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Changing Climate May Favor Smaller Corals

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Three things you should know:

1) As global ocean temperatures rise on average, scientists are concerned that some diseases that harm corals will become more prevalent.

2) In response to warming temperaturess over the past few decades, coral populations in the Caribbean have declined and big, slow-growing corals have been replaced by smaller, fast-growing corals.

3) The new coral communities that are emerging may be more resistant to current diseases, but they do not harbor as rich a community of fish and other ocean life.

The debrief:

The once vibrant coral communities in the Caribbean, such as this one in the U.S. Virgin Islands, are changing as water temperatures rise, but it may not be easy to predict how they will continue to evolve in the future. Credit: NOAA CCMA Biogeography Team.

In the past 40 years, Caribbean corals have been devastated by new disease epidemics and coral bleaching, and overall the coral populations have been cut by about 80 percent. Many researchers claim that the strength with which these coral diseases roar through the Caribbean is linked to the substantially warmer water temperatures in the Atlantic brought on by global climate change, as well as natural climate variability. As the water temperatures rise, the corals are becoming more susceptible to infection. It’s also possible that the diseases themselves could be growing more abundant or virulent in warmer water.

But shrinking numbers aren’t the only changes to Caribbean corals; the types of corals dominating the area have also changed. The large and long-lived reef-building corals synonymous with the Caribbean — like staghorn corals, with their strong colorful branches, and boulder star corals — are being replaced by smaller species that grow and multiply quickly.

“The big corals are like the oak trees of the reef,” says oceanographer Peter Mumby from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. “But the big corals are disappearing and in their place are these small corals that are more like weeds.” Now, Mumby and his Queensland colleague Laith Yacob say these changing coral populations are a sign that it might not be so easy to predict how climate change is going to affect coral ecosystems as had been previously thought.

The different types of corals in the Caribbean aren’t all showing the same response to recent disease epidemics, Mumby says, and in a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science, he and Yakob find that the smaller, weedlike corals are more resistant to diseases and may be more likely to survive future epidemics.

“Because these small short-lived coral colonies are growing and dying quickly, it is more difficult for a disease to get started and spread,” says Mumby, though he cautions it is also possible the diseases will adapt in an unexpected way. All coral species may not become more susceptible to disease as the climate continues to change, he says, and we won’t always be able to predict how climate change will influence different ecosystems in the future using the responses we have observed in the past.

But while the response of the coral colonies in the Caribbean to recent diseases hasn’t been as devastating as feared, Mumby says the new community of corals isn’t as beneficial as the ones they are replacing.

“The fact that we’ve now got these reefs dominated by small weedy corals is bad news,” says Mumby. “It’s bad for biodiversity, it’s bad for the people that make their living fishing among these reefs. This is not a good news story.”

Why this science matters:

The coral ecosystems that populated the Caribbean prior to the 1970s had thrived there for thousands of years and currently play an integral role in the region's economy. The reefs provide protection against beach erosion caused by tropical storms that hit the Caribbean each year. Moreover, the distinct corals in the Caribbean play host to a vibrant community of fish and other marine life that attract tourists and sustain local fishing industries. Many Caribbean island nations rely on tourism to bring in as much as half their annual gross domestic product. For the United States commercial fisheries alone, the value of the Caribbean corals is an estimated $100 million annually.

But now it seems that in just a few short decades, the increasingly warm waters in the Caribbean are changing the types of coral colonies that can prosper there, which will have an unavoidable economic impact on the people living in the region.

The trend toward smaller and more weedlike corals in the Caribbean is also a red flag to ecologists that are trying to understand how climate change will impact all types of ecosystems around the world. In the past, ecologists thought that higher ocean temperatures would spell further disaster for all types of corals, but Mumby’s new results show that they may in fact favor small and rapidly-growing weedlike coral colonies that are more disease resistant. And this unexpected observation, he says, is just one example of how an old theory on how ecosystems change might not apply in the future as the climate changes.

“As the ecosystems are being altered, we have to be willing to consider that they may behave quite differently than what we’ve seen before,” says Mumby. In order to be accurate with predictions based on future climate change, he says that researchers will need to think more about how the new ecosystems differ from previously observed conditions.

“The challenge of trying to predict the future just got a bit more difficult.”

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The boards of American Airlines owner AMR Corp and US Airways Group have approved a merger that would value the combined company at around $US11 billion ($10.5 billion), people familiar with the matter say.

The all-stock merger would give AMR creditors 72 per cent of ownership in the merged entity and US Airways shareholders the rest, the people said.

Some $US11 billion valuation of the combined American-US Airways compares to the roughly $US12.4 billion market capitalisation for Delta, and $8.7 billion for United Continental.


Fashion and Textiles - Paper Manipulation: 3-day workshop exploring the relationship between structure, pattern, multiples and fashion. The topic is explored through the paper manipulation processes and seeks to dispel pre-conceptions that clothes have to be conformist and wearable.
Task: Choose two black and white fashion magazine images from a given selection and dress the magazine figures using your series of small samples created using pleating, tearing, twisting, linking, overlaying, folding, weaving, origami, cut-outs etc.


Nueces County taxing entities urged to stand together against appraisal district

CORPUS CHRISTI - One of the county's smallest taxing entities has urged cities and school districts to take a stand together against the Nueces County Appraisal District's accounting practices.

Driscoll City Administrator Sandra Martinez sent the letter Friday, a day after the appraisal district's board voted against refunding each entity's share of a $2.8 million building fund.

The largest entity, Corpus Christi Independent School District, sent a letter to the other entities letting them know that CCISD has adopted a policy to be more vigilant in monitoring the appraisal district.

The appraisal district's chairman, meanwhile, said refunds are a possibility if the appraisal district decides to dissolve the building fund.

Martinez's letter asks other taxing entities to take a closer look at the district from now on and to help the smaller entities such as hers.

"We ask that we open the lines of communication among ourselves, especially with us the smaller taxing entities," she wrote. "We do not have in-house attorneys nor CPAs to help us understand the tax code."

Martinez's letter also asks other taxing entities to contact her if they "read between the lines" of appraisal district correspondence and notice anything important.

At issue is the appraisal district's practice of transferring excess money at year's end to a fund designated for building repairs instead of issuing refunds. The Texas Property Tax Code requires appraisal districts to refund surplus funds, but because the district reallocated the money at the end of the year, it avoided complying with that part of the law.

Local officials have complained that the district's audits and budget didn't clearly show the buildup of funds and that letters to the taxing entities didn't explain that the money could be refunded if a countywide protest was organized.

The accounting practices came to light during the district's process to get approval for its plans to build a $7.4 million office, funded in part by the surplus funds.

Appraisal District Board Chairman John Sendejar said that taxing entities weren't paying attention before and that the district complied with the law by sending agendas, budgets, audits and letters.

CCISD's letter to other taxing entities last week explained the school district's new policy that creates a mandatory review of the district's budget.

The school board will also consider revoking its support of the appraisal district's plans for a new building at its Jan. 11 meeting.

If CCISD takes that action, it won't affect the appraisal district's ability to build a new office. The first vote was done within a 30-day window as part of a process described in state law, and the second vote would come too late, Sendejar said.

The only way for taxing entities to receive retroactive rebates from the building fund, which accumulated over five years, is if the board votes to dissolve the fund.

Sendejar said that option still is on the table.

"If I start to see an opinion sway from the majority of entities I represent, I may sit down and consider my options," he said.

Sendejar represents a group of small taxing entities, unlike other board members, who represent only larger entities such as Nueces County and Corpus Christi.


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February 2005, Volume 11, Issue 6

Number Concepts and Special Needs Students: The Power of Ten-Frame Tiles
Christine Losq
Why 10-frame tiles offer an effective alternative to base-10 blocks for teaching place value. The authors further describe how teachers can use the 10-frame model to help children develop understanding of number and place value concepts and skill with computation.

Freedom Quilts: Mathematics on the Underground Railroad
Maureen Neumann
Examine the geometric properties involved in making different quilt patterns and the cultural significance these quilts hold for Africans on southern plantations escaping to freedom. Lesson ideas with mathematical and multicultural connections are provided for classroom teachers.

Supporting Diverse Learners: Teacher Collaboration in an Inclusive Classroom
Wendy Bray
A look at the challenges inherent in a pilot study looking at the impact of mathematics reform on students with exceptionalities. This article explores some of the ways these second-grade teachers support the mathematics learning of the diverse group of students in their class and how readers can support a diverse student population in their own classrooms.


information for parents

Third Grade Science

Recurring themes are pervasive in sciences, mathematics, and technology. These ideas transcend disciplinary boundaries and include patterns, cycles, systems, models, and change and constancy.

The study of elementary science includes planning and safely implementing classroom and outdoor investigations using scientific methods, analyzing information, making informed decisions, and using tools to collect and record information while addressing the content and vocabulary in physical, earth, and life sciences. Districts are encouraged to facilitate classroom and outdoor investigations for at least 60% of instructional time.

In Grade 3, students learn that the study of science uses appropriate tools and safe practices in planning and implementing investigations, asking and answering questions, collecting data by observing and measuring, and by using models to support scientific inquiry about the natural world.

  •  Students recognize that patterns, relationships, and cycles exist in matter. Students will investigate the physical properties of matter and will learn that changes occur. They explore mixtures and investigate light, sound, and heat/thermal energy in everyday life. Students manipulate objects by pushing and pulling to demonstrate changes in motion and position.
  • Students investigate how the surface of Earth changes and provides resources that humans use. As students explore objects in the sky, they describe how relationships affect patterns and cycles on Earth. Students will construct models to demonstrate Sun, Earth, and Moon system relationships and will describe the Sun's role in the water cycle.
  • Students explore patterns, systems, and cycles within environments by investigating characteristics of organisms, life cycles, and interactions among all components of the natural environment. Students examine how the environment plays a key role in survival. Students know that when changes in the environment occur organisms may thrive, become ill, or perish.


Executive Producers: Richard Fell, Jamie Laurenson
Genres: Adaptation, Drama, Period

Program Synopsis

A military attaché is drawn into a web of betrayal, honor and intrigue in the back alleys of World War II Poland in this gripping mini-series from the BBC. Colonel Jean-Francois Mercier leads a double life as a spy and risks his life in a city filled with deceit and passion.

What's On Tonight


In Kentucky, controversy has erupted over a girls' cross country runner deciding to forfeit a race rather than run wearing the number 666.

Codie Thacker from Whitley County High School refused to run after being assigned 666 for religious reasons. The number is "associated with the beast" in the Bible.

"I didn't want to risk my relationship with God and try to take that number," Thacker told Lexington, Ky., NBC affiliate LEX18. "I told them to mark out my name because it makes me sick just thinking that my name is associated with that number."

Clearly, someone should have simply switched her number.

A spokesperson with the Kentucky High School Athletic Assn. told LEX18 that no one told them the number-change request was because of religious beliefs and that they would have changed the number if that request had been made.

Here's the link to a Yahoo story.


Browsing Posts tagged Extinct animals

by Gregory McNamee

Many archaeological sites have been discovered in Europe, dating back 40,000 years, that share a striking feature: They stand alongside the remains of the giant mammoths that once traversed large sections of the continent, and some

Woolly mammoth replica in a museum exhibit in Victoria, B.C., Canada--Jonathan Blair/Corbis

Woolly mammoth replica in a museum exhibit in Victoria, B.C., Canada–Jonathan Blair/Corbis

even feature structures framed by mammoth bones. Certain technological and social advances allowed the people who lived in those settlements to bring down those elephantine creatures: a communication network, sharply knapped projectile points, well-balanced spear shafts. But, writes archaeologist Pat Shipman in the journal Quaternary International, an advance of a different kind also comes into play: Those sites also afford evidence of the early domestication of wolves on the way to becoming dogs. The horizon of domestication, so to speak, begins to appear about 32,000 years ago, pushing domestication well back into the archaeological record.
continue reading…

by Lorraine Murray

A recent report in the journal Science has suggested that the Earth could be “on the brink of a major extinction.” The study analyzes extinction rates and presents evidence that, in the next 100 years, it is likely that there will be a major extinction event comparable to that which extinguished the dinosaurs.

According to researcher Stuart Pimm:

Species ought to die off at the rate of one species in 10 million every year. What’s happening is that species are going extinct at a rate of 100 to a 1,000 species extinctions per million species…. We are the ultimate problem. There are seven billion people on the planet. We tend to destroy critical habitats where species live. We tend to be warming the planet. We tend to be very careless about moving species around the planet to places where they don’t belong and where they can be pests.

Meanwhile, back at Encyclopædia Britannica, our artists have been busy creating beautiful illustrations of animals that have gone extinct, sometimes long ago in the distant past. We present some of these works and remind our readers that once a species is gone, it’s gone forever.

Entelodont--Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
(family Entelodontidae), any member of the extinct family Entelodontidae, a group of large mammals related to living pigs. Entelodonts were contemporaries of oreodonts, a unique mammalian group thought to be related to camels but sheeplike in appearance. Fossil evidence points to their emergence in the Middle Eocene (some 49 million to 37 million years ago) of Mongolia. They spread across Asia, Europe, and North America before becoming extinct sometime between 19 million and 16 million years ago during the early Miocene Epoch.

Mylodon, an extinct genus of giant ground sloth--Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
, extinct genus of ground sloth found as fossils in South American deposits of the Pleistocene Epoch (2.6 million to 11,700 years ago). Mylodon attained a length of about 3 metres (10 feet). Its skin contained numerous bony parts that offered some protection against the attacks of predators; however, Mylodon remains found in cave deposits in association with human artifacts suggest that people hunted and ate them. continue reading…

by Gregory McNamee

Cats are picky eaters, correct? Some, at least in my experience, can be finicky, but that’s the privilege of the pampered.

House cat--AdstockRF

House cat–AdstockRF

Put a cat outdoors in a wild setting, and the creature becomes a potentially lethal presence on the land—and, moreover, one that can make use of many kinds of food resources.

It was the catholicity of the cats that led to the survival of the mountain lion 12,000-odd years ago, a time of environmental stress and, not coincidentally, of the widespread arrival of humans in North America. Reporting their results in the scholarly journal Biology Letters, a team from the University of Wyoming and Vanderbilt University analyzed the dental remains of Pleistocene big cats taken from the famed La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles and compared them with the teeth of contemporary cougars. Using a technique called dental microwear texture analysis, they discovered that the ancestral cougars did better than the other big cats of the day because they ate pretty much whatever they could, whereas their kin were more narrowly specialized. The general eaters lived to tell the tale: only the cougar and the jaguar remain of the six species of large cat that lived in North America during the last Ice Age.

The takeaway? Kids, eat your vegetables, perhaps. Or at least don’t put all your metaphorical eggs in all your metaphysical baskets, as any proud puma might tell you. continue reading…

by Gregory McNamee

continue reading…

A Conversation with Errol Fuller, Author of Lost Animals

by Gregory McNamee

We live, as the eminent naturalist Aldo Leopold once remarked, in a world of wounds. Each day brings news of another loss in the natural world: the destruction of yet another meadow for yet another big box store, the last sighting of a bird or insect, the dwindling of a butterfly sanctuary from an entire mountainside to a postage stamp of hilltop forest.

Lost Animals, by Errol FullerWe know that animal and plant species are declining rapidly in a time of climate change and habitat loss; the question now is how many species, and whether anything can be done about it. Documenting that loss, and asking such questions, artist and writer Errol Fuller examines our devastating time in his new book, Lost Animals: Extinction and the Photographic Record (Princeton University Press). Encyclopædia Britannica contributing editor Gregory McNamee recently talked with Fuller about his work.

McNamee: Over the years, you have emerged as a leading artistic interpreter of extinction, with books such as Dodo, The Great Auk, and now Lost Animals. How did you come to be interested in this grim record?

Fuller: I grew up in London, and at a young age (perhaps seven) I went to the Natural History Museum there. It was free and, because I liked it so much, my mother developed the habit of leaving me there while she went shopping. I remember seeing a stuffed Great Auk and being far more intrigued by it than by exhibits of birds I knew still existed. Later I found a picture of the species in a book and read the story of the last two. I was hooked, and in among more normal activities, like playing football or listening to music, I pursued this interest. Many years later I wanted a book on extinct birds, and there wasn’t one. There were plenty on threatened birds, dinosaurs, and so forth, but nothing on birds that had become extinct in fairly recent historical times. So I decided I’d have to make my own. It’s as simple as that. continue reading…


Thermodynamics (from the Greek θερμη, therme, meaning "heat" and δυναμις, dynamis, meaning "power") is a branch of physics that studies the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on physical systems at the macroscopic scale by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics.<ref name="Perrot" >Perrot, Pierre (1998). A to Z of Thermodynamics. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-856552-6. [1] Roughly, heat means "energy in transit" and dynamics relates to "movement"; thus, in essence thermodynamics studies the movement of energy and how energy instills movement. Historically, thermodynamics developed out of need to increase the efficiency of early steam engines.[2]
Enlarge picture
Typical thermodynamic system - heat moves from hot (boiler) to cold (condenser), (both not shown) and work is extracted, in this case by a series of pistons.
The starting point for most thermodynamic considerations are the laws of thermodynamics, which postulate that energy can be exchanged between physical systems as heat or work.[3] They also postulate the existence of a quantity named entropy, which can be defined for any system.[4] In thermodynamics, interactions between large ensembles of objects are studied and categorized. Central to this are the concepts of system and surroundings. A system is composed of particles, whose average motions define its properties, which in turn are related to one another through equations of state. Properties can be combined to express internal energy and thermodynamic potentials, which are useful for determining conditions for equilibrium and spontaneous processes.

With these tools, thermodynamics describes how systems respond to changes in their surroundings. This can be applied to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering, such as engines, phase transitions, chemical reactions, transport phenomena, and even black holes. The results of thermodynamics are essential for other fields of physics and for chemistry, chemical engineering, aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, cell biology, biomedical engineering, and materials science to name a few.[5][6]

Enlarge picture
Sadi Carnot (1796-1832): the "father" of thermodynamics

A brief history of thermodynamics begins with Otto von Guericke who in 1650 built and designed the world's first vacuum pump and created the world's first ever vacuum (known as the Magdeburg hemispheres). He was driven to make a vacuum in order to disprove Aristotle's long-held supposition that 'nature abhors a vacuum'. Shortly thereafter, Irish physicist and chemist Robert Boyle had learned of Guericke's designs and in 1656, in coordination with English scientist Robert Hooke, built an air pump.[7] Using this pump, Boyle and Hooke noticed the pressure-temperature-volume correlation. In time, Boyle's Law was formulated, which states that pressure and volume are inversely proportional. Then, in 1679, based on these concepts, an associate of Boyle's named Denis Papin built a bone digester, which was a closed vessel with a tightly fitting lid that confined steam until a high pressure was generated.

Later designs implemented a steam release valve that kept the machine from exploding. By watching the valve rhythmically move up and down, Papin conceived of the idea of a piston and a cylinder engine. He did not, however, follow through with his design. Nevertheless, in 1697, based on Papin's designs, engineer Thomas Savery built the first engine. Although these early engines were crude and inefficient, they attracted the attention of the leading scientists of the time. One such scientist was Sadi Carnot, the "father of thermodynamics", who in 1824 published Reflections on the Motive Power of Fire, a discourse on heat, power, and engine efficiency. The paper outlined the basic energetic relations between the Carnot engine, the Carnot cycle, and Motive power. This marks the start of thermodynamics as a modern science.<ref name="Perrot" />

The term thermodynamics was coined by James Joule in 1858 to designate the science of relations between heat and power.<ref name="Perrot" /> By 1849, "thermo-dynamics", as a functional term, was used in William Thomson's paper An Account of Carnot's Theory of the Motive Power of Heat.[8] The first thermodynamic textbook was written in 1859 by William Rankine, originally trained as a physicist and a civil and mechanical engineering professor at the University of Glasgow.[9]

Classical thermodynamics

Classical thermodynamics is the original early 1800s variation of thermodynamics concerned with thermodynamic states, and properties as energy, work, and heat, and with the laws of thermodynamics, all lacking an atomic interpretation. In precursory form, classical thermodynamics derives from chemist Robert Boyle’s 1662 postulate that the pressure P of a given quantity of gas varies inversely as its volume V at constant temperature; i.e. in equation form: PV = k, a constant. From here, a semblance of a thermo-science began to develop with the construction of the first successful atmospheric steam engines in England by Thomas Savery in 1697 and Thomas Newcomen in 1712. The first and second laws of thermodynamics emerged simultaneously in the 1850s, primarily out of the works of William Rankine, Rudolf Clausius, and William Thomson (Lord Kelvin).[10]

Statistical thermodynamics

With the development of atomic and molecular theories in the late 19th century, thermodynamics was given a molecular interpretation. This field is called statistical thermodynamics, which can be thought of as a bridge between macroscopic and microscopic properties of systems.[11] Essentially, statistical thermodynamics is an approach to thermodynamics situated upon statistical mechanics, which focuses on the derivation of macroscopic results from first principles. It can be opposed to its historical predecessor phenomenological thermodynamics, which gives scientific descriptions of phenomena with avoidance of microscopic details. The statistical approach is to derive all macroscopic properties (temperature, volume, pressure, energy, entropy, etc.) from the properties of moving constituent particles and the interactions between them (including quantum phenomena). It was found to be very successful and thus is commonly used.

Chemical thermodynamics

Chemical thermodynamics is the study of the interrelation of heat with chemical reactions or with a physical change of state within the confines of the laws of thermodynamics. During the years 1873-76 the American mathematical physicist Josiah Willard Gibbs published a series of three papers, the most famous being On the Equilibrium of Heterogeneous Substances, in which he showed how thermodynamic processes could be graphically analyzed, by studying the energy, entropy, volume, temperature and pressure of the thermodynamic system, in such a manner to determine if a process would occur spontaneously.[12] During the early 20th century, chemists such as Gilbert N. Lewis, Merle Randall, and E. A. Guggenheim began to apply the mathematical methods of Gibbs to the analysis of chemical processes.[13]

Thermodynamic systems

Main article: Thermodynamic system
An important concept in thermodynamics is the “system”. Everything in the universe except the system is known as surroundings. A system is the region of the universe under study. A system is separated from the remainder of the universe by a boundary which may be imaginary or not, but which by convention delimits a finite volume. The possible exchanges of work, heat, or matter between the system and the surroundings take place across this boundary. Boundaries are of four types: fixed, moveable, real, and imaginary.

Basically, the “boundary” is simply an imaginary dotted line drawn around the volume of a something in which there is going to be a change in the internal energy of that something. Anything that passes across the boundary that effects a change in the internal energy of that something needs to be accounted for in the energy balance equation. That “something” can be the volumetric region surrounding a single atom resonating energy, such as Max Planck defined in 1900; it can be a body of steam or air in a steam engine, such as Sadi Carnot defined in 1824; it can be the body of a tropical cyclone, such as Kerry Emanuel theorized in 1986 in the field of atmospheric thermodynamics; it could also be just one nuclide (i.e. a system of quarks) as some are theorizing presently in quantum thermodynamics.

For an engine, a fixed boundary means the piston is locked at its position; as such, a constant volume process occurs. In that same engine, a moveable boundary allows the piston to move in and out. For closed systems, boundaries are real while for open system boundaries are often imaginary. There are five dominant classes of systems:
  1. Isolated Systems – matter and energy may not cross the boundary.
  2. Adiabatic Systems – heat must not cross the boundary.
  3. Diathermic Systems - heat may cross boundary.
  4. Closed Systems – matter may not cross the boundary.
  5. Open Systems – heat, work, and matter may cross the boundary (often called a control volume in this case).

As time passes in an isolated system, internal differences in the system tend to even out and pressures and temperatures tend to equalize, as do density differences. A system in which all equalizing processes have gone practically to completion, is considered to be in a state of thermodynamic equilibrium.

In thermodynamic equilibrium, a system's properties are, by definition, unchanging in time. Systems in equilibrium are much simpler and easier to understand than systems which are not in equilibrium. Often, when analysing a thermodynamic process, it can be assumed that each intermediate state in the process is at equilibrium. This will also considerably simplify the situation. Thermodynamic processes which develop so slowly as to allow each intermediate step to be an equilibrium state are said to be reversible processes.

Thermodynamic parameters

The central concept of thermodynamics is that of energy, the ability to do work. As stipulated by the first law, the total energy of the system and its surroundings is conserved. It may be transferred into a body by heating, compression, or addition of matter, and extracted from a body either by cooling, expansion, or extraction of matter. For comparison, in mechanics, energy transfer results from a force which causes displacement, the product of the two being the amount of energy transferred. In a similar way, thermodynamic systems can be thought of as transferring energy as the result of a generalized force causing a generalized displacement, with the product of the two being the amount of energy transferred. These thermodynamic force-displacement pairs are known as conjugate variables. The most common conjugate thermodynamic variables are pressure-volume (mechanical parameters), temperature-entropy (thermal parameters), and chemical potential-particle number (material parameters)..

Thermodynamic instruments

There are two types of thermodynamic instruments, the meter and the reservoir. A thermodynamic meter is any device which measures any parameter of a thermodynamic system. In some cases, the thermodynamic parameter is actually defined in terms of an idealized measuring instrument. For example, the zeroth law states that if two bodies are in thermal equilibrium with a third body, they are also in thermal equilibrium with each other. This principle, as noted by James Maxwell in 1872, asserts that it is possible to measure temperature. An idealized thermometer is a sample of an ideal gas at constant pressure. From the ideal gas law PV=nRT, the volume of such a sample can be used as an indicator of temperature; in this manner it defines temperature. Although pressure is defined mechanically, a pressure-measuring device, called a barometer may also be constructed from a sample of an ideal gas held at a constant temperature. A calorimeter is a device which is used to measure and define the internal energy of a system.

A thermodynamic reservoir is a system which is so large that it does not appreciably alter its state parameters when brought into contact with the test system. It is used to impose a particular value of a state parameter upon the system. For example, a pressure reservoir is a system at a particular pressure, which imposes that pressure upon any test system that it is mechanically connected to. The earth's atmosphere is often used as a pressure reservoir.

It is important that these two types of instruments are distinct. A meter does not perform its task accurately if it behaves like a reservoir of the state variable it is trying to measure. If, for example, a thermometer, were to act as a temperature reservoir it would alter the temperature of the system being measured, and the reading would be incorrect. Ideal meters have no effect on the state variables of the system they are measuring.

Thermodynamic states

Main article: Thermodynamic state

When a system is at equilibrium under a given set of conditions, it is said to be in a definite state. The state of the system can be described by a number of intensive variables and extensive variables. The properties of the system can be described by an equation of state which specifies the relationship between these variables. State may be thought of as the instantaneous quantitative description of a system with a set number of variables held constant.

Thermodynamic processes

A thermodynamic process may be defined as the energetic evolution of a thermodynamic system proceeding from an initial state to a final state. Typically, each thermodynamic process is distinguished from other processes, in energetic character, according to what parameters, as temperature, pressure, or volume, etc., are held fixed. Furthermore, it is useful to group these processes into pairs, in which each variable held constant is one member of a conjugate pair. The seven most common thermodynamic processes are shown below:
  1. An isobaric process occurs at constant pressure.
  2. An isochoric process, or isometric/isovolumetric process, occurs at constant volume.
  3. An isothermal process occurs at a constant temperature.
  4. An adiabatic process occurs without loss or gain of heat.
  5. An isentropic process (reversible adiabatic process) occurs at a constant entropy.
  6. An isenthalpic process occurs at a constant enthalpy. Also known as a throttling process or wire drawing.
  7. A steady state process occurs without a change in the internal energy of a system.

The laws of thermodynamics

In thermodynamics, there are four laws of very general validity, and as such they do not depend on the details of the interactions or the systems being studied. Hence, they can be applied to systems about which one knows nothing other than the balance of energy and matter transfer. Examples of this include Einstein's prediction of spontaneous emission around the turn of the 20th century and current research into the thermodynamics of black holes.

The four laws are:
:See also: Bose–Einstein condensate and negative temperature.

Thermodynamic potentials

As can be derived from the energy balance equation on a thermodynamic system there exist energetic quantities called thermodynamic potentials, being the quantitative measure of the stored energy in the system. The five most well known potentials are:

Internal energy
Helmholtz free energy
Gibbs free energy
Grand potential

Potentials are used to measure energy changes in systems as they evolve from an initial state to a final state. The potential used depends on the constraints of the system, such as constant temperature or pressure. Internal energy is the internal energy of the system, enthalpy is the internal energy of the system plus the energy related to pressure-volume work, and Helmholtz and Gibbs energy are the energies available in a system to do useful work when the temperature and volume or the pressure and temperature are fixed, respectively.

Quotes & humor

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Related branches

Lists and timelines

1. ^ Clark, John, O.E. (2004). The Essential Dictionary of Science. Barnes & Noble Books. ISBN 0-7607-4616-8.
3. ^ Van Ness, H.C. (1969). Understanding Thermodynamics. Dover Publications, Inc.. ISBN 0-486-63277-6.
4. ^ Dugdale, J.S. (1998). Entropy and its Physical Meaning. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 0-7484-0569-0.
5. ^ Smith, J.M.; Van Ness, H.C., Abbott, M.M. (2005). Introduction to Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-07-310445-0.
6. ^ Haynie, Donald, T. (2001). Biological Thermodynamics. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-79549-4.
7. ^ Partington, J.R. (1989). A Short History of Chemistry. Dover. ISBN 0-486-65977-1.
8. ^ Kelvin, William T. (1849) "An Account of Carnot's Theory of the Motive Power of Heat - with Numerical Results Deduced from Regnault's Experiments on Steam." Transactions of the Edinburg Royal Society, XVI. January 2. Scanned Copy
9. ^ Cengel, Yunus A.; Boles, Michael A. (2005). Thermodynamics - An Engineering Approach. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 0-07-310768-9.
10. ^ Mechanical Theory of Heat, by Rudolf Clausius, 1850-1865
11. ^ Nash, Leonard K. (1974). Elements of Statistical Thermodynamics, 2nd Ed.. Dover Publications, Inc.. ISBN 0-486-44978-5.
12. ^ Gibbs, Willard (1993). The Scientific Papers of J. Willard Gibbs, Volume One: Thermodynamics. Ox Bow Press. ISBN 0-918024-77-3.
13. ^ Lewis, Gilbert N.; Randall, Merle (1923). Thermodynamics and the Free Energy of Chemical Substances. McGraw-Hill Book Co. Inc..

Further reading

  • Cengel, Yunus A.; Boles, Michael A. (2002). Thermodynamics - An Engineering Approach. McGraw Hill. ISBN 0-07-238332-1.
  • Kroemer, Herbert; Kittel, Charles (1980). Thermal Physics. W. H. Freeman Company. ISBN 0-7167-1088-9.
  • Dunning-Davies, Jeremy (1997). Concise Thermodynamics: Principles and Applications. Horwood Publishing. ISBN 1-8985-6315-2.

External links

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Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold; something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature. Temperature is one of the principal parameters of thermodynamics.
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Episode no. Season 2
Episode 18
Written by Padma Atluri
Directed by Seith Mann
Production no. 3T5317
Original airdate June 25,2007

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que sera sera

a smooth sea never made a skilled sailor

Think of how special you are. There is only one of you. None before you and none after. God made you perfect. Remember that. The war between good and evil is a mental one. But you have free will. To do and feel how you want to.

if something is broken, you throw it away.


Music streaming websites are all the rage in 2012 and seem to be growing. However, the problem that has been brought up a few times is how much does an artist actually make off the countless amounts of plays? Well, above is a graph that shows us various sites, including Youtube and Spotify, and how long they take to pay out and what you're getting per play. Do you think this is fair or not?

[via DigitalMusicNews]


There should be an official tier list out there.

#1mildare_el_rayoPosted 4/15/2013 9:19:22 PM
Mainly to encourage players of the "lower tier" characters to get better at playing and raise the tier status of their characters (i.e. Toro, Sweet Tooth)
I have been forced to do this
#2DavidgraymanPosted 4/15/2013 9:38:29 PM
How would a tier encourage lower tier players....if anything it would have the opposite effect.
The official Pepsimaaaaaaaaaaaaaan of the PSASBR board.


Sun doggies

Ring around the sun

I was out sailing with my girlfriend Bernie on Saturday 5/11 when she noticed the ring around the sun. She recalled Matt's description of what causes this rare event so I wanted to share it.


Edition: U.S. / Global

MUSIC REVIEW; Sounds Hanging Together And at Other Times Not

Published: September 23, 2003

What would you get if you took the quaint Marlboro Festival and transported it from its simple campus in rural Vermont to a 17th-century castle in Saxony? The answer may be something like the Moritzburg Festival, founded in 1993 by three German musicians who had been to Marlboro and wanted their own version closer to home.

Leaving castle life temporarily behind, the German festival organized three chamber music concerts in New York last week, the second on Saturday night at Weill Recital Hall.

The program opened with a competent reading of Brahms's Horn Trio, an odd duck in the chamber music repertory for its tricky combination of violin, piano and French horn, in this case played by James Ehnes, Louis Lortie and Marie Luise Neunecker respectively. Energy levels sagged in the slow movement, but the players met the piece's biggest challenge of fusing the vastly different instrumental sonorities into a coherent sound world.

A lack of strict coherence seemed to be the point of Thomas Adès's intriguing Piano Quintet, which was next on the program and featured Mr. Ehnes and Mr. Lortie as well as the violinist Mira Wang, the violist Ulrich Eichenauer and the cellist Jan Vogler, who is also the festival's artistic director. With its gamut of tonal gestures vigorously shuffled and playfully distorted by complex rhythmic games and the occasional gnashing dissonance, the piece sounded a bit like Schumann in a fun-house mirror. It was also refreshingly free of the cloying sweetness and trite sentimentality that often attend contemporary forays into the Romantic musical past.

Ending where it began, the program returned to Brahms with the A minor Clarinet Trio (Op. 114). The clarinetist Charles Neidich displayed an exceptionally wide palette of colors, Mr. Vogler shaped rich and deeply contoured cello lines, and Mr. Lortie was an incisive driving force at the keyboard.


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Home > Events > Artists >  Donatello
Artistic Profile of Donatello
Artistic Profile of Donatello
1386 - Dec 13, 1466
Artist and sculptor; inventive works in marble and bronze; creation of the shallow-relief style of sculpting that made the sculpture seem deeper.

Donatello was born in the city of Florence in Italy in family of a Florentine wool comber and lived in the later part of the fourteenth century. Donatello was both an artist as well as a sculptor and is well known and reputed for his innovative works of art in marble and bronze. Donatello died in Florence towards the later part of the 14th century and his mortal remains were buried in the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Donatelloâ€™s unique style of creation of shallow relief transformed his sculptures to appear deeper and profound. Donatello has frequently been considered to be one of the most genuine and authentic artist of his time and reformed the artistic revolution in Italy during the Renaissance period. Donatello received his initial training in the workshop of a goldsmith from where he progressed to develop an intricate and a broad range of knowledge pertaining to ancient sculpture surpassing all the contemporary artists during his day. Donatello can easily be categorized as a frontrunner of human expression coupled with an highly developed performance of creating a depth of space for which he was one of the most well-liked and appreciated artists during his living times. For nearly three years, he apprenticed himself to an architect and a sculptor, Filippo Brunelleschi in the city of Rome where he involved... show moremore

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Donatello's Contemporaries
1412 - 1492
1419 - 1464
1420 - 1506
1430 - 1494
1430 - 1516
1431 - 1506
1390 - 1441


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Defence Science and Technology Organisation

The Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO) is the Australian government’s lead agency charged with applying science and technology to protect and defend Australia and its national interests. DSTO delivers expert, impartial advice and innovative solutions for Defence and other elements of national security.

Health Check: eat food, not (blockbuster) nutrients

Turmeric is said to be the latest “blockbuster nutrient”, helpful for “everything from heart disease to Alzheimers, asthma to arthritis.” But is there any scientific evidence behind this claim, or is it…

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Handbook of Signs and Symptoms

Handbook of Signs and Symptoms

50 - 100 downloads

Add this app to your lists
Handbook of Signs and Symptoms is a comprehensive guide, provides full descriptions for over 530 major signs and symptoms, with level of urgency, emergency interventions, guidelines for history and physical examination, common medical causes and other causes, and pediatric and geriatric pointers for group-specific consideration.
This authoritative resource helps in recognizing patient signs and symptoms, linking them to their most probable causes, and putting them in context with associated findings.This latest update is based on the 4th edition with additional features, enhanced functionality and ongoing updates!
- Has all the assessment information busy clinicians need in a single source
- New information on patient teaching and obtaining a health history is included
- Describes physical examination findings in detail and clarifies the mechanics of performing even rarely used tests
- Provides a comprehensive description of common to unusual patient complaints, coupled with diagnostic testing that is both routine and specific
- Features herbal medicines as possible causes, newest disease developments, and the geriatric pointers

Tags: handbook, handbook of signs and symptoms, signs and symptoms, disease signs and symptoms, images of signs, pictures of signs, medical test sign symtoms, handbook of diseases source code, handbook of signs symptoms, pics of signs.

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Expert's Choice: German Pinot Noir

German Pinot Noir, Fritz Wassmer XXL Spätburgunder
5 of 18

Fritz Wassmer, XXL Pinot Noir, Baden 2010
Not so intense, but it has a good cherry nose and is an impressive wine given the ill-favoured vintage. Classic Pinot Noir, sappy and long. Gallic in style and a match for an unctuous dish such as chicken in a rich sauce. Will age well. 17.5pts/20 (91/100)
Price: £35 Alfred The Grape, Highbury Vintners, Vagabond
Drink: 2014–2018
Alc: 13.5%


Cortisporin Ophthalmic Suspension

Generic Name: neomycin sulfate, polymyxin B sulfate and hydrocortisone
Dosage Form: ophthalmic suspension

CORTISPORIN® Ophthalmic Suspension Sterile
(neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and hydrocortisone ophthalmic suspension, USP)

Cortisporin Ophthalmic Suspension (neomycin and polymyxin B sulfates and hydrocortisone ophthalmic suspension) is a sterile antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory suspension for ophthalmic use. Each mL contains: neomycin sulfate equivalent to 3.5 mg neomycin base, polymyxin B sulfate equivalent to 10,000 polymyxin B units, and hydrocortisone 10 mg (1%). The vehicle contains thimerosal 0.001% (added as a preservative) and the inactive ingredients cetyl alcohol, glyceryl monostearate, mineral oil, polyoxyl 40 stearate, propylene glycol, and Water for Injection. Sulfuric acid may be added to adjust pH.

Hydrocortisone, 11β,17,21-trihydroxypregn-4-ene-3,20-dione, is an anti-inflammatory hormone. Its structural formula is:

Clinical Pharmacology

Corticosteroids suppress the inflammatory response to a variety of agents, and they probably delay or slow healing. Since corticosteroids may inhibit the body’s defense mechanism against infection, concomitant antimicrobial drugs may be used when this inhibition is considered to be clinically significant in a particular case.

When a decision to administer both a corticosteroid and antimicrobials is made, the administration of such drugs in combination has the advantage of greater patient compliance and convenience, with the added assurance that the appropriate dosage of all drugs is administered. When each type of drug is in the same formulation, compatibility of ingredients is assured and the correct volume of drug is delivered and retained.

Microbiology: The anti-infective components in Cortisporin Ophthalmic Suspension are included to provide action against specific organisms susceptible to it. Neomycin sulfate and polymyxin B sulfate are active in vitro against susceptible strains of the following microorganisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Haemophilus influenzae, Klebsiella/Enterobacter species, Neisseria species, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The product does not provide adequate coverage against Serratia marcescens and streptococci, including Streptococcus pneumoniae (see INDICATIONS AND USAGE).

Indications and Usage

The use of a combination drug with an anti-infective component is indicated where the risk of infection is high or where there is an expectation that potentially dangerous numbers of bacteria will be present in the eye (see CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY: Microbiology).

NOT FOR INJECTION INTO THE EYE. Cortisporin Ophthalmic Suspension should never be directly introduced into the anterior chamber of the eye.

If these products are used for 10 days or longer, intraocular pressure should be routinely monitored even though it may be difficult in uncooperative patients. Corticosteroids should be used with caution in the presence of glaucoma.

Information for Patients

Carcinogenesis, Mutagenesis, Impairment of Fertility

Long-term studies in animals to evaluate carcinogenic or mutagenic potential have not been conducted with polymyxin B sulfate. Treatment of cultured human lymphocytes in vitro with neomycin increased the frequency of chromosome aberrations at the highest concentrations (80 µg/mL) tested; however, the effects of neomycin on carcinogenesis and mutagenesis in humans are unknown.

Long-term studies in animals (rats, rabbits, mice) showed no evidence of carcinogenicity or mutagenicity attributable to oral administration of corticosteroids. Long-term animal studies have not been performed to evaluate the carcinogenic potential of topical corticosteroids. Studies to determine mutagenicity with hydrocortisone have revealed negative results.

Polymyxin B has been reported to impair the motility of equine sperm, but its effects on male or female fertility are unknown. Long-term animal studies have not been performed to evaluate the effect on fertility of topical corticosteroids.

Teratogenic Effects

Pregnancy Category C. Corticosteroids have been found to be teratogenic in rabbits when applied topically at concentrations of 0.5% on days 6 to 18 of gestation and in mice when applied topically at a concentration of 15% on days 10 to 13 of gestation. There are no adequate and well-controlled studies in pregnant women. Cortisporin Ophthalmic Suspension should be used during pregnancy only if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus.

Nursing Mothers

Pediatric Use

Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.

Geriatric Use

Adverse Reactions

Reactions occurring most often from the presence of the anti-infective ingredient are allergic sensitization reactions including itching, swelling, and conjunctival erythema (see WARNINGS). More serious hypersensitivity reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported rarely.

Local irritation on instillation has also been reported.

Dosage and Administration

One or two drops in the affected eye every 3 or 4 hours, depending on the severity of the condition. The suspension may be used more frequently if necessary.

How Supplied

Plastic DROP DOSE® dispenser bottle of 7.5 mL (NDC 61570-036-75).

Rx only.

Prescribing Information as of July 2003.

neomycin sulfate, polymyxin b sulfate and hydrocortisone suspension
Product Information
Product Type HUMAN PRESCRIPTION DRUG LABEL Item Code (Source) NDC:61570-036
Route of Administration OPHTHALMIC DEA Schedule
Active Ingredient/Active Moiety
Ingredient Name Basis of Strength Strength
neomycin sulfate (neomycin) neomycin 3.5 mg  in 1 mL
polymyxin B sulfate (polymyxin B) polymyxin B 10000   in 1 mL
hydrocortisone (hydrocortisone) hydrocortisone 10 mg  in 1 mL
Inactive Ingredients
Ingredient Name Strength
cetyl alcohol
glyceryl monostearate
mineral oil
polyoxyl 40 stearate
propylene glycol
# Item Code Package Description
1 NDC:61570-036-75 7.5 mL (7.5 MILLILITER) in 1 BOTTLE, DROPPER
Labeler - Monarch Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Revised: 07/2007
Monarch Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


Learn About Storing Baked Goods and Baking Ingredients

Copyright © 2000 Sarah Phillips Sarah Phillips, Inc. All rights reserved.
With every baking911.com recipe, we have carefully researched and have indicated the proper storage guidelines.

USDA: Everything you want to know about food safety
Stored food slowly deteriorates, making it vulnerable to microbial contamination. The two main risk factors to causing foodborne illnesses are:

  1. Temperature, and,
  2. Time or the amount of time the food stays within a certain temperature.

Foods should be stored under these conditions:

  1. Refrigerator: 40 degrees F (4 degrees C) or below
  2. Freezer: below 0 degrees F ( - 18 degrees C)
  3. Room Temperature (Dry storage): 60 to 70 degrees F (15 to 21 degrees C) Canned goods
  4. Room Temperature (Dry storage): 50 to 70 degrees F (10 to 21 degrees C) Root vegetables (potatoes, onions), whole citrus, eggplant

General rules:

  1. Keep everything clean -- hands, utensils, counters, cutting boards and sinks.
  2. Always wash hands thoroughly in hot soapy water before preparing foods and after handling raw meat, poultry or seafood.
  3. Don't let raw juices from meat, poultry or seafood touch ready-to-eat foods either in the refrigerator or during preparation

The USDA suggests storing cold foods at 40 degrees F or below and hot foods at 140 degrees F or above
Between 40 degrees and 140 degrees F, is considered the temperature danger zone, especially between 60 to 140 degrees F, where there is a rapid growth of bacteria and the production of toxins.

Degrees F
240 - 250CanningLow-acid foods (vegetables, meat, poultry in pressure canner)
212 - 240CanningHigh-acid foods (fruits, tomatoes, pickles in water-bath container)
165 - 212CookingCooking temperatures destroy most bacteria, but minimum internal temperatures (for 15 seconds) must be met in order to comply. Each food product has its own internal temperature requirement according to the FDA, USDA and individual state (health department).

Water boils at 212 degrees F. Generally, bacteria die when exposed to at least 10 minutes of boiling. However, not all foods can be boiled.
140 - 165Store hot foods at 140 degrees F or aboveWarm temperature prevents growth, but some survival of bacteria
40 - 140Room temperature and above

Rapid growth of bacteria and production of toxins (60 - 140 degrees F); Some growth of bacteria (40 to 60 degrees F)

NOTE: Any PERISHABLE food exposed for more than TWO hours of time, actual or cumulative*, should be DISCARDED.
*Cumulative time includes all the time from the store to your fridge or freezer, the time the food is in the kitchen being prepared, the time the food is being plated, served or on display, etc.

32 - 40Refrigerator (40 degrees F or below)

Store cold foods at 40 degrees F or below
Slows growth of some bacteria

Water freezes at 32 degrees F
0 Freezer Stops growth, but bacteria survive


Infantile Amnesia

Childhood amnesia refers to the inability of adults to retrieve episodic memories before the age of 2-4 years, as well as the period before age 10 of which adults remember fewer memories than accounted for by the passage of time. For the first 1-2 years of life, brain structures such as the limbic system, which includes the hippocampus and the amygdala and is involved in memory storage, are not yet fully developed (CITE). Research has demonstrated that children can remember events from before the age of 3-4 years, but that these memories are somehow lost through the elementary and middle school years.

When the offset of childhood amnesia is defined as the age of first memory, then offset occurs around 3.5 years though it can range from 2-5 years, depending memory retrieval method However, when the offset of Childhood Amnesia is defined as the age at which the majority of memories are personal recollections rather than known events, then offset occurs at approximately 4.7 years old.

This text uses material from Wikipedia licensed under CC BY-SA

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Tourette syndrome (TS) is a type of tic disorder. Tics are sudden muscle movements or vocal sounds that can range from mild to severe in how disrupting they are. TS, a neurological condition, is usually diagnosed during childhood.

TS may be a genetic condition, passed from parents to children. This is still being studied. TS may also be linked to problems with dopamine levels, a chemical in the brain that sends signals to neurons.

Genetic Material

TS may be inherited through genes, which make up DNA.

Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc.

Risk Factors

Risk factors include:

Symptoms can range from mild to severe. They can occur suddenly, and the length of time they last can vary. Tics may temporarily decrease with concentration or distraction. During times of stress, they may occur more often.

Tics can be muscle movements (motor tics) or vocal sounds (vocal tics). They can also be characterized as simple or complex. Here are some common examples:

  • Motor tics
  • Vocal tics

Your child may also have other related conditions, such as:

The doctor will ask about your child’s symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will also be done. In some cases, the doctor may order imagining tests (eg, MRI scan, PET scan) to rule out other disorders. These tests are usually not needed. Your child will probably be referred to a mental health expert. This person will evaluate your child.

Work with the doctor to create a treatment plan that is right for your child. Options include:

Education and Counseling

One important part of treatment is for the child and his family to learn about this syndrome. It is also helpful if the child’s teachers, classmates, and friends understand the condition.

Your child may also benefit from behavior therapy. This can include doing relaxation techniques and self-monitoring. A technique known as “habit reversal therapy” and other behavioral treatments have proven helpful for some children.

In most cases, medicine is not needed to treat TS. If tics are severe and disrupt your child’s life, medicines may be recommended to reduce symptoms. Your child may also need to take medicine to treat other conditions, like ADHD. If medicine is ineffective or otherwise not right for your child, several experimental non-drug treatments have shown promise. Among these are magnetic brain stimulation and—for very severely affected children—deep brain stimulation.

There is no known way to prevent TS.


Call for PEW Biomedical Scholars

Departments are invited to nominate new Assistant Professors for the PEW Biomedical Scholars Program, which is open to individuals with a doctorate in medicine or biomedical sciences. As of this coming November, candidates must hold full-‐time appointments at the rank of Assistant Professor, but they must not have been in such an appointment for more than three years as of July 1, 2013, whether or not such appointments were on a tenure track. This time may have been spent at more than one institution. Time spent in clinical internships, residencies, or in work toward board certification does not count as part of this three-year limit.

Candidates should demonstrate outstanding promise as contributors in science relevant to human health. Strong proposals will incorporate particularly creative and innovative approaches. Candidates whose work is based on biomedical principles, but brings in concepts and theories from more diverse fields, are encouraged to apply. Risk-taking is encouraged. Selection of the successful candidates will be based on a detailed description of the work that the applicant proposes to undertake, evaluations of the candidate’s performance, and notable past accomplishments, including honors, awards and publications. In evaluating the candidates, the National Advisory Committee gives considerable weight to evidence that the candidate is a successful independent investigator and has published significant work.

Awards are for 4 years, at $60k/year. Indirect costs are limited to 8%, and salary support is limited to $10k/year. The foundation deadline is Nov. 1.

Departments should provide a nomination package comprising the following 4 items in a single pdf file. Each department may only provide one nominee.

1.  A letter of nomination by the Department Head, highlighting the strength of the candidate. Please limit the nomination letter to 2 pages. Supplementary material is not permitted.

2.  A  2 page, single-spaced research plan from the nominee. References may be included on a separate page that does not count toward the total. Note that in the final PEW application, the research plan is limited to 6 pages double spaced.

3.  Miscellaneous items from the nominee  (Note that these are a required part of the application, including the specific limits given. )
3a.   2-3 paragraphs describing how the particular project fits in the applicant’s ‘big picture’ plans
3b.  A brief description of their most significant research contribution to date (1400 characters limit),
3c. The most innovative and novel aspects of their proposed research - a risky or creative approach in pursuit of their goals.  (1400 characters limit)
3d. A list of three selected peer-reviewed publications that document their most important scientific contributions with a 2-line description of the importance of this work to the field.  If applicable, the nominee should highlight how the research relates to their proposal.

4. The names of 3 references to be used, who must include:
4a. The nominee’s doctoral advisor
4b.  The nominee’s postdoctoral advisor (only one, even if more than 1 postdoc)
4c.  An individual familiar with the nominee’s work who is not a current collaborator, not at Drexel and not a former fellowship advisor.

Note that we do not need the letters at this point.

Departments nominating such individuals must send an application file (single pdf) with the name of the NOMINEE in the title, to no later than 5 pm, Friday, September 7, 2012. The subject line must contain the phrase PEW Scholars.

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George II
Despite a long and eventful reign, Britain's George II is a largely forgotten monarch, his achievements overlooked and his abilities misunderstood. This biography paints a richly detailed portrait of the many-faceted monarch in his public as well as his private existence.
 2012-10-01T10:13:16Z 2012-10-02T13:39:34Z George II King and Elector King and Elector Thompson, Andrew C. Thompson, Andrew C. 9780300187779 Paperback


Phoronix: OpenGL Benchmarking On Linux Reaches New Heights

We have been covering the Linux benchmarking scene since 2004, but one area we have never really been satisfied with have been the OpenGL tests that are available. There are now plenty of free software games that are available for benchmarking, but with most of them being based around the open-source Quake 3 engine, they aren't that demanding upon the graphics processor. The ones generally good with stressing the graphics capabilities of the system are the id Software games (Doom 3, Quake 4, and Enemy Territory: Quake Wars) with native Linux clients. Under the workstation umbrella, there is just SPECViewPerf. On the Windows side though there are a number of OpenGL and DirectX games, tech demos, and other benchmarks. Thanks in part to the Phoronix Test Suite, however, we are starting to see a new era of OpenGL benchmarking that are able to stress the graphics card and are visually pleasing.


Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

Collector’s Corner

Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars

General Articles

Stags Leap, Stags' Leap, or Stag's Leap: What's the difference

No, it isn’t a typographical error, and there really are three distinct entities bearing these strikingly similar names. The first of the names refers to the Stags Leap District, our designated American Viticultural Area (AVA); the second refers to our neighbor, Stags’ Leap Winery; and the third refers to us, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars. The differences go beyond the location or the absence of the apostrophe.

All three names were inspired by the legend of a certain nimble stag of local Wappo Indian legend. One day, as hunters pursued a magnificent stag, the noble creature reached a large promontory in the palisades towering over the Napa Valley below. Trapped between the cliffs and the hunters, the stag paused, considered, then leapt across the chasm to safety. Having eluded the hunters, the stag’s boldness earned him the enduring admiration of his pursuers and their descendants for generations to come.

Stags Leap District has been a designated American Viticultural Area (AVA) since 1989. Located in the eastern portion of the Napa Valley, along the Vaca Range, the mountains which border the Eastern side of the Napa Valley, the district is barely a mile wide and two miles long. It is among the smallest AVA in the Napa Valley, comprising of roughly 2,700 acres, only about half of which are planted to vineyards.

The Stags Leap District is strongly identified with its production of outstanding Cabernet Sauvignons, which owe much of their soft, yet powerful allure to the District’s terroir. One of the most important aspects of terroir is the soil, and Stags Leap District was the first viticultural area in the United States to be approved based on the distinctiveness of its soils, of which two main types predominate. Soils on the eastern elevation are the result of volcanic eruptions that took place millions of years ago, as well as the slow erosion of the arid Vaca Mountains. Over time, gravity and water force the volcanic rock debris down the hillsides and out across the valley floor, creating an alluvial fan. On the valley floor, water distributes the finer sediment, creating a blend of gravelly clay loam. These soils yield fruit that is characteristically soft, yet intense.

The tale of the stag was also the inspiration for Stags’ Leap Winery, which is located within the Stags Leap District. Established in 1893 as a summer residence and resort, wine production began again in earnest when Stags’ Leap Winery was purchased in 1971 by Carl Doumani. Currently owned by Treasury Wine Estates, a global wine company, Stags’ Leap Winery is principally noted for its Petite Syrah.

Founded in 1970 in what is now known as the Stags Leap District. The winery first brought international recognition to California winemaking and the Napa Valley when its 1973 S.L.V. Cabernet Sauvignon won the 1976 Paris Tasting. Today, Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars is recognized for its Estate Cabernet Sauvignons, CASK 23, S.L.V., and FAY, which are among the most highly regarded and sought after Cabernets in the world.


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Use this printable to teach children about photosynthesis. Then have them label a diagram. Grade Levels: 2 - 6 Help with Printables

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Defining Terms On the lines provided, write a definition of each of the following terms. 1. ATP 2. thylakoid 3. NADP * 4. AT P synthase 5. Calvin cycle Short Answer ...

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The Seventh Circuit solution

The needle, Watson!

The needle, Watson!

Matthew David Brozik wrote here about the December 2013 Holmes copyright expiration decision out of the U.S. District of Illinois shortly after it came out.  Go there to understand what the case is about, as I did.

Today that District Court opinion was affirmed by the Seventh Circuit.  Here’s a link to the Seventh Circuit opinion.

The appeal challenges the judgment on two alternative grounds. The first is that the district court had no subject-matter jurisdiction because there is no actual case or contro-versy between the parties. The second ground is that if there is jurisdiction, the estate is entitled to judgment on the merits, because, it argues, copyright on a “complex” character in a story, such as Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson, whose full complexity is not revealed until a later story, remains under copyright until the later story falls into the public domain. The estate argues that the fact that early stories in which Holmes or Watson appeared are already in the public do-main does not permit their less than fully “complexified” characters in the early stories to be copied even though the stories themselves are in the public domain.

[T]he judge was right to assert (and retain) jurisdiction over the case, and we come to the merits, where the issue as we said is whether copyright protection of a fictional character can be extended beyond the expiration of the copyright on it because the author altered the character in a subse-quent work. In such a case, the Doyle estate contends, the original character cannot lawfully be copied without a li-cense from the writer until the copyright on the later work, in which that character appears in a different form, expires.

We cannot find any basis in statute or case law for extending a copyright beyond its expiration. When a story falls into the public domain, story elements—including characters covered by the expired copyright—become fair game for follow-on authors, as held in Silverman v. CBS Inc., 870 F.2d 40, 49–51 (2d Cir. 1989), a case much like this one. . . The court ruled that “a copyright affords protection only for original works of authorship and, consequently, copyrights in derivative works secure protection only for the incremental additions of originality contributed by the authors of the derivative works.” Id. at 49; see Leslie A. Kurtz, “The Methuselah Factor: When Characters Outlive Their Copyrights,” 11 U. Miami Entertainment & Sports L. Rev. 437, 447–48 (1994). The copyrights on the derivative works, corresponding to the copyrights on the ten last Sherlock Holmes stories, were not extended by virtue of the incremental additions of originality in the derivative works.

And so it is in our case. The ten Holmes-Watson stories in which copyright persists are derivative from the earlier stories, so only original elements added in the later stories remain protected. Id. at 49–50. The “freedom to make new works based on public domain materials ends where the resulting derivative work comes into conflict with a valid copyright,” Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. v. X One X Productions, 644 F.3d 584, 596 (8th Cir. 2011)—as Klinger acknowledges. But there is no such conflict in this case.

Lacking any ground known to American law for asserting post-expiration copyright protection of Holmes and Watson in pre-1923 stories and novels going back to 1887, the estate argues that creativity will be discouraged if we don’t allow such an extension. It may take a long time for an author to perfect a character or other expressive element that first appeared in his early work. If he loses copyright on the original character, his incentive to improve the character in future work may be diminished because he’ll be competing with copiers, such as the authors whom Klinger wishes to anthologize. Of course this point has no application to the present case, Arthur Conan Doyle having died 84 years ago. More important, extending copyright protection is a two-edged sword from the standpoint of inducing creativity, as it would reduce the incentive of subsequent authors to create derivative works (such as new versions of popular fictional characters like Holmes and Watson) by shrinking the public domain. For the longer the copyright term is, the less public-domain material there will be and so the greater will be the cost of authorship, because authors will have to obtain licenses from copyright holders for more material  . . .

The estate defines “flat” characters oddly, as ones completely and finally described in the first works in which they appear. Flat characters thus don’t evolve. Round characters do; Holmes and Watson, the estate argues, were not fully rounded off until the last story written by Doyle. What this has to do with copyright law eludes us. There are the early Holmes and Watson stories, and the late ones, and features of Holmes and Watson are depicted in the late stories that are not found in the early ones (though as we noted in the preceding paragraph some of those features are retrofitted to the earlier depictions). Only in the late stories for example do we learn that Holmes’s attitude toward dogs has changed—he has grown to like them—and that Watson has been married twice. These additional features, being (we may assume) “original” in the generous sense that the word bears in copyright law, are protected by the unexpired copy-rights on the late stories. But Klinger wants just to copy the Holmes and the Watson of the early stores, the stories no longer under copyright. The Doyle estate tells us that “no workable standard exists to protect the Ten Stories’ incre-mental character development apart from protecting the completed characters.” But that would be true only if the early and the late Holmes, and the early and the late Watson, were indistinguishable—and in that case there would be no incremental originality to justify copyright protection of the “rounded” characters (more precisely the features that makes them “rounder,” as distinct from the features they share with their earlier embodiments) in the later works.

. . .

The more vague, the less “complete,” a character, the less likely it is to qualify for copyright protection. An author “could not copyright a character described merely as an un-expectedly knowledgeable old wino,” but could copyright “a character that has a specific name and a specific appear-ance. Cogliostro’s age, obviously phony title (‘Count’), what he knows and says, his name, and his faintly Mosaic facial features combine to create a distinctive character. No more is required for a character copyright.” Gaiman v. McFarlane, 360 F.3d 644, 660 (7th Cir. 2004); see also Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corp., 45 F.2d 119, 121 (2d Cir. 1930) (L. Hand, J.). From the outset of the series of Arthur Conan Doyle stories and novels that began in 1887 Holmes and Watson were distinctive characters and therefore copyrightable. They were “incomplete” only in the sense that Doyle might want to (and later did) add additional features to their portrayals. The resulting somewhat altered characters were derivative works, the additional features of which that were added in the ten late stories being protected by the copyrights on those stories. The alterations do not revive the expired copyrights on the original characters.

With the net effect on creativity of extending the copy-right protection of literary characters to the extraordinary lengths urged by the estate so uncertain, and no legal grounds suggested for extending copyright protection beyond the limits fixed by Congress, the estate’s appeal borders on the quixotic. The spectre of perpetual, or at least nearly perpetual, copyright (perpetual copyright would violate the copyright clause of the Constitution, Art. I, § 8, cl. 8, which authorizes copyright protection only for “limited Times”) looms, once one realizes that the Doyle estate is seeking 135 years (1887–2022) of copyright protection for the character of Sherlock Holmes as depicted in the first Sherlock Holmes story.

And that’s the way it is.  Interesting how the courts have to engage in literary analysis at any level at all to get to this point, though, isn’t it? (“From the outset of the series of Arthur Conan Doyle stories and novels that began in 1887 Holmes and Watson were distinctive characters and therefore copyrightable. They were “incomplete” only in the sense that Doyle might want to (and later did) add additional features to their portrayals.”)

There’s also a nice little section on the case-and-controversy clause of the Constitution as applied to declaratory judgments, but the IP fun is in the above extended excerpt. You have to love Judge Posner’s plain-speakin’ judicial style.  (“Repeatedly at the oral argument the estate’s lawyer dramatized the concept of a ’round’ character by describing large circles with his arms.”  Ouch!)

Just not every day. So how many times, exactly, do you want your client to read that there are “no legal grounds” for the outcome he seeks?  Makes you feel like you missed something, uh, elementary, you know?

Author:Ron Coleman

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How-to (Styling)

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