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NASA's Hubble discovers clouds on alien planet The scrutinised planet, known as GJ1214b, is classified as a super-Earth type planet because its mass is intermediate between those of Earth and Neptune. Recent searches for planets around other stars have shown that super-Earths like GJ 1214b are among the most common type of planets in the Milky Way galaxy. Because no such planets exist in our Solar System, the physical nature of super-Earths is largely unknown. Previous studies of GJ 1214b yielded two possible interpretations of the planet's atmosphere: Its atmosphere could consist entirely of water vapour or some other type of heavy molecule, or it could contain high-altitude clouds that prevent the observation of what lies underneath. But now a team of astronomers led by University of Chicago's Laura Kreidberg and Jacob Bean have detected clear evidence of clouds in the atmosphere of GJ 1214b from data collected with the Hubble Space Telescope. The Hubble observations used 96 hours of telescope time spread over 11 months. This was the largest Hubble programme ever devoted to studying a single exoplanet. The researchers describe their work as an important milestone on the road to identifying potentially habitable, Earth-like planets beyond our Solar System. "We really pushed the limits of what is possible with Hubble to make this measurement," said Kreidberg, first author of the new study paper. "This advance lays the foundation for characterising other Earths with similar techniques," said Kreidberg. GJ 1214b is located just 40 light-years from Earth, in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus. Because of its proximity to our solar system and the small size of its host star, GJ 1214b is the most easily observed super-Earth. It transits, or passes in front of its parent star, every 38 hours, giving scientists an opportunity to study its atmosphere as starlight filters through it. Kreidberg, Bean and their colleagues used Hubble to precisely measure the spectrum of GJ 1214b in near-infrared light, finding what they consider definitive evidence of high clouds blanketing the planet. These clouds hide any information about the composition and behaviour of the lower atmosphere and surface. The planet was discovered in 2009 by the MEarth Project, which monitors two thousand red dwarf stars for transiting planets. The study was published in the journal Nature.
A federal government Website managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 200 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20201 Infections are the most common cause of human disease. They range from the common cold to debilitating conditions like chronic hepatitis to life-threatening diseases such as AIDS. Disease-causing microbes (pathogens) attempting to get into the body must first move past the body’s external armor, usually the skin or cells lining the body’s internal passageways. The skin provides an imposing barrier to invading microbes. It is generally penetrable only through cuts or tiny abrasions. The digestive and respiratory tracts—both portals of entry for a number of microbes—also have their own levels of protection. Microbes entering the nose often cause the nasal surfaces to secrete more protective mucus, and attempts to enter the nose or lungs can trigger a sneeze or cough reflex to force microbial invaders out of the respiratory passageways. The stomach contains a strong acid that destroys many pathogens that are swallowed with food. If microbes survive the body’s front-line defenses, they still have to find a way through the walls of the digestive, respiratory, or urogenital passageways to the underlying cells. These passageways are lined with tightly packed epithelial cells covered in a layer of mucus, effectively blocking the transport of many pathogens into deeper cell layers. Mucosal surfaces also secrete a special class of antibody called IgA, which in many cases is the first type of antibody to encounter an invading microbe. Underneath the epithelial layer a variety of immune cells, including macrophages, B cells, and T cells, lie in wait for any microbe that might bypass the barriers at the surface. Next, invaders must escape a series of general defenses of the innate immune system, which are ready to attack without regard for specific antigen markers. These include patrolling phagocytes, natural killer T cells, and complement. Microbes cross the general barriers then confront specific weapons of the adaptive immune system tailored just for them. These specific weapons, which include both antibodies and T cells, are equipped with singular receptor structures that allow them to recognize and interact with their designated targets. The most common disease-causing microbes are bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Each uses a different tactic to infect a person, and, therefore, each is thwarted by different components of the immune system. Most bacteria live in the spaces between cells and are readily attacked by antibodies. When antibodies attach to a bacterium, they send signals to complement proteins and phagocytic cells to destroy the bound microbes. Some bacteria are eaten directly by phagocytes, which signal to certain T cells to join the attack. All viruses, plus a few types of bacteria and parasites, must enter cells of the body to survive, requiring a different kind of immune defense. Infected cells use their major histocompatibility complex molecules to put pieces of the invading microbes on their surfaces, flagging down cytotoxic T lymphocytes to destroy the infected cells. Antibodies also can assist in the immune response by attaching to and clearing viruses before they have a chance to enter cells. Parasites live either inside or outside cells. Intracellular parasites such as the organism that causes malaria can trigger T cell responses. Extracellular parasites are often much larger than bacteria or viruses and require a much broader immune attack. Parasitic infections often trigger an inflammatory response in which eosinophils, basophils, and other specialized granule-containing cells rush to the scene and release their stores of toxic chemicals in an attempt to destroy the invaders. Antibodies also play a role in this attack, attracting the granule-filled cells to the site of infection. Last syndicated: May 17, 2013 This content is brought to you by: National Institute of Allergy Infectious Diseases
A porphyroblast is a texture in many metamorphic rocks that have certain minerals that are larger than the rest of the rock matrix in grain size. The large grains are known as porphyroblasts and the rock has a porphyroblastic texture. Many porphyroblasts form in pelitic rocks. Some of these minerals are garnet, staurolite, cordierite, kyanite, sillimanite, and andalusite. In general the higher the metamorphic grade the larger the porphyroblasts can become. Different minerals form at different temperatures and pressures so rocks such as quartzite and marble that only contain one mineral do not form prophyroblasts. Garnet porphyroblasts in a pelitic rock.
The Pediatric Dentist is a specialist who after completing his/her studies in dentistry attends a postgraduate course of a duration of 24-36 months. Pediatric dentist are specially trained in techniques and methods that ensure excellent care of children with medical, physical, or mental disabilities. Diet and Tooth Decay Tooth Decay is a disease that begins when a sticky film of bacteria, called plaque, constantly forms on teeth. After a meal, the bacteria use the sugar from food and they produce acid that attacks and weakens tooth enamel. Frequent snacking can increase the risk of tooth decay because it increases the number of acid attacks on tooth enamel. If the child needs a snack, choose nutritious foods like fruits, cheese, sandwiches, and yogurt. Make smart choices for your children's snacks. Keeping children's smile clean Begin brushing your childs teeth at the age of one, at least twice a day. The teeth of children under the age of two should be brushed with a soft bristled toothbrush and water. Children aged from two to six years old should use a minimum amount of fluoridated toothpaste (pea-sized) and parents continue responsibility for cleaning childs teeth. Children aged six to twelve should brush with type of toothbrush and technique recommended by dentist. Parents must brush their children teeth until the age of 8. As soon as the child has teeth that touch, parents can begin gently to floss, this will keep the teeth clean in between. Moreover parents should change toothbrush every 3-4 months. Fluoride is a trace element that strengthens teeth and protects them from decay. Two of the most common sources of fluoride are fluoridated toothpaste, fluoridated water. Children who drink bottled water, or unfluoridated tap water should take fluoride supplements prescribed by the dentist. Finally topical application of fluoride on the teeth in the dental office twice a year can contribute to decrease of dental decay by 50%. What are Sealants? A sealant is a clear or shaded plastic material applied to the teeth to help keep them cavity-free. They are retained on the teeth for many years and they are used to prevent bacteria building up on the surfaces of teeth with grooves and pits. If a primary tooth is lost too soon, the teeth beside it may drift into the empty spaces thus creating a lack of space in the jaw for the permanent teeth. For this reason, your dentist may recommend a space maintainer to prevent future space loss and dental problems. All children eventually lose their primary teeth as the permanent teeth erupt. Primary teeth encourage normal development of the jaws and also save space for permanent teeth and guide them into position Children with Special Needs Children with special abilities of all ages also can be treated in our Pediatric Dentistry Department. We have special means and apply special methods for their treatment The Baby bottle syndrome The b.b.s. appear from the age of 12 months and can lead to a massive destruction of the upper front teeth and back teeth in a very short time. The baby's teeth are at risk, if nursed continuously from a bottle, containing milk, formula or juice particularly at bedtime. In order to prevent this syndrome, infants should be weaned off a bottle at the age of one. When should my child first see a dentist? The first visit of your child to a dentist should be at the age of one. It includes advice on oral hygiene and the familiarization of your child with the dentist. Also bear in mind that tooth decay may appear at the age of 12 months and totally destroy teeth. How can a child have good experience visiting a dentist when having painful, decayed teeth, which may have to be extracted?
How can we help? You can also find more resources in our Select a category Something is confusing Something is broken I have a suggestion What is your email? What is 1 + 3? VA SOL USII.6c Art & Culture of the Early 20th Century Who's who of the Harlem Renaissance and Early 20th Century Music Painter who detailed the experiences of the Great Migration through his painting series called "Migration" Poet who wrote of the cultural roots of African Americans. His poems promoted equality, condemned racinsm and injustice and celebrated the African American spirit. Best known for "The Weary Blues". Jazz composer and performer. "Mood Indigo" is one of most famous jazz compositions. Jazz composer and performer. Known for singing "scat" and playing the trumpet. He is known for making jazz known across the United States. Blues singer known as the "Empress of the Blues". During the 1920s, she was the highest paid African American entertainer in the country. Painter famous for her urban scenes and for her paintings of the Southwest. She is considered to be one of the greatest female artists of the 20th century. Writer who wrote stories and novels of the "Jazz Age" of the 1920s. His most famous novel is "The Great Gatsby". F. Scott Fitzgerald Writer who wrote stories and novels about the working class and migrant workers during the Great Depression. His most famous novel is "The Grapes of Wrath". Composer who developed an American style of classical music that included Jazz and folk music. Known for his symphonic work, "Fanfare for the Common Man". Composer who was known for writing musical works and developing an American style of music that included jazz.. Best known for "Rhapsody in Blue".
Most of us don't pay much attention to earthworms but maybe we should. New research suggests that non-native earthworms are radically changing the forest floor in the northern U.S., threatening the goblin fern and other rare plants in the process. This is "the first research to show that exotic earthworms are harmful to rare native vegetation in northern forests," says Michael Gundale of Michigan Technological University in Houghton, who presents this work in the December issue of Conservation Biology. About 10,000 years ago, glaciers pushed the range of North American earthworms southward and today the only earthworms found in most of Minnesota are non-native species introduced from Europe. Some of these earthworms eat the top part of the soil (a layer of decomposing litter called the forest floor) and this could endanger the goblin fern, a rare species that grows mostly underground. Found only in the upper Great Lakes region, goblin ferns live between the forest floor and the underlying mineral soil. Because these tiny ferns only send up leaves briefly during the summer (and often don't emerge at all), they are thought to get some of their energy from fungi in the forest floor instead of by photosynthesizing. To see if non-native earthworms are wiping out goblin ferns by eating the forest floor, Gundale studied 28 sites where populations of the fern had previously been found in northern Minnesota's Chippewa National Forest. He surveyed each site for both goblin ferns and earthworms, and took soil cores to measure the depth of the forest floor. Gundale found that the fern had disappeared at a third of the sites studied (nine out of 28) and that these local fern extinctions were linked to two factors: the presence of a non-native earthworm and a thinner forest floor. The forest floor at "earthworm" sites was only half as thick as that at worm-free sites (about 1.5 vs. 3 inches, respectively). To confirm that this non-native earthworm can make the forest floor thinner, Gundale added large quantities of the worm to soil cores in the laboratory. He found that after 60 days, the forest floor was only half as thick as it had been. Gundale speculates that non-native earthworms may reach northern forests as eggs, which are resilient and so could be spread via tires. In support of this, he observed that earthworm invasions were more severe closer to roads. Based partly on Gundale's work, the U.S. Forest Service is trying to protect the goblin fern by restricting logging and road-building where it grows. Cite This Page:
Sulfur is the 14th most abundant element in the earth’s crust. Sulfate is produced in the environment from the oxidation of elemental sulfur, sulfide minerals, or organic sulfur. Soils are thought to average 850 mg of sulfate/kg and sea water 885 mg of sulfate/L (Field, 1972). Industrial sulfate results from the burning of sulfur-containing fossil fuels, household wastes (e.g., detergents), and effluents from tanneries, steel mills, sulfate-pulp mills, and textile plants. Sulfuric acid accounts for an estimated 80 percent of commercial sulfur production (NRC, 1980). Additionally, thousands of tons of sulfate compounds are produced each year; annual production of sodium sulfate was estimated at 792 tons in 1987 (EPA, 1990). Most public water supplies contain sulfate concentrations of less than 500 mg/L (EPA, 2001). Sulfate levels in water around 250 mg/L and above are detectable due to an off odor and taste, and this generally causes those exposed to water with higher concentrations of sulfate to switch to bottled water sources for drinking. Still, adaptation to water with a high sulfate content is known to occur. Extremely high sulfate concentrations in water have been recorded; for example, 1,500 mg/L in a coal mine in Pennsylvania and 63,000 mg/L in a zinc mine in Idaho (Moore, 1991). Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions represent a growing concern for industrialized countries. Sulfur dioxide in the air can react with atmospheric water to produce sulfuric acid, resulting in acid rain (Drever, 1988). This can lead to increased soil acidity and elevated levels of sulfate in ground water (Drever, 1988). Moore (1991) estimated that global SO2 emissions have more than doubled over the last 50 years. Sulfate improves growth in farm animals consuming diets deficient in sulfur amino acids and very low in sulfate. Thus sulfate salts are sometimes used as growth-promoting feed additives for chickens, turkeys, and pigs. Sulfate is produced in the body from the transsulfuration of methionine to cysteine, followed by the oxidation of cysteine to pyruvate and inorganic sulfate. These processes occur as a result of protein turnover, as well as from degradation of excess protein-derived methionine or cysteine. Inorganic sulfate also results from the metabolism of several organic and inorganic sulfur compounds present
begin the lesson, ask students to identify objects which are approximately one centimeter in size. Students may respond by saying: - the width of a small fingernail - the width of a black key on a piano Next, ask students to identify objects which are approximately one meter in length or height. Students may respond by saying: - height of a doorknob (the distance from the doorknob to the floor - the distance from a person's waist to the floor (for a typical adult) If students have never measured using a meter stick, you may wish to give them time to practice measuring items in the classroom. At the start of the measuring activity, each student should be placed into pairs. Each person in the pair should measure the other's height (in centemeters) using a meter stick. Since students will need to use their height data to complete the activity, tell students to write down their heights on index cards. Prior to measuring, you may wish to ask students if they already know their heights. Some students may know their heights, but they may respond in feet and inches. Cuation students to measure their heights Distribute the Heights of Students in Our Class activity sheet to each student. Have the students record the heights of ten other students and themselves on the activity sheet. Have the students order the heights from smallest to largest by plotting them on the number line at the bottom of the second page of the activity sheet. Have them plot each height with an x. Ask the students to determine the middle height of the eleven heights plotted. Ask why the middle heights is the sixth height. Explain that the middle height is called the median. If students are not familiar with the mathematical term median , lead a discussion which explains its meaning. Ask the students to determine where the third and ninth heights fall. Indicate that these points represent the first and third quartiles, respectively. Ask the students to explain why this result is so. Have the students draw a box above the area delineated by the third to ninth heights. Then have them draw a vertical line segment inside the box denoting the sixth height. Ask the students to draw a line segment from each edge of the box to the smallest and largest heights. These lines represent the "whiskers" of a box‑and‑whisker plot. Ask the student why they think these line segments are called whiskers. Have the students complete items 7 through 9 on the activity sheet. These questions help the students understand how to interpret the box‑and‑whisker plot. Discuss the responses to these items with the Students may also complete the box plot using the NCTM Box Plotter tool. Directions for using the tool can be found on the website. Students can plot the data recorded on their activity sheet and compare their hand-drawn box-and-whisker plots to the
Can Dirty Playgrounds Build Healthy Communities? VISION: Encourage community-built public playgrounds that foster microorganism-rich dirt to remediate industrial toxins and provide space for gardening. Team: Manuel Steitz, Coltrane McDowell, Serina Tarkhanian School: Design Academy Eindhoven (2021) The soil beneath urban areas can contain toxic residues left behind by factories that have long since shut down. Contaminants in soil such as lead and arsenic make it unsafe for children in some cities to play in the dirt. Needless to say, gardening is not advised. These city-dwellers lose not only opportunities to tend green spaces and grow vegetables but also lack exposure to the many microbes in soil that can support human health. Students from Design Academy Eindhoven imagined creating a multi-generational holobiont—or ecological community containing humans, animals, and insects, and also microbes, fungi, and viruses. The holobiont they envision is a public playground that evolves over time through ecological succession, incorporating green space, places for children to play and explore in dirt, and gardens for the community to grow food. Such a playground could contribute to the whole community’s social, economic, and physical well-being. This vision extends beyond a fancy community garden; it aims to start by remediating the soil of the playground. The first step in this public works project is to test for contaminants at the site. Communities use plant species that indicate the presence of heavy metals or other toxins rather than employing costly equipment to perform soil analysis. They decontaminate the soil using phytomining, in which capable plant species, such as water-lily, remove the toxins. They could also transplant soil from neighboring forests, which is rich in microbial diversity. The playground architecture could then be made with rehabilitated soil by using rammed earth natural construction techniques. Eventually, trees are planted around the playground to complete the transformation to a mature, symbiotic environment. “Dirty Playground shows how our timeframes for built projects need to adapt to allow for more-than-human kin to thrive in our urban spaces. By designing a public recreational space, we see the potential of urban space becoming inclusive of all forms of life, strengthening and sharing our soil heritages, and a new approach to rewild cities,” Manuel Steitz, Coltrane McDowell, and Serina Tarkhanian explained.
Computer system boosts the resolution of ordinary microscopes Thanks to research being conducted at the California Institute of Technology, regular microscopes could soon be capable of much higher-resolution imaging. Instead of making changes to the microscopes’ optics, the Caltech researchers are instead focusing on using a computer program to process and combine images from the devices. The main hardware change to an existing microscope involves installing an array of about 150 LEDs beneath the stage, in place of the regular light. Using each bulb in that array one at a time, 150 images are then acquired of the sample that’s being viewed. In each image, the light is originating from a slightly different (and known) direction. The computer program then stitches all of those images together into one cohesive image of the sample. That composite image represents not only the light’s intensity, but also the light phase information (related to the angle at which the light travels) for each of the sub-images. Using that light field data, the program allows users to zoom in on any part of the overall image, while still being able to make out details. It’s also able to digitally correct for flaws, such as areas which are initially out of focus. Ultimately, images produced by the system contain 100 times more information than those produced by an unaided microscope. Additionally, it creates images with both the wide field of view of a lower-powered lens, and the resolution of a stronger one. Ordinarily, microscope users have to choose between getting wide shots of samples in which details can’t be made out, or detailed shots of just a small part of the sample – sort of like using either a wide-angle or close-up lens on a camera. It should cost approximately US$200 to add the technology to one existing microscope. The scientists hope that it could be used in applications such as digital pathology, wafer inspection and forensic photography, or by medical clinics in developing nations. A paper on the research was recently published in the journal Nature Photonics. Please keep comments to less than 150 words. No abusive material or spam will be published.
As part of our mission to protect and assist the victims of war and other violence, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) seeks to ensure respect for their rights. This includes reminding authorities and others of their legal obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law. Towards a more humane future The original Geneva Convention was signed by representatives from 16 countries in 1864. Since then, the ICRC has played a central role in promoting and developing international humanitarian law, which protects people during conflict and enshrines their right to humanitarian aid. We continue to play an active role in developing new rules to reduce human suffering, while striving to ensure that the existing rules are upheld. Warfare and weaponry have changed. But the international community is more aware of the suffering caused by war, in part because of work by the ICRC and other members of the movement. Putting the law into action In 2011, for example, the Movement and the States party to the Geneva Conventions adopted a four-year action plan drawn up by the ICRC. The plan aimed to improve access by civilians to humanitarian aid and enhance protection for certain categories of people, such as children, women, people with disabilities and journalists. Humanitarian law treaties The four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and the three Additional Protocols of 1977 and 2005 are complemented by other important treaties. These include treaties that prohibit the use of weapons that cause unacceptable harm, such as: exploding bullets (1868), expanding bullets (1899), chemical and biological weapons (1925, 1972 and 1993), munitions using undetectable fragments (1980), blinding laser weapons (1995), anti-personnel mines (1997) and cluster munitions (2008). There are also treaties that limit the use of certain weapons, for example incendiary weapons (1980), without prohibiting these weapons outright. The founding of the ICRC is directly linked to the original Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of Wounded in Aries in the Field. The Convention laid the foundation for a body of law that protects people in wartime. Left: First page of the Geneva Convention of 22th of August 1864. (The original document is kept by the Federal Archives in Bern.) New weapons, new means to wage war Despite the changing nature of warfare and weaponry, humanitarian law must be complied with at all times. Yet applying existing rules to a new technology is not always straightforward. Are the rules sufficiently clear about this technology? What will be its impact? The ICRC regularly contributes to discussions about these weapons and the challenges they post to humanitarian law. More about law and war can be found ןn our IHL online database
A Mine Should Not Be a Death Threat Industrial-scale mine waste storage dams are collapsing more frequently and more severely, literally killing communities and ecosystems. If an existing mine cannot guarantee the safety of affected communities, as a condition of continued operation the mining company must be required—as a first and overriding priority—to improve its waste storage safety until it can. To ensure safety is guaranteed, independent and universally implemented tailing storage standards need to be created that respect community consent and hold mining companies accountable. Mines are producing greater amounts of waste As the world’s high grade ore deposits are tapped out, mines grow larger to extract lower grades of ore. Metal mining has become increasingly wasteful as technology allows the profitable extraction of much lower grades of ore. But these larger amounts of waste, called tailings, are frequently being stored in facilities that were designed for far smaller quantities of waste or behind dams where minimizing cost is prioritized before safety. Tailings failures are increasing in frequency & severity In August 2014, a tailings dam breach at the Mount Polley Mine in British Columbia released 24.4 million cubic meters of toxic waste into nearby creeks and a lake. The failure was so violent that it ripped mature trees from the forests and sent them miles downriver into Quesnel Lake. The following year, in Brazil the Samarco Mine’s tailings dam failed catastrophically, killing 19 people downstream and sending mine waste over 600 km down the Rio Doce river to the Atlantic Ocean. When submitting permitting documents, the mining company that owned the Samarco mine, a joint venture between Brazilian mining giant Vale and BHP Billiton, vastly underestimated the amount of damage that would be caused by a rupture in the dam, predicting that waste would only flow 3.5 km. In January of 2019, after Vale vowed “never again” in response to the Samarco catastrophe, a second Vale dam collapsed, killing at least 270 people (another 11 are still missing and feared dead) and sending 9.7 million cubic meters of waste into the Paraopeba River ecosystem. An independent report commissioned in 2020 found that Vale was aware of the instability of its 86 meter tall dam as far back as 2003, but did not take appropriate measures to prevent the accident or to warn downstream communities. Failures are not aberrations Unfortunately, these recent failures are not aberrations. Research into all serious tailings failures since 1915 shows: - The rate of serious tailings dam failures is increasing. Half (33 of 67) of serious tailings dam failures in the last 70 years occurred in the 20 years between 1990 and 2009. - The increasing rate of tailings dam failures is propelled by, not in spite of, modern mining practices.The increasing failure rate is directly related to the increasing number of dams with a storage capacity over 5 million cubic meters, which are needed to allow for the economically viable extraction of lower grades of ore. - 19 catastrophic failures are predicted globally between 2018 and 2027. Because tailings storage facilities are not removed at the mine’s closure, the danger they pose continues in perpetuity, in many cases, even after the company that built the mines ceases to exist. Preventing Mine Tailings Disasters A Global Threat From Canada to Brazil, Mexico to Papua New Guinea communities across the globe are living in the shadows of dangerous tailings dams. Because there is no complete global database of all active and abandoned tailing facilities, it is hard to know the exact number. Estimates range from 3,500-18,000, or possibly even higher, meaning thousands of communities are downstream from potentially unsafe structures. Given the hazardous nature of tailings, mine operators and regulators, must commit to making safety the primary consideration at mines and specifically in tailings dam design, construction, operation, and closure. Without this commitment, cost will continue to drive decision making, putting people and the environment at risk. If a mine cannot guarantee the safety of the surrounding community it should not be built. Governments and regulators need to force the industry to move away from using technologies that pose a significant threat of failure, that allow too much room for human error and that are already known to have detrimental impacts on communities and ecosystems. These regulations should include: - Banning upstream dam construction, - Requiring the use of “filtered tailings” (tailings that have been desaturated and do not present the risk of flowing downstream), - Halting the construction of dams above (upstream of) local communities, - Banning dumping tailings directly into lakes, rivers and oceans. Additionally, communities must have the power to decide whether or not they accept the long lasting and potentially disastrous consequences associated with tailings storage. As a 2017 report spearheaded by the UNEP pointed out, “many of the essential decisions that govern tailings storage facilities’ performance may be made by remote decision makers who have little or no exposure to any long-term risks.” Governments and mining companies should allow for a transparent consent process that gives affected communities the ability to veto a project if they decide it is too dangerous. For Indigenous Peoples, international law recognizes that Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) must be in place in order for a mine to be developed, operated and closed. If a community deems a mine can not safely and responsibly dispose of waste, the mine should not move forward. A better way In 2020, an international group of 142 scientists, community groups and NGOs from 24 countries published a set of 16 guidelines for the safer storage of mine waste. The guidelines aim to protect communities, workers and the environment from the risks posed by thousands of mine waste storage facilities, which are failing more frequently and with more severe outcomes.
Numbers 100 To 150 Worksheet – There’s plenty of evidence to show how number worksheets are a great way for children to develop their math skills. This article will concentrate on what is important about number worksheets for children. We will discuss the benefits as well as the different kinds of number worksheets. Also, we will look at two case studies that illustrate how number worksheets helped students improve their math proficiency in just a short period. Purpose of Using a Numbers Worksheet and How It Helps Educators A worksheet for numbers is used to assist students with the basic math concepts they have learned in class. Students may use it to do individual practice or group activities. Students are also able to use it to check their understanding of a topic. A worksheet for numbers helps teachers give a quick and simple way to assess students’ understanding of particular math skills. Additionally, educators can use these worksheets to ensure that the students are in line with their goals for learning and make adjustments as necessary. 5 Effective Ways You Can Use a Numbers Worksheet to Teach Children Math A numbers worksheet is a piece of paper that has columns and rows that are used in teaching maths to children. They are usually used in the elementary schools. This post will offer five ways you can use the worksheet on numbers to teach kids math. The first option is inviting the child to copy numbers from the top row to the column. The other option is drawing each number that is the same color of the column to the left side. The third method is singing loudly while they complete each row on their own or with the assistance of an adult. The fourth option is to use the number line and filling in each number that matches the position on this line. The process begins at zero and working their way up until they get to nine. Final Thoughts on the Numbers Worksheet We hope that this post will help you understand the worksheet for numbers and the best way to utilize it to help your business. Numbers 100 To 150 Worksheet Uploaded by admin on Thursday, May 26th, 2022. We have 3 great pictures of Numbers 100 To 150 Worksheet. Find AlphabetWorksheetsFree.com on category Numbers. Here we have 3 great printables about Numbers 100 To 150 Worksheet. We hope you enjoyed it and if you want to download the pictures in high quality, simply just click the image and you will be redirected to the download page of Numbers 100 To 150 Worksheet.
Studying other planets is difficult not only because they are so far away, but also because they can have properties that make taking readings much harder. Here in our solar system, we only have scant information about the surface of Venus because its thick atmosphere makes it hard to view. Being 50 light-years away, the planet GJ 1214 b has proved similarly tricky, defying 15 years of attempted observations due to its hazy nature. But now, the James Webb Space Telescope has been able to peer into the planet’s atmosphere for the first time, revealing the secrets of this mysterious place. It’s known as a mini-Neptune because it has a thick atmosphere and layers of ice like Neptune. Only around three times the diameter of the Earth, the planet likely has lots of water, but it is located in the atmosphere, not on the surface, due to its high surface temperature. This water vapor may have contributed to the haziness of the atmosphere, which made observations difficult. However, the main culprit compound causing the reflectiveness remains unknown. “The planet is totally blanketed by some sort of haze or cloud layer,” said lead author Eliza Kempton of the University of Maryland in a statement. “The atmosphere just remained totally hidden from us until this observation.” To observe the planet, researchers used Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which can see temperature variations across the planet, showing the differences between the hot dayside that always faces the star and the cooler nightside that always faces out into space. As well as learning about the atmosphere’s composition, scientists were also able to determine that the planet’s average temperature is a scorching 230 degrees Celsius. This shows how new tools are able to crack some of the tough nuts in exoplanet research, according to experts who described the planet as a “white whale of exoplanet atmosphere characterization.” “For the last almost decade, the only thing we really knew about this planet was that the atmosphere was cloudy or hazy,” said Rob Zellem, exoplanet researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “This paper has really cool implications for additional detailed climate interpretations – to look at the detailed physics happening inside this planet’s atmosphere.” The research is published in the journal Nature. - Peer inside the bar of a barred spiral galaxy in new James Webb image - Astronomers discover three exoplanets in final data from Kepler Space Telescope - James Webb investigates mystery of where Earth’s water comes from - James Webb detects water vapor in rocky planet’s atmosphere — maybe - James Webb captures a stunning image of two galaxies merging
E3: Feeling Syllables 1. OverviewFeel how your mouth moves with each syllable of a word. This is your child’s introduction to the concept of syllables and how words can be analyzed and broken into parts. In words with multiple syllables, some of the individual syllables have no meaning, so your child has probably never noticed them before. For example: in the two-syllable word marching, the -ing syllable has no meaning on its own. This activity will teach your child to divide words into the rhythmic speech segments known as syllables. Syllables are the “natural perforations in words,” the places where words easily come apart.We will begin this section by focusing on compound words, where each syllable has a meaning on its own. For example, starfish is made up of the words/syllables star and fish. This will ease the child into the concept of syllables. Hold two fingers underneath your chin as you speak to show your child the best technique for feeling the syllables in words. 2. Materials↑ Top 3. ActivityExplain to your child what a syllable is. It is one part of a word. Pronounce these words slowly and very clearly, giving equal weight to each syllable. Video: How to play Feeling SyllablesYou will model holding two fingers parallel to and touching under your chin while slowly saying the word. Then help the child hold her fingers firmly under her own chin. It is important that the child feel her chin move when uttering each syllable. Adult: You’ve learned about some long words and some short words. You can tell how long most words are by counting how many parts they have. Listen: rain – bow. [Hold two fingers under your chin while saying word.] Watch how my chin moves with each word part: rain – bow. Hold your fingers under your chin, like this. Now say the word with me: rain – bow. Child & Adult: rain – bow. Adult: Good! Each of those word parts is called a syllable. Can you say syllable? Child: Syllable. Adult: Yes. Now we are going to count the syllables, or parts, in different words. Some words are short, and they have only one part. These are words like dog, fish, and book. [Hold two fingers under your chin while saying word.] Other words are a little longer, and they have two parts: dog-house, gold-fish, book-bag. [Hold two fingers under your chin while saying word.] Longer words have three parts: e-le-phant, um-brel-la. [Hold two fingers under your chin while saying word.] And some words even have four parts: te-le-vi-sion, rhi-no-cer-os! [Hold two fingers under your chin while saying word.]Now have the child join you in saying some compound words and feeling how her chin moves with each syllable. Adult: Hold your fingers under your chin. Now say cow-boy. Child: Cow-boy. Adult: This time, say cowboy and count how many times your chin moves. Ready? Child: Cow-boy. Two! Adult: Yes. Cowboy is a word that has two parts, two syllables.Once your child has the hang of feeling the syllables and understanding the difference between one-syllable and two-syllable words, move on to three-syllable words, and then a few four-syllable words. Stick with this activity until the child has firmly mastered this skill. This is a tremendously valuable technique that will be useful throughout preschool and beyond. ↑ Top 4. Confidence BuilderIf the child has difficulty counting her chin drops, have her put her whole fist under the tip of her chin and you count aloud each time her chin drops. Then, have her repeat the word after you and have her try to count the number of times she feels her chin drop. Some children find it easier to use their fist instead of their fingers to feel the syllables in words they say. 5. VariationThis game can be played anywhere, as it doesn’t require any picture cards or props. Help your child practice feeling syllables while you are waiting in line, in the car, etc. ↑ Top 6. Small Groups (2-5 children)Lesson Objective: Children will feel and correctly count the number of syllables in a spoken word by holding together their index and middle fingers of one hand firmly under their chin while orally repeating the word. GELDS (Georgia Early Learning & Development Standards): CLL6.4e Georgia Standards of Excellence: ELAGSEKRF2.b Common Core State Standards: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RF.K.2.B Adaptation: Read the main activity, watch the video, and follow the instructions above, with the following changes: Read words from the word list as the children count the syllables aloud as a group. When they have had several opportunities to practice, ask for volunteers to demonstrate “feeling” the syllables while the other children count aloud the number of syllables they hear. Have the children then check their answer by feeling the syllables as they repeat the volunteer’s spoken word. Reinforcement: “Look around the classroom. Let’s find new words to “feel” and count the syllables.” Use this Reinforcement at Home form to tell parents and guardians how they can reinforce lessons outside the classroom. ↑ Top 7. Frequently Asked QuestionsQ: Why do children need to feel the syllables, instead of just hearing them? A: A young child’s auditory system is actually not yet developed enough to hear separate syllables and sounds in the same way that adults do. So children need to feel the chin movements to understand what syllables are. Q: My child has cerebral palsy and can’t hold her fingers straight. How can she do this activity? A: If your child can’t feel the chin movements with her fingers, she can use another body part — the back of her hand, her wrist, or her forearm — so long as she can hold it firmly under her chin to feel how her jaw moves with each syllable. ↑ Top Leave a Reply
When educators inspire wonder and curiosity in their students, the students learn differently. They build an interest in observing more, in research and in understanding what they see. Students seek to develop their own explanation of how, why or what something is. It is this sense of wonder that CWC cultivates in students who participate in the Watershed Rangers program. Through a sequence of lessons and experiences, students develop an explanation or prediction on their own, cultivating their critical thinking and science skills. Cultivating wonder and curiosity were at the forefront of a week-long Teacher Leadership Institute for local educators at the Seymour Science Center this June put on by the Santa Cruz County Office of Education and the Santa Cruz City School District to develop leadership in science teaching and learning in connection to environmental literacy. During the Institute, CWC Education Coordinator Mollie Behn worked with kindergarten teachers from Delaveaga Elementary School, Bonny Doon Elementary, Mountain Elementary and Pacific Elementary school to build a sequence of lessons that engage students in the exploration of a simple observation, but complex situation: when there is less water in the San Lorenzo River, there are fewer steelhead trout. The product is a collaborative 10-lesson unit between the classroom teachers and the Coastal Watershed Council modeled after the 5 E’s instructional model in which learners build or construct new ideas on top of their old ideas. Students engage in modeling, storytelling, guided simulations and scientific investigations, while exploring the San Lorenzo River to understand that steelhead trout require water to breathe, move and reproduce. Water level and flow rate impacts their movement and can impact their reproduction if low water levels do not permit migration to and from the ocean to natal streams. Students elaborate upon their model to understand how humans depend on water and that humans extract water from the San Lorenzo River for their uses, having it pumped out of the river, treated at the water treatment plant and then piped to homes for human use. The amount of water humans use impacts the amount of water extracted from the river. Putting these two ideas together, students develop explanations for how and why less water might mean fewer fish in the San Lorenzo River. Students evaluate what they’ve learned and communicate water-saving solutions that will reduce human impact on the steelhead trout and the river. It is through these experiences we hope that students recognize their valuable contributions to our community and how they can make a difference. The 10-lesson sequence is a powerful example of the value of collaboration between teachers and informal educators to gather together, learn from each other and reflect on how we can continue to improve environmental and science learning for students so they leave the experience feeling connected and empowered to take action. Next school year, CWC and local schools will pilot this specific collaborative lesson sequence for students. CWC Education Coordinator Mollie Behn was recognized by her fellow participants in the Teacher Leadership Institute as one of three educators who received an award for their inspiring leadership in science teaching and learning in connection to environmental literacy. Reflecting on the experience, Mollie shared, “As CWC Education Coordinator, I walked away from the Teacher Leadership Institute more inspired and connected to being an educator and to a true sense of purpose in empowering and inspiring youth. I see it as a calling to be an educator. In this vein, it is my commitment that CWC continues to listen to and learn from our classroom teachers to so we can ensure we are meeting their interests and needs.” In the coming school year, CWC will continue to evolve its classroom and field trip lessons so they are anchored around observations that excite student interest, that help them explore and understand a local environmental condition related to the San Lorenzo River and that builds new skills and knowledge to help them make a difference in their community. And it all starts building questions from our wonder and curiosity.
A contingency table is a two-way table that is used to explain the nature of relationships between two or more categorical variables. The table’s cells contain frequencies or counts corresponding to the variables under comparison. A contingency table is an ideal form of an experiment that aims at explaining in details the relationship between two categorical variables. An example of a contingency table is one showing the relationship between the gender and smoking status of adults. Gender of the adults has the values male and female while the smoking status has the values smoker and nonsmokers. There is a perception that there exist significant differences in the smoking status of individuals based on gender making this experiment using the contingency table appropriate in in-depth explaining of the presumed relationships. The table corresponding to the thought experiment is expressed in the form of frequencies for both the values of gender and smoking status. A hypothetical group of 120 males and 100 females is used to construct a hypothetical contingency table shown below; Gender Smoker Non-smoker Total Male 70 50 120 Female 30 70 100 Total 100 120 220 The cause factor in this table is the gender while the effect variable is the smoking status. The first row represents the male gender, and it shows that 70 of the 120 males are smokers while 50 of the 120 males are non-smokers. This implies that 58% of the males are smokers while 42% are non-smokers. The second row represents the female gender, and it shows that 30 of the 100 females are smokers while 70 of the 100 females are non-smokers. This implies that 30% of the females are smokers while 70% are non-smokers. The hypothetical contingency table reveals the following theoretical interpretation; Males are more likely to be smokers compared to women because the percentages corresponding to this are more in the male’s category compared to the female gender hence making the theoretical statement appropriate. The scatterplots are visual tools used to elucidate the nature of the relationship existing between pairs of variables. The scatterplots shown below indicates the relationship between the student’s performance in the form of GPA with the days of attendance in class as well as involvement in games and sports; Figure1: negative association (Inverse relationship curve) scatterplot The following is the data corresponding to this plot; The scatterplot corresponds to this data; Figure2: Positive relationship scatterplot The first scatterplot indicates a negative or inverse association because the line moves from top left to bottom right which is the ideal characteristic of an inverse relationship which implies that the correlation between the GPA and the corresponding grades of the students are not significant even if the association is negatively linear. This implies that the games played are not directly proportional to the performance of the students. The second scatterplot indicates a positive association because the line moves from bottom left to top right which is the ideal characteristic of significant positive relationship which implies that the relationship between the GPA and the class attendance in days are significant because the association is positively linear. Jaccard, J., & Jacoby, J. (2009). Theory construction and model-building skills: A practical guide for social scientists. Guilford Press. Fagerland, M., Lydersen, S., & Laake, P. (2017). Statistical analysis of contingency tables. Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Excel WRAPROWS Function: Excel is a spreadsheet program that is developed for Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS. It helps to perform calculations on your PC. The purpose of this software is to do complicated calculations which are difficult to do manually. With the help of this spreadsheet program, you can insert, organize, maintain, manage, and calculate data. In this tutorial, we will guide you to know how to use the Excel WRAPROWS function in the spreadsheet with an example. Get an official version of MS Excel from the following link: Explanation of WRAPROWS Function - It is one of the built-in functions in Microsoft Excel. - The WRAPROWS function can convert a one-dimensional array into a two-dimensional array by wrapping values into separate rows. - Here, you will see the syntax of the WRAPROWS function. - To apply this function on your spreadsheet, you must select a cell and enter the formula in the following format. - Once you enter the formula, click on the Enter button to get the result. =WRAPROWS(vector, wrap_count, [pad_with]) - vector – The array or range to wrap. - wrap_count – Max values in each row. - pad_with – It is an optional one. Value to use for unfilled places. Let’s look at some practical examples of the WRAPROWS Function and explore how to use it in Microsoft Excel. - Initially, you have to open your Excel workbook on your PC and launch the worksheet with data. - For instance, we have given a name list in the range B4:B10 and we will arrange them into a two-dimensional array using the WRAPROWS function. - Then, you have to enter the formula in the cell as shown below to get the result. - After entering the formula, you need to click the Enter button to get the output. This tutorial helped you to know how to use the Excel WRAPROWS Function in the worksheet. Drop your feedback in the below comment section. To learn more about Excel functions, then visit our webpage Aawexcel.com. The following video will show you how to apply the WRAPROWS function in the worksheet. - How to Use Excel FLOOR.MATH Function? - How to Use Excel FLOOR Function? - How to Use Excel CEILING.PRECISE Function? - How to Use Excel CEILING Function? - How to Use Excel GCD Function?
The typical robotics curriculum looks like this: - Unit 1: Introduction - Unit 2: Electronics - Unit 3: Some vendor specific technology - Unit 4: Engineering - Unit 5: Programming - Unit xxx: - Unit 10: Build your own robot. Each unit usually contains 3-7 lessons. Students will build their first robot on 7-20th lesson, after they covered the basics of electronics, programming, motors, sensors, etc. Quite boring. How it should be done: - Lesson 1: Build robot. - Lesson 2: Build new robot. - Lesson 3: Build another robot. - Lesson 4: Design and build your own robot. The only way to learn robotics, is to build robots. Would it be possible for students to create robots, skipping all boring concepts? That will depend on how much they (or their parents) are ready to throw money in. You could buy huge robotics set for few hundred and follow instructions to make it and get your first robot. Or you could go as low as visiting nearest garbage bins to salvage components for your first robot. To have more predictable result (by using common parts) around 10-20 euros are required. Electronics could be ordered from aliexpress, and mechanical parts could be from LEGO that most of us already possess (or could get from bricklink). Lets imagine we have a dozen of 7th years old kids, who don't know yet programming (or even can't read and write well). Could they build their first robot? With little help from parents/teachers - yes. Small kids could put wires to breadboard and connect LEGO pieces. Using the usb power is quite safe way to power everything up. Here is short demonstration how we introduced robotics to kids: Want to start building robots already today? Just do it! Feel fre to contact us if you need any guidance or advice.
Implicit-Bias Remedies: Treating Discriminatory Bias as a Public-Health Problem Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Volume 23, Number 1) Read the Full Text (PDF, HTML) Implicit bias refers to thoughts, attitudes, or stereotypes that can be measured indirectly and can operate without awareness. Such measurements have been associated with discriminatory judgments and behaviors, prompting efforts by many researchers to understand how to overcome implicit biases. Some researchers have suggested interventions at the individual level to weaken or eradicate implicit biases. Others have recommended training programs administered to groups to overcome biases more broadly, including implicit ones. Both approaches appear to be inefficient. A third, potentially more-promising approach involves intervening at the institutional level and treating implicit bias as a public-health problem. In this issue of Psychological Science in the Public Interest (Volume 23, Issue 1), Anthony G. Greenwald, Nilanjana Dasgupta, John F. Dovidio, Jerry Kang, Corinne A. Moss-Racusin, and Bethany A. Teachman elaborate on public-health strategies that have been successful in reducing implicit bias and accompanying discrimination. The researchers also provide recommendations to guide organizations aiming to deal with biases for which these organizations haven’t found solutions yet. What is implicit bias? “Implicit bias was developed in psychology as a label for mental associations that, when triggered by demographic characteristics such as race, gender, or age, can influence judgment and behavior,” Greenwald and colleagues write. Implicit bias can lead to discriminatory outcomes even when those who perpetrate discrimination are not aware of their biases, much less how those biases may guide their judgment and behavior. Measuring Implicit Bias: The Implicit Association Test Implicit biases can be measured indirectly by tools such as the Implicit Association Test (IAT; Greenwald et al., 1998), which measures the implicit associations individuals make among categories of stimuli simply by having respondents press a key to classify exemplars into their objective categories. For example, to measure implicit gender-science stereotypes, researchers could use stereotype-congruent blocks and stereotype-incongruent blocks. In the first (congruent) scenario, they would ask individuals to press the left key when they see a female name (e.g., “Anna”) on the screen and the right key when they see a male name (e.g., “Ben”), and the left key for words associated with family (e.g., “home”) and the right key for words associated with science (e.g., “lab”). In the second scenario (stereotype-incongruent blocks), they would ask individuals to press the left key to categorize male names and family words, and the right key to categorize female names and science words. The implicit bias is measured by the IAT’s D score, computed with a scoring algorithm that considers the latency difference between the two types of blocks. To simplify the example, if individuals more quickly use the same key to categorize family and female than to categorize science and female, they are showing an implicit bias in which they implicitly associate females with family but not with science. Fully understanding the concept of implicit bias requires correcting common misunderstandings that the public and some scientists appear to have. Greenwald and colleagues compiled those misunderstandings and their corrections: Misunderstanding 1: The Implicit Association Test (IAT) and other indirect measures assess prejudice and racism. Correction: Indirect measures capture associative knowledge about groups, not hostility toward them. Misunderstanding 2: Implicit measures predict spontaneous (automatic) behavior but do not predict deliberate (controlled, rational) behavior. Correction: Implicit measures predict both spontaneous and deliberate behavior. Misunderstanding 3: Implicit and explicit biases are unrelated to each other. Correction: Implicit and explicit biases are almost invariably positively correlated. Misunderstanding 4: It is scientifically established that long-established implicit biases are durably modifiable. Correction: With only occasional exceptions, long-established biases have not been shown to be durably modifiable in experimental attempts. Misunderstanding 5: Group-administered procedures (often called antibias or diversity training) that are widely offered to reduce implicit race (and other) biases are effective methods of mitigating discriminatory bias. Correction: Scholarly reviews of the effectiveness of group-administered antibias or diversity-training methods have not found convincing evidence for their mental or behavioral debiasing effectiveness. Greenwald and colleagues also pinpoint three aspects of implicit bias that can be useful for practitioners working to remediate problems likely to be influenced by implicit bias. Empirical research supports but does not entirely establish these aspects. - Causation: Implicit bias is a possible cause of discriminatory behavior. - Pervasiveness: Implicit bias is considerably more widespread than is generally expected. - Awareness: Implicit bias may produce discriminatory behavior in persons who are unaware of their bias. Evaluating the remedies for implicit bias Researchers and practitioners have designed and evaluated different procedures to reduce implicit biases. These include the following: Experimental interventions, tested in experimental studies. These include single-session experimental interventions (e.g., exposure to counterstereotypical exemplars, appeals to egalitarian values); interventions based on the contact hypothesis, which posits that contact between members of two groups leads to increased liking or decreased disliking between the two groups; and multisession laboratory interventions. Interventions in field settings, in which the effectiveness of implicit-bias interventions is investigated in real-life settings. Few studies fall into this category. Large-scale field experiments that include many participants. Some have been implemented in the workplace. Group-administered trainings administered by large organizations, usually with three components: defining implicit bias as a source of unintended discrimination, describing the pervasiveness of implicit biases, and advocating for remedial strategies. Interventions targeting attitudes and self-concepts related to clinical disorders. Tested in clinical settings, many interventions target implicit associations with the self (e.g., associations of the self with death [vs. life] to capture suicidality) or with appetitive or aversive stimuli (e.g., associations with alcohol and approach vs. avoidance). However, Greenwald and colleagues’ review of these different types of interventions indicates that both the individual treatment interventions and the group-administered training programs lack established methods that diminish implicit biases in the long term and reduce discriminatory consequences of biases. Although this is a disappointing conclusion, the authors offer a set of strategies that may be more effective. These strategies, based on methods that have been successful in public health, include the following: Preventive measures, which are designed to disable the path from implicit biases to discriminatory outcomes. Disparity-finding methods, which aim to discover disparities and how/who to fix them and have the advantage of being useful in remediation for both implicit and systemic biases. Implicit bias as a public–health problem: Prevention matters “Mental debiasing and group-administered training are curative remedies, aimed at altering mental structures or processes believed to be responsible for discriminatory bias. In contrast, most public-health strategies are directed at persons who are not yet in a condition that calls for curative treatment. Public-health strategies are very often designed to prevent rather than to cure,” write Greenwald and colleagues. Thus, treating implicit bias as a public-health problem could lead to interventions that focus on preventing, finding, and measuring inequalities so they can be addressed. In fact, the American Public Health Association (APHA) started reporting, especially after the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, on race discrimination as a public-health problem. Greenwald and colleagues suggest that public-health remedies for discriminatory bias can be preventive (harm avoiding), governmental (e.g., health laws, regulations, and mandates), and reparative (damage fixing), which differ from the curative interventions reviewed earlier (i.e., mental debiasing and group-administered training). Focusing on preventive remedies, the authors propose decision blinding, which involves procedures that prevent a decision-maker from knowing the demographic characteristics of a person or group being evaluated; and discretion elimination, which includes procedures in which the bases for deciding are restricted to non-demographic decision-relevant information. Decision blinding and discretion elimination may be achieved by using a set of procedures involving structured interviews, objective testing of aptitudes and skills, objective scoring of written materials, and artificial intelligence to make unbiased decisions. Finally, to put their conclusions to work, Greenwald and colleagues propose four practical strategies that organizations can implement to reduce discrimination resulting from implicit biases: - Make disparity finding a standard practice. - Prioritize the use and development of strategies based on bias prevention (vs. strategies based on individual and group debiasing). - Use caution regarding remedies described as “training.” Training might improve education about biases, but it is unlikely to change implicit associations that cause discrimination. - Integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts into the organizational structure. Implicit Bias Is a Public-Health Problem, and Hearts and Minds Are Part of the Solution By Michael A. Olson and Laura J. Gill, University of Tennessee “Hearts and minds” might contribute to solving public-health problems In an accompanying commentary, Michael A. Olson and Laura J. Gill (University of Tennessee), argue that interventions to reduce discrimination caused by implicit bias at the individual and group levels (i.e., “hearts and minds” approaches) are as important as preventive strategies at the institutional level. Thus, they encourage the integration of individual-level and public-health perspectives to address implicit bias. Noting some of their disagreements with Greenwald and colleagues, Olson and Gill propose the use of a dual-process framework (motivation and opportunity as determinants [MODE] model). The MODE model considers implicit bias the starting point of the attitude/behavior relation; the activation of bias depends on its strength and lack of awareness of its effects. Motivation and opportunity will then decide whether bias will guide behavior. Hence, the model identifies three key focus areas for interventions: (a) increasing awareness of the impact of bias; (b) increasing motivation to counteract the effects of bias; and (c) increasing opportunity for motivated processes to override implicit ones and thus prevent the effects of bias on behavior. See related news release. Feedback on this article? Email [email protected] or comment below. APS regularly opens certain online articles for discussion on our website. Effective February 2021, you must be a logged-in APS member to post comments. By posting a comment, you agree to our Community Guidelines and the display of your profile information, including your name and affiliation. 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Introduction to Pandas: Habitat and Characteristics Pandas are a beloved and iconic species native to China, known for their distinctive black and white fur and gentle demeanor. They inhabit a few mountain ranges in central China, including the Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Gansu provinces. These bamboo forest ecosystems provide the pandas with the necessary food and shelter to survive. Pandas are classified as a member of the bear family, Ursidae, and are unique in their diet, primarily consisting of bamboo. They have a slow metabolic rate and spend most of their day eating and resting, consuming up to 40 pounds of bamboo daily. Pandas are also known for their dexterous front paws, which they use to hold and manipulate bamboo shoots. Despite their cute and cuddly appearance, pandas are powerful animals that can weigh up to 330 pounds and stand over 4 feet tall at the shoulder. The conservation status of pandas is currently listed as endangered, with an estimated 1,800 left in the wild. Threats to Panda Population: Human Activities and Natural Factors The panda population faces numerous threats, both from human activities and natural factors. One of the primary threats is habitat loss, as China’s expanding human population encroaches on the pandas’ bamboo forest homes. Deforestation for timber and agriculture, as well as mining and hydroelectric projects, are also contributing to the loss of panda habitat. Climate change is another significant threat, as it alters the bamboo forests’ growth and distribution, reducing the availability of food for the pandas. Natural disasters, such as earthquakes and landslides, also pose a danger to pandas and their habitats. Illegal hunting and poaching for their fur and body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine have been major contributors to the decline of the panda population. However, the Chinese government has implemented strict laws and enforcement measures to combat these practices. Overall, a combination of these factors has resulted in the endangered status of pandas. Efforts to address these threats and protect the pandas and their habitats are crucial for their survival. Efforts to Save the Pandas: Conservation and Breeding Programs Conservation efforts for pandas began in the 1960s when they were first identified as an endangered species. The Chinese government established protected areas for the pandas, including nature reserves and national parks. These areas restrict human activities that could harm the pandas and their habitats, such as logging and mining. In addition to protected areas, conservationists have also implemented breeding programs to increase the panda population. Breeding centers have been established, with the goal of eventually reintroducing the pandas to the wild. These programs have seen some success, with the panda population increasing in recent years. International cooperation has also played a role in panda conservation, with countries such as the United States and Japan providing financial and technical support. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has been involved in panda conservation efforts since the 1980s and has supported research, community outreach, and habitat protection projects. Despite these efforts, pandas remain an endangered species, and their survival is not guaranteed. Continued conservation efforts and public awareness are essential for the protection of these iconic animals. Impact of Pandas on Ecosystems: Importance of Conservation Pandas play a crucial role in their bamboo forest ecosystems, and their conservation is essential for maintaining the balance of these ecosystems. Pandas consume large quantities of bamboo, shaping the plant’s growth and distribution, which in turn affects other species that rely on bamboo for food and shelter. Without pandas, bamboo forests could become overgrown and less diverse, negatively impacting other wildlife in the area. Pandas also contribute to the ecosystem by spreading bamboo seeds and nutrients through their feces. This helps maintain the overall health and diversity of the bamboo forests. Furthermore, pandas have significant cultural and economic value, as they attract tourists from around the world to see them in their natural habitat. This tourism generates revenue for local communities and supports conservation efforts. Conserving pandas and their habitats not only benefits the species itself but also helps preserve the biodiversity and health of the entire ecosystem. Future of Pandas: Hope for Recovery or Further Decline? The future of pandas is uncertain, as the species continues to face numerous threats to its survival. However, there is hope for the recovery of the panda population through continued conservation efforts. The Chinese government has demonstrated a strong commitment to panda conservation, with initiatives such as the Giant Panda National Park, which will connect existing panda habitats and provide additional protections for the species. Additionally, conservationists are exploring new methods, such as using technology to monitor and protect panda populations, to enhance their conservation efforts. International cooperation and public awareness also remain crucial for panda conservation. Continued support from organizations such as the WWF and increased awareness of the threats facing pandas can help drive further conservation efforts. While the future of pandas is uncertain, there are reasons to be hopeful that the species can recover and thrive with continued conservation efforts. The conservation of pandas and their habitats is not only critical for the survival of this iconic species but also for the health and diversity of the entire ecosystem.
New Western University research shows that neurons in the part of the brain found to be abnormal in psychosis are also important in helping people distinguish between reality and imagination. The researcher investigated how the brain codes visual information in reality versus abstract information. In working memory how those differences are distributed across neurons in the lateral prefrontal cortex region of the brain. That is what we call working memory representations or short-term memory representations they are abstract, they are imaginary and they don’t exist in reality, but in our minds. Real objects in our visual field, we call perceptual representations. We are trying to determine whether there are neurons in the brain. That can signal to a person whether a representation is real or imaginary. Seasonal flu may develop Parkinson’s disease Perform two tasks one where they had to report the direction of movement of a cloud of dots they could see on a computer screen. Other where they had to report the cloud direction a few seconds after it disappeared based on a memory of the image.They found that neurons in the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex encoded perceived and memorized information to various degrees and in different combinations of strength. Moreover, the Lateral Prefrontal Cortex shown to be dysfunctional in individuals with schizophrenia, who have hallucinations or delusions. However, researchers have not been able to pinpoint the source of this dysfunction. Specifying neurons using Machine learning Using machine-learning, the researchers created a computer algorithm. That could read out the pattern of neurons firing in the Prefrontal Cortex. Reliably determine whether a subject was perceiving a cloud of dots or remembering one they had seen before. That by pinpointing the specific neurons responsible for distinguishing between reality and imagination. They might be better able to treat disorders like schizophrenia that cause patients to confuse what’s real and what isn’t. Significant role of Sweat glands in body Currently, pharmacological treatments for these disorders change the neurochemistry in the entire brain. often causing unintended side-effects. By targeting only the specific neurons responsible for these disturbances. They may be able to minimize these side-effects.
15 February 1564 – 8 January 1642 Galileo Galilei was extremely important to astronomy. He made some adaptations to telescopes and then used them for studying the stars. Thus, he was able to much more closely and precisely objects in the sky. He observed sun spots on the sun, proving it wasn’t perfect and thus that the objects in the heavens were not all perfect. He also overturned Aristotelian physics by showing that objects in motion stay in motion thus birds and clouds won’t fly off the Earth if it was moving. Finally, he saw the phases of Venus that would only make sense if the Earth was orbiting in the sun. Events During Galileo’s Lifetime: The Spanish Armada occurred during Galileo’s lifetime. The Spanish fleet of ships were defeated by the British, beginning of the end of Spanish power in the world. The 30 Years War also started during his lifetime. It was a basically a war between Catholics and Protestants that occurred in four stages: Bohemian, Danish, Swedish, and French. People During Galileo’s Lifetime: Charles I of England. He ruled without parliament until 1642 when he was beheaded during the English civil war. His beheading was after Galileo died, but Charles I reigned while Galileo was alive. It was very interesting to figure out what was going on in the world when these astronomers were doing their work. It is easy to think of these people as isolated and not really a part of any time period, so it was cool to see that there were wars and things of great historical significance happening while these astronomers were alive. It makes them seem more like people rather than just the work they did.
There are two types of [o] sound in English. Here are some examples: Now let’s listen to the succession of [o] sounds in the last sentence: As can be seen in the examples, /ɔː/ and /ɒ/ differ in both quality and length and neither is exactly the same as the Spanish o. Let’s analyze them separately: ɔː This sound is long, with the mouth neither open nor closed but in the middle. The tongue is at the back. It’s interesting to check this by putting your finger inside the mouth and touch the tongue. The lips are loosely rounded. - How to do it? Say a very long o without opening much your mouth. - Spelling. There are many possibilities: a (also, walk), au (author), or (horse), ar (war), aw (paw), oa (abroad), our (four), ou (bought) among others. ɒ This sound is short, with the mouth much more open. As in the previous case, the tongue is at the back. - How to do it? You can learn how to do this sound and notice the difference with the long o in two steps. 1. Start by producing an /ɔː/ and then lower your jaw with the aid of your hand. It must sound like this: 2. Keep it short and you’ll have an /ɒ/: - Spelling. 95% of the times it occurs as an o (lot, bottle, sorry, dog). In a number of cases it is spelled as a (want, watch, quality) and au (because, Australia). It is also found exceptionally in two very common words as ou (cough) and ow (knowledge). This is the type of analysis I do with my students in my one-to-one classes. I make them practise these processes with exercises until they improve their comprehension of native speakers and are capable of speaking like that themselves. If you are interested in my classes, you can contact me here. And here are some examples from real native speakers of English: We talked in bed for a quarter of an hour; then put out the light, got up again, donned our overcoats and socks, and tiptoed upstairs to the attic (Julian Barnes, reading from a story by Frank O’Connor, The New Yorker). /tɔːkt/ /ˈkɔːtə/ /gɒt/ /dɒnd/ /sɒks/
Welcome to The 1 Inch Graph Paper with Black Lines (A4 Size) Math Worksheet from the Graph Papers Page at Math-Drills.com. This math worksheet was created or last revised on 2015-09-21 and has been viewed 2 times this week and 2 times this month. It may be printed, downloaded or saved and used in your classroom, home school, or other educational environment to help someone learn math. Teachers can use math worksheets as tests, practice assignments or teaching tools (for example in group work, for scaffolding or in a learning center). Parents can work with their children to give them extra practice, to help them learn a new math skill or to keep their skills fresh over school breaks. Students can use math worksheets to master a math skill through practice, in a study group or for peer tutoring. Use the buttons below to print, open, or download the PDF version of the 1 Inch Graph Paper with Black Lines (A4 Size) math worksheet. The size of the PDF file is 24226 bytes. Preview images of the first and second (if there is one) pages are shown. If there are more versions of this worksheet, the other versions will be available below the preview images. For more like this, use the search bar to look for some or all of these keywords: math, graph, grid, paper, Imperial, system, inch. The Print button initiates your browser's print dialog. The Open button opens the complete PDF file in a new browser tab. The Download button initiates a download of the PDF math worksheet. Teacher versions include both the question page and the answer key. Student versions, if present, include only the question page.
Morality is often considered to be a personal choice, but it also has social implications. The way society defines morality influences the way individuals behave. In today’s world, moral decisions are constantly being challenged. This means that the lines between good and bad behavior are becoming blurred. You will need 9 images/texts to use this template, which must be categorized depending on the tile displayed on the whiteboard. The images/texts can be of people, locations, events, or pretty much anything else. Each tile stands for a distinct moral and ethical perspective. Identify the content you gonna put in, whether it's good or not, legal or against the law. In this way, you will have a better understanding of the attitude towards someone, something, or some places. Built in 2022-11-23 11:12:45 A family tree is the most often used tool for visually tracing one's ancestors. Each individual is represented by a box in the majority of family tree diagrams, and the boxes are linked to one another to demonstrate relationships. Each box may additionally contain extra information in addition to the person's name, such as dates, places of birth, and so forth, depending on the degree of intricacy required for the family tree diagram. It describes your beginnings, your family, and how it has evolved. As a result, you feel more like yourself. Learning more about your forebears, upholding family traditions, loving your culture, and appreciating where you originated from may open your eyes to how precious and unique you are. Family trees are used to establish property rights and inheritance rights, and they are often used to prove or disprove important legal claims. It encourages collaboration among people. Knowing the history of your family may help you make connections with individuals from the past, present, and future, which can change how you interact with other people. A decision tree represents the potential consequences of a number of connected decisions. It enables a person or group to compare potential courses of action based on their costs, probabilities, and rewards. They can be used to spark casual conversation or to design an algorithm that determines the best option mathematically. Create a decision node as the root node for the flow, then create branches that connect to it (for instance: if YES, continue with this approach; if NO, continue with a different set of approaches). Include one or more leaf/final nodes with the decision note. A Decision Prediction Tree (DPT) is a statistical model that helps us predict the outcomes of decisions. DPTs are used in fields such as medicine, finance, marketing, and politics. The goal of a DPT is to provide insight into the relationship between variables and their impact on the outcome of a decision. Consider various consequences when you make your choice as your initial step. Once you've determined that one method is superior to another, consider how to improve it. Once you think a period is needed to reflect the previous context, take a short break then start individually brainstorming for 3-5 minutes. To assist your team come up with fresh ideas and then tossing them around, consider using this effective strategy. Use our Decision Making Tree template to make the right decisions with your team. Don't hesitate to action when coming up with a final decision. Also, if a project is rejected, think of possible lessons and resources that might use in the future. A blank mind map whiteboard is a tool that helps you organize your thoughts and ideas into visual form. This allows you to see the big picture and get a better idea of where your focus should go. This is an excellent way to brainstorm new ideas or plan out projects. There are several ways to create a blank mind map white board. Tracup chose one of the most convenient one: centralized key ideas; sub-ideas around; more thoughts adjacent to sub-ideas. Use this Blank Mind Map Whiteboard Template to generate your brilliant ideas with your team. Follow the steps to build a business map of your plans. Enter your email to try out or ask your client service consultant at the lower right corner to know how Tracup can help you further
Thumbing through our closets and curating our everyday attire can say a lot about who we are. As art educators, we may dress in a particular style to reflect the artwork we are currently teaching about. Or, we may just wear our favorite Vincent van Gogh-inspired t-shirt every casual Friday to inspire our students. Because fashion is so ingrained in life, artists highlight fashion trends and fads in their artwork. Have your students take a closer look at the fashion portrayed in artwork to determine what they can learn about art history. If you are looking for fresh ways to keep your students interested in art history, try focusing on fashion with the steps below. 1. Select an artwork. When looking at artwork through a fashion lens, start with artwork that has a lot of garments, accessories, and details. If you are not sure where to begin your search, check out the ones below. Here are four examples of beginner artworks your class can ponder: - Bust of Queen Nefertiti by Thutmose - Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci - Cold Shoulder by Roy Lichtenstein - American Gothic by Grant Wood Here are four examples of intermediate artworks your class can inspect: - Amphora With Herakles And Busiris - The Arnolfini Portrait by Jan van Eyck - Catch, The by Norman Rockwell - Madame de Pompadour by François Boucher 2. Share the artwork. Student observation is imperative, whether working individually, with a group, or with the whole class. Often, students will glance at an artwork for five seconds and blurt out that they’re done. We know they haven’t seen everything, but how do we get them to look longer? Here are two ways to help students examine an artwork: - Set a timer for 30 seconds. Students write down 20 fashion-related objects they see in the artwork. - Set a timer for one minute. In pairs, students list as many nouns (people, places, and things) that they see. The pair with the longest list “wins.” After observing key details, students can infer what these details mean. Here are a couple of activities to get students thinking more critically: - After writing down what they observe, divide the paper into two more columns. Next to each fashion-related object, students ask a question about it and then answer it. - After identifying fashion-related objects within the artwork, allow students to assess what the subject matter’s life or personality may have been like. Write a short biography about the main subject. Let’s go through this process together as we decipher the Ancient Egyptian Bust of Queen Nefertiti by Thutmose. Here are some observations based on examination: - Pose and Expression She is looking straight at her viewers or admirers. Her lips are pressed together, and she seems to smile slightly. We can infer that she knows her power and is calm yet assertive. We cannot get a glimpse of her hairstyle, but she is wearing a large headdress. Since we only see the bust of Nefertiti, most of her clothing is left up to the imagination. We can see a collar full of vibrant colors like gold, terracotta red, and turquoise. The patterns repeat almost continuously until the base of the sculpture. We can infer that the remainder of her outfit was equally as ornate. Queen Nefertiti is wearing a tall headdress; it is half the length of the entire bust! There are more gold details such as a gold band above her eyebrows and a decorative mark in the center of the patterned band. We can infer it makes a statement for a reason. Upon further research, we discover it was worn in Ancient Egypt to communicate power or to recognize deities or rulers. Her makeup is alluringly bold yet simple, with black eyeliner along the contour of each eye. She has sculpted eyebrows and stained rose lips. Like the rest of our inferences, we can infer that she had the status and money to afford makeup. Upon further research, we learn that heavy eyeliner was to protect the eye from disease. 3. Connect to the Elements and Principles of Art. For each item of clothing or accessory identified within the artwork, allow the students to group them into categories for the Elements and Principles of Art. This helps students to see the meaning behind the artist’s choices. Use a handout like the Elements of Art Inventory from FLEX Curriculum below, or have students jot down their findings in their sketchbooks. Connect today to learn more about how to get the Elements of Art Inventory and others like it in FLEX Curriculum’s vast archive of resources. Here are three ways to help students group information into categories: - Set a timer for one minute. Students list the three most important Elements of Art and the three most important Principals of Design they see, with examples for each. - Draw each article of clothing or accessory they see in the artwork. Annotate their fashion sketch by labeling it with specific Elements and Principles. - Assign teams of two to three students. Give each team one of the articles of clothing or an accessory from the artwork. Each team works together to list all of the Elements and Principles found in the item. Here’s an example using the headdress from the Bust of Queen Nefertiti by Thutmose and the Elements of Art: There is a thick gold band above the eyebrows. There are even horizontal and vertical lines in the middle band. Wavy and curved lines extend vertically on the emblem. The sides of the headdress create a diagonal line, making Nefertiti’s jawline appear narrower. There are organic teardrop shapes in the gold emblem and squares and rectangles in the decorative band. The headdress is a triangular shape that flutes out at the top and tapers towards her head. The color scheme is a contrasting blue and gold. The band of rectangles also has contrasting green and reddish copper. The headdress itself is three-dimensional. However, we only see the specific viewpoint in this photo. It appears very flat and symmetrical. The emblem shows depth; it slightly pops off the front of the headdress and creates a subtle shadow. The headdress is a dark value. However, the gold accents reflect light. This sculpture is old, and there is wear from the passing of time. The texture is soft and faded, with some areas of paint burnished off. Geometric rectangular patterns take up the space in the horizontal middle band. The three-dimensional organic gold emblem breaks up the hat into four quadrants. 4. Pretend to be a social media fashion vlogger. Students write a script of what trends and key articles of clothing and accessories they observe in an artwork. Students also note makeup choices and the poses of each figure. Many short-form videos have a time constraint and need to be highly engaging to maintain views. Encourage students to condense their script into the most important fashion highlights while also being as engaging as possible. Depending on the technology available at your site, students create a short video of themselves presenting their script out loud. Show the videos in class and use sticky notes to “post” paper comments to a designated spot. If your students are enjoying the fashion lens, try these extensions: - Recreate the subject’s attire with the clothing they have at home. Model the clothing, pose as if they were the subject in the painting, and snap a photo! - Create an accessory from or inspired by the artwork. - Conceptualize and sketch how one article of clothing or accessory can be worn in different time periods. - Select their outfits and accessories to wear in a self-portrait. Get inspired by Kehinde Wiley’s artwork, where his muses get to choose their wardrobe before sitting. Check out these additional fashion-forward artworks with your classes: - Girl with a Pearl Earring by Johannes Vermeer - Napoleon At The Great St. Bernard by Jacques-Louis David - Nighthawks by Edward Hopper - First Lady Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald - Saint John the Baptist II by Kehinde Wiley Art should challenge ideas and prompt questions. Asking why subjects in artworks wear a particular article of clothing is an easy way for students to ask bigger questions that tap into the historical and cultural context of the time. It also encourages students to examine artworks more closely through an angle that is fun and relatable. Before you know it, students will be making valuable connections in famous works and will be asking for more! For additional fashion-forward resources, read this article about implementing fashion-centered activities in the art classroom. What is your favorite fashion-forward piece of art? How do you get your students excited to look at art? Magazine articles and podcasts are opinions of professional education contributors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Art of Education University (AOEU) or its academic offerings. Contributors use terms in the way they are most often talked about in the scope of their educational experiences.
How Do People Get AIDS? AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a disease that makes it hard for the body to fight off infectious diseases. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) causes AIDS by infecting and damaging part of the body’s defenses against infection, namely the white blood cells known as CD4 helper lymphocytes (pronounced: LIM–fuh-sites). How does someone become infected? HIV can be spread through any type of unprotected sex (oral, vaginal, or anal) if one of the partners has the virus. This can happen when body fluids such as semen (cum), vaginal fluids, or blood from an infected person get into the body of someone who is not infected. Someone can become infected even if only tiny amounts of these fluids are spread. Everyone who has unprotected sex with an infected person is at risk of contracting HIV, but people who already have another sexually transmitted disease (STD) are even more at risk. HIV can be spread sexually from a guy to a girl, a girl to a guy, a guy to a guy, and a girl to a girl. Sharing needles to inject drugs or steroids is another way that HIV can be passed to other people. Sharing of needles for tattoos, piercings, and body art can also lead to infection. Someone with HIV who shares a needle also shares the virus, which lives in the tiny amounts of blood attached to the needle. Sharing needles also can pass hepatitis and other serious infections to another person. Also, newborn babies are at risk of getting the HIV virus from their mothers if they’re infected. This can happen before the baby is born, during birth, or through breastfeeding. Pregnant teens and women should be tested for HIV because infected women who receive treatment for HIV are much less likely to spread the virus to their babies. Babies born to mothers infected with HIV are also given special medicines to try to prevent HIV infection. The best way to protect yourself from HIV is to abstain from oral, vaginal, and anal sex and to not share needles. If you do have sex, using latex condoms properly every time can help protect you. Condoms work by providing a barrier to the body fluids that can be shared during sexual activity (including oral sex). Always follow the directions exactly and never use the same condom twice. If you have had unprotected sex (sex without a condom) or have shared needles with someone else, you should be tested for HIV. If you’ve had sex with a condom, you also should be tested since condoms are effective when used correctly, but are not perfect. And ask your partner to be tested as well. Asking people if they have HIV is not a reliable way of finding out whether they are infected. People may not answer truthfully. They may be embarrassed to tell you or may not want you to know. Or they may not even know they have the virus because it can take many years for symptoms to develop. An infected person will look healthy for many years and can still spread the virus. Many places, such as doctors’ offices, health departments, hospitals, and sites that specialize in HIV testing, can provide more information about HIV and AIDS, personal counseling, and, testing. Talk with your doctor about any questions or concerns you might have. Reviewed by: Steven Dowshen, MD Date reviewed: January 2015
The goal of this project was to analyze historical knowledge about outbreaks of anthrax and its causative agent, Bacillus anthracis. The project explores a question not assessed in the literature: how did a disease that was commonly associated with animals and agriculture become a biological weapon? Little-known episodes in the history of agriculture and occupational health were essential steps in the development of anthrax as a biological weapon. The project resulted in a book which provides historical lessons on how modern societies have responded to the threat of anthrax. The 1920s and 1930s saw the development of increasingly sophisticated weaponized formulations of B. anthracis, which the Japanese tested on captive Manchurian subjects in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Mid-century laboratory programs (e.g. Britain's Porton Down and Fort Detrick in the United States) focused on controlling anthrax and manipulating sporulation of B. anthracis so as to make it more useful as a weapon, while developing anti-anthrax vaccines. By the end of World War II, anthrax had become established as a modern biological weapon. From the 1950s through 1990s, vaccines against it were tested on factory workers who were still regularly exposed to anthrax and were later given to large numbers of military personnel and exposed civilians. Due to the disease's pastoral origins, agricultural and veterinary laboratories played key roles in manipulating the anthrax bacillus and promulgating strains that could be appropriated as weapons. Outbreaks of anthrax in Sverdlovsk, USSR (1979) and the 2001 U.S. postal attacks (the "anthrax letters") established the continuing danger of this agent's use as a biological weapon. The project concludes by analyzing the response to these outbreaks and discussing the problems with the current framework of microbial forensics as the main investigative tool for unexplained outbreaks of anthrax. This project required the following methods: to collect archival materials and current materials about the use of Bacillus anthracis as a biological weapon within historical context; to sort and analyze these sources for data; and to analyze secondary sources (written by journalists and historians). The project resulted in a book, Death in a Small Package, which follows the history of anthrax through time and across national boundaries, into factories, and through transnational networks of scientists and more elusive purveyors such as German saboteurs. Data include: US government archives of the WW I-era Mixed Claims Commission; British archives of scientific evidence on work at Porton Down and Gruinard Island; the details of two occupational anthrax outbreaks in the United States and Britain; published scientific articles; and newspaper and popular journal articles that expose public reactions to anthrax outbreaks. The project's approach also establishes a novel synthesis of cultural and biological analysis by demonstrating how anthrax's biological life cycle contributes to its sociocultural identity.
Department of Physics During this time of remote learning, we want to ensure that you have the information you need to be successful. Use this page as a resource for contacts and other information. Check out our new concentration in Biomedical Physics! The Physics department offers courses in astronomy and astrophysics! Bring our science show of pops, bangs and flashes to your school! Visit UNO's Planetarium! Join us for Summer Science and Math Camp! Physics is crucial to understanding the world around us, the world inside us, and the world beyond us. Physicists ask big questions like: - How did the universe begin? - How will the universe change in the future? - How does the Sun keep shining? Physics challenges our imaginations with concepts like relativity and string theory but also addresses real-world problems like the development of sustainable forms of energy production or treating cancer through radiotherapy, development of computer games, design and manufacture of sports equipment and understanding and predicting earthquakes. Many apparently complicated things in nature can be understood in terms of relatively simple mathematical relationships. Physicists try to uncover these relationships through observing, creating mathematical models, and testing them by doing experiments. Physicists also use advanced computers and programming languages in the solution of scientific problems, particularly for modeling complex processes. So, if you find yourself curious about understanding the world around you and up for a challenge, join us in Physics!
In this video you will learn how to find the surface area of an octagonal prism Use the formula 2 times base area + Lateral area Step 1. In order to find the base area you will need to find the apothem using the central angle and then trig to find the apothem. Step 2. Plug the apothem into 1/2apothemperimeter for the base area Step 3. Multiply the Perimeter times height for your lateral area Step 4 Add step 2 ( base area)and step 3 ( Lateral area)for your surface area
At Notre Dame Elementary, we believe that technology is an amazing tool that enriches every aspect of learning, curriculum, teaching, communication, and professional growth. Individual classrooms are equipped with SmartBoards, Elmo documentation cameras, and personal desktop computers to provide whole group or differentiated instruction to students. The NDE community shares 3 Chromebook carts and iPad cart - essentially providing a 1:1 learning environment for all students. The goal of implementing a one to one program is to give students more access to information and technology to allow them to develop necessary 21st century learning skills. The broad goals of this program are to increase students familiarity with software and hardware programs, develop student abilities to communicate ideas effectively, and to ensure that students become ethical, safe users of internet resources. Implementation of technology in the classroom further promotes a student-centered environment while addressing various learning styles of all students. We also use Google Classroom to collect homework assignments and spark classroom wide conversations. Students also use engaging apps and programs to assist them with reading, Spanish, coding, history, and science instruction. Our most popular programs are RazzKids, Mathletics, IntoScience, Discovery Education, BrainPop, and Catholic Teacher Resources. Below are some examples of student created work ranging from Kindergarten to Eighth Grade. Digital Short Stories and Picture Books 4th Grade students created digital short stories using a web-based platform called Storybird. The images and platform were created by this company, but the writing is entirely inspired by a 4th grade imagination. Videos and Science Projects 8th grade students took still pictures of 7th grade projects and created a story using Animoto.
Bottlenosed dolphins are found everywhere except polar waters. Deep water bottlenosed dolphins come up to take breaths every 1 to 2 minutes, whereas inshore bottlenosed dolphins take breaths two times per minute. Bottlenosed dolphins have been known, however, to dive deep enough to go 4.5 minutes without taking a breath. Bottlenosed dolphins are found in bays, estuaries, sounds, open shorelines and large, estuarine rivers. (Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999) Bottlenosed dolphins have a fusiform body that lacks many external characteristics of terrestrial mammals, including hair, external ears and hind limbs. A fusiform body reduces turbulence and allows bottlenosed dolphins to cruise underwater at high speeds. Dolphins have front flippers, a dorsal fin and flukes, which are used in swimming. The dorsal fin is tall, curved and set near the middle of the back. These dolphins are typically black to a light gray on their sides, and their bellies are white, sometimes with a slight pink hue. Bottlenosed dolphins are typically 84 to 140 cm at birth, and typically weigh between 14 and 20 kg. Adult males are usually between 244 and 381 cm long, and weigh about 500 kg. Adult females are typically between 228 and 366 cm, and weigh about 250 kg. This sexual dimorphism may be a result of females using energy to achieve sexual maturity at a earlier age than males, while males continue to grow. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reeves, et al., 2002; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999) As is true of all modern cetaceans, the skulls of bottlenosed dolphins are telescoped; that is, the rostra are elongated and tapered anteriorly and the nostrils are moved dorsally. This allows dolphins to breathe more easily during swimming. Bottlenosed dolphins are homeotherms and endotherms. They use insulation, in the form of blubber, a relatively small surface area due to their large body sizes, and vascular shunts that allow selective cooling of certain organs and tissues to help thermoregulate. Bottlenosed dolphins have a thermoneutral zone of 13 to 28 degrees Celsius. If the temperature of their environment drops below 13 degrees Celsius or rises above 28 degrees Celsius, their metabolic rate increases. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reeves, et al., 2002; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999) Bottlenosed dolphins are polygamous. They engage in mating behavior in either of two ways, in alliances or individually. Males that form alliances look for females that are in estrous. When males find a female in estrous they separate her from her home range for a chance to mate with her. Sometimes they flank the female to prevent access by other males to insure that only they have the opportunity to mate with her. Waiting for a female to become receptive can take several weeks. Some males do not engage in alliances, instead remaining in their home ranges. When an estrous female enters the home range of such a male, he attempts to attract her to mate. During courtship, a male postures by arching his back. He strokes and nuzzles the female, and he may clap his jaws or yelp. Bottlenosed dolphin copulation typically occurs belly-to-belly with both animals facing the same direction, although an animal facing the opposite direction is not uncommon. Intromission lasts only around 10 seconds and involves vigorous pelvis thrusts. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Female dolphins typically reach sexual maturity between 5 and 10 years of age, while males reach sexual maturity between 8 and 13 years old. Sexual maturity is usually achieved years before reproduction; males that reach sexual maturity at age 10 don’t typically breed until they are at approximately 20 years old. Reproductive seasons vary from region to region. Typically, females ovulate at a particular time of year while males are active throughout the year (but with a peak of testosterone production when females ovulate). Gestation lasts about 12 months and each pregnancy produces one calf. Females nurse their young from nipples on each side of their genital slit until the calf is between 18 and 20 months. Bottlenosed dolphins reproduce every 3 to 6 years, with females usually becoming pregnant soon after their calf is weaned. Calves can be born at any time of the year but with a peak in birthing during warmer months. Females can reproduce well into their late forties. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Females provide the bulk of parental investment, investing especially heavily during lactation. Lactation in bottlenosed dolphins typically lasts 18 to 20 months. Lactating females require 88 to 153 cal/kg as opposed to non-lactating females that typically require 34 to 67 cal/kg. Bottlenosed dolphins participate in allomaternal care, that is, all of the females within a group help care for each others' offspring. When a bottlenosed dolphin calf is born, it learns to ride the pressure waves alongside its mother during its first few days. The mother assists the calf to keep it alongside her body. Females also protect calves from predators. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Bottlenosed dolphins are threatened by a variety of factors, both natural and of human origin. Natural mortality is due to injury, disease, and predation. Male bottlenosed dolphins typically live about 40 to 45 years and female dolphins can live over 50 years (the oldest female documented lived to be 53 years old). Because in many cases dolphins are found in shallow waters, they encounter many humans and human activities. Recreational fishing gear causes many deaths when dolphins become entangled in nets or swallow fishing hooks. Dolphins are sometimes preyed upon by sharks, although this is may be less of a problem now than in the past due to declining shark populations. One of the largest and most serious threats to bottlenosed dolphins is environmental contamination, caused mainly by the increase of human development along shorelines. Chemicals of human origin find their way into coastal ecosystems through runoff from agriculture, residential, and industrial sources. (Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Bottlenosed dolphins are very social animals. They typically live in groups that range in size from a few individuals to over 100. They participate in fission-fusion societies in which subgroups frequently join or leave the main group. They are very active animals and can swim up to speeds of 30 km/hr, although on average they swim between 3 and 6 km/hr. They form several kinds of groups, including nursery groups (mothers and calves), juvenile groups (young dolphins of both genders up to their mid teens), and adult males (can be found individually or more commonly as strongly bonded pairs). Bottlenosed dolphins engage in aggressive behavior including biting, ramming, and tail slaps; and bonding and acceptance behavior, including stroking and rubbing. Captive dolphin groups are characterized by a dominance hierarchy based on age, size and gender. Large adult males are dominant over other group members. In the absence of males, the largest female assumes dominance. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Bottlenosed dolphins are very intelligent animals. In captivity this intelligence is demonstrated by their ability to solve problems in experimental trials as well as during their everyday lives. Their cognitive skills are reflected by the speed and effectiveness by which they acquire and perfect behaviors. One may wonder how dolphins, as marine animals that must surface to breathe every few minutes, sleep. It turns out that they rest one side of their brains while decreasing their activity level. This allows them rest and yet remain ‘conscious’ to breathe and carry on basic survival behaviors. Bottlenosed dolphins also participate in epimeletic behavior, that is, they aid in the recuperation of injured dolphins. This behavior may include protecting the injured dolphin from threats as well as holding the injured dolphin at the surface. Epimeletic behavior is most commonly found among mothers of calves that have died. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Density estimates of bottlenosed dolphins range from 0.06 to 1.22 dolphins per square kilometer. A group's home range is typically 125 square kilometers. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003) Bottlenosed dolphins use sound to communicate with other members of their groups. They use both audible sounds and high frequency echolocation. Each dolphin is believed to possess its own signature whistle and, once it is developed, it is retained for the duration of the dolphin’s life. Kin recognize one another by their whistles and these sounds help maintain group cohesion. Signature whistles develop in calves as young as one month, allowing them to maintain contact with their mother. Surprisingly, the signature whistle of a male calf tends to resemble its mother's more than that of a female calf. The signature whistle also gives the location and emotional state of each dolphin. Bottlenosed dolphins also navigate with echolocation, used to detect bottom topography, prey, and the presence of predators. It is even sometimes used to stun prey. Echolocation calls pass through the melon and intramandibular fat body, which contain acoustic lipids; these structures serve as acoustic lenses to focus sound. The intramandibular fat bodies focus sound to each ear, while the melon is used as a lens to focus outgoing sound. (Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Bottlenosed dolphins also use vision to perceive their surroundings. Like those of humans, their eyes contain rods and cones, but they are not used in the same way as humans. Cones, for example, are used to provide good acuity when light levels are high. These and other adaptations allow dolphins to use their vision at different times of the day and at different depths. (Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) The diet of bottlenosed dolphins is broad and varies from one place to another. Inshore bottlenosed dolphins typically feed on fish and invertebrates found near the shoreline, while deep water bottlenosed dolphins typically feed on squid and pelagic fish. Bottlenosed dolphins found along the U.S. Atlantic coast typically feed on Atlantic croakers (Micropogonias undulatus), ‘spot’ fish (Leistomomus xanthurus), and silver perch (Bairdiella chrysoura), while dolphins in South Africa typically feed on African massbankers (Trachurus delagoae), olive grunters (Pomadasys olivaceus), and pandora (Pagellus bellotti). Bottlenosed dolphins typically choose prey between 5 and 30 cm in length. They eat between 4.5 and 16 kg per day, depending on the size of the individual and if it is lactating. Most of the time, bottlenosed dolphins feed individually. At times, however, dolphins participate in cooperative feeding with other dolphins, especially when feeding on a school of prey. They have also been known to trap their prey on the shore, stranding themselves in order to feed on stranded prey ("strand feeding"). And in some cases dolphins use echolocation calls to stun their prey. Some bottlenosed dolphins use passive listening rather than echolocation to locate prey. When prey is detected, these dolphins either rush in or alert others of the prey’s presence. (Reynolds, III, et al., 2000; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999) The sharp teeth of these dolphins allow them to grasp prey while the tongue maneuvers prey down the throat. Dolphins teeth are not used to chew and prey is typically swallowed whole. They may break up their prey by shaking it in the air and striking it with their tails, called fish-whacking. Bottlenosed dolphins in Australia may mount a sponge on their rostrum to protect their snouts as they forage on the bottom. They have also been known to follow the boats of fisherman and catch discarded prey or bait. (Reynolds, III, et al., 2000; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999) The most common predators of bottlenosed dolphins are larger sharks, such as bull (Carcharhinus leucas), tiger (Galeocerdo cuvier), and dusky sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus). These sharks prey on smaller dolphins, calves and female dolphins more than larger dolphins. It is not uncommon to observe dolphins with shark bites, demonstrating their survival of an attack. Blubber may provide some protection against predators. Many shark populations have decreased up to 80 percent since 1970, so some populations of dolphins may be experiencing lower predation by sharks. More recently, stingrays have been recognized as causing deaths in bottlenosed dolphin populations. (Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Bottlenosed dolphins feed on small fish and squid. They are hosts for a few species of parasites including the fluke Braunina cordiformis, tapeworms such as Monorygma delphini, roundworms (Anisakis marina), and thorny-headed worms (Corynosoma cetaceum). It has been said that healthy bottlenosed dolphin populations indicate a healthy marine ecosystem. (Reynolds, III, et al., 2000; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999) Humans receive a considerable amount of economic gain from bottlenosed dolphins. They are often used in captivity to swim with humans and perform. Dolphins are used in tours in which participants are educated about the lives of dolphins and encouraged to preserve their livelihood and habitat. Bottlenosed dolphins have also been known to fish cooperatively with humans, letting Brazilian fishermen, for example, know when and where to drop their nets. Bottlenosed dolphins are even used for research by the U.S. Navy on echolocation and thermoregulation. These research dolphins have also helped navy divers to find submerged objects in the ocean. Research on bottlenosed dolphins has contributed substantially to our understanding of social communication and behavior and the nature of intelligence. (Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) There are no known adverse effects ofon humans. Bottlenosed dolphins in the United States are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. The goal of this Act is to allow marine species to obtain optimum sustainable population levels keeping in mind the carrying capacity of the habitat. Anyone who removes a marine animal (e.g., a dolphin) without proper procedure faces fines up to $20,000 or periods of incarceration up to one year. Bottlenosed dolphins are also protected under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Bill of 1998 in Australia. This bill is applied to waters up to 200 miles from the shores of Australia. It involves environmental impact assessments, conservation of biodiversity and endangered species as well as management of protected areas. Bottlenosed dolphins are found in most waters and so are protected by many different laws in a large number of countries. Although there are laws that protect bottlenosed dolphins, humans need to become more aware of the way our daily lives affect the livelihood of dolphins. Much of the environmental contamination found in the habitats of bottlenose dolphins are caused by humans. Common pollutants found in the tissues of dolphin are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), used as dielectric fluids in coolants, lubricators and transformers, and pesticide DDTs (1,1-bis-(4-chlorophenyl)-2,2,2-trichloroethane). Eighty percent of the total amount of these toxins in a female dolphin may be transferred through breast milk to its calf, causing suppression of the immune system or in some cases death. It is one thing to make sure that we are not removing dolphins from their habitats but it is also important to make sure their habitats are not being destroyed by our negligence. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999; Jefferson, et al., 2008; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999; Jefferson, et al., 2008; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999; Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000; Ridgway and Harrison, 1999) Fossil remains of several Tursiops species have been found in Pliocene (2 to 5 million years old) and Pleistocene (less than 2 million years old) deposits. It has been suggested that Tursiops originated in the Mediterranean region. The teeth of bottlenosed dolphins are flattened at the tips, which caused them to be placed in the genus Tursio, but because Tursio is a synonym of Physeter, the genus name was changed to Tursiops. Tursio in Latin means dolphin, and the suffix -ops means appearance, hence the name, Tursiops. Trunco is the Latin term for truncated, which makes reference to the flattened teeth of bottlenosed dolphins. There are three synonyms of : Tursiops gephyreus, Tursiops gillii and Tursiops nuuanu. Tursiops has recently been separated into two species: and Tursiops aduncus. (Jefferson, et al., 2008; Reynolds, III and Wells, 2003; Reynolds, III, et al., 2000) Jessica Jenkins (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor, instructor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Tanya Dewey (editor), Animal Diversity Web. the body of water between Africa, Europe, the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), and the western hemisphere. It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean. body of water between the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), Australia, Asia, and the western hemisphere. This is the world's largest ocean, covering about 28% of the world's surface. uses sound to communicate having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria. areas with salty water, usually in coastal marshes and estuaries. an animal that mainly eats meat uses smells or other chemicals to communicate the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline. helpers provide assistance in raising young that are not their own having a worldwide distribution. Found on all continents (except maybe Antarctica) and in all biogeographic provinces; or in all the major oceans (Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific. ranking system or pecking order among members of a long-term social group, where dominance status affects access to resources or mates The process by which an animal locates itself with respect to other animals and objects by emitting sound waves and sensing the pattern of the reflected sound waves. humans benefit economically by promoting tourism that focuses on the appreciation of natural areas or animals. Ecotourism implies that there are existing programs that profit from the appreciation of natural areas or animals. animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds. an area where a freshwater river meets the ocean and tidal influences result in fluctuations in salinity. offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes). a species whose presence or absence strongly affects populations of other species in that area such that the extirpation of the keystone species in an area will result in the ultimate extirpation of many more species in that area (Example: sea otter). makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds eats mollusks, members of Phylum Mollusca having the capacity to move from one place to another. specialized for swimming the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic. active during the night An aquatic biome consisting of the open ocean, far from land, does not include sea bottom (benthic zone). an animal that mainly eats fish the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females. mainly lives in oceans, seas, or other bodies of salt water. remains in the same area reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female associates with others of its species; forms social groups. uses touch to communicate that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle). the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south. movements of a hard surface that are produced by animals as signals to others uses sight to communicate reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female. breeding takes place throughout the year young are relatively well-developed when born Jefferson, T., M. Webber, R. Pitman. 2008. Marine Mammals of the World. Burlington, MA: Academic Press. Klinowska, M. 1991. Dolphins, Porpoises and Whales of the World. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Reeves, R., B. Stewart, P. Clapham, J. Powell. 2002. Sea Animals of the World. New York: A & C Black Publishers. Reynolds, III, J., R. Wells. 2003. Dolphins, Whales, and Manatees. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. Reynolds, III, J., R. Wells, S. Eide. 2000. The Bottlenosed Dolphin. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida. Ridgway, S., S. Harrison. 1999. Handbook of Marine Mammals. London: Academic Press.
Just like humans, plants and animals are susceptible to diseases and pathogens that carry them. Once a disease gets into an area where livestock are kept it may spread quickly and be very hard to eradicate from that area. Preventative measures are the most effective way to treat these diseases. Farms call these measures Biosecurity measures and they include structural and physical barriers such as barns and operational measures such as utilizing boot covers, changing/showering in and out of barns and quarantine periods for incoming animals In order to keep disease to a minimum in the United States, all farms should be using forms of biosecurity to limit the spread of disease. On our farm we have some simple methods, less intense than farms that raise higher quantities of livestock, but nonetheless important methods that help make sure we are doing our part to limit disease spread. For example, eliminating pests that can carry disease is very important to biosecurity. Traps for mice and rats are set up around the farm, flies are kept to a minimum by using traps and baits for the entire season, and brush and clutter are cleared and cleaned to keep these pests from making homes around our barns and farm. All feed is kept secure as well to prevent pests and disease from entering that way. Birds are our biggest battle on the farm, particularly Starlings and House Sparrows. Birds are some of the biggest vectors of disease because they can travel long distances, carrying disease from things they eat and they perch high and defecate in water and feed for our livestock. Since we raise our pigs outdoors there is always the possibility that feed, water and pasture can get contaminated by bird feces. Eliminating spots for nesting by filling in roofs in our barns and getting rid of areas for them to perch are some of the ways we try to stop birds from interacting with our animals. Another key component of biosecurity is making sure anyone entering pens is clean and free from disease. I make sure that the boots I wear in pens with my livestock are not worn in public places and are clean before I enter pens. Boots are fomites: inanimate objects that when contaminated with or exposed to infectious agents can transfer disease to a new host. Imagine I wear my boots to tractor supply, where many other farmers go as well, and a farmer goes in that store carrying feces on his boots from his farm that contain a virus or bacteria. Imagine I come in contact with his boots or I walk in the same path he walks and my boots pick up that pathogen. I then enter my animal pen without cleaning my boots and thus introduce that pathogen to my barn and my livestock. That is how disease can easily spread from farm to farm. While it may be unlikely that I carry a disease all the way from a store aisle, it is likely that if I go to another farm and get feces on my boots and then go to my farm that I will introduce new bacteria or pathogens to my animals. I can do my part by making sure that when I go to public places or other farms, I wear clean clothes and boots and when I come back to my farm I change or clean my boots before entering any livestock areas. In addition to keeping external threats out, biosecurity is also practiced within the farm to keep internal threats from spreading. For example, while it is rare for chickens to pass disease to pigs there is still a small threat, so when I feed in the morning, I make sure I feed the pigs first when my boots are clean and then I go to the chickens. During farrowing season, I make sure to the same thing. Since the piglets are more vulnerable to disease, I always go into that area first so I do not introduce any germs that their immune system isn’t ready to handle yet. Then I make my way to feeding the older pigs and I always make sure that I am clean before I enter back into the farrowing area. If we have new animals come to the farm, they are separated for a period of time called quarantine to make sure they will not introduce new disease to the farm. Same with any equipment we use around the animals, it must be clean and sanitary before it is moved to different parts of the farm. D’Agata’s Fine Family Farm is a small farm and we raise all our animals outdoors. Without any fully enclosed areas, our animals have a greater chance of being exposed to disease, wild animals and pests. We are able to keep these threats under control because we do not raise hundreds-thousands of animals at a time and we are more easily able to keep issues contained if they do arise. However, it is harder for large farms to contain issues and disease can spread very easily throughout all the livestock if a breach of biosecurity happens and a few animals are exposed. Biosecurity is one of the reasons large farms have full confinement facilities. These facilities are maintained and work well to keep diseases out and are primarily used in swine and poultry production. With these animals, disease is usually devastating and can harm the entire industry if it is not prevented and treated correctly. Such diseases may have no impact on public health, like African Swine Fever, which is currently a virus causing millions of pigs to die in China. The United States is preparing for this virus to potentially enter this country and enacting many biosecurity measures to prevent it. However, other diseases can have an impact on public health. Remember the Avian Influenza threat or even the Swine flu, both are considered Zoonotic diseases and, while extremely rare, could potentially be passed to humans. Biosecurity is not only important to production but to human health as well. What you can do to help: Most farmers do their best to keep their animals free of disease and to keep the food supply secure and safe. In addition to ensuring biosecurity, it is becoming more and more important to farmers to help educate the public about agriculture. This is done through social media, but there is also an important hands-on aspect that should be shared. Farms are opened up to farm tours, they bring their animals to showcase at fairs and some even throw events or parades for people to come and interact with the plants and animals being raised. Sometimes these events are put on hold because of biosecurity risks. This year a huge event: the annual National Pork Expo in Iowa, was cancelled because of the possibility of African Swine Fever. However, it is unreasonable to stop all agritourism and agricultural shows and events in the name of biosecurity, so instead farmers participate in these events, but do so with caution. Before animals unload from trailers at any fair, a veterinarian is there to certify health certificates. Animals must have ear tags and identification. Radio Frequency ID ear tags are becoming required for all animals at exhibitions and shows. My friend Anna wrote a policy brief while studying her Master’s Degree about animal traceability and identification that outlines the importance of why tracing an animal is so important, read it here: If there is a disease outbreak at a fair, ear tags allow officials to find and trace back all animals that may have been affected in order to contain the disease. Other cautions are also implemented such as separate pens for animals and “Do Not Pet” signs. If you go to a fair and you see signs that say, “Please Do Not Pet The Animals” please remember that that sign is not meant to be mean, it is meant to keep you safe and to protect not only your health, but the animals’ health as well. This is also a reason why pets are not allowed in fairs, in addition to safety, they too can carry disease and pass diseases to livestock. If you go to a farm, whether it raises plants or animals, be courteous and mindful. If there are signs that say, “Do Not Enter” “Do Not Pet” or “Wash your hands/boots” obey them. To further understand biosecurity on a global level take a look at this interesting video by the United States Customs and Border Protection at New York Port Authority. There are so many things to think about when discussing biosecurity, and because of the nature of the world it is very hard to be 100% biosecure. But by being educated about the risks and exercising caution the spread of disease can be dramatically reduced thanks to biosecurity.
High blood sugar, which is called hyperglycemia, means that you have more sugar in your bloodstream than normal. High blood sugar is related to insulin, the hormone that lets your body use sugar as fuel. If you have too little insulin, your body cannot use all the sugar in your blood and it builds up in the bloodstream. The same thing happens if your body cannot use insulin efficiently, which is called insulin resistance. High blood sugar damages the body’s cells over time. It is important to try and manage blood sugars to avoid prolonged high blood sugar and in particular, extremely high blood sugar which can lead to severe short term consequences, particularly diabetic ketoacidosis. According to the American Diabetes Association, blood sugars upon waking (fasting) should be between 70 and 130 mg/dL (3.9 and 7.2 mmol) and blood sugars after a meal (post-prandial) should be below 180 mg/dL (10 mmol). However, in someone without diabetes, blood sugars will typically range between 70 and 100 mg/dL (3.9 and 5.6 mmol) with spikes of to between 110 and 150 mg/dL (6 and 9 mmol) after extremely high carbohydrate meals.1 Sometimes illness or certain medications such as beta blockers or corticosteroids can elevate blood sugars. Read “Is My Blood Sugar Normal?” for more information. The only way to be sure of a high blood sugar is to check with a glucose monitor since the symptoms of high blood sugar can sometimes be confused with illness or stress or medication side effects. In This Section Causes of High Blood Sugar In the case of type 1 diabetes, a person doesn’t make insulin and blood sugars rise unless insulin is given. In the case of type 2 diabetes, a person doesn’t make enough insulin or their body isn’t using their insulin efficiently, causing blood sugar to rise. In people with diabetes, high blood sugar can be caused by a variety of reasons: - You didn’t give enough insulin. - You didn’t take your diabetes medication or perhaps are not taking enough medication. - You ate more food than you planned. - You exercised less than you planned. - Stress, either from work and personal life or illness related. - Dawn phenomenon – every morning the body produces an extra kick of hormones to get you ready to start the day and this rush of hormones causes the liver to secrete glucose and raise blood sugars. This article explains dawn phenomenon and how to fix it. Symptoms of High Blood Sugar It is important to note that if you are used to high blood sugars or taking certain medications, you may not feel any discernible symptoms. The Mayo Clinic lists typical symptoms of high blood sugars: - Frequent urination - Increased thirst - Blurred vision When high blood sugar is prolonged, the following symptoms may occur: - Fruity-smelling breath - Nausea and vomiting - Shortness of breath - Dry mouth - Abdominal pain Image courtesy of Adobe Stock Photo Treating High Blood Sugar In type 1 diabetes, insulin needs to be given in order to lower a high blood sugar. Your healthcare provider can help you figure out how much insulin you should give. In type 2 diabetes, some people take insulin and may need to use insulin to correct high blood sugar while other may rely on oral medications to manage blood sugars. For people with any type of diabetes, it is important to be a team with your healthcare provider in order to figure out the right dose of medication in order to avoid prolonged high blood sugars. Testing with a glucose meter is how you will know if your blood sugar is high. Medications to treat hyper blood sugar in people with diabetes can lower blood sugar to a dangerously low level. Low blood sugar is called hypoglycemia and you can learn all about it here. If you take a medication that helps lower your blood sugar, you need to carry some form of fast acting sugar with you at all times so that you are prepared in the case your blood sugar drops too low. Preventing High Blood Sugar It’s not possible to prevent every high blood sugar but there are a variety of ways to decrease their likelihood: - Know how your insulin works. Each type is different and becoming educated on the type of insulin you use will help you better understand how to use it safely. - Keep a diabetes log. Keep a log or journal with your blood sugar readings, the amount of medication you take and when, what and how much you eat and when, and brief details about your physical activity, symptoms, and stress throughout the day. This will help you and your healthcare provider troubleshoot and figure out how to keep your blood sugars more in range. - Test your blood sugar. It is very difficult to manage what you don’t measure or track. So when it comes to trying to keep blood sugar in a certain range throughout the day, it helps if you know what your blood sugar is at various times. Only then can you learn how our medication, activities, and food affect your blood sugars. Also, being aware of a moderately high blood sugar can prevent a dangerously high blood sugar. - Create helpful routines. Try to exercise at the same time each day and eat meals at the same time each day and take medications consistently. Healthy routines will help you get more consistent results. - Carry your equipment and medications with you. If you use a meter and take medications, it will be helpful to find a convenient way to carry them with you at all times. This way you can catch a high blood sugar and treat it without any delay. - Watch carbohydrate intake. Carbohydrates are what raise blood sugar so be aware of portion sizes and how much carbohydrates you are consuming in relation to protein and fat. - Learn what contributes to high blood sugar. Illness, infection, pain, and stress can sneak up on you and “mysteriously” raise blood sugar levels. A Diabetes Medical ID Can Save Your Life In the event of a high blood sugar episode that becomes a dire emergency such as in the development of DKA or even going into a coma from DKA, if you happen to be surrounded by strangers on a bus or at a store, emergency teams will need to know how to help you. A medical alert ID is something first responders are trained to look for and if you have one letting them know you have diabetes, they will more quickly enabled help you. Consider finding a bracelet or necklace ID that notifies others of your diabetes. Below is an example of the back of an ID tag: Freckmann G, Hagenlocher S, Baumstark A, et al. Continuous Glucose Profiles in Healthy Subjects under Everyday Life Conditions and after Different Meals. Journal of diabetes science and technology (Online). 2007;1(5):695-703.
Calcium Chloride Uses: Medications. Calcium chloride also serves several medicinal purposes within the human body. It can be used to counteract the effects of increased potassium and, therefore . Lesson 3: Ocean Acidification Overview Lesson 3 describes the ocean as a carbon sink that absorbs atmospheric carbon. Students read evidence that . Indicate that the chalk is made of calcium carbonate and will serve as our representation of shells and corals and that the vinegar is a weak acid similar to carbonic acid. Calcium carbonate is present in the marble stone. This is decomposed to carbon dioxide when come into contact with acids. Hence the effervescence is observed when acids are dropped on the floor. Lime juice contains citric acid, which liberates carbon dioxide and forms insoluble calcium citrate, which appears as white marking. Calcium bicarbonate, also called calcium hydrogen carbonate, has a chemical formula Ca(HCO 3) 2. The term does not refer to a known solid compound; it exists only in aqueous solution containing the calcium (Ca 2+), bicarbonate (HCO − 3), and carbonate … Worksheet # 1 Solubility and Saturated Solutions . If 3.78 L of 0.960 M sodium fluoride solution is added to 6.36 L of 0.550 M calcium nitrate solution, what is the resulting concentration of [Ca +2] and . The solubility of magnesium carbonate is . This forms because calcium carbonate dissolves. The rock is line, which is usually composed of pure calcium carbonate. Acidic water greatly enhances the solubility of calcium carbonate, and it doesn't even need to be highly acidic. Chemical Reactions I: Net ionic equations. 4.4 Carbonate Solubility in Acid. Subjects: Chemical reactions, gas forming reactions, solubility, properties of acids, kinetics. Description: When calcium carbonate is added to water, it is practically insoluble. When added to acid it … Search Search 350K+ Teacher Reviewed Resources Including Lesson Plans, Worksheets, Apps, & More Search Menu . Thermal Decomposition of Calcium Carbonate Lesson Planet. 9th - 12th In this thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate worksheet, students perform three experiments on calcium carbonate, make observations and write the equations for . Write complete and net ionic equations for this reaction. A novel process for obtaining magnesium from sea water involves several reactions. Write a balanced chemical equation for each step of the process. (a) The first step is the decomposition of solid calcium carbonate from seashells to form solid calcium oxide and gaseous carbon dioxide. the solubility of calcium carbonate (calcite) in certain aqueous solutions at 25° 1 G. L. Frear, and John Johnston J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1929, 51 (7), pp 2082–2093 A model for calcium carbonate neutralization in the presence of armoring L. Fusia, M. Primicerioa, A. Montia,b a Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica "U.Dini", Universita` degli Studi di Firenze, Viale Morgagni 67/A, 50134 Firenze, Italia. bI2T3 - Innovazione Industriale Tramite Trasferimento Tecnologico Associazione (Onlus) - Polo Scientiﬁco Sesto Fiorentino (FI) - Via Madonna del . Naming ionic compounds with Polyatomic Ions and metals with fixed charges only. No transition metals. Search. Create. Log in Sign up. Log in Sign up. Naming Ionic Compounds with Polyatomic Ions. STUDY. Flashcards. Learn. . Calcium Carbonate. CaCO₃ . Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula Ca CO 3. It is a common substance found in rocks as the minerals calcite and aragonite (most notably as line, which is a type of sedimentary rock consisting mainly of calcite) and is the main component of pearls and the shells of marine organisms, snails, and eggs. Chapter 18 Precipitation and Complexation Equilibria SY 4/12/11 18–4 Example problem, continued Step 2. Use solubility to calculate the ion concentrations at equilibrium. Calcium fluoride dissolves to an extent of 0.0167 g per L of solution. In terms of calcium ion concentration, 2+ 2+ -422 22 0.0167 g CaF 1 mol CaF 1 mol Ca Formula and structure: The chemical formula of calcium carbonate is CaCO 3 and its molar mass is 100.1 g/mol. It is a salt made of the bivalent calcium cation (Ca 2+) and the bidentate carbonate anion (CO 3 2-), in which the carbon is attached to two oxygen atoms through single bonds and one oxygen atom through a double bond. (a) In areas affected by acid rain, statues and structures made of line (calcium carbonate) often show signs of considerable deterioration. (b) When table salt (NaCl) and sugar (C12H22O11) are dissolved in water, it is observed that (i) both solutions have higher boiling points than pure water, and Role of Hydrate Phases of Calcium Carbonate on the Scaling Phenomenon. . the solubility product of calcium carbonate monohydrate (MCC) constitutes a necessary lower limit for deferred . The molar solubility of calcium carbonate (CC) in mixed ethanol (ETOH)-water solvents was measured at 301.15 K. From the molar solubilities, the solvation parameters, activity coefficients, solubility products, free energies of solvation and transfer free energies for interaction of (CC) from water as reference solvent to mixed (EtOH-H 2 O) solvents were evaluated. The table below provides information on the variation of solubility of different substances (mostly inorganic compounds) in water with temperature, at 1 atmosphere pressure.Units of solubility are given in grams per 100 millilitres of water (g/100 ml), unless shown otherwise. The substances are listed in alphabetical order. Contents 9 CHEMISTRY OF CARBONIC ACID IN WATER 9.1 INTRODUCTION Studying the carbon isotopic composition of water, whether it concerns freshwater or seawater, a complication arises from the fact that the dissolved inorganic carbon always consists of more than one compound, while also the presence of gaseous CO2 and solid calcium carbonate may be relevant. Solubility of Calcium Carbonate The solubility of salts of weak acids is very pH dependent. The most important example of the pH dependence of solubility is for CaCO 3, which is the major component of sea shells, line, and marble. The solubility of calcium hydroxide at 70 °C is about half of its value at 25 °C. The reason for this rather uncommon phenomenon is that the dissolution of calcium hydroxide in water is an exothermic process, and also adheres to Le Chatelier's principle. liquid is limited. This limited concentration is called the solubility of the salt in the particular liquid. Comparison of solubility of calcium carbonate with different salts of calcium has shown in table 1, and it can be conclude that only calcium carbonate has an extremely low solubility. The interrelation between the solubility of the calcium Calcium chloride \| CaCl2 \| CID 5284359 - structure, chemical names, physical and chemical properties, classification, patents, literature, biological activities . The solubility of calcium carbonate was also measured at pH 7.5, 6.0 and 4.5 with two CO(2) environments (0.3 and 152 mmHg) above the solution. The precipitation profile of CaCO(3) was calculated using in-vivo data for bicarbonate and pH from literature and equilibrium calculations. As pH increased, the solubility of each calcium salt increased. Solubility Equilibrium . Solubility is the ability of a substance to dissolve in water. The solubility is measured in terms of concentration of an ion that is present in a smaller ratio in solution. On the other hand, solubility equilibrium refers to the equilibrium between the dissolved salt (ions) In Situ Study of the Precipitation and Crystallization of Amorphous Calcium Carbonate (ACC). Crystal Growth & Design 2012, 12 (3), 1212-1217. DOI: 10.1021/cg201204s. Mari Vinoba, Margandan Bhagiyalakshmi, Soon Kwan Jeong, Yeo II Yoon, and Sung Chan Nam . Find calcium carbonate lesson plans and teaching resources. From calcium carbonate and co2 worksheets to calcium carbonate ocean videos, quickly find teacher-reviewed educational resources. . For this thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate worksheet, students perform three experiments on calcium carbonate, make observations and write the .
Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding documents in a format that is both human-readable and machine-readable. XML stands for Extensible Markup Language.XML is a markup language much like HTML.XML was designed to describe data.XML tags are not predefined in XML. You must define your own tags.XML is self describing.XML uses a Document Type Definition to formally describe the data.XML is platform independent and language independent. XML is easier to read for large amounts of data and probably easier for human editing. … A significant number of enterprises use XML as a data exchange format. Here is example of Xml: <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <bookstall> <book type="cook"> <title>Italian</title> <author>XYZ</author> <year>1999</year> <price>500</price> </book> </bookstall>
19th and 20th century Art Impressionism could be the name directed at a colorful style of painting in France at the conclusion of the 19th century. The Impressionists sought out an even more exact evaluation of the outcomes of shade and light in general. They sought to fully capture the environment of a specific time or the ramifications of different weather conditions. They often times worked outside and used their particular paint in tiny brightly colored shots which intended compromising a lot of the outline and detail of their topic. Impressionism abandoned the traditional indisputable fact that the shadow of an object had been comprised from the shade with brown or black included. Instead, the Impressionists enriched their particular colors with the proven fact that a shadow is separated with dashes of their complementary shade. VINCENT VAN GOGH (1853-90) 'Café Terrace during the night', 1888 (oil on canvas) Post Impressionism was not a certain model of artwork. It was the collective name directed at the works of a few independent artists at the end of the nineteenth century. The Post Impressionists rebelled up against the limitations of Impressionism to produce a selection of individual types that inspired the development of art into the twentieth century. The main music artists connected with Post Impressionism had been Paul Cézanne, Paul Gauguin, Vincent Van Gogh and Georges Seurat. Cézanne was an essential impact on Picasso and Braque inside their improvement Cubism. Van Gogh's vigorous and radiant artwork method had been one of several touchstones of both Fauvism and Expressionism, while Gauguin's symbolic color and Seurat's pointillist technique had been an inspiration to 'Les Fauves'. HENRI MATISSE (1869-1954) 'The Open Window, Collioure', 1905 (oil on fabric) Fauvism ended up being a joyful model of painting that delighted in using insanely strong colors. It Absolutely Was developed in France at the beginning of the twentieth century by Henri Matisse and André Derain. The musicians and artists whom painted inside style had been referred to as 'Les Fauves' (the wild beasts), a title that came from a sarcastic remark in an evaluation by the art critic Louis Vauxcelles. 'Les Fauves' thought that shade should-be used at its highest pitch to state the singer's feelings about a topic, instead of merely to explain what it seems like. Fauvist paintings have actually two primary characteristics: exceedingly simplified design and intensely exaggerated shade. Fauvism was an important influence on German Expressionism. ERNST LUDWIG KIRCHNER (1880-1938) 'The Red Tower at Halle', 1915 (oil on canvas) German Expressionism is a style of art that's faced with a difficult or spiritual eyesight around the globe. The expressive paintings of Vincent Van Gogh and Edvard Munch inspired the German Expressionists. Additionally they drew their inspiration from German Gothic and 'primitive art'. The Expressionists had been divided into two factions: Die Brücke and Der Blaue Reiter. Die Brücke (The Bridge) was an imaginative neighborhood of younger music artists in Dresden who aimed to overthrow the traditional customs of German art. Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff had been two of its founding people. Der Blaue Reiter (the Blue Rider) was a group of performers whose publications and events sought to find a standard innovative ground between the different Expressionist art forms. Kandinsky, Marc and Macke were among its founding members. GEORGES BRAQUE (1882-1963) 'Violin and Pitcher', 1910 (oil on canvas) Abstract Art is a general term that describes two different methods of abstraction: 'semi abstraction' and 'pure abstraction'. The phrase 'abstract' way to withdraw part of something to consider it individually. In Abstract art that 'something' is the one or more regarding the aesthetic aspects of a topic: its range, form, tone, pattern, surface, or form. Semi-Abstraction is where the picture continues to have one-foot in representational art, (see Cubism and Futurism). It uses a form of stylisation where in fact the artist selects, develops and refines particular visual elements (e.g. range, color and shape) in order to produce a poetic reconstruction or simplified essence associated with initial subject. Pure Abstraction is where the singer makes use of artistic elements individually once the real subject associated with the work itself. (see Suprematism, De Stijl and Minimalism). Although aspects of abstraction are present in previous artworks, the origins of modern-day abstract art should be found in Cubism. Among other important abstract designs that developed when you look at the twentieth century tend to be Orphism, Rayonism, Constructivism, Tachisme, Abstract Expressionism, and Op Art.
Skip to 0 minutes and 7 secondsCommunication is a basic human need. It enables us to project our identity and have our identity confirmed. But what is communication? Let's think about this using the questions "who", "how", "what", and "where". First of all, who is communicating? The communicators are obviously often people, but this could also be computer systems, such as automated checkouts, or animals. For communication to take place, we need some form of code-- a common system of meaning shared by a group. Codes can be things like-- facial expressions, body language and language itself, language in all its forms encodes ideas into words and symbols. Skip to 1 minute and 4 secondsLanguage is a code that can be conveyed in different ways. It can be spoken and written, and it can also be signed. Another part of "how" is the channel used for communication. Language that is written can be presented on paper, on a computer screen; spoken language can be heard face to face or through a telephone. Skip to 1 minute and 31 secondsThe "what" of communication is the message itself-- an idea, an instruction, a memory, a point of connection. A response, or feedback, confirms that the message has been understood. Sometimes "noise" gets in the way, breaking down the communication and response. For good communication we also need to think about where it takes place-- are there distractions? Does the situation match the topic to be communicated? What are the expectations and assumptions. How do we communicate? This week, we’ll hear from Dr Ian James and Dr Tony Young who share with us their thoughts about the importance of communication. We will explore both verbal and non verbal communication, and address some of the challenges we face in communicating well with people with dementia. We know that communication is important. But how do we communicate? Being a good communicator involves paying attention to the many things that can support or hinder personal connection. Checking we have understood what someone means demonstrates we are taking the other person seriously. We can support this by paying attention to: - Conversation ability: - our speaking and listening skills For example, when listening it is important that we use our whole body to indicate we are paying attention. We should try to pick up clues to meaning, and focus on the positives of what a person is conveying to us, rather than picking up on what’s missing. - Checking understanding: - of the person’s history - what they have communicated to you - what their behaviour might be telling us At the end of a conversation, making a person feel that you have understood them and valued their time by making a positive comment can increase their self-esteem. As dementia progresses, we might find that the channels we use to communicate need to change, or we may need to adapt the message, or change where we communicate. Later in in the week, in Step 2.16, we’ll discuss how technologies might help us communicate. We’ll hear again from Leon, who talks about using the telephone and Skype to connect with his father. © Newcastle University
Rights can be precarious things. In the political present, states pass laws that conflict with Supreme Court decisions, and issues of individual rights come into question at traffic stops and borders. Remarkably, rights were even less certain in the 1960s. That’s one reason that we stop to remember that President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Acts into law 55 years ago today. Despite this being a monumental piece of legislation, people are often confused about what it means and what protections it affords. The Act impacts everything from voting to schools to where court cases are heard and beyond. Let’s take a look at some of the most important pieces of the act, as well as the updates made in 1968 and 1991. President John Kennedy had proposed the act in 1963, and Representative Emanuel Celler of New York introduced it, but a filibuster in the Senate ground its passage to a halt. After Kennedy was assassinated, Johnson made it a priority to drive the bill forward, and signed it upon its passage on July 2, 1964. The broad idea of the 1964 Act is fairly simple to grasp: It aims to prohibit discrimination on the basis of color, race, sex, or national origin by state and federal governments, as well as most public places. This larger concept is tackled in 11 titles under the act. In simple terms, - Title I requires that voting rules and procedures be applied equally to all eligible voters. - Title II forbids discrimination in “public accommodations” like movie theaters, hotels, and restaurants (though it didn’t go so far as to include private clubs). - Title III enshrines access for all to public facilities. - Title IV desegregated public schools and also empowers the Attorney General to file suits to enforce desegregation. - Title V expanded the S. Commission on Civil Rights, which had been created by the earlier Civil Rights Act of 1957. - Title VI bans any discrimination by programs that receive federal funds. - Title VII was constructed to create equal opportunity practices for employment. - Title VIII was geared toward statistics, making it mandatory to track both voter registration and voting data in places decided upon by the Commission on Civil Rights. - Title IX (not to be confused with the more-famous Title IX of the Education Amendments Act, which pertains to college sports and beyond) eases the movement of civil rights cases from state courts to federal courts, a rule that was applied because discrimination-based proceedings had a difficult time getting heard in certain states. - Title X authorized the creation of the Community Relations Service, which is part of the Department of Justice; the service works to mollify community tension and conflicts brought out by acts related to discord between groups in which race, etc. may have played a part. - Title XI affords protection for defendants of criminal contempt in certain permutations of cases arising from any of the other articles. No piece of legislation is perfect, but overlooked or unexpected divergences from earlier laws can be corrected or updated in later bills. The Civil Rights Act of 1968 made efforts to address civil rights for Native Americans, as well as tackling housing discrimination in the Fair Housing Act (which is composed of Titles VIII and IX in the text). Labor was addressed in the Civil Rights Act of 1991, guaranteeing the right to a jury trial in cases of discrimination claims while also strengthening the ability of women to sue for sexual harassment or discrimination at work. Today, inequalities still exist, but the 1964 Civil Rights Act remains one of the most comprehensive attempts to address them. Its passage made possible subsequent legislation, like the Americans with Disabilities Act and the more recent protections afforded to LGBTQ citizens. Our current cultural moment finds us still dealing with fractured communities and the pains of the past. By recognizing these inequities and attempting in some small way to mitigate them, steps like the Civil Rights Act keep us on the path that Kennedy envisioned when he said, “We cannot say to 10 percent of the population that you can’t have that right; that your children cannot have the chance to develop whatever talents they have; that the only way that they are going to get their rights is to go in the street and demonstrate. I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.” Become a Saturday Evening Post member and enjoy unlimited access. Subscribe now
Betelgeuse is a bright star in the shoulder or armpit of the constellation Orion. It is easily visible in February and March from Vancouver around 10 pm, close to the southern Horizon. If you follow astronomy news at all you’ll have heard that Betelgeuse has recently been dimming. Betelgeuse is a variable star whose brightness is known to periodically rise and fall, but it’s recent dimming has been quite extraordinary. Especially exciting is speculation that Betelgeuse may explode as a brilliant supernova which would be visible even in daylight. Unfortunately the latest measurements have shown that Betelgeuse may be brightening again, Less often reported is that Betelgeuse is BIG! – not too surprising given that it is classified as a red supergiant. So how big is it? - It is so big that its diameter is about 1300 times that of our sun. - It is so big that if placed at our Sun’s location, the outer edge of its photosphere would reach out to Jupiter. - It is so big that it was the first star to have its angular diameter measured. Stars are so far away that they appear as pinpoints of light whose angular diameter cannot be determined. But Betelgeuse was big enough that 100 years ago, in 1920, it was the prime candidate to submit to measurement of its angular diameter. Michelson and Pease used the 2.5 m Hooker telescope at the Mount Wilson Observatory in California – the largest telescope in the world between 1917 and 1949 – but even it was not large enough to resolve the disk of Betelgeuse. Instead Michelson turned the telescope into an interferometer by attaching a framework with 4 six inch mirrors to the front of the telescope. The mirrors created 4 separate light paths of the star that combined, due to the wave nature of light, into an interference pattern. Astronomical interferometers can produce higher resolution astronomical images than any other type of telescope – theoretically producing images with the angular resolution of a huge telescope with an aperture equal to the separation between the light paths. The separation between the mirrors of Michelson and Pease’s interferometer at Mount Wilson was about 20 feet (or 6 m) and this proved sufficient for them to measure the angular diameter of Betelgeuse as 0.047 arc-seconds. Once you know the angular diameter, then if you also know the distance of the star, you can easily get its linear diameter in space. Michelson and Pease used several estimates of the distance to Betelgeuse available in 1920 to come up with a linear diameter of 386,000,000 km, somewhat smaller than more modern estimates. Using their 0.047 arc-seconds angular diameter with current estimates of the distance to Betelgeuse (about 724 light years) gives a linear diameter of 1.83 billion km — a truly colossal diameter, the equivalent of over 1,300 solar diameters! Michelson and Pease published their results in the May 1921 edition of the Astrophysical Journal but a summary “Betelgeuse: How its Diameter was measured” appeared one month earlier in the April 1921 edition of the RASC Journal. Betelgeuse is a peculiar star that is subjected to pulsation cycles that not only make is brightness vary but also make its size vary. Long-term monitoring by UC Berkeley’s Infrared Spatial Interferometer (ISI) on the top of Mt. Wilson show that Betelgeuse shrunk in diameter by more than 15% from 1993 to 2009. Recent images show that Betelgeuse has an asymmetric surface and appears to be shedding gas and dust at tremendous rates. Since Betelgeuse has a radius 1,300 times that of the Sun, it has a volume about 1.3 billion times larger than the Sun. But its mass is only about 8 – 20 times the Sun. This means the density of Betelgeuse is much, much lower than the Sun. The average density of the Sun is about 1.4 grams/cc – somewhat higher than the density of water. In contrast, the average density of Betelgeuse is just 12 billionths of a gram/cc. This is about a million times less dense than Earth’s atmosphere at sea level, or about the same as a vacuum found in an insulating Thermos bottle.
Can Air Be A Water Source During A Drought? Most of the U.S. is suffering a terrible drought, but scientists believe we may be able to pull water from air to solve our problems. Pulling water from thin air (Harvard) "The major challenges in harvesting atmospheric water are controlling the size of the droplets, speed in which they form and the direction in which they flow." Climate change: How do we know? (NASA) "Ice cores drawn from Greenland, Antarctica, and tropical mountain glaciers show that the Earth's climate responds to changes in greenhouse gas levels. They also show that in the past, large changes in climate have happened very quickly, geologically-speaking: in tens of years, not in millions or even thousands." Water Vapor Confirmed as Major Player in Climate Change (NASA) "Water vapor feedback can also amplify the warming effect of other greenhouse gases, such that the warming brought about by increased carbon dioxide allows more water vapor to enter the atmosphere."
Educational games for high school students provide a fun way to learn and review topics in a medium teens will enjoy. Everything from computer games to made up games engage students in creative ways encouraging joy in learning. High School Math Games Games using basic number or math skills are great practice for people of all ages. Classic math games include Sudoku, Yahtzee, and math board games like Monopoly. Challenge teens to think abstractly about math concepts or race for speed with these fun games. Algebra Equation Guessing Game Using the Jeopardy concept of providing the answer and challenging players to find the question, this simple game can be adapted to different equation lengths and functions. - Give each student a piece of paper and ask them to create an equation to solve for y. For example, students might write y = 3x+4. - After they create an equation, teens create an x and y column, insert arbitrary x values and solve for y by writing the answers on the chart. - Now students should tear off the part of the paper with their equation and hang onto it. - Teens switch papers, which only contain the x and y chart. Each student must now try to decipher what the equation is that results in the answers on the paper in front of them. - The first person to find their equation or everyone who finds it can be the winner. All you need is a computer and a printer to get a DIY game of Antiderivative Block going. In this Calculus board game two players race to answer questions and claim four squares in a row. Get a correct answer and you claim the space, but get it wrong and your opponent claims the space. Players choose between three levels of play, one finding only derivatives, one finding only antiderivatives, and one finding both. Trigonometry Mini Golf Test your knowledge of trig ratios and triangles in Trigonometry Mini Golf, an interactive online game. Under the "Use it" function, you are playing a game of miniature golf, but to get the best swing you'll need to correctly answer a trig question. Get it wrong and you'll miss on your swing; get it right and you'll increase the power of your swing. When players get an answer wrong, a pop-up box explains the question in detail with images. Get it right and you'll see a new question with another opportunity to increase your power even more. Under the "Explore it" tab, players can review the topic before playing. As a bonus for teachers, the game comes with a printable worksheet and printable explanation of learning objectives used. For a fun classroom challenge, see who can finish the course first and who gets the lowest score. High School Science Games High school science classes cover a wide variety of concepts so general games aren't easy to find or make. These games focus on biology concepts in ways that engage teens. The Blood Typing Game In The Blood Typing Game, teens learn about different blood groups, what they look like in terms of makeup, how to decipher each one, and how blood transfusions work. This free, online game is presented by the official website of the Nobel Prize. Players choose from two quick game options or a longer mission-based option. Using simple click and drag motions players must save patients by correctly identifying blood type and giving correct blood for transfusions. Tutorials and magnified views of cartoon blood reinforce the topic. Based on the classic board game, Taboo, Science Taboo challenges students to get the class to guess a vocabulary word using only your spoken clues. The catch is you can't use any of the "taboo" words in your description. In this DIY version, each student creates a card for the game deck by writing a vocab word from your chosen topic at the top of an index card. Under this vocab word, they write five related words that become the "taboo" words. Split the groups into teams, shuffle up the cards, and see who can earn the most points by correctly guessing each described vocab word. What's great about this game is the students help make it and you can use any specific topic or larger unit of study as the basis for the game. Teens will want to make challenging "taboo" words, but they'll also have to consider they might be the ones guessing that vocab word! Super Ultimate Graphing Challenge Test your knowledge of physics with a fun graphing challenge using position, velocity, and acceleration in Super Ultimate Graphing Challenge. Unlock more than fifty levels in three different worlds as you try to match the demonstrated movement of an orange slice. Using sliding scales players set initial position, velocity, and acceleration to mimic the graph for each round. Master one level to move onto the next more difficult level. Teachers can also print out the four companion worksheets. Teens can work on building vocabulary and abstract thinking skills with word games. Classics like Scrabble, crossword puzzles, and story cubes are great for all ages. But, these games are best for older players. Reinforce vocabulary, deductive skills, and enjoy some wordplay in Anagramania Intermediate Edition. This board game for 2-6 teens pits players in a race to unscramble keywords within a clue. Each player gets a clue with one word in bold letters. Players have to unscramble the letters to find the answer to the clue. Those who decipher the answers fastest will reach the center of the game board first and win. Shakespeare Board Game In Shakespeare, the board game, you are a theater manager competing against other managers to put on the best play for the queen. You have only six days to put together a show with actors, costumes, and rehearsals and you'll earn points based on your decisions. The player with the most points, in the end, is the winner. This fun board game tasks teens with understanding the complexity of a play and how important each element is in the bigger pictures. Shakespeare is made for 1-4 players allowing individual play, use in small groups, or use by teams. SAT Vocabulary Matching Game Practice vocab skills with SAT Vocabulary Matching Game. The concept is simple, choose a vocabulary set then match the words to their definitions. Six definitions appear on the left side of the screen and six words on the right side of the screen. Click and drag the words to match their definition. Get the answer wrong and you'll hear a loud buzzer. Get the answer right and you hear an upbeat tone. Try to get through all ten levels with the highest score based on your ability to guess correctly the first time, every time. Make this basic matching game more exciting by awarding prizes for top scores or adding a timer to turn it into a race. High School Social Studies Games From world history to geography, teens will love these action-packed games related to all things social studies. Use games to review, reinforce, or teach concepts. If you want an immersive experience in real-world politics, this simulated game is a great option. For around $25 you can buy Democracy 3 to download and play. This virtual country includes simulations of a variety of voters and national issues. As the leader of this fictional country, watch how your decisions affect the people and other areas of life. Because of some topics discussed and complex political relationships, this game is recommended for grades 9-12. The Redistricting Game In this free, online game you are challenged to redistrict states based on factors like population equality and political party suggestions. The Redistricting Game offers five distinct missions, each with a basic or advanced option for gameplay. Players choose a mission and difficulty level, their political party, and how to redraw congressional district lines. After drawing your map you can get feedback then submit your new district map for approval. In this strategic card game players are monarchs racing against each other to control lands and build empires. Dominion takes about a half-hour or more to play with groups of 2-4 players. Teens will learn about how to build a civilization and which factors are most important. With ten expansion packs available, gameplay is infinite and stretches to include groups of more than four players. Educational Games for High School Students Games provide an opportunity to pair fun with learning. Educational games help teach or review concepts and standards, but they also encourage creativity and build relationships. Whether playing board, card, or DIY games teens can have fun in school or at home with games related to high school curriculum.
Just like adults, kids face pressure and stress every day. A small amount of stress can be good, but when stress rises, it can cause a wide range of symptoms in children. Common stress-related symptoms include decreased appetite, headache, sleep problems, stomach aches, emotional issues and more. In 2012, research detailed in the Journal of Neuroscience found that children under high levels of stress couldn’t perform as well on spatial memory tests as those who were relaxed. It also suggested that, in some cases, stress can hinder cognitive development and impair learning. Impending homework deadlines aren’t the only thing that causes increasing anxiety in our kids. “Yes, we need to teach our children better methods for managing their stress, but we also need to be cognizant of any stress we may be manifesting in their environment,” says KwiYun Cassie Yu, M.D., a child and adolescent psychiatrist at Swedish. “Stress management for our children starts with us.” Here are some simple steps that parents can take to help de-stress homework for kids. Teach time management skills. If your children have heavy loads of homework, it will be beneficial for you to help them learn some time management and organizational skills. Encourage your kids to spread the load when possible, allocating a little bit of work every night instead of squeezing it all into one long homework session. Using planners or schedules can help them track assignments and allocate time each evening to focus on homework. These tactics can help them develop a homework habit that can ease stress. Have a clear beginning and a clear end. Some kids love homework. Some kids don’t. Either way, knowing that a task has a definitive start and end helps reduce stress associated with the work. Encourage your students to set a timer when they start a task. The maximum length of time that a child can focus one thing varies with age, maturity and temperament. On average, sources suggest two to five minutes per year of age is a reasonable attention span. This means an 8-year-old may have a maximum attention span of about 16 minutes. Praise for effort, not results Applying newly learned skills to events, such as a math problem, creates a certain amount of anxiety for children. Will they get the answer correct? Have they learned the process properly? Learning theory supports the view that providing praise during an event is far more effective than rewarding after it has finished. In fact, extensive research on effective parenting has shown that rewarding the result, rather than the effort, can impede self-esteem, particularly during the learning process. Create a distraction-free homework environment. Having music on in the background or attempting to solve a difficult chemistry equation while mom is clanking pots and pans in the kitchen is a recipe for stress. Ensure your children have a quiet workspace, free from distractions, such as loud music, TV and conversation. The ability to focus on the task at hand is imperative to the learning process and can allow the child to work more quickly and efficiently, freeing up time for something more fun. Make time for fun things. All work and no play would stress out anyone. Ensure your children have time each day to do something they really enjoy. Whether it’s a bike ride with neighborhood friends or a game of hoops with dad, taking time to relax and stretch their muscles makes all the difference between learning and cramming. Activities that include physical exercise or creativity, such as art projects, release endorphins in the brain and reduce the levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) in the blood. Do you have any great ideas/tips to help manage homework stress? Let us know.
- To increase the power and variety of tools in your mathematical toolbox. - To develop an understanding of mathematics as a a powerful way of solving real-world problems as well as a creative art form. Curriculum Delivery Strategies - In this course you will learn math through a mixture of traditional lecture, traditional homework assignments, project-based learning, computer activities, and design challenges. - Assignment descriptions, homework, resources, lecture notes, and student work (with permission) will be posted on the course website: misterwilkinson.com/math8, accessible also through the FH Collins homework website. Dates in this schedule are approximate and subject to change. - Unit 1: Number (4 Weeks). The number line. Integer arithmetic. Squares and square roots of whole numbers. - Unit 2: Proportional Reasoning (3 Weeks). Fraction operations. Ratios, rates, and percents. Multiplicative thinking. - Unit 3: Linear Relations (3 Weeks). Co-ordinate systems. Graphical, algebraic, and pictoral representations of linear growth patterns. 1- and 2-step linear equations. - Unit 4: Two-Dimensional Geometry (2 Weeks). Applications of the Pythagorean theorem. Symmetry operations and tesselations. - Unit 5: Three-Dimensional Geometry (3 Weeks). Nets of polyhedra. Perspective and drafting. Volume and surface area of simple polyhedra. - Unit 6. Data Analysis (3 Weeks). Outcome spaces. Communicating (and mis-communicating) data. Probability of independent events. - Review (1 Week). Mathematics is not just a set of facts, it is a way of thinking. We will be working extensively on the following parts of the problem-solving process: - Modelling & Visualizing (‘How can I represent this situation algebraically/geometrically?’) - Deduction (‘How do I use what I know to figure out what I don’t know?’) - Estimation (‘Is my answer reasonable?’) - Communication (‘How can I convince another person that I am correct?’) Assessment & Evaluation The evaluation philosophy of this class is that your grade should represent your learning and nothing else. Homework completion will be checked regularly and recorded, but will not count as part of your grade. All marks (including homework records) will be made available 24/7 to students and parents at engrade.com. - Final Exam (no retakes): 20% - 1 Midterm (no retakes): 10% - 5 Unit Tests (retakes allowed): 30% - Weekly quizzes (retakes allowed): 20% - Projects (resubmissions allowed): 20%
Three notes being played simultaneously are referred to as a Triad. Triads are the building blocks of Chords. The most common triads in popular music are the major triad and the minor triad. Major triads are derived from the major scale, and are the basis of the major chord. As an example, let's look at the A major scale: The A major (or A) triad is derived from playing the root (1st = A), the 3rd (= C#) and the 5th (= E) notes of the A major scale together. So if we play A, C# and E simultaneously, we will produce the chord known as A major, (normally referred to as just 'A'). Here are some ways we could play the A major triad: The third note is referred to as a Major Third, since this is the note that determines whether a chord is major or minor. For example if you wanted to know C major, you would find that it contains the notes C(1st), E(3rd) and G(5th) from the C major scale. For D (major) you would use the notes D(1st), F# (3rd) and A (5th). For E (major) you would use the notes E(1st), G# (3rd) and B (5th). For F (major) you would use the notes F(1st), A (3rd) and C (5th). For G (major) you would use the notes G (1st), B (3rd) and D (5th). For B (major) you would use the notes B (1st), D# (3rd) and F# (5th). When applying these to the guitar, if you are familiar where all the notes lie across the fingerboard (which you should be), you can construct any major triad in many different positions (or voicings).
College PhysicsScience and Technology Have you ever driven on a road that seems like it goes on forever? If you look ahead, you might say you have about 10 km left to go. Another traveler might say the road ahead looks like it’s about 15 km long. If you both measured the road, however, you would agree. Traveling at everyday speeds, the distance you both measure would be the same. You will read in this section, however, that this is not true at relativistic speeds. Close to the speed of light, distances measured are not the same when measured by different observers. One thing all observers agree upon is relative speed. Even though clocks measure different elapsed times for the same process, they still agree that relative speed, which is distance divided by elapsed time, is the same. This implies that distance, too, depends on the observer’s relative motion. If two observers see different times, then they must also see different distances for relative speed to be the same to each of them. The muon discussed in [link] illustrates this concept. To an observer on the Earth, the muon travels at for from the time it is produced until it decays. Thus it travels a distance relative to the Earth. In the muon’s frame of reference, its lifetime is only . It has enough time to travel only The distance between the same two events (production and decay of a muon) depends on who measures it and how they are moving relative to it. Proper length is the distance between two points measured by an observer who is at rest relative to both of the points. The Earth-bound observer measures the proper length , because the points at which the muon is produced and decays are stationary relative to the Earth. To the muon, the Earth, air, and clouds are moving, and so the distance it sees is not the proper length. To develop an equation relating distances measured by different observers, we note that the velocity relative to the Earth-bound observer in our muon example is given by The time relative to the Earth-bound observer is , since the object being timed is moving relative to this observer. The velocity relative to the moving observer is given by The moving observer travels with the muon and therefore observes the proper time . The two velocities are identical; thus, We know that . Substituting this equation into the relationship above gives Substituting for gives an equation relating the distances measured by different observers. Length contraction is the shortening of the measured length of an object moving relative to the observer’s frame. If we measure the length of anything moving relative to our frame, we find its length to be smaller than the proper length that would be measured if the object were stationary. For example, in the muon’s reference frame, the distance between the points where it was produced and where it decayed is shorter. Those points are fixed relative to the Earth but moving relative to the muon. Clouds and other objects are also contracted along the direction of motion in the muon’s reference frame. Suppose an astronaut, such as the twin discussed in Simultaneity and Time Dilation, travels so fast that . (a) She travels from the Earth to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, 4.300 light years (ly) away as measured by an Earth-bound observer. How far apart are the Earth and Alpha Centauri as measured by the astronaut? (b) In terms of , what is her velocity relative to the Earth? You may neglect the motion of the Earth relative to the Sun. (See [link].) First note that a light year (ly) is a convenient unit of distance on an astronomical scale—it is the distance light travels in a year. For part (a), note that the 4.300 ly distance between the Alpha Centauri and the Earth is the proper distance , because it is measured by an Earth-bound observer to whom both stars are (approximately) stationary. To the astronaut, the Earth and the Alpha Centauri are moving by at the same velocity, and so the distance between them is the contracted length . In part (b), we are given , and so we can find by rearranging the definition of to express in terms of . Solution for (a) - Identify the knowns. ; - Identify the unknown. - Choose the appropriate equation. - Rearrange the equation to solve for the unknown. Solution for (b) - Identify the known. - Identify the unknown. in terms of - Choose the appropriate equation. - Rearrange the equation to solve for the unknown. Squaring both sides of the equation and rearranging terms gives Taking the square root, we find which is rearranged to produce a value for the velocity First, remember that you should not round off calculations until the final result is obtained, or you could get erroneous results. This is especially true for special relativity calculations, where the differences might only be revealed after several decimal places. The relativistic effect is large here (), and we see that is approaching (not equaling) the speed of light. Since the distance as measured by the astronaut is so much smaller, the astronaut can travel it in much less time in her frame. People could be sent very large distances (thousands or even millions of light years) and age only a few years on the way if they traveled at extremely high velocities. But, like emigrants of centuries past, they would leave the Earth they know forever. Even if they returned, thousands to millions of years would have passed on the Earth, obliterating most of what now exists. There is also a more serious practical obstacle to traveling at such velocities; immensely greater energies than classical physics predicts would be needed to achieve such high velocities. This will be discussed in Relatavistic Energy. Why don’t we notice length contraction in everyday life? The distance to the grocery shop does not seem to depend on whether we are moving or not. Examining the equation , we see that at low velocities () the lengths are nearly equal, the classical expectation. But length contraction is real, if not commonly experienced. For example, a charged particle, like an electron, traveling at relativistic velocity has electric field lines that are compressed along the direction of motion as seen by a stationary observer. (See [link].) As the electron passes a detector, such as a coil of wire, its field interacts much more briefly, an effect observed at particle accelerators such as the 3 km long Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC). In fact, to an electron traveling down the beam pipe at SLAC, the accelerator and the Earth are all moving by and are length contracted. The relativistic effect is so great than the accelerator is only 0.5 m long to the electron. It is actually easier to get the electron beam down the pipe, since the beam does not have to be as precisely aimed to get down a short pipe as it would down one 3 km long. This, again, is an experimental verification of the Special Theory of Relativity. A particle is traveling through the Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of . To an Earth-bound observer, the distance it travels is 2.50 km. How far does the particle travel in the particle’s frame of reference? - All observers agree upon relative speed. - Distance depends on an observer’s motion. Proper length is the distance between two points measured by an observer who is at rest relative to both of the points. Earth-bound observers measure proper length when measuring the distance between two points that are stationary relative to the Earth. - Length contraction is the shortening of the measured length of an object moving relative to the observer’s frame: To whom does an object seem greater in length, an observer moving with the object or an observer moving relative to the object? Which observer measures the object’s proper length? Relativistic effects such as time dilation and length contraction are present for cars and airplanes. Why do these effects seem strange to us? Suppose an astronaut is moving relative to the Earth at a significant fraction of the speed of light. (a) Does he observe the rate of his clocks to have slowed? (b) What change in the rate of Earth-bound clocks does he see? (c) Does his ship seem to him to shorten? (d) What about the distance between stars that lie on lines parallel to his motion? (e) Do he and an Earth-bound observer agree on his velocity relative to the Earth? Problems & Exercises A spaceship, 200 m long as seen on board, moves by the Earth at . What is its length as measured by an Earth-bound observer? How fast would a 6.0 m-long sports car have to be going past you in order for it to appear only 5.5 m long? (a) How far does the muon in [link] travel according to the Earth-bound observer? (b) How far does it travel as viewed by an observer moving with it? Base your calculation on its velocity relative to the Earth and the time it lives (proper time). (c) Verify that these two distances are related through length contraction . (a) 1.387 km = 1.39 km (b) 0.433 km Thus, the distances in parts (a) and (b) are related when . (a) How long would the muon in [link] have lived as observed on the Earth if its velocity was ? (b) How far would it have traveled as observed on the Earth? (c) What distance is this in the muon’s frame? (a) How long does it take the astronaut in [link] to travel 4.30 ly at (as measured by the Earth-bound observer)? (b) How long does it take according to the astronaut? (c) Verify that these two times are related through time dilation with as given. (a) 4.303 y (to four digits to show any effect) (b) 0.1434 y Thus, the two times are related when . (a) How fast would an athlete need to be running for a 100-m race to look 100 yd long? (b) Is the answer consistent with the fact that relativistic effects are difficult to observe in ordinary circumstances? Explain. (a) Find the value of for the following situation. An astronaut measures the length of her spaceship to be 25.0 m, while an Earth-bound observer measures it to be 100 m. (b) What is unreasonable about this result? (c) Which assumptions are unreasonable or inconsistent? (b) must be ≥1 (c) The Earth-bound observer must measure a shorter length, so it is unreasonable to assume a longer length. A spaceship is heading directly toward the Earth at a velocity of . The astronaut on board claims that he can send a canister toward the Earth at relative to the Earth. (a) Calculate the velocity the canister must have relative to the spaceship. (b) What is unreasonable about this result? (c) Which assumptions are unreasonable or inconsistent? - College Physics - Introduction: The Nature of Science and Physics - Introduction to One-Dimensional Kinematics - Vectors, Scalars, and Coordinate Systems - Time, Velocity, and Speed - Motion Equations for Constant Acceleration in One Dimension - Problem-Solving Basics for One-Dimensional Kinematics - Falling Objects - Graphical Analysis of One-Dimensional Motion - Two-Dimensional Kinematics - Dynamics: Force and Newton's Laws of Motion - Introduction to Dynamics: Newton’s Laws of Motion - Development of Force Concept - Newton’s First Law of Motion: Inertia - Newton’s Second Law of Motion: Concept of a System - Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Symmetry in Forces - Normal, Tension, and Other Examples of Forces - Problem-Solving Strategies - Further Applications of Newton’s Laws of Motion - Extended Topic: The Four Basic Forces—An Introduction - Further Applications of Newton's Laws: Friction, Drag, and Elasticity - Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation - Work, Energy, and Energy Resources - Linear Momentum and Collisions - Statics and Torque - Rotational Motion and Angular Momentum - Introduction to Rotational Motion and Angular Momentum - Angular Acceleration - Kinematics of Rotational Motion - Dynamics of Rotational Motion: Rotational Inertia - Rotational Kinetic Energy: Work and Energy Revisited - Angular Momentum and Its Conservation - Collisions of Extended Bodies in Two Dimensions - Gyroscopic Effects: Vector Aspects of Angular Momentum - Fluid Statics - Fluid Dynamics and Its Biological and Medical Applications - Introduction to Fluid Dynamics and Its Biological and Medical Applications - Flow Rate and Its Relation to Velocity - Bernoulli’s Equation - The Most General Applications of Bernoulli’s Equation - Viscosity and Laminar Flow; Poiseuille’s Law - The Onset of Turbulence - Motion of an Object in a Viscous Fluid - Molecular Transport Phenomena: Diffusion, Osmosis, and Related Processes - Temperature, Kinetic Theory, and the Gas Laws - Heat and Heat Transfer Methods - Introduction to Thermodynamics - The First Law of Thermodynamics - The First Law of Thermodynamics and Some Simple Processes - Introduction to the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Heat Engines and Their Efficiency - Carnot’s Perfect Heat Engine: The Second Law of Thermodynamics Restated - Applications of Thermodynamics: Heat Pumps and Refrigerators - Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: Disorder and the Unavailability of Energy - Statistical Interpretation of Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics: The Underlying Explanation - Oscillatory Motion and Waves - Introduction to Oscillatory Motion and Waves - Hooke’s Law: Stress and Strain Revisited - Period and Frequency in Oscillations - Simple Harmonic Motion: A Special Periodic Motion - The Simple Pendulum - Energy and the Simple Harmonic Oscillator - Uniform Circular Motion and Simple Harmonic Motion - Damped Harmonic Motion - Forced Oscillations and Resonance - Superposition and Interference - Energy in Waves: Intensity - Physics of Hearing - Electric Charge and Electric Field - Introduction to Electric Charge and Electric Field - Static Electricity and Charge: Conservation of Charge - Conductors and Insulators - Coulomb’s Law - Electric Field: Concept of a Field Revisited - Electric Field Lines: Multiple Charges - Electric Forces in Biology - Conductors and Electric Fields in Static Equilibrium - Applications of Electrostatics - Electric Potential and Electric Field - Electric Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law - Circuits, Bioelectricity, and DC Instruments - Introduction to Magnetism - Ferromagnets and Electromagnets - Magnetic Fields and Magnetic Field Lines - Magnetic Field Strength: Force on a Moving Charge in a Magnetic Field - Force on a Moving Charge in a Magnetic Field: Examples and Applications - The Hall Effect - Magnetic Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor - Torque on a Current Loop: Motors and Meters - Magnetic Fields Produced by Currents: Ampere’s Law - Magnetic Force between Two Parallel Conductors - More Applications of Magnetism - Electromagnetic Induction, AC Circuits, and Electrical Technologies - Introduction to Electromagnetic Induction, AC Circuits and Electrical Technologies - Induced Emf and Magnetic Flux - Faraday’s Law of Induction: Lenz’s Law - Motional Emf - Eddy Currents and Magnetic Damping - Electric Generators - Back Emf - Electrical Safety: Systems and Devices - RL Circuits - Reactance, Inductive and Capacitive - RLC Series AC Circuits - Electromagnetic Waves - Geometric Optics - Vision and Optical Instruments - Wave Optics - Introduction to Wave Optics - The Wave Aspect of Light: Interference - Huygens's Principle: Diffraction - Young’s Double Slit Experiment - Multiple Slit Diffraction - Single Slit Diffraction - Limits of Resolution: The Rayleigh Criterion - Thin Film Interference - Extended Topic Microscopy Enhanced by the Wave Characteristics of Light - Special Relativity - Introduction to Quantum Physics - Atomic Physics - Introduction to Atomic Physics - Discovery of the Atom - Discovery of the Parts of the Atom: Electrons and Nuclei - Bohr’s Theory of the Hydrogen Atom - X Rays: Atomic Origins and Applications - Applications of Atomic Excitations and De-Excitations - The Wave Nature of Matter Causes Quantization - Patterns in Spectra Reveal More Quantization - Quantum Numbers and Rules - The Pauli Exclusion Principle - Radioactivity and Nuclear Physics - Medical Applications of Nuclear Physics - Particle Physics - Frontiers of Physics - Atomic Masses - Selected Radioactive Isotopes - Useful Information - Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation
Like other members of the genus Nothobranchius, Korthaus’ killifish is referred to as an ‘annual killifish’, indicating that it has a short life span of usually one year or less. This is due to the fact that the water bodies this species lives in typically do not last very long, so it completes its life cycle quickly, before the habitat disappears (4). Korthaus’ killifish lays its eggs at the bottom of a temporary pool before the dry season commences. With the arrival of the dry season and the desiccation of the pool, the adult killifish dies, leaving the eggs to continue the survival of the population. Embedded in the muddy soil (5), the eggs are able to withstand these dry conditions for one to three months (2) (5), until the rains fall once again, the eggs hatch and the larvae grow quickly to sexual maturity (5).
Summer air is warm and humid, which are perfect conditions for the formation of tornadoes once cold, dry air enters the upper atmosphere. But just how and why do tornadoes form? This summer, iLearn Academy's elementary thematic unit Eyeing Tornadoes aims to make our youngest students experts on this natural phenomenon. Our K-6 teachers have all collaborated on a fun and engaging curriculum that sees students combining all areas of academic learning throughout the summer. Students have the chance to research tornadoes and write informational reports about them, create replicas of a tornado shelter and write an experimental paper on their individual shelter, and read fictional stories related to tornadoes, after which, they learn the elements of storytelling and write their own tornado-based stories. The unit ends with students crafting a Storyboard Final Presentation. So far, the students have produced some exceptional work that we cannot wait to share with parents toward the end of Summer!
HU Scientists Teach The Blind To ‘See’ Using Sound The blind can’t see with their eyes, but they can see with their “mind’s eye” if they are able to activate it through sounds and sensory substitution devices (SSDs). Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and colleagues in France have just published an article on this in the prestigious neuroscience journal Neuron. - Israeli Researchers Build First ‘Atlas’ Of Brain Microstructure - Hebrew University Researcher Invents Side-Effect-Free Family Of Drugs Common wisdom has it that if the visual cortex in the brain is deprived of visual information in infancy, it may never develop its functional specialization properly, making sight restoration later in life almost impossible. But researchers have found that congenitally blind people who use specialized photographic and sound equipment can actually “see” and describe objects and even identify letters and words. “Reading with Sounds” The study by Prof. Amir Amedi of HU’s Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and the Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada, and doctoral candidate Ella Striem-Amit, demonstrated how this achievement is possible through the use of a unique training paradigm using SSDs. The article, titled “Reading with Sounds: Sensory Substitution Selectively Activates the Visual Word Form Area in the Blind,” was written with help from Prof. Laurent Cohen and Prof. Stanislas Dehaene of Pierre and Marie Curie University’s faculty of medicine, INSERM and the College of France in Paris. These are non-invasive sensory aids that provide visual information to the blind via their existing senses. For example, with a visual-to-auditory SSD in a clinical, or everyday setting, users wear a miniature camera – connected to a small computer or smartphone – and stereo headphones. To continue reading this article, click here. Via the Jerusalem Post Photo by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
What do the kidneys do? The kidneys remove waste from your blood. They do this by filtering the blood and making urine. What are kidney cysts? As people get older, sacs filled with fluid can form in the kidneys. These sacs are called "cysts." They are usually small oval or round thin-walled sacs with watery fluid in them. Kidney cysts are almost always benign (not cancerous). Usually, the cysts don't cause any problems. In fact, people can go through life without even knowing that they have them. Some people have kidney cysts caused by an inherited disease called polycystic kidney disease (PKD). This disease can cause symptoms such as high blood pressure, pain in the back and side, blood in the urine or frequent kidney infections. Not all people who have PKD will have these symptoms. How common are kidney cysts? Up to 50 percent of people older than 50 years of age have kidney cysts. Written by familydoctor.org editorial staff
Getting kids to eat more fruits and veggies often feels like such a challenge it should be an Olympic sport. However, more time and effort is being spent than ever before trying to ease the struggle and many of the strategies are working! For instance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has been ramping up their Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP), which helps students learn more about healthful eating habits and introduces them to a variety of produce. Studies have shown the program has been very effective. Children in participating elementary schools ate 15% more fruits and veggies, and nearly all students tried the healthy snacks provided (97% for fruit, 84% for veggies). The USDA doesn’t stop there; programs aimed at feeding low-income children healthy foods during the summer provided 161 million meals last year! Among other great initiatives, this year they’re introducing new “Smart Snacks in School” standards which will ensure school vending machines and snack bars contain healthy choices like fruits and veggies. There are global initiatives aimed at helping kids eat better, too, with the World Health Organization calling for tighter restrictions on the marketing of unhealthy foods (e.g., high levels of fat, sugar or salt) to children. This is particularly important because, unfortunately, marketing unhealthy foods to children has proven to be “disastrously effective” since kids are “particularly receptive and vulnerable to messages that lead to unhealthy choices.” Fortunately, the fact that kids are so receptive works both ways, and there are plenty of strategies that can motivate kids to grab an apple instead of an unhealthy alternative. The numbers from these recent studies don’t lie: - By simply branding apples with a cartoon sticker, such as Elmo, kids chose apples over cookies nearly twice as often! - Simply placing produce in more convenient and attractive locations in the lunchroom boosted consumption by 18-25%. - When children were offered produce previously rejected/disliked with a healthy dip, they’d eat it 64% of the time instead of 31% without dip. - Cornell University found that by offering apples in schools pre-sliced instead of whole, sales increased by 71% and the percentage of students who ate more than half the apple increased by 73%! This is great information to know, especially since they’re relatively easy strategies. Looking specifically at apples, there are still some hurdles to overcome, though. Kids may pick an apple because of a sticker, but will they eat it if it looks bruised or brown? And pre-sliced apples and dips are great, but we all know how fast a sliced apple discolors – okay, we know we’re transparent, but we’re honest, too! Nonbrowning Arctic® apples can make eating apples more fun, convenient and tastier than ever, helping teachers and parents alike in their never ending quest to feed kids’ the healthiest food possible – that’s the Arctic Advantage™!
Researchers at Columbia University have developed a way to harness more power than a single fission to increase the efficiency of solar cells, providing a tool to help spur the development of next-generation devices. In a study published this month in Natural chemistry, the team details the design of organic molecules that are capable of generating two excitons of the photon of light, a process called single fission. The excitons are produced rapidly and can live much longer than those produced by their inorganic counterparts, leading to the amplification of photon-absorbed electricity from a solar cell. "We have developed a new design rule for individual fission materials," said Luis Campos, an associate professor of chemistry and one of the study's three lead researchers. "This has led us to date developing the most efficient and technologically useful intramolecular singlet separators. These improvements will open the door to more efficient solar cells. " All modern solar panels work the same process – one photon light creates one exciton, Campos explained. The exciton can then be turned into electricity. However, there are several molecules that can be applied to solar cells that have the ability to generate two excitons from a single photon – a process called single fission. These solar cells are the basis for next-generation devices that are still in their infancy. However, one of the biggest challenges for working with such molecules is that both exciters "live" for a very short time (tens of nanoseconds), making it difficult to collect them as a form of electricity. In the current study, funded in part by the Office of Naval Research, Campos and colleagues designed organic molecules that can quickly generate two exciters that live much longer than modern systems. It is a breakthrough that can not only be used in next-generation solar power generation, but also in photocatalytic processes in chemistry, sensors and imaging, Campos explained, because these exciters can be used to initiate chemical reactions that can then are used by industry to make medicines, plastics and many other types of consumer chemicals. "Intramolecular single fission was demonstrated by our group and others, but the excitons obtained were generated very slowly or will not last very long," Campos said. "This work is the first to show that a single fission can quickly generate two excitons that can live very long. This opens the door for a fundamental study of how these excitons behave while sitting on individual molecules, and also to understand how you can be efficiently deployed in devices that benefit from light-amplified signals. " The team's design strategy should also prove useful in certain areas of scientific study and have many other still unthinkable applications, he added. Solar Power Gains Amplification: Single-piece fission work can increase solar cell efficiency by as much as 30 percent Andrew B. Pan and more. Ultra fast intramolecular single fission to permanent multi-molecularly designed molecules, Natural chemistry (2019). DOI: 10.1038 / s41557-019-0297-7 Researchers Develop Materials That Can Revolutionize How Solar Light is Used (2019, August 19) Retrieved August 19, 2019 This document is subject to copyright. Apart from doing what is right for private study or research, no part may be reproduced without written permission. Content is for informational purposes only.
Conditionals and Reported Speech - Tense Changes in Reported Speech This video covers all the tense changes that are required in reported speech. This video is specifically aimed at teaching reported speech in an ESL setting. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. This unit covered the use of games, stories, arts and crafts, and the use of drama in the classroom. When utilizing these options, be sure the activity or learning objective is enhanced by the option you choose. This unit provides several examples and lesson plans utilizing the various themes. Songs, chants, music, lyrics, etc are great ways to engage students, while improving their listening and speaking skills. Some activities work better with certain age groups, so make sure your activities are age and level appropriate.
A hash table is a data structure that associates keys with values. The primary operation it supports efficiently is a lookup, where for a given identifier (key) is used to find the corresponding value. Hashes work by transforming the key using a hash function into a unique identifier used to locate the desired value. Although associative arrays may seem at odds with Erlang's single-assignment nature, Erlang in fact provides several comparable data structures, including dictionaries (see the 'dict' module), hash tables (see the 'ets' module), and a variety of other implementations. Consequently, Erlang can provide efficient (and safe) mechanisms for associative arrays. See Category:HashRecipes for more on this topic.
\|MadSci Network: Neuroscience\| Question: How does our brain read nerve messages? Is the nerve message read like DNA? From: Yan Ho Good question! The brain doesn’t read nerve messages the same way DNA is read. Where DNA is code made of basic building blocks that can be read to make proteins, brain cells (called neurons) don’t have a similar code that they can piece together. First, the fact that neurons can communicate with each other is key. Second, they have to rely on huge networks of many interconnecting cells to make sense of the world. To understand how the brain as whole interprets messages, we need to first look at the individual cells. (See Figure 1) Neurons are specially designed to transmit information. The branched ends, called dendrites, receive information. The long end, called the axon, sends information – it can be up to 1 meter long! The ball in the middle, the cell body, sums up many inputs from the dendrites, and decides whether or not to send any info down the axon. (A note: a nerve is a bunch of axons from a few different neurons – like a bundle of sticks all stuck together). Cells are interconnected, with the axon of one cell contacting the dendrites of others. Information is passed from the dendrite to the cell body to the axon. The point at which an axon touches a dendrite is called a synapse. (On Figure 1, they are the colored balls on the dendrites and at the end of the axon. I’ll explain the colors in a bit.) At this synapse, the axon can send a chemical message called a neurotransmitter to the dendrite. When the dendrite receives this message, it recognizes it and responds accordingly. This is the first important way that the brain interprets signals. There is some more written about this process here: htt p://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec2000/977272802.Ns.r.html An important point is that one axon can contact many dendrites belonging to many other cells. Also, the dendrites of one cell are contacted by the axons from many different cells. You can see that this becomes a really complicated network of cells (See Figure 2). It’s similar to the telephone system – it lets you talk to lots of different people and lets lots of people talk to you. But it’s like having 1000 people on the line at once! So we know that axons and dendrites can transmit and exchange information. But what is the information that is being passed down the axon and dendrites? What is really important to note is that axons can only send one type of signal. Let’s call it an “OK” signal (in technical terms, it’s called an action potential). At the end of the axon, this OK signal is converted into a “YES” or “NO” signal by releasing a neurotransmitter. (On Figure 1, YES is in green, and NO is red) Whether it is YES or NO depends on what kind of cell it is – there are cells that have either YES or NO neurotransmitters at the end of their axons. Dendrites, on the other hand, take both YES and NO signals (remember – they receive contacts from many different cells!). All of these signals are summed up at the cell body, and if there are more YES signals than NOs, then the axon sends an OK signal. And you can see that this will give a YES or NO signal at the end of the axon of this cell – and this YES or NO will be help or prevent the next cells send an OK signal. But if there are more NOs, then then there is no OK signal, and no neurotransmitter is released from the end of the axon. It’s not a NO signal, but the absence of a signal. The really important point is that this big network of cells is what allows the brain to interpret signals from your nerves (like in Figure 3). Large, specialized networks of neurons in your brain are specially connected to perceive touch, and others sight, and others are wired up to let you move your muscles as you please. They are organized appropriately – the touch receptors from your arm aren’t directly connected to the parts of your brain that try to interpret vision. Certain parts of nerves will activate particular networks which respond to basic properties of a sensation, and this information will passed on to more complex networks. For instance, first you will independently establish that something is heavy, round, or smooth. Then this information will be passed into more networks, and you determine that you’re holding tell you that it’s a ball. Then that info will passed on through yet more networks, and you finally realize it’s a bowling ball! These networks are critical in forming representations of the world in your brain. But how your nerves respond to the world is also encoded – for instance, a heavy weight on your arm may send A LOT of OK signals in a quick succession (a burst of “OK”s). So the network of cells in your brain recognizes that there is something on your arm. But since there such a huge number of signals in such a short time, your brain realizes that this weight is really heavy. In this example, a feather would barely elicit any OK signals – just enough to let you know that something is there. There is some more written about that here: http: //www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec99/945634578.Ns.r.html I apologize if this is a bit confusing – there is a lot of complexity in the system. We barely understand how the brain does what it does! Each level of complexity builds on the lower one. I’ve drawn 5 cells connected together in Figure 3. But the brain has 10 - 100 BILLION of these cells, each with up to 1000 connections – all contained in the top of your head! So, in summary, to read a nerve signal, the brain utilizes the not only how often the nerve is sending a signal, but also how that signal affects the complicated networks of neurons in the brain! A really good website that deals with some of the nuts and bolts of neuroscience can be found at: It also includes lots of relevant links! Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Neuroscience.
When Shinichi Suzuki developed his teaching method in post WW II Japan, he did not call it the “Suzuki Method”. His original term was “mother tongue method” because he modeled his approach on the way an infant learns to speak his native language. This process follows these steps: - Listening: Just as infants listen to the sound of people talking for many months before saying first words, Suzuki students listen to a reference recording to develop a clear idea of what they can say on their instrument. - Imitating: Suzuki teachers receive special training to break down the complexities of musical performance into small steps that are easily attained by young children. When students imitate the teacher, and they recognize the result due to their previous listening, they are eager to do more. In the same way an infant is eager to repeat a word that is recognized as speech by other people. - Praise: We praise infants for making sounds that approximate words (ma-ma, da-da, etc.) Suzuki teachers and parents praise students when they approximate the sounds on the reference recording, and these first steps are recognized as leading to a bigger goal. - Repetition: When an infant does say that first word, the first thing we usually do after praising them is to ask them to “say it again!” Repetition builds confidence in students’ ability. - Review: In the same way that an infant will use the same word in many different contexts, Suzuki students review old pieces to build understanding and skill. - Communicating: Suzuki students develop the ability to express themselves fluently through music, just as we all learn to express ourselves fluently by speaking our native language. - Reading: Children don’t usually learn to read until their understanding of language helps them recognize the symbols on the page as representing something they already know. In the same way, Suzuki students wait to learn to read musical scores until the symbols on the page represent something they already know how to do on their instruments. In the same way that parents teach their children to speak easily and naturally, Suzuki parents practice the instrument along with their children. Practice encompasses all of the elements of the “mother-tongue” approach. Following this approach leads to students who develop a high level of ability to communicate through the art of music, just as they learn to communicate by speaking their native tongue. For more information about the Suzuki Method for music instruction follow this link to: the Suzuki Association of the Americas website
Fat, carbohydrate, protein and fibre are known as ‘macronutrients’ because we need them in large amounts in our diets. These nutrients are responsible for providing us with energy as well as having a number of other specific functions. You’ll see these labelled on most food items. Although salt is a mineral, we consume it in relatively large amounts so it’s listed in the nutritional information on food labels along with the macronutrients. We need fat in our diet. The reason that fats get such a bad rap is that many of us consume too much of the wrong types of fat. Fat is required for growth, development and cell function. There are two fatty acids which are essential and we need them to survive; these are linoleic acid (LA – an omega-6 fatty acid) and alpha-linolenic acid (ALNA – an omega-3). In addition, there are four semi-essential fatty acids that themselves have health benefits, and they can reduce the requirement for LA and ALNA. These are arachidonic acid (AA), gamma-linolenic acid (GLNA), eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). If you do not include sufficient of these four in your diet, then you need to make sure you’re including plenty of foods that contain LA and ALNA. There are different types of fat: Saturated fats - these have historically been associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) when consumed in excess as too much can increase your total cholesterol level. However, more recent evidence has indicated that saturated fats may not be the culprits for CVD but it would still be wise to not over-consume them. Monounsaturated fats - monounsaturated fats may help to lower the level of 'bad', i.e. LDL, cholesterol in our blood while keeping 'good', i.e. HDL, cholesterol high. Olive and rapeseed oils are rich in monounsaturates, and these fats are also found in small amounts in many nuts and seeds and their oils. Polyunsaturated fats - there are two main sub-grounds of polyunsaturates: omega-3s found in the seeds and oils of flaxseed (linseed), rapeseed and walnuts as well as oily fish, and omega-6s derived from other seed oils, such as sunflower and soya oil. Both types of fatty acids are essential to humans, as they cannot be made in the body from other nutrients. The balance of how much omega-3s and 6s is important for health. Most of us are consuming too many omega-6s and not enough omega-3s; ideally, we should aim to consume them in a ratio of at least 1:1-2 (omega 3:6)[1, 2]. EPA and DHA are the omega-3s that are predominantly found in oily fish, fish oils and the algae eaten by the fish. If you don’t consume oily fish, then you need to ensure you’re having a good intake of plant sources of omega-3s. You can read more about this here. One principal reason why there is overconsumption of omega-6s is that many processed and junk foods are made from these oils which are tasty and cheap to use so they are added in large amounts. These oils are heavily processed and therefore the fats become oxidised – or rancid. These, in turn, are atherogenic or plaque-forming – the initial process involved in the pathology of CVD. We need to include some omega-6s in our diet, but make sure they’re from plant sources where the oil hasn’t been subject to oxidation. trans fats - trans fatty acids are predominantly industrially produced during the creation of 'hydrogenated' fats, and they are used in margarines and manufactured foods like cakes, pies and biscuits. They confer texture and shelf-life benefits on manufactured foods. These are atherogenic and should be avoided as much as possible. MCTs - medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) are types of fat that are absorbed and metabolised more like carbohydrates than fats. Structurally speaking they are saturated fats, but they are processed in the body in a different way, and they provide a very energy-dense, efficient source of fuel. A great source of MCTs is coconut oil. Read more about fats in our article Good Fats & Bad Fats. Whilst not essential per se, carbohydrates are extremely useful as an efficient source of energy. There are two groups of carbs: mono- or disaccharides, aka ‘simple’ carbs, and polysaccharides or ‘complex’ carbs, e.g. starch. Simple carbs include all sugary foods and are fast acting; in other words, the body gets them into the blood-stream quickly creating the ‘sugar rush’. Many complex carbs are digested more slowly, but there are some that are still broken down quite quickly. Complex carbs include rice, oats, potatoes, couscous, quinoa, other cereals, etc. The Glycaemic Index (GI) is a guide to how slowly carb foods are digested and absorbed. Anything with a low GI is a slow carb, and anything with a high GI will be a fast carb. Try to minimise your intake of high GI foods as they can cause a spike in the hormone insulin which regulates blood glucose levels. High levels of insulin have been associated with a number of health issues and is a significant factor in the cause of the so-called metabolic syndrome which, in turn, is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, CVD and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Fibre is actually carbohydrate; it’s all the polysaccharides that humans can’t digest. There are two main groups: insoluble and soluble. Cereals, seeds and vegetables are rich in insoluble fibres – these are great for a healthy digestive system and help fill you up and stop you snacking. Soluble fibre is found in pulses (peas, beans and lentils), oats and fruit. Not only do these help maintain a healthy digestive system, but they also can help reduce the risk of CVD by binding cholesterol in the gut, stopping it being re-absorbed. Oats are rich in a particularly effective soluble fibre called beta-glucan. We should all be including plenty of fibre at each meal, and many fibrous foods are also rich in vitamins and minerals. In addition, it’s vital to consume plenty of water to get the most out of your high fibre intake as fibre acts like a sponge. Protein is essential for the structure of many tissues including muscle, skin and tendons, as well as being a constituent of substances involved in biological processes in the body like enzymes, hormones and antibodies to fight infection. There are 20 principle amino acids in nature and humans need to include 9 of them in our diet. The 9 essential amino acids are: All these amino acids have to be included in significant amounts each day. However, one amino acid that needs a particular mention is leucine. This is because it is the amino acid that ‘switches on’ protein synthesis[4, 5]. An enzyme called mTor is the key enzyme that initiates protein synthesis in tissues, and when the level of leucine reaches a certain amount, mTor is switched on and protein synthesis commences. If there’s too little leucine present, then protein synthesis is not ‘switched on’. The amount of leucine that we need to consume in order to keep protein synthesis seems to be over 2.5g per meal three times per day[6, 7] and must be in combination with other amino acids. Although it’s hard in the Western diet to have an insufficient amount of daily protein, it’s not uncommon for each meal to be too low in protein. Since most proteins are between 5% and 10% leucine, this means that protein synthesis will not be triggered to its fullest degree and not all the protein will be used for anabolic functions. Instead, it will be used for energy and, if there’s sufficient energy, it will be stored as body fat. Read more in our article Guide to Protein Quality, Digestion and Absorption. Salt is sodium chloride. Both sodium and chloride are essential electrolytes that we need to consume every day. The problem is most of us are consuming too much as salt is added as a preservative and flavour enhancer to many snack and convenience foods. Sodium is found naturally in many foods, and around 90% of the sodium most people consume is in the form of salt. Salt can be beneficial for helping hydration, which is why isotonic drinks contain sodium and other electrolytes. If you’re an active person, then include at least 2.5g salt per day, but no more than 6g per day. 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coz a reference variable at time can point to one object only in the first case replaceme variable now refers to new Button(blue) object but the original button(pink) object still exists and is refered by the btn reference variable so the btn is pointing to button(pink) only in second case change me is pointing to the object button(pink) and it changes a property(label) of the same object so the property of the original object is changed which is refered by the btn so we see the changes in the same object Hi Vineet, I don't have the book however, from the example it looks as if they are trying to illustrate how Java passes variables to methods as copies ie it does not pass the original object. In the first example, <code>Button btn;</code> creates a Object reference variable named btn. <code>btn = new Button("Pink");</code> creates a new Button object with the label "Pink" and stores the memory address for the new object in the reference variable btn <code>replacer(btn);</code> calls the method replacer passing it a copy of the reference variable btn. In the replacer() method <code>replaceMe = new Button("Blue");</code> creates a new Button object with the label "Blue" and stores the memory address of the new object in the reference variable replaceMe Program control then returns to the original method which prints out the button label. What gets printed? "Pink" ... Why? ... because the original value of the btn reference was NOT changed in the replacer() method ... a copy of the orignal reference was changed. In the second example, within the changer() method <code>changeMe.setLabel("Blue")</code> the changeMe variable is also a copy of the original reference ... it points to the original Button object which had the label "Pink". When setLabel("Blue") is called, it affects the Button object being pointed to. So when the method completes and program control returns to the calling method which prints out the btn label what gets printed? "Blue". In the first example, the original object is not affected because only a copy of the reference was changed; in the second example, the object itself was affected because the copy of the reference still pointed to the original object. There is an article Understanding that parameters are passed by value and not by reference that may make this point clear. Hope that helps. Jane PS ... I'm going to move this to the Programmer Certification discussion as it's not really a mock exam error. [This message has been edited by Jane Griscti (edited January 06, 2001).]
The language is a modality of that great variation grouped in Southern Spanish and has its roots in the language of the Andalusian people who established themselves in the first years of the XV century in the islands known as the “islands of the lords” (“islas de señorío”), including the islands of Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, El Hierro and La Gomera. This immediately influenced other groups that during that same period formed the Hispanic-Canary society which started to expand along the archipelago’s geography. The first foreign influence was French and was followed closely by another, what remained of the Guanche dialect, which the aborigines spoke on the islands when the Spanish first arrived. Other colourful tones were introduced by the numerous Moorish population, introduced in the XV century and who underwent a severe project of christianisation. Other words and phrases from the Andalusian language must be taken into account as being originated from the Portuguese language, which was brought by different groups that established themselves in this area. Time has brought about significant phonic, grammatical and lexical changes to the present day language spoken in the Canary Islands, distinguishing it from the rest of the Hispanic language and maintaining its seal of tradition.
Now that’s a topic which has caused an awful lot of confusion before. “How global warming will cause the next ice age”, stuff like that. So just to be clear: the Gulf Stream is the mostly wind-driven upper limb of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, which ceaselessly transports warm surface water from the Caribbean to middle and high latitudes on the other side of the Atlantic. Yes, ceaselessly. As long as the Earth keeps rotating there’s really nothing in the world (not even global warming) that could bring it to a halt. It is common knowledge - and true - that the British Isles and Scandinavia enjoy a much warmer climate than Newfoundland or Labrador thanks to the Gulf Stream. But its climatic influence goes far beyond that, a US-Japanese team report in a paper in Nature this week. They detected the Gulf Stream’s signature in the entire lower atmosphere - namely in air and cloud temperatures, rain bands, pressure fields and wind convergence - above its meandering cross-Atlantic course, and far inland in Europe. That the influence of the Gulf Stream might penetrate deeply into the atmosphere has been previously assumed. Firm evidence that this is indeed the case, and vehemently so, comes from the combination of satellite observations, operational weather analysis and atmospheric circulation models which the team utilised for their study. Very likely the Gulf Stream’s direct local effects on the atmosphere are tele-connected, via planetary atmospheric waves, with weather conditions in far-away regions. How frequent and pronounced these remote responses might be is not at all clear. But it seems at least as if Gulf Stream-driven atmospheric dynamics over the North Atlantic have a marked influence on hemisphere-wide climatology. This, you’ve guessed it, adds another piece to the climate change puzzle. Come what may, the Gulf Stream will not ‘run dry’. But its strength does vary, and a possible weakening of the Atlantic overturning circulation, to which it belongs, is unlikely to leave the Gulf Stream unaffected.A new ice age will not come over Europe because of that, but storm tracks and rainfall patterns could be affected in rather unpredictable ways.
There are two main types of diabetes: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an incurable, auto-immune disease, not a lifestyle disease. T1D accounts for roughly 10% of the almost 400 million global cases of diabetes and people with Type 1 are insulin-dependent for life. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body cannot properly use insulin, also known as insulin resistance, and can often be treated with diet, exercise, and medication. What is Type 1 diabetes? T1D is a chronic, autoimmune condition that occurs when the body’s own immune system attacks the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas. This attack leaves the pancreas with little or no ability to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates blood sugar. Without insulin, sugar stays in the blood and can cause serious damage to organ systems. When we eat, our bodies break down complex carbohydrates into glucose, the fuel we need. The pancreas releases insulin that acts as a kind of key to unlock the cells, allowing glucose to enter and be absorbed. Without fuel, cells in the body cannot survive. In addition, excess glucose can make the bloodstream too acidic, resulting in diabetic ketoacidosis, which can be fatal if not treated. People with T1D must inject or pump insulin into their bodies every day to carefully regulate blood sugar. T1D is neither preventable nor curable and while its cause is unknown, studies prove that T1D results from a genetic predisposition together with an environmental trigger. Living with T1D is a full-time balancing act requiring constant attention to avoid acute, life-threatening hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or the long-term damage done by hyperglycemia (high blood sugar). Blood sugar levels must be monitored either with finger pricks or a continuous glucose monitor. Insulin doses must then be calculated based on activity and stress levels, food intake, illness and additional factors. These calculations are rarely perfect resulting in a tremendous emotional and mental burden for both patient and caregivers.
Saint Boniface Cathedral is an important architectural feature of Saint Boniface, Manitoba, especially in the eyes of the Franco-Manitoban community. In November, 1818, Father Joseph-Norbert Provencher built a small log chapel, which he dedicated to Saint Boniface, the English missionary monk and apostle, who spread the Catholic faith among the Germanic tribes in the 8th century. The first permanent mission west of the Great Lakes, serving the growing Red River Settlement, became the heart of Roman Catholic missionary activity extending to the Pacific and Arctic coasts. In 1832 Bishop Provencher built the first stone cathedral “with twin turrets”, immortalized by John Greenleaf Whittier in the poem Red River Voyageur. Since 1832, there have been five cathedrals built at the present location. On August 15, 1906, Archbishop Langevin blessed the cornerstone of what became one of the most imposing churches in Western Canada. Designed by the Montreal architectural firm of Marchand and Haskell, this stunning example of French Romanesque architecture, was destroyed by fire on July 22, 1968.
Active materials convert one type of energy to another. For example, photovoltaics convert light to electrical voltage and piezoelectrics convert electrical energy to mechanical energy (such as sound), or vice versa. Piezoelectrics were very commonly known in the middle of the phonograph era—piezoelectric crystals in the arm of the turntable converted the vibrations from groves in records to electrical signals which were send through an amplifier and speakers to enjoy music. Now piezoelectrics are the active component of ultrasound used to image fetuses or other medical applications. They are also used for applications ranging from your wristwatch or seat belt buzzers to the fuel injector of your car. They have many defense applications as well, such as in sonar and hydrophones. New applications include generating energy from ambient noise or even raindrops. The best piezoelectrics are ferroelectrics. Ferrroelectrics have a permanent electrical polarization. You can think of polarization as a positive charge on one side of the crystal and a negative charge on the other. The plus and minus signs can be switched by applying an electric field. Ferroelectrics are very interesting not only in their manifold useful applications, but also are very interesting in their fundamental physics. What makes these materials so extraordinarily sensitive to applied electrical and stress fields? How can their properties be optimized? Can we design new materials that have better properties? We perform fundamental research into ferroelectrics at the Geophysical Laboratory, using theory and experiment to better understand how these materials work. We also work on designing new materials using the fundamental understanding we are developing.
As a visitor to this site, you already know how important it is for your child to get a good start in learning math. Marshmallow Math will help you to teach your child fundamental number concepts at an early age. Given the importance of early learning, Marshmallow Math begins with number concepts that your child can master before he or she learns to read and write numbers. The book follows a natural progression of skills that begins with simple counting. Addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and other mathematical concepts are introduced gradually with each new skill building upon mastered skills. The book also explores other important concepts including sorting and comparing, telling time, spatial awareness, pattern recognition, geometry, measurement, and reasoning. Marshmallow Math provides many quick, simple, and fun activates for you and your child to do together. Hands-on learning and mental math are emphasized over written work and traditional exercises. Many of the activities involve the use of counting objects such as marshmallows, pennies, or jellybeans. Having physical object to look at, pickup, and count will help to make abstract concepts more real for your child. The unique approach set out in Marshmallow Math will help to ensure that your child truly comprehends fundamental number concepts and masters basic math skills. This will give your child both the ability and the confidence to excel in math.
Narcolepsy is usually found in adults and although it is rare in children there are significant occurrences that studies have been published on it from both the prestigious Cleveland Clinic and the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania. The basic definition is that it is excessive sleepiness and that it can occur at any time throughout the day. It can interrupt regular sleep patterns as well as impact a child’s ability to learn and play. It is thought to involve the areas of the brain that control sleep. The Hypothalamus, the area of the brain that is our “stop and think” center also controls both wakefulness and sleep. Over simplified, in conjunction with the brainstem (think about this being the base of your head and top of your neck) and the back of the Hypothalamus keeps us awake (activating the “up center in the brainstem) and the front of the Hypothalamus puts us to sleep. Sleep is not a passive process the brain is very actively “thinking—cortex” inclusive of executive functions, memory and creative thought (think dreams that seem real). Narcolepsy carries a DSM-5 code of 347.00 (Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and an ICD-10 code of G47.419 (International Classification of Disease). All of the above information is to affirm that the behaviors associated with narcolepsy, while they may seem intentional are not. If fact these behaviors are so disruptive to the saccadic life rhythms that left untreated they can be associated with anxiety and depression. There is no cure for narcolepsy but there is treatment that includes medication, behavior modification, education and activity regulation. In school aged children the provision of scheduled nap times even in teens can be essential for the child to maintain critical learning abilities. Conversely forcing such a child to “stay awake” can cause frustration and negative behavioral reactions. Narcolepsy should be classified under “other health impaired” for IEP purposes and specific accommodations and modifications should be made for these children. Suggestions for addressing narcolepsy during the school day are: - Provide time for the child to take one or two short (15-20 minutes) naps during the day - Make sure teachers are aware of the condition so that this behavior is not mistaken for laziness or lack of interest - Avoid activities that could be a danger to health such as swimming, except when child is in an affirmed state of wakefulness - Establish and maintain a set schedule so that the child’s wake/sleep rhythms can be addressed - Avoid boring and repetitive tasks –diversity is key to sustaining wakeful interest - Provide extra time for tasks and tests’ inclusive of short breaks during class and/or tests. - Have teacher share with student “missed material” via email, slides, powerpoint, etc. - Providing audio versions of textbooks may also be helpful - Use of “SmartPens” that can record and write so that taking notes is facilitated during “down times” - Make sure the child stays active in class, let them sit in the back so they can get up as needed, sit on a sitball that gives sensory feedback, chew gum, etc. - Take and exercise break after a test for about 15-20 minutes - Studying and discussing assignments with a “work buddy” also increases alert behaviors. - Keep the rooms cool - Do homework while standing (maybe near the kitchen countertop) - Limit after school activities - Take a short nap when the child gets home from school - Have a regular sleep schedule Broughton RJ, Guberman A, Roberts J. Comparison of the psychosocial effects of epilepsy and narcolepsy/cataplexy: a controlled study. Epilepsia 1984; 25:423–33.
#2. Forests Complete With a Logging Industry Some underwater kelp forests are so tall and dense that they resemble tree cover. These kelp forests exist all over the world and host a vast array of life. They can grow at depths up to 150 feet and still reach the surface. This giant kelp can grow up to two feet in a day, which would be the most terrifying thing in the world if it happened on land. Timothy G. Laman, National Geographic Just imagine these guys wrapping around your ankles and sucking you down into the depths. But kelp forests are still just underwater plants doing what underwater plants do. What would be really cool is if there were a normal forest that was underwater. But that could never happen because trees need oxygen, and therefore can't grow underwater. Not pictured: Fish chaining themselves to tree trunks. But, sometimes when hydroelectric dams are built, entire forests are plunged underwater. That robot, named Sawfish, has been made to harvest cedar, pine, spruce and Douglas fir from water 200 feet deep. It's an unmanned submarine that is controlled remotely from the surface. It attaches airbags to the trunk of the tree, chainsaws it and then releases the trunk so it can float to the surface. Before you say "Look at the cute little robot cutting saplings," know that those are full-size trees and that robot is pretty damn big. And it thinks you look a lot like a fir tree. There are a few birds that decided flying up and snatching their prey out of the air was too easy, and began dining on fish and other aquatic creatures. Take the gannet, for example. When it sees a tasty fish in the water below, it's all "What water?" turns itself into a ballistic missile and dives after that fish: Hauke Steinberg, Trek Nature But you knew that. You've seen birds dive into the ocean before, at which point you assume that they bob back to the surface, shake the water off their feathers and get back to flying. They're not spiders after all, right? Wrong. Well, right about the spider part, but after that you were wrong. Stupid. See, the gannet has a couple adaptations that allow it to dive from heights up to 100 feet: It has bubble-wrap-like air sacs in its chest that allow it to survive impacts that bridge jumpers count on being the quick and easy way out, and it has no external nostrils. You might think that's a weird feature for a bird to need, but that's because you never dropped a cool buck fifty on nostril pincher things that swimmers use. Gannets can be found 72 feet under the surface of the ocean, swimming with their wings and feet and confusing the hell out of some sharks. Jason Heller/Barcroft Media, Telegraph That's one confused shark. Then there's the dipper, which gets its name for the way it sticks its head into shallow water and scans for prey. Aw, just like a duck or a goose! And then it "dips" the rest of its top half into the water and starts swimming around for a couple of minutes like it ain't no thang. Nothing dramatic. One second, it's flying through the air, the next it's bobbing around on the surface, then it spots something and plunges in and swims by flapping its wings like it is flying again, but this time underwater. Seeing them in action makes you almost want to accuse them of cheating at evolution. Y'know, if that didn't sound retarded. National Geographic, via YouTube Who did you blow, huh dipper? You can find more from Kier at makeshiftcoma.blogspot.com For more insane finds, check out 6 Insane Discoveries That Science Can't Explain and 6 Mind-Blowing Discoveries Made Using Google Earth.
If you thought the outlook for Earth's climate looked bleak, don't look up. A new study suggests that space weather—the hail of energetic particles above our atmosphere—is set to worsen in coming decades. The grim forecast suggests that astronauts and frequent flyers will face greater radiation hazards and could rule out a crewed mission to Mars before 2050. Space weather is a general term for the environmental conditions above Earth's atmosphere. When space weather is bad, dangerous particles abound. These include protons and ions, known as galactic cosmic rays (GRCs), raining down at near-light speed from space, and similar particles coming in bursts from the sun, called solar energetic particles (SEPs). The sun has the biggest impact on space weather. The radiation it emits fluctuates both over the short term and across centuries. When the sun is emitting more radiation, it generates a strong external magnetic field, which swaddles the solar system in the "heliosphere"—a shield against GRCs. On the downside, a more active sun is thought to emit SEPs more consistently. Currently, the sun's activity seems to be fading from a "grand maximum" that has been with us since the 1920s, suggesting a new minimum is upon us. Although that might seem like good news, it's actually not, according to space meteorologist Michael Lockwood of the University of Reading in the United Kingdom and colleagues. Lockwood's group has analyzed how variations in GRCs and SEPs reaching Earth have correlated with the sun's activity over hundreds of years. No one was recording the influx of GRCs or SEPs back then, so the researchers use proxy data taken from the composition of ancient ice cores dug up at the poles. Nitrates are produced as GRCs react with the atmosphere, so an ice sample containing more nitrates is likely to have been frozen at a time of abundant GRCs. Meanwhile, SEPs are thought to fill ice with rare isotopes of beryllium-10. Lockwood's group found that in times of low solar activity, there seem to have been more GRCs reaching Earth. This wasn't too surprising: low activity means the solar system's shield—the heliosphere—would have been weaker. The researchers also found that low solar activity seemed to bring fewer SEP events. But to their surprise, there was a caveat: Although fewer, the SEP events appeared to be far more intense. The worst time for SEPs appeared to be at times of "middling" solar activity—precisely the transition period we are thought to be entering. The results were published last month in Geophysical Research Letters. How dangerous is this? One problem could arise for frequent flyers, because the thin air at high altitudes offers less protection from space weather. Currently, someone could take up to five long-haul flights every year that go near the poles—where GRCs and SEPs are channeled most—without exceeding the recommended limit on radiation exposure. But in coming decades, Lockwood explains, that safe number could drop to two. "I wouldn't want to be on a plane when an SEP event went off," he says. Astronomer Sten Odenwald of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, thinks we should keep the risk in perspective. He says many people will face a greater risk of radiation from natural radon gas seeping into their basements. What's more, Bob Rutledge, who monitors space weather at the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado, adds that Lockwood and colleagues' predictions haven't yet been tested to see if they'll hold up in the coming years. "Many of these theories come out, and some will prove to be right," he says. Until time bears out a theory, Rutledge says he won't "change the way I do business." Astronauts might face more problems, particularly those headed for the moon or beyond. Scientists currently predict that a roundtrip to Mars exposes a male astronaut to a lifetime's worth of radiation; female astronauts experience double what's considered a safe lifetime dose. But Lockwood believes that in our transition to minimum solar activity—which could last anywhere between 40 and 200 years—this dose could increase at least twofold. Biophysicist Francis Cucinotta of NASA's Space Radiation Program at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, says it should be possible to shield astronauts against the SEP events. But GRCs would require an amount of shielding that is "not feasible" for spacecraft, he says. That means a crewed Mars mission, which NASA still has penciled in for the 2030s, would need another means of protecting astronauts. Correction: The original version of this article attributed a quote addressing the hazard of natural radon gas to William Murtagh of the Space Weather Prediction Center in Boulder, Colorado. The article has now been corrected to attribute this quote, rightly, to Sten Odenwald of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
\|\|This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (July 2015)\| A cypress knee is a distinctive structure forming above the roots of a cypress tree of any of various species of the subfamily Taxodioideae. Their function is unknown, but they are generally seen on trees growing in swamps. Some scientists have thought they may help in oxygenation to the tree's roots or assist in anchoring the tree in the soft, muddy soil. Knees are woody projections sent above the normal water level, roughly vertically from the roots, with a near-right-angle bend taking them vertically upward through water. One early assumption of their function was that they provided oxygen to the roots that grow in the low dissolved oxygen (DO) waters typical of a swamp, acting as pneumatophores: mangroves have similar adaptations. There is little actual evidence for this assertion; in fact, swamp-dwelling specimens whose knees are removed continue to thrive, and laboratory tests demonstrate that the knees are not effective at depleting oxygen in a sealed chamber. Despite the fact that there is no expert consensus on their role, the supposition that they are pneumatophores is repeated without note in several introductory botany textbooks. Another more likely function is that of structural buttressed support and stabilization. Lowland or swamp-grown cypresses found in flooded or flood-prone areas tend to be buttressed and "kneed," as opposed to cypresses grown on higher ground, which may grow with very little taper. Trees that develop these "knees" include the following: - Christopher H. Briand. "Cypress Knees: An Enduring Enigma." Arnoldia. 2000-2001.Vol. 60(4). p. 19-20, 21-25. An extensive review of the published literature concerning cypress knees.
The seventeenth-century doctrine known as occasionalism arose in response to a perceived problem. Cartesian philosophy generated the problem and provided the context for the answer. In the Cartesian ontology, mind and matter are substances totally different in nature. Souls or minds have modes of thought but not modes of extension; bodies have modes of extension but not of thought. Modes are properties that affect or modify substances. A substance with a particular mode can be conceived as not having this mode, but the mode cannot be conceived apart from the particular substance of which it is the mode. The modes of each substance belong to that substance alone and cannot belong to any other substance. 1 Each mind has its own thoughts, that is, its own perceptions and volitions, and they are numerically distinct from the thoughts of every other mind. Likewise, each body has its own figure, and each moving body has its own motion. Even when two bodies are said to have the same shape, the mode which is the figure of one body is numerically distinct from the mode which is the figure of the other. In the 1640s, the following question was put to Descartes by Pierre Gassendi and again by Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia: how can the human mind act on the human body, and the body on the mind, if they are two substances totally different in nature? Descartes responds to Gassendi by dismissing the question: The whole problem contained in such questions arises simply from a supposition that is false and cannot in any way be proved, namely that, if the soul and the body are two substances whose nature is different, this prevents them from being able to act on each other. 2 To Elizabeth, he acknowledges that the question is a fair one. He appeals to the notion of the union of soul and body, ‘on which depends Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com Publication information: Book title: The Renaissance and Seventeenth-Century Rationalism. Contributors: G. H.R. Parkinson - Editor. Publisher: Routledge. Place of publication: London. Publication year: 1993. Page number: 349. This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
A farmer’s harvest in bushels varies directly with the number of acres planted. A. Express in sentence form what this means to the farmer. B.Translate the variation statement into the corresponding variation equation. C. If 8 acres can produce 144 bushels, find the constant of variation, k. D. Rewrite the variation equation using the results from part c). E. Use this equation to determine how many acres are needed to produce 1296 bushels.
Last updated: 04 October 2011 Laryngitis is inflammation of the larynx (voice box). Symptoms of laryngitis include: - loss of voice, and - sore throat. The larynx is a tube-like structure found at the entrance of the trachea (windpipe). The lump you can see at the front of your throat, commonly known as the Adam’s apple, is your larynx. The larynx has three main functions: - It helps channel oxygen into your trachea when you breathe. - It acts like a valve, closing off the trachea when you swallow to prevent food or liquid entering your airways. - It contains two membranes (the vocal cords) which vibrate as air passes through them, producing the sound of your voice. Laryngitis causes these membranes to become inflamed. They cannot vibrate properly, which leads to the loss of voice associated with laryngitis. Types of laryngitis There are two main types of laryngitis: - Acute laryngitis, where symptoms do not last longer than three weeks. - Chronic laryngitis, where symptoms persist for longer than three weeks. Infection is the most common cause of acute laryngitis. This is usually a viral infection, such as the common cold. Other causes of acute laryngitis include misusing or overusing your voice, for example by shouting or singing too loud. Many professional singers have episodes of acute laryngitis. Chronic laryngitis can be caused by: How common is laryngitis? It is difficult to estimate how common acute laryngitis is because most people do not report their symptoms to their GP. However, acute laryngitis is thought to be the most common condition to affect the larynx. The outlook for acute laryngitis is excellent. Most people will make a full recovery within three weeks without developing complications. The outlook for chronic laryngitis will depend on the underlying cause. If the condition is due to factors such as smoking or drinking alcohol, your symptoms should get better if you stop smoking or drinking. In cases of GORD-associated chronic laryngitis, medication will probably be required to prevent acid from leaking up into the throat. Continue to next section: Symptoms of laryngitis
Alternatively referred to as cursor keys, the arrow keys are usually located in between the standard section and the numeric pad on computer keyboards. It is made up of four keys: the left arrow (back arrow), up arrow, down arrow, and the right arrow (forward arrow). The picture is an example of what the arrow keys may look like on your keyboard. Some keyboards, such as the Microsoft Natural Keyboard, may arrange these keys differently. How are arrow keys used? - Move the text cursor on the screen. - Use in combination with other keys for shortcut keys. For example, pressing the Alt key and the left arrow key in all browsers takes you back one page. - Move a character in a computer game. - Select text. For example, holding down shift and pressing the arrow key in the direction you want to highlight text. - Move the mouse pointer using the keyboard instead of the mouse. Overview of a keyboard Also see: Keyboard terms
Why Human Babies Are Fattest (and Smartest) Newborn Baby Fat Protects the Brain During Critical Stages Feb. 20, 2004 -- The next time you see a plump baby, compliment the parent on how smart their child will be. A new study shows that baby fat is linked to the size of babies' heads and future intelligence. Researchers say human infants have long been recognized as the fattest newborns, much fatter than other animals that need extra fat for insulation. In fact, most mammals, including nonhuman primates, don't start accumulating fat until after birth. Answering the evolutionary question of why human babies are born plump has puzzled scientists for years, and many explanations have been offered. But Portuguese researchers say they now have evidence to back up their theory. Fatter Babies Have Bigger Heads In their study, published in the current issue of the American Journal of Human Biology, researchers studied 1,069 human newborns. They found that the fatter the baby was, the bigger his or her head was likely to be, even after accounting for other factors such as gestational age and birth length. They say the finding shows that newborns need that extra fat to feed their brains during the critical early stages of development. Previous studies have shown that the brain needs high amounts of energy in order to function and grow, and the bigger the organ is, the more energy it needs. Researchers say this is especially true during infancy when the brain goes through its maximum growth stage. For example, a newborn's brain can expend as much as 60% of the total energy produced by the body. Because human babies are not capable of fending for themselves, fatness as a newborn may have developed as an evolutionary mechanism to protect the brain as it develops. Malnutrition in early life can negatively affect the brain's development and is a major cause of infant death. Researchers say prior studies have also shown that birth weight and head size at birth are associated with head size and mental abilities in childhood and later life. Therefore, newborn fatness would have been favored by natural selection and explain why the trait has endured throughout human evolution.
Learn to Ride It is always important for a child to have the right types of exercise enabling them to grow and develop, and statistics suggest that 3 hours of exercise a day is vital for a toddler’s development. So step one is learning how to ride a bike at home: - Find a safe place to practice - Short grass or tidy gravel is a good place to start, so if your child does fall over they won’t hurt themselves, but this surface is a little more difficult to ride on then concrete. Whichever you decide, ensure it consists of flat areas and gentle slopes. - Adjust the saddle height - This is vital; ensure the child's feet are flat on the floor and both knees have a little bend in them while seated, making sure you adjust the handlebar every couple of months. - Let your child walk with the bike - When your child is walking with the bike while seated, begin supporting your child so that they feel comfortable enough to have the confidence to begin riding the bike. - Let the child set the speed themselves - Don't force your child to start riding until they are comfortable, all children have different paces from one another. Why not pop down to a strider lesson? The advantages include; - Singing songs and interacting with other children - Increased balance and coordination - Developing an extraordinary amount of confidence - Graduating with a certificate of accomplishment Strider Adventure Zones Come along to the Strider adventure zones, 18 months to 5 year old kids LOVE the Strider; make it a fun day out for the whole family whilst at the same time giving your toddlers that boost of confidence. Children can ride the obstacles or can be cordoned off in one flat area to try them for the first time, enhancing their skills and developing their balance and motor skills. Children with special needs CAN learn how to ride Over and over again we have heard parents explain how they were told that their children would not learn how to ride a bike, and we came up with the solution - the Strider bike. Time and time again we have heard how fantastic children are doing at riding. The Strider makes it easy and adaptable; contact us for further information on the product.
Humpbacks make a SPLASH in the N. Pacific By Alana Phillips Humpback whales were historically abundant in the Pacific Ocean, but extensive whaling almost resulted in their extinction. By the mid-1960s, it’s estimated that fewer than 1,500 humpback whales remained in the North Pacific. Humpback whales completely disappeared from many regions around the coast of British Columbia for decades. From 2004-2006, an international multi-agency research effort known as SPLASH (Structure of Populations, Levels of Abundance, and Status of Humpbacks) has been working to determine the number of humpback whales in the North Pacific Ocean. This study is one of the largest international collaborative studies of any whale population ever conducted, involving over 50 research groups in 10 countries around the Pacific Rim. Whale biologists surveyed the whales’ winter breeding areas and their summer feeding areas, and took photographs of the whales’ tail flukes, which are individually identifiable by their black and white colour patterns and presence of scars, nicks and scratches. By matching photos from different areas, the biologists were able to track individual animals across the Pacific Ocean, and determine where the whales travel throughout the year. For example, they found that most of the humpback whales that breed in Hawaii travel to the Gulf of Alaska and the Bering Sea in the summer feeding months, while whales that breed in Mexico tend to feed off the coasts of California and Oregon. In the SPLASH Final Report released this week, biologists showed that by applying statistical models to the counts of humpback whales that were photographed, they estimated that the current number of humpback whales is between 18,000 to 20,000 whales, a much higher number than was previously thought. Over the last few months, we’ve had regular reports of humpback whales in the Strait of Georgia, and recently had our first report of a humpback whale in Howe Sound , north of Vancouver – the first confirmed sighting of this species in Howe Sound in 100 years! Although that’s great news for the whales, they still face many threats in our area. Because they feed on schooling fish such as herring, humpback whales are vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear, and are likely ingesting contaminants from human sources that make their way up the ocean food web. As humpback whales become more numerous in our waters, they’ll encounter high volumes of vessel traffic ranging from pleasure craft to tug boats, ferries, cruise ships and cargo ships, all of which increase the risk of collisions, disturbance and underwater noise. You can help! If you see a humpback whale, please follow the Be Whale Wise guidelines. View the whales from a distance and allow them space to perform their natural behaviours. If you see a whale that’s entangled in fishing gear, please call the DFO Incident Reporting Line at 1-800-465-4336. And finally, be sure to send us your sightings – every report we receive helps to protect humpback whales and other cetaceans along our coast.
Childrens Cerebral Palsy Parents from around the world have helped their children with cerebral palsy move along the path to wellness. Using the programs developed by The Institutes, children diagnosed with cerebral palsy have been able to improve function and, in some cases, perform at peer level or above. The most common term used to describe children with mobility problems is “cerebral palsy.” “Cerebral palsy” is a symptomatic diagnosis. The children who are labeled as having cerebral palsy are primarily injured in the subcortical areas of the brain. A proper diagnosis describes where the injury exists in the brain, the degree of the injury and the extent of the injury to the brain. To be successful one must treat the brain, where the injury actually exists. The subcortical areas form the middle region of the brain, or functional midbrain. This region includes structures such as the basal ganglia, the thalamus, the cerebellum and the area traditionally called “midbrain,” which anatomically is the upper part of the brain stem above the pons. Myths About Cerebral Palsy - clearThey need surgery for their eyes, ears, legs, and hips. - clearThey will need braces, crutches, wheelchairs for life. - clearThey are “mentally retarded." Our View on Cerebral Palsy - check The problem is in the brain, and it is the brain that needs to be treated. - checkThey need stimulation and opportunity to gain real ability and to improve. - checkThey are intelligent. To be successful one must treat the brain, where the injury actually exists. The Institutes offers a comprehensive home program that focuses on neurological growth and development. Our goal is physical, physiological, intellectual, and social growth towards excellence for each child. The Institutes presents courses for parents where they can learn how to successfully provide enrichment and opportunity at home to help their child progress. Our course for the Brain-injured Child is presented in Philadelphia in the United States, India, Italy, Japan, Brazil, Russia, Spain, Australia, Singapore and Mexico. Click For Course Dates A proper diagnosis describes where the injury exists in the brain, the degree of the injury, and the extent of the injury to the brain. Parents may wish bring their child to The Institutes. After a detailed history is taken and a careful and thorough evaluation is completed, a diagnosis is made and a home treatment program is designed for each child and carefully taught. Learn More When parents return home to carry out the program, the staff of The Institutes provide the support parents need to carry out the program until their next visit to The Institutes. Using the programs developed by The Institutes, children diagnosed with autism have been able to improve function and, in some cases, perform at peer level or above. See Results
This resource provides explanations of the key concepts encountered when exploring ultraviolet radiation – the ‘basics’ that every student should understand. Understanding these and using our other reousrces will help answer questions such as: What actually is ultraviolet radiation? Where does it come from? What effects does it have on the Earth and on our bodies? Can we put ultraviolet radiation to good use? - Electromagnetic spectrum - Lymphatic system - Skin cancer Electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength shorter than 400 nanometres and longer than 10 nanometres. This wavelength range places ultraviolet light between the visible light spectrum and the X-ray spectrum. The emission of visible light from a substance caused by the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, such as ultraviolet or X-rays, and which stops immediately when the stimulating radiation ceases. The complete range of electromagnetic radiation from the shortest waves (gamma rays) to the longest (radio waves). A toxic gas comprised of molecules that consist of three oxygen atoms bonded together. A cancer of the melanocytes. Melanocytes are found predominantly in skin but also in the bowel and the eye and are responsible for skin, hair and eye colour. Melanoma is the most dangerous type of skin cancer. It is the leading cause of death from skin disease. The outer layer covering an animal. It contains two layers of cells, the dermis and the epidermis. Skin protects against UV rays and disease-causing microorganisms. Made of lymph organs, nodes, ducts, tissues, lymph capillaries and vessels that produce and transport lymph fluid from the tissues to the circulatory system. It is the main part of the immune system to protect the body against disease. It is not closed and has no central pump. A method used to identify the sentinel lymph node (the first lymph node that the lymph from a tumour site drains to). A radioactive substance is injected at the site of the tumour, and the movement of this substance is followed on a computer screen. The uncontrolled growth of abnormal skin cells. If not treated, these cancer cells can spread from the skin into other tissues and organs. There are different types of skin cancer, named according to the skin cells in which they arise. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common. Permanent change to the DNA sequence of a gene. Mutations can be caused by copying errors in the genetic material during cell division, and by exposure to UV light, chemicals or viruses.
Home / About Vitamins / Free Radicals We can understand free radicals by looking at the explanation in the box to the right. Free radicals are oxygen atoms that are missing one electron from the pair the atom should have. When an atom is missing an electron from a pair, it becomes unstable and very reactive. That's because a free radical desperately wants to find another electron to fill in the gap, so it grabs an electron from the next atom it gets near. The trouble is, when a free radical seizes an electron from another atom, the second atom then becomes a free radical, because now it's the one missing an electron. One free radical starts a cascade of new free radicals in our body. The free radicals blunder around, grabbing electrons from our cells-and doing a lot of damage to them at the same time. Burning of fuel isn't the only thing that can make free radicals in our cells. Some other things include: On average, every cell in our body comes under attack from a free radical once every ten seconds. Our best protection is to keep our antioxidant levels high. If you want to understand a bit more about the way free radicals are made you can read the following section. To understand free radicals in more detail, we must first understand a bit about cells and molecules. The body is made up of many different types of cell and cells are made of many different types of molecules. Molecules are made up of one or more atoms of one or more elements joined by chemical bonds and atoms consist of a nucleus, neutrons, protons and electrons. The number of protons (positively charged particles) in the atom's nucleus determines the number of electrons (negatively charged particles) surrounding the atom. Electrons are involved in chemical reactions and are the substance that bonds atoms together to form molecules. Electrons surround, or "orbit" an atom in one or more shells. The innermost shell is full when it has two electrons. When the first shell is full, electrons begin to fill the second shell. When the second shell has eight electrons, it is full, and so on. The most important structural feature of an atom for determining its chemical behavior is the number of electrons in its outer shell. A substance that has a full outer shell tends not to enter into chemical reactions (it is an inert substance). Because atoms seek to reach a state of maximum stability, an atom will try to fill its outer shell by: Atoms often complete their outer shells by sharing electrons with other atoms. By sharing electrons, the atoms are bound together and satisfy the conditions of maximum stability for the molecule. Normally, bonds don't split in a way that leaves a molecule with an odd, unpaired electron. But when weak bonds split, free radicals are formed. Free radicals are very unstable and react quickly with other compounds, trying to capture the needed electron to gain stability. Generally, free radicals attack the nearest stable molecule, taking its electron. When the 'attacked' molecule loses its electron, it becomes a free radical itself, beginning a chain reaction. Once the process is started, it can continue, finally resulting in the disruption of a living cell. Some free radicals arise normally during metabolism. Sometimes the body's immune system's cells purposefully create them to neutralize viruses and bacteria. However, environmental factors such as pollution, radiation, cigarette smoke and herbicides can also spawn free radicals. Normally, the body can handle free radicals, but if antioxidants are unavailable, or if the free-radical production becomes excessive, damage can occur. Of particular importance is that free radical damage accumulates with age. The chain reaction of free radical formation occurs in three stages: Free radicals are present in all living cell and are a part of the cell processes. However excessive free radicals in our cells can attack the cell membranes (the outer coat of the cell). This attack causes cell and tissue damage. Radicals can also break strands of DNA (the genetic material in the cell). Some of the chemicals known to cause cancer, do so by forming free radicals. Another example of a toxic substance leading to disease is acetalhedyde that is produced by the liver in detoxification. These are dealt with by antioxidants. However in the absence of sufficient antioxidant nutrients or in deficiency states these substance have been linked to the development of diseases such as Parkinson's disease and motor neurone disease. Bland, J. 1996, Contemporary Nutrition. J & B Associates. Holden, S., Hudson, K., Tilman, J. & D. Wolf, 2003, The Ultimate Guide to Health from Nature. Asrolog Publication. Pressman, A. and S. Buff, 2000, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. (2nd Ed.) Alpha Books. Soothill, R. 1996, The Choice Guide to Vitamins and Minerals. A Choice Book Publication. Sullivan, K. 2002, Vitamins and Minerals: A Practical Approach to a Health Diet and Safe Supplementation. Harper Collins.
Back to Main page What benefits have you noticed from teaching this way instead of lecturing? - Students come to class better prepared, because they know exactly what they will be asked to discuss. - Students learn to read with greater levels of comprehension. - Students learn how to use multiple sources of information in their study. - Students learn to see other peoples' points of view. - Students become more adept at speaking in front of groups. - Students learn to work in teams, and solve problems collaboratively. - Students demonstrate self-teaching ability when assigned to lab projects. - Students can exceed instructor's knowledge as they study and research on their own (I have found this to be a regular occurrence in my classroom!). - Students with "attention-deficit" problems are more engaged in Socratic discussion sessions than in lecture. - Students may receive more individualized attention and direction from the instructor (if some class time is devoted for small-group work prior to student presentations). - Student absences are "made up" in a more meaningful way, because every student knows exactly what was covered during discussion time. - A wider range of learning styles are satisfied, as students are able to engage with the subject matter in a greater number of ways. - Because discussion sessions are driven by student responses, the classroom pace adjusts to immediate student needs rather than being dictated by the instructor. - Amount of "lecture time" required is roughly half of what it is without prior student research and preparation. - The instructor's job becomes more stimulating, because active engagement with students' minds is far more interesting than performing a lecture. - Because the curriculum is not based on a particular textbook, there is less variability when textbooks go through revisions. This makes is easier to align the curriculum to external outcomes and competencies. - Worksheets allow for more complex and realistic problems to be presented to students, using less classroom time. - Worksheets allow peer review of instructional content to fine detail, improving course quality. - Out-of-class study groups becomes more focused with worksheets guiding student effort. - Worksheets permit distance education for students whose schedules preclude regular classroom attendance. - Individual student progress becomes immediately apparent to the instructor by monitoring their participation in the discussion and their interaction within student groups. This allows academic weaknesses to be identified earlier (and corrected sooner!) than in a non-interactive environment. Back to Main page
Presentation on theme: "Topic 2: The ecosystem How does the role of instrumentation circumvent the limitations of perception? Can environmental investigations and measurements."— Presentation transcript: 1 Topic 2: The ecosystemHow does the role of instrumentation circumvent the limitations of perception? Can environmental investigations and measurements be as precise or reliable as those in the physical sciences? Why is this, and how does this affect the validity of the knowledge? Applying similarly rigorous standards as are used in physics, for example, would leave environmentalists with very little they could claim as knowledge. But, by insisting on high degrees of objectivity, would we miss out on a useful understanding of the environment?Is a pragmatic or correspondence test of truth most appropriate in this subject area? 2 2.1.1 Distinguish between biotic and abiotic (physical) components of an ecosystem. 2.1.2 Define the term trophic level. 3 2.1.3 Identify and explain trophic levels in food chains and food webs selected from the local environment.Relevant terms (for example, producers, consumers, decomposers, herbivores, carnivores, top carnivores) should be applied to local, named examples and other food chains and food webs. 4 2.1.4 Explain the principles of pyramids of numbers and construct such pyramids from given data. In accordance with the second law of thermodynamics, there is a tendency for numbers and quantities of biomass and energy to decrease along food chains; therefore the pyramids become narrower as one ascends. Pyramids of numbers can sometimes display different patterns, for example, when individuals at lower trophic levels are relatively large.pyramids of numbers represent storages. 5 pyramids of biomass,A pyramid of biomass represents the standing stock of each trophic level measured in units such as grams of biomass per square metre (g m–2). Biomass may also be measured in units of energy, such as J m–2.pyramids of biomass can show greater quantities at higher trophic levels because they represent the biomass present at a given time (there may be marked seasonal variations).pyramids of biomass represent storages. 6 pyramids of productivity, Pyramids are graphical models of the quantitative differences that exist between the trophic levels of a single ecosystem.refer to the flow of energy through a trophic level and invariably show a decrease along the food chain. For example, the turnover of two retail outlets cannot be compared by simply comparing the goods displayed on the shelves; the rates at which the shelves are being stocked and the goods sold also need to be known. Similarly, a business may have substantial assets but cash flow may be very limited. 7 In the same way, pyramids of biomass simply represent the momentary stocks pyramids of productivity show the rate at which that stock is being generated.Biomass, measured in units of mass or energy (for example, g m–2 or J m–2)Productivity measured in units of flow (for example, g m–2 yr–1 or J m–2 yr–1).A pyramid of energy may be represented either as the standing stock (biomass) measured in units of energy (J m–2) or as productivity measured in units of flow of energy (J m–2 yr–1), depending on the text consulted. As this is confusing, this syllabus avoids the term pyramid of energy. 8 2.1.5 Discuss how the pyramid structure affects the functioning of an ecosystem. Include concentration of non‑biodegradable toxins in food chains, limited length of food chains, and vulnerability of top carnivores.Definitions of the terms biomagnification, bioaccumulation and bioconcentration are not required. 9 2.1.6 Define the terms species, population, habitat, niche, community and ecosystem with reference to local examples. 10 2.1.7 Describe and explain population interactions using examples of named species. Include competition, parasitism, mutualism, predation and herbivory.Interactions should be understood in terms of the influences each species has on the population dynamics of others, and the carrying capacity of the others’ environment.Graphical representations of these influences should be interpreted.Mutualism is an interaction in which both species derive benefit. 11 2.2.1 List the significant abiotic (physical) factors of an ecosystem. 12 Describe and evaluate methods for measuring at least three abiotic (physical) factors within an ecosystem.know methods for measuring any three significant abiotic factors and how these may vary in a given ecosystem with depth, time or distance.• marine—salinity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, wave action• freshwater—turbidity, flow velocity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen• terrestrial—temperature, light intensity, wind speed, particle size, slope, soil moisture, drainage, mineral content. 13 2.3.1 Construct simple keys and use published keys for the identification of organisms. practice with keys suppliedconstruct own keys for up to eight species. 14 2.3.2 Describe and evaluate methods for estimating abundance of organisms. include capture–mark–release–recapture (Lincoln index)quadrats for measuring population density, percentage frequency and percentage cover. 15 2.3.3 Describe and evaluate methods for estimating the biomass of trophic levels in a community. Dry weight measurements of quantitativesamples could be extrapolated to estimate total biomass. 16 2.3.4 Define the term diversity. Diversity is often considered as a function of two components:the number of different speciesthe relative numbers of individuals of each species. 17 2.3.5 Apply Simpson’s diversity index and outline its significance. Students are not required to memorize this formula but must know the meaning of the symbols:D = diversity indexN = total number of organisms of all species foundn = number of individuals of a particular speciesD is a measure of species richness. 18 A high value of D suggests a stable and ancient site, and a low value of D could suggest pollution, recent colonization or agricultural management. The index is normally used in studies of vegetation but can also be applied to comparisons of animal (or even all species) diversity. 19 2.4.1 Define the term biome.Biomes usually cross national boundaries (biomes do not stop at a border; for example, the Sahara, tundra, tropical rainforests). 20 Explain the distribution, structure and relative productivity of tropical rainforests, deserts, tundra and any other biome.Refer to prevailing climate and limiting factors.For example, tropical rainforests are found close to the equator where there is high insolation and rainfall and where light and temperature are not limiting. The other biome may be, for example, temperate grassland or a local example.Limit climate to temperature, precipitation and insolation 21 2.5.1 Explain the role of producers, consumers and decomposers in the ecosystem. 22 2.5.2 Describe photosynthesis and respiration in terms of inputs, outputs and energy transformations.Biochemical details are not required.Photosynthesis should be understood as requiring carbon dioxide, water, chlorophyll and certain visible wavelengths of light to produce organic matter and oxygen.The transformation of light energy into the chemical energy of organic matter should be appreciated.Respiration should be recognized as requiring organic matter and oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water. Without oxygen, carbon dioxide and other waste products are formed.Energy is released in a form available for use by living organisms, but is ultimately lost as heat.Detailsof chloroplasts, light-dependent and light independent reactions, mitochondria, carrier systems, ATP and specific intermediate bio-chemicals are not expected. 23 2.5.3 Describe and explain the transfer and transformation of energy as it flows through an ecosystem.Explain pathways of incoming solar radiation incident on the ecosystem including:• loss of radiation through reflection and absorption• conversion of light to chemical energy• loss of chemical energy from one trophic level to another• efficiencies of transfer• overall conversion of light to heat energy by an ecosystem• re-radiation of heat energy to the atmosphere. 24 Construct and analyse simple energy-flow diagrams illustrating the movement of energy through ecosystems, including the productivity of the various trophic levels. 25 The distinction between storages of energy illustrated by boxes in energy-flow diagrams (representing the various trophic levels), and the flows of energy or productivity often shown as arrows (sometimes of varying widths) needs to be emphasized. The former are measured as the amount of energy or biomass per unit area and the latter are given as rates, for example, J m–2 day–1. 26 2.5.4 Describe and explain the transfer and transformation of materials as they cycle within an ecosystem.Processes involving the transfer and transformation of carbon, nitrogen and water as they cycle within an ecosystem should be described, and the conversion of organic and inorganic storage noted where appropriate.Construct and analyse flow diagrams of these cycles. 27 2.5.5 Define the terms gross productivity, net productivity, primary productivity and secondary productivity.Productivity is production per unit time 28 2.5.6 Define the terms and calculate the values of both gross primary productivity (GPP) and net primary productivity (NPP) from given data.Use the equationNPP = GPP – Rwhere R = respiratory loss 29 2.5.7 Define the terms and calculate the values of both gross secondary productivity (GSP) and net secondary productivity (NSP) from given data.Use the equationsNSP = GSP – RGSP = food eaten – fecal losswhere R = respiratory lossThe term “assimilation” is sometimes used instead of “secondary productivity”. 30 2.6.1 Explain the concepts of limiting factors and carrying capacity in the context of population growth. 31 2.6.2 Describe and explain S and J population curves. Explain changes in both numbers and rates ofgrowth in standard S and J population growth curves.Population curves should be sketched, described, interpreted and constructed from given data. 32 2.6.3 Describe the role of density‑dependent;density‑independent factors, and internal and external factors, in the regulation of populations. 33 According to theory, density-dependent factors operate as negative feedback mechanisms leading to stability or regulation of the population.Many species, particularly r‑strategists, are probably regulated by density independent factors, of which weather is the most important.Internal factors might include density-dependent fertility or size of breeding territory, and external factors might include predation or disease.Both types of factors may operate on a population. 34 2.6.4 Describe the principles associated with survivorship curves including, K‑ and r‑strategists. K‑ and r‑strategists represent idealized categories and many organisms occupy a place on the continuum. Students should be familiar with interpreting features of survivorship curves including logarithmic scales. 35 2.6.5 Describe the concept and processes of succession in a named habitat. Students should study named examples of organisms from a pioneer community, seral stages and climax community.The concept of succession, occurring over time, should be distinguished from zonation, which refers to a spatial pattern. 36 2.6.6 Explain the changes in energy flow, gross and net productivity, diversity and mineral cycling in different stages of succession.In early stages, gross productivity is low due to the initial conditions and low density of producers. The proportion of energy lost through community respiration is relatively low too, so net productivity is high, that is, the system is growing and biomass is accumulating. 37 In later stages, with an increased consumer community, gross productivity may be high in a climax community. However, this is balanced by respiration, so net productivity approaches zero and the production: respiration (P:R) ratio approaches one. 38 2.6.7 Describe factors affecting the nature of climax communities. Climatic and edaphic factors determine the nature of a climax community.Human factors frequently affect this process through, for example, fire, agriculture, grazing and/or habitat destruction.Relating to soil, especially as it affects living organisms. Edaphic characteristics include such factors as water content, acidity, aeration, and the availability of nutrients.Influenced by factors inherent in the soil rather than by climatic factors. 39 2.7.1 Describe and evaluate methods for measuring changes in abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem along an environmental gradient. 40 2.7.2 Describe and evaluate methods for measuring changes in abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem due to a specific human activity.Methods and changes should be selected appropriately for the human activity chosen.Suitable human impacts for study might include toxins from mining activity, landfills, eutrophication, effluent, oil spills and overexploitation.This could include repeated measurements on the ground, satellite images and maps. 41 2.7.3 Describe and evaluate the use of environmental impact assessments (EIAs). an EIA involves production of a baseline study before any environmental development, assessment of possible impacts, and monitoring of change during and after the developmentStudents should have the opportunity to see an actual EIA study. They should realize that
Patient education: Celiac disease in children (Beyond the Basics) - Ivor D Hill, MD Ivor D Hill, MD - Professor of Pediatrics - Section Chief, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition - Nationwide Children's Hospital - Anne Roland Lee, EdD, RD, LD Anne Roland Lee, EdD, RD, LD - Deputy Editor — Radiology - Instructor of Medicine - Celiac Disease Center - Columbia University CELIAC DISEASE OVERVIEW Celiac disease is a condition that causes a variety of symptoms like diarrhea, weight loss, bloating, stomach pain, and a lack of appetite. These symptoms occur because the immune system responds abnormally to a protein found in certain foods, like wheat, rye, barley, and prepared foods (table 1). These proteins are called gluten. Celiac disease is also known as gluten-sensitive enteropathy (pronounced "enter-AH-pathy"), celiac sprue, and nontropical sprue, all terms that identify the injury to the lining of the small intestine. The small intestine is responsible for absorbing food and nutrients. Thus, if the immune system damages the lining of the small intestine, this can lead to problems absorbing important nutrients from foods; this problem is referred to as malabsorption. Although celiac disease cannot be cured, strict avoidance of foods that contain gluten usually reverses the damage to the intestinal lining and stops associated symptoms, like diarrhea. Celiac disease in adults is discussed separately. (See "Patient education: Celiac disease in adults (Beyond the Basics)".) CELIAC DISEASE CAUSES Celiac disease occurs as a result of a child's genetics and exposure to a trigger. A child who develops celiac disease probably inherits the risk from one or both parents and then develops the disease when exposed to the dietary trigger, gluten. Celiac disease is different from wheat allergy. Allergies occur when different parts of the immune system are activated by wheat, causing allergic symptoms such as hives and wheezing. (See "Patient education: Food allergy symptoms and diagnosis (Beyond the Basics)".) CELIAC DISEASE SYMPTOMS The symptoms of celiac disease can vary from mild to severe. Common symptoms — Common symptoms of celiac disease in children include: ●A bloated or painful belly ●Weight loss or difficulty gaining weight These symptoms can begin at any age after an individual is eating gluten-containing foods, from infancy to adulthood. In some cases, the child does not have any of the more common symptoms but does have problems with slowed growth, iron deficiency anemia, a skin rash, or changes in his or her teeth. In older children, symptoms can include constipation or diarrhea, oily stools that float, abdominal bloating, and gas. Older children may also be shorter than normal for their age, have difficulty gaining weight, or have other problems (anemia, bone thinning). Skin symptoms — A skin problem, known as dermatitis herpetiformis, is common in adults with celiac disease. This condition is uncommon before puberty in children with celiac disease. A person may have skin symptoms with few or no gastrointestinal symptoms. The symptoms of dermatitis herpetiformis include intensely itchy, raised, fluid-filled blisters on the skin, usually located on the elbows, knees, buttocks, lower back, face, neck, trunk, and occasionally within the mouth (picture 1). The most bothersome symptoms are itching and burning. Scratching causes the blister to rupture and dry up, but this leaves an area of darkened skin and scarring. A skin biopsy may be taken to see if the rash is dermatitis herpetiformis. The condition will improve after elimination of gluten from the diet, although it may take several weeks to months see significant improvement. Dental (tooth) problems — Children with celiac disease commonly develop changes in the permanent (adult) teeth. This can include changes in the enamel covering of the teeth, causing cream-colored, yellow, or brown discoloration, and grooves or pits in the teeth (picture 2). Bone thinning — Children with celiac disease are at risk for weakened bones caused in part by poor absorption of vitamin D and calcium. Treatment of celiac disease by eating a gluten-free diet can resolve the problem in most cases. Sometimes, vitamin and calcium supplements are also recommended. (See "Patient education: Vitamin D deficiency (Beyond the Basics)".) Other symptoms — Celiac disease can cause vague symptoms or mild symptoms, such as fatigue, borderline iron deficiency anemia, or being shorter than normal for age. Once a child is confirmed as having celiac disease with a skin or intestinal biopsy, the only treatment is to completely avoid gluten, as discussed below. (See 'Celiac disease treatment' below.) WHICH CHILDREN NEED TESTING FOR CELIAC DISEASE? Not all children need to be tested for celiac disease. If you are concerned that your child has symptoms that might be caused by celiac disease, ask your child's doctor if the child should be tested. It is important that your child remain on a regular diet prior to testing. This is because starting a gluten-free diet or avoiding gluten before testing is completed can cause the tests to be inaccurate. If the child has symptoms — Children who have the following symptoms should be tested: ●Shortness or underweight for age, particularly if the child's growth has slowed significantly over time or if the child is significantly smaller than other family members. (See "Patient education: Poor weight gain in infants and children (Beyond the Basics)".) ●Diarrhea lasting for more than a few weeks. ●Chronic constipation, recurrent abdominal pain, or vomiting. ●Certain types of tooth problems. (See 'Dental (tooth) problems' above.) ●If puberty has not begun at the expected time. (See "Normal puberty".) ●Iron deficiency anemia that has not improved with treatment. High-risk groups — Testing is recommended for certain children (older than three years) who are at increased risk of developing celiac disease, even if the child has no symptoms. Children with one or more of the following are at increased risk of developing celiac disease and should be considered for testing: ●First-degree relatives (children, siblings) of a person with celiac disease ●Type 1 diabetes ●Selective IgA deficiency CELIAC DISEASE TESTING Several tests are done to diagnose celiac disease. The child should continue to eat foods that contain gluten while being tested. Starting a gluten-free diet or avoiding gluten before testing is completed can cause the tests to be inaccurate. (See "Diagnosis of celiac disease in children".) Blood test — The first step in testing for celiac disease is a blood test. A pediatric or family doctor or nurse can do this test. The blood test tells whether the child has an increased level of antibodies (proteins) to tissue transglutaminase (tTG), which is part of the small intestine. The level of these antibodies is usually high in people with celiac disease (as long as their diet contains gluten), but is almost never increased in people without celiac disease. If the test is positive for tTG antibodies, a biopsy of the small intestine is recommended to confirm the diagnosis of celiac disease. Small intestine biopsy — If the blood test shows high levels of tTG antibodies, the diagnosis must be confirmed by examining a sample of the lining of the small intestine through a microscope. The sample (called a biopsy) is usually collected during a test called upper endoscopy. This test involves swallowing a small flexible instrument called an endoscope, which has a camera at the end. A pediatric gastroenterologist performs this test while the child is sedated. The camera allows the doctor to look at the upper part of the digestive system and remove small pieces (biopsies) of the surface of the small intestine. The biopsy is not painful. (See "Patient education: Upper endoscopy (Beyond the Basics)".) Normally, the inside of the small intestine has finger-like structures, which are called villi. Villi allow the small intestine to absorb nutrients. In people with celiac disease who eat gluten, the villi become flattened, which interferes with absorption. Once the child stops eating gluten, the villi heal and are able to absorb nutrients normally. CELIAC DISEASE TREATMENT The only treatment for children with celiac disease is complete avoidance of all foods and drinks that contain gluten (table 2). If the child is malnourished because of the disease, nutritional supplements (high-calorie drinks or vitamins) might also be needed. A gluten-free diet is recommended for children who have an abnormal antibody test AND: ●An abnormal small intestinal biopsy and symptoms of celiac disease ●An abnormal small intestinal biopsy and who are in a high-risk group (even if there are no symptoms) ●Dermatitis herpetiformis confirmed with a skin biopsy (see 'Skin symptoms' above) If the results of the antibody testing and biopsy disagree or are uncertain, or if the child does not have symptoms of celiac disease, additional testing may be needed. (See "Diagnosis of celiac disease in children".) How do we stop eating gluten? — A strict gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. Eating even small amounts of gluten can cause intestinal damage, allowing symptoms to return. Following a gluten-free diet requires adjustments for both parents and children. (See "Management of celiac disease in children".) Meeting with a dietitian who is experienced in treating celiac disease can help parents and children: ●Better understand which foods are safe and which are not ●How to read food labels to know if a food or medication is safe ●How to plan a well-balanced gluten-free diet ●Help determine if vitamin and mineral supplements are necessary ●How to make the necessary adjustments to provide a safe gluten-free diet at home and at school ●Where to find gluten-free substitutes for the child's favorite foods In addition, a number of helpful resources are available. (See 'Where to get more information' below.) For some people, getting a diagnosis of celiac disease is a relief. For others, finding out that they must avoid gluten for the rest of their life seems overwhelming. In either case, it is important to remember that a gluten-free diet is the key to recovery. Fortunately, life on a gluten-free diet has become easier, due to the increased availability of gluten-free foods. Excellent gluten-free substitute foods are now widely available (table 2). Some children with celiac disease have vitamin or nutrient deficiencies. Talk to your doctor, nurse, or dietitian about a multivitamin supplement and how to include gluten-free foods that are nutrient rich. What foods contain gluten? — The most common grains in the Western world (wheat, rye, and barley) contain gluten, and gluten is added to many prepared foods (table 1). ●Avoid foods containing wheat, rye, and barley ●Fresh fruits, vegetables, milk, eggs, unprocessed meats and poultry, rice, corn, and potato are gluten free and safe. Naturally gluten-free grains such as buckwheat, quinoa, and millet add a good source of nutrients but may be contaminated with wheat. These grains and flours should only be used if they are labeled “gluten-free” . ●Read labels on prepared foods and condiments carefully, paying close attention to additives, such as stabilizers or emulsifiers, that might contain gluten ●A child might have a hard time with dairy products in the beginning; many people with celiac disease can have temporary lactose intolerance. If your child's symptoms worsen after eating or drinking foods with lactose, avoid lactose temporarily. ●"Wheat free" does not necessarily mean gluten free. Read the packaging or call the manufacturer if you have questions about a specific product. ●While oats are naturally gluten free, oats can sometimes be contaminated with wheat during processing. Therefore, parents should be sure the oats are manufactured using the purity protocol process and the package specifically indicates that the product is gluten-free and was processed in a gluten-free facility. Children with newly diagnosed celiac disease should wait until their intestines heal before adding oats to their diet. If gluten-free oats are added to the diet, it should be done with the guidance of your dietitian. Oats are usually added in small portions and gradually increased over time to avoid any symptoms caused by the increased fiber in the diet. Careful monitoring of symptoms is important as there is a small percentage of the population that cannot tolerate the protein found in oats. Is a strict gluten-free diet really necessary? — A completely gluten-free diet is the only treatment for celiac disease. Children who do not have bothersome symptoms of celiac disease often find it hard to follow a strict gluten-free diet. Indeed, some doctors have questioned the need for a gluten-free diet in people without symptoms. However, most experts recommend a strict gluten-free diet for all children with celiac disease, whether or not the child has symptoms, for the following reasons: ●Some children with celiac disease develop vitamin or nutrient deficiencies, even if they feel well. If untreated, these deficiencies can cause problems (such as anemia due to iron deficiency or bone loss due to vitamin D deficiency). People with celiac disease who do not follow a strict gluten-free diet are more likely to have certain health problems as adults, including osteoporosis (thinning of bones) and having babies with lower birth weight. ●Strictly following a gluten-free diet usually helps improve a child's energy and sense of well-being even if the child does not have obvious symptoms. Monitoring during treatment — After starting a gluten-free diet, most children begin to feel better within a few weeks. About six months after starting a gluten-free diet, the child's doctor or nurse might repeat a blood test to test the tTG antibody levels. The antibody level should be lower, or even disappear, as the child improves and continues to avoid gluten. A repeat biopsy of the small intestine is not usually necessary if the child's symptoms improve and the antibody levels decrease once a gluten-free diet is started. A repeat biopsy or other tests may be recommended if symptoms do not improve or if antibody levels remain elevated. LIFE WITH CELIAC DISEASE A gluten-free diet will require changes for the entire family. Talking to an experienced healthcare provider or dietitian can help parents and children make the needed adjustments to a gluten-free lifestyle. While there is an abundance of information on the internet that can provide very useful information, community-based support groups have been found to have a significant positive effect on quality of life. The community-based support groups offer the family important information and networking resources to navigate through schools, camps, etc. (See 'Where to get more information' below.) Parents of children who are newly diagnosed with celiac disease will need to speak to their child's teacher or day care provider about the condition, what foods are safe, and what to do in case of inadvertent exposure to gluten. Other common concerns include what to do when eating out, traveling, at parties, at school, and at sleep-away camp. Several of the websites listed below include written information about celiac disease and the gluten-free diet for teachers and school staff. (See 'Professional level information' below.) Celiac disease is a lifelong condition. There is no cure for celiac disease, although avoiding gluten probably prevents all complications of celiac disease. Because children with celiac disease might have an increased risk of certain infections, a vaccination is recommended to reduce the risk of pneumococcal infections (like pneumonia). The vaccine is given just once. (See "Patient education: Pneumonia prevention in adults (Beyond the Basics)".) WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION Your child's healthcare provider is the best source of information for questions and concerns related to your child's medical problem. This article will be updated as needed on our web site (www.uptodate.com/patients). Related topics for patients, as well as selected articles written for healthcare professionals, are also available. Some of the most relevant are listed below. Patient level information — UpToDate offers two types of patient education materials. The Basics — The Basics patient education pieces answer the four or five key questions a patient might have about a given condition. These articles are best for patients who want a general overview and who prefer short, easy-to-read materials. Beyond the Basics — Beyond the Basics patient education pieces are longer, more sophisticated, and more detailed. These articles are best for patients who want in-depth information and are comfortable with some medical jargon. Patient education: Celiac disease in adults (Beyond the Basics) Patient education: Food allergy symptoms and diagnosis (Beyond the Basics) Patient education: Vitamin D deficiency (Beyond the Basics) Patient education: Poor weight gain in infants and children (Beyond the Basics) Patient education: Upper endoscopy (Beyond the Basics) Patient education: Pneumonia prevention in adults (Beyond the Basics) Professional level information — Professional level articles are designed to keep doctors and other health professionals up-to-date on the latest medical findings. These articles are thorough, long, and complex, and they contain multiple references to the research on which they are based. Professional level articles are best for people who are comfortable with a lot of medical terminology and who want to read the same materials their doctors are reading. Approach to the diagnosis of chronic diarrhea in children in resource-rich countries Diagnosis of celiac disease in children Epidemiology, pathogenesis, and clinical manifestations of celiac disease in children Management of celiac disease in children Pathogenesis, epidemiology, and clinical manifestations of celiac disease in adults The following organizations also provide reliable health information. ●National Library of Medicine (www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/celiacdisease.html, available in Spanish) ●The Celiac Disease Foundation ●The Celiac Sprue Association ●GIKids (from the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) Patient support — There are a number of online forums where patients can find information and support from other people with similar conditions. ●Generation GF (www.gluten.org/community/kids) - Thompson T, Lee AR, Grace T. Gluten contamination of grains, seeds, and flours in the United States: a pilot study. J Am Diet Assoc 2010; 110:937. - Hill ID, Dirks MH, Liptak GS, et al. Guideline for the diagnosis and treatment of celiac disease in children: recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2005; 40:1. - Fasano A, Araya M, Bhatnagar S, et al. Federation of International Societies of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition consensus report on celiac disease. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2008; 47:214. - National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Conference Statement. Celiac Disease 2004. Available at: http://consensus.nih.gov/ (Accessed on March 11, 2011). - Collin P, Thorell L, Kaukinen K, Mäki M. The safe threshold for gluten contamination in gluten-free products. Can trace amounts be accepted in the treatment of coeliac disease? Aliment Pharmacol Ther 2004; 19:1277. - Husby S, Koletzko S, Korponay-Szabó IR, et al. European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition guidelines for the diagnosis of coeliac disease. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 2012; 54:136. - Downey L, Houten R, Murch S, et al. Recognition, assessment, and management of coeliac disease: summary of updated NICE guidance. BMJ 2015; 351:h4513. All topics are updated as new information becomes available. Our peer review process typically takes one to six weeks depending on the issue.
- Introduction & Quick Facts - Prehistory to early European contact - The settlement of New France - Early British rule, 1763–91 - National growth in the early 19th century - From confederation through World War I - The interwar wars - Early postwar developments - Foreign affairs - The Trudeau years, 1968–84 - The late 20th and early 21st centuries - The administration of Justin Trudeau The policy of the Liberal government (in power since 1935), wartime cooperation, and the close economic interconnections between Canada and the United States had brought the two neighbours into a more intimate relationship than ever before. After World War II Canada’s special relations with the United States continued and expanded. Two new trends proved significant. One was the growth of “continentalism,” a special relationship that challenged the theory of national independence. The second was the unequal rate of economic and technological development, especially after 1950. The United States, the world leader in industrial capacity and technology, was nearing the limits to which it could exploit some of its natural resources. Canada, within the inner defense orbit of the United States, had many such resources undeveloped and available. The interest of the United States was, therefore, to have assured access to these resources as they were developed, largely with U.S. capital. This U.S. policy, however, tended to keep Canada a producer of primary commodities and a country of relatively low income. Canada’s national development—as well as its hope of educational and cultural development—required the continued growth, under Canadian control, of its manufacturing industries. Yet its provinces—owners of the natural resources of the country, except for those controlled by the Northwest Territories, and driven by the need to secure revenue and to satisfy the popular demand for development—were eager to sell their resources to foreign, usually U.S., investors. This disparity of aim made U.S.-Canadian relations, if much better diplomatically than in the days of territorial expansion and boundary settlements, much more subtle and complicated than ever before. Still, the special relationship with the United States continued, rooted in geography and common interest. Ties between the two countries were tested, however, by the September 11 attacks of 2001. Quickly visible was a tightening of security along the U.S.-Canadian border. Perhaps the greatest challenge came with Canada’s refusal to support the United States in Iraq, which brought to the surface strains in relations that had actually existed for some time.
There are many teenagers who feel like they need to be connected to social media 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The pressure to make oneself readily available online results in teens getting less good quality sleep than they require. Teens require deep stages of the rest cycle and REM sleep. During deep sleep cycles, the body releases growth hormones essential for proper growth and development in children and teens. In addition, during deep sleep cycles, the activity centers of the brain slow down. These activity centers are responsible for decision making, emotional responses, and social interactions. Deep sleep stages are needed to help teens maintain proper social functioning, decision making, and emotional states when they are awake. REM sleep stages help stimulate the area of the brain that is responsible for learning and mental abilities. Several scientific studies have shown that when someone is taught a new skill or learning concept, and then is later deprived of getting REM sleep, they are unable to recall what they had previously learned, after sleeping. According to a recent scientific and psychological study conducted in September 2015, researchers evaluated 467 teenagers, ages 11 to 17, and their social media habits and how these affected their sleep schedule. The researchers inquired if the teens felt pressure to make themselves available on social media sites 24/7. The results of this study showed this group of teens felt significant pressure to make themselves available on social media. As a result of this increased pressure, these teens were getting less sleep. When teenagers do not get the required amount of sleep, it leads to sleep disorders and increased risks for other problems, including: - Learning Disabilities - Problems Remembering Important Information - Acne and Skin Problems - Aggressive Behaviors - Restless Leg Syndrome - Diseases and Illnesses - Mental Problems - Weight Problems Ideally, teenagers require between 8 and 10 hours of sleep a night. Part of the problem teens have in getting the proper amount of rest is a result of their internal circadian rhythms. During the teen years, our bodies’ circadian rhythms tend to shift forward. As a result, it makes going to sleep before 11 p.m. and getting up around 7 a.m. more difficult. A typical teenager’s circadian rhythm cycle is falling asleep around 1 a.m. and waking between 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. Teens already have a hard time adjusting to school schedules, let alone the pressures of having to be connected to social media 24/7. As parents, it is highly recommended to restrict access to your teenagers smartphones, tablets, and other Internet-capable devices at least an hour before their bed time. By disengaging your teen from social media, it can help them get a better night’s sleep and will keep them from being awakened each time their phone or tablet sends alerts because of updates on their social media sites. If your child is having learning difficulties, or sleep deprivation problems due to anxiety or other emotional issues, Sage Day can help. We offer alternative schools for teens in New Jersey, where students get the specialized attention they require. For more information about our educational programs, call us today at 877-887-8817.
Infographic on carbon emissions by country and climate change displacements. Refugees face disproportionate climate impacts.This infographic portrays the disproportionate responsibility held for carbon emissions worldwide. A select few nations are responsible for the majority of co2 emissions, yet are doing little to minimize their impact or reduce their emissions further. The main diagram is a map of the world with the top five producers of CO2 by fossil fuel consumption. Over each emitting country is a circle with a size relative to the percentage of the CO2 emitted. China is the largest emitter with 30%, followed by the United States with 15%, the European Union with 9%, India 7%, and the Russian Federation with 4%. There is a lone circle at the bottom of the map representing the rest of the world, which emits 30% of the remaining CO2. Therefore, these 5 countries produce more than half of the world's CO2 from fossil fuel consumption. Towards the bottom half of the page are a set of 3 modules containing facts about climate change and displacement. The first one has a sun above and to the left of a thermometer stating that “there has been a 1.4° fahrenheit increase in global temp. Since 1880”. This is important as even a slight change in temperature has massive worldwide implications, such as the magnification of climate disasters. The next module is a figure with a bindle, signifying he is displaced, walking with a set of waves behind him, representing the impacts of climate change. The statement below reads “18.8 million disaster related displacements’. The final module to the right of it has a hurricane. Below reads “6.9 million caaused by cyclones hurricanes, typhoons”, natural disasters exacerbated by climate change. Climate refugees are then mostly a product of a select few nations which are majorly responsible for the conditions in modern times. As Matthew Gibney writes in The Ethics of Refugees, these climate changes are often “exacerbated by industrialised states”. The problem lies in the little responsibility taken by these nations for their contributions to climate change. As major producers of greenhouse gasses and drivers of climate related disasters, they must assist smaller, less powerful nations who face impacts like sea level rise. In the 2011 film The Island President, President of the Maldives Mohammed Nasheed challenges nations to reduce their carbon footprint as the Maldives succumbs to sea level rise. This demonstrates the violation of the pottery barn rule. Humans have upset the natural order of the Earth and must fix it; you break it you buy it. However, this argument only rests on the surface. Another possible argument is, that as part of a nation contributing some of the most to climate change, we are responsible for driving the disasters which create refugees. We have a duty to raise awareness and help the cause of climate refugees.
The Reading Like a Historian curriculum engages students in historical inquiry. Each lesson revolves around a central historical question and features a set of primary documents designed for groups of students with a range of reading skills. This curriculum teaches students how to investigate historical questions by employing reading strategies such as sourcing, contextualizing, corroborating, and close reading. Instead of memorizing historical facts, students evaluate the trustworthiness of multiple perspectives on historical issues and learn to make historical claims backed by documentary evidence. To learn more about how to use Reading Like a Historian lessons, watch these videos about how teachers use these materials in their classrooms.
Apart from fish, scientists have found only one other animal that can regulate its buoyancy in the water using swim bladders, and it’s probably not what you were expecting. The phantom midge is a type of lake fly (genus Chaoborus), but before it can take to the air, its larvae must first grow up in the water. Because these glass worms are see-through, we’ve known since 1911 that they contain two pairs of gas-filled sacs on either end of their body. For more than a century, we had no idea how the insects controlled those strange organs. Now, a trick of the light has accidentally revealed the answer. In 2018, zoologist Philip Matthews noticed a bunch of larvae swimming in a rain-filled cattle tank. “These bizarre insects were floating neutrally buoyant in the water, which is something you just don’t see insects doing,” recalls Matthews. “Some insects can become neutrally buoyant for a short time during a dive, but Chaoborus larvae are the only insects close to being neutrally buoyant.” Unlike a fish, oxygen gas cannot be actively transported into the air-sacs of a phantom midge because insects don’t have enclosed circulatory systems with oxygen-transporting red blood cells like vertebrates. So how do their organs inflate and deflate to achieve neutral buoyancy? On a whim, Matthews took some of the larvae back to the lab and put them under a microscope. When he turned on ultraviolet light to illuminate the microscope’s stage, he noticed the air-sacs start to glow a bright blue. The color suggested the sacs were made of a protein known as resilin, which has elastic, rubber-like qualities. In an alkaline setting, resilin is known to swell, but in a more acidic environment, the protein contracts. To investigate further, Matthew’s PhD student and lead author of the new study Evan McKenzie began experimenting with the larvae’s actual air-sacs in the lab, artificially inflating and deflating them with acidic or alkaline exposures. By doing so, McKenzie could indirectly push air in and out of the sacs. “This is a really bizarre adaptation that we didn’t go looking for,” says Matthews. “We were just trying to figure out how they can float in water without sinking.” Instead, they found phantom midge larvae could sink, rise, or float simply by manipulating the pH of their air-sac walls. This then allows gas to passively diffuse in and out, without the need for oxygen-carrying blood to inflate or deflate the organs. The whole process works like a mechanochemical engine, the authors say, “transforming pH changes into mechanical work against hydrostatic pressure.” The motor is unlike anything else we’ve found in the animal kingdom, and it’s so easy to use that some phantom midges can travel very deep into the water. In Lake Malawi in East Africa, for instance, one species of phantom midge (C. edulis) has actually been found more than 200 meters (656 feet) down, in a low oxygen environment perfect for evading predators. The new research suggests these larvae don’t even have to swim to get there; all they have to do is sink. The study was published in Current Biology.
Becky Larson, RDH Sometimes when I am talking to my patients I can tell they are a bit confused! I never want my patients to be confused. Communication is so important when trying to give important information about oral health. This blog is just a quick overview of the anatomy of the tooth. Knowing a few simple terms can eliminate confusion and patient’s can better understand why their dentist and hygienist are giving specific recommendations for home care and dental treatment. This diagram breaks the tooth into two parts: the crown and the root. The root surface of the tooth is the part that is covered by gum tissue in a healthy mouth. The crown of the tooth is that part we actually see. Sometimes the root of the tooth is exposed due to gum recession and can be sensitive to cold or vibration. The gums or gingival cover the jaw bone in which the teeth sit. Teeth are composed of several layers. The outer most layer is the enamel, which is generally white in color. Though it is the hardest substance in the human body, it can still decay and erode if not taken care of. Just under the enamel is the dentin which is much softer and more yellow in color. When viewing radiographs, if the dentist sees a cavity that has progressed through the entire enamel layer and into the dentin, a filling is necessary. Radiograph (xray) showing a cavity that has progressed through the enamel into the dentin: Under the dentin layer is the pulp. There are also nerves and blood vessels in the pulp chamber that extend down the roots of the tooth. If a cavity has progressed into the pulp chamber, it’s likely that a root canal is necessary. During the process of a root canal, the nerves and pulp inside the canals are taken out. The inside of the tooth is cleaned and sealed to prevent further pathology. Radiograph showing tooth roots after a root canal: Understanding tooth anatomy can help patients better understand their dental needs! Always consult your dentist or dental hygienist if you have concerns or questions about your teeth or oral health. Want to learn more? Visit us at
Modern Scientists Validate Alan Turing’s Theory About Biology The creator of the Turing test was adept at all kinds of science. Less than two years before he died, famed computer scientist Alan Turing wrote a biochemistry paper. Called “The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis,” Turing theorized about how cells change and develop. Now, 60 years later, a team of scientists says it’s provided some new experimental evidence that Turing was right (mostly). Their work offers Turing, who created the Turing test for artificial intelligence and decoded German messages for the Allies during World War II, one more feather for his cap. Think about the moment you were conceived. No, not that part! I mean, think about how, when you were conceived, you were made up of just one cell. Eventually that cell divided into two cells, and then each of those divided, making four in total. When cells divide, they try to create perfect copies of themselves. Yet, as an embryo grows, its cells differentiate. They turn into blood cells and bone cells and back-of-the-eyeball cells, each with a different shape and function. Turing was interested in how such changes happen. He came up with a model that biologists consider an important way of thinking about differentiation, while acknowledging the model has its “successes and pitfalls.” Turing’s paper about the idea has been cited more than 8,000 times. Turing theorized that when arranged in a ring, identical cells will interact with each other chemically and thus change. To test this, a team of scientists created a ring of identical drops, containing two chemical compounds, floating around in an oil. These drops were the scientists’ simplified “cells.” The research involved five physicists, a chemist, and a mathematician. Team members observed that, as Turing predicted, the drops exchanged chemicals with one another. That led the drops to become chemically distinct, even though they started out the same. The team did see some results that didn’t fit with Turing’s model. In a paper they published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers describe how they would modify Turing’s ideas to account for what they saw in lab. The team’s success is a tribute to Turing’s ability in different science fields, Seth Fraden, a physicist at Brandeis University and the lead author on the paper, said in a statement. Fraden’s team included five physicists, a chemist, and a mathematician. I don’t know if they ever all walked into a bar together.
Scientist predicted that there will likely be a 90% chance that the warmest climate weather on record will occur due to El-Nino events which are due to climatic changes and man-made global warming as well as stated by the climate prediction centre stated by Climate Prediction Center at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA] (Schmidt, 2018). The extreme hot weathers will significantly influence weather changes, strong floods, flash storms, drought seasons, wildfires and heat wave throughout the year. The effect of El Nino is different from different regions affecting both temperatures and rainfall; the presence of extraordinary warm water events tended to make the surface water temperatures higher in the large-scale Pacific Ocean and the prevailing high temperatures are higher than the normal high temperatures bringing heat waves, droughts and famine during the hotter than normal conditions. Whereas at some other wet and cool areas, the prevailing low temperatures caused floods, heavy rains, mudslides and slope failures. These extreme climate change will happen in Asian countries and across central equatorial Pacific. The natural climate change and the human-made global warming of El-Nino and La Nina, the opposite of El-Nino, have a serious impact and caused a multitude of problems faced by the countries as mentioned below: Natural resources and food scarce Drought seasons usually occur in eastern countries especially in Asia such as Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines, etc. Most of the Asian countries practised paddy field farming to produce rice for the region and they have the largest rice production in Asia. However, these fields are very much under threat from the hot and dry weather spells of El-Nino. The hot and dry weather is the major cause of emitting heat in plants and these extreme heat environments will cause plants to lose more water than it should normally be which usually leads to a reduction of the plant growth. However, if any vegetable and fruit crops are exposed to continuous hot climate heat over an extended period of times, the crops become vulnerable and eventually dies. If the El Nino event prolongs, the food security will be compromised and with limited access to water and food, the risk of malnutrition to the population increases as well. Human health and diseases The hot weather and El Nino droughts usually hit most of the Asian countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and the region has experienced forest fires outbreaks that caused recurring haze in the air which led to massive public health problems due to inhalation of smokes in the air common to all the affected countries. During the period, a great number of people with breathing problems and lung-related health problems looked up for healthcare facilities almost at the same time. Bird migration and mosquito breeding can bring about pandemic diseases, flu and spread of virus influenza through the countries Common disease outbreaks such as malaria, dengue fever, yellow fever and cholera can occur on a massive scale if they are not checked and readily controlled. According to studies, the El Nino Southern Oscillation incident has a strong effect of extreme weather changes which cause a high level of dengue fevers in Asian countries such as Indonesia in 1998 (MacDonald, 1957). Nowadays, viruses mutate and become even stronger than previous ones and they can adapt to new surroundings and survive longer. El-Nino also brought tropical storms in the periods of April/May till June/July each year from the Philippines to China and Japan which had caused catastrophic flooding and hardship to both men, animals and crops of the region. When the storms and flooding subsided, the hot weathers ensued and it created the same human health and diseases which can be controlled if the issues are already planned, addressed and healthcare maintenance is in place. In such crisis after the El-Nino aftermath, the public expects more vaccination in need are readily available and health vigilance needs to be stepped up if a dengue fever outbreak occurred. Disruption of health services The health consequences of El Nino caused increasing health problems of the population and this reduced the access to healthcare facilities to everyone. Sometimes it can lead to a damaged infrastructure of a building that eventually disrupted the health services system. Healthcare facilities play an important role in treating illness and injuries as well as caring the patients’ needs especially after the disasters of climate change and disease outbreak. Therefore, the demand for healthcare facilities increases since more people are vulnerable to health risks. For instance, the extreme weather changes can lead to overwhelming of healthcare emergencies, patients, facility capacity, power supply failure, interruption services and damage facility infrastructure which potentially harm employees and patients’ health. The severe air pollution affects the air quality and heatwave events increase patient visits at healthcare centres. The healthcare centres depend on power supplies and facility services from food delivery, drinkable water, electricity, treatment and waste disposal. The extreme weathers events are expected to cause more wildfires, drought, flooding, typhoon or storm and they might hit healthcare buildings and infrastructure system which will limit the population’s access to essential services after such crisis. Adapting to climate changes in healthcare maintenance Climate change awareness and extreme weather impact gave people insights to prepare and develop strategies on healthcare system before such an event or crisis occurs. The healthcare industry must prepare for the upgrading of more emergency wards with improving facilities, technology, smooth operation and resilience toward disasters or climate change. The healthcare system also needed acquired guidance for comprehensive adapting strategies. For instance, the healthcare facilities use a large amount of energy supply for operation services on a 24 hour-day basis. Eventually, these healthcare activities lead to environmental degradation which deteriorates the habitat, ecosystem, animal extinction and natural resource depletion such as water, food or energy due to high demand for operation service and health supplies. Preemptively, the healthcare facility has been analysed to cause more greenhouse effect and thus a preventive healthcare system is designed to emit less gas and less negative impact on the environment. As stated by Australia’s National Adaptation Research Plan, the healthcare facilities must be certain that the supply chain management process is adaptable to climate change and response to emergency situations. The healthcare industry has recommended such strategies to overcome power outages disruption as stated by Hiete et al. Hence, should the adaptation approach in healthcare facility be lacking or ignored to such catastrophes or epic events caused by external environment, the community shall be adversely affected and consequentially suffers. There are two best practices to overcome and prepare for extreme climate changes. - Improve Healthcare Facilities Service and Emergency Management - Provide necessary training and exercises for employees to prepare and overcome sudden emergencies from extreme climate changes. Regular checking the backup emergency power source to be fully functioning in the healthcare building is required. - Hospitals must have security measures such as access controls and alarms to protect the visitors, patients and employees from violent behaviours. All medical employees must receive education, security protection and emergency preparedness to cope with patients with emotional stress outbursts and overcome their violent behaviours. - Prepare psychological first aid to calm the patients, visitors and employees especially from the trauma of recent disasters or emergencies. - During the disease outbreak seasons, arrange for regular inspections on building facilities such as isolation rooms, water supply areas, food storage zones, hand washing areas, the heating ventilation and air conditioning system, and ensure that all medical tools are fully equipped and completely sterilized. - Infection control should be routinely undertaken on a regular basis to waste management, disinfection, isolation, sanitation, vaccination and medical equipment for protection purposes. - The hospital kitchen must supply clean waters and perform protocols to prevent water decontamination by boiling water and keeping kitchen utensils clean at all times. - The food and drinks supplies must be stored properly and reserve plentifully at the hospitals. Regular maintenance and water storage cleaning must be conducted especially at the water distribution system and the water filtration maintenance areas. Food must be prevented from contamination by ensuring disinfection or sanitation on food handling at all times. - The air quality must be controlled and maintained to give clean air as much as possible especially during air pollution seasons of wildfire smoke events or haze. Poor indoor air quality issues that invite microorganisms breeding must be prevented such as mould growth in the ventilation system. Special hood cleaning equipment in the exhaust ventilation must be chemically and biologically cleaned. - Environmentally green operations and climate-proofing - The medical facilities must look for ways to lessen greenhouse gas emissions, improve the health of the environment and reduce waste. Lessen the energy consumption by carrying out energy use assessment and cost-effective practices. - Conserve the water by setting water targets usage. Recycle the used water and rain-harvesting to use for non-drinking purposes such as for gardening or landscaping which help to lessen the water bill and beneficial for the ecosystem as well. - Pre-selected food suppliers or food vendors from professional firms who practice food sustainability and eco-friendly means. Check the food suppliers or food vendors that release any greenhouse emissions during the food production process. - Adopt medical facility foods from locally produced resources such as small farms that are fresh. This action not only support the community but it does save energy and time in travelling distance for food. - Conduct waste management practices that help to prevent food contamination. The waste management process involves the initial stage of generation, segregation, collection, transportation, storage, treatment to final stage of disposing of the medical equipment and supplies must adhere at all times. - Building environmental awareness and encourage medical employees, visitors and patients to implement environmentally approach such as commuting to work with car-pooling, public transport, provide special parking for electric vehicle and charging station. - Green spaces in a medical facility such as garden, landscaping and grass promote healing and provide natural shades for patients, visitors and staffs. The green spaces prevent extreme heat on the building and improve air quality by filtering harmful air pollutants. - During the drought seasons, healthcare is also prone to face water shortages. Install the stormwater collection system, conserve water by using low flow in taps, sinks and bathrooms and cultivate resistant plants that able to withstand drought or extreme heat conditions such as the cactus plant. - Install technological equipment and smart devices that cool the building, monitors indoor temperature and energy utilization. Therefore, it is important that hospitals have ensured enough supplies for daily operations, space facility emergency water, food and proper storage. Atalian Global Services provides professional facility management in the healthcare industry. We can keep most healthcare facilities running smoothly with satisfied patients and happy employees. We care for your patients’ needs and the healthcare facilities to definitely look inspirational. Atalian offers the best facility management service that is tailored to your specific needs and provides a suited package for you. Contact us for a free consultation!
If you are looking for a way to help students write better responses to questions about a reading selection, RACE might be the answer. RACE is a method of responding to questions requiring evidence. Responding to these kinds of questions is required by Common Core Standards. RACE stands for four ideas: - Restate the information in the question. - Answer the question. - Cite evidence to support your answer. - Explain how the evidence supports your answer. An example might help you understand this method better. Suppose a high school student has just read from her textbook about the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the actions of southern states immediately after his election. Then she is asked to answer this question, citing information from her text: Did Abraham Lincoln’s election as President of the US lead to the Civil War? Restate: Yes, Abraham Lincoln’s election as President of the US did lead to the Civil War. Answer: Right after his election, many states seceded and eventually attacked the US. Cite Evidence: According to the passage, Lincoln was elected in early November 1860 and took office in March 1861. The legislatures of seven southern states, including South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Texas, voted to leave the US during the winter of 1860-1861. They did this because Lincoln had a reputation as anti-slavery. In February 1861 they formed the Confederate States of America. About a month after Lincoln took office, on April 12, 1861, a US fort called Ft. Sumter was attacked by Confederates. After that attack, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina also seceded. Congress declared war on the Confederacy. Lincoln was President a little more than a month when the Civil War began. Explain how the evidence supports your answer: Before Lincoln was elected, the US was one country and no states had seceded. Within five months after he was elected, seven states had seceded, and then weeks later, four more states seceded, and Ft. Sumter was attacked. The Civil War began. Lincoln’s election as president directly led to the Civil War. Can this method be used with younger children too? Yes. Consider this third grade question: Are fossils in the rocks on top older than fossils in the rocks on the bottom? Restate: No, fossils in the rocks on top are not older than the fossils in the rocks on the bottom. Answer: Fossils on top are usually formed last and fossils on the bottom are usually formed first. Cite evidence: Fossils are found in rocks. These rocks form when layers of mud pile up with shells and bones stuck in the mud. The mud on the bottom becomes hard rock millions of years before the mud on the top does. Explain how the evidence supports your answer: If you look at the Grand Canyon, the fossils in the rocks down near the river are much older than the fossils in the rocks near the top. That’s because rocks on the bottom and the fossils in them formed first. Rocks on the top and the fossils in them formed later. This method of answering questions requiring evidence is being taught in Georgia public schools where I live.
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The Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes established the theory of superconductivity in 1911. He discovered that mercury loses its electrical resistance at 4.2 Kelvin (- 268.95 °C ). Since then, scientists have been searching for other superconductors which have the same effect at higher temperatures: conducting electricity without wasting energy. If they were able to achieve superconductivity at room temperatures, in the long run that would mean fewer power plants, fewer greenhouse emissions and lower costs. Enormous amounts of electricity which are currently lost in transport could be saved. The previous record for high-temperature superconductivity was – 70 °C. In 2015, researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, led by Dr. Mikhail Eremets, paved the way for current studies focusing on advances in high-temperature superconductivity. They discovered that hydrogen sulfide (H3S) becomes superconductive under a pressure of 2.5 megabars at -70 °C. Before this discovery, ceramics containing copper held the superconductivity record. But even with these materials, a temperature of at least -135 °C was required for them in order for their electrical resistance to be lost. Now researchers in Mainz have taken a major step towards superconductivity at room temperature by experimenting with lanthanum hydride (LaH10). They discovered that it already loses its electrical resistance at a temperature of -23 °C. “We have selected lanthanum hydride from other possible candidates for room temperature superconductivity which have been selected with the help of the theory,” explains Dr. Eremets. “We’re also working on other materials.” Subscribe to IO on Telegram!Subscribe! From high pressure to metallic lanthanum hydride Eremets considers hydrogen content to be one of the reasons why lanthanum hydride becomes a superconductor at higher temperatures more so than hydrogen sulfide or even conventional metallic superconductors. “Obviously, there is a lot more hydrogen in LaH10 than in H3S. As the lightest atom, hydrogen is advantageous to superconductivity because it causes the crystal lattice to vibrate at very high frequencies,” he says. ” Secondly, LaH10 has a very different structure compared to H3S. This reason is not so obvious, and it is difficult to explain in qualitative terms. Many parameters, and not only the frequencies of lattice oscillations, determine the critical temperatures and accurate calculations show that the critical temperature for LaH10 should be higher than for H3S.” The scientists synthesized small amounts of lanthanum hydride during their experiments. In a special chamber, just a few hundred cubic micrometers in size, they subjected the samples to a pressure of 1.7 megabar (1.7 million times more than the pressure in the Earth’s atmosphere) and then cooled them down. At the critical temperature of -23 °C, the electrical resistance of the material dropped abruptly to zero. Since superconductivity cannot be unequivocally proven merely by resistance measurements, the researchers also took measurements in conjunction with an external magnetic field. A magnetic field interferes with superconductivity, causing the transition to lower temperatures to change – and this is exactly what physicists observed. A significant discovery for science “Our study is an important milestone on the road towards superconductivity at room temperature,” says Mikhail Eremets. Furthermore, the findings are also of great importance for science. “It shows that conventional superconductors which follow the established BCS (Bardin-Cooper-Schrieffer) theory are currently the most promising for reaching the highest critical temperatures,” says Eremets. “The anticipated superconductivity at room temperature will soon be reached at very high pressures. Our studies are a first step in the quest for new superconductors, even under ambient pressure, since theoretically there appears to be no limit to the critical temperature of superconductivity.” Eremets and his team are currently researching superconductivity in yttrium hydride. “With this material, we are predicting that it will be superconductive at even higher temperatures,” says the scientist. Innovation Origins is an independent news platform that has an unconventional revenue model. We are sponsored by companies that support our mission: to spread the story of innovation. Read more. At Innovation Origins, you can always read our articles for free. We want to keep it that way. Have you enjoyed our articles so much that you want support our mission? Then use the button below:
About the Montessori Method The Montessori Method is the result of the experiences and discoveries of Dr. Maria Montessori (1870–1952). Maria Montessori observed that a child has an “absorbent mind,” especially between the ages of three and six. She believed children should stay within a single classroom for three years to fully develop their conscious awareness of their whole selves. Learner outcomes of authentic Montessori programs include: independence, confidence & competence, autonomy, intrinsic motivation, social responsibility, academic preparation, spiritual awareness/cosmic education and global citizenship. The Montessori classroom uses concrete materials that are self-correcting and allow children to learn at their own pace. These materials help the child to see, touch, feel and freely explore their environments without the teacher’s intervention. The Montessori teacher provides individual instruction within set guidelines. The children learn self respect, respect for others and respect for their environment. Montessori methods and materials promote inner discipline and self-motivation. The main focus of a Montessori teacher is to guide each child by providing a well-prepared environment. This environment fosters the creativity and the curiosity of the child and also bolsters the child’s self-esteem. The child is able to learn independently and with the help of his peers and teacher. Children receiving Montessori instruction excel academically and socially and gain the confidence they need to reach their fullest potential. Still not convinced? There are many studies showing the benefits of an authentic Montessori education. A short summary is here: Montessori-Does-it-Work? What are some of the faults of traditional education as viewed by Montessori? To name a few: restriction of child’s activity, suppression of his spontaneity, use of external rewards and punishments, frequent interruptions, verbal “pouring-in” approach and inadequate teacher training. Says Montessori: “The educational methods now in use proceed on lines exactly the reverse of ours.” The goal of both Montessori and traditional schools are the same: to provide learning experiences for the child. The biggest differences lie in the kinds of learning experiences each school provides and the methods they use to accomplish this goal. What is the end result of a Hilltop Montessori education? A child that loves learning that will last a lifetime. Recent comments from educators from private secondary schools in the Birmingham area attest to the specific benefit of a Hilltop Montessori education: "The students from Hilltop, without exception, are in the top 10% academically and always seem to have a strong background in science." -9th grade Biology teacher "...Several excel in creative endeavors; others crave and thrive within structure. Most display impressive critical thinking skills and are brave enough to address intellectual challenges. These last two qualities are particularly impressive for 5th/6th graders." -5/6th grade English teacher "Students are very good at seeing the big picture and understand the Why? How? and When? type questions in addition to just "cranking out an answer." -Honors Algebra teacher "Hilltop students' biggest strength is their curiosity and enthusiasm"-8th grade social studies and AP US History Teacher.
by Elaine A. Evans, Curator/Adjunct Assistant Professor, McClung Museum, University of Tennessee In 1994 the McClung Museum received two rare clay jar sealing fragments used on pottery jars. One is impressed with a Royal name of a king (Sealing 1) and one with the name of a high governmental official (Sealing 2). Both date to Dynasty I, circa 3200-2980 BC. As the inscribed material found contemporary with them is meager, the importance of sealings cannot be underestimated. What is known about the system of produce storage in terms of governmental organization of the Early Dynastic Period has been greatly aided by the study of inscribed seals and other types of labels. The idea of capping a container and impressing the cap with a seal in an attempt to discourage thieves was an early development. Seals proved essential, as attested by their use throughout Egyptian history well into the Roman period. The intent of this study is to establish what the newly acquired sealings can tell us about this early period, how they were made, their significance, and their provenance. King Djer And Chancellor Hemaka Sealing 1 measures 12.5 cm long x 9 cm wide x 5.5 cm high, and bears in relief the name of King Djer, or Zer-Ta (Figure 1). Djer ruled a few decades after the unification of the two kingdoms of Egypt under one ruler. The chronological order of the first kings has been questioned, but Menes, or Narmer, is generally credited with initiating one central government, a momentous occurrence at the threshold of the historic period, and establishing a form of rule that lasted to the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great. In any event, Djer became the third king of Dynasty I, and reigned for about 50 years. Sealing 2 measures 12 cm long x 7 cm wide x 4.5 cm high, and is impressed with the name of the great noble, Chancellor Hemaka, who held the highest official position under King Den, or Den-Setui (Figure 2). King Den reigned possibly for 45 years as the fifth ruler of Dynasty I. The two kings were related—Djer was the grandfather of Den. Their long reigns seem to indicate that the throne was passed down from father to son, as has been documented for later periods. This period at the dawn of pharaonic rule in the Nile Valley was marked by progress and great advancement, as is evident from the production of such objects as fine pottery, stone dishes, stelae, and in the architectural sophistication of the temples and tombs. Almost life-size statues of wood date to Djer’s reign, indicating that the arts were doing well. Under Den, the arts and crafts flourished, as did a well organized state. It was in this environment that Hemaka in his post as chancellor wielded his influence and no doubt made important contributions. The titles of King Djer and Chancellor Hemaka (Note 1) on the Museum sealings reflect the establishment of a nation state and suggest the movement of goods under the royal seal of guarantee, verifying a structured governmental system already in place at the earliest part of the dynastic period. Part of these official operations included administrative business transactions, such as keeping track of the volume of sales and revenue by inventories, the dating and labeling of goods, and official jurisdiction over them. As an official seal of approval, sealings required a watchful bureaucracy under an all-powerful king. Therefore, in most governmental departments and in the religious bureaucracy, particular persons were chosen as “sealers.” Important officials were given titles such as “Divine Sealer” or “Sealer of the God.” One such official, whose responsibilities included the seal, was Chancellor Hemaka. In the tomb of Den at Abydos, for example, sealings were found with the name of “the royal seal-bearer, Hemaka.” Also, numerous jar sealings from Saqqara have Hemaka’s name in conjunction with the name of the same king. The royal name of Djer, or Zer-Ta, on Sealing 1 is carried by three partial impressions of his serekh, placed next to each other in horizontal alignment along the top of one side with seven serekhs just below (Figure 1). The serekh was an emblem symbolizing the king as the god Horus, a very early falcon-god associated with the sun-god Re. It is composed of the facade paneling of a mastaba surmounted by a falcon, usually with a space for the king’s Horus name in hieroglyphs. This implies that the very first rulers of Egypt were considered divine, an idea expressed by their Horus-names. Djer was not the first king to use this device. It was favored for the names of all the kings of the Early Dynastic Period. The sign can be seen on a limestone mace-head found at Hierakonpolis belonging to a predecessor, King Narmer, who is believed the first to use it for his Horus name. At Abydos in 1900, the eminent Egyptologist Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie found sealings impressed with the serekh of Djer (Note 2), which parallel Sealing 1. Also, in a mastaba at Giza, Petrie uncovered a narrow, blue glazed pottery bracelet belonging to the king, with 13 plaques of building facades, each surmounted by a falcon. He found a similar bracelet at Abydos, composed of turquoise and gold plaques. These present another form of the serekh associated with this king. They may have been among gifts given by the king to officials to honor their service and to maintain loyalty. Sealing 2 shows balanced groupings of hieroglyphs (Figure 2). Their individual meanings are as follows: \|=\|\|The name of the owner as Hemaka\| \|=\|\|The title “Administrator of a District”\| \|=\|\|An honorary title, “Director Who is in the Midst”\| \|=\|\|A place name (unknown), encircled by the usual ovoid-shaped ring. On some other sealings the place name is encircled by a scalloped or crenellated frame, suggesting a walled enclosure. In 1936, Walter B. Emery uncovered in a mastaba magazine at Saqqara several hundred red-ware wine jars with conical mud caps, with the names of Den and Hemaka impressed on their sealings and a few with only the name of Hemaka (Note 3). Some other pottery had flat-topped circular mud sealings, with only the name of Hemaka. This burial site was originally believed to have belonged to Hemaka, but more recently it has been identified as the northern tomb or cenotaph of King Den. However, at Abydos, Petrie found a number of sealings in which the arrangement of the glyphs closely parallel Sealing 2. As in the making of sun-dried bricks, the base material used was Nile alluvium, or Nile mud. The properties of the mud and the shape of the sealings differ. Both sealings were simply formed; there are no signs of their having been made by a mold. Rather, the moist mud was shaped by hand, impressed, and the unbaked clay left in place on a jar to harden. Sealing 1 is compact, slightly friable, contains fibrous strands, or vascular bundles (i.e., veins) from what appears to be a leaf tissue from a grass (Note 4), shell, sand grains, scattered traces of copper-bearing mineral grains, and a strand of brown hair imbedded at one end of the stamped side. In addition to quartz and mineral grains in the mud, there are areas of the underside interior grooves relatively free of mud, which probably washed away. Clusters of quartz and mineral grains held together by an unknown binder are visible. The color of the mud is closest to a pale yellowish-gray. The top surface of the roughly oval-shaped sealing is rounded and slightly pitched, creating two planes, uneven and worn smooth in areas. The rough underside has several long narrow shallow depressions made by narrow flat striated material, suggesting a fibrous plant had been placed on the jar mouth and the superimposed sealing caught the impressions. Often reed stoppers were used should anything break away from the sealing into the container. Sealing 2 is more friable and less indurated than Sealing 1. Although it also contains organic fibers and sand grains similar to Sealing 1, there are more shell fragments and less vitreous quartz than Sealing 2, these less angular and more rounded than in Sealing 1. This shows the sealing clays to be different. However, the mud may have been gathered from the same location at another time or at a different location in the river or along its banks. The color of Sealing 2 is a pale pinkish-gray. The sealing is somewhat oval-shaped, with three sides broken away. Some of the edges of the impressions on the flat top surface are worn, and only one and about a half of the two impressions of Hemaka’s name are preserved. The underside is gnarled and uneven. There is evidence of a protective coating having been applied in the recent past. (Note 5) The earliest implement for impressing royal titles on clay was a carved cylinder seal, a device already being used for jar sealings in Egypt in proto-Dynastic times and was being replaced by the scarab seal of the Middle Kingdom in Dynasty XII, 1991-1778 BC. Usually made of stone, the carved inscription on the cylinder was impressed into the moist clay as it rolled over it. Although such early seals to safeguard jars do not reflect any outside design influences, the idea of the cylinder seal was introduced to Egypt from Mesopotamia. The mud sealing fragments continue to increase our knowledge of this dim period of political, technological, and creative changes that took place in the Early Dynastic Period. Sealings safeguarded jar contents, deterring theft, particularly when being transported great distances. They also provided immediate identification to be understood by the servant classes. These functions call to mind a sealing process with little alteration that lasted throughout ancient Egyptian history. The sealings may be considered significant in another respect as well—that is, their relation to the powerful impact the introduction of hieroglyphic writing had in advancing Egyptian culture. They date to the period when the first forms of writing were already established and “signs were already fully developed and differentiated” (Note 6). The sealing of Djer presents a standard example of its type, and the sealing of Chancellor Hemaka clearly illustrates an advancement in clarity and composition from earlier writing forms. As Petrie pointed out, “It is not till the time of Den that a general coarse uniformity of style was fixed upon….” (Note 7) Also noted by Petrie was that “…the decorative quality of the seal was clearly a matter of first importance.” (Note 8) These compositional changes led to the eventual perfection of the glyphs found in seals of the Old Kingdom, 2780-2280 BC, or classical period. Centuries later that writing came closer to the “printing” process, when a colored substance was rubbed on a cylinder seal and rolled onto papyrus. As to the provenance of the new acquisitions, the parallels that have been discussed certainly suggest Abydos in Upper Egypt, a site of possible early political and religious dominance. As has been indicated, sealings from Abydos compare to Sealing 2 and, in the case of Sealing 1, many objects associated with King Djer were uncovered at the same site. Also to be considered is the modern paper label pasted on the underside of each sealing. Sealing 1 has the name Zer-Ta written on its label, and on Sealing 2 is the name Den-Setui. The names were attached by a knowledgeable person who acquired the sealings in Egypt. However, these sealings would still need to be compared with excavated sealings from the site and analyzed through spectrographic and trace element analysis to pinpoint the region for the type of clay used. Although the mud could have come from a variety of locations, it was no doubt conveniently collected locally where the jars were being sealed. The results of such analysis would verify the provenance. Although the identity of the contents they sealed is still uncertain, it probably was wine, at least in the case of Sealing 2. We might suppose similar vineyards were producing wine, as were those belonging to a successor of Den, King Hetepnebwyyemef of Dynasty II. It is more than likely the Museum sealings were once part of the wine jars stored in magazines for funerary use at Abydos. - I would like to extend my gratitude to Henry G. Fischer for his helpful suggestions and for his identification of the names of Djer and Hemaka on the sealings. - The plant particles were examined through the courtesy of Gary D. Crites, Director, Ethnobotany Laboratory, McClung Museum, to whom I extend my thanks. Some of the fibers have evidence of being processed to better control the mud from cracking as it dried. Chaff (tibn) was often added to mud for this reason. - W. M. Flinders Petrie: The Royal Tombs of the First Dynasty, Part II. London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1901, page 22; Plate XV, pages 105–106. - Walter B. Emery: The Tomb of Hemaka. Cairo: Service des antiquités de l’Égypt, 1938, page 49ff. - I wish to thank Otto C. Kopp, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, for his kind assistance in examining the muds and providing his observations. - Alan H. Gardiner: “Egyptian Hieroglyphic Writing” in Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (JEA), Volume II, 1915, pages 62-63. - W. M. Flinders Petrie: The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties, Part II. London: Egypt Exploration Fund, 1901, page 31. - Petrie: The Royal Tombs of the Earliest Dynasties, II, page 52. Select Web Resources - Abydos, Egypt, Wikipedia - Earliest Egyptian Glyphs by Larkin Mitchell, Archaeology, Volume 52 Number 2, March/April 1999
Learning toys have become big business in the United States. At home and in their classrooms, children use plastic letters to master the alphabet, interlocking blocks to learn arithmetic and the base-10 system, and pretend money to work out word problems. A growing number of studies, though, suggest that such learning toys, or “manipulatives” in eduspeak, don’t guarantee learning success. While many studies show that using concrete objects can boost children’s understanding of abstract concepts, others suggest they make no difference at all, and sometimes can even be counterproductive. “Concreteness and abstractness are difficult and nuanced concepts,” said David H. Uttal, an associate professor of psychology at Northwestern University, in Evanston, Ill. “The critical question for researchers now is to find out how and when manipulatives should be used.” With Judy S. DeLoache, a psychologist from the University of Virginia, in Charlottesville, and other researchers, Mr. Uttal has been conducting a series of experiments with preschoolers and elementary-age children to find out how educational toys affect their learning. In one recent study, which has not yet been published, the researchers divided 35 5-year-olds into two groups, giving each a different set of toys to play with. One group played with plastic letters; the other—the control group—played with a variety of other toys, such as shapes or figures of familiar objects, like butterflies or triangles. After 10 days, the researchers found that the children in the control group had actually learned more letters than the children using the alphabet shapes had. Taking More Time In a similar series of experiments at the elementary-school level, the researchers found that children taught to do two-digit subtraction by the traditional written method performed just as well as children who used a commercially available set of manipulatives made up of individual blocks that could be interlocked to form units of 10. Later on, though, the children who used the toys had trouble transferring their knowledge to paper-and-pencil representations. Mr. Uttal and his colleagues also found that the hands-on lessons took three times as long as the traditional teaching methods did. One problem is that children, and adults as well, sometimes fail to grasp the symbolic value of the objects they’re using, according to a panel of experts who presented research on the topic during a national meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development held in Boston last month. Students might correctly perform the classroom procedure, connecting 10 blocks here, for instance, or taking away blocks from another pile, without thinking about what the objects are meant to represent. Younger children, in particular, also can get lost in play with the toys or become distracted by superficial features of the toys, such as realistic details or bright colors, that have nothing to do with the academic concept being taught. Nicole M. McNeil, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Notre Dame, in Indiana, found, for example, that children made more errors—but different kinds of errors—when they used highly detailed, realistic-looking play money to solve word problems. As part of that not-yet-published study, whose findings were also presented at the Boston meeting, 85 5th graders were divided into three groups and given 10 word problems involving money transactions. One group was allowed to use only paper and pencil. A second group used detailed, realistic play money, and the third group was given plain-looking black-and-white bills and coins. SOURCE: Encyclopedia of American Education While the students using the highly detailed concrete materials made the most errors overall, fewer of their mistakes involved conceptual misunderstandings. Instead, the students using the look-alike currency tended to stumble on simple arithmetic calculations. Ms. McNeil’s take-away message: “There are both costs and benefits to using highly concrete manipulatives. Because the use of manipulatives is so widespread, it’s really important for teachers to stand back and think about what kinds of manipulatives to use.” And at least one study suggests that some teachers may not be using the tools quite so reflectively. Patricia S. Moyer-Packenham, a researcher from George Mason University, in Fairfax, Va., interviewed and observed 10 middle-grades teachers using manipulatives to teach math. In a paper published in 2001, she noted that many of the teachers saw the classroom toys as a “fun” reward for students, rather than as a way to enhance their learning. Douglas H. Clements, a professor of learning and instruction at the University at Buffalo, State University of New York, said, in some cases, teachers might also find that “virtual” manipulatives on a computer screen could be more effective than the real thing. With his colleague Julie Sarama, an associate professor of learning and instruction at the university, Mr. Clements has been testing a Logo computer program for teaching geometric concepts in middle school and comparing the results with those from other modes of instruction. In the early 1990s, the researchers divided 223 middle school students into three groups—a textbook-only group, a group that used manipulatives in combination with paper and pencil, and a group that used the interactive software program—for a series of eight lessons. What they found was that students using the software program and those given the hands-on objects both outscored the textbook group afterward on a test of geometric motion concepts—and at similarly high levels. However, on a test given three weeks later, the computer-using group outperformed both of the other groups. The researchers believe the software lessons may have been more effective in that case because they required students to be more explicit about their learning. Instead of mindlessly rotating or taking apart a block, in other words, students had to type in commands to manipulate the shapes on their screens. What’s more, the commands required them to quantify directions by giving the precise degree of the angle or the length of side. Focus on Meaning Such findings, Mr. Clements said, suggest that teachers may have to expand their definition of manipulatives to include computer-based tools. It’s not the “physicality” of the manipulatives that’s important, Mr. Clements and Ms. Sarama write in a conference paper synthesizing research on manipulatives, “it is their manipulability and their meaningfulness that make them educationally effective.” “The main thing is to be very clear about the math that you’re trying to teach,” Mr. Clements added in an interview, “and to think about the kinds of mental actions you’re talking about and that you want students to do.” Northwestern’s Mr. Uttal said his own findings with preschoolers also carry implications beyond the classroom, for manufacturers of educational toys and parents who buy them. “Most of these toys don’t come with instructions for parents on the most effective ways to use them,” he said. “It would be very easy to fix that.” Coverage of education research is supported in part by a grant from the Spencer Foundation. A version of this article appeared in the April 25, 2007 edition of Education Week as Studies Find That Use of Learning Toys Can Backfire
According to the USEPA, 35 million tons of food waste reach landfills and incinerators each year. Consequently that’s only in the United States. This waste must be prevented and also used to feed people. As well as composted for reuse as fertilizer for future crops. In conclusion and JUST to REMIND everyone, food waste is thrown in landfills and rots. Then that stench when you open a full can? Well that is a significant source of methane. Did you know that methane is a serious greenhouse gas. All with 21 times the global warming potential of carbon dioxide. Again, let us not forget that landfills are a major source of human-related methane in the USA alone; this is more than 20 percent of all methane emissions. Proper waste management plays a crucial role in global cleanliness. and collective health and safety of the population. Thereby offering so many benefits both to the environment as to the people. Finally, environmental benefits of proper waste management are listed. They include: - Improving air and water quality - Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and pollution - Decreasing the need to manufacture new materials - Turning recyclable waste into useful substances such as compost and waste energy - Conserving space in landfills and thereby diminishing the production of harmful substances; - Conserving natural resources such as water, minerals, and timber - Increasing safety in the workplace and community. In addition, waste collection companies do their part to relocate waste to areas where it can be disposed of in a safe manner. In doing so, they help to prevent the depletion of our natural resources. Then all the while reducing issues resulting from waste streams. They also sort the waste into recyclable columns. Those which reduces the cost of production of many products. Products like paper, plastic, glass, etc. Finally encouraging the 3 Rs – reduce, reuse, and recycle. Finally and in conclusion, here is an infographic of how serious food waste and landfills are really in the USA.
I love that so many of you are curious about the weather. Not just the weather in your backyard, but the big picture. I found this great question in my mailbox: "Hi Cindy, last week at this time there were half a dozen disturbances in our Atlantic area of interest. This week there are none. I noted a large cloud of sand off the west coast of Africa moving westward. Is that cloud a major factor in reduced activity? Thank you. Cheers, Stew Russell” That's a great observation. That plume of dust that you spotted on the satellite image has a name: it’s called the"Saharan Air Layer" or SAL. It's huge and can grow to be the size of the continental U.S. Every three to five days during the summertime, these storms roll off the African coast. A dust storm has three main components that can suppress a hurricane. The first is very dry air. Hurricanes don’t like dry air in the middle parts of the atmosphere, and that’s exactly what the Saharan Air Layer has. It extends upward between 5,000 and 20,000 feet and is about 50 per cent drier than tropical air. A Saharan dust storm also has a very strong surge of air embedded within it that creates vertical wind shear and can rip a developing storm apart. And finally - dust. Researchers think the dust itself suppresses cloud formation, playing a role in preventing tropical waves from becoming more intense. Dust inhibits convection, the process of moisture rising to the higher levels of the atmosphere, and then precipitating as rain. So the Saharan dust layer has a blanketing influence on the development of convection. In addition to the direct impacts of the Saharan Air Layer on hurricane activity, the SAL can impede storm development indirectly through its impact on SSTs or sea surface temperatures. The SAL contains large amounts of dust that reflect incoming solar radiation which causessea surface temperatures to cool, reducing the amount of energy available and impacting the likelihood for storms to develop into hurricanes. It is difficult to anticipate when the SAL will move over the Atlantic or how extensive it will be when it does. When it moves over the ocean, however, its progress can be tracked. Infrared satellite imagery can show the current spatial location of the SAL. So to answer the question, yes it does. Depending on the timing and the interaction with the SAL, the presence of the large plume of sand can inhibit a storm from developing. - Want more weather information? Visit your weather page. - Have a weather question, photo or drawing to share with Cindy Day? Email [email protected] Cindy Day is the chief meteorologist for SaltWire Network
Climate change and global warming tend to be thought of as relatively slow processes when measured on the human time-scale. But some scientists believe that abrupt climate change is very possible and that we should start planning now on how to respond to a global warming crisis that might develop in decades, rather than centuries. Roger Angel, a University of Arizona boffin in the field of astronomical adaptive optics, has been looking at ways to cool the Earth in just such an emergency. Angel’s plan involves launching a flotilla of trillions of small free-flying spacecraft a million miles above Earth into an orbit aligned with the sun, called the L1 Lagrange orbit. The spacecraft would form a long, cylindrical cloud about 4,000 miles in diameter and 60,000 miles in length. About 10 percent of the sunlight passing through the length of the cloud would be diverted away from Earth, uniformly reducing sunlight by about 2 percent over the entire planet. Enough to balance the heating caused by a doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere, believes Angel. A space shade to deflect sunlight from Earth was first proposed by James Early of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1989. “The earlier ideas were for bigger, heavier structures that would have needed manufacture and launch from the moon, which is pretty futuristic,” Angel explained. “I wanted to make the sunshade from small, light and extremely thin spacecraft that could be completely assembled and launched from Earth, in stacks of a million at a time. When they reached L1, they would be dealt off the stack into a cloud. There’s nothing to assemble in space.” The lightweight spacecraft mooted by Angel would be made of a transparent film pierced with small holes. Each craft would be two feet in diameter, 1/5000 of an inch thick and weigh about a gram, the same as a large butterfly. The craft would use tiny, maneuverable solar sails to stay in position. Angel has calculated that the total mass of all the fliers would be around 20 million tons, making launch by conventional chemical rocket prohibitively expensive. Instead, Angel proposes using electromagnetic space launchers, which could bring the launch cost down to as little as $20 a pound. Once in space, the craft would be steered to their orbit by solar-powered ion propulsion, a method pioneered by the European Space Agency’s SMART-1 moon orbiter. “The concept builds on existing technologies,” Angel said. “It seems feasible that it could be developed and deployed in about 25 years at a cost of a few trillion dollars. The solar shade should last about 50 years, so the average cost is about $100 billion a year, or about two-tenths of one percent of the global domestic product. [It’s] no substitute for developing renewable energy, the only permanent solution, but if the planet gets into an abrupt climate crisis that can only be fixed by cooling, it would be good to be ready with some shading solutions that have been worked out.”
How can this be? The child to spell a word out loud and success with this, but you can not write the same word onto a piece of paper. Surely, you can say that you can write that … is not it? This simple action, although apparently similar in content, there can be no one who suffers from dysgraphia. The term dysgraphia identify those who are struggling with so-called visual motor execution deficits and recognized learning disability. Although individuals with dysgraphia may be facing other learning difficulties, dysgraphia does not indicate mental retardation. In fact, there are rarely any co-existing academic or social problems. People suffering from dysgraphia can learn and they do not learn – just learn differently. There are different types of dysgraphia; However, the end result is obvious weakness written expression or handwriting. Science has identified the real cause of dysgraphia. This is usually attributed to poor motor skills (hands and fingers), and / or reduced visual perception skills. Some theorize problems in left right brain integration; In other words, in the absence of the left brain and the right side of the brain communicate with each other and work together so an error experiments. Fortunately, brain learning activities which are of particular neurological processing can strengthen these relationships. dysgraphia sufferers can easily tell a story told them without uncertainty or error, but when I was asked to write to produce the same story in a garbled page pointless. There are capital letters at random places and letters ranging in size from tiny massive – sometimes the same word. and the distance between each letter of the word is no, and very often letters to be reversed and mirrored. True dysgraphia exists despite proper instructions on how to form letters. The people know what they want to write and knows what words you want to use, and that each letter should look; Somehow, the brain is not able to transmit this information to the fingers. Those results are poor quality standards. There are treatment options for individuals diagnosed with dysgraphia. Neurological based treatment programs designed to strengthen the brain & # 39; s ability to process, store and correctly retrieve information are available to help them, dysgraphia. Brain learning treatment is becoming much more recognized specialty professions such as occupational therapy and Speech Therapy. Individuals do not accept these deficits, and does not have to always rely on compensatory strategies to complete daily writing. There is hope for those who have difficulty successfully pass their thoughts on paper. In summary, the neurological disorder known dysgraphia quite troublesome. How is it that a person can say what they want, even the words aloud correctly, but can not write what I think? Anxious to professionals for help that specialize in learning style exercises and right brain to left brain processing therapy, significant progress can be made more efficient functional abilities. The combination of the appropriate program or programs can be invaluable to the intervention plan. There is hope for people diagnosed with dysgraphia!

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