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This is the standing of Socrates in our community - the further right, the more of a Wikinut they are!
Recent pages by Socrates
Equations of a Being: A being who gathered Moss is a collection of thought pieces pertaining to existential spectrum.
An attempt to reflect the nuances of a thinker, and how he reach to a Virtue.
A collection of my perceptions exhibiting my romantic and spiritual inclinations
My personal views on purpose of freedom, art, and true service of god.
An answer to a very pertinent question, a question that must twist every heart.
Growing disparities in education is making women loose their essence and accept a superficial existence.
Sharing few of my ideas on issues bothering my conscience
My personal views on family and the world, God, organ donation and poetry.
Disturbed by the recent upsurge in the cases of molestation of Women, I am putting forward a thought for all of us to think over.
Sharing a conflict of mine to which few people might relate to.
Sharing few of my ideologies on issues bothering my conscience.
A fiction, just to evoke a bit of Nationalism in a way that I perceive it.
It's all about venting out your Train of thoughts. It's a necessity of today.
A question is raised whether a certain element of captivity is necessity or one one should be a patron of freedom all his Life?
Taking Inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi I have tried to go more close to my Truth and I hope you will too.
A Heart to Heart talk about knowing my Country and getting a bit close to it with a slightly different backdrop.
The Reservation Quotas have become the talk of the town. They have undergone a metamorphism. They are Cookies everyone wants to dine on.
All about the Blues and stress in Life that creeps between loved ones which suffocates the Love to death.
Inspired by a television show 'Satyamev Jayate' I was inclined to express my grief on this menace of Female infanticide.
A helping hand from my side for all the reclusive people out there who find it difficult to express and react to a situation.
Written with an intention to inspire all those who are fighting with Identity crisis.
All about the Life of a Performer who have to love his own Genius more than anything else to sustain on the Stage of Entertainment.
All about the RTI (Right to Information) Act.A power given to citizen of India to question the governance of an organisation.Its significance and awareness needs to spread at every level of our society.
Just sharing my long brewing belief about Religion.Do we really need it or it's just a historical phenomenon?
Catharsis is the discharge of affects connected to traumatic events that had previously been repressed by bringing these events back into consciousness and reexperiencing them.

subset: commoncrawl


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We noticed a small wooden house next to the North Bridge parking lot when we pulled in. "What's that?" I asked Kathie, an intimate of every pre-1900 house in New England.
"No idea," was her surprising response. "I've never noticed it before."
It did look new. It also looked tightly closed and unoccupied – not a house for touring. So we gave it a miss and moved on to the North Bridge. But on our way back to the car, we saw that the front door had been opened and there were people — not we-live-here people but museum-people people — mulling about. We made a beeline for it.
We were about to turn onto the walkway that lead to the front door when a woman called out to us. "Do you think this sign will be good here?"
She was with a man, and they were a few feet farther down a path away from that walkway. He was planting a sign.
We joined them and took a look at the sign, which said that the public entrance to the house was through the back. "I think you need to move it over there," I said, pointing back to where the front door path veered off from the path where we stood. "Otherwise, visitors won't see the sign before they turn down that path to the front door."
The woman pursed her lips and tilted her head, as if considering my suggestion. But she wasn't committing to anything just then. Instead, she told us that they'd just finished the renovation on the house. It wasn't opening until the next day but, she offered, we could go in for a sneak peak if we wanted.
If we wanted?!
The Robbins House was built in the early 19th century and originally located a bit to the east. In 1823, the just-built house and 13 acres were sold to an African-American farmer named Peter Robbins. Robbins was the son of Caesar Robbins, a former slave who had served in both the Revolutionary and Spanish-American Wars. Peter and his wife lived in half the house, while Peter's sister, Susan, lived with her husband, Jack Garrison, in the other half. After the Robbins/Garrisons left, other African-American families lived in it until the late 19th century, when it was sold and moved closer into town.
The reason Kathie didn't remember it from previous visits is that it had been moved to the Minute Man property just last year. While on NPS property, it's run by an independent nonprofit and will house a museum that focuses on Concord's African-American history.
My recommendation to move the directional sign closer to the path to the front door didn't fly. The sign man — who turned out to be the architect responsible for the renovation of the house — continued to pound the sign into the ground.
So if you end up going to the wrong door, don't blame us. We tried.


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5 ways to make friends and build connections on campus
Posted on September 7, 2016 by By YaaSeen Shands '20.
Being in a new environment can be a scary and awkward experience, especially with all of the other responsibilities you now have as an incoming freshman or a transfer student. At times it can feel as if you have too much on your plate. Building relationships on campus with others, including your professors and fellow students, can help break the ice and make college life a lot easier. The connections you make will help you feel more comfortable and keep you in touch with events and news around campus. Here are the five best ways to make friends and build connections on campus:
1. Introduce yourself to everyone you're next to. Tell people about yourself and also, ask general questions. Find out what your classmates' names and hobbies are.
2. Create or join a study group. Director of Counseling Sharon Donnelly suggests, "It is helpful to link up with clubs and student organizations that share similar interests. This will help put you in situations to see people more regularly, build connections, and increase your chances of building acquaintances into friendships."
Gather a group of individuals in your class and connect with each other. You can talk about future assignments, questions about homework and even help each other prepare for tests and quizzes.
3. Get out of your room. Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Involvement Andrew Moyer says, "Students should attend events, programs, activities and trips. These events are open and free to students and are great ways to connect with new folks at DelVal."
Get outside and take walks around campus or even enjoy the public areas where people frequently hang out such as the quad or dining hall.
4. Use social media. Today, one of the best ways to connect with people in your general area is social media. Start a conversation and ask people to add you on social media platforms such as Instagram and Twitter. Social media is a good way to keep a connection with them. People frequently share personal experiences and thoughts on social sites. It helps if you to leave a comment or, even chat with that person just to get to know them.
5. Market yourself by displaying your talents or hobbies. Often, students need or want things that aren't obtainable to them at the moment such as haircuts or personally made clothing. If you can make those things or can provide them, an easy way to make connections is by selling them. This is a fun and easy way to interact and meet with new people.


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Here's the latest article from the Cars site at BellaOnline.com.
What do I do if my Car is Recalled?
Have you received a recall notice and don't know what to do? Read on...
Please visit cars.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Cars.
To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Cars located here -
I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!
Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!
Stephen M. Hague, Cars Editor
One of hundreds of sites at BellaOnline.com


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EA has posted four new The Sims 3 Town Life Stuff screenshots on the The Sims 3 Facebook page:
View them full size on Facebook:
> "The Sims 3 Town Life Stuff" at The Sims 3 on Facebook
Comments (0)
EA has released the launch trailer for The Sims 3 Town Life Stuff, and you can watch it here:
A new The Sims 3 game update has been released, which fixes loads and loads of issues with Generations, as well as some issues with Late Night, World Adventures, Ambitions and the base game. There's too many to list here, so click below to go to the page for it — don't forget to run through the all-important checklist at the bottom before updating!
> "Game Update for 1.24" at TheSims3.com (UK)
GamerLive.TV has posted a video interview with The Sims 3 Pets for PC/Mac producer Ryan Vaughan — if just telling Ryan to talk about different things counts as an interview, anyway:
Comments (1)
GotGame has posted a video interview with The Sims 3 Pets (for PC and Mac) producer Ryan Vaughan. Don't be fooled by the presenter only mentioning the 3DS at the beginning — the interview really is only about the PC and Mac expansion pack:
I've just found three The Sims 3 Pets screenshots on the US official website:
Go to the game page to view them full size:
> The Sims 3 Pets screenshots
The latest poll has come to an end, and I have some results for you. It seems the vast majority of you (62%) are happy that the next expansion pack for The Sims 3 will be the pets one. The next highest number of votes (23%) were from those that would have prefered a remake of another The Sims 1 or 2 expansion pack. Click below to view and discuss the full results.
> Poll Results
If you missed the The Sims 3 Town Life Stuff Live Event yesterday, it is now available to watch on-demand. If you have time (it's 47 minutes long) and you're interested in the stuff pack, I highly recommend you watch it — Jennifer Lane shows you all the new items in-game with great enthusiasm.
> "The Sims 3 Town Life Live Event" at EA
Comments (2)
GameSpot has posted a new preview of The Sims 3 Pets, focusing on the Create a Pet — it's quite brief, sufficiently so that you'd probably might as well read it if you're interested in the expansion, just in case there's any new details:
There are markings that you can put on your pet and then move it around the body to give it a unique pattern. Other than giving you a brush and painting your dog, you have the freedom to give your puppy those droopy ears or shave your cat. Like your sims, you can assign three traits to your pets to give them that loveable–or destructible–personality.
> "The Sims 3: Pets Preview – Create a Pet" at GameSpot
It's been about a month since The Sims 3 Generations was released, and reviews seem to have dried up, so I think now is a good time to wrap-up my reviews coverage. In case you've forgotten previous times, this means comparing the pretty-much-final Ranking at GameRankings and Metascore at Metacritic with those attained by previous expansion packs and the base game.
GameRankings first, and the Ranking stands at 76.20% based on 10 reviews. This is slightly higher than Ambitions which got 75.19%, but lower than World Adventures and Late Night, which got 82.74% and 81.50% respectively. As with all the other expansion packs so far, this is lower than the base game which got 86.65%. Comparing to The Sims 2 expansion packs now, and Generations has a higher Ranking than Nightlife, Bon Voyage and FreeTime, but lower Rankings than all the others.
Metacritic now, and the Metascore currently stands at 71 based on 14 reviews. This is a lower 'score than that attained by any previous expansion pack, which range from 74 to 81. Again, no expansion packs have managed to top the base game's 'score, and Generations is no exception. You know I just said than it attained a lower 'score than any previous expansion pack? Well I can actually include The Sims 2 expansion packs in that too, as they range from 74 to 81 (the same as the range for The Sims 3 expansions before Generations, interestingly). So according to Metacritic, this is the worst expansion for a The Sims game since The Sims 2 (i.e. excluding expansion packs for The Sims 1). Oh dear.
For the specific Metascores and Rankings for everything mentioned, click Read more below or scroll down a bit if you're already on the full page.
So that concludes my reviews coverage. I won't post news about any reviews I may find in future, but they will still be added to the game page, with that update of course included on the Updates page. I'm still after you're reviews though! If you have an opinion on Generations, click the link below, login with your Google, Yahoo!, AIM, Twitter, OpenID or NetLog account if you haven't already, then type away.
> The Sims 3 Generations Visitor Reviews
Read more…
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Four Essential Ingredients for Great Macro Photographs
Creative macro photography opens our eyes to the unseen. The smallest scale is outside the reach of everyday experience; it appears new and intriguing.
One thing you can be sure of when you see a beautiful macro image is that it's no accident. It's sure to be the result of a photographer capturing the same subject over and over again. Experimenting with light, refining their viewpoint and composition, until the perfect moment, when all it comes together.
Below is a list of four elements you need to pay attention to in order to make great images every time when on the photo shoot. With a bit of practice and persistence your images will improve dramatically in no time.
Light is by far the most important element of a macro photograph. Essentially, there is no right or wrong light, only light that does its job – helping you to tell your story. You can spend a lifetime discovering all the possibilities offered by one subject lit by one light source – the sun. Experiment with different light direction, its intensity, contrast and colour.
After you learn the four characteristic of light, begin to decode the light that you see around you, and study other photographers' images. Ask yourself, "Why is the shadow line soft?" What could have created these bokeh circles?" There are lighting lessons everywhere, just waiting for you to learn from them. Allow yourself to be obsessed with light.
Your Subject
Before you make an image ask yourself, "What is the most important thing in the scene?" While we're thinking about the main subject, what is it about that subject that you like? Having descriptive words in your head when you are making an image will help you focus and bring that description into the image. What is it about this particular flower that you like? Is it the shape, the colour, or the intricate lines? Not only will this help you convey meaning in your image, but it will help you make all the technical decisions as well.
Clean Background
Just as important as the main subject is what is behind it. Think of the supporting actors in a movie. They need to be lively but not too prominent, or they will take attention away from the star. The background in macro photography needs to work the same way, adding to, not detracting from the subject.
Use perspective, point of view and depth of field to make your main subject shine. Try to isolate your subject and simplify the image as much as possible.
Strong Composition
Whenever you are creating images you are presented with a scene full of details, and you need to start eliminating them until your image contains only the most important elements of the scene. Then, you need to arrange those elements to create an interesting graphic design. To do it well, you need to understand the contribution of different elements in a picture. Use the building blocks of composition – lines, textures, patterns, shapes and colours – intentionally. Make sure all these elements support the main story of your image.
The best moments in creative macro photography occur when combinations of these four ingredients create a visual beauty, one that may be unexpected; yet the image will simply appear in the camera. All you have to do is to be there and be ready.
Great artistry is shown by creating images in which all of the elements melt together and do not call attention to themselves. If you feel a need for some extra help, join my online course, The Secret Language of Macro Photography.


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I'd imagine we have a few states that could use this kind of analysis. Anyway, Holy Baby Jesus Christ Fuck Almighty Mother Of God, do I hate North Carolina.
I know a ton of people there - I grew up in SC and a lot of people I know, my brother included, moved to NC because outside of Charleston (and even in it), SC is not much fun for a young cool person, particularly one of color. North Carolina used to be kind of a flawed haven - where you could keep much of your culture but be around some more enlightened people. Comparatively to SC, that is.
I want to pull all their hair and be like YOU HAVE BEEN DISENFRANCHISED, ARE YOU ANGRY? LET'S FUCK SOME SHIT UP!
God, we're all so tired though, huh? A snippet:
In the just released [Election Integrity Project] report, North Carolina's overall electoral integrity score of 58/100 for the 2016 election places us alongside authoritarian states and pseudo-democracies like Cuba, Indonesia and Sierra Leone. If it were a nation state, North Carolina would rank right in the middle of the global league table – a deeply flawed, partly free democracy that is only slightly ahead of the failed democracies that constitute much of the developing world.
When it comes to the integrity of the voting district boundaries no country has ever received as low a score as the 7/100 North Carolina received. North Carolina is not only the worst state in the USA for unfair districting but the worst entity in the world ever analyzed by the Electoral Integrity Project.
Read more here:


text: RDA and Linked Data Steve Henry University of Maryland March 2, 2013 Encoding RDA Data • One more time: RDA is a content standard not a display standard ▫ It is also not an encoding standard • Examples so far have shown RDA in a MARC environment • But RDA is also designed to be flexible. ▫ Can be encoded in MODS, Dublin Core, etc…. ▫ …and in RDF RDF -Resource Description Framework • RDF is a Web standard for describing any thing, concept, or relationship • Each thing, concept, and relationship is represented by a globally unique URI • Relationships between these entities are represented by RDA triples in the form: subject, predicate, object • For example… Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827. Symphonies, no. 1, op. 21, C major has composer Beethoven, Ludwig van, 1770-1827 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97075604 http://rdvocab.info/roles/ composer http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79107741 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no97075604 http://rdvocab.info/roles/ composer http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n79107741 Linked Data • A set of best practices for ▫ Sharing data ▫ On the Web ▫ In machine-readable form • Four rules ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫ Provide a URI Make the URI an HTTP URL Provide interesting information Link to other URIs so more things can be discovered http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n80050147 http://umaryland.worldcat.org/oclc/10262450 http://www.geonames.org/maps/google_40.714_74.006.html BIBFRAME • Full name: Bibliographic Framework Transition Initiative • Initiative of the Library of Congress • Essentially a linked data model for library bibliographic data • Potential replacement/supplement for MARC Source: http://bibframe.org/vocab/ BIBFRAME • Each instance gets a URI • Relationships between works, instances, authorities, places, recorded • Needs to be harmonized with FRBR— Expressions? ▫ FRBR seen as an abstract model ▫ BIBFRAME is a Web implementation BIBFRAME Timeline • • • • May 2011: Initiative announced May 2012. Zepheira contracted Fall 2012. Use cases tested November 2012. Bibliographic Framework as a Web of Data (high-level model) • October and December 2012. Face-to-face meetings with early experimenters Early Experimenters • • • • • British Library Deutsche National Bibliotek DNB George Washington University Library National Library of Medicine Princeton Library Bibliography • https://delicious.com/spurioso/tag_bundle/Lin kedData • Great introductory video! ▫ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4x_xzT5eF5Q • • • • http://linkeddata.org/ http://bibframe.org/ http://listserv.loc.gov/listarch/bibframe.html http://rdvocab.info/ Linked Data RDA MDR BIBFRAME Discovery Rule of Three Attributes for Persons Medium of Performance • Talk to vendors ▫ Show them MDR ▫ Ask them what their plans are for L.D. • Follow BIBFRAME development ▫ Bibframe.org ▫ [email protected] • Look for RDA records in your discovery tools ▫ Think about search strategies ▫ Ask a cataloger for help! • Link your data ▫ Discographies, bibliographies, thematic catalogs ▫ Digital Humanities projects


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Acta Limnologica Brasiliensia
On-line version ISSN 2179-975X
Acta Limnol. Bras. vol.23 no.4 Rio Claro Oct./Dec. 2011 Epub May 10, 2012
Temporal variation in the biomass and nutrient status of Azolla filiculoides Lam. (Salviniaceae) in a small shallow dystrophic lake
Variação temporal de biomassa e estado nutricional de Azolla filiculoides Lam (Salviniaceae) em um pequeno lago raso distrófico
Claudio Rossano Trindade Trindade; Edélti Faria Albertoni; Cleber Palma-Silva
Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia de Ambientes Aquáticos Continentais PPG-BAC, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande FURG, Av. Itália, Km 08, s/n, campus Carreiros, CEP 96201-900, Rio Grande, RS, Brazil e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com; email@example.com; email@example.com
AIM: This study determined the temporal variation of the biomass and the concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in Azolla filiculoides Lam. in a small (0.5 ha) shallow dystrophic lake located in the city of Rio Grande (Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil).
METHOD: Sampling was conducted monthly between November 2000 and October 2001. The macrophytes were collected randomly in three replicates with a circular collector 0.3 m in diameter and subsequently washed with tap water and oven-dried at 60 ºC for determination of the dry weight and the nutrient status (i.e., carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus). Primary productivity was estimated by the variation in biomass among successive samples.
RESULTS: A. filiculoides was present in the lake throughout the year and occupied between 50 and 80% of the surface area. The biomass values ranged from 34.2 g DW.m2, recorded in May (autumn), to 170.9 g DW.m2 in January (summer). The highest rate of primary productivity was 3.3 g DW.m2.d1, observed in June. The concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in the plant ranged between 403 and 551 g.kg1, 13.4 and 25.7 g.kg1 and 0.5 and 1.9 g.kg1, respectively. The water N:P ratio ranged between 19:1 and 368:1.
CONCLUSION: The coverage of the surface of the lake by A. filiculoides throughout the study period and the nutritional status of the plant demonstrate the importance of the cycling of nutrients by macrophytes in this aquatic environment. The higher N:P ratio in the water column, compared with other neighboring environments without macrophytes, shows that the enrichment of the lake may result from the biological N-fixation activity produced by A. filiculoides.
Keywords: primary production, floating macrophytes, carbon, phosphorus, nitrogen.
OBJETIVO: Este estudo determinou a variação temporal da biomassa e as concentrações de carbono, nitrogênio e fósforo de Azolla filiculoides Lam., em um pequeno lago raso distrófico situado no município do Rio Grande (Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil).
MÉTODO: As amostragens foram realizadas mensalmente no período entre novembro de 2000 e outubro de 2001. As macrófitas foram coletadas aleatoriamente em três repetições, utilizando-se coletor circular de 0,3 m de diâmetro e posteriormente lavadas com água corrente e secas em estufa 60 ºC para determinação do peso seco e dos nutrientes: carbono, nitrogênio e fósforo. A produção primária foi estimada pela variação de biomassa entre coletas sucessivas.
RESULTADOS: A. filiculoides esteve presente no lago durante todo o ano, ocupando sempre entre 50 e 80% da superfície do lago. Os valores de biomassa variaram entre 34,2 g PS.m2, registrado em maio (outono) e 170,9 g PS.m2 em janeiro (verão). A maior taxa de produtividade primária foi 3,3 g PS.m2.d1 foi registrada em Junho. As concentrações de carbono, nitrogênio e fósforo na planta variaram entre: 403 e 551 g. kg1, 13,4 e 25,7 g.kg1 e 0,5 e 1,9 g.kg1, respectivamente. Os valores da relação N:P na coluna de água variou entre 19:1 e 368:1.
CONCLUSÃO: A cobertura da superfície do lago por A. filiculoides durante todo o período do estudo e o seu estado nutricional demonstram sua importância na ciclagem dos nutrientes neste ambiente aquático. A maior relação N:P na coluna de água quando comparada a outro ambiente próximo sem a presença desta macrófita, apoia a ideia de que A. filiculoides pode ser a responsável pelo enriquecimento do lago por meio da atividade de fixação biológica de nitrogênio.
Palavras-chave: produção primária, carbono, fósforo, macrófitas flutuantes, nitrogênio.
1. Introduction
The role of aquatic macrophytes in providing food and shelter to fish and invertebrates, cycling nutrients and other elements, stabilizing flow conditions and driving primary production in lakes, rivers and coastal ecosystems worldwide has been recognized (Carr et al. 1997; Trindade et al., 2010; Kerr et al., 2011). In shallow lakes, the vegetation furnishes a refuge from predation for small animals, prevents the resuspension of the sediment and changes the nutrient dynamics of the system (Scheffer, 1998).
Azolla filiculoides Lam. is a free-floating aquatic macrophyte with a broad geographical distribution. It is found in aquatic ecosystems in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions (Sculthorpe, 1985), inhabiting still waters with little flow and clay sandy or fertile soils (Pott and Pott, 2000). Azolla species fix atmospheric nitrogen in association with the cyanobacterium Anabaena azollae (Kannaiyan and Venkataramanan, 1985; Carrapiço, 2006; Pereira et al., 2006) and are highly productive (Arora and Singh, 2003).
Because the macrophyte's requirement for nitrogen is satisfied by the symbionts, phosphorus becomes the most important nutrient (i.e., is limiting) for Azolla (Biswas et al., 2005). A phosphorus deficiency results in a general failure of metabolism in plants and the ensuing production of pigments (Adalberto et al., 2004). In contrast, a high concentration of P increases C and N accumulation by the plant and stimulates the plant's growth, favoring the development of blooms (Carrapiço et al., 2006; Cheng et al., 2010). The vigorous vegetative propagation of this species allows it to double every 3-6 days, and the species can quickly cover the surface of aquatic systems (Pott and Pott, 2000).
Due to efficient, rapid growth with high rates of nitrogen fixation, species of Azolla have been used extensively and effectively instead of mineral fertilizers in rice fields in Asia for centuries (Biswas et al., 2005). The contribution of Azolla as biofertilizer has been the focus of many studies (Lumpkin and Plucknett, 1980; Wagner, 1997; Macale et al., 2002; Singh et al., 2010). The plant has also been studied as a habitat for invertebrates (Albertoni et al., 2005) and as a biological filter for purifying water (Toledo and Penha, 2011).
The coastal plain of Rio Grande do Sul State contains a variety of continental aquatic ecosystems, including streams, coastal and inland lakes and large expanses of wetlands (Prellvitz and Albertoni, 2004; Albertoni et al., 2005; Trindade et al., 2009). These environments are characterized by shallow waters that favor the development of extensive and diverse stands of aquatic macrophytes, especially in the coastal zone (Trindade et al., 2010). Approximately 400-500 species of macrophytes are recognized in Rio Grande do Sul State, and 37.5% are unique to the coastal plain region (Irgang and Gastal Junior, 1996).
Azolla filiculoides is commonly found in different environments in southern Brazil, occurring in areas of rice cultivation, wetlands, ponds and small water bodies (Pedralli et al., 1985; Irgang and Gastal Junior, 1996; Rolon and Maltchick, 2004; Trindade et al., 2010). Knowledge of biological and ecological aspects of this species could facilitate use of the plant as a natural fertilizer in the region. The objective of this study was to describe the temporal variation in biomass and in the nutritional status of A. filiculoides in a small dystrophic shallow lake.
2. Material and Methods
2.1. Study area
Negro Lake is located on the campus of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande (FURG) (32º 04' 43" S and 52º 10' 03" W) in the city of Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil (Figure 1). Negro Lake is small and round, has a surface area of approximately 0.5 ha and is shallower than 3 m. The lake is surrounded by Eucalyptus sp. This vegetation produces a constant input of leaves, and it shades the lake. During this study, Azolla was the most abundant macrophyte, covering more than 50% of the surface area of the lake. The peaks of macrophyte biomass occurred during January and June, when Azolla covered approximately 80% of the surface of the lake. The regional climate is humid subtropical (Cfa according to the Köppen classification) and is characterized by intense humidity during the winter and spring and by dry weather during the summer.
2.2. Methodology
Field sampling was performed monthly from November 2000 through October 2001. Biomass determination was performed according to Westlake (1963, 1969). All samples were restricted to an area of approximately 20 m2 in the lake littoral zone. In this area, the stand was always visually monospecific and homogeneous in cover and density. Estimates of mean biomass were calculated based on 3 plots. The plots were 0.3 m in diameter and were sampled randomly. The coverage of A. filiculoides was visually determined.
The samples of A. filiculoides were washed with tap water and oven-dried at 60 ºC for approximately 72 hours to reach a constant weight (allowing the material to become brittle to the touch) for the assessment of dry weight (DW). The DW values are expressed in grams per square meter (g DW.m2). Net primary production (NPP) was determined according to Tieszen (1989) and Pozer and Nogueira (2004). According to this method, macrophyte productivity is calculated by determining the biomass difference between two consecutive samples and dividing this difference by the time in days between the two samples. The results are expressed in g DW.m2.d1.
Carbon was determined using the dichromate oxidation method, nitrogen was determined with the micro-Kjeldahl method (Allen et al., 1974), and phosphorus was determined with the spectrophotometric method (Tedesco et al., 1995). The biomass results for all nutrients are expressed in g.kg1 of dry weight. The chemical analysis of the plant biomass was performed by the soil laboratory of the Federal University of Pelotas.
The limnological variables, including dissolved oxygen (DO), temperature (T), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total carbon (TC) total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP), were summarized from the results in Albertoni et al. (2005), obtained at the same locality and during the same period. The air temperature and hours of solar radiation were obtained from the Meteorological Station FURG.
Statistical analysis was performed with InStat 3.0 software GraphPadTM. A linear correlation was used to analyze the relationships between the limnological and climate variables and the biomass and nutrient values for the macrophyte.
3. Results
The values of the environmental variables, water nutrient content and N:P ratio are presented in Table 1. The lowest solar radiation was recorded in June (97.4 hours) and the highest in December (253.2 hours). The seasonal air temperature values were 20.7 ºC (spring), 24.7 ºC (summer), 17.6 ºC (autumn) and 16.1 ºC (winter). The seasonal water temperature values were 18.5 ºC (spring), 24.3 ºC (summer), 18.8 ºC (autumn) and 11.8 ºC (winter). The dissolved oxygen concentrations remained between 2.4 mg.L1 (in January) and 5.8 mg.L1. The pH values ranged from 5.5 (May) to 6.5 (January) and were slightly acid throughout the study. The electrical conductivity reached its minimum value in September (98.9 µS.cm1) and its maximum in December (131.9 µS.cm1) (Table 1). The water TN was very high, with values between 770 and 4100 µg.L1. The water TP ranged from 10 to 70 µg.L1. The N:P ratio of the water ranged from 19:1 (October) to 368:1 (June).
The total biomass values, net primary production, and nutrient status are shown in Table 2. During the study, A. filiculoides always covered more than 50% of the surface area of the lake. In January and June, when the biomass values were higher, this macrophyte covered approximately 80% of the surface of the lake.
The greatest biomass values were registered during the warmest months (summer), with values ranging from 78.3 g DW.m2 (November) to 170.9 g DW.m2 (January). During this period, a net primary productivity of 3.0 g DW.m2.d1 was recorded in December. In January, the net primary productivity was 1.1 g DW.m2.d1. The smallest biomass value was recorded in May (34.2 g DW.m2). In June, the biomass was 110.7 g DW.m2. A productivity of 3.3 g DW.m2.d1, the greatest value observed during the study, was recorded in June. The biomass values showed a significant positive correlation with air temperature (r2 = 0.34, p = 0.0435) and with the number of hours of solar radiation (r2 = 0.33, p = 0.0501).
The biomass carbon concentration ranged from 403 to 551 g.kg1, and the nitrogen concentration ranged from 13.4 to 25.7 g.kg1. The phosphorus concentration showed marked variation, with a minimum value of 0.5 g.kg1 (February) and a maximum value of 1.9 g.kg1 (June). The biomass N:P ratio ranged from 12:1 (June) to 27:1 (February). The biomass showed a negative correlation with the water TP (r2 = 0.37, p = 0.0357). A negative correlation was also found between the water TP and the biomass TP (r2 = 0.55, p = 0.0093). The values of TN in the water showed no correlations with the biomass or the concentration of TN in the plant tissue.
4. Discussion
The primary productivity of aquatic macrophytes is controlled by several factors, including temperature, photosynthetically active radiation, water level, nutrients and organic carbon availability (Camargo et al., 2003). In temperate regions, macrophytes are influenced primarily by variations in light and temperature. In the tropics, the development of the macrophyte community can be virtually constant, with growth and death of individuals throughout the whole year, or it can exhibit variations that depend on pulses of flooding. For example, large differences in the seasonal dynamics of the primary productivity of macrophytes occur in flood plains in Brazil and other tropical areas (Piedade et al., 1997; Esteves, 1998; Biudes and Camargo, 2008).
The metabolic rate of a plant depends on the temperature and is higher at elevated temperatures. Higher temperatures favor primary productivity by increasing the rates of metabolic chemical reactions. Accordingly, an ideal temperature exists for each species. At its ideal temperature, a species can function most effectively (Carr et al., 1997; Biudes and Camargo, 2008).
The ideal temperature varies among and within species, both seasonally and geographically. The occurrence of such variation underscores the need to study plant growth within a natural setting and over the course of a season (Carr et al., 1997). Previous studies of Azolla showed the importance of temperature for growth and nutrient incorporation (Sah et al., 1989; Cary and Weerts, 1992; Cheng et al., 2010). A study that compared the productivity of different Azolla species found a biomass production of 4.65 g (wet weight) for A. filiculoides over 14 days at a temperature of 30±2 ºC (Arora and Singh, 2003). In our study, A. filiculoides occurred in the lake throughout the year. Positive correlations occurred between biomass, productivity and air temperature. However, the highest value of productivity for A. filiculoides was 3.3 g DW.m2.d1, during June. The second highest value of productivity, 2.99 g DW.m2.d1, occurred in December. The finding of high productivity in a period other than the summer months could be explained by an atypical winter with moderate air temperatures. It is probable that the growth season of the macrophyte began during this period. Results of studies of primary production in different groups of aquatic macrophytes have demonstrated high levels of interspecific variation. Emergent and floating species generally show higher values of primary production than submersed species and species with floating leaves (Camargo et al., 2003).
Plant growth in fresh water is limited by the availability of essential nutrients, at least during the growing season. The two principal nutrients that determine plant growth are nitrogen and phosphorus (Crawley, 1997; Esteves, 1998). The principal source of nutrients for A. filiculoides is the water column. Most of the nitrogen in the tissues of the plant results from biological fixation performed by cyanobacteria (Arora and Singh, 2003; Cheng et al., 2010). Phosphorus is the principal limiting nutrient (Sah et al., 1989; Biswas et al., 2005). Rapid growth of another species, A. caroliniana, was observed at high concentrations of phosphorus. The metabolism associated with symbiotic nitrogen fixation by A. caroliniana-Anabaena azollae declined due to the stress induced by phosphorus deficiency, and the reduction in the nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria caused lower levels of nitrogen to accumulate in the tissues (Adalberto et al., 2004). The importance of P limitation was also found by a study of the growth of A. filiculoides in different habitats with various phosphorus levels. Substantial variation in productivity occurred, with values between 2.55 and 25.8 g DW.m2.d1 (Costa et al., 1997).
In our study, the highest productivity was 3.3 g DW.m2.d1. We found a significant inverse correlation between phosphorus values in the water column and biomass. This result showed that if the plant increases the amount of this nutrient in the tissues, the availability of the nutrient decreases in the environment. The high coverage of the lake surface by A. filiculoides (more than 50% throughout the year) supports the hypothesis that this macrophyte is important for nutrient regulation in this ecosystem. However, the lack of a correlation between water nitrogen and plant nitrogen suggested that this nutrient is supplied through symbiosis with cyanobacteria. Many studies have demonstrated the capacity of macrophytes to accumulate N and P. These results highlight the importance of the macrophyte compartment for nutrient cycling. In the water column of the floodplain lakes of the Central Amazon, 2.6 times more N and 3.6 times more P occurred in the tissues of macrophytes than in the water (Howard-Williams and Junk, 1977). In the Lobo reservoir in the State of São Paulo, Brazil, 3-6 times more N and 10-13 times more P occurred in the tissues of several macrophytes than in the water (Barbieri and Esteves, 1991). Higher concentrations of N and P (N = 26.5 g.kg1 and P = 8.7 g.kg1) in the biomass were found by Upadhyay et al. (2007) in a study of Azolla pinnata in sewage treatment ponds in India. It was also emphasized that intraspecific variation may be associated with the trophic characteristics of aquatic environments (Da Silva et al. 1994; Henry-Silva and Camargo, 2002).
Variations in the Redfield ratio are commonly used to infer the identity of the limiting nutrient in phytoplankton studies, and this relationship has been expanded for aquatic macrophytes. Freshwater macrophytes in highly fertile environments have an average N:P of 15:1, whereas those macrophytes found in less fertile environments have a ratio of 30:1 (Gerloff and Krombholz, 1966). A N:P ratio greater than 30 indicates a phosphorus deficiency, and a N:P ratio less than 10 indicates a nitrogen deficiency (Atkinson and Smith, 1983). Certain factors could affect this ratio. For example, a constant input of phosphorus from the discharge of sewage frequently produced low N:P ratios (e.g., N:P ratios in Chara spp. Ranging from 19:1 to 47:1) (Palma-Silva et al., 2004). In view of the N:P reference ratios presented in Atkinson and Smith (1983), we suggest that A. filiculoides showed no deficiency of either N or P.
The high N:P ratios found in the water column of Negro Lake are not common in the aquatic environments of the region. N:P ratios differing from these values were detected in Biguás Lake at the time of the study. This lake lacks populations of A. filiculoides and is located approximately 100 m from Negro Lake (Palma-Silva et al., 2008). In Biguás Lake, the N:P ratio varied between 8:1 and 21:1 (Palma-Silva et al., 2008). In contrast, the N:P ratios for Negro Lake range between 19:1 (October) and 368:1 (June).
The variation in the biomass and nutritional status of A. filiculoides demonstrated the role of the plant in nutrient storage. The N:P ratio did not indicate any nutrient deficiency during the study. The amounts of nitrogen in the biomass were similar to those found in studies of another species of Azolla. The substantial development and presence of A. filiculoides throughout the year and the surface coverage of A. filiculoides in the lake support the view that the increased N level in the water column of the lake could be a result of N fixation via symbiotic activity. This perspective highlights the importance of A. filiculoidesin nutrient cycling in shallow aquatic environments.
We would like to thank CAPES for a scholarship for the first author during this research.
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Received: 11 May 2011
Accepted: 02 April 2012


text:
1. Turn Karoo upside down, with the USB slot facing away from you.
2. Use your thumb to apply slight pressure on the bracket foot in the center of the device.
3. Use your index finger to lift the shell from the notch on the upper edge.
4. Align your new shell in the same orientation and apply slight pressure until you hear it lock in to place.
Watch the Video Walkthrough:


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We are there, dude! After much anticipation, the nice people from WineCHATr.com announced the winners for WBC-or-Bust, a three-day excursion from Seattle to Walla Walla, Washington for the 2010 Wine Bloggers' Conference.
The WBC-or-BUST Washington wine industry campaign and contest was created to draw national attention to Washington wine regions and wineries, while building interest and excitement for this year's WBC event in Walla Walla. Bloggers were invited to sign up on WineCHATr.com and blog about the wines, growing regions and wineries of this increasingly popular Pacific Northwest state. Winning posts were nominated from over 100 entries, and selected for the following categories:
– Top 2 Best Washington winery posts
– Top 2 Best Washington wine or tasting note posts
– Best Washington growing region post
– Best Washington vineyard post
We submitted articles covering the various Washington State Wines we tasted from samples sent to us by a number of wineries including these:
* DeLille Cellars in Woodinville
* Gramercy Cellars in Walla Walla
* K Vintners in Walla Walla
* L'Ecole No. 41 in Frenchtown
* Maryhill Winery in Goldendale and
* Tildio Winery in Manson, Washington.*
You can read all about the upcoming Road Trip here. We are honored to be included and congratulate the other winning blogs. We look forward to sharing our pictures and stories from the "WBC-or-Bust" Tour so you too can learn more about Washington State Wines.
The WineWonkette
* If your winery would like for us to sample your wines before the conference, use our contact form or e-mail me for shipping information.


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Amazon has officially owned Whole Foods for less than a day but early channel checks suggest they've already slashed in-store prices by nearly 50% on certain products which is causing some heartburn for grocery bond investors. Of course, if we owned 6-8 year paper in a business competing with a company who has a demonstrated willingness to consistently lose money for as long as it takes to gain market share, we'd be a little worried too.
As we noted earlier this morning, early examples observed at the Whole Foods store on 57th Street in Manhattan indicated price cuts of up to 43%:
- organic fuji apples were marked down to $1.99 a pound from $3.49 a pound;
- organic avocados went to $1.99 each from $2.79;
- organic rotisserie chicken fell to $9.99 each from $13.99;
- banana prices were slashed to 49 cents per pound from 79 cents.
Of course, per Statistica, there are roughly 40,000 grocery stores in the United States of which less than 400 are owned by Whole Foods/Amazon.
So what say you? A little premature to be throwing in the towel or get out while you can?


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MRC/ODaF Data Management Workshop, August 11th 2011, London, UKWednesday, July 6th, 2011
A workshop on health data management, sponsored by the UK Medical Research Council and the Open Data Foundation, will be held at the Institute of Child Health, London, on Thursday August 11th, 2011.
The purpose is to examine the potential benefits of information standards such as the Data Documentation Initiative (DDI) and the Statistical Data and Metadata Exchange Standard (SDMX) to support effective data management and sharing amongst the public health research community and promote greater transparency to the funding agencies and general public.
The event aims to bring together stakeholders from both medical research and social science communities to provide an opportunity for more detailed discussion of the emerging issues associated with research data management and reuse. This workshop is designed to inform, provoke discussion and potentially help to shape MRC corporate support for data management.
Expected participants include:
* MRC/ESRC Strategists
* MRC/ESRC-funded data managers
* Public health research scientists
* Standards development experts
The following areas will be included in the forthcoming agenda:
* The Research Environment (Funders and government agencies)
* Information Standards for data & metadata sharing
* Practical perspectives from healthcare and social science
* Building an MRC data management and health informatics network
For further information or registration, please contact:
Tito Castillo (email@example.com) / Arofan Gregory (email@example.com)
or visit http://www.odaf.org/events/odaf_mrc_workshop_2011.php


text: Joshua Dekaney, currently teaching at the prestigious Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University, is a professional percussionist. His ability to play virtually any type of percussion has sent him to places like Sao Paolo, Brazil, where he headlined the Batuka! International Drum Fest, to performing with several high profile orchestras around the United States, to working with artists like Peter Cetera and Aretha Franklin, and collaborating with diverse performers from marching bands to modern dance troupes. As an educator and professional musician, Josh talks about his education and music career trajectory, how to seek out and take advantage of opportunities wherever you are, and the importance of being open to new experiences.


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We have booked a trip with Intrepid, leaving from Delhi and hopefully taking in the Pushkar Camel Fair. How much time should we allow in Delhi before the trip? We are interested in culture, religion and the arts. We also want to spend a few days in Mussoorie, where my husband was born. What is the best way to get there?
- Joan and Peter Minchin
Lonely Planet's Sarah Bennett and Lee Slater write:
Delhi is a truly multidimensional metropolis, and fascinating to visit. You could spend a week here, but here are some suggestions for a four-day stay.
Day one: Acclimatise gently at tranquil sites, such as the National Museum, Gandhi Smriti and Humayun's Tomb. In the evening go to Hazrat Nizam-ud-din Dargah to hear the Sufis sing qawwaalis.
Day two: Ramble around Old Delhi's Red Fort, then eat jalebis (fried sweet "squiggles"), launch into the old city's action-packed bazaars and visit the mighty Jama Masjid, India's largest mosque. Afterwards, grab an autorickshaw south to Connaught Place for dinner and to explore the hassle-free, treasure trove government emporiums.
Day three: Wander round the religious buildings of Qutb Minar complex before indulging in some quiet meditation at the Bahai House of Worship. In the evening, go to Bengali Market for dilli ki chaat (street food), before kicking back at a bar.
Day four: Wonder at the glories of the laid-back Crafts Museum and nearby Purana Qila, then go to Hauz Khas to wander around the forgotten lake and mausoleum, and browse in its boutiques.
To get to Mussoorie, perched atop a ridge 2km high, you'll first need to get to Dehra Dun.
It's quickest by air (one hour) but you can also get there from Delhi on a six-hour train ride or an overnight service that takes almost twice as long. The least comfortable option is the seven-hour bus ride.
From Dehra Dun it's a 90-minute bus or taxi ride up to Mussoorie.
Memorial visit
I am in Auckland and I have a friend in Edinburgh. We are planning to meet in France or Italy and do a tour together. We want to go to Venice, Rome, Florence, Paris and anywhere else in between. The most important thing for me is to visit the burial site of an uncle who was killed in World War I in a place called Colincamps. There is a memorial to him in Grevillers. We are both in our 60s so the hitchhiking I did throughout Europe in the 1960s is out of the question. I thought we might be able to do it all by train. My friend says there is also a bus option. Any ideas?
- Colleen Wheeler
Most airlines allow you to fly into one European hub and return via another, and Paris and Rome are popular options. Deciding which way to travel really comes down to personal preference.
Let's assume you're going to start your grand tour in Rome, although our information will be relevant in either direction.
Travelling by train is a comfortable and efficient way to get around both countries. Trenitalia runs most services in Italy and its website is excellent. Under Customer Assistance, click on "Traveller's Guide" for advice on services, ticketing and offers.
Decent discounts for over-60s are available with a Carto d'Argento (€30).
Another useful site is raileurope.com, an information and booking portal for rail travel all over Europe.
It's easy getting from Rome to Florence and Venice on the major InterCity and Eurostar Alta Velocita train lines, but there is also a decent network of regional and inter-regional services for exploring more remote regions.
In Venice you can catch international trains to Paris. Italy also has an extensive and largely reliable bus network, but rail is better for long-distance travel in France. Buses may be your only option if you want to travel to mountainous areas such as Umbria.
From Paris' Gare du Nord station, it's an hour's train ride with SNCF to Amiens or Arras, both excellent towns from which to explore the Battle of the Somme memorials. Grevillers is 24km south of Arras, and Colincamps is 48km northeast of Amiens.
Your transport options are limited to local buses, taxis or picking up a hire car.
But tours can be arranged through reputable tour companies such as Battlefields Experience and Western Front Tours.
It's heart-warming to hear of your desire to honour your uncle's memory, so thanks for writing in.


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Scott Bloom
Scott Matthew Bloom
July 28, 1973
|Film producer, actor
Scott Matthew Bloom (born July 28, 1973) is an American actor and film producer.
Life and career
Bloom was born in Merrick, New York. He began acting in film and television at a young age, starring in the cult horror film The Stuff (1985) and subsequently appeared in numerous TV serials and TV movies including the role of Jesse Nash in the popular sitcom Who's the Boss? from 1987 to 1988.
Scott's movie credits as an actor include roles in Don's Plum (2001) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire, John Q (2002) with Denzel Washington and Robert Duvall, and Smokin' Aces (2006) with Ray Liotta, Ryan Reynolds, and Jeremy Piven.
Partnered with Giovanni Agnelli and Manny Mashouf, Scott founded the production company Argonaut Pictures in 2007. The company released the film Welcome to the Rileys, starring Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini, and Melissa Leo in 2010. The project is also being produced by Ridley Scott and Scott Free Productions, and is being directed by Jake Scott.
Scott is also slated to executive produce The Untitled Twilight Zone Project for Warner Bros. (inspired by the hit television series created by Rod Serling) along with the aforementioned DiCaprio and his production shingle Appian Way.
He is the brother of actor Brian Bloom, and musician Mike Bloom.
External links
- Scott Bloom on IMDb
- Scott Bloom at AllMovie
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