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We rely on insects to pollinate our crops, enrich our soil, clean up after us and provide a vast array of materials, which we use to feed, clothe and shelter ourselves. On the other hand, some insects are responsible for the destruction of crops and the spread of disease. This workshop teaches students about pest and beneficial insects and how they impact on our way of life. We investigate how some insects can be used to fight crop pests and eradicate weeds and also explore the insects that can bite us, annoy us or make us sick. Students will enjoy seeing familiar insects such as lady beetles, assassin bugs, dung beetles, bees, cockroaches and more. An excellent workshop for understanding our relationship with insects and how we interact with them in the web of life. Costs and Inclusions
Orthobiologics are substances that orthopaedic surgeons use to help injuries heal more quickly. They are used to improve the healing of broken bones and injured muscles, tendons, and ligaments. These products are made from substances that are naturally found in your body. When they are used in higher concentrations, they may help speed up the healing process. This article focuses on orthobiologics that orthopaedic surgeons use to help broken bones heal. When you injure a bone, muscle, or tendon, there is bleeding into the injured area. This bleeding is the foundation for the healing response. It provides a way for healing factors to reach the injury site. In addition to bleeding, there are three factors necessary for healing. All three are orthobiologic substances. They include: - Matrix. This can be thought of as the house in which the cells live and where they will thrive and eventually make bone, tendon, or ligament. Matrix material is conductive. This means it can form the building blocks that help fill bone gaps. - Growth factors. These are the many different kinds of proteins necessary for cells to work during the healing process. Some proteins help speed up the healing process, while others help to control it or slow it down. These elements are much like the vitamins that we take every day to try to improve our health and body function. - Stem cells. These are special cells in your body that can turn into other types of cells. During the healing process, stem cells are called to the area of your body that needs repair. Factors in the area influence the stem cells to become repair cells. Note that the same stem cell that repairs bone can also repair a tendon or ligament. The matrix, or conductive material, provides housing for stem cells while they grow into mature cells. If stem cells do not have a house to grow in, they cannot develop into repair cells that can heal bone, muscle, tendon, or cartilage. When someone breaks or fractures a bone, the healing process begins. As long as most of the bony substance is not lost, stem cells should be able to make new bone and promote healing. If, however, a significant portion of the broken bone is lost, a large gap may result. This can happen if the bone crumbled, or broke into several pieces and went through the skin. Under these circumstances, the gap must be filled with matrix, or conductive material, to house stem cells. There are several types of substances that may be used for this purpose. Bone grafts are often used as matrix material. There are two types of bone grafts. Autograft. A bone graft can be obtained from the patient. This type of graft is called an autograft. Many different bones can be used to supply the graft. Grafts are most commonly taken from the iliac crest, which is part of the pelvis. Harvesting a bone graft requires an additional incision during the operation to treat the injury. This makes the surgery take longer and can cause increased pain or risk of infection after the operation. Although autografts have been used with good results, some people may experience pain at the donor site for some time. Allograft. One alternative to taking the bone graft from the patient is called an allograft, which is cadaver bone. An allograft is typically acquired through a bone bank. Like other organs, bone tissue can be donated upon death. The use of allografts has grown because it avoids the risk of pain at the donor site. There are risks and benefits for both types of bone grafts, which your surgeon will discuss with you. Artificial Matrix Material Man-made materials, such as calcium phosphate, may also be used to fill a large void between bone ends. When treated properly, calcium phosphate can form material that closely resembles bone. It contains holes that are the right size for stem cells to enter and develop into mature cells. Both calcium phosphate and cadaver bone eliminate the pain and other risks involved with having extra surgery to harvest an autograft. Growth factors are found inside bone in low concentrations, and in other parts of your body. They can be produced in higher concentrations through genetic engineering. A lot of work is being done using genetic engineering to help with medical problems. Genetic engineering has made great improvements in making bone heal faster and better. Genetic engineering can produce large quantities of a needed element in its pure form. During the genetic engineering process, signals inside a cell are altered in order to change the cell's function. To help with bone healing, cells can be turned into factories that produce growth factor proteins. Growth Factor Proteins and Bone Healing Growth factor proteins play an important role in the healing process. They call stem cells to the injury site. This is called chemoattraction. The stem cells are drawn to the injured area where they develop into "repair" cells. Chemoattraction works only when there is a good blood supply around the injured area. If there is not good blood flow, the proteins cannot attract stem cells, or provide them with a way to travel to the area where they are needed. Bone Morphogenetic Proteins Many types of proteins aid in bone healing and can be produced with genetic engineering. The most powerful of these are bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). These synthetic proteins also help with muscle, tendon, and cartilage healing. Discovered during the 1960s, BMPs today are produced in large enough quantities to effectively speed the healing of damaged bone, especially in fractures that have a difficult time healing. Of all the types of cells, stem cells have the greatest potential for promoting healing. As discussed above, stem cells are immature cells that are influenced by their surroundings. When brought to an injury site, a stem cell can develop into the kind of cell needed to help in healing - bone, muscle, ligament, and cartilage. Because of the healing capabilities of stem cells, doctors have developed ways to bring stem cells to an injury site faster and in greater numbers. The first step in this process is to retrieve the stem cells. This can be done by harvesting them from the patient, or through a stem cell donor program. Stem Cell Harvesting There are many sources of stem cells in the human body. The most important source is bone marrow. Bone marrow is located in the centers of long bones, such as the bones in your arms, forearms, thighs, and legs. The pelvic bone contains the highest concentration of stem cells. Therefore, the bone marrow in your pelvic bone is the most common source for harvesting stem cells. The doctor draws the stem cells out of the bone marrow with a needle, in a similar way that blood is drawn from your arm for tests. An orthopaedic surgeon then inserts this large supply of stem cells into the injury site. This eliminates the time it would take for the stem cells to reach the injury on their own and delivers them in a higher concentration, which speeds the healing process. Stem Cell Donation Orthopaedic surgeons can also use donor stem cells to promote healing. In much the same way that blood transfusions help millions of patients each year, stem cells taken from donors after they pass away help millions of orthopaedic patients. When these cells are harvested, they are treated so that they will not create an immune or allergic reaction in the patient. Each year, there are many new developments in the area of orthobiologics. For example, researchers are currently working on a "bone glue" that would not only fix fractured bones together, but also provide substances to aid the healing process. At this time, bone glues have not been proven effective, and there are none currently available. They have excellent potential in the future, however. Today, doctors have many more options to help the musculoskeletal system heal than they had 15 years ago when most orthobiologics were not available. The goal is to get patients back to the way they were prior to their injuries. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 9400 West Higgins Road Rosemont, IL 60018
This graphic features an artist's impression of the extraordinarily close stellar pairing, known as X9. Photo credit: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Astronomers have found evidence of a star that orbits around a black hole every 28 minutes. This could be the tightest orbital dance ever seen by a black hole and a companion star. The close-in stellar couple, or binary, is located in the globular cluster 47 Tucanae, a dense cluster of stars in our galaxy about 14,800 light years away from Earth. While astronomers have known about this binary for many years, it wasn’t until 2015 that radio observations revealed the pair likely contains a black hole pulling material from a companion star. Arash Bahramian, former PhD student, and Craig Heinke, associate professor in the Department of Physics, led the international team investigating the phenomenon. The discovery was made using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory as well as NASA’s NuSTAR and the Australia Telescope Compact Array. “This white dwarf is so close to the black hole that material is being pulled away from the star and dumped onto a disk of matter around the black hole before falling in,” said Bahramian, lead author on the study. “Luckily for this star, we don’t think it will follow this path into oblivion, but instead will stay in orbit.” Although the white dwarf does not appear to be in danger of falling in or being torn apart by the black hole, its fate is uncertain. “Eventually so much matter may be pulled away from the white dwarf that it ends up becoming an exotic kind of planet,” said Heinke. “Or, the white dwarf may also completely evaporate one day.” New Chandra data of this system, known as X9, show that it changes in X-ray brightness in the same manner every 28 minutes, which is likely the length of time it takes the companion star to make one complete orbit around the black hole. This, plus Chandra data that shows evidence for large amounts of oxygen in the system, makes a strong case that X9 contains a white dwarf star that is orbiting a black hole at only about 2.5 times the separation between the Earth and the Moon. Gregory Sivakoff, assistant professor and co-author, notes, “We’ve also considered an alternative explanation, where a rapidly rotating neutron star, instead of a black hole, is tearing material from a nearby white dwarf. However, since known examples of such systems have different properties from X9, we think X9 is much more likely to contain a black hole. We’ll be keeping our eyes on X9 and other binary stars like it to test these alternative hypotheses." The paper, “The ultracompact nature of the black hole candidate X-ray binary 47 Tuc X9” was published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society in 2017. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Chandra program for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, controls Chandra's science and flight operations.
It'sa plane spanned by the x-axis and y-axis,the coordinates of a point are its distances from two intersecting perpendicular axes Elementary mathematics consists of mathematics topics frequently taught at the primary or secondary school levels. Euclidean geometry is a mathematical system attributed to the Alexandrian Greek mathematician Euclid, which he described in his textbook on geometry: the Elements. Euclid's method consists in assuming a small set of intuitively appealing axioms, and deducing many other propositions (theorems) from these. Although many of Euclid's results had been stated by earlier mathematicians, Euclid was the first to show how these propositions could fit into a comprehensive deductive and logical system. The Elements begins with plane geometry, still taught in secondary school as the first axiomatic system and the first examples of formal proof. It goes on to the solid geometry of three dimensions. Much of the Elements states results of what are now called algebra and number theory, explained in geometrical language. For more than two thousand years, the adjective "Euclidean" was unnecessary because no other sort of geometry had been conceived. Euclid's axioms seemed so intuitively obvious (with the possible exception of the parallel postulate) that any theorem proved from them was deemed true in an absolute, often metaphysical, sense. Today, however, many other self-consistent non-Euclidean geometries are known, the first ones having been discovered in the early 19th century. An implication of Einstein's theory of general relativity is that physical space itself is not Euclidean, and Euclidean space is a good approximation for it only where the gravitational field is weak. A Cartesian coordinate system is a coordinate system that specifies each point uniquely in a plane by a pair of numerical coordinates, which are the signed distances from the point to two fixed perpendicular directed lines, measured in the same unit of length. Each reference line is called a coordinate axis or just axis of the system, and the point where they meet is its origin, usually at ordered pair (0, 0). The coordinates can also be defined as the positions of the perpendicular projections of the point onto the two axes, expressed as signed distances from the origin. One can use the same principle to specify the position of any point in three-dimensional space by three Cartesian coordinates, its signed distances to three mutually perpendicular planes (or, equivalently, by its perpendicular projection onto three mutually perpendicular lines). In general, n Cartesian coordinates (an element of -spacenreal ) specify the point in an n-dimensional Euclidean space for any dimension n. These coordinates are equal, up to sign, to distances from the point to n mutually perpendicular hyperplanes. Dimension In geometry, a coordinate system is a system which uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine the position of a point or other geometric element on a manifold such as Euclidean space. The order of the coordinates is significant and they are sometimes identified by their position in an ordered tuple and sometimes by a letter, as in "the x coordinate". The coordinates are taken to be real numbers in elementary mathematics, but may be complex numbers or elements of a more abstract system such as a commutative ring. The use of a coordinate system allows problems in geometry to be translated into problems about numbers and vice versa; this is the basis of analytic geometry. Point plotting is an elementary mathematical skill required in analytic geometry. Invented by René Descartes and originally used to locate positions on military maps, this skill is now assumed of everyone who wants to locate grid 7A on any map. Using point plotting, one associates an ordered pair of real numbers (x, y) with a point in the plane in a one-to-one manner. As a result, one obtains the 2-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In physics, the perpendicular axis theorem (or plane figure theorem) can be used to determine the moment of inertia of a rigid object that lies entirely within a plane, about an axis perpendicular to the plane, given the moments of inertia of the object about two perpendicular axes lying within the plane. The axes must all pass through a single point in the plane. Define perpendicular axes , , and (which meet at origin ) so that the body lies in the plane, and the axis is perpendicular to the plane of the body. Let Ix, Iy and Iz be moments of inertia about axis x, y, z respectively, the perpendicular axis theorem states that Geometry Analytic geometry, or analytical geometry, has two different meanings in mathematics. The modern and advanced meaning refers to the geometry of analytic varieties. This article focuses on the classical and elementary meaning. In classical mathematics, analytic geometry, also known as coordinate geometry, or Cartesian geometry, is the study of geometry using a coordinate system and the principles of algebra and analysis. This contrasts with the synthetic approach of Euclidean geometry, which treats certain geometric notions as primitive, and uses deductive reasoning based on axioms and theorems to derive truth. Analytic geometry is widely used in physics and engineering, and is the foundation of most modern fields of geometry, including algebraic, differential, discrete, and computational geometry. Law Crime The term crime does not, in modern times, have any simple and universally accepted definition, but one definition is that a crime, also called an offence or a criminal offence, is an act harmful not only to some individual, but also to the community or the state (a public wrong). Such acts are forbidden and punishable by law.
The wrist joint is the complex joint formed between the distal ends (furthest from the body) of the Radius and Ulna (two forearm bones) and the carpal bones. It connects the forearm to the hand and allows a good range of motion. Repetitive use does however frequently lead to injuries. The Ulna is the larger of the two forearm bones, although it tapers at the wrist end, to become narrower than the Radius at this point. The Radius is positioned on the thumb side of the wrist, and the ulna on the little finger side. They form the wrist joint with the carpal bones. Altogether there are 8 carpal bone which are arranged in two rows, proximal and distal: - Lunate -proximal - Triquetrum - proximal - Pisiform - proximal - Capitate - distal - Trapezium - distal - Trapezoid - distal - Hamate - distal The scaphoid bone crosses both rows as it is the largest carpal bone. The scaphoid and the lunate are the two bones which actually articulate with the radius and ulna to form the wrist joint. Each bone within the wrist is joined to the one next to it by one or more ligaments. As you can imagine, this results in a large number of ligaments! Two of the largest ligaments of the wrist are the medial (ulnar) and lateral (radial) collateral ligaments. The MCL passes from the distal end of the ulnar and crosses the wrist to attach to the triquetrum and the pisiform. The LCL passes from the end of the radius, across the joint to the scaphoid. Most of the muscles which act on the wrist joint, are situated within the forearm, with only the tendon crossing the joint and inserting on the hand. The muscles on the back of the forearm (dorsal aspect) act to extend the wrist or pull it back as if pulling a ring-pull: - Extensor carpi radialis brevis - Extensor carpi radialis longus - Extensor carpi ulnaris - Extensor digitorum communis - Extensor pollicis longus The muscles on the front of the forearm (palmer aspect) act to flex the wrist, such as when you push a roundabout: - Flexor carpi radialis - Flexor carpi ulnaris - Flexor digitorum superficialis - Flexor pollicis longus Some of these muscles also help to perform radial and ulnar deviation. Radial deviation is the act of tilting the wrist in a radial direction (or with the thumb leading). Extensor carpi radialis brevis, longus and flexor carpi radialis all perform this movement. Ulnar deviation is the opposite movement, of tilting the wrist so that the little finger leads. Extensor carpi ulnaris and flexor carpi ulnaris perform this movement. Three nerves pass from the forearm, across the wrist and into the hand. These are: The radial nerve is on the radial, or thumb side of the wrist joint. It provides feeling to the back of the hand from the thumb to the middle finger The median nerve is responsible for the development of carpal tunnel syndrome. It passes through the carpal tunnel and splits into four branches which each travel to the thumb and next three fingers. It provides sensation to all of these fingers, although only the inside half of the ring finger. The ulnar nerve supplies the small finger and the outer half of the ring finger.
Ears are one of the 5 sense organs of the human body. Not to mention that sense organs are the most important organs. Hearing is one basic necessity of the living beings, or else communication, the essence of social life, would become a tedious job. The loss of hearing, or deafness, can occur in a human being due to various causes. This is when the person loses the sense of hearing due to some damage to the audible organs or parts of the brain that control hearing. Loss of hearing is a common sight among the aged, but even young people, even children, are seen to suffer from this syndrome of loss of hearing. Most common causes of deafness in human body have been explained further. Temporary deafness causes The kind of deafness that occurs due to minor and correctable reasons is known as temporary deafness. Curing the cause can restore loss of hearing back to normal hearing. You might have observed, or rather felt, the waxy substance just inside your ears, near the opening of the audible cavity. The ear canal consists of a waxy substance that is responsible for protection of the ear from invasion of insects, wasps and other harmful objects. This ear wax, tasting bitter, acts as a poison for these invasive beings. However, regular cleaning of this wax is necessary. If not done so, the over collection of wax in the ear canal can block it, leading to gradual and temporary deafness. It acts as an obstruction in the way of a sound traveling from the ear to the brain. As a result, the brain does not receive an impulse, from the ear nerves, of a sound and cannot interpret it, which is commonly known as deafness syndrome. Invasion of foreign objects Sometimes, due to heavy wind may be, we feel some external entity got stuck inside our ear. Or it may be a purposely inserted cotton ear plug to ban the noise but which, later, refuses to come out and gets stuck in the ear. These air and noise pollutions are indirectly responsible for the temporary human deafness. A similar activity occurs in this case too. The external object blocks the ear canal, thus, restricting the sound signal to pass to the brain. Thus, such foreign objects act as causes of deafness in human beings. An effect of Flu A person suffering from flu may have mucus produced in his body in excessive amounts. This mucus also clots the ear canal opening. Gradually, the Eustachian tube inside the ear is also blocked and thus the sound signals are confined from reaching the ear drum and, thus, the brain. Side effects of Drugs Drugs are medications taken for certain diseases and health complications are also found to be causes of deafness in human ears. Chloroquine and Aminoglycosides are some of such drugs that cause temporary deafness in people who use them. Well, this was all about temporary deafness. There are certain environmental, health- related and personal causes that lead to permanent deafness. Let us have a look. Temporary deafness, if not taken care of or not corrected the causes, can lead to permanent deafness. However, there are a few other Deafness causes that is permanent. One of the main causes of deafness in human is the noise pollution. Loud noises conduce to bring severe harm to the delicate, tiny and complicated mechanism of the auditory system of human body. A daily exposure to loud noises is the main reason for gradual routing in of permanent deafness. Though wearing of ear buds could prevent the damage, yet harsh noise is capable of causing an irreversible harm. Danger that the diseases pose Certain diseases are known to bring symptoms that can be as grave as causing permanent human deafness. Some of them are meningitis, chicken pox, mumps, cytomegalovirus, etc. Most of the deafness cases among children are due to diseases like mumps and chicken pox. Fault of the age As mentioned earlier, growing age is one reason for deafness, the one which eventually becomes permanent. As a person gets older, the auditory nerves and the brain cells that are responsible for performing the hearing action go on getting weaker. In short, the auditory mechanism gets weaker. Hence, hearing ability is diminished among the aged. This is the reason why deafness is common among older people. Heredity – a rare cause Though rare in occurrence, but deafness is sometimes caused by heredity also. Parents or ancestors of some people may posses a severe deafness and, hence, the genes pass the syndrome to the newer generation as well. The initial possessors of deafness in the line may have got the condition due to some accident or any other cause, and they accidentally pass the flawed genes to their children. The successor of a person, deaf by birth, has greater chances of being deaf by birth or attaining deafness anytime in life. However, it is not necessary that kid of a deaf person has to be deaf. source: Causes of Deafness in Human
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center has just launched a new series of 15 short educational videos titled “Ecosystems on the Edge,” which mainly focus on Chesapeake Bay ecosystems and are viewable on Youtube. The videos provide glimpses of Chesapeake Bay environments that are both literally and figuratively on the edge of collapse. Biologically these are some of the most fruitful ecosystems on Earth, and yet also some of the most fragile. Invasive species, pollution and the steady march of climate change threaten their survival. Discover the intricate networks of life these ecosystems support on the coasts and learn what Smithsonian scientists and others are doing to try to save and preserve them. To explore these fascinating and informative videos click here. You might also like: - Ecosystems on the Edge: Earthworm Invaders - Genome: Unlocking Life’s Code - Small-Whorled Pogonia: Endangered Orchid on the Edge - New Mathias Lab at Environmental Research Center will have low environmental impact - National Museum of Natural History’s coral collection used in Caribbean agricultural and sewage pollution study
Presentation on theme: "Identifying Written and Oral Communication Skills"— Presentation transcript: 1 Identifying Written and Oral Communication Skills 2 What is communication?Information exchanged or to be exchanged. 3 What is writing?Corresponding, communicating, or composing with handwritten or typed words 4 Why is written communication necessary? Some examples in school-Tests, papers, notes, teacher comments, etcWorkLetters, memos, resumes, reference letters, articles, , etc.Home/PersonalChore list, shopping list, text, , notes, etc. 5 What is the purpose for writing? To give instruction or information (teaching, directions, etc.)To communicate informally or personally (letters, notes, etc.)To communicate formally or professionally (invitations, announcements, journals, etc.)To report happenings or events (through newspaper articles, magazines, etc.) 6 Who is the intended audience? Always identify WHO is reading the writing and how effectively it communicates what you are TRYING to sayAn audience may be very specific or very general. 7 Some traits of an audience that may affect how they receive the message. Age levelGenderEthnic originEducation levelAttitudeBackground experiencesPresent job/occupation 8 As you write – think about your purpose Is this the point I want to get across?Will the audience understand what I’m trying to say?Is this interesting to them? 9 How can I become a better writer? Step 1—collect data or informationStep 2—Organize information into a logical order (outline)Step 3—Prepare a rough draft (brainstorming) 10 Step 4—Edit or reviseStep 5—Prepare a final draftStep 6—Check for mistakes; grammar, spelling, etc.Step 7—Compose your written work into the correct form 11 How do I know if my writing is good? Is it concise and to the point (not wordy)?Is it easy to understand?Is it interesting?Is it error-free?Is it in the correct form?Does the writing answer: Who? What? When? Where? Why? and How? 12 What is Oral communication? Spoken; verbal; word-of-mouthOral communication is a vital part of everyday life.Speaking and listening ability have an impact on how well you and others get along. 13 Oral communication abilities have a big effect on you education, career, and personal life. Very few people are born with good voices and natural public speaking abilities; therefore these qualities are developed. 14 Types of Oral Communication Social ConversationPublic SpeakingTelephone ConversationInterviews 15 Social ConversationCommon activity where people exchange ideas for information, entertainment, pleasure, and maybe persuasion.More than 90% of conversation is social.This should be developed-If you do not make good conversation at social gatherings you will not be fun to be with and probably will not make friends easily.Who is not fun to talk to? Why??? 16 Social Conversation Things NOT TO DO: Monopolize the conversation Be an authority on everythingArgue constantlyIgnore other people’s ideasUse unpleasant languageBe timid 17 Social Conversation Things TO DO: Participate equally with others Be receptive to ideas of othersListen and learnUse pleasant languageTalk about interesting things 18 Public SpeakingDelivering a speech or presentation to others; a formal way of giving information to a specific group.Many different kinds of speeches: professional (banquets, conversation, etc.), company presidents, attorneys, superintendents and principals, and teachers.To give a good speech, you must first be a good listener. 19 Public Speaking Improve yourself in the following areas: Attitude-a positive oneCommon Sense-a creative, but logical speaker encourages the audience to listenUnderstanding-the ability to read the audience and communicate with them allows the speaker to adjust the speech accordingly. 20 Aggressiveness – a speaker accomplishes the goals Speaking Style – develop oneCourtesy – helps the speakers know what people want to hear. 21 Steps to becoming an effective public speaker Define the setting for the speech-know the date, place, event type, equipment needs, delivery time, etc.Determine goals to achieve-what should the speech accomplishDetermine the main ideas to emphasize-what should be presentedNote the major points in writing-stress 2-3 major points to support the main idea 22 Steps to becoming an effective public speaker Prepare the body of the speech-explain each supporting pointPlan the Introduction and conclusion-needs to be interesting in the beginning, then drive home the main points again at the end and thank the audiencePrepare note cards and audiovisualsPractice presenting the speech-videotape for practice 23 Telephone Conversation Most businesses use telephones as their primary means of communication (advertisement; selling products)Voice should give a good impression of the business to increase the effectiveness of the conversationBe alert, eager, show politeness, stay calm and give factual information 24 Interviews For jobs, scholarships, classes, and other activities You may look very impressive on paper, but if you do NOT interview good, you probably will not get he job or scholarship. 25 Points to be a successful interviewer Know essential information (study the company)Dress right for the occasionBe polite and pleasantBe seated only when asked to do so, 26 Show good mannerismSpeak clearly and effectivelyAsk questions (only if they have NOT been answered.Express thanks to the interviewer.Give a firm handshake before leaving.
The first thing you need to know is that constellations are not real. Constellations are imaginary things that poets, farmers and astronomers have made up over the past 6,000 years or so. The real purpose for the constellations is to help remind us which stars are which in the sky. On a really dark night away from city lights, you can see about a thousand to fifteen hundred stars. Trying to identify them is hard. The 88 official constellations help by breaking up the sky into more manageable sections. The constellations are mnemonics, or memory aids. For example, if you spot three bright stars in a row on a winter evening, you might realize that you're looking at Orion. Then, the rest of the constellation falls into place: Betelgeuse is in Orion's left shoulder and Rigel is in his foot. Once you recognize Orion, you might remember that his Hunting Dogs are nearby. You could recognize the two bright stars in the upper and lower left of the photograph as Procyon in Canis Minor and Sirius in Canis Major, respectively. A sky atlas would show you a diagram like the black and white graphic on the left. Obviously, this is very different from the photo above. This type of schematic denotes different star brightnesses with different sized stars. Also, there is a standard way of connecting the stars that allows astronomers and others to quickly tell what they are looking at. In almost every star atlas, you will see Orion drawn with these same lines. Further, every star on the chart is labeled. This chart is useful because it accurately shows the relative positions of the stars in this small region of the sky. Objects other than stars are labeled on the chart. For example, Barnard's Loop on the left and M42 in the bottom middle are pointed out. Barnard's Loop is a cloud of faintly glowing gas, which we can't see without a telescope. M42 is the Great Orion Nebula - the red splotch in Orion's Sword in the photo above. Still, where did the constellations come from? We know the constellations are helpful for remembering the stars, but why would people want to do that? Why would farmers care about that? Around the world, farmers know that for most crops you plant in the spring and harvest in the fall. Yet in some regions, there is not much difference between the seasons. Since different constellations are visible at different times of the year, you can use them to tell what month it is. For example, Scorpius is only visible in the northern hemisphere's evening sky in the summer. Some historians suspect that many myths associated with the constellations were devised to help the farmers remember them. From the constellations, they would know when to begin planting and when to harvest. This dependence on the sky became a major influence in many cultures. Perhaps it is the mystery of the night sky that makes people want to tell stories about it. The picture at the left is from an ornate star chart printed in 1835. Like the others, it shows the great hunter Orion. In this one, he is holding a lion's head instead of his traditional bow or shield. He is approaching Taurus, the Bull. Behind him, his dog Canis Major is chasing Lepus, the Hare. You can compare this picture to the photo near the top of the page. They are about the same scale and they show the same stars. The constellations have changed over time. Many constellations have been redefined so that every star in the sky is in only one constellation. In 1929, the International Astronomical Union (IAU) adopted official constellation boundaries for the 88 constellations that exist today.
Slavery and the Territories: The Missouri Compromise and The Wilmot Proviso In 1817, Missouri applied for admission into the Union as a slave state. This effort threatened the political balance of power in Congress, which consisted of twenty-two states evenly split between the slave and free factions. After years of deliberation, Congressmen Henry Clay and Daniel Webster drafted the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This bill admitted both Maine and Missouri into the Union (as a free and slave state, respectively) and prohibited slavery north of the southern boundary of Missouri, extending across the nation to Mexican territory. The question of allowing slavery in United States territories was revisited when the Mexican-American War raged from 1846 to 1848 and the Union acquired territories stretching from Texas to the Pacific Northwest. Pennsylvania Congressman David Wilmot called for the prohibition of slavery in these new territories with an attachment to an appropriations bill for establishing the border with Mexico . Arguments against the Wilmot Proviso came from across the nation. Michigan senator and 1848 presidential candidate, Lewis Cass, called for votes against the attachment in “General Cass on the Wilmot Proviso” with the first of many reasons being: “The present is no proper time for the introduction into the country, and into Congress, of an exciting topic, tending to divide us, when our united exertions are necessary to prosecute the existing war.” An article from the Charleston, South Carolina Mercury echoed Cass’s claim with the assertion that the Wilmot Proviso threatened to subvert the Constitution and is “splitting the Union into sectional parties; it is virtually the first step to a dissolution,” (page 65). - Why do you think that Wilmot sought to ban slavery in the western territories? - Why did his opposition believe that it was important to defer the question of slavery? - Why did the Wilmot Proviso threaten to fuel sectional tensions in Congress? - How might such a bill have either caused or created an imbalance of power in Congress? - On what basis did General Cass argue that the Wilmot Proviso subverted the Constitution?
The J Sound in Spanish Language J de jirafa, g de gitana … What’s the difference in the pronunciation? When referring to the phonetics of Spanish, we, Spanish mother-tongue speakers, feel proud to encourage people to learn Spanish insisting “how easy” it is once you know the phonetics of the Spanish alphabet; the puzzle about pronouncing properly is then completely solved. Is it true? Nearly, nearly. Let’s say there are a few minor exceptions. The J sound The sound ‘j’ not only represents all the combinations of j with any vowel (a, e, i, o, u): but also the letter ‘g’ when it is followed by ‘e’: “ge” and ‘i’: “gi”. The pronunciation of the letter ‘g’ has some variations. When combined with the vowels ‘e’ and ‘i’, the phonetic, the sound, is like the one for the letter ‘j’: in addition, the ‘j’ sound is applicable to some names and words which use the archaic sound of the letter x, for example: México and Oxaca. The correct pronunciation for these words is with the sound ‘j’, ([méjiko], [oajáka]. … and surnames like: Fortunately, there are not many words with this variable. Practice makes perfect! As with the rolling of the ‘r’ sounds, the sound of the letter ‘j’ is one that requires some work in order to get its pronunciation right. Similarly with the ‘r’ sounds, the ‘j’ sound is one, which poses some challenge to toddlers and children when learning their mother tongue language and as for adults learning as a second language. Again, I would suggest that the way to improve and master the pronunciation of the ‘j’ sound is to practice. Doing tongue twisters (in Spanish: “trabalenguas”) is one of the best tools for doing this. Here is one of my own. Why not give it a go? Javier, el jefe de Jiména, compró un conejo juicioso, en Génova, a un gitano mexicano. Ja Je ge xi Ji gi Jo Ju Try repeating it until you have mastered the sound. The pronunciation discussed earlier is prevalent in the centre, east and north of Spain and in wider regions of Latin America. There are however some variables in the pronunciation of the letter ‘j’, for example in the south of Spain, Canary Islands and some Caribbean Spanish speaking countries, where there is a tendency to aspiración the ‘j’ sound [naranha, hamón, muher] instead of naranja, jamón o mujer.
\|\|This course covers the relationship between the caregiver and the child's family. The students will explore strategies to maintain professional relationships with co-workers, parents and outside organizations. Cultural diversity/dynamics, bias, public education, housing, employment, crime, health care, legal services and social services will be explored. - Display professionalism in the classroom. - Examine staff policies and procedures. - Describe problem solving strategies. - Examine diverse family structures. - Display knowledge of negotiation strategies. - Construct communication tools to be used with parents. - Demonstrate understanding of social service programs for families. - Evaluate parent policies from child care industries. - Demonstrate an understanding of the Early Childhood Code of Ethical Conduct and Statement of Commitment. \|MnTC goal areas: « back to course outlines
To develop vocabulary, use a mixture of instructional approaches combined with extensive reading of texts to create an enriched verbal environment. Learners develop nuanced understanding of words by encountering them multiple times in a variety of texts and discussions. Promising approaches for adolescents and adults are instruction that integrates the teaching of vocabulary with instruction in reading comprehension, the development of topic and background knowledge, and learning of disciplinary or other valued content. Strategies to develop comprehension include teaching varied goals and purposes for reading; encouraging learners to state their own reading goals, predictions, questions, and reactions to material; encouraging extensive reading practice with varied forms of text; teaching and modeling the use of multiple comprehension strategies; and teaching self-regulation in the monitoring of strategy use. Developing readers often need help to develop the metacognitive components of reading comprehension, such as learning how to identify reading goals; select, implement, and coordinate multiple strategies; monitor and evaluate success of the strategies, and adjust them to achieve reading goals. Developing readers also need extensive practice with various texts to develop knowledge of words, text structures, and written syntax that are not identical to spoken language.
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy. Microscopic means invisible to the eye unless aided by a microscope. Researchers from university of California, utilized iPhone as microscope and spectrometer. California Institute of Technology researchers transformed iPhone or smartphone into imaging platform to study cultures or described as ePetri dish. Microscopy has been used to reveal details about anatomy and physiology. An example of this is in elucidating the various kinds of blood cells; white blood cells or leukocytes especially. Blood cell counts, in which a lab worker will smear a film of blood on a slide, stain it and examine the specimen under the microscope, have become a prime need in modern medicine. The relative numbers of the different types of leukocytes are of diagnostic value. The structure of the cell can be studied through the lenses of a microscope. This has led to progress in modern medicine and biology in a wide range of sub-disciplines. Microbiology has become a discipline by itself. Smartphone-Based lens-free microscopy Engineers from the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) have devised a ePetri dish: a small, lens-free microscopy imaging platform. The prototype was built using a smartphone, a commercially available cell-phone image sensor and Lego building blocks, instead of using a large, heavy instrument, for providing high-quality images of cells. The culture is placed... on an image sensor chip and the phone’s LED screen functions as a scanning light source. The ePetri device is then placed in an incubator, with the image sensor chip connected to a laptop outside the incubator through a cable. The image-sensor takes pictures of the culture, the data is sent to the laptop and so cultures can be monitored as they grow. The technique is apparently particularly useful in the imaging of cells that grow very close to one another. The ePetri is able to monitor the entire field, but can still zoom in on areas of interest within the culture. Likely deployment of ePetri The research team sees many possibilities the deployment of ePetri, such as drug screening and detection of toxic compounds. It could even provide microscopy-imaging capabilities for other portable diagnostic lab-on-a-chip tools. The team is also working on a more comprehensive system that would include a small incubator, transforming the ePetri into a desktop diagnostic tool. Scientific community has been actively looking into exploiting iPhones and other smartphone as diagnostic tools by adding peripheral kits. Future entails more development along these line and we look forward to these.
- Animal Health & Welfare - Breeding & Genetics - Financial Business Management - Grassland Management - People Management Assessing your pasture Published 9 February 10 How the Grass Plant Grows To maximise the production from grazed grass it is necessary to ensure the optimum production and intake of the most palatable, highest feed value grass. Grass naturally wants to grow a seed head, but this will reduce sward palatability and digestibility, so grazing systems need to prevent this happening if grass quality and quantity are to be maintained. Effective systems graze the plant at the point where it is growing fastest with the highest ratio of leaf to stem. The plant grows fastest between the emergence of the second and third leaves, when sunlight capture is maximised. The amount of grass grown is 25-30% more with the third leaf present than with just two. The fastest growing paddock on-farm has three leaves. A clump of ryegrass is made up of tillers. Each tiller has its own independent roots. They reproduce by budding off daughter tillers at the base, which build up new clumps. Buds are your future sward density. Grass is a living plant in a continuous cycle of growing and dying, so a ryegrass tiller only has three live green leaves at any time. Water and fertiliser will influence the size of those leaves. Grass has a central leaf pushed up from the growing point at the base of the tiller; a second leaf, collecting sun and producing sugars; and a third leaf doing the same. The oldest leaf will die as the newest leaf takes its place, so the plant will only ever have three living leaves. A new leaf takes a minimum of six days to appear in spring. But depending on the temperature this will be extended to 30 or 40 days in winter. This can be influenced by soil moisture in extreme cases. Therefore, in spring when it is taking six days for a new leaf to appear, three leaves will appear in 18 days, so the pasture will be ready to graze 18 days after grazing or cutting. When new leaves appear at a slower rate, the optimum time between grazings will be longer. However, the plant also wants to reproduce, so it aims to grow reproductive tillers which put all their energy into producing a seed head. This is influenced by: - Day length, - Temperature - with a ryegrass typically requiring a temperature of about 100C for a week, - Grass variety. A reproductive tiller becomes fibrous and suppresses the daughter tillers at the bottom. When managing a grazing sward we need to understand this and manage grass to resist reproduction and to maximise grazing potential.
Service-Learning: What is it? Service-Learning is a pedagogical approach which includes experiential learning via meaningful community service paired with classroom instruction and reflection. It is meant to enrich the academic learning experience for the students, teach civic responsibility, and help the local community with identified needs. Service-learning is different from volunteer and co-curricular activities in the following ways: - Service-learning is an integral part of the course - Service activities are directly related to curriculum goals - Reflection is an integral component - The learning component intentionally fosters a sense of social responsibility and commitment to the community Service-Learning Standards are identified as: - Effective service-learning efforts strengthen service and academic learning. - Model service-learning provides concrete opportunities for youth to learn new skills, to think critically and to test new roles in an environment which encourages risk-taking and rewards competence. - Preparation and reflection are essential elements in service-learning. - Students' efforts are recognized by their peers and the community they serve. - Students are involved in the planning. - The service students perform makes a meaningful contribution to the community. - Effective service-learning integrates systematic formative and summative evaluation. - Service-learning connects school and its community in new and positive ways. - Service-learning is understood and supported as an integral element in the life of a school and its community. Skilled adult guidance and supervision is essential to the success of service-learning. - Pre-service and staff development which includes the philosophy and methodology of service-learning best ensure that program quality and continuity are maintained. (ASLER Standards for School-Based Service-Learning)
What are graphic novels? Graphic novels are stories written and illustrated in the style of a comic: - Vivid illustrations combine with short bursts of text, often presented in a series of rectangular panels - The story unfolds in a clear sequence, and is often action-packed (and funny) Graphic novels can be fiction (for example: historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, fairytales) or nonfiction (for example: history, biography, informational) The main characters don’t have to be superheroes! Are graphic novels “real books”? Yes! Graphic novels are widely accepted by youth librarians and teachers as books worth reading by kids of all ages and reading levels. Top children’s publishers now offer graphic novels that are high quality (with strong characters, vocabulary, and storylines) and appropriate for young readers. Popular authors who have published graphic novel series include: Jennifer Holm and Matt Holm (Babymouse and Squish), Shannon Hale (Rapunzel’s Revenge), Jarrett Krosoczka (Lunch Lady), Raina Telgemeier (Ghosts and Smile), Gene Yang (Secret Coders), James Burks (Bird and Squirrel), Jeff Smith (Bone), and Scott Morse (Magic Pickle). How graphic novels help build children’s literacy skills Reading motivation. Graphic novels are very popular, and especially appealing to readers who may not pick up a more traditional book on their own. They can be a “welcoming door” for reluctant or struggling readers (especially boys) who are drawn to the lively storylines and illustrations, and the smart but limited text. Quick, fun reads build confidence! Visual literacy. The pictures in graphic novels are expressive, simple, and rich all at the same time. The images provide big clues about character and plot and encourage readers to look closely. Some graphic novels (such as Owly and The Adventures of Polo) are wordless, so the pictures must carry the full story. Story structure. Most graphic novels for young readers have easy-to-follow plots. This can help children learn about how a story is stitched together. After sharing a graphic novel together, ask your child to tell you the basic plot of the story: “First this happened, then this … and at the end …” Word learning for struggling readers and English language learners. Although individual words in a graphic novel can be sophisticated, the side-by-side Illustrations and text provide strong clues to their meaning. Don’t forget to share graphic novels together — they make great read alouds! Where to find great graphic novels for kids Take a look at our booklist, Graphic Novels: Read the Pictures, for recommended reads. Or, browse these lists from the American Library Association — and ask the children’s librarian at your local library for more recommendations. Expose your kids to the world of graphic novels through different genres. Here are some of our favorites:
Welcome to Socket programming with PHP. Before getting into this tutorial, you should know some bits about socket related network programming. If you know the theory just skip this introduction. To understand sockets, first think about client server architecture. The server is running one or more services and the clients thosewho require those services make requests to get those services. Clients can request a service from the server and get it only if there is a connection between them. In another way, server can listen for client requests and serve them if there ‘s a connection between them. Then how a client can find a server on a network? On the internet each device is assigned a address called IP address to uniquely identify them. Therefore, if client knows the IP address of the server, he can find it. In the server, there may be multiple services running on different ports. So knowing only the IP address of the server does not help reach the service. Client should know the exact port where the required service is running. Usually the server publishes its ports allocated for the services so that clients can connect. Most of them are under well-known ports which are in the range between 0 and 1023. While some ports are opened other ports are blocked for security concerns. Obviously port is a security hole where hackers might use for making a connection with the server When combined IP address with a port, it is a socket. A socket is one end-point of a two-way communication link between two programs running on the network. There are two ways of socket programming in PHP. One is socket extension which is widely used and pretty common among PHP developers. PHP functions in this category starts with the prefix socket_ . The second method is using streams and these functions starts with stream_. In this tutorial we are using the first method as it’s really simple. The server read from the socket connection and read the message sent by client. The it writes the reply to the socket connection and client gets the message from client’s socket connection. Creating the server <?php $host = "127.0.0.1"; $port = 25003; $message = "Hello Client"; set_time_limit(0); // create socket $socket = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0) or die("Could not create socket\n"); // bind socket to port $result = socket_bind($socket, $host, $port) or die("Could not bind to socket\n"); // put server into passive state and listen for connections $result = socket_listen($socket, 3) or die("Could not set up socket listener\n"); // accept incoming connections $com = socket_accept($socket) or die("Could not accept incoming connection\n"); // read client input $input = socket_read($com, 1024) or die("Could not read input\n"); // clean up input string $input = trim($input); echo "Client says: ".$input; socket_write($com, $message , strlen ($message)) or die("Could not write output\n"); // close sockets socket_close($com); socket_close($socket); ?> Creating the client <?php $host = "127.0.0.1"; $port = 25003; $message = "Hello Server"; // create socket $socket = socket_create(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0) or die("Could not create socket\n"); // connect to server $result = socket_connect($socket, $host, $port) or die ("Could not connect to server\n"); // send string to server socket_write($socket, $message, strlen($message)) or die("Could not send data to server\n"); // get server response $result = socket_read ($socket, 1024) or die("Could not read server response\n"); echo "Server says :".$result; // close socket socket_close($socket); ?>
Fire ants can decimate ground dwelling animals and way of life for many people in their path. Thus far, the fire ant invasion has stopped just short of our borders; however, isolated incidents have biologists urging us to keep our eyes peeled. In 2000, there were isolated reports of fire ants in Western Kentucky. Several mounds were reported in McCracken and Calloway Counties. Biologists say the harsh winter that year killed the majority of the species in Kentucky. In 1930, the red imported fire ant was introduced in Mobile, Alabama. Since then, the ants have rapidly spread throughout the South-Eastern United States. The Northern trend has been slowed by cooler climates. The ant species naturally spread rapidly, but human transport has helped to increase the population. If you spot fire ants in your area, you're asked to report the sighting to your local agriculture extension agent. You can find your agent's number by visiting:
Importance of road safety Young children are very vulnerable, especially out and about near traffic and are most certainly more at risk when it's dark As parents, there is a great temptation to wrap young children up in cotton wool, take them away from all the risks, drive them to school, never let them go out in the dark, etc. However, it's not practical and it does not give children the opportunity to develop their own risk assessment skills, or become more independent as they grow older; plus it's important they are allowed to walk to get exercise and fresh air and not be driven everywhere! So we need to help develop the tools they'll need to keep as safe as possible - give them the facts, show them the potential dangers and risks, explain ways of keeping safe, look at choices and consequences and build their understanding and skills. Helping your child build these skills - Make sure you set a good example: - where you walk on the pavement - where and how you cross the road - how you drive and treat other road users - wearing your seatbelt for every trip. - Talk with them about: - different types of vehicles - the speed of traffic compared to us humans - how the faster vehicles travel, the harder it is for them to stop quickly - that in a crash pedestrians come off worse and can be badly injured or even die - the importance of knowing the rules of the road and not to mess about near traffic - and never play near roads - wearing a high visibility safety reflector at night, when walking or cycling. These help young children to be seen more clearly by car drivers and other road users. To find out how to get Nationwide's Cats Eyes' for Kids reflector for your child click here. - When out and about think about, talk about and show them: - Safer crossing places: - Pelican (Toucan and Puffin - light controlled) - Traffic Islands - Footbridges or Subways - Where to cross if there isn't any of the above: - away from parked cars - where they can see clearly and be seen - where there is a School Crossing Patroller, or Police Officer - Practice the Green Cross Code every time you cross: - find a safe place - stop at the kerb - look both ways for traffic - listen all around for traffic - if traffic is coming, let it pass - if it's clear or there is a safe gap in the traffic with plenty of time to cross, then walk straight across - don't run! - Keep looking and listening and thinking as you cross. - In the car make sure that: - all passengers wear a seatbelt or restraint (visit www.childcarseats.org.uk for the correct child seats and restraints for young children dependent on age and size) - that they get in and out of vehicles on the safer side (furthest away from the traffic) - that they don't distract the driver by being noisy or throwing things around or messing about. Explain that drivers need to concentrate on the road. - keep looking and listening and thinking as you cross. - Cycling: As your child gets older they'll probably want to go out and about on their bicycle. Make sure: - they are properly trained before going on the road - know the rules of the road and recognise road signs - that their bikes fit their size and age and work safely - check tyres, lights, chain, brakes and steering - that they wear a snugly fitted cycle helmet - that they may want to have knee and elbow pads for extra protection - that they use cycle routes wherever possible. - Safer crossing places:
Downloads & Links MAP to Khan Academy Khan Academy Practice Exercises Correlated to RIT for Common Core Math MAP: Students at Annunciation Catholic School participate in various assessments which give our teachers information regarding student’s developmental level, to identify areas of relative strength and weakness, and to monitor growth from year to year. This testing program consists of the following assessments: - NWEA Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) (grades 2 - 8) - NWEA Primary Measures of Academic Progress (grades K & 1) - AIMSWeb (grades K-2) - OLSAT – Cognitive Abilities Test (grades 4-8) - NWEA Measures of Academic Progress and Primary Measures of Academic Success The NWEA Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) test is a tool for students in grades K-8. The Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) creates a personalized assessment experience by adapting to each student’s learning level. These assessments are administered three times per year. They are used to measure growth, inform instruction and assess strategy. This adaptive test asks students between 39 - 52 questions and on average, each part (math and reading) takes students 45 minutes to complete. These tests adapt to the student's achievement level and are not timed. We look forward to partnering with our parents to help each student achieve at their highest level. These tools, along with our conference time, will help us as we continue to strive to meet each student’s learning needs and help them reach their fullest potential. The OLSAT assesses a student's cognitive (e.g., verbal, nonverbal and quantitative) abilities that relate to his or her academic success providing educators with information that enhances insights gained from achievement tests (such as MAP). Aimsweb is used for universal screening and progress monitoring. This brief assessment measures overall performance of key foundational skills at each grade level. The assessments provide an accurate prediction of reading and math achievement as well as growth predictions. GENERAL STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU ON THE MAP TESTS 1. READ THE ENTIRE QUESTION It is very important that you take the time to read the entire question. If you don’t, you may miss important information and misunderstand the question 2. READ ALL OF THE ANSWER CHOICES Just as it is important to read the entire test question, it is also important to read and carefully consider all of the answer choices. Remember that for each question, you are looking for the BEST answer. If you do not read all of the answers, you may pick a possible answer, but not the BEST answer. 3. TRY EVERY ANSWER. Try out every answer. By considering each answer, you can be more certain that you choose the BEST answer. The first answer may sound good, but another choice may be a better answer. 4. PROCESS OF ELIMINATION If you don’t know the answer to a question, eliminate any answers that you know are incorrect. Doing this will help you narrow down your choices. The fewer choices left mean a better chance of answering the question correctly. Answering even two or three more questions correctly could mean the difference passing or not passing the test. Guessing should not be the first strategy you try. You should only guess after you have tried other strategies. By reading the question carefully, you may be able to eliminate one or two of the choices. Make your best guess by choosing the answer that makes the most sense to you. 6. CHECK YOUR WORK Make sure you have answered every question. Never leave an answer bubble blank. Make sure you have chosen only one answer for each question. Also, erase any stray marks on the page. 7. USE YOUR TOOLS If your teacher has had you practice using a highlighter on regular tests, you may use one on the SOL tests. Some students also use an index card to mark their place while reading or keep their place on the answer document. Use whatever tools are available to you during the test.
in on Dark Energy with Supernova Studies from Space — What is Host-Galaxy Extinction? \|Contact: Paul Preuss, (510) 486-6249, [email protected]\| BERKELEY, CA — Type Ia supernovae are among the best standard candles known to astronomy — objects whose distance can be determined because their intrinsic brightness is known or can be computed, just as the distance to a 100-watt bulb can be calculated by comparing its apparent brightness with its actual brightness. Determining the expansion rate of the universe by comparing the brightness and redshift of far-off Type Ia supernovae therefore critically depends on accurate measurements of both. One worrisome possible source of error in measuring distant supernovae has been host-galaxy extinction, the filtering effect of dust peculiar to the galaxy in which the supernova occurs. Dust occurs in our own galaxy too, but has been so extensively studied that it is of less concern in supernova distance measurements. The concern is that distant supernovae appear dimmer not because of the accelerating effects of dark energy but, more prosaically, because of dust. There is a straightforward way to distinguish these effects, however, since dust normally reddens the light passing through it. Shorter, bluer wavelengths are absorbed and scattered more readily than longer, redder wavelengths. "When you want to measure a supernova's brightness you can measure the light that was blue when it left, or the light that was red," says Greg Aldering, a member of the Supernova Cosmology Project and leader of the Nearby Supernova Factory program, which concentrates on studying the intrinsic properties of Type Ia supernovae. "Both measurements are valid, but what you want is to make sure you get the same answer on both sides of the spectrum. If the blue is fainter, you've got a dust problem." The extraordinarily high quality of photometric data from the 11 distant supernovae studied by the Hubble Space Telescope in this study allowed their intrinsic brightness to be determined and compared in both bands. The study determined that no anomalous effects of host-galaxy extinction occur at great distance; distant supernovae are comparable to nearby supernovae in this respect, underlining their utility as standard candles.
Why in News: - The SSLV was composed of three stages powered by solid fuels and these three performed their function as planned in the recent launch. However, when it came to the stage when the satellites had to be set in orbit, there was a glitch which resulted in the satellites being lost forever. How did the failure happen? - It was announced that there was a malfunctioning of a sensor which resulted in placing the satellites in an elliptical orbit, rather than a circular orbit. - The ellipse or oval shape of the elliptical orbit is elongated in one direction and compressed in another (the so-called major and minor axes, which are like two radii of the ellipse). - The shortest height above the Earth of this oval orbit was only about 76 km. Why were the satellites lost? - If the closest distance to the Earth is only 76 km, as it happened this time, there is an atmospheric drag experienced by the object at that height. - Thereafter, unless adequate thrust is applied to overcome the drag, it will lose height and fall towards the Earth because of gravity and may eventually burn up due to friction. What is the difference between circular and elliptical orbits? - Mostly objects such as satellites and spacecrafts are put in elliptical orbits only temporarily. They are then either pushed up to circular orbits at a greater height or the acceleration is increased until the trajectory changes from an ellipse to a hyperbola and the spacecraft escapes the gravity of the Earth in order to move further into space — for example, to the Moon or Mars or further away. - Satellites that orbit the Earth are mostly placed in circular orbits. One reason is that if the satellite is used for imaging the Earth, it is easier if it has a fixed distance from the Earth. If the distance keeps changing as in an elliptical orbit, keeping the cameras focussed can become complicated.
Location: Upper Canada The goal of this project is to identify resources and methods that can assist in tracing the origins of the early settlers that settled in Upper Canada prior to 1800. These were primarily loyalists and "late-loyalists" (early emmigrants from the new United States) - Primarily due to a lack of records until the Land Grant system was in place - Many of the early district or parish records were lost or did not survive. - Other events like the [New York State Library fire of 1911] make it very hard to trace families of early Upper Canada settlers. - To educate others facing this challenge History of Upper Canada pre-1800s - By the end of the American Revolution in 1783, over 10,000 loyalist refugees had entered Quebec - Many settled along the northern shores of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario. - In 1788 four districts were created: Lunenburgh, Mecklenburg, Nassau, and Hesse. - From 1789 to 1794, each of those districts had an administrative board that oversaw land matters. These were abolished in 1794. - A number of "Late-Loyalists" arrived in the late 1790s - Land Petitions started in 1790s - Upper Canada was established in December of 1791. It was created in order to separate the French from the English, and allow the English speaking settlers to continue the same British way of life they had experience in the thirteen colonies. - The borders that define Upper Canada were drawn in 1795 Here are some of the tasks that I think need to be done. I'll be working on them, and could use your help. - Identify sources and methods of finding information on the early settlers of Upper Canada: - Before they arrived in Upper Canada - After they arrived in Upper Canada (e.g. Heir & Devisee Records and Land Petitions) - Tracking their movements
Home fires can be prevented! To protect yourself, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of fire. Fire spreads quickly; there is no time to gather valuables or make a phone call. In just two minutes, a fire can become life-threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames. Heat and smoke from fire can be more dangerous than the flames. Inhaling the super-hot air can sear your lungs. Fire produces poisonous gases that make you disoriented and drowsy. Instead of being awakened by a fire, you may fall into a deeper sleep. Asphyxiation is the leading cause of fire deaths, exceeding burns by a three-to-one ratio. Before a Fire Create and Practice a Fire Escape Plan In the event of a fire, remember that every second counts, so you and your family must always be prepared. Escape plans help you get out of your home quickly. Twice each year, practice your home fire escape plan. Some tips to consider when preparing this plan include: - Find two ways to get out of each room. - If the primary way is blocked by fire or smoke, you will need a second way out. A secondary route might be a window onto a neighboring roof or a collapsible ladder for escape from upper story windows. - Only purchase collapsible ladders evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratory (UL). - Make sure that windows are not stuck, screens can be taken out quickly, and that security bars can be properly opened. - Practice feeling your way out of the house in the dark or with your eyes closed. - Windows and doors with security bars must have quick release devices to allow them to be opened immediately in an emergency. Make sure everyone in the family understands and practices how to properly operate and open locked or barred doors and windows. - Teach children not to hide from firefighters. A properly installed and maintained smoke alarm is the only thing in your home that can alert you and your family to a fire 24 hours a day, seven days a week. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire. - Install both ionization AND photoelectric smoke alarms, OR dual sensor smoke alarms, which contain both ionization and photoelectric smoke sensors - Test batteries monthly. - Replace batteries in battery-powered and hard-wired smoke alarms at least once a year (except non-replaceable 10-year lithium batteries) - Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including the basement. The U.S. Fire Administration recommends installing smoke alarms both inside and outside of sleeping areas. - Always follow the manufacturer’s installation instructions when installing smoke alarms. - Replace the entire smoke alarm unit every 8-10 years or according to manufacturer’s instructions. - Never disable a smoke alarm while cooking – it can be a deadly mistake. Open a window or door and press the “hush” button, wave a towel at the alarm to clear the air, or move the entire alarm several feet away from the location. - Caregivers are encouraged to check the smoke alarms of those who are unable to do it themselves. - Audible alarms for visually impaired people should pause with a small window of silence between each successive cycle so that they can listen to instructions or voices of others. - Smoke alarms with a vibrating pad or flashing light are available for the hearing impaired. Contact your local fire department for information about obtaining a flashing or vibrating smoke alarm. - Smoke alarms with a strobe light outside the home to catch the attention of neighbors, and emergency call systems for summoning help, are also available. - Sleep with your door closed. - Only those trained in the proper use and maintenance of fire extinguishers should consider using them when appropriate. Contact your local fire department for information on training in your area and what kind to buy for your home. - Consider installing an automatic fire sprinkler system in your residence. - Ask your local fire department to inspect your residence for fire safety and prevention. During a Fire - Crawl low under any smoke to your exit - heavy smoke and poisonous gases collect first along the ceiling. - When the smoke alarm sounds, get out fast. You may have only seconds to escape safely. - If there is smoke blocking your door or first way out, use your second way out. - Smoke is toxic. If you must escape through smoke, get low and go under the smoke to your way out. - Before opening a door, feel the doorknob and door. If either is hot, leave the door closed and use your second way out. - If there is smoke coming around the door, leave the door closed and use your second way out. - If you open a door, open it slowly. Be ready to shut it quickly if heavy smoke or fire is present. - If you can’t get to someone needing assistance, leave the home and call 9-1-1 or the fire department. Tell the emergency operator where the person is located. - If pets are trapped inside your home, tell firefighters right away. - If you can’t get out, close the door and cover vents and cracks around doors with cloth or tape to keep smoke out. Call 9-1-1 or your fire department. Say where you are and signal for help at the window with a light-colored cloth or a flashlight. - If your clothes catch fire, stop, drop, and roll – stop immediately, drop to the ground, and cover your face with your hands. Roll over and over or back and forth until the fire is out. If you or someone else cannot stop, drop, and roll, smother the flames with a blanket or towel. Use cool water to treat the burn immediately for 3 to 5 minutes. Cover with a clean, dry cloth. Get medical help right away by calling 9-1-1 or the fire department. - Make sure windows are not nailed or painted shut. Make sure security gratings on windows have a fire safety opening feature so they can be easily opened from the inside. - Consider escape ladders if your residence has more than one level, and ensure that burglar bars and other antitheft mechanisms that block outside window entry are easily opened from the inside. - Teach family members to stay low to the floor (where the air is safer in a fire) when escaping from a fire. - Clean out storage areas. Do not let trash such as old newspapers and magazines accumulate. Fire Escape Planning for Older Adults and People Access or Functional Needs - Live near an exit. You'll be safest on the ground floor if you live in an apartment building. If you live in a multi-story home, arrange to sleep on the ground floor, and near an exit. - If you use a walker or wheelchair, check all exits to be sure you get through the doorways. - Make any necessary accommodations, such as providing exit ramps and widening doorways, to facilitate an emergency escape. - Speak to your family members, building manager, or neighbors about your fire safety plan and practice it with them. - Contact your local fire department's non-emergency line and explain your special needs. Ask emergency providers to keep your special needs information on file. - Keep a phone near your bed and be ready to call 911 or your local emergency number if a fire occurs. After a Fire Recovering from a fire can be a physically and mentally draining process. When fire strikes, lives are suddenly turned around. Often, the hardest part is knowing where to begin and who to contact. The following checklist serves as a quick reference and guide for you to follow after a fire strikes. - Contact your local disaster relief service, such as The Red Cross, if you need temporary housing, food and medicines. - If you are insured, contact your insurance company for detailed instructions on protecting the property, conducting inventory and contacting fire damage restoration companies. If you are not insured, try contacting private organizations for aid and assistance. - Check with the fire department to make sure your residence is safe to enter. Be watchful of any structural damage caused by the fire. - The fire department should see that utilities are either safe to use or are disconnected before they leave the site. DO NOT attempt to reconnect utilities yourself. - Conduct an inventory of damaged property and items. Do not throw away any damaged goods until after an inventory is made. - Try to locate valuable documents and records. Refer to information on contacts and the replacement process inside this brochure. - If you leave your home, contact the local police department to let them know the site will be unoccupied. - Begin saving receipts for any money you spend related to fire loss. The receipts may be needed later by the insurance company and for verifying losses claimed on income tax. - Notify your mortgage company of the fire. - Check with an accountant or the Internal Revenue Service about special benefits for people recovering from fire loss. For more information on what you should do after a home fire, including valuing your property, replacing documents, and salvage hints, visit the U.S. Fire Administration’s website. Prevent Home Fires Most home fires occur in the kitchen while cooking and are the leading cause of injuries from fire. Common causes of fires at night are carelessly discarded cigarettes, sparks from fireplaces without spark screens or glass doors, and heating appliances left too close to furniture or other combustibles. These fires can be particularly dangerous because they may smolder for a long period before being discovered by sleeping residents. Home fires are preventable! The following are simple steps that each of us can take to prevent a tragedy. - Stay in the kitchen when you are frying, grilling, or broiling food. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove. - Wear short, close-fitting or tightly rolled sleeves when cooking. - Do not cook if you are sleepy, have been drinking alcohol, or have taken medicine that makes you drowsy. - Keep children away from cooking areas by enforcing a "kid-free zone" of 3 feet around the stove. - Position barbecue grills at least 10 feet away from siding and deck railings, and out from under eaves and overhanging branches. - If you smoke, smoke outside. Most home fires caused by smoking materials start inside the home. Put your cigarettes out in a can filled with sand. - Make sure cigarettes and ashes are out. The cigarette really needs to be completely stubbed out in an ashtray. Soak cigarette butts and ashes in water before throwing them away. Never toss hot cigarette butts or ashes in the trash can. - Check for cigarette butts. Chairs and sofas catch on fire fast and burn fast. Don't put ashtrays on them. If people have been smoking in the home, check for cigarettes under cushions. - Never smoke in a home where oxygen is used, even if it is turned off. Oxygen can be explosive and makes fire burn hotter and faster. - Be alert - don’t smoke in bed! If you are sleepy, have been drinking, or have taken medicine that makes you drowsy, put your cigarette out first. Electrical and Appliance Safety - Frayed wires can cause fires. Replace all worn, old or damaged appliance cords immediately and do not run cords under rugs or furniture. - Buy electrical products evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). - If an appliance has a three-prong plug, use it only in a three-slot outlet. Never force it to fit into a two-slot outlet or extension cord. - Use electrical extension cords wisely; never overload extension cords or wall sockets. - Immediately shut off, then professionally replace, light switches that are hot to the touch and lights that flicker. Portable Space Heaters - Keep combustible objects at least three feet away from portable heating devices. - Buy only heaters evaluated by a nationally recognized laboratory, such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL). - Check to make the portable heater has a thermostat control mechanism, and will switch off automatically if the heater falls over. - Check with your local fire department on the legality of kerosene heater use in your community. - Only use crystal clear K-1 kerosene in kerosene heaters. Never overfill it. Use the heater in a well-ventilated room. Fireplaces and Woodstoves - Inspect and clean woodstove pipes and chimneys annually and check monthly for damage or obstructions. - Never burn trash, paper, or green wood. - Use a fireplace screen heavy enough to stop rolling logs and big enough to cover the entire opening of the fireplace to catch flying sparks. - Make sure the fire is completely out before leaving the house or going to bed. - Store cooled ashes in a tightly sealed metal container outside the home. - Take the mystery out of fire play by teaching children that fire is a tool, not a toy. - Store matches and lighters out of children's reach and sight, preferably in a locked cabinet. - Teach children not to pick up matches or lighters they may find. Instead, they should tell an adult immediately. - Never leave children unattended near operating stoves or burning candles, even for a short time. - Check under beds and in closets for burned matches, evidence your child may be playing with fire. More Prevention Tips - Avoid using lighted candles. - Never use the range or oven to heat your home. - Replace mattresses made before the 2007 Federal Mattress Flammability Standard. Mattresses made since then are required by law to be safer. - Keep combustible and flammable liquids away from heat sources. - Portable generators should NEVER be used indoors and should only be refueled outdoors or in well ventilated areas. Find additional information on how to plan and prepare for a fire and learn about available resources by visiting the following websites: All information provided by https://www.ready.gov/
As wild country disappeared after the Civil War, increasingly large numbers of Americans clamored for wilderness preservation. In 1864 Congress set aside Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias as wilderness preserves and then ceded these properties to the state of California to administer for the people in perpetuity. In 1872 Congress established Yellowstone National Park, which stands as the first true national park in the world The U.S. Census Bureau's announcement of the frontier's closure in 1890 and widespread anxiety over the loss of wilderness in the years immediately after further fueled interest in national parks. Tens of thousands of middle- and upper-class tourists, including members of new preservation groups such as the Sierra Club, made outings to wilderness parks, not just to see the sublime but also to hike and camp. Railroad companies, looking for increased traffic and revenues, also supported the national parks and even built hotels and chalets in some of the parks. Between 1890 and 1916 the federal government not only reclaimed Yosemite but also established 11 additional national parks. Some of these, such as Grand Canyon National Park, started out initially as national monuments, which were federal lands with historic, prehistoric, or scientific values that the president of the United States could set aside as prescribed by the Antiquities Act of 1906. During his presidency, Theodore Roosevelt was aggressive in applying the Antiquities Act to preserve wilderness. Image: California, El Capitan, Yosemite Valley, 1899 from the Library of Congress It's true, you can access most COM Library resources at home! COM Library’s catalog, and the thousands of eBooks and articles in our databases can all be accessed off campus. Just login with your COM account for off campus access.
Bulbophyllum longiflorum facts for kids Quick facts for kidsPale umbrella orchid Vulnerable (EPBC Act) Bulbophyllum longiflorum, commonly known as the pale umbrella orchid, is a species of epiphytic or lithophytic orchid. It has a creeping rhizome, widely spaced, dark green pseudobulbs with a single large, fleshy leaf, and flowers spreading in a semicircular umbel, resembling one-half of an umbrella. The flowers are canoe-shaped, greenish cream-coloured to yellowish with purple dots. It has a wide distribution and is found in parts of Africa, on islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Southeast Asia, New Guinea and northern Australia. Bulbophyllum baileyi is an epiphytic or lithophytic herb that has a creeping rhizome and grooved, dark green pseudobulbs 30–45 mm (1–2 in) long and 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) wide. Each pseudobulb has a single fleshy, dark green leaf 80–150 mm (3–6 in) long and 20–30 mm (0.79–1.2 in) wide on its end. Between five and eight flowers are arranged in a spreading, semi-circular umbel 100–200 mm (3.9–7.9 in) long, each flower on a pedicel 15–20 mm (0.59–0.79 in) long. The flowers are resupinate, greenish cream-coloured to yellowish with purple spots or dots, 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) long and 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide. The dorsal sepal is egg-shaped, 6–8 mm (0.24–0.31 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide, forming a hood over the column. There is a long, hair-like tip on the end of the dorsal sepal. The lateral sepals are 25–35 mm (0.98–1.4 in) long, 3–5 mm (0.12–0.20 in) wide and fused to each other along their sides. The petals are triangular, curved, 6–18 mm (0.24–0.71 in) long and 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) wide. The labellum is dark purple, fleshy, curved, 4–5 mm (0.16–0.20 in) long and about 2 mm (0.08 in) wide with a groove along its midline. Flowering occurs between January and March in Australia, October and January in Africa and throughout the year in New Guinea. Taxonomy and naming Bulbophyllum longiflorum was first formally described in 1822 by Louis-Marie Aubert du Petit-Thouars in his book Histoire particulière des plantes orchidées recueillies sur les trois Iles Australes d’Afrique, de France, de Bourbon et de Madagascar. Distribution and habitat The pale umbrella orchid is found in Africa, Madagascar, Mascarenes, Seychelles and on into Malaysia, New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji and Society and Austral Islands and Queensland. In Queensland it occurs in the Iron and McIlwraith Ranges. It grows in rainforests and hill forests at elevations from sealevel to 1,700 metres (5,600 ft). This orchid is classed as "vulnerable" under the Australian Government Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The main threat to the species in illegal collecting by orchid enthusiasts. Bulbophyllum longiflorum Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.
The full form of PFA in Chemistry is Principal Factor Analysis. You’ll often hear this term in the context of research, and it can have different meanings depending on the field of study. This article will go over the two primary uses for the term and explain the difference between them. Once you’ve mastered the two main uses, you can move on to learning their other meanings. So, if you’ve ever wondered what PFA means in chemistry, keep reading. The full name of PFAS is per and polyfluoroalkyl substances. No single chemical can be both per and polyfluoroalkyl. Some authors add a small’s’ to the end of PFAS, but this isn’t required. It’s better to call a single PFAS a specific chemical name. In this way, you’ll be able to identify the chemical you’re referring to. Perfluoroalkoxy, or PFA, is a class of fluoropolymers with properties similar to those of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). This polymer is melt-processable and is sold under the trade name Teflon, which stands for “perfluoroalkyl-acetone.” PFA is a polymer that is widely used in the chemical industry. It’s used in plastic lab equipment, and is also used to make tubing and linings for critical operations. In addition to these uses, it’s widely used in pharmaceutical and semiconductor manufacturing. And it’s a great material for a lot of other things. So, if you’re a chemist, you’ll want to get acquainted with its full form. One important part of learning the PFA full form in chemistry is understanding what it means. The term PFA is a commonly-used acronym that stands for Please Find Attached. PFA is a shorthand for “Please Find Attached.” PFA is an excellent polymer. It exhibits outstanding thermal and chemical resistance. It’s not quite as heat resistant as PTFE, but it has a higher dielectric constant than PTFE. It’s often used in sampling equipment in environmental in situ studies. It can be used to prevent metallic ions at trace levels. However, it’s also flammable and will decompose when exposed to high temperatures.
Trapping of methane in Enceladus' ocean This illustration depicts potential origins of methane found in the plume of gas and ice particles that sprays from Saturn's moon, Enceladus, based on research by scientists working with the Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer on NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini mission. Scientists believe the plumes originate from an internal liquid-water ocean beneath the moon's south polar region. Recent findings from Cassini suggest hydrothermal activity as one of two likely sources of methane in the plume of gas and ice particles that erupts from the south polar region of Enceladus. The finding is the result of extensive modelling to address why methane, as previously sampled by Cassini, is curiously abundant in the plume. Researchers with Cassini's Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) determined that, at the high pressures expected in the moon's ocean, icy materials called clathrates could form that imprison methane molecules within a crystal structure of water ice. Their models indicated that this process could be so efficient at depleting methane from Enceladus' ocean that they still needed an explanation for the methane abundance in the plume. In one scenario, hydrothermal processes supersaturate the ocean with methane. This could occur if methane is produced faster than it is converted into clathrates. A second possibility is that methane clathrates from the ocean are dragged along into the erupting plumes and release their methane as they rise, like bubbles forming in a popped bottle of champagne. The authors agree that both scenarios are likely occurring to some degree, but they note that the presence of nanosilica grains, as documented by Cassini's Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) instrument, favours the hydrothermal scenario.
Scenic Route for Sound Allows Extra Control Physicists have discovered surprising ways to manipulate the propagation of waves, notably light, by using structures assembled from tiny elements. In Physical Review Letters, researchers propose to alter sound waves by diverting them through an array of narrow, circuitous channels, a method that wouldn’t work for light. Simulations confirm that so-called metamaterials composed of such channels have unusual properties that let them refract sound in the “wrong” direction and could improve ultrasonic imaging. For years, researchers have been changing the way electromagnetic radiation travels by engineering materials with internal structures on the scale of the wavelength. In so-called photonic crystals, propagation of some waves is prevented by the cancellation of waves. More dramatic effects appear using arrays of tiny resonators that are tuned to respond strongly to the incoming wave frequency. Experiments have confirmed that these “metamaterials” can have exotic properties, like a negative index of refraction. They can be used in lenses that beat the usual limits on resolution and may even allow objects to be “cloaked,” making them appear invisible. Researchers have recently extended these methods to acoustic waves. Such control might, for example, improve medical ultrasound imaging or protect buildings from earthquakes. Now Zixiang Liang and Jensen Li of the City University of Hong Kong propose a different kind of metamaterial that could work for sound but not for light. They imagine a two-dimensional region sliced into very small squares like a checkerboard. Within each square, a narrow sound “corridor” loops back and forth in a “maze” pattern to make a long path that fills up the square, with the entrance and exit at opposite corners. The team assumed there were two types of squares, identical except for a 90-degree rotation, arranged as the black and red squares on a checkerboard. A sound wave (with wavelength larger than the squares) moving across the board gets delayed as it travels through the lengthy path within each square. The researchers focus on frequencies for which the path length is almost exactly a multiple of the wavelength. If the path is slightly longer, the wave emerges from the square at a point in its cycle only slightly delayed from when it entered, so the apparent speed of sound is very high, equivalent to an extremely small index of refraction. In contrast, at frequencies where the path is slightly shorter, the wave appears to exit before it enters. This situation leads to a negative effective index of refraction for the material, which is the same property that has allowed theorists to design super-resolution lenses and invisibility cloaks for light waves. But the principle of this new metamaterial wouldn’t work for light waves because they can’t ordinarily travel through a wave guide that is much narrower than their wavelength. Sound waves do this easily, as in a French horn, says Li. The researchers confirmed with numerical simulations that a prism made of the metamaterial with a negative index of refraction bends sound in the opposite direction from ordinary refraction. Another simulation showed that for sound waves traveling in a straight pipe filled with an ordinary fluid, a barrier that blocks most of the cross section disrupts the passage of a wave. But with the metamaterial surrounding the barrier, the entire wave can reappear intact on the far side of the barrier, as though the barrier were invisible. So far, the simulations are restricted to two dimensions, but Li notes that the principle extends easily to three dimensions. In addition, because there are no resonant structures storing large amounts of energy, the researchers hope that sound will propagate with relatively little loss. “The idea is quite original and very smart,” says Nicholas Fang of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge. But he cautions that experiments will be needed to find out if there are new loss mechanisms in these novel structures that would limit their usefulness. Don Monroe is a freelance science writer in Murray Hill, New Jersey.
THE FIRST LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS This lesson deals with the exchange of energy betweeen a system and the surroundings. We shall only apply the first law to closed systems. The system receives energy in the form of heat and work from the surroundings. The internal energy, U, the enthalpy, H, and the heat capacities, Cvand Cp will be defined, and equations are developed involving these state functions. The pressure - volume work is studied for a reversible isothermal expansion of an ideal gas. The reversible isothermal expansion and the reversible adiabatic expansion of an ideal gas are compared. Finally we shall consider an irreversible adiabatic expansion of a real gas, the Joule - Thomson experiment. ENERGY, HEAT AND WORK The first law of thermodynamics is a statement of the conservation of energy. The first law states that the internal energy of a system is a property of the system (a state function), and that changes in the internal energy, dU, results from the sum of energy added in the form of heat, dq, and work, dw. dU = dq + dw (1.1) It is very important, however, to notice that the first law does not rely 00, or specify in any way, the manner in which energy is stored in a system. We can only measure the heat received by the surroundings, -dq, and the work performed on the surroundings, -dw. We can visualize the first law as shown in Fig. 1.1. The first law in the present form is valid for a closed system. Equation (1.1) is a postulate. It cannot be derived. The first law contains a second postulate in addition to eq. (1.1): Energy is a state function The chief criterion of a state function is that the change in a state function depends only on the final and initial state without regard to the process or pathway by which this change is made. The change in internal energy upon a change in state is equal to the internal energy of the final state minus the internal energy of the initial state, see Fig. 1.2: ΔU = Ub - Ua (1.2) This is a formulation of a second postulate. The states a and b (see Fig. 1.2) represent two equilibrium states of a system (e.g. a gas where temperature and pressure are fixed). Each state can be described by the state variables P and T. The change in internal energy, ΔU, is independent of the path from a to b. A direct consequence of U being a state function is that we obtain ΔU = 0 when we go by one path from a to b and return by another path in a cyclic process. When the system is back to the initial state, the total change in the energy of the system is equal to zero. This can be expressed as ∮dU = 0 (1.3) The integral of dU over a cyclic process is zero. The quantities q and w are not state functions. It is sufficient to show this by one example. We shall consider the isothermal (constant temperature) expansion of an ideal gas, see Fig. 1.3. In the initial state (a) we~ave two equal volumes, one empty and one filled with gas. The final state of having the gas evenly distributed over both volumes can be obtained in two ways. One can make a hole in the separation wall and let the gas expand (b). In this case both heat and work are equal to zero. The same final state can be obtained by an arrangement where the gas performs mechanical work on the surrounding (work supplied to the system is negative). Heat is supplied to the gas to keep temperature constant (c). Although the final state is the same in both cases (also the initial state), heat and work supplied to the system are different in the two cases. Pressure - Volume Work In thermodynamic calculations we frequently have to calculate the work supplied to a system when its volume changes. The system could be a gas, a liquid or a solid. To simplify calculations, let us assume that the system is contained in a cylinder with a frictionless piston as shown in Fig. 1.4. For the system shown in Fig. 1.4 the pressure inside the system, Pin is very closed to being balanced by a weight, or a force, on the piston area, A, corresponding to an external pressure, Pex ≈ force/A. If Pex is less than Pin by an infinitesimal value, the piston will move upwards an infinitesimal distance, dl. The work supplied to the system, dw, is negative: dw = - force x dl = - PexAdl = - PexdV where dV is the change in volume. Since Pex ≈ Pin, we can write dw ≈ -PindV, or just: dw ≈ -PdV(1.4) During an isothermal expansion the internal pressure will decrease. If we adjust the external pressure to be very close to the internal pressure all the time (by removing the small weights pictured in Fig. 1.4, one by one), the integral work supplied will be: In order to keep the temperature constant, heat must be supplied to the system during the expansion. All steps in the process can be balanced (Pex ≈ Pin), which means that the expansion can be performed in a reversible way. If the system is an ideal gas (PV = nRT), we have: where V1 and V2 are the initial and final volumes respectively.
About this printout Who are the characters in this story? Students will examine what a character looks like, what a character does, and how other characters react to him or her. Teaching with this printout Help students progress from impressions or reactions about a character to a deeper understanding of the character's attributes. - Choose a character from any book, short story, play, poem, or film and ask students to start describing the character. - Project an overhead of the character map and ask students to recall some of their descriptions. In which category would they fall (appearance, actions, or reactions of others)? - Write their responses in the boxes. Are they evenly distributed among each, or are most in one area? Ask students for suggestions to describe the character in all three areas. - Have students write a paragraph discussing the character and their reactions to the character using the graphic organizer for reference. Students can then use the printout independently to describe any other character More ideas to try - Students write a character sketch of a favorite or assigned character, based on the information gathered for the Character Map. - Use the Character Map in creative writing. Students answer questions on the map to fully develop characters that they are inventing. - Use two copies of Character Map to prepare students for a compare/contrast essay on two characters. - When studying dynamic characters, have students complete the Character Map early in a text. Put their work aside and ask them to complete another Map after finishing. Then compare and contrast the two.
Why is venous ultrasound done? The most common reason for a venous ultrasound exam is to search for blood clots, especially in the veins of the leg. This condition is often referred to as deep vein thrombosis or DVT. These clots may break off and pass into the lungs, where they can cause a dangerous condition called pulmonary embolism. Ultrasound – Venous (Extremities) Venous ultrasound uses sound waves to produce pictures of the body’s veins. It is commonly used to search for blood clots, especially in the veins of the leg – a condition often referred to as deep vein thrombosis. Ultrasound does not use ionizing radiation and has no known harmful effects. If the veins in your abdomen are to be examined, you may be asked not to eat or drink anything but water for six to eight hours beforehand. Otherwise, little or no special preparation is required for this procedure. Leave jewelry at home and wear loose, comfortable clothing. You may be asked to wear a gown. What is Venous Ultrasound Imaging? Ultrasound is safe and painless, and produces pictures of the inside of the body using sound waves. Ultrasound imaging, also called ultrasound scanning or sonography, involves the use of a small transducer (probe) and ultrasound gel placed directly on the skin. High-frequency sound waves are transmitted from the probe through the gel into the body. The transducer collects the sounds that bounce back and a computer then uses those sound waves to create an image. Ultrasound examinations do not use ionizing radiation (as used in x-rays), thus there is no radiation exposure to the patient. Because ultrasound images are captured in real-time, they can show the structure and movement of the body’s internal organs, as well as blood flowing through blood vessels. - Ultrasound imaging is a noninvasive medical test that helps physicians diagnose and treat medical conditions. - Venous ultrasound provides pictures of the veins throughout the body. - A Doppler ultrasound study may be part of a venous ultrasound examination. - Doppler ultrasound is a special ultrasound technique that allows the physician to see and evaluate blood flow through arteries and veins in the abdomen, arms, legs, neck and/or brain, or within various body organs such as the liver or kidneys. What are some common uses of the procedure? The most common reason for a venous ultrasound exam is to search for blood clots, especially in the veins of the leg. This condition is often referred to as deep vein thrombosis or DVT. These clots may break off and pass into the lungs, where they can cause a dangerous condition called pulmonary embolism. If the blood clot in the leg is found early enough, treatment can be started to prevent it from passing to the lung. A venous ultrasound study is also performed to: Determine the cause of long-standing leg swelling. In people with a common condition called “varicose veins”, the valves that keep blood flowing back to the heart in the right direction may be damaged, and venous ultrasound can help the radiologist decide how best to deal with this condition. Aid in the placement of a needle or catheter into a vein. Sonography can help locate the exact site of the vein and avoid complications, such as bleeding or damage to a nearby nerve or artery. Map out the veins in the leg or arm so that pieces of vein may be removed and used to bypass a narrowed or blocked blood vessel. An example is using pieces of vein from the leg to surgically bypass narrowed heart (coronary) arteries. Examine a blood vessel graft used for dialysis if it is not working as expected; for example, the graft may be narrowed or blocked. How should I prepare? You should wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing for your ultrasound exam. You may need to remove all clothing and jewelry in the area to be examined. You may be asked to wear a gown during the procedure. A period of fasting is necessary only if you are to have an examination of veins in your abdomen. In this case, you will probably be asked not to ingest any food or fluids except water for six to eight hours ahead of time. Otherwise, there is no other special preparation for a venous ultrasound. What does the equipment look like? Ultrasound scanners consist of a console containing a computer and electronics, a video display screen and a transducer that is used to do the scanning. The transducer is a small hand-held device that resembles a microphone, attached to the scanner by a cord. Some exams may use different transducers (with different capabilities) during a single exam. The transducer sends out inaudible, high—frequency sound waves into the body and then listens for the returning echoes from the tissues in the body. The principles are similar to sonar used by boats and submarines. The ultrasound image is immediately visible on a video display screen that looks like a computer or television monitor. The image is created based on the amplitude (loudness), frequency (pitch) and time it takes for the ultrasound signal to return from the area within the patient that is being examined to the transducer (the device used to examine the patient), as well as the type of body structure and composition of body tissue through which the sound travels. A small amount of gel is put on the skin to allow the sound waves to best travel from the transducer to the examined area within the body and then back again. How does the procedure work? Ultrasound imaging is based on the same principles involved in the sonar used by bats, ships and fishermen. When a sound wave strikes an object, it bounces back, or echoes. By measuring these echo waves, it is possible to determine how far away the object is as well as the object’s size, shape and consistency (whether the object is solid or filled with fluid). In medicine, ultrasound is used to detect changes in appearance, size or contour of organs, tissues, and vessels or detect abnormal masses, such as tumors. In an ultrasound examination, a transducer both sends the sound waves and receives the echoing waves. When the transducer is pressed against the skin, it directs small pulses of inaudible, high-frequency sound waves into the body. As the sound waves bounce off internal organs, fluids and tissues, the sensitive microphone in the transducer records tiny changes in the sound’s pitch and direction. These signature waves are instantly measured and displayed by a computer, which in turn creates a real-time picture on the monitor. One or more frames of the moving pictures are typically captured as still images. Small loops of the moving real-time images may also be saved. Doppler ultrasound, a special application of ultrasound, measures the direction and speed of blood cells as they move through vessels. The movement of blood cells causes a change in pitch of the reflected sound waves (called the Doppler Effect). A computer collects and processes the sounds and creates graphs or color pictures that represent the flow of blood through the blood vessels. How is the procedure performed? For most ultrasound exams, you will be positioned lying face-up on an examination table that can be tilted or moved. Patients may be turned to either side or on occasion placed in a face down position to improve the quality of the images. A clear water-based gel is applied to the area of the body being studied to help the transducer make secure contact with the body and eliminate air pockets between the transducer and the skin that can block the sound waves from passing into your body. The sonographer (ultrasound technologist) or radiologist then places the transducer on the skin in various locations, sweeping over the area of interest or angling the sound beam from a different location to better see an area of concern. Doppler sonography is performed using the same transducer. When the examination is complete, you may be asked to dress and wait while the ultrasound images are reviewed. This ultrasound examination is usually completed within 30 to 45 minutes. More complex exams may take a longer period of time. What will I experience during and after the procedure? Ultrasound examinations are painless and easily tolerated by most patients. After you are positioned on the examination table, the radiologist or sonographer will apply some warm water-based gel on your skin and then place the transducer firmly against your body, moving it back and forth over the area of interest until the desired images are captured. There is usually no discomfort from pressure as the transducer is pressed against the area being examined. If scanning is performed over an area of tenderness, you may feel pressure or minor pain from the transducer. If a Doppler ultrasound study is performed, you may actually hear pulse-like sounds that change in pitch as the blood flow is monitored and measured. Once the imaging is complete, the clear ultrasound gel will be wiped off your skin. Any portions that are not wiped off will dry to a powder. The ultrasound gel does not stain or discolor clothing. After an ultrasound examination, you should be able to resume your normal activities immediately. Who interprets the results and how do I get them? A radiologist, a physician specifically trained to supervise and interpret radiology examinations, will analyze the images and send a signed report to your primary care physician, or to the physician or other healthcare provider who requested the exam, and he/she will share the results with you. In some cases the radiologist may discuss results with you at the conclusion of your examination. Follow-up examinations may be necessary, and your doctor will explain the exact reason why another exam is requested. Sometimes a follow-up exam is done because a suspicious or questionable finding needs clarification with additional views or a special imaging technique. A follow-up examination may also be necessary so that any change in a known abnormality can be monitored over time. Follow-up examinations are sometimes the best way to see if treatment is working or if an abnormality is stable or changed over time. What are the benefits vs. risks? - Most ultrasound scanning is noninvasive (no needles or injections). - Occasionally, an ultrasound exam may be temporarily uncomfortable, but it is almost never painful. - Ultrasound is widely available, easy-to-use and less expensive than other imaging methods. - Ultrasound imaging is extremely safe and does not use any ionizing radiation. - Ultrasound scanning gives a clear picture of soft tissues that do not show up well on x-ray images. - Venous ultrasound helps to detect blood clots in the veins of the legs before they become dislodged and pass to the lungs. It can also show the movement of blood within blood vessels. - Compared to venography, which requires injecting contrast material into a vein, venous ultrasound is accurate for detecting blood clots in the veins of the thigh down to the knee. In the calf, because the veins become very small, ultrasound is less accurate.However, potentially dangerous venous clots are typically lodged in the larger veins. - For standard diagnostic ultrasound, there are no known harmful effects on humans.
This guide is meant to help instructors using Primary Mathematics 5A when teaching one student or a small group of students. It should be used as a guide and adapted as needed. - Notes to the instructor, providing added explanation of concepts - Instructional ideas and suggested activities - Game ideas to reinforce concepts from the corresponding textbook pages and learning tasks - Homework assignments - Answers and solutions to all the learning tasks, workbook exercises and reviews and textbook practices and reviews Included is a suggested weekly schedule. The learning tasks should be discussed with the student and additional explanation provided when necessary. Practices and reviews in the text can, for the most part, be done independently by the student. Since some of the practice questions are challenging, they provide good opportunities for discussion . This guide can be used with both the U.S. edition and the third edition of Primary Mathematics. Items specific to either edition, such as different answers, different page numbers, and different exercise numbers, are clearly indicated. U.S. spellings are used in this guide, and answers involving number words use the current U.S. convention of reserving the word "and" for the decimal and not using it in number words for whole numbers. Note: Because of the unusually low discount we receive on this book, we cannot offer discounts ourselves on this item. Not eligible for special offers, coupons or school discounts. Did you find this review helpful?
Note that you can reverse steps 1 and 2 and still come to the same solution. If you multiply 1 by 100 and then divide the result by 90, you will still come to 1.11! 1 / 90 = 1.11% We encourage you to check out our introduction to percentage page for a little recap of what percentage is. You can also learn about fractions in our fractions section of the website. Sometimes, you may want to express a fraction in the form of a percentage, or vice-versa. This page will cover the former case. Luckily for us, this problem only requires a bit of multiplication and division. We recommend that you use a calculator, but solving these problems by hand or in your head is possibly too! Here's how we discovered that 1 / 90 = 1.11% : Fractions are commonly used in everyday life. If you are splitting a bill or trying to score a test, you will often describe the problem using fractions. Sometimes, you may want to express the fraction as a percentage. \|1.11%\|\|1 / 90\|\|0.01\| A percentage is a number out of 100, so we need to make our denominator 100! If the original denominator is 90, we need to solve for how we can make the denominator 100. To convert this fraction, we would divide 100 by 90, which gives us 1.11. Now, we multiply 1.11 by 1, our original numerator, which is equal to 1.11 1.11 / 100 = 1.11% Remember, a percentage is any number out of 100. If we can balance 1 / 90 with a new denominator of 100, we can find the percentage of that fraction! Similar Percentage ProblemsWhat is 115/56 as a percentage? What is 91/59 as a percentage? What is 139/185 as a percentage? What is 92/208 as a percentage? What is 155/189 as a percentage? What is 64/115 as a percentage? What is 151/209 as a percentage? What is 123/124 as a percentage? What is 14/27 as a percentage? What is 13/42 as a percentage? Random articlesComplete the Square Angles inside a Circle Area of a Circle Volume of a Pyramid Change Fractions to Decimals Sine Rule Area of a Sphere
Where does it get its name? Their common name comes from the prominent white stripes on their sides, which span from below the dorsal fin to their tail, where it turns into a yellow or amber color. Their scientific name comes from the Greek word lagenos (which means bottle), rhynchus (which means snout or nose), and acutus from Latin (which means sharp or pointed, referring to their sharply-pointed dorsal fins). Whale SENSE Region Found: Protected throughout its range Where to watch: Typically found in cold, deep waters of the north Atlantic Ocean, not often seen close to shore. *If they are spotted within a couple miles of the coast, it’s best to call your local stranding response organization. What to watch for: Dorsal fin: Tall falcate dorsal fin is located in the center of the back. Body: This dolphin’s distinguishing characteristics are the black rings around their eyes and the yellow-white patches on their sides Size: Length: 8 – 9 feet, Weight: 425 – 525 pounds Behavior: Known to be surface active, often breaching and tail slapping. Sometimes attracted to ride the bow or stern waves of vessels. Associations: Usually found in groups between two and 50 individuals. However it is possible to see much larger pods where they have found dense concentrations of food. Atlantic white-sided dolphins are also known to associate with other species of whales and dolphins including fin whales, humpback whales, and bottlenose dolphins. May be confused with: White-beaked dolphin: The white-sided does not have the distinct white and yellow streaks on its side and is typically larger. However, the range of the Atlantic white-sided dolphin their ranges overlaps in range with the white-beaked. They have a diverse diet, ranging from herring, cod, and mackerel to shrimp and sandeels. Known to feed cooperatively in groups, working together to herd fish into large groupings. Mating and Calving Large groups of Atlantic white-sided dolphins will gather during the breeding season (spring and summer), numbering in upwards of 50 individuals (while superpods of hundreds and even thousands have been observed!). In the fall and winter, males will travel in small groups while females, calves and juveniles will travel together. The average gestation period is 1 year and calves are typically born between April and September. Calves will nurse for about 18 months and will remain with their mothers’ pods until they are between 3 and 5 years old on average. Did you know? - Atlantic white-sided dolphins communicate using both vocalizations underwater and body language. Body language can include tail slapping, swimming in unison with other members of the pod, jumping in unison, and breaching. - In the Gulf of Maine, a satellite-tagged dolphin travelled an estimated distance of over 186 miles in 64 hours (~2.5 days) (Mate et al. 1994). In this same study, the dolphin spent most of its time underwater (89%), carrying out many short dives.
It ain’t what you say it’s the way that you say it Like many Americans, we are often unaware of our own accent. But, everyone has an accent – it might be your mother-tongue accent or a second language accent. Accent is how an individual pronounces a given language. An accent includes a combination of consonants and vowels and prosodic features, including duration, rhythm, stress, pitch, intonation, and loudness. A first language accent can vary according to one’s region – where you come from – or even one’s cultural group. People from Minnesota speak English in a very distinctive way, using “yah” or “you betcha” or “like totally” or “hella”. The “Minnesota” accent is influenced by Scandinavian and Canadian dialects. There is a large population of Norwegian immigrants which is where a lot of the speech traits come from. The New York Jewish accent is not only a product of the region (New York) in which it has developed, but also the culture, with heavy influences of Yiddish and Hebrew affecting the way people speak, even if they no longer speak Hebrew or Yiddish. It is not only the United States where ideas about what is a pure accent exist. Within many nations one can find languages considered more “pure” and “official” than other forms of the language. Castilian Spanish, for example, is often considered “pure”. The second kind of accent is a second language accent that occurs when a native speaker of a different language learns to speak English. The degree to which a person can substitute one accent for another depends a lot on the age at which the second language is learned. Also, while children can often learn a second or third language with ease, the same is not true for many adults. It is thought that by the time we are in our adolescence our accent is hard-wired in the brain. Changing our accent after this takes work! It is unrealistic to expect a person who learned to speak English as an adult to sound just like a native English speaker, regardless as to commitment, intelligence, and motivation. People such as Austrian-born Arnold Schwarzenegger, while speaking English very clearly, never lose their accent. It may be less pronounced if you have been immersed in a community of first language English speakers. The length of time spent in the community and the type of pronunciation difference or phonological rule involved, also play an important part in determining the extent to which a person can speak a second language without an accent. Immigrants to the USA sometimes take accent-reduction classes. But, as America becomes an increasingly multicultural nation, the notion of an “accent” may change. Increasingly, foreign accents are viewed as the norm rather than the exception. Some accents have always had a positive connotation: French accents, for example, and we love the accents of Irish and Australian movie stars or even Charlize Theron for her South African accent. As an ESL student learning English in the USA, communication with local people is a fabulous way of getting to grips with the language. Always remember that having an accent means that you are bothering to learn some else’s language and most locals will appreciate that. When speaking with native English speakers – First, don’t pretend to understand. Ask the person to slow down a bit because you are having difficulty understanding them. Second, take your time as well, putting together sentences and ask the person to be patient. You are learning a new language, and that is difficult. Ask for help from others if you need it. Respect for diversity can be extended to language and speech. By explaining this you encourage others to confront the stereotypes and prejudices that are often associated with specific speech patterns. At the end of the day — your accent is another keepsake from home, and a very precious one at that! The more languages you know, the more you are human. (Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk)
Figure 3-14.-Visual, local noon, third day. 1. Select two to four points along the front where a regular and reliable pressure gradient exists, and determine the geostrophic wind by use of the geostrophic wind scale. (NOTE: Do not use the observed wind.) The wind speed should be determined a short distance behind a cold front and a short distance ahead of the warm front where a representative gradient can be found. The points on the isobars in figure 3-16 serve as a guide to the proper selection of the geostrophic wind measurements. 2. Draw a vector toward the front, parallel to the isobars from where the geostrophic wind was determined. The vectors labeled y in figure 3-16 illustrate this step. 3. Draw a vector perpendicular to the front originating at the point where the y vector intersects the front, and label this vector x, as illustrated in 4. At a convenient distance from the intersection, along the x vector, construct a perpendicular to the
The 45th anniversary of Earth Day will be celebrated on April 22. It will be celebrated globally by more than a billion people in more than 192 countries with the goal of planting one billion seeds/trees in support for environment protection. It will be a part of the biggest grassroots effort in history, coordinated by Earth Day Network. How do trees benefit our environment? Trees are essential for regulating the distribution of rain and snow over the earth, thus controlling the climate. Trees cool the air, land and water with shade and moisture thus reducing the heat-island effect of our urban communities. The temperature in urban areas is often nine degrees warmer than in areas with heavy tree cover. The evaporation from a single tree can produce the cooling effect of 10 room size air conditioners operating 20 hours a day. Trees absorb carbon dioxide and potentially harmful gasses such as sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide from the air and produce oxygen during photosynthesis as they grow. Consequently they reduce the carbon dioxide that is produced by our burning of oil, coal, gas and wood and replace it with oxygen that most living things require to sustain life. The American Forestry Association estimates that 100 million new trees would absorb 18 million tons of carbon dioxide and cut US air conditioning costs by $4 billion annually. Trees can also absorb odors and filter dust, pollen and smoke out of the air by trapping them. The dust level in the air can be as much as 75 percent lower on the sheltered side of the tree compared to the windward side. Trees can also absorb and block noises and glares. A well placed tree can reduce noise by as much as 40 percent. Trees protect soil by holding soil with their roots, thus reducing damages from flooding. Trees help reduce surface water runoff from storms, thus decreasing soil erosion and the accumulation of sediments in streams. They increase ground water recharge and reduce the number of potentially harmful chemicals transported to our streams. A study in Salt Lake City revealed the tree canopy reduced surface runoff by 11.3 million gallons following a 1 inch rain. Trees create an ecosystem to provide habitat and food for birds and other animals. The shade produced by trees creates a microclimate that allows other plants and living things to grow. As a result nature can afford to provide for a diverse living system. Please join the 45th anniversary of Earth Day and plant a seed/tree. If you don’t have a yard, you can donate a tree in a public place. By planting and caring for trees, you help improve your surroundings, reduce pollution, lower energy costs, improve the appearance of your community and increase the value of your property by five to 15 percent. By planting a tree, you give a little back to Earth for all that man takes from the planet.
What are positive and negative liberty? Positive liberty is the possession of the capacity to act upon one’s free will, as opposed to negative liberty, which is freedom from external restraint on one’s actions. A concept of positive liberty may also include freedom from internal constraints. What do you mean by moral liberty? Moral liberty was the freedom to choose to do the right thing as prescribed by the Bible. The revivalists preached moral liberty and shared the Puritan belief that the state was a legitimate tool of moral improvement. How do you use civil liberties in a sentence? In some respects, they gave up their civil liberties when they infringed upon the civil liberties of their victims. I am confident that the courts will always act in a way that protects the civil liberties of those involved in a case. There are civil liberties questions about the stop-and-search powers. How do we show individual liberty? Individual liberty suggests the free exercise of rights generally seen as outside Government control….It is seen in day to day life through the following: - Equality and Human Rights. - Respect and Dignity. - Rights, choice, consent and individuality. - Values and principles. What are civil liberties and why are they important? Civil liberties are freedoms guaranteed to us by the Constitution to protect us from tyranny (think: our freedom of speech), while civil rights are the legal rights that protect individuals from discrimination (think: employment discrimination). You have the right to remain silent. What is liberty and security? The Human Rights Act states that every person has the right to liberty and security. This right protects against the unlawful or arbitrary deprivation of liberty. A person who is arrested or detained is entitled to certain minimum rights. They also have a right to a brought to a trial without unreasonable delay. Is liberty mentioned in the Constitution? Primary tabs. The term “liberty” appears in the due process clauses of both the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments of the Constitution. As used in Constitution, liberty means freedom from arbitrary and unreasonable restraint upon an individual. Who do civil liberties apply to? Civil liberties protect us from government power. They are rooted in the Bill of Rights, which limits the powers of the federal government. The government cannot take away the freedoms outlined in the Bill of Rights, and any action that encroaches on these liberties is illegal. Is right to liberty an absolute right? Although right to privacy may be incorporated under the right to life and personal liberty but with certain limits. It is not an absolute fundamental right. Judgment: The Court gave a landmark judgment in this case by recognizing the right to privacy as an intrinsic part of the right to life and personal liberty. How does the Constitution balance order and liberty? The expression of liberties and rights is the main way in which the Constitution creates a balance between liberty and conflict. There will inevitably be conflict between individuals attempting to express their own rights if those rights go against each other. Is life liberty and property in the constitution? The Fifth Amendment and Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution declare that governments cannot deprive any person of “life, liberty, or property” without due process of law. What is the right to personal liberty? The right to personal liberty requires that persons not be subject to arrest and detention except as provided for by law, and provided that neither the arrest nor the detention is arbitrary. The right applies to all forms of detention where people are deprived of their liberty. What defines natural liberty? The practice of natural liberty means freedom from envy and hate. To each his own denies equality except for the fact that each person has equal opportunity before God and under the law. Natural liberty is the poor person’s opportunity to rise. It opens the way for more and better production and standards of living. What is an example of individual liberty? To give just a few examples: we can vote for whoever we like, move around the world freely, say whatever we want and spend time with anyone. These rights are fundamental to democracy, which is underpinned by the rights to vote, speak and associate freely. How does the Constitution provide liberty for American citizens? The third main purpose of the Constitution is to protect the personal liberty of citizens from intrusions by the government. Most Constitutional protections for individual rights are contained in the Bill of Rights, which constitute the first ten amendments to the Constitution. How do you promote individual liberty? You can promote individual liberty in your setting daily by: Providing opportunities for risk taking such as obstacle courses for children to develop their self-knowledge, self-esteem and increase their confidence in their own abilities. Who wrote four essay on liberty? Is the Second Amendment a civil liberty? When Congress debated and ratified the Fourteenth Amendment, they too considered the right to keep and bear arms to be a “civil right” protected by contemporaneous federal statutes (including the Civil Rights Act of 1866) and the amendment, which protected privileges and immunities and equal protection of the law.
Measurement Maths Worksheets for Year 1 (age 5-6) At first, measuring is seen in terms of comparisons, using non-standard units (eg hand spans) saying which is longer, taller, heavier, lighter etc. There is also plenty of opportunity to get wet when measuring jugs of water! Encourage children to make sensible estimates related to length, mass and capacity. Later, common standard units of measurement can be introduced. Measuring and comparing length Measuring length using non standard units such as hand spans, moving to using a ruler. Measuring and comparing capacity Plenty of practical work needed, using terms such as half full, half empty etc. before introducing the litre. Measuring and comparing mass/weight Using scales to compare items using terms such as heavier than and lighter than. introducing the kilogram.
Most of the time in math class is spent on numbers, symbols, and shapes. Not much time is spent on writing, aside from students explaining how they arrived at a solution to a problem. But writing can be a powerful vehicle for student learning in mathematics, and Linda Dacey, with Kathleen O’Connell Hopping and Rebeka Eston Salemi, has written a book about how to do it successfully. “As we broaden our view of writing, in all its varied styles and stages, we can recognize the powerful effect it can have on our students’ learning as well as the joy it can bring to our classrooms.” –Linda Dacey Linda, Kathleen, and Rebeka believe that writing in math class is essential. In their book Why Write in Math Class? K–5, they show us how writing contributes to the learning of students while providing a variety of options for incorporating it into your math instruction. Here’s what they have to say about why writing in math class is important and what it looks like in the classroom. Why Do We Want Our Students to Write in Math Class? We often hear about how much joy math talk has brought to teachers’ classrooms, how it has increased students’ understanding, helped students learn that mathematical tasks can be approached in many ways, and provided teachers with important insights into students’ thinking. “I believe it is time for writing in math to join talking in math as an important communication strategy for developing, deepening, and assessing mathematical understanding,” (Dacey 2018). Writing in math class can help students: - prepare for a discussion, - brainstorm what they notice and wonder, - make connections among multiple representations of ideas, - explain their thinking, - clarify their understanding of ideas, - develop their reasoning skills, - learn from their mistakes, - note changes in their thinking over time, - explore ideas creatively, and - reflect on their thinking. “Students intuitively recognize the value of writing in math. It makes sense to connect the two. We should build on their natural inclinations to deepen their understanding and their joy of learning mathematics,” (Dacey 2018). What Does Writing in Math Class Look Like? Writing can help develop and document ideas. But what constitutes writing? Do simple recordings, graphs, tables, doodles, and so forth meet the criteria for writing in math class? Dacey would say firmly, “Yes, they do!” Determining what is considered writing becomes particularly important when we think about our younger students as they are emerging writers, and we want to honor their journey. We must support and applaud their early attempts, so young children can grow as writers as well as mathematicians. Encouraging and honoring such depictions in the intermediate is just as critical. “Making drawings, exploring connections among representations, and jotting questions and notes in formats that make sense to students are necessary components of making meaning and should be celebrated at all levels of learning. As we broaden our view of writing, in all its varied styles and stages, we can recognize the powerful effect it can have on our students’ learning as well as the joy it can bring to our classrooms,” (Dacey 2018). To learn more about the importance of adding writing to your math instruction and how to do it, pick up a copy of Why Write in Math Class? Dacey, Linda with Kathleen O’Connell Hopping and Rebeka Eston Salemi. 2018. Why Write in Math Class? K–5. Portsmouth, NH. Stenhouse Publishers.
Many parents would like their children to grow up speaking two or more languages. If each parent is a native speaker of a different language and they speak those languages to the children, the children will acquire both languages. This is called the one parent one language method (OPOL). In other families the parents may share the same native languages and speak other languages fluently as well. They could try speaking their foreign languages to the children at certain times or on certain days, but this can be difficult to stick to. The language situations within families, and in the communities in which they live, differ quite a lot, so the arrangements for raising children bilingually need to be taylored to the circumstances, and quite a bit of flexibility may be necessary. If parents stick rigedly to one particular arrangement, the children might refuse to cooperate, and this can be a source of friction within the family. If a family lives in a community where one language is spoken, but speak another at home, the children might refuse to speak the home language once they realise that nobody outside their home speaks it. This is especially a problem with minority languages that aren’t widely spoken. However the children might be more willing to use the home language if they have regular contact with other people who speak it, such as relatives, or if the family makes visits another country or region where the home language is spoken. Fortunately there’s plenty of advice available online, and quite a few parents write blogs about their experiences with bilingual child raising.
Handwriting skills are an important developmental task and activity for kids. Through handwriting they are able to express themselves and communicate with the world around them. Improving their penmanship, legibility, pencil grasp, and working on problem areas are all important things that need addressed, whether you are a homeschool parent, teacher, therapist, or just supplementing your child's classroom activities. I wanted to share some ways on how to improve handwriting skills with kids and have rounded up all the posts I have written on this topic here on GHOK. How to Improve Handwriting Skills with Kids The first step in learning about handwriting skills is to understand the importance of fine motor development and how pencil grasp develops. Here are some posts I have written on that topic: - Typical Fine Motor Developmental Milestones for Ages 0-6 – Also comes with a free printable of each age level. - You can also find more information on fine motor skill development. - Which Fine Motor Skills Are Important for Handwriting? Pencil Grasp Development There are two types of pencil grasps that are considered efficient for handwriting; the tripod and the quadruped grasp. You can learn more about those two types of grasp below. - Proper Pencil Grasp for Writing – Comes with a step by step developmental sequence and explanation as well as pictures of each type of grasp. - 5 Tips for Pencil Grasp Development with Preschoolers – This is a guest post I wrote over on Learning 2 Walk about pencil grasp as well. - 5 Fine Motor Activities to Improve Pencil Grasp – Guest post on Learning 2 Walk - 2 Pincer Grasp Fine Motor Activities for Toddlers - 5 Activities for Pincer Grasp Development Pre-Writing Skills for Toddlers and Preschoolers Pre-writing skills are the pre-cursor to handwriting. They consist of an age appropriate sequence of lines and shapes that toddlers and preschoolers learn in order to later on form letters and numbers. - 6 Pre-writing Activities for Preschoolers – This was a 6 week series I did on my blog with activities to encourage pre-writing lines and shapes. - 12 Fun Ways to Practice Handwriting with Preschoolers – Hands-on ideas for practice handwriting and pre-writing skills - 10 Hands-On Ways to Practice Pre-Writing Lines - On The Farm Prewriting Packet Basic Shapes for Beginners – A Hands-on Approach to Pre-writing Strokes for Kids is an ebook I wrote to get you started with pre-writing skills at home for ages 2-5. Teaching Handwriting Skills at Home If your child is in Occupational Therapy it is important to practice the skills they are working on at home. This post discusses some ways to do that. For homeschoolers I have a special series on my site with how to teach handwriting to your preschooler through elementary age student. - Teaching Handwriting in Your Homeschool – Preschool - Teaching Handwriting in Your Homeschool – Kindergarten - Teaching Handwriting in Your Homeschool – Elementary - How to Include Handwriting in your Tot-School & Preschool - 10 Ways to Combine Bible and Handwriting Practice - Ways to Teach Bible and Handwriting Practice for Preschoolers Teaching Cursive Handwriting Cursive can be a great alternative for children who are struggling with print. Plus it's important to at least teach your child how to sign their name in cursive. Here are some cursive resources for you. - Should I Teach Cursive or Print Handwriting First? - Cursive Pre-Writing Lines & Strokes – Free Printable - Is Cursive Handwriting Still Important to Learn? Handwriting Difficulty Tips & Tricks You've most likely come to this page because your child is struggling with handwriting in some way. Here are some tips for some common handwriting problems. More Handwriting Resources - 5 Benefits of a Slant Writing Board - Handwriting Warm Up Activities - DIY Handwriting Toolkit - The Handwriting Book For more tips and ideas, you can sign up to receive my 5 days of handwriting and pre-writing skills e-mail series. It's completely free and you'll receive all 5 days worth of e-mails in your inbox. Just enter your e-mail address below and click the green “click here” button. You'll need to head over to your inbox and confirm you want to receive the e-mail series. Then look for a welcome e-mail in your inbox (double check your spam folder or promotions tab for Gmail users if you don't see anything in your inbox). I also have a Pinterest board dedicated to Handwriting Skills and Activities that you can follow for more ideas.
WITH demand for liquid transportation fuels growing steadily and projections of dwindling petroleum-based fuel supplies becoming a reality, interest in the use of biodiesel fuels to replace or blend with conventional fuels for aircraft and automotive applications is on the rise. Because plants consume carbon dioxide via photosynthesis, these renewable fuels offer the potential to be carbon neutral. Biomass products, such as ethanol and n-butanol produced from fermentation of plant materials, may replace or supplement gasoline in spark-ignition engines and in conventional jet and diesel fuels. Biodiesel fuel is produced from oils in soy, canola, coconuts, linseed, jojoba, olives, peanuts, and other plants as well as from beef tallow and other animal fats. Another source with great promise is bioengineered algae that can be grown in large vats, a practice that does not compete for fertile soil. Biodiesel fuels are produced by esterification, the process of combining oil with methanol to produce methyl esters. These fuels can be used in diesel engines without significant engine modification. In fact, the original engine that Rudolph Diesel demonstrated at the 1898 Exhibition Fair in Paris, France, ran on biodiesel produced from peanut oil. Bio-derived fuels have important chemical differences from petroleum-based fuels, which affect their performance, efficiency, and pollutant emissions. The Livermore combustion chemistry group, led by Bill Pitz and Charlie Westbrook, has spent years developing computer modeling capabilities that provide information about biofuels’ combustive behavior. The team has used kinetic modeling to study methyl esters ranging from 1 to 20 carbon atoms in length as well as carbon chains with varying numbers of carbon double bonds. “The resulting chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms present a predictive computational tool that can be used to explain, for the first time, the basic chemistry controlling biofuels’ chemical processes,” says Westbrook. Analyses using reliable detailed kinetic models can reveal data needed to simulate ignition, combustion, and emissions properties of these fuels. Kinetic models based on elementary reactions offer the best accuracy and reliability, and the knowledge of a specific elementary reaction can be reapplied for completely different operating conditions and in different species mixtures. Detailed kinetic models represent the molecular interactions that occur when chemical bonds are broken and reformed into new chemical compounds. Much of the value of kinetic modeling lies in how dynamic simulations can reveal information about inherently complex chemical systems. In contrast, more approximate modeling methods have parameters determined strictly by fitting to experimental measurements, which limits their applicability. Much more information is contained in chemically reacting systems than can be extracted from simple inspection. Chemical kinetic modeling codes are rule-based computations that predict how the composition of fuel affects energy conversion performance and pollutant emissions. Kinetics refers to the study of physicochemical (including biological) systems that change with time. The Livermore model, which emulates how real-life systems operate, uses a large set of differential equations to represent physical and chemical processes known or hypothesized to occur in biological systems. Unlike the hundreds of chemical compounds in gasoline or diesel, biodiesel fuels contain a limited number of compounds. In the U.S. and Europe, the most common biodiesel fuels are made from soy and canola oils with differing amounts of the same five specific methyl esters: methyl palmitate, methyl stearate, methyl oleate, methyl linoleate, and methyl linolenate. Each biodiesel fuel consists of large fuel molecules, with chain lengths of 16 to 18 carbon atoms plus a methyl ester group at one end. The numerical models for biodiesel fuels are therefore complex, with systems of coupled nonlinear differential equations that may have as many as 5,000 chemical species and 20,000 elementary chemical reactions. Because of the Laboratory's supercomputing facilities, the Livermore team is one of the few groups that can apply these complex models in simulations of realistic, practical combustion problems. The combustion chemistry team found that the methyl ester group in biodiesel fuel weakens some of the bonds between carbon and hydrogen atoms. This effect makes the hydrogen atoms easier to remove, which sets the combustion process in motion. The critical metric of diesel fuel performance is its ease of ignition, as measured by its cetane number. The methyl ester group increases the cetane number of the fuel. Combustion modeling results are validated with experiments and the relatively small body of existing experimental literature before being used in simulation codes that optimize engine design for maximum efficiency and minimal pollutant emissions. Understanding the kinetics of the reactions occurring in biodiesel fuels at both high and low temperatures is necessary to reliably simulate ignition, combustion, and emissions in diesel and homogenous charge-compression ignition engines. The Laboratory provides data to many university researchers worldwide who are performing experiments. “As a rite of passage, many postdocs from these universities spend a year at Livermore working with our group,” Westbrook says. “Over the years, an international family has developed, all of us engaged in the pursuit of petrochemical alternatives.” Westbrook and Pitz are studying other plant and animal fat mixtures in an effort to develop and evaluate future transportation fuels. Key Words: biodiesel, biofuel, chemical kinetic model, combustion, diesel fuel, gasoline, methyl ester. For further information contact Charlie Westbrook (925) 422-4108 ([email protected]). Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory Privacy & Legal Notice \| UCRL-TR-52000-11-4/5 \| April 7, 2011
[to download the document, go here] From the 1940s to the 1960s, U.S. cities lost population and economic investment to suburban locations. To compete, many cities built urban highways, hoping to offer motorists the same amenities they enjoyed in the suburbs. Whatever their benefits, these highways often had adverse impacts on urban communities. In the United States, federal policy and funding spurred investment in urban highways. The U.S. Highway Act of 1956 set the goal of 40,000 miles of interstate highways by 1970, with ninety percent of the funding coming from the federal government. Fifty percent federal funding was the norm for other transportation projects. By 1960, 10,000 new miles of interstate highways were built and by 1965, 20,000 miles were completed. While most of the investment occurred outside cities, about twenty percent of the funds went into urban settings. In 1961, Jane Jacobs challenged urban renewal and urban highways in her seminal book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities. Jacobs commented on the effects of highways on communities, stating, “expressways eviscerate cities.” For the first time, the unintended consequences of urban highways, such as displaced communities, environmental degredation, land use impacts, and the severing of communities, were highlighted. Jacobs went on to successfully fight urban highways in New York City and Toronto, and helped spur the formation of some of the most active community-based organizations in the U.S. This urban activism had, by the late 1970s and early 1980s, made it nearly impossible to build an urban highway or raze a low-income neighborhood in the United States. New environmental review procedures were put in place to protect communities and parks from the effects of highways. However, the U.S. continued to build and widen highways, moving the construction of virtually all of them to suburban or inter-urban locations. By 1975, the goal of 40,000 miles of new interstate highways had been achieved. Many cities in Latin America, following the Unites States’ lead, also began building urban highways in the 1950s and 1960s. A spate of new urban highways were built in Brazil during the dictatorship in the 1960s and 1970s, such as Rio de Janeiro’s Rebouças Tunnel and the Freyssinet Viaduct that cut a direct route between the downtown and the fashionable South Zone of Copacabana, Ipanema, and Leblon. The debt crisis of the 1980s slowed the process considerably. With the return of economic growth to Latin America, new urban highways began to reappear again. In China and India, recent urban highway construction is even more dramatic. Cities in China are building both new highways and surface roads at a rapid pace. In China, all urban land is owned by the government, so land acquisition presents less of an obstacle to highway expansion than in the rest of the world. In India, the pace of highway construction is slower, as land acquisition is far more complex, but state governments are upgrading many large urban arterials with strings of flyovers that over time grow into limited-access freeways. These new roads carry a significant amount of traffic and contribute to economic growth, but they also blight large sections of cities, threaten historic urban neighborhoods, and concentrate air pollution in highly populated areas, threatening people’s health and causing other problems. In the past fifty years, tens of thousands of miles of urban highways were built around the world. Many are now approaching functional obsolescence. This is leading many cities, not just in the United States, to question the place of major highways in urban areas and whether they merit further investment or should be removed. Today, some of the same urban highways that were built in that period are being torn down, buried at great expense, or changed into boulevards. As cities around the world grapple with congestion, growth, and decline, some, as seen in the following case studies, illuminate what can be done when a highway no longer makes sense. In light of the fact that so many cities in developed countries are now tearing out urban highways, it is time to re-appraise the specific conditions under whichit makes sense to build a new urban highway and when it makes sense to tear one down.
3 Easy, Awesome Tips for Multiple Meaning Words Combining materials and coming up with new ways to meet students’ IEP goals is a great way to make use of the materials you already have. Plus, I find that when my students are having fun in activities that apply the varied goals they have worked on all year, that they really consolidate their growth in a functional way. Don’t you think so, too? So here are some tips for getting your students to use their multiple meaning vocabulary while applying other skills, or just having fun! Tips for Multiple Meaning Words My students had to use their knowledge of the word meanings to make inferences when they listened to my clues for the words. When they thought they knew the word, they had to catch it and use it in a sentence with the same meaning I was giving clues for. The student with the most cards won. Use colored dice! Any drill becomes more fun when there are dice to be rolled. My students particularly love to be able to use the colored dice! I took my definition sheets and color-coded each with a colored pencil to match the dice I own. I then added a ‘roll again’ for a different number on each set. Pop the page in a page protector or a reusable pocket and you are ready to go. Students took a die out of a bag (without peeking) and rolled it. They read the matching definition, told the word, used it in a sentence, and explained what they meant by the sentence. Then they got to initial that definition. The first student to get initials on all 4 colors was the winner! Make an organizer fun! When I played the colored dice game, I realized that some of the students were confused about what I was asking them to do. Have you noticed that happening if you don’t mix the tasks up enough? My students learned to do each task, but when they were combined, they didn’t know which answer to give. So, I made a quick organizer, popped it in a page protector and adapted a set of dollar store dice. After rolling, they had to pick one of their words from their target list and use it in the specified way. If their answer was right, they got to write the word in the box with their color. If not, I modeled the correct response but their turn was over. The student with the most words on the organizer at the end of the session was the winner. To carry it over, now we can play with the die and the word cards, not using the organizer. These games will be fun with any set of vocabulary words, but using multiple meaning words really makes your students have to think! If you don’t want to make your own word lists, click here to check out mine! What is your favorite tip for getting students to use vocabulary they have learned?
Death in children’s literature is a heavy topic, and it’s one that teachers understandably often steer clear of. But don’t give up on the subject entirely. If your students are up for it, deaths in literature can be a chance for really good discussion if you handle the subject with pragmatism and sensitivity. In this episode, we take a look at how scenes of death are presented in children’s novels written before and after modern medicine, as well as the differences in how the death of a parent versus the death of a child affect the plot of a story. Activity: How Do Characters Deal with Death? This worksheet can be used after reading any story in which a character dies. Students can complete it alone, with a partner, or in small groups. Afterwards the questions could be developed into an essay or used in a group discussion. Questions include: 1. Which character dies in the story you are reading and what is the cause of death? 2. Did the character say anything about how they felt about dying? If not, how do you think the character would feel about their death? Would there be feelings of anger or acceptance? Would the character wish things had gone differently at all? 3. How did the character’s friends, family, or allies feel about the death? What did they do afterwards? Did the death of their loved one cause any of them to change? 4. Were any characters happy about the character who died? What did these characters say or do afterward? 5. If you were the character who died, how would you have felt about your fate? Would you have done things differently or tried to change what happened? “He That is Down Needs Fear No Fall” by John Bunyan. Referenced in Little Women. Roser, M. (2019, June 11). Mortality in the past – around half died as children. Our World in Data. Retrieved May 22, 2022, from https://ourworldindata.org/child-mortality-in-the-past
The adenoids are lymph nodes located in the back of the throat behind the nose. Lymph nodes make up part of the lymphatic system, which helps the immune system to fight infection. Other lymph nodes are located in many places, including the neck, armpits, chest, abdomen and groin. Along with the tonsils, they form part of the 'first line of defence', which protects the body from infections. Airborne germs entering the body via the nose are filtered and trapped by hairs and mucous in the nose and then most are destroyed by antibodies and white cells made by the adenoids. In adults, both tonsils and adenoids shrink. However, they can all swell up again with infections. Swollen adenoids can block the nose Since adenoids are constantly in the path of germs (micro-organisms), infections are common. Infected adenoids swell, which can reduce the airflow through the nose. Symptoms of infected adenoids include: - breathing through the mouth - snoring when asleep - talking with a 'blocked nose' sound - the inability to pronounce certain consonants, including 'm' and 'n' - dry and sore throat because of breathing through the mouth (this is often a problem in the morning after sleeping with the mouth open) - yellow or green mucous coming from the nose. Complications of infected adenoids Infections of the adenoids can cause a variety of complications, including: - Middle ear infections - the adenoids are right at the end of the tubes from the middle ear to the throat (the Eustachian tubes). Infections can spread up to the ears from the adenoids and cause middle ear infections, which can affect hearing. - Glue ear - the swollen adenoids block the Eustachian tubes and prevent the normal mucous, which is made each day in the middle ear, from draining away. A build-up of sticky mucous interferes with the movements of the tiny bones in the middle ear, affecting hearing. - Sinusitis - the air-filled cavities of the skull may also become infected. - Chest infections - bacteria or viruses can infect other sites, such as the bronchi (bronchitis) or lungs (pneumonia). - Vomiting - the child may swallow a great deal of pus, generally at night while sleeping, which may be vomited in the morning. Treatment for infected adenoids What is done to treat infected adenoids depends on whether the child is ill or not, and what other effects the infected adenoids are causing. For example, if a child has a middle ear infection or sinusitis, and the adenoids are swollen, treatment will be aimed at reducing the pain in the ears. Antibiotics will often be used. If these treatments improve the health of the ear or the sinuses, they will usually help get rid of the infection in the adenoids as well. It is rare for 'infected adenoids' to be the main reason for treatment. Your doctor may recommend having the adenoids removed (adenoidectomy) if: - your child has recurrent ear infections, which are interfering with language development - your child is often unwell - your child, or an older person, has large adenoids that are interfering with breathing, especially at night. Surgery to remove the adenoids is done under general anaesthetic. Often, the tonsils are removed at the same time, since recurring infections tend to affect both the adenoids and tonsils. Post-operative complications may include vomiting, difficulties with swallowing, pain and bleeding. Where to get help - Your doctor - Ear, nose and throat specialist Things to remember - The adenoids are lymph nodes located in the throat behind the nose. - Infected adenoids can cause other health problems, including middle ear infections, sinusitis and difficulty with breathing, especially at night. - Infected adenoids are rarely treated by themselves. Treatment is determined by the other health problems caused by the infected adenoids. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by: Better Health Channel - (need new cp) Page content currently being reviewed. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only. Information about a therapy, service, product or treatment does not in any way endorse or support such therapy, service, product or treatment and is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or other registered health professional. The information and materials contained on this website are not intended to constitute a comprehensive guide concerning all aspects of the therapy, product or treatment described on the website. All users are urged to always seek advice from a registered health care professional for diagnosis and answers to their medical questions and to ascertain whether the particular therapy, service, product or treatment described on the website is suitable in their circumstances. The State of Victoria and the Department of Health & Human Services shall not bear any liability for reliance by any user on the materials contained on this website.
SAINT-GOBAINLes Miroirs18, avenue d'Alsace92400 CourbevoieFRANCE Biomimicry or "imitation of life" is an innovative approach to design and production based on 3.8 billion years of evolution. Biological organisms – animals, plants, microbes – have always been able to develop strategies to survive, optimize their organization and functioning, and adapt shape to function. American biologist and renowned biomimetic specialist Janine Benyus Benyus was the first to talk about biomimicry in the late 1990s. She observed: "Nature has already solved the problems we face. Any failures have become fossils and what surrounds us is key to our survival.” She also put forward that by adapting phenomena, forms or behaviors present in nature, science can develop solutions to our contemporary industrial, technical or architectural problems. A bird's nest is a structure made up of different strands, piled up in a fragile and chaotic manner. But what appears to be fragile is actually a protective, solid and insulating envelope that keeps the bird and clutch safe. “Like birds, humans have the same primary instinct and need to protect their habitats and those who live in them. Industrialists may have created materials such as glass wool or rock wool, based on this principle by creating materials composed of fibers and air with sound and thermal insulating properties to protect the habitat,” suggests Armand Ajdari, Director of Research and Development at Saint-Gobain Group.”“In the future, our "nest" will be designed using both biomimetic materials and human technology, such as smart windows, to stay in contact with the outside world while being thermally insulated and comfortably exposed to the natural light that’s so valuable to our physiology," adds Armand Ajdari. We already use many materials inspired by living things. The Japanese high-speed train, the Shinkansen, has an aerodynamic nose directly based on a kingfisher's beak, for example. After observing that the bird could dive into water without creating much turbulence, engineers used the shape as a model for the nose of the train. The result? The train was more efficient when passing between two media of varying densities –on upon exiting a tunnel, for example – and produced less noise pollution. Armand Ajdari gives a further example of a nature-inspired building material, Sheerfill architectural membrane. Like water pearls on a lotus leaf or duck feathers, this membrane is repelled by water – or “hydrophobic”– and flows in drops without penetrating the surface, staying intact. “As part of our ceramics business, we are developing materials that are very obviously bio-inspired by shell mother-of-pearl, which is extremely hard and resistant to breakage. The materials we produce thus offer the same advantages as ceramics – elegance, scratch resistance, wave transparency, etc. – without the same vulnerability or impact, making it suitable for watches or portable electronic objects, for example," adds Armand Ajdari. Tomorrow's cities, with their increasingly dense populations and buildings, will have to meet an essential human need: “biophilia”, the innate human tendency to seek connections with nature and other forms of life. Integrating nature into our cities’ structure will undoubtedly be one of the great challenges – and opportunities – facing us in the future. Photo credits: Studio Pons / Jean Chiscano / Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics – Birdair – 2009 / Patrick Chedal – 2004 - Saint-Gobain Glass France / Martha Stewart
A group of archaeologists has carried out a new investigation of a pyramidal structure known as “El Volcán” in the valley of Nepeña in Peru. Ever since its discovery, archaeologists have been left perplexed by the structure and its mysterious shape, modeled in ancient times to mimic the form of a Volcano. It should be noted, however, that there are no volcanoes in the vicinity of El Volcán to serve as models, nor indeed are any other examples of volcano-shaped structures known from Peru or elsewhere. In order to understand more about the enigmatic Pyramid, a team led by emeritus professor of the University of Missouri (USA), Robert Benfer, has investigated the construction discovered in the 1960s and published a study in the journal Antiquity. The structure known as ‘El Volcan’ has a height of 15.5 meters, with an inner “crater”, similar to that of a volcano. Scientists excavated a ditch in the volcano crater and discovered a collapsed ladder that descends under a layer of adobe to a plaster and mud floor – and a hearth containing charcoal and shell. Furthermore, thanks to radiocarbon dating experts were able to reveal the unusual occurrence of four total solar eclipses at the site over the span of just 11 years, an indicator that the structure may have been used to celebrate the victory of the moon over the sun indicates the Daily Mail. According to data published in the Journal Antiquity, it is not known exactly when the structure was built, but its proximity to the late Formative center of San isidro—between 900BC-200BC—suggests that there may be a link to this period. The authors of the study wrote: “The date at which the pyramid was first constructed is currently unknown, although the site’s proximity to the Late Formative Center (900 BC–200 BC) of San Isidrio (Chicoine & Ikehara 2014) is suggestive. “Surface ceramics from San Isidrio resemble some of those found at El Volcán, but these lack context and may have been imported to the site with soil from nearby areas.” While the pyramid isn’t that tall—comapred to other structures in Central and South America, the strange crater-like feature of this pyramids makes its unique. Ever since it was discovered, archaeologists and experts have been left baffled by the enigmatic structure. In the new study authors wrote: “When viewed from a distance, the site resembles a volcanic cinder cone, such as the one in the Andahua Valley in southern Peru and we have therefore named the site El Volcán. “It should be noted, however, that there are no volcanoes in the vicinity of El Volcán to serve as models, nor indeed are any other examples of volcano-shaped structures known from Peru or elsewhere.” At this early stage of the investigation, the El Volcán site presents a conundrum. The unusual shape of the pyramid merits note, but it is not obvious what might have prompted its construction or what activities might have taken place there. Two main explanations have been put forward, one arguing that later looting or erosion has created the site’s distinctive form and the other that the site was originally constructed to resemble a volcanic cone and can be linked to astronomical events and ethnohistorical accounts. Experts concluded—based on present evidence—that the pyramid was originally and deliberately constructed in the form of a volcano—a cone-shaped pyramid with a central pit. Source: Humans Are Free
What better way is there to enjoy a summer day then a swim? However, it is important to remember beach safety while enjoying a day in the sun. We can not stress enough how crucial it is to check the water quality at the beach before taking a dip. Our app Swim Guide makes checking water quality easy. But, there are other dangers to be aware of at the beach … and no, we aren’t talking about shark attacks. Rip currents are the number one reason for lifeguard rescues at the beach, and still it is estimated that every year 100 people are killed by rip currents in the U.S. alone. To put that in perspective, sharks kill about 5 people annually around the world. The term rip current refers to a narrow channel of water (rarely over 30.5 m wide) that flows away from the beach, perpendicular to the shore. Rip currents are dangerous for even the strongest swimmers because they are quick and powerful. A rip current can travel as fast as eight feet per second, which is faster than an Olympic swimmer. There are four kinds of rips currents: 1. Flash rip: They form suddenly and can disappear just as fast. They typically occur when wave conditions increase suddenly, or during storms. 2. Fixed rip: Are formed between sand bars and deeper channels, they can stay in the same place for days, weeks, or months. This is the most common type of rip current. 3. Mega Rip: Are the largest type of rip currents. They form during periods of extreme wave activity such as during a hurricane or heavy rain storm. 4.Permanent Rip: Occur in a place with a permanent obstacle like a pier, jetty or coral reef, making the rip current permanent. There is the common misconception that the term rip current is interchangeable with rip tide. But rip currents and rip tides are not the same thing. A rip current is not a tide at all, whereas, a rip tide is the movement of tidal water through inlets on a beach such as harbours, and estuaries. Rip currents don’t just form in the ocean, they can occur in any natural waterbody where breaking waves occur. So yes rip currents can occur on lakes, especially large lakes such as the Great Lakes in Canada and the U.S. Rip currents can form regardless if the waterbody has a rocky or sandy bottom. When the waves break strongly and weakly at different locations, this causes the water to move in a circular motion and creates a narrow current that moves away from the shore. This current is called a rip current. Rapidly changing wave heights, sandbar breaks, weather and manmade shoreline structures (ex: piers) are all factors that contribute to a rip current occurring. They are especially common along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., and along the shores of the Great Lakes in the U.S. and Canada. Most beachgoers can’t identify a rip current, but it’s important to learn how to spot one. Three tell-tale signs of a rip current include; a choppy channel of water with a circular motion, a line of seaweed or debris that is moving out to sea, and a disrupted pattern of incoming waves. The water is also likely to be darker in a rip current, or a muddy colour. Always look into the water conditions before you go swimming and try to go swimming at a lifeguard-protected beach. That way, you can ask the lifeguard for the surf conditions and of any known rip currents. If there is no lifeguard on duty, make sure there are other swimmers around. Never ever go swimming alone on an empty beach. The National Weather Service is an excellent resource of U.S. surf forecasts. If you do happen to get caught in a rip current, the most important thing to remember is not to panic. Panicking will only tire you out. Remain calm and remember that a rip current will just pull you farther from shore and not underwater. Don’t struggle against the current, as this is how most people drown. Instead, remain calm and conserve your energy. Try to swim parallel to the shore to escape the rip current. Remember, most rip currents are narrow so the swim won’t be that far. If you can’t swim out of the current, continue to tread water and float on your back. If you are able to get out of the current, swim back to the shore on a diagonal to avoid getting caught in the current again. However, if you are unable to swim out, raise both of your hands and call for help. This is especially important if you are not a strong swimmer. If there is no life guard on duty, get the attention of other beachgoers. This is why it is important to not go swimming at an empty beach. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution suggests you remember the three R’s if you get caught in a rip current. : “Relax, Raise (the alarm), and (wait for) Rescue. Swim Guide shares the best information we have at the moment you ask for it. Always obey signs at the beach or advisories from official government agencies. Stay alert and check for other swimming hazards such as dangerous currents and tides. Please report your pollution concerns so Affiliates can help keep other beach-goers safe. Swim Guide, "Swim Drink Fish icons," and associated trademarks are owned by SWIM DRINK FISH CANADA.\| See Legal. © SWIM DRINK FISH CANADA, 2011 - 2018
A congenital heart defect is a problem with the structure of the heart. It is present at birth. Congenital heart defects are the most common type of major birth defect. A baby's heart begins to develop shortly after conception. During development, structural defects can occur. These defects can involve the walls of the heart, the valves of the heart and the arteries and veins near the heart. Congenital heart defects can disrupt the normal flow of blood through the heart. The blood flow can : - Slow down - Go in the wrong direction or to the wrong place - Be blocked completely Treatment for the defect can include medicines, surgery and other medical procedures and heart transplants. The treatment depends on the type and severity of the defect and a child's age, size and general health. Today, many children born with complex heart defects grow to adulthood and lead productive lives. What Causes Congenital Heart Defects? If you have a child who has a congenital heart defect, you may think you did something wrong during your pregnancy to cause the problem. However, most of the time doctors don't know why congenital heart defects develop. Heredity may play a role in some heart defects. For example, a parent who has a congenital heart defect may be more likely than other people to have a child with the condition. In rare cases, more than one child in a family is born with a heart defect. Children who have genetic disorders, such as Down syndrome, often have congenital heart defects. In fact, half of all babies who have Down syndrome have congenital heart defects. Smoking during pregnancy also has been linked to several congenital heart defects, including septal defects. Common Heart Defects Common types of congenital heart defects, which can affect any part of the heart or its surrounding structures, include: Aortic Stenosis :- In aortic stenosis, the aortic valve is stiffened and has a narrowed opening (a condition called stenosis). It does not open properly, which increases strain on the heart because the left ventricle has to pump harder to send blood out to the body. Sometimes the aortic valve also does not close properly, causing it to leak, a condition called aortic regurgitation. Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) :- ASD is a hole in the wall (called the septum) that separates the left atrium and the right atrium. Atrioventricular Canal Defect :- This defect — also known as endocardial cushion defect or atrioventricular septal defect — is caused by a poorly formed central area of the heart. Typically there is a large hole between the upper chambers of the heart (the atria) and, often, an additional hole between the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles). Instead of two separate valves allowing flow into the heart (tricuspid on the right and mitral valve on the left), there is one large common valve, which may be quite malformed. Atrioventricular canal defect is commonly seen in children with Down syndrome. Coarctation of the Aorta (COA) :- COA is a narrowing of a portion of the aorta, and often seriously decreases the blood flow from the heart out to the lower portion of the body. Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome :- When the structures of the left side of the heart (the left ventricle, the mitral valve, and the aortic valve) are underdeveloped, they're unable to pump blood adequately to the entire body. This condition is usually diagnosed within the first few days of life, at which point the baby may be critically ill. How Are Congenital Heart Defects Diagnosed? Severe congenital heart defects are generally found during pregnancy or soon after birth. Less severe defects aren't diagnosed until children are older. Minor defects often have no signs or symptoms and are diagnosed based on results from a physical exam and tests done for another reason. Doctors who specialize in the care of babies and children who have heart problems are called pediatric cardiologists. Cardiac surgeons are other specialists who treat heart defects. These doctors repair heart defects using surgery. During a physical exam, the doctor will: - Listen to your child's heart and lungs with a stethoscope - Look for signs of a heart defect, such as cyanosis (a bluish tint to the skin, lips, or fingernails), shortness of breath, rapid breathing, delayed growth, or signs of heart failure Echocardiography (echo) is a painless test that uses sound waves to create a moving picture of the heart. During the test, the sound waves (called ultrasound) bounce off the structures of the heart. A computer converts the sound waves into pictures on a screen. Echo allows the doctor to clearly see any problem with the way the heart is formed or the way it's working. Echo is an important test for both diagnosing a heart problem and following the problem over time. In children who have congenital heart defects, echo can show problems with the heart's structure and how the heart is reacting to these problems. Echo will help your child's cardiologist decide if and when treatment is needed. During pregnancy, if your doctor suspects that your baby has a congenital heart defect, a fetal echo can be done. This test uses sound waves to create a picture of the baby's heart while the baby is still in the womb. The fetal echo usually is done at about 18 to 22 weeks of pregnancy. If your child is diagnosed with a congenital heart defect before birth, your doctor can plan treatment before the baby is born. EKG (Electrocardiogram) :- An EKG is a simple, painless test that records the heart's electrical activity. The test shows how fast the heart is beating and its rhythm (steady or irregular). It also records the strength and timing of electrical signals as they pass through each part of the heart. An EKG can detect if one of the heart's chambers is enlarged, which can help diagnose a heart problem. Chest X Ray :- A chest x ray is a painless test that creates pictures of the structures in the chest, such as the heart and lungs. This test can show whether the heart is enlarged or whether the lungs have extra blood flow or extra fluid, a sign of heart failure. Pulse Oximetry :- Pulse oximetry shows how much oxygen is in the blood. For this test, a small sensor is attached to a finger or toe (like an adhesive bandage). The sensor gives an estimate of how much oxygen is in the blood. Cardiac Catheterization :- During cardiac catheterization (KATH-e-ter-i-ZA-shun), a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is put into a vein in the arm, groin (upper thigh), or neck and threaded to the heart. Signs and Symptoms of Heart Defects Because congenital defects often compromise the heart's ability to pump blood and to deliver oxygen to the tissues of the body, they often produce telltale signs such as: - A bluish tinge or color (cyanosis) to the lips, tongue and/or nailbeds - An increased rate of breathing or difficulty breathing - Poor appetite or difficulty feeding(which may be associated with color change) - Failure to thrive (failure to gain weight or weight loss) - Abnormal heart murmur - Sweating, especially during feedings - Diminished strength of the baby's pulse If you notice any of these signs in your baby or child, call your doctor right away. If your doctor notices these signs, you may be referred to a pediatric cardiologist. How Are Congenital Heart Defects Treated? Although many children who have congenital heart defects don't need treatment, some do. Doctors repair congenital heart defects with catheter procedures or surgery. The treatment your child receives depends on the type and severity of his or her heart defect. Other factors include your child's age, size, and general health. Some children who have complex congenital heart defects may need several catheter or surgical procedures over a period of years, or they may need to take medicines for years. Catheter procedures are much easier on patients than surgery because they involve only a needle puncture in the skin where the catheter (thin, flexible tube) is inserted into a vein or an artery. Doctors don't have to surgically open the chest or operate directly on the heart to repair the defect(s). This means that recovery may be easier and quicker. A child may need open-heart surgery if his or her heart defect can't be fixed using a catheter procedure. Sometimes, one surgery can repair the defect completely. If that's not possible, the child may need more surgeries over months or years to fix the problem. Open-heart surgery may be done to: - Close holes in the heart with stitches or with a patch - Repair or replace heart valves - Widen arteries or openings to heart valves - Repair complex defects, such as problems with where the blood vessels near the heart are located or how they developed For more information, medical assessment and medical quote as email attachment to Email : - [email protected] Contact Center Tel. (+91) 9029304141 (10 am. To 8 pm. IST) (Only for international patients seeking treatment in India)
Among hundreds of genes that might nudge your risk of Alzheimer's up or down, Apolipoprotein E (APOE) has the strongest effect. Scientists discovered a quarter century ago that people with the APOE ε4 version of this gene are four to 15 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s, a deadly brain disorder that afflicts more than five million Americans. Yet how APOE actually sets off dementia has been somewhat of a mystery—and efforts to use it as a drug target have floundered. The field’s attention has focused on another “A” word—amyloid beta (Aβ). This protein can unwittingly accrue in the brain for years, disrupting nerve connections essential for thinking and memory. APOE has been thought of as a co-conspirator in this process, but finding ways to undermine its collusion have proved challenging. Anti-amyloid drugs have consumed the labors of pharmaceutical companies. If a drug could break those insidious clumps of protein or keep them from forming, drug developers reasoned, it could in theory halt the progression of the disease. But billions of dollars have poured into large-scale clinical trials of amyloid-lowering therapies that so far have failed. APOE has hovered on the periphery as far as drug development, but this could soon change. Connections have emerged between the functioning of APOE and Aβ. In 2012 Boston scientists studying autopsy tissue from Alzheimer’s patients found APOE ε4 individuals had unusually high levels of brain Aβ. And they noticed Aβ clumped more readily in test tubes if mixed with ApoE proteins, especially ApoE4. Mouse data from teams at Washington University in Saint Louis and the University of California, San Francisco—suggested a similar relationship. Each lab worked with existing Alzheimer’s mouse models and further modified their genomes to make different types and amounts of ApoE proteins. In both studies animals with less ApoE had fewer Aβ plaques in their brains. But the story grew more complicated. Although amyloid clogs the brain early on, memory loss tracks much better with a different protein, tau, which forms so-called “tangles” within nerve cells. Still, many in the field remained amyloid-centric, figuring tau would not accumulate without amyloid setting things awry first. So Yang Shi and her PhD advisor, neurologist David Holtzman at Washington University were in for a surprise when they peeked at a set of brain slices from mice engineered to produce tau pathology. The slides showed tangle production had nothing to do with amyloid and everything to do with APOE. ApoE4-producing mice racked up so many tangles in their brains that neurons died en masse—enough to see without a microscope. “When the brain’s smaller, it’s like wow, this is really obvious,” Holtzman says about inspecting the rodents. Another conclusion of the researchers was equally startling and may ultimately provide a clue for drug developers: If mice were genetically rigged to lack ApoE, their brains looked fine. Other researchers took notice. These findings “fundamentally change the conversation,” says Gary Landreth, a neuroscientist at Indiana University, who was not involved with the research. Reported September 20 in Nature, the new results raise ApoE’s profile in the mix of molecular events underlying Alzheimer’s and give strong support for a drug therapy that lowers brain ApoE. A key caveat must be noted, though. The mice don’t quite model Alzheimer’s. A key goal of the study was to see if APOE drives tau pathology apart from its already known effects on amyloid. So the researchers chose a mouse model that develops tau pathology and neuron loss—but no Aβ plaques. These symptoms arise because the mice contain a tau mutation that normally causes a related degenerative disease called frontotemporal dementia, which affects cognition and behavior. No tau mutations are known to cause Alzheimer’s. Tau accumulates in brain areas affected in both dementias, though, so it’s likely some of the new findings will apply broadly to tau-driven brain disorders. As far as the study’s therapeutic implications, one thing seems clear: If new drugs are to target ApoE in the brain, they should bring its levels down, not up. This turns out to be a key insight because prior observations had supported the opposite rationale. The confusion arose from human studies. When researchers measured ApoE protein content in human spinal fluid or brain tissue, they noticed APOE ε4 individuals consistently have less of the protein than people who carry other versions of the gene—APOE ε3 or ε2. Mouse data also supported this thinking. When Landreth and colleagues treated an Alzheimer’s mouse model with a cancer drug that boosts ApoE production, the mice cleared brain Aβ and regained cognitive function. So it seemed reasonable to think APOE ε4 carriers might be rescued by raising ApoE protein levels. Indeed, one small trial gave Alzheimer’s patients the same cancer drug that looked promising in mice—but it failed. APOE ε4 is found in 25 to 30 percent of the population and in about 40 percent of the late-onset form of disease that makes up the vast majority of Alzheimer’s cases. (A rare early-onset form of the disease guarantees a person develops Alzheimer’s at a young age after inheriting even one copy of certain genes.) The current study also touches on a much-debated aspect of neurodegeneration—the inflammatory response, which ultimately seems to worsen the disease. Neuroinflammation “was virtually blocked in animals with no ApoE,” Holtzman says. And in APOE ε4 mice, proinflammatory genes were way higher than in mice with other APOE variants. Based on the new findings, it’s conceivable an ApoE-lowering drug could provide a triple punch. If you lower ApoE early in life, it could prevent or slow amyloid deposition, Holtzman says. If given later, the intervention might not do much for amyloid but could potentially have a big impact on tau pathology and inflammation—and there “you may have a longer window,” he adds. “If ApoE is mediating the inflammatory response, that’s something you theoretically would be able to decrease at any time.” In reality it might not be so simple. Whether inflammation slows or speeds the disease process—and thus, whether drugs should boost it or shut it down—is a long-standing debate. Some studies argue the inflammatory response is initially protective: It revs up immune cells to clear misfolded proteins, including amyloid and tau. Prolonged inflammation, however, leads to the release of harmful chemicals that can kill cells and exacerbate disease. So for therapeutics, it might come down to timing. A drug that ramps up the inflammatory response could help early in the disease, but applying a boost later might make things worse, suggests Yadong Huang, a U.C.S.F. neuroscientist who studies ApoE but was not part of the Nature study. Two years ago Huang and a U.C.S.F. colleague co-founded a biopharmaceutical company to develop ApoE-lowering therapies for neurodegenerative disease. Several other companies are also working on strategies that target ApoE4, Huang says. All of this work is preclinical—in cells and animal models—thus far. Potential therapies could take several forms. Some approaches could work at the protein level—by stimulating ApoE turnover or clearing ApoE with antibodies. Other therapies might slow gene transcription so cells make less ApoE protein to begin with. With newer gene-editing tools such as CRISPR–Cas9, researchers can now make these kinds of DNA modifications with greater speed and precision. But what about safety? Even if it’s technologically feasible to make a drug that lowers ApoE, isn’t there concern about shutting down a protein that performs useful functions in the body? ApoE helps carry cholesterol and other fats through the bloodstream. People who lack the APOE gene can develop dangerously high cholesterol levels and face increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Nevertheless, these individuals appear to be cognitively normal. Ideally a therapy would lower ApoE in the brain but not in the blood, Holtzman says. As a first step, his team is testing whether it’s possible to stop or slow tau-driven neuron loss and inflammation by lowering ApoE in the early life of laboratory rodents. This scheme mimics a human scenario better than the recent study, which analyzed mice that express or lack APOE from birth. “The implication here, with the recent tau findings, is that you’d really block the neurodegeneration that leads to cognitive decline,” Holtzman says.
- HTML Tutorial - W3Schools This HTML tutorial contains hundreds of HTML examples With our online HTML editor, you can edit the HTML, and click on a button to view the result - HTML - Wikipedia - HTML.com: Study HTML and Learn to Code With Our Step-By ... HTML was first created by Tim Berners-Lee, Robert Cailliau, and others starting in 1989 It stands for Hyper Text Markup Language Hypertext means that the document contains links that allow the reader to jump to other places in the document or to another document altogether The latest version is known as HTML5 - What is HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)? Updated: 12 20 2017 by First developed by Tim Berners-Lee in 1990, HTML is short for HyperText Markup Language HTML is used to create electronic documents (called pages) that are displayed on the World Wide Web Each page contains a series of connections to other pages called hyperlinks - HTML Tutorial: Learn HTML For Free \| Codecademy HTML is the beginning of everything you need to know to create engaging web pages! Take-Away Skills You will learn all the common HTML tags used to structure HTML pages, the skeleton of all websites You will also be able to create HTML tables to present tabular data efficiently - Introduction to HTML - W3Schools What is HTML? HTML is the standard markup language for creating Web pages HTML stands for Hyper Text Markup Language; HTML describes the structure of Web pages using markup - Learning HTML: Guides and tutorials - Learn web ... HTML (HyperText Markup Language) on MDN The main entry point for HTML documentation on MDN, including detailed element and attribute references — if you want to know what attributes an element has or what values an attribute has, for example, this is a great place to start - HTML Codes - Table of ascii characters and symbols HTML Codes - Table for easy reference of ascii characters and symbols in HTML format With indication of browser support
Signs and Symptoms of Yellow Fever Yellow fever is a deadly viral disease and mostly found in the Africa and South America regions. This viral infection is transmitted by infected mosquitoes in which patient suffered with high fever and jaundice. It is a viral flu disease that destroys the main internal organs of the body like liver, kidney and other organs. According to the WHO report, globally 30,000 people are died from the yellow fever every year. This viral flu is internationally known as a deadly disease along with incurability. Medically you can prevent this viral infection with the help of vaccine after the identification of symptoms. A professional doctor always start the treatment of yellow fever after the discussion based upon the symptoms, laboratory testing results, travelling history and physical findings. Basically there is no specific medical treatment for yellow fever virus. Know about Symptoms Here is the list of initial symptoms of yellow fever which is causes by the bite of infected female mosquitoes. In the initial days, there are no symptoms of yellow fever but after 4 to 6 days it develops quickly. The common symptoms of this flu disease are headache, chills, loss of appetite, back pain, nausea, vomiting and muscle pain. These symptoms belong to the acute phase and take care along with vaccine helps victims to recover quickly. But unawareness can leads this condition in to toxic phase. And this happened in most of yellow fever cases and patient experience serious symptoms like abdominal pain, nose bleeding, decreased urination, seizures, delirium etc. It is a deadly phase and can leads to the premature death if not treated as soon as possible. Causes of Yellow Fever This viral infection occurred due to the bite of infected female mosquitoes and virus known as Flavivirus. The transmission of Flavivirus in the human body contributes the yellow fever characterized by high fever and jaundice. The name of yellow fever comes from the appearance of yellowing skin and eyes. One more important thing, Yellow fever cannot be passed from one person to another. The lack of vaccine increases the risk of yellow fever in the populated areas due to the presence of infected mosquitoes. Around the world, most of cases of yellow fever belong to the 32 countries of Africa and 13 countries in Latin America. Diagnosis of Yellow Fever Blood test examination helps your physician to identify the yellow fever. If you are experiencing flu symptoms and traveling in those areas where risk of yellow fever in higher then immediately contact with a professional physician. After the blood analysis, if you find positive then your physician will prescribe you Yellow fever vaccine. Still there is no cure for this viral infection and managing symptoms helps your body to fight against this disease. How to prevent Yellow Fever The only way to prevent yellow fever is vaccination and single shot is given to the patient. This vaccine holds the live weakened virus that improves the body immunity. Yellow fever vaccine is recommended by the physician and given to those patient who have 9 months of age or greater than this. This vaccine is only available in the registered vaccination centers and you can find out the address from your local hospital near you. It is necessary to approach a professional physician if you want to travel in the Africa or other countries (have higher risk of yellow fever). Yellow fever vaccine is very safe to use and its single dose offered the last-longer protection. Side effects of Vaccination The mild reaction of yellow fever vaccine includes headache, muscle aches and low level fever. These are not the life threatening effects and easily disappear after some time.
Location: Morocco and other neighbouring Saharan countries in northern Africa. Population: 3 million. Types of Art: Much Berber art is in the form of jewellery, leather, and finely woven carpets. History: Berber history in North Africa is extensive and diverse. Their ancient ancestors settled in the area just inland of the Mediterranean Sea to the east of Egypt. Many early Roman, Greek, and Phoenician colonial accounts mention a group of people collectively known as Berbers living in northern Africa. In actuality, Berber is a generic name given to numerous heterogeneous ethnic groups that share similar cultural, political, and economic practices. Economy: Contrary to popular romanticism which portrays Berbers as nomadic peoples crossing the desert on camels, most actually practice sedentary agriculture in the mountains and valleys throughout northern Africa. Some do, in fact, engage in trade throughout the region, and such practices certainly had a tremendous influence on the history of the African continent. Trade routes established from western Africa to the Mediterranean connected the peoples of southern Europe with much of sub-Saharan Africa thousands of years ago. There are basically five trade routes which extend across the Sahara from the northern Mediterranean coast of Africa to the great cities, which are situated on the southern edge of the Sahara. Berber merchants were responsible for bringing goods from these cities to the north. From there they were distributed throughout the world. Political Systems: Berber society was divided between those who tended the land and those who did not. At one time, tilling the land was considered the work of the lower classes, while the upper classes were merchants. Usually, groups of sedentary Berber paid allegiance to a locally appointed headman, who in turn reported to the noble who considered the village his domain. As time has passed, however, these sedentary farmers have been able to accumulate wealth while the trans-Saharan trade routes diminished in importance. They were also given political status by colonial and postcolonial administrations. Religion: Most Berbers are at least nominal followers of Islam, and many strictly observe Islamic traditions. Most of the feasts are observed and celebrated, but the fasting that is required during Ramadan is often excused for those who travel. Like most followers of Islam in northern Africa, many Berbers believe in the continuous presence of various spirits (djinns). Divination is accomplished through means of the Koran. Most men wear protective amulets which contain verses from the Koran. Credits: Prof. Christopher D. Roy also see credit page. Professor of the History of Art. The University of Iowa.
13 great sequential word problem worksheets to aid students with understanding two and three digit story problems involving adding to, taking from, putting together, pulling apart and comparisons. There is a teaching guide to help plan what/when to teach each lesson and a practice and final assessment. All activities are linked back to the common core. This unit is meant to take approximately 15 days to teach. 3 days of homework included. It explicitly covers 2.OA.A.1: Use addition and subtraction within 100 to solve one- and two- step word problems involving situations of adding to, taking from, putting together, taking apart and comparing, with unknowns in all positions, e.g., by using drawings and equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem. Check Out My Other Second Grade Math Units: - Place Value - Addition and Subtraction to 1000 - Word Problems - Data & Graphing - BUNDLE All Nine Units!
NASA has revealed its plans to create the coldest spot in the known universe on board the International Space Station in 2016. The researchers are preparing to study matter at temperatures near absolute zero, revealing the world of quantum mechanics. The US space agency has announced that its researchers are currently working on the Cold Atom Laboratory , “the coolest spot in the universe”, which will be ready for installation inside the International Space Station by December 2015. There are several reasons underlying the scientific drive to explore characteristics and qualities of matter in conditions that are difficult to replicate on Earth. Space’s low temperatures, unattainable in terrestrial laboratories, reveal the wave nature of atoms, as well as possibly new phenomena. The absence of gravity additionally allows such experiments to last longer – up to 20 seconds. “We’re going to study matter at temperatures far colder than are found naturally,” said the project’s head scientist Rob Thompson of Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)."We aim to push effective temperatures down to 100 pico-Kelvin." One hundred pico-Kelvin is remarkable in that it is a mere ten billionth of a degree above absolute zero (0K or −273.15°C) – a point on an imaginary thermometer where all thermal activity of atoms theoretically halts. When temperatures are so low, our traditional ideas of atomic behavior cease to apply. The matter is no longer solid, liquid or gas – its atoms tend to create quantum forms of matter. Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that describes intricate and bizarre light and matter rules on an atomic scale. It is a wonderland where nothing is certain, where objects behave both as particles and as waves, and where matter can be in two places at once. “We’re entering the unknown,” said Thompson. With the help of the Cold Atom Lab, the researchers will be able to conduct many exciting experiments. “We’ll begin by studying Bose-Einstein Condensates,” he said. “The Cold Atom Lab will allow us to study these objects at perhaps the lowest temperatures ever.” The condensates, named after Satyendra Bose and Albert Einstein, who predicted them in the beginning of the 20th century, were, in fact, discovered only in 1995. And in 2001, Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman shared the Nobel Prize with Wolfgang Ketterle for their independent discovery of the intriguing capacity of rubidium and sodium atoms to form a single wave of matter when cooled to temperatures slightly above the absolute zero threshold. The researches, planned by NASA, are aimed at studying ultra-cold quantum gases in the microgravity of the ISS besides other experiments. The technology, which would allow such experiments, includes an atom chip with on-window wires that enable simultaneous magnetic trapping and optical manipulation, in addition to compound silicon and glass substrate technology that leads to both magnetic and optical control of ultra-cold atoms. The Cold Atom Lab, which actually is designed “for use by multiple investigators” and is “upgradable and maintainable on orbit,” is scheduled to be launched inside the ISS in early 2016, where it will be able to function for 5 years.
"out of 100." We can use the percent symbol (%) as a handy way to write a fraction with a common denominator of 100. For example, instead of saying "8 out of every 100 professional basketball players are female," we can say "8% of professional basketball players are female." A percent can always be written as a decimal, and a decimal can be written as a percent, by moving the decimal point two places to the right like this: grid below has 100 squares. Use the buttons to see different percents of the
Caries; Tooth decay; Cavities - tooth Tooth decay is one of the most common of all disorders, second only to the common cold. It usually occurs in children and young adults but can affect any person. It is a common cause of tooth loss in younger people. Bacteria are normally present in the mouth. The bacteria convert all foods -- especially sugar and starch -- into acids. Bacteria, acid, food debris, and saliva combine in the mouth to form a sticky substance called plaque that adheres to the teeth. It is most prominent on the back molars, just above the gum line on all teeth, and at the edges of fillings. Plaque that is not removed from the teeth mineralizes into tartar. Plaque and tartar irritate the gums, resulting in gingivitis and ultimately periodontitis. Plaque begins to build up on teeth within 20 minutes after eating (the time when most bacterial activity occurs). If this plaque is not removed thoroughly and routinely, tooth decay will not only begin, but flourish. The acids in plaque dissolve the enamel surface of the tooth and create holes in the tooth (cavities). Cavities are usually painless until they grow very large and affect nerves or cause a tooth fracture. If left untreated, a tooth abscess can develop. Untreated tooth decay also destroys the internal structures of the tooth (pulp) and ultimately causes the loss of the tooth. Carbohydrates (sugars and starches) increase the risk of tooth decay. Sticky foods are more harmful than nonsticky foods because they remain on the surface of the teeth. Frequent snacking increases the time that acids are in contact with the surface of the tooth. There may be no symptoms. If symptoms occur, they may include: - Tooth pain or achy feeling, particularly after sweet, hot, or cold foods and drinks - Visible pits or holes in the teeth Most cavities are discovered in the early stages during routine checkups. The surface of the tooth may be soft when probed with a sharp instrument. Pain may not be present until the advanced stages of tooth decay. Dental x-rays may show some cavities before they are visible to the eye. Treatment often saves the tooth. Early treatment is less painful and less expensive than treatment of extensive decay. You may need numbing medicine (lidocaine), nitrous oxide (laughing gas), or other prescription medications to relieve pain during or after drilling or dental work. Nitrous oxide with Novocaine may be preferred if you are afraid of dental treatments. Call your dentist if you have a toothache. Make an appointment with your dentist for a routine cleaning and examination if you have not had one in the last 6 months to 1 year. - Discomfort or pain - Fractured tooth - Inability to bite down on tooth - Tooth sensitivity Treatment can help prevent tooth damage from leading to cavities. Treatment may involve: - Root canals Dentists fill teeth by removing the decayed tooth material with a drill and replacing it with a material such as silver alloy, gold, porcelain, or composite resin. Porcelain and composite resin more closely match the natural tooth appearance, and may be preferred for front teeth. Many dentists consider silver amalgam (alloy) and gold to be stronger, and these materials are often used on back teeth. There is a trend to use high strength composite resin in the back teeth as well. Crowns or "caps" are used if tooth decay is extensive and there is limited tooth structure, which may cause weakened teeth. Large fillings and weak teeth increase the risk of the tooth breaking. The decayed or weakened area is removed and repaired. A crown is fitted over the remainder of the tooth. Crowns are often made of gold, porcelain, or porcelain attached to metal. A root canal is recommended if the nerve in a tooth dies from decay or injury. The center of the tooth, including the nerve and blood vessel tissue (pulp), is removed along with decayed portions of the tooth. The roots are filled with a sealing material. The tooth is filled, and a crown may be placed over the tooth if needed. Oral hygiene is necessary to prevent cavities. This consists of regular professional cleaning (every 6 months), brushing at least twice a day, and flossing at least daily. X-rays may be taken yearly to detect possible cavity development in high risk areas of the mouth. Chewy, sticky foods (such as dried fruit or candy) are best if eaten as part of a meal rather than as a snack. If possible, brush the teeth or rinse the mouth with water after eating these foods. Minimize snacking, which creates a constant supply of acid in the mouth. Avoid constant sipping of sugary drinks or frequent sucking on candy and mints. Dental sealants can prevent some cavities. Sealants are thin plastic-like coating applied to the chewing surfaces of the molars. This coating prevents the accumulation of plaque in the deep grooves on these vulnerable surfaces. Sealants are usually applied on the teeth of children, shortly after the molars erupt. Older people may also benefit from the use of tooth sealants. Fluoride is often recommended to protect against dental caries. It has been demonstrated that people who ingest fluoride in their drinking water or by fluoride supplements have fewer dental caries. Fluoride ingested when the teeth are developing is incorporated into the structure of the enamel and protects it against the action of acids. Topical fluoride is also recommended to protect the surface of the teeth. This may include a fluoride toothpaste or mouthwash. Many dentists include application of topical fluoride solutions (applied to a localized area of the teeth) as part of routine visits. Review Date: 2/22/2010 Reviewed By: Jack D Rosenberg, DDS, Advanced Dental Care, Palm Beach Gardens, FL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, M.D., MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- 2009 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
New research has found that some of the human X chromosome originates from Neanderthals and is found exclusively in people outside Africa. Neanderthals, whose ancestors left Africa somewhere in the range of 400,000 to 800,000 years ago, evolved in what is now France, Spain, Germany and Russia, and are believed to have lived until about 30,000 years ago. Early modern humans left Africa about 80,000 to 50,000 years ago. The question on everyone's mind has always been whether the physically stronger Neanderthals, who possessed the gene for language and may have played the flute, were a separate species or could have interbred with modern humans. The answer, says an international team of researchers writing in Molecular Biology and Evolution, is yes, the two lived in close association. Almost a decade ago, they identified a haplotype in the human X chromosome that seemed different and whose origins they questioned. When the Neanderthal genome was sequenced in 2010, they quickly compared 6000 chromosomes from all parts of the world to the Neanderthal haplotype. The Neanderthal sequence was present in peoples across all continents, except for sub-Saharan Africa, and including Australia. "This confirms recent findings suggesting that the two populations interbred," says Dr. Damian Labuda of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Montreal and the CHU Sainte-Justine Research Center. His team places the timing of such intimate contacts and/or family ties early on, probably at the crossroads of the Middle East. "In addition, because our methods were totally independent of Neanderthal material, we can also conclude that previous results were not influenced by contaminating artifacts." "Dr. Labuda and his colleagues were the first to identify a genetic variation in non-Africans that was likely to have come from an archaic population. This was done entirely without the Neanderthal genome sequence, but in light of the Neanderthal sequence, it is now clear that they were absolutely right!" adds Dr. David Reich, a Harvard Medical School geneticist, one of the principal researchers in the Neanderthal genome project. "There is little doubt that this haplotype is present because of mating with our ancestors and Neanderthals. This is a very nice result, and further analysis may help determine more details," says Dr. Nick Patterson, of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University, a major researcher in human ancestry who was not involved in this study. So, speculates Dr. Labuda, did these exchanges contribute to our success across the world? "Variability is very important for long-term survival of a species," says Dr. Labuda. "Every addition to the genome can be enriching." An interesting match, indeed. - PHYSICAL SCIENCES - EARTH SCIENCES - LIFE SCIENCES - SOCIAL SCIENCES Subscribe to the newsletter Stay in touch with the scientific world! Know Science And Want To Write? - Prevent Alzheimer's Disease By Drinking Beer? - Acceptance Of Evolution Is Far Higher Than Acceptance Of Other Biology - 200 Years Of Maps, From William Smith's Survey To Satellites - Fewer Wild Fish Needed: Genetically Modified Plants Produce Omega-3 Fish Oil - 'Healthy' Fat Tissue Could Be Key To Reversing Type 2 Diabetes - Where Did The Missing BP Oil Go? The Gulf Of Mexico Floor - The ATLAS Top Production Asymmetry And One Thing I Do Not Like Of It - "finally scientists starts waking up it's called brown fat http://66reversediabetes.com..." - "Just to comment on the '1% of the population have celiac disease' statistic. As I understand it..." - "Thanks for clearing that up, Hank. I thought you were using the terms progressive, liberal, and..." - "Right, I don't think our science audience sees those and regards them as Maxwell rather than Heaviside..." - "You make a great point (well, I can't speak to the 'men do this much better than women' part) about..."
Key words: Magnetism, Physics, physical science, force, distance, magnetic field, electric charge, electron, magnet, ferromagnetism, iron, cobalt, nickel, Lorentz, attraction, repulsion, Ron Kurtus, School for Champions. Copyright © Restrictions Basics of Magnetism by Ron Kurtus (revised 29 January 2013) Magnetism is a force of attraction or repulsion that acts at a distance. It is due to a magnetic field, which is caused by moving electrically charged particles. It is also inherent in magnetic objects such as a magnet. A magnet is an object that exhibits a strong magnetic field and will attract materials like iron to it. Magnets have two poles, called the north (N) and south (S) poles. Two magnets will be attracted by their opposite poles, and each will repel the like pole of the other magnet. Magnetism has many uses in modern life. Questions you may have include: - What is a magnetic field? - What is a magnetic force? - What is the relationship between magnetism and electricity? This lesson will answer those questions. Useful tool: Units Conversion A magnetic field consists of imaginary lines of flux coming from moving or spinning electrically charged particles. Examples include the spin of a proton and the motion of electrons through a wire in an electric circuit. What a magnetic field actually consists of is somewhat of a mystery, but we do know it is a special property of space. Magnetic field or lines of flux of a moving charged particle Names of poles The lines of magnetic flux flow from one end of the object to the other. By convention, we call one end of a magnetic object the N or North-seeking pole and the other the S or South-seeking pole, as related to the Earth's North and South magnetic poles. The magnetic flux is defined as moving from N to S. Note: The Earth does not follow the magnetic configuration in the above illustration. Instead, the lines of flux are opposite from a moving charged particle. (See Confusion About the North Magnetic Pole for more information.) Although individual particles such as electrons can have magnetic fields, larger objects such as a piece of iron can also have a magnetic field, as a sum of the fields of its particles. If a larger object exhibits a sufficiently great magnetic field, it is called a magnet. (See Magnets for more information.) The magnetic field of an object can create a magnetic force on other objects with magnetic fields. That force is what we call magnetism. When a magnetic field is applied to a moving electric charge, such as a moving proton or the electrical current in a wire, the force on the charge is called a Lorentz force. (See Magnetism and the Lorentz Force for more information.) When two magnets or magnetic objects are close to each other, there is a force that attracts the poles together. Force attracts N to S Magnets also strongly attract ferromagnetic materials such as iron, nickel and cobalt. (See Magnetic Materials for more information.) When two magnetic objects have like poles facing each other, the magnetic force pushes them apart. Force pushes magnetic objects apart Magnets can also weakly repel diamagnetic materials. (See Magnetic Materials for more information.) Magnetic and electric fields The magnetic and electric fields are both similar and different. They are also inter-related. Electric charges and magnetism similar Just as the positive (+) and negative (−) electrical charges attract each other, the N and S poles of a magnet attract each other. In electricity like charges repel, and in magnetism like poles repel. Electric charges and magnetism different The magnetic field is a dipole field. That means that every magnet must have two poles. On the other hand, a positive (+) or negative (−) electrical charge can stand alone. Electrical charges are called monopoles, since they can exist without the opposite charge. Magnetism is a force that acts at a distance and is caused by a magnetic field. The magnetic force strongly attracts an opposite pole of another magnet and repels a like pole. The magnetic field is both similar and different than an electric field. Be valuable to others Resources and references Explanation of Magnetism - from NASA Encyclopedia Magnetica - Extensive articles on magnetism Magnetism - from South Dakota School District Questions and comments Do you have any questions, comments, or opinions on this subject? If so, send an email with your feedback. I will try to get back to you as soon as possible. Click on a button to bookmark or share this page through Twitter, Facebook, email, or other services: Students and researchers The Web address of this page is: Please include it as a link on your website or as a reference in your report, document, or thesis. Where are you now? Basics of Magnetism
In every kind of writing, it's essential to choose the best word to express your intended meaning. If you take time to choose the best word rather than simply accepting the first word that comes to mind, you'll be taking an important step toward writing effectiveness. Use the following four questions to help you choose the best word for your needs. - Is this word specific enough? Does this word have unwanted connotations? Will my reader understand this word in the same way I do? Is this word overused? 1 . Is this word specific enough? Briefly, a general word refers to a large group of loosely related members, while a specific word refers to a smaller group of more closely related members. Just as "large" is the opposite of "small" and "fast" is the opposite of "slow," "specific" is the opposite of "general," and understanding one concept depends largely upon understanding the other. Briefly, a general word refers to a large group of loosely related members, while a specific word refers to a smaller group of more closely related members. For instance, because the word "animal" could refer to any of a million different creatures from ants to elephants, it is a very general term. The word "fire ant," however, narrows the range of possible reference to a more limited and closely related group and is therefore more specific. As the above diagram shows, general and specific are relative rather than absolute terms. That is, a given word may be either general or specific depending upon what it's being compared with, just as a runner who is fast when compared with college teammates may be slow at the NCAA Outdoor Meet. Yet the runner's speed may not have changed at all in an absolute sense, only in relation to the competitors. So it is with words. If compared with "animal," "insect" seems specific because it refers to a group with fewer and more closely related members. When compared with "fire ant," however, "insect" seems general because it can refer to so many different kinds of creatures. In choosing the specific word over the general one you limit the number of possible meanings. When you restrict meaning in this way, you increase the sharpness of the image your reader receives and decrease the chance of misunderstanding and communication failure. 2. Does this word have unwanted connotations? Up to now we've been talking only about the representational part of a word's meaning, but this isn't the only important aspect of a word's total meaning. It's quite common, in fact, for several words that mean the same, or nearly the same, thing to have vastly different impacts on a reader. This is because in addition to the strictly rational part of meaning (called denotation) words also carry emotional overtones (called connotations). These connotations are stronger in some words than in others. While a word like "mixed-breed" is a neutral way to describe a dog that is not "pure-bred," "mongrel" adds a slightly unfavorable judgment about the dog, and "mutt" proclaims it nearly worthless. It's quite common, in fact, for several words that mean the same, or nearly the same, thing to have vastly different impacts on a reader. Learning to recognize the emotional overtones in our language allows us greater control over the way readers respond to our writing. Not only do we avoid creating an undercurrent that works against our central purpose, we gain a valuable tool for shaping readers' attitudes toward our subject. Notice the very different effects of these two sentences whose denotative meanings are substantially the same: That primitive cabin set miles from the reach of developers has been allowed to stand undisturbed for centuries. That rickety shack in the middle of nowhere hasn't been cared for in ages. Either of these could be an effective topic sentence for a descriptive paragraph, depending on whether we wanted to get the cabin preserved or torn down. Be especially careful of connotations if you're in the habit of using a thesaurus to find synonyms for words in your active vocabulary since the difference in meaning between two words listed in a single thesaurus entry is often due to the different connotations they have. If you substitute a less familiar word for a more familiar one, you need to be aware of this and be sure the connotations of the new word are suited to your needs. 3. Will my reader understand this word in the same way I do? How a word is finally understood depends on many factors, not all of which are under the writer's control. Writers must anticipate how readers will respond to language, estimating whether certain words are within their vocabularies and whether others, such as environmentalist, have the same connotations for both reader and writer. Anticipating the reader's reactions is always important, and no place is it more so than in choosing your words. Anticipating the reader's reactions is always important, and no place is it more so than in choosing your words. Failure to take the reader sufficiently into account often shows up in a writer's abuse of jargon, which in one sense means the specialized vocabulary of people in a particular group or profession and in a broader sense means the use of technical or scientific language in place of equally appropriate everyday words. Jargon in the first sense can be an effective way to communicate with members of a profession who understand the jargon and who recognize by your use of the specialized vocabulary that you belong to the group. The problem comes when you unconsciously use jargon on people outside the group, who may not know what it means. The stock expressions that seem clear and apt to those within your group may bewilder and frustrate an outsider. Jargon in the second sense is almost always bad. Unless you're writing a diplomatic agreement, a warranty, or an insurance policy, in which you want to baffle the reader, prefabricated phrases such as "assume the initiative," "render inoperative," and "prioritization of values," would be better replaced by the clearer and more vivid "take charge," "break," "decide what matters most." As George Orwell and others have pointed out, writers who rely on such inflated diction are usually trying to dress up ordinary ideas, to make them look more important than they really are, so the reader will be impressed and slightly mystified. Most readers, however, recognize the trick and regard writers who use jargon with justified suspicion. If you find yourself writing this way, slow down and carefully choose synonyms that are fresher, more vivid, and more generally understood. Put yourself in the reader's place and look back at what you've written. What words might be unfamiliar? Can you find substitutes? If not, should you take a sentence or two to define them? Are any words ambiguous, capable of meaning more than one thing? I already own a fine comb. What should "fine" be changed to so that its intended meaning will come across to the reader? Are you using any words in a special or unusual way that your reader might not be aware of? If so, shouldn't you explain? 4. Is this word overused? The words and expressions we hear and see most often become integral parts of us and find their way into our writing. This is as it should be, unless a word or expression has grown stale or trite through overuse. Find a fresher way to put it. If your readers have seen a phrase often, it will no longer evoke a fresh image for them. "Stood out like a sore thumb," for instance, is so familiar we don't consider how noticeable a sore thumb is and how difficult to hide. Words like "groovy" or "Mickey Mouse" (in the sense of meaning pointless and easy) have lost most of their impact because their novelty is gone. The writer who uses such tired language may not be misunderstood, but may be thought unimaginative and lazy. Such overused expressions are called clichés. They make your writing, and therefore your thoughts, appear routine, predictable, and stale. Find a fresher way to put it. 3.23 With each group below, arrange the terms in order from least to most specific. a. animal, living thing, mammal, leopard, cat b. western seaport, seaport, place, Seattle, Pier 45 c. sport, kick off, activity, football, team sport d. clogged fuel line, situation, problem, engine trouble, car problem e. quadrangle, shape, parallelogram, geometric figure, rectangle 3.24 With a partner discuss the connotations of the italicized words. Then change each one to a word with a similar denotation but a different connotation. a. We had an uneventful stay there. b. Curtiss is quite confident, isn't he? c. Mr. Simpson would be here himself, but he's busy. d. The stench was everywhere. e. You could hear the loud cars cruising past all night. f. I'll have the ground beef sandwich. g. The Rockefellers are a rich family. h. Next, Sarah strolled in and plopped down. i. His face was weathered and lined. j. Ms. Prochaska's inexpensive, unadorned designs delighted the stuffy board of directors. 3.25 Look up each of the following words in your word processor's thesaurus. For each word, use two alternatives in a complete sentence. examine, event, produce, undesirable, magic, disobedience 3.26 For each sentence you wrote in Activity 3.25, substitute a third word for the original. How is the effect of the sentence changed by the substitution. 3.27 Translate the following jargon-clogged sentences into more vivid, effective English. a. These dividend dollars give you the opportunity to increase your insurance from $25,000 to $50,000 with a minimal out-of-pocket expenditure of cash commencing in five years from the initial application date. b. All emergency floatation devices have been conspicuously located on both port and starboard sides to facilitate passenger accessibility. c. The following program has been determined to contain material intended for viewing by mature audiences: parental discretion advised. d. This regulation supersedes all comparable regulations currently in effect. e. Faculty advisers assist students in defining goals to be reached during college, give information regarding appropriate curricula and courses, and discuss personal problems students may have, especially problems related to the student's progress and plans for subsequent work. f. It is inevitable that a President confronted by our current complex international relations will want a staff near at hand to meet his needs and to be sensitive to his political position. g. After being apprehended in the act of commission, the suspect was released on her own recognizance. h. The current reciprocal trade agreement has ceased to be mutually beneficial. i. Continued uninterrupted service depends upon your immediate settlement of all delinquent accounts. j. I promise to pay such TOTAL (together with any other charges due thereon) subject to and in accordance with the agreement governing the use of such card. 3.28 Rewrite each of the following clichés, making the same point more vividly and clearly in your own language. a. I was hungry enough to eat a horse. b. We ran up against a brick wall. c. Don't make a federal case out of it. d. You're on thin ice with that excuse. e. Now it's a whole new ball game. f. That really gets my goat. g. Since my back operation my tennis hasn't been up to par. h. Our new branch manager really delivers the goods. i. Ever since then she's kept her nose clean. j. Here's where we separate the men from the mice.
Read the text about periodic table and then answer the questions. People have known about elements like carbon and gold since ancient time. The elements couldn't be changed using any chemical method. Each element has a unique number of protons. If you examine samples of iron and silver, you can't tell how many protons the atoms have. However, you can tell the elements apart because they have different properties. You might notice there are more similarities between iron and silver than between iron and oxygen. Could there be a way to organize the elements so you could tell at a glance which ones had similar properties? Dmitri Mendeleyev was the first scientist to create a periodic table of the elements similar to the one we use today. This table showed that when the elements were ordered by increasing atomic weight, a pattern appeared where properties of the elements repeated periodically. This periodic table is a chart that groups the elements according to their similar properties. Remember changing the number of protons changes the atomic number, which is the number of the element. When you look at the modern periodic table, do you see any skipped atomic numbers that would be undiscovered elements? New elements today aren't discovered. They are made. You can still use the periodic table to predict the properties of these new elements. The periodic table helps predict some properties of the elements compared to each other. Atom size decreases as you move from left to right across the table and increases as you move down a column. The energy required to remove an electron from an atom increases as you move from left to right and decreases as you move down a column. The ability to form a chemical bond increases as you move from left to right and decreases as you move down a column. The most important difference between Mendeleyev's table and today's table is that the modern table is organized by increasing atomic number, not increasing atomic weight. Why was the table changed? In 1914, Henry Moseley learned you could experimentally determine the atomic numbers of elements. Before that, atomic numbers were just the order of elements based on increasing atomic weight. Once atomic numbers had significance, the periodic table was reorganized. Elements in the periodic table are arranged in periods (rows) and groups (columns). Atomic number increases as you move across a row or period. Rows of elements are called periods. The period number of an element signifies the highest unexcited energy level for an electron in that element. The number of elements in a period increases as you move down the periodic table because there are more sublevels per level as the energy level of the atom increases. Columns of elements help define element groups. Elements within a group share several common properties. Groups are elements which have the same outer electron arrangement. The outer electrons are called valence electrons. Because they have the same number of valence electrons, elements in a group share similar chemical properties. The Roman numerals listed above each group are the usual number of valence electrons. For example, a group VA element will have 5 valence electrons. There are two sets of groups. The group A elements are called the representative elements. The group B elements are the nonrepresentative elements. Each square on the periodic table gives information about an element. On many printed periodic tables you can find an element's symbol, atomic number, and atomic weight. Elements are classified according to their properties. The major categories of elements are the metals, nonmetals, and metalloids (semi-metals). You see metals every day. Aluminium foil is a metal. Gold and silver are metals. If someone asks you whether an element is a metal, metalloid, or non-metal and you don't know the answer, guess that it's a metal. Metals share some common properties. They are lustrous (shiny), malleable (can be hammered), and are good conductors of heat and electricity. These properties result from the ability to easily move the electrons in the outer shells of metal atoms. Most elements are metals. There are so many metals, they are divided into groups: alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, and transition metals. The transition metals can be divided into smaller groups, such as the lanthanides and actinides. 1. Describe Mendeleyev´s periodic table. Do you know what he predicted? 2. How are the elements arranged in the modern-day periodic table?
Algebra can seem like a scary subject at first. Many students find themselves feeling intimidated by the introduction of letters into equations, and struggle with the concept of a function as a graph. Michal can break down these ideas into simple concepts that are easy to visualize, allowing your child's creativity to shine through in solving difficult challenges. Building on the concepts from algebra 1 and the knowledge of shapes and solids, algebra 2 will teach your child how to apply the rules of the spatial world to the coordinate plane. When applying the idea of secants and tangents from circles to a graph of a function, students might need guidance in conceptualizing what exactly they are doing. Michal will bring out a genuine understanding, so that by the time your child completes the course, he or she will be ready to tackle Trigonometry and Precalculus. Calculus is one of the most beautiful and elegant areas of math. Thinking of finite functions in infinite terms might feel counterintuitive, but it is the way we can find exact instantaneous figures for a constantly changing world. The first time a student sees a derivative, it generally either makes perfect sense, or none at all. Let Michal work through the process to reach that "aha" moment with your child. Many people wonder why geometry is taught between algebra 1 and 2. Students need to develop a basic understanding of shapes and their properties, along with the application of basic algebra to those shapes. Geometry is also the first encounter most children have with proofs. In order to succeed in geometry, your child must develop a clear plan for approaching proofs, as well as learn how to think spatially. Michal can help develop that thought process. With the movement from the simplicity of four functions into the idea of properties of those functions, many children might feel lost. Rather than being asked to follow a process that can be accomplished by counting physical objects, they now have to develop a deep understanding of the rules governing how numbers can be manipulated. Rather than using memorization, Michal takes an "understand the idea at its core" approach. If a student knows the basic premise behind an idea, it can be derived every time, rather than using valuable brain space memorizing. Precalculus is a stepping stone to understanding all the foundations of calculus. Knowing the limit of a function or how to work with sequences and series can feel a bit daunting, but these ideas are an important part of the learning process. If your child is struggling with his or her precalculus course, contact Michal. Many of these concepts can be illustrated in real world scenarios, and Michal can explain them in a way that will make your child say, "oh, that's so simple!" Regardless of how you might feel about standardized testing, the SATs are a real part of the college application process. In addition to knowing the material backwards and forwards, part of doing your best on the SATs is knowing how to take the exam. Working from a review book, Michal will take your child through the chapters, one by one, and explain the concepts as they arise. She takes a very relaxed approach in order to minimize the stress that naturally comes along with this important exam. While trigonometry is not usually taught as a separate course, it does pose its unique challenges. Many students do just fine with SOH CAH TOA, but struggle when it comes to the unit circle. Michal sees the unit circle and the various trigonometric identities that go along with it as beautiful, and would be happy to explain them to your child in a way that illustrates their elegant simplicity.
According to Wikipedia "a bristlecone pine can refer to one of three species of pine trees (family Pinaceae, genus Pinus, subsection Balfourianae). All three species are long-lived and highly resilient to harsh weather and bad soils. One of the three species, Pinus longaeva, is among the longest-lived life forms on Earth. The oldest Pinus longaeva is more than 5,000 years old, making it the oldest known individual of any species." "Despite their potential age and low reproductive rate, bristlecone pines, particularly Pinus longaeva, are usually a first succession species, tending to occupy new open ground. They generally compete poorly in less-than-harsh environments, making them hard to cultivate. In gardens, they succumb quickly to root rot. They do very well, however, where most other plants cannot even grow, such as in rocky dolomitic soils in areas with virtually no rainfall." Source: Wikipedia; Great Basin National Park; National Park Service photograph by Loren Reinhold, US NPS, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10297784
Atopic dermatitis (also called atopy and previously called allergic inhalant dermatitis) is a common canine and feline condition in which allergens present in the environment cause an allergic reaction in the skin. Though the pathophysiology is unclear, atopy is believed to happen when proteins present in the environment are taken in via the skin. When they precipitate an allergic response, these proteins are referred to as allergens. When the allergic response happens in the skin, the result is almost always an inflammation of the skin we refer to as “allergic dermatitis.” Common allergens include the following: pollens (from grasses, trees and weeds), mold spores, house dust, house dust mite proteins, insect proteins and other miscellaneous proteins that may also come from human skin or natural fibers, for example. Atopic animals will display highly individualized responses to one or more environmental allergens. This is an especially common condition for dogs, in which 3% to 15% of all dogs are reportedly affected. In cats, it’s less prevalent but no less frustrating a condition. A genetic basis is well understood to underlie atopic dermatitis in both species, though other factors––including geography, the presence of other allergens (like fleas) and endocrine diseases (like hypothyroidism)––can exacerbate, mimic and/or underlie atopic disease. Symptoms and Identification Atopic dermatitis is characterized by the variable presence of itching, redness, pustules, wheals (like hives) and crusts. The face, legs, feet, ventrum and the ear are most often affected but no area of the body is off limits. In dogs, ear infections are a very common sequel to atopy. In fact, atopy is the number one cause of ear infections in dogs (by far). Cats usually display symptoms of excessive licking in a symmetrical pattern (ventrally, dorsally and behind the legs is most common) and/or they can suffer tiny crusts around the neck or tail base (this pattern is called miliary dermatitis). Seasonality of symptoms with an episodic waxing and waning of severity is a hallmark of atopic dermatitis. Symptoms can appear as early as four months of age, typically becoming more severe over time until a common––if generally mild––geriatric remission. Severity varies widely. Most pets are diagnosed based on symptoms, history and response to treatments but getting to a definitive diagnosis is almost always a complicated affair. Given that every affected animal suffers a highly individualized version of the disease, determining what an animal is allergic to can be next to impossible without skin testing (injecting allergens into the skin to note responses) and/or serum testing (blood testing). Any breed of cat or dog may be affected but, in dogs, it is most prevalent among: With arachnoid cysts, the possibility of treatment (and its efficacy) is all about location. Four categories of treatment have been described. They’re comprised of... - Avoidance (removing allergens from the environment or changing environments altogether) - Symptomatic therapy (as when using antihistamines, fatty acid supplements, medicated shampoos and antimicrobials for common secondary bacterial and yeast infections) - Immunotherapy (using specific allergens in a vaccine-mediated hyposensitization protocol) - Immunosuppressive therapy (with corticosteroids like prednisone, cyclosporine or other drugs) The cost of treatment all depends on the severity of the disease. Some pets require little more than inexpensive daily antihistamine administration (pennies a day) while others can rack up monthly bills in the hundreds given their requirement for pricey cyclosporine caplets, allergy injections and constant therapy for secondary infections. Prevention is undertaken primarily through genetic counseling. Moderately to severely affected dogs should not be bred at all. It’s also posited that even mildly affected dogs of the most severely affected breeds should not reproduce so as not to propagate the trait. Scott, D.W., Miller, W.H., Griffin, C.E. 1995. Immunologic Skin Diseases. In Muller and Kirk's Small Animal Dermatology. p. 500-518. W.B. Saunders Co., Toronto. This reference contains detailed information on allergy testing and on hyposensitization. Page 515 has practical suggestions for environmental management in atopic dogs. Ihrke, P.J. 1995. Pruritis. In E.J. Ettinger and E.C. Feldman (eds.). Textbook of Veterinary Internal Medicine, pp. 214-219. W.B. Saunders Co., Toronto. MacDonald, John. 2008. How to stay on "top" of atopy (Proceedings, CVC)
By Kelsey Bednar High-Quality Project-Based Learning (PBL) provides opportunities for sustained inquiry over multiple working sessions. Transitioning to PBL involves shifts in planning, instruction, classroom management and teacher-student interaction. In my experience supporting educators who are making this shift, I hear one challenge voiced more consistently than others: how do I facilitate student inquiry? Sustained Inquiry is one of the Essential Project Design Elements of PBL developed by the Buck Institute for Education (BIE). BIE defines sustained inquiry as a time where “Students engage in a rigorous, extended process of asking questions, finding resources, and applying information.” To successfully facilitate this element of the PBL experience, teachers should consider these 3 things: Just like planning for a more traditional unit of study, in PBL units we must begin with the end in mind (similar to the ideas brought forth in Understanding by Design). Identifying important student outcomes related to content and skills is the first step. From this point, think about PBL unit planning like a jigsaw puzzle. The pieces of the puzzle are instructional activities that support the development of content and skill understandings such as mini-lessons, readings, experiments, videos, field work etc. All of these pieces eventually connect to form a whole, which in this analogy equates to the achievement of student learning outcomes. However, in a PBL unit you do not plan to use these pieces in a set sequence like you might in a traditional unit of study. You plan to use them flexibly, knowing that some of them may not even be necessary once you dive into the project. Based upon student questions and the direction their inquiry takes throughout the project, you can pull in different instructional pieces at different times to support and address student questions. Help Students Develop Good Questions A successful PBL unit begins with a good introductory activity. It may be asking the students a driving question, having them follow a GRASPS template, or discussing a phenomenon that students experience. What comes after the introduction of a unit is equally important, but often more challenging: helping students develop good questions that will drive sustained inquiry. In my experience, teachers who excel in supporting student inquiry set aside sufficient time right after the unit intro for developing questions. These questions then support the learning shaped by the task and the eventual project outcome. One strategy I recommend to teachers who are new to this process is to use the Question Formulation Technique, which is a 5 step process that can be used with students of any age. It helps produce thought-provoking, meaningful questions that enhance a specific PBL unit and it teaches students how to develop, revise and prioritize questions in any situation. Remember that Inquiry is Not Research Engaging in inquiry does not mean logging hours in the library or on the computer searching for information. Especially with elementary students, inquiry happens in a variety of settings and experiences. As John Larmer, Editor in Chief of the Buck Institute, points out: “Students can find answers to their questions from many sources, including readings, but also experts, experiments, and field work.” One good example of this is a real-world PBL experience that was conducted by a sixth-grade class during a summer STEM program at Weedsport Elementary. The goal of the 4-week long project was for the students to develop a low-fat, cost-effective ice cream and persuade a mock school board to add this ice cream to the school cafeteria menu. The questions students brainstormed at the outset of this ice-cream project launched the inquiry process that deepened and extended their learning, allowing them to accomplish the goal of the task. Inquiry-encouraging activities that a teacher might incorporate at various stages of this project could include: - Collecting, organizing, and displaying data on preferred flavors of current ice creams. - Mini-lessons and/or non-fiction readings about protein, sugar, fat and their effects on the body. - Looking at ice cream commercials and advertisements and making observations about what makes for an effective ad. - Researching ice cream recipes to understand what ingredients are typically used. - Experimenting with different ingredients in an ice-cream maker to determine what could replace existing ingredients or be added to existing ingredients to make a healthier version of ice cream. (This project was based on an idea from Defined STEM (the company I work for), a project-based learning resource that provides hundreds of projects centered on real-world problems and challenges.) Facilitating inquiry does not have to be an obstacle to the successful implementation of PBL in your classroom. Following these three guidelines can help you organize, plan and facilitate flexibly- creating a great experience for both you and your students. For more on inquiry, see: - 5 Low Tech Ways to Hone Inquiry and Questioning Skills - The Innovation to Drive Innovation: Scaling Inquiry - 9 Simple Steps that Encourage Inquiry-Based Learning in Science Stay in-the-know with all things EdTech and innovations in learning by signing up to receive the weekly Smart Update. This post includes mentions of a Getting Smart partner. For a full list of partners, affiliate organizations and all other disclosures, please see our Partner page.
Energy Farming to Combat Climate Change Energy Farming refers to the sustainable cultivation of crops that provide green energy, most notably biofuel—crops like sunflower, castor, Jatropha, and Pongamia. As the cost of petroleum rises, the need for alternative sources of energy becomes more urgent. Energy Farming empowers rural farmers to enter into the rapidly expanding alternative energy market. By utilizing organic agriculture and land management techniques, the land and the jobs that depend on that land can be sustained. Energy Farming methodology is also applicable to food, medicinal, aromatic, and cash crops, and its holistic approach increases crop productivity, decreases cost of cultivation, and stimulates environmental regeneration. Biofuel vs. Petroleum Biofuel—the fuel that is derived from plant oil—is vastly superior to its fossil-based counterpart when it comes to the effect it has on the environment. Engines running on biofuel emit almost no sulfur dioxide and particulate emissions are typically reduced by more than 50 percent. On a global scale, biofuels reduce the net emission of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. While it is true that any burning fuel releases carbon into the atmosphere, fossil fuels are composed of carbon previously stored below the earth’s surface in the form of oil, natural gas, and coal, and as they burn they release a new load of carbon into the air. On the other hand, the carbon content of biofuels like pongamia oil has been taken directly from the atmosphere as the tree grows—even one hectare (2.47 acres) of pongamia will absorb tons of carbon every year. Burning pongamia oil instead of fossil fuels has the overall effect of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by about 75 percent and carbon monoxide emissions by almost 50 percent. So, planting millions of acres of pongamia will help slow global warming. Pongamia – A Tough, Reliable Tree Pongamia is the tree of choice for the Himalayan Institute Energy Farming projects. Mature Pongamia pinnata trees stand up to 50 feet high, and their dense canopy can be almost equally wide. Their hearty, dark-green leaves retain moisture even under intense heat. Small clusters of white, purple, and pink flowers blossom on their branches throughout the year, maturing into brown seed pods that litter the ground. When the seed pods are pressed, the oil that is extracted can be used as biofuel to power pumps, generators, and even heavy machinery like tractors, cars and trucks. Extreme weather conditions are no obstacle for the pongamia. The tree is well suited to the intense heat and sunlight of places like South India and its dense network of lateral roots and thick, long taproot make it drought-resistant. The tree can even help rehabilitate the land—the dense shade it provides slows the evaporation of surface water and its root structure promotes nitrogen fixation, which moves nutrients from the air into the soil. Using a grafting technique, the pongamia will begin yielding seeds in the 4th year. Upon maturity, 8-12 years thereafter, each pongamia tree will produce over 75 pounds of seed, 7 tons per acre. This is about 550 gallons of biofuel per acre. Once established, the pongamia can give a reliable harvest of seeds for fifty years. Energy Farming at Tibetan Refugee Settlements The Himalayan Institute in partnership with the Central Tibetan Administration is working to bring Energy Farming programs to Tibetan refugee settlements. The project is well underway at the Tibetan Rabgayling Settlement in South India: - 4,000 Pongamia pinnata trees were planted to help regenerate fallow land and produce a sustainable biofuel crop. - 8,000 more pongamia seedlings are maturing in the nursery. - The project is carried out by community members from the Tibetan settlement, who are employed as managers and technicians. - 20 acres of land have been cultivated for eco-friendly energy farming. - Castor, another biofuel plant, has been intercropped with the pongamia. - The Pongamia Energy Farming project is being expanded to 3 neighboring settlements, home to over 20,000 Tibetan refugees. Climate change is a global problem that needs to be addressed through multiple methods. Energy Farming is an approach that helps reduce and repair the negative trend in global climate change while enriching the local ecosystem and empowering rural communities. For further reading: - Himalayan Institute Humanitarian Projects - Yoga+ Article: Tibet in Exile—A Green Evolution - Wikipedia: Pongamia pinnata Today is Blog Action Day 2009. This blog and thousands of other blogs around the world have joined together to discuss this year’s topic: climate change.
Overview of Discrete Trial Training (DTT) Discrete trial training (DTT) is a one-to-one instructional approach used to teach skills in a planned, controlled, and systematic manner. DTT is used when a learner needs to learn a skill best taught in small repeated steps. Each trial or teaching opportunity has a definite beginning and end, thus the descriptor discrete trial. Within DTT, the use of antecedents and consequences is carefully planned and implemented. Positive praise and/or tangible rewards are used to reinforce desired skills or behaviors. Data collection is an important part of DTT and supports decision making by providing teachers/practitioners with information about beginning skill level, progress and challenges, skill acquisition and maintenance, and generalization of learned skills or behaviors. - DTT meets the evidence-based practice criteria within the early childhood and elementary age groups for promoting the development of communication/language, adaptive behavior, cognitive/academic skills, social and play skills, and for reducing interfering behaviors. - With what ages is DTT? - DTT can be used to teach students from early childhood through elementary school at all ability levels. Due to the intensive and repetitive nature of DTT, there is more evidence for using DTT with younger children (i.e., 2 to 9 years of age). - What skills or intervention goals can be addressed by DTT? - DTT has been shown to have positive effects on children’s academic, cognitive, communication/language, social, and behavioral skills. DTT can also be used to teach attending, imitation, and symbolic play skills. - In what settings can DTT be effectively used? - DTT can be taught in home, school, or community settings. Because discrete trials are often carried out in an intensive and repetitive fashion, quiet areas with limited distractions are often
Geothermal energy systems rely on two basic components: the heat beneath the earth’s crust, and the subterranean waters that the earth’s heat will turn to steam. In most geothermal systems, accessing these components involves drilling as deep as two miles below the surface of the earth. In direct-use geothermal systems, the earth’s natural steam is piped directly into buildings to warm them in winter and, perhaps surprisingly, to cool them in summer. While the temperature on the surface of the earth varies throughout the year, the temperature in the upper ten feet of the earth remains fairly constant, usually between 50 and 60 degrees F. The benefits of this constant temperature can be accessed by pumping the water from springs or reservoirs near the earth’s surface into buildings for interior climate control. Direct-use of geothermal heat is often achieved through the use of a heat pump, which efficiently extracts the earth’s thermal energy. Besides maintaining indoor temperatures, geothermal heat can be used to heat greenhouses, heat water at fish farms, pasteurize milk, and provide the heat required for range of industrial processes. A large centralized geothermal pump can even provide heating for an entire community, known as “district heating.” Geothermal energy is also used to drive electric generators in a number of ways: Dry steam systems are the oldest and simplest application of geothermal power, in which the steam released from a geothermal reservoir is captured and used to rotate turbines which generate electricity. Flash steam systems utilize a more technologically sophisticated method of electrical generation and are the most widely deployed. These systems use intense pressure to keep water in liquid form, even as it is heated to temperatures well above its boiling point at sea level. The water is then exposed to an abrupt drop in pressure, causing it to convert in a flash to steam, which more efficiently rotates the steam turbines to generate electricity. Binary cycle systems direct the earth’s hot water upward to a heat exchanger above ground, where the heat is transferred to a pipe containing a fluid with a much lower boiling point than water (usually isobutane or isopentane gas). The transferred heat vaporizes the liquid, and that steam rotates turbines to produce electricity. The advantage of this system is that it can make use of geothermal reservoirs that have lower temperatures, increasing the places where geothermal systems can be located. Enhanced geothermal systems (EGS) (or hot dry rock systems) may be yet another avenue into the earth’s deep power potential. Rather than harvesting the heated water already in the earth, this method involves manufacturing steam by piping surface water down into the hot but dry rocks in the earth’s crust. A main benefit of this system is that it does not require the high temperature geothermal resources of other geothermal electric technologies, and it can be used nearly anywhere on the planet. While the technology’s potential is great, further research and development is required before it can be deployed at scale. To learn more about geothermal systems, visit U.S. Department of Energy’s geothermal overview. - The U.S. has approximately 3,200 megawatts (MW) of installed geothermal capacity, accounting for about 28% of global capacity. (Geothermal Energy Association (GEA)) - As of April 2012, there were 147 projects identified under development in the U.S. (130 of which are confirmed by developing companies), with roughly 5,000 MW of power potential. (GEA) - In 2011 and early 2012, five additional geothermal plants came online, with a gross capacity of approximately 91 MW. (GEA)
In normal conditions a good driver should not need to brake really hard. However, emergencies can happen – for instance, when a child runs out in the street in front of you- so you must know how to stop quickly under control. Stopping in an emergency increases the risk of skidding, follow the rule of progressive braking- pushing the brake pedal harder as the vehicle slows down. A quick reaction is crucial in an emergency. The sooner you start braking the sooner you should stop. Practise the following routine: - Keep both hands on the steering wheel, you need as much control as possible. - Avoid braking so hard that you lock any wheels. A skid sideways or a wheel sliding may cause serious loss of control. - Don’t touch the clutch pedal until just before you stop. This helps with your braking and stability. - Don’t touch the parking brake. Most parking brakes work on the back wheels only. Extra braking here can cause skidding. Practise braking to judge the correct pressure and remember to take into account road and weather conditions. If the road is dry, you should apply firm pressure, but on a wet road of loose surface you should avoid using too much. This means that you will need to reduce speed and increase your separation distance from vehicle in front. When braking in an emergency: - Don’t signal – You need both hands on the wheel to control the steering. - Don’t make a special point of looking in the mirror – you should know what’s behind anyway. - Stop as quickly as possible and safely as possible, keeping your vehicle under full control. - Look all round before moving off again. Note! If you are not moving off straight away, put your parking brake on and the gear level in neutral. Defensive Driving – Try to avoid the emergency arising - Look well ahead. - Watch for children playing. - Remember school times. - Look out for pedestrians - Look for clues, such as reflections. Always drive at such a speed that you can stop safely in the distance you can see to be clear. If it is not clear Slow Down. Prepare for the unexpected. This is a safe driving technique which: - Allows other drivers time to react. - Prevents locked wheels. - Prevents skidding. - Saves wear and tear on brakes, tyres and suspension. - Saves fuel. - Is more comfortable for your passengers. To Brake Progressively: - Put light pressure on the brakes. - Gradually increase the pressure required to stop the vehicle. - When the vehicle has almost stopped, ease off the pressure so that the vehicle stops smoothly. There should be little or no pressure as the vehicle actually stops. Choose a particular point at which you would like to stop. See how near to it you can get. It’s better to stop short of the mark rather than overshoot it. You can always ease off the brakes and run forward a bit more. Stopping at a kerb needs practise too. Aim to stop reasonably close to the kerb without hitting it. Both hands should be on the steering wheel.
Tsetse fly (genus Glossina), also spelled tse-tse, also called tik-tik fly, any of about two to three dozen species of bloodsucking flies in the housefly family, Muscidae (order Diptera), that occur only in Africa and transmit sleeping sickness (African trypanosomiasis) in humans and a similar disease called nagana in domestic animals. Tsetse flies are distinguished in part by a forward-projecting piercing proboscis on the head that is capable of puncturing skin. They readily feed on the blood of humans, domestic animals, and wild game. Tsetse flies are robust, sparsely bristled insects that usually range from 6 to 16 mm (0.2 to 0.6 inch) in length. Tsetse flies are rather drab in appearance: their colour varies from yellowish brown to dark brown, and they have a gray thorax that often has dark markings. The abdomen may be banded. The stiff, piercing mouthparts, directed downward as the fly bites, are held horizontally at other times. While resting, the wings are held flat over the back, folded one over the other. A bristlelike appendage (arista) on each antenna bears one row of long, branched hairs on its upper edge, differentiating the tsetse fly from all other flies. Male tsetse fly adults may live two to three weeks, while females can live for one to four months. Tsetse flies are larviparous—the larva hatches from an egg within the female—and the young develop singly within the female’s uterus, feeding on a nutrient fluid secreted by paired milk glands on her uterine wall. The ensuing three stages of larval growth require about nine days. The larva is deposited on the ground, where it burrows into the soil and pupates within one to five hours. Adults emerge after several weeks. When adequately fed, a female tsetse fly will produce one larva about every 9 or 10 days throughout her life. Without a sufficient blood meal, however, the female fly will produce a small, underdeveloped, and nonviable larva. In general, tsetse flies occur in woodlands, though they may fly out a short distance into open grasslands when attracted by a host animal. Both sexes suck blood almost daily, but daily activity patterns vary by species and environmental factors (e.g., temperature); some species, for example, are especially active in the morning, whereas others are more active at midday. In general, tsetse fly activity declines soon after sunset. In woodland environments, male tsetse flies are responsible for the majority of attacks on humans; the females usually feed on larger animals. Tsetse flies are arranged taxonomically and ecologically into three groups: the fusca, or forest, group (subgenus Austenina); the morsitans, or savanna, group (subgenus Glossina); and the palpalis, or riverine, group (subgenus Nemorhina). The medically important species and subspecies belong to the morsitans and palpalis groups. Two of the most significant vectors of sleeping sickness are Glossina palpalis, which occurs primarily in dense streamside vegetation, and G. morsitans, which feeds in more open woodlands. G. palpalis is the chief carrier of the parasite Trypanosoma brucei gambiense, which causes sleeping sickness throughout western and central Africa. G. morsitans is the chief carrier of T. brucei rhodesiense, which causes sleeping sickness in the highlands of eastern Africa. G. morsitans also carries the trypanosomes that cause nagana. Historically, the widespread presence of the tsetse fly inhibited human settlement and agriculture in large areas of sub-Saharan Africa. In the 20th century, efforts to control tsetse flies were implemented with varying degrees of success. By the mid-1960s, however, human African trypanosomiasis was largely under control. Eradication from areas where the disease was a cause of epidemics enabled settlement (or resettlement) and the development of livestock production. In the early 21st century, following a lapse in surveillance that allowed reemergence in some areas, annual new cases of the disease in Africa reached all-time lows. The most-effective control measures for tsetse flies have been environmental ones: destruction of the wild game upon which the flies feed, clearing of woodlands, and periodic burning to prevent the growth of brush. Trapping of flies, control by natural parasites, and the spraying or other application of insecticides usually reduce fly populations in a locality but have difficulty eliminating them altogether. An alternative method is the introduction of large numbers of sterilized male tsetse flies into a wild population. Exposure to gamma radiation in laboratory facilities renders the flies sterile but does not interfere with their ability to mate. The sterile males’ unions with females produce no offspring, and, since female tsetse flies mate only a single time in life, those that mate with sterile males are themselves rendered sterile for all practical purposes. The method has been found to totally eradicate tsetse flies in localities where their populations have already been significantly reduced by conventional methods.
Food Waste Management Food loss is food that is discarded or lost uneaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous, and occur at the stages of production, processing, retailing and consumption. Out of total Food waste generated only 14 per cent of the food waste is recycled, the rest of it is disposed of at the waste-to-energy (WTE) plants for incineration. As alternatives to landfill, food waste can be composted to produce soil and fertilizer, fed to animals, or used to produce energy or fuel. There is a need to manage food waste holistically. Reducing food wastage, redistributing unsold/excess food and recycling food waste are important components of our national waste management strategies to work towards waste management strategies, with the most preferred approach at the top of the hierarchy. The most reasonable strategic approaches include, Prevent and Reduce Food Wastage at Source, Redistribute Unsold/Excess Food, Recycle/Treat Food Waste, and Recover Energy. - Track 1-1 Food as bio-waste - Track 2-2 Food waste generation - Track 3-3 Recycling treatments - Track 4-4 Integrative FWM system designs - Track 5-5 Food as fuel
Paleontologists have long assumed that the shape of joints in the skulls of dinosaurs, and their closest modern relatives alligators and birds, reveals how much movement are allowed in their skulls. Researchers from the University of Missouri School Of Medicine recently discovered that although alligators, birds and dinosaurs have a similar skull-joint shape, it no longer can be assumed that this lone fact can determine movement. “While investigating joints located within the heads of alligators, we found their peg-and-socket shape does not necessarily indicate movement capabilities as it had often been assumed,” said Alida Bailleul, Ph.D., a post-doctoral research fellow in the MU Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences. “By examining the joints through a microscope, we were able to see that they were missing the fluid-filled cavity and cartilage needed for movement.” According to Bailleul, both humans and animals have joints that are built to work like a peg and socket, such as the knee or the elbow joints. She said it is the composition of these peg-and-socket joints, made up of cartilages and fluid-filled cavities, that facilitate movement. There also are pegs and sockets in the heads of alligators that researchers widely assumed were built similar to knee joints with a cavity, fluid and cartilage on both sides. However, when the researchers examined the joints under the microscope, they found that they had a different internal structure with cartilage on only one side, an element that may reflect the bones’ embryological origins. “We have these two great lineages of archosaurs? alligators on one side and birds on the other? that maintain these joints regardless of how they use their skulls,” said Casey Holliday, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences and co-author of the study. “Despite all the evolutionary changes animals have made, they can’t quite always change everything.” Although crocodilians’ skulls have evolved to bite down with immense pressure, they still have not managed to lose these joints that, according to Holliday, are vestiges of joints found in the ancestors of birds and crocodiles and are likely useless. On the other hand, the same joints in birds evolved new cartilages and cavities, and increased mobility, an important adaptation for bird feeding behavior and diversity. Alida M. Bailleul, Casey M. Holliday. Joint histology in Alligator mississippiensis challenges the identification of synovial joints in fossil archosaurs and inferences of cranial kinesis. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2017; 284 (1851): 20170038 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0038
Presentation on theme: "A Comparison of Traditional and Modern Chinese Music"— Presentation transcript: 1 A Comparison of Traditional and Modern Chinese Music By: Rebecca DuboisDecember 14th 2009 2 The Beginning of MusicArtifacts that have been found throughout China have shown that China had a developed musical culture as early as 1122, in the Zhou Dynasty.A Legend in Chinese culture tells of how the founder of music, Ling Lun carved bamboo pipes and tuned the notes to the sounds of birds. 3 Earliest SongThe earliest song known in existence is “Youlan” or in English, “Solitary Orchid”, and is thought to have been written before AD 908.The manuscript for the song was found in Japan, but as a copy. The original hasn’t been found, so no one knows when the actual date was that the song was written.The manuscript that was found contains no notes, only a description on how it should be played. This is called Wenzi notation. Many people have tried to interpret the song and record it, but no one can tell how it should actually sound. 4 YoulanThis is an example of Youlan being played on the Gu Qin. It is someone's own interpretation on how it should be played.A portion of the sheet music for Youlan 5 Traditional Chinese Instruments Traditional Chinese instruments fall into 3 different categories.They are:Woodwind and Percussion, Bowed strings, and Plucked stringsGenerally, traditional instruments are played solo, as opposed to in an orchestra.The pentatonic scale is the most common scale.Pentatonic scale 6 Gu Qin A Gu Qin is categorized under a plucked string instrument. It’s one of the oldest instrumentsthat are still used in China.The origins of the Gu Qin areThought to go back at least 5,000years.The oldest Gu Qin in existance isFrom the Tang Dynasty(618 – 907) 7 Gu QinThe Gu Qin is played with the instrument laid flat on a table. The strings are plucked in an upward motion.There are around 1070 different hand techniques, but only 50 of them are necessary to know to play a modern piece.Songs that are writtenfor the Gu Qingenerally have manyspaces between thenotes, and does nothave a steady rhythm.Gu Qin’s have sevenstrings.A Gu Qin has a 4octave range. 8 It was written in the 3rd century by Ji Kang, a famous Gu Qin master. Guangling SanThis is the longest piece of music written for the Gu Qin, at 22 minutes in length.It was written in the 3rd century by Ji Kang, a famous Gu Qin master.The song is supposed to recount a story about Nie Zheng, a man who assassinated the King of the Han kingdom, to avenge the murder of his father. 9 Erhu An Erhu is categorized as a Bowed string instrument. It is sometimes known as the Chinese two stringed fiddle.It is believed that this instrument was created in the 10th century in Central Asia.“Er” means two, which is referencing the two strings on the instrument, while “Hu” means it’s part of the huqin family. Huqin means “Barbarian Instrument”, hinting that it originated from Northern China, where non-Han people live. 10 There are only about 5 to 6 different hand techniques ErhuAn Erhu is always played sitting down, with the right hand pressing down the strings and the left hand in an underhand grip around the bow.The Erhu can also be plucked, using the right hand, to produce a muted tone.There are only about 5 to 6 different hand techniques 11 Lady Meng Jiang is a famous Chinese folk song written for the Erhu. The story behind the folk song is a lady’s husband is forced to go help build the Great Wall of China, and after not hearing from her husband for a while she decided to go look for him. She discovered that her husband had died, along with thousands of other men and they had been stuffed inside the Great Wall. 12 The Dizi is categorized as a woodwind instrument. The Dizi is commonly used for Chinese folk music and in Chinese operas.Bamboo is the main material used to make the Dizi, but occasionally they are made from Jade or other types of wood.It is believed that the Dizi was invented during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD) 13 The Dizi is held the same way a regular western flute is played. Different techniques that are often used while playing a Dizi are circulated breathing, flutter tonguing, and double tonguing.The majority of professional players have a set of seven Dizi, each different sizes and different key. 14 Jasmine FlowerJasmine Flower is a famous ancient Chinese folk song that was written for the Dizi.It was written in the Qing Dynasty, and is about the beauty of a jasmine flower. 15 Vocal MusicChinese vocal music is traditionally sung in a high, thin voice or in falsetto. Vocal music is usually sung solo, rather than choral.It is believed that Chinese vocal music began with people singing the verses of poems to the melody of music.Often in vocal music, a voice is put in to provide the harmony or melody to the instrument, instead of the instrument accompanying the vocals. 16 Around 1910, China began to adopt a more western sound to their music. Around 1910, China began to adopt a more western sound to their music.Older instruments were less frequently used, and instruments such as guitars and drums were in most modern songs.New genres such as Mando-pop were created, and they were the main thing people were listening to. 17 Teresa TengTeresa Teng is probably the most famous Mando-pop singer in China and Taiwan.She sang throught the 1970’s into the 1990’s and sang in a variety of different languages including Japanese, Taiwanese, and Indonesian.She died of an asthma attack while vacationing in Thailand in 1995 at the age of 42. 18 The Moonlight Represents My Heart The Moonlight Represents My Heart is one of Teresa most famous and most recognizable songs throughout Asia.This song is categorized under Mando-pop and no prominent traditional Chinese instruments are used. 19 PresentIn the early 1990’s, Mando-pop became even more popular with the influence of Teresa Teng.Traditional instruments began showing up in modern music again, most prominently heard are the Gu Qin and Pipa. 20 S.H.ES.H.E is the longest running Mando-pop girl group in China and Taiwan.They debuted in 2001 and have released 12 albums.They are known for their emotional and poetic lyrics, and their wide variety of genres.S.H.E has remained one of the top artists for 9 years. 21 Moonlight Letters is a song off S.H.E’s most recent album FM S.H.E. It’s significant for it’s use of the Erhu and Gu Qin, as well as a more westernized rhythm. 22 Jade LiuJade Liu is a runner up contestant on Super Girls, a Chinese show based on American Idol.She is well known for her strong vocals, and her beautiful ballads, in which traditional Chinese instruments are frequently present. 23 This song features a Gu Qin as well as an Erhu. Reminiscing RainReminiscing Rain is a song from Jade’s debut album I Am Just What I Am.This song features a Gu Qin as well as an Erhu.This song also has many western instruments, such as wind chimes and piano. 24 Jay Chou is the best selling Mando-pop artist of his time. Jay is known for never recording a song he hasn’t written himself, and also his ability to play a variety of different instruments including the Erhu, Gu Qin, piano, Guzheng, Pipa and cello.Jay is also credited with coining the term “Zhong Guo Feng” which is a term used to describe a piece of music that has both Chinese and western elements to it. Most Zhong Guo Feng use the pentatonic scale to accent a more oriental sound and style. 25 Chrysanthemum Terrace Chrysanthemum Terrace is a song Jay Chou wrote for the movie, The Curse of the Golden Flower.This song features Jay Chou playing the Guzheng, as well as cello and violin. 26 Traditional and Modern Chinese Music In conclusion, it is evident that current Chinese artists have attempted to bridge the gap between traditional and modern music. By adding traditional instruments to their songs, they’re keeping their culture intact, and also introducing ancient sounds to a younger audience. It’s important that the culture of traditional Chinese music is not lost, and a newer generation can appreciate China’s culture through music. Your consent to our cookies if you continue to use this website.
(Page 2 of 4) Text by Mary B. Pickard The first Indian attack occurred September 1675 in the upper part of Blue Point at the home of Robert Nichols and his wife. The Nichols were murdered and their house burned. The following month Indians attacked the Algers’ garrison house in Dunstan and, failing to capture it, burned empty houses and killed both Alger brothers. Scarborough, a town of three settlements of over one hundred houses and 1,000 cattle, had been destroyed. In 1676 Mogg Heigon and about one hundred followers made an unsuccessful attack on the Black Point garrison. Mogg proposed to Jocelyn that if the garrison were surrendered, the settlers could leave safely. By the time Jocelyn returned to the garrison, all but his own family had left in boats. Jocelyn surrendered the garrison and was briefly held captive. Most of the inhabitants returned in early 1677. The Black Point garrison, which had not been destroyed, was under the command of Lieutenant Tippen. In May, Mogg Heigon and his men returned and began an assault on the garrison. Mogg was killed and his men withdrew, only to return the next month to avenge their leader’s death. A group of nearly one hundred men led by Captain Benjamin Swett and Lieutenant Richardson were drawn into ambush and a bloody battle ensued in the vicinity of Moore’s Brook, about two miles from the garrison. Swett and Richardson were killed and less then a half dozen men returned to the garrison without injury. There was a peace treaty with the Indians the next year, but the settlers were aware that an outbreak of hostilities could occur at any moment. In 1681 a second garrison was erected at Black Point about a half mile north of Great Pond (later known as Massacre Pond), because the “neck” was too far away to be accessible to the settlers in time of trouble. Troubled peace broke into open hostility again in 1690 when the French in eastern Maine joined forces with the Indians and destroyed the settlement of Falmouth. Anticipating enemy advance on Scarborough, the settlers fled to Portsmouth and beyond and town records were taken to Boston, where they remained until 1720. It would be twelve years before settlers returned to Scarborough. The Eighteenth Century Resettlement occurred in the fall of 1702 when eight men, likely accompanied by their families, sailed from Lynn to Black Point. While a new fort was built at the western side of Garrison Cove, the settlers lived aboard their ship. The following August they were besieged by five hundred French and their Indian allies led by Beaubasin. The settlers refused to surrender the garrison, so the French tried to undermine it by tunneling underneath from the bank below. Heavy rain caused the soil to give way and the exposed workers abandoned their effort under fire from the men in the garrison. Despite continued skirmishes with the Indians, the second settlement continued to grow. After resettlement, the center of activity shifted from Black Point to Dunstan. Until the mid-1800s, Dunstan was an important shipping and trade port. It was here that Richard King settled in 1746 and Dr. Robert Southgate in 1771. King was a distinguished citizen, merchant, farmer, and ship builder. Three of his children became major public figures. Rufus represented New York in the United States Senate and, as a senator, worked on the Missouri Compromise that permitted Maine to enter the Union as a free state. Cyrus, a jurist and orator, served two terms in Congress and William led the movement to separate Maine from Massachusetts, subsequently becoming Maine’s first governor. Per family tradition, Dr. Southgate rode into Dunstan on horseback, with all of his possessions in his saddlebags. Two years later he married Mary King, daughter of Richard King. Trained as a physician, Dr. Southgate left the practice of medicine to become a lawyer, judge and gentleman farmer. The large home he built overlooking the marsh on what is now Route 1 still stands. When the British attacked Lexington in April 1775, the Provincial Congress issued a call for 13,600 men; militia from Scarborough and neighboring towns immediately responded. Two months later what is presumed the first naval battle of the Revolution occurred in Machias when townspeople fired on the British schooner Margaretta, killing the commander and forcing its surrender. Many townspeople were former Scarborough residents who discovered the area in 1762 while searching for grass for their animals following severe drought. Although Scarborough never suffered a direct attack from the British, many from the town played an active role in the struggle for independence. After the Revolution, Maine was again the new frontier. While some veterans used government-backed grants to claim land elsewhere in the state, others remained and pushed outward to North Scarborough. Shipbuilding, farming, fisheries and sawmills offered opportunities. The Nineteenth Century Well into the early 1900s salt hay was a source of income for owners of marsh acreage. To increase yield and thus profits, large-scale diking was introduced and by the late 1800s five different diking companies had become involved. However, diking and development of roads and rail lines across the marsh negatively impacted the marsh, destroying soils and natural vegetation. As haying on the marsh declined, cleared inland pastures supplied that need. A lack of good overland routes resulted in Scarborough remaining a town of separate villages, each with its own church and school. Dunstan and Portland were connected by a road inland from the marsh that went up a steep incline and over Scottow’s Hill, but the hill was so steep horses had to be switched at the top to complete the journey. In 1802 the Scarborough Turnpike Corporation, headed by Robert Southgate and brothers William and Cyrus King, built the Cumberland Turnpike, the first turnpike in New England. It crossed the marsh between Dunstan and Oak Hill, the current path of Route 1, and was funded by toll rates, eight cents for a horse and twenty-five cents for a stagecoach. Objecting to the twenty-five cent tariff to cross the marsh, stagecoach owner Josiah Paine laid out a direct road from Dunstan to Stroudwater. This is the Payne Road of today. The War of 1812 served as an impetus toward Maine’s path to statehood. Opposing President Madison’s declaration of war on Great Britain, Governor Strong would not allow the Massachusetts militia to leave the state and refused to contribute funds to pay them. Maine was left vulnerable with unprotected seaports. Madison nationalized part of the Massachusetts militia and put it under the command of William King. Hearing of King’s command, many from Maine volunteered for service under him. Defense of local coastlines and communities was left to town militias. The Treaty of Ghent ended the war in December 1814, but the action (or inaction) of Governor Strong alienated Mainers who began to call for separation from Massachusetts. Maine finally achieved statehood in 1820, in part through efforts of Rufus and William King. Travel was mainly by foot, horseback, boat or stagecoach until the mid-1800 arrival of trains. In 1842 the Eastern Railroad built a line connecting Boston and Portland, passing through Scarborough; and in 1853 the Grand Trunk Railroad was completed, linking Montreal to Portland. Improvements in transportation not only benefited townspeople by bringing trade and jobs to Scarborough, but also spawned the tourism industry. By the 1870s, sixty-five trains a day transported passengers and freight in and out of Portland and through Scarborough.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.Join Britannica's Publishing Partner Program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work! Relaxation phenomenon, in physics and chemistry, an effect related to the delay between the application of an external stress to a system—that is, to an aggregation of matter—and its response. It may occur in nuclear, atomic, and molecular systems. Chemists and physicists use relaxation effects to study processes that take only a fraction of a second. When an equilibrated nuclear, atomic, or molecular system is subjected to an abrupt physical change, such as a sudden rise in temperature or pressure, it takes time for the system to re-equilibrate under the new conditions. The relaxation effect may be caused by a redistribution of energy among the nuclear, electronic, vibrational, and rotational energy states of the atoms and molecules that constitute the system, or it may result from a shift in the ratio of the number of product molecules to the number of reactant molecules (those initially taking part) in a chemical reaction. The measurement of relaxation times can provide many insights into atomic and molecular structures and into the rates and mechanisms of chemical reactions. The word relaxation was originally applied to a molecular process by the English physicist James Clerk Maxwell. In the paper “On the Dynamical Theory of Gases,” which he presented in 1866, Maxwell referred to the time required for the elastic force produced when fluids are distorted to diminish or decay to 1/e (e is the base of the natural logarithm system) times its initial value as the “time of relaxation” of the elastic force. The earliest suggestion of a chemical relaxation effect is contained in a dissertation (Berlin, 1910) based on research directed by the German physical chemist Walther Nernst. Measurements of sound propagation through the gas nitrogen tetroxide—which breaks up, or dissociates, into nitrogen dioxide—led Nernst to suggest that experiments at frequencies at which the dissociation reaction could not keep pace with the temperature and pressure variations that occur within a sound wave would permit evaluation of the dissociation rate. Ten years later, at a meeting of the Prussian Academy of Sciences, Albert Einstein presented a paper in which he described the various theoretical aspects of this relaxation effect. The detection of the chemical relaxation effect predicted by Nernst and Einstein did not become technically feasible until the last half of the 20th century. In the first half of the century, physicists and chemists studying relaxation concentrated on physical relaxation processes. Peter Debye referred to the time required for dipolar molecules (ones whose charges are unevenly distributed) to orient themselves in an alternating electric field as dielectric relaxation. Sound absorption by gases was used to investigate energy transfer from translational (or displacement in space) to rotational (spinning and tumbling) and vibrational (oscillations within the molecule) degrees of freedom, the three independent forms of motion for a molecule. The former requires only a few molecular collisions, but the transfer of energy between translational and vibrational modes may require thousands of collisions. Because the processes are not instantaneous but time-dependent, relaxation effects are observed. Their measurement provides information about molecular bonding and structure. Chemical relaxation was rediscovered by the German physical chemist Manfred Eigen in 1954. Since then, technological advances have permitted the development of techniques for the measurement of relaxation times covering the entire range of molecular processes and chemical reactivity. The great variety of relaxation phenomena and of the techniques developed for their study precludes a comprehensive survey. To facilitate a general discussion, the relaxing system, its initial and final states, the nature of the disturbance, and the system’s response are considered separately. Examples are cited that emphasize the important features of relaxation phenomena and illustrate the variety of information that can be obtained from their study. A moderately detailed description of one relaxation technique, the temperature-jump method, is used to summarize the discussion. The chemical relaxation of nitrogen tetroxide is easy to visualize, and it illustrates principles common to all relaxation phenomena. Nitrogen tetroxide (formula N2O4; also called dinitrogen tetroxide) actually is a dimer (a molecule formed from two similar constituents called monomers) that dissociates into two molecules of nitrogen dioxide (formula NO2). The monomer and dimer are easily distinguishable: the former is a brown gas; the latter is a colourless gas. The product and reactants exist in equilibrium, represented by the reversible reaction: At ambient (room) temperature and atmospheric pressure, approximately 80 percent of the molecules in the mixture are dimers, and the remaining molecules are monomers. The distribution of molecules between the two forms remains unchanged as long as the temperature and pressure are held constant. But when the system is disturbed by a sudden change in temperature or pressure, the gases eventually reach new equilibrium concentrations to suit the new conditions. If the external conditions are altered, then the ratio of monomers to dimers will adjust to a new value. The dependence of the equilibrium on pressure is intuitively understandable as follows: to a good approximation, the volume that a gas occupies at a given pressure and temperature depends directly on the number of gas molecules. The dissociation of one molecule of nitrogen tetroxide into two molecules of nitrogen dioxide entails an expansion of the gas—a doubling of molecules—which is opposed by the external pressure. If the external pressure is increased, the system acts to relieve the stress by reducing its volume—i.e., by combining monomers to form dimers and thus reducing the number of molecules. The equilibrium shifts in favour of dimers under increased pressure and in favour of monomers under reduced pressure. At any steady pressure, the ratio of the two forms eventually becomes constant. Chemical relaxation results from the inability of systems at equilibria to respond instantaneously to changes in external conditions. The rate of reestablishment of equilibrium, or re-equilibration, is limited by the concentrations of the reactants and their reactivities. At any specified temperature and pressure, there is a definite probability per unit time that a nitrogen tetroxide molecule will dissociate into two nitrogen dioxide molecules and that the latter will recombine to form a dimer. The average lifetime of a nitrogen tetroxide molecule at ambient temperature and atmospheric pressure, for example, is about one-third of a microsecond (one-millionth of a second). The product of the reciprocal of the average lifetime times the concentration of nitrogen tetroxide molecules gives the rate at which they dissociate. At equilibrium there is no net change in the number of nitrogen tetroxide molecules, because their dissociation rate is exactly balanced by the rate at which they are being re-formed through association of nitrogen dioxide molecules. If the external conditions are altered, the reactivities of the monomer and dimer change instantaneously, but their concentrations change at a finite rate until the balance between the association and dissociation rates is reestablished. By determining the relaxation time, it is possible to derive the rate at which nitrogen dioxide combines to form dinitrogen tetroxide, as well as the rate of the reverse reaction. Sound propagating through a gas can be pictured as a pressure wave whose alternating increase and falling off of pressure, called a sinusoidal variation of pressure, with time at any point in the medium is accompanied by a corresponding fluctuation in the temperature. The effect of the varying temperature and pressure of a sound wave moving through nitrogen tetroxide gas on the dissociation of nitrogen tetroxide depends on the frequency of that sound wave. When the pressure oscillates slowly enough, the dissociation reaction will remain at equilibrium with the oscillation; that is, the extremes in the monomer-dimer ratio will coincide with the extremes of pressure and temperature. If, on the other hand, the pressure fluctuates too rapidly for the reaction to follow, the ratio of monomers to dimers will remain constant at the equilibrium value for the ambient temperature and pressure; but at intermediate frequencies a relaxation effect may be observed, and a readjustment of the chemical equilibrium will lag behind the pressure variation within the gas. The relaxing chemical equilibrium results both in the absorption of sound by the gas and in dispersion of, or changes in, the sound velocity. Measurement of either of these effects permits evaluation of the relaxation time. The maximum absorption of sound occurs, for example, when the angular frequency (two π times cycles per second) of the sound wave equals the reciprocal of the relaxation time. The relaxation time can then in turn be related to the mechanism of the chemical reaction and to the reactivities of the reactants.
Growing in the marshy highlands of the Guiana Shield, the pitcher plant Heliamphora nutans is intricately adapted to its environment. Produced by a 1.7 billion year old Precambrian sandstone formation in northeast South America, the Guiana Shield underlies Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana and parts of Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. In 1978, Ken Burras (Superintendent of the Botanic Garden between 1963 and 1988) joined a Kew Expedition to Mount Roraima, Guyana; where Heliamphora was originally collected by botanist Robert Schomburgk in 1839. The Expedition returned with 400 plant collections, including Heliamphora. The Oxford Botanic Garden soon developed expertise in growing these challenging plants, but they were highly collectable, being rare in cultivation. Consequently, it was difficult to stop visitors from stealing them. In 1987, Ken passed some of the plants to the Micropropagation Laboratory of the Oxford Forestry Institute, formerly part of the Department of Plant Sciences. Led by Stephen Woodward, the team developed an efficient propagation process and was soon able to introduce the plant widely into cultivation. More importantly, sufficient specimens were grown to enable the plant's continuous public display at the Garden. Some of the plants growing at the Botanic Garden today are direct descendants of the original Mount Roraima collection. In 1989, Oxford-based botanist Barrie Juniper and colleagues proposed four traits to define the true carnivorous syndrome. Plants (i) attract prey using special signals; (ii) trap and kill prey using specially evolved structures; (iii) digest prey by secreting enzymes; and (iv) have specialised structures to absorb nutrients from the digested prey, whilst the presence of commensals indicates a long evolutionary history of the carnivorous trait. Under this definition, Heliamphora nutans becomes a 'doubtful carnivore' since the presence of digestive enzymes in its pitchers has never been confirmed. The pitchers are supremely adapted to catching insects. They have a red, sticky nectary zone right at the top containing two types of nectar glands. On the internal surface of the top-half of the pitcher is a zone of downward pointing hairs, surrounding a smooth attractive area. The pitcher constricts and then widens with the lower half covered in hairs, which become denser towards the bottom. It has recently been shown that when wetted these hairs become extremely slippery and that insects "aquaplane" into the pitcher, thereby increasing the trapping efficiency. Each pitcher also has an overflow mechanism; a drainage hole at the constriction between the top and bottom halves. Bauer U et al. 2013. 'Insect aquaplaning' on a superhydrophilic hairy surface: how Heliamphora nutans Benth. pitcher plants capture prey. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 280, 20122569. Joel DM et al. 1985. Ultraviolet patterns in traps of carnivorous plants. New Phytologist 101, 585-593. Juniper BJ et al. 1989. Carnivorous plants. Academic Press.
Taking a closer look at LHC Texts have been taken from Landua R. (2008). "THE LHC: A LOOK INSIDE". Science in School Issue 10 : Winter 2008, pp 34-45. The events (an event is a collision with all its resulting particles) are studied using giant detectors that are able to reconstruct what happened during the collisions - and to keep up with the enormous collision rates. Detectors can be compared to huge three-dimensional digital cameras that can take up to 40 million snapshots (with digitised information from tens of millions of sensors) per second. The detectors are built in layers, and each layer has a different functionality. The inner ones are the least dense, while the outer ones are denser and more compact. The heavy particles that scientists hope to produce in the LHC collisions are predicted to be very short-lived, rapidly decaying into lighter, known particles. After a hard collision, hundreds of these lighter particles, for example electrons, muons and photons, but also protons, neutrons and others, fly through the detector at close to the speed of light. Detectors use these lighter particles to deduce the brief existence of the new, heavy ones. The trajectories of charged particle are bent by magnetic fields, and their radius of curvature is used to calculate their momentum: the higher the kinetic energy, the shallower the curvature. For particles with high kinetic energy, therefore, a sufficiently long trajectory must be measured in order to accurately determine the curvature radius. Other important parts of a detector are calorimeters for measuring the energy of particles (both charged and uncharged). The calorimeters too have to be large enough to absorb as much particle energy as possible. These are the two principle reasons why the LHC detectors are so large. The detectors are built to hermetically enclose the interaction region in order to account for the total energy and momentum balance of each event and to reconstruct it in detail. Combining the information from the different layers of the detector, it is possible to determine the type of particle which has left each trace. Charged particles – electrons, protons and muons – leave traces through ionisation. Electrons are very light and therefore lose their energy quickly, while protons penetrate further through the layers of the detector. Photons themselves leave no trace, but in the calorimeters, each photon converts into one electron and one positron, the energies of which are then measured. The energy of neutrons is measured indirectly: neutrons transfer their energy to protons, and these protons are then detected. Muons are the only particles that reach (and are detected by) the outermost layers of the detector. Each part of a detector is connected to an electronic readout system via thousands of cables. As soon as an impulse is registered, the system records the exact place and time and sends the information to a computer. Several hundred computers work together to combine the information. At the top of the computer hierarchy is a very fast system which decides - in a split second - whether an event is interesting or not. There are many different criteria to select potentially significant events, which is how the enormous data of 600 million events is reduced to a few hundred events per second that are investigated in detail. The LHC detectors were designed, constructed and commissioned by international collaborations, bringing together scientists from institutes all over the world. In total, there are four large (ATLAS, CMS, LHCb and ALICE) and two small (TOTEM, LHCf) experiments at the LHC. Considering that it took 20 years to plan and construct the detectors, and they are intended to run for more than 10 years, the total duration of the experiments is almost equivalent to the entire career of a physicist. The construction of these detectors is the result of what could be called a ‘group intelligence’: while the scientists working on a detector understand the function of the apparatus in general, no one scientist is familiar with the details and precise function of each single part. In such a collaboration, every scientist contributes with his or her expertise to the overall success. Xabier Cid Vidal, PhD in experimental Particle Physics for Santiago University (USC). Research Fellow in experimental Particle Physics at CERN from January 2013 to Decembre 2015. Currently, he is in USC Particle Physics Department ("Ramon y Cajal", Spanish Postdoctoral Senior Grants). Ramon Cid Manzano, secondary school Physics Teacher at IES de SAR (Santiago - Spain), and part-time Lecturer (Profesor Asociado) in Faculty of Education at the University of Santiago (Spain). He has a Degree in Physics and in Chemistry, and is PhD for Santiago University (USC). CERN and the Environment For the bibliography used when writing this Section please go to the References Section © Xabier Cid Vidal & Ramon Cid - [email protected] \| SANTIAGO (SPAIN) \|
Worksheets and lesson ideas to challenge students aged 11 to 16 to think hard about separating mixtures (GCSE and Key Stage 3) Overview: Separating techniques(chromatography, distillation, filtration and crystallisation) provide an excellent opportunity for students to apply their learning from the particle model, elements compounds and mixtures, state changes and conservation of mass. The practical nature of this topic also allows students to experience important ideas for themselves e.g. seeing a liquid form from an apparently ’empty’ tube in distillation. That said, there is a real need to ensure a careful balance is struck between the procedural demands of the practical and the conceptual demands of the science. If students are asked to think about both the science and how to do the practical work at the same time there is a risk that they will do neither well. Wherever possible, use the particle model to help explain how these methods work – zooming here is an important skill. Key concept: a mixture can be separated according to the different physical properties of the substances that it contains. Misconception/error [scientific idea]: a mixture is one substance [a mixture is made up from various substances that are not chemically bonded]; society uses the word pure in the same way as a scientist [pure for a scientist means made from only one substance]. The resources below should only be used after all the separation techniques have been taught. Selecting the appropriate separating technique GCSE activity where students select the appropriate separating technique. Students select the appropriate technique to separate mixtures by chromatography, distillation, fractional distillation, filtration and crystallisation. It finishes with a really challenging question that asks students to suggest ideas on how to separate copper from a mixture containing magnesium, salt, water and copper. (PDF) The separation challenge! Students are given a range of practical equipment and work in pairs to separate a complex mixture containing sand, sulfur, two food dyes and iron. This activity was made in collaboration with Claire Couves and Rownok Jahan. Please conduct your own risk assessment before carrying out this practical. Getting students to assemble different apparatus to separate different mixtures Chemix is a free website that allows you to assemble pieces of common lab apparatus together. You could ask students to use this website to assemble apparatus to separate different mixtures. They could then export images and submit these for feedback.
There’s no common intervention for children having autism spectrum disorder. Most individuals, however, respond best to structured behavioral programs. Applied behavioral analysis is one of the most popular interventions, along with occupational and speech therapy, floortime therapy, and other methods. Behavior analysis is a natural science and was first introduced by BF Skinner in the 1930s. The methods and principals of behavior analysis have been successfully applied in several areas. For instance, methods using the principle of positive reinforcement, have been effectively used to develop a wide range of skills among learners with and without impairments. Since the early 1960s, hundreds of behavioral analysts have applied positive reinforcement and associated principles to build social, communication, academic, play, work, self-care and community living skills, and lessen the problematic behaviors among learners of all ages having autism. Some applied behavioral analysis includes instructions that are directed by adults in a highly structured fashion. Others use the natural interests of the autistic child and follow his/her initiations. Others may impart skills in context of ongoing activities. The skills involved in an applied behavioral analysis are broken down to small steps or components. The learners are offered several repeated opportunities for learning and practicing the skills in diverse types of settings. They are supported with abundant positive reinforcements. The intervention goals as well as the particular types of instructions and reinforcements used, are customized according to strengths and weaknesses of each individual learner. The output and performance is continuously measured by direct observation. The intervention may then be modified if the data reveals that the child is not making any progress as intended. Notwithstanding the age of the learner who has autism spectrum disorder, the goal of applied behavioral analysis is to enable an autistic child to function as successfully and independently as possible in various environments, and especially pick up social communication skills.
In this quick tutorial you'll learn how to draw a Conus in 4 easy steps - great for kids and novice artists. The images above represents how your finished drawing is going to look and the steps involved. Below are the individual steps - you can click on each one for a High Resolution printable PDF version. At the bottom you can read some interesting facts about the Conus. Make sure you also check out any of the hundreds of drawing tutorials grouped by category. How to Draw a Conus - Step-by-Step Tutorial Step 1: First, we will make the shell of the conus. It is cone shaped, with half circles that get smaller on one end. Step 2: Next, draw the siphon. It looks like a horn. The snail can pull water in through the siphon and it also functions like a nose. Step 3: Then, we'll draw the foot and operculum. These help the snail move and also protect it when it goes into its shell. Draw a rounded triangle at one end of the shell, and bring the line around to the siphon. Give it detail by making a few bumps around the siphon and add a circle on the back. Color in the circle. Step 4: Last, we make the eye stalks. They go on either side of the siphon, and they look like letter Ys. Congratulations, your conus is now done. These snails have brilliant colors and patterns on their shells, so have fun coloring it in! Interesting Facts about the CONUS The Conus is a member of the snail family and the scientific term for them is Conus zebroides. The name is Latin for “cone-shaped” (Conus) and “zebra-striped” (zebroides) mollusk. This species eats smaller animals of the ocean in southwest Africa. These creatures contain a shiny white shell with long brown markings running parallel to its shape. They live in the country of Angola, between the cities of Benguela and Namibe. Did you know? - The animal was first documented in 1845. - This species grows along less than only 336 miles of the African coast. - The animal can grow to almost 2 inches long. - They have been considered a problem for thriving since 1996. - They live in water less than 10 feet deep. Since this species lives in such shallow water, that they are easily collected by humans for decorative purposes. Other threats to their survival includes the increase of offshore drilling for oil. However, there is no proof that this animal is suffering a reduced population, and so there are currently no governmental projects to protect this species. Since there are so few square miles of habitat for these creatures, they are considered vulnerable to extinction.
Select a past act of terrorism from the following list: - Boston Marathon Bombing of 2013 - September 11, 2001 attacks (World Trade Center) - September 11, 2001 attacks (Pentagon) - World Trade Center Bombing of 1993 - 2009 Shooting at Ft. Hood - Oklahoma City Bombing of 1995 In a three- to five-page paper (excluding title and reference pages), explain how the government (local, state, and federal) responded to the terrorist attack. Include the following: - Explain how the government agencies (local, state, and federal) communicated with each other and the public? - Explain how the wounded were cared for (trauma centers, hospitalizations, search and rescue, etc.)? - Explain the challenges first responders faced (health and safety issues/concerns, supplies, etc.). - Identify at least two actions government agencies did well and at least two actions government agencies could have done better. Evaluate how they can improve or have improved for future emergency responses. Support your evaluation with specific examples. Carefully review the Grading Rubric (Links to an external site.) for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
How To Identify Nouns Nouns are the names of people, things or places. A word is probably a noun, if you can count it. Nouns can also be used with numbers. For example, consider the word books. Can we count books? Of course, we can. How many books are there? Well, we don’t know the exact number, but there is definitely more than one. Now consider the word flower. Can we count it? Yes, we can count flowers. Can we use numbers with the word flower? Yes, we can say one flower. And hence the word flower is a noun. Nouns have several other properties, too. Nouns can be preceded by the articles. Consider the noun girl. We can say a girl or the girl. Nouns can be used with the demonstratives (this, that, these and those). We can say this girl or those girls. Nouns can be used with possessives (my, your, their etc.). We can say my girl, your girl or their girl. Proper nouns are a different kind of nouns. They are the names of particular people, countries, rivers etc. Examples are: India, Sophia, Krishna and Amazon. We cannot use numbers or articles with proper nouns, but they are easy to identify. Proper nouns always begin with a capital letter even when they come in the middle of a sentence. There is yet another category of nouns called abstract nouns. Most of these are uncountable nouns with no plural forms. We cannot use numbers or articles with them. Abstract nouns usually refer to a quality of some kind. Examples are: kindness, honesty, bravery, beauty etc. Identify the nouns in the following sentences. 1. Sophia is my niece. 2. Amazon is the largest river in the world. 3. Children usually rush about. 4. The elephant is the largest animal on land. 5. Honesty is the best policy. 6. Experience is the best teacher in the world. Sophia, niece, Amazon, river, world, children, elephant, animal, land, honesty, policy, experience, teacher, world
Human-specific variants of four microRNAs may have altered expression levels and gene targets compared to other great apes, according to a study by Alicia Gallego from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Spain, and colleagues. MicroRNAs are post-transcriptional gene regulators known to be involved in almost every biological function. They are highly conserved among species and, while some differences exist, the effect of the variations is often unclear. The authors of the present study analysed over 1500 microRNAs to identify variations between humans and other great ape species, including orangutans, gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees, and the possible effect of these variations on function. The authors found that changes in the sequence and length of four microRNAs may be specific to humans. Two were highly expressed in brain tissue and may exert effects on genes with neural functions, while two exhibit restricted expression patterns that the authors posited implied a role in development. The authors also found that "age" might matter; in an evolutionary sense, "younger" microRNAs had less sequence conservation, expression and disease association, and were more isolated than "older" microRNAs. The authors suggest this study may aid in our understanding of how non-coding elements may have played a role in shaping some traits that ultimately became human-specific. They also hope that it provides a framework to study the possible impact of these changes on recent human evolution.
A new, highly contagious virus is spreading quickly, prompting many people to wonder how they can protect themselves. COVID-19, an illness caused by a new strand of coronavirus, spreads through tiny droplets sent into the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Experts say simple measures like hand washing and avoiding handshakes can help prevent illness. Listen to a science reporter explain how Americans can prepare for a possible outbreak of COVID-19 in their communities and what individuals can do to keep themselves healthy. Story Length: 6:02 Socrative users can import these questions using the following code: SOC-1234
The inability to distinguish spatial cues is known as spatial hearing loss. People with spatial loss of hearing find it difficult to tell who is speaking in a noisy room or where a certain sound is coming from. This condition prevents sufferers from cutting out background noise in crowded places such as restaurants and airports. Interestingly enough, spatial hearing loss does not stem from the ear. The brain is actually the culprit – the pathways that interpret sound are the root of spatial loss of hearing. Spatial loss of hearing is especially common in children as well as adults over the age of 60. However, it can occur in anyone, regardless of age. This can be especially frustrating for children in school – they find it hard to differentiate the teacher’s voice from other noises in class. Audiologists are able to diagnose spatial hearing disorder with a test called the Listen in Spatialized Noise-Sentences, or LiSN-S, test. The LisN-S test determines how a person uses pitch and spatial cues in order to pick out certain sounds from background noise. This lets the audiologist determine just how severe the person’s loss of spatial hearing is. Spatial hearing loss does not always occur on its own. It is quite often accompanied by high-frequency and/or low-frequency hearing loss. These issues can be treated with hearing aids, which helps with the spatial loss of hearing as well. However, for some people with spatial deficiencies, typical hearing aids may only make the problem worse. Spatial hearing loss happens often in older people, due to the natural aging process and subsequent damage to the audio nerve. Some aging-related causes of spatial hearing loss include injury, medications, vascular problems, or other medical conditions. If you notice sudden hearing loss within a twenty-four to seventy-two hour window, seek medical attention right away. Some forms of sudden hearing loss can be helped if its treated right away. Causes can be blockage, illness, or infection–all of which respond well to early treatment. If the sudden loss of hearing is not identified and treated quickly and is caused by infection or another underlying condition, it may result in permanently damaged auditory nerve pathways, ending with permanent deafness or spatial hearing loss. If you experience sudden changes such as a unilateral loss of hearing, you are also at an increased risk of spatial hearing loss and should seek attention immediately. If you’re not sure if your hearing is changing, you should go get it tested right away.
Stephan J. Sanders Listen to this story: The reason autism is more common in boys than in girls may be because girls are protected from the disorder in some manner. Identifying the mechanism of this protection may help us understand and treat autism. Autism is consistently observed to be about three to four times more prevalent in boys than it is in girls. However, the reason for this difference is unclear. One simple explanation is that some autism risk factors affect only boys. Triplet repeat expansions in FMR1, the gene mutated in people with fragile X syndrome, is one such example. FMR1 is located on the X chromosome, and an expansion in the gene, which leads to intellectual disability and autism in a boy, may not produce these symptoms in a girl who has a second intact copy of the gene. Early explorations into the risk factors for autism focused on the X chromosome for this reason. But we now know that rare and de novo, or spontaneous, genetic risk variants on the X chromosome are seen in less than 2 percent of boys with autism. Similarly, common variants on the X chromosome account for only 1.5 percent of autism risk1. This tells us that although there are examples of male-specific genetic risk factors, their contribution to autism risk does not explain the magnitude of the sex bias in prevalence. An alternative explanation is the female protective effect (FPE). In this model, autism risk factors affect both boys and girls, but girls are inherently protected from their effects. We can conceptualize this model by using the analogy of height. Let’s define ‘tall’ as being in the top 1 percent of the population for height. Boys and girls can both be ‘diagnosed’ as being tall, but more boys than girls will merit this diagnosis because, on average, girls are shorter than boys. We could say that girls are protected from being tall despite being exposed to similar risks. Based on this model we can make two predictions. First, we expect the risk factors for being tall to be shared between the two sexes. Second, we expect tall girls to have more risk factors for being tall than boys of an equivalent height. These predictions also apply to the FPE model of autism: We expect shared risk factors for autism between the sexes and a higher overall burden of autism risk factors in affected girls than in affected boys. We can assess both of these predictions experimentally using genomic or epidemiological data. De novo mutations are strongly associated with autism: That’s been shown for both copy number variations (CNVs) — large deletions or duplications of chromosomal regions — and for point mutations that result in a loss of function of the gene2. Identifying regions of the genome with a high burden of these de novo mutations allows us to link specific genes to autism3. Within these autism-associated genes, mutations are distributed randomly between the sexes. This evidence of shared autism risk factors matches the first expectation of the FPE model. My colleagues and I have also seen data that match the second expectation, that girls with autism carry a higher overall burden of autism risk factors, specifically of de novo mutations. We and others have observed this for CNVs, loss of function mutations and missense mutations — point mutations that result in the substitution of one amino acid for another2,3,4,5,6. The FPE model predicts that girls can tolerate more autism risk variants than boys. Therefore, we might expect more inherited risk variants to come from unaffected mothers than from unaffected fathers. A few groups have seen this maternal bias in rare inherited single nucleotide variants and in some, but not all, analyses of rare inherited CNVs3,7. This lack of consistency may reflect the limited power of these analyses due to the weak association between rare inherited variants and autism, in contrast to the strong association and well-powered analyses focusing on de novo mutations. Genomic analyses assess a small number of genetic risk factors directly, whereas epidemiological analyses assess the cumulative effects of many risk factors indirectly. Because autism is highly heritable, we expect — and observe — a higher prevalence of autism in the siblings of people with autism in epidemiological studies. According to the FPE model, girls with autism should have a higher burden of autism risk factors than boys with autism. As a result, the prevalence of autism should be higher among the siblings of girls with autism than among the siblings of affected boys. This prediction is sometimes called the ‘Carter Effect,’ after the British geneticist who first described this phenomenon in the 1960s. However, the majority of studies, including large population-based analyses, have not seen this sex-dependent variation in autism recurrence8. By contrast, some teams have observed results consistent with the Carter Effect and the FPE model, both for the recurrence of autism traits in the general population and in a study of autism in multiplex families, which have more than one member diagnosed with autism9,10. Overall, the genomic evidence suggests that a female protective effect plays some role in autism’s observed sex bias. It is unclear why these data are discordant with the majority of epidemiological evidence. It is possible that de novo mutations and rare variants provide an incomplete picture of autism risk. Alternatively, the epidemiological studies may lack enough power to detect the protective effect indirectly. A third possibility is that autism risk factors interact in a more complex manner than epidemiologists assume in their studies. One strategy for discovering the nature of the FPE is to identify factors associated with the presence of protection (for example, in unaffected girls) or the absence of protection (for example, in affected girls). Earlier this year, my colleagues and I published the results of female-only genome-wide association studies of 1,242 girls from two collections. Our study did not identify any common variants associated with the FPE, though it was powered only to detect variants that mediate the majority of the hypothesized protection11. As we noted in the paper, our approach relied on the assumption that the degree of protection varies among girls (for example, if it is related to estrogen levels), as opposed to being the same in all girls (such as the presence of estrogen above a low threshold). An alternative strategy is to focus on sexually dimorphic features in the brain, following the logic that these must interact with the neurobiology of autism. These interactions could occur at the level of the genome — if autism risk factors are expressed in a sexually dimorphic manner in the brain, for example. Alternatively, they could show up in downstream biological processes: For instance, components of the synapse that are involved in autism might be sexually dimorphic. The interaction may be transient, occurring at a specific stage of development, and specific to a single brain region, complicating its discovery. At present, the FPE remains the most compelling explanation for the sex bias observed in autism, with strong supporting evidence from the observation of an excess of de novo mutations in girls with autism compared with boys. However, the absence of a clear difference in autism recurrence rate between the siblings of affected boys and affected girls poses an unsolved conundrum. As the genomic evidence for the FPE increases, the next challenge lies in attempting to leverage these findings to explore the nature of this protection. Stephan Sanders is assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.
Everything you need to teach your class self-management. Everybody benefits when a student’s behavior improves. We Have Choices is an evidence-based, 9-week self-management skills curriculum for grades 4 through 6, including: 1. Video series for students on the fascinating brain science behind self-management 2. Trackers and posters for students to practice self-management 3. Easy-to-use teacher’s guide and lesson plans Current research shows that impulse control and self-management skills have the greatest impact on academic outcomes. Like any skill, self-management can be taught. Supported by funding from the US Department of Education, this PBIS curriculum helps students develop a daily self-management routine that includes Self-monitoring: teaches students how to be aware and teach themselves good behavior. Self-recording: learning skills to record their behavior. Self-evaluation: behavior evaluation based on pre-established criteria. Self-reinforcement: learning how to reward themselves for achievement. We Have Choices comes with a Teacher’s Guide/Lesson Plans book, a DVD of the video episodes, 30 My Daily Tracker student booklets and 8 colorful classroom posters. Students learn to apply self-management strategies to these critical classroom skills: • Pay Attention • Focus on the Task • Ask For Help • Do Your Best Work • Get Along • Participate in Class • Manage Feelings • Follow Class Expectations Weekly video lessons using the entertaining game show setting makes the instruction engaging for students. My Daily Tracker student booklets support self-management routines that are easily incorporated into regular classroom activities. Teaching self-management to students has big payoffs. Self-managers are ready to learn what educators have to teach. Training materials include: Video series, 52 page teacher’s guide, 30 daily tracker student booklets, and 8 colorful posters.
So you’ve got a kid who likes a book. Awesome! Now go to the library and check out three (or five or ten) more books by the same author. BAM! You are doing an author study. That was easy. Author studies are great because if you are choosing books by an author your child already likes, so he will probably discover MORE favorite books. You are encouraging a deeper connection attachment to reading. By discussing and comparing the books, you build critical thinking skills. At the very least you are reading and learning an author’s name. 🙂 We chose Eric Carle because we were going to a Very Hungry Caterpillar puppet show. Eric Carle is a familiar author, but I still found lots of books that I had never read before. I think it is a good idea to chose an author/illustrator for preschoolers since it is so easy to see how the pictures are all in the same style. Some other favorite preschool author/illustrators are Lois Ehlert, Donald Crews, David Shannon, and Sandra Boynton. Obviously an author study for the under 5 set is going to look a little different than with school age kids. You won’t be discussing the author’s use of imagery in his writing style. Well, maybe you can. Here are some preschool-appropriate ideas to try with your author study: - Talk about the jobs of author and illustrator. Point out the author and illustrator’s names on the cover and title page. - Go to the author’s website to see a picture or video of the author. - Talk, talk, talk about books. Which one is your favorite and why? How are the books alike? Are there any characters that appear in multiple books? - Write a letter or draw a picture to send to the author. (Your preschooler can dictate the letter and you do the writing) - Act out your favorite book with puppets. - Write your own book in the author’s style. Use the same characters or setting, or continue the story of a favorite book. (Again, you’ll have to do the actual writing) - Draw or paint or picture inspired by the illustrations. - Make a chart to compare the books. We did an easy checklist that asked- Were there people in the story? Animals? Was there a problem in the story? Did you like the book?
Week 2 - Vulnerability Assessment Discuss the methods used by security managers to assess various risks and vulnerabilities. The risk assessment process used by security managers includes four steps; 1. Identification of risk factors 2. Risk assortment 3. Identification of risk controls 4. Identification of risk impact 5. Creating a risk report When determining the risks and vulnerabilities of any given organization, a risk profile is created it includes considering the following essential factors; • Risk triggers/indicators. These could be the political stances of the local government, weather, or even the traffic conditions, based on the business structure. • Intensity of risk. This signal identifies whether mitigating said risk requires moderate or drastic measures on the company’s behalf. Moderate risk means moderate measures, while immense risk means drastic measures. • Setting up a mitigation plan. This is the most important element of risk analysis. If the mitigation plan is straightforward, the risk’s intensity is almost always considered to be low or moderate. If, however, the plan is complex, it means that the risk is intense. • Reporting and tuning. This is the presentation and reporting of risk to the higher-ups. Once risk has been presented, the board may request changes in it, which would require some fine-tuning on the risk assessor’s part. There are four main ways of managing risk and vulnerabilities; 1. Avoiding the risk. This includes navigating company actions in such a way that there it can completely avoid the risk with no discernable impact on its bottom line. Avoiding risk is rare, but if achieved, can help companies learn from the risk while facing no reprimand at all. 2. Reducing the risk. This includes reducing the overall impact of the risk by poising the company in such a way that the company does get impacted; just not as much as it would have if the company did nothing. The goal here is to minimize the impact on the company’s bottom line as much as possible. This is the most common type of risk mitigation tactic employed and although not as effective, it is much easier to accomplish. 3. Spreading the risk. The goal here is to spread the risk over time, resources, or even the market in such a manner that it impacts the company slowly and in a much more manageable way. This may include facing the repercussions of the risk over a period, utilizing a small number of resources each time to mitigate its impact. This is one of the most realistic measures to handling risk but requires extensive resources and planning. 4. Transferring the risk. This means “going down and taking the rest with you” or dodging the risk at someone else’s risk. Transferring risk runs the danger of having to take unethical steps to make sure all repercussions of said risk are faced by someone else on your behalf.
The most common cause is lack of exposure to sunlight, usually when the diet is deficient in vitamin D, but certain disorders can also cause the deficiency. Without enough vitamin D, muscle and bone weakness and pain occur. Infants develop rickets: The skull is soft, bones grow abnormally, and infants are slow to sit and crawl. Blood tests and sometimes x-rays are done to confirm the diagnosis. From birth, breastfed infants should be given vitamin D supplements because breast milk contains little vitamin D. Vitamin D supplements taken by mouth or given by injection usually result in a complete recovery. Two forms of vitamin D are important for nutrition: Vitamin D2 (ergocalciferol): This form is synthesized from plants and yeast precursors. It is also the form usually used in high-dose supplements. Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol): This form is the most active form of vitamin D. It is formed in the skin when the skin is exposed to direct sunlight. The most common food source is fortified foods, mainly cereals and dairy products. Vitamin D is also present in fish liver oils, fatty fish, egg yolks, and liver. (See also Overview of Vitamins.) Human breast milk contains only small amounts of vitamin D. Vitamin D is stored mainly in the liver. Vitamin D2 and D3 are not active in the body. Both forms must be processed (metabolized) by the liver and kidneys into an active form called active vitamin D or calcitriol. This active form promotes absorption of calcium and phosphorus from the intestine. Calcium and phosphorus, which are minerals, are incorporated into bones to make them strong and dense (a process called mineralization). Thus, calcitriol is necessary for the formation, growth, and repair of bones. Vitamin D may be used to treat psoriasis, hypoparathyroidism, and renal osteodystrophy. Vitamin D has not been proven to prevent leukemia and breast, prostate, colon, or other cancers. Vitamin D supplementation does not effectively treat or prevent depression or cardiovascular disease, nor does it prevent fractures or falls. Some evidence, however, suggests that taking the combined recommended daily allowance of both vitamin D and calcium reduces the risk of hip fractures in those at higher risk. Requirements for vitamin D increase as people age. Vitamin D, like vitamins A, E, and K, is a fat-soluble vitamin, which dissolves in fat and is best absorbed when eaten with some fat. Vitamin D deficiency is common worldwide. Most commonly, it occurs when the skin is not exposed to enough sunlight. Natural (unfortified) foods alone rarely provide enough vitamin D to prevent deficiency. Foods that are fortified with vitamin D and supplements of vitamin D can help prevent deficiency when exposure to sunlight is inadequate. In vitamin D deficiency, the body absorbs less calcium and phosphate. Because not enough calcium and phosphate are available to maintain healthy bones, vitamin D deficiency may result in a bone disorder called rickets in children or osteomalacia in adults. In osteomalacia, the body does not incorporate enough calcium and other minerals into bones, resulting in weak bones. In a pregnant woman, vitamin D deficiency causes the deficiency in the fetus, and the newborn has a high risk of developing rickets. Occasionally, the deficiency is severe enough to cause osteomalacia in the woman. Vitamin D deficiency makes osteoporosis worse. Vitamin D deficiency results in a low calcium level in blood. To try to increase the low calcium level, the body may produce more parathyroid hormone. However, as the parathyroid hormone level becomes high (a condition called hyperparathyroidism), the hormone draws calcium out of bone to increase the calcium level in blood. Parathyroid hormone also causes more phosphate to be eliminated in urine. Both calcium and phosphate are necessary to maintain healthy bones. As a result, bones are weakened. The most common cause of vitamin D deficiency is Thus, vitamin D deficiency occurs mainly among people who do not spend much time outdoors: older people and people who live in an institution such as a nursing home. The deficiency can also occur in the winter at northern and southern latitudes or in people who keep their bodies covered, such as Muslim women. Because breast milk contains only small amounts of vitamin D, breastfed infants who are not exposed to enough sunlight are at risk of the deficiency and rickets. Some experts recommend that the arms and legs or the face, arms, and hands should be exposed to direct sunlight for 5 to 15 minutes at least 3 times a week, but some people, such as those who have darker skin or are older, may need more exposure to sunlight. However, many dermatologists do not recommend increased sunlight exposure because risk of skin cancer is increased. Vitamin D deficiency usually occurs in people who are not exposed to sunlight and who do not consume enough vitamin D in their diet. When the skin is exposed to enough sunlight, the body usually forms enough vitamin D. However, certain circumstances increase the risk of vitamin D deficiency even when there is exposure to sunlight: The skin forms less vitamin D in response to sunlight in certain groups of people. They include people with darker skin (particularly blacks), older people, and people who use sunscreen. The body may not be able to absorb enough vitamin D from foods. In malabsorption disorders, people cannot absorb fats normally. They also cannot absorb vitamin D because it is a fat-soluble vitamin, which is normally absorbed with fats in the small intestine. Less vitamin D may be absorbed from the intestine as people age. The body may not be able to convert vitamin D to an active form. Certain kidney and liver disorders and several rare hereditary disorders (such as hypophosphatemic rickets) interfere with this conversion, as do certain drugs, such as some antiseizure drugs and rifampin. Vitamin D deficiency can cause muscle aches, weakness, and bone pain in people of all ages. Muscle spasms (tetany) may be the first sign of rickets in infants. They are caused by a low calcium level in the blood in people with severe vitamin D deficiency. If pregnant women have vitamin D deficiency, their newborn may have spasms. The spasms may affect the face, hands, and feet. If the spasms are severe, they may cause seizures. In young infants who have rickets, the entire skull may be soft. Older infants may be slow to sit and crawl, and the spaces between the skull bones (fontanelles) may be slow to close. For older children and adolescents, walking is painful. Severe vitamin D deficiency can cause bowlegs or knock-knees. The pelvic bones may flatten, narrowing the birth canal in adolescent girls. In adults, the bones, particularly the spine, pelvis, and leg bones, weaken. Affected areas may be painful to touch, and fractures may occur. Doctors suspect vitamin D deficiency in the following people: Blood tests to measure vitamin D can confirm the deficiency. Levels of calcium and phosphate are measured. Levels of other substances may be measured to rule out other causes of decreased bone density. X-rays may also be taken. The characteristic changes in bone may be seen on x-rays before symptoms become noticeable. The diagnosis of rickets or osteomalacia due to vitamin D deficiency is based on symptoms, the characteristic appearance of bones on x-rays, and a low level of vitamin D in the blood. Many people need to take vitamin D supplements. Getting enough exposure to sunlight may be difficult, especially because the skin also needs to be protected from sun damage. Natural foods rarely contains enough vitamin D to compensate for lack of sunlight. Vitamin D supplements are particularly important for people who are at risk (such as people who are older, housebound, or living in long-term care facilities). To prevent deficiency, older people should usually take 20 micrograms [800 units] of vitamin D daily in supplements. Higher doses are rarely needed. Commercially available liquid milk (but not cheese or yogurt) is fortified with vitamin D in the United States and Canada. Many other countries do not fortify milk with vitamin D. Breakfast cereals may also be fortified. In breastfed infants, starting vitamin D supplements at birth is particularly important because breast milk contains little vitamin D. Supplements are given until infants are 6 months old, when they begin to eat a more varied diet. For formula-fed infants, commercial infant formulas contain enough vitamin D. Treatment of vitamin D deficiency involves taking high doses of vitamin D, usually daily by mouth, for about 1 month. After 1 month, the dose is usually reduced gradually to the usual recommended dose. If muscle spasms are present or calcium is thought to be deficient, calcium supplements are also given. If phosphate is deficient, phosphate supplements are given. Usually, this treatment leads to a complete recovery. People with a chronic liver or kidney disorder may require special formulations of vitamin D supplements. Older people are more likely to develop vitamin D deficiency for several reasons: Their requirements are higher than those of younger people. They tend to spend less time outdoors and thus are not exposed to enough sunlight. They may not be exposed to enough sunlight because they are housebound, live in long-term care facilities, or need to stay in the hospital for a long time. When exposed to sunlight, their skin does not form as much vitamin D. They may consume so little vitamin D in their diet that even taking vitamin D supplements in low doses (such as 10 micrograms [400 units] per day) does not prevent the deficiency. They may have disorders or take drugs that interfere with the processing of vitamin D. Older people should take 20 micrograms [800 units] of vitamin D each day to keep their bones healthy. Vitamin D has not been shown to prevent cancer or other disorders or to prevent falls in older people. Research to look for other benefits of vitamin D is ongoing. Older people who take high doses of vitamin D supplements need to have periodic blood tests to check their levels of calcium, vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone.
Through the esophagus, food enters the stomach and mixes with gastric acid, enzymes, and other gastric juices for digestion purpose. The ring-like muscle at the junction of the esophagus and the stomach, known as lower esophageal sphincter (LES), controls the flow of food from the esophagus to the stomach and does not allow backflow of gastric fluids into the esophagus. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition where the LES relaxes or does not function properly, leading to reflux of gastric fluids back to the esophagus causing heartburn. There are various causes leading to GERD such as smoking, hiatal hernia, obesity, and stress. GERD is also experienced by women during pregnancy. If left untreated, GERD may lead to conditions such as swelling of the esophagus known as esophagitis, Barrett's esophagus, ulcers, and stricture of esophagus. Based on the severity of the disease, the treatment modules are planned. Drugs are used as a primary line of medication to treat early stage GERD. If the treatment is nonresponsive, various invasive and minimally invasive techniques are used to treat GERD. There are several factors causing GERD, most of which are related to lifestyle changes. Factors such as consumption of fast food, stress, and intake of alcohol and aerated drinks have led to the rise in prevalence of GERD across the globe. Moreover, incidence of GERD is projected to grow with increase in geriatric population in regions such as Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. According to National Institutes of Health in 2016, about 20 million people in the U.S. were suffering from GERD. According to World Gastroenterology Organization in 2015, the prevalence of GERD in Eastern Asia was in the range of 2.5% to 6.6%. The high pool of patients which is projected to rise is expected to drive the growth of the GERD drugs and devices market in the near future. However, few pipeline product with market players of GERD is expected to restrain the growth of the market globally. In addition, there has been little success and acceptance for GERD devices in terms of clinical outcomes and cost which is likely to slow down the growth of the market during the forecast period. The global GERD drugs and devices market has been categorized based on drug class, invasive and minimally invasive procedure, and region. Based on the drug class, the market is segmented into antacids, proton pump inhibitors, H2 receptor blockers, prokinetic agents, and antibiotics. Antacids are the primary line of treatment preferred by most of the physicians. The antacids segment is expected to contribute a large share of the global GERD drugs and devices market during the forecast period. H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors are used to decrease the acid level in the stomach, and they provide long-lasting effect. These segments are projected to have a high demand and are expected to contribute a significant share of the market in the near future. Based on invasive and minimally invasive procedure, the invasive segment comprises surgeries with devices such as LINX Reflux Management and Medigus Ultrasonic Surgical Endostapler. On the other hand, the minimally invasive therapies include EndoCinch ENdoluminal gastroplication, Stretta (low radio frequency ablation), and EsophyX. The invasive surgeries are more common owing to their accessibility and relatively lower cost, while minimally invasive surgeries are costly but offer short-term hospital stay and ease for patients and physicians. However, low clinical success of some devices and concerns over reoccurrence of GERD are factors anticipated to impact the growth of the GERD devices market. Geographically, the global GERD drugs and devices market is distributed over North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa. North America is expected to contribute a significant market share as well as is projected to expand at a high growth rate in the near future owing to acceptance of technology, well-established health care infrastructure, and ongoing research in this field. Europe is expected to hold the second position in terms of market share due to rise in health care expenditure. The Asia Pacific market for GERD drugs and devices is expected to witness a significant growth in the near future owing to emerging markets such as India and China. Major players operating in the market include AstraZeneca, Plc., Addex Therapeutics, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, Rottapharm (Meda AB), Pfizer, Inc., Eisai Co. Ltd., The Procter & Gamble Company, Torax Medical, Mederi Therapeutics, Aros Pharma, Torax Medical, Inc., C. R. Bard, Inc., EndoGastric Solutions, and Medigus Ltd. This study by TMR is all-encompassing framework of the dynamics of the market. It mainly comprises critical assessment of consumers' or customers' journeys, current and emerging avenues, and strategic framework to enable CXOs take effective decisions. Our key underpinning is the 4-Quadrant Framework EIRS that offers detailed visualization of four elements: - Customer Experience Maps - Insights and Tools based on data-driven research - Actionable Results to meet all the business priorities - Strategic Frameworks to boost the growth journey The study strives to evaluate the current and future growth prospects, untapped avenues, factors shaping their revenue potential, and demand and consumption patterns in the global market by breaking it into region-wise assessment. The following regional segments are covered comprehensively: - North America - Asia Pacific - Latin America - The Middle East and Africa The EIRS quadrant framework in the report sums up our wide spectrum of data-driven research and advisory for CXOs to help them make better decisions for their businesses and stay as leaders. Below is a snapshot of these quadrants. 1. Customer Experience Map The study offers an in-depth assessment of various customers’ journeys pertinent to the market and its segments. It offers various customer impressions about the products and service use. The analysis takes a closer look at their pain points and fears across various customer touchpoints. The consultation and business intelligence solutions will help interested stakeholders, including CXOs, define customer experience maps tailored to their needs. This will help them aim at boosting customer engagement with their brands. 2. Insights and Tools The various insights in the study are based on elaborate cycles of primary and secondary research the analysts engage with during the course of research. The analysts and expert advisors at TMR adopt industry-wide, quantitative customer insights tools and market projection methodologies to arrive at results, which makes them reliable. The study not just offers estimations and projections, but also an uncluttered evaluation of these figures on the market dynamics. These insights merge data-driven research framework with qualitative consultations for business owners, CXOs, policy makers, and investors. The insights will also help their customers overcome their fears. 3. Actionable Results The findings presented in this study by TMR are an indispensable guide for meeting all business priorities, including mission-critical ones. The results when implemented have shown tangible benefits to business stakeholders and industry entities to boost their performance. The results are tailored to fit the individual strategic framework. The study also illustrates some of the recent case studies on solving various problems by companies they faced in their consolidation journey. 4. Strategic Frameworks The study equips businesses and anyone interested in the market to frame broad strategic frameworks. This has become more important than ever, given the current uncertainty due to COVID-19. The study deliberates on consultations to overcome various such past disruptions and foresees new ones to boost the preparedness. The frameworks help businesses plan their strategic alignments for recovery from such disruptive trends. Further, analysts at TMR helps you break down the complex scenario and bring resiliency in uncertain times. The report sheds light on various aspects and answers pertinent questions on the market. Some of the important ones are: 1. What can be the best investment choices for venturing into new product and service lines? 2. What value propositions should businesses aim at while making new research and development funding? 3. Which regulations will be most helpful for stakeholders to boost their supply chain network? 4. Which regions might see the demand maturing in certain segments in near future? 5. What are the some of the best cost optimization strategies with vendors that some well-entrenched players have gained success with? 6. Which are the key perspectives that the C-suite are leveraging to move businesses to new growth trajectory? 7. Which government regulations might challenge the status of key regional markets? 8. How will the emerging political and economic scenario affect opportunities in key growth areas? 9. What are some of the value-grab opportunities in various segments? 10. What will be the barrier to entry for new players in the market? Note: Although care has been taken to maintain the highest levels of accuracy in TMR’s reports, recent market/vendor-specific changes may take time to reflect in the analysis.
Iron Deficiency in Children Iron deficiency anemia is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies in children. It happens when a child’s body does not have enough iron to produce hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying protein found in the blood. The body needs iron to create oxygen so every cell in the body can function properly. Without it, children can have short attention spans, learning difficulties, headaches, weakness and irritability. Causes of Iron Deficiency Anemia - Insufficient amounts of iron-rich foods in the diet - Blood loss due from menstruation or intestinal tract condition - Rapid growth spurt - Poor absorption of iron by the body Symptoms of Iron Deficiency Anemia Consult with your child’s primary physician if you notice any of the following symptoms or if you have concerns about your child’s diet: - Blue tone to whites of eyes - Decreased appetite - Pale skin - Unusually tired or weak - Unusual food cravings (Pica, when cravings are for non-food items like dirt or soap) Diagnosing Iron Deficiency Anemia If iron deficiency anemia is suspected, your child’s physician will perform a physical examination and a blood test to diagnose the deficiency. Once confirmed, the physician may run a few more tests to find the cause of the deficiency, such as a fecal test to determine if there is any internal bleeding and additional blood tests to determine if the bone marrow is making enough red blood cells. If there is any internal bleeding, your child may be referred you to a pediatric gastroenterologist for an endoscopy to find out what is causing the internal bleeding. Boys Town Pediatric Gastroenterology offers a capsule endoscopy which is a simple procedure where the patient swallows a large capsule. In this capsule is a very small camera that takes pictures of the intestines as the capsule makes its way through the tract. The PillCam can help diagnose iron deficiency anemia, suspected Crohn’s disease, obscure GI bleeding, small bowel tumors and celiac disease. Most iron deficiency anemia is attributed to a lack of iron in a child’s diet. The main reason for this is due to growth spurts that occur in infancy, childhood and adolescence. Once diagnosed, children generally recover in about two months on an iron-rich diet. It is important to follow up with your child’s physician to make sure the iron deficiency does not return. Children ages 1 – 12 should consume 7-10 mg of iron every day. Adolescent boys need 11 mg and adolescent girls require 15 mg. Try to incorporate two iron-rich foods each day, such as: - Iron-fortified cereals - Eggs (yolk) - Shrimp, tuna or salmon - Broccoli, asparagus - Beans (kidney, pinto, black, lima) - Red meats - Chicken or Turkey - Whole-grain bread Vitamin C helps with the absorption of Iron. Offer a glass of orange juice next time you sit down for a family supper.
PyQtGraph – Line Graph In this article we will see how we can create line graph in the PyQtGraph module. PyQtGraph is a graphics and user interface library for Python that provides functionality commonly required in designing and science applications. Its primary goals are to provide fast, interactive graphics for displaying data (plots, video, etc.) and second is to provide tools to aid in rapid application development (for example, property trees such as used in Qt Designer). A line chart or line plot or line graph or curve chart is a type of chart which displays information as a series of data points called ‘markers’ connected by straight line segments. It is a basic type of chart common in many fields. Line graph is created with the help of plot class in PyQtGraph. In order to plot the bar graph in PyQtGraph we have to do the following 1. Importing the PyQtgraph module 2. Creating a plot window 3. Create or get the plotting data i.e horizontal and two vertical data for two lines 4. Set range to the plot window 5. Plot the line on the plot window and specifying properties of the line Below is the implementation Attention geek! Strengthen your foundations with the Python Programming Foundation Course and learn the basics. To begin with, your interview preparations Enhance your Data Structures concepts with the Python DS Course. And to begin with your Machine Learning Journey, join the Machine Learning – Basic Level Course
Learn to think like a coder without a computer! Each of the fun craft activities included in this book will teach you about a key concept of computer programming and can be done completely offline. Then you can put your skills into practise by trying out the simple programs provided in the online, child-friendly computer language Scratch. Learn about loops by making music, find out about programming by planning a scavenger hunt, and discover how functions work with paper fortune tellers. Children can discover the skills used by coders by doing practical projects and then learn how to use each of these ideas by creating fun programs in Scratch including a game using a micro:bit minicomputer. Perfect for kids aged 7-9, the various STEAM activities will help teach children the crucial skills of logical thinking that will give them a head-start for when they begin programming on a computer. Famous scientist pages teach children about coding pioneers, such as Alan Turing and Katherine Johnson, and topic pages, such as the internet, give kids a wider understanding of the subject. Written by computer science expert Kiki Prottsman, How to be a Coder is so much fun kids won't realize they're learning!
By Ethan Feng Proteins are important: imagine any process in your body, from digestion to immune response, and proteins are likely involved. So, it’s no surprise that scientists have long been working to understand the properties of these biochemical machines. In particular, grasping their structural details is crucial—think of proteins as puzzle pieces: a protein’s shape determines whether it can fit together and thus interact with other molecules. Ultimately, knowledge of these properties can provide insight into a protein’s function in living cells, which can help us solve important real-world problems in science and medicine. To illustrate the importance of structure, consider phenylketonuria (PKU), a genetic disease in which the protein responsible for breaking down the amino acid phenylalanine is either defective or missing. Patients must adhere to strict low-protein diets and, in bad cases, can suffer from intellectual disability and slowed growth. PKU has long been incurable; however, researchers investigating the protein defective in PKU patients, phenylalanine hydroxylase, recently mapped its structure for the first time. This crucial structural information gives scientists a clearer picture of what is wrong in PKU patients, opening the door to developing more effective treatments. As we can see, protein structures are important. Unfortunately, while researchers conquered this particular case, studying protein structure is generally very difficult—especially when it comes to imaging. A single protein molecule is typically less than 10 nanometers across—equivalent to the width of a hair divided by 100, and then by 100 again! Moreover, at normal temperatures, molecules vibrate and twist extremely quickly, making it difficult to pinpoint any precise structural details beyond a mere blurry blob. Traditionally, to obtain structural information about proteins, scientists relied on a method known as X-ray crystallography. This technique involves arranging a protein into a crystal structure, which locks the molecules into a steady position and prevents them from wiggling around too much, making it easier to see them clearly. Then, scientists bombard the crystal with X-ray radiation, and the pattern in which the rays diffract helps determine the arrangement of the atoms. While undeniably a monumental tool in biochemistry, X-ray crystallography is limited in scope, as many proteins are too flexible and disordered to form stable crystal structures, making them impossible to analyze with this technique. To solve this issue, biochemists have revolutionized the field with a new, versatile technique known as cryogenic electron microscopy--or cryo-EM for short—which can be applied even to more unwieldy molecules. To tackle the issue of molecules wiggling around too much, instead of relying on crystallization, cryo-EM takes a different approach: it harnesses temperature. In this method, scientists cool a protein sample rapidly by plunging it into liquid ethane at -196°C. Temperature can be thought of as a measure of how quickly the molecules within a substance are moving, so by lowering the sample’s temperature substantially, the protein’s movements slow down to the point that they are effectively frozen in time, visibly unmoving. Thus, freezing the protein means the usual twisting and turning is no longer a problem! Then, the cold sample is placed into an electron microscope for imaging: a beam of electrons is shot at the sample and sensors detect how the samples scatter the electrons, allowing a computer program to piece together a high-resolution 3D model, down to near-atomic resolution. A key advantage of cryo-EM is that, unlike X-ray crystallography, it does not require crystal structures. A crystal, by its very nature, consists of molecules that are highly uniform. Therefore, when doing X-ray crystallography, it is difficult to observe more than just one state or conformation of the molecule of interest. This is a limitation because structural biochemists are oftentimes interested in the many ways a protein can fold, as well as how it moves between these states. In the words of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, images from X-ray crystallography “are like black and white portraits from early cameras—their rigid pose reveals very little about the protein’s dynamics.” Cryo-EM overcomes this limitation: as the sample rapidly freezes, each molecule is largely independent and is not locked into any particular state, meaning that any given cryo-EM sample typically contains a wide variety of states and conformations. To further illustrate why this is useful, imagine how if you were given various frames of a person running, you could roughly reconstruct the runner’s motions—in the same way, using the various states of a protein observed via cryo-EM, scientists can infer the ways the protein moves. What this essentially means is that cryo-EM not only takes still images but can also produce movies of a molecule’s movements! This has helped scientists understand how proteins fold and unfold and even how reactions occur in real-time. Researchers are currently developing new and more targeted methods to capture rare and transient states of proteins that have never been visualized before. Today, cryo-EM continues to be monumental in improving scientists’ understanding of proteins. Its popularity has been rising rapidly—a database of protein structures determined by cryo-EM acquired its 10,000th entry earlier this year, including nearly 3,000 this year alone. In fact, the influence of cryo-EM was deemed so widespread and impactful that in 2017, the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to the three biochemists who pioneered the technique, including Columbia’s very own Joachim Frank. Furthermore, the impact of cryo-EM reaches far beyond the confines of academia and theory: recently, researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology used cryo-EM to determine the structure of gamma secretase, a protein crucial to understanding how to treat Alzheimer’s disease whose structure had long been indiscernible using other methods. By helping researchers push forward their grasp of protein structure and dynamics, this ~cool~ technique will help us strive towards better treatments for disease.
The Everglades is home to a vast array of plants and animals that have adapted to a wet, subtropical environment. Some creatures such as the Florida panther, Wood Stork and West Indian manatee have become symbols of a struggling ecosystem. Other parts of this vast mosaic – most notably the sawgrass marshes, and cypress and mangrove forests – are recognized around the world as images of the region. While some of its flora and fauna are widely recognized, theEverglades also is comprised of many hundreds, if notthousands, of lesser-known plants, animals and fishthat are part of a living, dynamic ecosystem.The River of Grass includes wetlands plants, trees and marsh vegetation; invertebrates, fresh and saltwater fish, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds. Some 67 species are on the federal threatened or endangered lists. Many more are rare, species of special concern, or included on state lists. A brief overview of selected Everglades’ plant and animal species follows:

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