text:
Victoria, B.C. is the proud site of North America's first municipally sanctioned open-air urinal. The facility has been called "an attraction in itself" by Bruce Carter, the CEO of the Greater Victoria Chamber of Commerce. It was created to curb the problem of post-clubbing public urination. Below, a selection of other pissoirs found around the world.
The electronics company Sega has created the ultimate bathroom experience: a urinal that doubles as a video game. This development is still at the experimental level and has only been installed in four Japanese restrooms. The "Toylets" aim to use the games to showcase digital advertising.
The games involve aiming urine at a pressure-sensitive sensor at the bottom of the urinal. This is a great way to test "
" according to World Plumbing website. One of the games, helpfully entitled The North Wind and The Sun and Me, can involve up to two players. (No, we're not sure how this works either.)
Sadly, unlike the company's other products, Sega has no plans to mass produce the urinals.
Some Germans are outraged because of a Dutch design team's urinals shaped like a woman's lips.
The urinals for the restaurent Rosenmeer in Monchengladbach, Germany, are considered by many offensive to women but the design team
explains that their work is simply for fun. On their website, they say, "We are an innovative design company who are focused on reviving the bathroom experience. By using images and stories in our designs, we introduce a colourful fantasy world in the conservative white bathroom."
The Urilift urinal is described by its producers at
as a "semi-permanent toilet which local councils at home and abroad can be proud of." As a solution to late-night public urination, UIBV created three models of retractable public bathrooms: the
, the
and the the
. ("The fact that indiscriminate urination is more a male phenomenon than a female one is not difficult to explain," the company explains. "However, it certainly doesn't mean that women have less need for a good facility.")
The Urilift leads two seperate lives: by day, it hibernates underground and by night, it saves drunks from having to urinate on the street. Urilift International says that public urination is, "A serious social problem. […] Retailers and local residents have to put up with the (odour) nuisance that indiscriminate urination produces." But not anymore!
By using a remote control, bar employees resurrect the Urilift nightly, as people start heading home. It reportedly requires little maintenance and cleaning and can be attached to the city's sewer line.
Although Urilift International produces retractable urinals across Europe, they boast that they are most successful in Esbjerg, Denmark.
Trinidad and Tobago
A controversy was unleashed this month when the
Tunapuna Piarco Regional Corporation (TPRC)
launched a forensic audit into the intended purchase of a $1-million stainless steel public bathroom in Curepe, a city in Trinidad and Tobago.
The bathroom, although not a urinal, has some very strange features, including an escape hatch. The website does not mention the reason for this, or other odd add-ons such as heated floors and a seat-washing unit.
An article in the
reveals that the citizens of Trinidad and Tobago find the public bathroom to be an "eyesore," as a local fruit vendor calls it. The two-unit bathroom, "[has] a wide range of voice messages and music and can be set to lock and unlock at present times," according to the
Most locals agree, however, that music while you whiz isn't the greatest investment for the country. The same fruit vendor said, "Unless urinating in public is outlawed these toilets will not make sense."
National Post


text:
ATLANTIC CITY - A pink sunset seemed a fitting way for the Dave Matthews Band to end its three-day run at its first Caravan stop in Atlantic City.
The band, celebrating its 25th anniversary with four festivals across the country, once again mesmerized more than 20,000 people with their jam-band rock style performed in jazzy fashion.
Like the previous three nights, DMB was on its game, offering its loyal - and dusty - fans another memorable night of music at Bader Field.
While the rest of the day's lineup did not match up to Saturday's, DMB's weekend finale itself was worth the price of admission and the finest set the band offered all weekend, a tough feat to top after Saturday's stellar session.
The night started out like the first two: mellow, as trumpeter Rashawn Ross and hornman Jeff Coffin - this time on alto sax - offered an extended jazzy intro to the ballad "Seek Up," during which violinist Boyd Tinsley ripped into a lively jam of his own at the end of the song. By the time the first song ended, 17 minutes went by and no one seemed to complain.
The opener was a perfect example of why DMB is so good. At various points throughout the show, Matthews stepped back and let individual members take the spotlight. He realizes this band would not be as big as it is if it was not for how good his mates are. Matthews is undoubtedly the leader, but it seems like he enjoys himself more when he's strumming on the guitar watching the others on stage - like he has the greatest seat in the house.
The mellowness came to a halt with back-to-back DMB faves: "Warehouse," which was a canceled encore from Saturday starring Tinsley plucking on his fiddle; and "What Would You Say?" a singalong that had the crowd thinking Sunday was the night when the DMB would unleash the hits and stay away from the rarities offered heavily during the first two nights.
They were right … sort of.
DMB did get to plenty of hits and fan favorites, but it took a while, as the band made time for more obscure stuff, such as the fun "Granny," which was never released on a studio album but is a live staple, and "Kill the King," which was an early-set snoozer that has not been played in about five years.
After burning through most of the songs from their latest album, "Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King" the first two days, there were a couple left, including the underwhelming "Lying in the Hands of God," salvaged only by another horn duel between Coffin and Ross, and the equally unimpressive "Dive In."
Along the way, fans were treated to the songs they really came to hear, such as "One Sweet World," a horn-fueled ballad, and "Tripping Billies," another canceled Saturday night encore during which Tinsley fiddled like a maniac. About three-quarters through his set, Matthews really let loose, ripping into "Raven," "So Much to Say" and "Too Much" before returning for the encores, the slow, catchy "Some Devil," "Ants Marching" and "Halloween," which the band did not seem like it was going to play until the fans started chanting for it.
The finale, a funky cover of Sly and the Family Stone's "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" was a fitting gesture of appreciation for his fans, but it was not the only cover of the night. Earlier, guitarist Tim Reynolds - wearing a Marvin the Martian shirt - fueled an awesome rendition of Aerosmith's "Sweet Emotion," later followed by a blistering cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower," a song the band has been covering for 20 years but never sounded so good.
The only major disappointment of the night was that - unlike Friday and Saturday - none of the performers from earlier in the day joined DMB on stage. It would have been nice to have Grace Potter or Amos Lee get up there for a tune.
After Sunday's 19-song, 2½-hour set, anyone who paid for the three-day pass witnessed the band play 57 songs for about 7 hours without repeating a single song, a testament to the band's vast, impressive catalog.
This weekend was the first time the Dave Matthews Band played in Atlantic City. They made it quite a special debut. Let's hope they do it again exactly the same way.
Contact Scott Cronick:
SETLIST - Day 3
Seek Up
What Would You Say?
Kill the King
Lying in the Hands of God
Diggin' a Ditch
One Sweet World
Tripping Billies
Dive In
So Much to Say
Sweet Emotion (Aerosmith cover)
Too Much
All Along the Watchtower (Bob Dylan cover)
Some Devil
Ants Marching
Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) (Sly and the Family Stone cover)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The show features Osama bin Laden joke when the characters talk about an elusive mouse, but ABC mutes the punchline.
Another show coincidentally made a reference to Osama bin Laden just days after the terrorist's death became a hot topic. After NBC's "Chuck" featured a picture of Osama with big targets on his forehead and chest on May 2, ABC's "Happy Endings" mentioned him in a joke launched by Zachary Knighton's character on its May 4 episode.
In "Of Mice and Jazz-Kwon Do", Knighton's Dave and Elisha Cuthbert's Alex discuss how difficult it is to trap a mouse that has been running around her apartment. "It's been like, four days. I can't believe you haven't caught this mouse yet," she says.
Dave replies, "I know, he's like my bin Laden," and goes on elaborating, "Jessica bin Laden, a super hot Arab girl I went to college with." The audio then mutes, but Dave's mouth can be seen still moving. It is then revealed that the cut line is, "She was the one that got away."
It is very likely that ABC bleeped the line because Osama no longer got away and the joke would seem outdated. However, the joke can be seen in its entirety during the airing on Canada's Citytv.


text:
Let it be noted, however, that the lyrist has used a poetic licence in his dates.
The Parisian did not cease to be a Provençal; and the novelist was a lyrist still.
She is best as a lyrist, and some of her poems are touched with a very fine and true pathos.
You are as delightful a lyrist as you are a sonneteer, and I could not give you higher praise.
Him too, never celebrated by any other tongue, I the Roman lyrist first made known.
His tantalizing gleams of talent as a lyrist have been already mentioned.
The lyrist complains to Love, pities Love for her scorning, and threatens to go away with Love, who is on his side.
Moore was termed a 'lyrist,' and here we are told about his lyre.
As a lyrist Scott especially excelled, and as a novelist he takes rank among the foremost.
He is the first Scottish lyrist and the introducer of the pastoral to English literature.


text:
Assessment |
Biopsychology |
Comparative |
Cognitive |
Developmental |
Language |
Individual differences |
Personality |
Philosophy |
Social |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |
Developmental Psychology: Cognitive development · Development of the self · Emotional development · Language development · Moral development · Perceptual development · Personality development · Psychosocial development · Social development · Developmental measures
This article outlines the developmental milestons. For formal assessment instruments assessing progress see Developmental scales and schedules
Social and emotionalEdit
Newborn babies are thought not to understand what is happening:
- Watches Parent face when being talked to, average 6 weeks (range 4 - 8 weeks)
- Can distinguish mothers voice
6 – 9 months
- Knows Familiar people and starts to withdraw from stranger
- Begins to turn around when name is called
- Starts to become anxious if primary care giver is out of sight
- Stretches arms to be picked up
- Initiates gestures such as cough, poking out tongue
Cognitive and creativeEdit
Creative development could very well be seen as how the child learns in its environment through experimenting in different ways of doing everything.
0-6 months
- Can distinguish seet, sour and salty taste
- Breast fed babies can distinguish mothers odour
- Depth perception emerges at about 3 mths
- Shows interest in faces
6-9 months
- Looks for fallen objects by 7 months
- Plays 'peek-a-boo' games
- Cannot understand "no" or "Danger"
8-12 months
- Watches people, objects, and activities in the immediate environment.
- Shows awareness of distant objects (15 to 20 feet away) by pointing at them.
- Responds to hearing tests (voice localization); however, loses interest quickly and, therefore, may be difficult to test informally.
- Follows simple instructions.
- Reaches for toys that are out of reach but visible
- Recognizes objects in reverse
- Drops thing intentionally and repeats and watches object
- Imitates activities like playing drum
1-4 monthsEdit
- Average length is 50.8-68.6 cm grows approximately 2.54 cm per month.
- Weighs an average of 3.6-7.3 kg
- Gains approximately 0.11-0.22 kg per week.
- Respiration rate is approximately thirty to forty breaths per minute.
- Normal body temperature ranges from 35.7-37.5°C.
- Head and chest circumference are nearly equal.
- Head circumference increases approximately 1.9 cm per month until two months, then increases 1.6 cm per month until four months. Increases are an important indication of continued brain growth.
- Continues to breathe using abdominal muscles.
- Posterior fontanel closes by the second month.
- Anterior fontanel closes to approximately 1/2 inch (1.3 cm).
- Skin remains sensitive and easily irritated.
- Legs may appear slightly bowed.
- Cries with tears.
- Eyes begin moving together in unison (binocular vision).
Motor developmentEdit
- Turns head to one side when lying on stomach
- Rooting and sucking reflexes are well developed. See Primitive reflexes
- Swallowing reflex and tongue movements are still immature; continued drooling and inability to move food to the back of the mouth.
- Holds a ring in a grasp reflex which gradually disappears.
- Landau reflex appears near the middle of this period; when baby is held in a prone (face down) position, the head is held upright and legs are fully extended.
- Grasps with entire hand; strength insufficient to hold items. Holds hands in an open or semi-open position.
- Muscle strength and control improving; early movements are large and jerky; gradually become smoother and more purposeful.
- Raises head and upper body on arms when in a prone position.
- Turns head side to side when in a supine (face up) position; near the end of this period can hold head up and in line with the body.
- Upper body parts are more active: clasps hands above face, waves arms about, reaches for objects.
- Can focus on objects 9 inches away
4-8 monthsEdit
- Puts on 2.2 kg per month in weight, doubling birth weight
- Grows about 1.3 cm in length per month; average length is 69.8-73.7 cm.
- Head and chest circumferences are basically equal.
- Head circumference increases approximately 3/8 inch (0.95 cm) per month untl six to seven months, then 3/16 inch (0.47 cm) per month; head circumference should continue to increase steadily, indicating healthy, ongoing brain growth.
- Breathing is abdominal; ranges from twenty-five to fifty breaths per minute, depending on activity; rate and patterns vary from infant to infant.
- Teeth begin to appear, with upper and lower incisors coming in first. Gums may become red and swollen, accompanied by increased drooling, chewing, biting, and mouthing of objects.
- Legs may appear bowed; bowing gradually disappears as infant grows older.
- True eye color is established.
Motor developmentEdit
- Sits with support and the unaided at 6mths
- Pushes head and shoulders up when lying on stomach.
- By 6mths rolls from back to stomach
- Reflexive behaviors are changing:
- Blinking reflex is well established
- Sucking reflex becomes voluntary
- Moro reflex disappears
- When lowered suddenly, infant throws out arms as a protective measure.
- Swallowing reflex appears allows infant to move solid foods from front of mouth to the back for swallowing.
- Picks up objects using finger and thumb (pincer grip).
- Grasps a rattle and reaches with two hands simultaneously; later reaches with one hand or the other.
- Transfers objects from one hand to the other; grasps object using entire hand (palmar grasp).
- Handles, shakes, and pounds objects; puts everything in mouth.
- Able to hold bottle.
- Sits alone without support, holding head erect, back straightened, and arms propped forward for support
- Pulls self into a crawling position by raising up on arms and drawing knees up beneath the body; rocks back and forth, but generally does not move forward.
- Lifts head when placed on back.
- Can roll over from back or stomach position.
- May accidentally begin scooting backwards when placed on stomach; soon will begin to crawl forward.
8-12 MonthsEdit
- Infants reach approximately 1-1/2 times their birth length by first birthday
- Weight increases by approximately 0.5 kg per month; birth weight nearly triples by one year of age: infants weigh an average of 9.6 kg.
- Respiration rates vary with activity: typically, twenty to forty-five breaths per minute.
- Body temperature ranges from 96.4°F to 99.6°F (35.7-37.5°C); environmental conditions, weather, activity, and clothing still affect variations in temperature.
- Head and chest circumference remain equal.
- Continues to use abdominal muscles for breathing.
- Anterior fontanel begins to close.
- Approximately four upper and four lower incisors and two lower molars erupt.
- Arm and hands are more developed than feet and legs (cephalocaudal development); hands appear large in proportion to other body parts.
- Legs may continue to appear bowed.
- Feet appear flat as arch has not yet fully developed.
- Visual acuity is approximately 20/100.
- Both eyes work in unison (true binocular coordination).
- Can see distant objects (15 to 20 feet away) and points at them.
Motor developmentEdit
- Sits alone
- Reaches with one hand leading to grasp an offered object or toy.
- Manipulates objects, transferring them from one hand to the other.
- Explores new objects by poking with one finger.
- Uses deliberate pincer grasp to pick up small objects, toys, and finger foods.
- Stacks objects; also places objects inside one another.
- Releases objects or toys by dropping or throwing; cannot intentionally put an object down.
- Crawls
- Beginning to pull self to a standing position.
- Beginning to stand alone, leaning on furniture for support; moves around obstacles by side-stepping.
- Has good balance when sitting; can shift positions without falling.
- Creeps on hands and knees; crawls up and down stairs.
- Walks with adult support, holding onto adult's hand; may begin to walk alone.
Psychological developmentEdit
Trust versus Mistrust (Erikson)
Toddlers (12-24 months)Edit
- Rate of growth slows
- Height increases approximately 5cm- 7.6cm with an average hight of 81cm – 89cm
- Weighs 9.6-12.3 kg; gains 0.13-0.25 kg per month; weight is now approximately 3 times the child's birth weight.
- Respiration rate is typically twenty-two to thirty breaths per minute; varies with emotional state and activity.
- Heart rate (pulse) is approximately 80 to 110 per minute.
- Head size increases slowly; grows approximately 1/2 inch (1.3 cm) every six months; anterior fontanel is nearly closed at eighteen months as bones of the skull thicken.
- Chest circumference is larger than head circumference.
- Rapid eruption of teeth; six to ten new teeth will appear.
- Legs may still appear bowed.
- Body shape changes; takes on more adult-like appearance; still appears topheavy; abdomen protrudes, back is swayed.
- Visual acuity is approximately 20/60.
Motor developmentEdit
- Crawls skillfully and quickly.
- Stands alone with feet spread apart, legs stiffened, and arms extended for support.
- Gets to feet unaided.
- Most children walk unassisted near the end of this period; falls often; not always able to manoeuver around obstacles, such as furniture or toys.
- Uses furniture to lower self to floor; collapses backwards into a sitting position or falls forward on hands and then sits.
- Enjoys pushing or pulling toys while walking.
- Repeatedly picks up objects and throws them; direction becomes more deliberate. By 18 mths can throw a ball into a box
- By 18 mths can build a tower with three cubes
- Attempts to run; has difficulty stopping and usually just drops to the floor.
- Crawls up stairs on all fours; goes down stairs in same position.
- Sits in a small chair.
- Carries toys from place to place.
- Enjoys crayons and markers for scribbling; uses whole-arm movement.
- Helps feed self; enjoys holding spoon (often upside down) and drinking from a glass or cup; not always accurate in getting utensils into mouth; frequent spills should be expected.
- Helps turn pages in book.
- Stacks two to four objects.
Cognitive developmentEdit
- Enjoys object-hiding activities
- Early in this period, the child always searches in the same location for a hidden object (if the child has watched the hiding of an object). Later, the child will search in several locations.
- Passes toy to other hand when offered a second object (referred to as "crossing the midline"-an important neurological development).
- Manages three to four objects by setting an object aside (on lap or floor) when presented with a new toy.
- Puts toys in mouth less often.
- Enjoys looking at picture books.
- Demonstrates understanding of functional relationships (objects that belong together):Puts spoon in bowl and then uses spoon as if eating; places cup on saucer and sips from cup; tries to make doll stand up.
- Shows or offers toy to another person to look at. • Names many everyday objects.
- Shows increasing understanding of spatial and form discrimination: puts all pegs in a pegboard; places three geometric shapes in large formboard or puzzle.
- Places several small items (blocks, clothespins, cereal pieces) in a container or bottle and then dumps them out.
- Tries to make mechanical objects work after watching someone else do so.
- Responds with some facial movement, but cannot truly imitate facial expression.
- Produces considerable "jargon": puts words and sounds together into speech-like (inflected) patterns.
- Holophrastic speech: uses one word to convey an entire thought; meaning depends on the inflection ("me" may be used to request more cookies or a desire to feed self). Later; produces two-word phrases to express a complete thought (telegraphic speech): "More cookie," "Daddy bye-bye."
- Follows simple directions, "Give Daddy the cup."
- When asked, will point to familiar persons, animals, and toys.
- Identifies three body parts if someone names them: "Show me your nose (toe, ear)."
- Indicates a few desired objects and activities by name: "Bye-bye," "cookie"; verbal request is often accompanied by an insistent gesture.
- Responds to simple questions with "yes" or "no" and appropriate head movement.
- Speech is 25 to 50 percent intelligible during this period.
- Locates familiar objects on request (if child knows location of objects).
- Acquires and uses five to fifty words; typically these are words that refer to animals, food, and toys.
- Uses gestures, such as pointing or pulling, to direct adult attention.
- Enjoys rhymes and songs; tries to join in.
- Seems aware of reciprocal (back and forth) aspects of conversational exchanges; some turn-taking in other kinds of vocal exchanges, such as making and imitating sounds.
- Usually friendly toward others; less wary of strangers.
- Helps pick up and put away toys.
- Plays by themselves for short periods
- Enjoys being held and read to.
- Often imitates adult actions in play.
- Enjoys adult attention; likes to know that an adult is near; gives hugs and kisses.
- Recognizes self in mirror.
- Enjoys the companionship of other children, but does not play cooperatively.
- Beginning to assert independence; often refuses to cooperate with daily routines that once were enjoyable; resists getting dressed, putting on shoes, eating, taking a bath; wants to try doing things without help.
- May have a tantrum when things go wrong or if overly tired or frustrated.
- Exceedingly curious about people and surroundings; toddlers need to be watched carefully to prevent them from getting into unsafe situations.
Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (will)
Two year oldEdit
- Weight gain averages 0.9-1.1 kg per year; weighs approximately 26 to 11.8-14.5 kg or about 4 times the weight at birth.
- Grows approximately 7.6-12.7 cm per year; average height is 86-96.5 cm.
- Posture is more erect; abdomen still large and protruding, back swayed, because abdominal muscles are not yet fully developed.
- Respirations are slow and regular (approximately twenty to thirty-five breaths per minute).
- Body temperature continues to fluctuate with activity, emotional state, and environment.
- Brain reaches about 80 percent of its adult size.
- 20 baby teeth almost finished growing out
Motor developmentEdit
- Can walk around obstacles and walk more erect
- Can run and walk backwards
- Squats for long periods while playing.
- Climbs stairs unassisted (but not with alternating feet).
- Balances on one foot (for a few moments), jumps up and down, but may fall.
- Often achieves toilet training during this year (depending on child's physical and neurological development) although accidents should still be expected; the child will indicate readiness for toilet training.
- Throws large ball underhand without losing balance. Holds cup or glass (be sure it is unbreakable) in one hand. Unbuttons large buttons; unzips large zippers.
- Puts a square peg in a square hole
- Opens doors by turning doorknobs.
- Grasps large crayon with fist; scribbles enthusiastically on large paper.
- Climbs up on chair, turns around and sits down.
- Enjoys pouring and filling activities-sand, water, styrofoam peanuts.
- Stacks four to six objects on top of one another.
- Uses feet to propel wheeled riding toys.
- Eye-hand movements better coordinated; can put objects together, take them apart; fit large pegs into pegboard.
- Begins to use objects for purposes other than intended (may push a block around as a boat). ~
- Does simple classification tasks based on one dimension (separates toy dinosaurs from toy cars).
- Stares for long moments; seems fascinated by, or engrossed in, figuring out a situation: where the tennis ball has rolled, where the dog has gone, what has caused a particular noise.
- Attends to self-selected activities for longer periods of time. Discovering cause and effect: squeezing the cat makes her scratch.
- Knows where familiar persons should be; notes their absence; finds a hidden object by looking in last hiding place first.
- Names objects in picture books; may pretend to pick something off the page and taste or smell it.
- Recognizes and expresses pain and its location.
- Enjoys being read to if allowed to participate by pointing, making relevant noises, turning pages.
- Realizes that Language is effective for getting others to respond to needs and preferences.
- Uses fifty to three hundred different words; vocabulary continuously increasing.
- Has broken the linguistic code; in other words, much of a two-year-old's talk has meaning to him or her.
- Receptive Language is more developed than expressive Language ; most two-year olds understand significantly more than they can talk about.
- Utters three- and four-word statements; uses conventional word order to form more complete sentences.
- Refers to self as "me" or sometimes "I" rather than by name: "Me go bye-bye"; has no trouble verbalizing "mine."
- Expresses negative statements by tacking on a negative word such as "no" or "not": "Not more milk."
- Repeatedly asks, "What's that?"
- Uses some plurals; tells about objects and events not immediately present (this is
both a cognitive and linguistic advance).
- Some stammering and other dysfluencies are common.
- Speech is as much as 65 to 70 percent intelligible.
Social and emotionalEdit
- Shows signs of empathy and caring: comforts another child if hurt or frightened; appears to sometimes be overly affectionate in offering hugs and kisses to children
- Continues to use physical aggression if frustrated or angry (for some children, this is more exaggerated than for others); Physical aggression usually lessens as verbal skills improve.
- Temper tantrums likely to peak during this year; cannot be reasoned with while tantrum is in progress.
- Impatient; finds it difficult to wait or take turns.
- Enjoys "helping" with household chores; imitates everyday activities: may try to toilet a stuffed animal, feed a doll.
- "Bossy" with parents and caregivers; orders them around, makes demands, expects immediate compliance from adults.
- Watches and imitates the play of other children, but seldom joins in; content to play alone.
- Offers toys to other children, but is usually possessive of playthings; still tends to hoard toys.
- Making choices is difficult; wants it both ways.
- Often defiant; shouting "no" becomes automatic.
- Ritualistic; wants everything "just so"; routines carried out exactly as before; belongings placed "where they belong."
Three year oldEdit
- Growth is steady though slower than in first two years.
- Height increases 5-7.6cm per year ; average height is 96.5 – 101.6cm, nearly double the child's birth length
- Adult height can be predicted from measurements of height at three years of age; males are approximately 53 percent of their adult height and females, 57 percent.
- Weight gains 1.4-2.3 kg per year; weight 13 -17 kg.
- 90 to 110 beats per minute.
- Respiratory rate is twenty to thirty,
- Temperature 35-37 °C
- Legs grow faster than arms,
- Circumference of head and chest is equal; head size is in better proportion to the body.
- "Baby fat" disappears as neck appears.
- Posture is more erect; abdomen no longer protrudes.
- Slightly knock-kneed.
- "baby" teeth stage over .
- Needs to consume approximately 1,500 calories daily.
- Visual sight is about 20/40.
Motor developmentEdit
- Walks up and down stairs unassisted, using alternating feet; may jump from bottom step, landing on both feet.
- Can stand on one foot, for five seconds.
- Can Kick big ball sized objects.
- Needs minimal assistance eating.
- Jumps on the spot. ,
- Pedals a small tricycle.
- Throws a ball overhand; aim and distance are limited.
- Catches a large bounced ball with both arms extended.
- Enjoys swinging on a swing (not too high or too fast).
- Shows improved control of crayons or markers; uses vertical, horizontal and circular strokes.
- Holds crayon or marker between first two fingers and thumb (tripod grasp), not in a fist as earlier.
- Can draw a circle
- Can turn pages of a book one at a time.
- Enjoys building with blocks.
- Builds a tower of eight or more blocks.
- Enjoys playing with clay; pounds, rolls, and squeezes it.
- May begin to show hand dominance.
- Carries a container of liquid, such as a cup of milk or bowl of water, without much spilling; pours liquid from pitcher into another container.
- Manipulates large buttons and zippers on clothing.
- Washes and dries hands; brushes own teeth, but not thoroughly.
- Usually achieves complete bladder control during this time.
Cognitive developmentEdit
- Listens attentively to age-appropriate stories.
- Makes relevant comments during stories, especially those that relate to home and family events.
- Likes to look at books and may pretend to "read" to others or explain pictures.
- Enjoys stories with riddles, guessing, and "suspense."
- Speech is understandable most of the time.
- Produces expanded noun phrases: "big, brown dog."
- Produces verbs with "ing" endings; uses "-s" to indicate more than one; often puts "-s" on already pluralized forms: geeses, mices.
- Indicates negatives by inserting "no" or "not" before a simple noun or verb phrase: "Not baby."
- Answers "What are you doing?", "What is this?", and "Where?" questions dealing with familiar objects and events.
Social developmentEdit
- Stacks objects in sized order and can make a pyramid
- Seems to understand taking turns, but not always willing to do so.
- Friendly; laughs frequently; is eager to please.
- Has occasional nightmares and fears the dark, monsters, or fire.
- Joins in simple games and group activities, sometimes hesitantly.
- Often talks to self.
- Uses objects symbolically in play: block of wood may be a truck, a ramp, a bat.
- Observes other children playing; may join in for a short time; often plays parallel to other children.
- Defends toys and possessions; may become aggressive at times by grabbing a toy, hitting another child, hiding toys.
- Engages in make-believe play alone and with other children.
- Shows affection toward children who are younger or children who get hurt.
- Sits and listens to stories up to ten minutes at a time; does not bother other children listening to story and resents being bothered.
- May continue to have a special blanket, stuffed animal, or toy for comfort.
Four year oldEdit
- Gains approximately 1.8-2.3kg per year, weighs an average of 14.5kg to 114cm
- Grows 5com-6.5cm in height per year; is approximately 101.6- 114cms tall
- Heart rate averages 90 to 110 bpm
- Respiratory rate ranges from twenty to thirty, varying with activity and emotional state.
- Body temperature ranges from 36.6-37.4°C.
- Head circumference is usually not measured after age three.
- Requires approximately 1,700 calories daily.
- Hearing acuity can be assessed by child's correct usage of sounds and ==Language== also, by the child's appropriate responses to questions and instructions.
- Visual acuity is 20/30 as measured on the Snellen E chart.
Motor DevelopmentEdit
- Walks a straight line (tape or chalk line on the floor).
- Hops on one foot.
- Pedals and steers a wheeled toy with confidence; turns corners, avoids obstacles and oncoming "traffic."
- Climbs ladders, trees, playground equipment.
- Jumps over objects 5 or 6 inches high; lands with both feet together.
- Runs, starts, stops, and moves around obstacles with ease.
- Throws a ball overhand; distance and aim improving.
- Builds a tower with ten or more blocks.
- Forms shapes and objects out of clay: cookies, snakes, simple animals.
- Reproduces some shapes and letters.
- Holds a crayon or marker using a tripod grasp.
- Paints and draws with purpose; may have an idea in mind, but often as problems implementing it so calls the creation something else.
- Draws a square
- Becomes more accurate at hitting nails and pegs with hammer.
- Threads small wooden beads on a string.
- Can run in a circle
- Can recognize that certain words sound similar
- Names eighteen to twenty uppercase letters and print several and sometimes their name. `
- A few children are beginning to read simple books, such as alphabet books with only a few words per page and many pictures.
- Likes stories about how things grow and how things operate.
- Delights in wordplay, creating silly Language.
- Understands the concepts of "tallest," "biggest," "same," and "more"; selects the picture that has the "most houses" or the "biggest dogs."
- Rote counts to 20 or more.
- Understands the sequence of daily events: "When we get up in the morning, we get dressed, have breakfast, brush our teeth, and go to school."
- When looking at pictures, can recognize and identify missing puzzle parts (of person, car, animal).
- Uses the prepositions "on," "in," and "under."
- Uses possessives consistently: "hers," "theirs," "baby's."
- Answers "Whose?", "Who?", "Why?", and "How many?"
- Produces elaborate sentence structures: "The cat ran under the house before I could see what color it was."
- Speech is almost entirely intelligible.
- Begins to correctly use the past tense of verbs: "Mommy closed the door,"
"Daddy went to work."
- Refers to activities, events, objects, and people that are not present.
- Changes tone of voice and sentence structure to adapt to listener's level of under-standing: To baby brother, "Milk gone?" To Mother, "Did the baby drink all of his milk?"
- States first and last name, gender, siblings' names, and sometimes own telephone number.
- Answers appropriately when asked what to do if tired, cold, or hungry. Recites and sings simple songs and rhymes.
Social developmentEdit
- Outgoing; friendly; overly enthusiastic at times.
- Moods change rapidly and unpredictably; laughing one minute, crying the next; may throw tantrum over minor frustrations (a block structure that will not balance); sulk over being left out.
- Imaginary playmates or companions are common; holds conversations and shares strong emotions with this invisible friend.
- Boasts, exaggerates, and "bends" the truth with made-up stories or claims of
boldness; tests the limits with "bathroom" talk.
- Cooperates with others; participates in group activities.
- Shows pride in accomplishments; seeks frequent adult approval.
- Often appears selfish; not always able to take turns or to understand taking turns under some conditions; tattles on other children.
- Insists on trying to do things independently, but may get so frustrated as to verge
on tantrums when problems arise: paint that drips, paper airplane that will not fold right.
- Enjoys role-playing and make-believe activities.
- Relies (most of the time) on verbal rather than Physical aggression; may yell angrily rather than hit to make a point; threatens: "You can't come to my birthday party"
- Name-calling and taunting are often used as ways of excluding other children.
- Establishes close relationships with playmates; beginning to have "best" friends.
Initiative Vs. Guilt. During this third stage, the "play age," or the later preschool years (from about 3½ to, in the United States culture, entry into formal school). During it, the healthily developing child learns: (1) to imagine, to broaden his skills through active play of all sorts, including fantasy (2) to cooperate with others (3) to lead as well as to follow. Immobilized by guilt, he is: (1) fearful (2) hangs on the fringes of groups (3) continues to depend unduly on adults and (4) is restricted both in the development of play skills and in imagination.
Five year oldEdit
- Gains 1.8-2.3 kg per year; weighs an average of 17.3-20.5 kg.
- Grows an average of 5-6.5 cm per year; is approximately 106.7-116.8 cm tall.
- 90 to 110 bmp.
- Respiratory rate ranges from 20-30 minute.
- Head size is approximately that of an adult's.
- May begin to lose "baby" (deciduous) teeth.
- Body is adult-like in proportion.
- Requires approximately 1,800 calories daily
- Visual acuity is 20/20 using the Snellen E chart.
- Visual tracking and binocular vision are well developed.
Motor developmentEdit
- Walks backwards, heel to toe.
- Walks unassisted up and down stairs, alternating feet.
- May learn to turn somersaults (should be taught the right way in order to avoid injury).
- Can touch toes without flexing knees.
- Walks a balance beam.
- Can hop on both feet
- Learns to skip using alternative feet.
- Catches a ball thrown from 3 feet away.
- Rides a tricycle or wheeled toy with speed and skillful steering; some children
- learning to ride bicycles, usually with training wheels.
- Jumps or hops forward ten times in a row without falling.
- Balances on either foot with good control for ten seconds.
- Builds three-dimensional structures with small cubes by copying from a picture or model.
- Reproduces many shapes and letters: square, triangle, A, I, O, U, C, H, L, T.
- Demonstrates fair control of pencil or marker; may begin to colour within the lines.
- Cuts on the line with scissors (not perfectly).
- Hand dominance is fairly well established.
- Ties shoelaces
- Forms rectangle from two triangular cuts.
- Builds steps with set of small blocks.
- Understands concept of same shape, same size.
- Sorts objects on the basis of two dimensions, such as color and form.
- Sorts a variety of objects so that all things in the group have a single common feature (classification skill: all are food items or boats or animals).
- Understands the concepts of smallest and shortest; places objects in order from
- shortest to tallest, smallest to largest.
- Identifies objects with specified serial position: first, second, last.
- Rote counts to 20 and above; many children count to 100.
- Recognizes numerals from 1 to 10.
- Understands the concepts of less than: "Which bowl has less water?"
- Understands the terms dark, light, and early: "I got up early, before anyone else. It was still dark."
- Relates clock time to daily schedule: "Time to turn on TV when the little hand points to 5."
- Some children can tell time on the hour: five o'clock, two o'clock.
- Knows what a calendar is for.
- Recognizes and identifies penny, nickel, and dime; beginning to count and save money.
- Many children know alphabet and names of upper- and lowercase letters.
- Understands the concept of half; can say how many pieces an object has when it's been cut in half.
- Asks innumerable questions: Why? What? Where? When?
- Eager to learn new things.
Language developmentEdit
- Vocabulary of 1,500 words plus.
- Tells a familiar story while looking at pictures in a book.
- 9 Defines simple words by function: a ball is to bounce; a bed is to sleep in.
- Identifies and names four to eight colours.
- Recognizes the humour in simple jokes; makes up jokes and riddles.
- Produces sentences with five to seven words; much longer sentences are not unusual.
- States the name of own city or town, birthday, and parents' names.
- Answers telephone appropriately; calls person to phone or takes a brief message
- Speech is almost entirely intelligible.
- Uses "would" and "could" appropriately.
- Uses past tense of irregular verbs consistently: "went," "caught," "swam."
- Uses past-tense inflection (-ed) appropriately to mark regular verbs: "jumped," "rained," "washed."
Social developmentEdit
- Enjoys and often has one or two focus friendships.
- Plays cooperatively (can lapse), is generous, takes turns, shares toys.
- Participates in group play and shared activities with other children; suggests imaginative and elaborate play ideas.
- Shows affection and caring towards others especially those "below" them or in pain
- Generally subservient to parent or caregiver requests.
- Needs comfort and reassurance from adults but is less open to comfort.
- Has better self-control over swings of emotions.
- Likes entertaining people and making them laugh.
- Boasts about accomplishments.
Preschooler (5 years+)Edit
- Height increases 5-7cm a year to a height of 105-117 cm.
- 2kg a year weight increases: weight is about 17-22kg.
- Weight gains reflect significant increases in muscle mass. ,
- Heart rate and respiratory rates are close to adults.
- Body may appear lanky as through period of rapid growth.
- Baby teeth beginning to be replaced by permanent ones, starting with the two upper front teeth
- 20/20 eyesight; if below 20/40 should see a professional.
- Its not uncommon for the children to be farsighted
- Uses 1,600 to 1,700 calories a day.
Motor developmentEdit
- Gains greater control over large and fine motor skills; movements are more precise and deliberate, though some clumsiness persists.
- Enjoys vigorous running, jumping, climbing, and throwing est.
- Has trouble staying still.
- Span of attention increases; works at tasks for longer periods of time, though
- Can concentrate effort but not always consistently.
- Understands (today, tomorrow, yesterday) and simple motion (things go faster than others).
- Recognizes seasons and major activities done in the times.
- Has fun with problem solving and sorting activities like stacking, puzzles and mazes
- Enjoys the challenge of puzzles, counting and sorting activities, paper-and-pencil mazes, and games that involve matching letters and words with pictures.
- Recognizes some words by sight; attempts to sound out words
- In some cases the child may be reading well.
- Can copy a diamond
- functioning which facilitates learning to ride a bicycle, swim, swing a bat, or kick a ball.
- Making things is enjoyed.
- Reverses or confuse certain letters: b/d, p/g, g/q, t/f.
- Able to trace objects.
- Folds and cuts paper into simple shapes.
- Can Tie Laces, string (like shoes).
- Can identify right and left hands fairly consistently.
- Holds onto positive beliefs involving the unexplainable (magic or fantasy)
- Arrives at some understanding about death and dying; often expresses fear that parents may die.
- Talks a lot.
- Loves telling jokes and riddles; often, the humour is far from subtle.
- Experiments with slang and profanity and finds it extremely funny.
- Enthusiastic and inquisitive about surroundings and everyday events.
- Able to carry on adult-like conversations; asks many questions.
- Learns 5 to 10 words a day; vocabulary of 10,000-14,000.
- Uses appropriate verb tenses, word order, and sentence structure.
- Uses Language rather than tantrums or Physical aggression to express displeasure: "That's mine! Give it back, you dummy."
- Talks self through steps required in simple problem-solving situations (though the "logic" may be unclear to adults).
- Has mood swings towards primary caregiver depending on the day
- Friendship with parent is less depended on but still needs closeness and nurturing.
- Anxious to please; needs and seeks adult approval, reassurance, and praise; may complain excessively about minor hurts to gain more attention.
- Often can't view the world from another's point of view
- Self-perceived failure can make the child easily disappointed and frustrated.
- Can't handle things not going their own way
- Does not understand ethical behaviour or moral standards especially when doing things that have not been given rules
- Understands when he or she has been thought to be "bad"; values are based on others enforced values.
- May be increasingly fearful of the unknown like things in the dark, noises animals.
See also Edit
References & BibliographyEdit
Key textsEdit
- Harris, J. R., & Liebert, R. M. (1984). The Child: Development from Birth through Adolescence. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
- Harris, J. R., & Liebert, R. M. (1992). Infant and Child: Development from Birth through Middle Childhood. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Additional materialEdit
- Google Scholar
- Quinlan, R., (2003). Father-Absence, Parental Care & Female Reproductive Development. Evolution and Human Behavior. 24(6): 376-390. Full text
External linksEdit
- Child development booklist (PDF) Includes books on specific developmental stages and ages as well as books that cover birth through adolescence. From Seattle Children's Hospital.
- Gerhard Medicus. The Inapplicability of the Biogenetic Rule (Recapitulation Theory) to Child Development. (pdf)
|This page uses Creative Commons Licensed content from Wikipedia (view authors).


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Interested in Biofeedback at the CWC? Head to the Radio Road biofeedback lab, pick an available computer, and watch the 'Biofeedback Training' video. This video will offer guidance on getting started quickly and easily with our biofeedback program. Bring your own headphones or check out a headset at the front desk.
Want more personalized guidance? Come to Friday Weekend Wellness Kickoff at CERC between 1-4 on Fridays where Dr. Welsch can assist you in getting set up. This will be necessary for anyone wanting to use our new neurofeedback resources.We are excited to announce that our new CERC technology lab is coming soon as part of our Mind and Body Center. We will be offering new biofeedback programs, neurofeedback, virtual reality apps, and mindfulness devices that students can use for relaxation, focus, and fun.
Biofeedback is a process that enables an individual to learn how to change physiological activity such as brainwaves, heart function, breathing, muscle activity, blood pressure and skin temperature. These instruments rapidly and accurately 'feed back' information to the user. The presentation of this information, often in conjunction with changes in thinking, emotions and behavior, supports desired physiological changes. Over time, and with practice, these changes can endure without continued use of an instrument.
Biofeedback Lab is our 'relaxation room' in which you will find 6 individual biofeedback computer stations, a state of the art reclining massage chair, and numerous relaxation items which you can use within the room or in the waiting area by the fountain. Biofeedback Lab
The lab is open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. You must attend an orientation session before you are allowed to use the lab. See the workshop listing for information on orientation times. Bring your ID to the front desk where it will be held while you are in the lab or until you returned borrowed equipment. Directions for most of the resources are in a binder at the front desk, which may be checked out when you check in. You may use the resources that are not attached to a computer in the waiting area by the fountain or in the reclining massager. Massage time is limited to 20 min. if someone is waiting.
The skills become effective with practice. The good news is that practicing at home takes only a few minutes each day, and because the exercises feel good, you may find yourself using the skills several times daily. The time to learn any skill varies from person to person and this is also the case with the self-regulation skills. As with anything else, the more you practice the quicker you learn. You should try and use the lab twice weekly, with daily in-home practice of the skills you are working on in the lab.
You may come as often as you like and should try for twice weekly. Practice the skills you are learning for several days before moving on.
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Biofeedback Home Intensive Individual Biofeedback Training Biofeedback Lab Biofeedback Loaded Ipods
You only need your Gator 1 card.
Counseling and Wellness Center 3190 Radio Road, PO Box 112662Gainesville, FL 32611-2662Phone: (352) 392-1575Fax: (352) 273-4738
Office Hours: Mon-Fri, 8am-5pm
Make a gift to support the CWC mission!


text: Premium CBD locations in Central, Admiralty and Island East Serviced Office as an inspirational solution Virtual Office is a smart business solution for you First-class conference venues ready for you at The Executive Centre TEC Mobile App Latest Promotion SERVICED OFFICE Ultimate flexibility and everything you need Find Location FAQ VIRTUAL OFFICE Corporate presence without the overheads Find Location Price List CONFERENCE CENTRE Your meeting. Your way. Event Type FAQ


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Prices, specials, features and availability subject to change.
Contact for details
Southpoint Apartment Homes located in South East Houston, TX is pet friendly and offers 1 and 2 bedroom apartment homes for rent with convenient shopping and dining close by. Our apartment homes feature washer/dryer connections, ceiling fans and oversized closets and updated appliance packages. Enjoy your free time at one of our communities many amenities including 3 pools, a sundeck and BBQ and picnic area. Located in Southeast Houston, SouthPoint Apartments are easily accessible to I-45, Beltway 8 and I 45. Minutes from Hobby Airport, Downtown Houston, University of Houston and the beaches of Galveston and Clear Lake.
Terms: 3-14 month lease terms
Pet Policy: 2 pets maximum, 150 lbs weight limit, $300 pet fee. Breed restrictions apply.
Pets Accepted. Weight Restriction. Breed Restriction. Call for Policy. Call for service animal policy.
260 units
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Saturday: 10:00am-5:00pm
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This content has been marked as final. Show 1 reply
1. Re: Question on code in swing?EJP Jan 14, 2013 10:33 AM (in response to 983190)
another question is, is the Paint Method called implicitly at run time? How is paint called? Does AWT simply call it?I've already answered that question in a previous thread of yours. If you didn't understand, you should have said so in that thread, rather than just repeating yourself ad nauseam.
You are just wasting your own time and that of other people by this piecemeal approach to learning, forum question by forum question, and I've already told you so in another prior thread. I cannot imagine anything more inefficient. I also recommended you to get a book, and to read the Java Language Tutorial. When you've done that, you should read the Java Swing Tutorial.
Locking this thread.


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PHIL Simkin is confident his wounded troops will provide the necessary response to their heaviest defeat in 14 months when they entertain Basingstoke Town in FA Cup action tomorrow (3pm).
Tuesday night saw the second-placed Magpies fall to a 4-0 loss in their top-of-the-table clash with early pacesetters Salisbury City.
The result was Dorchester's worst since the opening day of last season but tomorrow's third qualifying round tie, which carries a £7,500 prize, provides an ideal opportunity to lift the mood.
And manager Simkin has faith his men will do just that. He told Echosport: "I have been in the game long enough to know how people react to things.
"Tomorrow is a perfect chance to bounce back after Tuesday night and I know the players well enough to know they will respond to that defeat.
"It's a massive game and we will of course be looking to win it, as well as the money that goes with it.
"We may go into tomorrow playing slightly different, I haven't decided as yet."
Reflecting on the Wiltshire reverse, Simkin added: "We have to put Tuesday night into context. We didn't play particularly well but we weren't allowed to play.
"Salisbury are full-time professionals and it was like playing a Football League club. They packed the midfield and stopped us playing.
"They were too good for us on the night and if they don't win the league then there is something wrong.
"I would have hoped we could do better than we did but everything they did came off and everything seemed to drop for them."
Tomorrow's visitors also ply their trade in Blue Square Bet South where they currently lie 10th, six points adrift of the county town side.
'Stoke disposed of Weymouth in the previous round and boast one of the league's leading marksmen in Tim Sills – who has seven goals in all competitions.
Assessing his opponents, Simkin said: "We know enough about them to know they are a dangerous side.
"With Tim Sills up front they will look to put crosses in the box at every opportunity as he is so good in the air, but I would like to think we can cancel him out.
"Delano Sam-Yorke is a powerhouse as well but they are beatable and there is no reason for us to fear anyone at home. Our performances on our travels are a bit of a concern at the moment though. It used to be the other way round.
"I know what is coming our way tomorrow but I would like to think we have enough to get a result."
Magpies (from): Matthews, Jermyn, Bell, Martin, Smeeton, Clough, Walker, Pugh, Gleeson, Nicholls, Morgan, Crittenden, Symes, Ward, Gosling, Garcia, Malsom, Watson, Reid.


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Currently 4.00/512345 Rating: 4.0/5 (Total votes: 1)
Rating: 4.0/5 (Total votes: 1)
This homebrew is made with the intention to (little by little) emulate a DJ's turntable, better known as DJ Mixer.
Functions implemented so far:
* Save/Load language selection into the file (settings.cfg).
* Whole Memory Stick MP3 file browser, always visible and quick handling.
* Loads two tracks, simultaneously (one in each plate).
* Individual volume control for each track.
* Crossfader.
* Playback Control for each track (Play, Pause and Stop).
* Visual indicators.
* Possibility to replace the sound effects.
* Possibility to make your own theme.
* Three languages election: Espanish, English and Italian.
* Possibility to check controls' layout any time.
+ Added -> psp-ita's splash image to be able to participate in the contest.
+ Added -> Controls are shown if you press START.
+ Added -> Available in three languages: Spanish, English and Italian.
+ Added -> Now settings are loaded/saved into a file.
~ Fixed -> When going back to XMB without loading any track the program crashes.
~ Fixed -> Trying to play plate B without loading a track the program crashes.
~ Fixed -> If the mp3 file's name is 44 characters long the extension ".mp3" is shown.
~ Fixed -> If 4th character before a folder's name end is a dot, the name shows wrong.
~ Fixed -> If mp3 file extension is one of these ".Mp3", ".mP3" or ".MP3" it doesn't load.
~ Fixed -> Sometimes plates never spin.


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benefits+ is an opportunity for Durham University staff to save money in a number of ways.
Many of the schemes in benefits+ are salary reduction arrangements which give Durham University a smarter way to fund employee benefits as well as increasing your take-home pay, by reducing the amount of National Insurance contributions you pay. For further details, please see the benefits+ brochure (see related links).
benefits+ includes pensions+, nursery+, childcare+ and cycle+ which all work in a similar way through monthly payments from your salary. Our staff discounts mean you can save money off products and services from local participating suppliers, just by showing your Campus Card.
NEW - Free Home Use Microsoft Office 365 Software
NEW - NUS Extra Card
NEW - July 2016 - Staff Credit Union Scheme
NEW - January 2016 - Discounted Microsoft Home Use Software.
NEW - InDurham Loyalty Card
NEW - Do you travel regularly on the bus? Spread the cost of an Arriva season ticket with our latest staff discount.
NEW - Do you travel regularly by train? The University now offers Interest-free Rail Season ticket loans to all our staff.
How benefits+ schemes work
It's very simple. In salary reduction schemes, members of the scheme agree to give up part of their gross contractual salary equal to the cost of any part of benefits+, and the University then pays this contribution on their behalf.
This means that you no longer have to pay National Insurance (NI) contributions on the amount you have given up and your take-home pay will increase. The amount of savings depends on how much you earn and also which parts of benefits+ you choose to take advantage of. Most employees will benefit under benefits+, but there may be a few for whom it is not advantageous. However, there is no need to worry as we have put in place a number of safeguards to ensure that those who may be adversely affected are not included.
benefits+ will not affect your final pension benefits or any other salary-related payments or benefits that you receive from the University, such as salary increases, bonuses and overtime. These will be based on your reference salary which is your annual salary before benefits+.
Your reference salary will also be the amount used in any personal official letters e.g. mortgage letters, loan applications or job references. benefits+ will not affect your income tax position or your tax code.
If you require further information, contact Payroll and Pensions on 0191 334 6922/6902.
Who might not benefit?
Those who may not benefit include:
- Members who earn less than the Earnings Threshold for National Insurance. This is because you would not make any savings and may see your State benefits affected.
- Although the University does not pay below the National Minimum Wage (NMW), there may be staff whose pay could fall below the NMW by participating in any or all parts of benefits+. These staff will not be able to reduce their actual earnings below the NMW as it is illegal to do so.
A pay protection limit is in place to ensure that no employees are worse off under benefits+.
If your earnings currently, or in the future, fall below the pay protection limit or the NMW, you will not be able to participate and will not be entered into benefits+ automatically. Your monthly pension contributions will then be deducted from your salary.
- In addition, members who work less than 16 hours a week may find their Job Seekers Allowance affected. You will need to decide whether this is an issue for you and whether you wish to participate in benefits+ or not. If you require further information on this please contact Payroll & Pensions on 0191 334 6922/6902.
Participating may effect Working Tax Credit- for more information please visit the government's webpage on Working Tax Credit.
Tax Credit Helpline:
- Telephone: 0345 300 3900
- Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm
- Saturday 8am to 4pm
Please note that if your salary increases over the above thresholds, you will automatically be opted back into benefits+ at the earliest opportunity, normally from the following month. A letter will be sent to you confirming this.
The University's savings
The savings made by the University will be used to help improve the working environment at the University, taking into account ideas put forward as part of the recent employee satisfaction survey. Some savings will be focussed on supporting our environmental policies and 'green' initiatives.


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Radiohead's first single from new album 'In Rainbows' will be 'Jigsaw Falling Into Place' on January 14. The album however will actually get a physical release on CD and vinyl just before the end of the year.
The album will now be released through XL Recordings on December 31. Meanwhile, the band have distanced themselves from reports that most people who downloaded the record did so for free and took advantage of Radiohead's offer to let fans name their own price.
"In response to purely speculative figures announced in the press regarding the number of downloads and the price paid for the album, the group's representatives would like to remind people that, as the album could only be downloaded from the band's website, it is impossible for outside organisations to have accurate figures on sales," they explained.
The statement added: "However, they can confirm that the figures quoted by the company comScore Inc are wholly inaccurate and in no way reflect definitive market intelligence or, indeed, the true success of the project." [source: NME]


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Real World Brooklyn: Episode 4 Recap
"Daddy Dearest and the Dueling Divas" – Premiered January 28, 2009
Devyn pursues her acting and music aspirations, but not without complications. Chet explores his romantic opportunities with a woman named Alex, even though they may conflict with his religious beliefs. Sarah discusses the childhood sexual abuse she suffered the hands of a teacher and her father, to whom she hasn't spoken in eight years, an issue that becomes more immediate when she receives unwanted phone calls from him that greatly disturb her.
A drunken J.D. outs Katelynn to Chet, and insults Devyn, offending all three of them, and leading to an impromptu sing-off between Devyn and another female singer at a club.
This seasons cast:
Chet Cannon (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Chet has been described as a "punk rock Mormon", a "hipster" and "straight as an arrow", who eschews alcohol and premarital sex. He is a conservative Republican, a University of Utah fraternity member with nine siblings, and an occasional prankster. He is an aspiring TV host, and his stated goal on the series is to "show people that Mormons are fun."
Ryan Conklin (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) – Ryan was in the Army for three and a half years, having enlisted at the age of 17. He spent a year in Iraq, guarded Saddam Hussein at his trial, and suffered a number of near-death experiences. He expresses these experiences through his guitar playing, and in a 300-page single-space typed journal. He is described by The Brooklyn Paper as "the fun one" in the premiere. He is also a class clown who plays pranks, and an amateur filmmaker.
Katelynn Cusanelli (West Palm Beach, Florida) – Katelynn, or Kat, is an Italian-American transwoman who had a rough childhood. She first realized her gender dysphoria in high school, and began living as a woman at 17. She completed her gender reassignment surgery in Thailand in July 2008. She is a self-described computer geek, and holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do. She has a boyfriend named Mike that she hopes to marry. In the season premiere, she initially reveals her transgender status only to J.D.
Scott Herman (Salem, New Hampshire) – Scott is an personal trainer, model and actor who has been working out since the age of 14. He recently received the designation of having the "best abs on the East Coast", and was featured in Men's Health magazine. The first in his family to graduate from college, he educates the public on health and fitness with his website.
J.D. Ordonez (Miami Beach, Florida) – J.D. is a homosexual man who, along with his brothers and sister, suffered violent physical abuse at the hands of his father. He ran away from home at thirteen, and spent some time in foster care, eventually ensuring that his father was sent to prison for his abuse. He feels his experiences made him a stronger, independent person. He put himself through school at the University of Miami, and now works as a dolphin trainer, a dream job he first envisioned in a trip to SeaWorld at age five. A high school competitive swimmer, he became one of the youngest dolphin trainers at Miami Seaquarium at nineteen. He came out to his parents about his sexuality at age sixteen, and because of this, he immediately bonds with Katelynn, who reveals her transgender status only to him in the premiere.
Sarah Rice (San Francisco, California) – Sarah is an artist who suffered a traumatic upbringing that included sexual abuse, and has dedicated herself as an educator and advocate for survivors of abuse, using art and creative therapy. She hopes to show her art in a gallery, and recently began a relationship with a man to whom her mother introduced her, one of her first heterosexual relationships, as most of her prior ones were with women. Sarah, whose appearance is described to be that of a "tattooed punk", is observed by The Brooklyn Paper to be the only cast member with an interest in anyone else on a deeper level in the premiere, as contrasted with the gossip-like focus of the other castmates' discussions.
Devyn Simone (Kansas City, Missouri) – Devyn was Miss American Teen in 2005, and a Miss Missouri Teen. She is a black woman who has been described as a flirtatious diva who likes attention at clubs and on stage, and a sexual person who likes to tease men, and juggle multiple suitors. She is a theatre and music studies major at the University of South Florida who hopes to work in the entertainment industry. She is close to her mother, and was close to her late grandmother.
Baya Voce (Salt Lake City, Utah) – Baya, like Chet, is from Salt Lake City, but is not a Mormon, which has caused her to feel isolated in her hometown. Raised by hippie parents, she is a dedicated hip-hop DJ who aspires to be a dancer, and has been described as "the token cute white female" and "laid back", though she suffers from panic attacks. She is active in social and environmental causes.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.


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By Sgt. Maj. of the Army Raymond F. Chandler IIIJuly 12, 2013
WASHINGTON (July 12, 2013) -- I'd like to thank each of you for volunteering to defend our Nation. The past 12 years have been difficult and tested our mettle, but collectively we have demonstrated our commitment and resilience. Each of you has played a part in successfully completing every mission we have been given, and in turn securing the trust of the American people and the elected officials who govern our Nation.
As we move forward and our force goes through changes in both size and focus, we NCOs must ensure that we provide needed leadership to those in our charge. We must instill in them the importance of our Army Profession, how we demonstrate that, and why it must be part of every action we take and decision we make.
To support your efforts in doing this, the Army created ADRP 1, "The Army Profession." This manual has been approved for distribution and use in your professional development programs throughout the Army.
It is available at http://cape.army.mil/aaop/doctrine.php. The official launch was last month on the Army Birthday, June 14, 2013.
This is the first publication in the Army's long history that is solely dedicated to establishing a common understanding of the Army Profession. It explains membership in the Army Profession, the five essential characteristics of the Army Profession, the certification requirements for individual Army professionals, and the content of the Army Ethic. This material equally applies to the active component, U.S. Army Reserve, Army National Guard, and Department of the Army Civilians.
Each of you must not only be well acquainted with the Center for the Army Professional and Ethic, or CAPE, website and its resources, but also ensure your Soldiers understand the role they play in the success of their unit, the Army and our Nation.
A wide variety of easy-to-use Army Profession training resources are available at http://cape.army.mil/AAOP/aaop.php. You must integrate them into your professional development programs. The resources can be accessed without a CAC on any personal computing device. In no more than 45 minutes, you can prepare a one-hour session designed for a small-group, interactive discussion.
If you have any questions about the resources, the doctrine, or the "America's Army-Our Profession" program, contact your unit NCOIC. Additionally, if you are your unit's senior NCO and would like to host an Army Profession seminar at your location, CAPE leadership can present the Army Profession material to any audience you prefer.
Thank you for your support of the Army Profession and your assistance in educating the entire Army about this critically important topic.


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No hormones, no antibiotics, and fed an all-natural vegitarian diet.
Remember back in the time when the family gathered for those special occasions? Everyone was seated around the long dinner table, and they would reminisce about those good ole' days from long ago. The table would be covered with the best linen, china, silver and fresh flowers served as the centerpiece. And the Food! - Who could forget the food? An endless supply of savory roasts, mashed potatoes, steaming vegetables, colorful fruit pies, cakes and endless supplies of coffee and iced tea. How fortunate we are to live in the Midwest where some of the best things in life are grown.


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Dog Veterinary
Ask a Dog Vet and Get Answers to Your Dog Health Questions
Giardia is killed by common disinfectants such as quaternary ammonium compounds in kennels and on hard surfaces. Chlorine (bleach) is effective at higher concentrations (1:32 part dilution). Drying and heat also kill cysts.
A study in Norway showed that the parasite cysts died during the winter in that country. Shear forces resulting from freezing thaw cycles were part of the reason. However, they can survive moderate temperatures with some freezing.
The cyst dies in dry hot environments, but is very difficult to kill in gardens and lawns where the soil is moist and the vegetation protects the cysts from direct sunlight.
Picking up feces helps reduce the level of contamination. There is a vaccine against Giardia that reduces shedding of cysts, which helps reduce environmental contamination.
Let me know if you have follow up questions.
I have not found a lot of studies on survival of cysts in the environment in terms of time vs temperature with the exception of the Norwegian one. Most of the concern is about purifying drinking water, which is the major risk.
Giardia cysts can survive for 2 months in cold-wet environments. The snow won't kill them, but most will die if we have freezing at night and warmer during the day. It's the mechanical action of freezing and thawing that destroys them.
They do not survive well in hot temperatures or in dry environments. If you don't have streams or ponds on your property, your pup should be OK. Most infections are from drinking contaminated water. Lawns need to be heavily contaminated to be a major risk.
Panacur doesn't always clear dogs. Other treatments include metronidazole (clears 60-75% of infections in dogs). and Drontal Plus. Also give your guy a bath to get lingering cysts off his body.
You can get this disease also. Keep up on hand washing!
Take care.


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A couple were banned from a hotel after staff found their rabbit's droppings on the floor of their room after the pair had checked out.
Hotel bosses banned Alfie Joe Higgins, 22, and Blaize Taylor, 23, both of Honey Lane, Waltham Abbey, from the Premier Inn in Sewardstone Road after the droppings, which caused £150 worth of damage, were discovered on December 29.
The couple ended up in Chelmsford Magistrates' Court after ignoring the ban and checked back into the hotel in January, and then started a fracas.
They were left with a court bill of more than £1,000 after Higgins was found guilty of assaulting police, and Taylor of obstructing officers and using threatening words and behaviour during the incident.
For more on this story see this week's Epping Forest Guardian - out on Thursday.


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Have a Tax Question? Ask a Tax Expert
How do I get my Social Security W-2 Form for my benefits so I can file it as income?
Hi and welcome to JustAnswer!
Social Security benefits are reported on form SSA-1099. SSA-1099 is mailed to you in January showing the total amount of benefits you received in the previous year.
That form is issued by Social Security Administration.
If you need a replacement SSA-1099 - you need to contact SSA – call at 1-***-***-****_ Monday through Friday between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m.
A copy of your SSA-1099 will arrive in the mail in about 10 days. If you need it sooner, contact your local Social Security Office.
If you are looking for tax information for previous years - you may order transcripts from the IRS.
You need to use the form www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4506t.pdf to obtain your tax account transcript.
On the form - check the box 8 for information about W2 and 1099 forms.
You have three easy and convenient options for getting copies of your federal tax return information -- tax account transcripts--by phone, by mail, or online.
Our new online ordering method, Order A Transcript - http://www.justanswer.com/individuals/article/0,,id=232168,00.html , is available and makes ordering simple.
You may also request transcripts by calling 1-***-***-****_, or order by mail using IRS Form 4506T (Request for Transcript of Tax Return).
There is no fee for transcripts. Allow five to ten days for delivery if you order online or by phone.
Let me know if you need any help.


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Om Jay Jagadish Hare is the most popular of the Hindu aartis.
Composed sometime around 1870s by Pandit Shardha Ram Phillauri in Punjab, India , now it is sung around the world by Hindus of all background. Even though it is in Hindi, it is universally used by Hindus speaking any of the numerous Indian languages, or belonging to any one of many sects.
by: P.S. Ram
It must be some PUJARI.
we all indians with our full bhakti
This article contents is post by this website user, EduQnA.com doesn't promise its accuracy.
More Questions & Answers...


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A coffee maker is an integral part of your life if you are a regular coffee drinker and if you are one of those who feels extremely groggy without it in the morning. But always make sure that you go for the best coffee maker since this is a long time investment. You will find various options for your coffee machine and make a well-informed decision is extremely vital.
So we have listed down a few things which you should consider while planning to buy a coffee maker for yourself.
How convenient is it?
The first question you should ask yourself while planning to buy a coffee machine is that how often you would make your coffee and if you have enough time to spend every day on preparing it and brewing it. If you are one of those people who need instant coffee in the morning and cannot be bothered with the preparation tasks, then you should go for super-automatic machines.
But if you are willing to take some time out to prepare your coffee, then you should go for an espresso machine. It all depends on how convenient you want your coffee maker to be and how much time you are willing to spend.
Now, this could be one of the deciding factors while buying a coffee machine. If you are looking for something not to costly, then you should go for the Pod/Capsule machine or Entry-Level Espresso Maker but keep in mind that these won't give you the best quality possible. It's also possible that the higher ranged coffee machines don't provide you with a rich flavored coffee too.
So ensure how important the quality to you is and then according to that, set your budget. You will find various coffee makers with varying costs.
Which type should you choose?
Once you have decided what your budget is and how you like would use it, time to choose which type of coffee maker you would like to buy. There are several types of coffee makers to choose from: Drip coffee machines, Single-Serve coffee maker, Specialty coffee maker and 1-to2-Mug Drip, coffee maker. Drip machines are the easiest to handle while Single-Serve coffee machines (read reviews at Freshpresso.net/best-single-serve-coffee-maker-reviews) would require a little more work and money. Although Specialty machines are similar to Drip machines, they tend to give you a richer coffee due to its filtering methods and 1-to-2-Mug Drip machines are designed to produce smaller quantities.
So take your pick. Choose the machine type which suits your needs the best.
How much can it hold?
Another crucial feature to check in your coffee machine is how much quantity it can hold at a time. If you are one of those people who require making a large amount of coffee, then it would be better to go for those machines which provide you with large capacity.
How easy it is to learn?
If you are a lazy ass who doesn't like to put much effort, then instant coffee machines are the best for you as at just one click, your coffee is ready, and it is very easy to learn too. But if you like to put in some work into your machine, then go for a little more high-end machine which would require you to brew and steam and would be a little more complicated than the instant coffee machines. So make your choice, are you a willing learner or not?
Easy to clean?
Coffee making is going to be a messy affair, and different coffee makers make a different amount of mess. If you are a diligent coffee drinker and wouldn't mind a little cleaning up, then go for an espresso grinder combination. Go for coffee makers which are easier to clean if you don't have time for such mundanities; this would make your work a whole lot easier.
How fast and often will it brew?
This is a crucial point to keep in mind as different coffee makers take a different amount of time to process your coffee. If you are one of those, who requires instant coffee, better to go for coffee makers who have a fast speeding process. The speed of brewing and steaming are important factors to keep in mind.
If speed and recovery are a matter of concern to you, then better go for coffee makers with large water tanks and steam and brew at the same time. It all depends on what do you want out of your coffee maker.


text: Posted February 27, 2013 I looked and didn't see this posted yet, but Byron Bell and Armond Smith will be taking questions from fans on reddit nfl tomorrow some time around 5 PM eastern time. If any of you guys are familiar with the format then you know it's pretty no-holds-barred, so you can literally ask them anything. Anywaaays... here's a link to the reddit topic where it was announced: http://www.reddit.co...stern_rt_byron/ Roger Goodell did one a while back and it was pretty hilarious. Though the dude ignored most of the questions and the ones he did answer he answered like he was running for president or something. But he did get rickroll'd without even realizing it. :D Update: http://www.reddit.co...on_bell_of_the/ ^link for the conversation... not really much of anything was said, but meh here it is anyways. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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Embellishing CV will catch up with you
Question : Uncertainty surrounding the accuracy of the Yahoo CEO's CV shows what can happen when a CV comes under scrutiny. But surely some level of CV embellishment is just par for the course and to be expected by employers?
Answer: John Moore, director at Hays in Northern Ireland, says:
As recent news headlines suggest, even CEOs aren't immune to problems created by inaccuracies on their CVs.
Not only can this cost employees their positions but it can also be embarrassing and damaging to their employers.
Increasing competition in the marketplace inevitably puts pressure on candidates to stand out from the crowd and can even tempt some into embellishing their CV.
However, stretching the truth on your CV is a waste of time. Jobseekers who lie on their CV stand a greater chance than ever of being caught out and that's thanks to stricter checks and measures, including using social media sites such as LinkedIn.
Be assured that HR departments and reputable recruitment agencies always carry out thorough employment and qualification background checks - and there's an ever growing suite of tools now for employers to ensure they are hiring who they think they are.
When looking for a new job, jobseekers should carefully consider the roles that they apply for and ensure that the roles are a genuinely good fit for their skills.
If jobseekers approach their job search correctly and invest the time to sell the skills and qualifications they do have, they should have no reason to stretch the truth on their CV.


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DONAUSCHWABEN-VILLAGES-L ArchivesArchiver > DONAUSCHWABEN-VILLAGES > 2003-11 > 1069088578-02
From: Robert Zink <>
Subject: Re: Silkworms (Re: [DVHH-Villages-L] Halbfrucht)
Date: Mon, 17 Nov 2003 13:02:58 -0400
In-Reply-To: <00e801c3abbb$cf846420$5a839144@Knees1950>
on 11/15/2003 5:02 PM, ajleeb shared the following:
> The government enforced some stipulations regarding what to do, etc...
> To raise silkworms, I don't believe was one of them.
> Raising silkworms was one of the easiest income there was in the early days.
> As long as there were Mulberry trees in the villages anybody could have
> silkworms.
Thanks, Alex. That makes more sense to me. I was having trouble
understanding how such a "requirement" would be imposed.
The translation as originally put was, "At the time of settlement, the
settlers had been required to raise silkworms." I question "required."
Perhaps it was intended to illustrate how it was economically imperative to
operate a cottage industry to remain financially secure. In that case it
should have read, "At the time of settlement, the settlers found it
necessary to raise silkworms."
Just my guess!
This thread:
|Re: Silkworms (Re: [DVHH-Villages-L] Halbfrucht) by Robert Zink <>


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These authors contributed equally to this work.
This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Exercise training is a neuroprotective strategy in cerebral ischemic injury, but the underlying mechanisms are not yet clear. In the present study, we investigated the effects of treadmill exercise pretreatment on the expression of mitochondrial dynamic proteins. We examined the expression of
Stroke, ischemic or hemorrhagic, is considered to be a major cause of death and acquired adult disability. Ischemic brain injury can induce reactive oxygen species generation (ROS), intracellular calcium overload, signaling pathway activation, inflammation and excitotoxicity.
The prophylactic and protective effect of exercise on stroke has been addressed in clinic guidelines [
Mitochondria as a major center for cellular signaling are somehow involved in the above physiologic and pathologic conditions [
In many cell types, including neurons, mitochondria are highly dynamic; they move, divide, and fuse with the separation or mixing of mitochondrial proteins, lipids, and DNA/RNA. Maintaining a balance between mitochondrial fission and fusion requires several dynamin-related GTPases and proteins: mitofusin1/2 (
Mitochondrial dynamics are critical for physiological energy homeostasis, calcium homeostasis, oxidative phosphorylation, reactive oxygen species management and cell death in neurodegenerative diseases [
We measured the edema in ischemic brains on T2-weighted MRI images after MCAO. As shown in
To determine the effect of exercise on mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics, we investigated mitochondrial COX II/III/IV and GTPase OPA1 (
OPA1 induced by exercise might improve mitochondrial function in the ischemic brain by improving mitochondrial fusion. Moreover, we wondered whether other mitochondrial dynamic proteins for mitochondria fusion and fission had the relevant patterns as well. The levels of DLP1, MFF, Mfn1 and Mfn2 were determined by western blotting separately (
Increasing evidence supported that exercise pretreatment could be a neuroprotective strategy against ischemic stroke in either rodent or clinic studies. As our MRI data showed, exercise pretreatment alleviates brain edema at 24 h after cerebral ischemia, which is consistent with our previous study [
Mitochondrion, a particularly important organelle for ATP energy generation, calcium ion regulation and membrane potential maintenance, is extremely sensitive to oxidative stress during ischemia and reperfusion injury. Our present study on mitochondrial responses to ischemic injury showed that exercise pretreatment increased the levels of mitochondrial complex II/III/IV that is closely connected with cellular energy production. Simultaneously, exercise pretreatment may promote mitochondrial fusion via up-regulation of OPA1 especially after cerebral ischemia. However, in our study, the levels of other mitochondrial dynamic proteins including DLP1, MFF, Mfn1 and Mfn2 did not change in both pre-exercised and ischemic injury groups.
Mitochondrial dynamic proteins regulate mitochondrial fusion and fission through their dynamin-like GTPase activity. Promoting mitochondrial fusion and preventing mithcondrial fission in neuronal cells might protect against cell necrosis, apoptosis and neuro-degeneration after cerebral injury. A previous study revealed that the regulation of OPA1 and DLP1 in between the ischemic penumbra and the core suggested continuous mitochondrial dynamics after stroke [
Exercise pretreatment, or other recognized neuroprotective strategies, may have their roles in the regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis and dynamics. Our previous studies showed that post-stroke exercise treatment improved mitochondrial biogenesis [
The rates of mitochondrial fission and fusion respond to the level of metabolism, and the pathological conditions. For example, mitochondrial fragmentation, as observed using electron microscopy, is often found in biopsies from neurodegenerative patients. More energy consumption during exercise pretreatment compared to sedentary conditions may help promote mitochondrial fusion by the regulation of mitochondrial dynamic proteins, and may maximize the capacity of stress-induced mitochondrial hyperfusion. The adaptive stress-response may induce the tolerance of a sudden energy supply shortage such as in hypoxia or cerebral vascular accidents.
The electron transport in the mitochondrial respiratory chain is the major process of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. On the other hand, an abundance of literature indirectly supported that oxidative stress occurred during exercise in several tissues [
Adult male Sprague Dawley rats, weighing 250–300 g, were purchased from the Shanghai Laboratory Animal Center of Chinese Academy of Sciences. All rats were housed in the same animal facility during a 12-h light/dark cycle with free access to food and water throughout the study. All animal experiments were approved by the Animal Experimental Committee of Fudan University (Shanghai, China) and performed in accordance with the recommendations of the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (Bethesda, MD, USA).
Animals were randomly assigned to four groups: the non-exercise sham group, the exercise sham group, the non-exercise MCAO group, and the exercise MCAO group. After adaptation training, rats in the exercise groups were trained on an electronic treadmill (DSPT-202 Type 5-Lane Treadmill; Litai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou, China) at the speed of 20 m/min, lasting 30 min/day for 2 weeks, as described in our previous study [
All animal surgeries were performed without knowledge of the experimental groups. When the rats were anesthetized with chloral hydrate (360 mg/kg, i.pm), cerebral focal ischemia was induced by reversible intraluminal occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) for 90 min as previously described [
All magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) experiments were conducted on a 3T clinical MRI scanner with a maximum gradient of 45 mT/m (Siemens Trio Tim, München, Germany). Fixed in the prone position with heads in the center of a four-channel phased array rat head coil, animals were anesthetized with chloral hydrate (350 mg/kg, i.pm) during the MRI scanning. To determine the degree of brain edema after cerebral ischemia, T2-weighted MR images were acquired with the TR = 3330 ms and TE = 68 ms. For Turbo Spin Echo (TSE) acquisition, a field of view of 50 mm with an image matrix = 256 × 256, was used.
Ipsilateral cortical tissue was harvested 3 days after MCAO. Protein extraction and Western blotting were performed as previously described [
Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The quantitative data were expressed as the mean ± SEM. Parametric analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the data. Unpaired
In conclusion, exercise pretreatment may promote mitochondrial fusion via the up-regulation of OPA1, and this may provide the basis of neuroprotective function for against cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury.
The present study was supported by the Chinese National Nature Science Foundation (81171855; 81171856; 81272169; 81201502).
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Design the study: Li Zhang, Zhijie He, Jie Jia; Perform the experiments: Li Zhang, Zhijie He, Qi Zhang, Xiaojiao Yang, Wenxiu Niu; Analysis the data: Li Zhang, Zhijie He, Yi Wu, Jie Jia; Write the manuscript: Li Zhang, Zhijie He, Yongshan Hu, Jie Jia.
T2-weight magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. (
Western blot analysis of optic dominant atrophy 1 (OPA1)/C oxidase (COX)II/III/IV in the ischemic cortex. (
Western blot analysis of mitochondrialdynamic proteins in the ischemic cortex. (


text:
Habitat Ecology ...a unifying theme
I am fascinated by all aspects of wildlife Habitat Ecology--from the theoretical to the practical. Habitat ecology is the study of how animals interact with their habitats, which my lab investigates by identifying animals' critical resources and the factors that constrain their use. Such studies advance our ecological understanding and refine our conservation and management efforts. Though much of my work focuses on on songbirds, I purposefully work with a variety of taxa to better understand emergent relationships between animals and their habitats. Therefore, students in my lab work on a diversity of study systems, yet share a unified focus on habitat.
Habitat Models
Habitat models are mathematical or cartographic constructions that wildlife ecologists use to predict & understand animals' distribution in space and time, usually in reference to types of vegetation. They are especially useful for land managers because they can help assess the impact of proposed land use changes. Many habitat models incorporate Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. I am interested in both the construction of new wildlife habitat models and evaluation of existing models.
See my current students' projects »
Jamaica Research
For many years my students and I studied the ecology of birds in Jamaica, where my dissertation research was focused. I was first fascinated by how migratory and non-migratory (resident) birds are distributed among natural and agricultural habitats, and how their populations are influenced by food supply. This research led my students and I to work in coffee farms, where we discovered that birds can help control insect pests, an example of an ecosystem service (see below). Our work led to many publications, and has been occasionally featured in popular articles, such as in National Geographic and Audubon magazines. I am no longer actively pursuing research projects in Jamaica. Instead, my students and I have turned our attention to other coffee growing regions, including in Kenya (see Graduate Students).
Learn more about this research »
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem services are processes provided by nature that help sustain and fulfill human life. Some ecosystem services are provided mainly by plants - such as the regulating services of air purification and of carbon sequestration. Other services are provided by entire ecosystems - such as erosion control, moderation of weather and climate. Cultural values such as the provisioning of aesthetic beauty and spiritual stimulation can also be considered "services" provided by nature. In addition, some animal species provide important ecosystem services - such as pollination, pest control, seed dispersal, and waste removal. These animal-delivered ecosystem services can be extremely important both ecological and economically, and they offer a powerful incentive for wildlife conservation. My students and I examine ecosystem services provided by wildlife, and I am especially interested in examining how mobile organisms provision ecosystem services across a landscape.
Interdisciplinary studies related to wildlife
I believe there is general consensus that higher education's most fundamental purpose is, in David Orr's words, to build a citizenry prepared to work toward achieving healthy, resilient, just, and prosperous human communities that are living within their means economically and ecologically. Many different skills and disciplines must be brought to bear: economics, politics, and the natural, environmental, and social sciences. The classic humanities are critically necessary as well, to provide the context, for example, of how history, philosophy, and the arts both reflect humanity's past and shape its future relations with the natural world upon which our fate now so clearly depends.
I am interested in examining interdisciplinary questions relating to sustainability and wildlife. As such, I am a member of the Environment and Community (E&C) program here on campus, which is an interdisciplinary Master's of Arts program. Students interested in examining social science research questions related to wildlife conservation or pursuing projects that lie at the intersection of social movements and conservation work should contact me about this program.


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Many big businesses will benefit from a small increase in company tax under a Coalition government because they will be able to abandon their own in-house paid parental leave schemes, federal Opposition Leader
All but confirming the Coalition would impose a tax increase on the nation's 3200 largest companies to fund his scheme, Mr Abbott also urged business to consider the broader economic argument.
"This is not just a family policy, this is an economic policy, this is a productivity policy, this is a participation policy,'' he said.
As revealed last week by The Australian Financial Review, Mr Abbott intends to go ahead with a promised 1.5 percentage point increase to company tax for the largest 3200 companies, as judged by their taxable income, to fund his scheme, estimated to cost $3.3 billion a year. But, simultaneously, the Coalition has shelved a pledge made at the last election to cut company tax by 1.5 points for all companies.
Originally, the net effect of both measures would have meant that larger companies would pay no increase on the 30 per cent rate, while smaller ones would have paid a reduced rate of 28.5 per cent.
Due to the deteriorating budget position, however, the Coalition can no longer afford to promise the full 1.5 point cut, meaning the net effect now is that bigger businesses face an overall increase, the size of which is yet to be finalised.
"We are committed to a modest reduction in company tax. The precise quantum and the precise timing will be revealed close to the election,'' Mr Abbott said on Monday.
Not all worse off
He described the increase in company tax to fund the scheme as "a modest levy on larger business'' and said not all would be worse off.
"Many of those larger businesses will actually save some money as well because many of them already have a form of paid parental leave,'' he said.
Labor introduced Australia's first national paid parental leave scheme in 2010. It pays all stay-at-home carers the minimum wage for 18 weeks.
Mr Abbott argues that out of almost 40 government-funded schemes in the world, only Australia's did not offer full wage replacement. His scheme will pay people their full salary for six months, capped at $150,000. This means a person can receive a maximum of $75,000 in six months.
The largest companies, such as banks, have generous schemes.
Several corporate spokespeople, none of whom wanted to be identified, were wary of Mr Abbott's claims about them being better off.
They felt individual schemes gave their respective companies a competitive advantage over rivals.
One executive with experience in both retail and finance said it was irrelevant whether a company had a better or worse scheme than what the Coalition was offering.
Some companies may have to pay twice
He said all companies would dump their own schemes because otherwise, they would be paying twice – through increased tax and by funding their own scheme.
However, in some cases this would be difficult because paid parental leave schemes were negotiated as part of enterprise bargaining agreements and these agreements, which usually ran for three years, had to be honoured. This meant some companies would have to pay twice for at least two or three years.
All said it was impossible to evaluate Mr Abbott's claim without knowing how big the net company tax increase would be. "Until he tells us what the exact rate is going to be, we won't know,'' one said.
There has been a lot of internal resistance to the policy over recent years on the grounds of funding and its generosity. Shadow treasurer
"All of a sudden they'll be competing on a level playing field with the Coles and the Woolies and the BHPs.''
The Australian Financial Review