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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - View original article The genus Symbiodinium encompasses the largest and most prevalent group of endosymbiotic dinoflagellates known. These unicellular algal protists commonly reside in the endoderm of tropical cnidarians such as corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish, where the products of their photosynthetic processing are exchanged in the host for inorganic molecules. They are also harbored by various species of sponge, flatworms, mollusks such as the giant clams, foraminifera (soritids), and some ciliates. Generally, these dinoflagellates enter the host cell through phagocytosis, persist as intracellular symbionts, reproduce, and disperse to the environment. The exception is in most mollusks, where Symbiodinium are intercellular (between the cells). Cnidarians that are associated with Symbiodinium occur mostly in warm oligotrophic (nutrient-poor), marine environments where they are often the dominant constituents of benthic communities. These dinoflagellates are therefore among the most abundant eukaryotic microbes found in coral reef ecosystems. Symbiodinium are colloquially called "zooxanthellae" (or "zoox"), and animals symbiotic with algae in this genus are said to be "zooxanthellate". The term was loosely used to refer to any golden-brown endosymbionts, including diatoms and other dinoflagellates. Continued use of the term in the scientific literature should be discouraged because of the confusion caused by overly generalizing taxonomically diverse symbiotic relationships. Symbiodinium are known primarily for their role as mutualistic endosymbionts. In hosts, they usually occur in high densities, ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions per square centimeter. The successful culturing of swimming gymnodinioid cells from coral led to the discovery that "zooxanthellae" were actually dinoflagellates (Fig. 2A). Each Symbiodinium cell is coccoid in hospite (living in a host cell) and surrounded by a membrane that originates from the host cell plasmalemma during phagocytosis (Figs 2B and 3). This membrane probably undergoes some modification to its protein content, which functions to limit or prevent phago-lysosome fusion (Fig. 2B). The vacuole structure containing the symbiont is therefore termed the symbiosome, and only a single symbiont cell is found within each symbiosome. It is unclear how this membrane expands to accommodate a dividing symbiont cell. Under normal conditions, symbiont and host cells exchange organic and inorganic molecules that enable the growth and proliferation of both partners. Symbiodinium is one of the most studied symbionts. Their mutualistic relationships with reef-building corals form the basis of a highly diverse and productive ecosystem. Coral reefs have economic benefits – valued at hundreds of billions of dollars each year – in the form of ornamental, subsistence, and commercial fisheries, tourism and recreation, coastal protection from storms, a source of new bioactive compounds for pharmaceutical development, and more. The economic value of Symbiodinium is thus immeasurable. The study of Symbiodinium biology is driven largely by a desire to understand global coral reef decline. A chief mechanism for widespread reef degradation has been stress-induced coral bleaching caused by unusually high seawater temperature (Fig. 4). Bleaching is defined as the disassociation of the coral and the symbiont and/or loss of chlorophyll within the alga, resulting in a precipitous loss in the animal’s brown pigmentation. Many Symbiodinium-cnidarian associations are affected by sustained elevation of sea surface temperatures, but may also result from exposure to high irradiance levels (including UVR), extreme low temperatures, low salinity, and other factors. The bleached state is associated with decreased host calcification (Colombo-Pallotta et al. 2010), increased disease susceptibility and, if prolonged, partial or total mortality. The magnitude of mortality from a single bleaching event can be global in scale, and these episodes are predicted to become more common and severe as temperatures worldwide continue to rise. The physiology of a resident Symbiodinium species often regulates the bleaching susceptibility of a coral. Therefore a significant amount of research has focused on characterizing the physiological basis of thermal tolerance and in identifying the ecology and distribution of thermally tolerant symbiont species. The advent of DNA sequence comparison initiated a rebirth in the ordering and naming of all organisms. The application of this methodology helped overturn the long held belief that Symbiodinium comprised a single species, a process which began in earnest with the morphological, physiological, and biochemical comparisons of cultured isolates. Currently, genetic markers are exclusively used to describe ecological patterns and deduce evolutionary relationships among morphologically cryptic members of this group. Foremost in the molecular systematics of Symbiodinium is to resolve ecologically relevant units of diversity (i.e. species). The earliest ribosomal gene sequence data indicated that Symbiodinium had lineages whose genetic divergence was similar to that seen in other dinoflagellates from different genera, families, and even orders. This large phylogenetic disparity among clades A, B, C, etc. was confirmed by analyses of the sequences of the mitochondrial gene coding for cytochrome c oxidase subunit I among Dinophyceae (Fig. 5). Most of these clade groupings comprise numerous reproductively isolated, genetically distinct lineages (see ‘Species diversity’), exhibiting different ecological and biogeographic distributions (see ‘Geographic distributions and patterns of ‘diversity’). Given the over-simplified perceptions created by using only clade-level taxonomic designations for grouping Symbiodinium, future taxonomic revision of this genus is required. Many of these clades will probably be reclassified into distinct genera. The recognition of species diversity in this genus remained problematic for many decades due the challenges of identifying morphological and biochemical traits useful for diagnosing species. Presently, phylogenetic, ecological, and population genetic data can be more rapidly acquired to resolve Symbiodinium into separate entities that are consistent with Biological, Evolutionary, and Ecological Species Concepts. Most genetics-based measures of diversity have been estimated from the analysis of one genetic marker (e.g. LSU, ITS2, or cp23S), yet in recent studies these and other markers were analyzed in combination. The high concordance found among nuclear, mitochondrial and chloroplast DNA argues that a hierarchical phylogenetic scheme, combined with ecological and population genetic data, can unambiguously recognize and assign nomenclature to reproductively isolated lineages, i.e. species (Fig. 6). The analysis of additional phylogenetic markers show that some Symbiodinium that were initially identified by slight differences in ITS sequences may comprise members of the same species whereas, in other cases, two or more genetically divergent lineages can possess the same ancestral ITS sequence. When analyzed in the context of the major species concepts, the majority of ITS2 sequence data provide a reasonable proxy for species diversity. Currently, ITS2 types number in the hundreds, but most communities of symbiotic cnidaria around the world still require comprehensive sampling. Furthermore, there appears to be a large number of unique species found in association with equally diverse species assemblages of soritid foraminifera, as well as many other Symbiodinium that are exclusively free-living and found in varied, often benthic, habitats. Given the potential species diversity of these ecologically cryptic Symbiodinium, the total species number may never be accurately assessed. Through the use of microsatellite markers, multilocus genotypes identifying a single clonal line of Symbiodinium can be resolved from samples of host tissue. It appears that most individual colonies harbor a single multilocus genotype (i.e. clone). Extensive sampling within colonies confirms that many colonies harbor a homogeneous (clonal) Symbiodinium population. Additional genotypes do occur in some colonies, yet rarely more than two or three are found. When present in the same colony, multiple clones often exhibit narrow zones of overlap. Colonies adjacent to each other on a reef may harbor identical clones, but across the host population the clone diversity of a particular Symbiodinium species is potentially large and comprises recombinant genotypes that are the product of sexual recombination. A clone tends to remain dominant in a colony over many months and years, but may be occasionally displaced or replaced. The few studies examining clone dispersal find that most genotypes have limited geographic distributions, but that dispersal and gene flow is likely influenced by host life history and mode of symbiont acquisition (e.g. horizontal vs. vertical). Symbiodinium are perhaps the best group for studying micro-eukaryote physiology and ecology for several reasons. Firstly, available phylogenetic and population genetic markers allow for detailed examination of their genetic diversity over broad spatial and temporal scales. Also, large quantities of Symbiodinium cells are readily obtained through the collection of hosts that harbor them. Lastly, their association with animals provides an additional axis by which to compare and contrast ecological distributions. The earliest genetic methods for assessing Symbiodinium diversity relied on low-resolution molecular markers that separated the genus into a few evolutionarily divergent lineages, referred to as "clades". Previous characterizations of geographic distribution and dominance have focused on the clade-level of genetic resolution, but more detailed assessments of diversity at the species level are needed (Fig. 7). While members of a given clade may be ubiquitous, the species diversity within each clade is potentially large, with each species often having different ecological and geographic distributions related to their dispersal ability, host biogeography, and external environmental conditions. A small number of species occur in temperate environments where few symbiotic animals occur. As a result, these high latitude associations tend to be highly species specific. The large diversity of Symbiodinium revealed by genetic analyses is distributed non-randomly and appears to comprise several guilds with distinct ecological habits (Fig. 8). Of the many Symbiodinium characterized genetically, most are host-specific, mutualistic, and dominate their host. Others may represent compatible symbionts that remain as low-abundance background populations because of competitive inferiority under the prevailing external environmental conditions (e.g. high light vs. low light). Some may also comprise opportunistic species that may proliferate during periods of physiological stress and displace the normal resident symbiont and remain abundant in the host’s tissues for months to years before being replaced by the original symbiont. There are also those that rapidly infect and establish populations in host juveniles until being replaced by symbionts that normally associate with host adult colonies. Finally, there appears to be another group of Symbiodinium that are incapable of establishing endosymbiosis yet exist in environments around the animal or associate closely with other substrates (i.e. macro-algal surfaces, sediment surface) Symbiodinium from functional groups 2, 3, and 4 are known to exist because they culture easily, however species with these life histories are difficult to study because of their low abundance in the environment (Fig. 8). There are few examples of documented populations of free-living Symbiodinium. Given that most host larvae must initially acquire their symbionts from the environment, viable Symbiodinium cells occur outside the host. The motile phase is probably important in the external environment and facilitate the rapid infection of host larvae. The use of aposymbiotic host polyps deployed as "capture vessels" and the application of molecular techniques has allowed for the detection of environmental sources of Symbiodinium. With these methods employed, investigators may resolve the distribution of different species on various benthic surfaces and cell densities suspended in the water column. The genetic identities of cells cultured from the environment are often dissimilar to those found in hosts. These likely do not form endosymbioses and are entirely free-living; they are different from "dispersing" symbiotic species (LaJeunesse 2002). Learning more about the "private lives" of these environmental populations and their ecological function will further our knowledge about the diversity, dispersal success, and evolution among members within this large genus. Certain Symbiodinium strains and/or species are more easily cultured and can persist in artificial or supplemented seawater media (e.g. ASP–8A, F/2) for decades. The comparison of cultured isolates under identical conditions show clear differences in morphology, size, biochemistry, gene expression, swimming behavior, growth rates, etc. This pioneering comparative approach initiated a slow paradigm shift in recognizing that this genus comprised more than a single species. It should be noted that culturing is a selective process, and many Symbiodinium isolates growing on artificial media are not typical of the species normally associated with a particular host. Indeed most host–specific species have yet to be cultured. Samples for genetic analysis should be acquired from the source colony in order to match the resulting culture with the identity of the dominant and ecologically relevant symbiont originally harbored by the animal. The life cycle of Symbiodinium was first described from cells growing in culture media. For isolates that are in log phase growth, division rates occur every 1–3 days, with Symbiodinium cells alternating between a spherical, or coccoid, morphology and a smaller flagellated motile mastigote stage (see ‘Morphological Characteristics’). While several similar schemes are published that describe how each morphological state transitions to other, the most compelling life history reconstruction was deduced from light and electron microscopy and nuclear staining evidence (Fig. 9). During asexual propagation (sometimes referred to as mitotic or vegetative growth), cells undergo a diel cycle of karyokinesis (chromosome/nuclear division) in darkness. The mother cell then divides (cytokinesis) soon after exposure to light and releases two motile cells. The initiation and duration of motility varies among species. Approaching or at the end of the photoperiod the mastigotes cease swimming, release their flagella, and undergo a rapid metamorphosis into the coccoid form. As cultures reach stationary growth phase, fewer and fewer motile cells are observed, indicating slower division rates. Large tetrads are occasionally observed, particularly when cells in stationary growth phase are transferred to fresh media. However, it is unknown whether this stage is the product two consecutive mitotic divisions, or perhaps a process that generates sexually competent motile cells (i.e. gametes), or is the end result of meiosis following gamete fusion. There is no cytological evidence for sexual recombination, and meiosis has never been observed, but population genetic evidence supports the view that Symbiodinium periodically undergo events of sexual recombination. How, when, and where the sexual phase in their life history occurs remains unknown. The morphological description of the genus Symbiodinium is originally based on the type species (holotype) Symbiodinium microadriaticum Because these dinoflagellates possess two major stages in their life history (see above), namely the mastigote (motile) and coccoid (non-motile) stages, the morphology of both are described in order to provide a complete diagnosis of the organism. The motile flagellated form is gymnodinioid and athecate(Fig. 2A.) The relative dimensions of the epicone and hypocone differ among species. The alveoli are most visible in the motile phase but lack fibrous cellulosic structures found in thecate ("armored") dinoflagellates. Between the points of origin of the two flagella is an extendable structure of unknown function called the peduncle (Fig. 2A). In other dinoflagellates, an analogous structure has been implicated in heterotrophic feeding and sexual recombination. In Symbiodinium, it has been suggested that the peduncle may be involved in substrate attachment, explaining why certain cells seem to spin in place. Compared to other gymnodinioid genera, there is little or no displacement at the sulcus where the ends of the cigulum groove converge. The internal organelles of the mastigote are essentially the same as described in the coccoid cell (see below). The transition from mastigote to coccoid stage in Symbiodinium occurs rapidly, but details about cellular changes are unknown. Mucocysts (an ejectile organelle) located beneath the plasmalemma are found in S. pilosum (Fig. 11A) and their function is unknown, but may be involved in heterotrophic feeding. The coccoid cell of Symbiodinium is spherical and ranges in average diameter from 6 to 13 µm, depending on the species (Fig. 1; Blank et al. 1989). This stage is often wrongly interpreted as a dinocyst; hence, in published literature, the alga in hospite is often referred to as a vegetative cyst. The term cyst usually refers to a dormant, metabolically quiescent stage in the life history of other dinoflagellates, initiated by several factors, including nutrient availability, temperature, and day length. Such cysts permit extended resistance to unfavourable environmental conditions. Coccoid Symbiodinium cells are metabolically active, as they photosynthesize, undergo mitosis, and actively synthesize proteins and nucleic acids. While most dinoflagellates undergo mitosis as a mastigote, in Symbiodinium, mitosis occurs exclusively in the coccoid cell. The coccoid cell is surrounded by a cellulosic, usually smooth cell wall that contains large molecular weight proteins and glycoproteins. Cell walls grow thicker in culture than in hospite (Fig 11B). The cell membrane (plasmalemma) is located beneath the cell wall yet little is known about its composition and function in terms of the regulation of trans-membrane transport of metabolites. During karyokinesis and cytokinesis, the cell wall remains intact until the mastigotes escape the mother cell. In culture, the discarded walls accumulate at the bottom of the culture vessel. It is not known what becomes of the walls from divided cells in hospite. One species, S. pilosum, possesses tufts of hair-like projections from the cell wall; this is the only known surface characteristic used to diagnose a species in the genus. Most described species possess a single, peripheral, reticulated chloroplast bounded by three membranes. The volume of the cell occupied by the chloroplast varies among species (Fig. 12). The lamellae comprise three closely appressed (stacked) thylakoids, and are attached by two stalks to the pyrenoid surrounded by a starch sheath (Fig. 10). In three of the described species, the thylakoids are in parallel arrays, but in S. pilosum, there are also peripheral lamellae. There are no thylakoid membranes invading the pyrenoid, which is unlike other symbiotic dinoflagellates. The lipid components of thylakoids include the galactolipids (monogalactosyl-diglycerides, digalactosyl-diglycerides), the sulpholipid, (sulphoquinovosyl-diglyceride), phosphatidyl glycerol, and phosphatidyl choline. Associated with these are various fatty acids. The light-harvesting and reaction centre components in the thylakoid membrane include a water-soluble peridinin-chlorophyll (chl.) a-protein complex (PCP), and a membrane-bound chl. a-chl. c2–peridinin- protein complex (acpPC), along with typical photosynthetic electron transport systems such as the photosystem II reaction centre and the chl. aP700 reaction centre complex of photosystem I. Also associated with the thylakoids are the xanthophylls dinoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin and the carotene, B-carotene. The pyrenoid contains the nuclear-encoded enzyme type II Ribulose-bis-phosphate- carboxylase-oxygenase (Rubisco), which is responsible for the catalysis of inorganic carbon dioxide into organic compounds. All cultured isolates (i.e. strains) are capable of phenotypic adjustment in their capacity for light harvesting (i.e. photoacclimation), such as by altering the cellular Chl a and peridinin quota, as well as the size and number of photosynthetic units (Hennige et al., 2009). However, the ability to acclimate is a reflection of genetic differences among species that are differently adapted (evolved) to a particular photic environment (Iglesias-Prieto and Trench, 1994, 1997). For example, S. pilosum is characterized as a high light adapted species, while others are low light adapted (S. kawagutii) or adapted to a larger range in varying light fields (S. microadriaticum). In general, the nucleus is centrally located and the nucleolus is often associated with the inner nuclear membrane. The chromosomes, as in other dinoflagellates, are seen as ‘permanently super-coiled’ DNA in transmission electron micrographs (TEM). The described species of Symbiodinium possess distinct chromosome numbers (ranging from 26-97), which remain constant throughout all phases of the nuclear cycle. However, during M-phase, the volume of each chromosome is halved, as is the volume of each of the two resulting nuclei. Thus, the ratio of chromosome volume to nuclear volume remains constant. These observations are consistent with the interpretation that the algae are haploid, a conclusion supported by molecular genetic data. During S-phase of the nuclear cycle the chromosomes do uncoil to facilitate DNA synthesis, and the volumes of both the chromosomes and the nucleus return to that seen in the G2 stage. There are several additional organelles found in the cytoplasm of Symbiodinium. The most obvious of these is the structure referred to as the "accumulation body". This is a membrane-bound vesicle (vacuole) with contents that are unrecognizable, but appear red or yellow under the light microscope. It may serve to accumulate cellular debris or act as an autophagic vacuole in which non-functional organelles are digested and their components recycled. During mitosis, only one daughter cell appears to acquire this structure. There are other vacuoles that may contain membranous inclusions, while still others contain crystalline material variously interpreted as oxalate crystals or crystalline uric acid.
Mississippi Squirrel Species by Dave Godwin and Rick Hamrick, MS Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks Two game species of squirrels occur within Mississippi, the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) and the fox squirrel (S. niger). The gray squirrel is also referred to as the "cat squirrel" due to its cat-like call. The fox squirrel is often called the "red squirrel" which leads to some confusion since there is a true "red squirrel" (Tamiasciurus sp.) found in the northeastern and western states. The southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) is more active at night and is not a game species. The gray squirrel has a head and body approximately 8 to 10 inches in length and generally weighs just over 1 pound. They are normally grayish in color, although albino and black specimens do occur. Most black squirrels in Mississippi are fox squirrels, although black gray squirrels are relatively common in some local areas of northern states. The fox squirrel is significantly larger than the gray squirrel, with adults weighing approximately 2.5 pounds and the head and body length reaching 10 to 15 inches. Two subspecies of fox squirrels are commonly found in Mississippi. The "hill country fox squirrel" (S. n. bachmani) is found in suitable, upland habitats across much of Mississippi and is characterized by a black mast and white nose, ears and paws. In general, the hill country fox squirrel populations are declining due to changes in land use and management. The "Delta fox squirrel" (S. n. subauratus) is found in the western portion of the state, primarily within the Mississippi Alluvial Valley. The Delta fox squirrel has 2 common color phases: one is a glossy black phase and the other is a reddish phase that lacks the white appendage coloration found on the hill country fox squirrel.
Where The Trees Are: MAP A new map has been released showing where the largest and densest masses of trees are in the United States. NASA's Earth Observatory explains: Josef Kellndorfer and Wayne Walker of the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) recently worked with colleagues at the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey to create such an inventory for the United States. The map above was built from the National Biomass and Carbon Dataset (NBCD), released in 2011. It depicts the concentration of biomass—a measure of the amount of organic carbon—stored in the trunks, limbs, and leaves of trees. The darkest greens reveal the areas with the densest, tallest, and most robust forest growth, Over six years, researchers assembled the national forest map from space-based radar, satellite sensors, computer models, and a massive amount of ground-based data. It is possibly the highest resolution and most detailed view of forest structure and carbon storage ever assembled for any country. Forests in the U.S. were mapped down to a scale of 30 meters, or roughly 10 computer display pixels for every hectare of land (4 pixels per acre). They divided the country into 66 mapping zones and ended up mapping 265 million segments of the American land surface. Kellndorfer estimates that their mapping database includes measurements of about five million trees.
Mike Caplinger, Malin Space Science Systems February 1994 Volcanoes on Mars have been divided into three types. The montes or large shields are likely basaltic (like the volcanos in Hawaii and Iceland), very large (Olympus Mons is the largest mountain feature known anywhere in the solar system), and have very gentle slopes of six degrees or less. The tholi are smaller than the montes, generally convex (dome-shaped), and have somewhat steeper flanks, in some cases greater than 8 degrees in slope. There are two possible explanations for the difference between the tholi and the montes. It may be that the material of the tholi was more viscous during the eruptions, or it may be because the eruptions that formed the tholi were of small volume, and hence the flows piled up closer to their source. Ceraunius and Uranius Tholi The paterae (patera means "saucer" in Latin) are widely varied in form; in general they have very shallow slopes and scalloped, complex edges in their summit calderas; many have radial channels on their flanks. Some of the paterae (for example, Apollinaris Patera) have been extensively modified by collapse and erosion; others (Biblis Patera, for example) have fairly symmetric structure with collapsed caldera walls. The speculation is that, because of their susceptibility to erosion and collapse, they are composed of loose materials such as ash flows. The extreme state of erosion on some of the paterae leads to the conclusion that these are the oldest of the volcanic constructs. Alba Patera is unique among the paterae on Mars and indeed, appears to be unlike any other feature in the solar system. It is very large (over 1600 kilometers across), has a central caldera, but rises no more than 3 km from the surrounding plains. Alba Patera appears to have been formed by numerous flow events that were either much higher in rate or much longer in duration than flows seen elsewhere. central Alba Patera Mike Caplinger ([email protected])
A base is a chemical that has hydroxide (OH)–, as its negative part, such as NaOH (Na+ and OH–) - Some chemicals, such as baking soda (NaHCO3), form a base when mixed with water. - A base indicator is a chemical that changes color when added to a base. If the indicator is dry, such as litmus paper, the paper changes color when a base solution touches the paper. Litmus Paper: Test for a Base Purpose: To identify a positive test for a base using litmus paper. 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 1 tablespoon of distilled water 1 strip of red litmus 1 strip of blue litmus 1. Mix the baking soda and water together. 2 . Use the same procedures previously described for testing for an acid. 1. The objective is to place a drop of base on each piece of litmus paper. This can be done by any one of the following procedures: - Fill an eyedropper with the baking powder solution and place a drop of basic solution on each piece of litmus. Observe any change in the color of the litmus strip. - Stir the baking soda solution with a glass stirring rod, wooden craft stick, or plastic knife. Then touch the wet end of the rod or stick to the strips of litmus paper. Again observe any color changes. Results: The red litmus turns blue. The blue litmus gets wet and may appear more blue in color. Conclusion: Red litmus can be used to identify a base. Red litmus turns blue when it touches a base solution.
Course pages 2015–16 Concepts in Programming Languages No. of lectures: 8 Suggested hours of supervisions: 2 Prerequisite courses: None. The general aim of this course is to provide an overview of the basic concepts that appear in modern programming languages, the principles that underlie the design of programming languages, and their interaction. - Introduction, motivation, and overview. What is a programming language? Application domains in language design. Program execution models. Theoretical foundations. Language standardization. History. - The ancestors: Fortran, Lisp, Algol and Pascal. Key ideas: procedural (Fortran), declarative (Lisp), block structured (Algol and Pascal). Execution models (abstract machines), data types, control structures, storage, arrays and pointers, procedures and parameter passing, scope, strict and lazy evaluation, garbage collection. Programs as data (Lisp). - Object-oriented languages -- Concepts and origins: Simula (1964-67) and Smalltalk (1971-80). Dynamic lookup. Abstraction. Subtyping. Inheritance. Object models. - Languages for parallel processing. Shared-memory concurrency with spawn/sync (OpenMP, Cilk, X10). Distributed-memory models (the actor model, Erlang). - Types. Types in programming languages. Type systems. Type safety. Type checking and type inference. Polymorphism. Overloading. Type equivalence. - Data abstraction and modularity: SML Modules (1984-97). Information hiding. Modularity. Signatures, structures, and functors. Sharing. - Scala: a principled feature-rich language. Procedural and declarative aspects. Blocks and functions. Classes and objects. Generic types and methods. Variance annotations. Mixin-class composition. - More-advanced concepts and idioms. Haskell monads, type classes. Continuation passing style and call/cc. Dependent types. At the end of the course students should - be familiar with several language paradigms and how they relate to different application domains; - understand the design space of programming languages, including concepts and constructs from past languages as well as those that may be used in the future; - develop a critical understanding of the programming languages that we use by being able to identify and compare the same concept as it appears in different languages. * Mitchell, J.C. (2003). Concepts in programming languages. Cambridge University Press. * Scott, M.L. (2009). Programming language pragmatics. Morgan Kaufmann. Odersky, M. (2008). Scala by example. Programming Methods Laboratory, EPFL. Pratt, T.W. & Zelkowitz, M.V. (2001). Programming languages: design and implementation. Prentice Hall. Kay, A.C. (1993). The early history of Smalltalk. ACM SIGPLAN Notices, Vol. 28, No. 3. Kernighan, B. (1981). Why Pascal is not my favorite programming language. AT&T Bell Laboratories. Computing Science Technical Report No. 100. Koenig, A. (1994). An anecdote about ML type inference. USENIX Symposium on Very High Level Languages. Landin, P.J. (1966). The next 700 programming languages. Communications of the ACM, Vol. 9, Issue 3. Odersky, M. et al. (2006). An overview of the Scala programming language. Technical Report LAMP-REPORT-2006-001, Second Edition. McCarthy, J. (1960). Recursive functions of symbolic expressions and their computation by machine. Communications of the ACM, 3(4):184-195. Stroustrup, B. (1991). What is Object-Oriented Programming? (1991 revised version). Proceedings 1st European Software Festival.
Weir Your Badge, Lesson Plan Grades 1-4 - Grade Level: - First Grade-Fourth Grade - Art, Civic Engagement, Community, Conservation, Design, Ecology, Education, Environment, Geography, Government, Historic Preservation, History, Landscapes, Leadership, Literature, Museum Studies, Reading, Regional Studies, Social Studies, Visual Arts, Writing - 130 Minutes - Group Size: - Up to 36 - indoors or outdoors - National/State Standards: School philosophy goals met: critical thinking, creativity, communication, place-based learning - art, national park service, arrowhead, Weir Farm National Historic Site, Impressionism, Symbol, perspective, Place-based, lesson plan, Resource, Preserve, Preservation, en plein air, rubric, badge, mission, inquiry OverviewThis curriculum unit includes three seasonal visits to the park, as well as in-class lessons, which encourage students to gain a broad perspective of the park. Students will design a symbol or badge to represent Weir Farm National Historic Site using the National Park Service Arrowhead as a model, and their newfound knowledge of their local national park as inspiration. Students will recognize symbols as a means of communication using the National Park Service Arrowhead as a model. They will explore and use observational skills to connect with Weir Farm National Historic Site and the mission and meanings related to the National Park Service. Using one's town (local park) as a context to expand knowledge of geography, history, human interdependence, while incorporating international comparisons. This may include comparing the history and geography of the local community with at least one other town in the United States and at least two towns or regions in other parts of the world. School philosophy goals met: critical thinking, creativity, communication, place-based learning Students will understand….. - The importance of preservation and conservation of land resources - Symbols provide valuable information and benefit society - Symbols are an important tool for communication - How visitors find meaning in the National Park Service Arrowhead Q1: Why are symbols important? In the park, how are symbols important? Q2: How do symbols benefit society? Q3: How do symbols allow us to process information? Q4: What role do symbols play within your school, your community, your local national park, the world? Q5: Why do communities use symbols? Student will know…. K1: Symbols are designed with specific details to make them effective. Symbols do not typically use words. K2: The National Park Service Arrowhead is a universal symbol that represents the aspects protected in all national parks. K3: Symbols provide safety and orientation. K4: Symbols are used throughout the world by a variety of cultures. K5: Individual perspectives affect interpretation and meanings of symbols. Student will be able to… - Recognize the importance of symbols in their surrounding environments. - Explain why symbols are important to society. - Design an original symbol of Weir Farm National Historic Site incorporating park resources, historically significant people or objects, and landscape features, which will then be made into a wearable badge. - Identify the different resources, aspects, and perspectives associated with Weir Farm National Historic Site and the National Park Service. Weir Farm National Historic Site is one of America's special places. Its natural beauty, coupled with its rich art history, allows this park to be a model for inspiration for all visitors. Students will visit the park on three occasions during three different seasons to gain a broader perspective of the park and what it has to offer its visitors. In addition to learning about and exploring their local national park, students will develop an understanding of the National Park Service mission, as well as the iconic Arrowhead logo. The National Park Service Arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The Sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values. It was registered Feb. 9, 1965, by the U.S. Patent Office as the official emblem of the National Park Service. Attachment 1, Hula Hoop Questionnaire: Using hula hoops in the landscape allows the children to frame a visual area in the park.By looking through a hula hoop, the students are now changing the perspective on how one uses a hula hoop (not around their waist as a toy, but more as a camera lens) as well as focusing on one particular perspective of the park. The Hula Hoop Questionnaire allows the children to reflect on their activities exploring different perspectives with the hula hoop. While some questions are open-ended, others are concrete. These questions encourage dialogue and communication among students. Attachment 2, Badge Rubric: A rubric is a scoring tool that lists the criteria for a piece of work, or “what counts”. For example, purpose, organization, details, and mechanics are often what count in a piece of writing; it also articulates gradations of quality for each criterion, from excellent to poor. Attachment 3, Badge Questionnaire: This form provides a check list in question format, for the students to use as they reflect and make sure all badge requirements have been met. Five question assessment form for Weir Your Badge, a lesson plan focused on Weir Farm National Historic Site. Download Attachment 2 for Weir Your Badge Lesson Plan. A rubric for the student created badge assessment. Download Attachment 3 badge questionnaire for Weir Your Badge Lesson Plan. Download Lesson 1, Classroom: Using Smartboard interactive activity, students participate and analyze symbols. Students receive a copy of the National Park Service Arrowhead and make observations. Teacher asks open-ended questions to students requiring them to reflect upon the National Park Service Arrowhead and to analyze the meaning behind the symbols that make up this iconic logo. All observations are documented and saved on Smartboard. Information on the significance of the National Park Service Arrowhead is shared. Each symbol on the National Park Service Arrowhead and what it represents is discussed. After sharing observations using the National Park Service Arrowhead, inform students they will be visiting Weir Farm National Historic Site, their local national park, and will explore the park with a hike to Weir Pond. Ask students to conjecture what they may observe during the hike. Provide students with journals. Inform students they will be acting as naturalists, using their journals to record observations. Lesson 2, Weir Farm National Historic Site: Meet with a park ranger. Receive introduction to the significance of the park. Review the National Park Service Arrowhead and meaning of symbols. Using park maps, navigate a hike around Weir Pond. Along the way, stop to look at significant landmarks located on maps including the Weir House, Weir and Young studios, sunken garden, and trails. Students discover that Weir Farm National Historic Site was, and continues to function as a retreat, a place apart, that now provides the 21st-century artist and visitor with a setting that nurtures inspiration, reflection, collaboration, and community. Students continue to make observations, while teacher generates open-ended questions. Note observations at pond. Hike back to visitor center. Lesson 3, Classroom: Reflection. Encourage students to write down thoughts about the hike around Weir Farm National Historic Site. Share notes, observations from journals. Lesson 4, Classroom: Prepare for winter hike. Ask students to ponder how the park may be different from their prior visit. What changes might they see? How will the park remain the same? Note student ideas. Lesson 5, Weir Farm National Historic Site: (Second visit to Weir Farm National Historic Site) This visit allows students to recognize the park as a natural place of beauty as well as a habitat and refuge for wildlife, both flora and fauna. Students are then partnered up for an activity in which they learn about perspective. Students arrive at park and meet with park ranger who introduces students to the Weir Preserve. Using a map of the preserve, students will navigate a hike while making observations in their journals. Such observations may include animal tracks and signs of wildlife. Post hike students will partner up. Each team will be given a hula hoop and will be asked to choose a location anywhere in the park to look through the hula hoop and illustrate the perspective of the park through that hula hoop by creating a perspective drawing. Perspective drawings are shared in the Burlingham Barn. (see attachment 1, Hula Hoop Questionnaire) Lesson 6, Classroom: Partners complete an original paragraph explaining the perspective drawings created while at Weir Farm National Historic Site. Paragraphs are edited, revised, and shared. Lesson 7, Weir Farm National Historic Site: The artistry of Julian Alden Weir and the many artists associated with Weir Farm National Historic Site challenge us to look carefully and observe purposefully, to focus on the palette of light, color, and pattern all around us. Students will act as true artists and be inspired to create drawings en plein air (in the open air) as artists have in this landscape for over 130 years. Using colored pencils and chalk pastels provided by the Weir Farm National Historic Site, students will observe and illustrate the beauty of the park by creating a plein air drawing. Lesson 8, Classroom: Students will write a descriptive passage describing their plein air drawing. Paragraphs are edited, revised, and shared. The students will then present their final pieces to the class. Lesson 9, Classroom: Finally, students are asked to design a symbol specific to Weir Farm National Historic Site which represents the many perspectives of the park. Their original symbol will be made into a wearable badge, and could also be used as a universal symbol or logo for the park. Using their knowledge and understanding of symbols and their meanings, prior experiences from visits to the park, artwork, and written work as resources, each student will design a unique Weir Farm National Historic Site badge. After their symbol design is complete, students are provided with pins and other tools to turn their original design into a wearable badge. Students receive a rubric (see attachment 2, Badge Rubric) to set expectations for the activity. Upon completion of their badge, students are provided with a writing prompt set of questions. (see attachment 3, Badge Questionnaire) Students are now asked to write a paragraph describing his or her badge as well as use the Badge Rubric to self-assess. Original badges are shared with the class, and discussed. All badge designs are displayed in the classroom/school. Park ranger visits classroom for final celebration. Students wear and present their badges and share journals, assessments, and artwork. Students are presented with certificates and become official Junior Rangers of Weir Farm National Historic Site. The completed paragraphs, artwork, and original Weir Farm National Historic Site symbol design and wearable badge. Other Evidence, Summarized: Journal entries, active participation, group discussions, observations, work on symbol/badge design, ability to use recognize symbols at Weir Farm National Historic Site, school grounds, and other community. Task 1: Students write down observations from analyzing symbols and National Park Service Arrowhead on Smart Board. What are some similarities and differences? What are common features of these symbols? What features do you think are important, and why? Task 2: Students write journal entries to begin inquiry process. Inform students of upcoming class activity to take place at Weir Farm National Historic Site. Have students look at maps of park for orientation. Ask students to answer journal questions (What do you expect to see? Explain what you know about Weir Farm National Historic Site by looking at the map. What might some of the symbols on the map represent?) Students continue to use journals in class and during visits to the park, documenting resources, thoughts, inspirations, and artistic impressions. Task 3: Students create a perspective drawing and complete the Hula Hoop Questionnaire. All observations are shared and discussed. Paragraphs and perspective drawings are created and shared. Task 4: Students create original plein air drawings at Weir Farm National Historic Site. Each drawing is accompanied by a descriptive paragraph. Paragraphs and plein air drawings are shared. Task 5: Using a rubric, students create an original, wearable Weir Farm National Historic Site badge. The badge incorporates symbols which represent varied perspectives of the park's resources and stories. Analysis of the Arrowhead symbol includes discussions and a growing understanding of the significance of protection of park resources and the mission of the National Park Service. The symbols represented on the Arrowhead provide a concrete example of what park resources are to be protected and preserved by the National Park Service, i.e., wildlife, landforms, nature, history, cultures. This lesson plan also engages the students in Weir Farm National Historic Site's cultural and natural resources through immersion and inquiry-based learning. ExtensionsTeachers are advised to encourage their students to explore their local parks and communities as well visit other national parks, recognizing these places are gifts of natural beauty and cultural history, and that it is their responsibility as stewards and members of the community to protect and preserve places of importance. McHugh, Erin, et al. National Parks : A Kid's Guide to America's Parks, Monuments and Landmarks. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2012. Print.
As the population on Earth continues to grow, Harvard scientists may have just stumbled upon some additional space—in the solar system. Earth-like planets, defined by the researchers as planets comparable in size and temperature to Earth, may be as close as 13 light years away, according a study conducted by third-year graduate student Courtney D. Dressing and astronomy professor David Charbonneau. Using public data available from NASA’s Kepler mission, a project tasked with measuring changes in the brightness of stars, Dressing set out to “find out how common planets like the earth are in the galaxy.” Dressing and Charbonneau searched the orbits of red dwarf stars—the most commonly found stars in the Milky Way galaxy—for planets similar in size and temperature to Earth. By measuring the extent to which a planet eclipsed the light of a nearby star, the researchers discovered that about six percent of red dwarf stars have earth-like planets in their orbits. Red dwarf stars are both smaller and cooler than the Sun. According to Dressing and Charbonneau, based on the results of the study, the search for habitable planets may be far more fruitful than previously thought. Charbonneau said the next step in their research is to ascertain which of these earth-like planets is the closest to Earth. After this, both he and Dressing hope to conduct further research about life on these planets—a plan that is contingent upon the completion of a large telescope, most likely the Giant Magellan Telescope that is currently under construction in Chile. The GMT will “be one of the next class of super giant earth-based telescopes that promises to revolutionize our view and understanding of the universe,” according to the telescope’s official website. The project has a planned end date of 2023. According to the researchers, these later phases of the study, once complete, might allow for scientists to continue the search for potential extraterrestrial life forms. “What everybody really wants to know is: are we alone?” Charbonneau said. “[Dressing’s] discovery is a very important step toward answering that question.” —Staff writer Jessica A. Barzilay can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @jessicabarzilay. BRIEF: Harvard Researchers Discover 'Super-Earth'Harvard researchers have discovered a "super-Earth" orbiting a red dwarf star 40 light-years from Earth with telescopes no larger than those used by amateur stargazers. ‘A’ For AstronomyPeople talk of grade inflation at Harvard, but there actually is a class that gives out automatic A’s—if you discover ... Hoekstra and Charbonneau Win Prize for Excellence in Science TeachingThe prize, which consists of a $10,000 personal award and $40,000 of research support, was endowed this past summer by a donation from Harvard alumnus Gardner Hendrie ’54. MIT Professor: Exoplanet Research Is a Burgeoning FieldIn a lecture hosted Wednesday by the Origins of Life Initiative, an interdisciplinary center focused on the development of life on Earth and the possibility of life on other planets, MIT professor Sara Seager listed conditions necessary for an extraterrestrial habitable planet and noted the speed at which other such planets are being discovered. Astronomers Discover Exoplanets Covered by OceansHarvard astronomers have discovered two exoplanets in the recently found Kepler-62 planetary system that are covered in endless oceans of water, making them viable candidates for sustaining life. Researchers Discover New Earth-Sized PlanetA team of scientists, including Harvard Lecturer in Astronomy David W. Latham, discovered Kepler 78b, a planet outside of our solar system that is a “virtual twin of Earth by astronomical standards."
Submitted by: Patricia M. Gurule Grade Levels: K-3 In this library skills lesson plan, which is adaptable for grades K-3, students use BrainPOP Jr. resources to explore the purpose of a library. Students will then demonstrate how to find a book in the library. - Explain the purpose of a library - Demonstrate how to find a book in the library - Printed set of any activity pages you wish to use - Computer and interactive white board or projector to access BrainPOP, Jr. resources library; librarian; genre; fiction; non-fiction; biography; Dewey Decimal System Preparation:This lesson can be used to introduce summer school students or regular session students to the school library. Preview the movie topics and plan appropriate talking points. - Brainstorm what students know about libraries. What is the purpose of a library? Use the Talk About It activity to frame the class discussion. Record student responses by typing directly into the page. - Show the Word Wall to help students define important library vocabulary. - Project the Library movie for the class, pausing throughout as needed to talk about how the information relates to what students will experience in the school library. - Complete the Sequence Game together as a class to review the steps in checking out a book. - Explain your school library's procedures and expectations and give a tour of the room. - As a closing activity or for homework, have students complete the Activity and create their own bookmarks to use on their next visit to the library when they check out books. - On students' second visit to the library, review basic information by projecting either the Libraries Easy Quiz or Hard Quiz, and taking it together as a class. - Tell the class they will learn procedures for book check out. Show the movie Choosing a Book. Pause the movie and clarify any special rules your school library has. - Afterward, use the Talk About It activity to help students synthesize what they learned and prepare to choose their books. - Guide students in selecting and checking out their first library book.
Klaus Zierer Æ 8 Read Tiveness and pitfalls of technology in the classroom;real life classroom examples;graphics to clearly illustrate key concepts and studiesThis book is a fascinating analysis of the impact possibilities and limits of the use of technology within education and will appeal to teachers and teacher trainers in any setting or count. Free read Putting Learning Before Technology For many digitalization is the key to revolutionizing education But what do we know about its impact on the learning process What benefits are on offer and what are the risks What are the conseuences for educational interventions Putting Learning Before Technology discusses these uestions and in a thorough exploration of the. Read ´ eBook, ePUB or Kindle PDF Æ Klaus Zierer Use of technology in educational settings Central to the author's argument is that digitalization as a sole and structural measure will bring little benefit and that the teachers who bring lessons to life are much important Features of the book includeevidence from Visible Learning research to scientifically frame the effec.
Supporting students' work with authentic data requires a carefully developed and rigorously-tested curriculum to help them understand what the data represent, and to guide them in how to use data analysis tools and visualizations to identify meaningful patterns and develop evidence-based hypotheses. The Ocean Tracks interface provides students with access to data collected by migrating marine animals, Earth-orbiting satellites, and drifting buoys, as well as a set of student-friendly tools that they can use to take measurements and look for patterns in these complex data sets. Student’s use of the interface is supported by curriculum that guides them through scientific investigations using the data. Classroom pilots of the Ocean Tracks program in 2013 tested two different models of curriculum supports—one that included more extensive, step-by-step instructions for students to follow that introduced them to the Ocean Tracks interface and how to use them to explore a series of questions (Phase 1a pilot), and a second model that is much shorter, less text dense, and gives students and teachers more freedom to perform independent explorations of the data (Phase 1b pilot). By testing these two models of curriculum supports, researchers are able to investigate the types and level of supports that are critical to engage students in scientific thinking with authentic data. An outline of the curriculum modules: In this introductory module, groups of students become familiar with the Ocean Tracks interface by exploring tracks of their assigned species to find the individual that has traveled the furthest and the fastest. Student groups then come together to compare their results and identify the “champion” species and individual. As a group, the class holds a discussion about the adaptations that enable species to travel long distances in the ocean. In this module, students generate a map showing the locations of elephant seal prey in the Pacific Ocean. They begin the activity by researching basic ecological concepts using the Ocean Tracks library, and constructing a basic food web for elephant seals. They then inspect and collect measurements of elephant seal tracks (such as average speed and curviness over different portions of the track) to gather evidence for where elephant seals might be feeding. Then, students inspect chlorophyll data, and combine this information with the measurements they took of the tracks to generate a map of where elephant seal prey are likely located. Students finish by discussing the importance of generating such maps, and thinking about additional ways in which they would conduct research to determine the locations of prey species. In this module, students are challenged with determining where diversity hotspots are located in the Pacific Ocean and also what species use them. They use the hotspot tool in the Ocean Tracks interface to identify areas with high data density. Students investigate why that particular area is a hotspot and what the animals are doing there using data layers such as sea surface temperature, chlorophyll and currents and researching information in the Ocean Tracks Library. Students work in groups and present their findings to the rest of the class to choose a final common diversity hotspot to then investigate why that location is a hotspot. Using the hotspot tool, students identify an area of the ocean that is heavily used by marine species. They then inspect the human impacts data overlay to identify how heavily impacted their hotspot area is by humans. Students go deeper into the human impacts data to identify the key activities that may harm marine species in the hotspot. This requires them to learn more about the human impacts index and how it was created, as well as conduct research using the Ocean Tracks library and outside sources. In this culminating module, students synthesize all of the pieces of information they have collected during their time using the Ocean Tracks interface to design a marine protected area. This requires them to think critically about how animals use the ocean habitat, and what characterizes productive areas of ocean at different times of the year. They present their findings to their classmates.
But then what is honeydew? It is a viscous and very sweet liquid, secreted by certain stinging and sucking insects (in particular aphids, cochineals, psyllids and whiteflies) and which covers the leaves and trunks of certain trees with non-melliferous flowers, such as pines, firs, oaks, ashes, birches, etc. How is it created? The insects involved gorge themselves on sap to feed. Very fond of it, they are able to swallow an amount equal to their own weight! Obviously, under these conditions, they only assimilate a tiny part of the sap as food and reject the rest. Their surprising anatomy allows them to contract their intestines so that the non-assimilated sap only passes through their body without being completely constrained at the various stages of digestion. It is the expelled sap that is called honeydew. How does it work then? Hungry, the bees then collect this rare liquid deposited on the leaves, branches and trunk of the tree. Proud of their plunder, they hurry back to the hive to begin their meticulous work as cooks. The result is the creation of honeydew honey; a rare honey prized by all. Why does the production of honeydew honey require an intermediary? First of all, the bees' proboscis is unsuitable for sinking into plant tissues to collect the sap. Moreover, although the excess sap is almost immediately rejected by insects, it still undergoes biochemical modification to give the famous honeydew. Apart from the raw material collected by the bee, what is the difference between honeydew honey and flower honey? First of all, a honeydew honey will always have a darker colour than a nectar honey and generally speaking, a more pronounced aroma. In addition, honeydew honeys contain fewer sugars but are richer in amino acids and minerals. Thus, their beneficial properties are multiple. For the record, bees are not the only ones who love honeydew. Indeed, our friends the ants are also big consumers of this sweet liquid and even go so far as to raise aphids in order to recover the honeydew.
Fallacies are common errors in reasoning that will undermine the logic of your argument. Fallacies can be either illegitimate arguments or irrelevant points and are often identified because they lack evidence that supports their claim. Avoid these common fallacies in your own arguments and watch for them in the arguments of others. Slippery Slope: This is a conclusion based on the premise that if A happens, then eventually through a series of small steps, through B, C,..., X, Y, Z will happen, too, basically equating A to Z. So, if we don't want Z to occur, A must not be allowed to occur either. Example: “If they change to parallel parking downtown, no one will want to park there and shop and so all of the stores downtown will shut down and the town’s economy will collapse.” In this example, the author is equating parking orientation to the economic stability of the town, which is unrelated. Hasty Generalization: This is a conclusion based on insufficient or biased evidence. In other words, you are rushing to a conclusion before you have all the relevant facts. Example: “Even though it's only council’s first major vote, I can tell that every decision they make will be wrong.” In this example, the author is basing their evaluation of town council’s entire four-year term on only one issue. To make a fair and reasonable evaluation the author must not look at one issue, but several issues addressed by council over a period of time. Post hoc ergo propter hoc: This is a conclusion that assumes that if 'A' occurred after 'B' then 'B' must have caused 'A.' Example: “The newest closure of a downtown business happened immediately after the tender for option two was awarded, so they must have closed shop because option two was going forward." In this example, the author assumes that if one event chronologically follows another, the first event must have caused the second. But the closure of the business could have been caused by other legal processes in place long before the tender was awarded. There is no reason, without more evidence, to assume that the awarding of the tender for option two caused this business to close. Circular Argument: This restates the argument rather than actually proving it. Example: “Coun. Jay Brennan is a good communicator because he speaks effectively.” In this example, the conclusion that Coun. Jay Brennan is a "good communicator" and the evidence used to prove it "he speaks effectively" are basically the same idea. Specific evidence such as using everyday language, breaking down complex problems, or illustrating his points with humorous stories would be needed to prove either half of the sentence. Either/or: This is a conclusion that oversimplifies the argument by reducing it to only two sides or choices. Example: “You are either for the angled parking protests or you are against democracy.” In this example, the two choices are presented as the only options, yet the author ignores a range of choices in between such as joining committees, delegations, proper petitioning or letter writing to engage in the democratic process. Ad hominem: This is an attack on the character of a person rather than his or her opinions or arguments. Example: “Parallel parking supporters are not credible and therefore not entitled to have an opinion of any kind” In this example, the author doesn't say why parallel parking supporters are not credible, much less evaluate their views on any kind of merit. Instead, the author attacks the characters of the individuals in the group. Ad populum/Bandwagon Appeal: This is an appeal that presents what most people, or a group of people think, in order to persuade one to think the same way. Getting on the bandwagon is one such instance of an ad populum appeal. Example: If you truly love the town, you must put a “keep angled parking” sign in your storefront.” In this example, the author equates loving the town, a concept that people want to be associated with, particularly small businesses, with having to support a certain orientation of parking. Red Herring: This is a diversionary tactic that avoids the key issues, often by avoiding opposing arguments rather than addressing them. Example: “Angle parking may be unsafe in the downtown core, but what will businesses do to support their families when they go out of business from having slightly less convenient parking spots in front of their stores?” In this example, the author switches the discussion away from the safety of the street and talks instead about an economic issue, slightly less convenient parking downtown impacting businesses. While one issue may affect the other it does not mean we should ignore safety issues because of a possible inconvenience to a few individuals. Straw Man: This move oversimplifies an opponent's viewpoint and then attacks that hollow argument. Example: “People who don't support the angle parking protest must be in the Mayor’s pocket.” In this example, the author attributes the worst possible motive to an opponent's position. In reality, however, the opposition probably has more complex and sympathetic arguments to support their point. By not addressing those arguments, the author is not treating the opposition with respect or refuting their position. Moral Equivalence: This fallacy compares minor misdeeds with major atrocities, suggesting that both are equally immoral. Example: “Parallel parking and bike lanes downtown make Smiths Falls just like a communist state.” In this example, the author is comparing the relatively harmless change of parking orientation to living in a state-controlled country, without free speech and other basic legal and human rights. This comparison is not only unfair and inaccurate, but also insensitive to those who have fled such states.
How Spanish Nouns Evolved From Latin As most readers know, Spanish is one of several languages that evolved from Latin, which was the language of the Roman Empire. This language family is relatively young. They are called, collectively, Latinate or Romance languages. The word “Romance” has nothing to do with romantic, but with Roman. When the Roman Empire fell, the Latin spoken in the various regions of what had been politically unified began to differentiate. This period is known as the Middle Ages. These late forms of spoken Latin are often called proto-Romance, for early Romance language or, more specifically, proto-Spanish, proto-Italian and so forth. For whatever reason, the Latin spoken in the central part of the Iberian peninsula (Castile), formed its nouns differently than their cousins in Italy. The Italians formed nouns based on the nominative case in Latin, the form used to denote a grammatical subject. In Castile, on the other hand, the nouns were formed from the form of a Latin noun used as the direct object, known as the accusative case. Latin distinguishes singular and plural by various endings in all the various cases. Let’s take one example. The word homo-sapiens comes from the singular form for man in the nominative case (when man is the subject of a clause). Likewise, homines is the plural, which gave rise to uomo and uomi in Italy, for man and men. In Spain, the accusative case, singular and plural was the starting point for the evolution of hominem and homines (the latter is also the accusative plural) to become hombre and hombres. Here are the principal stages from hominem to hombre: hominem > homne > hombre. The first step involved the weak pronunciation of the final m and the loss of the brief syllable i. This brought the n and the m together. The next step is curious – the place and mode of articulating (pronouncing) this consonant cluster resulted in a b (the bilabial occlusive m brings the lips together and then an r “sprung up” because of the position and mode of pronouncing the n. Try saying them in sequence and you can almost feel the impact the passage of time has on language! - The author has more than 20 years' experience teaching and translating Spanish. This post is part of the series: How Latin Became Spanish The articles in this series deal with the etymology and evolution of Spanish from its mother tongue. They are written for the non-specialist, for teachers whose students ask the inevitable question “why…” which can only be answered with a “how…”
Immune cells known as plasma cells are the body’s antibody factories. Following infections, plasma cells make antibodies targeted against the specific pathogenic microbes or against their antigens, in the case of vaccinations. Most plasma cells die off within weeks of forming, but some survive for decades, particularly in the bone marrow, where they continue to pump out antibodies and provide protection against the same pathogen. Plasma cells were thought to be immobile, and the nature of the bone-marrow niche supporting their long-term survival was poorly defined. In a study published online on February 9 in Cell Reports, David Fooksman, Ph.D., and colleagues used intravital imaging to show that plasma cells in the bone marrow actually travel within the bone marrow in a unique migration pattern involving intermittent periods of high motility followed by longer stretches of confined migration or arrest. The researchers also identified factors that contribute to plasma cell movement (including the plasma-cell receptor CXCR4 and the cytokine APRIL) and to cell arrest (the receptor VLA-4). The findings suggest that plasma-cell survival depends on their motility and expression of CXCR4—both of which may increase with age. These elderly “super” plasma cells may outcompete newly formed plasma cells for factors needed to survive, perhaps explaining why older adults have weaker vaccination responses. Dr. Fooksman is an associate professor of pathology and of microbiology & immunology at Einstein. Posted on: Friday, March 12, 2021
Worksheet. September 24th , 2020. By the end of the school year, kids will be reading words and small sentences with confidence. Stories with reading comprehension exercises. First grade reading worksheets pdf. Explore 250+ first grade language arts worksheets identifying the nouns take the kids on a noun hunt with this grade 1 language arts worksheet and get them to read each sentence, identify the nouns or words that refer to things, people, animals, or places and underline them. Advancing from preschool and kindergarten playtime to first grade desk time is a significant transition for children who will now transfer the reading and writing skills they have been acquiring to the actual work of reading and writing and math. Besides, students also learn additions and subtraction. The following are some things that need preparing when giving the 1st grade reading comprehension worksheets. What do kids learn in first grade? 1st grade reading comprehension these reading worksheets were written at a first grade level, but it's important to remember that reading level varies from student to student. Free 1st grade reading comprehension, printable pdf worksheets to use in the classroom or at home. Worksheets > reading > grade 1. Jump down to these first grade printable worksheets: First grade reading comprehension free pdf First grade reading worksheets pdf; Emphasis on improving number learning with patterns, addition, subtraction, and math fact fluency. Our first grade reading and writing worksheets provide practice in crafting sentences using proper capitalization and punctuation, decoding words, and reading comprehension. Worksheets > reading > grade 1 > children's stories. This series also includes 50 sight words that are typically taught in first grade. Chapter books for 1st graders Both parents and teachers will find jumpstart’s reading worksheets for 1st. When kids make the leap from kindergarten to first grade, their foundational reading and writing skills need to be up for the jump. A visit to the water park fiction, 117 words Questions for grade 1 students are focused on recalling information directly from the text. 100 books 1st graders can read themselves with free 1st grade reading books pdf; Each passage or poem is followed by questions. Incoming search terms:!st grade comprehension free workheets; Reading comprehension first grade reading comprehension worksheets for 1st grade On 1st grade student learn a simple lesson, such as learning to count and read simple sentences. After they read the passage, students then answer the comprehension questions that follow. Get all 328 1st grade english worksheets instantly. Research shows that children need choice in what they read and write! These worksheets are pdf files and can be printed. Printable worksheets to practice and improve reading comprehension, vocabulary and writing. So many times, children simply need some old fashioned review and practice. Our premium 1st grade english worksheets collection covers reading, writing, phonics, and grammar. These leveled stories, each followed by comprehension questions, are taken from our series of leveled reading workbooks ranging in difficulty from a to z. There are 36 weeks of first grade worksheets, following. First grade thanksgiving, pilgrims, and native americans reading comprehension workbook with math thanksgiving word challenge workbook 1st grade thanksgiving no prep spelling book First graders are expected to have attained proficiency in reading small words. The worksheets include first grade appropriate reading passages and related questions. First grade outline of math, reading, and writing skills math. This entry was posted in coloring pages and tagged 1st grade, reading, reading comprehension, worksheet on october 30, 2020 by wahyudc. Leveled stories & reading worksheets. 92 1st grade reading worksheets. Children can achieve this through a lot of practice, whether at school or in a home. Printable anatomy worksheets for college. Rich with scads of practice, the ccss aligned printable 1st grade math worksheets with answer keys help kids solve addition and subtraction problems within 20, extend their counting sequence, understand place value and number systems, measure length and compare sizes, tell time, count money, represent and interpret data, and know the attributes of 2d and 3d shapes in geometry. Math worksheets for first graders that your students will want to complete. 21 posts related to grade 1 1st grade reading comprehension worksheets pdf. Write sentences, and learn to use the proper punctuation also learned in 1st grade. They will count and write numbers up to 120. Pinterest facebook twitter reddit email. Their spelling is also better. 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Current state-of-the-art global climate models predict substantial warming in response to increases in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. The models, though, disagree widely in the magnitude of the warming we can expect. The disagreement among models is mainly due to the different representation of clouds. Some models predict that global mean cloud cover will increase in a warmer climate and the increased reflection of solar radiation will limit the predicted global warming. Other models predict reduced cloudiness and magnified warming. In a paper recently published in the Journal of Climate, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa researchers have assessed the performance of current global models in simulating clouds and have presented a new approach to determining the expected cloud feedbacks in a warmer climate. “All the global climate models we analyzed have serious deficiencies in simulating the properties of clouds in present-day climate,” said lead author Axel Lauer of UH Mānoa’s International Pacific Research Center. “It’s unfortunate that the global models’ greatest weakness may be in the one aspect that is most critical for predicting the magnitude of global warming.” To study the clouds, the researchers applied a model representing only a limited region of the atmosphere over the eastern Pacific Ocean and adjacent land areas. The clouds in this region are known to greatly influence present climate, yet current global models do poorly in representing them. The regional model, developed at the IPRC, successfully simulates key features of the region’s present-day cloud fields, including the observed response of clouds to El Nino. Having evaluated the model’s simulation of present-day conditions, the researchers examined the response of simulated clouds in a warmer climate such as it might be in 100 years from now. The tendency for clouds to thin and cloud cover to reduce was more pronounced in this model than in any of the current global models. Added co-author Kevin Hamilton of IPRC, “If our model results prove to be representative of the real global climate, then climate is actually more sensitive to perturbations by greenhouse gases than current global models predict, and even the highest warming predictions would underestimate the real change we could see.” About the IPRC The International Pacific Research Center (IPRC) of the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa is a climate research center founded to gain greater understanding of the climate system and the nature and causes of climate variation in the Asia-Pacific region and how global climate changes may affect the region. Established under the “U.S.-Japan Common Agenda for Cooperation in Global Perspective” in October 1997, the IPRC is a collaborative effort between agencies in Japan and the United States. About the University The University of Hawai`i at Mānoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Mānoa students matriculate in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit http://manoa.hawaii.edu.
Science at Heyes Lane Primary School "A high-quality science education provides the foundations for understanding the world through the specific disciplines of biology, chemistry and physics. Science has changed our lives and is vital to the world’s future prosperity, and all pupils should be taught essential aspects of the knowledge, methods, processes and uses of science. Through building up a body of key foundational knowledge and concepts, pupils should be encouraged to recognise the power of rational explanation and develop a sense of excitement and curiosity about natural phenomena." (National Curriculum 2014) Summary of Aims of the Science Curriculum at Heyes Lane Our aims in teaching Science include: children develop a secure knowledge and understanding in biology, chemistry and physics children develop an understanding of how to work scientifically through practical work using various types of enquiry children understand how scientific knowledge and understanding has changed the world we live in and develop an understanding of the uses of science, today and in the future children maintain an enthusiasm and curiosity in science through practical, hands-on, fun lessons Enrichment and Engagement In addition to weekly lessons, children are engaged and excited about science through special events and activities. We hold an annual Science Week, incorporating fun and unusual experiments. During Science Week and throughout the year, children enjoy special visits from experts in different aspects of Science. As well as this, children’s Science work is supported and enriched through educational visits to local places and museums. For those children who would like to enjoy additional Science, a Science Club and Gifted and Talented workshops are available throughout the year.
To enable students to list the conditions which led César Chávez to direct the farm workers' struggle for economic wellbeing and to evaluate current issues facing farm workers and the American consumer today. Filter by subjects: Filter by audience: Filter by unit » issue area: find a lesson Unit: Concepts of Leadership Unit: Jobs on the Move In this lesson, learners study vocabulary and concepts of the Great Depression. They explore the factors that led to the Great Depression and compare them to the economic conditions of the recent recession of 2008 and 2009. Learners read excerpts from two literature books by John Steinbeck and... In response to an activity involving unfair distribution of food, students explore what can be done to address the issue of child hunger in the United States. They conduct an investigation of hunger in the local community. Students join with a nonprofit organization and take action to address... To help students realize the ways that writing has served as a historical tool, and to understand that through writing individuals have captured and preserved history. In this lesson the learners will explore food scarcity and abundance as they relate to issues of poverty, wealth and health. They will identity a need in their community and explore ways that they might help reduce poverty, hunger, and ill-health there.
HOHENFELS, Germany — The Joint Multinational Readiness Center and U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria Hohenfels celebrated Women’s Equality Day Aug. 27 to honor the passing of the 19th Amendment and bring attention to the continuing efforts to achieve full equality. “The first step of Women’s Equality was the 19th Amendment the right for women to vote. The courage, the sacrifice, the hardships and the setbacks that had to be overcome must have been enormous,” said Sergeant First Class Shannon S. Wyatt, garrison equal opportunity advisor for U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden. “If they could see 99 years later, what seemed impossible is now day-to-day living.” August 26 is more important than you might think. On this date in 1920, the United States passed the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. Suddenly, roughly half of the citizens in the U.S., who had previously been denied a voice in their government, could make their feelings and opinions heard. Voting is one of America’s most cherished democratic liberties, and it has a long and storied history. It continues to be a hot topic of conversation. Exercising our right to vote is a civil liberty we often take for granted. In many places, universal suffrage is a relatively recent privilege. This right for women actually began as early as 1893 when the first women won the right to vote in New Zealand and led the way for more than 25 places around the world. Women’s Equality Day is more than just a day to celebrate rights — it is also a chance to remember the women behind the fight for equality.
Earth Science Lesson Plans cover topics of earth history, geologic time, geology, and the development of life. Though each of these is presented as individual lessons they should be presented in the context of a larger whole. Because this is a concept we believe is important we are presenting themed lesson plan modules. We are working on new modules and will be adding them as they are completed. Our intent is to provide you with a core of earth science lesson plans and activities that will provide the foundations of an earth science/earth history program, or that can enrich what you are already doing. Our goal is to structure the lessons so that they can unfold over the course of the year, or more short-term as thematic units lasting a week or several weeks depending on your interest and the level of excitement of your children and, of course, the scheduling of everything else you have to do. Here are some key points to keep in mind when presenting these earth science lesson plans: The Clock of Eras is a series of earth science lesson plans that tell the story of the earth. From the big bang, volcanoes, the formation of oceans, and the cooling of the planet to the beginnings of life and its evolution. Build your Own Volcano Model Geology Layer Cake Check out some of the Educational Materials for sale on our sister site fossilicious.com. Geologic Time Geologic Time LineProterozoic Era
By Jeffrey MacCormack & Nancy L. Hutchinson Even in a world where we have easy access to spell check software on our computers and smartphones, the ability to spell is important. Some researchers consider spelling to be among the highest regarded skills of expressive writing and spelling is often considered to be an indication of education level or intelligence (Vaughn & Bos, 2009). Spelling is an important skill because it has a positive effect on reading and expressive writing outcomes (Kohnen, Nickels, & Coltheart, 2010; Sayeski, 2011; Wanzek et al., 2006). Spelling is particularly challenging in English because English is a morphophonemic language, which means that the spelling of words is more related to the meaning of the word rather than the letter/sound relationship. For example, the letters ‘qua’ in square may be confusing to someone trying to align the sound with the spelling. However, that spelling makes more sense in light of the word’s relationship with other words such as quadrant and the original Latin exquadrare. For all learners, effective spelling requires that the individual can hear the sounds (phonemic awareness) and then transfer those sounds to written text (alphabetic knowledge; Ehri, 2000). Even though spelling can be a challenge for students of all abilities, spelling is particularly difficult for students with learning disabilities (LDs). Spelling may be the most common challenge faced by students with LDs (Bos & Vaughn, 2006). In fact, students with LDs are often much less capable spellers than younger typically developing students (Friend & Olson, 2008). Spelling is more difficult for students with LDs for two main reasons: (a) they may struggle with identifying the sounds of words (Wendling & Mather, 2009); and (b) they may have difficulty generalizing skills between contexts (Wanzek et al., 2006). Generalization is the application of learning from one context to another context. Being able to generalize is an important part of spelling competence because spelling patterns have to be generalized to unfamiliar words to be effective (Kohnen, Nickels, & Coltheart, 2010). The challenges recognizing word sounds and generalizing spelling patterns means that even if students with LDs are initially successful in spelling programs, the knowledge may not be retained past the end-of-week tests (Morris, Blanton, Blanton, & Perney, 1995). To develop programs that help students with LDs, it is important to know about spelling programs that have been developed for all students. Early in the 20th century, educators began using spelling lists as a strategy because it was believed that the complexity of spelling rules made teaching general strategies useless (Schlagal, 2002). By the 1960s, that perception had changed because rule-based programs had been shown to be able to effectively improve spelling. It is now believed that rule-based programs are the most effective way to support learners with LDs (Wanzek et al., 2006). Historically, three basic types of spelling programs have been used in the classroom: (a) incidental; (b) developmental word study; and (c) basal spelling programs (Schagel, 2002). Incidental writing programs focus on correcting words that are misspelled while completing other work (e.g. students add words to spelling list that were misspelled on science report). Developmental word study programs focus on developing remedial strategies that are appropriate for the individual’s strategy stages (e.g. students complete an individualized program based on their needs). Basal spelling programs develop skills based on incrementally more complex words by grade level (e.g. students complete spelling lists for their grade level). Regardless of which spelling program is utilized in the classroom, researchers have found that learners follow through four general stages of spelling strategies. When confronted with an unfamiliar word, students use one of the following four strategies: - sound-to-letter (APL for “apple”); - sound-to-letter mapping (PLES for “please”); - sound-pattern representation (EEL for “peel”); and - meaning-pattern representation (adding a suffix for past tense). While researchers used to think that learners moved through the strategy stages in turn (Stage theory; e.g. Ehri, 1991), current research suggests that learners move back and forth fluidly between the stages (Overlapping waves theory; e.g. Varnhagen et al., 1997). How We Can Help The types of spelling programs that are effective for typically developing students may not be effective for students with LDs. For example, many spelling programs rely on independent work at home or at school, but these strategies may not be as effective for students with LDs. Students with LDs do best when they have continuous feedback (Sayeski, 2011). Also, spelling programs developed for typically developing students may teach spelling rules by developing a foundation of spelling words (end-of-week spelling lists). The spelling word list may not be effective for students with LDs because they may have difficulty generalizing spelling rules to unfamiliar words (Wanzek et al., 2006). When we teach small numbers of words and constantly review them, students with LDs have shown great gains in their spelling competence. However, without being able to generalize this competence to unfamiliar words, students with LDs risk never being able to develop a large spelling vocabulary. Effective spelling programs for students with LDs are discussed in four categories: - features of instructional delivery; - computer-assisted instruction; - multisensory training; and - study and word practice procedures (Wanzek et al., 2006). Some positive gains have been made when the teacher uses error imitation analysis (e.g., repeating the error before correcting it; Fulk & Stormont-Spurgin, 1995; Gordon et al., 1993). After the student completes the pre-test, the teacher corrects the mistakes by writing the mistake down and stating “this is how you spelled this word.” The teacher then writes the correct word and says “this is how you spell it correctly.” When using this strategy, be sure to establish that the corrected spelling aligns with an overall spelling rule (e.g. the ‘e’ is dropped when a suffix is added). There is some evidence to suggest that even though this process can be effective, it may also be perceived by the student as a punishment (Nulman & Gerber, 1984). Students with LDs do better learning spelling rules when the instructor limits the number of new words learned to three or fewer words. Rather than include a mixed assortment of words at one time, students with LDs do better when a few words are taught every day. This is especially true for words with irregular spellings. Some researchers believe that the most effective method is to include a maximum of three words with irregular spellings at a time (Gettinger, Bryant, & Fayne, 1982). Self-regulation strategy development (SRSD) A team of researchers (Graham and colleagues, 2003, 2005) have developed techniques to help students with learning disabilities monitor their own learning. For spelling strategies, researchers recommend using a self-monitoring checklist such as generate-and-test or spelling-by-analogy (Reid, Lienemann, & Hagaman, 2013). Generate-and-test: The generate-and-test checklist includes a series of questions such as “do I know the word?” and “how many syllables do I hear?” Students follow the checklist to remind themselves of the steps to effective spelling. Spelling-by-analogy: The spelling-by-analogy strategy categorizes words by their sound-families. For example, a student can apply their knowledge of the spelling of ‘game’ to spell related words like ‘flame’ and ‘shame’. Morphological problem solving is the method by which unfamiliar words can be decoded through the analysis of meaning elements (e.g. prefix, base, suffix). Students learn about the origin and construction of words. Rather than using a shallow and wide method (teaching many words), morphological analysis provides deep and narrow instruction about the meaning elements of (fewer) words. Even though recent literature has demonstrated that morphological instruction improves reading and spelling competencies (Carlisle, 2007) it has not been widely accepted in classroom programs (Nunes & Bryant, 2006). Morphological problem-solving strategies such as word matrix and word sum development are effective classroom tools (Bowers & Kirby, 2010). Morphological instruction may help learners with irregular word spellings, which is a challenge that has received little research attention (Kohnen, Nickels, & Coltheart, 2010). If educators are interested in learning how to teach morphology in their classrooms, they can find more information on the WordWorks Literacy Centre webpage. Click here to visit the webpage. Computer-assisted instruction has been effective at teaching spelling to students with LDs when the software incorporates the time-delay technique (Fulk & Stormont-Spurgin, 1995). The time-delay technique involves a brief delay between the student’s attempt and the subsequent corrective guidance. Usually, as the student becomes more skilled, the waiting time is increased (progressive time delay). For some students, it is better if the time delay is constant. Computer-assisted instruction is well suited for this type of strategy because current computers can recognize spoken language, provide dynamic feedback, and speak words to the student. Multisensory training refers to the use of tools, objects, or devices that increase sensory input of the learning experience. Multisensory training might involve keying the letters into a computerized toy. The Speak and Spell learning toy was an extremely popular multi-sensory device in the 1980s. Modern devices such as iPads run similar spelling apps (e.g. Speaking Spell). Multisensory devices use strategies, such as write-and-say, for rote practice and dynamic feedback. Computerized spelling toys are ways to practice the write-and-say technique because using the toy can be motivating for students. The write-and-say technique has been used effectively for math skills as well (e.g., learning multiplication tables). Study and Word Practice Study and word practice procedures include strategies such as copy-the-word or cover-write-compare. These activities provide students with opportunities to practice the spelling of a developmentally appropriate list of words with a teacher present. Students with LDs may not demonstrate as many gains when using study and word practice independently. Improved spelling outcomes have also been achieved using structured peer tutoring. For younger students with LDs, practice activities should be introduced as soon as the students can recognize 15 letters of the alphabet (Harwell, 2001). For older students with LDs, study and word practice should be conducted in meaningful contexts. Components of Effective Instruction Wanzek and colleagues (2006) conducted a synthesis to identify the components that are required for effective instructional strategies. Wanzek and colleagues identified four key components that are required for any spelling program for students with learning disabilities: - systematic study; - immediate corrective feedback; - repeated practice; and - teaching of rules and/or morphology. The interventions listed above include various levels of these four components. It should also be noted that students with LDs did best when the program included explicit instruction of spelling rules in combination with immediate feedback from teacher or peer (Telecsan, Slaton, & Stephens, 1999; Wanzek et al., 2006). Technology for spelling can be broken into two main categories: (a) technology designed to improve spelling skills (e.g. software titles that teach spelling rules) and (b) technology designed to compensate for limited spelling skills. Technology to Instruct Computer-assisted instruction is related to increased motivation and positive gains in spelling when used in combination with time delay instructional delivery (Fulk & Stormont-Spurgin, 1995; Gordon et al., 1993; Wanzek et al., 2006). Gordon, Vaughn, and Schumm(1993) reported that students with LD prefer multisensory training that includes a range of components such as auditory feedback (e.g. the write-and-say method) and keyboard input for practice (e.g. spelling software package). It should be noted that teaching spelling without explicit instruction of rules does not improve spelling of words with unpredictable spelling (Kohnen, Nickels, & Coltheart, 2010). Technology to Compensate Technologies such as spell check and word prediction do not directly improve students’ abilities to spell. There are advantages to using these tools, however. By “outsourcing” the task of spelling to the software, the student is able to concentrate on higher-level mental tasks such as planning the writing and organizing ideas. In some ways, using spelling technology as compensatory means that the teacher is putting more emphasis on the quality of the expressive writing, rather than the accuracy of the spelling. Teachers should carefully consider the overall goals of each writing task when deciding which technology to use. Related Resources from the LD@school Website The article, Helping Students with Learning Disabilities to Improve their Spelling through a Reading-Writing Workshop, offers educators a four-step approach to helping students improve their spelling skills. Click here to access the article. Click here to access the evidence-based article, Interventions for Students with Writing Disabilities Click here to access the Ask the Experts answer to the question, "What strategies can be used for teaching reading and writing to intermediate age students with LDs?", answered by Nathalie Paquet-Bélanger LDonline has put together a short list of suggestions for teaching spelling to students with LDs. Click here to access the list from LDonline. LDonline has also put together a set of five guidelines that you can share with your students who are struggling with learning to spell. You can share the strategies directly with your older students or guide your younger students through them. Click here to access the guidelines from LDonline. Bos, C. S., & Vaughn, S. (2006). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behavior problems (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Bowers, P. & Kirby, J. (2010). Effects of morphological instruction on vocabulary acquisition. Reading and Writing, 23, 515-537. Carlisle, J. F. (2007). Fostering morphological processing, vocabulary development, and reading comprehension. In R. K. Wagner, A. E. Muse, & K. R. Tannenbaum (Eds.), Vocabulary acquisition: Implications for reading comprehension (pp. 78–103). NY: Guilford Press.Carruthers, P. & Smith P. (eds). 1996. Theories of Theories of Mind. Cambridge University Press. Ehri, L. C. (2000). Learning to read and learning to spell: Two sides of a coin. Topics in Language Disorders, 20(3), 19–36. Friend, A. & Olson, R. (2008). Phonological spelling and reading deficits in children with spelling disabilities. Scientific Studies in Reading, 12, 90-105. Fulk, B. M., & Stormont-Spurgin, M. (1995). Spelling interventions for students with disabilities: A review. The Journal of Special Education, 28, 488–513. Gordon, J., Vaughn, S., & Schumm, J. S. (1993). Spelling interventions: A review of literature and implications for instruction for students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 8, 175–181. Gettinger, M., Bryant, N. D., & Fayne, H. R. (1982). Designing spelling instruction for learning-disabled children: An emphasis on unit size, distributed practice, and training for transfer. The Journal of Special Education, 16, 439–448. Graham, S., & Harris, K. (2003). Students with learning disabilities and the process of writing. In H. L. Swanson, K. R. Harris, & S. Graham (Eds.), Handbook of learning disabilities (pp. 323–344). New York, NY: Guilford. Graham, S., Harris, K. & Mason, L. (2005). Improving the writing performance, knowledge, and self-efficacy of struggling young writers: The effects of self-regulated strategy development. Contemporary Education Psychology, 30, 207-241. Harwell, J. (2001). Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook (2nd Ed.) San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Kohnen, S., Nickels, L., & Coltheart, M. (2010). Skill generalisation in teaching spelling to children with learning difficulties. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, 15, 115-129. Morris, D., Blanton, L., Blanton, W. E., & Perney, J. (1995). Spelling instruction and achievement in six classrooms. Elementary School Journal, 96(2), 145–162. Nulman, J. & Gerber, M. (1984). Improving spelling performance by imitating a child’s errors. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 17, 328-333. Nunes, T., & Bryant, P. (2006). Improving literacy by teaching morphemes. New York: Routlege. Reid, R., Lienemann, T. & Hagaman, J. (2013). Strategy instruction for students with learning disabilities: Second edition. K. R. Harris & S. Graham (Eds.). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Sayeski, K. (2011). Effective spelling instruction for students with learning disabilities. Intervention in School and Clinic, 47, 75-81. Schagel, R. C. (2002). Classroom spelling instruction: History, research, and practice. Reading Research and Instruction, 42(1),44–57. Telecsan, B. L., Slaton, D. B., & Stephens, D. B. (1999). Peer tutoring: Teaching students with learning disabilities to deliver time delay instruction. Journal of Behavioral Education, 9, 133–154. Vaughn, S. & Bos, C. (2009). Strategies for teaching students with learning and behaviour problems (7thed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ, Pearson. Varnhagen, C. K., McCallum, M., & Burstow, M. (1997). Is children’s spelling naturally stage-like? Reading and Writing: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 9, 451–481. Wendling, B. & Mather, N. (2009). Essentials of evidence-based academic interventions. A. S. Kaufman & N. L. Kaufman (Eds.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Wanzek, J., Vaughn, S., Wexler, J., Swanson, E., Edmonds, M., & Kim, A. (2006). A synthesis of spelling and reading interventions and their effects on the spelling outcomes of students with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 39, 528-543. Searches were conducted of the literature for content appropriate for this topic that was published in scientific journals and other academic sources. The search included online database searches (ERIC, PsycINFO, Queen’s Summons, and Google Scholar). The gathered materials were checked for relevance by analysing data in this hierarchical order: (a) titles; (b) abstracts; (c) method; and (d) entire text. The search of the literature included three stages. The first stage gathered studies and reports if they aligned with the keywords (learning, disabilt, spelling, skill, meta analysis, technolog) and were published during the years 2000-2013. For the second stage, I read the studies gathered in stage 1 and used the reference lists to retro-analyze the origin of the conceptual foundations. Based on the hand-search, I sought out a series of meta-analyses conducted in the late 1990s which appeared to constitute the theoretical knowledge base about learning disabilities (Swanson & Hoskyn, 1998). I also located non-digital sources such as Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook (Harwell, 2001) and Strategy Instruction for Students with Learning Disabilities: Second Edition (Reid, Lienemann, & Hagaman, 2013). For the third stage, I hand-searched the publications of the last four years of key journals such as Reading and Writing to manually find any items that were previously missed. The process I described above uses searches that are specific to systematic keyword, content, and journal title as recommended in the literature (Card, 2012). It incorporated elements of the standard literature review method (O’Connor, 1992) and Network theory method (Ryan, Scapens, & Theobald, 1991). Card, N. (2012). Applied meta-analysis for social science research. New York, NY: The Guilford Press. O’Connor, S. (1992). Network theory: A systematic method for literature review. Nurse Education Today, 12, 44-50. Ryan, R., Scapens, R., & Theobald, M. (1991). Research methods and methodologies in accounting and finance. London, UK: Academic Press. Jeffrey is a PhD student at the Faculty of Education, Queen's University, with a focus on cognition. He is a teacher certified by the Ontario College of Teachers with 9 years of experience teaching elementary school. He worked as an instructor at Queen's University and has taught and authored online courses for educators. He is currently conducting research on several topics including: learning disabilities, autism, emotional well-being, and youth development. Nancy L. Hutchinson is a professor of Cognitive Studies in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University. Her research has focused on teaching students with learning disabilities (e.g., math and career development) and on enhancing workplace learning and co-operative education for students with disabilities and those at risk of dropping out of school. In the past five years, in addition to her research on transition out of school, Nancy has worked with a collaborative research group involving researchers from Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia on transition into school of children with severe disabilities. She teaches courses on inclusive education in the preservice teacher education program as well as doctoral seminars on social cognition and master’s courses on topics including learning disabilities, inclusion, and qualitative research. She has published six editions of a textbook on teaching students with disabilities in the regular classroom and two editions of a companion casebook.
Galileo Galilei, an Italian mathematician, and astronomer was just one of the first scientists of the Old World who first saw mountains and craters on the moon. Since ancient times, scientists and astronomers have been keeping track of the solar system and its planets, discovering many mountains and volcanoes. Modern telescopes have brought more success in finding more mountains in our solar system today. The Hubble Telescope was launched in 1990 into low-earth orbit and is still functioning today. Launched in 2003, the Spitzer Space Telescope is in its second phase mission. The James Webb Space Telescope is still being built and will be launched in 2018. Solar System's Giants Astronomers and scientists have discovered taller mountains on other planets compared to earth's tallest mountains. Many mountains on other planets are immense due to the absence of plate tectonics that causes Earth's mountains to be stunted. The following list features these tallest mountains. Surprisingly, only one mountain on Earth, the Mauna Loa of Hawaii, features on this list. Mount Everest is not on this list since the measurements given are those that have measured the distance from the mountain's base to its peak. The factor of height above sea level has been discarded in this case since it is not applicable in planets of the outer space. First on the list is Olympus Mons towering at a height of 15.50 miles, found to the northwest of Tharsis Montes. It has six nested calderas inside a central caldera measuring 57 miles wide and 2 miles deep. Second on the list is Rheasilvea Monsat at 13.20 miles in height found on Asteroid Vesta. Its crater is about 8.1 miles deep and 120 miles wide. It is close enough to another crater almost covering the other crater. Third on the list is the Equatorial Ridge of Iapetus at a height of 12.40 miles found on Saturn. It is 12.42 miles wide and 808 miles long. Fourth on the list is Ascreaus Mons at a height of 11.30 miles found in the Tharsis region of Mars. It is 298.258 wide and covered with fine dust around its base. Fifth on the list is Boösaule Montes at a height of 10.90 miles found in Io, a moon of Jupiter. It is 335.54 miles wide and covers 11122.54434 square miles. Sixth on the list is Arsia Mons at a height of 9.90 miles found on Mars. Seventh is Pavonis Mons at 8.70 miles in height found on Mars. Eighth is Elysium Mons at 7.80 miles in height also found on Mars. Ninth is Maxwell Montes at a height of 6.80 miles found on Venus. The tenth is Mauna Loa at a height of 5.70 miles found on Earth (Hawaii, US). The Alien Mountains Only the Earth and Mars share similar magmatic processes, and both possess similar igneous rocks and minerals. Two types of volcanoes, the shield, and composite, exist on Earth. In other planets, only the shield type is most common. The main difference is size and height. On earth, tectonic plates rule a mountain's upwelling and influence its height. In most other planetary bodies in our solar system, there are no tectonic plates which hinder the upwelling of mountains to great heights 10 to 100 times found on earth. Massive heights and massive acreage describe mountains on other planets. Cryovolcanoes is another weird phenomenon in Saturn's moon, Enceladus, and Titan, where volcanoes erupt towering blasts of water through solid ice. Venus has the most volcano mountains in the solar system. What is the Tallest Mountain in the Solar System? Olympus Mons, on Mars, is estimated to measure 15 miles from its base to its peak, making it the tallest mountain in the Solar System. The Solar System's Tallest Mountains \|Rank\|\|Mountain\|\|Location\|\|Height in miles (from base to peak)\| \|2\|\|Rheasilvea Mons\|\|Asteroid Vesta\|\|13.20\| \|3\|\|Equatorial Ridge of Iapetus\|\|Saturn\|\|12.40\| \|5\|\|Boösaule Montes\|\|Io, a moon of Jupiter\|\|10.90\| \|10\|\|Mauna Loa\|\|Earth (Hawaii, US)\|\|5.70\| Your MLA Citation Your APA Citation Your Chicago Citation Your Harvard CitationRemember to italicize the title of this article in your Harvard citation.
Thanksgiving Dinner Math Activities How many people are coming over? How much food should we buy? How many pies should we make so each person gets a piece? These are the typical questions I hear each year. Many families prepare large meals for their family and friends; so it can be the perfect time to involve your children in dinner preparation to incorporate real-life conceptual understanding of mathematics. Here are some activities! - Have your child determine what size turkey you need to feed everyone coming for dinner. (How many pounds should you purchase if you have 10 people attending and 1 ½ pounds per person ?) - Already purchased a turkey ? Have your child calculate how much each person can have. (You have a 20 pound turkey and 8 people coming for dinner. How much turkey will each person be able to have?) - Review elapsed time by helping your child write down the times that the turkey went into the oven and the time it came out. Younger children might need a little help calculating the number of hours if it crosses a 12. - Setting the table. Simply counting out forks, knives and spoons can be helpful practice for many early learners. - Math with pies can be extra fun! If everyone eats 1/8th of a pie, how many pies do you need to serve 14 people? And if you have 8 slices of pie, and two are left over, what fraction of pie is left over? Incorporating math into everyday activities can help strengthen a child’s conceptual understanding. What Thanksgiving activities do you do at home or in the classroom that encourage math learning?
After this lesson, check out our newest video upload: "✪ Comparing Equivalent Fractions \| 4th Grade Fractions" Join us on this flipped math lesson for CCLS 8.EE.C.8 where we work through a problem that was inspired by a released common core exam item where we practice modeling and solving a simultaneous pair of linear equations in a real-world context. This lesson answers the question: How do I solve a linear equation? How can I model a pair of linear equations? How can I solve pairs of simultaneous linear equations? How can I solve linear equations in real-world problems? Our lessons are perfect for flipped classroom math teachers and students and for warm-up and exit ticket activities . This lesson is aligned with the 8th grade common core math learning standards for math and the SAT math curriculum as well. Be sure to join our mailing list at http://www.mashupmath.com Tagged under: yt:quality=high,khan,math,maths,algebra,8th grade,common core,learning standards,ccls,simultaneous,linear equation,pair ,equations experssions,real world,model,solve,flip,flipped,learning,classroom,elearning,blended,edtech,practice,activity,lesson,exit ticket,mustang,geometry,test prep,math , I,I ,inverse operations,linear equations Add multiple choice quizzes, questions and browse hundreds of approved, video lesson ideas for Clip Make YouTube one of your teaching aids - Works perfectly with lesson micro-teaching plans 1. Students enter a simple code 2. You play the video 3. The students comment 4. You review and reflect * Whiteboard required for teacher-paced activities Carry out a quickfire formative assessment to see what the whole class is thinking Create interactive presentations to spark creativity in class Student teams can create and share collaborative presentations from linked devices Turn any public video into a live chat with questions and quizzes
Children need a combination of many qualities and skills to succeed in school. Parents are instrumental in this development. Necessary qualities and skills include social and emotional maturity, language skills, good health and physical well-being, problem-solving abilities, creative thinking skills and general knowledge about the world. Other social and emotional skills and qualities children need at school include the ability to get along with other children and with adults, to share attention with other children and to adjust to a daily classroom routine. Parents can help their children develop social and emotional maturity in a number of ways. - Parents have a positive attitude toward school. Children have a natural desire to discover and explore. If parents express excitement about school and learning, their children will be excited about school and learning. Parents need to talk enthusiastically about all the school activities their children will experience at school. - Parents set a good example. Children imitate what they hear and see. It is critical that parents remember this and be good role models for children about discovery, learning and school. - Parents help their children feel secure about love and caring, no matter what. Children need their parents to show they care. They will thrive when parents and other caregivers dependably and continually show love and affection. Plenty of one-on-one attention, hugs and encouragement go a long way in helping children feel loved, cared for and confident. - Parents let their children do many things for themselves. Children learn to be independent and confident by doing tasks for themselves. Letting children dress themselves and put away toys are great early activities for developing independence. Also critical is allowing children to make choices, rather than parents deciding everything for them. Remember to give children choices only when there really is a choice. - Parents encourage their children to play with other children and allow opportunities for them to be with adults who are not family members. Young children need social opportunities. Experiences around other people who are not family members will help children get along with classmates and teachers. - Parents use appropriate discipline and guidance with young children. All children need limits set for them. Research shows that children who have parents who are loving but firm in their guidance are more socially adept and experience greater success in school. - Parents provide opportunities for repetition. Children need practice in developing skills. Additionally, unlike adults, very young children do not get bored when they repeat things. Allowing children to repeat successful experiences builds their confidence and gives them courage to try new things. Parents are the first and most important teachers of children. They can help provide opportunities for children to begin to develop these important life qualities.
An oak tree can grow to 40 m tall, and live for hundreds of years. It is the commonest and possibly the best loved British native tree. It has catkins, with airborne pollen, and then produces acorns, but not until it is at least 40 years old. Most acorns never get the chance to germinate, before being eaten. We are pleased to see new oak trees growing from lucky acorns which germinated at Bank Woods! Oak trees support more life than any other native tree. They host hundreds of species of insect, which provide many birds with food. In autumn many birds and mammals including mice, badgers, squirrels and deer enjoy eating the acorns. Birds and bats roost in oak trees, and feed on the rich supply of insects. The oak is the symbol of strength and survival, and is often associated with royalty, being called ‘The King of the Forest’. In Celtic folklore, oak is the doorway to knowledge and wisdom. Oak produces strong hardwood which is still used in construction.
Renal calculi: Kidney stones. A common cause of blood in the urine and pain in the abdomen, flank, or groin. Occurs in 1 in 20 people at some time in their life. Development of the stones is related to decreased urine volume or increased excretion of stone-forming components such as calcium, oxalate, urate, cystine, xanthine, and phosphate Nephrolithiasis is the medical term for kidney stones. ... Symptoms of a kidney stone include flank pain (the pain can be quite severe) and blood in the urine (hematuria). ... Most kidney stones will pass through the ureter to the bladder on their own with time. Kidney stones are small, hard deposits that can form in a part of the kidney called the renal pelvis. Kidney stones that enter a ureterare sometimes referred to as ureteral stones. The ureters are the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder. Many of these stones are so small that they are able to travel to the bladder in just a few days or weeks without any treatment, and then exit the body in your urine. So if the stones are smaller, it's often enough to take painkillers, drink plenty of fluids and simply wait for the kidney stones to pass through. Muscle-relaxing medications can be used to help pass medium-sized stones. Larger stones may get stuck as they exit the renal pelvis or take longer to move through the ureter, causing severe pain and other symptoms. Then they usually need to be broken up by sound waves or surgically removed. The most suitable treatment will depend on the size, the type and the position of the stones in the kidney or the urinary tract. Kidney stone disease also known as urolithiasis is when a solid piece of material occurs in the urinary tract. Kidney stones typically form in the kidney and leave the body in the urine stream. A small stone may pass without causing symptoms. Kidney stones form when there is a decrease in urine volume and/or an excess of stone-forming substances in the urine. Read about kidney stone (Nephrolithiasis) pain, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, surgery, causes, types, diet, and more.. For kidney stones that do not pass on their own, a procedure called lithotripsy is often used. In this procedure, shock waves are used to break up a large stone into smaller pieces that can then pass through the urinary system of kidneys stone Kidney stones form when your urine contains more crystal-forming substances — such as calcium, oxalate and uric acid — than the fluid in your urine can dilute. At the same time, your urine may lack substances that crystals from sticking together.
The best way to teach kids financial literacy is in the context of their everyday lives. Here are several examples of how to capitalize (!) on everyday experiences: Money Moment 1: Young children love putting coins into vending machines. The next time your youngster asks for money for soda or bag of chips (and you agree), pull out a variety of coins and walk him through picking out the correct coins: “We need sixty-five cents. Can you find two quarters...they're the biggest ones. They are twenty-five cents each. That's fifty cents together. Now we're going to need a dime. That's the smallest one and it's worth ten cents. Finally, we need a nickel. It's the one with the smooth edges. This one is worth five cents. Now we have enough for the chips.” Not only are you covering coins and their values, but you're touching a lot of math concepts, biggest...smallest...finally, as well. But don't expect him to get it all the first, second, or third time; it is through repeated exposure in a non-threatening environment where the brain grows best. Money Moment 2: Grocery shopping with a preschooler can sometimes try a parents' patience. So the next time you find yourself in the cereal isle with your young one, get her involved in the process: “It would be nice to be able to buy all the cereal we want, but we only have a certain amount of money to spend on groceries. Can you help me choose the cereal we will buy this week?” Give her a choice between two or three different cereals and let her put it into the cart. Not only does this keep her busy, but you'll be showing her that her opinions are valued which is great confidencebuilding Repeat this scenario in other aisles, as well. And although it will add five minutes to your shopping experience, it's well worth the extra time to begin teaching needs vs wants, budgeting, and making Money Moment 3: To piggyback on the last money moment, have your child choose one item from the cart and have him pay for it separately. He can hand the money to the cashier then collect the change. Tell him that he gets to keep the change in his money jar* at home. Having him physically go through this “exercise” helps him understand that we exchange money for goods which is often difficult to teach young kids who simply see us swipe a card. In addition, collecting the change in his money jar not only teaches him to save some of his money but it also gives you opportunities to have him sort the coins into piles while you discuss the values. *Activity: Money Jar - mason jar - hot glue gun /glue sticks (or use only sticky-back craft foam) - pom poms - permanent markers - ribbon or sticky-back craft foam - any other fun stuff to place on jar Using a mason jar for this activity is important because it allows your child to watch her money “grow”. In addition, the lids are perfect for customizing a slot where the coins/bills will go through. 1. Remove the metal circular lid and cut a cardboard circle the same size. Throw away the circular metal lid. 2. Cut a slot in the cardboard large enough for a quarter to easily fit through. 3. Have your child decorate their jar. You can squeeze the glue from the glue gun onto the jar for her. Or, if you prefer, there are plenty of non glue-gun materials, such as stickers and sticky-back craft foam, you can use to decorate. 4. Glue the ribbon, or use sticky back foam, around the rim of the lid. 5. Screw the lid on tight and begin dropping in coins! by Karyn Hodgens, Kids' Personal Finance Educator Karyn Hodgens is co-founder of Kidnexions, a kids' savings software company. She has a BA in Child Development, a Masters of Arts in Education with a Specialization in Elementary Mathematics, and a multiple subjects teaching credential. Her passion is designing real-world lessons that resonate with kids and their interests. Karyn is currently teaching kids how to prepare for their financial future in addition to writing about kids and money issues. www.kidnexions.com
Or download our app "Guided Lessons by Education.com" on your device's app store. Read Across the World - Students will be able to identify themes in short picture books. - Students will be able to determine common themes. - Tell the students that today they are going to review some common themes. - Remind students that theme is the message in a text. - Have students raise their hands to share some common themes in text. Some themes may include: Acceptance, courage, bravery, friendship, cooperation, kindness, loyalty, and perseverance. Explicit Instruction/Teacher modeling(20 minutes) - Locate Africa on a map and tell students they are going to listen to a folk tale from Africa. - Have students shade in Africa on their world map. - Read the book "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters" by John Steptoe. - As you read the story, draw the students attention to the acts of Nyasha. - When you have finished reading the story, ask the students what were some character traits of Nyasha. - Explain to the students that the kind acts shown by Nyasha lead us to believe that "kindness" is a major theme in the book. - Have students create a three-column chart on their notebook paper to record the title of the story, country it is from and theme. - They will record "Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters," Africa, and Kindness in the first row. - Tell students that they will read and examine other texts from around the world to determine theme. Guided Practice(60 minutes) - Put students in groups of four or five. - Assign each group a picture book to read as a team (these should be various stories from around the world). - Students will have 20 minutes with each book and will be responsible for reading the book, locating the country of origin on the world map, and determining the main theme. - Students will work with three different books from 3 different areas of the world. Independent working time(20 minutes) - Ask students to choose two stories that they read and have them create a Venn diagram to compare the two stories including the themes. - For advanced students, let them create a triple Venn to compare three stories instead of just two. - For students needing additional support, provide students with some ideas of what they can compare in their Venn diagram such as character traits, setting, theme, etc. - Google Earth can be used as a world map. - Students will choose a picture book from a selection of books chosen by the teacher. - Students will independently read their chosen picture book. - Students will write about the theme of the story and give text support to prove they have chosen the correct them. Review and closing(10 minutes) - Ask, "What were some common themes in the picture books read?" - Ask, "Why do you think these are common themes in children's stories?" - Allow time for student discussion on these questions.
In this ongoing series, we explore what culturally responsive teaching looks like at different grade levels and offer concrete examples and resources. Last month we explored the intentional selection of texts for reading discussion in first grade. This month, educator Lindsay Barrett offers guidance on culturally responsive teaching in grade 2 by bridging between the familiar and unfamiliar in literature discussions. Reading books with children at a young age not only helps them better prepare for school, but it also opens their minds to new cultures and experiences. Exposing children early to both “mirror” and “window” books – that is, books in which they can see themselves, and books in which they can learn about others- is the best way to create engaged readers and support social and emotional growth. Lee & Low Books offers hundreds of great books for second graders. Our books include English, Spanish, and bilingual titles; books about many different cultures; books that span a wide range of subjects and themes; and both fiction and nonfiction. Browse our prek-2 classroom collections to see what we offer, and check out our other book lists by grade: While we have hundreds of titles to choose from, here are 10 of our absolute favorite diverse books for second grade! Continue reading
A clear, watery fluid called the aqueous fluid filtrates the blood that fills the chambers of the eye. This is a source of nourishment because it eliminates waste and cleans the eye. The process of the aqueous fluid flowing in and out creates a pressure that is called the intraocular pressure and the inflow versus the outflow of aqueous fluid is measured. When people have glaucoma, the inflow and outflow of this pressure is not working properly and can be categorized as open angle glaucoma or closed angle glaucoma. With open angle glaucoma, peripheral vision tends to be affected first and if not treated, it can result in a loss of vision. Closed angle glaucoma is usually painful and sudden and this happens when the aqueous fluid cannot reach the anterior chamber angle. The fluid accumulates and forces the iris to obstruct the trabecular meshwork. When this happens, the function of meshwork fails to respond to the aqueous fluid and this leads to an increase of pressure. Scars can form causing an irreversible block in the aqueous outflow. Vision can be lost. A routine eye exam is the best way to protect yourself from glaucoma because symptoms usually do not appear until vision has been affected. An early diagnosis can help stop the progression of this eye condition and there are treatments available.
Why Is It 'Eleven, Twelve' Instead of 'Oneteen, Twoteen'? English number words are pretty logical after a point. From twenty-one to ninety-nine, the same principle applies: you say the tens place followed by the units place. But the teens are different. Not only does the ten (which is where the word teen comes from) come after the units place (10+7 is not teen-seven but seventeen), eleven and twelve don't fit in at all. Eleven and twelve come from the Old English words endleofan and twelf, which can be traced back further to a time when they were ain+lif and twa+lif. So what did this –lif mean? The best guess etymologists have is that it is from a root for "to leave." Ainlif is "one left (after ten)" and twalif is "two left (after ten)." So then the question is, why don't we have threelif, fourlif, fiflif, sixlif and so on? The answer has to do with the development of number systems over history. A long, long time ago, when the number words were first being formed, most people didn't have much reason to distinguish numbers above ten. In fact, some languages of primitive cultures only have number words for one, two, and many. So the basic number words up to ten formed first, then they were extended a bit with the –lif ending. Maybe there was a threelif, fourlif type system, but 11 and 12 were used more often in daily life. Many number systems are based on 12 because it's divisible by the most numbers, and because you can count to 12 on one hand by using your thumb to count three knuckles on each of the other fingers. (We have the word dozen because 12 is so useful). If 11 and 12 are being used more frequently, the forms for them will stick, even when another system starts to develop. You can extend that idea to other number words. We have more irregularities of pronunciation in the tens (twenty, thirty, fifty instead of twoty, threety, fivety) because we've been making everyday use of those numbers for longer than we have for two hundred, three hundred, and five hundred). Thousand is an old word, but its original sense was "a great multitude," a non-numerically-specific, but very useful idea. The words we needed earliest, and used the most frequently are usually the most irregular. So the short answer is, we created words for 11 and 12 a long time ago by calling them "one left after ten" and "two left after ten." They were more useful to us than the higher numbers, so we said them more and they became a habit that we couldn't shake. Kids always notice the weird bits about language better than grownups. Thanks to five-year-old Katie English for this fabulous question!
ADHD : What is "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" ? ADHD is a neuro-biological disorder that impacts nearly 9% of children and teens today. ADHD is not the result of bad parenting, or too much T.V., or a lack of either discipline or love by parents. While any or all of these may be problems, "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder" is a genetically based condition.. "ADHD" has neurological and biological roots. There are very strong genetic factors that influence both brain function and development. There are also other potential contributing factors that might cause one to acquire ADHD problems, such as brain injuries received either in utero, or after birth, or high fevers from infections, and so on. ADHD impacts individuals in four main areas of their life: - Inattention - ADHD causes people to have problems paying attention to routine or boring tasks, or to stay focused on a task long enough to finish the task, especially if the task is not very interesting. The person might be able to focus on interesting projects or entertainment such as video games for long periods of time, but it is the boring tasks of life that are very difficult. - Impulsivity - Often ADHD causes a lack of self-control. Impulsive behaviors or choices can cause havoc in relationships, work, school, or life. Saying things, or doing things without thinking first is a pretty classic symptom of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in both children and adults. - Hyperactivity - About half of those with ADHD are "bouncy" like Tigger, hyperactive, always "on the go," and restless. The standard line is that they act as if they are "driven by a motor." Another good description is "excessive, non-goal directed, motor activity." - Easily Bored - Unless the task is very stimulating, like a video game or TV program or outside playing, those with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are often easily bored by a task - especially bored by homework, math tests, balancing checkbooks, or doing taxes, and many of these tasks just never get done.
In Roman numerals, M equals 1,000, D equals 500, C equals 100, L equals 50, X equals 10, and I equals one. When a larger number is followed by a smaller number, such as XI, the numbers are added. Thus, XI = 10 + 1 = 11. When it is the opposite, such as IX, the smaller number is subtracted from the bigger number. So, IX = 10 - 1 = 9. When using multiple numbers of the same value, no more than three of the same symbol should appear together. If four are needed, it should be that value subtracted from the next-largest value. Examples include XL = 40, IV = 4 and CD = 400. For each value above one, placing a bar or vinculum above the number multiplies it by 1,000. For instance, an X with a vinculum is 10,000.
Emotional regulation is not something we are born with; it is something we learn as we grow. Children especially have a problem learning this skill because their emotions tend to swing like a pendulum. Helping your kids learn how to regulate their emotions at all times is such an important task in raising children. To help the children regulate their emotions, you need to monitor, recognize and adapt the emotions to the present situation. Regulating emotions is very different for every age group. Helping each of your children develop these vital skills of maintaining a balanced emotional life is a call to every parent to fulfil. What does self-regulation involve? Self-regulation is the ability to manage emotions and the behaviour involved according to the demands of the situation. It involves: - The ability to resist highly emotional reactions that are upsetting - Calming yourself down when you get upset - Adjusting to a change in expectations - Handling frustrations without any outbursts This is a skill that if well taught can help children straighten up their behaviour as early in life as possible. Why do some children struggle with self-regulation? Emotional issues are a mixture of temperament and behaviour. Every child’s capacity to self-regulate emotions is a deep combination of personality and temperament. The environmentof a child also plays a big role in this. If, for example, the parents give in to tantrums and are easily bought by the children acting out, then the kids will have a hard time developing self-discipline. Emotional regulation in children will only work properly if you stand up firm as a parent and face the situation with boldness. Children should be taught to soothe themselves without the parent. If this does not happen, then the child is left looking to outsource self-regulation, which will not work properly. Children with ADHD will find it difficult as well as challenging to manage their emotions and will require more assistance to develop emotional regulation skills. Steps to help a child overcome their emotional outbursts - Model healthy emotional self – Do not buy into little tantrums like yelling. Be a good example to your children. Whatever they see you do, they will also do, so quit yelling at others and stop yourself when angry. - Create a deep nurturing connection – Reconnecting with your children builds a firm assurance that you are there for them. When children feel loved and appreciated by their parents,then they cooperate. - Accept your child’s feelings – Be genuinely empathetic with your children. Accept their feelings even when they are inconvenient. This makes them accept their feelings even when they are bad. Your support should be to show them they can get past the ugly feelings. - Help your child feel safe enough to feel their emotions even though the actions are limited – Stay compassionate with your children and don’t get tired of teaching them the right thing. Let them know that no matter how mad they are, they cannot hit others. Let them know it is okay to cry so that the bad feelings go away.
Folic Acid (Folacin or Folate) is another of the key water-soluble B vitamins. It received its name from the Latin word folium, meaning "foliage," because folic acid is found in nature’s leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, kale, and beet greens. Folacin, a derivative of folic acid, is a dull yellow crystalline substance made up chemically of a pteridine molecule, para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA), and glutamic acid. It is actually a "vitamin within a vitamin," with PABA as part of its structure. Folic acid is very sensitive and is easily destroyed in a variety of ways, such as by light, heat, any type of cooking, or an acid pH below 4; it can even be lost from foods when they are stored at room temperature for long periods. The potency of this B vitamin is diminished in most food processing and food preparation. When folic acid is consumed, it is actively transported into the blood from the gastrointestinal tract, where it acts as a coenzyme for a multitude of functions and often is converted to its active form, tetrahydrofolic acid (THFA), in the presence of the niacin coenzyme (NADPH) and vitamin C. In the body, folic acid is found mainly as methyl folate, and vitamin B12 is needed to convert it back to the active THFA. Extra folic acid is stored in the liver, enough for six to nine months of vitamin for body use before deficiency symptoms might develop. Folic acid deficiency, however, may still be one of the most common vitamin deficiencies. It is more likely to be a problem in the elderly, in alcoholics, in psychiatric patients, in epileptics, in women on birth control pills, and with drug therapy such as the sulfa antibiotics and tetracyclines that deplete folic acid-producing bacteria in the colon. Pregnancy is a time for concern about sufficient folic acid intake (the RDA doubles during pregnancy). Also, those eating the standard American diet that is high in fats, meats, white flour, white sugar, and desserts may develop folic acid deficiency. Eating some fresh or lightly cooked vegetables daily will allow us to maintain normal folate levels. Folic acid was discovered in 1931 as a "cure" for the anemia of pregnancy. Eating extra yeast also seemed to relieve the symptoms of pernicious anemia, but the neurological symptoms of this disease either were not resolved or appeared later on, confirming some doctors’ feelings that there were two different problems involved. In 1945, folic acid was isolated from spinach; we now know that B12 and folic acid produce two very similar deficiency problems. B12 deficiency may lead to progressive and irreversible neurological damage, whereas a lack of folic acid will not, but taking a lot of folic acid may cover up the B12 anemia and other symptoms until it is too late for effective treatment with vitamin B12. Therefore, vitamin tablets of folic acid with over 400 mcg. have been taken off the market and are available by prescription only. If megaloblastic (enlarged red blood cells) anemia occurs, both folic acid and vitamin B12 levels should be checked to assure proper treatment and follow-up. Sources: The best source of folic acid is foliage, the green leafy vegetables. These include spinach, kale, beet greens and even beets, chard, asparagus, broccoli, sources are liver and kidney and brewer’s yeast. Starchy vegetables containing some folacin are corn, lima beans, green peas, sweet potatoes, artichokes, okra, and parsnips. Bean sprouts, such as lentil, mung, and soy, are particularly good, as are wheat germ or flakes and soy flour. Whole wheat bread, other natural, whole grain baked goods, and milk also have some folic acid. And many fruits have folic acid, such as oranges, cantaloupe, pineapple, banana, and many berries, including loganberries, boysenberries, and strawberries.
A growing number of scientists are predicting a major El Nino weather event this year, which could wreak havoc across South America and Asia as droughts, floods and other extreme weather events hit industry and farming. However, the impacts on the world’s coral reefs could be even more disastrous. The last big El Nino, from 1997 to 1998, caused the worst coral bleaching in recorded history. In total, 16 percent of the world’s coral was lost, and some countries, like the Maldives, lost up to 90 percent of their reef coverage. The Australian Bureau of Meteorology suggests there is a 70 percent chance of an El Nino occurring this year — and all the signs are that it will rival the 1998 event. El Nino arises out of a confluence of factors that are still not fully understood, but its outcome is clear — parts of the ocean get hotter. A band of warm water develops in the western Pacific, while the Indo-Pacific Warm Pool — a blob of heat that spans much of Indonesia — starts oscillating wildly. This could spell disaster for the Coral Triangle, a southeast Asian bioregion that is the underwater equivalent of the Amazon rain forest, home to more marine species than anywhere else on Earth. “In 1998, the Coral Triangle started to bleach in May and continued till September,” said Ove Hoeg Guldberg, a marine biologist and head of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland. “The Coral Triangle sees prolonged periods of temperature anomaly during an El Nino because the equator passes through the middle of it, so it experiences both northern and southern hemisphere summers.” Guldberg, who led the Oceans chapter of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change, is less than sanguine about the prospects for the region’s coral reefs. “It only takes about half a degree on top of background sea temperatures to cause bleaching,” he said. “Atmospheric scientists are telling us we’re headed for temperatures that will trump those of 1998.” Corals are animals that behave like plants. They are able to do this by maintaining a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates, a type of microbe that lives inside the coral’s tissue where it photosynthesizes, passing sugar to its host. However, when temperatures rise, the dinoflagellates stop making sugar and produce harmful free radicals instead. The corals then spit them out, stop producing their carbonate shell and steadily fade to white. Coral bleaching is actually quite a common occurrence and bleached reefs can make comebacks — many of the reefs affected by the 1998 El Nino have made at least partial recoveries. “The thing is, under mild conditions, corals can recover their symbiotes,” Guldberg said. “But because background temperatures are warmer, the corals can’t recover as before.” Even when reefs do recover, old-growth corals that might have taken centuries to mature are often replaced with faster growing species that quickly colonize large areas, homogenizing the ecosystem. Of course, the elephant in the room is global warming, and this is where things get scary. Guldberg said current rates of ocean warming and acidification are unmatched in most if not all of the past 65 million years. “This sends chills down the back of any biologist worth their salt, because life will have to struggle in circumstances that it’s just not evolved for,” Guldberg said.
- slide 1 of 6 Occupational Therapy: Special Needs Children Children with special needs interact and get help from a variety of medical professionals. Parents often find this overwhelming. This article described the role and purpose of occupational therapy in the life of a child with special needs. It can also help parents understand better what their occupational therapist is aiming to achieve with their child. - slide 2 of 6 Goals of Occupational Therapy The goals of occupational therapy for a child are to improve participation and performance of a child and all the child’s “occupations” like self care, play, school and other daily activities. The occupational therapist will assess the child and modify the environment, or the way of doing a task to promote better participation and independence. Sometimes, the occupational therapist works with the child to help improve specific skills to help a child perform better. They also work towards educating parents, teachers and others so that they can help the child be more comfortable and participate well in the community. - slide 3 of 6 Occupational Therapy Strategies Some common strategies used by occupational therapists are to use various activities, and even play, in order to teach new skills. Occupational therapists grade activities, and make them a little more challenging, as the child learns the skill. They also give the child sensory input and cuing to help them perform better. Occupational therapists also teach various compensatory strategies to help the child be independent. - slide 4 of 6 Occupational Therapy : Special Needs Interventions Self care: An occupational therapist will help a child perform and be independent in self care skills like eating, dressing, toileting, bathing and grooming. They may also suggest some adaptations that will help the child be independent, or even decrease the burden on the parents. Play: An Occupational therapist helps children participate and interact with others in play. They may suggest modifications in the position, mobility aids or modified toys to help a child play. School: Occupational therapists help children participate and adapt to regular school. They may suggest aids for writing, and other classroom activities to help them participate equally with other children. Children with special needs may also require special furniture to help them sit and write better. Environmental modifications:Occupational therapists can suggest modifications in the home, school, or playground that will help the child participate more easily. Helping the child become independent early in life, will encourage them to live independently as an adult. Fine motor skills and Handwriting: Occupational therapists also play a role in helping a child improve their fine motor skills and handwriting. They will be able to identify the specific deficits in the child and suggest activities that will help improve those skills. Splinting: Occupational therapists can also make simple splints to help the child perform activities in a better way. - slide 5 of 6 Where can I find an Occupational Therapist? Occupational Therapists are part of the team at most hospitals, and rehabilitation centers. Many special schools will have their own occupational therapist. Some regular schools too, have occupational therapists working with children. Here is a link to help you find the right Occupational Therapist. - slide 6 of 6 Occupational Therapy for children, Jane Case- Smith, 5th Edition
In vertebrate genome about 10 % of total DNA is formed of repeated fractions. These fractions are formed of a few hundred nucleotides in which a given sequence of nucleotides is repeated over again and again without interruption. These show tandem arrangement. The highly repeated sequences fall into three categories: satellite DNAs, minisatellites DNAs and microsatellites DNAs. Minisatellites DNA or VNTRs: It is a section of DNA that consists of a short series of bases 10-60 bp. These occur at more than 1000 locations in the human genome. The Mini satellites consists of a short series of bases 10-60 bp. These occur at more than 1000 locations in the human genome. Mini satellites consists of repetitive, generally GC rich, variant repeats that range in length from 10 to over 100 bp. These variant repeats are tandemly intermingled., which makes mini satellites ideal for studying DNA turn over mechanisms. They are also called Variable Number of Tandem Repeats (VNTRs) because the number of repeats in a given mini satellite varies greatly among individuals. Significance of Minisatellites: Due to their high level of polymorphism, minisatellites have been extensively used for DNA fingerprinting as well as for genetic markers in linkage analysis and population studies. Minisatellites have also been implicated as regulators of gene expression. Microsatellites are repeating sequences of 1-6 base pairs of DNA. Microsatellites are typically neutral and co-dominance. They are used as molecular markers in genetics, for population and other studies. They can also be used to study gene duplication or deletion. One common example of microsatellite is a (CA)n repeat, where n is variable between alleles. These markers often present high levels of inter and intra specific polymorphism. CA nucleotide repeats are very frequent in human and other genomes., and are present every few thousand base pairs. As there are often many alleles present at a microsatellites locus, genotype within pedigrees are often many alleles present at a microsatellite locus, genotypes within pedigree are often fully informative, in that the progenitor of a particular allele can be often be identified. In this way, microsatelltes are ideal for determining paternity, population genetic studies and recombination mapping. It is also the only molecular marked to provide clues about which alleles are more closely related. In human beings a gene FMR1 under normal conditions has 5 to 60 copies of a triplet CCG. If their repeat number rises above 200, the individual is mentally retarded. This condition is called fragile X syndrome because the microsatellite is present in the fragile site on X chromosome. Microsatellites associated Human Diseases - Fragile X syndrome (Gene: FMR1/FMR2) - Myotonic dystrophy (Gene: DMPK) - Friedreich ataxia (Gene: X25) - Kennedy disease (Gene:AR) - Huntington disease (Gene:HD) - Haw River Syndrome (Gene:DRPLA) - Spinocerebellar ataxia (Gene:SCA1) Significance of Microsatellites The role of micro and mini satellites in DNA structure or function is not known but their presence has helped in the construction of genetic maps, in the isolation of genes responsible for causing human diseases and in the development of technique of DNA finger printing. This is because the length of short tandem repeats varies from person to person. Minisatellites vs Microsatellites \| a) Hypervriable family \| Total Size:1000-20,000 bp b) Telomeric family: Repeat size: 6 bp Total size: 1000-20000 bp \| Repeat size: 1-4 bp\| Total sites: Less than 1000 bp \|Share a common core sequence (motif) GGGCAGGANG (where N is any base), dispersed, VNTRs usually TTAGGG and repeated about a thousand times protects chromosome ends.\|\|Repeats A and CA are the most common Dispersed throughout genome.\| \|Complexity of Array: Heterogeneous\|\|Complexity of Array: Homogeneous\|
Strawberry plant stunted by virus Virus diseases can affect any type of garden plant. They cause stunting, mottling and curling of foliage, and reduce flowering and fruiting. Commonly affected plants are strawberries, raspberries, potatoes, courgettes, cucumbers, spinach, tulips and blackcurrants. But many other plants are affected too. There is no cure for virus diseases, except to use resistant varieties, for example of courgettes. Affected plants must be removed and destroyed. Virus diseases are spread by greenflies and other sap-sucking insects, by eelworms under ground, and on pruning tools. Controlling greenflies helps, especially on strawberries and raspberries. Avoid the use of secateurs or knives on healthy plants after pruning infected ones, for example, when harvesting courgettes.
Economics - Microeconomics/ Macroeconomics - Three Scenario's with graphs In economics, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Below, you will find three scenarios. Your assignment is to discuss the situation by writing the solutions, and then show the solutions and how you got here in one or more graphs or flowcharts as requested. In the early part of the last decade, there was an overproduction of coffee. The price dropped so low that producers' costs were higher than the market price. The reason this happened was that market prices became high before this, and the supply of coffee increased substantially. In the meantime, demand for coffee and everything else remained the same. Price Level 1. Coffee prices came down again, at first overshooting the former equilibrium price, throwing the coffee market into confusion. In the meantime, gourmet coffee houses began appearing, which began charging a premium for coffee in the period of falling prices. Price Level 2. Gourmet coffee houses tend to open in high-rent areas and cater to higher income consumers. Because of the change they created for taste and preferences and the higher income market, the gourmet coffee houses had a win-win in a period of falling wholesale prices and increasing retail prices. Price Level 3. But in the middle of the decade, the party was over, and wholesale prices started increasing because of some shortages caused by weather and the rising overall market prices again. Where is the new equilibrium price?Price Level 4. Explain the changes in the supply and demand curves based on the above information. Draw a graph showing how the changes affect the price levels, supply and demand. You have been asked to discuss the differences between the microeconomic definitions of supply and demand and the macroeconomic differences of aggregate supply and demand. Discuss what determines supply and demand and aggregate supply and aggregate demand. Explain what causes movements along the curve and shifts in the curve for supply and demand and aggregate supply and aggregate demand (make sure that you include price as a variable). Include whether this is an example of the microeconomic definition of supply and demand or the macroeconomic definition of aggregate supply and demand. Most importantly, did this cause a shift in the curves or a movement along the curves? What happened to equilibrium price, supply, demand, aggregate supply or aggregate demand? Describe your graphs. - After Hurricane Katrina, what happened to the price of fish? - After the development of the microchip, what happened to the price of computers? - After the government raised tariffs on imported cheese, what happened to the price of domestic cheese? - Polyester suits have become trendy again. What happens to their price? - Internet auction sites are becoming more popular, and people are using them more and more. - A new health report came out that said red wine lowers cholesterol. - The government raises taxes. - Inflation increases. - Immigration laws are relaxed. - The government increases spending. The PPF curve shows the economic choices a country can make about production given scarce resources, a given technology, and a given quantity of inputs. Assume you are a developing country, producing food and clothing at maximum capacity. What could happen when foreign investors start investing in your country? Discuss what type of foreign investments would be best for the economy’s PPF. What are the opportunity costs of these decisions? Include what will happen to private and public choices as the economy grows Contains all graphs and explanations of each scenario, organized and in order body preview (1 words) file1.docx preview (944 words) Price xxxxx 1: xxxxx xx a surplus xx xxx xxxxxxx however, xxx xxxxxx for xxxxxx is xxx xxxxxxx the xxxxxx xxxxx is high. xxxxxx xxxxxxxx for xxx market xxxxxx xxxxx xx xxxx and coffee is xxx an xxxxxxxxx in this xxxxx xxxxx levels xx the coffee xxx xxxx xxxxx than xxx market price. xxxxx Level 2: Supply is xxxxx xx surplus; xxxxxxxx with the gourmet coffee xxxxxx xxxxxxxx in, xxx demand is xxxxxx beginning to xxxxx xxxxxx prices xxx xxxxx than xxxxxxx while market price xx still higher xxxx the coffee prices. Price Level 3: Retail prices xxx high xxxxx wholesale xxxxxx are still xxxxxx to xxxxx xx xx the xxxxxx price which xx still xxxx Supply xx slowly dwindling, xxxxx demand is rapidly xxxxxxxxxxx xxxxx Level xx Wholesale prices xxx xxxxxxxxxx xxxxx xxx xxx xxxxxx price xx rising again which xxxxx the equilibrium xxxxx is in xxx xxxxxx of these xxx xxxxxxx xxxxxx is down because of the xxxxxxxx xxx the demand xx still high. - - - more text follows - - - Try it before you buy it
The Marcomanni first appear in historical records as confederates of the Suebi of Ariovistus fighting against Julius Caesar in Gaul (modern France), having crossed the Rhine from southern Germany. The exact position of their lands at this time is not known, beyond the fact that it must be west of Bohemia, where they moved to later according to the accounts of Tacitus (Germ. 42), Paterculus (2.108), and Strabo (vii. p. 290). This raises the question of which border they lived near in order to explain their name. It has been suggested that they may have lived near the conjunction of Rhine and Main river. However the historian Florus reports that Drusus erected a mound of their spoils during his campaign of 12-9 BC, after defeating the Tencteri and Chatti, and before next turning to Cherusci, Suevi, and Sicambri, suggesting that they were not close to any obvious border at the time. To escape Roman aggression by 6 BC they had migrated east to Bohemia, land previously inhabited by the Celtic Boii, where their king Maroboduus established a powerful kingdom that Augustus perceived as a threat to Rome. Before he could act, however, the revolt in Illyria intervened. Eventually Maroboduus was deposed and exiled by Catualda (AD 19). Catualda was in turn deposed by Vibilius of the Hermunduri the same year, and succeeded by the Quadian Vannius. Around 50 AD, Vannius was himself also deposed by Vibilius, in coordination with his nephews Vangio and Sido. Tacitus, in the late 1st century mentions (Germania I.42) the Marcomanni as being under kings appointed by Rome. In the 2nd century AD, the Marcomanni entered into a confederation with other peoples including the Quadi, Vandals, and Sarmatians, against the Roman Empire. This was probably driven by movements of larger tribes, like the Goths. According to the historian Eutropius, the forces of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius battled against the Marcomannic confederation for three years at the fortress of Carnuntum in Pannonia. Eutropius compared the war, and Marcus Aurelius' success against the Marcomanni and their allies, to the Punic Wars. The comparison was apt in that this war marked a turning point and had significant Roman defeats; it caused the death of two Praetorian Guard commanders. The war began in 166, when the Marcomanni overwhelmed the defences between Vindobona and Carnuntum, penetrated along the border between the provinces of Pannonia and Noricum, laid waste to Flavia Solva, and could be stopped only shortly before reaching Aquileia on the Adriatic sea. The war lasted until Marcus Aurelius' death in 180. It would prove to be only a limited success for Rome; the Danube river remained as the frontier of the Empire until the final fall of the West. There is a runic alphabet called the Marcomannic runes, but they are not believed to be related to the Marcomannic people. After crossing the Pyrenees in 409, a group of Marcomanni, Quadi and Buri, established themselves in the Roman province of Gallaecia (modern Galicia and northern Portugal), where they were considered foederati and founded the Suebi Kingdom of Gallaecia. There, Hermeric swore fealty to the Emperor in 410. Bracara Augusta, the modern city of Braga in Portugal, previously the capital of Roman Gallaecia, now became the capital of the Suebic kingdom. Kings of the Marcomanni - List of ancient Germanic peoples - Migrations period - Timeline of Germanic kingdoms - History of Portugal - Galicia (Spain) - History of Spain - Caesar De Bello Gallico, at The Latin Library - Tacitus Germania, at The Latin Library - Tacitus Annales, at The Latin Library - Smith, William (1854), Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography
Periodontitis and Cavities There are many reasons to keep your teeth and gums healthy. Healthy teeth and gums not only look better, but also promote better eating habits and nutrition. By contrast, unhealthy, inflamed gums are associated with various diseases, including coronary heart disease and an elevated risk for heart attack, while tooth loss is linked to malnutrition. In a healthy mouth, teeth are intact and anchored in pink with firm gums that do not bleed during brushing. A regular dental care program should include flossing and brushing twice daily, as well as regular visits to the dentist for cleaning and examination. Gum disease and tooth loss are especially common among the elderly. Some researchers believe that malnutrition in older people may be in part due to poor dentition (the type, number, and arrangement of a set of teeth). In fact, some researchers believe that the short life span of early humans was related to tooth loss that caused starvation (Goodman 1989; Story 1986). The three most common problems in the oral cavity are dental caries (cavities) and the periodontal diseases gingivitis and periodontitis. These are caused by multiple factors, including plaque buildup, diet, oral hygiene, genetics, environment, and lifestyle factors. For more information on gingivitis, the most common dental disease, see Life Extension’s Gingivitis protocol. Dental caries and periodontitis are discussed in this chapter.
Trauma is a situation that can affect a human mind to such an extent that it could limit the thinking power of human mind. The major causes of trauma are violence and aggression that significantly affects the people everywhere. In a city it could be clearly seen that there are increased cases of drug abuse, fights, rapes, bomb threats, kidnapping, gang rivalry and shootouts with deadly weapons. These incidents have a tragic affect on human’s mind and their life. All the incidents listed above results in violent acts and have a major impact on the society as whole and hamper the normal course of actions that take place in a city or a country. There was a survey conducted by the government in late 90s to understand the level at which these incidents are increasing everyday. The survey report clearly indicated a sharp rise in these incidents everyday. Since, people do not have a control on their anger and aggression; therefore it leads to tragic ends. As a result, to lessen the effects of the incidents, the government became strategize and carried out such manuals which could guide the people in the country as how to deal with the situation when they arise. The strategies also include workshops that could counsel the people all across and also the teams are trained to help people in such situations immediately. Purpose of the Manual: The main objective of the manual is to lay down the guidelines for the Incident: Bomb Threat in a city and also inform the people about the various steps to be taken and the services to be informed immediately for rescue operation. * Foster and create a safe environment in the country. * Deal with emergency efficiently by the means of a preset design of action. * Take a rapid action in the occurrence of a critical incident. * Reduce panic and misunderstanding by organizing preset guidelines that will ensure protection and safety measures. * Create and keep up a critical incident administration panel. Understanding Critical Incidents * Critical Incident- Introduction Over the years, the countries are expected to have an immediate reaction to any critical incident that is talking place in the country/city and these are predetermined that the government of a country has a plan of action already prepared to immediately take steps to bind the affects of the critical incident. Cited: According to the Federal Occupational Health (FOH), a critical incident is: “A traumatic event that has sufficient power to overwhelm an individual’s ability to cope”. An individual is under two types of pressure in a traumatic situation that are physical and psychological in nature. Within a city, an incident could be as critical that it could disrupt the running of a city and the life of the people residing. In this particular paper we talk about Bomb Threat, and this is one incident that has an impact on the overall life in a country. A crisis is described in three following types: • Unexpected crises — an instantaneous and unanticipated possibility. • Smoldering crisis — an enduring, decaying condition, which usually commence little and then gets bigger or more compound with time. • Bizarre crisis — an odd unforeseen incident that does not fit into either of the above. The major reasons for any critical incident may be: • An intended, deliberate action, • An unintended deed, or • An action of nature. * Critical Incident Life Cycle It seems unbelievable when discussed about the existence of life cycle of an incident because no one agrees to this fact. But it is a true fact that critical incidents do have a life cycle, if the required immediate actions are not being taken to minimize the regularity of such incidents. If the incidents are managed in an organized way then its impact on the lives of the people...
Structural Biochemistry/Protein function/Heme group/Myoglobin Myoglobin was the first protein whose structure was determined. In 1958, Max Perutz and John Kendrew determined the 3D structure of myoglobin by X-ray crystallography. Four years later, they both received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for this innovation. Myoglobin is a monomeric protein that has 153 amino acids residues. It consists of eight α-helicies connected through the turns with an Oxygen binding site. It has a globular structure. Myoglobin contains a heme (prosthetic) group which is responsible for its main function (carrying of oxygen molecules to muscle tissues). Myoglobin can exist in the oxygen free form, deoxymyoglobin, or in a form in which the oxygen molecule is bound, called oxymyoglobin. Myoglobin is a protein found in muscles that binds oxygen with its heme group like hemoglobin. Heme group consists of protoporphyrin organic component and an iron atom located in its center. The heme group gives muscle and blood their distinctive red color. The organic component consists of four pyrrole rings that are linked by methine bridges. In addition, heme is responsible for the red color of the blood and muscle. Oxidation of the iron atom (Fe2+ -> Fe3+) is mainly responsible for the color of muscle and blood. At the center of protporphyrin, the iron atom is bonded to nitrogen atoms from four pyrrole rings. The iron atom can form two additional bonds, one on each side of the heme plane. These binding sites are called the fifth and sixth coordination sites. In myoglobin, the fifth coordination site is occupied by the imidazole ring from a histidine residue on the protein. This hisitidine is referred to as the proximal histidine. The sixth coordination site is available to bind oxygen. The iron atom in deoxymyoglobin lies about four angstrom out of the plane of the protoporphyrin plane because it is too big in that form to fit into the well defined hole. The normal oxidation state of an iron atom has a positive two charge (ferrous ion) instead of three charge (ferric ion) and it is too large to fit into the plane of protoporphyrin. Thus, an ferrous ion often 0.4A away from porphyrin plane. However, when iron oxidized from ferrous ion (Fe2+) to ferric ion (Fe3+), because the lost of one extra electron, forces between protons and electrons increases so that the electron cloud will penetrate more towards to the nucleus. As a result, the ferric ion (Fe3+) has a smaller size then ferrous ion (Fe2+) and fits into the protoporphyrin plane when it attaches to an oxygen. When oxygen leaves the myoglobin, it leaves as dioxygen rather than superoxide. This is because superoxide can be damaging to many biological process, and in the leaving of superdioxide, the iron ion will be in the ferric state which stops biding oxygen. The distal histidine amino acid from the hemoglobin protein molecule further stabilizes the O2 molecule by hydrogen-bonding interactions. Myoglobin is a protein molecule that has a similar structure and function to hemoglobin. It is a smaller monomer of polypeptide structure, a globular protein with amino acids and prosthetic heme group binds to proximal histidine group while a distal histidine group interact on the other side of the plane. It binds and stores oxygen without concerning cooperativity. Most importantly, it is the first protein structure to be studied. Myoglobin follows the Michaelis-Menten Kinetic graph. (as seen from the graph above) It follows the Michaelis-Menten kinetics because it is a simple chemical equilibrium. The binding affinities for oxygen between myoglobin and hemoglobin are important factors for their function. Both myoglobin and hemoglobin binds oxygen well when the concentration of oxygen is really high (E.g. in Lung), however, hemoglobin is more likely to release oxygen in areas of low concentration (E.g. in tissues). Since hemoglobin binds oxygen less tightly than myoglobin in muscle tissues, it can effectively transport oxygen throughout the body and deliver it to the cells. Myoglobin, on the other hand, would not be as efficient in transferring oxygen. It does not show the cooperative binding of oxygen because it would take up oxygen and only release in extreme conditions. Myoglobin has a strong affinity for oxygen that allows it to store oxygen in muscle effectively. This is important when the body is starve for oxygen, such as during anaerobic exercise. During that time, carbon dioxide level in blood streams is extremely high and lactic acid concentration build up in muscles. Both of these factors cause myoglobin (and hemoglobins) to release oxygen, for protecting the body tissues from getting damaged under harsh conditions. If the concentration of myoglobin is high within the muscle cells, the organism is able to hold the breath for a much longer period of time. Myoglobin, an iron-containing protein in muscle, receives oxygen from the red blood cells and transports it to the mitochondria of muscle cells, where the oxygen is used in cellular respiration to produce energy. Each myoglobin molecule has one heme prosthetic group located in the hydrophobic cleft in the protein. The function of myoglobin is notable from Millikan's review (1) in which he put together an accomplished study to establish that myoglobin is formed adaptively in tissues in response to oxygen needs and that myoglobin contributes to the oxygen supply of these tissues. Oxymyoglobin regulates both oxygen supply and utilization by acting as a scavenger of the bioactive molecule nitric oxide. Nitric oxide is generated continuously in the myocyte. Oxymyoglobin reacts with NO to form harmless nitrates, with concomitant formation of ferric myoglobin, which is recycled through the action of the intracellular enzyme metmyoglobin reductase. Flogel (2) conducted a study that showed how the interaction of NO and oxymyoglobin controls cardiac oxygen utilization. When muscle tissue is damaged, very large concentrations of myoglobin enters the kidneys. When this happens, myoglobin is then considered highly toxic and may contribute to acute renal failure. Muscle injury is commonly associated with the release of myoglobin, and is known to be the cause of heart attacks and many other myoalgia. Studies have shown that acute mycocardial infarction can be detected with the help of the monitoring of creatin kinase and troponin by electrocardiogram. (1) Millikan, G. A. (1939). Muscle hemoglobin. Physiol. Rev. 19,503 -523. (2) Flogel, U., Merx, M. W., Godecke, A., Decking, U. K. M. and Schrader, J. (2001). Myoglobin: a scavenger of bioactive NO. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98,735 -740
The flow of carbon through soil is ten times greater than the amount of carbon moved around by the burning of fossil fuel but until now how this happens was at best poorly understood. Soil was almost literally a black box to scientists interested in carbon. Now researchers at the University of Warwick have been able to shed light in that black box by getting a particular class of insects to expose the key underground carbon traffic system - by eating it. The University of Warwick team worked with researchers from Aberdeen, Lancaster and Sheffield, to try and establish if plant associated fungi - arbulscar mycorrhizal (AM) fungi - found on the roots of 80% of all land plants had any role in the movement of atmospheric carbon to soil (fixed by plants in the form of CO2). AM fungi produce filaments that spread widely throughout the soil (sometimes referred to as the mycorrhizosphere) and they are known to be important for effective uptake by plants of water and phosphates but they were not known to play any role in the movement of carbon through the soil. The researchers developed novel soil cores that were engineered with openings covered by nylon mesh with tiny pores just big enough to allow AM mycelia to grow into them but too small for any insects or other micro-fauna (including Collembola, soil mites) to get into the cores. The cores were then filled with soil which was frozen -80oC to kill any other insects/microfauna and inserted into experimental grassland to enable colonization by AM fungi from the surrounding plants. Twenty mites from the order Collembola, which would view the AM mycelia as food stuff, were introduced to half of the cores. After another four weeks the grassland was exposed to a particular form of carbon dioxide (a stable isotope of carbon, 13C) for 7 hours, a technique called pulse labelling. Concentration of 13C in cores was then analysed. The soil cores which were exposed to the mites were found to have 32% less 13C than the control cores. This showed that Collembolas consumption of the arbulscar mycorrhizal mycelia had disrupted a key pathway transporting carbon from plants to soil. Peter Dunn \| alfa How does the loss of species alter ecosystems? 18.05.2017 \| Deutsches Zentrum für integrative Biodiversitätsforschung (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Excess diesel emissions bring global health & environmental impacts 16.05.2017 \| International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) Staphylococcus aureus is a feared pathogen (MRSA, multi-resistant S. aureus) due to frequent resistances against many antibiotics, especially in hospital infections. Researchers at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut have identified immunological processes that prevent a successful immune response directed against the pathogenic agent. The delivery of bacterial proteins with RNA adjuvant or messenger RNA (mRNA) into immune cells allows the re-direction of the immune response towards an active defense against S. aureus. This could be of significant importance for the development of an effective vaccine. PLOS Pathogens has published these research results online on 25 May 2017. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is a bacterium that colonizes by far more than half of the skin and the mucosa of adults, usually without causing infections.... Physicists from the University of Würzburg are capable of generating identical looking single light particles at the push of a button. Two new studies now demonstrate the potential this method holds. The quantum computer has fuelled the imagination of scientists for decades: It is based on fundamentally different phenomena than a conventional computer.... An international team of physicists has monitored the scattering behaviour of electrons in a non-conducting material in real-time. Their insights could be beneficial for radiotherapy. We can refer to electrons in non-conducting materials as ‘sluggish’. Typically, they remain fixed in a location, deep inside an atomic composite. It is hence... Two-dimensional magnetic structures are regarded as a promising material for new types of data storage, since the magnetic properties of individual molecular building blocks can be investigated and modified. For the first time, researchers have now produced a wafer-thin ferrimagnet, in which molecules with different magnetic centers arrange themselves on a gold surface to form a checkerboard pattern. Scientists at the Swiss Nanoscience Institute at the University of Basel and the Paul Scherrer Institute published their findings in the journal Nature Communications. Ferrimagnets are composed of two centers which are magnetized at different strengths and point in opposing directions. Two-dimensional, quasi-flat ferrimagnets... An Australian-Chinese research team has created the world's thinnest hologram, paving the way towards the integration of 3D holography into everyday... 24.05.2017 \| Event News 23.05.2017 \| Event News 22.05.2017 \| Event News 26.05.2017 \| Life Sciences 26.05.2017 \| Life Sciences 26.05.2017 \| Physics and Astronomy
DNA sequencing promises to improve the way in which diseases such as cancer are diagnosed, monitored, and treated. The technology relies on detecting fluorescent signals created when pieces of DNA bind together on a microchip. An emerging technology—electrophoresis on microchips—has aided DNA sequencing by miniaturizing processing technologies. Miniaturization has reduced the time needed to analyze samples and decreased the sample size required for testing. To extend the power of DNA sequencing, a research team has developed a new microscope that can identify fluorescently labeled DNA sequencing fragments that have been separated by microchip technology. Using the new microscope, researchers will gain more information from a single electrophoresis test because more fluorescent dyes can be used and detected. Researchers expect to gain additional insights into the molecular profiles of many diseases as a result of these developments.
The Cyclades blunt-nosed viper has become seriously threatened as a result of habitat destruction, road mortality and removal by man. Two big quarries are in continuous operation on western Milos, which have considerably increased in size over the last 15 years and destroyed large areas of pristine habitat. Additionally, there are plans for more quarries on western Milos, which pose an extremely significant threat to this critically endangered species. Fires also cause habitat destruction, destroying the large bushes and trees in which the main prey, birds, are found. During the period of ‘reforestation’ after a fire, goat and sheep grazing can be highly destructive, preventing trees and large bushes from growing. At present, tourism does not threaten the snake’s habitat, but a new airport planned for Milos may increase tourism to a level that is damaging to viper habitats. The other islands appear to provide fairly pristine, untouched habitat, and the populations there are healthy, although a little smaller than on Milos (2). Road kill also poses a very serious problem, with an estimated 300+ snakes killed each summer on western Milos. Recent years have also seen an increase in collection of the snake for the pet trade, and an established population of feral cats are also a possible danger to the snake on western Milos, particularly to the survival of newborns and subadults (2).
To use all functions of this page, please activate cookies in your browser. With an accout for my.chemeurope.com you can always see everything at a glance – and you can configure your own website and individual newsletter. - My watch list - My saved searches - My saved topics - My newsletter Catalytic reforming is a chemical process used to convert petroleum refinery naphthas, typically having low octane ratings, into high-octane liquid products called reformates which are components of high-octane gasoline (also known as petrol). Basically, the process re-arranges or re-structures the hydrocarbon molecules in the naphtha feedstocks as well as breaking some of the molecules into smaller molecules. The overall effect is that the product reformate contains hydrocarbons with more complex molecular shapes having higher octane values than the hydrocarbons in the naphtha feedstock. In so doing, the process separates hydrogen atoms from the hydrocarbon molecules and produces very significant amounts of byproduct hydrogen gas for use in a number of the other processes involved in a modern petroleum refinery. Other byproducts are small amounts of methane, ethane, propane and butanes. This process is quite different from and not to be confused with the catalytic steam reforming process used industrially to produce various products such as hydrogen, ammonia and methanol from natural gas, naphtha or other petroleum-derived feedstocks. Nor is this process to be confused with various other catalytic reforming processes that use methanol or biomass-derived feedstocks to produce hydrogen for fuel cells or other uses. Universal Oil Products (also known as UOP) is a multi-national company developing and delivering technology to the petroleum refining, natural gas processing, petrochemical production and other manufacturing industries. In the 1940s, an eminent research chemist named Vladimir Haensel working for UOP developed a catalytic reforming process using a catalyst containing platinum. Haensel's process was subsequently commercialized by UOP in 1949 for producing a high octane gasoline from low octane naphthas and the UOP process become known as the Platforming process. The first Platforming unit was built in 1949 at the refinery of the Old Dutch Refining Company in Muskegon, Michigan. In the years since then, many other versions of the process have been developed by some of the major oil companies and other organizations. Today, the large majority of gasoline produced worldwide is derived from the catalytic reforming process. To name a few of the other catalytic reforming versions that were developed, all of which utilized a platinum and/or a rhenium catalyst: Before describing the reaction chemistry of the catalytic reforming process as used in petroleum refineries, the typical naphthas used as catalytic reforming feedstocks will be discussed. Typical naphtha feedstocks A petroleum refinery includes many unit operations and unit processes. The first unit operation in a refinery is the continuous distillation of the petroleum crude oil being refined. The overhead liquid distillate is called naphtha and will become a major component of the refinery's gasoline (petrol) product after it is further processed through a catalytic hydrodesulfurizer to remove sulfur-containing hydrocarbons and a catalytic reformer to reform its hydrocarbon molecules into more complex molecules with a higher octane rating value. The naphtha is a mixture of very many different hydrocarbon compounds. It has an initial boiling point of about 35 °C and a final boiling point of about 200 °C, and it contains paraffin, naphthene (cyclic paraffins) and aromatic hydrocarbons ranging from those containing 4 carbon atoms to those containing about 10 or 11 carbon atoms. The naphtha from the crude oil distillation is often further distilled to produce a "light" naphtha containing most (but not all) of the hydrocarbons with 6 or less carbon atoms and a "heavy" naphtha containing most (but not all) of the hydrocarbons with more than 6 carbon atoms. The heavy naphtha has an initial boiling point of about 140 to 150 °C and a final boiling point of about 190 to 205 °C. The naphthas derived from the distillation of crude oils are referred to as "straight-run" naphthas. It is the straight-run heavy naphtha that is usually processed in a catalytic reformer because the light naphtha has molecules with 6 or less carbon atoms which, when reformed, tend to crack into butane and lower molecular weight hydrocarbons which are not useful as high-octane gasoline blending components. Also, the molecules with 6 carbon atoms tend to form aromatics which is undesirable because governmental environmental regulations in a number of countries limit the amount of aromatics (most particularly benzene) that gasoline may contain. It should be noted that there are a great many petroleum crude oil sources worldwide and each crude oil has its own unique composition or "assay". Also, not all refineries process the same crude oils and each refinery produces its own straight-run naphthas with their own unique initial and final boiling points. In other words, naphtha is a generic term rather than a specific term. The table just below lists some fairly typical straight-run heavy naphtha feedstocks, available for catalytic reforming, derived from various crude oils. It can be seen that they differ significantly in their content of paraffins, naphthenes and aromatics: Some refinery naphthas include olefinic hydrocarbons, such as naphthas derived from the fluid catalytic cracking and coking processes used in many refineries. Some refineries may also desulfurize and catalytically reform those naphthas. However, for the most part, catalytic reforming is mainly used on the straight-run heavy naphthas, such as those in the above table, derived from the distillation of crude oils. The reaction chemistry There are a good many chemical reactions that occur in the catalytic reforming process, all of which occur in the presence of a catalyst and a high partial pressure of hydrogen. Depending upon the type or version of catalytic reforming used as well as the desired reaction severity, the reaction conditions range from temperatures of about 495 to 525 °C and from pressures of about 5 to 45 atm. The commonly used catalytic reforming catalysts contain noble metals such as platinum and/or rhenium, which are very susceptible to poisoning by sulfur and nitrogen compounds. Therefore, the naphtha feedstock to a catalytic reformer is always pre-processed in a hydrodesulfurization unit which removes both the sulfur and the nitrogen compounds. The four major catalytic reforming reactions are: The hydrocracking of paraffins is the only one of the above four major reforming reactions that consumes hydrogen. The isomerization of normal paraffins does not consume or produce hydrogen. However, both the dehydrogenation of naphthenes and the dehydrocyclization of paraffins produce hydrogen. The overall net production of hydrogen in the catalytic reforming of petroleum naphthas ranges from about 50 to 200 cubic meters of hydrogen gas (at 0 °C and 1 atm) per cubic meter of liquid naphtha feedstock. In the United States customary units, that is equivalent to 300 to 1200 cubic feet of hydrogen gas (at 60 °F and 1 atm) per barrel of liquid naphtha feedstock. In many petroleum refineries, the net hydrogen produced in catalytic reforming supplies a significant part of the hydrogen used elsewhere in the refinery (for example, in hydrodesulfurization processes). The most commonly used type of catalytic reforming unit has three reactors, each with a fixed bed of catalyst, and all of the catalyst is regenerated in situ during routine catalyst regeneration shutdowns which occur approximately once each 6 to 24 months. Such a unit is referred to as a semi-regenerative catalytic reformer (SRR). Some catalytic reforming units have an extra spare or swing reactor and each reactor can be individually isolated so that any one reactor can be undergoing in situ regeneration while the other reactors are in operation. When that reactor is regenerated, it replaces another reactor which, in turn, is isolated so that it can then be regenerated. Such units, referred to as cyclic catalytic reformers, are not very common. Cyclic catalytic reformers serve to extend the period between required shutdowns. The latest and most modern type of catalytic reformers are called continuous catalyst regeneration reformers (CCR). Such units are characterized by continuous in-situ regeneration of part of the catalyst in a special regenerator, and by continuous addition of the regenerated catalyst to the operating reactors. As of 2006, two CCR versions available: UOP's CCR Platformer process and Axen's Octanizing process. The installation and use of CCR units is rapidly increasing. Many of the earliest catalytic reforming units (in the 1950's and 1960's) were non-regenerative in that they did not perform in situ catalyst regeneration. Instead, when needed, the aged catalyst was replaced by fresh catalyst and the aged catalyst was shipped to catalyst manufacturer's to be either regenerated or to recover the platinum content of the aged catalyst. Very few, if any, catalytic reformers currently in operation are non-regenerative. The process flow diagram below depicts a typical semi-regenerative catalytic reforming unit. The liquid feed (at the bottom left in the diagram) is pumped up to the reaction pressure (5 to 45 atm) and is joined by a stream of hydrogen-rich recycle gas. The resulting liquid-gas mixture is preheated by flowing through a heat exchanger. The preheated feed mixture is then totally vaporized and heated to the reaction temperature (495 to 520 °C) before the vaporized reactants enter the first reactor. As the vaporized reactants flow through the fixed bed of catalyst in the reactor, the major reaction is the dehydrogenation of naphthenes to aromatics (as described earlier herein) which is highly endothermic and results in a large temperature decrease between the inlet and outlet of the reactor. To maintain the required reaction temperature and the rate of reaction, the vaporized stream is reheated in the second fired heater before it flows through the second reactor. The temperature again decreases across the second reactor and the vaporized stream must again be reheated in the third fired heater before it flows through the third reactor. As the vaporized stream proceeds through the three reactors, the reaction rates decrease and the reactors therefore become larger. At the same time, the amount of reheat required between the reactors becomes smaller. Usually, three reactors are all that is required to provide the desired performance of the catalytic reforming unit. Some installations use three separate fired heaters as shown in the schematic diagram and some installations use a single fired heater with three separate heating coils. The hot reaction products from the third reactor are partially cooled by flowing through the heat exchanger where the feed to the first reactor is preheated and then flow through a water-cooled heat exchanger before flowing through the pressure controller (PC) into the gas separator. Most of the hydrogen-rich gas from the gas separator vessel returns to the suction of the recycle hydrogen gas compressor and the net production of hydrogen-rich gas from the reforming reactions is exported for use in other the other refinery processes that consume hydrogen (such as hydrodesulfurization units and/or a hydrocracker unit). The liquid from the gas separator vessel is routed into a fractionating column commonly called a stabilizer. The overhead offgas product from the stabilizer contains the byproduct methane, ethane, propane and butane gases produced by the hydrocracking reactions as explained in the above discussion of the reaction chemistry of a catalytic reformer, and it may also contain some small amount of hydrogen. That offgas is routed to the refinery's central gas processing plant for removal and recovery of propane and butane. The residual gas after such processing becomes part of the refinery's fuel gas system. The bottoms product from the stabilizer is the high-octane liquid reformate that will become a component of the refinery's product gasoline. Catalysts and mechanisms Most catalytic reforming catalysts contain platinum or rhenium on a silica or silica-alumina support base, and some contain both platinum and rhenium. Fresh catalyst is chlorided (chlorinated) prior to use. The noble metals (platinum and rhenium) are considered to be catalytic sites for the dehydrogenation reactions and the chlorinated alumina provides the acid sites needed for isomerization, cyclization and hydrocracking reactions. The activity (i.e., effectiveness) of the catalyst in a semi-regenerative catalytic reformer is reduced over time during operation by carbonaceous coke deposition and chloride loss. The activity of the catalyst can be periodically regenerated or restored by in situ high temperature oxidation of the coke followed by chlorination. As stated earlier herein, semi-regenerative catalytic reformers are regenerated about once per 6 to 24 months. Normally, the catalyst can be regenerated perhaps 3 or 4 times before it must be returned to the manufacturer for reclamation of the valuable platinum and/or rhenium content. \|This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Catalytic_reforming". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.\|
Consider the general 2 by 2 linear system Multiplying the first equation by a 22, the second by − a 12, and adding the results eliminates y and permits evaluation of x: assuming that a 11 a 22 − a 12 a 21 ≠ 0. Similarly, multiplying the first equation by − a 21, the second by a 11, and adding the results eliminates x and determines y: again assuming that a 11 a 22 − a 12 a 21 ≠ 0. These expressions for x and y can be written in terms of determinants as follows: If the original system is written in matrix form, then the denominators in the above expressions for the unknowns x and y are both equal to the determinant of the coefficient matrix. Furthermore, the numerator in the expression for the first unknown, x, is equal to the determinant of the matrix that results when the first column of the coefficient matrix is replaced by the column of constants, and the numerator in the expression for the second unknown, y, is equal to the determinant of the matrix that results when the second column of the coefficient matrix is replaced by the column of constants. This is Cramer's Rule for a 2 by 2 linear system. Extending the pattern to a 3 by 3 linear system, Cramer's Rule says that if the determinant of the coefficient matrix is nonzero, then expressions for the unknowns x, y, and z take on the following form: The general form of Cramer's Rule reads as follows: A system of n linear equations in n unknowns, written in matrix form A x = b as will have a unique solution if det A ≠ 0, and in this case, the value of the unknown x j is given by the expression where A j is the matrix that results when column j of the coefficient matrix A is replaced by the column matrix b. Two important theoretical results about square systems follow from Cramer's Rule: Theorem F. A square system A x = b will have a unique solution for every column matrix b if and only if det A ≠ 0. Theorem G. A homogeneous square system A x = 0 will have only the trivial solution x = 0 if and only if det A ≠ 0. Although Cramer's Rule is of theoretical importance because it gives a formula for the unknowns, it is generally not an efficient solution method, especially for large systems. Gaussian elimination is still the method of choice. However, Cramer's Rule can be useful when, for example, the value of only one unknown is needed. Example 1: Use Cramer's Rule to find the value of y given that Since this linear system is equivalent to the matrix equation Cramer's Rule implies that the second unknown, y, is given by the expression assuming that the denominator—the determinant of the coefficient matrix—is not zero. Row‐reduction, followed by Laplace expansion along the first column, evaluates these determinants: With these calculations, (*) implies
Shortcut Usage of Adjectives in English Grammar SBI PO,Clerk-2016 Exams As you know that English Grammar is an important part of SBI PO- 2016, SBI Clerk – 2016, SSC CGL, SSC CPO Exams. That’s why we shall discuss the Rules of Adjectives and its basic usage in English Grammar which will be helpful for upcoming exam like FCI, SSC and all other competition exam. What Is an Adjective? The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe nouns by giving some information about an object’s size, shape, age, color, origin or material. Examples: Black book, Lazy boy An adjective can be used in two ways: (1) Attributively: She is good teacher (Adjective is before noun) (2) Predicatively: Rakesh is intelligent. (Adjective is immediately after verb) Types of adjectives: 1. Adjectives of Quality (answer the question: Of what kind?): Delhi is a large city, He is an honest man 2. Adjectives of Quantity (answer the question: how much?): I ate some rice, you have no sense 3. Adjectives of Number (answer the question: how many?): The hand has five fingers, All men must die Adjectives of number are of three kinds: A. Definite numeral adjectives: One, two, three etc. These are called cardinals. First, second, third etc. These are called ordinals B. Indefinite numeral adjectives: Which do not denote an exact number. E.g.: all, no, many, few, any, certain, several, sundry C. Distributive numeral adjectives: Which refer to each one of a number. E.g.: Each, every, Neither, And Either. 1. Each boy must take his turn 2. India expects every man to do his duty 3. Either pen will do 4. Neither accusation is true D. Demonstrative Adjective: (answers the questions which?) 1. This boy is stronger than Gopal 2. That boy is diligent 3. These mangoes are sour 4. I hate such things E. Interrogative adjectives: used to ask questions when there are used with nouns 1. What manner of man is he? 2. Which way shall we go? 3. Whose book is this? F. Emphasizing adjectives: the words own and very act as emphasizing adjectives 1. I saw it with my own eyes 2. I met him in this very room G. Exclamatory adjectives: What is sometimes used as an exclamatory adjectives? 1. What an Idea! 2. What a blessing! What Do Adjectives Look Like? English can be very tricky, so you have to be careful, but a lot of English adjectives end with these suffixes: 1. -Able/-ible – adorable, invisible, responsible, uncomfortable 2. -Al – educational, gradual, illegal, nocturnal, viral 3. -An – American, Mexican, urban 4. -ar – cellular, popular, spectacular, vulgar 5. -ent – intelligent, potent, silent, violent 6. -ful – harmful, powerful, tasteful, thoughtful 7. -ic/-ical – athletic, energetic, magical, scientific 8. -ine – bovine, canine, equine, feminine, masculine 9. -ile – agile, docile, fertile, virile 10. -ive – informative, native, talkative 11. -less – careless, endless, homeless, timeless 12. -ous – cautious, dangerous, enormous, malodorous 13. -some – awesome, handsome, lonesome, wholesome Shortcut Usage of Adjectives in English Grammar SBI PO,Clerk-2016 Exams Reviewed by Mani Babu on 12:22:00 Rating:
If the Shoe Fits Submitted by: Susanna Teach your child about spatial volume with this experiment in trying on clothes. 12 - 48 months 1 - 3 tots - 3 or more pairs Shoes (of different sizes. You could also do this experiment with hats or gloves) - 3 or more pairs Feet (this could be mom, dad, tot, sibling or friend) - Line up the shoes. Whoever is participating in the experiment should sit down with their feet close to the line of shoes. - Ask your child to "put on" a certain pair of shoes on the participant. "Can you put the red shoes on Daddy?" - If the shoe is too small say, "oh, wow, it's too small! It doesn't fit!" Say something similar if the shoe is too big. - If the shoe fits say, "Look, the shoe fits! It's the right size! It's not too big and it's not too small!" - Have the child try the shoes on different people and themselves. - Cognitive development » Approaches to learning » Cooperation - Cognitive development » Approaches to learning » Initiative & curiosity - Cognitive development » Mathematics » Measurement & comparison - Fine motor skills » Grasp - Self help » Dressing
1. Moby-Dick features several characters who seem insane. How does insanity relate to this story? How do these characters contrast with one another? Ishmael describes Ahab as mad in his narration, and it does indeed seem mad to try to fight the forces of nature or God. However, some of the other characters in the novel whom Ishmael labels insane—notably Pip and Gabriel—might be viewed as wise rather than crazy, thus calling into question the possibility of making a clear distinction between sanity and insanity. Gabriel, the prophet figure aboard the Jeroboam, behaves irrationally and makes a number of ridiculous-sounding predictions. If viewed in a certain light, however, his prophecies sound not like silly attempts to foresee the future but like cleverly phrased efforts to effect change aboard his ship. Gabriel’s prophecies are aimed at gaining the crew just treatment from the ship’s officers and at avoiding the danger that will come from trying to hunt Moby Dick. Like Ahab, he manipulates the crew’s superstitions and religious beliefs in order to gather support. But whereas Ahab’s obsession is monomaniacal and selfish, Gabriel’s “madness” is a response to irrational and unjust behavior on the part of those who control his ship. 2. Ishmael frequently refers to the relationships between men in terms normally used to describe heterosexual romantic relationships. What is the literal and symbolic importance of homoeroticism in Moby-Dick? Ishmael and Queequeg are depicted in bed together several times and are frequently described as “married” or “wedded” to each other. When they wake in the Spouter-Inn, Queequeg has his arms around Ishmael in a seemingly conjugal embrace. Melville uses the vocabulary of love and marriage to suggest the strength and closeness of the bonds between men at sea. Marriage is one of the institutions upon which society on land is organized, but there are no women aboard the Pequod. Instead, the crew develops a bond based on mutual dependence: they need each other to stay alive and are thus literally “wedded” to one another. In the absence of other relationships, they become everything to one another—metaphorical parents, siblings, best friends, and lovers. The replacement of heterosexual relationships, so central to conventional society, with homoerotic ones also signals a rejection of other aspects of life on land, such as racism, economic stratification, and limited opportunities for social mobility. Queequeg, for example, is taken aboard the Pequod for his expert marksmanship, despite his nonwhite skin. 3. Describe the playlike scenes interspersed throughout Moby-Dick. What is the function of these scenes? In what ways do they differ from the rest of the narrative? These scenes fall into two major categories: dramatic dialogues among several characters and soliloquies from a single character, often Ahab. The latter capture moments that Ishmael, the narrator, could not possibly have witnessed. Ahab must maintain his composure and certainty in front of his crew; it is only in private that he can express doubt or regret. These scenes are used to build dramatic tension, as they would in a play: Ahab senses the approach of catastrophe, which his soliloquies communicate to the reader by voicing his feeling of doom. The dialogue scenes frequently alternate with chapters that contain digressions from the plot. (Ishmael’s measurements of the whale’s skeleton, for example.) In this context, they become very suspenseful, as the plot is advanced purely through the authentic-seeming speech interactions of the sailors. Finally, by hearkening back to well-known dramatic works, these dramatic scenes also remind the reader of Moby-Dick’s thematic connections to tragic drama, particularly Shakespeare. 1. Why does Ishmael include so many digressions in his narrative? Why does he draw on so many other disciplines (geology, art, biology)? Choose one of these digressions (the chapter on “Cetology,” for example) and discuss the ways in which it comments on the main narrative. 2. Describe Ishmael’s method of narration. Is he reliable or unreliable as a narrator? Why is he the one to tell this story? What would the narrative have been like if Ahab were the narrator? 3. How is the concept of fate used to organize the narrative? Does fate justify Ahab’s actions? What is the relationship between fate and prophecy? What does fate have to do with religion, particularly Christianity? 4. Explain some of the biblical references in Moby-Dick. How does Melville use the Bible as a literary model and as a source for thematic material?
The IUCN list is an important list in the prelims point of view. UPSC has asked several questions from this area. The IUCN recently released the IUCN red list 2016. AS UPSC has declared the dates for 2017 UPSC IAS Prelims exam, this topic is very important. India is a diverse nation with only 2.4% of the world’s land area. It accounts for 7-8% of all recorded species, counting over 45,000 species of plants and 91,000 species of animals. The globally identified four biodiversity hotspots in 34 hotspots are in India. They are The Himalayas, the Western Ghats, the North-East, and the Nicobar Islands. In 1969, India became a State Member of IUCN. The Office of IUCN India located in New Delhi was established in 2007. The agency works with Commissions and Members to lessen the destruction of habitat and species by providing the essential instruments and awareness to preserve biodiversity and several associated issues etc. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the leading international environmental organization. It was established in 1948. It is headquartered in Geneva. The organization is funded by governments, member organizations bilateral and multilateral agencies, etc Functions of IUCN The IUCN’s acknowledged endeavor is to help the world find realistic elucidation to the most vital environment challenges. The mission of IUCN is to persuade, promote and help societies to preserve the diversity of nature. - The aim is to protect the nature and sustainable utilization of natural resources. - It also integrates matter of poverty alleviation, climatic change, biodiversity, and Gender equality - The IUCN publishes IUCN Red List of Threatened Species IUCN Red list The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species was created in 1964. This is the world’s most inclusive record of the worldwide conservation status of biological species. The Species are categorized into nine groups by the IUCN Red List A species becomes extinct when the last existing member of that family dies. Extinct in wild Undoubtedly the last member has died but the captive member endures. The critically endangered species face an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future. The endangered species are the species which faces a high risk of extinction in the near future The vulnerable species facing the risk of extinction in the meium term future Close to qualifying among threatened species Low risk to extinction Insufficient data to generate an analysis Not assessed against criteria Here we are giving the entire list of endangered species in India as per IUCN List. The list contains critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable species. This is an important topic in upcoming UPSC civil services examination. - Scientific name: Dicerorhinus sumatrensis - The Sumatran Rhinoceros is listed as Critically Endangered under IUCN list - These species are found in the foothills of the Himalayas in Bhutan and north-eastern India, all the way through southern China, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Borneo in Indonesia and the islands of Sumatra. - The chief threats to these species are poaching and reduced population feasibility. These animals were hunted for their horns, skin and for some medicinal purposes. - Scientific name: Cervus canadensis hanglu - It is also called as hangul and it is the state animal of Kashmir. - These are found in the high altitude regions of Northern India and Pakistan. Now it has been seen only in Dachigam National Park in Kashmir - The habitat destruction, over-grazing by domestic livestock, and poaching are the major threats faced by the Kashmir stag Himalayan Brown or red Bear - The Himalayan brown bear belongs to the list of critically endangered animals - It is also known as the Himalayan red bear, Isabelline bear etc - These are found in the Northern India, Northern Pakistan, Northern Afghanistan, Tibet and Nepal. - This Omnivorous and hibernate during the winter - The major threat was loss of appropriate habitat and unscientific anthropogenic activities. - The Pygmy Hog is the smallest and the rarest wild squid in the world and listed them as Critically Endangered under IUCN list. - These species of pigs in the wild are seen in Manas National Park. Previously, they were extensively spread in the Himalayan foothills extending from Uttar Pradesh to Assam. Andaman White-toothed Shrew - Scientific name: Crocidura andamanensis - The Andaman White-toothed Shrew is an endemic species of ‘South Andaman Island’. - This species is endangered by habitat destruction due to Tsunami and other anthropogenic activities on the island, except inside the National Park. Kondana Soft-furred Rat - Scientific name: - The Kondana Soft-furred Rat is listed as the ‘critically endangered’ species under IUCN. - It is an endemic species to India. - It is found in Singharh plateau near Pune in Maharashtra State. - The main threats to these species are loss of habitat, overgrazing of vegetation and annoyance from archaeological site and tourists. - It is listed in the considered as vermin according to the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Elvira Rat or Large Rock Rat - Scientific name: Cremnomys Elvira - This species is considered as the listed as critically endangered under IUCN list. - These species are found in the Kurumbapatti, Salem District in Tamil Nadu. This region is located in the Eastern Ghats. - The major threats faced by theses species are loss of habitat due to mining, expansion of human settlement. Namdapha Flying Squirrel - Scientific name: Biswamoyopterus biswasi - This is species is listed as Critically Endangered under IUCN list. - The Namdapha Flying Squirrel found Namdapha National Park in the state of Arunachal Pradesh. - Poaching is the major threat faced by these animals. These animals are poached for food. Malabar large-spotted civet - Scientific name: Viverra civettina - This species is listed as Critically Endangered under IUCN list - Malabar Civet is an endemic species found in the Western Ghats of southern India. - The major threats faced by these species are poaching, loss of habitat etc. The Malabar Civet is used for the extraction of musk. - Scientific name: Ailurus fulgens - The Read panda is listed as Endangered under IUCN as its population has declined up to 50%. - The red panda is found in particularly in along the Myanmar-Yunnan border, India, Nepal , Bhutan and China - These are closely connected with montane forests with thick bamboo forest. - The main problems faced by these species are destruction of habitat, poaching, and disintegration. These species are used for different use including medicine, wild meat etc. - In India it is found in 19 protected or otherwise managed areas. This includes Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary, Kanchendzonga National Park (NP), Kyongnosla Alpine Sanctuary and Shingba Rhododendron Sanctuary. - Scientific name: Equus hemionus - This species is evaluated as Near Threatened (NT). The population of wild ass has declined recently. - In ancient times the Wild Ass had been seen throughout the steppes and desert steppes of the Russian Federation, the Arabian Peninsula, Mongolia, northwest India and northern China. But nowadays it is seen only in southern Mongolia and bordering China. - The major threats to Wild Asses shoot from the illegal hunting. These animals are hunted for meat and for some medicinal purposes. Asiatic wild dog - Scientific name: Cuon alpines - It is also called as the Dhole and Indian wild dog - Dholes which are habitation generalist have vanished from the surface of earth and list as endangered in IUCN list. - They are seen in particularly in the Western and Eastern Ghats of the southern states and Central Indian Highlands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and West Bengal. - They are killed for their fur and manufacturing the traditional medicines. - Scientific name: Rucervus eldii - It is also known as Eld’s Deer and Thamin - The species is listed as Endangered under IUCN list. - Previously, this species was extensively distributed across appropriate habitats of North eastern India, Myanmar, Thailand and Southeast Asia. - Now it is found only in Keibul Lamjao National Park in Manipur. - These animals are hunted for food and this is major threat for the existence of this species. - Scientific name: Trachypithecus geei - Listed as Endangered because of a serious population decline - The golden langur is seen in the moist evergreen and moist deciduous forests - The habitat loss and anthropogenic activities lead to the decline of the golden langur. White-bellied Musk Deer - Scientific name: Moschus leucogaster - It is also known in the name of Himalayan Musk deer. - This White-bellied Musk Deer are seen in the Kashmir, Sikkim, Bhutan, northern India, Nepal, and China - There is a high trade in Musk deer body parts, mainly pods into north east India and china. It also faces the problems like habitat loss due to human settlement. Hispid hare/ Assam rabbit - Scientific name: Caprolagus hispidus - It is also known as Hispid Hare, Assam Rabbit, Bristly Rabbit - Formerly the Hispid hare was seen along the foothill area of the southern Himalayas from Uttar Pradesh through southern Nepal, the northern area of West Bengal to Assam. - Presently it is seen irregularly in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. - The major threat to this species is destruction of habitat happened due to the expansion of human development, agriculture etc. Indian Hog deer - Scientific name: Axis porcinus - It is listed as Endangered under IUCN list - Hog Deer traditionally found in Pakistan, all the way through northern and northeastern India, and marginally in southern China - Scientific name: Macaca silenus - It is also called as Lion-tailed Macaque, Wanderoo, Liontail Macaque - This animal is endemic to the Western Ghats - The Lion tailed macaques prefer to stay in the higher canopy of tropical evergreen forest. - This listed as endangered species under IUCN list. - The main threat to this species is habitat disintegration due to human activities. - Scientific name: Pantholops hodgsonii - It is also called as Chiru - Formerly it was found in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Chang Tang area of north-western Tibet - These animals live in high altitude plains, and montane valleys comprising of alpine and desert steppe and pasture, distinguished by low vegetation cover and productivity - The Tibetan antelope has been hunted for its under-fur and this is the major problem faced by this species. - Scientific name: Trachypithecus johnii - It is listed as Vulnerable under IUCN list - The Nilgiri Langur are seen only in the Western Ghats in southwestern India - This species is found in semi-evergreen, evergreen, moist deciduous forests in the lower height. - This animal is hunted for its skin. The skin of Nilgiri langur is used for making drums. - Scientific name: Nilgiritragus hylocrius - It is listed as endangered species. - The current distribution of the Nilgiri Tahr is restricted to just about 5% of the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu. - The major threats faced by Nilgiri Tahr is chiefly from domestic livestock. Apart from that the destruction of habitat also results in the decline of their population. Ganges River Dolphin / Indus River Dolphin - Scientific name: Platanista gangetica - It is also known as Ganges Susu, Blind River Dolphin, South Asian River Dolphin and Ganges Dolphin. - These fresh water mammals are found in the Indus, Ganges-Brahmaputra river systems of the India, Nepal, Tibet and Pakistan. - These fishes are hunted locally for food, and to extract essential oil - Water development projects like dams, pollution, hunting fishing are the major threat faced by these species.
The Importance of Nutrition A cataract is a cloudy or opaque area in the normally clear lens of the eye. Depending upon its size and location, it can interfere with normal vision. Most cataracts develop in people over age 55, but they occasionally occur in infants and young children. Usually cataracts develop in both eyes, but one may be worse than the other. Reasearchers have linked eye-friendly nutrients such as lutein/zeaxanthin, vitamin C, vitamin E, and zinc to reducing the risk of certain eye diseases, including cataracts. For more information on the importance of good nutrition and eye health, please see the diet and nutrition section. The lens is located inside the eye behind the iris, the colored part of the eye. The lens focuses light on the back of the eye, the retina. The lens is made of mostly proteins and water. Clouding of the lens occurs due to changes in the proteins and lens fibers. The lens is composed of layers like an onion. The outermost is the capsule. The layer inside the capsule is the cortex, and the innermost layer is the nucleus. A cataract may develop in any of these areas and is described based on its location in the lens: - A nuclear cataract is located in the center of the lens. The nucleus tends to darken changing from clear to yellow and sometimes brown. - A cortical cataract affects the layer of the lens surrounding the nucleus. It is identified by its unique wedge or spoke appearance. - A posterior capsular cataract is found in the back outer layer of the lens. This type often develops more rapidly. Types of Cataracts - Nuclear cataract - Cortical cataract - Posterior capsular cataract Normally, the lens focuses light on the retina, which sends the image through the optic nerve to the brain. However, if the lens is clouded by a cataract, light is scattered so the lens can no longer focus it properly, causing vision problems. Cataracts generally form very slowly. Signs and symptoms of a cataract may include: - Blurred, hazy, or vision - Reduced intensity of colors - Increased sensitivity to glare from lights, particularly when driving at night - Increased difficulty seeing at night - Change in the eye's refractive error While the process of cataract formation is becoming more clearly understood, there is no clinically established treatment to prevent or slow their progression. In age-related cataracts, changes in vision can be very gradual. Some people may not initially recognize the visual changes. However, as cataracts worsen vision symptoms tend to increase in severity. ©2014-2015 American Optometric Association. All Rights Reserved
(INSERT ILLUSTRATIONS, MATHS, PROOFS, TABLES FROM MY OLD SITES) Introduction Modern physics is based on the implications of quantum field theory, the quantum theory of fields. The mathematical and practical utility of the theory is proved by the fact that it predicts thousands of particle reaction rates to within a precision of 0.2 percent, and the non-nuclear quantum field theory of electrons (quantum electrodynamics) predicts the Lamb shift and the magnetic moment of the electron more accurately than any other theory in the history of science.Paul Dirac founded quantum field theory by guessing a relativistic time-dependent particle-applicable version of the Schroedinger wave equation (that modelled the electron in the atom). Schroedinger’s equation could not be used for free particle because it was non-relativistic, so its solutions were not bounded by the constraint of ‘relativity’ (or spacetime) whereby changing electromagnetic fields are restricted to propagate only the distance ct in the time interval t. Spectacular physical meaning was immediately derived from Dirac’s equation because it implied the existence of a bound state electron-positron sea in the vacuum throughout spacetime, and predicted that a gamma ray of sufficient energy travelling in a strong electromagnetic field – near a high atomic (proton) number nucleus – can release an electron-positron pair. This creation of positrons (antimatter electrons, positively charged) was observed in 1932, confirming Dirac. Pair production only occurs where gamma rays enter a very strong electric field (caused by the close confinement of many protons in a nucleus), because in a strong electric field the Dirac sea is polarized strongly enough along the electric field lines, weakening the electron-positron binding energy. Polarization consists of separation of charges along electric field lines. As the average distance of vacuum electrons from positrons is slightly increased, the Coulomb binding energy falls, hence gamma rays with energy above the energy of a freed electron-positron pair (1.022 MeV) have a significant chance of freeing such a pair. This pair production mechanism in practical use enables lead nuclei to stop shield gamma rays with energies above 1.022 MeV. (Of course, electrons in atoms can also shield gamma rays by the Compton and photoelectric effects.) Gravity (readers should pay special attention to the following!) Electrons and positrons in bound states in the vacuum take up space, and are fermions; each space taken up by a fermion cannot be shared with another fermion as demonstrated by the experimental verification of the Pauli exclusion principle. Therefore, when a real fermion moves, it cannot move into a virtual fermion’s space. The vacuum charges are therefore displaced around the moving real charge according to the restraint of Pauli’s exclusion principle. We can make definite predictions from this because the net flow of the Dirac sea around a moving real fermion is (by Pauli’s exclusion principle) constrained have exactly equal charge and mass but oppositely directed motion (velocity, acceleration) to the real moving fermion. This prediction means that in the cosmological setting where real charges (matter) is observed to be receding at a rate proportional to radial spacetime, there is an outward force of matter given by Newton’s second law F = mdv/dt = mdc/dt = mcH where H is Hubble’s constant. By Newton’s 3rd law, we then find that there is an equal inward reaction force carried by some aspect of the Dirac sea. This predicts the strength of gravity. The duality of this Dirac sea pressure gravity prediction is that the inward reaction force is carried via the Dirac sea specifically by the light speed gauge boson radiation of a Yang-Mills quantum field theory, which allows us to deduce the nature of matter from the quantitative shielding area associated with a quark or with a lepton such as an electron. This gives us the size of a fundamental particle as the black-hole radius, not the Planck length, so we obtain useful information from factual input without any speculations whatsoever. The Standard Model The greatest difficulty for a quantum field theory is the prediction of all observed properties of matter and energy, which are summarised by the Standard Model SU(3)xSU(2)xU(1) which is a set of symmetry groups constraining quantum field theory to make contact with particle physics correctly. The problem here is that the symmetry description varies as a function of collision energy or distance of closest approach. Unfortunately, the Standard Model as it stands does not consistently model all of particle physics because different forces unify at different energies or distances from a particle, which implies that the symmetries are broken at low energy but become unified at high energy. The symmetries, while excellent for most properties, omit masses entirely. The Standard Model does not supply rigorous or usefully predictive (checkable) mechanisms for electroweak symmetry breaking which is the process by which the SU(2)xU(1) electroweak symmetry breaks to yield U(1) at low energy. It is obvious that the 3 weak gauge bosons of the SU(2) symmetry are attenuated in the polarized vacuum somehow, such as by a hypothetical ‘Higgs field’ of inertia-giving (and hence mass-giving) ‘Higgs bosons’, but there are no properties scientifically predicted for such a field. The SU(3) symmetry unitary group describes the strong nuclear (gluon) field by means of a new symmetry parameter called colour charge.Instead of coming up with a useful, checkable, electroweak symmetry breaking theory, the mainstream effort has been devoted since 1985 to a speculative, non-checkable hypothesis that the Standard Model particles and gravity can be explained by string theory. One major problem with string theory is that it’s claim to predict unification at extremely high energy is uncheckable; the energy is beyond experimental physics and would require going back in time to the moment of the big bang or using a particle accelerator as big as the solar system. Another major problem with string theory is that its alleged unification of gravity and the standard model rests upon unifying speculative (unchecked) ideas about what quantum gravity is (gravitons mediated between mass-giving Higgs bosons), with speculative ideas concerning 10/11 dimensional time (M-theory). Speculation is only useful in physics where there is some hope of experimental checks. If a speculation is made that God exists, that speculation is not scientific because it is impossible in principle to refute it. Similarly, extra dimensions cannot even in principle be refuted. Finally, string theory invents many properties of the universe in such a vague and ambiguous way that virtually any experimental results could be read as a validation of some variant of a stringy speculation. Such experimental results could also be consistent with many other theories, so such indirect ‘validation’ will turn physics into either a farce and battleground or into an orthodox religion whose power comes not from unique evidence by from suppressing counter evidence as a religious-type heresy. Critics of general relativity in 1919 wrongly claimed that there are potentially other theories that predicted the correct deflection of sunlight by gravity, or they disputed the accuracy of the evidence (Sir Edmund Whittaker being an example). However, the starlight deflection in general relativity can be justified on energy conservation grounds, from the way that gravitational potential energy – gained by a photon approaching the sun – must be used entirely for directional deflection and not partly used for speeding up an object as would occur to an object initially moving slower than the speed of light (light cannot be speeded up, so all gained gravitational energy is used for deflecting it). So such local predictions of general relativity are constrained to empirical facts. However, Einstein also ‘predicted’ in 1917 from general relativity that the entire universe is static and not expanding, which is a completely false prediction and was based on Einstein’s ad hoc cosmological constant value. If Einstein’s steady state theory of cosmology had been defended based on the correct (local) predictions of the theory, then the failure of general relativity as a steady state cosmology may never have been exposed either by experiment (peer-review would suppress big bang crackpotism and force authors to invent ‘epicycles’ to fit experiments to the existing paradigm) or theory (Einstein’s steady state solution was unstable theoretically!). The problem is that string theory, quite unlike general relativity, cannot even be objectively criticised because it contains no objective physics, it is just a ‘hunch’ to use ‘t Hooft’s description. String theory, explains Woit, is not even wrong. It has no evidence and can never have direct evidence because we can only experiment and observe in a limited number of dimensions which is smaller than the number of dimensions postulated by string theory, and even if it did have some alleged indirect evidence, that would destroy rigor in science by turning it into a religion of those who believe the holy alleged evidence, and those who have alternatives. This is because almost any evidence can be ‘explained away’ by some of the numerous versions of string theory. Supersymmetry is a 10 dimensional string theory in which there is a bosonic superpartner for every fermion of the Standard Model. This is supposed to unify forces, but that cannot be checked as we can’t measure how forces unify since the energy is way too high. In addition, of the 10 dimensions, 6 are rolled up into a Calabi-Yau manifold that has many variable parameters, and hence a vast number of possible states! Nobody knows exactly how many different ground states of the universe are even possible – if the Calabi-Yau manifold is real, but it is probably between 10^100 and 10^1000 solutions. These numbers are far greater than the total number of fermions in the universe (about 10^80). There is no way to predict objectively which vacuum state describes the universe. The best that can be done is to plot a ‘landscape’ of solutions as a three dimensional plot and then to claim that the nearest one to experimental data is the prediction, by the ‘anthropic principle’ (which says we would not exist if it was another state, because the laws of nature are sensitive to the value of the vacuum energy). By the same scientifically fraudulent argument, a child asked ‘what is 2 + 2?’ would reply: ‘it is either 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 … or 10^1000, the correct answer being decided by whichever solution of mine happens to correspond to the experimentally determined fact, shown by the counting beads!’ Sir Fred Hoyle used the anthropic argument (sometimes falsely called a principle) to ‘predict’ life exists due to nuclear carbon energy level which allows three alpha particles (helium-4 nuclei) to stick together forming carbon-12. He did this simply because his theory would fail otherwise. However, it was a subjective ‘I exist, therefore helium fuses’ prediction and was not objectively based on an understanding of nuclear science. Therefore, Hoyle did not win a Nobel Prize, and his so-called ‘explanation’ of the carbon-12 energy level – despite correctly predicting the value later observed in experiment – does not deliver you hard physics. To be added: OBJECTIVE DETAILS OF THE STANDARD MODEL (from my old site) NATURE OF GAUGE BOSONS (new section on physical propagation of polarized radiations)
Tackling low self-esteem Self-esteem is the way we judge our ‘worthiness’ and it affects the way we see ourselves. Many pupils, especially those at the top end of junior school and in secondary school, have problems related to self-esteem. Low self-esteem affects pupils’ capacity to learn. The effects of low self-esteem are often evident in pupils who have emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD) or in those whose behaviour is inappropriate. Because their difficulties with behaviour and academic achievement sometimes make them feel worse about themselves, if you employ strategies to raise achievement, this can have a knock-on effect of improving pupils’ self-belief. It is useful to consider how many pupils in your class suffer from low self-esteem so that teaching and support can be targeted where needed. What causes low self-esteem? Problems with self-esteem can occur for many reasons. For example, it may be because pupils: - feel they must fit the stereotypes of their peer group - have to adjust to the growing responsibility of adolescence - are striving for independence from their parents in front of their peers - are worried about planning for future jobs and acquiring appropriate skills. In addition, sometimes adults place children under pressure to achieve in areas that they do not consider important. Also, at this stage, pupils’ bodies are changing, causing them to worry that they do not conform to ideals publicised in the media. Characteristics of pupils with low self-esteem Pupils with low self-esteem find it difficult to express themselves. Sometimes they are reluctant to complete work for fear of failure and being ridiculed. They also find it difficult to reveal their true personality because of a fear of rejection and disapproval. It can seem easier to avoid failure by not completing work and to behave in ways that reinforce their feelings of rejection. Think of pupils whom you think have low self-esteem and consider whether they behave in the ways listed below. Discuss with colleagues the kind of support these pupils need and what effect it should have. - Blaming others – When most of their peers seem able to do the work and complete the tasks set, pupils with low self-esteem tend to leave their work unfinished because they do not want to feel they have failed. A pupil with EBD might blame others for their own difficulties, using excuses such as “I couldn’t finish it because they were talking and I couldn’t concentrate” or “They were making too much noise” or “This was too hard and you didn’t explain it properly”. - Lying and boasting – Many pupils with low self-esteem do not want others to recognise their failings, so they mask this with a confident and brash exterior. They tell lies and/or boast about their work and their exploits in order to gain popularity. It soon becomes obvious that their work is not particularly good and their exploits are non-existent, and often the only peers who listen to them are those with similar problems. If allowed to persist, these peers can become an unteachable sub-group. - Dropping out – Failing to complete work turns pupils into low achievers. This can lead to them dropping out of the lesson altogether – not participating, handing in a blank piece of paper and, even when punished with extra work, not completing it. The teacher’s anger is seen as much better than the humiliation of failure. - Bullying and aggression – Pupils with low self-esteem are often hostile towards their peers and adults to disguise their feelings of inadequacy. They do not mind being excluded from lessons, because they are not being expected to produce work and no one will notice their low standards. - Truanting – A pupil with low self-esteem may not have much in common with most of their peers, or with the ethos of the school. This can result in them avoiding school altogether. Rather than continuing to do nothing at school, they will transfer their energies to doing nothing useful out of school. This may lead to boredom and a downward spiral towards vandalism and delinquency. Identifying pupils with low self-esteem Consider a pupil whom you suspect may have low self-esteem. Does the pupil: - make disparaging remarks? - make excuses to avoid situations that could be stressful? - hang back and remain on the fringe of the class or group? - daydream a lot? - avoid work even at the risk of displeasing adults? - blame others for their own failure? - sometimes refuse to complete work? - threaten other pupils? Is the pupil: - hesitant and timid in new situations? - continually asking for help and/or reassurance? - continually checking whether they are liked by their peers? - apathetic, with a ‘don’t care’ attitude to work? - reluctant to take any responsibility for their work? - physically and verbally aggressive? If the pupil you are thinking of behaves in most of the ways listed above, they may need substantial support. You should discuss this with a teacher or senior manager.
By Dr. R. Ramachandran Consultant & Researcher Education is the means whereby adults pass on to children their beliefs, values and desires for the future. The objective of every university should be to provide, for each student, opportunities to develop in four categories: - Knowledge, which enables us to understand. - Know-how, which enables us to do. - Wisdom, which enables us to set priorities. - Character, which enables us to cooperate, to become respected and trusted members of society. Experiences, made comprehensible and critically reviewed, become a means to generate new understandings and new knowledge. Development of creative and critical thinking is required for the same. Creative thinking involves creating something new or original. It makes one curious and promotes divergence. Fluency, Associative thinking, Attribute listing, Flexibility, forced relationship are some of the important skills. Critical thinking involves both logical thinking and reasoning. These are developed by the use of skills like Observing, Analyzing, Comparing, Classifying, Sequencing, Hypothesizing, Critiquing, Finding Cause and Effect, Deductive and Inductive reasoning. Critical and Creative thinking would make students to think broadly and deeply when they use skills, behaviors and dispositions, such as reason, logic, resourcefulness, imagination and innovation. Institutions should develop human qualities in students along with qualifications. For achieving the same mentoring needs to be practiced in the colleges The discipline-oriented learning has to be replaced by interdisciplinary courses that are career oriented gradually. The curriculum must aim at giving field based learning experiences for students and must respond to the local needs for human resource in specific work-related opportunities. Using story telling method would enhance the student’s ability to assimilate better. An effective student-centered, learning-oriented classroom requires different perspectives from both instructors and students. Changes are being called for in the way we think about the role of both instructor and student. The goal of instruction becomes the intentional intellectual development of students instead of covering content. Students must also significantly alter - Their view of knowledge, - The role of instructors, and - Themselves as learners at the same time. Quality in education is a matter of global quest. Quality management uses techniques to assure that whatever is done is consistent with the aims and goals of the enterprise. It does not dictate these aims and goals. The quality of the product is determined by the quality of the process that produces it and hence if we want to improve a product or service, we have to concentrate on improving the process that produces it. The current system of traditional evaluation based more on memory and comprehension has limited use. Currently most of the faculties are faculties because they could not get a corporate job. The faculty appointed should be in tune with these objectives and they have to be facilitators. We have to attract the best talent available by creating a very good working environment. Continual improvement of learning processes based on learning outcomes can thus replace the outdated "teach and test" mode. With patience and persistence, Total Quality Management (TQM) can lead to significant cultural changes in higher education by providing a valuable organizational framework for restructuring. This can be achieved by methods of self-evaluation and making the learner genuinely interested in learning. Only when the system is both effective and efficient concepts of access, equity, relevance and quality can be activated. The goal of education is to instill concepts and character building, not just examination and indoctrination. Education is in the process of a major change. It must be remembered that academic institutions are being given an opportunity to work for the benefit of the student through innovations in technology and teaching methodology. Personal interactions between teachers and students must be always positive. Students must be encouraged to develop a sense of responsibility and self-reliance. Thus everyone needs to be totally involved and committed. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal views of the author and does not reflect the views of IDA. The article is published as is and we bear no responsibility for any errors in the content of the article.
Skip to main content 15.5: Critical Thinking Exercises - Last updated Save as PDF - Historian James McPherson maintains the Kansas-Nebraska Act “may have been the most important single event pushing the nation toward civil war.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why? - Ever since the Civil War, historians have debated the causes of the conflict. Slavery clearly seems to have played a role in the coming of the war; however, other factors also contributed to the tensions. How much of a role did economic differences between the two regions play in the conflict? What influence did religion, culture, and ethnicity have? - Historians have also debated whether the Civil War was avoidable or not. At what point (if any) did civil war become inevitable? In other words, did the nation need the war to determine whether it would be slave or free? What might it have taken to avoid the Civil War?
Leptospirosis in Cats: Symptoms and Treatment Leptospirosis in cats is a zoonotic disease caused by bacteria. It’s currently considered an emerging infectious disease in both humans and dogs. However, there are several wild and domestic animals (such as cats) who may not suffer from the symptoms of the disease even if they’re infected. This is known as subclinical infection. These particular species carry the disease, acting as reservoirs of bacteria, and can be a potential source of infection for other animals and humans. What to know about the causative agent: Leptospira Zoonotic diseases are diseases that can be transmitted between different species of mammals. This means that they can spread between humans and other kinds of animals. To date, there are a total of 22 different identified species of Leptospira. Of these, 13 can cause illness in humans. Species of Leptospira are also classified according to the agglutination reaction by sera that possess antibodies that recognize the bacteria. These classifications are called serotypes. So far, studies have identified about 300 pathogenic serotypes of Leptospira. This bacteria has a very particular appearance and looks like thin spirals. One or both ends of the organism normally have a hook shape. This bacteria enters the body through physical contact, penetrating the skin and mucous membranes by producing an enzyme that changes the permeability of the connective tissue. To be more specific, it digests the hyaluronic acid to allow it to invade the tissue. Leptospirosis in cats: how do the bacteria spread? The bacteria are present in the urine of infected animals. This infected urine can then contaminate surface waters such as wetlands, streams, and rivers. Then, here, the bacteria can survive for long periods, even up to several months. As a result, the transmission of the disease is often via water. Cats can become infected either directly or indirectly. An example of an indirect infection would be when a cat eats a wild animal that has drunk infected water. On the other hand, direct infection can occur through contact with infected urine from other infected animals in the same environment. It can also happen as a result of drinking infected water that contains the Leptospira spirochete. Once they’ve penetrated the mucous membranes or skin, leptospira rapidly multiply in the blood. It can invade many different organs, particularly the kidneys, where leptospires can linger and spread through the animal’s urine for months or even years. Signs and symptoms of leptospirosis in cats When analyzing cats that suffer from the infection, tests have found the bacteria to be present in urine and blood. These studies have established that leptospirosis in cats only causes mild clinical symptoms. Despite the fact that clinical signs rarely appear in cats, leptospirosis in cats does cause inflammation of the kidneys and liver. In fact, recent studies have shown a potential link between feline chronic kidney disease and Leptospira spp. Managing the disease Just like with dogs, treating sick cats depends on how severe their symptoms are. However, generally, treating leptospirosis in cats involves antibiotics and supportive therapy. In the cases where apparently healthy cats have leptospira in their urine, doxycycline treatment should be prescribed (11 mg/lb every 12 hours for three weeks) to get rid of their carrier status. - Unfortunately, there is currently no vaccine available to prevent leptospirosis in cats. - The only way to prevent cats from becoming infected is to try to prevent them from eating infected rodents or coming into contact with still water. - House cats have a very low risk of infection. Firstly, consult your vet to rule out leptospirosis in cats. Remember, even if your cat doesn’t show any symptoms, they can still be a source of infection for dogs and humans. We can’t imagine life without our cats. However, the fact is that cats can be a reservoir of Leptospira in the home. As a result, screening for leptospirosis in cats is something we highly recommend. To do this, there are special tests available that can identify bacteria in the blood, urine, or other tissues. You can also carry out tests to detect the presence of antibodies in the cat’s blood to fight against the bacteria.It might interest you...
Humanities and Social Sciences Support Materials Assessment Principle 1 Assessment should be an integral part of Teaching and Learning Economics and Business snapshot: Resources quiz Humanities and Social Sciences/Knowledge and understanding/Economics and Business/Wants, resources and choices and Skills/Questioning and researching Resources can be natural (e.g. oil), human (e.g. workers), or capital (e.g. machinery) and how these are used to make goods and services to satisfy the needs and wants of present and future generations Identify current understandings, consider possible misconceptions and identify personal views on a topic (e.g. KWL chart, concept map) Nature of the assessment Purposes of the assessment To determine student understanding of key concepts prior to beginning the teaching and learning. This will enable the teacher to modify teaching to accommodate the needs of all students. Stage in the Teaching sequence Beginning of the teaching cycle – formative assessment Students were organised into multi-ability groups. The quiz consisted of a variety of questions to test students’ prior knowledge of resources. The questions checked students’ understanding of relevant vocabulary, their ability to identify needs and wants, and their knowledge of different resources. At the completion of the quiz, and then at the end of the unit of work, the students completed a KWL chart (what I already know, what I wonder and what I learnt) as a form of self-assessment. The teacher identified misconceptions and misunderstandings from the quiz responses and subsequent classroom discussion. Using the information The teacher used the quiz to inform the ‘pitch’ of the lessons and to develop a more targeted teaching program around the conceptual understanding and skills.
Mastery and Mathematics As part of the Maths curriculum at Sacred Heart, there is a focus on mastering maths. This means pupils acquire a deep, long-term, secure and adaptable understanding of the subject. A mathematical concept or skill has been mastered when a child can: - show it in different ways - effectively use mathematical language to explain their ideas and reasoning - apply this learning to new, unfamiliar problems. This means that pupils spend a longer amount of time on fewer key mathematical concepts whilst working at a deeper level. If children have grasped the concepts quickly within the lesson, they are given opportunities to deepen their understanding through problem solving and improve their reasoning skills rather than moving onto new curriculum material. For example, if children are able to add two 3-digit numbers successfully, rather than moving onto adding 4-digit numbers, they will spend time applying this learning into problem-solving activities and questions that encourage them to explain their mathematical reasoning at a deep level. As part of this, children are encouraged to not only ‘do’ maths but to explain their reasoning to show their mathematical understanding. Children will be asked questions to encourage them to explain their mathematical thinking and reasoning and are encouraged to verbalise their thoughts, through questions such as: - What do you think? Convince me! - Explain your reasoning - True or False? Explain your reasoning. - How do you know? - What do you notice? - What is the same? What is different? At home, you can support your child to master their mathematical skills by encouraging them to explain their reasoning by asking questions such as: How have they reached the answer? Why did they do what they did? Can they prove that the answer is correct? Have they noticed any patterns in the maths that they have been doing? Why has this happened? Mathematics is everywhere and surrounds us and everything that we do. Problem solving is at the heart of mathematics, so encouraging opportunities for your child to problem solve in everyday life is an excellent way of deepening their understanding and making links between home and their learning. This can include things such as following a recipe, going shopping, noticing shapes in the real-world or looking at money.
What does each game cover? There are three Teach Your Monster to Read games to play, covering 2 years of the reading journey. Please read through their educational content to decide which game is right for your child. Game 1: First Steps For children just starting to learn letters and sounds. First Steps gives children extra practice for whichever phonics scheme they’re using in school. - Practice for 31 letter-sound combinations: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u, r, h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss, j, qu, v, w, x, y, z, zz - Blending and segmenting practice with CVC words - The first 6 non-decodable (‘tricky”) words Game 2: Fun With Words For children who are confident with early letter-sound combinations and are starting to read sentences. NB: If you’re not sure, try game 1 first. Fun With Words gives children extra practice for whichever phonics scheme they’re using in school: - Practice of new letter-sound combinations: - ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er - Lots of blending and segmenting practice with CVC, CVCC, CCV and CCVC words - Practice of non-decodable (‘tricky’) words: - he, she, the, to, we, me, be, was, no, go, my, you, they, her, all, are, said, so, have, like, some, come, were, there, little, one, do when, out, what - Reading and comprehension of sentences, from short ones such as “Get the cat” to longer ones such as “Can you get me an owl that is not green or red?” Game 3: Champion Reader For children who are confidently reading short sentences and know all of the basic letter-sound combinations. Important: Champion Reader is our most advanced game and children should be ready to play it. - be able to read and understand short sentences like: ‘Go and get me a black bee for my jar,' she said. - have secure knowledge of the following graphemes / phonemes: s, a, t, p, i, n, m, d, g, o, c, k, ck, e, u, r, h, b, f, ff, l, ll, ss, j, qu, v, w, x, y, z, zz, ch, sh, th, ng, ai, ee, igh, oa, oo, ar, or, ur, ow, oi, ear, air, ure, er The game gives children extra practice for whichever phonics scheme they’re using in school: - Introduces alternative spellings of sounds (e.g. /ai/ as used in eight and they) - Introduces alternative pronunciations (e.g. i as pronounced in fin and find) - More non-decodable (‘tricky”) words - Lots of reading for meaning and comprehension - from sentences to magical little books
Anatomy of the Knee Joint The knee is one of the most complex and largest joint in the body, and is more susceptible to injury. Meniscal tears are one among the common injuries to the knee joint. It can occur at any age, but are more common in athletes playing contact sports. The meniscus is a small, "c" shaped piece of cartilage in the knee. Each knee consists of two menisci, medial meniscus on the inner aspect of the knee and the lateral meniscus on the outer aspect of the knee. The medial and lateral meniscus act as a cushion between the thighbone (femur) and shinbone (tibia). The meniscus has no direct blood supply and for that reason, when there is an injury to the meniscus, healing cannot take place. The meniscus acts like a “shock absorber” in the knee joint. Causes of Meniscal Injuries Meniscal tears often occur during sports. These tears are usually caused by twisting motion or over flexing of the knee joint. Athletes who play sports such as football, tennis and basketball are at a higher risk of developing meniscal tears. They often occur along with injuries to the anterior cruciate ligament, a ligament that crosses from the femur (thighbone) to the tibia (shinbone). Symptoms of Meniscal Injuries Various types of meniscal tears that can occur are longitudinal, bucket handle, flap, parrot -beak and mixed or complex. The symptoms of a meniscal tear include: - Knee pain when walking - A “popping “or “clicking” may be felt at the time of injury - Tenderness when pressing on the meniscus - Swelling of the knee - Limited motion of the knee joint - Joint locking can occur if the torn cartilage gets caught between the femur and tibia preventing straightening of the knee. Diagnosis of Meniscal Injuries A careful medical history and a physical examination can help diagnose meniscal injury. The McMurray test is one of the important tests for diagnosing meniscal tears. During this test, your doctor will bend the knee, then straighten and rotate it in and out. This creates pressure on the torn meniscus. Pain or a click during this test may suggest a meniscal tear. Your doctor may order imaging tests such as knee joint X-ray and knee MRI to help confirm the diagnosis. Treatment of Meniscal Injuries The treatment depends on the pattern and location of the tear. If the meniscal tear is not severe, your child's doctor may begin with non-surgical treatments that may include: - Rest: Avoid activities that may cause injury. Your child may need to use crutches temporarily to limit weight-bearing. - Ice: Ice application to reduce swelling - Pain medications: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help reduce swelling and pain - Physical therapy: Physical therapy may be recommended for muscle and joint strengthening. If the symptoms are persisting and conservative treatment fails, your child may need a knee arthroscopic surgery to repair the torn meniscus.
What is a Stage-Gate Process? Stage-gate process refers to a specific technique in project management where the process is divided into distinct stages, or phases, demarcated by decision points known as gates. At each gate, current results and information, like the specific case, risk analysis, and resource availability, determine the next decision. Most commonly, there are five phases in stage-gate processes: scoping the breadth of work based on the initial brainstorming session; formulating a business case; developing the structure and fleshing it out; testing and either validating or correcting errors; and launching the product or service. Typically, the gates that separate each stage consist of addressing major themes: quality of execution, business rationale, and action plan. When addressing these concepts, there are five possible answers: go, conditional go, kill, hold, and recycle. Because some industries carry a higher level of risk and failure than others during the innovation process (e.g. pharmaceuticals, technology, etc.), incorporating regularly-scheduled safeguards helps mitigate risk and failure before allowing them to grow too much. One of the earliest and most famous stage-gate process examples can be traced back to NASA in the 1960s during the Apollo and Gemini projects; since then, many organizations have adopted it into their own workflows. Other Names for Stage-Gate Process: - Phase gate process - Phase review process - Front-end loading - Big design up front - Waterfall process Why is Stage-Gate Process Important? The stage-gate process is important for several reasons: it helps those involved work on the right task at the right time; it minimizes loss of resources; mitigates risk; keeps the original scope from growing out of control; offers flexibility in adjusting details and direction; improves cross-team collaboration; and highlights errors at the earliest possible point. When it comes to innovation, often, the endpoint can’t be learned until well into the process because of competing players and data, which is why a structured process is vital for maximizing success. Businesses value predictability because it helps make budget planning and resource allocation clear and easy to understand. Plus using the stage-gate process reduces risk and increases the chances of success. If knowledge is power, then the stage-gate process epitomizes that concept, especially when it comes to innovation. Having enough – and the right kind of – information is a key tool in managing risk and ensuring project success.
If we want the best way to learn a language we need the presence of three main elements: 1. Motivation (“How badly do we want to acquire practical use of the language?”) 2. Free time (Availability of and willingness to invest emotional, mental and financial resources). 3. A teacher – someone who has the knowledge and skills that the student wants to attain and that has been trained to effectively guide students through the learning process. Learning a language is a process that requires the active and steady participation of both teacher and student. The teacher is certainly the leader of the process, but she must constantly encourage the student to take an increasingly active role in choosing the lesson content and goals, deciding on the intensiveness of the course and even fine-tuning the methods used in class. For example, some students prefer to have their teacher read a text before they try, while others are willing to “jump right in”. Effective learning is made possible when a high level of trust exists between teacher and student. The student believes in the teacher’s ability to teach him, and the teacher relies on the student to do his part in creating an effective learning process (i.e. self-practice and homework). Why is the presence of a teacher so critical to the learning process? The first reason has to do with the teacher’s ability to reconstruct complicated grammar and syntax rules, in such a way as to make them accessible to the student. This amazing skill that good teachers have requires them not only to be intimately familiar with the target content, but to also be familiar with and sensitive to the student’s specific knowledge internalization capabilities and nuances. In addition, the teacher’s feedback is an absolutely necessary component, without which the student has no reliable means of distinguishing between correct and incorrect language use. We strongly believe that a good language teacher does not simply dispense knowledge in the class, but rather takes a holistic approach to helping the student gain proficiency and confidence. Case in point, the teacher should encourage and provide his students with practical tools for making the target language a regular part of his daily life (reading articles, writing letters or emails and most importantly, speaking). These experiences from “the field” are later brought to the class, in order to get additional tools and guidance in advance of the next spontaneous opportunity to use the language in a real life situation. One of the biggest and possibly most important challenges our teachers face is to help students overcome mental barriers of hesitation or fear of actively using the target language, especially in conversation. Therefore, a significant part of each lesson is designated to exercises that induce active conversation. For example, in a lesson dealing with prepositions (in, on, at, below, before…) the teacher might show a picture of a table with different objects around it. The teacher would then ask the student to describe what he sees using prepositions to describe the position of the objects in relation to the table. With a student at a more advanced level, the teacher could present a short story in which someone is unjustly treated. The text is meant to intrigue and arouse the student’s sense of curiosity and in this case the student’s sensitivities and sense of morality, so as to induce an excited and energetic vocal response on the part of the student. Here we see that the text is only a means to an end, the main goal being an active free-flowing conversation. Our virtual classroom offers an effective, interactive and multifaceted learning experience. Students gain access to teachers that are best suited to their needs, regardless of their geographical location and the lessons are conducted in the place most comfortable for the student – her home. Time otherwise wasted on travelling and looking for parking, can now be used to learn the target language. The virtual class is an interactive platform with state of the art communication (video, audio) and document sharing options. Lessons are usually taught using structured presentations, but teachers often use the “virtual whiteboard” to explain different subjects and encourage students to write or type on the whiteboard as well. You can even surf the web or watch a movie with the teacher in class. Even great teachers and highly motivated students need a supportive framework in order to meet the challenge of learning a language head on. Our pedagogical and technical support teams are busy at all times, behind the scenes; ensuring students have the best chances of accomplishing their goals in a timely and enjoyable manner. In addition to creating new learning materials for different courses, we hold regular consultations with teachers, regarding their students’ progress and ways of improving the individual teaching process. We are aware of the fact that our students invest many resources into acquiring a language; and that they take on this challenge with the expectation of feeling significant progress and seeing concrete results, at the end of the process, in return for their efforts. We take this responsibility seriously and do our utmost to help them realize their aspirations. Students’ needs and circumstances can change and lesson formats can change accordingly, but they usually include the following elements (not necessarily in this order): • “Warm-up” conversation on any relevant topic • Review of the material or homework from the previous lesson • Reading of a short text (sometimes only one or two paragraphs out of an article or story) • Learning of new words from the text • Learning of grammar or syntax rules that came up while reading the text • Free conversation regarding the content of the text (try combining new vocabulary and grammar) • Writing assignment (for example a summary of an article or a letter to the writer/editor) • Lesson summary and homework assignment Our teachers make a great effort to enrich their classes with teaching aids such as songs and video clips, in order liven up the learning experience. We put an emphasis on dialogs and simulations of real life situations, in which the student may find himself in a position in which he has to express himself in the target language (in a restaurant, a taxi, in an interview, etc.). In a typical lesson, a student can expect to learn 10-20 new words or phrases. Quality is the name of the game, not quantity, so it’s more important to learn how to use the words correctly, as opposed to simply learning the meaning of as many words as possible. The syllabus of any given course can be roughly divided into two main components: 1. Communication skills (reading, writing, conversation) 2. Language elements (vocabulary, grammar and sentence structure) These two components are taught and practiced simultaneously, in as much as they complement one another. For further insights regarding our language teaching methodology, feel free to contact us. LingoLearn is an online languages school that offers beginners level language courses, as well as intermediate and advanced level courses. Learn a language with our experienced teachers and excellent learning materials, in a state of the art virtual classroom!
Easter Island, an island west of South America made remarkable progress because of religion but the progress also proved to be its doom. Their misplaced faith in the religious statues called moai and their uncontrolled population depleted the natural resources on the island (Wright, p 60). At first there was an abundance of natural resources on the island but after each generation, the statues they built were bigger than the last demanding more natural resources. The people had never thought about the future while using the resources because of their boundless confidence in their religion and their moai Gods told them that prosperity would return as long as they built more stone statues (Wright, p 61). In the end with no resources left, all the different clans got divided and raged wars with each other. The peoples of the island had made too much progress in erecting images leading to an ecological disaster which ultimately promoted a war between the different clans (Wright, p 63). Therefore, Easter Island was self destructed by the Polynesian settlers because of their senseless use of resources, too much faith in Moai and internal clashes. The people had no route of escape as they were stranded on an island with no resources. Moai, the stone giants had devoured the land (Wright, pp 60-61). In the case of the Sumerian settlement at Catal Huyuk things were not different but the settlers had a route of escape. The people that first settled in Catal Huyuk began farming without any knowledge that they were slowly reducing the richness of the soil which in the end would force them to migrate their whole settlement again. Rich soils and good farming land became a cause of wars and there was competition for land in Catal Huyuk (Wright, p 66). Widespread deforestation, overgrazing, lime burning etc. made the land totally bare and turned it into the desert we see today. They like the Easter islanders had befouled their nest, or rather stripped it bare (Wright, p 67). They however were lucky as they could move to Mesopotamia which was lower down on the great plain of Tigris and Euphrates (Wright, p 67). The settlers Catal Huyuk had ended their civilization because of over farming and various wars for fertile land. Mesopotamia being a good option for the Sumerians, was immediately occupied by the migrants and the land was very rich in fish, dates, soil etc. (Wright, p 67). But the land was again over used and the priestly corporations that had developed started to take advantage of the common people. The priests were concerned more about their own wealth and greediness rather than actually protect people from natural calamities as they claimed to have doing (Wright, p 70). The enormous wealth of the priests also promoted clashes with the mountain and desert folk. On the other hand, deforestation due to overgrazing and ploughing of fields caused the frequent floods in Mesopotamia to have a larger than normal effect. Woodlands at first used to absorb most of the rain water but due to deforestation, the soaking up of the water did not work (Wright, p 74). The Sumerians destroyed their own civilization due to deforestation which caused disastrous floods, too much faith in the priests and clashes with the mountain and desert folk. All in all, Wright argues that we should use our knowledge of past mistakes to prevent a similar fate for our present day world. Over consumption of natural resources, blind faith in religion and wars had destroyed past civilizations such as Easter Island, Mesopotamia and Catal Huyuk. Wright records in his book A Short History of Progress that humans have a habit of self destruction and because of various current problems, we are even heading towards self annihilation today. Wright, Ronald. A Short History of Progress. 1st ed. New York: Carroll and Graf, 2004.
The temperature in the Arctic is rising, the snow is melting, and the landscape is getting greener—that is, when it’s not on fire. In the 10,000 years since the end of the last ice age, says a new study lead by Ryan Kelly, the severity of Arctic fires—the damage they do to the areas, particularly the soil, that they burn—is the highest it’s ever been. The closest match, the researchers say, was a 500-year stretch known as the Medieval Climate Anomaly, a period that ended around 750 years ago and was defined by warm, dry conditions in the Northern Hemisphere. The modern boreal forest of Alaska, where the scientists did their study, took shape around 3,000 years ago. Along with the sharp increase in fire severity, the frequency of Arctic wild fires has been increasingly recently, too. Kelly and the others write that the frequency of fires is the highest it has been in this 3,000 year stretch. Predictions of future Arctic wildfires, say the scientists, “almost ubiquitously suggest increased frequency, size, and/or severity of burns in coming decades as a result of future warming.” But Kelly and colleagues point out that making these sorts of predictions might not be quite so simple. They say that some trees are more flammable than others, and just like during the Medieval Climate Anomaly, an increase in strong fires may be increasing the prevalence of less flammable species. During the Medieval Climate Anomaly, this type of shift capped the extent of the fires, and, the scientists write, a similar change that seems to be going on now “may stabilize the ﬁre regime, despite additional warming.” So, Arctic greening and changes in the types of plants might put a damper on the recent increases in Arctic fire frequency. Or, it might not. “The present ﬁre regime seems to have surpassed the vegetation-induced limit that constrained burning during the ,” Kelly and his colleagues say. Modern climate change seems to be more dramatic than even that five-hundred-year warm period centuries ago, so we’re really not entirely sure what’s going to happen to the Arctic. Maybe something will dampen the blaze, like it has in the past, or maybe it won’t. We might, as the scientists say, be headed for a “novel regime of unprecedented fire activity” in the Alaskan Arctic. More from Smithsonian.com:
What we see in the Universe is only 4% of the total existing mass and energy. Two new studies attempt to shed light on the dark side of the universe, i.e. the remaining 96%, which consists of the mysterious dark matter and even more mysterious dark energy. The first study attempts to determine the amount of dark energy, a theoretical force that acts opposite gravity and is responsible for the accelerating expansion of the Universe. In the future, the collected data could either confirm or disprove the prevailing view according to which dark energy suddenly appeared about 5 to 7 billion years ago. The second study investigated dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way and concluded that the dark matter they contain can’t be composed of hypothetical particles which essentially draw the attention of astronomers. Although the study does not answer the question of the composition of dark matter, it reveals what it is not composed of. Looking back in time – exploring the mysterious dark energy According to the prevailing theory, the expansion of the Universe was not always accelerating. Cosmologists believe that the expansion slowed up 5 to 7 billion years ago when dark energy appeared mysteriously and began to accelerate its expansion. Today, this force is so strong that it is believed to correspond to 73% of the total mass-energy of the Universe (according to Einstein’s relativity, matter and energy are equivalents). But if the dark matter appeared suddenly, the distance separating the galaxies before its appearance was much smaller than in the case that the dark energy would always exist. To find out whether it was true, an international research team examined galaxies at large distances, of billions of light-years from the Earth. Essentially, looking at these galaxies is like looking at the distant past. The measurements came from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey, a comprehensive research effort for digital sky map. Will Percival from the University of Portsmouth, a member of the research team said: “Today we have only one-third of the final survey data, and they already allow us to measure the speed of expansion of the Universe 6 billion years ago”. The survey was based on observations of 250,000 galaxies, but many more measurements are required for confirmation or refutation of the theory. The results were presented at the National Astronomy Conference held last week in Manchester. The dark side of the universe and dwarf galaxies orbiting the Milky Way The second study, published in Physical Review Letters, examined ten of the more than 20 dwarf galaxies that orbit the Milky Way. Previous measurements had shown that within the galaxies, there were large quantities of dark matter. The dark matter represents 23% of the mass-energy of the Universe, i.e. five times more than normal matter. It is believed to consist of unknown fundamental particles, which do not emit or refract light, neither interact with normal matter. Many physicists believe that the key ingredient is the WIMP (weakly interacting massive particles), whose existence has not been confirmed yet. However, theoretically, some WIMP annihilate each other when they meet and emit gamma-ray flashes, which would be easy to record by the dwarf galaxy satellites. However, despite these efforts, the gamma-ray telescope ‘Fermi’ failed to detect such flashes in a large energy range. And the inability to detect flashes seems to contradict the theoretical hypotheses about four types of WIMP. It means that the believed key ingredient of the dark matter probably does not exist anywhere. It is a negative result but is an important step in solving the mystery of dark matter. As it seems, searching for the nature of the dark side of the Universe will not end anytime soon. - 6 Things to Do Before the New Year to Make Your Life Better - December 29, 2022 - The Greatest Illusion People Fall Into in the Age of Social Media - December 15, 2022 - 3 Reasons Why Introverts Are Among the Most Loyal People You’ll Meet - October 15, 2021 Copyright © 2012-2023 Learning Mind. All rights reserved. For permission to reprint, contact us.
Naked mole-rats can live for an incredibly long time and have an exceptional resistance to cancer thanks to unique conditions in their bodies that stop cancer cells multiplying, according to new research. Understanding how these remarkable animals are almost completely immune to cancer could improve our understanding of the early stages of the disease in people and lead to new ways to prevent or better treat it. Until now, it was thought that naked mole-rats almost never got cancer because their healthy cells were resistant to being converted into cancer cells. However, researchers at the University of Cambridge have shown for the first time that genes known to cause cancer in cells of other rodents can also lead naked mole-rat cells to become cancerous. The results were published in the journal Nature. This finding suggests that what sets naked mole-rats apart is the microenvironment – the complex system of cells and molecules surrounding a cell, including the immune system. The researchers believe interactions with this microenvironment are what stops the initial stages of cancer from developing into tumours, rather than a cancer resistance mechanism within healthy cells as previously thought. Dr Walid Khaled, one of the senior authors of the study from the University of Cambridge's Department of Pharmacology, said: “The results were a surprise to us and have completely transformed our understanding of cancer resistance in naked mole-rats. If we can understand what’s special about these animals’ immune systems and how they protect them from cancer, we may be able to develop interventions to prevent the disease in people.” Naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) are burrowing rodents native to East Africa. They can live for up to 37 years and are highly cancer resistant, with only a few cases ever observed in captive animals. Other unusual traits that have made them of interest to science include being the only cold-blooded mammal, lacking pain sensitivity to chemical stimuli in their skin and being able to withstand very low levels of oxygen (hypoxia). In the study, the researchers analysed 79 different cell lines, grown from five different tissues (intestine, kidney, pancreas, lung and skin) of 11 individual naked mole-rats. They infected cells with modified viruses to introduce cancer causing genes. These genes are known to cause cancer in mice and rat cells, but were not expected to be able to transform naked mole-rat cells into cancer cells. Fazal Hadi, lead researcher of the study from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, said: “To our surprise, the infected naked mole-rat cells began to multiply and rapidly form colonies in the lab. We knew from this accelerated growth that they had become cancerous.” The team then injected these cells into mice, and within weeks, the mice formed tumours. This striking result indicates that the environment of the naked mole-rat’s body prevents the cancer from developing, contradicting previous studies that suggested that an inherent feature of naked mole-rat cells stopped them turning cancerous in the first place. The scientists will now continue to investigate the mechanisms by which naked mole-rats stop cancer cells from developing into tumours. One avenue of particular interest is the unique immune system of naked mole-rats, as our immune systems play a critical role in protecting us from cancer and this power has already been effectively exploited in modern immunotherapy treatments. Dr Ewan St. John Smith, one of the senior authors of the study from the University of Cambridge's Department of Pharmacology said: “All our work with naked mole-rats, from studying their hypoxia resistance to pain insensitivity and cancer resistance, is aiming to leverage the extreme biology of this species to understand more about how our bodies work normally.” Source: University of Cambridge
The theory of multiple intelligences was proposed by Howard Gardner in 1983 to more accurately define the concept of intelligence and to address the question whether methods which claim to measure intelligence (or aspects thereof) are truly scientific. Gardner’s theory argues that intelligence, particularly as it is traditionally defined, does not sufficiently encompass the wide variety of abilities humans display. In his conception, a child who masters multiplication easily is not necessarily more intelligent overall than a child who struggles to do so. The second child may be stronger in another kind of intelligence and therefore 1) may best learn the given material through a different approach, 2) may excel in a field outside of mathematics, or 3) may even be looking at the multiplication process at a fundamentally deeper level, which can result in a seeming slowness that hides a mathematical intelligence that is potentially higher than that of a child who easily memorizes the multiplication table. The Eight Intelligences : – The Writer/Speaker Children with strong Verbal-Linguistic intelligence will have a propensity to produce language and sensitivity to the nuances, order and rhythm of words. These students love to read, write and tell stories. They have good memories for names, places, dates and trivia. Professionals with strong VL intelligence will be writers, public speakers, teachers, and actors. Some historical examples include Abraham Lincoln, T.S. Elliot and Charlton Heston. 2) Math-Logical – The Scientist Children with strong Math-Logical intelligence have the ability to reason deductively and can recognize and manipulate abstract patterns or relationships. Students who have strong problem-solving and reasoning skills will excel in this intelligence. Adults with this intelligence will work as scientists, mathematicians, computer programmers, lawyers or accountants. Some historical examples include Albert Einstein, Nicolae Tesla, Alexander Graham Bell. 3) Spatial – The Builder Children with Spatial intelligence have the ability to create visual-spatial representations and can transfer them mentally or concretely. Students who exhibit this intelligence need a mental or physical “picture” to understand the information being presented. Professionals in this intelligence are typically graphic artists, architects, cartographers and sculptors. Some historical examples include Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, and Bobby Fischer. 4) Musical – The Composer Children with strong Musical intelligence have great sensitivity to the rhythm of sounds (e.g. pitch, timbre, composition). Students strong in this intelligence will enjoy listening to music and may ultimately work as singers, songwriters, composers, or even music teachers. Some historical examples include Ludwig van Beethoven, J.S. Bach, and Mozart. 5) Bodily-Kinesthetic – The Athlete Children with strong Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence gravitate towards athletics; however, they also may use their bodies to solve problems, or convey ideas and emotions. Students with BK intelligence will be good at physical activities, have good hand-eye coordination and may have a tendency to move around a lot while expressing themselves. Professionals using BK intelligence will include athletes, surgeons, dancers and even inventors. Some historical examples include Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Andre Agassi. 6) Interpersonal – The Peacemaker Children with strong Interpersonal intelligence work effectively in a group and understand and recognize the goals, motivations and intentions of others. Students with this intelligence thrive in cooperative, group work situations and are skilled at communicating, mediating and negotiating. Professionals in this intelligence may be teachers, therapists, and salespeople. Some historical examples include Mohandas Gandhi, Mother Theresa and Ronald Reagan. 7) Intrapersonal – The Philosopher Children who are strong in the Intrapersonal intelligence have the ability to understand one’s own emotions, goals and motivations. These students have good instincts about their strengths and abilities. This intelligence will be highly developed in professionals who work as philosophers, psychiatrists or religious leaders. Some historical examples include Eleanor Roosevelt and Sigmund Freud. 8.) Naturalist – The Earth Lover Children with strong focus in this intelligence will exhibit an affinity for all things nature. These students will enjoy and thrive when learning about nature topics, such as flora and fauna. Some professions with focus on this intelligence will include forest rangers, botanists, farmers and biologists. Some historical examples include Charles Darwin, John Muir. In 1956, Benjamin Bloom headed a group of educational psychologists who developed a classification of levels of intellectual behavior important in learning. Bloom found that over 95 % of the test questions students encounter require them to think only at the lowest possible level…the recall of information.Bloom identified six levels within the cognitive domain, from the simple recall or recognition of facts, as the lowest level, through increasingly more complex and abstract mental levels, to the highest order which is classified as evaluation. Six levels of Blooms : - Remembering / Knowledge or recall of data, expresses the natural urge to recall previously learned material. So knowledge, or being told, can be a foundation for very much learning. It provides a basis for higher levels of thinking, but is rote in nature. Insight rides on top of it. - Understanding / Comprehension, the ability to grasp meaning, explain, restate ideas, means understanding the basic information and translating, interpreting, and extrapolating it. - Application, or using learned material in new situations, involves using information, ideas, and skills to solve problems, then selecting and applying them appropriately. - Analysis suggests separating items, or separate material into component parts and show relationships between parts. It also means breaking apart information and ideas into their component parts. - Creating / Synthesis suggests the ability to put together separate ideas to form new wholes of a fabric, or establish new relationships. Synthesis involves putting together ideas and knowledge in a new and unique form. This is where innovations truly take place. - Evaluation is the highest level in this arrangement. Here the ability to judge the worth of material against stated criteria will show itself. Evaluation involves reviewing and asserting evidence, facts, and ideas, then making appropriate statements and judegments.
Plaster of Paris is a powder made from calcium sulfate that forms a paste when mixed with water. The paste then hardens and can be used to cast items in a mold. In school, children often make dioramas, miniature representations of a scene, as a way of displaying what they have learned about a particular historical event or cultural society. Plaster of Paris is a useful, albeit messy, way of creating landscapes or casting small figures for a diorama. Things You'll Need - Shallow cardboard box or wooden platform - Sponges or Styrofoam - Thin sheets of cardboard (such as cereal boxes) - Craft glue - Plaster of Paris powder - Paper towels - Measuring cup - Plastic containers, various sizes - Petroleum jelly - Drinking straws - Ice cube tray or plastic shapes mold - Poster paint Video of the Day Landscaping with Plaster of Paris Use sponges, newspapers and strips of cardboard to create the terrain for the diorama landscape. Ball up newspaper and stack sponges to create hills or mountains. Create gentle slopes, river banks and waterfalls by bending strips of cardboard into the appropriate shapes. Lay out the terrain in a shallow cardboard box or on top of a wooden platform. Secure all the pieces of the terrain to the box or platform with tape and craft glue. Cover the workspace and the floor with newspaper before beginning to work with Plaster of Paris. Cut paper towels into long, thin strips. Prepare a small batch of Plaster of Paris according to the directions on the package. Stir carefully to remove lumps from the mixture. Dip paper towels into the Plastic of Paris mixture and lay them over the terrain to create a hard shell. Work quickly, covering the diorama’s base with thin strips of paper towel soaked in Plaster of Paris. Allow the Plaster of Paris to dry completely before decorating the diorama. Making Plaster of Paris Shapes Cutting drinking straws into one- to two-inch-long pieces. Grease drinking straws with petroleum jelly. Grease the sides of the ice cube trays or shape molds with petroleum jelly. Prepare the Plaster of Paris mixture according to the directions on the package. Mix the paste in a plastic container. Stir carefully to remove lumps from the mixture. Mix a small amount of poster paint into the Plaster of Paris mixture. Stir slowly to evenly disperse paint through the Plaster of Paris. Choose a paint color that is appropriate for the type of shape being cast. Pour the mixture into the ice cube tray or plastic mold. Insert a piece of drinking straw into each section filled with Plaster of Paris. Be sure the straw reaches the bottom of the mold. Allow the molds to dry and use the straw to help remove the shapes from the mold. Repeat these steps for each new shape and color.
There has been a trend over the last few centuries that has seen the human being removed more and more from the agricultural realm. Human labour has been replaced by mechanisation and the exodus of humans from agricultural environments toward urban habitation and employment has unfolded on a vast scale. Food and food production are often defined and designed on the model of industrial production and the factory as guiding metaphor. In many parts of the world this social change has led to a very few people farming or managing land on behalf of the vast majority who have no contact with agricultural activities. But agriculture has, historically, been about much more than the sheer pragmatics of food production. Culture and community once grew around the agricultural cycle of the seasons and festivals, markets, and fairs were multi-generational events that contributed to the life of the land and the people connected to the land. The removal of human culture and community from agricultural environments (and vice versa) is a complex set of events that has had deep implications – for both agriculture and culture. In this course we wish to encourage research and study into aspects of culture, community and consciousness that are intertwined with land stewardship. We want to foster social innovation along with agroecology and re-engage with acknowledging the mutual benefit of human development in the context of agroecological initiatives and contexts. These research areas may include, but are not limited to; • holistic science and interdisciplinary approaches to science • Human development in the context of land stewardship – education, care, individual and community empowerment • community supported agricultural initiatives • innovation in social financing of food production, distribution, access to land • new approaches to understanding living organisms and living systems
A definite article is a part of speech which is used in front of a noun. Definite articles are used as a specifier when the noun is known either because it is unique, or because it has been previously introduced in context. They are also used in some specific settings such as in references to certain types of geographic locations, before superlatives, and so forth. In English, there is only one definite article, and it is “the.” Closely related is the indefinite article, “a” or “an” in English. One case in which a definite article might be used is when a noun has been introduced in context, when one wants to refer to that specific noun again. For example, one might say “As I walked up to the house, I could see a gray cat asleep on the windowsill. The cat yawned and stretched when I knocked on the door.” In this case, “the cat” in the second sentence is assumed to be the same cat who was asleep in the first sentence, because no other cats have been mentioned. “The” is used as a specifier, meaning “a particular cat,” instead of a cat in general. People can also use a definite article when a noun is well understood or considered to be unique, as in “the Prime Minister will be giving a speech later” or “the moon is big tonight.” In the first sentence, the speaker is referring not to a generic prime minister, but to a particular Prime Minister, and the speaker assumes that the listener knows which one is being discussed. In the case of the moon, since Earth has only one moon, the speaker uses the definite article to refer to it even when it has not been introduced in the context of the conversation, because the speaker could only be talking about one moon in particular. Although the definite article primarily acts as a determiner, being used to refer to a particular example of a noun, it can also be used in some other contexts. For example, when superlatives are used, “the” is usually used with them, as in “the biggest town in the county is Freetown” or “the highest building in the city is...” Definite articles also crop up in geography, where they are used to refer to particular geographic features, such as oceans, mountain ranges, and deserts, like the Atlantic Ocean, the Alps, and the Sahara. As a general rule, the indefinite article is used when one is introducing a noun, or referring to a generic noun, while the definite article is used when talking about a particular noun. For example, one might say “will you be renting a car while you visit the city?” as opposed to “the keys to the rental car are on the table.” In the first sentence, one is referring to a generic car, while in the second, one is talking about a specific car. Likewise, “I am thinking of planting a tree in the garden” might be a topic of conversation among a group of gardeners, and another gardener might add “I really like the flowering cherry I planted last spring,” referring to a specific tree.
Examples of Effective Modeling Activities Several years ago a friend shared a video with me that changed my perspective on teaching math forever. It was Dan Meyer’s Ted Talk, Math Class Needs a Makeover. Before I had ever heard the term modeling, the concept was lodged in my mind and consequently my practice because of the following clip. After you check it out, let’s take a look at a few tried and true classroom activities on modeling. Meyer goes on to make five suggestions for implementing these kinds of activities. (I highly recommend watching the entire video!) - Use multimedia - Encourage student intuition - Ask the shortest question you can - Let students build the problem. - Be less helpful. Using these suggestions, my students have created (and enjoyed!) several mathematical models. For example, I modified Meyer’s idea of filling up a water cooler and set up a 10 gallon Gatorade cooler outside the school. I had my students fill it with water and then told them they had to drain it only using the spout at the bottom. Of course this led to grumbling about how long they were going to have to stand there, so I told them I would make them a deal. They could go back inside if they could tell me how long it would take to do it. The first student idea was to wait until the cooler had drained halfway and then double the time. Another student built on that idea and said we could drain it a quarter of the way and multiply the time by four. This led to a discussion that we could drain it to whatever fraction we wanted as long as we proportionally compensated for the time. From that, some students created a graph of direct variation that showed the amount of drained water as a function of time. Others argued that it wasn’t direct variation because the water started out with 10 gallons in it and therefore created a graph with the number of gallons remaining vs. the time the spout was held. I tended to like the second one because it gave tangible meanings to the x and y-intercepts of their graphs. When they gave me a compelling estimate as a class, I ended the activity. Knowing what I know about modeling now, I should have recorded a video beforehand of the entire cooler draining and compared their models to the actual time it took because reconciling the theoretical to the practical is an important part of the modeling process. In one of our more comprehensive modeling activities, my students developed a model for a country’s success in the Olympics. After watching the games one summer, I started to wonder why some countries seemed to do better than others. I posed that question to my students and we brainstormed two main categories that we thought might correlate with a country’s Olympic performance: population (greater probability that gifted athletes live there) and per capita income (more opportunities for athletes to practice and/or have access to high quality facilities and equipment.) I had each student pick three to five countries, research their populations, per capita incomes, and total medal counts in the past four summer Olympics, and add their information to the class spreadsheet. Then, in groups, they created a scatterplot for their assigned factor and analyzed the data using linear regressions to see which factors more highly correlated with Olympic performance. If you want more specifics or want to see the results, then check out the award winning lesson plan, our class spreadsheet, or my reflection on the lesson. You can also find instructions for a similar project at Mathalicious. If you’re ready to create your own modeling activities, check out this guide that highlights some of the most important things I’ve learned about mathematical modeling. If the idea of creating your own modeling activities is intimidating, then start out by using one of the many activities already out there. When Math Happens is a great site that organizes 3 act tasks into grade bands. NCTM’s Mathematical Modeling and Modeling Mathematics has several well researched modeling activities, too. I particularly liked the ones in which students determined the stopping distance of a vehicle (pg. 18), the amount of food and water needed for emergency relief after a disaster (pg. 22), and the best placement of a fire station (pg. 55). Don’t forget to search online NCTM resources as well. For example, there is a really well done MTMS article called The Footprint Problem: A Pathway to Modeling based on a task developed by Koellner-Clark and Lesh. (See below) I hope you’ve learned something new and have been motivated to integrate more modeling activities because of this series. Remember, our students’ thinking is either supported or constrained because of the activities we select for them to explore (Lesh pg. 135). Do you have a favorite resource for modeling activities? Care to share some of your own? Let us know!
Learn something new every day More Info... by email Phospholipids are just one type of a large group of organic compounds called lipids. The main role of phospholipids in living organisms is that they make up the cell membrane. Lipids form a large and varied group of compounds that contain carbon (C), oxygen (O) and hydrogen (H) and are insoluble in water, or they do not dissolve in water. All lipids fall into one of two groups – fats or oils. The only difference between these groups is that fats are solid at room temperature while oils are a liquid. The chemical structure of lipids varies between the many different types. Most are triglycerides, or they are formed from three fatty acid chains attached to a glycerol molecule. All lipids contain the same glycerol molecule, so it is the nature of the fatty acids that determines a lipid’s characteristics. All fatty acids are made up of a carboxyl group (-COOH) attached to a hydrocarbon chain, made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms. The hydrocarbon chains can vary in length and are hydrophobic, or repel water. Phospholipids are not triglycerides. There is a small but very important difference in the structure of phospholipids compared to triglycerides. Instead of having three fatty acids attached to the glycerol molecule, one is replaced by a phosphate group, made up of phosphorous, oxygen and hydrogen. The phosphate group is hydrophilic, or it is attracted to water, in contrast to the rest of the molecule. The fact that one part of the molecule attracts water while the rest repels it affects the role of phospholipids in the cell membrane. In a water-based solution, the phospholipids automatically arrange themselves into a double layer, or a phospholipid bilayer. The fatty acids, which repel water, are found in the middle of the bilayer. The hydrophilic heads, which contain the phosphate group, face outwards along the bilayer and line either side of it. Due to this formation, some substances will be able to pass through the bilayer and others will not, so that it acts as a natural border. The function of a cell membrane is to act as a boundary between the inside of the cell and its surrounding environment. It is made up almost entirely of a phospholipid bilayer and proteins. Molecules that are water soluble, or dissolve in water, are unable to pass through the phospholipid bilyer due to the hydrophobic interior. The role of some of the proteins found within the bilayer is to allow transport across it, both into and out of the cell. In this way, the phospholipids and proteins control what enters and leaves the cell. One of our editors will review your suggestion and make changes if warranted. Note that depending on the number of suggestions we receive, this can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days. Thank you for helping to improve wiseGEEK!
The French philosopher René Descartes (1596-1650) and his “Cartesian” project attempted to determine how human beings could gain undeniable, concrete knowledge of the world. In other words, how could humans gain true understandings of the world that can’t be wrong. His argument began with the assumption that humans all share in the same “universal reason.” However, it has been noted that Descartes’ “universal reason” brings to fruition additional questions. For example, if this is so (that we share in universal reason) then why do human beings so often disagree with each? And why do so many get things wrong? Descartes believed that the answer to this problem was that of human tradition. He argued that human tradition, especially manifesting from families and societies, has warped a person’s rational capacities. This necessitates that the search for truth is rendered an effort to escape and/or rise above these traditions that blinds one to reality. This is what scholars and philosophers have routinely referred to as Modern Realism. Modern Realism has had a long history although several influential philosophers, living in the last days of philosophical Modernism, of the likes of Hegel, Heidegger, Kant, Nietzsche, and Schopenhauer were critical. They were critical because Modern Realism attempted to escape the power of tradition, a goal they thought was unlikely to ever be achieved. This is because everyone grows up in a culture, and thus they are formed by their culture. Because of this humans inevitably begin pursuing truth from within a cultural tradition, and therefore no-one ever starts from whole objectivity devoid of bias. This observation has brought to fruition two schools of postmodern epistemic thought. One school of thought holds that tradition really does blind us to the truth. Because humans are shaped by their cultural traditions it also blinds them to the truth, and therefore human beings do not know the truth. Thus what the human being embraces as reality is nothing more than an invention brought on by culture and tradition. As an epistemic approach this is known as Antirealism or Non-Realism. Beneath this system of thought the connection between actual reality and what we think we know about reality is severed. Alternatively, Practical Realism holds that tradition does not blind us to the truth. Instead, the Practical Realist believes that tradition is a practical and useful way for human beings to grasp reality. However, grasping reality from within one’s tradition is never viewed as perfect although human knowledge is adequate for the needs of a situation. The Practical Realist’s understanding of reality is deemed correct when a concept of reality is “close enough” to the facts to provide success in what they are trying to achieve. Thus the result is never the brute truth and it is at best partial and useful though always warped in some way or other. Theologically speaking, Practical Realism aligns fairly well with Christianity and its tradition. Christians generally hold that human beings are finite and fallen creatures who never see the world from a perfect viewpoint as, say, God would see it. Thus all human perceptions are partial and warped.
Perhaps you have seen bumper stickers that read: “Don’t treat the soil like dirt!” Well, it’s true, soil is much more than just a pile of sediments. In fact, though we may not normally think so, the soil is alive. In addition to the presence of inorganic minerals, soil is also comprised of hefty quantities of water, air, and organic materials such as bacteria, decaying plant and animal matter, and bugs. The complex amalgam of components that we call soil is generated from the physical, biological, and chemical breakdown of living and non-living matter. Having a basic understanding of Putney’s bedrock and surficial materials will help us dig into the world of soil, for it develops directly from the underlying substrate. Localized differences in topography, drainage, and depth to bedrock can result in a medley of distinct soil varieties from the same parent material. The glacial till on the uplands of the Southern Vermont Piedmont has weathered to form soils called loams that contain a mixture of gravel, sand, silt, and clay size particles in different concentrations. These till derived soils can be found on almost all of Putney’s hillsides, from Putney Mountain in the west, to Hickory ridge in the center of town, and on Bear Hill and Rocky Ridge towards the east. On the ridges where sediment cover is thin, the composition of the soils reflect the bedrock that sits directly beneath. Thus, soils that formed from sandstone or granite tend to be droughty and low in nutrients; fine-grained rocks like shale or phyllite weather into silt and clay particles that hold more water and may be slick or sticky; and the sediments of limestone and marble are rich in calcium and magnesium that support a diverse abundance of highly productive plant life. In the valley areas, the soils are derived from the fertile alluvial sand and silt deposits of rivers and streams. Lacking the cumbersome stones of the hills, these soils tend to be well-drained, thanks to the porous sand, as well as nutrient-rich, due to the steady input of fine-textured silt and clay in seasonal floodwaters. Consequently, many of the region’s agricultural lands that grow vegetables or graze cattle are situated on these productive soils. The Sacketts Brook valley, for instance, was historically an important component of the town’s bread basket. Today only a few active farms remain in the valley, one of them being the Goodell dairy farm directly to the north of the Putney Central School. In the wettest areas, like swamps and bogs, the soil remains saturated from season to season, preventing the decomposition of organic material. In these ecosystems, dead plant matter accumulates annually, creating soils rich in peat and supporting a plants that can tolerate having their feet wet all year round. Once considered ‘useless’ habitats, today we recognize these colorful wetland areas as important breeding grounds for a diversity of wildlife, in addition to valuable sanctuaries in which to escape from the urban machine and recharge the human spirit. Two other reasons not to treat the soil like dirt are because first, it takes a long time to form; on average one inch of fertile Connecticut River Valley soil forms every 100 years, yet it can be destroyed in a fraction of the time through the processes of erosion or degradation with pesticides and salts. Secondly, the importance of soil and its connections to our daily lives cannot be overstated. Basic resources such as the water we drink, the food we eat, and many of the fabrics and products we use come directly or indirectly from the earth. Perhaps less obvious is the valuable service soil provides as a ‘sink’ for storing vast quantities of atmospheric carbon – one of the main culprits in current global warming trends. An intimate way to nurture a relationship between humans and the soil is to farm or garden. By digging into the soil with our hands and hearts and taking part in the process of creation we come closer to understanding, respecting, and conserving the delicate cycles of nature that mediate all life on earth.
2 StandardELACC8L2: Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a. Use punctuation (comma) 3 Compound-ComplexCompound-Complex sentences are sentences made up of 2 or more independent clauses and 1 or more dependent clauses. 2 ind + 1 dep= compound-complex Examples 1. Myra went to the store, and she bought some milk because her family did not have enough for their cereal. 4 Basically….A compound-complex sentence is just a compound sentence (that’s the compound part) with a dependent clause stuck on it (that’s the complex part). Ex. Since they had nothing better to do, Mike and Angela took their dogs to the park, and they taught them to catch Frisbees. 5 PunctuationBasically, combine all of the previous punctuation rules to punctuate the compound and complex pieces of a compound-complex sentence.Ex. Since it is raining, we will stay inside, and we will postpone the game.Ex. I baked a cake, which was chocolate with vanilla icing, and I served it at my party. 7 Formulas1 Ind + 0 Dep= Simple 1 Ind + 1 Ind= Compound 1 Dep + 1 Ind= Complex 2 ind + 1 dep = Compound-Complex 8 S, CD, CX, or CD-CX1. I love animals, but I am allergic to them. 2. Since it is cold outside, we will turn up the heat inside. 3. The squirrel looked for his acorns, which he had buried in the fall, but they had grown up into little trees. 4. The shark stalked the school of fish and gobbled several of them up.
(Alternative spellings: wergild, wergeld, weregeld, etc.) was a reparational payment usually demanded of a person guilty of homicide, although it could also be demanded in other cases of serious crime. The payment of weregild was an important legal mechanism in early northern European societies, such as those of the Vikings , and Anglo-Saxons ; the other common form of legal reparation at this time was blood revenge. The payment was typically made to the family or to the clan. The word means, literally, "man price". The size of the weregild in cases of murder was largely conditional upon the social rank of the victim. Thralls and slaves technically commanded no weregild, however it was commonplace to make a nominal payment in the case of a thrall and the value of the slave in such a case. Weregild was also known to the Celts, who called it ericfine. Other cultures had similar customs e.g. the Slavonic glowczyzna.
Let There Be Light Beginning in 1882, commercial production of electricity from coal started what has come to be known as the "Second Industrial Revolution"—a revolution that continues today. At first, there was no way to transport energy over long distances, so coal-fired electricity-generating plants were small and built in the neighborhoods they supplied. Today, plants are commonly built near the mines that supply the fuel. These are often hundreds of kilometers from the people who use the electricity, delivered by high-voltage power lines. Electric light was a revelation: bright, constant, and safe. The first light bulbs, although small and inefficient, gave off 20 times the light of a candle. The discovery caught on quickly; American light-bulb inventor Thomas Edison opened his Lower Manhattan electricity generating station in 1882 and within 14 months had 508 subscribers. Most were businesses, and they used a total of 12,732 light bulbs.
Liebenberg syndrome is a condition that involves abnormal development of the arms, resulting in characteristic arm malformations that can vary in severity. In people with this condition, bones and other tissues in the elbows, forearms, wrists, and hands have characteristics of related structures in the lower limbs. For example, bones in the elbows are abnormally shaped, which affects mobility of the joints. The stiff elbows function more like knees, unable to rotate as freely as elbows normally do. Bones in the wrists are joined together (fused), forming structures that resemble those in the ankles and heels and causing permanent bending of the hand toward the thumb (radial deviation). The bones in the hands (metacarpals) are longer than normal, and the fingers are short (brachydactyly), similar to the proportions of bones found in the feet. In addition, muscles and tendons that are typically found only in the hands and not in the feet are missing in people with Liebenberg syndrome. Affected individuals also have joint deformities (contractures) that limit movement of the elbows, wrists, and hands. Development of the lower limbs is normal in people with this condition. Individuals with Liebenberg syndrome have no other health problems related to this condition, and life expectancy is normal. Liebenberg syndrome is a rare condition. Fewer than 10 affected families have been described in the medical literature. Liebenberg syndrome is caused by genetic changes near the PITX1 gene. The protein produced from this gene plays a critical role in lower limb development by controlling the activity of other genes involved in limb development, directing the shape and structure of bones and other tissues in the legs and feet. The genetic changes involved in Liebenberg syndrome delete, insert, or rearrange genetic material near the PITX1 gene. These changes affect regions of DNA known as regulatory elements, which help turn on or turn off genes (known as enhancers or repressors, respectively). They control when and where certain genes are active. The mutations that cause Liebenberg syndrome are thought to relocate enhancers that normally promote the activity of genes involved in upper limb development to be near the PITX1 gene, where they can promote its activity. Alternatively, the mutations may remove repressors that normally turn off the PITX1 gene during upper limb development. As a result, the PITX1 gene is abnormally active during development of the upper limbs. Because the PITX1 protein normally directs lower limb structure, bones, muscles, and tendons in the arms and hands develop more like those in the legs and feet, leading to the features of Liebenberg syndrome. - brachydactyly-elbow wrist dysplasia syndrome - brachydactyly with joint dysplasia - carpal synostosis with dysplastic elbow joints and brachydactyly
Posts: 5,993 +50 Researchers from the University of Washington, where the first non-invasive human-to-human brain interface was performed in 2013, have revealed BrainNet, which is described as a ‘brain-to-brain’ social network. The work described in a paper explains how BrainNet uses technology to send signals to and from different brains—don’t expect any Charles Xavier-style powers just yet. The system used three people: two who send the brain signals and one who receives them. All of those taking part are attached to an electroencephalogram (EEG) device that records electrical activity in the brain, while the person receiving the signals is also connected to a machine that causes transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), which stimulates reactions in the brain. The three subjects were linked to play what is essentially a very simple Tetris-style game. The senders, who could see the whole screen, would focus their eyes on a 15Hz flashing LED if they wanted to rotate one of the pieces. This would generate brain waves at the same frequency, which would be transmitted to the receiver. This person, who could only see the falling pieces, receives the signals, which are then converted by the TMS into a spot of light in their vision—an indication that the block needed to be turned. Using 15 people spread across five groups of three, the overall accuracy was 81.25 percent, which is even more impressive when you consider that the researchers occasionally made one of the senders send incorrect signals, leaving the receiver to figure out which instruction was correct. “Using only the information delivered by BrainNet, receivers are able to learn to differentiate the reliability of information conveyed to their brains by other subjects and choose the more credible sender,” the researchers said. “This makes the information exchange mediated by BrainNet similar to real-life social communication, bringing us a step closer to a ‘social network of brains.’” Last year, Elon Musk confirmed that he would become the CEO of a startup called Neuralink Corp. aimed at merging computers with the human brain, which could eventually lead to “consensual telepathy.”
4th-12th - Groundwater Presentations 4th through 12th, technical and terminology content varies with upper levels. Maximum of 50 students. Approximately-30 minutes (model demonstration) 20 minutes (videos) The Groundwater Soil Profile shows how water is stored and moves underground. Also shows how vulnerable the groundwater is to different pollutants, therefore contaminating the groundwater source. Students will learn that water is a limited and vulnerable resource. They will learn ways to conserve and help prevent groundwater contamination. - 1 pint of water - food color - 60 cc syringe - 3” x1/4” tubing Pour water into reservoirs then add food color to represent fresh water (blue) and contaminated water (red). When discharge water with syringe then will show contamination. Additional Teaching Tools Groundwater Adventure and Saving Water videos by Water Environment Federation are used and total approximately 20 minutes.
What Is “Singing”? Singing is a physical manifestation of our increased emotional expression, state and personality, through the production of musical sounds, a larger and sustained form of speech. The act of singing consists of three components: Body: Skilful use of the body parts in order to sing properly, also known as vocal techniques. Mind: Consciousness, habit, concentration/focus, musical creativity and intelligence, muscle memory. Emotions/Soul: Motivation, desire, interest, joy and passion in the act of singing, emotional release or total confidence, as well as the portrayal or delivery of a certain character’s emotional state. All three components work together to produce a “perfect” vocal performance (“perfect” because emotions are entirely subjective). Talent Versus Training Everyone can be taught to sing well simply because everyone possesses vocal cords. For example, Minkyung learned how to be an above-average singer during her days as a trainee and further improved her singing on “Immortal Song 2“. Our vocal cords all produce the musical sounds the same way. Being able to sing well means you are capable of adjusting your vocal cords at their optimal position during vocalization; or in other words, sing with power. Voice lessons can help you achieve that, so in a physiologic sense, anyone, whether they have vocal talent or not, can learn to sing well. Singing is 98% mental, while the rest is physical and emotional. You need to apply the correct technique every time you sing, you need to make it a habit every time you vocalize, and your brain needs to remember every sensation and muscle memory that happens when you sing. This is why singing is mostly a mental/habitual process. Training the mental part of singing highly affects your vocal consistency, which is the most essential aspect for a good vocalist. One way to determine the presence of “talent” in singing is the speed of vocal learning, as “talented” people in a field tend to learn the skill in question faster than others. However, “talent” is basically superficial because there’s no set definition as to what it is and it’s pretty much immeasurable. That said, regardless of whether one has talent or not, it does not change the fact that everyone needs to be vocally trained in order to sing well. A raw talent NEEDS to be trained. Talented singers such as Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Beyoncé all had vocal training to develop their talent and become virtuoso singers. Differences Between A Vocalist & A Singer Vocalist: Someone who has COMPLETE control, manipulation, and authority over their voice, similar to an instrumentalist. Hence, they are judged by vocal technique and consistency. Singer: Someone who uses their voice to deliver a message musically and convey emotions. They are partly judged by technique, but mostly subjectively judged by sense of interpretation wit, musical and vocal delivery, musicianship, and musical and vocal creativity.
Asking questions, orally, in class and then expecting an oral response is a very common technique teachers use in classrooms across the world. In most classrooms, every day there will be a teacher asking and a child answering. It is surprising how little some teachers have thought about the purposes of getting children to answer questions in this almost ubiquitous activity. Why do we ask questions? I had better ask, for what reasons do we ask questions as some of the teachers I have worked with will know my views on ‘why’ questions. Here are some reasons for the activity labelled Q&A: to see what children remember to see what children can recall - recall and remember are NOT the same thing to get children to repeat a fact so other children can hear the right answer to see what they know - a common teacher response to listen for any misconceptions to see what they do not know to see what they know but do not know how to phrase and so on. A strong focus on the children. Naturally, one might think. Questions are for teachers to check knowledge and understanding. Other reasons, sometimes there are called higher order questions, are to see if students can reason, rather than to check recall. Too see if a student can put two known facts together to come to a conclusion. Or to see if a fact is understood in a different context. I am sure you can think of questions that would meet these needs. It is generally harder to ask, orally, higher order questions than, supposedly, lower order questions. Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives provide such a low to high categorisation. In one version of Bloom’s recall, understanding and application are categorised as low order and analysis, synthesis and evaluation are high order. If I do not let you use a question stem, ‘why’, it is more challenging for you to think of how to ask a higher order question. I might deny you the use of ‘why’ questions so that you do have to think harder and, hopefully, more clearly about the purpose of your questions. I will define ‘why’ as a lazy teacher’s method of questioning, and I do not mean in the Jim Smith manner. I want to ask the question, what is the fundamental reasons for asking children questions? There are two, I believe. One is to get children to think. Recall is a form of thinking so Bloom’s lowest level is covered. The second reason is so that teachers can get a view on how well they have taught the child. Making their thinking visible. These two fundamentals may require teachers to consider their question planning a little more. I say question planning as I do believe that, unless you are a very experienced teacher, you need to carefully plan question clusters. Sets of questions that explore in some depth what children know and can do with the knowledge they are meant to have. Questions that check how well you have taught them so you can, perhaps, teach them again, in a different way so that they do truly learn. There is more. Children asking questions; cluster questions; hinge questions. But later for that. Time for tea, isn’t it?
Neuropathy refers to nerve damage in the body. More specifically, diabetic neuropathy speaks to damage caused by the effects of diabetes. Peripheral neuropathy is most commonly associated with diabetes and affects a patient’s legs, hands and feet. There are many different kinds of nerves in the body including sensory and motor nerves. It is through these nerves that the brain and body are able communicate. When a body part suffers nerve damage, the body will be affected in a very specific manner. For example, if a sensory nerve in the foot is damaged, the foot’s ability to feel heat and pain will be affected. Similarly if motor nerve damage is encountered, the foot’s muscles will weaken and posture will be compromised. Nerve damage in the feet can cause an array of problems including ulcers, corns and calluses. If left unnoticed and untreated, areas of the foot can get infected and could possibly, in severe cases, require amputation. Diabetic Neuropathy – Causes Diabetes inhibits the body’s ability to process glucose from food. Glucose, more commonly known as sugar, is used as energy in the body. When the body cannot properly breakdown glucose, there is a surplus in the blood. This surplus is known as high blood sugar levels and can cause nerve damage. For this reason it is extremely important that diabetics monitor their blood sugar levels on a daily basis. Poor blood circulation is also a serious factor in diabetic neuropathy. Since diabetics often have poor circulation, nerves are not able to receive the oxygen and nutrients needed for maintaining their health. As a result nerve damage occurs. Diabetic Neuropathy – Symptoms in the Feet Many people that experience neuropathy from diabetes will first notice the effects in their feet. These effects occur both internally and externally and can be very painful. Also, the internal symptoms can affect those felt externally. For this reason peripheral neuropathy can have devastating effects on feet. Burning and tingling sensations due to nerve damage within the foot are often felt. They can come and go and range in severity. Many patients will explain this symptom in different ways. Some will experience sharp shooting pains and others will experience constant burning pain. Neuropathy can also cause a lack of coordination and sensitivity in feet. These are both a direct result of motor and sensory nerve damage. This will cause the muscles in the foot to weaken and thus adjust the posture of the foot. As nerve damage progresses, a patient’s gait, also known as walking posture, can change. This gait change can add consistent pressure on feet and result in foot ulcers. When combining gait change and lack of sensation, feet can start rubbing against shoes, which can result in cracking of the skin, corns and calluses. With diminished sensation, wounds can often go unnoticed and untreated. If left untreated for an extended amount of time, wounds can get infected and may result in amputation. Peripheral Neuropathy – Treatment and Diagnosis Treating and diagnosing neuropathy can be very difficult because symptoms can vary in many ways. Testing reflexes, sensations, and foot strength will typically give a thorough examination of the nervous system. Understanding a patient’s medical history is also a critical component to fully diagnosing and treating neuropathy. Maintaining a healthy diet and blood glucose levels is an effective way to treat neuropathy. Given the proper nutrients and blood glucose levels, nerves can repair themselves. This process can take several weeks, but has shown great results for many patients. While the body heals, prescription drugs can be issued to help manage the pain. To reduce the effects of neuropathy and alleviate symptoms, custom orthotics can be prescribed. Orthotics will adjust the foot into proper alignment. This will help the foot avoid improper motions and pressure, which would otherwise cause wounds.
Ch 5: The Classical Period: Directions, Diversities, and Declines by 500 C.E. The first kingdoms in eastern Africa below the Sahara showed the influence of Egypt and Hellenism Nomadic invaders often had military advantages over the armies of empires because they were more skilled as horsemen. By 600 C.E., an early civilization was beginning to take shape in Japan developed a religion called The end of the Gupta Empire differed from the decline of Rome in that it did not involve the introduction of a new religion for the majority. Which of the following best survived the Hun invasions in India? One important early symptom of Rome's decline was the drop in population due to a series of plagues. The "lessons" of late Han China and the late Roman Empire are that the decline of a civilization, whether temporary or permanent, is not simply the result of attack by outside invaders. The eastern portion of the Roman Empire experienced less decline than the west for all of the following reasons 1. the east had older traditions of civilization. 2. the east faced less pressure from barbarian invasions. 3. the east had more active trade. 4. the east was more wealthy. After 200 CE, an increasing number of people in Asia, Europe, and North Africa began to adapt faiths characterized by Despite major differences, Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism all show interest in life after death. Everywhere it spread, Buddhism stressed meditation and ethical behavior. Compared to Hinduism, Christians are more likely to see human as superior to the rest of nature. Compared to Hinduism and Buddhism, all of the following constitute distinctive features of late-Roman Christianity 1. intolerance for competing beliefs. 2. belief in a divine trinity. 3. a strong hierarchy of church officials. 4. a strong evangelizing impulse. Monasticism first developed in Italy under the leadership of By 600, looking at the entire world, a good definition of "barbarian" would be someone who is not part of a civilization. Explore the differences in the eastern and western portions of the Roman Empire. How did these differences arise? in what ways can it be argued that the Roman Empire survived in the eastern Mediterranean even after it collapsed in the west? Students should emphasize the general collapse of Western culture and trade as well as politics, the different positions occupied by the Christian churches, social and political structures of early Byzantine empires, and different invasion patterns. What were the main factors in Rome's decline? Which do you judge most important? Why? Student answers should balance outside factors of invasions and disease, with internal problems of morale, political structure, and economics. Why did the results of Han China's decline differ from those of the Roman Empire's decline? These 2 empires exhibited different degrees of political centralization and bureaucratization and different degrees of prior cultural integration. Students might also want to note that Rome faced more invasions and certainly should address the success of "eastern Rome." Compare the major beliefs & religious organization of Christianity and Hinduism. Answers will include many of the same points as answers to question 4, but will add some common interests in ritual & the roles of priests; differences will include social attitudes such as Christianity's acceptance of social inequality, but not a caste system. Taking into account both Egypt & Kush, what were the main features of civilization in Africa prior to the first century CE? Responses should include political structures such as divine kingship; a focus on Nile; monumentalism as part of religion, attitudes toward death and the important of recurrent interactions with societies in the Middle East.
Geophysical Methods in Mineral Exploration geophysical surveys have been applied to mineral and petroleum exploration for many years. A magnetic compass was used in Sweden in the mid-1600s to find iron ore deposits. The lateral extent of the Comstock ore body was mapped using self-potential methods in the 1880s. A very crude type of seismic survey measured the energy resulting from blasting operations in Ireland in the late 1800s. The idea that energy travels through a material with a certain velocity came from this survey. During World War I, geophysical techniques were used to locate artillery pieces. Anti-submarine warfare in World War II led to magnetic and sonar surveys. main emphasis of geophysical surveys in the formative years was petroleum exploration. Technology developed for oil and gas surveys led to the use of geophysical surveys in many important facets of geotechnical investigations. Geophysical surveys have been applied to civil engineering investigations since the late 1920s, when seismic and electrical resistivity surveys were used for dam siting studies. A seismic survey was performed in the 1950s in St. Peter’s Basilica to locate buried catacombs prior to a renovation project. From the late 1950s until the present time, geophysical techniques have had an increasing role in both groundwater exploration and in geotechnical investigations. Geophysical surveys are now used routinely as part of geological investigations and to provide information on site parameters (i.e., in place dynamic properties, cathodic protection, depth to bedrock) that in some instances are not obtainable by other methods. Values derived from seismic geophysical surveys are obtained at strain levels different from some site parameters obtained by other means. geophysical techniques are based on the detection of contrasts in different physical properties of materials. If contrasts do not exist, geophysical methods will not work. Reflection and refraction seismic methods contrast compressional or shear wave velocities of different materials. Electrical methods depend on the contrasts in electrical resistivities. Contrasts in the densities of different materials permit gravity surveys to be used in certain types of investigations. Contrasts in magnetic susceptibilities of materials permit magnetic surveying to be used in some investigations. Contrasts in the magnitude of the naturally existing electric current within the earth can be detected by self-potential (SP) surveys. refraction surveys are used to map the depth to bedrock and to provide information on the compressional and shear wave velocities of the various units overlying bedrock. Velocity information also can be used to calculate in place small-strain dynamic properties of these units. Electrical resistivity surveys are used to provide information on the depth to bedrock and information on the electrical properties of bedrock and the overlying units. Resistivity surveys have proven very useful in delineating areas of contamination within soils and rock and also in aquifer delineation. Gravity and magnetic surveys are not used to the extent of seismic and resistivity surveys in geotechnical investigations, but these surveys have been used to locate buried utilities. Self-potential surveys have been used to map leakage from dams and reservoirs. surveys provide indirect information. The objective of these surveys is to determine characteristics of subsurface materials without seeing them directly. Each type of geophysical survey has capabilities and limitations and these must be understood and considered when designing a geophysical interpretations should be correlated with real “ground-truth”data such as drill hole logs. It is very important that the results of geophysical surveys be integrated with the results of other geologic investigations so that accurate interpretation of the geophysical surveys can be made. Airborne versus Ground Surveys In general, airborne geophysical methods are used in reconnaissance and ground geophysical methods are used in more detailed investigations. There are, however, many instances in which either airborne or ground methods could be used. In an extended exploration program, combinations and sequences of methods may be appropriate, and there is often a need to weigh their individual advantages. Using Helicopters or Fixed-wing Aircraft: This website is hosted by Department of Geology Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh - 202 002 (India)
Instructions and Suggestions Letter S > S is for Snake Animals > Reptiles > Snake Holidays and Events > Jan or Feb > Chinese New Year June > Zoo and Aquarium Month October 21st > Reptile Awareness Day December 27th > Visit the Zoo Day Online Jigsaw Puzzles > Alphabet Here are printable materials and some suggestions to present letter S is for Snake. Ideally, include these activities and materials as part of snake Alphabet Activity: Letter S is for Snake Present the letter S Snake six-piece online jigsaw puzzle to practice problem solving and view letter S in upper and lower case. Adjust number or pieces using the Change Cut button on the left. Print and display alphabet letter S Snake printable materials of your choice in the materials column. * Finger and Pencil Tracing: Trace the letter S's with your finger in upper and lower case as you also sound out the letter. Invite the children to do the same on their coloring page. Encourage the children to trace the dotted letter with your choice of sharpened crayon, fine tip marker, regular or coloring pencil. Demonstrate the direction of the arrows and to pay attention to the numbers that helps them trace the letter correctly. (ages 3.5+). During the demonstration, you may want to count out loud and as you trace so children become aware of how the number order aids them in the process. Find the letter S's: Have the children find all the letter S's in upper and lower case on the page and encourage them to circle or trace/shade them first. Visit each child to make sure they have identified the letter S's and then discuss the locations with the poster. Coloring and visual arts activity: Visit this activity to learn about lines and decorate the letter S coloring page. Letter S words: Letter S Worksheet and Mini-Book This page and matching mini book can be used as part of Letter S program of activities to reinforce letter S practice and to identify related S words. Read suggested instructions for using the worksheet and mini-book. Discuss other letter S words and images (refer to letter activity worksheet above): First 'brainstorm' and ask the children about other words that have that beginning sound and write them on a board (dry erase board) as the children come up with example. You can print letter s in a different bright color to make it stand out. If you have illustrated alphabet books you can also use images in them. You can also display S posters and coloring pages or even make a letter S classroom book. For related images visit: Letter S Printable Materials and make your choice. Letter S Word Search & Handwriting Practice The word search game features a snake and letter S words with pictures and handwriting practice. Advanced independent handwriting practice: 1. Print your choice of printable lined-paper and encourage children to draw a snake behind the page or print a snake coloring page. 2. Drawing and writing paper Encourage children to draw, color and decorate a snake and write letter S s. Share some images of a real snakes to inspire the children. Make sure to include this activity as part of a theme, story time activity, and discuss animal facts about which are available in the snake section. *coloring and writing materials To view updates to these activities visit: http://www.first-school.ws/activities/alpha/s/snake.htm
Make Connections While Reading a Story A good reader can usually make connections while reading a story. This means that he will be able to relate the story to either his own ideas, other stories he has read, or events that have happened to him. You can help your child make connections by encouraging him to not just read words, but to also think about what those words mean to him. Connecting to Himself Asking your child opinion questions is one of the best ways to help him connect with the story. Let him tell you what he thinks about a character’s actions or what he would have done in that situation. You could then follow up with a why question. “Why do you think that?” or “Why would you do that?” Connecting to Other Stories Many children like to read books in a series (like the Hardy boys books or the Berenstain bears books). Reading through a series allows you the opportunity to show relationships between books. Ask your child what a certain character did in a previous book. Then ask if that gives them any clues as to how they might act in the situation they are facing in your current story. Even books that are not in a series often have similarities. Point out the things that are similar as you think of them, and soon your child will be noticing things in common between books as well. Connecting to Events Simple questions such as “has this ever happened to you?” or have you ever been to a place like this?” give your child an opening to remember a time when he has been in the same position as the book character. Just make sure that you take the time to listen as your child tells you about his experience. This lets your child make the connection between the book and his own life. Asking questions while your child reads not only helps them make connections within the story, but it reassures you as a parent that your child is understanding and relating to the story he is reading. How do you help your child connect to the stories they read?
EXAMPLE 2: SOLVING A SYSTEM BY GRAPHING Graphing by hand is not always an effective way to get the intersection. A better way is to use your calculator to graph and get the intersection. THERE CAN ALSO BE SYSTEMS WITH MANY OR NO SOLUTIONS. MANY NONE Textbook Pg. 142-144 12-18 even 32-34 42, 43, 46, 56 When you are finished, check your work with me to get credit. REMEMBER: if you do not show me or if you do not get credit, you owe me your break time after class!!!! Start on the homework assignment. HOMEWORK 1.Check if (2,-5) is a solution of: 7x + 4y = -6 6x + 5y = -11 2.Graph the system and estimate the solution. x + y = 1 x – 3y = 5 3.How many solutions? If one solution, estimate the solution. 7x + 5y = 10 y = 7x + 2 CLASSWORK WITH YOUR TABLE PARTNER
The French government announced today that more bodies and wreckage from the Air France flight 447 crash off the coast of Brazil had been found almost two years after the crash. The critical pieces of the puzzle, the plane's flight data recorders - or black boxes - are still missing, however. But why are they so hard to find? The wreckage from flight 447, which crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Brazil in June 2009, is scattered over mountainous ocean floor at depths from 12,500 - 13,000 feet, or around 2.5 miles. Though that doesn't sound very deep, especially when you consider that modern airliners often cruise at three times that height, it's far too deep for scuba divers or naval submarines to explore. For every 33 feet you descend under water, the atmospheric pressure pushing down on you increases by 100 percent. At the surface, every person and object has 14.7 pounds per square inch of air pressure pressing down on him or her. That pressure feels normal to us, but once it is increased or decreased, it starts to cause problems. Boyle's law tells us that as the pressure doubles, the volume decreases by half (assuming there's no change in temperature). If, for example, we pulled a party balloon under water, at 33 feet - where the atmospheric pressure is doubled - the balloon would be half as big as it was at the surface. Drag it down another 33 feet and it would shrink in half again. Human's lungs are a lot like a balloon. At around 100 feet, humans reach the limit of how much pressure their lungs can stand. Imagine what it is like at 12,500 feet, where the wreckage is scattered. Even modern naval submarines can't stand the pressure at that depth. They call it a day at around 1,000 feet where the pressure is over 30 times the surface pressure. Beyond that, they could be crushed like an empty soda can. At the wreck site, the pressure is almost 400 times the pressure at the surface. To survey the sea floor at 12,500 feet below the surface, a special mini submarine called a submersible is needed. Submersibles have a limited range and can only stay under water for hours at a time so they usually work in conjunction with another vessel - a ship or a larger submarine. A yellow submersible called Nautile, who previously surveyed the Titanic wreckage, helped originally locate flight 447 wreckage in 2009. (The Titanic wreckage is also at a depth of about 12,500 feet.) A similar sub, called Alvin, was also used to explore the Titanic wreckage when the ship was discovered. Though it seems impossible, the tiny sub is protected by a titanium pressure hull just 2 inches thick. Both subs carry 3 explorers. The sub that found the latest wreckage was an unmanned sub called a REMUS 6000. The REMUS 6000, with no human occupants, can travel a little faster and a little longer than Nautile or Alvin, but even it can explore for only 22 hours at a time, limited by battery life. A deep, dark environment and the special tools needed to explore it make searching for anything at 2.5 miles under the sea a difficult task. There's hope, after finding an engine and landing gear, that the black boxes may yet be found, and help solve the mystery of what really happened to flight 447. Even if they are found, it's anyone's guess whether the boxes will have survived two years of crushing pressure in a corrosive seawater environment.
Variation in diet and habitat resource use in desert adapted lizards in Western Australia MetadataShow full item record Impacts of ecological competition are reduced when organisms play different roles in their environment. More individuals can survive on varied but finite sets of resources when organisms eat different kinds of prey, live in different places, or are active at different times. Species within an assemblage of small fossorial snakes have ecologies that vary mostly by diet. Different species eat very different things. Species live in different habitats on sand ridges, but the differences are less dramatic than in diet. Disparity in resource use typically varies the most according to species, so that individuals of the same species are more similar to each other than they are to individuals of other species. However, variation exists in resource use within species over time and space. Wide variation exists in dietary resource use in four well-sampled species of comb-eared skinks. However, where species occur at the same study site there are clear distinctions in resource use between species despite the wide variation in diets observed between individuals of the same species. Additionally, strict ecological distances in diet between species are maintained during five censuses that were conducted over a 16-year period. These results illustrate the basic ecological principals of fundamental and realized niches. Here, individuals ate many different food items and species have the potential to overlap in diet but that overlap is reduced because of realized ecological boundaries between species within a single place and time, which result in decreased competition for resources.
Storm Water - Overview We all know how important water is to sustaining life and maintaining a healthy environment but clean water is sometimes taken for granted. We need clean water to stay healthy and we prefer to drink a glass of purified water instead of turbid, dirty water. In a similar manner, aquatic life and organisms are healthier living in clean creeks and rivers instead of polluted waterways. A healthy environment promotes healthy lives...ours and theirs. For example, excess sediment in creeks and rivers occupies spaces in gravel where fish lay their eggs for protection from strong currents and predators. The absence of those crevices leads to a declining fish population. Earth’s water is approximately 97% ocean salt water. The other 3% is contained as freshwater in glaciers and ice caps, groundwater, lakes and rivers, soil, and the atmosphere. We actually have less than 1% of Earth’s water available to us for all the planet’s uses. Lack of clean water and population growth contribute to limited water supplies and increased treatment costs. Please use water wisely. The Hydrologic Cycle, also known as the Water Cycle, consists of the following processes: condensation, precipitation, infiltration, runoff, evaporation, and transpiration. Moist air rising to the sky from Earth’s surface and water bodies cools and becomes water vapor, which condenses to form clouds. This moisture is contained within clouds until it returns to the surface as precipitation in the form of rain, snow or hail. Precipitation falls to the surface and infiltrates the soil or flows over the ground as runoff. Groundwater and surface runoff flow into streams, rivers and the ocean. As water bodies become heated by the Sun, moisture returns to the atmosphere through evaporation while plants return water to the atmosphere by transpiration. And the cycle continues. A watershed is an area of land that catches and drains precipitation to a common body of water such as a river, lake or ocean. Watershed boundaries are usually designated by high points of natural terrain such as ridges or hilltops and include natural and artificial drainage systems such as ditches and storm drains. For example, rain water may land on a hillside but not get absorbed into the soil thus creating runoff. This runoff travels downslope to a low point then enters a drainage system (maybe a swale or storm drain) and travels downstream where it’s discharged to a major water body (a lake or a river). Sonoma County has two major watersheds. Water in the northern part of the county drains to the Pacific Ocean, mostly through the Russian River, while water in the southern part of the county drains to San Pablo Bay, mostly through Sonoma Creek and the Petaluma River. Small or local watersheds are often part of larger or regional watersheds which can cross county, state or national boundaries. In the United States, all water east of the Rockies drains to the Atlantic Ocean while all water west of the Rockies drains to the Pacific Ocean. No matter where you are, you live in a watershed. The watersheds in Sonoma County are part of larger, regional watersheds too. Each watershed has its own regulating State agency responsible for the water resources within their regions. Sonoma County’s northern and southern watersheds are regulated by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board and the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, respectively. The County of Sonoma has a responsibility to both Water Boards and a Storm Water Management Program has been established to protect and enhance the water quality of our watersheds. It is a program designed to be used in cooperation with the public and governmental agencies to reduce the amount of storm water pollutants entering our waterways. Storm water runoff occurs when rainfall flows over the ground. Impervious surfaces like parking lots, rooftops and streets prevent storm water from naturally soaking into the ground. More impervious surfaces means more storm water runoff entering the County’s storm drain system which includes curb inlets, underground pipes, road side ditches, creeks, streams, and rivers. Non-point source pollution is caused from pollutants of varying origins and occurs when storm water runoff picks up and carries debris, chemicals, dirt and other pollutants into our storm drain system. Anything that enters our storm drain system is discharged untreated into the waterbodies we use for swimming, fishing, recreation and drinking water. Some common pollutants found in storm drains and creeks include: motor oil, yard clippings, fertilizers, pesticides, milky water from paint, soapy water from car washing, eroded sediment and concrete by-products from construction projects and litter. Because all runoff cannot be captured and treated like sewage, the best prospect for cleaner water is to prevent runoff from becoming polluted in the first place. Storm drains and sanitary sewers are two separate systems. A storm drain system is designed to prevent flooding by collecting surface runoff through various inlets (like curb openings and parking lot grates) and conveyance systems (like ditches, swales and pipes) then discharging to a natural waterway (like a creek or river). Storm drains are also known as storm sewers. The water in the storm drain system does not receive any treatment. Anything located outside that can be washed away by water has the potential to enter a storm drain system and our waterways. This includes motor oils in driveways, pet waste on lawns and soapy water from car washing. A sanitary sewer system collects and transports waste from indoor plumbing fixtures to treatment plants. Private septic systems also collect waste from indoor plumbing fixtures but the contents are contained within the owner’s property. Septic systems should be maintained on a regular basis and should not be discharged over land or into a storm drain system. \|PRMD Home \| About PRMD \| Boards & Commissions \| Forms & Applications \| Online Permits \| Fees \| Permit History \| Permit Reports \| Zoning \| Policies & Procedures \| Historic Resources \| Storm Water \| FAQ's \| Links\| \|Although every effort is made to provide complete and accurate information on this website, users are advised to contact appropriate PRMD staff before making project decisions. This may involve contacting more than one section within PRMD (e.g. Building, Plan Check, Zoning, Well & Septic, etc.), since each section implements specific codes or ordinances which may affect your project.\| \|Sonoma County Home \| Site Index \| Contact Us \| Search \| Accessibility \| This page was last updated by webmaster\|
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colours when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red. Almost all modern edible parthenocarpic bananas come from two wild species – Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The scientific names of bananas are Musa acuminata, Musa balbisiana or hybrids Musa acuminata × balbisiana, depending on their genomic constitution. The old scientific names Musa sapientum and Musa paradisiaca are no longer used. Bananas are native to tropical South and Southeast Asia, and are likely to have been first domesticated in Papua New Guinea. Today, they are cultivated throughout the tropics and subtropics. They are grown in at least 107 countries, primarily for their fruit, and to a lesser extent to make fibre, banana wine and as ornamental plants. Our climate in Melbourne is sufficiently mild in winter to allow banana "trees" to survive and in summer it is not unusual to see many banana plants in gardens bearing fruit. This specimen photographed here thrives in our next door neighbours' garden and much more than the fruit, it is the flowers that fascinate me! This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.
Fifteen balls that represent gas particles (atoms or molecules) move inside a box. All of the balls start out moving with the same speed in random directions. For example, the 700 m/s speed is appropriate for neon at 392 K = 119 °C. As the balls collide elastically with the walls and each other (so their total energy is conserved), the speeds of the balls change. The color of each ball shows its speed, as shown on the bar graph on the right side of the screen. The bar graph shows the average percentage of balls in each speed range. This average is taken over the time since the balls started moving. 1. Use the drop-down menu to select the initial speed of the balls. 2. Press the Start button to start the animation. 3. Press the Pause button to stop the motion of the balls. 4. Press the Reset button to run the animation again. You may change the value of the initial speed after you press the Reset button. Warning: Remember that for a head-on collision, the balls will trade speeds. In this case, the balls will trade colors, and it may appear that the balls pass through each other. This is just an illusion caused by trading colors.
The deficiency of sodium in the blood can be potentially threatening to life, particularly if the levels of sodium are too low or completely depleted. Various symptoms trigger off as the level of sodium keeps going down. Treatment to correct this condition calls for replenishment of sodium in the blood. The deficiency of sodium in the blood is termed as hyponatremia, which is a resultant of the dipping levels of sodium from the blood to an extent when it almost gets depleted. The level of sodium in a normal, healthy body ranges from 136-145 mM. Once the level of sodium goes below the mark of 130mM, the body goes through the symptoms experienced in hyponatremia. Continuous drop in the levels of sodium can get as serious as going through seizures and even coma. Common symptoms include confusion and disorder, nausea, lethargy and exhaustion, cramping and twitching of the muscles. Many times, it happens as the body cannot process and use the sodium in the blood correctly. It can happen due to a common medical condition or a disease. Having a diet involving low contents of sodium, intentionally or unintentionally for a long time is the most common culprit for this deficiency. The other causes for the deficiency of sodium include excessive sweating for a long time. Diuretics also have proven to cause the condition of low sodium levels when a proper, balanced diet is compromised along with having medications. Elderly patients face the increased risk from potentially suffering from hyponatremia. Severe condition of diarrhea may also result in the decreased levels of sodium owing to dehydration. In contrast, having too much of fluids can also result in low sodium levels as the increased consumption of fluids tend to dilute the stream of blood, dropping the levels of sodium in the blood. More Articles : - Effects Of Elevated Sodium - Foods High In Sodium - How Much Sodium In One Day ? - Interesting Facts About Sodium - Low Blood Sodium Symptoms - Low Sodium Side Effects - Signs Of Sodium Deficiencies - What Causes Low Sodium ? In The Human Body ? - What Causes Low Sodium ? - What Foods Contain Low Sodium ? - Where Is Sodium Found ?
May 14, 2009 A Fascinating Glowing Galaxy Activity from a supermassive black hole is responsible for the intriguing appearance of this galaxy, 3C305, located about 600 million light years away from Earth. The structures in red and light blue are X-ray and optical images from the Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope respectively. The optical data is from oxygen emission only, and therefore the full extent of the galaxy is not seen. Radio data are shown in darker blue and are from the National Science Foundation's Very Large Array in New Mexico, as well as the Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network in the United Kingdom. An unexpected feature of this multiwavelength image of 3C305 is that the radio emission -- produced by a jet from the central black hole -- does not closely overlap with the X-ray data. The X-ray emission does, however, seem to be associated with the optical emission. Using this information, astronomers believe that the X-ray emission could be caused by either one of two different effects. One option is jets from the supermassive black hole (not visible in this image) are interacting with interstellar gas in the galaxy and heating it enough for it to emit X-rays. In this scenario, gas heated by shocks would lie ahead of the jets. The other possibility is that bright radiation from regions close to the black hole infuses enough energy into the interstellar gas to cause it to glow. Deeper X-ray data will be needed to decide between these alternatives. Image Credit: Credit: X-ray (NASA/CXC/CfA/F.Massaro, et al.) On The Net:

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