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Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) processes are increasingly being used in a number of areas of the law to help resolve disputes. These are sometimes referred to as primary dispute resolution processes since they may be used before the parties opt to take the matter to court.
Alternative dispute resolution involves the use of an impartial third party to help the people in dispute come to an agreed resolution. ADR can involve a range of mechanisms for resolving disputes, including mediation, conciliation and some forms of arbitration.
Depending on the type of legal problem, your lawyer may suggest alternative dispute resolution as an avenue for resolving your problem without the need to go to court. Alternative dispute resolution processes are used in a wide range of areas of the law, including disputes in relation to neighbourhood issues, family law, commercial and industrial relations. They are also used in tribunals and some courts. ADR is considered to have the advantage of being faster, cheaper and more informal than traditional court-based action. However, certain types of disputes are not suited to mediation, including situations where there is a fear of violence, there is a significant ‘public interest’ at stake, a party is constrained in being able to reach a compromise or lacks the power or ability to negotiate on their own behalf.
In mediation, a neutral third person assists the parties in dispute to reach a resolution between themselves. The mediator does not determine liability and cannot award financial costs or penalties. Mediators do not give advice or make suggestions for resolution. It is increasingly common for there to be two mediators, called co-mediators.
Mediation is often seen to be a suitable dispute resolution process in situations where there is an ongoing relationship between the parties, as a way of avoiding the type of damage which can be caused by the adversarial court system. Mediation is used for disputes between family members or neighbours. Mediation may be ordered by a court for an attempt at a fast and less costly resolution to a dispute. Such mediation is compulsory in family law matters. Mediation is also used by the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner in some disputes between lawyers and clients.
Conciliation and arbitration
In conciliation, a neutral third person assists the parties in dispute to come to a resolution by suggesting the terms of an agreement. It involves a much more active role for the third party than mediation, because they may offer an opinion on the situation.
Conciliation can be useful when one party to a dispute is unwilling to engage in mediation. Some agencies, for example the Anti-Discrimination Board, use conciliation because they have the responsibility to ensure that any agreement which is reached is not itself discriminatory. In some situations, conciliation is compulsory, for example in industrial disputes.
In arbitration, an independent third person makes a decision about a dispute between two parties which they are bound to observe. Arbitration is the most formal of the alternative dispute resolution processes. Arbitration is a non-judicial process in which the arbitrator determines what rights and obligations each party should have. It is different to adjudication, which is a court process concerned with determining existing legal rights and responsibilities. Arbitration is commonly used in the commercial and industrial arenas.
Community justice centres
Community Justice Centres (CJCs), established under the Community Justice Centres Act 1983 (NSW), provide free, impartial and confidential mediation facilities across NSW for disputes concerning neighbourhood, family, community and interpersonal conflict. |
New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, SUNY-ESF, Syracuse
Video length: 1:34 min.Discuss this Resource»
Learn more about Teaching Climate Literacy and Energy Awareness»
About Teaching Climate Literacy
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Teaching Tips | Science | Pedagogy |
- Students can use this video as an inspiration to learn more about the carbon sequestration capacity of trees in their own communities.
About the Science
- As part of a research project, students and faculty at SUNY-Environmental Science and Forestry have determined the precise combination of trees that would be most effective in reducing the level of greenhouse gases in the air around Syracuse. Team estimates that the tree combination could reduce carbon dioxide by fifty-seven-percent by the year 2046.
- Comment from expert scientist: This is a brief summary of a scientific report that has been made reader-friendly for the general public. It nicely explains the scientific concepts in a simple, easy-to-read form.
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Changing cuisines in ancient China were driven by multiple environmental and cultural practices over thousands of years, according to a study published November 4, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Xinyi Liu of Washington University in St. Louis and Rachel E. B. Reid of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Virginia.
Cereal grains – including wheat, rice, barley, millet and more – are the most important food sources in the world today. But understanding how these foods originated and spread across the world requires a global effort. In this study, Liu and Reid focus on the ancient history of staple cereals across China, a country well-known for its diverse food products and early adoption of many domesticated plants.
The authors compiled published data of stable carbon and nitrogen isotope compositions measured from 2,448 human skeletal samples from 128 archaeological sites across China, covering a time span over 6,000 years. These isotopic data are indicators of what kinds of plants these humans were predominantly eating, allowing the authors to infer cuisine patterns across time and space. They found that prior to 2000 BC, Chinese staple cuisines were strongly differentiated between northern and southern cultures, while cultures younger than that were dominated by east-west differences.
The authors infer that these patterns of changing cuisines are not driven by traditional narrative of “stages” of changing subsistence modes (hunting, foraging, pastoralism, farming), but are instead driven by multiple factors that favored various hybridized subsistence modes at different times and spaces. They argue that the early north-south divide was driven by environmental differences that favored different plant resources in wetland vs. arid regions, while the later east-west division was driven by differences in cultural practice, with eastern cooking habits of boiling and steaming less suited to adopting new cereals like wheat and barley.
Liu adds: “It appears that cooking is an important force shaping the ancient world. In the context of prehistoric ‘food globalisation’, the reaction of the local cooking tradition to novel exotic food ingredients is a key driver of their adoption and translocation, sustaining the economic foundation of the ancient world…
The dispersal of crops into new areas was not necessarily accompanied by the spread of the intrinsic cooking technology. Sometimes novel grains could be incorporated into the local cuisines. We can always relate this to our own experience of food and cooking. Southern style homemade baked beans with bacon are folded into English breakfast tradition to be served on toast.”
Press-only preview: https:/
Contact: Xinyi Liu, [email protected]
Image Captions: 1) Chinese feast 2) Site maps.
(a) Site locations with isotope (white circles) and archaeobotanical (black triangles) data (see Tables 1-3, S1 for isotope studies and S2 for archaeobotanical). (b) Proposed culinary traditions in China after 2000 cal BC as described in the discussion. Regional difference in cooking follows the hypothesis proposed by Fuller and Rowlands (2011). Map generated using ArcMap v. 10.2 and NASA Blue Marble with data set obtained from NASA Earth Observatory (public domain). See: http://earthobservatory.
Image Credits: 1) Giedre Motuzaite Matuzeviciute; 2) Liu et al, 2020 (PLOS ONE, CC BY)
Citation: Liu X, Reid REB (2020) The prehistoric roots of Chinese cuisines: Mapping staple food systems of China, 6000 BC-220 AD. PLoS ONE 15(11): e0240930. https:/
Funding: National Science Foundation, under grant 1826727, “The origins and spread of millet cultivation”, PI: X. Liu; the European Research Council, under grant 249642, “Food Globalisation in Prehistory”, PI, M. Jones. Sponsors did not play any role in research, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: No authors have competing interests.
In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: https:/ |
Mysticism means different things to different people. For some it’s an exciting and satisfying way of life. For others it’s a term of derision – practices that should be avoided by intelligent people in the modern age. Mystics are seen as people who either have obtained secret and powerful knowledge, ever in quest of truth; or as flaky people who just cannot handle reality.
The word itself is derived from the ancient Greek word “Mystikos” which refers to someone who has passed through an initiatory process and is part of a sacred, spiritual society. Many such societies or Mystery Schools flourished through the centuries. These included the Eleusinian, Dionysian, Orphic, Mithraic and other Mysteries. The ancient mystery schools inspired the Christian Mysteries connected to various ancient monasteries. They also led to the Masonic and Rosicrucian mysteries of the late Middle Ages – derivatives of which still exist today. The mystic, by undergoing certain challenges and training, gained knowledge of and especially personal experience of different states of consciousness and levels of being. The mystic came to know reality in a whole new way, one that went beyond normal human perception and involved the development of a direct connection with a supreme being.
Some famous mystics include Pythagoras, Plato, Alexander the Great, Ptolemy, St. Augustine, Nostradamus, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, Da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Mahatma Gandhi, Franklin Roosevelt, and more – all initiated members of a mystery school of some kind.
Mysticism is both the practices that lead a person to become a mystic and also the practices developed by mystics to strengthen their connection to altered states of consciousness and to help others experience those states.
Almost all the founders of the world’s great religions were mystics (Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Krishna, etc.), and elements of mysticism are apparent in religious activities. However, most religions rely on a structured, formalistic approach to their practices to maintain their organizations and thus, mysticism is often deprecated or persecuted. Mystics, in a religious context, need to be controlled or they might set up a competing organization.
One of the main criticisms of mysticism today is that mystics tend to gravitate towards certain questionable practices such as crystal gazing, palm reading, astrology, spirit contact and a variety of other divinatory or spiritual practices. In their highest forms these are worthy areas of study. However, popular practice of these activities has degraded them till it appears that only the less sophisticated students of mysticism are involved with these pursuits.
Authentic Mysticism represents the highest quest of human growth and awareness. It is the method by which the conscious or outer mind makes contact with Cosmic Intelligence through the avenue of the subconscious or inner mind. The main practice of mysticism is meditation – and this can be accomplished in a variety of ways including intellectual study, physical activity, interaction with people particularly in a charitable way, and various ritualistic programs – besides the common idea of sitting quietly and attempting to gain clarity of mind. The goal of mysticism is to prepare people to experience an awakening to cosmic reality – that is, an experience of absolute union with the universe or God.
The purpose of Authentic Mysticism is to:
- Discover the ultimate REALITY
- Discover the Supreme Universal Intelligence, or God
- Make direct, immediate contact with the Supreme Universal Intelligence
- Experience the PRESENCE of God and accept beyond doubt that Divinity exists and can be contacted
- Bring forth into daily life and awareness all the POWER, ATTRIBUTES and CREATIVITY of the SUPREME UNIVERSAL INTELLIGENCE
- Guide a practitioner, INTUITIVELY, through daily life and practical experience
- Connect and synthesize the creative intelligence of the Universe with the conscious mind for the manifestation of LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.
Mysticism today can be practiced by anyone. In the past it was relegated to certain, somewhat elite, individuals who had the dedication and resources necessary to travel to specific regions of the world and connect with some particular school. Although receiving instruction from a teacher or guide as part of a group of like-minded individuals has its benefits, it is no longer mandatory that a person go through a formal initiation to practice mysticism. There are enough books and internet sources of information available for anyone to learn about and use the techniques and methods of mysticism to expand their awareness and connect with universal intelligence. The key factors needed are knowledge, proper attitude and above all practice. Mysticism is something you do not just something you read about or think about. And as noted before, the main practice for mysticism is MEDITATION. |
It’s been a bad week for one boxy animated sponge.
In the October issue of the journal Pediatrics, researchers report that the underwater cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants seems to put a dent in preschoolers’ thinking and attention skills – not for chronic watchers of the program, but for kids who viewed just one nine-minute segment.
It’s a new twist in the story of how TV affects kids, one that is especially scary for parents. While most research on the subject tends to focus on long-term habits, looking at things like how many hours per day kids regularly watch and correlating it to certain behaviors and cognitive skills, this study pits specific cartoons against each other and looks at kids’ mental strength directly after a mini-episode.
In the experiment, three groups of four-year-olds spent nine minutes watching SpongeBob, the PBS cartoon Caillou, or they passed the time drawing. After the nine minutes were up, they were tested on their ability to think, pay attention, and process information.
The SpongeBob kids did significantly worse on the tests than those in the Caillou or drawing groups. The tasks were designed to look at executive function – the collection of skills that allow us to think ahead, resist impulses, stay on task, and remember information. Executive function has come increasingly under the spotlight in recent years as being key to our kids’ ability to succeed in school, work towards a goal, and generally learn and thrive. Naturally, our ears perk up at the thought of something working against this critical brainpower.
Four tests were given to the groups – asking kids to remember short sequences of numbers and repeat them backward, resist impulses (a version of the marshmallow test), solve puzzles, and follow directions. The SpongeBob kids – even though they didn’t differ on average in abilities or TV viewing habits before the test – took a significant hit during the test, compared to their Caillou and drawing peers.
So how is this different than what we know about kids and TV already? While it’s been shown before that heavy doses of TV over the long term are linked to lower executive function, this is one of the first studies to suggest how immediate, and specific to the particular show, the effect can be.
Researchers think the submarine cartoon saps executive function partially through pacing. The quick speed overloads a child’s brain with sensory information – mental resources are depleted just trying to process all the action. Meanwhile, the ability to think, plan, and focus (all skills that involve the prefrontal cortex, home of executive function) dwindle, so that immediately afterwards, a child isn’t operating at full capacity. Pacing was measured by how often the scene changed completely; in SpongeBob, the setting switched an average of every 11 seconds, with a lot of high action within scenes. Caillou changed scenes every 34.
The other reason they propose for the finding is that SpongeBob’s fantastical, reality-bending nature over-taxes a young kid’s brain – just too many oddities and unexpected twists to compute.
Personally, I’m not ready to equate SpongeBob with the melting of brain cells just yet. First of all, the study population was small and follow-ups are needed. The show is intended for kids age six and up, and maybe at that age it’s not a mental overload. Also, we don’t know what the temporary lull in executive function means and how long the effect would last – are chronic watchers of fast-paced TV really less attentive long after screen time is over, or is it a dip that fades or even signals that some learning is taking place?
Still, as a parent, the sensory overload theory rings true to me. Last year, as a two-year-old, one of my son’s favorite “shows” to watch was a video of machines and trucks in action. Men putting on their gear and loading up the fire truck, a street sweeper cruising along the city roads, and cranes and bulldozers tramping through a construction site. Something about the simplicity and leisurely pace of it made me feel comfy plopping him down when I needed a break. I’ll be giving SpongeBob the once-over next time we’re flipping channels to see if I think he’s too turbo for my preschooler. In the meantime, I’m happy with Big Bird and side-loading garbage trucks. |
This is a guest post by Mila Johnson.
Laptop security starts with simple measures and ends with in-depth solutions. Whether it's protecting the entire machine, or the data inside, this list will provide a solution.
Whether at a library or in a public setting, keeping an eye on a laptop is the easiest way to keep others from stealing it. It only takes seconds for a thief to grab a laptop and run. If a book or other item is needed that will take a laptop away from eyesight, keep a finger or a hand touching it.
Carrying cases are nice, but similar to key fobs with manufacturer emblems, it signals to thieves that something valuable is inside the bag. Keeping a laptop in a backpack or other non-distinguishable bag when possible will keep a low profile.
Laptops come with serial numbers and sometimes other personalized numbers. Record them. If willing to damage the case, or at least small portions of it, make marks and engrave designs that are recognizable. It could help in situations where a person can spot their own laptop in the hands of another.
Kensington Locks are devices that clip onto laptops with the locks preinstalled and keep them anchored to sturdy structures. These are meant more for short-term security and quick theft deterrent than as long-term solutions. Some thieves will break the lock and damage the casing if only to steal the data from the hard drive.
Noise and Motion-Sensor Systems
Think of these devices as car alarms. Often snapped into a Kensington lock or a drive's port, these devices sound alarms if too much movement is detected or the cable is snapped. Like car alarms, they can be set off accidentally and cause embarrassment.
STOP ID Labels and GPS Tracking
STOP ID Labels are stickers placed on the bottom of laptops. If the laptop is stolen and the labeled removed, a tracking number burned to the case will appear. Most companies similar to the STOP brand offer lifetime tracking.
Tracking software, such as LoJack Computrace, can use Internet browsing to locate a stolen computer, even when thieves change the hard drive and operating systems.
Finger Print Recognition
In order to even boot up or log-in, some laptops require users code in with a fingerprint. These systems are hard to fool or workaround in quick jams. When combined with other security features, these security devices keep information very secure.
For guarding information from wireless hackers and viruses, install, update, and run anti-virus software. There are paid services like McAfee, and free versions such as Avast! that perform stunningly. Avast! free anti-virus protection is one of the best laptop deals around. When it's free, there's no reason not to have it.
Encrypting data and information sent wirelessly or stored externally is a good way to keep most criminals from accessing data. 128-bit encryption is becoming standard and many routers and Wi-Fi cards offer it. If unsure of how to use or setup encryption, contact an Internet service provider or the company of any cards and external hard drives being used.
About the author:
Guest post by Johnson.
Guest post by Johnson. |
A recent Early Music Show highlighted the work of Vicente Lusitano. Although his surname indicates that, in 16th century Rome at least, he was regarded as Portuguese, the most striking fact about him was that he was of mixed European and African heritage. It looks as if he first entered the church and then took the first opportunity to emigrate to cosmopolitan Rome to escape racism in Portugal, which could take a violent turn. It seems odd to us today that there was little racism in Elizabethan England (judging by contemporary writing) while in Portugal, which today has a better record of assimilating her former colonial citizens, the opposite was the case.
His music is distinctive, too, with pre-echoes of Gesualdo. He was the first "black" composer to be published. |
We’ve seen in this previous article here about how mindfulness can provide help and sustenance to adults who have suffered from the traumas of abuse, and it is becoming increasingly clear that as a tool for mental wellness, the power of this way of thinking, grounded in Buddhist practice definitely has manifold benefits.
Scientists, doctors and psychologists are now looking into how mindfulness therapy can be used to treat patients who present with the signs and symptoms of addiction, and how it can help to ease not only the mental effects, but the physical pain that is experienced too….
Full Story @ http://sjs.li/1wdqoos
#Cbt, #Mindfulness, #SocialWork, #Therapy
Far too often, getting on with ‘everyday life’ requires suppressing the impact of traumatic stress on body, mind, and spirit. This self-imposed desensitization to one’s own suffering also lessens how empathetic we are to others’ suffering, including to their stories of trauma….
Full Story @ http://sjs.li/T5YaxK
#Imaginal, #Mindfulness, #PatOgden, #Trauma
In this same workshop we also revisited the topic of brain development. We reviewed the difference between the prefrontal cortex or “White House of the brain,” which has the ability to plan for the future, and the amygdala or “reptile brain” that reacts instinctively in fight/flight/freeze fashion.
This helped to introduce the concept of time perspective. Using part of the framework developed by Stanford professors Zimbardo and Boyd, we talked about the advantages and disadvantages of being either a “present hedonist” or a future-oriented individual. Everyone agreed that it was best to live a balanced life….
Full Story @ http://sjs.li/1k7u5cP
#Gamification, #GoalSetting, #LifeSkills, #Mindfulness, #ProgramDevelopment, #TimePerspective, #YouthDevelopment
“Certainly physics designed the bombs, biology the germ warfare, chemistry the nerve gas and so on, but it will be the unhealthy emotions of individuals that will trigger these horrors. These emotions can only be controlled, reshaped and re-channeled by technologies developed from successful inner s ……
Full Story @ http://read.socialjusticesolutions.org/bi
#Mindfulness, #MindfulnessTherapy, #TraumaTherapy
Big Sur, California
“Mindfulness means to be aware, awake. To be alive, attentive, receiving as we move through our day. Not brittle, blind, disjointed, out-of-touch, stressed, nervous, excited — or at least aware of these states and even having a bit of compassion for ourselves. This list is a rem ……
Full Story @ http://read.socialjusticesolutions.org/b3
#Mindfulness, #SocialWork, #Spirituality
My heart knows no bounds,
Uncertainty won’t cloud my day,
Right now, the present captivates my eyes,
Pondering the unknown has no hold,
Right now, the present is home.
Written by Staff Writer: A. Haven, LMSW
CLICK HERE TO READ FULL ARTICLE |
It is very difficult for students to say or write something when they do not know the correct word (or can't remember the word) that they want to use. During a conversation or speaking activity, students sometimes struggle to find the right word. When this happens, it's usually not practical or possible to use a dictionary. For this reason it is important to explicitly teach the skill of using circumlocution. Circumlocution is a strategy for describing or defining a concept instead of saying or writing the specific words. Students should be taught how to so this and the teacher can give them tools to help in the process.
This document has a clear and concise explanation of circumlocution for for students as well as many examples of phrases to use to convey meaning when the exact word is not known. This is followed by two partner activities that students can use to practice the strategies. The document is written in accessible French. |
According to some Orthodox Christian churches of the United States, Orthodox Easter Monday is the day after Orthodox Easter. Orthodox Easter occurs on Sunday that’s why Orthodox Easter Monday occurs on Monday. According to people’s belief, this day is celebrated because of Jesus Christ resurrection. This day is also known as new Monday, bright Monday and renewal Monday.
Is Orthodox Easter Monday a Public Holiday?
Orthodox Easter Monday falls on the same day as Confederate Memorial Day, which is a public holiday in Mississippi. Orthodox Easter Monday is observed as an official holiday in some countries like Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Republic of Macedonia, Romania, and Ukraine. Business and schools may be closed on that Day, but Orthodox Easter Monday is not a public holiday for the people living in the United States. Orthodox Easter Monday is not a federal holiday in some countries like Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. You can see the list of federal holidays of USA below:
|Sr. No.||Date||Federal Holiday||Day of the Week|
|1||January 1, 2019||New Year's Day||Tuesday|
|2||January 21, 2019||Martin Luther King Day||Monday|
|3||February 18, 2019||Presidents' Day*||Monday|
|4||May 27, 2019||Memorial Day||Monday|
|5||July 4, 2019||Independence Day||Thursday|
|6||September 2, 2019||Labor Day||Monday|
|7||October 14, 2019||Columbus Day||Monday|
|8||November 11, 2019||Veterans Day||Monday|
|9||November 28, 2019||Thanksgiving Day||Thursday|
|10||December 25, 2019||Christmas Day||Wednesday|
Orthodox Easter Monday is known as Bright Monday. Bright Monday falls on the bright week. Bright week starts from Easter Sunday which is a 7-day period of Easter. For Orthodox Christians, it’s not the time for mourning, it is a time to be happy.
What Do People Do on Orthodox Easter Monday?
In countries such as Greece, it is a much more relaxed day rather than other days when people prepare to resume their work. For some people, it’s a day on which they finish their leftover easter meals that were not eaten the day before the Orthodox Easter Monday.
Orthodox Easter Monday falls for Orthodox Christians in many parts of the United States. Liturgies along with priest sprinkle holy water everywhere in the church, ring bells, and children participate in the whole process by holding some religious icons.
Some Orthodox Churches observed and decided the easter day according to that calendar which they are using since centuries. Many Orthodox Churches decided the Easter period according to Julian Calendar. Even they follow different dates of Easter period as compared to the western churches. |
Many modern health conditions stem from chronic inflammation. Inflammation isn’t always bad though – it is actually a defense mechanism which allows the body to temporarily create a localized immune response when we are injured, which allows for healing.
The danger occurs when the body is in a constant state of inflammation, which results in an overactive immune response flooding the body with defense cells that then damage tissues. Unfortunately, our modern diet contains a number of foods which promote inflammation in the body. According to Dr. Josh Axe, the top inflammatory foods are:
Which of the above foods or ingredients do you currently consume regularly?
Which foods from the list above could you swap out for a healthier option? |
Super quick and easy to set up spider sensory bin for kids! Practice counting and fine motor skills while engaging in tactile sensory play. This simple fine motor sensory bin is perfect for early childhood development and young kids.
Spider Sensory Bin
Simple Sensory Play For Fine Motor And Math Skills
Sensory bins can be a useful tool to engage a child and practice fine motor skills as well as other early learning skills like counting! Read more about the importance of sensory bins and everything you need to know to get started, here! It’s an excellent resource that answers many key questions about sensory bin use with children.
black beans or black aquarium rocks (non-food) sensory filler
black plastic spiders
tweezers for grabbing spiders (very young kids can just practice with fingers and pincer grasp!)
small container to catch spiders
bin to hold it all
Assemble your black beans and spider sensory bin and you are good to go!
Easy Ways To Play And Learn With This Spider Sensory Bin
Allow time to explore sensory bin without direction to satisfy sensory needs, filling dumping, etc!
Use tweezers to catch spiders and put in container
*Make it a game by adding dice, take turns rolling and catching spiders. Count spiders to see who wins
*Add a timer and see how long it takes your child to catch all the spiders using tweezers
What would you add to a spider sensory bin?
This is a super quick and easy sensory play activity to throw together with lots of room for play and learning! What else can you add? Turn it into a literacy sensory bin for letter recognition by adding alphabet pony beads or letter magnets too. Grab a book about spiders too! Endless possibilities.
Fine Motor Fridays Blog Hop
Yarn Wrap Mummy Craft from Lalymom
Chicken & Chicks Craft from Powerful Mothering
Simple Clothespins Fine Motor Activity from School Time Snippets
Simple Apple Weaving from P is for Preschooler
Icy Eyeball Sensory Exploration from Still Playing School |
Parikkala has been inhabited since the last Ice Age. Several prehistoric habitation areas have been found in Parikkala. The ancient residents have left their mark in the form of trapping pits and tools which were dropped during hunting trips.
Later on, Parikkala region has often been the object of demarcation. For centuries the region was part of the Novgorod State and belonged to the Kurkijoki province. In the Treaty of Stolbovo, in 1617, the region became a part of Sweden, and a new Lutheran congregation was formed of the existing Orthodox parishes. Many Orthodox fled to the east, away from the new form of religion. In the Treaty of Nystad, in 1721, the borders were shifted once more, and the region fell under the Russian rule. Elizabeth of Russia donated the lands to his favourite, count Mihail Vorontsov, and the peasants in the Parikkala region had to perform workday duties at the Koitsanlahti Manor. Their duties didn’t end until in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1920s, Simpele and Saari were separated from Parikkala to form their own municipalities. In the Winter War, parts of Parikkala, Saari and Uukuniemi were lost to the Soviet Union.
Even today, it is still possible to visit places and sights related to these historical events. |
In the previous section we took a look at the Internet Layer. We took apart the IP header information, reviewed IP addresses and routing information, and briefly discussed ARP and RARP technologies.
Next in line we have the Transport layer- the layer responsible for actually getting the data packets to a specific location. When we receive email, we want to open it with our email program- not anything else. So how does a computer know exactly where to route data to appropriate programs, all while dealing with multiple connections?
The Difference between TCP and UDP
There are two protocols that are primarily used to transport data: TCP and UDP. TCP stands for transmission control protocol. It is the more common of the two, since it allows for much more error checking functionality and stability. UDP, or User Datagram Protocol, lacks extensive error checking- but is considered to be much faster than TCP as a result.
Since TCP guarantees the delivery of data over a network we call it a connection-oriented protocol. If in the event that data isn’t sent correctly, the sending computer will be notified and will resend the information. This is compared to UDP, which doesn’t require that data has been received correctly. Likewise, we call UDP a connectionless protocol.
How Do Transport Protocols Work?
We mentioned earlier that a transport protocol can have simultaneous connections to a computer- yet the receiving computer still knows where each data packet should be sent. This is accomplished through ports and sockets.
A port is simply an internal address that acts as a pathway to control data flow. Since we need each port to be specific to a certain application, there are thousands of ports for use. If you are using the internet, for instance, data is being routed through TCP port 80. This port is called the HTTP port. Ports that have specific purposes (such as the HTTP port) are also known as well-known ports. (And in case you were wondering, there are over 65,535 ports to experiment with.)
So now we know two things. First, the IP address is used to route the data to a specific computer. Next, the port number is used to tell the receiving computer what kind of application should handle it. But to actually accomplish both of these tasks, we use what is called a socket. A socket is simply an address formed by using the IP address and then tacking on the port number at the end.
Practical Uses of the Socket
So what good is a socket? For one thing, multiplexing and demultiplexing is made possible. When you are running multiple programs that are communicating with other computers, you are making use of both of these technologies.
Let’s look at a practical example. You are running a telnet server in which multiple computers are connected to. Each computer uses a socket address to tell the server which computer and which port the data is coming from. If each computer broadcasted at the same time, there may be a jam at the transport layer. We use multiplexing in this case to combine all incoming data into one stream.
Demultiplexing is very similar to multiplexing, except that it works in reverse. Instead of taking multiple streams of input data and outputting a single stream of data, demultiplexing involves receiving a single stream of input and delivering it to multiple outputs. This is handy for separating multiplexed signals. You may see demultiplexing referred to as “Demuxing.”
The Anatomy of a TCP Segment
So now we know how data is routed, but what is the data made up of? As we learned in previous sections, we call the data at the Transport level of the TCP protocol a segment.
TCP Segments Explained
- 1. Source Port – A 16-bit field that specifies which port number the data segment originated from on the source machine.
- 2. Destination Port – A 16-bit field that specifies which port number the data segment is destined for on the receiving machine.
- 3. Sequence Number – A 32-bit field that specifies which sequence number the particular segment of information is assigned. The sequence number is used to number packets of information so that they may be counted on the receiving side- guaranteeing a successful and complete delivery of information.
- 4. Acknowledgment Number – A 32 bit field that specifies whether or not a segment was received correctly. The acknowledgment number is always one higher than the sequence number, since the receiving computer is expecting the next segment.
- 5. Data Offset – A 4-bit field that tells the receiving computer how long the header is, and where the data actually begins.
- 6. Reserved – A 6-bit field that is reserved for future use. Currently this field is represented as all zeroes. In the future, it may be likely that TCP will make use of this space for some reason or another.
- 7. URG – A 1-bit control flag that stands for urgent. If the value is 1, the information is urgent and should be dealt with accordingly.
- 8. ACK – A 1-bit control flag that, if set to 1, indicates that the Acknowledgment Number field is significant.
- 9. PSH – A 1-bit control flag that stands for push. If set to 1, all the information sent so far is sent to the receiving application.
- 10. RST – 1-bit control flag that stands for reset. If set to 1, the connection is reset.
- 11. SYN – A 1-bit control flag that stands for synchronize. If set to 1, then a sequence of numbers will be used to sort information packets. This also marks the beginning of a connection.
- 12. FIN – A 1-bit control flag that stands for finished. It also closes a connection, and indicates that there is no more data to be sent.
- 13. Window – A 16-bit field that is used for flow control. It indicates that a range of sequence numbers past the last acknowledged sequence number do not require further acknowledgment.
- 14. Checksum – A 16-bit field that checks segment integrity. A calculation is done on both the sending and receiving computer. This calculation is based on the segment’s information, so we can use it to check and see if the packet is indeed the same being received as it was sent.
- 15. Urgent Pointer – A 16-bit field that indicates the beginning of urgent information. Specifically, it points to a sequence number.
- 16. Options – A field that may be used to set various optional settings.
- 17. Padding – A spacer used to offset the Options field. Since every row must equal 32 bits, the Padding field must add to the Options field to equal 32 bits. Since the Options field may vary, variable Padding is needed.
- 18. Data – The actual data being sent to the recipient computer.
The Anatomy of a UDP Datagram
Don’t worry- UDP is a lot simpler as compared to the TCP counterpart. This is due to the lack of error checking UDP contains. Although UDP is famously known for not having error checking, there are slight UDP functionalities that can act as basic error checking procedures.
It’s important to know that the UDP error checking functionalities are quite basic. For instance, the UDP protocol contains functionality for a checksum so that we may check the integrity of data. This field can be turned off, however, so that a faster connection can be had. Also important to note is that UDP uses a fake header (known as a pseudo-header) that contains a destination address, so that we can determine whether or not the packets were sent to the right place. If they are indeed sent to the wrong place, a simple ICMP message may notify the source machine that the source is unreachable.
Keep in mind that even if errors are found within a UDP connection, data will not be retransmitted. So how much different is a UDP datagram from a TCP segment?
UDP Datagrams Explained
- 1. Source Port – An optional 16-bit field that specifies which port the datagram originated from.
- 2. Destination Port – A 16-bit field that specifies which port the datagram should be directed to on the receiving computer.
- 3. Length – A 16-bit field that specifies how long the UDP datagram is. This includes the UDP header and the data being sent. (The value is always at least 8, since the UDP header is eight octets.)
- 4. Checksum – A 16-bit field that operates much like the TCP counterpart. It is considered optional, however.
- 5. Data – The actual data being sent to the recipient computer.
You will notice that the datagram anatomy is much simpler- and that no source or destination information is included. So how does the data know where to go? As we briefly reviewed earlier, UDP uses what is known as a pseudo-header. This header will act as a guide for the datagram, and can determine whether the datagram was delivered to the right address or not.
Three layers down, one more to go! In the next section we will take a look at the final TCP/IP layer: the Application Layer. We’ll take an in-depth look at just how data goes from datagrams and segments to actual information you can interact with on your computer. |
p-Block Elements: Group 16
The elements of the oxygen family, group 16 appear in a number of oxidation states. The most common oxidation state is -2 because the general electron configuration is ns2np4. Chalcogens assume other oxidations state also including +2, +4 and +6. The stability of -2 oxidation state reduces as the metallic nature of the elements increases down the group.The stability of + 6 oxidation state decreases down the group and stability of + 4 oxidation state increases (inert pair effect). Bonding in +4 and +6 oxidation states is primarily covalent.
Since oxygen has very high electronegativity, it mainly shows only negative oxidation state as –2. However, in the case of OF2,it has an oxidation state of + 2. Likewise, apart from – 2 oxidation states, oxygen illustrates – 1 oxidation state in peroxides and – 1/2 oxidation state in superoxides. Oxygen also shows a positive oxidation state with compounds of fluorine. This happens because fluorine is more electronegative than oxygen. It shows +2 oxidation state in OF2 and +1 in O2F2.
Rest of the elements of the group, besides showing +2 oxidation states, also show +4 and +6 oxidation states owing to the availability of d-orbitals in their electronic structure.The reason why oxygen differs widely from the remaining elements of its group is because of its compact structure. It is small in size with high electronegativity and the nonattendance of d-orbitals in the valence shell. This means that it cannot exhibit more than 3 oxidation state due to its compatibility.
Another important point is that oxygen and sulphur have only s and p electrons, while the Se, Te, and Po have d and f electrons as well. The filling of d shell makes the atom smaller and hence the electrons are tightly packed. Other elements of the oxygen family exhibit + 2, + 4, + 6 oxidation states, however + 4 and + 6 are more common. Likewise, Se cannot acquire the highest oxidation state of (+VI). Also, when S is oxidized by HNO3 it produces H2SO4 (S +VI), but when Se is oxidized by HNO3 it forms H2SeO3 (Se +IV).
Sulphur, selenium and tellurium predominantly show + 4 oxidation state in their compounds with oxygen and oxidation state of + 6 with fluorine. Polonium barely shows –2 oxidation state due to increasing shielding effect.
In general terms, the chalcogen group can also share their two electrons with another element to form two covalent bonds. For example, H2O,F2O,Cl2O,H2S and SCl2. In these given examples, the chalcogen elements have a lower electronegativity than the corresponding element. For instance, in the case of SCl2where the electronegativity of chlorine is 3.5 and sulphuris2.5), then the oxidation state of sulphur is (+II).
Fig : Oxidation states of group 16 elements. |
Here’s an interesting counterpoint in the Guardian to the “giving up meat will save the climate” argument. The problem with abandoning meat is that the resulting industrial farming puts too much pressure on the soil, and depletes already limited fertilizer resources.
In the UK topsoil depletion is so severe that in 2014 the trade magazine Farmers Weekly announced we may have only 100 harvests left. Letting arable land lie fallow and returning it to grazed pasture for a period – as farmers used to, before artificial fertilisers and mechanisation made continuous cropping possible – is the only way to reverse that process, halt erosion and rebuild soil, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. The grazing livestock not only provide farmers with an income, but the animals’ dung, urine and even the way they graze, accelerates soil restoration. The key is to be organic, and keep livestock numbers low to prevent over-grazing.
Conversely, pasture grazing is by nature not mass production, so the point of eating less meat is still valid, since moving solely towards pasture grazing would seem to reduce meat supplies. It would appear, that as in most things, the key is to achieve the right balance. |
Experts are warning pet owners to become far more diligent when it comes to treating their pets for parasites like fleas and worms.
A hidden jungle of critters on your doorstep could pose serious health risks to pets and owners alike because of a void in knowledge and awareness.
Of particular concern is the relatively unknown and largely misunderstood toxocara parasite which can, in rare cases, cause blindness in humans. The parasite’s eggs are shed in animal’s faeces and although many dog lovers think that by scooping their dogs poop they are eliminating the risk, in fact, unless you are worming monthly the eggs can still remain in the soil or grass where your pet made it’s mess – even if all visible traces have been removed. This means families playing in parks where a pooch’s poop has been scooped, could still be at risk of picking up Toxocaraisis.
The toxocara parasite survives well beyond the owner cleaning up their dog’s faeces – it can stick to your pet’s fur and can then be easily transferred to your bed, sofa and floors – exposing you to the serious implications it carries.
Even ticks, fleas and mites, of which most pet owners are aware need to be taken more seriously. Lots of people may consider ticks to be similar to fleas, but in actual fact, fleas are insects and ticks are arachnids because they have 8 legs in their adult life stage!
Fleas are the most common parasite affecting pets worldwide. They prefer warm, humid conditions and are often attracted to dogs and cats by their body heat. Once on a pet, they can spread anywhere that the pet goes, including the pet owner’s home.
And, as if fleas alone aren’t bad enough - they may carry tapeworm larvae. If these infected fleas are then swallowed by the pet whilst grooming for example, they will develop tapeworm.
Following a recent spate of warm and wet weather, gardeners are reporting a large increase in the numbers of slugs and snails in the garden. Dog owners don’t realise the threat posed by these slimy critters, which harbour lungworm, a parasite with potentially fatal consequences for dogs.
Log onto www.itsajungle.co.uk each week to watch our series of videos with David Bellamy and vet, Steve Leonard alongside an array of parasite experts as they hope to educate Britain’s animal lovers about the potential risks to their pets, themselves and their families.
6th September: Focus on Toxocara
13th September: Focus on Fleas & Tapeworm
20th September: Focus on Ticks
27th September: Focus on Lungworm |
New Delhi: A million youngsters joining the workforce every month. A lot fewer jobs being created for them. Election promises to keep. Something’s got to give. The target: government employees over the age of 50.
Several states are considering reducing the retirement age and introducing performance evaluation and compulsory retirement for older government employees to create jobs for qualified young men and women struggling to find them.
After Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, which are considering tinkering with the standard retirement age of 58, it was Punjab’s turn on Monday to join the retirement age discourse.
Chief minister Amarinder Singh’s office said his government is reviewing the previous government’s decision that allowed employees to defer retirement age from 58 years to 60. His office said the government is “mulling a policy change to fix 58 as retirement age to generate more employment opportunities for the state’s youth". Generating jobs for youngsters was one of the campaign promises of Singh’s Congress party, which came to power in March.
According to latest labour bureau data, Punjab had an unemployment rate of 6% in 2015. It had 429,883 government employees and paid over Rs31,000 crore annually in salaries and pensions.
For several years, Punjab has not created enough jobs. According to Amit Khurana, managing director of Corporate Access, a human resource consultancy, unemployment is a political and socio-economic issue in Punjab, closely linked to widespread drug abuse in the state.
“For any state government, there are two ways to create jobs—one, add industries and two, reduce retirement age. Industry coming and creating jobs is a long process and the other can be done through executive decisions, of course with certain amount of checks and balances," said Khurana.
He said setting the retirement age at 58 will create a certain number of jobs for the bottom of the pyramid that the government can present in its one-year report card.
While some feel a higher retirement age will mean greater efficiency thanks to experienced hands, others say that young blood can perform better than their elders, often criticized for inertia.
India faces the challenge of creating jobs for a predominantly young population.
Around 12 million people enter the workforce every year, according to government estimates. The number of jobs created is far lower; between 2011-12 and 2015-16, India created 3.65 million jobs a year, according to industry lobby group Confederation of Indian Industry.
Screening employees is as important as giving them recognition in terms of salary and positions for the performance of any establishment, added Khurana.
Earlier in July, Uttarakhand chief secretary S. Ramaswamy had asked all state departments to review the performance of officials and workers who are above 50 and to set up screening committees for the task.
Likewise, Uttar Pradesh’s Yogi Adityanath government, which came to power in March, plans to review the performance of employees over 50 and recommend compulsory retirement of those who are not performing up to par. The state chief secretary issued a notice earlier this month on this, citing rules from the state’s finance handbook. In contrast, Haryana is exploring plans to enhance the retirement age to 60 from 58 years. |
According to Herodotus, the Greek ‘father of history’, Cinnamon grows in shallow lakes, protected by Cinnamologus, a giant, fierce winged creature that screeches horribly and pecks out the eyes of those seeking to harvest the tree. Brave Arabic cinnamon gatherers would trick the birds by leaving large pieces of meat around, which, when carried back to their nests, would cause the nest to fall to the ground from where the bark could be collected. This mysterious story seems to have persisted in Europe for many centuries, and it took more than 1500 years for those in the West to eventually find out the true sources of cinnamon.
WHERE IS CINNAMON FROM?
The sweet and aromatic spice we know as cinnamon is the inner bark from one of several species of tree that carry the name. There are two main sources of cinnamon, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, referred to as ‘true cinnamon’ or Ceylon cinnamon, which originated in Sri Lanka, and several other species of the genus Cinnamomum, commonly called cassia, which originated in Southeast Asia and China. Cinnamomum Cassia is also known as ‘Chinese cinnamon’.
There are differences in texture too, the quills of cassia cinnamon being a harder, dark brown hollow tube, whereas ‘true cinnamon’ is a softer and more brittle light brown tube, looking somewhat like a rolled cigar. So be careful, true cinnamon will be easily ground up in your coffee or spice grinder, but cassia may do it some damage.
Along with scary bat-like creatures that protected the trees and pecked at the eyes of those who tried to harvest the bark, it was also believed at one point that cinnamon was fished out of nets that trawled in the Nile. Our old pal Pliny the Elder, in writing his Natural History in the first century C.E., noted that these tales were spread by Arabic traders to raise the price of their goods, but the confusion in the West as to the true origins lasted until the 16th century, when the Portuguese arrived in Sri Lanka. Pliny also mentioned that 350 grams of cinnamon was equal in worth to 5 kg of silver!
Cinnamon therefore remained highly sought after, expensive and mysterious for a very long time. The high levels of essential oils in cassia made it of value to the ancient Egyptians as a perfuming agent during the mummification process. The Roman emperor Nero reportedly burned more cinnamon than Arabia could produce in a year on the funeral pyre of his consort Poppaea, to atone for the role he played in her death.
The lure of spices has led to much exploration. Spices enticed Greek sailors into the Indian Ocean; led Indian merchants to Arabia and Africa; and drew Arabic sailors to China and Indonesia. The desire for cinnamon, among other spices, and the rupture of the spice trade caused by the fall of Constantinople in 1453, was part of the incentive for the massive European voyages of exploration that set off in search of direct routes to the much sought after Spice Islands.
Chinese medicine uses cinnamon to warm the body, energize the circulation, and balance the energy in the upper and lower body.
In Indian Ayurvedic medicine, cinnamon is used externally for sore joints and rheumatism, and is washed around the mouth to alleviate toothache and sore gums. It is also used as a decongestant, and is added to steam inhalations to help with respiratory symptoms. If taken at the first signs of a cold it is said to prevent the cold from developing further.
There is good news and bad news about cinnamon. Here’s the good news: Studies have shown that the active ingredient in cinnamon, cinnamaldehyde, which provides the flavour and aroma of cinnamon, has antihyperglycemic properties. This means it could counteract high levels of glucose in the blood. Another study has shown that it can reduce bad cholesterols and fasting blood glucose in people with type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, and yet another shows reductions in blood glucose levels and food intake in diabetic rats. That all sounds pretty good.
For a nice easy explanation of diabetes, check out this video.
But a minor word of caution: Small amounts of cinnamon have been used for thousands of years with no reported side effects. Recently, European health agencies have warned against consuming large amounts of cassia cinnamon. This is because of a moderately toxic compound, coumarin, contained in the bark, and this coumarin can have a damaging effect on the liver. This hepatotoxic compound, which is something that damages the liver, was reported in people consuming gram amounts in the form of cinnamon capsules.
A distinction must be made also between cassia cinnamon and true cinnamon. Cassia cinnamon contains roughly 6 to 12 mg of coumarin per teaspoon, and therefore eating a whole teaspoon per day would probably exceed the safe levels. ‘True’ cinnamon, on the other hand, contains only trace amounts of coumarin,
In terms of the cinnamon you buy at the supermarket, and the cinnamon flavourings in products, chances are it is cassia cinnamon, as it is cheaper and more widely available than true cinnamon.
Cinnamon has been used in the past to help preserve foods, and some suggest, to mask the smell and taste of spoiled foods. This makes sense as cinnamon oil has been shown to have good antibacterial properties, and we all know how sweet and pungent the aroma is.
Other research suggests anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and blood pressure-lowering effects, but the study’s authors caution that more human data is needed.
In terms of food these days, cinnamon is added to things like French Toast, cinnamon rolls, sprinkled on coffee and hot chocolate. But it’s not just for sweet dishes. It is an ingredient in curry powder, chai, and mulled wine recipes, meatballs, pork, fish curry, and many more.
Have a go at this tasty Cinnamon Whisky Pear recipe. Great for an easy sweet dessert. Enjoy! |
Introduction/Background: In Jennifer Osterhage's Introductory Biology I taught at the University of Kentucky, she taught the concepts involved in the electron transport chain using a fun, interactive activity with clickers and student volunteers.
Created by Paul Ogg, Melissa Krebs, Vida Melvin, Amanda Charlesworth, and Melanie Badtke, this lesson teaches how cells regulate cell division using some lecture interspersed with interactive activities including clicker questions, pair/share, and class discussion, applying concepts to Angelina Jolie's BRCA1 mutation.
This lesson, created by Graciela Unguez, Erika Abel, Vanessa Castleberry, Rizalia Klausmeyer, Aaron Snead, Martina Rosenberg, William S. Garver, and Marcy Osgood for the National Academies Summer Institute for Undergraduate Education in Biology uses clickers, pair and share, and other exercises to help students "understand the effect of environmental pH on the ionization status of weak acids and weak bases." Read more about Shakespeare on Acid: To ionize or not to ionize?
Created by Laura Conner, Susan Hester, Anne-Marie Hoskinson, Mary Beth Leigh, Andy Martin ,and Tom Powershis, and contributed by Yale University's Center for Scientific Teaching, this case study lesson reinforces the concept of coevolution and gives students practice with the analysis and interpretation of data.
To prepare students for an exam, the teacher sets up essay questions on posters around the room for students to review. The movement helps keep energy up at the end of the semester. Read more about Test Review on the Move
Every aspect of Math 121 is highly interactive: Students spend most of class time working in groups on problems and they then present their work and discuss as a class. Each student is responsible for some part of the in-class problems. Read more about Interactive Group Math
In-class interactive game between students playing a modification of the "selectorate-electorate" game. This game has a leader distributing private and public benefits, and others voting.Read more about Selectorate-Electorate Game |
Darmour – June 2017
In 2015, more than 16,000 children under the age of five died every day—that’s almost six children every second. By the time you finish reading this, another 1,800 children will have died. Most of these deaths occur in undeveloped countries; more than half of them could have been prevented with access to simple, affordable interventions and treatments like vaccines.
As bad as it may seem, it is getting better. MBF hospital and clinic partners around the globe in countries like Haiti, Kenya and the DR Congo, are working hard to provide vaccines and affordable treatments, at little to no cost, to mothers and children in their poorest communities. Many of them even have mobile clinics to reach children who would otherwise be at risk.
At just a year old, Darmour is a beautiful baby, but very sick. She had been sick with a cold and cough for “many” days her mother said, and wasn’t getting any better. Early one morning, Damour’s mother scraped together the money for a motorcycle taxi to take them to the Darbonne Maternal and Child Health Clinic in Léogâne, Haiti. The clinic was more than an hour’s drive—four hours by foot! When they arrived at the clinic, Damour’s fever was so high that the doctor gave her acetaminophen and sent her mother to shower her with cold water outside the clinic. Damour’s mother was very worried. This was her little girl; her only child.
When they went back in to see the doctor, Damour was lethargic and her respirations were at 58 (normal respirations for a child of that age are 20—30). Her temperature was at 102.5 °F and she had vomited the medicine given earlier. The doctor listened to her lungs and diagnosed pneumonia. If left untreated, Damour would likely die.
Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of death in children worldwide, accounting for 15% of all deaths in those under the age of five. Pneumonia can be both prevented and treated with low-cost, low-tech medication and care.
The doctor wrote a prescription for an injection of antibiotics, more acetaminophen and more antibiotics to take at home by mouth when the vomiting stopped. After waiting in line at the pharmacy to get the medications, Damour and her mother moved to the treatment room where Damour had to endure the injections. As much as Damour’s crying from the needle pained her mother, she knew her baby would be well again soon thanks to doctors, staff and partners that support the Darbonne Maternal and Child Health Clinic.
Dieulaine – April 2017
Dieulaine, was a young, pregnant woman from Port Au Prince. She was excited about the birth of her first child and had been saving money to pay a local midwife so that she could give birth at home. But her husband died suddenly and soon family members were suggesting the death that took her husband might also come for her baby. Now she had to use the money she had saved for the birth to pay for her husband’s funeral.
She knew her time was approaching. The pain in her abdomen had increased and she felt something was wrong. Dieulaine consulted a neighbor midwife who confirmed the baby was in the wrong position and told her she needed to give birth at a hospital under the care of trained health care providers. Dieulaine sought out NGO’s that had remained in Haiti, even six years after the earthquake. But she was not considered “high risk” by their standards and was refused treatment. Nor could she afford the private or even government hospitals in Port Au Prince. She found herself alone and afraid, waiting for what should be a joyous occasion with a sense of dread.
Hôpital Ste. Croix was her safe place.
Another of Dieulaine’s neighbors convinced her, that even though Hôpital Ste. Croix (HSC) was a far two-hour trek to Léogâne, it was a good hospital and would be a safe place for her baby to be born. The very next day, Dieulaine went in to labor. Her neighbor got her to HSC, but Dieulaine was still stressed and fearful. When admitted, the HSC staff assured her that the money she did have would be enough for the deposit. Dr. Datus, head OB/GYN for HSC reported that the baby had moved into the correct position and all would be alright. Despite a rough beginning, Dieulaine gave birth to a healthy baby boy.
What does patient care look like in the developing world? For a poor pregnant woman it can be a clean, safe place to give birth when she has no other options. For a child it can be life-saving antibiotics that cure them of pneumonia and help them live long past their fifth birthday. For a father and husband, it can be sutures and medicine that prevent a severe wound from crippling him for life. For a community, it can be diagnostic equipment that detects illnesses long before they become debilitating and help people live longer, healthier and more productive lives.
All of these things fall in to the realm of patient care. And in the developing world, all can be difficult for hospitals and clinics to come by, and all can be financially crippling for the average family. Dieulaine’s story would have had a very different outcome if HSC, MBF’s partner in Haiti, did not have the resources to deliver her baby. Both mother and child could have perished, and most certainly would have been driven even deeper in to poverty.
Thanks to MBF supporting partners who are committed to providing patient care to some of the poorest communities around the world, Dieulaine and her child were given a chance for a healthy beginning.
Kamonji – January 2017
For fifteen-year-old Kamonji the news was bleak. The baby she carried was too big and created a high-risk situation. Having gotten pregnant by a boy in her class, she was a young girl lost in her circumstances, being cared for by the nurses at Moma Hospital, an MBF partner in DR Congo. After a grueling 16 hours of labor, Kamonji gave birth to a health baby boy, delivered by C-section. Both mother and son were able to rest on a sturdy wooden bed, with a new mattress in the renovated maternity ward, all of which was possible because of MBF’s work with partners like you.
With all her physical needs being met by the caring hospital staff, the question was—what happens next? Our desire is not only to bring hope in the form of quality health care to people like Kamonji, but also to build a spiritual ministry for those on-going needs that only God can meet. Imagine this young girl, her mind racing with questions unanswered, the worry and anxiety of someone so vulnerable being responsible for a precious new life. It would make sense that she felt love and compassion from the care she and her son received in the hospital, but without an introduction to God’s grace and mercy, she would still feel empty and hopeless. This is why maintaining the Christian component in patient care is critically important. God’s attitude about the value of a human being is far different from that seen in the secular world.
We are all made in His image and we are all representatives in His world. At MBF we are constantly looking for ways to strengthen and reenergize the spiritual component of our hospital partners. Within every mission hospital and health care organization is the need for helping and enabling its staff to develop and maintain an active spiritual life and a personal mission for ministry. But the challenge is that health care organizations in developing countries seldom have access to the resources they need to engage and educate their staff. Whether it is providing training or basic materials like bibles, MBF is committed to helping our hospital and clinic partners develop ways to create effective ministries and incorporate the Gospel into their daily patient care process. For sustainable health care to be a reality, we must include spiritual ministry with quality patient care. |
Break for perfect formfitting
BMW manufactures its boxer cilinder rods in one piece. Then cracks them in two to assemble them onto the cilinderhead. By doing this they obtain a perfect match between the two pieces.
Almost every internal combustion engine uses connecting rods to convert the linear movement of the pistons into the rotational movement of the crankshaft. If split connecting rods are used, the connection rod eye lower end must be separated into the connecting rod saddle and bearing cap.
Until now, these two halves were produced separately and then matched up together at a later point. This process required numerous working steps during production and a high level of dimensional accuracy.
Cracking - the technology
This working process has been rationalized for high performance engines. The connecting rods used here are initially produced as single part precision forged parts. The connecting rod bearing is then broken apart at a predefined point by fracture splitting, so-called cracking.
The entire cracking process only takes milliseconds. The quality of the fracturing process and the fracture can be determined from the force/time curve.
Source: hbm.comAdded: 20 February 2007 |
Peeling Back the Layers of NASA Landsat DataFebruary 26th, 2014
NASA’s Landsat Program has been capturing the longest continuous global record of the Earth’s surface for more than 40 years through the use of satellite imagery. But the Landset satellites capture much more than just the visible wavelengths of light, and NASA explains what other wavelengths are surveyed and how those can be used to analyze Earth’s surface, human developments, plant growth, and much more.
Landsat satellites circle the globe every 99 minutes, collecting data about the land surfaces passing underneath. After 16 days, the Landsat satellite has passed over every spot on the globe, and recorded data in 11 different wavelength regions. The individual wavelength bands can be combined into color images, with different combinations of the 11 bands revealing different information about the condition of the land cover. |
| Anatomic Pathology
An autopsy is a postmortem examination of the deceased body performed by a physician. Its purpose is to learn about the person's health during life, and to determine the cause of death. In a hospital autopsy, often the cause of death is known and the purpose of the autopsy is to determine the extent of the disease, the effects of therapy, and the presence of any undiagnosed disease. In Ontario certain autopsy cases that fall under the jurisdiction of the coroner. Examples include sudden or unexpected deaths, deaths occurring to those in custody or deaths from violence. These are called medico-legal or forensic autopsies. The Autopsy Pathology Laboratory at Kingston General Hospital performs both hospital autopsies and medico-legal autopsies. For further information on the autopsy service, please contact Dr. John Rossiter. |
1. Sexual RightsPSC 354 Janae DeRusso
2. Interesting Facts Homosexuals are subject to the death penalty in twelve countries in the world
In about 30 countries or provinces lesbians, gays and bisexuals are subject to a discriminatory age of consent
In more than 40 states around the world same sex acts are illegal
In about 15 countries or provinces the free association and free expression of lesbians, gays and bisexuals are denied explicitly through legal provisions
3. Thesis Sexual Rights should indeed be included in the category of Human Rights and those individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, transvestites, transsexuals, and intersex should not be discriminated against in any way, shape, or form.
4. Legal Aspects/ Introduction
5. What is Sexual Orientation? An enduring emotional, romantic, sexual or affectionate attraction to another person.
It ranges from exclusive homosexuality to exclusive heterosexuality and includes various forms of bisexuality. This includes: gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transvestites, transsexuals, transgender and intersex.
Refers to feelings and self-concept.
Main principles of the rights approach on sexual orientation relate to equality and non-discrimination. Human rights advocates, lawyers and other activists seek to ensure social justice and guarantee the dignity of lesbians, gays and bisexuals.
6. What is Sexual Orientation? (con’t)
7. UDHR Article 1 of UDHR: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”
Article 2 of UDHR: “Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
Article 2.2 of the International Covenant of Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights states that: “the States Parties to the present Covenant undertake to guarantee that the rights enunciated in the present Covenant will be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
Individuals are only protected against invidious discrimination, which is “discrimination that tends to ill will or causes unjustifiable harm.
8. Laws & Treaties Highly controversial issue with no chance for an international consensus on “even a working text for a draft declaration on the rights of homosexuals.”
“Amending” the International Human Rights Covenants would be tedious and extremely difficult.
Better to “rely instead on interpretation.”
A “campaign to emphasize these status disabilities can at least highlight the suffering publicly imposed on sexual minorities.”
Create pressure through “a widespread social attitude of tolerance” to silence critics and challengers of this acceptance.
Baby steps first, then strides to achieve ultimate goal stated in Article 2.
9. Then and Now The best known Western examples of time periods in which “(male) homoerotic relationships” were “tolerated or even highly valued” are from ancient Greece. However, “even the Christian tradition does not seem to have been consistently homophobic during its first millennium. Melanesia, South Asia, and the Muslim Near East also have traditions of male homoerotic relations.”
Society is now more inclusive and also emphasizes differences among sexual minorities, especially transvestites and transsexuals. This “undermines conventional links between sex (defined by genitalia or chromosomes), behavior, gender, sexual orientation, and personal identity.”
10. Still Human Beings… Human rights entail “that all human beings have basic rights simply because they are human.” One may choose to lead his/her life however they’d like because of the right to privacy under Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
One cannot lose his/her rights because society rejects them, because they are still human beings and thus “entitled to equal protection of the law and the equal enjoyment of all internationally recognized human rights.”
11. Discrimination “In numerous countries sexual relations among adult members of the same sex are legally prohibited.”
Punishments include life in prison, death, and various other violent means including “social cleansing.”
“Homosexual advances have even been accepted as excuses for manslaughter” in countries such as the US.
Profoundly immoral in many societies around the world.
A “threat to public morals.”
“In most countries, sexual orientation is an accepted ground for discrimination in employment, housing, or access to public facilities and social services. With a few recent exceptions, same-sex couples are denied civil status, resulting in discrimination in inheritance, adoption, and social insurance.”
Like so many other groups throughout history, sexual minorities are seen as inferior. This inferiority is seen as grounds for “permission to hate” and treat group members as less than human.
Erik Erikson developed the term “pseudospeciation,” to refer to the “dehumanization of a cultural group.”
12. International and Regional Instruments for Protection The binding treaties can be used to force government to respect the treaty provisions that are relevant for the human rights of LGBT.
The non-binding instruments, such as declarations and resolutions, can be used in relevant situations to embarrass governments by public exposure.
The following international and regional treaties determine standards for the protection of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered persons:
ILO Convention (No. 111) on Discrimination in Employment or Occupation (1958) (article 1) This treaty of the International Labour Organization does not itself prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, but permits state parties to add additional grounds.
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) (article 2, 26)For sexual orientation the Covenant - the main international treaty on civil and political rights - is important because in 1994, in the case Toonen vs. Australia, the Human Rights Committee held that the references to "sex" in Articles 2, paragraph 1, (non-discrimination) and 26 (equality before the law) of the ICCPR should be taken to include sexual orientation. As a result of this case, Australia repealed the law criminalizing sexual acts between males in its state of Tasmania. With this case, the Human Rights Committee created a precedent within the UN human rights system in addressing discrimination against lesbian, gays and bisexuals.
13. International and Regional Instruments for Protection (con’t) Others include: Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (1984) (article 1), Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) (1979), Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) (article 2), and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
European Court of Human Rights
First international body to find that sexual orientation criminal laws violate human rights and it has the longest and largest jurisprudence in addressing sexual orientation issues. However, restrictions may be applied for various reasons including health issues and transgender relationship cases.
14. Asylum Over the past few years there have been a few countries that have “begun to recognize sexual orientation or behavior as a grounds for asylum,
…Which in international law requires establishing that one has a well-founded fear of persecution back “home.”
15. National Protection and Service Agencies Several states or provinces have clauses in their constitutions regarding protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation.
South Africa, Ecuador, several states in Australia, Canada and Brazil
Other states have sexual orientation anti-discrimination laws or articles in the Penal Code.
The Netherlands and Romania.
The anti-discrimination provisions are adopted usually by including sexual orientation among the non-discrimination grounds from the beginning in the draft legal initiatives.
In practice, the implementation of existing anti-discrimination provisions is dependent on the political will. Some states created public agencies to investigate (sexual orientation) discrimination, and some of them can initiate legal actions for remedies to the benefit of the victim
16. Canada Standpoint
17. Canada Standpoint
19. Timeline (con’t)
20. U.S. Standpoint
21. Current Same-Sex Legislature States that legalize same-sex marriage
Massachusetts (as of May 17th, 2004)
Connecticut (as of October 10th, 2008)
Iowa (as of April 3rd, 2009)
Vermont (as of April 7th, 2009)
States that recognize same-sex marriages wed OUTSIDE of the state
New York (as of May 29th, 2008)
Washington D.C. (as of April 7th, 2009)
22. Proposition 8 Passed on November 4th, 2008
Changed state constitution to oppose same-sex couples and eliminated their right to marry
Added new section to Article I
“Only marriage between a man and a women is valid or recognized in California”
Overruled the In re Marriage Cases ruling (May 15th, 2008)
23. Lawrence v. Texas (6/26/03) The Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, declared unconstitutional a Texas law that prohibited sexual acts between same sex couples
Overruled Bowers v. Hardwick
Criminalized oral & anal sex in private between consenting adults
24. Matthew Shepard “Even where violence against sexual minorities is prosecuted, ‘gay-bashing’ is often sadly common.” An example was a case in the United States that occurred in the fall of 1998, in which “Matthew Shepard, a Wyoming college student, was brutally beaten and left to die, tied to a fence like a scarecrow, simply because he was gay. More often, it is lost in the everyday flow of crime or simply unreported.” (Donnelly 232)
25. Laws Regarding Same-Sex Partnerships Same-sex marriages
¦Foreign same-sex marriages recognized
¦Unions granting rights similar to marriage
¦Unions granting limited/enumerated rights
¦No specific prohibition or recognition of same-sex marriages or unions
¦Statute bans same-sex marriage
¦Constitution bans same-sex marriage
¦Constitution bans same-sex marriage and other kinds of same-sex unions
26. U.S. and the UN Gay Rights Declaration http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCxvEXrc1g0
A statement was released on March 18th, 2009 stating that the Obama Administration would endorse the UN Gay Rights Declaration
"The administration's leadership on this issue will be a powerful rebuke of an earlier Bush administration position that sought to deny the universal application of human rights protections to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) individuals," said Mark Bromley of the Council for Global Equality, which promotes equal rights for homosexuals.
27. Iran Standpoint
28. Middle Eastern Countries where homosexuality is illegal
United Arab Emirates
Yemen Middle Eastern Countries Where Homosexuality is Illegal
29. Middle Eastern Countries Where Homosexuality is Legal… …Or laws are unclear, but human rights violations still occur
Turkey is one of the most liberal nations in respect to LGBT rights. However, they are banned from the armed forces.
30. Sharia Law Classical Muslim Law
A body of rules, norms, and laws
Moral and legal guidance for Muslims
Sodomy between men is punishable by 100 whiplashes for an unmarried man and death by stoning for a married man
Sodomy is always punishable by death
Same-sex sexual activities other than sodomy are punishable by flogging
Sodomy, as used here, is described strictly as anal sex
31. Activism IGLHRC: International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Committee
IRQO: Iranian Queer Organization
ILGA: International Lesbian and Gay Association
32. Transgender Issues
33. Transgender Issues
35. Aspects of Transgender
36. Aspects of Transgender (con’t)
37. Objections/ Solutions Biblical sense of “marriage”
Separation of church and state, individual rights to freedom
Shari’a law=civil law
Debate against death penalty in modern democracy vs. Shari’a law
Right to Life
Harms the society, family structure
Individual rights vs. cultural right
Civil right, not a human right
Even though it’s not covered in most human rights terminology, it is a basic given human right (in correlation with identity/ religion, ethnicity,
NOT COVERED IN MOST HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
Outfront (Amnesty International), Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Campaign
38. WORKS CITED Coman, Adrian. "Sexual Orientation and Human Rights." Human Rights Education Associates. 2003. 19 Apr 2009
"ILGA." International Lesbian and Gay Association. May 2002. International Lesbian and Gay Association. 19 Apr 2009 <http://www.ilga.org/index.asp>.
"Lawrence v. Texas." Supreme Court Collection. 2003. Cornell University Law School. 19 Apr 2009 <http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/02-102.ZS.html>.
Lee, Matthew. "UN Gay Rights Declaration To Be Signed By US." UN Gay Rights Declaration To Be Signed By US. 18 Mar 2009. The Huffington Post. 19 Apr 2009 <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/18/un-gay-rights- declaration_n_176231.html>.
39. WORKS CITED (con’t) Sexual Orientation and Human Rights. Retrieved April 16, 2009, from Human rights Education Association Web site: http://www.hrea.org/index.php?base_id=161&&wv_print=1
Donnelly, J. (2003). Universal Human Rights: In Theory and Practice. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.
Hurley, Mary C. . "Sexual Orientation and Legal Rights (92-1E)." Publications List. 13 May 2007. Library of Parliament. 18 Apr 2009 <http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/921e.htm>. |
Ask anyone on the street to name a telescope, and odds are good he or she will reply, “the Hubble Space Telescope.” Hubble has gained worldwide fame for its spectacular pictures, which grace T-shirts, posters, and postage stamps. But Hubble is much more than just an instrument for taking pretty pictures. Since its launch in 1990, this great space observatory has been one of the most powerful science machines ever built. Hubble has contributed major discoveries to almost every field of astronomy, from planetary science to cosmology. Join former Sky & Telescope Editor in Chief Robert Naeye as he describes Hubble’s most profound contributions to human understanding of our wondrous universe. |
Beginning book collectors commonly become confused about the distinction between “signed books” and “inscribed books.”
An inscription is a short note written by the previous owner, or, in some cases, the author, in the beginning of a book. While an inscription is generally accompanied by a signature, a “signed” book specifically denotes the author’s signature, as in an autograph. In most cases, a signature is considered more valuable than an inscription, unless the inscription is written by or addressed to another famous or otherwise historically significant person. A book inscribed to another individual of this type is called an “association copy”.
Signed books are then books that have an author’s signature, without a specific addressee or personal inscription attached (although other notes, short poems, drawings or dates might accompany the signature).
Authenticating a signature can be an intensive process. Although there are many online indexes of graphic copies of famous signatures, an antiquarian bookseller or other related artifact specialist should be consulted for appraisal.
It is generally held that William Shakespeare has the most valuable signature. Only 6 authenticated examples exist, and all are on signed documents. The least valuable signature is not specifically known.
When a book is described as “Flatsigned,” it means that the signature or autograph is written directly on the endpaper or other page of the book, and not a bookplate, and that no inscription accompanies the signature. The term is attributed to author Stephen King. |
|Title:||Copernicus: Struggle and Victory - eBook|
|Categories:||eBooks, Middle School, Eighth, Seventh, Reading, Astronomy, History, General Waldorf Curriculum|
|Number of pages:||179|
Originally published in 1949, this lively book is an established treasure in Germany. Translated by Monica Gold it depicts the life struggles and striving of the Polish astronomer Nikolaus Copernicus. It is of value as a reader for seventh and eighth graders. |
How Long Did it Take to Deposit the Giant Louann Salt Layer in the Gulf of Mexico?
Dr. Frank Peel
Senior Research Fellow, Bureau of Economic Geology
Giant salt deposits such as the Mid Jurassic Louann Salt form a vital part of the framework for oil and gas exploration. In order to explore for resources beneath and above them, we need to understand how they formed – and how long this took. But there are no modern-day analogs for this extraordinary process, so we must work this out from first principles. By considering the very special circumstances in which the Louann formed – at the point of breakup of the Pangea supercontinent – and its links to the world ocean, we can deduce that the water entering the basin had already been concentrated by evaporation and that it probably entered the basin through a narrow channel. This makes it very different from other salt giants, such as the Messinian of the Mediterranean, which had less extreme settings. These special conditions mean that the Louann could have been deposited extremely rapidly – at rates of perhaps tens of centimeters per year –and that deposition of the entire sequence could have been completed in a matter of tens of thousands of years. Such a brief and extremely rapid deposition may be a quasi-catastrophic event in earth history, with major consequences for our understanding of the basin. |
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Most of us are not aware of just how differently these two barriers work in building assemblies. This article makes the differences as clear as the polyethylene film that should (or more likely should NOT) be in your walls.
Air Barriers vs. Vapor Barriers
The key to moisture control is the control of air transported moisture. This requires an air barrier system or air pressure control that may or may not be combined with an air barrier system.
There is a big difference between air transported moisture and vapor diffusion. Proponents of vapor barrier systems tend to confuse these two transport mechanisms ? do they control the vapor diffusion part, the air transport part or both? It is not always clear.
What is clear is that air transport is far more significant than vapor diffusion. What is also clear is that you do not need a 6-mil polyethylene barrier to control air transported moisture. Permeability values of materials are irrelevant in air barrier systems. Although 6-mil polyethylene is an excellent vapor barrier it is often a very poor air barrier. I will agree that it is possible to install 6-mil polyethylene as an air barrier. The key point that needs to be made is that although air barriers are a good idea everywhere, vapor barriers are not.
Moisture flow by vapor diffusion is governed by the second law of thermodynamics (basic physics to some, not so basic to others). Moisture will flow by diffusion because of a concentration gradient as well as a temperature gradient (from “more to less” as well as “from warm to cold”). This means that it tends to go from the inside out up north and from the outside in down south. In the middle of the country part of the year it goes from inside out and part of the year it goes from outside in.
It is easy to say lets put a vapor barrier on the inside up north and on the outside down south. It is much harder to define “north” and “south”. Everyone can agree to put a vapor barrier on the inside in Burlington, VT, and on the outside in Miami, FL. It is a little more difficult to agree on where to put a vapor barrier in other locations. If you put a vapor barrier on the inside in Washington, D.C., half of the year it will be in the wrong place. You certainly do not want to put a vapor barrier on both sides of the wall. It’s pretty obvious that you do not want a vapor barrier at all in most assemblies in mixed climates. “Flow-through” design makes more sense in mixed climates where vapor diffusion is slowed down, but not stopped. Hence, the term vapor retarders.
When moisture storage effects are added, things get real interesting. Take a brick veneer cladding that experiences rain-wetting followed by exposure to solar radiation. The sun tends to drive moisture inward. It makes sense to put a vapor barrier behind a brick veneer to stop this inward flow. But what happens when you install a vapor barrier behind a brick veneer in a cold climate? Do you also want to install a vapor barrier on the inside? I think not ? that would be a vapor barrier on both sides. Maybe we want a vapor barrier on the outside behind the brick veneer and a vapor retarder on the inside. Maybe we should use an insulating sheathing that is vapor semi-permeable on the outside with sufficient thermal resistance to elevate the temperature of the condensing surface during the heating season, and have a vapor permeable interior finish to permit drying to the interior? It sounds complicated and it is.
It turns out that the distinction between a vapor barrier and a vapor retarder is a necessity. Let us examine a common building material: kraft-faced fiberglass insulation. Is the kraft facing a vapor barrier or not? It depends on the time of year. If the facing is installed towards the interior in a climate such as Washington, D.C., it is a vapor barrier in the winter and a vapor retarder in the summer. How is this so?
Well, kraft-facing is impregnated with bitumen and the paper-bitumen composite is hygroscopic. It adsorbs water as the relative humidity it is exposed to rises. As the quantities of adsorbed water increase, the vapor permeability of the composite changes. This reflected by the differences between dry-cup permeability test values and wet-cup permeability test values. Under dry-cup testing, one side of the material is maintained at 0 percent RH and the other side is maintained at 50 percent RH. Under wet-cup testing one side of the material is maintained at 50 percent RH and the other side is maintained at 100 percent RH. So under dry-cup testing the kraft facing has a perm rating of 1 perm, and under wet-cup testing the kraft facing has a perm rating of 5 perms. In the winter months, when the inside relative humidity is high, we have vapor retarder on the inside, that permits drying to the inside. It sure would be a dumb idea to replace this kraft facing with a 6-mil polyethylene sheet that would trap water in the wall assembly during the summer.
One of the problems in the building industry is that we have a spreading “cult-like” mentality that worships at the “church of polyethylene”. This cult views the answer to all moisture problems as the installation of a polyethylene vapor barrier condom on the inside of buildings. This cult is responsible for many more building failures than building successes. It’s time that the cult deprogramming started.
Building Science documents are intended for professionals. The author and the publisher of this article have used their best efforts to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. The author and publisher make no warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, with regard to the information contained in this article.
The information presented in this article must be used with care by professionals who understand the implications of what they are doing. If professional advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional shall be sought. The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising from, the use of the information contained within this Building Science document.
© buildingscience.com. All rights of reproduction in any form reserved. |
Clinical Trials Using Entrectinib
Clinical trials are research studies that involve people. The clinical trials on this list are studying Entrectinib. All trials on the list are supported by NCI.
NCI’s basic information about clinical trials explains the types and phases of trials and how they are carried out. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat disease. You may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Talk to your doctor for help in deciding if one is right for you.
Genetic Testing in Guiding Treatment for Patients with Brain Metastases
This phase II trial studies how well genetic testing works in guiding treatment for patients with solid tumors that have spread to the brain. Several genes have been found to be altered or mutated in brain metastases such as NTRK, ROS1, CDK or PI3K. Medications that target these genes such as abemaciclib, GDC-0084, and entrectinib may stop the growth of tumor cells by blocking some of the enzymes needed for cell growth. Genetic testing may help doctors tailor treatment for each mutation.
Location: 341 locations
Basket Study of Entrectinib (RXDX-101) for the Treatment of Patients With Solid Tumors Harboring NTRK 1 / 2 / 3 (Trk A / B / C), ROS1, or ALK Gene Rearrangements (Fusions)
This is an open-label, multicenter, global Phase 2 basket study of entrectinib (RXDX-101) for the treatment of patients with solid tumors that harbor an NTRK1 / 2 / 3, ROS1, or ALK gene fusion. Patients will be assigned to different baskets according to tumor type and gene fusion.
Location: 21 locations
Study Of Entrectinib (Rxdx-101) in Children and Adolescents With Locally Advanced Or Metastatic Solid Or Primary CNS Tumors And / Or Who Have No Satisfactory Treatment Options
This is an open-label, Phase 1 / 2 multicenter dose escalation study in pediatric patients with relapsed or refractory extracranial solid tumors (Phase 1), with additional expansion cohorts (Phase 2) in patients with primary brain tumors harboring NTRK1 / 2 / 3 or ROS1 gene fusions, and extracranial solid tumors harboring NTRK1 / 2 / 3 or ROS1 gene fusions.
Location: 17 locations
A Study of Alectinib, Entrectinib, or Vemurafenib Plus Cobimetinib in Participants With Stages I-III Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer With ALK, ROS1, NTRK, or BRAF v600E Molecular Alterations
This trial will evaluate the efficacy and safety of targeted therapies in participants with resectable Stage IA2, IB, IIIA, or selected IIIB resectable and untreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) tumors with selected molecular alterations.
Location: 11 locations
A Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Multiple Targeted Therapies as Treatments for Participants With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)
This is a phase 2 / 3, global, multicenter, open-label, multi-cohort study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of targeted therapies or immunotherapy as single agents or in combination in participants with unresectable, advanced or metastatic NSCLC determined to harbor oncogenic somatic mutations or positive by tumor mutational burden (TMB) assay as identified by two blood-based next-generation sequencing (NGS) circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) assays.
Location: 5 locations
Tumor-Agnostic Precision Immuno-Oncology and Somatic Targeting Rational for You (TAPISTRY) Platform Study
TAPISTRY is a Phase II, global, multicenter, open-label, multi-cohort study designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of targeted therapies or immunotherapy as single agents or in rational, specified combinations in participants with unresectable, locally advanced or metastatic solid tumors determined to harbor specific oncogenic genomic alterations or who are tumor mutational burden (TMB)-high as identified by a validated next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay. Participants with solid tumors will be treated with a drug or drug regimen tailored to their NGS assay results at screening. Participants will be assigned to the appropriate cohort based on their genetic alteration(s). Treatment will be assigned on the basis of relevant oncogenotype, will have cohort-specific inclusion / exclusion criteria, and, unless otherwise specified, will continue until disease progression, loss of clinical benefit, unacceptable toxicity, participant or physician decision to discontinue, or death, whichever occurs first.
Location: 4 locations |
The latest in a long line of research on alcohol's benefits sure to cause a stir is a paper by geriatrics researchers at the University of Bari in Italy appearing in the May 22 issue of Neurology, revealing that the progression of dementia may be slower in people who drink moderately than in teetotalers. A survey of elderly Italians 1,445 of whom had no cognitive impairment and 121 who suffered mild cognitive impairment (MCI) found that, over 3.5 years, those with MCI who drank less than one drink a day progressed to dementia at a rate 85% slower than those who drank nothing. Drinking more did not seem to be better than drinking nothing. Expect big headlines to follow: "Booze boosts the brain"; "A drink a day keeps dementia away."
The problem is, of course, that that's not what the Bari scientists actually wrote in their paper. They said only that a drink a day may keep dementia away. Like so many studies of this kind, where researchers follow a large group without making any interventions of their own, it can be hard to distinguish the effects of alcohol from the effects of other lifestyle factors. As the Neurology article plainly states: "It is... possible that moderate lifestyles in general, which obviously vary according to different cultural environments, protect from cognitive impairment. Thus it may not be the direct effect of alcohol or specific substances in alcoholic drinks that provide the protection."
In other words, common sense and your own personal experience might explain just as much of the association between drinking and delayed mental decay as can be explained by neurology. Seventy-year-olds who have a regular glass of wine, for example, might well be moderate drinkers precisely because they are still physically fit, eat reasonably well, are in good enough health that don't take serious medications that prevent them from drinking, and lead active social lives all factors that, like moderate drinking, have been linked to staying mentally sharp. Researchers who study the effects of any one of these factors will, of course, try to separate it from the others. But when it comes right down to it, that's not always easy. There are some ethical problems that get in the way of researchers force-feeding patients pre-determined quantities of alcohol. Without that kind of control over study subjects, however, scientists are limited in what they can measure.
To be fair, the scientists and journal publishers are almost never the ones who claim unambiguous relationships between alcohol or anything else and good health. But journal articles generally assume readers understand that correlation is not causation, a subtlety that may be lost on the layperson. And subtlety is often what's needed to present these studies fairly. Alcohol could offer some protection against cognitive decline, after all. Moderate alcohol consumption has been linked with reduced risk of vascular disease, and good vascular health could slow the progression of dementia. The study authors note that some experiments show that ethanol encourages the release of a brain chemical that could be responsible for improved memory; that alcohol is associated with high levels of HDL cholesterol, linked to better coronary health; and that anti-oxidants in wine, the main source of the elderly Italians' alcohol intake, might also boost cognitive performance. Or there could be an entirely different mechanism at play.
The simple thing to note is that the researchers behind this study weren't claiming to show any of these things. The paper is still valuable: it is the first to identify a relationship between alcohol consumption and the rate of progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, according to the study authors. It also appears consistent with other papers that suggest, over a longer time period, that moderate alcohol consumption might be linked to reduced risk of dementia. That's all a bit complicated for a headline. But on reports like this one, it's usually worth reading the fine print. |
|Title:||Creative Form Drawing with Children Aged 10-12 Years Workbook 2|
|Categories:||General Waldorf Curriculum, Evaluation/Assessment, Form Drawing, Fourth, Fifth, Sixth|
|Number of pages:||96|
Creative Form Drawing with Children: Workbook 2 is a form-drawing resource for teachers working with ages 10 to 12. It is designed to be used with the Steiner/Waldorf curriculum of classes four and six. It will be valuable, as well, for home-educating parents using the Steiner/Waldorf approach as their core basis. |
Categories: THE THEORY OF SECURITY
Military Handbooks: The Plattsburg Manual Advanced Training
An advance guard is a detachment of the main body which precedes and
covers it on the march.
Its duties are:
(1) To guard against surprise and furnish information by reconnoitering
to the front and flanks.
(2) To push back small parties of the enemy and prevent their observing,
firing upon, or delaying the main body.
(3) To check the enemy's advance in force long enough to permit the main
body to prepare for action.
(4) When the enemy is encountered on the defensive, to seize a good
position and locate his lines, care being taken not to bring on a
general engagement unless the advance-guard commander is empowered to do
(5) To remove obstacles, repair the road, and favor in every way
possible the steady march of the column. |
We have already used about half of the world’s land surface.
By Rakesh Agrawal
Today, July, 11 is the World Population Day and the world’s population is increasing by leaps and bound as according to the Population Reference Bureau , 237,211 more people are added to the planet every day as every second worldwide, five people are born and two people die, leaving three more humans to inhabit the earth. Already, the world population is 7.3 billion and grows by 80 million a year.
This raises serious doubt on the carrying capacity of the mother earth as considering renewable resources and the Earth’s capacity to absorb carbon, toxic chemicals, and other forms of pollution, two Earths will be needed by 2030 to sustain us. Its warning signs are everywhere, as rivers and lakes shrink, water tables fall, carbon emissions rise, deserts expand, forests shrink, and fisheries collapse.
And, we are fast becoming a “single-specie” planet as we have already using about half of the world’s land surface to grow our crops, raise livestock, construct our roads, and build our towns and cities.
Any populist leader projects this burgeoning population as the biggest problem facing the humankind, but Population Media Center, a non-profit organization that works on health and human rights issues to improve access to information and improved ability to make choices, finds population as the part of the solution.
Its recipe is simple. By empowering people by meeting their human rights, health enhancing ways, such as providing girls with equal rights and an education and protecting the environment, we can stabilize population
Even today, girls and women in many parts of the world live in a sub-human condition, the United Nations calls the world leaders to invest in teenage girls. “In some parts of the world, a girl who reaches puberty is deemed by her family or community as ready for marriage, pregnancy and childbirth. She may be married off and forced to leave school,” said UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin.
The UN releases sis figures to substantiate this fact: There are more young people today than at any other time in human history, a whopping 1.59 billion young people live in the developing world, where they are more likely to face poverty and lack access to health care and education, half of these young people face alarming vulnerabilities – because they are girls, violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights abuses as half of all sexual assaults are committed against girls aged 15 or younger.
Studies show that about 20 per cent of women experienced sexual violence as girls. Too often, these crimes go unpunished. Then, sexist attitudes and practices like child marriage exits as one in every three girls is married before 18, these ‘wives’ often become mothers, even if they’re not yet physically or mentally ready.
So, the solution to ending these human rights abuses is known: Empower girls.
But, as Gandhi said, earth has enough for everyone’s needs, but not greed, it’s our greed that’s killing us. After all, only humans amongst all living species earn money, but only humans die of hunger and malnutrition! |
Star of Bethlehem, celestial phenomenon mentioned in the Gospel According to Matthew as leading “wise men from the East” to the birthplace of Jesus Christ. Natural events that might well have been considered important omens and described as stars include exploding stars (novae and supernovae), comets (Halley’s Comet was visible in 12 and 11 bc), meteors, and planetary conjunctions—i.e., apparent close approaches of two or more planets to each other.
The year of Jesus’ birth is uncertain but can be narrowed down to probably between 6 and 4 bc. The biblical account indicates two sightings of the star, one before the wise men began their journey (probably from Babylonia or Persia) and the other near their journey’s end, when the omen “came and stood over where the young child was.” A celestial object near the horizon of any given observer might be considered by him as pointing out some spot on Earth below.
Chinese annals record novae in 5 bc and 4 bc; in the early 17th century, Johannes Kepler advanced the view that the Star of Bethlehem may have been a nova occurring in or near some conjunction of bright planets.
Several striking planetary conjunctions also took place within 10 years of the chronological point now taken as the beginning of the Christian era. A triple conjunction in early 6 bc, in which Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn stood at the points of a triangle, has often been mentioned as a possible explanation of the star. Prior to that, in 7 bc, Jupiter and Saturn were for eight months within three degrees of each other and three times within that period passed within one degree. Several years later, on June 17, 2 bc, the bright planets Venus and Jupiter would have appeared to observers in Babylon to have merged just before setting in the general direction of Bethlehem to the west. |
Grand Teton National Park, spectacular glaciated mountain region in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. It lies just south of Yellowstone National Park (to which it is connected by the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway) and north of the city of Jackson; the National Elk Refuge adjoins the park’s far southeastern boundary. In 1950 most of Jackson Hole National Monument (established 1943) was incorporated into the park, which itself had been established in 1929; the park now covers 484 square miles (1,254 square km).
The park encompasses much of the Teton Range and most of Jackson Hole, a fertile valley just to the east of the Tetons, through which runs the Snake River. The snow-covered and glacially scoured peaks of the range—whose highest point is Grand Teton, 13,770 feet (4,198 metres) above sea level—tower some 7,000 feet (2,130 metres) above Jackson Hole. The steep, rugged mountains give way to the morainic landscape of the valley, which is dotted with glacial lakes of varying sizes. The best-known of these is Jenny Lake, which lies at the base of the tallest peaks, and the largest is Jackson Lake, formed by a dam across the Snake River.
The national park has a generally cool montane climate, with warm summers and severe winters. High temperatures in July average about 80 °F (27 °C), and average lows in January are about 1 °F (−17 °C). Precipitation is moderate, about 22 inches (560 mm) annually, much of it falling as snow in the colder months. The heavy amount of snow—averaging some 15 feet (4.5 metres) per year—helps sustain small residual glaciers in the high mountains.
The lower elevations are forested with straight, tall lodgepole pines, which benefit from periodic wildfires (the heat releases seeds from the cones), while fir and sharp-pointed Engelmann spruce grow higher up. Deciduous trees, such as cottonwood, poplar, and aspen, grow in well-watered places. Throughout the warmer months a succession of different varieties of wildflowers appear, the earliest of which begin to bloom while still underneath the snow. The streams abound in fish. Herds of bison, elk, and antelope roam at will, moose graze in wetter areas, and black and brown (grizzly) bears are found in remote areas. Notable among the many species of birds are bald eagles and brilliantly coloured western bluebirds.
Grand Teton is one of the most heavily visited of the U.S. national parks, with the great bulk of people coming during the warmer months (May–October). The park is accessible by road from the north (Granite Canyon), east (Moran), and south (Moose). Park headquarters and a visitor’s centre are at Moose, and during the warmer months another visitor’s centre is open at Colter Bay on Jackson Lake. In addition to extensive camping facilities, the park has several seasonal lodging concessions, notably Jackson Lake Lodge a short distance south of Colter Bay. Grand Teton is renowned for its spectacular hiking trails, totaling more than 235 miles (380 km) throughout the park, and for climbing routes of varying skill levels up the high peaks. |
by Andrew Collins
News comes of the discovery of a
hitherto unknown Dead Sea Scroll that scholars believe, if
genuine, could be 'the archaeological discovery of the century',
according to the 11 October 1999 edition of the JERUSALEM REPORT.
Known as the 'Angel Scroll', it
is apparently loaded with Jewish mystical imagery, descriptions of
angels and detail which shows that it could provide the missing link
between the Dead Sea community and the teachings of the
Jerusalem Church, the earliest form of Christianity. It is
potentially more important that any of the other scrolls so far
examined and is thought to be around 2000 years old. It is composed
of 1000 lines in Hebrew, with a splattering of words in Aramaic and
The story goes that it was found by Bedouin not on the Israeli side
of the Dead Sea like the other scrolls, but in Jordan on the steep
western slopes of the mountains descending to Wadi al-Mojab,
south-east of the Dead Sea. Here it was uncovered inside a jar in a
cave alongside pieces of shard, glass and coins.
The various fragments of the text are
said to have been purchased clandestinely in Amman during the 1970s
by a team of Benedictine monk-scholars who had been searching for
just such a scroll for several years. They are alleged to have
illegally spirited it out of Jordan and taken it to a monastery on
the German-Austrian border. Here it has remained to this day, a vow
of silence being imposed on all those who have worked on its
translation for over a decade.
By all accounts, the text describes a 'tour of the heavens'
undertaken by its author in the company of an angel named 'Pnimea',
who is unquestionably
the Watcher Pênêmûe of
the Book of Enoch (Enoch I,
compiled c. 165 BC-AD 100). Like Enoch in the Book of
Enoch, the author of the Angel Scroll is taken on a
journey during which he is shown the 'secrets of the universe' and
is taught 'to contemplate signs in the sun and the stars and through
them forecast events'.
Furthermore, he is shown 'the signs
which are in the raging of the waves and the sea, and in the clouds
in the heavens', as well as 'how to use medical plants and stones to
cure disease and predict the future'.
Pênêmûe in 1Enoch is said to have
taught mankind 'the bitter and the sweet', in other words the use of
herbs and spices in foods, as well the use of 'ink and paper'. In
the Angel Scroll, Pnimea even enables its author 'to
journey back in time', so that he might 'witness creation'.
According to the JERUSALEM REPORT one of the monks, a 'Father
Gustave Mateus' carefully made photographs of entire transcriptions
of the text and decided to share knowledge of the scroll with a
trusted colleague, a German-born Israeli. When the monk died in
1996, at the age of 70, a lawyer informed the confidant that
Father Mateus had bequeathed to him a package of material that
included the photographs showing the transcriptions, along with
sections of the text translated into English and German and
extensive handwritten notes.
These eventually came into the
possession of two Israelis, both professionals, who knew Father
Mateus but said that he had never discussed the existence of the
scroll with them. They studied the text for three years before
deciding to bring it to the attention of the magazine.
Father Mateus apparently considered the Angel Scroll
to be 'one of the most important and thrilling documents of all
time' and one of,
'the earliest sources for both the
Jewish and Christian esoteric and mystic literature. In fact, I
discovered in it the source for the beginning of Christianity,
and the point of contact between it and the Jewish sects'.
He wanted the knowledge it contained to
be revealed to the world and this is now what a secretive group
of Jewish scholars intend to see happen.
Yet there are some major problems in accepting the authenticity of
the scroll, not least of all its apparent dedication. At the
beginning of the text it reads:
'To Yeshua, son of Pediya
the priest, the holy one'.
Yeshua is the Hebrew form of
Jesus, a fact that will instantly raise eyebrows among Jewish
scholars. However, as we shall see after the publication of
Graham Phillips' remarkable new book
THE MARIAN CONSPIRACY (2000), this
dedication makes perfect sense of what we know about the true
parentage of Jesus.
Netty C. Gross is the author of the article on the Angel
Scroll which appeared in the JERUSALEM REPORT during
October 1999. After being shown both its transcription and Father
Mateus' original notes, he provided copies of these to Stephen
Pfann, a member of the 55-strong team currently studying the
Dead Sea Scrolls in the possession of Israel. He is also the
editor of the forthcoming COMPREHENSIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE DEAD
Although Pfann remains skeptical about
the authenticity of the scroll, since no one has been allowed to see
it, he says that if it is a hoax then 'it's a very, very good one.'
If it is genuine, he says, it could be 'the discovery of the
century' and could have 'profound implications for historians of
both Judaism and Christianity.'
He is heartened by the fact that it
contains many, what he calls, 'Qumranisms' in that, like the known
Dead Sea Scrolls, it uses Aramaic
and Greek words as well as terms such as 'Sons of light' and the
'new' or 'renewed covenant'. It also names
Yahweh as 'El' and Satan
as 'Belial'. More pointedly, it uses terms familiar to the
'languages and concepts reminiscent of the teachings of Jesus
and the writings of the apostle Paul', suggesting that its authors
were familiar with the concepts of the Jerusalem Church.
The scroll also contains sections
similar to existent Dead Sea texts such as the 'Rule
of the Community' and 'The
War Scroll'. In addition to this, other sections are also
reminiscent of the Third Book of Enoch, a text of the third
or fourth century AD, seen as a precursor to the medieval mystical
teachings of the kabbalah. One main theme is knowledge of
something called the 'divine throne', a subject that crops up in I
Enoch, the Book of Ezekiel and the Book of Daniel. Finding it in a
Qumrân text Pfann says 'would mark the first time we see a
fully developed 1st century text on Jewish mysticism. That would be
This realization is bound to be derided by orthodox Jews since it is
clear that the Essenes, the sect regularly identified as the
Dead Sea community, who were previously considered to be an
isolationist, separatist sect, now appear responsible for the
development of mainstream Jewish mysticism.
Other Jewish scholars so far consulted on the existence and
authenticity of the Angel Scroll remain non-committal. It has
even been suggested that it could be an elaborate hoax 'designed to
heighten Christian sensibilities on the eve of the new millennium'.
From my own point of view, and not having seen any part of the text,
I can only comment on the statements made in respect to the author's
journey to heaven in the company of the angel 'Pnimea', Pênêmûe
of the Book of Enoch. The angel's role as revealer of the secrets of
heaven is here exemplified. Yet in
the Secrets of the Book of Enoch (2Enoch),
a Greek text of the first century AD derived from a Hebrew original,
we find Enoch being transported to the Seven Heavens in a manner
similar to that of the author of the Angel Scroll.
Here, however, the angel who accompanies
Enoch is not Pênêmûe, one of the 200 rebel Watchers,
but Raphael, a Watcher who remained loyal to heaven
after the time of the fall. This subtle alteration is greatly
significant, since it indicates that when the Greek form of
2Enoch was being compiled this important role played in the
original Hebrew text by a fallen angel was considered blasphemous
enough to be expiated from the revised text.
The role would appear to have been
transferred at some later point to the more respectable Raphael, who
evolved into one of the principal archangels in later Christian
mysticism and iconography. This might therefore be an example of how
the original importance played by the rebel
Watchers, or fallen angels, as the
givers of heavenly knowledge to mortal kind, was gradually expiated
from later Enochian texts, such as 2Enoch.
This is just a suggestion, and in time hopefully we shall all learn
more about the contents of the Angel Scroll. Yet if it does
turn out to contain new material on the role played by the
Watchers in the exposure of heavenly matters to human kind, then
it could add dramatically to our understanding of their development
in earliest Jewish literature.
Account taken from Gross, Netty C.,
'The Mystery of the Angel Scroll: Find of the Century or
Elaborate Hoax?', JERUSALEM REPORT, 11 October 1999.
Quotes from the Book of Enoch taken
from R. H. Charles, THE BOOK OF ENOCH OR 1 ENOCH, OUP, 1912. See
also Morfill, W. R., trans., and edit. and intro. R. H. Charles,
THE BOOK OF THE SECRETS OF ENOCH, Clarendon Press, Oxford/OUP,
Many thanks to Mark Pilkington of
FORTEAN TIMES for bringing this story to my attention and for
providing a copy of the article from the JERUSALEM REPORT.
New 'Angel' Dead Sea Scroll
A "lost" Dead Sea Scroll
has reportedly been uncovered and if it is proven
authentic, it reveals a new understanding of how the
ancient Israelites viewed their God, his angels
and their place in the heavens.
Called the "Angel Scroll," it is a thousand lines
long, was purchased in Jordan in 1970 by a group of
Benedictine monks and spirited away to their German
monastery. Upon his death in 1977, one of the group,
Father Gustav Mateus, bequeathed his photographs
and hand transcriptions of the scroll to an unnamed
Jerusalem college administrator. He handed the material
over to Stephan Phann, a member of the team of
scholars translating the scrolls held by the Israeli
government, and his findings were released to the
newsmagazine The Jerusalem Report.
Phann has declared that, "If the scroll is a
hoax, it's a very good one. It's a serious literary
But others are more skeptical. The existence of Father
Mateus has not been proven and the Jerusalem Report,
little more than a source of disinformation for the
Labor Party, is hardly a reliable venue. That said,
experts are in general agreement that the text of the
scroll so far released "feels" genuine.
What little of the scroll that has been released,
reveals its storyline is a journey to the heavens
accompanied by angels. According to Phann, the
text is full of "divine chariot-throne themes with
elaborate details of angels ascending heaven's multiple
gates." And this should be of great interest to the
minions (most inspired by Von Danieken) who take
a literal view the bible's words, putting the many
references to wheels within wheels, flying scrolls,
pillars of fire, etc. into a UFO context.
Longtime Israeli ufologist, now a student of kabala,
Mordechai Spasser believes it would be a mistake to
interpret the new scroll from a UFO viewpoint.
"What I've read
appears to me to be philosophy on an astral plane,
or simply, Jewish mysticism."
Keeping that possibility
in mind, or melding it with the popular UFO readings of
extant Jewish holy scriptures, here are two passages
from the Angel Scroll, with my literal interpretation
"And the Angel Pnimea
said to me: "And son of man, lift up your eyes and
see all the secrets... that are in the fourth gate
which is the gate of birth. And I saw, and it was
like the womb and the chambers of the stomach, and
its waters gush and roar like the breakers of the
sea on the wall of the cave, which cannot withstand
And here is a seed of
life in the water emanating from the seed of man and
from the seed of the woman for male and female that
He created. And the seed that is joined from the two
seeds is not like a clean slate. It is written
inside and outside and it has within knowledge and
understanding before its creation and before its
creation in the womb. And the beginning of the child
is not in the birth or in conception nor is its end
It appears that the
narrator was shown an advanced real-time version of our
pathetic ultrasound technology. He stands before a gate,
or unknown to him, a monitor and sees male ejaculation
into the womb, including a closeup of sperm and egg.
He witnesses conception
and is then told the secrets of DNA and genes.
Pointedly, God has created both within mankind.
"According to the plan
of that day, the Voice went forth to me and directed
me and he drove me by the Spirit. And a vision was
revealed to me from the Most High, and Pancimeia,
Prince of Angels lifted me up in the Spirit and I
ascended heavenward above the high places of the
clouds and he showed me the great world and the
image of the gods.
And I pondered the
appearance round about and there was no time and no
place and their appearance from the dwelling places
of light was like a rainbow in the clouds. And they
had no bodies and no bodily structure and the
dominion of darkness was over all of the earth round
Now this is one accurate
description of a trip in the Space Shuttle. First the
traveller passes above cloud level. He observes the high
places of the clouds, possibly those ridges unseen at
ground level. Then he sees the earth from space and it
is surrounded by darkness.
He is shown images of the
gods and their homes on a control monitor and marvels at
the fine color quality and at the bizarre fact that
there is no firmament to the images on the screen.
That said and interpreted, I for one, am looking forward
to reading the full text of the Angel Scroll. |
While users of windmills drive their water pumps and grind grains, wind turbines provide energy for generating electricity. However, the invention of windmills and turbines has helped large-scale farmers to harness the wind for many purposes. So, wind power is useful when you need reliable and clean energy. We have also seen vessels and sailboats using the power of wind energy for transportation. Without knowing the benefits of wind energy, it might be difficult to apply this from energy.
What is Wind Energy?
Energy from the wind around us is grouped into three main types. As a source of renewable energy, wind energy is the application of air flows to generate electric power. It’s the kinetic energy from air movements that determines the quantum of wind energy that can generate electricity.
When we say renewable energy, it means the source doesn’t deplete (inexhaustible) after producing heat or electricity. Wind energy comes from a renewable source where efficient technologies help to capture kinetic energy. Generally, this technology and the concept of wind power generation emit zero carbon.
What are the types of Wind Energy And Turbine?
While wind energy is the type of technology that provides power, turbines are infrastructure for generating this energy. The three types of wind energy are based according to their output and installation.
- Utility-scale Wind: Wind turbines under this category use power grid to transmit electricity. The capacity of utility-scale wind farms ranges between 100 kilowatts to large megawatts of electricity.
- Distributed Wind: This category of wind energy plant is also called a “small” wind plant because it generates less than 100 kilowatts. Usually, the turbines don’t have power grids, and they send electricity to homes, farms, and offices directly.
- Offshore Wind: installing wind turbines on offshore in the ocean often takes a larger chunk of space than land-based wind farms. An example of an offshore wind farm is the Walney Extension. It’s the world’s largest offshore wind farm with a grid of 87 turbines and wind power generation capacity of 659 megawatts.
The horizontal-axis wind turbine (HAWT) is the most common type of wind turbine infrastructure. It uses thin blades that have high resistance to air, and are often between two to three blades attached to the rotor. The vertical-axis wind turbine (VAWT) has shorter blades, and they are wider too.
Use Wind Energy When You Need Eco-friendly Sources of Electricity
Toxic greenhouse gases deplete the ozone layer and are carcinogenic. While degrading ecosystems, these air contaminants also affect building structures and cause respiratory diseases like asthma. With zero emissions, wind turbines or any wind farm can build healthy, safe, and sustainable environments. One of the amazing benefits of setting up a wind turbine is the consumption of clean energy. Usually, a cluster of wind turbines forms a power plant (wind farm) with other turbine components.
They include blades (rotors), drive trains, electrical cables, and towers. None of these components emit carbon or greenhouse gases when the turbine’s rotor spins its generator to produce electricity. Consequently, wind farms are eco-friendly sources of clean energy.
Use Wind Energy to Reduce the Cost of Electricity
Consumers of electricity from wind energy pay lesser than people that rely on fossil fuels. Setting up a wind farm might not be simple, but the cost of infrastructure is cheaper than drilling the earth for raw materials like fossil fuels. As world leaders are encouraging the production of electric cars, we expect more electric vehicle charging outlets to be powered with wind energy. Since wind power is cost-effective, scientists are working hard to provide efficient technologies for more renewable sources of energy.
Additionally, the governments of China, USA, Germany, Spain, and India are creating opportunities for wealth and jobs through wind farms. |
Do Wisdom Teeth cause crowding of your front teeth?
How many times have you heard this? Did you know this all started after a paper was written on by an orthodontist over 50 years ago?
In 1961, orthodontist Dr. Leroy Vego, published an article, “A Longitudinal Study of Mandibular Arch Perimeter” which examined the role of wisdom teeth on lower front tooth crowding. This study was run over six years with patients from ages 13 to 19. He reported that there was a significantly greater degree of crowding in patients with wisdom teeth. Dr. Vego concluded: “that the erupting lower third molar can exert a force on approximating teeth.”
From this statement, it was decided that lower wisdom teeth “push” the teeth in front of them as they come into the mouth, causing the front teeth to crowd. Consequently, general dentists, orthodontists, and oral surgeons recommended the extraction of wisdom teeth to prevent the recurrence of crowding after orthodontic treatment.
Later research disproves Dr. Vego’s theory that wisdom teeth exert enough pressure to affect the movement of anterior teeth. Later studies tracking patients for 25 years determined that aging was also a major factor whether a patient went through orthodontic treatment or not and that teeth drift forward throughout life naturally, along with other factors. Tooth-size, tooth-shape, and original tooth position also play a significant role in crowding.
Today, the premise no longer exists for the extraction of wisdom teeth simply to minimize future crowding of front teeth. However, the timing of the removal of suspect wisdom teeth, especially impacted wisdom teeth that don’t have room to erupt properly, is still recommended no later than late teens through early 20’s. Wisdom teeth can easily cause future dental problems.
What problems can occur with NOT removing impacted/retained wisdom teeth?
- Bone and soft tissue defects behind the second molars
- Root resorption of second molars
- Decay due to inability to brush and floss properly
- Crowding or shifting of posterior teeth affecting orthodontic results
- An infection (periocornitis) that occurs around partially erupted lower third molars
- Cysts and tumors around impacted third molars
Consequently is it generally recommended wisdom teeth be extracted before these problems develop.
At Moss Wall Orthodontics, we encourage the extraction of wisdom teeth, if indicated, prior to college. As teens complete final growth, jaw bones become increasingly denser. This may result in higher post-operative pain following wisdom tooth removal, especially after the roots of the third molars are fully developed. Typically, after the age of 25, wisdom teeth are not extracted and simply monitored by your general dentist with routine periodic x-rays to address any cause for concern.
Dr. Moss and Dr. Wall monitor third molar development throughout treatment and will make recommendations when appropriate based on individual circumstances. Feel free to contact our office or leave a comment below regarding more information about the extraction of wisdom teeth. We look forward to your questions, comments, or feedback. |
by Vijay Kumar: (re-posting from Aug. 7, 2013)
THE KABAH IN MECCA WAS NOT BUILT AS AN ISLAMIC MOSQUE. It was an ancient temple that had been shared by polytheists, Christians, Jews, and Hindus, honoring 360 different deities. In 630 A.D. the Kabah was captured by Islam in its military invasion and conquest of Mecca.
On the day of its capture, Mohammed delivered an address at the Kabah in military dress and helmet, according to Ayatullah Ja’far Subhani in his book, “The Message”:
“Bear in mind that every claim of privilege, whether that of blood or property is abolished . . . I reject all claims relating to life and property and all imaginary honors of the past, and declare them to be baseless . . . A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim and all the Muslims are brothers of one another and constitute one hand as against the non-Muslims. The blood of every one of them is equal to that of others and even the smallest among them can make a promise on behalf of others.” —Mohammed
Mohammed’s address at the Kabah overthrew the Meccan government and declared all of Islam, anywhere in the world, to be a political and military state against all non-Muslims, regardless of the non-Muslims’ political, geographical, or national origins.
“If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah), never will it be accepted of him.” —Koran 3:85
Although the rightful owners of the Kabah are the many religions that shared it before the Islamic military conquest of Mecca, according to Subhani the Kabah today is under the control of a hereditary regime going back to Mohammed: “currently the 12th Imam from the direct descent of the Prophet of Islam is the real protector, its custodian and guardian.”
All Islamic mosques everywhere in the world are required to have a clear visible indication pointing in the direction of Mecca and the Kabah, where the international political and military state of Islam was founded. In most mosques there is a niche in the wall—the mihrab—that points toward the seat of Islamic power. Each mosque, like the Kabah, is governed by an Imam in compliance with the political documents of Islam.
Mosques and the Political Documents of Islam
The Koran is the supreme political document of Islam—its political manifesto and political constitution. It is the only constitution of the nation-state Saudi Arabia, which is the home of Mecca and the Kabah, where all mosques point, and is the birthplace of Islam.
The Koran is a totalitarian constitution. It demands submission by anyone within its jurisdiction. The Koran governs all mosques everywhere in the world.
As a political document, the Koran asserts that everyone in the world is within its jurisdiction. So far, Islam has not been able to enforce that totalitarian claim on the entire world, but has managed to do so through threat, infiltration, violence, terrorism, and coercion on roughly 20% of the world. It is engaged in a 1400-year-long Universal Jihad to dominate the rest of the world. All mosques are its outpost headquarters.
Central to the Koran’s political mandates is prohibition of religious freedom and religious tolerance, along with denouncements of religions such as Christianity and Judaism.
“O ye who believe! take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors: They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them (for friendship) is of them.” —Koran 5:51
“Fight and slay the Pagans wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem (of war)” —Koran 9:5
All mosque leaders must be loyal to and supportive of these political and militaristic mandates.
The Koran as a political document also forbids separation of church and state. That is why every Islamic nation, where Islamic leaders have managed to gain power, is a theocracy, ruled by the Koran and Islamic Sharia law.
The Hadith (reported sayings and acts of Mohammed) and the Sira (the official biographies of Mohammed) are the other political documents that, along with the Koran, constitute the basis for Islam’s Sharia law.
“There is only one law which ought to be followed, and that is the Sharia.” —Syed Qutb
Sharia law is administered by Islamic Imams who interpret the law and hand down rulings in their sole discretion. Sharia law does not allow trial by jury. Sharia law also mandates a double standard of laws for Muslims (believers) and infidels (non-believers). Sharia law mandates a discriminatory tax, called jizya, on non-Islamic religions and nations:
“Fight those who believe not in Allah…until they pay the jizya with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” —Koran 9:29
Sharia law also mandates discrimination toward women, and forbids any criticism of Islam or its founder, stifling freedom of speech.
Sharia law also mandates that all men are slaves with no right to freedom of religion:
“Allah’s right on His slaves is that they should worship Him (Alone) and should not worship any besides Him.” —Mohammed, Sahih Bukhari 4:52:108, Narrated Mu’adh
Sharia law does not allow for separation of church and state. Sharia regards church and state as one inseparable entity governing every aspect of individual and social life, both spiritual and secular. That is why all Islamic nations are theocracies.
In short, Sharia law stands in direct opposition to the American Constitution and Bill of Rights. The implementation of Sharia law demands the overthrow of the American Constitution and our form of government and system of laws. Mosque leaders, in every nation in the world, are loyal to the Koran, the Hadith, the Sira, and consider them divine law, and therefore supreme over all manmade laws.
Other political and military documents of Islam include treaties of Mohammed, which are held in reverence by Islam as models of conduct in relations between nations.
“Ye have indeed in the Messenger of Allah [Mohammed] a beautiful pattern (of conduct) for anyone whose hope is in Allah.” —Koran 33:21
“War is deceit.” —Mohammed, Sahih Bukhari 4:52:268, Narrated Abu Hurarira
In one treaty proposal, to Jaifer and Abd, Mohammed wrote:
“If you two accept Islam, your country will, as usual, remain with you. But if you refuse or object, it is a perishable thing.” —Mohammed
In another, to the Chiefs of Aqaba, he wrote:
“It is better for you either to accept Islam or agree to pay Jizya and consent to remain obedient to Allah . . . If you do not accept these terms . . . I shall have to wage war (to bring peace and security).” —Mohammed
These same patterns and political mandates have been used over and over by Muslims since 610 A.D. to invade and conquer many civilizations and nations throughout the world, and to eradicate human rights and freedoms in those lands. Iran once was called Persia and was Zorastrian. Egypt was Christian. What was once a Hindu civilization was conquered and made into Pakistan, which is now part of the Axis of Jihad, along with Iran and Saudi Arabia. Afghanistan was Buddhist for thousands of years. Now its chief exports are heroin and Islamic terrorism.
“When We decide to destroy a population, We (first) send a definite order to those among them who are given the good things of this life and yet transgress; so that the word is proved true against them: then (it is) We destroy them utterly.” —Koran 17:16
In every instance where Islam has conquered and “destroyed utterly” a nation or civilization, the key to the conquest was the establishment of mosques, which are political and military command and control centers for Islam, and which all point toward the seat of Islamic power: the Kabah.
Mosques and the Fallacy of the “Moderate Muslim”
The majority of Germans during World War II were not active members of the Nazi party, were not waging war, and were not involved in the holocaust. The leaders, though, were active members of the Nazi party, were waging war, and were involved in the holocaust.
The majority of Russians and eastern Europeans under the rule of the U.S.S.R. were not trying to spread Communism throughout the world, and were not threatening and waging war and revolution, but were going about their daily lives trying to survive. The leaders, though, were doing everything they could to spread Communism throughout the world, and were threatening and waging war and revolution.
Throughout history, since 610 A.D., the leaders of Islam have been waging Universal Jihad around the world for the purpose of Islamic totalitarian domination of the world. It has never mattered what percentage of the Muslim population was “peaceful” or “moderate.” Peace and moderation are not relevant to the totalitarian mandates of Islam’s political documents, and Islam’s leaders always follow the totalitarian mandates of Universal Jihad contained in them.
There are post-Nazi democracies. There are post-Communist democracies. There are no post-Islamic democracies. Literal Islam, as contained in its political documents, is the consummate totalitarianism. Neither Nazism or Communism had a metaphysical factor, as does Islam. Islam uses its metaphysics as a wedge to drive in its totalitarian political doctrines.
Once Islam has established itself sufficiently in any nation, it seeks to overthrow any existing regime or constitution or law, and replace it with Islamic theocracy. Even the most “moderate” Muslim is bound to obey Islamic law, and so is bound to fight if ordered to fight:
“When you are called (by the Muslim ruler) for fighting, go forth immediately.” —Hadith Sahih Bukhari 4:52:79:Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas
All Islamic mosques have Islamic leaders (rulers) who can call Muslims for fighting, and as such are satellite headquarters for spreading Literal Islam’s political doctrine of world domination and totalitarianism—no matter how many “moderate Muslims” they serve.
Read more at Political Islam |
Thursday 29th November
Turn the reported speech into direct speech or vice versa!
Thursday 22nd November
Thursday 15th November
Write a sports report - remember to include the key features of a newspaper article we identified in our learning this week.
Thursday 8th November
Maths Challenge - have a go at the 25 questions stuck into your maths book.
Thursday 2nd November
Considering what you have learned in literacy today, write a set of instructions for an activity of your choice; this could be how to make something or how to play a game.
Thursday 11th October
Maths Challenge - 25 questions stuck into homework books.
Thursday 4th October
This week we have learnt how to punctuate speech correctly within our writing. Have a go at the activities stuck into your homework book to practise this skill.
Thursday 27th September
Maths Challenge - 25 questions to practise key skills - stuck into your homework book.
Thursday 20th September
This week we have been learning about complex sentences.
Remember they are made up of two clauses - a main clause which makes sense by itself and a subordinate clause which adds extra information but does not make sense by itself.
Have a go at the sentence work stuck into your homework book.
Thursday 13th September
Maths Challenge - 25 questions - stuck into your maths book.
Come and see me if you are unsure.
Thursday 6th September
Please cover your homework book. |
Saxophone consists of three main elements:
In order to put the saxophone together we need to connect the neck with the main body first:
1. Connect main body with the neck.
2. Add the mouthpiece on top of the saxophone neck.
If you liked this post, then you might be interested in a video version of it. Just click below and enjoy! |
Nelson Mandela just died. The former South African dissident, revolutionary, and then post-apartheid president was 95.
So much has been written about Nelson Mandel, and is being written today, that I’ll excerpt some of the best, most informative, things from around the Web.
Mandela served 27 years in prison
First some background from Wikipedia:
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliːɬaɬa manˈdeːla]) (18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary and politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the first black South African to hold the office, and the first elected in a fully representative, multiracial election.
Living in Johannesburg, he became involved in anti-colonial politics, joining the ANC and becoming a founding member of its Youth League. After the Afrikaner nationalists of the National Party came to power in 1948 and began implementing the policy of apartheid, he rose to prominence in the ANC’s 1952 Defiance Campaign, was elected President of the Transvaal ANC Branch and oversaw the 1955 Congress of the People. Working as a lawyer, he was repeatedly arrested for seditious activities and, with the ANC leadership, was prosecuted in the Treason Trial from 1956 to 1961 but was found not guilty. Although initially committed to non-violent protest, in association with the South African Communist Party he co-founded the militant Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) in 1961, leading a bombing campaign against government targets. In 1962 he was arrested, convicted of sabotage and conspiracy to overthrow the government, and sentenced to life imprisonment in the Rivonia Trial.
Mandela served 27 years in prison, first on Robben Island, and later in Pollsmoor Prison and Victor Verster Prison. An international campaign lobbied for his release, which was granted in 1990 amid escalating civil strife.
“Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.”
South African President Jacob Zuma, via CNN:
“He is now resting. He is now at peace,” Zuma said. “Our nation has lost its greatest son. Our people have lost a father.”
“What made Nelson Mandela great was precisely what made him human,” the president said in his late-night address. “We saw in him what we seek in ourselves.”
Mandela will have a state funeral. Zuma ordered all flags in the nation to be flown at half-staff from Friday through that funeral.
“We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation.”
Chicago Trib quotes Mandela’s acceptance speech:
“The time for the healing of the wounds has come. The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come,” Mandela said in his acceptance speech on becoming South Africa’s first black president in 1994.
“We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation.”
Mandela decided not to stand for reelection – a move almost unheard of among African leaders
The LAT notes that Mandela was one of the rare African leaders to actually step aside and not run for permanent re-election:
During his five-year term in office, Mandela’s formal dignity and his skill in building consensus made him a rarity on a continent beset by corrupt dictators. Although his strongest supporters were deeply distrustful of whites, who controlled much of the country’s economy, Mandela made a determined — and largely successful — effort to ease white fears.
As his term drew to a close, he decided not to stand for reelection in 1999 and voluntarily stepped aside — a move almost unheard of among African leaders. His party, the African National Congress, again won the national elections and chose Mandela’s vice president, Thabo Mbeki, as his successor.
After leaving the government, Mandela’s worldwide stature continued to grow. He became active in the fight against AIDS; a son died of the disease in 2005. He also traveled widely in support of human rights and efforts to end poverty and spoke out vehemently against the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. In 2004, at age 85, Mandela announced his retirement from public life.
A tribute to the struggle for freedom from all forms of discrimination
The New Yorker has Nelson Mandela on the cover next week:
Next week’s cover, “Madiba,” was drawn by the artist Kadir Nelson. “I’ve recently made a children’s book about Nelson Mandela, but for a New Yorker cover, I settled on a younger image of him during the time that he was on trial with over a hundred of his comrades,” says Nelson about “Madiba,” his oil painting of Nelson Mandela, who died today, at the age of ninety-five.
“From looking at the photos of the time, I could see that the energy around him was very strong and that his peers were very much with and behind him,” Nelson added. “He was clearly a leader. I wanted to make a simple and bold statement about Mandela and his life as a freedom fighter. The raised fist and the simple, stark palette reminded me of posters and anti-apartheid imagery of the nineteen-eighties. This painting is a tribute to the struggle for freedom from all forms of discrimination, and Nelson’s very prominent role as a leader in the anti-apartheid movement.”
Pres. Obama’s statement on Nelson Mandela’s death
Here’s President Obama’s statement on Mandela’s death:
At his trial in 1964, Nelson Mandela closed his statement from the dock saying, “I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”
And Nelson Mandela lived for that ideal, and he made it real. He achieved more than could be expected of any man. Today, he has gone home. And we have lost one of the most influential, courageous, and profoundly good human beings that any of us will share time with on this Earth. He no longer belongs to us — he belongs to the ages.
Through his fierce dignity and unbending will to sacrifice his own freedom for the freedom of others, Madiba transformed South Africa — and moved all of us. His journey from a prisoner to a President embodied the promise that human beings — and countries — can change for the better. His commitment to transfer power and reconcile with those who jailed him set an example that all humanity should aspire to, whether in the lives of nations or our own personal lives. And the fact that he did it all with grace and good humor, and an ability to acknowledge his own imperfections, only makes the man that much more remarkable. As he once said, “I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying.”
I am one of the countless millions who drew inspiration from Nelson Mandela’s life. My very first political action, the first thing I ever did that involved an issue or a policy or politics, was a protest against apartheid. I studied his words and his writings. The day that he was released from prison gave me a sense of what human beings can do when they’re guided by their hopes and not by their fears. And like so many around the globe, I cannot fully imagine my own life without the example that Nelson Mandela set, and so long as I live I will do what I can to learn from him.
To Graça Machel and his family, Michelle and I extend our deepest sympathy and gratitude for sharing this extraordinary man with us. His life’s work meant long days away from those who loved him the most. And I only hope that the time spent with him these last few weeks brought peace and comfort to his family.
To the people of South Africa, we draw strength from the example of renewal, and reconciliation, and resilience that you made real. A free South Africa at peace with itself — that’s an example to the world, and that’s Madiba’s legacy to the nation he loved.
We will not likely see the likes of Nelson Mandela again. So it falls to us as best we can to forward the example that he set: to make decisions guided not by hate, but by love; to never discount the difference that one person can make; to strive for a future that is worthy of his sacrifice.
For now, let us pause and give thanks for the fact that Nelson Mandela lived — a man who took history in his hands, and bent the arc of the moral universe toward justice. May God Bless his memory and keep him in peace.
Music inspired by Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela also inspired a lot of music, including the song “Free Nelson Mandela,” by The Specials:
Also there’s the song “Nelson Mandela” by internationally renowned Senegalse singer Youssou N’Dour:
Peter Rothberg over at the Nation has more songs, if you’re interested. |
Open Access This article is
- freely available
Foods 2018, 7(12), 193; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods7120193
Food Safety Knowledge and Practices among Saudi Mothers
School of Food Science and Environmental Health, College of Sciences and Health, Dublin Institute of Technology, Cathal Brugha Street, Dublin D01 HV58, Ireland
School of Accounting and Finance, College of Business, Dublin Institute of Technology, Aungier Street, Dublin D02 HW71, Ireland
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 8 October 2018 / Accepted: 21 November 2018 / Published: 25 November 2018
This study examines food safety knowledge and practices of mothers in Saudi Arabia. A total of 979 respondents participated in the study and completed a questionnaire that assessed their knowledge of food storage, food handling, usage, and maintenance of kitchen facilities, personal hygiene, and food poisoning. Results showed that mothers in Saudi Arabia had moderate knowledge of food storage (passing rate 64.9%) and usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities (passing rate 66.5%). While they had good knowledge of personal hygiene (passing rate 83.8%) and food poisoning (passing rate 78.5%), their knowledge with regard to food handling was poor (passing rate 30.4%). Results also highlighted that food safety knowledge and practices amongst mothers in Saudi Arabia improved with the level of education, while their age, employment status, monthly income, and number of children had no significant association with their food safety knowledge and practices. This research revealed the importance of education and that advance education and training program can further improve mothers’ food safety knowledge and practices and thereby result in reducing the risks of foodborne illnesses at homes.
Keywords:food safety; food knowledge; food practices; food hygiene; foodborne illnesses; mothers
Food borne illnesses are a widespread public health concern and a burden on a nation’s economy [1,2]. World Health Organization (WHO) recognized foodborne illnesses and occurrences as a foremost public health threat globally of the 21st Century . While everyone is vulnerable to foodborne illness, certain sections are regarded as more susceptible and thus more likely to suffer foodborne illnesses, hospitalizations, and death. These highest risk individuals, popularly known as the YOPI group include young, old, pregnant, and immunosuppressed [4,5]. Children due to their immature immune system and lower body weight are at a higher risk than adults for foodborne illnesses and these are described as one of the main factor for morbidity and mortality in developing countries . About 2.2 million deaths each year in the developing world occur because of foodborne illnesses, an estimated 1.9 million of which are children. These are primarily caused by contamination of food and drinking water caused from poor sanitation or preparation .
Studies highlight that unsafe domestic food safety practices are increasingly linked with foodborne illnesses [8,9,10]. Moreover, as domestic kitchens are often used as a multipurpose area the risk of food contamination and spread of foodborne illnesses increases [11,12,13]. Domestic food handlers often cause contamination if they lack hygienic food handling practices . Da Cunha et al. also suggest that contamination can occur if foods are stored at the wrong temperature or inadequately packaged. While public awareness and concern about food related risks and diseases is increasing, the escalation in the number of foodborne illnesses indicates that domestic food handlers still lack adequate food safety knowledge leading to wrong food handling practices [16,17]. Scott suggests that a considerable number of food borne illnesses are generally associated with practices in the domestic kitchens. Research highlights that about 50 and 87% of reported foodborne disease incidents arises within the home [19,20,21,22], enhanced by a lack of education and awareness about food safety and food handling practices .
Recognizing that knowledge is essential to safe food handling, many studies have focused on improving the food safety education of consumers [24,25,26]. Haapala and Probart reported that in developed countries national initiatives are launched to find techniques to effectively educate food consumers. In developing countries, however, Ministry of Health in Saudi Arabia pointed out that there have been increasing number of foodborne illnesses in the country , 255 incidences occurred in 2011 alone resulting in 2066 people falling ill, majority of whom were children . Nonetheless, highlight that only limited research has focused on obtaining information on food safety knowledge and practices associated with improper food handling at home in Saudi Arabia. Consequently, inadequate efforts have been undertaken to reduce the risks by development of effective health education programs. As mothers are primarily the food handlers at home; to safeguard children’s health and wellbeing assessing mother’s beliefs and behavior and gathering information on how food becomes unsafe in the home is essential in order to reduce food hazards . Also, as food preparation, handling, and storage at home cannot be regulated, for maintaining food safety at the vulnerable end of the food chain it is vital to educate domestic food handlers about the potential risks of foodborne diseases and guide safe food handling practices at home. This study therefore aims to assess food safety knowledge and practices among mothers in Saudi Arabia, so that effective health education programs can be developed with the help of sufficient information on the knowledge and practices of the target groups.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Questionnaire Design
To survey mothers in Saudi Arabia for their food safety knowledge and food handling practices a closed-ended questionnaire with multiple-choice questions was designed. The questionnaire development was guided by validated questionnaire used in similar studies [31,32,33,34]. Appropriate modifications were made to the questionnaire to fit the popular habits and traditions of domestic food handlers in Saudi Arabia.
The questionnaire consisted of 32 multiple-choice questions, categorized into six sections. Demographic information of each participant, such as age, educational level, employment status, income level, and number of children was asked in the first section. The questionnaire then seeks information about the participant’s knowledge of food safety and practices in home kitchens through five sections, namely: knowledge of food storage (information collected through five questions), knowledge of food handling (via four questions), knowledge of the usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities (through 6 questions), knowledge of personal hygiene (through six questions) and knowledge of food poisoning (via six questions). For validation of the questionnaire a pilot study was conducted amongst food safety and business management professionals. The questionnaire was later distributed both manually and electronically to mothers in Saudi Arabia.
2.2. Data Collection
Surveys are an efficient tool to collect information from large volume of respondents in a short span of time . The participants for this survey were selected from across Saudi Arabia for maximum coverage. However, the sampling frame covered the various demographic aspects of the questionnaire like age, place of residents, and educational level so as to safeguard a non-bias sampling. The questionnaires were distributed both manually and electronically and response collected between September and December 2017. A total of 1000 Saudi mothers were contacted to participate in the study, however, 21 surveys were removed as they had more than one option selected or the participants did not complete the questionnaire as they did not want to respond to the questionnaire erroneously. Thus, 979 surveys were included in this research.
2.3. Data Analysis
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (IBM Corporation, Armonk, NY, USA) version 24 statistical package was used to analyze the data. For each question the participants were awarded one point when they answered correctly and a zero for incorrect answers and their percentages calculated for each section namely knowledge food storage, knowledge of food handling, knowledge on usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities, knowledge on personal hygiene and knowledge of food poisoning. Mean score and standard deviation for each section was analyzed, and pass rates calculated with participants who answered more than half of the questions in the section correctly attaining a pass. If the participants achieved a passing rate of 60.0% or above, they were considered to have a high level of knowledge, while a pass rate of less than 30.0% was regarded as a poor level of knowledge, and pass rates between 30–60% were considered as moderate level of knowledge. Furthermore, the relationship between the demographic characteristics and knowledge of food safety in homes was also analyzed.
Non-parametric analysis is the most appropriate method for analyzing the data when data follows a skewed distribution . Therefore, for analyzing this data, non-parametric tests (Chi-square (×2) and Kruskal-Wallis) were used. Chi-square (×2) test was used to compare the different demographics for their food safety knowledge and practices while Kruskal-Wallis test was used in the case of demographics of three or more independent samples, i.e., age, education level, employment status and number of children in our survey.
3. Results and Discussion
3.1. Samples Profile
Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of the sample. 40.7% of the respondents were between the age of 36 and 50, with majority (51.5%) being housewives. The highest educational level of the respondents (76%) was University Degree and most respondents (44%) had four or more children.
3.2. Food Safety Knowledge and Practices of Saudi Mothers
3.2.1. Knowledge on Food Storage
Table 2 presents a summary of the knowledge of domestic food handlers about food storage. Results show that majority of the respondents (73.6%) were aware that frozen foods must be purchased at the end of the shopping. Other similar studies highlight that in Lebanon 59.7% , in Greece 55.3% , in Jordan 73.6% , participants are aware of the correct time of purchasing frozen foods when shopping. However, only 30.2% respondents knew the correct temperature for storing frozen food. Farahat et al. also highlight the poor knowledge of food safety in women in Saudi Arabia during their food purchasing and storage. A total of 70% of the respondents were knowledgeable about not freezing thawed meat for later use and storing chunks of raw meat by slicing them into smaller pieces, sealing and storing them in the freezer (77.2%), and 37.8% respondents knew that for consuming freshly prepared food 3 h later, it must be put in the fridge, and reheated when ready to eat, however, almost equal number of respondents (33.1%) incorrectly thought that it can be covered and put on the cabinet.
The overall passing rate for this section was at 64.9%, indicating moderate knowledge of food storage. The results highlight that while mothers in Saudi Arabia have generalized knowledge about food storage they lack a detailed understanding which impacts their practices. Langiano et al. also highlight that poor food storage practices greatly increase the risk of poor food safety practices and consequently of food borne diseases. Similar results were reported by Angelillo et al. who explored the knowledge, attitudes and related behavior on foodborne diseases and food-handling practices among mothers of children attending public schools.
3.2.2. Knowledge on Food Handling
Table 3 summarizes the knowledge of food handling of Saudi mothers. 54.6% of respondents knew that fruits and vegetables should be washed in running cold water. Similar studies conducted in Canada highlight that 92.5% participants are aware that fresh produce must be washed with cold running water , 82% in South Africa , 51.4% in Lebanon , 72.8% in Greece , and 28.4% in Jordan knew the correct answer . Respondents also had poor knowledge about the handling leftovers, with only 31.6% being aware of the correct way of heating leftovers and only 8.8% knowing when leftovers should be discarded. Additionally, most had poor knowledge about how raw meat should be thawed, the results were in line with findings from other similar studies like in China only 38.2% respondents knew the correct way to defrost food and 58.3% in Brazil knew the correct answer . Highlighting the importance of educating domestic food handlers so as to avoid cross-contamination and eliminate bacterial growth, to ultimately avoid foodborne illnesses [10,38].
The overall passing rate for this section was at 30.4%, highlighting poor knowledge of mothers in Saudi Arabia with regard to food handling. Farahat et al. also highlight the poor knowledge of food handling in women in Saudi Arabia, while El-Sheikha indicate that unsafe food handling increasingly results in bacterial food poisoning cases in Saudi Arabia. Trepka et al. in their study of pregnant women and mothers in Miami, Florida also reported that the respondents had problematic food handling practices. Similar results have been reported by Parvathy et al. when exploring food borne illnesses arising from home kitchens in Tamil Nadu, India. Angelillo et al. also reported that mothers in Italy had poor knowledge about thawing food and handling leftovers.
3.2.3. Knowledge on Usage and Maintenance of Kitchen Facilities
Results of the knowledge of Saudi mothers on the usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities are presented in Table 4. Most respondents (76.3%) were aware that dishes must be cleaned immediately after meals and that the same chopping board used to cut meat should not be used to cut fruits (78.5% respondents). However, fewer number of respondents (42.3%) knew that the correct way to clean kitchen countertop is with detergent and warm water. Similarly, respondents had poor knowledge about the recommended temperature for fridges, and where in the fridge to place raw meat, with only 34.5% and 23% respectively knowing the correct answer. While in Portugal 69.5% of respondents knew the correct fridge temperature , and in Wales 84.0% of the elderly had awareness about the proper temperature of the refrigerator .
The overall passing rate for this section was at 66.5%, indicating moderate knowledge of usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities amongst mothers in Saudi Arabia. To avoid pathogenic growth or cross-contamination to maintain food safety it is critically important to have knowledge in usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities [38,46]. Similar results were observed by Usfar et al. in their study of urban mothers in Indonesia. However, unlike the current study, Angelillo et al. have reported a higher number of respondents being aware of correct way to clean kitchen countertop when exploring the knowledge of mothers of children attending public schools in Italy.
3.2.4. Knowledge on Personal Hygiene
Table 5 presents a summary of the knowledge of personal hygiene in Saudi mothers. Results show 65.3% respondents knew the correct way of washing hands was with running warm water using soap and then wiping them dry. Similarly, 60.5% knew that as long as gloves are worn it is safe to handle food with wound on the back of the hand. Mothers in Saudi Arabia had better knowledge in this regard as compared to results observed similar studies in China, with only 25.5% participants being aware of the correct answer , 29.1% in Brazil , 19.6% in Greece , and 23.0% in Jordan . Almost all the respondents (95.8%) knew the correct way to wash hands after handling raw meat while only a fewer number (49.2%) were aware that people with diarrhea, fever, sore throat or flu symptoms should not cook for others. Similarly, 97.0% in South Africa , 75.6% in Ghana , 57.5% in Greece , and 96.1% of university students in Saudi Arabia indicated that they wash their hands before handling or preparing foods . Results also indicate that an almost similar number of respondents (49.2% and 44.4%, respectively) regarded diarrhea, fever, sore throat, flu, and AIDS patients as not suitable to cook for others lest they can cause food contamination. This highlights the need and importance of capturing information on the knowledge and practices of the target groups and utilizing it for the development of effective health education programs. The overall passing rate for this section was at 83.8%, highlighting that mothers in Saudi Arabia had good knowledge with regard to personal hygiene. Fawzi and Shama also reported that women working in Alexandria University, Egypt were very knowledgeable with regard to personal hygiene. Others studies have also suggested that food handlers have a significantly good knowledge of personal hygiene [50,51].
3.2.5. Knowledge on Food Poisoning
Table 6 presents the knowledge of Saudi mothers on food poisoning. A total of 61.2% respondents knew that the most important method for preventing food poisoning was to keep it refrigerated until it’s time to serve it. Respondents had poor knowledge about which foods can cause food poisoning, with only 10.5% reporting that it can be caused by raw or undercooked beef and eggs. Other studies highlight that in China undercooked beef was regarded as a cause of food poisoning by 25.3% respondents, raw eggs by 8.9%, and both by 12.2% , in Portugal respondents were divided for the same as 12.5%, 19.0% and 43.8%, respectively , in South Africa 64.3% regarded raw eggs as a cause of food poisoning , 44.1% in Ghana , and 52.9% in Jordan considered undercooked eggs as unsafe . While 45.4% respondents knew that Salmonella sp. poisoning can be prevented by fully heating food, most respondents (49.9%) did not know if bacteria could be killed by freezing at −18 °C but 53.2% were aware that raw beef or chicken are most likely to be contaminated with Escherichia Coli (E. coli).
The overall passing rate for this section was at 78.5%, indicating good knowledge of food poisoning amongst Saudi mothers. Lum et al. also report that food handlers are knowledgeable with regard to food poisoning; Ahmed , however, reported that in Yemen mothers’ knowledge about food poisoning was not satisfactory.
3.3. Association between the Demographic Characteristics of Participants and Their Food Safety Knowledge and Practices
Table 7 presents the relationship between the demographic characteristics of Saudi mothers and their food safety knowledge and practices. Their mean score and overall passing rate using the non-parametric tests (Chi-square (×2) and Kruskal-Wallis) are also reported. The study highlights that while mothers in Saudi Arabia had good food safety knowledge, their food handling practices were poor, and there is scope for improvements in their food safety knowledge and practices (Figure 1). Results show that education is a significant factor that impacts the food safety knowledge and practices among Saudi mothers. On the other hand, age (N = 979; p value 0.330), number of children (N = 979; p value 0.181), employment status (N = 979; p value 0.891), and monthly income (N = 979; p value 0.356), do not have any significance with regard to impacting their food safety knowledge and practices.
Mothers between the age of 36–50 year were better with food safety knowledge and practices with a pass rate of 41.6%. Housewives were more knowledgeable with a pass rate of 53.8% and those who had four or more children reported a better pass rate of 45.7%. Additionally, results showed that higher monthly income Saudi mothers were better with their food safety knowledge and practices and had a pass rate of 57.3%.
The results correlate with other studies that highlight the importance of education and that of educational programs for mothers in improving their food safety knowledge and practices [39,47]. Furthermore, the findings highlight that the necessity of gathering information of domestic food handlers’ beliefs and behavior in order to reduce the risks of foodborne diseases and guide safe food handling practices at home. WHO also suggest the advance education is comprehensively required so as to assist lessening foodborne illnesses and for comprehending the issue of why food safety is a globally epidemic.
This study assessed the food safety knowledge and practices among mothers in Saudi Arabia. The information could be used as a starting point to design education and training programs that can further improve their knowledge and can be translated into better and safer food handling practices. Food safety efforts generally tend to focus on food supply chains and the household domain of food handling and practices gets limited attention. Food handlers in households need effective and methodical education and training to safeguard themselves and their families from getting food-borne illnesses. It is, therefore, recommended that authorities, researchers, educators, media, and food safety communicators should initiate education programs, with special focus on the high-risk groups like mothers and food handlers at home to advance the food safety knowledge and safer food practices.
W.O.A. undertook the investigation, methodology and wrote the original draft of the article. A.P. and A.K.J. conceptualized the research, conducted formal analysis, supervised, and conducted review and editing of the article.
This research received no external funding.
The authors would like to acknowledge the support and facilities provided by Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland. The researcher Wafa Ayaz would also like to thank the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education and the Saudi Government for the scholarship that enabled her to continue her studies.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Figure 1. Pass rate for knowledge of food safety among Saudi mothers (Knowledge levels—Low: Pass rate up to 30%; Moderate: Pass rate 30–60%; High: Pass rate above 60%).
Table 1. The demographic characteristics of mothers in Saudi Arabia.
|Demographic Characteristics||N||Category||Respondents (n.)||Percentage (%)|
|51 and above||168||17.2|
|4 children or more||431||44|
|Educational level||979||Primary Education||22||2.2|
|Monthly income||979||2000–4999 SR *||117||12|
|10,000 SR or more||546||55.8|
* SR: Saudi Riyal.
Table 2. Respondents’ knowledge on food storage, pass rate, mean score and standard devastation.
|Questions||N||Category||Respondents (n.)||Percentage (%)|
|1. When is the best time to purchase frozen food when shopping?||979||At the beginning of the shopping time||39||4|
|At the end of the shopping time||721||73.6|
|Whenever, does not matter||184||18.8|
|2. What is the optimal temperature for storing frozen food?||979||4 degrees Celsius||93||9.5|
|0 degrees Celsius||209||21.3|
|−18 degrees Celsius or below||296||30.2|
|3. What should be done with freshly prepared food that will be consumed 3 h later?||979||Put in the fridge, then reheat when ready to eat||370||37.8|
|Put in the cupboard and reheat when ready to eat||271||27.7|
|Put in the microwave oven||14||1.4|
|Cover it and put it on the cabinet||324||33.1|
|4. How should chunks of raw meat be stored?||979||Store it directly in the freezer||90||9.2|
|Slice it into smaller pieces, then store them in the freezer||119||12.2|
|Slice into smaller pieces, seal and store them in the freezer||756||77.2|
|Store it in a cool place||14||1.4|
|5. Should defrosted meat be frozen for later use?||979||Yes||124||12.7|
|Mean ± standard deviation||2.8 ± 1.1|
Table 3. Respondents’ knowledge on food handling, pass rate, mean score and standard devastation.
|Questions||N||Category||Respondents (n.)||Percentage (%)|
|1. How should vegetables and fruits be washed?||979||Soak in Detergent||37||3.8|
|Wash with hot water||41||4.2|
|Wash with running cold water||535||54.6|
|Soak in cold water, then wash||366||37.4|
|2. Of the following, which is the least safe way to defrost raw meat?||979||In the fridge||91||9.3|
|On Chopping Board||176||18|
|In Microwave oven||459||46.9|
|In cold water in sealed package||253||25.8|
|3. Of the following, which is the correct way to heat leftovers?||979||Heat it to the temperature you prefer||569||58.1|
|Reheat is not necessary if it’s during the summer||36||3.7|
|Heat until they are boiling||309||31.6|
|Do not know||65||6.6|
|4. What should be done if the leftovers are still not eaten completely?||979||Discard them immediately||86||8.8|
|Put in the refrigerator immediately and reheat before consuming||741||75.7|
|Store in kitchen and reheat before consuming||40||4.1|
|As long as they smell good, eat them||112||11.4|
|Mean ± standard deviation||1.1 ± 0.8|
Table 4. Respondents knowledge on usage and maintenance of kitchen facilities, pass rate, mean score, and standard devastation.
|Questions||N||Category||Respondents (n.)||Percentage (%)|
|1. A fridge has three shelves; on which shelf do you think raw meat should be placed?||979||Top shelf||546||55.8|
|Does not matter||125||12.8|
|2. What is the recommended temperature for fridges?||979||12 °C||197||20.1|
|Do not know||402||41.1|
|3. How long should leftovers be kept in the fridge?||979||No more than 2 days||494||50.5|
|No more than 5 days||220||22.5|
|As long as the food has not gone bad||217||22.2|
|Do not know||48||4.9|
|4. Of the following, which is the correct way to clean the kitchen countertop and stove?||979||Clean with dry rag||7||0.7|
|Clean with wet rag||36||3.7|
|Clean with detergent and warm water||414||42.3|
|All of the above||522||53.3|
|5. Of the following, which do you think is the correct way to wash dishes?||979||Soak in water, after several hours, wash with the same water||16||1.6|
|Wash immediately after meal||747||76.3|
|Wash in water basin, dry with dish cloth||162||16.5|
|6. Cutting meat on a chopping board and using the same chopping board for cutting fruit. Of the following, which are the correct ways?||979||Rinse the chopping board with hot water before cutting fruit||20||2|
|Use the other side of the chopping board to cut fruit||79||8.1|
|Clean the chopping board with detergent and hot water before cutting fruit||111||11.3|
|Use another chopping board to cut fruit||769||78.5|
|Mean ± standard deviation||3.1 ± 1.2|
Table 5. Respondents knowledge on personal hygiene, pass rate, mean score, and standard devastation.
|Questions||N||Category||Respondents (n.)||Percentage (%)|
|1. Is it safe to handle food if you have a wound on the back of your hand?||979||Yes, as long as the wound is not infected||33||3.4|
|Yes, as long as the wound has a bandage on it||274||28|
|Yes, as long as gloves are worn||592||60.5|
|Not at all||80||8.2|
|2. Of the following, which is the correct way to wash hands?||979||Wash with running cold water, wipe dry||70||7.2|
|Wash with running warm water, wipe dry||69||7|
|Wash hands with cold water in a basin, use soap and then wash hands with cold water in the basin, wipe dry||201||20.5|
|Wash hands with running warm water, use soap and then wash with running warm water, wipe dry||639||65.3|
|3. Of the following, which is the correct way to wash hands after handling raw meat?||979||Wipe with towel||2||0.2|
|Wash with cold water, wipe dry||14||1.4|
|Wash with warm water, wipe dry||25||2.6|
|Wash with soap and warm water, wipe dry||938||95.8|
|4. After touching which of the following should you wash your hands during the course of preparing food?||979||Face||10||1|
|A pimple on the surface of skin||116||11.8|
|All of the above||846||86.4|
|5. People with which of the following symptoms should not cook for others?||979||Diarrhea, Fever, Sore throat or Flu||482||49.2|
|Mean ± standard deviation||3.6 ± 1.2|
Table 6. Respondents knowledge on food poisoning, pass rate, mean score, and standard devastation.
|Questions||N||Category||Respondents (n.)||Percentage (%)|
|1. Which of these foodstuffs is more likely to provoke food poisoning if eaten?||979||Fruits taken out of the refrigerator immediately||41||4.2|
|Unheated canned food||29||3.0|
|Raw or undercooked beef and eggs||806||82.3|
|2. Which is the most important method for preventing food poisoning?||979||Spray the kitchen with insecticides weekly||29||3|
|Avoid eating leftovers||110||11.2|
|Keep food refrigerated until it’s time to serve them||599||61.2|
|Use detergent to disinfect kitchen countertop and stove weekly||241||24.6|
|3. Can bacteria in food be killed by freezing at −18 °C?||979||Yes, totally||71||7.3|
|Not at all||184||18.8|
|Do not know||489||49.9|
|4. How to prevent Salmonella poisoning?||979||Fully heat food||444||45.4|
|Wash food with very hot water||79||8.1|
|Freeze food for more than 3 days||57||5.8|
|Do not know||399||40.8|
|5. Which of the following is most likely to become contaminated with Escherichia Coli (E. coli)?||979||Tap water||28||2.9|
|Raw beef or chicken||521||53.2|
|Do not know||347||35.4|
|6. Who is more at risk of getting a foodborne illness?||979||Children||119||12.2|
|All of the above||813||83|
|Mean ± standard deviation||3.5 ± 1.2|
Table 7. The relationship between the demographic characteristics of participants and their food safety knowledge and practices.
|Variables||N||Pass Rate (%)||p-Value||Mean Score||p-Value|
|51 and above||17.90%||14.1|
|How many children do you have?||979||0.181||0.233|
|4 children or more||45.70%||14.2|
|What is your monthly income?||979||0.356||0.158|
|2000–4999 SR *||11%||13.5|
|10,000 SR or more||57.30%||14.3|
* SR: Saudi Riyal.
© 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). |
Happiness and aging can't be related, can they?
It may come as a surprise to you, but yes, they are. Just not in an obvious way.
The picture that many in society have of happy aging is that young people, healthy and beautiful, are the happiest. It's mostly these young people who think it impossible that their elders could be happier than they. They're wrong.
Longtime research clearly found that as you age, your chances at happiness increase.
You may not have experienced much (or as much) happiness throughout the years, but now that you're older than 50 you can - according to the mentioned research - be the happiest you've ever been.
Even though health conditions may not be what they used to be, happiness can be yours if you embrace it.Let's face it…
Are you very happy, happy or not so happy?
Let's get the 'not so happy' dealt with first.
Research shows that if you're stressed or if you're with others that are stressed, your mind – and body – respond negatively.
Even if you simply observe someone else in stressful situations, your senior health can suffer from what's called "emphatic stress."
And, if any of these stressful circumstances continue long-term, your risk of immune system deficiency and depression increases.
This in turn affects others around you unfavorably, as research shows this stressful state to be contagious.
So, how you deal with that stress does matter.
Now on to better news.
If stress is contagious, then happiness must be contagious, too.
In fact, research shows that your positive emotions really are more contagious than negative ones.
The benefits derived from positive emotions, or happiness, reach all the way to your brain's cellular level.
New growth of nerve connections – neuron synapses – improves your mental productivity. An increase in attentiveness, the ability to think and analyze will result.
Even more positive thoughts will make you very happy.
So, as you get older you might want to start practicing "mindfulness."
It means paying attention to the present moment – as this is all we really have anyway – to learn how to reduce inflammation that is stress-induced.
Mindfulness is a practice or technique that in time leads you to staying focused on say, your own breathing, thus calming your mind and opening you to more happy thoughts.
Yes, it is a simple form of meditation. It is uncomplicated and effective.
It may take a little learning and practicing the skill of mindfulness, but what price happiness?
If you have questions about it, feel free to contact me.
You and I, the seniors, clearly have it over the young ones.
With adjusted expectations in life, perhaps less stress over all, and perhaps because we now tend to get more pleasure out of everyday experiences – we older Americans are – according to the researchers – happier than the younger folks.
You and I can now find pleasure in simply
Happy aging in this manner is conducive to optimal health and longevity.
There are of course a few more things you can do to this end such as
Your happiness and your longevity are very much within your own control.
You might as well stay as healthy and happy as possible.
Here's to Happy Aging, my fellow senior!
Sep 08, 14 10:58 AM
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Tachycardia (Fast Heartbeat)
An implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) is a tiny computer, plus a battery, contained in a small titanium metal case that is about the size of a pocket watch. It weighs approximately 3 ounces.
The ICD is implanted under your skin, typically on the left or right side of your chest, just below the collarbone. In addition to the device itself, leads (tiny insulated wires) are implanted for two purposes: to carry information signals from your heart to the heart device, and when necessary, to carry electrical impulses to your heart.
The third part of your implantable device system is a programmer, an external computer located in your doctor's office or clinic that is used to program the heart device and retrieve information from your device that will assist your doctor in your treatment.
Have more questions about ICDs? Ask any question at Ask the ICD.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information. |
Art and Design
Statement of Curriculum Intent
The use of Art and Design is an important part of the National Curriculum. We believe that art stimulates creativity, imagination and inventiveness. It gives our pupils the skills, concepts and knowledge necessary for them to express responses to ideas and experiences. Art enables children to communicate what they see, feel and think. Children should experiment with their ideas, their use of colour, texture, form, pattern and different material. We believe that through self-evaluation of work, children are taught to be resilient to achieve their goals. We also look more widely at techniques that can be used within our curriculum learning/projects.
To do this Wath Central aim:
To challenge pupils to work creatively whilst deepening their knowledge and understanding through engaging and memorable experiences.
To encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own learning journey, making choices, working collaboratively, sharing and respecting other’s ideas.
To produce creative work, exploring ideas and recording experiences.
To become proficient in drawing, painting, sculpture and other art and design techniques.
To evaluate and review work using vocabulary linked to art and design.
At KS1 and KS2 we use sketchbooks to record experiences and imagination, to help the children develop their ideas and to show progression in their artistic abilities. Through engaging lessons, we encourage children to work on their own and to collaborate with others on projects in two and three dimensions. The concept driven curriculum gives children the opportunity to bring projects to life. Children explore ideas and meaning through the work of artists and designers. Introducing the children to a variety of artists, styles and cultures teaches children how to respect differences and explore cultures from around the world. We offer weekly after school clubs for children from Foundation Stage 2 to Year 6, giving them the opportunity to develop and learn new skills and techniques using different media.
Implementation - Art and Design at Wath Central
Implementation - Our Curriculum
Art and Design Highlights
Children from Foundation Stage 1 to Year 6 produced work linked to ‘Remembrance’.
All the children in school made a poppy. They used a variety of different materials such as clay, pastel, collage and painting.
These were displayed centrally within the middle of our school.
During the Autumn term, children throughout school worked collaboratively to produce winter observational art.
The children used their skills to draw different leaves.
They looked carefully at the shape and form of the leaves.
Children through school entered the annual Walker Morris Charity Competition. We found out that we had two successful runners up who attended a presentation in Leeds at the Walker Norris offices.
Luke P won the runner up prize in Year 5 and Bettie S won the runner up prize in Year 2. Ashley Jackson, the internationally renowned watercolour artist, presented the prizes to the children. |
In July 2009, a woman brought her husband to the hospital where our colleagues work in western Kenya. She reported that for several years he had been behaving abnormally, sleeping poorly, hearing voices that no one else could hear, and believing that people were talking about him and plotting to harm him.
She was seeking help now because he was no longer able to work. The man was admitted to the inpatient Mental Health Unit and diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Then the man’s daughter came to visit him. Her clothes and her hair were disheveled. She described people plotting against her and giving her dirty looks when she walked in the street. She said she was having trouble sleeping. The clinicians looked at each other with apprehension: Might she have schizophrenia too?
Ultimately, the daughter and four more members of the family were diagnosed with schizophrenia. While having six members of the same family diagnosed with schizophrenia is unusual, it has long been recognized that mental disorders can run in families. And often members of such families differ in their symptoms.
For reasons that we are just beginning to understand, one family member might be diagnosed with schizophrenia and another with bipolar disorder or depression. In Eldoret, Kenya, where this health facility is located, it is not unusual to have two or three relatives receiving care for mental illnesses, and this is likely to be the case in most settings globally. The situation is no different in Boston and other cities in the United States.
Much research has found that such family resemblance is influenced by genes more than by any other risk factor, and genes are emerging as important clues for new treatments.
But research on the genetic basis of mental illness has so far largely excluded anyone who is not of European heritage. That means that this Kenyan family, and other people of African descent, might not benefit from the new biological insights into mental illness. And it means we are perilously close to an era of “white-people–only DNA tests.”
The finding that severe and chronic mental illnesses tend to cluster in families has spurred efforts to understand the genetic differences between people with these illnesses and those without. By looking at DNA and untangling what is going awry in the brain to cause these mental disorders, we hope to spur the creation of new medications to treat these debilitating illnesses and reduce the suffering that comes with them.
Unfortunately, recent efforts to study the genetics of a number of illnesses have what many of us are calling a “diversity problem.” Most of the work in human genetics so far has focused on people of Northern European descent, skewing the data in a way that makes it less useful to the majority of people in the world. In existing databases, 78% of the DNA data comes from people of European ancestries, who make up only about 16% of the world’s population.
One of the main issues presented by this diversity problem is that any solutions (including new medications) are likely to work best for the people whose DNA the research was based on – people of European descent. In fact, most residents in a diverse city like Boston, made up of white, black, Hispanic and Asian people among others, may not benefit the way they could from research efforts emanating from only a section of the world’s population.
To help remedy this problem in psychiatric research, a team of researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and several institutions in Africa are working together to study the genetics of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This large collaborative effort is called Neuropsychiatric Genetics of African Populations-Psychosis (“NeuroGAP-Psychosis” for short).
NeuroGAP-Psychosis aims to do something that has never been done on this scale before: recruit 35,000 people in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda to answer questions about their health, lifestyle and mental illness, and donate two teaspoons of saliva for DNA testing.
With this data, we will be looking for important, clinically relevant genetic differences that might be found in people of African descent and may be less common in people of European descent.
The information could lead to potential targets for new medicines that will help people of African descent and likely people of all ancestries around the globe due to the way human populations originated in Africa and migrated to other continents.
In truth, genetics research cannot be done effectively in a narrow slice of humanity. Our hope is that the genetic data found in the NeuroGAP-Psychosis study, and in similar studies underway in Mexico, China, Japan, Finland and many other countries, will be combined to help solve the mystery of the causes of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Our greatest wish? To see better treatments reach all people suffering from severe mental illness, whether they are in western Kenya or in Boston.
Anne Stevenson is the program director of the NeuroGAP-Psychosis study and based at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Broad Institute.
Dr. Lukoye Atwoli is an associate professor of psychiatry at Moi University School of Medicine in Eldoret, Kenya and the lead researcher at that site. |
For Immediate Release, October 26, 2009
Contact: Jonathan Evans, Center for Biological Diversity, (415) 436-9682 x 318
Vanishing Butterflies Flutter Closer to Endangered Species Act Protection
SAN DIEGO, Calif.— Through a legal settlement between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Center for Biological Diversity, the Obama administration will reconsider protection for two of Southern California’s rarest butterflies, the Hermes copper and Thorne’s hairstreak. The settlement agreement, which was approved by the court late Friday afternoon, requires the agency to decide again whether the butterflies should be considered for protection under the Endangered Species Act.
“Sprawl, rampant wildfires, and climate change threaten to wipe these beautiful creatures off the planet,” said Jonathan Evans of the Center for Biological Diversity. “We must act now to protect these butterflies and their islands of habitat in the mountains so they’re not lost to future generations.”
Two of nature’s unique gems, the butterflies are in continued peril. They live in the coastal and mountain areas of San Diego County and are threatened with extinction by the competing threats of urban sprawl, increased wildfire risk, and global warming.
Conservation groups have sought protection for the threatened butterflies for almost 20 years. First in 1991 and again in 2004, David Hogan and the Center for Biological Diversity, respectively, filed formal petitions with the federal government to protect the butterflies. Today’s settlement hopes to resolve the species’ status.
The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed on March 17, 2009 that was prompted after documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the Bush administration had reversed the course of its own biologists who recommended further research into protection of the butterflies under the Endangered Species Act. Biologists and agency staff concluded that enough information existed to warrant protection and to continue a “status review” in order to further investigate protection. Those decisions were ultimately reversed.
“It will take years to clean up the Bush administration’s abysmal record on wildlife conservation,” said Evans. “We hope the Obama administration will follow sound science in extending protection to these imperiled butterflies.”
The Hermes copper butterfly
The Hermes copper is a bright, yellow-orange spotted butterfly that is dependent for survival on small areas of its host plant, the spiny redberry. The Hermes copper occupied many coastal areas prior to urbanization, and still occupies some foothill and mountain areas up to 45 miles from the ocean.
As early as 1980, staff at the San Diego Natural History Museum noted “with San Diego’s increasing growth and the distributional nature of this little endemic butterfly, its future may well rest in the hands of developers.” Files of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recognized the substantial threat from wildfire: “Carlsbad FWS office files contain substantial information regarding threat of wildfire due to increased human-induced fire” due, in part, to the 2003 fire that “burned 39% of Hermes copper habitat” including “large stands of the species’ larval host plant and entire colonies.”
The Thorne’s hairstreak butterfly
The Thorne’s hairstreak is a delicate butterfly with wings that range from reddish brown to mahogany brown with lavender overscaling. The Thorne’s hairstreak butterfly has an extremely limited geographic range, existing in only one small area on Otay Mountain in San Diego County. This limited range is due, in part, to the limited distribution of its host plant, the Tecate cypress, upon which it depends.
The Thorne’s hairstreak has been recognized as unique and imperiled for more than 20 years. Unfortunately, the status of the Thorne’s hairstreak butterfly continues to deteriorate due to the increased threat of wildfire posed by an increasing human population and illegal migration across the Mexico border. Because of this limited distribution, one wildfire event could wipe the species off the planet. In fact, the 2003 wildfire event reduced the Thorne’s hairstreak occupied locations by half, from ten to five. Prior to the 2003 wildfires, biologists estimated that about 400 Thorne’s hairstreak butterflies remained in about eight populations. After the fire, surveys turned up fewer than 100 individual butterflies in four to five locations.
The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 240,000 members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. |
The battle for the moral high ground can be a fractious one.
Climate negotiations in Copenhagen late last year ended in stalemate. US and European negotiators want the Chinese – now the largest emitter – to do more to curtail carbon emissions. But the Chinese think the expectations are unfair, given their own stage of economic development, and that their emissions are much lower in per capita terms.
Instead, they point to the major efforts being made to make the country more energy-efficient. One key promise: to cut the amount of energy used for each dollar of GDP generated. By the end of 2010, China was supposed to be 20% more energy-efficient than it was in 2005.
The commitment was made five years ago, and has been trumpeted repeatedly since. Until recently, it seemed that the goal was well on track to being met. The official figures said China had improved its energy-efficiency by nearly 16% up to last year. “It’s a legally binding target,” explained Xie Zhenhua, deputy director of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). “To meet it, we have to adopt active measures, including phasing out obsolete equipment and upgrading facilities.”
But that final 4% has proved elusive. The problem is that last year’s economic stimulus put a lot of ‘obsolete equipment’ back to work. In March, energy-efficiency had actually fallen 3.2%, and was down 0.1% overall for the first six months of this year.
China’s leaders didn’t take the news lightly, unaccustomed as they are to missing their own targets (or, at least, to admitting so publicly).
Premier Wen Jiabao put it bluntly earlier in the year, warning that he would use an “iron fist” to make sure the goal was met. Provincial governments were told to make that happen by shuttering out-of-date plants in energy-intense industries like steel and cement.
That is not always easy: opposition often comes from bureaucrats with a direct economic interest in the companies under their jurisdiction (see WiC74). “There may be some resistance by companies against cutting emissions,” warns economist Chen Siwei, “but if they fail to meet the target, they will be shut down and the CEOs will face punishment.”
Critics say that leaders inprovinces that haven’t reached their target are panicking. Some are taking matters into their own hands by ordering electricity blackouts for the factories within their jurisdiction.
That’s how the situation is being read by Hebei-based Chengde Iron and Steel. Power cuts have forced two of its production lines to shut down since early September. It meant 5 million tonnes less of welded pipe and steel bar last month, a situation that a Chengde source called “unreasonable”.
The state-owned company says it was already doing its bit (it pulled the plug on one of its blast furnaces in July). But that wasn’t enough to satisfy the environmental directives. “The city government was very concerned that the targets set by Beijing] had been met – and sometimes exceeded – by other cities,” a source inside the company explained to the Economic Observer. “If Chengde City alone fails, local officials could be criticised, which would seriously affect their chances for promotion.”
Spare a little sympathy for those officials. As the Economic Observer points out, trying to meet energy-efficiency targets can also undercut efforts to meet the sacrosanct goal of 8% GDP growth. That must lead to some pretty serious shouting matches at local government meetings around the country.
Shutting off the electricity may prove a quick fix in massaging the stats a little closer to target. But most experts think that China won’t hit its year-end goal. Even if it does, the task will only get harder next time around. The next goal: making the economy 40% more energy efficient by 2020.
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The Week in China website and the weekly magazine publications are owned and maintained by ChinTell Limited, Hong Kong. Neither HSBC nor any member of the HSBC group of companies ("HSBC") endorses the contents and/or is involved in selecting, creating or editing the contents of the Week in China website or the Week in China magazine. The views expressed in these publications are solely the views of ChinTell Limited and do not necessarily reflect the views or investment ideas of HSBC. No responsibility will therefore be assumed by HSBC for the contents of these publications or for the errors or omissions therein. |
(Key Stage 1: Citizenship)
Learning a New Language
Under the Ocean
The seas and the oceans on Earth are full of wonder. From great white sharks to the tiniest plankton, land-dwellers like us know very little about our watery friends. Maybe we should listen to what they are trying to tell us ...
From On Tortoises, Monkeys and Men by Anthony L. Rose
I spotted five squid floating in shallow waters, near shore. We immediately switched to our snorkels, to avoid scaring them with noisy scuba gear. There were four small 6-inch-long individuals and one squid nearly 2 feet in length, perhaps a mother and her offspring. We slowly approached the group until we got about 10 feet from them. In unison, they all quivered when they saw us and went pale grey to colourless. The larger one then pulled away and momentarily displayed a spotted-brown pattern of blotches to the group. They immediately responded with similar patterns. All then went transparent again, and the four retreated while the big squid slowly approached to within 4 feet of us, tentacles first. She was inspecting us, looking us over, while the little ones watched from a safe distance.
Suddenly the big squid began displaying with all sorts of spots, stripes and patternscolours shifting from a blush of red to grey and brown to metallic blue. She was trying to communicate with us, greeting, questioningNice day, huh? What are you and what are you doing here? Why cant you speak? We hung motionless, unable to respond.
After two minutes of questioning, the big squid became pale grey again, turned around, and slowly bobbed back to the others. She then displayed in deep reds and browns with large blotches and spots. The leader was reporting back. The little ones replied, reproducing her messages, matching her colours.
All five went transparent and slowly, tentacles first, approached us. At 4 feet distance, they stopped and, as a group, large and small, repeated the brilliant displays of the first encounter. It was incredible! They had discussed us and decided to try again. In all the colours of their rainbow, five self-aware aliens from another world talked to us. As they repeated the inquiry with exquisite precision, the message boiled down to a simple one Hey, stupid, who are you? It was magicalif only we could have replied.
The experience confirmed that these animals have individual feelings and personalities and are much more complex than we normally credit them with.
Choose an animal or birdit can be one that you live with, or you can pick one from the wildand find out how they talk to each other. Do they make sounds? What do those sounds mean?
How do they communicate in other ways? Do you know what those communications mean? For example, what does it mean when a dog wags his or her tail or a rabbit thumps his or her hind legs?
Draw a picture of your chosen animal and write down some of the ways he or she communicates next to the picture.
If animals could talk to each other about how humans look after the planet, what do you think they would say? |
When is Gandhi Jayanti in 2017?
Gandhi Jayanti in 2017 is on the Monday, 2nd of Oct (10/02/2017).
Gandhi Jayanti is on the 275rd day of 2017. There are 90 days left in the year.
Quick Facts : Gandhi Jayanti
- Date: Oct 02, 2017
- Also Called: 2nd October
- Celebrations: Community, Historical celebration
Gandhi Jayanti is a national holiday in India celebrated on 2nd October. This day is celebrated in the honor of the birthday of the Father of the nation, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi or Bapuji. Internationally this day is celebrated as the International Day of Non-Violence as Gandhiji was the preacher of non-violence. He is a symbol of peace and truth.
Gandhiji was born on 2nd October 1869, in Porbunder, a small town in Gujarat. He studied law in U.K and practiced law in South Africa. In his autobiography "My experiments with Truth" Gandhiji described his childhood and teen age years, his marriage with Kasturba at the age of 13 and a sheer dedication for his mother land. He has set an example of simple living and high thinking. He was against the addictions like smoking, drinking and non-vegetarianism.
Gandhiji was a pioneer of truth and non-violence. He started the 'Satyagraha' (non-violence) movement for the Indian freedom struggle. He played a very significant role in achieving independence for India from British rule. He proved to the world that freedom can be achieved through the path of total non-violence.
All the organizations throughout the country remain closed on this day. Special event is organized at Raj Ghat, New Delhi where Gandhiji was cremated. People do prayers, pay homage and sing Gandhiji's favorite song "Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, Patit Pavan Sita Ram...".
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
Gandhi Jayanti Observances
- Oct 02, 2008
- Oct 02, 2009
- Oct 02, 2010
- Oct 02, 2011
- Oct 02, 2012
- Oct 02, 2013
- Oct 02, 2014
- Oct 02, 2015
- Oct 02, 2017
- Oct 02, 2016 |
Table of Contents
How to enable or disable Windows Vista Features
Windows Vista Features List
A Windows Vista feature is simply a set of programs or a particular capability of the operating system that can be enabled or disabled by an administrator. It is important to note that in Windows Vista, when you remove or disable a feature, you are not actually removing files from your hard drive, but rather just deactivating them. Therefore disabling a feature should not be used as a method of freeing up hard drive space. On the other hand, by disabling a feature you may gain an increase in performance due to memory and processor utilization no longer being allocated towards the particular feature.
Now that you understand what a Windows Vista Feature is, you may be wondering why people would need to enable or disable them? When you install Windows Vista, it installs a base set of features. This base set consists of programs and capabilities that Microsoft feels the average user would require or want when running Windows Vista. There are, though, features that come with the base install that some people may not need and by deactivating them you have one less potential program running in the background using up resources. On the other hand, some people may have need of a feature that is not activated by default such as Internet Information Services that would enable them to host a web site on their computer.
This guide will explain how to enable and disable Windows Vista features as well as describe what each feature does, whether it's installed by default, and whether we feel its necessary to enable.
How to enable or disable Windows Vista Features
To access the Vista Features screen you should follow these steps:
Click on the Start
button to open your Start Menu. The Start button looks like this:
When the Start Menu opens click on the Control Panel menu option.
When the Control Panel window opens click on the Uninstall a program option option under the Programs category. This option is shown by the arrow in the image below. If you are using the Classic View of the Control Panel, then you would double-click on the Programs and Features icon instead.
You will now be presented with the Programs and Features screen, or Uninstall or change a program screen, as shown in the image below.
To access the Windows features screen you need to single-click on the option labeled Turn Windows features on or off as designated by the arrow in the image above.
Windows Vista will now ask for your permission to access the Windows Vista Features. You should click on the Continue button to give this permission.
The Windows Vista Feature List window will now open displaying all the Features available for your version of Vista. An entry can be a single feature or a feature with subfeatures. When enabling features that have subfeatures it is possible to only enable those subfeatures that are required by you. This enables you to finely tune how you want Vista to operate.
Next to each feature is a box that can have three states. If the checkbox is checked that means that the feature, and all of its subfeatures if it has any, are enabled. If the box is filled with a solid blue color, then that means that some subfeatures of this feature are enabled but not all of them. If the checkbox is empty, then that feature and none of its subfeatures are enabled.
To enable a feature, simply put a checkmark next to the feature name. To disable a feature simply remove the check from the feature or one of its subfeatures. When you are happy with how you disabled and enabled the features, you should click on the OK button to save these changes.
Now that you know how to access the Windows Vista Feature List and to activate and disable features you can control what programs and capabilities are available to you when using Vista. For a description of each feature, if they are enabled by default, and whether or not you need it, please read the next section of this tutorial.
Windows Vista Feature List
Below is the list of features that are available in Windows Vista. Please note that depending on the version of Windows Vista you may have, some of these features may not be available. This feature list was taken from Vista Ultimate which should have all the available features at this time.
The table below contains a list of all the features and their subfeatures. Each Feature name is a link to a description of the particular feature. These descriptions may contain link to further reference material about the particular feature. Each feature also has a corresponding default status. The key to the default status column is below:
Default Status Key
The feature or subfeature is not enabled by default.
The feature or subfeature is enabled by default.
Some of the subfeatures of a feature are enabled by default.
ActiveX Installer Service
This feature enables standard users to install ActiveX controls. This feature can be controlled via Group Policy so that the an administrator can set what hosts a standard user can install an ActiveX control from. This service was added so that enterprise users are able to install ActiveX controls that are necessary for day-to-day business. The majority of users do not need this feature installed. More information can be found here.
Games that come bundled with Vista. Loosen up and enable them. Some are fun! They include:
Single-player chess game
A solitaire card game.
A trick-based card game in which the goal is to get rid of your cards while avoiding points.
A puzzle game where you try to bounce balls into a specific hole using walls you create with your mouse cursor.
A solitaire game where you use Mahjong tiles instead of cards.
A puzzle/strategy game.
A childrens game designed to teach colors, shapes and pattern recognition.
A single-player card game.
A solitaire card game.
The indexing service is being provided for backwards compatibility for Windows versions prior to Vista. This service indexes the files on your hard drive in order to aid in rapid searching. In the past this service was known to cause slow downs on a computer. It is unnecessary to enable this feature.
Internet Information Services
Installs the services and administration tools for IIS 7.0. Internet Information Server 7.0 allows your computer to act as a Web server and FTP server. This feature should only be enabled if you require this functionality. More information about the various features and what versions of Vista have them can be found here.
FTP Publishing Service
This feature, and its subfeatures, are for enabling the IIS 7.0 FTP Server and FTP server management tools. More information about using the FTP in IIS 7.0 can be found here.
FTP Management Console
Enables the Management console for the Windows FTP Server. This should only be enabled if you need to manage an FTP server on your local machine or a remote machine you have administrative access to.
Enables the Windows FTP server. This feature should only be enabled if you need an FTP server running on your computer.
Web Management Tools
Install Web management console and tools.
IIS 6 Management Compatibility
Allows you to use the IIS 6 management console to manage FTP sites and Web sites using IIS 6 APIs.
IIS 6 Management Console
Enables you to manage IIS 7.0 FTP sites using the IIS 6 administrative interface. To manage FTP sites in IIS 7.0 you must have the IIS 6 Management Console installed. With this console installed you can also manage remote IIS 6.0 installations.
IIS 6 Scripting Tools
Allows you to use configuration scripts to manage an IIS 6 server.
IIS 6 WMI Compatibility
Enables the IIS 6 WMI scripting interface.
IIS Metabase and IIS 6 configuration compatibility
Enables IIS 6.0 metabase calls to interact with the new IIS 7.0 configuration store.
IIS Management Console
Installs the Web server management console that allows you to create, delete, and manage web sites running on a local or remote IIS 7.0 server. This console is only used for managing web sites. To manage FTP sites you must install the IIS 6 Management Console. More info on using the new console can be found here.
IIS Management Scripts and Tools
Enables you to manage an IIS 7.0 server with configuration scripts.
IIS Management Service
Allows a local web server to be managed remotely from another computer using the IIS Management Console.
World Wide Web Services
Application Development Features
Enables support for dynamically created web pages using various languages or coding methods.
Enabling this feature allows IIS 7.0 to host .NET Framework applications.
Enabling this feature allows IIS 7.0 to host Classic ASP applications.
Enabling this feature allows IIS 7.0 to host ASP .NET applications.
Enabling this feature allows IIS 7.0 to host CGI executables.
Enabling this feature allows ISAPI extensions to handle client requests.
Enabling this feature allows ISAPI filters to modify web server behaviour.
Enabling this feature allows IIS 7.0 to serve .shtm, .shtml, and .stm pages from a web site.
Common HTTP Features
Allows you to enable features that are required by most web sites.
Allows you to specify a file that will opened automatically when a browser connects to a site without specifying a particular filename. For example if we specified index.html as our default document and we visited http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/, notice it does not specify a filename, IIS would automatically send back the contents of the index.html as it is the specified default document.
Allows you to view the contents of a directory on a web site that does not contain a default document. For example if their was an URL http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/Microsoft/ and there was no file in that the Microsoft directory that matched a specified default document, the server would instead display a listing of all the files in the Microsoft directory.
Enabling this feature will allow you to create customized error pages for your sites hosted under IIS 7. This allows for useful error pages like this rather than this. It is important to note that the follow error pages cannot be customized: 400, 403.9, 411, 414, 500, 500.11, 500.14, 500.15, 501, 503, and 505.
This feature allows you to redirect a page to another page based upon rules. Information on configuring HTTP redirection can be found here and here. The available redirect types are:
Standard (302) - Tells the Web client to open the page specified in the Location HTTP header.
Permanent (301) - Tells the Web client that requested page has moved to a new permanent location.
Temporary (307) - The requested resource resides temporarily under a different URI. This error code also protects POST data from being lost during the redirection.
The features enables IIS 7.0 to serve static HTML (.htm and .html) and image files.
Health and Diagnostics
This category and its subfeatures are for traffic logging and monitoring of IIS 7.0 web sites and applications.
Enables you to customize what information is logged for web servers, sites, and applications on this server.
Enables logging of HTTP activity on this server.
Installs tools and utilities that can be used for logging.
Allows you to log activity to a database via ODBC.
Allows you to view the current worker processes in an application pool as well as seeing the current requests executing within a worker process.
Enables IIS to log information about a request that is failing to serve back information. This is useful as it allows you to quickly debug an application on a particular page without having to reproduce the exact error again.
HTTP Compression Dynamic
Enables IIS 7.0 to compress dynamically generated output before sending it to the requesting browser. More information on configuring this can be found here.
Static Content Compression
Enables IIS 7.0 to compress static content such as HTML and images before sending it to the requesting browser.
Features that enhance the security of your applications and web sites. For more information about how to configure the various security features below you can visit here.
Basic Authentication allows you to restrict who can access a specific resource on a web server. The visitor will provide a valid username and password that is authenticated against a specific domain. This mode of authentication is considered insecure as all credentials are passed in clear-text (unencrypted).
Client Certificate Mapping Authentication
Client certificate mapping allows users to log into your site automatically if they are using a client certificate.
Digest authentication authenticates users against a Windows domain controller. This method should be used when you require a higher level of security than you would get with Basic Authentication and your environment contains firewalls and proxy servers.
IIS Client Certificate Mapping Authentication
IIS client certificate mapping allows you to map certificates to specific clients or groups of clients. Those users who are using the mapped client certificate can automatically log into the site.
Internet Protocol security uses the IPsec encryption protocol to encrypt the data travelling between your browser and the server.
With Request Filtering you can analyzing all HTTP requests and if the request matches a specific criteria perform a particular action, such as denying the request. This functionality used to be part of the UrlScan utility but is now built into IIS 7.0.
URL authorization enables you to create rules that allow you to permit or deny access to a particular URL depending on the user, groups, computers, domains that are accessing them.
Windows authentication enables web visitors to authenticate to the site using NTLM or Kerberos protocols. This type of authentication is best suited for Intranet applications.
Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0
The Microsoft .NET Framework version 3.0. Needed to run applications developed using .NET Framework 3.0.
Windows Communication Foundation HTTP Activation
Required for WCF HTTP activations.
Windows Communication Foundation Non-HTTP Activation
Required for WCF non-HTTP activations.
Enables you to view XPS documents.
Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server
Enables your computer to act as a Microsoft Message Queue Server. MSMQ allows applications to send messages to each other with guaranteed delivery. The server holds the message until the recipient application runs and then delivers the message to it. Unless you need this, do not enable it or its subfeatures.
Microsoft Message Queue (MSMQ) Server Core
This features and its subfeatures are the core components of the Microsoft Message Queue Server.
MSMQ Active Directory Domain Services Integration
Active Directory Domain Services Integration feature enables publishing of queue properties to Active Domain Directory Services, out-of-the-box authentication and encryption of messages using certificates registered in Active Directory Domain Services, and routing of messages across Windows sites. This feature becomes operational only when a computer becomes part of a domain.
MSMQ HTTP Support
Allows access to the MSMQ using the HTTP protocol. This feature requires that the Internet Information Server feature is enabled.
Enables incoming messages to trigger a COM component or executable depending on the filters defined for the particular queue.
Allows applications to send messages to a Multicast IP address which will then deliver the message to the queues associated with that address.
MSMQ DCOM Proxy
Enables MSMQ applications to use the MSMQ DCOM API to connect to a remote MSMQ server.
Manages Printers and Printing.
Enables your computer to print to printers via the HTTP protocol. This allows you to print to a printer anywhere in the world as long as you have HTTP access to it. This should be enabled for printing to print servers on your network. If you are only using printers that are attached locally to your computer, you do not need to enable this feature.
LDP Print Server
Makes your computer act as a Line Printer Daemon and a Remote Line Printer client. This will typically only be used if you want Unix computers to be able to print to your Windows printers.
LPR Port Monitor
Enables your computer to print to printers attached to UNIX machines.
Remote Differential Compression
Transmits files over a network by determining what is different between a local and remote file and only sending those differences. This method allows for the saving of bandwidth and time as only the data that is different between the two files is sent. Should be enabled if you copy data between networked computers. More info here.
Removal Storage Management
Manages and catalogs removable media and operates automated removable media storage devices such as tape changers, libraries, and jukeboxes. Is not needed if you do not backup to removeable media.
Listens for route updates from routers that use the Routing Information Protocol version 1 (RIPv1). Is not needed for the majority of users.
Services for NFS
Enables your computer to share files using the Network File System protocol. This protocol is typically used when you want to share files with UNIX/LINUX computers. Only enable if you plan to share data between Linux or Unix computers.
NFS Management Tools
Client for NFS
Allows this computer to access files on a UNIX based computer using NFS.
Simple TCPIP services(i.e. echo, daytime etc)
Installs the basic TCP/IP services such as echo, daytime, quote, chargen, and discard. These tools are essentially useless and should not be installed. More information about the different Simple TCP/IP Services can be found here.
Enables Simple Network Management Protocol agents to run on your computer so that network devices can be monitored. This feature is typically not required by the majority of users. Only enable it if you know you need it.
WMI SNMP Provider
Provides WMI access to the SNMP information.
Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications
Otherwise known as SUA, Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications installs a source-compatibility subsystem for compiling and running unix-based applications and scripts in Windows. Once this feature is installed, you can download the SDK by visiting the link found under Start -> All Programs -> Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications. More information about SUA can be found here. This feature should only be enabled if you know you need it.
Tablet PC Optional Components
Adds or removes accessories such as Tablet PC Input Panel, Windows Journal, and the Snipping Tool. Enabling this feature also installs software that enables handwriting recognition. Though this feature is not necessary to install unless you have a Tablet PC, by not installing it you will not have access to the Snipping Tool which is a very handy application. The Snipping Tool allows you to draw a selection of your screen that you would like to take a snippet, or screenshot, of.
Enabling this will install a program called Telnet that allows you to connect remote Telnet servers. Telnet is a command-line program that can be run by typing telnet ipaddress in the Run field of your Start Menu. Unless you have a need for Telnet, there is no reason to enable this feature. More information about telnet can be found here.
This feature will install a Telnet Server on your computer which will listen on TCP port 21 and configure the Windows firewall to allow incoming connections on this port. Enabling this feature is NOT recommended. Enabling this feature, and not having it properly configured, could pose a significant security risk as all information, including passwords, are sent in clear text. This means that anyone with a network sniffer can watch exactly what you are doing. It is for this reason that this feature is disabled by default. More information about telnet can be found here. If after reading this you still want to install a Telnet Server, it is recommended that you read this article.
TFTP is a protocol similar to FTP but has less features and uses the UDP protocol to transmit data. TFTP is most commonly used to backup and restore a network devices firmware or configuration. Enabling this feature will install a TFTP client that you can use to download and upload files to and from a TFTP server. Solarwinds has a free TFTP Server that you can download if you want to use this feature. The Vista TFTP client is a command line program and can be access by typing tftp in a command prompt. Only enable if you need this feature particular feature. If you require a file transfer server of some sort, then use the IIS FTP server instead.
Windows DFS Replication Service
Allows you to replicate files between multiple computer in order to keep them synchronized. Vista's implementation of the DF Replication Service includes numerous enhancments such as Remote Differential Compression (RDC). More info here.
Windows Fax and Scan
This feature allows you to fax documents via a installed fax modem or to use a fax server located on your network. This program also allows you to have a central location where you can manage scanned documents and images. It is important to note that you can scan from other programs such as Photo Gallery.
Windows Meeting Space
Windows Meeting Space allows you to create a meeting and invite remote users to join it. When creating a meeting you have the ability to invite other users, provide documents that other people in the meeting have access to and can modify one at a time, and share your desktop or individual programs running on your computer. In order for this Feature to work you need to enable file replication, People Near Me, and allow it access through your firewall..
Windows Process Activation Service
Installs the Windows Process Activation Service. More info here. More info about the Windows Communication Foundation here.
Installs the .NET environment for supporting managed code activation.
Install managed code configuration APIs.
Install Process Model for the Windows Process Activation Service.
Windows Ultimate Extras
As an owner of Windows Ultimate you get access to additional premium content in the form of extra features, games, and applications. This premium content is only available to Windows Ultimate owners. As the new content becomes available it will be accessible via the Start Menu -> All Programs -> Extras .and Upgrades -> Windows Ultimate Extas icon.
Now that you know how to enable and disable features, get out there and start experimenting with your Vista installation. You may find that disabling certain features provides a performance boost, while enabling other features provide applications that make your life easier. Either way, play around and explore the available features. You can always turn them off again.
As always, if you want to learn more about, or discuss with your peers, the various features available in Windows Vista, then feel free to talk about it in of our Windows Vista forums. |
June 9, 2015
This week the children at Oadby have enjoyed planting different vegetable seeds. They have planted Peas, Carrots and lettuce. The children sat down with their teachers to look at some pictures of different vegetables and spoke about the progress of them growing and what the children needed to do to help them. The children will be monitoring them to watch them grow before taking them home to plant in their garden and be able to eat. |
Secure Shell (SSH) is an extremely useful tool when administering a number Linux servers. For instance, in my home office environment I have server configured with Proxmox Virtual Environment on whch I host a number of Ubuntu 14.04 virtual servers, which I use for all my development, testing and DevOps environment. I will frequently need to access those machines to carry out some administration tasks or configuration. Being able to access them any terminal window on any of the workstations that I have scattered around my office and home, is a real convenience.
What is Secure Shell ?
Secure Shell, or rather more commonly referred to as SSH, enables the secure communication between networked computers enabling users to log-in to a remote machine and run commands and interact with the file system, as if you directly on the machine while using the Terminal Window on your machine.
SSH is not enabled on Ubuntu by default. A SSH command is available, on a server but it only the client module, which will enable a server to communicate externally with other servers, but no servers will be able to connect to it.
To enable SSH on a server or desktop can be done by installing openssh-server from the ubuntu repositories i.e. apt-get
After installing, you should be able to access the server as is, using SSH from the terminal using ssh username@host i.e
However, you may want to male some configuration changes to servers SSH configuration file to improve security. You can access the configuration file using any text editor.
After you have made your changes, you simply need to restart the service |
The one thing none of us can escape in life is the inevitability of death. It comes for us all, and there will be a time when we occupy a grave rather than a home, an unsettling thought indeed. For the most part, these tombs, graves, and places of the dead remain out of sight in secluded graveyards and cemeteries out on the fringes of society where they can let these lost souls rest in peace. Yet, there are some places where the dead seem to take center stage, and one is a town in California where corpses far outnumber the living. This is the city of the dead.
The story of this unusual town of the dead begins in the city of San Francisco, California back in the 1900s. It was a time of great growth for the city, which had started as a small Spanish mission town but saw the population surging increasingly steadily in the days of the Gold Rush of 1848, with the the small town soon blooming, its population doubling and tripling as more and more people made their way here looking for riches. Considering its location on a peninsula, there was not really anywhere for all of this development and the influx of people to go, and land became a scarce, luxury item. Then came a series of tragedies that hit the city in quick succession.
In 1900 the city was devastated by the Bubonic plague, followed by the Great Earthquake of 1906 and its resulting fires, which wiped out most of the city and killed scores pf people. With so many people dead in such a small area, and growth amazingly still continuing unabated, the decision was made to stop using the limited available land for cemeteries. Not only were there just too many bodies piling up, but the land that already harbored bodies was looking more and more desirable as real estate, and so city officials got to thinking about how to solve their land and dead body situations in one fell swoop. In 1912 the solution was found at a sparsely populated scrub ridden patch of land to the south of the city called Cow Hollow.
At the time, the area only had a few hundred residents, and it was mostly open rural land, close enough to San Francisco to make it viable as a cemetery, yet far enough away that those dead bodies didn’t cause a fuss or spread any diseases. The city’s funeral parlors began buying up tracts of land at Cow Hollow for use as graveyards for its dead, and the area became designated as a necropolis. The city began digging up bodies in San Francisco and re-interring them at Cow Hollow en masse, with tens of thousands of bodies moved to the area in short order. Rather morbidly, many of these bodies were buried here in mass, unmarked graves or without headstones due to the families unable to pay for proper burials or to have the headstones relocated, and some of the bodies were never actually moved at all either due to oversight or carelessness. In some cases, these mass graves hold tens of thousands of bodies in a jumble of corpses, all because the families could not afford the $10 fee to have them put into a proper grave. One such mass grave contains the bodies of an estimated 55,000 Catholics, and another is known to hold around 30,000 forgotten souls. In the case of bodies left behind, right up into the present day construction projects in San Francisco often turn up bodies that were not successfully re-interred at the time, and it is unknown just how many corpses remain under the city from that tumultuous era.
The number of cemeteries in Colma would grow until there were eventually 17 of them in this one little town, with most of the land devoted to harboring the dead. In the meantime, the town grew as more people came to work in the funerary and cemetery business, and in 1924 it was finally incorporated into San Mateo County as the city of Colma. However, the population of the dead greatly surpassed that of the living. While the permanent living population hovered at around 1,000, between the years of 1920 and 1941 it is estimated that around 150,000 corpses were buried at Colma, including numerous notable figures such as Wyatt Earp, jeans pioneer Levi Strauss, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, famous railroad-accident survivor Phineas Gage, world famous baseball player Joe DiMaggio, and many more. When World War II hit, the region grew exponentially, and so did the number of dead bodies at Colma, until there were over a million dead bodies here, outnumbering the living by 10 to 1, and earning it somber nicknames like “City of the Dead,” “City of Souls” and “City of the Silent.”
In modern times there are thought to be over 2 million people buried in this one small town and its 17 cemeteries, compared to its living population of around 1,700, the dead accounting for 78 % of the land area and 99.9% percent of the residents, and the city often uses the humorous motto, “It’s great to be alive in Colma.” To this day it remains a curious place more known for its dead than the living, a true city of corpses, where nearly every road leads to a cemetery and where there are no doubt plenty of ghosts as well. The city of Colma remains a curious historical oddity and a truly unique location for those looking for a peek into macabre history. |
Recent predictions that the obesity epidemic will lead to shorter lifespans for today’s young adults are challenged by a new study conducted by Massachusetts researchers, which suggests a more optimistic outlook: The average 25-year-old today can expect to enjoy at least two extra years of a healthy life compared with those a generation ago.
The study, published Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health, used data from six different government surveys conducted from 1987 to 2008 to calculate the “quality-adjusted life expectancy,” which is the number of years Americans can expect to live in good health, free of disease, disability, and mental illness.
Gains in this quality of life expectancy over this two-decade period were 2.4 years for a 25-year-old living today and 1.7 years for someone who is 65 years of age. “It’s incredibly important to know whether people are not just living longer but living better,” said study co-author Dr. Allison Rosen, an associate professor of quantitative health sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. “We’d like to know whether health care dollars spent on treating heart attacks or managing depression could increase not only the length of life but also the quality of life.”
To define the vague notion of high-quality living, Rosen and her colleagues from Harvard University and the National Bureau of Economic Research in Cambridge measured more than a dozen different factors that could destroy a person’s sense of well-being, such as not being able to bend or walk properly, feeling anxious or low energy, or having hearing or vision loss. They also considered smoking and obesity to be risk factors that subtracted from these quality years.
The researchers found an increse in walking problems in adults younger than age 65, while seniors seemed to have fewer problems with walking. Those of all ages had higher rates of obesity but lower rates of smoking in 2008 compared with two decades earlier. They also had less depression and fewer vision and hearing problems.
“I like this study because it opens a new window into measuring quality of life,” said Dr. Jay Olshansky, a professor of public health at the University of Illinois at Chicago, who was not involved in the research. But, he added, it may contradict previous research—including his own—that suggests older populations are living longer and in better health than their parents, while younger adults are slated to live in worse health due to both an increase and earlier onset of obesity.
The results of the new study also do not apply to everyone equally across the board. White women under age 65 had the smallest increases in their quality of life years—1.6 years—while black men under 65 had gained the most, 4 years.
Olshansky’s research suggests that those who have college degrees enjoy the longest life expectancy gains, while those who never graduated from high school have far smaller gains, with some groups even experiencing a decrease in life expectancy compared to the previous generation.
The latest study was not designed to compare life expectancy differences by level of education or other factors shown to make a difference, such as income. |
The OOM Killer or Out Of Memory Killer is a process that the linux kernel employs when the system is critically low on memory. This situation occurs because the linux kernel has over allocated memory to its processes. When a process starts it requests a block of memory from the kernel. This initial request is usually a large request that the process will not immediately or indeed ever use all of. The kernel, aware of this tendency for processes to request redundant memory, over allocates the system memory. This means that when the system has, for example, 2GB of RAM the kernel may allocate 2.5GB to processes. This maximises the use of system memory by ensuring that the memory that is allocated to processes is being actively used.
Normally, this situation does not cause a problem. However, if enough processes begin to use all of their requested memory blocks then there will not be enough physical memory to support them all. This means that the running processes require more memory than is physically available. This situation is critical and must be resolved immediately.
The solution that the linux kernel employs is to invoke the OOM Killer to review all running processes and kill one or more of them in order to free up system memory and keep the system running.
The OOM Killer works by reviewing all running processes and assigning them a badness score. The process that has the highest score is the one that is killed. The OOM Killer assigns a badness score based on a number of criteria. The principle of which are as follows are as follows:
The above listed criteria mean that when selecting a process to kill the OOM Killer will choose a process using lots of memory and has lots of child processes and which are not system processes. An application such as apache, mysql, ftp server or a mail server will make an good candidate. However, as this situation usually occurs on a busy web server Apache or MySQL will be the largest in-memory, non-system processes and consequently get killed.
It must be remembered that although the webserver or db server are very important to you when the kernel calls the OOM Killer the situation is critical. If memory is not freed by killing a process the server will crash very shortly afterwards. Continuing normal operations at this juncture is impossible.
The easiest way to find if the OOM Killer was the reason that a website went offline is to check the system log. Whenever the OOM Killer is invoked it will write a great deal of information to the system log including which process was killed and why. If the following command is run:
dmesg | egrep -i “killed process”
The output will look like the following
host kernel: Out of Memory: Killed process 2592 (mysql).
In this instance the process that was killed was mysql which has the PID (Process Identification Number) of 2592.
The OOM Killer will only get invoked when the system is critically low on memory. Consequently the solution to avoiding it is to either reduce the memory requirements of the server or increase the available memory.
This is the fastest and easiest option as it will require no work re-configuring the server. The sales team will be happy to discuss your requirements and make a recommendation. They can be contacted at:
The first step that should be taken to reduce memory usage to stop any processes running that are not needed. For example if the server is not shared and FTP is only occasionally used then this process can be initiated prior to uploading and terminated afterwards.
WHM / cPanel servers generally have a lot of processes running which consume a lot of memory. Some of these can be stopped if they are not being used. This is done via the “Service Manager” page in WHM. The docs for this page can be read here:
The second way to reduce memory usage is use an alternative application or configuration that has a lower memory footprint. An obvious candidate for this is Apache. Apache is a very capable webserver but is not know for is parsimonious use of system resources. There are very many alternative web servers but two well know web servers which show a decreased memory usage compared to apache are nginx and lighttpd.
Swapping to nginx from apache will make a large difference to memory usage but only on a busy webserver.
Alternatively, using a reverse proxy to serve static content will reduce memory usage and increase page load times by serving content directly from ram before apache has to start a thread to serve it. Varnish cache is an excellent reverse proxy. Further information can be found on their site:
Furthermore, the serving of static content, e.g. images, can be offloaded to the Memset CDN. This will reduce the memory and cpu overhead of serving the site because the browser will request the images directly from the Memset CDN server. More about this service can be read here:
WHM / cPanel server do not have very much choice in which application to use as often the only availible option is the one supplied by WHM. However, in the case of the FTP server and mail server there are two choices for each one. One choice has a lower memory foot print and should be switched to if memory constraints are an issue.
Choosing alternative applications or tweaking configuration will only produce limited results. Increasing the available RAM to an amount sufficient to support the needed processes is always the best solution.
Last updated 4 May 2017, 06:41 GMT |
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The vulva and the vagina are parts of the female reproductive system, which also includes the ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus and cervix.
The vulva is a general term for a female’s external sexual organs (genitals). The main parts of the vulva are the:
mons pubis – the soft, fatty mound of tissue covered with pubic hair, above the labia
labia majora – two large, outer fleshy lips, which surround and protect the inner lips known as labia minora
labia minora – two inner lips (may be smaller or thinner than the labia majora)
clitoris – the main organ for sexual pleasure in females. It is located where the labia minora join at the top of the vulva. During arousal, the clitoris fills with blood and becomes erect, and touching it can lead to sexual climax (orgasm)
Bartholin glands – two small glands near the opening of the vagina. They produce mucus to moisten (lubricate) the vagina.
Sometimes called the birth canal, the vagina is a muscular tube about 7–10 cm long that extends from the cervix to the vulva. The vaginal opening is where menstrual blood flows out of the body during a period, sexual intercourse occurs, and a baby leaves the body.
Urethra, anus and perineum
Below the clitoris is the urethra, for passing urine. Further down is the entrance to the vagina, and behind that is the anus. The area of skin between the vagina and the anus is called the perineum.
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This information was last reviewed October 2020 by the following expert content reviewers: A/Prof Alison Brand, Director, Gynaecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Ellen Barlow, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Royal Hospital for Women, NSW; Jane Conroy-Wright, Consumer; Rebecca James, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA; Suparna Karpe, Clinical Psychologist, Gynaecological Oncology, Westmead Hospital, NSW; Dr Pearly Khaw, Consultant Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Sally McCoull, Consumer; A/Prof Orla McNally, Gynaecological Oncologist and Director, Oncology/Dysplasia, The Royal Women’s Hospital, and Director, Gynaecology Tumour Stream, Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre, VIC; Haley McNamara, Social Worker and Project Manager, Care at End of Life Project, Queensland Health, QLD; Tamara Wraith, Senior Clinician – Physiotherapy, The Royal Women’s Hospital, VIC. |
Computer engineering is a field that uses many of the same techniques one uses in computer science or electrical engineering. When compared to software engineering, it tends to take a different set of technical abilities. Still, one cannot talk about computer science or computer engineering without taking software engineering into consideration – there is a distinct bridge in between the concepts.
While computer scientists, the driving forces behind computer engineering, focus on the hardware implementations in computer systems, software engineering focuses on building the actual programming. One cannot truly exist without the other.
Computer engineering has many major technical areas, including automation, machine intelligence, cybersecurity, networking, embedded systems, and of course, software engineering.
Software engineering focuses on discovering, creating, and designing a practical solution to a problem with a system. Computer engineering, on the other hand, develops computer systems using computer science and electrical engineering. That is one of the key differences between the two, though they do work together in many, many situations, which is why it is confusing.
Software engineering and computer engineering are both related to computers, which is where the confusion comes into it. The major difference is that software engineering involves more of the design elements, implementation, testing, and maintenance of your software. Computer engineering deals more with the physical or hardware systems.
Many of the concepts for computer engineering are similar concepts you will find in software engineering. They both, to differing degrees, require knowledge of software architecture, software testing, and even software deployment. This is sometimes a team activity but can fall on just a few IT leaders or CIOs in a company.
Whenever you have a problem with your system, it is likely something that is a software problem. In software engineering, IT leaders study, devise, and build practical solutions to that problem. This might involve using the existing software and manipulating the code in some way to fix the issue. For larger or more significant problems, it can involve creating a new system from the bottom up. You need software to make your computer function and, in many cases, to make systems operate. As it is so essential, software engineering is typically a team effort – everyone has a specific role that he or she needs to play. In some cases, that team includes computer engineers as well as engineers and programmers. Teamwork is required to know how each system works.
The teams for both computer engineering and software engineering can include leadership, CIOs, communications team, HR, and more – it really depends on what your systems are doing and what you hope they will do. It is up to the computer engineer and software engineer to work together to tackle larger situations. Often, the computer engineer will do much of the initial work and then software engineers will come as things need to change. Codes and requirements of the software change more often than hardware does, but sometimes the hardware will change and the software needs to be updated accordingly.
Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) is a part of software development that uses computer-assisted methods and tools. Typically, it does not create a software product from scratch to completion, but helps to create software that is almost complete – and even more importantly, high quality and defect free.
Computer Aided Software Engineering ensures that everyone hits their development milestones AND that risks and errors are avoided as much as possible. This is a help to everyone from designers and developers to managers and even customers.
CASE also helps to deliver products that will meet requirements for safety and security – and it is likely to impress customers and keep them part of the development process.
There are many tools used in Computer Aided Software Engineering – and each one has to be properly vetted and tested regularly to ensure that it is living up to the standards set forth by software engineers and computer engineers.
Some of the tools used in CAST include:
CASE tools focus on redesign of software as well as testing, improving the overall quality of your product. Typically used in development, this will increase the chance that your products can be used sooner and will go longer without maintenance – in some cases.
CAST Engineering Dashboard helps delivery organizations that you are living up to your commitment to deliver high-quality products that help your company serve its clients.
Our Engineering Dashboard works to: |
Caribou's eye view: Quebec researchers plan to equip herd with body cameras
Researchers hope to shed light on what's causing the drastic population drop in the Leaf River herd
Researchers have a plan to figure out why 40 per cent of young caribou in the Leaf River area of northern Quebec do not survive.
The plan will see scientists take to helicopters to shoot nets at female caribou. They will then install collar cameras before letting them go.
Researchers hope the cameras will allow them to monitor the actions of females as they migrate through the James Bay region, hopefully shedding light on the high mortality rate among the Leaf River herd.
Steeve Côté, a biology professor at Laval University and director of the research project, said by placing cameras on female caribou researchers will get more accurate information about the lives of the caribou born this fall.
Quebec limits hunting permits
The Quebec government has called the situation of the Lead River herd "worrying," and pledged to create a ministerial committee that will propose "mitigation measures."
In addition, the government has promised to cut the total number of hunting permits in half.
This winter, sport hunters are allowed to harvest up to 2,732 animals in Inuit and Cree territory. Only 1,366 permits will be made available for the 2017-18 hunting season.
Cree leaders in Quebec have been calling for an end to the sports hunt of the Leaf River herd for years, saying the government's actions fall short of what's needed. |
Huge amounts of microplastics trapped within Arctic sea ice will be released into the world’s oceans with global warming, researchers have warned.
The Alfred Wegener Institute in Germany found 12,000 microplastic particles per litre of ice when it surveyed five regions in the Arctic Ocean.
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Analysis of ocean currents showed much of the debris had flowed from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, the largest accumulation of ocean plastic in the world, which lies between California and Hawaii.
British experts said it showed that the garbage patch was “literally the tip of the iceberg”.
Dr Ilka Peeken, biologist and first author of a study published in the journal Nature Communications, said: “More than half of the microplastic particles trapped in the ice were less than a twentieth of a millimetre wide, which means they could easily be ingested by Arctic microorganisms. No one can say for certain how harmful these tiny plastic particles are for marine life, or ultimately for human beings.”
The movement of sea ice in the Arctic means much of the waste is eventually transported to waters off the north east coast of Greenland. British experts said the amount of microplastics in the oceans will only increase as sea ice melts because of climate change.
Mysterious circles have appeared on Arctic sea ice — and even NASA is baffled
Scientists say melting Arctic sea ice may be behind Canada's seemingly endless winter
Prof Ton van den Bremer, Royal Academy of Engineering Research Fellow at the University of Oxford, said: “The study ties together two global environmental problems: plastic pollution of the ocean and climate change, as the melting of the arctic ice cap will lead to the release of large additional quantities of micro-plastic.”
The researchers found particularly high concentrations of polyethylene particles, used mainly in packaging, which most likely came from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, brought through the Bering Strait and into the Arctic Ocean by the Pacific inflow.
They also discovered paint particles from ships and nylon waste from discarded fishing nets in the seas off Siberia. Cellulose acetate, primarily used for cigarette filters, was also found in high quantities.
Dr Jeremy Wilkinson, sea ice physicist at the British Antarctic Survey, added: “Sea ice grows vertically downwards, thus it was incorporating microplastic particles as it grew. It suggests microplastics are now ubiquitous within the surface waters of the world’s ocean. Nowhere is immune.” |
Abraham Lincoln at the intersection of principle and politics
Two new books document Lincoln's difficult passage through the politics of race.
It's February, the month in which we celebrate President's Day, and so once again the stores are full of books about Abraham Lincoln. Among this year's crop are a pair with disarmingly similar titles – Douglass and Lincoln and Lincoln and Douglas.
The books treat two very different relationships – from separate vantage points – but study the same phenomenon: Lincoln's uneasy balance between principle and politics. Neither book celebrates Lincoln as a hero, but both depict him as an intelligent, caring man forced to find a way through the 19th century's ugly thicket of slavery, race, and politics.
In "Douglass and Lincoln" (about Lincoln's relationship with black leader Frederick Douglass) Paul Kendrick and Stephen Kendrick call Lincoln "a reluctant liberator." In "Lincoln and Douglas"(about Lincoln's famed debates with rival politician Stephen A. Douglas), Allen C. Guelzo depicts Lincoln as sincerely devoted to emancipation but restricted by politics.
Lincoln, Guelzo makes clear, was a politician who needed votes and was not above pandering to popular prejudices to get them. While abolitionist lecturers and antislavery journalists were free to condemn white supremacy, Lincoln was not.
In 1858, Lincoln was running for the US Senate against incumbent Stephen Douglas. Douglas, a white supremacist, thought the answer to slavery was "popular sovereignty." Local electorates in the new western territories would vote for or against slavery, leaving Congress out of the picture. Lincoln viewed "popular sovereignty" as unworkable and amoral.
The Lincoln-Douglas campaign, and the series of seven Illinois debates between these ambitious men, often "skidded to new levels of nastiness," notes Guelzo. Douglas was not shy about playing "the race card": "[T]his government of ours is founded on the white basis," he claimed.
Playing on the deepest fears of some voters of his time, Douglas told the audience at the famous Freeport debate about seeing Frederick Douglass in a carriage with a beautiful, young white woman. The senator's point was clear: a vote for Abraham Lincoln meant equality for "negroes," who might then marry voters' daughters. The senator referred to Lincoln's "friend" Douglass 15 times during the debates. Such racial assaults placed Lincoln in a tough position politically.
But with his trademark combination of common sense, political acuity, and oratorical skills, Lincoln fought back.
It was at the Freeport debate that Lincoln doomed Douglas's presidential hopes for 1860 by pointing out the inconsistency between "popular sovereignty" and the idea that slaveholders had a "property right" in their slaves, enforceable wherever they went (as asserted in the Supreme Court's infamous "Dred Scott" decision of 1857. If slaves were property in one locale but not another, what were those property rights worth? Douglas's appeal in the South was dead after Freeport.
Lincoln lost narrowly in 1858, but he'd effectively ruined Douglas's political ambitions. At the same time, he'd gained national recognition of the "moral wrongs" of slavery by questioning the idea that it could be a right in one place yet wrong in another. "If it is wrong," Lincoln told voters, "[Douglas] cannot say people have a right to do wrong." In 1860 Lincoln defeated Douglas to become president.
The Kendricks, a father-son team, focus on the relationship between Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. They describe a "strange partnership," where "in the midst of deep and weighty disagreements, they managed to forge a strong mutual understanding and respect." The abolitionist Douglass urged Lincoln to move faster on emancipation and civil rights, while the politically minded Lincoln would only go as fast as public opinion allowed.
The Kendricks attempt to portray the political restrictions on Lincoln, but they're not above accusing him of racism. Even after Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, the authors show Douglass advocating tirelessly to enable African-American soldiers to fight in the Union army, to earn equal pay and promotions.
At their first meeting, Douglass pleaded with Lincoln for equal pay and advancement for African-American troops. Lincoln listened attentively, but explained that granting equal pay would create rebellion among white troops already angered about serving alongside African-Americans.
In typical fashion, Lincoln said he was committed to equal pay and promotions, but they'd have to wait until the right time.
The second time they met, just before the 1864 presidential election, Lincoln told Douglass about the tremendous political pressure he was under to seek a negotiated peace with the South, a peace that might reestablish slavery. Douglass passionately urged Lincoln not to seek peace by moving backward on emancipation, no matter the political costs.
A wavering Lincoln was persuaded: "Douglass offered strength to the president on a decision that could have huge ramifications," explain the Kendricks.
The Kendricks are right in stating that both Lincoln and Douglass came to see the war, with its 620,000 dead, as the horrific price the nation paid for the sins of slavery. Unfettered by politics, Douglass reached this conclusion first, yet Lincoln reached it in the end, achieving deeply moral goals through the imperfections of politics.
After Lincoln's assassination, Douglass grieved not just for the fate of African-Americans, but for a lost friend: "We shared in common a terrible calamity, and this ... made us more than countrymen, it made us kin."
Guelzo's book is perhaps more scholarly and measured, revealing the careful political calculations leading Lincoln to power, while the Kendricks have done wonderful work exploring one of the most complex and important relationships in American history. There's much in both books for history lovers to savor.
• Chuck Leddy is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and writes frequently about American history. |
This lesson is a continuation of the previous lesson’s Fishbowl and serves as the transition between discussing different possible solutions to water management to homing in on one.
Grade 7 ELA Module 4B, Unit 2, Lesson 15
Resources may contain links to sites external to the EngageNY.org website. These sites may not be within the jurisdiction of NYSED and in such cases NYSED is not responsible for its content.
Common Core Learning Standards
|RI.7.9.a||Use their experience and their knowledge of language and logic, as well as culture, to think...|
|SL.7.1||Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led...|
|SL.7.1.a||Come to discussions prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on...| |
Changes in Nutrition can Reduce Dementia Risk
Nutrition greatly affects physical and mental health. In recent studies, researchers examined the relationship between nutrition and dementia. According to a new study, changes in one's nutrition could offset the onset of dementia.
For this study, the researchers from Spain focused on the impact of three different diets on people's mental health. The diets were a Mediterranean-style diet with extra-virgin olive oil (MedDiet with EVOO), a Mediterranean-style diet with mixed nuts and a standard low-fat control diet. The low-fat diet is typically recommended for patients with heart disease or dementia. The researchers recruited 522 participants between the ages of 50 and 80 who did not have any heart diseases or dementia at the beginning of the study. They were randomly assigned to one of the three diet groups.
The researchers followed-up on the participants after 6.5 years. They discovered that the participants in the MedDiet with EVOO had the highest cognition scores. The participants in the MedDiet with Nuts also had good cognition scores in comparison to the participants in the last diet group. A MedDiet is a plant-based diet composed of vegetables, fruits, nuts, legumes, fish, and seafood. It is low in diary, meat and processed grains. The researchers reasoned that the food components of a MedDiet provide good amounts of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory plant chemicals that all protect the body from chronic illnesses.
Other studies have also tied a MedDiet to many health benefits. One reported that people who ate a MedDiet tended to have lower blood concentrations of inflammatory markers. These people also had a lower risk of vascular disease, such as hypertension and diabetes.
The article was published in the Journal of Neurology. |
The thing you need to know about kidney disease signs in women: A kidney infection could be the worst disease for your body. It is not only dangerous, but in addition really painful. It could happen to anybody but the effect and signs vary. In guys and in women, equally have the various signs in addition to different results. Whatever the cause is likely to be, you have to be aware of the jaga buah pinggang in girls to ensure that you can get the cure in the first stage. Typically renal diseases occur as a result of less amount of water in the body.
The kidney is a very important organ of our body. It operates as a filtration in your body and go out the waste of one’s body. But if your human anatomy has got the less number of water, it will soon be problematic for moving the waste and then it gets caught in your kidneys and advances infection. This can cause vexation and pain inside the human body in addition to in a worst situation situation, it can become kidney failure.
You can prevent kidney disease symptoms in women by pinpointing the disease at a really early stage. That disease generally starts really gradual and it becomes very difficult to notice, but there are several kidney disease signs in girls that may be recognized, and identify the disease. The signs of kidney disease indicators in girls are explained here with the required information. Usually you can find two kinds of kidney infections discovered within the body of girls referred to as pyelonephritis and glomerulonephritis. You can easily appreciate this as acute and serious in nature.
Intense infection comes very quickly and may be severe. The illness due to this spreads quickly in the torso, and the serious illness goes very gradually and gets worse as enough time passes. Additionally it may make the kidneys fail. In our anatomical bodies, body ships filter the body to create urine. Intense infection attempts to block these boats so that it will not have the ability to filter anymore. Then your waste of the body begins obtaining in the torso and incurs some damage. That spend begins using in the torso which causes plenty of suffering, sclerosis, scarring and ultimately the kidney failure, one of the signs of kidney disease indicators in women.
Persistent disease is probably the most dangerous among all. That contamination are available in a person, twice, thrice or maybe a few times. This contamination usually blocks the urinary tract. When a patient tries to urinate, it’s really unpleasant and uncomfortable. That is among the more frequently noted kidney disease indicators in girls that happens frequently. This contamination usually happens due to a deficiency of water in the body. Persons overlook to consume the sufficient amount of water because of function, etc., and thus that illness spreads. This is also the reason why that disease can happen several times in the exact same patient.Kidney disease signs in women occur between the 20-40 years age groups
The particular kidney disease signs in girls are many pains or painful in the trunk, fever, chills, dullness and increase in urination. In case you discovered such signs within your body, you have to look at the clinic instantly and have checks by visiting with the experts. When possible, you must start the procedure as kidney infections before it generally become worse, and as enough time passes. These infections usually occurred in age 20 to 40 in women.
Ingesting a high protein diet and consuming surplus calcium may also be the reason why of kidney infection. But, men are more hazardous with this disease more compared to women. But that doesn’t mean it is perhaps not common in women. That disease becomes remarkably popular nowadays as people used to eat unhealthy food like junk food or preservatives, which right affects your kidneys. Renal disease symptoms in women aren’t generally recognized proper away.
By taking treatments after infection, it is most beneficial to take measures before infection, because kidney attacks are often very hard to cure, so one should take the precautions before finding a part of it. Hence it’s possible to be familiar with the kidney disease symptoms in girls with the aid of the above mentioned given details. |
The Significant Digit
Philip Miller Tate
Philmt59 at aol.com
Sat May 8 11:18:02 CDT 2010
I'm sorry, I just don't buy Benford's "Law". I once saw a reference
to it with the supporting statement, "Scientists and mathematicians
have recognized this fact for many years, and designed the slide rule
so that the low numbers were spaced farther apart to make access to
On 7 May 2010, at 22:27, Andre Kesteloot wrote:
> Friday, May 07, 2010
> Benford's Law And A Theory of Everything
> A new relationship between Benford's Law and the statistics of
> fundamental physics may hint at a deeper theory of everything
> In 1938, the physicist Frank Benford made an extraordinary
> discovery about numbers. He found that in many lists of numbers
> drawn from real data, the leading digit is far more likely to be a
> 1 than a 9. In fact, the distribution of first digits follows a
> logarithmic law. So the first digit is likely to be 1 about 30 per
> cent of time while the number 9 appears only five per cent of the
> That's an unsettling and counterintuitive discovery. Why aren't
> numbers evenly distributed in such lists? One answer is that if
> numbers have this type of distribution then it must be scale
> invariant. So switching a data set measured in inches to one
> measured in centimetres should not change the distribution. If
> that's the case, then the only form such a distribution can take is
> But while this is a powerful argument, it does nothing to explan
> the existence of the distribution in the first place.
> Then there is the fact that Benford Law seems to apply only to
> certain types of data. Physicists have found that it crops up in an
> amazing variety of data sets. Here are just a few: the areas of
> lakes, the lengths of rivers, the physical constants, stock market
> indices, file sizes in a personal computer and so on.
> However, there are many data sets that do not follow Benford's law,
> such as lottery and telephone numbers.
> What's the difference between these data sets that makes Benford's
> law apply or not? It's hard to escape the feeling that something
> deeper must be going on.
> Today, Lijing Shao and Bo-Qiang Ma at Peking University in China
> provide a new insight into the nature of Benford's law. They
> examine how Benford's law applies to three kinds of statistical
> distributions widely used in physics.
> These are: the Boltzmann-Gibbs distribution which is a probability
> measure used to describe the distribution of the states of a
> system; the Fermi-Dirac distribution which is a measure of the
> energies of single particles that obey the Pauli exclusion
> principle (ie fermions); and finally the Bose-Einstein
> distribution, a measure of the energies of single particles that do
> not obey the Pauli exclusion principle (ie bosons).
> Lijing and Bo-Qiang say that the Boltzmann-Gibbs and Fermi-Dirac
> distributions distributions both fluctuate in a periodic manner
> around the Benford distribution with respect to the temperature of
> the system. The Bose Einstein distribution, on the other hand,
> conforms to benford's Law exactly whatever the temperature is.
> What to make of this discovery? Lijing and Bo-Qiang say that
> logarithmic distributions are a general feature of statistical
> physics and so "might be a more fundamental principle behind the
> complexity of the nature".
> That's an intriguing idea. Could it be that Benford's law hints at
> some kind underlying theory that governs the nature of many
> physical systems? Perhaps.
> But what then of data sets that do not conform to Benford's law?
> Any decent explanation will need to explain why some data sets
> follow the law and others don't and it seems that Lijing and Bo-
> Qiang are as far as ever from this.
> Ref: arxiv.org/abs/1005.0660: The Significant Digit Law In
> Statistical Physics <Benford's-law.jpg>
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More information about the Tacos |
Normandy, a region of northern France, has a long history often closely entwined with that of England, though we have managed to remain determindly seperate. Modern Normandy is largely agricultural and owes its prosperity to horse breeding, tourism and the production of cider, calvados (apple brandy) and flax.Travelling through the region today and the wealth of Medieval castles and chateaux, cathedals, churches and abbeys provides a glimpse of a time when Normandy was considered the most powerful duchie in France.
Given the rise of technology that has shaped the modern world, it is perhaps not so easy to grasp how Normandy could cite religion as playing a major part in its rise to power. It’s hardly the Vatican City with not a Borgia is sight, but it is one of Frances most glazed areas and the richest in terms of religious art.
More surprisingly perhaps, the rise in Normandy’s fortunes came about as a result of being dragged into near economic and social collapse in the wake of the fall of an Empire.
Gaul (originally populated by Celtic Gauls and our freind Asterix) had been a province of the Roman Empire centrally governed by Rome and the Divine Emperor, but by the time the last Emperor was deposed in 476AD, the Western provinces had become money pits. The fall of the Rome was not a sudden event, it was more of a slow disintegration. The cost of civil war and constant insurgences by Germanic tribes into Western Provinces and the resulting loss of income from trade, were part of a fatal economic decline that not even devaluation and high taxes could fix.
The Salian Franks, invaders and pirates from the Netherlands, were already a presence in Roman Gaul, originally as Laiti (permitted foreign settlers), then (from 357) as kingdoms supporting the Roman army. In later years they became increasingly difficult to control and by 509AD Clovis I was able to expand his territories and create a new dynasty, the Merogivinians in the new empire of Francia (France).
The fall of the Roman Western Empire, gathering pace in the last decades of 400AD’s, took with it almost all things Roman: trade, technology, the middle classes (who had been the traders), literacy, centralised written laws and the Latin language, which became confined to the church. Society was noticeably poorer, personal wealth had been stripped by high Roman taxes, the population went into sharp decline thanks to wars, famines and plagues and was short on comforts. On the plus side enemy captives were no longer fed to wild animals.
Not all things Roman were abandoned however. Gallo-Roman society had been run on the res publica (things are a public affair), the province existing for the good of the Empire, but locally administered by members of the Senate responsible to the Emperor. This suited the tribal Franks for whom law and order was very much a community affair. The new empire was divided into what would become Dukedoms and the land, along with the peasantry that came with it, assigned to followers of the Frankish King as Counts with rights to heredity. Each dukedom was allocated an army made up of local landowners, on the proviso that they would come to arms for Francia if needed.
War between the new Western Provinces was already endemic and instead of choosing an heir on his death in 511AD, the first King Clovis divided Francia into four territories with their own capital cities and gave one to each of his sons beginning centuries of civil war. Francia was united and divided only to be divided again, the right to elect a new ruler used to change dynasties until 987 when the House of Capet ruled the Kingdom of France in relative peace,
With global crop failure and famine barely a generation before (probably from a dust cloud that shut out the sun from a large volcano in the Tropics) the Frankish Kings imposed new taxes to fund an army the Counts were already providing. It didn’t go down well. After a riots in the South and North East in 574AD, the Chief Tax Collector Parthenius was lynched and tax was abolished. The Kings now had to support their kingdoms from the land alone, effectively handing power to the Counts and local landowners gathering wealth from their peasant farmers. The system of administration collapsed and by the 7th Century only 10% of the peasantry were free.
As if being economically fragile and in constant fear of war wasn’t enough, the Franks were pagans, their beliefs dating back to the Celtic iron-age and forming the basis of European folklore and fairytales. The Romans had ended 280 years of Christian persecution, now the Franks were free to resurrect it. |
Souteast Asia — The haze that is expected to hit Singapore in the coming months could go on for as long as three months, experts have warned.
This is similar to what the Republic experienced in 1997, they said.
Prolonged hazy skies could happen if a strong El Nino effect sets in, compounded by the already-started illegal land clearing by farmers in Sumatra.
El Nino is a phenomenon which causes severely dry weather and high temperatures in this region.
According to environmental reports, there were more than 3,000 hotspots in Sumatra at the peak of the haze crisis in March alone.
This compared to about 2,700 in June last year.
The next dry season will occur between June and October, and experts are concerned illegal land clearing in Sumatra will result in large-scale fires.
“If they deliberately set fires to clear land, particularly if it’s land being cleared illegally, they are not going to listen to anyone who tells them not to start the fire,” said Mr Faizal Parish, Director of Global Environment Centre, a non-governmental organisation based in Malaysia.
“They won’t take immediate action to put out the fire. The problem (in Sumatra) is the need for active enforcement on the ground.”
Worse, the March fires have not yet been put out completely.
Mr Parish said: “(About) 90 per cent of smoke and haze is coming from peat. Fires can remain burning underground for months and then come back up to the surface during dry periods.
“So, sometimes when there’s rain, the surface fire goes out but is still smouldering on the ground. A few days later, or a week later, the fire can re-emerge again from underground to the surface.”
Mr Parish said the fires deep within the peat smouldered for as long as six months between 1997 and 1998.
That was also the year strong El Nino conditions set in.
How warm a particular stretch of the Pacific Ocean is could provide an indication of an El Nino pattern.
Experts say the sea surface temperatures have to consistently be 0.5 degrees Celsius above a long-term average for an El Nino season to be declared and this part of the Pacific Ocean has been exceeding these thresholds since April.
In Singapore, experts say 1997 was also characterised by the lowest annual rainfall measured in the Republic since 1948.
Assistant Professor Winston Chow from the National University of Singapore’s Geography Department said: “In June, July and August, we should be experiencing South West Monsoon or summer monsoon conditions where wind direction comes from the south or south west.
“You still have rainfall occurring. But what happens during El Nino is that while the wind conditions more or less remain the same, you can expect less rainfall to happen. On top of that, you would expect higher-than-normal temperatures during the season as well.”
Professor Chow said if there are intense fires in Sumatra, the prevailing wind direction would fan the smoke and particulate matter towards Singapore and Peninsular Malaysia. |
Considering that democracy is often held up as the beacon of a truly civilized society, it’s somewhat strange that the political system is demonized. After all, politicians are often dismissed as a group of liars who will never live up to their promises, spinning tales, putting priorities at the forefront of lawmaking that have little bearing on the average citizen. Politicians, so the saying goes, aren’t to be trusted.
It’s a very strange attitude considering the fact that politicians are the very representatives of democracy. If we truly want to uphold the democratic process that we hold so dear, should we not have a better respect for the people who enter into these institutions?
The above is questionable, not helped by more than a few dodgy politicians always around making it seem like doubt is a sensible way of responding to those who seek power. However, it’s an example of one of the primary reasons given when people are asked to justify why they don’t vote. Why vote, so the line of thinking goes, when they’re all the same – and can’t be trusted anyway?
Political Apathy: Classless, Ageless, Raceless
It doesn’t matter which section of society you study, they all have the same uniting factor: they don’t vote. Turnout figures across the world are incredibly low when you consider voting is the very instrument of democracy, something we are brought up to be proud of, see fit to defend.
Looking at the cold hard facts is sometimes all you can do to see a consistent pattern. In the recent USA Presidential race, only 60% of the eligible electorate voted. Considering that was one of the most talked about Presidential races of all time, it seems surprising that 40% of voters decided to stay at home.
This isn’t just a USA problem, either. In the UK, the Brexit referendum in June of 2016 may have garnered a respectable 72% turnout, but the General Election the year before only scraped to 61%, down from a historic high of 83% for the first post-war election. The French Presidential election of 2017 looks to be on its way to a historically low turnout, while the last elections in Canada may have produced the biggest turnout in 20 years… but it was still only 68%. Sweden, with its massively-engaged populace and 85% turnout in 2014, is more the exception than the rule.
So this is a truly worldwide problem – but what are the reasons for it, aside from the aforementioned feeling that people can’t trust the politicians? By identifying the causes of the ills, anyone with an interest in increasing engagement in the voting process can begin to see how to mend the significant rifts across the world. Maybe some of these will even sound familiar to you. That’s without going as far as the Australians, who have made voting compulsory and hold elections on a weekend to make sure
1. Want To Vote; Can’t Vote
In some countries, sections of the populace may want to vote, but they can’t due to immigration status. Most developed countries require you to be a full citizen of that country to vote. Even if you have permanent leave to remain and have been living there for years, without citizenship, you can’t vote.
It seems bizarre that citizens who are required to pay tax are not allowed to have a say in how that money is spent. But as you learn about naturalization, it can be a viable route to being more grounded in a country anyone with immigrant status now calls home. If this applies to you or anyone you know, it’s as good a reason as any to look into changing your status.
2. The Feeling That “One Vote Doesn’t Matter”
This is an overriding sentiment for those who don’t vote; that their singular vote won’t make a difference. This is particularly the case if, for example, a Democrat wishes to vote in Texas – a state that, with the best will in the world, is never going to return anything but a Republican as its President. If you’re in a “safe” seat, then it feels like your vote doesn’t matter.
There is an element of truth to this, too – no single voter can make a difference. However, it’s through small increments against the incumbent that a movement is formed. A better way of putting it is that not voting is actually a vote for the sitting party/politician. Even if you just vote for protest reasons, it’s a real protest that will be noticed if you take that vote from the sitting representative.
3. Lack Of Political Engagement
For those with an interest in politics, the idea that someone isn’t politically engaged can seem strange. Given that our entire world depends on the decisions of politicians, how can people not pay attention?
Well, maybe they have better things to think about, immediate problems in their own lives. Maybe it bores them; maybe they don’t see the link between their basic life and what politicians discuss.
There is no way to force people to become more politically engaged. If you are passionate about politics, then you can try and introduce them to it, but some people just aren’t interested. There are no easy solutions here, though pressing the nature of democracy requiring a vote is a good first step.
4. Lack Of Time
Finally, lack of time. Some people don’t vote as they don’t have the time to learn all they would prefer to about a candidate. Or, they literally don’t have the time (or ability) to get to a polling station on the big day.
Changes have been made to voting in recent years that make the need for one day, one vote, a thing of the past. Early voting is now available in many countries, via forms such as postal voting. Hopefully, as these become more well known, this is one reason that can fade into history – bringing turnouts up as a result.
Weathering the Storm: How Political Climates Affect the Financial Markets
There are numerous factors that can potentially have an effect on financial markets and which traders have to be aware of. They can range from extreme weather events, terror attacks, corporate announcements, all the way to the political climate of a country. In most of these scenarios, the ramifications for an economy and the subsequent reflection in the stock markets can be relatively predictable – we expect to see a drop in stock prices when a disaster hits , for example. When it comes to the political climate, however, things become a whole lot less predictable. This is due to various reasons, not least because of the inherently fickle nature of politics itself and the sometimes vast differences in the political cultures and traditions of different countries.
To get a sense of just how a country’s political climate can affect various aspects of a nation’s economy and its financial markets, we’ll take a practical recent example of the USA following President Donald Trump’s election in November 2016. It serves as an interesting case study due not only to its unexpected nature which highlighted the basic unpredictability of political climates, but because it brought about some very interesting reactions and results from businesses and the financial sector in general.
A general statement can be made to the effect that a country’s political climate and its economic environment are closely related. Investors, no matter how large their risk appetite, like to have a reasonable assurance of their money’s safety, which is why stock markets are usually the first industries to react to any political climate changes. In fact, research suggest that stock markets follow a predictable general pattern along a four-year cycle punctuated by the Presidential Elections in the USA and perhaps many other countries worldwide, with the market showing signs of increased caution as election season comes around.
Following President Trump’s unexpected victory, many organizations held the hope that the bold fiscal proposals he had talked about during the campaign – including increased spending and tax cuts – would serve to boost the country’s economy. The Federal Reserve actually went ahead and increased interest rates in anticipation of the changes, showing how even the promise of a policy change will directly be felt on the financial market.
Anticipated Regulatory Changes
When a country undergoes a significant political change of pace, it is expected that this will come with significant regulatory standards and practices. It is widely acknowledged that increased government regulation and bureaucratic interference in a country’s economy and industrial activity will usually result in a slowing down of the economy in question.
President Trump had poised to relax the regulatory framework in the country as well as consolidating the numerous bodies tasked with formulating the regulations to make it easier to do business in the country, and this came as good news to organizations and their stakeholders.
Political Stability Concerns
Political stability has a very real effect on the state of businesses within an economy, as we can all agree. While many business owners and stakeholders were encouraged by the promise of deregulation and fiscal policy reform, many were also given cause for concern when it came to the President’s apparent pattern of unexpected and inconsistent policy decisions.
His stance on immigration, promise to wall of the USA’s southern border with Mexico, and his abandonment of previous trade deals all went into fueling anxiety and a sense of uncertainty in the financial markets. This was especially felt in the case of organizations with a global business presence. These feelings decrease investor confidence and often lead to a depreciation in stock market values as the more risk-averse investors keep away.
When looked at in totality, countries all over the world face the same types of political risks. We’re not talking about complete government collapses such as might occur in times of a coup, but relatively smaller yet high-impact moves and policies by governments on matters such as regulation, currency valuation, taxes, spending, minimum wage laws, labor laws, environmental regulations, and the like.The financial market of a country, being highly sensitive to such shocks, can register an impact when such actions are merely proposed, without their implementation having taken place yet. The impacts may be long or short-term, but they are definitely felt throughout the financial markets.
What a Rising Xi Jinping Means for China and the World
“Watch this man.” These were the three words used by the founding father of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew to describe a relatively unknown Xi Jinping while he was yet to become the President of the People’s Republic of China. Today, in addition to being China’s “paramount leader”, Xi is arguably the most powerful man in the world, and even if leaders across the world were doubtful about it till now, the developments in the previous week were sure to make them think again.
19th Party Congress: How it unfolded
Xi today, Xi forever?
The Communist Party of China assembled the previous week for its 19th Party Congress, a political summit that takes place every five years to decide upon the country’s future and the future is precisely what Xi has fixated his eyes upon. According to the current rules, Mr Xi must step down as the leader when his term ends in 2022 and as tradition dictates, a successor must be appointed. While only time will reveal whether Mr Xi steps down from the presidency at the end of his term, it increasingly looks that he is not keen to do so, having failed to hint towards any successor for the time being. His apparent intentions to stay put were further solidified with the appointment of the new members to the Politburo Standing Committee, the highest decision making authority in the country after the president. Each of the members appointed to the body is over 60 years of age, which means that they are highly likely to retire when their term comes to an end with the next meeting five years later. Interestingly, two-thirds of them are also known to be Mr Xi’s loyalists.
Xi Jinping Thought: A force to be reckoned with
“Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” or the “Xi Jinping Thought” for short was written into the party’s constitution at the end of the Congress. The thought consists of 14 principles calling for deep reforms, conserving the environment, the party’s complete control over the army, and the importance of the unification of the country. The development was highly publicised and with good reason. With the “Xi Jinping Thought” embedded in the constitution while still being in power, Xi Jinping has drawn comparisons from all over the world to Mao Zedong himself. Moreover, he has ensured that anyone that opposes him will do so at the cost of their removal from the party. When Xi asked the delegates at the end of his address for any objections, shouts of “meiyou” which means “none” rang through the Great Hall of the People.
Mr Xi has declared the start of a “new era” for China, and undoubtedly for the entire world. It is therefore important to ask what significance these developments hold for the country and for the world at large.
What this means for China
The inclusion of Xi’s thought in the constitution means that the same will be taught in schools, colleges, and other institutions throughout the country, infusing his ideology among the Chinese on a cultural level. Abraham Denmark, director of the Asia program at the Wilson Center puts it aptly when he says that the move “greatly increases, … broadens, and deepens Xi Jinping’s personal power within the Chinese system”.
The president has already found a wide support of the Chinese population with his push for modernisation and his crackdown on corruption has been hugely popular among the masses. Since his election in 2012, Mr Xi’s anti-corruption drive, famously known within the country as the “tiger and flies campaign” has either disciplined or expelled nearly a million party members. As his stance on corruption remains as stern as ever, many have come to view it as a political tool used by him time and again to get rid of political rivals. However, the corruption drive has undoubtedly proved to be effective and fruitful for the country’s business climate.
While Mr Xi’s crackdown on corruption has garnered immense coverage, the crackdown on humans rights activists and NGOs has not received its fair share. China has struggled for decades in its battle for free speech. In 2015, many human rights lawyers were detained and many international NGOs faced stricter curbs to keep them from functioning. As the president has left little room for any opposition within the party, the authoritarianism and censorship are by no means expected to be relaxed, ensuring that there is no opposition from outside the party as well.
Powerplay: China’s standing on the global stage
Donald Trump was among the world leaders who wished the Chinese president when he congratulated him on his “extraordinary elevation”. The reverence he holds for Mr Xi was quite apparent when he said: “some people might call him the king of China.” The surprise, however, came when North Korea’s Kim Jong Un congratulated the president on his “great success” since the two leaders are not known to be fond of each other. The intent here is clear. Both sides need a China that is continuously growing in power on their side in their stand against each other, and that means a closer association with Mr Xi. Chinese influence in the world is unlikely to stop there.
While speaking to CNN, James McGregor, author of “No Ancient Wisdom, No Followers: The Challenges of Chinese Authoritarian Capitalism”, mentioned that “given the chaos in Washington and also the dysfunction in Europe, the world is looking for leadership.” Mr Xi enjoys a great level of stability and largely unquestioned authority in a time where the leaders of Western democracies face intense competition at home. As such, his message to his party and to the world is clear: in the coming decades, China will “stand proudly among the nations of the world” and “become a leading global power. ” However, it will do so on its own terms, emphatically rejecting the Western political models.
These intentions are perhaps best evidenced by The Belt and Road initiative, China’s attempt at connecting Europe, Asia, and Africa with each other through a modern take on the Silk Route, into which it has already pumped hundreds of billions as loans and aid to countries across all three continents. While the project has been met with opposition from Japan, India, and the USA, many of China’s neighbours have expressed their support for it, which speaks of its influence on the global stage.
With the people’s army under the control of the party, Mr Xi also looks to achieve the twin goals of increasing the military might and the protection of China’s sovereignty. “We will not tolerate anyone, using any means, at any time to separate one inch of land from China”, he said in his address which is seen as a warning to both Hong Kong and Taiwan. Enhancing combat capability is also linked to the Chinese interests in the South China Sea, where its activities of building and militarisation of islands have received backlash from the international community.
“If one is big”, Mr Xi said on the final day of the Congress, “one must act big.” There’s no doubt that Mr Xi intends to put these words into action at the global level. Lee Kuan Yew once rightly pointed out about China that the world would do well to remember: “The size of China’s displacement of the world balance is such that the world must find a new balance. It is not possible to pretend that this is just another big player. This is the biggest player in the history of the world.”
UK Attempts To Bypass European Commission On Brexit Blocked By Brussels
As the UK and EU draw deeper and deeper into uncharted waters, Brexit negotiations are becoming increasingly erratic. As negotiators from both states met this week to discuss items such as the Northern Ireland Border, the rights of EU citizens currently residing in the UK and the notorious ‘divorce bill’, there have been numerous reports of frustration within the British camp.
Recently it was revealed that Prime Minister Theresa May, believing talks to be at an impasse, intended to go over the heads of the EU’s Brexit negotiators and appeal directly to world leaders such as Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron. When questioned about this, however, Brussels officials close to the negotiations intimated that Mrs May would not be able to circumvent the negotiations process.
The officials pointed out that both French and German leaders had agreed prior to the talks that negotiations would come “as a single package” where “individual items cannot be settled separately” and that no member state would abstain from negotiations in favour of individual agreements.
One year on…
It has been over a year now since the UK referendum in which the country voted (at a rate of 52% to 48%) to leave the European Union in an unprecedented political and economic chain of events, the repercussions of which will take years to fully realise but which the world glibly knows as Brexit. It’s a small name for such a political leviathan. Many of the world’s leading bankers and economists still aren’t sure what to make of. Recently CEO Lloyds Bank Antonio Horta-Osorio (who has been lauded for restoring the bank’s profits to pre-financial crisis levels) expressed doubt and uncertainty over the long term economic effects of Brexit. It’s somewhat telling that former Prime Minister David Cameron resigned shortly after the vote, claiming that his involvement in the ‘Remain’ campaign put him at odds with the will of the people but it’s possible that he had the prescience to realise that he had no hope of taming this wily and unpredictable beast. One year on, the beast only seems to have become further enraged by the negotiating process.
Theresa May has gone into Brexit negotiations with some questionably aggressive negotiating tactics. The first round of talks were mired by her strangely audacious assertion that “no deal is better than a bad deal”. The frustration has clearly been felt on both sides with chief negotiator Michel Barnier urging Mrs May to begin negotiating “seriously”. The French government also demonstrated an unwillingness to circumvent negotiations earlier this week, stating that it “fully supports, on the substance as well as on the method, Michel Barnier’s negotiating mandate” and asserting that claims that Mrs May can somehow bypass the procedure “are founded on absolutely nothing and do not reflect reality”. Brexit Minister David Davis, however, retains an optimistic tone, stating;
“Our goal remains the same: we want to agree a deal that works in the best interests for both the European Union and the United Kingdom and people and businesses right across Europe. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and get back to work once more…”.
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South Asia: Northeastern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan
10,900 square miles
Location and General Description
Types and Severity of Threats
Justification of Ecoregion Delineation
This ecoregion, generally above 3000 meters of elevation, is located in the high eastern mountains of Afghanistan. The boundaries are derived from the alpine meadows and nival zone in Freitag’s (1971) map of natural vegetation.
Freitag, H. 1971. Studies in the natural vegetation of Afghanistan. Pages 89-106 in P. H. Davis, Harper, and I. C. Hedge, editors. Plant life of South-West Asia. The Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Edinburgh. |
This component senses the speed input signal, integrates it to deduce the angular position, and uses this position along with an internal reference signal to generate amplitude modulated output signals that resemble those that would be generated by a typical sine-cosine resolver. This component is designed to be connected to the shaft of the machine components. It presents neither an inertial nor a frictional load to the shaft.
The sine and cosine output signals are calculated as follows:
Cos = A • sin(2πf) • cos(θ)
Sin = A • sin(2πf) • sin(θ)
A = reference signal amplitude
f = reference signal frequency
θ = an internally calculated angular position
|w_in, w_out (the shaft)||
The connection to the signal that carries angular speed in rad/s as a voltage.
Symbolizing a mechanical shaft, these two pins are internally short circuited; it does not matter which of the pins is connected to the speed signal. The secondary pin is available so that other mechanical components, external loads, sensors, or motion controllers can be chained and applied to the shaft, while maintaining the look of a rotary mechanical system.
|cos+, cos-||The differential cosine measurement.|
|sin+, sin-||The differential sine measurement.|
This component should only be used in transient-type simulations where Initial conditions are set to User defined. |
Dmitry (II) DonskoyArticle Free Pass
Dmitry (II) Donskoy, byname of Dmitry Ivanovich (born Oct. 12, 1350, Moscow [Russia]—died May 19, 1389, Moscow), prince of Moscow, or Muscovy (1359–89), and grand prince of Vladimir (1362–89), who won a victory over the Golden Horde (Mongols who had controlled Russian lands since 1240) at the Battle of Kulikovo (Sept. 8, 1380).
Son of Ivan II the Meek of Moscow (reigned 1353–59), Dmitry became ruler of Muscovy when he was only nine years old; three years later he convinced his suzerain, the great khan of the Golden Horde, to transfer the title grand prince of Vladimir (which had been held by Muscovite princes from 1328 to 1359) from Dmitry of Suzdal to him.
In addition to gaining the title grand prince of Vladimir for himself, Dmitry strengthened his position by increasing the territory of the principality of Muscovy, by subduing the princes of Rostov and Ryazan, and by deposing the princes of Galich and Starodub. While the Golden Horde was suffering from internal conflicts, Dmitry stopped making regular tribute payments and encouraged the Russian princes to resist the Mongols’ raids. In 1378 the Russians defeated an army of the Horde on the Vozha River.
Subsequently, Mamai, the Mongol general who was the effective ruler of the western portion of the Golden Horde, formed a military alliance with neighbouring rulers for the purpose of subduing the Russians. Confronting the Mongols on the Don River, however, in the bloody battle on Kulikovo Pole (“Snipes’ Field”), Dmitry routed Mamai’s forces; for his victory Dmitry was honoured with the surname Donskoy (“of the Don”). Shortly afterward, however, his lands were resubjected to Mongol domination when the Mongol leader Tokhtamysh overthrew Mamai (1381), sacked Moscow (1382), and restored Mongol rule over the Russian lands.
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The term ‘educational technology’ is a difficult one to pin down. There are some who would argue that every tool we use, from a ballpoint pen to an electronic whiteboard, is an educational technology. Others strive to pin down best practices with choice technologies and advocate for this or that brand of technology enhanced pedagogy as scientifically proven to better the learning process in some way. Some people think that social networking is faddish, or, worse, a sign of the decline of our civilization. Others will argue that if we do not bring it into our classrooms we are doing our students a disservice and becoming increasingly out of date.
As an educator working on such slippery foundations, I have taken the position that all these things are true. Social networking is both faddish and dangerous as well as critical to moving forward. Our tools are both simply a reflection of the same tools and methods of millennia and complex mechanisms fraught with implicit pedagogy. This course takes all opinions on education and technology as valid and mixes them together, to be interpreted by our own class as well as being validated by a wider network of educators.
This method, of taking all ideas and having them peer reviewed by a wide network of peers, is hardly revolutionary. The big difference in how it is approached in this course, is how quickly that reviewing is done, the degree to which certainty is required (or even desired) and the degree to which a given perspective can be personalized. The curriculum of this course will be made by, and I would say the curriculum of this course IS the people that will be engaged in it. That will include me as the facilitator, the learners who have chosen to take it, as well as a wider network of educators drawn from my own community and hopefully found and added by the students over the two weeks of the course.
Students taking this course come from a wide variety of contexts. Some will be classroom teachers from the k-12 system, some trainers in the corporate world or faculty members at a university. The needs and requirements of different participants will not be the same and learners in the course will not be required to come out of the course with the same thing.
Student success in this course will be measured by how well a student has planned for their own context. Students will be assessed on three specific ‘projects’ (for lack of a better word), each reflecting the work that they have done in trying to take the concepts, the examples, the activities and the reflections of this course.
30% – Learning network plan
Throughout the course students will be expected to gather people, tools and approaches that will help support them in integrating educational technology into their own context. Students will be responsible for handing in a draft learning network plan by the halfway mark of the course and a final version on the last day. These should be between 500 and 1000 words and, ideally, be full of links, commentary and ideas for how they can continue to learn, network and use technologies after the course has ended.
30% – Classroom project
The majority of the second week of the course will be taken up by class projects developed and taught by the learners. These projects should involve the integration of a technology into their contexts that had not occurred to the students when the course began. The idea is to workshop an idea with the whole class while introducing an approach to using a technology. Students will be graded less on the ‘success’ of their classroom project, but to the degree in which it demonstrates an effort to integrate the models of the course into their own context.
40% Reflections and collaboration
Students will be expected to maintain a personal log of their reflections on each day of the course. Ten days. Ten reflections. They will also be responsible for engaging with other people’s reflections. Half of this grade will be the students ‘pitch’ for how they were effective members of the learning network that we tried to create in the class. The ‘pitch’ will be 300-500 words and should contain the same type of ‘links’ and ‘commentaries’ as the learning networks plan.
Notes (you should still probably read these)
No significant prior knowledge of technology is expected for this course. Students with broad technological backgrounds often find this type of course more challenging than students who come with less pre-described standpoints with regards to technology.
This course will also involve the use of a large number of technologies. We will try them out, do projects with them, hopefully have fun with some of them, and learn together. The course will happen (almost) entirely out in the ‘open’. While you may choose to use a pseudonym for the course, all students in the course will know the identity of other students, and work will be (almost always) done in the open. We will be using the googledoc suite for some of our work, which will allow for a backup communication system as well and semi-private space when necessary.
We’re going to be using twitter. Alot.
This course is based on my own research in the field of open education, the nature of knowledge and the intersection of education and technology. This research is ongoing, and critiques of the approach are not only welcome they are encouraged.
I can’t wait to get started. |
GPS Location: N45° 00.919' W83° 18.238'
Depth: 10 Feet
Wreck Length: 185 Feet Beam: 25 Feet
Gross Tonnage: 543
Built: 1862 by Ira Lafrinier in Cleveland, Ohio
Wrecked: May 6, 1894
Description: Four huge barges were constructed in 1895 for the Lake Michigan Car Ferry Barge Company, to carry rail cars from Peshtigo, Wisconsin to Chicago. They were named simply No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4. In 1910, the Barge No. 1 was sold, subsequently operating out of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, carrying pulpwood and bulk freights. It ran onto a reef near Thunder Bay's North Point during a Fall storm, and began breaking up. Crates of live chickens from its cargo reportedly washed ashore on Thunder Bay Island, where they were recovered and subsequently eaten by lighthouse keepers and the U.S. Life Saving Station's crew.
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary: Enjoy diving the wrecks of Thunder Bay, but always respect the past. State and federal laws prohibit removing or disturbing artifacts. Future generations are depending on us to leave historic shipwrecks intact. Please take only pictures and leave only bubbles.
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary maintains seasonal moorings at many shipwreck sites. Available from May to September, the moorings make for safer diving and also protect shipwrecks from anchor damage. Sanctuary regulations require vessels to use moorings when present. |
Only 16% of those most at risk of bladder and kidney cancer check for vital signs of blood in pee
- Blood in pee is a key symptom of bladder and kidney cancer, yet only 16% of those most at risk – aged 50 or over – check the colour of their pee every time they go to the toilet
- ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign launches to encourage people to ‘look before they flush’ and tell their doctor if they notice blood in their pee, even if it’s just once
- Every year around 19,100 new cases of bladder and kidney cancer are diagnosed in England; causing around 8,000 deaths
- A new film featuring Dr Dawn Harper highlights what blood in pee might look like
- Posters in public toilets in locations across England will remind people to check their pee
Public Health England (PHE) is launching a national ‘Be Clear on Cancer’ campaign which highlights blood in pee as a key symptom of bladder and kidney cancers. The campaign will encourage everyone to ‘look before they flush’ and visit their GP without delay if they notice blood in their pee, even if it’s just once.
A new survey reveals that only 16% of adults aged 50 and over in England (those most at risk of these cancers) say they check the colour of their pee every time they go to the toilet, with women being less likely to check every time (12% vs. 20% of men).
A new short film featuring TV doctor, Dr Dawn Harper, is being released as part of the campaign. The film shows what to look out for as the colour of blood in your pee can vary – from very diluted, to bright red or even dark brown, like the colour of weak black tea. Blood in pee is a symptom in almost two thirds (64%) of all bladder cancers and around a fifth (18%) of kidney cancers.
Blood might not appear every time, so it is important that people seek medical help even if they notice it just once. Worryingly, around half (47%) of those surveyed said they would not seek medical advice if they saw blood in their pee just once, with 45% saying they would wait and see if it happened again, potentially putting off a vital diagnosis.
When asked why they would not go to the GP straight away, one in five (20%) say they would be worried about wasting the GP’s time and nearly a quarter (23%) would only book an appointment sooner if they had other symptoms.
Latest figures show that every year in England around 19,100 people are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer and around 8,000 people die from these diseases. Early diagnosis is critical; 84% of those diagnosed with kidney cancer and 77% of those diagnosed with bladder cancer at the earliest stage (stage 1) will live for at least five years. At a late stage (stage 4), this drops to 10% and 9% respectively.
Professor Julia Verne, from Public Health England said: “It is vital that people know that blood in pee could be a sign of cancer.
“Our research shows only a small number of people check the colour of their pee every time they go to the toilet. People need to get into the habit of looking before they flush to spot any signs of blood in their pee. And if there is blood, they shouldn’t hesitate about going to their GP. This will help diagnose more people at the early stages, when cancer is more treatable – improving their chances of living longer.”
Dr Dawn Harper, TV Doctor and GP, said: “I’m urging people to be vigilant to changes in their body and to check their pee. I hear all too often about people who have delayed seeking medical advice if they have worrying symptoms – like blood in pee – because they are afraid of what the doctor might find or what the treatment might be.
“If you do notice blood in your pee, it’s probably nothing serious, but it’s always worth checking with a health professional – you won’t be wasting their time. It’s vital that people don’t put off getting help; if it is cancer, early diagnosis saves lives.”
BBC News and Classic FM Presenter, and kidney cancer survivor, Nicholas Owen, commented:
“When I was diagnosed with kidney cancer, it really came out of the blue. I was incredibly lucky in that it was caught early, because it could easily have been a very different story. I am living proof that you can survive cancer and go back to fulfil a normal life, but to do this it’s so important that we do what we can to get cancer caught in the early stages. So symptoms like blood in pee, look out for it, don’t ignore it and please seek medical help if you spot it.”
Professor Chris Harrison, NHS England’s national clinical director for cancer, said: “The earlier people are diagnosed, the better their chances, which is why it is vital people understand what to look out for and when to visit the GP. This campaign has the important aim of helping raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bladder and kidney cancer and encouraging people to visit their GP after seeing blood in their pee.” |
Location and General Description
The Canary Archipelago is a group of volcanic islands and rock islets found in the Macronesia region, which also includes Salvajes, Madeira, Azores and Cape Verde Islands. The Canaries are located in the Atlantic Ocean, between 27º 20’ and 29º 25’north and between 13º 20’ and 18º 10’ west (Bacallado et al. 1984, González et al. 1986). They are about 115 km from the northwest coast of Africa (González et al. 1986). This ecoregion includes the five western islands: La Palma, Hierro, Gomera, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria. The western islands are younger than the eastern group and are more mountainous, with well-developed forests (González et al. 1986). The eastern islands are lower are drier and are included here within the Mediterranean Acacia-Argania Dry Woodland and Succulent Thicket ecoregion.
Despite their proximity to Africa (in latitudes similar to those of the Sahara, Egypt and Saudi Arabia), the Canaries show a wide range of different microclimates apart from sub-desert landscapes. This is caused by several factors such as elevation and orientation, but especially because of the influence of northeast to southwest sea winds, called alisios.These relatively hot winds become cooler and more humid as they pass over the sea surface. The seas surrounding the islands are cool because of a current flowing north past the islands from cold southern latitudes. Once the alisios reach the northern parts of the higher Canary Islands, this moisture is trapped by the dense laurisilva and fayal-brezal (heath) vegetation on the mountain slopes. This vegetation acts as a sponge, condensing moisture in drops as large as 3 mm3 and producing a phenomenon called horizontal rain. Most of the water is captured in the north, and the mountains function as natural barriers, so the southern parts of the islands are drier and have proportionally higher temperatures and lower humidity levels throughout the year. Low-lying islands with elevations under 750 m receive no rain from the passing alisios so that habitats and climate here are drier and similar to the southern parts of the higher islands. Sometimes, the Archipielago experiences eastern dry winds from the Sahara. This phenomenon is locally called "calima" or "calina," and dust levels in the air become temporally high (Bacallado et al. 1984, González et al. 1986, Marzol 1998).
Rains are heavier in the autumn and winter months. Precipitation in coastal zones is between 100 and 350 mm per year with air relative humidity levels (ARHL) ranging from 55-65 percent. Annual precipitation levels at elevations from 250 to 600 m are about 650 mm per year with 70-80 percent ARHL. Annual precipitation levels at elevations higher than 600 m average about 400 mm with 35-40 percent ARHL (Bacallado et al. 1984, González et al. 1986, Marzol 1998).
The Canary Island Archipelago was formed by undersea volcanic activity. There have also been eruptions on emergent islands, with the most recent one occurring in La Palma in 1971. La Palma and El Hierro are the youngest islands, only 2-3 million years old. Because of the islands’ origin, all materials in the Canaries are volcanic and, depending on the substances composing the lava, they can be grouped into the following types: Traquitic-fonolitic, basaltic and traquibasaltic rocks, and Piroclastic and slag materials. Different soil types have been produced due to the effects of vegetation, local weather conditions and topography on these volcanic materials (Bacallado et al. 1984, González et al. 1986).
Each of the habitats recognised in the Canaries grows on a specific kind of soil. The following are soil descriptions for dry woodlands and forests. Canarian endemic pine forests grow on two kinds of fertile soil: ancient red lands (the color is produced by high iron oxide content and clay levels) and level, grey, clay lands with low organic material content formed in places with well-defined seasons. Endemic Macronesian heaths are located in humid zones in young soils composed of hydrated aluminic silicates with a high level of organic material. Laurisilva occurs on recent materials in places with well-defined seasons and medium to low organic substance levels which lie above older soil types (like those where Canarian endemic pine forests grow) (González et al. 1986).
The Canary Islands lack river systems. In spite of that and owing to the steep topography of the western islands, they are crossed by complex systems of ravines produced by water erosion over thousands of years. These gullies serve as drainage for winter rainfall and, on the higher islands like Tenerife, water from the thawing snow and ice flows year-round. Other islands become dry in summer. Generally, the northern parts of the islands are steeper than the southern regions, which have bigger plains and more semiarid landscapes.
Vegetation can be described according to elevation zones. At the lowest elevation, coastal vegetation grows, including types typical of cliffs and sandy regions. Endemic palm groves (Phoenix canariensis), and semiarid vegetation.are present. Generally, these vegetation types occur from sea level to 600 m in the north and up to 1,000 m in the south, and include many endemic taxa. Endemics are mainly found to be from the Euphorbiaceae, for example, Euphorbia canariensis, and E. balsamifera . Other important endemic species are Ceropegia fusca, Plocama pendula, Salvia canariensis, Argyranthemum frutescens, Rumex lunaria, Convolvulus floridus, and Messerschmidia fruticosa (Bramwell and Bramwell 1983, González et al. 1986 , Strasburger et al. 1986).
Along the transition zone from 50 to 500m, between the sea level coastal community and giving way to laurisilva vegetation, there are thermophiles and pre-steppe bush The species found here are common to both the lower and higher vegetation formations. This zone has been damaged for decades because of its good potential for crops. Some of the endemic and representative species are Bosea yervamora, Echium strictum, Greenovia aurea, Aeonium sp., Monanthes laxiflora, Campylanthus salsoloides, Forsskaolea angustifolia, and Dracaena draco (Bramwell and Bramwell 1983, González et al. 1986).
Humid and shady laurisilva forest grows between 500 and 1400 m in elevation, with some species reaching more than 20 m in height. Some 20 million years ago, this evergreen forest covered large areas of the world. However, because of the dramatic weather changes experienced in the Quaternary, it has only survived in a few places. This is one of the jewels of vegetation biodiversity in the Canary Islands; the best conserved of all Macronesian laurel forest can be found here. Even though laurisilva is formed by several taxa grouped in different families, there are four representative speciesfrom all of Lauraceae. They are: Ocotea foetens, Apollonias barbujana, Laurus azorica, and Persea indica. Other Macronesian endemic species found in laurisilva are Arbutus canariensis, Ilex canariensis, Visnea mocanera, Picconia excelsa, Heberdenia excelsa, Salix canariensis, and Viburnum tinus (Bramwell and Bramwell 1983, González et al. 1986).
Endemic Macronesian heaths, also known as fayal-brezal, grow from 500 to 1,700 m, as transition vegetation between laurisilva and Canarian endemic pine forests, with which they share some species (Ilex canariensis, I. perado, Larus azorica, and Picconia excelsa). There are three distinctive species Myrica faya, Erica arborea and E. scoparia. Three different patterns of distribution can be seen. The first one is the contact zone with laurisilva, where Myrica spp. are dominant, with some Erica spp.; the second one is the typical fayal-brezal association (Myrica-Erica); and finally the third one is the contact zone with pine forests where Erica spp. are more common than Myrica spp. (González et al.1986).
Canarian endemic pine forests (Pinus canariensis) are found almost at sea level in southern areas but in the northern parts of the islands are found from 1,200 to 2,400 m in elevation. Previously widespread in southern Europe, they disappeared from the continent with the last glaciations (Pliocene). In their limited range they are mixed with Adenocarpus spp., Myrica-Erica associations, or even with laurisilva forest (northern), or with Chamaecytisus spp., Spartocytisus spp., and Ephedera spp., or Cistus spp. or Micromeria spp. (southern). Pines can also be found mixed with Juniperus cedrus and J. phoenicea at higher elevations. Although Canarian endemic pine forests contain a lower number of species compared with other vegetation formations in the Canaries, they have a large number of endemics in all plant groups, including fungi and lichens. Some of these Canarian endemic plants are Bystropogon plumosus, Aeonium spathulatum, Asparagus plocamoides,Tolpis laciniata and Teline sp. (Bramwell and Bramwell 1983, González et al. 1986).
Finally, vegetation grows in the high mountains above 2,000 m on La Palma and Tenerife. Some of the typical species of this vegetation can also be found occasionally on other high islands of the archipelago that hold the following climatic attributes: very low humidity level, scarce rainfalls, very cool winters (-16ºC occasionally registered), warm summers (sometimes more than 46ºC), high isolation year-round, and big contrasts of day/night temperatures. Both endemic species and genera are found and these include Spartocytisus supranubius, Erysimum scoparium, Nepeta teydea, Plantago webbii, Senecio palmensis, Juniperus cedrus, Polycarpaea tenuis, and Echium sp.(Bramwell and Bramwell 1983, González et al.1986, Marzol 1998).
All the Canary Islands are like small isolated continents. They are unique for their high level of endemic taxa. Not only species, but even many genera are exclusive to this ecoregion. Every family of plants found in the Canary Islands has endemic representatives, often including endemic genera. Endemism levels are especially high in invertebrates, vascular plants and vertebrates (100% of native terrestrial reptiles). Over a quarter of the 1,992 vascular plants found on the Canary Islands are endemic to these islands (Machado 1998). Endemicity in non-migratory vertebrates is 17.2%, or 21 out of 122 species (Machado 1998). Among arthropod invertebrates, 44.4% of the 6,378 species are endemic (Machado 1998). For non-arthropod invertebrates, endemism is 28.8% out of 774 species (Machado 1998). The figures for terrestrial endemic vertebrates only include those animals restricted to this ecoregion but there are other species and subspecies with small distributions, endemic to all of the Canaries, or shared exclusively with other Macronesian Archipelagos.
Atlantic Islands Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus maderensis, VU) and Canary Big-eared bat (Plecotus teneriffae, VU) are considered near-endemic to this ecoregion (but endemic to the Archipelago) (Bacallado et al. 1984, Trujillo 1991). Four birds are endemic to the ecoregion, Bolle's pigeon (Columba bollii), Laurel pigeon (Columba junoniae, VU), Canary Islands finch (Fringilla teydea), and Canary Islands kinglet (Regulus teneriffae) (Bacallado et al. 1984, Heinzel et al. 1992, Moreno 1988). Berthelot's pipit (Anthus berthelotii), plain swift (Apus unicolor), and common canary (Serinus canaria) are near-endemic to the Canary Islands Dry Woodlands and Forests (Bacallado et al. 1984, Heinzel et al. 1992, Moreno 1988). The Canary Island oystercatcher (Haematopus meadewaldoi) was formerly present but is now considered extinct (Hilton-Taylor 2000).
Bird subspecies restricted to the Canary Islands include a subspecies of kestrel (Falco tinnunculus teneriffae), a grey wagtail (Motacilla cinerea canariensis), a long-eared owl (Asio otus canariensis), three subspecies of chaffinches (Fringilla coelebs tintillon, F.c. ombriosa, F.c. palmae), a Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus canariensis) and two subspecies of great spotted woodpeckers (Dendrocopos major canariensis, D. m. thanneri) (Bacallado et al. 1984, Helbig et al. 1996, Heinzel et al. 1992, Moreno 1988).
Vertebrates, especially reptiles, went through an evolutionary radiation as species adapted to the varied island habitats. As a result, each island has its own species or subspecies of lizard, skink or gecko; there are even island endemic representatives of these three families. In the recent past (decades in some cases) the Canaries were inhabited by giant lizards (near 150 cm long), now extinct. Smaller relatives of these extinct reptiles are still living in cliffs and crevices of islands like El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife and probably La Palma. On Gran Canaria, larger than average lizards can also be seen all around the island. A similar process of radiation, has occurred in many birds, such as the blue tit Parus caeruleus (Paridae) that has evolved into three different subspecies: P. c. teneriffae in Gran Canaria, Tenerife and La Gomera, P.c. ombriosus in El Hierro and P.c. palmensis in La Palma (Moreno 1988). Island specific endemicity is even more spectacular in invertebrates, such as beetles and butterflies (Machado 1998). The Geometridae family (Lepidoptera) contains approximately 50 percent endemicity (García et al. 1992). Other groups like Orthoptera and Diptera species are almost 45 percent and 40 percent endemic respectively (García et al. 1992, Machado 1998).
Because of the short distance to Africa, the Canary Islands are visited every year by many migratory bird species that fly south in autumn in search of warmer places and go back to Europe in the spring. Others, mainly marine birds, use the archipelago as a nesting point only in the breeding season and after that return to the sea. This is the case with species of shearwater, such as Puffinus puffinus (Procellariidae), which nest in gullies of laurisilva (Martín 1987).
Apart from terrestrial species, there are important populations of cetaceans living year-round in Canarian seas. Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) (EN), green (Chelonia mydas) (EN) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) (CR) turtles are common, and Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempi) (CR), olive ridley (L. olivacea) (EN) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) (CR) are also sighted occasionally. (Hilton-Taylor 2000).
Although the Canary Islands base their economy on tourism and local crops, there are still some small areas that contain intact habitats, and consequently they display more or less complete biotas. These habitats are located in difficult-to-reach places like cliffs, steep mountains or rocky isles that tourists rarely frequent. Most of those places are included within protected areas. A complex net of natural protected areas has been developed throughout the islands. Through the UNESCO program MaB (Man and Biosphere) three reserves have been declared in the Canaries: Los Tiles (in La Palma), Lanzarote and El Hierro (both complete islands). La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro are the islands with best-conserved habitats and biotas, probably due to smaller size and lower deforestation. Some reduced natural areas could also be found in Tenerife and fewer in Gran Canaria (Gobierno de Canarias 1995).
Although partially or severely affected by human activities, some of these protected areas are especially important because of the habitat found here. These include the ‘Frontera’ Rural Park, ‘Roques de Salmor’ Integral Natural Reserve and ‘Tibataje’ Special Nature Reserve in El Hierro; ‘La Caldera de Taburiente’ National Park and ‘El Pinar de Garafía’ Integral Natural Reserve in La Palma; ‘Garajonay’ National Park and ‘Valle Gran Rey’ Rural Park in La Gomera; ‘Teide’ National Park, ‘Anaga’ Rural Park, ‘Teno’ Rural Park, Corona ‘Forestal’ Natural Park and ‘Las Palomas’ Natural Reserve in Tenerife; and Doramas’ Rural Park, ‘Los Tilos de Moya’ Special Natural Reserve and ‘El Brezal’ Special Natural Reserve in Gran Canaria (Gobierno de Canarias 1995).
The Canarian government together with European Community authorities have made a significant effort to preserve and protect the natural habitats and biota in the archipelago. Canary Islands Conservation Projects have been financed by the European Community (LIFE Funds). Accomplishments thus far include recovery plans and the reintroduction of the giant lizard of El Hierro (Gallotia simonyi machadoi); the conservation of Chiroptera and invertebrates in volcanic cavities; the conservation of five priority species of the Canarian sub-humid montane layer (monteverde); and the conservation of endemic birds, such as the Gran Canaria blue chaffinch (Fringilla teydea polatzeki), dark and white tailed laurel pigeons (Columba bolli, C. junoniae), and others. A number of marine projects have been conducted including measures for the recovery of the monk seal (Monachus monachus) in the Atlantic and support projects for the conservation of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) (Biodiversidad 2001).
Types and Severity of Threats
A variety of factors can be identified as threatening problems for Canarian biota and habitats, causing habitat loss and directly or indirectly menacing local species. First, tourist resorts and illegal building destroys habitats. In the last several years the tourist boom has increased. Many local and foreign enterprises have overdeveloped different areas of the islands, causing enormous habitat destruction. The illegal construction of houses inside protected areas is also a large threat. Fires are another significant threat. Accidentally and intentionally set for livestock grazing, crop planting, timber and real estate speculation, fires have dramatically reduced forests in the last decades. Pollution and uncontrolled dump sites are further concerns, despite some success by local authorities in regulating them.
The illegal capture and hunting of wild taxa are other threats to some species such as endemic laurel pigeons hunted for sport. Other bird species, such as canaries, goldfinches and warblers, among others, are trapped for the pet trade. Finally, one of the most dangerous factors is the introduction of alien species, which threaten local taxa with foreign diseases, hybridization risks, competition and predatory effects. The most significant introduced predators are feral cats and rats. Recent exotic pet fever has led to many established aliens like Psittacula krameri and Myiopsitta monachus. Even snakes, caiman turtles, red swamp crayfish and green iguanas have been found in the wild recently, some of them with breeding populations (Urioste 1999, Rodríguez and Urioste 2000).
Justification of Ecoregion Delineation
The Canary Islands are a volcanic archipelago rising up to 3,700m. The higher elevation islands in the Canary Islands archipelago form their own ecoregion because the moist climate here permits the development of distinctive vegetation types (including Macronesian laurel forests) containing many endemic species. The islands in this ecoregion are La Palma, El Hierro, Gomera, Tenerife, and Gran Canaria. The lower and drier Canary Islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote do not contain any wetter forest habitats and are placed within the mainland Acacia-Argania woodland ecoregion.
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Urioste, J. 1999. CD-ROM Base de datos de especies introducidas en Canarias. Viceconsejería de Medio Ambiente del Gobierno de Canarias. Sección de Flora y Fauna/GESPLAN S.A. http://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/medioambiente/biodiversidad/introducidas/especiesinvasoras.html
Rodríguez L., J.L and J. Urioste.2000. Fauna exótica en Canarias. Makaronesia nº2.
Museo de Ciencias Naturales de Tenerife.
Prepared by: Jaime A. de Urioste, Maria Jose Bethencourt Linares
Reviewed by: In progress |
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A new discovery could make more tomatoes taste like heirlooms, reports an international research team headed by a University of California, Davis, plant scientist.
The finding, which will be reported in the June 29 issue of the journal Science, has significant implications for the U.S. tomato industry, which annually harvests more than 15 million tons of the fruit for processing and fresh-market sales.
"This information about the gene responsible for the trait in wild and traditional varieties provides a strategy to recapture quality characteristics that had been unknowingly bred out of modern cultivated tomatoes," said Ann Powell, a biochemist in UC Davis' Department of Plant Sciences and one of the lead authors of the study.
"Now that we know that some of the qualities that people value in heirloom tomatoes can be made available in other types of tomatoes, farmers can have access to more varieties of tomatoes that produce well and also have desirable color and flavor traits," she said.
For decades, plant breeders in the tomato industry have selected varieties that are uniformly light green before they ripen, in order to produce tomatoes that can be harvested at the same time.
However, this characteristic is accompanied by an unintended reduction in sugars that compromises the flavor of the fresh fruit and its desirability for processing.
Powell's UC Davis research team began studying the genes influencing tomato fruit development and ripening after spending two summers screening tomato plants for transcription factors that might play a role in both fruit color and quality. Transcription factors are proteins that regulate genes, or turn them on and off. These factors themselves are manufactured or expressed by genes.
The UC Davis researchers were particularly interested in tomatoes they observed in the field that were unusually dark green before they ripened.
Partnering with researchers at Cornell University and in Spain, who were mapping regions of the tomato genome, the scientists discovered two transcription factors, called GLK1 and GLK2, that control the development of chloroplasts. Chloroplasts are the structures in the plant cells that enable plants to photosynthesize, converting the energy of sunlight into sugars and other compounds that influence flavor and color.
The researchers scoured a collection of mutant and wild species of tomatoes at UC Davis established at UC Davis by the late Professor Charles Rick beginning in the 1950s. They discovered that dark green tomatoes that naturally express GLK2 produced ripe fruit with increased levels of sugars or soluble solids, important for processing tomatoes, as well as higher levels of the health-promoting compound lycopene.
"Nature presents numerous important genes and their variants, like uniform ripening, that breeders employ to facilitate the needs of growers, processors and consumers," said Jim Giovannoni, a USDA plant molecular biologist with the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University. "Understanding the genes responsible for these characteristics facilitates the challenging process of breeding crops that meet the needs of all components of the food-supply chain."
Cuong Nguyen, a Cornell graduate student in Giovannoni's laboratory co-authored the paper with Powell. Other members of the research team included: Theresa Hill, KaLai Lam Cheng, Rosa Figueroa-Balderas, Hakan Aktas, Hamid Ashrafi, Ariel Vicente, Javier Lopez-Baltazar, Roger Chetelat, Allen Van Deynze and Alan Bennett, all of UC Davis; Yongsheng Liu and Cornelius Barry of Cornell University and the Boyce Thompson Institute of the USDA; Clara Pons and Antonio Granell, of the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Spain; Rafael Fernández-Muñoz of the Universidad de Málaga, Spain.
Funding for the study was provided by The University of California Discovery program, the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, the National Science Foundation, the Viet Nam Education Foundation, the Fundación Genoma España, and the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología and the Instituto Tecnólogico de Costa Rica.
UC Davis is an international leader in agricultural research and is ranked as the most frequently cited university in the world in the area of plant and animal sciences, according to ISI Essential Science Indicators. The university's Department of Plant Sciences is internationally known for its Plant Breeding Academy, which provides professional training for plant breeders around the world.
About UC Davis
For more than 100 years, UC Davis has engaged in teaching, research and public service that matter to California and transform the world. Located close to the state capital, UC Davis has more than 32,000 students, more than 2,500 faculty and more than 21,000 staff, an annual research budget that exceeds $684 million, a comprehensive health system and 13 specialized research centers. The university offers interdisciplinary graduate study and more than 100 undergraduate majors in four colleges -- Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Biological Sciences, Engineering, and Letters and Science. It also houses six professional schools -- Education, Law, Management, Medicine, Veterinary Medicine and the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing. |
You will see the difference when you begin using tried-and-true organic gardening methods. People will be able to tell that you love your plants and want them to be healthy. These are highly admirable qualities. As any other skill, your organic gardening skills will only grow with time and experience. Here are some suggestions that can help.
Involve the whole family in your gardening hobby; children find growing things to be very interesting. Gardening is a great way for children to learn, and it gives you two a chance to spend some quality time together and produce healthy food.
When growing organic plants indoors, it is important to consider the amount of light that is available to them. If your residential space has limited sunlight, it will be best that you grow plants that are ideal for this type of environment. If this is not an option, or you have your heart set on a particular type of plant, consider adding additional growing lights instead.
You should utilize around three inches of mulch that is organic in your flower beds. Doing this keeps weeds down, keeps the moisture in your plants, and gives more nutrients to the plants. It will also increase the visual appeal of the flower beds.
When you are doing work in your garden, be efficient. Have your tools laid out in an orderly way so you do not have to search for them. Before you make a trip to your garden, you should gather all tools and items in advance. Afterwards, be sure to return them to their original storage place. It may be necessary to don a tool belt or cargo pants with extra pockets.
Remember to plan for adequate spacing when you first lay out an organic garden. Leave a little more space than you think your full grown plant will need to make up for overgrowth. Plants don’t just need enough space for their physical size; they also need enough space for the air in your garden to circulate properly. Therefore, ensure that you allow for ample spaces between your seedlings.
Avoid allowing chores in your organic garden stack up. No matter what your schedule is like, you should be able to fit in small things that will help you avoid having an overwhelming amount of work all at once. Take the time to do a little weeding or something else that needs to be done each time you have to be outside keeping an eye on your dog, which for some can be several times a day.
Now you know how you can use these ideas in your own garden. This is great news! These tips were specifically crafted to enhance your organic gardening techniques. A gardener should never be done learning! Hopefully, you have discovered something new that you can use in your organic garden. |
While most people create type on a computer, Israeli designer Ori Elisar creates his in a lab. For his final project at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Elisar grew Hebrew symbols from bacteria, creating living, changing letterforms.
Elisar has long had a personal interest in the study of language. While getting his undergraduate degrees in linguistics and archeology, he was interested in “how language is and how it works,” he says. “With this [graphic design] degree I was busy with what language looks like. Then I discovered at a conference in Belgium a whole new side of design that is biodesign, and it opened my eyes to a method of design without using a computer. I did the whole project—design, typography, everything—without even opening Illustrator.”
For his Living Language, Elisar “grew” the two script forms of the Hebrew language: the original old Hebrew alphabet, known as the paleo-Hebrew script, which has been a dead language for almost 2,000 years, and the modern “square” form of the Hebrew alphabet that is still in use today. “I started with the initial letters in the old books that look like art nouveau—it has a natural line, it grows,” says Elisar. Over time, the bacteria in the petri dish appears to morph into the new letters, growing into the thicker, blockier symbols of the current script.
To create this effect, Elisar uses a single petri dish for each letter. He renders the symbol from the old language in bacteria and the symbol for the new language in algal, a protein that the bacteria feeds on. When subjected to heat, the bacteria eats the algal, changing into the shape of the new letter. “I wanted to question the evolution of the hebrew letter,” says Elisar. “That was the question that I asked at the beginning of the project–what the letter used to look like and what it looks like today.”
Just like any scientific experiment, there are a certain number of controllable factors that affect the bacterial growth. The amount of protein, how the bacteria is placed on the surface and the amount of time it spends in an oven all play a role in how fast the bacteria grows and the form it eventually takes. Once the bacteria takes the shape of the letter, Elisar injects it with a blue die, which kills the bacteria and gives the petri dishes an electric blue color.
When asked about his next steps, Elisar says that he hopes to create an ink from bacteria that can be used on paper. “I want to be able to print a living organism on a piece of paper and I want it to grow on paper,” he says, acknowledging that he still has a long way to go before that would be possible. “This is an interesting suggestion for design that works on its own. You think of the word or the letter–what you want to say–and it does the design itself.” |
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park
|Champaner Pavagadh Archaeological Park|
|Name as inscribed on the World Heritage List|
|Criteria||iii, iv, v, vi|
|Inscription||2004 (28th Session)|
Champaner-Pavagadh Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in Panchmahal district in Gujarat, India. It is located around the historical city of Champaner, a city which was built by Sultan Mahmud Begada of Gujarat. The heritage site is studded with forts with bastions starting from the hills of Pavagadh, and extending into the city of Champaner. The park's landscape includes archaeological, historic and living cultural heritage monuments such as chalcolithic sites, a hill fortress of an early Hindu capital, and remains of the 16th-century capital of the state of Gujarat. There are palaces, entrance gates and arches, mosques, tombs and temples, residential complexes, agricultural structures and water installations such as stepwells and tanks, dating from the 8th to the 14th centuries. The Kalika Mata Temple, located on top of the 800 metres (2,600 ft) high Pavagadh Hill, is an important Hindu shrine in the region, attracting large numbers of pilgrims throughout the year.
The transition between Hindu and Muslim culture and architecture in the late 15th to early 16th century is documented in the park, particularly the early Islamic and pre-Mughal city that has remained without any change. It was inscribed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 2004.
- Geography 1
- History 2
- City planning 3
- Fortresses and walls 4.1
- Temples 4.2
- Mosques 4.3
- Palaces 4.4
- References 5
- Bibliography 6
- External links 7
The Champaner-Pavagadh heritage site is spread over an area of more than 1,329 hectares (3,280 acres) with a buffer zone of 2,812 hectares (6,950 acres). In addition to the Primary Heritage Zone of 983.27 hectares (2,429.7 acres), there are several other sites which include: Kabutarkhana, Maqbara, Maqbara Mandvi, Maqbara near Patidar Village, Malik Sandal Ni Vav, Hathikhana, Sindh Mata, Sikander Ka Reuza, Babakhan Ki Dargah, Nau Kuan Sat Vavdi, and Chandrakala Vav. The site is 50 kilometres (31 mi) east of Baroda and 42 miles (68 km) south of Godhra, whose history is recorded from the 2nd century AD and which has many religious monuments of Gujarati Sultans (of Turkish descent), Rajputs, and Jains. It includes the Palace of Mahmud Begada, grandson of Ahmed Shah, who founded Ahmedabad City, Jama Masjid and other mosques. The setting is undulating hillocks and plateaus. There are steep rock exposures formed by ancient volcanic eruptions and lava flows.
Champaner is located at , about 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south of Pavagadh Hill. Pavagadh Hill rises to a height of 800 metres (2,600 ft), has a geological setting of reddish-yellow stone, and is considered to be one of the oldest rock formations in India. The highest point of the hill presents an undulating forested topography in the direction of Jambughoda. The Pavagadh Hill has a historical fort where the ancient Kalika Mata Temple is situated. The path to the summit passes through many old gates and cuts through staircase-like natural ledges of rock with precipitous sides. Midway up this path is a flat area strewn with boulders. Above this point there is a very steep scarp with a marble temple and two lantern towers.
- Early history
Judging by early archaeological remains and according to records, the area had already been inhabited in the chalcolithic period; however, it remained neglected until approximately 400 AD. The history also reports a local legend that the divinity of the hills was derived from the right toe of the goddess Kalika, which had apparently fallen on the hill.
The name Champaner is derived from Champa, who was either a Vania or a Kanbi. He established this city during the rule of Vanraj Chavda of Anhilwad Patan (from 746 to 806 AD). In the eleventh century, Ram Gaur Tuar ruled, and Champaner was under the Anhilwad until 1297 or so when they were defeated by Alauddin Khilji, who made it their stronghold. During this period, the Chauhan Rajputs had also settled in Champaner. The Pavagadh Hill was where the Solanki kings and Khichi Chauhans built fortresses and ruled from. However, they lost their authority in Champaner in 1484. The Rajputs ruled on the northeastern side of the foothills of Pavgarh Hill below the fortress of Pavgadh. In 1418 and in about 1450, they managed to fight off their neighbour, Rao of Idar, and the Muslim rulers of Ahmedabad, thanks to the protection provided by the hill. However, in 1483, when Mahmud Begada’s captain, Malik Asad, was raiding through Champaner, he was attacked and killed by Raval Jaisingh. What ensued in the following years was the complete defeat of the Rajputs by Sultan Begada. The hill was surrounded and the fort held under siege for more than a year and was finally captured on 17 November 1484, when Kivamul Mulk and Malik Ayaz Sultani penetrated the walls and broke the main gate, destroyed the army and injured the leaders of the Rajputs. Raval Jaisingh was wounded and for six months was given amnesty but was then killed since he refused to convert to Islam.
Raval’s son, however, converted to Islam and was made a noble with the title "Nizam-ul-Mulk". After the fort was seized, Mahmud renamed the city "Muhmudabad Champaner". It was during this period that Mahmud laid the foundation stone for his mosque. He built elaborate ornate structures, fortified both the forts, made the hill fort his Mauliya (meaning Lord of the Hill) and his citadel over a period of 23 years and eventually moved his capital from Ahmadabad to Champaner.
During this period, Champaner was famous for mangoes, sandalwood trees (used then for house building and sword blades), and colourful silks. Merchants and craftsmen prospered. Mahmud died in 1511 and his successors continued to rule from Champaner until the death of Bahadur Shah (1536). The city of Champaner had been very well planned with streets and whitewashed stone houses. In 1526, young Sikander Shah died and Bahadur Shah became the next ruler of Champaner. In 1535, the Mughal Emperor Humayun invaded Champaner and looted the coffers. Upon Bahadur's death in 1536, the capital and the court shifted back to Ahmadabad. The city fell into rapid decline, was largely abandoned and for several centuries was neglected and almost deserted.
- Later history
The British visited the town of Champaner in 1803, at which time there were only 500 people residing there. The old city was in ruins and wildly overgrown. They refounded it and it became a great exporter of silk, with facilities for washing and preparing raw silk. However, a cholera epidemic reduced the population to 400 families by 1812. When the British finally usurped the area on 13 July 1829, it was almost deserted; efforts at that time to populate the place by inducting cultivators with an incentive of Rs 1260 to develop the lands at that time also failed. In 1879, a few Bhil and Naikda tribes resided there, but over the next few years, it became well known in India for its rulers and the monuments left behind by them
In the last decade the site has received attention by archaeologists and Heritage Trusts working in the area to develop it into a tourist attraction and a World Heritage Site. The Baroda Heritage Trust took the initiative in this direction and carried out a landscape study of the former urban centre. A Master Plan for an archaeological park was developed for Champaner City and Pavagarh as a cultural sanctuary, and the Archaeological Survey of India, supported by the Baroda Heritage Trust, submitted a proposal to UNESCO to declare the site a World Heritage Site. In July 2004, UNESCO approved the proposal and inscribed the site on the World Heritage List with the justification of its “joint significance as a living Hindu pilgrimage center, its cluster of Jain temples, its remarkable preserved medieval urban fabric, its exquisite sandstone-carved mosques and tombs and its intangible heritage values.” Tourism in the area was affected by the Godhra Hindu-Muslim riots, resulting in conflicting interests in developing infrastructure such as roads, ropeway and accommodation facilities for the pilgrims and tourists visiting the various monuments in this site.
Remaining at the site are the Royal precincts within fortified walls, the entrance gate or the city gate, the mosque outside the fortifications, the royal walkway leading into the palace, and the second enclosure consisting of unexplored Jahanpanah. The urban planning of the city reveals well laid and paved streets which lead to the city centre. The residential area consists of houses of both rich and poor; rich people’s houses are built with scenic gardens and water channels. Public parks and pavilions surround the housing complex. However, temples, mosques and tombs are mostly concentrated in the Pavagarh Hills. The walk up the hill from the plains is called the Patha (pilgrim's route); considered to be the "soul of Champaner”, it has thousands of steps and is embellished with ornamental and essential structures.
- Rainwater harvesting
One of the innovative features of the two historic monuments centres was the development of methods for harvesting rainwater, in the form of tanks or ponds in the Pavagadh hills (called the “hill of hundred pools”) and innumerable wells in the city of Champaran, which was nicknamed "city of thousand wells". The Vishamitri River is the only stream that rises from the Pavgadh hills, and was tapped for feeding wells in Champaner and tanks in Pavagadh. The tanks served the pilgrims and other utilitarian, recreational, spiritual and aesthetic needs. Some of the tanks were built by constructing embankments and diverting the stored water into stone cisterns. Some of the famous water structures are: the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswathi Kunds (in the Mauliya plateau); the Wada Talao, the largest water tank fed by rivulets located on the eastern part of the city; the innovative Gaben Shah tank; the exquisitely ornamented helical stepwells such as in the public gardens and at the entrance to the city, and the Royal summer pavilions. The water channel in the house of a noble, called the “Amir’s Manzil,” is cited as a reflection of the “superb workmanship of water structures built by those responsible for the palatine and religious architecture of Champaner.”
There are eleven different types of buildings at Champaner-Pavagadh, including mosques, temples, granaries, tombs, wells, walls, and terraces. The monuments are situated at the foot of and around the Pavagadh hill. The Heritage Trust of Baroda lists 114 monuments in the area, of which only 39 monuments are maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India, due to limited funding. The Forest Department owns 94% of the land here, while the temple trusts and other sectarian establishments provide facilities for boarding and lodging to the pilgrims and tourists. On the southern side near the foot of the hill some dilapidated houses and the foundations of Jain temples can also be seen.
The monuments include:
- Helical stepped well
- Sakar Khan's Dargah
- City Gate near Kasbin Talao
- Citadel walls
- City walls at south-east corner of the citadel going up the hill
- East and South Bhadra Gates
- Sahar ki Masjid (Bohrani)
- Three cells inside the citadel wall between Sahar ki Masjid the local fund Dharmashala
- Mandvi or Custom House
- Jami Masjid
- Stepwell north of Jama Masjid
- Kevda Masjid and Cenotaph
- Tomb with a big dome in the centre and small corner domes on way to Khajuri Masjid near Wada Talao
- Cenotaph of Kevda Masjid
- Nagina Masjid
- Cenotaph of Nagina Masjid
- Lila Gumbaz ki Masjid, Chapaner
- Kabutarkhana Pavilion on the north bank of Wada Talao near Khajuri Masjid
- Kamani Masjid
- Bawaman Mosque
- Pavagad hill
- Gate No. 1 on Pavagarh hill (Atak Gate)
- Gate No. 2 (with three gateways, Budhiya gate)
- Gate No. 3 (Moti gate, Sadanshah-Gate)
- Gate No. 4 with big bastion with cells in the interior
- Sat Manzil between gate Nos. 4 and 5 right up to bastions on top
- Mint above Gate No4
- Gate No. 5 near Machi (Gulan Bulan Gate)
- Gate No. 6 (Buland Darwaza)
- Makai Kothar
- Palace of Patai Rawal with tanks
- Gate No. 7 near iron bridge (Makai Gate)
- Gate No. 8 (Tarapore Gate)
- The fort of Pavagad and ruined Hindu and Jain temples on the top of Pavagad hills
- Navlakha Kothar
- Walls of fort on top
Fortresses and walls
The fortress built by the Solanki kings of Gujarat was further fortified by Khichi Chauhans. In 1484, Sultan Mahmud Begadah captured the fort and renamed it Muhammadabad Champaner. The fortifications start on the Mauliya plateau, which is situated on the hill and ends on the plains. They are very large and are built with sandstone walls connected with bastions at intervals and have elegant balconies. There are several gates in the fortifications and the enclosed area within also have barracks and jails. The west gate has fortifications running from the ridge to the north built of brick and cement, followed by a freely laid stone wall for about a mile, then followed by a second line of old wall (of 30 feet (9.1 m) height) which extends 220 yards (200 m) and rises to join the first line (known as atak) of fortifications on the hill. The huge wall of free stone is known as Bigada’s wall, and encloses the Jahapanah (the world shelter) and the Bhadar or the citadel of Mahmudabad Champaner; the area enclosed by this fortification is 1 mile (1.6 km) long and 280 yards (260 m) wide. A rectangular building at the approach to the citadel is a guard room of size 150 feet (46 m)x1120 feet (37 m) with double gates, which has windows made of stone that are embellished with intricate carvings. Shikari Kot or Hunters Fort is located to the east of the Citadel. The Bada Talao or the Great Lake is next to the ruins of the palace.
The earliest temple on Pavagadh hill in the Mauliya plateau is dated to the 10th–11th century and is dedicated to Lakulish. However, the temple is in ruins, with only the gudha mandapa (sanctum sanctorum) and Ardha mandapa part of the antarala now present. Lakulish, Dakshinmurthi, Brahma, Vishnu, Gajendramoksha, various forms of Shiva, Indra, seated Ambika and Surasundaris are the images seen in this temple. The temple was built in the Hindu temple architecture style of architecture with garbhagriha, mandapa and an entrance porch. It had ornate decorations, mostly consisting of stone carvings. While this oldest temple is in a dilapidated condition and not in use, all the other temples are used as places of worship. They have ornate decorations, mostly stone carvings.
The temples of the Jain religion at Pavagadh are also noteworthy. They are of three different groups: The first consists of the Bhavanaderi temples near Naqqarkhana gate called the Navalakka temples, the second group is in honour of the tirthankaras Suparshvanatha and Chandraprabha and the third group, situated on the south east of Pavagarh Hill (Mataji's cliff), is near the Pārśva temple next to the Dudhia tank. These temples are deduced to have been constructed in the 14th–15th centuries on the basis of "[their] stylistic and architectural features". Elaborately carved seated and standing images of the Jain pantheon are seen on the outer walls of the temples. The Garbabrihas are enshrined with beautiful stone images of tirthankaras in these temples. All the temples have been renovated over time.
The most visited temple on the hill is the Kalika Mata Temple. It has three images of goddesses: the central image is of Kalika Mata, flanked by Kali on the right and Bahuchara Mata on the left. The spire of this temple, interestingly, carries a shrine of Sadanandsha pir, a Muslim saint held in great reverence in the region. It is the third of the major Shakti Peethas of Gujarat and is known for tantric worship. It is connected by a mono-cable ropeway 740 metres (2,430 ft) in length which can carry 1200 people per hour and is stated to be the country's highest ropeway. On Chaitra ashtami, during navratri (nine-day festival), a fair is held at the Kalika Mata temple which is attended by thousands of devotees. The ruins of Patai Raval's palace can be seen on the way to the temple.
Among the five mosques in very good condition, the Jama Masjid (also spelled "Jami Masjid") near the east gate, built by Sultan Begada, is one of the most notable among the 114 monuments listed by the Baroda Heritage Trust. It has a blend of Hindu and Muslim architecture preserving the Islamic ethos and with its elegant interiors is considered one of the finest mosques in Western India. The masjid is built over a high plinth, has a central dome, two minarets each 30 metres (98 ft) high, 172 pillars, seven mihrabs and ornately carved entry gates fitted with stone jalis. The Mughal architecture is said to have drawn from the architecture of the Sultanates, which is a blend of Hindu religious connotations and workmanship with Muslim ethos; the large domes are indicative of such a mix. In the Jami Masjid, the ornamentation of the surface areas of the mosque and tomb consists of symbols of motifs of the Sun, diamonds, pots and vines, and lotus insignia which were used in the earlier temples; the artists of the region who worked on these monuments had imbibed their craftsmanship from their forefathers and they were not sectarian in character, as they worked on assignments given by Hindus, Muslims or Jains. This mosque has three mural plaques, in oblong shape, one at the top of the pulpit and the other two on the sides with engravings of hymns from the Koran. Of the two minarets, one was damaged by an intentional gun firing in 1812 by Patankar, a Scindia Governor considered a “tyrant.”
Other notable mosques in the heritage area are: the Kevada Masjid, the Ek Minarka Masjid (single dome mosque); the Panch Mahuda ka masjid (five domed mosque) in a forested area; the Shehrka Masjid (city mosque), an elegant structure located inside the citadel; and the Nagina Masjid (jewel mosque), about 0.75 miles (1.21 km) to the south of the citadel, built with pure white stone; a stepwell decorated with arches is close to this mosque. Tombs have been built adjacent to mosques, invariably to a square plan with columns and domes erected over them, and also embellished with decorations. The tomb of Sikander Shah seen near Halol is a simple single storied building in Muslim architectural style. The shrine of Khon pir, a saint, a colourful tomb, was a place of worship of the weaver community (Muslims known as Tais) of Champaner.
The custom house was probably used as a guard room. It is well planned in a square shape with five rows of arches and five equal colonnaded aisles. From this location to the east gate, the view of present-day Champaner consists of shabby houses on a lone street. Kabutarkhana Pavilion is situated on the north bank of Bada Talao near Khajuri Masjid. Another building with columns is also located on the Pavagadh Hill, above the roof of the Mahakali temple.
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- "Champaner-Pavagarh Archaeological Park (2004), Gujarat". National InformaticCentre (NIC) for Archaeological Survey of India (ISI). Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- "Champaner, near Baroda, India. Febr. 1879". Online Gallery, British Library, UK. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
- Kamdar, Mira (2008). Planet India: The Turbulent Rise of the Largest Democracy and the Future of Our World. Simon and Schuster. p. 217.
- Silverman 2008, pp. 56–57.
- Silverman 2008, pp. 59–60.
- Ruggles, D. Fairchild; Silverman, Helaine (2009). Intangible Heritage Embodied. Springer. pp. 91–93, 96–97.
- Documentation Update. Equitable Tourism Options. April 2005 to March 2006. pp. 141–. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- "Historic Monuments in Gujarat". Union of Public Service Commission. Retrieved 30 September 2012.
- B. Busa Goud. "Scientific Conservation of World Heritage Monuments of Champaner-Pavgadh" (pdf). UNESCO. Org. Retrieved 29 September 2012.
- Vyas, Rajnee (2006). Welcome to Gujarat. Akshara Prakashan. p. 128. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- Limca Book of Records. Bisleri Beverages Ltd. 1990. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- India. Superintendent of Census Operations, Gujarat (1964). Panchmahals. Director, Government Print. and Stationery, Gujarat State. p. 188. Retrieved 28 September 2012.
- Silverman, Helaine; Ruggles, D. Fairchild (2008). Cultural heritage in a globalized world. Springer. pp. 56–60.
- UNESCO Fact Sheet
- Photos of Champaner |
Viðarr is the Æsir god of vengeance. He is the son of Óðin and the jötunn Gríðr, and he is fated to avenge his father by killing Fenrir at Ragnarök. Viðarr is attested in the Poetic Edda, the Prose Edda, and he is depicted on the elaborately carved, tenth century Gosforth Cross. His land, described in the Poetic Edda, is called Landviði and appears to be an expanse of plain:
“Brushwood grows and high grass
widely in Viðarr’s land
and there the son proclaims on his horse’s back
that he is keen to avenge his father.”
He himself is described as “the silent god” with a thick shoe, nearly as strong as the god Thor, and that the gods rely on him in times of immense difficulties. He and his brother Váli are both fated to survive Ragnarök, along with Baldr, Höðr, Nanna, Móði, and Magni, and dwell within the field of Iðavöllr.
To avenge Óðin, Viðarr alternately pierces Fenrir’s heart with a spear, or pins the giant wolf’s jaws with a massive shoe and rips his jaws apart. It was an old custom to save the trimmings left over from making shoes for the god, which Viðarr would then take, through all time, and add to his own massive shoe. He also appears in stories relating to Loki’s flyting, in Ægir’s hall, where Óðin asks him to pour wine for the troublesome guest.
Thoughts on Viðarr
Viðarr’s silence and aloofness from the other Æsir seem to be related to vengeance rituals common in Norse stories, and mirrored throughout other cultures. His brother Váli went through a similar process of abstinence before avenging the death of Baldr – he eschewed bathing and combing his hair and beard until the deed was done. In a similar way, Viðarr is seen to take a vow of silence and removes himself from much of life at court in Ásgard, to dwell in an overgrown field, waiting for the day he is fated to kill Fenrir.
Signs and Symbols
Shoes, especially made of leather. The figure of a man standing between the jaws of a wolf.
Vidar, Vithar, Vidarr, Vitharr |
Your philosophy of education will influence all of your activities in the classroom from how you teach, what you teach, how you manage your classroom, how you connect and relate to students, parents and colleagues, to how you engage in your own professional learning. Being able to articulate your beliefs and educational philosophy is a critical aspect of being an effective teacher and learner. In a two- to three-page paper, in addition to a title and reference page, create your philosophy of education. Please cite and reference at least one scholarly source, in addition to the textbook, in this assignment. Make sure your assignment is in APA format.
Below are some reflection questions to help you get started. Use these questions to jump-start your thinking and to craft your educational philosophy.
- What should students expect of you as a teacher?
- What should parents expect of you as a teacher?
- What do you expect of yourself as a teacher?
- What do you believe is the most important responsibility of being a teacher?
- What values in life are most important to you as a person? As a teacher? As a parent? And as a learner?
- What method of teaching do you rely on most often?
- How do you think students learn best?
- What do you want students to learn?
- What should your students know or be able to do as a result of being in your class?
- How can your teaching facilitate student learning?
- How do you as a teacher create an engaging or enriching learning environment?
- How do you engage with colleagues?
- What type of continual learning do you engage in?
- : 12/06/2017
- : 20.00 |
BERLIN – The United Nations has declared 2015 to be the International Year of Soils, and April 19-23 marks this year’s Global Soil Week. Such events, though not exactly glamorous, do not receive nearly the amount of attention they deserve.
Intact soils are an invaluable and irreplaceable resource, one that performs myriad functions in achieving the international community’s main development and environmental goals. And now they are in urgent need of protection.
Healthy soils are crucial to human nutrition and the fight against hunger. We rely on them not only for food production, but also to create new drinking water. They help to regulate Earth’s climate, storing more carbon than all of the world’s forests combined (only the oceans are a larger carbon sink), and are essential to maintaining biodiversity: a handful of fertile soil contains more microorganisms than there are humans on the planet. Two-thirds of Earth’s species live beneath its surface.
But erosion and contamination are placing soils under severe stress. Worldwide, 24 billion tons of fertile soil is lost annually, partly owing to the growth of cities and infrastructure. In Germany alone, construction projects claim an average of more than 75 hectares per day. Inappropriate agricultural practices are also to blame: the liberal use of synthetic fertilizer, for example, decimates organisms inhabiting the soil and changes its structure. It takes millennia for fertile topsoil to form; in many places, a cloudburst is now all it takes to wash it away.
At the same time, global demand for food, fodder, and biomass for fuels is growing, in turn driving up the value of land – a fact that has not escaped international investors’ attention. According to a World Bank estimate, 10-30% of arable land worldwide – land that would be used by millions of smallholders, pastoralists, and indigenous people – has been affected by large-scale investment.
The struggle to secure land rights for individuals and communities has thus become a matter of survival in much of the world. Access to land is one of the key determinants of hunger, and it is even more unequally distributed than income. Some 20% of households affected by hunger are landless, and 50% of food-stressed households are smallholder families.
In Europe, we have long since outgrown our domestic agricultural land, so now we “import” it on a grand scale from the global South. Just producing the fodder needed to cover the European Union’s meat consumption requires an area of agricultural land in Brazil the size of the United Kingdom. If every human ate as much meat as the average EU citizen, 80% of the world’s arable land would have to be dedicated to producing it, compared to 33% currently. And let us be clear: given that 100 calories of fodder produce at most 30 calories of meat, using fertile land for this purpose is sheer waste.
This trend will be exacerbated to the extent that the “green growth” that many governments are promising relies on biofuels to replace fossil fuels like oil and coal. Biofuels do not benefit the climate nearly as much as wind or solar energy systems, yielding only one-tenth the energy per square meter. As a result, the biofuel requirements contained in the EU’s 2030 Framework for Climate and Energy would need a further 70 million hectares of land – an area larger than France.
Protecting soils need not undermine prosperity. On the contrary, sustainable soil-protection practices can actually boost agricultural yields – especially those of smallholders. Crop diversification, recycling, and soil cover can all contribute to living, fertile, and active soil capable of optimal water management.
One approach, so-called agro-ecology, is based on small farmers’ traditional knowledge and experience, making it readily adaptable to local conditions. A study of agro-ecological farming practices by Jules Pretty in 2006 examined 286 sustainable agricultural projects in 57 countries and concluded that yields had increased an average of 79%.
Despite the proven success of such methods, the use of synthetic fertilizers has increased by a factor of more than five over the past 50 years, and many African governments spend up to 60% of their agricultural budgets to subsidize them. Particularly in tropical environments, such products lead to the destruction of the topsoil and biodiversity loss (and the runoff is transported to the oceans, where it damages marine ecosystems). And, though their main component, nitrogen, could be produced biologically and sustainably, that would run counter to the interests of a handful of powerful fertilizer producers and distributors.
Policymakers must address the following question: How can poor people produce enough food to escape hunger and destitution in a manner that protects soils, mitigates climate change, and preserves biodiversity?
Despite the issue’s urgency, approaches like agro-ecological production are not being promoted to any serious extent anywhere. Events like the International Year of Soils and Global Soil Week offer an opportunity to change that – from the ground up.
This article was first published here: |
LEARN THE SPANISH WORDS FOR THESE COMMON ANIMALS!
Idioms for nine
Origin of nine
Example sentences from the Web for nine
Like the other speakers, Adams recalled a dedicated friend, and one who was always dressed to the nines.
By 5:30 p.m., the band members emerge—dressed to the nines—and assume their position.
It is up to the viewer to respond to who they are and, perhaps, to imagine why they are dressed to the nines.
He was clean-shaven, sweet-smelling, and dressed to the nines.
The two nines were the same as had met a few weeks previously.Baseball Joe on the School Nine|Lester Chadwick
If anyone, it must be the devil who knows where and when the nines will come up, and he is incorruptible on this point.Mammon and Co.|E. F. Benson
Miss Conron had been selling things, and was dressed up to the nines.H.M.S. ----|Klaxon
Both our nines were fired, and, a few seconds after, three cheers arose from the decks of our ship.Afloat And Ashore|James Fenimore Cooper
But of course one might do worse than Covent Garden, all the lights and the women dressed up to the nines, and the music.The Trembling of a Leaf|William Somerset Maugham
British Dictionary definitions for nine
- amounting to ninenine days
- (as pronoun)nine of the ten are ready
Other words from nineRelated prefix: nona-
Word Origin for nine
Idioms and Phrases with nine
see dressed to kill (to the nines); on cloud nine; possession is nine points of the law; whole nine yards. |
Science keeps on evolving, and we are evolving with it. Science does a lot of things right, from studying and improving, to making things available for everyone, for an inexpensive price. Science brought us everything from cars to the internet. The question is, what will science do for us in the coming years? What can we expect from science which will change the world, as it already has countless times? Plenty of things, but the following are the most interesting ones.
Extremely Precise Lasers
Today’s lasers can do almost anything, from cutting steel to cutting extremely small transistors, 7 nanometers small. They also hit your eyes and make you see better, for you must have heard of laser eye surgery. Lasers which are able to cut a single cell, not destroying anything else surrounding it should be coming in the near future. Those lasers could very well completely change the healthcare system, almost eliminating cancer.
This is being worked on and billions of dollars are being dumped into researching quantum computing. It works similarly to how Schrodinger’s Cat works, the quantum bits not being anything until they are asked to be something. This could basically speed up everything, from computing, research to a basic search. Yes, the major universities and research centers would have access to this, but they actually need it, while consumers would not have any benefits unless they start handling and researching all sorts of huge data.
Tesla already has an AI which can pilot its vehicles on the highways. Volvo and Renault are also working on their own self-driving vehicles while General Motors has plans for making vehicles without a steering wheel or pedals. These vehicles might be the future, you being driven everywhere, without having to steer or use the pedals. It sounds scary but the technology is here, it just needs more work, to become even better and more autonomous.
Self-driving cars are entertaining and interesting, but electric cars are also very important for the environment. People still have electric car range anxiety but with time and more electric cars on the roads, this will change. Hybrid cars have been around for a while now and they are amazing in their own way. Electric cars don’t have internal combustion engines and they are much better when it comes to emissions.
Science is taking us to a new world, literally. Some people will see Mars in person in the coming decades. Others will get to live longer due to medicine becoming much better at solving problems and having the technology to do it. Some might play better video games and others will enjoy a ride without driving. You name it, science will find a way to solve it, with enough time. |
Concussion is one of the most commonly reported injuries amongst children and youth involved in sport participation. Following a concussion, youth can experience a range of short and long term neurobehavioral symptoms (somatic, cognitive and emotional/behavioral) that can have a significant impact on one’s participation in daily activities and pursuits of interest (e.g., school, sports, work, family/social life, etc.). Despite this, there remains a paucity in clinically driven research aimed specifically at exploring concussion within the youth sport population, and more specifically, multi-modal approaches to measuring recovery. This article provides an overview of a novel and multi-modal approach to measuring recovery amongst youth athletes following concussion. The presented approach involves the use of both pre-injury/baseline testing and post-injury/follow-up testing to assess performance across a wide variety of domains (post-concussion symptoms, cognition, balance, strength, agility/motor skills and resting state heart rate variability). The goal of this research is to gain a more objective and accurate understanding of recovery following concussion in youth athletes (ages 10-18 years). Findings from this research can help to inform the development and use of improved approaches to concussion management and rehabilitation specific to the youth sport community.
22 Related JoVE Articles!
Assessment of Gastric Emptying in Non-obese Diabetic Mice Using a [13C]-octanoic Acid Breath Test
Institutions: Mayo Clinic .
Gastric emptying studies in mice have been limited by the inability to follow gastric emptying changes in the same animal since the most commonly used techniques require killing of the animals and postmortem recovery of the meal1,2
. This approach prevents longitudinal studies to determine changes in gastric emptying with age and progression of disease. The commonly used [13
C]-octanoic acid breath test for humans3
has been modified for use in mice4-6
and we previously showed that this test is reliable and responsive to changes in gastric emptying in response to drugs and during diabetic disease progression8
. In this video presentation the principle and practical implementation of this modified test is explained. As in the previous study, NOD LtJ mice are used, a model of type 1 diabetes9
. A proportion of these mice develop the symptoms of gastroparesis, a complication of diabetes characterized by delayed gastric emptying without mechanical obstruction of the stomach10
This paper demonstrates how to train the mice for testing, how to prepare the test meal and obtain 4 hr gastric emptying data and how to analyze the obtained data. The carbon isotope analyzer used in the present study is suitable for the automatic sampling of the air samples from up to 12 mice at the same time. This technique allows the longitudinal follow-up of gastric emptying from larger groups of mice with diabetes or other long-standing diseases.
Medicine, Issue 73, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Anatomy, Physiology, Neurobiology, Gastrointestinal Tract, Gastrointestinal Diseases, Ion Channels, Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures, Electrophysiology, Gastric emptying, [13C]-octanoic acid, breath test, in vivo, clinical, assay, mice, animal model
Characterization of Recombination Effects in a Liquid Ionization Chamber Used for the Dosimetry of a Radiosurgical Accelerator
Institutions: Centre Oscar Lambret.
Most modern radiation therapy devices allow the use of very small fields, either through beamlets in Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) or via stereotactic radiotherapy where positioning accuracy allows delivering very high doses per fraction in a small volume of the patient. Dosimetric measurements on medical accelerators are conventionally realized using air-filled ionization chambers. However, in small beams these are subject to nonnegligible perturbation effects. This study focuses on liquid ionization chambers, which offer advantages in terms of spatial resolution and low fluence perturbation. Ion recombination effects are investigated for the microLion detector (PTW) used with the Cyberknife system (Accuray). The method consists of performing a series of water tank measurements at different source-surface distances, and applying corrections to the liquid detector readings based on simultaneous gaseous detector measurements. This approach facilitates isolating the recombination effects arising from the high density of the liquid sensitive medium and obtaining correction factors to apply to the detector readings. The main difficulty resides in achieving a sufficient level of accuracy in the setup to be able to detect small changes in the chamber response.
Physics, Issue 87, Radiation therapy, dosimetry, small fields, Cyberknife, liquid ionization, recombination effects
Pulse Wave Velocity Testing in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging
Institutions: National Institute of Aging.
Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity is considered the gold standard for measurements of central arterial stiffness obtained through noninvasive methods1
. Subjects are placed in the supine position and allowed to rest quietly for at least 10 min prior to the start of the exam. The proper cuff size is selected and a blood pressure is obtained using an oscillometric device. Once a resting blood pressure has been obtained, pressure waveforms are acquired from the right femoral and right common carotid arteries. The system then automatically calculates the pulse transit time between these two sites (using the carotid artery as a surrogate for the descending aorta). Body surface measurements are used to determine the distance traveled by the pulse wave between the two sampling sites. This distance is then divided by the pulse transit time resulting in the pulse wave velocity. The measurements are performed in triplicate and the average is used for analysis.
Medicine, Issue 84, Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV), Pulse Wave Analysis (PWA), Arterial stiffness, Aging, Cardiovascular, Carotid-femoral pulse
Engineering Platform and Experimental Protocol for Design and Evaluation of a Neurally-controlled Powered Transfemoral Prosthesis
Institutions: North Carolina State University & University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Atlantic Prosthetics & Orthotics, LLC.
To enable intuitive operation of powered artificial legs, an interface between user and prosthesis that can recognize the user's movement intent is desired. A novel neural-machine interface (NMI) based on neuromuscular-mechanical fusion developed in our previous study has demonstrated a great potential to accurately identify the intended movement of transfemoral amputees. However, this interface has not yet been integrated with a powered prosthetic leg for true neural control. This study aimed to report (1) a flexible platform to implement and optimize neural control of powered lower limb prosthesis and (2) an experimental setup and protocol to evaluate neural prosthesis control on patients with lower limb amputations. First a platform based on a PC and a visual programming environment were developed to implement the prosthesis control algorithms, including NMI training algorithm, NMI online testing algorithm, and intrinsic control algorithm. To demonstrate the function of this platform, in this study the NMI based on neuromuscular-mechanical fusion was hierarchically integrated with intrinsic control of a prototypical transfemoral prosthesis. One patient with a unilateral transfemoral amputation was recruited to evaluate our implemented neural controller when performing activities, such as standing, level-ground walking, ramp ascent, and ramp descent continuously in the laboratory. A novel experimental setup and protocol were developed in order to test the new prosthesis control safely and efficiently. The presented proof-of-concept platform and experimental setup and protocol could aid the future development and application of neurally-controlled powered artificial legs.
Biomedical Engineering, Issue 89, neural control, powered transfemoral prosthesis, electromyography (EMG), neural-machine interface, experimental setup and protocol
Rapid Identification of Gram Negative Bacteria from Blood Culture Broth Using MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry
Institutions: Westmead Hospital, Westmead Hospital, Westmead Hospital.
An important role of the clinical microbiology laboratory is to provide rapid identification of bacteria causing bloodstream infection. Traditional identification requires the sub-culture of signaled blood culture broth with identification available only after colonies on solid agar have matured. MALDI-TOF MS is a reliable, rapid method for identification of the majority of clinically relevant bacteria when applied to colonies on solid media. The application of MALDI-TOF MS directly to blood culture broth is an attractive approach as it has potential to accelerate species identification of bacteria and improve clinical management. However, an important problem to overcome is the pre-analysis removal of interfering resins, proteins and hemoglobin contained in blood culture specimens which, if not removed, interfere with the MS spectra and can result in insufficient or low discrimination identification scores. In addition it is necessary to concentrate bacteria to develop spectra of sufficient quality. The presented method describes the concentration, purification, and extraction of Gram negative bacteria allowing for the early identification of bacteria from a signaled blood culture broth.
Immunology, Issue 87, Gram negative bacilli, blood culture, blood stream infection, bacteraemia, MALDI-TOF, mass spectrometry
High-throughput, Automated Extraction of DNA and RNA from Clinical Samples using TruTip Technology on Common Liquid Handling Robots
Institutions: Akonni Biosystems, Inc., Akonni Biosystems, Inc., Akonni Biosystems, Inc., Akonni Biosystems, Inc..
TruTip is a simple nucleic acid extraction technology whereby a porous, monolithic binding matrix is inserted into a pipette tip. The geometry of the monolith can be adapted for specific pipette tips ranging in volume from 1.0 to 5.0 ml. The large porosity of the monolith enables viscous or complex samples to readily pass through it with minimal fluidic backpressure. Bi-directional flow maximizes residence time between the monolith and sample, and enables large sample volumes to be processed within a single TruTip. The fundamental steps, irrespective of sample volume or TruTip geometry, include cell lysis, nucleic acid binding to the inner pores of the TruTip monolith, washing away unbound sample components and lysis buffers, and eluting purified and concentrated nucleic acids into an appropriate buffer. The attributes and adaptability of TruTip are demonstrated in three automated clinical sample processing protocols using an Eppendorf epMotion 5070, Hamilton STAR and STARplus liquid handling robots, including RNA isolation from nasopharyngeal aspirate, genomic DNA isolation from whole blood, and fetal DNA extraction and enrichment from large volumes of maternal plasma (respectively).
Genetics, Issue 76, Bioengineering, Biomedical Engineering, Molecular Biology, Automation, Laboratory, Clinical Laboratory Techniques, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Analytic Sample Preparation Methods, Clinical Laboratory Techniques, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Genetic Techniques, Molecular Diagnostic Techniques, Automation, Laboratory, Chemistry, Clinical, DNA/RNA extraction, automation, nucleic acid isolation, sample preparation, nasopharyngeal aspirate, blood, plasma, high-throughput, sequencing
High-throughput Fluorometric Measurement of Potential Soil Extracellular Enzyme Activities
Institutions: Colorado State University, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, University of Colorado.
Microbes in soils and other environments produce extracellular enzymes to depolymerize and hydrolyze organic macromolecules so that they can be assimilated for energy and nutrients. Measuring soil microbial enzyme activity is crucial in understanding soil ecosystem functional dynamics. The general concept of the fluorescence enzyme assay is that synthetic C-, N-, or P-rich substrates bound with a fluorescent dye are added to soil samples. When intact, the labeled substrates do not fluoresce. Enzyme activity is measured as the increase in fluorescence as the fluorescent dyes are cleaved from their substrates, which allows them to fluoresce. Enzyme measurements can be expressed in units of molarity or activity. To perform this assay, soil slurries are prepared by combining soil with a pH buffer. The pH buffer (typically a 50 mM sodium acetate or 50 mM Tris buffer), is chosen for the buffer's particular acid dissociation constant (pKa) to best match the soil sample pH. The soil slurries are inoculated with a nonlimiting amount of fluorescently labeled (i.e.
C-, N-, or P-rich) substrate. Using soil slurries in the assay serves to minimize limitations on enzyme and substrate diffusion. Therefore, this assay controls for differences in substrate limitation, diffusion rates, and soil pH conditions; thus detecting potential enzyme activity rates as a function of the difference in enzyme concentrations (per sample).
Fluorescence enzyme assays are typically more sensitive than spectrophotometric (i.e.
colorimetric) assays, but can suffer from interference caused by impurities and the instability of many fluorescent compounds when exposed to light; so caution is required when handling fluorescent substrates. Likewise, this method only assesses potential enzyme activities under laboratory conditions when substrates are not limiting. Caution should be used when interpreting the data representing cross-site comparisons with differing temperatures or soil types, as in situ
soil type and temperature can influence enzyme kinetics.
Environmental Sciences, Issue 81, Ecological and Environmental Phenomena, Environment, Biochemistry, Environmental Microbiology, Soil Microbiology, Ecology, Eukaryota, Archaea, Bacteria, Soil extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs), fluorometric enzyme assays, substrate degradation, 4-methylumbelliferone (MUB), 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (MUC), enzyme temperature kinetics, soil
Utilizing Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Study the Human Neuromuscular System
Institutions: Ohio University.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has been in use for more than 20 years 1
, and has grown exponentially in popularity over the past decade. While the use of TMS has expanded to the study of many systems and processes during this time, the original application and perhaps one of the most common uses of TMS involves studying the physiology, plasticity and function of the human neuromuscular system. Single pulse TMS applied to the motor cortex excites pyramidal neurons transsynaptically 2
(Figure 1) and results in a measurable electromyographic response that can be used to study and evaluate the integrity and excitability of the corticospinal tract in humans 3
. Additionally, recent advances in magnetic stimulation now allows for partitioning of cortical versus spinal excitability 4,5
. For example, paired-pulse TMS can be used to assess intracortical facilitatory and inhibitory properties by combining a conditioning stimulus and a test stimulus at different interstimulus intervals 3,4,6-8
. In this video article we will demonstrate the methodological and technical aspects of these techniques. Specifically, we will demonstrate single-pulse and paired-pulse TMS techniques as applied to the flexor carpi radialis (FCR) muscle as well as the erector spinae (ES) musculature. Our laboratory studies the FCR muscle as it is of interest to our research on the effects of wrist-hand cast immobilization on reduced muscle performance6,9
, and we study the ES muscles due to these muscles clinical relevance as it relates to low back pain8
. With this stated, we should note that TMS has been used to study many muscles of the hand, arm and legs, and should iterate that our demonstrations in the FCR and ES muscle groups are only selected examples of TMS being used to study the human neuromuscular system.
Medicine, Issue 59, neuroscience, muscle, electromyography, physiology, TMS, strength, motor control. sarcopenia, dynapenia, lumbar
A Restriction Enzyme Based Cloning Method to Assess the In vitro Replication Capacity of HIV-1 Subtype C Gag-MJ4 Chimeric Viruses
Institutions: Emory University, Emory University.
The protective effect of many HLA class I alleles on HIV-1 pathogenesis and disease progression is, in part, attributed to their ability to target conserved portions of the HIV-1 genome that escape with difficulty. Sequence changes attributed to cellular immune pressure arise across the genome during infection, and if found within conserved regions of the genome such as Gag, can affect the ability of the virus to replicate in vitro
. Transmission of HLA-linked polymorphisms in Gag to HLA-mismatched recipients has been associated with reduced set point viral loads. We hypothesized this may be due to a reduced replication capacity of the virus. Here we present a novel method for assessing the in vitro
replication of HIV-1 as influenced by the gag
gene isolated from acute time points from subtype C infected Zambians. This method uses restriction enzyme based cloning to insert the gag
gene into a common subtype C HIV-1 proviral backbone, MJ4. This makes it more appropriate to the study of subtype C sequences than previous recombination based methods that have assessed the in vitro
replication of chronically derived gag-pro
sequences. Nevertheless, the protocol could be readily modified for studies of viruses from other subtypes. Moreover, this protocol details a robust and reproducible method for assessing the replication capacity of the Gag-MJ4 chimeric viruses on a CEM-based T cell line. This method was utilized for the study of Gag-MJ4 chimeric viruses derived from 149 subtype C acutely infected Zambians, and has allowed for the identification of residues in Gag that affect replication. More importantly, the implementation of this technique has facilitated a deeper understanding of how viral replication defines parameters of early HIV-1 pathogenesis such as set point viral load and longitudinal CD4+ T cell decline.
Infectious Diseases, Issue 90, HIV-1, Gag, viral replication, replication capacity, viral fitness, MJ4, CEM, GXR25
Utility of Dissociated Intrinsic Hand Muscle Atrophy in the Diagnosis of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Institutions: Westmead Hospital, University of Sydney, Australia.
The split hand
phenomenon refers to predominant wasting of thenar muscles and is an early and specific feature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). A novel split hand index (SI) was developed to quantify the split hand phenomenon, and its diagnostic utility was assessed in ALS patients. The split hand index was derived by dividing the product of the compound muscle action potential (CMAP) amplitude recorded over the abductor pollicis brevis and first dorsal interosseous muscles by the CMAP amplitude recorded over the abductor digiti minimi muscle. In order to assess the diagnostic utility of the split hand index, ALS patients were prospectively assessed and their results were compared to neuromuscular disorder patients. The split hand index was significantly reduced in ALS when compared to neuromuscular disorder patients (P<0.0001). Limb-onset ALS patients exhibited the greatest reduction in the split hand index, and a value of 5.2 or less reliably differentiated ALS from other neuromuscular disorders. Consequently, the split hand index appears to be a novel diagnostic biomarker for ALS, perhaps facilitating an earlier diagnosis.
Medicine, Issue 85, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), dissociated muscle atrophy, hypothenar muscles, motor neuron disease, split-hand index, thenar muscles
Contextual and Cued Fear Conditioning Test Using a Video Analyzing System in Mice
Institutions: Fujita Health University, Core Research for Evolutionary Science and Technology (CREST), National Institutes of Natural Sciences.
The contextual and cued fear conditioning test is one of the behavioral tests that assesses the ability of mice to learn and remember an association between environmental cues and aversive experiences. In this test, mice are placed into a conditioning chamber and are given parings of a conditioned stimulus (an auditory cue) and an aversive unconditioned stimulus (an electric footshock). After a delay time, the mice are exposed to the same conditioning chamber and a differently shaped chamber with presentation of the auditory cue. Freezing behavior during the test is measured as an index of fear memory. To analyze the behavior automatically, we have developed a video analyzing system using the ImageFZ application software program, which is available as a free download at https://www.mouse-phenotype.org/. Here, to show the details of our protocol, we demonstrate our procedure for the contextual and cued fear conditioning test in C57BL/6J mice using the ImageFZ system. In addition, we validated our protocol and the video analyzing system performance by comparing freezing time measured by the ImageFZ system or a photobeam-based computer measurement system with that scored by a human observer. As shown in our representative results, the data obtained by ImageFZ were similar to those analyzed by a human observer, indicating that the behavioral analysis using the ImageFZ system is highly reliable. The present movie article provides detailed information regarding the test procedures and will promote understanding of the experimental situation.
Behavior, Issue 85, Fear, Learning, Memory, ImageFZ program, Mouse, contextual fear, cued fear
Physical, Chemical and Biological Characterization of Six Biochars Produced for the Remediation of Contaminated Sites
Institutions: Royal Military College of Canada, Queen's University.
The physical and chemical properties of biochar vary based on feedstock sources and production conditions, making it possible to engineer biochars with specific functions (e.g.
carbon sequestration, soil quality improvements, or contaminant sorption). In 2013, the International Biochar Initiative (IBI) made publically available their Standardized Product Definition and Product Testing Guidelines (Version 1.1) which set standards for physical and chemical characteristics for biochar. Six biochars made from three different feedstocks and at two temperatures were analyzed for characteristics related to their use as a soil amendment. The protocol describes analyses of the feedstocks and biochars and includes: cation exchange capacity (CEC), specific surface area (SSA), organic carbon (OC) and moisture percentage, pH, particle size distribution, and proximate and ultimate analysis. Also described in the protocol are the analyses of the feedstocks and biochars for contaminants including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals and mercury as well as nutrients (phosphorous, nitrite and nitrate and ammonium as nitrogen). The protocol also includes the biological testing procedures, earthworm avoidance and germination assays. Based on the quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) results of blanks, duplicates, standards and reference materials, all methods were determined adequate for use with biochar and feedstock materials. All biochars and feedstocks were well within the criterion set by the IBI and there were little differences among biochars, except in the case of the biochar produced from construction waste materials. This biochar (referred to as Old biochar) was determined to have elevated levels of arsenic, chromium, copper, and lead, and failed the earthworm avoidance and germination assays. Based on these results, Old biochar would not be appropriate for use as a soil amendment for carbon sequestration, substrate quality improvements or remediation.
Environmental Sciences, Issue 93, biochar, characterization, carbon sequestration, remediation, International Biochar Initiative (IBI), soil amendment
Isolation and Quantification of Botulinum Neurotoxin From Complex Matrices Using the BoTest Matrix Assays
Institutions: BioSentinel Inc., Madison, WI.
Accurate detection and quantification of botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) in complex matrices is required for pharmaceutical, environmental, and food sample testing. Rapid BoNT testing of foodstuffs is needed during outbreak forensics, patient diagnosis, and food safety testing while accurate potency testing is required for BoNT-based drug product manufacturing and patient safety. The widely used mouse bioassay for BoNT testing is highly sensitive but lacks the precision and throughput needed for rapid and routine BoNT testing. Furthermore, the bioassay's use of animals has resulted in calls by drug product regulatory authorities and animal-rights proponents in the US and abroad to replace the mouse bioassay for BoNT testing. Several in vitro
replacement assays have been developed that work well with purified BoNT in simple buffers, but most have not been shown to be applicable to testing in highly complex matrices. Here, a protocol for the detection of BoNT in complex matrices using the BoTest Matrix assays is presented. The assay consists of three parts: The first part involves preparation of the samples for testing, the second part is an immunoprecipitation step using anti-BoNT antibody-coated paramagnetic beads to purify BoNT from the matrix, and the third part quantifies the isolated BoNT's proteolytic activity using a fluorogenic reporter. The protocol is written for high throughput testing in 96-well plates using both liquid and solid matrices and requires about 2 hr of manual preparation with total assay times of 4-26 hr depending on the sample type, toxin load, and desired sensitivity. Data are presented for BoNT/A testing with phosphate-buffered saline, a drug product, culture supernatant, 2% milk, and fresh tomatoes and includes discussion of critical parameters for assay success.
Neuroscience, Issue 85, Botulinum, food testing, detection, quantification, complex matrices, BoTest Matrix, Clostridium, potency testing
The Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT): An iPad-Based Disability Assessment Tool
Institutions: Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland Clinic Foundation.
Precise measurement of neurological and neuropsychological impairment and disability in multiple sclerosis is challenging. We report a new test, the Multiple Sclerosis Performance Test (MSPT), which represents a new approach to quantifying MS related disability. The MSPT takes advantage of advances in computer technology, information technology, biomechanics, and clinical measurement science. The resulting MSPT represents a computer-based platform for precise, valid measurement of MS severity. Based on, but extending the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (MSFC), the MSPT provides precise, quantitative data on walking speed, balance, manual dexterity, visual function, and cognitive processing speed. The MSPT was tested by 51 MS patients and 49 healthy controls (HC). MSPT scores were highly reproducible, correlated strongly with technician-administered test scores, discriminated MS from HC and severe from mild MS, and correlated with patient reported outcomes. Measures of reliability, sensitivity, and clinical meaning for MSPT scores were favorable compared with technician-based testing. The MSPT is a potentially transformative approach for collecting MS disability outcome data for patient care and research. Because the testing is computer-based, test performance can be analyzed in traditional or novel ways and data can be directly entered into research or clinical databases. The MSPT could be widely disseminated to clinicians in practice settings who are not connected to clinical trial performance sites or who are practicing in rural settings, drastically improving access to clinical trials for clinicians and patients. The MSPT could be adapted to out of clinic settings, like the patient’s home, thereby providing more meaningful real world data. The MSPT represents a new paradigm for neuroperformance testing. This method could have the same transformative effect on clinical care and research in MS as standardized computer-adapted testing has had in the education field, with clear potential to accelerate progress in clinical care and research.
Medicine, Issue 88, Multiple Sclerosis, Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite, computer-based testing, 25-foot walk test, 9-hole peg test, Symbol Digit Modalities Test, Low Contrast Visual Acuity, Clinical Outcome Measure
A Microplate Assay to Assess Chemical Effects on RBL-2H3 Mast Cell Degranulation: Effects of Triclosan without Use of an Organic Solvent
Institutions: University of Maine, Orono, University of Maine, Orono.
Mast cells play important roles in allergic disease and immune defense against parasites. Once activated (e.g.
by an allergen), they degranulate, a process that results in the exocytosis of allergic mediators. Modulation of mast cell degranulation by drugs and toxicants may have positive or adverse effects on human health. Mast cell function has been dissected in detail with the use of rat basophilic leukemia mast cells (RBL-2H3), a widely accepted model of human mucosal mast cells3-5
. Mast cell granule component and the allergic mediator β-hexosaminidase, which is released linearly in tandem with histamine from mast cells6
, can easily and reliably be measured through reaction with a fluorogenic substrate, yielding measurable fluorescence intensity in a microplate assay that is amenable to high-throughput studies1
. Originally published by Naal et al.1
, we have adapted this degranulation assay for the screening of drugs and toxicants and demonstrate its use here.
Triclosan is a broad-spectrum antibacterial agent that is present in many consumer products and has been found to be a therapeutic aid in human allergic skin disease7-11
, although the mechanism for this effect is unknown. Here we demonstrate an assay for the effect of triclosan on mast cell degranulation. We recently showed that triclosan strongly affects mast cell function2
. In an effort to avoid use of an organic solvent, triclosan is dissolved directly into aqueous buffer with heat and stirring, and resultant concentration is confirmed using UV-Vis spectrophotometry (using ε280
= 4,200 L/M/cm)12
. This protocol has the potential to be used with a variety of chemicals to determine their effects on mast cell degranulation, and more broadly, their allergic potential.
Immunology, Issue 81, mast cell, basophil, degranulation, RBL-2H3, triclosan, irgasan, antibacterial, β-hexosaminidase, allergy, Asthma, toxicants, ionophore, antigen, fluorescence, microplate, UV-Vis
Quantitative Autonomic Testing
Institutions: University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Disorders associated with dysfunction of autonomic nervous system are quite common yet frequently unrecognized. Quantitative autonomic testing can be invaluable tool for evaluation of these disorders, both in clinic and research. There are number of autonomic tests, however, only few were validated clinically or are quantitative. Here, fully quantitative and clinically validated protocol for testing of autonomic functions is presented. As a bare minimum the clinical autonomic laboratory should have a tilt table, ECG monitor, continuous noninvasive blood pressure monitor, respiratory monitor and a mean for evaluation of sudomotor domain. The software for recording and evaluation of autonomic tests is critical for correct evaluation of data. The presented protocol evaluates 3 major autonomic domains: cardiovagal, adrenergic and sudomotor. The tests include deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, head-up tilt, and quantitative sudomotor axon test (QSART). The severity and distribution of dysautonomia is quantitated using Composite Autonomic Severity Scores (CASS). Detailed protocol is provided highlighting essential aspects of testing with emphasis on proper data acquisition, obtaining the relevant parameters and unbiased evaluation of autonomic signals. The normative data and CASS algorithm for interpretation of results are provided as well.
Medicine, Issue 53, Deep breathing, Valsalva maneuver, tilt test, sudomotor testing, Composite Autonomic Severity Score, CASS
Using Coculture to Detect Chemically Mediated Interspecies Interactions
Institutions: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .
In nature, bacteria rarely exist in isolation; they are instead surrounded by a diverse array of other microorganisms that alter the local environment by secreting metabolites. These metabolites have the potential to modulate the physiology and differentiation of their microbial neighbors and are likely important factors in the establishment and maintenance of complex microbial communities. We have developed a fluorescence-based coculture screen to identify such chemically mediated microbial interactions. The screen involves combining a fluorescent transcriptional reporter strain with environmental microbes on solid media and allowing the colonies to grow in coculture. The fluorescent transcriptional reporter is designed so that the chosen bacterial strain fluoresces when it is expressing a particular phenotype of interest (i.e.
biofilm formation, sporulation, virulence factor production, etc
.) Screening is performed under growth conditions where this phenotype is not
expressed (and therefore the reporter strain is typically nonfluorescent). When an environmental microbe secretes a metabolite that activates this phenotype, it diffuses through the agar and activates the fluorescent reporter construct. This allows the inducing-metabolite-producing microbe to be detected: they are the nonfluorescent colonies most proximal to the fluorescent colonies. Thus, this screen allows the identification of environmental microbes that produce diffusible metabolites that activate a particular physiological response in a reporter strain. This publication discusses how to: a) select appropriate coculture screening conditions, b) prepare the reporter and environmental microbes for screening, c) perform the coculture screen, d) isolate putative inducing organisms, and e) confirm their activity in a secondary screen. We developed this method to screen for soil organisms that activate biofilm matrix-production in Bacillus subtilis
; however, we also discuss considerations for applying this approach to other genetically tractable bacteria.
Microbiology, Issue 80, High-Throughput Screening Assays, Genes, Reporter, Microbial Interactions, Soil Microbiology, Coculture, microbial interactions, screen, fluorescent transcriptional reporters, Bacillus subtilis
High Efficiency Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells to Cardiomyocytes and Characterization by Flow Cytometry
Institutions: Medical College of Wisconsin, Stanford University School of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Hong Kong University, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin.
There is an urgent need to develop approaches for repairing the damaged heart, discovering new therapeutic drugs that do not have toxic effects on the heart, and improving strategies to accurately model heart disease. The potential of exploiting human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) technology to generate cardiac muscle “in a dish” for these applications continues to generate high enthusiasm. In recent years, the ability to efficiently generate cardiomyogenic cells from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) has greatly improved, offering us new opportunities to model very early stages of human cardiac development not otherwise accessible. In contrast to many previous methods, the cardiomyocyte differentiation protocol described here does not require cell aggregation or the addition of Activin A or BMP4 and robustly generates cultures of cells that are highly positive for cardiac troponin I and T (TNNI3, TNNT2), iroquois-class homeodomain protein IRX-4 (IRX4), myosin regulatory light chain 2, ventricular/cardiac muscle isoform (MLC2v) and myosin regulatory light chain 2, atrial isoform (MLC2a) by day 10 across all human embryonic stem cell (hESC) and hiPSC lines tested to date. Cells can be passaged and maintained for more than 90 days in culture. The strategy is technically simple to implement and cost-effective. Characterization of cardiomyocytes derived from pluripotent cells often includes the analysis of reference markers, both at the mRNA and protein level. For protein analysis, flow cytometry is a powerful analytical tool for assessing quality of cells in culture and determining subpopulation homogeneity. However, technical variation in sample preparation can significantly affect quality of flow cytometry data. Thus, standardization of staining protocols should facilitate comparisons among various differentiation strategies. Accordingly, optimized staining protocols for the analysis of IRX4, MLC2v, MLC2a, TNNI3, and TNNT2 by flow cytometry are described.
Cellular Biology, Issue 91, human induced pluripotent stem cell, flow cytometry, directed differentiation, cardiomyocyte, IRX4, TNNI3, TNNT2, MCL2v, MLC2a
Characterization of Complex Systems Using the Design of Experiments Approach: Transient Protein Expression in Tobacco as a Case Study
Institutions: RWTH Aachen University, Fraunhofer Gesellschaft.
Plants provide multiple benefits for the production of biopharmaceuticals including low costs, scalability, and safety. Transient expression offers the additional advantage of short development and production times, but expression levels can vary significantly between batches thus giving rise to regulatory concerns in the context of good manufacturing practice. We used a design of experiments (DoE) approach to determine the impact of major factors such as regulatory elements in the expression construct, plant growth and development parameters, and the incubation conditions during expression, on the variability of expression between batches. We tested plants expressing a model anti-HIV monoclonal antibody (2G12) and a fluorescent marker protein (DsRed). We discuss the rationale for selecting certain properties of the model and identify its potential limitations. The general approach can easily be transferred to other problems because the principles of the model are broadly applicable: knowledge-based parameter selection, complexity reduction by splitting the initial problem into smaller modules, software-guided setup of optimal experiment combinations and step-wise design augmentation. Therefore, the methodology is not only useful for characterizing protein expression in plants but also for the investigation of other complex systems lacking a mechanistic description. The predictive equations describing the interconnectivity between parameters can be used to establish mechanistic models for other complex systems.
Bioengineering, Issue 83, design of experiments (DoE), transient protein expression, plant-derived biopharmaceuticals, promoter, 5'UTR, fluorescent reporter protein, model building, incubation conditions, monoclonal antibody
Modeling Astrocytoma Pathogenesis In Vitro and In Vivo Using Cortical Astrocytes or Neural Stem Cells from Conditional, Genetically Engineered Mice
Institutions: University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine.
Current astrocytoma models are limited in their ability to define the roles of oncogenic mutations in specific brain cell types during disease pathogenesis and their utility for preclinical drug development. In order to design a better model system for these applications, phenotypically wild-type cortical astrocytes and neural stem cells (NSC) from conditional, genetically engineered mice (GEM) that harbor various combinations of floxed oncogenic alleles were harvested and grown in culture. Genetic recombination was induced in vitro
using adenoviral Cre-mediated recombination, resulting in expression of mutated oncogenes and deletion of tumor suppressor genes. The phenotypic consequences of these mutations were defined by measuring proliferation, transformation, and drug response in vitro
. Orthotopic allograft models, whereby transformed cells are stereotactically injected into the brains of immune-competent, syngeneic littermates, were developed to define the role of oncogenic mutations and cell type on tumorigenesis in vivo
. Unlike most established human glioblastoma cell line xenografts, injection of transformed GEM-derived cortical astrocytes into the brains of immune-competent littermates produced astrocytomas, including the most aggressive subtype, glioblastoma, that recapitulated the histopathological hallmarks of human astrocytomas, including diffuse invasion of normal brain parenchyma. Bioluminescence imaging of orthotopic allografts from transformed astrocytes engineered to express luciferase was utilized to monitor in vivo
tumor growth over time. Thus, astrocytoma models using astrocytes and NSC harvested from GEM with conditional oncogenic alleles provide an integrated system to study the genetics and cell biology of astrocytoma pathogenesis in vitro
and in vivo
and may be useful in preclinical drug development for these devastating diseases.
Neuroscience, Issue 90, astrocytoma, cortical astrocytes, genetically engineered mice, glioblastoma, neural stem cells, orthotopic allograft
Expired CO2 Measurement in Intubated or Spontaneously Breathing Patients from the Emergency Department
Institutions: Universit Catholique de Louvain Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc.
Carbon dioxide (CO2
) along with oxygen (O2
) share the role of being the most important gases in the human body. The measuring of expired CO2
at the mouth has solicited growing clinical interest among physicians in the emergency department for various indications: (1) surveillance et monitoring of the intubated patient; (2) verification of the correct positioning of an endotracheal tube; (3) monitoring of a patient in cardiac arrest; (4) achieving normocapnia in intubated head trauma patients; (5) monitoring ventilation during procedural sedation. The video allows physicians to familiarize themselves with the use of capnography and the text offers a review of the theory and principals involved. In particular, the importance of CO2
for the organism, the relevance of measuring expired CO2
, the differences between arterial and expired CO2
, the material used in capnography with their artifacts and traps, will be reviewed. Since the main reluctance in the use of expired CO2
measurement is due to lack of correct knowledge concerning the physiopathology of CO2
by the physician, we hope that this explanation and the video sequences accompanying will help resolve this limitation.
Medicine, Issue 47, capnography, CO2, emergency medicine, end-tidal CO2
Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model
Institutions: National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS-SA), University of Witwatersrand, Lightcurve Films.
We present the video about assisting anti-retroviral therapy (ART) by an apt laboratory service - representing a South-African role model for economical large scale diagnostic testing. In the low-income countries inexpensive ART has transformed the prospects for the survival of HIV seropositive patients but there are doubts whether there is a need for the laboratory monitoring of ART and at what costs - in situations when the overall quality of pathology services can still be very low. The appropriate answer is to establish economically sound services with better coordination and stricter internal quality assessment than seen in western countries. This video, photographed at location in the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS-SA) at the Witwatersrand University, Johannesburg, South Africa, provides such a coordinated scheme expanding the original 2-color CD4-CD45 PanLeucoGating strategy (PLG). Thus the six modules of the video presentation reveal the simplicity of a 4-color flow cytometric assay to combine haematological, immunological and virology-related tests in a single tube. These video modules are: (i) the set-up of instruments; (ii) sample preparations; (iii) testing absolute counts and monitoring quality for each sample by bead-count-rate; (iv) the heamatological CD45 test for white cell counts and differentials; (v) the CD4 counts, and (vi) the activation of CD8+ T cells measured by CD38 display, a viral load related parameter. The potential cost-savings are remarkable. This arrangement is a prime example for the feasibility of performing > 800-1000 tests per day with a stricter quality control than that applied in western laboratories, and also with a transfer of technology to other laboratories within a NHLS-SA network. Expert advisors, laboratory managers and policy makers who carry the duty of making decisions about introducing modern medical technology are frequently not in a position to see the latest technical details as carried out in the large regional laboratories with huge burdens of workload. Hence this video shows details of these new developments.
Immunology, Issue 44, Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV); CD4 lymphocyte count, white cell count, CD45, panleucogating, lymphocyte activation, CD38, HIV viral load, antiretroviral therapy (ART), internal quality control |
3D printing today is a well-established technology for the fabrication of models or prototypes in various academic and industrial environments. However, the advantages of additive manufacturing provide also benefits for the production of end-use products. Among these advantages are cost-effective production of complex structures and functional integration for low volume production down to a lot size of one.
In a recent publication of Optics Express*, researchers from the Arizona State University demonstrated the benefits of highest-resolution 3D printing for the fabrication of complex shaped nozzles that are directly used for their experimental work.
For biological imaging using X-ray Free Electron Lasers, the use of gas dynamic virtual nozzles has proven to be valuable method for reliable sample delivery. However, the standard method of fabricating these nozzles manually represents a cumbersome and error prone process.
The researchers successfully used a Photonic Professional GT to consolidate several manual fabrication steps into one single automatic 3D printing step. The high-resolution 3D printing of polymer micro nozzles from CAD data enables the researchers to not only gain flexibility for design iterations but also to reduce the quality variances inherent in the standard manual fabrication method. As demonstrated by testing the jetting behavior, these nozzles provide high quality performance and have the potential to become the new standard in this field of research.
|Rendering of the STL with a cut-out to show the inner complexity of the nozzle design (left) and the final 3D print from the STL (right).| |
Your overall well-being is closely tied to the health of the environment. Below are some easy ways to help the environment (and yourself!).
Change a light bulb
Installing a compact fluorescent bulb (CFL) is the quickest, easiest way to save energy—and money. Unlike incandescents, CFLs convert most of the energy they use into light rather than heat. They consume about 75 percent less electricity and last up to 10 times longer (10,000 hours as opposed to 1,500). Replace one 75-watt incandescent bulb with a 25-watt CFL and save up to $83 over the life of the bulb.
Each year, 19 billion catalogs are mailed to Americans, using 53 million trees and 56 billion gallons of wastewater to produce. Visit CatalogChoice.org to put a stop to any unwanted catalogs. Also, use the paperless option from any bills you pay. Statements are available online and won’t clog up your mailbox or trash can.
The importance of recycling cannot be stressed enough. The more plastic, glass, and paper that you recycle, the less that goes into landfills. Recycled glass can reduce related air pollution by 20 percent and water pollution by 50 percent. Also, if glass isn’t recycled it can take a million years to decompose. Take advantage of the single stream recycling available on campus.
Americans tossed out a whopping 5.5 billion pounds of electronics (TVs, stereos, cell phones, and computers) in 2005, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This results in millions of pounds of chemicals and heavy metals in the ground. Recycle electronics at Healthy You Healthy Earth on Wednesday, November 13!
Support local farmers
Typical grocery store produce travels 1,500 miles—losing precious nutrients along the way. All of those miles burn fossil fuels and creates pollution. Buying local food means you get the freshest food possible while saving energy. Hit up the local farmer’s market or find a farmer using localharvest.org or sustainabletable.org.
Unplug things that glow
Anything that has an LED (light emitting diode) that glows even after you turn it off continues to draw power (that you pay for). Your TV, cell phone charger, and printer are likely culprits. Unplug the offenders from wall sockets and plug them into power strips instead. When you leave a room, flip the strip switch to cut the flow of electricity. Unplugging appliances and electronics that glow could save you $200 a year.
Use re-usable containers
Whenever possible, use a re-usable container. Get into the habit of taking your own re-usable mug to your favorite coffee shop and carry a re-usable water bottle with you at all times. Re-usable grocery bags not only help you carry more items at once, you’ll not have a cupboard overflowing with plastic sacks. These simple tweaks will keep a lot of plastic and paper out of landfills.
Challenge yourself to make YOU a priority! SEVEN is a free program from Health Promotion and Wellness for students, faculty, and staff that focuses on the importance of the seven dimensions of wellness: emotional, environment, intellectual, physical, social, spiritual, and vocational. SEVEN runs from September to the end of April, and you can join at any time. Log wellness activities to earn points toward monthly prize drawings. Participants also receive the SEVEN newsletter and information on campus wellness events. For more information, visit Seven.IllinoisState.edu. |
❤ Sharing Folkworthy Stuffs ❤
2 Comments Vintage
Here is the [original photo](https://www.ess.fi/incoming/img2454276/pyc0o9/ALTERNATES/w980/1912355.jpg).
As with all photos, this has a story. [Rüdiger von der Goltz](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%BCdiger_von_der_Goltz) is probably not one of the most well known military figures, but he and the troops under his command played major roles in forging the modern nations of Finland, Latvia and Lithuania, and also forms an important part of the history of Estonia.
This photo was taken at the Hotel Kämp in Helsinki, Finland, during the German intervention in the [Finnish Civil War](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Civil_War). Count von der Goltz used the hotel as his base of operations throughout the campaign. He was in command of the [Ostsee-Division](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltic_Sea_Division) (Baltic Sea Division), a group of about 10,000 troops. This aid would play a decisive role in the victory of the White forces.
Rüdiger von der Goltz would later go on to form and command the [Baltische Landeswehr](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baltische_Landeswehr), a formation of the Baltic-German nobility that would play a key role in preventing Latvia and Lithuania from falling to pro-Bolshevik forces after the defeat of Germany in World War I. His formation would later overthrow the Latvian government in an attempt to restore German rule, but would be defeated by the Estonians at the Battle of Cēsis.
Although most of the formation would head to Germany after this defeat, some of the remaining forces would aid the Latvian Army until the end of the [Latvian War of Independence](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latvian_War_of_Independence). Many would be awarded land as a token of gratitude despite the earlier hostilities.
Rüdiger von der Goltz would later go on to loosely participate in anti-Weimar nationalist groups and would [meet again]) with [Carl Gustaf Mannerheim](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Gustaf_Emil_Mannerheim) in Finland in 1938 on the 20th anniversary of the Finnish Civil War. He would die shortly after the end of World War II on the 4th of November, 1946, at the age of 80 years old.
Here is an alternative version with blonde hair which I cut from the colorization before I posted here:
Fantastic job with the colourisation! Do you mind if I ask why you elected for gray hair/tasche? Did you base that on a documented description of the man or on experience/instinct based on the shading of the original photo? Myself I might have assumed the man was blonde just from the image and assumed german lineage. Thanks! |
Aviation is responsible for 4 billion journeys per year, and the transportation of 55.7 million tons of cargo across the world. Like many industries, aviation has readily adopted additive manufacturing and 3D technologies in aircraft production, maintenance and training.
But this enthusiasm and for new technologies comes at a cost. As Washington D.C. think-tank the Atlantic Council notes, “the speed of innovation, technological advancement and adversary capability is potentially outstripping policy and regulatory development in many areas of the ecosystem.”
In a report recently published by the think tank’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security, the Atlantic Council confronts its findings that although new and emerging capabilities like 3D printing are “transforming the aviation sector,” they are presenting previously unfamiliar “cyber-security risks that are not yet fully understood.”
Atlantic Council on Cybersecurity
The Atlantic Council outlines its vision for air travel as characterized by “a safe and prosperous aviation industry, with resilient trust and systems.”
Aircraft are often assembled by a consortium of suppliers across regions of the world, who are now using composite materials and 3D printing instead of traditional manufacturing methods. Across this extended supply chain there is, as the Atlantic Council phrases it, a “wealth of intellectual property and proprietary data.”
This is particularly pertinent in 3D printing, where designs and codes for components, data, algorithms, software and machine commands are stored digitally and prone to compromise if not encrypted correctly.
A consequence of rapid adoption
As the report notes, additive manufacturing in aviation has grown rapidly in recent years to the extent that both Airbus and Boeing, the world’s largest aircraft manufacturers, are making standard use of it in production, up from niche and specialist use.
It is the digital file preparation required for 3D printed components that presents the most concern. The report lists three ways in which a hacker could interfere with digital files for 3D printing.
Deny, compromise and sabotage
Hackers could firstly “deny” producting by deleting firmware, software or product designs, a phenomenon that has been found across industries.
Secondly, they could “compromise” intellectual property by stealing product design files. The report notes that this would make industrial espionage easier since tooling and production lines would not be needed for 3D printing a stolen component.
Finally, a hacker could “sabotage” the component by modifying the printing process or the file with the intent of causing a weakness in the structure. In an field as risky as aviation, one faulty component could cause a catastrophic engine failure.
Examples demonstrated by researchers include undetectable sabotage resulting in product weakening or acceleration of fatigue life, or an external attack chain initiated by malware that was able to then sabotage quality without being detected.
Maintenance and MalwARe
The report also confronts the risks in having aircraft maintenance software wholly or partly dependent on paperless processes, where aircraft data is coordinated with the ground crews’ handheld and AR devices.
It cites a particular example in 2008 where a crash occurred because an engineering computer tracking incorrect takeoff configurations was infected with malware.
The report concludes that, whether or not aircraft are airborne, they must be treated “as nodes on multiple networks,” and that the aviation sector’s culture of “managing safety in the face of complex risk” ought to be applied to cybersecurity. This should involve stakeholders collaborating and developing a “shared perception of risk.”
In the case of aviation, this may suggest that the adoption of additive manufacturing and 3D technology should not outpace the development of adequate cybersecurity systems.
At the same time, 3D printed components have, in some instances proved to be more reliable than traditionally manufactured ones. When CFM International’s fleet of Leap-1A engine fleets began experiencing problems earlier this month, the problem was not the engine’s 19 3D-printed fuel nozzles but the static turbine shrouds made from ceramic matrix composites.
The Atlantic Council’s full report, entitled “Aviation Cybersecurity, Finding Lift, Minimizing Drag”, by Peter Cooper, can be read here.
For more information on 3D printing and aviation, subscribe to our free 3D Printing Industry newsletter, follow us on Twitter, and like us on Facebook.
Featured image shows a GE engineer maintains the aircraft engines. Photo via GE. |
The Hero in Paradise Lost by John Milton
Critics abroad have argued about who the hero is of John Milton’s “Paradise Lost:” Satan, Adam or Christ, the Son? Since Milton’s overall theme stated in the opening lines of Book I is to relate ‘Man’s first disobedience’ and to ‘justify the ways of God to men’, Adam must be regarded as the main hero. John M. Steadman supports this view in an essay on “Paradise Lost:” “It is Adam’s action which constitutes the argument of the epic.” Steadman continues:The Son and Satan embody heroic archetypes and that, through the interplay of the infernal and celestial strategies, Milton represents Satan’s plot against man and Christ’s resolution to save him as heroic enterprises. Christ and Satan are therefore epic machines. (268-272)Although Satan may be an epic machine, he is best portrayed as the tragic anti-hero of “Paradise Lost” or, at the very least, a main character who possesses the stature and attributes which enable him to achieve tragic status. In the Greek tradition, the essential components of tragedy are admiration, fear and pity for the ‘hero’, who has to display a tragic weakness or flaw in his character, which will lead to his downfall. It might be argued that the flaws in Satan’s character are such that we should feel no admiration, fear or pity for him, yet he can be seen to inspire these emotions. Satan’s tragic flaws are pointed out in Book I. They are envy, pride, and ambition towards self-glorification. Satan’s pride, in particular, is stressed throughout Paradise Lost. In accordance with epic convention, Satan is frequently qualified by Milton’s use of the word ‘proud’. Virgil used the same device in his epic the Aeneid, in which the name of Aeneas rarely appears without being preceded by ‘pious’. The most striking visual example of Satan’s main weaknesses appears in Book IV (89-90) during Raphael’s narrative to Adam regarding the battles in Heaven, Raphael refers to Satan as ‘the proud/Aspirer’. ‘Proud’ at the end of one line and ‘Aspirer’ at the beginning of the next gives equal emphasis and impact to Satan’s pride and ambition and it is implied that, in Satan, the two characters are inseparable and of equal importance. Milton, in fact, defended his use of blank verse as a suitable vehicle for epic poetry, as opposed to the frequently favored heroic couplet. How then, does Satan inspire the feelings of admiration, fear and pity necessary to a tragic figure? |
“So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? If you do right, will you not be accepted?” (Genesis 4:7-8)
This is the familiar biblical story of the first two brothers on the face of the earth. We might call Abel “Mr. Acceptable” and his brother Cain “Mr. Unacceptable” for good reason. They had both presented offerings to God. Because Abel was in a right relationship with God, his offering was acceptable. Because Cain was not, his offering was unacceptable.
In response to this Cain was angry; in fact, he was so angry he beat his brother to death. In this context, God asked Cain the question,“Why are you angry?” He also asked Cain essentially, “If you get your stuff together will you not be acceptable?” God was offering Cain a choice. He could get right and be acceptable to God or he could go through life beating Abels to death – one Abel after another.
When we are angry we should always ask, “Who is the source, and the true object of my anger?” I personally believe Cain was angry with Cain because he was not in a right relationship with God. He was transferring his self anger to his brother. Have you ever done that? Are you doing that now?
Jesus provided a commentary on this story when He told hypercritical people they were like those who look for specks of sawdust in the eyes of others while they have logs sticking out of their eyes (Matthew 7: 1-5). If you are the angry person, listen carefully to God as He questions Cain or to Jesus in these verses. Get right and be acceptable. Get the log out of your eye. Don’t go through life magnifying specks and beating up Abels.
Dick Woodward, 11 May 2011 |
Fresh Produce and Sustainable Agriculture
Fresh produce and sustainable agriculture go hand-in-hand.
When you eat crisp, great-tasting fruits and vegetables, the last things you want to think about are:
Unfortunately, many of the fruits and vegetables we consume travel a great distance to get to our plates. This is due to the inefficiencies of the global distribution system.
At NuLeaf Farms, we believe fresh and nutritious produce should be:
Imagine eating sweet, fresh basil in the middle of winter… summertime freshness in January!
Mother Nature at Her Best
What is Plant Science?
The success of any plant is based on its growing conditions. Plant science is the process of understanding how to control those conditions to maximize growth and nutrition.
With outdoor crops, yields can be inconsistent and some years are better than others. Natural conditions like sunlight, soil nutrients, available moisture, and air quality are always changing.
NuLeaf’s enclosed hydroponic grow rooms control these conditions with precision.
Our system also monitors and analyzes the data in real-time. Each room’s controlled growing environment is specifically optimized for its crop.
Controlled Environment Agriculture
The NuLeaf indoor farming system takes a modularized approach to CEA. We segregate the controlled environments within a remotely-operated indoor farming network. This allows our distributed farming system to efficiently grow a wide range of high-yield crops at various locations.
The results include greater production volumes of nutrient-dense fruits and vegetables. Our indoor farming system also reduces costs and GHG emissions compared to traditional models that require flying and/or trucking produce in from other regions.
A Wide Range of Great-Tasting Produce
NuLeaf’s indoor farming system can grow a wide variety of crops, including:
- Lettuce (Buttercrunch, Black Simpson, Red Loose Leaf, etc.)
- Kales (Darkibor, Red Russian, Black Magic, Blue Scotch, etc.)
- Mustard Greens
- Collard Greens
The system can also grow an assortment of culinary herbs.
- Specialties such as apple and chocolate mint
- Green Forest
- Greek Oregano
It All Starts With A Premium Seed
All crops grown within a NuLeaf indoor farm begin with carefully selected premium seeds. Germination takes place outside of the controlled growing environments using a dedicated system.
To ensure plant success, our trained operators transplant the seedlings into the growing environments once the plants reach the appropriate size to warrant viable plant health and growth within the environment.
Growing Tomorrows Future...
NuLeaf Farms runs a done-for-you model where our teams operate the controlled grow rooms. It’s a turnkey solution that includes trained onsite operators and remote system monitoring.
Our indoor farming infrastructure integrates with your existing urban food distribution network. This allows grocery stores and wholesale distributors to provide customers with unparalleled freshness without worrying about production or supply chain uncertainties.
Together with our partners, we can profitably grow and package fresh food at scale. Join us in nourishing communities with locally-grown, environmentally-sustainable produce 365 days a year.
Contact NuLeaf Farms today to learn more about our leading indoor farming technology. |
It’s been estimated that five to ten percent of women between 20 to 40 years of age have PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome).1
You may already have heard of it in the context of making the menstrual cycle irregular and generally disrupting our hormones, if left unchecked.
That’s because the hormonal (‘endocrine’) system is a tightly controlled, integrated system that regulates our body’s processes – this also means that one problem can set off a domino effect of changes.
Let’s take a closer look at the effects of PCOS and how nutrition can help control the metabolic issues that come with it.
What Happens During PCOS
Given that the endocrine system is probably one of the most intricate systems of our body, describing PCOS in a nutshell can’t always capture its far-reaching, comprehensive effects.
So, since its precise cause hasn’t quite been indentified yet, it’s simpler to understand this disorder via the two fundamentalchanges it typically causes in women who have it.
First and foremost, testosterone, the male hormone, rises to higher than normal levels, leading to problems like excess hair growth and acne. In fact, this alteration is the main culprit behind most problems associated with PCOS.2
Second, there is inflammation in the ovaries, which causes menstrual disturbances and fertility issues.
Because of the integrated nature of hormones, these two changes (as you will soon see) go on to create other hormonal imbalances in our body. The metabolic consequences eventually lead to obesity, reproductive problems, skin and hair problems, cholesterol issues and an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease.3
The good news is that small changes can help control PCOS to a great extent.
Nutritional Tips for Women with PCOS
1] Eat Fewer Carbohydrates
One of the effects of PCOS is that the cells in our body become resistant to a hormone called ‘insulin’ that (in addition to performing many other metabolic processes) allows us to use glucose as energy.
This resistance goes on to create high blood sugar and associated complications with the eyes, kidneys, nerves etc, and is also what eventually causes diabetes.4
The body’s attempt to adjust to insulin resistance makes fat loss difficult, although exactly how this happens has not been discovered as yet. Nevertheless, this would explain the high incidence of obesity in PCOS cases.4
Lower-carb diets (with the right type of carbs like whole grains, fruits and vegetables) are recommended for PCOS because they may help reduce insulin levels, encourage fat loss, and have also been shown to promote menstrual regularity.
2] Get More Fibre in Your Diet
Fibre can slow down the absorption of sugars from our food, and in doing so, regulates insulin levels.5 Fibrous foods also increase satiety, i.e., make us feel full faster, which can also help with weight loss – something that PCOS otherwise tends to make difficult (you’ll read about it in the next point).
Also, keep in mind that refined grains (as opposed to whole grains) contain little to no fibre – it’s best to keep these foods at bay.
3] Consume Enough Healthy Fats
Most of us have been witness to the weight-goal-damaging-effects of hunger pangs. Leptin, a satiety hormone, controls these hunger pangs, making us feel full and preventing us from overeating.
Those who have PCOS, however, have excessively high levels of leptin. You’d think that’s a good thing, but in reality, when there’s too much of it, our cells become resistant to it effects – which can lead to overeating and, hence, weight gain.
Moreover, this hormone is produced by our fat cells. In obesity, where there are a higher number of fat cells, even more leptin is produced, leading to a seemingly endless cycle of leptin resistence.6
Luckily, saturated fats (butter, ghee, coconut oil) seem to be able to decrease our leptin levels, which would make cells receptive to the hormone again.7
That said, it’s important not to overdo these fats. Try aiming for 20 to 35% of daily calories to come from good fats, of which 10% can comprise saturated forms.
Other healthy fats called omega-3 fatty acids (found in sources like fatty fish and avocados) can help lower inflammation in the ovaries, something you’ll remember from earlier is a significant reason behind PCOS-related problems in the first place, and can even help with menstrual pain.8
4] Eat More Vegetarian Sources of Protein
While animal protein offers many advantages, too much of it may not be the best idea for those with PCOS because experts suspect that excess consumption of commercially produced meat could increase testosterone levels (although these observations have been made in association with infertility rather than PCOS itself).9, 10
Including some beans, nuts and seeds along with meat would offer not only additional (plant-based) protein, but some fibre too.
5] Get Enough Micronutrients
Many issues in the body occur because we unknowingly deprive ourselves of certain vitamins and minerals. Two examples:
– Vitamin D
Studies have suggested that low levels of vitamin D are linked to a larger fat mass, which is associated with resistance to leptin and insulin.11
Whether having low levels of vitamin D causes the higher fat mass or is a result of it, either way, it’s important to make sure we have enough of it. Although sunlight is the best source, small amounts of vitamin D (especially D3) are also found in cheese, egg yolks, fatty fish and beef liver, apart from mushrooms.
– B vitamins
Low levels of vitamin B12 have been associated with insulin resistance and other complications in PCOS patients. Scientists are not sure why but supplementation with some B vitamins seems to help abate the symptoms of PCOS.12
6] Load up on Antioxidants:
Free-radicals play a key role in metabolic processes, but they also have the ability to damage cells and proteins, when their numbers are in excess – which just so happens to be associated with PCOS.
Antioxidants, such as those found in green tea and other plant-based foods, can neutralise free radicals, preventing the damage they cause. Some compounds in green tea have even been shown to help the body use sugar for energy (which would reduce blood sugar levels). Also rich in antioxidants, cinnamon extract is actually believed to reverse insulin resistance to some extent.12
Again – we may not understand exactly how PCOS develops, but we do know that a healthy lifestyle, defined by eating well and exercising enough, can go a long way in reducing the metabolic and reproductive disturbances in PCOS.
1. Allahbadia GN, Merchant R. Semin Reprod Med 2008, 26(1): 22-34.
2. Diamanti-Kandarakis E, et al. Pediatr Endocrinol Rev 2006, 3 Suppl 1: 198-204.
3. Rojas J, et al. International journal of reproductive medicine 2014, 2014: 719050.
4. Chang RJ, et al. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1983, 57(2): 356-359.
5. Venn BJ, Mann JI. Eur J Clin Nutr 2004, 58(11): 1443-1461.
6. Chakrabarti J. Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research 2013, 3(2): 191-196.
7. Pourghassem Gargari B, et al. International Journal of Fertility & Sterility 2015, 9(3): 313-321.
8. Tokuyama S, Nakamoto K. Biol Pharm Bull 2011, 34(8): 1174-1178.
9. Chavarro JE, et al. Am J Obstet Gynecol 2008, 198(2): 210.e211-217.
10. Chavarro JE, et al. Obstet Gynecol 2007, 110(5): 1050-1058.
11. Chehade JM, et al. Diabetes Spectrum 2009, 22(4): 214-218.
12. Raja-Khan N, et al. American Journal of Physiology – Endocrinology and Metabolism 2011, 301(1): E1-E10. |
high-pressure phenomenaArticle Free Pass
High-pressure X-ray crystallographic studies of atomic structure reveal three principal compression mechanisms in solids: bond compression, bond-angle bending, and intermolecular compression; they are illustrated in Figure 1. Bond compression—i.e., the shortening of interatomic distances—occurs to some extent in all compounds at high pressure. The magnitude of this effect has been shown both theoretically and empirically to be related to bond strength. Strong covalent carbon-carbon bonds in diamond experience the lowest percentage of compression: roughly 0.07 percent per GPa. Similarly, ionic bonds between highly charged cations and anions, such as bonds between Si4+ and O2− in silicates, are relatively incompressible (less than 0.2 percent per GPa). Relatively weak bonds in alkali halides, on the other hand, display bond compressibilities that often exceed 5.0 percent per GPa.
Many common materials display different bonding characteristics in different directions; this occurs notably in layered compounds (e.g., graphite and layered silicates such as micas) and in chain compounds (e.g., many polymeric compounds and chain silicates, including some varieties of asbestos). The strong dependence of bond compression on bond strength thus commonly leads to anisotropies—that is, significant differences in compression in different crystal directions. In many layered-structure silicates, such as mica, in which relatively strong and rigid layers containing magnesium-oxygen, aluminum-oxygen, and silicon-oxygen bonds alternate with weaker layers containing alkali cations, compressibility is five times greater perpendicular to the layers than within the layers. This differential compressibility and the associated stresses that develop in a high-pressure geologic environment contribute to the development of dramatic layered textures in mica-rich rocks such as schist.
Many common ionic compounds, including the rock-forming minerals quartz, feldspar, garnet, zeolite, and perovskite (the high-pressure MgSiO3 form of which is thought to be the Earth’s most abundant mineral), are composed of corner-linked clusters—or frameworks—of atomic polyhedrons. A polyhedron consists of a central cation, typically silicon or aluminum in common minerals, surrounded by a regular tetrahedron or octahedron of four or six oxygen atoms, respectively. In framework structures every oxygen atom is bonded to two tetrahedral or octahedral cations, resulting in a three-dimensional polyhedral network. In these materials significant compression can occur by bending the metal-oxygen-metal bond angles between the polyhedrons. The volume change resulting from this bending, and the associated collapse of interpolyhedral spaces, is typically an order of magnitude greater than compression due to bond-length changes alone. Framework structures, consequently, are often much more compressible than structures with only edge- or face-sharing polyhedrons, whose compression is attributable predominantly to bond shortening.
Molecular solids—including ice, solidified gases such as solid oxygen (O2), hydrogen (H2), and methane (CH4), and virtually all organic compounds—consist of an array of discrete, rigid molecules that are linked to one another by weak hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. Compression in these materials generally occurs by large decreases in intermolecular distances (often approaching 10 percent per GPa), in contrast to minimal intramolecular compression. Differences in the intermolecular versus intramolecular compression mechanisms lead in some cases to significantly anisotropic compression. Graphite, the low-pressure layered form of elemental carbon in which the “molecules” are continuous two-dimensional sheets, exhibits perhaps the most extreme example of this phenomenon. Carbon-carbon bonds within graphite layers compress only 0.07 percent per GPa (similar to C-C bond compression in diamond), while interlayer compression, dominated by van der Waals forces acting between carbon sheets, is approximately 45 times greater.
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Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2003 February 14
Explanation: Yes, it's Valentine's Day (!) and looking toward star cluster NGC 346 in our neighboring galaxy the Small Magellanic Cloud, astronomers have noted this heart-shaped cloud of hot, x-ray emitting gas in the cluster's central region. The false-color Chandra Observatory x-ray image also shows a strong x-ray source just above the heart-shaped cloud which corresponds to HD 5980, a remarkable, massive binary star system that lies within the cluster. HD 5980 has been known to undergo dramatic brightness variations, in 1994 briefly outshining all other stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud, and has been likened to the luminous, eruptive variable star Eta Carinae in our own Milky Way galaxy. At about 100 light-years across, NGC 346's heart-shaped cloud is probably the result of an ancient supernova explosion. Alternatively it may have been produced during past eruptions from the HD 5980 system, analogous to the nebula associated with Eta Carinae.
Authors & editors:
Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& NASA SEU Edu. Forum
& Michigan Tech. U. |
In mainland Southeast Asia, Permian–Triassic successive subduction of the Paleo-Tethyan oceanic lithosphere formed an island-arc system called the Sukhothai Zone, along the margin of the Indochina Block. This zone has been considered to extend from Northern Thailand to southwestern Yunnan of China, but so far lacked concrete evidence from northern Laos in between. This makes basic geotectonic subdivision of mainland Southeast Asia ambiguous. In this study Triassic foraminifers from limestone distributed in the Long area of Luang Namtha Province (northwestern Laos) solve this problem. The relevant limestone has a kilometer-sized extent and was previously assigned to the Carboniferous–Early Permian based only on lithological grounds in regional geological mapping. Its Triassic age is demonstrated for the first time based on foraminifers. We discriminated from this limestone Aulotortus sinuosus, A. tumidus, Ophthalmidium danneri, Endotriada tyrrhenica, Endoteba obturata, Endotebanella kocaeliensis, Diplotremina astrofimbriata, Duostomina biconvexa, and Palaeolituonella majzoni, and concluded that the fauna is referable to the Carnian (early Late Triassic). Cement-rich reefal sediments consisting of Carniphytes multisiphonatus-microbial boundstone and sparse-allochem bioclastic grainstone containing abundant fragments of Plexoramea gracilis are common in this limestone. They suggest open-marine sedimentation on a shallow carbonate platform, possibly comparable to a cement-dominated upper-slope “Tubiphytes” reef environment found elsewhere in the Triassic. In neighboring mainland Thailand, Carnian limestone with similar lithological and paleontological properties is found only in the Doi Long Formation distributed in the Sukhothai Zone. This evidence provides a firm basis for the tectonostratigraphic correlation of the Sukhothai Zone, in northern Laos. Consequently, our study is critical in giving a clue to clarify the distribution and extension in northern Laos of a Permian–Triassic island-arc domain, the Sukhothai Zone, which is one of the major tectonostratigraphic units comprising mainland Southeast Asia. In this paper, we also described two encrusting foraminifers having multi-chambered (septate) shells, which have been seldom documented in Triassic foraminiferal literature.
- Late Triassic foraminifera
- Northern Laos
- Sukhothai Zone
- “Tubiphytes”-microbial reefal limestone
ASJC Scopus subject areas |
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