| | | minding your mind | | | autism and older fathers last reviewed and revised on june 17, 2011 by michael craig miller, m. d. harvard medical school a study published in the september, 2006 issue of the archives of general psychiatry may give older prospective fathers pause before plunging into biological parenthood. the authors found a significant increase in the risk of autism and similar disorders as fathers got older. | what is autism? | autism is a profoundly disabling disorder that starts in early childhood. the key features are : - abnormal social development little or no eye contact, prefers to be alone - difficulty communicating impaired language ability, uses gestures or pointing rather than words - unusual behavior spins objects, doesn ' t like being cuddled - evidence of strong abilities sometimes in non - verbal areas, such as math or music - older people with autism may have some ability to interact with people, but about two - thirds are mentally retarded and most cannot live on their own unfortunately, the incidence of this illness appears to be on the rise. some experts think autism is diagnosed more often simply because more people are aware of it. but that ' s probably not the whole explanation. genetic factors almost certainly play a big role in understanding what causes autism. so researchers are eager to discover anything that might be responsible for increasing a person ' s genetic vulnerability for the illness, such as having parents who are 40 or older. the risk was smallest for children of fathers younger than 20 and greatest for children of fathers older than 50. a man in his 40s, for example, was almost 6 times as likely to have an autistic child as a man age 20. this relationship held even after researchers adjusted the results for the year of the person ' s birth, their socioeconomic status, or the mother ' s age. this is not the first discovery of its type. health care professionals have long known that as parents age, the risk of giving birth to a child with certain illnesses goes up. older mothers, for example, are more likely to have a child with down syndrome. in recent years, studies have revealed a link between aging fathers and schizophrenia. the archives study took advantage of the extraordinarily complete health records of over 300, 000 israeli men and women. they underwent a complete health assessment when they were 17 - year olds, prior to entering military service. using this database, researchers were able to determine the incidence of autism in the population. the researchers had access to intellectual, medical and psychiatric evaluations of almost all israeli boys and three


when they were 17 - year olds, prior to entering military service. using this database, researchers were able to determine the incidence of autism in the population. the researchers had access to intellectual, medical and psychiatric evaluations of almost all israeli boys and three - quarters of girls. ( their identities were kept secret, however. ) for most individuals, the father ' s age at birth was known. although boys were more likely to develop autism than girls, the risk for girls also increased as fathers got older. when fathers were young, about 1 in 6 children with autism were girls. after fathers passed the 40 year - old mark, the proportion of girls with autism rose to about 1 in 3. this suggests that the genetic factors in play for offspring of older fathers are different from those for offspring of younger fathers. back to top what causes these genetic errors? all children inherit genetic material in equal amounts from both parents. in the case of autism, scientists think that the genetic material in the sperm of these older fathers has somehow become altered in harmful ways. these flaws make the child more vulnerable to developing the disease. according to one theory, mutations ( changes ) are more likely to develop as men get older. germ cells give rise to sperm throughout a man ' s life. these cells make copies of themselves and after several decades, the germ cells are copies of copies of copies. a second theory suggests that the offending genes passed down by older men are not properly marked or " imprinted. " accurate marking which establishes whether a gene is from the father or the mother determines if it will be active or not. if there is an error, the gene may function abnormally. back to top should older men stop fathering babies? it ' s true that medical technology and general improvements in health have made life much more enjoyable for people in middle to late life. maybe 50 is the new 30 when it comes to some aspects of aging. but a healthy and active lifestyle does not make 50 - year - old sperm the new 30 - year - old sperm. the increased risk of passing on any genetic vulnerability to a child is significant when you are older. when it comes to autism, however, the numbers are sobering. a man younger than 30 has no more than a 1 in 1, 000 chance of fathering a child with autism. but the risk bumps up to approximately 3 in 1, 000 for a man in his 40s and 5 in 1, 000 above age 50. if a father in his fifties has a son, the risk of


of fathering a child with autism. but the risk bumps up to approximately 3 in 1, 000 for a man in his 40s and 5 in 1, 000 above age 50. if a father in his fifties has a son, the risk of autism may approach 1 in 100. this study has important implications for what causes autism, but it also has limitations : - the researchers did not have specific information about the severity of mental retardation or language ability. - it ' s possible that the autistic traits arose as the father aged, but were passed on because they were part of the fathers ' genetic make - up all along. - maybe people with autistic traits are more likely to become fathers later in life, slanting the data. - older fathers could have passed along genes for other psychiatric disorders that have traits that look like autism. - the researchers did not have access to information about the child ' s birth environment or development. until recently, health care professionals have focused almost exclusively on the mother ' s age as a risk factor for health problems in the child. but we now know that the father ' s age also adds to the risk of potentially devastating diseases. and there is no practical way to detect these illnesses during pregnancy. for those weighing the risks, the decision can be wrenching. adoption and in some instances a sperm donation may be acceptable alternatives to older fathers wanting to build a healthy family. michael craig miller, m. d. is editor in chief of the harvard mental health letter. he is also associate physician at beth israel deaconess medical center and assistant professor at harvard medical school. he has been practicing psychiatry for more than 25 years and teaches in the harvard longwood psychiatry residency program.


| | | food for thought | | | healthy eating in wintertime last reviewed and revised by faculty of harvard medical school on january 16, 2013 by caitlin hosmer, m. s., r. d., l. d. n. and heather hawkes brigham and women ' s hospital winter ushers in a time of the year when we choose heavier foods and are typically less active. does this winter shift sound familiar to you? while the temperatures drop outside, it is easy for us to drop good eating and exercise habits. we are most vulnerable to weight gain in the six - week interval between thanksgiving and new year ' s day. a study conducted by the national institutes of health ( nih ) suggested that a typical one - pound gain during the holiday season for americans may be small, but can accumulate through the years and contribute to obesity later in life. once we put on that extra pound or more, we often don ' t get back to our baseline weight later in january. how does it happen? volunteers in the nih study were asked about factors that might influence weight change, including stress, hunger, activity level, changes in smoking habits, and number of holiday parties they attended. two factors stood out : those who were much less hungry or much more active were the least likely to gain weight over the holidays. conversely, those who were less active and hungrier had the most holiday weight gain. there are lots of food choices during the holidays. pick ones that satisfy without adding to the bulge : the gardens may be done for the year, but there are still many fresh foods available. fresh produce satisfies us with fiber, and provides additional vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients to boot. - greens and oranges are the colors for winter produce. these are packed with vitamins and minerals to help ward off winter illnesses. - kale and mustard greens are great additions to soups and stews or they can be sauteed. - squash, sweet potatoes and pumpkin make great baked dishes that are high in fiber. do keep in mind that these root vegetables are dense and filling, so keep portions moderate. - an easy way to get your fruit this time of year is to make a winter fruit salad. cut up in - season and readily available pineapples, citrus and apples ; mix together and keep the bowl handy in your fridge for snacking. back to top as the days get shorter and the temperatures fall, we tend to reach for our favorite comfort foods to lift our moods.


available pineapples, citrus and apples ; mix together and keep the bowl handy in your fridge for snacking. back to top as the days get shorter and the temperatures fall, we tend to reach for our favorite comfort foods to lift our moods. here are some helpful tips for making healthier choices, while keeping comfort foods comforting and hunger at bay with moderate portions : - when it ' s cold outside, it feels good to warm our insides. when eating for warmth, try broth - based soups, such as minestrone, and add some of those winter vegetables! in the morning, start your day off right with a bowl of oatmeal. this high - fiber cereal will stick with you all morning, especially with a small handful of nuts added for protein. - there are also many simple substitutions you can make when cooking to decrease fat and calories. for a lower - fat macaroni and cheese, use low - fat dairy products : skim or reduced - fat milk and cheese. add tomatoes and onions for flavor. - reading labels can give you a lot of information about what you ' re eating. look at the serving size. how does your portion compare to the serving on the package? package servings are often smaller than what we actually consume. back to top maintaining your pre - holiday weight if you are trying to maintain or lose weight, the holidays can be a scary time. we surround ourselves with family and friends and an abundance of food. - the day of a party, don ' t skip meals. maintain a regular eating schedule so you won ' t be starving and overeat when you arrive at the party. - go for the nut bowl. having a small handful of nuts will satisfy you more than the chips and dip, and you ' ll eat less throughout the course of the evening. - help yourself to the fruit and veggie platters. the fiber is filling and balances out heavier, starchy foods. - scan the spread of food and then make your choices. have small amounts of your favorite foods and desserts. try leaving space on the plate between food items to limit how much gets piled on. eat slowly to enjoy holiday foods longer. and remember that holiday gatherings are also about people talking slows down eating. back to top don ' t succumb to the inactivity blues typically it requires greater effort to be physically active in the winter the time when we most need this antidote to eating more and feeling more stress. not only are we more se


back to top don ' t succumb to the inactivity blues typically it requires greater effort to be physically active in the winter the time when we most need this antidote to eating more and feeling more stress. not only are we more sedentary because of the weather, but indoor behaviors, such as watching tv, lend themselves to snacking when we ' re not hungry. - build your winter wardrobe for outdoor exercise. you don ' t have to spend a fortune at a sports store. discount department stores offer lower - budget gear. layering is the key. this allows you to stay at the right temperature. as you get moving you can shed layers, and then add them back as you cool down. make sure you have good footwear for traction, water - resistance and warmth. - if venturing outdoors doesn ' t appeal, try an exercise video that you can do from the comfort of your home, or join a local gym. this may be the perfect time to try an exercise class, such as yoga, step or pilates. it ' s important to remember you can ' t just exercise eight or nine months out of the year. physical activity needs to be done on a regular basis to maintain the benefits. - activity is stimulating to our body and mind. our moods are already prone to being " down " in the winter. physical activity can help to give you that boost in energy and attitude. for those who experience seasonal affective disorder ( sad ), one study found that an hour ' s walk in winter sunlight was as effective as 2½ hours under bright artificial light, an alternate therapy. no matter what time of year, staying healthy is a balance of good eating and physical activity. with winter come barriers that require us to be more diligent about food choices and exercise. keep in mind these tips and you ' ll be looking and feeling better this winter! back to top roberts sb, mayer j. " holiday weight gain : fact or fiction? " nutrition reviews. 2000 ; 58 ( 12 ) : 378 - 9. back to top caitlin hosmer, m. s., r. d., l. d. n., is the manager of the nutrition consultation service at brigham and women ' s hospital. she earned a bachelor of science degree with honors from cornell university. she completed her dietetic internship at frances stern nutrition center and new england medical center, and received a master ' s degree in nutrition at tufts university. heather hawkes is a dietetic intern at brigham and women


idea award winner 2008 geography - independent cancer research tools - george thoma, chief, communications engineering branch, national library of medicine at the national institutes of health - sameer antani, staff scientist, national library of medicine at the national institutes of health - rodney long, electronics engineer, national library of medicine at the national institutes of health - mark schiffman, senior investigator, national cancer institute oncologists, gynecologists, and healthcare workers are increasingly relying on network - based tools developed by the national library of medicine. these tools include databases with images that range from 20 megabytes to tens of gigabytes, real - time collaboration tools, as well as professional education and development tools. these tools have changed the way geographically distant cancer researchers are able to collaborate. over 40 researchers across 6 countries have conducted over 10 studies in just 2 years. prior to these tools, collaboration relied on the physical exchange of photographic and glass histology slides via postal mail, with considerable logistical challenges and delays. moreover, the convenient and accurate correlation of patient records and physical slides posed further challenges. taking advantage of high speed networks the nlm - developed tools have made it possible to implement simultaneous views, searches, and exchange of large volume data. these and other tools being developed aid current cancer research, and are being extended to other areas of biomedical research. for example, one tool module now enables shape - based retrieval for a collection of 17, 000 digitized x - ray images of cervical and lumbar spine x - ray images and related text information. furthermore, by extending accessibility to images and information, these tools help meet the urgent need to apply the results of biomedical research to clinical medicine


the arrow of time we are all aware of an intuitive " flow " of time from past to future. not only do we feel this flow of time, but we also see it manifested in the behaviour of objects which change over time. many objects seem to behave differently in the forward time direction when compared to the backward time direction. for example, we don ' t see a spilt glass of water jumping up and going back into the glass, we don ' t see a broken egg reforming itself. these effects all add to the impression that there is some sort of " forward direction " in the time dimension. this directionality is called the arrow of time. however, this " arrow of time " is something of a mystery to physicists because, at the microscopic level, all fundamental physical processes appear to be time - reversible ( we ' ll consider this later ). also, as shown on the time and the block universe page, our universe appears to have a spacetime structure in which all of time is laid - out in a " block universe ", i. e., there is no actual " flow " of time, no movement of a " now " point. so on this page we will investigate the cause of this mysterious " arrow of time ". entropy can be considered the amount of disorder in a system. for example, a car that has rusted could be said to have a greater entropy value than a new car : bits of the car may have fallen off, the paint may be flaking. basically, the molecules of the car have become more disordered over time : entropy has increased. as has just been just discussed, all microscopic processes appear to be time - reversible. the question of why we see an " arrow of time " in macroscopic processes has therefore presented physics with a long - standing conundrum. for this reason, much attention has focussed on the fact that the entropy of a closed system increases with time, i. e., a system will gradually become more disordered with time. eventually the system ( gas in a closed container, for example ) will reach a state when all its molecules are completely randomly orientated. this state is called thermal equilibrium. the rule that entropy increases with time is called the second law of thermodynamics. the reason for this increase in entropy can be seen from a purely probabilistic argument : a system will have many more possible disordered states than ordered states, so a system which changes state randomly will most likely move to


perfect unbroken eggs in egg cups. and these objects are basically falling apart around us as they inevitably move to higher entropy states : cars rust, eggs fall on the floor and break. hence, the increase in entropy in our ordered world is one reason why we detect an apparent " arrow of time ". but change of entropy is fundamentally time - symmetrical!! however, this is a good time to clear - up a very widely - held misconception about the change of entropy : that change of entropy is in some way fundamentally time - asymmetric, that entropy change behaves fundamentally differently in the forward time direction to the backward time direction. this is absolutely not the case. in the general case, entropy increases in the backward time direction in just the same way as it increases in the forward time direction : change of entropy is symmetrical with time. ( however, a very small minority of physicists might still believe change of entropy is time - asymmetric - see my comments at the bottom of this discussion with the notoriously tetchy physicist lubos motl here ). the probabilistic basis of the second law of thermodynamics simply says that a system will have many more possible disordered states than ordered states, so a system which changes state randomly will most likely move to a more disordered state. this seems very clear and obvious - such a simple statement is never going to be the cause of something so mysterious as fundamental time - asymmetry. indeed, this change to a more disordered state is just as applicable in the reverse time direction as in the forward time direction : it ' s just a change of state, independent of time. but what about the second law of thermodynamics which states that " entropy increases with time "? this seems to imply a fundamental time - asymmetry to entropy. but we have to realise that the second law only applies to special - case systems : objects with low entropy, the sort of objects we generally encounter in everyday life ( rusting cars, etc. ). in fact, if we consider general - case objects ( i. e., objects in thermal equilibrium ), objects which have never been arranged into any sort of order, then their entropy is at a maximum already so their entropy can only decrease with time - completely at odds with the second law! this generally - held misconception that change of entropy is fundamentally time - asymmetrical is revealed by the loschmidt paradox. the loschmidt paradox considers the apparently fundamental


with time - completely at odds with the second law! this generally - held misconception that change of entropy is fundamentally time - asymmetrical is revealed by the loschmidt paradox. the loschmidt paradox considers the apparently fundamental time - asymmetry of entropy implied by the second law and states that this is at odds with the known time symmetry of fundamental processes. it is only when we realise that the second law is frequently badly stated and hence contains unstated assumptions ( which have been just considered ) that the loschmidt paradox is resolved. ( wikipedia describes this resolution of the paradox, showing how one of the key assumptions of boltzmann ' s version of the second law of thermodynamics was flawed - see here ). but if change of entropy is time - symmetric, why do we see the entropy of the universe as only increasing? roger penrose considers this question in his book the road to reality. penrose considers what we might expect to happen if we trace the entropy of the universe back in time from the state it is in now. if change of entropy is really time - symmetrical, then we should expect to see entropy increasing as we trace the universe into the past, just as we will see entropy increasing into the future. but we know, in fact, that the universe had a lower entropy in the past : i. e., the entropy of the universe actually reduces in the past. so where does this asymmetry come from? as roger penrose goes on to reveal, the time - asymmetry of change of entropy within the universe is explained by the extraordinarily low entropy of the universe at its origin : basically, the low - entropy past of the universe " fixes " the experiment. if we want to get a symmetrical answer then we have to be careful to conduct a symmetrical experiment. rather than starting with a special - case low entropy universe, we have to imagine a universe which started in thermal equilibrium and has reached its current state unaided, purely by chance : after that low - entropy point is reached, we then see entropy starting to increase according to the second law. but the key thing is that if we trace the entropy of the universe back in time past the low - entropy point we now see that symmetry that roger penrose sought. hence, change of entropy is fundamentally symmetrical. in fact, throughout this discussion on the arrow of time we will find that the arrow of time is caused by the time - symmetric second law of thermod


see that symmetry that roger penrose sought. hence, change of entropy is fundamentally symmetrical. in fact, throughout this discussion on the arrow of time we will find that the arrow of time is caused by the time - symmetric second law of thermodynamics, together with the very special, low - entropy initial conditions of the universe. ( this discussion on time - symmetric entropy change is based on an example by j. richard gott in his book time travel in einstein ' s universe in which the role of the universe is played by an ice cube - see here. the ice cube example is considered in detail in chapter 6 of brian greene ' s book the fabric of the cosmos. ) we all have a very strong feeling of a directionality of time, which has a flow in a forwards direction. as michael lockwood says in his book the labyrinth of time : " we regard the forward direction in time, in stark contrast to the backward direction, as the direction in which causality is permitted to operate. causes, we assume, can precede their effects, but cannot follow them. " but we have just seen how physical processes appear to be time - symmetrical, with no distinction between the forward and backward directions. so where does that leave causality? as michael lockwood again says about the passage of time : " we find no hint of this in the formalism of newtonian physics. not only is there no explicit reference to a passage or flow of time ; there is not even any reference to cause and effect. indeed, there is not even any directionality ". " but ", you might protest, " surely causality works in only one direction : forwards in time? i kick a football - the football doesn ' t kick me. " well, let ' s consider the example immediately below of forward causality. we see a snooker cue coming in from the left, hitting the white ball, which then causes the white ball to hit the red ball : however, if you shoot a movie of that sequence, and then play it backwards, it still makes perfect physical sense. as you can see below, we then have the red ball coming in from the right, hitting the white ball, which then causes the white ball to hit the cue backwards. so, because of the symmetry of the laws of physics, this process of causality - which we thought only applied to the forward direction of time - in fact applies equally to the backward direction of time as well : the reason why we don ' t see causality happening in


symmetry of the laws of physics, this process of causality - which we thought only applied to the forward direction of time - in fact applies equally to the backward direction of time as well : the reason why we don ' t see causality happening in the backward direction is purely because of a bias in our psychological systems : something about the complexity of our psychological system ( our brains! ) causes our thought processes to work only in the forward direction of time ( this will be considered below ). the great advantage of recording the sequence on a movie and then playing the movie backwards ( to reveal the time symmetry of causality ) is that a movie camera works in a much more simple fashion than our brains and thus has no such psychological bias in the forward direction : it works in exactly the same way forward as backward. so if causality is time - symmetrical, we could in fact think of our current situations are being caused by time - reversed future events as much as by past events! for example, as i sit here by my desk in work this morning, i could consider my position as being caused by me being in my apartment this evening, and driving my car from there backward in time, backward down the road the work, to put me in work this morning! it ' s a bit brain - bending, but it ' s equally valid as saying " i got up this morning, and drove forwards to work ". it seems strange, but that ' s only because of our psychological bias. the movie of my complete day at work would tell the correct ( time - reversible ) story. the quantum mechanical arrow of time as has just been explained, almost all known physical principles ( from newtonian mechanics through to einstein ' s relativity ) have a completely symmetric treatment of past and future. nowhere in any of these equations is there anything which distinguishes a forward direction of time from a backward direction of time. the exception to this rule appears to be quantum mechanics. on the page on the quantum casino it was explained how, when we make a measurement of a quantum observable, there is a " collapse of the wavefunction " in which a probability wave collapses to generate a single observed value from a range of possible values. this process appears to work in the forward time direction only, i. e., it is irreversible. an explanation for this apparent " collapse of the wavefunction " is presented in detail on the page on quantum decoherence, so i don ' t want to repeat it here. suffice to


., it is irreversible. an explanation for this apparent " collapse of the wavefunction " is presented in detail on the page on quantum decoherence, so i don ' t want to repeat it here. suffice to say that the coherent phase relationships of the interference terms are destroyed when a particle interacts with the environment. the dissipation of these terms into the wider environment can be interpreted in terms of increasing entropy ( again, see the section on " decoherence and entropy " on the quantum decoherence page for full details ). quantum decoherence can then be understood as a thermodynamic process : after decoherence, the process is said to be thermodynamically irreversible. so once again the underlying physical principles appear to be time symmetric, with no fundamental preference for either the forward or backward time direction. the apparent arrow of time produced by the " collapse of the wavefunction " is once again shown to be a result of increasing entropy. as andreas albrecht explains in his paper cosmic inflation and the arrow of time ( when considering decoherence in the double - slit experiment ) : " a double - slit electron striking a photographic plate is only a good quantum measurement to the extent that the photographic plate is well constructed, and has a very low probability of re - emitting the electron in the coherent ' double slit ' state. good photographic plates are possible because of the thermodynamic arrow of time : the electron striking the plate puts the internal degrees of freedom of the plate into a higher entropy state, which is essentially impossible to reverse. furthermore, different electron positions on the plate become entangled with different states of the internal degrees of freedom, so there is essentially no interference between positions of the electron. from this point of view, the quantum mechanical arrow of time is none other than the thermodynamic arrow of time. " why can ' t we remember the future? if physical processes all appear to be time - reversible at a fundamental level, we might ask the question " why can ' t we remember the future? " after all, we can remember the past, and physics seems to make no distinction between past, present, and future. so why don ' t we already have prior knowledge of what is going to happen in the future? in order to answer this question, we shall consider the reasoning of james hartle which is based around the radiative arrow of time : the radiative arrow of time


we already have prior knowledge of what is going to happen in the future? in order to answer this question, we shall consider the reasoning of james hartle which is based around the radiative arrow of time : the radiative arrow of time in his paper the physics of " now ", james hartle makes the point that the reason we can ' t remember the future is because we have not yet received any information about future events. this thinking is based on the idea of a " light cone ", the shape of which is defined by the speed of light : at first glance, this might seem a very straightforward explanation of why we are unable to remember the future : it takes time for a light ray ( photons ) carrying information to reach us from a distant event. basically, in the future we will have more information about distant events than we have at present. it is hard to imagine a situation in which light behaves differently - it would appear that light will always take time to travel from a point a to a point b : this principle - that light will always take time, travelling forwards in time between two points - is called the radiative arrow of time ( also known as the electromagnetic arrow of time ). but this apparently clear - cut principle is not as clear - cut as it first appears. it turns out that the " world line " of the photon is the same for a photon travelling forwards in time from point a to b as it is for a photon travelling backward in time from point b to point a : in fact, if we temporarily forget about the little arrows on the world lines ( which indicate " cause " and " effect " ) then we see that the world lines of both the forward and backward photons are precisely identical : this principle is clearly illustrated by a feynman diagram of particle interactions which can be rotated at will, showing particle interactions work exactly the same backward in time as forward in time : it makes no sense to talk about the entropy of a single photon ( entropy is a statistical property of a large group of particles ), so a single photon has no arrow of time. however, we do not receive our information about distant events in the form of single photons. rather, it appears we receive information in the form of light rays which are composed of billions of photons ( bosons are quite happy to congregate in the same state, and gather together in a cooperative fashion to create light rays ). for this reason, studies of the radiative arrow of time have concentrated on


composed of billions of photons ( bosons are quite happy to congregate in the same state, and gather together in a cooperative fashion to create light rays ). for this reason, studies of the radiative arrow of time have concentrated on studying the maxwell electromagnetic field equations which treats light as a field with a wave nature ( rather than considering the path of individual particles ). it is often quoted that maxwell ' s electromagnetic field equations are time - reversible and so allow for advanced ( backward - in - time ) waves as well as retarded ( forward - in - time ) waves. however, in practice it is much easier to produce a retarded wave than an advanced wave, and this reveals the limitations of maxwell ' s equations as a full description of the behaviour of light. we need to combine maxwell ' s equations with something else in order to derive a radiative arrow of time. james hartle attempts to use maxwell ' s equations to deduce the radiative arrow of time in appendix a of his aforementioned paper the physics of " now " which is called the cosmological origin of time ' s arrow. his approach ( based on principles described in h. dieter zeh ' s book the physical basis for the direction of time ) combines the time - symmetric maxwell ' s equations with the time - asymmetric boundary conditions of the universe as a whole ( he considers the asymmetrical total amount of electromagnetic radiation ). the approach suggests that because there were no free electromagnetic fields at the start of the universe, but there are fields in the future, those fields must all be caused by retarded waves that have their sources in the past. however, i don ' t see how the radiative arrow of time can depend on the total of electromagnetic fields in the universe in this way. there ' s no equivalent of the second law of thermodynamics ( increasing entropy ) for electromagnetic fields. the total of electromagnetic field in an isolated system does not tend to increase ( as is the case with entropy ). the radiative arrow of time must surely depend on the increasing sum total of entropy in the universe, not the total of electromagnetic field. surely the radiative arrow of time must have the same cause as the thermodynamic arrow of time. at the beginning of the last century, walter ritz proposed that only retarded ( forward - in - time ) waves were physically possible ( i. e., the process was fundamentally time - asym


time. " could it be possible to remember the future? if we consider the hypothetical situation in which we have found a way to circumvent the limitations imposed by the radiative arrow of time, it is interesting to ask if it could ever be possible to remember the future. and, if so, what would our " memories " by like? in this respect, the scottish philosopher donald mackay suggested an interesting " thought experiment ". mackay wondered if it could ever be possible to predict how someone will behave in the future, and, if so, what would be the consequences for human free will. if we had complete knowledge of the current state of a person ' s brain, would we be able to accurately predict a person ' s actions in the short - term future? basically, if we are able to predict how a person will behave - and the decisions they will make - in the future then human free will is shown to be a fallacy, an illusion. however, mackay suggested that it would be impossible to predict a person ' s future decisions if that predicted future was made known to the person. this is because the person could then choose to act in a different way from how you have told him he will behave. this is described by john d. barrow in his book impossibility : " consider a person who is asked to choose between soup or salad for lunch. if we introduce a brain scientist who not only knows the complete state of this person ' s brain, but that of the entire universe as well at present, we could ask whether this scientist can infallibly announce what the choice of lunch will be. the answer is ' no '. the subject can always be stubborn, and adopt a strategy that says ' if you say that i will choose soup, then i will choose salad, and vice versa '. under these conditions it is logically impossible for the scientist to predict infallibly what the person will choose if the scientist makes his prediction known. " so if a person gains access to knowledge about his future behaviour, it would appear that it becomes impossible to predict that future. but this knowledge about future behaviour is precisely what a person will gain if he is able to remember the future. so if a person is able to remember the future, he could then choose to act in a different way to how his memory of the future tells him he will act! there would appear to be a logical inconsistency here : if a person is able to remember the future, then those memories of the future instantly become


preparing for urban disasters - challenges and recommendations some 360, 000 people remain displaced after haiti ’ s 2010 earthquake ( file photo march 2010 ) bangkok, 10 january 2013 ( irin ) - electrical engineers and hazardous waste experts join emergency rosters. power mapping becomes as important as hazard mapping in emergency prevention and response. # fragilecities shows up as often as # fragilestates in twitter searches. humanitarian science fiction? no, welcome to what demographers call the new urban millennium and the challenges, as well as changes, aid groups face responding to emergencies in urban areas. “ people are using the same recipe from a rural camp situation in cities. aid tools and strategies have been cut and paste. this does not work, ” said the director of the france - based research, training and evaluation ngo, urgence, rehabilitation et developpement ( urd ), francois grunewald, who has researched urban risks and responses for more than a decade. it is not enough to ask “ did we do it right? ” by meeting basic humanitarian aid standards known as sphere, but also, “ did we do the right thing? ” said grunewald. more often than not, the answer has been no, he concluded. irin analysed evaluations to highlight some lessons emerging from recent urban disasters. what follows are challenges and recommendations reported by groups from manila to mogadishu ; insights from experts consulted over the past year ; and an “ urban ” aid toolbox organizations have begun assembling but which they admit is far from complete. experts generally agree : humanitarians are still ill - prepared for urban emergencies, whether it be civil conflict in syria or a “ complex ” disaster like japan ’ s 2011 earthquake followed by a tsunami, resulting in fires, chemical spills and nuclear power accidents. some 3. 3 billion people live in urban areas, with one billion of them in slums, a number that is growing by 25 million annually, according to the un human settlements programme ( un - habitat ). such growth threatens to “ become the tipping point for humanitarian crises, ” noted the journal, forced migration review ( fmr ) in february 2010, which went to press soon after haiti ’ s capital was hit by a 7. 0 - magnitude earthquake that killed more than 220, 000 people, injured more than 300, 000 and has left some 360, 000 others still displaced almost three years later. photo : phuong tran / irin | post - quake there were 19 million cubic metres of rubble and debris in port -


000 people, injured more than 300, 000 and has left some 360, 000 others still displaced almost three years later. photo : phuong tran / irin | post - quake there were 19 million cubic metres of rubble and debris in port - au prince, enough to fill a line of shipping containers stretching end - to - end from london to beirut “ urban drr [ disaster risk reduction ] and preparedness, mitigation, response and reconstruction will come to dominate humanitarian policies and programmes in the coming decades, ” noted the review. and mea culpas from the aid response in haiti are still piling up : not consulting local groups ; no exit strategy ; importing foreign vehicles and goods without checking locally ; coordination between the military and humanitarians based on personality rather than protocol ; focusing on transitional, rather than permanent, shelters. agencies need to learn the “ new rules of the game ” of urban disaster response, as the uk - based disasters emergency committee ( dec ), an umbrella group of some 15 humanitarian aid groups, wrote in 2011 in its compilation of lessons from haiti but what exactly are those rules? what sets apart acute vulnerabilities from chronic poverty? how do you rebuild communities when there is scarce land? what are humanitarians ’ responsibilities to host communities and the urban poor? and just when is a humanitarian ’ s job done in a chronic emergency? urban interventions present humanitarians with similar challenges to other chronic emergencies ( kenya, democratic republic of congo, the sahel ) not tied to a specific geographic area that often lacked clear “ triggers ” of engagement. lessons aid workers have compiled from urban disasters - including philippines ’ 2009 typhoon ketsana, haiti ’ s 2010 earthquake, and japan ’ s 2011 twin disasters - still leave a “ huge gap ”, said george deikun, director of un - habitat ’ s humanitarian affairs office in geneva and one of the authors in fmr ’ s february 2010 special urban issue. “ there is a lot of literature, but … it doesn ’ t bring together the critical and necessary elements in the whole cycle of humanitarian assistance to development, ” he told irin recently. humanitarians ’ work typically has had a “ shelf life [ intervention period ] of 90 days while governments in urban areas are looking to leverage assistance to move on beyond saving lives to re - establishing sustainable communities. ” experts calculate that urban areas ’ population growth - including residents and refugees fleeing conflict - plus unenforced or non - existing building codes can be fatal for urban residents already cut off from city services


beyond saving lives to re - establishing sustainable communities. ” experts calculate that urban areas ’ population growth - including residents and refugees fleeing conflict - plus unenforced or non - existing building codes can be fatal for urban residents already cut off from city services due to lack of income, security or identification photo : sophia paris / un photo | food distribution point at stadium in leogane, haiti while experts differ on how fast the countryside is emptying into urban areas, most agree urban areas in sub - saharan africa are growing more quickly than elsewhere, and that the asia - pacific region has the largest number of urban residents, 1. 8 billion as of 2011 ( 43 percent of region ’ s population ). how the displaced manage in cities, how their needs compare to the urban poor and just what humanitarians ’ responsibilities are to address chronic ( rather than acute ) needs is still debated, according to research on urban displacement and vulnerability by the uk - based overseas development institute ’ s humanitarian practice group, which noted that the best ways to support the urban displaced are “ poorly understood ”. cities, the crossroads of so many legal and illegal transactions, are also becoming battlegrounds for a “ ` new ’ kind of armed conflict … a variation of warfare, often in densely populated slums and shanty towns [ featuring ] pitched battles between the state and non - state armed groups, ” wrote kevin savage from world vision international and robert muggah, research director at igarape institute, a brazilian think tank focusing on violence prevention and reduction. at a meeting focused on “ adapting humanitarian efforts to an urban world ” convened last january by the active learning network for accountability and performance ( alnap ), a uk - headquartered network of humanitarian experts and organizations, participants concluded that even with their experience from urban disasters, “ collective understanding is patchy, informal and still largely undocumented. it is still too early to say how best to respond to the challenge of urban disasters : the rules have yet to be written. ” in 2009 the inter - agency standing committee ( iasc ) - an umbrella group of humanitarian groups that sets policy for the aid community - formed a reference group on “ meeting humanitarian challenges in urban areas ”, setting a two - year action plan in 2010. the group pledged to prepare the industry better to respond to crises in urban areas, by, among other things, launching a database of urban - specific aid tools that aimed to be the clearinghouse for all information on aid in urban emergencies ( done ) ; strengthening technical surge capacity for urban emergency response


to respond to crises in urban areas, by, among other things, launching a database of urban - specific aid tools that aimed to be the clearinghouse for all information on aid in urban emergencies ( done ) ; strengthening technical surge capacity for urban emergency response ( partially done ) ; developing or adapting humanitarian tools for urban areas ( partially done ) ; promoting protection of vulnerable urban populations ( done ). developing guidance on supporting food security in post - crisis areas and building preparedness and community resilience into humanitarian policymaking are still incomplete as of early january 2013. photo : jodi hilton / irin | children at a camp in atma ( northern syria ) for the conflict - displaced. fighting has uprooted two to three million people the un office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs ( ocha ), un - habitat, the kenyan government and ngos are trying to pilot a “ multi - hazard response plan ” created in kenya that brought together local and national governments and almost 100 groups working in urban areas to prepare for future urban emergencies. kenya ’ s election violence in december 2007 killed an estimated 1, 200 persons and displaced more than 660, 000, many of whom sought refuge in cities and have yet to return home. but even bringing together urban actors can be complicated, if not impossible, noted urd. according to a report the group published in december 2011, new “ players ” in urban settings include : gangs controlling the population, churches exploiting their distress, social networks linked to the diaspora, community - based organizations trying to attract aid for their constituency, and private companies looking for clients in the aid industry. the group is finalizing a “ concept note ” to call attention to the impact on urban areas of syria ’ s ongoing fighting, which the un estimates has killed 60, 000 people since protests turned violent in 2010. according to the syrian network for human rights, in 2012 some 8, 200 people died in areas surrounding the country ’ s capital, damascus. on the housing front, shelter project, led by the norwegian refugee council ’ s internal displacement monitoring centre and the geneva - based ngo shelter centre, working with other humanitarian groups and agencies, is developing guidelines for moving people out of emergency shelters into permanent housing. a draft is expected by mid - 2013. the world food programme ( wfp ) is reviewing food - targeting practices and with food and agriculture organization ( fao ) is developing global guidelines to strengthen urban food security and nutrition in emergencies. for all the recommendations proffered following recent urban disasters ( see sidebar ), five key challenges


is reviewing food - targeting practices and with food and agriculture organization ( fao ) is developing global guidelines to strengthen urban food security and nutrition in emergencies. for all the recommendations proffered following recent urban disasters ( see sidebar ), five key challenges remain : “ international agencies are king in rural areas versus cities where they play a supporting role, ” said one aid worker. the challenge of working with leaders from neighbourhoods and communities ( which researchers note are not necessarily the same ), as well as civil society staff and officials from multiple levels of government - all necessary partners - becomes more complicated when the government is a combatant in conflict, as in syria according to urd, “ multi - sector geographical coordination ” makes more sense in urban areas - where all aid is delivered by a single level of authority - rather than the current “ cluster ” model of crisis coordination in place since mid - 2006, which divides aid by issues, such as food, shelter or education., leadership posts of many sectors were vacant. once in place, the system was “ too heavily bureaucratic ” and not able to carry out quick needs assessments ; the health sector alone had more than 400 groups participating at one point. theme - specific groupings were unable to meet multi - sector challenges. cluster meetings were primarily conducted in english to accommodate the large number of anglophone emergency responders, which was often too fast - past paced for local francophone or creole - speaking groups. targeting vulnerable communities. photo : jason gutierrez / irin | flooded slum in manila, philippines, august 2012 in cities the most vulnerable tend to be highly mobile, untraceable and scattered. refugees and internally displaced persons may seek out sprawling urban areas for anonymity due to fears of harassment, detention or eviction, making it difficult to track, profile, register or document them. in turn, the task of measuring the impact of satisfying humanitarian versus economic needs is hard because conventional needs assessments do not distinguish acute needs ( such as war - inflicted health trauma ) from chronic ones ( cholera borne of slum living and urban poverty ). identifying and targeting assistance in cities is a “ huge challenge ” said un - habitat ’ s deikun. “ the problem with emergency response is that it has to be done quickly and be done by yesterday. it relies on existing data that is not always correct, and may be politically distorted. mapping vulnerable urban populations in high - risk environments before the emergency strikes is rarely done. ” seeking urban experts. emergencies in urban areas require expertise often in short supply : adapting


relies on existing data that is not always correct, and may be politically distorted. mapping vulnerable urban populations in high - risk environments before the emergency strikes is rarely done. ” seeking urban experts. emergencies in urban areas require expertise often in short supply : adapting water and sanitation projects to complex, dense and underserviced urban environments ; conducting urban vulnerability and community resilience analyses and plans ; developing land use management plans and tenure guidelines ; removing debris ; reconstruction of urban housing ; resettlement of affected populations from emergency shelter and trauma surgery - to name a few. following haiti ’ s earthquake, the lack of trauma specialists and surgeons led to inappropriate treatment, excessive unnecessary amputations and health complications, according to multiple evaluations. the iasc reference group on humanitarian challenges in urban areas has created and is disseminating generic terms of reference for a number of these specialists capable of responding to urban disasters. humanitarians are the “ last ones ” to develop an exit strategy, said urd ’ s grunewald. “ the humanitarian is focused on saving lives. we only think of it at the end. ” the problem is when there is no strong governance to take over and “ the principal activities of many agencies seem to be stuck in an extended relief mode, ” dec noted. bring along an urban adviser or development specialist as early as the damage assessment, grunewald counselled, to decide when to exit. he concluded humanitarians can only do so much. “ [ humanitarian ] ngos want to become engaged in slums. but all the money from all the donors would only be a drop in the bucket - and there would still not be an exit strategy … the band - aid system is messy and can only be a band - aid. ” | | work with and through municipalities wherever possible | | find and use neighbourhood networks and capacities, such as home - owner associations, while recognizing that community and neighbourhood is not the same | | work with the local private sector ; do not compete unfairly | | focus on long - term homes, rather than short - term shelter | | keep people in or close to their neighbourhoods, if safe | | assume skills and resources can be found locally | | use cash to stimulate markets | | prepare now for the next big urban disaster | | health providers : use a common format for medical records | | avoid mass burials / cremations | | build violence - prevention into agency activities | | use community radio | | employ urban - oriented minimum standards | | track populations - and health epidemics - through mobile phones |


common format for medical records | | avoid mass burials / cremations | | build violence - prevention into agency activities | | use community radio | | employ urban - oriented minimum standards | | track populations - and health epidemics - through mobile phones | | consider alternatives such as mobile medical clinics to avoid large - scale relief distributions, which can invite violence | | be aware that agency logos on relief items can, in urban markets with consumers more attuned to image and branding, stigmatize recipients | | crowdsourcing - information gathered from the public through sms text messages or the internet - can be a valuable source of information to assess locations and needs, though it is still problematic in terms of accuracy and ease - of - use | | conduct “ one - hit ” assessments instead of subjecting a community to multiple visits | | build resilience during recovery operations | | consider renters and squatters in resettlement plans | | avoid relocation camps on a city ’ s periphery as they can increase displacement by drawing surrounding populations to camp services. rather, construct camps as close to neighbourhoods of origin as possible | | establish strict admission criteria for emergency care : it may be the only free health care available and could quickly become overwhelmed | | focus on psychosocial support, often overlooked in an emergency response | sources : dec 2011, unisdr 2012, alnap november 2012, un - habitat 2011, december 2012 interview with george deikun, un - habitat / chair of iasc reference group on meeting humanitarian challenges


an animal detection system with the warning lights activated resulted in 1. 52 mi / h lower vehicle speeds ( compared to warning lights off ) for passenger cars and pick - ups. alerting drivers to the presence of large animals in the road at yellowstone national park. the study area was on us highway 191 inside of the yellowstone national park, with a posted speed limit of 55 mi / hour. the data collection period occurred over two weeks in which there was mostly no precipitation. researchers installed three traffic counters and road tubes outside and inside of the detection area. the counters recorded the date, time, vehicle type, vehicle speed and gap ( in seconds ) between vehicles. when vehicles moved in platoons, only the speed of the first vehicle in a platoon was used as a data point when the signs were activated ( since the following vehicles may be influenced by the speed of the first one ). a sample size of 2, 428 vehicles per 24 hour period was used. the deployment of an animal detection system at yellowstone national park found that passenger cars, pick - ups, vans, and trucks with two units or more had lower vehicle speeds by 1. 52 mi / hour with warning signs activated compared to warning signs off. although the difference is small, it is important to note that small reductions when vehicles are traveling at high speeds have a disproportionate decrease in the probability of severe accidents. the data also showed that the number of collisions with large animals was 58 to 67 percent lower than was expected ( but could not be tested for significance due to the variability in the number of collisions and just one year of post installation collision data ). driver opinion of the system documented in interviews revealed that a majority ( 59 percent ) would have liked to see the system stay in place. the system was removed in the fall of 2008 due to high maintenance and a lack of spare parts. author : m. p. huijser, t. d. holland, a. v. kociolek, a. m. barkdoll and j. d. schwalm published by : oregon department of transportation research unit and the federal highway administration source date : march 2009url : http : / / ntl. bts. gov / lib / 31000 / 31600 / 31698 / animal - vehicle _ crash _ mitigation _ phase _ 2. pdf average user rating typical deployment locations


use exponent rules to simplify. write as a single power, dont need to find the value. [ ( 11 / 20 ) ^ 4 x ( 11 / 20 ) ^ - 8 ] ^ 5 and ( 11 / 20 ) ^ - 6 you cant leave an number to the power of a negative exponent. you have to change it like this ex : 2 ^ - 3 = 1 / 2 ^ 3 = 1 / 8 - a store sells 28 ounces of peanut butter for $ 2. 24. the store also sells 32 ounces of teh same peanut butter for $ 2. 40. which is a better buy? 12. the delhi sultanate ruler radiyya first took power chiefly because a. she proved herself in battle. b. she wore men ' s clothes. c. she killed her brother. d. her father chose her as his successor. i chose c ok can u atleast check if it makes sense? i wanna pass i found it can i send a recording?? r these correct?? plz help en la 11. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ te llame. de la oscuridad me llamaste. reconoci tu 12. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. reconociste la mia. vente para aca, 13. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _. respondiste : ¿ donde estas, papa? no te 14... thanks anyway : ( no i listen to the cd and fill in the blanks for further reading


kom ombo is an agricultural town in egypt famous for its temple. it was originally an egyptian city called nubt, meaning city of gold ( not to be confused with the city north of naqada that was also called nubt / ombos ). it became a greek settlement during the greco - roman period. the town ' s location on the nile 50 km north of aswan ( syene ) gave it some control over trade routes from nubia to the nile valley, but its main rise to prominence came with the erection of the temple in the 2nd century bc. in antiquity the city was in the thebaid, the capital of the nomos ombites, upon the east bank of the nile. ombos was a garrison town under every dynasty of egypt, pharaonic, macedonian, and roman, and was celebrated for the magnificence of its temples and its hereditary feud with the people of tentyra. ombos was the first city below syene at which any remarkable remains of antiquity occur. the nile, indeed, at this portion of its course, was ill - suited to a dense population in antiquity. it runs between steep and narrow banks of sandstone, and deposits but little of its fertilizing slime upon the dreary and barren shores. there are two temples at ombos, constructed of the stone obtained from the neighboring quarries of hadjar - selseleh. the more magnificent of two stands upon the top of a sandy hill, and appears to have been a species of pantheon, since, according to extant inscriptions, it was dedicated to aroeres ( apollo ) and the other deities of the ombite nome by the soldiers quartered there. the smaller temple to the northwest was sacred to isis. both, indeed, are of an imposing architecture, and still retain the brilliant colors with which their builders adorned them. they are, however, of the ptolemaic age, with the exception of a doorway of sandstone, built into a wall of brick. this was part of a temple built by tuthmosis iii in honor of the crocodile - headed god sobek. the monarch is represented on tress, the door - jambs, holding the measuring reed and chisel, the emblems of construction, and in the act of dedicating the temple. the ptolemaic portions of the larger temple present an exception to an almost universal rule in egyptian architecture. it has no propylon or dromos in front of it, and the


and in the act of dedicating the temple. the ptolemaic portions of the larger temple present an exception to an almost universal rule in egyptian architecture. it has no propylon or dromos in front of it, and the portico has an uneven number of columns, in all fifteen, arranged in a triple row. of these columns thirteen are still erect. as there are two principal entrances, the temple would seem to be two united in one, strengthening the supposition that it was the pantheon of the ombite nome. on a cornice above the doorway of one of the adyta is a greek inscription, recording the erection, or perhaps the restoration of the sekos by ptolemy vi philometor and his sister - wife cleopatra ii, 180 - 145 bc. the hill on which the ombite temples stand has been considerably excavated at its base by the river, which here strongly inclines to the arabian bank. the crocodile was held in special honor by the people of ombos, and in the adjacent catacombs are occasionally found mummies of the sacred animal. juvenal, in his 15th satire, has given a lively description of a fight, of which he was an eye - witness, between the ombitae and the inhabitants of tentyra, who were hunters of the crocodile. on this occasion the men of ombos had the worst of it, and one of their number, having stumbled in his flight, was caught and eaten by the tentyrites. the satirist, however, has represented ombos as nearer to tentyra than it actually is, these towns, in fact, being nearly 100 miles from each other. the roman coins of the ombite nome exhibit the crocodile and the effigy of the crocodile - headed god sobek. in kom ombo there is a rare engraved image of cleopatra vii in the walls of the main temple and also the engraving of what is though to be the first representation of medical instruments for performing surgery, including scalpels, curettes, forceps, dilator, scissors, and medicine bottles dating from the days of the roman egypt. the city was a bishopric before the muslim conquest, and ombos was a titular see of the roman catholic church, ombi, which has been vacant since 1966. karol wojtyła ( the future pope john paul ii ) was titular bishop of ombi from 1958 until 1963, when he was appointed archbishop of krakow. journeys trips that include kom ombo : ancient wonders


definition of a crime victim the attorney general ' s guidelines for victim and witness assistance define a victim as a person that has suffered direct physical, emotional, or pecuniary harm as a result of the commission of a federal crime. if the victim is a non governmental institution, such as a bank or corporation, this definition includes a representative of that institution. government agencies are not considered victims for the purpose of victim services but federal government employees who are harmed in the performance of their duties are considered victims. if the victim is deceased, under 18 years of age, incompetent or incapacitated, this definition includes one of the following persons ( in order of preference ) : a spouse, a legal guardian, a parent, a child, a sibling, another family member ; or another person designated by the court. definition of a witness the attorney general ' s guidelines for victim and witness assistance define a witness as a person who has information or evidence concerning a crime, and provides information regarding his or her knowledge to a law enforcement agency. where the witness is a minor, the term witness includes an appropriate family member or legal guardian. the term witness does not include a person who is solely a defense witness. the u. s. attorney ’ s office will make its best efforts to ensure your rights are protected. you may seek the advice of an attorney with respect to these rights. if you believe that an employee of the united states attorney ’ s office failed to provide you with one or more of these rights, you may file an administrative complaint, as provided under 28 cfr § 45. 10. please contact the united states attorney ’ s office to obtain information about these procedures.


new green up program helps buildings to save money while reducing emissions by : meirav even - har, toronto regular readers of this blog may have noticed i cover the subject of buildings quite often. responsible for as much as 40 % of global ghgs, buildings remain, for the most part, under the public awareness radar. however, for the companies that own and manage commercial, institutional and residential buildings, the story is a little different. progress has been made. there are greater numbers of new and existing green buildings. many canadian property managers have engaged in a variety of energy, water and waste reduction campaigns. less energy and water used means a lower carbon footprint. to continue driving further reduction in energy and water use in existing buildings, the canada green buildings council ( cagbc ) has launched a new program called green up®. the program includes " a national database and information system designed to improve the energy and environmental performance of buildings in canada. " how does green up work? the following is a brief overview using the steps outlined on the green up program website : step 1 : measure real estate portfolio ' s energy and water use. first, green up users provide program staff with available energy billing data for each registered building. once inputted, participants are able to track monthly energy use and associated carbon footprint. the program offers access to performance data in office, multi - family, long - term healthcare, hotel, retail, k - 12 school, and government buildings. step 2 : compare buildings to those of peers and within portfolio. building performance can be measured for both individual buildings, as well as portfolios. it can then be compared building to building, or as a group ( portfolio ) against industry best practices. the peer comparison numbers are based on energy star portfolio manager ( energy star ) metrics, for energy [ thermal ( heating / cooling and electricity ), and water use. step 3 : set building performance targets and implement projects. measuring and tracking performance is important. however, it ' s what you do with the information that really counts. setting building performance targets is a component of the green up program that caught my attention, because it includes tools to help owners and managers develop actionable plans to drive improvements. for example, the investment decision guide dashboard helps " identify where to target funds for certification, operational and renewal projects. " it also enables users to conduct " what - if " scenario analysis, by shifting investment criteria, as well as buildings, regions or types. while green up is not a certification program, it is a


funds for certification, operational and renewal projects. " it also enables users to conduct " what - if " scenario analysis, by shifting investment criteria, as well as buildings, regions or types. while green up is not a certification program, it is a tool that can be beneficial for those working on certification projects such as : leed® canada eb : o & m ( leed for existing buildings ). step 4 : track savings from retrofit, operational, and occupant improvement connecting to the business case, this final step allows participants to link dollars to realised and / or potential energy savings for an entire portfolio, as well as individual buildings. in a press release for the program ' s launch, cagbc president and ceo thomas mueller remarks, " by giving those involved in managing buildings this comprehensive and accessible tool we are helping them identify where they can improve building performance and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. " understanding the big picture while helping integrate sustainability into operations is key to move the industry forward. to learn more about green up click here cagbc : green up program webpage http : / / www. cagbc. org / content / navigationmenu / programs / greenup / default. htm cagbc : green up information sheet http : / / www. cagbc. org / am / pdf / greenup / cagbc _ gu - 06 - 2012 - en. pdf cagbc : press release june 2012, canada green building council launches green up building performance program image : green up logo courtesy of canada green building council ( cagbc )


people in the mountains celebrated festivities with the harvest yielded in the fields on the holy territory within the house of worship. part of the harvested crops was used in ritual bread baking and beer brewing. the first spring works in khevsureti started by plowing cornfield. on a friday, the chief of the community would stand on the flat deck roof of one of the houses and announce the beginning of plowing. it was an obligatory work for all, and once the people finished plowing the area, then they would start working on their own patches of land. it is interesting to note, that as the process of harvest served the divine deeds, it acquired a ritual character. when it was the time to reap the fields, the chief of clan would announce so and appoint the day of reaping. by this time the beer would have been brewed, the parish would get together, select the sacrificial animals and would sacrifice to the deity. the chief would open the beer cask and fill the silver chalices, light the candles nearby the offerings, and chief say prayers. everybody would toast with beer to the glory of the house of worship. then the chief would go out into the field with the sickle, cut some barley, and then hand the sickle to the reapers. the latter were offered the drink by people carrying the tuns with beer. reaping was accompanied with songs. after the process was finished, one of the reapers would start chanting, " god bless the iakhsar and the iakhsar bless your people " ( iakhsar is one of the pagan deities of the people of tusheti, khevsureti, pshavi ) and the people around would start echoing and this meant that the reaping was over. the crop harvested in the holy field was considered sacred. if the house of worship had its own barn, the harvest would be stored there. if not, then it would be taken to the cleanest attic of one of the houses, which was strictly guarded. it was such a sacred product that its theft, appropriation or wasting in any way was strictly precluded. the most of the wheat crop was used in beer brewery, which was the main ritual drink and no blessings and toasting would be possible without this drink at the feasts.


england could spice up its food production by growing more herbs and spices, says a report looking at the nation ' s future food security. it said it could become possible if the uk ' s climate changes, as could growing chickpeas " for roti - bread flour ". experts involved in the government - convened green food project also called for improvements in yields, resource efficiency and wildlife protection. the findings will be unveiled by farming minster jim paice. continue reading the main story throughout history, the impact of plant pests and diseases, such as potato blight, can devastate lives plant pests : the biggest threats the department for environment, food and rural affairs set up the project in order to bring together representatives in farming, manufacturing, science and conservation to look at measures to ensure the uk ' s food system can cope with future pressures. among the issues facing the sector are climate change, a growing population, changes in diet and eating habits. " with our increasingly hungry world, every country must place its part to produce more food and improve the environment, " mr paice said. " we ' re not talking about soviet - style targets but an overall approach in which the whole food chain pulls together. " food for thought the project consisted of five subgroups to look at particular areas within the food system - wheat, dairy, bread, curry and geographical areas - with the goal of consider ways to " reconcile how we will achieve our goals of improving the environment and increasing good production ". the project ' s steering group identified a number of " strategic steps " that could be taken to strengthen the food chain, including : research and technology - improve knowledge base and science capability ; also improve forecasting potential scenarios the sector will face in the future knowledge exchange - improve the way in which research and advice is shared between food, farming and environmental sectors investment - giving farmers and businesses confidence that investments will improve future performance ecosystem services - develop a clear understanding of the economic costs and environmental risks of allowing such services to deteriorate consumption and waste - initiate further work on how to tackle problems within the food system surrounding consumption, demand and waste among the organisations represented were the national farmers ' union, the british retail consortium, the food and drink federation, wwf and the rspb. commenting on the report, rspb conservation director and member of the steering group martin harper said : " it is clear that food production and consumption urgently need to change. " the project is an important first step towards working out what england ' s contribution should be to help


waste is defined as something that is unwanted or unusable. according to the office of national statistics, a staggering 342m tonnes of waste is produced in the uk each year. instead of going to landfill sites to be buried or burnt, a vast proportion of this waste could be cut using the following steps : reduce – change manufacturing processes so that less materials are used or change consumer habits so that less wasted material is bought reuse – choose goods and products that can be used again and reuse rubbish for other purposes recycle – make sure that waste is processed and made into another product wherever possible. composting is also recycling : the nutrients in organic waste are processed and returned to the soil to help more plants to grow reducing your waste any building or environment where people live or work will produce a certain amount of waste, and children ’ s centres are no exception. reducing waste may involve taking an in - depth look at the types of resources your centre buys and considering ways of cutting down. there are numerous ways a children ’ s centre can reduce the amount of waste produced and handle waste in a more environmentally friendly way. does the centre recycle and, if so, what types of waste do you recycle? could you recycle more or re - use materials such as paper and yoghurt pots? instead of paying companies to remove your waste, by recycling it you will save money in the long - term as you won ’ t need to pay contractors to take it away. you may also be able to sell some of your metal and glass to companies who can recycle it. ensure that paper recycling bins are placed in every classroom and discuss with the children what they are and why they are needed. encourage children to use both sides of paper and when they ’ re finished to use the recycling bins. composting is a great way of disposing of food waste in an environmentally friendly way. place compost bins around the centre grounds and ask the children to help empty the food into the bins. children could then draw pictures of the different foods which are composted. ask children to look into their lunch box and identify what waste can be composted and what can ’ t. explain how certain items such as yoghurt pots can be re - used to make paint pots etc. visit our resources & links to download a rupert bear themed waste dot to dot activity. this section also provides details of organisations that will be able to help your centre tackle the waste topic.


according to miguel angel ortiz, a professor at the pontifical university of the holy cross in rome, benedict wasn ’ t so much addressing the specific issue of remarried divorcees but addressing the relation between the spouses ’ personal faith and the validity of marriage, including its commitment to fidelity. in a 2005 question - and - answer session with priests, the pope said he once believed that lack of faith was enough to declare a marriage invalid. but, after tasking theologians to look into the issue, he had “ understood that the problem was very difficult ” and required further study. at the time, benedict said it was “ particularly sad ” to see people marry in the church out of tradition instead of a faith commitment only to subsequently find faith and remarry. for ortiz, the pope ’ s reflection could “ speed up the process of declaring a marriage invalid ” without changing the substance of the process itself. read it all. filed under : * culture - watch history marriage & family religion & culture * religion news & commentary other churches roman catholic pope benedict xvi * theology ethics / moral theology pastoral theology posted january 30, 2013 at 8 : 00 am to comment on this article : go to article viewthe url for this article is http : / / www. kendallharmon. net / t19 / index. php / t19 / article / 47442 / © 2013 kendall s. harmon. all rights reserved. for original material from titusonenine ( such as articles and commentary by dr. harmon ) permission to copy and distribute free of charge is granted, provided this notice, the logo, and the web site address are visible on all copies. for permission for use in for - profit publications, please email ksharmon [ at ] mindspring [ dot ] com < < return to mobile view ( headlines )


kenya - the useful plants project in kenya, the useful plants project aims to enhance the ex - situ conservation of plants that are beneficial to human wellbeing. ex - situ conservation involves conserving seeds outside their native habitat and helps to protect plant life for our future. the project is working closely with local communities to increase their capacity to propagate useful species. the main objectives of the project in kenya are to : - identify the most useful plant species for conservation - conserve these important plants ex - situ - carry out research in order to support the conservation and sustainable use of selected useful species - enhance the capacity of government of kenya ( gok ) agencies and local growers to cultivate target species activities in kenya through literature review and ethnobotanical surveys, investigating the use of plants within community groups, the project team have identified the most useful plant species. four nurseries have been selected for enhancement. they have been surveyed to discover which useful species were already propagated by the local people, identify those with propagation problems and highlight plants of particular interest. the upp team is running workshops in the communities to educate local people about the importance of conserving useful species and preserving local knowledge. training is provided and teaches techniques for seed collecting, conservation and propagation, enhancing the ability of the local community to cultivate useful plants. outside tharaka, the team collects nationwide ; germination tests are carried out at the national museums of kenya ( nmk ) with assistance from the genebank of kenya, at the kenya agricultural research institute ( kari ), where seeds are conserved. the seeds are duplicated at kew ’ s millennium seed bank to ensure their long term conservation. the jomo kenyatta university of science and technology ( jkuat ) is assisting with the propagation of difficult plants, while kew scientists from the jodrell laboratory are collaborating with kenyatta university to study the phytochemestry of the african satinwood ( zanthoxylum gilletii ) in different geographical areas. 24 - 26 february 2010 collaborators in kenya institutes involved in the project in kenya are : - the national museums of kenya ( nmk ) - the genebank of kenya at the kenya agricultural research institute ( kari ) - kenyatta university - jomo kenyatta university of science and technology ( jkuat ) people in kenya - dr helida oyieke, useful plants project manager in kenya - alice wagura, useful plants project project co - ordinator in kenya


how reflective listening can help you communicate more effectively reflective listening is a communication style that can be employed to steer a conversation toward being healthy and productive. it originates from the idea of “ client - centered therapy, ” the favored method of psychologist carl rogers. this technique is a valuable tool in de - escalating arguments and clearing up confusion. when properly employed, reflective listening will enable you to have a conversation free from emotional triggers and regretful words. it can help you to create a situation where a reasonable understanding can be reached. we ’ ve all been part of a conversation that has gone off track and strayed in to unfriendly territory. once emotions start to flair, it seems that the risk of misunderstanding is high. if things continue to escalate without resolution, abusive language – and even violence – can ensue. how it ’ s done in effect, reflective listening consists of respectfully listening to someone, thoughtfully considering what they are saying, and confirming with them that you understand what they have said. when a conversation turns volatile, this style of communication can be a saving grace. follow these guidelines when practicing this method. - listen closely to what is being said – be present in the moment and allow the person to fully state their case. - observe the person ’ s body language as well as other cues that can clue you in to how they are feeling. - empathize – put yourself in the other person ’ s place as well as you can to try and understand where they are coming from. - restate what has been said and ask if your interpretation is accurate. paraphrase, using your own words, to show that you are not just parroting what they ’ ve said, but that you understand. - focus on the issue at hand. if the conversation starts to divert from the main point of discussion, steer it back right away. don ’ t banter or get sidetracked. - be specific. say exactly what you mean. - reduce distractions. reflective listening is optimally effective when the conversation can take place in a calm quiet environment. minimize the presence of others, especially those who would interfere in your discussion. - acknowledge the other person ’ s feelings and treat them as valid. - stay calm and rational at all times. how not to do it - don ’ t use criticism or judgmental statements. your goal is to solve the problem at hand, not to assess the person ’ s character or morality. - don ’ t argue or engage in a debate - style conversation. this


to do it - don ’ t use criticism or judgmental statements. your goal is to solve the problem at hand, not to assess the person ’ s character or morality. - don ’ t argue or engage in a debate - style conversation. this idea isn ’ t to find right or wrong, simply to cut through confusion and achieve true understanding. - don ’ t support them or agree with them if they are complaining. this is a way of enabling them to continue dwelling in the problem instead of working to solve it. - don ’ t feel sorry for the person. you want to empathize, not sympathize. when you effectively use reflective listening, you avoid the usual pitfalls of communication and take control of the situation. by commandeering the conversation in a positive way, you create a safe place where constructive problem solving can happen. by engaging someone in this way, you will encourage them to communicate openly in the future – you are setting a new mood for the way your interactions with this person will go. you will become enlightened as to how they people are really feeling because and emotional behavior usually masks the real problem and conversations blow up into arguments or are ended without resolution because neither party wants to truly empathize or understand. successfully employing this method will likely get you noticed in a good way at work. bosses will see you as a valuable leader if you are able to effectively manage disagreements. perhaps most rewardingly, people will want to confide in you because they trust that you will use your reflective listening skills to make them feel comfortable and understood.


click here for an introduction to some basic concepts and design principles of secret key cryptography. 3 - way is a simple and fast cipher designed by joan daemen. 3 - way features a 96 - bit key length and a 96 - bit block length. 3 - way is an iterated block cipher that repeats some relatively simple operations a specified number of rounds. david wagner, john kelsey, and bruce schneier of counterpane systems have discovered a related key attack on 3 - way that requires one related key query and about 222 chosen plaintexts, described in this paper. 3 - way is unpatented. blowfish is a block cipher designed by bruce schneier, author of applied cryptography. blowfish combines a feistel network, key - dependent s - boxes, and a non - invertible f function to create what is perhaps one of the most secure algorithms available. schneier ' s paper is available is also described in the concepts of cryptography page. the only known attacks against blowfish are based on its weak blowfish is implemented in kremlin. cast, designed by carlisle adams and stafford taveres, is shaping up to be a solid algorithm. its design is very similar to blowfish ' s, with key - dependent s - boxes, a non - invertible f function, and a feistel network - like structure ( called a substitution - permutation network ). david wagner, john kelsey, and bruce schneier have discovered a related - key attack on the 64 - bit version of cast that requires approximately 217 chosen plaintexts, one related query, and 248 offline computations ( described in this paper ). the attack is infeasible at best. cast is patented by entrust technologies, which has generously released it for free use. the cast cipher design process is described in this paper and the 128 - bit version is described in this addendum. carlisle adams has submitted a version of cast ( cast - 256 ) as an aes candidate. cast - 128 is implemented in kremlin. cmea is the encryption algorithm developed by the telecommunications industry association to encrypt digital cellular phone data. it uses a 64 - bit key and features a variable block length. cmea is used to encrypt the control channel of cellular phones. it is distinct from oryx, an also insecure stream cipher that is used to encrypt data transmitted over digital cellular phones. it has been


block length. cmea is used to encrypt the control channel of cellular phones. it is distinct from oryx, an also insecure stream cipher that is used to encrypt data transmitted over digital cellular phones. it has been broken by david wagner, john kelsey, and bruce schneier of counterpane systems. their paper, which also provides an excellent description of the cmea algorithm, is available here. designed at ibm during the 1970s and officially adopted as the nist standard encryption algorithm for unclassified data in 1976, des has become the bastion of the cryptography market. however, des has since become outdated, its long reign as official nist algorithm ending in 1997. though des accepts a 64 - bit key, the key setup routines effectively discard 8 bits, giving des a 56 - bit effective keylength. des remains widely in use. during the design of des, the nsa provided secret s - boxes. after differential cryptanalysis had been discovered outside the closed fortress of the nsa, it was revealed that the des s - boxes were designed to be resistant against differential cryptanalysis. des is becoming weaker and weaker over time ; modern computing power is fast approaching the computational horsepower needed to easily crack des was designed to be implemented only in hardware, and is therefore extremely slow in software. a recent successful effort to crack des took several thousand computers several months. the eff has sponsored the development of a crypto chip named " deep crack " that can process 88 billion des keys per second and has successfully cracked 56 bit des in less than 3 days. des is implemented in kremlin ( accessible through kremlin sdk api ). a variant of des, triple - des ( also 3des ) is based on using des three times. this means that the input data is encrypted three times. the triple - des is considered much stronger than des, however, it is rather slow compared to some new block ciphers. deal is an interesting aes submission and, like all aes submissions, it uses a 128 bit block and accepts 128 bit, 192 bit, and 256 bit keylengths. it uses des as its inner round function and its authors suggest at least 6, preferably 8 rounds ( there are some attacks against deal ). there is a paper available here that describes some attacks, all of which can be cured by using at least developed by the nippon telephone & telegraph as an improvement to des, the fast data encipherment algorithm ( feal )


against deal ). there is a paper available here that describes some attacks, all of which can be cured by using at least developed by the nippon telephone & telegraph as an improvement to des, the fast data encipherment algorithm ( feal ) is very insecure. feal - 4, feal - 8, and feal - n are all susceptible to a variety of cryptanalytic attacks, some requiring as little as 12 chosen plaintexts. feal is patented. gost is a cryptographic algorithm from russia that appears to be the russian analog to des both politically and technologically. its designers took no chances, iterating the gost algorithm for 32 rounds and using a 256 bit key. although gost ' s conservative design inspires confidence, john kelsey has discovered a key - relation attack on gost, described in a post to sci. crypt on 10 february 1996. there are also weak keys in gost, but there are too few to be a problem when gost is used with its standard set of s - boxes. you can read the official gost algorithm description ( translated from russian ) here. there is also a description of the gost algorithm here. idea, developed in zurich, switzerland by xuejia lai and james massey, is generally regarded to be one of the best and most secure block algorithm available to the public today. it utilizes a 128 - bit key and is designed to be resistant to differential cryptanalysis. some attacks have been made against reduced round idea. unfortunately, idea is patented ; licensing information can be obtained from ascom. loki was designed as a possible replacement for des. it operates on a 64 - bit block and a 64 - bit key. the first version of loki to be released was broken by differential cryptanalysis and was shown to have an 8 - bit complementation property ( this means that the number of keys that need to be searched in a brute force attack is reduced by 256 ). loki was revised and re - released as loki91. loki91 is secure against differential cryptanalysis, but loki easily falls to a chosen - key attack. the designers of loki have proposed loki97 as an aes candidate, but linear and differential attacks on loki97 have already been proposed. lucifer was one of the first modern cryptographic algorithms. it was designed at ibm in the 1960s by horst feistel, of feistel network fame. lucifer is often considered to be a precursor to des. there are several incarnations of lucifer, each with the


the first modern cryptographic algorithms. it was designed at ibm in the 1960s by horst feistel, of feistel network fame. lucifer is often considered to be a precursor to des. there are several incarnations of lucifer, each with the same name, which creates a good deal of confusion. no version is secure. a paper on the differential cryptanlysis of lucifer was written by ishai ben - aroya & eli macguffin is a cipher developed by matt blaze and bruce schneier as an experiment in cipher design. it uses a feistel network ( see the cryptography overview for details ), but does not split the input evenly, instead dividing the 64 bit block into one 16 bit part and another 48 bit part. this is called a generalized unbalanced feistel network ( gufn ). details are available here. a differential attack on macguffin has been found that requires approximately 251. 5 chosen plaintexts. mars is ibm ' s aes submission. there is a mars web page with a link to the mars paper. mars uses 128 bit blocks and supports variable key sizes ( from 128 to 1248 bits ). mars is unique in that it combines virtually every design technique known to cryptographers in one algorithm. it uses addition and subtractions, s - boxes, fixed and data dependent rotations, misty is a cryptographic algorithm developed by mitsubishi electric after they broke des in 1994. it is designed to withstand linear and differential cryptanalysis, but has not yet been cryptanalysed. as it has not undergone intensive peer review, the usual caution is recommended. it is being considered for inclusion into the set 2. 0 standard. visit web page or read the author ' s paper mmb was designed as an alternative to idea that uses a 128 - bit block instead of idea ' s 64 - bit block. it was designed using the same principles as idea. unfortunately, it is not as secure as idea and several attacks exist against it. its author, joan daemen, abandoned it and designed although newdes was developed by robert scott to possibly replace des, newdes has fallen short of expectations. newdes has been proven to be weaker than des, requiring 24 related - key probes and 530 chosen plaintext / ciphertext queries, as described in this newdes is implemented in kremlin rc2, like rc4, was formerly a trade secret, but code purporting to be rc2 was posted to sci. crypt. it is


/ ciphertext queries, as described in this newdes is implemented in kremlin rc2, like rc4, was formerly a trade secret, but code purporting to be rc2 was posted to sci. crypt. it is archived here. david wagner, john kelsey, and bruce schneier discovered a related - key attack on rc2 that requires one related - key query and approximately 234 chosen plaintexts. rc2 is not patented by rsa data security, inc ; it is just protected as a trade secret. rc5 is a group of algorithms designed by ron rivest of rsa data security that can take on a variable block size, key size, and number of rounds. the block size is generally dependent on the word size of the machine the particular version of rc5 was designed to run on ; on 32 - bit processors ( with 32 - bit words ), rc5 generally has a 64 - bit block size. david wagner, john kelsey, and bruce schneier have found weak keys in rc5, with the probability of selecting a weak key to be 2 - 10r, where r is the number of rounds. for sufficiently large r values ( greater than 10 ), this is not a problem as long as you are not trying to build a hash function based on rc5. kundsen has also found a differential attack on rc5. rc5 is described in this rsa document. rc5 is patented by rsa rc6 is ronald rivest ' s aes submission. like all aes ciphers, rc6 works on 128 bit blocks. it can accept variable length keys. it is very similar to rc5, incorporating the results of various studies on rc5 to improve the algorithm. the studies of rc5 found that not all bits of data are used to determine the rotation amount ( rotation is used extensively in rc5 ) ; rc6 uses multiplication to determine the rotation amount and uses all bits of input data to determine the rotation amount, strengthening the avalanche effect. there are two versions of the redoc algorithm, redoc ii, and redoc iii. redoc ii is considered to be secure ; an attack has been made against one round of redoc ii, but could not be extended to all 10 recommended rounds. redoc ii is interesting in that it uses data masks to select the values in the s - boxes. redoc ii uses a 160 - bit key and works on an 80 - bit block. redoc iii was an attempt to