content
stringlengths
275
370k
Knowing history of Medieval Lithuania helps to understand the history of the East and Central Europe. During the Middle Ages the area of Lithuania included the territory of modern Belarus, the majority of Ukraine and greatly impacted the history of Poland and other states. Lithuania was formed in 1183, and in the 14th century it expanded into a powerful empire, which endured and grew stronger during ongoing fights with the Teutonic Order; the Order then had support from the Catholic Europe, the tartar order and Russia. In 1386 Lithuanian ruler Jogaila became the king of Poland. Baptism of Jogaila and later of Lithuania laid a basis for future Lithuanian-Polish state. During the 15th-16th centuries Jogaila’s successors successfully expanded their political authority in Europe. At the end of the Middle Ages almost all Central Europe was ruled by Jagiellonian dynasty of Lithuanian descent. However in the 15th century Lithuania confronted the developing state of Moscow. Series of wars which continued throughout the whole existence of Grand Duchy of Lithuania impoverished the land and caused many historical shifts. Lithuania couldn’t cope with Moscow; therefore it was forced to sign the Union of Lublin in 1569 which established the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. Biography of Grand Duke Vytautas The Grand Duke Vytautas the Great (born 1350 in Senieji Trakai, died in 1430 in Trakai) was the most famous Lithuanian ruler, the only one to be called The Great. Vytautas was the son of Grand Duke Kęstutis, also, Jogaila’s cousin. He was a great organizer, strong ruler, good diplomat and general. Vytautas expanded and strengthened Lithuanian lands. United Lithuanian-Polish army defeated the German Order in the battle of Grunwald in 1410. The Order was destroyed and never threatened Lithuania again. In 1429 Vytautas was offered the Lithuanian crown but because of Polish opposition and Vytautas death in 1430 the coronation didn’t happen. Lithuania in Vytautas’ times reached its peak of power: the territory from the Baltic to the Black Sea remained a symbol and ideal of Lithuania’s political independence. Lithuanian history in the Middle Ages Ethnic origin of Lithuanians and the beginning of state
On December 27, 2006, the Sheveluch (or Shiveluch) Volcano on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia released a plume. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the plume blows toward the southeast, over the ocean. Over land, the plume barely contrasts with the icy landscape. Also contrasting with the icy whiteness is a brownish streak running from the volcano’s summit eastward toward the coast. This streak is likely a remnant of recent volcanic activity. Sheveluch is one of the most active volcanoes in Kamchatka. It is a stratovolcano consisting of alternating layers of hardened ash, lava, and rock. - Terra - MODIS
Main aspects of critical thinking critical thinking is a reason oriented and perceptive thinking process characterized by open mindedness and strong justifiabl. Critical thinking and perceive themselves as being creative and recreative in aspects of their critical thinkers view their thinking as a process. Elements of critical thinking thinking critically allows you to bring these into play, thus getting more than just the outline of what you're examining. General- and domain-specific aspects of critical thinking empirical research suggests that people critical thinking 4 critical thinking: a literature review. Elements of critical thinking definition of critical thinking elements of critical thinking identification of premises and conclusions critical thinkers break. Important and interdependent aspects of thinking and decision making in nursing: critical thinking, the nursing process, and clinical judgment. -- very good examination of many elements of critical thinking, with examples (pdf version) critical, tutorial on critical thinking, san jose state university. A leading definition of critical thinking provided by a rigorous resource on critical thinking. Critical thinking is a process of testing an argument or observation for validity by breaking a concept down into a series of premises and conclusions, you examine. Stephen brookfield’s four critical thinking processes brookfield’s four critical thinking processes • what aspects of this situation require the most. 10 critical thinking and clinical reasoning to improve you must get through the negative aspects of criticism 4 practice related technical skills. Critical thinking is a process of testing an argument or observation for validity by breaking a concept down into a series of premises and conclusions, you. Page 3 of 5 research paper definition ottawa looking for someone to do thesis on financial aid as soon as possible 4 aspects of critical thinking london norfolk, st. The basics of critical thinking book is designed to teach critical thinking to middle and upper elementary students many workbooks claim to teach or develop critical. Cognition and instruction/problem solving, critical thinking and based on deep understanding aspects of critical thinking critical thinking differs. Scheffer and rubenfeld discuss critical thinking habits and critical thinking skills for each of the critical thinking skills shown below, they give a number of. Of critical thinking critical thinking taking initial ownership of the elements pp 4pp 4 -5inthe5 in the miniature guide to critical elements of reasoning. What is critical thinking that's a great question, and i'm glad you asked it's obvious that we think all the time, but how often do we think about how we think is. The implementation of critical thinking as efl pdf 95 кб baz luhrmann's 'romeo and of critical. In the term critical thinking, the word critical that cmc may promote some aspects of critical thinking but hinder others for example, guiller et al. There is some evidence to suggest a fourth, more nuanced possibility: that cmc may promote some aspects of critical thinking but hinder others for example. Critical thinking and judgment: the key to effective leadership exercising controlled thought involves the deliberate use of elements of critical thinking.
When your eyes are exposed to substances like pollen or mold spores, they may become red, itchy, and watery. These symptoms mean you have allergic conjunctivitis. Allergic conjunctivitis describes eye inflammation arising from an allergic reaction to drugs like pollen or mold spores. The inside of your eyelids and the covering of your eyeball have a membrane called the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is prone to irritation from allergens, especially during hay fever season. Allergic conjunctivitus is quite typical and influences about one-fifth of the population. It is your body’s reaction to compounds it thinks about potentially dangerous. What are in the article? - What Are the Types of Allergic Conjunctivitis? - Acute Allergic Conjunctivitis - Chronic Allergic Conjunctivitis - Allergic Conjunctivitis: Causes - Who Is at Risk for Allergic Conjunctivitis? - How Is Allergic Conjunctivitis Diagnosed? - Allergic Conjunctivitis: Treatment - Home Care - What Is The Long-Term Outlook? - How Do I Prevent Allergic Conjuctivitis? What Are the Types of Allergic Conjunctivitis? Allergic conjunctivitis is available in two primary types: Acute Allergic Conjunctivitis This is a short-term condition that is more typical during allergy season. Your eyelids all of a sudden swell, itch, and burn. You may likewise have a watery nose. Chronic Allergic Conjunctivitis A less common condition called chronic allergic conjunctivitis can occur year-round. It is a response to allergens like food, dust, and animal dander. Burning and itchiness of the eyes and light level of sensitivity prevail symptoms. Allergic Conjunctivitis: Causes You experience allergic conjunctivitis when your body attempts to safeguard itself versus a viewed hazard. It does this in response to compounds that set off the release of histamine, a powerful chemical your body produces to combat off foreign invaders. Some of the drugs that cause allergic conjunctivitis are: - household dust - pollen from trees and yard - mold spores - animal dander - chemical scents (e.g., household detergents or perfume). Some individuals might also experience allergic conjunctivitis in response to particular medications or drugs dropped into the eyes, such as contact lens option or medicated eye drops. Who Is at Risk for Allergic Conjunctivitis? Individuals who have allergies are most likely to develop allergic conjunctivitis. Allergies affect 10 to 20 percent of the population. They typically run in families. Allergies influence individuals of any ages, though they are more typical in children and young adults. If you have allergies and reside in locations with high pollen counts, you are more vulnerable to allergic conjunctivitis. Red, itchy, watery, and burning eyes prevail symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis. You might also wake up in the early morning with puffy eyes. How Is Allergic Conjunctivitis Diagnosed? Your doctor will examine your eyes and review your allergy history. Soreness in the white of the eye and little bumps inside your eyelids are visible signs of conjunctivitis. Your doctor might also purchase among the following tests: - An allergy skin test exposes your skin to particular irritants and enables your doctor to analyze your body’s response, which might include swelling and inflammation. - A blood test may be advised to see if your body is producing proteins (antibodies) to secure itself versus particular allergens like mold or dust. - A scraping of your conjunctival tissue may be required to examine your white blood cells. Eosinophils are leukocyte that end up being activated when you have allergies. Allergic Conjunctivitis: Treatment Treating allergic conjunctivitis at home involves a combination of prevention methods and activities to relieve your symptoms. To decrease your exposure to irritants: - close windows when the pollen count is high. - keep your home dust-free. - utilize an indoor air cleanser. - avoid exposure to severe chemicals, dyes, and perfumes. To reduce your symptoms, avoid scrubing your eyes. Applying a cool compress to your eyes can also help reduce swelling and itchiness. In more problematic cases, home care may not be appropriate. You will have to see a doctor who might recommend: - an oral or non-prescription antihistamine to minimize or block histamine release. - anti-inflammatory and/or anti-inflammation eye drops. - eye drops to shrink crowded capillary. - steroid eye drops (just in severe cases). What Is The Long-Term Outlook? With proper treatment, you can experience relief or at least lower your symptoms. Repeating direct exposure to allergens, however, will likely activate the very same symptoms in the future. How Do I Prevent Allergic Conjuctivitis? Totally preventing the environmental aspects that cause allergic conjunctivitis can be tough. The best thing you can do is to limit your direct exposure to these triggers. For instance, if you understand that you are allergic to perfume or family dust, you can aim to lessen your direct exposure by utilizing scent-free soaps and detergents, or by setting up an air purifier in the home.
Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a protocol that was created by Netscape in the 1990s. The main purpose of SSL was to provide security for Internet connections by ensuring confidentiality, authentication, and integrity for the data transported by it. To standardize SSL, Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) in 1999 proposed a standard version which was termed as Transport Layer Security (TLS) in RFC 2246. It is worth mentioning here that both SSL and TLS act between the transport layer and the session layer. The above diagram depicts where SSL fits in OSI model.
Hi, this is Mark Larese-Casanova from the Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension. Looking out over a Utah desert, we might see relatively few plants- perhaps some sagebrush, maybe a few junipers or Joshua trees, or even some small wildflowers or cacti. What is less noticeable, though, is the living soil crust that holds this entire landscape together. It’s not just sand, but rather an important and vast partnership between bacteria, lichens, algae, and fungi. These soil crusts are often referred to as ‘cryptobiotic’, which means ‘living in suspended animation’. This is a fitting description, considering that water can be so rare in Utah’s deserts. Cyanobacteria, which is often called blue-green algae, is the backbone of cryptobiotic soil crust. Vast networks of long, microscopic filaments of cyanobacteria and fungi grow in length when they are wet, and leave behind a casing that literally binds the soil together. So, what might otherwise be loose sand not only is less likely to be washed away by water or blown away by wind, but also is able to hold much more water for plants. Cyanobacteria is also extremely useful to desert landscapes for its ability to take Nitrogen out of the air and make it available to plant roots in the soil. Desert soils typically have relatively low nutrients, so this is especially important to desert plants. In many Utah deserts, cryptobiotic soil crusts can cover up to 70% of the ground surface. Old soil crust can often look like small mountain ranges with black or white peaks inhabited by lichens or mosses. The little valleys in between the tiny mountains of crust are perfect spots for the seeds of desert plants to grow. Over time, the above ground crust can grow up to ten centimeters, or four inches, thick! However, cryptobiotic soil crust grows at an alarmingly slow rate of about one millimeter per year. So, any soil crust that is disturbed can take a very long time to recover. Depending on the amount of moisture a desert receives, it can take anywhere between 20 and 250 years for soil crust to grow back. Next time you’re out in the desert, kneel down and have a close look at the telltale peaks and valleys of cryptobiotic soil crust. If you bring a magnifying glass, you just might be able to see some of the lichens and mosses. Be sure to stay on trail, though, and whatever you do, don’t bust that crust! For Wild About Utah, I’m Mark Larese-Casanova. Images: Courtesy and copyright Mark Larese-Casanova Text: Mark Larese-Casanova, Utah Master Naturalist Program at Utah State University Extension. US Department of Interior. 2001. Biological Soil Crusts: Ecology and Management. Bureau of Land Management Technical Reference 1730-2., http://www.blm.gov/nstc/library/pdf/CrustManual.pdf Rosentreter, R., M. Bowker, and J. Belnap. 2007. A Field Guide to Biological Soil Crusts of Western U.S. Drylands. U.S. Government Printing Office, Denver, Colorado., http://www.soilcrust.org/
The spine consists of 33 separate bones that are carefully stacked one on top of the other. There are multiple muscles and ligaments that keep the bones in their correct alignment so that the spine can be the main supporting portion of the body. It allows for being able to bend, twist, and stand upright, and it protects the spinal cord from damage by creating a cage around it with various processes in the vertebrae. Each of the vertebrae is different and they allow for a normal spinal curvature. There is a curve in the neck, a slight kyphosis, or reverse curvature of the thorax and a curve in the lumbar spine. It is the responsibility of the lumbar spine to bear the brunt of the weight of the body. The average vertebra has a cylindrically-shaped body, a posterior spinous process, two lateral transverse processes and two upper and lower processes for articulating the vertebrae to one another. The vertebrae have a cushion-like structure called an intervertebral disc. It is made from an annulus, which forms a tough fibrous ring around the top of one vertebra and the bottom of the vertebra above it. Inside the annulus is a gelatinous substance called the nucleus. It provides the bulk of the cushioning between the vertebrae. Unfortunately, there can be too much stress on the disc, resulting in bulging of the annulus or rupture of the annulus, with spillage of the nucleus into the intrathecal space. In such cases, the material can put undue pressure on the spinal nerves that exit the spinal cord or on the spinal cord itself. The back portion of each cylindrical spinal vertebral body contains several projections as mentioned above. The two supporting pedicles and the two laminae together form the vertebral arch. They form the spinal canal to hold the spinal cord, fatty tissue, blood vessels and ligaments. Beneath each pedicle is a canal through which the spinal nerves exit to the body. Each vertebra also contains a superior facet and an inferior facet, which form the joints that connect each vertebra to the one above and below it. These connections are known as the “facet joints”. The facet joints are the joints that allow the back to move in its directions. Each vertebra has four different facet joints: two near the top of the vertebra and two near the bottom of the vertebra. The ligaments of the back are long fibrous bands that connect the vertebrae together. There are three major ligaments in the back. They are the ligamentum flavum, the posterior longitudinal ligament, and the anterior longitudinal ligament. The run the extent of the spinal column and prevent too much movement from occurring in the vertebral bodies. The ALL and PLL run along the vertebral bodies, while the ligamentum flavum connects the lamina of each of the vertebrae. The spinal discs can cause pain and disability in two ways. It can become disrupted due to a sudden trauma such as a car accident, fall, or sporting injury. In such cases, pain has a sudden onset as the annulus is disrupted and the nucleus herniates out from inside its tough outer shell. There can be symptoms of disc injury in the cervical area, the thoracic area or the lumbar area of the spine. Common symptoms include: • Pain in the cervical region • Pain in the back • Pain in the arm or arms • Pain down the leg or legs • Any combination of the above symptoms In extreme situations, the patient can have a large herniation of the disc. This can result in weakness in an arm or leg, or signs of compression of the spinal cord, including gait abnormalities, loss of coordination, or difficulties with bladder or bowel control. Facet Joint Injury The facet joints are present in the spine in order to prevent over twisting or tipping over of the vertebral bodies. Facet joints provide about twenty percent of the twisting ability of the low back and the cervical spine. These joints are present at all levels of the spine except at the level of the first cervical vertebra. The thoracic area vertebrae do not twist much at all but are permitted a minor amount of flexion and extension and a bit of bending to the side. In the low back, forward and backward motion is allowed to about twelve degrees with lateral bending allowed to about 5 degrees. Rotation of the lumbar spine can occur to about 2 degrees for each segment. The facet joints normally do slide against each other. Each part of the joint is coated by low friction cartilage that allows for free movement. There are lots of nerve endings around the joint in order to tell us when the joint is inflamed or in danger of being dislocated. Trauma can disrupt the cartilage and send the joint into a dislocated state. The raw bone without cartilage can form a bone spur around the joint, thus enlarging the joint. This can lead to osteoarthritis of the spine—a situation of chronic back or neck pain. When this happens, it is also called faced joint syndrome or facet joint disease. When the facet joints are irritated or inflamed, there is a protective reflex which occurs. It causes the nearby muscles to become spasmed. This is especially true when the facet joints become dislocated. The person cannot move the back in any direction until the facet joints are put back in their proper place. Symptoms of facet joint injury include: • Sudden episodes of lumbar or cervical pain in the area of the facet joints. These are unpredictable and intermittent episodes that occur every few weeks or months. • There will be an ongoing point tenderness directly over the location of any inflamed facet joints. • There will be guarding, which is a relative immobility of the spine due to lack of flexibility of the muscles. • The pain is worse when leaning backward more than leaning forward. • If the facet joints impinge on the spinal nerves, there will be pain radiating down the back of the leg to about the level of the knee. • Cervical facet joint injury will cause radiating pain to the shoulder or down the upper part of the back. Rarely does it go past the elbow. If you or someone you know has been injured in an auto or motorcycle accident, call me at (916) 921-6400. If you are outside the Sacramento area, you can call us at (800) 404-5400 for free, friendly advice.
For more station wx info: In Antarctica, as the temperatures decline in the fall, the continent cools rapidly. This results in large pressure differences at the edge of the landmass, and leads to an increase in cyclonic or storm activity. The cyclones carry warmer moister air from the northern latitudes into the continent, though they often do not penetrate very far inland. Blizzards are a typical Antarctic phenomenon occurring when drift snow is picked up and blown along the surface by the violent winds. Blinding conditions can result in which objects less than a 3 feet away may be invisible. Localized blizzards are caused when the surface wind sweeps up any loose snow, even if the skies above are clear and no snow is falling. A severe blizzard may last for a week at a time with winds blasting at over 100 miles per hour. Polar cyclonic storms are similar to tropical cyclones.They have the same circular shape and bands of clouds.However, they strengthen faster, travel faster (56 kilometers per hour compared to 28 kilometers per hour; 35 miles per hour compared to 17 miles per hour) and carry sleet and snow. Most Antarctic storms occur in the winter when pressure differences are greater and the winds stronger. In the Southern Hemisphere, cyclonic storm systems usually start in the middle latitudes and move gradually to the south bringing moisture and heat to the frigid Antarctic continent. Most storms travel from west to east, under the influence of the polar westerlies and the Coriolis Effect. Between 60°S and 65°S latitudes lies the Antarctic Circumpolar Trough, a zone of low pressure that contains variable winds flowing from west to east. In this region, fierce storms sweep warm moist air from the middle latitudes toward the pole, causing clouds and precipitation. Storms usually last for a few days, before a brief clearing, then another storm system. Inland, on the Polar Plateau the storms tend to dwindle as they lose energy, although strong oceanic storms do occasionally create hazardous conditions. On average a zone of high pressure exists over the central portion of the continent throughout much of the year resulting in lighter winds, clearer days, and extreme cold. Storms and Sea Ice Strong winds create rough seas for which Antarctica is notorious. Even minimal winds can slow or stop sea ice formation, by agitating the sea surface. Interestingly, the edge of the pack ice actually can cause a shift in the location of the region of maximum storm frequency. Ice growth actually may be increased to the west of storm centers. Polar cyclones draw much of their energy from temperature contrasts created by the sun's unequal heating of the Earth. This unequal heating is due to the tilt of the Earth's axis and the global distribution of land and sea. When conditions are right, gravity pulls cold, dense air under warmer, lighter air providing the potential energy necessary to create the kinetic energy of storms. Energy is added to storms when air rises and water vapor in it begins condensing into clouds and precipitation. As this vapor freezes and turns into ice, it releases heat called "latent heat" which adds to a storm's energy. Also, high speed winds in the upper atmosphere can add still more energy to a storm. A storm's wind speeds depend on the differences between air pressures around the storm and in its low pressure center. The greater the difference, the stronger the winds. As winds spiral in toward a low-pressure area they make a smaller and tighter circle and like the skater who pulls her arms in, the winds spin faster. "Antarctica is the coldest, highest, windiest, driest, and iciest continent on earth" Coldest: -129° F at Vostok, July 21, 1983 (World low temperature record.) Highest: Average elevation 8200 feet (2500 meters). Windiest: Gales reach 200 mph on Commonwealth Bay, George V coast. Driest: Average precipitation is less than 2 inches per year. Iciest: The thickest ice found is in Wilkes Land, where it reaches a depth of 15,669 feet (4,776 meters ). Receive Antarctic News, Weather and Information, plus a free screensaver.
The xylophone, a percussion instrument with a bright and distinct sound, captivates audiences with its resonant tones. To comprehend the magic behind these melodic vibrations, one must delve into the intricate science that governs the xylophone’s unique mechanism. In this article, we will explore the fundamental principles that make a xylophone vibrate, offering insight into the harmonious world of this timeless instrument. The Anatomy of a Xylophone: A Percussive Marvel Before dissecting the vibrations, let’s first understand the xylophone’s basic structure. Comprising wooden bars of varying lengths arranged in a graduated manner, the xylophone’s bars are suspended above resonators or a resonant chamber. These resonators, typically made of metal tubes or wooden pipes, play a crucial role in amplifying and enhancing the instrument’s sound. Striking the Right Note: Mallets and Bar Interaction The xylophone’s vibrant sound begins with the interaction between the player’s mallets and the wooden bars. Mallets, often made of materials like rubber, plastic, or yarn, impact the bars with a percussive force. This impact sets the bars into motion, initiating a sequence of vibrations that eventually produce the audible tones we associate with the xylophone. Natural Frequencies: The Key to Vibrations Each wooden bar on the xylophone is designed to vibrate at specific natural frequencies. When struck, the bar resonates at these frequencies, creating a fundamental pitch along with various harmonics. The combination of these frequencies produces the xylophone’s characteristic sound. The longer bars produce lower pitches, while the shorter ones generate higher pitches, allowing for a broad range of musical expression. Resonators’ Resonance: Enhancing and Sustaining Vibrations The resonators beneath the xylophone bars play a pivotal role in shaping and sustaining the instrument’s vibrations. When a bar is struck, it sets the air inside the resonator in motion. The resonator, tuned to the same frequency as the bar, amplifies the vibrations and projects the sound outward. This synergy between the vibrating bar and the resonator enhances the overall resonance and volume of the xylophone. Materials Matter: Wood’s Role in Vibrational Excellence The choice of wood for xylophone bars is crucial to the instrument’s vibrational qualities. Hardwoods like rosewood or padauk are commonly used due to their density and ability to transmit vibrations effectively. The unique properties of these woods contribute to the xylophone’s distinct timbre, ensuring that the instrument produces clear and resonant tones. Mode of Vibration: Understanding Harmonics When a xylophone bar is struck, it vibrates not only at its fundamental frequency but also at multiples of that frequency, known as harmonics. These harmonics contribute to the rich and complex sound of the xylophone. The mode of vibration, influenced by factors such as the bar’s shape and material, determines the distribution of these harmonics and shapes the overall tonal quality. Damping: Controlling Vibrations for Artistic Expression Damping is a technique used by xylophone players to control the duration of vibrations and shape the expressive qualities of their performance. By placing their hand on the bar immediately after striking it, players can shorten the duration of the vibrations, creating staccato or marcato articulations. Mastering damping techniques adds a layer of artistic control to the xylophone’s dynamic range. Environmental Factors: Temperature and Humidity Effects Environmental conditions, such as temperature and humidity, can influence the xylophone’s vibrational behavior. Changes in these factors may impact the elasticity and resonance of the wooden bars, affecting their vibrational frequencies. Musicians often need to acclimate their instruments to the performance environment to ensure optimal vibrational characteristics. Microscopic World: Vibrations at the Molecular Level At the molecular level, the xylophone’s vibrational journey is a dance of atoms and molecules within the wooden bars. When struck, the impact sends waves of energy through the wood, causing its molecular structure to vibrate. This microscopic movement is integral to the transmission of sound waves, converting mechanical energy into the auditory experience we perceive as music. Tuning and Maintenance: Fine-Tuning Vibrations for Precision To maintain the xylophone’s vibrational integrity, regular tuning and maintenance are essential. Over time, factors like temperature changes and wear can affect the instrument’s pitch and resonance. Tuning involves adjusting the length of the bars or altering their density to ensure that they resonate at the correct frequencies. A well-maintained xylophone guarantees consistent and accurate vibrations. Educational Insights: Teaching the Science of Vibrations Understanding the science of vibrations in the xylophone provides valuable insights for educators and students. Teachers can explore concepts like harmonics, damping, and resonant frequencies to deepen students’ appreciation for the instrument. By delving into the physics of xylophone vibrations, students gain a holistic understanding of the interplay between art and science in the world of music. In conclusion, the enchanting vibrations of the xylophone are a result of a harmonious interplay between materials, design, and the laws of physics. From the impact of mallets on carefully crafted wooden bars to the resonance of tuned resonators, each element contributes to the instrument’s unique sound. By unraveling the science behind xylophone vibrations, we gain a deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship and artistry that bring this percussive marvel to life, resonating with audiences across musical genres.
What Are Natural Disasters? Natural disasters are life-threatening and property-damaging weather events. They not only create hazardous situations for the inhabitants of a community, whether from powerful floodwaters or erosion-inducing landslides, but they also leave costly repairs in their wake. In 2017, the Australian Business Roundtable for Disaster Resilience and Safer Communities forecasted that natural disasters would cost the country over $39 billion annually by 2050. In 2021, that number was changed to $73 billion by 2060. The effects of natural disasters can be financially devastating to a country, and proper preventative measures are necessary to mitigate the level of destruction that occurs. Types of Natural Disasters in Australia Australia is surrounded by different bodies of water and includes a wide array of landscapes and inconsistently varying climates that affect the severity and type of natural disasters experienced. While heatwaves and bushfires are overall the most common form of natural disaster that occurs in Australia, the country is also prone to experiencing devastating floods. Natural Disasters by State and Territory - Queensland: Tropical cyclones and large amounts of river flooding have ravaged the eastern part of Australia. Queensland has faced over 80 natural disasters in the last decade, totaling more than $16 billion in damages. - New South Wales: This southeastern country is no stranger to flooding. In 2021, a natural disaster was declared after New South Wales experienced flooding so severe it was described as only occurring once a century. Dams were compromised, adding to the dangerous amount of floodwater circulating in the area. - Northern Territory: Flooding has recently affected people living in northern Australia. In February 2022, previously dry creeks and riverbeds swelled with constant rainfall, flooding roads to remote villages, causing a scarcity of food. Some areas are getting 400% more than the typical amount of rainfall; this increase in rainfall can be attributed to climate change. - Western Australia: Tropical cyclones and flooding are semi-regular occurrences in Western Australia. This region of the country is most susceptible to taking the brunt of tropical storms, which happen between November and April, usually experiencing at least one severe cyclone a year. - South Australia: Flooding and earthquakes have plagued South Australia, leaving immense destruction in their wake. While quakes aren’t extremely common in the country overall, Adelaide has the highest chance of risk out of all Australian capital cities for experiencing an earthquake due to its proximity to fault zones. - Victoria: Tropical cyclones, bushfires, and flooding have threatened the supply of clean water in Victoria. - Tasmania: Record rainfall in late 2021 caused large amounts of flooding, blocking off roadways and leaving schools forced to close on numerous occasions. Types of Natural Disasters in New Zealand Both the northern and southern islands of New Zealand are at risk for a variety of natural disasters, with flooding being the most often occurring and destructive natural hazard. Natural Disasters by Region - Northland: Tsunamis, landslides, and flooding have cost the Northland region millions. In July of 2020, one particularly severe storm and subsequent flooding induced an insurance payout of $37 million. - Auckland: Flooding and earthquakes have induced coastal erosion in the northernmost region of New Zealand. - Waikato: This large region on the northern island has dealt with river and coastal flooding, earthquakes, and landslides filled with debris. - Bay of Plenty: Earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and flooding happen in the Bay of Plenty. With eight major rivers emptying into the bay, flood control has been an issue in the past. - Gisborne: This east coast region has experienced low-level earthquakes that damaged public property and temporarily stopped the electrical power supply. - Hawke’s Bay: While there is a definite chance of tsunamis occurring in this region, the deadliest natural disaster in all of New Zealand history happened here: an earthquake. In February of 1931, over 250 people lost their lives after a quake with a magnitude of 7.8 ripped through churches, libraries, hotels, medical centers, and colleges. - Taranaki: The location of Taranaki being on the Pacific-Australian plate boundary increases the risk of eroding-earthquakes, tsunamis, and flooding. - Manawatū-Whanganui: Flooding, storms, tsunami, earthquakes… this southern region of the northern island experiences it all. - Wellington: While earthquakes and tsunamis can happen in the southernmost part of the northern island, flooding has caused serious issues in the past. In late 2021, the region of Wellington experienced an entire month’s worth of rain in 14 hours, leaving roadways and cars submerged. - Tasman: At the northernmost part of the southern island, flooding has been fierce. In 2018, the region saw an unprecedented storm, of which the cleanup was expected to take an entire year. - Nelson: The occurrence of floods and earthquakes between the regions of Tasman and Nelson led to the formation of an Emergency Operations Centre. - Marlborough: While there haven’t been many recent earthquakes, Marlborough does reside on fault lines, and the region has experienced severe damage in the past. - West Coast: This coastal community is prone to flooding, storms, tsunamis, and eroding earthquakes. - Canterbury: Earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, and landslides have all affected the infrastructure and communities of Canterbury. The most expensive natural disaster in New Zealand occurred in Canterbury; an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.1 caused a severely-damaging aftershock months later, destroying churches, homes, schools, and claiming the lives of at least 185 people while injuring thousands more. The combined cost of damages from these quakes was around $22 billion. - Otago: Extreme rainfall caused bridge and road closures due to flooding in 2021. - Southland: Rain-related flooding in 2020 saw the evacuation of over 2,000 people. Causes and Effects of Natural Disasters in Australia & New Zealand There are many natural and manmade causes for natural disasters. No matter if a community experiences a tsunami, earthquake, wildfire, or flood, the effects are enormously devastating to the environment, life, and infrastructure of a region, even more so for those in low-income or remote areas. Potential Causes of Natural Disasters - Deforestation: When a flood occurs, vegetation and the roots of trees work to absorb the water, mitigating the damage to surrounding farmland, homes, and municipalities. However, if a significant amount of trees are removed from an area, a flood can be much more difficult to control. - Erosion: Flooding, earthquakes, tsunamis, and landslides can all exacerbate naturally-occurring erosion. This can have serious implications for the critical infrastructure of a community, as well as decrease property value and useable land. - Climate change: Our planet is consistently heating up, heavily in part to human industrial intervention. Australia is feeling the effects of the incremental uptick in temperature, experiencing more wildfires, heat waves, and ravenous rainfalls. The prevalence of these unstable and extreme weather patterns can leave communities destroyed. - Shifts in the Earth’s crust: Seismic activity, the natural shifting of tectonic plates, can induce earthquakes, sinkholes, and tsunamis. New Zealand experiences around 15,000 quakes a year. - Altered ocean currents: When ocean currents change, the water can become warmer, providing ideal conditions for a tropical storm to form. Potential Effects of Natural Disasters - Loss of life: In 2020, the Australian summer wildfire season saw at least 445 fatalities from smoke-related reasons alone. A 2015 report regarding the tsunami risk of New Zealand noted that in a worst-case scenario, 30,000 could lose their lives if proper protective measures were not taken. - Erosion: Coastal erosion has been a huge issue in parts of Australia. Homes without seawall protection are falling into the sea. Extreme flooding, high winds, and landslides associated with many kinds of natural disasters can devastate land that many people rely on for agricultural purposes. - Private property damage: Many homes, especially those in impoverished areas, are settled along riverbanks and coasts, which the residents utilize in their day-to-day lives. Flooding and landslides in these areas can and does upend entire communities. In 2020, there were almost 12,000 insurance claims in New South Wales as flooding ravaged Australian cities including Port Macquarie, Kempsey, Laurieton and Taree, and west Sydney - Public property damage: The July 2020 Northland storm cost at least $18 million in damages to critical infrastructure, including highways, roads, and water treatment facilities. - Economic loss: Natural disasters can be detrimental to areas of New Zealand and Australia that rely on tourism to thrive. As of 2021, the Australian government spends over $38 million related to natural disasters. An estimate of economic losses resulting from natural disasters in New Zealand is around $832 million. How to Prepare for a Natural Disaster You can better prepare your country and its communities by implementing the steps outlined in governmental disaster management. Phases of Disaster Management - Mitigation of effects: Ensure your community is equipped with effective forms of flood barriers, erosion control, and landslide diversion strategies. TrapBag® barriers are an incredibly durable form of protection that can be applied in a variety of ways to reinforce infrastructure, homes, shorelines, and mitigate the effects of flooding. - Preparation: Alert and inform people residing in areas more prone to flooding that they may need to evacuate to higher elevations. Stress the importance of having a supply of non-perishable food and drinking water in the event they are unable to leave their homes. - Response: After a natural disaster occurs, identify regions that most require assistance, whether through rescue efforts, medical attention, or food and water supply. - Recovery: Rebuild the community’s infrastructure and create a plan to better prepare for future events. Prevention of Natural Disasters: TrapBag Barriers If you’re wondering what can be done to prevent natural disasters, you’re not alone. While the actual event cannot often be prevented, the severity of the effects of natural disasters can be with proper protection. When it comes to providing protection for a variety of natural disasters, TrapBag barriers are the optimal choice. This engineered form of damage mitigation is effective when employed as many forms of solutions, including: - Flood barriers: When extreme rainfall or a treacherous storm hits, TrapBag flood barriers can divert the damaging flow of water away from at-risk areas like farmland. TrapBags can also be arranged as a seawall alternative, providing necessary protection to coastal communities experiencing tsunamis or rising sea levels. - Erosion control: Extreme winds, rising water levels, earthquakes, and landslides can destabilize land. TrapBag barriers offer incredible protection from erosion, ensuring property values do not drastically decline, and the ecosystem stays intact. - Infrastructure support: TrapBags can be arranged to provide additional stability to bridges, dams, highways, and other forms of infrastructure during natural disasters, mitigating extensive damage, expensive repairs, and loss of employment. - Diversion walls: During landslides, debris can tumble into buildings and homes, leaving huge amounts of damage in their wake. TrapBags can be filled with concrete to build incredibly sturdy protective walls that block and divert mudslide and landslide debris, saving thousands of people from losing their belongings and facing homelessness. - Dams: Reliable dams are crucial to preventing natural disaster-induced flooding. TrapBags can be arranged to block and redirect water, saving communities costly repairs and saving the local economy from tanking. - Levees: This form of TrapBag water barrier prevents floodwaters from infiltrating elevated surfaces, like roadways and agricultural plots. - Stormwater containment: Natural disasters often result in contaminated runoff. If not properly handled, this debris-filled water can destroy land and pollute water sources. TrapBag stormwater detention basins help keep the inhabitants and environment safe and healthy. - Spill control: Chemical and/or oil spills, like stormwater runoff, can be extremely detrimental to the environment, especially agricultural plots. Due to their incredible strength and durability, TrapBags are a great solution to retaining toxic chemicals. Beneficial Properties of TrapBags TrapBags are superior forms of protection and prevention during natural disasters. - Versatile: TrapBags can be filled with a variety of substances including sand, washed gravel, and concrete. They can create many types of structures, as well as offer support during many forms of natural disasters. - Durable and dependable: The exterior strength of TrapBags, along with the leakproof, accordion structure, makes them extremely reliable forms of protective and preventive barriers, ensuring expensive infrastructure and pillars of communities like large plots of farmland are still standing and safe after a natural disaster passes through. - Easily installed: Unlike many other forms of protection, TrapBags do not require heavy machinery to be placed. Installation is made simple by the interconnected structure of the barriers; they can be laid and arranged on a variety of landscapes, whether it is flat or sloped. - Quick to deploy: Natural disasters can occur suddenly. TrapBag barriers are rapidly deployable, offering a quick and strong form of protection that anyone can set up. Use TrapBags for Protection from Natural Disasters Damage prevention is key when it comes to keeping communities thriving, even in the wake of a natural disaster. TrapBag barriers provide incredibly durable, effective protection from a variety of natural disasters. Message us today to inquire about utilizing TrapBag in your state, or begin placing your order.
The Black Stork (Ciconia nigra) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. It is a widespread, but rare, species that breeds in the warmer parts of Europe, predominantly in central and eastern regions. This is a shy and wary species, unlike the closely related White Stork. It is seen in pairs or small flocks—in marshy areas, rivers or inland waters. The Black Stork feeds on amphibians and insects. Slightly smaller than the White Stork, the Black Stork is a large bird, 95 to 100 cm (37–39 in) in length with a 145–155 cm (5 ft) wingspan, and weighing around 3 kilograms (6.6 lb). Like all storks, it has long legs, a long neck, and a long, straight, pointed beak. The plumage is all black with a purplish green sheen, except for the white lower breast, belly, axillaries and undertail coverts. The breast feathers are long and shaggy forming a ruff which is used in some courtship displays. The bare skin around its eyes is red, as are its red bill and legs. The sexes are identical in appearance, except that males are larger than females on average. The juvenile resembles the adult in plumage pattern, but the areas corresponding to the adult black feathers are browner and less glossy. The scapulars, wing and upper tail coverts have pale tips. The legs, bill, and bare skin around the eyes are greyish green. It may be confused with the juvenile Yellow-billed Stork, but the latter has a paler wings and mantle, longer bill, and white under the wings. It walks slowly and steadily on the ground. Like all storks, it flies with its neck outstretched. It has a rasping call, but rarely indulges in mutual bill-clattering when adults meet at the nest. During the summer, the Black Stork is found from Eastern Asia (Siberia and China) west to Central Europe, reaching Estonia in the north, Poland, Lower Saxony and Bavaria in Germany, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Greece in the south, with an outlying population in Spain. They are nowhere abundant in these western parts of their distribution, but more densely inhabit the eastern Transcaucasus. Preferring more wooded areas than the better known White Stork, the Black Stork breeds in large marshy wetlands with interspersed coniferous or broadleaved woodlands, but also inhabits hills and mountains with sufficient network of creeks. It does inhabit more areas in the Caspian lowlands. The Black Stork is a strong migrant, wintering in tropical Africa and India. However, the Iberian population is resident. A broad-winged soaring bird, the Black Stork is assisted by thermals of hot air for long distance flight, altohugh are less dependent on them than the White Stork. Since thermals only form over land, storks, together with large raptors, must cross the Mediterranean at the narrowest points, and many Black Storks can be seen going through the Bosporus. They fly approximately 100 to 250 km a day with daily maxima up to 500 km. Black Stork parents have been known to kill one of their young, generally the smallest, in times of food shortage to reduce brood size and hence increase the chance of survival of the remaining nestlings. Stork nestlings do not attack each other, and their parents' method of feeding them (disgorging large amounts of food at once) means that stronger siblings cannot outcompete weaker ones for food directly, hence parental infanticide is an efficient way of reducing brood size. Despite this, this behaviour has not commonly been observed.
Science teachers are full of knowledge, curiosity, and enthusiasm for testing new ideas through a scientific lens. In order to help your students grow into being intelligent and observant scientists, you are going to need some science supplies to help teach and mold those young minds in learning about the wonderful world around them. To help bring those ideas and experiments to life, you are going to need lots of supplies, no matter the age group you are teaching. Super Science Supplies There are so many items you need to stock a science classroom, and the list never seems to end. Science supplies can be anything used by a teacher or students in a classroom to help teach and learn new science skills, concepts, or aid in an experiment. Science classrooms need to be equipped with enough materials for the whole class, which makes buying in bulk a great way to save money on the science education supplies you’ll need for the school year. Similar to how office supplies are essential to all types of businesses, science supplies are essential to science teachers and schools all over the country in guiding students into the world of science. They make experiments fun and help your students learn about the world around them through the five senses as well as extensive analysis. Besides normal school supplies, science classroom supplies differ based on the grade level being taught. For example, the classroom science supplies used in a college lab class would be much different than the supplies you would use in an elementary or middle school science class. To break it down based on age group and the level of learning going on, here are some examples of general science class supplies for elementary, middle, high school, and college aged students. Elementary science lab supply list: - Meter sticks - Magnifying glass - Shaving cream - Food coloring Middle school science lab supply list: - Units of measurement - Popsicle sticks High school science lab supply list: - Lab coat - Test tubes and racks - Various chemicals and distilled water College science lab supply list: - Lab coat - Distilled water - Dissecting tools Science Supplies in the Lab Science labs are different than the regular classroom and require different supplies. The lab is where students perform experiments and test hypotheses to see if what they question is correct or not by following a set of procedures given by the teacher. Students that are in grade levels k-8 are typically doing experiments that can be done with household items such as recycled material, magnets, tape measures, things found outside, and more. Once students reach high school and college, chemicals and more advanced concepts become involved, and students are left to do the procedure for a grade and are expected to use the science experiment supplies to complete the procedure. The science lab supplies list now includes safety equipment such as gloves, lab coats and goggles to protect hands, clothing, and eyes from harsh or dangerous chemicals used in the lab. Along with the supplies and things used in the lab, the classroom furniture is also different. Instead of individual desks for students to sit at, science labs have science tables and high stools for students to complete experiments on. The tables might have a sink built into them and have a laminate top just in case there is any spillage of chemicals that can ruin the table. Different Types of Science = Different Types of Supplies The type of science lesson being taught, or the specific type of class being taken requires different supplies. For example, for an earth science class or lesson the supplies used will be different than the supplies that a chemistry lesson or class would use. Based on the different types of sciences, here is a basic list of the supplies you should have in your classroom: - Test tubes - Petri dishes - Measuring materials - Magnifying glass - Ring stands - Toy cars - Maps and globes - Plastic cups/bowls - Baking soda - Food coloring - Paper towels - Extension cords Science Supplies For Your Classroom No matter the grade level you teach, science classroom supplies are needed for teaching and learning. Whether it’s something as simple as magnets and paper clips, or as complex as beakers and pipettes for complicated experiments, these supplies help students learn about the world around us and pushes them to discover new things. Science By Sainai. Basic Supplies You Need in Your Science Classroom. (https://sciencebysinai.com/basic-supplies-you-need-in-your-science-classroom) Accessed July 14, 2022. Sunrise Science. Must-Have Lab Essentials For Middle School Science. (https://sunrisescience.blog/science-lab-essentials) Accessed July 14, 2022. Teaching Muse. Creating a Supply List for Science. (https://teachingmuse.com/supply-list-for-science-class) Accessed July 14, 2022.
Key Stage 4/5 Literacy How can parents support their child’s literacy? Talk to your child about their literacy and encourage them to: - Read for pleasure for a minimum of 15 minutes daily (this can be from an array of sources, not just fiction books). - Know how to use a range of punctuation and sentence types. - Practice timed exam responses. - Plan any extended writing responses. - Write accurately and proofread their work. - Break down and highlight key words in exam questions to aid understanding. - Know and understand a range of vocabulary, connectives and command words. - Prepare and practice for any spoken presentations or interviews. Reading for pleasure As stated above, your child needs to read for a minimum of 15 minutes every day. Regular reading is proven to: - Improve vocabulary, spelling, writing and speaking skills. - Develop imagination, empathy and critical-thinking skills. - Improve mental health and increase confidence. - Improve your child’s chances of getting better grades in all subjects and improve career prospects in later life. - Improve brain connectivity. - Be a relaxing way to spend time, particularly before going to sleep. - Be fun and enjoyable! Lots of Long Eaton School students say that they can often get distracted when trying to read, and this is where support from home can be beneficial in establishing helpful routines around reading. For example: insist reading is completed before screen time. Alternatively, ensure reading is completed in bed before sleep; this is much healthier than looking at a screen before going to sleep and will also improve sleep quality. Also, ask your child questions on what they have been reading to encourage them to continue and to check their comprehension. Our library is open before, during and after school hours to support students with finding a quiet space to read for pleasure.
International Human Solidarity Day is observed globally on 20 December every year to mark unity in diversity and to raise awareness about the importance of solidarity. The United Nations had announced to celebrate this day on 22 December 2005 to explain the importance of unity in diversity. The World Solidarity Fund was established by resolution 57/265 by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 2002, which was established in February 2003 as a trust fund for the United Nations Development Programme. Human unity was recognized as a fundamental and universal right of solidarity by the United Nations General Assembly on 22 December 2005 by resolution 60/209. And it was decided to celebrate International Human Unity Day on 20th December every year. Significance, and Importance - To show unity in diversity - To remind the various governments of the agreements reached at the international level - To convey the importance of solidarity among people - To inspire people, governments for sustainable development - To find new ways to eradicate poverty - To lift people out of poverty, hunger, diseases The purpose of International Human Unity Day is to spread awareness among people about the importance of unity in diversity. Various countries of the world spread the message of peace, brotherhood, love, harmony, and unity among their people on this day. International Day of Human Solidarity is being celebrated across the world today. This day, giving a message of solidarity among global diversity is celebrated every year on 20 December. This day is special in many ways.
"In computers, most central processing units (CPU) are labeled in terms of their clock rate expressed in megahertz or gigahertz (106 or 109 hertz, respectively). This number refers to the frequency of the CPU's master clock signal ("clock rate"). This signal is a square wave, which is an electrical voltage that switches between low and high values at regular intervals. Hertz has become the primary unit of measurement accepted by the general populace to determine the performance of a CPU, but many experts have criticized this approach, which they claim is an easily manipulable benchmark as some processors use multiple clock periods to perform a single operation, while others can perform multiple operations in a single cycle. For home-based personal computers, CPU clock speeds have ranged from approximately 1 MHz in the late 1970s (Atari, Commodore, Apple computers) to up to 6 GHz in IBM POWER processors. Various computer buses, such as the front-side bus connecting the CPU and northbridge, also operate at various frequencies in the megahertz range."http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hertz
Video cameras can vary from Web cams for computers to small hand-held camcorders to large cameras used in film and television, but they all share a number of important parts. Each of these parts is needed for the camera to function properly, just like the human body, a car or any other complex machine. The lens on a video camera serves as the same function as a still camera's lens. It draws in light and captures the image at which the camera points. This telescopic piece can have multiple lenses within it. A number of dials on the tube will shift the lens positions by turning them, and this controls how the lenses focus the light they receive to clarify the picture. The viewfinder is directly connected to the lens and is meant to provide access to the image for the user. This can be a simple eye-sized window, or it may be a small pixel screen that folds into the camera when not in use; many models have both versions. Viewfinders also double as a video screens for playing back the recorded image. The lens picks up only the visual images for the camera, meaning this alone would create a silent picture. Video cameras, therefore, also include microphones that record sound in the area. The microphone is usually mounted next to the lens and pointing in the same direction so the audio and video are closely in sync. The recorder processes the images received by the lens and the sound from the microphone and records them to memory. On older analog cameras, this would record the image onto a magnetic tape within a cassette. Some cameras would take full VCR tapes, but others require miniature versions of these cassettes or other formats like Hi8. Digital cameras eliminate the need for cassettes. The camera instead records the image as a computer video file. In most cases, this file is in JPEG format. The camera's main controls include the Power switch and the Record button. It will also include playback buttons such as Play, Stop, Rewind, Fast Forward and Pause. The controls also include output ports to connect the camera for playback. All cameras should include the basic red/white/yellow RCA cables to connect to any playback machine, but they can also include USB or FireWire controls for connection to a computer. Battery power is essential for camera use. Every camera is equipped with a rechargeable battery. Most batteries are lithium-ion based, and each is made and designed to work specifically with its camera model only. A full battery charge can usually take 12 hours, meaning an overnight charge will suffice.
The delicate state of the European honeybee (Apismellifera) can be traced back to 2006, when the mysterious Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) began wiping them out. Adult honey bees went missing from their hives, and no bodies were to be found. Since, apiaries have struggled – the US reports a yearly loss of about 30% – leaving the future of the honey bee in a precarious position. It is thought the sudden collapse is caused by a number of factors working together in synergy, pounding bee’s immunity so they are no longer as resilient as they used to be. Exposure to pesticides has been afiercely debated and much publicised culprit. A group of neurotoxicants called neonicotinoids have been found to create an increased susceptibility to gut pathogens in honeybees. They have also been found to affect bee behaviour, learning and memory,crucial for them to forage, find their way home and relate the information to the colony. Much of this research has been performed in the laboratory, however, and it is questionable how well the findings can be applied outside of it. In this environment, bees exhibit differences in their physiology and stress levels, and studies tend to expose them to an unrealistic level of neonicotinoids. How much pesticides open the door to other threats is uncertain. Without improved field testing it is difficult to assess the amount of exposure honey bees are actually receiving and their reaction to the combinations and accumulations of pesticide smothered crops. The EU has frozen the use of neonicotinoids while a more accurate estimate of risks is developed. Despite not being native to Australia, the honey bee is well established, where feral colonies and hives managed by beekeepers are spread over most of the country. Neonicotinoids remain in extensive use in Australia. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in 2013 concluded that these pesticides were less of a risk compared with those before. As beekeepers move away from the chemical-free sources of nectar and pollen found in native scrub and forest and into agricultural and horticultural pollination, there is a commensurate increase in exposure to agricultural chemicals. This means more rigorous testing of pesticides needs to be done, with improved labelling, regulation and guidance of products used in agriculture. Changes in land use, where flowering meadows and weeds have given way to agriculturally intense monocultures, mean that bee’s natural foraging habitats are disappearing. One study has analysed honey bee’s foraging preferences so as to establish which areas would cause them least amount of disruption. Their great foraging range and sensitive response to forage quality means they can be used as bioindicators to monitor large areas and inform environmental management. Pollen quality and diversity has a major influence on bee’s health and their ability to cope with pathogens, pesticides and parasites such as Varroa destructor. Varroa destructor is considered to be one of thedriving forces behind colony loss.The lifespan of adult workers in affected broods are reduced,so they cannot survive winter long enough to produce the next generation (Dooremalen etal, 2012). Varroahas spread all over the world with devastating effect, although whether it attacks immunity or it is the mite’s feeding activity that causes such problems is not yet clear. Of all the major honey producing countries, only Australia remains mite-free. Australia hosts a large number of feral honey bees due to a warm climate and plants rich in nectar. This high reliance on feral bee pollination means the impact of Varroa could be great, as Australia does not have the resources to offset the effects. Casey Cooper, president of the New South Wales Apiarist Association, stresses the importance of not letting Varroa get here in the first place. By increasing biosecurity, pests and diseases like Varroa mite are kept out of the country. Biosecurity includesmeasures such as port surveillance, where hives are kept at all ports and areas and monitored regularly. Australia is not reporting the huge losses that other countries are. Cooper, however, argues that his organisation has seen a 30% decrease in hives for registered beekeepers since 2006. He believes there is a looming food security crisis related to the decline of honeybees. Ian Zadow, Chairman of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, estimated that “one in three mouthfuls of food we eat relies on the honey bee for pollination of that food.” It is hard to calculate just how important insects are in pollination, although vanEngelsdorp and Meixner (2010) considered it amounted to more than US$200 billionworldwide . The Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) estimatesthat around 35 different crops in Australiaare dependent on honeybee pollination for most of their production.Many different crops vary in their reliance on pollinators, and it is certain that without them, our way of life would change dramatically. Not only are honeybees important for commercial gain,but pivotal for flower diversity. Their algorithms of flight are being used to inform robot aircraft technology. They can sniff out land-mines. They exhibit the incredible waggle dance, a detailed language where they relate the precise position of food totheir team mates. All this, and I haven’t even mentioned honey. It would be a tragedy to let them languish, but with improved surveillance on their health and collaborative research, Australia can provide better protection for honeybees.
The recently discovered skull of an ancient human relative reveals that the species underwent dramatic changes in a short period of time, a phenomenon known as microevolution, a new study finds. Previously, males of Paranthropus robustus, an extinct australopithecine species (relatives of Lucy), were thought to be substantially larger than females. This dichotomy is well known among some modern-day primates, including gorillas, orangutans and baboons. However, a new fossil unearthed in South Africa indicates that differences attributed to sex are actually due to microevolution, as the species rapidly evolved during a turbulent period of local climate change about 2 million years ago. "Demonstrating that Paranthropus robustus is not especially sexually dimorphic removes much of the impetus for supposing that they lived in social structures similar to gorillas, with large dominant males living in a group of smaller females," study lead researcher Jesse Martin, a doctoral candidate in the Archaeology Department at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia, said in a statement. Researchers have known about P. robustus since 1938, but the new fossil find — a male's skull discovered on June 20, 2018, earning it the nickname Father's Day Fossil — sheds new light on the species. Based on earlier discoveries, scientists knew that P. robustus was a large-toothed, small-brained hominin (a group that includes humans, our ancestors and our close evolutionary cousins) that lived at the same time as other human ancestors, including Homo erectus and Australopithecus, Live Science previously reported. For the new finding, unearthed in Drimolen Main Quarry north of Johannesburg, researchers digitally scanned fragments of the skull, allowing them to digitally reconstruct it and see anatomical details they might have otherwise missed. This analysis revealed that the male's skull is actually quite similar to female P. robustus remains found at the same site. In contrast, at another fossil site known as the Swartkrans cave, the males are "appreciably different," from a previously found female at Drimolen, which led to the idea that the males lumbered over the females, Martin said. "It now looks as if the difference between the two sites cannot simply be explained as differences between males and females, but rather as population-level differences between the sites," Martin said in a statement. "Our recent work has shown that Drimolen predates Swartkrans by about 200,000 years, so we believe that P. robustus evolved over time, with Drimolen representing an early population and Swartkrans representing a later, more [evolved] population." These anatomical changes are the first high-resolution example of microevolution within an early hominin species, the researchers said. Taken together, the P. robustus fossils show that the unique way this species chewed developed incrementally, likely over hundreds of thousands of years. (A study published in 2018 in the journal Royal Society Open Science found that P. robustus had an unusual "twist" in its tooth roots, suggesting that the species chewed with a slight rotational and back-and-forth movement with its jaw as it ate.) P. robustus likely underwent microevolution because of local climate change, when what is now South Africa was drying out. Previously, researchers knew that soon after P. robustus appeared, Australopithecus went extinct. Around that time, Homo erectus also emerged in that region. This transition happened quickly, evolutionarily speaking, likely on the order of a few tens of thousands of years. "The working hypothesis has been that climate change created stress in populations of Australopithecus leading eventually to their demise, but that environmental conditions were more favorable for Homo and Paranthropus, who may have dispersed into the region from elsewhere," study co-researcher David Strait, professor of biological anthropology at Washington University in St. Louis, said in the statement. "We now see that environmental conditions were probably stressful for Paranthropus as well, and that they needed to adapt to survive." Due to microevolution, it appears that P. robustus likely evolved a chewing ability that could grind tough plants, such as tubers, study co-researcher Angeline Leece, an archaeologist at La Trobe University. The study was published online Nov. 9 in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution. Originally published on Live Science.
Today we’re talking about another built-in data type in Python – Tuples. A tuple in Python is used to store multiple elements in an ordered and unchangeable (immutable) manner. If you need the data to be changeable, a Python list is what you need. Now, without any further delay, let’s get right into our Tuple datatype. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know: - What is a Python tuple? - How to define tuples? - Accessing tuple elements - Different functions for tuples Table of Contents Python Tuple – Syntax and Examples Tuples are defined with simple brackets. Here’s a sample definition of a tuple: SampleTuple = ("Element1", "Element2", "Element3") Here are some more examples of tuple definitions: #an empty tuple emptyTup=() #tuple of integers intTup=(1,2,3,4,5) Lastly, you don’t have to stick to a single data type when adding elements to tuples: #Tuples with multiple datatypes multiTuple = ("This is a string", 1, True) print(multiTuple) If you run the above code, you’ll have no issues getting the output tuple: ('This is a string', 1, True) Accessing a Value in Python Tuple You can access tuples with indexes. The index of the first element is 0 and the last element has an index of n-1. #tuple of string strTup=('This','is','a','tuple') #accessing first element print(strTup) #accessing second element print(strTup) #accessing fourth element print(strTup) The output of the above code will be like below- Tuples also support negative indexing where the last element of a tuple is indexed -1 #tuple of string strTup=('This','is','a','tuple') #accessing first element from the right print(strTup[-1]) #accessing second element from the right print(strTup[-2]) #accessing second element from the right print(strTup[-4]) The output will be like below. Update and Delete Elements in Tuples Since tuples are immutable objects, the defined elements cannot be changed or updated. But you can combine two tuples into a third one when required. Similarly, deleting individual elements is not possible, but with the del keyword, you can remove the tuple from your program. #tuple 1 tup1=(1,2,3) #tuple 2 tup2=(4,5) #tuple 3 tup3=tup1+tup2 print(tup3) #to delete tuple 1 del tup1 #this will show a traceback as tup1 is deleted. So it is not defined now print(tup1) The above code will give you the output as show in the screenshot here: Some of the built-in functions for Tuples in Python Tuples offer a variety of built-in functions which reduce the lines of code required. Let’s look at some of the functionality offered by tuples. #a string tuple tup=('this','is','a','tuple') #len(tuple) gives total length of a tuple print(len(tup)) #max(tuple) gives maximum element of a tuple print(max(tup)) #min(tuple) gives minimum element of a tuple print(min(tup)) #count(x) gives number of occurances of x in the tuple print(tup.count('is')) #index(x) gives index of first occurances of x in the tuple print(tup.index('a')) You should get the following output if you run the above code. And that brings us to the end of this tutorial on the Python tuple. Go over each piece of code thoroughly to get an understanding of the functions. You can also refer to the Python tutorial if you want a roadmap to learning all the functions on your coding journey. #happy_coding 🙂
We have a number of salivary glands and they are all situated around the mouth. They produce saliva or spit, and can cause problems when they become inflamed, infected or blocked. Where are my salivary glands and what do they do? There are three main salivary glands, which come as a pair with one of each on each side of the face: - The parotid glands - situated just in front of your ear. - The submandibular glands - situated under your jaw line. - The sublingual glands - situated under your tongue. There are also several much smaller salivary glands dotted around your mouth. Tubes (ducts) carry the saliva from the gland into your mouth. The role of saliva in your mouth is to: - Keep it lubricated. - Help with speech. - Help with chewing and the start of the process of digesting your food. - Protect your teeth. What are the causes of salivary gland disorders? There is a wide range of possible causes for disorders of the salivary glands. Some of these are briefly discussed below. Salivary gland infections The most common infection which affects the salivary glands is mumps. This is an infection with a virus, most often affecting the parotid glands, although it can affect the other salivary glands. It usually affects both parotid glands, so the swelling is on both sides of your face; however, in some cases it is just one-sided. Other viruses can affect the salivary glands too. Examples include: Infections with bacteria can less commonly occur in the salivary glands. This is due to infection spreading from the mouth and is more common in people who are otherwise unwell with other problems. Tuberculosis occasionally affects the salivary glands. Salivary gland stones The chemicals in spit (saliva) can sometimes crystallise into a stone that can then block the salivary ducts. Some people form one or more small stones in a salivary gland. This occurs most commonly in people between the ages of 30 and 60 years, although it can occur at any age. Most stones occur in the tube (duct) which runs from the submandibular gland under the jaw. Stones block the duct, causing a backlog of saliva behind them, which results in a swelling. Salivary gland tumours When cells multiply out of normal control anywhere in the body, they cause a tumour which can be cancerous or non-cancerous. Tumours can occur in any of the salivary glands. Thankfully most tumours of salivary glands are not cancerous. About 8 out of 10 tumours are in the parotid gland, and about 8 out of 10 parotid tumours are not cancerous. All tumours need urgent investigation, however, and most are removed with an operation. Illness of other body systems A generalised swelling of salivary glands can be caused by illness of other body systems (systemic illness). The most common of these is a condition called Sjögren's syndrome, which results in you having a very dry mouth. Other illnesses which can cause swellings in the salivary glands include: - Eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia. - Sarcoidosis. This is a condition where tiny lumps (nodules), known as granulomas, develop at various sites within your body, due to inflammation. These granulomas are made up of cells involved in inflammation. - Cushing's syndrome. This is a condition caused by too much steroid in the body, either due to medication or to the body producing too much natural steroid. - An underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). - Coeliac disease. This is caused by allergy to gluten. - Alcohol excess. What symptoms might I develop from a salivary gland disorder? Possible symptoms suggesting salivary gland problems include: - Swelling of one or more gland. This would mean a swelling of part of your face. There may be redness (inflammation) of the skin over the swollen part. - Pain in the area of the salivary glands. - A dry mouth. - A bad taste in the mouth. - A raised temperature (fever). Which symptoms for which cause? The pattern of symptoms helps to give a clue as to the cause. For example: - Where is the swelling? We know where the salivary glands are, so a swelling in front of the ear suggests a problem with the parotid gland, whereas swelling along the line of the jaw suggests it is coming from the submandibular gland. - Are both sides of your face affected? A stone or tumour is more likely to affect one gland and one side, whereas infection such as mumps usually (although not always) affects both sides. (In mumps, typically one side is swollen first, followed by the other a couple of days later.) - Does it come and go or is it constant? Swellings caused by stones typically come on during or after eating, when saliva is flowing. They may then go down again. Swelling or pain which comes and goes is most likely to be caused by stones. In some cases, however, swelling caused by stones is there all the time (constant). - Is it painful? Most causes can result in pain. However, infections, particularly those due to bacteria, tend to be particularly painful, whereas stones cause a dull pain which tends to come and go. Sometimes the swelling is painless. - Did it come on suddenly or gradually? Stones and infections tend to cause a sudden swelling, whereas tumours tend to grow gradually over a period of weeks. - Is the swelling hard or soft? Infections tend to cause softer swellings and tumours tend to be hard and very solid-feeling. However, most causes of salivary gland swelling can cause a solid-feeling lump. - Is taste or lubrication of the mouth affected? Sjögren's syndrome causes you to have a dry mouth, as can infection. Infection may also cause a sensation of a bad taste in the mouth. - Do you feel generally unwell in yourself? If you have a high temperature (fever) and feel generally unwell in yourself then the cause is more likely to be an infection. - Have you got any other symptoms? Other symptoms in the rest of your body may suggest an underlying illness which is affecting the salivary glands. For example, dry eyes along with a dry mouth suggest Sjögren's syndrome. Extreme weight loss suggests anorexia. Gut symptoms might suggest coeliac disease, etc. Should I see a doctor? Yes, always consult a doctor if you think you have a problem involving your salivary glands. The doctor will be able to get a good idea of what might be the problem by listening to you and examining you. They may then wish to arrange some tests. What tests might I have for a salivary gland disorder? An ultrasound is often the first investigation for lumps in the salivary gland. This helps establish the type of swelling it is and gives an idea if it is likely to be caused by a stone or a tumour, for example. If you are thought to have an infection, you may have a swab or a sample of the fluid in your mouth taken. (In the UK, mumps is a notifiable disease, so the diagnosis must be confirmed by the local Health Protection Unit, who will provide a testing kit.) Blood tests may also be needed to help establish the type of infection. Sialography is a special type of X-ray of the salivary glands and ducts. It involves injecting a chemical into the salivary duct to show it up on the X-ray. It is particularly useful for finding stones in the ducts or glands. If an ultrasound shows a suspected tumour, further scans such as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan or a computerised tomography (CT) scan may be useful. An ultrasound or CT scan can also help guide a biopsy. In this procedure a sample of the swollen tissue is removed for examination under a microscope. This test would be used if a tumour were suspected from the results of other initial tests. Tests on your saliva and tears are used to diagnose Sjögren's syndrome. Specific blood tests may also be helpful. What is the treatment for salivary gland disorders? This will entirely depend on the cause. See the separate leaflets on the individual conditions, where available, for details. Briefly, treatment of some of the more common causes is as follows: Mumps. This gets better on its own over a week or so with no treatment. Paracetamol or ibuprofen may help with the symptoms. Avoid school or work for five days after symptoms start. See separate leaflet called Mumps for more information. Bacterial infections. These are treated with antibiotics. Encourage the flow of saliva by drinking enough fluid and by sucking lemon drops or chewing gum. Warm compresses may be helpful. Stones. Many of these pass through the duct eventually on their own without needing any treatment at all. Others may need help from a specialist surgeon. Stones can be removed in a number of ways. See separate leaflet called Salivary Gland Stones (Salivary Calculi) for more information. Sjögren's syndrome. If you have been diagnosed with this condition you will usually be referred to a specialist in joint problems (a rheumatologist). This is because it tends to be associated with other conditions causing joint problems. The dry mouth symptoms are usually treated with artificial saliva products, or by advice about what you can do to encourage saliva to flow. This includes chewing gum, sucking lemon drops, and drinking enough fluid. Sometimes a medicine called pilocarpine is prescribed which encourages the salivary glands to produce more saliva. If you have Sjögren's syndrome, you should take extra good care of your teeth and visit your dentist regularly. See separate leaflet called Sjögren's Syndrome for more information. Tumours. If you are thought to have a tumour in your salivary gland, you would be referred to a specialist team. Usually the tumour, or in some cases the entire salivary gland, is removed with an operation. Surgery may be followed by radiotherapy. The exact plan will depend on the type of tumour and where it is. Are there any complications with salivary gland disorders? Again, this depends on the individual diagnosis. Some complications of some salivary gland disorders include: - Mumps: in males there can be infection of the testicles (epididymo-orchitis) which can cause problems with fertility later in life. Occasionally the infection of mumps can spread to other parts of the body causing other problems. - Sjögren's syndrome: a number of complications are associated with this condition, including infections and tumours of the salivary glands, miscarriage in pregnant women, nerve problems and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. - Stones: further stones may form in future. Blockage of the gland can result in infection or damage. - Tumours: operations to the parotid gland involve having to work around one of the main nerves of the face. If this is damaged, there can be weakness of one side of the face afterwards. - Any cause of damage to the salivary gland may result in long-term problems with its function. This can result in a dry mouth and problems with teeth.
Since 2018, new records have been set in terms of droughts, hottest months and driest years in centuries. The drought, heat and pests have been affecting the forests more and more since 2019 and unfortunately there is no improvement in sight in 2020 either. In Germany there was the most severe forest damage in over 200 years. Fires and storms have greater effects, because of the large amount of damaged wood and the tree damage, there are more problems with pests and fungal attack. Fine dust and environmental toxins from agriculture give many plants and animals the rest, especially insects such as bees suffer from environmental destruction. Air pollution, insecticides and pesticides are not only a danger for bees, they also endanger many other species, especially in areas of agriculture and livestock farms. Many of the typical trees and forests in forestry are monocultures and conifers such as douglas firs, spruces, pines, larches and firs – unfortunately they do not offer much nectar. Almost 80 percent of the conifers were felled because of damage. At just under 70 percent, the proportion of damaged wood in 2019 was more than three times as high as in 2010. As already described in the article on the Leipzig Oak Park of Diversity project, even strong tree species such as oaks are affected. Whether from pests, powdery mildew or drought stress, the plants suffer very badly from drought. Like many deciduous trees, oaks are deep-rooted, which draw water from the lower soil layers. What they don’t need themselves, they release closer to the surface. This makes oak a good soil regulator, for example through its pronounced symbioses with microorganisms and fungi. Oaks and other robust trees suffer from climate change, as do many people and animals. Damage to trees and forests is not only caused by fire, drought and heat waves, but also by fungus, pests, snow breaks, storms, floods and environmental toxins – as well as air and water pollution. There are around four billion hectares of forest on earth. There are around 60,000 tree species worldwide and over 10,000 of them are threatened with extinction. According to an assessment by the World Conservation Union (IUCN), more than half of European tree species are endangered. Of the approximately 450 tree species, 265 do not occur on any other continent. More than 150 species are threatened, 66 species are at the highest level of endangerment and therefore close to extinction. In total, more than 28,000 animal and plant species are listed as endangered worldwide. These are data and statistics from recent years and some of the figures are already out of date, especially after the massive droughts and forest fires. It can be assumed that many more species are now threatened and in some regions even extinct. According to climate research, long-term studies and weather experts, extreme drought is becoming normal in Europe in summer. In spring there is also a lack of water for healthy plant growth in many places around the world. The soils and forests can hold less water because the important reservoirs are not only dried out but damaged, i.e. the storage capacity is reduced and in some cases reduced for years. If middle and deeper soil layers harden, humus layers decay to dust or are destroyed, even a lot of rain does not help at first. It then takes years of moderate rain and much plant growth until these soil layers are loosened and watered again. Trees, hedges and other plants that can form complex, strong and deep roots need a few years to loosen middle and deep soil layers. Many plants lose branches, leaves and fruit during a drought or extreme drought. The proportion of trees with significant crown thinning increased to about 35 percent in 2019. If the trees and plants are generally weakened, they are more susceptible to parasites and other pests such as bark beetles, jewel beetles and processionary moth. In most cases, the damaged wood cannot remain in the forest. Much of this wood is not suitable for wood processing or high-quality products for the construction and furniture industries. Often the only option left is to process it into inferior wood products such as chipboard or wood pellets. A lot of damaged wood has been coming onto the market since 2018 and the price of wood has collapsed dramatically, the forecasts for 2021 and 2022 do not look any better. There is currently so much wood per year that would normally be enough for three years or more. The forest and wood industries are recording massive losses, and even cheap oak is already being sold as firewood. Forest companies and forest owners will have to work for a long time to compensate and repair the damage of recent years. Future challenges, conflicts, wars and crises because of the worldwide water availability and water supply The water reserves in the soil are becoming increasingly scarce, the soils are becoming drier overall. It has been relatively dry in Germany since 2015. The past two years exceeded the previous record drought of 1976. At that time it was exceptionally dry for five years and some tree species were replaced or supplemented by drought-resistant species such as hornbeam, service tree and field maple. But the adaptation of forests to the crisis and forest restructuring makes no sense if the groundwater will levels sink, lakes, rivers and water reservoirs partially dry up. Dry periods in winter are also a big problem, because when there is no snow there is much less water due to the melting of snow. The problem has been known for a long time, for example the lack of water supply due to the disappearance of glaciers and large areas of snow or ice. When mountains and oceans absorb more sun, the planet heats up even faster, especially at the North Pole. Fires and very hot times in northern areas of Russia also accelerate the thawing of the permafrost soil. Similar to the largest share of the greenhouse gas methane from agriculture or livestock farming, methane is released by the decomposition of the thawed biomass. As this happens in a very short time, the atmosphere, biosphere and weather systems cannot simply compensate for this, resulting in extreme climate changes and an increase in extreme weather conditions. For some years now, climate researchers have been able to prove the connection between extreme drought and severe flooding. In the meantime, there have been several fires, droughts and floods of the century, not only in Germany and Europe – but unfortunately also in Africa, America, Asia and India. According to various surveys, around 80 percent are very concerned about the persistent drought. In France, Poland, the Czech Republic and other European countries, the spring was marked by low rainfall this year. French forests are very much endangered by the drought years and the hot summer of 2019. It was one of the deadliest heat waves in all of Europe, killing thousands of humans. The harmful effects of the droughts can be clearly seen on satellite images, many brown and gray fields in Europe and many large cities such as Berlin are affected. It affects especially regions in the north and east, in principle all federal states are affected. The cities in particular need more greenery, as they can heat up much more as the surrounding area. What you see more and more often are dry meadows, trees and bushes. The parks and water areas are therefore just as important as the greening of roofs and facades. The soil moisture, the total groundwater level and the groundwater levels in different regions of Germany are too low, at least in relation to normal amounts of precipitation and water levels. In April 2020, there was far too little rainfall in almost all federal states; the states of Saxony-Anhalt, Saxony and Thuringia were particularly affected. The soil moisture in the topsoil and total soil is simply too little for many plants. Due to the lack of water available to plants, drought stress or water stress quickly occurs. The photosynthesis of the plants and the growth decrease. If the usable soil water continues to fall, plant water stress occurs and the plants begin to dry up. The drought monitor of the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research showed that the total soil in large parts of Germany was characterized by extreme to extraordinary drought in April and midsummer 2020. Similar to the drought monitor from the Environmental Research Center in Leipzig, there is also a research project in Switzerland called Drought CH or Trockenheit.ch, where information on the current situation is shown. The colleagues also summarize a lot of interesting data from the last few years. Such information is becoming more and more important, especially if conflicts over water resources increase in the future, whether in the energy industry for cooling or in agriculture for agricultural irrigation. It affects many European countries. If the water reserves become increasingly scarce, conflicts of use over water resources can be intensified considerably. The use of water, water resources and water management must become more economical or more sustainable so that there is not another water crisis in the next few years. Using ponds, water towers and underground water reservoirs to collect rainwater makes more and more sense, especially when you consider that around 80 percent of all irrigation throughout Germany is done with groundwater. An increasing demand for water from agriculture contrasts with other usage interests and problems, such as the public supply of drinking water, over 70 percent of which is obtained from groundwater. In addition, forests consume a lot of groundwater in dry times, this can affect rivers and other waters. The drought year 2018 and 2019 severely dried out many soils and water reservoirs, to compensate this it takes many years of rain above the usual annual average. Brandenburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Saxony-Anhalt and Saxony are the federal states with the lowest rainfall. Specific figures can be found on the relevant weather portals and statistics pages. Forest dieback, desertification and expanding deserts in Europe Due to the third year of drought in a row, there will also be considerable problems for the plant world in winter and spring 2020, as many soils and plants will not be able to recover so easily under these extreme conditions. The garden, park and forest maintenance is therefore more important than ever this year, every citizen should lend a hand in his spare time, even if it are just a few buckets of water for the tree in front of the door or some irrigation for bushes, hedges or trees at the streets. Unfortunately, awareness of sustainable use and the problem of water waste is still not taken seriously. The production of one kilo of beef requires around 15,000 liters of water, pork almost 6,000 and chicken 4,300 liters. The average water footprint in Germany is 3,900 liters per person per day. This figure includes the amount of water that is used for the production of consumed food and goods in one’s own country, but also the water that is needed, for example, for the manufacture of clothing or electrical appliances abroad. This also applies to ‘more ecological’ electric cars, which unfortunately are still made with a lot of coal, plastic and oil. The coal electricity for car production and rail traffic alone is astronomical. 2019 was the hottest year in the history of Europe, according to scientific findings, with the drought year 2018 and the drought summer 2020, it is now the worst drought in a row for 250 years. The droughts and heat waves of recent years clearly show that the climate crisis is having a significant impact on our lives, the environment, consumption and our economy. An adaptation of the plants to the more extreme climate occurs naturally, but should be supported and improved by sustainable strategies of climate change adaptation. This should not only apply to crops or to livestock, but also especially to endangered species. The selfish nature, way of life and work in certain areas of society and industry, such as fossil energy, monotonous agriculture and forestry, is harming the environment. Selfishness, ignorance and little will to change in the direction of sustainability, nature and environmental protection have produced a destructive chemical industry, energy industry, aviation, shipping, heavy industry, monoculture agriculture and monotonous forestry. The biodiversity, soil and water quality have suffered extremely, valuable landscapes and habitats have been destroyed or have been lost due to rigorous greed for profit and environmental degradation. If things continue like this, even regardless of the climate crisis, there will soon be no more fertile land, only dust and desert. Greening Deserts Climate analyses and long-term studies, in coordination with international climate researchers and climate models, have repeatedly confirmed an increase in extreme weather conditions – even before the drought years or floods of the century, as in Europe and India in 2018 and 2019. There have been several warnings that extreme droughts and floods will become more frequent in Europe, initially in southern Europe and, with further drought years, also in central Europe. This has now even been confirmed in a study by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in Leipzig. Now all we need are realistic solutions and feasibility studies to counteract these extremely rapid changes. A wind of change is blowing. Usually the jet stream with the high and low pressure areas moves from west to east and brings Central Europe a mix of sun, clouds and rain. However, with the accelerated climate change, the high pressure areas tend to persist for weeks over some European regions in summer. As a result, there are long heat waves and droughts, in the low-pressure areas there are more frequent heavy rain and floods. Various temperature and heat records have been set over the years, in 2020 there were many cold summer nights and very large temperature fluctuations. Due to the many dry and windy days, the drought has increased overall. The logging caused by wind and storm damage amounted to 18.5 million cubic meters in 2018. That is four times as much compared to the previous year. There are many forest fires because the soil and top layers with branches, leaves or needles are very dry. The risk of fire is also very high for agriculture, especially when dry fields catch fire, for example from careless drivers and smokers or from broken glass. A field fire, forest fire or forest fire is no fun because it can spread to settlements. In many German cities there is a state of emergency, as the asphalt and concrete deserts often heat up more than the surrounding areas can quickly reach heat records of over 40 degrees. Many people, animals and plants die. In the Frankfurt metropolitan area, thousands of dead trees will probably have to be felled due to the weeks of drought and heat in the midsummer 2020. Particularly in the driest areas of Germany, many villages and towns are affected by the tree death. Due to the drought stress and plant water stress that has damaged and weakened the plants over the years, a relatively short heat phase is enough to give the plants the rest, then often watering them does not help. On the contrary, too much water at once can even damage the plants, for example if the plant cannot absorb much water due to a large part of dried up leaves, there is then a risk of accelerated root rot at the high temperatures, which can occur more often with tap water and dried out roots. If many of the deeper soil layers have completely dried out, the water cannot drain off properly, and waterlogging then forms in some places. Gardeners and plant experts know the problem. So if possible use rainwater and then not too much at once, preferably over a large area and spread over a few evenings. If the soil is not too hard, you can put drainage in some places with a pointed stick. If the soil is slightly damp overall, the rainwater can then penetrate better into deeper layers and root areas. Climate change knows no borders, large parts of Europe are affected by drought and water scarcity. We need an adaptation and improvement of the water management or regulation as soon as possible in order to secure the public drinking water and industrial water supply in the long term. The fear of the consequences of a third year of drought is great, especially if the water table drops, entire rivers and lakes dry up. The drought threatens historical gardens and even well-known parks, the drought also has an indirect effect on all plant growth in the area. Only if the spread of healthy and relatively wild nature is promoted by favorable conditions nature as a whole can recover and regenerate. In the case of monoculture agriculture and monotonous forestry, this is difficult, but not impossible. Some consequences can only be felt years later, as environmental and weather systems sometimes react very slowly. It is similar to the nitrate or slurry problem, where in some extreme cases the groundwater wil be polluted over the years. Really serious consequences for agriculture are still to come, probably in the years 2025 to 2030. From 2013 to 2015 there have been massive changes in global weather systems and cycles. Many of these changes also occur gradually and over long periods of time, so they cannot be seen as clearly as the consequences of a drought summer. So that you can really change something sustainably and positively, you should think in time windows of over 10 years or even decades. It is frightening to see even natural mixed forests which are suffering from climate change. The drought years even have a strong impact on humid areas, as the groundwater level often falls due to the long dry periods. Wetlands and bogs can dry out, which increases the likelihood of bog and forest fires. In addition, there are the problems of peat extraction and the drainage of landscapes for agriculture. The diverse forest conversion and the expansion of wetlands such as floodplains and moors must finally be given priority. Many nature reserves, national parks, natural regions and near-natural landscape protection areas should be expanded and connected, if possible for example with flower strips and wild meadows. Protected areas in nature and landscape protection should also be expanded and include urban regions and larger city parks or city forests. Special wilderness biotopes for a relatively free development of really ’natural nature’ should be made possible in the protected areas. Because nature is not the same as nature, at least according to the understanding of society and people. Soil quality and healthier soils through more ecological forestry and sustainable agriculture, as well as better water management, are important to mitigate the negative consequences and effects of climate change. The already often mentioned building up of humus, cultivation of deep-rooting plants, soil improvement and green manure plants can contribute significantly to soil formation and improvement of the overall soil. Protective layers with ground cover and wildflower meadows can protect the soil in particularly hot and dry times. The principle applies, just let it grow and support nature in the development of biodiversity with natural seeds. Naturally with suitable species depending on the region and vegetation zone, i.e. suitable plants of / for mountainous areas, wetlands, grasslands, meadows and forests. To do this, one should think more about aquatic plants and then use them to improve water bodies. Because a large part of the rivers and lakes in Germany is in a precarious state, at least when it comes to the ecological aspect, neighboring agriculture, shipping and biodiversity. Without ecosystem services, human life on earth would not be possible. Worldwide, around 60% of the ecosystem services examined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment are in a critical state; they are at great risk from environmental pollution and environmental damage. We all have to help make whole landscapes more diverse and resistant to climate extremes, including urban regions and cities – for this purpose, among other things, the Urban Greening Camp project started. More urban greening, solar and water surfaces as well as lighter surfaces can cool down urban areas, so-called for near-natural recreation areas and biological diversity. Agriculture based on solidarity and community gardens are also good solutions that can bring more biodiversity and community profits. Here are a few more suggestions for improvement. Professional advice and recommendation to good addresses and contacts in the above areas for corresponding consideration is possible, for this you can simply contact the author of this article by email. Greening Deserts analyses and research projects have been dealing with climate change and extreme weather conditions such as exceptional heat, drought and floods since 2016. Despite all the optimism, the prognosis for the coming years does not look rosy. It takes a lot of effort, motivation and support to be able to work and live normally throughout the crisis. Cohesion is more important than ever in these times, egoism and ignorance only make things worse. We need more solidarity and courage, whether through useful information, the exchange of experiences or other meaningful actions. Simply going out into the streets unfortunately does not bring as much as taking part in constructive actions and actively participating in constructive actions for species protection, climate protection, nature conservation and environmental protection. For example planting trees, watering urban trees and plants, sowing wildflowers and caring for parks and meadows. Leaving this to others like the green space authorities or city cleaning is not a solution. In some countries or regions the corona crisis can result in massive financial problems and financial crises. There will be a lack of funds and resources for many of important environmental tasks or work in future. We all need to hold together in relation to the health of us all and the environment. Healthy ecosystems are the basis for a healthy life. The global economic crisis and COVID-19 recession (Great Lockdown) will occupy society and the economy for many years to come. In principle there are several crises, e.g. the education crisis, health crisis, cultural crisis and social crisis. Greening Deserts articles also deal with these topics, especially in relation to the effects, consequences and causes of climate change. Many potential solutions are offered, but most of them can only be solved together – some of the suggestions have already been implemented personally or privately. I hope that many will follow. Good additions, ideas and suggestions for improvement are of course always welcome. @ feedback.greeningdeserts.com. Your friend of nature, Oliver Gediminas Caplikas. The next article deals with climate change adaptation and urban greening on many levels, for example with vertical farming. Heat-resistant and drought-tolerant plant species as well as special climate change woody plants will play an important role. Some of the plants are even drought-resistant or have a high ‘drought resistance’. Hemp paper becoming more and more popular as the eco-friendly alternative to wood-paper, reducing deforestation and saving a lot of trees. Many studies revealed that if the old paper industries switch to hemp paper, it could help the world to reduce global warming and bad climate change effects. The worldwide hemp cultivation can improve the climate, environment, soils and waters significantely. Approx 93% of paper comes from trees, but this will change in near future, starting with hemp toilet paper production. First industries have understand the advantages and potentials of the fast growing hemp paper market, not just because of profits and sustainability. The time to change is now, you can be a part of it. Help saving trees, support climate and environmental protection. Use recycled toiled paper until hemp toilet paper will replace it. The use of hemp paper will improve sustainable living and responsible consumption, because hemp is not just a strong symbol for sustainabilty, the using of hemp has a long history with a lot of good experiences. Sad that so many humans and nations have forgotten and missed so much opportunities during the last decades. The Chinese were mostly responsible for the advancement in toilet paper since in the 14th century, the use of hemp is known since 20,000 years! It is time to use finally all the experiences of hemp production and innovative hemp products to improve the economy, society and whole life on planet Earth.Environmental impacts of paper production Countless trees being used for toilet paper production, also in rainforest areas. This has a massive impact on these forests and negative consequences for the biodiversity, ecosystems, indigenous peoples and wildlife. The paper industry is partwise responsible for extinction of species and environmental pollution. For processing trees into toilet paper huge amounts of energy and water is needed. The number of people using toilet paper around the world has increased significantly. Toilet tissue accounts for 15 percent of deforestation, of one tree over a thousand rolls of toilet paper can be produced. The paper production requires a large amount of bleach, formaldehyde and organochlorines. Paper accounts for 25% of landfill waste and 33% of municipal waste. 40% or more of all trees are being cut down to make paper. Alone in the USA, approx 20% of all air toxics come from the production of paper pulp. A ton of conventional paper contaminates over 70,000 liters of water. Approx 50% of the waste of businesses is composed of paper. US offices use over 12 trillion sheets of paper a year. Every minute, Americans throw away approx 32,000 toilet paper tubes. Almost 270,000 trees are either flushed or dumped in landfills every day. Decomposing papers can produce methane gas, one main cause of global warming. Trees contain only 30% cellulose, hemp has approx 80% cellulose content. Wood can contain 40-50% cellulose, 25-30% hemicellulose, 20-35% lignin, approx 5% resins and oils. It needs much energy and many toxic chemicals to seperate the cellulose from trees. Hemp has lower lignin content as wood. Hemp produces four times more cellulose fibers per hectare compared to trees and takes 4-5 months to grow, while trees take 8-100 years. Hemp plants for hemp paper production don’t need any pesticides to grow, these special plant varities need very little water and have the ability to balance out the nutrients in the soil. Hemp paper is more biodegradable and better to recycle as regular paper. Industries, media and politics discussing about the paper wastes worldwide. Some presenting questionable arguments, for example that the electronic revolution and digitalisation will reduce the paper usage, but this is wrong. Demand for paper is expected to double before 2030. Others argue with the conflict with actual agriculture and used land areas, but this is not the main problem. Many unused areas can be used for hemp cultivation, so like wastelands. Degraded lands and depleted soils can be improved. Hemp plants are also good for catch crop cultivation (intercropping), they can improve following tree plantations. Hemp toilet paper can reduce deforestation, climate change and global warming. Hemp paper in general can improve the climate, environment, soils and waters. Let’s save the world’s oxygen-releasing trees and forests who filtering the air, transforming toxins and cleaning parts of the water cycle. More facts and further information about hemp paper and hemp toilet paper Contains information and statistics from sources: Hemp is even good for Chemical Cleaning and Soil Aeration. “Cleaning up nuclear disasters such as Chernobyl or the Fukushima Power Plant leaks require unique tactics. Hemp presents one such unique solution in how it can recover the soil in affected areas. The process, known as phytoremediation, uses live plants to clean up existing radiation. Due to hemp’s quick growth cycle and toxin resistance, it is a natural solution to these human-created problems. Some suggest that hemp could also be useful in cleaning up oil spills by absorbing cadmium. Speaking of hemp’s soil benefits.. Hemp features deep roots. These combined with the natural process of growing helps to aerate the soil with carbon dioxide deposits. Due to this feature, a new crop can be planted immediately after hemp harvest. There is no need to leave the ground fallow. Since hemp also grows in a variety of soil types and climates, this could have huge implications for farming on a global scale.” Read more: Here are some more information about Greening Deserts projects like Greening Camps, Hemp Papers and the Trillion Trees Initiative. These projects can reduce negative climate changes, deforestation, droughts, desertification, land degradation and global warming significantely, especially in human-made deserts, drylands and wastelands. The camps are used for professional plant breeding, to reforest and to regreen large areas. The greening and research camps will be green spots to cultivate plants and trees are needed in each concerned region, for example ground cover, flower trees, wild grasses, wild flowers and medicinal plants. Together with hemp and other soil improving plants top soil layers will be created in just a few years – the basis for the following plantations and forests. It will support to establish a real sustainable agriculture and ecological forestry. Hemp will be a side product of the forestation or greening processes, it can be delivered to hemp product producers like the hemp paper branch and hemp wood industry. All would win at the end – the poor people or regions, the degraded lands or soils, the forestry, paper and wood industry – even big wood paper consumers like the book, newspaper and packaging industry. Hemp and rice straw paper books could reform the book and paper branch in many ways. If you want to know more about, don’t hesitate to contact. Greening Deserts want to found the official company fast as possible and continue the project developments for more Greening Camps in Europe and Africa. TrillionTrees.africa Constructive feedback and support is always welcome. Invest in true values like education, health, humanity, nature and sustainability. Greening Deserts are economical, educational, cultural, social, scientific and sustainable projects to reduce desertification and global warming, to improve healthy environments, agriculture and forestry. Also for urban areas, city forests and gardens – especially community and rooftop gardens. They are good to cool down urban areas and filter the air. @Urban Greening, Rooftop Greening, Community Gardening and City Farming (City Nursery)! We can start primarly in the countries where we get the best, fastest and most support, also financially. The goal is to establish Research and Greening Camps for drylands and wastelands, especially in African and Arabic nations. We want to connect them during the years and bring the nations together, also by connected megaprojects like the third Great Green Wall Project, the Green Ring Africa Platform (coastal greening), the Greenhouse Ship and Greening Coasts project. At the Frankfurt Book Fair and during the years we exchanged and talked a lot with many awesome people around the world. Exchanged and invited many ambassadors, ministers, trade commissioners, scientists and experts to join our campaigns, initiatives and projects – especially the 100 Billion Trees project and the Trillion Trees Campaign! If each nation would plant a billion trees minimum during the next years we maybe can cool down the planet and really reach some of the climate goals. Healthy and natural environments are the best for health! That’s why Greening Deserts projects want to create and restore healthy environments worldwide. By the way, trees and many plants produce not just fresh air and water, they provide food and are the best medicine or health therapy. Clean air, water and a healthy environment are Human Rights! To support the greening and forestation process, we want to develop seeding and greening drones, for larger areas we can use solar planes. It’s one of the first projects we will start at the first Greening Camp next year. The drones are mainly for greening drylands and wastelands fast and efficient, they are also good to improve the diversity of existing areas and forests. To reduce paper and wood waste we not just recommend recycled papers and produce on demand technologies, we started two projects to save the forests, too. Hemp Papers and Hemp Houses was founded during the last year. We will produce a lot of hemp during the greening process and can deliver a lot of raw materials for innovative paper, carton packaging and building products (like hemp bricks, press plates and OSB-boards). Because hemp is one of our key plants for the greening projects, so we can offer this resource for hemp product producers, the book, paper, packaging and building industry. Investors and strong future partners are welcome to join us in the early stage with green finance and seed capital. You can download the article: Greening Deserts Sustainable Investment in CleanTech GreenTech Education and GreenFinance Greening Deserts visited the climate camp Klimacamp Leipziger Land in Pödelwitz and exchanged with many awesome people about climate changes, coal, environment, environmental protection, conservation, nature, system changes and a lot of alternatives and solutions for a fast and efficient coal exit. It’s not just possible but urgent to save the environment, animals, humans, plants and all life forms from extinction, especially in the concerned regions. Coal mining, burning or coal-fired generation causing a massive toxification of air, soils and water. The air pollution going around the world and like global warming it affects all humans and nations around the world. Mostly the poor people or communities suffer the most, because the coal industries destroying also their environments, even if they are on the other side of the world. This is not just unfair, it’s against any ethical and moral principles. It’s also a crime against humanity and violating many Fundamental Rights and Human Rights! Where is the justice and true rule of law. Another massive problem with the coal is the radiation. The Swiss environmental network and BUND Germany published important articles and scientific reports about this issue: “Coal mining produces radioactive excavated material, mine water and radioactive particulate matter that is released into the environment. Coal transport with uncovered railway wagons also contributes to further distribution. If the coal is burned, the radioactive substances with the ashes get into the environment. Although filters in large-scale plants reduce the amount of radioactive ash by 99.5 percent, certain radioactive isotopes – for example, radon, lead and polonium – are still released into the environment. They become gaseous during combustion and can therefore hardly be removed from the exhaust air. The filter dusts must be safely stored as highly hazardous waste; for example, in a repository. This is because when burning the radioactive substances accumulate in the ashes: If the burned coal contains an ash content of five percent, so at the end of the combustion, the concentration of radioactive substances massively increased..” Thorium and uranium are another nuclear waste products caused by coal mining and concentrated by coal burning, the radioactive contamination is immense. There are not just bad news. We have seen many good developments and news in so many fields. Two important things we exchanged about was that all the good alternatives and innovative solutions should be brought together (assembled or compiled) in one overview, so that everyone can understand and work better. The other thing is that Greening Deserts overworked the concept for the greening and research camps, it would be possible to establish a permanent climate camp in each bigger mining landscape. It would be a great platform for climate researchers and also for other scientists. The coal branch could see or understand that the potentials of a fast and effective coal exit are enourmous. More and better payed jobs could be created and the profits would be multiple times higher. It’s really complete nonsense to keep on with coal mining, not just because of the reasons stated here. Keep the coal in the ground and make peace with yourself and the humanity. To a free discussion round we exchanged with some kids about good ideas for the panel. We had the idea to establish conservation, climate and environmental protection as fixed school subject in schools, at least once a week. Another thing is to restore and recultivate old natural German landscapes which were very important for the water cycle and balancing the climate, environment and natural processes. We want to restore for example old wetlands like were destroyed by coal mining companies or other responsibles in the region of Leipzig. The region Leipzig was moorland landscape, alluvial or floodplain forest and now it’s much dryland or artifical lakeland. We need to create much more natural habitats and reservates there, more ancient plants and trees like bald zypresses and pin oaks. You must know wetlands are and were important for carbon capture or storage, a process known as carbon sequestration, holding up to 50 times as much carbon by area as rainforests! https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/feb/03/scientists-hope-wetland-carbon-storage-experiment-is-everyones-cup-of-tea ..there are much more serious and scientific evidences that the air pollution caused by coal burning and coal mining kills humans, not just nearby coal-fired power plants or in coal power nations like China, USA, Russia, Poland, Germany,.. also all other nations are affected. The killing of people caused by coal combustion, gasification and mining is not better than any other genocide – also if it is passive and during a long time. After the climate camp in the lignite mining region in Saxony nearby Leipzig the Klimacamp in the Rhineland started today and will run until 22th of August. The Climate Games Basel in Switzerland are still running. The climate camps are serious events with very diverse programms. It’s not just about climate change and global warming, but also about cultural, economic, ecologic, educational, social, scientific and much more imporant issues! Take a look on the websites for more details. Don’t ignore or misunderstand these events and movements. They inform and share important climate and environmental themes, especially in relation to conservation, environmental protection, human-made climate changes and pollution. The main goal is to stop or block the coal mining, coal burning and coal-fired generation which is responsible for so much many deaths and the massive destruction of our environment and nature. Support all the great movements and organisations working for a fast and effective coal exit! Clean air and a healthy environment are Human Rights, too. People wake up, finally – especially the responsibles! We need to establish environmental awarness and sustainability in so many fields or areas. It’s never to late to do so. There is a good Chinese proverb: “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” Reduce and stop the worldwide ecocide and genocide by environmental pollution! Houston we have a problem! Human-made climate changes like global warming and air pollution (actual 9 million deaths in a year) killing millions of humans yearly! By coal plant emissions (coal burning and coal mining) and radiation of coal-fired plants and coal mines dying around a million. Is this not mass murdering or genocide? An interesting question, Human Rights organisations and international lawyers (bodies, courts, institutes and universities) for environmental rights, climate justice, business, health and Human Rights analysing and monitoring now the responsibles (key persons and companies). Special anti-corruption divisons are informed and criminal investigations will follow. Big thanks to Harvard and Washington University of Law and all the other universities with Human Rights departments who working on these issues, too. To all the politics and responsibles like the Coal Commission or Coal Exit Commission, start finally to act, work transparent and present your solutions how to replace the dirty coal fast and efficient – so fast as possible, before more humans die by the air pollution! You all are responsible, too. Current members of the German Coal Commission: Commission leaders – Stanislaw Tillich (CDU, former state premier of lignite mining state Saxony), Matthias Platzeck (SPD, former state premier of lignite mining state Brandenburg) & Barbara Praetorius (Climate economist, former deputy director at Agora Energiewende*) & Ronald Pofalla (CDU, former Chief of the Chancellery, now board member at Deutsche Bahn) Representatives of 8 federal ministries: economy & energy (BMWi, also hosts commission’s secretariat), environment (BMU), internal affairs (BMI, includes department for construction), labour (BMAS), transport (BMVI), finances (BMF), agriculture (BMEL) and education & research (BMBF) Representatives of 6 federal states: North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Saxony, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt, Lower Saxony and Saarland Three members of parliament (without voting rights): Andreas Lämmel (CDU), Andreas Lenz (CSU) and Matthias Miersch (SPD) Source: Clean Energy Wire If you look at all the pictures of the mines and open heaps (stockpiles), why the responsibles don’t cover them? For years, the coal industry released tons of toxic and radioactive coal particulates, toxic substances and pollutants into the environment (air, soil and water cycle). Some of the hazardous substances are arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium, selenium, aluminum, antimony, barium, beryllium, boron, chlorine, cobalt, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, thallium, vanadium and zinc. We demand immediate coverage of the tailings with tarpaulins, also the coal transport (assembly lines, dump trucks, transporters, trains, etc.) must be covered – because even the storage and transport is dangerous and should be treated as nuclear waste as dangerous goods and it must be legally regulated! It is really no problem or great effort, tarpaulins or durable foils do not cost much – it could be done in a few days. This would at least temporarily hold back a lot of fine dust, which is whirled up especially by strong winds in spring and autumn. Politicians and business leaders need to respond as quickly as possible to this issue and act accordingly, especially to avoid further illnesses, deaths and negative long-term effects (cancer and other serious diseases). All opencast mining regions will continue to be extensively scanned and recorded by satellites. It would be good if DLR, ESA and Nasa finally made the complete scientific data (especially with regard to air pollution and pollutants) available to researchers and the public. We have been calling for open access of such important satellite data to the public for years. During the last years the Greening Deserts founder reported many times such issues like explained here and on all the articles or pages to responsible authorities and institutions. The future greening camps and research camps will be set up outside of contaminated areas, like in the opencast mining region of Leipzig, maybe nearby the lakes in the post-mining area, close to the other open-pit mines. We will do also research on the detection and neutralization of radioactivity or radioactive particles. Together with nuclear experts and scientists from nations like America, Canada, China, India, France, Japan, Korea, Ukraine and Russia we can make it happen. With innovative methods and technics in this area, the entire nuclear waste could be neutralized in future. We strongly reject the current insecure use of nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, but there is nothing wrong with safe use of nuclear power in certain areas (research, medicine, space, etc.). It is similar to the ‘clean coal’ technology, if it should be ready in 15-20 years you can build new really clean power plants, but without open pit mining and the consequences of environmental degradation or destruction. Ever thought about underground drone mining? All truly sustainable and clean technologies in these relations need to be developed, and by then humanity should focus fully on renewable and clean technologies (cleantech) or sustainable energy and resources (renewables). Greening Deserts don’t just worked out a Business Plan and Master Plan for a fast coal exit and sustainable agriculture, greening and forestation in open cast mining deserts like in Germany. The plans are for all other dry and barren landscapes, too. The concepts also work for concrete or desert cities and urban areas. Greening and research camps can be build in each country or nation who need fast and sustainable land regeneration and revegetation. With our methods and techniques we can produce fast top soil layers and clean filtered water. Subsoiling and repairing damages to the soil we can do with special plants (top soil producers and deep rooters). Desert bamboo and other pioneer plants can loosening any dry and barren soil in just a few years. After the first year, trees and soil producing plants like hemp can be planted between the pioneer plants – who dropping shadow and holding the water in the ground. Bamboo groves, woods and forests holding enourmous amounts of water. The greening camps nearby waters like lakes, rivers, seas and oceans will study and research on advanced and new irrigation, water filtering and desalination methods. Water research and improvement is a very important field of Greening Deserts research projects. With all our sustainable projects it’s really possible to reduce the global warming to a significant level. The concepts and master plans of Greening Deserts don’t covering only the thematics conservation, ecology, education, environmental protection, cultural and economical issues, but also social and scientific topics like the migration caused by global warming and human-made climate change. Most of the refugees are climate change refugees, leaving their countries because of land degeneration and desertification. These real causes of migration must be solved at the roots in all these poor nations. Fight the true causes of poverty not the symptoms. Worked years on these themes and wrote many articles about. Together with the master plan many good and innovative solutions are ready to be realised. Regreen or recultivate Africa and MENA region, especially East and North Africa to stop the main causes of migration. And we ask again, why refugee camps have no or just less greenhouses and gardens. There are so many cheap and mobiles greenhouses, so like greenhouse, solar and water producing containers. Greening Deserts analyzing, researching and documenting innovative and problematic developments for years – especially in the energy, agriculture and science sectors. But it’s not just about the problems, we also developed or researched sustainable and real good solutions – and world innovations @Greening Coasts, Greenhouse Ship, Green Ring Africa, Great Green Wall North Africa,.. Climate, nature and environmental protection plays a special role here. Everyone should have noticed the extreme climate or weather in Germany and Europe, especially the floods, droughts and heat waves. Those who continue to ignore all these facts, especially those responsible in industry and government, are responsible for the consequences of climate change and the consequences of global warming. They are also responsible for all the millions of climate refugees and deaths who suffer or die each year from extreme drought and air pollution. The main causes or culprits are cattle breeding, meat production, the car industry, the coal industry, the arms industry and the armaments industry, but also the responsible policy. Every year, billions (unfortunately also much taxpayers money) are wasted in these areas. For example, at least half (such as food) is not needed or consumed – a massive logistics and over-production problem. Precious foods (such as corn) that are gasified or burned for energy production are not a good solution, especially if rainforests are cut down for them – see Brazil, Germany and the energy maize. The time to act is now, we are tired of waiting years over years that the responsibles in Europe finally support us and our innovative ideas or developments actively and financially – especially since many responsibles were informed. How said, the master plan is ready since last year! You can download on our pages. Please support our innovative, social and sustainable projects for a better and greener world. It’s your planet and your future, too! Help nature and planet earth with all the different life forms or species to regenerate and to survive. Care the endangered species before they die out, caused mainly by deforestation. Reduce and stop this madness, because there are enough alternatives to wood and classic paper like grass, hemp and rice straw paper. Help us to plant millions or even billions of trees in future. Forests are the true cloud and rain makers, if the forests are back, water and wildlife will come back. To all the politics and responsibles (Coal Commission, etc.), start finally to act and replace the dirty coal! Don’t talk, plant trees and realise more sustainable energies. We are proud to announce a new project and initiative for Greening Deserts projects like Greening Coasts and Greening Islands. The world’s first greenhouse ship, container ship and solar ship together in one big transport ship can deliver and transport greenhouses and equipment for professional gardening, greening, farming, forestation and other fields like solar applications or solar installations directly to areas where it’s needed. It’s a logistical and infrastructure innovation, because the ship can ship along the coastlines between the big habours of the world – you don’t must drive hundred or even thousands of kilometers from the habours to the destinations. With solar boats, drones, landing crafts and solar trucks the needed goods can delivered directly to the customers on the shortest ways, also deep into the continents. Boat landing stages are not necessary because landing crafts and small transport boats can ship directly to the coasts with fortified areas and roads nearby. Sustainable shipping with greening ships and solar ships will change the world into a better, cleaner and greener place. Greenhouse Ships, container ships and Solar Ships could have mobile units or sections inside and outside. So you can move and exchange containers like in automated parking systems. This allows to load and unload the ship at any place of coastlines. Solar modules can be folded out and affixed with clever clip connections on the top or sides of the containers and on other free places or surfaces. A mobile floating solar field can be spread out on the water to charge the solar accumulators. Desalination of sea water is no longer a problem these days, so the greenhouse section (fixed or mobile greenhouse containers) will have fresh water and service water. On the official Greenhouse Ship and Solar Ships page we will report about the project development in future and also about interesting developments related to greenhouse boats and ships. Greenhouse Ship™ was founded and initiated by Oliver Gediminas Caplikas from Leipzig. http://www.greenhouseship.com About Greening Deserts: Greening Deserts are economical, educational, cultural, social, scientific and sustainable projects to reduce desertification and global warming. Further tasks and goals of the projects are the education, research and realization of a sustainable greening, management and cultivation of all kinds of poor, barren and dry areas, landscapes (drylands) or regions. That’s why the main projects of Greening Deserts treating not only typical deserts but all types of deserts, including surface mining deserts, concrete- or urban-deserts. This can all be done with suitable greening and research camps, stations or centers. Desert research, research and development of sustainable greening methods, greenhouse management, forestry, agriculture and cultural industries are the primary fields of the concept and greening deserts projects. The greening and research camp with a greenhouse, office and laboratory containers or tents for the research and development of greening and irrigation methods is the primary objective for opencast mine or post-mining landscapes. Secondary objectives, such as sustainable recreational use and tourism offers, can be realized while the operation during the years. Greening Deserts has already applied for some idea, startup and business competitions, e.g. for the Hamburg Innovation Award, but to date no answer or any feedback. Today is a very special day. Greening Deserts is proud to announce the first palm nursery and tree nursery, for important and rare endangered plants, in Leipzig. We will plant and research also other crops for advanced plant biology, usefull essences, medical substances, biomass and material science. LE PALMS (Leipzig Palms), the official palm platform, portal, forum and group for palms was founded last year. The page and shop is ready and in progress. We want to open the first palm café, lounge and palm shop in Leipzig, Saxony. In relation to the greening and research camp in the area of Leipzig we can use a greenhouse and part of the camp for the palm cultivation. Since years we have the idea to launch an extra palm garden and palm shop with café directly in Leipzig. (Palm Café Leipzig). LE Palms is a new platform and portal for palms, especially for Africa, Europe and Middle East. We want to establish primarly world famous and usefull palms in Europe. Building palm gardens, parks, woods and forests together with European palm societies. Everyone is invited to join our palm tree, greening and plant community. Stay tuned for more news and updates. Visit the official pages for more information. http://www.lepalms.eu Greening Deserts are economical, educational, cultural, social, scientific and sustainable projects to reduce desertification and global warming on a large scale. And Greening Deserts projects arn’t just for deserts or dry landscapes (drylands or wastelands), they are also good for urban regions. Greening camps in cities could build gardens, parks, woods and forests in urban areas (Urban Greening). The projects could have a very positive and big impact on many important sectors. With the right financial support, sustainable fundings or investments the projects could be realised fast and efficient. Greening Deserts started a mammoth project or campaign for our lovely hometown Leipzig in Saxony, Germany. It’s called 1000 Mammoth Trees for Leipzig. Of course we will plant much more, but we want to show that it is possible to plant 1000 trees in a day or during a week very easily. It’s much love, time and work around. Because some tree species like the giant Sequoia and Taxodium tree need a special cold treatment – we and nature have done the last weeks and months. Now we are ready to go and to grow it. The biggest Taxodium tree stands in Mexico. In 2005, its trunk had a circumference of 42 m, equating to a diameter of 14 m. Taxodium trees in the area of Leipzig have a long history and goes back millions of years. It was one of the most widespreaded trees in the marshlands of Leipzig region. This mammoth-like tree and wood was highly sought after and expensive, that’s why this tree was felled massively. In Germany this tree is very rare and endangered. Greening Deserts projects will establish this tree again and plant millions of them in whole Europe. We want to establish this ancient tree again in the floodplain forests and lakeland region around Leipzig, but also in marshlands in Lithuania. You can help to plant them out this year. Follow or like the page to get news and updates about this campaign. Everybody is welcome to support us on the mission for real and sustainable conservation and environmental protection. For drylands or wastelands we have also mammoth trees like the Taxodium mucronatum of Mexico and Adansonia trees of Africa. After years of plant research and studying the plant databases of Africa we found countless (also forgotten) plants are good to recultivate in grasslands, savannahs or even in deserts. Special desert plants like some ultraresistent bamboo sorts will help with soil loosening and subsoiling. Together with awesome plant mixes we can produce topsoil everywhere fast and efficient. That’s why we want to start also a greening- and research camp in the open-pit desert in the surface mining or post-mining landscape around Leipzig in Saxony, Germany. Of course these greening camps can be started in African and European countries with deserts, drylands or wetlands like in France or Spain. Reduce global warming, negative human-made climate changes and plant more diverse parks, woods and forests – for better air quality and save CO2. Cool down urban areas with Urban Greening projects and establish more city forests. Support Greening Deserts to regreen and to recultivate native plants, especially endangered and forgotten species – wildlife and even extincted lifeforms maybe will come back if we all create more natural spaces and establish more wildlife sanctuaries. Never underestimate the energies and forces of nature. Over time, nature takes everything back or balancing the environment worldwide. What we do to nature we do ourselves. Those who are committed to nature, the environment and a better climate, are committed to their own lives – even if it is not easy in this wasteful, consumer-crazy and destructive society. Just think of all the toxins and pollutants in the environment and the enormous destruction of nature, which was and is caused by the automotive, coal and heavy industry but also by the consumers. Everyone is a part responsible and should think more about – and then act especially! Less (plastic packaging, energy and food waste) is more.. money and a clean environment for all – by the way, clean air is a human right. Thanks California and Canada for the mammoth tree inspiration, in memories to the wonderful redwoods. The new Master Plan, Business Plan and Financial Plan for the Greening Deserts projects is ready after months of work. A first draft of the master plan and financial plan (budget) was pre-released in October, the complete business plan in December 2017. Both current versions in German can be downloaded here or in the download area. The professional translation into English was not possible due to other important work or projects, also because special variants of the business plan for Germany and a startup competition of start2grow were made and sent there. In the next few days, a general public version of the business plan will be put online. Here is a short excerpt: The first greening camp (pilot project) is planned for the opencast mining area in the Leipzig region (Lakeland) in Saxony. Preferred land or terrain are located at the Cospudener-, Markkleeberger- and Zwenkauer See. However, the project can also be realized in other opencast mining regions. Alternative locations can also be found outside of open-pit landscapes. Terrains at waters, such as rivers, lakes and seas are always prefered. Dune, coastal, field and desert research are primary fields of science. Equally important is the research and development of sustainable greening methods, greenhouse management, forestry, agriculture and cultural economy in conjunction with the sciences. The first greening and research camp with greenhouse, office and laboratory container(s) or tents should be a central meeting place and research station for all the topics and areas mentioned. Interesting insights and developments are shared with institutions and partners and published when needed. With interested and competent persons, organisations or bodies will be communicated during the project. Communication, exchange of experience and knowledge as well as good management of innovation and knowledge are important areas for the future. The Change-, Compliance-, Decision-Making-, Risk- and Project Management plays also an important role (partly also in the initial phase). The management instruments and the organizational structure will be adjusted accordingly. With sufficient financial resources, a financial manager (alternatively CFO) and project manager will be hired as soon as possible. The tasks of the CEO as well as CTO can be taken by the founder of Greening Deserts. Extensive information is available especially in the areas of development, management, risk analysis and finance. In order to mitigate or prevent most risks from the outset, the best possible risk spreading will be established. For particularly important areas there are alternative solutions and plans. For the company it is important to create a balanced working environment and working methods. A positive working environment, a pleasant atmosphere and relaxed interaction are fundamental principles. It is planned to work sustainable and forward-looking or proactive manner. This corporate culture should also be carried out to the world. With serious interest in cooperations or partnerships and after concluded cooperation agreement (alternatively CDA and LoI) the current business plan, financial plan and many interesting annexes can be sent also in English. The general concept (master plans) and the business plan are constantly being developed. The internal version will not be published or otherwise published and only will be made available to future partners if there is genuine interest in collaborations or meaningful cooperations. It is a living business and master plan that is constantly expanding, improving, simplifying and evolving. The projects can start also in countries that invest first in a big Greening Deserts camp. The time to invest is now! Help us to reduce global warming and negative human-made climate changes on a global scale. Here is a shortened version, the first pages of the German Business Plan.
Researchers at ANU have helped discover a strange exoplanet orbiting a small cool star 500 light years that away is challenging ideas about how planets form. "We have found a small star, with a giant planet the size of Jupiter, orbiting very closely," said George Zhou from the Research School of Astrophysics and Astronomy. "It must have formed further out and migrated in, but our theories can't explain how this happened." In the past two decades more than 1,800 extrasolar planets (or exoplanets) have been discovered outside our solar system orbiting around other stars. The host star of the latest exoplanet, HATS-6, is classed as an M-dwarf, which is one of the most numerous types of stars in galaxy. Although they are common, M-dwarf stars are not well understood. Because they are cool they are also dim, making them difficult to study. HATS-6 emits only one twentieth of the light of our sun. The giveaway that the faint star had a planet circling it was a dip in its brightness caused as the planet passed in front of the star. The discovery was made by the HAT-S project, which includes scientists in Australia, the USA, Chile, and Europe, who operate a network of small robotic telescopes in Chile, Namibia and at the ANU Siding Spring Observatory. To confirm the signal was a planet and not a blip in the system, the team called in help from one of the world's largest telescopes, the Magellan Telescope in Chile, and an amateur astronomer, T G Tan, who operates from his backyard in Perth. "T G Tan has been really helpful on our projects. He was able to catch the transit of the planet from Perth, after it had set over our horizon," Mr Zhou said. Subsequent observations from the Chilean telescope, and spectra taken from the ANU 2.3 metre telescope at Siding Spring, confirmed the planet had an orbit of just one-tenth that of mercury, and orbits its star every 3.3 days. "The planet has a similar mass to Saturn, but its radius is similar to Jupiter, so it's quite a puffed up planet. Because its host star is so cool it's not heating the planet up so much, it's very different from the planets we have observed so far," Mr Zhou said. "The atmosphere of this planet will be an interesting target for future study." The research is published in the Astronomical Journal.
About This Chapter Standard: Understand that a function from one set (called the domain) to another set (called the range) assigns to each element of the domain exactly one element of the range. If f is a function and x is an element of its domain, then f(x) denotes the output of f corresponding to the input x. The graph of f is the graph of the equation y = f(x). (CCSS.Math.Content.HSF-IF.A.1) Standard: Use function notation, evaluate functions for inputs in their domains, and interpret statements that use function notation in terms of a context. (CCSS.Math.Content.HSF-IF.A.2) Standard: Recognize that sequences are functions, sometimes defined recursively, whose domain is a subset of the integers. For example, the Fibonacci sequence is defined recursively by f(0) = f(1) = 1, f(n+1) = f(n) + f(n-1) for n greater than or equal to 1. (CCSS.Math.Content.HSF-IF.A.3) About This Chapter With a thorough understanding of functions, students are able to recognize the range and domain inside of a function, evaluate different functions, compare functions and compare explicit functions as well. Students who comprehend the fundamentals of functions will also be able to solve application problems with functions and be familiar with graphing inverse functions. The lessons in this standard also cover the following topics: - Calculating functions from a context - Application problems using functions - Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing functions - Composing functions - Inverse functions - Verifying and finding inverse functions - Finding the inverses of functions represented by tables or graphs - Producing an invertible function from a non-invertible function by restricting the domain - Applying function problems You'll know that students have mastered this standard once they've shown that they understand how to solve simple functions, how to calculate functions with an inverse and how to write expressions. They'd also comprehend the relationship of domain to range and identify elements of both. The lessons and the standard can prepare your students for college-level math and careers such as those in engineering, business data analysis and bookkeeping. How to Use These Lessons in Your Classroom Below are a few tips for incorporating these lessons on functions into your regular curriculum in order to help meet the common core standards. Review and Preview Lessons At the beginning of class, show a few minutes of the previous lesson's video that reviews the most important parts of the lesson as a way to refresh students' memories. Point out vital parts of the lesson. You can also give them a brief preview of the current lesson so they have an idea of what to expect and so they can prepare themselves to absorb the lesson. Watch the short video lesson on the basics of functions. Have students take the quiz associated with the lesson to see how well they understand the concepts. After teaching the lesson from your curriculum and discussing functions in class, have them re-take the quiz to assess further comprehension. When you reach the 'Add, Subtract, Multiply and Divide Functions' lesson, you can use flashcards in order to help students learn better. Flashcards are effective because they give students visual learning aids that can help with recall during testing. Unlike memorizing information from a textbook, the varied order of flashcards helps students learn, understand and retain the concepts. 1. Functions: Identification, Notation & Practice Problems A function is simply a rule that takes one number and turns it into another. But some special conditions must apply for it to be a true mathematical function. Learn about those conditions and how we write functions here! 2. What Is Domain and Range in a Function? The domain and range are the possible outputs and inputs of a function. In this lesson, learn about what might restrict the domain and how to figure out the domain and range from a graph. 3. How to Add, Subtract, Multiply and Divide Functions Adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing functions is about as simple as substituting in expressions and then just doing whichever operation it asks you to do. Check out this video lesson to see some examples of this and learn just how easy it is! 4. How to Compose Functions Function composition is the process of putting two or more functions together. This video lesson will explain how this process works and also show you how to evaluate functions that have been composed. 5. Inverse Functions Inverse functions are two functions that do exactly opposite things. Check out this lesson to learn about how to write inverse functions, find inverse functions, and predict whether or not they exist. 6. Understanding and Graphing the Inverse Function If you use a function to map a to b, is there a way to go back from b to a again? Learn how to find and graph inverse functions so that you can turn a into b and back into a. 7. Applying Function Operations Practice Problems In this lesson, learn how to apply all the different properties of functions to solve complex problems. From function operations and composition to domain and range, get your practice here! Earning College Credit Did you know… We have over 200 college courses that prepare you to earn credit by exam that is accepted by over 1,500 colleges and universities. You can test out of the first two years of college and save thousands off your degree. Anyone can earn credit-by-exam regardless of age or education level. To learn more, visit our Earning Credit Page Transferring credit to the school of your choice Not sure what college you want to attend yet? Study.com has thousands of articles about every imaginable degree, area of study and career path that can help you find the school that's right for you. Other chapters within the Common Core Math - Functions: High School Standards course - Common Core HS Functions - Sequences - Common Core HS Functions - Graphing - Common Core HS Functions - Linear Functions - Common Core HS Functions - Quadratic Functions - Common Core HS Functions - Common Functions & Transformations - Common Core HS Functions - Polynomial Functions - Common Core HS Functions - Rational Functions - Common Core HS Functions - Exponential & Logarithmic Functions - Common Core HS Functions - Trigonometric Functions
Z score is a representation in statistics of the amount of standard deviations data that is above or below the average. Calculating the z score by hand can be time-consuming and complicated, but it can be easily found using a sophisticated calculator like the TI-83. The TI-83 is a calculator equipped to perform many functions, including one named invNorm (p) that computes a z score value when cumulative probabilities are given. Press the "2nd" button and then press the "VARS" button. Using the down arrow, scroll to 3:invNormal( and press "enter." Input your known probability in decimal form and add a parenthesis. For example, if your probability is 80, then input .8. On the screen it would look like: invNorm(.8) Press "enter." This will give you the z score to four decimal places. - Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
In Year 10, Drama students will be given opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills to present drama for purposes and wider external audiences, safely using processes, techniques and conventions of drama. Students develop drama based on devised drama processes and taken from appropriate, published script excerpts (e.g. Australian drama post-1960 or world drama), using selected drama forms and styles. Students will have opportunities to research devised drama and read in selected script excerpts in context. Student work in devised and scripted drama is the focus of reflective and responsive processes. Students are encouraged to develop their use of extended answer forms and interviews, using drama terminology, language and different forms of communication, based on their own drama and the drama of others. Teachers are required to address knowledge and skills in Drama through two or more of the forms and styles below. Other forms and styles may be used in addition to teach knowledge and skills in Drama.
The NAACP’s momentum to keep fighting came from the victories it has won. Many people are a part of African American history today were involved in many ways to help fight desegregate the South. Thurgood Marshall, a lawyer, was the critique of the “separate but equal” doctrine that justified segregation. Thurgood Marshall won a number of significant cases, Morgan v. Virginia (1946), Missouri ex rel. Gaines v. Canada (1938) and Sweatt v. Painter (1950). In this process, it occurred a lot murder and violence. But blacks never stopped resisting. Here, I need to mention a great man-Martin Luther King, a famous leader of resisting discrimination and a topical representative of pursue fairness of blacks. “He gave a speech ‘I have a dram’ on August twenty eighth, 1968. It is regarded, along with Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and Franklin D. Roosevelt's Infamy Speech, as one of the finest speeches in the history of American oratory.”(www.smithsonianmag.com) Until now, the blacks gained its rightful situation, they can enter the upper class of society, and they can earn more money than before. He inspired many people to stand up for what they thought was right. Thurgood Marshall rebelled against segregation and integration and helped create new legal protections for all Americans. Thurgood Marshall was the first African American named into the Supreme Court. Thurgood Marshall became a leader on the court in fighting against the death penalty. In 1973 Thurgood Marshall had won the case opposing the death penalty. This political cartoon strongly depicts the progression of African Americans and their involvement in politics as well as leadership. The progression is evident from as far back as the Martin Luther King Jr. era until today. By Martin Luther King Jr. being a prominent African American leader during the civil rights movement, it is admirable to see a little over 50 years later, an African American male in his second term of presidency. What is even more admirable is to know that America itself is the reason why this change occurred. Martin Luther King Jr. will forever be recognized and partially held responsible for the changes that took place as a result of the civil rights movement. To his admirers, he was a courageous advocate for the rights of blacks, a man who indicted white America in the harshest terms for its crimes against black Americans. 13. Stokely Carmichael - Was a Trinidadian-American black activist active in the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement. Growing up in the United States from the age of eleven, he graduated from Howard University and rose to prominence in the civil rights and Black Power movements, first as a leader of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. 14. Debating the MLK Movement Queniya Lassiter Final 4/18/2012 Debating the Martin Luther King Jr. Movement When I think about Martin Luther King Jr I think about all the things he accomplished for African American’s while others were racist against him. He believed in equality no matter where it came from or whom. He wanted all African Americans to be given the same rights as other races even whites. He became famous from his brilliant speeches, words of wisdom and persuasive thoughts that segregated African Americans. Even though times have changed, diverse races are still segregated all over the United States. As you can see this time was a very racial and prejudice time for everybody. The two characters I am comparing our Atticus finch and Jake Brigance. Atticus and Jake are both lawyers. They're also both defending African Americans. Here is a Gail quote "to kill a Mockingbird is one of those books that has released large numbers of readers and has made a significant difference in the lives of individuals and culture as a as a whole (gale reference center). Groups such as CORE (Congress of Racial Equality) have seen to it that many laws have been passed to ensure racial equality in the United States. In these years there have been several Supreme Court cases in which blacks have won to pass many major racial equality laws. Some of the more historically known cases are Brown vs. Board of Education, Bailey vs. Patterson, and Batson vs. Kentucky. Batson vs. Kentucky is the most important of these for the sake of Robinson because this decision holds that a state denies an African-American equal protection when it puts him on trial before a jury from which members of his race have been purposefully The African-American Civil Rights Movement became the greatest movement in history to provide racial equality, and ensure African Americans justice in the prejudice society in which they live. Beginning with the decision from Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954, the African-American Civil Rights Movement began to take shape. This decision reversed the decision of It also provides a new perspective of the methods that King and Malcolm X used in order to reach Black Americans and Americans in general during the Civil Rights Movement. Lambert, Frank. The battle of Ole Miss: civil rights v. states' rights. Oxford University Press, 2010. James Meredith was the first to break the color barrier in 1962 because he was the first African American student at Ole Miss.
We are living in the world of wireless transfer wherein data is transmitted wirelessly over very long distances covering some thousands of kilometers as with the case of internet, mobile phones and other communication systems. In addition to this, electrical power is also transferred to other circuits without using any electrical conductors. One can observe this in wireless chargers, wireless power connectors, wireless sensor networks, power slip rings in motors, and so on. Wireless power transfer is not a new concept as it was invented by Nikola Teslas in the latter half of the 19th century after several attempts and experiments. He found that high-frequency transfer of power results in high efficiency than the low-frequency transfer. Wireless power transfer concept is same as the working principle of a transformer wherein the power is transferred from the primary winding to the secondary winding without any conducting medium in between them. Wireless Power Transfer and its Working Wireless power transfer involves transmission of electrical energy from one place to another without using any wires. This concept can be implemented when there is a least possibility of using wires to transfer electrical power, such as in hazardous places. There are three basic methods to send this power wirelessly: electromagnetic induction, microwave or laser electromagnetic radiation and electrical conduction as in the case with a wardenclyfee tower. Electromagnetic induction based transfer is the most common method of wireless power transfer that uses two coils for transferring and receiving power. As it is a known fact that when one coil is energized by an alternating current, it produces a magnetic field that prompts to induce voltage in the other nearby coil as in case with a transformer. The extent of this transfer depends on the frequency of power to be transmitted. This concept of efficient transfer introduces term resonance that enhances a range of transferring power over different positions and orientations. The condition for this resonance is to match the inductive reactance with the capacitive reactance of a coil. Hence choosing capacitors and inductance of coil should be in such a way that XL = XC. To match with this condition, the requirement is to find the inductive and capacitive reactance of coils. Inductive Reactance XL = 2π x f x L Capacitive Reactance XC = 1/2π x f x C Where f is the resonance frequency and is given as f = 1/2π sq.rt of LC The formula for inductance of the coil depends on the type of coil whether it is circular or square or of any other shape. So the capacitors’ insertion according to the inductance of coil makes to match resonance which results in maximum power transfer. And also the coil size and number of turns depend on the current carrying capacity and the amount of power transfer. The electromagnetic induction-based wireless power transfer operation involves in a set of functional blocks which are given below. In such a setup, the mains AC power to be transmitted is converted into a DC by a rectifier circuit. This DC is again converted into an AC at a high frequency with the use of an inverter circuit. The frequency is around some hundreds of Hertz and this high frequency supply matches the resonance condition with the use of an impedance matching circuit so that an efficient transfer of power takes place. Subsequently this high- frequency supply is transferred to a device resonator wirelessly by producing magnetic lines of force. The energy coupled with the resonator is again rectified to a DC with the use of a rectifier based on load requirement such as battery charging. Hence, this application of resonance with normal wireless transfer increases the transmission range. The induction transfer incorporates for smaller distances, whereas microwave transfer using radio frequency electromagnetic fields supports greater distance transfer of power over multiple kilometers. In the microwave transfer, the signals are transferred from the transmitting circuit over a power beam with shorter wavelengths. The antenna collects this microwave energy and sends it to other rectifying circuit to drive the loads. Laser method of transferring power is involved in electromagnetic radiation in the form of laser beam transferred to the photovoltaic cell. But radiation of laser is hazardous so it is not permissible to use laser anywhere. As a practical example of this concept, the below description about the concept of wireless power transfer is of immense help to the readers. Wireless Power Transfer for Energizing DC Motor This proposed project eliminates the current carrying conductors to turn a DC motor. The project can be implemented if a motor operation requires wireless power, as in the case of rotational objects. Powering rotational objects is a little bit complex process involving zigzag turning of wires to prompt rotation, which may lead to the breakdown of the wires. Apart from the operational blocks of a wireless power transfer, as discussed above, this system can also be constructed with the use of a principle wherein a rectifier, an inverter, a high- frequency transformer, a high-frequency rectifier, a filter, a regulator and a DC motor fan are used. In this project, the power from the AC mains is rectified to a DC at 12V with the use of a diode bridge rectifier, and the capacitor filters this pulsed DC to constant DC. This DC supply is again inverted to an AC at a high frequency of around 40 KHz by switching the transistors at corresponding time intervals. This high frequency 12V AC in the primary coil produces a magnetic field around it. The Secondary coil is placed at a considerable distance in close proximity to the primary coil, approximately 3cm apart due to the resonance frequency matching. When this field, in the primary couples with the secondary coil, it induces a voltage so that the current passes through the load. As the load is DC, induced voltage is rectified again, filtered and regulated so that it drives the DC motor. These primary and secondary resonant coils are connected with a set of capacitors to match the resonant condition for a maximum power transfer. A wireless power transfer in the 3D space is also possible by increasing the number of turns in the coils, by using high gauge coils and high rated capacitors. In this way, one can design a wireless-power-transfer system for simple electronic gadgets like mobile phones chargers which not only reduces the risk of shock, but also the efforts to plug repeatedly into the sockets. We hope that this article might have provided some basic insights about the wireless power transfer to you. Furthermore, for any technical assistance on this topic as well on other electrical projects you can contact us by commenting below.
What is depositional dust? Dust is a term used to describe fine particles that are suspended in the atmosphere and formed by the action of wind, by physical disturbance of fine materials, or through the release of particulate-rich emissions. Gaseous emissions can also react over time in the atmosphere to form particles. Dust comes from a wide variety of sources, including soil, vegetation (pollens and fungi), sea salt, fossil fuel combustion, burning of biomass, and industrial activities. Dust is typically classified according to its particle size, as follows: deposited matter refers to any dust that falls out of suspension in the atmosphere total suspended particles (TSP) typically refers to particles 50μm (micrometres) (0.05mm diameter) in size or less PM10 refers to particles 10μm (0.01mm) in size or less PM2.5 refers to particles 2.5μm (0.0025mm) in size or less fine particles are of size PM10 or less dust particle size is an important factor influencing dispersion and transport in the atmosphere and potential effects on human health. How is it monitored? Deposition Dust Gauges (DDGs) are used to measure the rate of dust deposition via a passive funnel and bottle arrangement as shown below. There is an Australian Standard (AS/NZS 3580) which identifies the equipment required for collecting a dust sample and how to use it, Gladstone Ports Corporation (GPC) and its contractors comply with this standard. Data is collected over approximately a month (usually 28-32 days) and results are expressed in g/m2/month (i.e. the mass of dust deposited per m2 per month). Although this method provides overall dust accumulation results to compare between locations it does not provide data on concentrations, particular events, sources or any potential health effects.
With a weak, unworldly king on the throne, the English nobility heightens its struggle for power in Henry VI, Part 2, leading to the brink of civil war. At the start of the play, Henry meets his new bride, Margaret, to whom he has been married by proxy through Suffolk, her lover. Henry's popular and powerful uncle Gloucester, the Lord Protector, soon comes under attack by Margaret, Suffolk, Cardinal Beaufort, and others. Gloucester's wife is shamed and exiled and Gloucester himself removed from office, then murdered on Suffolk’s orders. Suffolk is banished, captured by pirates, and killed. Meanwhile, the cardinal dies, raving in madness because of his part in Gloucester’s death. A Kentish rebel, Jack Cade, leads a short-lived revolt, seizing London before his supporters desert him. He dies fighting in a garden. Soon another revolt emerges: Richard, Duke of York, leads an army against King Henry, who flees back to London. As the play ends, Richard's forces also move toward London. Early printed texts The textual history of what we call Henry VI, Part 2 is complicated. The play was first published as a quarto in 1594 (Q1) with the title The First part of the Contention betwixt the two famous Houses of Yorke and Lancaster and reprinted in 1600 (Q2). In 1619, the play was printed alongside 3 Henry VI (Q3) with some changes that correspond with the First Folio version (F1). In F1 (published in 1623), the play was titled The Second Part of Henry the Sixt, and its text is substantially different than the earlier editions, including in being longer. There has been much speculation about the relationship between the quarto texts and the folio, including which one came first. But the F1 version of the play serves as the basis for most modern editions of the play, including the Folger edition. Picturing Henry VI, Part 2 As part of an NEH-funded project, the Folger digitized thousands of 18th-, 19th-, and early 20th-century images representing Shakespeare’s plays. Some of these images show actors in character, while others show the plays as if they were real-life events—telling the difference isn't always easy. A selection of images related to 2 Henry VI is shown below, with links to our digital image collection. More images of 2 Henry VI can be seen in our digital image collection. (Because of how they were cataloged, some images from other plays might appear in the image searches linked here, so always check the sidebar to see if the image is described as part of a larger group.)
The gut microbiome—the billions of bacteria that live inside the human digestive tract—is the focus of some of today’s most exciting and compelling medical research. Studies have linked microbiome-related imbalances to health conditions ranging from depression and Parkinson’s disease to heart disease. Some researchers have even started referring to the microbiome as a “forgotten organ” because of the indispensable role it plays in human health. It’s fairly clear that the foods a person eats—or doesn’t eat—can affect the composition of his or her microbiome. Research on mice has shown that switching from a fiber-and-antioxidant rich Mediterranean diet to a Western diet heavy in fat and protein can alter the microbiome’s population within a day. Also, diets high in sugar are able to decrease microbiome diversity within a week—a shift that has been associated with irritable bowel syndrome and diabetes. Researchers have also found that antibiotics or antibacterials are able to knock down or disrupt the human body’s microflora in ways that could promote disease or illness. All of these new discoveries are changing the way doctors think about and treat disease, says Krzysztof Czaja, an associate professor of veterinary biosciences at the University of Georgia. Czaja’s research in rodents has shown that diet-induced changes to the microbiome can “rewire” communication between an animal’s brain and gut in ways that could promote obesity. These and other microbiome related discoveries “will change modern medicine,” he says. But when it comes to strengthening or restoring the microbiome in ways that promote optimal health in humans, Czaja says there are promising theories but no hard-and-fast answers yet. “Our understanding of mechanisms regulating the gut-microbiome-brain axis is negligible,” he says. “We are not even sure about the number of microbes in the human body.” He points out that the skin, gut and reproductive organs are home to roughly 1,000 different species of bacteria and 5,000 different bacterial strains. Figuring out which foods or probiotics could help reshape or harmonize the microbiome for improved health is like baking a perfect cake using 5,000 different ingredients, he says. The idea that eating this fruit or popping that supplement will do the trick is a woeful oversimplification of the microbiome’s complex role in human health. Others agree. “We’re still learning what is a ‘healthy’ microbiome,” says Dr. Vincent Young, a professor in the department of microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School. “There’s tremendous promise, and the research is being done, but right now, we don’t know what’s deranged or lacking, or how to fix it.” Young points to the studies that have tied certain microbiome characteristics with disease states. The assumption is that by altering the microbiome to resemble a healthy person’s, we can cure or combat those diseases. This is the theory behind fecal transplants, which are basically transfusions of gut bacteria from a healthy person into a sick one. “But so far, fecal transplants are only proven to be effective for patients with recurrent C. difficile infection,” Young says, referring to a common type of infection that occurs in some people who have had their microbiome disrupted, typically by antibiotics. “People are trying these transplants for everything from autism to depression, but the results are uncertain and anecdotal.” Often lost amid the fecal transplant hype is the considerable risk involved. “The potential to be harmed by this procedure is very high,” says Daniel McDonald, scientific director of the American Gut Project and a post-doctoral researcher at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine. The medical science community is only “scratching the surface” when it comes to understanding the microbiome’s role in human health, McDonald says, and experts who study it still can’t even say what a healthy or unhealthy microbiome looks like. “A lot of the technology we’re applying now is of relatively low precision,” he says. “We are not even in a position to say that one person’s microbiome is more or less healthy than another’s.” The same is true of diet or probiotic supplements intended to strengthen or improve a person’s gut bacteria. “We have data to show that diets change the microbiome, but not that specific foods will change the microbiome in a specific way for a specific individual,” he says. This is frustrating news to hear—especially if you keep reading about the microbiome and want to take steps to strengthen or safeguard your own. But even at these early stages of research, there may be some broad guidelines to consider. “I tell people a healthy diet high in complex carbohydrates and fiber may benefit the microbiota,” Young says. He says whole grains in particular may be beneficial, as well as eating a wide variety of plant foods. But he points out that these recommendations aren’t any different from what you’d hear from a family physician or nutritionist without training on the microbiome. Likewise, he says eating probiotic-containing fermented foods like kefir and kimchi and sauerkraut may be beneficial; these foods have long been eaten and associated with good health. On the other hand, if you’re worried about harming your microbiome, Czaja says it’s a good idea to avoid diets high in sugar and simple carbs. That means cutting out soda, sweets and most snack foods. But again, this guidance is based in part on broader nutrition research, not solely on microbiome studies. If your goal is to encourage healthy gut bacteria communities, “there is no perfect food or perfect bacteria cocktail,” he says. “You will always have unexpected side effects, some of which you can’t predict, when manipulating a complex system,” Young adds. The human microbiome is extremely complex. And as of today, experts who study it can’t predict what side effects—good or bad—may result from attempts to tweak its composition.
Independence Day is here. A day to celebrate our life, liberty, and those who protect it. Besides its status as a national holiday and a day off from work, Independence Day is a time to think about all of the things that make this country a great one. Let’s take a look back at the history of the celebration behind Independence Day. - In 1777, thirteen gunshots were fired in salute, once at morning and once again as evening fell, on July 4 in Bristol, Rhode Island. Philadelphia celebrated the first anniversary in a manner a modern American would find quite familiar: an official dinner for the Continental Congress, toasts, 13-gun salutes, speeches, prayers, music, parades, troop reviews, and fireworks. Ships were decked with red, white, and blue bunting. - In 1778, General George Washington marked July 4 with a double ration of rum for his soldiers and an artillery salute. Across the Atlantic Ocean, ambassadors John Adams and Benjamin Franklin held a dinner for their fellow Americans in Paris, France. - In 1779, July 4 fell on a Sunday. The holiday was celebrated on Monday, July 5. - In 1781 the Massachusetts General Court became the first state legislature to recognize July 4 as a state celebration. - In 1783, Moravians in Salem, North Carolina, held a celebration of July 4 with a challenging music program assembled by Johann Friedrich Peter. This work was titled “The Psalm of Joy”. - In 1791 the first recorded use of the name “Independence Day” occurred. - In 1820 the first Fourth of July celebration was held in Eastport, Maine which remains the largest in the state. - In 1870, the U.S. Congress made Independence Day an unpaid holiday for federal employees. - In 1938, Congress changed Independence Day to a paid federal holiday. How do you celebrate this special day?
Salt water used for making or preserving food, is usually saltier than sea water and is called brine. Drinking sea water alone is dangerous. A summary of 163 life raft voyages showed the risk of death at 39% for those who drank seawater, compared to 3% for those who did not. Experiments on rats showed the danger. When scientists measure salt in water, they usually say they are testing the salinity of the water: salinity is measured in parts per thousand or ppt. Most sea water is about 35 ppt salt. Salt lakes can be up to ten times as salty. Above that level precipitation creates a salt plain. Brackish water, in contrast, is less salty than seawater. Salt water is more dense than fresh water. This means that it has more matter per its volume. Fresh water has a density of 1 g/ml, while salty seawater has an average density of about 1.025 g/ml. Related pages[change | change source] References[change | change source]
Back in 1978, moviegoers were treated to an amazing sight: Superman reversing the spin of the Earth, turning back time in the process (and saving his beloved Lois). Preposterous, of course, but what if something did change the Earth's rotation? What if the rotation stopped completely? Let's get our admittedly far-fetched assumptions on the table. First, let's assume the Earth stopped spinning gradually, as a sudden deceleration would mean disaster. Second, we'll suppose that Earth's ecosystems have survived the transition mostly intact. So what does this new world look like? For starters, Earth would now take a whole year to do what it pulls off in a day: cycle from night to day and back. Cities would spend half the year in darkness and half the year in full sunlight, just like the North and South Poles do today. And, like the poles, every region would still experience different seasons, but the temperature swings from season to season would be much greater for areas along the equator. An equatorial region would spend infernally hot months very close to the sun, while that area's global counterpart would spend dark, frigid months very far away from it. That's trouble for the plants and animals that have adapted to the climate of a region and, consequently, for the people living there as well. What's that? You're relocating to the relatively stable (though still awfully cold) polar regions? Bad move. They're deep underwater. In fact, the boundaries between ocean and land on a spin-free Earth would look nothing like they do today. Because the Earth rotates, centrifugal force causes the planet to bulge along the equator. No rotation, no bulge. Without that bulge, all of the extra water held in place along the equator would go rushing back toward the poles. Esri, a company that develops geography-focused technology, modeled the world's land and oceans after its equatorial bulge subsided and found that the Earth would have a band of land -- one giant supercontinent -- that circles the equator and separates two massive oceans to the north and the south. As if that weren't enough, Earth's magnetic field might go away, too. While we're not entirely sure how that magnetic field is generated, one leading theory states that it's the result of Earth's inner core rotating slightly faster than outer core (yep, two different rotations on one planet). If both of them stop, the mechanism behind Earth's magnetic field may as well, leaving us exposed to potential harmful solar winds [source: Cain]. Where does that leave us? Humans are an adapatable species with powerful technology at their disposal, but survival in this new environment would be a challenge. Sure, we could try to light our homes in the darkness and heat and cool them (at great cost) during wild temperature swings, but not everything would be under our control. Could crops survive the extremes of this new world? Could any plants? If not, the entire food chain would be in danger. Perhaps we could find new crops or modify existing ones to tolerate this new environment. Or maybe we would become dependent on perennials that return with warm weather. It's actually a little comforting to think that, while the world will probably become a hellish place to live, at least our decorative hosta beds might be OK.
Learning how to play During the toddler years, children gradually move from playing alongside other children to playing with other children. This is quite a long process so don’t expect too much too soon. It is quite ok, and good for your child, for them to have time amusing themselves. Try not to leave a child alone with the TV or a screen, but if they have some interesting things to do, just watching from a distance can help build concentration. The first step is playing with you! Your child also needs you to play with them so that they can learn how it is done. Here are some ideas for how: - Give your child your whole attention. Put down the phone, forget about the washing, just for a few minutes. Get down to their level. - Accept that your child will need to lead – if they want to do what you want, fine, but this is not always going to happen - Watch what they do, show signs of pleasure – smile and make happy noises. Your child will pick up that you are interested. - Use words to describe what your child is doing – just “say what you see”. If you are not sure about this, click here for some ideas. - Best not to ask too many questions – they can interrupt the flow - Get involved, following your child’s lead. Resist the temptation to take over - When you are both playing and talking together, try introducing a new idea, but never mind if your child does not take it up The more you can talk with your child while playing, the more they will pick up the idea and learn to focus. You might find these Words Up messages useful. What toys should I get The best toy is you, and whatever is around that is safe to use. Outside is great, sticks, leaves, etc Don’t feel you have to buy lots of stuff – expensive toys that claim to do this or that. Your child may get more from the box that they come in! Here are some things it is great to have … From 12-24 months Children benefit most from toys that: - use my body and balance – sit on toys, push along toys, large balls - use my hands – stacking, sorting toys, construction to use both hands together - make me think – wind up toys, posting puzzles, anything with cause and effect - make me imagine – soft toys, puppets, dressing up - get me messy – playdough, chunky crayons, paint - I can use outdoors – or things we find there like leaves and sticks and puddles From the start support tidy up time as part of the daily routine – but be prepared to do most of it yourself with your child “helping” From 2-3 years Look for toys that help me … - be active – balls, bean bags, playpark equipment, trikes, open spaces - sit quietly – at table or on sofa to look at a book, threading chunky beads or dry pasta, chalk board or dry wipe board, doodle pads, puzzles - pretend and imagine – workshop toys, tea sets, whatever I like Have tidy up time as part of the daily routine – your child will gradually be able, and want, to help you with this Playing with other children Your child will learn from playing with other children too, but don’t expect them to be very good at this. A toddler needs to have their own way often, and it will be some time before skills like taking turns or changing plans emerge. Let older children know what to expect. Kids are usually really good at adapting to younger children, but they may need to know that your child is only small, still learning and might get tired or scared easily. When toddlers are playing together, it can help to have an adult around who can help - Make sure is a toy for everyone - Show how to take turns with things - Help out when children get stuck - Notice when someone is getting tired and needs a break Making a mess Messy play is not only ok, it is very good for your child. It helps them explore the world, and different materials, and builds confidence Nobody who knows anything about it will judge you for having a happy, muddy, child – make sure what they are doing is safe and that you are in hand to help, but puddles, mud, etc are all great toys. Easy play indoors is great too – foam, playdough, whatever – use a plastic sheet and aprons if you are worried about flooring or clothes. Mess cleans up, but the learning fun you and your child can get from messy play lasts a long time!
Haskell/Simple input and output Back to the real world Beyond internally calculating values, we want our programs to interact with the world. The most common beginners' program in any language simply displays a "hello world" greeting on the screen. Here's a Haskell version: Prelude> putStrLn "Hello, World!" putStrLn is one of the standard Prelude tools. As the "putStr" part of the name suggests, it takes a String as an argument and prints it to the screen. We could use putStr on its own, but we usually include the "Ln" part so to also print a line break. Thus, whatever else is printed next will appear on a new line. So now you should be thinking, "what is the type of the putStrLn function?" It takes a String and gives… um… what? What do we call that? The program doesn't get something back that it can use in another function. Instead, the result involves having the computer change the screen. In other words, it does something in the world outside of the program. What type could that have? Let's see what GHCi tells us: Prelude> :t putStrLn putStrLn :: String -> IO () "IO" stands for "input and output". Wherever there is IO in a type, interaction with the world outside the program is involved. We'll call these IO values actions. The other part of the IO type, in this case (), is the type of the return value of the action; that is, the type of what it gives back to the program (as opposed to what it does outside the program). () (pronounced as "unit") is a type that only contains one value also called () (effectively a tuple with zero elements). Since putStrLn sends output to the world but doesn't return anything to the program, () is used as a placeholder. We might read IO () as "action which returns A few more examples of when we use IO: - print a string to the screen - read a string from a keyboard - write data to a file - read data from a file What makes IO actually work? Lots of things happen behind the scenes to take us from putStrLn to pixels in the screen, but we don't need to understand any of the details to write our programs. A complete Haskell program is actually a big IO action. In a compiled program, this action is called main and has type IO (). From this point of view, to write a Haskell program is to combine actions and functions to form the overall action main that will be executed when the program is run. The compiler takes care of instructing the computer on how to do this. |Back in the Type Basics chapter, we mentioned that the type of the Sequencing actions with do do notation provides a convenient means of putting actions together (which is essential in doing useful things with Haskell). Consider the following program: Example: What is your name? main = do putStrLn "Please enter your name:" name <- getLine putStrLn ("Hello, " ++ name ++ ", how are you?") Before we get into how do works, take a look at getLine. It goes to the outside world (to the terminal in this case) and brings back a String. What is its type? Prelude> :t getLine getLine :: IO String getLine is an IO action that, when run, will return a String. But what about the input? While functions have types like a -> b which reflect that they take arguments and give back results, getLine doesn't actually take an argument. It takes as input whatever is in the line in the terminal. However, that line in the outside world isn't a defined value with a type until we bring it into the Haskell program. The program doesn't know the state of the outside world until runtime, so it cannot predict the exact results of IO actions. To manage the relationship of these IO actions to other aspects of a program, the actions must be executed in a predictable sequence defined in advance in the code. With regular functions that do not perform IO, the exact sequencing of execution is less of an issue — as long as the results eventually go to the right places. In our name program, we're sequencing three actions: a putStrLn with a greeting, a getLine, and another putStrLn. With the getLine, we use <- notation which assigns a variable name to stand for the returned value. We cannot know what the value will be in advance, but we know it will use the specified variable name, so we can then use the variable elsewhere (in this case, to prepare the final message being printed). The final action defines the type of the whole do block. Here, the final action is the result of a putStrLn, and so our whole program has type Write a program which asks the user for the base and height of a right angled triangle, calculates its area, and prints it to the screen. The interaction should look something like: The base? 3.3 The height? 5.4 The area of that triangle is 8.91You will need to use the function Left arrow clarifications While actions like getLine are almost always used to get values, we are not obliged to actually get them. For example, we could write something like this: main = do putStrLn "Please enter your name:" getLine putStrLn "Hello, how are you?" In this case, we don't use the input at all, but we still give the user the experience of entering their name. By omitting the <-, the action will happen, but the data won't be stored or accessible to the program. <- can be used with any action except the last There are very few restrictions on which actions can have values obtained from them. Consider the following example where we put the results of each action into a variable (except the last... more on that later): Example: putting all results into a variable main = do x <- putStrLn "Please enter your name:" name <- getLine putStrLn ("Hello, " ++ name ++ ", how are you?") x gets the value out of its action, but that isn't useful in this case because the action returns the unit value (). So while we could technically get the value out of any action, it isn't always worth it. So, what about the final action? Why can't we get a value out of that? Let's see what happens when we try: Example: getting the value out of the last action main = do x <- putStrLn "Please enter your name:" name <- getLine y <- putStrLn ("Hello, " ++ name ++ ", how are you?") HaskellWikibook.hs:5:2: The last statement in a 'do' construct must be an expression Making sense of this requires a somewhat deeper understanding of Haskell than we currently have. Suffice it to say, whenever you use <- to get the value of an action, Haskell is always expecting another action to follow it. So the final action cannot have any Normal Haskell constructions like if/then/else can be used within the do notation, but you need to take some care here. For instance, in a simple "guess the number" program, we have: doGuessing num = do putStrLn "Enter your guess:" guess <- getLine if (read guess) < num then do putStrLn "Too low!" doGuessing num else if (read guess) > num then do putStrLn "Too high!" doGuessing num else putStrLn "You Win!" Remember that the if/then/else construction takes three arguments: the condition, the "then" branch, and the "else" branch. The condition needs to have type Bool, and the two branches can have any type, provided that they have the same type. The type of the entire if/then/else construction is then the type of the two branches. In the outermost comparison, we have (read guess) < num as the condition. That has the correct type. Let's now consider the "then" branch. The code here is: do putStrLn "Too low!" doGuessing num Here, we are sequencing two actions: doGuessing. The first has type IO (), which is fine. The second also has type IO (), which is fine. The type result of the entire computation is precisely the type of the final computation. Thus, the type of the "then" branch is also IO (). A similar argument shows that the type of the "else" branch is also IO (). This means the type of the entire if/then/else construction is IO (), which is what we want. Note: be careful if you find yourself thinking, "Well, I already started a do block; I don't need another one." We can't have code like: do if (read guess) < num then putStrLn "Too low!" doGuessing num else ... Here, since we didn't repeat the do, the compiler doesn't know that the doGuessing calls are supposed to be sequenced, and the compiler will think you're trying to call putStrLn with three arguments: the string, the function doGuessing and the integer num, and thus reject the program. Write a program that asks the user for his or her name. If the name is one of Simon, John or Phil, tell the user that you think Haskell is a great programming language. If the name is Koen, tell them that you think debugging Haskell is fun (Koen Classen is one of the people who works on Haskell debugging); otherwise, tell the user that you don't know who he or she is.(As far as syntax goes there are a few different ways to do it; write at least a version using Actions under the microscope Actions may look easy up to now, but they are a common stumbling block for new Haskellers. If you have run into trouble working with actions, see if any of your problems or questions match any of the cases below. We suggest skimming this section now, then come back here when you actually experience trouble. Mind your action types One temptation might be to simplify our program for getting a name and printing it back out. Here is one unsuccessful attempt: Example: Why doesn't this work? main = do putStrLn "What is your name? " putStrLn ("Hello " ++ getLine) HaskellWikiBook.hs:3:26: Couldn't match expected type `[Char]' against inferred type `IO String' Let us boil the example above down to its simplest form. Would you expect this program to compile? Example: This still does not work main = do putStrLn getLine For the most part, this is the same (attempted) program, except that we've stripped off the superfluous "What is your name" prompt as well as the polite "Hello". One trick to understanding this is to reason about it in terms of types. Let us compare: putStrLn :: String -> IO () getLine :: IO String We can use the same mental machinery we learned in Type basics to figure how this went wrong. putStrLn is expecting a String as input. We do not have a String; we have something tantalisingly close: an IO String. This represents an action that will give us a String when it's run. To obtain the putStrLn wants, we need to run the action, and we do that with the ever-handy left arrow, Example: This time it works main = do name <- getLine putStrLn name Working our way back up to the fancy example: main = do putStrLn "What is your name? " name <- getLine putStrLn ("Hello " ++ name) Now the name is the String we are looking for and everything is rolling again. Mind your expression types too So, we've made a big deal out of the idea that you can't use actions in situations that don't call for them. The converse of this is that you can't use non-actions in situations that expect actions. Say we want to greet the user, but this time we're so excited to meet them, we just have to SHOUT their name out: Example: Exciting but incorrect. Why? import Data.Char (toUpper) main = do name <- getLine loudName <- makeLoud name putStrLn ("Hello " ++ loudName ++ "!") putStrLn ("Oh boy! Am I excited to meet you, " ++ loudName) -- Don't worry too much about this function; it just converts a String to uppercase makeLoud :: String -> String makeLoud s = map toUpper s This goes wrong... Couldn't match expected type `IO' against inferred type `' Expected type: IO t Inferred type: String In a 'do' expression: loudName <- makeLoud name This is similar to the problem we ran into above: we've got a mismatch between something expecting an IO type and something which does not produce IO. This time, the trouble is the left arrow <-; we're trying to left-arrow a value of makeLoud name, which really isn't left arrow material. It's basically the same mismatch we saw in the previous section, except now we're trying to use regular old String (the loud name) as an IO String. The latter is an action, something to be run, whereas the former is just an expression minding its own business. We cannot simply use loudName = makeLoud name because a do sequences actions, and loudName = makeLoud name is not an action. So how do we extricate ourselves from this mess? We have a number of options: - We could find a way to turn makeLoudinto an action, to make it return IO String. However, we don't want to make actions go out into the world for no reason. Within our program, we can reliably verify how everything is working. When actions engage the outside world, our results are much less predictable. An IO makeLoudwould be misguided. Consider another issue too: what if we wanted to use makeLoud from some other, non-IO, function? We really don't want to engage IO actions except when absolutely necessary. - We could use a special code called returnto promote the loud name into an action, writing something like loudName <- return (makeLoud name). This is slightly better. We at least leave the makeLoudfunction itself nice and IO-free whilst using it in an IO-compatible fashion. That's still moderately clunky because, by virtue of left arrow, we're implying that there's action to be had -- how exciting! -- only to let our reader down with a somewhat anticlimactic return(note: we will learn more about appropriate uses for returnin later chapters). - Or we could use a let binding... It turns out that Haskell has a special extra-convenient syntax for let bindings in actions. It looks a little like this: let bindings in main = do name <- getLine let loudName = makeLoud name putStrLn ("Hello " ++ loudName ++ "!") putStrLn ("Oh boy! Am I excited to meet you, " ++ loudName) If you're paying attention, you might notice that the let binding above is missing an in. This is because let bindings inside do blocks do not require the in keyword. You could very well use it, but then you'd have messy extra do blocks. For what it's worth, the following two blocks of code are equivalent. do name <- getLine let loudName = makeLoud name putStrLn ("Hello " ++ loudName ++ "!") putStrLn ( "Oh boy! Am I excited to meet you, " ++ loudName) do name <- getLine let loudName = makeLoud name in do putStrLn ("Hello " ++ loudName ++ "!") putStrLn ( "Oh boy! Am I excited to meet you, " ++ loudName) At this point, you have the fundamentals needed to do some fancier input/output. Here are some IO-related topics you may want to check in parallel with the main track of this course.
Any kind of switch contact can be designed so that the contacts “close” (establish continuity) when actuated, or “open” (interrupt continuity) when actuated. For switches that have a spring-return mechanism in them, the direction that the spring returns it to with no applied force is called the normal position. Therefore, contacts that are open in this position are called normally open and contacts that are closed in this position are called normally closed. For process switches, the normal position, or state, is that which the switch is in when there is no process influence on it. An easy way to figure out the normal condition of a process switch is to consider the state of the switch as it sits on a storage shelf, uninstalled. Here are some examples of “normal” process switch conditions: - Speed switch: Shaft not turning - Pressure switch: Zero applied pressure - Temperature switch: Ambient (room) temperature - Level switch: Empty tank or bin - Flow switch: Zero liquid flow It is important to differentiate between a switch’s “normal” condition and its “normal” use in an operating process. Consider the example of a liquid flow switch that serves as a low-flow alarm in a cooling water system. The normal, or properly-operating, condition of the cooling water system is to have fairly constant coolant flow going through this pipe. If we want the flow switch’s contact to close in the event of a loss of coolant flow (to complete an electric circuit which activates an alarm siren, for example), we would want to use a flow switch with normally-closed rather than normally-open contacts. When there’s adequate flow through the pipe, the switch’s contacts are forced open; when the flow rate drops to an abnormally low level, the contacts return to their normal (closed) state. This is confusing if you think of “normal” as being the regular state of the process, so be sure to always think of a switch’s “normal” state as that which its in as it sits on a shelf. The schematic symbology for switches vary according to the switch’s purpose and actuation. A normally-open switch contact is drawn in such a way as to signify an open connection, ready to close when actuated. Conversely, a normally-closed switch is drawn as a closed connection which will be opened when actuated. Note the following symbols: There is also a generic symbology for any switch contact, using a pair of vertical lines to represent the contact points in a switch. Normally-open contacts are designated by the lines not touching, while normally-closed contacts are designated with a diagonal line bridging between the two lines. Compare the two: The switch on the left will close when actuated, and will be open while in the “normal” (unactuated) position. The switch on the right will open when actuated, and is closed in the “normal” (unactuated) position. If switches are designated with these generic symbols, the type of switch usually will be noted in text immediately beside the symbol. Please note that the symbol on the left is not to be confused with that of a capacitor. If a capacitor needs to be represented in a control logic schematic, it will be shown like this: In standard electronic symbology, the figure shown above is reserved for polarity-sensitive capacitors. In control logic symbology, this capacitor symbol is used for any type of capacitor, even when the capacitor is not polarity sensitive, so as to clearly distinguish it from a normally-open switch contact. With multiple-position selector switches, another design factor must be considered: that is, the sequence of breaking old connections and making new connections as the switch is moved from position to position, the moving contact touching several stationary contacts in sequence. The selector switch shown above switches a common contact lever to one of five different positions, to contact wires numbered 1 through 5. The most common configuration of a multi-position switch like this is one where the contact with one position is broken before the contact with the next position is made. This configuration is called break-before-make. To give an example, if the switch were set at position number 3 and slowly turned clockwise, the contact lever would move off of the number 3 position, opening that circuit, move to a position between number 3 and number 4 (both circuit paths open), and then touch position number 4, closing that circuit. There are applications where it is unacceptable to completely open the circuit attached to the “common” wire at any point in time. For such an application, a make-before-break switch design can be built, in which the movable contact lever actually bridges between two positions of contact (between number 3 and number 4, in the above scenario) as it travels between positions. The compromise here is that the circuit must be able to tolerate switch closures between adjacent position contacts (1 and 2, 2 and 3, 3 and 4, 4 and 5) as the selector knob is turned from position to position. Such a switch is shown here: When movable contact(s) can be brought into one of several positions with stationary contacts, those positions are sometimes called throws. The number of movable contacts is sometimes called poles. Both selector switches shown above with one moving contact and five stationary contacts would be designated as “single-pole, five-throw” switches. If two identical single-pole, five-throw switches were mechanically ganged together so that they were actuated by the same mechanism, the whole assembly would be called a “double-pole, five-throw” switch: Here are a few common switch configurations and their abbreviated designations: - The normal state of a switch is that where it is unactuated. For process switches, this is the condition its in when sitting on a shelf, uninstalled. - A switch that is open when unactuated is called normally-open. A switch that is closed when unactuated is called normally-closed. Sometimes the terms “normally-open” and “normally-closed” are abbreviated N.O. and N.C., respectively. - The generic symbology for N.O. and N.C. switch contacts is as follows: - Multiposition switches can be either break-before-make (most common) or make-before-break. - The “poles” of a switch refers to the number of moving contacts, while the “throws” of a switch refers to the number of stationary contacts per moving contact. - Define Normal Status of a Process Switch ? - Relay Working Animation - Basics of Limit switches - Logic Gates in PLC Ladder Logic - Digital Logic Functions - Relays in Ladder Logic Tutorials - Relay circuits - Normally-open and Normally-closed Switch Contacts - Relay Loop Back Circuit - PLC Program for Mixing Tank
Nick Shepherd via Getty Images 03/02/2016 11:43 am ET | Updated Mar 02, 2016 - Dr. James Hansen Climatologist and Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Earth Institute Global warming of about 1°F (0.6°C) over the past several decades now “loads the climate dice.” Fig. 1 updates the “bell curve” analysis of our 2012 paper1 for Northern Hemisphere land, which showed that extreme hot summers now occur noticeably more often than they did 50 years ago. Our new paper2 shows that there are strong regional variations in this bell curve shift, and that the largest effects occur in nations least responsible for causing climate change. In the United States the bell curve shift is just over one standard deviation in summer and less than half a standard deviation in winter (Fig. 2). Measured in units of °F (or °C) the warming is similar in summer and winter in the U.S., but the practical implication of Fig. 2 is that the public in the U.S. should notice that summers are becoming hotter but is less likely to notice the change in winter. Summers cooler than the average 1951-1980 summer still occur, but only ~19% of the time. Extreme summer heat, defined as 3 standard deviations or more warmer than 1951-1980 average, which almost never occurred 50 years ago, now occur with frequency about 7%. Warming in Europe (see paper) is modestly larger than in the U.S. In China (Fig. 2) warming is now almost 1½ standard deviations in summer and one standard deviation in winter, a climate change that should be noticeable to people old enough to remember the climate of 50 years ago. Bell curve shifts in India (see paper) are slightly larger than in China. In the Mediterranean and Middle East the bell curve shift in summer is almost 2½ standard deviations (Fig. 2). Every summer is now warmer than average 1951-1980 climate, and the period with “summer” climate is now considerably longer. Given that summers were already very hot in this region, the change affects livability and productivity as noted below. Bell curve shifts in the tropics, including central Africa (see paper) and Southeast Asia (Fig. 2), which also was already quite hot, are about two standard deviations and occur all year round.
How To Design A PCB Layout(Helpful) The printed circuit boards are can be much difficult to design if you are a beginner, however, learning the layout design of PCBs is not that difficult. The most difficult thing in the PCB layout design is making the layouts and intersecting these layers along if PCB is multi-layered. You may be requiring the use of the copper layers and making the traces on both sides of the PCBs. The printed circuit boards are known as PCBs which is a plate or board being used for the placement of different components to make an electrical or electronic device. There are interconnections in between different components of the circuit boards in the form of routes of copper. The simplest of the circuit board is having the traces of coppers which are interconnecting different components of the device. 2. PCB Layout To have a perfect design of the Printed Circuit Board, you are required to have the schematics which you would require to simulate. The basic simulations are of great importance because this is going to be the basic structure of your PCB layout. You can use different software for the schematics such as Proteus and Multi-sim etc. The following is a basic picture of the schematics. 2. PCB Layout The PCB layout is something which appears on the board is acting as the basic feature of your gadget. The PCB layouts can also be made through different software, however, EagleCad and Diptrace are adopted by students at most worldwide. The technique is either to import the schematics to the software and then autoroute it or make the entire layout yourself. You have to put the elements being used in the schematics and then join the elements, these are appearing as the copper routes on the PCB board.
Filter by Topic In the United States, most people are assigned both a biological sex and gender at birth based on their chromosomes and reproductive organs. However, there is an important distinction between biological sex and gender. Biological sex, such as male, female, or intersex, commonly refers to physical characteristics. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, and actions people take on, usually in relation to expectations of masculinity or femininity. As of 2022, there is disagreement over the relation between sex and gender.
The ozone-oxygen cycle that keeps the ozone layer relatively stable has been derailed. The problem is that more ozone is breaking down than the sun can rebuild. This imbalance comes from the "hole," or thinning, in the ozone layer over Antarctica. Human-produced ozone-depleting compounds are doing most of the damage. Ozone-depleting compounds contain bromine, chlorine, fluorine, carbon and/or hydrogen in different combinations. You've probably heard about one of the most common types of ozone-depleting compounds, known as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). CFCs contain only fluorine, carbon and chlorine, and traditionally have been used in refrigeration, air conditioning, aerosol cans and as industrial solvents. An over-abundance of these compounds, released into the air by human activities, has resulted in the Antarctic ozone hole. Complex chemical reactions, which occur in Antarctica during the winter and spring, act to destroy ozone. In the winter, the sun doesn't reach the South Pole, and a polar vortex forms. The polar vortex is an air current around the pole that isolates the air. The CFCs that arrive at the vortex can't get out, so they become concentrated there. When sunlight returns to Antarctica in the spring, chemical reactions on the surface of these clouds break ozone-depleting compounds down into atoms of chlorine and bromine. These atoms are deadly to ozone. One chlorine atom can break apart 100,000 ozone molecules, and bromine is 40 times more destructive [source: EPA]. This happens naturally in the stratosphere, but the chlorine and bromine there isn't as concentrated as it becomes during the Antarctic spring. These atoms destroy much of the ozone over Antarctica, throwing off the balance of the rest of the ozone layer. The polar vortex exists only over Antarctica, which is why the ozone "hole" exists only there. But the bigger the hole gets, the thinner the ozone layer will become over the rest of the Earth. This means more dangerous UV radiation will reach the Earth's surface. An obvious solution, then, would be to pump more ozone up there to try to counteract the thinning. But creating an ozone patch is not a simple proposition.
Beetles (Order: Coleoptera) Beetles are the largest group in the animal kingdom. 25% of all known animal species are beetles. 400,000 species have been described so far and many scientists believe that there are as many as 1 million beetle species on Earth. Beetles have inhabited our planet for more than 300 million years which means they were around even before the dinosaurs. Among the 211 beetle species caught in the Fall 2014 School Malaise Trap Program were quite a few pest beetle species, especially those of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae), such as the strawberry rootworm (Paria fragariae). Beetles from this family are known to feed on particular fruits and vegetables as you can easily tell from their common name. It is not uncommon for larvae in several subfamilies of Chrysomelidae to use their own excrement to form protective shields or coverings, but the warty leaf beetle’s larvae in the subfamily Cryptocephalinae take this habit to the extreme. The warty leaf beetle’s eggs hatch underneath a fecal blanket which their mother has provided for them and then the larvae proceed to use their own waste to further develop a case which they continue to add to as they grow. You may think that this practice is unpleasant; however, this casing serves a very important function. Warty leaf beetles are able to avoid observation and detection from predators due to the fact that their specialized casing resembles caterpillar frass (caterpillar poop). Warty leaf beetle species are typically very host plant-specific and most species primarily use only a single host plant genus or even a single species to feed and live on. Congratulations to Camp Heidelberg for collecting the only species (Exema canadensis) of warty leaf beetle ever obtained during the School Malaise Trap Program.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) relies on big data and machine learning for a lot of applications: autonomous vehicles, algorithmic trading and data mining are just some examples. AI presents opportunities to enrich the way industry and governments operate, however, these opportunities come with associated ethical challenges, brought to the fore by the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, which require careful consideration. The main question we should ask ourselves is: How do we ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI? The main ethical challenges identified by the World Economic Forum are: Decision-making and liability: It will become more difficult to determine responsibility for decisions. Transparency: It may be difficult to identify the causes behind a specific action. Bias: Machine learning systems can pursue discrimination and other existing bias in decision-making systems. Human values: Without programming, AI systems have no default values or common sense. Data protection and IP: What happens when an AI system is trained on one data set, then applies learnings to a new data set?
Integrating Climate Change in Education and Activities at the Primary Level Climate change is the greatest challenge of our times. It is a multi- and interdisciplinary problem closely linked to the natural and social sciences, morals and technology. Understanding and comprehending this complex topic can be difficult for a teacher. Furthermore, there are many challenging questions: How should I approach the topic? How much should I explain? How can I create hope instead of anxiety? Teacher’s Climate Guide helps teachers fill in the knowledge gaps. However, its main target audience is subject teachers and young people instead of children. Teachers familiar with the topic might as well trust their expertise and instincts when talking about climate change in class. Nevertheless, here are some general tips on how to teach children about the changing climate. 1. Identify your Target Audience Identifying the target audience is the basic rule of communication. When addressing children, it is crucial to plan the activities according to the age group and receptiveness. For example, teaching through play or drama works well at the primary level, however, it is important to make the message more precise the older the students are. With the youngest students, it is not necessary to use words like “climate change” or “greenhouse gases”. The best way to encourage their connection with nature is to spend time outside (for example, in the school garden or local park), marvel at the natural wonders and do daily environmental good deeds, be they related to climate change or not. Additionally, you might want to observe the weather, discuss differences between weather and climate, read and listen to the stories about the topic or interview grandparents about their winter memories. From the third grade onwards more conceptual elements can be added, but it is still crucial to encourage children to learn by doing. For instance, you can engage students through activities related to food or composting, which provide a starting point for learning about the carbon cycle. In the fifth and sixth grade, topics of climate change can be linked to learning about energy production. 2. Stay Positive Because of its large scale and complexity, climate change tends to cause anxiety also in adults. Children and young people are good at sensing adults’ state of mind and draw their own conclusions. While scientific knowledge on climate change and its impacts is getting more and more accurate and in the face of the media presenting the topic in a threatening light, teachers should stay positive and keep hope alive. Climate change can be slowed down significantly enough that harmful impacts on humans and the environment are not insurmountable. Although future generations have to cope with climate change, the consequences don’t have to be severe if we take prompt action. A growing number of people are constantly joining the fight against global warming. Remember not only to talk about the problems but also about solutions and mitigation. 3. Teach Environmental Issues Across Subjects Today environmental issues and their consequences and solutions are hot topics and therefore they need to be discussed in class more than just once or twice a year in biology class. For example, music class can provide an opportunity to review environmental songs or a cycling trip can be combined with learning about the environmental impacts of transportation. In mother tongue and literature classes students can read and write stories about the environment and launch citizen initiatives as an interdisciplinary learning project with visual arts. 4. Listen to Your Students Listening and asking questions with curiosity is the best way to find out how much children know about climate change and if their ideas are accurate. The level of knowledge may vary radically from child to child. Children who have discussed the topic with their parents may know a lot about it, whereas other children may have barely heard about it at all. Listening helps recognize how children feel about climate change. Take emotions seriously, whatever they may be, and encourage children to process them. Creative methods in music, drama, and the visual arts to facilitate processing emotions Creative physical activities can be useful ways to vent fear, anxiety and insecurity. 5. Encourage Learning through Exploring Learning through exploring is a good way to encourage students to accumulate knowledge of any given subject. The internet is full of information – and also disinformation – about climate change. For this reason, teachers need to choose appropriate material to prevent misunderstandings and factual distortion. After exploring climate issues together, check the mood in the classroom. Try to stay positive and encouraging. 6. Avoid Spreading False Information Climate change is partly linked to other environmental problems, but that doesn’t mean that all the environmental issues are connected. To solve the problem, we need get to the bottom of it and find the best solutions. At the primary level, it is not necessary to introduce the causal relationships between social and environmental problems. However, it is crucial to have an understanding of the real facts in order to avoid spreading false ideas. One of the most common misunderstandings is that the ozone hole caused climate change. Climate change and the ozone hole are related in other ways, but their relationship is so complex and fairly meaningless that it is better to think there is no connection at all. Ozone depletion is an example of a big environmental problem that is being solved through international cooperation and action. Another common misunderstanding concerns recycling. Although the waste issue is a global problem and more efficient recycling is one method to tackle it, it doesn’t play an important part in climate change. Normally packaging contributes only a few percentage points of the products’ carbon footprint. Packaging protects goods from damage during transport. Without it there would be more waste, so in that sense packaging can be good for the environment. 7. Tell the Truth We have already shortly discussed how climate change education should be tailored according to the age of the target audience. Another useful guideline is to handle the situation on a case-by-case basis. If a child asks directly about climate change, tell the truth. Climate change is a serious threat, but it can be tackled and a lot of effort is already invested in mitigation and adaptation. 8. Act Together with Children Although children are not responsible for solving climate change, they can still play a role in tackling it. Climate action for primary school children can be linked to classroom activities and daily life. However, you might also want to teach them basic skills of active citizenship by writing petitions and/or attending or perhaps organizing a demonstration together. Awareness campaigns initiated and developed by children usually attract media attention. Don’t hesitate to contact media if you are planning a campaign, since media visibility boosts efficiency and provides opportunities to practice writing skills (blog, press releases etc.) 9. Give some Thought on the Impacts of Your Actions After taking action, it is useful to reflect upon the impacts it has had on your school or municipality. This can also be done at a general level by examining how active citizens have made a difference in your local region. It is important that children learn about causality. Change requires action and action can change the world.
Imaginative or creative writing, especially of recognized artistic value: literature it gave the scholar certain powers of expression, the power of speech,. This webpage is for dr wheeler's literature students, and it offers introductory survey information concerning the literature of the english expression,. Literary terms & devices the basic items that make up a work of literature: the expression of sequential or related thoughts using the same syntactical. Download and read love in literature studies in symbolic expression love in literature studies in symbolic expression many people are trying to. Page 1: definition, characteristics, and causes of written expression difficulties what is writing writing is a form of communication that allows students to put. Synonyms for expression at thesauruscom with free online thesaurus, antonyms, and definitions find descriptive alternatives for expression. Heejung kim is currently an associate professor at the department of psychology, ucsb she received her first ba in french literature from ewha womans’ university. This handout gives a rundown of some important terms and concepts used when talking and writing about literature. Course syllabus for engl203: cultural and literary expression in the 18 th and 19 th they helped to create literature as a new discipline distinct from yet. Literature definition is - literary culture writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest.Expressionism is an early 20th century style of music and literature that is charged with an the 'self expression' in the art of vincent van gogh and. Definition and a list of examples of colloquialism colloquialism refers to the usage of informal or everyday language in literature. Literature at the turn of the century lawrence's last major novel and an expression of his belief in the possibility of personal fulfillment through sexual. The literature reflected what was happening in america on the social and political arena in the sixties authors wrote about gender, race, homosexuality, feminism and. Glossary of literary terms jump to written, or literary expression a handbook to literature. The price is the lowest for any condition, which may be new or used other conditions may also be available rental copies must be returned at the end of the. Les différentes formes d'expression théâtrale, qui peuvent être rapprochés de la notion aristotélicienne de mimèse, le fait de montrer des choses. Looking for examples of euphemism here are many different examples, showing a wide variety of euphemisms. A number of expressionists shared the “belief that literature was capable of effecting profound the significance of german expression is in its ephemeral. Bionovus life sciences web page for requesting/downloading catalogues and other literature from oxford expression technologies. Expressionism: expressionism, artistic style in which the artist seeks to depict not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects. Microsoft expression web 4 step by step [chris leeds] on amazoncom free shipping on qualifying offers the smart way to learn microsoft® expression® web 4. Definition of expression - the action of making known one's thoughts or feelings, a look on someone's face that conveys a particular emotion, a word or phras. The universality of facial expressions of emotion with the ability to replay and freeze-frame on the expression to as discussed in the literature on. All literature resources proteins the national center for biotechnology information advances science and health by providing access to genes & expression. Art is nothing but the expression of our expressionism emerged simultaneously in various cities across germany as a response to a widespread anxiety about. This is the double pulse of the expression of erotic love in literature, but that tradition in love-literature which sets a transcendent value on love,. Useful phrases the lists below 412 literature review/summary of previous research we shall write the above expression as in this way we obtain.Download 2018. Education database.
Radiation in Medicine: Medical Imaging Procedures Medical imaging tests are non-invasive procedures that allow doctors to diagnose diseases and injuries without being intrusive. Some of these tests involve exposure to ionizing radiation, which can present risks to patients. However, if patients understand the benefits and risks, they can make the best decisions about choosing a particular medical imaging procedure. Most people have had one or more medical imaging tests. Imaging procedures are medical tests that allow doctors to see inside the body in order to diagnose, treat, and monitor health conditions. Doctors often use medical imaging procedures to determine the best treatment options for patients. The type of imaging procedure that your doctor may suggest will depend on your health concern and the part of the body that is being examined. Some common examples of imaging tests include: - X-rays (including dental x-rays, chest x-rays, spine x-rays) - CT or CAT (computed tomography) scans If your doctor suggests x-rays or other medical imaging tests, you should consider the following: - Medical imaging tests should be performed only when necessary. - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends discussing the benefits and risks of medical imaging procedures with your doctor. Benefits and Risks of Medical Imaging Procedures That Use Ionizing Radiation Medical imaging tests can help doctors: - Obtain a better view of organs, blood vessels, tissues and bones. - Determine whether surgery is a good treatment option. - Guide medical procedures involving placement of catheters, stents, or other devices inside the body, locate tumors for treatment and locate blood clots or other blockages. - Guide joint replacement options and treatment of fractures. As in many areas of medicine, there are risks associated with the use of medical imaging which uses ionizing radiation to create images of the body. Risks from exposure to ionizing radiation include: - A small increase in the likelihood that a person exposed to radiation will develop cancer later in life. - Health effects that could occur after a large acute exposure to ionizing radiation such as skin reddening and hair loss. - Possible allergic reactions associated with a contrast dye injected into the veins to better see body structures being examined. How can you reduce your exposure to diagnostic ionizing radiation? In the case of x-rays or other tests involving exposure to ionizing radiation, doctors and radiation experts can help reduce your exposure to and risk of harm from diagnostic ionizing radiation by: - Checking to see if you have had a similar test done recently that can provide them with the background information they need. - Checking to see if a test that does not use ionizing radiation can provide similar information. - Making certain the least possible amount of radiation needed to obtain a good quality image is used for your procedure. - Providing protective lead shielding to prevent exposing other areas of the body to radiation. What are the risks of medical imaging procedures for pregnant women? Talk to your physician about the potential risks and benefits from the medical procedures. In many cases, the risk of an x-ray procedure to the mother and the unborn child is very small compared to the benefit of finding out about the medical condition of the mother or the child. However, small risks should not be taken if they’re unnecessary. You can reduce risks from medical imaging procedures by telling your doctor if you are, or think you might be, pregnant whenever an abdominal x-ray is suggested by your doctor. Other options suggested by FDA that may be considered are as follows: - If you are pregnant, the doctor may decide that it would be best to cancel the medical imaging procedure, to postpone it, or to modify it to reduce the amount of radiation. - Depending on your medical needs, and realizing that the risk is very small, the doctor may feel that it is best to proceed with using a medical imaging procedure as planned. In any case, you should feel free to discuss the decision with your doctor. For more information on medical imaging and pregnancy, please see X-rays, Pregnancy and You. Also, for more information on radiation safety in adult medical imaging, please visit the Image Wisely website. Are there special considerations for children? It is important that x-rays and other imaging procedures performed on children use the lowest exposure setting needed to obtain a good clinical image. The Image Gently Alliance, part of the Alliance for Radiation in Pediatric Imaging, suggests the following for imaging of children: - Use imaging examinations when the medical benefit outweighs the risk. - Use the most appropriate imaging techniques, matched to the size of the child. - Use alternative imaging methods (such as ultrasound or MRI) when possible. For more information about medical imaging procedures that do not use ionizing radiation, please see Radiation in Medicine: Medical Imaging Procedures. The FDA also provides information for parents, patients, and healthcare providers to address concerns about the benefits and risks of medical imaging procedures for children. Please visit CDC’s Radiation and Your Health website for more information. - Reducing Radiation from Medical X-rays - Pediatric X-ray Imaging - Radiology and Children: Extra Care Required - X-Rays, Pregnancy and You - Medical X-rays: How Much Radiation are You Getting - RadTown USA Medical X-Rays - Radiation Protection Guidance for Diagnostic and Interventional X-Ray Procedures US National Library of Medicine
In this program our goal is to measure the total light received from the star+planet system, as accurately as possible. The host star of the planet is assumed to be spherical, so that the light we receive directly from the star is constant with time. Superimposed on top of this constant level is a small fluctuation (about one part in a thousand) that is due to the planet. This is because, as the planet orbits the star, first it exposes the bright side (that which faces the host star) and then the night side (that which faces away from the star). Thus, we need to perform a very accurate measurement, as the variation is only a tenth of one percent of the total light we receive from that star. In order to do an accurate measurement, it is very useful if you have some reference to which you can compare the object you are measuring. The availability of such a source is what dictated our choice of instrument and wavelength for this observation, because observing at 24 microns means that we can use the Zodiacal Light as a reference source. Our own solar system contains a cloud of dust, which absorbs light from the sun and then shines in the infrared. By measuring the star relative to this Zodiacal reference source, we can perform a more accurate measurement than would be possible at other wavelengths. One subtlety associated with this procedure is that we have to account for the fact that the level of the Zodiacal light changes slowly over time because the telescope is not stationary, but rather orbiting the sun, so that the line of sight passing through the dust cloud to the object in question is slowly changing. An important point to note about this method is that it is, in principle, possible to make this kind of measurement for every star that harbours a close-in giant planet. Unlike previous measurements of temperatures on extrasolar planets, which rely on the fortuitous geometrical alignment necessary to observe an eclipse, the flux variations that result from day-night temperature differences can be seen for a wide range of orbit orientations with respect to the observer. Only when the orbit is almost face-on, so that the day side and night sides are equally projected onto the plane of the sky, will there be no signal. This is an important point because it means we can observe the very closest and very brightest stars with such planets, thereby achieving the most accurate measurements (the brighter a star is, the stronger the signal relative to the noise and hence the more accurate the measurement).Brad Hansen
Kennesaw State University Childhood development is one of the most influential times in a person’s life. At an early age a person’s brain is at its peak of learning. So everything that is taught during this time will affect the person’s life and our society. One thing that is implicated is gender roles. Gender roles are the overt expression of attitudes that indicate to others the degree of one’s masculinity or femininity. Gender roles are based on two categories which all people do not fit in. So children are often affected by these roles due to the bias and lack of understanding. Also gender roles affect the Lesbian, Gay, Bi-Sexual, and Transgender (LGBT) society by making them outcasts due to the sexist rules gender roles implicate. The Effects of Gender Roles in Early Childhood Development In early childhood development gender roles and gender stereotyping are a part of a child’s everyday life. Anthropology, Sociology, and Psychology indicate that children play an important role in developing gender beliefs and determining gender behavior based on Lamb, Bigler, Liben and Greens research in Teaching Children to Confront Peers’ Sexist Remarks: Implications for theories of Gender Development and Educational Practice. Lamb et al. (2009) suggests that children often pressure their peers to adapt to these traditional gender roles. Also Children will use verbal and nonverbal behaviors to influence their peers’ gender role development. For example, children instruct peers about the content of cultural gender stereotypes, exclude peers on the basis of gender, tease peers concerning violations of gender norms and in extreme cases, harass and physically attack peers who are gender atypical. In our society we encourage a strict adherence to traditional gender roles. For example girls are taught to be gentle and polite as well as to cook, clean, and be an overall caregiver. In addition, boys are taught to be tough, play sports, and be physically and emotionally strong. These are traditional roles; it may vary depending on how a child is raised. The strong belief in gender stereotypes can often produce a dysfunctional outcome for an atypical gender role Lamb et al. (2009) suggests (p.2). Lamb et al. (2009) stated that children with an atypical gender role are often pressured to conform to normal gender roles which can cause psychological distress and low self-esteem. Gender roles are often seen as what is right and what is wrong. If a boy seen playing with dolls or wearing a “girly” color, the child will seldom question his role. Gender roles are cultural and personal. They determine how males and females should think, speak, dress, and interact within the context of society. Learning plays a role in this process of shaping gender roles. These gender schemas are deeply embedded cognitive frameworks regarding what defines masculine and feminine. While various socializing agents—parents, teachers, peers, movies, television, music, books, and religion—teach and reinforce gender roles throughout the lifespan, parents and peers probably exert the greatest influence, especially on their very young offspring. Gender roles in early childhood development is a pressing problem, it differentiates boys from girls at a young age where there brain development is at its peak (Nadia, 2010, p.1). In early childhood, children are learning and internalizing large amounts of knowledge every day. By age 4, for instance, the cortex begins operating at adult activity levels. A 4-year-old child is more than twice as active as an adult's. According to Harold Chungai, head of the PET Center at the Children’s Hospital of Michigan, the brain continues to consume glucose at a feverish pace through age 10 and then slows down by age 16, when it levels off at adult values (Nadia, 2010, p.1). Since studies show that this is the most active time for a human brain,...
Artifacts suggest symptoms and diet that point to celiac disease. A group of researchers in Italy have identified what could be an early case of celiac disease. Remains of a young woman from the first century AD indicate short stature, anemia and decreased bone mass. Artifacts from the tomb suggest the woman lived in a wealthy area with an abundance of wheat, which could have contributed to her condition. “The wellness of the area is supported by the lack of other bodies found with signs of malnutrition. Clinical presentation and the possible continuous exposure to wheat seem to suggest a case of celiac disease,” the study said. Prior to this discovery, the earliest case of celiac disease was in 250 BC, based on historical accounts. Researchers hope this case will offer more insight into the phylogenetic tree of celiac disease.
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. On the first day of Muharram, the Islamic New Year is observed by Muslims. The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar, and is 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar year. Hence it is a little different from the Gregorian calender that is used in the western nations. When compared with the Gregorian calendar, which is a solar calendar, the lunar month of Muharram shifts from year to year. The month of Muharram is of great religious significance to Islamic people the world over. It is held to be the most sacred of all the months, excluding Ramadan. The word “Muharram” is often considered synonymous with “Ashura”, the tenth day of the Muharram month. “Ashura” is a highly important day for both sects of Islam – the Shias and the Sunnis. The Shia muslims believe that Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, became a martyr at the Battle of Karbala on the tenth day of Muharram in 61 AH(680 AD). The pre-Islamic period in the Arabian peninsula was the era of warring tribes. In the absence of a strong leadership, there were conflicts and battles on minor issues. But fighting was prohibited in four months of the year. These months, of which Muharram was one, were considered sacred. Muharram is so called because it was unlawful to fight during this month; the word is derived from the word ‘haram’ meaning forbidden. This period of inactivity was a necessity in heavily decorated replicas of the tomb of the Imam and his family are made for Muharram the era of warring tribes. The tradition was maintained even after the advent of Islam, though provisions to accommodate and accept war in special situations, like a threat to the sovereignty of an empire, were introduced. The gory battle of Karbala was fought against this law and tradition of Islam. The inhabitants on the banks of rivers Euphrates and Tigris were traditional rivals. Their animosity was contained to some extent by Muhammad. But when his son-in-law Hazrat Ali was the Caliph(Muslim civil and religious leader considered to be Allah’s representative on earth), the old enmity re-surfaced. Hazrat Ali had two descendants, Hazrat Imam Hussain and Hazrat Imam Hassan. Hussain was the ruler of the part of the empire known today as Iran. The other part in modern Iraq was ruled by the Umayyads. Hussain was called upon by the Shiahs of Kufa, a small town in the Umayyad kingdom, to accept their allegiance and claim his place as the leader of the Islamic community. This was against the wishes of the ruler of Kufa, Yazid, who instructed his governor, Ibn-e-Ziad to take appropriate action. Meanwhile, in response to the call of the Shiahs, Hussain accompanied by his family members, headed for Kufa. When they reached Karbala, en route to Kufa, the forces of the governor surrounded them and their 70 men. Hussain, his family and his troops were tortured and killed, and Hussain’s head was severed and presented to the king. They received no help from the Shiahs of Kufa. As this tragic incident happened on the tenth day of Muharram, Shia Muslims consider this a day of sorrow. They commemorate the martyrdom of Hussain as a religious occassion called “Muharram” (named after the month of its observance). The occassion starts on the 1st day of Muharram and lasts for 10 days until 10th of Muharram. As Muharram approaches, they put on black clothes, as black is regarded as a color of mourning. During the entire 10 day period, they keep themselves away from music and all joyous events (e.g. weddings) that can distract them in anyway from the sorrowful remembrance of that day. During each of the first nine days of Muharram, “Majalis” (assemblies) are held where Shia orators vividly depict the incident of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his party. Mainstream Shia Muslims fast until the evening. On “Ashura”, devoted Muslims assemble and go out in large processions. They parade the streets holding banners and carrying models of the mausoleum of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his people, who fell at Karbala. Some Shia sects observe “Ashura” by beating themselves with chains in public, cutting themselves with knives and sharp objects and holding mournful public processions. This is an expression of their grief on the death of their favourite leader Hussain, considered to be the representative of Allah. (But no Shiite scholar affirms any extreme behavior that harms the body and Shia leaders consider such acts as “Haram”, or forbidden.) It is a sad occasion and everyone in the procession chants “Ya Hussain”, wailing loudly. Generally a white horse is beautifully decorated and included in the procession. It serves to bring back the memory of the empty mount of Hazrat Imam Husain after his martyrdom. Drinking posts are also set up temporarily by the Shia community where water and juices are served to all, free of charge. While Shia Muslims consider “Muharram” to be a sorrowful occasion Sunni Muslims observe it as a festival and look at “Ashura” as a happy day though the religious aspect remain intact. Pious Sunnis keep a fast(“roja”) on “Ashura” as per the “Hadith”(a tradition based on reports of the sayings and activities of Muhammad and his companions) of Prophet Muhammad. According to the “Hadith”, the Prophet saw the Jews fasting on the 10th of Muharram to commemorate their liberation from Egyptian slavery and the extermination of the army of the Pharaoh in the waters of the Red Sea. Prophet Mohammed liked the custom for he believed that it was Allah who saved the Israelites from their enemy in Egypt. He started to fast on the same day as the Jews but he planned to fast on the 9th and 10th from the following year. But death came in between him and his pious wish. Usually, Sunni Muslims are recommended to fast either on the 9th and 10th of Muharram or on the 10th and 11th of Muharram. Ajaz Ditta UK
Decorate a Card - To create lines and drawings of many different shapes - To understand that letters are symbols that can be used to communicate - To practice fine motor skills Children's book, a large sheet of paper, index cards, crayons Read Cows Can't Fly by David Milgrim, or any other book with interesting shapes or symbols in the art. Write an X and an O on the board or chart paper. Tell children that they are the letters x and o, and say words that begin with those letters (x-ray, open, ostrich). Explain that X and O are also symbols for kisses and hugs. Be sure to point out that the words kisses and hugs do not begin with x or o. Invite children to makes Xs and Os on the board. - As you read the book, make a game of looking to see shapes and designs in the art. (For example, in Cows Can't Fly, ask children to notice that the designs on all the cows are curvy and very similar.) - Also help children notice the shapes of letters in the text. Point out that some have straight lines, some have curves, and some have both. Some look similar, such as the O and the C. - Spread a large piece of paper on the floor. If possible, copy the outline of a cow or another image from the book onto the paper. Show children different lines, including squiggly, straight, curly, and zigzag lines, as well as symbols, such as Xs, circles, and hearts. Use a think-aloud approach, talking as you write: These are straight lines, these are wavy lines, and these are squiggly lines. Here's a symbol for dollars, some numbers, and some letters. This is an X. - Invite children to decorate the paper with more lines and symbols. Post it in your room. Provide index cards for children to decorate with straight lines, wavy lines, and symbols. Glue the cards on paper to make a class quilt of designs. - Proficient - Child is comfortable drawing lines, understands that letters are symbols used for writing, and can copy Xs and Os - In Process - Child awkwardly draws a few tentative symbols or lines, and can identify straight lines and curves in letters. - Not Yet Ready - Child avoids drawing and writing and cannot yet identify different lines.
Imaging brain activity in humans have been made possible through technologies such as MRI and fMRI. These imaging systems use powerful magnets and radio waves to detect blood, water and oxygen flow within the brain. But in more simple organisms such as the zebrafish, MRI imaging of normal neuronal activity is impossible. Another method is by using protein based indicators that react to certain chemical changes within the brain. These indicators are fluorescent in nature for scientists to monitor when the chemical changes happen (they glow when the reaction is present). Neurons transmit information to the brain through electrical signals. As these signals travel through the neural network, each cell within the path undergoes a shift in its internal calcium ion (Ca2+) concentration. This happens because specialized channels allow ions to flood into the cytoplasm. This shift in calcium ion concentration is a good indicator for tracking neural activity in real time. By developing fluorescent protein-based Ca2+ indicators, scientists can track neural activity of cells being observed. Observing Fish Thoughts For the first time, researchers have been able to see a thought "swim" through the brain of a living fish. The new technology is a useful tool for studies of perception. It might even find use in psychiatric drug discovery, according to authors of the study, appearing online on January 31 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. "Our work is the first to show brain activities in real time in an intact animal during that animal's natural behavior," said Koichi Kawakami of Japan's National Institute of Genetics. "We can make the invisible visible; that's what is most important." The technical breakthrough included the development of a very sensitive fluorescent probe to detect neuronal activity. Kawakami, along with Junichi Nakai of Saitama University and their colleagues, also devised a genetic method for inserting that probe right into the neurons of interest. The two-part approach allowed the researchers to detect neuronal activity at single-cell resolution in the zebrafish brain. Video: Visualizing Brain Activity of A Fish Akira Muto, the study's lead author from the Kawakami lab, used the new tool to map what happens when a zebrafish sees something good to eat, in this case a swimming paramecium. The researchers were also able to correlate brain activity with that prey's capture. The new tool now makes it possible to ask which brain circuits are involved in complex behaviors, from perception to movement to decision making, the researchers say, noting that the basic design and function of a zebrafish brain is very much like our own. "In the future, we can interpret an animal's behavior, including learning and memory, fear, joy, or anger, based on the activity of particular combinations of neurons," Kawakami said. By monitoring neuronal activity in the zebrafish brain, Kawakami thinks that researchers may also be able to screen chemicals that affect neuronal activity in the brain. "This has the potential to shorten the long processes for the development of new psychiatric medications," he said. National Institute of Genetics (NIG) MIT News: Studying The Zebrafish To Understand Autism And Other Human Brain Disorders Virtual Nanoscopy Enables Large Scale Composite Images Drug Makes Brain Tumors Glow Hot Pink MIT News: Researchers Improve Electron Microscopy Using Engineered Protein Labels Using fMRI To Examine Brain Activity In Forgetting Memories Through Suppression And Substitution Understanding How The Brain Spatially Represents Object and Action Categories Through fMRI Study Examines How Synapses Transmit Signals From The Ear To The Brain Changes To Three Sections of DNA, SOX4, SOX11, and SOX5, Led To Evolution of the Human Brain
Introduction to Teach the Text This series is designed to provide a ready reference for teaching the biblical text, giving easy access to information that is needed to communicate a passage effectively. To that end, the commentary is carefully divided into units that are faithful to the biblical authors’ ideas and of an appropriate length for teaching or preaching. The following standard sections are offered in each unit: For each unit the commentary identifies the primary theme, or “Big Idea,” that drives both the passage and the commentary. Together with the Big Idea, the commentary addresses in bullet-point fashion the key ideas presented in the passage. Understanding the Text This section focuses on the exegesis of the text and includes several sections. - The Text in Context. Here the author gives a brief explanation of how the unit fits into the flow of the text around it, including reference to the rhetorical strategy of the book and the unit’s contribution to the purpose of the book. - Outline/Structure. For some literary genres (e.g., epistles), a brief exegetical outline may be provided to guide the reader through the structure and flow of the passage. - Historical and Cultural Background. This section addresses historical and cultural background information that may illuminate a verse or passage. - Interpretive Insights. This section provides information needed for a clear understanding of the passage. The intention of the author is to be highly selective and concise rather than exhaustive and expansive. - Theological Insights. In this very brief section the commentary identifies a few carefully selected theological insights about the passage. Teaching the Text Under this second main heading the commentary offers guidance for teaching the text. In this section the author lays out the main themes and applications of the passage. These are linked carefully to the Big Idea and are represented in the Key Themes. Illustrating the Text At this point in the commentary the commentary writers partner with a team of pastor and teachers to provide suggestions for relevant and contemporary illustrations from current culture, entertainment, history, the Bible, news, literature, ethics, biography, daily life, medicine, and over forty other categories. They are designed to spark creative thinking for preachers and teachers and to help them design illustrations that bring alive the passage’s key themes and message. What Teach the Text Commentary Series Has to Offer Pastors and Bible Teachers Enjoy these interviews with actual pastors in the field, and learn how the Teach the Text Commentary Series benefits their everyday preparations for the preaching of God’s Word.
Helping Robots Get a Grip A new approach lets dexterous robotic hands grasp easily. One of the main things preventing robots from lending a hand with everyday tasks is a simple lack of manual dexterity. New research from a team at Columbia University could help robots–and robotic prosthetics–get a better grip on all kinds of objects. Peter Allen, a professor at Columbia University and director of its Robotics Group, and colleague Matei Ciocarlie developed a simpler way to control a dexterous robotic hand by drawing on research in biology. They realized that while human hands have about 20 degrees of freedom (20 joints that can each bend), each joint is not capable of moving completely independently; instead, its movements are linked to those of other joints by muscles or nerves. Traditionally, the software used to control a complex robot hand has tried to account for all the degrees of freedom in the robotic hand’s joints, but this is computationally cumbersome and slows the robot down. Instead, Allen and Ciocarlie decided to limit the movement of a robot hand in the same way a human hand is limited. By linking its joints in this way, they showed it is possible to control a complicated robotic hand with faster, more efficient algorithms and without losing any of its functionality. “You can learn from biology to reduce the degrees of freedom,” says Allen. “Even though you may have 20 degrees of freedom, you don’t need to use them.” The researchers experimented with four different kinds of complex robotic hand, each of which had multiple joints. They developed software to control each gripper by linking its joints. In simulations and real-life tests, the software was able to quickly calculate grasping positions in order to grab different objects, including a wine glass, flask, telephone, model airplane, and ashtray. The system works in two stages. First it chooses an array of possible grasping motions depending on the angle at which the hand is approaching the object. Second, it selects from these positions the one that will provide the most stable grasp. Then, if the controller thinks the grasping position looks right, she can give the command and the hand will take hold of the object. “Grasping objects with a human-like hand is a seemingly complex computational problem,” says Charlie Kemp, a professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who has developed robots capable of grasping unfamiliar objects. “This work suggests that there is an underlying simplicity. It shows that a complex hand may not require a complex brain.” “I believe it’s the way forward for automated grasping,” adds Eric Berger, the codirector of the personal robotics program at Willow Garage, a robotics research center in California. “From my perspective, the algorithmic work … is novel and useful, but the most exciting thing about what they’re doing is the different approaches they’re taking to applying these new algorithms to the real world.” In their experiments, the Columbia team preprogrammed the system with a rough idea of the shape of the object it would grab. The next step is to couple the robotic grasper to a system that can evaluate completely unfamiliar objects in the real world. Other research groups are making progress in this area. For example, Intel has created technology that uses electric fields to carefully sense delicate objects within reach, while Andrew Ng and colleagues at Stanford University have developed a robot that can calculate the best place to grab onto an object that it hasn’t seen before.
An optical telescope is a telescope which is used to gather and focus light mainly from the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum to directly view a magnified image for making a photograph, or collecting data through electronic image sensors. There are three primary types of optical telescope: refractors which use lenses (dioptrics), reflectors which use mirrors (catoptrics), and catadioptric telescopes which use both lenses and mirrors in combination. A telescope's light gathering power and ability to resolve small detail is directly related to the diameter (or aperture) of its objective (the primary lens or mirror that collects and focuses the light). The larger the objective, the more light the telescope can collect and the finer detail it can resolve. - 1 History - 2 Principles - 3 Angular resolution - 4 Focal length and f-ratio - 5 Light-gathering power - 6 Imperfect images - 7 Astronomical research telescopes - 8 See also - 9 Notes - 10 External links The telescope is more a discovery of optical craftsmen than an invention of scientist. The lens and the properties of refracting and reflecting light had been known since antiquity and theory on how they worked were developed by ancient Greek philosophers, preserved and expanded on in the medieval Islamic world, and had reached a significantly advanced state by the time of the telescope's invention in early modern Europe. But the most significant step cited in the invention of the telescope was the development of lens manufacture for spectacles, first in Venice and Florence in the thirteenth century, and later in the spectacle making centers in both the Netherlands and Germany. It is in the Netherlands in 1608 where the first recorded optical telescopes (refracting telescopes) appeared. The invention is credited to the spectacle makers Hans Lippershey and Zacharias Janssen in Middelburg, and the instrument-maker and optician Jacob Metius of Alkmaar. Galileo greatly improved upon these designs the following year and is generally credited with being the first to use a telescope for astronomical purposes. Galileo's telescope used Hans Lippershey's design of a convex objective lens and a concave eye lens and this design has come to be called a Galilean telescope. Johannes Kepler proposed an improvement on the design that used a convex eyepiece, often called the Keplerian Telescope. The next big step in the development of refractors was the advent of the Achromatic lens in the early 18th century that corrected chromatic aberration seen in Keplerian telescopes up to that time, allowing for much shorter instruments with much larger objectives. For reflecting telescopes, which use a curved mirror in place of the objective lens, theory preceded practice. The theoretical basis for curved mirrors behaving similar to lenses was probably established by Alhazen, whose theories had been widely disseminated in Latin translations of his work. Soon after the invention of the refracting telescope Galileo, Giovanni Francesco Sagredo, and others, spurred on by their knowledge that curved mirrors had similar properties as lenses, discussed the idea of building a telescope using a mirror as the image forming objective. The potential advantages of using parabolic mirrors (primarily a reduction of spherical aberration with elimination of chromatic aberration) led to several proposed designs for reflecting telescopes, the most notable of which was published in 1663 by James Gregory and came to be called the Gregorian telescope, but no working models were built. Isaac Newton has been generally credited with constructing the first practical reflecting telescopes, the Newtonian telescope, in 1668 although due to their difficulty of construction and the poor performance of the speculum metal mirrors used it took over 100 years for reflectors to become popular. Many of the advances in reflecting telescopes included the perfection of parabolic mirror fabrication in the 18th century, silver coated glass mirrors in the 19th century, long-lasting aluminum coatings in the 20th century, segmented mirrors to allow larger diameters, and active optics to compensate for gravitational deformation. A mid-20th century innovation was catadioptric telescopes such as the Schmidt camera, which uses both a lens (corrector plate) and mirror as primary optical elements, mainly used for wide field imaging without spherical aberration. The basic scheme is that the primary light-gathering element the objective (1) (the convex lens or concave mirror used to gather the incoming light), focuses that light from the distant object (4) to a focal plane where it forms a real image (5). This image may be recorded or viewed through an eyepiece (2) which acts like a magnifying glass. The eye (3) then sees an inverted magnified virtual image (6) of the object. Most telescope designs produce an inverted image at the focal plane; these are referred to as inverting telescopes. In fact, the image is both inverted and reverted, or rotated 180 degrees from the object orientation. In astronomical telescopes the rotated view is normally not corrected, since it does not affect how the telescope is used. However, a mirror diagonal is often used to place the eyepiece in a more convenient viewing location, and in that case the image is erect but everted (reversed left to right). In terrestrial telescopes such as Spotting scopes, monoculars and binoculars, prisms (e.g., Porro prisms), or a relay lens between objective and eyepiece are used to correct the image orientation. There are telescope designs that do not present an inverted image such as the Galilean refractor and the Gregorian reflector. These are referred to as erecting telescopes. Many types of telescope fold or divert the optical path with secondary or tertiary mirrors. These may be integral part of the optical design (Newtonian telescope, Cassegrain reflector or similar types), or may simply be used to place the eyepiece or detector at a more convenient position. Telescope designs may also use specially designed additional lenses or mirrors to improve image quality over a larger field of view. Ignoring blurring of the image by turbulence in the atmosphere (atmospheric seeing) and optical imperfections of the telescope, the angular resolution of an optical telescope is determined by the diameter of the primary mirror or lens gathering the light (also termed its "aperture") Here, denotes the resolution limit in arcseconds and is in millimeters. In the ideal case, the two components of a double star system can be discerned even if separated by slightly less than . This is taken into account by the Dawes limit The equation shows that, all else being equal, the larger the aperture, the better the angular resolution. The resolution is not given by the maximum magnification (or "power") of a telescope. Telescopes marketed by giving high values of the maximum power often deliver poor images. For large ground-based telescopes, the resolution is limited by atmospheric seeing. This limit can be overcome by placing the telescopes above the atmosphere, e.g., on the summits of high mountains, on balloon and high-flying airplanes, or in space. Resolution limits can also be overcome by adaptive optics, speckle imaging or lucky imaging for ground-based telescopes. Recently, it has become practical to perform aperture synthesis with arrays of optical telescopes. Very high resolution images can be obtained with groups of widely-spaced smaller telescopes, linked together by carefully controlled optical paths, but these interferometers can only be used for imaging bright objects such as stars or measuring the bright cores of active galaxies. Focal length and f-ratio The focal length determines how wide an angle the telescope can view with a given eyepiece or size of a CCD detector or photographic plate. The f-ratio (or focal ratio, or f-number) of a telescope is the ratio between the focal length and the diameter (i.e., aperture) of the objective. Thus, for a given objective diameter, low f-ratios indicate wide fields of view. Wide-field telescopes (such as astrographs) are used to track satellites and asteroids, for cosmic-ray research, and for astronomical surveys of the sky. It is more difficult to reduce optical aberrations in telescopes with low f-ratio than in telescopes with larger f-ratio. The light-gathering power of an optical telescope is proportional to the area of the objective lens or mirror, or proportional to the square of the diameter (or aperture). For example, a telescope with a lens which has a diameter three times that of another will have nine times the light-gathering power. A bigger telescope can have an advantage over a smaller one, because their sensitivity increases as the square of the entrance diameter. For example, a 7 meter telescope would be about ten times more sensitive than a 2.4 meter telescope. For a survey of a given area, the field of view is just as important as raw light gathering power. Survey telescopes such as Large Synoptic Survey Telescope therefore try to maximize the product of mirror area and field of view (or etendue) rather than raw light gathering ability alone. No telescope can form a perfect image. Even if a reflecting telescope could have a perfect mirror, or a refracting telescope could have a perfect lens, the effects of aperture diffraction are unavoidable. In reality, perfect mirrors and perfect lenses do not exist, so image aberrations in addition to aperture diffraction must be taken into account. Image aberrations can be broken down into two main classes, monochromatic, and polychromatic. In 1857, Philipp Ludwig von Seidel (1821–1896) decomposed the first order monochromatic aberrations into five constituent aberrations. They are now commonly referred to as the five Seidel Aberrations. The five Seidel aberrations - Spherical aberration - The difference in focal length between paraxial rays and marginal rays, proportional to the square of the objective diameter. - A most objectionable defect by which points are imaged as comet-like asymmetrical patches of light with tails, which makes measurement very imprecise. Its magnitude is usually deduced from the optical sine theorem. - The image of a point forms focal lines at the sagittal and tangental foci and in between (in the absence of coma) an elliptical shape. - Curvature of Field - The Petzval field curvature means that the image instead of lying in a plane actually lies on a curved surface which is described as hollow or round. This causes problems when a flat imaging device is used e.g. a photographic plate or CCD image sensor. - Either barrel or pincushion, a radial distortion which must be corrected for if multiple images are to be combined (similar to stitching multiple photos into a panoramic photo). They are always listed in the above order since this expresses their interdependence as first order aberrations via moves of the exit/entrance pupils. The first Seidel aberration, Spherical Aberration, is independent of the position of the exit pupil (as it is the same for axial and extra-axial pencils). The second, coma, changes as a function of pupil distance and spherical aberration, hence the well-known result that it is impossible to correct the coma in a lens free of spherical aberration by simply moving the pupil. Similar dependencies affect the remaining aberrations in the list. The chromatic aberrations - Longitudinal chromatic aberration: As with spherical aberration this is the same for axial and oblique pencils. - Transverse chromatic aberration (chromatic aberration of magnification) Astronomical research telescopes Optical telescopes have been used in astronomical research since the time of their invention in the early 17th century. Many types have be constructed over the years depending on the optical technology, such as refracting and reflecting, the nature of the light or object being imaged, and even where they are placed, such as space telescopes. Some are classified by the task they perform such as Solar telescopes, Nearly all large research-grade astronomical telescopes are reflectors. Some reasons are: - In a lens the entire volume of material has to be free of imperfection and inhomogeneities, whereas in a mirror, only one surface has to be perfectly polished. - Light of different colors travels through a medium other than vacuum at different speeds. This causes chromatic aberration. - Reflectors work in a wider spectrum of light since certain wavelengths are absorbed when passing through glass elements like those found in a refractor or catadioptric. - There are technical difficulties involved in manufacturing and manipulating large-diameter lenses. One of them is that all real materials sag in gravity. A lens can only be held by its perimeter. A mirror, on the other hand, can be supported by the whole side opposite to its reflecting face. Most large research reflectors operate at different focal planes, depending on the type and size of the instrument being used. These including the prime focus of the main mirror, the cassegrain focus (light bounced back down behind the primary mirror), and even external to the telescope all together (such as the Nasmyth and coudé focus). A new era of telescope making was inaugurated by the Multiple Mirror Telescope (MMT), with a mirror composed of six segments synthesizing a mirror of 4.5 meters diameter. This has now been replaced by a single 6.5 m mirror. Its example was followed by the Keck telescopes with 10 m segmented mirrors. The largest current ground-based telescopes have a primary mirror of between 6 and 11 meters in diameter. In this generation of telescopes, the mirror is usually very thin, and is kept in an optimal shape by an array of actuators (see active optics). This technology has driven new designs for future telescopes with diameters of 30, 50 and even 100 meters. Relatively cheap, mass-produced ~2 meter telescopes have recently been developed and have made a significant impact on astronomy research. These allow many astronomical targets to be monitored continuously, and for large areas of sky to be surveyed. Many are robotic telescopes, computer controlled over the internet (see e.g. the Liverpool Telescope and the Faulkes Telescope North and South), allowing automated follow-up of astronomical events. Initially the detector used in telescopes was the human eye. Later, the sensitized photographic plate took its place, and the spectrograph was introduced, allowing the gathering of spectral information. After the photographic plate, successive generations of electronic detectors, such as the charge-coupled device (CCDs), have been perfected, each with more sensitivity and resolution, and often with a wider wavelength coverage. Current research telescopes have several instruments to choose from such as: - imagers, of different spectral responses - spectrographs, useful in different regions of the spectrum - polarimeters, that detect light polarization. The phenomenon of optical diffraction sets a limit to the resolution and image quality that a telescope can achieve, which is the effective area of the Airy disc, which limits how close two such discs can be placed. This absolute limit is called the diffraction limit (and may be approximated by the Rayleigh criterion, Dawes limit or Sparrow's resolution limit). This limit depends on the wavelength of the studied light (so that the limit for red light comes much earlier than the limit for blue light) and on the diameter of the telescope mirror. This means that a telescope with a certain mirror diameter can theoretically resolve up to a certain limit at a certain wavelength. For conventional telescopes on Earth, the diffraction limit is not relevant for telescopes bigger than about 10 cm. Instead, the seeing, or blur caused by the atmosphere, sets the resolution limit. But in space, or if adaptive optics are used, then reaching the diffraction limit is sometimes possible. At this point, if greater resolution is needed at that wavelength, a wider mirror has to be built or aperture synthesis performed using an array of nearby telescopes. In recent years, a number of technologies to overcome the distortions caused by atmosphere on ground-based telescopes have been developed, with good results. See adaptive optics, speckle imaging and optical interferometry. - Amateur telescope making - Depth of field - Globe effect - Bahtinov mask - Carey mask - Hartmann mask - History of optics - List of optical telescopes - List of largest optical reflecting telescopes - List of largest optical refracting telescopes - List of largest optical telescopes historically - List of solar telescopes - List of space telescopes - List of telescope types - Notes on AMATEUR TELESCOPE OPTICS - Online Telescope Math Calculator - The Resolution of a Telescope - skyandtelescope.com - What To Know (about telescopes)
After a longer and colder winter than normally experienced here in Kentucky, everyone is eagerly looking forward to the return of spring. But have you ever thought about what causes the change of seasons here in Kentucky? A brief history lesson is important because before the 15th Century, it was believed that the sun orbited around the earth. Nicolai Copernicus (1473-1543) radically changed our understanding of astronomy when he proposed that the sun, not Earth, was the center of the solar system. This led to our modern understanding of the relationship between the sun and the Earth. We now know that Earth orbits the sun elliptically and so is closer to the sun during part of its orbit and farther away at other times. Earth has seasons because our planet’s axis of rotation is tilted at an angle of 23.5 degrees relative to our orbital plane. Over the course of a year, the angle of tilt does not vary and so Earth’s northern axis is always pointing the same direction in space. But the orientation of Earth’s tilt with respect to the sun, our source of light and warmth, does change as we orbit. The northern hemisphere is oriented toward the sun for half of the year and away from the sun for the other half. The same is true of the southern hemisphere. When the northern hemisphere is oriented/tilted toward the sun, that region of Earth warms because of the corresponding increase in solar radiation. The sun’s rays are striking that part of Earth at a more direct angle; it’s summer. When the northern hemisphere is oriented/tilted away from the sun, the sun’s rays are less direct, and that part of Earth cools; it’s winter. Seasons in the southern hemisphere occur at opposite times of the year from those in the northern hemisphere. Northern summer = southern winter. The seasons are marked by solstices and equinoxes — astronomical terms that relate to Earth’s tilt. The solstices occur each year on June 20 or 21 (summer) and Dec. 21 or 22 (winter), and represent the official start of the summer and winter seasons. In the Northern hemisphere, the summer solstice is the longest daylight day of the year, with the direct rays of the sun striking the Tropic of Cancer (23.5 degrees north of the equator) while the winter solstice is the shortest daylight day of the year, with the direct rays of the sun striking the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5 degrees south of the equator). The vernal equinox and autumnal equinox herald the beginning of spring and fall, respectively. At these times of the year, the sun is directly over Earth’s equator, and the lengths of the day and the night are equal over most of the planet. On March 20 or 21 of each year, the Northern Hemisphere reaches the vernal equinox and enjoys the signs of spring. At the same time, the winds turn colder in the Southern Hemisphere as the autumnal equinox sets in. The year's other equinox occurs on Sept. 22 or 23, when summer fades to fall in the north, and winter’s chill starts giving way to spring in the south. So, today we welcome the first signs of spring, thanks to the vernal equinox! This blog entry is written by Matt Lahm, Interpretive Ranger at The Parklands of Floyds Fork. Being a donor-supported public park means we rely on donations, not tax dollars, for annual operations each year. Because of your generosity, we are able to maintain, program, and further develop this extraordinary public space without charging an entry fee. Together we work to enhance quality of life and help our community and economy grow in ways that are healthy, sustainable, and enjoyable for people of all ages. Help us reach our goal of sustaining The Parklands by becoming a Member today. Members make it happen! Become a Member
The birth of most of the basic human moral instincts: full-blown empathy, cooperation, joint thinking, interdependence, altruism, the Golden Rule, sharing, self-monitoring, social selection. Reciprocity and rudimentary empathy and cooperation were already in existence. 2 million years ago until 15,000 years ago Species: Homo erectus, Homo heidelbergensis, Homo sapiens Human life is a cooperative enterprise. This is true of even the simplest human From an evolutionary perspective, morality is a form of cooperation. Cooperation requires individuals either to suppress their own self-interest or to equate it with that of others. Arguably, the main function of morality is to regulate an individual’s social interactions with others in the general direction of cooperation, given that all individuals are at least somewhat selfish. And so we may stipulate that at the very least moral actions must involve individuals either suppressing their own self-interest in favor of that of others (e.g., helping, sharing) or else equating their own self-interest with that of others (e.g., reciprocity, justice, equity, and norm following and enforcement). Michael Tomasello and Amrisha Vaish – “Origins of Human Cooperation and Morality” Almost all human food has to be produced by many people collaborating. This obligation to cooperate in order to obtain food first became necessary for early humans around 2 million years ago, just before the emergence of Homo erectus. At this time, the world was cooling and drying and the African rainforests, the home of our ancestors, were dying back to make way for grassland. Early humans were then forced to make a living on the savannah where their normal diet of fruit, insects and leaves would have been both less abundant and already taken by an expanded population of ground monkeys. From the many flint animal butchery tools found with their remains, it seems that Homo erectus turned to scavenging large carcases in order to survive. Homo heidelbergensis are thought to have been the first human species to hunt large game using projectile weapons, to bring the kill back to a central location, and to cook using fire. Both these forms of subsistence require people to work together towards a common goal, and in the case of hunting large game using hand weapons, require sophisticated skills of coordination almost unique in the animal kingdom. In scavenging, people would have had to band together to scare away the other predator species trying to feed on a carcase. “We” intentionality, joint thinking, thinking of “us” and not just “me”. This refers to the ability of humans to collaborate with each other in shared activities with shared goals and outcomes, for the benefit of all concerned. Within these shared activities, in order to be able to coordinate their separate roles and perspectives towards a common goal, humans needed to develop a new kind of social thinking. The individual intentionality of great apes became “cooperativised” into the joint intentionality, the shared goals and outcomes of human beings. Chimpanzees are our nearest relatives as a species, and we assume that they can represent the last common ancestor of humans and the other great apes – what we all evolved from. Unlike ours, great ape social life is largely based on dominance and competition. Chimpanzees will cooperate in some ways, such as travelling together, foraging next to each other, hunting monkeys, fighting with another group, patrolling the borders of their territory, forming alliances in order to compete with others, and forming reciprocal friendships. For their own purposes they have evolved sophisticated social skills and they have some idea of how other individuals function. But they have no need to coordinate tightly with each other to form a single, cooperative machine, acting towards a common goal, as humans must do in order to survive. Although they need the support of the numbers in their group, they are not valuable to each other as skilled cooperative partners, as humans are. Their thinking, their intentions and their goals are individual and competitive rather than social and collective. The Stag Hunt There is a model within mathematical game theory, called the Stag Hunt, which offers a plausible context for the evolution of shared intentionality in humans. In this story, people in a group are foraging individually for food that is low in value, and only temporarily available, such as, perhaps, small animals. Then somebody reports that they have spotted a large game animal, which is a high value food that can keep the group well fed. The hunters in the group would have been required to forsake their reasonable chance of termites, or a tortoise, for the slim chance of catching a large mammal. The challenge then is for the hunting partners to coordinate with each other to solve a difficult, skill-intensive problem for the common good (or else go hungry). When humans collaborate, we do so in a way that is unique among species alive today, inherited from our ancestors Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis. We typically proceed like this: in experiments with children aged 1-3, it is found that humans ... coordinate a joint goal, commit themselves to that joint goal until all get their reward, expect others to be similarly committed to the joint goal, divide the common spoils of a collaboration equally, take leave when breaking a commitment, understand their own and the partner’s role in the joint activity, and even help the partner in her role when necessary. Michael Tomasello – “A Natural History of Human Thinking” In similar experiments, it is found that children aged 1-3 prefer to obtain what they want by collaborating with others, while chimpanzees prefer to work on their Coordinating the joint goal – deciding to act together In the proposed Stag Hunt situation, it would have been necessary for the cooperative partners, those who needed to work together, to coordinate their decision to act. It was important to know whether it was appropriate to abandon your safe chance of low-value food and embark on a risky stag hunt with a partner. In other words, once a stag is spotted, each potential partner needs to know: I have the goal to capture the stag together with you, you have the goal to capture the stag together with me, and we both know that the other intends this and what his intentions are towards the other. This mutual knowledge is a common ground, a shared reality, between the partners. Those early humans who were most successful at this initial coordination process would have had a survival advantage over others. Joint goal, individual roles When people are collaborating together, there are various jobs to do and therefore various roles to play. It is thought that humans view this situation of a collective goal with separate roles from a “bird’s eye view”, an abstract map, where the actual people are, in principle, interchangeable within the different roles. In order to work together more effectively, the participants will learn as much as they can about each other’s roles and are likely to help each other where needed. Each member of the party is interdependent with all the others: each needs all the others to play their parts through to the completion of the common goal. Joint attention, individual perspectives Organisms attend to situations that are relevant to their goals. Michael Tomasello – “A Natural History of Human Thinking” Therefore, in a cooperative activity, each participant’s attention will necessarily be on the shared goal; their own role in the activity; and on the other partners and their roles and needs and what they are attending to. All partners can attend to the object at the same time, but each has his own unique perspective on it. In order to achieve the joint goal it is necessary to coordinate the attention of the partners. I will attend to your attention on the goal and to your attention on my attention. We both know that we are looking at the same thing together. There is a deep and recursive – back and forth – sharing of minds. In a collaborative activity, there has to be all kinds of joint knowledge or common ground between all participants in order for the operation to work effectively. Everyone involved has to get with the programme. All need to be working from within the same frame of reference. This extends to knowledge about others’ knowledge, roles, perspectives, and view on oneself. Examples could include, “we both know the other’s goal”, “we both know we want the same thing”, “we both know that we are seeing the same thing from different perspectives” The new complex coordination that human activities required, called for a new and more effective method of communication than that used by our great ape ancestors. The communication of great apes is insufficient for this task because: 1) it is almost entirely self-serving and directed towards the needs of the individual, rather than towards a common goal and needs shared with others; 2) the communication with others is aimed simply at telling them what to do, whereas joint activity requires that we can talk about external things and situations in the environment that are relevant to our joint goals; it requires that we share information; I need you to know what I am thinking. In a competitive environment, I am likely to keep this It is thought that the first form of human communication, as distinct from that of great apes, was the universal language that we all recognise: pointing and pantomiming. However, of course, this is rather limited in content and requires that we have a lot of knowledge in common. You need to know why I am pointing at that tree: we need to establish a shared context between us in common ground. This required early humans to further develop their skills of joint thinking. A new motive for communication: helping In a situation where two people are cooperating towards a joint goal, and each one depends on the other to play their part in achieving that joint goal, it is often necessary for one partner to help the other. One form that this can take is communication: I will inform you helpfully, in signs or words, of things and situations that are relevant to you. I advertise that I have something to tell or show you by using signals such as eye contact, eye movement, gestures and noises. This helpful motive, where I am informing you of things relevant to our joint goal, led to the emergence of honesty and accuracy, that is, truthfulness, as an important quality in its own right. In a cooperative situation of shared interest, it is in both our interests that I am honest and accurate in the information I give you. The need to communicate helpfully led to a further need to see things from another’s I need to know from your point of view what is relevant to your concerns. I need to know what you already know, and what is new to you and therefore worth telling Given that you know I am being helpful, you need to know why I think the thing I am pointing to is relevant and new to you. The answers to these questions lie in our knowledge in common ground: our shared intention of cooperating together and helping each other make progress, our shared knowledge of the situation, my knowledge of your perspective on the situation, and your knowledge of my perspective on you. This is another form of joint thinking unique to humans, involving taking the perspective of someone else within a cooperative situation of shared activity and goals. It led to another requirement for early humans to monitor themselves from another’s point of view. I need to communicate clearly and effectively with my cooperative partner, and so I will try to imagine how he will see what I want to say. He needs to help me to see his perspective, by taking my perspective, in order that I can help him understand. This kind of back-and-forth perspective taking is called “recursive It is thought that this simultaneous viewing of multiple perspectives upon the same reality contributes to the quality of human thinking that we call objectivity: “... the state or quality of being true even outside of a subject's individual biases, interpretations, feelings, and imaginings.” For a long time, all this was done without words: just using pointing, pantomiming and knowledge of a common context. As the cooperation between early humans grew ever more complex, it required ever more sophisticated language skills in order to convey the necessary information, make plans, talk about situations and people, etc. Highly visible eye direction in humans There are around 200 species of primates, and of these, only humans have “whites of the eyes”: white sclera. This has the effect that we can easily see the direction in which someone is looking. It indicates to others what we are looking at, and this suggests cooperative communication rather than competition. In experiments, 12-month old children tended to follow the direction of someone’s eyes even when the head was turned in the other direction, while great apes tended to follow only the head direction. Fairness may be said to have three aspects: 1) proportionality, where the reward gained is proportionate to the effort put in; 2) equality, where each person receives the same as all the others in the situation; and 3) sharing according to need. Natural selection is relative: among a population of individuals, although there may be cooperation, there is always some competition as well. Relative flourishing matters as well as individual flourishing. Great apes are not good at sharing. They are very reluctant to give up their own personal food in order to give to their comrades. Food is shared on the basis of dominance, individual alliances, and stealing, begging and harassing. By contrast, human beings living together in small groups will normally expect to share the results of their collaboration equally or according to need, in some locally conventional way. What lies behind this is interdependence. The idea is that the members of the group have a shared destiny, and so all are willing to put in as much effort as it takes for the survival and well being of all. Therefore each person deserves an equal consideration and reward. Small-scale human hunter-gatherer societies are noted for their egalitarian spirit where most people are treated with equal status. In this small-scale collaboration where all are needed and all put in the necessary effort, if some people were favoured over others, then cooperation would likely fall apart as those less favoured would not feel proportionately rewarded and would resent putting in the same effort and commitment as everyone else. It appears that being tolerant of others around food, cooperating, and sharing the results of the cooperation, may be fundamentally linked. In experiments by Michael Tomasello and his team, it has been found that pairs of chimpanzees who are more tolerant with each other around food are better at collaborating and more likely to share the results of the collaboration. It is also found that bonobos are more tolerant of each other around food than chimpanzees are, and are also more likely to cooperate to find food and to share the spoils of the cooperation. In other experiments, 2-year old children, too young to have been affected by society’s expectations, were more likely to help themselves gain a reward when it resulted in someone else being rewarded too; and 3-year old children shared their resources more generously and equitably when these were the results of a collaboration. 2 million years on, we can know almost nothing about the living-group structures of Homo erectus. We do know that conditions were harsh and numbers were few. We can only speculate on how loose or tight the groups were. So we must be unsure of how the fruits of collaborative foraging and hunting were shared: whether only with one’s foraging partners, or with the whole group. There is evidence from 400 thousand years ago of Homo heidelbergensis bringing large hunting kills back to a central home location. Interdependence refers to a situation where people are cooperating together towards a shared goal, and each person depends on the others to help them achieve that goal. In the small groups in which early humans lived, the shared goals would have been to do with survival. The Golden Rule This interchanging of people within the same role and perspective is a skill also used in the Golden Rule, where, in our imagination, we put one person we already know in another’s situation that we recognise. If we see the situation of a person, who is suffering, through the eyes of someone we know and care about, then typically, we feel sympathy (compassion) and wish to help. Again, this changing of perspective is made possible in humans by their enhanced skills of mind-reading, and willingness to share mental states, which we believe evolved as a result of cooperative breeding and its associated prosocial food sharing. Desire to help: for Homo erectus and Homo heidelbergensis, living in these small hunter gatherer groups, because of the interdependence and shared intentionality of this lifestyle, it would have made sense for the personal survival of each individual to help the others in their daily survival tasks, wherever they recognised the need and had the necessary skills and resources to help effectively. ... during their foraging, contemporary foragers help one another by doing such things as cutting a trail for others to follow; making a bridge for others to cross a river; carrying another’s child; climbing a tree to flush a monkey for another hunter; calling the location of a resource for another to exploit while he himself continues searching for something else; carrying game shot by another hunter; climbing a tree to knock down fruit for others to gather; helping look for others’ lost arrows; and helping repair others’ broken arrows. Hill (2002) documents that the Ache foragers of South America spend from about 10% to 50% of their foraging time engaged in such altruistic activities – pretty much all of which would be unthinkable for nonhuman primates. Michael Tomasello and Amrisha Vaish – “Origins of Human Cooperation and Morality” Individual roles and perspectives that may, in principle, be filled by anyone with the right skills
Horizontal Multiplication of 11 In this multiplication worksheet, 3rd graders find the products in 5 problems in which 11 is one factor and a one digit number is the other. They enter and submit the answers online, or print the pages as needed. 3 Views 0 Downloads Math Worksheet: Horizontal Multiplication By 11 In this online interactive horizontal multiplication by 11 worksheet, students practice their math skills as they solve 5 problems that require them to multiply numbers by 11. The answers may be typed in on the worksheet and submitted... 3rd - 5th Math
This example shows how to model the motion of a double pendulum using symbolic computation. x - horizontal position of pendulum mass y - vertical position of pendulum mass θ - angle of pendulum (0 = vertical downwards, counter-clockwise is positive) L - length of rod (constant) We begin by defining symbols for θ1 and θ2. We define displacement expressions for m1 and m2 and calculate velocity by differentiating displacement with respect to time. We calculate acceleration by differentiating velocity with respect to time. We will now evaluate the forces acting on the masses. We start by constructing a free body diagram of the forces on m1. Balancing the horizontal and vertical force components results in 2 equations. Note that we use the acceleration expressions that we calculated previously (ax1 and ax2) in our equations. We now evaluate the forces acting on m2. Our free body diagram shows that there are 2 forces acting on m2 ; tension from rod 2, and the force from the weight of the mass itself. Balancing the horizontal and vertical force components results in 2 equations. Our force evaluation produced a set of 4 equations with 4 unknowns ([θ1 θ2 T1 T2]). We will reduce our system to 2 equations with 2 unknowns by solving eq1 and eq2 for T1 and T2, and substituting the results into eq3 and eq4. Before solving the system equations, we define the masses and rod lengths. We specify initial conditions for mass position and angular velocity, and solve the final system equations (eq5, eq6) numerically using the numeric::odesolve2 function. We animate the motion of the double pendulum. Note that this animation will not run in a Web browser, however you can download this example from MATLAB Central (http://www.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/) and run it yourself.
Instructional design is the creation of learning experiences and materials in a manner that results in the acquisition and application of knowledge and skills. The discipline follows a system of assessing needs, designing a process, developing materials and evaluating their effectiveness. In the context of workplace learning, Instructional Design provides a practical and systematic process for effectively designing effective curricula. Instructional Design is one of the 23 capabilities in the Talent Development Capability Model. More information on Instructional Design can be found in the Talent Development Body of Knowledge. An instructional designer applies this systematic methodology (rooted in instructional theories and models) to design and develop content, experiences, and other solutions to support the acquisition of new knowledge or skills. Instructional designers ought to begin by conducting a needs assessment to determine the needs of the learning event, including: what the learner should know and be able to do as a result of the training or learning solution, and what the learners already know and can do. Instructional designers are then responsible for creating the course design and developing all instructional materials, including presentation materials, participant guides, handouts, and job aids or other materials. Instructional designers are commonly also responsible for evaluating training, including assessing what was learned and whether the learning solution led to measurable behavior change. According to the ATD's Talent Development Capability Model, instructional designers follow a system of assessing needs, designing a process, developing materials, and evaluating effectiveness. Instructional design requires the analysis and selection of the most appropriate strategies, methodologies, and technologies to maximize the learning experience and knowledge transfer. An instructional design resume and portfolio should include the knowledge and skills needed to successfully design a learning initiative. While there are a number of instructional design models and processes, many of their components are similar. They include analysis, design, development, and evaluation. A needs analysis typically includes understanding the needs and learners including why a training or learning solution is required. It may be the case that training is not the solution and some other type of performance improvement or non-training solution will be recommended. In this stage, you’ll also begin to develop the goals of the training, including learning objectives, and determine how the training will be delivered. Design & Development Design and development includes the actual design and development of the instructional materials or determining the delivery methods to be used. It often includes drafting curriculum and lesson plans, developing any instructional materials including presentations, e-learning, job aids, participant guides, and anything else to be used in the training. Evaluation looks at how you determine if your training or learning solution was successful. Did it create a measurable impact on the learner’s behavior and did that lead to the desired results back on the job? There are a number popular evaluation models to consider, including: While ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation) continues to be one of the most widely used instructional design models, there are a number of other models to consider. In recent years, there has been a push to utilize more agile, iterative approaches, including Michael Allen’s Successive Approximation Model (SAM). Agile models, such as SAM involve shorter design sprints where a prototype is quickly created, reviewed, and revised, with the process repeating until stakeholders are satisfied. Common instructional design models include: The Future of Instructional Design Whether you’re developing classroom instruction, an e-learning course, or an on-demand performance support solution following sound instructional design processes will help you create better more successful solutions. As the business world continues to change, so do organizations and their learning functions. Flexibility, creativity, and innovation are becoming more valued. As a result, agile and iterative design models becoming more popular. Instructional designers are also borrowing more elements from the areas of User Experience (UX) Design and Design Thinking. No matter where the training and talent development field goes or what technologies are on the horizon, a solid background in instructional design will always be valuable. Instructional designers are responsible for creating the course design and developing all instructional materials, including presentation materials, participant guides, handouts, and job aids or other materials. Instructional designers are commonly also responsible for evaluating training, including assessing what was learned and whether the learning solution led to measurable behavior change. Since our founding in 1943, ATD’s focus has been to help talent development professionals succeed in their roles, applying best practices and improving organizational outcomes. With instructional design, ATD curates the best content from the world’s leading experts in the field, providing opportunities for designers to learn the latest techniques using the latest technologies. Because we look at talent development holistically, we understand how instructional design fits with evaluation, training, evaluation and other aspects of workplace learning. In addition, we are the leading organization that defines standards for the field in instructional design and talent development as a whole. For access to even more resources, including practical tools and templates, research, and insights, you’re invited to become an ATD member.Learn more. For more information on Instructional Design, visit the following: Browse our newest instructional design titles, collections, bestsellers, and limited-time only book bundles. Find the right instructional design offering for you. Our instructional design conferences and workshops provide you with the education and peer-to-peer connections that empower you to be successful. Classroom facilitators get the opportunity to engage with content that helps them become more effective, share information, connect with other industry peers, and much more. Webcasts, recordings from past ATD conference sessions and short, practical, how-to videos from peer practitioners and ATD subject matter experts on a variety of topic areas. Assessments, templates, maps and checklists that guide you through how to perform a variety of tasks.
Learning Language Through Play There are tremendous opportunities for language development through different types of play. Through play with toys and everyday objects, children discover that they can make things happen. Children can also be exposed to new vocabulary and situations through play. Facilitating language development through play - Household play. When you provide your child with a wide range of household objects as well as toys to explore, they learn about shapes, sounds, colors, and textures. - Physical play. Physical play and rough-and-tumble games give your child experiences with movement and space. This helps him develop an understanding of the meaning of action words (throw, kick, run, jump) and prepositions (up, down, on, in, under). - Pretend play. Real experiences and everyday routines are very important for the development of children’s imaginary play, vocabulary, and language. Words are symbols. Children have to be able to think symbolically before they can make sense of language. Pretending to give a doll, teddy, or person a drink from a cup is one of the first steps of symbolic play. - Social play. Learning to play together is an essential part of early communication. Children learn language and social skills from each other and spark imaginative ideas in play. - Solo play. It is also important for children to have time to play on their own and to “talk to themselves.” This gives them a chance to experiment with sounds and language. Younger children may babble to themselves and enjoy listening to the sounds that they make. This type of sound play is not intended for communication, but helps children work out sound patterns in their brain. Are you concerned about the development of your child’s language and play skills? Contact us to make an appointment with one of our speech-language pathologists.
Check out tefl tesol about TESOL Jobs United States Grand Prairie and apply today to be certified to teach English abroad. You could also be interested in: This is how our TEFL graduates feel they have gained from their course, and how they plan to put into action what they learned: In this unit the different types of future tenses are explained such as future simple, future continuous, future perfect, future perfect continuous, \"going to\" future tense, and two present tense forms that can indicate future meaning and actions without a time frame. The future tense can be particularly challenging for English as a second language learners because in some languages, the future tense isn't even used. For example, in Japanese there is no future tense, so it may be hard for students to grasp these concepts. It is important that students understand the structures and ways one can use these tenses in order to clearly express what they want to say. Understanding typical errors will also help students grasp these concepts because they will be able to recognize what is a flawed sentence and what is correct.
The poem “Paradise Lost” is built around the premise of God, his creations, and man’s disobedience. It takes a look at the way God’s creations were disobedient and how it came back to create a trail of events that are now etched into history. This is the premise of the poem, and it branches out from there using principal characters such as Satan. This analysis will dive deeper into why the poem was penned, its main intentions, and how it was able to relay these convictions through the written word. In general, most readers will take a look at the development of disobedience as seen with Adam and Eve. This is normal and is a big part of the poem, but there is more to the context in place. This is where it is time to start looking at the causes of these realities and why they came to be. For example, everything is structured based on hierarchy. This includes heaven, hell, God’s place, and the rest of his creations. Everything is in place for a reason, and if something disturbs this order, it tends to lead to a lost paradise. For those who do obey God, they are respecting the hierarchal setup that’s in place. This is why Satan’s disobedience is seen as the most significant turning point in biblical history. This was the first creation that let God down and continued to do so forever. There were no external pressures or anything of that sort in his way. Everything was done at his own volition. With Adam and Eve, the disobedience is present, but it is viewed differently. For example, it is seen as one that is great because it highlights the hierarchy and where humans stand. Those who do obey God can see his mercy in a way that otherwise would go amiss. This is why the disobedience becomes a slight positive and one that can be leaned on during the poem. It shows a way back for those who are human. It is a way to learn about God and his place in the hierarchy from a perspective that would not have been possible in other circumstances. This is seen throughout the poem and is a big part of why it’s penned. Mixed in are themes such as light and dark or contemplation to illustrate how the human mind works in the hierarchy.
Bituminous coal is an organic sedimentary rock formed by diagenetic and sub metamorphic compression of peat bog material. It is also called as black coal. It is often referred to as soft coal. However, this designation is a layman’s term and has little to do with the hardness of the rock. Bituminous coal is by far the largest group and is characterized as having lower fixed carbon (C) and higher volatile matter than anthracite coals. It is the type of coal which is most widely used in the world today. Bituminous coal is the second highest quality of coal (below anthracite) and the most abundant type. Usually, bituminous coal comes from fairly old coal deposits (around 300 million years old).The energy density of this coal is relatively high, therefore, releases a significant amount of energy when burned. Bituminous coal is defined as a medium?rank coal with either a gross calorific value (CV) on a moist, ash?free basis of not less than 24 mega joules per kilogram (MJ/kg) and with a Vitrinite mean Random Reflectance less than 2.0 %, or with a gross CV on a moist, ash?free basis of less than 24 MJ/kg provided that the Vitrinite mean random reflectance is equal to, or greater than 0.6 %. Bituminous coals are agglomerating and have a higher volatile matter (VM) and lower C content than anthracite coal. This coal is originated by coalification of plant matter deposited in sequences dominated by clastic sediments under diagenetic conditions (thermal and pressure mode) of a given coal basin. Coalification proceeded under geologic time scale. In various coal basins (coal seams) coal matter differs in regard of different primary composition of plant matter and sedimentary environment. Composition of coal (e.g. elemental composition, VM etc.) and mean reflectance of vitrinite reflect final stage of coal metamorphism of a given sedimentary basin. Bituminous coal has a rank higher than that of the lignite coal and sub-bituminous coal, but a rank lower than that of the anthracite coal. The key distinguishing characteristics of bituminous coal are its relative VM and sulphur (S) content as well as its slagging and agglomerating characteristics. Bituminous coal is been named so because of the presence of a tar-like and gluey type substance which is known as bitumen or asphalt. Bituminous coals are composed of three major Maceral groups, which, in the common terminology are known as vitrinite, liptinite (formerly called exinite), and inertinite (Fig 1). Maceral are any of the numerous microscopically recognizable, individual organic constituents of coal with characteristic physical and chemical properties. Macerals are analogous to minerals in inorganic rocks, but they lack a definite crystalline structure. Macerals are coalified plant remains preserved in coal and other rocks. Inertinite refers to components inert in carbonization. Inert does not imply that the materials undergo no chemical reaction, but only that they do not soften or swell on heating and contribute little to the VM. Liptinite is the finely-ground and macerated remains found in coal deposits. Liptinites were originally formed by spores, pollen, dinoflagellate cysts, leaf cuticles, and plant resins and waxes. Vitrinite is quantitatively the most important maceral, accounting for probably 60 % to 80 % of most worked coals, and it is the material primarily responsible for the characteristic coking behaviour of higher rank bituminous coals. Coals relatively rich in the other components are known, but, even in minor amount, they can make significant contributions to the properties of the whole coal. Fig 1 Three major Maceral groups in bituminous coal Types of bituminous coals Bituminous coal can be simply classified by applications into two categories namely (i) thermal coal used to provide heat energy in combustion, and (ii) metallurgical coal (also called coking coal) which is converted to coke, in a carbonization process, and used mainly in the ironmaking. Thermal coal is also sometimes called as non-coking coal, steam coal, or boiler coal. The greatest use of thermal coal is in the generation of electricity via the pulverized fuel method. It is used for steam raising purpose and includes all those bituminous coals which are not included under coking coal category. It is characterized by higher volatile matter than anthracite (more than 10 %) and lower C content (less than 90 % fixed C). Its gross CV is greater than 5700 kcal/kg on an ash?free but moist basis. Metallurgical coal is a bituminous coal that allows the production of a coke suitable to support a blast furnace charge. Its gross CV is greater than 5700 kcal/kg on an ash?free but moist basis. It presents unique plastic properties during carbonization which in turn produces a porous solid, high in C referred to as coke. Metallurgical coals, when heated at a moderate rate in the absence of air, undergo complex and continuous changes in chemical composition and physical character. During carbonization, most bituminous coals, except those bordering on the lignite coals and semi-anthracite coals, show evidence of softening, coalescence, swelling, fluidity, and finally hardening of the coal substance. There are marked distinctions in the degree to which each of these plastic characteristics is shown by different metallurgical coal. The quality of the metallurgical coal is determined in terms of chemical elements, ash content, moisture, caking properties, and strength. The most important chemical elements of the metallurgical coal consist of S, phosphorus (P), and alkalis (Na, K). Parameters used to evaluate caking properties can be classified in three major characteristics namely (i) parameters describing quantity and quality of liquid matter during the process of coking, including maximum plastic layer thickness, maximum fluidity, and maximum dilatation, (ii) parameters focusing on coke profiles and geometry, such as FSI (free swelling index), Grey-King index, Crucible swelling index number (CSN), and (iii) parameters regarding the coal caking ability to combine inertinite matter. Metallurgical coals are usually classified as high, medium, and low volatile based on their dry, mineral matter free VM. High volatile coals have VM typically between 31 % and 38 %, medium volatile coals have VM between 22% and 31 %, and low volatile coals have VM between 17 % and 22 %. There is usually a strong inverse relation between vitrinite reflectance and dry ash free VM content. Other terms used to describe metallurgical coals are hard coking and semi-soft coking coals. Coking coal, by definition, must be hard and the term hard coking coal is a general term used to describe coking coals with superior coking properties relative to the semi-soft coking coals. Coking properties are usually rank dependent and the term semi-soft is normally applied to lower rank high VM coals. There is also a third variety of the bituminous coal based on its application. It is the coal being used in coal forges which is sometimes known also as smithing coal. This coal is a type of high-quality bituminous coal ideally suited for use in a coal forge. It is as free from ash, sulphur, and other impurities as possible. Such coals are supposed to contain S not more than 1 %, ash not more than 7 %, C not less than 70 %, and moisture not more than 12 %. Bituminous coal is also classified based on its VM content. Based on this classification bituminous coal is of three types namely (i) low volatile, (ii) medium volatile, and (iii) high volatile. The high volatile bituminous coal is further classified into A, B, and C levels, with a descending CV (ranging from 24 MJ/kg 33 MJ/kg) on a moisture mineral matter free basis. The medium volatile and the low volatile bituminous coals are classified on the basis of the percentage of fixed C present on a dry, ash-free basis (ranging from 69 % to 78 % for medium volatile and from 78 % to 86 % for low volatile bituminous coal). Medium volatile and low volatile bituminous coals typically have CVs near 35 MJ/kg on a dry, ash-free basis. Properties of bituminous coals Bituminous coal is a dense, sedimentary rock which is usually black in colour, but can sometimes be a dark brown. It appears shiny and smooth, but generally it is banded, or layered. It has slagging and agglomerating characteristics. Microscopically, bituminous coal has three main groups of macerals (individual organic constituents of coal).The glassy material in most bituminous coal is vitrinite, composed of macerals derived primarily from woody plant tissue. Bituminous coal usually has closely-spaced fractures. Cleats also form in 2 different sets, both at right angles to each other. The important properties of the bituminous coals are vitrinite reflectance, moisture content, VM content, plasticity and ash content. Generally, the highest value bituminous coals have a specific grade of plasticity, volatility and low ash content, especially with low P, S, and carbonate. Plasticity is vital for coking as it represents its ability to gradually form specific plasticity phases during the process of coking and it is measured by coal dilatation tests. Low P content is vital for these coals, as P is a highly damaging element in the production of steel. Bituminous coal contains moisture upto approximately 17 %. VM in the bituminous coal can range from 15 % to 45 %. Oxygen (O2) content of the coal varies in the range of 3 % to 12 %. Nitrogen (N2) content of the coal varies in the range of 0.5 % to 2 %. Its fixed C content ranges upto approximately 85 %, with ash content varying widely from deposit to deposit. Chlorine (Cl) content is around 340 ppm and S content varies from 0.4 % to 5 % and in some deposits it is even higher. For metallurgical application coal is to have very low S. VM content of the bituminous coal is critical both for its use in ironmaking and power generation, as this determines the burn rate of the coal. Coals with high VM content, while easy to ignite often are not as preferred as compared to the coals with moderately VM content since coal with low VM content may be difficult to ignite although it contains more energy per unit volume. The user of the coal is to balance the VM content of the coal to optimize the ease of ignition, burn rate, and energy output of the coa Metallurgical coal is best if it has a very narrow range of VM content and plasticity. This is measured by the free swelling index test. VM content and swelling index are used for selecting coals used for the blending of coals used for coking. Bituminous coals have true relative density which refers to the coal mass per unit volume, excluding the pores in the coal in the range of 1.25 g/cc to 1.5 g/cc (grams per cubic centimeters). The scratch hardness (Mohs hardness) is the relative hardness determined by scratching the coal surface with 10 types of standard mineral. The scratch hardness of bituminous coal is usually between 2 and 2.5. CV of the bituminous coal is normally in the range of 5700 kcal/kg to 7900 kcal/kg. Bituminous coal contains the mineral pyrite, which serves as a host for impurities such as arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg). Burning the coal releases trace mineral impurities into the air as pollution. During combustion, around 95 % of bituminous coal’s S content gets oxidized and released as gaseous sulphur oxides (SOx). Burning bituminous coal during its combustion causes pollution which carries with it potential health risks. Hazardous emissions from bituminous coal combustion include particulate matter (PM), SOx, nitrogen oxides (NOx), trace metals such as Hg, As, and lead (Pb), vapour-phase hydrocarbons such as methane, alkanes, alkenes and benzenes, and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzo-furans, commonly known as dioxins and furans. When burned, bituminous coal also releases hazardous gasses such as hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Bituminous coal produces excessive amounts of smoke and soot if it is burned improperly and this contributes to high particulate matter. Its high S content contributes to acid rain through the release of SOx. Burning bituminous coal also releases carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Hence it is essential to have pollution control devices in the plants which are based on the combustion of the bituminous coal. Uses of bituminous coals Bituminous coal is the most common type coal used in the world for a variety of purposes. Owing to its relatively high heat value, low moisture content and its availability in abundance, bituminous coal has a wide number of commercial uses among all the types of coals. The various uses of bituminous coal include the following. - Used to produce steam in coal fired power plant. - Used in coal fired plants. - For its carbonization into coke for use in the blast furnace, cupola, and foundries. - Used for pulverized coal injections in blast furnace and in iron making processes which are based on non-coking coal. - Bituminous coal is made free from ash, S, and other impurities, and is used in coal forges, where metals are being worked for their shaping. - Used in steam locomotives for running of trains. - Used as domestic fuel
Guest post by researcher Adam Duerr Linked paper: Topographic drivers of flight altitude over large spatial and temporal scales by A.E. Duerr, T.A. Miller, L. Dunn, D.A. Bell, P.H. Bloom, R.N. Fisher, J.A. Tracey, and T.E. Katzner, The Auk: Ornithological Advances. Like many people, I am fascinated by bird flight. Unlike most people, I get to study flight of Golden Eagles for a living. These large birds move through the landscape primarily by soaring—a style of flying where they hold their wings outward and rarely flap, saving them considerable energy. Instead of flapping, they rely on rising air currents to gain altitude. Two types of rising air currents provide most lift for soaring eagles. The first, thermal updrafts, form when energy from the sun heats air at the Earth’s surface and causes it to rise. Eagles circle within these columns of rising air to gain great altitude and then glide out of the thermals to move across the landscape. The second, orographic updrafts, form when winds are deflected upward by structures such as ridges or hills. Eagles can then soar at relatively low altitude above and along these structures. Although updraft formation depends on the interaction of weather and topography, our goal for this study was to determine if topography alone can explain how high eagles soar. To do this, we used telemetry systems that we placed on the backs of 91 Golden Eagles in California, which recorded the eagles’ locations every 15 minutes. For each of the almost 180,000 locations we recorded of eagles in flight, we compared the eagle’s altitude with the characteristics of the topography below. We found a strong relationship between topography and flight altitude for the Golden Eagles in our study. In places where the topography made the formation of orographic updrafts likely, eagles were more likely to fly at lower altitudes, while in places where the topography made the formation of thermal updrafts likely, eagles were more likely to fly at higher altitudes. We also found that the effects of some topographic features depended on their region within California, which may be due to regional differences in weather patterns, land cover, or a variety of other factors that we did not include in our analysis. Our topography-based model of flight altitude is much simpler than other models of avian flight altitude, thanks to the fact that it lets us ignore weather conditions, which are constantly changing. Instead, we can simply estimate how high a Golden Eagle is likely to be flying as it crosses over any point of interest in California. Wildlife managers can use this type of information to predict where eagles may collide with wind turbines and power lines; therefore, making these predictions in an accurate and straightforward way is critical for Golden Eagle conservation.
Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a chronic condition that develops when your eyes do not produce and maintain enough tears to keep the eye’s surface lubricated resulting in multiple symptoms that range from person to person. This can be due to a reduction in tear production or increased tear evaporation from a lack of lipid in the tears that stem from oil glands in the eyelids. The effects can range from minor dryness and discomfort to pain, blurred vision and frequent infections. Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease Symptoms of dry eye syndrome can vary depending on the severity of the condition but can include: - Dry, itchy eyes - Burning or stinging - Watery eyes - Blurred vision - Foreign body sensation The main function of tears is to maintain the health of the cornea of your eye by washing away foreign matter and ensuring that the surface of your eye remains moist, smooth and clear. Tears also rinse away dust particles from your eyes and contain enzymes that protect your eyes from bacteria that can cause infections. Dry eyes is a condition that develops when the amount of tears produced is not sufficient to maintain the moisture balance in your eye. This can result in that scratchy sensation, a continuous feeling of dryness, stinging and a sensation of a foreign body in your eye. Ironically in an effort to fight off the condition, dry eyes can cause you to produce excessive tears, which is why some people experience watery eyes. Causes of Dry Eye Disease Dry eyes can occur naturally as a result of aging or hormonal changes, typically in women who are pregnant, taking oral contraceptives or going through menopause. In fact, women over 50 have a 50% greater risk of dry eye disease than men do of the same age. It can also result from taking certain medications that reduce tear production such as antihistamines, blood pressure medications and antidepressants. Environmental factors can also play a role in drying out the eyes and DED is common in areas where the climate is dry, dusty and windy. Home air conditioners or heating systems and excessive time spent staring at a computer or television screen can also dry out eyes and exacerbate symptoms due to the lack of blinking while staring at our screens. Individuals that suffer from certain medical conditions such as diabetes, blepharitis, lupus, arthritis and thyroid problems are more vulnerable to developing DED. Other causes can be due to eye surgery including LASIK, certain conditions in which the eyelids don’t close properly or extended contact lens use. Diagnosis of Dry Eye Disease Typically, dry eye disease can be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam and a description of your symptoms. On some occasions the eye doctor might decide to do a test that measures how quickly your tears evaporate from the surface of your eye. By instilling a simple dye called fluorescein (much like food coloring) the doctor is able to watch and count how long it takes the tears to start to break up after they’ve asked you to hold your eyes open after a blink. This is called TBUT or a Tear Break Up Time test. A low TBUT generally indicates a lipid (aka oil) deficiency in the tears resulting from oil glands in the eyelids not functioning properly. In another type of test, called a Schirmer test, a strip of filter paper is placed under the lid of the eye and you will be asked to close your eye for five minutes. Following the test the amount of moisture on the strip will be measured. Schirmer tests are performed less frequently than a TBUT test. Treatment for Dry Eyes There are many treatment options for dry eyes which are highly dependant upon the cause and severity of the condition. Many mild forms of DED can be alleviated using artificial tears or lubricant eye drops to make up for the lack of natural tears usually produced by your eyes. If over-the-counter drops don’t alleviate your symptoms, your doctor might prescribe prescription drops that actually stimulate tear production or steroids for short-term relief. More severe cases of dry eyes might be treated with a punctal insert which is a tiny insert containing a slow-release lubricating substance that is placed inside the lower eyelid. Since DED is often related to eyelid inflammation known as blepharitis your doctor may prescribe a heated hot compress mask, specialty eyelid scrubs and sometimes an antibiotic ointment. Finally, punctal plugs might be recommended for severe cases which would be inserted into the tear ducts to reduce the tear drainage in your eyes to keep them from drying out. In cases where discontinuation or switching to different medications is possible this can eradicate symptoms. Your doctor may also recommend that you limit or refrain from contact lens use for a certain amount of time or switch to a different brand or type of contact lens which will reduce dehydration. Preventing Dry Eyes If the cause of your dry eyes is something external or environmental, eliminating that cause may solve the problem and resolve the symptoms. Avoid dry environments, hair dryers, heaters and fans, (particularly directed toward the eyes) and smoky environments and wear eye protection such as wrap around glasses or goggles when in dusty or windy areas. Use a humidifier to add moisture to dry indoor air. If working on computer or watching television, make sure to blink purposefully as our natural tendency is to reduce our blink rate when staring at a screen. Also avoid rubbing your eyes as this can further irritate them. Staying hydrated by drinking at least 8 to 10 glasses of water per day can also help. Dry eye disease won’t have a permanent effect on your vision, but there is no reason to endure dry, itchy and uncomfortable eyes, especially since there are so many treatment options to increase moisture and comfort. It’s also important to realize that this is a chronic disease that needs consistent treatment. Your doctor will work with you to create a long term strategy to keep your eyes as comfortable as possible.
Have you ever heard of hexactinellid sponges? I hadn’t either until I attended a BC Ferries 30 minute lecture about the creatures of our coastal waters. Hexactinellid sponges are one of the West Coast’s most astonishing hidden gems. And I mean hidden because they live deep within our coastal waters, out of sight from us land animals, and that is possibly why many don’t know about them. Hexactinellid sponges, also referred to as glass sponges, have existed for millions of years, beyond the Jurassic period. What makes them unique today, is the BC coast is the only place in the world where they have formed reefs. These reef colonies span hundreds of square kilometers along the ocean floor, and they have been growing there for over 8,000 years. They were discovered during the late 1980s in the Queen Charlotte Basin, and more recently in 2005, in the Fraser Basin, close to the mouth of the river. They are called glass sponges because of their fragility. Mostly white and yellow, they grow in a funnel or tubular shape. Each siliceous skeleton is inhabited by a sponge larvae that will grow, reach adulthood, and die, then new sponge larvae will inhabit the skeletons of past generations. The reefs they form are extremely important for providing habitat to hundreds of marine animals and sea life – crab, shrimp, prawn, sea urchins, rock fish, among others – it is important they remain intact. Due to the delicate make up of their external structures however, the sponges are extremely susceptible to damage. Unfortunately, as the reefs have only been voluntarily protected in the past, lots of destruction has taken place due to fishing, especially by bottom trawling and dredging. Damage to the reefs could take up to 200 years to recover. While voluntary preventative measures have taken place in the past and a trawling ban was issued in northern reef colonies in 2006, the Queen Charlotte Basin and Fraser Basin Reefs are currently designated areas of interest as a Marine Protected Area.
Terraforming is a theory about the hypothetical possibility of changing the climatic conditions on space bodies: moons, asteroids and stars. But first of all, of course, we are talking about planets. It is assumed that it is possible to make the climate, atmosphere and environmental conditions suitable for the comfortable life of humans, land animals and plants. Thus, terraforming will allow Earthlings to actively populate space. Where the Idea Comes From The idea of terraforming, like many innovative ideas, came from the world of science fiction. In 1942, American science fiction author Jack Williamson published the science fiction novel Collision Orbit. The protagonist of the book, a young engineer, terraforms an asteroid and makes it habitable. He cut a shaft to the center of the space object and set up a paragravitation system, was able to produce oxygen and water from mineral oxides, and built an apparatus that amplified the faint heat of the distant sun. Jack Williamson was the first to formulate the concept of terraforming and gave the term its name. How Terraforming Might Work Considering the existing inventions and the technologies under development, it is assumed that terraforming will be done with equipment to be brought from Earth. The ideal and so far unattainable goal is to find materials for terraforming on the planets themselves. Or to bring microbes to the planet that can build a self-renewing ecosystem. What kind of microbes these will be is also unknown. Although the idea of terraforming is still only hypothetical, political scientists are already getting involved in the debate. In particular, they are raising the question of governance: - who will govern the new planets? - Will they be part of Earth’s countries - will they have their own power and rulers? - How will territories be divided and what forms of government will there be? - is it worth investing large sums from the national budget in space exploration when the current population of Earth is unlikely to benefit from such investments? Which Planets are Suitable for Terraforming In Jack Williamson’s story, the main character was exploring an asteroid. In reality, however, this is virtually impossible. Scientists agree that a planet must initially have properties similar to those of Earth. For example, it is impossible to terraform Jupiter. In addition, the planet has a high level of radiation, incompatible with human life. Ideally, the planet should be inhabited to begin with. Not the green men from the movies, but living bacteria. It would be easy to terraform a planet that differs from Earth mainly in temperature regime. The planet could be cooled by atomizing small particles like a “nuclear winter”. Or, conversely, it could be warmed by the release of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Technological Requirements for Terraforming a Planet: - The presence of water. In liquid or solidified form; - Absence of radiation. As a prerequisite for life; - The presence of gravity. The planet must be able to hold an atmosphere with gas composition and moisture; - A magnetic field. So that the hydrogen does not leave the planet; - The presence of stellar heat and light. Some minimum is necessary to heat the atmosphere and the surface of the planet; - Surface. Impossible to build a gas planet; - Lack of asteroids. Frequent collisions with asteroids can destroy life on the planet. Right now, Mars is a prime candidate for terraforming. The planet’s initial conditions fit most criteria, and scientists are already beginning to think about what life might look like on it. Living organisms have not yet been found on Mars, but from information obtained by studying the surface, it is clear that the planet is favorable for the formation and maintenance of life. There are huge temperature differences on the planet, from extremely cold to extremely hot, but theoretically with the development of technology it is possible to influence them and create a comfortable weather. Elon Musk proposes to use a thermonuclear strike to create two “tiny suns” that would heat carbon dioxide and provide comfortable warmth on Mars due to the greenhouse effect. The main problem with terraforming Mars is that the planet lacks a magnetic field. According to a scientific article in Science Advances, for the first 700 years of its existence, the red planet had a strong magnetic field and was probably very similar to Earth. But about 3.6 billion years ago, the planet turned into a lifeless desert. Whether this can be changed is still unknown. Scientists propose to wait for the first manned missions to Mars and to start debating exploration only after careful study. Can Venus be Inhabited Venus appears to be another planet attractive for terraforming. Its surface is only 5% smaller than Earth’s. It is the closest planet to us: it takes about four months to reach it. By comparison, a flight to Mars would take about twice as long. And, very importantly, Venus is close to the Sun and does not lack heat and light. Its average temperature is 467°C and can theoretically be lowered to a comfortable temperature. Scientists propose to put special solar reflectors around the planet like walls. They will help to cool the surface and at the same time lower the pressure. Despite all the planet’s attractiveness, there are a number of problems that are unlikely to be fixed. There is virtually no water on Venus. The water has to be brought in artificially, making settlement very difficult. Hurricanes rage on the planet, volcanoes erupt frequently, and there are acid rains. In addition, Venus, like Mars, has no magnetic field. If you invest in the conquest of the planet a large amount of resources, time and manpower, then theoretically its terraforming is possible. But the process will require much more effort than the development of Mars and is not considered so promising.
Students will create a variety of angles using the Geoboard APP. The teacher will use Screen Capture to display the angles created by the students and will lead a discussion on whether the angles are acute, right, or obtuse. Before the Activity Students will log in to NavNet and exit the APP. During the Activity Students will select the GEOBOARD APP. Tell them to choose a square, 6x6 board. Each student will create an angle. Use Screen Capture to collect and display the angles. Ask the students to help you sort the angles into categories of less than 90 degrees, 90 degrees (if appropriate), and more than 90 degrees. Prompt students to create examples of all three types of triangles and discuss their work. After the Activity Review student results: As a class, discuss questions that appeared to be more challenging Re-teach concepts as necessary
Freshwater ecosystems are essential for human survival, providing the majority of people's drinking water. The ecosystems are home to more than 40 percent of the world's fish species. Despite their value and importance, many lakes, rivers, and wetlands around the world are being severely damaged by human activities and are declining at a much faster rate than terrestrial ecosystems. More than 20 percent of the 10,000 known freshwater fish species have become extinct or imperiled in recent decades. Watersheds, which catch precipitation and channel it to streams and lakes, are highly vulnerable to pollution. Programs to protect freshwater habitats include planning, stewardship, education, and regulation. - The creation of dams and water-diversion systems blocks migration routes for fish and disrupts habitats. - Water withdrawal for human use shrinks and degrades habitats. - Runoff from agricultural and urban areas hurts water quality. - Draining of wetlands for development depletes habitats. - Overexploitation and pollution threaten groundwater supplies. - Invasion of exotic species can harm native animals and plants. - Global warming may lead to devastating floods and droughts. - Restrict the construction of dams. - Provide incentives for farming business to reduce the use of pesticides. - Establish protected wetlands areas. - Regulate water withdrawal for human use.
Manchester scientists produce new antibiotics by gene editing Scientists have discovered a new route to produce complex antibiotics exploiting gene editing to re-programme pathways to future medicines urgently required to combat antimicrobial resistance, treat neglected diseases and tackle future pandemics. Researchers from The University of Manchester have discovered a new way of manipulating key assembly line enzymes in bacteria which could pave the way for a new generation of antibiotic treatments. New research published today in Nature Communications, describes how CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing can be used to create new nonribosomal peptide synthetase (NRPS) enzymes that deliver clinically important antibiotics. NRPS enzymes are prolific producers of natural antibiotics such as penicillin. However, up until now, manipulating these complex enzymes to produce new and more effective antibiotics has been a major challenge. The UK government suggest antimicrobial resistance (AMR) infections are estimated to cause 700,000 deaths each year globally and are predicted to rise to 10 million, costing the global economy $100 trillion, by 2050. AMR also threatens many of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with an extra 28 million people that could be forced into extreme poverty by 2050 unless AMR is contained. The Manchester team says the gene editing process could be used to produce improved antibiotics and possibly lead to the development of new treatments helping in the fight against drug-resistant pathogens and illnesses in the future. Jason Micklefield, Professor of Chemical Biology at the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB), UK, explains: “The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is one of the biggest threats we face today.” “The gene editing approach we developed is a very efficient and rapid way to engineer complex assembly line enzymes that can produce new antibiotic structures with potentially improved properties.” The emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens is one of the biggest threats we face today. The gene editing approach we developed is a very efficient and rapid way to engineer complex assembly line enzymes that can produce new antibiotic structures with potentially improved properties. Microorganisms in our environment, such as soil dwelling bacteria, have evolved nonribosomal peptide synthetase enzymes (NRPS) that assemble building blocks called amino acids into peptide products which often have very potent antibiotic activity. Many of the most therapeutically important antibiotics, used in the clinic today, are derived from these NRPS enzymes (e.g. penicillin, vancomycin and daptomycin). Unfortunately, deadly pathogens are emerging which are resistant to all of these existing antibiotic drugs. One solution could be to create new antibiotics with improved properties that can evade the resistance mechanisms of the pathogens. However, the nonribosomal peptide antibiotics are very complex structures which are difficult and expensive to produce by normal chemical methods. To address this, the Manchester team use gene editing to engineer the NRPS enzymes, swapping domains that recognise different amino acid building blocks, leading to new assembly lines that can deliver new peptide products. Micklefield added: “We are now able to use gene editing to introduce targeted changes to complex NRPS enzymes, enabling alternative amino acids precursors to be incorporated into the peptide structures. We are optimistic that our new approach could lead to new ways of making improved antibiotics which are urgently needed to combat emerging drug-resistant pathogens.” The research paper is published in Nature Communications: Gene editing enables rapid engineering of complex antibiotic assembly lines by; W. L. Thong, Y. Zhang, Y. Zhuo, K. J. Robins, J. K. Fyans, A. J. Herbert, B. J. C. Law & J. Micklefield* Nature Commun. 2021.
Students learn facts about the global threat of malaria and methods for fighting its spread. Students learn one way they can take action against malaria through fundraising to purchase insecticide-treated bed nets. Filter by subjects: Filter by audience: Filter by unit » issue area: find a lesson Students will discover senior citizens in history who were heroes. They will then see how senior citizens can be considered everyday heroes in the community and will determine what kinds of everyday heroes make a difference in the lives of seniors. Students will learn that they, too, can be... Unit: TeachOne for Earth Day Students get outside and play in nature and recognize the beauty of diverse living things in their environment. Their service project is to take action to protect nature and share nature with someone else. Unit: Welcome to Middle School The purpose of this lesson is for the students to produce a video presentation. The video demonstrates the characteristics of the middle school with the purpose of informing students of what to expect when they come to middle school. It will be presented to the fifth graders who are moving to... Unit: Philanthropy and You Unit: Community Impact Unit: Herstory in History This lesson will emphasize that, from the beginning, women have made significant contributions to American history and philanthropy by taking a stand to support their beliefs. One of these women who showed courage to contribute to the common good was Pocahontas. Raise the learners' awareness of responsible energy usage in their school. Learners propose ways to promote environmental stewardship of renewable and non-renewable energy sources.
Sea turtles are some of our favorite animals with shells! Anyone else look forward to seeing the news of the sea turtles hatching from their eggs and making their way down the beach and to the ocean every year? It's always such a thrilling time! While this isn't anywhere near the number of steps those tiny turtles take, only five steps and you have a super fun activity just right for your little sea turtle enthusiasts. Step 1: Cut cardboard into numerous, similar in size shapes. Step 2: Paint shapes and allow to dry. (We used different shades of green.) Step 3: While waiting for the shapes to dry, cut a head and flippers from cardboard. Set aside. Step 4: Glue painted shapes, stacking parts on top of each other, together into the shape of a turtle shell. Allow to dry. Trim edges if you wish to make it a bit more round. Step 5: Glue head and flippers to turtle shell. Just five easy steps and recycled cardboard and you've got a sea turtle! Add in some math practice for the preschool crowd and ask about the different shapes used to make the shell - a craft and a math lesson - maybe add in a book about sea turtles and it's a unit study lesson!
ix, 250 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. First edition. The account of the Japanese advance in New Guinea and its interdiction by the Australians at Milne Bay, with recollections from those on who fought on both sides. The Battle of Milne Bay (25 August – 7 September 1942), also known as Operation RE by the Japanese, was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II. Japanese naval troops, known as Kaigun Rikusentai (Special Naval Landing Forces), attacked the Allied airfields at Milne Bay that had been established on the eastern tip of New Guinea. Due to poor intelligence work, the Japanese miscalculated the size of the predominantly Australian garrison and, believing that the airfields were only defended by two or three companies, initially landed a force roughly equivalent in size to onebattalion on 25 August 1942. The Allies, forewarned by intelligence from Ultra, had heavily reinforced the garrison. Despite suffering a significant setback at the outset, when part of the invasion force had its landing craft destroyed by Allied aircraft as they attempted to land on the coast behind the Australian defenders, the Japanese quickly pushed inland and began their advance towards the airfields. Heavy fighting followed as they encountered the Australian Militiatroops that formed the first line of defence. These troops were steadily pushed back, but the Australians brought forward veteran Second Australian Imperial Force units that the Japanese had not expected. Allied air superiority helped tip the balance, providing close support to troops in combat and targeting Japanese logistics. Finding themselves outnumbered, lacking supplies and suffering heavy casualties, the Japanese withdrew their forces, with fighting coming to an end on 7 September 1942. The battle is considered to be the first in the Pacific campaign in which Allied troops decisively defeated Japanese land forces. Although Japanese land forces had experienced local setbacks elsewhere in the Pacific earlier in the war, unlike at Milne Bay, these actions had not forced them to withdraw completely and abandon their strategic objective. As a result of the battle, Allied morale was boosted and Milne Bay was developed into a major Allied base, which was used to mount subsequent operations in the region.
Are cell fragments that function in blood clottingCell fragments called platelets are essential to promote blood clotting. What is platelets and its function? Platelets, also known as thrombocytes, are blood cells responsible for blood clotting. If a blood vessel wall becomes damaged, platelets will rush to the site of injury and form a plug or clot to stop the bleeding. What Are The Steps Of Blood Clotting Process? bleeding occurs through a complex process called hemo-stasis, which will be explained in four basic steps. "e basic steps of the blood clotting process are vasoconstriction, platelet activation, thrombus formation, and dissolution of the clot. Basic laboratory tests used to identify blood clotting problems will also be presented.
On this date in 1839 in Humen in southern China, Lin Zexu (林则徐) destroyed 1.2 million kg of opium confiscated from British merchants, providing Britain with a casus belli to open hostilities, resulting in the First Opium War. Lin was born in Houguan (侯官; modern Fuzhou, Fujian). The second son of the family, his father was Bin Re, a Chinese official active in the Qing dynasty. As a child, he was already “unusually brilliant”. In 1811, he received a jinshi degree in the imperial examination, and in the same year, he was appointed to the Hanlin Academy. He rose rapidly through various grades of provincial service. He was opposed to the opening of China but felt the need of a better knowledge of foreigners, which drove him to collect a great deal of material about the geography and cultures of the world. He later gave this material to Wei Yuan, who published the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms in 1843. He became Governor-General of Hunan and Hubei in 1837, where he launched a suppression campaign against the trading of opium. An ever-growing demand for tea and low demand for British products, combined with China’s acceptance of only silver (and not gold) in payment, resulted in large continuous trade deficits. Attempts by the British (Macartney in 1793), the Dutch (Van Braam in 1794), Russia (Golovkin in 1805) and the British yet again (Amherst in 1816) to negotiate access to the China market were resounding failures. After 1817, the British began counter-trading in Indian opium, as a way to both reduce the trade deficit and finally gain profit from the formerly money-losing Indian colony. Opium was most commonly used as a treatment for cholera. The Qing government originally tolerated the importation of opium because it imposed an indirect tax on Chinese subjects, while allowing the British to double tea exports from China to England, which profited the monopoly on tea exports of the Qing imperial treasury and its agents. However, by 1820, accelerated opium consumption reversed the flow of silver, just when the Qing imperial treasury needed to finance the suppression of rebellions within China. The Viceroy of Guangdong began efforts to constrain the trade, but due to large increases in the supply of opium, the long coast line of South China, and corruption (the Qing coastal navy was one of the largest smugglers of opium), these efforts failed. Meanwhile, memorials (official letters) received from officials such as Huang Juezi urged the Daoguang Emperor to take measures that would eliminate the opium trade. A formidable bureaucrat known for his adherence to Confucian values, Lin was sent to Guangdong (Canton) as imperial commissioner by the emperor in late 1838 to halt the illegal importation of opium by the British. He arrived in March 1839 and made a huge impact on the opium trade within a matter of months. He arrested more than 1,700 Chinese opium dealers and confiscated over 70,000 opium pipes. He initially attempted to get foreign companies to forfeit their opium stores in exchange for tea, but this ultimately failed and Lin resorted to using force in the merchants’ enclave despite previous agreements and understandings. It took Lin a month and a half before the merchants gave up nearly 1.2 million kilograms (2.6 million pounds) of opium. Beginning 3 June 1839, 500 workers labored for 23 days in order to destroy all of it, mixing the opium with lime and salt and throwing it into the sea outside of Humen Town. In 1839, Lin also wrote an extraordinary memorial to Queen Victoria in the form of an open letter published in Canton, urging her to end the opium trade. (full text The letter is filled with Confucian concepts of morality and spirituality. His primary line of argument is that China is providing Britain with valuable commodities such as tea, porcelain, spices and silk, while Britain sends only “poison” in return. Lin appears to have been unaware that opium was not banned in the Middle East, Europe and the Americas, and was commonly used for its medicinal rather than recreational effects. He accuses the “barbarians” (a reference to the private merchants) of coveting profit and lacking morality. His memorial expressed a desire that the Queen would act “in accordance with decent feeling” and support his efforts. He writes: We find that your country is sixty or seventy thousand li from China. Yet there are barbarian ships that strive to come here for trade for the purpose of making a great profit. The wealth of China is used to profit the barbarians. That is to say, the great profit made by barbarians is all taken from the rightful share of China. By what right do they then in return use the poisonous drug to injure the Chinese people? Even though the barbarians may not necessarily intend to do us harm, yet in coveting profit to an extreme, they have no regard for injuring others. Let us ask, where is your conscience? It’s probably just as well that the letter never arrived as I am sure Victoria would not have been amused. Neither Lin nor the emperor appreciated the depth or changed nature of the problem. They did not see the change in international trade structures, the commitment of the British government to protecting the interests of private traders (a commitment the Qing government would never have thought of), and the peril to the survival of the British traders posed when they surrendered their opium. Moreover, the British viewed the opening of China to free trade as a moral issue as well. Open hostilities between China and Britain started in 1839 in what later would be called “The First Opium War.” The immediate effect was that Lin banned all trade with Britain unless they signed a bond stopping all opium imports, and Elliot issued an order to British companies not to sign. Before this, Lin had pressured the Portuguese government of Macau, so the British found themselves without refuge, except for the bare and rocky harbors of Hong Kong. Soon, however, Qing imperial forces were faced with a British imperial force, which included the East India Company’s (EIC) steam warship Nemesis and improved weapons. In late October, the Thomas Coutts arrived in China and sailed to Canton Province. This ship was owned by Quakers, who refused to deal in opium. The ship’s captain, Warner, believed Elliot had exceeded his legal authority when he banned the signing of the no opium trade bond. The captain negotiated with the governor of Canton and hoped that all British ships could unload their goods at Chuenpee, an island near Humen. To prevent other British ships from following the Thomas Coutts, Elliot ordered a blockade of the Pearl River. Fighting began on 3 November 1839, when a second British ship, the Royal Saxon, attempted to sail to Canton. Then the British Royal Navy ships HMS Volage and HMS Hyacinth fired a warning shot at the Royal Saxon. The Qing navy’s official report claimed that the navy attempted to protect the British merchant vessel, also reporting a great victory for that day. In reality, they were out-classed by the Royal Naval vessels and many Chinese ships were sunk. Elliot reported that they were protecting their 29 ships in Chuenpee between the Qing batteries. Elliot knew that the Chinese would reject any contacts with the British and there would eventually be an attack with fire boats. Elliot ordered all ships to leave Chuenpee and head for Tung Lo Wan, 20 miles (30 km) from Macau, but the merchants preferred to harbor in Hong Kong. In 1840, Elliot asked the Portuguese governor in Macau to let British ships load and unload their goods there in exchange for paying rent and any duties. The governor refused for fear that the Qing Government would discontinue supplying food and other necessities to Macau. On 14 January 1840, the Qing Emperor asked all foreigners in China to halt material assistance to the British in China. In retaliation, the British Government and EIC decided that they would attack Canton. The military cost would be paid by the British Government. Some commentators claim that Lord Palmerston, the British Foreign Secretary, initiated the Opium War to maintain the principle of free trade. Britain certainly needed to uphold its reputation, its honor, and its commitment to global free trade. China was pressing Britain just when the British faced serious pressures in the Near East, on the Indian frontier, and in Latin America. In the end the government’s need to maintain its prestige abroad forced the decision to go to war. But there were critics at home. William Gladstone denounced the war as “unjust and iniquitous” and criticized Lord Palmerston’s willingness “to protect an infamous contraband traffic.” The public and press in the United States and Britain expressed outrage that Britain was supporting the opium trade. Lord Palmerston justified military action by saying that no one could “say that he honestly believed the motive of the Chinese Government to have been the promotion of moral habits” and that the war was being fought to stem China’s balance of payments deficit. John Quincy Adams commented that opium was “a mere incident to the dispute… the cause of the war is the kowtow—the arrogant and insupportable pretensions of China that she will hold commercial intercourse with the rest of mankind not upon terms of equal reciprocity, but upon the insulting and degrading forms of the relations between lord and vassal.” In June 1840, an expeditionary force of British Indian army troops aboard 15 barracks ships, four steam-powered gunboats and 25 smaller boats reached Canton from Singapore. The marines were headed by James Bremer. Bremer demanded the Qing Government compensate the British for losses suffered from interrupted trade. British military superiority drew heavily on newly applied technology. British warships wrought havoc on coastal towns; the steam ship Nemesis was able to move against the winds and tides and support a gun platform with very heavy guns and congreve rockets. In addition, the British troops were the first to be armed with modern rifles, which fired more rapidly and with greater accuracy than matchlock muskets and artillery wielded by Manchu Bannermen and Han Green Standard Army troops, though Chinese cannons had been in use since previous dynasties.Following the orders of Lord Palmerston, a British expedition blockaded the mouth of the Pearl River and moved north to take Zhoushan. Led by Commodore J.J. Gordon Bremer in the Wellesley, they captured the empty city after an exchange of gunfire with shore batteries that caused only minor casualties. The next year, 1841, the British captured the Bogue forts that guarded the mouth of the Pearl River—the waterway between Hong Kong and Canton. Meanwhile, at the far west in Tibet, the start of the Sino-Sikh war added another front to the strained Qing military. By January 1841, British forces commanded the high ground around Canton and defeated Bannermen at Ningbo and at the military post of Dinghai. In the same year the British made three unsuccessful attempts to capture the harbor of Keelung on the northeast coast of Taiwan. Once the British took Canton, they sailed up the Yangtze and captured the emperor’s tax barges, a devastating blow since it slashed the revenue of the imperial court in Beijing to just a fraction of what it had been. By the middle of 1842, the British had defeated the Chinese at the mouth of their other great riverine trade route, the Yangtze, and occupied Shanghai. The war finally ended in August 1842, with the signing of China’s first Unequal Treaty, the Treaty of Nanking. In the supplementary Treaty of the Bogue, the Qing empire also recognized Britain as an equal to China and gave British subjects extraterritorial privileges in treaty ports. In 1844, the United States and France concluded similar treaties with China, the Treaty of Wanghia and Treaty of Whampoa respectively. The war marked the start of what 20th century nationalists called the “Century of Humiliation”. The ease with which the British forces defeated the numerically superior Chinese armies damaged the Qing dynasty’s prestige. The Treaty of Nanking was a step to opening the lucrative Chinese market to global commerce and the opium trade. The interpretation of the war, which was long the standard in the People’s Republic of China, was summarized in 1976: The Opium War, “in which the Chinese people fought against British aggression, marked the beginning of modern Chinese history and the start of the Chinese people’s bourgeois-democratic revolution against imperialism and feudalism.” The Treaty of Nanjing, the Supplementary Treaty of the Bogue, and two French and American agreements were all “unequaled treaties” signed between 1842 and 1844. The terms of these treaties undermined China’s traditional mechanisms of foreign relations and methods of controlled trade. Five ports were opened for trade, gunboats, and foreign residence: Guangzhou, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Ningbo, and Shanghai. Hong Kong was seized by the British and became a free and open port. Tariffs were abolished thus preventing the Chinese from raising future duties to protect domestic industries and extraterritorial practices exempted Westerners from Chinese law. This made them subject to their own civil and criminal laws of their home country. Most importantly, the opium problem was never addressed and after the treaty was signed opium addiction doubled. China was forced to pay 21 million silver taels as an indemnity, which was used to pay compensation for the traders’ opium destroyed by Commissioner Lin. A couple years after the treaties were signed internal rebellion began to threaten foreign trade. Due to the Qing government’s inability to control collection of taxes on imported goods, the British government convinced the Manchu court to allow Westerners to partake in government official affairs. By the 1850s the Chinese Maritime Customs Service, one of the most important bureaucracies in the Manchu Government, was partially staffed and managed by Western Foreigners. Some time between 1858 and 1860 opium was legalized. Commissioner Lin, often referred to as “Lin the Clear Sky” for his moral probity, was made the scapegoat. He was blamed for ultimately failing to stem the tide of opium imports and usage as well as for provoking an unwinnable war through his rigidity and lack of understanding of the changing world. Nevertheless, as the Chinese nation formed in the 20th century, Lin became viewed as a hero, and has been immortalized at various locations around the world. I talked about Cantonese cuisine a little while ago https://www.bookofdaystales.com/may-4th-movement/ and suggested that replicating recipes from China was virtually impossible, and that you could come here instead. I can’t really be quite so craven again so soon. What I can suggest is that when cooking Chinese food in the West you try to stick to traditional ingredients. Western meats – chicken, pork, and beef – are not quite the same, but will do. Western pork is not anywhere near as fatty or flavorful as Chinese pork, but is probably healthier. I’ve often had dishes in Yunnan where the “pork” was, in fact, little cubes of fat with no meat. Early on I learnt to say 没有过多的肥猪肉 – “not too much fat” to quizzical looks which I think meant “idiot foreigner.” Actually, Cantonese dishes are much less fatty than those from Yunnan. Chinese vegetables are not difficult to find in the West. The main principles I urge are not to use Western onions, carrots, or broccoli. For onions use only green onions (cut in 1” lengths), and broccoli rabe for broccoli. In Buenos Aires I used to make a tasty dish of stir fried vegetables after one of my monthly outings to barrio chino. The limitation I had, and all Western cooks have, is that you cannot get the wok hot enough to do a really good job. Cooks in China use gas jets that look like blast furnaces, which can get the wok fiery hot in seconds. You’ll never replicate this at home. Anyway, do the best you can. Fire up your wok until it smokes. You can use a heavy skillet if you must, but it will not get the ingredients cooked evenly like a nicely rounded wok where you can toss them freely. When the wok is smoking, add a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil (or lard) and swirl it around to coat the surface. Toss in your vegetables of choice cut in slices or bite sized pieces: green onions, minced garlic, bok choy, Chinese cabbage, Chinese mushrooms, lotus root, flowering chives, broccoli rabe, or whatever. Fry on the highest heat for about 2 minutes, tossing and stirring with a rounded spatula constantly. Then throw in flavoring sauce of choice. I used to use a mix of hoisin sauce, soy sauce, and rice wine. For a “cleaner” taste I used chicken broth, rice wine, and a little rice starch. Toss again for a minute or so to coat the vegetables and reduce the sauce. Serve with steamed rice.
Feeding galaxy caught in distant searchlight An international group of astronomers that includes UC Santa Barbara astrophysicist Crystal Martin and former UCSB postdoctoral researcher Nicolas Bouché has spotted a distant galaxy hungrily snacking on nearby gas. The gas is seen to fall inward toward the galaxy, creating a flow that both fuels star formation and drives the galaxy's rotation. This is the best direct observational evidence so far supporting the theory that galaxies pull in and devour nearby material in order to grow and form stars. The results will appear in the July 5 issue of the journal Science. Spiral galaxies like our own Milky Way formed billions of years ago in the dark matter concentrations that began to grow shortly after the Big Bang. As gas cooled and condensed, stars formed, which, over time, synthesized heavy elements and polluted the galaxy with this enriched material upon their death. But what that model has not been able to explain is the continuous formation of stars in some galaxies, despite the constant rate at which galaxies turn molecular gas into stars. The simplest model calls for a closed system and predicts star formation should have ceased long ago due to the limited gas supply. "It's been a problem," said Martin. Galaxies should use up their gas on a time scale that's much shorter than what has been observed, she explained. In fact our own galaxy should have already run out of gas, but stars continue to form in it. "Galaxies must have a mechanism for acquiring more gas," she continued, adding that, historically, no means has existed to directly detect the inflow of the cold fuel. Now, however, thanks to the background light from the quasar HE 2243-60, Martin and her colleagues have been able to observe distinct signatures near a typical star-forming galaxy that indicate the inflow of gas feeding the galaxy. In this scenario, gas is drawn into a galaxy and then circles around it, rotating with it before falling in. Although some evidence of such accretion had been observed in galaxies before, the motion of the gas and its other properties had not been fully explored until now. The background quasar is, by chance, perfectly well positioned for this study. "This kind of alignment is very rare, but was critical for this study," explained first author Bouché, who is now with the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse, France. The astronomers used two instruments known as SINFONI (Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observations in the Near Infrared) and UVES (Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph), both of which are mounted on European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope at the Paranal Observatory in northern Chile. The new observations showed both how the galaxy itself was rotating and revealed the composition and motion of the gas outside the galaxy. The result is the discovery of how an active star-forming galaxy feeds its prodigious growth, according to co-author Michael Murphy, from the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia. "[We've] observed, as directly as possible, the feeding process for forming huge numbers of stars very quickly 11 billion years ago," he said. The observation also strengthens the argument that low-mass galaxies are formed through these cold streams, which also allow galaxies to prolong their star formation process. "It is impressive to see in the data the telltale signatures of this infalling gas matching those expected in numerical simulations," said Bouché.
It was first described in 1586 by Marcello Donati . In general, an ulcer is caused by a disproportion between factors that protect the gastric mucosa and factors that damage the mucous membrane. Damaging factors are excess stomach acid and chronic inflammation. Protective factors are sufficient blood circulation and the formation of an acid-proof mucous layer. The most common cause is an inflammation of the stomach lining ( gastritis ). Other causes include prolonged use of certain drugs or other substances that reduce the formation of the protective mucous layer in the stomach: - Long-term medication with NSAIDs (e.g. acetylsalicylic acid , diclofenac ) increases the risk of an ulcer four-fold. - If NSAIDs are combined with glucocorticoids , the risk increases to sixteen times that of the normal population. - By activating the vagus, smoking also promotes acid secretion and thus the development of ulcers. - Alcohol can lead to superficial inflammation of the mucous membranes. - Rarer causes are hyperparathyroidism , Zollinger-Ellison syndrome or Dieulafoy ulcer . A colonization by the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is found in three quarters of patients with a gastric ulcer . In the case of duodenal ulcer it is even 99%. Around 50% of the healthy population is colonized. The germ is able to multiply in the acidic environment of the stomach and cause chronic inflammation. It was not until 1982 that John Robin Warren and Barry Marshall discovered or identified this bacterium, for which they received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 2005 . Epidemiology and classification Peptic ulcers are a common disease, with a recurrence rate of 50 per 100,000 people. Duodenal ulcers are around three times more common than gastric ulcers, with men three times as likely to develop duodenal ulcers than women. In gastric ulcer, the distribution between the sexes is even. Both diseases increase significantly from the age of forty. With the naked eye, the gastric ulcer shows up as a round defect with a flat edge. Long-standing ulcers often have a rim raised by scar tissue. After the ulcer has healed, a red scar with many vessels remains. This is then converted into a connective tissue, white scar. Cell debris and fibrinoid necrosis appear in the tissue . In the early healing phase there is a characteristic four-layer structure. Granulocyte- rich eschar and fibrinoid necrosis are found in the base of the ulcer. In the direction of healthy tissue, granulation tissue and scar tissue rich in capillaries appear . As the healing process progresses, a single row of regenerated epithelium grows from the ulcer edge. It can take years to restore the stomach's original glandular architecture to the site of the ulcer. A local re-differentiation of the epithelium as gut-like metaplasia is common. Likewise, the submucosa is not completely rebuilt during ulcer healing. As a result, the muscle layers of the stomach wall and gastric surface tissue fuse. This can lead to movement disorders of the stomach. Duodenal ulcers show stratification similar to gastric ulcers. The Brunner's glands are often scarred or hyperplastic. Stomach and duodenal ulcers cause sharp abdominal pain in the epigastrium . The gastric ulcer often shows constant pain or increased pain after ingestion. Duodenal ulcer pain is often relieved with food. There may also be nausea or nausea. The ulcers can, however, be completely symptom-free; especially if ingested (fatal NSAIDs) painkillers reduce the pain sensation. Around a third of patients only become symptomatic after complications from the ulcer. In 1910, the Austrian radiologist Martin Haudek (1880–1931) showed how a wall defect in a gastric ulcer appeared in the X-ray ( Haudek niche ). However, a reliable diagnosis can only be made by means of a gastroscopy with the removal of tissue samples . The tissue samples are used to rule out gastric cancer , which cannot be distinguished from a gastric ulcer with the naked eye. Helicobacter can also be seen under the microscope . A gastroscopy also includes the duodenum so that ulcers there can also be diagnosed. Tissue samples are not necessary for duodenal ulcers. Any bleeding can also be stopped as part of the examination. If a gastroscopy is refused, Helicobacter can be detected in the stool using a breath test , antibody test or antigen test . It is then not possible to rule out cancer. The breath test is sufficiently safe. The antibody test is not recommended for making therapeutic decisions. In the case of a duodenal ulcer, a breath test replaces tissue removal. In the case of an ulcer without Helicobacter colonization and without NSAID intake, a determination of gastrin should be considered to rule out Zollinger-Ellison syndrome and to exclude hyperparathyroidism by determining calcium and parathyroid hormone . The success of the therapy should be checked again around four to six weeks after the initial diagnosis by means of a gastroscopy with tissue removal in order to reliably rule out cancer. A third of patients with ulcers only become noticeable through complications. Around a fifth of all ulcer patients develop acute or chronic bleeding from the ulcer. The bleeding may lead to tarry stools , vomiting blood, or vomiting like coffee grounds. Acute ulcer bleeding can quickly reach life-threatening proportions and requires an immediate gastroscopy to stop the bleeding. The ulcer can also cause the stomach wall to break through into the abdominal cavity. Sudden abdominal pain or a sudden decrease in ulcer pain can be indicative. Evidence is provided by an X-ray while standing, which makes the air that has penetrated the abdomen visible. In the case of a perforation , an immediate operation is indicated, otherwise life-threatening peritonitis threatens. Late complications are a narrowing or widening of the stomach outlet. The narrowing shows indigestion, weight loss and vomiting. The expansion allows bile and pancreatic secretions to enter the stomach. This can lead to chronic inflammation of the stomach. In 5% of cases, a chronic gastric ulcer can turn into gastric carcinoma . An ulcer is generally treated with an acid inhibitor , such as a proton pump inhibitor ("PPI"). General measures such as stress reduction and abstinence from alcohol and nicotine are also indicated. It is also important to consider whether drugs that cause ulcers can be discontinued. - Ulcer with Helicobacter If Helicobacter pylori has been detected in a stomach or duodenal ulcer , this germ is killed ( eradication ). To treat the Helicobacter pylori infection, a combination of different antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) are administered over a week. - The so-called Italian triple is recommended as the first choice in Germany . This consists of a PPI and the two antibiotics clarithromycin and metronidazole . - Another therapeutic option is the French triple , in which metronidazole is replaced by amoxicillin . The medication should be taken before a meal. If eradication therapy fails, amoxicillin can be retained as Helicobacter does not develop any resistance to the antibiotic. As a second antibiotic, fluoroquinolones such as levofloxacin or moxifloxacin or rifabutin come into consideration. The bismuth salts added in other countries in the event of therapy failure are not permitted in Germany. If eradication therapy has failed twice, the bacterium should be cultivated for resistance testing. The success of the therapy should be checked at the earliest four weeks after discontinuation of the therapy, as the administration of PPIs inhibits bacterial growth and can lead to false negative results. Surgical treatment is only necessary for complications that cannot be controlled by a gastroscopy. This includes bleeding that cannot be stopped in the gastroscopy, a breakthrough into the abdominal cavity and a narrowing of the gastric outlet. If the bleeding is severe, it is usually sufficient to pierce the ulcer with the ligature of the vessel concerned. In the case of a perforation, the ulcer is cut out and the remaining stomach wall sutured. When administering drugs that increase the risk of an ulcer, simultaneous, preventive long-term therapy with a gastric acid inhibitor ( PPI ) is recommended. This is especially true of the combination of NSAIDs and anticoagulant drugs to prevent bleeding from an ulcer. Ulcer prophylaxis with PPI should also be carried out in intensive care patients. Reducing stress and quitting smoking also lower the risk of an ulcer. General testing of the population for Helicobacter pylori is not recommended. The eradication is usually successful. Only in rare exceptions does this fail. Once the germ has been wiped out, reinfection occurs in one out of a hundred cases. This does not have to lead to an ulcer. Severe, therapy-resistant courses that require surgical measures are rare. Gastric ulcers in animals The stomach ulcer in the horse is the most common gastrointestinal disease in equines. In pig production, a gastric ulcer develops in 5 to 30% of pigs, depending on the study and housing system. At the time of slaughter, other animals are already infected with a preliminary stage of the disease. The main reason for the pigs is too fine a grind in the feed, as this attacks the gastric mucosa more severely. - Yvonne Syha, Laura Popescu, Mario Wurglics, Manfred Schubert-Zsilavecz: History of Ulcer Therapy . In: Pharmacy in our time . Volume 34 (3), 2005, pp. 188-192. - Hans Adolf Kühn: Ulcus ventriculi and duodeni (Ulcus pepticum, Ulcus rotundum, Anglo-Saxon "Peptic ulcer", French "ulcére"). In: Ludwig Heilmeyer (ed.): Textbook of internal medicine. Springer-Verlag, Berlin / Göttingen / Heidelberg 1955; 2nd edition, ibid. 1961, pp. 786-795. - Carl Ernst Bock : The stomach cramp . In: The Gazebo . Volume 42, 1853, pp. 456–458 ( full text [ Wikisource ]). - Wolfgang Piper: Internal medicine . Heidelberg 2007, pp. 350-355. - Gerd Herold and colleagues: Internal medicine . Cologne 2009, pp. 418-421. - W. Jochum: stomach and duodenum . In: W. Böcker, H. Denk, Ph. U. Heitz, H. Moch: Pathology . 4th edition. Munich 2008, pp. 704-706, 712 f. - Barbara I. Tshisuaka: Haudek, Martin. In: Werner E. Gerabek , Bernhard D. Haage, Gundolf Keil , Wolfgang Wegner (eds.): Enzyklopädie Medizingeschichte. De Gruyter, Berlin / New York 2005, ISBN 3-11-015714-4 , p. 539. - W. Fischbach, P. Malfertheiner, J. C. Hoffmann, W. Bolten, J. Bornschein: S3 guideline "Helicobacter pylori and gastroduodenal ulcer disease" . In: Z Gastroenterol , 2009, 47, pp. 68–102, dgvs.de ( Memento of the original from December 29, 2009 in the Internet Archive ; PDF) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 3, 2010. - Adolph Friedlander: De ulcere ulcer perforante . Diss. Univ. Koenigsberg 1847. - Vinzenz Gerber, Reto Straub: Equine diseases: internal medicine . Diseases of Pets, Volume 8075. UTB, 2016, ISBN 978-3-8252-8612-5 , p. 199. - Prevent gastric ulcers in pigs. In: schweizerbauer.ch . May 27, 2019, accessed May 27, 2019 .
Diana Claudia Di Mario This lesson plan wants to promote multilingual and multicultural competences since early childhood, by developing attitudinal competences in order to favour the learning of a foreign language in the first years of Primary School and in the following school years. Attitudinal competences towards a foreign language means to have disponibility and attention to what is different from me. Therefore it means to develop emotional and social skills, and the motivation for "thinking out of the box". Motivation is also the basis of learning. The teaching approach which increases motivation is the game-based learning. Therefore the activities I'm going to propose are based on games. If you implemented this plan in your own classroom, please share your findings and suggestions by taking this short survey. It is a game of knowledge with the support of augmented reality-application and interactive map. Students work together to learn about the capitals of Europe, place them on an interactive map, create a quiz and compete in playing. Miguel Cecilio Gómez Barragán In the Technology workshop there is a dangerous ghost that try to kidnap students. If pupils guess the name of this ghost, he will disappear and the group will be safe. There are five groups of three students each one. Daniela Maria Geraci To recognize chemical reactions, classify them and associate them to every day situations (for 15 year old students). Ella Rakovac Bekeš The aim of the lessons is to get students practice math concept and English vocabulary (percentage, ratios, equations) but in a informal way by playing and designing games (https://view.genial.ly/5ceffadec1f8800f3d689474/game-breakout-mad-science). Sanja Puškarić Delač Repeat the first class math through games and songs. Repetition of geometric bodies and characters and addition and subtraction of to 20. Third-grade students learn about their homeland. For this purpose, they went on a field-trip to Međimurje to get acquainted with the appearance of the homeland, its specialties, cultural and historical sights, natural beauties and resources, settlements and life of people, old trades and occupations, plants and animals. They develop communication and social skills in conversation. After return, the teacher and students prepare the classroom, materials and the benches. This activity of repetition is an integrated day with Croatian language, Art and Nature which lasts one day in 3 hours. AUTHOR FEEDBACK AFTER IMPLEMENTING THE LESSON PLAN: What went particularly well when implementing the lesson plan? The implementation of my lesson plan was interesting for the third grade pupils of elementary school. These activities were easily integrated into the syllabi as an integrated day with Croatian language, Art and Nature. The planned activities include pupil and teacher orientation; it foresees "learning by doing" instead of traditional lessons. These activities have given pupils and teachers the opportunity to work together and develop key competences for lifelong learning: communication in foreign languages, learning to learn, social and civic competences, cultural awareness and expression. The 8-year-old students in the third grade of elementary school repeated in an interactive way about their homeland. Through visual, auditory, manual and speaking skills, they closely linked the process of thinking and reasoning. They have very well embraced these activities: What did not go so well? During the field trip, some students took photos of the places they visited. The problem is that they had different devices and they are not trained to take good photos, because our school system lacks focused IT training. After we took the photos, we made a movie in Kizoa. This is interesting to the students, but it requires a lot of preparation for the teacher. What would you change if you had to implement the lesson plan again? I would probably add some maths assignments with words, in which students would add, subtract, multiply and divide up to 1000, as well as singing native songs. I think the activities and goals in my lesson plan are clear. The students successfully completed their tasks according to their abilities. What other advice would you give to someone who would like to use your lesson plan? My lesson plan can be used by all those teachers who want to give their students a slightly different teaching about their homeland. There are different homelands, but in this plan it is very easy to replace, for example, the words in the story in the introductory task, as well as to give focused tasks in the game itself. The plan is designed so that some activities can be replaced or added, especially if the school does not have the necessary resources (computers). I advise good preparation. Using Ozobot color codes for making simple geometry drawings. Finish all tasks! How did the implementation of the lesson plan go? All planned parts went without problems. Students were happy to learn geometry with this interactive method and this lesson plan. Tasks where they needed to solve problems made by their friends were good for collaboration and developing friendships. Problems were in the collaboration parts, because students could not make groups by themselves. Next time, I will form groups to avoid spending time on this. Next time I implement the lesson plan, I will also plan more time, because some groups of students were solving tasks slower than planned. Some practice and production parts were too short for certain groups, but I think it all depends on students' preknowledge. Before you use this plan in Maths or another subject where you teach geometry, explain to students how to use Ozobot robots. Prepare printed colour codes for them. In this ICT/Computer Science course, students will have to collaborate in teams in order to create a maze game with Scratch. The students are in the 6th grade and they are familiar with the basic of coding with Scratch (conditional statements, looping, moving, event handling, parallel execution, coordination and synchronization, sequence). They will have to imagine their game, write the scenario and rules, choose the heroes and scenes, decide the difficulty level, share it on the Scratch platform, play all the games the teams have created and evaluate them with a specific rubric. All students will receive Certificates of Achievement at the end of this activity and they will have to fulfill some assessment rubrics. Estimated time: 7-9 hours. It's a project that will take place during almost all of the last semester of the 6th Grade ICT class (teaching 1 hour/week). All materials are online and students can complete their tasks at home. This is a English lesson based on a chapter in Enterprise Plus Coursebook.
Get Information for and About Children Who Are Blind from Paths to Literacy In this post, we wish to share a comprehensive online resource called Paths to Literacy that provides a wide range of information for and about children and youth who are blind, deafblind, or have multiple disabilities. Besides general information about Paths to Literacy, we also will share a specific post to their blog written by an APH employee. What Is Paths to Literacy? We received the following description of Paths to Literacy from one of its main contributors: Paths to Literacy http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/ is an online Community of Practice, devoted to literacy for children and youth who are blind or visually impaired, including those with deafblindness or multiple disabilities. A collaboration between Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Perkins School for the Blind, the site offers lesson ideas, resources, tech updates, and more. The emphasis is on practical ideas that can be used in the classroom, home or community. Topics range widely, from braille drawing to UEB lesson ideas to the creation of story boxes and experience books. There is an active presence on social media as well, with lively discussions, questions, and frequent updates. Subscribe to the free weekly newsletter to receive posts, such as this one on beginning tactile graphics. The site welcomes contributions from its readers! Parents, veteran TVIs, graduate students, and O & M instructors all share ideas, questions, and resources. Contact [email protected] for more information. APH Contributes to Paths to Literacy’s Blog We encourage you to peruse their site, sign up for their newsletter, read their blog, and interact with them on social media. We also wish, however, to highlight one specific blog post that was written by an APH employee. Reach Out and Touch the Picture: From Concrete to Abstract Thinking was written by Dawn Wilkinson, APH’s Early Childhood Project Leader who also is a certified teacher of the visually impaired. In this article, Wilkinson describes the process of teaching a child who is blind to learn increasingly more complex concepts through the reading of tactile graphics. As a student who is blind begins to understand simple concepts included in a tactile graphic, the student can proceed to learning more advanced concepts and, eventually, learn to read braille. Wilkinson’s article describes how children who are blind have learned from several APH products like one book in our On the Way to Literacy Series entitled Jennifer's Messes (shown in the included photo). Learn about several APH early childhood products and develop a greater understanding of how children who are blind progress in their learning and recognition of objects by reading this informative post at http://www.pathstoliteracy.org/blog/reach-out-and-touch-picture-concrete-abstract-thinking.
Educational systems are established to provide education and training for children and youth. A curriculum defines what students sholud know, understand and be able to do as the result of education. Education includes 4 stages: pre-school, primary, secondary and tertiary. Pre-school education is for childern up to 3 years. These schools are called kinder gardens or sometimes nursery school. Children spend there few hours each day playing and doing some activities. They start their socializing there too. Primary (elementary) education consists of the first yeas of formal, structured education. In general, preimary education consists of 9 years of schooling starting at the age of 6 or 7. School providing secondary education are called primary schools. Primary schools in our country are divided into 2 degrees. After the 1st degree, that lasts first 4 years, can children decide whether they want to study at grammar school. Grammar schools provide secondary education. Studies at these schools last over 8 years and they should be chosen by the most gifted students and for those who want to study at universities. Secondary education generally occurs at about 15 or 16 years of age. This education consists of the second years of formal education that occur during adolescence. It is characterised by transition from compulsory primary education to the selective tertiary, „post-secondary“ or „higher“ education. In different countries secondary schools are called differently: high schools, grammar schools, lyceums, middle schools, colleges. To finish secondary education, students have to pass the school-leaving examination (matricular exams). They have to choose minimum 4 subjects including their mother language and at least one foreign language. After passing these exams they can apply for the university or they can choose a job. Tertiary education, often called higher or third stage, is the non-compulsory educational level that follows the completion of a school providing secondary education, such as high or grammar schools. Tertiary education is normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education. This is provided by colleges and universities. When students successfully accomplish their university studies they are given a degree in their field of study. The most advanced type of degree is a PhD when postgraduate students study on their own for several years, doing researches and writing a dissertation work explaining what they have discovered. They also have to defend their work in front of a panel of professors. Usually at the age of 15 or 16, many gifted children decide to go to study abroad. Tehre is a big variety of many either travelling or student agencies which offer them the best alterantives for atudying abroad. Students usually go to foreign countries because of improving their language skills, to see the world and also make new friendships. These exchange trips are also very usefull for their final exams and university studies. Another very important part of student life is the relationship between the teacher and the student. Students should be always well prepared for the lesson and quietly sit at their desks. That is what teachers require. They should be also studious and behave honestly because their behaviour is one of many elements that influences the marks. Ďaľšie referáty z kategórie |Referát vhodný pre:||Gymnázium||Počet A4:||1.8| |Priemerná známka:||2.98||Rýchle čítanie:||3m 0s| |Pomalé čítanie:||4m 30s|
Technology is all around us, all the time. Even at the preschool level, there are endless resources and tools available to teach technology. But did you know that there are ways to use technology in your classroom without screen time? Learn how you can recycle old electronics to free play and encourage problem-solving in your childcare center. Recycle old technology by reusing it in the play area of your class. Old flip phones, home phones, or any outdated phone could make for a great toy for playtime. Be sure to remove anything harmful from the phone, such as the batteries, before putting them in your play area. The children will bring these outdated phones back to life as their imagination sees them as the latest and greatest gadget. Their imaginations will run wild as they pretend to call, text, and even snap photos on these phones. Even outdated cameras and video cameras could be utilized during free play. Adding technology in this aspect of play allows children to explore it without being absorbed by it. Teach children good technology habits through free play. Children are known to mimic what they see around them, so it is important to show and practice good technology habits. If a student calls you during free play, have a conversation with them but end it with “Ok I’m going to go read a book now” or “I’m going to play on the playground”. Ending the conversation and moving onto another game may encourage the student to do the same. If students are trying to talk to you, make sure they put down the technology to have a face-to-face interaction. Remind students to also be gentle with technology so they don’t damage their pretend cell phone. This is especially important if you have children working with actual technology in the classroom. While these habits are small, they are still important to teach at any age. Allow children to explore technology by taking it apart. Gather outdated devices that you would not mind if it gets taken apart. As mentioned before, remove any pieces that could be dangerous such as batteries and other small components. Provide screwdrivers and anything else needed to disassemble the pieces and watch as children begin to take it apart. Taking the object apart also challenges the student’s problem-solving skills. Students are not only discovering the insides of the device, but they are also practicing and fine-tuning their fine motor skills. Using outdated technology and prompting children, can lead to imaginative free play and encourage engagement of problem-solving skills.
Mathematics - referred to as the queen of the sciences by that great Karl Gauss - comprises a large number of fields. It provides abstractions of varying sophistication, together with a vast body of more specific results. Several of them have applications in areas far beyond their origins. One such that is (albeit indirectly) relevant to our current context is topology. Topology can be defined as the study of properties of objects that are invariant under continuous maps. Topology has evolved into a large field, whose major components include point-set topology, algebraic topology and geometric topology. Of these, point-set topology lays the foundation, defining most of the basic concepts. People who take a course in mathematics at the college level are familiar with several of them, usually in specific forms as applicable to real numbers, etc. In generalized forms, concepts such as continuity remain simple, while others such as compactness (every open cover should have a finite subcover) can be surprisingly subtle! Let I be an interval [x, y] of real numbers, with x ≠ y. Let f:I → R2. Further, let f be a continuous map. We can call the range of f a curve. It is common to call f itself the curve. Now, suppose that the restriction of f to [x, y) is injective (i.e., f(a) = f(b) ⇒ a = b ∀ a, b ∈ [x, y)). The curve does not intersect itself, since the map is injective except for the single point y. Further suppose that f(x) = f(y). Such a curve is called a simple closed curve or a Jordan Curve. Some texts define I above to be the interval [0, 1]. Another commonly found definition is: a Jordan Curve in R2 is one for which it is possible to construct an injective continuous map g:S1 → R2, where S1 is a circle. All the definitions are equivalent. Exercise: how? :-) Evidently, when we move to a discrete scenario, concepts such as continuity have to be adapted appropriately. Also, the discrete scenario brings two distinct kinds of entities into the discussion: nodes (or vertices) and edges. Note that the same notions exist in geometry as well. For instance, a triangle has three nodes and three edges. A graph is a collection of nodes and edges, where each node has at least one edge (i.e., one adjacent node). A path can be defined as the sequence vi of vertices, where an edge ei exists between the nodes vi and vi+1. The index i varies in the discrete interval [1, n], for an applicable value of n. Analogous to the continuous scenario, we can define a simple closed path or a simple cycle as a path with no repeated nodes except for the starting/ending node. For our immediate purposes, we are mostly interested in undirected graphs. Connectedness, terminal nodes Let us denote the nodes of a graph by N, and its edges by E. For x, y ∈ N, x ≠ y, if there exists a path from x to y, we say that x and y are connected. If the above holds good ∀ x, y ∈ N, then we say that the graph itself is connected. Suppose that the graph is not connected. Then it contains two or more connected subgraphs. Obviously, they are pair-wise disjoint, i.e., any given node belongs to one and exactly one such subgraph. Similarly, any given edge belongs to one and exactly one such subgraph. A node with only one adjacent node connected to it (even though it can have any number of edges to that single adjacent node) is called a terminal node. As a special case, we note that a node that is part of a simple closed path cannot be a terminal node. Exercise: why? :-)
Updated: Sep 26, 2020 You read to your early reader before school, you read to them before bedtime, so they are getting all the literacy benefits from the practice, right? Sure, reading to your early reader is essential, but here are three teacher tried and proven tricks to make sure your student is getting the most out of the exercise: ASK QUESTIONS ALONG THE WAY: Throughout the story, stop to ask your child what is happening in the book. This helps them develop important story telling and comprehension skills. Even better, ask them HOW they know that to be true! Your early reader is already using textual evidence to prove their point! PLAY SIGHT WORD SAFARI: Ask your early reader to find the sight words on each new page. By pointing out high-usage words like "and, you, me, the," they are starting to read, even if they cannot yet read all the words on the page! This also feels like a game, keeping them engaged and interested throughout the story. GIVE THEM AN IMPORTANT WORD: Similar to sight word safari, this let's the child participate in the reading of the story in an easy but fun way. Before you begin reading the book to your child, tell them that they will read the name of the main character whenever it comes up. They will have to follow along with the words as you say them and they will start to recognize the word or name they were assigned! These three easy, ready to use tricks will make storytime fun and learning-filled for your young student! Let us know in the comments below how your storytimes change and grow!
December 5th, 2014 A remarkable new species of bioluminescent roach (Lucihormetica luckae) had only just begun to distinguish itself to the scientific community. Its patterns for illumination are nearly identical to the poisonous click beetle, with which it shared a habitat. What makes Luchhormetica luckae even more unique is that as quickly as it was discovered, it may well have been rendered extinct by a volcanic eruption. The paper documenting the discovery was just published in July 2012, but no specimens have been found since the 2010 eruption of the Tungurahua Volcano, where it was known to live, in Ecuador. Luchhormetica luckae was also the first documented case of asymmetrical bioluminescence (two spots resembling eyes appear on its upper back and a third spot is visible on its right side) as well as the only known incidence of bioluminescence via mimicry. Lucihormetica luckae’s luminescence is (or was) generated by symbiotic bacteria cohabitating inside tiny divots along the roach’s body. The chemical reaction of bioluminescence occurs most frequently in seafaring organisms. The deep-sea dwelling anglerfish (Lophius piscatorius) uses its bioluminescent abilities to attract prey, while the firefly (Photuris lucicrescens), is known to use bioluminescence to attract mates. What Luchhormetica luckae used its bioluminescent abilities for, the world may never know. Photo: Vršanský et al. Citation: Vršanský P, Chorvát D, Fritzsche I, Hain M, & Ševčík R (2012). ‘Light-mimicking cockroaches indicate Tertiary origin of recent terrestrial luminescence’. Die Naturwissenschaften, 99 (9), 739-49 PMID: 22864963
Research: There’s a movement happening in education that seeks to validate the learning that students do outside of the formal academic setting. Important skills can be gained in a variety of areas outside of school, including sports, music, art, volunteer work, or any other passion—activities that truly express student personalities, interests, and achievements. The challenge schools face now is to formalize a process that expresses these learning experiences and acknowledges the learning they’re already engaged in. Practice: We’ve always known that learning isn’t confined to a classroom or school setting. This is why we encourage students to follow their passions and allow them time in their schedules to do so. It’s also why at the high school level we allow students to gain credit for activities they pursue outside of school, including PE, volunteer work, employment, and music. Research: Education reformer Sir Ken Robinson uses his expertise in business and education to outline the crisis in education in America in his Ted Talk, “How to Escape Education’s Death Valley.” He argues that education must be centered on the concept of human flourishing. According to Robinson, this rests upon three main assumptions: (1) that humans are naturally different and diverse, (2) that curiosity drives learning, and (3) that humans are inherently creative. When schools force standardization they effectively limit the ability for children to flourish, and as a result we see children who are stressed, disengaged, and at risk for dropping out altogether. Practice: At Chrysalis we recognize that learning is personal. Every child learns differently, has different strengths and challenges, and has unique interests. In response, we offer different programs for every child to obtain the balance that’s right for them–a place where they are challenged appropriately, supported when needed, and allowed a place to shine. To use Robinson’s words, we create the conditions in which children thrive by offering a climate of possibility. Research: Rebecca Givens Rolland laments that schools are racing through K-12 education these days, with policies that encourage children to cover more material in shorter amounts of time, under expectations that are misaligned with natural child development. She argues, “This push, while well-intentioned, is counterproductive. Children need time to sit with a subject, to see mistakes not as humiliations, but as chances to learn.” What’s missing in this “need for speed” is an understanding of the nature of the learning process and proper encouragement to create lifelong learners. Practice: Every student at Chrysalis is allowed to learn at their own pace and in their own time. Since we don’t adhere to arbitrary standards we can create educational programs that meet each child where they are and allow them to progress when they’re developmentally ready. Our program allows children the extraordinary gift of time to flourish, learn deeply, and develop a love of learning. Research: Professor Yong Zhao at the University of Oregon has been making headlines recently with his call to reimagine education in the United States. He states that “all human beings are born with the capacity and desire to learn…but their environment can either suppress or encourage that drive.” The school environment must be both stimulating and supportive, and allow kids to pursue individualized goals that build on their strengths rather than identify differences as flaws that must be fixed. Practice: This humanistic approach is the very basis of a personalized education. We place the student and their individual goals at the center of their program, and commit ourselves to helping them be successful by implementing the right amount of support along the way. This looks different for every child and is crucial to encouraging student success. The right amount of support allows students to recognize their abilities, comfortably accept new challenges, increase their independence, and advocate for their needs. Research: Elizabeth Perle, editor of HuffPost Teen, responds to parents’ concerns about their children’s use of online social media in her article “5 Myths About Teens and Technology Every Parent Should Ignore.” She compels us to take another look at their online lives and understand them as new platforms for socialization. As parents this world can be intimidating if we are unfamiliar, but she encourages us to empower ourselves to prevent problems before they start by having them teach us about their online community, share how and why they use it, and help understand who they are within it. Practice: Our students use technology in a variety of ways at Chrysalis. In some classes they are allowed to use it; in others they have to forgo it…just like in real life. We try to teach them when and where it’s appropriate and when and where it’s not. Parents are encouraged to understand their child’s use of social media, to keep an eye on their use, and to instill technology curfews. Check out Karen Fogle’s video on “Keeping Tech in Check” for more detail. Research: October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Unfortunately, bullying is often considered part of the school experience — something that kids are expected to endure and overcome on their own. However, study after study outlines health and academic risks to both the bully and the bullied, including increased indices of depression, anxiety, and risky behaviors. Practice: We know that physical and emotional safety is primary to well-being, and that without it learning cannot occur. We take great pride in our ability to maintain a positive school culture, not only for the sake of learning; it also makes Chrysalis a great place for everyone to be! When situations inevitably arise, we take the time to talk students through them, to help them see new perspectives, and build empathy and community. If you suspect that your child is experiencing any form of bullying, please let us know so that we may deal with the situation appropriately.
One tool that every electrical DIYer should have is some kind of a voltage tester. However, more important than having a voltage tester, is to know how to use a voltage tester. What you are testing for is the presence of voltage (potential difference) so that you are sure that the power is off before you work on any electrical circuit. The other way to use a voltage tester is for trouble-shooting a fault condition. I am going to assume that if you want to know how to use a voltage tester, then you already have a decent knowledge of electricity, and how the home electrical systems work. If not, then I suggest that you purchase the Basics of Household Wiring, either the DVD or in e-book form. This will give you a solid understanding of your electrical system. A voltage tester can be as simple as an inexpensive 2-wire neon light device, or as complex an expensive digital multi-meter with many analytical functions in addition to simply testing for voltage. A number of different options are available at the end of this article. For good instruction on how to use a voltage tester, generally the best reference is the instruction manual that should have been included with your meter or tester. Typically you are testing for power by checking from the suspected hot wire, to a grounded (earthed), or a grounding (neutral) conductor. Your voltage tester will have two test leads or wires that are insulated, but have a bare tip that allows you to make contact with the components of the circuit you are testing. You want to connect the black lead (common or negative if the leads are identified) to the neutral (white wire, silver terminal, or wider slot of a receptacle), or the ground or earthed conductor (green wire, bare wire, grounded metal box, or the semi-oval larger hole in a receptacle), making sure you have good contact. Then use the other test lead to touch the hot (black or red wire, brass terminal, or narrower slot of a receptacle) and see if the light of the tester comes on, or if the meter indicates the presence of voltage (whatever the case may be). If the meter or tester doesn’t indicate voltage, also check from neutral to ground to ensure that the circuit isn’t wired incorrectly and you have a hot neutral reverse condition. This is just a short tutorial on how to use a voltage tester. For more detailed instruction, I have developed a complex e-book on this subject which is available as an instant download.
Huge escarpments of quite pure water ice have been found in the Southern Highlands of Mars — accessible enough that astronauts might some day be able to turn the ice into water, hydrogen and oxygen. Some of these deposits are more than 100 meters thick and begin only a meter or two below the surface. These are among the conclusion from a new paper in the journal Science that describes these previously unknown water ice reserves. While Mars scientists have long theorized the presence of subsurface ice under one-third of the planet, and even exposed bits of it with the Phoenix lander, the consensus view was that Martian ice was generally cemented with soil to form a kind of permafrost. But the “scarp” ice described by Colin Dundas of the U.S. Geological Survey and colleagues is largely water ice without much other material. This relative purity, along with its accessibility, would make the ice potentially far more useful to future astronauts. “The ice exposed by the scarps likely originated as snow that transformed into massive ice sheets, now preserved beneath less than 1 to 2 meters of dry and ice-cemented dust or regolith,” the authors write. The shallow depths, the write “make the ice sheets potentially accessible to future exploration.” The importance is clear: These sites are “very exciting” for potential human bases as well, says Angel Abbud-Madrid, director of the Center for Space Resources at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, who led a recent NASA study exploring potential landing sites for astronauts. Water is a crucial resource for astronauts, because it could be combined with carbon dioxide, the main ingredient in Mars’s atmosphere, to create oxygen to breathe and methane, a rocket propellant. And although researchers suspected the subsurface glaciers existed, they would only be a useful resource if they were no more than a few meters below the surface. The ice cliffs promise abundant, accessible ice, Abbud-Madrid told Science Magazine. While the discovery adds to the view that Mars is neither bone-dry now nor was earlier in its history, it does not necessarily add to the question of where all the Martian water has gone or how much was originally there. That’s because the paper describes the huge ice deposits as the result of snowfall over more recent eons that was packed into its current form, rather than water that might have been present during the warmer wetter periods of Mars history. With this in mind, Dundas said in an email that his team’s work does not add to what is known about the early Mars water budget. As for the age of the water ice, he said “we can’t put an accurate number on it at this time, but the icy units are lightly cratered. Others in the community have proposed snowfall during periods of high axial tilt within the last few million years.” So the ice is relatively young. But that doesn’t mean it has no story to tell. Exposed ice, like exposed rock, always has a story to tell. “We expect the vertical structure of Martian ice-rich deposits to preserve a record of ice deposition and past climate,” the authors write. The eight scarps studied were steep and faced the poles. All were in the mid-latitudes, and therefore far from the polar ice sheets. NASA has long had a motto for exploring Mars and other sites beyond Earth of “follow the water.” That has been expanded to “follow the carbon” and “follow the organics,” but the water is still a guidepost of sorts of where life, or its remnants, might be found. Now with these large and seemingly accessible deposits of water ice, “follow the water” takes on a new meaning for potential future astronauts in search of essential chemical components. Still, the issue of just how much water there is and has been on Mars is a central to piecing together the planet’s history and how much of the planet might have one day been eminently habitable. The last decade of Mars exploration and observation has led most Mars scientists to conclude that the planet once had rivers, lakes and possibly a northern ocean. That water is almost entirely (or perhaps entirely) gone from the surface now, and understanding where it went is certainly key to understanding the history of the planet. While much no doubt escaped to space after the early protective Mars magnetic field and atmosphere largely disappeared, researchers say there remains a lot of Mars water to be accounted for. An article in the journal Nature last month reported the possibility of large amounts of water mixing with Martian basalts long ago and forming a broadly water-rich crust. The authors of that paper, led by Jon Wade of Oxford’s Department of Earth Sciences, described modeling that found water on early Mars could be absorbed into spongy rock at a far greater rate than on Earth. In an accompanying review, geochemist and cosmochemist Tomohiro Usui of the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI) in Tokyo, supported the notion, and added another possibility that he has published on as well. “Ground ice might also account for the missing water reservoir on Mars,” he wrote. “Subsurface radar-sounder measurements have detected an anomaly in an electrical property of rocks in the planet’s northern hemisphere, which implies that massive ice deposits are embedded among or between layers of sediment and volcanic materials at a depth of 60–80 m.” Usui wrote that the ground-ice model has also been proposed based of analyses of hydrogen isotopes in Martian meteorites and of the shapes and characteristics of craters. Indeed, the crater study indicated that the subsurface water ice has a volume comparable to the size of the ancient oceans. Dundas agreed that the new paper was a continuation of earlier work, rather than something entirely new. “We’ve known for some time that there is shallow ground ice within a meter of the surface, and there have been recent radar detections of ice sheets tens of meters thick,” he said in his email. “What our work does is provide some three-dimensional information at high resolution that helps tie things together.” Dundas et al reported that the fractures and steep angles found indicate that the ice is cohesive and strong. What’s more, bands and variations in color suggest that the ice contains distinct layers, which could be used to understand changes in Mars’ climate over time. Because the ice is only visible where surface soil has been removed, the paper says it is likely that ice near the surface is more extensive than detected in this study. And that could be very important to astronauts on future missions to Mars. Marc Kaufman is the author of two books about space: “Mars Up Close: Inside the Curiosity Mission” and “First Contact: Scientific Breakthroughs in the Search for Life Beyond Earth.” He is also an experienced journalist, having spent three decades at The Washington Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer. He began writing the column in October 2015, when NASA’s NExSS initiative was in its infancy. While the “Many Worlds” column is supported and informed by NASA’s Astrobiology Program, any opinions expressed are the author’s alone.
Athenian democracy developed in the 6th century BC out of what was then called isonomia (equality of law and political rights), and sortition was the principal way of achieving this fairness. Also in Ancient Greek mythology, Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades used sortition to determine who ruled over which domain. Zeus got the sky, Poseidon the sea, and Hades the underworld. It was used to pick most of the magistrates for their governing committees, and for their juries (typically of 501 people). Aristotle relates equality and democracy: Democracy arose from the idea that those who are equal in any respect are equal absolutely. All are alike free, therefore they claim that all are free absolutely… The next is when the democrats, on the grounds that they are all equal, claim equal participation in everything. It is accepted as democratic when public offices are allocated by lot; and as oligarchic when they are filled by election. In Athens, “democracy” (literally meaning rule by the people) was in opposition to those supporting oligarchy (rule by a few). Athenian democracy was characterised by being run by the “many” (the ordinary people) who were allotted to the committees which ran government. Thucydides has Pericles make this point in his Funeral Oration: “It is administered by the many instead of the few; that is why it is called a democracy.” The Athenians believed sortition to be more democratic than elections and used complex procedures with purpose-built allotment machines (kleroteria) to avoid the corrupt practices used by oligarchs to buy their way into office. According to the author Mogens Herman Hansen the citizen’s court was superior to the assembly because the allotted members swore an oath which ordinary citizens in the assembly did not and therefore the court could annul the decisions of the assembly. Both Aristotle and Herodotus (one of the earliest writers on democracy) emphasize selection by lot as a test of democracy: The rule of the people has the fairest name of all, equality (isonomia), and does none of the things that a monarch does. The lot determines offices, power is held accountable, and deliberation is conducted in public. Past scholarship maintained that sortition had its roots in the use of chance to divine the will of the gods, but this view is no longer common among scholars. Northern Italy and Venice 12th to 18th Century The brevia was used in the city states of Northern Italy during the 12th and 13th centuries and in Venice up until the late 18th century. Men, chosen randomly, swore an oath that they were not acting under bribes, and then they elected members of the council. Voter and candidate eligibility probably included property owners, councilors, guild members, and perhaps, at times, artisans. The Doge of Venice was determined through a complex process of nomination, voting and sortition. Florence 14th and 15th Century The scrutiny was employed in Florence for over a century starting in 1328. Nominations and voting together created a pool of candidates from different sectors of the city. These men then had their names deposited into a sack, and a lottery draw determined who would get magistracy positions. The scrutiny was gradually opened up to minor guilds, reaching the greatest level of renaissance citizen participation in 1378-82. Recognizing that financial gain could be achieved through the position of mayor, some parts of Switzerland used random selection from 1640 to 1837. In the political realm, sortition occurs most commonly in order to form policy juries, such as deliberative opinion polls, citizens’ juries, Planungszelle (planning cells), consensus conferences, and citizens’ assemblies. As an example, Vancouver council has initiated a citizens’ assembly that will meet in 2014-15 in order to assist in city planning. Sortition is commonly used in selecting juries in Anglo-Saxon legal systems and in small groups (e.g., picking a school class monitor by drawing straws). In public decision-making, individuals are often determined by allotment if other forms of selection such as election fail to achieve a result. Examples include certain hung elections and certain votes in the UK Parliament. Some contemporary thinkers have advocated a greater use of selection by lot in today’s political systems for example reform of the British House of Lords and proposals at the time of the adoption of the current Constitution of Iraq. Sortition is also used in military conscription and in awarding US green cards. It has also been used in placing students into public schools, into one California nursing college, and into schools of medicine in the Netherlands.
Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Acronyms, Wikipedia. navigation,science and technology of finding the position and directing the course of vessels and aircraft. Early Navigational Techniques In ancient times, mariners navigated by the guidance of the sun and stars and landmarks along the coast. The Phoenicians were among the most daring of the ancient navigators. They built large ships and, traveling out of sight of land by day and by night, probably circumnavigated Africa. The Vikings and Norsemen, who crossed the Atlantic to Iceland, Greenland, and Newfoundland, are reputed to have used a sunstonesunstone. 1 Crystal mineral thought by some to have been used by the Vikings as an aid to navigation, especially in conditions of low visibility due to clouds or fog when the position of the sun was uncertain. ..... Click the link for more information. to aid their voyages. The Pacific islanders navigated from island to island across the open ocean using observations of guide stars and the moon, the winds, waves, and currents, and birds, knowledge of which was passed from generation to generation; the Polynesians especially traversed enormous stretches of the Pacific. In England, Queen Elizabeth I did much to establish navigation laws, giving additional powers to Trinity House, a guild that had been created in 1514 for the piloting of ships and the regulation of British navigation. During this period the study of bodies of water, or hydrography, was given much attention, and harbors and the outlets of rivers were surveyed and buoyed. A tremendous advance in navigation had taken place with the introduction of the compasscompass. 1 In mathematics, an instrument for making circles and measuring distances. Frequently called a pair of compasses, it consists of two metal legs with one end of each attached to a pivot to form a V-shaped device. ..... Click the link for more information. . Early in the 15th cent. there was progress by the Portuguese under the leadership of Prince Henry the NavigatorHenry the Navigator, 1394–1460, prince of Portugal, patron of exploration. Because he fought with extraordinary valor in the Portuguese conquest of Ceuta (1415), he was created duke of Viseu by his father, John I, king of Portugal. ..... Click the link for more information. , who built an observatory and formulated tables of the declinations of the sun; collected a great amount of nautical information, which he placed in practical form; made charts; and sponsored expeditions that led to numerous discoveries. Introduction of Navigational Instruments With the development of shipbuilding and the increase in knowledge of astronomy, there was increased use of instruments. The cross-staff was used to find latitude early in the 15th cent. It consisted of two pieces of wood, the cross at right angles to, and sliding on, the staff. At each end of the 26-in. (66-cm) cross a small hole was bored, and at the end of the staff a sight was fixed. To measure the altitude of a heavenly body, the instrument was sighted in that direction, and the cross was moved forward or back until the heavenly body appeared through the upper hole and the horizon through the lower. The altitude could then be read on a scale marked on the staff. Another device used for finding latitude was the astrolabeastrolabe , instrument probably used originally for measuring the altitudes of heavenly bodies and for determining their positions and movements. Although its origin is ancient and obscure, its invention is frequently ascribed either to Hipparchus or to Apollonius of Perga. ..... Click the link for more information. . Both were far from accurate. The navigating equipment carried by Columbus probably was simply a compass, a cross-staff, and a table of the sun's declination. Vasco da Gama on his first voyage around the Cape of Good Hope in 1497 used an astrolabe. The Flemish geographer G. K. MercatorMercator, Gerardus , Latin form of Gerhard Kremer , 1512–94, Flemish geographer, mathematician, and cartographer. He studied in Louvain, where he had a geographical establishment (1534). From 1537 to 1540 he surveyed and mapped Flanders. ..... Click the link for more information. 's work in improving charts at the end of the 16th cent., the works of the Spanish scientist Martín Cortés during the same period, the determining of the earth's circumference, and the introduction of logarithms at the beginning of the 17th cent. by the Scottish mathematician John Napier all helped advance navigation. By the middle of the 18th cent. a quadrantquadrant, in technology, angle-measuring device based on a scale of 90°. It is sometimes confused with the sextant, a similar instrument based on a scale of 60°. The quadrant is rarely used today. ..... Click the link for more information. could be used to find latitude and a log line and half-minute glass could help keep track of distance traveled; but the problem of finding the longitude remained unsolved until the invention of the chronometer. The appearance of the Nautical Almanac (see ephemerisephemeris (pl., ephemerides), table listing the position of one or more celestial bodies for each day of the year. The French publication Connaissance de Temps is the oldest of the national astronomical ephemerides, founded in 1679. ..... Click the link for more information. ) in 1767 was a great step forward in navigation, and the 19th cent. saw the development of books on navigation that far surpassed any earlier instructions, such as the standard book by Nathaniel BowditchBowditch, Nathaniel, 1773–1838, American navigator and mathematician, b. Salem, Mass. He had no formal schooling after the age of 10. In 1795 he went to sea, and on five long voyages he carried out his studies in navigation and as a result corrected some 8,000 errors in ..... Click the link for more information. , an American mathematician. The system of dead reckoning, which was much refined, is the art of finding a position by calculating the point of departure (i.e., the last known point of latitude and longitude), the course (as shown by the compass), the speed and the distance traveled according to the log, and the time elapsed. The use of buoys and the making of careful charts made navigation easier, while the fixing of positions by sextantsextant, instrument for measuring the altitude of the sun or another celestial body; such measurements can then be used to determine the observer's geographical position or for other navigational, surveying, or astronomical applications. ..... Click the link for more information. and astronomical charts was greatly improved. Modern Navigational Tools The next great revolution in navigation occurred in the 20th cent., when radio signals came into wide use. The development of radarradar, system or technique for detecting the position, movement, and nature of a remote object by means of radio waves reflected from its surface. Although most radar units use microwave frequencies, the principle of radar is not confined to any particular frequency range. ..... Click the link for more information. , loranloran , long-range, accurate radio navigational system used by a ship or aircraft to confirm or to determine its geographical position. The term loran is derived from the words long-range navigaton. ..... Click the link for more information. , and radio direction finding during World War II caused fundamental changes in navigational practice; a mariner or pilot today can turn on a Loran or Global Positioning System receiver and determine position and course to within a few yards. Inertial guidance systems, most often used to navigate submarines, aircraft, and spacecraft, allow navigation without contact with a ground base. In such systems, a computer navigates the vehicle with the aid of an inertial navigator device, which consists of a gyroscope to indicate direction and an accelerometer to measure changes in speed and direction. Inertial guidance systems and terrain-following radar allow a cruise missile to fly a thousand miles and hit its designated target. The development of navigation satellites beginning in the 1960s led in the 1990s to the U.S.'s Global Positioning System (GPS), which provides location and other information through the reception and interpretation of signals received from satellites; Russia and China have since created similar navigation systems. GPS receivers, which are now incorporated into smartphones and other devices, have made it possible to create navigation systems for vehicles and other forms of transportation. See also air navigationair navigation, science and technology of determining the position of an aircraft with respect to the surface of the earth and accurately maintaining a desired course (see navigation). ..... Click the link for more information. . See latest edition of Bowditch's Practical Navigator; see also D. Sobel, Longitude (1995). (1) Ship handling, shipping. (2) The time of year when navigation is possible in terms of local climatic conditions. (3) The main branch of ship handling, in which the theoretical grounds and practical procedures of ship operation are developed. The origin of maritime navigation dates to remote antiquity. The simplest procedures of navigation were known not only to the ancient Egyptians and Phoenicians but also to peoples who were at a lower stage of development. The principles of modern navigation were established by use of a magnetic pointer to determine the ship’s course (11th century), the compilation of charts in a direct orthogonal cylindrical projection (G. Mercator, 1569), and the invention of the deck log (19th century). At the turn of the 20th century, advances in physics were the basis for the development of electrical and electronic navigation instruments. In Russia the first training aid for navigation was compiled in 1703 by L. F. Magnitskii, an instructor at the School of Mathematical and Navigational Sciences, which was founded by Peter I in 1701. Russian seamen and scholars such as S. I. Mordvinov, L. Euler, and M. V. Lomonosov made a major contribution to work on navigational problems. Round-the-world voyages and scientific expeditions conducted by Russian seamen contributed to the further development of navigational science. Textbooks were written in which the methods of navigation were given a treatment close to that of the present day. P. Ia. Gamaleia’s textbook Theory and Practice of Navigation, which was published in several editions and served as a main guide to navigation in the first half of the 19th century, first came out in 1806. A new stage in the development of navigation was opened by the invention of radio by A. S. Popov. Major contributions to the establishment and development of the Soviet school of navigation were made by such scientists as N. N. Matusevich, N. A. Sakellari, A. P. Iushchenko, and K. S. Ukhov. The tasks of modern navigation are the selection of the safest and most convenient route for a ship, the use of navigational instruments and devices to determine the direction of travel and the distance covered by a ship at sea (including determination of corrections for the readings of such instruments), the study and selection of the cartographic projections that are most convenient for navigation and their use to solve problems of navigation by analytical and graphic methods, the consideration of the effect of external factors that cause deviation of the ship from the selected route, the determination of the ship’s location on the basis of land reference points and navigation satellites, and the assessment of the accuracy of such determinations. A number of problems of navigation are solved using methods of geodesy, cartography, hydrography, oceanography, and meteorology. A ship’s voyage between specific points requires the calculation and plotting of its route on maritime navigation charts, and also determination of a course that will ensure that the ship travels along the planned route with consideration for the effect of external disturbances (wind and currents). The nautical mile has been adopted as the fundamental unit for measuring distance at sea, and the degree as the fundamental unit for measuring direction. The shortest distance between two given points on the surface of the earth, which is assumed to be spherical, is the shorter arc of the great circle that passes through the points. Except in cases when a ship travels along a meridian or the equator, the great circle intersects the meridians at various angles. Therefore, a ship traveling along such a curve must change course continuously. In practice it is more convenient to travel a course that is a constant angle to the meridians and that can be represented in a Mercator projection on a chart by a straight line—a rhumb line. At great distances, however, the difference between the length of the great circle and that of the rhumb line becomes significant. Therefore, in such cases the great circle is computed and intermediate points are plotted, between which the ship sails along the rhumb line. The graphic representation of a ship’s route on a chart is called a plot. During the voyage the navigator keeps a continuous record of the ship’s position, according to its direction and the distance traveled, on the basis of readings of the ship’s compass and log and data on the current and drift. The method of computing a ship’s position on the basis of the elements of its motion is called deal reckoning, and the ship’s position on a chart as obtained by this method is called the dead-reckoning position of the ship. However, no matter how carefully the dead reckoning is performed, the position thus determined always deviates from the actual position of the ship because of errors in the corrections of compass readings and the log, inaccuracies in incorporating the elements of the current and drift, and deviations of the ship from course caused by various factors. Therefore, to eliminate errors, the dead reckoning is continuously corrected during a voyage by means of periodic determinations of the ship’s position (observations) according to land reference points (that is, by navigational methods) or according to heavenly bodies by using methods of nautical astronomy. The navigational methods are based on measurement of the distance and direction (or combinations thereof) to objects whose coordinates are known, or of the angles between the objects. Each measurement gives one position line. The intersection of two position lines determines the ship’s observed position. With three or more lines it is possible not only to determine the ship’s position but also to find the probable values of the errors of observation. Reference points for navigational determinations near the coast include natural landmarks or artificial structures (mainly navigational aids, such as lighthouses, signs, and channel markers), which are entered on the chart and can be observed visually or by radar or the signals of circular or course radio beacons; sound signals; and deeps. Pulsed, pulsed-phase, and phase radio navigation systems or quadrant radio beacons are used at great distances from shore. The increase in the traffic density on sea routes and in the dimensions and speeds of oceangoing ships requires improvements in equipment and methods of navigation. Use of the Doppler effect in sonar logs, which makes it possible to measure the speed of a ship with respect to the bottom, is one way of increasing the accuracy of dead reckoning. During approaches to ports and when sailing in crowded channels, the required accuracy of guidance is ensured by the use of precision short-range radio navigation systems or coastal radar stations. Global radio navigation systems that make possible determination of a ship’s position at any point are being developed for navigation on the open ocean. The system of navigation satellites is extremely promising in this regard. The development of navigational equipment is making possible automation of the acquisition and processing of navigational information and direct input of data into the control system to solve the problem of stabilization of the ship on a prescribed path. The development and use of autonomous inertial navigation systems on transport vessels is promising. REFERENCESUkhov, K. S. Navigatsiia. Leningrad, 1954. Shchegolev, E. Ia. Radiotekhnicheskie sredstva morskogo sudovozhdeniia. Leningrad, 1956. Iakushenkov, A. A. “Sudovozhdenie i sviaz’.” In Problemy razvitiia morskogo flota. Leningrad, 1970. Iushchenko, A. P., and M. M. Leskov. Navigatsiia, 2nd ed. Moscow, 1972. B. P. KHABUR the movement of vessels along waterways. Distinctions are made between maritime, inland, and combined navigation and between commercial, fishing, and other navigation. Ancient navigators used reference points on riverbanks, lake-shores, and seacoasts. Later, navigation on the open sea was made possible by the development of nautical astronomy, the use of the compass, and improvements in vessel design. Modern navigation is based on developed technical facilities—vessels and their equipment—and navigation services—port, hydrometeoro-logical, hydrographic, rescue, repair, and other services. Hydrometeorological conditions, maritime law, and waterways themselves can place limitations on the extent of navigation. Northern seas and inland waterways in the temperate zone freeze in winter, tides cause changes in depths, and natural waterways may be too shallow for navigation in some areas. In basins that freeze in winter, icebreakers and vessels with improved reliability in ice conditions help make prolonged navigation possible. Dredging deepens waterways, and dams are constructed to regulate river levels. Hydrometeorological conditions may limit navigation for restricted-use vessels, for example, inland vessels entering roads. Navigation procedures are regulated by national laws and international agreements. E. G. LOGVINOVICH i. Dead reckoning, in which navigation is by reference to the time, speed, and heading from a fixed starting point. ii. Celestial, in which position is determined by accurately measuring the angle between the horizon and one or more celestial bodies. iii. Electronic, where the navigation is by reference to the ground or satellite-based electronic signals. iv. Pilotage, where navigation is by reference to visible landmarks. navigation(1) Moving around. It refers to clicking or tapping buttons and menus or making multi-finger gestures to activate functions in an application or to jump to other sections of a website. See navigation bar and imagemap. (2) Getting directions to a location. See GPS and mapping app.
Get Repetition essential facts below. View Videos or join the Repetition discussion . Add Repetition to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media. Borrowed from Latin repetitionem (accusative singular of repetitio; cf. French répétition). repetition (countable and uncountable, plural repetitions) - The act or an instance of repeating or being repeated. - Carried somehow, somewhither, for some reason, on these surging floods, were these travelers, of errand not wholly obvious to their fellows, yet of such sort as to call into query alike the nature of their errand and their own relations. It is easily earned repetition to state that Josephine St. Auban's was a presence not to be concealed. - (weightlifting): The act of performing a single, controlled exercise motion. A group of repetitions is a set. - Synonym: rep act or an instance of repeating or being repeated - Arabic: m (takr?r), f (?ida) - Armenian: (hy) (krknut?yun) - Belarusian: n (pa?tarénnje) - Bulgarian: (bg) n (povtorénie) - Catalan: repetició (ca) f - Mandarin: (zh), (zh) (chóngfù) - Czech: opakování (cs) n - Danish: gentagelse (da) c - Dutch: herhaling (nl) f - Finnish: kertaus (fi), toisto (fi) - French: répétition (fr) f - Georgian: (gameoreba) - German: Wiederholung (de) f, Repetition f - Greek: (el) f (epanálipsi) - Hebrew: ? f (khazará) - Hungarian: (from a transitive verb) ismétlés (hu), (from an intransitive verb) ismétl?dés - Ido: itero (io) - Irish: athdhéanamh m, athra (saying again), athsheinm m (playing again), atarlú m (reoccurrence) - Italian: ripetizione (it) f - Japanese: ? (, kurikaeshi), (ja) (?, hanpuku) act of repeating an exercise motion - 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 Wiktionary:Entry layout#Translations. Translations to be checked re- + petition repetition (third-person singular simple present repetitions, present participle repetitioning, simple past and past participle repetitioned) - To petition again. - 2011, Anneke Campbell, ?Thomas Lizney, Be the Change (page 7) - The group went through several rounds at different courts, petitioning and repetitioning, losing again and again. - repetition; the act of repeating
Book talks are the tool you need to create avid readers in your classroom! They will engage your students in new genres. Book talks will encourage them to expand their reading tastes. They will get your students discussing books more. Book talks will motivate your class to read! What is a book talk? A book talk is a short presentation based on a book that a student has read. It is a book commercial for the book, in which the student’s goal is to convince their peers that they need to read it! In a book talk, they will be engaging their listeners by piquing their curiosity. They are making their book appear fun, exciting and suspenseful. A book talk is not a formal presentation This book advertisement is an authentic and persuasive sharing of their book. Parts of a Book Talk A book talk has three main parts – the hook, the content and the cliffhanger. - The Hook – To start their book talk, students should grab their audience’s attention right away! They could do this with a powerful quote form the story. Students could introduce the main character or vividly set the scene for the class. They could also hook their audience by asking a question. Let them get creative! - The Content – Next, they need to share what their book is about. This is where they provide the details from the novel and summarize the plot. They could even share a brief excerpt from the story. - The Cliffhanger – Finally, students need to end their book talk with a cliffhanger. They should leave their audience wanting more, but they need to be careful to not give away the ending! Book Talk Tips - Keep it short! To keep their audience’s attention, a book talk should only be a few minutes. - Engage the audience by asking if anyone has read the book. If they have, allow them time to share their thoughts on the book. - Encourage your class to record any books that interest them on their to-be-read list. - Create a book recommendation board in your classroom. Grab a free book spine template to use in this blog post about building a reading community. Have students write the book’s title and author on the book spine and hang them up in the classroom. Why are book talks important? - Reading is contagious! When they know that their peers are reading and what they are reading, it entices them to pick up a book more often. - Builds speaking skills. Oral speaking can be scary for students. Giving them the opportunity to informally present in your classroom will help them gain confidence. - Book talks are beneficial for the audience too! Students are practicing how to be an attentive audience. They will learn how to participate in a discussion and how to ask appropriate questions.
Elements of Income Statement Revenues and expenses are the elements of income statement. 1. Revenue represents an increase in resources from the operations of an entity 2. Increase in resources may be (A), (B) or (C) (A) Increase in assets (B) Decrease in liabilities (C) Both (A) and (B) Recognition of revenue 1. Recognition means “recording” in accounting 2. Revenue is reported when it is recognized 3. Revenue is recognized when it is earned and realized (or realizable) 4. Realized means the collection of cash 5. Earned means the delivery of products or services Revenue Recognition Principle U.S. GAAP Codification Topic 605: Revenue Revenues are recognized when (a) realized or realizable and (b) earned. –> not recognized until realized or realizable. –> not recognized until earned. Revenues are realized –> when products are exchanged for cash or claims to cash. Revenues are realizable –> when related assets received are readily convertible to cash or claims to cash. 1. Expenses are recognized in the same period when related revenues are recognized. 2. This principle is called as “Matching Principle.” 3. Matching expenses with related revenues. Normal balances of revenue accounts 1. Revenue accounts have normal balances on the credit side 2. Increases in revenue accounts are recorded on the credit side 3. Decrease in revenue accounts are recorded on the debit side Normal balances of expense accounts 1. Expense accounts have normal balances on the debit side 2. Increases in expense accounts are recorded on the debit side 3. Decrease in expense accounts are recorded on the creidt side
Different people respond to stressful situations in different ways. To some extent, the coping strategies people use in dealing with negative events predict how those events will impact their mental health. Psychologists have found that certain coping strategies seem to work better than others. An example of a coping strategy that doesn’t appear to work well in some situations is avoidance: research has shown a link between avoidant coping and lower wellbeing. Recently, a group of psychologists in Spain studied three coping strategies that do seem to work well. These strategies were: - Positive reappraisal: Reevaluating stressful events to see them in a more positive light - Support seeking: Seeking out support from others in times of stress - Planning: Planning ahead to solve problems and find ways of dealing with stressful situations The psychologists looked at how a group of 1,402 university students used (or didn’t use) these coping strategies. What they found was that these strategies appear to complement each other. Specifically, students who used all three had higher levels of wellbeing. This finding led the researchers to conclude that in understanding how coping strategies work, it’s important to take into account people’s “ability to combine different approach coping strategies.” The idea that being able to mix and match coping strategies is a useful coping strategy in itself is sometimes referred to as coping flexibility. No single coping strategy is going to be equally effective in all situations, and being able to choose effective coping strategies from a broad repertoire, and to discard coping strategies that aren’t working, has obvious advantages. A 2012 study of 4,400 Japanese college students showed that flexible coping is associated with better mental health in several ways. Students who scored higher on coping flexibility had fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety. They also had lower levels of overall distress. The takeaway is that developing multiple coping skills may have positive implications for mental health, especially when combined with the ability to use those coping skills effectively by adapting to different situations. And if you’re looking for a place to start, you could probably do worse than honing the three complementary coping skills listed above.
Evolutionary biologists believe that humans needed wisdom teeth, which are the third set of molars, a long time ago when their diet consisted almost entirely of tough foods such as roots, leaves and nuts. As humans began consuming more soft meats and using utensils, the wisdom teeth were no longer needed to help chew food.Continue Reading As of 2014, wisdom teeth are considered "vestigial," which means that they were once important for development but are now unnecessary. Over time, the human mouth became smaller, since this third set of molars was no longer needed. This explains why wisdom teeth do not properly fit in the modern human jaw. Without room to develop properly, many wisdom teeth do not come in, come in crooked or come in impacted. Since wisdom teeth are no longer necessary for chewing and often develop poorly, causing oral pain or infection, they are often removed after they come in. Wisdom teeth begin to appear between the ages of 17 and 25, and there can be anywhere from one to four of them: Two in the upper jaw and two in the lower jaw form the full set. Some individuals never develop wisdom teeth, which lends support to their classification as vestigial.Learn more about Bones
Geography - A Level Special Entry Requirements: You do not need to have taken GCSE Geography however you will need to meet the A Level entry requirements and have a grade 5 in GCSE English Language. The Edexcel Geography syllabus is so varied and thought-provoking that there is guaranteed to be something that appeals to everyone. Geography includes a huge variety of knowledge and skills. A Geographer needs to be a good all-rounder who enjoys arts, humanities and sciences. Coastal Landscapes & Change: Processes causing different landscapes and Coastal Landforms. How does coastal erosions and sea level change alter the coast. Coastal Management and Fieldwork & Research. Tectonic Processes and Hazards: Why are some locations more at risk? Why do some tectonic hazards develop into disasters? How successful is the management of tectonic disasters? Globalisation: What are the causes of globalisation? What are the impacts of globalisation? What are the consequences for global development? Regenerating Places: How and why do places vary? Why is regeneration needed? How is regeneration manged? How successful is regeneration? What fieldwork and research can be used to investigate regeneration. Physical systems and sustainability The Water Cycle and Water Insecurity: The processes involved in the water cycle, factors influence over the hydrological system and the issue of water insecurity. The Carbon Cycle and Energy Security: How does the carbon cycle operate? The consequences of our increasing demand for energy. How are the carbon and water cycles linked to the global climate system? Human Systems and Geopolitics Superpowers: What are superpowers? The impacts of superpowers. What are the spheres of influence contested by superpowers? Global Development and Connections – Health, Human Rights and Intervention: What is human development? Why do human rights vary from place to place? How are human rights used as arguments for political and military intervention? What are the outcomes of geopolitical interventions in terms of human development and human rights? A Level Geography is assessed by examinations and coursework. The huge variety of up-to-date knowledge and skills possessed by Geographers makes us very employable in many different careers. However, the sheer breadth of the subject and variety of skills involved makes geographers exceptionally flexible in today’s changing job market. If you have no idea what career you want, Geography is a good choice, because it is so broad that it keeps lots of options open. The most popular careers for geographers tend to be in finance and accountancy, administration and management, and sales and marketing. Some become teachers, some follow careers in travel and tourism, and others specialise in environmental planning.
For several months we've been discussing the elements of creativity as described in Michael J. Gelb's book, How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci. So far we've examined curiosity (curiosita), perception (sensazione), perspective (sfumato), and the value of hands-on learning (dimonstrazione). Next up, and perhaps the most important element of all, is a state of mind where logic and imagination work in harmony, a concept da Vinci calls arte/scienza. Where many might be inclined to see art and science as separate domains, da Vinci saw them as coexistent qualities endowed by nature in all things. His studies of anatomy, for example, led him to conclude that, “the human foot is a masterpiece of engineering and a work of art.” So also, to him, was the eye, the petals of a flower, and the method of avian flight. Whether it was anatomy, botany, geology, or zoology, nature was da Vinci's primary teacher, and it taught him that logic and imagination are an essential part of creativity and the thought process from which it springs. By observing nature, da Vinci also learned how to keep imagination and logic from overstepping their bounds and derailing the creative process. Throughout nature, art and science are of one accord because they answer to the same law. Da Vinci sometimes referred to this law as necessity, writing in his notebook, “Necessity is the theme and the inventress, the eternal curb and law of nature.” Unlike many of his contemporaries, da Vinci made necessity the arbiter of his works, ensuring that neither overactive logic nor excessive imagination would spoil the result. Adhering to necessity didn't always make life easier, however. In fact, as a standard, it was an impossible goal, even for the great da Vinci. “Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature, because in her inventions nothing is lacking, and nothing is superfluous,” he wrote. This may explain why da Vinci was often dissatisfied by his efforts, lamenting in his old age, “I have offended God and mankind because my work did not reach the quality it should have.” In this expression of regret, however, da Vinci also leaves us a clue as to what ultimately drove him to the pinnacle of human creativity. Leonardo da Vinci may not have been religious, but he was most certainly spiritual. His admiration of nature and his attempts to apply it in his work were, in every sense, a spiritual response. What's more, da Vinci saw a divine hand in the laws of nature, believing they were established with good intent by a pre-existent and unwavering source. In his notes, he acknowledges that source, writing, “Oh admirable impartiality of Thine, Thou first Mover; Thou hast not permitted that any force should fail of the order or quality of its necessary results.” Leonardo da Vinci derived his creativity by tapping into the “first Mover,” the Cause and Initiator of all. In all his works, his logic and imagination were guided by his spirit, which he nurtured, more or less, through his studies of nature. Da Vinci wrote, “Where the spirit does not work with the hand, there is no art.” Nor is there arte/scienza, which we as designers would do well to bear in mind.
The exercises in this category all have something to do with syntax, the study of rules and patterns that govern the way words combine to form phrases and the way phrases combine to form sentences. The study of syntax is an encridibly broad one, so these few questions here are in no way meant to represent all syntax deals with. The tools linguists use to describe syntax and experiment with it form a less broad category. We have tried to make available tools that allow you to do some of the more common things linguists do when describing syntax: drawing trees and writing their own grammars. The exercises should give teachers an idea of what is possible with these tools, while students can use them to see if they like this interactive method of testing their knowledge. Try any of the exercises you like or turn to the Playground sections to play with the tools without having to bother about exercise restrictions. New users are recommended to turn there because you can find some short explanation on how the tools work, though we tried to make them such that most of you will have no trouble finding things out on your own. Both students and teachers can use the contact form (at the bottom of the menu) to give us their opinion on these tools. You may tell us anything: what you like and don't like about the tools, what you would like to see included, what could use some better explanation, etc. . Only with your feedback will it be possible to improve things for possible future upgrades.
I follow with great interest the latest research on the origins of the Grand Canyon. In some ways, the Grand Canyon is deceptively simple: on one level, the canyon is simply a pile of stacked layers (which makes for the simplest of creation-science narratives). It was recognized very early on that the Inner Gorge hides great secrets: something like 3,000 meters of tilted Proterozoic layers, some three times thicker than the obvious overlying Paleozoic layers. And John Wesley Powell recognized right away the deepest parts of the canyon reveal the very ancient metamorphic rocks that contain evidence of hundreds of millions of years of history that greatly predates any of the overlying sediments. But as I am always telling my students, the rocks tell only part of the story. Here we stand at the edge of a huge abyss, one of the greatest geological showplaces on the planet, and we can't exactly tell how old the gorge itself actually is. Erosion of canyons removes evidence, and in the case of the Grand Canyon, there are multiple ways of defining the age of the canyon formation anyway. A flurry of stories a few weeks ago discussed how the canyon was older than previous thought [see Grand Canyon Old, Says the News (But Not the Data) for a discussion]. Another article that I noticed today discusses a Grand Canyon that is 55-65 million years old (Grand Canyon May Be As Old As Dinosaurs, 40-50 Million Years Older Than Previously Thought). The article linked here reports on a paper by Flowers, Wernicke, and Farley (May issue of the GSA Bulletin) in which cooling rates of apatite indicate the presence of a deep canyon throughout Cenozoic time. The article makes it clear that the canyon they are discussing was being carved through the thousands of meters thick Mesozoic cover, and they also correctly point out that different parts of the canyon formed at different times and were only recently integrated into the river system we see today. A moment of linking produced a story from several years back concerning portions of the canyon, as much as 700 meters worth, that may have been carved within the last 700,000 years when the Colorado Rivers was swollen to many times its present size due to glacial runoff from the Rocky Mountains (New Evidence Of Lava Dam Failure And Fault Activity Supports Theory That Grand Canyon Is Geologic Infant). The lava dams discussed in the article yet another example of the fascinating stories concerning the origin of the canyon. Great pictures for the imagination. Powell wrote eloquently of the violence of lava meeting water in the canyon bottom. I have talked with my students of previous hypotheses of stream piracy on a monumental scale in the region. What a sight it would have been, to have seen the moment that a river changes its entire course for good! And imagine seeing a 1,000,000 cubic feet per second flood on the Colorado River! The biggest flood on record was only a third of that, in 1884. But such flows may have been common during the Pleistocene. And during all of these events, eyes other than our own species were witnesses: mammoths, mastodons, sabertooth cats, American lions, sloths, giant cave bears, maybe dire wolves, and condors with 11-12 foot wingspans (one of my recent delights was seeing some of Grand Canyon's recently released condors). The Grand Canyon...grand in so many ways!
Economics Homework Ten Answers - Student Two 1.Externalities are any good or service that you can benefit from or not benefit from without paying for it. - Superb definition. 2.Marginal revenue is zero because it cannot be positive or negative. Because revenue is at its maximum so you can't increase it any, so marginal revenue can't be positive. Same for negative. If it was negative it would reduce the output by one unit and have the affect of increasing the total revenue. That isn't possible because total revenue is at its maximum so then marginal revenue must be zero. - Excellent! Note: "effect" is the noun, not "affect". 3.Question 6 – Goods and services are used most often to define which of the following concepts: The reason this is my favorite one is because I didn't keep to your advice of going with my first impression. I went with my second impression and got it wrong. So in the future, I will go with my first impression. - Very good indeed! 4.A positive externality is if you like tennis and your house is next to a tennis court, you can enjoy the game without having to pay for it. A negative externality is if you dislike rock music and next door some kids band practices every day, you get the external non benefit of hearing their music. 5.Private firms in the free market are unlikely to try to provide public goods because they would make a lot less money. People don't really pay for public goods they just benefit from them. 6.A and B are substitutes because they have positive cross-elasticity. C and D are complements because they have negative cross-elasticity. If one of the two goods (A & B) price goes up and demand goes down, then its substitutes demand will go up and then its cross-elasticity will be positive because it went up. Whereas complements when good raised its price and demand goes down for it, its complements demand also goes down making its cross-elasticity negative. 9.A public good is a good that is beneficial to everyone whether they personally pay for it or not. For instance the US Army is a public good. 10.A question on the midterm that describes an unusual situation is #16. If a firm's total revenue were somehow maximized, then its marginal revenue must be (a) zero. This scenario is unrealistic because it is very very hard to have maximized total revenue. 11.The correct answer is 600 units because the price ceiling intersects the supply at 200 and intersects demand at 800. So then 800 – 200 = 600. So 600 is the amount of the shortage. - Perfect homework! Congratulations. 90/90.--Andy Schlafly 17:45, 25 November 2009 (EST)
This lesson introduces the idea of sharing in a situation where there is a scarcity of resources. The Land of Many Colors is a published book written by children teaches the concept of tolerance of differences. Students discuss how children have the power to... Filter by subjects: Filter by audience: Filter by unit » issue area: find a lesson The purpose of this lesson is that the learners will advocate for tolerance through art, particularly photography. They will create aesthetic and thoughtful art that portrays beauty in diversity, celebrates differences, and shows hope and serenity. They will share their art... The learners will explore how a single act of violence or intolerance can effect a large population of people. They will explore alternative ways to voice an opinion in a nonviolent way and learn how acting philanthropically will often produce positive results even out of... Unit: Grow Involved 3-5 Lack of awareness plays a role in perpetuating racism and prejudice. Learners identify ways they can advocate for tolerance, justice, and kindness. The purpose of this lesson is to emphasize to students that there are many types of people in the world, and we must be tolerant of everyone’s uniqueness. The purpose of this lesson is to explore prejudices and to find ways that philanthropy can promote tolerance and sensitivity toward others. Learners will define the term tolerance and examine their reactions to given social situations that call for tolerance. Learners will examine the ethical foundations of tolerance from the Torah and understand what it means in both the religious and social context. Learners will sponsor Mix It Up Day, a national project to promote diversity within a school environment. Learners will experience roles as private citizens attempting to change behavior.