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The study of the human body in respect to all its parts and their relationships to each other. It can aswell be defined as the scientific study of the structural parts of the human body or living being. Parts of the human body include the head, torso, arms, legs, hands, and feet. Internal organs include the brain, heart, and stomach. DNA in the human body is located in the nucleus of each and every cell in the human body. There is 46 chromosomes in the human body cell. Human body systems rely on each other by bones, muscles and a healthy lifestyle The human body is composed of billions of cells. Each organ in the body is comprised of thousands of tissues, each of which are formed by thousands of cells. There are 46 chromosomes in each human body cell. This can't be answered in a short sentence or paragraph. The human body has lots of different components and systems, each of which contribute to the body as a whole, and each of which works differently. each muscle has 1 job but there are many muscles in the human body. There are over 600 muscles in the human body. There are 46 chromosomes in each human body. You get half of your chromosomes (23) from each parent. When you combine 23 and 23 , you get 46. i think they would vary in each individual human body A human body cell contains 23 pairs of chromosomes, make it a total of 46 chromosomes. Each human receives a pair of a pair of chromosomes from each of their parents. each ant has a spacific job within the colony, just as each organ has a specific job within the human body The word somatic means body. The number of body cells in each human is probably in the trillions. 10 - one for each digit on each hand Each cell has 46 chromosomes. Eggs and sperm each have 23, thus a human has 46. a nucleus, a cytoplasm and a cellwall. The hands have the most bones -- 27 in each hand. The hands and feet together make up more than half the bones in the human body. There are 206 bones in the human body; 106 of these are in the hands and feet (27 in each hand and 26 in each foot). The human body produces an average of 5 to 10 ounces of basal tears each day. There are 46 chromosome in the human body cell. 23 each from mom and dad
While most ancient currencies were accepted and traded in their respective regions, one of the biggest challenges for universal adoption stems from the nature of money itself. Up until now primitive currencies have helped establish some, but not all of the core operating principles of cash: 1. A collective agreement or public confidence that the currency holds value. 2. Some form of rarity or limitation to prevent inflation. 3. Practical or aesthetic use. In the case of gold, all three criteria were met and some of history's most resilient currencies would be created using highly coveted materials. From the Aztecs to the Incans to ancient Egyptians, gold had long been established as a symbol of wealth and status. According to the Greek historian Herodotus, the earliest use of gold as a currency was found in ancient Lydia (modern day Turkey). By 700BC, Lydian merchants were producing the first bimetallic coins, combining 55% gold and 44% silver into a mix called "electrum". By forging two of the most economically viable metals together and branding them with the official Lion seal of King Alyattes, merchants constructed a social contract - a foundation of consensus which would attract wealth and commerce for centuries. Wherever there are vast quantities of wealth, people will always seek security and convenience. As far back as 2000 BC, ancient Babylonians were storing gold at a fortified temple for a nominal interest rate. The temple also provided basic lending services. Storage of wealth in temples would prove commonplace throughout many regions, including Egypt, Mesopotamia and India until 209 B.C. when Antiochus III pillaged the temple of Aine in Ecbatana, robbing its reserves and stripping the building of all gold and silver adornment. It was so thoroughly ransacked that collective faith in temples plummeted and the practice faded. The earliest officially documented descriptions of banking practices comes from ancient Greece. The speeches of Demosthenes makes multiple mentions of the issuing of credit (Trust). The philosopher Xenophon was also the first to suggest the creation of an organization currently known as a joint-stock bank in "On Revenues" which was written circa 353 BC. Loans were issued on multiple occasions by the Temple of Athens. These transactions were backed by the notion of "good faith, belief or trust" or as they called it "credos", which is where the word credit comes from. To this day, their Drachma remains as one of the oldest functioning currencies, second only to the British Pound. It was minted from silver as far back as 535 BC and even continued under Roman rule after the 1st Century AD. These coins were known as Roman provincial coinages or 'Greek Imperials' and continued well into the 3rd Century. Greek coins were often adorned with a unique symbol or emblem representing their localities. The city-states of Greece laid the groundwork for private citizenship, allowing for the separation of wealth from state ownership to the possibility of ownership by individuals. In this fashion the contributions of Greek philosophers would set the stage for capitalism itself, although such theories would not formally exist for centuries. The Roman Empire picked up right where the Greeks left off, minting their first coins at the temple of Juno Moneta and gradually moving these stores of wealth to private and secret depositories. In 352 BC the first public bank was established, offering loans to the impoverished in exchange for collected interest. These early bankers soon discovered that their transactions need not be limited to the confines of their institutions. Money-lenders would set up their stalls in the middle of enclosed courtyards called macella on a long bench called a bancu, from which the words banco and bank are derived. After 313 AD, with the conversion of Emperor Constantine, Rome became the world's first Christian nation/state. As a result all forms of usury and interest were abolished given their prohibition in the Bible. The banking system would continue to function until the fall of the empire in 476 AD. After this most European banks collapsed and the industry would not be fully revived for another 500 years.
usage (plural usages) - The manner or the amount of using; use - Habit or accepted practice - (lexicography) The ways and contexts in which spoken and written words are used, determined by a lexicographer's intuition or from corpus analysis. - Correct or proper use of language, proclaimed by some authority. - Geographic, social, or temporal restrictions on the use of words. the manner or the amount of using; use habit or accepted practice the way words are spoken or written in a community - The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations. Translations to be checked - “usage” in R.R.K. Hartmann and Gregory James, Dictionary of Lexicography, Routledge, 1998. - Sydney I. Landau (2001), Dictionaries: The Art and Craft of Lexicography, 2nd ed., Cambridge University Press, p 217. usage m (plural usages) - usage, use - (lexicography) The ways and contexts in which spoken and written words are actually used, determined by a lexicographer's intuition or from corpus analysis (as opposed to correct or proper use of language, proclaimed by some authority). - “usage” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).
Dr. Ajay KohliDec 13, 2023 Depression affects around 5% of adults worldwide and is more common in women than in men. Depression has an enormous impact on quality of life and can also lead to suicide. However, it is treatable with medications and psychotherapy. Read ahead to understand more about this illness. Depression or Major Depressive Disorder is a condition in which a person constantly feels sad and hopeless, and loses interest in all activities. This condition hugely impacts mood, thoughts, and behaviour. It also affects eating and sleeping. Depression is different from the occasional episodes of sadness and bad mood because Depression lasts longer, and it is difficult to come out of it without treatment. Depression is a major contributor to disturbed interpersonal relationships, substance and alcohol abuse, loss of work, and suicides. Thus, if you notice any signs of Depression, you must get it treated immediately. If a person experiences most of these symptoms daily for at least 2 weeks continuously, then they may have clinical Depression. Feeling sad, empty, guilty, and hopeless Get easily irritated even on trivial issues No interest in pleasurable activities Difficulty in concentrating and remembering things Having suicidal thoughts Weight gain or weight loss Difficulty in eating and sleeping Physical problems such as back pain and headache Low on energy and feeling fatigued most of the time The exact cause of Depression is still not known. However, some theories have been proposed. Neurotransmitters: Our moods and thoughts depend upon the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. Research has suggested that abnormal levels of these chemicals could be a cause of Depression. Hormonal imbalance: It has been seen that women are more prone to Depression, especially after childbirth and menopause. Thus, hormones could play a role in the pathophysiology of Depression. Genetics: It has been seen that people having first-degree relatives diagnosed with Depression are more likely to have Depression. Medications: Some medications are known to trigger symptoms of Depression. Trauma: Intense physical and mental trauma can lead to Depression Depression can be classified based on its presentation and its aetiology. Major Depression: In this type, a person has Depression symptoms for more than 2 weeks. These symptoms affect the person’s ability to perform day-to-day activities. Persistent depressive disorder: In this type, a person experiences Depression symptoms which are milder, but are persistent and last for at least 2 years. Perinatal Depression: In this type, women experience Depression symptoms during pregnancy or after childbirth. Seasonal affective disorder: In this type, a person experiences Depression symptoms during a particular season (usually the late fall and early winter). The symptoms usually go away in spring and summer. Depression with psychosis: This is a severe type in which a person experiences severe Depression symptoms along with symptoms of psychosis such as delusions and hallucinations. Depression can be treated using medications and psychotherapy. The medications prescribed for treating Depression are called antidepressants. These drugs do not sedate you or elevate your mood, but they modify the levels of chemicals in the brain which contribute to Depression. These medications can improve symptoms within a month; however, psychiatrists prescribe these medications for around 6 to 12 months for maximum benefits. You should not stop antidepressant therapy without consulting your doctor. Stopping your medications abruptly can cause withdrawal symptoms and can also cause your Depression symptoms to come back. After 6 to 12 months of antidepressant therapy, your doctor may slowly and safely taper down the dose of medication. Another crucial point to keep in mind is that within the first few weeks of initiation of antidepressant therapy, a patient (especially children and young adults) may have suicidal thoughts. The caregivers must keep a close watch on the patient, especially in this phase. Women who are planning to have children should inform the doctor because some antidepressants interfere with pregnancy. People with mild depressive symptoms might benefit from psychotherapy alone. For people with moderate to severe Depression, psychotherapy is prescribed along with antidepressants. Psychotherapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, can be useful for a patient in the following ways. To cope with depressive thoughts Replace negative thoughts with positive ones Gain confidence and interact positively with others Identify the problems that may have led to Depression and cope with them effectively Develop a sense of control in daily life Handle stress more effectively If you suffer from symptoms of Depression for more than one week you must consult a doctor. Your doctor would take a detailed history of your condition and may ask you to fill up certain questionnaires. You may be asked to take certain tests such as vitamin D test and thyroid test to check if there are any organic causes of your condition. Depression cannot be prevented; however, you can take the following steps to cope with it. Contact your doctor if you experience any Depression symptoms for more than a week. Get in touch with friends and families if you are facing any overwhelming personal or work-related issues. Manage stress. Take all measures that can help you reduce stress. Depression can affect anyone; however, some people are more likely to have it. For example: People who have low self-esteem, are self-critical, and pessimistic People who have suffered from physical and emotional trauma in the past People with a first-degree relative with history of Depression, bipolar disorder, or suicide. People with serious illnesses like cancer and heart disease People abusing alcohol and drugs Here are some common questions and answers pertaining to Depression. If Depression is not treated, the symptoms could become worse; it can lead to suicides, or other health problems like Dementia. The following could be some of the warning signs of suicide Symptoms of Depression getting worse Suddenly behaving peaceful and happy after being sad for a long time Talking about death frequently Talking like- “If I wasn't here, it would have been so much better” Rash behaviours like driving past red light Suddenly contacting friends and family If you have Depression, the most important step is to go to a psychiatrist and get help. In addition to medicines and psychotherapy, the following lifestyle measures should be taken. Exercise for at least 30 minutes per day Have 7 to 8 hours of good sleep every day Eat well; consult a dietician for a customised meal plan for you Talk to friends and family members Postpone important decisions like marriages and job changes Avoid consuming alcohol or drugs Take medications only as prescribed by your doctor. If you need to take medications for any other illness, ask your doctor about which medication is safe for you. In patients who have psychotic symptoms like hallucinations and delusions along with Depression, the doctor may describe brain stimulation therapy like ECT or transcranial magnetic stimulation. Hormonal fluctuations post-childbirth have a significant impact on your mood. Most women become moody and overwhelmed after childbirth. If you feel exhausted, do not feel like eating, your mood fluctuates, you become irritable: these are all signs of baby blues which almost all new mothers experience. In postpartum Depression, women tend to feel extremely hopeless and sad, they are not able to bond well with the baby and tend to cry often. They also have anxiety and panic attacks. Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. 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However, it turns out that this loss of the sense of smell, known as anosmia, occurs for two very different reasons. Since the sense of taste is closely linked to the sense of smell, both take a steep dive during the plugged-up phase of an illness. When it comes to COVID-19, researchers have recently uncovered the surprising reason for anosmia as one of the earliest symptoms of infection. Rather than congestion, as with a cold or the flu, the loss of smell in people with COVID-19 occurs due to how the virus affects the nervous system. The good news is that for most patients, recovery from COVID-19 includes a return of their sense of smell.
Sensory bins are great ways to engage preschoolers in exploring and to build conceptual knowledge. This Christmas sensory bin builds pre-literacy skills. Children can find and match alphabet letters. They build visual discrimination skills, identifying the differences among letters. And they have so much fun digging in the bin to find the letters. And this activity includes a free Christmas Tree printable to download as well. Christmas Sensory Bin Here are the supplies you will need to set up this activity in your classroom: - Magnetic Letters - Construction Paper or AstroBrights Paper - Christmas Tree Letter Printable (see below) - Sensory bin filler of your choice (Options for Sensory Bin Fillers) - Optional: Magnetic Cookie Sheets or Magnet Boards - Optional: Liquid Watercolors Fill your sensory bin with the filler. I used rice but you can use whatever you choose. You may want to color the rice red and green since this is a Christmas sensory bin; liquid watercolors work really well for this purpose. Scatter the letters in the bin and bury them. Depending on the age of your children, limit the number of letters in the bin at a time and make them easier or harder to find in the filler. (The more filler, the more difficult the letters will be to locate.) Christmas Tree Printable The printable has seven trees (each on a different page). Each tree has a different collection of letters. I printed my trees on the Astrobrights green paper. You may want to laminate the pages, too. The printable includes a blank Christmas tree. Make copies of the blank tree and trace your own magnet letters on the tree, so the page will match the shape of your letters. (You can also use this tree to trace other shapes to change what’s hidden in your sensory bin.) Download the Christmas Tree Letter Matching Printable. Christmas Tree Letter Matching Lay one of the Christmas trees on a magnetic cookie sheet or magnet board. Invite a preschooler to search in the bin for letters. When the child finds a letter, he can compare it to the letters on the Christmas tree. If a letter matches, he can place it on the matching letter on the tree. (The magnet letter will hold the paper to the cookie sheet.) If the letter is not on the page, he can return the letter to the bin. This activity helps develop visual discrimination. Visual discrimination is a key pre-literacy skill. Identifying letters by shape and noticing differences among the letters are important precursors to learning to read. Children need lots of practice seeing and handling letters. The tactile experience helps them develop connections between the concrete (letters) and the abstract (what the letters symbolize). For younger children, include in the bin only the letters that can be found on a page. (And use only one page, inviting children to work together.) Then they can match each letter they find. For older children, include an assortment of letters. You could provide several pages, encouraging children to sort the letters onto the correct tree. Watch the Video More Christmas Ideas
Short o Vowel GamesKids love to learn online with cool games and songs! Preschool and elementary school students can use fun games to help them learn to identify letters and the short O vowel sound (ǒ). This practice builds students’ phonics and spelling skills. You can find grade-level spelling lists online that will include words with the short O vowel sound, like this 2nd grade spelling list. Once students have practiced spelling, they can continue to build language arts skills by practicing what they’ve learned both in real life and in the classroom. Spelling and phonics activities can also be paired with grammar lessons, like a lesson about the differences between linking verbs, helping verbs, and action verbs. With strong foundational literacy skills, students will more easily learn to read, and then go on to learn to write. Repeated practice helps students build reading skills. Children enjoy online learning and games that encourage art and music. Online hand-eye games are a a great way for homeschoolers to learn! Once students have practiced spelling by playing an online game, they can continue to build reading skills and writing skills by practicing what they’ve learned both in real life and with other amazing online flash games. Students can learn to read, and then go on to learn to write. And these games aren’t just for those learning to read. Elementary and Middle school students can benefit, too! Students of all ages and abilities love online flash games, whether they’re learning writing, middle school math, science, social studies, or language arts. Learning can be so much easier when students have interesting, fun ways to do it. Students of all ages can improve their grades and do better in school with some educational practice with an online lesson. Best of all, kids of all ages are having fun while learning!
Who can you talk to about periods? This lesson uses reinforces the idea that menstruation is a private conversation topic and supports identification of at least two people your student/client/child can speak to about menstruation. You could also identify the people that we don’t talk to about periods e.g. the bus driver, the shopkeeper, etc. Foundation Knowledge for this lesson includes differentiation of male and female bodies; awareness of age and body differences between babies, children, adolescents, and adults; receptive identification of vagina; public and private body parts; receptive identification of sanitary pads, bin, toilet, and underpants; receptive identification of blood. - Customise: take photos of trusted adults who are comfortable talking with your student about periods, as well as people they may know and have a good relationship with but would not be appropriate to talk with about periods. - Public and Private reinforcement: Include a period image in a lesson about public and private talk topics.
Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22. Worldwide, various events are held to demonstrate support for environmental protection. How do you celebrate and honor our Earth? First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day now includes events in more than 193 countries, which are coordinated globally by the Earth Day Network. Did you know that there is an Earth Day Network? It works all year round to solve climate change, to end plastic pollution, to protect endangered species, and to broaden, educate, and activate the environmental movement across the globe. Earth Day Network “In nature, nothing exists alone.” — Rachel Carson, 1962 Nature’s gifts to our planet are the millions of species that we know and love, and many more that remain to be discovered. Unfortunately, human beings have irrevocably upset the balance of nature and, as a result, the world is facing the greatest rate of extinction since we lost the dinosaurs more than 60 million years ago. But unlike the fate of the dinosaurs, the rapid extinction of species in our world today is the result of human activity. The unprecedented global destruction and rapid reduction of plant and wildlife populations are directly linked to causes driven by human activity: climate change, deforestation, habitat loss, trafficking and poaching, unsustainable agriculture, pollution and pesticides to name a few. The impacts are far reaching. All living things have an intrinsic value, and each plays a unique role in the complex web of life. We must work together to protect endangered and threatened species: bees, coral reefs, elephants, giraffes, insects, whales and more. The good news is that the rate of extinctions can still be slowed, and many of our declining, threatened and endangered species can still recover if we work together now to build a united global movement of consumers, voters, educators, faith leaders, and scientists to demand immediate action. Earth Day Network is asking people to join our Protect our Species campaign. Our goals are to: - Educate and raise awareness about the accelerating rate of extinction of millions of species and the causes and consequences of this phenomenon. - Achieve major policy victories that protect broad groups of species as well as individual species and their habitats. - Build and activate a global movement that embraces nature and its values. - Encourage individual actions such as adopting plant based diet and stopping pesticide and herbicide use. Ideadeco Supports Bees We have created a garden full of different flowers and keep them in excellent health all year long. We use only natural fertilizers and have clean water for birds and bees. Some years ago, we found a bee in the garden struggling to stay alive. We took care of her for 2 days. We fed her and gave her fresh water in the middle of the summer. To our surprise she got much better and a week later she came back with 4 more bees and eat from her leftovers. That moment was an inspiration. We spend the rest of the summer in collaboration with a garden architect and a bee-farmer taking advices on how to attract bees in our garden. Gradually we created a bee safe zone and nowadays 50-60 bees are visiting our little garden. We have rest corners with different flowers, protected from direct sun. And a kind of artificial “natural” spring for clean water but with shallow waters areas. They look like tiny lakes with river stones. We may sound crazy, but I swear that these bees recognize my voice and are very friendly. I am thankful that I have a chance to support these magnificent species. It’s the least I can do for mother Earth! Apart from this, we never print and we never use plastic in our everyday life. Also as a team and a family, we are vegetarians and we are doing our best to leave behind as little garbages as possible.
In the Rhetorical Analysis assignment, students will go back to the literacy discussed in the first assignment and look at how writers speak into a specific topic related to that discipline. They will, therefore, learn to better understand the literacy and rhetorical practices they discussed in the previous assignment. For instance, if a student is interested in sports, they may discuss “taking a knee.” The goal is for students to see that all information is not equal – that it is a product of its maker and its audience. As a result, students are not determining which writer is right or wrong. Rather, they will explore how these writers use language to convey a point – and how approaches vary given the variables of publication, writer, and audience. The Research assignment asks students to build from the first two assignments. Rather than talking about literacy and rhetoric, they will apply it. As such, students will move away from binary arguments and instead write a paper that considers the many stakeholders of a given dialogue. Therefore, this will not be a paper that argues for an end to polluting the oceans. Rather, such research would explore the complexity of the issue and how varying groups negotiate a cultural event or social concern through language.
Just as the basic unit of all non-living things is ‘ Atom’, the basic unit of all living organisms is ‘Cell’. PS- The atom is still very smaller than the cell. Now, the standard definition of the Cell says that “cell is the basic structural and functional unit of living organisms”. By the word “structural” we mean that cells give shape or form to organs and consequently to the body parts. By “functional” we mean that a cell contains the whole machinery (organelles) for performing various life processes required for sustaining life. A Cell processes nutrients to give energy and undergoes replication/ division to give rise to more cells. There are specialised cells to perform specific functions in Eukaryotes. A typical Eukaryotic animal cell contains membrane- bound organelles like nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum(ER), Golgi apparatus which have specific functions to carry on various life processes. There can be variations in number or presence/absence of a few organelles in different Specialized Cells, depending on the job they do. 1. Mature RBCs get rid of nuclei and all other cell organelles like mitochondria, Golgi apparatus and ER to free up space for more haemoglobin, which is an oxygen carrier. 2. Mature neurons lack centrioles which are responsible for mitotic cell division. 3. Muscle cells and liver cells have more number of mitochondria. Some more interesting facts about the Cell: – Human body is composed of about 200 different types of specialized cells. – All cells are capable of carrying out certain basic functions like nutrition, respiration, growth and replication which are essential for the survival of cells. – Since the cell carries out so many functions, so there is “division of labour” within the cell which means that different organelles of the cell perform different specific functions. For example- making of new material like protein synthesis by the organelle ribosomes, cellular metabolism/ respiration to release energy by mitochondria, DNA replication in nucleus of Eukaryotes, clearing up the waste substances from the cells by lysosomes etc. Let us know about the Cell size, Cell shape, Cell volume, Cell number and Cell structure: – The cells are microscopic. In human, the cell size varies from 3 to 4 micron (leucocytes) to over 90 cm (nerve cells). – The cell size is correlated with its function and not to the size of organism. – In a large cell, the cytoplasm requires more proteins and consequently more RNA. – The DNA content of the cell in a given organism remains constant. – Small cells have more surface area per unit volume and with an increase in size this ratio decreases. – Small cells are metabolically more active because they have greater surface area, so more exchange of materials occur with outside environment. – The shapes of the cells are also related to their functions. – The shapes also depend on the surface tension and viscosity of protoplasm, mutual pressure of the adjoining cells and rigidity of the cell membrane. – The Cell volume is almost constant for a particular cell type and is independent of the size of the organism. – The total mass of an organism depends on the number of cells present in its body and not on the volume of the cells. So, the cells of an elephant are not larger than any other tiny animal. – The number of cells is correlated with the size of organisms. So, small organisms have less number of cells than large organisms. – The entire body of an adult animal or plant consists of a fixed number of cells and that remains the same in all members of the species. This phenomenon of cell or nuclear constancy is called “Eutely”. – In human beings, the number of cells is around 100 trillion. All cells have three major functional regions: 1. Cell membrane or Plasma membrane (cell wall also, in case of plants only) What is the physical significance of Plasma Membrane? – Plasma membrane is the outer boundary of the cell. It is present in all types of cells- both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells, cells of plants, animals and microorganisms. – It physically separates the cytoplasm from the surrounding cellular environment. – Most cellular organelles like mitochondria, lysosomes, Golgi apparatus, nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, and chloroplast (in plant cells only) are enclosed by the plasma membrane. Is plasma membrane living or dead? The plasma membrane is thin, elastic, living and selectively permeable membrane. It ranges from 6 to 10 nm. Chemically, membrane is 75% phospholipids and also contains proteins, cholesterol and polysaccharides. Let’s know the ultrastructure of plasma membrane to know more about the living nature of plasma membrane. Various models, to know the structure of plasma membrane, have been proposed by different scientists. “Fluid Mosaic Model” of plasma membrane is well accepted which we take up as follows: – The Fluid Mosaic Model was propounded by Singer and Nicholson. – According to this, the plasma membrane is made up of a bilayer of phospholipids. – Two types of proteins- Intrinsic or Integral and Extrinsic or Peripheral float about in the fluid phospholipid bilayer. – Intrinsic proteins penetrate lipid bilayer partially or wholly. – Extrinsic proteins are present either on the outer or inner surface of the lipid bilayer. – The Lipids and Intrinsic proteins are amphipathic in nature ie. these molecules have both hydrophobic (non-polar) and hydrophilic (polar) groups. – The proteins are present to serve as (a)enzymes (b)transport proteins or permeases (c)pumps (d)receptor proteins – Lipids and proteins provide flexibility to the plasma membrane which helps in processes like Endocytosis. – Plasma membrane is selectively permeable ie. it permits the entry and exit of some materials only in the cell. – Substances allowed inside the cell include food, water, salts, oxygen, vitamins and hormones. – Substances thrown out of the cell include nitrogenous waste and carbon dioxide, secretions like proteins, proenzymes, hormones, milk, tear, mucus, immunoglobulins (antibodies) etc. – Since plasma membrane regulates the transport of various substances in and out of the cell, so it is living in nature. This is done to maintain the concentration of various substances and ions inside the cell. Transport can be Passive or Active. – Here, the particles or molecules move from a region of higher concentration to lower concentration through plasma membrane by DIFFUSION. So, this is also called “downhill transport”. Here, the movement occurs only due to the concentration gradient without consuming energy. The hydrophobic substances are readily transported by this method because these are soluble in lipids. – Sometimes a carrier molecule called “Carrier Protein or Permeases” assist the transport (without the use of energy) and this is called “Facilitated transport”. It is helpful in the transport of hydrophilic nutrients like glucose and amino acids. – When water molecules pass through the plasma membrane along the concentration gradient without the use of energy, the process is called OSMOSIS. – This is the movement of molecules or ions against the concentration gradient (Uphill movement) using energy (ATP) to counteract against gradient. – The most important active transport in all animals is the sodium-potassium transport between cells and the surrounding extra cellular fluid. This transport is called “Sodium pump”. – The animal cell requires a high concentration of potassium ions inside the cells for protein synthesis by ribosomes and for certain enzymatic functions. – The desirable potassium ion concentration is 20 to 50 times greater inside the cell than outside and sodium ion concentration maybe 10 times more outside the cell than inside. How Sodium- Potassium ionic gradients are maintained or how the sodium pump works? – There is a higher concentration of sodium ions outside the plasma membrane of the animal cell. The sodium ions are transported outside with the use of a carrier molecule- A Carrier Transport Complex is formed which utilises ATP and transports sodium ion outside the cell. Simultaneously, potassium ions are transported inside the cell by similar way. – This unbalanced charge transfer leads to separation of charges across the plasma membrane. This difference helps in the Action Potential produced by nerve cells. How are the macromolecules, solid food particles, etc transported inside the cell? These are transported by the mechanism called ENDOCYTOSIS. Depending on the nature of the substance, Endocytosis can be of the following types: 1. Pinocytosis (cell drinking) – Pinocytosis is the process of “ingestion of fluid droplets & small solute particles” by the cell. The substances like protein, amino acids, which cannot enter by simple osmosis are ingested by pinocytosis. – Here, the plasma membrane invaginates to form small vesicles or “Pinosomes”. The vesicles pinch off from the plasma membrane, move through the cytoplasm and fuse with the plasma membrane of the other side, there by discharging the contents. – Pinocytosis is seen in microvilli of small intestine and in kidney cells. – Phagocytosis is the process of “engulfing solid food particles” by cells through plasma membrane (as seen in protozoa also). Vesicles formed here are called “Phagosomes” (1 to 2 µm). – Phagosomes move through cytoplasm and are dissolved and ingested by enzymes of lysosomes. The residues are ejected out of the plasma membrane by process called EPHAGY. – In Phagocytosis, bacteria etc are engulfed. This is the transfer of small quantities of cytoplasm, together with their inclusions, from one cell to the other. This was demonstrated in bone marrow tissue. PS- All types of Endocytosis processes occur by “Active Transport”. Q1. Can we call the plasma membrane as unit membrane? Ans. Unit membrane means the limiting membrane of the cell and the organelles, viewed formerly as a three layered membrane, composed of inner lipid layer and two outer protein layers. This concept has been rejected as Fluid Mosaic model is the current accepted one.
Recent reports from scientists pursuing a new kind of nuclear fusion technology are encouraging, but we are still some distance away from the “holy grail of clean energy”. The technology developed by Heinrich Hora and his colleagues at the University of NSW uses powerful lasers to fuse together hydrogen and boron atoms, releasing high-energy particles that can be used to generate electricity. As with other kinds of nuclear fusion technology, however, the difficulty is in building a machine that can reliably initiate the reaction and harness the energy it produces. What is fusion? Fusion is the process that powers the Sun and the stars. It occurs when the nuclei of two atoms are forced so close to one another that they combine into one, releasing energy in the process. If the reaction can be tamed in the laboratory, it has the potential to deliver near-limitless base-load electricity with virtually zero carbon emissions. The easiest reaction to initiate in the laboratory is the fusion of two different isotopes of hydrogen: deuterium and tritium. The product of the reaction is a helium ion and a fast-moving neutron. Most fusion research to date has pursued this reaction. Deuterium-tritium fusion works best at a temperature of about 100,000,000℃. Confining a plasma – the name for the flamelike state of matter at such temperatures – that hot is no mean feat. The leading approach to harnessing fusion power is called toroidal magnetic confinement. Superconducting coils are used to create a field about a million times stronger than Earth’s magnetic field to contain the plasma. Scientists have already achieved deuterium-tritium fusion at experiments in the US (the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor) and the UK (the Joint European Torus). Indeed, a deuterium-tritium fusion campaign will happen in the UK experiment this year. These experiments initiate a fusion reaction using massive external heating, and it takes more energy to sustain the reaction than the reaction produces itself. The next phase of mainstream fusion research will involve an experiment called ITER (“the way” in Latin) being built in the south of France. At ITER, the confined helium ions created by the reaction will produce as much heating as the external heating sources. As the fast neutron carries four times as much energy as the helium ion, the power gain is a factor of five. ITER is a proof of concept before the construction of a demonstration power plant. What’s different about using hydrogen and boron? The technology reported by Hora and colleagues suggests using a laser to create a very strong confining magnetic field, and a second laser to heat a hydrogen-boron fuel pellet to reach the point of fusion ignition. When a hydrogen nucleus (a single proton) fuses with a boron-11 nucleus, it produces three energetic helium nuclei. Compared with the deuterium-tritium reaction, this has the advantage of not producing any neutrons, which are hard to contain. However, the hydrogen-boron reaction is much more difficult to trigger in the first place. Hora’s solution is to use a laser to heat a small fuel pellet to ignition temperature, and another laser to heat up metal coils to create a magnetic field that will contain the plasma. The technology uses very brief laser pulses, lasting only nanoseconds. The magnetic field required would be extremely strong, about 1,000 times as strong as the one used in deuterium-tritium experiments. Researchers in Japan have already used this technology to create a weaker magnetic field. Hora and colleagues claim their process will create an “avalanche effect” in the fuel pellet that means a lot more fusion will occur than would otherwise be expected. While there is experimental evidence to support some increase in fusion reaction rate by tailoring laser beam and target, to compare with deuterium-tritium reactions the avalanche effect would need to increase the fusion reaction rate by more than 100,000 times at 100,000,000℃. There is no experimental evidence for an increase of this magnitude. Where to from here? The experiments with hydrogen and boron have certainly produced fascinating physical results, but projections by Hora and colleagues of a five-year path to realizing fusion power seem premature. Others have attempted laser-triggered fusion. The National Ignition Facility in the US, for example, has attempted to achieve hydrogen-deuterium fusion ignition using 192 laser beams focused on a small target. These experiments reached one-third of the conditions needed for ignition for a single experiment. The challenges include the precise placement of the target, non-uniformity of the laser beam, and instabilities that occur as the target implodes. These experiments were conducted at most twice per day. By contrast, estimates suggest that a power plant would require the equivalent of 10 experiments per second. The development of fusion energy is most likely to be realized by the mainstream international program, with the ITER experiment at its core. Australia has international engagement with the ITER project in fields of theory and modeling, materials science and technology development. Much of this is based at the ANU in collaboration with the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, which is the signatory to a cooperation agreement with ITER. That said, there is always room for smart innovation and new concepts, and it is wonderful to see all kinds of investment in fusion science.
The Moon is now entertaining an ever-widening amount of experiments, robots and most recently tardigrades. The various underground tunnels or caves that lie underneath the Moon’s surface, however, still remain unexplored. Recently, the European Space Agency (ESA) called out for ideas on how to navigate, map and analyse the lunar caves in robotic missions of the future. The operations are one of the most recent projects concentrated on the research of lunar lava tubes, particularly to ascertain their potential as sites for future Moon bases which will be fit for long-term dwelling places by humans. These caves could protect astronauts from cosmic radiation and micrometeorites and probably provide access to icy water and other resources trapped underneath the Moon. Scientists believe that lunar lava tubes were formed billions of years ago when molten lava was still erupting on the Moon’s terrain. The terrain of the lunar surface hints that these early basaltic channels seared into sublunar caves that may extend for miles, comparable to lava tubes found on Earth. At the same time, NASA is building a “Moon Diver” robot that will dig deep into pits bequeathed by ancient lava eruptions. The Search by Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute (SETI Institute) has also tested out a drone in the Icelandic lava tubes with the intention of ultimately flying them in caverns on the Moon and Mars. Let alone humans, it obviously will be decades before a robot starts exploring one of these ambiguous caves. But if humans want to establish a long-term colony on the Moon —these caves will play an important role in protecting humans from the hazardous environment of the Moon.
GeoGebra Math Resources Find free, ready-to-use math resources to enhance student exploration and practice! Explore resources across grades 4-8 for the following subjects Probability And Statistics Solving Two-Step Equations Explore solution paths for two-step equations in this activity. Creating Division Equations Using Visual Models Create a division equation to represent a visual model. Multiplication and Division Estimation Game Estimate products and quotients along a number line. Check your accuracy with an arrow that drops to the correct position.
This GCSE Biology quiz is all about food chains and the loss of both energy and biomass that occurs at each stage - from producers to primary and secondary consumers. A food chain shows how the organisms in a particular habitat depend on each other as a source of food. At the start of any food chain is a producer which is normally a green plant. It is called a producer because it produces its own energy and food from raw materials it finds in its surroundings. Following on from the producer are the consumers, so called because they must eat something else. The first of these are called primary consumers and they are herbivores as all they eat are plants. Animals that feed on the primary consumers are called secondary consumers whilst tertiary consumers feed on the secondary consumers. Secondary consumers are carnivores or omnivores, as are the tertiary consumers. At the opposite end of a food chain to the producers is the top predator. Food chains are usually short, rarely containing more than 3 or 4 consumers. This is because there is a loss of both energy and biomass in each stage of the chain. The entire amount of energy and biomass for a food chain is contained in the producers - call that 100%. When this is eaten by the consumers, all of it is passed on. The primary consumer uses some of this energy for respiration in its cells which enables it to stay alive, move etc. The rest becomes part of the biomass of the primary consumer and is passed along the food chain; so less than the original 100% is available to the secondary consumers. This happens at each stage of the food chain and nothing hunts the top predator because it would take more energy than would be gained from eating it. We can see the loss of biomass and energy by observing the numbers and sizes of organisms in food chains. The biomass of living organisms at each successive stage in a food chain can be represented using pyramids of numbers and/or pyramids of biomass.
Statement of Inquiry: Students will understand that a character can be shaped by internal and external events through an inquiry into identity and relationships. - What strategies do authors use to communicate character traits? - How is the character's identity shaped by the events and themes? - How are we positioned to view characters and their situations? - Why do we have different emotional responses to characters? - What forms of characterization are effective? - Can insignificant events have a changing impact on the character's identity? Approaches to Learning: - Create original works and ideas; use existing works and ideas in new ways Thinking - Creative thinking - Collect, record and verify data Research - Information literacy
Researchers may have found a real cure for obesity. Researchers have programmed bacteria to generate a molecule that, through normal metabolism, becomes a hunger-suppressing lipid. Mice that drank water laced with the programmed bacteria ate less, had lower body fat and staved off diabetes — even when fed a high-fat diet — offering a potential weight-loss strategy for humans. Obesity strongly increases the risk for developing several diseases and conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some types of cancer. One in three Americans is obese, and efforts to stem the epidemic have largely failed. Lifestyle changes and medication typically achieve only modest weight loss, and most people regain the weight. In recent years, numerous studies have shown that the population of microbes living in the gut may be a key factor in determining the risk for obesity and related diseases, suggesting that strategically altering the gut microbiome may impact human health. For a therapeutic molecule, Sean Davies, Ph.D. and colleagues at Vanderbilt University selected N-acyl-phosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs), which are produced in the small intestine after a meal and are quickly converted into N-acyl-ethanolamines (NAEs), potent appetite-suppressing lipids. The researchers altered the genes of a strain of probiotic bacteria so it would make NAPEs. Then they added the bacteria to the drinking water of a strain of mice that, fed a high-fat diet, develop obesity, signs of diabetes and fatty livers. Compared to mice who received plain water or water containing control, non-programmed bacteria, the mice drinking the NAPE-making bacteria gained 15 percent less weight over the eight weeks of treatment. In addition, their livers and glucose metabolism were better than in the control mice. The mice that received the therapeutic bacteria remained lighter and leaner than control mice for up to 12 weeks after treatment ended. In further experiments, Davies’ team found that mice that lacked the enzyme to make NAEs from NAPEs were not helped by the NAPE-making bacteria; but this could be overcome by giving the mice NAE-making bacteria instead. “This suggests that it might be best to use NAE-making bacteria in eventual clinical trials,” says Davies, especially if the researchers find that some people don’t make very much of the enzyme that converts NAPEs to NAEs. “We think that this would work very well in humans.” The main obstacle to starting human trials is the potential risk that a treated person could transmit these special bacteria to another by fecal exposure. “We don’t want individuals to be unintentionally treated without their knowledge,” says Davies. “Especially because you could imagine that there might be some individuals, say the very young or old or those with specific diseases, who could be harmed by being exposed to an appetite-suppressing bacteria. So, we are working on genetically modifying the bacteria to significantly reduce its ability to be transmitted.” Davies acknowledges funding from the National Institutes of Health.
There’s been a lot of talk recently about how robots are taking over our factories, carrying our stuff, collaborating with us in the office and even tending our gardens. And if far-seeing researchers have it their way, robots may someday also carry and deliver things in our body — not large-scaled robots, of course, but tiny, molecular-sized ones. A team at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) has created robots tinier than the eye can see, using a single strand of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the molecule responsible for guiding the genetic development of all living organisms. This nanorobot is capable of being programmed to “walk” around on its own, picking up other molecules, sorting them and depositing them in predetermined locations — a relatively complex feat. “Just like electromechanical robots are sent off to faraway places, like Mars, we would like to send molecular robots to minuscule places where humans can’t go, such as the bloodstream,” said Lulu Qian, a assistant professor of bioengineering at Caltech and faculty member of the Qian Lab, where the work was done. “Our goal was to design and build a molecular robot that could perform a sophisticated nano-mechanical task: cargo sorting.” Modular DNA Robots The team’s paper, which was published in Science, describes how the team used nucleotides to build three basic building blocks for assembling their DNA robots, namely a leg-like feature with two “feet” for stepping around, a “hand” for picking up their cargo, and yet another component capable of recognizing a designated spot for dropping off cargo and sending the message to the nanobot’s “hand” to let go of its payload. These components are modular, meaning that they can be configured in any number of ways to complete a task — such as creating a multi-limbed DNA robot capable of transporting a bunch of different molecules at the same time. Molecular machines made from DNA exploit its peculiar characteristics: DNA assembles itself according to the strict rules of how its constituent nucleotides — namely cytosine (or C for short), guanine (G), adenine (A) or thymine (T) will combine predictably into specific base pairs. For this reason, DNA machines can be logically designed. These machines are able to propel themselves in a pretty mind-boggling way — the same way a single strand of certain nucleotides will naturally “zip up” along with another single strand of reciprocal nucleotides to form a double helix. The energy required for this action can also be estimated, allowing researchers to gauge and control how much energy a DNA machine might require to move or do something. Walking on DNA Pegboard The Caltech team’s experiment involved a DNA robot walking over a “molecular surface” that was designed like an extremely tiny pegboard of sorts, measuring 58 nanometers by 58 nanometers. This pegboard consisted of “pegs” of DNA complementary to the DNA robot’s leg and foot, which help the robot to move along when random molecular fluctuations pull one foot, and then the other, from one peg to another. The DNA robot is them able to “walk” over this surface, albeit in a random way, and requiring very little energy to do so. The team’s robots were tasked with picking up two separate kinds of molecules and to transport them to different spots on the pegboard. A signal molecule located in these destinations prompts the “hand” of the robot to let go of its cargo at the right place. Overall, the researchers found that their robot was able to sort six randomly placed molecules into the correct locations within a day. “Though we demonstrated a robot for this specific task, the same system design can be generalized to work with dozens of types of cargos at any arbitrary initial location on the surface,” explained Anupama Thubagere, a postdoctoral researcher who led the study. “One could also have multiple robots performing diverse sorting tasks in parallel.” There is a lot of amazing possibilities with such DNA robots. For starters, the team writes that the findings could potentially revolutionize many fields, including “autonomous chemical synthesis, in manufacturing responsive molecular devices, and in programmable therapeutics,” but at the moment, the team is working to refine the process rather than designing them for specialized use. “We don’t develop DNA robots for any specific applications. Our lab focuses on discovering the engineering principles that enable the development of general-purpose DNA robots,” said Qian. “However, it is my hope that other researchers could use these principles for exciting applications, such as using a DNA robot for synthesizing a therapeutic chemical from its constituent parts in an artificial molecular factory, delivering a drug only when a specific signal is given in bloodstreams or cells, or sorting molecular components in trash for recycling.”
These tiny subnuclear bodies typically measure 360 nanometers in diameter. They are composed of a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) molecule called NEAT1, which serves as the seed. Proteins that bind to NEAT1 accumulate, self-associate, and recruit other proteins, forming a mature paraspeckle. When a cell is stressed, various triggers can cause it to increase the production of the lncRNA NEAT1, leading to the formation of more paraspeckles. These bodies can grow to up to 2 micrometers in length, changing from a spherical shape to oblong and sometimes branched structures. They trap various proteins and mRNAs, hindering their function and thereby affecting the cell’s continued response to stress. \|1\|\|As they accumulate proteins and RNAs, paraspeckles can become linked together, growing bigger, oblong, and sometimes branched.\| \|2\|\|Greater abundance of NEAT1 leads to more paraspeckles.\| \|3\|\|Specific messenger RNAs become trapped in paraspeckles and cannot reach the cytoplasm for translation.\| \|4\|\|Paraspeckles act as a sponge, soaking up the proteins from the nucleoplasm.\| \|5\|\|Paraspeckles trap gene-regulating proteins, depleting them from target sites on the genome and thereby altering transcription.\| Read the full story.
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic, progressive, autoimmune disease, in which the body’s own immune system mistakenly attacks its’ Central Nervous System (CNS). The Central Nervous system includes the brain and spinal cord, and is made up of nerves that send messages throughout the body. For a person with MS, their immune system begins to initiate attacks targeting the protective covering that surrounds nerve fibers, called myelin. These attacks ultimately damage your myelin, disrupting normal nerve function and causing communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Symptoms and signs of MS vary greatly, and the disease progresses at different rates among all individuals. Many of the symptoms are dependent upon the amount of nerve damage and which nerves have been affected. Some common symptoms include: - Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs - Partial vision loss - Prolonged double vision - Tingling or pain in parts of the body - Electric shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements - Tremors, lack of coordination - Slurred speech - Problems with bowel and bladder function Many people suffering from MS experience periods where new symptoms develop over days or weeks. These relapses are usually followed by periods where the disease is in remission, which can last for months or even years. Some people instead experience a gradual onset and steady progression of symptoms without any relapses. Doctors find it very challenging to define and diagnose MS, because the signs, symptoms, and manifestations of the disease are unique to every individual. As many as 10 percent of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis actually have a different condition with similar symptoms to MS. Conditions that mimic MS include inflammation in the blood vessels, multiple strokes, vitamin deficiency, and brain infection. To properly diagnose MS, multiple tests and examinations must be completed by a neurologist who specializes in treating MS. Many physicians approach diagnosing MS as a three-step process: - Identify cardinal clinical features- examine the patient for typical symptoms of MS, such as vision loss and weakness in the extremities - Neurological exams- examine the patient’s mental status, vision, speech, motor strength, reflexes, and balance - Perform investigations consistent with MS The most significant investigation performed to accurately diagnose MS is the MRI scan of the brain, cervical, and thoracic spinal cord. This investigation creates a high-resolution image of the white tissue matter of the central nervous system, allowing surgeons to see if there are lesions on the brain. To further investigate your condition, your neurologist may also recommend a spinal tap, and will likely perform blood tests to check your white blood cell and protein count. This information is useful in ruling out any mimicking conditions. While all of these tests alone may suggest that a patient has MS, it is their combined information that ultimately leads a neurologist establishing the diagnosis of MS. An international panel of MS experts recently revised the way that MS is diagnosed, and created a framework for neurologists to follow when attempting to diagnose. This framework is called The McDonald Criteria, and it allows for the diagnosis of MS if the MRI scan shows lesions forming over time on different dates, and if lesions are found on two or more parts of the central nervous system. This criteria is significant because it allows neurologists to diagnose patients with MS at an earlier stage, therefore helping them start treatment sooner. The Role of MRI in Diagnosing MS Magnetic Resonance Imaging is considered one of the most useful and accurate tools when imaging for MS; revolutionizing the investigation, diagnosis, and even the treatment of this disease. Over the past 15 years, the strength and quality of MRI scanners has greatly improved. Until this time, most imaging clinics used an MRI with a magnet strength of 1.5 Teslas (T). Due to advancements in technology, MRIs with an increased magnet strength of 3 Teslas are now being used more often in clinical settings. Neurologists are using these 3T MRI machines to obtain highly detailed images of the brain and spinal cord. This information is helping them better study and understand the onset, symptoms, and progression of MS. When a surgeon is initially ordering an MRI on a patient to establish the diagnosis of MS, they start by looking for white matter lesions on the brain. These lesions are usually ovoid in appearance, and they typically are found coming off the ventricles, occurring within the brain stem, or up against the cortical rim. Often in an MRI, acute MS lesions may be seen to leak Gadolinium dye. This is the dye that is administered in the patient’s vein during the procedure to add visual contrast to the scan. The Gadolinium enhancement is seen as brightness on the scan, and indicates areas of inflammations where lesions are active; meaning they are either new, or getting bigger. MRI is also particularly helpful with investigating MS in patients who have only had one demyelinating symptom attack, also known as clinically isolated syndrome (CIS). The number of lesions visible on an initial MRI of the brain or spinal cord can help the neurologist assess the person’s risk of experiencing a second attack in the future, cementing the diagnosis of definite MS. For individuals who have only experienced a single demyelinating attack of MS, an MRI can also be used to determine if a second neurological event has occurred without noticeable symptoms. This helps neurologists confirm the diagnosis of MS as early as possible, and place patients on a treatment plan. Different Types of Scans There are different types of scans and radio frequency pulse sequences that neurologists will use when scanning for MS. - T1-weighted brain MRI scan - Provides information about current disease activity by highlighting areas of active inflammation. - These areas of inflammation appear as active lesions. - T1-weighted images also show dark areas that are thought to indicate areas of permanent nerve damage. - T2-weighted images - Supplies information about the total amount of lesion area, both old and new. - Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery images are used to better identify brain lesions associate specifically with MS. - Spinal cord imaging - This can help identify pathology in the spinal cord and demonstrate that damage has occurred in different parts of the central nervous system and at different points in time. After a diagnosis of MS has been clearly established, no additional MRI scans are necessary for diagnostic purposes. However, additional scans are essential for tracking the progress of the disease and making treatment decisions. A neurologist should consider the disease activity visible on an MRI, the person’s clinical symptoms, and their relapses when determining whether a treatment plan is effective or needs to be changed. As 3T MRI continues to transition into clinical use, many people will benefit from the quality of the images that this machine can produce. Whether it is utilized to establish an early diagnosis, for the study of the progression of the disease, or for creating individualized treatment plans, MRI is a critical tool when dealing with MS.
The circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system is just one of the major organ systems that regulate our bodies. All of these systems have very specific functions yet, they can’t function independently. Working in tandem, they rely on one another. The circulatory system includes the heart (cardiovascular); lungs (pulmonary); arteries, veins, coronary and portal vessels (systemic). Its main purpose is to move nutrients, oxygen and hormones to and from different cells and tissues throughout the body. Not only is it responsible for delivering the goods; the circulatory system also plays an important, secondary role in removing waste products from the body via the digestive and urinary systems. The cardiovascular system is a closed loop. It works congruously with the respiratory system. The respiratory system is responsible for exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen within the blood. This cohesive relationship between the systems is known as pulmonary circulation. The heart pumps oxygen-depleted blood through the lungs in order to oxygenate it. When the blood reaches the lungs, the blood cells release carbon dioxide and absorb oxygen. Systemic circulation is responsible for pumping the new oxygen-rich blood to cells and tissues throughout the body. Then back to the heart. Circulatory System Diseases There are a number of diseases that can afflict the cardiovascular system. While some are congenital (such as a heart defect), many are deemed “lifestyle” diseases. Coined as such because they develop by unhealthy lifestyle habits over time. Otherwise preventable by way of a healthy diet and exercising. A brief overview of the diseases that can affect the circulatory system: - Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque in the arteries. - Acute Coronary Syndrome(s) is a blanket term that describes a range of conditions, the cause is a sudden reduction of blood flow to the heart. An example of this would be an aneurysm. - Strokes can occur one of two ways; poor blood flow (lack of) to the brain or, hemorrhaging (bleeding), resulting in cell death. In both cases, cell death leads to improper brain functionality. Ischaemic attacks are “mini” strokes resulting from a temporary disruption of blood supply to the brain. In 2018, a survey was conducted to determine how prevalent cardiovascular conditions in several select countries. The chart below shows us that the United States has the highest prevalence of heart disease, followed by Russia and the EU-5. Swimming for the Prevention of Circulatory System Diseases If you are concerned about your heart then regular swimming can help to guard against heart disease. According to swimming.org, being physically active can decrease the chances of a stroke by 31%. Just doing an hour of moderate physical activity each day can decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%. While all exercise that gets your heart beating and your blood pumping is good for your circulatory health, swimming is uniquely beneficial. A swimmer’s heart pumps more blood with every beat, which lowers heart rate. The vigorous movements coupled with the water’s resistance leads to increased levels of oxygen, and oxygen consumption. This means that more blood is pumped to your muscles with every beat. A greater blood supply with fewer heartbeats means more efficiency, and therefore a healthier circulatory system. This encourages blood vessels to remain flexible and elastic which is important for maintaining a normal blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, swimming for half an hour a minimum of three times a week can significantly lower your blood pressure levels. In addition to that, swimming helps regulate cholesterol levels. More specifically, swimming can increase your levels of good cholesterol – high-density lipoprotein – and lower bad cholesterol – lipoprotein. If you’re a beginner, or are getting back into swimming, start slowly with five to 10 minutes of smooth lap swimming. As you get used to the exercise, and your strokes, kicks, and breathing become more efficient, you’ll be able to swim for longer periods. Mix up your strokes — freestyle, backstroke, butterfly, whatever you can do. In addition to keeping your swimming routine fresh, the variety helps you work different muscles.
Amazing Facts You Should Know about Trees There are over 60,000 different species of trees in the world, these are different shapes, and sizes and there is so much to learn about them. Here are a few facts: 1) Just like humans, trees need water to survive, and they drink a lot of it. In a single day, a large tree can consume 100 gallons of water out of the ground and discharge it into the air as oxygen and water vapor. Keep in mind that many conditions play a role such as the size of the tree, species of the tree, humidity, temperatures, sun exposure, etc. 2) A tree can absorb as much as 48 pounds of carbon dioxide each year and can sequester 1 ton of carbon dioxide by the time it reaches 40 years old. 3) Trees help keep soil healthy. Decomposing leaf litter returns to the soil as organic matter. They also reduce soil erosion by binding soil in place, this increases the soil's potential to retain water and can be beneficial in times of flooding and drought. 4) 2% of the UK’s land area is covered by ‘ancient woodland’. This is woodland that has existed since the 1600’s in England and Wales, and since the 1750’s in Scotland. Their ecosystems are complex and rich in wildlife. Sherwood Forest is the largest concentration of ancient trees in Northern Europe, with over 1,000 oak trees each up to 1,000 years old. 5) Some trees can release chemicals to warn others about threats such as insects, the other trees can then produce tannins to make their leaves unpalatable to the approaching predators. 6) The oldest tree in the UK is thought to be the Fortingall yew in Perthshire, Scotland, and is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years. 7) Fungi and trees support each other through a huge network of ‘mycorrhizal’ roots. This network helps share water and nutrients 8) Trees are natural farmers. Combining trees and farming is known as ‘Agroforestry’. Grazing animals under trees gives them shelter and fodder, whilst the animals enrich the soil. Growing crops beneath trees creates a sheltered microclimate for the plants whilst the trees deep roots bring nutrients up from lower down. Trees also provide vital habitats for wildlife. They help farmers by housing natural predators to many common crop pests, thus reducing the need for pesticides. 9) Even after they die, trees continue to be an important ecosystem. As they decompose on the forest floor they provide shelter and food for a diversity of organisms 10) Trees affect our climate, and therefore our weather, in three primary ways: they lower temperatures, reduce energy usage and reduce or remove air pollutants. Each part of the tree contributes to climate control, from leaves to roots. 11) A ‘Nemophilist’ is the name given to those who love woodland and trees. 12) Scientists have found that older bigger trees share nutrients with smaller trees, which later repay them back when they have developed.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month. Here are some simple guidelines for immunizations to follow. People in all stages of life need shots to help protect us from serious diseases and illness. Everyone age 6 months and older needs a seasonal flu shot every year. Here are some other shots people need at different ages: • Children under age 6 get a series of shots to protect against measles, polio, chicken pox, and hepatitis. Pre-teens and teens: • Pre-teens need shots at age 11 or 12 to help protect them from tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, meningitis, and HPV (human papillomavirus). • Teens need a booster shot at age 16 to help protect them from meningitis. • All adults need a booster shot every 10 years to protect against tetanus and diphtheria. • People age 65 or older need a one-time pneumonia shot. It’s important to talk to your doctor, nurse or pharmacist about which shots you and your family need. They can help you keep a record of your shots and inform you of interactions.
Teachers discuss the impact of implicit bias in their classrooms Whitney Touchton, a mother of three, started her journey of learning about racial bias several years ago, through an organization called Be the Bridge. So when she joined Parents Who Lead, an initiative JPEF started in partnership with Duval County Public Schools, the Jacksonville Public Library and the Kids Hope Alliance, she knew she wanted to focus her community project on implicit bias training. After 20 weeks of intensive classes on civic leadership skills, Touchton put her idea into action. She led a session at the WJCT Teach Conference in downtown Jacksonville, bringing some of Duval County's top teachers together to speak to other educators about how they can create classrooms where all students can thrive. Implicit Bias: What is it? Implicit bias is also known as subconscious or unconscious bias. According to the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University, implicit bias refers to the attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions and decisions in an unconscious manner. These biases, which encompass both favorable and unfavorable assessments, are activated involuntarily and without an individual’s awareness or intentional control. In education, research has shown implicit bias can negatively affect children of color. For example, data from the U.S. Department of Education has found that black children are more than 3.6 times as likely to be suspended from preschool as white children. A Yale study found that when teachers expect bad behavior, they focus more on black children than white children. Learn more: Resources to help - Harvard University offers a simple online implicit bias test that can help people understand their own implicit bias. - Dr. Walter Gilliam from Yale University, one of the nation's leading thinkers on implicit bias and child development, discusses bias in our education system in this video. - Georgetown Law published a report on how implicit bias affects black girls and their education. - Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, offers resources to educators who want to create inclusive, equitable learning environments for their students.
A computer is more than just another household appliance. The vast amount of information and possibilities can be overwhelming. But you can accomplish a lot with a computer, and using one can be a good experience. Let's walk through getting started with your first computer. Turning on a computer for the first time can be different from one computer to the next. Your experience could be different from this lesson. It's OK to ask someone for help. If you're using a desktop computer, you'll need to make sure that the keyboard, mouse, and monitor are plugged into the computer case before you continue. Review our lesson on Setting Up a Computer to learn how. The very first step is to turn on the computer. To do this, locate and press the power button. It's in a different place on every computer, but it will have the universal power button symbol (shown below). Once turned on, your computer takes time before it's ready to use. You may see a few different displays flash on the screen. This process is called booting up, and it can take anywhere from 15 seconds to several minutes. Once the computer has booted up, it may be ready to use, or it may require you to log in. This means identifying yourself by typing your user name or selecting your profile, then typing your password. If you've never logged in to your computer before, you may need to create an account. You interact with a computer mainly by using the keyboard and mouse, or a trackpad on laptops. Learning to use these devices is essential to learning to use a computer. Most people find it comfortable to place the keyboard on the desk directly in front of them and the mouse to one side of the keyboard. The mouse controls the pointer on the screen. Whenever you move the mouse across the desk, the pointer will move in a similar manner. A mouse usually has two buttons, which are referred to as the left button and the right button. You will often interact with the computer by moving the mouse pointer over something on the computer screen, then clicking one of the buttons. On laptops, you can use the trackpad, located below the keyboard, instead of a mouse. Simply drag your finger across the trackpad to move the pointer on the screen. Some trackpads do not have buttons, so you'll either press or tap the trackpad to click. The keyboard allows you to type letters, numbers, and words into the computer. Whenever you see a flashing vertical line—called the cursor—you can start typing. Note that the mouse pointer is also called a cursor, but it is shaped differently. The keyboard cursor is also called the insertion point. The main screen you'll start from is the desktop. This is sort of like a main menu or a table of contents. From here, you can access the programs and features you need to use your computer. Icons are used to represent the different files, applications, and commands on your computer. An icon is a small image that's intended to give you an idea at a glance of what it represents, like a logo. Double-clicking an icon on the desktop will open that application or file. A button is a command that performs a specific function within an application. The most commonly used commands in a program will be represented by buttons. Menus are organized collections of commands and shortcuts. Click a menu to open it and display the commands and shortcuts within. Then click an item in the menu to execute it. When you open an application or folder, it is displayed in its own window. A window is a contained area—like a picture within a picture—with its own menus and buttons specific to that program. You can rearrange multiple windows on the desktop and switch between them. OK, so these are just the basics of using a computer. In the next lesson, we'll talk about how to use your computer's specific operating system.
Teaching good manners to your kids is an essential part of their raising. Before teaching manners to your child, you have to pay attention to your habits. Children learn from their surroundings, and your behavior can change their personality. If you want to raise a polite child, it is essential to practice police behavior in front of your child. While learning necessary thank you and please, your child must learn how to become a polite guest. Enforce good manners from the early age of your child. Fortunately, exciting songs on manners are available for assistance. These songs can have a positive influence on the brain of your child. Here are some essential manners to teach to your kids. Please and Excuse Me You have to teach your children to say please while asking for something and say thanks after receiving something. Teach your child to discriminate different occasions to say please and thank you. A child must know that he has to say, “Excuse me” while going through crowds, getting the attention of a person or after bumping into someone. Don’t Interrupt Others Teach them not to interrupt others between conversations. If they are not a part of two people’s conversation, stay away from it. It is not right to interrupt someone while he is talking to you. Pay attention to the speaker instead of ignoring him. Don’t Comment on Others It is impolite to comment on the physical appearance or character of other people unless you want to give a compliment. Parents should avoid negative compliments because these can harm their children. For instance, unnecessary appreciation can destroy the character of your child. Your child should have the ability to take criticism positively. Take Permission Before Using Something Your child should know that he has to take permission before using other’s belongings. If they are not sure about anything, it is essential to ask first. Enforce the significance of gratitude. Teach your child the way to write a thank you note. They must know how to write a thank you message after receiving a gift. Lesson of Hygiene Teach your child how to stay tidy and healthy. Give him lessons in hygiene, such as cover your mouth while sneezing and coughing. They should not pick their nose and use a tissue. Teach them to say sorry after coughing and sneezing in public. Teach your children to keep this world clean. Teach your children to respond politely while answer a question. They should learn to respect the privacy of other people. Always knock on a closed door and wait for the response of people before entering in. Enforce table manners and teach them to avoid sneezing and coughing on a table. Teach them how to clean their clothes and body after eating meals and playing. Teach them to respect elders by standing. Tell them to address people adequately by taking their right name. These small things can help you to raise a confident child with good manners.
Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.Join Britannica's Publishing Partner Program and our community of experts to gain a global audience for your work! The Sierra Madre Occidental extends approximately 700 miles (1,100 km) from northwest to southeast and is about 100 to 300 miles (160 to 480 km) in width. Summits mostly exceed elevations of 6,000 feet (1,800 metres), and some peaks rise above 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). From the east the mountains present relatively slight but broken relief; from the west they appear as formidable escarpments whose benched flanks drop into deep canyons called barrancas. The great mountain ranges and canyons trend northwest to southeast, which is generally the trend of the folds in the Mesozoic and older basement strata. The local relief may exceed 5,000 feet (1,500 metres), and the majestic dimensions of some of these barrancas—notably Barranca del Cobre (“Copper Canyon”)—compare to the Grand Canyon of the United States. Extending southeastward from the Big Bend of the Rio Grande (called Río Bravo del Norte in Mexico) are a series of low mountains that are composed of folded sedimentary strata. South of Monterrey these mountains become a striking range, the Sierra Madre Oriental. Summit elevations are about 7,000 feet (2,100 metres), but some peaks rise above 10,000 feet, such as the Cerro Peña Nevada. Steep-walled narrow valleys, a number of which are north to south in alignment, lie in the sierra, and there are several gateways from the Gulf of Mexico lowlands to the plateau. The core of Sierra Madre del Sur is outlined by a narrow and discontinuous coastal plain to the southwest and by the structural depression of the Balsas River to the north. To the east of this depression is the Sierra Mixteca, which forms a highland bridge between the Cordillera Neo-Volcánica and the Southern Highlands. A labyrinth of narrow ridges and steep-flanked valleys forms the Southern Highlands. Much of this broken country crests at elevations of about 6,500 feet (2,000 metres), and only a few peaks exceed 10,000 feet. Whereas the Mexican Plateau’s volcanic mantle is relatively free of dissection, the Southern Highlands have been stripped of much of their volcanic cover. The older basement rocks are exposed in what are probably the most highly dissected landscapes of Mexico. There is very little flatland in the region. Abruptly terminating the region on the east is a magnificent escarpment that overlooks the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Elevation is more important in determining the thermal characteristics of the Mexican climate than is latitude. The decrease in temperature that occurs with increasing elevation has made it possible to identify distinct vertical temperature zones: tierra caliente, or “hot land,” tierra templada, or “temperate land,” and tierra fria, or “cold land.” Unlike climatic areas farther from the Equator, there is little seasonal variation in temperature at any elevation in the tropics. The tierra templada, which includes elevations from 3,000 to 6,000 feet (900 to 1,800 metres), has mean temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to the mid-70s F (about 18 to 24 °C). Much of highland Mexico is in this thermal zone. It is the most pleasant of the zones for human habitation. During winter, frost may occur. In the cooler tierra fria the mean annual temperatures are between the mid-50s and mid-60s F (about 13 and 18 °C). Above 10,000 to 11,000 feet (3,000 to 3,300 metres) the mean annual temperature is less than 50 °F (10 °C), and above 14,000 to 15,000 feet (4,300 to 4,600 metres) it is less than 32 °F (0 °C). Mountain masses, besides creating islands of cooler climate within the tropics, play a major role in the incidence of clouds and precipitation. The mountains form barriers over which air may be raised, cooled, and caused to condense. Within the mountains and in their lee there is a lower incidence of clouds and precipitation. Lee or descending air becomes warmer, and its capacity to retain moisture rises. Illustrating the effect of the mountains upon precipitation and cloudiness is the contrast between the roughly 80 inches (2,000 mm) of rain and 150 cloudy days per year for the eastern slopes of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the roughly 40 inches (1,000 mm) of rain and 90 cloudy days per year that characterize much of the Pacific slope west of the Sierra Madre del Sur. The drier areas are in the rain shadow of the mountains. Plant and animal life The extent of the once-ubiquitous mountain forests has been greatly curtailed by centuries of human activity, owing not only to clearing of land for farming but also to the widespread use of wood in earlier times to make charcoal for metal smelting. (Simultaneously, the distribution of animal life has been restricted.) In the tierra fria, forests of conifers are found, followed in the tierra templada by mixed forests of oak and pine. At still lower elevations, and especially in the rain shadows, the Sierra Madre Occidental is characterized by a diverse scrubby assemblage of xerophytic (drought-tolerant) plants. In contrast, the lower levels of the Sierra Madre Oriental display, especially in the southern part, a broad-leaved tropical luxuriance correlated with the reliable and adequate rainfall that they receive. Deer and coyotes are widespread in the Sierra Madre. Gray wolves are still found in remote parts of the northern Sierra Madre Occidental. The grizzly bear probably became extinct in the wild after 1960, but the population of black bears has remained fairly stable. Large cats (jaguar and puma) are becoming scarce, but cottontail rabbits abound, and collared peccaries are fairly plentiful, as are wild turkeys and smaller game birds.
Depth of Field Using f/Stops (Apertures) The goal here is to learn how to apply depth of field to determine the range of focus in your photos. Shoot each image in pairs, one with shallow depth of field and one with greater depth of field. Begin by framing and focusing on your subject, getting as close as possible will help highlight the differences. Shoot the first frame at a large aperture such as f/2.8 using the appropriate shutter speed. Make a second exposure at a small aperture such as f/16 using the appropriate shutter speed. Remember to change your shutter speed proportionally when you change aperture (i.e. f/2.8 @ 1/500 gives shallow depth of field while f/8 @ 1/60 yields greater depth of field). Use your meter as a guide. Do not change focus between shots. You will show 3-5 pairs of photos to complete the assignment. Helpful Tips for Achieving Shallow Depth of Field - Use your widest aperture. The wider the aperture, the less depth of field. - Get as close to your subject as you can. The closer you are the less depth of field. - Use a long focal length lens. The longer the lens, the less depth of field. - Create a foreground, middle ground and background. The further things are from your plane of focus the less depth of field. Depth of Field is one of the most difficult concepts in photography to understand. It is also one of the most important. This workshop will teach you what depth of field is and how to apply it to make more interesting photographs. Another step towards understanding “camera vision”. You’ll also know what all those tiny numbers on your camera actually mean! 5 pairs of images demonstrating both the visual and technical aspects of the assignment.
In order to complete the requirements for this research paper, you will need to use seven different primary sources in researching your topic. These seven primary sources must represent at least two different kinds of primary sources, such as four newspaper articles and three autobiographies. . If you have a book that is a collected volumes of primary sources (like a volume of letters), you can only use two sources from that collected volume. Additionally, you must have at least two secondary sources. The tools you use to identify a primary source are essentially the same as those that you would use to identify ANY book or article relevant to your topic. Autobiographies, memoirs and collections of letters are generally published in book form. An article written during the time you are researching (thus qualifying as a primary source) was likely published in a magazine. Just as a bibliography at the end of a scholarly book lists the secondary sources that scholar used to support his or her thesis, that bibliography will also note all primary sources used. Additionally, many specialized reference sources list primary materials. On the other pages of this guide, you will find links to a variety of resources that you will use to identify primary sources.
The Doaksville archeological site provides a glimpse of the diverse historic and cultural past of southeast Oklahoma. Here, a trading post was established during the early 1820s by Josiah Doaks. With the signing of the treaties, Dancing Rabbit Creek and Doaks Stand, Doaksville became a major destination in what would latter became known as Indian Territory (IT). With the military post nearby at Fort Towson for protection, Doaksville became the largest town in IT in 1850 and the commercial center of the Choctaw Nation. Ruins of the Old Jailhouse Commerce grew with the establishment of the roads built to supply Fort Towson. These roads connected this region to metropolitan areas such as Fort Smith, Arkansas and Fort Jessup, Louisiana. Steamboats on the Red River in the late 1830s carried goods to Doaksville and agriculture products out of the region. At its height in the 1840s and 1850s, the town boasted more than thirty buildings, including stores, a jail, school, hotel, and two newspapers. Prosperity and location allowed Doaksville to become the political center and then capitol of the Choctaw Nation in 1850. In 1837, the Choctaws and the Chickasaws signed the Treaty of Doaksville which allowed the Chickasaws to lease the western most portion of the Choctaw Nation for settlement. In 1855, U.S. government officials, Choctaws, and Chickasaws created a separate district for the Chickasaw people. A constitution was drafted there in 1858. In 1859 the Choctaws moved their capitol west to Mayhew Mission and then to the present location at Tuskahoma. Doaksville decline began with the abandonment of Fort Towson in 1854. The Civil War in Indian Territory devastated the region's plantation-based economy. On June 23, 1865, the last Confederate general, Stand Watie, surrendered his Indian Brigade to Union forces near Doaksville. The town declined in importance in the late 1800s. The final blow came in 1870 when the railroad was built one mile south. The town moved to the railroad and Fort Towson took the place of Doaksville. Doaksville Archeological Site Doaksville is an interpreted archeological site operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society. Major archeological investigations in 1995, 1996, and 1997 revealed the limestone foundations of multiple structures, including wells, jail, store, hotel, along with thousands of artifacts. A walking trail constructed in 2001 loops around the stabilized masonry ruins, and signage interprets the history of Doaksville and the multi-cultural people who lived there. Visit the Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History & Culture to find out more about Doaksville.
Almost all types of ferrous metals can – and should – be recycled. The process serves to reduce not only landfill waste, but also manufacturing costs and the labor and energy required to extract additional raw materials. Fortunately, this recycling can even be done without compromising the strength and integrity of the reclaimed product. To see how, let’s run through an example with steel – the most recycled metal in the world, and easily the most widely used and versatile, with applications from the creation of common household items to the building of massive skyscrapers. How is Steel Manufactured? The creation of steel solely from raw components requires the combination of iron ore, limestone, and coke (a coal-based fuel) in a furnace, where it is smelted down to remove impurities and add carbon. Today, much of the steel we use is produced by recycling existing materials – for each ton of reused steel, we’re able to save 120 pounds of limestone, 1,400 pounds of coke, and 2,500 pounds of iron ore, according to the American Iron and Steel Institute There are two primary methods of creating steel with reclaimed scrap: through an EAF (Electric Arc Furnace) or BOF (Basic Oxygen Furnace). In the EAF process, the raw material is almost entirely scrap steel. High-powered electric arcs quickly melt the material down to liquid crude steel, after which it is refined further in secondary steelmaking processes. Much of the steel used in construction, such as reinforcement bars, steel plates, and structural beams, is made through the EAF process, since the end result produced is incredibly strong. The BOF process, on the other hand, uses only about 30% recovered steel at most. Here, molten iron is combined with pure oxygen to blow out impurities. The steel produced by this method is used to make industrial drums, pails, cans, refrigerator encasements, and automobile fenders. What Type of Scrap Metal can be used? Thanks to steel’s versatility and popularity, there is a huge supply of scrap available cheaply. Common sources for recycled steel components include: - Bodies of old vehicles - Old machinery, engine blocks, pipes, and iron baths - Domestic scrap, such as old appliances, cans, water tanks, roofing sheets, etc. - Factory waste that remains after shaping or drilling metal - Industrial waste and commercial scrap such as old columns, beams, channels, plates, implements and more How is this Material Recovered? Since iron and steel have magnetic properties, they can be easily separated from other waste. Once segregated, these metals are kept in scrapyards and by heavy machinery, for ease of transport and to reduce necessary space on the conveyer belts that feed blast furnaces.
A plantation is a large farm which is specialized on farming one type of crop. Plantations grow cash crops, mostly for export, and less for local use. Crops grown on plantations include banana, sugarcane, coffee, tea, cotton and tobacco. Some of the problems with plantations come from the fact that they are monocultures, that is there is only one kind of crop that is grown there. This makes them vulnerable to pests, for example. Among the earliest examples of plantations were the latifundia of the Roman Empire. They produced large quantities of wine and olive oil for export. Plantation agriculture grew rapidly with the increase in international trade and the relative decline of subsistence farming. Like every economic activity, it has changed over time. Earlier forms of plantation agriculture were associated with large disparities of wealth and income, foreign ownership and political influence, and exploitative social systems such as indentured labor and slavery.
Children are who suffer from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate many of the following characteristics. If your child is demonstrating any of these behaviors, you should consult with your pediatrician and schedule a full speech and language evaluation with a certified speech-language pathologist as soon as possible. Early intervention is crucial for children on the autism spectrum. - Has difficulty following one and two step directions - Does not respond to his/her name when called - Excessive interest in particular toys (or parts of toys), letters and/or numbers - Does not point to body parts, objects or pictures in books - Repetitive movements (turning lights on and off, continually opening and closing doors) - Does not share or show (pointing to a dog on the street for you to see/bringing you a toy) - Lack of eye contact with peers or adults or appears disengaged in books/activities/games - Delayed expressive language skills. A child who is 2.5 years of age should be using 50-100 words, responding to greetings and farewells, using 2-3 word phrases frequently, using actions words and telling you about past experiences (e.g., Telling Dad when he comes home from work, “I go park”). - Does not engage in pretend play (e.g., pretending to clean up, talk on the phone)
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and will continue to be well into the future. Awareness is vital to combat this disease and an understanding of heart disease, including types, diagnosis, risk factors, treatment and prevention, begins with gaining a clear understanding of the anatomy of the heart. Related program: B.S. in Health Education & Behavior Add This Infographic to Your Site Copy and paste the text above to include this infographic on your website. The heart is a muscular organ located in the chest cavity, just to the left of the sternum or breastbone. Surrounded by a protective sac called the pericardium, the heart has 4 chambers, separated by a wall or septum. The chambers upper 2 chambers are called the left and right atria, and the 2 lower chambers are called the right and left ventricles. The chambers beat in a specifically timed rhythm or pace which is controlled by the heart’s electrical system or pacemaker called the Purkinje Fibers. As the heart beats, it sends approximately 2,000 gallons of oxygenated blood to the body’s organs via the cardiovascular system. This network of blood vessels is a gigantic web of veins and arteries. Amazingly, the fist-shaped heart beats 100,000 times or more daily even though it is small, weighing only 7 to 15 ounces. This hard-working organ is prone to serious health conditions including coronary artery disease (CAD), heart attack, cardiac arrhythmias, and heart failure. It is estimated that coronary artery disease costs the United States $108.9 billion each year. Heart attacks or myocardial infarctions (MI) happen when blood clots stop the flow of blood to an area of the heart. This causes damage to and even death of portions of the myocardium or heart muscle. In the United States, more than 1.5 heart attacks happen annually. Heart failure can happen when the heart muscle becomes weak and cannot pump efficiently. This condition often results from defects present at birth or damage from a heart attack, high blood pressure or coronary artery disease. The heart has been overworked due to these conditions. Usually, people over the age of 65 have experience heart failure. The newly diagnosed number more than half a million annually.
The financial data used in cost accounting can aid decision making, improve performance, and significantly reduce costs regardless of the type of organization that is using it – although it is commonly thought of as a school of accounting used in manufacturing. Improved performance from decreased cost, or improved profit is an important element in business as well, therefore cost accounting is a strong competitive advantage for management of a company. What is Cost Accounting? Functions of Cost Accounting Concept of Cost Elements of Cost in Cost Accounting Types of Costs in Cost Accounting Allocating Indirect Expense Material and Labor Compiling Cost Data Costs by Financial Statement Classification Cost Systems & Methods in Cost Accounting Creating a Cost System Estimating Cost System Departmental Cost System Special Order System – Productive Labor Method Special Order System – Process Method Employee Time Reports Product System – Productive Labor Method Product System – Machine Method The origins of cost accounting started in the Industrial Revolution and was employed by management to monitor fixed and variable costs in the factories which were so prevalent at the time. There are many principles to cost accounting that maximize the efficiency of a business and its production capacity. These can be highly useful in a business to reduce the cost of production. The examples given are mostly manufacturing related, however it is noted that these principles can be applied to several different, abstract types of business fundamentals. Accounting made easy, for FREE! Access the contact form and send us your feedback, questions, etc. We are always welcome to help someone out. You can also contact us if you wish to submit your writing, cartoons, jokes, etc. and we will consider posting them to share with the world! The Facebook and LinkedIn groups are also good areas to find people interested in accounting like yourself, don’t hesitate to join as everyone of all levels are welcome to become part of the community.
An interview on What are GMOs? with Dr. Rick Meilan, Molecular Tree Physiologist at Purdue University The Story on GMOs GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organism. Let’s break it down word by word. Genetically refers to genes. Genes are made up of DNA, which is a set of instructions for how cells grow and develop. Second is Modified. This implies that some change or tweak has been made. Lastly, we have the word Organism. When it comes to GMOs, many people only think of crops. Yet an ‘organism’ isn’t just a plant; it refers to all living things, including bacteria and fungi. With that in mind, GMOs are living beings that have had their genetic code changed in some way. While conventional breeding, which has been going on for centuries, involves mixing all of the genes from two different sources, producing a GMO is much more targeted. Rather than crossing two plants out in the field, they insert a gene or two into individual cells in a lab. Yet, as mentioned earlier, GM technology can also be used on microorganisms. For example, bacteria have been genetically modified to produce medicines that can cure diseases or vaccines that prevent them. A commonly used medicine that comes from a genetically modified source is insulin, which is used to treat diabetes, but there are many The process to create a GMO starts very small. A scientist causes a gene to be inserted into the DNA in the nucleus of a single cell. The DNA being used for the modification is so small that it can’t be seen, even under the most powerful microscope. Despite how tiny a cell is, there is a massive amount of DNA all packaged into its one little nucleus. To give some idea of just how much DNA is packed into that small space, if you were to take all the DNA of one single corn cell out of the nucleus and line it up end-to-end, it would be about six feet long! Into this enormous amount of DNA, a very small piece is inserted. A vast majority of the organism’s genetic code remains completely unchanged by the process. Once this single cell has been modified, the scientist will treat it with naturally occurring plant hormones to stimulate growth and development. This one cell will start to divide (which is the natural growth process for any organism) and the resulting cells begin to take on specialized functions, until they become a whole plant. Because this new plant was ultimately derived from a single cell with the inserted gene, all of the cells in the regenerated plant contain that new gene.
Recycling and Composting and Sustainability Recycling has a long history. Reusing whole goods and recycling components to make new goods has been practiced for centuries. Earlier (prior to World War II) efforts to reuse and recycle were driven primarily by scarcity and value of components. In the postwar period, single-use, throwaway packaging became prevalent and landfills threatened to reach capacity, making environmental considerations the prime motivation for recycling. When goods and components are reused and recycled, raw materials do not need to be grown/mined/harvested/imported/processed, reducing or eliminating the attendant energy consumption and environmental impact inherent in these processes. Reusing and recycling also keeps significant volumes of non-degradable (and sometimes hazardous) materials out of landfills. Certain materials, such as glass and metals, can be infinitely recycled into new goods without any loss of strength. Composting can be thought of as a natural recycling process.Materials of living origin (i.e., yet another definition of Organic) are naturally degraded by bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates. The resulting compost enriches the soil, provides nutrients to plants, and virtually eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Depending on the physical form of the organic material, the process can be slow (e.g. months/years for whole trees) or fairly rapid (e.g. days/weeks for ground food particles). The composting process requires periodic aeration and mixing. Like recycling, composting diverts potentially large volumes of waste materials from landfills, where organic materials are buried and cut off from exposure to oxygen, an environment that further slows or completely halts natural degradation processes. Lehman College has a robust, campus-wide program of recycling.There is a greater awareness of and participation in recycling. Recycling and waste collection containers set side by side so that materials can be separated at their source (source-separation is essential for subsequent processing of recyclables) have been put into service throughout campus and have been instrumental in increasing our paper and container recycling. The purchase of a food composter has enabled Lehman to compost its food-preparation waste (which had been disposed of as garbage in the past). Lehman continues to compost its gardening waste to produce high-quality compost. Electronic equipment that would have been categorized as hazardous waste due to the presence of hazardous components (heavy metals) are refurbished and reused intact.
Empirical Science Is Observable The scientific method requires that the scientist test a theory based on observed or predicted facts. The scientist must formulate a theory or a hypothesis based on what has been observed, then design a test by which the theory may be verified as valid or not. If the theory produces observed events that correspond with the theory postulated in advance, then the scientist has a serious beginning point from which to claim further science (knowledge) about the specific test. Over the last several hundred years, a number of theories have been repeated so often that they are now considered scientific laws. Scientists are confident that these laws correctly model the absolute truth of reality. Should someone claim they have had a subjective experience that contradicts one of these laws, the burden of proof is on that person to prove that they can repeatedly demonstrate that the law is false. The standard of measure remains absolute truth about reality, verified through repeated observation.
Credit: Rennett Stowe License: CC BY-NC 3.0 What will it cost? There is a growing concern about the damage to the environment from emissions from manufacturing plants. Many companies are taking steps to reduce these harmful emissions by adding equipment that will trap the pollutants. In order to know what equipment (and how many) to order, studies need to be done to measure the amount of product currently produced. The since pollution is often both particulate and thermal, energy changes need to be determined in addition to the amounts of products released. Chemistry problems that involve enthalpy changes can be solved by techniques similar to stoichiometry problems. Refer again to the combustion reaction of methane. Since the reaction of 1 mol of methane released 890.4 kJ, the reaction of 2 mol of methane would release . The reaction of 0.5 mol of methane would release . As with other stoichiometry problems, the moles of a reactant or product can be linked to mass or volume. Sample Problem: Calculating Enthalpy Changes Sulfur dioxide gas reacts with oxygen to form sulfur trioxide in an exothermic reaction according to the following thermochemical equation. Calculate the enthalpy change that occurs when 58.0 g of sulfur dioxide is reacted with excess oxygen. Step 1: List the known quantities and plan the problem = 58.0 g molar mass SO = 64.07 g/mol The calculation requires two steps. The mass of SO is converted to moles. Then the mol SO is multiplied by the conversion factor of Step 2: Solve Step 3: Think about your result The mass of sulfur dioxide is slightly less than 1 mol. Since 198 kJ is released for every 2 mol of SO that reacts, the heat released when about 1 mol reacts is one half of 198. The 89.6 kJ is slightly less than half of 198. The sign of is negative because the reaction is exothermic. Calculations of energy changes in enthalpy equations are described. Work on the problems at the site below. No peaking at the answers. What do you need to determine to solve enthalpy stoichiometry problems? If I react 1.75 moles of methane, how much energy will be involved? I ran a reaction producing sulfur dioxide and releasing 267.3 kJ of energy. How many moles of sulfur dioxide were involved in the reaction?
In C++, polymorphism lets a variable refer to objects of different data types. The only catch is that the different data types must be members of the same inheritance hierarchy and they must be lower in the hierarchy than the variable's data type. The cool part is this ability lets the same instruction behave differently, based on the actual object's data type instead of the variable's data type. Consider the hierarchy of the UML class diagram in Figure 1. Here, I have derived the Manager and Salesperson classes from the Employee class. This lets me use an Employee pointer to point to an Employee, Manager, or Salesperson object. The following code is an attempt at polymorphism: Employee* pEmp = new Manager; cout << pEmp << endl; However, this attempt fails since the code does not invoke the Manager's insertion operator (<<) as I intendedit invokes the Employee's insertion operator. This happens because the indirection operation () is performed first, so pEmp returns the data type of the pointer. In this case, because pEmp is an Employee pointer, the pEmp operation returns the Employee data type in spite of pointing to a Manager object. After *pEmp is done, the function call is matched using the Employee data type. Consequently, the Employee's insertion function is matched and not the Manager's function as intended. In C++, polymorphism normally requires virtual methods. Because only methods can be inherited, many programmers think the insertion (<<) and extraction (>>) operators cannot display polymorphic behavior because these operators are implemented as nonmember friend functions. However, there are several ways of making these operators polymorphic. In this article, I compare and contrast three different techniques.
TEACHING VALUES AN OLYMPIC EDUCATION TOOLKIT SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION TO OLYMPIC VALUES EDUCATION TEACHINGVALUES11 Stimulating the imagination of learners is another educational method used in Teaching Values. All athletes know the power of the imagination in helping them to accomplish a result or goal. Positive and creative use of the imagination can also help young people to develop new attitudes, new ways of thinking about themselves and others, and then to explore different ways of behaving. DEFINING TERMINOLOGY In this Toolkit, a number of words recur which are worth defining for the purposes of educators and their learners. 1 Value– A value is what is considered important in life; what makes life worth living. A value is also something that helps people decide what is right or wrong in moral terms. Heritage– Heritage is a form of legacy. " IT IS IMAGINATION THAT OPENS OUR EYES TO WORLDS BEYOND OUR EXPERIENCE – ENABLING US TO CREATE, CARE FOR OTHERS, AND ENVISION SOCIAL CHANGE." 2 ( MAXINE GREENE, EDUCATOR AND CURRICULUM SPECIALIST) AboveLondon 2005: London 2012 Chairman and former Olympian Lord Sebastian Coe ( GBR) talks to children at an East London primary school about the Olympic Games. 1 Definitions from Educational Services of the Olympic Museum, Lausanne. 2 Greene, M. ( 1995). Releasing the imagination: Essays on education, the arts, and social change. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass Inc. ( book jacket). There are tangible heritages such as buildings, monuments, historical sites, works of art, objects, books, etc. There are also intangible heritages such as languages, films, music, scientific knowledge, customs, arts and crafts. Rituals, sport movements and techniques are part of the intangible heritage. Sport– Sport is understood to mean all forms of physical activity that contribute to physical fitness, mental well- being and social interaction. These activities include play; recreational, casual, organised or competitive sport; and indigenous sport or games ( UNESCO 2004). Culture– Culture is everything that allows people to situate themselves in relation to the world, society and also the heritage which is passed on to them ( values, behaviour, arts, artifacts, knowledge, belief systems, stories and myths, etc.). 12TEACHING VALUES SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION TO OLYMPIC VALUES EDUCATION FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF THEOLYMPIC MOVEMENT THE " FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES" APPEAR AT THE BEGINNING OF THE OLYMPIC CHARTER. # 1 Olympism is a philosophy of life, exalting and combining in a balanced whole the qualities of body, will and mind. Blending sport with culture and education, Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy of effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles. # 2The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity. # 3The Olympic Movement is the concerted, organised, universal and permanent action, carried out under the supreme authority of the IOC, of all individuals and entities who are inspired by the values of Olympism. It covers the five continents. It reaches its peak with the bringing together of the world's athletes at the great sports festival, the Olympic Games. Its symbol is five interlaced rings. # 4The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. The organisation, administration and management of sport must be controlled by independent sports organisations. # 5Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement. # 6Belonging to the Olympic Movement requires compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition by the IOC. See Learning Activity, Section 4, Fundamental Principles – Interpretation, p. 68. Left Atlanta 1996: The Opening Ceremony at the Olympic Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, celebrates the ancient origins of the Games. FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES
Ebola Virus Infection Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes bleeding inside and outside the body. As the virus spreads through the body, it damages the immune system and organs. Ultimately, it causes levels of blood-clotting cells to drop. This leads to severe, uncontrollable bleeding. The disease, also known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever or Ebola virus, kills up to 90% of people who are infected. How Do You Get Ebola? Ebola isn’t as contagious as more common viruses like colds, influenza, or measles. It spreads to people by contact with the skin or bodily fluids of an infected animal, like a monkey, chimp, or fruit bat. Then it moves from person to person the same way. Those who care for a sick person or bury someone who has died from the disease often get it. Other ways to get Ebola include touching contaminated needles or surfaces. You can’t get Ebola from air, water, or food. A person who has Ebola but has no symptoms can’t spread the disease, either. What Are the Symptoms of Ebola? Early on, Ebola can feel like the flu or other illnesses. Symptoms show up 2 to 21 days after infection and usually include: As the disease gets worse, it causes bleeding inside the body, as well as from the eyes, ears, and nose. Some people will vomit or cough up blood, have bloody diarrhea, and get a rash. How Is Ebola Diagnosed? Sometimes it's hard to tell if a person has Ebola from the symptoms alone. Doctors may test to rule out other diseases like cholera or malaria. Tests of blood and tissues also can diagnose Ebola. If you have Ebola, you’ll be isolated from the public immediately to prevent the spread. How Is Ebola Treated? There’s no cure for Ebola, though researchers are working on it. Treatment includes an experimental serum that destroys infected cells. Doctors manage the symptoms of Ebola with:
A web server is an information technology that usually process HTTP request. HTTP is the basic network protocol used to distribute information on the World Wide Web. The term web server can refer either to the entire computer system, or the application software that accepts and responds to the HTTP requests. Kernel-mode and user-mode web servers A web server can be either incorported into the OS kernel or in user space (like other regular applications). Web servers that run in user-mode have to ask the system for permission to use more memory or more CPU resources. Not only do these requests to the kernel take time, but they are not always satisfied because the system reserves resources for its own usage and has the responsibility to share hardware resources with all the other running applications. Executing in user-mode can also mean useless buffer copies which are another handicap for user-mode web servers. A web server has defined load limits, because it can only handle a limited number of concurrent client connections (usually 2 to 80,000, by default is between 500 and 1,000) per IP address. It can serve only a certain maximum number of requests per second depending on: - Its own settings. - The HTTP request type. - The content type: static or dynamic. - The content is cached or not. - The hardware and software limitations of the OS of the computer on which the web server runs. When a web server is near to or over its limit, it becomes unresponsive. Causes of overload At any time web servers can be overloaded due to: - Excess legitimate web traffic. Thousands or even millions of clients connecting to the web site in a short interval; - Distributed Denial of Service attacks. A DoS or DDoS attack is an attempt to make a computer or network resource unavailable to its intended users; - Computer worms that sometimes cause abnormal traffic because of millions of infected coomputers; - XSS viruses can cause high traffic because of millions of infected browsers or web servers.; - Internet bots traffic not filtered/limited on large web sites with very few resources; - Internet or network slowdown, so that client requests are served more slowly and the number of connections increases so much that server limits are reached; - Web servers (computers) partial unavailability. This can happen because of required or urgent maintenance or upgrade, hardware or software failures; Symptoms of overload The symptoms of an overloaded web server are: - Requests are served with long delay. - The web server return HTTP error code. - The web server refuses or reset TCP connections before it return any content. - In very rare cases, the web server returns only a part of the requested content. This behavior can be considered a bug, even if it usually arises as a symptom of overload. To partially overcome above average load limits and to prevent overload, most popular website use common techniques like: - Managing network traffic by using: - Firewalls to block unwanted traffic coming from bad IP sources or having bad patterns. - HTTP traffic managers to drop, redirect or rewrite requests having bad HTTP patterns. - Bandwidth management and traffic shaping, in order to smooth down peaks in network usage. - Deploying web cache techniques - Using different domain names to server different content, e.g. http://images.example.com for images content. - Using different domain names and/or computers to separate big files from small and medium-sized files; the idea is to be able to fully cache small and medium-sized files and to efficiently serve big or huge (over 10 - 1000 MB) files by using different settings - Using many internet servers (programs) per computer, each one bound to its own network card and IP address - Using many internet servers (computers) that are grouped together behind a load balancer so that they act or are seen as one big web server - Adding more hardware resources (i.e. RAM, disks) to each computer - Tuning OS parameters for hardware capabilities and usage - Using more efficient computer programs for web servers, etc. - Using other workarounds, especially if dynamic content is involved Below are the statistics of the market share of the top web servers on the Internet by Netcraft Survey in May 2015. - Dependency injection - Directives and Pipes - Data binding - HTTP Get vs. Post - Node.js is everywhere - MongoDB root user - Prefer Async Script Loading - Components, Bootstrap and DOM - What is HEAD in git? - Show the changes in Git. - What is AngularJS 2? - Confidence Interval for a Population Mean - Accuracy vs. Precision - Sampling Distribution - Working with the Normal Distribution - Standardized score - Z score - Evaluating the Normal Distribution - What is Nodejs? Advantages and disadvantage? - How do I debug Nodejs applications? - Sync directory search using fs.readdirSync
Advanced-Level Science Projects How Close to a Plant Must Pesticides Be in Order to Be Beneficial? There often is controversy over the use of pesticides. And yet, many people don't have a good understanding about exactly what pesticides are, and why they are often necessary for plant production. A pesticide is anything that destroys pests or suppresses or alters their life cycles. We normally think of pests as bugs, but they also can be invasive plants, fungi, bacteria, and other organisms. Pesticides are not necessarily synthetically produced. Many pesticides occur naturally. Pesticides are used to control bacteria, fungi, and insects; to control rodents and other animal pests; to control pest-category plants; and to repel pests. In this suggested science fair project, you'll seek to discover how close to a plant a pesticide must be in order for it to be effective. You could choose any pesticide that you wish, but you'll need to use the same type of plants, growing conditions, and so forth. You could do this experiment with potted plants set outside, but it would work better if you could plant four groups of the same plant at short distances apart directly in the soil. Apply pesticide directly on one group of plants, according to manufacturer's instructions. Then, place pesticide near, but not on, the other groups of plants, varying the distance from group to group. Observe how the different groups of plant fare as far as insect damage is concerned, in addition to their general health. Excerpted from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Science Fair Projects © 2003 by Nancy K. O'Leary and Susan Shelly. All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Used by arrangement with Alpha Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
Published on Aug 15, 2016 Sensitive skin is a large-area, flexible array of sensors with data processing capabilities, which can be used to cover the entire surface of a machine or even a part of a human body. Depending on the skin electronics, it endows its carrier with an ability to sense its surroundings via the skin's proximity, touch, pressure, temperature, chemical/biological, or other sensors. Sensitive skin devices will make possible the use of unsupervised machines operating in unstructured, unpredictable surroundings among people, among many obstacles, outdoors on a crowded street, undersea, or on faraway planets. Sensitive skin will make machines "cautious" and thus friendly to their environment. This will allow us to build machine helpers for the disabled and elderly, bring sensing to human prosthetics, and widen the scale of machines' use in service industry. With their ability to produce and process massive data flow, sensitive skin devices will make yet another advance in the information revolution. This paper surveys the state of the art and research issues that need to be resolved in order to make sensitive skin a reality. - Sensitive Skin material will hold embedded sensors and related signal processing hardware. It needs to be flexible enough for attaching it to the outer surfaces of machines with moving parts and flexible joints. - The skin must stretch, shrink, and wrinkle the way human skin does, or to have other compensating features. Otherwise, some machine parts may become "exposed" due to the machine's moving parts, and have no associated sensing. - Wiring must keep its integrity when Sensitive Skin is stretched or wrinkled. This requirement calls for novel wire materials, e.g. conductive elastomers or vessels carrying conductive liquid, or novel ways of wire design with traditional materials, such as helical, stretchable wires From the device point one might wish a Sensitive Skin to have some of the following capabilities: . Flexible or deformable, Can be tiled or cut, This aspect ties in to cost and repair ability, High detectivity, On-skin switching and signal processing, Fault tolerances by distributing functions/computing, or protect processor units. Transmission by wire or optical fiber, or wireless: RF, UHF, free-space optical. . Power by wire photovoltaics, RF, fuel cells, micro engines, or from energy harvesting - (skin-integrated mechanical power generators). Power storage in batteries. Or as fuel for fuel cells and micro engines. . Sensitive Skin sensor components will be deployed in two dimensional arrays of sufficiently high density . Smaller arrays may be of use as well: the key feature is that the skin should allow, by itself or with appropriate data processing, to identify with reasonable accuracy the points of the machine's body where the corresponding sensor readings take place. . "Self-sensing" ability of the skin is highly desirable; this may include sensing of contamination, dust, chemical substances, temperature, radiation, as well as detection of failure of individual or multiple skin sensors and the ability to work around failed areas. . The ability to measure distance to objects would be a great advantage for enabling dexterous motion of the machine that carries the skin
Decays of atomic nuclei are potential sources of information on fundamental phenomena occurring in the quantum world. Unfortunately, it is a rather difficult task to model such processes. However, NCBJ physicists have successfully simulated the process of neutron-proton conversion in a singly ionized 6He atom nucleus, and correctly predicted its impact on the atomic orbital sole electron. Theoretical calculations were recently confirmed by an experiment performed in the GAEN accelerator centre in Caen (France). Nucleus of a 6He ion is composed of two protons and four neutrons. In a singly ionized ion the nucleus is orbited by a single electron. Surplus of neutrons makes such nuclei unstable—they undergo the so-called beta-minus decays in which one of the neutrons is transformed into a proton. To preserve electric charge, an electron is emitted from the decaying nucleus. Each emitted electron is accompanied by an electron anti-neutrino. In effect, a stable 6Li nucleus (still orbited by a single electron) is produced. "During each beta-minus decay, the orbiting (atomic) electron is impacted because of two reasons. Firstly, the total electric charge of the nucleus is changing since three protons are suddenly appearing in place of two protons. Secondly, a negatively charged emitted electron is flying nearby. It is plenty of stimulation for the orbiting electron: One might say that it is shaken very strongly. As a result, it is excited to a higher orbital or completely struck out of the atom," explains Professor Zygmunt Patyk from NCBJ. Quantum mechanics uses wave functions to describe particles. The functions may be used to calculate probabilities that the particle will take some determined states. "The 6He ion selected for calculations is almost a textbook case: single electron orbiting within a relatively simple potential well of the nucleus," said Dr. Katarzyna Siegień-Iwaniuk from NCBJ. Electrons emitted by the decaying nuclei move at a speed close to the light velocity. They cross orbital electron clouds in times shorter than one billionth part of a nanosecond (i.e. 10-18 s). In quantum mechanics, problems with such short interactions are treated by finding a superposition of some final state wave functions (in our case: single electron within the 6Li ion) that jointly approximate the initial state wave function (in our case: single electron within the 6He ion). This trick is known as the sudden approximation method. It has been applied for many years—almost from the days quantum mechanics was born—but has never been directly verified in any experiment. Professor Patyk's team has been collaborating with teams of physicists working at GAEN accelerator centre in Caen (Normandie, France) for several years. Calculations performed by NCBJ physicists to the accuracy of four significant places yielded the 2.3% probability that beta-decay will be liberating the sole orbital electron of the 6He ion, i.e. will be producing a totally ionized lithium atom. To a comparable accuracy, that result was confirmed by some experiments performed at the French accelerator. "Such a good agreement between theoretical predictions and experimental findings in such a simple (almost textbook) system is the first direct proof that the sudden approximation computational method utilized to solve quantum mechanics problems for almost a century is indeed correct," points out Professor Patyk. NCBJ physicists have also managed to determine factors responsible for liberating the 6He sole orbital electron. The performed analyses have indicated that the ionization is caused in 99% cases by change of the nucleus total electric charge, and only in 1% cases by the fast electron emitted by the decaying nucleus. Explore further: Mist-collecting plants may bioinspire technology to help alleviate global water shortages
Crop rotations are at the heart of organic farming, and help organic systems to protect our environment. They involve changing the type of crop grown in one area on a regular basis. Organic farmers plant alternate groups of plants (roots, cereals, brassicas, legumes) to add fertility and prevent pests and diseases from building up. Some plants, like clover, add nutrients to the soil – while wheat and potatoes use up nutrients. Rotations often include a ‘rest’ period for individual fields or plots, where grass or a ‘green manure’ such as clover is planted for a season or more, before being grazed or ploughed into the soil to add fertility. This is known as planting a ‘ley’. While using crop rotations might sound old fashioned, it is a much more effective and sophisticated system than relying on chemicals. Using chemicals to fertilise the soil often only provides crops with the three basic elements (nitrogen, phosphorous and pottassium) that they need to grow, rather than providing them with all the nutrients they need. As well as ensuring soil nutrients don’t get depleted, crop rotations also prevent the build up of pests and diseases, which help organic farmers to avoid the use of pesticides. When a farmer plants the same crop in one field year after year (known as a mono-culture), the pests and diseases that attack the crop establish and increase in numbers year-on-year – non-organic farmers then rely on pesticides to deal with this. In contrast organic farmers avoid the problem by alternating crops that are vulnerable to different pests and diseases each year, preventing any from getting established in the same location. Crop rotations therefore have many important functions: - They help to control pests and diseases - They help to maintain soil fertility - They help to maintain soil organic matter levels and soil structure - They ensure that enough nutrients are available to different crops each year The overall result of these techniques is that organic farming reduces environmental pollution and the release of greenhouse gases from food production. Together with the focus on maintaing soil health this ensures that organic farming is better for the environment than more intensive systems.
Example of positive reinforcement A dog sits when he is presented a treat. Your dog relieves himself on the carpet after a long day alone. If he was able to steal food off the table one time, he will continue trying to steal food. Reinforced behavior, either by you or the environment, will increase that behavior. Positive reinforcement happens when you present a desirable reinforcer as a consequence to a behavior. This causes the behavior to increase. - Asking your dog to sit, down or stay before feeding him dinner will be reinforcing those behaviors so that he is a lot more likely to do them. - If you are touching the dog and saying a lot of “No, that is not a good dog” while your dog is misbehaving can actually reinforce that behavior even more and he or she can learn to misbehave so that you would “pet” them and talk to them. It is better to use extinction techniques. - Some behaviors are self-reinforcing. A dog is barking at the mail person through the window and the person leaves. The dog has now learned when I bark, the mail person leaves. His barking has been reinforced by the stimuli leaving. The best thing to do is to not allow the dog to bark at the window – control the dog’s environment. - Letting your dog down when he or she is “acting up” is reinforcing that behavior. Now the dog will act up whenever anyone handles him so that he can be let go.
Chikungunya is a destructive fever transmitted by mosquitoes. The Aedes Aegytpi mosquito is said to be the culprit of this viral fever. There have been mass occurrences of Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) in recent times. The symptoms of this viral fever are like that of dengue fever. It is a virus originating from Africa and Asia. - People who get Chikungunya fever develop a very high fever, which can touch up to 104 degrees Fahrenheit. - There is incapacitating pain in the joints, feet, wrists, knuckles etc. This pain may last for several days, weeks or even months. - Chikungunya fever causes muscle pain. How does Chikungunya spread? Infected Aedes Aegytpi mosquitoes spread Chikungunya when they bite human beings. These mosquitoes get infected when they bite other animals, especially monkeys, having this virus. Monkeys are widely found to have this virus in their bodies. Chikungunya fever does not have established treatments. Though Chikungunya may be highly debilitating, it is not known to cause deaths or fatalities like dengue fever. An effective vaccine has still not been developed to treat Chikungunya patients. A doctor may treat Chikungunya patients by prescribing medication to relieve symptoms of fever, along with painkillers. Patients are advised to take adequate rest, and staying away from mosquito infected places. How to prevent Chikungunya? - Stay away from mosquitoes. Try to shut your doors and windows in the late evenings. Late evening is a time when mosquitoes tend to get into the house. Though, the Aedes Aegytpi mosquito is a day-time biter, it might still get into the house during the evenings. - When you are holidaying in regions like tropical forests, or swampy areas, try to wear clothing that covers maximum surface area of your body. By doing this, you reduce the area of exposure of your body to mosquito bites. - If there are areas holding stagnant water in and around your home, take action immediately, to remove it. Mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. - Use mosquito repellents that have DEET composition. All of the above-mentioned actions will definitely provide maximum protection for you against mosquito bites. Remember, to fight Chikungunya you just need to keep away mosquitoes.
Code talkers is a term used to describe people who talk using a coded language. It is frequently used to describe Native Americans who served in the United States Marine Corps whose primary job was the transmission of secret tactical messages. Code talkers transmitted these messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formal or informally developed codes built upon their native languages. Their service was very valuable because it enhanced the communications security of vital front line operations during World War II. The name code talkers is strongly associated with bilingual Navajo speakers specially recruited during World War II by the Marines to serve in their standard communications units in the Pacific Theater. Code talking, however, was pioneered by Choctaw Indians serving in the U.S. Army during World War I. These soldiers are referred to as Choctaw Code Talkers. Other Native American code talkers were used by the United States Army during World War II, using Cherokee, Choctaw and Comanche soldiers. Soldiers of Basque ancestry were used for code talking by the US Marines during World War II in areas where other Basque speakers were not expected to be operating. The first known use of Native Americans in the American military to transmit messages under fire was a group of Cherokee troops utilized by the American 30th Infantry Division serving alongside the British during the Second Battle of the Somme. According to the Division Signal Officer, this took place in September 1918. Their outfit was under British command at the time. In the days of World War I, company commander Captain Lawrence of the U. S. Army overheard Solomon Louis and Mitchell Bobb conversing in the Choctaw language. He found eight Choctaw men in the battalion. Eventually, fourteen Choctaw men in the Army's 36th Infantry Division trained to use their language in code. They helped the American Expeditionary Force win several key battles in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign in France, during the final big German push of the war. Within 24 hours after the Choctaw language was pressed into service, the tide of the battle had turned. In less than 72 hours the Germans were retreating and the Allies were in full attack. These solders are now known as the Choctaw Code Talkers. Adolf Hitler knew about the successful use of code talkers during World War I. He sent a team of some thirty anthropologists to learn Native American languages before the outbreak of World War II. However, it proved too difficult for them to learn the many languages and dialects that existed. Because of Nazi German anthropologists' attempts to learn the languages, the U.S. Army did not implement a large-scale code talker program in the European Theater. Fourteen Comanche code talkers took part in the Invasion of Normandy, and continued to serve in the 4th Infantry Division during further European operations. Comanches of the 4th Signal Company compiled a vocabulary of over 100 code terms using words or phrases in their own language. Using a substitution method similar to the Navajo, the Comanche code word for tank was "turtle", bomber was "pregnant airplane", machine gun was "sewing machine" and Adolf Hitler became "crazy white man." Two Comanche code-talkers were assigned to each regiment, the rest to 4th Infantry Division headquarters. Shortly after landing on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, the Comanches began transmitting messages. Some were wounded but none killed. In 1989, the French government awarded the Comanche code-talkers the Chevalier of the National Order of Merit. On 30 November 1999, the United States Department of Defense presented Charles Chibitty with the Knowlton Award. Captain Frank D. Carranza conceived the idea of using the Basque language for codes in May 1942 upon meeting about 60 US Marines of Basque ancestry in a San Francisco camp. His superiors were justifiably wary. There were 35 Basque Jesuits in Hiroshima, led by Pedro Arrupe. In China and the Philippines, there was a colony of Basque jai alai players and there were Basque supporters of Falange in Asia. The American Basque code talkers were kept from these theaters; they were initially used in tests and in transmitting logistic information for Hawaii and Australia. On August 1, 1942, Lieutenants Nemesio Aguirre, Fernández Bakaicoa and Juanna received a Basque-coded message from San Diego for Admiral Chester Nimitz warning him of the upcoming Operation Apple to remove the Japanese from the Solomon Islands. They also translated the start date, August 7, for the attack on Guadalcanal. As the war extended over the Pacific, there was a shortage of Basque speakers and the parallel Navajo program came to be preferred. Philip Johnston proposed the use of Navajo to the United States Marine Corps at the beginning of World War II. Johnston, a World War I veteran, was raised on the Navajo reservation as the son of a missionary to the Navajos, and was one of the few non-Navajos who spoke their language fluently. Because Navajo has a complex grammar, is not nearly mutually intelligible enough with even its closest relatives within the Na-Dene family to provide meaningful information, and was an unwritten language, Johnston saw Navajo as answering the military requirement for an undecipherable code. Navajo was spoken only on the Navajo lands of the American Southwest, and its syntax and tonal qualities, not to mention dialects, make it unintelligible to anyone without extensive exposure and training. One estimate indicates that at the outbreak of World War II fewer than 30 non-Navajos, none of them Japanese, could understand the language. Early in 1942, Johnston met with Major General Clayton B. Vogel, the commanding general of Amphibious Corps, Pacific Fleet, and his staff. Johnston staged tests under simulated combat conditions which demonstrated that Navajos could encode, transmit, and decode a three-line English message in 20 seconds, versus the 30 minutes required by machines at that time. The idea was accepted, with Vogel recommending that the Marines recruit 200 Navajos. The first 29 Navajo recruits attended boot camp in May 1942. This first group then created the Navajo code at Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, California. The Navajo code was formally developed and modeled on the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet that uses agreed-upon English words to represent letters. As it was determined that phonetically spelling out all military terms letter by letter into words—while in combat—would be too time consuming, some terms, concepts, tactics and instruments of modern warfare were given uniquely formal descriptive nomenclatures in Navajo (the word for "potato" being used to refer to a hand grenade, or "tortoise" to a tank, for example). Several of these portmanteaus (such as gofasters referring to running shoes, ink sticks for pens) entered Marine corps vocabulary and are commonly used today to refer to the appropriate objects. A codebook was developed to teach the many relevant words and concepts to new initiates. The text was for classroom purposes only, and was never to be taken into the field. The code talkers memorized all these variations and practiced their rapid use under stressful conditions during training. Uninitiated Navajo speakers would have no idea what the code talkers' messages meant; they would hear only truncated and disjointed strings of individual, unrelated nouns and verbs. The Navajo code talkers were commended for their skill, speed and accuracy accrued throughout the war. At Iwo Jima, Major Howard Connor, 5th Marine Division signal officer, had six Navajo code talkers working around the clock during the first two days of the battle. These six sent and received over 800 messages, all without error. Connor later stated, "Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." As the war progressed, additional code words were added on and incorporated program-wide. In other instances, informal short-cut code words were devised for a particular campaign and not disseminated beyond the area of operation. To ensure a consistent use of code terminologies throughout the Pacific Theater, representative code talkers of each of the U.S. Marine divisions met in Hawaii to discuss shortcomings in the code, incorporate new terms into the system, and update their codebooks. These representatives in turn trained other code talkers who could not attend the meeting. Non-speakers would find it extremely difficult to accurately distinguish unfamiliar sounds used in these languages. Additionally, a speaker who has acquired a language during their childhood sounds distinctly different from a person who acquired the same language in later life, thus reducing the chance of successful impostors sending false messages. Finally, the additional layer of an alphabet cypher was added to prevent interception by native speakers not trained as code talkers, in the event of their capture by the Japanese. A similar system employing Welsh was used by British forces, but not to any great extent during World War II. Welsh was used more recently in the Balkan peace-keeping efforts for non-vital messages. Navajo was an attractive choice for code use because few people outside the Navajo themselves had ever learned to speak the language. Virtually no books in Navajo had ever been published. Outside of the language itself, the Navajo spoken code was not very complex by cryptographic standards and would likely have been broken if a native speaker and trained cryptographers worked together effectively. The Japanese had an opportunity to attempt this when they captured Joe Kieyoomia in the Philippines in 1942 during the Bataan Death March. Kieyoomia, a Navajo Sergeant in the U.S. Army, was ordered to interpret the radio messages later in the war. However, since Kieyoomia had not participated in the code training, the messages made no sense to him. When he reported that he could not understand the messages, his captors tortured him. Given the simplicity of the alphabet code involved, it is probable that the code could have been broken easily if Kieyoomia's knowledge of the language had been exploited more effectively by Japanese cryptographers. The Japanese Imperial Army and Navy never cracked the spoken code. The code talkers received no recognition until the declassification of the operation in 1968. In 1982, the code talkers were given a Certificate of Recognition by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, who also named August 14, 1982 "Navajo Code Talkers Day". On December 21, 2000 the U.S. Congress passed, and President Bill Clinton signed, Public Law 106-554, 114 Statute 2763, which awarded the Congressional Gold Medal to twenty-nine World War II Navajo code talkers. In July 2001, U.S. President George W. Bush personally presented the Medal to four surviving code talkers (the fifth living code talker was not able to attend) at a ceremony held in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington, DC. Gold medals were presented to the families of the 24 code talkers no longer living. On September 17, 2007, 18 Choctaw code talkers were posthumously awarded the Texas Medal of Valor from the Adjutant General of the State of Texas for their World War I service. On December 13, 2007, H.R. 4544, the Code Talker Recognition Act, was introduced to the House of Representatives. The Code Talker Recognition Act recognizes every code talker who served in the United States military with a Congressional Gold Medal for his tribe, and a silver medal duplicate to each code talker, including eight Meskwakis. The 2002 movie Windtalkers was a fictional story based on Navajo code talkers who were enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II. The movie was criticized for featuring the Navajo characters only in supporting roles, not as the primary focus of the film. The film's plot was fabricated about white bodyguards being ordered to kill them should they fall into enemy hands. It was further criticized for its use of stereotypes of both Native Americans and east Asians.
When memories are remembered, they are very often associated with emotions. This is the case for example of your first day at school or your wedding. But in the event that feelings are less positive, researchers have found a way to remove them from your memory. For some time now, scientists have known that emotional associations, or valences, are malleable. Therapists often use this property of memory to treat patients with post-traumatic stress, among others. However, the nervous mechanisms that trigger these memory / emotion combinations have long remained mysterious. Today, a study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reveals what are the most active neurological circuits in this association between memory and emotions. In addition, neurologists have demonstrated that they can cancel the valence of a memory by activating certain brain cells. Two regions of the brain are known to be crucial in the formation of new memories: the hippocampus and amygdala. The hippocampus deals with the appearance of memories, their organization and their classification. The amygdala is involved in the emotional treatment of these. Yet, until now, researchers did not know where in the neural circuit valencies were bound to memories. So they used a technique called optogenetics to manipulate the activity of neurons. With the aid of a photosensitive protein, they identified the useful cells, both in the hippocampus and amygdala. These neurons are actually those that are activated when they have experienced a rewarding experience or that we feel the fear. The team then placed mice in a two-piece area and observed where they preferred. Then they lit a blue light to stimulate the neurons of the mice to make them feel fear each time they entered their favorite area. They quickly avoided this place to go to the other, which suggests that the memory of fear was present in them. The same experiment was conducted with the feeling of gratitude to rodents, activating this feeling when they went to the room they liked least in theory. Logically, the mice began to go there more frequently, demonstrating that they remembered this pleasant feeling. Later, scientists tried to remove the valence of a memory by putting the mice in the opposite situation. When they placed these animals in the two-piece box, those who were basically fear-conditioned and avoided the room in question again began to prefer this place, suggesting that the valence was reversed. This also worked for the mice that had been rewarded, and therefore subject to fear afterwards. This whole study highlights the fact that valences are encoded in a circuit that connects the dentate gyrus (part of the hippocampus) with the amygdala. Researchers are currently working on a solution that could effectively cure depression. We are delighted to learn that a technique to suppress negative emotions is emerging. We congratulate the researchers who discovered this method. Hopefully in the near future this will lead to effective treatments for phobias, depression or post-traumatic stress. However, some of the editors would be very worried about being influenced in this way. Would you let doctors manipulate your brain to remove your most terrible memories?
Attitude-Behavior Relations is the relationship between attitudes and behavior. Research has shown that numerous factors can influence the strength and consistency of this relationship. These factors include, but are not limited to, attitude strength, attitude function, individual personality variables, and issues of research design and measurement. A description of the attitude you selected. Explain whether or not there is consistency between your behavior and your attitude. Explain two factors that might affect this attitude-behavior relationship. State if this attitude is strong or weak and explain how the strength of your attitude may influence your behavior. Describe one challenge that attitude researchers might face in predicting behaviors from attitudes and explain why. Support your response with references In this particular task, you are being asked once more to reflect on attitude-behavior relationship. I suggest using this simple outline: 1. Attitude & behavior - definition & distinction - 100 words 2. Chosen Factors - 150 words 3. Attitude selected and exemplifies behavior in a situation - 100 words 4. Challenge in prediction - 100 words This outline should cover what you need. You can also use the listed resources to further explore the topic. Just let me know via the feedback section if you need further clarification. All the best with your studies. Attitude and Behavior Attitudes are those psychological 'tendencies' (McLeod, 2008) that is showcased as a form of valuation of subjects, objects, places, people, ideas and things that could be negative or positive. Hogg & Vaughan (2005) related that attitudes are, "relatively enduring organization of beliefs, feelings, and behavioral tendencies towards socially significant objects, groups, events or symbols." These are the sum total of our socialization, our experiences, our culture - an expression of our identities and personalities. But since they are subject to our experiences, they can also be subject to change. As such, attitudes impact how we behave. If our attitude towards a particular person is negative, we will not be as welcoming, helpful or understanding as we usually are when our attitude towards another person is positive. The psychological process of attitudes influencing behavior is shaped by 4 factors - the nature of the ... The attitude-behavior relations for relationships between attitudes and behaviors are provided. The Numerous factors which can influence the strengths and consistency of this relationship is given.
The East Australian Current sweeps warm water down the east coast of Australia. Like the Gulf Stream, the East Australia Current is pushed to the western edge of the ocean by the rotation of the Earth. The current carries nutrient-poor water from the Coral Sea into the cool waters of the Tasman Sea, spinning off into eddies as it does. The temperature difference between the current and the waters of the Tasman Sea make the current stand out clearly in this sea surface temperature image, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on August 17, 2005. The image shows the warm water of the current in warm peach in contrast to the cooler pinks and purples of the surrounding ocean. Patches of white show where clouds veiled the ocean’s surface. The East Australia Current is the largest ocean current close to Australia, moving as much as 30 million cubic meters of water per second in a broad ribbon that covers as much as 100 kilometers in width and 500 meters in depth. The current is strongest in the early months of the year—the Southern Hemisphere’s summer— and weakens during the winter, the middle of the year. During the winter, the current hooks to the east off the coast of New South Wales. This image shows the southern edge of the current as it is making its eastward turn.
Long ago, the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers were far warmer than they are today, and the winters shorter, with the snow melting and the birds returning as early as February. This allowed for large stretches of creeks, lakes, and marshland, and the Păl-raí-yûk haunted the waterways between the two rivers. They were most common around the temperate Kuskokwim, and they fed on humans and animals alike. Păl-raí-yûk was one of Raven’s many creations, one that would lie in wait, submerged, to attack anyone coming to the water’s edge. It would also attack boats that entered its territory. For this reason Raven warned First Man to be cautious about approaching lakes and rivers. The păl-raí-yûk has been compared to the crocodile or alligator, which it resembles in both form and habit, but it is also very similar to the muskox. It is typically represented on umiaks, masks, and dishes as an elongated, stylized reptilian creature with a long, narrow head and six legs. “Cutaway views” above the legs show human remains, indicating the grisly nature of its meals. One păl-raí-yûk that was killed by the Sky People had six legs, the hind ones long, the fore ones short, and the small middle ones hanging from the abdomen. It had small eyes and fine, dense, very dark fur on its body, like that of a shrew, that was longest on its feet. A pair of horns, extending forward, out, and curving back, are present on the head. Păl-raí-yûk are large and bulky, but can lie on grass without bending the stems. On the other hand, a dead păl-raí-yûk would become so heavy that its body would sink into the ground if not supported. Many hunters were usually required to kill one, usually by holding it down with logs while smashing its head with clubs. The last known păl-raí-yûk was slain by a hunter after it killed and ate his wife who was fetching water from a lake. Nelson, E. W. (1900) The Eskimo about Bering Strait. Extract from the Eighteenth Annual Report of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Government Printing Office, Washington.
Send the link below via email or IMCopy Present to your audienceStart remote presentation - Invited audience members will follow you as you navigate and present - People invited to a presentation do not need a Prezi account - This link expires 10 minutes after you close the presentation - A maximum of 30 users can follow your presentation - Learn more about this feature in our knowledge base article Do you really want to delete this prezi? Neither you, nor the coeditors you shared it with will be able to recover it again. Make your likes visible on Facebook? Connect your Facebook account to Prezi and let your likes appear on your timeline. You can change this under Settings & Account at any time. Transcript of Bullying So what is bullying? Bullying is repeated verbal, physical, social or psychological aggressive behavior by a person or group directed towards a less powerful person or group that is intended to cause harm, distress or fear. Bullying awareness Photo Impact on the bullied Types of Bullying How has it become a huge problem in our society? By Mickayelah Iliev What forms does it come in? There are various types of bullying , these include: Verbal or written abuse - such as targeted name-calling or jokes, or displaying offensive posters. - including threats of violence. - unwelcome or unappreciated conduct of a sexual nature, which could reasonably be expected to cause offence, humiliation or intimidation. and other hostile behavior towards students relating to gender and sexuality of one. Discrimination including racial discrimination - treating people differently because of their identity. - Is harmful name-calling or threats to someone either online or via mobile phone. Forms in which bullying comes in is physical violence, verbal threats or name- calling, social and/or physiological Students who are bullied are more likely to: • - Feel disconnected from school and not like school •- Lack of quality friendships at school •- Display high levels of emotion that indicate vulnerability and low levels of resilience •- Be less well accepted by peers, avoid conflict and be socially withdrawn • - Have low self-esteem • - Have depression, anxiety, feelings of loneliness and isolation • have nightmares • - Feel wary or suspicious of others • - Have an increased risk of depression and substance abuse • in extreme cases, have a higher risk of suicide. Bullying has become a huge issue in our society as the increase rate of suicide has been made aware of due to the factor of Bullying that has been increased immensely throughout the years. This includes bullying in schools, workplace and in the community. •Suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people, resulting in about 4,400 deaths per year. •Bully victims are between 2 to 9 times more likely to consider suicide than non-victims, according to studies by Yale University. •According to statistics reported by ABC News, nearly 30 percent of students are either bullies or victims of bullying, and 160,000 kids stay home from school every day because of fear of bullying. •A study in Britain found that at least half of suicides among young people are related to bullying The Genre in this particular picture is displayed as a non- fiction drama, as it portrays a story like image. It is showing what bullying is and what it can result in, through a creative way of a drama sense genre. Comparison Between both text types: The Bullying awareness image and the bullying documentary have both similarities and differences through Target Audience, Language choice, Structure, Genre and Style. The target audience in both text types are aimed at a different audience , yet do share one similarity as they both are aimed at teenagers, yet they also go on to appeal to more of a target audience. As the " The Bully" documentary aims at more of the parents whose children have or are being bullied and what they can do about it, it also aims at the schooling system letting it slide through. While on the other hand the " The Bullying awareness photo", is completely aimed at teenagers that are in high school and who see this kind of behavior happening in their schools. The language choice in both texts are quite different as they the Bullying documentary is quite formative, as it is from perspectives of a child and his parents and what they went through while he was getting bullied, his teachers and a psychologist. By looking at the image it takes quite a vastly different approach to make awareness of bullying by using informal language choice so that teenagers can relate and feel endured to listen and take notice. Both ways are quite efficient in bringing awareness of bullying in our schools. The structure in the documentary and the image are very different as for starters they are both different text types, one is a image whilst the other is a documentary. The bullying documentary and the awareness post have the similarity that the style of both of them are creative as they are trying to convey a serious issue that they want people to become aware of and they have turned it into an interesting way in which they target audience, learns more of the issue of bullying that is happening in our society. Lastly, the genre of each of the text types were compared and with that it can be drawn that the image and the documentary are not the same genre as the image is displayed as a non- fiction drama, whilst the documentary is a genre of non-fiction real life documentary. All in all it can be said that the both the Bully Documentary and the Bullying awareness image have both similarities and differences. Both are successful in providing the audience with knowledge of bullying as a huge society issue. The Style that is vigilant in the picture is that the author displays a real creative way to portray the issue of bullying to the audience. This is so that they can be captured and learn what is happening in our schools and what teenagers really go through even though they are already facing troubles. The structure that has been seen in this image is a structure where it seems like it has a story structure or even to a point a poem structure. This technique helps to capture the audiences attention. As it is not long, which would make the target audience, who in this case is teenagers appealed. Target audience is one of the most profound techniques that are vigilant in all texts, in this specific image the target audience that has been portrayed is aimed at teenagers. Teenagers who have been bullied and who have been in these particular situations or those who have been apart of bullying others, are at most the vigilant target audience. The language choice in the bullying image has set a scene of an informal text, where it portrays a sense of language that can be relatable to the target audeince, which in this case is teenagers. As the language has a tone that seems like it is putting blame on the audience, which really draws them more into the issue. By the language choice of this text it is very capturing for the audeince and creates a sense of appeal. First Source: The Bully documentary Target Audience- The target audience in this documentary is aimed at parents whom their children have been or are being bullied. It is also trying to aim it at a schooling system and what they can do more to help teenagers that are being blindly bullied in the schools. Genre- The genre is a non- fiction documentary, where it is showing real life stories from personal victims that know what it is like to be so severely bullied to the point of obtaining metal disorders. As seen through this young boy who has shared his story. Style- The style that is vigilant in the "Bullying Documentary" is a style in which is trying to perceive a real life issue that is quite vigilant in our society. It is using the style of a documentary to express the issue in a manner that appeals. Language Choice- Language choice that is shown throughout the documentary is a clear representation of both formal and informal language as it has speakers that have been bullied themselves, psychologists that work closely with those bullied and 'bullies' themselves. It makes it formal as there are professionals who are speaking and it makes it informal by choosing to put bullies in to talk about what exactly they have done and answer the real questions of why they do, what they do. Structure- Structure is another main element that helps to portray the message in a creative way, helping to engage the target audience, as seen in this documentary. Where they creatively structure the documentary to appeal to the target audience and making sure that they capture the real issue of bullying, throughout the documentary.
September 23, 2010 The study, conducted by a team of researchers led by Erik Meijaard of Jakarta-based People and Nature Consulting International, found roughly equivalent population densities between natural forest areas and two pulp and paper plantation concessions in East Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. "This is important news for orangutan conservation because this iconic species is highly endangered with extinction in the wild," said Meijaard. "Their native habitat in Indonesia and Malaysia has been much reduced in size and fragmented, and hunting of these apes continues in many parts of their range." Orangutan in Borneo. Photo by: Rhett A. Butler. Meijaard and colleagues say more research is needed to determine how differences in food availability between plantations and natural forests affects orangutan behavior and viability in the long-term. "The key finding of this study is that orangutans use acacia plantation landscapes," the authors write. "This does not mean that plantations have the same conservation value as natural forests, but, at least for orangutans, they have some value that in the past has not been sufficiently recognized." "It is still too early to know whether these populations are transient individuals in search of new forest habitat, or whether this area is part of a recolonization process from nearby over-degraded forests. The long-term viability of these populations also requires further study." Orangutan conservationists however can take heart in that there may be substantially more habitat for red apes than previously estimated. As it is, roughly 75 percent of Borneo's 50,000 or so orangutans are believed to live outside protected areas. "The conservation implications of these findings are important, suggesting that we must make efforts to enhance the orangutan's chances of survival in plantation forests and the surrounding matrix habitats," the authors write. Instead of translocating orangutans when they are encountered within plantations, they instead "recommend solutions that resolve orangutan management issues in situ by trying to reconcile ecological needs of the species with the economic development goals of plantations, for example by increasing the size and interconnectedness of conservation areas and adjacent forested habitat." Meijaard and colleagues conclude by emphasizing the need to acknowledge all potential orangutan habitats in developing management plans to save the species. Orangutan in Borneo, photo by Rhett Butler "We need to know whether and which species use, and can survive in, degraded habitats that make up the matrix outside forest reserves and how their survival could be supported through better management of the entire landscape. Focusing mainly on the management of contiguous, intact reserves and ignoring the conservation opportunities of such multifunctional landscapes would be a lost opportunity for conservation." Citation: Meijaard E, Albar G, Nardiyono, Rayadin Y, Ancrenaz M, et al. (2010) Unexpected Ecological Resilience in Bornean Orangutans and Implications for Pulp and Paper Plantation Management. PLoS ONE 5(9): e12813. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0012813 Orangutan populations collapse in pristine forest areas (08/12/2010) Orangutan encounter rates have fallen six-fold in Borneo over the past 150 years, report researchers writing in the journal PLoS One. Erik Meijaard, an ecologist with People and Nature Consulting International, and colleagues compared present-day encounter rates with collection rates from naturalists working in the mid-19th Century. They found orangutans are much rarer today even in pristine forest areas. The results suggest hunting is taking a toll on orangutan populations. Indonesian people-not international donors or orangutan conservationists-will determine the ultimate fate of Indonesia's forests (07/29/2010) Many of the environmental issues facing Indonesia are embodied in the plight of the orangutan, the red ape that inhabits the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Orangutan populations have plummeted over the past century, a result of hunting, habitat loss, the pet trade, and human-ape conflict. Accordingly, governments, charities, and concerned individuals have ploughed tens of millions of dollars into orangutan conservation, but have little to show in terms of slowing or reversing the decline. The same can be said about forest conservation in Indonesia: while massive amounts of money have been put toward protecting and sustainable using forests, the sum is dwarfed by the returns from converting forests into timber, rice, paper, and palm oil. So orangutans—and forests—continue to lose out to economic development, at least as conventionally pursued. Poor governance means that even when well-intentioned measures are in place, they are often undermined by corruption, apathy, or poorly-designed policies. So is there a future for Indonesia's red apes and their forest home? Erik Meijaard, an ecologist who has worked in Indonesia since 1993 and is considered a world authority on orangutan populations, is cautiously optimistic, although he sees no 'silver bullet' solutions. Rehabilitation not enough to solve orangutan crisis in Indonesia (08/20/2009) A baby orangutan ambles across the grass at the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation’s Nyaru Menteng rehabilitation center in Central Kalimantan, in the heart of Indonesian Borneo. The ape pauses, picks up a stick and makes his way over to a plastic log, lined with small holes. Breaking the stick in two, he pokes one end into a hole in an effort to extract honey that has been deposited by a conservation worker. His expression shows the tool’s use has been fruitful. But he is not alone. To his right another orangutan has turned half a coconut shell into a helmet, two others wrestle on the lawn, and another youngster scales a papaya tree. There are dozens of orangutans, all of which are about the same age. Just outside the compound, dozens of younger orangutans are getting climbing lessons from the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (BOS) staff, while still younger orangutans are being fed milk from bottles in a nearby nursery. Still more orangutans—teenagers and adults—can be found on “Orangutan Island” beyond the center’s main grounds. Meanwhile several recently wild orangutans sit in cages. This is a waiting game. BOS hopes to eventually release all of these orangutans back into their natural habitat—the majestic rainforests and swampy peatlands of Central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo. But for many, this is a fate that may never be realized.
15 May Let them Wonder: Practical Strategies You Can Use to Develop Your Child’s Curiosity I was having lunch with world-renowned scientist, Dr. Peter Jones, and he shared with me the secret of his success. He remembers as a boy being intensely curious about the world around him. He would stare at a light switch and wonder why the switch caused the light to turn on. All children are born with a natural curiosity. However, if they are not surrounded by parents and teachers who encourage and strengthen that curiosity, they will lose their sense of wonder with each passing year. But if they can maintain and build that child’s curiosity, they become lifelong learners with the motivation to succeed in school and beyond. Protect and build your child’s curiosity. The first thing you can do to develop your child’s curiosity is to consider your role in helping your child understand the world around him. Here are three shifts you can make whenever possible to set your child up for success. - Your role is not to deliver information. It is to stage experiences that elicit discovery. Rather than telling your child that red and blue make purple, create a circumstance where you need the color purple and together you have to figure out how to get it. - Your role is not to correct misconceptions. It is to guide conversations that reveal inaccuracies. When your child asserts that a cotton ball is heavier than a pebble because it’s bigger, don’t just tell her she’s wrong. Rather, begin a dialogue. Ask why she thinks that. Ask her to consider things that are small, yet heavy, such as a marble. Show her how conversations are used to develop understanding. - Your role is not to fill the silence with an answer. It is to encourage your child to persevere toward an answer. So often we are uncomfortable with the silence that comes as children think. Resist the urge to jump in with the answer. Let them know it’s fine to think things through. Build their patience, so that later, they will persevere through difficult problems that take time to solve. After evaluating your own mindset and shifting how you think of your role in teaching your child, you can work with your child to purposely develop her curiosity using these 5 building blocks of curiosity. - Connection: You may have heard the saying, “Children don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” and it’s true. For children to be curious, they must feel worthy of seeking answers. The more they feel like they matter, the more they feel empowered to learn and make a difference in the world. Try these strategies to strengthen the parent-child connection and support your child’s curiosity: - Nickname of Greatness—If Demetrius shows an interest in space, call him Astronaut Demetrius. If Yolanda shows an interest in politics, call her Senator Yolanda. Show them that you see success in their future by giving them a nickname of greatness. - Customized greetings—Create a unique way to greet your children each morning. I have a different song for each day of the week (for example, on Tuesdays I wake my girls to a Willie Nelson tune, singing, “Mamas don’t let their babies sleep in on a Tuesday!”) Creating little routines that are unique to your family builds connection and makes children feel special and worthy. - Modeling: Children need to understand that curiosity is a lifelong attribute, not something only associated with childhood. If you want your children to be curious, be curious yourself. And share your wonderings with your child. - Monthly Challenge—Take the challenge to try something new every month. Try a musical instrument. Try to draw something. Read a new book. Try a new recipe. It doesn’t need to be a daunting task, but try something new every month. Let your children see that you are constantly seeking new skills and knowledge. - I Tried…I Failed…I Learned…—When you do try something that’s difficult, chances are you might fail. I tried to play “All of Me” on the piano and I had to practice each measure about 20 times before I could master it! When you persevere through challenges, share the experience with your child. Use the construct, “I tried… I failed… I learned…” to show them failure is often a requisite step in the learning process. - Questions: The best way to develop curiosity is to make sure your children are surrounded by questions all the time. In the age of search engines, unanswered questions are becoming a relic. But unanswered questions get children comfortable with the idea that there is always more to learn and develop lifelong curiosity. - Curiosity Journal—Create a curiosity journal with your child. As you tuck your little one in for bed, talk about her day. Then ask what she wonders about. Write an unanswered question in the journal. Every so often read back through the journal and choose a question to investigate and find the answer together. - Questions Sans Answers—We rarely sit with unanswered questions because it’s so easy to search for answers. Resist the urge to look everything up right away. Let unanswered questions lie so your child develops a comfort level with the unknown and develops a habit of wanting to know more than they do. - Engagement: Students are curious when they are interested. Whether trying to teach him how to tie his shoes or just having a dinner conversation, make life interesting in order to build your child’s curiosity about the world he lives in. - Stori-ify—Children of all ages love stories. Whether it’s a movie or a picture book, the basic elements of a story foster engagement. Use these elements to turn any task into a story. Together, create a character, setting, a conflict, and a resolution. Cooking together? Turn the ingredients into characters, make the mixing bowl the setting, have the characters be lonely until they meet up together and are then satisfied. The stories can be simple, but giving common tasks a narrative spin engages young children, increases their attention span, and piques their curiosity. - Choice-ify—Giving children choice wherever possible also leads to engagement, a necessary building block of curiosity. Even simple choices matter. For example, when learning to put socks on by herself, letting her choose which foot to do first gives her an engaging sense of control. - Intrigue: Create an environment of intrigue in your home. Let children develop a love of discovery so that when they are outside the home, they seek out opportunities to learn. - Zoom In—Use the website https://game-solver.com/zoomed-in-answers/ to view 300 levels of zoomed-in images that you and your child can try to guess what they are before clicking on the answer to reveal the full image. Build your child’s tolerance for ambiguity by increasing the wait time before clicking for the answer. See if he can wait an entire day! - Mystery Box—Once a week, put an item in a box and have your child ask yes/no questions throughout the week to try and figure out what is in the box. Reinforcing these building blocks with your child will help develop a culture of curiosity in your home and will set your child up with a learning mindset that will serve her well in school and in life.
A nodachi (mean. field sword) is a large two-handed traditionally made Japanese sword (nihonto) used by the samurai class of feudal Japan. Nodachi is the same type of sword as odachi (large/great sword). During the late Kamakura period (1185–1333) samurai began to use extremely long swords, these nodachi had the same general appearance and design of a tachi though they are significantly longer. They primarily were used for status symbols of either skilled duelers, a swordmaker’s example of skill, dueling in general, and while thought to perhaps be used to counter cavalry, such things were never proven. They were infrequently used for several reasons: - Nodachi/odachi koshirae - The blade was more difficult to forge compared to a normal-sized sword - The nodachi required greater strength to properly wield Weapons such as the naginata or nagamaki were more effective by far when compared to any possible use of nodachi for anti-cavalry purposes, very much like the European counterpart zweihander . During times of peace, the sword was worn slung across the back as a symbol of status. This is distinctive because most Japanese swords such as the katana, wakizashi, and tachi were worn at the waist or belt; however, it was not “drawn” from the back. The nodachi was more difficult to wield due to its size and weight. The length of the nodachi’s hilt varied between twelve to thirteen inches (30 to 33 centimeters). The blade was usually around four feet (122 centimeters) long. Its cutting capability and range exceeded that of a katana, due to its weight and size. In some Chinese martial arts, Bagua Zhang being perhaps the best known example, over-sized weapons are used for training purposes. This is done to condition the martial artist to handle a normal-sized weapon more efficiently (e.g. in Japanese martial arts with the suburito, a heavy wooden sword). The Kage-ryu is one of the very rare schools of Japanese martial arts remaining that trains in the use of the Japanese long-sword (which they call choken). A variation of this sword was also used by Sasaki Kojiro, a very skilled warrior and deadly with the nodachi. He is remembered principally for his duel with Miyamoto Musashi, a famed swordsman of the time.
The American goldfinch (Carduelis tristis ) is a common songbird found throughout the U.S. and fairly easy to attract to your feeder. This small bird (about 4 – 5 inches in length) is most commonly identified by the male, with its bright yellow body, black and white striped wings and a black cap. Adult females have duller yellow feathers, and lack the black cap. You would normally not see goldfinches while hiking in the forest, rather their preferred habitat is grassland with scattered trees and other semi-open areas. A sure sign of fall is the “disappearance” of these yellow goldfinches. However, they haven’t migrated out of the area, the males have only molted into their winter plumage. This molting may take a week or more and their bodies will appear patchy during this time. In the spring, you will again be treated to their beloved bright yellow hue, when the males molt once again. American goldfinches are one of the few songbirds that molt twice a year. The best way to attract goldfinches to your feeder is to give them their favorite food – Nyjer seed. This seed is often called thistle seed but it is not the seed of the thistle plant but rather from the Guizotia abyssinica, a sunflower type plant from Africa. Nyjer seed is a tiny, oblong black seed and is best put into a specific Nyjer feeder as it would fall out of a feeder with large port openings. Since goldfinches are clinger birds, they have the ability to perch in any position, even upside down. Nyjer feeders are often made of a mesh material, allowing the goldfinches to cling anywhere on the feeder, and use their cone shaped bills, to peck and grab a seed. The mesh material can be metal or fabric; the fabric kind often being call a sock. Goldfinches will also feed at tube feeders or platform feeders with a good mix of seed containing sunflower seed. And in spring, goldfinches often eat the small seeds from dandelions. Gardeners can attract goldfinches to their yard by growing purple coneflower, black-eyed susan, sunflowers, and asters including native thistles. Native thistles include Bristle Thistle (Carduus nutans) and Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare). Again, their clinging ability allows them to hang on to the flowers and peck at the seed heads, even as their weight bends the stalk down. After they’ve bloomed, don’t deadhead the flowers but allow them to go to seed in order to attract the goldfinches. Native thistle plants are important to goldfinches also around nesting season. The American goldfinch is a late nester, waiting until late June or July to build a nest, when thistle, milkweed and other plants form their fibrous seeds. The seeds are eaten by the adults and young, and the fibers are incorporated into the nest. The nest is an open top, approximately 3 inches across, in a bowl shape with a slightly cone bottom. It is tightly woven from small roots and plant fibers and lined with plant down and spider silk. This tight weave makes the nest essentially waterproof. The male and female choose a suitable site, followed by the female building the nest high in a shrub. Often the nest will be viewable from below but hidden from an aerial view by leaves from higher branches on the shrub. Goldfinches will have 1 or 2 broods per year, with up to 6 light blue eggs per brood. Goldfinch chicks are not fed insects like many other songbirds. They eat the same seeds that their parents do, making them rather strict vegetarians. Since goldfinches are not cavity nesters, they are less likely to use a birdhouse than, for example, a woodpecker. However, you can try to entice these finches to nest in your yard with a proper size birdhouse. The house should be about 12 inches tall, 6 inches wide, 8 inches deep, with an entrance hole at least 1.5 inches in diameter, and mount the birdhouse in a shrub or sapling 5 – 10 feet from the ground. Other birds may take over the house but just be on alert for that nasty invasive House Sparrow.
Environmental Color Design Environmental color design involves the use of color in order to configure it as a more beautiful, usable, and informative component of the environment that allows theoretical and practical activities. Color design is a relevant aspect of environmental design, which includes such disciplines and practices as landscape design, urban planning, architecture, interior design, industrial design, engineering, graphic design, textile and fashion design, etc., all of them aimed at a transformation of the natural environment with the purpose of adapting it to human life. The Function of Color in Space Experience Man living in a built environment, the user of a built space, is protected from the tribulations of nature; he utilizes the services of his surroundings and enjoys comfort from these services. In addition to its actual measurable properties required for the physical and biological existence of man, built environment has other qualities too. Built space acts upon man in several ways: by the proportions, the relationship, and shape of its elements, the order of forms, by surface appearance and colors of the elements, by the relation between space proportions, by the expression of function, by the relation between the expressivity of function and the function proper, and by the shape and color associations expressing function. This effect materializes as an emotional experience of the actual space, and space sensation. Space sensation is an experience about a given space, an accomplishment of one’s own personality. The Function of Color in Space Perception Space perception is a complex process to which several sensory organs contribute. Among them, visual and auditory stimuli and those arising from motion in space are the most important. All these add up to a space stimulus eliciting the perception of space. Space stimulus is elicited by measurable and tangible real space, composed of space elements as well as of correlations between shapes and surface appearances, all describable by physical magnitudes. Most of the information about the objective correlations, shapes, and surface appearances of space elements is obtained by reflection, absorption, or transmission of light by the surface of the element that delivers visual stimuli to observers. Assuming that the surface appearance of space elements is of the same finish, texture, and color, and that the elements are illuminated from the same direction, with the same intensity and spectral distribution, then due to visual and motional parallaxes, overlapping, line and air perspective, and light-shadow effects, a space perception with a linearity directly proportional to that of the change of the real space is elicited. Color identity as a condition means that light incident from the surfaces into the eyes has the same wavelength; that is, color sensation is the same throughout, and also, that for the same angle of incidence, the ratio of the quantity of light incident on and reflected by surfaces is the same everywhere, and in the reflected light incident on the eyes, the ratio of complementary radiations, hence saturation, is felt to be the same throughout. To examine the function of color, let’s assume that stimuli arriving into the eyes come from the elements of such an objective space where dimensions, proportions, and relations of the elements do not permit overlapping and the interpretation of line perspective relations; further the onlooker does not move in space, missing the help from laws of motion parallax in space perception. If these conditions are met, and in addition direction, intensity, and spectral energy distribution of light within the space are constant and the former restriction of equal hues, saturations, and lightnesses of surface colors holds, the objective space can be judged only by evaluating the perceived color sensation differences. Intensity differences of the stimuli emitted by space element surfaces and reaching the eyes permit, first of all, to decide on the spatial position of the light source, then, from hue, saturation, and lightness differences of space element surfaces, on the distance of space elements from the onlooker, hence on the space itself. It is known by experience that the more remote an object, the more hue component of the color sensation generated by its surface is shifted to hues of shorter wavelengths, its saturation toward achromatic colors, and that its lightness component varies as a function of the two other components and of the position of the light source. This experience helps the space sensation although its significance can really be perceived only if the former condition of color identity is abandoned. In reality, this is always the case. With space elements painted different colors, it cannot be decided anymore which element is the closer and which is the farther away. Orange and red, even if in reality more distant, are felt to be nearer than blue or green. Saturated colors are felt to be nearer than are unsaturated ones. Very dark surfaces emit very little or no stimuli to the eye, so that these are not sensed, rendering space perception impossible. The Role of Color in Expressing the Function of Space Color contributes to space sensation also by expressing the function of space. Function of the built environment is a demand raised to social level. Structural relations in a system composed of man and the elements of his environment are defined by a complex function having three components: utility function, aesthetic function, and informative function. This section explains how color – color stimulus and color perception – contributes to the realization or expression of these functions. Environment is the scene of human activities, serving human demands. Much of these demands refer to the utility function of environment. Built environment is required to protect from the rigors of weather, to endure dynamic forces generated by human machinery, to protect from such factors as excessive temperature fluctuations, intense noise, and other factors from working processes detrimental to health. A recent requirement is feeling of comfort in one’s milieu so as to stimulate the development of mental and physical abilities. Color has a significant function in meeting these demands. Due to its psychophysical and psychosomatic effects, it may raise blood pressure or change the composition of blood and gastric juices. Color can make one feel healthy or ill. A person in an environment of preferred colors feels better; his/her ambition to work increases. Some colors favor concentration; others cause deconcentration . Just as anything else, built space and all its elements are separable unities of content and form. Environment fulfills its aesthetic function if it expresses its utility function in conformity with the unity of content and form, where the utility function is the content, while form is expressed by shape and color of environmental elements. Since the content of objects in the environment, let alone in the built environment, is its function, the built space and objects within its content can only be grasped and fully expressed by means of their proper functioning and operation. Practical and spiritual components of the function are interdependent. Even the remark may be risked that aesthetic design of an object or built space is impossible when ignoring its functions. As a conclusion, there are no aesthetic prescriptions of general validity. In designing color relations for a built environment as a human creation, it is also a question of what importance is attributed to practical functions of the environment for human life in general. Every work and activity is linked to emotions, thoughts, and ideas, therefore every object, tool, or built space demands its share of these mental, emotional, ideological threads, in conformity with its role, significance, and function in one’s life. Colors of the built space as elements of form in the couple content and form are made necessary by the sensation of function, giving rise to a harmonious sensation of the indissoluble unity between content and form in human consciousness. Of course, the sight of some color complex may cause aesthetic pleasure, but detached from the content of space, i.e., from its function, this pleasure lacks the effect of complete space experience. Those who wish to express the message of built space have to know about relations between environmental structures, i.e., about the so-called compositional relationships, in order to be able to create proper relations between forms and color perceptions. These relations comprise color harmonies. Thus, the design of space sensation also exploits color harmonies in this space. Informative functions of space are features that interpret the functions of the environment and its elements and explain how to use and operate these elements. A significant part of the informative functions of the environment are borne by chromatic information. According to their message, chromatic information may be interpreted either as logic or as aesthetic information. Both kinds of information are borne by the same elements, but every form of message has its own structure. Their characteristics are determined partly by differences in the visual system, complexity, and structure and partly as psychic differences between their communication content. Information content is transmitted by highlighting, contracting, and grouping some visual symbol elements in the informative surface or space, while omitting others. A color group draws attention when it is clear cut and its structure is easily intelligible. Chromatic information of a logic nature, i.e., the various standardized color codes, are practical tools that appeal to a logical mind. They transmit messages and serve also to influence observers in their decisions and control their attitudes and behavior. Aesthetic chromatic information is primarily emotional expression of inner conditions and is expected to have mental and emotional effects by commonly accepted semantics. By their operative and recording functions, visual codes are not only bearers of the meaning of the content of built space and its social concept but also expressions of the approach and culture typical of the creative subject. Chromatic in-built space information necessarily and conveniently takes the form of color harmony relations. This is why it is of prime importance to examine color harmony relations. The Color Dynamics of Color Theory and Practice of Environmental Planning Nowadays color dynamics is regarded as a dual activity. One side is the disclosure of man-to-color of complex man-to-colored environment relations and the elaboration of methodologies for the design of colored environment. The other side is the utilization of these findings in environment design practice. These activities involve the collection and systematization of knowledge on relations of man, color, and built space offered by different disciplines as well as to devise and realize research to fill the gaps. This activity has taken momentum worldwide, whereby the science of color dynamics came into being. Color dynamics as a new science is concerned with the relations between the surface appearance of environment and environmental elements and man living in this environment. It studies the interrelations of color, man, and environment. Thus, color dynamics as a science is a complex of theoretical and practical activities directed toward the disclosure of objective relations between man and colored environment, as well as toward a conscious environment color design. Rather than a collection of everyday experience, color dynamics is a science. Although it investigates and processes the spontaneous, intuitive transformation of the environment by individuals, it handles its information by scientific methods, applying scientific methods in environment color design. It has been proven both theoretically and practically that it is possible to conduct these activities by exact, scientific methods. Environment design – including any architectural activity – has increasing access to results of this new science. Its practical application helps the built environment to cope better with its function, to be more beautiful and more sophisticated. It helps humans to expand mental and bodily abilities, to compensate for harmful effects of the overwhelming industrialized environment, to develop an adequate space perception, and to understand spatial relations and correlations between spatial processes. Conscious application of colors is expected to direct and orient man between multiplying and often depressive environmental hazards. The science of color dynamics has five different but inseparable branches; the achievements of each are interdependent. Knowledge and relations amassed by other sciences are collected and purposefully systematized, and its special research problems are based on this foundation. The fundamental problem of color dynamics is to find relations between color sensations, to develop an aesthetically uniform color space and a color system fairly approximating to it, and to introduce a new system of color coding suitable for practical color design. The second group of problems is concerned with man to color relation independent of the environment. This involves color composition problems in connection with the processes of color vision. Such problems are, for instance, stimulus thresholds and difference thresholds, color adaptation, color constancy, color contrast, color preference, color association, and the psychosomatic effects of color. The third group of problems includes the complex relation between color, man, and built space, including problems of color and space, color and mass, color and form, color and texture, color and function, color and illumination, offsetting harmful environmental effects by color, and finally the social functions of color. The fourth group of problems is related to color harmony research, the establishment of color composition relationships for use in practical color design: the determination of levels and parts of the concept of color harmony, of the fundamental and accessory conditions of eliciting color harmony sensations. The last, fifth, group of problems is the development of the most effective methods of color design, the best way of incorporating the finding of color dynamics into practice. Statements are made exploiting practical observations obtained from realized color designs. Color environment design activities, as all other design activities, constitute a continuous battle between prevailing conditions, demands of different trends, and artistic intentions. This battle may express itself on many different ways depending on the knowledge base and personality of the designer. Color dynamics has no intent to provide design recipes; rather it shows a method to provide possibility for considering different conditions and enforcing different demands . Color Expression in the Built Environment Finding a basis for using color as a concept in design is possible through the perceptual experience of color and form. Figure/ground recognition in a visual field is based upon perception. Figure/ground also implies a hierarchical relationship. Color and form are codependent in built form. This form can be holistic as it relates to an urban environment, or it can be an individual building. Color plays an expressive role in both. In the city, color has the power to create unity in built form by the use of a dominant color in the building materials. This visual unity can be a characteristic of a part, or district, within an urban environment, or it can be a characteristic of the whole. Unity defines a sense of place and gives identity. It also characterizes an urban fabric or background that can define the public spaces and serve as a backdrop for significant figural structures. The architecture of this background is critical to the designer’s goal of creating spatial definition and unity in the plan of a city. Another role for color expression in the built environment is the color choice for individual buildings that become prominent visually in a physical setting. These are defined as figural colors, and they will achieve this visibility through figure/ground contrasts. The atmospheric conditions and the distance from the viewer will also be a determinant in how effective the color choices are in achieving high visibility. A third tool for color expression in the physical environment is a strategy for defining space not with walls or edges but with a repetitive use of figural color throughout the space. This strategy uses color constellations formed by elements of similar color in the environment that create a spatial matrix when seen as a whole. Constellations can define urban space in two ways: by experiencing these elements of color as a constellation when viewed as a group and through memory when one views a single color element from a pedestrian view and constructs the whole conceptually. In urban contexts, background is that median color/form of the built environment which most conforms to the overall urban fabric and contributes to its visual unity. Background is also the structure or mass that forms and defines the spaces of importance within the city. The color of this background fabric is a component in the overall visual field. The color of building surfaces comprises a large portion of this field, and these colors can be a powerful means for defining unity and consistency. A variety of figural form and color can exist as background in a city through repetition of similar elements distributed throughout the urban fabric. In some cities, such as San Francisco, the background is relatively uniform in hue and saturation. Guanajuato, Mexico, however, has many buildings with highly saturated figural colors throughout the city and maintains its visual unity despite these foreground colors. There are two important roles for color/form in this background architecture. The first is the provision of a context for contrast to structures that are figural and highly visible in the city. The second is one of spatial definition. Background architecture becomes the edges and walls that define public spaces such as streets, avenues, civic plazas, and parks, and their organization represents the hierarchies and communal goals inherent in the plan of a city. In an urban context, there are examples where figural colors and background colors become joined as a means for defining space within the city. In a two-dimensional color field where many colors are visible, color constellations are groups of similar colors recognized as a pattern or cluster. In a three-dimensional color field such as an urban environment, colors that are similar in hue and saturation can also be perceived as a cluster of repetitive color elements and form color constellations . The area within this array of similar colors can be designated as an urban space, defined not by edges or walls but by a repetitive matrix of similar colors. An example would be the Parc la Villette in Paris , where large red architectural sculptures are placed on a grid throughout the precinct of the park. From an aerial perspective, the spatial matrix formed by these red structures is apparent. From a pedestrian viewpoint, only a few of the structures are visible at any one time, although a memory of the precinct as a whole initiated by the individual red sculptures is always present. - 1.Frieling, H.: Farbe in Kultur und Leben. Battenberg, Munich (1963)Google Scholar - 2.Nemcsics, A.: Colour Dynamics. Environmental Colour Design. Ellis Horwood, New York (1993)Google Scholar - 3.Minah, G.: Blackness, whiteness, chromaticness: formulas for high visibility in the modern city. In: Hansuebsai, A. (ed.) AIC 2003 Bangkok, Proceedings, pp. 26–30. The Color Group of Thailand, Bangkok (2003)Google Scholar - 4.Minah, G.: Figural color in the Seattle cityscape. In: AIC Color 97, Proceedings of the 8th Congress of the International Colour Association, pp. 883–887. The Color Association of Japan, Tokyo (1997)Google Scholar - 5.Minah, G.: Color constellations in the Seattle cityscape. In: Chung, R., Rodrigues, A. (eds.) AIC 2001, The 9th Congress of the International Colour Association, pp. 146–149. SPIE, Bellingham (2001)Google Scholar - 6.Tschumi, B.: Cinégramme folie: le Parc de la Villette, Paris nineteenth arrondissement. Princeton Architectural Press, Princeton (1987)Google Scholar
SummaryStudents learn the basics of engineering that go into the design of sneakers. The bottom or sole of sneakers provides support, cushioning and traction. In addition, the sole is flexible and may have some fashion-based functions such as cool colors or added height. Sneakers are well-engineered products that use a mix of materials to create highly functional, useful shoes. For the activity challenge, students decide on specific design requirements, such as good traction or deep cushioning, and then use a variety of materials to build prototype shoes that meet the design criteria. Biomedical engineers are involved in the design of sneakers. While it is important for sneakers to look stylish in order to appeal to consumers, they must also function as intended, so a great amount of technology goes into the design of sneakers. Many factors must be taken into consideration when designing sneakers, such as who will wear them (male, female, child) and for what types of activities. The end user and activity type indicate what shoe characteristics are most important for the design, such as traction, cushioning and/or height. After this activity, students should be able to: - Analyze a product's components and function. - Recognize a design need or engineering challenge. - Develop, sketch and discuss possible solutions and select one. - Select appropriate materials for a design solution. - Construct a working model using a variety of materials. - Use, evaluate and suggest ways to improve a product. More Curriculum Like This For this maker challenge, students decide on specific design requirements (such as good traction or deep cushioning), sketch their plans, and then use a variety of materials to build prototype shoes that meet the design criteria. Students explore why different types of sneakers are used in a variety of common sports, and how engineers analyze design needs in sneakers and many other everyday items. Students analyze the foot movements in a variety of sports, develop design criteria for a specific sport, and make recommendation... Students use the engineering design process to solve a real-world problem—shoe engineering! Working in small teams, they design, build and test a pair of wearable platform or high-heeled shoes, taking into consideration the stress and strain forces that it will encounter from the shoe wearer. They c... Students apply their knowledge of scale and geometry to design wearables that would help people in their daily lives, perhaps for medical reasons or convenience. Like engineers, student teams follow the steps of the design process, to research the wearable technology field (watching online videos an... Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc. Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN), a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g., by state; within source by type; e.g., science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc. - Define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints on materials, time, or cost. (Grades 3 - 5) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback! - Generate and compare multiple possible solutions to a problem based on how well each is likely to meet the criteria and constraints of the problem. (Grades 3 - 5) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback! - Fluently add and subtract multi-digit whole numbers using the standard algorithm. (Grade 4) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback! - Use the four operations to solve word problems involving distances, intervals of time, liquid volumes, masses of objects, and money, including problems involving simple fractions or decimals, and problems that require expressing measurements given in a larger unit in terms of a smaller unit. Represent measurement quantities using diagrams such as number line diagrams that feature a measurement scale. (Grade 4) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback! - Given a design task, identify appropriate materials (e.g., wood, paper, plastic, aggregates, ceramics, metals, solvents, adhesives) based on specific properties and characteristics (e.g., strength, hardness, and flexibility). (Grades 6 - 8) Details... View more aligned curriculum... Do you agree with this alignment? Thanks for your feedback! Each group needs: - an assortment of materials that provide height, cushioning, flexibility and/or traction for shoe prototype construction, such as sponges, bubble wrap packing material, foam and rubber gloves; see suggestions in Worksheet A: Materials and Properties; feel free to add or substitute items - 2 fabric base forms, cut to the template in Worksheet D: Pattern for Cutting Fabric Base Forms - fabrication tools, such as scissors, twine, glue, tape - Worksheet A: Materials and Properties, 2 per group - Worksheet B: Design Specifications for the Sneaker - Worksheet C: Materials and Costs, 2 per group Sneakers are designed for an assortment of uses. Each application has specific characteristics that must be taken into account before manufacturing. What are your ideas for a sneaker that has never been made before? Today, you will define specific characteristics for your sneaker, select suitable materials, and create a prototype, just as engineers do. cushioning: Providing a softening effect to forces. prototype: A functional early design of a product that is intended for testing. stiffness: Resistance to being flexed. traction: Ability to slide a load across a surface. Designing today's sneakers is an engineering science that combines physics, biomechanics and materials science. The engineering designs take advantage of a wide range materials and creative structural concepts to provide durability, comfort, cushioning and stability. Good designs also consider the characteristics of various foot types (female, male, child) since each has typical shapes and proportions. For example, women's feet are usually narrower with higher arches than men's feet. The inside layout of a well-designed sneaker takes these physical differences into account. Another important consideration is the activity application. Each sport has different footwear requirements; some require high flexibility, others maximum cushioning or high traction. Before the Activity - Gather materials for sneaker prototype construction, as suggested on Worksheet A: Materials and Properties. - Use Worksheet D: Pattern for Cutting Fabric Base Forms to cut out enough fabric shoe bases to provide two for each student group, plus a few extras in case of mistakes. Note: Each group will construct two matching sneaker prototypes. - Make copies of Worksheets A, B and C. With the Students Part 1: Modeling and Building a Sneaker - As a class, discuss the following: Think about the characteristics of your shoes. What would you like to be different about them? What would it take to create a sneaker with that new property or component? What materials do you know about that could be used? - Divide the class into groups of three or four students each. Give each group Worksheet B: Design Specifications for the Sneaker to complete. - Hand out two copies of Worksheet A: Materials and Properties to each group. Discuss the properties of each material (springy, soft, rigid, sticky, rough, etc.). - Hand out two copies of Worksheet C: Materials and Costs to each group. Costs are assigned to each item. The designed pair of sneakers must be within budget, limiting options and forcing engineering trade-off decisions. - Distribute two fabric bases plus a bag that includes the materials available for construction of the prototype sneakers. Students can cut or shape materials as desired. Alternatively, set up a "store" at which students can purchase the materials they want by completing and submitting Worksheet C. - Once students select the materials that they feel will work best (meet their design criteria) for their prototype sneakers, have them use glue and tape to assemble the prototypes. - Allow the prototypes time to dry. Part 2: Evaluating and Improving the Design - Distribute the dry prototypes to the original designers and two lengths of twine for tying on the prototypes. - If time permits, have groups present their designs to the class, explaining what worked well and how they would improve their prototypes. Evaluate each design according to the criteria in #3, below. If time is short, enlist the help of another adult to evaluate half of the groups. - Use the following criteria to evaluate for design success, rating on a 1-3 scale: - Height: Measure the student's height with and without the sneakers on. - Traction: Slide around the floor with and without the sneakers on. - Cushioning: Jump up and down with and without the sneakers on. - Stiffness: Bend and twist prototype sneakers compared to store-bought sneakers. - If students suggested any additional design criteria, have the group discuss and decide what would be appropriate tests for design success. - Conclude with a class discussion of the following: Compare your sneaker prototypes to some of the sneakers that students are wearing. How do the materials you used compare to the ones in the store-bought sneakers? Are the ideas you have created realistic? What activities are best suited to your designs? - Cover desks and floor surfaces to protect them from glue during construction and testing, or set up a special "test area." - These sneakers are only prototypes and should not be used for actual wear after the adult-supervised testing. - Which material properties help the sneaker be comfortable when you apply strong forces or pressure to your feet? (The greatest comfort comes from materials that are cushioning [soft] and have the ability to "bounce back.") - Why is traction important on a sneaker? (Traction is created by friction between the base of the sneaker and the ground. Without traction, shoes slip, as if you were trying to move on an icy surface.) - Why do the prices of sneakers vary so much? (Sneaker prices vary because they depend on material costs, marketing costs, manufacturing costs, and supply and demand pressures.) Post-Activity Assessment: Observe class participation in during the discussion about sneaker characteristics. Activity Embedded Assessment: Evaluate design success during testing. Rate criteria using a 1-3 scale. Post-Activity Assessment: Assign students to write descriptions of their sneaker designs, explaining the reasons for each feature and what activities they would be best suited for. Have students create a list of other types of footwear. From this list, either discuss the importance of (or create a graph that shows) the same design criteria (height, stiffness, cushioning, traction) for each of these. For upper grades, assign students to research specific materials and combinations of materials that are used to manufacture real sneakers "Sneakers: From Start to Finish (Made in the USA)" Samuel G. Woods, Gale Zucker (photographer) Copyright© 2013 by Regents of the University of Colorado; original © 2001 WEPAN/Worcester Polytechnic Institute Supporting ProgramMaking the Connection, Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN) Project funded by Lucent Technologies Foundation. Last modified: April 5, 2017
Ants have been quite successful, evolutionarily speaking. They are found on every continent, apart from Antarctica. They fill a range of ecological niches, from the tops of towering rain forest trees to kitchen floors. One reason for this success is their social organisation, with related ants working together in densely packed colonies. But as humans have also found, living together brings costs as well as benefits. One of these costs is an increased vulnerability to infectious diseases, which can spread rapidly because of regular contact with each other. This becomes critical, especially when dead bodies remain undisposed. Humans have developed elaborate rituals for the disposal of dead bodies, which in part relate to the need to reduce the spread of diseases. As a result of this, in many cultures the collection and disposal of bodies falls to a particular profession who specialise in this process. In a paper in Animal Behaviour, Belgian researcher Lise Diez and her colleagues investigated whether ants, like humans, needed specialists to dispose of their dead. Researchers collected colonies of the common red ant Myrmica rubra from the wild and brought them into a lab. Ant corpses were then presented to these colonies, and the worker ants that chose to collect and transport these corpses were marked (with tiny plastic printed discs). The behaviour of these marked ants was then recorded to see if they were any different from the ants that had not been seen to carry corpses. The researchers found that corpse-carrying ants were not just undertakers, they also foraged for food. In fact, when the rates of corpse removal for individual ants were measured over periods of up to two weeks, if an ant had carried a corpse, then it was no more likely than other ants to carry another corpse. So it seems that corpse carriers are just foragers that have been temporarily diverted from their usual activities. But some ants showed short-term specialisation on corpse removal, repeatedly carrying corpses during short periods of time (less than one hour). Why not have full-time specialists? Diez suggests this might be because corpses are not very common in and around nests in the wild. Instead of having a small number of committed formicine undertakers, who might have to hunt around for long periods of time for a corpse, it is more efficient for any ant that encounters a corpse to transport it. This tactic also has the advantage that the colony is able to swiftly respond when there are a large number of dead ants, since the whole workforce is available for a clean-up operation. The researchers also found that the corpse-carrying ants were much more likely to be found outside the nest. Even those corpse carriers that were observed inside the nest tended to loiter near the nest entrance, rather than making their way into the nest interior. This means they are less likely to encounter the eggs and larvae of the colony, which are vulnerable to disease. After all, you would not want undertakers trooping through your nursery. The fact that corpse carriers, which are at risk since they are potentially exposed to disease, are part of the foraging "caste" makes sense, since these tend to be older ants, which are more expendable for the colony. Foraging workers may also have more active immune systems since they need to deal with pathogens during food collection, which would help them to deal with the risks associated with corpse collection. We should not think ourselves unique in having specialised members of society to deal with our dead. Both ants and humans have a need to dispose safely of dead bodies. Ants do it without making too much of a fuss. Explore further: Swimming ants don shades to save their eyesight More information: "Who brings out the dead? Necrophoresis in the red ant, Myrmica rubra." Lise Dieza, Hélène Le Borgnea, Philippe Lejeuneb, Claire Detraina Animal Behaviour Volume 86, Issue 6, December 2013. dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.09.030
11.1. In the past 20 years, the world has experienced a rise in educational levels. Although the differences in educational attainment between males and females have shrunk, 75 per cent of illiterate persons in the world are women. Lack of basic education and low levels of literacy of adults continue to inhibit the development process in every area. The world community has a special responsibility to ensure that all children receive an education of improved quality and that they complete primary school. Education is an indispensable tool for the improvement of the quality of life. However, it is more difficult to meet educational needs when there is rapid population growth. 11.2. Education is a key factor in sustainable development: it is at the same time a component of well-being and a factor in the development of well-being through its links with demographic as well as economic and social factors. Education is also a means to enable the individual to gain access to knowledge, which is a precondition for coping, by anyone wishing to do so, with today's complex world. The reduction of fertility, morbidity and mortality rates, the empowerment of women, the improvement in the quality of the working population and the promotion of genuine democracy are largely assisted by progress in education. The integration of migrants is also facilitated by universal access to education, which respects the religious and cultural backgrounds of migrants. 11.3. The relationship between education and demographic and social changes is one of interdependence. There is a close and complex relationship among education, marriage age, fertility, mortality, mobility and activity. The increase in the education of women and girls contributes to greater empowerment of women, to a postponement of the age of marriage and to a reduction in the size of families. When mothers are better educated, their children's survival rate tends to increase. Broader access to education is also a factor in internal migration and the make-up of the working population. 11.4. The education and training of young people should prepare them (to cope with today's complex world), for their career development and professional life. It is on the content of the educational curricula and the nature of the training received that the prospects of gainful employment opportunities depend. Inadequacies in and discrepancies between the educational system and the production system can lead to unemployment and underemployment, a devaluing of qualifications and, in some cases, an exodus of qualified people from rural to urban areas and to "brain drain". It is therefore essential to promote a harmonious development of educational systems and economic and social systems conducive to sustainable development. [Go to start of Document]
Category : 4th Class Nervous system co-ordinates all our body functions. It consists of brain, spinal cord and the nerves. Brain is our body's control system. Brain sends messages and receives them from all organs, all over the body. Brain is divided into 3 parts Accounts for 85% of our brain's weight. It consists of two -halves, right half and left half. The right half, which helps to think about things like colour, different shapes, etc. The left half is responsible for speech, maths, and logic. It is also known as the forebrain. It is also called the Hindbrain, and is much smaller than forebrain. It is responsible for the movement of our body and maintaining body balance. It joints brain and the spinal cord. Functions like digestion, blood pressure, breathing, etc. is controlled by this organ. Spinal cord is a mass of nerves running down the middle of the backbone. A fine network of nerves connects the brain and the spinal cord to every part of our body. They carry messages to and from the brain to the body part. Nerves present in our body are of two main types. The sensory nerves, which carries messages from the sense organ to the spinal cord or the brain. Motor nerves which carries messages from the brain or the spinal cord to various parts of the body. 90% of full weight of the brain is achieved at the age of 5 years. Human nervous system consists of (b) Spinal cord (d) All of these (e) None of the above Nerves which carry the messages from the sense organs to the spinal cord or brain are (a) Motor nerves (b) Sensory nerves (c) Both type of nerves carry messages to the brain (d) All of the above (e) None of the above The stomach's digestive acids are strong enough to dissolve zinc. Fortunately for us, the cells in the stomach lining renew so quickly that the acids don't have time to dissolve it. Each finger and toenail takes six months to grow from base to tip. The lungs contain over 300,000 million capillaries (tiny blood vessels). If they were laid end to end, they would stretch 2400 km. Nutrients: The component of food which is necessary for our body. Sense Organ: The organs which helps us to sense the outside world. Digestion: The process of breaking down of the complex food materials into simple form. Respiration: It is a process of releasing energy from the food. Circulatory system: It transport oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body and bring back carbon dioxide and waste from the body. Excretory system: Removes the waste materials from the body. Nervous system: Coordinates between the body parts and brain. You need to login to perform this action. You will be redirected in 3 sec
By Matt Walker Editor, Earth News A unique ability to soak up the sun The Oriental hornet has a unique ability to harvest solar energy, scientists have discovered. The large wasp species has a special structure in its abdomen that traps the sun's rays, and a special pigment that harvests the energy they contain. The discovery helps explain why these hornets have a large yellow stripe across their body and why they become more active as the day gets hotter. It also changes our understanding of how insect metabolism can work. Xanthopterin works as a light harvesting molecule transforming light into electrical energy Entomologist Dr Marian Plotkin The discovery, reported in the journal Naturwissenschaften, was made by a team of researchers working in Israel and the UK, led by Dr Marian Plotkin of Tel-Aviv University. Wasps are usually most active in the early morning, when they are around twice as active as at any other point in the day. Oriental hornets (Vespa orientalis), which range from the Near East to India, are most active in the middle of the day. Scientists have also long observed that Oriental hornet workers, which dig out nests underground, correlate their digging activity with the intensity of sunlight. However, it was unclear why these Oriental hornets behave in this way. That was until one biologist, the late Professor Jacob S Ishay, proposed that the insects may somehow be capable of harvesting solar radiation. The sheet-like cuticle structure Dr Plotkin's team has now tested this hypothesis, with remarkable results. Using an atomic force microscope, they examined the fine structure of the hornet's cuticle, hard layers of which form the insect's outer body, or exoskeleton. The part of the cuticle coloured brown is made from an array of grooves, with a height of just 160 nanometres. The structure of the yellow part of the hornet's body is different. This is made from a series of oval-shaped protrusions, each containing a pinhole-sized depression. Each protrusion is just 50nm tall and interlocks with another. Further tests revealed what these structures do. Essentially, say the researchers, they stop light being reflected off the hornet's body. Instead the light is trapped, and harvested for energy. The yellow pigment harvests light The brown part of the insect's body has the best anti-reflectance properties, helping to split any sunlight that falls upon it into several beams travelling in different directions. The cuticle also contains a second thin sheet-like structure, with a series of sheets stacked on top of each other, with decreasing thickness from top to bottom. Stacked together in every layer are rod-like structures composed of chains of a polymer called chitin. These rods are embedded in a protein matrix. This intricate structure further serves to trap light within the cuticle, forcing it to bounce between different layers. Capturing the sun But the ability of the hornets to harvest solar energy does not stop there. Within this cuticle is a pigment that actually captures the energy of the sun's rays. "The pigment melanin gives the hornet its dominant brown colour. The pigment xanthopterin, in the head and abdomen in a form of stripes and bands, gives the Oriental hornet its bright yellow colour," explains Dr Plotkin. Highly magnified view of the wasp cuticle "Xanthopterin works as a light harvesting molecule transforming light into electrical energy." The hornets' ability to convert sunlight in this way could explain why they become more active during the middle of the day, when the light intensity is highest. "We assume that some of the energy is transformed in a photo-biochemical process which aids the hornets with their energy demanding digging activity," Dr Plotkin told the BBC. The solar-powered hornets have one further unique claim. Until now, insects were thought to perform metabolism in an organ known as the fat body, which performs a similar function to the human liver. Most of the fat body is in an insect's abdomen surrounding the gut, where it can quickly take up absorbed nutrients, though some is scattered elsewhere. "We have found that the main metabolic activity in the Oriental hornet is actually in the yellow pigment layer," says Dr Plotkin.
With jet-black and bright yellow feathers, vastly animated and vocal behavior, the hooded oriole brings life and energy to the backyard bird feeders. Hooded orioles arrive at their breeding areas in March. In exceptional cases, some reach as early as the end of February. Their spectacular reproductive season every year usually begins somewhere between the start of April and the start of May. Their clutches generally include between 3 and 5 eggs. The females handle incubation independently, without any assistance from the males. Despite that, the males assist in rearing the young ones after they are born. Once the breeding period ends, hooded orioles immediately leave these regions -generally in August. Some wait a little bit longer to migrate, rarely doing so around the end of September in the early autumn. Adults often have a curved bill that’s entirely white and black wing bars. The adult male has a deep reddish-orange head with black on the throat and face; they’re black on the tail, wings, and back, orange on the underparts. An adult female is yellowish on the breast and belly, olive-green on the upper parts. Their calls comprise of wheets and whistling, though their song is a combination of both. They forage in shrubs and trees, also feeding on some flowers. It’s a nectar robber since it pierces a flower base, and doesn’t help in pollination. These birds primarily eat fruit, nectar, and insects, and will also visit bird feeders and hummingbird feeders for seeds. The nest is a firmly woven pouch attached to the underside of a tree branch or leaf. Occasionally, their nest is full of eggs of a Brown-headed Cowbird that’s parasite bird which lays its eggs in nests of other birds for that species to handle. When hooded orioles breed, they often gravitate toward landscapes which feature trees, but in a dispersed way. They’re usually sighted alongside the Brooks and amid the occasional greenery of deserts. They regularly nest in palm trees and pecan trees, cottonwood trees, and eucalyptus trees, among several others. Airy forested environments, residential suburbs, scrublands and cities all make common homes for the species. The Hooded Oriole can be just described as the Neotropical migrant. These birds are mostly found in riparian areas. Humans have planted numerous species of non-native trees. These trees have reduced the number of nesting locations for the Orioles. As a result, the Orioles can also be found in some riparian and deciduous woodlands and human habitations, usually by ranches or towns. Cool facts about Hooded Oriole: 1. The Hooded Oriole is a very social species. They seem to flock with associated birds like the Bullocks Oriole. 2. When the nest is just suspended from the palm leaves, the female always pokes holes in the leaves from below and force the fibers through, efficiently sewing the nest to the leaf. 3. A particular group of Orioles is collectively referred to as a “pitch” and a “split” of Orioles. 4. To get nectar, Hooded Orioles use their sharp-pointed bill to help pierce the base of the flower. This does not pollinate the flower in any way, so the plant does not benefit from producing the nectar. 5. They are found in open areas, usually riparian, with scattered trees (often palms), suburbs, ranches, and parks. 6. Hooded Orioles eat berries, insects, and nectar. 7. There are five sub-species of Hooded Orioles, with eastern birds being extremely orange and western birds being yellowish-orange. 8. Juveniles look like females. First spring males look like adult males, but males are more yellow and have lesser white wing patch.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA —The data just didn’t seem to make sense. That’s often the story right before scientists make a leap in understanding. In this case, scientists had some evidence that skies in the continental United States have been brightening, after several decades of so-called “dimming.” Brightening and dimming are overly simplified words that signify increases and decreases in how much light from the Sun (measured as “irradiance” in watts/m2) reaches the planet’s surface—and these measurements are often analyzed under cloud-free conditions. For the observed dimming under clear skies, convention would point to aerosols. Levels of these tiny particles, associated with pollution, had been rising for decades prior to the 90s and began falling after that thanks to pollution controls. That could make today’s skies brighter than those in the 70s or 80s—and it could also warm the climate, as more direct radiation reaches the surface. But when Chuck Long, a Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) researcher at the NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, and his colleagues dug a bit deeper, something didn’t add up. If the recent clear sky “brightening” trend were due to cleaner air and fewer aerosols alone, it should be accompanied by an increase in direct downwelling shortwave radiation, one part of solar radiation reaching the surface directly from the Sun. That didn’t happen, Long reported during the American Geophysical Union fall meeting in San Francisco. Instead, Long and his colleagues found that at the continental United States sites they analyzed, direct downwelling shortwave radiation remained roughly steady between 1995 and 2007, under cloud-free skies. Rather, it was the diffuse shortwave radiation that increased. That simply couldn’t happen if fewer aerosols alone were the reason behind the brightening. If anything, fewer aerosols should mean less diffuse shortwave radiation, because particles in the atmosphere can bounce light around and back to space. So the scientists dug deeper, and in a provocative new analysis, not yet published, Long suggests that a high-altitude “ice haze,” created by water and other emissions from aircraft, is responsible. “I’m talking about a sub-visual contrail-generated haze of ice, which we do not classify as a cloud but gives blue sky more of a whitish tint.” Long said. The finding—if verified—could mean that we are in essence already conducting a geoengineering experiment on the atmosphere, adding ice particles that change the way solar radiation reaches Earth’s surface. Understanding the overall impact of those changes on warming or cooling at the surface will take more research, Long said. The hypothesis has some circumstantial support in other datasets, Long and his colleagues have found: The brightening trend is closely correlated with U.S. Federal Aviation Administration commercial flight hours during 1995-2007; those aircraft emit both water and the particles necessary to crystalize that high-altitude water into ice. Moreover, a preliminary study using spectral solar data from an Oklahoma site shows that the clear skies had an overall “whitening” trend during the study years, an indication of increased scattering. Professor Martin Wild of the Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science at ETH Zurich, Switzerland, has been tracking Earth’s changeable energy budgets. He and his colleagues detected upswings in sunlight reaching the Earth surface (i.e., “brightening”) since the mid-1980s, which marked a recovery from substantial downswings in prior decades, a discovery published in Science. “We care about dimming and brightening because these phenomena may not only affect global warming, but also affect plant growth, glacier melt, the water cycle, solar power, and much more,” Wild said. Wild said he’s interested in the new hypothesis, which will require more investigation, but which could help researchers to better understand the origins of dimming and brightening, a phenomenon with broad environmental and socioeconomic implications.
The earthly cycles of water, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur and carbon All elements of the periodic chart can be found on earth in many different forms. The elements may differ in physical form and be either solid, liquid or gaseous, or they may differ in their overall form as a result of chemical reactions they have undergone. Water will circulate primarily between the oceans, the continents and the atmosphere. These are the main parts of the hydrological cycle, also known as the water cycle. As the water cycle takes place, water can be found on earth in different physical states: in solid, liquid and gaseous form. Nitrogen is a substance that is essential for all life on earth. Most nitrogen can be found in air in the gaseous form, but nitrogen can also be found in water and soil in different forms. There, it will be decomposed by bacteria and absorbed by plants and animals. Phosphorus is an element that can be found in the DNA structures of organisms. Phosphorus is the main limiting growth factor for ecosystems, because the phosphorus cycle is mainly concerned with the movement of phosphorus between continents and the ocean. Contrarily to the nitrogen cycle there is no gaseous phase found in air. Sulfur is present within every organism in small quantities, mainly in the amino acids. It can be found in air as sulfur dioxide and in water sulfuric acid and in other forms. The sulfur cycle is not only concerned with natural processes, but also with human additions through industrial processes. Carbon is a very important element, as it is a building block of all organic matter, including parts of the human body, such as proteins, fats, DNA and RNA. Carbon can mainly be found in air as carbon dioxide, but as a part of the carbon cycle it may also be dissolved in water or stored in sediments. Also available: info on matter cycles and environmental problems
So much of what we encounter each day is shaped by engineering. Engineers work in many different ways and take on many projects. Engineers take the principles of science and math and apply them directly to making things or solving problems. There are many types of engineers and your lives are touched by their work every day. Engineers help make things safe. Buildings, roads, bridges, machines, cars, toys, computers, clothes, furniture, food, bicycles, planes, rockets, boats, pens, medicines, replacement joints, artificial heart valves, and cell phones are just a short list of what engineers dream up or improve. They design rides at Disneyland and toys like the Slinky. They are involved in every step of these processes from design, manufacture, testing, and repair. Engineering is a field that offers a wide variety of opportunities for careers that are rewarding personally and financially. As you do this month's Mission, think about your future and whether you might like to be an engineer. Read more about engineering as a career. Tension (pulling) and compression (pushing) are two of the forces of motion. Understanding them helps us to understand how bridges work. Try these simple activities that illustrate the forces at work. Go to the Feeling Tense activity. Build a bridge using kitchen materials by applying a few of the things you've learned about forces. It's harder than you think to design and build a marshmallow-and-toothpick Sweet Bridge.
A rainforest sits atop Australia's Cape Melville mountain range, surrounded by granite boulders—some as big as cars or houses—piled in walls as tall as 300 feet, making it quite challenging to explore. Researchers from Queensland's James Cook University had to travel there via helicopter; once in, they discovered three species completely new to science that have probably been living isolated in the misty, rocky environment for millions of years. The blotched boulder frog hangs out in the moist gaps between the boulders; the shade skink looks like a snake—except for its legs; and the leaf-tailed gecko has, well, a tail that looks like a leaf. "The top of Cape Melville is a lost world. Finding these new species up there is the discovery of a lifetime," says one of the researchers. All three new species evolved to thrive in the rocky landscape, the Los Angeles Times reports: The gecko has big eyes to help it see in the poor light; the skink's long, narrow body helps it navigate across the boulders; and the frog, well, we'll let one of the researchers explain: "You might wonder how a frog's tadpoles can live in a 'hollow' boulder-field with no water sitting around. The answer is that the eggs are laid in moist rock cracks and the tadpoles develop within the eggs, guarded by the male, until fully-formed froglets hatch out." The frogs mate only in the rain, CNN notes. As for the aforementioned gecko, one reptile expert calls it "the strangest new species to come across my desk in 26 years." The researchers think there could be even more new species to discover there.
Learn how to use a dictation to teach reading This activity helps students focus on their reading. This ESL activity really helps the students focus on what's being read. It gives you a chance to emphasize new vocabulary words and it provides them with a model when they later read. To do this dictation activity: - Select some text or some small story from the student book. - Read the text or the story out loud. - Emphasize certain words by saying them louder, quieter or two times. It's best to underline these words in your book first. - As you emphasize certain words have your students underline them in their books. - Continue until done. - After you have finished ask your students which words you emphasized. Start from the first. Have your students tell you which was first, second, etc.
"Repetitions" and "sets" are terms used to describe how many times you do a specific exercise. - Repetitions are the number of times you continuously perform each exercise. For example, if you lift a dumbbell up and down once, that's 1 repetition (or rep). If you lift it 5 times, that's 5 - Sets are the number of times you do a certain number of repetitions. For example, if you lift the dumbbell 15 times, take a rest, and then lift it another 15 times, you have done 2 sets of 15 reps each. The number of repetitions and sets you do depends on your goals. If you want to gain strength, do a few sets of a few reps with heavy weights. However, you may want muscular tone and endurance, which means a few sets of many repetitions with light or medium weights.
A booster pump is used to increase low system pressure. Aside from it being easy to install and use, booster pumps are commonly used in water systems where contamination is low and can be applied to commercial, industrial, military and residential purposes. How a booster pump works The pump involves priming, in which the fluid is introduced into the chamber to allow the needed pressure differential for pumping at a given rate. A self-priming booster pump enables and ensures adequate vacuum level to accumulate fluid into an orifice by itself. Depending on its use, a booster pump can transport various types of media. Among the materials used to raise system pressure are the following: - Gasoline, diesel fuel and other lubricants - Other chemicals and coolants Booster pumps can be made of stainless steel, aluminum, plastic, bronze, cast iron or brass. It operates on the following power sources: - AC/DC voltage - Hydraulic systems - Gasoline/diesel fuel - Solar power Structure and features of a booster pump Booster pumps come with rotor assembly that is either in a vertical or horizontal position depending on the media’s orientation. The pump end, which is found on the motor shaft, is mounted by close-coupled pumps while the one that is on a bearing frame attached to the motor is mounted by frame-mounted pumps. A booster pump may come with the following features: - Multi-stage pump function. Pump draws compressed fluid from the first phase to consequent pressurization stages or chambers to allow higher pressure levels. - Pressure gauge. This feature is typically present in both single and multi-stage booster pumps. - Self-priming option. Pump operates without external lubrication for a given period of time. - Thermal overload protection. Pump runs continuously at a given rate. Different type of booster pumps There are some booster pumps that are created for special applications. - Wash down duty pumps. These booster pumps work better in wet and humid conditions such as in dairy plants and other food processing industries. - Sanitary pumps. This type of booster pump satisfies stringent sanitary guidelines with different classifications, among which include 3A, FDA and USDA. - Non-clog pumps. These pumps are designed to pump slurry materials that may clog other kinds of booster pumps. - Hygienic pumps. They are fully sealed to get rid of contamination or leakage. These pumps are made of stainless steel, such that it can resist corrosion. - Explosion-proof pumps. This type of booster pump shields parts that may cause ignition of the transfer media and/or its surrounding atmosphere.
“Joe” certainly was a small dinosaur, compared to adults of its kind. It was only six feet long (compared to over 25 feet long for adult duck-billed dinosaurs), so “Joe” couldn’t have been fully grown. But, could scientists get any more precise? A little bone biology turned out to be just the ticket to aging “Joe.” Even though bones are hard, they are actually made up of a dynamic, living tissue that undergoes constant remodeling, replacement, and growth. Many animals alive today lay down yearly layers in their bones—just like tree rings! Dinosaurs were no exception. So, if you slice up a dinosaur bone and count the rings under a microscope, you can figure out how old it was when it died. Let’s take a closer look at these yearly rings! Under a microscope, every tiny detail of the bone was revealed, even the spaces once occupied by blood vessels and bone cells. What do Joe’s bones look like? The researchers studying “Joe” took a small sample from the shin bone, and sliced it up very, very thin. “Joe”’s bone showed signs that it was growing very fast—lots of big blood vessels, but no yearly rings. This meant “Joe” was a very young animal—probably under a year in age! In under 12 months, “Joe” had hatched at less than the size of a human infant and grown to over six feet in length. It takes a human 15-20 years to grow that much.
When a step motor makes a move from one step to the next, the rotor doesn’t immediately stop. The rotor actually passes up its final position (overshoots), then goes past it in the opposite direction (undershoots), then moves back and forth until it finally comes to rest. We call this “ringing,” and it occurs every time the motor takes a step. In most cases, the motor is commanded to move to the next step before it comes to a rest. Unloaded, the motor exhibits a fair amount of ringing. This ringing translates into motor vibration. The motor will often stall if it is unloaded or under-loaded, because the vibration is high enough to cause the motor to lose synchronism. Loading the motor properly will dampen these vibrations. The load should require somewhere between 30% to 70% of the torque that the motor can produce, and the ratio of load inertia to rotor inertia should be between 1:1 and 10:1. For shorter, quicker moves, the ratio should be closer to 1:1 to 3:1. A step motor will exhibit much stronger vibrations when the input pulse frequency matches the natural frequency of the motor. This phenomenon is called resonance. In resonance, the overshooting and undershooting become much greater, and the chance of missing steps is much higher. The resonance range may change slightly due to the damping effect of the load’s Troubleshooting Vibration and Resonance A two-phase step motor can only miss steps in multiples of four full steps (equivalent to one tooth pitch or pole pitch). If the number of missing steps is a multiple of four, vibration or overloading may be causing a loss of synchronism. If the number of missing steps is not a multiple of four, an electronics problem is most likely the issue. There are a number of ways to get around resonance. The easiest way is to avoid the resonant speed range altogether. The resonant frequency for a two-phase motor is around 200pps; motors can be started at speeds above the resonant range. Accelerating quickly through the range is recommended if the motor must be started at a speed below the resonance range. Half stepping and microstepping are also effective means of reducing vibration. Both methods reduce the size of each motor step. When the motor step angle is made smaller, the motor will vibrate less. The motor does not have to travel as far for each step, and less energy will be wasted in overshooting and undershooting. Step motors react differently to different loads. Make sure that the motor is sized properly to the load.
There are fewer than 50,000 orangutans living in the wild, while as recently as 100 years ago, 230,000 orangutans inhabited the forests of Southeast Asia. Scientists recognize two different species of orangutan, one hailing from Borneo and the other from Sumatra. Approximately 41,000 Borneo orangutans remain in the wild, while only 7,500 Sumatran orangutans exist.Continue Reading Bornean orangutans are listed as an endangered species, while Sumatran orangutans, which are even rarer, are considered a critically endangered species. The primary reasons that orangutans are in peril is because of habitat destruction, poaching and the illegal pet trade. Female orangutans, who give birth only once every three to five years, are the most frequent targets of hunters. When they are captured with their offspring, the offspring are sold as pets. Unfortunately, only one in four to six baby orangutans reach the marketplace alive. Logging and agricultural activities destroy the primary forests that the orangutans call home. Orangutans are members of the great ape family along with humans, chimpanzees and gorillas. While they are not as closely related to humans as chimpanzees are, they share 96.4 percent of their DNA with humans. Orangutans get their name for their superficial resemblance to humans; “orangutan” is the Malay word for “person of the forest.”Learn more about Monkeys
Tubenose Taxonomy 101 Tubenose. No, it’s not part of a Shakespearean insult. Tubenoses are seabirds that belong to an order called Procellariiformes (from a Latin word for storm), and their English name refers to the tube-like structures that cover their nostrils, clearly visible on the Cory’s Shearwater below. Cory’s Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) © David J. Ringer Procellariiformes contains some of the greatest wanderers in the avian world. Some Sooty Shearwaters travel almost 40,000 miles per year in vast, jagged arcs across the Pacific Ocean. And the famous Wandering Albatross has the largest wingspan of any living bird, nearly 12 feet across in the largest individuals. It may be a surprise, then, to learn that these extremely aerial seabirds appear to be most closely to — Can you guess? — penguins. But genetic and morphological data both point to this conclusion, and additional evidence places tubenoses and penguins within a group recently dubbed Aequornithes, or “higher waterbirds.” The higher waterbird clade is a wonderfully diverse group consisting of loons, penguins, tubenoses, storks, Suliformes, herons and ibises, pelicans, the Shoebill, and the Hamerkop. Within Procellariformes, the arrangement of major groups of tubenoses is not entirely settled. Four families are often recognized: storm-petrels, albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels, and diving-petrels. But several studies suggest that the storm-petrels actually belong in two different families and that diving-petrels are embedded within the rest of the petrels and shearwaters. And species-level taxonomy of the tubenoses remains a great frontier for study and discovery. Because most of these birds nest on islands and travel enormous distances across open ocean, their breeding habits are in some cases poorly known. And some groups of species or possible species look so similar that they are virtually impossible to separate in the field, which obscures knowledge of their ranges and breeding behaviors. Much work remains to be done in this realm, but for now, let’s just take a look at the major groups within this fascinating order. Storm-petrels are very small, songbird-sized tubenoses that feed by pattering their feet on the surface of the water and picking tiny prey from the surface. As their name indicates, southern storm-petrels breed in the Southern Hemisphere (see Duncan’s photos of White-faced Storm-Petrels). Wilson’s Storm-Petrels travels north of the equator during the southern winter; Nate Swick has a great post about them. Leach’s Storm-Petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) © David J. Ringer And northern storm-petrels, similar in many respects to their southern cousins, breed, well, farther north, even into northern Europe, Japan, and Canada. It is within this group that the smallest tubenose occurs: The Least Storm-Petrel is similar in size and proportions to a Tree Swallow. The enormous albatrosses are, amazingly enough, apparently most closely related to the diminutive storm-petrels. The largest albatrosses can weigh more than a Thanksgiving turkey, with wingspans exceeding 10 and even 11 feet. They are largely, but not entirely, a Southern Hemisphere group (Duncan, once again, brings the goodness from New Zealand, and many are threatened with extinction because of manmade changes to their island strongholds and deadly fishing practices including longlining. Petrels and Shearwaters (including Diving-Petrels) Pink-footed Shearwater (Puffinus creatopus) © David J. Ringer This relatively diverse family includes a number of distinctive groups: - Fulmarine petrels, including the huge and predatory giant petrels and the more familiar Northern Fulmar; - Prions, small, almost storm-petrel-like birds that are tough to identify but (I hear) fun to watch; - Gadfly and procellarine petrels, wide-ranging and highly pelagic species; - Shearwaters, which are some of the world’s champion fliers but can also dive to depths of 200 feet in pursuit of fish and other prey (don’t miss this spectacular and eerie BBC clip, Shearwater Attack!); - Diving-petrels, Southern Hemisphere birds, small and football-shaped with small wings, built like Northern Hemisphere alcids. Do you get far enough from land to see tubenoses? Which are your favorites? To learn more about the Procellariiformes, I highly recommend Albatrosses, Petrels and Shearwaters of the World by Derek Onley and Paul Scofield.
- slide 1 of 5 What is a Chemical Equation? A chemical equation is the form of representing the chemical reaction with the help of chemical formulas of the substances involved in the reaction. Reactants are the substances that react with each other in a chemical reaction and the products are substances that are obtained after reaction. The reactants are written in the left hand side of the chemical equation and the products are written on the right hand side. The two are separated by an 'arrow' (→). Here is a simple example of a chemical equation: 2H2 + O2 → 2H2O In this chemical equation four molecules of hydrogen are combining with two molecules of oxygen (reactants) to give two molecules of water (product). If you were to count the number of atoms on either side of the equation, you would see that they are equal. - slide 2 of 5 Need for Balancing Chemical Equations When a chemical reaction occurs, the reactants are converted to products. However, the number of atoms, remains the same before and after the reaction as per the law of conservation of mass. When you write a chemical equation, a necessary step is to balance the number of atoms on both sides of the equation. For example, in the above reaction one molecule of hydrogen (H2) and an atomic form of oxygen (O) are sufficient to produce a molecule of water (H2O). But it is hard to find atomic oxygen. Hence, we represent it as molecule (O2). H2 + O2 → H2O As can be seen the amount of reactants is not equivalent to the products. Hence, it is an unbalanced equation, which has to be balanced to give the following balanced equation. 2H2 + O2 → 2 H2O - slide 3 of 5 Now, you know what a chemical equation is and why it should be balanced. Let us see how to balance these chemistry equations in a series of steps. - Take the unbalanced equation and make a note of the elements present in each side of the equation. - Now, count the number of molecules of each element present on both sides of the equation. - Here comes the task of balancing the chemical equations. You should see that same numbers of molecules of all elements are present on the reactants side as well as the products side. The equation should follow law of conservation of mass i.e. matter is neither created nor destroyed. - While balancing the equations you should only change the co-efficient of the chemical formula but not the subscripts. Changing the subscripts will change the components. - Start by balancing one element at a time. Finally check if all the elements are balanced. - slide 4 of 5 One molecule of water is formed due to combination of two molecules of hydrogen with one molecule of oxygen. H2 + O2 → H2O However, this is an unbalanced reaction because there are two oxygen molecules on the reactants side but only one in the products side. Now proceed to balance this equation. Step 1: Make a note of elements on the reactants side and products side. Products [H] [O] Step 2: Count the number of elements on each side. Reactants: [2 Hydrogen atoms] [2 Oxygen atoms] Products [2 Hydrogen atoms] [1 Oxygen atom ] Step 3: Oxygen is unbalanced. Balance it so that there are two oxygen’s on both sides. Now the equation becomes. H2 + O2 → 2 H2O Step 4: Oxygen is balanced. Check if other elements are balanced. Hydrogen is unbalanced with two hydrogen atoms in reactants and four hydrogen atoms in the products. Now make it into four hydrogen atoms by multiplying the hydrogen molecule with two. Now the equation will be 2 H2 + O2 → 2H2O So, there are four hydrogen atoms in both reactants and products and there are two oxygen atoms in both reactants and products. This means that the chemical equation is balanced. - slide 5 of 5 By using the above approach you can balance any chemistry equations. You can find some chemical equation balancing activities in the following links:
Articulation is the production of speech sounds. When speech sounds are put together in the right order, they form words. You can help your child learn to make speech sounds by: Get down at your child's level when you talk to them so they can watch how you make your sounds. Avoid using baby talk with your child. Use real words for example "train" instead of "choo choo". If you know what sound your child is trying to say, repeat it back to them the correct way (ex. 'Look at the 'nake''. 'Look at the ssssnake'.). The child does not need to imitate the correct sound back, just hearing the model is enough. Limit background noise such as TV or other electronic devices as it makes it more difficult for your child to be understood. Monitor your child's hearing ability. If your child often has colds or a history of ear infections. They may not all ways hear sounds around them. Talk to your doctor if concerned. When you or others have difficulty understanding your child's speech it is time to get help. Don't wait too long for advice about a child's articulation. A child's articulation sounds are important for learning to read and write. Speech sounds at different ages \|By 18 to 24 months most children:\| - Say the sounds 'p', 'b', 'm', 'n', 'h' (i.e. 'hi'), 'w' (i.e. 'water'), 'y' (i.e. 'yes'). - Say all syllables in a word - Puts the sounds on the ends of words (i.e. "pot", "hop") By 2 to 3 years most children: - Say the sounds 't', 'd', 'k' (i.e. 'cat'), 'g' (i.e. 'go'), 's', 'z', 'f' and 'v' - Combine 's' with another sound - 'sm', 'sn', 'sp', 'st' (i.e. smile, snap, spot, stay) Most people should understand at least 80% of what the child says. By 3 to 4 years most children: - Say the sounds 'sh' (i.e. 'shoe'), 'ch' (i.e. 'chair'), and 'j' (ie. 'jump') By 4 to 5 years most children: - Say the sounds 'l' and 'r' - 'l' and 'r' with other sounds (i.e. 'black', 'great') Can make sounds for the letters l, l clusters (i.e. bl, pl, etc.), r, r clusters (i.e. br, gr, etc.) By 5 to 6 years most children: - Have near perfect speech. Only occasional sound errors are noted. Learn more about:
Most would agree that in decision-making, any actions that maximize benefits are preferable; however, disagreements arise as to how to quantify benefits so they can be compared to the cost of an action. What dollar value, for example, should be used for a small, endangered fish? Although it may be difficult to value many intangibles with respect to the environment, policymakers must do so in order to make choices. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is an analytical way for society to make decisions about complicated issues such as education, health care, transportation, or the environment. Like most personal decisions, it involves a comparison of the costs of an action compared with considerations of the benefits of that action. However, for public policy it is formalized and quantitative. For instance, a public policy can be evaluated by calculating and weighing the benefits against the costs, once all factors have been given a common unit of measurement. When policymakers have to choose among various alternatives, they require a tool that will allow them to distinguish between the options. Decision makers can then choose the policy with the largest surplus, or overall net benefits. For example, the U.S. government is increasingly seeking more cost-effective policies in order to balance the budget. Yet, while the overall concept of CBA is simple, the steps taken to evaluate each benefit and cost can become quite complicated. The most important component of a CBA is the base situation ? or what would happen if no changes were made. All other decisions are compared to this base situation. The first step is to identify the relevant time period: when would the costs and benefits be realized? Once the base and relevant time period are established, benefits and costs can be calculated in terms of human well-being. In this case, a benefit is defined as anything that increases human well-being, and a cost is anything that decreases it. These definitions and their respective calculations tend to provoke controversy due to the use of valuation and discounting, which involves applying a mathematical formula to determine the present value of future benefits and costs. For example, a dollar today will not be worth the same amount in 50 years, its value will decrease due to inflation. Also, today's dollar could be put to other uses (foregone opportunities) which decreases its net future value in the chosen use. To account for the inevitable change in value, costs and benefits in the future are 'discounted' - or made smaller - by the value of foregone opportunities. Measuring the benefits of a policy can involve anything from additional income, to an increased quality of life, or even to a cleaner environment; costs may consist of forgone opportunities, internal and external costs, and externalities. However, in measuring costs, it is important not to confuse externalities with secondary effects: externalities result in real output changes whereas secondary effects do not. An example of this would be electricity generation, pollution is an externality while a secondary effect would be the increased cost of doing business when the price of electricity rises. The pollution actually generates new costs, such as the need to scrub sulfur dioxide from smokestacks. The increased business costs reflect the fluctuation in the price. In order to avoid double-counting, only true externalities can be included in a CBA. After all benefits and costs have been given a common unit of measurement, options can be evaluated. The ideal situation will result in Pareto improvement, some are made better-off while no one is made less well off. But ? since this is rare ? CBA is based on 'potential' Pareto improvement and economic efficiency, where the possibility exists for compensation to those who are less well off, whether or not it actually happens. A final result of a CBA is where marginal benefits and marginal costs are equal. In the graph below, this is at point Q. The surplus is illustrated by the shaded area in the graph. At equilibrium, the surplus is greatest, making it the best possible solution. If the quantity were to increase to point 1, the marginal costs would exceed the marginal benefits, meaning it would not economically efficient. If the quantity were to decrease to point -1, some of the surplus would be lost, which would also indicate inefficiency. CBA aims to maximize economic efficiency at point Q, where marginal benefit and marginal cost are equal. The uncertainty of these forecasts can create a fundamental problem when policymakers rely entirely on CBA to make a decision. Critics argue that the analysis does not take into account equity considerations. Ecological valuation and discounting are also controversial because there are many different values that certain natural resources could assume, and the discount rate chosen can have significant implications for the resulting analysis. These arguments are perhaps a good illustration of why CBA can best be used when combined with other forms of analysis. Updated by Dawn Anderson An Introduction to Cost-Benefit Analysis Thayer Watkins, a professor of economics at San Jose State University, has put together this comprehensive site about cost-benefit analysis. After explaining the key concepts, he provides a thorough example. EconEdLink: There Is Something in the Water In this lesson, students learn about cost-benefit analysis through applying economics to decisions regarding wetlands. Students will consider the development of wetlands, debate important factors involved, and then decide what course of action to take. [Grades 6-8] EconEdLink: It's a Matter of Power In this lesson, students apply cost-benefit analysis to a company's decision to switch from aluminum production to electric sales. Specific concepts include trade-offs, profit maximization, and opportunity costs. [Grades 9-12] Hussen, Ahmed, Principles of Environmental Economics, 2e. New York, NY: Routledge, 2004.
At a conference in Paris in 1900, the German mathematician David Hilbert presented a list of unsolved problems in mathematics. He ultimately put forth 23 problems that to some extent set the research agenda for mathematics in the 20th century. In the 120 years since Hilbert’s talk, some of his problems, typically referred to by number, have been solved and some are still open, but most important, they have spurred innovation and generalization. The Clay Mathematics Institute’s Millennium Prizes are a 21st-century version of Hilbert’s original proposal. ? = UNRESOLVED 1. CONTINUUM HYPOTHESIS. To mathematicians, all infinities are not the same. The infinity of the counting numbers — 1, 2, 3, … — is smaller than the infinity of all the real numbers. And there are towers of still greater infinities beyond the reals. Hilbert’s first problem, also known as the continuum hypothesis, is the statement that there is no infinity in between the infinity of the counting numbers and the infinity of the real numbers. In 1940, Kurt Gödel showed that the continuum hypothesis cannot be proved using the standard axioms of mathematics. In 1963, Paul Cohen showed it cannot be disproved, making the continuum hypothesis independent of the axioms of mathematics. ? 2.THE COMPATIBILITY OF THE STANDARD AXIOMS OF ARITHMETIC. Hilbert’s second problem was to prove that arithmetic is consistent, that is, that no contradictions arise from the basic assumptions he had put forth in one of his papers. This problem has been partially resolved in the negative: Kurt Gödel showed with his incompleteness theorems in 1931 that it is impossible to prove the consistency of a system called Peano arithmetic using only the axioms of Peano arithmetic. Mathematicians debate whether Gödel’s work is a satisfying resolution to the problem. 3. EQUIDECOMPOSABILITY. Any polygon can be cut into a finite number of polygonal pieces and reassembled into the shape of any other polygon with the same area. Hilbert’s third problem — the first to be resolved — is whether the same holds for three-dimensional polyhedra. Hilbert’s student Max Dehn answered the question in the negative, showing that a cube cannot be cut into a finite number of polyhedral pieces and reassembled into a tetrahedron of the same volume. 4. THE STRAIGHT LINE AS THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN POINTS. Hilbert’s fourth problem is about what happens when you relax the rules of Euclidean geometry. Specifically, what geometries can exist in which a straight line is the shortest distance between two points but in which some axioms of Euclidean geometry are abandoned? Some mathematicians consider the problem too vague to have a real resolution, but there are solutions for some interpretations of the question. 5. UNDERSTANDING LIE GROUPS. Hilbert’s fifth problem concerns Lie groups, which are algebraic objects that describe continuous transformations. Hilbert’s question is whether Lie’s original framework, which assumes that certain functions are differentiable, works without the assumption of differentiability. In 1952, Andrew Gleason, Deane Montgomery and Leo Zippin answered the question, showing that the same theory arises whether differentiability is assumed or not. Some mathematicians have interpreted the question differently and consequently have different answers. ? 6.THE AXIOMATIZATION OF PHYSICS. One of Hilbert’s primary concerns was to understand the foundations of mathematics and, if none existed, to develop rigorous foundations by reducing a system to its basic truths, or axioms. Hilbert’s sixth problem is to extend that axiomatization to branches of physics that are highly mathematical. Some progress has been made in placing some fields of physics on axiomatic foundations, but because there is no ‘theory of everything’ in physics yet, a general axiomatization has not occurred. 7. IRRATIONALITY AND TRANSCENDENCE OF CERTAIN NUMBERS. A number is called algebraic if it can be the zero of a polynomial with rational coefficients. For example, 2 is a zero of the polynomial x − 2, and √2 is a zero of the polynomial x2 − 2. Algebraic numbers can be either rational or irrational; transcendental numbers like π are irrational numbers that are not algebraic. Hilbert’s seventh problem concerns powers of algebraic numbers. Consider the expression ab, where a is an algebraic number other than 0 or 1 and b is an irrational algebraic number. Must ab be transcendental? In 1934, Aleksandr Gelfond showed that the answer is yes. ? 8.PROBLEMS OF PRIME NUMBERS. Hilbert’s eighth problem includes the famous Riemann hypothesis, along with some other questions about prime numbers. ? 9.RECIPROCITY LAWS AND ALGEBRAIC NUMBER FIELDS. Hilbert’s ninth problem is on algebraic number fields, extensions of the rational numbers to include, say, √2 or certain complex numbers. Hilbert asked for the most general form of a reciprocity law in any algebraic number field, that is, the conditions that determine which polynomials can be solved within the number field. Partial solutions by Emil Artin, Teiji Takagi and Helmut Hasse have pushed the field further, although the question has not been answered in full. The closely related 12th problem, which deals with other extensions of the rational numbers, is unresolved. 10. SOLVABILITY OF A DIOPHANTINE EQUATION. Polynomial equations in a finite number of variables with integer coefficients are known as Diophantine equations. Equations like x2 − y3 = 7 and x2 + y2 = z2 are examples. For centuries, mathematicians have wondered whether certain Diophantine equations have integer solutions. Hilbert’s 10th problem asks whether there is an algorithm to determine whether a given Diophantine equation has integer solutions or not. In 1970, Yuri Matiyasevich completed a proof that no such algorithm exists. ? 11.ARBITRARY QUADRATIC FORMS. Hilbert’s 11th problem also concerns algebraic number fields. A quadratic form is an expression, like x2 + 2xy + y2, with integer coefficients in which each term has unknowns raised to a total degree of 2. The number 9 can be represented using integers in the above quadratic form — set x equal to 1 and y equal to 2 — but the number 8 cannot be represented by integers in that quadratic form. Some different quadratic forms can represent the same sets of whole numbers. Hilbert asked for a way to classify quadratic forms to determine whether two forms represent the same set of numbers. Some progress has been made, but the question is unresolved. ? 12.EXTENSION OF KRONEKER’S THEOREM ON ABELIAN FIELDS TO ANY ALGEBRAIC REALM OF RATIONALITY. With his 12th problem, Hilbert sought to generalize a theorem about the structure of certain extensions of the rational numbers to other number fields. It is currently unresolved. 13. SEVENTH-DEGREE POLYNOMIALS. Hilbert’s 13th problem is about equations of the form x7 + ax3 + bx2 + cx + 1 = 0. He asked whether solutions to these functions can be written as the composition of finitely many two-variable functions. (Hilbert believed they could not be.) In 1957, Andrey Kolmogorov and Vladimir Arnold proved that each continuous function of n variables — including the case in which n = 7 — can be written as a composition of continuous functions of two variables. However, if stricter conditions than mere continuity are imposed on the functions, the question is still open. 14. FINITENESS OF CERTAIN SYSTEMS OF FUNCTIONS. The motivation for Hilbert’s 14th problem came from previous work he had done showing that algebraic structures called rings arising in a particular way from larger structures must be finitely generated; that is, they could be described using only a finite number of building blocks. Hilbert asked whether the same was true for a broader class of rings. In 1958 Masayoshi Nagata resolved the question by finding a counterexample. ? 15.RIGOROUS FOUNDATION OF SCHUBERT’S ENUMERATIVE CALCULUS. Hilbert’s 15th problem is another question of rigor. He called for mathematicians to put Schubert’s enumerative calculus, a branch of mathematics dealing with counting problems in geometry, on a rigorous footing. Mathematicians have come a long way on this, though the problem is not completely resolved. ? 16.TOPOLOGY OF ALGEBRAIC CURVES AND SURFACES. Hilbert’s 16th problem is an expansion of grade school graphing questions. An equation of the form ax + by = c is a line; an equation with squared terms is a conic section of some form — parabola, ellipse or hyperbola. Hilbert sought a more general theory of the shapes that higher-degree polynomials could have. So far the question is unresolved, even for polynomials with the relatively small degree of 8. 17. EXPRESSION OF DEFINITE FORMS BY SQUARES. Some polynomials with inputs in the real numbers always take non-negative values; an easy example is x2 + y2. Hilbert’s 17th problem asks whether such a polynomial can always be written as the sum of squares of rational functions (a rational function is the quotient of two polynomials). In 1927, Emil Artin solved the question in the affirmative. 18. BUILDING UP OF SPACE FROM CONGRUENT POLYHEDRA. Hilbert’s 18th problem is a collection of several questions in Euclidean geometry. First, for each n, does Euclidean space of dimension n have only a finite number of fundamentally distinct translation-invariant symmetries? In 1910, Ludwig Bieberbach answered this part of the question in the affirmative. Second, in a tiling of the plane by squares, any square can be mapped to any other square. Such a tiling, in any dimension, is called isohedral. This part of the problem concerns the existence of non-isohedral tilings in three-dimensional space. In 1928, Karl Reinhardt found such a tiling. (Later, Heinrich Heesch found a tiling in two-dimensional space; though Hilbert did not say why he did not ask the same question about two-dimensional space; many people assume it is because he did not realize such a tiling could exist there.) Finally, what is the densest way to pack spheres? In 1998, Thomas Hales presented a computer-aided proof showing that the typical configuration in produce stands is indeed optimal. 19 and 20. ARE THE SOLUTIONS OF REGULAR PROBLEMS IN THE CALCULUS OF VARIATIONS ALWAYS NECESSARILY ANALYTIC? Do solutions in general exist? The calculus of variations is a field concerned with optimizing certain types of functions called functionals. In his 19th and 20th problems, Hilbert asked whether certain classes of problems in the calculus of variations have solutions (his 20th) and, if so, whether those solutions are particularly smooth (19th). 21. LINEAR DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS WITH PRESCRIBED MONODROMY. Hilbert’s 21st problem is about the existence of certain systems of differential equations with given singular points and the systems’ behavior around those points, called monodromy. Josip Plemelj published what was believed to be a solution in 1908, though much later Andrei Bolibrukh found a counterexample to Plemelj’s work, showing that such systems of equations do not have to exist. ? 22. UNIFORMIZATION. Hilbert’s 22nd problem asks whether every algebraic or analytic curve — solutions to polynomial equations — can be written in terms of single-valued functions. The problem has been resolved in the one-dimensional case and continues to be studied in other cases. ? 23. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE CALCULUS OF VARIATIONS. The calculus of variations has undergone robust development — including the solutions to the 19th and 20th problems — in the 120 years since Hilbert posed these questions. But Hilbert’s phrasing does not specifically indicate a clear endpoint, so this ‘problem’ can never be considered resolved per se.
Mapping Scientific Concepts through Nature Play in Early Childhood Education: Achieving Excellence in STEM through Evidence-Based Pedagogies This project will forge new knowledge about nature play pedagogies and how they can support children’s scientific learning in early childhood education. It aims to determine how young children’s (4-5 years) learning of scientific concepts can be supported through nature play. Throughout Australia there has been an increased interest and engagement with nature play pedagogies in kindergartens. How these are approached are very diverse and with only limited opportunities for training and external support their effectiveness is mostly untested. This world first study will explicitly research nature play in early childhood education, with the view of deeply engaging with educators and children about the meanings and purpose of nature play and the aim of pedagogies that are used to achieve these goals. - What are early childhood educators’ conceptions of nature play and its associated scientific concepts? - What are young children’s conceptions of nature play and its associated scientific concepts? - How can nature play pedagogies best support young children’s learning of scientific concepts? Watch the recording of the Seminar & Launch of the project below:
Posted: September 7th, 2021 Skill Builder: Annotated OutlineAn outline is the scaffold upon which you build your paper. You probably already use a mental outline when you plan a paper, perhaps without even being aware of it. Writing the outline can give you a visualization of your plan. An outline provides both focus and direction for the paper, shows where relevant points and arguments need to be made and also identifies areas where more supportive evidence is needed.What is an annotated outline?Because you are writing a research paper, your paper is built around the research findings that you located in your search.When you prepare an annotated outline, you will note the research that supports each section of the paper. This will help you see any areas that need further research to support them.The following example may help support the transition of your paper from a collection of research notes to a fully developed paper.Suppose the research topic you chose was the relation of childhood bullying to self-esteem. The title of your paper is: Self-esteem in childhood bullying.When researching the paper, you found conflicting research results. Some research showed that children with low self-esteem tended to bully others, while other research showed that children with extremely high self-esteem were bullies. Looking closer, you began to see that this research could be divided into studies investigating different variables, such as gender, age, and ethnic background. Now, you want to turn this into a research report.An annotated outline might look like this (all citations are fictional):Topic: The relation of childhood bullying to self-esteem: Too much or too little?Overview of childhood bullyingDefinitions of bullying (Simpson, 2010; O’Connor, 2008)Types of bullying (Yang, 2009; Sinisi, 2011)Self-esteem in childhoodDefinitions of self-esteem (Whitefield, 2009)Impact of self-esteem on behavior in childhood (Liebermann, 2010)Research on the relation of self-esteem to bullying in childhoodGender, self-esteem, and childhood bullyingSelf-esteem and same-gender bullyingSelf-esteem in boys bullying boys (Pryzborski, 2012)Self-esteem in girls bullying girlsSelf-esteem in opposite-gender or non-gender specific bullying in childhood (no research found)Age, self-esteem in childhood bullyingSelf-esteem and bullying from 6-9 (Brennan, 2011)Self-esteem and bullying from 9-12 (Mendez, 2010; Lee, 2011)Family structure, self-esteem, and childhoodSelf-esteem and bullying in children in single-parent families (Shams, 2012)Self-esteem and bulling in children in dual-parent families (Mugaddam, 2011)Ethnicity, self-esteem and childhood bullyingInter-ethnic bullying and self-esteem (Jacinto, 2009; Akbarzadeh, 2010)Intra-ethnic bullying and self-esteem (Lawrence, 2011)ConclusionsSummary and suggestions for future studiesReferencesPreparing an annotated outline in this way will give you a way to organize and clarify your plans. Additionally, it gives your instructor a chance to provide feedback on the proposed structure of the paper before you begin to write. You can also see which subtopics you need to research further before proceeding with the final draft.AssignmentThis week, you will develop an annotated outline that will help support the transition of your paper from a collection of research notes to a full-blown paper. Preparing an annotated outline in this way will give you a way to organize and clarify your plans and allow your instructor a chance to give you feedback on the proposed structure of the paper before you begin to write it. You can also see which subtopics you need to research further before proceeding with the final draft.One way of talking about outlines is to describe an outline as a pre-writing outline, or as a reverse outline. The prewriting outline is prepared before the paper is written, so you can see the plan you want to follow. Some people, however, must write their ideas out before they take shape; if that is your preferred approach, you can use a reverse outline method. Write out a draft, then go back and try to outline it. If you cannot find the structure in your paper, then you probably need to do some serious revisions. Think of a pre-writing outline as scaffolding, and a reverse outline as an X-ray of your paper.When you prepare an annotated outline, you will note the research that supports each section of the paper. This will help you see any areas that need further research to support them.Here are some great resources, located under your weekly resources, for Reverse Outlining:Purdue Online Writing Lab: Reverse OutliningUNC, The Writing Center: Reverse OutlineSupport your work with at least 10 peer-reviewed research articles published in the past five years.Length: 2-3 pages, plus reference list in proper APA formatYour outline should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts that are presented in the course and provide new thoughts and insights relating directly to this topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be sure to adhere to Northcentral University’s Academic Integrity Policy.Upload your document and click the Submit to Dropbox button. Your instructor will review the outline and provide feedback including the go-ahead to proceed with your Signature Assignment.Due DateSep 5, 2021 11:59 PM Place an order in 3 easy steps. Takes less than 5 mins.
If you’ve ever been to a class where the teacher has been counting, or you’ve watched Animal Planet, you may have been inspired by the idea of a Farm Animals Counting Worksheet. If you are, then it’s time to think seriously about making a Worksheet using Farm Animals that can help your student learn math skills and increase their ability to think in a way that helps the whole classroom. The math worksheets are easy to make if you have a basic knowledge of math. If you don’t know how to make one, just read on and you’ll soon be making your own. Farm Animals Counting Worksheet Farm Animals count and color in the animals. The teacher assigns students to color in animals on one side of the sheet and then mark how many animals they have on the other side. Students are supposed to follow a pattern and use the same number of colors for each animal. Once students have marked all the animals on the sheet, they then divide the sheet in half and write the animals’ names in the appropriate spaces on the right-hand side. Then students must count the number of animals that are on each of the left-hand sides. Then they put all of the animals they’ve marked on the right into the corresponding spaces on the left-hand side of the Worksheet. For the animal on the left that is a member of a group, students have to mark the name of the group. The first animal group is the Family. These animals include cows, chickens, turkeys, fish, rabbits, snakes, and other creatures. The Family includes different breeds and ages of these animals. Once students have finished marking the members of the Family, they can create groups for each of the types of animals by putting animals together with their family members. For instance, if there were three animals of a particular kind and one of them was a baby, the baby should be in group A, the second animal in the group should be in group B, and the third animal in group C. By putting the members of the groups together, students can begin to organize their groups to show how many of each kind of animal are in each group. When students have grouped their animals, they can use the Count by Name Worksheet to help them identify the animals and their name. The Count by Name Worksheet works as a traditional Math Worksheet in that students have to identify the animal, and its family. Then they use the formula for addition and subtraction to find out what is on both sides of the sheet and write it down. Students then have to count the total numbers of that are in each group. The next animal is the Family of Animal. When students have finished counting the animals, they can use the subtraction and addition formulas to find the total number of animals on the left side of the sheet. After students have identified the animals on each side of the sheet, students need to write down the names of the animals. They have to write down how many of each breed there are and how many animals are members of the breed. This includes the number of parents, children, grand parents, brothers, sisters, and parents. In addition, students must write down how many siblings the animal has. Finally, they have to write the age of the animal and their gender. Now you’re ready to test the Farm Animals Counting Worksheet! Before you start the project, make sure that you explain to students that this is a fun activity and that they need to focus and keep their eyes open while writing down the information. You can even have them record it and review it when they are tired!
Silica Gel 100-200 mesh Fia grade A gel is a solid jelly-like material that can have properties ranging from soft and weak to hard and tough. Gels are defined as a substantially dilute cross-linked system, which exhibits no flow when in the steady-state. By weight, gels are mostly liquid, yet they behave like solids due to a three-dimensional cross-linked network within the liquid. It is the crosslinking within the fluid that gives a gel its structure (hardness) and contributes to the adhesive stick (tack). In this way gels are a dispersion of molecules of a liquid within a solid in which the solid is the continuous phase and the liquid is the discontinuous phase. The word gel was coined by 19th-century Scottish chemist Thomas Graham by clipping from gelatin.
Quantum computers promise to revolutionize countless fields of science and industry from drug research to astrophysics to climate. Though progress so far is impressive, quantum computers nowadays are unstable as the field is still in its infancy. One of challenge is building a machine with enough qubits so the performance of the quantum computer can exceed that of a conventional architecture computer. Now, an international team of physicists have proposed a novel blueprint for a quantum computer that could be comprised of anywhere from a couple to billions of qubits (quantum bits) thanks to its modular design. The plan for a large-scale quantum computer — it could be as big as a football field Classical computers, like your smartphone or laptop, work with a fundamental unit of information called a ‘bit’ whose value can either be ‘1’ or ‘0’. A quantum system, however, can assign information the values ‘1’, ‘0’ or both at the same time. It’s akin to saying a switch is both on and off at the same time which in day to day life makes absolutely no sense, but in the quantum domain few things are reasonable from our perspective. This ambiguity is possible due to the superposition of states and if we could leverage this quantum phenomenon information can be computer in parallel. Two qubits can perform operations on four values, three on eight values and so on in powers of two. As such, a quantum computer could be billions of times faster than a normal silicon computer built on a von Neumann architecture. Scientists are struggling, however, to make machines with more than a dozen qubits because decoherence causes the qubits to lose their superposition. They become regular 1s and 0s, and in this case a 10bit machine worth millions is worthless. D-Wave, a private company who’s sold quantum machines to the likes of NASA and Google, claims it now offers a 2,000 qubit machine but that’s misleading, according to many experts who believe D-Wave’s quantum annealing approach doesn’t actually solve problems like a quantum computer ought to. The challenges of building a practical quantum computer are immense, but a group of scientists says they have a good plan. The collaboration consists of specialists from Google, Denmark’s Aarhus University, the Riken research institute in Japan, the University of Sussex in the U.K., and the University of Siegen in Germany. “We’re using some new concepts that tremendously simplify how to build a quantum computer,” said Winfried Hensinger who is the director of the Ion Quantum Technology Group at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom. The quantum computers shown thus far use ion traps comprised of lasers that cool ions in an already cryogenic environment to reach almost absolute zero. At this temperature molecules almost common to a halt (temperature is a measure of molecular agitation) and weird quantum effects come into effects — that’s what we want. But this sort of architecture is extremely expensive to maintain and involves machines the size of a car to run a couple of qubits. That might sound very disappointing but this is how science works. Some of the first digital computers in the world from the 40s only had a couple of bits of memory and were the size of a room. Look at where we are now. “It is the Holy Grail of science, really, to build a quantum computer,” Hensinger told The Independent. “And we are now publishing the actual nuts-and-bolts construction plan for a large-scale quantum computer,” he added. What Hensinger and colleagues are proposing is radically different from previous approaches. Their blueprint details the plan for the construction of a modular quantum computer that uses microwaves and the application of voltages instead of lasers to make the gate system work. In the new architecture, junctions — each consisting of four electrodes that look like a crossroad when they meet — control the movement of the charged ions. The microwaves entangle ions in pairs, meaning a change in state in one ion immediately causes a change in the entangled particle, To push information from one module to the next, electric fields are used to push the ions. When the ion are first entangled, the 1s or 0s are encoded but we don’t know their values. The value is determined once the ion reaches the detection zone where a laser reads it. Everything can run at room temperature unlike the superconducting models previously demonstrated. The physicists envision in a paper published in Science Advances modules made of 2.2 million junctions. Each module measures 4.3 meters (14 ft.) on a side and thousands of such modules could be connected to one another. A thousand modules, for instance, would occupy a whole football field and have 2 billion ions or just as many qubits. Next, the team plans on putting their blueprint to good use with a functional prototype. Such a machine made as described in this paper could be ready in two years. Meanwhile, industry partners are invited to collaborate seeing how the full scale quantum machine could cost around $100 million. Theory and practice don’t always come together. We can only cross our fingers this design will work as intended. If so, it would truly be a game changer for science. If you’d like to learn more about this project and quantum computing in general, check out Dr. Hensinger’s one hour talk below.
Forces & Motion www.hse.k12.in.us/staff/tjohnson Newton’s First Law • Newton’s First Law of Motion • An object at rest will remain at rest and an object in motion will continue moving at a constant velocity unless acted upon by a net force. Newton’s Second Law • Newton’s Second Law of Motion • The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the net force acting on it and inversely proportional to its mass. F = ma F a m Newton’s Second Law F m F = ma F: force (N) m: mass (kg) a: accel (m/s2) 1 N = 1 kg ·m/s2 F a m Calculations • What force would be required to accelerate a 40 kg mass by 4 m/s2? GIVEN: F = ? m = 40 kg a = 4 m/s2 WORK: F = ma F = (40 kg)(4 m/s2) F = 160 N F a m Calculations • A 4.0 kg shotput is thrown with 30 N of force. What is its acceleration? GIVEN: m = 4.0 kg F = 30 N a = ? WORK: a = F ÷ m a = (30 N) ÷ (4.0 kg) a = 7.5 m/s2 F a m Calculations • Mr. Keller weighs 745 N. What is his mass? GIVEN: F(W) = 745 N m = ? a(g) = 9.8 m/s2 WORK: m = F ÷ a m = (745 N) ÷ (9.8 m/s2) m = 76.0 kg
🕑 Reading time: 1 minute Soil investigation is carried out to estimate the engineering properties of soils, which depends on soil structure, i.e. nature of soil grains and their arrangement, volume of air and water (degree of saturation and porosity). Since these properties of soil varies from one location to another, the program of soil investigation need to be evolved for each project. The soil investigation should provide adequate data and make appropriate recommendations supported by proper calculations in respect of the following: 1. The type of foundation required 2. Allowable bearing capacity for the foundation 3. Total and differential settlement that would occur in the foundation 4. Highest groundwater level ever reached 5. Anticipated construction problems and suggested solutions (sheep piling, dewatering, boulder/rock excavation, differential settlement, damage to adjacent property, environment etc.) Soil investigation must conform to the provisions in IS1892 – 1979. The scope of soil investigation is indicated in clause 2.1 and 2.2 of this code. ASTM D5434-12 - Standard Guide for Field Logging of Subsurface Explorations of Soil and Rock is the standard code used in USA. A copy of the surveyed site plan and layout plan of buildings indicating the type and sizes of the buildings are required. It is essential that the location of bore holes together with the reduced levels are marked on the site plan. Fig: Soil investigation To determine the nature and extent of detailed soil investigation, a preliminary investigation is necessary as stipulated in para 3.1.1 of IS1892 – 1979. Knowing the type of superstructure, the first step is to inspect the site and its neighborhood and collect the information about the soil profile, type of foundation generally adopted and to guess the presumptive allowable bearing pressure for the soil. This is done through reconnaissance and simple visual / manual tests. If soil investigation details are not available for nearby sites, a test pit or a bore hole may be dug to examine the soil at foundation level. Knowledge of regional soil deposits corresponding to the locality, prevalent practices of subsoil investigation and foundation design greatly facilitate drawing up an appropriate program of soul investigation. Major regional soil deposits of India are – Alluvial soils, black cotton soils, laterites, desert soils and submarine soils. For details about soil types in India, reference can be made to Indian contributions to Geotechnical Engineering published by Indian Geotechnical Society for sources of information of the regional deposits. More Posts on Soil Investigation
#001A Introduction to Deep Learning Introduction to Deep Learning as taught by ANDREW NG, DEEP LEARNING course Deep learning is a sub-field of machine learning that is rapidly rising and is driving a lot of developments that has already transformed traditional internet businesses like web search and advertising. In the past couple of years, deep learning has gotten good from reading X-ray images, to delivering personalized education, precision agriculture, and even to self-driving cars. Over the next decades, we will have an opportunity to build an amazing world and society that is AI powered, and maybe you will play a big role in the creation of this AI powered society. What exactly is AI? AI is the new electricity. About 100 years ago, the electrification of our society has transformed every major industry like, transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, communication and many more. Today, deep learning is one of the most highly sought skills and technology in the world. What is a neural network? A neural network is the mathematical model of the human brain and nervous system. Let’s start with the house price prediction example. Suppose that you have a dataset with six houses and we know the price and the size of these houses. We want to fit a function to predict the price of these houses with respect to its size. If you are familiar with linear regression, we will put a straight line through these data points. Since we know that our prices cannot be negative, we end up with a horizontal line that passes through 0. The blue line is the function for predicting the price of the house as a function of its size. You can think of this function as a very simple neural network. The input to the neural network is the size of a house, denoted by $x $, which goes into a node (usually a single neuron) and then outputs the predicted price, which we denote by $y $. If this is a neural network with a single neuron, a much larger neural network is formed by taking many of the single neurons and stacking them together. You can think of this neuron as a single Lego brick. You form a bigger neural network by stacking together many of these Lego bricks. An example of a basic Neural Network with more features is illustrated in the following image. Supervised Learning with Neural Networks There has been a lot of hype about neural networks, and perhaps some of that hype is justified, given how well they work. Yet, it turns out that so far, almost all the economic value created by neural networks has been through one type of machine learning called, supervised learning. Let’s see what that means and go over some examples. In supervised learning, we have some input x, and we want to learn a function mapping to some output y. For instance, just like in the house price prediction application our input was some features of a home and our goal was to estimate the price of a home, y. Here are some other examples where neural networks have been applied very effectively. \|Input (x)\|\|Output (y)\|\|Application\|\|Neural Network Type\| \|Home features\|\|Price\|\|Real Estate\|\|Standard NN\| \|Ad, Users info\|\|Click on an ad? (0/1)\|\|Online Advertising\|\|Standard NN\| \|Image\|\|Object (1, … ,1000)\|\|Photo tagging\|\|CNN\| \|Audio\|\|Text transcripts\|\|Speech recognition\|\|RNN\| \|Image, Radars info\|\|Position of other cars\|\|Autonomous driving\|\|Custom/Hybrid\| We might input an image and want to output an index from one to a thousand, trying to tell if this picture might be one of a thousand different image classes. This can be used for photo tagging. The recent progress in speech recognition has also been very exciting. Now you can input an audio clip to a neural network and can have it output a text transcript. Machine translation has also made huge strikes thanks to deep learning where now you can have a neural network input an English sentence and directly output a Chinese sentence. In autonomous driving, you might input a picture of what’s in front of your car as well as some information from a radar and based on that your network can be trained to tell you the position of the other cars on the road. This becomes a key component in autonomous driving systems. Different types of neural networks are useful for different applications. - In the real estate application, we use a universally Standard Neural Network architecture. - For image applications, we’ll often use Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). - Audio is most naturally represented as a one-dimensional time series or as a one-dimensional temporal sequence. Hence, for sequence data, we often use the Recurrent Neural Network (RNN). - Language, English and Chinese, the alphabets or the words come one at a time and language is also represented as a sequence data. RNNs are often used for these applications. - For more complex applications, like autonomous driving, where you have an image and radar info it is possible to end up with a more custom or some more complex, hybrid neural network architecture. Neural Networks examples Structured and Unstructured Data Machine learning is applied to both Structured Data and Unstructured Data. Structured Data means basically databases of data. For example, in house price prediction, you might have a database or the column that tells you the size and the number of bedrooms. In predicting whether or not a user will click on an ad, we might have information about the user, such as the age, some information about the ad, and then labels that you’re trying to predict. Structured data means, that each of the features, such as a size of the house, the number of bedrooms, or the age of a user, have a very well-defined meaning. In contrast, unstructured data refers to things like audio, raw audio, or images where you might want to recognize what’s in the image or text. Here, the features might be the pixel values in an image or the individual words in a piece of text. Thanks to neural networks, computers are now much better at interpreting unstructured data as compared to just a few years ago. This creates opportunities for many new exciting applications that use speech recognition, image recognition, natural language processing of text. This was not possible to be developed even just two or three years. Neural networks have transformed Supervised Learning and are creating tremendous economic value. It turns out that the basic technical ideas behind neural networks have mostly been around for many decades. So, why is it then that they’re only just now taking off and working so well? More resources on the topic: For more resources about deep learning, check these other sites. - Introduction into deep learning, towardsdatascience. - Intro into deep learning, medium. - How to overcome the plateau problem. - Binary Classification.
Welcome to the PRO EDU tutorial site. Trusted by photographers in 160+ countries to learn advanced photography, post-production, and workflow methods. Subscribe and access everything or purchase and download tutorials individually. Access from anywhere and download to any mobile device. Learn the definition of color. Examine it as a wavelength of light and how we perceive the spectrum. Consider the phycological, emotional and even physical responses color can elicit from us. Examine the specific influence of the color blue. Expand upon the definition of color by breaking down its individual properties. Define and visualize the properties of hue, saturation, and luminosity. Understand concepts such as tinting, shading, toning, low-key vs high-key imagery. Focus on the interdependent nature of color's properties to be... With the definition of color and its 3 main properties, examine the visible spectrum of light in the construct of a color wheel. Compare the RGB and CMYK color models. Define complementary, primary, secondary and tertiary colors. Examine the specific influence of the color green. Define and understand the concept of Color Harmony. Visualize color comparing and contrasting monochromatic, complementary, split complementary, double split complementary, triadic, quadratic and analogous harmonies. Examine the specific influence of the color orange.
How to Avoid Serum Biocompatibility testing was developed to determine how much of an immune reaction a particular client will have to any given material. A blood sample is drawn and spun on a centrifuge in order to separate the blood cells from the blood serum. The cells are discarded and the serum, which contains all of the free-floating antibodies and other blood proteins, is collected for testing. A small sample of the serum is then mixed with the individual chemical components that may be found in dental materials. If the chemicals would cause an immune reaction in the body, then the antibodies present in the serum will bind the chemicals and form an antibody complex making the mixture look cloudy. This is known as a protein fallout reaction. A simple but elegant machine called a light densitometer is then used to measure the opacity of each serum-chemical mixture, and the chemical is then judged according to protocols originally developed by Dr. Hal Huggins and refined over decades of testing. For the dentist’s convenience the classifications “Highly Reactive,” “Moderately Reactive,” and “Least Reactive,” are used to aid in understanding the results. Each product on the test is then rated by the highest reactivity level among its component chemicals. This assures that only the products in which all components give the lowest reaction levels are termed “Least Reactive.”
How electricity is generated In 1831, scientist Michael Faraday discovered that when a magnet is moved inside a coil of wire, an electric current flows in the wire. An electricity generator is a device that converts a form of energy into electricity. Generators operate because of the relationship between magnetism and electricity. Generators that convert kinetic (mechanical) energy into electrical energy produce nearly all of the electricity that consumers use. A common method of producing electricity is from generators with an electromagnet—a magnet produced by electricity—not a traditional magnet. The generator has a series of insulated coils of wire that form a stationary cylinder. This cylinder surrounds a rotary electromagnetic shaft. When the electromagnetic shaft rotates, it induces a small electric current in each section of the wire coil. Each section of the wire coil becomes a small, separate electric conductor. The small currents of the individual sections combine to form one large current. This current is the electricity that moves through power lines from generators to consumers. Source: Adapted from Energy for Keeps (public domain) Most of U.S. electricity generation is from electric power plants that use a turbine or similar machine to drive electricity generators. A turbine converts the potential and kinetic energy of a moving fluid (liquid or gas) to mechanical energy. In a turbine generator, a moving fluid—such as water, steam, combustion gases, or air—pushes a series of blades mounted on a shaft, which rotates the shaft connected to a generator. The generator, in turn, converts the mechanical energy to electrical energy based on the relationship between magnetism and electricity. Different types of turbines include steam turbines, combustion (gas) turbines, water (hydroelectric) turbines, and wind turbines. In steam turbines, hot water and steam are produced by burning a fuel in a boiler or by using a heat exchanger to capture heat from a fluid heated with, for example, solar or geothermal energy. The steam drives a turbine, which powers a generator. The fuels or energy sources used for steam turbines include biomass, coal, geothermal energy, petroleum fuels, natural gas, nuclear energy, and solar thermal energy. Most of the largest electric power plants in the United States have steam turbines. Combustion gas turbines, which are similar to jet engines, burn gaseous or liquid fuels to produce hot gases to turn the blades in the turbine. Internal combustion engines, such as diesel engines, are also used to produce mechanical energy to operate electricity generators. Diesel-engine generators are used in many remote villages in Alaska and are widely used for power supply at construction sites and for emergency or backup power supply for buildings and power plants. Diesel-engine generators can use a variety of fuels including petroleum diesel, biodiesel, natural gas, biogas, and propane. Small internal combustion engine generators fueled with gasoline, natural gas, or propane are commonly used by construction crews and tradespeople and for emergency power supply for homes. Combined-heat-and-power (CHP) plants, sometimes called cogenerators, use the heat that is not directly converted to electricity in a steam turbine, combustion turbine, or an internal combustion engine generator for other purposes, such as space heating or industrial process heat. Some power plants use the unused heat or combustion gases from one turbine, such as a gas turbine, to generate more electricity in another turbine, such as a steam turbine. This system of two separate generators using a single fuel source is called a combined cycle. CHP and combined-cycle power plants are some of the most efficient ways to convert a fuel into useful energy. Electricity generators that do not use turbines include solar photovoltaic cells, which convert sunlight directly into electricity, and fuel cells, which convert fuels, such as hydrogen, into electricity through a chemical process. - The share of total U.S. utility-scale electricity generation in 2018 by major types of electricity generators - steam turbines61% - combustion turbines24% - hydroelectric turbines7% - wind turbines7% - solar photovoltaic systems1% - internal combustion engines<1% Last updated: November 5, 2019
Snakes are a very diverse group of present-day reptiles, with nearly 3,600 known species. They are readily recognized by their long bodies and lack of limbs. The origin of snakes from lizard-like precursors with paired limbs has long been a controversial subject. This reflects the lack of fossils and conflicting results from phylogenetic assessments using molecules and anatomy, respectively. Thus a 2015 report announcing discovery of a 110-million-year-old skeleton of a snake-like reptile from the Cretaceous of Brazil generated worldwide interest. Many researchers relate snakes to land-dwelling lizards such as monitor lizards and infer a burrowing or semi-burrowing ancestral mode of life to account for the evolution of the snake body plan. Some paleontologists noted a suite of anatomical features that links snakes to a group of Cretaceous-age marine lizards, the mosasaurs, and argue that snakes originally evolved in an aquatic setting. The subject of the 2015 report is an articulated 20 cm long skeleton of a snake-like reptile from the Cretaceous of Brazil. Named Tetrapodophis (“four-footed snake”), this fossil has a long body with some 160 vertebrae in front of the tail but also four very small limbs. Such a combination of features had never been observed in any lizard or snake. Tetrapodophis purportedly showed that body elongation preceded loss of limbs in the evolution of snakes and thus gained international attention as a “transitional fossil.” Recently a team of researchers led by Michael W. Caldwell (University of Alberta) has carefully re-examined the only known fossil of Tetrapodophis. They found that this reptile lacks many key features of snakes in its skull and vertebral column. Instead its long skull has large eye sockets and its teeth are not recurved, unlike those of snakes. Caldwell and his colleagues also observed that the limbs of the Brazilian specimen share traits with those of a number of water-dwelling reptiles. They concluded that Tetrapodophis probably used its long body for eel-like swimming or crawling. Caldwell concludes: “This specimen challenges a number of long held ideas about the evolution of elongation and limb reduction in tetrapods—it displays anatomical features that seem to break all the rules. To make it more complicated, the skull is poorly preserved and the animal is extremely small, thus making it hard to pinpoint morphological features linking it to any one particular group of squamates [the group comprising lizards and snakes]. It is a perfect paleontological storm in every way.” Note: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Sensing sweetness on a molecular level Whether it’s chocolate cake or pasta sauce, the sensation of sweetness plays a major role in the human diet and the perception of other flavors. While a lot is known about the individual proteins that signal “sweet,” not much is known about how the proteins work together as a receptor to accomplish this feat. Now, in ACS Chemical Neuroscience, researchers report a molecular look at the receptor, which could someday lead to better-tasting food. Taste receptors are members of a family of G-protein-coupled receptors that communicates information into the body’s cells. In particular, the T1R2 and T1R3 proteins form a complex known as the sweet receptor that is responsible for the perception of molecules, such as natural sugars, artificial sweeteners, and some proteins and amino acids. Although information has recently been obtained on the structure and function of the receptor, the exact layout of the proteins in the complex and its activation process aren’t entirely clear. So, Ruhong Zhou and colleagues set out to develop and analyze theoretical structures of the receptor. The researchers used existing data about the T1R2 and T1R3 proteins to generate detailed computer models of each structure. Then they created and analyzed models of the proteins together in the full complex, and conducted in-depth studies on two specific segments: one part that is inside the cell membrane and one that is outside of the cell. From there, the group conducted simulations and learned how the receptor’s architecture could change when chemicals, such as sodium and cholesterol, bind to it. In addition, likely configurations of T1R2’s and T1R3’s structures were revealed with respect to one another when in a complex. These models could serve as a basis for further experimentation on how the sweet receptor impacts nutrition, drug development and human health in general, the researchers say. The authors acknowledge funding from the IBM Blue Gene Project. The abstract that accompanies this study is available here. The American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, is a nonprofit organization chartered by the U.S. Congress. ACS is a global leader in providing access to chemistry-related information and research through its multiple databases, peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences. ACS does not conduct research, but publishes and publicizes peer-reviewed scientific studies. Its main offices are in Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio. To automatically receive news releases from the American Chemical Society, contact [email protected] Follow us on Twitter \| Facebook
A state machine is a behavior model. It consists of a finite number of states and is therefore also called finite-state machine (FSM). Based on the current state and a given input the machine performs state transitions and produces outputs. There are basic types like Mealy and Moore machines and more complex types like Harel and UML statecharts. This introduction gives a short overview of the common basis and the differences between state machine types. Simple state machine The basic building blocks of a state machine are states and transitions. A state is a situation of a system depending on previous inputs and causes a reaction on following inputs. One state is marked as the initial state; this is where the execution of the machine starts. A state transition defines for which input a state is changed from one to another. Depending on the state machine type, states and/or transitions produce outputs. Consider the simple state machine above. It consists of two states, Off and On. On is the initial state here; it is activated when the state machine is executed. The arrows between the states denote the possible state transitions. They define for which input a state change occurs. Here, the active state is changed from On to Off for the input buttonpressed, and back again to On for the same input. Please note: In automata theory an automaton reacts on inputs and produces outputs. There, the terms input and output are usually used for symbols which belong to an alphabet. Modern state machines use an extended definition of inputs and outputs. Inputs can be events like a button click or a time trigger while outputs are actions like an operation call or a variable assignment. In the following, we will extend the simple switch example to explain the differences between Mealy and Moore machines as well as Harel statecharts and UML state machines. In automata theory, there are two basic types of finite-state machines (FSM). One of those is called Moore machine , named after its inventor Edward Moore, who introduced the concept in 1956. Moore machines consist of states and transitions. States are able to produce outputs, and the output is determined solely by the current state, not by any input. We extend the switch example above into a light switch with different brightness levels. The light switch has two buttons, an ON button and an OFF button. Pressing the ON button switches the light on and toggles through the different brightness levels. This behavior is modeled by the state machine below. Pressing a button raises a corresponding event ( ON_pressed or OFF_pressed) upon which the machine reacts with a state change and corresponding outputs. The output of the state machine is simply the brightness level. As in Moore machines only states produce outputs, we need one dedicated state per brightness level: Light switch example as a Moore machine, modeled with YAKINDU Statechart Tools Mealy machines were invented by George H. Mealy in 1955. In comparison with Moore machines, Mealy machines produce outputs only on transitions and not in states. This often results in state diagrams with fewer states because more logic can be put on transitions. Light switch example as a Mealy machine Be aware that both state diagrams, the Moore machine above and the Mealy one, describe exactly the same system. Indeed, automata theory states that you can always translate a Moore machine into a Mealy machine and vice versa, without losing any expressiveness. Although Mealy machines can already reduce the number of required states, for complex systems such automatons get easily unmanageable. Or to put it in David Harel’s words: “A complex system cannot be beneficially described in this naive fashion, because of the unmanageable, exponentially growing multitude of states, all of which have to be arranged in a ‘flat’ unstratified fashion, resulting in an unstructured, unrealistic, and chaotic state diagram.” Harel concluded that " a state approach must be modular, hierarchical and well-structured" and introduced additional concepts like state composition and orthogonality. He coined the term “statechart”, and defined it as: “statecharts = state-diagrams + depth + orthogonality + broadcast communication” So basically Harel statecharts are Mealy/Moore machines extended by further concepts that allow us to model complex systems in a practical way. Using composite states and sub diagrams, we are able to bring more depth into state diagrams, while keeping the diagrams clear and well-structured. Regions help us to express orthogonality: Different substate machines that can be executed side by side. Events allow us to achieve broadcast communication and give us a strong means to describe complex behavior. Using guards, we can state that a certain event triggers a transition only if a given condition is met. Inter-level transitions, history states, temporal logic as well as entry, exit and throughout actions are further Harel statechart elements. Harel statecharts can define variables which can be used in input and output expressions. Regarding the light switch example, this allows us to store the brightness level in a variable instead of a number of states. In that way, we can simplify the statechart by merging all Light On states into one and executing the output actions on a self-transition. Here we just increment the brightness value each time the transition is taken. We use the modulo expression to ensure the brightness value stays between 1 and 3. This has the benefit that we can change the number of brightness levels without adding new states. Light switch example as a Harel statechart To showcase the use of composite states we extend the light switch example by a motion detection mode. When the MOT button is pressed, the motion sensor is activated. Once the sensor detects any motion (event motion_detected), the light is switched on at the highest brightness level ( brightness = 3). This can be modeled with a composite state that groups the two states Motion Detected and No Motion Detected together. Extended light switch example as a Harel statechart with composite states Please also note that Harel statecharts combine the characteristics of Mealy and Moore machines, hence outputs can be produced by states as well as transitions as indicated in the statechart above. We can even go one step further and hide the logic of the Motion Detection Mode into a sub diagram. In that way, the system gets more comprehensive as one can directly see the different modes and how to switch between them. Extended light switch example as a Harel statechart with sub diagrams Further concepts like orthogonality or history states are left out here for brevity. You can read about them in our quick reference. The present age: UML state machines UML state machines are based on the statechart notation introduced by David Harel. Furthermore, the UML extends the notation of Harel statecharts by object-oriented principles. Mapping this to our light switch example, in UML we can model the possible actions of the light switch as a type with operations setBrightness(value) and so on. The following table illustrates the differences between the previously described types at a glance: Differences between the state machine types Learn more about modeling systems with state machines in our free whitepaper: The examples of this article were designed with YAKINDU Statechart Tools, whose documentation you are reading just now. YAKINDU statecharts are based on Harel statecharts and are very close but not identical to UML state machines. The concrete differences are explained in the documentation where they exist. YAKINDU Statechart Tools come with a simulator which allows to directly execute the modeled statecharts. Various code generators translate the statechart into source code.
What is Sensory Integration Therapy? Every living organism has own senses to respond to the external stimuli. When human beings are considered; our senses include sound, smell, taste, touch and vision. How Sensory Integration Therapy (Occupational Therapy) Can Help Children with Sensory Disorders? What if you are not able to respond to the stimuli accordingly or in a normal way? Children with sensory processing disorders are in a situation where they can’t respond adequately to these stimuli because of over or under responsiveness to various sensory stimuli, example frequency of sound, textures etc. Occupational therapy involves lot of exercise which aims to calibrate the senses of the children with sensory issues over a period of time. How Sensory Integration Therapy Can Help Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders? Children with ADHD and Autism Spectrum Disorders are the major ones who can benefit from Sensory integration therapy.Our brain has a unique feature which helps us to learn new things every day and cope up with everyday challenges in our life. It is the “copycat” nature of our brain that helps children learns new things from parents; make it possible for us to ride new bikes or motorcycles etc. Sensory integration therapy works on this principle of the brain, when the child participates in lot of games and activities which aims to calibrate the particular sense of the child, over a period of time the nervous system or the brain integrates itself automatically to respond to those external stimuli in a natural or organized way.
Academic writing refers to the presentation of ideas through written words by following an academic tone and adhering to the traditional rules of punctuation, spelling and grammar. Therefore, academic writing differs from personal writing, which does not follow any set of rules. Traditionally, a five paragraph rule was one of the rules for writing a formal essay. This was to enhance remembrance, performance, grading, among other reasons. Writer may not necessarily adhere to the five paragraph rule when writing essays. Writers can write essays that do not adhere to the five paragraph rule because of a number of reasons. The number of paragraphs depends on the points that the writer presents in the thesis sentence. For instance, a writer will write three paragraphs only upon presenting one point in the thesis sentence. Academic writers should exploit the points presented in the thesis sentence. They should consult the works of other authors to explain the points in a clear manner. Academic writing rules are against the use of pronouns such as “I”, which avoids the use of the writer’s opinion. The writer will then show the consulted works through citing appropriately throughout the paper. The three paragraph essay will consist of an introductory paragraph, a body paragraph and conclusion. Therefore, the number of paragraphs will depend on the number of points that the writer presents. In conclusion, academic writing has required writers to follow a number of rules including punctuation, spelling and grammar. The use of five paragraphs in writing essays was among the traditional rules of academic writing. Currently, writers do not adhere to five paragraph rule, because the number of paragraphs depends on the number of points that the writer has presented in the thesis sentence. A writer should explain each point in a separate paragraph and consult other authors’ works to support the explanations. However, writers must cite the works they consulted.
If you have read How GPS Receivers Work, you know that atomic clocks are extremely important to the system. You also frequently hear about atomic clocks in ads for the new clocks that automatically synchronize themselves with the atomic clock in Boulder, Colorado. Atomic clocks are also important to a variety of scientific endeavors. So let's start with the general notion of a clock. A clock's job is to keep track of the passage of time. All clocks do this by counting the "ticks" of a "resonator." In a pendulum clock, the resonator is a pendulum and the gears in the clock keep track of time by counting the resonations (the swingings back and forth) of the pendulum. The pendulum usually resonates at a frequency of one swing per second. A digital clock uses either the oscillations on the power line (60 cycles per second in the United States, 50 cycles per second in Europe) or the oscillations of a quartz crystal as the resonator, and counts using digital counters. The accuracy of the clock is determined by the accuracy of the resonator at the specified frequency. An atomic clock is a clock that uses the resonance frequencies of atoms as its resonator. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, the resonator is "regulated by the frequency of the microwave electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by the quantum transition (energy change) of an atom or molecule." (See the National Institute of Standards and Technology for a diagram and description of the process.) The advantage of this approach is that atoms resonate at extremely consistent frequencies. If you take any atom of cesium and ask it to resonate, it will resonate at exactly the same frequency as any other atom of cesium. Cesium-133 oscillates at 9,192,631,770 cycles per second. This sort of accuracy is completely different from the accuracy of a quartz clock. In a quartz clock, the quartz crystal is manufactured so that its oscillating frequency is close to some standard frequency; but manufacturing tolerances cause every crystal to be slightly different, and things like temperature will change the frequency. A cesium atom always resonates at the same known frequency -- that is what makes atomic clocks so precise. Here are some interesting links: - How Atomic Clocks Work - How Quartz Watches Work - How Pendulum Clocks Work - How Digital Clocks Work - Inside a Wind-up Alarm Clock - How Time Works - The "Atomic Age" of Time Standards - Physics Laboratory: Time & Frequency Division - National Institute of Standards and Technology (Boulder, CO) - 1997 Nobel Prize in Physics - for development of methods to cool and trap atoms with laser light. - The Official U.S. Time
Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia: Understanding and Accommodating the Differences We know more about learning and physical disabilities than ever before. However, understanding how those disabilities impact individual students and then translating that knowledge into effective teaching techniques is a different matter entirely. Dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia are three of the most common learning differences teachers encounter. However, despite their high incidence, they often present differently in each student, and sometimes even overlap with one another. Understanding the differences and nuances between them will help you address the specific needs of students with one or more of these disabilities, and help you construct a positive, productive classroom environment for all students. Let’s take a look at each one. What Is Dyslexia? Of the common learning differences, dyslexia is probably discussed the most. Although students with dyslexia communicate normally and exhibit a typical level of intelligence for their age, their reading comprehension and writing may suffer as a result of having dyslexia. According to Brocks Academy, an educational resource hub for students with learning differences, “Dyslexia is defined as chronic neurological disorder causing inability or great difficulty in learning to read or spell, despite normal intelligence. It inhibits recognition and processing of graphic symbols, particularly those pertaining to language.” Symptoms of dyslexia include: - Very poor reading skills: Because students with dyslexia naturally and involuntarily mix up the order of words and letters, they have a much more difficult time reading. - Reversed word and letter sequences: Students with dyslexia process word and letter order differently than readers who don’t have dyslexia, which results in a tougher time with reading and writing assignments. - Illegible handwriting: Students who have dyslexia process words and letters in different sequences. As a result, their handwriting can be inconsistently spaced, sloppy, lacking some letters or finished words, and a jumble of capitalized and lower-case letters. The International Dyslexia Association has written extensively about tactics teachers can use to teach students with dyslexia: - Simplify and explain carefully any written instructions. - Highlight or block off important information in written course materials. - Allow and encourage the student to use an audio recorder in-class. - Complement any visual instruction with verbal direction. - Give time to go over specific corrections on written assignments. - Offer examples or samples of another student’s work. - Assign a classmate partner to routinely compare notes taken in-class. What Is Dysgraphia? While dyslexia makes reading especially challenging for students, dysgraphia is a learning difference that makes writing more difficult, both on a physical and mental level. Students with dysgraphia find communicating ideas in a written form to be challenging. Put differently, dysgraphia makes the act of writing words harder because the learning difference affects the development of complex or fine motor skills. Symptoms of dysgraphia include: - Problems with spelling: Students who have dysgraphia have a harder time sequencing letters and words correctly, which can affect not only the word order in a sentence, but also the spelling of specific words. - Poor handwriting: Dysgraphia affects the way students physically write, so handwriting will also be a problem area. These students often leave out letters, use spaces between letters and words inconsistently, and mix upper- and lower-case letters. - Trouble putting thoughts on paper: Because dysgraphia makes writing much more challenging already, students will have more trouble communicating their ideas on the page. Because both learning differences involve the consumption and communication of written language, there will likely be crossover in the ways you teach students with dyslexia and students with dysgraphia. Some tips for helping students with dysgraphia include: - Allow them more time with in-class written assignments. - Offer them printed copies of your class’s notes. - Issue class assignments earlier to give them more time to plan. - Grade their written work less on spelling, handwriting, or grammar errors. - Evaluate their work based on their understanding of course concepts. - Walk them through what areas you specifically grade for. What Is Dyscalculia? While dyslexia and dysgraphia both affect reading and written communication, dyscalculia makes the processing of numbers, time, and space monumentally difficult. Moreover, simple math equations can be overwhelming for students with this learning difference. Additionally, like dyslexia and dysgraphia, language processing is also more challenging. Brocks Academy defines dyscalculia as “a wide range of lifelong learning disabilities involving math. There is no single type of math disability. Dyscalculia can vary from person to person. And, it can affect people differently at different stages of life.” Dyscalculia symptoms include: - Visual–spatial difficulties: People with dyscalculia have trouble remembering familiar locations, according to Indiana’s Department of Education. - Language processing difficulties: Dyscalculia is a tricky learning difference that can make language rules more difficult to understand. - Trouble understanding what they hear: Because students who have dyscalculia struggle to process language, they often struggle to understand the information they listen to immediately. Students with dyscalculia are completely capable of learning high-level and conceptual mathematics. But because they will struggle with foundational math problems, it’s necessary to intervene early. According to the Child Mind Institute, one of the best things you can do for a student with dyscalculia is to address their math anxiety by offering one-on-one help before or after class. Other ways to help these students include: - Give extra time on tests and long math assignments. - Offer a copy of your class notes. - Arrange inside or outside school tutoring. - Allow the use of a calculator on tests and assignments that aren’t assessing computation. - Prepare different, highlighted worksheets for long-form word problems. - Check-in often to make sure they’re not overwhelmed by coursework. - Provide plenty of extra scratch paper. - Use supplemental learning materials, like multiplication tables and formulas. Creating an Inviting Classroom for All Students Just like no two students are the same, learning differences will manifest differently in each student. Although it can seem overwhelming to account for each of these individual differences, with the right tools and strategies, you can create a more accommodating, more accessible classroom environment to serve all students regardless of their needs. Check out these programs from Advancement Courses for cutting-edge techniques on assisting students with special needs without overwhelming your resources or your schedule: - Understanding Dyslexia: Prepare your students with dyslexia and other learning differences for success in the classroom and throughout their lives. In this course, you’ll create an effective classroom strategy to engage students with dyslexia while balancing the needs of the rest of your class. - Communicating with Parents of Children with Special Needs: Develop a bond of trust with parents of children with special needs based on one core tenet: the academic success of their child. In this course, you’ll learn strategies to communicate the goals of your classroom and build meaningful relationships with students’ families, which will have a profoundly positive effect on their progress in your class. - The General Educator’s Guide to Special Education: Create a more inclusive classroom environment to teach and support children with special needs effectively. In this course, you’ll explore the 13 major types of disabilities, relevant laws regarding those disabilities, and best practices to engage with students and their families. - Using Technology to Support Students with Special Needs: Employ technological tools to negotiate the diversity of learning abilities, differences, and styles in your classroom. In this course, you’ll interact with a variety of technological resources and choose the tools that best fit your needs and your budget. Advancement Courses offers K-12 educators more than 240 online, self-paced professional development courses helping teachers with a wide variety of subject areas, student populations, and teaching best practices.
Learn The Elephant Words You’ll Never Forget (And Help WWF Save A Pachyderm Or Two) They say an elephant never forgets. In more than 60 years, the world’s leading conservation organization— (WWF)— has never forgotten the . This year is no different. In honor of World Elephant Day on August 12, icalling.com.cn has teamed up with WWF to go behind the scenes and help you learn some new words relating to this type of pachyderm (a fun word that refers to very large mammals with thick skin, like an elephant!) and how we can keep this noble mammal alive and well on the earth. keystone On icalling.com.cn, keystone is defined as “something on which associated things depend.” In the context of World Wildlife Fund’s work, keystone is most often used as a part of the phrase keystone species, which is a species that plays an essential role in the structure, functioning, or productivity of a habitat or ecosystem免费观看三级片_免费国产Av_免费国产黄片. Keystone species are essential for maintaining healthy habitats and ecosystems, including humans, who depend on food, water, and other natural resources. Elephants are an example of a keystone species that helps maintain biodiversity in their habitats. They create pathways in dense forested habitats that allow passage for other animals, and elephant footprints can fill with water, creating micro免费观看三级片_免费国产Av_免费国产黄片-ecosystems for other organisms. Other examples of keystone species include gorillas, whales, polar bears, pandas, tigers, and rhinoceroses. Preserving and saving these animals also helps to save and preserve their habitats and the other species who live there. poach You’re likely familiar with the standard definition of poach: “to trespass, especially on another’s game preserve, in order to steal animals or to hunt.” What you may not know is how serious the impact of modern poaching really is. An estimated 20,000 elephants per year are killed for their ivory, according to the experts at World Wildlife Fund. And elephants are not the only targets of poachers. Other endangered species like tigers, rhinoceroses, and pangolins are also at risk, often poached for their parts to be used as status symbols and in traditional medicine, clothing, or food. Poaching, along with habitat loss/degradation and climate change, has become one of the greatest threats to wildlife. As wildlife habitats shrink and the human populations grow and expand into these areas, there is an increase in the competition for resources among wildlife and people. Poachers are often part of a well-organized wildlife crime network and pose one of the biggest threats to keystone species. World Wildlife Fund works with many organizations to combat poaching. One important and often overlooked way they help is through community outreach. In some areas, poaching provides income and a way to support families when other ways to do that are scarce. When organizations like World Wildlife Fund can provide alternative livelihoods and avenues to support the community, it can help people move away from poaching and support local wildlife. trafficking To traffic means “to trade or deal in a specific commodity or service, often of an illegal nature.” For World Wildlife Fund, trafficking involves the illegal transport of endangered species. Illegal wildlife trade happens all over the world, including increasingly online. The estimated annual value of illegal wildlife trade is up to $23 billion USD. There is demand for endangered species in the form of products like elephant ivory or tiger teeth, as well as live exotic pets like birds, reptiles, and primates免费观看三级片_免费国产Av_免费国产黄片. World Wildlife Fund has a , through which individuals can be trained to detect and report illegal wildlife trade on partner platforms. You don’t have to be an expert to get involved! was jointly founded by WWF and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and works to ensure that trade in wild plants and animals is not a threat to the conservation of nature. TRAFFIC works globally on trade in wild animals and plants in the context of both biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. pangolin If you’ve never heard of a pangolin, you’ll certainly be surprised to learn that it’s one of the most trafficked mammals in the world, with an estimated 1 million pangolins trafficked over a ten-year period. Pangolins are mammals that are covered in hard, overlapping scales made of keratin, and feed on ants and termites. They’re actually the only mammal that is completely covered in scales, and they use those hard scales to protect themselves from predators. Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy in parts of Asia and locally consumed in Africa as bushmeat免费观看三级片_免费国产Av_免费国产黄片. They’re most in demand for their scales, which are used in traditional medicine, but their skins are also used to make leather products. As a result, illegal trade of pangolins poses a huge threat, and all eight species of pangolin are protected under national and international laws. ivory Ivory免费观看三级片_免费国产Av_免费国产黄片 is “the tooth or tusk” of several different species like elephant and warthog. Elephant ivory is in high demand for carved products like sculptures and jewelry. This trade fuels the poaching crisis facing African elephants today, with an estimated 20,000 poached annually for their tusks. Selling elephant ivory is illegal in many countries, including the United States. Despite regulations, the material is still in high demand. However, nearly two years after China imposed a ban on domestic ivory trade, consumer demand for the elephant ivory appears to be stabilizing. Nevertheless, “diehard buyers” still have a strong desire to buy ivory. World Wildlife Fund is working to combat the problem by engaging directly with elephant ivory consumers, working with other governments to close functioning ivory markets and partnering with e-commerce and social media companies to stop the sale of ivory online. The Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online launched in 2018 with WWF, TRAFFIC, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and now comprises 36 global online technology companies including Google, eBay, Facebook, Alibaba and Tencent. aims to unite the tech industry to standardize prohibited wildlife policies, train staff to better detect endangered species products such as elephant ivory, enhance automated detection filters, and educate and empower users to report suspicious listings. fauna Many people don’t know the fauna part of the phrase “flora and fauna” is actually about animals. Fauna are “the animals of a given region or period considered as a whole.” The large scale loss of wild animals in a particular area is known as defaunation. 免费观看三级片_免费国产Av_免费国产黄片According to WWF’s , in the last 40 years, there has been a 60 percent decline in the size of populations of mammals, birds, fish, reptiles, and amphibians. We can see this firsthand in Southeast Asia, where World Wildlife Fund is combating a snaring crisis. Snares are homemade traps used to capture animals for local meat consumption as well as the illegal wildlife trade, and they are having a devastating impact on the local fauna. Over 200,000 snares were removed from just five protected areas in Southeast Asia between 2010 and 2015. 免费观看三级片_免费国产Av_免费国产黄片Defaunation is devastating because of the loss of biodiversity, and the way that impacts ecosystem services which people depend on. A healthy ecosystem is vital to maintaining natural resources people depend on, like clean water, food, and wood, which ultimately protects human health. Want to learn more about the elephant world? We recently added African bush elephant and African forest elephant to icalling.com.cn.

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