commodore amiga ) usually meant that the job of designing the floppy format moved from the hardware engineers to the software engineers, that is, it was defined in the operating system. games designers often tried to squeeze the very last drop out of the systems they were developing for. this often meant they had to go to drastic lengths to fit as much data as possible onto a floppy disk and one of they ways they could do this was to create a stream - lined disk format. as a better known example, using the “ diskspare ” utility on the amiga meant you could store over 980 kib on a floppy disk, as opposed to the normal amigados 880 kib. of course, there are other reasons. certainly the fact that it prevents the disk from being copied in a normal way would have been one of them.


it ' s nice to have this forum for all things theoretical, so i ' ll do my bit for anyone confused about chords and how they are made up and named. relative beginners start here : strictly speaking, a chord can be two notes and up. for guitarists a power chord of c5 will be c and g : using a distorted sound on this will sound good, but if you add the 3rd ( e ) it will muddy up the sound. major chords will comprise the major 3rd with the root and 5th : c, e and g. minor chords will have the flattened 3rd : e flat ( eb ) in this case. sus chords have the 3rd replaced by the 4th, so a c sus chord will be c f and g. listen to the who ' s mighty ' pinball wizard ' for this one. you can add a 6th to either the major or minor chords, which in this case will be a. you ' ll hear 6th chord in glenn miller swing band stuff, and the final chord of the beatles ' she loves you '. a cmin6 chord will have the notes c eb g and a. if you flattened the 6th to ab it changes the whole chord relationship and turns it into an ab major 7th : don ' t get confused, i ' ll come to major 7ths in a minute! now to 7ths : there are several versions. a basic c7 chord will have the notes c e g and bb, and the 7th is flattened from the major scale. a c major 7th has the b natural at the top, whereas a cmin 7th will comprise the notes c eb g and bb. for a really dramatic chord, try a c min with a major 7th : c eb g and b natural. now try it with some big strings and you ' ve got instant drama! the last version of a 7th is the diminished 7th : this is made up of minor third intervals : c eb, f sharp, and a. counting up throuugh a diminished scale you end up with seven notes, although the top one is a 6th up from the c. don ' t worry about it, it ' s still a diminished 7th chord. now here ' s an interesting thing : there are only three diminished chords in existence : the chord of cdim, eb dim f sharp dim and a dim all have the same notes in them, and it ' ll be the bass note that distinguishes which chord you name it. same with c sharp, e g and bb,


: the chord of cdim, eb dim f sharp dim and a dim all have the same notes in them, and it ' ll be the bass note that distinguishes which chord you name it. same with c sharp, e g and bb, and d f ab and b. you can also have an augmented chord made up of major 3ds : c e and gsharp ( aflat ), try playing the chhhords of c, caug, c6 and back again over a latin groove and you ' ll see how this one works. there ' s also a half diminished chord, which has the flat 7th instead of the nominal 6th of a diminished chord : c eb fsharp ( gb and bb ). you can also call it c7b5. more advanced chords. still with me so far? ninth chords will act in the same way as a 7th chord : c9 = c e g bb and d, c maj 9 is c e g b and d, while cmin9 is c eb g bb and d. you can flatten the 9 to db or raise it to d sharp. the latter is the first chord of cream ' s ' i feel free ' - - - although it ' s an e raised 9 chord ( easier on guitar ). 11th chords add another note at the top : in this case f. because f is also the 4th in a scale, it ' ll clash against the 3rd e, so we leave the e out and have the notes c g bb d and f. if that seems a bit complicated, try looking at it this way : take the top four notes and you ' ll see that they make up a gm7 : g bb ( min 3rd ), d and f. so another simpler way of looking at an 11th chord is gm7 over a c bass note ( gm7 / c for shorthand ). the final chord is the 13th, which has an a at the top. however, we ' ll call it a 13th rather than a 6th, as we ' ll still have the flat 7th underneath. and strictly speaking, we ' ll lose the 11th underneath it. in order to get it to sound in the best way, we ' ll alter the chord voicing ( the order of the notes above the root ), so a c13 voicing might be c, g bb, e and a. of course you can add the 11th for a more advanced chord, which would be : c, g, bb, d,


blog » regional planning - july 15, 2010by timothea tway [ photo credit : flickr user sam williams ] earlier this month, the bay area air quality management district ( baaqmd ) unanimously adopted new air quality guidelines related to greenhouse gas ( ghg ) emissions and particulate matter ( pm 2. 5 ) from land use projects. the comprehensive new guidelines, among the most stringent in the nation, address the impacts of air pollutants, as well as recent changes in state and federal air quality. the guidelines also include air quality significance thresholds and mitigation measures local agencies can use when preparing air quality impact analyses under the california environmental quality act ( ceqa ). some significant changes to the guidelines include : - single family housing projects of 56 dwelling units or greater, hotels with more than 83 hotel rooms and general office buildings with more than 53, 000 square feet will all be considered to have a significant impact on ghg emissions under ceqa. - local governments are encouraged to adopt qualified ghg reduction strategies. - new screening criteria and threshold levels have been set for extremely fine particulate matter emissions and toxic air contaminants. projects which fall above these new thresholds will be required determine whether the project will result in a significant impact, including evaluation of emissions within a 1, 000 foot radius of the proposed project. stricter greenhouse gas and particulate matter guidelines are a good thing, right? not always, say some who argue that the new guidelines may inadvertently lead to more sprawl by making it harder to develop the denser parts of our region. some worry that the new regulatory obstacles will drive up the costs of future affordable housing, infill, and transit - oriented development ( tod ) projects. developers and cities are concerned that the new guidelines will make compliance with sb 375, the state ' s law which requires compact development, more difficult. the guidelines do contain a method for local governments to accelerate the ceqa review process for projects that are infill or transit - oriented. to do this, a city can prepare a ghg reduction strategy and have it approved by baaqmd. projects or plans consistent with these strategies could then be considered less than significant under ceqa, and therefore exempt from full review. with cities around the region reeling from the budget crisis, and in some cases cutting planning staff, however, resources to develop these strategies are in short supply. san francisco has already begun working on a ghg reduction strategy, so it is unlikely that the baaqmd guidelines will


reeling from the budget crisis, and in some cases cutting planning staff, however, resources to develop these strategies are in short supply. san francisco has already begun working on a ghg reduction strategy, so it is unlikely that the baaqmd guidelines will cause significant environmental review process changes for projects in the city ; the new air quality standards will likely have more significant impacts on projects and plans in jurisdictions without ghg reduction strategies or detailed climate change related policies. - july 13, 2010by fabiana meacham what are the most pressing issues facing california in the next 15 years and how should we deal with them? if only there were one comprehensive pdf document floating around the internet with all the answers. policy wonks across the state will now be thrilled to discover the public policy institute of california ' s recently released ca2025 report, a " briefing kit " covering california ' s most important long - term policy issues. outlining policies on topics ranging from water to transportation to the economy, the report acts as a kind of handbook for every major policy concern confronting the state today. while one might expect an insufferably dense document, the text is actually quite accessible, the graphics clear and informative. some might crave more detail and in - depth analysis than ca2025 provides, but the report still serves as an excellent primer for the key issues facing the state, and presents compelling arguments for how our policy makers might tackle them. [ graph courtesy of ppic ca2025 ] - january 5, 2010by ben lowe this past fall, a group of spur board members and staff traveled to washington dc to learn from the urban - planning successes of our nation ' s capital ; today, three members of that group presented their findings at a lunchtime forum. spur deputy director sarah karlinsky began the discussion with an overview of the washington urban planning models from pierre l ' enfant ' s plan of 1791 to and james mcmillan ' s plan of 1901 through modern - day endeavors to enliven the long - neglected southeast waterfront area along the anacostia. regional planning director egon terplan expanded the geographical scope of the discussion, demonstrating with satellite photography areas in the region where forward - thinking transit - planning decisions brought about transit - oriented development along major corridors and high public transit use. terplan focused on the rosslyn - ballston corridor in virginia and bethesda in maryland, both tremendous successes in inducing dense development clustered around regional rail service. finally, architect and urban historian rod freebairn - smith showed photographs gathered


. terplan focused on the rosslyn - ballston corridor in virginia and bethesda in maryland, both tremendous successes in inducing dense development clustered around regional rail service. finally, architect and urban historian rod freebairn - smith showed photographs gathered during the trip focused on how security threats affect both civic life and architecture. his photos included many examples of how buildings have been fortified through bollardization and other means, while not marring the storied city or preventing access to national monuments and icons. - november 21, 2009by ben lowe study after study has shown that cities prioritize development that lets visitors and residents walk, bicycle, or take public transit to get around, people are healthier and have far less negative impact on the environment. now, a new study by transform entitled windfall for all demonstrates another benefit to developing livable communities : people who do not use cars to get around spend far less money on transportation than people who do. citing aaa estimates, the report shows that, on average, it costs $ 8, 097 per year to own, maintain, register, insure, and fuel a vehicle. in all, individuals in the bay area spend $ 34 billion on private transportation, most of which on owning and operating cars. especially in current tough economic conditions, finding ways to cut costs is critical, and that includes money spent on transportation. yet many bay area towns and cities have prioritized development that not only encourages auto use, but precludes other ways to travel. as the study asserts, people can only move away from expensive auto use toward more affordable transportation means if cities give them the means to do so by putting housing near transit, ensuring pedestrians and bicyclists can get around safely, and investing in pleasant places that are nicer to be in than to drive past. - november 10, 2009by egon terplan, regional planning director [ image : green roof in toronto from urbanneighbourhood ] how can cities best position themselves in the green economy? what is the role of manufacturing in urban areas? how can a city best choose an economic development strategy given its size and unique economic history? how should federal policy support policy innovation among cities? join us for an evening discussion with nationally - recognized visiting writer and professor joan fitzgerald. she will give us a preview of her new book, emerald cities : urban sustainability and economic development, to be published by oxford university press in early 2010. in the book, joan fitzgerald shows how in the absence of a comprehensive national policy,


fitzgerald. she will give us a preview of her new book, emerald cities : urban sustainability and economic development, to be published by oxford university press in early 2010. in the book, joan fitzgerald shows how in the absence of a comprehensive national policy, cities have taken the lead in addressing the interrelated environmental problems of global warming, pollution, energy dependence, and social justice. her analysis includes a comparison of 24 cities throughout the united states - major cities like new york, chicago and san francisco ( of course ) but also less known places such as toledo and syracuse. join us on tuesday, november 17, 2009 6 : 00 pm where : spur urban center ( 654 mission street ) joan fitzgerald is a nationally - recognized writer and professor who directs the law, policy and society program at northeastern university. earlier this year, fitzgerald edited the american prospect ’ s april 2009 special report on “ the green challenge : will cleaner energy produce new industries and good jobs for americans? ” the answer, says fitzgerald and the six other contributors to that report, is yes — provided that governments at the federal, state and local level give green manufacturing the support it needs to flourish. that means much more thanfunding specific companies ; it requires crafting and implementing a comprehensive industrial policy. such a policy, fitzgerald writes in her piece cities on the front lines, would recognize how traditional sources of manufacturing strength can serve as the base of a renewable energy economy. she cites how a former glass technology and manufacturing center like toledo, ohio has now become a leader in solar energy. and last month in an op - ed for the boston globe, fitzgerald warns that absent a broad and coherent industrial vision that connects demand, supply and technology, the united states is likely to cede leadership in renewable energy production and other clean technologies to german, japan and china. - october 30, 2009by ben lowe on october 29, architects david baker and amit price patel of david baker + partners architects and david fletcher from fletcher studio presented xero energy, their winning entry in the re : vision dallas competition. sponsored by urban re : vision of san francisco, the competition asked designers to propose a fully sustainable city block. the proposal envisions an array of energy - conservation and - generation methods used in concert to reduce the overall energy " footprint " of the building, from photovoltaic panels and geothermal energy generation to on - site community agriculture that would reduce the distance - - and concomitant fossil fuel use - - of residents ' food. in reaching for sustainability, the x


of the building, from photovoltaic panels and geothermal energy generation to on - site community agriculture that would reduce the distance - - and concomitant fossil fuel use - - of residents ' food. in reaching for sustainability, the xero energy proposal reached far beyond the 2. 4 - acre site they were assigned to work on as well, presenting a vision of an expansive greenway and connections to union station, a handsome beaux - arts rail station nearby. tags : regional planning - october 17, 2009by mary it ' s not too late to catch some sessions at the national conference in planning history taking place at the oakland marriott this weekend. organized by the society for american city and regional planning history, many of the panels and tours are focused on the bay area, as well as their sunday tours, which include " historical development and ethnic change in oakland, " " urban renewal in san francisco " and " north of the golden gate : growth control, open space, and alternative agriculture on the urban fringe. " the marriott is an easy two blocks from the oakland city center bart station. - july 1, 2009by laura tam, sustainable development policy director nrdc has just released a guide to sb 375, the nation ' s first legislation to link transportation and land use planning with global warming. the goal of this legislation is to foster development patterns that reduce the need to drive. household transportation is the single largest and fastest - growing source of global warming pollution in california. sb 375 will also help save money for households and taxpayers ( through reduced infrastructure costs ), reduce air pollution, conserve water, and protect farmland and open space.


fall creek falls & coon creek falls january 15, 1951 rg 82, department of conservation fall creek falls is tennessee ' s second - largest park ; it consists of 19, 684 acres and is located between spencer and pikeville along the border of van buren and bledsoe counties. park construction began in 1936 following the arrival of the civilian conservation corps ( ccc ) and works progress administration ( wpa ). the ccc restocked wildlife and began reforestation, and the wpa assisted with the construction of the park ' s facilities. the state forestry service and department of agriculture administered the park throughout the 1930s and 1940s. the national park service oversaw development, which included parking areas, picnic and camping facilities, trails, etc. today, park attendance places fall creek falls among the state ' s most heavily visited recreational sites. the tennessee department of environment and conservation has successfully retained the parks ' most valuable resources, including the spectacular 250 - foot namesake, fall creek falls, as well as cane creek gulf, cane creek falls, rockhouse falls, piney creek falls, numerous gorges, natural foliage, and an abundance of wildlife species. today, the park remains, as the national park service remarked in the mid - 1930s, " unquestionably one of the most outstanding beauty regions " in the united states. section researched and written by kimberly wires, archival assistant.


nursing division services public health nurses complete epidemiological investigations on all reportable communicable diseases in an effort to control and prevent the spread of disease. reporting communicable diseases to the health department is mandated by indiana code 410 iac. a list of reportable diseases ( revised 12 / 2008 ) can be found at : reportable disease list health care providers should print this form for reporting communicable diseases and fax completed form to our office at : 574 - 245 - 6581. confidential report of communicable diseases lead poisoning prevention the indiana state department of health ( isdh ) has determined that all children under the age of seven years who reside in st. joseph county are at a high risk of lead poisoning. public health nurses provide case management services to children ( under the age of seven years ) with elevated blood lead levels and their families. these case management services are implemented in an effort to reduce the effects of lead poisoning. the health department provides certificates to any resident of st. joseph county under the age of seven for a blood lead screening. these screenings are performed on site in the immunization clinics and at the south bend medical foundation ( sbmf ) at no charge to the parent / guardian of the child. health care provider must report elevated lead levels to the health department by faxing a completed reporting form to 574 - 245 - 6581. for more information about lead in the environment, click here.