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Sports and Recreation Safety (page 2)
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that every child should have an opportunity to participate in sports or any recreational activity that promotes regular physical activity. Participation can be related to health benefits as well as health risks. Although deaths among children playing organized sports are rare, sports injuries are a common occurrence among children.
- Brain injury is the leading cause of sports-related death to children.
- Each year, more than 3.5 million children ages 14 years and under receive medical treatment for sports injuries.
- Approximately 2 out of 5 traumatic brain injuries among children are associated with participation in sports and recreational activities.
- More than 30 million children participate in sports each year in the United States.
- Nearly three-quarters of U.S. households with school-age children have at least one child who plays organized sports.
- The most common types of sport-related injuries in children are sprains (mostly ankle), muscle strains, bone or growth plate injuries, repetitive motion injuries, and heat-related illness.
- A recent survey found that among athletes ages 5 to 14 years, 15 percent of basketball players, 28 percent of football players, 22 percent of soccer players, 25 percent of baseball players, and 12 percent of softball players have been injured while playing their respective sports.
- In 2004, nearly 391,800 children ages 5 to 14 years were treated in hospital emergency rooms for either football or basketball-related injuries.
- Each year, children ages 0-14 years sustain nearly 52,000 injuries involving snowmobiles, sleds, snow skis or snowboards.
- Children ages 5-14 years are at a higher risk of winter sports injuries; each year, approximately 49,000 injuries are sustained among this age group involving skiing, snowboarding or sledding.
Where, When and How
- Most organized sports-related injuries (62 percent) occur during practice rather than games.
- Collision and contact sports are associated with higher rates of injury. However, injuries from individual sports tend to be more severe.
- Each year, approximately 715,000 sports and recreation injuries occur in school settings alone.
- A national survey revealed that approximately 33 percent of parents often do not take the same safety precautions during their child’s practice as they would for a game.
- Older children are more likely to suffer from bicycle- and sports-related injuries and overexertion than younger children.
- Black children are one and a half times more likely than white children to suffer sports-related injuries.
- Children ages 5 to 14 years account for nearly 40 percent of all sports-related injuries treated in hospital emergency departments. The rate and severity of sports-related injury increases with a child’s age.
- Children who do not wear or use protective equipment are at greater risk of sustaining sports-related injuries. Inappropriate or unavailable equipment are reasons for children’s not wearing protective gear.
- The highest rates of injury for boys, in regards to sports, are ice hockey, rugby and soccer. Soccer, basketball and gymnastics seem to incur the highest rates of injury in girls.
- Children should have access to and consistently use the appropriate gear necessary for each respective sport.
- Children enrolled in organized sports through schools, community clubs, and recreation areas that are properly maintained assist in injury prevention.
- Coaches should be trained in first aid and CPR, and should have a plan for responding to emergencies. Coaches should be well versed in the proper use of equipment, and should enforce rules on equipment use.
- Sports programs with adults on staff who are Certified Athletic Trainers are ideal because they are trained to prevent or provide immediate care for athletic injuries.
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Today on Education.com
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- 10 Fun Activities for Children with Autism
- Test Problems: Seven Reasons Why Standardized Tests Are Not Working
- Bullying in Schools
- A Teacher's Guide to Differentiating Instruction
- Steps in the IEP Process
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The openwork malu boards of the Sawos people of New Guinea are perhaps the ultimate expression of the curvilinear style that characterizes the carving of the Middle Sepik River. Although created by the Sawos, malu are traded to the neighboring Iatmul people who use them in the context of the initiation ceremonies that mark the transition of boys to manhood. If a boy dies during the initiation process, the malu are displayed to the village women to indicate that a death has occurred. The complex imagery of these objects incorporates bird, mammal, and insect forms, many of which represent totemic species. The central face of this object depicts the heart of the sago beetle, a large insect. Four hornbills, important totemic birds, are incorporated into the openwork carving. The pig, an animal of great social and ritual significance throughout New Guinea, appears at the base.
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This week’s readings and reflection in Survey of Instructional Strategies focused on character education and its place in our schools. As a teacher at a Jesuit, private school, character education exists in nearly all, if not all, aspects of Seattle Prep. From athletics to ASB to academics, the mission of the school is to create “men and women for others”. This can ONLY be accomplished through character education. While not all teachers have this same luxury, it is as important for us at Prep to create strong, compassionate young people in spirit as well as academics.
I think that for many teachers, morals don’t need to be taught. In fact, I think many are scared, so to speak, to teach morals because of their connection with organized religion. In the public schools, this enters a territory of uneasiness. Therefore, many teachers revert to the cliché that values are “better taught than caught”. C.S. Lewis and some other philosophers agree in “it is more effectively communicated by informal means through the implicit example of a teacher’s kindness, visibility of community role models, and the actions of moral exemplars perceived through great literature” (Williams). Yet, no matter whether one is teaching in a private or public school, the character education aspect should be included in the regular curriculum.
How does one accomplish this? As we discussed in the forum this week, teaching citizenship and moral decision making can help teach character education. I believe that I can include students in making choices about lessons, timing of quizzes, and even homework load. When the students are forced to defend their decision, they learn that while having choice is part of a democratic society, so is justifying one’s decision. Lastly, I teach moral decision-making through presenting both sides of a situation (which works great in a Social Studies course) and letting students pick. They, again, must defend their choice with specific evidence. Through these type of situations in class, I am helping teach character, as well as trying to model it in my own life.
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carnivorous plantArticle Free Pass
carnivorous plant, also called insectivorous plant, any plant especially adapted for capturing insects and other tiny animals by means of ingenious pitfalls and traps and then subjecting them to the decomposing action of digestive enzymes, bacteria, or both. The approximately 400 known species of carnivorous plants constitute a very diverse group, in some cases having little more in common than their carnivorous habit. Although the carnivorous adaptation is most widespread and conspicuous among green plants, some microscopic species of fungi also catch and digest animal prey.
Carnivorous plants digest their prey through a process of chemical breakdown analogous to digestion in animals. The end products, particularly nitrogenous compounds and salts, are absorbed by the plants. Their adaptations for digesting nitrogen-rich animal proteins are thought to enable these plants to survive under otherwise marginal or hostile environmental conditions. Most carnivorous species are green plants that manufacture food by photosynthesis from the raw materials of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide in the presence of chlorophyll. The carnivorous habit augments the diet derived from their environment.
The conspicuous trapping mechanism, which is always a leaf modification, draws special attention to these plants. Classification is based primarily on the floral characteristics, as among flowering plants in general. More than half of the species belong to the family Lentibulariaceae (order Scrophulariales), marked by bilaterally symmetrical flowers with fused petals. The remainder of the species belong to several families characterized by radially symmetrical flowers formed of separate petals. The families of the latter group are the Droseraceae and Nepenthaceae, which constitute the order Nepenthales; and the family Sarraceniaceae (order Sarraceniales). The species of Nepenthaceae and Sarraceniaceae, known collectively as pitcher plants, capture prey by means of pitfalls; members of the Droseraceae (sundews, flytraps) have active trapping devices.
The family Droseraceae comprises four genera (Aldrovanda, Dionaea, Drosera, and Drosophyllum) and about 115 species, nearly all of which belong to the genus Drosera, of the sundew family. Aldrovanda are floating aquatics sometimes grown in aquaria as curiosities. Dionaea, represented by a single species, D. muscipula, is the well-known, quick-acting flytrap (see Venus’s-flytrap). Drosophyllum, also with a single species, D. lusitanicum, is the yellow, or Portuguese, sundew.
The species of New World pitcher plants are placed in the family Sarraceniaceae. Eight of the 15 species belong to the widely known and much studied genus Sarracenia, of eastern North and South America. The approximately 90 species of Old World pitcher plants constitute the only genus of the family Nepenthaceae, Nepenthes. Cephalotus follicularis, of southwestern Australia, looks like a saxifrage with small Sarracenia leaves; it constitutes a pitcher-plant family of its own, Cephalotaceae (order Saxifragales). (See pitcher plant.)
The family Lentibulariaceae includes about three carnivorous genera and more than 250 species. The majority of them belong to the genus Utricularia, the bladderworts, the most cosmopolitan of all the carnivorous genera. The two small genera Biovularia (two species; Cuba, South America) and Polypompholyx (two species; Australia) are very similar to Utricularia and also trap their prey by means of highly specialized bladders. Genlisea is a small tropical genus of 15 species of tiny aquatic plants that trap their prey by means of tiny pitcherlike structures. The butterworts, 45 species in the genus Pinguicula, differ from the bladderworts and other genera, trapping their prey by a third method—on sticky flypaper-like leaves. (See bladderwort.)
Whether aquatic, terrestrial, or amphibious, carnivorous plants have a basically similar ecology. Species of two or three genera (e.g., Sarracenia, Drosera, Pinguicula) are often found growing almost side by side. The majority are most likely to be found in damp heaths, bogs, swamps, and muddy or sandy shores where water is at least seasonally abundant and where nitrogenous materials are often scarce or unavailable because of acid or other unfavourable soil conditions. Drosophyllum lusitanicum seems to be the one exception; it grows on dry, gravelly hills of Portugal and Morocco.
On the whole, carnivorous plants are relatively small, but size variation is enormous even within the same genus. The majority are herbaceous perennials less than 30 cm (1 foot) high, often only 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 inches). Some species of Nepenthes, however, become large shrubby vines. Drosera species vary from a few centimetres to 1 m (3 feet) or more in height (D. gigantea); the smallest are often hidden among the moss of a sphagnum bog.
What made you want to look up "carnivorous plant"? Please share what surprised you most...
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SCIENTISTS have created glow-in-the-dark MONKEYS to help understand how genes are passed down to offspring.
Researchers in Japan first created a genetic virus containing a green fluorescent gene.
They exposed female marmoset primates to it so it merged with their DNA and was passed down to their offspring a world first.
The baby monkeys feet then glowed bright green under ultraviolet light.
Scientists will study them to find why certain genes cause diseases in some babies but not others.
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We’ve all heard them uttered or said them ourselves: hyperbolic statements that, if nothing else, really get the point across. “25 hours a day, 8 days a week,” “On a scale of 1-10, that ice cream cone was an 11!” or, “I want you to give 110 percent out there!” Despite their effectiveness at conveying enthusiasm or productivity, we know that in reality, giving 110 percent isn’t possible, nor does 11 exist on a ten-numbered scale, and sadly, there are only 7 days in a week. But recently some very smart MIT physicists (who else?) figured out how to turn that concept on its head in the realms of light and electricity.
The scientists created an LED light that operates at an efficiency of 230 percent. Specifically, the LED produces 69 picowatts of light using 30 picowatts of electricity, which means it “operates above unity efficiency — putting it into a category normally occupied by perpetual motion machines,” according to Wired. It works because the LED draws not only on electrical energy to emit light, but also on thermal energy as well. This new LED “appears to draw in heat energy from its surroundings instead. When it gets more than 100 percent electrically-efficient, it begins to cool down, stealing energy from its environment to convert into more photons,” Wired writer Duncan Geere explains. Pretty exciting stuff, though for now the LED doesn’t emit enough light to provide much visibility. No matter what, I’m sure (I might even be 110 percent confident) that over time, this discovery will prove to be an important stepping stone in the evolution of LED technology and in energy efficiency as a whole.
Thanks to Wired for the quotes and image.
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Plants are known as Catbrier, Bamboo-vine, and Jackson Vine, .
Smilax (Greenbrier) has the most vigorous growth habit of all vines, with dead as well as live stems sometimes forming impenetrable entanglements. Climbing is by tendrils. Preferred habitat is moist to wet places, pond margins, pinelands and swampy areas. Distribution is throughout the Escambia region.
Leaves are thick, usually smooth and evergreen. Leaf shape may be oblong to linear or lance-like to rarely broadly linear or heart-shaped. The lower part of the midvein is usually more prominent than the lateral veins and may be sunken. The outer edge has a complete submarginal vein that is usually undetectable. Only on S. pumila will the two lateral veins form an ellipse around the midvein.
Flowers are usually insignificant and appear as tiny green bundles in early autumn.
Fruit of Smilax is a series of black or red berries.
Mature berries of Smilax laurifolia
Also known as Bamboo-Vine. Laurel-leaf Smilax is extremely vigorous with dead as well as live stems sometimes forming impenetrable entanglements. Leaves are smooth, evergreen, thick-leathery, oblong to oblong-linear or oblong-lanceolate; rarely broadly linear. The lower part of the mid-vein is more prominent than the laterials. The complete edge has a close and evenly submarginal vein. the berries are black and ripen late in the second season after flowering the previous year. Common in moist to wet places, pond margins, pinelands and swampy areas.
Greenbrier / Sawbrier, S. glauca
Stem and leaves are hairless (glabrous) with a whitish bloom beneath; distinct mid-vein as well as laterals on the underside. The blades are ovate to lance-like, margins are entire (no teeth and no lobes), thin, and without a marginal rib. Smaller branchlets are not 4-angled or ridged. Fruit is bluish-black. Common in dry to wet habitats, woods of various typers, shrub areas, old fields and fencerows.
Fringed Greenbrier, S. bona-nox
Fruit of Catbrier may be blue-black or red
Similar to Smilax auriculata; the stems are solid with scattered vascular strands and flower parts that appear in bundles of three. Branchlets are usually zig-zag. the leaves are smooth and green on both sides, somewhat hastate (arrow-shaped with lobes that extend outward). The leaves also have a marginal rib which is more distinct from the underside or when the leaf is dried. Leaf margins are completely smooth or with scattered fine spines, and may also have spines along the mid-vein. The vine is common in thin broadleaf woods, pine and hardwood woods, fencerows, and shrub areas but rarely on dunes.
Herbaceous Greenbrier, S. biltmoreana
Herbaceous Smilax is also known as Biltmore's Smilax. The leaf is round in outline. The mid-vein begins at the point of attachment to the leaf stalk (attached between the lobes). Two lateral veins arise on each side of the mid-vein; whereas most Smilax leaves have only two lateral veins, this species has four. The leaf is smooth on both sides, glaucous beneath. The margins are entire (no teeth and no lobes). This plant may also be called China Root, but that is in error as China Root (False China-root, S. pseudochina), is a climbing vine that may reach heights of 9 feet or more.
Lanceleaf Greenbrier, Smilax smallii
Lanceleaf Greenbrier is an evergreen, high-climbing and arbor-forming woody vine. The trailers are much branched and rarely thorny. The stems are round in cross section, whitish waxy upward, densely branching into extensive festoons. The lower stem may produce scattered thorns. The leaves are alternate on the stem, thin leathery in texture, lance-like to ovate in shape, shiny green above and dull green beneath. Leaf margins are smooth. The tips are long pointed and the base is rounded. Leaf stalks are short. Lanceleaf Greenbrier may also be known by the synonyms S. lanceolata and S. domingensis. The common name may be Jackson-brier and Jacksonvine.
Sarsaparilla-vine, Smilax pumila
Sarsaparilla-vine is trailing or low-climbing. The stipular tendrils are sometimes absent on small plants but always present on larger ones. Stems and lower leaf surfaces may be densely hairy. The stems are upright or trailing from nodes on the runner, slender, round in cross-section, reddish-brown and soft-hairy. Fruit is usually bright red. Sarsaparilla-vine is common on sandy soils of maritime and live oak woods and pinelands.
Dune Greenbrier, S. auriculata
Dune Greenbrief is prominent in seaside habitats. The branchlets are usually prominently zig-zagged. The leaves are smoth, green on both sides, usually somewhat hastate, sometimes oblong. Conspicuous veins are evident beneath and usually above with a series of lateral veins that are parallel to and near the leaf margin. Leaf stalks subtend the fruit. The fruit is often smooth and black, maturing the first season. The plant is common on dunes, dry sands of pinelands, martime and live oak woods and fencerows.
Round-leaf Smilax, Smilax rotundifolia
Plant leaf is similar to S. glauca, except there is no bloom residue on underside of the leaf. The stems are usually straight. The mid-vein is distinct as well as the laterals on the underside. Blades are ovate to lance-like, margins are entire (no teeth and no lobes), thin, and without a marginal rib. Smaller branchlets are usually zig-zagged. Fruit is bluish-black. The plant is common on stable dune areas, broadleaf woods, thickets, fencerows and old fields.
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Wouldn’t it be handy if the wallpaper in your living room could supply the power for your lighting fixtures or television? It could happen, thanks to researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). They’ve created the world’s first solar cells that can be printed onto paper, plastic or fabric in a process that they say is not too much more complex or expensive than regular inkjet printing. And the cells are flexible enough to still work after being folded 1,000 times.
The process isn’t ready for prime time yet, as efficiency is only 1 percent so far. But the researchers hope to better that as they experiment with different materials.
Read more (and watch a video of the cells in action) at CNET.
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Interactive Romeo and Juliet for Windows PC
SPECIAL TPT PRICING
The magnificence, beauty, and power of Shakespeare's words are no more evident than in one of his greatest and most popular works, Romeo and Juliet. Now Baggetta_Ware helps your students really understand the words of Shakespeare by including interactive questions your students will respond to. The words will no longer be a barrier because Interactive Romeo and Juliet drives your students to think about what they are reading. This romantic tragedy still ends the same way, but your students come away with a new understanding of all that has happened in the drama
Great for special projects, testing, study guide, slow readers.
Interactive Question/Answer Interface -- Students Get Immediate Feedback
Save and Load Options To Allow Continued Use Over Several Class Periods
Focuses Student Attention On Reading and Understanding
On-Screen Text of the Play, Scoring, and Dictionary
Date and Student Name Displayed
Report Printed On Program Completion
Our interactive drama software will introduce your students to classical drama. If a student does not complete the questioning in one class, he can save his material and continue at another time. The students are required to answer questions as they read the work (in some cases the play is on screen, but some programs require that a paper copy be available to use in conjunction with the program).
A preliminary reading and discussion in class or individual reading is helpful before taking on this task. The format of our programs (questions and answers) makes them ideal for either study or testing purposes. Unlike regular paper tests, our programs require an answer for each question before another question is given. If a student answers incorrectly, the correct answer is revealed. Entire test is scored on screen and allows for a print out for teacher and student (a report card). There is an immediacy to reading which is not captured through traditional reading. In addition you also save on paper and other classroom materials. Questions and answers can be printed out by teachers for classroom planning.
In the computer lab these programs can be great devices for cooperative learning, by grouping students around a machine to incite decision making. They can also be used in a controlled environment as a test of reading knowledge -- individually or in groups. These programs also make great tools when used as part of a Special Education curriculum, a home schooling plan, and ESL programs.
Comes packaged on CD ready for installation on your Windows PC computers. Instructions and passwords included.
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Mosquitoes are not only an annoying pest to you, your family and pets, they are also transmitters of pathogens and parasites. Some of the common diseases known to be caused by mosquitoes are Filariasis (Heart Worm), Epidemic polyarthritis (Ross River Fever),
Breeding occurs in any stagnant water body so make sure your property does not have water lying around. In order to prevent breeding you should change water weekly in bird baths, stock ponds with fish, make sure your roof gutters drain properly, remove pot plant saucers or fill them with sand, check funnels of bromeliad plants, screen or cover septic and water holding tanks, and keep lawns and other ground vegetation short. Partly emptied swimming pools containing dirty water are very likely to breed mosquitoes so demolish your pool, fill it in or drain it completely if not used. But now they’re back and breeding, possibly in your own back yard and this makes YOU a target for their next bloodmeal. You could also be exposed to viral and parasitic attack.
For more information on Mosquitoes see NSW Health publication ‘Mosquitoes are a Health Hazard’. (Murray Valley Fever).
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PNNL rolls out its clean energy tech at ARPA-E
February 22, 2013
Solar energy, electric and natural gas cars, magnets for motors, efficient heating on tap
NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. –
Researchers from the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will exhibit their work at the 2013 Energy Innovation Summit of high-impact energy research funded by DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, or ARPA-E. The summit runs Feb. 25-27 at the Gaylord Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. Below is an overview of PNNL research that will be highlighted there.
Nighttime solar power with cheaper thermal energy storage
Solar power is a clean source of energy, but its use is limited to when the sun shines. One option that extends solar energy into the night involves capturing the sun's heat during the day and releasing it when it's dark. Called thermal energy storage, the practice has been limited because the molten salts typically used to store solar heat for power production require large, expensive equipment. PNNL materials scientist Ewa Rönnebro and her team have shown that a powder made of a proprietary metal hydride can store up to 10 times more heat per mass than molten salts and operate at higher temperatures. PNNL and project partners University of Utah and Heavystone Lab are developing a 3 kilowatt-hour thermal demonstration system that will collect heat for six hours and discharge it over another six hours. If successful, the project could make thermal energy storage systems smaller and more cost-competitive.
New fuel storage tanks lighten the load for compressed natural gas vehicles
With the nation's supply of natural gas increasingly abundant and inexpensive, the fuel is being considered as a cleaner way to power light-duty cars and trucks. But while more than 15 million natural gas vehicles operate throughout the world, only about 150,000 are running on America's roads. One challenge is that natural gas exists as a vapor, meaning it contains less energy per volume than the denser, liquid gasoline most of us pump into our cars. Natural gas must be compressed into a pressurized fuel tank to increase its energy density. PNNL engineer Kevin Simmons and his team are developing special, lightweight fuel tanks that make better use of the limited space available in vehicles. PNNL's fuel tank design uses a unique manufacturing method called superplastic forming. The method involves welding together metal sheets at specific points and blowing air in between the sheets to expand them, forming internal chambers like an air mattress. The expanded metal tank will conform to more of a vehicle's space than traditional cylinder tanks. It also helps the cars weigh less, which makes them more fuel-efficient. The PNNL tank is expected to cost $1,500 to make and pack 12 megajoules of energy per kilogram, about twice the energy density of today's metal compressed natural gas tanks. Lincoln Composites is a partner in the project.
Rare earth-free magnet makes electric motors cheaper with more abundant materials
From wind turbines to electric vehicle motors, magnets play an essential role in a variety of today's electronic devices. But there's a limited supply of the rare earth minerals that are traditionally used in these magnets. In particular, dysprosium is added to increase a magnet's operating temperature, which is high in motors. But dysprosium has been named a critical material with unstable availability. PNNL materials scientist Jun Cui and his team are developing a manganese-based nano-composite magnet that doesn't contain dysprosium or any other rare earth mineral. The new magnet can operate at 200 degrees Celsius. The team's immediate goal is to make a permanent magnet with 10 MGOe, or megagauss-oersteds, a measurement of magnetic energy. With additional funding, the team will work to develop a 20-MGOe magnet, which would be more useful for a broader set of commercial applications. Project partners include PNNL, the universities of Maryland and Texas at Arlington, Ames Laboratory, Electron Energy Corp. and United Technologies.
Membrane dehumidifier makes air conditioners up to 50 percent more efficient
Americans unnecessarily spend billions of dollars on power bills when humid air causes their air-conditioning systems to be inefficient. To cut electricity use for cooling in hot, humid climates by 50 percent, a team led by ADMA Products and including PNNL and Texas A&M University is developing a novel dehumidifier. The system uses a thin membrane developed by PNNL chemical engineer Wei Liu and his PNNL colleagues that acts as a molecular sieve and soaks up water from the air. The membrane consists of a thin, foil-like metal sheet that's coated with a layer of a water-attracting material called zeolite. Just one-fifth the width of human hair and made from common, inexpensive materials, the membrane removes moisture from air many times faster than dehydration membrane products currently on the market. PNNL is developing a small, lab-scale prototype of its system, and the project team has created a manufacturing method that can be used at larger scales. Visit Liu at the ADMA Products booth, or hear him pitch the technology to a panel of investors at ARPA-E's Future Energy Pitching Session, which runs 6:30-8:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25. Click here for more info on the pitching session.
New way to heat, cool electric vehicles reduces drain on driving range
The combustion engines in gasoline-powered cars generate a lot of heat, which is great for heating the passenger cabin in winter. But energy-efficient electric vehicles produce very little waste heat. Providing electricity for the same amount of heat used in gasoline cars would reduce electric vehicles' driving range by up to 40 percent. PNNL engineer Pete McGrail is leading a team that includes the University of South Florida to develop a material called an electrical metal organic framework, also called an EMOF, for electric vehicle heating and cooling systems. The material would work as a molecular heat pump that efficiently circulates heat or cold. By directly controlling the material's properties with electricity, their design is expected to use much less energy than traditional heat and cooling systems. A 5-pound, EMOF-based heat pump that is the size of a 2-liter bottle could theoretically handle the heating and cooling needs of an electric vehicle with far less impact on driving distance. While using a unique testing system that applies voltage to the material, the team observed for the first time an EMOF transitioning from an off, or insulating, state to an on, or semiconducting, state. The transition demonstrated the project's premise, coincided with a change in the material's crystal structure and was completely reversible. The team is now making other EMOFs with similar switching abilities and higher adsorption capacities that improve performance in an electric heat pump.
Reporters interested in scheduling interviews with the PNNL scientists about the above projects should contact Franny White at (509) 375-6904 (office) or (360) 333-4793 (cell). More information about these projects and other PNNL research, including transactive control of a smart power grid, is also available at the PNNL display, located at booth 1108.
The summit's Technology Showcase, where PNNL's project booths are located, is open 11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. and 4:45-8 p.m. on Feb. 26, as well as 7:30-8:45 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m. on Feb. 27. Click here for a map of the Technology Showcase layout, including PNNL booth locations.
Press passes for the 2013 Energy Innovation Summit can be obtained by visiting the summit's press website here.
Tags: Energy, Energy Efficiency, Energy Conservation, PHEVs, Energy Production
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For centuries, people knew pure carbon in two forms, diamond and graphite. Diamond is three-dimensional matrix of carbon atoms in which each atom is bonded to four others in a tetrahedral arrangement. Graphite on the other hand consists of two-dimension sheets of hexagons, like a honeycomb, in which each carbon atom is bonded to three others. These sheets are loosely stacked on top of each other in bulk graphite, and it is their ability to slip around on each other that makes graphite so soft and slippery.
There's only one way to arrange the atoms in diamond, but it turns out that sheets of graphite can be wrapped around into tubes and spheres in a great variety of ways, forming some truly remarkable substances, some of which may turn out to be of vast importance.
The first really amazing form of carbon to be discovered is called buckminsterfullerene, after Buckmister Fuller the inventor and popularizer of many geodesic dome structures. Buckmisterfullerene is often referred to as "bucky balls" because it consists of molecules of 60 atoms in a graphite-like arrangement, curved and joined to itself to form a beautiful geodesic sphere.
These nanotubes consist of sheets of graphite rolled into tubes only a few nanometers in diameter. Nanotubes can be made in different diameters, and with one, two, three, or more concentric layers of wall. These happen to be multi-wall nanotubes.
What can you do with nanotubes? Well, one thing you can do, a trick the University of Illinois is famous for, is fill them with bucky balls, forming a sort of nano-peapod. Other things you might be able to do is build electronic circuitry with wires of unimaginable fineness. The tubes are also extremely strong: If you could make them long and bundle them into a substantial fiber, you could make threads and cables of extreme strength.
How are these incredibly fine, structured molecules manufactured? Is it some clever chemical synthesis in which atoms are assembled in an orderly way? Well, not exactly. The manufacturing process for bucky balls and nanotubes alike can be described basically as creating soot by burning or heating carbon and carbon compounds in high-temperature electric arcs, blasting with lasers, or some other similarly crude method. After making a bag of soot, you use various chemical methods to separate out and purify the particular form you're looking for. The trick is to adjust the conditions of your arc or laser in such a way as to maximize the percentage of the carbon that arranges itself into the form you want. For example, if you want nanotubes, you pass a laminar flow of gas through the arc. It's not too surprising that this encourages the carbon to form into tubes rather than balls: Think soap bubbles made by holding
the ring in a strong, steady breeze.
Nanotube powder is incredibly light and fluffy! This sample is a pile about half an inch wide the way it's stacked in the photo, but it weighs only about 7mg (0.007 grams). A full liter of this stuff would weight only about 25 grams, 40 times less dense than water.
Note that this stuff is extremely black. Really, really black. It looks gray in the pictures, but that's because I increased the exposure time to allow you to see the details of the structure, and I'm using very concentrated lights to put as much light as possible right on the sample. And needless to say, if you think you see some kind of tube-like thing in there, it's not a nanotube! The tubes typically range in length from tens to hundreds of micrometers, and may reach as long as a millimeter, but even such an extraordinarily long one could not be seen in anything other than an electron microscope, because they are so incredibly thin.
Here are good websites for carbon nanotubes and
Source: Prof. Jianguo Wen
Contributor: Prof. Jianguo Wen
Acquired: 2 May, 2003
Text Updated: 11 August, 2007
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Friday 17 May
Hemprich’s long-eared bat (Otonycteris hemprichii)
Hemprich’s long-eared bat fact file
- Find out more
- Print factsheet
Hemprich’s long-eared bat description
A relatively widespread species (1), Hemprich’s long-eared bat has thick, soft fur measuring up to 11 millimetres in length, which varies from sandy-yellow to dark brown in colour on the upperparts and white on the underbelly (2). The large ears are yellow-brown in colour, are situated almost horizontally on the head, and have very large tragi; these fleshy prominences, found at the front of the external openings of each ear, are almost half the size of the ear itself (2). The semi-translucent wings are broad, leathery and hairless, and are yellow-brown in colour close to the body but a paler brown towards the edges (2). This carnivorous bat has an elongated, narrow head and narrow, crescent-shaped nostrils (2).
- Also known as
- desert long-eared bat.
- Oreillard D'Hemprich. Top
Bat Conservation International:
- Feeding on animals.
- Detecting objects by reflected sound. Used by bats and odontocete cetaceans (toothed whales, dolphins and porpoises) for orientation and to detect and locate prey.
- A category used in taxonomy, which is below ‘family’ and above ‘species’. A genus tends to contain species that have characteristics in common. The genus forms the first part of a ‘binomial’ Latin species name; the second part is the specific name.
- Feeding primarily on insects.
- A large geographical region with a distinct biodiversity of plants and animals, which covers Europe, old USSR territories, part of North Africa, and North Asia.
IUCN Red List (March, 2010)
- Gharaibeh, B.M. and Qumsiyeh, M.B. (1995) Otonycteris hemprichii. Mammalian Species, 514: 1-4.
- Altringham, J.D. (1996) Bats: Biology and Behaviour. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
- Macdonald, D.W. and Tattersall, F.T. (2001) Britain's Mammals: The Challenge for Conservation. The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Oxford University.
- Morris, P. (1993) A Red Data Book for British Mammals. Mammal Society, Bristol.
- view the contents of, and Material on, the website;
- download and retain copies of the Material on their personal systems in digital form in low resolution for their own personal use;
- teachers, lecturers and students may incorporate the Material in their educational material (including, but not limited to, their lesson plans, presentations, worksheets and projects) in hard copy and digital format for use within a registered educational establishment, provided that the integrity of the Material is maintained and that copyright ownership and authorship is appropriately acknowledged by the End User.
Hemprich’s long-eared bat biology
Hemprich’s long-eared bat is mostly solitary; however, it occasionally clusters in groups of up to 18 females (2). It begins its activities just before dusk, when it flies from its roost in search of food. Hemprich’s long-eared bat is carnivorous and most commonly insectivorous, preferring to feed on darkling beetles, termites and cockroaches, as well as grasshoppers, crickets and locusts (2). It is described as a ‘ground-gleaner’ as it collects its food from near or on the ground (1). Like other bats, this species uses echolocation for both hunting and orientation (4). It produces a short series of low frequency clicks for this purpose, ranging from 18 to 40 kHz with a maximum intensity of 30 to 32 kHz, increasing the rate of the clicks as it approaches prey (2).
Specific information on reproduction in Hemprich’s long-eared bat is scarce; however, observations indicate that females generally produce litters of two young at a time (2). As with all mammals, after birth the young are nourished by their mother’s milk for a time before being weaned and reaching independence (5).Top
Hemprich’s long-eared bat rangeTop
Hemprich’s long-eared bat habitat
This bat is adapted to extremely dry, sparsely vegetated environments, such as those of the Palaearctic deserts and sub-deserts. It favours areas where there is an abundance of rocks, providing fissures and cracks in which it can roost, but it can also be found in urban areas where it makes use of buildings as roosts (1).Top
Hemprich’s long-eared bat status
Classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List (1).Top
Hemprich’s long-eared bat threats
Hemprich’s long-eared bat is thought to have a large global population, is relatively common in certain areas, and is not thought to be facing any major threats. Therefore, it is not considered to be at risk of extinction (5). Although pesticides are believed to be impacting this species by causing a decline in numbers of insect prey and by contaminating its food, this is not currently considered to be a serious threat (5).Top
Hemprich’s long-eared bat conservation
Hemprich’s long-eared bat is presumed to occur in some protected areas within its range and is protected by law in some countries (1). Further studies are required into the effect of pesticides on Hemprich’s long-eared bat, especially with a view to minimising their impact on the species (1).Top
Find out more
To learn about bat conservation efforts see:
This information is awaiting authentication by a species expert, and will be updated as soon as possible. If you are able to help please contact:
More »Related species
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© Dr Mustafa Sözen
Zonguldak Karaelmas University
Tel: +90 (535) 733 76 54
Fax: +90 (372) 257 41 81
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Inside the Warsaw Ghetto
Grade Level: 6 through 8
- to describe the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
- to identify Jewish fighters of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
- to describe other forms of resistance during the Holocaust
- to evaluate the significance of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising
Sunshine State Standards:
View all Sunshine State Standards
- Grades 6-8
- SS.A.1.3.2, 1.3.3, 2.3.4, 2.3.6, 2.3.8, 3.3.2, 3.3.3
- Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto, by Emmanuel Ringelblum
- Round Table worksheet packet
Background: On April 19, 1943, the Warsaw ghetto, the largest ghetto in Europe, was to be liquidated. All inhabitants would be taken to extermination camps to be murdered. Among the residents were women, children and men--all weak, starving and exhausted from the extreme conditions they were already enduring in the ghetto. Knowing what was to come, the remaining people in the ghetto organized a group of fighters. Although these fighters realized their small army and home-made ammunition could not fight the Nazis, they chose to die fighting rather than go willingly to their deaths.
Procedure: Begin this lesson by discussing the Warsaw ghetto. As a class, discuss how the Germans established the ghetto for Jews and segregated them from the rest of Polish society. Discuss the harsh living conditions of the ghetto. You may wish to read excerpts from Emmanuel Ringelblum's Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto. How was Ringelblum resisting the Nazis? Read the letter written by Mordechai Anilewitz, leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. You may also read excerpts from The Man from the Other Side. Children of the Warsaw ghetto often risked their lives to smuggle food, and sometimes even ammunition, into the ghetto. Many were caught by the Nazis and shot immediately.
Prior to the activity, create a Round Table worksheet packet. This packet will contain questions with room for five students to respond to each question. Students will pass each question sheet around the table and respond to each question.
Questions for Round Table Worksheet:
- Why were Jews forced to live in the ghetto?
- In your own words, describe the conditions of the Warsaw ghetto. What noises might you hear in the ghetto? What would you see? What would you smell?
- Write your own definition for "resistance."
- How did Emmanuel Ringelblum resist?
- List some other forms of resistance.
- Name something you are willing to fight for.
- In your opinion, did the Jewish fighters win or lose?
- Do you think the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising is important to your generation? Why or why not?
Place each question on a separate sheet and number the responses 1-5. Have groups of five sit in a circle. Assign each student a response number to correspond with the responses on the sheet. On the worksheet, have students identify their name and corresponding number at the top of the first page.
Students are to begin with the first question. The first person may read the question to the group, write a response, then pass the paper around. Discussions about the questions are to be saved until the paper has gone around the circle. For each question, have students read and discuss their responses.
Allow students to work through all the questions and discuss their answers. Then, as a class, have groups share an overall statement on each response.
Assessment: Evaluate students based on group participation and student-generated responses.
- Emmanuel Ringelblum, Notes from the Warsaw Ghetto. New York: Schocken Books, 1974.
- Uri Orlev, The Man from the Other Side. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin, 1991.
A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust
Produced by the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida © 2005.
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Journal of Industrial Teacher Education
National Association of Industrial and Technical Teacher Educators
Initiatives to integrate engineering design within the field of technology education are increasingly evident (Lewis, 2005; Wicklein, 2006). Alliances between technology education and engineering were prominent in the development of the Standards for Technological Literacy (International Technology Education Association, 2000), and leaders from both disciplines have expressed support for the outcomes described in the Standards (Bybee, 2000; Council of the National Academy of Engineering, 2000; Dugger, Meade, Delany, and Nichols, 2003; Gorham, Newberry, and Bickart, 2003). The National Science Foundation (NSF) has also encouraged and funded opportunities for technology educators and engineers to work collaboratively. The Bridges for Engineering Education projects and more recently the $10 million, 5-year funding for the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education exemplify the commitment of the NSF to support these activities.
The history of technology education is replete with trends and changes in curriculum, technical content, instructional materials and equipment, instructional strategies, and even identity (Lewis, 2004, 1999; Sanders, 2001). The profession has revised its name and made substantial efforts to affect public perceptions of the field. The historical benchmarks in technology education bear labels such as Industrial Arts Curriculum Project, Maryland Plan, Jackson’s Mill, or Technology for All Americans. A movement to embrace engineering design as a focal element in technology education would be another significant event in the ongoing history of technology education and could become another benchmark in shaping the profession.
Perspectives regarding the role engineering should play within the discipline of technology education vary considerably. These positions range from advocating that technology education take on the role of pre-engineering for high school students to arguments in favor of retaining a broad focus for technology education in which it treats engineering design as simply one of many forms of creative activity. The perspective underlying the position presented here is that technology education should retain a general education role, providing hands-on learning activities for all students and encompassing approaches to design and problem-solving that extend beyond engineering to embrace aesthetics and artistic creativity. Engineering design, however, can provide a focus for the field of technology education that is applicable for students in all grade levels and career pathways.
Implementing an engineering design focus within technology education has significant ramifications. Classroom teachers, teacher educators, and support staff will need additional knowledge and skills to successfully shift the focus of the field toward engineering design. Changes will especially affect the preparation of technology teachers. Curriculum, educational philosophy, instructional strategies, and collaborative relationships are among the facets that will be influenced by this initiative. In each of these areas there are perhaps more questions than answers, and thoughtful discussion and research are needed to guide decision-making. It is essential that the field recognize the key issues so that steps are taken to provide and facilitate necessary professional development.
Hill, R. B. (2006). New perspectives: technology teacher education and engineering design. Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 43(3), 45-63.
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May 14, 2008 Light-emitting diodes save energy. In terms of their light output, however, they have so far been unable to compete with light bulbs. A new, low-priced optical component is set to change that situation: It concentrates the light and directs it precisely to where it is needed.
Light-emitting diodes are unbeatable in terms of energy efficiency. A one-watt LED delivers roughly the same optical output as a hundred-watt light bulb. If a high light output is required, however, the tiny light sources are not the preferred means of illumination. A novel optical component is set to change that situation. It directs the light to the exact spot where it is needed. In the case of a desk lamp, for instance, the light can be concentrated in such a way that only a DIN-A4-sized surface in the middle of the table is brightly lit. The LED evenly illuminates the required area, while everything else stays in the dark.
“A light-emitting diode is a single-point light source that emits light in a large, uncontrolled area,” says Dr. Christian Wenzel, head of department at the Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology IPT in Aachen. “We use special lenses to direct all of the light to the place where it is needed, thus increasing the efficiency of the LEDs. The spot of light created by the light source does not therefore fade out at the edges, but has a sharply defined edge.”
This channeling of light is based on a free-form system of optics – a plastic lens whose geometry can be shaped in any way desired. “The lenses are cast using an injection-molding technique. The two halves of the tool that serve as a mold have to be aligned with extreme precision just once – they have an accuracy of a few microns, or less than a tenth of the diameter of a hair. Once the tools have been tared, the lens can be manufactured in large batches at low cost,” says Dr. Wenzel. The researchers at the IPT have optimized the entire process chain: from planning and manufacturing the lens systems to checking their accuracy.
“There’s nothing like it anywhere else in Europe,” the expert claims. There is just one challenge that had to be mastered: The plastic, which is inserted into the mold when hot, shrinks as it cools – the finished lenses are therefore slightly smaller than dictated by the mold. The researchers take this effect into account by repeated, gradual improvement – to an accuracy of a few microns. When the lenses are finished, the scientists check them. To do this, they project a pattern of stripes onto the lens. The distortion of the stripes reveals the curvature, inclination and shape of the lens.
The researchers will demonstrate the entire process chain along with optical systems for practical application at the Optatec trade fair in Frankfurt, Germany from June 17 to 20.
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Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
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By Bill Daley, Tribune Newspapers
November 14, 2012
George Washington Carver was a scientist who did more to raise the peanut's public profile than any other figure in American life, with the possible exception of former farmer-turned-president Jimmy Carter and Planters' Mr. Peanut.
Carver's work with peanuts and other crops at Alabama's famed Tuskegee Institute benefited millions of farmers in the first half of the 20th century.
"The primary idea in all my work was to help the farmer and fill the poor man's empty dinner pail," he once said. "My idea was to help the 'man farthest down,' this is why I have made every process just as simple as I could put it within his reach."
Food science is a field viewed with mixed feelings by many these days. But Carver's research was seen at the time as a blessing for farmers, especially for African-Americans struggling to make a living across the rural South. Cotton was king, or so the old saying went, but cotton also robbed the soil of all nutrients. Carver promoted peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes as crops that could restore farmland to productivity.
But he didn't stop there. Carver realized farmers wouldn't grow these plants unless there was a strong enough demand for them. So he created uses for these crops that extended far beyond the kitchen — some 285 uses for peanuts alone, according to a 1941 Time magazine article.
"He gave black farmers a means of staying on the land. We all couldn't move north to Chicago and New York," said Michael Twitty, a Rockville, Md.-based writer, food historian and blogger at afroculinaria.com. "Carver knew the value of working the land, of being with the land, of working with each other."
Carver cared not just for the health of the land but the health of the farmers, Twitty added, noting that the diet of poor African-Americans at the time was often referred to as the "Three M's": Meat, meal and molasses. Carver promoted crops designed to enrich the diet.
A man of faith as well as science and a very talented artist, Carver took a green approach to life that many would recognize today. "I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in," he once said.
Besides championing farmers, Carver promoted natural medicines and believed in recycling. He was "a pioneer of the green manure movement," said Gary R. Kremer, author of 2011's "George Washington Carver: A Biography" and executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri.
Kremer said Carver was ultimately unsuccessful in his dream to transform the South and its economy, largely because so many farmers didn't own the land they worked. But the author said Carver transformed the lives of so many others by inspiring and empowering them.
Born a slave in the last years of the Civil War, Carver became one of the most prominent African-Americans in what was then a legally segregated United States. Henry Ford was his friend. Time lauded him as the "Black Leonardo." So potent a symbol did he become that eight years after his death in 1943, the federal government issued a commemorative half dollar honoring him and Booker T. Washington, Tuskegee's founder and first president. Carver's birthplace in southwestern Missouri was also turned into a national monument and park.
For Twitty, the attention and respect paid to Carver by whites during the Jim Crow era had a double edge.
"Here's a shining example of the Negro thriving under segregation," he said. "If they stay in their own place, build their own bricks and don't ask us for anything, then everything is OK. We can deflect all the tensions and all the negative."
Yet Twitty noted that Carver's work has a "subversive" element; many who studied with him went on to build the civil rights movement.
Take 88-year-old Eliot Battle of Columbia, Mo. He went to the Tuskegee Institute so he could study under Carver. What struck him most about Carver?
"His brilliance, and his ability to talk and visit with anybody and not make them feel he was as brilliant as he was or that we were as average as we were," recalled Battle, who went on to a career as an educator and civil rights leader. "He always gave time to anyone who approached him. … He was a positive man with such strength of character."
Given the growing interest in the agricultural topics Carver was exploring a century ago, there's been a resurgence of interest in him.
"A lot of people writing cookbooks focusing on natural, healthy foods are following in his footsteps," Twitty said. "Peanuts and sweet potatoes wouldn't have been emphasized if not for Dr. Carver."
Peanut cookies, number one
Prep: 25 minutes
Bake: 17-19 minutes per batch
Makes: 72 cookies
Note: This cookie, reproduced as worded in George Washington Carver's 1916 bulletin, "How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing It for Human Consumption," has a delicacy, an elegance, not associated with the robust kids' cookie made with peanut butter.
"Sweet milk" is regular whole milk. We added 3/4 teaspoon salt with the dry ingredients and used lightly salted nuts. The recipe calls for vanilla to taste; we used 2 teaspoons. Carver's instruction to "bake quickly" today would mean baking the cookies in a 375-degree oven; we baked them 17-19 minutes. For ground peanuts, chop in a food processor until coarsely ground.
3 cups flour
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sweet milk
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 cups ground peanuts (9 ounces)
Cream butter and sugar; add eggs well beaten; now add the milk and flour; flavor to taste with vanilla; and the peanuts last; drop one spoonful to the cooky in well greased pans; bake quickly.
Per serving: 63 calories, 3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 9 mg cholesterol, 7 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 44 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
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The sons of Jacob. According to the Book of Genesis, Joseph was Jacob's favorite son. To show his love for Joseph, Jacob gave him a coat of many colors, a splendid garment that aroused the jealousy of Joseph's brothers, who began to plot against him. The brothers sold Joseph into slavery in Egypt and pretended that he had been killed by a wild beast. Years later, the Egyptian pharaoh called on Joseph to interpret his troubling dreams. The pharaoh rewarded Joseph's skill in interpreting his dreams by making him second in command over the kingdom. Later, when the land of the Hebrews was beset by famine, Jacob was forced to send Joseph's brothers into Egypt to buy grain. The official with whom they had to deal turned out to be Joseph himself. When he discovered that his brothers were truly sorry for their treachery, he forgave them.
|an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.|
|an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.|
Dictionary.com presents 366 FAQs, incorporating some of the frequently asked questions from the past with newer queries.
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Oak Wilt MaintenanceTo minimize the threat of oak wilt, do your oak maintenance work in late December, January and early February and always paint wounds.
Calvin R. Finch, Ph.D., County Extension Agent-Horticulture
Texas Cooperative Extension, Bexar County
Our South Texas oak trees don't need much pruning, they are most attractive and healthiest when they are left to grow in a natural shape. As with everything in the landscape, however, we compromise with nature on the oaks. We remove lower branches that have been shaded to the point that they cannot support leaves, we remove dead branches, and we remove hazardous branches. They are least susceptible to infection with the oak wilt fungus if pruned in January and February.
Oak wilt is a vascular disease caused by the fungus Ceratocystis fagacearum. All oaks can be infected by the pathogen; although red oaks are most susceptible and white oaks least susceptible to the disease. Live oaks fall in between the other oaks in vulnerability. The disease is spread by two routes: (1) bark beetles can pick up the spores from an infected red oak (Spanish oak, Shumard oak, and blackjack oak) and carry them to a newly inflicted wound on another oak and/or (2) the disease organisms can spread through interconnected root systems from one tree to another. The usual scenario in the Hill Country is for the disease to be spread from an infected Spanish oak by the beetle to a live oak and then from oak to oak by roots in the live oak thicket.
The disease stops the flow of nutrients and water from the roots to the leaves. Once symptoms appear, the Spanish oak may be dead in two weeks. A live oak can survive longer; two months to a year.
Veinal necrosis is a widely accepted, but not foolproof, symptom on live oaks. The interveinal areas on the leaves stay green while the areas directly adjacent to the veins die. Prior to the brown coloring, the dying area often is bright yellow or orange.
Red oaks infected with the disease will turn a brilliant red in early summer and lose all their leaves. On some infected Spanish oak trees, a fungal mat forms under the bark. It is this mat that attracts the bark beetles which carry the spores on to open wounds on other oak trees.
Oak wilt has appeared in Bexar County. It is not a major problem, but it has the potential of becoming one. Researchers have developed the chemical Alamo® to treat threatened trees and trees in the early stages of infection. It is an expensive and difficult process. Prevention is still best.
There are a number of effective measures that can be taken to minimize the threat of oak wilt.
- OAKS ARE SAFEST IF PRUNED IN THE WINTER OR LATE SUMMER. Any wound on an oak tree, when the bark beetle is active, is likely to get visited by the beetle. If the wound and the visit occur during the period of early February through May, when the fungus is also active, there is a chance that the tree will be inoculated with the disease. Prune unsafe branches as they occur.
- COVER ALL WOUNDS ON OAKS WITH PRUNING PAINT. The period of susceptibility is very short, perhaps only three days after the wound occurs, but it is safest to get in the habit of covering the wounds. Remember that pruning is only one of the ways trees get wounded. Automobile bumps, lawn mowers, string trimmers, wind and ice breakage, and bulldozers on roots are other common examples of wounds.
- MANAGE FIREWOOD TO AVOID INFECTION. It is not necessary to reduce the use of the fireplace in order to stop the spread of oak wilt. Smoke from infected wood burning is NOT a threat! The fungus is destroyed by heat and will not even survive in dry firewood. If you utilize red oak firewood, try to purchase wood from trees that have not been infected or killed from oak wilt. Only wood that has been cured for an entire summer should be stored in the vicinity of uninfected red or live oaks. If you bought oak firewood for this winter and are unsure of its age or origins, use it up before spring.
- DIVERSIFY YOUR SHADE TREE PLANTINGS. Large blocks of red and live oaks are susceptible to the spread of the disease. Plant cedar elm, chinkapin oak, bur oak, Chinese pistache, and bald cypress in addition to red and live oak. Parson's Archive has a list of outstanding landscape plants for all areas of Texas that suggests other alternatives.
| Parson's Archive Home | Aggie Horticulture |
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Lecture 10, The East and The West:
The multitude of denominations within the Christian church today leads many to view the church as schismatic and contentious. A large contingent of these people calls for a reunification of Christianity, resembling the church of ancient times. While unity should always be a primary goal amongst the people of God, it must be a unity in and for the glory of Christ. As this lesson demonstrates, different emphases, historical circumstances, and other factors played a large role in the widening gap between the church of the East and West, but they still remained united on key elements, particularly the supremacy of Christ’s word for the faith and life of His flock. This truth formed a solid bedrock upon which the East and West could rest together, and this model should inform the church today of its direction.
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The French novelist Alexandre Dumas had some African blood, for which he was sometimes vilified; despite his immense popularity in the mid-19th century, hostile critics could publish, “Scratch Monsieur Dumas’ hide and you will find the savage . . . a Negro!” In “The Black Count,” Tom Reiss traces the novelist’s African origins through the story of his father, aspiring to make this biography as riveting as Dumas’s most successful works, like “The Three Musketeers” and “The Count of Monte Cristo.”
The raw material is extremely promising for a thrilling historical epic, sweeping through the French Revolution at home and abroad, and the Napoleonic Empire that followed. The novelist’s French grandfather, Alexandre Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, was a minor French nobleman who emigrated to French Saint Domingue (today’s Haiti), where his younger brother was a wealthy sugar planter. The brothers soon quarreled, and Antoine absconded with a handful of slaves from the plantation and disappeared into the colony’s impenetrable mountains. He had four children with a black or mixed-blood woman known as Marie Cessette Dumas, and shortly before his return to France in 1775 he sold the mother and three of the children as slaves. The fourth son, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas Davy de la Pailletrie, was also sold, but “conditionally, with the right of redemption.”
Presumed dead for years, Antoine now claimed the debt-ridden family estate and wrung enough money out of it to repurchase his son. Fourteen when he arrived in France, Thomas-Alexandre studied liberal arts, science, and swordsmanship at the Parisian academy of Nicolas Texier de la Boëssière.
Unlike the Anglophone slave societies, the French system recognized the Euro-African mix as a separate race. Thomas-Alexandre belonged to a sizeable class of colored sons of wealthy colonists, a class whose legal rights and social position fluctuated wildly over the next 30 years. Reiss explains the matter accurately, but often writes as if he didn’t know it; his title and many other scenes imply that Thomas-Alexandre was perceived as Negro, which is unlikely. He was half-African at most, and regarded as “[o]ne of the handsomest men you could ever meet . . . whose . . . frizzy hair recalls the curls of the Greeks and Romans,” though like other members of the French colored class he was sometimes a victim of racial prejudice.
THE BLACK COUNT
Trained as a military officer, Thomas-Alexandre lacked funds to purchase a commission and so enlisted in the ranks, simplifying his name for this purpose to Alex Dumas. Training, temperament, and his legendary physical prowess made him an exceptional soldier, and in 1789, the French Revolution opened his path into the officer corps. As a mere private he had impressed Marie-Louise Labouret, daughter of an innkeeper in the town of Villers-Cotterêts; with his advancement to lieutenant colonel (and the noble title up his sleeve) he returned three years later to marry her.
On the Belgian frontier he had captured 12 Austrian cavalrymen single-handedly; in the Alps along the Italian border he won an impregnable position by leading a bayonet charge across a glacier; in Italy with Napoleon Bonaparte he held a bridge alone against a “whole squadron.” Dumas’s pride and hot temper sometimes led him toward insubordination; he permanently offended General Berthier, an intermediate commander between himself and Bonaparte. Still worse (from the point of view of little Napoleon) was that in Egypt Dumas, now a brigadier general, was thanks to his commanding stature and bearing generally taken by the enemy to be “the leader of the Expedition.”
Returning by sea from Egypt, Dumas was waylaid in the port of Taranto and held for two years by a renegade Neapolitan army. This wretched imprisonment, Reiss argues, became the basis for his son’s “The Count of Monte Cristo.’’ In France, only Dumas’ wife seemed to feel any urgency about his rescue. The wave of social change he had ridden to glory was well past its peak.
In its most radical phase in 1794, the French Revolution had responded to a successful slave-led revolution in Saint-Domingue by abolishing slavery in all French colonies and according equal rights to all Frenchmen regardless of race. When Dumas limped back to France in 1801, a racist reaction was well underway. Napoleon, now a de facto dictator, restored slavery in Martinique and Guadaloupe, outlawed mixed marriages, and forbade persons of color to enter French territory. Dumas’ heroic achievements were erased by these policies. His health broken by prison, he died at the age of 40.
To tell this tale, Reiss must cover the French Revolution, the Haitian Revolution, and the rise of Napoleon toward Empire; he does all that with remarkable verve. He also reports many little-known details of 18th century French racial policies. Reiss quotes copiously from the novelist son’s heavily romanticized memoirs of his father and suggests persuasively that the father’s career inspired the son to build “fictional worlds where no wrongdoer goes unpunished and the good people are watched over and protected by fearless, almost superhuman heroes.” Alex Dumas’s best vindication may come from his wife, who wrote when she learned of his release from Taranto, “I promise to avenge myself by proving to you that I know how to love, and that I have always loved you.”
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Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities
Best known to most people as the home of the Masters Golf Tournament, Augusta is the second oldest city in Georgia and boasts a history that goes back to the mid 18th century. James Oglethrope, the founder of the Georgia colony, created Augusta on the banks of the Savannah River in 1736. Originally a trading outpost, Augusta became the capital of the new state of Georgia from 1785 to 1795. The town began to boom with the arrival of cotton as a regional cash crop around the turn of the 19th century. Augusta became the commercial market for the expanding Georgia backcountry, as farmers shipped their crops to the growing town due to its location on the river. Augusta made an early transition to the railroad age when the town was linked to Charleston by rail in 1833; the 136-mile line is believed to have been the longest in the world at the time. The Augusta Canal, completed in 1845, harnessed the power of the river enabling Augusta to become an industrial center in the South. By the 1930s, Augusta had several textile mills and cottonseed oil factories in addition to a thriving brick industry based on the local red clay.
Just as Augusta’s history begins earlier than most other southern towns, the same is true for its Jewish history. The first recorded Jew in Augusta was Isaac Hendricks, who left Charleston and settled in the Georgia town in 1802 to trade with Indians in the area. In the 1820s, Hendricks was joined by a handful of other Jews, including Isaac and Jacob Moise. Despite these early arrivals, an organized Jewish community didn’t develop in Augusta until the 1840s, when German immigrants began to arrive.
By 1845, there were five or six Jewish families in Augusta who banded together to form a religious school to teach their children about Judaism. Eleven children were in the school during its first year. A year later, the group formally founded Georgia’s second Jewish congregation, which they named “B’nai Israel” (Children of Israel). Its founding charter stated that the congregation was made up of “the scattered Israelites of Augusta, Georgia and Hamburg, South Carolina,” which was located just across the river from Augusta. Its official purpose was communal worship and charity “toward our needy brethren.” Of the twenty charter members, about 2/3rds came from Augusta and Hamburg, while the remainder came from surrounding towns. John J. Cohen was the first president of the congregation, which initially met in a rented room in Augusta. They later rented a building at the corner of 8th and Greene. Soon after the congregation was founded, the city gave them a plot of land in Magnolia Cemetery. Fittingly, the first person to be buried in this Jewish section was Isaac Hendricks.
In 1846, Jacob Moise reported on the success of the new congregation in the pages of the Occident, a Jewish newspaper edited by Rabbi Isaac Leeser in Philadelphia. Moise praised the work of the congregation, of which he was a member, crediting it with bolstering Judaism in Augusta. According to Moise, previously Jews in the area had mingled with gentiles and “their identity as a religious sect has been entirely destroyed.” A later report from Moise proved the existence of intermarriage, as he detailed the circumcision of three young boys, aged 13, 10, and 9, who had been born to a Jewish mother and Christian father. The boys had been attending the Jewish religious school in Augusta and decided on their own to formally, if painfully, join the Jewish community. According to Moise, they endured the ceremony stoically, with one of the boys declaring afterward, “if God requires it, I will go through it again.”
B’nai Israel, though officially traditional in worship style, exhibited reform tendencies from its founding. Their early services included some English prayers as well as a mixed-gender choir. They also began referring to the congregation by its English name, Children of Israel, rather than the Hebrew. But members still kept kosher, as evidenced by their advertising for a service leader (hazzan) and kosher butcher (shochet) in the Occident in 1851. The congregation hired Mr. Marcusson as their hazan/shochet soon after. Isaac Leeser, an outspoken advocate for traditional Judaism, was no doubt lobbying the congregation to remain within the orthodox fold when he came to speak in Augusta in 1852. Indeed, readers of Leeser’s Occident in Philadelphia donated money to the Augusta congregation in 1852 to help them purchase a Torah scroll.
Despite Leeser’s efforts and support, Children of Israel soon drifted toward the nascent movement of Reform Judaism. In 1869, when the congregation laid the cornerstone for its first synagogue, they brought down Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, the father of Reform Judaism in America, to give the keynote address. The synagogue had family pews for mixed-gender seating, a space for a choir, and an organ, clear evidence of its embrace of religious reform. When Rabbi Wise founded the Union of American Hebrew Congregations in 1873, Children of Israel was one of its first members.
Children of Israel's first synagogueThe new synagogue, located on Telfair Street, cost $15,000 to build. For its dedication, there was a procession from their old rented building to the new synagogue. Members of the congregation led the parade, followed by the mayor and city council members, as well as members of the Masons and Odd Fellows lodge. By the time of the dedication in 1869, the largely immigrant membership of the congregation was well established in Augusta. Of the 44 members of Children of Israel, only 6% were native born. 75% were from Prussia while less than 10% were from Poland or Russia. Their average age was 41 years. The vast majority, 87%, were merchants, mostly in dry goods or clothing. Only one, a shoemaker, was a skilled laborer. According to the economic worth estimates included in the 1870 census, some members had managed to amass large fortunes through their business. Abraham Levy, a clothing merchant, owned $20,000 worth of real estate and $15,000 worth of personal estate in 1870. Others like Morris Harris, who only had $150 worth of personal estate, were of much more modest means. Despite the variations in members’ net worths, that almost 90% of members owned their own business is quite remarkable.
As reflected by the members of Children of Israel, most Augusta Jews were concentrated in retail and wholesale trade. Joseph Meyers left Prussia in 1850 and soon started peddling in rural Georgia. He later opened a store in Crawfordville. After the Civil War, Meyers moved to Augusta, where he went into the wholesale dry goods business with another Jewish immigrant, Solomon Marcus. Meyers & Marcus became very successful, doing $1 million of business a year. Meyers was one of the only Jewish men in Augusta who kept his business closed on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath, though as a wholesale firm, this was less of an economic sacrifice than it would be for a retail store owner, for whom Saturday was usually the busiest day of the week. Meyers was also very involved in local politics, serving two terms on the city council.
Prussian-born Simon Lesser became a cotton factor in Augusta, and was already worth $4000 by the time he was 22 years old. He came to own several cotton farms in the area and later served as a director of the National Exchange Bank. Other Jews were able to use their manual skills to became successful businessmen. David Slusky came to Augusta from Russia in 1881. In Russia, he had trained as a coppersmith, and first worked as a roofer when he got to Georgia. Eventually, Slusky bought $60 worth of tinner’s tools from Tom Watson, who would later go on to fame as a Populist leader and U.S. Senator. In 1886, Slusky opened his own iron shop, which grew into a very successful business selling stoves, furnaces, galvanized iron, and cornices. Slusky’s metal work was used in buildings across the state. In 1891, he built a three-story building on Broad Street to house his business. His son Moses joined the firm in 1919, which later became a builders’ supply company. David Slusky was an important leader of the local Jewish community, serving as president of Children of Israel and co-founder of the Young Men’s Hebrew Association. Slusky was also the vice-president of the Jewish Orphanage in Atlanta.
In addition to merchants and businessmen, several Augusta Jews were lawyers, and a few became local judges. Samuel Levy, who married Isaac Hendricks’ daughter and often led services for Children of Israel during their early years, was an elected judge in Augusta and also served on the city council. C. Henry Cohen served as the solicitor general of the superior court from 1877 to 1901. Isaac Levy, a South Carolina native, was Augusta’s sheriff for many years before his death in 1871. Louis Brooks and Samuel Meyers were also lawyers in the late 19th century, foreshadowing the rise of Jewish professionals in the South in the second half of the 20th century.
In addition to the Children of Israel, Augusta Jews founded various other organizations in the late 19th century. In 1869, men founded a local chapter of the national Jewish fraternal society, B’nai B’rith. In 1879, women founded the Hebrew Ladies Aid Society, which later became the sisterhood of Children of Israel. The society ran the congregation’s religious school, oversaw the choir, and managed the synagogue building. Simon Lesser’s wife Annie was one of the founders of the Ladies Aid Society and was later president of the local chapter of the Council of Jewish Women. In the late 19th century, Augusta Jews founded the Standard Club, an exclusively social institution. Its clubhouse featured a swimming pool and a billiard room.
The late 19th century also saw the arrival of growing numbers of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. A handful came from the town of Kobren, located in the Russian Pale. In 1889, five of these immigrant families in Augusta formed a small minyan in 1889 that met in Morris Steinberg’s apartment located on top of his store. Steinberg had come to Augusta from Russia in 1886, when he was 23 years old. He became the leader of this small minyan, which adhered to Orthodox Judaism, in contrast to the Reform practices of Children of Israel. Soon, the group brought in a shochet, Abram Poliakoff, to supply them with kosher meat. The minyan grew quickly, reaching 100 Jews, many of whom were single men.
As the minyan grew, divisions developed over Jewish practices. Some of the members did not keep their stores closed on Saturdays, which upset other members of the minyan. In 1890, a disgruntled faction broke away to form a new minyan, which they called the “Keep Saturday Society.” Soon after, Jake Edelstein, who had been one of the original founders of the Orthodox minyan, broke away to form yet another group. In 1891, these three competing groups merged to form Congregation Adas Jeshurun; Jacob Tanenbaum was the first president of the congregation, which initially met in a building on Market Street. The Orthodox congregation grew quickly, and in 1895 it purchased land for a synagogue. Each of the sixty members pledged money to the building fund, and Adas Yeshurun soon built a modest synagogue for $1800, which included classrooms and a mikvah (Jewish ritual bath) in the basement.
Despite their new home, Augusta’s Orthodox Jews had not quelled all of their divisions. In 1902, Adas Yeshurun split over a dispute regarding the shochet. When the congregation hired a new kosher butcher, the old shochet, Abram Poliakoff led a breakaway group that prayed together on Reynolds Street. After three years, the two groups reunited as Adas Yeshurun employed both shochets. Both butchers were kept busy as Augusta’s population of Orthodox Jewish immigrants continued to grow. By 1907, about 500 Jews lived in the city. The Orthodox Adas Yeshurun had 65 member households while the Reform Children of Israel had only 42. In 1909, the women of Adas Yeshurun founded the Daughters of Israel, which raised charity for needy Jews. Later, the group focused their charitable efforts on the synagogue and Hebrew School. By 1915, Adas Yeshurun had outgrown its synagogue, and purchased a former church on Ellis Street to use as their new home. True to their Orthodox practices, the old church was outfitted with a balcony for female worshippers and a mikvah.
Over the years, the members of Adas Yeshurun made some cultural accommodations and religious innovations while remaining true to Orthodox Judaism. In 1930, the board, most of whom had been raised in the United States, voted to change the language of the annual meetings and minutes from Yiddish to English. Also, members were no longer satisfied with a hazzan/shochet as service leader, and hired their first ordained rabbi, Henry Goldberger, in 1944. Rabbi Goldberger introduced some changes, including a Friday night service, a mixed-gender confirmation class, and a Sunday morning minyan club for post-bar mitzvah boys. Despite these innovations, the congregation remained committed to Orthodox Judaism, which was explicitly written into their 1949 constitution. According to this constitution, “the Rabbi must be an ordained Orthodox Rabbi.” The congregation continued to hold minyans twice daily and still employed a shochet.
Aaron TanenbaumAmong the Orthodox shul’s leaders was Aaron Tanenbaum, who became one of the foremost Zionists in the South. Sixteen-year-old Tanenbaum left Poland for the United States in 1889 to join his father Jacob, who had settled in Augusta after peddling for two years in Georgia. Aaron peddled as well during his first two years in Georgia, after which he and his father had saved enough money to bring over the rest of the family from Poland. Aaron had been a Yeshiva student in Poland before he left. While studying Talmud was a far cry from peddling in rural Georgia, Aaron continued his studies informally. Tanenbaum was an early ardent Zionist, forming Augusta’s Lovers of Zion, the first Zionist organization in the Southeast, around the turn of the century. In 1901, Tanenbaum traveled as a delegate to the World Zionist Congress in London. Over the years, he attended several other Zionist conventions. Tanenbaum was unwilling to compromise his religious practices, and decided to buy a dairy farm so he could more easily observe the Jewish Sabbath and other rituals. By 1907, Augusta had two Zionist socities: the Lovers of Zion and the Daughters of Zion. There was also a chapter of the Jewish Socialist-Territorialist Labor Party in Augusta, one of only two in the entire South at the time.
While Tanenbaum worked as a dairy farmer, most other Augusta Jews remained concentrated in commercial trade. Jewish-owned stores lined Broad Street in downtown Augusta. Brothers Jake and Charles Schneider owned a large department store in the first half of the 20th century. In 1894, Henry Simowitz and his large family left Hungary for the United States. After spending several years in Cincinnati, the family moved to Augusta, where Henry opened a clothing store. Henry and his wife Annie had eleven children; of their six sons, five remained in Augusta and owned a variety of businesses. Sam and Joe Simowitz opened the S&J Shoe Store; their younger brother Bernard later became a partner in the business. Harry Simowitz owned the Augusta Trading Company, while Louis owned a store that sold electric victrolas.
The current JCC in Augusta. Although Augusta’s Jewish community remained divided into two different congregations, they came together in 1935 to create the Young Men’s Hebrew Association (YMHA). The founding meeting was held at Adas Yeshurun, though members of Children of Israel played a crucial role in its founding and success. One of these leaders was Nathan Jolles, a local attorney who had served as president of Adas Yeshurun and vice-president of Children of Israel. In 1935, the YMHA dedicated its first building on Greene Street, which became a social center and meeting place for the entire Augusta Jewish community in addition to offering athletic and theatrical programs. Augusta Mayor Richard Allen took part in the building dedication. During World War II, the YMHA building was used as a USO club for Jewish soldiers stationed at nearby Camp Gordon. In the 1950s, the YMHA moved to a new property on Sibley Road and became known as the Jewish Community Center. Later, the JCC built a new facility on Weinberger Way.
Rabbi Sylvan Schwartzman Throughout its history, Children of Israel has had numerous rabbis, with most only staying a few years. For one-third of its first 100 years, the congregation did not have rabbinic leadership; during the other 67 years, they employed 25 different rabbis. A few stayed several years: Rabbi H. Cert Strauss led the congregation from 1920 to 1927, while Joseph Leiser served as rabbi from 1930 to 1939. In 1941, a young Hebrew Union College graduate, Sylvan Schwartzman, took over the pulpit at Children of Israel. Although he only stayed for six years, Rabbi Schwartzman had a profound impact on the congregation. When he arrived, Children of Israel had only 60 or so member families. Five years later, it had 105 families. Rabbi Schwartzman brought a new energy to the congregation, leading a popular adult education class and starting a regular interfaith community forum. During the war, he led services at the local military base. Rabbi Schwartzman was not afraid to push the congregation to take political stands. In 1945, the congregation sent a letter to the US Secretary of State urging his support for the plan to create a United Nations. Rabbi Schwartzman also raised money for the Haganah, the group fighting for Jewish independence in Palestine.
Rabbi Schwartzman also led the way in convincing the congregation that it needed a new building, which could no longer hold its growing number of families. At Children of Israel’s centennial celebration in 1945, members voted to build a new synagogue. In 1946, they appointed a building committee, headed by Mose Slusky, that acquired a lot on the corner of Walton Way and Bransford Road. While it took several more years to raise the necessary money, Children of Israel finally dedicated its new synagogue in 1951. Rabbi Sylvan Schwartzman, who had left Augusta in 1947, came back to give the dedication address. Reverend J. Hambry Barton of the Trinity on the Hill Methodist Church gave the invocation during the ceremony. For the six months before they moved into their new home, the congregation had met at Rev. Barton’s church. According to the local newspaper, “the symbols of both religions remained on the same altar during this entire period in a perfect example of religious brotherhood.”
Children of Israel. Photo courtesy of Julian Preisler. Rabbi Norman Goldburg arrived in 1949 and led the congregation for the next 19 years before becoming rabbi emeritus. Under Rabbi Goldburg’s leadership, Children of Israel continued to grow, reaching 142 families by 1955. By 1963, the congregation had 103 children in its religious school, which was run by the rabbi’s wife Rose Goldburg. By 1964, Children of Israel had outgrown its sanctuary, and members voted to build a new one along with a new kitchen and social hall, just thirteen years after they had dedicated their current synagogue. Abe Friedman, a longtime board member of the congregation who served several terms as president, headed the effort to raise money for the addition. The local First Baptist Church made a donation to the building fund. In 1967, they dedicated the new sanctuary in a ceremony that drew Augusta’s mayor and several local ministers and featured the theme of interfaith harmony. The old sanctuary was converted into an auditorium for the religious school. Children of Israel thrived in their revamped building. By 1976, the congregation had 161 member families and 61 children in its religious school. By the mid 1990s, Augusta’s Reform congregation had reached 197 member families.
Adas Yeshurun grew over the years as well. In 1944, members decided they had outgrown their old and deteriorating building. Led by William Estroff, the congregation quickly raised $70,000 for the building fund. But soon this effort stalled after the deaths of both Estroff and Rabbi Goldberger along with growing disagreement over where to build the new synagogue. While Adas Yeshurun had always been in downtown Augusta, the vast majority of members now lived in the Hill neighborhood. While most wanted to build it there, a strong faction lobbied to keep the shul downtown. Adas Yeshurun found a creative if untenable way to bridge this divide. One member, Pincus Silver, bought a big house and property on Johns Road, which was converted into a satellite site of the congregation. Separate high holiday services were held at the Johns Road house with a visiting rabbi for those who preferred the residential location over the downtown synagogue. The Johns Road house even had an optional “family seating” section where husbands and wives could sit together if they wished.
Adath Yeshurun. Photo courtesy of Julian Preisler Maintaining two synagogues was not a viable long-term solution, and Silver soon sold the Johns Road property to the congregation, which had finally decided to move from its old building. In 1953, they broke ground on a new synagogue on the property, finishing it the following year. At the time of the dedication, Adas Yeshurun had 200 member families. Despite this move, Adas Yeshurun remained an Orthodox congregation, building a new modern mikvah in the late 1960s. When Adas Yeshurun celebrated its 75th anniversary in 1965, the rabbi from the Orthodox Baron Hirsch Congregation in Memphis took part in the ceremony. In 1970, Adas Yeshurun dedicated a new education building; Senator Herman Talmadge was the keynote speaker at the dedication.
As reflected in the steady growth of both congregations, Augusta’s Jewish community peaked in the years after World War II. While 950 Jews lived in Augusta in 1937, 1500 did by 1980. As the number of Jewish merchants has declined, as it has throughout the rest of the South, growing numbers of Jewish professionals have settled in Augusta. Dr. Robert Greenblatt moved to Augusta in the 1930s and became a renowned endocrinologist, writing several books on the subject. Dr. Sumner Fishbein came to Augusta by the 1970s, and became very active at Children of Israel, serving on the board, teaching religious school, and blowing shofar on the high holidays. With this rising number of professionals, Augusta managed to avoid the sharp population declines that affected other southern Jewish communities.
In recent years the Jewish community of Augusta has shrunk a bit, to 1300 people in 2003, as growing numbers of Jews have moved to the thriving Jewish metropolis of Atlanta. Nevertheless, Augusta still supports two strong congregations with full-time rabbis, a Jewish Community Center, and an active Jewish Federation. In 1995, Adas Yeshurun officially became a Conservative congregation, joining the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Seeing an opportunity to serve Orthodox Jews, Chabad opened a house in Augusta in 1996. In recent years, as the number of children in the community has declined, the two congregations have merged their religious schools, creating the Augusta Jewish Community Sunday School. It had 45 students in 2009. That same year, Children of Israel had 157 members while Adas Yeshurun had 170.
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Update: Elouise Cobell died on October 16, 2011, at the age of 65. This profile was written as she was 9 years into her 16-year legal quest, which eventually won $3.4 billion for a half-million Native Americans—the largest settlement in US history.
ALONG HIGHWAY 89, south of the Two Medicine River on the slope of Glacier National Park, at a place Elouise Pepion Cobell passes every day on her way from her ranch to her office in Browning, stands a historical marker erected by the state of Montana:
OLD AGENCY: The Starvation Winter of 1883-1884 took the lives of about 500 Blackfeet Indians who had been camping in the vicinity of Old Agency. This tragic event was the result of an inadequate supply of government rations during an exceptionally hard winter.
The story of that winter that came down to Cobell from her parents and grandparents is a darker one: of Indians effectively imprisoned by what locals called the Indian Agency (now the Bureau of Indian Affairs or BIA) on land that had been emptied of the bison and pronghorn that had been their staples, and with their promised government provisions lost to pervasive corruption. "All the Blackfeet know," says Cobell, "that the Agency man was black-marketing the Indians' rations, and that the reservation was enclosed in barbed wire."
In the winter of 1883, as the cattle of white settlers grazed illegally on Indian lands, the Blackfeet began to die of starvation and a streptococcal epidemic. In the spring, they ate their last government-provided seed potatoes; by June they were stripping cottonwood trees to chew the inner bark; and by the time BIA officials in Washington, D.C., finally responded with extra rations, a Blackfeet man called Almost-A-Dog was said to have cut 555 notches in a willow stick, one for every Indian who had died—one in every four Blackfeet in the state of Montana.
Just west of the Old Agency historical marker, in what is now the Blackfeet Nation, lies an unmarked, wind-scoured rise of hills the Indians call Ghost Ridge, where the dead from the Starvation Winter, which actually lasted 18 unrelenting months, were buried in mass graves. When Cobell was a child, an uncle lived nearby, and every time they visited him, her parents repeated the story of Ghost Ridge. Cobell says it's those dead who give her the courage to fight on. "Fighting for them," she says. "Fighting the same government that tried to get rid of this entire race of people."
HER FIGHT TAKES THE FORM of Cobell v. Norton, a federal lawsuit on behalf of a half-million Indians across America whose individual property is held in trust by the Department of the Interior, which oversees the BIA. Interior leases these private Indian lands to oil, timber, and agricultural corporations and other commercial entities, then pays the Indians the revenues those leases yield. But Cobell claims the government has been grossly negligent in its 118 years of managing the Individual Indian Trust, treating the Indians not as clients and beneficiaries but as easy marks.
While generations of non-Indians have become rich harvesting the abundant resources of private Indian lands—which once included virtually all the oil fields of Oklahoma—Indian landowners have been paid only erratically, and far less than their due. Consequently, even landowning Indians remain among the nation's poorest citizens, joining the 23 percent of Indians in America living in poverty, and the nearly 40 percent who are unemployed. Some tribes fare even worse, and the Blackfeet suffer a 34 percent poverty rate and a 70 percent unemployment rate. Overall, Indians are more than twice as poor as the average American.
Cobell filed her lawsuit in 1996 after years of kinder entreaties failed, demanding payment of all unpaid revenues from Indian leases for the past century, a tally of past revenues, and a new accounting system to deal with future revenues. According to Cobell's forensic accountants, the government owes $176 billion to individual Indian landowners, averaging $352,000 per plaintiff, making this monetarily the largest class-action lawsuit ever launched.
If successful, Cobell's lawsuit may force a historical shift of America's capital away from the cowboys—the oil, gas, timber, mining, grazing, and agriculture industries, along with their political cohorts—toward the Indians. Furthermore, there's a nearly identical case waiting in the wings regarding Tribal Trust lands, also managed by Interior. Not surprisingly, the Clinton and Bush administrations have flexed unprecedented bureaucratic muscle to delay the resolution of Cobell v. Norton, spending hundreds of millions of dollars defending Interior.
In court, Interior is backed by the formidable resources of the Department of Justice, along with 35 of the country's most expensive private law firms. Cobell, meanwhile, rents a modest four-room office in Browning and has funded her legal challenge with $11 million in grant money. Small, soft-voiced, and an energetic 59 years old—she refers to herself as "kind of hyper" even six weeks after undergoing surgery to donate a kidney to her husband—Cobell seems an unlikely crusader. But she is the great-granddaughter of Mountain Chief, part of a pantheon of legendary Blackfeet warriors who battled the U.S. government as far back as its original real estate emissaries, Lewis and Clark.
To those concerned that the United States can't afford a Cobell v. Norton settlement, she says, "It's not your money and never was."
Front page image: WilliamMarlow/Flickr
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Language Arts: No homework
Reading: Follow calendar; read 30 minutes
Math: do the WS (Adding and Subtracting Mixed Numbers) by showing your work on a separate piece of paper. Set up the problems correctly and show your steps.
Science: complete starfish dissection sheet front page
Language Arts: Read Chapter 1 in The Outsiders; quickly describe each of the main characters
Math (Mrs. Long): Do the “Comparing Area and Perimeter” WS. (2 sided). Be sure to show your thinking.
Math (Mrs. Giordano):Irregular figures “in class practice” 1-6
Science: 2 chemistry worksheets
Language Arts: No class today due to assembly
Math (Mrs. Long): Read at least Chapter 2 and the response.
Math (Mrs. Giordano):Histograms pg 638; 7,8,10
Science: read 54-61 in textbook and complete the folded mountain worksheet
Algebra: page 399: #1, 2, 5, 6, 16, 18, 27
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Guest Post: Penny Bauder, mom of two and owner of the popular, earth-friendly craft subscription service Green Kid Crafts shares some tips with us on raising eco-conscious children.
We know that children learn by example, yet sometimes setting a good example can be difficult for parents. But if you start early enough and follow as many of the ten tips given below as you can, you will teach your child to be more eco-conscious. Teaching environmental responsibility from an early age makes it a lot easier for older children to be more earth-friendly.
You can help your child learn to be eco-conscious in the following ways:
1. Unplug your kid and get them outside. People protect what they know from first-hand experience, and so good environmental practices sink in if a child appreciates what they are protecting. This can be as simple as playing in the yard or taking them on a nature walk. Let them enjoy getting dirty. A love of the outdoors and a dirty kid go hand and hand. As a bonus, a love of nature often brings a respite and a safe haven from an increasingly busy world.
2. Have fun recycling by showing your child how to separate trash. They can tell the difference between paper, metal, glass, and plastic at an early age – it’s like a “memory” game. Explain that there is no “away,” as in “throw it away.”
3. Teach your young child to save energy by turning off the lights when leaving the room or the house by having fun with this money-saving behavior. You can easily make a game out of it – I’ll often “forget” to turn off the lights when I leave a room, so she can feel proud of herself for reminding me. You can also show them that when the blinds or drapes are open, there’s usually enough sunlight to illuminate the room during the day.
4. When grocery shopping, use reusable totes and allow your child to decorate and/or pick out their own bags. My daughter fell in love with a Hello Kitty reusable tote and now we never go to the grocery store without it – she’ll remind me to pack it if I forget!
5. Teach your child that it is important to craft with natural materials and avoid plastics and craft foams, which are costly to produce, laden with chemicals, and not biodegradable. If you are pressed for time and creativity, join Green Kid Crafts and get a box of earth-friendly craft projects delivered each month.
6. For outings, try to carpool with other parents or friends. Tell your child how important it is to conserve fuel by sharing trips when more than one person is going to the same place. If possible, walk or bike to get your errands done.
7. Teach your child that it’s good to shut the water off when brushing their teeth. Not only will you be teaching them good oral hygiene, you’ll be modeling good water conservation habits, too.
8. Instead of buying your child the newest toy, help them learn how to find new uses for their old toys or teach them the value of giving to others by donating toys. By helping your toddler figure out what to do with their old toys, you’re teaching them not only about charity but about recycling as well.
9. Help your child understand where their food comes from. Gardening is the best, because your child can participate in growing food for your family. Let your child help prepare the food you eat, and don’t worry, the mess is well worth the benefit. Describe where meat and dairy products come from and the primary contents of processed foods. Consider a blessing of gratitude before meals for those who grew, harvested, transported, and prepared the food.
10. Model eco-conscious behavior. This is probably the most important way to raise a child that respects the earth. If kids see you being lazy and cutting corners, they will understand that it’s okay for them to do the same. A glass jar once made it into the trash at our house – we are definitely not perfect- and my daughter made my heart swell with pride when she fished it out of the trash and chided us for not putting it where it belonged.
Teaching your child to be more eco-conscious can be really simple, and if it’s done the right way, it can even be fun and save you money. Start instilling good habits in your children early on, and those habits will stay with them for life, giving them a sense of pride and purpose. The health of the planet is in the next generation’s hands!
P.S. Look for Penny’s Climate Mama Profile on our website later this month!
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What is the problem? 30 % of Europeans are digital illiterates
150 million Europeans have never used the internet. This group is largely made up of older people or people on low incomes, the unemployed, immigrants, and the less educated and at risk of social exclusion in general. In many cases the take-up gap is due to a lack of user skills, such as digital and media literacy and competences.
Why is EU action needed? By enhancing digital literacy these disadvantaged groups will be empowered to overcome social exclusion, contribute to economic growth and fully participate in and engage in the digital economy and society.
By developing and enhancing digital skills, all EU citizens, and in particular groups at risk of socio-economic exclusion (e.g. elderly, jobless, immigrants, marginalised youngsters, women returning on the job market, etc), which add up to some 30% of EU population (150 million people), will be able to participate on a more equal footing in the digital economy. They will have better job prospects, and enjoy higher opportunities for learning, creating, participating and being confident in the use of digital tools, media and related content (e.g. using services and tools made available by eLearning, eGovernment, eHealth).
80% of social services are delivered locally by public administrations (regions, municipalities, etc.) and often by the third sector. The availability of ICT-skilled intermediaries, such as public officials, social workers, volunteers, home carers etc is fundamental for an effective and sustainable service delivery.
Development of curriculae and certification of skills of such intermediaries will allow the formal recognition of de-facto professions and enhance job creation, especially in local markets.
As a specific problem, the EU economy is hampered by a shortage of ICT practitioner skills: Europe risks not being able to fill as many as 700,000 IT jobs by 2015.
What will the Commission do?
In several actions of the Digital Agenda (57, 58 and 59 and 60) the European Commission presents ideas on how to best promote and enhance digital literacy and digital skills. In action 66 Member States are expected to develop policies and actions to stimulate digital competence acquisition using national and EU instruments.
Actions foreseen in 2011 :
- Development of Digital Competences Framework linked to European Qualifications Framework
- Creation of multi-stakeholders platform ("DAE Big Idea 2")
- Creation of a multi-stakeholder sectoral Council for ICT Skills and employment
- Within the Digital Agenda Assembly taking place in June 2011, workshops will be dedicated to digital literacy and competences, ICT skills and inclusion.
- Digital literacy and competences and ICT skills will feature in the Polish presidency conference on Innovation and e-Inclusion in October 2011.
- Within the EC R&D and innovation deployment programmes (FP7 ICT and CIP ICT-PSP), a number of activities and pilots addressing e-inclusion and ICT skills and competences for intermediaries (including social carers) have been launched.
- IPTS has planned a number of workshops, toolkits and studies on Digital Competence and social inclusion actors and intermediaries, for employability and integration of migrants and ethnic minorities, for youth at risk, and for social workers and caregivers.
Cross-cutting points (relevant to all digital competences-related actions):
- ICT skills and competences have been identified as a political priority in EDA and in the "New Skills for New Jobs" flagships within the Europe 2020 strategy.
- The "European Platform against Poverty and Social Exclusion" flagship, promotes the inclusion of ICT skills and competences as a priority for the next ESF (European Social Fund 2013-2020).
- A joint public communications approach on literacy and e-skills with ENTR, EAC and EMPL will be elaborated.
In 2012 :
- Development of Digital Competences Framework for all levels of education, linked to European Qualifications Framework and Recommendation on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning (2006)
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In 1893 a group of indigenous Aymara Bolivian men traveled to the United States so that they could be put on display at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair Columbian Exposition, which celebrated the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s arrival in the Americas. While researching their story, Nancy Egan, a doctoral student in Latin American history at the University of California, San Diego, delved into the history of indigenous people brought to the United States and Europe and put on display in what she calls “human zoos.”
Buffalo Bill standing with one of the big draws for his traveling show: Sitting Bull, circa 1890.
ICTMN: Indigenous people from all over the world were brought to the United States and Europe and displayed at fairs and circuses during the 1800s and 1900s. Why were these displays so popular?
Egan: Most historians who study these exhibitions agree they were a way of reinforcing or illustrating the racist notions of white supremacy that seemed to be built into the logic of empire and colonialism. Most nations took great care to try and mold the people they put on display into images that justified their own colonial power. In some cases this meant trying to create “savages.” In other cases, they tried to use these displays of human beings to illustrate how the colonial presence was “civilizing” people. These exhibits also played into other forms of popular entertainment. They were a mix of imperial ambition and circus.
You studied a group of indigenous Aymara Bolivians who were brought to New York destined for the Chicago fair, but got stranded in New York. What happened?
These men were brought to the U.S. to be displayed at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, but they never made it to Chicago. They attempted to make a living putting on their own musical shows in New York and Philadelphia, but everywhere they went they were basically told that they weren’t exotic enough. After an unsuccessful tour with a circus through Philadelphia, the group was abandoned by their managers and José Santos Mamani, the member of the group dubbed the “giant” by the press, died shortly after they walked back to New York City. The rest of the group eventually found work in fairs and on Coney Island, but could only find work making feather headdresses and performing supposed North American Native American dances for a New York audience. They struggled to make it back to Bolivia, and I’ve only been able to trace them as far as Panama on their return journey.
How was what Mamani and his companions went through similar to the experience of other “imported” indigenous people who came to the United States?
Their story definitely sounds exceptional, but what’s really shocking about the history of these “human zoos” is that it isn’t. One study I read estimated that more than 25,000 indigenous people were brought to fairs around the world between 1880 and 1930. These people struggled under harsh and changing conditions. Many of them had to change their hair, their clothes, their entire appearance to fit the expectations of the organizers and the audiences they were supposed to perform for. Some people were the targets of racist violence while they were on display, while others experienced more subtle forms of violence and were used as subjects of scientific study on racial differences during the exhibition. And, like Mamani, many people died during these exhibitions.
American Indians from the United States were often exhibited alongside indigenous people from other continents. Was the logic behind
Seminoles in a staged “domestic setting” at the New York World’s Fair in 1939.
exhibiting Indigenous Peoples from the United States similar to the logic behind exhibiting Indigenous Peoples from other countries?
The U.S. government resisted allowing official exhibits of North American Indigenous Peoples until after Wounded Knee in 1890, and viewed shows like Buffalo Bill’s [Wild West Show] as either a semi-threatening glorification of Native Americans or a crass, unscientific form of entertainment. The U.S. preferred exhibits that showed Native Americans as passive peoples. For example, in Chicago, the organizers worked with the Bureau of Indian Affairs to craft exhibits that would supposedly show how beneficial and “civilizing” reservation life and boarding schools were for Native Americans. After occupying the Philippines in 1898, the U.S. created exhibits of Filipinos that included a “civilizing” school that the people on display had to attend. Shows of people from regions the U.S. had not colonized, such as African peoples at the Chicago fair, played up rumors of cannibalism and their threatening nature. The logic behind these exhibits in different countries was directly tied to their imperial and colonial ambitions, and they tried to craft shows that would show people who had been, or would be able to be, colonized, and sell lots of tickets.
Didn’t some Native American leaders fight against exhibits of indigenous people during the 1800s?
One of the most incredible things I found in the archives while researching this work was a series of petitions and letters written from reservations in the U.S. challenging the exhibition of Indigenous Peoples and cultures at the fair. This is a section from a petition from the Creek Territories in 1891 that was signed by more than 100 people expressing the group’s wish to represent themselves through a Native American–directed exhibit at the fair:
“We are almost despairing and it is inevitable that our people trace the cause of that despairing and consequently desperate condition to the very event which with such large expenditures of wealth you are about to celebrate. It is not fitting nor wise that you so celebrate a great event without considering what it meant and still means to a people once great in numbers.… With a Native American or Indian exhibit in the hands of capable men of our own blood, such as are willing and anxious to undertake it, a most interesting and instructive and surely successful feature will be added.”
Another leader, Simon Pokagon, published his Red Man’s Rebuke during the Chicago fair and distributed it to the press and the public-at-large outside of the fairgrounds in Chicago. At every turn, Native American and African American leaders took aim at the racist ideology of the fair, fought these portrayals and argued for the right to self-representation.
Apaches on their first day at the Carlisle Indian School (above)—and here, four months later, circa 1886.
Traveling to a different country and sharing time and space with a diverse group of people really changed some of the people who were on exhibit. What did you learn about their experiences?
In the security records of the fair in Chicago I found all these frustrated notes from security guards who were trying to prevent the people from different exhibits from socializing with one another. Apparently people from the different exhibits were hanging out and drinking beer with one another after the fair shut down. In another study, one where historians were actually able to interview indigenous women who had been part of the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, those women spoke about the relationships they developed with other exhibited women and how they overcame language barriers to share their experiences. I think these stories captivated me because they show the importance of looking at the people who were brought to be exhibited as complete human beings and asking: What did they think about what they saw and experienced? What did they feel about the other people they met? It’s easier to think about these ‘human zoos’ as spaces you look into. Thinking about these men and women socializing and struggling makes me wonder what they thought of these spaces and events as they looked out.
When did “importing” indigenous people to put on display begin to end, and why?
Because the rationale behind these exhibits was so closely tied to the logics of empire, or the exhibition of empire, many of these exhibits began to disappear when the European empires began to decline, but they also began to change form before then. In a historical study of these events, titled Human Zoos, several historians propose that these exhibitions began to emphasize showing cultural differences instead of racial ones by the 1920s. However, some forms of these exhibits continued well into the 20th century, and certainly, using the logic of cultural difference to justify political, economic and military domination has not disappeared.
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Is there a Distinction between Jew and Israelite and House of Judah and House of Israel?
Heaven. There are five words employed in the Hebrew O.T. translated "heaven" and one Greek word so translated in the N.T. of the Hebrew words, galgal (Psa. 77:18) refers to the "rolling clouds", the word galgal being elsewhere rendered "wheel" and "rolling thing". Shachaq, used in Psalm 89:6 and Psalm 89:37 means a "thin cloud", and is elsewhere translated "cloud", "sky" and "small dust". It may be accidental, but it is nevertheless interesting, that the blue color, and hence the visibility of the "sky", is owing to refraction of blue rays of light, and that it is to the vapory and the earthy particles in the atmosphere that the refraction is due; but for these there would be total darkness till the instant of sunrise. As the imagery of the O.T. has been seized upon to "prove" the unscientific character of these ancient writings, the inclusion of the above note may not be without justification. Arabah "mixed" (Psa. 68:4) and ariphim "dropping" (Isa. 5:30) complete the references that refer to the clouds under the covering figure of heaven.
Shamayim. This Hebrew word is the one that is translated "heaven" or "heavens" in the O.T. except in those portions where the Chaldee equivalent shemayin is used (Ezra, Daniel and Jer. 10:11). The Hebrew shamayim occurs in the O.T. 419 times, of these, twenty-one occurrences are translated "air", as in Genesis 1:26. In the N.T. only one word, ouranos, is translated "heaven". This Greek word occurs over 280 times, of which "air" accounts for ten occurrences and "sky" for five. The name 'heaven' in our own language has been explained, according to its etymology, that which is heaved or lifted up, and a similar origin has been assigned to the Greek ouranos, and the Hebrew shamayim. The temporary "heaven" stretched out like a tent over the earth during the ages of Redemption is not the subject of this article where we will deal with heaven itself. Whether the translation reads "heaven" or "heavens", the word is always plural in the original. This no more indicates a plurality of "heavens" than the plural Elohim "God" indicates a plurality of Gods. There is a use of the plural in the Hebrew language known as "The Plural of Majesty" as, for example, "the sacrifices of God" in Psalm 51:17, which means "the great sacrifice".
Creation is divided into two parts, "heaven and earth" (Gen. 1:1), which in Colossians 1:16 is expanded to mean "all things visible and invisible", and the term "heaven" may include thrones, dominions, principalities and powers, as well as physical sun, moon and stars. Heaven is often used as a symbol of authority, for example, when Nebuchadnezzar learned "that the heavens do rule" (Dan. 4:26). The superiority of the heavens to the earth is expressed in the words "on high" (Luke 1:78, Heb. 1:3), "height" (Isa. 7:11, Psa. 148:1, Proverbs 25:3). It is possible that, after Genesis 1:1, there are but nine or ten references to "heaven itself", i.e. the heaven of Genesis 1:1, in the whole of the O.T. This can be put to the test by reading the book of Genesis, and noting every allusion to "heaven". We read of the waters that are under heaven, lights in the firmament of heaven, fowl that fly in the "air", the windows of heaven opened at the deluge, Abraham directed to look toward heaven, to the countless number of the stars, but no passage demands that the term "heaven" should be interpreted of the heaven of Genesis 1:1. We cannot print here the 419 references to heaven, but we can print the nine or ten references that look beyond the present limited firmament.
"Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's thy God" (Deut. 10:14).
Here Moses draws attention to the firmament which is "called" heaven, and the heaven of heavens, the heavens in the highest degree that were created long before the six days of Genesis 1:3-31 and Genesis 2:1. No further reference is made to the heavens themselves, until the days of David and Solomon, where in Psalm 8:1, Psalm 57:5, Psalm 57:11, Psalm 108:5, Psalm 113:4, Psalm 115:16 and Psalm 148:4 we have six references to a glory that is above the present limited heavens; making, with Deuteronomy 10:14, seven in all, the perfect number; in all other places the heavens referred to are put into correspondence with the firmament (Psa. 19:1) either by actual statement, or by implication. Five hundred years after Moses, Solomon recognized that neither the present heavens, nor the heaven of heavens could "contain" God (1 Kings 8:27) and the last reference to the heaven of heavens, in contrast with the firmament, is found in the Levites' prayer (Neh. 9:6).
Even when we bring these passages forward, they only emphasize the fact that "the heaven" of the O.T. was the "firmament" of Genesis 1:8, stretched out like a curtain or a tent for God to dwell in (Isa. 40:22), and any reference in Psalm or Prophecy that speaks of heaven as God's "dwelling place" refers to this tabernacle formed by the firmament. When we open the N.T. it is pardonable if we there expect to find a great advance upon this limitation of the term "heaven". Twelve times do we read in Matthew of the "Father which is in heaven", but we also read that the heavens were opened at the baptism of the Lord, that the heavens are to pass away, and unless it is a matter beyond dispute that "angels" inhabit the heaven of heavens, we shall find no instance in the gospel of Matthew of a reference to any other "heaven" than the firmament of Genesis 1:8.
We have to wait until we reach the gospel of John for any explicit reference to the highest heavens, and there the Saviour speaks of ascending up to heaven to where He was before (John 3:13, John 6:62), to the glory that He had "before the world was" (John 17:5). In these few references is contained practically all that is said of the "heavens" of Genesis 1:1 in the four gospels. The only calling and company, hope and sphere of blessing, that pierces the present firmament above us and ascends to where Christ sits at the right hand of God, is the Church of the Mystery. Christ is set forth, in Ephesians 4:10, as having ascended "far above all heavens" yet revealed as seated at the right hand of God "in the heavenly places". These heavenly places therefore must be above the limitations of the outstretched heavens. This is not invalidated by the fact that the selfsame sphere is called in Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians "heaven", for we must not allow ourselves to rob "heaven itself" of its true title, simply because we have used it so often of the limited firmament. In connection with this same calling Christ can be said to be both "far above all the heavens" yet "in heaven" at the right hand of God.
There are eleven references to "heaven" in the epistle to the Hebrews, one only speaks of "heaven itself", the others refer to the lesser and lower heavens. For the heavens created as recorded in Hebrews 1:10 are to "perish", but this can never be said of "heaven itself", Christ is said to have "passed through the heavens", dierchomai (Heb. 4:14), and as being made "higher than the heavens" (Heb. 7:26), without involving any contradiction in the saying that He Who passed through the heavens and was made higher than the heavens, was at the selfsame time depicted as entering "heaven itself" (Heb. 9:24). The contradiction only exists in our minds if we fail to distinguish the heaven of the beginning, Genesis 1:1 from the heaven of the ages, Genesis 1:8. The only references to the heavens of Genesis 1:1 that are found in the remainder of the N.T. are those of Peter and of the Revelation, which speak of a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet. 3:13, Rev. 21:1).
The new heavens and the new earth spoken of by Isaiah are related to Jerusalem (Isa. 65:17-18). Where we read in Revelation twenty-one of a "first heaven" and a "first earth" the word translated "first", protos, is rendered in verse 4 "the former things", and we should possibly translate Revelation 21:1 "the former heaven and the former earth", the reference to "no more sea" being an evident allusion to Genesis 1:2. In connection with the subject before us, let us turn to the words of Paul as found in 2 Corinthians 12:1-4. In direct connection with the visions and revelations which he had received he refers to an extraordinary experience. Whether he was "in the body or whether out of the body" he could not tell, but he did know that he had been caught up to the third heaven . . . caught up into paradise.
First, we must be clear as to the meaning of the term "caught up". The word "up" in this passage has no equivalent in the Greek, and to attempt to make it have any bearing upon the subject betrays as much ignorance of the original as would be betrayed by anyone seeking to extract the idea of direction upward, from such idiomatic phrases of the English language as "shut up", "wash up", "lock up" and the like. We can omit the word "up", for the Greek word arpazo is translated "take by force", "catch away", "pluck", "caught away" and "pull". The phrase "in the body" translates en somati, which is very like the phrase en pneumati "in spirit" used of the occasion when John was translated to the Day of the Lord (Rev. 1:10). The closest parallel is that of the experience of Philip, who was "caught away" by the spirit of the Lord, and was "found at Azotus", some miles away.
It is evident that the third heaven to which Paul was caught away was Paradise, otherwise his reiteration would need a deal of explanation. Paradise has been located in different regions by different teachers, mainly in accord with their peculiar beliefs concerning the intermediate state. If we keep close to the Scriptural meaning of Paradise we shall know that it is derived from the Hebrew pardes (Neh. 2:8, Song 4:13) and means "a garden or orchard", and when we meet the word in the book of Revelation, it has no connection whatever with an intermediate state but is still a garden and orchard, it is indeed the garden of Eden restored and extended.
In what way, we may ask, can this Paradise at the end of the age be in any way related to the "third" heaven? If we count the third heaven as being like the third story of a building, it will certainly appear incongruous. But Revelation twenty-one has already spoken of "a new earth" and a "former earth", consequently it would be true to say, even as Peter in 2 Peter three has indicated, that there was a first heaven, in the beginning (Gen. 1:1); a second heaven, at the making of the earth ready for man (Gen. 1:8); a third heaven, at the end when redemption shall be finished (Rev. 21:1). It was to this "heaven" and this "paradise" that Paul was caught away, and as he stresses more than any other writer in the N.T. the blessings of the New Creation, it is quite understandable that this great goal of the ages, should be associated by him with the visions and revelation he had received in connection with his apostleship.
The great lesson that forces itself upon our attention, however, is the fact that, apart from Paul's ministry, and especially his prison ministry , there is scarcely any reference in the Scriptures, either Old or New, to the heaven of Genesis 1:1. The hope of the Mystery alone pierces the intervening firmament and places the believer "far above all" even where Christ sits at the right hand of God. We must now go on to the consideration of the special term "heavenly places", but to this we will devote a separate study.
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Recently, I read several articles about premises cabling in which the authors called unshielded twisted-pair (UTP) cabling “Cat 5,” even though, over the last 20 years, we’ve seen UTP developed into enhanced Category 5 (Cat 5e), Cat 6, augmented Cat 6 (Cat 6a) and even the (maybe) future standard for Cat 7. “Cat 5” is like that embarrassing nickname you had in elementary school that you want to forget, but some old friends still call you by it! Well, Sparky, let’s see if you have “Cat 5” straight! Correct answers and explanations are in red.
1. Cat 5 was not the first category-rated UTP cable. That honor goes to _________.
A. Cat 1
B. Cat 2
C. Cat 3
D. Cat 4
Cat 3 was the first standardized UTP cable under TIA-568.
2. Premises cabling standards, commonly called TIA-568, were written to ensure _________.
A. Cabling performance
B. Component interoperability
C. Operation with standardized communications systems
D. All of the above
TIA-568 standards are written to cover all these needs of the communications market.
3. The TIA standards for category-rated UTP cable (TIA-568) were derived from _________.
A. AT&T studies in the early 1980s
B. The Anixter Levels cable-rating system
C. IBM cabling systems
D. DECnet standards
Anixter developed their levels program so their customers could compare UTP cables. They allowed TIA to adopt their system under the name “Category.”
4. Cat 3 UTP was created for use with _________.
A. POTS (plain old telephone service)
C. 10BASE-T (10 Mbps Ethernet)
D. 100BASE-T (100 Mbps Ethernet)
Cat 3, the first category-rated UTP cable, was developed for the first Ethernet standard for UTP cable, 10Base-T.
5. Cat 4 UTP cable was introduced for higher speed networks but was replaced by a higher performance version months after introduction.
Cat 4 was introduced for a new version of IBM Token Ring which never gained acceptance and was dropped in favor of Cat 5.
6. Cat 5 UTP was needed for UTP to be used with _________.
A. 10BASE-T (10 Mbps Ethernet)
B. 100BASE-T (100 Mbps Ethernet)
C. 1000BASE-T (Gbps Ethernet)
“Fast” Ethernet at 100 Mb/s required a higher bandwidth UTP cable, leading to the development of Cat 5.
7. To upgrade Cat 5 for gigabit Ethernet, it was necessary to add new specifications for delay skew and crosstalk, creating a new cable type called _________.
A. Cat 5e (enhanced Cat 5)
B. Cat 5+ (augmented Cat 5)
C. Cat 6
D. It was still just called Cat 5
GbE used all four pairs of a UTP cable in both directions simultaneously, requiring several new performance perameters.
8. Cat 6 was too high-performance for gigabit Ethernet and too low for 10G Ethernet.
Between GbE and 10GbE, technology in networking moved faster than cabling technology and Cat 6 became a “cable without a network.”
9. Cat 6a, which is required for 10G Ethernet, requires cables so precisely made that _________.
A. They must be factory-terminated
B. They no longer work with modular 8-pin connectors (aka RJ-45)
C. Wires in each pair must be smaller conductors
D. Crosstalk from one cable to another can be a problem
Cat 6A cables have pairs so precisely wound that crosstalk can occur from one cable to another run in the same cable tray.
10. Cat. 7, the cable not recognized in current TIA-568 standards but used in Class F systems internationally, differs from earlier category-rated cables in that _________.
A. Each pair and the entire cable are shielded
B. Each pair is a small coaxial cable
C. A foil shield is added around the entire cable
D. The jacket is thicker and made of a conductive plastic
Cat 7 cable is a shielded cable with shields around each pair and the cable as a whole to prevent crosstalk at frequencies up to 1000 MHz.
HAYES is a VDV writer and educator and the president of The Fiber Optic Association. Find him at www.jimhayes.com.
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Like Monkeys, Babies Know Math
After long suspecting we're born with some math sense, researchers have shown infants indeed have some ability to count long before they can demonstrate it to Mom and Dad.
It turns out they're not unlike grown monkeys.
In the study, seven-month-old babies were presented with the voices of two or three women saying "look." The infants could choose between looking at a video image of two or women saying the word or an image of three women saying it. The babies spent significantly more time looking at the image that matched the number of women talking.
"We conclude that the babies are showing an internal representation of 'two-ness' or 'three-ness' that is separate from sensory modalities and, thus, reflects an abstract internal process," said Elizabeth Brannon of Duke University.
Previous work with monkeys yielded similar findings.
"These results support the idea that there is a shared system between preverbal infants and nonverbal animals for representing numbers," Brannon said.
Previous studies searching for this ability in human infants had failed, say Brannon and colleague Kerry Jordan, because the methods were inadequate.
The study, announced today, is published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The research is pursued in an effort to better understand the evolutionary origins of numerical ability and how that ability has developed in humans.
MORE FROM LiveScience.com
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Researchers have cracked the structure of a virus that causes potentially fatal brain swelling and paralysis in children, a development that could open the way to better antiviral drugs.
The virus, called enterovirus 71, causes hand, foot and mouth disease, and is common throughout the world. Although the disease usually is not fatal, the virus has been reported to cause encephalitis, a potentially fatal illness found primarily in the Asia-Pacific region. Now, two research teams have reported new findings about the structure of the virus. One of the teams, from Purdue University, has proposed a way to design antiviral drugs to treat the infection, the journal Science reported.
Another research led by Oxford University researchers has appeared in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. ”Taken together, the findings in both papers are useful when you are trying to stop the virus from infecting host cells,” said Michael G. Rossmann, Purdue’s professor of biological sciences and study co-author, according to a statement from the university. ”The common theme is that they both report for the first time on the structure of this virus, and this tells us how to design compounds to fight the infection,” he said. Researchers led by Rossmann have developed antiviral drugs for other enteroviruses such as rhinoviruses that causes common cold.
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The conquest by King Jaume I, creation of the Kingdom of Mallorca (Year 1229)
With the conquest of the island by the troops of Jaume I, also called "the Conqueror", a new stage began in which the sociopolitical basis, the language, the laws, the institutions and the customs that have marked the insular character until now settled down
Ships from the catalan harbours of Cambrils and Tarragona set sail to Mallorca on the fifth of September 1229 and they went ashore on the 10th of September. It was not until the 31st of December same year when the Catalan troops entered the capital Medina Mayurqa.
Once established the new power, this begun to share out the land according to the King's promises. The Llibre del Repartiment (1232) states this distribution of land that took place between the King and his direct vassals. The base of this distribution was the old division in Islamic districts that the conquerors had founded. The present borough of Alcúdia went into the King's share.
In the year 1248 the papal bull by Innocent IV first records the Parish of Sant Jaume de Guinyent that later would be known as Sant Jaume d'Alcúdia. It is in 1282 when Alcúdia appears for the first time in a legal record.
In the reign of Jaume II, Alcúdia is granted the titel of Vila and initiates the process of construction of the Walls with the purpose of protecting not only Villa de Alcúdia but also the landing to the island from the North-east.
The construction of the Walls was a hard burden for the inhabitants of Alcúdia, who had to share their agricultural tasks and the fishing with the works of construction and vigilance. The works ended in the year 1363.
One of the main economic activities during the Middle Age was the growing of grapevine and winemaking for the export.The commercial activity through the harbour was significant. The fishing of chorale for the jewel elaboration constituted an important complement for the economy of many fishermen.
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Bronchi The two respiratory tubes branching into the two lungs at the lower end of the trachea. They branch into progressively smaller passageways, the bronchioles, and finally reach the alveoli, the location where gas exchange occurs.
The main respiratory organs in the chest where blood is oxygenated.
The trachea is a tube which extends from the larynx to the esophagus. It is connected to the trachea at about the area where the larynx is located. It functions as a tube for air to pass through from the external environment to the lungs. It is composed of C-shaped cartilage rings which are embedded in the smooth muscle. The cartilage prevents the trachea from collapsing and closing off the airway.
The sacs in the lungs at the ends of the smallest airways where oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide in the blood.
Dilatation of bronchi. The noun form is ectasia.
A tiny tube in the air conduit system within the lungs that is a continuation of the bronchi and connects to the alveoli (the air sacs) where oxygen exchange occurs. Bronchiole is the diminutive of bronchus, from the word bronchos by which the Greeks referred to the conduits to the lungs.
An infection of the bronchioles, the tiny air tubes in the lungs.
An inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchial tubes, causing a persistent cough that produces considerable quantities of sputum (phlegm).
Defined clinically as a daily cough with production of sputum for 3 months, two years in a row.
Broncho saline is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) legal in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): sodium chloride.
A group of drugs that widen the airways in the lungs.
Pertaining to both the air passages (bronchi) leading to the lungs and the lungs (pulmonary) themselves.
A chronic lung disease of babies, which most commonly develops in the first 4 weeks after birth and most often affects babies born at least 4 weeks before term. The lungs do not work properly in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and the baby has trouble breathing, needs extra oxygen, and may need help from a ventilator (breathing machine).
A subdivision of one lobe of a lung based on the connection to the segmental bronchus. For example, the right upper lobe has apical, anterior, and posterior segments.
A thin, flexible instrument used to view the air passages of the lung.
A procedure that permits the doctor to see the breathing passages through a lighted tube.
Contraction of the muscle in the walls of the bronchi.
Also called exercise-induced asthma, this is asthma that is triggered by vigorous physical activity. Exercise-induced asthma tends particularly to affect children and young adults (because of their high level of physical activity) but can occur at any age.
Any of the larger air passages that connect the trachea to the lungs.
Bronitin mist is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) legal in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): epinephrine bitartrate.
Bronkaid mist is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) legal in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): epinephrine.
Bronkodyl is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) legal in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): theophylline.
Bronkometer is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) legal in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): isoetharine mesylate.
Bronkosol is a prescription or over-the-counter drug which is (or once was) legal in the United States and possibly in other countries. Active ingredient(s): isoetharine hydrochloride.
Bronson Healthcare Group
Bronson Healthcare Group is a hospital in Kalamazoo, Michigan (USA).
An abnormal and persistent fear of thunder that causes undue anxiety even though sufferers realize that thunder itself poses no threat to them. When outdoors during a thunderstorm, they may suffer excessive anxiety. When indoors, they may hide under beds or desks, behind sofas, or in closets.
A disorder of iron metabolism resulting in iron pigment deposits in the skin and other body tissues that causes a change in skin color.
PREVIOUS AND NEXT TERMS--------------------------------------
A hormone derived from the pituitary that induces opiate-like responses to decrease pain. The release of its precursor hormone (B-lipotropin) requires cyclic AMP.
Basal Cell Carcinoma
The most common non-melanoma skin cancer. It begins in the lowest layer of the epidermis, called the basal cell layer. It usually develops on sun-exposed areas, especially the head and neck. Basal cell cancer is slow-growing and is not likely to spread to distant parts of the body. A malignant skin neoplasm that seldom metastasizes but has potentialities for local invasion and destruction. Clinically it is divided into types: nodular, cicatricial, morphaic, and erythematoid (pagetoid). More than 95% of these carcinomas occur in patients over 40. They develop on hairbearing skin, most commonly on sunexposed areas. Approximately 85% are found on the head and neck area and the remaining 15% on the trunk and limbs.
Brain stem glioma
A tumor located in the part of the brain that connects to the spinal cord (the brain stem). It may grow rapidly or slowly, depending on the grade of the tumor.
A brain tumor is any mass created by an abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells either found in the brain (neurons, glial cells, epithelial cells, myelin producing cells, etc.) or spread from elsewhere (metastasis). Brain tumors are usually located in the posterior third of the brain in childhood and in the anterior two-thirds of the brain in adulthood.
A malignant disease of breast tissue. Incidence increases with age and risk factors include a family history of breast cancer, late menopause, obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Initial symptoms may include a small painless lump, thick or dimpled skin, or nipple retraction.
A muscular triangular-shaped, hollow organ located in the pelvic cavity and supported by the pelvic floor muscles. The bladder stretches to store urine and contracts to release urine.
Also known as manic-depressive illness, a mental illness involving episodes of serious mania and depression. The person's mood usually swings from overly "high" and irritable to sad and hopeless and then back again, with periods of normal mood in between. Periods of abnormal mood and associated physiologic changes last for at least 2 weeks.
A chronic condition which happens because of disturbances in the body’s immune system. This system, which normally protects the body against infections by producing controlled inflammation, becomes over-active and produces unpredictable out-breaks of unwanted and exaggerated inflammation. This extra inflammation affects blood vessels, usually the small ones. As a result symptoms occur wherever there is a patch of inflammation, and can be anywhere where there is a blood supply.
The orange-yellow pigment of bile, the green fluid that aids in digestion and that is secreted by the liver. Bilirubin is formed mainly by hemoglobin breakdown at the end of red cell life and eventually most of it leaves the body in the feces. Two types are in the blood. Water insoluble or unconjugated bilirubin refers to the pigment before it reaches the liver. In the liver it is converted to the water-soluble or conjugated bilirubin which is excreted into the bile.
Bone refers either to a hardened connective tissue or to one of the individual structures, or organs, into which it is formed, found in many animals. Bones support body structures, protect internal organs, and (in conjunction with muscles) facilitate movement; are also involved with cell formation, calcium metabolism, and mineral storage. The bones of an animal are, collectively, known as the skeleton.
We thank you for using the Health Dictionary to search for Bronchi. If you have a better definition for Bronchi than the one presented here, please let us know by making use of the suggest a term option. This definition of Bronchi may be disputed by other professionals. Our attempt is to provide easy definitions on Bronchi and any other medical topic for the public at large.This dictionary contains 59020 terms. |
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Second Grade Lesson Plan: The Rock Cycle
2nd Grade Science Content Standards: Earth Sciences
3. Earth is made of materials that have distinct properties and provide resources for human activities.
B. Students know smaller rocks come from the breakage and weathering of larger rocks.
D. Students know that fossils provide evidence about the plants and animals that lived long ago and that scientists learn about the past history of Earth by studying fossils.
2nd Grade Science Content Standards: Investigation and Experimentation
4. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students should develop their own questions and perform investigations.
F. Use magnifiers or microscopes to observe and draw descriptions of small objects or small features of objects.
G. Follow oral instructions for a scientific investigation.
Students will learn and make a referral guide about The Rock Cycle through crafts.
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|Preamble section 1:|
|Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world,|
Against the long historical background of disagreement regarding the philosophical basis of human rights, it may come as no surprise that the main philosophical question that arose during the drafting procedure of the first Preamble was whether to include a reference to God or not. This matter had become an issue earlier, during the drafting of Article 1, but was postponed in order to be decided upon when drafting Preamble One, which was introduced late in the drafting process.
The Dutch representative, L.J.C Beaufort, was very eager to state the source of human rights directly within the first recital and wanted it to refer to the divine origin and immortal destiny of human rights. Other representatives, such as the Polish delegate, argued that the Declaration was a United Nations document which could not properly deal with metaphysical questions. The Dutch delegate responded to this by claiming that for those who were agnostics, the Netherlands amendment was merely devoid of any meaning, but it could not harm them or offend their conscience, since they adhered to the formula ignoramus et ignoramibus [we are ignorant and we shall be ignorant]. On the other hand, if the amendment were adopted it would give satisfaction to the majority of the worlds population, which generally speaking, still believed in the existence of a Supreme Being.
Apparently feeling targeted by this last statement, Bogolow, the Soviet representative pointed out that the dispute on the divine origins of man had been fought out in Paris as long ago as when the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen had included no reference to the divine origin. The Belgian representative pointed out that although he was
"personally inclined to favor [the Dutch amendment] because it provided the idea of equality of man with perhaps the only possible ultimate argument and would thus strengthen the Declaration .[It] raised a very delicate philosophical problem; and in any case it would be inconceivable for the Commission to try to solve the question by a vote."
Grumbach echoed this notion by claiming that:
"it would be wrong to take a decision by majority or minority vote on the insertion of a reference to mans origins . There would be no point voting on the Netherlands amendment, as agreement was impossible."
What finally made the Dutch representative withdraw his proposal was his understanding that his amendment would not be accepted if the issue came to a vote. The Dutch withdrawal meant that the creation of a secular document became possible and the recital was adopted unanimously in its final form (Morsink, 294).
For more on the drafting procedure, see Johannes Morsink, The Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Origins, Drafting, and Intent (1999) at 288-94.
Peter Danchin, Columbia University
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You are given a sample of metal and asked to determine its specific
heat. You weigh the sample and find that its weight is 25.5 N. You
carefully add 1.10×10^4 J of heat energy to the
sample and find that its temperature rises 20.0C.
(A)What is the sample's specific heat?
plz show work
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Alternatives to Dissection
Imagine you're in science class. The teacher places everyone in groups, and you start wondering what exciting project you're going to do. Your teacher gives each group a scalpel, forceps, a sheet of instructions and a tray with something in it. With scalpel in hand, you are faced with a tough decision—should you or shouldn't you dissect? You might not be sure. You might prefer not to dissect the animal because you don't feel comfortable, or strongly believe it is wrong. But, maybe you're afraid not to dissect because it might affect your grade. Worried? Confused? Guess what? You are not alone! And there are alternatives!
Students deal with the issue of dissection every semester. Many decide not to dissect. Read on to find out what you, your friends, parents and teachers can do to eliminate or reduce the use of animals in the classroom.
Right to Refuse Dissection
Several states have policies in place to protect students who do not want to participate in classroom dissection. Pennsylvania, California, Florida, Rhode Island, Illinois, Virginia, Oregon, New York, New Jersey and Vermont have passed state laws requiring schools to offer alternatives to animal dissection. And in Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, New Mexico and Louisiana, there are resolutions—which are not as strong as laws, but equally effective—also allowing students to refuse to dissect. If you live in any of these states, your grade is guaranteed not to suffer if you opt out of dissection and complete an alternate assignment from your teacher. No matter what state you live in, you can still ask your school to offer non-animal alternatives to dissection.
What can you do if your class requires dissection and you do not want to participate?
Make Your Objection Early! Find out as early as possible if a class will involve dissection or any other use of an animal. Talk to your parents or guardians about your concerns. Once you have the support of your parents and guardians, schedule a meeting with your teacher.
Seek Support. When you meet with your teacher, be very calm, polite and bring something in writing prepared by you and your parents or guardians explaining your concerns. It might be helpful to meet your teacher along with other students who share the same concern. So ask your classmates and stick up for what you believe in!
HSUS: Dissection Campaign Packet - Free packet for high school students and younger.
National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) Hotline - The nation’s only toll-free service (1-800-922-FROG) providing information, counseling and support for students, parents and teachers who object to dissection.
Ask Your Teacher Lots of Questions. Find out what your teacher wants you to learn from the exercise or dissection. Be non-confrontational and make sure you let your teacher know that you are interested in learning the material. By working together, you and your teacher might come to a conclusion that will allow you to meet the goal of the exercise without dissecting.
Talk to your Principal. If your teacher is not willing to discuss non-animal choices with you, you may have to take your request to your school principal.
Check out these alternatives to real-life dissection!
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Part 3 in a 4-part series
Until every child is safe
In 1952, polio struck a new victim every 10 minutes in the United States. It was every parent's nightmare. Vaccines were introduced and cases plummeted. But the disease still exists. And organizations say an outbreak is only a plane ride away. This week, The Star is sharing the stories of those who suffered from polio, what support exists and profiles of those who are fighting to raise awareness and end polio forever.
What to learn more? Local Rotarians will present “Mount Kilimanjaro – Six Days Above the Clouds,” the story of the Rotary fundraising climb to eradicate polio at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday (Nov. 20) at Mildred H. Keeter Auditorium at Cleveland Community College . Michael Cheng, Allen Langley, Tom McNichol, Mark Patterson and Bryan Baker will share their experiences of climbing the highest free-standing mountain in the world. This event is free and open to the public.
Polio is a crippling and potentially fatal infectious disease. There is no cure, but there are safe and effective vaccines. The strategy to eradicate polio is therefore based on preventing infection by immunizing every child until transmission stops and the world is polio-free.
Polio in the U.S.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, an average of more than 35,000 cases were reported during the late 1940s and early 1950s. At the height of the epidemic, nearly 60,000 cases with more than 3,000 deaths were reported in the United States. With the introduction of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV) developed by Dr. Jonas Salk in 1955, the number of cases rapidly declined to fewer than 2,500 cases in 1957.
By 1965, only 61 cases of paralytic polio were reported.
Polio (poliomyelitis) is a highly infectious disease caused by a virus. It invades the nervous system and can cause irreversible paralysis in a matter of hours. Polio is spread through person-to-person contact. When a child is infected with wild poliovirus, the virus enters the body through the mouth and multiplies in the intestine. Most people infected with the poliovirus have no signs of illness and are never aware they have been infected. These symptomless people carry the virus in their intestines and can “silently” spread the infection to thousands of others before the first case of polio paralysis emerges. For this reason, WHO considers a single confirmed case of polio paralysis to be evidence of an epidemic – particularly in countries where very few cases occur.
Most infected people (90 percent) have no symptoms or very mild symptoms and usually go unrecognized. In others, initial symptoms include fever, fatigue, headache, vomiting, stiffness in the neck and pain in the limbs.
Acute flaccid paralysis: One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis, usually in the legs.
Bulbar polio: More extensive paralysis, involving the trunk and muscles of the thorax and abdomen, can result in quadriplegia.
About 40 percent of people who survive paralytic polio may develop additional symptoms 15-40 years after the original illness. These symptoms – called post-polio syndrome – include new progressive muscle weakness, severe fatigue and pain in the muscles and joints.
Sources: Global Polio Eradication Initiative, www.polioeradication.org; and World Health Organization, www.who.int
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docs.oracle.com wrote: public void print(String s)
Print a string. If the argument is null then the string "null" is printed. Otherwise, the string's characters are converted into bytes according to the platform's default character encoding, and these bytes are written in exactly the manner of the write(int) method.
s - The String to be printed
Ritesh raushan wrote:but i did'nt undestand...this is has-A relationship but where the object of PrintStream class is creating.
What is there, you did not understand? It simply says that the System class has an object "out" of PrintStream class. You have already shown the code there. If you are worried about the initialization of "out",then
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DefinitionBy Mayo Clinic staff
Esophageal cancer is cancer that occurs in the esophagus — a long, hollow tube that runs from your throat to your stomach. Your esophagus carries food you swallow to your stomach to be digested.
Esophageal cancer usually begins in the cells that line the inside of the esophagus. Esophageal cancer can occur anywhere along the esophagus, but in people in the United States, it occurs most often in the lower portion of the esophagus. More men than women get esophageal cancer.
Esophageal cancer isn't common in the United States. In other areas of the world, such as Asia and parts of Africa, esophageal cancer is much more common.
- Swanson S. Surgical management of localized esophageal cancer. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 3, 2011.
- Esophageal cancer. Fort Washington, Pa.: National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/esophageal.pdf. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Esophageal cancer treatment (PDQ) health professional version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/treatment/esophageal/healthprofessional/allpages. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Esophageal cancer screening (PDQ) health professional version. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/screening/esophageal/healthprofessional/allpages. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Eating hints for cancer patients: Before, during and after treatment. National Cancer Institute. http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/coping/eatinghints. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Lagergren J, et al. Oesophageal cancer. British Medical Journal. 2010;341:1207.
- Management of esophageal cancer. Current Problems in Surgery. 2010;47:845.
- NCCN guidelines: Esophageal and esophagogastric junction cancers. National Comprehensive Cancer Network. http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/f_guidelines.asp. Accessed March 4, 2011.
- Gan S, et al. Advances in clinical practice: New endoscopic and surgical treatment options for early esophageal adenocarcinoma. Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. 2010;50:1478.
- Campbell NP, et al. World Journal of Gastroenterology. Neoadjuvant treatment of esophageal cancer. 2010;16:3793.
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. "8 Resistance, Resilience, and Redundancy in Microbial Communities--STEVEN D. ALLISON and JENNIFER B. H. MARTINY." In the Light of Evolution, Volume II: Biodiversity and Extinction. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2008.
The following HTML text is provided to enhance online
readability. Many aspects of typography translate only awkwardly to HTML.
Please use the page image
as the authoritative form to ensure accuracy.
In the Light of Evolution: Volume II—Biodiversity and Extinction
These studies did not suggest that broad taxonomic groups are more or less sensitive to disturbances than narrow taxonomic groups. This pattern suggests that taxonomic breadth is not related to whether a compositional shift was detected. Perhaps more surprisingly, there are no patterns suggesting that methodology influences whether a compositional change was detected. In addition, we were not able to discern whether particular taxonomic or functional groups are more or less sensitive to particular disturbance types. Overall, the low number of studies observing a resistant microbial composition hinders our ability to recognize any patterns among these studies. However, we can conclude that microbial composition is generally sensitive to disturbance.
RESILIENCE OF MICROBIAL COMPOSITION
Even if microbial composition is sensitive to a disturbance, the community might still be resilient and quickly return to its predisturbance composition. A number of features of microorganisms, and in particular Bacteria and Archaea, suggest that resilience could be common. First, many microorganisms have fast growth rates; thus, if their abundance is suppressed by a disturbance, they have the potential to recover quickly. Second, many microbes have a high degree of physiological flexibility. This is famously the case for the purple nonsulfur bacteria, which can be phototrophs under anoxic conditions and heterotrophs under aerobic conditions. Thus, even if the relative abundance of some taxa decreased initially, these taxa might physiologically acclimate to the new abiotic conditions over time and return to their original abundance. Finally, if physiological adaptation is not possible, then the rapid evolution (through mutations or horizontal gene exchange) could allow microbial taxa to adapt to new environmental conditions and recover from disturbance. All of these arguments assume that abundance is reduced by a disturbance, but some microbial taxa may benefit from the new conditions and increase in abundance. Thus, in order for some taxa to recover in abundance, those that responded positively to the disturbance would also need to decrease in abundance to return the community to its original composition.
Few studies explicitly focus on the time course of microbial composition after a disturbance; instead, most focus solely on the sensitivity of composition. Consequently, we recorded the length of time between the application of the disturbance and when microbial composition was assessed for the studies in our sample. If composition is highly resilient, then one should be less likely to detect a compositional change as time from disturbance increases.
We compared the time from initial disturbance for those studies that found composition to be sensitive versus resistant. Generally, the tim-
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The importance of French language and why should it be learned :-
Being the second most taught language internationally after English, and having a readership and following which are commiserate with the number of its students, French is definitely the language to know these days. With English, French is the only other “international” language, being spoken in 5 continents. The international body supervising the following of French as a language is known as the International Organization of Francophonie, which has 67 countries as its member states and out of these 67 states, 28 countries have French as their official language.
The widespread use of French as a language can also be inferred from the fact that French, with English is the official language of many towering organizations of the world, such as the UN, NATO, UNESCO, the International Red Cross Association and IOC (The International Olympic Committee), to name a few. From a recent survey, it has been noted that almost 70% of jobs in the US require or prefer the aspirants who know French, other than English, which is a testimony to the importance of French.
The importance of French has demographic and economic consequences for major economies in the world, even the US. For example, French is the official global language of Canada, which caries out major trade deals with the US. The knowledge of French for traders to such countries becomes all the more important when you realize that Canada, for example, has provinces like Quebec, which trades more than 70 billion Dollars annually with the US, and the major international language being followed there is French.
Apart from the economic influence of French and France, there is a high degree of intellectual importance associated with French as a language and the French thought for modernism and secularism. French doctors and scientists have been the fore-runners of technology in the modern era. France has the largest R&D center on nuclear physics in the world and also boasts as being the site of the world’s first nuclear fusion reactor. The French doctors were the first to isolate the HIV virus from the body of an infected human being- a ground breaking attempt to find a cure for AIDS. In order to decipher all their findings and discoveries, to understand their intellect and to admire it, it has become inevitable for the intelligentsia and researchers of today to adopt French as a global language.
Reasons to study French
- It is not limited to one or two continents.
- French is spoken in two of the G7 countries.
- France is the world's major tourist destination (60 million tourists a year).
- France is Europe's foremost investor abroad.
- France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany have the lowest rates of inflation in the European Union. This is an indicator of the health of these countries.
- France is in 4th position in terms of world power and it does not have the debt problems facing many other major industrialized nations. (A positive sign for joint projects, business and scientific co-operation).
- France is renowned for the quality of its high tech,. (The TGV is the fastest train in the world - 515 kph).
- French is the official language of the International Red Cross.
- French is one of the official languages of post offices across the world.
- France is one of the two official languages at the Olympic Games.
- French-speaking Africa represents an area larger than the USA.
- French is the most widely taught second language after English.
- French is one of the official languages of the United Nations.
- Over 20,000 English words have their origins in French.
- In terms of number of words, French is the second largest language after English.
- Paris had 1,100 congresses in 1993 (including 400 international congresses) - a world record.
- France has the world's greatest number of Nobel Prize winners in literature (12).
- Montreal is the second largest French speaking city in the world.
- Le Courrier Australien, founded in 1892, is the oldest ethnic newspaper in Australia.
- Paris is considered the capital of the world in terms of quality of life (Healey and Baker 1991).
- Megabucks for trade: In 1994 the United States did business/trade with the following countries in order of importance: 1. French speaking countries; 2. Japan; 3. Spanish speaking countries.
- A good knowledge of French enables you to fully enjoy, at the cinema or on TV, the best films from the French speaking world.
- Learning French can help you improve the interpersonal skills you bring to your international career.
- You can do so many more interesting things on the internet if you speak French. There are many high quality internet sites available in French, ranging from fashion to finance; society to science; music to medicine… just to mention a few.
Motivations for learning French
Tick your own motivations and number them according to their importance.
- I like the beauty and charm of the French language. I like the way the language sounds.
- I travel or I plan to travel to France or to a French speaking country.
- I would like to work for an international institution / organization, or on diplomatic services, and French is compulsory.
- I would like to work in the tourism and hotel industry.
- I would like to communicate with French or French speaking people using their own language.
- I think it’s important to know an international language other than English. It can be useful one day.
- I would like to study in France.
- I would like to work in a French company.
- I love the atmosphere of the French classes. Its fun. I meet friends there.
- Other (please specify).
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The idea of appropriate or preferential media has hamstrung thinking about what constitute art today. Since the Renaissance, fine art expressions have traditionally been classified – until the 1960s, that is – as painting, sculpture and architecture. Painting, for the most part, was oil, tempera, watercolour and gouache. Sculpture was hewn of stone or wood, or fabricated or cast from various metals.
But media proscriptions for artists began to dissolve early in the twentieth century with the impressionists. Paul Gauguin experimented with ceramics; Matisse used coloured paper; Chagall made pots; and Picasso and others added newsprint, sand, and other materials to their art. As Africans had done for centuries, Europeans were suddenly free to use divers and non-traditional media in their artistic expressions.
But even as media restrictions were fading, the rules regarding utility continued. From the ‘70s onward, even though fine-art objects could be fabricated from all manner of unique and non-traditional materials, “fine art” could not be utilitarian. Located in museums around the world are countless objects of art that incorporate utilitarian values.The effects of these fabrications has been long lasting and detrimental. Potters have had to struggle against being classified as merely artisans or crafts persons rather than artists.
Much of the antagonism over the “art” and “craft” is about perception of value as it relates to both media and expressive intent. Perceptions of what constitutes art have dramatically changed over the years. One big problem is that contemporary artists do not universally share the definition of art and of beauty. In fact, many artists today often create objects disassociated from the concept of beauty. If there could be a short definitions probably it could be: Beauty is that pleases the senses and exalts the mind. And while it is true that pottery possesses sculptural attributes such as volume, depth, positive and negative space, shape and richness of surface, pottery is not, and can never be, sculpture.
To appreciate a work of art is not a particularly difficult undertaking but to discuss about visual art is difficult because artists use a plastic language to convey emotions and ideas. Artists use lines, shapes, colours, patterns, textures and images as their alphabet. This makes for profound difficulties in saying why there is such insightful meaning in these expressions.
Art has been, with a few exceptions in the last century, and still is about the creation of beauty. Notwithstanding the discussions presented by many modern day philosophers and critics, this concept has always been and continuous to be a cardinal motivating force for artists.
In a pot, each visual element contribute a “particular” voice in the pottery expression. Each form, technique or material has with it associated meaning and emotional consequences. Round against square, smooth against rough, white clay against red clay. Porcelain , for example, speaks of purity, coolness, rarity and preciousness, while red earthenware clay suggests a more common earthiness, warmth and softness.
The inspiration to elucidate a specific ceramic form arises from deep within each potter. This power cannot be superficially acquired and is the seed that shapes the flower of expression. All aesthetically successful pots are complete, whole and unified. And herein lies another series of harmonious relationships that must come into play. The centre of balance and location of spouts, lids, handles and lugs are instrumental in the efficient use of the pot and contribute to its beauty.
In considering pottery, the varied sensory impressions produced may startle us in their immediacy and impact. It is only after careful, earnest consideration of the visual orchestration before us that a glimmer of intellectualised understanding may occur.Inexperience in seeing, in knowing, or in doing may blind us to what, for some , may be obvious. These deficiencies can be a barrier to understanding and appreciation. To see the richness , subtlety and complexity in the best of these pots requires effort and focused attention.
As we know the Renaissance started to differentiate between art and crafts expression. Works produced by a fine artists were seen as unique, never to be repeated or duplicated. By contrast pottery meant for practical purposes was produced on a communal basis in guilds, pottery villages or as familiar endeavours. The success of a pot was dependent upon the incorporation of many skill sets by many people who formed, decorated and fired the work. But this communal orientation (with little exceptions) helped to promote a schism between art and craft expressions. The lingering effects of this fundamental difference in the nature of “artist” and “craftsman” still exist when evaluating the aesthetic worth of pottery.
Today, we live in an era where individual art, largely unfettered by tradition or social conformity, is the norm. And surely there is no place for utilitarian values which are so inherent in pottery expressions. This brings us to the question of education and training of potters today.
Since a formal master/apprentice system, for the most part, no longer exists, potters receive their training in universities and colleges. This system is far removed from traditional, historical, craft-oriented practices where utility was an important consideration in the evolution of pottery form.
The values represented in the repeat work of historical folk pottery are not commonly encouraged in these institutions. Indeed, content is often emphasised at the expense of skill acquisition or utility. While it is crucial to exercise rigorous discipline in order to enhance one’s pottery skill level, it is not considered a particularly creative enterprise. But the acquisition of skill provides for expressive potential that can only be imagined by those without those abilities. Literally hundreds of pots must be made for the craftsman to acquire the skills necessary to reach a level where intuition may speak transparently.
While historically the division of labour contributed to an enhancement of skill level and rapidity of learning, the contemporary potter is compelled to become expert in all phases of pottery production. This requires a tremendous amount of disciple and time. Since so few potters are trained in universities and colleges in the traditional fashion, aspiring potters must exercise extraordinary self discipline in order to perfect their craft.
The creative potter is not blindly repeating shapes, but exploring specific form types in a subtle and sophisticated fashion. Some imagine that potters make the same thing again and again but there are so many variables in the process of ceramics that it is impossible to create two objects with identical characteristics. The balance between the repetition required to produce forms that spring fresh from the hand and the repletion that drives the life from pots is a precarious one. Only truly creative artists resist succumbing to the deadening of the spirit. And this is the case whether one is an artist or a potter.
It is only at the very end of the ceramic process that the potter may recognise the one piece that embodies all the formal elements cohering in an exceptional aesthetic fashion. This recognition can only occur when the door of the kiln is opened after the final firing. Some may suggest that few differences may appear among twenty similar tea bowls. But this apparent lack of distinction may be a result of inexperience or lack of knowledge on the part of the observer. Like any kind of connoisseurship, years of observation and study can foster a discriminatory ability that is both enlightening and sometimes frustrating because of how few artworks truly satisfy.
The repetitive ritual of producing multiple aesthetic forms based upon an idea as simple as a “bowl” lends its own voice to the potter’s work. Repeat work contributes its own cadence and insight. By being attuned to the subtle variations and minute changes that arise when working, with clay, slips, glazes and the kiln day after day, the potter reaches for secrets normally hidden in that first tantalising experience with clay.
Coupled with the expressive meaning lying dormant in the soul, one finds that the potter’s repeat work can produce art work that, indeed, stands the test of time and can be imbued with the power found in any great work of art.
The following article is an arbitrary short version of the concepts and ideas generously treated in his book by artist/potter, instructor and lecturer Kevin A.Hluch, author of “The Art of Contemporary American Pottery” edited by Krause Publications.
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Posted: Oct 19, 2010 6:09 AM by Associated Press
Updated: Oct 19, 2010 8:32 AM
Scientists say that six months after the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history, damage to the Gulf of Mexico is less dramatic than some had predicted.
In an informal Associated Press survey, 35 researchers who study the Gulf lowered their rating of its ecological health by several points.
On a scale of 0 to 100, the overall average grade was 65 - down from 71 before the spill. This reflects scientists' views that the spilled oil further eroded a beleaguered body of water tainted for years by farm runoff, overfishing, oil from smaller spills and natural seepage. Scientists and the government are shifting their focus from the surface to deeper waters and the ocean bottom.
Scientists worry the oil deep below will cause genetic mutations, stress or weaken some species, with unknown or delayed effects.
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A rocket in its simplest
form is a chamber enclosing a gas under pressure. A small opening at one
end of the chamber allows the gas to escape, and in doing so provides
a thrust that propels the rocket in the opposite direction. A good example
of this is a balloon. Air inside a balloon is compressed by the balloon's
rubber walls. The air pushes back so that the inward and outward pressing
forces are balanced. When the nozzle is released, air escapes through
it and the balloon is propelled in the opposite direction.
When we think of
rockets, we rarely think of balloons. Instead, our attention is drawn
to the giant vehicles that carry satellites into orbit and spacecraft
to the Moon and planets. Nevertheless, there is a strong similarity between
the two. The only significant difference is the way the pressurized gas
is produced. With space rockets, the gas is produced by burning propellants
that can be solid or liquid in form or a combination of the two.
One of the interesting
facts about the historical development of rockets is that while rockets
and rocket-powered devices have been in use for more than two thousand
years, it has been only in the last three hundred years that rocket experimenters
have had a scientific basis for understanding how they work.
The science of rocketry
began with the publishing of a book in 1687 by the great English scientist
Sir Isaac Newton. His book, entitled Philosophiae Naturalis Principia
Mathematica, described physical principles in nature. Today, Newton's
work is usually just called the Principia. In the Principia, Newton stated
three important scientific principles that govern the motion of all objects,
whether on Earth or in space. Knowing these principles, now called Newton's
Laws of Motion, rocketeers have been able to construct the modern giant
rockets of the 20th century such as the Saturn V and the Space Shuttle.
Here now, in simple form, are Newton's Laws of Motion.
As will be explained
shortly, all three laws are really simple statements of how things move.
But with them, precise determinations of rocket performance can be made.
- Objects at rest
will stay at rest and objects in motion will stay in motion in a straight
line unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.
- Force is equal
to mass times acceleration.
- For every action
there is always an opposite and equal reaction.
This law of motion is
just an obvious statement of fact, but to know what it means, it is necessary
to understand the terms rest, motion, and unbalanced force.
Rest and motion can be thought of as being opposite to each other. Rest
is the state of an object when it is not changing position in relation
to its surroundings. If you are sitting still in a chair, you can be said
to be at rest. This term, however, is relative. Your chair may actually
be one of many seats on a speeding airplane. The important thing to remember
here is that you are not moving in relation to your immediate surroundings.
If rest were defined as a total absence of motion, it would not exist
in nature. Even if you were sitting in your chair at home, you would still
be moving, because your chair is actually sitting on the surface of a
spinning planet that is orbiting a star. The star is moving through a
rotating galaxy that is, itself, moving through the universe. While sitting
"still," you are, in fact, traveling at a speed of hundreds of kilometers
Motion is also a
relative term. All matter in the universe is moving all the time, but
in the first law, motion here means changing position in relation to surroundings.
A ball is at rest if it is sitting on the ground. The ball is in motion
if it is rolling. A rolling ball changes its position in relation to its
surroundings. When you are sitting on a chair in an airplane, you are
at rest, but if you get up and walk down the aisle, you are in motion.
A rocket blasting off the launch pad changes from a state of rest to a
state of motion.
The third term important
to understanding this law is unbalanced force. If you hold a ball in your
hand and keep it still, the ball is at rest. All the time the ball is
held there though, it is being acted upon by forces. The force of gravity
is trying to pull the ball downward, while at the same time your hand
is pushing against the ball to hold it up. The forces acting on the ball
are balanced. Let the ball go, or move your hand upward, and the forces
become unbalanced. The ball then changes from a state of rest to a state
In rocket flight,
forces become balanced and unbalanced all the time. A rocket on the launch
pad is balanced. The surface of the pad pushes the rocket up while gravity
tries to pull it down. As the engines are ignited, the thrust from the
rocket unbalances the forces, and the rocket travels upward. Later, when
the rocket runs out of fuel, it slows down, stops at the highest point
of its flight, then falls back to Earth.
Objects in space
also react to forces. A spacecraft moving through the solar system is
in constant motion. The spacecraft will travel in a straight line if the
forces on it are in balance. This happens only when the spacecraft is
very far from any large gravity source such as Earth or the other planets
and their moons. If the spacecraft comes near a large body in space, the
gravity of that body will unbalance the forces and curve the path of the
spacecraft. This happens, in particular, when a satellite is sent by a
rocket on a path that is parallel to Earth's surface. If the rocket shoots
the spacecraft fast enough, the spacecraft will orbit Earth. As long as
another unbalanced force, such as friction with gas molecules in orbit
or the firing of a rocket engine in the opposite direction from its movement,
does not slow the spacecraft, it will orbit Earth forever.
Now that the three
major terms of this first law have been explained, it is possible to restate
this law. If an object, such as a rocket, is at rest, it takes an unbalanced
force to make it move. If the object is already moving, it takes an unbalanced
force, to stop it, change its direction from a straight line path, or
alter its speed.
For the time being,
we will skip the second law and go directly to the third. This law states
that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If you have ever stepped
off a small boat that has not been properly tied to a pier, you will know
exactly what this law means.
A rocket can lift off from a launch pad only when it expels gas out of
its engine. The rocket pushes on the gas, and the gas in turn pushes on
the rocket. The whole process is very similar to riding a skateboard.
Imagine that a skateboard and rider are in a state of rest (not moving).
The rider jumps off the skateboard. In the third law, the jumping is called
an action. The skateboard responds to that action by traveling some distance
in the opposite direction. The skateboard's opposite motion is called
a reaction. When the distance traveled by the rider and the skateboard
are compared, it would appear that the skateboard has had a much greater
reaction than the action of the rider. This is not the case. The reason
the skateboard has traveled farther is that it has less mass than the
rider. This concept will be better explained in a discussion of the second
With rockets, the
action is the expelling of gas out of the engine. The reaction is the
movement of the rocket in the opposite direction. To enable a rocket to
lift off from the launch pad, the action, or thrust, from the engine must
be greater than the mass of the rocket. In space, however, even tiny thrusts
will cause the rocket to change direction.
One of the most
commonly asked questions about rockets is how they can work in space where
there is no air for them to push against. The answer to this question
comes from the third law. Imagine the skateboard again. On the ground,
the only part air plays in the motions of the rider and the skateboard
is to slow them down. Moving through the air causes friction, or as scientists
call it, drag. The surrounding air impedes the action-reaction.
As a result rockets
actually work better in space than they do in air. As the exhaust gas
leaves the rocket engine it must push away the surrounding air; this uses
up some of the energy of the rocket. In space, the exhaust gases can escape
This law of motion is
essentially a statement of a mathematical equation. The three parts of the
equation are mass (m), acceleration (a), and force (f). Using letters to
symbolize each part, the equation can be written as follows:
By using simple algebra,
we can also write the equation two other ways:
m = f/a
The first version of
the equation is the one most commonly referred to when talking about Newton's
second law. It reads: force equals mass times acceleration. To explain this
law, we will use an old style cannon as an example.
When the cannon is fired, an explosion propels a cannon ball out the open
end of the barrel. It flies a kilometer or two to its target. At the same
time the cannon itself is pushed backward a meter or two. This is action
and reaction at work (third law). The force acting on the cannon and the
ball is the same. What happens to the cannon and the ball is determined
by the second law. Look at the two equations below.
f = m(cannon) *
f = m(ball) * a(ball)
The first equation refers
to the cannon and the second to the cannon ball. In the first equation,
the mass is the cannon itself and the acceleration is the movement of the
cannon. In the second equation the mass is the cannon ball and the acceleration
is its movement. Because the force (exploding gun powder) is the same for
the two equations, the equations can be combined and rewritten below.
m(cannon) * a(cannon)
= m(ball) * a(ball)
In order to keep the
two sides of the equations equal, the accelerations vary with mass. In other
words, the cannon has a large mass and a small acceleration. The cannon
ball has a small mass and a large acceleration.
apply this principle to a rocket. Replace the mass of the cannon ball
with the mass of the gases being ejected out of the rocket engine. Replace
the mass of the cannon with the mass of the rocket moving in the other
direction. Force is the pressure created by the controlled explosion taking
place inside the rocket's engines. That pressure accelerates the gas one
way and the rocket the other.
things happen with rockets that don't happen with the cannon and ball
in this example. With the cannon and cannon ball, the thrust lasts for
just a moment. The thrust for the rocket continues as long as its engines
are firing. Furthermore, the mass of the rocket changes during flight.
Its mass is the sum of all its parts. Rocket parts includes engines, propellant
tanks, payload, control system, and propellants. By far, the largest part
of the rocket's mass is its propellants. But that amount constantly changes
as the engines fire. That means that the rocket's mass gets smaller during
flight. In order for the left side of our equation to remain in balance
with the right side, acceleration of the rocket has to increase as its
mass decreases. That is why a rocket starts off moving slowly and goes
faster and faster as it climbs into space.
law of motion is especiaily useful when designing efficient rockets. To
enable a rocket to climb into low Earth orbit, it is necessary to achieve
a speed, in excess of 28,000 km per hour. A speed of over 40,250 km per
hour, called escape velocity, enables a rocket to leave Earth and travel
out into deep space. Attaining space flight speeds requires the rocket
engine to achieve the greatest action force possible in the shortest time.
In other words, the engine must burn a large mass of fuel and push the
resulting gas out of the engine as rapidly as possible. Ways of doing
this will be described in the next chapter,
law of motion can be restated in the following way: the greater the mass
of rocket fuel burned, and the faster the gas produced can escape the
engine, the greater the thrust of the rocket.
Laws of Motion Together
An unbalanced force
must be exerted for a rocket to lift off from a launch pad or for a craft
in space to change speed or direction (first law). The amount of thrust
(force) produced by a rocket engine will be determined by the mass of
rocket fuel that is burned and how fast the gas escapes the rocket (second
law). The reaction, or motion, of the rocket is equal to and in the opposite
direction of the action, or thrust, from the engine (third law).
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Influences on N/A
Connecting the dots of artistic inspiration: a musical family tree
It is difficult to tell at this point exactly who Francis Scott Key’s literary influences were, though it is safe to assume that he may have been at least aware of the works of prominent British writers such as Alexander Pope, Samuel Johnson, Robert Burns, William Blake, William Wordsworth, and Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Influenced by N/A
What is easier to ascertain is the extent of Key’s influence on American culture. Today there are monuments, memorials, and schools named after the writer, and his “Star-Spangled Banner” is one of the most frequently performed songs in the world.
Next Page: Listen (BETA)
Previous Page: Technique
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Description of Lifepac Math: Grade 4: Unit 5: Division and Measurements by Alpha Omega
With Math LIFEPAC curriculum, repetition, drill and application ensure mastery of basic computational skills. As problem solving ability increases, students progress to higher-level cognitive reasoning and analysis.
Perfect for students who flourish in a self-paced, individualized learning format, each consumable LIFEPAC combines lessons, exercises, projects, reviews and tests. Individual LIFEPACs are perfect for remediating "learning gaps". Full color illustrations, simple, easy to understand directions and the joy of completing workbooks make this a fun program for fourth graders.
•Division, addition, subtraction, multiplication
•Units of measure, division facts
•Calendar, perimeter and area; add & subtract fractions
•Missing number problems, roman numerals, division signs
•Reading, Review, Reinforcement, Picture Graph
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Imaging and radiology
Radiology is a branch of medicine that uses imaging technology to diagnose and treat disease.
Radiology may be divided into two different areas, diagnostic radiology and interventional radiology. The field of therapeutic radiology, which uses x-rays to treat cancer, is now called radiation oncology.
Doctors who specialize in radiology are called radiologists.
Interventional radiology; Diagnostic radiology; X-ray imaging
Diagnostic radiology helps health care professionals see structures inside your body. Using these images, the radiologist or other physicians can often:
- Diagnose the cause of your symptoms
- Monitor how well your body is responding to a treatment you are receiving for your disease or condition
- Screen for different illnesses, such as breast cancer or heart disease
The most common types of diagnostic radiology include:
- Computed tomography (CT), also know as a CAT scan (computerized axial tomography)
- CT angiography
- Fluoroscopy with scanning, including upper GI and barium enema
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
- Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)
- Nuclear medicine, which includes such tests as a bone scan, thyroid scan, and thallium cardiac stress test
- Plain x-rays
- Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging or a PET scan
Interventional radiology uses imaging to help guide the doctor when inserting catheters, wires, and other small instruments and tools into your body.
Doctors can use this technology to diagnose or treat conditions in almost any part of the body, instead of needing to directly look inside of your body through a scope (camera) or surgery.
Some of these conditions include cancers or tumors, blockages in your arteries and veins, fibroids in the uterus, back pain, gallstones and gallbladder problems, and thyroid disorders.
The doctor will make no incision (cut) or only a very small one. You rarely need to stay in the hospital afterwards. Most patients need either conscious sedation (medicines to help you relax) or spinal or epidural anesthesia.
Radiologists who perform these types of procedure receive 1 or 2 extra years of training after they have finished medical school and basic training in radiology.
Examples of interventional radiology procedures include:
- Angiography or angioplasty and stent placement
- Catheter embolization
- Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty
- Needle biopsies of different organs, such as the lungs and thyroid
- Radiofrequency ablation
- Breast biopsy, guided either by stereotactic or ultrasound techniques
- Uterine artery embolization
- Feeding tube placement
- Injecting cancer treatments at the site of the tumor
Reviewed By: Ken Levin, MD, Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Good Shepard Hospital, Allentown PA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M. Health Solutions, Ebix, Inc.
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30 November 2011, Rome - A new, satellite-based survey released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) provides a more accurate picture of changes in the world's forests, showing forest land use declined between 1990 and 2005.
The findings of a global remote sensing survey show the world's total forest area in 2005 was 3.69 billion hectares, or 30 percent of the global land area.
The new findings suggest that the rate of world deforestation averaged 14.5 million hectares per year between 1990 and 2005, which is consistent with previous estimates. Deforestation largely occurred in the tropics, likely attributable to the conversion of tropical forests to agricultural land.
On the other hand, the survey shows that worldwide, the net loss in forest area between 1990 and 2005 was not as great as previously believed, since gains in forest areas are larger than previously estimated.
Read more on the FAO website
Photo credits : CC BY-SA 2.0 - Alexandre Prévot
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This week, look around when you’re at church and try to pick out which 1 of the 8 women around you will get diagnosed with breast cancer at some point in her life. These women will be witness to some profound changes, when their hair begins to thin and eyelashes fall out because of the treatment they’re receiving.
If these women happen to be black, they’ll be twice as likely to die when compared to their white counterpart.
Why? Because the threat is more severe and the diagnosis is often too late.
Part of the problem is a rare form of a very aggressive and difficult-to-treat breast cancer is unusually prevalent in black women, accounting for as much as 20 percent of all cases of breast cancer and making younger black women (under the age of 50) 77 percent more likely to die from this form of disease than white women of all ages.
That’s scary—and it makes early detection all the more important.
Which leads us to the second part of the problem. No matter what kind of breast cancer, black women are less likely to get screening and less likely to report early signs of breast cancer to a physician.
While mammography rates for black women over the age of 50 have improved, more than half of black women still report not getting one when recommended. Some studies also suggest black women are at risk of breast cancer—particularly the more aggressive kinds—as young as 20 years of age; so young, many physicians do not think they need a mammogram.
Getting the right treatment on time is also a problem. All too often, issues like lack of transportation, gaps in insurance coverage, or getting time off from work make it harder to see a doctor. Even in the doctor’s office, studies show linguistic and ethnic minorities have a harder time communicating—and therefore trusting—their physician when it comes time to talk about their symptoms or concerns about treatments, such as taking medication on time or the risks associated with radiation from mammograms.
Nevertheless, mammography is a critical first step to treating breast cancer early, before it becomes life-threatening. Catching breast cancer before it spreads to the rest of the body can make the difference between a 93 percent chance of survival and 15 percent.
That is why Neighborhood Health Plan has been working to get the word out about the danger of breast cancer and what resources are available to fight it through local ads, a hotline, and working with the community to encourage black women get mammograms.
We’re kicking off our campaign again and, while we made progress before, we’re aiming higher.
But the battle against breast cancer starts with you. Look around. It’s time to get checked.
Pam Siren is the Vice President of Quality and Compliance of Boston-based Neighborhood Health Plan (NHP), a not-for-profit Managed Care Organization (MCO).
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— Tiangong 1, or "Heavenly Palace" is scheduled to blast off Sept. 29 or 30 from China's Gobi Desert.
— The module will allow China to practice rendezvous and docking techniques.
— Two more prototypes are planned before first module of Chinese space station is launched around 2020.
With the U.S. human space program in transition, China is taking a bold step toward an independent path to orbit with the launch this week of a space station testbed.
Tiangong-1 — Mandarin for "heavenly palace" — is scheduled to blast off aboard a Chinese Long March 2F rocket from a launch site in the Gobi Desert on Sept. 29 or 30, Xinhua, the official Chinese government information agency reports.
The eight-ton module will serve as an orbital testbed for China to practice robotic rendezvous and docking techniques, a necessary skill for the assembly and operation of the manned outpost China intends to build around 2020.
China's next step in space comes as the United States retools its manned space program, following the retirement this summer of the space shuttles.
NASA has three human spaceflight initiatives under way — staffing the International Space Station; supporting development of private sector space taxis; and designing a government-owned heavy-lift launcher and capsule for deep space missions beyond the station's 225-mile-high orbit.
China pushed hard to be included in the U.S-led international partnership, which owns and operates the recently completed $100 billion complex. Rebuffed, China decided on an independent path to space, with construction of a space station scheduled to begin around 2020, followed by missions to the moon.
"They have plans and they are implementing them. They really don't want to be working with us because we're too hard to work with," space policy expert Joan Johnson-Freese, with the U.S. Naval War College in Rhode Island, told Discovery News.
Tiangong 1 will be used to test an autonomous rendezvous and docking system aboard an unmanned Shenzhou 8 spacecraft China plans to launch before the end of the year, Gregory Kulacki, China Program manager at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Discovery News.
Tiangong 1 is the first in a series of test modules, similar to spacecraft flown and tested by NASA as part of the Gemini program that preceded the 1969-1972 Apollo moon missions and the 1973-1979 Skylab space station program.
China's space station will be much smaller than the International Space Station. It will weigh less than 100 tons, compared to the ISS's 1 million pounds. It is planned to have a core module, which will serve as living quarters for a crew, and two laboratory modules.
China says its space station will be used for scientific research. But since space technology inherently has dual use for military programs, as well as commercial applications, China's growing sophistication in space is a concern for some in the United States.
"I imagine it will have some impact on how people think about the U.S. space program, but I don't think it will have any impact on the Obama administration's plans," Kulacki said.
That thought rankles former NASA administrator Michael Griffin, among others.
"In my opinion, China understands what it takes to be a great power. We have written the script for them," Griffin said at a hearing before a NASA oversight committee last week.
"They are a near-peer competitor of ours and I would worry very much about the future of this nation if we were not — and if we were not seen by all — to be a world leader," he said.
"When the Chinese can reach the moon and we cannot, I don't see why any other nation would regard us as a world leader."
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In the late 1700s, when William Wilberforce was a teenager, English traders raided the African coast on the Gulf of Guinea, captured between 35,000 and 50,000 Africans a year, shipped them across the Atlantic, and sold them into slavery. It was a profitable business that many powerful people had become dependent upon. One publicist for the West Indies trade wrote, “The impossibility of doing without slaves in the West Indies will always prevent this traffic being dropped. The necessity, the absolute necessity, then, of carrying it on, must, since there is no other, be its excuse.”
By the late 1700s, the economics of slavery were so entrenched that only a handful of people thought anything could be done about it. That handful included William Wilberforce.
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A cell wall is a structure formed largely of cellulose that surrounds plant cells. Other components include cross linking glycans and pectins. Many proteins are found, largely those which act to remodel the cell wall polysaccharides, however highly glycosylated proline rich proteins are also found which are not enzymatically active. Plant cell walls are classified as primary and secondary. The primary cell wall is ellucidated below and is found in all plant cells. The secondary cell wall is found in tissues that require extra rigidity such as the stem, trunk, xylem or other specialised tissue. This secondary cell wall may consist of simply thicker cellulose microfibrils with more cross linking, or the deposition of lignin that makes up wood in the case of the xylem.
Cellulose microfibrils are initially synthesised by the cellulose synthase complex, a set of enzymes embedded in the cell membrane. The cellulose molecule is initially about 500 glucose molecules long. Neighbouring cellulose molecules interact via hydrogen bonding to form parallel, overlapping aggregates of around 40 molecules. These are referred to as a microfibril. These are then arranged in layers referred to as lamellae and bound together by cross linking glycans.
Cross linking glycans are highly branched polysaccharides that interact via hydrogen bonding with the cellulose microfibrils. These are composed of a backbone, usually glucose but also xylose or mannose with many side chains. These vary greatly between species.
Pectins are branched polysaccharides, typified by the huge numbers of negatively charged galacturonic acid residues. Owing to this negative charge, the addition of divalent cations, such as calcium allows these chains to be cross linked by the positive ions.
- Alberts B, et al.(2002). Molecular Biology of the Cell, 4th ed. Garland Science, pp. 1120-1124. ISBN 0-8153-3218-1.
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2013-05-18T18:52:17Z
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The Smithsonian American Art Museum offers thirteen fantastic online activities for use in art and history classes. The activities range from topics like Cleopatra Lost and Found to Picturing the 1930's to Exploring Whitehouse Craft.
I spent some time today exploring the Picturing the 1930's exhibit and activities. In Picturing the 1930's students can walk through a virtual museum exploring paintings, documents, music, and film. While walking through the virtual museum students will be greeted by "tour guides" who will explain various aspects of the exhibit. The virtual museum is easy to navigate by using the arrows at the bottom of the screen or clicking through doorways. After exploring the art work in the virtual museum, students can create their own documentary-style film using images, text, and narration using the Picturing the 1930's film editor.
Applications for Education
I'm a big fan of online activities that provide students with learning materials and provide a place for students to immediately use their new knowledge. Picturing the 1930's does just that. Picturing the 1930's could be used in an art class or in a US History class. The other activities provided by the Smithsonian American Art Museum look just as promising as Picturing the 1930's.
Here are some related items that may be of interest to you:
ArtsEdge - Podcasts and Lesson Plans
Blogs for Art Teachers
Kodak Lesson Plans
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Parents can help young children deal with anger by guiding their understanding and management of this emotion. As a result, children will be more likely to deal with their angry feelings directly and non-aggressively. Here are some strategies:
- Model responsible anger management.
Adults should acknowledge, accept and take responsibility for their own angry feelings and express anger in direct and non-aggressive ways.
- Use books and stories about anger.
Well presented books and stories about anger validate children’s feelings and provide information they can learn from.
- Create a safe emotional climate.
A healthy setting permits children to acknowledge all feelings, whether pleasant or unpleasant.
- Encourage children to talk about anger arousing interactions. Preschool children better understand anger and other emotions when adults explain emotions.
- Encourage children to label angry feelings.
Parents can help young children by teaching them that they can use a word to describe their angry feelings. Create a book or a chart that lists different labels for anger (e.g., mad, irritated, annoyed) so that your family can refer to it when discussing angry feelings.
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Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.
Our three levels of government provide Canadians with many services that cannot be easily provided by private companies—the federal government is responsible for national defence and international diplomacy, for example. The provinces and territories, meanwhile, ensure that Canadians have access to essential services such as health care and education. Local governments take care of keeping our streets clean and our communities safe.
The constitution spells out the responsibilities of each level of government. But governments’ accounting books shows where their priorities lie and where they spend taxpayers’ dollars. All told, in 2005/2006 our governments spent $516 .9 billion providing Canadians with goods and services.
In 2005/2006, on a per capita basis, the federal government spent $6,794 for every man, woman and child in the country, and the provincial, territorial and local governments spent another $10,839 per capita.
But these averages vary widely, particularly among the provinces and territories. The high cost of providing services in Canada’s North means that Nunavut spent $38,859 per capita, while the provincial per capita spending ranged between $10,000 and $15,000.
The single largest expense for the federal government is social assistance. In 2005/2006, social security payments, family allowances and income maintenance programs cost just over $57.4 billion, a 9.6% increase since 2001/2002.
Federal expenditures for health care services jumped to $23.8 billion in 2004/2005 from $6.8 billion in 2003/2004. In 2005/2006, it was $21.8 billion. The increase in 2004/2005 was mainly because of the new Canada Health Transfer—a specific transfer payment for health care to the provinces and territories—which amounted to $14.0 billion in 2004/2005. Prior to 2004, the federal transfers for health care were part of a general purpose transfer called the Canada Health and Social Transfer. Accordingly, general purpose transfers declined from $29.6 billion in 2003/2004 to $21.0 billion in 2004/2005.
The protection of persons and property is another big-ticket spending item for the federal government—the military, federal policing, prisons and courts cost $25.5 billion in expenditures in 2005/2006.
Providing hospital and medical care is the primary responsibility of the provinces and territories, and they collectively spent $93.8 billion on health care in 2005/2006. The combination of increased federal transfers for health care, an aging population and the rising cost of medical services has pushed spending in this area up by over one quarter since 2001/2002.
Schooling Canadians is the second largest expense for the provincial and territorial governments—to the tune of $70.6 billion in 2005/2006. Elementary, secondary and postsecondary education absorbs 96% of this spending.
Elementary and secondary education, keeping neighbourhoods clean and secure and providing local infrastructure are the biggest expenditures at the local level. In 2005, elementary and secondary education amounted to $40.1 billion. Municipal governments spent $10.5 billion on environmental programs—such as water purification and garbage collection—and another $9.8 billion on protection of persons and property.
Building and maintaining roads and streets and providing other transportation services cost local governments another $11.8 billion.
Running the country is expensive. Without collecting taxes from the population, our governments could not provide the services that Canadians have come to expect. In 2005/2006, all levels of government raised a total of $403.7 billion in taxes, about $70.0 billion more than in 2001/2002.
More than half of that total (56.3%) came from income taxes: personal income taxes totalled $169.2 billion and corporate income taxes amounted to $51.1 billion. Consumption taxes, such as gasoline taxes, customs duties and those on alcohol, tobacco and gambling—added another $108.0 billion; the provinces and territories collected more than half of these taxes. Property taxes totalled $49.6 billion—most of this money goes directly to local governments.
Governments also collect revenue from other sources. In 2005/2006, they collectively earned $45.3 billion from investment activities and sold $43.1 billion worth of goods and services—such as student tuition fees and municipal water.
Together, Canada’s three levels of government and the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan accounts have pulled in more money than they have spent in every year since 1999/2000. This followed a string of deficits. However, much of this surplus is occurring at the federal level, in Alberta, and within the Canada and Quebec Pension Plan accounts. Moreover, while the federal government has seen successive surpluses since 1997/1998, the 13 provincial and territorial governments together have posted only four surplus years during the last decade.
Of Canada’s 16.5 million workers in 2006, just over 3.1 million worked in the public sector. About 1.1 million of these public sector employees worked for the governments themselves, while 976,000 worked for educational institutions and 780,000 were employed with health care and social services providers.
Collectively, these public sector employees—our policemen, postal workers, diplomats, sanitation workers, health care workers, bureaucrats and other government service providers—earned $151.2 billion in wages in 2006. The public sector wage bill was flat or falling from 1994 to 1997, but then climbed by nearly 50% by the end of 2006.
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Irving Fisher, the First Celebrity Finance Professor
When speculative bubbles form, as they did in the 1920s and the late 1990s, the financial community invariably listens to academic entrepreneurs peddling their pet philosophies about the financial boom.
Fisher was born Feb. 27, 1867, in Saugerties, New York. Throughout his footloose youth, he thrived at public and private schools that demanded mathematical rigor. Eventually, he entered Yale University as a science major. He ended up in a new area of study called economics. He received his doctorate with one of Yale’s first economics dissertations, and remained associated with the university for the rest of his life.
Fisher was obviously brilliant, though health problems stemming from a bout of tuberculosis early in his career forced him to postpone his plans. This mishap also gave him a taste of his own vulnerability and a lifelong concern for health and eugenics, the now-discredited study of methods designed to improve the genetics of the population.
Once returned to health, Fisher developed revolutionary insights into financial theory that are still invoked today. He explained that the market interest rate coincides with the human tendency to discount an uncertain future when compared with the more pressing present. He argued that we distribute our present and expected future wealth over the consumption decisions we make now and in the future. In doing so, he anticipated the life-cycle hypothesis that would demonstrate, half a century later, why we save and how we consume.
And, he showed that we make our financial decisions based on real wealth and real interest rates. Consequently, he devoted his career to designing financial instruments that are immune to inflation. Indeed, he proposed the first inflation-protected Treasuries that offer a fixed real interest rate by allowing the coupon payments to rise along with prices.
Fisher was zealously entrepreneurial for his new financial instruments and his economic theories. He lobbied presidential candidates to promote his inflation-protected bonds, but he showed a remarkable tendency to back the wrong horse.
He also put his money where his mouth is. First, he accumulated data on inflation so that he would be prepared to help calculate the necessary coupon on inflation-protected bonds. To keep track of the data he maintained on index cards, Fisher designed a large revolving-file system to allow for their quick retrieval. When he felt he perfected his system, he sold a version of the idea that allowed the New York City telephone company to organize and quickly retrieve telephone numbers.
His concept eventually became the Rolodex system. When another business company merged with him to form Remington Rand, Fisher became a multimillionaire. His self-made fortune and his financial theories became the stuff of legend on Wall Street during the Roaring Twenties and made Irving Fisher as close to a household name as any academic financial economist.
Fisher absolutely believed in the manifest destiny of the U.S. as it became the world’s economic superpower. The media sought him out to provide regular doses of financial-market optimism. Even when trouble loomed, and the stock market crashed in October 1929, Fisher offered reassurance that the market was just taking a breather before it expanded again.
Fisher succumbed to his own optimism, as had millions of others. By the late 1920s, he had lost most of his considerable fortune. In the early 1930s, he devoted his remaining assets to one long-shot investment after another, always in the belief that the market would soon overcome its momentary irrationality.
He would have lost everything had it not been for the generous decision by Yale University to accept the donation of his home under the provision that he and his wife could remain there until they died.
Fisher tried to resurrect his reputation by offering his advice to presidents and even to John Maynard Keynes, whose star ascended during the Great Depression. Still, Fisher’s prophecy on the eve of the 1929 crash that “stock prices have reached what looks like a permanently high plateau” haunted him to his death.
(Colin Read is chairman of the finance department at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh. He is the author of the “Great Minds in Finance” series and other finance titles published by Palgrave Macmillan. The opinions expressed are his own.)
Read more Echoes columns online.
To contact the writer of this post: Colin Read at email@example.com
To contact the editor responsible for this post: Max Berley at firstname.lastname@example.org
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Amoshaun Phynn Toft
Provides a background for understanding qualitative inquiry. Focuses on ethnographic inquiry and interpretative cultural analysis. Discusses forms of data collection such as observation, participant observation, and interviewing. Also stresses strategies for data analysis and for handling qualitative data.
Topics in Qualitative Inquiry: Discourse Analysis
This course provides an overview of theoretical and methodological approaches to discourse analysis. We will cover a range of issues pertaining to the study of language in use, including: the relationship between social theory and empirical research; the role of the researcher and research ethics; power and the politics of naming; inductive, deductive, and retroductive research design; and using numbers in qualitative research.
Students will learn to use a set of tools for grammatical and lexical analysis, perform collaborative research tasks, and produce original research that interrogates the ways that language structures relationships, identities, and societies.
Student learning goals
Familiarity with social theories of importance in the field of discourse analysis
An understanding of the range of methods for analyzing discourse
Ability to analyze written, visual, and auditory discourse samples
Fluency in considerations of importance in research design, sampling, and database production
General method of instruction
The course will take the form of short lectures, multimedia exemplars, and in-class activities.
Students should bring an interest in language and representation. Experience in communication, linguistics, research methods, or social theory are particularly welcome, but not required.
Class assignments and grading
Assignments will be a combination of method-based activities, writing assignments, and exams.
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http://www.washington.edu/students/icd/B/bis/410atoft.html
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2013-05-24T23:48:56Z
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(WVLT) -- With November being Diabetes Awareness Month, it's important for everyone to be aware of the risks associated with the disease and how to prevent it.
Type two diabetes can often be prevented with a gradual weight loss plan and proper diet. That's why we talked with Molly Gee, a registered dietitcian for education on diabetes and tips to prevent it.
Here are some facts and myths about the disease:
Myth: Diabetes is not that serious of a disease and only affects a small portion of the U.S. population.
Fact: Diabetes affects 25.8 million Americans and causes more deaths a year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Diabetes is the leading cause of heart disease and stroke.
Myth: Eating too much sugar causes diabetes.
Fact: Foods do not cause diabetes but eight in 10 people with diabetes are overweight or obese.
Studies have shown the benefits of weight loss for people with or at risk of developing diabetes: a slight 5-7% weight loss, plus regular exercise can reduce the rate of onset of type 2 diabetes by 58 percent. Gee says, "Just small changes, a modest weight loss, 10 to 20 pounds which translates to about 5 to 10% can make a real difference in controlling your diabetes and really improving your quality of life."
By providing structure around daily eating plans and controlling calorie intake, people can take better control of their diabetes and/or minimize the risks. "Having a balanced diet that includes protein, whole grains, fiber is very important, and then most of my patients tell me they'd love to do it but they run out of time and this is where portion control, calorie control is really important. Monitoring their blood sugar is so important, especially when theyre trying to lose weight. I do remind my patients to check with your doctors before you start on a weight loss diet or an exercise diet, but usually monitoring it right before you go to bed or when you get up is a pretty good standard."
Also, get active by starting physical activity on a gradual basis. Gee says, "The weight control registry really has some clear ideas and one of course is to really keep moving. Keeping with the theme of small steps, just starting out with ten minutes a day of walking will put you on the road of good activity and working up gradually to 30 minutes. You really find that you feel better and really, physical activity helps control that blood sugar as well."
For more information on controlling diabetes, visit Glucerna.com.
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http://www.local8now.com/news/health/headlines/The_Facts_and_Myths_about_Weight_Loss_and_Diabetes_133519893.html
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All greenhouse gases except CO2 and H2O are removed from the atmosphere primarily by chemical processes within the atmosphere. Greenhouse gases containing one or more H atoms (e.g., CH4, HFCs and HCFCs), as well as other pollutants, are removed primarily by the reaction with hydroxyl radicals (OH). This removal takes place in the troposphere, the lowermost part of the atmosphere, ranging from the surface up to 7 to 16 km depending on latitude and season and containing 80% of the mass of the atmosphere. The greenhouse gases N2O, PFCs, SF6, CFCs and halons do not react with OH in the troposphere. These gases are destroyed in the stratosphere or above, mainly by solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) at short wavelengths (<240 nm), and are long-lived. Because of the time required to transport these gases to the region of chemical loss, they have a minimum lifetime of about 20 years. CO2 is practically inert in the atmosphere and does not directly influence the chemistry, but it has a small in situ source from the oxidation of CH4, CO and VOC.
Tropospheric OH abundances depend on abundances of NOx, CH4, CO, VOC, O3 and H2O plus the amount of solar UV (>300 nm) that reaches the troposphere. As a consequence, OH varies widely with geographical location, time of day, and season. Likewise the local loss rates of all those gases reacting with OH also vary. Because of its dependence on CH4 and other pollutants, tropospheric OH is expected to have changed since the pre-industrial era and to change again for future emission scenarios. For some of these gases other removal processes, such as photolysis or surface uptake, are also important; and the total sink of the gas is obtained by integrating over all such processes. The chemistry of tropospheric O3 is closely tied to that of OH, and its abundance also varies with changing precursor emissions. The chemistry of the troposphere is also directly influenced by the stratospheric burden of O3, climatic changes in temperature (T) and humidity (H2O), as well as by interactions between tropospheric aerosols and trace gases. Such couplings provide a "feedback" between the climate change induced by increasing greenhouse gases and the concentration of these gases. Another feedback, internal to the chemistry, is the impact of CH4 on OH and hence its own loss. These feedbacks are expected to be important for tropospheric O3 and OH. Such chemistry-chemistry or climate-chemistry coupling has been listed under "indirect effects" in the SAR (Prather et al., 1995; Schimel et al., 1996).
This chapter uses 3-D chemistry-transport models (CTMs) to integrate the varying chemical processes over global conditions, to estimate their significance, and to translate the emission scenarios into abundance changes in the greenhouse gases CH4, HFCs, and O3. An extensive modelling exercise called OxComp (tropospheric oxidant model comparison) - involving model comparisons, sensitivity studies, and investigation of the IPCC SRES scenarios was organised to support this report.
Stratospheric circulation and distribution of O3 control the transport of the long-lived greenhouse gases to regions of photochemical loss as well as the penetration of solar UV into the atmosphere. At the same time, many of these gases (e.g., N2O and CFCs) supply ozone-depleting radicals (e.g., nitric oxide (NO) and Cl) to the stratosphere, providing a feedback between the gas and its loss rate. Another consequence of the observed stratospheric ozone depletion is that tropospheric photochemical activity is expected to have increased, altering tropospheric OH and O3. Climate change in the 21st century, including the radiative cooling of the stratosphere by increased levels of CO2, is expected to alter stratospheric circulation and O3, and, hence, the global mean loss rates of the long-lived gases. Some of these effects are discussed in WMO (1999) and are briefly considered here.
The biosphere's response to global change will impact the atmospheric composition of the 21st century. The anticipated changes in climate (e.g., temperature, precipitation) and in chemistry will alter ecosystems and thus the "natural", background emissions of trace gases. There is accumulating evidence that increased N deposition (the result of NOx and ammonia (NH3) emissions) and elevated surface O3 abundances have opposite influences on plant CO2 uptake: O3 (>40 ppb) inhibits CO2 uptake; while N deposition enhances it up to a threshold, above which the effects are detrimental. In addition, the increased N availability from atmospheric deposition and direct fertilisation accelerates the emission of N-containing trace gases (NO, N2O and NH3) and CH4, as well as altering species diversity and biospheric functioning. These complex interactions represent a chemistry-biosphere feedback that may alter greenhouse forcing.
Other reports in this collection
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http://grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/wg1/131.htm
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2013-05-26T03:02:57Z
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| 0.928041
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(Phys.org) -- One obvious way to reset a mobile device's clock is to check out a master clock online but Zhenjiang Li, a computer scientist and doctoral candidate at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and colleagues have another way of keeping devices time-worthy. Li and co-authors from universities in China, Singapore, and Illinois, have demonstrated that any mobile device, including a smartphone, that has a light sensor or camera can use the flicker from fluorescent lights to keep accurate time. They have authored a paper titled, "FLIGHT: Clock Calibration Using Fluorescent Lighting," to explore how smartphone clocks can keep precise time via the flicker of fluorescent lights.
Starting from static deployment in the laboratory, our measurements validate that fluorescent lighting is able to serve as a viable reference for time calibration, they wrote.
Most electronic devices use vibrating crystals to regulate their internal clocks. External factors like humidity and temperature, however, can throw off these frequencies to the point where the clocks drift, and that drift may be by nearly ten seconds per day, in some devices.
The team calls their new clock synchronization approach FLIGHT, which makes use of the fact that the light intensity from fluorescent lamps varies with a stable period. FLIGHT does not require any extra hardware and radio operations, noted the authors. By sampling a light sensor or camera, FLIGHT can intelligently extract periods for the clock calibration and retain a common notion of time in the system.
By tuning to the light emitted from indoor fluorescent lamps, FLIGHT can intelligently extract the light period information and achieve network wide time calibration by referring to such a common time reference. The researchers said they implemented FLIGHT in TelosB motes. Their experiments used a 12-node test-bed in static and mobile environments.
Over one-week measurement suggests that, compared with existing technologies, FLIGHT can achieve tightly synchronized time with low energy consumption, they stated. The researchers think their scheme is accurate to less than a thousandth of a second per day. Since it needs no network connection, they note that the approach carries the benefit of saving a devices battery life.
The team is to present this work at the MobiCom conference (the 18th Annual International Conference on Mobile Computing and Networking) in Istanbul, Turkey, from August 22 to August 26. MobiCom is a gathering of professionals focused on both mobile computing and wireless and mobile networking. Talks and presentations will address networks, systems, algorithms, and applications that support the symbiosis of mobile computers and wireless networks.
Based on the discussion in the authors' paper, there can be an easy and useful relationship between wireless devices and fluorescent lights. They point out that the light sensor or camera has been widely embedded in commodity wireless platforms. This, they suggest, offers a great opportunity for plenty of indoor applications to maintain common time by referring to the light emitted from fluorescent lamps. The fluorescent lights in the home or office are actually flickering at regular intervals, though it may be too rapid a flicker for the eyes to notice.
Reactions by science writers elsewhere have reacted favorably to the concept. Artificial lighting is all around us, and it is a fantastic keeper or time, said PopSci. Alternating current provided by power mains runs at a frequency of 50 or 60 cycles per second, with the power delivered dropping to zero twice per cycle.
Explore further: Broadcom enters 5G pearly gates with new chip BCM4335
More information: www.cse.ust.hk/~lzjiang/2012-MobiCom_FLIGHT.pdf
via Newscientist, Popsci
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2013-05-18T18:44:19Z
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| 0.927979
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After the Flood - There's Hope
Homes that are damaged by flooding can be repaired and made more durable.
Flooding is a fact of life that results in more damage to buildings throughout the United States than any other single natural cause. Residential buildings are especially hard hit during floods; the lives of the residents are disrupted and precious possessions are lost.While homeowners are discouraged or prohibited from building new homes in floodprone areas, existing homes,when damaged,must be repaired. Builders can minimize damage to these homes from future flooding by repairing or renovating them using materials and methods that are resistant to flood damage.
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Tuskegee University have been working to identify and evaluate building materials, systems, and methods that can be used to repair houses after flooding and that make the envelope of a house more resistant to future flood damage (see “After the Flood,”HE Jan/Feb ’03, p. 12).We were also interested in providing a scientific basis for certifying building materials and systems that are resistant to flood damage, so that that information can inform future building code development.
The Department of Homeland Security, Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate defines flood damage resistance as the ability of materials, components, and systems to withstand direct and prolonged contact with floodwater without sustaining degradation that requires more than cosmetic repair to restore it to its original condition. Cosmetic repair includes cleaning, sanitizing, and resurfacing material; resurfacing includes sanding, repairing joints, and repainting. Repair should be less costly than simply replacing the affected materials and systems.As a result of our materials testing,we have identified another key attribute of flood damage resistance. Individual materials that are considered flood damage resistant must not cause the degradation of adjacent materials, or the systems of which the material is a part.
A 2-ft Flood
Our test facility is located on the experimental farm near an agricultural lake at Tuskegee University, in Tuskegee,Alabama. Initially, two test modules were built with typical home construction materials and methods. The modules were flooded to a level of 2 ft above the floor with water from an agricultural lake that reasonably represented typical riverine floodwater.The test modules were allowed to dry for 30 days. Detailed information was collected to determine how these construction materials and systems were affected during and after flooding.Test results from these materials and systems provided a baseline against which other materials and systems could be compared.
Based on what we learned in those tests,we conducted a second set of tests. The second set of tests introduced materials and systems that we expected to be more flood damage resistant than typical construction materials and systems. In the second tests, unlike the first ones,we sanitized the materials and systems while they were drying, and cosmetically restored them after the drying period, in order to assess their performance after exposure to a flood. Samples of the various materials were taken for testing and observation, and the test modules were then demolished and autopsied.The initial results of our research were reported in the article cited above.
We built a third pair of modules to attempt dry floodproofing—constructing a building in such a way that no water enters the structure during flooding— and to test additional materials and systems for resistance to flood damage.
In all of our testing,we employed relative humidity transmitters; thermocouples that measured temperature; and moisture sensors installed in wall studs, wall surfaces, floor joists, and floor surfaces (see Figure 1).A weather station provided data on ambient conditions during the test.We used a hand-held moisture meter to measure material moisture content during the postflood drying period. Mold was sampled from the modules and tested in a laboratory to identify its type. Flexural strength and modulus were determined for various types of siding and wallboard.
We also developed detailed protocols for visual observation.While visual observation is subjective, the protocols were developed to systematize these observations and make them as detailed and consistent as possible throughout the series of tests.We made extensive photographic and video records as well.
Flood-Damage-Resistant Materials and Systems
The ORNL/Tuskegee experiments tested only for resistance to physical degradation that results from the wetting and drying cycle associated with flooding.The testing did not address the structural impact on the envelope of externally applied hydrostatic pressures. Postflooding mold growth was documented and selected specimens were analyzed. Some test modules were also cleaned and sanitized to determine if mold growth could be controlled. However, bacteriological and toxic materials testing were not performed during this series of tests. And we did not test for the residual health effects of flooding on otherwise flood-damage-resistant materials and systems. Such testing could potentially change our conclusions.
The following conclusions should be viewed as preliminary, since the purpose of our project was to provide a scientific basis for certifying materials and systems for flood damage resistance for use in building codes, and as yet there is no accepted certifying test procedure.
Newly installed and painted plywood and hardboard lap siding maintained reasonable dimensional stability and mechanical properties after they were dried.The siding materials that we tested were washable after flooding and drying, but these materials remained discolored. However, older,weathered plywood and hardwood siding, or siding made of the same materials that is repeatedly wetted and dried over several cycles, could significantly degrade and require more than cosmetic repair to restore it to its original condition. Both vinyl and fiber cement siding could be restored to preflood conditions through washing the portion below flood level.The corner boards, which were made from nominal 1-inch sawn lumber, cracked and warped.Vinyl corner trim showed no evidence of deterioration from flooding.
Fiberock sheathing, a water-resistant, fiber-reinforced gypsum panel manufactured by USG, maintained its integrity and mechanical properties.The Fiberock dried to preflood conditions during the drying period.
Plywood sheathing maintained its integrity and mechanical properties. However, it had not dried to preflood conditions after 30 days. Because water does not tend to escape quickly from behind plywood siding,we do not consider the combination of plywood siding and sheathing to be a good flood-damage- resistant system. Lap siding tends to let moisture escape more quickly. If a flood-damage-resistant lap siding is employed, the use of plywood as sheathing is likely to make an acceptable flood-damage-resistant system.
We experimented with 15# felt under both vinyl and fiber cement lap siding and found that the sheathing had dried to preflood conditions at the time of autopsy. We will perform a test using Tyvek house wrap at press time.According to the manufacturer,Tyvek inhibits the passage of liquid water and it breathes, so water vapor from drying can pass through the material. We’ll know experimentally how it performs under flood conditions in a couple of months.
The moisture content in wood studs above the flood line returned to preflood levels within the drying period.The portion of the studs below the flood line did not, in most cases, dry to preflood levels during the drying period.We considered wood studs to be flood damage resistant as long as the wall system will permit them to continue to dry to normal moisture levels.
Fiberglass batt insulation appeared to retain moisture in the exterior wall cavities and below the floor (see Figure 2). The moisture on the fiberglass fibers appeared to keep adjacent walls and floor materials wetter longer; this could potentially cause long-term damage to the subflooring, to the floor and wall framing, and to the gypsum board walls. When spray polyurethane foam (SPUF) insulation was used in the wall cavities, the wallboard and wood studs in exterior walls dried at nearly the same rate as in the interior walls with empty cavities (see Figure 3, p. 22). SPUF absorbs water very slowly and was undamaged by flooding. SPUF did not retain moisture; thus it did not reduce the flood damage resistance of the materials around it.
When conventional paper-faced gypsum board was used with fiberglass batt insulation on exterior walls, the gypsum board lost about 50% of its flexural strength; at the end of the drying period, it remained wetter than the gypsum board on uninsulated interior walls. Interior gypsum board walls dried out and regained flexural strength during the test period.The gypsum board could be restored to preflood conditions with cosmetic restoration (see the article cited above for details).
Conventional drywall supported mold growth during several tests, but it was cleaned and sanitized, which eliminated the mold stains. Fiberock interior wallboard, a non-water-resistant gypsum product without paper facings by USG, regained about 70%–78% of its initial strength when tested (see Table 1), and it dried out during the 30-day drying period.Although it supported mold growth, it could be cleaned, sanitized, and restored.
Fiberock exterior sheathing was applied to some interior walls. It regained 82%–87% of its initial strength on an exterior wall insulated with SPUF and 101%–130% of its initial strength on an interior, hollow-cavity wall. (The strength actually increased in one instance after exposure to flooding. This happens occasionally with gypsum products, since complete hydration of all of the gypsum does not always occur in manufacturing, and subsequent exposure to water completes the process.) The Fiberock exterior sheathing applied to interior walls also dried out during the drying period. It did not support mold growth and its surfaces were easily cleaned and restored.
Ceramic tile performed well under flood conditions and showed no longterm deterioration. Both latex flat paint and latex semigloss enamel paint peeled, blistered, and stained. Mold grew on both types of paint. High- and low-permeability paints were tested. Both types of paint had to be sanded and new coats of paint applied to restore the walls to preflood conditions.We also compared waterbased flat latex and oil-based enamel paint.The water-based latex flaked and blistered. Oil-based flat enamel paint performed better than any other paint that we tested. It flaked and blistered very little and was much easier to restore than other paints. Of all the paints tested, oil-based flat enamel paint was found to be the most flood damage resistant.However,we did not completely investigate the impact of oil-based enamel on the drying of adjacent materials and systems in this testing. Vinyl wall covering blistered, peeled, and debonded after flooding. It damaged the surface of the gypsum board, and it may inhibit the drying of the substrate or wall system.
Exterior wood-paneled doors in a wood frame, and exterior prehung metal-clad doors in a wood frame were stained slightly, but could be washed and restored. Foam-filled fiberglass and foam-filled metal were restored to preflood conditions with minimal effort. The fiberglass and metal doors used in the second modules were reused in the third modules and once again were easily restored.
All the interior doors that we tested were severely stained after flooding and drying, and some warped, split, and peeled. Considering the relatively low cost of replacement,we did not consider it economically feasible to restore any of these doors.
All vinyl and aluminum window frames could be restored to preflood conditions with minimal effort.
The sealed-concrete floor slab in all the slab-on-grade modules remained undamaged during and after flooding. The wood subflooring retained very high moisture content throughout the drying period when unfaced fiberglass batt insulation was installed underneath the subflooring. (Two 8 inch x 18 inch foundation vents were installed on opposite walls in the test modules. These were open throughout the drying period.The area of these vents exceeded code minimum requirements for a structure of this size, 64 ft2.) When no floor insulation was used, the subflooring returned to preflood moisture levels during the drying period.Wood subflooring and framing insulated with fiberglass batts could experience long-term moisture-related problems.At press time another module was being tested using spray polyurethane insulation under the subflooring.
Ceramic tile and quarry tile performed very well under flooding conditions and required only cleaning to be restored.All carpeting and padding became dirty and smelly after flooding. It also retained large amounts of moisture, which would slow the overall drying rate throughout the house.Even if the carpet is able to withstand the flood, it should be removed for cleaning and drying, and to promote drying within the home. Simulated wood flooring, a composite wood fiber and plastic material,warped and had open joints when it was left in place after flooding.This flooring had much less warping and shrinkage when it was removed,washed, and stacked to dry after flooding, but the process of removal damaged some of the pieces.
The operable flood vents (Smart Vent) were closed prior to flooding and opened by themselves during the filling and draining of the floodwater. They operated as designed.These vents were blocked open throughout the drying period.The crawlspace humidity reached 100% and remained high during the drying period. This humidity level is unacceptable in the long term, since it could contribute to both mold and wood decay.We believe that the high humidity level in the crawlspace resulted from the test module being placed in a basin that collected a significant amount of rainwater throughout the drying period. In order to keep it from providing a path for mold to enter the house, the crawlspace area must be effectively sealed from the interior of the building.
Procedures for Responding to Flood Damage
Along with evaluating materials for their flood-damage-resistant properties,we tested the effectiveness of some procedures for dealing with flood damage.
Punching Holes in Walls
Punching holes above the floor molding of the interior walls does not drain any water, nor does it dry the wall any faster, especially if floodwater has receded for several hours. In some instances, if holes are not punched in the walls, the gypsum board can easily be repaired and restored. Punching holes in gypsum board walls to promote drainage is not an appropriate flood recovery procedure.
The cleaning protocols that we followed used a clear-water rinse that did remove some dirt and staining, but not mold.A second washing with soap and water on selected materials (vinyl and fiber cement siding, fiberglass doors and window frames) did restore them to preflood conditions.After sanitizing with a solution of bleach (trisodium phosphate) and water, most elements that were not physically damaged could be restored to preflood conditions.
Severe mold growth occurred in the first tests when no attempt was made to clean or sanitize surfaces during the drying period. Mold growth also occurred on exposed interior surfaces in most subsequent tests, and efforts were made to sanitize surfaces and remove mold.After sanitization, there was no visible mold for the remainder of the testing period. Although no mold reappeared throughout the test period,we cannot verify the long-term elimination of mold.
After demolition and autopsy of these units, it was determined that there was very little or no mold growth in the nonexposed (hidden) portions of the structure that were not sanitized. Sanitizing appeared to work on the exposed surfaces of the modules to eliminate mold growth, and it is therefore a recommended procedure in the restoration of flood-damaged homes. Sanitizing the nonexposed portions of the structure for mold control does not appear warranted, based on what we saw during the autopsy.
All exterior siding tested could be restored, as could interior wallboards when SPUF was the insulation used. Ceramic tile floors and the sealed-concrete slab were easily restored.All windows and exterior doors tested could be restored.
We did not achieve dry floodproofing in two attempts (see photo).While the door and window dams that were designed and built were effective in preventing the entry of water through doors and windows,water entered the units through other paths, such as the joint between the interior partition and the exterior walls at floor level.Although the joint between the sill plate and the concrete slab had been caulked,water entered there as well.Additional steps were taken in the second attempt; the external joint between the sill and the slab and other potential leak pathways on the exterior were sealed. Despite these efforts,floodwater entered the modules. Based on these failures, dry floodproofing is not considered an appropriate approach to flood damage resistance.
More Work Is Needed
The primary purpose of our project was to identify and evaluate materials, systems, and methods that will make the envelope of a house more resistant to flood damage. These materials, systems, and methods are primarily intended for use to repair houses subsequent to flooding. Then if the house floods again, damage will be reduced and restoration costs and efforts will be minimized.
Besides identifying flood-resistant materials, the purpose of our project was to develop a method to collect representative, measured, and reproducible data on how various materials and systems respond to flooding conditions, so that future recommendations for repairing flood-damaged houses can be based on scientific data. This methodology can then be used to develop a standard test procedure to certify which building materials and systems are resistant to flood damage; the use of these materials and systems for repairing and rebuilding flood-damaged homes in flood-prone areas could be required by future building codes.
A certifying test procedure must be developed and adopted by a certifying agency before the identification of materials as “flood damage resistant” will satisfy the requirement for the use of such materials by a building code group or local jurisdiction.This project, and other related activities at ORNL and Tuskegee, are contributing to the development of that certifying test procedure.
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The New International Encyclopædia/Weser
|←Wesel||The New International Encyclopædia
|Edition of 1905. See also Weser on Wikipedia, and the disclaimer.|
WESER, vā'zẽr. A river of Germany, formed by the junction of the Werra, which rises in the Thüringerwald, and the Fulda, rising in the Rhöngebirge, on the frontiers of Prussia and Bavaria. These streams, after a northern course, unite at Münden, near the southern extremity of the Prussian province of Hanover, whence the Weser flows north, mainly watering Prussian territory, till, passing Bremen, it forms for about 40 miles the boundary between Oldenburg and Hanover, and enters the North Sea by a wide estuary, much interrupted by sand flats (Map: Germany, C 2), Its length from the confluence of the headstreams is 280 miles, and from the source of the Werra, 447 miles. It is navigable at high water to Münden and small vessels proceed some distance up the Werra, while the Fulda has been canalized as far as Cassel. A canal connects the estuary with that of the Elbe, and extensive improvements of the river below Bremen were completed in 1894 at a cost of nearly $8,000,000. The principal affluent of the Weser is the Aller, which has a large tributary in the Leine.
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Forests fundamental to effective climate deal
As the XIIIth World Forestry Congress finished Friday, WWF called for an ambitious and bold climate deal at Copenhagen to give clear guidance and incentives for the forestry sector to do its part in stopping catastrophic climate change and adapt to predicted changes.
“Setting immediate deforestation targets is a key component of any climate change agreement,” said Rodney Taylor, Director of WWF International’s Forest program.
“If the global deal on climate change ignores the dangers of unchecked deforestation, it will set the world on an accelerated path to savage climate change.”
Despite conservation efforts, global deforestation continues at an alarming rate – 13 million hectares per year, or 36 football fields a minute. It generates almost 20 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions and halting forest loss has been identified as one of the most cost-effective ways to keep the world out of the danger zone of runaway climate change.
To this end, WWF during the Congress proposed a global target of zero net deforestation by 2020 to avoid runaway climate change and stop the current catastrophic trend of species loss.
“A zero net deforestation by 2020 target will set the scale and urgency needed to gather the political will to stop forest loss,” Taylor said.
WWF will continue to advocate for a strong deforestation target to be included in all other relevant international treaties and agreements, including in the Convention on Biological Diversity.
In Copenhagen, negotiators need to agree to strong financial and emissions reduction commitments to craft a climate deal that enables developing countries to halt forest loss.
“WWF received strong feedback at the Congress from various sectors, including governments, other NGOs, and the private sector to support our target on deforestation,” said Gerald Steindlegger, WWF International’s Forest Manager on Global Policy.
Many developing countries already are adopting major deforestation policies that mirror WWF’s call for zero net deforestation by 2020.
On Wednesday, government representatives from Argentina and Paraguay pledged during a special ceremony co-hosted by WWF and its partner organization Fundacion Vida Silvestre at the Congress to work towards zero net deforestation in the Atlantic Forest, and to implement a package of measures that include national legislation to enforce those commitments.
The Atlantic Forest initially spanned 500,000 square kms, shared between Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. However, only 7.4 percent of the forest is left today – or about 35,000 square kilometers, making it one of the most threatened and fragmented subtropical forests in the world.
Meanwhile, the Brazilian government already has established a zero deforestation target by 2010 for the Atlantic Forest. Brazil also has pledged to establish protected areas covering at least 10 percent of the forest.
This year, the World Forestry Congress brought together more than 4,000 participants in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
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Thutmosis III was the son of Thutmosis II and a secondary wife, Queen Iset. We glean this information from the writing on his mummy. He was a born genius and soon learned to read and write the complicated hieroglyphic script of Egypt. His age when his father died is not known for certain. Egyptologists speculate anything between 3 and 12 years. Whatever his age, he was too young to assume royal authority, and Hatshepsut did the rest, though Thutmosis III was crowned king as soon as his father died. He may have been about 30 when Hatshepsut died and he became sole ruler.
By the traditional chronology he would have been contemporary with Moses who was taken out of the Nile by the daughter of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, but this is pure speculation. There was no place for Moses in this scenario, for Thutmosis III was crowned king as soon as his father died.
In any case, Thutmosis did not take long to assert his authority and swing into military action. He had been crowned king on the death of his father, Thutmosis II. He considered himself the rightful king from that time onward, and dated the years of his reign from then. Hatshepsut had reigned for 22 peaceful years, and in his first year of sole reign, Thutmosis marched northward at the head of his army. On the wall of his chapel in the Temple of Karnak he left a record of his conquest of 119 cities.
Year 22, 4th month of the second season, day 25. [His majesty passed the fortress of] Sile on the first campaign of victory [which his majesty made to extend] the frontiers of Egypt. . . . Year 23, 1st month of the third season, day 16. As far as the town of Yehem. [His majesty] ordered a conference with his victorious army, speaking as follows: That [wretched] enemy of Kadesh has come and has entered into Megiddo. He is [there] at this moment. He has gathered to him the princes of [every] foreign country [which had been] loyal to Egypt, as well as [those] as far as Naharin and Mittani, them of Hurru, them of Kode, their horses and their armies and their people, for he says—so it is reported—I shall wait [here] in Megiddo [to fight against his majesty]. Will you tell me [what is in your hearts]?
Well, what was in their hearts was a little different from what Thutmosis had in mind. They were apprehensive about marching through the narrow pass leading to Megiddo. They timidly suggested that there might be a less dangerous pass to go through the Carmel Range, but the daring Thutmosis would not hear of it. He made them cringe with his challenging reply.
“That which was said in the majesty of the court—life, prosperity, health—I swear, as Re loves me, as my father Amon [Amen can also be spelled Amun or Amon] favors me, as my [nostrils] are rejuvenated with life and satisfaction, my majesty shall proceed upon this Aruna road. Let him of you who wishes come in the following of my majesty. Behold, they will say, these enemies whom Re abominates, has his majesty set out on another road because he has become afraid of us? So they will speak.”
It was too much for their pride to accept. They affirmed their intention to follow their king into the jaws of death. “They said in the presence of his majesty, may thy father Amon, Lord of the thrones of the two lands, presiding over Karnak, act [according to thy desire]! Behold, we are following thy majesty everywhere that [thy majesty] goes, for a servant will be after his lord.”
The actual passage through the pass is not recorded, but it was apparently achieved without incident, for the next we hear is of a grand parade of troops on the plains of Megiddo. This was probably to overawe the defenders, and it seems to have had the desired effect.
“Year 23, 1st month of the third season, day 21, the day of the feast of the true new moon. Appearance of the king at dawn. Now a charge was laid upon the entire army to pass by. . . . His majesty set forth in a chariot of fine gold adorned with his accoutrements of combat, like Horus the mighty of arm, a lord of action like Montu the Theban, while his father Amon made strong his arms. Thereupon his majesty prevailed over them at the head of his army.”
Panic set in among the defenders and they fled in disorder, but it seems the defenders inside the walls of the city were intent on saving their own skins and slammed shut the gates of their city to prevent any of the attackers getting in. The fleeing troops were obliged to scale the walls by cloths that were let down to haul them up.
Then they saw his majesty prevailing over them, and they fled headlong [to] Megiddo with faces of fear. They abandoned their horses and their chariots of gold and silver so that someone might draw them [up] into this town by hoisting on their garments.
The Egyptian victory would have been faster and even more complete had not the troops been intent on trying to appropriate the spoils of war for themselves.
“Now the people had shut this town against them [but] they [let down] garments to hoist them up into this town. Now if only his majesty’s army had not given up their hearts to capturing the possessions of the enemy they would [have captured] Megiddo at this time, while the wretched enemy of Kadesh and the wretched enemy of this town were being dragged [up] hastily to get them into the town, for the fear of his majesty entered [their bodies], their arms were weak, [for] his serpent diadem had overpowered them.”
Thutmosis was elated. He wrote in glowing terms of his victory.
“The capturing of Megiddo is the capturing of a thousand towns. . . . Now the princes of this foreign country came on their bellies to kiss the ground to the glory of his majesty and to beg breath for their nostrils because his arm was so great, because the prowess of Amon was [so] great over every [foreign] country.”
One problem with this inscription is the identification of the king of Kadesh, who seemed to have been the head of the coalition that defended Megiddo against Thutmosis. Kadesh is usually identified with Tell Nebi Mend on the Orontes River in Syria, but this Kadesh was not a very important city, and one would wonder why the king of Kadesh would be so intent on defending Megiddo, 322 miles (200 km) to the south.
Velikovsky maintained that the chronology of Egypt should be drastically reduced making Thutmosis III contemporary with Solomon’s son Rehoboam.1 The record in 1 Kings 14:25–26 said, “It happened in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made.”
There is no record in the Bible of Shishak fighting against Jerusalem or capturing it. He simply came to Jerusalem and plundered it. The crucial battle had taken place at Megiddo, and all Thutmosis had to do was help himself to the fabulous treasures of Solomon’s temple and palace.
Velikovsky points out that Thutmosis left a pictorial record on his wall at Karnak of the loot he brought back to Egypt, and the list is consistent with the treasures listed in the biblical record.2 On his wall are listed 300 gold shields, and 1 Kings 10:17 says that Solomon “made three hundred shields of hammered gold.” Thutmosis depicted doors overlaid with gold, and 1 Kings 6:32 says that “The two doors were of olive wood; and he carved on them figures of cherubim, palm trees, and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold.” Also the cups, bowls, pans, and implements shown on the Egyptian wall are what could have been used in the temple in Jerusalem.
Moreover, Kadesh is the Hebrew word for “holy,” and Jerusalem is frequently referred to in the Bible as the Holy City. The angel Gabriel told Daniel “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city [Kadesh]” (Daniel 9:24). Nehemiah wrote that the leaders “cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city [Kadesh]” (Nehemiah 11:1). Isaiah wrote, “They call themselves after the holy city [Kadesh]” (Isaiah 48:2). There are many similar references. It could be that the king of Kadesh was Rehoboam, king of the holy city of Jerusalem.
The Shishak of the Bible is usually identified with Pharaoh Sheshonq of the 22nd Dynasty of Egypt, who left a list of cities on the south wall of the temple of Karnak, which depicts him presenting conquered cities to his god, Amun. But there is no mention here of the city of Jerusalem, and the list seems to be a stereotyped collection of names that he copied from other inscriptions. In fact, the Mittani, who are included in his list, ceased to exist as a nation 400 years before Sheshonq made his relief.
Actually, the date for Sheshonq’s reign cannot be determined from Egyptian records. He has only been allocated to the time of Rehoboam because he has been identified with the Shishak of the Bible, but some scholars refute the idea that the similarity in names is significant.
Thutmosis left some impressive monuments to perpetuate his name—statues, sphinxes, obelisks, and buildings—but his mummy shows him to have been rather diminutive for the mighty warrior he must have been, an Egyptian Napoleon, only about 5’8” in height (1.6 m), rather remarkable for such a successful warrior.
He was not a prolific builder. His most notable achievement was the festal hall in the Karnak temple. At one end of this hall there was inscribed a list of 61 kings who had preceded him in the history of Egypt. King-lists were not uncommon in Egypt. Pharaohs regarded them as giving credence to their own reigns. This inscription was removed by the French and is now in the Louvre in Paris.
His relief on the wall of his shrine in Karnak depicts two obelisks that he erected, though we know that he actually erected seven obelisks in Egypt. Four of them have since gone to foreign countries. The most notable one is on the bank of the Thames in London, incorrectly known as Cleopatra’s Needle. It was shipped there in 1877.
His largest obelisk now stands in front of the St. John Lateran Church in Rome. It is 105 feet (32 m) in height and must weigh about 455 tons, and the top half was originally gold plated. Another of his obelisks was taken to New York, and yet another still stands in Istanbul, though the lower portion of it is missing. An interesting feature of this obelisk is the relief on the side of the pedestal on which it stands. It shows the obelisk being transported to Turkey on a papyrus raft. It was sent there by the Emperor Julian in A.D. 390.
But there is one aspect of Thutmosis’ reign that has puzzled modern scholars. Hatshepsut ruled for a total of 22 years, continuing as pharaoh well after Thutmosis reached maturity. Even after Hatshepsut disappeared from the scene he seemed quite content to maintain her dignity and station. He did ultimately send his men round the land of Egypt, smashing her statues, vandalizing her temple, and erasing her name from her monuments, but he did not do this until the 17th year of his sole reign. Why did he wait so long to vent his rage on his predecessor?
Dennis Forbes has written an article in which he addresses this question.3 Whereas most Egyptologists have pictured a frustrated Thutmosis, waiting on the side lines for Hatshepsut to die (some have suggested he might have had her assassinated), Forbes is of the opinion that a very amicable relationship existed between them.
Concerning Thutmosis’ childhood, Forbes wrote, “Young Thutmose was probably more than content to be off in his own wing of the royal residence, playing at war with his toy soldiers, or else out on the practice field learning to shoot a bow, throw a javelin, and, best of all, to drive his own chariot.”4 What teenager is not eager to drive his own vehicle?
Even when he came to the throne as sole ruler, far from venting his rage on Hatshepsut for supposedly keeping him in limbo, “He completed decorating two of Hatshepsut’s unfinished constructions: her memorial temple (Djeser-Djeseru) at modern-day Deir el Bahari and the barque chapel housing the cult statue of Amen-Re at Ipet-Isut.”5
It is also true that the moment he came to the throne he immediately embarked on a foreign military campaign. This suggests that he was already commander-in-chief of the army, and had he any malice against Hatshepsut he surely would have been in a position, with the army behind him, to depose her.
But the reason for his apparent hostility to Hatshepsut’s memory in his later years is still hard to explain. He not only smashed her monuments in an apparent paroxysm of fury, but did his best to erase her name and memory from Egyptian history. He dated his own activities, not from the time he assumed the throne as sole ruler, but from his coronation as a child. He deleted her name from monuments and replaced them with the name of his father or grandfather. In short, “This essentially involved the making of circumstances and events as they SHOULD HAVE BEEN rather than as they were—which meant the elimination of all evidence of a co-regency between himself and the woman who had co-opted the kingship by styling herself a female Horus.”6
So why this hostile reversal? Was it a sudden about-face by Thutmosis himself, or was it perhaps heavy pressure from some vindictive official who had some personal grudge against Hatshepsut, or who perhaps resented female oligarchy?
Not even this great pharaoh could escape the grim reaper, and he made due preparation for the afterlife. He had his tomb, KV34 in the Valley of the Kings, cut in a very inaccessible cleft of the rocks above the other tombs in the valley. Many of the wall pictures in his tomb were unfinished at the time of his death. He was more preoccupied with military campaigns than in burial arrangements. He died in the 54th year of his reign, at about the age of 65—quite a ripe old age for the pharaohs who did not usually have a long life span.
Many of the pictures in his tomb are nothing more than line drawings, but it is this very feature that has been of value to archaeologists. It has been possible to observe how the artists went about their work. His beautiful sarcophagus is still well-preserved in his tomb, though tomb robbers did their deadly work. Soon after his burial, grave robbers plundered his tomb and tore all his limbs from their sockets and separated both arms at their elbows. His feet are still missing, his nose has gone, and his head was wrenched from his shoulders.
Thutmosis III conducted 17 military campaigns against Palestine and Syria, making him the greatest of all the pharaohs. He not only conquered and looted the cities he attacked, but he also established Egyptian authority over them. From then on, tribute flowed into the Egyptian coffers, enabling subsequent pharaohs to erect huge temples and create beautiful tombs in the Valley of the Kings. Rameses II may have been the greatest builder of all time, but he could not have done this without the previous conquests of Thutmosis, who converted Egypt from a great nation into a powerful empire, with tribute flowing into the Egyptian coffers.
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Cooking lettuce | Growing lettuce | Site and soil | Varieties | Sowing | Picking | Troubles
Lettuce has a long history of cultivation going back, it is thought, to at least ancient Egyptian times. The cultivated lettuce varieties were derived from a wild lettuce species that grows across continental Europe and the Middle East. Resembling the wild sow thistle weed of gardens, the wild lettuce was apparently very bitter and had to be blanched prior to eating, much as seakale still is. Centuries of breeding changed the lettuce, making it more palatable and more leafy.
The wide range of varieties includes five kinds: ordinary butterhead types, looseleaf types, iceberg or crisp varieties from North America, cos lettuce from eastern Europe and Chinese stem lettuce. In addition there are many variations on these types - red kinds, frilly edged kinds, oak-leaved kinds. Each sort has its own merits and each kind appeals to different palettes.
The butterhead and looseleaf kinds are easiest to grow, the crisp and cos kinds slower to develop and needing better conditions. Butterhead kinds can be grown all year round, the winter crops with the protection of a cloche or greenhouse. Only very keen growers will attempt year-round production but most people could easily produce a couple of summer crops.
The nutritional value of lettuce varies with the variety: looseleaf and cos types have about double the value of iceberg. It has small amounts of dietary fibre, some carbohydrates, a little protein and a trace of fat. Its most important nutrients are vitamin A - the greener, the better - and potassium and a moderately good source of vitamin C, calcium, iron and copper, and it is 95% water. Lettuce is mostly eaten fresh in salads and sandwiches but it can feature in cooked dishes too.
Site and soil
Lettuce is a quick-growing, soft crop that needs good growing conditions at all times. The site should be open to full sunshine, not shaded. Some shelter is useful though because temperature levels will be higher and this is an advantage early and late in the year. The soil needs to be rich, well drained with plenty of humus.
There are dozens, scores, of lettuce varieties. Some standards include: ‘Webb's Wonderful'(crisphead), ‘All The Year Round' (butterhead), ‘Salad Bowl' (looseleaf), ‘Celtuce' (chinese lettuce), ‘Lobjoit's Green' (cos).
Lettuce can be sown almost year-round, choosing suitable varieties for the season. The fancier kinds, cos and iceberg kinds are effectively restricted to summer growing because they need warm weather and bright light.
Lettuce is normally used as ‘hearted' lettuces, cut just above soil level, but it can be used from the garden at any time, especially the looseleaf types that can have leaves picked off without cutting the stem. Even thinnings can be used.
Lettuce mainly suffers form greenfly infestation and this need to be watched. Wilting, early bolting and scorching at the edges of the leaves are caused by unsuitable growing conditions, mainly too hot or dry. Grey mould can cause damage in cool, damp conditions.
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We all know the sound well. All is peaceful, driving along in the car or sitting in a room listening to a speaker… and all the sudden “blip bzzzzz blaaaaar bzzzzzz”. Something starts buzzing. We all know why; there’s a mobile phone nearby. This noise has somehow become a part of our everyday lives but why does it happen?
If you were an early mobile phone user you might have noticed that they didn’t have the same effect – so it has to do with the GSM phones that we (mostly) use now. There are three things which need to happen together the cause the buzzing:
1. A pulsing radio transmitter
To connect to the tower and your network, your mobile phone sends out little bursts or pulses of information around 200 times per second (200 Hz). Each of the pulses have a frequency in the radio range, so the signals themselves oscillate millions of times per second – in the MHz range. So this is a ‘pulsing radio transmitter’.
2. Relatively strong power
Compared to original analog phones, newer mobile phones give out a stronger signal strength as they don’t give it out continuously – as I said above it is ‘pulsed’. For most GSM networks the peak power of the pulses is about 8 times the average power. So we have a relatively strong power source.
3. Close to a particular type of electronic element
The particular element in the circuit of a speaker which picks up the signal can vary, but it’s usually some solid state device like a diode or a transistor. When the strong pulsed radio signal is near it, the circuit element can detect the pulses and amplify, then send them to the speaker so we can hear the pulsed signal.
The pulses which are amplified come at 200 Hz, and since Middle C on the piano is 261.63 Hz, it is no surprise that we can hear it!
By now you’re probably wondering, given the title of this post: “Could I use my mobile phone as a particle accelerator??”
Particle accelerators use RF (radio frequency) waves to accelerate particles – similar to the ones that are used by your mobile phone. To give a particle some energy, you need a cavity – which is basically a hollow metal box.
When a wave of the right number of oscillations per second enters the cavity, it bounces back and forth within the cavity, with low loss. In physics we call this a standing wave. As more wave energy enters the cavity, it adds to the standing wave, creating a ‘resonance’.
What happens when we put a particle through the cavity? If we time it just right, the particle will always see a ‘peak’ of the wave and will gain a little bit of energy from it. If we didn’t time it right, the particle would lose energy to the wave and slow down. Fortunately, we’re very good at timing these things precisely!
|An LHC RF cavity which works at 400 MHz. Photo courtesy of CERN.|
The particle only gains a little bit of energy each time, so it’s useful if we have a circular accelerator where the particles go through the cavity again and again, gaining more energy each time. This is what happens in accelerators like the Diamond Light Source (using electrons) or ISIS (using protons), and even in the LHC. We can also use more than one cavity, the one in the picture has (I think) four cavities in one, and we can place them end-to-end. It’s a game of weighing up the cost of more cavities with how long your particles will take to accelerate.
So is it possible to just connect up a mobile phone to the cavity and accelerate particles? It would be great (and make my life as an accelerator physicist a lot easier!) but unfortunately it’s a question of power.
A mobile phone handset has a peak output power of about 2 Watts. The LHC cavities require a power of around 300 kW per cavity – so you would need the same power as 150,000 mobile phones!
So unfortunately, it looks like it isn’t going to happen any time soon. But in the meantime, I find it fascinating that the LHC and my mobile phone are, at least in some way, based on the same technology.
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Teenagers in the United States are more likely to become teen parents than teenagers in other western countries. They aren’t having more sex -- they’re using less contraception, according to a study in 2011. The study suggests that this phenomenon is due to limited access to healthcare and contraceptives and also less social acceptance of teenage sexuality.
But Kearney and Levine suggest something different -- that teenage girls growing up in poverty don't see a downside to pregnancy.
This may sound surprising -- it's a contrast to the familiar assumption that teenagers accidentally get pregnant, drop out of school, and become financially distressed.
Instead, Kearney argues that teenage girls who are getting pregnant already have low economic prospects, and this lowers the opportunity cost of having a baby.
Their analysis takes a look at correlations between teen mothers and poverty rates, and sets them against ethnographic and sociological research about causation. “We know [from correlations] that girls who give birth as teens, go on to have higher rates of poverty, welfare use, lower rates of labor force attachment and lower wages. Children of teen moms are more likely to drop out of high school, live in poverty,” said Kearney.
But if the teen mothers had waited until their twenties to have children, would their economic prospects have been any better? The data argue no, according to Kearney.Read more...
Teens in Tech, a tech and youth-centric company that encourages young entrepreneurship, recently created a jobs board that will allow startups to post jobs for high school students. It costs $15 to post a listing and some of the current ones including positions like Mobile Engineer Intern at Backplane in Palo Alto, California and Technical Analyst Intern at Kiip in San Francisco, California.
With new innovations and technologies being created every day, youthful perspectives are like gold for startup companies who want to stay current. But one of the largest contingents of tech consumers, high school-aged folks, are often forced to stand on the sidelines until they are in or have graduated from college. Teens in Tech wants to change that.Read more...
Just about everyone has used Google Maps to explore their neighborhoods. Admit it; it’s a lot of fun to leave the house without having to move from the safety of your rolling chair. Well, now, thanks to a partnership between The Catlin Seaview Survey and Google, soon anyone will be able to stalk the Great Barrier Reef located off the coast of Australia with the help of Google Maps. I imagine it’s kind of like your own private snorkeling trip minus the high prices and wetness.
The Seaview Survey is using a specially designed panoramic camera—imagine a small torpedo-like submarine with a camera inside it. Their website describes their aim as, “to carry out the first comprehensive study to document the composition and health of coral reefs on the Great Barrier Reef and Coral Sea across an unprecedented depth range”
The Survey recently headed to Heron Island where they surveyed nearly 10km using the camera. Though was it was only pilot expedition, they returned with some pretty amazing snapshots of lively reefs inhabited by turtles and fish, and a beached ship rotting in a shallow water reef.
On their website they have some examples of photographs they have already taken and even an example of what the map will look like.
Check out the video below explaining their expedition and what's to come.
With just a ten millimeter wrench and a screwdriver, Brian Simmons has built and sold more than 100 motorized bicycles in Oakland, CA, under the label Rebelbikes. The company has been around for three years and it’s a two-man shop based out of the comfort of his living room.
His two wheeled creations are motorized pedal assisted bicycles that can go up to 35 mph. Simmons’ ultimate goal is to see bicycles replace cars, and he knows it’s a stretch, but despite that, he is taking his dream on one bike at a time.
This just in: chocolate is not a taste.
That was one of many interesting lessons Youth Radio's core class ingested last week as part of food scientist Barb Stuckey's "Science of Taste" talk. The event, part of our Brains and Beaker's series, explored the difference between flavors (like chocolate, for example) and our five tastes: salty, sweet, bitter, sour, and umami. Other "tastes," like chocolate or spiciness for example, are actually related to our sense of smell or touch.
In order to explain the difference between taste and our other senses, Stuckey suggested various food-related experiments from her recent book, "Taste What You're Missing." Some standouts included holding then releasing your nose while eating a flavored jelly bean (woah, intense flavor!), holding a spoonful of butter against your tongue (did you know it doesn't have a taste?), and breathing in air from a container filled with blue cheese (potent!).
She also demonstrated an easy way to experience the most elusive of our tastes, umami. Have you heard of it before? Check out the video to find out how to bring this savory new flavor to your diet.
The Center for Information Technology Research in The Interest of Society (CITRIS) is at it again. A few months ago Youth Radio interviewed Greg Niemeyer, a professor at UC Berkeley and director of the Data and Democracy Initiative at CITRIS, who collected air pollution data and turned it into music. This time the project led by engineers at the University of California, Berkeley called The Floating Sensor Network, isn’t air-based but instead takes place in the water, specifically the Sacramento River.
The Floating Sensor Network, which is led by associate professor Alexandre Bayen, uses sensor robots with GPS-enabled smartphones inside of them to monitor water flow and its influence on anything from the spread of pollutants to the movement of salmon in water. The Network hopes that this new tool can be used to help manage fresh water in more efficient ways.Read more...
The Utah Senate passed a bill that will allow schools to decide not to teach sex education, and prohibits teachers from talking about homosexuality to their students.
If teachers decide to teach sex education, they will be restricted to an abstinence-only curriculum, according to the Huffington Post. Currently, parents can opt to remove their children from a sex education class. But under the new legislation, parents must opt to have their children participate in sex education classes.
Sen. Ross Romero, D-Salt Lake City, was just one of the democratic senators to object to the bill. He said that expecting kids to receive healthy information about sex from parents is unreasonable, as kids come from all different home situations. He also attempted to amend the bill to allow teachers to support and provide information to gay teenagers, according to the Salt Lake Tribune.
Sen. John Valentine, R-Orem said, "I recognize that some parents do not take the opportunity to teach in their own homes, but we as a society should not be teaching or advocating homosexuality or sex outside marriage or different forms of contraceptives for premarital sex,” according the Tribune.
Check out some Youth Radio storis on the issue:Read more...
Yesterday was Career Day at Oakland Charter High School, in downtown Oakland, CA. A doctor, a news reporter, and someone from the DEA came to talk to students about career possibilities. But to see the DEA in action, students just needed to walk a few blocks over to where Oaksterdam University was being raided by the DEA and IRS for dispensing marijuana too close to schools.
The university reports to offer training for the cannabis industry, and was founded by Richard Lee, one of the fathers of the movement to legalize marijuana in 2007, the same year that Oakland Charter High School moved into the neighborhood. Since Oaksterdam put down roots, multiple marijuana dispensaries have popped up nearby.
How does this affect students at Oakland Charter High School, which is just one of many schools in the area? According to Physics and Biology teacher Gabriela Jimenez, she tries to focus on what goes on inside the walls of school, and not look outside the window. Check out an excerpt from an interview with Jimenez below.
A lot of my colleagues here at the school -- we’ve noticed students coming in with a lot of leaflets and pamphlets. People just come up to them on the corner, 'Oh, there's a pot club over there.' [The students] come inside and saying it’s freedom of speech. Then we look like the bad guys because we’re about academics and teaching them everyday.
I’m not gonna lie, we did have an incident with pot here on campus. This person was very high. The father was very disturbed and he made a comment and said there’s a lot of clubs around here. We said it’s sad that we don’t have control over what’s outside our walls. It’s disheartening that we try to be good inside of our schools, and outside there’s a lot of stuff that our kids are being pushed towards.
Perhaps it’s not so much that they’re looking for the outlet of marijuana, but there’s adults that take advantage of their innocence. Give them a leaflet, the kids get confused. There was a purpose for this building -- for school. Our neighbors are nice people, nice business owners. They like our students, they’re well-behaved. It just takes one incident to mess a kid up.Read more...
The following aired on KCBS.
By: Venus Morris
Being healthy isn't easy when you're homeless.
At one point in high school at was out in the world living alone. For that time, I ate at fast food restaurants like Taco Bell or I ate nothing at all, and this habit was hard to break.
By the time I went back to my parent's house, I had trained my self not to eat, and It got to the point where I passed out on my way to Spanish class from dehydration. I realized at that moment that being healthy means more than knowing about proper nutrition. It starts with having some peace of mind.But living in today's society, is not that easy.
My community tells me I need to eat organic and shop at Whole Foods and my doctor told me that ideally, I'd be 15 pounds lighter. But when your mind is being pulled into 50 different directions, its difficult to prioritize what you eat.Read more...
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A new study shows that the amount of teenagers who have used marijuana increased by 21 percent since 2008. The Partnership at Drugfree.org published the study, and says the upward trend indicates a broader acceptance of the drug.
In particular, the heavy monthly use among teenage boys has increased by 57 percent since 2008, and usage among Hispanic youth is 43 percent higher than Caucasion teens and 25 percent higher than African American teens.
A year ago, Youth Radio's Sayre Quevedo wrote about being a high school student in Berkeley, CA, where marijuana is readily available. However, he found that while marijuana use in Berkeley was higher than the state average, it had remained steady over recent years. Teens had a perception that high numbers of their peers used marijuana, but that wasn't necessarily correct.
Meanwhile, the Drugfree.org study shows that more teens are smoking marijuana, AND more teens think that all their friends are smoking as well. Only 26 percent of survey respondents agree that "most teens don't smoke marijuana."
Check out Quevedo's commentary that aired on NPR here.Read more...
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To see the figures related to this poll, visit http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/blendon/Avian_Flu_Charts.ppt
To see the topline, visit http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/blendon/Avian_Flu_Release_Topline.doc
Concern about Avian Flu
More than half of Americans (57%) report that they are concerned about the potential spread of bird flu in the United States (Figure 1). However, only 15% are very concerned at the moment. A higher proportion of African Americans report that they are concerned about this than whites (70% versus 54%). Similarly, the majority of Americans are not currently concerned that they or a family member will get avian flu within the next twelve months; only one in five (21%) people are worried about this possibility (Figure 2). Six in ten people are concerned about a pandemic outbreak of avian flu, that is, an outbreak in many countries (62%), but only 20% are very concerned. In addition, the American public does not believe avian flu will ultimately spread widely among wild birds (only 28% think so), poultry (24%), or humans in the United States (14%) in the next 12 months. (Figure 3)
If the U.S. were to experience human cases of the avian flu virus currently circulating in Asia, there would be significant public reaction. If such cases were to occur in their state, most people said that they would reduce or avoid travel (75%), avoid public events (71%), try to get a prescription for Tamiflu or other antiviral drugs (68%), and stay at home and keep their children at home while the outbreak lasted (68%). (Figure 4)
"If the public were to respond this way to human cases in their state, it would likely slow the spread of the disease, but it would also have major impact on the state's economy and health care system," said Robert J. Blendon, Professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at HSPH. "Because of this, it is important to prepare for a prompt and effective public health response."
As a result of growing reports of avian flu outbreaks in Asia and Europe, the survey asked Americans what they would do if avian flu were to spread to poultry in the U.S. The survey found that an outbreak of avian flu in poultry in the U.S. would have strong effects on the public's willingness to eat poultry. Nearly half (46%) of respondents who eat chicken or other poultry said that they would stop eating it if such cases were reported. (Figure 5)
"Should there be cases of flu in chickens here, it could lead to a substantial reduction in the consumption of chicken, which would adversely affect the U.S. poultry industry," said Blendon. "Public education regarding the safety of cooked chicken could help prevent this problem."
Just under half of the American population has heard of Tamiflu or other antiviral drugs that can be used as possible treatments for avian flu (45%). Of this group, only one-quarter believe that these drugs are effective treatments once someone has gotten the symptoms of avian flu (25%). Despite media coverage of Tamiflu and other antiviral medications, only 2% of Americans have talked to their doctor about the use of Tamiflu or other antiviral drugs for the treatment of avian flu, and even fewer have gotten a prescription for the drug for this purpose (<.5%).
Possibly reflecting uncertainty about the seriousness of the threat posed by avian flu in the United States and the effectiveness of Tamiflu, two-thirds of the American population (66%) think that in the case of an outbreak in other countries, the United States should share some of its supply of antiviral drugs in order to keep the disease from spreading to the U.S.
Furthermore, respondents were asked whether, in the event of an outbreak of avian flu in humans in the U.S. in which there were a shortage of antiviral medication, they would be willing to let flu patients and first responders receive doses first. A significant majority of respondents said that they would be willing to wait to get an antiviral drug until after people such as those hospitalized with the flu (81%), doctors and nurses (80%), and police and firefighters (74%) had received the drug.
Most Americans are supportive of quarantine measures. Ninety-six percent of respondents said that they would agree to be quarantined for two to three weeks if they had avian flu. Over four out of five people said that they would also agree to be quarantined even if they might have the disease (83%). However, six in ten respondents who were employed admitted that they were "very" or "somewhat" concerned that, in the event of an outbreak in their state, they would not get paid if they had to be away from work (59%). In addition, four in ten employed respondents were "very" or "somewhat" concerned that their employer would make them go to work even if they were sick (39%).
Awareness of Avian Flu
Over half of Americans report following the news media's coverage of avian flu closely (54%). Most Americans were aware that there had been cases of avian flu in humans in Asia (69%). Furthermore, most people were aware that there had not been cases in the United States. However, one in seven people believed that human cases had occurred in the United States (15%). (Figure 6)
Additionally, most Americans know that a regular or seasonal vaccine will not prevent a person from getting avian flu (77%). Perhaps reflecting greater media attention in recent months to the possibility of an outbreak of avian flu, the amount of people who are worried that they or a family member may get sick from avian flu in the next twelve months has risen from 12% to 21% since 2003.
According to CDC reports, from December 2003 to February 13, 2006, there were 169 confirmed cases of H5N1 avian flu in humans and 91 deaths. They occurred in the following nations: Vietnam, 93 cases and 42 deaths; Thailand, 22 cases and 14 deaths; Indonesia, 25 cases and 18 deaths; China, 12 cases and 8 deaths; Cambodia, 4 cases and 4 deaths; Turkey, 12 cases and 4 deaths; and Iraq, 1 case and 1 death. To date, no cases have been reported in the U.S.
In addition, the following nations had confirmed H5N1 in poultry/birds since 2003: Austria, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cambodia, China, Croatia, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SARPRC), Italy, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, Laos, Liechtenstein, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nigeria, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, South Korea, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, and Vietnam. To date, there have been no cases reported in the U.S.
For the most recent reports, please go to link: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/weekcvol.html
This is the 23rd in a series of studies by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security. The study was designed and analyzed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. The project director is Robert J. Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health. The research team also includes John M. Benson, Channtal Fleischfresser, and Kathleen J. Weldon of the Harvard School of Public Health, and Melissa J. Herrmann of ICR/International Communications Research. Fieldwork was conducted via telephone for the Project by ICR/International Communications Research of Media (PA) between January 17 and 25, 2006. The survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,043 non-institutionalized adults age 18 and over. The margin of error for the total sample is plus or minus 3.3 percentage points.
Possible sources of nonsampling error include nonresponse bias, as well as question wording and ordering effects. Nonresponse in telephone surveys produces some known biases in survey-derived estimates because participation tends to vary for different subgroups of the population. To compensate for these known biases, sample data are weighted to the most recent Census data available from the Current Population Survey for gender, age, race, education, as well as number of adults and number of telephone lines in the household. Other techniques, including random-digit dialing, replicate subsamples, callbacks staggered over times of day and days of the week, and systematic respondent selection within households, are used to ensure that the sample is representative.
The Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide public health agencies with technical assistance for public health communication by monitoring the response of the general public to public health threats.
Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Feb 2009
Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.
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Monckton Myth #13: The Magical IPCC
Posted on 17 February 2011 by dana1981
And now, for its next trick, the IPCC will make the Medieval Warm Period disappear!
As a new addition to the Monckton Myths, this post examines a claim commonly made by Christopher Monckton that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) "ingeniously wiped out" and "artificially eradicated" the Medieval Warm Period (MWP). "Skeptic" blog WattsUpWithThat has similarly claimed that the IPCC "disappeared" the MWP.
Origins of the Myth
Monckton makes this claim ("now you see it, now you don't") in his Apocalypse? No! article. As shown on page 42 of this article, the myth seems to be based on Figure 7.1c from the IPCC First Assessment Report (FAR):
Figure 1: IPCC FAR Figure 7.1c - Schematic diagram of global temperature variations for the last thousand years. The dotted line represents conditions near the beginning of the twentieth century.
As you can see, IPCC FAR Figure 7.1c appears to show the MWP quite prominently, with a peak warmer than the temperature as the end of the graph. But it's a rather strange figure - the temperature axis doesn't even have any numbers, and it looks hand-drawn. Where did it come from?
Pulling a Lamb out of a Hat
Jones et al. (2009) explore the origins of this figure. They note that the figure caption specifically stated that it was a schematic diagram, and not an actual temperature reconstruction.
"as far as palaeoclimatologists were concerned the diagram was nothing more than how it was originally described in the caption: a schematic."
Jones et al. trace the schematic diagram back to a series used by H.H. Lamb, representative of central England, last published by Lamb (1982). However, Lamb is plotting 50-year averages here, and the final data point appears to be 1950. Jones et al. superimpose IPCC FAR Figure 7.1c (black) with Lamb's central England temperature (red) and add the Central England Temperature data up to 2007 (blue):
Figure 2: The black curve and the x- and y-axes are a redrawn version of IPCC FAR Figure 7.1c. The red curve is from Lamb (1982). The amplitude of this curve has been scaled to correspond to that of the black curve. The Lamb (1982) time series does have an explicit temperature scale, and the best-fit scaling between this curve and the IPCC curve indicates that one tick-mark interval on the IPCC figure corresponds almost exactly with 1°C. The blue curve is a smoothed version of the annual instrumental Central England Temperature record from Manley (1974, updated) including the last complete year of 2007. This has been smoothed with a 50-yr Gaussian weighted filter with padding.
Central England temperatures have risen by over 1°C since Lamb's last measurement. Jones et al. also note about Lamb's schematic:
"At no place in any of the Lamb publications is there any discussion of an explicit calibration against instrumental data, just Lamb’s qualitative judgement and interpretation of what he refers to as the ‘evidence’....Greater amounts of documentary data (than available to Lamb in the early 1970s) were collected and used in the Climatic Research Unit in the 1980s. These studies suggest that the sources used and the techniques employed by Lamb were not very robust (see, eg, Ogilvie and Farmer, 1997)."
In short, Figure 7.1c from the IPCC FAR was based on Lamb's approximation of the central England temperature. It was intended only as a schematic diagram, and known not to accurately reflect the global average temperature.
Advancements in Science
The Lamb diagram was dropped from the Supplementary IPCC report in 1992. Subsequent IPCC reports showed the first northern hemisphere temperature reconstructions based on proxy data. The IPCC Second Assessment Report (SAR) examined Bradley and Jones (1993). The IPCC Third Assessment Report (TAR) examined Jones et al. (1998); Briffa (2000); Crowley and Lowery (2000); and of course Mann, Bradley, and Hughes (1998) and (1999) (the so-called "hockey stick").
The IPCC TAR featured the "hockey stick" fairly prominently. The rather widespread belief that "the hockey stick is broken" and "suppressed" the MWP may contribute to this myth that the IPCC "disappeared" the MWP. However, although the MWP was not shown as prominently in the "hockey stick" as most other reconstructions due to the statistical methods employed in the study, all subsequent northern hemisphere temperature reconstructions have confirmed the general "hockey stick" shape.
Figure 3: Various northern hemisphere temperature reconstructions using climate proxy records (Source: NOAA NCDC)
Furthermore, all of these reconstructions demonstrate that the present average northern hemisphere temperature is likely hotter than at the peak of the MWP. It's important to note that northern hemisphere temperature reconstructions are obviously much more representative of global temperatures than the temperature in central England. And it's also worth noting that most of the warming during the MWP was geographically located at high latitudes in the northern hemisphere.
Magicians without Secrets
On top of all this, the IPCC is very careful to discuss exactly what we know about MWP temperatures. Here is an excerpt from the IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (WG1 Chapter 6 page 468):
"The evidence currently available indicates that NH mean temperatures during medieval times (950–1100) were indeed warm in a 2-kyr context and even warmer in relation to the less sparse but still limited evidence of widespread average cool conditions in the 17th century (Osborn and Briffa, 2006). However, the evidence is not sufficient to support a conclusion that hemispheric mean temperatures were as warm, or the extent of warm regions as expansive, as those in the 20th century as a whole, during any period in medieval times (Jones et al., 2001; Bradley et al., 2003a,b; Osborn and Brif a, 2006)."
The bottom line is that the IPCC did not "disappear" the MWP. Rather, the IPCC has done its job correctly by evaluating the best available data and scientific studies at the time of each report. As climate scientists obtained more temperature data, it became clearer and clearer that the MWP was not hotter than present temperatures.
Memo to Christopher Monckton: a schematic of central England temperatures to 1950 is not quite the same as a reconstruction of northern hemisphere temperatures to 2007! The IPCC has done some impressive work, but it's no Harry Houdini.
Monckon vs. Monckton
Monckton's favorite argument is "climate sensitivity is low". But if the MWP was particularly hot, that means there was a fairly large temperature change about 1,000 years ago. The hotter the peak of the MWP, the larger the temperature change, and the more sensitive the climate was to the factors causing that change (mainly increased solar activity and decreased volcanic activity). Arguing for a hot MWP is arguing for a high climate sensitivity to these natural factors, and if the climate is sensitive to an energy imbalance caused by a change in solar or volcanic activity, there's no reason it wouldn't also be sensitive to changes in greenhouse gases as well.
In short, a hot MWP also means a high climate sensitivity. By arguing for a hot MWP, Monckton is contradicting his own favorite argument.
NOTE: This post (written by Dana Nuccitelli [dana1981]) is also the Intermediate rebuttal to "IPCC 'disappeared the MWP".
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In a ten year study unlike any previous analysis, Eric Post, a Penn State University professor of biology, has determined that the best hope for Arctic plant diversity to survive the ongoing increases in temperature are large herbivores. The research was published in the Feb. 20, 2013, issue of the Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.
Unlike previous climate studies, Post included the contribution of large herbivores like caribou and musk ox to the mix of factors that may determine if plant diversity can persist in the Arctic in the ages of global warming that promise as much as a three degree Celsius increase in Arctic temperature.
In a uniquely designed experiment, Post simulated global warming in a small low-Arctic plant community near Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, with and without the contribution of herbivores.
Post determined that herbivore grazing acts as a buffer against the effects of climate change on plant species diversity. Ungrazed shrubs produce a physical cover and leaf litter than prevents smaller species of plants from receiving proper nutrition and sunlight. Animal grazing eliminated the problem and maintained plant diversity.
This work is the first long term study to include the animal contribution to the problem of global warming and climate change in the Arctic.
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http://www.examiner.com/article/large-herbivores-are-arctic-plants-defense-against-climate-change?cid=rss
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2013-05-26T03:23:40Z
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Surface Area Measurements
The surface area of contact between different structures is also an important measure in many instances. In section images, the surfaces present in three dimensions appear a boundary lines. In the example, the boundaries of the white phase in the metal are delineated as contour lines. Measuring the length of the contour lines allows the calculation of the surface area per unit volume of the sample, according to the relationship shown in Equation 1. Note that unlike the volume fraction measurement above, which produces a dimensionless number, the surface area per unit volume measurement requires knowing the image magnification. In this case the area of the region in each image is 567 square µm.
As for the volume fraction, using a counting procedure is preferred to a measurement. In this case a grid of lines is drawn on the images. For the case of random section placement and orientation in the structure, any grid of lines can be used and the square grid is convenient. (In the following interactive Java tutorial, the total length of the grid lines is 114 µm). Counting the number of “hits” that the contour lines make with the grid lines also allows calculation of the surface area per unit volume.
As for the volume fraction measurement, note that variation from one field of view to another is much greater than the differences between the results from the grid count and contour length measurements for each region. This interactive Java tutorial illustrates the measurement of surface area per unit volume.
The tutorial initializes with one of four randomly selected region images appearing in the Specimen Image window. The Choose A Specimen pull-down menu provides a selection of images of four different regions of the same specimen. For each, the Original button shows the original grayscale image. The Outline button shows the contour lines that define the boundary of the white phase, along with the measured length of the boundary lines. The Grid Overlay button superimposes a line grid on the image and also displays the number of the times that the grid lines “hit” the boundary. The table below summarizes the results for calculated surface area per unit volume (square µm per cubic µm) determined from these measurements.
John C. Russ - Materials Science and Engineering Dept., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695.
Matthew Parry-Hill, and Michael W. Davidson - National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 East Paul Dirac Dr., The Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, 32310.
Questions or comments? Send us an email.
© 1998-2009 by Michael W. Davidson, John Russ, Olympus America Inc., and The Florida State University. All Rights Reserved. No images, graphics, scripts, or applets may be reproduced or used in any manner without permission from the copyright holders. Use of this website means you agree to all of the Legal Terms and Conditions set forth by the owners.
This website is maintained by our
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http://www.micro.magnet.fsu.edu/primer/java/digitalimaging/russ/surfaceareameasurements/index.html
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Australian heritage fact sheet
Department of the Environment and Water Resources, September 2007
About the fact sheet
There are many different lists or registers of natural and cultural heritage places throughout Australia. These are not comprehensive lists of heritage places, but lists of the places that have been identified and recorded up to the present time.
A heritage register listing will usually include the location of a place, ownership and title details, a description of the place, and sometimes a statement of significance explaining why the place is important.
Many registers emphasise the physical aspects of a place, or its scientific value, but may not document all the heritage values of a place.
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http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/publications/about/list.html
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| 130
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Wyatt, James, 1746–1813, English architect. He worked in many styles but is best known as one of the originators of the Gothic revival. Appointed surveyor at Westminster Abbey in 1776, he did cathedral restorations at Salisbury, Durham, and elsewhere and completed (1776–94) the Radcliffe Observatory, Oxford. He designed many residences in various parts of England. Fonthill Abbey, Wiltshire, built for William Beckford, was notable for its huge Gothic tower, which collapsed several times. Wyatt was also known for his interior decoration in the manner of Robert Adam.
See studies on James Wyatt by R. Turnor (1950) and A. Dale (1956).
His son and pupil, Benjamin Dean Wyatt, 1775–1850?, succeeded him as surveyor (1813–27) at Westminster Abbey. He began the rebuilding of Drury Lane Theatre and wrote Observations on the Design for the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane (1813).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2012, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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http://www.factmonster.com/encyclopedia/people/wyatt-james.html
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2013-05-19T02:38:58Z
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| 232
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Each year more than 100,000 people in the United States and 10,000 people in Canada will be diagnosed with a primary or metastatic brain tumor.
Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 20, now surpassing acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and are the third leading cause of cancer death in your adults ages 20-39.
Metastatic brain tumors (cancer that spreads from other parts of the body to the brain) occur at some point in 20-40% of people with cancer and are the most common type of brain tumor. The incidence of metastatic brain tumors has been increasing as cancer patients live longer.
In the United States, the overall incidence of all primary brain tumors is more than 11 per 100,000 people.
There are over 120 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment very complicated.
Because brain tumors are located at the control center for thought, emotion, and movement, their effects on an individual's physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.
At present, brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, used either individually or in combination.
Brain tumors in children are different from those in adults and are often treated differently. Although as many as 60% of children will survive, they are often left with long-term side effects.
Enhancing the quality of life of people with brain tumors requires access to quality specialty care, clinical trials, follow-up care, and rehabilitative services. Improving the outlook for adults and children with brain tumors requires research into the causes of and better treatments for brain tumors.
Complete and accurate data on all primary brain tumors is needed to provide the foundation for research leading to improved diagnosis and treatment and to investigations of its causes.
The National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke are working together to implement the research priorities set by the brain tumor research, clinical, and advocacy community as summarized in the Brain Tumor Progress Review Group Report.
Approximately 350,000 individuals are living with the diagnosis of a brain tumor.
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http://www.cancer.duke.edu/btc/modules/patienteducation11/print.php?id=1
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2013-05-22T07:27:50Z
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| 425
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The volume of alcohol ingested and how it is mixed with other beverages can affect the health of the gastrointestinal (GI) system according to two papers presented at Digestive Disease Week® 2006 (DDW). DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery.
Chris Rayner, lead author of the study ‘Artificially Sweetened, Compared to Regular Mixers, Accelerate Gastric Emptying and the Rate of Alcohol Absorption’ explained that when alcohol is mixed with beverages such as orange juice or soda, the rate of alcohol absorption into the blood stream depends not only on the individual, but also the “mixer.”
Researchers at the Royal Adelaide Hospital in Australia analysed alcoholic beverages mixed with diet or regular soda (with sucrose) to determine the rate of gastric emptying and blood alcohol response. They found that alcohol combined with sugar-free mixers were processed through the stomach and entered the blood stream much more quickly than alcohol with regular mixers.
Participants were monitored to track the rate at which vodka with different mixers emptied from the stomach and their subsequent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) levels. From this study, the team discovered that the substitution of artificial sweeteners for sucrose in mixed alcoholic beverages might have a substantial effect on the rate of gastric emptying and the blood alcohol response. The time to empty half of the diet drink from the stomach was 21 minutes, compared to regular drinks that took 36 minutes for the same degree of emptying. Peak blood alcohol concentrations were substantially greater with diet drinks at an average of 0.05 percent, while regular drinks measured at 0.03 percent BAC.
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http://www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/general/articles/alcabsorp.htm
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2013-05-26T03:22:14Z
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September 25, 2011
Agriculture is an important multi-billion dollar industry in the United States that plays an important economic and social role. In recent years, the concept of sustainable agriculture has emerged out of the increasing concern for long-term farm productivity and the effect of agricultural practices on the environment. Sustainable agriculture is an alternative approach to agriculture that incorporates integrated farming systems to produce environmental goods while protecting resources and enhancing future environmental quality. The key to creating sustainable agriculture is improving and maintaining soil biodiversity, but this cannot be done until the economic and social issues related to farming are addressed.
Soil biodiversity is a central component of sustainable agriculture since without it the availability of arable soil would decrease, therefore making soil management techniques crucial in sustainable farming. Soil is the home for a myriad of organisms, bacteria, fungi, and microbes, which all play key roles in soil quality and health, in turn affecting agriculture. The function of these soil biota are “central to the decomposition processes and nutrient cycling” and therefore “affect plant growth and productivity, as well as the release of pollutants in the environment.” Soil biodiversity is key in sustainable agriculture’s goal of producing adequate amounts of nutritious food while maintaining environmental quality and conserving natural resources.
Sustainable farming is extremely intertwined with three variables: environment, economy, and society. Environmental factors sustainable farmers must take into account are biodiversity, recycling of nutrients, waste, and avoidance of pollution, to name a few. Although most attention is usually places on the environmental facet of sustainable agriculture, the economic and social influences play increasingly crucial roles in its success. Economically, concerns of profitability, especially compared to other farms, and maintenance agricultural raw materials are important for farmers to take into consideration. The social dimension includes the “retention of an optimum level of farm population, the maintenance of an acceptable quality of farm life, and the equitable distribution of material benefits from economic growth.” The struggle for many sustainable farms is that environmental, economic, and social factors do not always coincide and therefore priority must be given to certain interests over others. For example, sustainable agriculture techniques such as crop rotation, conservation tillage, cover cropping, nutrient management, and multicrop farming can become costly and do not necessarily yield the biggest profit margin. Conversely, due to competition from other farms, sustainable or not, in order to stay in business farms must have a maximum output of crops.
Organic farming is a type of sustainable farming that prohibits the use of synthetic products, including fertilizers and pesticides, and stresses maintaining soil productivity and quality. In 1995, the National Organic Standards Board defined it as “an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity.” Since organic farms do not use unnatural pesticides and fertilizers, they tend to rely more on natural nutrient cycles than do conventional farms. These types of farms must be creative in the ways they replace chemical fertilizers and frequently practice crop rotation, maturing, cultivation, and mineral fertilizers. Since many of these practices are more time consuming and costly than traditional chemical fertilizers, organic farms rely on higher prices for their produce in order to ensure profitability. By increasing their prices, organic farmers do not have to choose between being environmentally sustainable and making an economic profit.
Due to the increasing global population rate and more demand on agricultural resources, sustainable agriculture is becoming more important and necessary, however it is crucial to remember the role of soil biodiversity in its success and how economic and social factors play an important role in its effectiveness and implementation.
About the authors: Ariana Verdu and Lily Phillips are working towards their bachelor degrees in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
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| 0.932562
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Ever feel like the KKK gets a bum rap?
I mean... there’s two sides to every story, right? Maybe a case can be made that the original Klansmen were heroes. Freedom fighters. Manful defenders of their women. Soldiers of God.
Well, don’t risk pulling a muscle on that little mind experiment, because the case was made. In the Encyclopedia Britannica, the finest compendium of general knowledge in the English language.
You know I love rummaging through old texts. You step back in time 100 years, you’re bound to discover some interesting perspectives on things. Dig it: The contents of the classic 1911 edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica (now unprotected by copyright) are online and searchable at www.1911encyclopedia.org.
For shits and grins, I looked up “Ku Klux Klan.”
The current Encyclopedia Britannica describes the Klan as “either of two distinct secret terrorist organizations in the United States, one founded immediately after the Civil War..., the other beginning in 1915...”
But the word “terrorist” wasn’t used in the 1911 edition. To say the least. Here is how the 1911 entry begins:
“KU KLUX KLAN, the name of an American secret association of Southern whites united for self-protection and to oppose the Reconstruction measures of the United States Congress, 1865-1876.”
Self-protection? Okaaay. Tell me more.
“The object was to protect the whites during the disorders that followed the Civil War, and to oppose the policy of the North towards the South, and the result of the whole movement was a more or less successful revolution against the Reconstruction and an overthrow of the governments based on negro suffrage.”
Wow. Sounds kind of valorous when you put it like that. How did this revolutionary movement begin?
“[The Ku Klux Klan] began in 1865 in Pulaski, Tennessee, as a social club of young men. It had an absurd ritual and a strange uniform. The members accidentally discovered that the fear of it had a great influence over the lawless but superstitious blacks...
“The various causes assigned for the origin and development of this movement were: ... the corrupt and tyrannical rule of the alien [i.e., Northern whites], renegade and negro...; the disfranchisement of whites; the spread of ideas of social and political equality among the negroes; fear of negro insurrections; the arming of negro militia and the disarming of the whites; outrages upon white women by black men;” –
– “... the humiliation of Confederate soldiers after they had been paroled – in general, the insecurity felt by Southern whites during the decade after the collapse of the Confederacy.”
Perfectly understandable. So what were the Klan’s stated principles?
“[T]he following are characteristic: to protect and succour the weak and unfortunate, especially the widows and orphans of Confederate soldiers;” –
Awww... widows and orphans. Nobody ever talks about that!
– “to protect members of the white race in life, honour and property from the encroachments of the blacks; ... to defend constitutional liberty, to prevent usurpation, emancipate the whites, maintain peace and order, the laws of God, the principles of 1776” –
People, let me hereby repeat: This is from the ENCYCLOPEDIA FREAKING BRITANNICA!
– “and the political and social supremacy of the white race – in short, to oppose African influence in government and society, and to prevent any intermingling of the races.”
I see. So how were these noble principles actualized? What were the Klan’s tactics?
“To control the negro the Klan played upon his superstitious fears by having night patrols, parades and drills of silent horsemen covered with white sheets, carrying skulls with coals of fire for eyes, sacks of bones to rattle, and wearing hideous masks.”
(Pictured at left is a genuine 1870 Ku Klux Klan mask from the North Carolina Museum of History.)
Shit! That sure would scare me good. Not to mention the bullwhips and guns. Oh, right... you didn’t mention the bullwhips and guns. Anyhoo, please continue, Encyclopedia Britannica...
“In calling upon dangerous blacks at night they pretended to be the spirits of dead Confederates, ‘just from Hell’.... Mysterious signs and warnings were sent to disorderly negro politicians. The whites who were responsible for the conduct of the blacks were warned or driven away by social and business ostracism or by violence. Nearly all southern whites (except ‘scalawags’), whether members of the secret societies or not, in some way took part in the Ku Klux movement.”
All right now, reality-check time. Was there anything negative about the Ku Kluxers? What about that violence you alluded to?
“In some communities they fell into the control of violent men and became simply bands of outlaws, dangerous even to the former members; and the anarchical aspects of the movement excited the North to vigorous condemnation.”
So give me the bottom line, 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica. What did the original KKK accomplish?
“[T]he Ku Klux movement went on until it accomplished its object by giving protection to the whites, reducing the blacks to order, ... expelling the worst of the carpet-baggers and scalawags, and nullifying those laws of Congress which had resulted in placing the Southern whites under the control of a party composed principally of ex-slaves.”
Dang. With such a romantic view of the KKK inscribed even in the Encyclopedia Britannica, is it any wonder that a new Klan arose in 1915 and lives on to today?
But let’s end on an up note.
As much as our modern imagination pictures Negroes quaking in terror from the night-riders... as much as that old encyclopedia speaks of fearful and superstitious blacks... there is this New York Times item, published March 19, 1868:
Book Review: Storm Warning by E.A. O’Neal
15 hours ago
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http://undercoverblackman.blogspot.com/2007/08/positive-spin-on-ku-klux-klan.html
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| 0.935271
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Scientists have developed what could be described as an "opposites attract" computer algorithm to identify new therapeutic applications for existing drugs, by comparing disease expression profiles in a public database with those resulting from drug administration. Funded by the NIH, the Stanford University Medical School-led team built a compendium of disease-drug relationship predictions based on matching genome-wide signatures of disease pathophysiology with drug effect. Importantly, instead of examining a single drug-disease pair or looking at reactions of a large set of drugs on a single disease, the search focused on the discovery of connections between 100 diseases and 164 drugs across all the gene measurements.
Reporting their approach and findings in two papers in Science Translational Medicine, Atul J. Butte, M.D., and colleagues say the results highlighted many known drug and disease relationships, but also predicted many new indications for the 164 drugs. One of these was use of the anticonvulsant drug topiramate, for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Another suggested the ulcer therapy cimetidine could potentially treat lung cancer. The two publications describe in vitro and in vivo studies supporting the findings for both drugs.
The repositioning of drugs already approved for human use mitigates the costs and risks associated with early stages of drug development and offers shorter routes to approval for therapeutic indications, Dr. Butte et al. note in their paper titled “Discovery and Preclinical Validation of Drug Indications Using Compendia of Public Gene Expression Data." Indeed, successful examples of drug repositioning include the indication of sildenafil for erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension, thalidomide for severe erythema nodosum leprosum, and retinoic acid for acute promyelocytic leukemia.
The prevailing approach to drug repositioning is based on established tools and techniques developed for screening libraries of lead compounds against biological targets of interest in early-stage drug discovery, although computational approaches to the discovery of novel biological targets for approved drugs have been developed as a means to reducing costs and other logistical limitations associated with experimental HTS approaches.
The Stanford researchers’ approach took a different tack to existing computational approaches. Rather than look at individual drugs or individual diseases, they cross referenced data from publicly available databases to identify drug-related gene expression profiles that effectively canceled out gene-expression profiles resulting from disease. The working hypothesis was simple, Dr. Butte notes. “If a drug exerts a change on gene-activity pattern that is opposite to that exerted by a disease, then that drug may have a therapeutic effect on that disease.”
Practically, the researchers identified and combined data from publicly available microarray datasets from National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) representing 100 diseases, with gene expression data from several human cancer cell lines treated with 164 drugs or small molecules, in order to predict previously undescribed therapeutic drug-disease relationships. They defined a disease signature for each of the 100 diseases as a set of genes that are significantly up- and down-regulated for that disease compared with normal values using significance analysis of microarrays (SAM). The next stage was to statistically compare each of the disease signatures to each of the reference drug expression signatures from the Connectivity Map, a collection of genome-wide transcriptional expression data from cultured human cells treated with a broad range of FDA-approved bioactive small molecules, which was first described back in 2006.
The overall results provided significant candidate therapeutic drug-disease relationships for 53 of the 100 diseases. Each of the 164 drugs was significantly associated with at least 1 of these 53 diseases. Many cancers showed the highest number of significant matches to therapies, and the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor vorinostat represented the drug predicted to have associations with the largest number of diseases: 21 out of the 100 in the dataset. Other HDAC inhibitors, such as trichostatin A and Helminthosporium carbonum (HC) toxin, as well as the anticancer EGFR inhibitor gefitinib, had more than 20 significant predicted therapeutic indications.
Supporting the basic validity of the approach, the results suggested that drugs with similar mechanisms of action clustered together in terms of the diseases they would potentially treat, while diseases were similarly clustered on the basis of their computed therapeutic scores across the panel of drugs: “We found a large cluster of cancers, including lung, stomach, and other cancers, pointing to potential commonality of predicted therapeutic response between these conditions, the authors write, while “the inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis (UC), and Crohn disease (CD) appeared together as part of a larger cluster of diseases for which corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive drugs are broadly indicated.” Interestingly, IBD was clustered near infection by Yersinia enterocolitica, which can present clinical symptoms similar to those of IBD, they add.
As would be expected, the results predicted that the known anticancer drugs, HDAC inhibitors (trichostatin A, valproic acid, vorinostat, and HC toxin) have therapeutic effects in treatment of different types of brain tumors (astrocytoma, glioblastoma, and oligodendroglioma), as well as other cancers (esophagus, lung, and colon). In addition, one of the strongest therapeutic predictions for CD and UC was the corticosteroid prednisolone, a well known treatment for these conditions.
However, the results also threw up a number of surprises, the authors report. One in particular was the finding that topiramate, an anticonvulsant drug currently used to treat epilepsy, had a stronger therapeutic score for CD than prednisolone, and was also one of the strongest predicted therapies for UC. It was this association that was further evaluated in the second Science Translational Medicine paper titled “Computational Repositioning of the Anticonvulsant Topiramate for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.”
The computational results separately turned up a moderately strong prediction for cimetidine as a treatment for lung adenocarcinoma (LA). Testing this drug-disease pairing in vitro, the researchers evaluated the growth, proliferation and apoptisis of LA cells after exposure to cimetidine. LA cells exposed to increasing concentrations of the drug exhibited a dose-dependent reduction in growth and proliferation compared with controls, and cimetidine administration also led to significant levels of apoptosis. To test the findings in vivo, three doses of cimetidine were then administered to mice implanted with a human LA cell line, and growth of tumors monitored for 12 days. The results showed that cimetidine therapy significantly blunted tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner, and at the highest dose the drug was almost as effective as doxorubicin, which was used as a positive control therapy, the researchers state. In contrast, cimetidine had no effect on the growth of renal tumors in mice, supporting the original computational data that showed specificity for cimetidine against lung cancer.
Moving on to further test the prediction that topiramate could treat IBD, the researchers treated IBD-induced experimental rats with either topiramate or prednisolone. Both drugs resulted in animals displaying reduced IBD symptoms including diarrhea, and tissue analyses showed reduced gross pathological inflammation, ulceration, and damage to the colon mucosal layer in both the topiramate and prednisolone-treated groups.
The team admits that their initial findings for both cimetidine and topiramate will need further preclinical and clinical evaluation, but claim the results at least go some way toward validating the concept of using computational analysis of public gene-expression databases as an approach to uncovering additional uses for approved drugs.
The observation that drugs that cluster on the basis of their gene signature similarity across diseases exhibited share mechanisms of action (such as HDAC inhibition) or shared physiological processes (for example, immunomodulation), may also help provide clues about how drugs with hitherto unknown mechanisms of action may work, or even suggest new biology, they note.
“This work is still at an early stage, but it is a promising proof of principle for a creative, fast, and affordable approach to discovering new uses for drugs we already have in our therapeutic arsenal,” adds Rochelle M. Long, Ph.D., who directs the NIH Pharmacogenomics Research Network. “Bringing a new drug to market typically takes about $1 billion, and many years of R&D. If we can find ways to repurpose drugs that are already approved, we could improve treatments and save both time and money.”
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How to Learn Haskell
How This Guide Works
So you want learn Haskell, and somehow or another you've ended up at this page. Good! This isn't really a tutorial though. Maybe you could call it a meta-tutorial. Our goal is to give you a better idea of the big picture when it comes to learning Haskell. So, you should be using this tutorial in conjunction with other resources. On that note, we point to lots of them from this page, so don't worry if you're not sure where to start. We've selected useful resources, tried to make connections, and attempted to offer some sort of linearity. Hopefully you can use this guide to better navegate your way through the learning process. Good luck!
If you have any questions or comments, the authors would love to hear from you! Our emails are on the main page.
Make sure you understand the reasons for learning Haskell
Unlike some modern languages, Haskell is not a language you will pick up in two days and then be able to write your homework 10x faster in.
Haskell will make you sweat to write simple programs, but it can also make writing things you thought were really complex quite a bit simpler.
Mostly, it's a good learning experience since the patterns and ways of thinking you develop will serve you in any computer science work you do.
Find some articles or blog posts about "Why Haskell" and try to get an idea of what the Haskell world is like.
Some good places to start are listed on the page
Why Functional Programming.
Installing and running Haskell
The first thing you should do is install a Haskell compiler/interpreter on your system.
GHC are the most common options.
We recommend GHC for its power and flexibility.
It seems to be the de-facto standard, so using it will give you the same platform as most online tutorial writers.
One last option to check out is Try Haskell.
It's an online, interactive interpreter with limited functionality that can be useful if you don't want to install anything.
(Note: it's currently in alpha, and only offers a subset of the language).
Editors & GHCI
To make the most of the code examples you find, you should set up a good editor environment for yourself. We tend to use emacs and vim. In emacs, haskell-mode lets you automatically load ghci and evaluate your whole file just by typing C-c C-l. If you prefer vim, you'll probably want one terminal running vim and a second running ghci. You can use
:r to reload a file once it's loaded into ghci.
Raghu has pointed out that haskell-mode is much easier to set up in emacs than xemacs. It should be doable in xemacs, but if you're new to the emacs world, we recommend just using plain emacs instead of xemacs. Don't be confused by the names either, emacs also has a gui mode built on X if that's what you prefer; the fork between xemacs and emacs was more of an ideological one -- you'll have to consult google to find out more!
If you want to use GHCI, you should learn how to use it, check out The GHCI page on the Haskell wiki, and realize that you're always writing code in the I/O monad when using GHCI.
GHCI is kind of weird. I said it. But, it's weird because it's awesome. As you start studying Haskell you'll soon find out all about the distinction between writing code "in a monad" and writing code outside of one. To give you a quick example of what I mean, compare:
a = 5
let a = 5
Consider this section to be your warning that GHCI is a little strange. Because everything is in the I/O monad when you use GHCI (this sentence doesn't need to make sense to you yet), expect it to seem strange until you've started reading some of the main tutorials and books we've referenced. We recommend writing your code in text files until you've built up a little experience with I/O and feel comfortable writing code directly in GHCI.
First of all, you should probably pretend like you've never programmed before.
If you run into a word like return or class don't assume that you know what that means; chances are that you don't.
Here's a general idea of where you stand, depending on what languages you already know well:
So now that you have a general idea of where you stand, and are starting to worry about how weird Haskell is going to be, let's go through a quick (probably incomplete) list of the main distinctions between programming in Haskell and writing code in more "traditional" imperative programming languages.
- C, C++, Java: Haskell will probably blow your mind.
The notion of classes is almost completely different, return doesn't mean what you think it does, the algorithmic patterns are distinct, you don't get loops, and code doesn't run in the order it's typed on the screen.
It's pretty awesome.
- Python, Perl: You might be in the same boat as the previous group, but you may have run into some useful functions like reduce, map, etc.
that use functions as first-class objects, and use this feature to abstract away some common looping patterns.
This shows up all the time in Haskell.
If you're a Perl whiz, who knows what you've run into, but depending on whether you write Perl like a C coder, or
write Perl like a Lisp coder you may find yourself accordingly prepared.
- Ruby: Ruby's mixins and duck-typing actually bear some similarities to Haskell's typeclass system, so lookout for parallels, but don't assume you know everything since Ruby is object oriented and Haskell is not.
Another handy thing is that Ruby coders tend to use Ruby's inject, map, collect, etc.
functions quite a bit, which all represent very common patterns in Haskell.
- Scheme, Lisp: You'll probably have a good start on the basic functional design idioms.
What will drive you insane will be the typesystem, though you will also probably learn to love it pretty fast.
- ML, OCaml: You've still got a few things to learn, but these languages aren't that different.
The main distinction (which is not small) is Haskell's purity, which will also be freaking out everyone in the above groups.
- Syntax is different, for all of the reasons below
- Order of evaluation is non-intuitive.
Haskell is lazy.
This takes some getting used to, but fortunately most Haskell tutorials you'll find will try to explain it early on.
Also, SICP section 3.5 can be useful (if you're willing to learn some Scheme).
- The notion of types is not the same.
In most languages a variables type is just a way of defining how it's represented in the machine as bits.
In Haskell a type is more general and can include a function signature, an enumeration, a tuple, a list, or a composite data type.
- The notion of classes is not the same.
Typeclasses in Haskell are a bit like Java's interfaces, or Common Lisp's generic method specifications.
Fortunately, there are some good tutorials we can point you at later, including Learn you a Haskell.
- Haskell is pure.
Good explanations exist, and you're guaranteed to find them.
Expect this to make you debug most of your functions a lot less, but also to make you struggle for a long time with writing simple I/O and state.
Common Patterns in Haskell Code
Before you dive into the details, we think it will serve you to have a basic understanding of some common functional idioms, mostly for dealing with lists of data.
This tend to show up frequently in Haskell code, and if you're used to for loops, you might be caught off guard.
These are all examples of functional programming's verb-centric style.
First of all, Haskell does have arrays, but they're almost never a good idea.
Almost everything is done with lists, which are primitives in the language.
Even strings are just lists of characters, so any list function is equally applicable to a string.
So how do you iterate over your non-arrays and do things? Usually you'll use recursion.
Essentially, you grab the first element from your list, do something, and then re-call your function on the remainder of your list.
Most of the time, what you're doing fits into one of the following common patterns:
- Map: mapping a function over a list means calling that function on each of the items in the list, and generating a new list from the results.
- Fold: folding a function over a list means recursively calling it with its previous return (or a given initial value) along with the next element in the list.
A good example is sum, which can be expressed as:
fold (+) 0 list.
Essentially, you start with 0, then add the first element of the list.
Now you add the next item to that result, and then the next item to the new result, and so on, until you run out of items and have accumulated the sum of all the elements as your result.
In Haskell you can fold from the left or from the right; you'll figure out the difference later.
- Filter: filtering a list with a function involves calling some function on every item in your list, and collecting just the items for which that function returns true.
So for instance, you can filter all the even numbers from a list of integers this way, or all the valid positions from a list of game states.
Below are some of the best general language resources we've found; using these resources (or ones like them) is how you'll learn Haskell.
- Learn you a Haskell for Great Good (The very best full-language tutorial, from the basics all the way out to the advanced stuff)
- Erik Meijer's Channel 9 Functional Programming Lectures (Recommended by a pro-active reader! This series of lectures appears to be a rather excellent introduction to functional programming with Haskell. This link takes you to an index of the microsoft pages themselves. There is also a link in the Video Lectures section below that takes you to a different index that includes downloads of slides, solutions, etc.)
- Hitchiker's Guide to Haskell (Kind of advanced, and throws you right in, but also gives a good idea of using the language top to bottom... compiling, IO, etc.)
- Write Yourself a Scheme in 48 Hours (One to tackle once you've got some of the basics under your belt, a nice example of writing a full project in Haskell).
- Roll your own IRC bot (Like Write Yourself a Scheme it flies a bit fast, but is a nice example of writing a project in Haskell and doing something cool
- Lisperati.com's Haskell Picnic (Probably a good one once you've got some experience reading code)
- The Haskell Wikibook (Has some very good pages at the moment on various topics, especially some of the more advanced stuff)
- Real World Haskell (A pretty good resource, and freely available online -- has some cool projects and code examples, just don't expect it to teach you the language on its own)
- #haskell on irc.freenode.net is a terrific place with terrific people. Stop by and say hi!
The Steps to Learning Haskell
These steps are not strictly linear nor are they a perfect guide to learning the language. Everyone learns languages differently, so you should find some good books or tutorials for your skill level and goals (some good ones are listed above) and use them in parallel with this guide. The steps below are in the order we expect you to master the concepts, not in the order you'll see them.
The first thing you have to master is syntax if you want to read Haskell code.
We don't suggest trying to learn syntax on its own, but before trying to tackle more advanced features of the language you should have a good understanding of all the strange syntax Haskell has to offer.
A good guide is the Tour of the Haskell Syntax.
Commonly Used Functions & Basic Programming Techniques
You'll also probably want to have read chapters 1 and 2 of Learn you a Haskell, and/or chapters 1 - 7 of Real World Haskell and gotten some practice using the Prelude (Haskell's standard library).
- You should be able to understand and tinker with the breadcrumbs up to RPN.
- You should attempt problems 1 - 20 of H99.
Try to use fold, map, the . operator, and other higher-order concepts when you can, to really immerse yourself in "the Haskell way".
Laziness isn't that tricky of a concept, but it can lead to some pretty strange (and beautiful) things so make sure you have a good grasp of it. If you read any book or full-language tutorial it's guaranteed to talk about laziness, but for the lazy (hah!) the following resources offer concise introductory explanations of Haskell's laziness (in order of depth):
Two (advanced) places to focus in particular when studying laziness are the following:
- Using laziness to define sequences. Check out this breadcrumb and this, more advanced one and make sure you understand this. Try implementing a list of factorials, or a list of primes on your own. SICP's stream chapter, especially the lazy part is full of good examples and practice problems that are very applicable to Haskell.
- File I/O -- don't worry about this if you haven't run into I/O yet. Laziness in IO has some interesting consequences. If you say
text <- getContents , that evaluates instantly, but then as you you read text from
text the file gets read retroactively. The bad consequence is that sometimes Haskell needs special care if you're reading really big files since techniques like the above can get weird when you exhaust the available cache memory.
The type system can be deceptively simple since it's relatively easy to define your own data types in Haskell and do other routine things. Don't let yourself be fooled though; it's in fact quite deep and thorough understandings of typeclasses, newtype, and currying are essential to using Haskell effectively and to understanding the more advanced facets of the language.
If you haven't already, be sure to read chapter 2 of Real World Haskell for an overview of how Haskell handles types.
So does Learn you a Haskell. Once you can understand things like:
foo :: Int -> [Char] -> (a,b) -> ((a,b) -> Int -> Char) -> [Char]
you can move on to defining your own types using
data, type, and
Learn you a Haskell has an excellent chapter on custom typeclasses and types. Reading this chapter should give you a much more thorough understanding of types and data in Haskell. Lastly, be sure you understand newtype, especially when used like this since it's a pretty common pattern in monad definitions and uses. A good example of that case is in this section of Real World Haskell.
- You should be able to understand and tinker with related breadcrumbs.
- You should know the
newtype operators; be able to compare and contrast them.
- You should be familiar with GHCi's
:i shortcut. Try
:i Num to get started.
The next big thing in your quest to understand Haskell is the Monad. Monad is a typeclass. So make sure you understand those first. If you don't have a good grasp of the core language, understanding monad examples on the internet will be very difficult. There are a ton of (mostly good) monad tutorials on the haskell wiki. Take a look at sections 8.1 and 8.3. Monad tutorials can normally be broken down into three categories:
The approach that you probably want to take is to start by skimming the "why" ones. Then you want to skim some code-based ones to get an idea of "what" a monad is in terms of programming. Before you start writing your own monads though, you should actually skip to our next section and do some I/O stuff as a way to practice using monads. Once you have a fairly good idea of what a monad is and how it might fit into a program, you should try to roll your own monad from scratch. We did that by building a limited Forth interpreter as one of our projects. Once you've then played with the internals of writing a monad, a good next step is to look through All About Monads' Catalog of Built-in Monads and try to play with their source code examples. Monads take a while to become "natural" so you'll mostly just want to read a lot of different tutorials, and try to write as much code as you can.
- Tutorials that explain the Why of Monads
- Tutorials where you'll actually see code
- People using monads to do cool things
Before moving on make sure you:
IO is essential to writing useful programs, and also a terrific first exposure to using monads in your Haskell programs. Good resources are the following, but keep in mind that the best thing to do, as always, is write your own code!
The best thing you can do at this point is to try to find cool examples using IO to do things you care about on the internet or in whatever books you have. Trying (and failing at first) to write effective IO code in Haskell will teach you what you need to know pretty fast.
Advanced Stuff and Further Reading
Having learned everything mentioned so far, be aware that there's still a ton of stuff to learn. Some places to go from here:
Page content written by Gordon Sommers and CJ Carey.
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The Feingold Diet
In the 1970s, Benjamin Feingold M.D., a pediatrician and allergist at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco, introduced an eating plan that he said could help alleviate symptoms of ADHD. The Feingold Diet forbids artificial food colors, flavorings, sweeteners, and preservatives, as well as salicylates, naturally occurring compounds found in some fruits and vegetables.
Studies failed to uphold Feingold's claims when he first made them, and most ADHD experts still dismiss the Feingold diet as ineffective. Yet some recent research suggests that the Feingold diet may be beneficial to the 5 percent or so of children with ADHD who seem to be sensitive to chemicals in food.
One study, published in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, analyzed 15 previously published studies and concluded that artificial food colors can lead to hyperactivity, irritability, and insomnia in some kids with ADHD.
Many parents use the Feingold diet with their kids who have ADHD, saying there are obvious benefits. Marilee Jones of Oakdale, Connecticut, put her son, now 17, on the Feingold diet when he was a toddler. Prior to the diet, he was hyperactive and had dark circles under his eyes from not sleeping. "We put him on the diet, and everything changed. He became a normal 18-month-old," says Jones, who now works for the Feingold Association.
Even now, says Jones, her son notices that if he strays too far from the diet and, say, indulges in a soft drink with artificial food coloring, his personality changes.
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When President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was assassinated, his body was carried by train and by carriage through 180 cities before reaching Springfield, Illinois, where it was buried. The route passed through New Jersey and Princeton students are reported to have stood in silence as it passed. The train stopped briefly in New Brunswick and Newark, before the body was transferred to a ferry, which carried it from Jersey City to New York City.
Once in NYC, the casket remained at City Hall Park all day and through the next morning, when it was loaded into a glass-sided hearse pulled by sixteen horses and taken to the Hudson River Railway Depot at 10th Avenue and 30th Street. This albumen photograph taken on April 25 shows the procession moving up Broadway, just south of Astor Place. The Church of the Messiah (Unitarian) is seen at the center of the frame.
The platform of the hearse was fourteen feet long, eight feet wide, and five feet from the ground, so the crowds could see the coffin through the glass. The New York Times’ Henry J. Raymond wrote that “the hearse, drawn by six [sic] gray horses, heavily draped in black, took its place in the procession, headed by General [John A.] Dix and other officers, escorted by the Seventh Regiment, and the whole cortege moved, through densely crowded streets and amidst the most impressive display of public and private grief, to the City Hall.” (Henry Raymond, The Life of Abraham Lincoln, John Shaw Pierson Civil War Collection W96.587.75.3)
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Orange and deep yellow fruits and vegetables, including bananas, apricots, peaches, cantaloupe, mangoes, oranges, tangerines, sweet potatoes, carrots, winter squash and pumpkins, contain antioxidants, carot-enoids and bioflavonoids. Scientists are studying these phytochemicals for their potential role in protecting against heart disease, some cancers and macular degeneration.
Red fruits and vegetables are rich in lycopene and anthocyanins, which are believed to promote heart health, memory function and urinary tract health, as well as help lower the risk of some cancers. Enjoy the benefits of red fruits and vegetables by including cherries, watermelon, cranberries, pink grapefruit, strawberries, beets, red cabbage, red peppers and tomatoes in your diet. Keep in mind that, when cooked or canned, the lycopene in tomatoes is more available to absorb.
Green fruits and vegetables supply several phytochemicals currently under investigation. In particular, dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, collard greens, kale and romaine lettuce provide two carotenoids - lutein and zeaxanthin - that may help lower the risk of macular degeneration and some cancers. Other green fruits and vegetables, like green peas, avocadoes, green grapes, honeydew melons, kiwifruit, broccoli, green beans and brussels sprouts, provide phytochemicals with antioxidant properties.
Purple and blue fruits and vegetables, such as blueberries, blackberries, plums, raisins, eggplant and purple asparagus, contain anthocyanins and polyphenols, which are currently being studied for their antioxidant and anti-aging benefits. Diets rich in purple and blue fruits and vegetables also may lower the risk of some cancers, promote urinary tract health and help to maintain memory function.
White, tan and brown fruits and vegetables provide a variety of potentially beneficial substances. For example, it has been found that members of the allium family (leeks, garlic and onions) contain the phytochemical allicin, which may help with heart health, cholesterol levels and lower the risk of some cancers. Onions, along with many other vegetables, also provide quercetin, a phytochemical that works as an antioxidant and may reduce the growth and spread of cancer cells. Potatoes contain glutathione, an antioxidant that helps protect against cancer. To get the health benefits offered by white, tan and brown fruits and vegetables, include foods such as onions, leeks, garlic, dates, cauliflower, jicama, mushrooms, potatoes, parsnips and turnips in your diet.
Start today. Spice up your life and take a step toward better health by painting your plate with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables each day.
For more information and ideas on how to include more fruits and vegetables in your diet, you can visit the following Web sites:
Lynn F. Little is extension educator with Family & Consumer Sciences at Maryland Cooperative Extension in Washington County.
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Sodium is found mostly in the body fluids outside the cells. It is very important for maintaining blood pressure. Sodium is also needed for nerves and muscles to work properly.
When the amount of sodium in fluids outside cells drops, water moves into the cells to balance the levels. This causes the cells to swell with too much water. Although most cells can handle this swelling, brain cells cannot, because the skull bones confine them. Brain swelling causes most of the symptoms of hyponatremia.
The cause of hyponatremia must be diagnosed and treated. In some cases, cancer may cause the condition, and radiation, chemotherapy, or surgery to remove the tumor may correct the sodium imbalance.
Other treatments depend on the specific type of hyponatremia.
Treatments may include:
Fluids through a vein (IV)
Medication to relieve symptoms
The outcome depends on the condition that is causing the problem. In general, acute hyponatremia, which occurs in less than 48 hours, is more dangerous than hyponatremia that develops slowly over time. When sodium levels fall slowly over a period of days or weeks (chronic hyponatremia), the brain cells have time to adjust and swelling is minimal.
Hyponatremia can be a life-threatening emergency. Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of this condition.
Treating the condition that is causing hyponatremia can help. If you play any sports, drink fluids that contain electrolytes (sports drinks). Drinking only water while you take part in high-energy athletic events can lead to acute hyponatremia.
Skorecki K, Ausiello D. Disorders of sodium and water homeostasis. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007:chap 117.
Verbalis JG, Berl T. Disorders of water balance. In: Brenner BM, ed. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2008:chap 13.
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
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Introducing complex systems into the mathematics curriculum
English, Lyn D. (2008) Introducing complex systems into the mathematics curriculum. Teaching Children Mathematics, 15(1), pp. 38-47.
|Published Version (PDF 1830Kb) |
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Article addresses an approach to introducing elementary school children to complex systems through mathematical modeling activities. A number of principles for designing such learning experiences are presented, together with examples of children's responses to two sample activities.
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|Item Type:||Journal Article|
|Additional Information:||For more information, please refer to the journal's website (see hypertext link) or contact the author.|
|Keywords:||Complex Systems, Mathematics Curriculum|
|Subjects:||Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > EDUCATION (130000) > CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (130200) > Curriculum and Pedagogy Theory and Development (130202)|
Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > EDUCATION (130000) > CURRICULUM AND PEDAGOGY (130200) > Mathematics and Numeracy Curriculum and Pedagogy (130208)
|Divisions:||Current > Schools > School of Curriculum|
Current > QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Education
|Copyright Owner:||Copyright 2008 National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NTCM)|
|Deposited On:||11 Feb 2009 09:21|
|Last Modified:||25 Mar 2013 18:08|
Repository Staff Only: item control page
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Arthrogryposis or arthrogryposis multiplex congenita (AMC) is a generic term used in connection with a very heterogeneous group of disorders with a common feature which includes multiple congenital joint contractures. The word arthrogryposis (arthro-joint, gryp-curved), literally means curved joint (implying that it is fixed or stuck in the curved position).
The etiology is variable and not entirely understood but it is presumed to be multi-factorial. In most cases, arthrogryposis multiplex congenita is not a genetic condition. However, in approximately 30% of cases, a genetic cause can be identified.
The major cause of arthrogryposis is fetal akinesia which can be due to fetal or maternal conditions.
Fetal causes of arthrogryposis:
They may include malformations or malfunctions of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Abnormalities include meningomyelocele, anencephaly, hydranencephaly, holoprosencephaly, spinal muscular atrophy, cerebrooculofacial-skeletal syndrome, and Marden-Walker syndrome
Muscular malformations or malfunctions
These are relatively rare causes of arthrogryposis. Some associated diseases include congenital muscular dystrophies, congenital myopathies, intrauterine myositis, and mitochondrial disorders.
Examples include synostosis, lack of joint development, aberrant fixation of joints (diastrophic dysplasia and metatropic dwarfism), aberrant laxity of joints with dislocations (Larsen syndrome), and aberrant soft tissue fixations (popliteal pterygium syndrome).
Mechanical limitations to movement
Oligohydramnios or chronic amniotic fluid leakage, multiple pregnancies, uterine abnormalities such as bicornuate uterus with a septum or uterine fibroid may cause fetal constraint and secondary contractures.
Maternal causes of arthrogryposis:
- Infections: rubella, rubeola, coxsackievirus, enterovirus, Akabane
- Fever more than 39° Celsius
- Teratogens: drugs, alcohol, curare, methocarbamol, and phenytoin,
- Neuromuscular diseases such as myotonic dystrophy, myasthenia gravis, or multiple sclerosis.
Generalized fetal akinesia can also lead to polyhydramnios, pulmonary hypoplasia, micrognathia, ocular hypertelorism, and short umbilical cord.
During early embryogenesis, joint development is almost always normal. Motion is essential for the normal development of joints and their contiguous structures. Lack of fetal movement causes development of the extra connective tissue around the joint. This results in fixation of the joint, limited range of motion and development of the joint contractures.
Prenatal ultrasound diagnosis is usually based on the detection of abnormal limb position, restrictive fetal movement with reduced or absent response to acoustic stimulation, growth restriction, polyhydramnios, and pulmonary hypoplasia. Low-set malformed ears, hypertelorism, short neck, cleft palate, scalp edema, thoracic deformities, camptodactyly, and micrognathia may also be found. There are also reports of early diagnosis of arthrogryposis in the first and early second trimester by detection of subcutaneous oedema.
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Environment | November 20, 2011 |
Troubling Health Trends Holding Back Progress on Life Expectancy
by Earth Policy Institute
People born today will live for 68 years on average, 20 years longer than those born in 1950. By the mid-twentieth century, industrial countries had already made major strides in extending lifespans with improvements in sanitation, nutrition, and public health. After World War II, rapid gains in life expectancy in developing countries began to narrow the gap between these nations and industrial countries. Although average life expectancy worldwide continues to increase, gains have come more slowly in the last few decades. Worryingly, life expectancy has actually declined in some developing countries, while a few industrial countries have stalled or made slow progress on this important indicator of human health and well-being.
Low Life Expectancy in Sub-Saharan Africa
Life expectancy remains lowest in sub-Saharan Africa, where people can expect to live 53 years on average. Six countries in this region have lower life expectancies today than they did in the 1970s: Botswana, Lesotho, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. These countries also have some of the world’s highest HIV prevalences. South Africa, with 5.6 million people infected (11 percent of the total population), has more people living with HIV than any other country in the world. Following four decades of gains, life expectancy in South Africa has fallen dramatically — from 61 years in the early 1990s to 51 years today.
In Zimbabwe, where 10 percent of the population are infected with HIV, the change has been even more dramatic: life expectancy fell from 62 to 43 years between 1985 and 2005. Life expectancy in Lesotho, where 13 percent are infected, fell from 60 to 44 years between 1990 and 2005. Since 2005, life expectancy in these countries has begun to rise again with the spread of safer sex practices and antiretroviral therapy. But even in Botswana, which has the highest life expectancy of the group, people born today will live just over 53 years on average.
Life Expectancy Troubles in Former Soviet Union
Whereas Western Europeans can now expect to live for an average of 80 years, life expectancies in some former Soviet Union countries remain far shorter and improvements have stalled or even reversed. In Russia, life expectancy peaked in the late 1960s at a little over 69 years. It declined to 65 in the early 2000s before rising back up to 68 years today. Russian men born today will only live 62 years on average, compared with 74 years for women — which is the world’s largest life expectancy gender gap.
Belarus and Ukraine also have significant gender gaps and lower overall life expectancies now than they did in the 1960s. Hazardous drinking in this region is a major concern: according to the World Health Organization, 20 percent of deaths among men in Russia and neighboring countries can be attributed to alcohol, compared with 6 percent among men globally. Extreme industrial pollution has also likely contributed to relatively early mortality in the region. A 2011 report from the Blacksmith Institute and Green Cross Switzerland identified Eastern Europe as one of the regions where people’s health is most affected by pesticide, lead, and mercury pollution.
U.S. Life Expectancy
Some high-income countries are improving life expectancy but failing to keep pace with their peers. For example, since 1980 the United States has only extended its average expected lifespan by 4 years, while Japan — the country where people can expect to live the longest, to age 83 — has increased it by 6 years. A 2011 study from the University of Washington found that in addition to lagging behind leading countries, the United States has significant geographic and racial disparities in life expectancy.
Studies suggest that the slower U.S. rate of improvement may be a legacy of heavy smoking — historically more common in the United States than in Japan and many European countries — as well as of obesity and a lack of universal health care.
The good news is that many of the places where life expectancy is lowest can increase it by working to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and by improving access to basic health care. As people in developing countries live longer and as their economies industrialize, however, the concern is that they may face the same challenges now holding back higher-income countries. Continuing progress in human health will depend on reducing pollution and fostering healthy lifestyles for everyone.
Photo by Dino ahmad ali/flickr/Creative CommonsReprinted with permission from Sustainablog
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Intubation and mechanical ventilation is the use of a tube and a machine to help get air into and out of your lungs. This is often done in emergencies, but it can also be done when you are having surgery.
Reasons for Procedure
Your lungs help exchange gases in your body. Oxygen is moved from the air in your lungs into your blood, and carbon dioxide in your blood moves into the air in your lungs. This movement of gases is needed to live. If you cannot move air into and out of your lungs, then this gas exchange cannot happen. Intubation and mechanical ventilation is done to help you breathe when you cannot move enough air in and out on your own.
Complications are rare, but no procedure is completely free of risk. If you are planning to have intubation and mechanical ventilation, your doctor will review a list of possible complications, which may include:
- Damage to teeth, lips, or tongue
- Damage to trachea (windpipe), resulting in pain, hoarseness, and sometimes difficulty breathing after the tube is removed
- Esophageal intubation (when the tube is accidentally inserted into the esophagus and stomach rather than the trachea)
- Low blood pressure
- Lung injury
Some factors that may increase the risk of complications include:
- Neck or cervical spine injury
- Pre-existing lung disease (such as emphysema)
- Poor condition of teeth
- Recent meal
Be sure to discuss these risks with your doctor before the procedure.
What to Expect
Prior to Procedure
If your intubation and mechanical ventilation is being performed along with surgery and is planned:
- The night before, eat a light meal. Do not eat or drink anything after midnight.
- Ask your doctor about any other special directions.
In most cases, you will either be heavily sedated or under general anesthesia and asleep. Local anesthesia may be used to numb your throat. You may also receive a muscle relaxant. This is to prevent gagging when the tube is inserted.
Description of the Procedure
First, you will wear an oxygen mask for 2-3 minutes. This will ensure that you have enough oxygen in your system during the procedure.
The doctor will tilt your head back slightly. Then, the doctor will use a tool called a laryngoscope. The scope has a handle, a light, and a smooth dull blade. This tool is used to lift the tongue off the back of the throat so the doctor can see your vocal cords. When the doctor sees your vocal cords, he will stick one end of the breathing tube through them, down into your lower windpipe.
Once the tube is in position, the doctor will remove the scope and leave the tube in place. The tube will then be taped to the corner of your mouth. Next, the doctor will attach the tube to a ventilator machine. This machine will move air in and out of your lungs. It can adjust how quickly and how deeply you breathe. In some cases, the tube will be inserted through the nose instead of the mouth.
Immediately After Procedure
Right after the procedure, your doctor will:
- Do a chest x-ray to make sure the tip of the tube is positioned in the middle of your trachea
- Listen to your lungs to make sure that the air is going into them
- Measure the level of gases in your blood to make sure that the ventilation is working
How Long Will It Take?
Less than five minutes
How Much Will It Hurt?
The anesthesia will prevent pain during the procedure. The tube will cause discomfort and make you cough. It may also irritate your voice box and trachea.
Average Hospital Stay
This procedure is done in a hospital setting. The usual length of stay depends on why you are having the procedure.
While you are intubated, you will receive extra help from nurses and other hospital staff.
You will not be able to eat, drink, or talk until the endotracheal tube is removed. Before the doctor can remove the tube, you will need to:
- Be breathing on your own through the tube, without the ventilator attached. You may only be partially awake during this time.
Have a satisfactory score on the Weaning Index, which measures:
- How often you take a breath
- How well oxygen is getting into your blood
- How much air you breathe in and out each time you take a breath
- If you need mechanical ventilation for more than a few weeks, a tracheotomy may be done. In this case, the airway tube is inserted through a hole made in your neck instead of your mouth or nose.
Call Your Doctor
After you are no longer intubated and have left the hospital, contact your doctor if any of the following occurs:
- Difficulty breathing
- Develop a cough
- Signs of infection, like fever or chills
- A tendency to breathe in your food or drink
- Musical sounds when you breathe (called stridor)
In case of an emergency, call for medical help right away.
- Reviewer: Marcin Chwistek, MD
- Review Date: 09/2012 -
- Update Date: 00/93/2012 -
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Successful translocation sees first petrel chick
The first Bermuda Petrel Pterodroma cahow chick to be born on Nonsuch Island, Bermuda, for almost 400 years, has recently hatched, the result of a successful translocation programme.
"The birth of this chick is an extraordinary achievement for those who have dedicated their lives to saving this rare bird from the brink of extinction", said Glenn Blakeney, the Bermuda Minister of the Environment and Sports.
Bermuda Petrel (also known as the Cahow) once numbered in the tens of thousands before the island’s discovery by the Spanish in the early 1500s. The Cahow changed Bermuda’s history, as the ghostly sounds made at night by the island’s huge Cahow population so frightened the superstitious Spanish sailors that they thought Bermuda was inhabited by devils and never settled there. However, although they didn’t settle, they left pigs on the island as food for shipwrecked sailors.
Over the next hundred years, the pigs destroyed almost 90% of the Cahow population, rooting up the bird’s nest burrows and eating eggs, chicks and adult birds. By the time the English settled Bermuda in 1609, the Cahows only survived on remote islands.
Due to predation by rats, cats and dogs brought to Bermuda by the early settlers, and hunting by the settlers themselves, the remaining Cahows disappeared very quickly, and were thought to be extinct by the 1620s. No Cahows was seen between 1620 and 1951, when a few breeding pairs were discovered nesting on some of the smallest and most remote rocky islands.
"I can not think of a more appropriate success story appropriate for the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Bermuda as the Cahow practically saved the early settlers but then they almost became extinct because of them!", said Dr David Wingate.
Dr. Wingate's interest in the Cahow began in 1951, when the species was rediscovered and he ended up devoting 50 years of his life to saving the species.
After removing all the rats from Nonsuch Island, 105 Cahow chicks were moved there between 2004 and 2008 in the hope of establishing a new predator-free breeding population.
In 2008, the first of these now fully-grown Cahows returned to nest burrows on Nonsuch. Four Cahows, identified by their tags as leaving from Nonsuch in 2005, were recaptured ‘prospecting’ new nests and now a pair has successfully bred.
"I'm hopeful that next year we will see more chicks born on Nonsuch and we will then truly have secured a major victory in ensuring the future survival of this most extraordinary bird", said Jeremy Madeiros, Conservation Officer for the Department of Conservation Services.
Seabirds, particularly albatrosses, are becoming increasingly threatened at a faster rate globally than all other species-groups of birds. Seabirds face a variety of threats, both on land and at sea. Currently the most critical conservation problem facing seabirds is thought to be bycatch caused by mortality in longline fisheres. It is estimated that over 100,000 birds – including tens of thousands of albatrosses – are killed annually by pirate fishing vessels in the Southern Ocean alone.
Created: 13th May 2009
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The Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368) was the amalgamation age of ethnic groups in China's history, and the dresses and personal adornments of the time also fully represented this feature. The following dress code (Zhisunfu
code) was just formulated in 1321 during the reign of Yuan Emperor Yingzong by referring to ancient systems: upper and lower short garments were pieced together; folds were added to the waistline, and big beads were hung on shoulders and the back. Emperors and officials in all ranks wore such garments, and the Han people called them as theYiseyi
garments. This dress code combined the garment characteristics of the Han people and Mongol ethnic minority.
As to this dress code, whether the clothes were coarse or fine in quality was used to distinguish the ranks of officials. Men's casual garments in the Yuan Dynasty mainly followed those of the Han people, and a jacket with short sleeves was worn over the casual garment. Women also dressed in this way, which was calledRuqun(upper jacket and lower skirt) andBanbi(half sleeves).
Women's garments of the Yuan Dynasty included aristocratic type and common-people type. Aristocrats were often the Mongols. Their national costumes were fur coats and fur caps. The garments made of marten and sheepskin was very common, and most garments were robes with narrow cuffs and loose sleeves.
Ordinary women of the Yuan Dynasty woreRuqun(upper jacket and lower skirt), and garments ofBanbei(half sleeves) were also popular. In addition, influenced by people of Koryo in the neighboring country, the aristocrats, queens and imperial concubines in the capital city imitated the custom of Koryo women's attires.
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The association came under fire when it proposed cutting money for the BSA and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
Some students claimed the decision was racially motivated. The SGA argued the groups did not meet certain criteria.
In a 54 to 10 vote, members decided to give the BSA its money. No decision has been made at this time regarding the NAACP.
whsv.com Extended Web Coverage
- 1909: Feb. 12 The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People was founded by a multiracial group of activists, who answered "The Call." They initially called themselves the National Negro Committee.
- 1910: In the face of intense adversity, the NAACP begins its legacy of fighting legal battles addressing social injustice with the Pink Franklin case, which involved a Black farmhand, who unbeknowingly killed a policeman in self-defense when the officer broke into his home at 3 a.m. to arrest him on a civil charge. After losing at the Supreme Court, the following year the renowned NAACP official Joel Spingarn and his brother Arthur start a concerted effort to fight such cases.
- 1913: President Woodrow Wilson officially introduces segregation into the Federal Government. Horrified that President would sanction such a policy, the NAACP launched a public protest.
- 1915: The NAACP organizes a nationwide protest D.W. Griffiths racially-inflammatory and bigoted silent film, "Birth of a Nation."
- 1917: In Buchanan vs. Warley, the Supreme Court has to concede that states can not restrict and officially segregate African Americans into residential districts. Also, the NAACP fights and wins the battle to enable African Americans to be commissioned as officers in World War I. Six hundred officers are commissioned, and 700,000 register for the draft.
- 1918: After persistent pressure by the NAACP, President Woodrow Wilson finally makes a public statement against lynching.
- 1920: To ensure that everyone, especially the Klan, knew that the NAACP would not be intimidated, the annual conference was held in Atlanta, considered one of the most active Klan areas.
- 1922: In an unprecedented move, the NAACP places large ads in major newspapers to present the facts about lynching.
- 1930: The first of successful protests by the NAACP against Supreme Court justice nominees is launched against John Parker, who officially favored laws that discriminated against African Americans.
- 1935: NAACP lawyers Charles Houston and Thurgood Marshall win the legal battle to admit a black student to the University of Maryland.
- 1939: After the Daughters of the Revolution barred acclaimed soprano Marian Anderson from performing at their Constitution Hall, the NAACP moved her concert to the Lincoln Memorial, where over 75,000 people attended.
- 1941: During World War II, the NAACP leads the effort to ensure that President Franklin Roosevelt orders a non-discrimination policy in war-related industries and federal employment.
- 1945: NAACP starts a national outcry when Congress refuses to fund their own Federal Fair Roosevelt Employment Practices Commission.
- 1946: The NAACP wins the Morgan vs. Virginia case, where the Supreme Court bans states from having laws that sanction segregated facilities in interstate travel by train and bus.
- 1948: The NAACP was able to pressure President Harry Truman to sign an Executive Order banning discrimination by the Federal government.
- 1954: After years of fighting segregation in public schools, under the leadership of Special Counsel Thurgood Marshall, the NAACP wins one of its greatest legal victories in Brown vs. the Board of Education.
- 1955: NAACP member Rosa Parks is arrested and fined for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Noted as the catalyst for the largest grassroots civil rights movement, that would be spearheaded through the collective efforts of the NAACP, SCLC and other Black organizations.
- 1960: In Greensboro, North Carolina, members of the NAACP Youth Council launch a series of non-violent sit-ins at segregated lunch counters. These protests eventually lead to more than 60 stores officially desegregating their counters.
- 1963: After one of his many successful mass rallies for civil rights, NAACP's first Field Director, Medgar Evers is assassinated in front of his house in Jackson, Mississippi. Five months later, President John Kennedy was also assassinated.
- 1964: U.S. Supreme Court ends the eight year effort of Alabama officials to ban NAACP activities. And 55 years after the NAACP's founding, Congress finally passes the Civil Rights Act.
- 1965: The Voting Rights Act is passed. Amidst threats of violence and efforts of state and local governments, the NAACP still manages to register more than 80,000 voters in the Old South.
- 1979: The NAACP initiates the first bill ever signed by a governor that allows voter registration in high schools. Soon after, 24 states follow suit.
- 1981: The NAACP leads the effort to extend The Voting Rights Act for another 25 years. To cultivate economic empowerment, the NAACP establishes the Fair Share Program with major corporations across the country.
- 1982: NAACP registers more than 850,000 voters, and through its protests and the support of the Supreme Court, prevents President Reagan from giving a tax-break to the racially segregated Bob Jones University.
- 1985: NAACP launches campaign to defeat the nomination of Judge Robert Bork to the Supreme Court. As a result, he garners the highest negative vote ever recorded for a 1989 Silent March of over 100,000 to protest U.S. Supreme Court nominee.
- 1991: When avowed racist and former Klan leader David Duke runs for US Senate in Louisiana, the NAACP launches a voter registration campaign that yields a 76 percent turn-out of Black voters to defeat Duke.
- 1992: The number of Fair Share Program corporate partners has risen to 70 and now represents billions of dollars in business.
- 1995: More than 30 years after the assassination of NAACP civil rights activist, Medgar Evers - his widow Myrlie, is elected Chairman of the NAACP's Board of Directors. The following year, the Kweisi Mfume leaves Congress to become the NAACPs President and CEO.
- 1997: In response to the pervasive anti-affirmative action legislation occurring around the country, the NAACP launches the Economic Reciprocity Program... And in response to increased violence among our youth, the NAACP starts the "Stop The Violence, Start the Love' campaign.
- 1998: Supreme Court Demonstration and arrests
- 1999: March on Columbia
- 2000: TV Diversity Agreements. Retirement of the Debt and first six years of a budget surplus. Largest Black Voter Turnout in 20 years
- 2001: Cincinnati Riots. Development of 5 year Strategic Plan.
Under the leadership of Chairman Bond and President Mfume, the NAACP continues to thrive, and with the help of everyone - regardless of race - will continue to do so into the next millennium.
Source: http:// www.naacp.org (NAACP Web site) contributed to this report.
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Some of the important subjects that are dealt in these books are friendship between children from different backgrounds and about boys and girls who deal with aspects of life when they are growing up. The other subjects include children growing up in foster families or facing life with adoptive parents. Accounts of schooldays are also quite favorite among the young people who readily identify themselves with the characters of the books. It is the instant connection with the characters that makes the books popular among children. The books can also deal with children and young people in adverse situations, like when they face a family crisis like death or deadly diseases. Most of the books are known to deal with tough situations like survival in the face of crisis or children of dysfunctional families. Another common topic that is frequently touched upon is mental and psychiatric illness.
It is always not always the storyline, the “problem novels” as many of the adults prefer to call it are a way of teaching the children about certain aspects of life which are not always positive or for that matter enjoyable. But the sensitive issues are dealt with extra care and during the formative years the young minds are ready to take up the challenge to face the subjects that are otherwise considered unpleasant. Many of the books from all over the world deal with problems that are an integral part of everyday life.
Some of the favorite realistic fiction books for children are:
Squashed by Joan Bauer
On My Honor by Marion Dane Bauer
The Burning Questions of Bingo Brown by Betsy Byars
The Tulip Touch by Anne Fine
The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes, Louis Slobodkin
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate Dicamillo
Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Realistic fiction as a genre was first introduced in Europe and later came to U.S.A. in the 1840's.
Some of the earlier realistic fiction books are:
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Heidi by Johanna Spyri
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
As the realistic fiction contains no fantasy or supernatural elements there is no romanticized version of things. The characters are not only portrayed in a realistic manner, the language also shows boldness and candor. The overall presentation should give an essence of honesty and originality and the portrayal should be done in a believing manner. The stories are exceptionally well-written and are especially meant for students in the fourth to sixth grades.The realistic fiction books allow the children to have a glimpse of the real world and help them to grow. The books can be an integral part of their learning process.
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In a paper published in the journal, PLoS ONE, scientists at Wageningen University in The Netherlands proposed that eating mealworms is a more sensible way of acquiring protein in the diet than eating chicken, pork or cattle. Per the article:
Compared to a kilogram of edible protein in meat from cows, chickens or pigs, production of the same amount of mealworm protein emits fewer greenhouse gases and requires much less land to grow. The findings support the argument that environmentally conscious eaters may do well to include beetle larvae in their diets. "This study demonstrates that mealworms should be considered a more sustainable source of edible protein," the team writes in a paper published yesterday in the journal PLoS ONE...Among the things that the worm-like larvae have going for them, they don't emit methane. Also, they are prolific. Depending on the species, females release up to 1,500 eggs over a lifetime. Larvae develop quickly and they convert their food into protein efficiently, at a similar rate to chicken but better than pigs and cattle.
I already SAID that the only people who have an excuse for eating meat are living a subsitance lifestyle, usuallly in an extreme climate. B-12 comes from bacteria in the soil. The animal eats plants, which includes some dirt and gets the B12 from there. Meat is NOT a source of B12 directly. Humans get B12 from vegetables, but ours are so clean they may not be a reliably consistant source...so supplementation is a good idea....just in case. Algae is not the only source of Omega 3. And WHY are you trying to find excuses?? Except for extreme circumstances (arctic native, Massai in Africa) people are perfectly healthy on a vegan diet. Unless they are at starvation level there is NO issue with health. I only take B12 supplements on occaision....just in case. I take nothing else regularly. I take Vitamin D in the winter. Almost all Americans are vitamin D deficient in the winter. Veganism is NOT difficult, and it is healthier.
I only take B12 supplements on occaision....just in case.
The vegan dietician Jack Norris has a good webpage on B12. He's an RD, that's a science-based degree in nutrition. It sounds like you are highly at risk for B12 deficiency.
Jack Norris has recommedations for B12 supplements for vegans.
For people who haven't been taking B12 regularly, he says
If you have not had a regular source of B12 for some time, buy a bottle of 1,000 µg (or greater) B12 tablets. Chew 2,000 µg once a day, for 2 weeks.
then follow the recommendations for regular supplementation.
B12 deficiency may raise the risk of heart disease as well as cause neurological problems.
Jack Norris has suggestions for measuring your B12 status - he says the B12 blood level isn't a reliable test - but his main suggestion seems to be to just take the supplement as recommended.
There's a guy I see around town here a lot, a runner. He gets places by running :) I saw him in the supermarket, at the vegetable counter ... he said he was a strict vegetarian (vegan diet). This guy must be very healthy in many ways, but I noticed his head was wobbling - symptom of B12 deficiency. When I saw him some time later, I told him he might be B12 deficient. He said he took some B12 occasionally. I told him about the http://veganhealth.org website.
His head doesn't wobble any more. I can't be sure of why, but I like to think he took my suggestion. He was lucky, B12 deficiency can cause permanent neurological damage by the time one notices a problem.
Anyway, please take that B12 regularly, I don't want you to become a statistic.
I had my B12 checked two weeks ago...it was perfect. I eat a lot of Red Star nutritional yeast, and drink/use fortified soy milk. I only use sublingual tabs on occaision, because there is plenty of B12 in my diet. But thanks for your concern.
My parents are omnivores, but I have warned them to have their B12 levels checked as well. Since many people can't absorb B12 from food as well as they age. Many of us lose the ability. So I suggested testing and possible shots...or at least sublingual tablets.
And if this dietician thinkd B12 blood test are not reliable...what is he using as a guide to recommended dosage?? If he can't measure a supposed deficiency...how can he propose a correct dosage??
Right, he says the B12 blood test isn't reliable, which is probably what you got.
It sounds like you didn't read the webpages I gave. He mentions a test for B12 status that is reliable.
Jack Norris - along with Ginny Messina, also an RD, has much useful information for vegans on the http:/veganhealth.org/ website, not just about B12 but other nutrients of concern for vegans like calcium and the amino acid lysine. He's very helpful by email.
Yes, if the soy milk you drink has B12 added and you are using that regularly, then you do have a reliable source of B12.
If you take B12 every day, such as in fortified soy milk, then you don't need as much as if you just take it now and then. You could compare how much is in the soy milk to the table he gives of B12 requirements.
If he can't measure a supposed deficiency...how can he propose a correct dosage??
Because with B12 the toxic dosage is very high. So if there's any doubt about one's B12 status, taking the amount he recommends isn't going to cause harm, and it costs little.
Some people have a problem absorbing B12, you don't have to be vegan to have a B12 deficiency. I don't know if for them, Jack Norris' recommended dose would be enough. So there's likely still a place for B12 testing.
A few years ago I tried hard to convince a vegan woman to take B12. Like some vegans she had anti-supplement attitudes and was telling me stuff like "you get plenty of B12 from the soil" and if I gave her science citations to back things up she'd tell me I was thinking in a "typical Western" way ... blah blah. This sort of thing is scary, she seemed kind of anorexic and risking her long-term health at a very young age - I also unsuccessfully tried to convince her that weighing enough to have menstrual periods is important. I'm glad you're more reality-oriented!
I looked at it, but I am skeptical that he somehow knows that a blood test is unreliable when all the other doctors seem to think it is OK. Not that most doctors know much about nutrition. I take sublingual sometimes and a multi-vitamin sometimes (it only has 100% daily value) and the nutritional yeast I use has it and I sometimes eat Luna bars and they have it. Lots of foods marketed to vegans add B12. So I get way more than the 100% daily recommended amount on average. Which is why I don't really worry about it. I had it checked because I was going to have my D level checked anyway. I was pretty sure B12 would be fine and D would be low. I don't get much sun in the winter and work indoors. So I sentfor a nice high dose D3 made from lichen. I'm trying to get a bit more sun too, but I get to work before light and by the time I get home it is only light out for a couple of hours.
Unless that lady was getting nice dirty vegetables I would worry too. Since lack of B12 causes brain damage I don't want to mess around with it either. It was actually an omnivore athlete who first told me about the sublingual pills. Even omnivores have to watch their nutrients. I love how people with crappy diets always want to lecture me about my "unhealthy" diet!! Usually while I have a big bowl of kale in front of me.
Humans get B12 from vegetables, but ours are so clean they may not be a reliably consistant source...
This is also an unproven idea that's passed around by vegans. Jack Norris addresses this. One should NOT rely on B12 supposedly coming from plant sources. Vegans often neglect to get enough B12, and one should not cause or reinforce such attitudes.
After looking at the info you posted I have upped my B12 supplements. Like you said, it can't hurt. And there's no reason to even chance not having enough!! I also got my omnivore parents onto B12 sublingual supplements. Since I've gotten such great results from my lifestyle change, my mother is more likely to take my advise. She has no interest in going vegan but has cut down her meat consumption. When she visits I make her yummy vegan meals and she can't wait to try the recipes. She made veggie potpie stew for my father the day after she got home. Last time they were on a seitan kick for weeks after she went home. I even got her to eat brussel sprouts!! Little by little.
Hey guys, want to stay healthy? Can you say Glycemic Index? I eat foods from the first 2 rows (Out of 3). If you want to stay healthy without losing needed vitamins and minerals. To get the full benefits it is suggested that you stick to the index, For the Rest of Your Life! There are many combos. and substitutions to satisfy the meat lover AND the vegan! If you have to eat red meat,New York Strip Steak is the healthiest for you, in terms of fat. I know because I have a liver disease and MUST follow the glycemic index, to the letter!! If I deviate from my diet, I lose a lot of needed nutrition. Being overweight causes cirrhosis of the liver (not just alcohol). WATER is vital!! Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. I have to drink 15 glasses of water a day. Nearly 70 % of the WORLD population is dehydrated(I believe)! Many times if you are hungry, being dehydrated is the cause for feeling hungry and not food! Try drinking water before you eat. Meal worms sound great! I'll try almost anything once. Ants and grasshoppers are mighty tasty too! One thing some people eat that I won't is roadkill! If you prepare it properly, it is nutritious, and helps the environment. Also, it helps prevent the spread of diseases that are associated with rotting flesh!
Hey, Don't knock killing pigs! Without them, a lot of diabetics would Be Dead!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't believe that there is any other way to produce insulin !? I could be wrong! their may be other ways to produce insulin, but I know of none.
Pretty sure they have a synthetic now. And if they hadn't used pigs, they would have come up with another way to do it. So sorry, I'll go on "knocking" the killing of pigs.
Hey, I just read up on Glucovera. Very Interesting. I am seeing my doctor in 2wks. I just might be altering my diet!!! This is soo kool!! Looks like I have a lot of data to print off to get ready for my appointment!! This makes my day!!!!
Wow..."Glucovera"...that doesn't sound too much like a scam. Magic pills don't make you healthy...eating healthy food makes you healthy. If it is made from aloe vera and you think aloe vera is good for you....just eat aloe vera...I believe they sell the juice in bottles. Once someone processes a plant and puts it in a pill, you've usually lost something valuable in the process.
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http://www.atheistnexus.org/group/originsuniverselifehumankindanddarwin/forum/topics/scientists-say-eat-more-worms?commentId=2182797%3AComment%3A2138421&xg_source=activity&groupId=2182797%3AGroup%3A109911
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Captain (afterwards Sir George) Grey's expeditions on the west coast of AustraJia were organised in the hope of discovering a large river or inlet which was supposed to exist in that quarter. The party arrived in Hanover Bay (lat. 15 degrees S.) in 1837, whence several inland journeys were made to the south-west, and the Glenelg River discovered. Captain Grey's second expedition was made in whale-boats, which he took with him in a sailing vessel from Swan River. He first landed on Bernier Island (lat. 25 degrees S.), where he made a depot; thence he crossed the Gascoyne River, and explored the coast for some miles to the northward; and after encountering great difficulties and hardships, he returned to Bernier Island. where he found that the stores had been utterly destroyed by the ocean, which during the stormy interval had swept over the island. This obliged Captain Grey to return to the mainland, which he reached at Gantheaume Bay (lat. 27degrees.50 minutes S.). Here the boats were abandoned, and the overland journey to the Swan River commenced, which was reached by a remnant of the party after having suffered incredible hardships from starvation and the natural difficulties of the country.
Of course, no collections of plants were brought back, but the Commander's narrative abounds in valuable observations on the vegetation of the countries visited. Amongst many other observations worthy of note, are that of an Araucaria occurring on the mountains of the interior, of a Swan River, Banksia near Prince Regent's River, of Xanthorrhoea attaining the latitude of 28 degrees, and Zamia of 29 degrees, in which latitude the common sowthistle appears to have been found abundantly. Many notices of edible plants are scattered through the narrative, including that of a, “Wild Oat," with large grains, which Captain Grey states has been cultivated with success as a cereal in the Island of Mauritius".
See also ., An historical review of the Explorations of Australia," Mueller (Trans. Phil. Soc. Vict., ii, 148). Many biographical accounts are available of this eminent explorer and statesman.
Swainsona greyana, Lindl., commemorates him.
Source: Maiden, J.H. (1909) Records of Western Australian Botanists. Journal of the West Australian Natural History Society. 2(6):5-33
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There are three families of pinnipeds: the Phocidae, the earless or ‘true’ seals; the Otariidae, the eared seals, and the Odobenidae, the walrus. This article focuses on the difference between the earless seals (seals) and the eared seals (sea lions).
Phocidae (Earless or 'True' Seals)
- Have no external ear flaps.
- Swim with their hind flippers. Their hind flippers always face backward and are furred.
- Have 2 or 4 teats.
- Can be found in both marine and freshwater environments.
Examples of earless (true) seals: harbor (common) seal (Phoca vitulina), grey seal (Halichoerus grypus), hooded seal (Cystophora cristata), harp seal (Phoca groenlandica), elephant seal (Mirounga leonina), and monk seal (Monachus sp.).
Otariidae (Eared Seals, Including Fur Seals and Sea Lions)
- Have external ear flaps.
- Swim with their front flippers. Unlike earless seals, their hind flippers can turn forward, and they are better able to “walk” on their flippers.
- Have 4 teats.
- Are only found in marine environments.
Examples of eared seals: Steller’s sea lion (eumetopias jubatus), California sea lion (Zalophus californianus), and Northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus).Sources:
- NOAA Office of Protected Resources. 2008. ”Pinnipeds: Seals, Sea Lions and Walruses” (Online). NOAA. Retrieved November 23, 2008.
- Waller, Geoffrey, ed. 1996. SeaLife: A Complete Guide to the Marine Environment. Smithsonian Institution Press. Washington, D.C.
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http://marinelife.about.com/od/marinelife101/f/sealionandseals.htm
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2013-05-25T06:25:51Z
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The Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, South Africa
|Suburb:||Durban, Kwazulu Natal|
|Physical Address:||98 Marine Drive, Bluff, Durban, Kwazulu Natal, South Africa|
|Postal Address:||98 Marine Drive, Bluff, Durban, 4052, South Africa|
|Phone:||+27 (0)31 466 3600|
|Contact Person:||Noreen Vissers|
Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect which occurs when the neural tube does not close properly along its length so part of the meninges or spinal cord protrudes through the spinal column, often resulting in physical disability. The severity of the problems caused by spina bifida depends on the size of the lesion, its location along the spine and the extent of the damage caused to the spinal cord. It can result in lack of bladder or bowel control, paralysis of the legs and abnormal spinal curvature.
Hydrocephalus occurs in about 80% of children with spina bifida. It is due to an abnormality that prevents free circulation and drainage of the cerebrospinal fluid (fluid that circulates in the brain and spinal cord). As a result, the fluid accumulates and causes the head to enlarge excessively. If not treated this may cause brain damage and may lead to mental disability.
Other neural tube defects include anencephaly and encephalocoele. The incidence of neural tube defects varies according to region, social class and population group. The incidence in South Africa is believed to be around 1 in 500 to 800 births making these conditions an important field of research. Inheritance is multifactorial which means that genes from both parents interact with some factors in the environment to cause a defect. Research in many countries has shown that periconceptual folic acid intake can greatly reduce a woman's risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect.
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eso9718 — Science Release
Discovery of a Satellite Around a Near-Earth Asteroid
22 July 1997
In the course of the major observational programme of asteroids by the Institute of Planetary Exploration of the German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) in Berlin, two of the staff astronomers, Stefano Mottola and Gerhard Hahn, have discovered a small satellite (moon) orbiting the asteroid (3671) Dionysus.
The new measurements were obtained with the DLR CCD Camera attached at the 60-cm Bochum telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory in Chile.
This is only the second known case of an asteroid with a moon.
Moons and planets
Until recently, natural satellites were only known around the major planets . The Moon orbits the Earth, there are two tiny moons around Mars, each of the giant planets Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune has many more, and even the smallest and outermost, Pluto, is accompanied by one .
However, the new discovery now strengthens the belief of many astronomers that some, perhaps even a substantial number of the many thousands of minor planets (asteroids) in the solar system may also possess their own moons. The first discovery of a satellite orbiting an asteroid was made by the NASA Galileo spacecraft, whose imagery, obtained during a fly-by of asteroid (253) Ida in August 1993, unveiled a small moon that has since been given the name Dactyl.
(3671) Dionysus: an Earth-crossing asteroid
In the framework of the DLR asteroid monitoring programme, image sequences are acquired to measure an asteroid's brightness variations caused by the changing amount of sunlight reflected from the asteroid's illuminated surface as it spins, due to its irregular shape. The brightness variations may be used to derive the asteroid's rotational properties, such as speed of rotation and spin axis orientation.
Asteroid Dionysus was put on the observing list because it belongs to a special class of asteroids, the members of which occasionally come very close to the Earth and have a small, but non-negligible chance of colliding with our planet. Most of these objects move in highly elliptical orbits that lie partly inside, partly outside that of the Earth. They are accordingly referred to as `Earth-crossing asteroids' or Apollo-type asteroids , after the proto-type of this group, (1862) Apollo, that was discovered in 1932 by Karl Reinmuth in Heidelberg .
The orbital characteristics of Dionysus lead to moderately close approaches to the Earth every 13 years, with the one in 1997 being the first since its discovery that is favourable for extensive observations. On July 6, 1997, it passed within 17 million km of our planet. At that time it was visible from the southern hemisphere with a moderately-sized telescope as a relatively fast-moving object.
The strange lightcurve of asteroid (3671) Dionysus
The first observations of the brightness of this asteroid in late May 1997 showed a `normal' two-maxima-two-minima lightcurve (change of brightness with time), typical of rotating non-spherical bodies. The period of rotation was 2.7 hours, i.e., this asteroid spins almost nine times as fast as the Earth.
However lightcurves observed on two subsequent nights were strikingly different from the previous ones. In both cases a deeper and shifted dip was seen, indicative of an attenuation - an additional dimming of the sunlight reflected by the asteroid.
The observers hypothesised that these lightcurve features were due to an eclipse by an unknown object moving in an orbit around (3671) Dionysus , thereby covering part of the illuminated surface of the asteroid at regular time intervals . Fortunately, this hypothesis can be checked, because the phenomenon should then repeat itself periodically.
Accordingly, the DLR scientists made a prediction for the next occurences of dips in the lightcurve, based on the time difference between the two observed events.
Confirmation of the satellite
Contacts were made with observers located at other observatories, in order to secure lightcurve coverage over a longer period of time than was possible from La Silla alone. As a result, a series of lightcurve measurements were performed from June 3 to 9 in close cooperation with Petr Pravec and Lenka Sarounova working at the Ondrejov Observatory, near Prague in the Czech Republic.
Luckily, the weather conditions were favourable at both sites and the dips in the lightcurve were indeed observed at the predicted times.
Based on the four well observed events, it was then possible to determine a period of 1.155 days for their occurence. Thus, the hypothesis of a satellite orbiting around Dionysus was confirmed. As a result, the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center located in Cambridge (MA, USA) promptly gave a provisional designation to the new satellite - S/1997 (3671) 1 .
How big is Dionysus?
Meanwhile, in Hawaii, the world's largest infrared telescope was being trained on Dionysus to obtain information about its size and composition. Alan Harris, also a scientist from the DLR in Berlin, and John Davies from the Joint Astronomy Centre in Hilo, Hawaii, observed the thermal infrared radiation emitted by Dionysus with the 3.8-m United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT) situated on Mauna Kea. Similar observations over a broader spectral range were also made by the European Space Agency's orbiting Infrared Space Observatory.
The thermal or "heat" radiation emitted by an asteroid depends on its size and the amount of sunlight it absorbs (darker bodies being warmer). In the case of Dionysus the measured radiation was much weaker than expected, indicating that the asteroid has an intrinsically bright (reflective) surface and is only about 1 km in diameter. This is much smaller than (253) Ida, the only other asteroid known to have a moon, which is about 60 km across.
Eventually it should be possible to determine the orbital radius of the satellite, its size and the inclination of its orbital plane. In order to obtain the data necessary for these determinations, observations will be continued during the present period of good visibility that lasts until September-October 1997. For this reason the discoverers have initiated an international observation campaign devoted to the study of this intriguing object and now involving astronomers from many countries.
How common are such satellites?
Satellites in orbit around small bodies in the solar system - asteroids and cometary nuclei - have been predicted on theoretical grounds for a long time, even though there is no consensus among planetary scientists about the actual numbers of such systems.
Hints about the existence of asteroid satellites also come from the presence of double impact craters on the Moon and other planetary surfaces. This suggests that the projectiles forming these craters were `double' asteroids. Moreover, measurements obtained when an asteroid passes in front of a relatively bright star (a so-called 'occultation') have on a few occasions shown features which could be interpreted as due to the presence of a satellite. However, because of the difficult nature of such measurements, it has never been possible to draw unambiguous conclusions.
The existence of double asteroids was invoked earlier by Petr Pravec and Gerhard Hahn to explain the unusual features observed in the lightcurves of two other Earth-approaching asteroids 1991 VH and 1994 AW1 . In the case of Dionysus , however, it is possible to predict eclipse events and to confirm them by subsequent measurements.
There is therefore mounting evidence that asteroid binary systems might be comparatively common. Observational programmes like the present one by the DLR and Ondrejov groups will help to verify this possibility.
This institute and its parent organisation are known in Germany as Institut fuer Planetenerkundung and Deutsche Forschungsanstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt e.V. (DLR) .
Asteroids are small solid planetary bodies revolving around the Sun in orbits that are mostly located in the so-called Main Asteroid Belt, confined between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Most of them are thought to be fragments derived from catastrophic, past collisions between larger asteroids. By mid-1997, the orbits of about 8000 asteroids in the solar system were sufficiently well known to allow them to be officially numbered by the rules of the International Astronomical Union. (3671) Dionysus was discovered in 1984 at the Palomar Observatory (California, USA) and is named after the Greek god of wine.
The gravitational influence of the giant planet Jupiter can modify the orbits of asteroids located in particular regions of the Main Belt (the effect is refered to as 'orbital perturbations'). As a result, the orbit of an asteroid may `cross' that of a major planet, and eventually it may become a NEO , i.e. a near-Earth object. The orbits of NEO's are highly unstable over times comparable to the age of the solar system. This instability can result in a collision with one of the terrestrial (inner) planets, or with the Sun, or in the ejection of the asteroid out of the solar system. The present orbit of (3671) Dionysus is such that this object is not likely to collide with the Earth in the foreseeable future.
The method of analyzing the lightcurve of Dionysus consists of `removing' (subtracting) the normal short-period brightness variations due to rotation of the asteroid and plotting the residuals against time. The residual lightcurve shows a clear resemblance with typical lightcurves of eclipsing binary stellar systems (in which two stars move around each other, producing mutual eclipses) and leads to a model of two bodies revolving around a common gravitational centre, in an orbital plane containing both the Earth and the Sun.
Detailed and up-to-date information about (3671) Dionysus can be found in the Web at the following URL: http://earn.dlr.de/dionysus.
About the Release
|Legacy ID:||PR 08/97|
|Type:||• Solar System |
• Solar System : Interplanetary Body : Asteroid
|Facility:||Bochum 0.61-metre telescope|
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by Juha Karisola
Universities, research centers and corporate product development units
continuously look for new ways to improve the reliability, quality and repeatability of
production processes to meet the industrys ever-rising quality requirements. Fuzzy
control is a new, exciting way to improve process performance in a number of different
Fuzzy logic is a new form of computer logic that provides a systematic way to handle qualitative information. It enables an automated control system to reason and make judgements in ways similar to the way human beings make judgments. Simply put, fuzzy logic converts vague concepts or values into a mathematical format, which is then used by the computer to precisely control the process.
Our company has developed a system that uses this technique to control the windshield bending process. The main benefit is the ability to repeat a process consistently and accurately, but the new system also makes it possible to mix different windshields freely in the same production run. This article gives general information about fuzzy controls and explains why it has been applied to the serial windshield bending furnace.
Fuzzy logic is based on the theory of fuzzy sets. Normal binary logic states that something either belongs to a group or it does not, but fuzzy logic accepts that something can belong partially to a group. For instance, binary logic says that when it is 30 C, water is warm and also when it is 20 C, but, abruptly, when it is 19 C it is not. But, warm water is an unclear, fuzzy concept, something that binary logic cannot understand.
By using membership functions (relationships of degree), fuzzy logic assigns quantitative values to something that partially belongs to a group. Water at 20 C belongs entirely to the group warm, while water at 19 C only belongs to this group to a certain degree.
The membership functions in each group may be bell-shaped, triangular or trapezoidal and usually there are three, five or seven groups.
Fuzzy control consists of the following steps (see figure 1):
Fuzzification; Converting the measured process values into membership functions;
Processing; Using a set of rules;
Defuzzification; To produce precise control values.
To explain how a fuzzy logic control procedure works, lets look at a simplified example of target temperature and actual temperature. The aim is to define controls that keep the actual temperature steadily on the target curve by adjusting the heating power. The first step is to define the membership functions in the fuzzy sets for the input and output values (see figure 2).
Figure 2 shows the the fuzzy set for the temperature difference between the actual and the target temperatures (DT). Corresponding sets also have to be defined for other input values (in this example for the derivate of DT, which indicates whether the difference is increasing or decreasing).
The fuzzy input values are then processed through the set of rules. The rules in fuzzy control consist of a condition, IF, followed by a control action, THEN. In normal language a rule would state something like: if the actual temperature is slightly lower than the target temperature and the difference is slightly increasing, then increase the heating power considerably. As a logic rule it states: if DT is NS (negative small) and DT/dt is NS (negative small), then P is PL (positive large). (A matrix of the processing rules is shown in figure 3). Each rule processes the information using different parameters; the output of each rule is different. The correct heating power required is obtained by combining the results from all the rules and finding its center of mass (see figure 4).
Fuzzy Control Benefits
Fuzzy control is simple for the user. It provides precise control values from non-precise input data, a situation in which a conventional controller fails. Since fuzzy control systems process rules in parallel they are very fast. Since each rule operates in parallel, the effect of individual errors is minimal. The whole system is resistant to errors and more reliable than conventional controls that process data in series. Fuzzy control constantly adapts automatically to changing conditions, something that normal PID (Proportional Integrated Derivated) controls, for example, are unable to do.
Why Apply Fuzzy Control?
The serial bending furnace (TFA) is a tunnel furnace consisting of two conveying tracks, one above the other. The upper track is for pre-heating and bending, the lower for cooling (edge compression and annealing). The furnace has a compact construction and has very low energy consumption. It originally was developed for producing replacement windshields, where glass is bent in small or medium runs. The capability to process different windshields at the same time was an essential requirement, as each wagon could possibly contain a different windshield.
Thanks to its versatility, the furnace was adopted rapidly by the industrynot only for replacement windshields, but also for OEM glass. The construction limits the cycle time to approximately 60 seconds, so whenever the capacity requirement is lower, the furnace can also be used for OEM runs. Glass companies using serial furnaces supply low volume car manufacturers in Europe (e.g. truck manufacturers and manufacturers of sport cars and special vehicles) as well as in Latin America and the Far East.
As with any bending process, the serial bending process is subject to a number of factors that reduce the repeatability of the process. To improve the process, and the repeatability, a careful study was made of these factors. Some of these, such as differences in molds and in the float glass, are not related to the furnace itself so were not taken into account here. The main factors affecting process repeatability are:
Production Mix. Whenever the furnace is loaded for small runs (all the wagons have different windshields) or medium size runs (four different types each loaded in seven wagons; 7/7/7/7) the process involves varying bending and preheating times. When the mix is changed again, the processing times for each glass change accordingly. Adjustments in the final bending time, or temperature, can help compensate for changes in the process time but this usually causes deviation from the ideal form.
Specific Heat Balance. Even if a furnace can be taken into production one hour after preheating, it still continues to heat up for four to five hours more until it reaches the specified heat balance. Unless the furnace is being operated on a full 24-hour, three-shift basis, then the operators face the same problem every day: a piece of glass produced in the morning does not have the same shape as an identical piece of glass bent with the same program in the afternoon. Some operators compensate for this difference by using a different program once the furnace has reached the specified heat balance.
External Temperature. The external temperature around the furnace may vary considerably between morning and afternoon, summer and winter. Temperature controllers compensate for the variations automatically, but not as precisely as they could. Traditional on/off- and PID-controls usually have overstrikes, which may affect the shape of the glass.
Variations in Voltage. Good process performance usually is guaranteed for variations of less than five percent. In many countries the supply voltage varies much more than five percent. Instead of eliminating each of these factors one by one with a separate system, a new approach was taken. Standardizing the bending time and precise control of the heating and bending process provided an easy to use and reliable way of eliminating the morning factor.
FuzzyBendHow does it work?
Our FuzzyBend (patent pending) is a new fully-automated control system for the TFA and the LTFBA range of windshield bending furnaces, with clear advantages over existing automatic systems. In the new system, glass is always bent for the same period of time under uniform conditions, regardless of any changes in production mix, the heat balance in the furnace or external temperatures, or variations in the power supply. This guarantees excellent repeatability and easy use of the furnace, at the same time as it allows for optimal use of furnace capacity. There is no need to use several different bending programs for changing conditions.
The basis for controlling the bending is provided by measurements from aligned optical infrared pyrometers in the final preheating and bending sections. One of the given target process curves is chosen, depending on the thickness, size and shape of the glass. This curve then determines how the glass is heated in the pre-heating sections (see figure 5) and most variations in the glass temperature have been adjusted to the target curve before the glass enters the bending section. This balancing is controlled automatically by a fuzzy logic control that minimizes the differences between the target curve and actual temperatures and eliminates overstrikes. To ensure that the required heat is distributed over the glass during balancing, the system maintains the heating profile, while the programmable logic controller regulates the heating power for the whole profile. The glass always has the same temperature, and an even heat distribution over the glass, when it enters the bending section. The bender selects the heating profile according to the required glass shape and decides on the programs required to bend the glass.
Operators Experiences of FuzzyBend Controls
The FuzzyBend has already been installed in a number of furnaces around the world, including the large bus windshield bending furnace of Viracon Inc. Some of the furnaces are being used for OEM runs, others for replacement glass. As expected, the repeatability of the bending process has improved considerably. Good repeatability is one of the most important factors that OEM producers are looking for. Sag (cross curvature) tolerance has been typically reduced to a half or less. Sag control is especially difficult with compound shapes with a central sag exceeding 15 mm. As the trend is toward pieces with deep sagging, the need for precise controls is obvious.
Another important benefit was the fact that a furnace with FuzzyBend can be loaded with a mix that cannot be produced with traditional automatic controls without sacrificing bending tolerances. Previously, operators had to plan production on the terms of the bending furnace, dividing production into groups of more or less the same size, shape and thickness. FuzzyBend compensates for differences in size and shape by using different process curves. Operators now have almost free hands and can group production according to the order book, not in accordance with the limitations of the bending furnace.
Many people are afraid that fuzzy controls are very complicated. Even though fuzzy control in itself may be a complex technique, its user interface is very simple. For the furnace operator, it could not be easier. Just select the required process curve and switch on FuzzyBend. All the controls then work automatically in the background.
Juha Karisola is vice president of sales and marketing for Glassrobots Oy, located in Tampere, Finland.
© Copyright 1999 Key Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. No reproduction of any type without expressed written permission.
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Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) is a heart problem that affects some babies soon after birth. In PDA, abnormal blood flow occurs between two of the major arteries connected to the heart. These arteries are the aorta and the pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) artery.
Before birth, these arteries are connected by a blood vessel called the ductus arteriosus. This blood vessel is a vital part of fetal blood circulation.
Within minutes or up to a few days after birth, the ductus arteriosus closes. This change is normal in newborns.
In some babies, however, the ductus arteriosus remains open (patent). The opening allows oxygen-rich blood from the aorta to mix with oxygen-poor blood from the pulmonary artery. This can strain the heart and increase blood pressure in the lung arteries.
Go to the "How the Heart Works" section of this article for more details about how a normal heart works compared with a heart that has PDA.
PDA is a type of congenital (kon-JEN-ih-tal) heart defect. A congenital heart defect is any type of heart problem that's present at birth.
If your baby has a PDA but an otherwise normal heart, the PDA may shrink and go away. However, some children need treatment to close their PDAs.
Some children who have PDAs are given medicine to keep the ductus arteriosus open. For example, this may be done if a child is born with another heart defect that decreases blood flow to the lungs or the rest of the body.
Keeping the PDA open helps maintain blood flow and oxygen levels until doctors can do surgery to correct the other heart defect.
PDA is a fairly common congenital heart defect in the United States. Although the condition can affect full-term infants, it's more common in premature infants.
On average, PDA occurs in about 8 out of every 1,000 premature babies, compared with 2 out of every 1,000 full-term babies. Premature babies also are more vulnerable to the effects of PDA.
PDA is twice as common in girls as it is in boys.
Doctors treat the condition with medicines, catheter-based procedures, and surgery. Most children who have PDAs live healthy, normal lives after treatment.
The NHLBI updates Health Topics articles on a biennial cycle based on a thorough review of research findings and new literature. The articles also are updated as needed if important new research is published. The date on each Health Topics article reflects when the content was originally posted or last revised.
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Better known as stick (or leaf) insects, the phasmids are the undisputed masters of camouflage in the living world. They come in a bewildering array of forms, which virtually all mimic some part or another of various plants. Can that really be an insect? It looks just like a dry stem of grass (photos 1-3), or a partially gnawed or dead leaf (4-7) [photo 5 and 7 are available in Creation magazine], or a thorny twig (8), or … But there—it starts to move—and sure enough, suddenly we see six long legs as it ambles off. Or two previously unnoticed wings unfold, and it flies away as we watch in fascination.
Could such wonders have just evolved? Look at the different types here, all camouflaged to perfection. Sipyloidea sipylus (1-3) climbs onto a dry grass stem, stretches one pair of legs out straight in front, between which its long feelers suddenly disappear. The two other pairs of legs go to the rear, pressed tightly against its body. There is now virtually nothing to see of its wings, either. All that is left to see has the yellow-grey colour of dead grass—even down to copying the dark little flecks of fungus on the grass!
According to evolutionary belief, phasmids are the result of millions of chance mutations, filtered by selection. It is taught that all of them descended from a common “phasmid ancestor.” But if they came about by such a continual, gradual process of “development” and “adaptation,” how is it that we only ever see the end products in all their exquisite perfection? How is it then that they are so different, one mimicking exactly the common crooked twigs lying on forest floors (9,10), the other a diseased, damaged leaf, another a rotting stem (11), yet all with the same habit of camouflage, to the same degree of perfection? What is the probability, even given all the selection in the world, of all the right “genetic accidents” occurring at the right time and in the right sequence, in all of these separate lines?
Along with so much else in the living world, the phasmids indicate providential, intelligent design. To create something as complex as one of these brilliantly programmed mimics at the beginning of time involves a Creator capable of working miracles. Which is exactly what Genesis—and all of the rest of the Bible—teaches, consistent with the evidence before our eyes.
Joachim Scheven, Ph.D., has studied biology, paleontology, geology, tropical medicine, and parasitology. He has done extensive post-doctoral paleontological research, and is curator of the German creation museum Lebendige Vorwelt (Living Prehistory).
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