one teems with lush plant and animal life, but also boasts a rich cultural history dating back to the early cherokee, some of the oldest mountains on earth, black bears and moonshine. the other is socked in by glaciers, but also claims a rich cultural history dating back to the vikings, volcanoes creating some of the newest land on earth, an occasional polar bear and a drink called black death. thanks primarily to my icelandic mother, i have visited iceland often, and i have marveled at its black sand beaches, countless waterfalls, and bizarre rock formations that lead many icelanders to believe they have seen trolls. with all its geysers, steam vents, boiling mud and vividly colored geology, the icelandic landscape in fact appears so different from the rest of earth that movie directors often choose iceland to portray other planets. beyond these great contrasts, though, iceland and the smokies share several common elements, especially their spectacular national parks that protect natural and cultural resources and attract hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. america of course gave birth to the national park concept back in the 1800s. the great smoky mountains national park took shape starting in the 1920s. the park then grew with the creation of fontana lake in the 1940s, a hydropower dam built to fuel an aluminum factory making airplanes for the wwii effort. more than 70 years later and 3, 000 miles away, history more or less repeated itself, when iceland officially established vatnajokull national park in 2008 as the largest national park in europe ( roughly six times the size of the smokies ) ; similar to great smokies, this vast new icelandic park borders new hydroelectric dams that power a nearby aluminum smelter. several years ago, alcoa — the aluminum factory on the tennessee side of the smokies that was powered by fontana dam ’ energy — began to bring these parks together. specifically, the smokies had a robust and generous network of park lovers united under the banner of the friends of the smokies, a non - profit that raises money to support myriad projects the park could otherwise not afford, from research to trail rehabilitation to fieldtrips for school children. iceland, it seemed, could use some insight and help guiding the creation of a similar friends group that would help preserve and protect young vatnajokull national park. i became the point person for the project. it ’ s indeed a rare moment when seemingly unrelated aspects of your life combine perfectly — namely my previous role as the director of friends of the smokies


young vatnajokull national park. i became the point person for the project. it ’ s indeed a rare moment when seemingly unrelated aspects of your life combine perfectly — namely my previous role as the director of friends of the smokies north carolina office, a consulting business aimed at helping small non - profits, and, or course, being half - icelandic. i soon flew to iceland and visited park rangers and potential park partners all over the country. we met in offices or traveled as we talked. i saw icelandic reindeer up in the highlands for the first time, and one of my hosts generously took some short detours to show me two of the houses where my mother spent parts of her childhood. i talked with determined young rangers and older professionals. just one person thought that he already knew everything ; the rest were struggling with many of the same issues we have encountered at american parks : wanting to attract visitors without loving these special places to death, wondering how best to work with local communities, searching for new revenue sources to conserve wildlife and support education, and more. i offered best practices from american parks and friends groups when i could, and i commiserated when i couldn ’ t. several icelanders have also come to america, attending a conference on national parks in texas and visiting yosemite, the blue ridge parkway, and the smokies, among others. the icelanders learned first - hand about parks as classrooms and junior ranger programs, resource management, the fundraising efforts of friends of the smokies, and the visitor center stores run by the great smoky mountains association. the icelanders have repeatedly expressed their thanks and appreciation to all of the american park staff and partners who have guided them, advised them and answered their countless questions. the learning isn ’ t only one - way, though, always heading northeast from the smokies. teaching is one of the best ways to sit down and capture your own best practices, but the icelanders bring their own instructive ideas and approaches to the table, such as their great success in attracting international visitors to volunteer for weeks at a time working on trails and other projects. they also utilize a different approach to managing parks, whereby local citizens serve on park management committees. with renewed support from alcoa, we are now orchestrating a more formal and intensive training program for staff and partners from a wider group of iceland ’ s national parks and natural areas. i ’ m both thankful and proud to say that u. s. national park service staff and other people from washington


orchestrating a more formal and intensive training program for staff and partners from a wider group of iceland ’ s national parks and natural areas. i ’ m both thankful and proud to say that u. s. national park service staff and other people from washington, d. c., to washington state have been quick to help. the great smokies and vatnajokull are also exploring the possibility of a formal sister park arrangement to continue these exchanges of ideas and information on common interests like tourism, scientific research, climate change and fundraising. for the parks, park rangers, wildlife, and other resources, it ’ s a budding relationship that holds great promise for the future. as with almost any international exchange, we may struggle at times with differences of language and culture, like pronouncing eyjafjallajokull or eating rotten shark, while at other times, we may stand in awe of what others have or have done, like iceland ’ s geothermal energy expertise and their thousand - year - old parliament. we will also find plenty of similarities that allow us to speak a common language, share best practices, and prepare ourselves for great new things. while black bears and polar bears may not mix well together, we are already off to a great start in bringing together the best of the place of blue smoke and the best of the land of fire and ice.


about nag panchami : hinduism as a religion is many - sided yet bound by a common search for truth and to hindus it means a way of life and a fellowship of faiths. with the advent of the aryans, it originated as a simple form of worship of the forces of nature, drawing in its system action in social organisations, local cults, deities ’ diverse beliefs and modes of worship. nag - panchami is an important all - india festival and is celebrated on the fifth day of the moonlit - fortnight in the month of shravan ( july / august ). this is the time when serpents invariably come out of their holes that get inundated with rain - water to seek shelter in gardens and many times in houses. as such they pose a great danger to man. on the fifth day of the bright half of shravan people worship the snake, “ nag ”. the day is known as “ nag panchami ”. naga panchami is the festival of snakes celebrated on the fifth day of the bright fortnight in the month of shriven. the festival falls during the rainy months and is believed to counter the increased possibility of a snake bite during this time. people visit temples specially dedicated to snakes and worship them. shiva temples are also favoured places for veneration as snakes are considered dear to him. in south india, people craft images of snakes using cow dung on either side of the entrance to the house to welcome the snake god. some go to worship the snake which is believed to be hiding in the holes of anthills. or else a five hood snake is made by mixing “ gandh ” ( a fragrant pigment ), “ halad - kumkum ” ( turmeric powder ), “ chandan ” ( sandal ) and “ keshar ” ( saffron ) and placed on a metal plate and worshipped. this practice of worshipping the snake on this day is related to the following story. the snake and the farmer a farmer was ploughing his field. at the edge of the field there was an anthill which he inadvertently destroyed with the plough, and thus the young serpents that were hiding in it were killed. the mother snake had casually gone out. when she came back she could not find her young ones. at last she found them cut into pieces. she was furious and understood that the farmer had killed them. she was bent on taking revenge. at night when the farmer was sleeping with


out. when she came back she could not find her young ones. at last she found them cut into pieces. she was furious and understood that the farmer had killed them. she was bent on taking revenge. at night when the farmer was sleeping with his wife and children, the snake came full of anger. she began to bite the feet of the farmer, and then one by one the feet of his wife and children. all began to cry. but the eldest daughter happened to be out of the house that night. then the snake remembered that on the occasion of her wedding, the girl had gone to the house of her father - in - law. “ i will not spare her either, ” the snake resolved. the snake ran towards the neighbouring village. she stopped before the door of a house, and saw a young girl inside. she recognized her as the farmer ’ s eldest daughter. the snake went in determined to bite her. but then she saw the young girl with joint hands worshipping the snake she had made out of “ gandh ”, and the nine “ nagkule ” ( young snakes ). she had offered them “ nagane ” ( gram soaked and parched ), “ lahya ” ( rice blown out by parching ), and “ durva ” ( grass sacred to ganpati ), and she was praying with great devotion, “ o god snake, don ’ t be angry if i have committed any mistake. accept my worship. look after my people at home and in my father - in - law ’ s house. do not bite anyone. forgive any fault we may have committed inadvertently. ” with this the snake was pleased and came before the girl. she opened her eyes and got frightened at the sight of the snake. but the snake said, “ don ’ t be afraid. i shall not bite you. tell me who you are and where your house is. ” then the snake knew well that the girl was the farmer ’ s daughter and felt very sorry for having killed all her people. the snake told the girl what had happened, but told her not to cry. she gave her some nectar and told her to sprinkle it on her dead people, and with this they all came back to life. krishna and the kaliya snake nag panchami is also connected with the following legend of krishna. young krishna was playing with the other cowboys, when suddenly the ball got entangled in the high branch of a tree. krishna volunteered to climb the tree and fetch the ball. but


##g panchami is also connected with the following legend of krishna. young krishna was playing with the other cowboys, when suddenly the ball got entangled in the high branch of a tree. krishna volunteered to climb the tree and fetch the ball. but below the tree there was a deep part of the river yamuna, in which the terrible snake kaliya was living. everybody was afraid of that part of the river. suddenly krishna fell from the tree into the water. then that terrible snake came up. but krishna was ready and jumping on the snake ’ s head he caught it by the neck. kaliya understood that krishna was not an ordinary boy, and that it would not be easy to overcome him. so kaliya pleaded with krishna : “ please, do not kill me. ” krishna full of compassion asked the snake to promise that henceforth he would not harass anybody. then he let the snake go free into the river again. on nag panchami day the victory of krishna over the kaliya snake is commemorated. for this reason krishna is known as “ kaliya mardan ”. snakes are believed to like milk. as this is the day of the serpents, devotees pour milk into all the holes in the ground around the house or near the temple to propitiate them. sometimes, a small pot of milk with some flowers is placed near the holes so that the snakes may drink it. if a snake actually drinks the milk, it is considered to be extremely lucky for the devotee. the festival is celebrated with much enthusiasm by all, especially women.


nasa airborne science campaign begins antarctic sequel greenbelt md ( spx ) oct 27, 2010 scientists returned this week to the southern hemisphere where nasa ' s operation icebridge mission is set to begin its second year of airborne surveys over antarctica. the mission monitors the region ' s changing sea ice, ice sheets and glaciers. researchers will make flights from punta arenas, chile, on nasa ' s dc - 8, a 157 - foot airborne laboratory equipped with a suite of seven instruments. the focus is on re - surveying areas that are undergoing rapid change and embarking on new lines of investigation. " we are excited to learn how the glaciers and sea ice have changed since last year ' s campaign, " said michael studinger, icebridge project scientist at nasa ' s goddard space flight center in greenbelt, md. " we also are going to be mapping uncharted regions that will allow us to better assess future behavior of the antarctic ice sheets and sea ice. " icebridge science flights are scheduled to begin this week and continue through mid - november. flights will take off from punta arenas and cross the southern ocean to reach destinations including west antarctica, the antarctic peninsula and coastal areas. each flight lasts about 11 hours. instruments for the 2010 antarctic campaign are the same as those flown in 2009. a laser instrument will map and identify surface changes. radar instruments will penetrate the snow and ice to see below the surface, providing a profile of ice characteristics and also the shape of the bedrock supporting it. a gravity instrument will measure the shape of seawater - filled cavities at the edge of some major fast - moving glaciers. using these tools, researchers will survey targets of on - going and potential rapid change, including the west antarctic ice sheet, which is the area that has the greatest potential to rapidly increase sea level. another concern is that the ice sheet is below sea level, adding to its instability. revisiting previously flown areas, scientists can begin to quantify the magnitude of changes to land ice. pine island glacier, the largest ice stream in west antarctica with significant potential contribution to sea level rise, has long been a primary target for sustained observations. satellite data, most recently from nasa ' s ice, cloud and land elevation satellite ( icesat ) have shown dramatic thinning there of up to 10 meters per year in places. previous icebridge flights mapped the surface of the glacier and unusual features beneath it, providing clues to the glacier ' s rapid retreat and ice loss. in addition to flying previous lines over the glacier, the icebridge team plans to


per year in places. previous icebridge flights mapped the surface of the glacier and unusual features beneath it, providing clues to the glacier ' s rapid retreat and ice loss. in addition to flying previous lines over the glacier, the icebridge team plans to fly a new horseshoe pattern to sample the tributaries feeding into pine island glacier ' s main trunk. other new flight lines will further explore the antarctic peninsula to map new targets, including the george vi ice shelf, above and below the ice. three high - priority flights are aimed at measuring sea ice, including a plan to map and measure sea ice across the weddell sea. scientists want to know why sea ice in antarctica is growing in extent, unlike sea ice in the arctic, which is declining in extent. current theories range from ozone depletion to changing ocean dynamics. other flights are being planned to be coordinated with existing space and ground - based missions, such as the european space agency ' s ice - observing cryosat - 2 satellite and european ship - based research. overlapping measurements help researchers calibrate instruments and boost confidence in the resulting observations. " a concerted effort like this will allow us to produce long time series of data spanning from past satellite missions to current and future missions, " studinger said. " this is only possible through international collaboration. we are excited to have many opportunities to work with our international partners during the upcoming campaign. " share this article with planet earth operation icebridge mission page beyond the ice age ubc underwater robot to explore ice - covered ocean and antarctic ice shelf vancouver, canada ( spx ) oct 26, 2010 researchers at the university of british columbia are deploying an underwater robot to survey ice - covered ocean in antarctica from october 17 through november 12. scientists predict that the sea ice area around antarctica will be reduced by more than 33 per cent by 2100, accelerating the collapse of ice shelves. up to hundreds of metres thick, ice shelves are floating platforms of ice that... read more | the content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are copyright 1995 - 2010 - spacedaily. afp and upi wire stories are copyright agence france - presse and united press international. esa portal reports are copyright european space agency. all nasa sourced material is public domain. additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by spacedaily on any web page published or hosted by spacedaily. privacy statement |


throughout 1945, american political and military leaders discussed whether the atom bomb should be used. three famous voices who spoke out against it were general eisenhower, who called it " completely unnecessary " ; general macarthur, who said it was " completely unnecessary from a military point of view " ; and admiral leahy, who believed that japan would fall without even the necessity of a land invasion. leahy later wrote that, in dropping the bomb, " we had adopted an ethical standard common to barbarians of the dark ages " ; eisenhower later told an interviewer, " it wasn ' t necessary to hit them with that awful thing. " these men, who were military heroes with nothing to prove, were able to say something then that no leader would dare say today. it seems a dramatic proof that only lesser men live today that the jingoists and bombasts, who would hound to the death anyone who shared these opinions, hold these heroes in high repute. on the fiftieth anniversary of the hiroshima bombing, a smithsonian curator, martin harwit, planned an exhibit centering on the enola gay, the plane that dropped the bomb on hiroshima. harwit lost his job as a result, after a bloody confrontation with the air force association, the american legion, and the contract republicans who had just assumed power. the enola gay exhibit was eliminated ; all that survived was the shiny, restored fuselage of the plane itself, without commentary. what all the fuss was about was that the exhibit as planned attempted to tell both sides of the story. it quoted eisenhower and others on the immorality of the bomb, suggested various motives why the bomb might have been dropped other than the saving of american lives, and contained photographs of japanese radiation victims. and it contained a new estimate, based on recently declassified documents, of the number of americans who would have died in an invasion of the japanese mainland. it now appears that the highest estimate anyone gave presidents roosevelt or truman prior to august 1945 was that 40, 000 - 60, 000 americans would die - - not the ludicrous and inflated number of one million that " everyone knows. " john hersey ' s account of mr. tanimoto tells us : mr. tanimoto found about twenty men and women on the sandspit. he drove the boat onto the bank and urged them to get aboard. they did not move and he realized that they were too weak to lift themselves. he reached down and took a woman by the hands, but her skin slipped off in huge


math riddles come in many forms mathematics are a kind of puzzle in their simplest form. no matter how advanced the math problem is, it is always giving you some information while requiring you to complete the rest. just like a traditional math problem, math riddles use mathematics to find the answer to a sequence, question or formula. while the majority of riddles rely on linguistic loopholes, some use math as a catalyst for critical thinking. there are many types of math riddles, such as logic puzzles, fractals, and puzzles involving probabilities and fallacies. sudoku is a form of logic math riddles, and a rubik ’ s cube is categorized as a mathematical riddle because it involves a number of sequenced movements. while many believe a rubik ’ s cube to be simply a difficult game, those who solve the riddle nature of the puzzle are able to solve any cube. other types of math riddles include algebraic, arithmetic, graph, combinatorial, geometric and analog puzzles. visual illusions may also fall into the math riddles category. why are math riddles so often considered hard? riddles of any type come in varying levels of difficulty, but many find math riddles to be more difficult because they consider math in general to be hard. hard riddles require patience and a higher level of thinking, but hard math riddles can also require knowledge of higher levels of math, such as calculus. it is best to empty your head of any preconditioned negative thoughts about the subject when trying to solve a math riddle. otherwise, you could end up focusing on the math and miss the slight linguistic play that is used. math riddles are a great learning tool for students who struggle in the subject, excel in the subject or as supplementary materials. for students who struggle with a specific area of math, say geometry, riddles can give them a new way to approach the subject. and students who already excel in a subject can be challenged with hard riddles. teachers may assign riddles as homework or extra credit to provide additional critical thinking outside of the classroom. some online math riddles are available at steve miller ’ s math riddles, cut the knot, math warehouse and increasebrainpower. com.


mechanics of learning – lessons from neurorehabilitation “ use it or lose it ” – is a particularly apt description of brain function. continuously ( until death ) new connections are formed between the 100 billion nerve cells which we have been born, and the 100 to 10 000 connections per neuron with others forming extensive networks makes the brain an enormously complex organ. probably some neuro - neogenesis ( perhaps 6000 cells a day ) occurs even in adulthood. only those synapses, however, which are actively used, remain functional. this is the basis of learning – the interaction and exchange between organism ( us ) and environment in problem solving tasks of daily living. investigations on neuroplasticity in recent years have become a central topic in neuroscience, and have changed the attitude towards patients with lesions of the central nervous system. they have also led to a better understanding of the adaptations of structures and functions of the brain according to requirements from the environment ( environment being understood as the physical, psychological and social surroundings with their potentials and constraints ). in neurorehabilitation, such understanding of the interactions between organism and environment and that of learning is used and adapted in the treatment of patients with acute or chronic diseases or trauma. in reverse the observation of the changes attained during rehabilitation of such patients provides new insights into the mechanism of learning and of adaptations of brain structures and functions. by prof. jurg kesselring, department of neurology & neurorehabilitation, switzerland. this article was first published in the brain association of queensland synapse magazine. www. synapse. org. au researchers used to believe the brain pathways ( for sending messages between the brain and the body ) were fixed or unchangeable. this meant if a function was performed by a certain area of the brain, it could only be performed by that area. therefore, after stroke they believed any damage that wasn ’ t repaired within a few months would be permanent. research now indicates the brain has the ability to change. this means brain pathways can change. this ability is called neuroplasticity. as a result, some stroke survivors may be able to retrain the brain by learning to use different parts of their brains to regain function during rehabilitation. for a video about neuroplasticity from dr norman doige there are a number of great puzzle games that can help you to exercise your brain iq puzzler are some great ones


many people are involved in enabling a school to run successfully. school governors role is to be a critical friend to the school and they formthe governing body. they should be united around a common vision arrived at with head and staff and they decide what they want the school to achieve, and make plans to get there. they help to set and keep under review the policies that provide a broad framework within which the head teacher and staff should run the school also ensuring that all those who have an interest in the success of the school contribute when the values and aims are being agreed. other roles of the governing body include : • an active involvement in the creation of the school development / improvement plan ( sdp / sip ). • focusing on raising standards of achievement. • establishing high expectations and promotes effective teaching and learning, so that pupils achieve to their potential. • agreeing indicators by which it will measure aspects of the school ’ s effectiveness. • ensuring that there are systems in place to check that progress is being made towards targets and that evidence is gathered • making sure that the budget plan addresses the priorities identified. the senior management team the senior management team or the senior leadership team in primary school set up is usually made up of the head teacher and deputy head ( or heads depending on the size of the school ), year group leaders, senco and foundation stage leader and in secondary school there may be year group leaders and also subject leaders. the senior leadership team ( including smt ) is the key leadership group within the school, as well as having a major role to play in the day - to - day running of the school. they play a crucial role, through systems of line management, in ensuring that the school improvement plan is a working tool, which moves the school forward. the slt is the decision - making body of the school. decisions will... [ continues ] cite this essay ( 2012, 02 ). schools as organisations. studymode. com. retrieved 02, 2012, from http : / / www. studymode. com / essays / schools - as - organisations - 920814. html " schools as organisations " studymode. com. 02 2012. 02 2012 < http : / / www. studymode. com / essays / schools - as - organisations - 920814. html >. " schools as organisations. " studymode. com. 02, 2012. accessed 02, 2012. http : / / www. studymode. com / essays / schools - as - organisations


beckwith - wiedemann syndrome is a congenital ( present from birth ) growth disorder that causes large body size, large organs, and other symptoms. causes, incidence, and risk factors : the cause of beckwith - wiedemann syndrome is unknown, but it may be genetic. most cases are associated with a defect in chromosome number 11. infancy can be a critical period because of low blood sugar ( hypoglycemia ), omphalocele ( when present ), and an increased rate of tumor development. wilm ' s tumor and adrenal carcinoma are the most common tumor ' s in patients with this syndrome. signs and tests : the signs of beckwith - wiedemann syndrome include : - a ridge in the forehead caused by premature closure of the bones ( metopic ridge ) - enlarged fontanelle ( soft spot ) - enlarged kidneys, liver, and spleen - large size ( 90th percentile ) - low blood sugar ( hypoglycemia ) tests for beckwith - wiedemann syndrome include : infants with low blood sugar may be treated fluids given through a vein ( intravenous solutions ). defects in the abdominal wall may need to be repaired. the child must be watched closely for the development of tumors. children with beckwith - wiedemann syndrome who survive infancy do well, although no long - term follow - up information is available. mental development appears to be normal to very slightly decreased. swelling of the tongue can cause problems with feeding and sleeping. - development of tumors - feeding problems - respiratory difficulties from obstruction due to large tongue calling your health care provider : if you have a child with beckwith - wiedemann syndrome and worrisome symptoms develop, call your pediatrician immediately. there is no known prevention for beckwith - wiedemann syndrome. genetic counseling may be of value for families who would like to have additional children. cohen p, shim m. hyperpituitarism, tall stature, and overgrowth syndromes. in : kliegman rm, behrman re, jenson hb, stanton bf, eds. nelson textbook of pediatrics. 18th ed. philadelphia, pa : saunders elsevier ; 2007 : chap 561. | review date : 5 / 1 / 2011 | reviewed by : neil k. kaneshiro, md, mha, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics, university of washington school of medicine. also reviewed by david zieve, md, mha, medical director,


women with early - stage breast cancer and one or two positive sentinel lymph nodes who undergo a procedure called sentinel lymph node dissection ( slnd ) fare just as well as those who have a more aggressive procedure called axillary lymph node dissection ( alnd ). in addition, the majority of women with small tumors could avoid alnd altogether if they elect to undergo breast - conserving therapy ( lumpectomy and radiotherapy ) rather than mastectomy, surgeons suggest in a new study published in the january issue of the journal of the american college of surgeons. in the past when it came to staging and removing invasive breast cancer, surgeons relied on alnd, which removes about 10 or more lymph nodes in the under arm area. in recent years, however, slnd has grown in use as a standard of care for assessing the status of the lymph nodes. slnd removes only one to two lymph nodes - the ones that receive lymphatic drainage first from the primary tumor - and is preferred by many women who seek to avoid alnd and have a less invasive operation. slnd reduces the risk of surgical complications such as arm swelling, numbness, and range - of - motion problems. “ i think it ’ s really evident now that many patients we are seeing are very early stage, that the sentinel node procedure is picking up very small volumes of disease when the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes, ” explained study coauthor kelly k. hunt, md, facs, hamill foundation distinguished professor of surgery, the university of texas md anderson cancer center in houston. “ sentinel lymph node surgery is less invasive, provides accurate staging, and improves the quality of life for patients. ” several years ago, the american college of surgeons oncology group conducted a groundbreaking study referred to as the z0011 trial in which the researchers concluded that the standard practice of alnd after lumpectomy and positive sentinel node analysis was not mandatory for all women with small tumors. in reporting their results in february 2011, the researchers found that women with stage i or ii breast cancer who had just one or two cancerous lymph nodes ( sentinel ) removed were as likely to be alive and free of cancer after five years as were women who had alnd, possibly because adjuvant therapies ( chemotherapy and radiation ) may kill cancer cells in the axillary lymph nodes. * but a question remained : could this change in practice


cancer after five years as were women who had alnd, possibly because adjuvant therapies ( chemotherapy and radiation ) may kill cancer cells in the axillary lymph nodes. * but a question remained : could this change in practice - eliminating alnd – really impact a substantial portion of the breast cancer patient population? for the current study, the aim was to better understand applicability of the z0011 trial results to the patient population at the university of texas md anderson cancer center and to determine what percentage of the breast cancer population might ultimately benefit from it. this study involved 861 women treated at the university of texas md anderson cancer center between 1994 and 2009 who met the z0011 trial criteria - stages i or ii breast cancer and one or two positive sentinel nodes. researchers compared overall survival and disease - free survival rates for alnd versus slnd alone in women undergoing breast - conservation therapy ( bct ) or total mastectomy ( tm ). of the 861 patients, 21. 88 percent underwent slnd alone. of the 56. 7 percent who underwent bct, 25. 6 percent had slnd alone. of 412 patients who underwent tm, 16. 3 percent had slnd alone. after adjusting for tumor stage, the research team found no significant differences in survival between women undergoing slnd alone or alnd in both populations. further, after examining their breast cancer patient population with z0011 criteria, they estimated that up to 75 percent of their patients could avoid alnd if they undergo bct. “ now armed with the data from the z0011 trial, we can say if the sentinel lymph node is positive and the disease is limited to one or two sentinel nodes, you can have breast - conservation therapy and avoid alnd, because we know that your survival will not be impacted by leaving the rest of the nodes intact, ” dr. hunt explained. “ with our current study, we are not saying that alnd should be eliminated, but we should use it more wisely so that all these other women, a huge percentage of patients we are treating, do not have to suffer the long - term debilitating consequences of that aggressive procedure. ” many women are given the choice of whether to have a lumpectomy and radiotherapy or mastectomy. sometimes women think mastectomy is the safer option, but that belief is not necessarily true. now surgeons and patients have research that sheds some light on this issue. “ in general, we prefer breast conservation for early


radiotherapy or mastectomy. sometimes women think mastectomy is the safer option, but that belief is not necessarily true. now surgeons and patients have research that sheds some light on this issue. “ in general, we prefer breast conservation for early stage breast cancer because it ’ s a smaller surgery, and it doesn ’ t usually require reconstruction and patients can get back to their regular activities more quickly. yet women will choose mastectomy, for many different reasons, but a lot of what i hear is peace of mind, ” she said. “ but that ’ s really not going to translate into improved long - term outcomes. ” while breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer in women, breast cancer mortality rates have been steadily falling due to earlier detection and better treatment. “ in terms of mastectomy versus breast conservation we can ’ t necessarily say that one procedure improves quality of life over another, but we now know that survival is not different between the two procedures, ” dr. hunt said. other study participants include min yi, md, phd ; henry m. kuerer, md, phd, facs ; elizabeth a. mittendorf, md, facs ; rosa f. hwang, md, facs ; abigail s. caudle, md, facs ; isabelle bedrosian, md, facs ; funda meric - bernstam, md, facs ; and jamie l. wagner, do.


online protection for children the internet is an integral part of children ' s lives these days. it opens up so many educational and social opportunities, giving them access to a world of information and experiences. as you would protect your child in the real world, you will want to make sure that they are safe whatever they are doing. like learning to cross the road, online safety skills are skills for life. if your child understands the risks and can make sensible and informed choices online, they can get the most from the internet and stay safe whilst doing so – particularly from those people who might seek them out to harm them. so, how can you protect your child online? the answer is simple. if you understand the internet and understand what the risks are, there are a number of things you can do that will make your child safer online... ceop browser safety tool internet safety advice at your fingertips from the child exploitation and online protection centre. click on the following link to download the safety tool to your browser bar. the following link has a ' parents ' guide to the internet '. from tuesday 7th february it will include a tv - style programme available for public viewing, taking an entertaining and light - hearted look at what it ’ s like to bring up children in the online world – featuring practical tips and amusing clips from some surprising sources! tune in to learn more about what your child is up to online and how you can support them : www. thinkuknow. co. uk / parents facebook requires individuals to be at least 13 years old before they can create an account. in some jurisdictions, the age limit may be higher. a useful link to the parental guide for facebook is here : www. facebook. com / help / parents parental controls at home most parental control software will have a feature that blocks the internet connection after a time specified by the parent. all windows and mac computers now have parental controls as standard and this particular feature is available from the user settings or control panel. as well as controlling the duration of access, the parental controls can also be configured to enable internet access during specified hours only ( e. g. preventing night - time access! ). as well as parental controls on the computer itself, most home broadband routers ( e. g. bt broadband ) have control options to limit internet access for any or all computers in the home. you can also configure them to turn off access during certain hours ( usually through the night ). see the relevant instruction manual for guidance. both parental control methods can be found


what is ram? what is ddr sd - ram ( ddr dimm, ddr ram )? what is the meaning of " single / double - sided "? what is ddr2 sd - ram ( ddr2 dimm, ddr2 ram )? what is meant by spd ( serial presence detect )? what is ecc and what does ( un - ) buffered / registered means? what is so - dimm? what does the figure order 2 - 3 - 3 - 7 - 1 exactly mean? what is rd ram ( rambus, rimm )? what is edo ram ( simm, ps / 2 )? why can ' t my computer run stable after takems module is installed? ( use the memtest86 to test your modules ) how much random access memory is enough? why does my pc only recognize half of the memory capacity of my new ram memory module? with which voltage does the ddr ram memory module work? can i also use a dual channel if i have installed 3 or more ram memory modules in my pc? in which way can i test a ram memory module? in which way do the memory modules need to be arranged that i can activate the dual channel? what does the information " this ram memory module is suitable for dual channel and this ram memory module is not suitable " actually mean? can i use two or more different types of memory modules at a time? copyright © 2005 - 2011,, all rights reserved


chocolate is a name given to products that are derived from cocoa which are then mixed with some sort of fat ( e. g. cocoa butter, oil ) and finely powdered sugar to produce a solid edible product. to make chocolate, the cocoa bean is roasted and shelled, leaving only the nibs, or centres. it exists in several types according to the proportion of ingredients used in a particular recipe. chocolate comprises a number of raw and processed foods produced from the seed of the tropical cacao tree. much of the chocolate consumed today is in the form of sweet chocolate, combining chocolate with sugar. chocolate has become one of the most popular flavors in the world. gifts of chocolate molded into different shapes have become traditional on certain holidays : chocolate bunnies and eggs are popular on easter, chocolate coins on hanukkah, santa claus and other holiday symbols on christmas, and hearts on valentine ' s day. pure, unsweetened chocolate contains primarily cocoa solids and cocoa butter in varying proportions. bitter chocolate is defined as containing more than 35 % chocolate liquor. despite its name chocolate liquor contains no alcohol. it is made up of the finely ground nib ( or centre ) of the cocoa bean to form a smooth liquid. this liquid is quite bitter to taste as it has had no added sugar and is essentially chocolate in its purest form. the liquor is cooled and moulded into blocks, which contain approximately 53 % cocoa butter. bitter chocolate is often used in cooking and is also known as unsweetened and baking chocolate chocolate chips are small chunks of chocolate. they are often sold in a round, flat - bottomed teardrop shape. they are available in numerous sizes, from large to miniature, but are usually around 1 cm in diameter. they are brightly colored chocolate buttons with crispy shells, encased in a pack that ' s as colorful as the product itself. chocolate powders are made from cocoa and may be used for cooking and drinking. chocolates may also be powdered by crushing them and then grinding in a grinder. chop chocolate slab with a sharp knife into small or big chunks as per the recipe requirement. the chocolate can be crushed, sliced or powdered. dark chocolate is produced by adding fat and sugar to cacao. it is chocolate without milk as an additive. it is sometimes called " plain chocolate ". grate the chocolate on a grater. grated chocolates are usually used as a garnish. milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. how to


an additive. it is sometimes called " plain chocolate ". grate the chocolate on a grater. grated chocolates are usually used as a garnish. milk chocolate is sweet chocolate that additionally contains milk powder or condensed milk. how to select white chocolate " contains cocoa butter, sugar, and milk but no cocoa solids ( and thus does not qualify to be considered true chocolate ). there are many fine chocolate boutique, cafes and brands springing up all the time in cities around the world. when tasting a chocolate for the first time, buy from a source you know is fresh. when buying from a local supermarket always check the dates. chocolate does not simply " expire " on the date and can last for a few years from the time it was made if properly stored - it is still edible and perfectly good for baking and eating for months or a year or more past the date. culinary uses · chocolate is also used in cold and hot beverages, to produce chocolate milk and hot chocolate · when included as a cooking ingredient in cakes, desserts, sauces etc. they add a touch of real chocolatey flavor. · chocolate is best used in conjunction with other ingredients and used to make tasty treats such a chocolate cookies, muffins and chocolate mousses. · chocolate is the best option for use in cooking as it gives the chef greater control over the consistency and sweetness of the dish. how to store store chocolates in plastic wrappings in refrigerator. health benefits · chocolate contains alkaloids such as theobromine and phenethylamine, which have physiological effects on the body. · it has been linked to serotonin levels in the brain. scientists claim that chocolate, eaten in moderation, can lower blood pressure. · dark chocolate has recently been promoted for its health benefits, including a substantial amount of antioxidants that reduce the formation of free radicalsglycemic index try recipes using chocolate more recipes with this ingredient.... cocoa powder ( 290 recipes ), grated chocolate ( 77 recipes ), chocolate ( 112 recipes ), dark chocolate ( 91 recipes ), chocolate chips ( 55 recipes ), chocolate gems ( 8 recipes ), chocolate powder ( 23 recipes ), milk chocolate ( 23 recipes ), white chocolate ( 42 recipes ), chopped chocolate ( 46 recipes ), bitter chocolate ( 3 recipes ), drinking chocolate ( 36 recipes ), amul chocolate ( 1 recipes ), perk chocolate ( 1 recipes ), baker ' s semi - sweet baking chocolate squares ( 1 recipes )


powered by afi in philadelphia, on 8 may 1776, massachusetts delegate john adams urges the continental congress to debate whether officially to secede from england. although many congressmen support the " independency " issue, all are offended by adams ' frequent tirades and implore him to sit down. instead, the frustrated adams leaves the building, but regains his composure by thinking about his wife abigail, who remains in massachusetts to manage their farm. in a letter, adams writes abby that the king is sending twelve thousand mercenaries to subdue the colonists and asks her to coordinate the neighboring women to make saltpeter to use in the manufacture of gun powder. in her reply, abby refuses unless adams agrees to send her sewing pins, which are scarce in wartime. on another day, adams complains about congress ' indecisiveness to ben franklin, who is one of three delegates from pennsylvania. franklin suggests that adams let someone more popular lead the cause and convinces richard henry lee, a virginian delegate from an old, influential family, to solicit the support of the virginia house of burgesses. meanwhile, congress, headed by its president, john hancock, receives by courier from gen. george washington of the continental army, frequent, depressing missives, reporting shortages, ill - trained soldiers and the intention of british troops to split the colonies in half at new york. when lee returns, he presents virginia ' s resolution for independence, but john dickinson of pennsylvania, leading the opposition, makes a counter proposal to postpone the issue indefinitely. as charles thomson, the secretary of congress, calls the roll, six colonies vote in favor of postponement and six against, with one abstention. when stephen hopkins, one of three delegates from rhode island, returns from a brief trip to the privy down the street, he casts the deciding vote to continue the debate. a discussion then commences, in which dickinson defends england, but other delegates complain about repressions, high taxes and abolished rights and franklin suggests that america has spawned a new race requiring a new nation. highly charged emotions temporarily erupt into a brawl, but hancock restores order. edward " ned " rutledge of south carolina claims that the south wishes to be ruled neither by england nor the north. judge james wilson of pennsylvania, a toady to dickinson, timidly suggests that more time is needed. even samuel chase of maryland, who supports independence, believes the decision must wait until washington ' s military success is assured, to prevent them being hanged


james wilson of pennsylvania, a toady to dickinson, timidly suggests that more time is needed. even samuel chase of maryland, who supports independence, believes the decision must wait until washington ' s military success is assured, to prevent them being hanged as traitors. adams argues that an army needs inspiration, such as a flag and a purpose, and claims that americans have " spirit. " to this, dickinson jeers and calls adams a " madman, " and the two come to blows, creating havoc. a gunshot fired into the air by a delegate quiets the room and cancer - ridden caesar rodney, one third of the delaware delegation, decries that england is cutting off their air. rodney then faints and, when revived, realizes he is too ill to remain. apologizing for leaving delaware split on this important issue, rodney departs, aided by scotsman thomas mckean, another delaware delegate. taking advantage of their absence, rutledge proposes to end the debate and take the vote. realizing the cause is lost without delaware, franklin stalls for time and is rewarded by the arrival of new jersey delegates, who support independence. dickinson proposes that the decision to secede must be unanimous, so that no colony is forced to fight england against its will. on the issue of unanimity, the colonists are again split, but the tie is broken by hancock who explains that, without agreement, americans will fight each other in military battles. knowing that a unanimous vote is impossible, adams and franklin ask for postponement until they prepare a written document and, to everyone ' s surprise, the usually taciturn virginian, young thomas jefferson, eloquently argues that a document is needed to explain to the world the reason for their action. during the vote, the colonies are again undecided, but hancock breaks the tie in favor of postponement. a committee is formed by adams, franklin, new yorker robert livingston, connecticut ' s roger sherman and, against his will, jefferson, who has been away from home for six months. when deciding who will write the document, all make excuses, leaving jefferson with the responsibility, although he protests that he " burns " to see his wife. jefferson then spends the next week unsuccessfully trying to write. realizing that jefferson ' s " problem " must be solved before the bigger task is achieved, adams sends for jefferson ' s wife martha and, when she arrives, the couple retreats from the world to sate their passions. while waiting, adams conjures


jefferson ' s " problem " must be solved before the bigger task is achieved, adams sends for jefferson ' s wife martha and, when she arrives, the couple retreats from the world to sate their passions. while waiting, adams conjures abigail in his mind and imagines talking with her at their farm. the next morning, franklin and adams introduce themselves to martha, who coyly praises the way her husband plays the violin. meanwhile, congress carries out mundane duties and mckean returns, predicting that rodney will never leave home again. to no avail, adams, franklin and mckean try to win others to their side. when another dispatch from washington reports disorder, confusion and an assembly of prostitutes at the new brunswick army training ground, adams convinces chase and franklin to accompany him to check out the situation. after congress adjourns that day, custodian andrew mcnair and his assistant visit with the courier, who tells them about his horrific battle experiences. near the end of june, thomson reads jefferson ' s draft, as jefferson paces outside the room. upon returning, franklin and adams report that the soldiers are excellent marksmen who work well together if motivated, and that chase is persuading the maryland assembly to approve independence. as they wait for the reading to finish, jefferson, franklin and adams discuss whether a dove, a turkey or an eagle should symbolize the new nation. for several days, delegates make amendments to the document, with jefferson ' s approval and to adams ' annoyance. when sherman questions the need to criticize the english parliament, adams cries out that they are having a revolution and must offend somebody. on 30 june, dickinson tries to remove a reference to king george being a tyrant, but this change jefferson refuses to make. by 1 july, after everyone seems satisfied, rutledge contests a passage referring to the abolition of slavery. angrily, rutledge accuses northerners of hypocrisy, pointing out that new england ships carried slaves from africa to the south and, with the other southerners, abandons the meeting. just then, chase returns, announcing that maryland approves independence. although his pro - independence colleagues remain demoralized, adams asks mckean to fetch rodney from delaware. after other delegates leave for the evening, franklin, though against slavery, tells adams that the offending passage must be forfeited. after an exchange of heated words, adams climbs to the building ' s bell tower and imagines abby ' s words of support. unexpectedly


for the evening, franklin, though against slavery, tells adams that the offending passage must be forfeited. after an exchange of heated words, adams climbs to the building ' s bell tower and imagines abby ' s words of support. unexpectedly, a shipment arrives containing several barrels of saltpeter made by massachusetts women. with new confidence, adams asks jefferson to talk to rutledge and sends franklin to persuade wilson. then, thomson shows him a message from a discouraged washington, who asks, " does anybody care? " depressed, adams remains in the assembly room late into the night, wondering whether he is alone in envisioning america ' s great future. at adams ' moment of despair, dr. lymon hall of north carolina reveals that he, too, is in the room. able to see what adams sees, hall has decided to change his vote. on 2 july, after mckean returns with rodney, congress commences the vote, knowing that a single " nay " will defeat the issue. eight colonies vote in favor of the resolution, but rutledge demands that the slavery passage be removed. adams wants to object, but franklin says that nothing else will matter unless independence is secured. without commenting, jefferson strikes out the passage, and the southerners vote favorably. last is pennsylvania. because franklin is in favor and dickinson, against, wilson now realizes that his vote will determine the course of history. after telling dickinson that he does not want that responsibility, wilson votes in alignment with the others, and thus the resolution is adopted. hancock signs the document, but dickinson, apologizing, abstains. instead, dickinson announces he will fight in the continental army, but hope for reconciliation with england. on 3 july, washington is in new york, preparing for battle. on 4 july, hancock orders mcnair to ring the bell, as each delegate signs the declaration of independence.


in the 1860s it was a strange new world for the pioneering young chinese men who sailed from guangdong province to the goldfields of otago. some struck gold, but they also found oppressive prejudice and hardship. however, with more liberal immigration rules since 1987, new waves of chinese have brought diverse skills and languages, and revived traditions such as the lion dance and the lantern festival. full story by manying ip main image : women making red bean dumplings for a chinese bazaar, 1995 the short story a quick, easy summaryread the full story seeking a better life in the 19th century people in south china faced famine and overpopulation, and many sought their fortunes overseas. but it soon became difficult for them to enter new zealand because of anti - chinese immigration restrictions. the first immigrants the first known settler was appo hocton, who jumped ship at nelson in 1842. starting out as a servant, he eventually became a businessman and prospered through hard work. twelve chinese were brought to work the otago goldfields in 1866. by 1869 over 2, 000 had come to the ‘ new gold mountain ’, as they called new zealand. but rather than striking it rich, most were confronted with poverty, racism and isolation. the poll tax ignorance and prejudice meant that chinese were seen as undesirable – a number of harsh laws limited their rights in new zealand. to restrict immigration, in 1881 the government charged them a poll tax ( entry fee ) of £10, later raised to £100. this taxation continued until 1934. in 2002, the government apologised for the hardship it caused. life in the towns after the gold rush some men found work in fruit shops and laundries, or as market gardeners. few women could join them because of the poll tax. the men often sought comfort in opium and gambling, which only increased anti - chinese prejudice. attitudes softened when china fought japan in the second world war. as more women and children were allowed to come, families formed communities. but by the 1960s, they were losing their language and traditions. a new policy in 1987 allowed many more chinese to immigrate from china and elsewhere. the community today after europeans and polynesians, chinese form new zealand ’ s largest ethnic community. generally they are well educated, and come for work or the lifestyle. recent immigrants have revived their culture and languages.


super - strong yarn for spacesuits and bullet - proof vests fabrics woven using novel carbon - nanotube - loaded yarns. credit : kai liu. super - strong, highly conductive yarns made from extraordinarily thin carbon tubes could one day find use in spacesuits, bulletproof vests and radiation suits, researchers now suggest. carbon nanotubes are hollow pipes just nanometers or billionths of a meter in diameter — dozens to hundreds of times thinner than a wavelength of visible light. they can possess a range of extraordinary physical and electrical properties, such as being roughly 100 times stronger than steel at one - sixth the weight. scientists have feverishly explored ways to make textiles from carbon nanotubes for years. however, yarns made from these nanotubes lacked the attractive properties seen in lone fibers. the problem is rooted in how the nanotubes are typically about 200 to 400 millimeters long. when these get woven together into a yarn, the connections between the nanotubes act as gaps that weaken the yarn ' s overall conductivity, and these connections are not as strong as the tubes themselves, explained researcher kai liu at the tsinghua - foxconn nanotechnology research center in beijing. simultaneously enhancing both the strength and conductivity of yarns made from these nanotubes has proven difficult. additives that increased the strength of these yarns often inadvertently left behind poorly conductive residues that reduced the overall conductivity of the yarn. on the other hand, treatments with super - acids that boosted the conductivity of these yarns by adding oxygen - containing molecules also weakened the yarns by introducing physical defects. now scientists in china reveal they have made composite yarns from carbon nanotubes and plastic that are both very strong and electrically conductive. the researchers first wove pure carbon nanotube yarns as free of physical defects as possible, to ensure it had good electrical conductivity. they next impregnated a strengthening plastic into the empty spaces inside this yarn, using a solvent that did not leave any leftovers behind that would detract from the yarn ' s electrical properties. the strength of these new yarns — up to about five times stronger than steel — combined with their flexibility makes them attractive for protective fabrics such as bulletproof vests. at the same time, the fact they are so electrically conductive means they could be easily heated, making them valuable for use in super - cold environments such as outer space. in addition, since carbon nanotubes can


sign up for a new account or log in here : scientists at ibm ’ s t. j. watson research center in yorktown heights, n. y. are making substantial progress on what is expected to be the successor to silicon - based microprocessors. carbon nanotubes have been arranged on the surface of a silicon wafer to create a hybrid chip with more than 10, 000 working transistors. researchers have become increasingly concerned with the possibility that moore ’ s law – the idea that the number of transistors on a chip can be doubled every 12 to 18 months – might fail sooner rather than later. ibm says the breakthrough is significant and worth getting excited over. silicon has been an incredibly resilient building block over the past 50 years or so but scientists have yet to find a solution beyond the next few generations. carbon nanotubes are expected to allow chip makers to build smaller transistors that can turn on and off much more quickly than their silicon counterparts. supratik guha, director of physical sciences at ibm research, said his group suspected carbon nanotubes would outperform any other switches made from any other material. simulations performed by device physicists showed a factor of five or more improvement over conventional silicon devices. the processor industry as a whole has hit a wall in recent years in terms of overall clock speed. this has forced the industry to shift gears and build multi - core processors to help tackle workloads rather than continuing to ramp up clock speeds. once the new technology has been fully perfected for use by the end of this decade, scientists anticipate future processors will feature much higher clock speeds in addition to even more transistors being crammed onto a single wafer. get free exclusive content, learn about new features and breaking tech news.


summary : this manual offers practical advice on the fundamentals of research to college and university students in all fields of study. the craft of research teaches much more than the mechanics of fact gathering : it explains how to approach a research project as an analytical process. the authors chart every stage of research, from finding a topic and generating research questions about it to marshalling evidence, constructing arguments, and writing everything up in a final report that is a... show more model of authority. their advice is designed for use by both beginners and seasoned practitioners, and for projects from class papers to dissertations. this book is organized into four parts. part one is a spirited introduction to the distinctive nature, values, and protocols of research. part two demystifies the art of discovering a topic. it outlines a wide range of sources, among them personal interests and passions. parts three and four cover the essentials of argument - - how to make a claim and support it - - and ways to outline, draft, revise, rewrite, and polish the final report. part three is a short course in the logic, structure, uses, and common pitfalls of argumentation. the writing chapters in part four show how to present verbal and visual information effectively and how to shape sentences and paragraphs that communicate with power and precision.... show lessedition / copyright : 95 more prices and sellers below.


light - emitting t - shirts come closer to realitymay 6th, 2009 - 1 : 51 pm ict by ani london, may 6 ( ani ) : light - emitting t - shirts may soon come to be used for electronic displays, thanks to a new japanese screen - printing method of depositing a luminescent gel onto any surface, including paper and fabric. researchers at dai nippon printing in tokyo, who have made this advance, have revealed that the gel consists of a ruthenium compound that emits a bright light when a voltage is applied to it, along with an electrolyte and silica nanoparticles. the electrolyte is a liquid salt, an ionic liquid that does not easily evaporate. it also prevents the ink from degrading, allowing displays to be printed onto surfaces without the need for a protective coating. what makes this ink suitable for use with textiles is the fact that it will not wash off in water, say the researchers. according to them, the silica nanoparticles blend with the light - emitting liquid to form a gel, allowing it to be printed onto different surfaces in discrete blobs, to form pixels. presently, the ink emits only reddish hues, reports new scientist magazine. the researchers, however, are trying to incorporate other metal compounds into their technique so as to emit green and blue light, which will eventually give them the whole spectrum. since the screen - printing technique currently allows only rough pixels to be generated, the images produced currently are fuzzy. the researchers say that they are working on techniques to deposit the gel onto surfaces using an ink - jet printer, which would allow them to create smaller pixels and hence higher resolution at costs lower than those involved in lithographic techniques. the company hopes to market the technology within five years. it believes that its technique may pave the way for light - emitting posters, clothing, flexible displays, and new lighting applications. ( ani ) - innovative method prints colours without inks - aug 13, 2012 - nano - lasers to light future homes - jun 30, 2010 - now, quantum dot display for sharper flexible tv screen images - feb 21, 2011 - raman effect makes cancer detection possible - apr 21, 2011 - ' chameleon ' technology that could make tanks look like a cow! - jan 20, 2011 - growing nanolasers on silicon paves way for on - chip photonics - feb 07, 2011 - ultrathin silicon substitute to revolutionize future electronics


##meleon ' technology that could make tanks look like a cow! - jan 20, 2011 - growing nanolasers on silicon paves way for on - chip photonics - feb 07, 2011 - ultrathin silicon substitute to revolutionize future electronics - nov 23, 2010 - new kind of optical fiber paves way for improved surgical and medical lasers - feb 26, 2011 - bacteria - killing paper for next - generation food packaging - feb 20, 2011 - magic ink to revolutionise full - colour printing - aug 26, 2009 - new method to create field - effect transistors - may 26, 2010 - green led tvs and computers ' a step closer to reality ' - apr 26, 2011 - polymer synthesis to pave way for more energy - efficient electronics - jul 20, 2010 - scientists build microbatteries with nanowire hearts - dec 10, 2010 - new technique that makes leds more efficient developed - jan 26, 2011 tags : blobs, dai nippon printing, electrolyte, electronic displays, flexible displays, ink jet printer, ionic liquid, japanese screen, lighting applications, lithographic techniques, metal compounds, new lighting, new scientist magazine, nippon, printing method, printing technique, reddish hues, ruthenium, screen printing, silica


in the " colonias " communities of south texas, thousands live without running water, sanitation, or electricity corpus christi, tex. - - the sun is low in the sky and an icy wind whips across the cotton field. the trailer has been empty a couple of months now. a tortured strip of aluminum bent into a ' v ' sits like a spire on what ' s left of the roof, and the back end of the home is now a wooden skeleton after a tornado ripped it apart late last year. santos marines, 62, stands on her stoop next door and shakes her head. " i don ' t know where they went. he came by yesterday to get some of his stuff, but they had to move out. it ' s so sad. they have nothing. " the irony is that while marines ' s trailer was spared the tornado, she has very little herself. the tiny heater in the front room is barely enough to keep it warm and marines has resorted to turning two burners up high on the stove ; the other two are broken. several gallon - bottles of water are stacked up near the door. there is no running water - - any that she needs for cooking or bathing is pumped from a neighbor ' s well half a mile down the road, and drinking water has to come from the supermarket. story continues below colonias - - impoverished communities along the united states ' southern border - - date back to the 1950s when ruthless property developers created unincorporated subdivisions on agriculturally useless land that usually lay in floodplains. they failed to put in any infrastructure and then sold the plots to people seeking affordable housing at hugely inflated rates of interest. " miss one payment, " says lionel lopez who runs the south texas colonia initiative, an advocacy group for residents, " and you have to start all over again. " colonias didn ' t really hit the headlines until 20 years ago. it was incredible then that people in the united states were living without running water, electricity or sanitation. it ' s even more incredible that it ' s still happening in 2011. texas is home to more colonias than any other state. according to official state records, around 500, 000 people - - predominantly hispanic - - live in 2, 300 of these communities along a 1, 248 - mile stretch of the border. housing is usually in shacks made of wood, plywood and cardboard, or in trailers. but it ' s not just the border that is home to the colonias : primavera, the one in which marines


- mile stretch of the border. housing is usually in shacks made of wood, plywood and cardboard, or in trailers. but it ' s not just the border that is home to the colonias : primavera, the one in which marines lives, is just a few miles outside of corpus christi in nueces county, 150 miles or so from mexico. there have been some improvements. according to a report by the texas secretary of state colonia initiatives program which co - ordinates the various federal, state and local agencies and officials helping address the challenges, in 2006 there were an estimated 62, 675 residents living in 442 colonias that lacked basic infrastructure such as potable water and wastewater disposal. in 2010, this had dropped to 44, 526 living in 353 colonias. herein lies the problem : critics say there are so many agencies involved in " helping address the challenges " that deciding who does what, where funding will come from, and which community will receive it, is a mess. and some, including lopez, question the official number of colonias. " how sad to be born here, live here all your life, die here and not know what it is like to be an american. " lopez, a retired firefighter, turns 68 this year. he first learned of the plight of colonias residents more than 30 years ago. shocked, he and his wife began going to county meetings and used their own money to install septic tanks and provide blankets and other necessities. finally, an attorney friend told them to form a non - profit otherwise nobody would pay them any attention. " so we did it and they still ignored us, " he says, laughing. " but we ' re still here. " santos marines was born in texas and lives on widows benefits. she was in social housing but after her son was sent to prison in san antonio she had to give up the house so she could visit him. when he was moved to a unit in dayton, texas, she couldn ' t afford another move and ended up living here in primavera with her friend, dionicio castillo, the trailer ' s owner. they have tried to fix the place up - - marines shows me where she ' s used insulating foam under the base boards and in the cracks to keep the cold from coming in - - but she admits she ' s fighting a losing battle. just down the road, 61 - year - old arturo mungia, who brings water to marines and castillo ' s trailer twice


and in the cracks to keep the cold from coming in - - but she admits she ' s fighting a losing battle. just down the road, 61 - year - old arturo mungia, who brings water to marines and castillo ' s trailer twice a week, lives in the house he built on rented land 16 years ago. it ' s bitterly cold inside the dark kitchen. " my stove broke so i was using a hot plate, " mungia says, pointing to a small electric appliance on a stool at the side of the room. " but now that ' s broken, too. " he used to love making menudo ( a mexican soup ) but he hasn ' t had a hot meal for weeks. he used to drink the well water until lopez warned him not to - - run - off from the fields can poison it with pesticides, and if it ' s a private well, like mungia ' s, it is not regulated by the texas commission on environmental quality. we turn down a potholed road that leads to a small wooden shack. antonia lopez ( no relation to lionel ) says her family built the house in 1986. it has no running water and no drainage. it ' s also in the flood plain and she has seen her sitting room submerged too many times than she ' d care to remember. lopez is in a wheelchair after having her leg amputated due to complications with diabetes. she is waiting for a prosthetic limb to be fitted but when it is, she wants to work again. " for now, i get $ 137 a month in food stamps, " she says. at nearby banquette colonia, lionel lopez points out the sheer number of wheelchair ramps leading up to one dilapidated house after the other. " they ' re all in dialysis, " he says. " there are also predominantly women living here ; all the men have died of heart attacks. " four years ago the texas legislature passed senate bill 99 which it says will help stop the proliferation of colonias and improve the health, safety and quality of life for residents in existing ones. that legislation requires the texas secretary of state to compile information from the various agencies that aid those residents. the latest report came out in december and recommended undertaking a survey of the basic services available in each colonia, tracking the progress of state - funded projects and prioritizing funding. the report ' s introduction read : " count on our continued leadership to help ensure that all colonia residents have quality roads, reliable water and


basic services available in each colonia, tracking the progress of state - funded projects and prioritizing funding. the report ' s introduction read : " count on our continued leadership to help ensure that all colonia residents have quality roads, reliable water and wastewater infrastructure, and excellent public health services. " critics say that ' s easier said than done ; that there are so many agencies involved - - including the texas department of rural affairs, texas water development board, the state ' s department of transportation and department of housing and community affairs - - that it ' s become a minefield. i ask carola serrato of the south texas water authority what is stopping all colonias in her county getting water connections. there are a number of factors, she says. it depends where the colonia is and when it was developed ( if it ' s an unrecorded subdivision that hasn ' t been plotted, as is often the case, connecting to the mains water supply can be tricky, apparently ), whether the person requesting water connection actually owns the property, and whether indeed there is even a water line anywhere close. " water supply corporations are non - profit organizations, " serrato says. " they are owned by the members and if we need to run a line 10, 000 feet to a house it would add up to quite a lot of money. we typically can ' t let members pay for that and so that ' s usually what hinders someone from getting water. " tyner little agrees. he works in governmental affairs for nueces county and says some people choose to live in such remote areas that they simply can ' t afford to pay for the length of the water line needed to cover the distance. for those colonias that are in the worst state, little says the county deals with them one project at a time. " we can handle two or three a year, but a lot of times it just doesn ' t make sense, " he says. " we did a water project this past year and after all was said and done we spent $ 1. 6m getting water into this old subdivision just outside of corpus. the lot sizes were small and had houses stacked four, five to a lot, sharing a driveway. we had to move one house and to get roads and drainage into that subdivision of 117 people we spent just under $ 14, 000 per person. " the money for that project came from the office of rural and community affairs, little says. other funding comes from the water development board and from the state.


drainage into that subdivision of 117 people we spent just under $ 14, 000 per person. " the money for that project came from the office of rural and community affairs, little says. other funding comes from the water development board and from the state. " but we just don ' t have resources. we can get grants to help but we ' re not in the water business and we ' re not in the sewer business, and nor do we want to be. " colonias issues are some of the most complicated the various agencies have to deal with : houses not built to code, no proper easements, no right of way for utilities or emergency vehicles and bad drainage. then there ' s the fact that most are built in floodplains - - and so finding agencies even willing to fund projects can be hard. progress is being made, but it ' s slow. eleven years ago, respected hispanic filmmaker hector galan made a documentary about the colonias. one resident told him then : " how sad to be born here, live here all your life, die here and not know what it is like to be an american. " the sentiments of colonias residents today haven ' t much changed. alex hannaford is a british journalist based in texas, where he writes about human interest and political issues, religion, crime and culture. you can follow him on twitter @ alhannaford and read more of his work at his website and blog.


unveiling the hidden universe : infrared observatory clears up dusty tales. peek in any apartment window, it ' s said, and you ' ll discover a unique story. the same is true of the heavens, except that skywatchers face a special challenge. the windows through which they view the cosmos are often clouded by dust. an observer peering through a telescope in visible or ultraviolet light misses much of the drama in the universe, from a stellar nursery teeming teem 1 v. teemed, teem · ing, teems 1. to be full of things ; abound or swarm : a drop of water teems with microorganisms. 2. with newborns to the fireworks fireworks : see pyrotechnics. explosives or combustibles used for display. of ancient chinese origin, fireworks evidently developed out of military rockets and explosive missiles and accompanied the spread of military explosives westward to generated by the collision of two galaxies. infrared telescopes can penetrate this dust, revealing much more of the story. they can also record emissions from heavenly bodies too cool to radiate light at shorter wavelengths and higher energies. for 28 months, the european space agency ' s infrared space observatory infrared space observatory : see infrared astronomy. infrared space observatory ( iso ) european space agency satellite that from 1995 to 1998 observed astronomical sources of infrared radiation. the satellite, which carried a 60 - cm ( 24 - in. ( iso ( 1 ) see iso speed. ( 2 ) ( international organization for standardization, geneva, switzerland, www. iso. ch ) an organization that sets international standards, founded in 1946. the u. s. member body is ansi. ) has scanned the heavens from its vantage point in earth ' s orbit. the mission, which ended in early april, generated remarkable new views of several familiar objects. it also examined the composition of these bodies by analyzing the intensity of light at wavelengths from 3 to 240 micrometers. such a feat isn ' t possible with ground - based telescopes, which are hampered by water vapor and other molecules in earth ' s atmosphere that both emit and absorb infrared light. iso scientists presented a roundup of the observatory ' s discoveries last month at a press briefing in london. some of the most intriguing finds came relatively late in the mission, when the observatory examined a region of orion, the nearest birthplace of massive stars. in visible light, orion ' s well - known horsehead nebula looks like a dark dust cloud. viewed with a camera aboard the observatory, however, the horsehead silhouette


when the observatory examined a region of orion, the nearest birthplace of massive stars. in visible light, orion ' s well - known horsehead nebula looks like a dark dust cloud. viewed with a camera aboard the observatory, however, the horsehead silhouette vanishes and young stars shine through. areas rich in dust appear as bright filaments. the space observatory paints a portrait of two other star - forming clouds within orion, ngc ngc new general catalogue ( of nebulae and star clusters ; astronomy ) ngc national geographic channel ( tv ) ngc national guideline clearinghouse 2068 and ngc 2071. in the infrared, clutches of young stars dot the landscape. iso also detected the bright glow of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in these nebula nebula ( neb ` ylə ) [ lat., = mist ], in astronomy, observed manifestation of a collection of highly rarefied gas and dust in interstellar space.. these organic compounds have been found in the martian meteorite alh alh advanced light helicopter alh amplitude of lateral head ( displacement ) alh alpha hospitality corporation ( former stock symbol ; now alhy ) alh advanced liquid hydrogen 84001 and in other interstellar clouds. astronomers have suggested that these chemicals could provide some of the raw materials of life. while observing the intensity of the stars at several infrared wavelengths, lennart nordh and goran olofsson of stockholm university and their colleagues identified groups of stellar objects so young that they are still lying inside placentas of gas and dust. as many as 20 percent of these objects have insufficient mass to qualify as bona fide, hydrogen - burning stars, says gerry gilmore of the university of cambridge in england. with less than 8 percent of the mass of the sun, these cool, infrared - emitting objects will become brown dwarfs, fizzling out after they exhaust their supply of deuterium deuterium ( dter ` eəm ), isotope of hydrogen with mass no. 2. the deuterium nucleus, called a deuteron, contains one proton and one neutron.. the space observatory uncovered other new features of orion. the long - wavelength spectrometer revealed that a cloud near the sword of orion sword of orion is a big finish productions audio drama based on the long - running british science fiction television series doctor who. this audio drama was broadcast on bbc 7 in four weekly parts starting from 3 september 2005, and was repeated in 2006. contains a massive concentration of water vapor - - enough to fill earth ' s oceans 10


running british science fiction television series doctor who. this audio drama was broadcast on bbc 7 in four weekly parts starting from 3 september 2005, and was repeated in 2006. contains a massive concentration of water vapor - - enough to fill earth ' s oceans 10 million times. by volume, that ' s about 1 part in 2, 000, or roughly 20 times the concentration detected in other gas clouds in the milky way. nonetheless, " an enhanced concentration of water is precisely what we expected in this gas cloud, " notes iso astronomer gary j. melnick of the harvard - smithsonian center for astrophysics the harvard - smithsonian center for astrophysics ( cfa ) is located in cambridge, massachusetts. it consists of the harvard college observatory and the smithsonian astrophysical observatory. the center is located at 60 garden street. in cambridge, mass. astronomers had theorized that water vapor is abundant in stellar nurseries like orion. water provides a means of cooling such regions - - and a cloud of gas and dust must cool in order to contract and form stars. in orion, as in other star - forming regions, winds from hot, young stars send out shock waves into the surrounding gas, notes melnick. at temperatures above a few hundred kelvins, molecular hydrogen, which is abundant in the clouds, radiates most of the heat away. below those temperatures, however, molecular hydrogen can no longer cool the region. at this point, water vapor radiates the surplus heat, allowing the cloud to grow denser and contract. " it ' s in the critical region where the gas has partially cooled itself but is still too hot to collapse that the water vapor cooling becomes very significant, " says martin harwit, an iso researcher and former director of the national air and space museum the national air and space museum ( nasm ) of the smithsonian institution is a museum in washington, d. c., united states, and is the most popular of the smithsonian museums. it maintains the largest collection of aircraft and spacecraft in the world. in washington, d. c. the vapor itself is generated by the shock waves, says melnick. the waves cause unbound unbound said of electrolytes, e. g. iron and calcium, and other substances which are circulating in the bloodstream and are not bound to plasma proteins so that they are available immediately for metabolic processes. see also calcium, iron. oxygen atoms to team up with molecular hydrogen and form water vapor. a similar process may have generated water in the solar system. harwit,


bound to plasma proteins so that they are available immediately for metabolic processes. see also calcium, iron. oxygen atoms to team up with molecular hydrogen and form water vapor. a similar process may have generated water in the solar system. harwit, melnick, and their colleagues describe their study in the april 20 astrophysical journal letters. melnick notes that nasa ' s submillimeter wave astronomical satellite, now scheduled for launch in january 1999, will continue the studies of water vapor in orion and search other parts of the milky way. near the milky way ' s dusty core, the space observatory examined several cold, dark clouds that seem to resemble orion in its earliest stages of formation. the patches appear to have " just condensed out of the interstellar medium, " says gilmore. " they ' re just in the throes throe 1. a severe pang or spasm of pain, as in childbirth. see synonyms at pain. 2. throes a condition of agonizing struggle or trouble : a country in the throes of economic collapse. of condensing into star - forming units, but they haven ' t [ yet ] got stars to warm them up. so unlike the horsehead nebula, these things are still black. " their very existence in the inner region of the galaxy, where they are buffeted by stellar winds and ultraviolet light, " is a great puzzle, " gilmore adds. michel perault of the national center for space studies in paris suggests that the density of the clouds, which is greater than that of the clouds in orion, may offer protection. ultraviolet radiation from neighboring stars may evaporate the outer layers of these clouds, leaving the cores intact, he speculates. the cores may even be able to snare additional material. " it ' s likely that [ these clouds ] could become an, orion and may even get brighter than orion, " says perault. " if these things are on the verge on the verge ( or the geography of yearning ) is a play written by eric overmyer. it makes extensive use of esoteric language and pop culture references from the late nineteenth century to 1955. of starting to collapse, it wouldn ' t take much more than a million years until you get the [ formation of ] young, bright stars. " follow - up observations with iram iram ( i ` ram ), in the bible, duke of edom., a 30 - meter radio telescope in pico veleta veleta same as valeta,


, bright stars. " follow - up observations with iram iram ( i ` ram ), in the bible, duke of edom., a 30 - meter radio telescope in pico veleta veleta same as valeta, spain, attest to the chilliness and high density of the clouds, he notes. a second infrared spacecraft, the u. s. air force ' s midcourse space experiment mission the midcourse space experiment ( msx ) is a ballistic missile defense organization satellite experiment ( unmanned space mission ) to map bright infrared sources in space., has also confirmed the cold, dark nature of these compact objects. m. p. egan of the air force research laboratory in bedford, mass., and his colleagues described the study in the feb. 20 astrophysical journal letters. mark r. morris of the university of california, los angeles ucla comprises the college of letters and science ( the primary undergraduate college ), seven professional schools, and five professional health science schools. since 2001, ucla has enrolled over 33, 000 total students, and that number is steadily rising. says that the evolution of the clouds will depend on their exact location in the galaxy. at the core of the galaxy, intense magnetic fields are common, he notes. they thread through gas clouds and act as springs, which may prevent the clouds from collapsing immediately and forming stars. in addition, differences in gravitational grav · i · ta · tion a. the natural phenomenon of attraction between physical objects with mass or energy. b. the act or process of moving under the influence of this attraction. 2. forces across the clouds are amplified at the core. such stresses could also prevent collapse. in that case, only a particularly energetic shock could get star formation going. the space observatory ' s findings on the antennae, two galaxies that smashed into each other about a million years earlier, reveal that their " most massive stars are completely hidden in the widely publicized images " taken in visible light by the hubble space telescope hubble space telescope ( hst ), the first large optical orbiting observatory. built from 1978 to 1990 at a cost of $ 1. 5 billion, the hst ( named for astronomer e. p. hubble ) was expected to provide the clearest view yet obtained of the universe., says i. felix mirabel of the centre d ' etudes de saclay in gif - sur - yvette, france. fifteen to 20 percent of the luminosity luminosity, in astronomy, the rate


of the universe., says i. felix mirabel of the centre d ' etudes de saclay in gif - sur - yvette, france. fifteen to 20 percent of the luminosity luminosity, in astronomy, the rate at which energy of all types is radiated by an object in all directions. a star ' s luminosity depends on its size and its temperature, varying as the square of the radius and the fourth power of the absolute surface temperature. of these galaxies originated from a tiny region - - roughly 150 light - years across - - that looks dark in visible light. its intense glow in infrared light comes from massive newborn stars " that have not yet cleared out all the dust and gas around them, " says mirabel. " the placenta clouds are still there. " the findings, he says, have implications on a truly cosmic scale. astronomers estimate the history of star formation in the universe by studying distant galaxies in visible light. if visible - light images fail to capture a substantial amount of star formation in relatively nearby galaxies like the antennae, they are likely to miss even more in a distant galaxy, he asserts. that ' s because the expansion of the universe lengthens, or reddens, light from distant galaxies. ultraviolet light emitted by a faraway galaxy is shifted to visible light by the time it reaches earth. thus, a distant galaxy viewed in visible light reveals what the galaxy looked like billions of years earlier in the ultraviolet. since dust obscures ultraviolet light even more effectively than it does visible wavelengths, a visible - light image can scarcely reveal the true nature of a faraway galaxy, mirabel says. " we are missing the grand design of galaxies, " he says. he and his colleagues describe their findings in the may 1 astronomy and astrophysics astronomy and astrophysics may refer to : astronomy and astrophysics ( abbreviated as a & a. iso depended on a tank of liquid helium to maintain its temperature at a frigid 2 kelvins - - cold enough to reduce sharply the infrared emissions from the satellite ' s telescope and prevent it from interfering with observations. engineers expected the helium to run out 18 months after iso was launched. during those months, the position of the observatory did not allow it to view orion without running the risk of letting light from such bright sources as the sun or earth enter its aperture and boil off precious helium. fortunately, the helium lasted an additional 10 months. during that time, iso ' s orbit moved the observatory into a location from which it could view orion safely.


| discovered by | | prehistoric ( observation ) ; edmond halley ( recognition of periodicity ) ( 17 february 1994 ) ( 9 december 2023 ) last perihelion : 9 february 1986 next perihelion : 28 july 2061 | semi - major axis | | 17. 8 au | | orbital period | | 75. 3 a | | dimensions | | 15×8 km, 11 km ( mean ) | | mass | | 2. 2 × 1014 kg | | mean density | | 0. 6 ( estimates range from 0. 2 to 1. 5 g / cm3 ) | | 2. 2 d ( 52. 8 h ) (? ) | | apparent magnitude | | 28. 2 ( in 2003 ) | halley ' s comet or comet halley ( officially designated 1p / halley ) is the best - known of the short - period comets, and is visible from earth every 75 to 76 years. halley is the only short - period comet that is clearly visible to the naked eye from earth, and thus the only naked - eye comet that might appear twice in a human lifetime. other naked - eye comets may be brighter and more spectacular, but will appear only once in thousands of years. halley ' s returns to the inner solar system have been observed by astronomers since at least 240 bc, and recorded by chinese, babylonian, and medieval european chroniclers, but were not recognized as reappearances of the same object. the comet ' s periodicity was first determined in 1705 by english astronomer edmond halley, after whom it is now named. halley ' s comet last appeared in the inner solar system in 1986 and will next appear in mid - 2061. during its 1986 apparition, halley ' s comet became the first to be observed in detail by spacecraft, providing the first observational data on the structure of a comet nucleus and the mechanism of coma and tail formation. these observations supported a number of longstanding hypotheses about comet construction, particularly fred whipple ' s " dirty snowball " model, which correctly surmised that halley would be composed of a mixture of volatile ices — such as water, carbon dioxide and ammonia — and dust. however, the missions also provided data which substantially reformed and reconfigured these ideas ; for instance it is now understood that halley ' s surface is largely composed of dusty, non - volatile materials, and that only a small portion of it is icy. halley ' s comet was


reformed and reconfigured these ideas ; for instance it is now understood that halley ' s surface is largely composed of dusty, non - volatile materials, and that only a small portion of it is icy. halley ' s comet was the first to be recognized as periodic. until the renaissance, the philosophical consensus on the nature of comets, promoted by aristotle, was that they were disturbances in the earth ' s atmosphere. this idea was disproved in 1577 by tycho brahe, who used parallax measurements to show that comets must lie above the moon. however, many were still unconvinced that comets actually orbited the sun, and assumed they must instead follow straight paths through the solar system. in 1687, sir isaac newton published his principia, in which he outlined his laws of gravity and motion. however, his work on comets was decidedly incomplete. although he had suspected that two comets that had appeared in succession in 1680 and 1681 were in fact the same comet before and after passing behind the sun ( he was later found to be correct ; see newton ' s comet ), he was unable to completely reconcile comets into his model. ultimately, it was newton ' s friend, editor and publisher, edmond halley who, in his 1705 synopsis of the astronomy of comets, used newton ' s new laws to calculate the gravitational effects of jupiter and saturn on cometary orbits. this calculation enabled him, after examining historical records, to determine that the orbital elements of a second comet which had appeared in 1682, were nearly the same as those of two comets which had appeared in 1531 ( observed by petrus apianus ) and 1607 ( observed by johannes kepler ). halley thus concluded that all three comets were in fact the same object returning every 76 years, a period that has since been amended to every 75 – 76 years. after a rough estimate of the perturbations the comet would sustain from the gravitational attraction of the planets, he predicted its return for 1758. halley ' s prediction of the comet ' s return proved to be correct, although it was not seen until 25 december 1758, by johann georg palitzsch, a german farmer and amateur astronomer. it did not pass through its perihelion until 13 march 1759, the attraction of jupiter and saturn having caused a retardation of 618 days. this effect was computed ( with a one - month error to 13 april ) by a team of three french mathematicians, alexis clairault, joseph laland


march 1759, the attraction of jupiter and saturn having caused a retardation of 618 days. this effect was computed ( with a one - month error to 13 april ) by a team of three french mathematicians, alexis clairault, joseph lalande, and nicole - reine lepaute, previous to its return. halley did not live to see the comet again as he died in 1742. the confirmation of the comet ' s return was the first time anything other than planets had been shown to orbit the sun. it was also one of the earliest successful tests of newtonian physics, and a clear demonstration of its explanatory power. the possibility has been raised that 1st - century jewish astronomers had already recognized halley ' s comet as periodic. this theory notes a passage in the talmud which refers to a " a star which appears once in seventy years that makes the captains of the ships err ". halley ' s orbital period over the last three centuries has been between 75 and 76 years, though it has varied between 74 and 79 years since 240 bc. its orbit around the sun is highly elliptical, with an eccentricity of 0. 967 ( with 0 being a perfect circle and 1 being a parabolic trajectory ). the perihelion, the point in the comet ' s orbit when it is nearest the sun, is just 0. 6 au [ a ] ( between the orbits of mercury and venus ), while its aphelion, or farthest distance from the sun, is 35 au ( roughly the distance of pluto ). unusually for an object in the solar system, halley ' s orbit is retrograde ; it orbits the sun in the opposite direction to the planets, or clockwise from above the sun ' s north pole. the orbit is inclined by 18° to the ecliptic, with much of it lying south of the ecliptic. due to halley ' s highly eccentric orbit, it has one of the highest velocities, relative to the earth, of any object in the solar system. the 1910 passage was at a relative velocity of 70. 56 km / s. because its orbit comes close to earth ' s in two places, halley ' s comet is the parent body of two meteor showers : the eta aquariids in early may, and the orionids in late october. halley is classified as a periodic or short - period comet ; one with an orbit lasting 200 years or less. this contrasts it with long - period comets, whose orbits last